The Cleaners stopped by Kiriyama's group and discussed their strategy. They asked if Kiriyama's group had also been attacked by a masked figure on the road. Kiriyama acted like he didn't know anything and stayed calm. He accepted their mine-scanning offer in exchange for a trade. The Cleaners scanned the area, found no mines, and left.
What the hell is that masked idiot doing? Whatever. It's not like we're saints. I'm going to betray him in the end anyway. I'll talk to him the next time he comes.
The six-hour mark was approaching. I headed to the area where the fourth red zone had last appeared. I wanted the grenade. There was a long distance between the zones.
Sakura is close to the second-to-last red zone. She and her team will probably claim the second zone's reward. Akari is close to the second one. She's smart enough to figure it out—she and her team will get the walkie-talkies. They're gaining a solid advantage.
If things go as I predicted, telling Sakura my theory will work in my favor. Akari will collect one set of rewards, and Sakura will collect the other. That leaves nothing from the first two rewards for Haru and Kiriyama. I'll take the grenade. Random solo players nearby can grab the knives before they arrive.
"Five players eliminated. Fifty-five remaining."
Probably a trap.
I checked the shop before the six-hour mark, but I couldn't buy the red zone again. A red zone had formed in a distant area from me.
The moment the six hours were up, the area I was in turned blue. I could see the other areas glowing blue from above. I was confirmed instantly and the grenade was added to my inventory. As I turned to leave, I ran into Haru.
"Ah, senpai. You're already here?"
"You got here early too."
"Not as early as you, senpai. You figured out the light theory too, didn't you?"
"Of course."
"I wouldn't expect less from you, senpai."
Haru was confirmed and received a knife. Two solo players nearby were also confirmed, leaving only one slot. Kiriyama tried to rush in with his group, but with only one slot left, only he could enter and receive a knife.
"Damn it! How did they get here so fast?"
I quickly left the area.
"Five players eliminated. Fifty remaining."
They must have set traps.
To avoid risks, I climbed the trees and moved from tree to tree. After finding a suitable place to rest, I ate my food.
A few hours later, the masked figure arrived at Kiriyama's group. When Kiriyama saw him, he brought up what had happened.
"An attack? What attack? I didn't attack anyone."
"But that's what the Cleaners said. You didn't do it?"
"I didn't. But even if I did, what difference would it make? It's not like we're saints."
"If you didn't do it, then who did?"
"I don't know. Someone could be imitating me to ruin my reputation."
"Who would know about us? Could it be someone from our group?"
"I doubt it. I'll think about it."
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"Fine."
They discussed their plans for a while, then the masked figure left.
Kiriyama returned to the center of the group and suddenly kicked the weaker members.
"You bastards! If you weren't so slow, we would've gotten everything!"
He kicked the other weaker members in the face as well. Several of them writhed on the ground in pain. Kiriyama used the people around him to vent his anger and took a deep breath.
"Damn it."
I spent game coins to check Haru's location and realized he had already met with Kiriyama.
Tsubasa must not have been able to use the blueberries. I expected as much. But I can still make him use them later if I arrange an escape for him.
Meanwhile, Haru found a secluded spot, removed his mask, and began thinking about the situation.
I checked Rei's location while I was moving. He was close to the Cleaners, but not right on top of them. Could he have hidden his phone?
But you don't need to see the masked figure to imitate them. Everyone heard about the night attack, so anyone could imitate it. The twins could have done it too. Akari is supposed to be an ally—she probably wouldn't. The meeting went well. My traps worked too. Rei is causing more trouble than he seems. He got the grenade before me. I couldn't set the trap in time. He probably knew I was the traitor. I need to be careful.
A while later, when Kiriyama's group was scattered gathering supplies again, I signaled Tsubasa to meet me. I also gestured for the other man to come. After he signaled back, the other man joined us. I asked his name—Kazuya. Since I was masked, he didn't ask for my name.
I asked Tsubasa about the blueberries. He said he hadn't done it and explained his reasons. After listening, I told him it was fine, but to keep them and use them at a better time.
Thanks to Akari's intelligence and the information I had given Sakura, Kiriyama hadn't been able to secure a spot for the blue light rewards. I was pleased about that. Haru also hadn't been able to get the grenade.
The robotic voice spoke.
"The areas have been shrunk again!"
Tsubasa reacted. "They keep shrinking the areas!"
"That's normal. It happens after a new rule or after people are eliminated."
Kazuya supported my statement. "Yeah."
"What happened to the other masked one, by the way?"
"I don't know. We went our separate ways."
"Then why are you still wearing a mask?"
"I still have my own masked team."
"I see."
"Be ready to use the blueberries. I'll tell you when the time is right. Don't worry—there will be escape routes. In fact, the first escape point is this riverbank. If you can't make it here, the backup is the island's center, and the backup to that is the waterfall near the center. Three meeting points. If you can't reach the second, go to the third. But if you can, come here to the river. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Alright. We shouldn't draw suspicion. I'll call for you. Good day."
I turned and walked away from the riverbank.
There won't be another large mine explosion. No one has enough game coins left. Time to move to the next step.
I checked the Cleaners' location. They were heading toward the other groups again. I approached them, hid my phone once more, and covered my shoes heavily in mud so they appeared closer to black. I secretly hid in the bushes along their path, deliberately positioning myself so my mask would be visible but my physique wouldn't be—only my shoes showing. The Cleaners spotted my mask through the bushes and ran back to their camp.
"DID YOU SEE THAT?"
"YES! HE WAS HIDING! WE SHOULD GET OUT OF HERE!"
I quickly returned to where I had hidden my phone. Instead of putting the mask in my bag, I hid it among the bushes. Then I ran toward the Cleaners' camp, pretending to be fleeing in fear, and shouted.
"I SAW THE MASKED GUY! HE WAS OVER THERE!"
"W-we know! We saw him too! Calm down!"
"Ahh, I was so scared! Who could that be?"
The group's leader grew suspicious and said he couldn't be sure whether I was the masked one or not, so he asked to check my bag. I showed him. When they saw there was no mask inside, they relaxed. I continued speaking.
"The masked one is probably Haru."
"Haru? That innocent-looking kid? What are you talking about?"
Their leader kept questioning me.
"You ran into him too, didn't you? Remember—his shoes are the same color."
The leader tried to remember. He recalled the mud-stained black shoes he had seen through the bushes. He couldn't remember anything from the earlier mine attack because he hadn't focused on the shoes then. So he relied on his most recent memory and remembered the shoes being black.
"Ah! Yes, they were black!"
"Now picture Haru's shoes. They're black too, aren't they?"
"He slipped up! You're right!"
"We should get away from here. He might be heading this way. I already told the twins' group about this. If we share our theory, we can form an alliance."
"Alright."
We headed to the twins' group with the Cleaners and explained the situation. Because we shared the same suspicions, the Cleaners and the twins decided to merge their groups. They included me as an ally.
I told them Haru was one of the people behind the explosions and that we needed to do something to stop him. I said I'd think about it and that they should too, then I left them.