Lie's eyes drifted toward the sounds outside. She was too stunned to speak. I looked toward the noise as well, then stood up.
"I don't have time to explain the next phase. Go back to your cell."
"But—"
"I'll tell you in the morning. I promise."
Lie hesitated, then finally nodded. She left with quick steps.
I pulled the stone from my pocket. I moved past the crowd to the right side of the store, then slipped inside. Everyone's attention was still on the body. I moved to the left side. I aimed at the small camera in the corner.
I only have one shot.
The stone spun through the air. The front of the camera shattered with a crack.
I gathered the labels from the left side and hid them in empty cells. By the time I returned to my cell, the evening walk had ended.
I didn't tell Lie, but death was always a possibility. It was in my calculations. Well, this drew more attention anyway. That worked out.
Half an hour later, the guards began searching for the labels. When it was my turn, they found nothing in my cell. One by one, the people who had hidden labels were sent to the second layer.
Just as I expected.
During the morning walk, I went straight to the tablet. Weekly item options. I had noticed it the first time I checked: "Dead Man's Money." A hundred game coins. I had read in the rules that the money of those sent to the second layer—and the dead—was stored in the first layer's deposit. I bought it. I checked my balance.
Eight hundred. It worked.
I returned to my cell. I searched every corner. Someone had hidden a label in my cell too. I found it. I took it out and threw it into the trash bin. I had a brief conversation with the guards, went back to my cell, and waited.
It didn't take long. A short-haired, blond kid arrived at my cell. His grin was practically glued to his face.
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"Hello, Rei-senpai!"
"It was you."
"You're not surprised to see me?"
"You took the label from your own room and hid it in mine. You figured out my plan."
"Yes, yes! You're so good!" His grin widened. "Now you're going to send me all your game coins. Or the guards will tear your cell apart."
I remained indifferent. When he saw my expression, his grin faded and was replaced by a dark look.
"Fine, senpai. Face the consequences."
He called the guards. They searched my cell. There was nothing. The kid's face crumbled.
"How?"
The guards spoke among themselves. One of them checked the trash bin in front of the kid's cell. The label was there. They cuffed him.
"NO! REI PUT IT THERE! IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN HIS CELL! LET ME GO!"
"Stop struggling." The guard grabbed his arm firmly. "How could he have put it in the trash bin? You were trying to frame someone. Plus, the camera in the corner shows you entering his cell. Shut your mouth."
"NOOO!"
They dragged the kid away.
I had figured it out from the way he was watching me while I executed the plan. I knew he was setting a trap. He had figured out my plan and wanted to take my money or eliminate me. The easiest way: hide one of the labels in my cell.
I anticipated that. I deliberately hid a label in his cell too. I knew he was watching me, but I acted like I didn't. He would find the label and plant it in my cell. Then he'd report me to the guards. But I found the label first and threw it in the trash bin. I told the guards, "Someone is going to try to frame someone. I saw them throw a label into the trash."
When he filed his own report, the suspicion doubled. They searched my cell and found nothing. They checked the trash bin and found the label. I had also moved through the blind spot of the camera I broke, so I wasn't seen. But the kid walked right in front of the working camera. He was recorded entering my cell.
I used his own trap against him. Though I didn't expect him to figure out my plan. That was interesting.
Time for the next step.
I gathered everyone in the washroom. "You saw the real traitor. He's been sent to the second layer. I found a letter about the game in his cell."
The crowd murmured.
"I don't want anyone to end up like those traitors. I want everyone to get along. Justice must be served." I held up the letter. "I'm going to reveal the upcoming game to everyone. In the name of fairness."
Their eyes lit up.
A voice called out from the back. "What if you're lying?"
"If the letter were a lie, everyone here would turn against me after the game. I can't afford to lie."
"...That's true."
I revealed the game. I told them to spread the word to their friends. I spoke to people one by one, informing them. I appeared to have delivered justice. In a short time, I gained popularity and trust.
The walk ended. I returned to my cell and sat on the bed.
Good. The first layer is now under my control.