They brought me back to the first layer. It was the morning walk, so they released me.
How did they get me back so fast? Do they have some kind of special system?
Whatever.
The people from the first layer saw me and rushed over immediately. They asked what had happened. I told them. They believed me because of my reputation, but the idea that there might be a traitor among them started to take hold. I calmed them down and told them the responsibility was mine.
I spotted Lie in the distance. I went up to her.
"I heard what happened. I won't ask too many questions. You look fine."
"Somehow, I came out alright. Did you join a game?"
"No. I felt unsafe after you left, so I paid the game coins to skip."
"I see. That was your call."
"What was your game like?"
"It took place in a mansion. Traitors and innocents. Think of it like a murder mystery game. I'll explain later."
"Like Among Us?"
"You could say that. But more complex and darker."
"I'm glad you survived."
I looked around and saw Wakamura in the distance. Lie and I walked over to him.
"Wakamura? What are you doing here?"
He seemed happy to see me. "Rei, you're here too?"
"I told you I came from the first layer. What about you?"
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"I used the points I earned to bring myself back to the first layer."
"Points?"
"With game coins, you can buy or trade anything."
"Anything, huh?" I paused. "Where are the other girl and the old man?"
"I haven't seen them since the game."
"I see. Let me check my points."
I turned to Lie. "His name is Wakamura. We met during the game. We focused on winning together."
Wakamura scratched his head. "Not really together. Rei basically controlled the whole game."
Lie looked at me. "Is that so?"
"I mean... don't dig too much into it."
"Fine."
I walked to the tablet in the store and checked my balance. Instead of eight hundred, it read eighteen hundred.
They added a thousand points. I wonder how much the others got? Maybe it varies by performance.
I walked back to Wakamura and asked how many points he received.
"Two hundred."
Either it varies by performance, or he's lying. I can't prove it right now. There's a traitor on the first layer. I should try to figure out who it is.
I've been here about three weeks now. I don't even have a clue about their gender. I need to keep observing.
"Wakamura, what did you do to end up here?"
"Murder."
"I see. What kind of murder?"
"Long story. You?"
"Similar reason."
I said I was heading back to my cell. As I walked, Lie came up behind me.
"Is Wakamura trustworthy?"
"I have no idea."
"Nothing strange happened while you were gone. They were just curious."
"I'm going to check that guard's room. I haven't forgotten my promise."
Lie's face relaxed. She gave a small wave and walked toward her cell.
The morning walk ended. The first layer no longer felt like a foreign place. The cell door closed, and I lay down on the bed.
The seventh layer. How many layers are there? It seems to get worse as you go up. What's in the seventh? Do they just play games all the time?
I was tired. I closed my eyes. But the moment I did, the memories rushed in. The days at the training facility. The system valued memory, so my memory had been enhanced. I couldn't easily forget what I had lived through.
A hundred-page book. I was told to write down every word from memory. Then write down what I had learned, what the book was trying to teach. I had succeeded.
I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away. But the memories kept coming. I was told to write a new book in three hours based on the subject of the one I'd just read. I had succeeded at that too. I passed the monthly exam. I pushed myself hard. If I hadn't passed, I would have suffered for it.
I pressed my fingers against my forehead. I controlled my thoughts. Slowly, I drifted off to sleep.