Chapter 13: The Girl with Two Faces
The moment they put the blindfolds on, the room became unnaturally quiet.
Nobody could see.
Nobody could move freely.
Nobody could know what the Dealer was doing.
The only sounds were the occasional footsteps of the guards and the faint rustling of cards being placed onto the table.
I sat perfectly still.
Then I felt it.
A hand.
It gently grabbed my wrist.
My entire body tensed.
The Dealer.
It had to be.
The hand wasn't rough. It wasn't forceful.
It simply guided me.
Slowly.
Carefully.
I allowed myself to be led forward.
Every instinct told me this could be a trap.
The Dealer could be helping me.
Or they could be leading me straight toward disaster.
A few seconds later, my fingertips brushed against the edge of the table.
Then I felt something unusual.
A scratch.
A small groove carved into the wood.
And right beside it...
A card.
The Dealer released my wrist.
I remained frozen.
My heart pounded against my chest.
Why me?
Why show me this specific card?
Why leave a mark as a guide?
Questions flooded my mind.
But there was one thing that bothered me more than anything else.
The hand felt familiar.
I couldn't explain it.
I couldn't prove it.
But something about that brief touch felt recognizable.
Like I'd experienced it before.
Then the footsteps retreated.
The Dealer was gone.
Hidden among us once again.
A few minutes later, we were told to remove our blindfolds.
I immediately looked toward the table.
My eyes searched for the scratch.
There it was.
Exactly where I remembered.
And beside it...
The card.
The same card.
The Dealer had truly guided me there.
Now came the difficult part.
Trusting them.
I stared at the card.
If this was a trap, I'd only have myself to blame.
But for some reason...
I decided to believe them.
I reached forward and picked it up.
Around me, everyone else selected their own cards.
The room became silent.
Then the countdown began.
"Ten."
"Nine."
"Eight."
"Seven."
"Six."
"Five."
"Four."
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
The cards were revealed.
My eyes immediately dropped to my own.
A golden symbol decorated its surface.
For a moment, I couldn't process what I was seeing.
Then realization hit me.
A Blessing Card.
I stared at it.
Speechless.
I was free.
The special exam could no longer touch me.
No more elimination games.
No more expulsion threats.
No more sacrifices.
I should have felt relieved.
Instead, I felt uneasy.
Someone had deliberately given me this card.
Someone had chosen me.
I slowly looked around the room.
Most students had received Spare Cards.
Then I saw them.
Hiro.
Haruto.
Death Cards.
The timer immediately appeared.
15 Minutes Remaining
The room froze.
Everyone understood what that meant.
One of them would be expelled.
Shuto looked toward Hiro.
For a moment, it seemed like he wanted to say something.
Anything.
But Hiro spoke first.
And somehow...
He was smiling.
"No need for words, Shuto."
His voice sounded strangely calm.
"Daiko being expelled was my fault."
Shuto immediately shook his head.
"No it wasn't."
"It was Haruto's fault."
Hiro lowered his gaze.
"Even so..."
"I'm the lowest-scoring student in this class."
Rika stepped forward.
Her answer came without hesitation.
"We need the logical option."
"We're expelling Hiro."
Shuto immediately turned toward her.
"No."
"We're expelling Haruto."
The room instantly tensed.
I stepped between them.
"Enough."
Both turned toward me.
"The special exam wants this."
"It was designed to break us apart."
The moment the words left my mouth, Rika's expression darkened.
She walked toward me.
Her eyes narrowed.
"That's funny coming from you."
I froze.
Rika continued.
"You got a Blessing Card."
"You get to leave."
"You don't have to suffer through the rest of this."
"Meanwhile the rest of us are trapped here."
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because a part of me understood why she was angry.
She was scared.
Exhausted.
Frustrated.
And I had escaped.
I couldn't even argue with her.
Before anyone else could speak, Mei stepped forward.
"Rika..."
"How could you say that?"
"You don't mean it."
For a moment, the room calmed slightly.
Then Hiro sighed.
"Just vote me already."
Everyone looked at him.
"I've already caused enough trouble."
"I guess the Dealer knew that."
Shuto immediately protested.
"B-but—"
Kei cut him off.
His voice remained completely calm.
"What do you mean?"
Hiro blinked.
"The Dealer."
"While we were blindfolded..."
"He grabbed my wrist."
My eyes widened.
The room immediately became silent.
Hiro continued.
"He led me to a specific card."
"I picked it."
"And it turned out to be a Death Card."
Something shifted in the atmosphere.
I felt it immediately.
Everyone did.
Kei didn't look surprised.
Not even slightly.
Instead, his eyes moved toward someone.
I followed his gaze.
So did everyone else.
Mei.
She stood near the corner of the room.
Covering part of her face.
At first I thought she was crying.
It wouldn't have been unusual.
We'd all been through too much already.
I slowly walked toward her.
"Mei?"
She didn't answer.
"Are you crying?"
Then I heard it.
A laugh.
Quiet.
Barely audible.
Another followed.
Then another.
The laughter grew louder.
And louder.
And louder.
Until it became impossible to ignore.
The entire class stared at her.
I felt cold.
Because the laughter didn't sound like Mei.
Not the Mei I knew.
Not my best friend.
Not the girl who comforted people.
Not the girl who smiled every morning.
The laughter finally stopped.
Then she spoke.
"Do you know how much I hate this class?"
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Her voice sounded completely different.
Cold.
Sharp.
Almost disgusted.
"Every single day it's the same thing."
"You talk about friendship."
"Then abandon each other the moment things become difficult."
"You talk about logic."
"Yet none of you can stop your emotions from clouding your judgment."
She laughed again.
A bitter laugh.
"It makes me sick."
Hiro stared at her.
"W-What are you saying, Mei?"
She slowly lowered her hand from her face.
Then I finally saw her expression.
And my heart sank.
There was no warmth.
No kindness.
No hesitation.
Only hatred.
Pure hatred.
I couldn't understand what I was looking at.
It felt like a stranger wearing Mei's face.
Ayame's best friend.
The girl she'd spent months laughing with.
Studying with.
Trusting.
Gone.
Or perhaps she had never existed at all.
Mei's eyes swept across the room.
"I hate almost every person here."
Nobody knew what to say.
Nobody knew what to think.
The room had become completely silent.
Then Kei finally spoke.
As calm as ever.
"What interested me..."
His eyes never left Mei.
"...was your reaction when the cards were revealed."
Mei didn't answer.
Kei continued.
"You smiled when Hiro received the Death Card."
The room froze.
"You never particularly liked Hiro."
"And I know how much Ayame trusted you."
For the first time, Mei's smile faltered slightly.
Only slightly.
But it was enough.
Kei's conclusion came immediately afterward.
Calm.
Direct.
Certain.
"In the end..."
"It was obvious."
The entire class held their breath.
Kei looked directly at her.
"You're the Dealer, Mei."
And for the first time since the game began...
Nobody could tell which version of Mei was standing before them.