Respawn

Chapter 2: The Game

    I wave my hands and say my goodbyes to Saki. I take a walk to a location where I can see residences. To conceal my horns and face, I wear a cloak. I go from house to house knocking on doors to see if they have any available rooms for me to rent. The majority of the landladies I spoke to claimed that there was no room left for me. Fortunately, I found one, although it was quite small and only fit one person. I express my gratitude to the landlady and present her with some money as payment for the rent.

    I walked into my room and shut the door. I'm lying on my bed, exhausted. I open the window and gaze out the window at the lovely view outside. I extend my arms as though I'm reaching for the stars. What a lovely place with an enigmatic and sinister narrative to tell. I wish to ignore the negative aspects of the world and concentrate on the positive aspects, yet I am aware that I am on a journey. I'm aware that there is something I need to learn about this world and about myself. I need to rest and prepare since I'm going to play a murder game with Saki tomorrow. I need to be ready to either win or perish. I returned to my bed and closed my eyes. There were so many things that happened today, and I'm glad I met Saki. I still recall the girl's spirit, and I'm not sure who she is or why I'm attached to her.

    It's already daylight, so I check the hologram for the time. I need to get ready for my bath and eat because Saki is already waiting for me. Because of my appearance, I am still afraid to walk outside. I'm aware that if I keep looking like this, people will continue to stare at me, and I may be tortured by strangers outdoors. I walked into the bathroom and bathed. When I get out of the bathroom after a bath, I wipe myself down with a towel. I was preparing to get my clothes and cloak when I noticed a child holding my cloak outside my window. "Are you a thief?!" I exclaimed.

    When the boy saw my face, he became terrified. "Devil!" he exclaimed. He leaped out of my window, clutching my cloak. While running, he continues to yell that there is a devil in my room. "Return my cloak to me!" I screamed. I forgot that if I yell near the windows, others will hear me. People were going to turn their heads to me when Saki plummeted from above and arrived in front of me at the window to cover my face.

    "Don't expose yourself like that," she winked at me. Even though it's early in the morning, she's already being romantic. She shoved me inside and shut the windows. She gets down on her knees and takes my other hand in hers. "Are you planning on proposing?" I inquired. "Stop being delusional, young boy," she said, her eyes adamant. She placed a ring on my finger and asked me to stand. She began a chant. "Close your eyes," she said. I close my eyes and feel her face close to mine. "Open your eyes," she says as she kisses my forehead.

    "What was the point of that? What motivated you to do that? ", I explained as my face flushed. "You should be thankful!" she slapped my shoulder. When I looked in the mirror, I saw myself. My horns have vanished, and my eyes are both red. I no longer appear strange to other people, and I simply appear to be a normal player. "If you remove that ring, your appearance will revert to how it was before, so always use and protect that ring," she explained.

    I still can't believe my horns are gone, and that I can finally go outside without fear of being judged. Thank you, Saki, I say with a smile. She crossed her arms across her chest and shouted "What's taking you so long? I've already been waiting for several hours. "How can I make such a lovely lady wait so long for me? "I just woke up, and as you can see, I can't go outside since a random kid stole my cloak." I stated.

    She rolled her eyes and replied, "Whatever." This woman is in her late twenties yet acts as if she were a child. She said, "Let's go!". A group of knights kicks my door open just as she is about to open it. The kid came back and said "Here Sir! There is a devil in this room! " while pointing at my room. The knights point their spears at Saki and I. The kid exclaimed, pointing his finger at me, "That individual! He is the devil's descendant! Take him into custody and t*****e him for the rest of his life! "

    The child is taken aback because my appearance has changed from what it was previously. The knights raised their brows at the child because they saw nothing wrong with me. I just appear to be a regular citizen in their town. "Stop pulling pranks, kid; we have a lot of business to take care of," the knight said. The child becomes enraged and refuses to leave. The kid still thinks I'm the devil. He stomped his feet and exclaimed, "Examine him out! He most likely used sorcery to change his appearance! " Saki gives the kid and the knight a menacing look and says, "You're interfering with me and my boyfriend. Stop accusing us, little boy. You know that accusing someone is punishable by one day of t*****e ".

    "If you don't go right now, I will report this to the headquarter for blaming us while we are literally innocents," Saki says to the knights one by one. Saki grabbed the kid's stolen cloak and said, "Get out!" The knights apologize and depart, carrying the kid with them. I'm concerned about the child. I believe he has his own motive for stealing my cloak. "What's going to happen to the kid?" I wondered. "Why are you worried about that kid? Be more worried about yourself," Saki says, looking at me with a confused gaze.

    We stepped outside the apartment, and I finally felt liberated. I keep gazing in the mirror every time we pass one on our route. Without my horn, I look better. I started to smile out of nowhere when the prospect of having a partner in this world crossed my head. I mean, I'm attractive, so finding a girlfriend will be simple. Saki doesn't appear happy at all when I gaze at her. "Why don't you seem happy?" I inquired. She screamed and gave me a death gaze. "Why are you taking such a long time to walk!? Quicken your pace! ". I've just noticed that the female players in the area are staring at me and admiring my appearance. Saki must be jealous.

    Even if I try to walk faster, Saki continues to outpace me. My stomach began to grumble. "You didn't eat?" Saki questioned, looking at me. "I-... You see, I'm still not eating, so try to move slowly," I explained. She continues to walk while rolling her eyes. She walks faster than before, and she doesn't seem to care. She came to a halt in front of a restaurant, crossed her arms, and turned away from me, saying, "You should eat. I don't want you to get hungry." When I heard what she said, I chuckled. I guess she's still worried about me. She became enraged and yelled "Please don't get the wrong impression! I just don't want you to be able to blame me if I murder you in the game! ".

    We entered the restaurant, and I began eating my dinner. Saki appears to be a sweet person, but I believe she is simply a girl who does not want to express her emotions. When the idea of having Saki as my girlfriend crossed my thoughts, I swallowed down my food and drank water as quickly as I could. Why am I thinking in this manner?! She's not even my type; she's much older than me, and she's stated that she dislikes younger boys. In my thoughts, I have the impression that the devil and the angel are disputing about whether Saki is acceptable or not to be my lover.

    Saki looked at me with a disgusted expression on her face and exclaimed, "Why are you eating like that?!?" This girl is extremely cold to me; I remember him calling me cute the first time we met, but now I suppose she thinks I eat like a pig. "Something has flashed to me. I'm just curious as to how people find romance in this world. I believe I am interested in finding a partner, "I stated. "You're so disgusting," she muttered, averting her gaze. If I ask Saki to be my girlfriend, I'm sure she'll say no, and it'll be the first heartbreak I've ever experienced.

    I'm sure she doesn't like me. Maybe she'll just start interacting with me since I could be the solution to stopping the never-ending agony of death. Maybe she doesn't think I'm cute at all, or maybe I'm simply a tool for her. "Let's go," I murmured, my voice mournful. I'm hoping she doesn't realize how sad I am. We walked to the lobby to wait for a round of drinks. Saki said, "Prepare." We enter the gaming lobby, and the timer begins to clock down before the game begins.

    A voice from nowhere speaks up and explains the rules. "Here are the rules. There are 24 players in all, with three roles: murderer, sheriff, and innocents. For the duration of the game, there will be one murderer whose job it is to kill the other players with a knife. There will be one sheriff, and his job will be to use a g*n to shoot the murderer. If the sheriff is killed by a murderer, another innocent person can take up the sheriff's g*n and replace him. The role of the innocent is to hide from the murderer and to take over as sheriff if the sheriff dies. Best of luck to everyone!"

    We are given the option of selecting a map on which the game will take place. I have no idea what any of the maps in the selections are, so I have no choice but to pick one at random and trust my gut. We began to disappear like ashes and were moved to a different part of the map, away from the other players. There was no player around me when I was transported. The hologram depicted my role, and I was taken aback by it. I whispered, "I am..."

    Perhaps the first thing I should do is try not to move too much and hide in the shadows while I search for Saki. Saki is a good player in this game, therefore hanging around with him is a good idea. "One of the players was murdered! It's the first blood! " the host said. It's only the opening minute of the game, but the murderer is quick! "Two players were killed by a murderer! Kill two birds with one stone! There are 20 players remaining to be slain. "However, the murderer only has a knife and can kill two people at once. I dashed away, trying to find a decent hiding position from where I could get a good view of the surroundings. "The murderer turns off the lights, and the map goes dark for 30 seconds! Watch out innocents and the sheriff!"

    I had no choice but to come to a halt in my hiding position. In this darkness, I can't see anything; all I can do is listen and feel to see if someone will approach me. Someone is running towards me, shouting as if he is about to be killed. I heard an extremely quick dash-like run. I heard a flow of blood gushing from the man yelling that the murderer had killed him. The murderer is getting faster! "The murderer is on the rampage! There are only 19 players left to be killed! " I need to find Saki as soon as possible! I try to sneak into places where I can't be seen. I'm still stumped as to who the murderer is. The murderer continues to murder until only ten players remain, including the murderer.

    This is awful; I can't see Saki, and the killer continues to kill. I'm starting to feel panicked, and my heart feels like it's about to burst." The murderer is in a hurry! There are just 8 players remaining to be slaughtered "Saki is still missing. I'm running fast because I'm panicking and losing my head. I'm trying to tell myself to relax, but it's futile. I heard a footstep outside the door, and I was about to run into that person. What if it's the assailant? No way! I'm going to die! I'm not going to die like that! I can't stop my legs from moving, and I close my eyes in terror as I collide with that player. "Takahashi?" When I looked up, I saw Saki. "I'm so happy it's you," I said with a smile.

    She inquired, "I was looking for you earlier but didn't see you. Where have you been?" Now that Saki is here, I'm starting to feel more at ease, and the worry is gradually dissipating. I'm confident that I'll be safe with Saki. "I was looking for you, too," I explained. "I want to keep you safe, and I don't want you to go without me." "We need to be more cautious since this murderer is quite quick. What gives that murderer the ability to kill so many people so early in the game? "Saki said. Saki and I run and then hide so we can keep an eye on the murderer. "For 30 seconds, the murderer turned off the light! Everyone be on the lookout! "said the host.

    "Do not move," Saki said. We take cover while the entire area is engulfed in darkness. "Five players were murdered by the murderer! There are just two players left to be slain "In less than 30 seconds, the murderer had already killed five players! There are just two players remaining to be killed: myself and Saki. The light has been restored, but Saki and I remain hidden. "We must act quickly! This murderer is insane! "I stated. Saki held my hand and murmured, "Wait." Saki approaches my face "I've noticed that you feel unhappy, as I mentioned earlier. Are you considering me as a potential lover? ".. "Now is not the time to talk about that Saki," I remarked as I took a step back from Saki.

    Saki had held me to the wall and was staring into my eyes. "Can you tell me if you think of me as a possible lover?" Saki was the one who inquired. Saki is approaching me, her face close to mine. Is she going to give me a kiss? While our faces approach closer, Saki closes her eyes and I close mine as well. "Don't be delusional," she urged, repeating what she had stated earlier. Saki has a knife in her hand, and she is about to cut my throat with it. Saki is the murderer. "Thank you for your advice", I add with a smile, "but it appears the tables have turned." Saki glances up and notices that I'm holding a g*n to her head. "I am the sheriff, baby darling,"