Floor 1—-
The group walked over to the final gate, which towered over the rest of the rooms. Zaria reached out her hand, and the UI appeared.
〈Floor Level: *7.* Three Interconnected Relationships Will Be Chosen.〉
Everyone shared a look, and three glowing rings appeared around Zaria, Rika, and Han. Zaria and Rika edged away from Han.
"It's up to you three, kids," Gakuto told them. "Be careful, and make sure you work together!"
"Hmph," Rika said, entering the portal.
Zaria looked Han up and down before turning her back to him. "Stay out of our way. Got that?"
Han nodded.
Zaria hopped into the portal, and Han followed her. The room shook, unleashing a powerful water shockwave that knocked everyone over.
"Ow," Nonoka groaned, rubbing her head. "What was that?"
"That power…it was Leviathan's," Gakuto realized. "Shit, we're running out of time!"
Floor 7—-
Zaria, Rika, and Han landed on a party deck, where various Escorts were busy playing games such as poker, pool, and darts. The moment the trio entered, the Escorts all turned their heads toward them.
Zaria pushed forward, walking around until she found a Russian Roulette table, where Kei was busy sipping on a bottle of liquor.
"Greetings, friends," he announced. "Have you read the rules?"
"Rules?" Zaria questioned. "What rules?"
〈Rule: Bet Your Trust.〉
Kei patted the table. "Have a seat, kiddos. If you want that seat to reach your Master, you'll have to get really uncomfortable. Hands in the center."
"Is this safe?" Rika wondered.
"Maybe so, maybe no. Sit down."
The three sat down, putting their hands in the middle per Kei's request. "Now then. You each get a vote. Who wants to hold the gun?"
Zaria quickly volunteered. "I'll do it."
Kei spun the barrel and handed Zaria a gun. "Brave choice. Now then, Zaria. Point the gun at Han's head."
"Huh? For what?"
"Part of the game. Now do it."
She hesitated for a moment before doing so. Kei took another sip of his bottle as he spun the barrel. "Shoot."
"But—-?"
His eyes began to glow, causing Zaria to pull the trigger, but nothing happened. Kei leaned back, lacing his fingers. "Hmm. Nothing. Now, do the same for Rika."
Zaria nervously pointed the gun at Rika, who recoiled instinctively. "Gah! Please don't shoot me, bestie! I'm too young!"
Zaria turned toward Kei. "Can't we do something else? Please? I don't wanna hurt her!"
"Shoot the gun."
Zaria closed her eyes, slowly pulling the trigger. Yet again, nothing happened, and Kei watched with a satisfied expression. "It seems luck is on your side."
The game continued, and after Zaria fired a few more shots, Kei stopped her. "Now then. It would seem the next shot has a 50% chance of hitting its target. Han. Would you like to do the honors?"
Kei gave Han the gun, causing Zaria and Rika to attempt to stand up and protest.
"Wait, no!" Zaria insisted.
"He'll kill us!" Rika worried. "Please, take the gun away from him!"
Chains made of water kept the two of them in place, unable to move. Their eyes met Han's as he examined the gun in his hands.
"These were your closest friends," Kei pointed out. "Now they've spent the last three months hating you and treating you like dirt. What will you do, Han? Who do you want dead?"
Han looked between the two girls, both glaring at him with a mix of fear and hatred. Han stared at the gun for a long while before picking it up.
"I choose…"
A memory flashed inside his head, as everything around him disappeared.
Months ago—-
Zaria and Rika were busy sitting on a dumpster in an Osaka alleyway, while Han was busy scanning the area with his cube, walking up and down the street.
"Did you find anything, Han?" Rika groaned. "I'm tired. I wanna go home."
"You have no home," Han replied. "We're all just a band of runaways."
Zaria pointed to a nearby abandoned house. "Nuh-uh. We've got this bad boy to keep us safe. But if we can get into that Osaka Dungeon, we can probably score some quality loot."
Rika lazily kicked her feet in the air. "I really hope so. I can't even stream to anyone. I haven't since…well, you know."
The long day began to turn to night as Han came back, shrugging. "Yeah, I got nothing. Should we call it a day?"
The girls nodded, and they entered the abandoned house. Inside was a dusty living room, a rust-worn kitchen, and creaky steps that led upstairs.
"Home sweet home," Rika sighed. "Really living below my means, hmm? A girl like me doesn't deserve this…"
Zaria hopped on the couch, taking off her boots and placing her feet on the crooked table in front of her. "It's not all bad. We could be completely homeless, you know?"
"What's the difference?"
Rika headed upstairs, where bugs were swarming the bedrooms. Water dripped from the ceiling, and a rat scurried from under a rug. "Great! Guess I'm sleeping on the couch again!"
She came back down, burying her face into the couch.
Han began rummaging through the fridge, but there was nothing but empty cans inside it. "Just like I expected, I'll have to go and buy more food."
"Buy me some gummy bears, please!" Rika begged.
"Add on some protein bars to that, okay?" Zaria added. "My energy is sapped."
Han rolled his eyes and exited the house, heading for the nearby corner store. The lady inside greeted him with a warm smile as she rang up customers. "Han! A pleasure seeing you! Come to buy more food for you and your sisters again?"
Han began checking the aisles. "I told you, Ms. Cho, they aren't my real sisters. I just treat them like that because without me, they'll probably get themselves killed."
He picked up some items and put them into a basket. Ms. Cho finished her last customer and walked over to Han, a limp in her gait.
"Family doesn't have to be blood, you know," she explained. "I've seen the way you care for those girls. That's not a runaway bond."
"I have been around them for a while, so," Han admitted. "But I don't see your point."
Ms. Cho squeezed his shoulder. "The point I'm trying to make is for you kids to stop living like savages. Come with me! Come work for my shop! No need to rely on your trust fund to survive. The real world only gets harsher as you age."
Han briefly lifted his eyebrows, before turning his attention back to his shopping. "Sorry, Ms. Cho, but I've got a different goal in mind. Becoming a Kaitansha, just like my best friend."
The woman stared at him, taken aback, as he placed the items on the counter. While Ms. Cho scanned them, Rika and Zaria burst through the door, both visibly tired and annoyed.
Both of them were barefoot.
"Han!" Rika called out. "C'mon, you're taking forever!"
"Yeah," Zaria agreed. "Are you good, or?"
Han held up a hand. "Hold on, hold on. And next time, put on some shoes."
The girls both grumbled and left the shop as Ms. Cho shook her head. "They must be a handful to deal with."
"They are. But like you said, we aren't runaways anymore. They're basically my sisters."
He took the items and gave her a wave before leaving, heading back to Zaria and Rika. Zaria gave him a playful punch to the arm, while Rika quickly dug into his bag and pulled out her stuff.
"Those children," Ms. Cho whispered. "I hope they find the right path."
Present Day—-
Han looked at the gun one more time while Zaria and Rika braced themselves, nervous.
"I swear," Zaria warned. "If you point that gun at her, I'll—-!"
"Zaria!" Rika snapped. "You don't need to act brave for me, okay? Kei, please stop this!"
"It must be done. Choose, Han. Now."
Han spun the barrel and pointed the gun…
"Neither. I'm done hurting my sisters."
…before placing it to his jaw and pulling the trigger.
BANG.
The last thing he saw was Zaria and Rika's stunned eyes as it all went white, and he blacked out.
"Kiyoshi…hang on…I'm coming."
By the time he could open his eyes again, he was in a vision of his house, where his friend Kiyoshi was busy spinning his cube in his hand. Everything around the house was pure white.
"So," Kiyoshi remarked. "Seems you kicked the bucket, eh?"
"Something like that," Han replied, sitting on the couch next to him. "Look, I'll be honest with you, man. I've done a lot of bad things."
Kiyoshi tossed his cube into the air. "Tell me about it."
"Well. I got possessed by this crazy Nurse gal. She basically made me some edgelord asshole until she eventually took over my body and made me attack my friends. Then, I had to infiltrate this group called Dokkōdan, but I took it way too far and caused a lot of damage to my group."
"Seems you've been through a lot."
"Well, least it's all over now, right?"
Kiyoshi stood up, folding his arms. "If you die here, what about your Master? What will Omariro think?"
Han recalled the glimpse of Omariro fighting in the swamp.
"Master doesn't need me. He never has. Whatever he is, it's beyond understanding. The girls will be fine. Sōshin will. All of them."
Han formed his cube. "I think this belongs to you, friend."
Kiyoshi took it. "What are you saying?"
"That I'm done. It's over, Kiyoshi. It's over."
"…I see."
Meanwhile—-
Omariro and Leviathan were busy attacking each other relentlessly, with the waves rising to catastrophic levels.
Leviathan slithered up, bending the water into javelins and launching them at Omariro, who shattered them all with a single strike. She danced along the water as it swirled around her, causing her body to glow.
"You are bold, Master," Leviathan noted. "Declaring victory in my domain."
Leviathan fired a beam of ice from her mouth, keeping the pressure on as Omariro backed up. With a powerful strike, he managed to clip off her tail, but the water healed it.
She hissed, water rising like whips to lash out at her Master, who used a purple beam to erase them. Spiked ice balls rolled around the sea, threatening to crush Omariro.
Omariro severed it all with one strike, including half of the sea, but Leviathan delivered a smack with her tail, matching him blow for blow. They continued their bout, the water rising with each attack.
Omariro took off so hard that a sonic boom formed, and Leviathan ducked under the sea, swimming so fast she matched his speed. Omariro shifted to the side as she tried to bite him, forming a barrier to block her out.
Once Leviathan lunged, Omariro grabbed her by her tail and flung her into the air, but she elegantly recovered, towering over him.
"Not good enough!"
She began sucking chunks of the sea from around Omariro, a powerful water blast charging up inside her mouth. With a roar, she released it, blowing a huge portion of water wide open. Omariro withstood the attack, unharmed, until Leviathan smacked him hard enough to crack his chestplate.
Dark energy formed from the crack, repairing the damage. Escorts rose from the sea, all charging at Omariro, but he turned them to ash by stabbing his blade. Leviathan gave him an approving look.
"Better."
She attempted to slam him with her tail, but he moved backwards faster than the eye could see, swinging his blade directly for her head. Leviathan bit down, catching it between her jaws.
Omariro delivered a powerful blow to her skull, staggering her, and she responded by pulling him deep underwater, dragging him through the abyss.
As the two fell through the sea, Omariro could see glimpses of the other floors, including Gakuto and the others waiting on Floor 1. As they sank deeper, Omariro could see a brief flash of Floor 7.
And he noticed Han's body lying on the ground, surrounded by Escorts.
"…Boy."
——