Episode 5: RE×Quest (Part 1)

 

(𝑳𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑵 𝑻𝑶 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑰𝑹𝑫 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑬𝑬 - 𝑷𝑶𝑳𝑰𝑻𝑬 𝑫𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑬 𝑾𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑬 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑫 𝑨𝑵𝑫 𝑷𝑼𝑻 𝑰𝑻 𝑶𝑵 𝑳𝑶𝑶𝑷) ∇∇∇

...

Tsugumi and Ao woke up to the smell of dust and the faint, rhythmic whir of maintenance machinery. They lay in a niche of the Shibuya Underpass, a damp, tiled tunnel that currently served as their impromptu safe space. The fluorescent emergency lighting cast sickly green shadows over the walls, highlighting discarded flyers and grimy puddles.

Ao was curled into a fetal position, her hands tucked tight over her face. She didn't move, even when Tsugumi shifted beside her, the movement sharp and deliberate.

Tsugumi rose efficiently. She surveyed the small, claustrophobic tunnel, then checked her phone. Her expression was neutral, but her movements suggested impatience. The prior night’s events the rejection, the grotesque misidentification were, to her, it was just a minor inconvenience.

"Day 5," Tsugumi announced, her voice already tuned to her usual clipped, businesslike cadence. "We should get out this area immediately. The Underground is too confined, We need to a wider and more open place... Who likes this damp smell anyways?"

Ao gave a tiny, almost imperceptible shake of her head, still hidden behind her hands.

Tsugumi paused, recognizing the stillness. She crossed her arms, analyzing the problem like a broken mechanism. "Hey... We cannot remain static. The events of the previous day specifically the incident at the noodle establishment are now irrelevant data. People must see us as elderly people or something, and physical contact causes terror. The conclusion is minimize interaction. We have gotta move on..."

Ao finally lowered her hands, her face pale beneath the dim light. Her eyes, usually vibrant and full of playful light, were dull, swollen, and staring blankly at the rough concrete floor.

"Irrelevant?" Ao whispered, her voice husky and unused.

Tsugumi tilted her head. "Hum. It was an inconvenience. We have been psychologically profiled as a potential threat by the public. Maybe that's how this game works."

"They... they screamed," Ao murmured, her voice laced with the memory. "Kim was one of my best friends. She saw me as a pervert old man." Her jaw trembled. "She was terrified of me."

Tsugumi sighed, exasperated by the emotional loop. She needed Ao's focus her impulsive energy, her insight to be operational. Sentimentality was a tactical error.

"Hwy, you are focusing on the narrative instead of the function. She was screaming because of what she saw, it don't think it was proposital." Tsugumi took a step away, gesturing toward the tunnel mouth. "We have to move. You know how it works."

Ao's eyes narrow a little "They were just.... Terrorized...."

Tsugumi hisses a little "Hey.... I need you to focus now, alright?"

Ao slowly sat up, dragging her knees to her chest. She looked up at Tsugumi, and the raw, wounded pain in her gaze finally broke through Tsugumi's logical armor.

"You don't get it," Ao said, the words heavy and slow. "They are like my family. My friends. The place I went to for comfort. I was trying to share something real with you, Tsugumi. Something that mattered." Her voice started to crack. "And they didn't just ignore me. They didn't just not see me. They saw me as a monster. A repulsive stranger who was trying to hurt them."

Tsugumi eyes wide a little, she sighs and murmurs something under her breath "You just called me by my name..."

Tsugumi shifted uncomfortably. "Just... Don't get sentimental, girl. We are Players. Our priority is survival, not validating old connections."

Ao shakes her head, trying to make Tsugumi understand "T-Chan.... Please... They- they were screaming... At me... Screaming..."

Tsugumi sighs and points at her giving her an order "Hey! Enough already, let's go! You already know how this game works"

That was the breaking point. Ao eyes narrow looking at Tsugumi and then suddenly let out a strangled, desperate cry, burying her face in her knees as uncontrollable sobs tore through her small frame. The sound was ragged and utterly unlike her usual bright, chaotic energy.

"It hurts!" she choked out, her voice muffled by the fabric of her jeans. "It hurts that they hate me! It hurts that the last thing I ever did was scare them and make them scream! I can't just forget and move on, Tsugumi! It's my soul! It’s what I am! And they turned their backs on me! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO JUST FORGET!?" Ao shouts, closing her eyes and squizing them harder, while tears fall slowly from her eyes.

Tsugumi froze. The sight of Ao, the ever-resilient engine of the team, completely shattered, was outside the parameters of her expected calculations. She watched the tremors shaking Ao’s shoulders, the raw sound of her grief echoing faintly in the desolate tunnel. Guilt, a sensation Tsugumi was profoundly unfamiliar with, pricked at the edge of her composure. She had pushed too far.

She took a slow, hesitant step back toward Ao. "Ao... just stop... It is counterproductive." She paused, her eyes searching the ceiling as if looking for a script. Her usual responses were failing her. "Look, I... I understand the inconvenience of emotional feedback loops."

Ao just cried harder, shrinking away.

Tsugumi’s jaw tightened. She knew the logical fix: re-establish calm, provide reassurance. But her system lacked the protocols. She bent awkwardly and offered a stiff, almost hand. "Shush! Don't cry...ok? We need to focus. Here... Let me help you... Let's just get back to the the our main goal alright?"

Ao lifted her wet face, tears streaking mascara across her cheeks. She looked at Tsugumi’s outstretched hand, then back at her face, her eyes filled with wounded refusal. "No. Don't. Not if you think it's just for 'optimal return.' I don't want a transaction, Tsugumi."

Tsugumi’s logical circuits sputtered. Rejection of the solution. Failure to achieve the desired result. "Urgh...."

Ao sobs whipping her tears that kept falling "W-what am i suppose to do now? What should i do? Where should i go? I don't have anything anymore."

Tsugumi steps back a little "Hey.... Just..." She never saw someone crash out on front of her, she didn't knew what to do....

Without conscious thought, and without any discernible preparation, Tsugumi did the only thing she could think of that was entirely illogical and inefficient, she moved forward and, with startling stiffness, wrapped her arms around Ao.

It was an awkward, bizarre embrace. Tsugumi’s arms felt like rigid scaffolding, her posture too straight, and her cheek barely brushed Ao’s tangled hair. There was nothing soft or practiced about it yet it meant something...

Ao instantly stopped crying, her entire body stiffening in surprise.

Tsugumi, realizing the profound violation of her own carefully constructed emotional boundaries, immediately blushed a dark, furious red rising from her neck and staining her cheeks. She pulled back instantly, clearing her throat loudly and spinning away to stare at a wall. "Ehem..."

"Right," Tsugumi muttered, her voice now slightly muffled with embarrassment. She struggled to regain her cool demeanor, but the blush refused to fade. "That... that was done. Now. Listen."

She turned back slowly, her expression gentler, almost hesitant a profound shift from her usual glacial front.

"We are a team, Ao. You are the emotional one and I am the logical one. You are correct that this event caused psychological trauma. I... I do not understand the magnitude of your pain, but I acknowledge that it is valid. And I do not desire to cause you pain with my words." Tsugumi met her gaze, a small, sincere intensity replacing her usual harshness. "We cannot succeed if half of our operational unit is dysfunctional. And I... I cannot do this alone. I need your perspective. I need you..."

Ao wiped her eyes slowly, processing the unexpected apology and the profoundly uncomfortable moment of vulnerability. It wasn't the warmth she craved, but it was effort. It was Tsugumi compromising her entire persona just for this one moment.

A shaky, genuine smile finally touched Ao’s lips. She felt the weight on her chest ease just slightly.

"Okay, T-Chan," Ao whispered, pushing herself up, her movements still heavy but no longer broken. She took a deep breath of the stale tunnel air. "Okay. Let's get out of this place. We need some sunlight and some better threats."

Tsugumi nodded, relieved by the return to professionalism, though the memory of the awkward hug clearly lingered in the stiffness of her posture. "Alright... We will investigate what happen eventually... Just have a little bit of patience... ok?"

Ao nods slowly as she stays right to Tsugumi's side, keeping herself close to her while they leave Shibuya Underpass

The two girls stepped out, leaving the cold security of the Underpass for the chaotic, dangerous light of Day 5. The weight of the ramen shop event was still there, but now, it was a shared burden, acknowledged, if not fully understood.

As they were walking, Ao groaned a little, a soft, disgruntled sound, and slowly blinked awake. Her face, usually so vibrant, was pale, and dark smudges lay beneath her eyes. She stretched, wincing as her shoulders protested.

"Humph... my whole body feels like a Mosh Grizzly stomped on it," Ao mumbled, her voice rough with sleep and fatigue. She instinctively raised her right hand, her eyes still hazy. When she saw her palm it was still clear, a flicker of genuine relief, mirroring Tsugumi's, crossed her face. "So no timer yet.... huh, T-Chan..."

Tsugumi nodded, a grim understanding passing between them. "The Game continues, Ao." She looked around, her sharp gaze already assessing their surroundings, searching for any subtle shifts in the UG's energy, any new signs. "This quiet... it's just the calm before the next storm."

Ao let out a long, shuddering sigh. "I know, Just... a few more minutes of peace would be nice. I feel like I could sleep for a week." She rubbed her temples. "What do you think Day 5 is going to be about? More giant frogs? More angry rock bears?" A shiver ran through her. "Or something even worse?"

Tsugumi rose fully, testing her weight on her aching legs. "We won't know until the briefing appears." She looked out into the silent cave they were in. The morning light of the UG. "But given the pattern, it will undoubtedly be more challenging than anything we've faced before." Her voice was flat, devoid of emotion, but her determination was resolute.

"Great," Ao muttered, "Just what I wanted to hear." She sighs "Well, at least we're still here. Still together." She offered Tsugumi a small, tired smile. "Ready for whatever fresh hell the Game throws at us today, T-chan?"

Tsugumi met her gaze, a spark of the camaraderie forged through shared battles igniting in her own weary eyes. "As ready as we can be, Ao."

The oppressive weight of the previous day's battles and recent events still clung to Tsugumi and Ao as they emerged from the Shibuya Underpass. Now founding themselves at the West Exit Bus Terminal, a familiar landmark that offered no comfort, only the stark reality of their continuing ordeal.

Ao, her shoulders slumped, walked straight to the Moyai Statue and leaned against its rough, unyielding surface. She let out a long, weary sigh, the sound heavy with fatigue. She half-expected a sudden appearance, a new challenge, the immediate onset of Day 5's trials. But for a moment, nothing happened. The air hung still, the invisible crowds flowed on, and the UG remained eerily quiet.

Tsugumi, ever the pragmatist, didn't waste the momentary calm. She let out her own sigh, a quiet release of tension, and immediately raised her hand, activating her Scan psych. The world around them shimmered with the familiar purple glow, her vision extending, searching for any distortion, any hint of Noise, any new objective. But the scan returned nothing. The area was clear. For now. Her thoughts, though unspoken, were clear, the Game was simply biding its time... but... something was wrong "I don't like this..."

Ao rises her eyebrows "What is it, T-Chan?"

Tsugumi's eyes sharpen "I can't scan that guy over there..."

Ao looks to the direction Tsugumi was talking about, she sees a blond-haired boy in the middle of the bus terminal that was looking on his phone, he then looks around and sighs with a little smug.

"Damn, she's late again... Ahh... Some things never change...." He says with a dreamy gaze

His eyes, a cold dark shade of brown, took notice of the two girls properly, finally making some form of eye contact. He didn’t look impressed or even bothered. He gave them a wide smile, he waves at them from far, fingernails lacquered the same black as his boots. A casual, almost playful salutation that Tsugumi found immediately annoying and, frankly, a little strange. Ao simply raised an eyebrow, a silent challenge in her gaze.

Before either of them could react, the boy moved. With an unnerving calm, he closed the distance between them, his steps light and unhurried. The smile never left his lips adorned in the same black as his fingernails, coat and almost everything in between. Thick eyeliner re-sketched his eyes into deliberate geometry, but also something out of a ghost story. The only accents of anything that wasn’t a pitch black mess were silver- the abundance of chains, accessories, buckles and zippers that adorned his entire being. His eyes held a mysterious, almost knowing glint. He exuded an aura of effortless chill, a stark contrast to the constant tension that was their reality in the Game. He stopped just a few feet away, his presence surprisingly commanding despite his casual demeanor. He walked up to them with both hands in his long goth coat, attention finally fully off of his cell phone. He faintly jingled every time he took a step.

Yo," he greeted, his voice as smooth and unburdened as his expression. "Name's Soma Shiirane." Ao's initial surprise at Soma's sudden appearance quickly melted away, replaced by her characteristic, irrepressible cheerfulness. Her face lit up with a genuine smile. Despite the exhaustion, despite the omnipresent threat of the Game, meeting new people always brought a spark of joy to her. "Oh, hey there!" she chirped, her voice friendly and open. "Soma, huh? Nice to meetcha! I'm Ao, and this is Tsugumi!"

Tsugumi, however, remained a stark contrast. Her exhaustion was eclipsed by an acute sense of unease. Soma's nonchalant demeanor, his unnerving smile, and the fact that he was an un-scannable entity in the middle of a high-stakes game set every one of her instincts on edge. Her right hand subtly shifted, her fingers twitching with the readiness to activate her Shockwave Pin. Her eyes narrowed, fixed on Soma, calculating every subtle movement. She was ready to strike, to neutralize a potential threat before it could manifest.

Ao, sensing Tsugumi's palpable tension, quickly reached out and gently placed a hand on her arm. "Woah, T-chan, chill! He seems friendly!" she whispered, a small giggle escaping her lips. It was a nervous giggle, perhaps, but a giggle nonetheless, an attempt to defuse the simmering hostility.

Soma's smile remained fixed, seemingly unfazed by Tsugumi's barely concealed aggression. His gaze drifted between the two of them as if he was trying to analyze the situation, lingering on Tsugumi's wary stance for a moment before returning to Ao's open expression. 

“Right, I’m not here to harm you.” He said with a loud sigh, almost as if it was exhausting to him to even have to explain that bit. "So, Soma," Ao began, her curiosity bubbling to the surface. "You, uh... you just popped up here. Are you... a Player? Or a Reaper?" The question hung in the air, blunt and direct.

Soma laughed, bringing his hand to his face to cover his laugh in embarrassment. His head tilted slightly, and that almost mischievous glint in his eyes seemed to intensify. "Hmm, a player, or a reaper…" he sighed, his now dreadful tone sharply contrasting the loud, extroverted laugh he just outburst. The contrast of his mood change seemed a little offputting, even. "Well, that's a good question, isn't it…?" He turned his back to them, and then looked up at the sky for a short moment, seemingly pondering the question himself. Was he also unsure of his role here? Or was the annoyance present in his body language born from dissatisfaction? 

But then as soon as the mood changed, it shifted right back. He quickly turned around to face the two again, with a smile right back on his face, and a soft celebratory gentle clap of his hands, which he swiftly returned to his coat pockets. "I suppose you could say... I’m a Player, just like you guys.”

And with that, he casually lifted his own dominant hand. Nestled in his palm, unmistakably, was a Player Pin. It glowed with a faint, steady light, identical in every way to their own. It wasn't just a convincing replica; it felt real. It confirmed his claim, dispelling Tsugumi's immediate suspicion of him being a Reaper in disguise. He was, by all appearances, genuinely a Player.

Tsugumi's stance relaxed infinitesimally, but her wariness remained. A Player, then. But an unusual one. He seemed far too calm, far too self aware, for someone just experiencing the Game. "Humph..."

"See, T-chan? He's a Player!" Ao chirped, nudging Tsugumi playfully. "So, you know about the Game, Soma? What Day are you on? We just finished Day 4, and boy, was it a doozy! Those Mosh Grizzlies were no joke!"

Soma chuckled, a light, airy sound that seemed to carry no weight, most likely laughing at her perceived innocence. "Oh, the Game? I know quite a bit about it, yeah. More than most, I suppose." He looked around the bustling terminal, his gaze seemingly seeing beyond the invisible crowds, into the very fabric of the UG. "You're asking the right guy. You're in the Underground (UG) right now, by the way. Most Players don't even realize that, despite everything screaming it at them.

Tsugumi's brow furrowed. "The UG? We know that. But... what is it, exactly?"

Soma smiled, that knowing, slightly unsettling smile. "It's the space between. The fabric that underlies your reality, your Shibuya. Everything you perceive here – the Noise, the Reapers, the missions, even your psychs – it's all part of the Reaper's Game (RG). It's a system, a grand design." He gestured vaguely at the air around them. "Those little trinkets you use, your Pins, they're conduits. They let you tap into the psych energy that's always present in the UG. It's why your Psychs work here and not... elsewhere."

He paused, letting the information sink in, his calm demeanor making the profound revelations feel almost mundane. "And who rules this grand design, you ask? Who pulls the strings?" He looked up, his eyes seeming to pierce through the invisible ceiling of the bus terminal, towards an unseen zenith. "That would be the Composer. The one who designs the rules, the one who sets the stakes. He's the ultimate authority in the RG, the Game Master above the Game Master, if you will."

Tsugumi's eyes narrowed. "The Composer? So, he's the one behind all this... the one who decides who lives and who dies?"

Soma tilted his head. "In a way, yes. He is the arbiter. But he's not the only one. There are others. Game Masters, for instance. You'll probably meet them on Day 7, if you make it that far." He said "if you make it that far" with the same casualness as if he were discussing the weather, not their potential erasure. For a moment, it also sounded as if he were mocking them. "They're the ones who orchestrate the smaller details, the specific challenges, the daily objectives. They're the ones who give the orders to the Reapers."

Ao gasped, her eyes wide. "Wait, Game Masters? So there's more than one? Like, even higher up than those scary Reapers?"

"Oh, absolutely," Soma affirmed, nodding, and his index finger raised. "The Reapers you see? They're just the foot soldiers. The enforcers. They're the ones who put up the Barriers, create the Noise, set the missions, and... well, erase those who fail." He gestured around them, at the very air they breathed. "Everything you see, everything you interact with, is part of their domain. The entire city is carved up into zones, each managed by a specific Reaper, or group of Reapers, for their designated missions."

He took a step closer, his voice dropping slightly, though still maintaining its casual, almost breezy tone. "It's all very organized, really. A well-oiled machine. Designed to... well, process you. To filter. To judge." He leaned in slightly, his smile softening, yet somehow becoming even more unnerving. "And the fundamental truth of the Game, the one they don't tell you right away, the one that becomes clearer with each passing Day..."

He paused, letting the silence draw out. Tsugumi braced herself, her instincts screaming at her to interrupt, but her analytical mind desperately wanted the information he was about to deliver. Ao held her breath, captivated by his strange, magnetic presence.

"...is that you're already dead."

The words, delivered so calmly, so casually, struck them like a physical blow. Ao gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Tsugumi froze, her mind reeling, trying to reconcile the stark pronouncement with everything she knew, everything she perceived.

"Dead?" Ao choked out, her voice barely a whisper. "What do you mean, 'dead'?! We're right here! We're breathing! We're fighting! That's..." Her eyes wide for a sec... "That's....why..."

Soma’s smile remained, a moment of compassionate sadness in his brown eyes. "You are. In a way. Your physical bodies are gone. They're out there, somewhere, in the Realground (RG), the world you remember. But you? Your consciousness, your soul, your very being... it's here. In the UG." He gestured around the bus terminal, a sweeping motion that encompassed the invisible crowds, the flickering psych energies, the entire ghostly Shibuya. "This is your purgatory. Your limbo. The RG is gone for you. The Game is your second chance. But, conversely, if you screw this up you’re gone for good."

Tsugumi finally found her voice, though it was strained. "Purgatory... so, we're... really ghosts..."

Soma chuckled, a light, almost dismissive sound. "No, not quite ghosts. You're more... condensed. Concentrated. Pure thought, pure will, given form in this space. That's why your psychs work. That's why you can interact with the Noise. Because you're all made of the same stuff as the UG itself, just in different densities." He shrugged. "It's all about resonance, really. Vibrations. Think of it like that."

Ao stumbled backward, her hand reaching for Tsugumi's arm, her face a mask of shock. "We're dead? All this time... we were dead?! So, if we win... what then? Do we just go back to our old lives? I can get my friend back!? Are we just... revived?" The hope in her voice was desperate, fragile.

Soma's smile softened slightly. "That's the grand prize, isn't it? The ultimate goal. To be revived. To go back to the RG, to your old life. To get another shot. That's what you're fighting for. That's the Composer's ultimate reward for those who prove... worthy." He let the word hang in the air, weighted with unspoken meaning. And a hint of jealousy and anger behind his voice, like it’s something he himself coveted. "But it's not a simple switch. It's a transformation. A rebirth, of sorts."

Tsugumi, despite the profound shock of the revelation, was already piecing things together. The memory loss, the inexplicable rules, the Reapers' casual cruelty, the ultimate penalty of erasure. It all suddenly made a horrifying, chilling sense. "So, the erasure... it's not just dying in the Game. It's... true death. Permanent disappearance from both worlds."

Soma nodded, his eyes meeting Tsugumi's. "Yeah, that’s how it goes. If you're erased here, there's nothing left. No returning to the RG. No second chances. You simply cease to exist. A true end. That's why the stakes are so high. That's why the Reapers don't play around. And that's why the Composer demands perfection."

Ao whimpered, a small, pained sound. The lightheartedness of meeting a new Player had completely evaporated, replaced by a crushing realization. Every single hit, every close call, every time they had pushed themselves to the brink, had been for their very existence.

"So, all the Players we've seen... the ones who faded away... they're truly gone?" Ao's voice was hoarse.

Soma’s expression was unreadable, a mixture of detached observation and something akin to pity. "The Game is harsh. The majority don't make it. But that's the nature of purgatory, isn't it? Only the strongest, the most adaptable, the most willing to fight for their existence... they get to move on."

Tsugumi's mind, though reeling, was already shifting gears. This information, terrifying as it was, was also power. It explained everything. It gave their struggle a new, more profound meaning. "And you, jerk," she stated, her gaze fixed on him. "Why are you telling us this? Why are you just... here? You seem to know too much for a normal Player."

Soma's smile returned, that almost mischievous glint in his eyes. Every time Soma looked at Tsugumi like that, she couldn’t help but overtly think he was mocking her, looking down on her. "Oh, me? I'm just... an observer. A guide, perhaps. Someone who understands the deeper currents of the UG." He shrugged, a casual gesture that belied the weight of his words. "Consider it a friendly tip. Knowing the rules makes the Game a little easier to navigate, wouldn't you say? Especially when things start to get... interesting. Wouldn’t want you girls to bow out before it’s your time."

He turned his gaze away from them, looking out over the West Exit Bus Terminal, his attention seemingly drawn to something only he could perceive in the invisible cityscape. He seemed to hum to himself, a soft, inaudible tune. Tsugumi and Ao exchanged a look, the weight of his revelations pressing down on them. They were dead. This was purgatory. Every fight was for their very existence. And this enigmatic boy, Soma, knew it all.

Soma’s dark eyes, still holding that knowing, almost taunting glint, lingered on them for another moment. Then, with a casual wave of his hand, a gesture as unburdened as his smile, he simply turned and walked away. “Now if you excuse me, I got a date to go. Adieu, girls.”

He said that with some unsettling confidence. Like he knew them. It felt disgusting. He didn't vanish in a flash of light, nor did he melt into the ambient UG energy. He simply walked, his chains and accessories drawing auditory attention just as it did when he walked up. His footsteps clacking on the pavement, blending seamlessly into the ethereal flow of Shibuya's phantom crowds. In a matter of seconds, he was gone, leaving Tsugumi and Ao standing alone in the vast, silent space of the West Exit Bus Terminal, reeling from the bombshells he had dropped.

The moment he was out of sight, the composure Ao had barely managed to maintain completely shattered. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed back against the cold, unyielding surface of the Moyai Statue, her hands flying to her mouth, stifling a choked sob. Her whole body began to tremble, a violent, uncontrollable shiver that racked her from head to toe. Her eyes, wide and unfocused, stared into the middle distance, seeing not the familiar landmarks of Shibuya, but the horrifying implications of Y's words.

"Dead...?" she whispered, the word a fragile, broken sound. "Dead...? How? How could I just... die? And why...? Why didn't I know? Why don't I remember anything?" Her voice rose, raw with confusion and burgeoning panic. "All this time... fighting... thinking it was just a game... and we were already... gone?" The realization was a tidal wave, washing away every last shred of her usual optimism, leaving her stranded in a terrifying, existential void. The concept was too vast, too absolute, for her vibrant, life-affirming spirit to readily grasp. She felt a profound sense of betrayal, not by the Game, but by reality itself. "That's why.... This... This makes so much sense..."

Tsugumi, meanwhile, remained standing, though her stance was rigid, every muscle tense. The color had drained from her face, leaving her complexion ashen. Her mind, usually so sharp and analytical, felt momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer, devastating weight of Soma's revelation. "Dead." The word echoed in her thoughts, each syllable a hammer blow against her carefully constructed understanding of their situation.

But unlike Ao, Tsugumi's reaction wasn't outward despair, but a profound, internalized shock. She let out a long, shuddering sigh, a deep exhalation that seemed to carry the full burden of her newly acquired knowledge. She swallowed hard, forcing down the sudden, acrid taste of fear and the bitter tang of betrayal. It was a practiced, painful process of intellectual swallowing, of forcing herself to accept the horrifying truth despite every fiber of her being screaming in protest. Her eyes, usually so clear and perceptive, were clouded with a grim acceptance.

Her thoughts, even in the face of such a cataclysmic revelation, immediately shifted to the source. Who was this Soma? His casual demeanor, his effortless command of such profound truths about their existence, his apparent omnipresence and inscrutability to their scans it all pointed to someone far beyond a mere Player. He had dropped the absolute core of the Game's lore, the ultimate stakes, with the ease of discussing the weather. It was information they should have been told, information that fundamentally changed every aspect of their fight.

"Who was that jerk?" Tsugumi murmured, her voice strained, cutting through Ao's quiet distress. Her focus was sharp, piercing through her own shock to identify the new variable. "And why did he just... drop all that on us? Why now? What was his purpose?" The questions were a desperate scramble for control, for understanding in a world that had just been irrevocably turned on its head. The revelation that they were dead was terrifying, but the source of that revelation, and the timing, was almost as unsettling. It meant there were deeper layers, hidden players, and motives they still couldn't comprehend.

The stinging sensation on their palms was sharp, immediate. Tsugumi and Ao instinctively flinched, their attention ripped from the profound existential dread of Y's revelations. The familiar, unwelcome green glow bloomed anew on their dominant hands, and with it, the relentless tick of a new timer: 350 minutes. Simultaneously, their phones buzzed, displaying a stark, unsettling message

𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡========================>

"I WONDER HOW THE LOW RANK REAPERS ARE FEELING LATELY. WHY DON'T YOU GO DO SOME REQUESTS FOR THEM? OR FACE ERASURE."

                                        - The Reapers.

================================

The revelation of their death, of their purgatorial existence, suddenly felt impossibly heavier under the renewed pressure of the Game. A desperate scramble for their very continued being.

Ao, still reeling from the shock of Soma's words, stared blankly at her phone, then at her hand. Her earlier tremble escalated into a full-body shiver, a cold dread seeping into her bones. "No... no way," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Another mission? Right now? After... after everything Y just said?" Her eyes, wide and unfocused, darted between Tsugumi's face and the re-materialized timer. The casual, almost mocking tone of the message felt like a cruel twist of the knife after being told they were dead. "Go do some requests for them? What does that even mean?"

Tsugumi, though equally stunned by the new directive, was already forcing her mind to re-engage, to shove down the existential horror and focus on the immediate threat. Her analytical brain, wired for survival, grappled with the message. "Requests for Reapers," she murmured, her voice tight with a mixture of exhaustion and renewed determination. She ignored the aching muscles, the pounding in her temples. The Game hadn't given them a moment to breathe, not even after the brutal, mind-bending revelations.

"It doesn't make sense!" Ao cried, pushing herself off the Moyai Statue, her movements still clumsy. "Why would we do requests for Reapers? They're the ones trying to erase us! Are they... are they making us their errand runners now? For low rank Reapers?!" The humiliation, compounded by the horrifying truth of their situation, was almost too much to bear.

"There's always a reason in this Game, Ao," Tsugumi replied, her gaze sweeping over the West Exit Bus Terminal, searching for any visual clues, any immediate Reaper presence. "And it's always tied to survival. 'Or face erasure' that's the bottom line. Whatever these 'requests' are, they're not optional." Her fingers, though still aching, instinctively flexed, a subconscious preparation for combat. "The wording... 'I wonder how the low rank Reapers are feeling lately.' It almost sounds... taunting. Or like a challenge to us."

"But who sent it?" Ao asked, her voice laced with a raw fear. "Was it one of those 'Game Masters' Soma talked about? The Composer?" The thought of such powerful, indifferent beings playing with their desperate, now understood, existence was chilling.

"Maybe, who knows," Tsugumi sighs, a grim set to her jaw. "Someone with the authority to bypass the usual Reaper instructions and issue a direct, overarching objective for the Day. This is... something else." She pulled out her phone, already navigating to the Game's mission interface, hoping for more details. Ao quickly did the same.

The new mission log was even more cryptic than usual. It listed no specific tasks, no familiar objectives. Instead, it simply reiterated: "Find the Low Rank Reapers currently boarding barriers and assist them with their requests." It displayed a vague map overlay of Shibuya, indicating multiple active Reaper barriers, each with a faint, almost shimmering border.

"So we have to go find them?" Ao said, incredulously. "And then they'll just tell us what they want? This is basically a scavenger hunt, but for favors for our enemies!"

"It implies a direct interaction, yes," Tsugumi concluded, her analytical mind working overtime. "We're not just clearing Noise or finding Pins on our own anymore. We're being forced to engage with the Reapers face-to-face, to offer our services. It's a test of compliance, Ao. And likely, a test of our capabilities against their own. If we can complete tasks that they cannot, or will not, it speaks to our 'worthiness' in the Composer's eyes."

"But what if they just... erase us on the spot when we get there?" Ao's voice was tinged with genuine fear. "This is a trap, isn't it? It has to be."

"It's a Game rule," Tsugumi countered, her voice flat, devoid of comfort, only stark reality. "They can't erase us without cause, not when the mission specifically instructs us to approach them. Not directly, anyway. This is about making us work for them. It's about humiliation, and likely, a way for the Composer to gauge their own subordinates." She looked at the map. "There are multiple active barriers. Each one is probably manned by a 'low rank Reaper' with a specific 'request.' We'll need to clear them all to pass the day."

"So we're glorified Reaper interns?" Ao grumbled, though a flicker of her usual spirit returned, tinged with disbelief. "This is insane. We're fighting for our lives, and now we're doing favors for the very people who want us erased? This is the weirdest Day yet, even weirder than being told we're dead."

"Fairness has no place in the Game, Ao. Only rules, and consequences," Tsugumi reiterated. "We're here. We have 350 minutes. We have to go to these Reapers, find out what they want, and complete it. That's the only rule that matters right now."

"Okay, okay," Ao conceded, reluctantly accepting the grim logic. The practical reality of the ticking timer was beginning to override the existential shock, forcing her to channel her emotions into action. "So, where's the nearest Reaper-boarded barrier?"

Tsugumi sighs "Looks like we have to look for them, Let's start at Statue of Hachiko"

The familiar, loyal silhouette of the Statue of Hachiko rose before them as Tsugumi and Ao navigated through the unseen throngs of Shibuya. Their destination was clear, and sure enough, a Reaper was already there, standing casually beside a shimmering, translucent barrier that blocked off a familiar passage. This was the first of their new, demeaning tasks.

The Reaper was a stocky figure, clad in the standard red Reaper uniform, though his posture was one of distinct boredom. He looked like any other low-rank enforcer, a mere cog in the Game's machinery. He didn't acknowledge their approach, his gaze fixed distantly on the invisible crowds, as if finding them more interesting than the Players forced to serve him.

Ao, ever the one to break the ice, especially when it meant direct interaction, walked right up to him. She mustered her most polite, if slightly exasperated, tone. "Um, excuse me, Mr. Reaper?" she began, her voice a little too bright for the grim situation. "Our mission says we need to, uh, do some requests for the low-rank Reapers. So... what can we do for you?"

The Reaper let out a long, theatrical sigh, as if being asked to do anything at all was an insufferable burden. He slowly turned his head, his eyes, usually blazing with malicious intent, dull with apathy. He looked them up and down, a flicker of disdain in his gaze.

"Players, huh?" he grunted, his voice a low rumble. "Always so eager. Fine. My request is simple, even for you bottom-feeders." He paused, a sneer twisting his lips. "Bring me an Ice Blow Pin. The Pig Noise has it."

Tsugumi and Ao exchanged a quick, bewildered glance. An Ice Blow Pin? And a Pig Noise? They hadn't encountered such a specific Noise type before, especially not one that carried a unique Pin. This wasn't a standard elimination mission.

Tsugumi, despite her annoyance, activated her Scan psych, sweeping the area around the Hachiko statue. Her eyes narrowed as the familiar purple glow highlighted nothing. No Pig Noise. Nothing. The area was completely clear of threats.

"There's no Pig Noise here," Tsugumi stated, her voice flat, her patience already wearing thin. "My scan shows nothing."

Ao, groaning internally at the Reaper's unhelpful demeanor, stepped forward, her hands on her hips. She glared at the Reaper. "Hey! That's not helpful! Where is this 'Pig Noise' supposed to be? Give us more info! Is it nearby? What does it look like? Does it only appear if we do something specific?" she demanded, her usual cheerfulness replaced by a flash of annoyance.

The Reaper, however, simply rolled his eyes, his apathy unwavering. He gestured vaguely towards the open area around the Hachiko statue with a dismissive flick of his wrist. "Fight the Pig Noise where I can see ya," he droned, his voice devoid of any helpfulness. Then, with an air of complete disinterest, he turned his back on them, resuming his bored vigil over the barrier.

Tsugumi clenched her fists, a frustrated grunt escaping her lips. That wasn't even a tip; it was a brick wall. The sheer insolence, combined with the Game's insistence on such vague, humiliating tasks, made her blood boil. They were dead, forced to perform demeaning chores for beings who treated them as less than dirt.

Ao, seeing the storm brewing in Tsugumi's eyes, quickly moved to her side, placing a calming hand on her arm. "Easy, T-chan, easy," she murmured, though her own frustration was evident. "He's just trying to annoy us. Don't let him win." She let out a long, defeated sigh. "Alright. So, we have to look for a Pig Noise... somewhere around the Statue of Hachiko. And it has an Ice Blow Pin. Whatever a Pig Noise is."

The task, abstract and infuriating as it was, now fell to them. The timer continued to tick down, a constant reminder of the ever-present threat of erasure. They were at the mercy of a bored Reaper and a cryptic mission, forced to figure out a hidden objective in a purgatorial Shibuya where nothing was as it seemed.

                                          To Be Continued.....