"Oh.....oh God...." Suika said as if mourning. The chunibyio who once interacted with Hori was dying of starvation. "I....I...I... need.... sugar...." She managed to say through her black nose mask. Craving any form of sweet as if battling an addiction.
Her child hood friend, Miyabi Shizuka was in the same state. Nearly passed out, curled as a ball in the middle of the queue.
Despite starving, her beautiful looks were still present. Shizuka rocked back n' forth, trying to maintain consciousness just like any other participant.
"What kind of trial is this?" She cursed under her breath, regretting the sudden ban on the Bribery System. From the looks of things so far, no one seemed to be taking trial 3 well.
Mr Shiba decided to kill time. Texting on his phone to a saved contact "Wife" he smiled, which was rare as they discussed what she would be preparing upon his return.
Tadashi, being the only bishop allowed to observe trial 3 has stayed here for days now. Although provided food and a comfortable room, he would choose snuggling in bed with his wife over this.
He groaned at the thought of staying here longer for any stubborn participant who missed their place in line that refused to forfeit, just then Hori flashed before his eyes. Shivering and praying she wouldn't last the extra days given she was now at the last position in her own queue.
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Hori's eyes cracked open, her dry lips parting as she let out a weak gasp. "What.... just happened?" She asked her self glancing around. "I... I remember I was in a nightmare of some sort." Her words froze as Hori recognized the scene, this was still trial 3, the excess fatigue caused her to shortly pass out.
She'd been standing in line for what felt like an eternity – 3 days without food nor water, stuck in this never-ending trial. Hori scratched her eyes and slowly rose up. "Ha.... Haruki-san?" She managed saying. Her voice too low to reach his ears.
Her tongue felt swollen, her throat parched. The air seemed to gain weight with the sound of her own ragged breathing. She tried to lift her arm, but it felt like lead. Hori was too exhausted for unnecessary movement, saving her energy to drag her feet when the queue asked her to.
A total of 9 holographic men have passed so far, 1 more till all 10 and participants will be allowed to leave the room. The same couldn't be said with Hori tho. Because of her foolish stunt she would need to stay an extra 3 days till her turn, being the current last person in the queue.
The 10 holographic men in front of her seemed to blur together, their blue forms wavering like mirages. Hori's gaze drifted downward, her eyes landing on her own hands – dry, cracked, and trembling.
She tried to remember the last time she'd eaten or drunk something, but her mind was a haze. Had it been before the trial started? Before she'd fallen asleep? The uncertainty was agonizing.
A faint buzzing sound echoed through the air, sounding even softer than the last, and Hori's heart skipped a beat. Was the line moving? She forced herself to focus, her eyes straining to see if the holographic men had shifted.
'I can't....seem to see properly,' she told her self attempting to get a closer look.
"Hori?!" Haruki called out, making sure she was awake to move. Hori chuckled gently, he needn't worry about her, the mistake was her fault trusting the voice in her head which had gone quiet ever since they fought.
Hori dragged her feet and was immediately shocked by the myriad of screams. Every participant (those remaining at least) yelled with the little strength they could muster. It was over.
Some found crying upon exiting the room, some unconscious, requiring a Hataki on standby to move their corpse like bodies.
Haruki immediately spoke before leaving his own lane. "Hori, I need you to listen to me. If you really screwed up and are at the last position in your queue, you'll literally take twice as long as us to exit." Hori nodded, his observation was correct. Haruki hesitated before continuing.
"I'm thinking, can't you just forfeit? You can get to your dad another way.... you can't stay 6 days without food nor water." He said with an almost mocking voice. What Hori was attempting was suicide, being the exact reason why any participant who lost their place in line forfeited.
"Haruki.... it's quite alright, just go. I'll be fine." Hori said in a tone devoid of resolve, she was about passing out again. Haruki bit his lip, warning her to forfeit if she felt like dying, not leaving until he heard Hori's response. "Of course I won't die Haruki...." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm doing this to see my father.... dying would make everything pointless now wouldn't it?" Hori said with a smile Haruki couldn't see.
Mr Shiba cleared his throat to make sure Haruki left. After wishing his only friend best of luck he finally did.
Upon exiting the room, Haruki was given constant suspicious glances by the Hataki helping participants too weak to move.
He wasn't tired in the slightest which rose suspicion, even Hobie who refused to break looked miserable after 3 whole days of starvation. Haruki reasoned they would doubt his identity as a human so he quickly faked fatigue. Suddenly dropping to the ground and groveling like a worm to imitate exhaustion.
Hataki rushed to assist him as well but Haruki could only care less about what happened to him. His true worry was stolen by the half dead Hori who was alone in trial 3.
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Mr Shiba cracked his knuckles as he leaned back on the fancy chair, the satisfying noise echoing in the empty room where he sat.
Hori tried maintaining her focus,
her head spinning like a merry-go-round. She stumbled, her knees buckling as she crashed to the ground. Slowly picking her self up to return in line.
He reminded Hori the real challenge ahead. Mr Shiba was honestly tired as well. He wanted to return to his wife at home, instead of watching some brat waste his time for 3 more days.
After a long pause, Hori reasoned. 'Why am I still standing? Keeping awake?' she sat on the floor, placing her hands together on the cold concrete. 'I'm already last in the queue, I can sleep till every one finishes....' Hori concluded with closed eyes, she wasn't wrong. There was no point in still staying vigilant of her position. No holographic man was stationed behind her.
Her mind browsed through the novels she had read at her leisure in the Kantei. Trying to find a trick for dealing with hunger, she found nothing. Hori sighed and tried using her initiative.
'....I will conserve my energy....' Hori thought with a smile, adopting a meditation pose causing the Bishop to chuckle.
'She plans on conserving her energy? Sweetheart, meditation won't work for 6 days of starvation.' Mr Shiba thought whilst observing. Upon watching closely, Hori had a small smile on her face which surprised him given her situation.
She reasoned it was best to stay absolutely still.
'To conserve.....my energy. I shall try secluding my mind from all of this.' Hori thought, eyes still closed while meditating with crossed legs. Her aim was simple. To take her mind off the matter as a whole, waking up only when it mattered the most.
'Think happy thoughts....' Hori told her self. Trying to remember her time with her father.
A giggle escaped her mouth as she recalled bothering her father during important moments like business meetings concerning the prime minister. To which he spanked her afterwards.
A tear rolled down her cheek in the real world with the smile still plastered on her face, leaving Mr Shiba confused.
Her body slowly trembled as more tears came down. Had Father Jiro known about his only daughter currently starving, he would most likely kill everyone observing.
'I miss you.... father....' Hori said before the unexpected happened.
The darkness closed in, and Hori's world went black. She had achieved a state of seclusion, attained when deep in meditation. Everything seemed to vanish.
From the heat she felt while waiting, to the undeniable hunger and thirst squeezing her stomach. Hori felt complete nothingness, as if reality were a lie.
Time as well seemed to absent in this unknown state.
'.....did I.....die?' Hori asked her self floating in the void, no star in sight nor gravity at play. The real reason she must have been able to escape reality was because her body was in great need of relief.
Simply put, Hori activated a sort of dream on command, transferring her consciousness to a "Room" other than here.
Hori stared at the sea of pitch black that seemed to stretch to infinity.
'This is so weird!' she chuckled whilst soaring through the void. Now clear of hunger and thirst, Hori could form a genuine smile.
'I have to tell Haruki about this!' she thought with excitement, the feeling for this dream felt too real, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
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After 1 hour staying still in the meditation state, Mr Shiba got curious and tapped the announcer button.
She didn't reply to his question, resembling a human looking statue.
Back to this dream world, Hori got curious of this space. If she remembered correctly, the sun was in charge of showing color to the human eye, something this space lacked but could still see her skin as clear as day.
Her senses seemed to be on strike, Hori couldn't hear anything, smell anything nor feel anything in this place, feeling like a projection of her subconscious.
But she had no difficulty breathing which reduced believability that this was real. She reasoned it was a dream, so excitement took over after a certain thought. She tried conjuring her father but to no avail. 'Why isn't it working?!' she frowned, this was a fantasy. Imagination takes form in such a place. But it begged to differ this time.
She tried imagining Haruki but to no avail as well, getting desperate she tried conjuring something as simple as a spoon but no response.
'How odd....' Hori stared at the void before carrying out an experiment.
She tried the time tested tactic of pinching. But stopped after seeing something her giddiness blinded her from before.
'....what is that?' she strained her eyes to stare miles ahead.
At the far edge of the infinite void, a massive pillar of wood stood tall and bold on a large crumbling piece of white land. Its vertical stacks reaching like a giant's fist towards the nothingness that stretched above and below forever.
Hori tried to see even harder and noticed another feature it had. At the top of this giant structure, a red axe just as big, was jammed into it's head, like the work of fire wood chopping had been left halfway through...
In the distance, multiple faint whispers echoed through the void, all a soft susurration that seemed to emanate from the pillar itself. The words were indistinguishable, but the tone was an uncomfortable hint of desperation. Like mad men worshiping an idol from afar – a warning as if telling Hori to flee.
She paused at the new feeling of sound and shuddered.
'... Woah.... ' Hori was speechless as she swam through space to reach this wooden pillar. What was this? What did it mean? Just then, a quick thought flashed through her mind. 'Does this have something to do with my wake in Fukui?' Hori pondered and increased her speed.
After a long time of massless swimming through space, Hori eventually reached the humongous log of brown wood.
She leaned in and sniffed, it had no scent despite looking freshly chopped from a tree of even bigger size.
She considered doing a taste test but exercised better judgement and opted out.
Finally, she attempted touching it. Hori felt the realistic feel of bark on skin as her fingers trailed around it, the intricate bumps sent shivers down her spine.
'Where did you come from?' Hori asked with a curious smile still running her palm against the trees bark. Now used to the ominous whispers that played in her head as she stayed close to the enormous woodblock.
Her floating speed increased and she finally reached the top. Hori cheerfully leaped to the surface, landing on an exceptionally smooth facade, boasting a healthy oak color.
She looked ahead and saw face to face the giant red axe engraved in the center of the woods surface, touching it's cold metal blade as she admired it as well.
'This is so cool....' she said walking across. Impressed by the level of detail in this dream, so far as even seeing hints of rust on the axe's blade.
Suddenly, the hair on her neck stood upon approaching a certain distance towards the edge.
Hori's magical adventure was brought to a sudden halt by a presence alone. Shivers ran down her being as her heart skipped a beat.
At the axes head sat an ominous figure, it's height while seated was that of 5 men stacked on top the other.
Dark blue hair, the exact same color with Hori's mysteriously dyed one fell on its broad back the size of a small building.
Hori immediately woke up as its eyes locked on to her's.