DIA'S POV

For about 3 hours, we were all taught the basics in the Tutorial Rooms. Each of us were taught how to shoot properly with a pistol, and how to use the knife properly.

In an open, white room, the rest of Aqours are there to begin the tutorial. We are at a shooting range. Inside, there are target dummies made of wood.

Guard 01: Please shoot the target dummy.

Ruby: No....I do not want this!!! Please don't make me do it!! I do not want to use a gun!!

Guard 01: You must do it. Rules are rules.

Ruby: But.....

Another guard arrived. She carried a tablet which had access to the Internet. She showed us the video of another idol group via her tablet. The idols are currently doing a live performance.

Guard 02: Please do as you are told. If you don't, our hosts will kill these people right away....

Ruby: No!!! Don't do it!!!!

Guard 02: Then do as you are told.....please....

Ruby is finally convinced to take a pistol and aim at the target. Her hands shook as she held it - the first guard assisted her in using the pistol properly.

Hanamaru: Those guards bother me. They seem too kind. It looks like they have no intention to hurt us just so we would listen to them.

Yoshiko: Oh, so you noticed? I am glad I am not the only one who is thinking of conspiracies.....

Meanwhile, in another white room, U's are taught how to use knives and how the game works out....

Honoka: I never thought A-Rise could make us do such horrible things!! I wish I do not have to hate them for whatever happens...

Nico: Stop making wishful assumptions, Honoka. What they are doing is irrational and unforgivable. Eventually, we will need to hate them....honestly, I do not want to feel that way about them.

Nozomi: This is really bad.....so everything is decided on the card you pick?

Guard 03: Yes. There are three roles that each player will get randomly assigned to: Murderer, Innocent, and Detective. Everything is decided on what card you end up picking in each round.

After completing the tutorials, we are sent to our first Murder Arena - a large, basic location which had black walls and resembled an apartment building. There are about 8 rooms in this area.

All of us are sent at the center of this arena. Once we there, A-Rise contacted us through a speaker.

Tsubasa: Is everybody ready?!!

Everyone: ..........

Kanan: I will just say that all of us are forced to be ready....

Tsubasa: Good!!

Yuuki: Anyway, I know you all have been taught the rules in your respective Tutorial Rooms!! Let me just repeat the rules:

In this game, every player has a knife and a pistol. There are three roles: Murderer, Innocent, and Detective. Your role depends on what card you pick. The cards you will use will be the classic solitaire cards.

If you get a red card, regardless of what symbol it is, you are a Murderer. The Murderer must kill everyone to win - you can use any tactic: lies, deceit, stealth, whatever you want. Also, the Murderer is the only one allowed to use her knife. She can, however, get a gun to use should she ever find six orange ribbons.

If you get a black card, you are an Innocent. The Innocent is a player who must survive no matter what. You need to hide or work with other Innocents to escape the Murder. If you have a gun, work together to find and kill the Murderer. You cannot use your pistol unless you find six orange ribbons that are scattered around the area.

Finally, the sole player who gets a Joker card is the Detective. The Detective is the only person who can use her pistol at the start of the game. Her goal is to kill the Murderer and protect the other Innocents. However, if she shoots an Innocent during the game, the Detective will be blinded for 60 seconds - giving the Murderer a huge chance to kill the Detective and/or other Innocents.

When somebody gets shot or stabbed, she must die. If you try to wound her or try to prevent the player's death, you will be killed as suddenly as how we killed the guards in front of you!! Suicide will not be an option either - the round will restart if anyone tries to kill herself regardless of her role!!

Yuuki: That is the rule!! Happy hunting!! Bye!!!

Once A-Rise left, the rest of us are nervously silent. All of us hesitate to continue this crazy game.

Honoka: Ummm.....

Yoshiko: Listen guys. I am not enjoying this any more than you guys do. I just wanna say that I pray for the unlucky person who will pick the Murderer card.

Eri: This is a joke. How can one Murderer kill everyone in this game? I believe all we have to do is to kill one another until one person survives.

Chika: Why is this happening!!? I came here because I wanted to see U's and become their friend!! Not to kill them!!!

Honoka: Sorry Chika......if only I should have figured out all this....

Kotori: Honoka....I do not think you could have figured it out. Neither will us.

Dia: Let us just do what they say.....we have no choice....

Everyone went to pick their cards. As everyone picked their card, they raised their card upwards - it is required to show the cards to the camera that is at the ceiling of this arena. A-Rise must know who is who in the game.

However, the moment I saw my card, I am shocked with horror.

I picked a card of red spades...a red card. In other words, I am the Murderer!!

Once everybody showed their cards, everyone started leaving towards their respective positions. The game has to start with everybody at different rooms. But then......

Dia: I-I......I CAN'T DO THIS!!!!

I shouted to everyone. I needed their attention....

Mari: Dia, what is wrong?!

Riko: Dia?!!

Rin: Huh?!

I could not accept it....I could not bear this horrible fact....

Dia: Everyone, I.....I AM THE MURDERER!!!

Everybody is surprised. I just confessed to them that I am the one who must kill them.

Ruby: Sister!!! Why....why did you just reveal your role?!!

Dia: BECAUSE I DO NOT WANT TO DO THIS!!! I...I DON'T!!!

I sat down and started crying. I could not do it. I don't want to do it!!!

I came here to meet U's - I am the biggest fangirl amongst Aqours. I came here excited to see Eri-sama and Muse!! I am so hyped to come here.....but now, I should be killing my friends and my idols?!!

Why? Why?!!!!

Chika: Dia, please.....please calm down...

Dia: I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!!! I AM NOT GONNA KILL ANYONE, UNDERSTAND?!!! (crying)

Umi: Dia, we do not want this either!! But, if you do not try to kill us, all of us will be forced to kill you.

Dia: I DO NOT WANT TO DIE EITHER!!! (crying)

Mari: Oh my god.......what should we do......

Everyone is forced to think of something. Some are willing to kill me just for the game's sake - even they are hesitating to decide. Others are just scared to try anything....

Nico: If no one dies, A-Rise will kill anyone of us in an instant. There is no other choice.

Maki: .....this is so wrong........I cannot find a way out of this for her.....

Hanayo: Why is this happening?!!

Dia: I.....I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE!!!!

Mari: Kanan......what should I do?

Kanan: Will you volunteer to kill Dia or get killed by Dia?

Mari: Kanan!! How could you........tsk...you are right. I am thinking such things.

Kanan: I don't think either of us is willing to kill Dia. She is our closest friend. I find it so painful to see her die or see her kill any of us.

Yoshiko: Darn it.....if only I had a magic power to end this hellish nightmare......what am I thinking?!! I have no magic power, magic does not exist!!...I...I am so useless!!!

Ruby is also crying. She does not want to die nor see me, her big sister, die too. She is so confused on what she should do. Everyone else in Aqours are just too stunned to do something.

The rest of U's are just silent. They feel bad for us.....they are thinking why should one of their fans be the first victim. I am crying even more just thinking of it.

While everyone are just paralyzed with what to do, someone approached me as I shed my tears in despair.

Eri: Dia.....

Dia: Eri-sama?!!

Eri Ayase came up to me to say something.

Eri: We need to finish this game. Tell me, are you prepared to die?

Dia: No....no, I am not!!!

Eri: I see......

Eri surprised me by giving a long hug. I felt her caring embrace. Then....she said something I did not like.....

It was....it was a hard decision.......

Eri: Dia....kill me now.

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A/N: I am still lucky that my wifi is still alive. If I do not update for a long time, that means my wifi got expired.

Anyway, see ya for the next bloody chapters!