DIA'S POV

Eri: Kill me, Dia.

Dia: No....noooo....NOOOOO!!! I...I WILL NOT DO IT!!!

Nozomi: ERI?!!!

Honoka: Hold on a second!!?

Ruby: Eri-sama!!?

Mari: What are you thinking!!?

Chika: Oh my god.....

Umi: Eri!!!? Are you insane!!?

Eri: We don't have a choice. I'd rather volunteer to take responsibility for all this.

Dia: Responsibility?!! What do you mean!!?

Eri: First, as an idol, I cannot bear to see my fan suffering in front of me. It is my responsibility to take your pain away in what little thing I could do.

Dia: Eri-sama.....you truly care for me!!?

Eri: Second, as a human being, I will not stand by and watch you murder other people, even if you are forced to. However, in a way, I will not hesitate to allow you to kill me.....it is hard to understand the logic but that is what I want to think...

Dia: What does that mean?!!

Eri: Finally, as a player of this game, I need to die, right? Dying is part of the rules in this game. Eventually I have to die at some point regardless of who kills me. When I think about it, I feel like I need to experience it to figure something out....

That does not make any sense!!! I am soo confused!!! Eri is taking all this on her!!! I do not want to do it!!! I don't!!!?

Suddenly, A-Rise broadcasted us through the arena's speaker.

Yuuki: Ohhh?!! Someone is volunteering to die?! This is interesting!!

Erena: Eri is not breaking any rules. All this will be considered as murder and not suicide.

Yuuki: Well...well. Let me add up the pressure! Attention to all players!! Look above you!!!

Suddenly, a holograph of a countdown appeared on top of us.

Yuuki: Dia should kill Eri right now!! If the countdown goes to zero and nobody dies, I will randomly select the next person who will die in an instant!!

Maki: What?!!

Yuuki: You have thirty seconds to decide before I make one of you explode!!!

Darn it!! Yuuki is now gonna kill someone if neither Eri dies or I die!!

ChIka: Stop this please!!!

Umi: What should I do?!!! Guys, what can we do?!!

Riko: No one wants to die either!!

Yuuki: 21 seconds!!!

Eri: DIA, JUST KILL ME RIGHT NOW!!! LET US GET THIS OVER WITH!! WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!!

Dia: NOOOO!!!

Ruby: Sister, don't do it!!!

Yuuki: 15 seconds!!! 14....13....12....

Eri: DIA!!!

My hands just shook like crazy. I could not use my knife at all. Eri held my hand.....

Eri: Here....put your knife here on my head. Close your eyes, and do it!! I will not blame you for this.

Eri's eyes looked at me. Those eyes showed great concern......Eri really wants me to do this.....

Dia: NOOOOOOO!!!!

Yuuki: FIVE SECONDS TILL SOMEONE DIES!!!!

The moment was tense. Very tense. Everyone cannot do a thing!!!

I need to decide.....I NEED TO DECIDE NOW!!!

3.....2.....1...

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The countdown stopped at zero.......nobody died....

Ruby: Nooo.....

Umi: This.....this is.....horrible....

Honoka: Eri.....why.....why did you.....

Kanan: Dia..........darn it....I could not do anything either....

I stood frozen.......frozen to death......

Yuuki: Alright!! Eri Ayase is dead!! Let us continue!!

I....I killed Eri......I killed her......

My eyes are both shaking as I looked at Eri-sama's dead corpse......I cannot think properly....no....I do not want to think anymore....

I just stood there.....silent.....guilty.......broken.....

Erena: Dia, snap out of it. Continue the game -

You: STOP IT!!!

You Watanabe shouted to A-Rise wanting to do something about all this.

You: Stop it, A-Rise!! Can't you see?!! Dia-chan cannot bear the trauma of this game!! I am not saying you should stop this MURDER game. I am just asking, please, give her a break!! Let her rest and recover from all this!!

Chika raised her voice and wanted to intervene.

Chika: You-chan is right!! Leave Dia alone!! If the rules are as they say they are.....then...then...

Chika: I will kill myself!!!

Everyone: W-what!!?

Riko and You: Chika, what are you thinking!!!?

Chika: I will commit suicide!! Then, this game will restart!!! Everyone, you should all commit suicide too!!!

Umi: Chika you are insane!!!? True, if we all die, this game will no longer need to continue!! But even so....all of us will be dead before we even get ourselves out of here!!!

Honoka: I will too!!

Umi: Honoka?!!!

Honoka: Chika has a point!!! I would rather choose to kill myself than to kill my friends or my fans!!!

Chika: Honoka.....sama....

Hanayo:....I get it now!! Me too!! I wanna kill myself...wait it does not sound nice but....

Nico: Are you guys serious?!!!

Yuuki: Hmmm....hey Erena, is it okay to see them all commit suicide all at once?!

Erena: The game will be useless if all of them die too soon. Let us not take their threats lightly. As insane as Chika's logic may be, if we lose even just half of them already, the game will be less fun.

Yuuki: I see....

Dia: Cut it out!!! All of you!!! I will not bear the idea of seeing you all die before my very eye -

Yuuki: Alright!! Due to player demand, I will give everyone a timeout of one hour!!! Please return to play the next round after the break!!! I repeat, everyone must return to the Briefing Room at once!!!

Somehow, Chika's idea caused a reaction for A-Rise. Everyone listened and returned to the Briefing Room.

Some guards arrived to carry Eri's dead body away. I was the last one to see her.......I....I am such a fool.......

---

We returned to the Briefing Room - the dark room we were at when Muse and Aqours first met. Everyone is completely stressed and traumatized. Some of us, including Ruby, are crying....

Nico: This is sooo disgusting!!! We are in a horrible situation!!

Mari: I am so useless....I must have done something......

Honoka: How could A-Rise do this to us.....

Some minutes passed. Those who have cried had already shed their tears. I sat at a corner. Ruby noticed me and tried to comfort me, knowing that comforting me is a better thing to do than crying over everything.

Dia: ..........

Ruby: Sister?

Dia: I am...a bad person......I...I cannot be forgiven for this....

I, Dia Kurosawa, spent the entire time hating myself. I can no longer describe what is going on around me.....I want to die.....

Ruby: Sister.....please get back to normal....

Despite all my self-loathing, Ruby continued to cheer me up. I am so ashamed that Ruby is actually stronger than me emotionally. She did cry, but she quickly accepted the situation, unlike me.

Mari and Kanan sat beside me. They did not say a word, but they try to cheer me up by just being there for me.

Dia: Ruby....no matter what happens...don't die, alright?

I asked Ruby this request. Should anything bad happen....if I were to suffer more....if someone gets the Murderer card and kills me....at least...at least I just want my sister alive......

Ruby: Sister.....got it!! I will make sure to live up to that promise!!

Mari: ...........

After trying to cheer me up, Nico went to Ruby and wanted to talk with her. I was too shaken to care about their conversation.

Meanwhile, the others were doing something else. Hanamaru and Yoshiko are forming plans on how to defend themselves. Chika, Riko, and You are all brainstorming for ideas. It looks like they cannot think of a way out of this.

Muse, altogether, formed a circle and kept discussing about possible ways to get out of this place. They were quick to accept Eri's death and focus on a more pressing concern: a way to prevent more deaths.

I could clearly see how frustrated Nozomi, Honoka, and Umi are.

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Yuuki: Alright, it is time for Round 2!! Pick your cards and get ready to play!!

We are back at Arena 01. Everyone began to pick cards and show their roles to A-Rise. Nine guards are all over the area. All of them are carrying cameras with them. In addition, we have all been given watches by the guards to keep track of the time.

Hanayo: Honoka, something wrong?

Honoka: Huh? No, nothing!! I am fine!!

Erena: I advise you all to make this next round more entertaining.

Everyone picked their cards. Everyone was nervous, but they knew they have no choice. Resolve is all they have to overcome this.

I picked my card....I am nervous of the outcome.....my card is red diamonds this time.......wait...no....nooo!!! No....no way!!! I am the Murderer again!!!?

Ruby: Oh no....sis, are you the Murderer again?!!!

Dia: Ehhh!!!? No!!! No!!! I am totally not the Murderer this time!!!

Something inside me said that I have to play the game and lie about not being a Murderer. I realized that if I let them know about my role, someone would be forced to volunteer to die for me just like what Eri-sama did!! I....I do not want that to happen again!!!

Riko: Alright....I guess all of us should split up.

Rin: Kayochin, come with me!! I do not want you to die!!

Hanayo: But....what if you are the Murderer?!!

Rin: Trust me!! I will not lie to you, nyahh!!!

Hanamaru: Ruby.....be careful

Ruby: ....sure!!

Everyone left to scatter to different rooms and destinations. Some focused on hiding, others focused on looking for ribbons so they can get access to their guns. Some had their own agendas.

Maki: Let us begin searching this building for an exit!!

Umi: Keep your mouths quiet!! Let us not make it too obvious.

Kotori: I am Innocent guys. Believe me, I will not kill you!!

Nico: Same here!!

Nozomi: Can we really trust each other?

Many minutes had passed. While almost everyone had already left to go to different rooms, I walked to a hallway with three doors. I just sat down and waited for something to happen. Ruby noticed me.

Ruby: Sister....you are still depressed?

Dia: I just wanna die....I want the Murderer to come and kill me now...

I lost the stomach to continue this game. I just...I just felt like I no longer want to play it anymore. 

Dia: Hey....Ruby....let me ask you something...

A combination of boredom, depression, guilt, and hopelessness led me to come up with a question to ask to my little sister.

Dia: If you were in Eri-sama's position, would you have done it? Would you have tried to kill a person who wanted to be killed by you?

My question intrigued Ruby.

Ruby: Sis......come with me...

Dia: No need Ruby.....leave me alone...I will get you in trouble...

Ruby: I will not let you be like this!!!

Ruby dragged me up to a room. The two of us stayed at a small room which had a small bed.

Ruby: Sister.....answering that question is very hard.....but...in my opinion...

I wanted to know how Ruby feels...she has not cried much recently. I wanted to know how prepared she is for this.

Ruby: If I were put in that situation.....I...I would do it.....

Dia: Why?

Ruby: In fact.....I believe...I believe you did what was right, big sister!! Eri wanted to save us....so I believe it counts....

So...Ruby is not angry at me for murdering Eri?

Dia: I...I do not get it.....Why? What makes you say that?.....I..I killed her!! Are you implying that killing her was the right thing to do?

Ruby: Because.....because....

Ruby went closer to me and held my two hands.

Ruby: Sis!!l We have to keep playing this game!! Eri had to die just for us!!!

Ruby's face showed me that she understands what is going on. She also showed me that she understood Eri's decision.

Ruby: That...I think that is the reason why what you did was the right thing!! Eri-sama wanted to save you so you could keep playing the game!! She wanted us to keep on living to play this game!! And so long as we live, we will still have a chance to find a way out of this!!

Dia: What is the point? All of us will die anyway.....

Ruby gave me a hug.

Ruby: I believe Eri-sama was not ready to kill us either!! She must have thought that she too would feel the same way as you do now had she lived!! I..I think that was her point!!

I never realized it, but Ruby had a point! She....Eri-sama believed in us...she sacrificed her life so that we would be alive to keep on playing this game and hopefully find a way out of here!!

Dia: Wait....how about killing other people! If you are the Murderer, you must -

Ruby: I...I do not like that either....but the game demands it......Eri-sama wanted us to keep playing....so we need to kill others as well.....

Dia: So....you agree...

Ruby: Yes......we do not have a choice....if no one gets killed, someone will be randomly killed by A-Rise...I would not want that to happen.....

Dia: But.....if we keep playing this game...you might die!!

Ruby: If I have to die then so be it. I am happier to see my other friends make it out of here alive...

Dia: But....

Ruby gave me an even tighter hug.

Ruby: But still...even though I will prepare myself for death....I...I will keep my promise, sister!! I am gonna live no matter what!!! I will only keep on living if I see you back to your normal self again!!

Dia: Ruby.....

I realized that Ruby wants me to keep going forward. It does not matter if what I did to Eri is wrong. She wants me to keep moving forward.

Ruby: Remember sis. We wanted to come here to see Muse. We got to see them and Eri-sama!! Be proud!! Also, what would Eri say to you right now?

Ruby just encouraged me enough that I decided to recover and get back to my old self.

Dia: ...th..thank you Ruby....

Ruby: Thank you to, big sister!! I actually learned something from you!!

Now, after feeling better somehow, I have decided to play the game. It is something that must be done.

But....it bothers me now....I am the murderer. Ruby does not know it yet.

Ruby: Now, we need to look for the murderer...

Dia: Ruby!

Ruby: What?

What should I do at this point? Should I kill Ruby? Should I kill someone else? Should I kill myself...no...not that....the rules demand that a round must restart should any player attempt a suicide....

Also, the two of us have been in this room for about 10 minutes, according to my watch. Ruby will suspect me if we don't leave here....and no one has screamed yet.

Dia: Ummm...Ruby...I....

Ruby: Yes?

Dia: ......let..let us find the murderer together!!

Ruby: .....s-sure!! We will do that together!!

Should I confess to her? Should I tell her now? No...I am not ready for it.....not yet....

And if Ruby knows, I will be forced to kill her...I hate to say this, but I must choose someone else to kill....

The two of us were about to leave the room....but.....

Ruby: But......but before we start searching for the murderer....I need you to make a promise to me as well!!!

Dia: Huh?

Ruby: Sister....I want you to promise me something.....if I promised you that I will keep living, that means you need to do something for me too....

Ruby raised her pinky finger.

Dia: Pinky swear?

Ruby: Yes.

I did a pinky swear with her. I have to be fair for her.....and I would love to promise her something to make her feel better.....

That's right...I will not kill my sister...I won't!!

Dia: Okay, done....so....what do you want?

Ruby: Sister.....

Ruby: Please.....promise me...

Ruby: ........

Ruby: Promise me........that you will die for me.

Ruby took out her pistol - no way, she is the Detective!!!?

Dia: R-ruby?!!!

Ruby: You are the Murderer, aren't you? I could tell by how you acted since we picked our cards.

Dia: What?!! You noticed?

Ruby: Yes, I noticed it all. You panicked when I asked you about your card. Then I noticed how much you lost the mood to play the game - you actually said you want to be killed by the murderer. If you were Innocent, you would have not been so hopeless like that.....finally, as we talked in this room, I felt you are very guilty and worried....the way you talked to me seemed so off.....we have been here for a long time already yet no one outside of this room has screamed yet...so I figured......

Dia: No way...I cannot believe you were able to observe that much.....

So it seems....I could tell by Ruby's face that she is both nervous yet decided. She probably talked about this with the others without me noticing. No...she....she probably discussed this scenario with Nico-sama earlier!! She...she is more prepared for this than I am.....

Ruby aimed her pistol at my head.

Ruby: Sorry, sister.....I do not want to do this....but I need to do it!! If Eri were in this position, she would have to do it!!

Dia: No....wait...

I am not ready for this!? Should I let her kill me?! Should I kill her?! I am panicking as hell as to what I should do!!

Ruby: I do not want to see you suffer anymore, sis! Nor do I want to see you force yourself to kill either me or everyone else! I will take responsibility for this!

Dia: Ruby...please....I am not ready for.....

Ruby: ......goodbye, sister....

Dia: Wait!! WAI -

BANG!!.....(thud).....BANG BANG BANG!!!!

Ruby shot me at the head.......she did it quickly so that she wouldn't need to hesitate......

Ruby: Sorry.....sister......we have to continue this game.....we have no choice.....

Blood flooded all over me......my heart stopped beating.

I could barely hear anything......

"Where did that shot come from!!!?"

I could barely see a tear coming out of Ruby's face......

"Did somebody just shot the murderer!!!?"

I.....I.............d...died........

....thud.......

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A/N: I know how you feel about this one.....just wait for the next chapter. It will be gorgeous.

By the way, I have lost my wifi again...geez...so I have more limited chances to get this chapter and other stories updated. Sigh.