Ryota leaned back slightly, his elbows resting on the cold metal table, eyes still studying the woman sitting across from him.
"Up to this point," he began, voice calm yet precise, "everything I've seen tells me I'm not facing a normal player."
He tilted his head just a little, observing her still expression. "From the silence… to the way you speak in half-truths, to how you manipulate the tension in the room—every piece of it points to something bigger. Someone bigger."
He paused, as though reflecting on the list of possible identities forming in his head.
"And honestly?" he exhaled. "I have several theories about who you might be. But I can't settle on just one. You're… an enigma."
Enkhtuya didn't flinch. She didn't blink. She just sat there, serene as still water.
Then, with a tone devoid of emotion, she replied.
"You're the one bluffing here, Ryota."
Her words landed like quiet thunder.
"If my golden card is the same as yours… then only mine can be true. Not yours."
It wasn't a threat. Not a provocation. Just a statement—simple, chilling, and cryptic.
Ryota let out a low chuckle.
"Still bluffing, huh? Even now?"
Before she could say another word…
"I surrender."
The voice wasn't hers.
It came from the intercom above the door.
Ryota turned instinctively, confusion flashing across his face. Enkhtuya barely had a moment to react before the steel door creaked open.
A single Game Agent stepped in. Black suit, sterile gloves, and an emotionless face hidden behind a blank mask.
Enkhtuya didn't resist. She simply turned her eyes toward Ryota.
And in one swift, almost casual motion, the Agent raised a sleek pistol and pulled the trigger.
A single shot.
Enkhtuya slumped forward.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Ryota's eyes widened—not from fear, but from pure, unfiltered disbelief. He stared at her lifeless form for several seconds. Then, slowly, his attention was drawn to the nearby digital painting on the wall. It flickered, displaying the words:
"Congratulations. You have won."
For a moment, Ryota didn't move. He sat frozen, arms slightly raised, unsure if this was still part of the test or a cruel illusion.
"What?" he muttered, turning his head from side to side, scanning the room as if looking for a hidden camera.
He stood up, stretched his arms wide in mock confusion, and looked around again.
"Seriously?"
Then, with a soft, amused chuckle, he dropped back into the chair.
"I guess my luck really never leaves me, huh?"
He leaned back, letting his head rest against the cold steel wall, grinning.
"That was... unexpected." His fingers tapped lightly on the table. "Still... that mystery…" he whispered to himself, staring at the pool of blood near Enkhtuya's chair.
"…even I can't break it down yet. But maybe someday."
He exhaled and laughed again—softly, carelessly, like someone who had already accepted the chaos of this world.
"But who even cares right now?" he shrugged. "I mean… I won, dude."
And with that, Ryota stared at the ceiling, smile fading into thought, while the Game moved on.