The lights were already on when the first student woke up.
A low mechanical hum filled the air.
White ceiling. White walls. Rows of desks.
"…This isn't my classroom."
Riku Hayato sat up slowly, pressing a hand against his temple. Around him, other students were beginning to move, confusion spreading as sleep faded into awareness.
"Where are we?"
"Why are the windows covered?"
"Hey… the door won't open!"
Thick metal shutters sealed every window. The classroom door had no handle only an electronic lock.
More students stood.
Panic began quietly.
"I don't have my phone."
"My bag is gone."
"What is this place?"
Then someone noticed it.
"Hey… what's this?"
Black bracelets circled every wrist.
Cold metal. No clasp. No seam.
Each one had a word engraved.
"Magician," muttered Takumi Kisaragi, adjusting his glasses.
"Strength," said Kaede Shishido, clenching her fist.
"Justice," Reina Shirogane read quietly.
Around the room, others checked theirs.
High Priestess - Shizuku Aoyama
Empress - Hana Mizuno
Emperor - Masato Takeda
Sun - Taiyo Hinata
Moon - Tsukiko Kageyama
Star - Hoshika Amano
Tower - Daigo Arashi
Devil - Renji Kuroba
Hermit - Sora Amamiya
Wheel of Fortune - Megumi Unabara
Hanged Man - Yuto Kanzaki
Death - Kurone Yoru
Temperance - Ayane Mizuhara
Judgement - Shin Ootori
World - Sekai Amateru
Lovers - Hikari Tachibana
Chariot - Riku Hayato
Fool - Arata Mujin
No one understood what they meant.
Then the speakers crackled.
The room froze.
A bright, cheerful voice filled the classroom.
"Good morning, students!"
Several people flinched.
"Welcome! We hope you're feeling refreshed after the relocation."
"Relocation?" Daigo Arashi stepped forward. "Who are you? Where are we?"
The voice continued without answering.
"You may have noticed the bracelets on your wrists. Each of you has been assigned a title from the Major Arcana. These titles will be important during your stay."
Uneasy glances spread across the room.
"There are twenty-two of you inside this facility."
Silence fell.
"You will live here together."
Masato Takeda frowned. "Live here? That's not possible."
The voice continued.
"However, there is one important rule."
The air seemed to tighten.
"Among you… is one Imposter."
Someone laughed nervously.
"That's a joke, right?"
"If you wish to leave this facility, you must identify and eliminate that person."
The laughter died instantly.
"If the Imposter is not discovered… the rest of you will eventually die."
The speakers went silent.
For several seconds, no one moved.
Then the panic began.
"This is insane!"
"They're lying!"
"Open the door!"
Daigo and Masato both tried the door. It didn't move.
Takumi was already examining the walls carefully.
Reina stood still, thinking.
Hikari looked around anxiously, as if trying to read everyone's expressions.
Near the back, Arata Mujin leaned against a desk, watching the room quietly.
No one spoke to him.
No one spoke to anyone for long.
Because a single thought had already entered everyone's mind.
One of us.
After nearly an hour, the classroom door unlocked automatically.
No announcement.
Just a soft click.
The hallway outside was brightly lit.
Empty.
The students moved together without discussing it.
No one wanted to be alone.
They explored the building carefully.
Dorm rooms - one per person.
A cafeteria - stocked with food.
Showers and bathrooms.
A lounge area.
Security cameras in every corridor.
Every exterior door was sealed.
No windows opened.
No signal anywhere.
By evening, denial was gone.
They were trapped.
They gathered in the lounge.
Twenty-two students sat in a wide circle.
"If we're staying together," Takumi said, "we should introduce ourselves properly."
No one argued.
One by one, they spoke.
Names. Ages. Arcana.
Some voices were steady.
Some shook.
Some avoided eye contact entirely.
When Hikari Tachibana spoke, she glanced around nervously before sitting down again.
When Daigo Arashi introduced himself, his voice carried confidence, but his jaw stayed tense.
When Kurone Yoru said "Death," the room went silent for a moment.
And when Arata Mujin said "Fool," he gave a small, casual smile.
No one smiled back.
Finally, the introductions ended.
The circle remained.
Because the problem remained.
One of them was lying.
Night came automatically.
The lights dimmed across the building.
Some students formed small groups in the lounge.
Masato spoke quietly with Reina and Ayane.
Hikari stayed near Hana and Shizuku.
Takumi sat alone, writing something on a piece of paper he had found.
Others chose isolation.
Doors locked.
Lights turned off.
Footsteps echoed in the dorm hallway.
"Do you think anyone here could actually kill someone?" Megumi asked quietly.
Sora didn't answer immediately.
"…I don't know," he said. "But fear changes people."
Further down the hall, Daigo walked past without speaking.
In another room, Taiyo tried to joke with Hoshika, but the laughter faded quickly.
In yet another, Kurone sat in darkness, staring at her bracelet.
Death
Across the hall, someone else did the same.
Lovers
And elsewhere:
Justice
Magician
Fool
Chariot
Twenty-two titles.
Twenty-two students.
One Imposter.
At midnight, the building lights dimmed completely.
The academy fell silent.
Behind locked doors, behind closed eyes, behind forced calm…
Suspicion had already begun.
The game had started.
And none of them knew who would be the first to die.