The Tokyo night sky looked silent, only lit by the city lights that were still on. But on the top floor of a luxury apartment, the atmosphere was very different. Laughter and soft music drifted softly from Reina's apartment living room. This was where Jo, Reina, Mina, Ren, and Taka took a break from the deadly game they had just gone through.
"For our victory!" Taka shouted while raising a can of drink.
"And for an additional 10 days of life!" Ren continued with a big smile.
They all cheered, touching cans to each other, then laughed. The table was filled with food from the convenience store that they had managed to collect. Although simple, that night felt special more than just an ordinary party. It was a celebration of life.
Jo sat in one corner, observing everything. Seeing Mina laugh again, seeing Ren and Taka joking around like they used to before all this happened. And in the middle of it all, Reina sat next to Jo, wearing a loose sweater and casual shorts, her hair tied back.
"You're daydreaming," Reina whispered softly.
Jo turned his head. "I'm just... glad to see you all still here. Alive."
Reina smiled, then stared at Jo for a long time. "You know? In the first game, I thought about giving up. But after you showed up… somehow I had a reason to hold on."
Jo swallowed. His chest felt warm. "I too… felt the same way."
Their eyes met. At first glance awkward, but meaningful. Nothing more needed to be said. While the others were still lost in jokes and laughter, Reina leaned her head on Jo's shoulder. Jo was silent, but didn't refuse. Reina's head that was leaning on Jo's shoulder began to move towards Jo's neck, Jo felt Reina's breath touching Jo's neck not long after that Jo felt a pleasure emerging from Reina's lips that began to kiss Jo's neck.
Reina whispered to Jo. "I like you after how long I haven't been touched by a man, I want to be touched by you Jo."
Jo as a man began to feel arousal in his pants, Reina who saw Jo began to feel her touch took Jo's hand and put Jo's hand towards Reina's chest which was only covered with a thin cloth and forced Jo's hand with Reina's hand to squeeze. Jo who began to be unable to hold back dared to kiss Reina's lips. And they hugged a little fiercely that night.
That night, not only did they celebrate the relief but also the growth of feelings that slowly warmed their hearts in the midst of a world full of chaos.
That morning Jo woke up first and saw everyone still asleep and what made Jo smile the most was seeing Reina sleeping beside Jo, they were both in the same blanket. Remembering last night Jo felt all the dreams whether what he did with Reina was real or just a dream. Jo opened his blanket a little and looked inside the blanket which surprised Jo a little was that it turned out that they both didn't use a single thread, before Jo could stand up Reina woke up and immediately sat on Jo, saying. "I want to do it one more time".
And they did it again that morning for a few minutes. They did it from the bed to the bathroom. After that they cleaned themselves while taking a shower. When they came out wearing only towels Jo's friends saw it and smiled widely at Jo, Jo was just embarrassed while covering his lower part that was still standing.
Reina saw that just said: "we are already dating."
Meanwhile, from the black screen of a secret room, their data was displayed.
Jo – Status: Active
Reina – Status: Active
Mina – Status: Active
Ren – Status: Active
Taka – Status: Active
A mysterious voice was heard from behind the monitor.
"They are starting to show closeness… This will be interesting. The third game must be more cruel."
The screen changed to an hourglass symbol. Time continued to run.
Back at the Apartment, Jo began to feel happiness that could not be expressed in words, every activity felt more valuable and enjoyable because it was always followed by the smile and caress of a lover who might be older and more experienced than Jo.
Therefore Jo felt Reina's affection building warmth in Jo's heart. And they often had sex in quiet places in various corners of the apartment. Until the 5th day and leaving 5 days left of their lives.
Jo spoke to everyone again: "I don't want to lose you all, I am very happy to be with you, let's continue the game to extend our lives."
Everyone greeted Jo's greeting with enthusiasm, Reina approached Jo and hugged Jo while saying: Ready Chairman, do you want me to service this part," while holding the part that was easiest to stand. Jo just smiled while carrying Reina and taking Reina away from her friends.
The next morning.
Jo woke up on the sofa, a blanket covering his body. He turned into the blanket and saw Reina sleeping on Jo's body, smiling in her sleep.
But before Jo could enjoy the peace any longer, the screen on the apartment wall suddenly lit up. All players woke up.
A mysterious female voice spoke:
"Registered players. The third game will start in 48 hours. Prepare yourselves. The game theme will be announced 1 hour before the start time. The location has been determined: Sinsō subway station. Come or be lost forever."
All players looked at each other.
Silence. Tense. Reality hit them again.
Jo led and arranged a strategy to face the game, while everyone was busy arranging strategies and Ren said: "we need a map of the layout of the Sinso subway station". Jo nodded and looked back at the picture of the rooms in the Sinso subway station.
Jo arranged and scribbled on the map while looking for emergency doors that might connect from one room to another. But the big problem was what form of game they would play they didn't know yet.
Jo stood and looked out the window and behind Jo stood Mina, Ren and Taka while Reina hugged Jo. Jo let out her words of encouragement. "We're not done yet. But this time... we're more prepared."
Heavy rain poured down on the sidewalks of Tokyo which were now quiet and silent, leaving only the sound of dripping water and the rustling of the wind. In the distance, an old door to the subway station that had not been used for a long time, opened slowly. Jo, Reina, Mina, Ren, and Taka stood in front of the door. The look in their eyes was now different, not only afraid, but also ready.
"This is it, Sinsō Station," Taka said, turning on the small flashlight in his hand.
"Feels like a trap," Mina whispered, holding Jo's arm tightly.
"Everywhere in this game is a trap," Reina replied softly, stepping in first.
As the five players descended the long staircase into the bowels of the earth, the game system's voice echoed throughout the station:
"Welcome, registered players. The third game is about to begin."
"Game name: Hell Wave."
"Number of registered players: 150."
"Game level: 8 of Spades."
"Game objective: Survive for 30 minutes in the underground station."
"Every 5 minutes, a new wave of attacks will appear."
"In each wave, players will face increasingly deadly creatures and traps."
"No allies. No safe zones. No hiding places. Just survive."
"The game starts in 10 minutes. Use your time to explore, looking for weapons and defensive positions."
10 Minutes of Preparation
Jo and his team ran down a long, dark underground corridor, lights flickering, dust filling the air, and the smell of rust wafting from the old metal walls. They found an old control room, a kind of small office with a metal cabinet and storage lockers.
Ren opened one of the lockers and found a metal bat and a small shield. Reina found a dagger and a first aid kit. Jo examined a map of the station hanging crookedly on the wall.
"Look at this," Jo said, pointing to a main engine room. "This place has a manual defense system. We can set off traps to slow those creatures down."
"Then we'll hold out there," Reina said quickly. "Close all the doors, set off the traps, and hold out for 30 minutes."
"I like that strategy," Taka said, banging his metal bat.
The Game Begins
"The first wave has begun."
Time remaining: 30 minutes.
The floor shook. From the dark hallway, rumbling and screaming began to be heard. Strange figures, like half-human half-animals with glowing red eyes and sharp claws, began to charge.
"Now!!" Jo shouted. "Activate the traps!"
Reina pulled the lever, and the station wall shot out a spray of fire from the right side. Some creatures were burned, but the rest continued to attack. Ren and Taka fought from the front, Mina helped treat the injured.
Wave after wave came. As time went on, the creatures that appeared became faster, smarter, and began to infiltrate through the roof and narrow gaps.
Time remaining: 10 minutes.
They were running out of energy. Wounds began to appear on Taka and Ren's bodies. Reina had run out of ammunition for the stolen weapons. Mina shouted: "Jo! We can't hold out here much longer!"
Jo looked at the control panel. Her eyes widened. "Wait… I can divert the power to the main door. We escape, we don't have to kill them all! We just have to survive!"
Jo began to turn the levers and wires. The sound of electricity hummed loudly.
Time left: 2 minutes.
The main door slowly opened. Behind them, the creatures were getting closer. One knocked Taka down. Ren pulled him up with difficulty.
"GO! NOW!" Reina shouted.
They ran, breaking through the main door that was now half open. Jo pushed Mina first, then Reina, Ren and Taka. As Jo was about to exit, one creature grabbed her leg. Jo stabbed it with a dagger and exited just as the door closed again.
The system voice sounded.
"Congratulations to the 48 players who managed to survive."
"Each of you gets 5 more days to live."
They gasped, falling to the sidewalk outside the station. The rain was still falling, but it felt like a blessing.
Reina approached Jo.
"You're crazy… but you're amazing."
Jo just laughed softly. "It's not over yet, is it?"
Reina nodded and hugged Jo tightly.
Ren and Taka laughed as they lay on the road. "It's hell down there," Ren said. "But we got through. For now."