The arrows led me to a huge multi-storey parking garage complex with countless winding staircases. An airship with the huge banner of the Queen of Spades hovered close above, fluttering menacingly in the wind. I took a deep breath. What did I have to lose? Apart from my life, of course. But I wasn't particularly attached to it at the moment anyway and I was glad for any distraction from the unbearable pain inside me.

So I got a rough overview of the surroundings and shortly afterwards found an elevator that obviously took me to the starting point of the game. I looked down at my feet, which were currently only wearing a pair of tattered sandals. Definitely unsuitable for games of spades.

I put my bag down and looked for some sturdy shoes. However, the first thing that fell into my hands was something completely different. I stared at the object, somewhat perplexed, as I pulled it out. How had this got into my bag?

Apparently it was a syringe filled with a clear liquid. A small piece of paper with a handwritten note was stuck to it:

Against Enemies.

I didn't have to think long about who had slipped it to me. But what was in the syringe? Poison? Or maybe some kind of drug? If it was supposed to help against enemies, it certainly wouldn't be anything harmless.

I put on a light cardigan and hesitantly slipped the syringe into my jacket pocket. Then I quickly swapped my sandals for my brown leather boots and hid the rest of my things in an empty garbage can. Then I took the elevator and rode up to the top floor.

When the elevator doors opened again, I saw that numerous players had already gathered on the platform. They all gave me a cursory glance at first, but turned away from me just as quickly. For a moment, however, I inwardly wondered.

A child was also among those present. It was the first time I had seen one since I had been trapped here in this world. How cruel did you have to be to let a child take part in such brutal games? And above all, why?

Right next to the child stood a young woman. Both of them turned to me, unblinking, as I looked around curiously.

"Izumi-sensei?" the boy asked, looking at me in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Only now, when I saw his face, did I realize that I knew the boy. He went to the school where I had started teaching as a trainee teacher. He wasn't part of the class I had taken over, but I had seen him several times when I was only allowed to observe lessons in my early days.

"You're..." I rummaged through my memory for his name. "Kota, right?"

The woman next to him followed our conversation with interest, while the boy just nodded.

"Don't we know each other?" she now asked, addressing me. I made eye contact with her for the first time and then it was like a veil had been lifted from my eyes.

"Yes, you were at the Beach, weren't you? You were the one who attacked Niragi when he went completely crazy at the end of the witch hunt."

She nodded with a smile.

"Right."

"That was pretty cool," I said appreciatively. "I'm Izumi, by the way."

"Usagi," she introduced herself in a friendly manner.

Suddenly, one of the other players turned to us and then leaned down to Kota.

"Oh, how sweet. How old are you?" he asked, putting on a clearly affected smile.

"Ten," Kota replied.

The guy gave his hair a quick tousle, which instantly made him even less likeable. As if the boy was still an unknowing toddler. He had probably been through just as much as all of us here.
"You're a sweet guy."

He turned away from him again and then addressed his words to Usagi: "Why did you bring him here? He has no chance. I won't risk losing because of him." He cast one last disapproving glance at the boy next to her, "This is a game of spades."

Then he left again.

"What an as-...astounding idiot..."

I was about to say something less nice, but there was a child present, so I tried to hold back.

"You mean asshole," Kota said completely deadpan.

I grinned. So much for that.

"Yes. Exactly that."

"If anyone can do it, Usagi can," said another male voice close behind us.

We turned to face her. A young man with tousled black hair was standing there and his eyes were fixed on Usagi. I looked at her from the side and her expression changed within seconds from worried to stunned and then to infinitely relieved.

"Arisu?"

"Usagi."

The two of them ran towards each other and for a moment I thought they would fall into each other's arms longingly. Instead, however, they just stood a little stiffly opposite each other. Maybe they weren't ready yet. I also recognized Arisu. They had both been there when the Beach was doomed. They exchanged a few brief words of reunion... and only then did Arisu pull her into a longing embrace.

There it was again: the agonizing stab in my heart. If only Chishiya and I could be so familiar with each other, but after everything that had happened, I could write that off for good. I should slowly start saying goodbye to the idea that we would ever be anything like friends...or even more absurd: lovers.

"You look sad, sensei," Kota suddenly said next to me.

I tried to smile reasonably convincingly.

"I'm fine. Let's rock this game, okay?"

I held out my fist to him resolutely. For the first time, he smiled a little and then bumped his clenched fist against mine.

When Arisu and Usagi had finished their emotional reunion, she introduced him to Kota and explained that his visa expired today. Then our attention was diverted by a bright light that illuminated the entire area. We turned to the light source and looked at a huge screen.

The other players also turned to the white monitor with curiosity.

Game: Checkmate, announced the familiar robotic voice. The queen's team is up against the challenger's team.

Meanwhile, both groups were displayed by name on the screen.
The Queen's team in red and the Challengers' team in blue.

"Welcome to the arena of beautiful bodies and movements," said a human voice that was clearly female. That had to be her - the Queen of Spades. Shortly afterwards, a silhouette of an athletically built woman appeared on the screen. "I am the Queen of Spades. There are 4 players on the Queen's team with me. Your challenger team has 16 players."

As she said this, her three team members briefly faded in.

"Are they residents?" asked Arisu next to us.

"Each team gets a king in the queens team. How could it be otherwise: in my team, it's me. But who could be your king?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips in anticipation. "I'll choose someone," she opened unexpectedly. "Ah..." She raised her index finger and pointed to the crowd in front of the monitor. "You are the king."

Then a live shot of Kota's face appeared on the monitor. Everyone turned to look at him, probably wondering the same thing: Why had she chosen an innocent child of all people to be our king? And what exactly would it mean for him if he was?

The queen went on to explain the rules of the game. In 16 rounds, the two teams would take it in turns to chase each other. In each round, which lasted 5 minutes, only one team had a turn to catch the opposing team.

To play the game, players had to wear special vests that lit up either red or blue. If a player was caught by the opposing team, his color changed and he was unable to move for the rest of the round. From then on, he was a player of the other team. The only person who was not allowed to change teams was the king or queen. After the 16 prescribed rounds, the team with the most players at the end won. The players on the losing team, on the other hand, would die, including their king.

In principle, the game sounded very simple. Nevertheless, I wondered why any of us would want to be part of the queen's team voluntarily. After being captured by her team, couldn't you just let your original team members capture you again in the next round? Wouldn't that make the game child's play to win? In any case, I couldn't quite see what the difficulty was at the moment.

Please put on your vests, came the familiar computer voice again.

We looked to our left, where there were already 16 of the vests that had been shown in the movie. There was a large button on the right shoulder blade. If you pressed it, the color of the opposing team would change, according to the explanation.
Each of us went over and put them on. Shortly after, they started to light up in bright blue.

Round 1: It's the Queen's team's turn, the announcement boomed through the loudspeakers. I was actually a little euphoric, because I could run away.

The only thing that worried me a little was the fact that my stamina wasn't quite back to normal yet. But at least I had remembered to take my inhaler with me just in case.

A loud noise rumbled through the parking garage from below. The footsteps got louder and louder and as we looked through the barred floor, we saw people with red lights approaching us.

"They can see us when we're standing right next to each other. Break up!" shouted one of our team in panic, shooing the crowd in different directions.

Only Arisu, Usagi, Kota and I remained standing for the time being. The boy clung to Usagi and me at the same time, looking for help. Usagi put her hands on his shoulders encouragingly.

"You stay here. I promise that we will protect you," she said firmly.

I nodded in agreement and then smiled at him confidently.

"Me too," I assured him.

After all, I couldn't possibly allow a child to be injured or, in this case, killed during a game. As an aspiring teacher, I saw it as my duty to protect him and not just leave him to his own devices. The positive thing was that, as king, no one could harm him. No one would come after him, as he wasn't allowed to change his team anyway.

"Okay," Kota finally muttered.

Only then did the three of us run for our lives. I hurried down the steps and got a quick overview of the building and the locations of the opposing players. One of them was on the other side of the floor and when he saw me, he came straight for me.

I hurriedly turned left and sprinted along the narrow outside corridor. However, I realized that he was catching up faster than I had initially thought. They were certainly not the Queen's subjects for nothing.

From a distance, I saw the queen strike down one of our teammates. He received an electric shock and then remained motionless on the ground. At the sight, I automatically sped up and jumped light-footedly down the stairs, taking several steps at once. In the meantime, I realized how long five minutes could drag on when you had to run away from something.

The queen, meanwhile, flew almost elegantly over the banisters and seemed to know every shortcut in the building. She was so fast and agile that I began to doubt my abilities.

The first round ends shortly. 10...9...8

I slowed down my steps, partly because I realized that no one was chasing me at the moment. Then finally came the cathartic signal.

Now it was our turn to play the hunters. I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the railing, panting. Then I was overcome by a violent coughing fit. I breathed in and out rattling and then, after a while, desperately pulled the inhaler out of my pocket to put it to my lips. Just a small spray was enough to make me breathe more freely. To be on the safe side, I took two and put it away again.

The next round had already started and I finally had to do something. The smartest thing to do would probably be to get our former players back first. Some of them immediately made themselves known. One woman asked me to press the button on her. She twitched briefly and then lay paralyzed on the floor.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Then round 3 began.

Running away was the order of the day again. This time I was about to be caught. But luckily the lap ended just in time. When the changeover came, I sprinted after my pursuer and caught him. He squirmed and then remained motionless.

"Checkmate," I grinned and then cheekily stuck my tongue out at him. Sometimes I was a real grown-up.

When I turned around, I cringed. The queen herself was standing in front of me.

"Well, who's checkmate now, little pawness?"

She approached me slowly and menacingly, as if she enjoyed catching me so cold. I immediately turned around, but there was already another guy with a red vest standing there. He was part of our team until a moment ago and now he seemed to have switched sides. I voluntarily raised my hands because I knew I had lost.

"Good call," she said confidently and then pressed the button on my vest.

A sharp painful tingle went through my body and I went down. When I tried to pick myself up again, my body went on strike. So I lay there without resistance and tried to resign myself to my fate. At least for this round.

When the fourth round began, I looked for my former teammates and came across Arisu.

"She got me. Help!"

Arisu nodded with a smile and did me the favor.

In the next round, I vowed to take revenge on the queen. However, as I couldn't catch her myself, one of her subjects had to do it.

Unfortunately, the cough began to torment me again, but this time I simply tried to ignore it. I had quickly found a victim. I was also sure that it was one of the inhabitants, as I had never seen him before. I surrounded him, but then suddenly he ran in my direction and pushed me towards the outside railing.

When he tried to press my button, I quickly climbed through the iron bars and then hung unsecured at a dizzying height. He grinned smugly.

"And what are you going to do if I just push you down now, little girl, huh?"

As I glanced down, I realized what a humble position I had just got myself into. With shaky fingers, I fumbled for the syringe in my pocket. My hands were so sweaty that I almost slipped off just because of it. The guy leaned over the railing, confident of victory, and tried to pry my hand off the metal. When I saw my chance, I rammed the needle full force into the back of his hand and squeezed the liquid out.

"With kind regards from my doctor, you wanker."

He cried out in agony and released his grip and I took the moment to scramble back.

"What have you done?" he moaned in pain and pulled it back out of the back of his hand, which was now even bleeding. Maybe I had overdone it a little.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"You'll have to ask the doctor, not me."

"I can't feel my arm anymore."

He shook it desperately and I watched as the arm slowly sank to the floor. His body followed shortly afterwards. I tapped him briefly, but the guy was obviously completely out of it. He didn't look dead, though, as he was still breathing weakly.

"Good Night, Sleeping Beauty," I whispered and then pressed the button, completely relaxed.

Nevertheless, I noticed that our team was getting worse from round to round. More and more were apparently being recruited by the queen. It was unstoppable and it was almost as if they had been intensively brainwashed.

Suddenly they all seemed to be fighting against us and we were down to a handful of players, while the Queen had 15 people on her side. When our team regrouped, it was just Usagi, Arisu and me apart from the king. So our chances were slim.

As it turned out, however, the queen was specifically targeting Arisu, while she obviously saw Usagi as her personal mortal enemy. Apparently, queens could also become jealous and this one became a lashing out fighting machine.

I watched from afar as she got involved in a fierce fight with Usagi and for a short time it looked as if the queen would win. But apparently her hatred was so great that she even refused to accept Usagi into her own team.

When it was our turn again, we all met up again and apparently Usagi had a plan to change the others' minds. She sought out a few of the other players and actually managed to convince them to rejoin our team within our available time and continue to fight so that we could all return home. She pointed out that once they decided to stay with the Queen and become residents, they would never be able to return.

But some of them didn't seem too keen to go back. Usagi's speech was very emotional and you could tell that she must have been through a lot before she came here.

But in the end, she still wanted to go back to our world to start all over again. I have to admit that I also got a little misty-eyed when I heard her talk about home.

By now, it all seemed so far away that it was hard to remember what it was like before, when we all lived every day without having to fear for our lives at all times.

I was really glad when they finally realized how stupid it would be of them to stay and surrender to their fate. By the end, our team had expanded a little, but even then we still needed 5 more players to win the game. It was unlikely that everyone would be persuaded with nice sentimental words.

When it was the red team's turn again, the queen continued to put Arisu through the wringer, but he managed to escape from her in time.

Then the final round began and we were given one last chance to catch up. In this round, everyone gave everything they had. I managed to catch two of my opponents. However, my breathing became increasingly labored the longer I ran. My beautiful new dress was soaked with sweat and my coughing started again.I pulled on the spray and kept going.

When our victory was finally announced, I fell to my knees, completely exhausted, and grabbed a handrail for support. Everyone around me erupted in cheers.

Then the Queen appeared out of nowhere in the crowd. All eyes were on her.

"I don't know how you did this," she said, obviously addressing Usagi. "Good job, you hypocrite."

"I'm leaving this place... and so is everyone else. We're going back," Usagi replied full of conviction.

"Really?" she asked, raising her eyes almost longingly. "This place offers so much freedom. It's so much more to me than this narrow, rigid world."

"You're one of us," Arisu remarked. "You came here as a player. And you played. Am I not right?"

She smiled boldly and then came closer to him.

"When all the games have been played, you'll find out."

"What will we find out then?" Arisu asked. That's exactly what I'd like to know too. "And what do you mean by all the games?"

"Only when all the games have been won will you get your answer."

"What's the deal with this world? Can we go back to our world?"

Arisu seemed insistent, but the queen just smiled again.

"You'll have to be patient."

Then she said goodbye to us and plunged into the endless depths. At the same moment, a red laser shot out of the sky and pierced her body.

We looked down, stunned. That had definitely been a spectacular descent. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Another game was over and even Kota had managed to survive. And thanks to Chishiya, I had survived the whole thing in one piece. This irony made me laugh a little, if only inwardly. Why did he throw me out first, only to help me again the next moment? I just couldn't figure this guy out...

When I had gathered enough strength again, I stood up and went over to Usagi and Arisu.

"You were really great. Thank you," I said and then looked over at Kota. "You saved him."

"No, we all saved him," Usagi emphasized.

"So you're going to fight to the end until you've won all the picture cards?" I asked, frowning.

"At least that's the plan," Arisu replied.

"Well, I think you might even manage it. You two make a good team. Or even more than that," I grinned with a meaningful look between the two of them. "I have to admit I'm a little envious."

If I didn't know any better, I'd say they both blushed a little when I said that.

We then left the parking garage deck together. I went to the garbage can and fished my bag out again.

In the meantime, I had a strong urge to take a shower and get changed. I didn't even have a place to stay anymore.

When we got downstairs, a young woman I didn't know was standing there, obviously waiting for someone. Kota ran up to her and she put her arms around him in a caring manner. Was that his mother? But wouldn't a mother have stayed with him during a deadly game and tried to save her child?

Most of the people around us said goodbye to each other. Last but not least, Usagi and Arisu. And me - I didn't want to impose myself on anyone again. I had learned from that mistake.

"Goodbye, Kota. Maybe we'll meet again in the real world," I said hopefully.

I really wanted to believe what I was saying, but I doubted it.
The woman he was with smiled at me.

"He said you were a teacher at his school. Is that true?"

"Yes. That's right, but I'm only a trainee teacher so far. I was, anyway. And you're... his mother?" I asked curiously.

She laughed and shook her head.

"No, but he was completely alone here when I found him, so I stayed with him. I guess we were both a little less alone that way."

I smiled sadly.

"Yes, I can understand that very well. It's always better when you don't have to be alone."

"And you? Are you out with someone else?" she asked, looking around briefly.

I shook my head in resignation.

"Not anymore."

"Do you want to come with us then? We still have a bit of space and the more people we have to protect him, the better. He's lost his parents and has no one else."

I looked at her in surprise because I hadn't expected such a nice offer.

"Well, if you really don't mind."

"Not at all, right Kota?" she asked, addressing the boy.

He shook his head.

"Please come with us, sensei," he said and curtsied politely.

I laughed.

"It's hard to say no to that. All right," I said and then followed them.

At least I seemed to be wanted this time and it was still better than having to look for a place to sleep alone in the middle of the night. But the thought of Chishiya couldn't just be pushed aside. I missed him already, even though he had been an idiot who didn't even deserve to be missed.

After a short walk, we arrived at a house where Kota had apparently lived with his parents in the past. I got a seat on the couch in the living room, which was at least better than the cold parquet floor. But there was no electricity or hot water. I put on my sleeping clothes and then snuggled up in the warm blanket that the woman called Mei had given me.

I realized that I was dead tired, but I still found it much harder to fall asleep than usual. I wonder what Chishiya was doing right now.

The thought that he would soon be competing in a game and I wouldn't even know if he'd survive was unbearable. And what would happen if we really did manage to win all the games? Would I ever see him again?

My eyelids slowly became heavier and I fell into a restless sleep shortly afterwards.

I am really sorry that i update so rarely but translating is not really my favourite hobby as i am always busy with continuing my current german AiB FF. Also i am a bit unmotivated cause i don't really get much feedback on here in form of votes or comments. When nobody is really reading it why doing all the work? Thats what i think sometimes, so maybe that would be the time now to just show me that you are interested in the story and my work of translating is appreciated.