Sometimes, to learn more, you have to stay quiet.
I listened.
The class lived its own life — loud, visible. Conversations, gossip, mockery.
But between the words was something more important:
Pauses.
Glances.
Silence.
I noticed one girl. Sitting by the wall, always alone. Name — Saki. No one talked to her. Even Aoi pretended she didn't exist.
Strange. In a school where everyone fears disappearing, isolation is a scarlet letter.
I approached her during break.
— Is this seat taken?
She flinched slightly.
— No...
I sat beside her. A few people glanced over. Especially Reiji.
— Have you been here long? — I asked.
She nodded.
— Since first year.
— Why are you alone?
Saki looked out the window.
— Because I speak the truth. And here, people don't thank you for that.
Interesting.
— You mean Kento?
Silence. Then softly:
— He broke one rule. He trusted.
After class, I stayed behind.
Pretended I'd forgotten a notebook.
Waited. Watched.
The class "leader" — the one in the center — walked up to Reiji. They spoke quietly, but I caught bits:
— He's strange.
— Don't touch him yet. Let him show himself.
— Or slip.
Good. You're watching. But I'm already inside.
That evening, Aoi sent a message:
"You've started moving. Even sleepers can hear those steps."
I replied:
"Let them listen. I just need you to stay awake."
A minute later — a smiley face.
But I knew: she understood everything.
That night I wrote:
– Saki. Isolated. Speaks the truth. Possible information source. Need to check why she's still in the class.
– Reiji + Leader. Watching. Waiting for a mistake. Suspicious but unsure.
– Aoi. Contact confirmed. Walking the edge. But on my side. For now.
The game continues.
But there are no thirty players on this board.
Only thirty mines.
And I'm walking through them.
Step by silent step.