As I came to, a dull, throbbing pain pulsed through my chest, sharp and intrusive, like a claw pressing against my sternum. My limbs felt like lead. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar. So was the room. Wooden beams, rice paper windows, and a faint scent of citrus lingered in the air.

  Where…?

  My thoughts, still sluggish, circled back to what had disturbed my dreams.

  "Another… distressing dream," I muttered, my voice brittle, barely above a whisper. But I did not quite believe it. The number echoed ominously in my mind.

  "444 trials."

  Just saying it aloud sent a chill down my spine.

  "Am I losing my mind?"

  The weight in my chest was not just pain. It was dread. The trials had begun, whether I was ready or not.

  I didn't want to face it. But I couldn't turn back either.

  I've come too far. There was no save point. No reset button. The only path left was forward. Why could my life not be a video game?

  With some effort, I pushed myself upright on the futon. The floor felt cool beneath my fingertips as I steadied myself and drew in a slow breath.

  Growl~

  A sudden, undeniable growl broke the tension.

  "…I'm starving." I rubbed my abdomen sheepishly, a flush creeping onto my cheeks. "Guess I'll go find the kitchen first."

  Beside the futon lay a neatly folded set of clothes. Someone had prepared them while I was out cold. How kind. I unfolded them and paused. Looks like my size. Creepy. Still half-dazed, I began dressing.

  Click.

  The door slid open.

  "WAAAH!" I screamed, clutching my chest and nearly tripping over myself.

  Lady Nozomi stood there, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.

  "Such good lungs you have, young lady Llyne. Master will be pleased."

  I scrambled to cover myself, half-dressed and burning with embarrassment. "K-Knock first! Ever heard of privacy?!"

  She pouted, clearly enjoying the moment. "Oh, come now. We're all ladies here. What's there to be shy about?"

  "That's not the point!" I snapped, cheeks still burning. "It's called basic decency!"

  Her smile thinned, just a little. "Well, I don't really feel like being decent after what happened yesterday."

  "…Yesterday?" I echoed. My stomach sank.

  "You fainted. In the guest room," she said quietly. "I had to carry you to your room all by myself."

  My blood ran cold.

  "So it was not a nightmare...?"

  She shot me a glare. "Nightmare?"

  I backed away instinctively. "Oui. I mean, I'm sorry! I did not mean to cause trouble!" I dropped to my knees, groveling, forehead on the ground.

  Better to expose my back rather than face, just in case she decided to strike.

  Then her voice brightened. "I'm teasing. Relax."

  Why does her voice sound so cheerful? I peeked up and saw her smiling. Looks genuine but still scary.

  I paused for a moment and thought.

  Teasing? The look she gave me just now wasn't "teasing." That was the face of a predator ready to pounce. No. Stop thinking. Let's answer first.

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  Still rattled, I gave a shaky smile. "R-Right… teasing."

  With an elegant clap, she changed the subject. "Are you ready for your first trial?"

  "Eh…?" My confusion returned. "Trial? What kind of trial?"

  Please let it be a simple one. Eating, maybe. Anything but needles.

  "Do not worry," she said lightly. "Nothing dangerous. Just a little test to assess your current capabilities."

  Before I could object, she grabbed my wrist.

  "H-Hey! Wait, what?! Where are we going?! Save me!"

  "You will find out soon enough. Trust me, it'll be an interesting experience," she said, smiling far too brightly.

  Why does everyone I meet have a vice grip like a dungeon boss? Even heroes get time to farm exp first. Not this! Ma!

  I flailed as she dragged me across the ground, leaving behind wails and tears.

  She hauled me down the corridor as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  The world around us had transformed.

  What had been a simple hallway opened into a courtyard full of life. Mikan-shaped houses lined the paths, their roofs bright with color. Stone bridges arched over winding streams. Warm air carried the soft whisper of falling petals.

  At the center stood a massive tree, ancient and unmoving, its blossoms drifting slowly through the air.

  Even in my anxiety, I couldn't help but pause. It was beautiful. I took a deep breath when suddenly I was shoved forward.

  Thud.

  "Ouch! What the...?" I pushed myself up and looked around. An empty room. Bare. Sterile.

  A single table stood in the center. Two cups rested on it. One clear. One dark. I stared and poked it.

  "Huh? What kind of trial is this?"

  I turned and saw Nozomi halfway closing the door.

  "Lady Nozomi! Wait! What is this? What am I supposed to do?!"

  Her gaze pinned me in place. She did not answer.

  Then, with a whisper too soft to be comforting, "Good luck."

  The door slammed shut. For a moment, I found myself enveloped in an unsettling silence.

  Was I abandoned?

  "I can't believe this," muttering under my breath. "This must be revenge for all those times I skipped the tutorial scenes in my games, isn't it?"

  I lay on the floor, helpless. The silence pressed against my ears. I dug a finger into one, then paused. Unless this is just a joke? Master seems to like jokes.

  Without a second thought, I dove for the door and pounded it, frustration mounting. "Hey! This isn't funny!"

  No response.

  "Seriously?! You're just going to leave me here? At least tell me what the damn trial is about!"

  No answer. No voice. No guidance. The silence stretched. Too long.

  My chest tightened, slow and heavy, like something was settling there. A familiar pressure. I knew this feeling, even if I didn't want to.

  I was very small. One? Two? Not that it really mattered.

  The car door had shut with a solid click. Too solid. I remember being strapped into a baby booster chair. The belt hugged my stomach too tightly. My legs couldn't reach anything. They just hung there, useless. I remember the seat more than the car. The hard edge pressed into my thighs. The way I couldn't move, no matter how much I wriggled.

  I didn't know words back then. Not really. I only knew waiting. The world outside the window stayed the same for a long time. Bright. Quiet. Too quiet. My mouth opened once. No sound came out. The light outside faded.

  Ma had said, "Wait here. I'll be right back."

  She always said that.

  I didn't know how long I waited. Time felt strange when you were trapped in a parked car. No clock. No sound except your own breathing.

  Still, I waited.

  Fear didn't arrive all at once. It crept in quietly, settled somewhere deep, and stayed.

  Eventually, the door opened. Ma smiled, apologetic, as if nothing had happened. "Sorry, sorry," she said, unbuckling me. "I forgot."

  She always came back.

  That mattered more than the waiting.

  My chest felt stuffed, like that same old fear had crawled back out of storage. My lips trembled before I noticed they were doing it.

  "No," I whispered.

  I slapped my own cheek, sharp enough to sting. The sound echoed faintly in the room.

  Focus. This wasn't a car. No one had promised to come back. I don't know how dangerous this place is, and freezing up wouldn't help me survive.

  I forced myself to breathe. Once. Twice.

  Once my heartbeat felt normal, I stayed there, back against the wall, breathing until the room stopped tilting. The cold seeped through my clothes. I have to live.

  My eyes drifted back to the table.

  What kind of trial is this? Psychological? Symbolic? Poison?

  One cup held a clear liquid, pristine and faintly glowing. The other was dark and opaque, thick like ink. Mysterious. Ominous.

  Is that the test? It must be. I don't see anything else. But what was the right choice?

  I pondered for a while.

  Logic? Instinct? Luck? Logic... I have none. Instinct... Probably the best option, except Shorty kept insisting I have none. Luck… Aah, yes. My worst stat. The one that's always in the negatives or single digit.

  I crawled slowly towards the table like a zombie spider and stared at the two cups again.

  "They might as well have been labeled: Certain Death and Mystery Death."

  Great. My favorite genre.

  I sighed deeply. Life is like a survival game.

  But mine? Mine's set to Asian Difficulty Mode. No matter what option you choose, pain is unavoidable. The real question is which choice hurts less.

  Silence pressed in. "... Why was I narrating my life in my head? Have I gone crazy?"

  I glanced around the room. One of my eyebrows lifted. "Could it be that this room gives you psychological warfare?"

  ...Interesting. There might be more, then.

  I crawled around the room and checked every nick and cranny. I smacked, kicked, sniffed, even tasted, but still couldn't find anything. There was literally nothing.

  My gaze returned to the cups. I leaned down and took a quick sniff of both of them.

  There's no smell. Odd. Only water has no smell. But these... These are no water. I guess I have no other choice.

  "Sigh... Ma said never to gamble with money, but she never said to apply that to life."

  My hand hovered between them. Thoughts warred in my mind, but my body moved before I could second-guess.

  I grabbed a cup.

  And drank it.

  Which cup do you think Llyne chose. The clear or the dark one? ??