The Outcasts 3: "Five Remain..."
"The remaining number is five..."
It was the night of day two. The survivors had been locked back in their individual rooms. I sat on the bed, sorting through my thoughts.
The danger in this game wasn't just the futanari who raped participants every night. The other players, desperate to inflate their own prize money, were threats in their own right.
"I hope tonight passes quietly."
In the silence, I prayed for victory in the game.
Clunk.
The door opened after what felt like a slightly shorter night than before. Dawn of day three arrived, and the survivors emerged from their rooms.
"Yumirae! You're okay... thank goodness."
"I'm glad you're safe too, Hansora."
I stepped out at the same time as Player 1 from the next room over. We exchanged relieved smiles upon seeing each other's faces.
"What, everyone's fine?"
"One, two, three, four, five... We started with five too."
"Does that mean full survival today?!"
The other three came out as well, confirming the unchanged headcount.
"So Player 6 really was the futanari. That means she was right next to me..."
With Player 6's elimination, the night had passed in eerie quiet. Player 5, who had sat beside her, shivered at the thought.
"Even during execution, I didn't see any dick-like thing down there."
Player 3 recalled the inconclusive end, with no solid evidence emerging.
"That's probably thanks to these leggings we're wearing now. It was hidden from the start. As long as we don't take them off, it'll stay that way."
I pointed to my lower body, which looked like it was just clad in pantyhose. The visible slit was actually covered by underwear beneath.
"Player 2 doesn't seem like mafia, but something's off about her."
"Still, she's not wrong."
Like the first day, the participants scanned each other's lower halves again.
"Ugh... hngh..."
Player 1 started breathing unevenly once more. Her gaze dropped low, her pupils dilating with intense focus.
"Are you okay, Hansora?"
"Ah, sorry... I was just remembering that vote earlier."
Her ragged breaths spilled out the words as she recited the beam of light piercing Player 6's groin. She pressed a hand to her forehead, dizzy from the unforgettable scene.
"...Hmm, so she really wasn't the cop, and Player 6 was the futanari?"
Player 3 eyed Player 1 and me from across the way, pointing out the scenario I'd mentioned now that the numbers held steady even after the futanari's night.
"Anyway, no mafia means it's just citizens fighting each other now."
No one let their guard down assuming the wolf had vanished. They stepped away from the round table, eyeing each other warily as the ones holding votes.
"Yumirae..."
"I'm fine, Hansora."
Player 1 and me as Player 2.
"What do we do with the rest..."
"It's okay, Player 5. Numbers are all that matter anyway."
Player 3 and Player 5 stood side by side as a team.
"Uh..."
Only the most naive Player 7 stood there blankly. The least useful hanger-on was left alone.
"Yumirae, you're the only one who knew what futanari meant. That bugs me... And acting all childish even after taking out a loan feels like an act too..."
"Do you think Player 7 is the mafia, Hansora?"
"Yeah, Player 6 was probably pretending to be the cop to thin out the competition."
From behind me, Player 1 pointed out Player 7's suspicious behavior, offering advice like a mother fretting over her child.
I'll give you all my prize money!
Player 6's desperate death cry immediately came to mind at Player 1's claim.
"Eliminating rivals to chase a bigger prize... Yeah, that could be it."
I nodded, convinced of the mafia's identity.
We can team up with them to boot Player 7, but then the remaining numbers will be a problem.
Eliminating the isolated Player 7 on day three daytime by following Player 1's lead would be easy, but steep mountains remained. Leaving sharp-eyed Player 3 in particular felt like asking for trouble.
"Player 7, got a sec?"
"Ah, sure, Player 3."
While I pondered, Player 3 slithered up to Player 7 like a viper and sank her fangs in. They chatted amiably for a bit, like old pals.
"Looks like we need to convince Player 7."
"But she's suspicious, Yumirae. Could be mafia."
"We two can't beat three."
For victory, neither Player 1 nor I could afford to drop even one. We had to sway Player 7, now tied to Player 3, to survive the night unscathed.
Thud, thud.
Resolved, I marched straight to Player 7 after her talk with Player 3 ended. As long as I was using Yumirae's name, there was no backing down.
Name's Kim Hanna. Needs 15 million won for living expenses. Looks like she's never held a real job.
I approached using the info she'd carelessly dropped. Thinking of my little sister clutching her aching heart in bed made me despise Player 7's attitude—jumping into this game without even considering a decent job.
"You're Hanna, right, Player 7?"
"Ah, big sis Player 2! You remembered my name. Sorry I didn't catch yours..."
"I'm Yumirae. Call me whatever's comfy."
"Oh, Yumirae-unnie!"
A quick name swap broke the ice.
"I came for money at first, but now it doesn't matter!"
"Huh?"
"Player 3 told me this earning method. I just sell to three people, get paid for two, and those three sell to nine more..."
Player 7 gushed dreamily about the outdated MLM scam Player 3 had fed her.
"Ha..."
Pathetic. Surviving to day three is a miracle for her.
I tried to play along, but couldn't stifle the sigh bubbling up inside.
"You really think that'll work?"
"Of course! It's perfect. Low risk too."
"Then why's the person who told you this 'perfect' moneymaker playing the same game as you, someone who can't even pay her living expense loan?"
"Huh...? Yeah, why?"
A simple question anyone could see through pulled her from Player 3's planted delusion.
"Ever even done a part-time gig?"
"Nope, never. Hehe..."
"Figures."
As expected, she was too weak-willed to even try earning her own cash. Her dopey grin was starting to disgust me.
"Truth is, I didn't even graduate high school."
"What? Not even some optional college?"
"Um, sounds like an excuse, but I got badly hurt in elementary school."
"Badly hurt?"
"Yeah, friends egged me on at the horizontal bar. I was terrified but tried anyway. Broke my leg bad—spent ages in the hospital..."
"Hospital stay... With surgery and rehab, that's probably till middle school..."
"Right. Leg healed, but meeting people got scary... Felt like everyone drifted away. All I could do was run."
The truth behind her immaturity blunted the edge of my sharpening knife.
"Guess this is how I'll always be? Born wrong, so winning here's a pipe dream anyway, haha..."
Player 7's clueless, giggling smile now looked like desperate pretend-cheer just to get through the day.
"Hanna..."
The image of her staggering from the hospital toward utter despair choked me up for a moment.
"Let's win together."
"Huh, what?"
"We'll survive, no matter what, Hanna."
"Th-thanks... Yumirae-unnie..."
I gripped the hand of Hanna, who'd abandoned all hope, and promised victory.
"My real name's Yumina."
"Name change?"
"Yumirae's my sick little sister."
"Ah, but why bother..."
"I joined for her."
I kept my voice low so others wouldn't hear.
"So you went straight to work after high school graduation, Yumina-unnie."
"Yeah, needed to cover her hospital bills."
"Amazing. Feels so grown-up. I respect you."
The story flowed easily since Hanna was younger. It reminded me of when Yumirae still had energy to chat.
"If I survive, I'll start with a part-time job. Work hard, get employed, live diligently like you, Yumina-unnie!"
If my life could at least inspire someone, it didn't feel half bad.
"So who do we vote out today?"
With her heart open, Hanna got back to business.
"Dropping others feels kinda bad... but no choice."
She'd steeled herself, in her own way, just standing clueless in the alley.
"You don't have to pick anyone."
"But..."
"I'll handle it all. Just sit tight, Hanna."
I didn't want to stain hands fresh out of the hospital ward with this ugliness.
"Talking to you already wins today's vote. Player 3 didn't push anyone either, right?"
"Yeah, she didn't say who to pick."
Everyone was scheming in their own corners.
/
"You sure it's fine? Player 2 and that Player 7 bitch are thick as thieves now!"
"No~ problem at all. Player 1 was eyeing Player 7 all shady-like. They can't team up. We'll be the last two standing."
Player 3 soothed her allied Player 5's anxiety with confident tones.
"Yeah, gotta be... Half the prize still leaves tons of debt. Fuck... Survive first, then worry about food or killing it."
The debt-ridden Player 5 trusted the unshakable con artist's gaze.
/
"Yumirae, how'd the talk go? Looked good, but... worried you might've flipped. Can we really trust Player 7?"
Player 1 eyed me worriedly as I returned from chatting with Hanna. Faint distrust and suspicion flickered in her gaze.
"It was all to butter up Player 7. Nothing for you to worry about, Hansora."
I sliced away the growing unease binding her bit by bit.
"Futanari at worst, or just a ditzy kid. We'll back her till she's useful, then ditch."
To erase Player 1's doubts, I recited our future plan and smiled. It oddly reminded me of the office where sighs came easy.
"Right, we'll handle Player 7 ourselves for sure. Then back to our families together, Yumirae."
Player 1 beamed brightly, her own child-fueled plans in mind.