Western Side of Bazaar

While Farkas and Sherwyn are busy beating the other players at their game, Grey continues to wander around, looking for the one and only game he wants. Even though he is no longer active in sports, he really hopes to find a booth game that smells like basketball. It is the only game where Grey feels he could destroy the other players.

Entering the Western Side of Bazaar, his ears throbbed. From a distance, he could already hear the sound of a bouncing ball entering a kind of basket, his head turning involuntarily towards the source of the sound, running fast like a happy child. He missed that sound: the swishing sound when his shot went in without touching the ring.

[Dump Tank] is a competitive one-on-one game that relies on skill, technique, and accuracy. Each player sits opposite the other on a collapsing platform atop a large 'blood' tank. Players take turns trying to put a basketball, which is made as close as possible to a human head, into a levered metal basket above the opponent's head. The winner is the one who can put the ball into the opponent's basket first. The ball's weight will activate the lever so that the player's platform will collapse, dipping the person into the sea of ​​'blood'. Even though it wasn't what Grey imagined, he could at least imagine himself in a free-throw situation, and he is more than happy to give it a go.

This game is quite popular among both men and women, especially for the mashers, who had huddled together to wait for the drenched female players to come out from the game.

The booth keeper in the [Dump Tank] game is different from the others, where it can accept challenges from players if they don't have an opponent. LeFrown James, that's how the robot introduced himself. He is big and tall like an American megastar basketball player, but he is dressed like a sullen clown. In his story, he is a ruthless serial killer who was betrayed by his teammates. Therefore, he asked the players for help to dump the heads of his friends that he had slaughtered. Don't mess with him; his shooting ability is on par with the parodied figures. That serial killer robot is still a former basketball player. The players who challenge him must immediately plop in the ball on four turns. Otherwise, well, congratulations, they will be soaked in blood.

One of the players was ready and waiting for his opponent, sitting in his platform very patiently. He had already given the token to the robot and insisted on not challenging it. Though the spectators liked it when the players were getting beat the crap out of them. But, the player doesn't want his token to be wasted. Luckily for him, Grey can't wait to try the game, no matter who he's up against, even if it's a professional basketball player.

The opponent gives Grey's first turn. Grey sighed, fully concentrating on this one shot. He can feel all his senses working sensitively. He could feel the grip of his fingers on the basketball. His eyes could estimate the distance between himself and the metal basket. His ears could pick up any support aimed at him. Ah, I miss this atmosphere.

*Shoosh*

*Plop!*

Grey sank the basketball perfectly with his skill and technique, even though the ball barely fits into the metal basket. Right on target, without touching the basket's mouth. It wasn't the sound of a ball rubbing against the net as Grey had hoped, but it wasn't bad for him either.

“W-Wait-Wait! This is even more brutal than competing with that robot-”

The man regrets everything.

*Clank*

*Splash!* Grey's opponent has to accept the fact that he loses in one turn only and that his body will be wet all day long.

Another player dressed like a hip hop singer with his golden chain around his neck came to challenge Grey. He is quite famous among men because of this game since he has twice managed to plunge women into the blood baths. So, he is more confident than anyone right now.

The player asks to take his shot in the first turn. Grey of course allowed it, because he had been the first before. The support for that player receded a bit because the opponent wasn't a woman, so his fingers became a little stiff. He's shooting; the ball bounced several times in the mouth of the metal basket, before finally rolling down towards the spectators.

“I-I beg your mercy! Please give me a second shot!”

But rules are rules; LeFrown James always makes sure no one breaks the rules. The player could only surrender, praying to God that he would be given his second chance.

*Shoosh*

*Plop!*

His shooting form is so beautiful; anyone would not think that he was vacuumed from the basketball world. Grey is a former playmaker and sharpshooter on his high school basketball team. Even though his physical skill decreases with time, the technique will still stick, which is not easy to get rid of. Moreover, Grey is never absent from maintaining the muscles and strength of his hands. Already two participants were drenched in water due to his sharp shots that did not give the opponent a chance.

“I-I want to try! B-But… I am weak at sports… So take it easy, okay?” A nerdy girl in her uniform raised her hand from the midst of the crowd. The girl wore glasses with black frames and short shoulder-length hair that covered her forehead and eyes added to the nerdy impression of her.

“C-COME ON, GIRL! Beat that man! We are fully by your side, and we support you!” Shouted one of the male spectators, followed by the enthusiasm and boisterous support of the other male in the crowd.

Of course they were lying. They are often caught gulping their saliva when they see the nerdy girl's big chests. They had full hope on Grey to dip the girl in instead.

Grey gave the girl the first turn because she asked him to. The nerdy girl's first throw bounced off the mark; she threw it carelessly, or rather, as if she was 'learning the rope'. This made the male spectator voice their false disappointment.

Grey's whole body is shaking, eagerly accepts his turn and wants to shoot right away. Not because he is a masher, but because he really wants to see the ball that plops on target due to his best shot.

*Shoosh*

There it is again, his beautiful shooting form. Even when shooting while sitting, his upper body movement is close to a professional athlete shooting unguarded at the three-point line. His focus, accuracy, and technique in that throw are no joke. Grey smiled proudly, having made the same shot a thousand times; it was so hard not to get in. He is very sure of his throw, as well as the audience who can't wait to see the girl's underclothes.

*Bump!*

Grey's ball course was stopped, bumping into something. The two objects that collided in midair fell into the pool of blood. The two objects were both basketballs. The nerdy girl threw her basketball at the ball that Grey threw. Hence, the entire spectator, including Grey, was widening their eyes.

"Hey overconfident scum," The nerdy girl called out to Grey. She took off her glasses and put them in her uniform pocket. She pushed back the hair that covered her forehead and eyes, setting it still on top of her head. This time everyone could clearly see her fierce, fiery eyes.

“That self-assured face of yours makes me sick!” The 'nerdy' girl pointing her middle finger at Grey.

“C-Cheater! Why did you do that?!” Cried one desperate onlooker. Indeed, if this were a real basketball game, the party committing such an act would, of course, suffer a foul. But, of course, this is not a real basketball game.

"Heh, crook, who forbids it? Even that obsolete robot just doesn't care." LeFrown James nodded his head. He who ensures that the rules are obeyed does not impose any sanctions on the 'nerdy' girl, indicating that it wasn't prohibited and is not written in his regulations.

Grey wasn't upset; he was just surprised. Not even offended at all. For him, this all becomes interesting. He felt the nerve to do something so that his shot could get into the opponent's basket no matter what. The smile returns to Grey's face.

"Hah! You still can smile? Did you look down on me? I don't care if you're a basketball athlete or whatever. I'll shatter your dream cause you can't put a single ball against me!”

LeFrown James gave the ball to the girl, she was ready to shoot. "It's just a ball throwing game for kids. I can do it also if I'm given the time!"

All ordinary eyes who see will not realize that her second throwing motion is the shooting form of a basketball athlete, much different from the throw she did prior. Only one minute is given to observe Grey's movements; she can almost completely imitate her opponent's movement.

"Tch! Just a little bit more!" Evidently, her copying throw was only inches away from the target, making the entire spectator couldn't believe it when they remembered how bad her first throw was. Grey knew that he couldn't give her one more turn. He had to beat the girl this turn if he didn't want to be covered in blood.

Grey took a deep breath and let it out in one powerful gust. His eyes keened on the target, doing super calculations in his head. He relaxes his shoulders and flexes his wrists just before throwing.

*Shoosh*

"Arrgh! Why did you throw it carelessly, you fool?”

"You're wasting your chance!"

"He must have done it on purpose!"

Grey threw the ball higher than usual. No wonder everyone was disappointed with the decisive throw. Whole-disappointment screams came out of the hearts of the spectators.

“Hahaha, you've given up hope, haven't you?! Told you, scum! Thank you for the opportunity. This time I will completely break your spirit that disgusts me!” The girl made a binocular with her hands, confirming that Grey's far-flung throw soared high into the sky. The girl felt no need to bother herself interrupting her opponent's shot. Now, the confidence has shifted toward the girl.

"No, it wasn't a random shoot." One young man with neat hair emerged from the midst of the crowd, walking to the front of the line. Before the spectator asked what he meant, the young man pointed towards the sky.

“Sigh… What a chump.” He muttered after seeing his friend, who was insensitive to her surroundings.

"Eh?"

Most people can only be amazed in silence. They were now aware of the capabilities of Grey.

“H-Hey! Wait a minute! Where is that girl?! Aargh dammit, she managed to run away?!”

Having been busy looking at the winner who was still sitting on his throne, the crowd was alarmed, looking for the missing girl. She was kidnapped by her friend, who had come to escort her away from the philanderers.

“Kalyna, you underestimate that 'kids' game too much as well as that man! I told you that he might be a professional basketball player, not just a random dude! Not only that, but he also uses his brain!”

“... Could you please stop complimenting him for one moment, Mr. sportsman? Then, why were you mumbling behind my back, bro? You called me a chump?"

"U-Uh, no!”

Axel wrapped Kalyna, who was covered in the red h20, with a small human skin designed towel; a prize he got after winning a landslide victory in one of the mini-games. Therefore, his body was too close to Kalyna, so his face turned red.

"... You're also a masher, aren't you?"

"W-What? No! I'm not that kind of person!”

"Hahaha! Where are your eyes looking at?” Kalyna teased Axel by playing with his wet uniform.

“N-Never mind! Papa Rose is waiting in the South. We'd better go to his place. The thing is if we made him, or her, wait any longer, (s)he might throw a tantrum. (S)he's in a big bad mood because (s)he lost badly in a game. We also have to find Makoto. He was wandering off somewhere again!” Then, Axel tried to support Kalyna.

“Hey, get your hands off! I can walk by myself! You think I came out of war? You're also so fussy! And ugh, I don't want to meet that muscle maniac sissy old hag." Kalyna plays with four eyeball tokens in her hand. She is very sensitive because she didn't manage to get the sixth token, a sign that a player has won all three of their playing chances.

“Sigh, it really is you guys, hard to get along.” Axel just scratched his head, preparing himself to hear the obscene swearing and cursing from the mouth of Kalyna, the 'nerdy' girl, throughout his journey again.

***

After satisfying myself with celebrating my third win, I finally got off the platform. I feel very relieved, at the same time excited and stressed. I haven't seen a basketball hoop in a while. Well, I can't even call it a ring though. Then what a girl, I wish I was also a quick learner.

I look at my TickBit; it's almost 10. It seems everyone here has lost track of time; it's been nearly an hour we all have been active in the bazaar. I should also mention that about 10 minutes ago, the device was announced before I plunged that crazy girl in uniform. I was asked to gather in front of [Lake of the Bloodshed] at exactly 10 o'clock. I think all players were asked to do the same.

Honestly, I'm thrilled that I could win at all my chances, so I have six eyeballs now. Well, eight, actually. Get it?

Anyway, these eyeballs were a medium of exchange at the bazaar, so I'm rich. But since I'm the type of that person who saves tickets at game centres, I unconsciously choose to keep them.

“Hey, how does it feel to be the center of everyone’s attention?”

“W-Wha- Ghost!” One of the participants who was shorter than me suddenly appeared in front of me. He gave me the spook. This is the third time my heart has stopped beating at this amusement park.

"Wha- S-since when were you there?"

"I've been in front of you ever since you played those eyeballs."

My eyes couldn't stop widening in shock. I broke out a little cold sweat as a result.

But thanks to him, I'm now able to cross out the hypothesis. He's the last person, the 98th person I've met in this world. Although I can't really remember all the faces one by one, my memory is impeccable enough to be able to recognize whether I've seen someone before. So the conclusion is: Johann is not here.

This person looks sloppy and a little dirty. His face was so sluggish, and I could see the dark bags under his eyes. It reminded me of how I looked this morning. If it's not panda-like, it's like a ghost. Meanwhile, his movements are really lackluster and frigid.

"So what about your answer?"

“W-Well, it's normal for me. I used to compete a lot and was watched by a lot of people, so…”

“Oh… You're also that kind of renowned person… It must be fun…” The person then lowered his face down.

"Oh, I'm being rude. Elio." He said as he held out his hand. After that, we just talked a little.

“Whoa, well… It turns out that some are the same age as me! You guys must be in college, right?” Another player came up to us. In stark contrast to the shy and gloomy Elio, this person seemed to have a brighter face plus the faint smile every time he spoke. I could feel the incredible confidence from him somehow. But boy, anyone will appear confident if they have a face as good-looking as him.

"Yeah, I'm at college. Maybe he is too."

The handsome man, with slightly long hair, then put his hand on his chin, examining Elio.

"E-Eh? You can see me?” Elio was a little surprised by the man's behaviour. Honestly, we should be the ones surprised. That question was bizarre.

"Why not? You're human too." This man was astonished. He introduced himself briefly after that. I knew his name was Makoto from there.

Meeting people my age in this strange world was like finding treasure. That's why we were able to have a close conversation quickly, already like friends. The person closest to me in age is Sher, but he is two or three years older. When I was looking for Johann earlier, I didn't really pay detailed attention. Maybe there were other people our age. But I can't be sure.

I know a lot about the two of them from our little conversation. Makoto is a very confident man if I haven't mentioned it already. He's a very intelligent person, and I stress again, VERY INTELLIGENT. From the way he talks, I can tell that he is a person who has broad insight, knows the trending news, likes to talk about history, and is good at math, all in all. I know where the source of his confidence comes from. What I slightly dislike about him is, well, such a person must be arrogant and look down on others.

Meanwhile about Elio… I can't say much because he doesn't talk much either. He's a shy guy, I guess. But I really like his humorous nature. I mean, he's not trying to be funny, but sometimes his thoughts and behaviour make both Makoto and I laugh. Or maybe he's trying to be funny, but he doesn't believe in himself. I think he needs an injection of confidence that he can also talk to people and be a nice person. Well, the concrete proof is that he himself started the conversation with me. The meeting would not have happened without him approaching me.

Needless to say, three more minutes to 10. Both Makoto and Elio also realize the same thing, so we agree that it is the time to gather with our respective teams. I really feel we can get along, I hope they will never be my opponent, I hope they don't die either, I hope one day we can have a fun time in the future.

"You remind me of someone," Makoto spoke to Elio just before he left to catch up with his teammates.

"Have we met before?"

"A-Ah, no. I just feel that way.”

“W-Then, excuse me…” Said Elio, who was… What?

"The guy is already gone?!”

Makoto then frowned at me, surprised that I couldn't find him. He then guided my gaze with his hand so I could see him walking among his team already. That man is so strange, like he can hide right in plain sight.

“Well, he might be a person with a thin existence. I also-” Makoto stopped his sentence, then smiled at me.

"Then I'd better go! It would be not nice if I kept my friends waiting, especially the pink-haired uncle. Oh, the next game will be different from the fun games here. Maybe you realized it already; it will involve your life.”

Makoto smiled at me again and waved his hand before disappearing from my sight. His smile was dry; it's not a genuine smile.

His tone meant he knew something. He knows something that all players don't. Indeed, I think all players are carried away by the whole activities and all the excitement of this bazaar. Whereas if we wanted, we could go over, looking for information about the next game or even about this world. Maybe we can actually work together to solve the mysteries of this neverland.

I'm also the same; it never occurred to me for a second to go around looking for light. If I had, at least, the information about the next game, maybe I would be able to avoid the least thing I wanted to do.

Maybe I can avoid taking someone's life.