PROLOGUE:

Back then, I don't think that we ever thought of the consequences...At that time, all that mattered was getting what we wanted - the person we love. It had been easy to say 'no matter the consequences, I want you,' until we slowly started to realize the depth of this Game.

“Ne, it's your turn to roll the dice and play out your cards.”

CHAPTER 1: Content [Shiori]

I used to be content.

That is until he showed up and my life was suddenly turned upside down to the point, where I wasn’t able to recognize myself. It’s as if I was the same person, and yet, everyone knew that I wasn’t.

On a scale of one to ten in regards to popularity, I was strong one hundred percent ten. Back then, before the shit hit the fan, I was the girl everyone wanted to be - I was the girl guys wanted to be with. Not knowing that it was all a ruse to fool those around me, including myself. It was a persona I had created over the years, I never meant to lose myself…

Yes, I had it all: fear, love, admiration, and respect.

The members of Suzunori High School knew exactly who I was and where I stood, it was nearly impossible not to know, and it was right at the top after the one, who really controlled it all. But then he - Takeda Yu - entered my life and showed me that I could have something so much better than the life I had been leading up until then.

Something real.

All it took him was a few questions directed at my cautiously hidden discomfort and letting me experience a series of ‘what-ifs’. Suddenly, I was no longer content with my life. Suddenly, I wanted out, even though, I knew it to be nearly an impossible feat.

“Are you really content with the way you live now? Wouldn’t you want something...more?”

And it’s taken me almost five years to understand what he meant - it’s taken me way too long to even accept my denials and opening my eyes to the cold, hard truth I had refused to accept. Because the answer was simple: I wasn’t. The only problem was that by the time I realized it - it was already too late.

Too late for anything, really.

This, Detective, is our story. The one you’ve been chasing after for so long that you ended up destroying your marriage and career - tell me, was it worth losing everything? Just to chase after someone unimportant like small ol’ me?