Flag Game Chapter 7

The seventh chapter of the Darwin's Game ~Flag Game~ novel.

## Summary

After a more than four hour trip, the members of Sunset Ravens arrived in the general area of the warehouse, parking on the side of the road two kilometers from the building itself. It would take around another hour for them to reach the warehouse and dusk was already approaching. Ryuuji checked with Kaname, asking if he wanted to cancel the plan since this was their last chance, though Kaname told him that they'd stick with the plan because they needed to trust Black Lotus at least once in order to negotiate.

As Sui handed out earpieces to everyone, Kaname went over the basic details of the plan. Shuka would scout ahead while Kaname and Ryuuji dropped Rein off at point B, after which the two men would follow after Shuka. Kaname made sure to remind the others to notify everyone via earpiece if something happened instead of acting on their own. As Rein watched Shuka disappear into the forest, she thought back to the plan. using the hide cloak item to hide her player icon, Shuka would scout ahead, and if the coast was clear, Ryuuji and Kaname would drive to the warehouse and negotiate. Sui would stay in the car in case they needed backup and Rein would snipe from point B if needed.

Soon after, the group received word from Shuka that she didn't see any traps, and so the four of them began to head to point B. Shuka thought it was strange that there didn't seem to be anyone around, asking if they were at the correct warehouse, which Rein confirmed, stating that there weren't any other buildings around. Suddenly, their connection with Shuka was interrupted mid report, causing Kaname to order Ryuuji to skip point B and head straight to the warehouse, adding that Rein should keep on trying to contact her.

At the warehouse, Shuka scaled the fence and hid behind a large van, which was still warm, proving that it hadn't been that long since it was parked. She wondered why there weren't any people around but continued to scout the area. The warehouse itself was comprised of a two story office with an attached large warehouse. As far as she could see, neither the office nor the warehouse door were open. After she reported to the group that she'd scout the building, she used her sigil to bring herself to a window on the second floor of the office building, and used piano wire to unlock it.

Once inside, Shuka checked the room, then made her way to the hallway. She checked the other rooms on the second floor but found nothing. However, upon reaching the stairs down to the first floor, she found a dead body on the landing. Noting that the body was still there despite it being some time since the man had died, she concluded that he must've died outside of a Darwin's Game, as player bodies were only teleported if they died while playing the game. She cautiously approached the body and saw that he'd died from five small stab wounds to the chest, which were in a straight line. Immediately, her heart started beating faster, her mind recalling the wounds on her dead parents' bodies. She didn't have any evidence, however her intuition told her that the man who had killed her parents was nearby.

## Characters

* Maesaka Ryuuji
* Sudou Kaname
* Karino Shuka
* Kashiwagi Rein
* Sui
* Kaji