None of Akuma's rhetorical questions were answered by the participants—their silence a manifestation of deep confusion and disbelief.
But maybe this time, things were different.
"This monitor is called the 'Questions Polling Projector,'"
Akuma explained, pointing to the screen with a dramatic gesture.
"A live projection of the questions you've kept tightly sealed, questions deeply rooted in your Ego and ID."
"And... remember this well! This monitor only displays the questions you've actually thought about!" he emphasized, his tone subtly laced with warning.
"And if you want me to answer them... you'll have to vote first, of course."
Wait a minute,
Midnight thought, his brain struggling to process what he had just heard.
? What does he mean by that?
He hadn't expected to encounter this kind of technology—an invasion of privacy so vivid it felt tangible and disturbing. Somewhere between awe and dread, his mind was spinning.
"The voting method? Incredibly simple!" said Akuma with a wide, unconvincing grin.
"Just use your thoughts. Rank your questions from one to ten—whichever one you want answered the most!"
"And based on all the votes, a collective poll will be formed. Then, da-da-daaa! I'll answer one question for this round of the game before the first stage begins!"
Hold on, Midnight thought, a chill crawling up his spine.
So, the game hasn't even started yet? Is that what he means by warm-up?
Even though no clear challenge or game rule had been introduced, fear already gripped him. If this was only the prelude, he didn't even want to imagine what terror awaited once the real game began.
"And don't worry," Akuma added, as if reading their frightened thoughts.
"You'll be given a full day of rest before the actual game starts. And remember! Seven days here equals one day in the real world!"
Twenty-four divided by seven…
Midnight quickly tried to calculate. Roughly three to four hours of real-world time would be spent in this horrifying place every day.
"Oh right, before we begin the question polling session..." Akuma paused, his gaze sweeping across the participants with piercing intensity.
"You are not allowed to log out of this game session for a full week."
"If anyone dares to leave..." His voice shifted into a chilling, piercing threat.
"Don't expect to truly be freein the real world."
That statement hit the participants like a whip. Someone collapsed to their knees, while another curled up like a fetus, trying to shield themselves from an invisible danger.
"Hehehe, just kidding!" said Akuma suddenly, his tone chipper again, though the glint in his black eyes betrayed something hard to interpret. "
You won't be imprisoned or anything. But still, there will be consequences.?
"Alright, let's begin!"
Unconsciously, Midnight's mind had already begun ranking the questions he most wanted answers to, from one to ten. A subconscious impulse, perhaps influenced by the Ego and ID Akuma had just mentioned, was guiding him.
BEEP BEEP!
"Oh! We've got our first entry! Let's check them out, shall we?!"
Akuma cried with fake enthusiasm. He raised his hand to reveal a small glowing device—something like a mini-smartphone or maybe a microchip-smartphone embedded in his palm. The device appeared to be scanning something.
"Okay, and the winner is..." Akuma let his sentence dangle in the air, building suspense.
"WHERE'S THE DRUM ROLL?!"
Suddenly, a dramatic drum roll echoed throughout the room, despite the lack of any visible drummer or instrument.
"TADA! The first question goes to..." Akuma pointed toward the crowd of participants.
"ITisekaiIsTrash! Yes! Congratulations! Come on up to the stage!"
An avatar appeared—a graceful-looking man with thick dark brown hair, simple glasses, and a completely modest outfit: a white shirt and beige pants. Hesitantly, he stepped forward. His expression revealed a mixture of fear and curiosity.
"Alright, our lucky participant is up front. Come on, give her a round of applause!"
Akuma said in a commanding tone masked with fake friendliness.
This time, perhaps afraid of the consequences of noncompliance, the other participants reluctantly offered weak, half-hearted claps.
"Okay okay, that's enough," Akuma said, waving his hand nonchalantly.
"Now, let's read the question." He turned toward the large screen behind the man.
"Number one: 'Are you actually a guy or a girl?' That's it?"
The woman gave a small nod, her body tense and trembling.
"Don't be afraid!" Akuma said, his tone overly sweet.
"I'm a friendly teddy bear, remember???!" He even stepped forward and gave the woman a hug, who looked even more shocked and uncomfortable.
While hugging her, Akuma whispered something into her ear.
His voice was so soft and hushed, yet somehow rang clearly in Midnight's mind, as if Akuma was speaking directly to him too.
"I can be anything, darling. I'm not a girl or a boy, nor this dumb teddy bear. I can become anything I want."
"If I had to put it in human terms... hmm... oh, right! I'm non-binary, or gender fluid."
"You all heard that, didn't you?!" Akuma exclaimed, releasing the hug and turning to face the entire group with a meaningful gaze. "I can be..."
Suddenly, a magical transformation took place. "A MAN..."Akuma transformed into a hot, masculine man, his six-pack abs clearly visible beneath a tight shirt, and his voice—oh, that voice—so smooth and alluring it seemed to seduce any opposite gender in earshot. He looked like the fantasy object every woman in the world dreamed of. Midnight even noticed a few female avatars in the room sway, nearly fainting.
"Or maybe a..." Akuma continued, his smile widening.
"WOMAN.."In the blink of an eye, another drastic change occurred.
The masculine figure vanished, replaced by a woman with the perfect hourglass figure, wearing clothing so revealing it left all the male avatars—Midnight included, despite his best efforts—completely stunned.
She was the embodiment of an ideal woman, the kind that only existed in dreams.
"Okay, that's enough," said Akuma, returning to his squeaky teddy bear voice.
"Do you understand now, ITisekaiIsTrash?"
The girl only gave a small nod, her eyes still wide in shock.
"Hey, don't just nod! That's not fun!" Akuma whined playfully, curling his arms up like a pouting baby. "Say it properly: 'Yes, I understand. Thank you so much, Akuma!' Like that!"
The girl trembled visibly, but managed to utter the words, her voice cracking.
"Y-yes... I-I understand. Th-thank you so much, Akuma."
"Good! Now you may sit!" Akuma chirped cheerfully, as if nothing had just happened.
"Oh right, about that earlier question..." Akuma looked out over the group again.
"Some of you may have already started to guess who I really am."
"And the answer to that question is... I am the love itself!"
He declared with a mysterious tone.
"Or more precisely..." Akuma paused, his eyes locking onto everyone in the room.
"...the object of desire."