[Video>Action]

[genius-idiot.livejournal.com]

[The video feed pops on to Kaiji this night, who is sitting on a ledge overlooking the ocean. The phone sits next to him, pointed upwards. He's smoking a cigarette and looking thoughtful.]

A whole month now. That's how long I've been here. Hard to believe. It's gone by so fast. Especially since the last place I was, time seemed to stand still.

I know sometimes shit gets crazy here. The shadows every night, people getting hurt, big fights like at the casino... But trust me, it could always be worse. Hell, I'm sure a lot of ya know that already. We've all been dragged into this. A lot of us have nowhere else to return to. But that means one thing - we're all in this together. We can all help each other out. We can figure this place out, maybe make it safe again someday. No more shadows, no more Dark Hour.

[He takes a long drag of his cigarette and finishes it off, tossing it into the sea and watching it fall.]

I need to go back sometime though. It's already too late - what's past is past, and even though it's not my fault, there were some guys back there that were counting on me. I don't know what I can do to fix it, but... Shit, at this point, they probably think I'm dead anyway. Does it matter anymore? By this point they might--

[Kaiji cuts his muttering off, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut. It might be hard to see from the angle and the light, but there might be some tears there.]

I've fucked up a lot, and I probably will keep fucking up too. I'm not smart, or lucky, or brave, or anything like that. But I can promise you guys this: while I'm on this island, I'm on your side. I'll fight by your side. Let's show these monsters what we're made of.

[Kaiji absently wipes a sleeve at the corner of his eyes.]

Fuck it. I'll be at the bar.

[Feel free to meet him there. Like a lot of you, he's in a talkative mood and doesn't want to sit alone, for a change.]

Comments

[unknownrival.livejournal.com]

You are a braver man than I am.

[He couldn't do something like that. He barely manages to just fight.]

[genius-idiot.livejournal.com]

I'm not brave. I... I spent about a year doing the same thing I always did. Not working, gambling what little I had away. Then I came across Endou, the loan shark, again a-and asked him if he knew where I would win big. I was still in way over my head to the yakuza, owing them even more for medical treatment now. Instead he and his goons grabbed me and shipped me off to hell. They have this underground construction going on for God even knows what. It's horrific. Working hard labor all day for next to no money, no food or rest... People get crippled or killed all the time.

I had just managed to get out of there by winning a temporary pass by gambling enough money to do so. Three weeks to make 65 million yen to bail out myself and the guys who backed me up. But now I'm here. And...

[He trails off. He doesn't know where to go from there.]

[unknownrival.livejournal.com]

...I hope you can return soon. We don't know what's going on at home when we're here, not yet.

[genius-idiot.livejournal.com]

It's been months since I was there, then brought here. I don't claim to know h-how any of this shit works, but maybe... I owe those guys. They're counting on me to break them out of that hell!

[He wipes away those tears automatically, then scoffs at himself.] Damnit... Always fucking crying.

[unknownrival.livejournal.com]

There isn't anything wrong with tears. You can cry if you want to.

[genius-idiot.livejournal.com]

[Yeah there are totally more tears, but he shakes his head.] I should count myself lucky to be here and stop this kind of shit! How many other people get this chance? I can't fuck this up but I know I'm gonna fuck this up. Even if this whole situation is weird and crazy and doesn't even seem real, it is what it is now. This is the game now. This is what I gotta survive.

[unknownrival.livejournal.com]

You're a survivor. You've gone through so much already that I know you can do this. It's - it's okay.

[genius-idiot.livejournal.com]

...

I-I want to. I really do. The game has changed, and now so do I.

[unknownrival.livejournal.com]

You can. If I can be here and survive, you can.