6:10 in the morning.
There was one hour and fifty minutes left until the final critical moment.
The four hours that had originally seemed interminable had now unquestionably entered the countdown.
There were twenty cards on the table, totaling twenty points, shared among seven people.
As the seconds ticked by, the final critical moment was drawing near...
Yusaku Kudo sat before the fireplace, expressionless like everyone else.
Yukiko Kudo clutched the two remaining playing cards in her hand and swallowed, not knowing what to do.
Looking at the others, aside from Julia, who sat in the distance with her expression obscured, almost none of them had smiled even once.
Everyone sat blankly in the living room, looking at one another with no idea what they should do.
Ticktock... ticktock... ticktock...
The wind and snow outside seemed to have stopped.
Golden sunlight pierced through the clouds and streamed in through the windows.
Yet the golden sunlight seemed to bring not hope, but something more like mockery.
It was as though even the sunlight had become interested in the darkness still pervading this place. Munching on snacks, it sat leisurely by the window, quietly waiting for the final scene that was about to unfold.
Dong!
The half-past-six chime rang out.
Hearing it, Yukiko could not help but shudder. Perhaps she had been startled; she suddenly jumped to her feet. Her abrupt movement made everyone around her turn to look at her, fully on guard.
"...Yusaku, time is almost up, isn't it? There's only an hour and a half left. Could it be... we still won't have a winner by then...?"
Yusaku Kudo glanced at her and signaled with his eyes for her to sit back down.
But Yukiko was already finding it difficult to remain calm.
She gripped the finger with her