Donyoku-no-ōbu
Observing Samuel sitting comfortably on his chair without sinking or getting wet, Kalsie hesitated for a moment before taking a seat. Initially, it felt peculiar, but it soon proved more comfortable than any chair he had ever encountered.
"Could you please tell me what happened? I was convinced that Nicole and I were on the brink of death!" Kalsie inquired, filtering out irrelevant thoughts.
This was the question that weighed most heavily on his mind. There was no way they could have survived unless someone had been "eliminated," leaving only the final fifteen candidates.
"Your suspicion is correct. Before both of you 'died,' someone did perish, concluding the test. It was none other than your comrade, Nick Jones."
'What-!?' Kalsie was taken aback. He had been primarily concerned about Nicole and her condition, so he had not given much thought to Nick until now.
"H-How did he 'die'?" Kalsie inquired.