Continuing from the end of the first season, 13 minutes ago, the second stage began. Arisu, Usagi, Kyūya, and Mizuki noticed that even after an hour, there was no movement in the games. Suddenly, Usagi heard voices—it was people from the Beach who had driven there after seeing the airship and learning that the second stage had started. Just as everyone was confused about what was happening, rifle fire erupted. No one understood if the game had started because there were no rules; it felt like a massacre. However, this gunfire also revealed that there were many survivors still alive.
Arisu suddenly recalled a time when he lost a murder game and Chōta said, "You can't start over in the real world," while also grumbling about Arisu skipping job interviews. Now, the airship brought the ❓K game. Arisu deduced that there might only be one gunman—the Spades K. Ann speculated that since the airship was moving during the gunfire, perhaps the entire city was the game venue. Usagi remembered Mira Kano's words on the screen about everyone enjoying the game together, but they were completely unsure if Mira was even human. Arisu believed she was likely involved in creating the games.
If the ❓K was just one person, then each Face Card probably had a game master. Defeating all the Face Cards would clear the second stage and allow them to survive, though it was uncertain if they could return to the original world. If the Hatter's theory that collecting all the cards would allow escape was true, then his theory should be correct.
At that moment, ❓K began chasing Arisu and the others in a vehicle. Ann took over driving to shake him off, but during the chase, their car flipped. ❓K continued the massacre, and everyone scattered. Ann encountered a girl who had given up on survival and rushed out to die. Arisu, Usagi, Tatta, and Mizuki hid in a building, praying that Kyūya and Ann were safe. Usagi suggested gathering essential supplies to survive the night, while Tatta and Mizuki went to find a car.
In a supermarket, Arisu found strawberry cake-flavored instant noodles, which reminded him of past conversations with Karube and Chōta about the weird flavor, filling him with sadness (since both had chosen to die for him in the first season). He imagined happier times with his friends, eating noodles and discussing magazine pin-ups. Arisu made a promise to Usagi that they would return together.
Usagi, with tears in her eyes, remained silent. She noticed a newspaper on the ground reporting her father's death during a mountain climb—a case shrouded in mystery. The public believed her father was a fraud who had intentionally died on the mountain, but Usagi knew the mountain wasn't high enough for such an accident. Now, in this world, she finally understood her father's desire to escape to another world. Yet, she still harbored hatred for that other world. Arisu promised to protect Usagi. Although he had once hated the original world too, he now wanted to return and start over, hoping they could go back together. However, Usagi felt no one could understand her pain, as she was tired of people telling her to move on. If given the choice, she would rather stay in this world.
The next morning, Arisu spotted ❓K getting closer from the rooftop. The entire city had become his game venue. Arisu realized that the only way to avoid being sniped was to participate in other games, as all games had rules, and they generally respected each other without interference—otherwise, the games couldn't proceed. Arisu chose the Beach K game, hoping to gather crucial information by asking K why they were here and who the game makers were. Moreover, the ❓Clubs K game emphasized teamwork, giving them a chance to win.
When they arrived at the ❓Clubs K venue, they found that the game required five players. Suddenly, Nira appeared, shocking everyone since they thought he was dead. The problem was that everyone agreed Nira would never cooperate with them, making the game a certain death trap. With no other choice—since not participating meant death—they decided to take the gamble.
Upon entering the game venue, which was filled with containers, the game master appeared: ❓Clubs K (Kyuma). Everyone was stunned to see him completely naked. He explained that nudism was a legitimate social movement with centuries of history, and that wearing clothes was a social construct without biological necessity. This natural state, he claimed, was how humans should be. Kyuma introduced himself and others as "citizens" of the Borderland.