"Jack of Hearts, Part 1" (はあとのじゃっく①, Hāto no Jakku ①) is the third chapter of the 12th volume and the 45th chapter overall of the Alice in Borderland manga, written and illustrated by Haro Aso.
Summary[]
The Jack of Hearts venue, a prison with isolated cells, fails to reach the required number of participants for hours, and Kakeru Kishoin complains about the shortage until Genki Kiryu threatens him for speaking too casually. Oki Yaba and Kotoko Shiga are spotted having sexual intercourse, which Yaba is proud of.
After the last two players enter, the announcement explains the rules, the participants learn that one of them is the Jack of Hearts and that each round requires them to correctly declare the symbol on the back of their own collar by relying on information from others.
Ippei Oki proposes forming a team to exchange symbols and prevent deaths, arguing that lying would be impossible within a group. Urumi Akamaki immediately supports the idea and joins the team, followed by Kakeru Kishoin, Motohiko Kaneko, Rui Hibino, and another unnamed female player in a rider suit. Akitomo Mino wonders if the people who came to the venue last and then joined the group quickly can be trusted, which causes most other players to leave and search for better survival strategies.
Masaki Aizen interprets the game as a test of appearing trustworthy rather than trusting others and begins attempting to win people over through calculated conversation. Eiji Mitsurugi observes the participants and forms a duo with Kunio Kariya, explaining manipulation techniques used by others. Enji Matsushita tries to force Sunato Banda into a partnership but ends up in tears since Banda exposes his personality in an unfriendly manner. Yaba and Kotoko separate from the others and observe the game from a distance. Katsusai Rokudo's religious talk wins over an unnamed female player,
During the first round, Genki Kiryu violently interrogates Akifumi Seto for information about his symbol, intimidating the other players into silence. Seto is severely beaten but survives the round and is invited into Ippei's group out of pity, despite Urumi's visible discomfort. Everyone clears the first round successfully.
The second round begins with Kiryu assaulting Seto again, prompting Ippei to confront him and suffer a beating himself. Fearing further danger, Urumi pressures the group into excluding Seto, issuing an ultimatum that forces Ippei to comply. Isolated once more, Seto is approached by Banda, who identifies his suppressed anger and encourages him to act on it. Banda hands Seto a knife, claiming it is the solution to his suffering.