Alice in Borderland

Chapter 30 - New game, new luck

Last night I went to bed early, after I had to promise Norikita and Izumi that we would celebrate together tonight. Judging by the state of the sun, it is already five o'clock in the afternoon. I retreated to the roof with my drawing block and a bottle of water, even more details from Norikita over last night and I can never really look her in the eye again.

At this time the pool is more crowded than usual, so I feel pretty comfortable here. Here the music is not too loud, there are no sweaty and drunk people and the air is much better. There is a light wind blowing, but I am too lazy to get my jacket out of my room. I put down my block and stretch myself a little bit. I've lost sight of how long I've been here.

My skin feels dried up by the sun and I drive through the hairs that fly through the wind into my face. I close my eyes for a moment and lean a little backwards when I hear the door to the roof fall. I think I know who would come up here at this time, so I keep my eyes closed. When someone sits next to me shortly afterwards and the smell of Adidas shampoo penetrates my nose, my suspicion is confirmed.

I don't let myself be disturbed and open my eyes very slowly. I see his gaze sliding to the block of signs and he takes it. I look at him and realize that Chishiya looks at me questioningly. I nod at him as permission and he opens the cover. I put my legs on and sit down in a tailor's seat to make myself more comfortable next to him. As always, his eyebrows are raised and he continues to scroll.

As he pulls his corners of his mouth down with a grin and holds the block up at eye level, I know that he must have arrived at the side with the drawing of him. He looks closely at the drawing before holding the block back to normal and looking at me.

"What, should I have drawn you in a doctor's coat or topless?" I reply to him confidently and he seems slightly surprised. His face is priceless and I can't help but laugh out loud. A painful pull goes through my body and I shrug. Damn, that still comes from the car that hit me. Chishiya, meanwhile, seems to have caught himself again and looks stubbornly straight with his high-nose gaze.

"Mhm. Don't you need a model or a template for this?"

When his hand goes to the zipper of the vest, I just look at him in shock. I mean, it was just a joke, he must have understood that. Not that I would have anything against it but ... wait stop. My facial expression must be at least as shy as his from even, because he starts laughing and lets his hand sink again. But I still look at him in surprise, because he doesn't grin as usual or laugh squietly. no. He laughs warmly and seems to be really amused. His shoulders shake with laughter and I can't help but join in. I push him slightly on the shoulder, but that doesn't diminish his laughter, which is why I'm secretly happy.

This man is simply imtransparent. First, he tells me something personal about himself that no one else knows. Then he ignores me for almost a week and now that? We calm down slowly and briefly there is a silence, but I do not find it unpleasant. Honestly, it even relaxes me.

"Your friend is not twenty-four hours in the beach and you need your peace," he grins slightly, looking down at the facility, following his gaze. It dawns slowly and the outdoor lighting starts.

"You would also take flight in my case," I reply, shaking at the thought of what she said last night. Chishiya seems to think the same way and he just nods sympathetically.

"Since she's been here, I understand you even less"

Confused, I look at him and he nods thoughtfully. He understands me less? Does he actually notice how he behaves?

"She is as I judged you at first"

"Have I thought," I nod in agreement. Norikita fulfills the classic cliché of a cheerleader captain: she likes to celebrate, she talks to everyone, is open-hearted and also a little naive. In the normal world, it makes it adorable, here it makes her an easy target. "Don't worry, I don't really understand you"

"Mhm. It's probably time for a new bet"

"And what do I get if I win?"

"If you win," he provokes me for fun as in our first bet and I can't help but smile, "The winner gets another question"

"Sounds good, and what do we want to bet on this time?"

He seems to be thinking about what shows me that it must have been a relatively spontaneous idea. Waiting and curious, I watch him set up his typical gaze and his eyes twitch for a moment.

"When are you playing again?"

"I still have a few days left, but I thought I would play again the day after tomorrow," I reply honestly. My side was still hurting, I think the car caught me harder than I thought. All the adrenaline that night, one terrible event followed the other. I saw that by car as one of the more harmless things. But Satoru taught me in my first game that it is better not to renew his visa on the last day. Probably the first lesson I learned here in Borderland.

I seem to have been in my thoughts for a moment too long and put on a smile afterwards. But I don't need to look at the man next to her to know that he noticed. But he doesn't address it, for which I'm grateful to him. He seems to be considering repeating our first bet, but judging by his facial expression, he rejects the idea again. It's probably too boring for him now.

"The hatmaker is going to give you a new key bracelet after your game," he says, pointing to my number, "We could appreciate"

"You're in the leadership, who tells me you don't know the number for a long time"

"I swear It, I have no idea what number it's going to be. I suspect the hatmaker himself doesn't know yet."

"And whoever is closer to the number won?"

"Exactly"

There are only about two hundred and thirty-nine possible numbers, but in theory I could narrow it down well. As long as Chishiya has just told the truth, it's a fair contest and I'm curious if I could win.

As consent, I extend my hand and he grasps it contentedly. There are already some numbers swirling around in my head. The numbers of the leadership resonate are omitted, as well as the first hundred numbers. I estimate that the next fifty figures after the hundred and the twenty-five figures below my current figure will also be eliminated. The number should therefore be between one hundred and fifty and two hundred and fourteen.

Chishiya doesn't let go of my hand yet and raises his eyebrows, which means he lets me get ahead of an estimate. I bite my lower lip slightly and stand up to his gaze.

"Hundred Ninety-Seven"

"Two hundred and three," he says without hesitation and grins challengingly. The numbers are very close together, which means that the decision can be quite close.

"There you are Sayuuri," it sounds from Kuina and I turn to her. She stands at the entrance of the roof in the door and behind her appears Izumi. I let go of Chishiya's hand and look at the two of them confused.

"You promised that we would celebrate together today," Izumi says, and both look at me waiting. I give the man next to me a significant look and say goodbye to him. I get up and stretch a little before I walk to the two women and go downstairs to the pool.