Alice in Borderland

Chapter 32 - Conference room

Together we get into the car, with the newest member of the beach. Even though he's sitting on the back bench, I sit down again and play with my ball. Meanwhile, I look at the stranger forcefully, indifferent to me noticing that he notices it and gets nervous.

He has strapped himself properly and folds his hands in his lap. He looks quite thin, but the few minutes I've seen him, I know one thing: he joins everyone to survive. I know he wasn't the man who beat me. But he's teamed up with him, he probably doesn't have a good knowledge of people. He smird at me from time to time, but I hold every glance, which seems to unsettle him. If the military troops do it, they could recruit him immediately and he would follow any order, he seems submissive.

"What's that in your hand?" he asks, looking at me for the first time for more than two seconds. I raise my eyebrows and hold the ball up slightly.

"Is it not possible to see this?"

He looks a little embarrassed, but I feel Aguni's view through the rearview mirror. Again the stranger looks at his folded hands and remains silent. Again and again his gaze falls to the weapons at the two on the front two seats. I don't let him out of sight until we drive to the hotel's parking lot.

As soon as Aguni pulls the handbrake, we get out of the car. The military guy starts talking to the stranger and I watch as he looks to the colorful lights of the headlights. I look at him waiting, but somehow I can understand his looks. When I arrived here, I must have been just as amazed. Aguni stands next to me again and seems to watch him as attentively as I do.

"Are you coming to the conference room?"

"Why?"

"As I said, you're a smart head"

I agree, because I wanted to talk to the hatmaker and Chishiya anyway. And Aguni doesn't ask out of pure kindness, he knows full well that I watched the man and took a picture. With a certain distance we follow the two and talk a little bit.

"While he's there, you're best told the facts, when he's gone Danma will ask you for your own assessment"

He calls the hatmaker Danma so naturally that I get attention. The two seem to have known each other for quite a while, the question is only whether from the Borderland or from the normal world.

"Sure, could I get a cooler bag or something before?" I joke and laugh slightly.

"I should have reacted more quickly"

His gaze seems emotionless and strict, but in his voice there is a little regret.

'I just wanted to prevent him from dying. That he reacted so was his own fault," I say simply, and he nods firmly. As we step into the entrance, he turns to Niragi, who seems to have been waiting for his boss.

"Get a refrigerated pack and come to the conference hall"

I pinch a biting comment and an insidious grin and just keep running. I discover Kuina and Izumi in the comfortable armchairs next to the reception. I smile at them briefly, but after Aguni's quick steps to judge, it is not enough to talk to them. We enter the conference hall behind the stranger and no one seems surprised because of my presence. Ann nods to me briefly and her facial features become softer, Chishiya pulls her eyes slightly upwards and grins imperceptibly.

 "What's your name?" the hatmaker asks, handing the stranger a glass of whisky.

"Rhaidon"

I stand up to Aguni, even though I would rather stand next to Chishiya. The hatmaker gives his usual speech about the rules of the beach and talks about his utopia. When Niragi enters the room, he hands Aguni the cooler bag, which hands him. As soon as the cold hits my skin, it feels like tiny nail bites, which is why I close my eyes for a short time. When I reopen it, I see the hatmaker euphorically shaking Rhaidon's hand and then someone leads him out of the room.

"Aguni, tell how his game was"

"He survived," he says sternly, looking at me. I just twist my eyes and lean against the wall behind me as I take down the cooler bag for a moment.

"Sayuuri?" the hatmaker asks me.

"As Aguni said, he survived," I say, but when everyone looks forward to seeing me, I try not to seem annoyed, "He hangs on to anyone who seems capable of survival. He's not very intelligent and he's panicking quickly.

"What was the task of the game?"

"A word combination of fourteen letters," Aguni replies.

"And what letters were there"

Aguni looks at me, but with my gaze I signal that he has the lead.

"A - A - C - G - I - L - N - N - O - O - R - T - T- U"

"An anagram," I add, and the hatmaker seems to be thinking, but someone seems to see it right through.

"Congratulation"

I look at Chishiya and nod only confirming.

"Sayuuri, I wanted to give you this," says the hatmaker, scrawling out a new key bracelet. No one notices me and the man with the white vest exchanging a significant look. I quickly pick up the lanyard and spit on the number. 201. He won. I'm trying to see the positive in it, because I've won two bets so far and he's now as well. From my eyes, he seems to read that he has won and grins secretly.

I look at Aguni and he nods to me that I can leave the conference hall. I smile again at the hatmaker and Ann to say goodbye and run outside. I feel like I'm driving the roof because I know Chishiya will appear here every moment. I instinctively sit on the other edge as usual and look out at the sea. A goosebumpspread on my arms and my thoughts circulate around.

What will be his question? He said he wouldn't ask me anything about my family. He knows what and where I study. Would he like to find out another weakness of me? I thought about it all night. I have counted three weaknesses in total, one of which he already knows.

I hear the door snapping to the roof, but I don't turn around like last time. Chishiya sits next to me and looks out to sea just like Me. He just wanted to open his mouth, but I'll get him before.

"I know. What is your question?"

"That with the anagram was clever"

"Chishiya," I warn him lightly, so that he can get to the point.

"Who is Light?"