Alice in Borderland

Chapter 47 - The Lights

On the roof we sit side by side at the edge overlooking the pool area. In the meantime, the system is completely overcrowded and instead of the Spanish music of earlier, loud party music from the loudspeakers is roaring. I immediately relax with the thought of how quiet and peaceful it is in contrast up here.

At this moment the outdoor lighting goes on and I breathe contentedly. The fairy lights take on a wide variety of colours and illuminate the people among us.

"Good timing," I grin at Chishiya, and he shrugs his shoulders with a slight laugh.

"Perfect timing," he proudly claims.

"I love it when it dawns and the lights go on", I smile relaxed and think about how comfortable it would be to simply lay a wooden pallet and a matt rattling here. We're probably the only ones up here anyway and could see the lights every night. 

"I know," he says, looking down at the facility. I just shake my head imperceptibly and snigger with a grin. I never mentioned it, and yet I knew Chishiya noticed it. It is as if we are wordless in such things. Maybe that's why we're such a good team in the games. I mean, I still can't accurately assess Chishiya, but i can tell from his attitude or his traits whether he's honest or comfortable.

He seems to notice the tube next to me and he waits a moment before he asks so that I can still look at the lights. For this I am silently grateful to him and look down satisfied.

"What is this?"

"An ointment, Aguni means she helps with my rib pains," I reply and give it to him. He looks briefly at the label and on the back before nodding thoughtfull

"Could help against the pain, tiger balm has a cooling effect," he says concentratedly, and I put the tube next to me again, "But you shouldn't use it for your cheekbone, on open wounds it just burns unnecessarily"

I almost forgot that with my cheekbone. I carefully scan the spot with my hand and sink my gaze. He seems to notice it and judging by his facial expression, he knows what I am thinking.  

"What did the hatmaker want from you?" he turns the theme around and looks strictly at the pool. Does he ask for this because he was worried like Katsu or does he want to do something different?

"I think he just needed someone to talk to," I shrug my shoulders, and I mean to realize that there's a certain coolness in his eyes. 

"The head that presses a crown rests heavily," he quotes after sharply pulling in the air. I know the quote was meant to be discendible, but the fact that he knows Shakespeare makes me realize how intelligent he really is. I wonder if there is an area of which he has no idea.

"I think he's getting lost," I say slightly anxiously, hoping it doesn't sound ridiculous to Chishiya. But he nods only slightly and seems to understand what I mean by that.

"You should be careful. His number two doesn't seem to like the fact that you talk to each other more often. I saw him last time as he measured how long you're talking to the hatmaker.'

Number two? I never even exchanged a word with this man. But I can imagine that as his successor he likes to know about everything in the hotel. Presumably he thinks I'm talking to the hatmaker about more important things than how we can get a tiger. 

"What is that between you," I ask, not minding his reaction, but simply keep talking, "Before playing with Aguni, I noticed that he kept seeing you in the gallery."

Chishiya snores slightly derogatory, which confirms my observation of the day. He knew full well that he was patterned by number two. 

'He thinks he's better than the others. He likes to be the smartest in the room and he doesn't like it if you convince him otherwise."

"If you tell him the opposite," I guess correctly and he grins broadly. Chishiya is just incredible. His idiosyncrasy is probably what I like most about him. I bite slightly on the lower lip so as not to grin too wide and look down from it. A brief silence arises, which is far from unpleasant. 

"You know the guy in the aisle likes you? I mean, you can't blame him, but it's pretty obvious.'

I look at him in amazement and he only meets my gaze with his typical expression. I don't know what gets me out of the concept. His raised eyebrows and the crooked grin or what he just said, especially the last part. You can't do it to him...

"He doesnt, we talked for the first time today," I say firmly, trying to put that in perspective.  

"That's more than most people here in the beach need," he nods, looking down to the celebrating people.

"You'd have to know me better," I laugh to overplay the situation. When I realize that he is not laughing, I look at him. He looks at me only slightly satisfied smiling and nods impermably with his head. Does he really think Katsu likes me? And even if I was interested in him?

"Since I've known you, a gun has been pointed at you, you'd almost fallen from a ladder twenty floors down, you've had an overdose, you're almost bleeding from countless wounds and drowned," he says, "So quickly nothing surprises me anymore." I know that I would have almost died many times, but I always looked at everything individually and not in the whole. How weak does Chishiya actually think of me?

"I survived," I say, even if I don't like the idea that he sees me like that. I hope that the Katsu issue is off the table.

"It's nice to have someone , knowing they won't just die in the next few games," he says, looking at me with a smile. At first I look at him in amazement, but then I reciprocate his smile and push him with my shoulder with relief.

"Think so too"