Alice in Borderland

Chapter 98 - Morpheus

Part 1: Chishiya's view

Tense to the point of bursting, I lean against one of the second-floor pillars and look down at the entrance hall. I make an outward effort to appear calm, and although my features appear neutral, my hands tense in the sides of my sweater pockets. My eyes scan the area, but still nothing new is happening. I can't stand it when something upsets me or I'm not in complete control. When my thoughts should be about the plan, and not about other things. It would be so easy to send Arisu to the suite today or tomorrow and provoke Aguni to tell me through his body language the whereabouts of the collected cards. My fingers begin to crack softly from the pressure, but when I see Kuina walking toward me in the corner of my eye, I try to get down.

"Hey," she murmurs, and with a sideways glance I immediately realize she's nervously nibbling on her plastic straw. Kuina leans forward to rest her elbows on the stone wall to look down. She apparently doesn't try to hide her uneasiness from the other residents, because she bobs her left leg impatiently and her eyes hunt wildly over what's happening and the people in the Beach. "How much time has passed since...?"

There's no need for her to finish the sentence, and I puff out irritably so she's not tempted either.

"Too much," I say in a cold voice. Emotionless, I return her gaze and raise my eyebrows, but without my typical lopsided grin. "It doesn't seem to have gone well."

"And you can just say that meaninglessly after everything between you two?" she gives me a reproachful look, which I try to avoid by looking back to the entryway. But it seems to Kuina that I really don't care, and accusingly her voice rings out again as her eyebrows draw together. "Do you even honestly care about her?"

A stabbing sensation in my chest makes me lower my gaze briefly, but I try to keep my composure.

"She left for her game thirty-nine hours and fifty-one minutes ago."

The corners of Kuina's mouth twitch up sadly, but her attitude toward me relaxes a little again. There is a brief silence between us until she speaks up again.

"What does senior management have to say about this?"

"Our new number one has long since brushed off the issue. Ann wanted to do something, which oddly enough was supported by Mira, and Niragi has been unusually quiet."

"There could be several reasons why she's not here yet. Isn't there?" she looks at me with wide eyes, "Or do you think she...."

"That Sayuuri couldn't solve her game?", I press out directly and sigh silently, "I don't know."

Part 2: Sayuuri's view

Forty-one hours earlier

Giggling, I try to hide my face in the soft pillow next to me so as not to come across as silly or childish, yet I dare a glance over the silken sheets and see into Chishiya's winning face. Your eyebrows are raised, but not particularly arrogant as usual, and his smirk grows wider, his eyes lowered to the game pieces. I understand why he wants to teach me more than just the basics of chess, but losing to him again and again makes me feel like I haven't learned anything. In addition, I feel that if I give up the game demotivated, Chishiya's opinion of me sinks. That's why I always agree and take the chance to learn from my mistakes, even if I still can't protect my white king against his black pieces.

"You shouldn't use the queen so unprotected and you sacrifice your knights unnecessarily early," he criticizes, but from his faint grin I can see how it still gives him some satisfaction to win.

"I appreciate your concern, but I've never had to master chess rules in a game," I indirectly try to end today's game, and when he starts to say something back, I continue unperturbed. "Yes yes it's not directly about chess, but about logic and anticipating moves. Reacting to them and who is best to sacrifice with minimal loss in success. But in the games I act automatically, of course sometimes I make plans when I've watched the participants and know the environment, but most of it happens instinctively."