Alice in Borderland

Chapter 68 - Window or kiss?

"So, which opening do you prefer?" he asks me, and I look at him with a laugh.

"Opening?"

"You..." he begins in surprise, but stifles any further comment, "Openings are made with the first move. It reveals a lot about your strategy, whether you're defensive or offensive"

"Hmm," is all I do, and he looks at me critically.

"You said you taught yourself to play chess. How?"

"Through an app, I was bored" I say honestly and he stifles a laugh. I hesitate for a moment, but I feel like I should just tell him more. "My grandfather tried to teach me, but he died when I was seven".

"What was he like?"

"He was a very strict and determined father, but as a grandfather he was the opposite. When I cried he would take hours to be there for me. He always said it broke his heart. Once he carried me outside to the garden and put me on a wall. He just thinks I should be myself and took a picture. There was a rainbow in the background and when I saw the picture my sadness was blown away," I say as I recall the moment, "He was a wonderful person. He just made everyone feel better."

"And the picture?"

"That should be somewhere in our house"

"If you want I could put a supply drive there and we could-"

"No" I interrupt him "If I died the picture would just be burned or thrown away. It's safer where it is."

He just nods understanding and I make my first move. I feel his gaze on me, but can't quite place it. His slight smile shows me that he is happy that I told him something private. I can see from his nod that he knows exactly that I have only told him these details so far. And his evasive look at the chessboard lets me know that he will not inquire further. He values my privacy and doesn't ask further. It's as if he knows me intimately and a comforting warmth spreads through me. And I have only had that feeling with him, with Chishiya, until now.

Sleepy, I open my eyes and snuggle into my blanket for a moment before sitting up. Yesterday me and Chishiya played chess until morning but at some point we both realized that I had to sleep in my own room. I rub my eyes tiredly and realize it's pitch black outside. Damn, did I sleep through the whole day? The dress is wrinkled, so I quickly swap it for my bodysuit and loose pants and grab my rubber ball from the nightstand. I lock my room door behind me and walk down to the pool area. I spot Izumi and Yuudai at one of the group tables, and I don't actually intend to disturb them, but I can't spot any of the others.

"Hey," I greet the two, who welcome me with a warm smile.

"Where have you been all day Sayuuri?", Izumi asks me with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I missed you at foosball," Yuudai laughs. I slap him on the shoulder playfully and stifle a laugh. By now we're not playing against each other, where he lost most of the time on the side. We formed a team of two and together we defeat the other beach members, one by one.

"Just woke up," I say, looking around a bit. I can't see Kuina, Ann, or anyone from the leadership rule, just Niragi who is with the military squad. "Where are the Hatter or Aguni?"

"In the conference room at a meeting. Ann should still be with Chishiya," Yuudai muses and I look at him confused.

"Why is Ann at Chishiya's?"

"You haven't heard?", Izumi asks me with wide eyes and I shake my head in confusion. What am I not supposed to have heard?

"Chishiya was wounded in the game today," Yuudai continues. Impossible. My heart skips a beat and the people around me move as if in slow motion. How bad is it, is he even conscious? As if in a trance, I stand up and apologize to them. He can't be hurt, why didn't he tell me he was playing today? I take three flights of stairs at once and run to his room. Just as I turn the corner, I see Kuina standing in front of the open door, looking inside. She seems to have heard me and looks at me. With her eyes she points into the room and I understand. I hide around the next corner, as there seems to be someone in the room. If Ann is with him it must mean he is more seriously injured and she is tending to his wounds.