Friends With Benefits | Chishiya x Reader

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Chishiya?" You whisper, all previous inhibitions thrown (reluctantly) to the wind. "Where are we going?"

He hums. "I suppose we'll know when we get there."

"I don't remember asking to answer your Riddles Three, Taro."

He snorts. "That was barely a Riddles One."

"You're not funny," you tell him, stifling a traitorous laugh, and he tells you to stop lying through your teeth. 

A silence settles in as the three of you continue to walk, led on by the winding corridor. You can hear each of your footsteps echoing down the building, along with the ominous creak of the exposed pipelines. The abandoned station is so dark your eyes have begun to adjust in order to make out the corridor walls, which are covered in a thin layer of grime. 

You startle when you feel Kuina's hand on your shoulder. 

"Wait," she says in a low whisper, "there's a light."

You nod, having seen it too - in the distance there is a cut of blue light, spilling from a rectangular doorframe at the corridor's end. It disappears before blinking back, then moving away again. You chew the inside of your cheek. Unless you are gravely mistaken, you don't believe lights are meant to crawl around like that.

Chishiya inclines his head towards the room, a languid look of interest settling into his features. "There's the answer to your Riddles One, I believe."

The unease you feel begins to grow as the three of you make your way towards the room. Although you cannot hear any talking or conversation as you approach the light, you are almost certain you can hear footsteps coming from the opposite direction, which unnerves you no end. Who else is exploring the empty station besides you?

And then you realise that there are not one, but two lights that flicker ahead. The beams rotate, independent of each other, like two little lighthouses. 

Torchlights.

Next to you, Kuina confirms your suspicions. "I think someone else is here." 

Chishiya merely shrugs in response.

It is Chishiya who reaches the open room first, he of Approaching Mysterious Rooms Without Caution, carefully disentangling his fingers from yours. He stops at the doorway, peering in. 

"Ah," you hear him say, and The Smirk is audible in his voice. 

You hear a sharp intake of breath, and one of the flashlights changes direction. 

Chishiya continues, unbothered. "So you actually found this place." The blonde sounds almost pleased as he steps into the room, hands in his pockets. "As expected from someone I have high hopes for."

Kuina looks into the room, and frowns. "We meet again," she says tensely. You follow her gaze, but you cannot make out the owners of the flashlights. Unsettled, you, too, enter the room. 

Your eyes land on the familiar, weary expression of Arisu. 

He looks less disheveled than he did at the Beach, although you can still clearly make out the bruises on his face from the Hearts game. Arisu does not look angry when he sees the people who had betrayed him, only tired. It is Usagi, standing next to him, who speaks indignantly on his behalf.

"You guys." Usagi's voice sounds throughout the room, thoroughly distrustful. She looks slightly surprised when she sees you - you dip your head in an apologetic movement that you hope conveys your uninvolvement in Arisu's near-death experience.

You are unsure of whether she receives your highly nuanced message.

Arisu lowers his flashlight, frowning. "How did you find this place?"