𝐕𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎 | ᴀʟɪᴄᴇ ɪɴ ʙᴏʀᴅᴇʀʟᴀɴᴅ. ✔︎

NINETEEN

Just keep talking Riko, she reminded herself as she observed his bewildered expression only grow, "I mean like imagine how high that number would be. Annoying is such a common adjective. It would probably be in the hundreds...or maybe even thousands if we count—"

     "Stop fucking talking!" The man shouted, but regret flashed on his face as he realized his action. Riko quickly shut her mouth, watching him as he looked around nervously. He breathed out, "Where's your paper?"

     "My what?" Riko tilted her head slightly to the right as if she couldn't hear him, even though she could. I need someone to intervene, I won't be able to get him away on my own. And someone was already killed by a player, I'd rather not join that list.

     "Your paper!"

     "Oh, that thing they gave us in the beginning?" Riko blinked for a moment before admitting, "I don't have it." And luckily, she didn't. Chishiya did.

     The man scoffed, "Bullshit!"

     "No, it's not, I gave it to my partner." This was one of the only true things she had said to this man.

     "Then where is your partner?!"

     "I don't know." This wasn't a lie either. She was doing great with telling the truth.

     "You—...You don't know where your partner is!?"

     Riko hummed, "Nope."

     The man's mouth opened and shut like a fish, "No idea...at all?"

      "Not a single one." She shook her head slightly with straightened lips.

      The man punched the wall beside her head with his left hand, making her shy away closer to the right arm. "Now I know you're bullshitting me."

     Riko blinked with a blank expression, "I'm not."

     "What kind of idiot would lose their partner during this game?!"

     "This one apparently." Riko watched the man innocently, "If it helps, I didn't lose 'em on purpose."

     "How would that fucking help?!"

     Riko shrugged, "I don't know." That's your problem not mine.

     "What do you know then?" The man cried out.

      "I know that you're going to lose this game if you don't back the fuck off of me right now." Riko spoke slow and calmly, her eyes narrowed back to their normal height.

      Now she wasn't giving the young appearance she once had, instead it was one of a predator. Specifically, a panther, one that was ready to pounce and take the life of its prey. The man swallowed back his fear, knowing that he was the prey in the metaphor.

      "I'm bigger than you are." He tried to regain his confidence, but the longer the eye contact lasted the more it faltered.

     "Of course, you are silly." Riko rolled her eyes with a light tone, "It's just that you, are standing here, threatening me. And I know for a fact that your bar isn't going up. Especially, because you took your paper from your partner and left them alone."