The Winners Take It All | Chishiya [English]

The game that plays with me and a secret place

I hesitated before shooting the next arrow.

In the past, I had never really shot at objects that were moving. The others didn't seem to mind because they continued shooting happily. Once again it was just me who seemed to have trouble with the change.

How much I hated this feeling.

I pulled myself together after a little 'breather', but... I missed. A stab shot through my chest and my hands began to shake as the arrow hit a meter away from the target.

Now I could only allow myself one mistake, how the hell was I supposed to do it? It was hopeless. They moved away whenever I hit the spot where they had been before.

I couldn't do it at all - wait a minute...

I fired at the wrong time! I was too late! If I shot at a different timing, I might be back on track!

I tried it and hit it!

You hit 6/10 targets!

My heart calmed down a little. The tension eased and I could think a little more clearly again. I placed the next arrow.

You hit 7/10 targets!

I was on the right track.

10 minutes remain!

Of course, I noticed Aguni watching me. He seemed to have already finished, I hadn't expected anything else.

I pulled out a new arrow and placed it on the thin string. Then I re-sighted.

You hit 8/10 targets!

Just two more and then I was done! Then I would be spared again! I aimed again.

You hit 9/10 targets!

I looked around. Where was the last one? My eyes scanned the entire hall.

When I finally found it, I had to grin. Well, maybe karma was on my side - he would be surprised!

The others' shots had now died down, they were all finished.

5 minutes remain!

I calmly put my penultimate arrow on my bow. I was tingling with anticipation that I didn't know existed. What I'm about to do might piss him off. How nice that I only had that one angle to hit the final target!

I took aim and his eyes widened. "What are you doing, Shawty-" he shouted, then the arrow shot off. It hissed past his head with a hair's breadth and then pierced itself into the black of the window.

You hit 10/10 targets!

Congratulations! The game is over!

All players will be issued a 5-day visa!

Then everything switched off again. I immediately felt that the courage I had just felt vanishing.

Damn, what had I done? Why had I just almost shot down Niragi, was I tired of life?

I hadn't been thinking when I sensed the situation.

"What was that about! Why did you shoot me down?" Niragi was still on the way down when he started shouting.

I was dead.

If I had been at least a little more sensible, I wouldn't be in this situation now! I couldn't run away; I was a feast for him.

"Keep your ears straight, Niragi," to my astonishment, Aguni suddenly stood up for me, "You were in the way." The young man turned to his boss and glared at him. But he just shrugged his shoulders indifferently. As he passed me, he briefly looked me in the eye. "Good shot," he murmured quietly, and my eyes widened. Did he just praise me for my action?

Somehow, I had the feeling that the plot was slowly reaching a turning point and was developing completely differently than I actually wanted. It felt like one of those games, except it was played alone with me. I was the only participant.

Sakusa came next to me and nudged my arm. I looked at her and she just grinned before giving a thumbs up. I sighed and together we left the location again, but this time Aguni had grabbed the passenger seat. Since I didn't want to sit next to Niragi, my friend sat next to me. Niragi, who had still picked up the card, got behind the wheel.

At first, I was afraid for my life because the guy was crazy. But surprisingly, he was a pretty good and calm driver. I really wouldn't have believed him. We arrived at the beach safely.

Not a single person on our team died that night. No one was even hurt, which was a miracle.

"Hey, Ayuna! Do you want to have another drink at the bar?" Sakusa asked me and I thought for a moment.

"Why not?" I finally decided and followed her through the small crowds of people. It wasn't that crowded yet, but we knew members would flock outside soon. So, the peace would only last for a short time.

"Two tequila shots please!" Sakura ordered the bartender, who then took care of our drinks. We sat at the counter and watched for a moment. "Where did you learn archery?" she asked as we drank our first glass.

"I was in the archery group in high school. But I was surprised that I still could do it so well," I said, and she looked at me scrutinizingly.

"You're not older than 18, are you?" she wanted to know, and I almost choked.

"What? No! I'm already 21! My time in high school ended four years ago!" I snorted and she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Oh, um, this is embarrassing now, haha. You look so young," she again instructed the bartender for another refill.

"How old are you, Sakura?" I asked casually and she played with her fingers.

"I'm twenty, but approaching 21," she told me, and I nodded. That's how old I thought she was. We got our second round and were drinking again when suddenly someone sat down next to me.

"Hey!", it was Kuina. Sakusa waved at her with a smile, and I also returned the nice gesture.

"Hi Kuina! We haven't spoken in a long time!" said Sakusa and Kuina nodded.

"You're right, Yuki! How is it, have you settled in well in the military?" asked the young woman with the dreadlocks and the other woman next to me nodded.

"It's actually quite quiet," she said, and I suddenly felt a little redundant. They didn't even notice when I stood up and slowly walked away.

I didn't want to disturb them, and I was tired, so it was the best decision to leave now.

For a change, I took a little detour by taking the stairs. I didn't feel like taking the elevator because it always smelled a little at this time.

And so, I found this one, quiet place. A place where I could be alone. It was perfect.

From here I was able to wonderfully watch the sunrise and sunset, which bathed the Tokyo sky in a beautiful image.

It would be my little secret place - this big roof of the beach.