The Winners Take It All | Chishiya [English]

A painful sacrifice

Nana smiled.

At that moment I knew it had been her plan. She had wanted a reconciliation. She accepted that she would lose her life just so that we could finally put our past behind us.

I became painfully aware that she could no longer win. We would live because we both had two lives left...

I stared at our grandmother.

She could probably feel my pain and fear because her hand took mine in hers. She slowly ran her fingers over my skin, like she always did.

"Are you ready for the last round, Ayu, Yumi?" she asked quietly, and we just looked at her. My sister also seemed to slowly understand what was threatening our family member.

We looked at each other. Then we nodded. We were ready, even if I didn't want to think about the consequences just yet.

Fifth word for Hayashi Ayuna.

"Sunshine, please define the word 'love' for me," she looked at me expectantly.

I knew what love was. I was finally able to understand it.

"Love is exciting. It's the fight against loneliness. There are different types, but the most beautiful is the love of another - from a person who is so incredibly important to you that you don't want to let go of them. You would go through hell go for them. And even if they broke your heart, you would still have feelings for the person. There is no giving up in love, only if there is really an end."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

I was still waiting for an answer, my heart was still given to a certain person.

I was curious of what the future would hold for me.

The Queen of Diamonds acknowledges this declaration.

Nana... Why are you doing this to us? You could have just looked away... And now we would lose you. I would never see the first spark of love I had ever received again.

"Why?", the question finally slipped out. Nana smiled.

"It's time for you to finally overcome the barriers that were put in your way. Don't you think you're old enough to be able to deal with the past?" she was silent for a moment, "It was the last wish I had. And fortunately, it has finally been fulfilled. Thank you."

Fifth word for Hayashi Ayumi.

"Rainbow, explain to me the term 'hate'..." she asked my sister. She swallowed.

"Hate... A strong emotion that should not be underestimated. It makes you do things you should never do. Most often it is triggered by others or by unfair life situations. Jealousy, envy, and injustice are emotions that give hate the chance to arise. So, it's an evolution, just like life evolves. Hate comes quickly but goes away slowly. And when it goes away, guilt usually comes."

The Queen of Diamonds acknowledges this declaration.

It was done. We had won the game. But at what price?

Nana rose from her chair and motioned for us to follow her example.

Ayumi and I stood up, then she opened her arms. We didn't hesitate for a second before hugging her tightly.

Why did it have to come to this?

Congratulations!

The players have won! They will be issued a new visa!

I swallowed my sadness and frustration. It wasn't fair if she saw us cry before she died - it shouldn't be her last memory of us.

Grandmother was still smiling.