Hope Always Dies Last | Chishiya [English]

A mess on different levels

"Miss Nohara, your portrait is really good... keep the good work up!" I immediately felt the eyes of the other students shifting to me. Yes, I could practically see what they were thinking. 'She doesn't deserve to have such a talent' or 'I heard her father was good at drawing too, maybe she'll become a criminal too'. It hurt that they whispered such things behind my back, that they criticized my talent so much. Shouldn't I be good at something I enjoyed? Did they always have to blame it on my genes? I hated it... I wanted it to stop... Maybe when I finally put the pen down, when I didn't give them any room to criticize anything, they would stop...

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I sneezed when something tickled my nose. What was that? I opened my eyes annoyed, just to get a little peak...

"You were right, Chishiya! It really woke her up!", Kuina laughed. I pulled the covers up a bit more and grumbled to myself while my friend giggled to herself. Footsteps came our way, and a hand gripped my wrist.

I turned my head carefully and watched as Chishiya felt my pulse. We stayed like that for a brief moment, and I felt the tingling sensation of his fingers on my skin.

"Please tell me I haven't done anything embarrassing," I finally said as he finished and leaned against the wall. He smirked and I mentally prepared myself for the embarrassment that was about to happen.

"Well... Aguni-san and I had to heave you into the car while Niragi and him loudly argued. Mira laughed the whole time, and you threw up all over our car on the way back. But other than that...", he brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. I widened my eyes and immediately sat up straight. Kuina sat on the edge of my bed and covered her mouth a little to suppress a smile.

"Please say it's not true..." my voice suddenly sounded squeaky, and he grinned all the more. I blushed and pushed the covers off me before struggling out of bed. With one step, I was by the closet and rummaged through the drawers.

I still had the clothes from the game on my body, just without the sweater and pants. The bikini was damp and uncomfortable on the skin. Without thinking too much, I reached for sporty two-piece suit before shuffling into the bathroom and putting it on.

In the next room, Kuina and Chishiya seemed to be talking, but I couldn't understand what they were saying. Then I heard footsteps and the door to my room opened. As it closed, my realm was breathed into an eerie silence.

My hair was completely knotted and almost unmanageable, so I only ruffled it once with a brush before tying it up. I would have to use conditioner afterwards to completely untangle the mess...

When I was done, I opened the bathroom door and headed back toward the bed, only to see Chishiya sitting on the couch. Kuina was gone, apparently it was she who had left.

That suddenly made things a little awkward. I remembered our last conversation, which had taken place on the roof. And the feelings that came back and overwhelmed me a bit.

For a few seconds we just stared at each other. Then he cleared his throat.

"For a brief moment I thought your life had slipped through our fingers."

I dropped into the chair and tried to focus on his words. It wasn't as easy as I had imagined.

"No cap, I didn't expect Niragi to let go of me either," I replied, and he leaned back. "Mmh," he looked at the window, "I'm sorry, by the way." A little amazed, I searched for the reason why he apologized. Noticing my questioning expression, he grinned briefly before raising his hand and pointing at the ceiling. I was beginning to understand of what he seemed to be talking about.

He hadn't forgotten.

"Apologies don't suit you, Chishi," I said, and he twisted the corner of his mouth. I silently thanked Kuina for telling me that sacred nickname. He didn't seem to like it at all, I had found a way to tease him further.

"I guess I need to read Kuina the riot act," he murmured, and I just grinned before leaning forward slightly, " I can apologize, Shiraishi. What do you think I am?"

"A handsome asshole?" the words slipped from my lips, and he paused for a moment, scanning me with his eyes again. Apparently, he was looking for something while I blushed with embarrassment. Damn, I really had a loose mouth...

"Mmh..." he finally grinned, "A handsome asshole? Well, what can I say... You did me dirty." I stuck out my tongue and then the silence returned.

This time it was me who broke it. "Chishiya?" He nodded slightly and I continued, "How long will it be until everything collapses around here?" He thought for a moment, opened his mouth briefly, but then closed it again immediately. Apparently, he was searching for words.

"Not long," he finally said, "Hatter is going insane. I expect the plan will start soon. The major milestones are set."

I knew what he was talking about. It was the cards Hatter collected: they were in his suite. Only a few playing cards were missing, then the deck was complete. Only the face cards would then be missing.

But what was Chishiya up to exactly? He wouldn't-

"You want to steal the cards, am I right?" I heard myself say and he grinned slightly. That was enough for me as an answer. "You're really crazy, you know that?" I mumbled afterwards and he shrugged. He didn't seem to mind how risky it could get for him.

I could snitch on him...

He took a significantly higher risk with me than he did with Kuina. I was a big shot in the military, number 2 was my cousin. And yet he assumed I would keep my mouth shut. He seemed to know I wouldn't betray him.

"Why are you telling me so much?" I finally wanted to know, and he got up.

"Because I trust you, Shiraishi Neiru."

He moved to the door, and I watched after him. Just before he opened it, however, he looked at me again.

"And because you opened my eyes."

Again, he left me with a riddle to ponder. My life really has been a mess... on so many different levels.