"These administrators really don't like you, don't they?" Kuina laughed, sitting on my bed. I genuinely felt better after my talk with Chishiya, Kuina had been all the same which was a bonus. Although today's game might be a little life threatening, I was surprisingly calm.
"Definitely sadists, they certainly like to see me suffering." I sweat dropped, putting on my cap. Fixing its position, I looked in the mirror to see a fine masked person looking back.
"Or your games are entertaining, who knows? I'd pay to watch you survive in a game." She shared. If Kuina has connections with these games, I wouldn't be surprised. She likes to see me suffer too.
"Weirdo. I'm about to head out, if I don't come back, you can take my sweats. Just carry my legacy." I saluted with a wild smile. Slipping on my new pairs of shoes I got the day before, I quickly tied the lace. Ever since that water park game, I either used slippers or just went barefoot. It completely came out of mind until yesterday, where I went out to find another pair of shoes.
"Don't make out with Chishiya too much, you might die."
"I take it back. Die in hell!" I blushed at the comment. I shouldn't have told her anything.
Jogging out the door, I rushed to the front of the resort where Chishiya stood.
"Hey." He greeted, holding a hand up. He pushed off the pillar, waiting for me to catch up.
"Ello, cheese grater." He groaned at the nickname, it was a while since I had called him that.
"Don't call me that." He said, walking toward our game's location. It was relatively close, so we decided to not take the cars that the others took. The sun began to set, the warm colors of the sky blending into each other. We walked in a comforting silence, appreciating the company, well that is until it was broken.
"Did you...have a past lover?" He suddenly asked. Huh?
"Eh? Come again?" I snapped my head away from buildings on the side to look at the male. He had his hands stuffed in his shorts as usual, looking forward with a neutral face. All the at could be heard was steady breaths and the movement of rocks below our feet.
"You heard." He simply retorted. A small smile made its way onto my face.
"Yes." The blond male snapped his head toward me. After all this time, it still surprises me that this man could show so many emotions, but not on his face. His face still remained blank as ever. "I'm kidding, I don't have one."
I heard a 'mmm' over on his side, his way of responding to my disclosure.
After quite some time, we made it to our game arena. It was an abandoned parking lot. There was a place where all the participants stood at, it was right against the entrance into the space.
As I looked around, there were cars left on the road as well as some parked in the lot itself. Making our way to the meeting place, lasers blocked off our exits like it would in every other game. The participants looked like they came from the Beach which made this game possibly harder due to the experienced players.
However, that wasn't the worrisome variable. There's no way, there's only two players in the room.
Grabbing a phone for Chishiya and I, I handed him the device for him to take it off my hand. He grabbed it with my hand in his grasp before sliding the phone off, his touch lingering.
Sly little bastard.
Not making a fuss about it, not like I would ever, I was honored to have him half-caress my hand like I was a baby chicken, I stood next to him. His hood was up, strips of hair showcasing his face. Looking away from him, the loud noise caught my ears, making me turn toward the entrance we came from.
"Oh look who's here." Everyone's eyes turned toward the voice. Yamura walked in with an unknown male next to him, they both ignored the others in the room, strutting towards me. "You're looking a bit serene. I think we'll need to change that soon." He sneered.
"My pleasure, go on ahead." I ushered with a grin, glancing away from the duo. Looking bored at the random two around the room, I saw their eyes were on us.
"Enthusiastic are you?" He insisted, holding something in his hand. Where the hell did he get a katana?
His hand tilted, making a clicking noise. Seem threatening, I don't falter at his way of intimidation. Meanwhile, Chishiya was busy studying the two males. Looking as if he was trying to find something out, something about the two.
"A bit. Step up, I'd like to see the same level of enthusiasm." I asserted, staring right into Yamura's eyes.
"As if you can order me shit." The male gave me one last glare before walking off to grab his phone. His little buddy gave me a mysterious glance before walking toward Yamura. Watching them go, I let off a tiny breather of relief.
Not even a few minutes later, the artificial like voice announced the game.
GAME: "LABYRINTH ESCAPE"
DIFFICULTY: TEN OF DIAMONDS
THERE WILL BE DESIGNATED RED CAPSULES FOR THE WINNERS WHERE FREEDOM WILL LIE AHEAD.
ONLY TWO WILL ESCAPE THIS MAZE.
THE ALTERNATIVE PLAYERS ARE HUNTERS, IF ALL PLAYERS DIE TO THE HUNTERS, THEY WILL CLAIM VICTORY.
DO NOT TRUST THE ODD ONES OUT. NOT EVERYTHING IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS. THE BEGINNING IS THE END AND THE END IS THE BEGINNING.
THE TIME LIMIT IS 5 HOURS.
"Alternative players? What's that on about?" Someone questioned. Playing with the fabric of my mask near the bridge of my nose, I thought about the game at hand.
I better inhale all the oxygen now before I panic and get killed by a sideline prop.
Dings rang through the room, the three elevators located on different sides of the room made some rumbling noises. Suddenly, the lights turned off, making the whole room pitch black. Chishiya was still visible to my eye, his white jacket came in clutch.
Luckily, the elevators opened with light shining from inside. Chishiya quickly went to one of them with me jogging behind him. Closing the doors, we both watched as the others replicated our actions.
"I don't think this will end up well. Sounds more like a warning than anything." I commented, rubbing the back of my neck before pulling down my mask, giving me some air. The lift started to descend to who knows where.
"They never add extra details in the rules...it's weird." He claimed, looking at me closely. His eyes are so fucking pretty, what the hell. Little did I know, he was staring at my features as well.
"You think there's a huge twist?" I asked before leaning on the elevator's wall. Feeling a tad bit bored, I played with the phone, turning it and swinging it back and forth.
"Perhaps." He shortly responded. The elevator opened to...darkness. Pulling my mask over the bottom half of my face, I walked out first, taking in the surroundings. There was no light anywhere. The lights from the elevator were the only thing lighting up the place.
Chishiya walking out right after me, he slowly glanced around without a worry being shown on his face. Unfortunately, the elevator closed, taking the light with it. I held up my phone, using the light to look around.
"Underground parking lot made into a maze, strange." He said. He stuck close to me, observing anything that showed up in his eyes. After a minute of wandering, we found a stone wall leading to a path.
"How creepy." I commented, pointing the light at the hallway. Chishiya decided to use his phone as a light source as well, covering more areas around us.
"You scared?" He teased, holding his phone in my direction. The light shined onto my face.
"No." I grumbled, walking into the so called maze. Once we stepped into the stone hallway, the lights turned on from the ceiling. Putting my phone into my pocket, I finally got to see the surrounding terrain. The path split into many direction which led to more splitting.
How maze like.
The flooring was all asphalt concrete, dark gray and a bit crumbly. Every step we took made a scratching noise which probably be terrible for sneakiness.
"Do you have any techniques for mazes?" I asked, hopeful for his intelligence to come into play.
"Of course not." I deadpanned at the reply, my hopes shattering into thin air. Having a mutual agreement to just roam wherever seems fit, we head off in random paths together with him leading. It was shocking to see how massive this maze was, knowing another group of players were included in with us.
"I think the capsules may or may not be a lie." I blurted, accidentally saying it out loud. As my companion took note of that idea, he hummed in amusement.
"You might be onto something." He chuckled, almost sounding like a different person when he's not neutral. "Though, finding the real exit will be a pain if that's true."
Half an hour have passed and we haven't met any other players yet. It was looking awfully quiet and suspicious.
"Chishiya, right or left?" I asked once we got to the splitting path. Without making a single sound, he shook his head to the right. I walked toward that direction, a different scenery catching my eye.
"Hey, look! Something different for a change." I gestured at an arch way with space on the other side. From outside, the circular room on the opposing side looked really mediocre with a different flooring design. The ground looked more smoother and had a lighter color to it.
We walked in to see a decent shaped area. Lasers blocked off the entrance which was technically our exit. A voice rang out in the room.
"Input the correct pattern."
There were five regular pillars surrounding the circular space, all of them have input boxes located on the side. I pulled out my phone to see a separate timer from the five hour, counting down from ten minutes. Chishiya peering at my phone to see the objective, he started to observe the room.
Smelling something in the air, I looked to see a slight fog starting to build up in the room.
"Gas is filling the room." I told the blond male, he nodded at my observation. Analyzing the pillars, the input boxes goes from one to six, a pattern should be located somewhere around the room.
"Come here." Chishiya said while holding part of his jacket against his nose. Rushing over to the crouched male, I saw a tiny engraving on floor. The gas began to get more cloudy in the room, making my vision more limited.
"A star." He said, standing up from his position. Barely seeing the pillars in the room, I managed to see their positions.
"Starting from the arch." I pointed out, he walked to the starting pillar to input one while I went to the one across the room for two. Finishing the shape of the star, ending in six, the air stopped getting more blurry.
"Completed."
As the gas cleared up, there was something at the back of the room. Skipping to the unknown objects, it was revealed to be keys. Two in particular, one for the each of us.
"Damn two keys for what we've been through, don't you think it's an understatement?" I chuckled, taking one of the golden objects. My partner took the other, feeling it with his fingers.
"For you definitely." He said, waving it off. As the lasers were gone, we walked out the room to continue our way around the maze. Instinctively, my face turned into obvious annoyance at the male, looking unimpressed, I walked in front.
Although it was normal for us to bicker, we never really took any offense to it. It was a way to break the silence without seeming awkward.
"You're insufferable." I frowned, feeling his icy gaze burning into my skull. These tiny interactions with each other made me forget the intimate moment we had two days ago. It was like nothing changed which could mean bad or good, depending on your view.
"You're a-maze-ing though." He spoke calmly, a small smirk rose on his face. Not even giving him the satisfaction of turning back at him, I continued to walk, responding with an exasperated noise. It almost sounded like a moan if taken out of context. "Don't make that noise."
"Huh?" I asked, cluelessly before the thought popped into my head. When I turned back to him mid walk, he was staring at the wall with a frustrated expression. "Oh. Is it bothering you, your honor?"
"Maybe it is." He said, displeased with the situation. Regaining his composure, he looked up to see me staring at him with an amused face. "Turn around before you hit face first into a wall."
Rolling my eyes, we continued to maneuver ourselves through the maze. We heard some noises not too far from our position. It sounded like something or someone was thrown onto the wall.
"Let's check it out." I said with a soft tone, not bothering to put any effort. I heard a hum of agreement before trying to close the distance between the noise and us. Eventually, we made it to the scene to see a bloodied up individual being hit by a bat.
"That's good enough." The companion commented, crossing his arms. Yamura took one last swing before standing back up to observe his creation.
"I suppose so. The hunters are weak, no wonder they never win." He replied with a wipe across his forehead. I blinked, staring at the body speechless.
"Isn't it a bit rude to spy on people, (Y/N)?" Yamura turned around to meet us with a wild grin. His partner followed his actions, glancing at the two of us.
"Couldn't be spies when you've spotted me." I said, raising a brow at the question. I watched as he took strides toward me specifically, his expression not changing the slightest.
"Oh, how fun. You brought your boyfriend too." I cringed at his wording. The criminal looked as if he was having fun before getting the chance to kill me at any given moment. Letting out the excitement if you saw it like that.
"I'm not her boyfriend." Chishiya corrected with a bored look. The other male rolled his eyes, walking up to Chishiya instead. As much as I loved Chishiya, he was shorter than the criminal and I couldn't do anything about that. It didn't matter much to me since both of them were taller than me. Height is a choice, and I chose to be short, end of conversation.
"Are you sure, though?" He asked with hidden intent. The shorter male just stared at him blankly, not giving him any type of satisfying reaction. The taller male shrugged, letting out a tiny noise before turning toward me and leaning in.
In a split second, he pulled my mask down, pushing his lips against mine. A gasp came out before it was muted. My eyes widened at the sudden assault, I froze in shock. The male held my jaw tightly with his other hand touching my waist. He bit my lip, trying to enter my mouth, but I composed myself, kicking the criminal in the groin.
Pushing the male away with disgust, I took steps away from him.
"What the hell?" I cursed at his sudden action. Trying to wipe away the feeling from my lips, it refused to go away. I couldn't help, but glance toward Chishiya, wanting to know his reaction.
When I turned to him, he looked the same, but his eyes told a different story. He was pissed. His other features were slightly furrowed, but nothing compared to his eyes. It almost looked darkened and clouded. Chishiya glared at the groaning male while he stumbled toward his friend.
"Not boyfriend you said, I wanted to test that out. Guess you lied." The black haired male managed to let out a smirk even though he was in pain. "Annoying you two is such a nice sight."
Chishiya turned to a split path and walked off. Following his tracks, I left the other two standing by themselves. There was quite a distance between Chishiya and I, he was far ahead of me. After a while of walking in random directions, he stopped to let me catch up.
I felt ashamed of myself, I should've pulled away sooner. I knew that Chishiya was the one that kissed me that night, but I couldn't help but feel guilty about it. I never wanted to kiss anyone, but Chishiya himself.
I recalled the assault as I caught up to my companion. Yamura's lips were roughed up and unpleasant while Chishiya lacked experience, but was softer and genuine. He gave me the feeling of wanting to take a shower after it. It was so dirty.
He only wanted to do it to satisfy himself, to get a reaction out of the both of us. I was at least relieved I pushed him before his tongue got into my mouth. That was something I couldn't live for.
Refusing to take the lead from now on, I stopped behind Chishiya, waiting for him to continue. I didn't even have the urge to pull my mask back up.
"How was the kiss?" He asked to cover up his reaction to the scene. It wasn't exactly teasing, but it wasn't a good thing to ask.
"Shut the fuck up." I blurted without knowing.
Shit, I didn't mean to lash out on him.
I quickly realized my sudden outburst and felt a little guilty for taking it out on him. "I'm sorry, Chishiya."
Finally having the heart to lead, I walked in front with my head tilted downwards to avoid any contact. All the comforting feeling that was built from the two of us was all gone by now. I ruined the connection we had and I did feel sad since it would've been nice to experience it after that.
The blond male didn't say a word, but once I took the lead, I heard footsteps following me. The silence was awful, it was awkward. Letting out a quiet sigh, I took off my mask and shoved it in my pocket. I didn't feel the need to hide behind something that could be easily be broke through.
The phone from my other pocket lit up as a monotone voice rang out.
"One participant has fallen. Five remains."
04:23:34
So for each side, we only know the status of our own.
I looked at my phone and saw the time left as the voice announced. Hearing some rumbling, I noticed the lights got dimmer, slightly less bright than before. Suddenly, the stone walls began to shift as the rumbling grew louder. Turning around, I saw a wall moving to block Chishiya and I. The only thing I saw was his eyes widening before becoming neutral again.
The stone wall settled behind me as if nothing changed. Silence washed over the air in this particular path. On the bright side, the awkward, saddening silence was gone, but I didn't know if that was truly good news.
Now it was a lonely silence, possibly even worse than the one with Chishiya.
I realized how much I missed his presence when he wasn't with me.