☆ In which you are made aware of a man's rather googly appearance. ☆
The sun was beginning to set. Remnants of afternoon sunlight reflect off your mirror and through the pink post-it, casting squares of rainbow around your room and a small rosy glow in the space beneath your dressing table. You watch the patch of pink as Kuina talks, dreadlocks swaying lightly as she recounts the game she has just played.
Kuina had gone to find you almost immediately after she had returned from her game, but Chishiya was nowhere to be seen. He had floated away after the two of you spoke at the games departure earlier, off to some mystery place you presumed was that obscure corridor you'd found yesterday.
Although something in the back of your mind had urged you to, you had made no attempt to follow him.
"It was a Four of Diamonds," Kuina reports, "and I'm starting to wonder if I'm not as smart as I think I am." She sighs, and stretches out her legs from where the both of you sit on your hotel room floor. The two of you sip at mugs of the Beach's terrible coffee, courtesy of Kuina.
"It was the only drink I could find," she'd said woefully after handing you a cup. "And what better way to appreciate life after surviving a death game is there than to imbibe Komori's Coffee Emporium Instant Coffee?"
You did not add that you were in no need of any additional zest of life (especially not when it came in the form of muddy liquid), and had clinked your mug with Kuina's in a very reluctant cheers.
"We had to do something weird with this lightbulb and some switches," she continues, taking a sip and crinkling her nose. "Seriously, it felt like I was the only one who didn't understand! If Arisu hadn't been there, I might have come back a bit crispier. Wait, no," Kuina pauses. "Ann was there too. I guess we would've been alright, then. But my point still stands!"
You smile languidly, but then look up from the pink glow you are strangely fixated on. "Arisu?" You ask, both coffee cup and brows raised questioningly.
"Ah, the new guy," Kuina says dismissively, waving a hand. "I'm sure you've seen him. Y'know - tall, appalling beach shorts, kind of googly."
"Googly?" You snort. She must mean the man you'd seen earlier, standing by the pool with the short-haired woman. He was a bit googly, in the sense that he looked as if he moved through the world in a perpetual state of confusion. Judging by Kuina's recount of the game, he must be hiding a rather sharp mind under all that google.
Perhaps you had passed judgement on him too quickly, and that he actually could be a Diamonds player after all.
"Yes, googly," Kuina grins. "I hear he brought in some pretty high cards."
"Oh, really?" Your palm comes up to rest under your cheek. "Will he be made into an executive, then?" You think back to Chishiya, and his endless meetings. He never says much about them, but the look on his face he always wears after leaving one pretty much tells you all you need to know about his unenthusiasm for them.
Kuina shrugs, and chews the end of her straw. "Maybe. I wouldn't wish it on the poor guy, though." She leans back thoughtfully. "Meetings with both Niragi and Chishiya sounds like hell itself."
You laugh, and nudge her with your leg lazily. "He isn't that bad. Chishiya, that is." You amend. "Niragi is a different story."
Kuina makes a sort of scrunched-up expression and flaps her arms about, coffee threatening to spill. "You don't know the half of it!" She complains, as you set down your own mug to guide her arms down from their treacherous height.
"The two of them are grown men and yet they act like high-school morons. Do you know what happened the other day? Niragi tried to gossip to me." she bemoans. At this you make a rather strangled noise, one of half-laugh-half-horror. "I have absolutely no idea why. The only explanation I can come up with, other than the fact that Niragi really just has no friends, is that he was trying to get insider info on Chishiya from me in exchange." She taps her cheek in contemplation. "But then Chishiya appeared out of nowhere like he always does. I think Niragi was trying to get him off the executive team by means of scandal, although as long as Niragi remains an executive I doubt there's much scandal that could put Chishiya in a worse light than him."
"Ah, right," you say, taking a long sip of coffee and trying to hide the instant regret that consumes you afterwards. "Of course." Kuina nods, too engrossed in her reminiscence to acknowledge your not-very-silent coughing.
"You know what, it was too bad, really." she says finally, after you finish choking. She waves her pointed index finger around, affecting the air of someone about to say something profound. "I actually know next to nothing about Chishiya, anyway, so I would've just been getting free entertainment. Being such a weirdo, Niragi is bound to know something interesting."
"Goodness me." You grin at this, nudging the tall woman with your leg again. "I didn't know you were so shameless, Kuina."
"Who, me? Shameless? Never." She snickers, retaliating with a nudge more like a kick that rattles the coffee in your hands. "Watch the coffee," she sings, and you pretend to throw the cup at her.
You sit up on the rooftop, alone for once. Setsuko's rings flash on your fingers. You do not expect Chishiya to be there; for one, it is still far too early - the moon is still young in the night and the party is still raging down by the pools. For the second reason, it is because you can see Chishiya himself down there with Kuina.
The two stand off to a distance, whispers cupped in Kuina's hands and Chishiya with his head inclined towards her. Kuina, who exhibits rather obvious body language even from a distance, seems to be quite focused on the pair that sit in the plastic lounge chairs a little way away.
Arisu and his friend, the woman with short hair, sit stiffly under the absurdly colourful beach umbrellas. They seem out of place among the crush of partygoers, and discuss something worriedly under the resonating bass playing on the speakers. Your eyes slide back to Kuina and Chishiya, folding your fingers together as you watch Kuina pick her way through the jostling crowd towards Arisu Plus One. Your eyes linger on Chishiya, who watches Kuina as well. Although still faint in the sky, it is as if Chishiya is the moon's earth-bound counterpart. He seems to glow, almost luminescent, hair falling slightly over where it is tucked behind his ears.
He looks up.
You startle as Chishiya meets your eyes. Well and truly caught off guard, you can feel the pink flush your cheeks. You are suddenly grateful for both the distance and the night's lack of light - you didn't realise he would be able to see you from so far away. Even from where he stands you can see the amused laugh form on his lips, and you almost look away in embarrassment. He throws you a small wave, mouth twitching into a smirk.
His lips form words too. Hello, angel, he mouths, grinning.
You snort, and flap a hand in mock irritation to wave away the burst of stars. Oh, go away, you mouth back, although you can't help grinning even as you say this. You do not know if he can see you well enough to read your lips, but you see him laugh anyway.
The blaring music down below comes to a sudden stop, and you tear your eyes away from Chishiya. A group of men shouldering guns flood the pool area, lead by Aguni, a large and scarred man you'd seen around the Beach only once or twice.
You sigh. Very few people were fond of the militants, and you were no exception.
Niragi barks obscenities at the man working the music, and Aguni & Co make their way towards where Arisu is sitting with Kuina and his friend. Chishiya watches, lazy interest apparent on his face. Aguni says something to Arisu, and the puppy-like man's face contorts with pain. Niragi makes a comment towards the short-haired woman and Arisu shoots to his feet, now incensed. Kuina tugs at his arm, shaking her head. The name 'Usagi' floats up in the air.
You hum. So the woman's name is Usagi.
Usagi is being pulled by militants now, and you feel a twinge of sympathy for the two of them. If punches were to fly, Arisu would not stand a chance. Arisu is arguing, Aguni is ignoring, Usagi is resisting, Niragi is sticking out his tongue again. You wonder for a second whether you should go down there too, but there is nothing you would be able to do. You unfortunately lack the fighting experience that would be required in a militant showdown and do not wish to be pulped, so you continue to look on.
You have to give it to Usagi, who is clearly unresigned to her likely fate as she struggles against the militants. Determination must be common among Spades players.
A new man enters the scene. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Chishiya turn his half-lidded attention to the newcomer.
"What is going on here?" Hatter's voice is loud and confident, as he saunters into the pool area. He flashes a smile for invisible paparazzi, looking benevolently upon the scene in front of him. Niragi turns to look scornfully at him and Usagi jerks her arm out of his grip, glowering. Arisu moves ever so slightly towards Usagi. You can see the twitch in his arm, ready to throw it out in front of the woman if need be. A touching gesture, although a bit pointless in retrospect. After all, the militants do have guns.
Aguni moves his head, stony-faced, as Hatter wriggles over to him. The Hatter is a rather slithery man, you note. The onlooking Beach members visibly relax as Hatter diffuses the situation in said slithery manner, whispering something to Aguni that you cannot make out. Niragi scoffs, and the whole lot of the militants slowly disperse in annoyance at Aguni's grudging command. Hatter beckons to Arisu and the tall man trails reluctantly after him, but only after shooting a reassuring look at Usagi. The music crackles back to life; an anticlimactic end to such a dramatic turn of events.
You look back to search for Chishiya again, but he has melted away. When you turn your head, Kuina is gone too. Usagi stands alone, looking troubled.
You get to your feet and leave the roof.