(Just to let you know tI'm trying to connect all the pieces of this story altogether so I'm doing thorough research to find out more about each character, before and during the borderlands and more about them.)
Tatta gazed at the car you drove, his mouth hung agape from shock. "D-do you know what car this is? This is a 2017 Ferrari F12tdf model that costs 179,232,750.00 yen! HOLY SHIT! ARE YOU THIS RICH? THIS FERRARI IS THE FIFTH MOST EXPENSIVE FERRARI MODEL IN HISTORY!" (Guys I'm not lying I did some research.)
"Isn't it obvious? I stole it." You replied casually, Tatta still in absolute surprise. "Would you like to drive it back to the beach?" You handed him the keys from your pocket. With enthusiasm, he received the keys from you, squealing in ecstasy as you smiled.
He nodded aggressively, his head looking as if it would drop out of his neck. "I'd be honored too!"
You thought to yourself, "What a friendly man. I should keep him close. I don't sense a single bit of ingenuity from his voice." You squeezed Akira's hand, who was absolutely dumbfounded at the sight of you casually letting someone else take control of the car. Chishiya stood behind you, creating a distance between your trio and the two strangers.
Looking back at him, you saw his eyes squint and dart into Niragi's. You could clearly tell that he was very wary of him, and did not trust him a single bit. You could tell from his stance that he was ready to take his taser out and tase him anytime, as he picked the seat right at the corner of the car.
You sat next to him, Akira crossing his leg on top of the other with his hands shoved into his pockets, his eyes gazing out of the window, occasionally stealing glances at Niragi, a clear red flag.
You sat comfortably in the middle, starting a conversation with Tatta and happily waving your hands around in order to gain his trust and temporary friendship. You acted as the other two's speaker, one mute and the other extremely antisocial.
Meanwhile, Chishiya sat as far away to the corner as he could, shrinking his body to the size of a pea. He discreetly watched you, taking in as much information as he could. You could tell that his eyes were all over you, your actions, your personality, your words, but you could not care more.
(In my opinion Akira is probably the most practical and humane person in the entire series. I mean, he is careful and thoughtful about his actions and very down-to-earth.)
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"Say, Tatta, you seem to have a decent knowledge of automobiles. Plus, with that upbeat personality of yours and your slightly funny jokes, could you possibly be a stand-up comedian before the borderlands?" You questioned, trying to act friendly and soon make use of your "friends".
As you had read in books, making a purposefully false statement to fish out the truth from the other person when they are correcting you is one of the most useful psychology tricks you had learnt about.
But, you had to admit that you could sense that Tatta was a genuinely good man which you liked, although not quite the smart one, which made him naive.
"Mm! You're very observant! When our boss sees your skills, he ought to let you be an executive! You as well, Chishiya! Although silent, you seem to come up with awesome strategies to win the game that are the least energy-wasting and most efficient! Not to mention that your younger brother would make a decent fighter. Yuki, you have amazing weapons and devices, and excellent marksmanship that fits your strong build! You can become a militant! Who knows, maybe you might even be stronger than Aguni, the leader of the militants! Oh! Am I over sharing? S-sorry!" Tatta spoke, sharing a lot of information about the beach.
You and chishiya took in the terms "executive" and "militant", while Akira was nonchalantly staring out of the window, not bothering to listen in to your "boring and lame" conversation. The two of you made eye contact, and you grinned with your teeth at him, as if to tell him, "How about that? The 'cute innocent girl' trick worked!"
Executives could be the people that collected the most amount of cards or are among the intelligent people whose specialties are one of the four game types, or maybe just the VIPs.
As for the militants, Tatta mentioned your fighting abilities and marksmanship. Could that mean that the militants were the people who were also armed with weapons and were the most physically fit among the people in this utopia? It should be.
Then, you leaned towards him. Though he shunned away, he moved his head back as he could tell that you wanted to tell him something. "What's your plan when we get to the beach?" You whispered.
He thought about it, before replying without making eye contact with you, "Become the top member of the beach." Your eyes widened slightly and your mouth formed an "O" shape in bewilderment. Did he really expect to be able to jump up the ranks that fast? It sounded close to impossible.
"I...can help you do it. I'll work behind the scenes," he added. You quirked up an eyebrow. It seemed rather odd that he did not want to be the one who was the top member, but instead would like to be the mastermind behind it all.
Still, it seemed very much like his personality to not want to be one, so that he would not have a target on his head wherever he went. Preferring to keep a low profile, Chishiya obviously did not want to be noticed and silently dominate the beach with you.
Although it was clear that he was using you for intel and the cards, you knew very well that it benefitted both of you, even if the both of you needed to sacrifice something: your labour, for the spot, and his safety, for the cards.
"We'll work together as—"
"Partners in crime. No feelings. No relationship. Just...the top member of the beach, and the cards," he coldly finished your sentence for you, turning his head out of the window to signal the end of your small talk.
"Oi, what're you whispering about? Huh? Got something to say to him, share it with me as well!" Niragi glared at you from the front of the car, irritation lingering in his voice.
"I'd prefer privacy when I'm not talking to you," you averted your eyes from him, your hair half pink and red brushing against Chishiya's shoulder. Niragi scoffed, mumbling under his breath.
Niraigi, you hated to admit it, was not a bad street fighter and was not bad at handling his sniper rifle. He was presumably a militant at the beach, and an executive. He seemed to have a level of experience in the games. Plus, he could play an important role in getting you that role as a VIP.
(WOO! I can't believe so many things happened in just two days goddamn!)
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"Good morning, Tatta and Niraigi. I see that you have brought some new members of the beach." A man with messy, wavy black hair that reached to his shoulder said. He wore a pair of round sunglasses and a colorful coat, reflecting on his outgoing personality. On his feet were a pair of slippers. Everybody else in the room were wearing...swimsuits? Except for three particular people that caught your eye.
Other than niraigi, there was a man wearing a slightly torn black singlet with black bermudas. He had tattoos that covered half of his body. He was leaning on a black katana. The baldi looked kind of skinny, but seemed to have a level of swordsmanship.
"Which anime did he come out of? Cyberpunk Edgerunners? No, he looks like a demon..." You muttered in a voice so soft only Chishiya sitting next to you could hear. He sniggered. Noticing your stare, he hissed back at you, and you shrieked, before giggling.
Standing at the end of the room was a man with a shaved head. He had a tall height of 6'4, and was the size of a black bear, obviously the leader. He was wearing a black tank top and some navy green camo pants. He looked like an ex Police Force member. He crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing you skeptically.
"I better watch out for him," you thought silently, looking at his build up and down. He looked as if he could take on a tiger bare-handedly. You bet that even you could not stand a chance against him if not for your weapons.
He seemed to be interested in...you? He looked at the multiple weapons that you had invented as well as your devices. He was so jacked that he looked as if he held the strength of 100 men combined. He looked so strong that he could fight a lion bare-handed.
"Welcome to the beach, Kayami Akira, Chishiya Shuntaro, and you, miss Kayami Yuki." Hatter, and all the executives stared at all your weapons.
Your dual double-edged scythes, your large machine guns, your smoke bombs, and a few actual bombs, your laptop stored in Akira's backpack used for containing information and checking camera footage from your new device, Akira's hand gun, the two of your daggers.
Not to mention, after checking Chishiya's pants pockets, they found some first-aid medical supplies used for an injury. Chishiya still had his taser hidden in his hoodie pocket, that did not go unnoticed by you. (I just realised how many weapons the three of them are holding with them...)
"Some nice inventions you have...Niraigi over here has told me about your physical ability and your intellect and has recommended you as a candidate for the empty executive spot. You seem like a special member who is suitable for spades games. A truly interesting girl you are indeed, miss Kayami. And you, Chishiya, you seem to have a high level of intelligence, you seem like a suitable diamonds and hearts player. Akira, with the help of your sister, your bond has become unbreakable to the point where you completely trust her. It's impressive how a kid like you can use guns and knives quite well. You seem like a suitable spades player, but with your sister, you two are perfect for a clubs game!"
"Oh please, get to the point already. What is this 'beach' about? How does the system work here? How do you decide on militants and executives? Exactly how does electricity work here? And why is everybody in swimsuits? I need answers right now," you demanded.
Hatter chuckled, patting your head and quieting you down. Strolling leisurely back to his billboard filled with spray paints of all 40 numbered cards, with indicators if they had been collected or not, he acted as if he had all the time in the world.
"Please, do not be too hasty. You will team up with one another to complete games whenever you like, preferably about a day before your visa expires. I heard that currently, the three of you have eight-day visas. All your cards will be surrendered to me now. May I know where you store your cards?"
Sighing exasperatedly, you reluctantly gave your cards to them."It's in the black box there, the password to the lock is 2203." It was a simple passcode to remember since it was your birthday. (Fun fact: 22 March is my actual birthday!)
"What a cautious girl you are, having to store your cards in a locked case." A tall lady with short brown hair and sunglasses covering her eyes commented. She seemed to be a diamonds player, since she did not talk a lot and did not have a strong build. She wore a white tie-up top that matched her denim shorts, complimenting her long, thin legs.
Approaching your black chest, she picked it up and flipped the numbers on your lock that secured your precious cards in it. She passed it to Hatter, after having a peek inside.
"Wow! A large amount of cards you have indeed! These are all very helpful to our card collection! Like this, you and Chishiya can become executives, and Kayami might become a militant as well." Hatter counted the cards like million-dollar bills and placed it in his case.
He crossed out quite a number of the cards he was previously short of. Two of diamonds, five of clubs and three of spades. "All my efforts, being sent away to this glutton. I promise to get my cards back when I become the top member of the Beach!" You planned thoughtfully in your head, your eyebrows shooting up.
"Now, at the beach we have three simple rules you have to follow at all times.
Rule number one: You are to wear swimsuits at the beach at all times, unless you're one of our three militants. You can't hide firearms in a swimsuit, right?
You're free to do anything in here! Drink, take drugs or even..." his eyes hovered between you and Chishiya, and he licked his lips before continuing, "Have sex. Feel free to enjoy your life to the fullest!
All the door locks have been damaged with super glue. Nobody is allowed to hide ANYTHING!
Rule number two: all playing cards belong to the beach. Once you return from a game, you are obliged to give the card that you have earned to me."
Akira spoke up, "And what if we don't want to be in this crappy place where all we do is work for you so you can escape by using all of us?"
Hatter's smile faded. He said fiercely, "Rule number three: Death to the traitors. You will never be forgiven by the beach! Also, to answer your question, feisty kid, I could always keep you here until your visa expired, can't I? Therefore, you're forced to obey me as long as you're a member of the Beach."
You apologized to Akira, before he stopped you. "It's okay, Sis, I agreed to come here with you and Chishiya."
"With your cards, we are many steps closer to escaping the borderlands! Thank you! We will consider promoting you to an executive position!" Hatter exclaimed.
A woman with long, straight hair with a fringe smiled at the three of you. Her eyes dug into you, taking interest in you and Chishiya. There was something about her eyes that differentiated her from the rest.
Although she seemed like a harmless woman, she clearly had something behind that innocent look of hers.
From a corner, a stoic man adjusted his rectangular glasses, glancing at the three of you.
The woman exclaimed enthusiastically, similarly to a hotel receptionist, "Enjoy your stay at the Beach!"
(Whoosh okay now we're in the beach arc let's go! Thank you all for reading!)