CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
club
DRAWN TO THE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE KitKat stacked in front of her, Kaori licked her lips and grabbed a tiny pack. Now, she really craved the sweets and she knew it would make up for the beverage that tasted as bad as she remembered.
When Kaori made her way to the group, she realized they were slowly breaking off from their circled stance, signaling they had probably already started to tell each other's suits.
It was certainly selfish but Kaori wasn't mad not to know who Urumi had decided to eliminate in that round. Standing aside, weak and silent as the fate of an innocent lied solely in the hands of Urumi, wasn't something she liked.
Urumi opened her eyes as she gasped when seeing Kaori, "Oh! But we didn't tell you your suit!"
The brunette blinked, almost spilling her coffee on Chishiya in the process. She scratched her throat, frowning at the sight of the entire group staring at her, and put the mug and snacks on the table.
Urumi was still looking at her with a smile, "You can show us."
Her eyes scanned the group, noticing how some of them were awkwardly shifting on their foot or avoiding her gaze. Oh no, come on... Very slowly, Kaori spun on her heels, pushing her hair to the side and making eye contact with Chishiya.
His gaze had visibly darkened, something she hadn't seen in him for quite awhile. Well, not directed at her, at least.
She felt the lingering presence of Urumi behind her, her hot breath hitting the back of her neck. "Your suit is... Spade!"
The voices of some other players echoed the same word after Urumi, sizzling in her ears irritatingly.
A quick look at Ippei —still sitting next to Chishiya, and the tiny pout and shaky breath he let out were enough confirmation for Kaori. For an obscure reason, she was certainly Urumi's next target.
Kaori nodded, shooting a look at Urumi's calm figure. She had a sparkle in her eyes, smiling before biting her pink pocky stick.
The nausea hit her instantly. Again. Her stomach twisted and she almost flinched at the sensation, her heart started racing so rapidly in her chest that she could feel the beats in her entire body.
Her feet moved on their own and, in the blink of an eye, Kaori was in the bathroom, hiding in a stall.
Did Urumi really lie to her? Or was she making that up because seeing so many people die was blurring her perception of reality? She could be paranoid and imagine everyone had suddenly turned against her when none of it was actually true.
Kaori had never openly expressed any sort of disagreement in front of Urumi. It simply didn't make sense that she would lie to her in this round, Kaori had always made sure to remain as neutral as possible around her.
A shaky breath left her lips and the girl rubbed her temples with her fingers, the ghost of a migraine threatening to strike soon. I'm going crazy, I gotta chill. Let's be fucking rational here. I didn't do anything wrong, there's no reason Urumi would lie to me. I'm just panicking because of the previous rounds.
With a straight posture, definitely there to give her some confidence, Kaori pushed the stall's door and walked out of the bathroom. She barely had the time to go around the corner that she collided against someone, letting out a choked shriek.
It was Chishiya.
Under any other circumstances, she would have immediately relaxed but when their bodies collided, Chishiya's arm had wrapped around her waist to avoid a fall. And, by doing so, he had inevitably pulled her against him, his hand tightly latched on her hip as their bodies were now glued together.
Kaori had no other choice but to rest her forearms on his shoulders. Chishiya leaned into her ear, so close that their cheeks brushed, "Club."
The rhythm of her breaths intensified, both by their proximity and by the word he had let out in a whisper straight into her ear. She could feel his calm breath tickling her neck, causing her to race at the simple realization that she was wrapped in Chishiya's arm.
She wasn't crazy, Urumi had lied to her.
Agonizingly slow, Chishiya leaned back and removed his arm from her waist, locking eyes with her. She felt his fingers lingering on her waist before pulling away entirely. His gaze was so profound it felt like Kaori could fall inside just to see how far she would go. And his eyes didn't carry the darkness she had perceived back when Urumi had announced her suit.
Kaori often praised herself with the ability to read peoples' emotions almost seamlessly. With Chishiya, it was constantly difficult.
She blinked, noticing her forearms were still resting on his shoulders and stepped back, letting them fall by her sides. It didn't take a genius to notice her red cheeks and Kaori was too deep in her own embarrassment to pretend it wasn't there.
From the corner of her eyes, Kaori noticed Urumi and the rest of the group coming around and she spun on her heels, quickly walking in the opposite direction. If she had been lied to, now wasn't the time to cause Chishiya's downfall.
Not that he needed them to survive but he wasn't a threat yet and Kaori would lie if she said she didn't care if he was ever endangered during the game.
Especially since he had helped her at various occasions. Is he like... growing fond of me or something? Kaori pushed the thought away and let her heartbeat slow down in an isolated spot of the prison.
Eventually, they all stood in front of their cells and Kaori quickly looked at Chishiya, whose cell was after Ippei's. A while back, if they would have played that game, she probably would have doubted him. Because he was surely manipulative and selfish, he had proved it more often than necessary.
Today, however, Kaori knew she could trust him. His personality appeared to be much more complex than what he would show and, even if Kaori couldn't really pinpoint what she perceived in him, there was definitely a soul inside this man.
She walked inside her cell and let out a shaky breath when she heard the door closing right after. The girl could act unphased as long as possible, trust wasn't her forte and the seed of doubt had undeniably been planted right after she started suspecting Urumi of lying.
What if Chishiya was actually the one who lied?
The prison's compound stood still, in complete silence, as the players all faced their own fate in rooms all dampened by the past of former prisoners —a similar destiny possibly awaiting for each of them if they didn't play their cards right.
The timer struck the final second and a loud explosion vibrated on the thick walls. The players still alive now fully aware that someone else had died in this round.
Slowly, the players started emerging from their cells, looking all around to see who was still on board with the game.
When Ippei came out of his own cell, his eyes landed on Chishiya, whose face was turned in his direction. Ippei's smile faltered when he realized he wasn't looking at him but rather further away. It was true, Kaori's cell was next to his.
Ippei followed his gaze and gulped when he saw the door leading to Kaori's cell was still closed. His heart clenched in his chest, he should have done something, there was no way she could've died. He didn't want to believe the explosion he had heard was coming from the cell right next to his.
He swore it was coming from somewhere else. His gaze chased after Urumi, who was slyly smiling when she noticed the brunette was nowhere to be found.
A clicking sound startled Ippei and he snapped his eyes to the left, taking a large breath at the sight of the door opening.
Kaori walked out of the cell with a stone cold expression plastered on her face. Ippei gulped, she definitely looked scary right now.
She swept the room until her eyes landed on Urumi, the usually joyful girl now pale when she understood her plan had failed. Kaori maintained eye contact, tilting her head with the ghost of a smirk flashing on her lips.
Urumi was the first one to look away, going back to her quirky self and leaving the hallway without a second glance in Kaori's direction.
Kaori, on the other hand, released a long breath, letting her head fall down with her eyes closed. This round could have gone terribly wrong, hell, what am I saying, lethally wrong.
A presence near her caused her to open her eyes and she softened at Ippei who was looking at her with the happiest smile she had seen in a while.
"I guess you guys are stuck with me for a little longer," Kaori joked, her tone betraying the remains of fear.
"I was scared Chishiya's plan wouldn't work out," Ippei confessed in a murmur.
Kaori looked at the blonde man and she rolled her eyes at his usual grin. But her gaze softened and she almost imperceptibly nodded, silently thanking him for saving her life.
I can't fucking hide it anymore, I am down bad for him... Good job, Kaori, good job...
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author's note. im sorry but i gotta say that i ship my own ship zodjzkzj
also thank you for all the support ily all (also i looove reading comments so please dont be shy cause they really make my day)