Alice in Borderland ~ Chishiya

40

"Hide and seek: All players wear a collar and goggles with a visor."

The game is neatly described on paper. Even the table with weapons that we could use has been neatly drawn.

"One person is the wolf, the other three are the lambs. If the wolf finds you, you'll be the next wolf. Hide well so the wolf can't find you. Clear condition: whoever is the wolf at the end of the game, wins. Time limit: fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes, the collars of all the lambs will explode."

I can hear the computer voice say it again. I can hear Riana, Bozin and Wataki screaming and crying through the headset again.

"Version 2: All players know each other."

Am I not the only one who played this game? Was there another group, but with players who knew each other and may even have been friends? I feel that my face turns pale. If I had so much trouble with the game, while I didn't even know them, what must it have been like for someone who did know the others?

'Hey, here you are.' I look up at Raiden. I don't know what kind of expression I have, but I try to shield myself from it. No more Riana, Bozin or Wataki. No more guilt or disgust. No more anything. 'I played this game,' I say neutrally, getting to my feet and holding up the paper to him. I shine the light of my flashlight on it. 'Hide and seek,' I continue in the same tone. 'All the elaborations of the games that have been held are here.'

Chishiya enters the tower with a stack of papers in his hands. He puts it on a desk. 'Mascots,' he says, taking the stack and putting it on the other desk. 'Poisoned chalice,' he adds, performing the same action. 'That girl said she was the dealer and then she got shot in the head.' He looks around. 'These people were also shot in the head with a laser and they had the elaborations of the games with them. So they have been the dealers.'

I look at Chishiya. Not only because he's the one who spoke, but because I'm trying to find out if he's really that calm. Is he really untouched by this, or is he skilfully putting it away? I just can't figure it out.

'But there's no one here at all now,' he continues thoughtfully. 'Is that because we've finished all games except the three face cards of each symbol?'

'Who cares, dude,' Raiden mumbles in disbelief. 'We've just discovered all these towers and people that represent the games we have played. Games where people have died. Games where we almost died ourselves. Games after which these people died. And what's the only thing you can talk about?! Those damn cards?!'

I understand his response very well. I feel a lot inside of me, but I try to hide it. Raiden doesn't bother to do that. He grabs his flashlight firmly and moves himself to the next tower. He's heard enough of this. He's seen enough of this.

'If no one is here anymore,' Chishiya continues quietly, as if nothing had happened, 'would that mean that those cards aren't available at all?' I take a few steps towards him and lean over the next pile of papers. "Witch hunt – Inoue, Momoka & Kujō, Asahi" I read. 'That could be,' I reply as neutrally as possible to what Chishiya has just said.

From the corner of my eye I can see him looking at me. I pretend I'm looking through the papers, when in reality I'm trying to keep myself calm and neutral, before looking up at him. He looks at me inquiringly, as if he's trying to figure out how I think about this. Does he wonder if that's the same as he does? Does he really not care about what happened here?

'How do you feel?' He caught me off guard with that question. It sounded like he really cared, but maybe he just asked that question to find out what my thoughts are on this. Despite the biting feelings I feel inside me, I don't feel anything at all. I feel numb. 'Empty,' I reply truthfully. He looks at me for a while, before nodding. 'Looks like some games have been played a couple of times, but with a new look,' he says.