Alice in Borderland: The Cycle Continues

69) Tenth Day of Exhibitions

"And, you know... I really just can't help loving the people I meet. No matter how much I resist, I think deep inside my heart is meant to care for others, but never myself. I think, for all my life and whatever else remains for me down the road, I will only ever be a provider."

===Benkei Furetcha===

A cold breeze washed over the Maindo rubble, strands of my hair brushing past my face.

With the stars above us, and the rest of the crew gone, we attended to small activities to quell our boredom and anxiety. Aulia played with a tower of Jenga along Niko, while Zakū and Maeda bounced a tennis ball between each other. Judumai was slouched against a piece of brick wall which remained standing, his breathing heavy, but able to regain control of his body. Ashikaga kept a lookout on her guard tower, her gaming devices completely abandoned, and her foot bind in a cast.

I sat beside Aulia's tower, careful not to disturb it, basking in the night sky, soaking in the distant music. Gabura and Aoyama would be returning soon, after having promised to continue the concert for a little while longer. A tight bandage was wrapped around my abdomen, blood still leaking out of my wound. Walking was very difficult, and with each breath, I shuddered, my body tense.

Ashikaga peered through her binoculars again in the direction of the shrine, then gasped. "Guys... Guys!"

I glanced up, and everyone's attention paused. "The Queen of Diamonds blimp is falling! It's falling!"

"What? No way!" Aulia said, leaping up and running to look around the skyscraper that blocked the sky. "She's right! They took it down!"

Ashikaga tossed the binoculars to Zakū, who took a peek before passing it to Maeda. "No. Fucking. Way." He said, mouth open.

"This is it. We're finally at the end." I muttered.

"So... It's... Nearly over?" Judumai whispered, limping towards us, supporting himself on a walker.

"We have one game left." Niko said. "If we win this, it's all over! Let's find the others and take down the King of Hearts!"

"Yeah, the King stands no chance against us!" Ashikaga shouted. "Let's wait for them to all get back, then plan our next move!"

"About time." Aulia said, cracking a slight smile. "Then after that, we can all get back to our normal lives."

"Maybe Tori will be there." I murmured, so quietly that no one else could hear–it was solely for my own reassurance.

===Tori Jakurin===

Above us, the force field flashed, before vanishing in a sudden blip.

The blimp's fireball crashed into the trees, and they flashed into a blaze. I gasped, Rafferty pulling me back, as the flames spread onto the trees, fragments of metal falling into the clearing.

"Quick!" I yelled, "Get their bodies!"

I ran forward, taking hold of Hanako and Raiya's hands, lugging them forward, yet Rafferty didn't match my pace. He was behind me, switching between pulling Chihaya, Kazetani, and Shirai.

A burning tree crashed into the clearing as we evacuated, but Rafferty was struggling. I powered forward, pulling Raiya and Hanako ahead, before dropping them and rushing back to me, taking Shirai's body.

One of the buildings behind us caved in, the wooden walls splintering in half, toppling over in a burst of dust as fire consumed it.

As the forest burned behind us, we tugged their bodies through the path, burning branches falling onto the oath, sweat running down my path.