Live in a reckless paradise
The house is burning, trapped inside
A reckless paradise
The wheels are turning truth to lies
In reckless paradise
Could cut the tension with a knife
In reckless paradise
It's up to us to read between the lines

"Do we need this… uh… Mycopheno-… something?"

Izumi was standing on a footstool, rummaging through the cabinets of the rheumatology clinic with a determined look, as if she desperately wanted to prove that she was actually useful to me.

I suppressed a sigh and didn't even bother to lift my head to see which medication she was shoving under my nose this time. I already knew without looking.

"Mycophenolate mofetil. An immunosuppressant. Often used for autoimmune diseases but also for organ transplants to prevent rejection."

Izumi frowned and stared thoughtfully at the package in her hands. Her lips pressed together briefly, and a flicker of discomfort crossed her face.

"So… no?" she asked uncertainly, slowly putting the package back into the cabinet.

"No," I replied curtly, opening the next drawer. "Unless you plan on implanting a replacement heart in someone."

The comment was casual, but the moment I said it, I noticed how she froze for a split second before hastily looking away. The quiet rustling of boxes reached my ears again as she continued searching, this time almost frantically.

I frowned. This wasn’t the first time I noticed her avoiding certain topics, but organ transplants? Did this have something to do with what I had seen on her heart ultrasound? Normally, I didn’t care about other people’s problems, but in her case, it might be useful. There was something she was deliberately keeping secret. Secrets were valuable. And people with secrets were easier to manipulate.

I decided to store the information in the back of my mind while I continued searching through the drawers. Eventually, she would reveal it—whether she wanted to or not. It was just a matter of picking the right moment.

"Focus on finding antibiotics and anesthetics. Those are what we need the most," I said, though it was probably pointless. She couldn’t even tell Aspirin from Amoxicillin. She’d probably end up taking vitamin supplements, thinking she had found something useful.

A part of me wondered why I even brought her along. At the moment, she was more of a hindrance than a help. It was ridiculous—she had no clue about medicine and stumbled over every complicated name she read. And yet, I couldn’t help but find her determination somewhat fascinating—almost… cute.

I wrinkled my nose at the thought. Cute? I wasn’t the type to find people cute, especially not someone who blindly stumbled through life like she did. And yet, I caught myself watching her, noticing the way she murmured the names of the medications softly before putting them back?

Damn it. 

Something inside me was stirring, something I had successfully suppressed for years. Feelings. But why was I allowing them to throw me off balance?

I quickly pushed the thoughts aside and forced myself to focus on what mattered—the medications.

"What about this one?"

Izumi pulled out another package and held it up triumphantly, as if she had just hit the jackpot.

I sighed and tried to sound as annoyed as possible as I glanced over at her.

"Amitriptyline. An antidepressant." I shook my head. "Useless—unless you're planning to start therapy sessions."

She pouted and reluctantly placed it back in the cabinet, as if I had just crushed all her hopes and dreams. Yet, she kept searching, as if determined to find something I wouldn’t reject.

"So tell me…," she began hesitantly, pausing as if she needed to gather the courage to ask. "What do you think of Niragi?"

I slowly turned my gaze to her, my brow furrowing. What an odd change of topic. She looked completely serious, waiting for an answer, but I also noticed the way she bit her lip, as if she were afraid of what I might say.

"Niragi? Oh, he’s a great guy. Always so considerate, charming, and helpful—the dream of every mother-in-law," I replied with a smirk.

Izumi rolled her eyes but remained persistent.

"Come on, I'm serious. You must have an opinion about him."

"Why do you care what I think of him? Planning to set us up?"

She scoffed.

"No, I just… never mind."

Looking frustrated, she turned back to the cabinet, rummaging through boxes again. I shook my head and opened another drawer.

"Ah, there it is" I said smugly as I discovered a decent supply of various anesthetics. "Lidocaine and even ketamine. That should last us a while."

I grabbed the large, empty medical bag we had found and began packing the vials one by one when a sudden scream shattered the silence.

I turned just in time to see Izumi hastily retreating from the footstool, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at the cabinet in horror. She lost her balance, her arms flailing wildly.

"What the—?" I started, but her panicked voice cut me off.

"SPIDER! A huge spider!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"A spider? Seriously?"

"Yes! It’s hanging up there in the cabinet!"

With trembling fingers, she pointed toward the shelf. I stepped closer, briefly locking eyes with her—that were shining with fear—and couldn't help but snort in amusement.

"You screamed down the entire building over a spider?"

"I said it’s a big spider! There it is!" she almost shrieked as it descended further.

Izumi waved her hands frantically.

Just as I rolled my eyes, she took another step back, completely forgetting she was still standing on the footstool. She lost her balance and teetered backward.

Instinctively, I moved forward and caught her. Izumi’s back hit my chest with a jolt, and my hands grasped her shoulders.

For a moment, she stood frozen, obviously shocked by the sudden fall. Then, as she realized how close we were, a small gasp escaped her. She quickly wriggled out of my grip as if she had been burned, her cheeks instantly turning bright red.

"You okay?" I asked coolly, though I felt my muscles involuntarily tense.

"Y-yeah, thanks," she mumbled quickly, tucking her hair behind her ears in embarrassment.

I cleared my throat, approached the cabinet, and casually flicked the spider away. I watched as the creature scurried across the floor and disappeared under a piece of furniture. Izumi stared after it, looking utterly betrayed.

"There, the terrifying threat has been eliminated. You can breathe again," I said, my voice laced with amusement.

"Very funny."

Her lips pressed into a pout. Slightly miffed, she turned away from me and climbed back onto the footstool. But the way her hands still trembled was unmistakable, as if she feared the spider might return with reinforcements.

Her nervousness was obvious, and as much as she tried to focus on the medications again, I was sure it wasn’t just the spider unsettling her.

I had seen this reaction from her before—that slight uncertainty whenever I got too close. A part of me found it amusing. But then, there was another side, the one that stirred those annoying feelings in me. Feelings I couldn’t quite identify. They were unnecessary. Distracting.

Even though she was just a pawn in my plan, I had instinctively caught her from falling. Maybe because I had already ingrained my strategy so deeply that even my instincts were programmed to protect her. The more I helped her, the more she trusted me—and trust was exactly what I needed to lure her into my trap. It would be easy. She was far too naive, and it was obvious that she had already begun to develop tender feelings for me. But I couldn’t rush it. She knew I wasn’t someone who let people in easily. Patience was key.

She couldn't suspect a thing, couldn't realize that every kind word, every gesture was merely meant to pull her deeper into my control. That meant pushing the game just far enough for her to believe I was there for her—without ever truly getting too close.

I was about to turn away and finish packing the rest of the supplies when I heard her voice again.

"Hey, look! I found Amoxicillin. We need this, right?"

She triumphantly pulled a box from the cabinet and held it up. I took a quick glance at the box and nodded briefly.

"Nice. Finally, something useful."

She smiled proudly, as if she had found the Holy Grail. That smile... I felt it tug at my nerves because I knew exactly what it meant. She was expecting me to praise her, and maybe, under different circumstances, I would have. But not now. Not when I wanted to maintain control.

"Hurry up, we don't have all day," I said brusquely, turning away before I could say anything I might regret.

Still… her presence felt disturbingly good.

I continued my work, sorting everything useful we had found into the medical bag. Meanwhile, the thought of her strange question about Niragi lingered in my mind.

"By the way... Niragi," I began casually, without looking up from my task. "He's a psycho. A sadist who enjoys torturing people. As I said before, you should stay away from him. Although, I suppose you won't do anyway."

She paused briefly and shot me a dark look.

"Oh, I do. It’s not like it was my fault I ended up in a game with him," she said, folding her arms across her chest, glaring at me. Her eyes were flashing with determination. "And besides... I don’t need a protector. I can handle myself just fine."

Her voice was defiant, almost challenging.

I raised an eyebrow, closed the medical bag, and gave her an amused glance.

"Right, a brave woman like you really doesn’t need a protector. Unless, of course, it has eight legs."

She snorted in irritation as I slung the packed bag over my shoulder.

"I didn’t ask you to help me, Chishiya," she protested.

I skeptically raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, next time I'll just drop you and get eaten by the spider," I said with a smug smile, turning toward the door. "Come on, we should get moving."

Izumi was quieter on the way down, but I could tell she was secretly watching me from the corner of her eye as we walked side by side. Even though the silence was brief, I could almost hear her thoughts. Something was still on her mind. But she kept quiet.

Eventually, I realized she was slowing down and falling behind. I turned around just as she vanished from my line of sight. She had stopped and was staring thoughtfully into one of the store windows, seemingly captivated by something behind the glass.

I stepped closer and saw that it was a stunning ball gown displayed in the window. The top was a black corset adorned with delicate lace and tight lacing, with red satin peeking through underneath. The elegant skirt, also deep red, flared out and reached the floor. It was extravagant—like a relic from a long-forgotten time. In a world like Borderland, it seemed almost out of place. And yet, Izumi seemed enchanted by it.

Suddenly, Hatters' words from the previous day came back to me. The announced costume ball. Maybe she was thinking about that right now.

"Come on, we don’t have time for window shopping. We need to move," I said, snapping her out of her deep thoughts.

She sighed softly and nodded, almost reluctantly. With one last longing glance at the dress, she followed me. But the hesitation in her movements made it clear she would have loved to try it on. I knew she wanted it, but we had more important priorities now. We had to get back to the hotel before Hatter got the idea that we were deserters who had run off.

◇

A mix of booming bass, stale air, and the familiar scent of chlorine hit us as we entered the Beach Hotel after two exhausting hours. We had switched off carrying the supplies, but the tropical heat and our limited water supply had drained us.

After several wrong turns, we had taken a map from a gas station shop. Kiko had only glanced at it briefly, then led us back with the precision of a living GPS system. It was a skill that impressed even me a little. Hayashi had jokingly nicknamed her “Google Maps” afterward.

As soon as we entered the premises, a figure detached itself from the dancing crowd. 

Of course. 

The annoying puppy. 

He ran toward us, his face radiating relief as he almost desperately pulled Izumi into his arms. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes.

"Thank goodness you’re back, Tsu. I thought you were..."

His voice trailed off as he pulled her into a tighter embrace. Great. I hadn’t thought that this spectacle could get any more cliché, but here we were.

Izumi smiled awkwardly, and I noticed how she tensed up slightly.

Something about the way he held her possessively—like she belonged to him—made a strange unease stir in me. Or maybe it was just his mere existence that annoyed me.

I turned my gaze elsewhere, focusing on something that would make this unnecessary scene less irritating. But that queasy feeling in my stomach remained. Why exactly? I had no idea. 

Maybe it was the laugh that didn’t quite sound genuine. Maybe because she couldn’t quite pull herself away from him.

"Where were you for so long?" the puppy asked almost accusingly, his eyes scanning our faces, then lingering on me. Immediately, his eyes narrowed suspiciously, as if he instinctively suspected me of keeping Izumi from returning on time.

"Niragi left us after the game yesterday and drove off. We had no choice but to spend the night in a hotel," Izumi explained apologetically. "But we’re all fine, as you can see."

His gaze locked back onto me, narrowing even more.

I let an eyebrow rise, allowing a smug smile to creep onto my lips, almost as if I had won some imaginary contest that only existed between the two of us.

"I can see that," he grumbled, his voice laced with annoyance.

He was probably wondering how close Izumi and I had gotten during our time apart. The concern on his face was obvious.

Kiko and Hayashi stood silently beside us, exchanging knowing glances—they seemed to feel the tension between us too. They quickly excused themselves from the conversation, clearly not wanting to get involved in our matters. 

My gaze wandered back to Aoyama. It was amusing to watch him trying to hold it together. The thought of him wondering how close Izumi and I had gotten was almost too amusing to resist. The unspoken tension hung in the air, and I knew it was torturing him.

"Too bad you weren’t there, Aoyama. You missed quite a bit. Right, Izumi?"

Izumi flinched slightly when I said her name, looking at me in surprise. For a moment, her eyes betrayed uncertainty, but then she quickly recovered. She cleared her throat and nervously twirled a strand of hair.

"Uh, yeah, it was..." she began, but as soon as her gaze met Aoyama’s, her voice died in her throat. She seemed to realize that mentioning it would only fuel his suspicions about me. "It was… nerve-wracking. The game, I mean..."

A small grin spread across my face as I saw her struggle with the explanation, her cheeks turning a shade of pink. It was almost amusing watching him misinterpret the situation, even though nothing’s happened between us. But Izumi’s awkward words seemed to feed his imagination.

"Not just the game, huh?" I said, pushing things even further.

I saw her eyes widen slightly at my comment, but she didn’t respond right away.

"Well, yeah, the way back too. It was a long trip," she tried to downplay the situation, letting out a small chuckle that sounded a little too forced.

He nodded, but I could hear the cracking of his knuckles. I watched as he placed a hand on her shoulder—almost possessively.

"Come on, let's go to the restaurant. You must be hungry."

He pulled her toward him and was about to walk away, but Izumi quickly slipped out of his embrace.

"Go ahead, Koto. I'll catch up in a minute." She threw him an encouraging smile. But the man in question didn’t move. Instead, his suspicious gaze slowly drifted back to me. "We found some useful medication, and I just want to help Chishiya bring it to the infirmary."

Her lie was so obvious, yet he gave a stiff nod and finally turned away.

I watched as Izumi followed him with her eyes, her brow slightly furrowed as if she were wrestling with some internal struggle. Eventually, she turned back to me, her eyes narrowing into slits. 

Almost roughly, she grabbed my arm and pulled me into a secluded corner, away from the noise.

"What the hell was that?"

Her voice was sharper than usual, almost accusatory, as she crossed her arms over her chest. The unexpected contact threw me off for a fraction of a second, but I quickly regained my composure.

"What was what?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"You know exactly what," she hissed, her glare intensifying. "Makoto. You keep provoking him. Why?"

I shrugged.

"I could give you some deep, philosophical reason, but honestly—it’s just fun."

She let out an exasperated huff.

"Stop putting ideas in his head. There's nothing between us, got it?" she said firmly.

But as our eyes met, I saw a flicker of doubt in hers. It was almost as if she was hoping for me to confirm that the unspoken tension between us was just in her imagination. I merely gave a small, knowing smile, and for a brief moment, she blinked, as if thrown off balance.

"Interesting that you feel the need to clarify that. But if you're so sure, why are you telling me, not him?"

My grin widened slightly as she opened her mouth—only for nothing to come out. I had actually managed to leave her speechless.

"Go on, then. Run back to your little puppy before he starts worrying too much." I turned away, smirking. "I can handle the medication on my own."

She glared at me for another moment before shaking her head in disbelief. With one last irritated huff, she spun around abruptly and walked off. I watched her disappear into the crowd, a quiet sense of triumph settling in my chest.

This game with her was starting to get interesting.