❤️ Mad Hatter

We paint white roses red
Each shade from a different person's head
This dream, dream is a killer
Gettin′ drunk with the blue caterpillar

It was him.

I was absolutely sure. There was simply no doubt that it was him. It wasn't just his unusual hair colour or the striking white jacket, but also his dark, deep eyes that somehow reminded me of the shape of a cat. I would have recognised them among thousands. The searching gaze with which he eyed me, however, remained inscrutable. He seemed to regard me as someone who had no great significance for him, almost indifferently. And only a moment later he had already disappeared again into the shadows of the corridor.

Was he avoiding me? Was he afraid I might tell someone about his secret?

At least that would be something I could understand. Nevertheless, I would have liked to thank him. After all, it was probably only because of him that I was still alive. But how could I do that when he obviously didn't want to talk to me?

"....Izzy? I'm allowed to say Izzy, right?" Kuina's voice transported me back to the present. I blinked in irritation. "Were you even listening to me?"

"Um, what?"

"I asked if you'd like to have a drink with me at the bar? Before your game tomorrow, you should really let it rip. You never know if it might be the last time," she said with a furtive grin on her lips.

Kuina was right. I had almost forgotten about the upcoming game because of all the new things that had come my way since I had landed here. Besides, I was already used to the fact that my life could end any day, with the crucial difference that I now had the unique opportunity to enjoy the last remaining hours of my life to the full and to shape them as I wanted.

I therefore nodded willingly, even though I would have preferred to ask her about the young man who was still haunting the back of my mind. But I was also aware that any interest on my part would only draw unnecessary attention to him. It would be almost easy to draw a connection to him if I inquired about him. And if there was one thing I didn't want, it was for him to get into trouble because of me and, in the worst case, possibly even be executed. So I tried to swallow my questions and focus my thoughts on other things instead.

"I should probably get ready at first," I said as I tried in vain to tidy my unruly hair with my fingers.

"Oh come on, you look great. I'd kill to have hair like yours."

I smiled tiredly and somewhat reluctantly let Kuina pull me out of the hotel lobby.

"Trust me. You wouldn't. Most of the time they drive me crazy."

We followed the electronic dance music that was blasting out of the oversized speakers at a deafening volume, just like the days before. This time, however, I felt much more prepared for what awaited me outside and, strangely, I didn't mind as we pushed our way through the dense crowd. Admittedly, I even found it a little exciting. It had been a long time since I had been to any party. Makato had mostly avoided them, which was why I had only been out clubbing a few times in the past. The people around us were visibly boisterous and in a good mood. Some were playing beach volleyball, others were dancing to the electronic sounds, chasing each other in the pool and spraying each other with water pistols. There was nothing to suggest that this world was full of deadly threats. But maybe they were just trying to block out the cruel reality by taking refuge in this colourful illusory world. One could hardly blame them.

"So, what would you like?", Kuina babbled as we stopped at the bar. "The choice isn't huge, but it's enough to hit the bottle."

I chuckled softly.

"Fine, I'll have a Sex on the Beach," I said with a cursory glance at the menu board.

The bartender turned to me and grinned suggestively.

"Sure. Do you want it right here or would you prefer a little more privacy?"

"Hideki, you pervert," Kuina sneered.

"What? I'm just asking where the lady wants to have her drink," he defended himself with his hands up.

"I didn't say I meant the cocktail," I replied in an innocent voice, but had to stifle an amused grin.

Kuina looked at me in surprise and then jabbed her elbow into my ribs.

"Damn you, you little minx."

I snorted with laughter.

Admittedly, I was surprised at myself. Normally I was not the type for such offensive flirting, especially because I had absolutely no interest in the bartender, who must have been a good 10 years older than me. The bartender, however, grinned mischievously.

"If you're serious. I don't have anything else to do today," he said with a wink and pushed a tall glass with red contents, a straw and a puny orange slice over to me, while his gaze wandered almost greedily over my body.

A little uncomfortably touched, I pulled my beach yukata tighter and put my lips to the straw while Kuina ordered herself a swimming pool cocktail. I regretted a little that I had started this in the first place. People here obviously didn't seem to miss any opportunity to get a quick one-night stand. But I was not the kind of person who would recklessly embark on a sexual adventure with men I didn't even know. I had probably given the wrong impression with my thoughtless statement.

We looked for a seat at a free table while I watched the people around us, fascinated and curious at the same time. Almost subconsciously, I was on the lookout for a person dressed in white with a light head of hair, but unfortunately in vain. My gaze wandered back to the dance floor, where a woman was being groped lewdly by an older man and obviously didn't even protest when he pushed his hands into her top. With some of the people present, I was almost certain that it wasn't just harmless alcohol that was involved.

"So, now tell me. How did you end up here?" Kuina suddenly began, sipping her straw in depth.

Her question caught me a little off guard.

"I guess like all of you," I replied evasively, shrugging my shoulders. "I was in Shibuya and from one moment to the next the streets were empty."

She nodded slowly.

"And what are you up to? Tell me about yourself," she demanded, genuinely interested.

"Oh, there's not that much to tell," I waved it off with a sheepish smile. "My life is relatively unspectacular."

The hell it is.

"What do you do for a living?" Kuina continued.

"I'm a student," I answered truthfully, even though I hadn't attended a lecture in ages. By now I knew the inside of hospitals better than the lecture hall and medical terms were more familiar to me than my university syllabus. "Psychology student," I continued as Kuina raised her eyebrow expectantly.

"Wow, you must be really smart."

"Not in the way you think. Maths was my personal mortal enemy."

She laughed.

"Mine too. And all that science stuff. That's why I only got a job in a boutique."

"What do you mean by only? At least you earn your own money with it."

"Unfortunately, it's not even enough to pay for my mother's treatment, which she would need to get healthy again."

Her voice immediately sounded unusually depressed.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked sympathetically.

"Breast cancer. She was almost through it, but then it spread. The chemo treatment and all the drugs cost quite a bit of money. Some of it is covered by her health insurance, but not all of it. And she has little savings herself after my father divorced her to run off with another woman, so I'm the only one she has left."

I nodded in understanding. Her story touched me. Fortunately, I had never had such problems. Since my father had landed a job as a news anchor at the well-known TV station NHK, my family had been doing quite well financially and paying for my treatment had never been a hurdle.

"That's why you want to go back to our world," I concluded. It was an observation, not a question. Even though I hadn't known Kuina for long, I had seen through her desire to return home very quickly. She was relatively easy to read, but she also seemed to be an open person in general.

"Yes. My biggest fear is that she might have to die completely alone, just because I ended up here in this shitty sinkhole."

Her eyes glistened a little and she quickly wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with her fingers.

"Understandable. I hope you see her again soon," I said with a confident smile, placing my hand comfortingly on her forearm.

"Damn, we really should talk about something more pleasant. It's enough to make you depressed," she said, quickly smiling away her sadness. "I'd say it's time to conquer the dance floor. What do you think?"

"I'm in."

The words were hardly spoken before we were already in the middle of the action and began to let the beat affect us. For the first time in a long time, I consciously switched off my head and let myself drift carefree with the rhythmic sounds. Slowly, I also felt the alcohol gradually enter my bloodstream. The long involuntary abstinence intensified the effect and a pleasant dizziness seized my senses. Only three days ago I would have thought it unthinkable that I would be celebrating a beach party in this world. I would rather have had myself declared crazy. But now that my senses were clouded by alcohol and adrenaline, this seemed like the absolute best alternative to staring death into the face. It was only counterproductive to let fear control you. It made much more sense to effectively distract oneself and spend a few pleasant last hours.

At some point I was so in tune with the music that I almost didn't notice how it suddenly became quieter. However, I noticed it because the people around us all stopped moving and turned their eyes to something else instead. I turned my head as well. Three human silhouettes appeared immediately in the crowd. Everyone present immediately backed away from them in awe, allowing them to pass. The man in the middle was unmistakably the one who called himself Hatter and was the self-appointed leader in this hotel. As earlier in his speech, he wore a brightly patterned yukata over his swimming trunks, as well as dark sunglasses. Two lackeys walked to his left and right, one of them was very muscular and had a scowl on his face. A pistol was clearly visible on his belt. The other was shaved, tattooed all over his body and carried a...katana on his shoulder.

What the he-?

Hatter nodded gratefully to a few bystanders as they made room for him and strode thoughtfully through the crowd as if looking for something. Somewhat confused, I looked at Kuina, who just shrugged her shoulders cluelessly.

"Ah, there she is," he suddenly said in a rapturous voice, coming straight towards me. "The glorious four of spades."

He stopped right in front of me, his two grim-faced bodyguards close behind. All eyes were on us.

I looked up at him impassively.

"Actually, I go by the name Izumi Tsuki," I replied gruffly. The alcohol made me braver than I felt.

Hatter smirked amusedly and turned to the muscleman behind him.

"She has a sense of humour. I like that," he said, turning to him as if I wasn't even present. Then he pushed his sunglasses off his nose a little and let his gaze slide down my face pleasingly, "And she's attractive too. What an asset to the beach."

He clapped his hands emphatically.

"And I suppose you're the mad hatter everyone's talking about, then?", I skipped over his slightly sexist remark.

Hatter's unnaturally white set of teeth appeared as he grinned in amusement.

"There's no great genius without some touch of madness."

Was this self-promoter actually comparing himself to Aristotle?

I put on an affected smile.

"What do you want from me?", I asked straightforwardly.

Whatever it was. It couldn't be anything good. Anyway, an inner gut feeling told me to be careful. Unfortunately, the alcohol didn't exactly help me to be particularly forthcoming.

"I just thought we could have a nice chat over a drink. I'm always interested in adventurous stories and this game must certainly have been nerve-wracking."

"Probably no more than other games," I replied reservedly.

"So be it," he raised his hand and turned briefly to the DJ, "Go on. Have fun," he called light-heartedly and snapped his finger. The crowd roared and as if on cue, the loud beats resumed.

Hatter leaned close over my shoulder.

"Come with me," he murmured and then turned away, heading purposefully for the bar.

A little uncertainly, I stared after him without moving from the spot. His bodyguards then gave me almost threatening looks.
I looked scrutinisingly at Kuina, who, in contrast, was looking a little worried.

"You should go with him" she said with an unusually serious expression. "But be careful."

I nodded stiffly and then turned away from her to follow Hatter through the crowd. His two protectors, on the other hand, lingered at a safe distance and didn't seem to take their eyes off me for a second.

Did they expect me to suddenly attack him with a knife out of the blue or were they always like that?

Hatter was already sitting on one of the bar stools and pointing to the stool next to him when I joined him. I hesitantly took a seat there while he ordered a tequila for himself.

"And for the lady?" he asked, looking at me expectantly.

The bartender also eyed me with interest.

"I'll have a still water," I decided curtly. It would probably be advantageous for the coming conversation if I kept a clear head.

Hatter, however, just laughed as if I had cracked a particularly funny joke.

"Lovely, but that's out of the question. You are my guest of honour. I can't just fob you off with a bland water. Mix her a special cocktail, Hideki."

"Well, that's really not-" I began as the bartender was already moving, but Hatter interrupted me by resting his hand on my shoulder almost amicably. I automatically moved away from him a little.

"I promise you'll like it. It's the beach special. I created it myself."

Another reason not to touch this drink.

When the finished cocktail was slid across the bar counter to me, I was astonished. The contents of the glass were an intriguing shade of turquoise blue, gently fading into a dark sea blue. Several different types of fruit were lined up on a long spit and an exaggerated golden glitter umbrella was emblazoned on top.

It looked seductively good.
Too good.

"Go ahead and taste it," Hatter encouraged me. "I promise it's heavenly."

"Why don't you have one too, if it's so good?", I asked suspiciously.

He laughed again.

"You're not easily convinced, are you? But if you insist, I'll have one too." The bartender nodded and got back to work. "Well, Izumi. How do you like it here at the Beach?" he finally asked, draining his tequila glass a moment later.

Normally, this question would probably have made me nervous, but the residual alcohol in my blood ensured that I was still relatively relaxed.

"Hmm, it's okay. Room service leaves something to be desired," I replied dryly. "That's a one star deduction on TripAdvisor."

Hatter chuckled.

"At least that's an honest opinion."

The bartender placed the second cocktail next to him on the counter. Hatter reached for it and raised the glass to me, beaming with joy.

"I'd say then let's toast to a speedy homecoming. Where room service is guaranteed to be better anywhere than here." Reluctantly, I reached for my glass and let it clink against his. "Kanpai!"

Somewhat cautiously, I sipped the sweet drink. In terms of taste, it seemed to be a normal cocktail, yet I only took a tiny sip for the time being.

"Ah, that's really good," Hatter sighed with pleasure and then put his glass back down on the counter. Then, completely unexpectedly, he took off his sunglasses to examine me closely. "Tell me about the four of spades game."

I swallowed and felt my hands getting a little sweaty.

"It took place at the International University Library. You had to find a set of books within a prescribed time limit. However, there was a group of armed people that had to stop us from that," I explained tersely.

Hatter nodded, impressed.

"I see. And in the process you were badly injured? Ann told me about it."

"Yes, a woman hit me with her axe, but thanks to Ann's help I'm all better now."

"But she wasn't the one who stitched your wound."

It was not a question, but a statement.

"Obviously not," I replied.

"You don't remember who it was? Not a single detail," he continued.

I shook my head hastily.

"I'm afraid I don't. I'm sorry."

Hatter sighed. His expression looked resigned all at once.

"You know, this is exceedingly unfortunate. I had hoped to give my special thanks to the one, after all, that's the only reason we finally got the rare four of spades."

I frowned sceptically.

Was he serious? After everything Kuina had told me about the beach, the whole thing sounded more than unbelievable.

"Maybe the person doesn't want your thanks at all, otherwise they would surely have reached out for you by now."

The comment had slipped out before I could think about it further. I really should start bridling my tongue. Hatter slowly raised an eyebrow and now looked at me in a completely different way than before.

Did he know I had figured him out? Did he know that I was lying?

I reached for the cocktail glass and took a big gulp to avoid his probing gaze. Somehow I had to bring this unpleasant inquisition to an end quickly.

"Well, the person would also be richly rewarded, of course. They would move up a few ranks and thus have the opportunity to return home very soon. And until then, we could use someone with their medical skills here."

This time I looked him over, but Hatter held my gaze. He seemed almost sincere.

Was he really serious?
No, impossible.

"But since I can't remember who brought me here, none of this matters, does it?" I asked, slowly noticing that my tongue was becoming more and more leaden.

That damned cocktail.

"Who knows, maybe sooner or later you'll miraculously remember. If that should happen, I hope I can count on your support, Izumi."

He put his hand on my shoulder again, as if we were best friends, and looked at me forcefully. There was an unmistakable warning in his gaze: You know what happens to traitors.

My lips twisted into a mechanical smile.

"Of course."

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