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CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN,
how to play

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༇ "THEY'RE either arguing or having the best time of their life in bed."

"Nah. They're arguing and having the best time of their life at the same time," Kuina says. "I've known them longer than today."

"That's not comforting. No matter how long you've known someone, you should not know about their... bed activities," Kaoru mutters, eyes wide in horror.

And yet he feels happy: it's the first time he's having a nice conversation with Kuina ever since Nozomi died.

Shirabi claps his back, hard. "Kaede knew my bed activities a month into knowing me. Unfortunately, I only found out about his a while ago, but that's because he took his sweet time as a virgin."

"I did not need to know that. Hana is my sister," Kaoru says stiffly. "And Kaede is my friend."

"Exactly. Kaede is my friend, too."

"You wouldn't want to hear about the things people do with your sister."

"Well, thank God nobody will ever want my sister in the first place." Shirabi stretches his legs and groans excessively loud.

"What's her name?"

"Violet."

"Oh!" Kuina says excitedly. "I love that name. I barely ever hear names that aren't from Japanese origin."

"Hey-hey!" Baya singsongs, marching through the door. She seems fully healed from whatever post-surgery pain she had been going through. "We're back!"

"They so did it," Kuina whispers.

"Obviously," Shirabi whispers back.

Chishiya follows behind, both of his hands stuffed in his pocket, hiding the bandaged one from the others.

"Enjoyed your night?" Kaoru sighs out.

"It was lovely." Baya nods. "We sat in the gazebo, argued about a pool, and Shuntarō checked my new heart. Plus, we survived our game— as you can see."

"Which one was it?"

"Three of Yellow Joker. We basically had to retrieve a cutter from a jar with pliers. Blah blah blah." She waves it off and plops down on one of the couches, wincing slightly as she does so. "Is everyone okay here? Where are Hana and Sakiko?"

"Sakiko's reading in her room. Hana taking care of Mikasa's baby with Kaede. Again. I'd almost think it's their baby."

Baya's brows scrunch. "Shouldn't Kiyoshi be helping Mikasa out?"

"He is helping her. But Aguni has been pressuring him all the time and always conveniently grabs the baby right before Kiyoshi can. He offered to do night shifts, though. Mikasa said she's fine with it as long as Kiyoshi does stay in the room with her," Kaoru explains.

"Do you think she still trusts him?" Kuina mutters.

"I think she's trying to. But she's obviously more comfortable with giving Hana and Kaede the baby—"

The slam of a door rattles down the hall, followed by footsteps.

"MAMA! MAMA, HELP! HELP!" Sakiko's legs nearly tangle beneath her as she sprints forward, sobbing so hard she can hardly breathe.

"Sakiko?" Baya already had her arms wide. "Baby, what's wrong?!"

Sakiko crashes into her mother with a force that knocks Baya backward against the cushions. Tiny hands clutch her shirt. "Help, Mama! Please! P-please—"

Chishiya crouches next to them. "Koko? Is it your chest? Is your chest hurting? Tell me immediately."

"No-oh," she cries out.

Kuina also kneels down. "What happened?"

Sakiko can't get it out. Her sobs drown her own voice. Baya strokes her hair. "Shh, sweetheart, breathe. Breathe. You're safe."

Her screams hit a new pitch. "Papa!" she shrieks suddenly, twisting to reach for Chishiya. "You have to help!"

"What happened?" he asks evenly.

No words form, just gasps and sobs.

Kuina stands back up to pace around, chewing her nail. "Shit. Shit, shit."

"Koko... you can tell us later, okay? You don't have to now. Just... just breathe. Mama's got you." She presses kisses into her daughter's hair. "Nothing's going to hurt you."

But Sakiko wails louder.

"Sakiko," Chishiya says sharply. "Show me where. Where did it happen? I don't have to know what happened. Just show me it, okay?"

She wriggles out of Baya's arms, nearly stumbling to the floor. She grabs Chishiya's uninjured hand, since the other one is still in his pocket, with both of her small ones and tugs. "Come! COME!"

Chishiya lets her drag him down the hallway. The others quickly follow. They come to a stop outside one of the rooms. The door is half-open.

"Th-there! It was there! I... I saw— I saw—" Her words turn into hysterical screams.

The others stare into the room.

There is nothing out of place.

"Sakiko, there's nothing here."

"No!" the little girl screams. "It was here! I s-saw it! Mama, Papa, I saw it! I can't have imagined it!"

"Then tell us what you saw," Shirabi grunts in frustration.

"She's just a kid," Kaoru says. "Maybe it was a nightmare. Or—"

"It wasn't a nightmare," Sakiko yells. "I saw it! Right there!" Her finger shoots out, stabbing toward the window.

Kuina leans down and stares out into the open. She huffs out a nervous laugh. "See? Nothing—"

Her voice cuts off.

Her face drains of color.

"...Oh my God" she breathes.

Baya shoots forward. "What? What is it?!"

Kuina stumbles back from the window, crashing into Shirabi, who barely catches her as she thrashes. "It's real! She wasn't lying! Oh my God, oh my God—"

Kaede bursts into the room so fast the door slams against the wall. "What is happening?!" he demands, eyes flicking from Kuina to Sakiko, then to the others.

At last, his gaze snaps back to Kuina, her body angled away from the window.

Slowly, he turns his head toward it.

"No—" Kuina croaks, her hand shooting out, but it's too late.

Kaede looks. He in every direction, searching desperately for what left Sakiko screaming.

Once he does see it, he doesn't understand exactly what he's seeing.

He's out the door before anyone can grab him, towards the stairwell. His shoulder smashes into the wall at the turn but he doesn't slow.

His footsteps hammer against the final stretch of stairs before the door slams open. Fresh air hits his face and bright light of the sun blinds him for a moment, and yet Kaede continues sprinting straight toward the fallen body of his father.

A splash of red smears beneath him. Arisu's limbs lie at unnatural angles. Kaede skids to his knees so hard the impact rips through his bones.

"Dad!" His hands grab at Arisu's shirt. "No, no, no, no, no— don't do this!"

The others come pounding down the stairs. Shirabi first. He stops in his tracks, stares for half a second, then mutters something filthy under his breath. Baya freezes.

"Kaede," Shirabi warns. "Get away from the body."

"Shut up!" Kaede lunges, shoving Shirabi back. "Don't say it! He's not gone. He's breathing. He has to be breathing. Papa, breathe!" He leans down, pressing his lips to Arisu's mouth, trying to force air in. His tears stream down into his father's face.

Shirabi tries again, closer this time, but Kaede's fist slams into Shirabi's chest. "Stay away from him!" he howls. "I'll kill you if you touch him!"

Baya rocks Sakiko in her arms, whispering into her hair. "Don't watch, sweetheart. Don't watch. Mama's here. Don't watch."

"I saw it," Sakiko gasps. "I saw him walk past my bedroom so I followed him and I saw him open the window and—"

"Shh, shh," Baya whispers. Tears slip down her face like a waterfall. She stares into the void, dissociated. "It's okay."

Chishiya crouches. He places two fingers against the side of Arisu's neck.

"There's a pulse," he says flatly.

"Wh-what? He's alive?!" Kaede cries.

"It's faint," Chishiya says. "But yes, he's alive."

Kuina clasps her hands together. "Then we can save him," she says. "Right? Chishiya, you can fix this."

Everyone looks to him at once.

Chishiya stares back at them, lips parted. No response seems to come out of his mouth until a few long seconds later. Slowly, he reveals his bandaged hand. "I can't."

"You carried Baya with a nail in your hand and two stab wounds in your stomach, while blinded!" Kaede yells. "You can do this, too!"

"Kaede... the nerves in my hand no longer work. I practically have no right hand. I can only move my arm."

Kaede stares at Chishiya like he's speaking another language. "No. No, you're lying. You're lying because you don't care about him. You always act like you don't care—"

"Kaede." Chishiya meets his gaze. "I am telling you the truth. If you want him alive, someone else has to save him."

"Suzume," Kaoru whispers to himself. "I'll be back!" He yells, then bolts back into the hospital.

A few minutes later, he and Suzume turn with a bunch of supplies.

Chishiya moves back to make room for Suzume. "You're the only one with medical training left who can cut anything deeper than skin." His tone is sharp, clipped. "Veterinary or not, you're it."

"Yes. But I've never—"

"So what? Blood's blood. Organs are organs. He has them, you've studied them. The difference is pressure."

Kaede looks up at Suzume, pressing his hands together. "Please. Please save him, Suzume. Please. I'm begging you."

She nods. "Tell me what to do, Chishiya."

He tosses her the gloves, scalpel, and clamps. "The fall was broken by the bushes and dirt. His chest took most of it. We're looking at internal bleeding. Probably a ruptured vessel. You'll find it, clamp it, and suture. Same as with an animal." His tone softens by a hair. "You've done this before. On something smaller."

She stares down at Arisu. "I've only ever stitched dogs and—"

"Congratulations." Chishiya hands her the scalpel. "Now you're about to add Ryohei Arisu to your list."

Kaoru kneels across from her, steadying Arisu's head so it doesn't loll. "You can do this," he murmurs. "We'll keep him still."

Chishiya positions Suzume's hand. "Right there. Don't hesitate. If you do, you'll make it jagged."

Blood wells when she cuts."Good. Now widen it."

Kuina presses gauze into Suzume's free hand. "Here, here, take it!"

Chishiya's good hand moves points. "Clamp that. No, not there. Deeper. Feel for the vessel. It'll be warm."

Her fingers find it. "I got it—"

"Clamp," he orders. The snap of metal rings out. The bleeding slows, but doesn't stop. "Now suture."

Her breathing steadies, stitch by stitch. At last, the bleeding ebbs. Arisu's chest stills into shallower movements.

Suzume sags back. "Is that good?"

"He's alive."

Kaede bows, again and again. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

"We need to move him inside," Chishiya interrupts. He needs monitoring, warmth, and elevation." His gaze flicks over Arisu's battered body. "Bruised ribs. Likely fractures. Possible pneumothorax."

"Collapsed lung?" Suzume guesses.

"Possible." He checks with a stethoscope. "Breath sounds diminished on the left, but not absent. Internal bleeding was the greater threat. You clamped it. Sutures are holding. He's critical, but alive."

"What else? Tell us everything."

"Multiple rib fractures, at least three. Potential splenic laceration. Severe contusions to the back and shoulder. Mild cranial bleeding possible. Brain swelling from the hit."

"Everything from the car accident," Kaede realizes, whispering.

Chishiya freezes. His hands hover near Arisu's body. He doesn't dare to look up at Baya and Sakiko. "Kaede," he says through gritted teeth, "you are so—"

"We have no time for this!" Suzume snaps. She jerks her chin toward Shirabi. "Sheets from the laundry. Folded tight."

Moments later, Shirabi returns with a stack of folded sheets. Chishiya slides them beneath Arisu's torso. Suzume kneels opposite, mimicking his motions.

"On three," Chishiya orders when they're done. "We lift evenly. If anyone panics, you'll kill him."

Kaede grips his father's wrist. "I'll help."

"You'll stay out of the way," Chishiya says harshly. "You'll break before he does."

Kaede's mouth opens, then snaps shut. He nods miserably and backs away.

Chishiya looks once more around the circle: Shirabi, Kaoru, Kuina, and Suzume. "Ready?"

They nod.

"One... two... three."

The lift is excruciatingly slow. Arisu groans but he doesn't wake. The group shuffles step by step toward the hospital.

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"Papa?"

Arisu had been sprawled on the floor, controller in hand. "Mm?" he replied absently, thumb clicking furiously on the joystick.

Kaede shuffled from foot to foot. "Can you... teach me?"

The controller dropped. Literally fell out of Arisu's hands and clattered against the carpet.

He twisted around so fast his messy hair whipped into his eyes. "What did you say?"

Kaede frowned. "I said... can you teach me? To play."

"Are you serious?!" he yelled, bouncing up to his knees so fast Kaede startled. "You actually want to play with me? You?!"

Kaede nodded slowly.

Arisu fell backward onto the carpet. "Oh my God. Oh my GOD. Somebody pinch me. I'm dying!" He rolled onto his side, kicking his legs. "Eight years! Eight years I've waited for this moment! Kaede, my son, my beautiful boy, you are the greatest gift the gods have ever—"

"Papa, stop being weird!" Kaede yelped.

Arisu snatched up a spare controller, dusted it off dramatically, and presented it. "Here."

Kaede giggled, reaching out to take it.

Arisu ruffled his hair with both hands, nearly knocking him over. "You have no idea how happy you just made me. I thought you'd never ask. You always said my games were dumb, or boring, or—"

"They looked dumb," Kaede muttered.

"They are dumb!" Arisu agreed instantly. "But that's the fun of it. You'll see, you'll see. Okay, okay, sit here." He scooted to the side of the carpet. "Rule number one: don't button mash randomly. Rule number two: if you do button mash randomly, I will still love you. Rule number three—"

"There are three rules?"

"There are at least fifty rules," Arisu said. "But we'll start with three so you don't explode."

Kaede laughed then. It made Arisu freeze for a second before he flicked Kaede's forehead. "Don't distract me with cuteness. We have to focus." Arisu explained way too fast. "So this button jumps, this one attacks, this one's for a special move— ah, forget it, just copy me. You'll get the hang of it. Ready?"

Kaede nodded, clutching the controller. And within seconds, his character fell straight off the stage.

Arisu cackled. "You're a natural!"

Kaede puffed his cheeks. "I lost!"

"You experienced the thrill of battle! That's all that matters!"

They played for hours that day. Arisu coached, teased, praised, and whooped with joy every time Kaede managed even the smallest hit. By the end of it, Kaede had stopped frowning and started laughing too.

And when Kaede finally managed to beat him, mostly because Arisu 'accidentally' fell off the stage three times in a row, Arisu threw his hands up. "That's my boy!" he bellowed, scooping Kaede up into his neck and spinning them around. Kaede shrieked and laughed and clung to his father's neck.

It was the happiest Arisu had ever looked.