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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE,
back to the basics

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༇ "I..." Baya stammers. "How did you know that?"

Chishiya doesn't answer at first. His eyes stay fixed on the door. His breathing is unnervingly steady. Then, without looking at her, he murmurs, "Heard him approach."

Baya blinks. "I didn't hear anything. And how would you know it's him?"

"Military boots," Chishiya says. "Most players use athletic shoes or whatever they scavenge. But military boots have steel toes."

Her mouth opens. "You—"

"Also," he continues, "the pattern. Two steps, then a pause. He calculates the distance between potential traps."

"You got all that from—"

"Shhh." His hand tightens slightly around her wrist.

Her breath hitches. Silence presses in like a weight. "But," she starts whispering again, "How close by was he?"

Chishiya sighs. "He entered the house."

"What?" Baya peeps, pressing against his side for extra safety. "But we don't have a plan!"

"I'm aware. We have to improvise." His eyes dart around the room. It's his office, after all. Surely there's something to use against the King of Spades.

"You say he calculates distance. So he knows the layout of your house?"

"Yes."

"And he plans to flush us out?"

"Exactly. That's why we make him think it's working."

Her eyes nearly pop out. "How?"

Chishiya's hand leaves her wrist, fingers brushing over the desk above them before he pulls out a small vial.

"What is that?"

"Lidocaine."

"What does that mean?"

"Amino amide—"

"Please use language I'm fluent in."

Chishiya twists the vial in his hands. "Basically an anesthetic. If I get close enough, I can inject him at the cervical plexus: the base of the neck, leading to partial paralysis."

"That's insane."

"It's—"

"Do not." She slams a hand to his mouth before that one word can escape. "I suppose it's better than suffocating him with cookies, though. And how exactly are you going to get close enough to stab him with that?" Her hand slides back off.

"By letting him catch me."

Her breath stills. "Letting him catch you?"

Chishiya tilts his head slightly, as if this is just another simple thing. "Yes."

"That's not a plan. That's a death sentence."

"It's only a death sentence if it fails."

"Wow, that's comforting." She glares at him. "He's a professional. You think you can just walk up to him and stab him with a needle?"

"I think I can make him come to me."

Baya's mouth opens, then closes. Her chest feels heavy, as if bricks are pressing down on it. "Chishiya..."

"You need to get out of here," he says.

"No," she snaps. "Absolutely not."

"You'll slow me down."

"Oh, excuse me for not wanting to get shot." She clenches her jaw. "You're not doing this alone."

"You're not exactly in a position to argue."

"And you're not exactly in a position to win this fight alone. You need a distraction. You need me."

For a second, she thinks he's about to tell her to shut up and follow his lead, but instead, his mouth curls. "...Go on."

"He expects us to stay hidden, doesn't he?"

"Yes."

"So we don't."

Chishiya's smile widens.

"We move toward him," Baya continues. "But from two angles. You draw his attention, make him think you're desperate. I attack him. That gives you enough time to get close with the injection."

Chishiya's head tilts. "Risky."

"You were going to let him catch you. This is better."

"Not bad." He nods approvingly.

"Not bad?" Baya scoffs. "It's probably the only reason you're not going to die in the next ten minutes."

Chishiya stands, pocketing the vial. Baya follows his example. "We need to lure him out somehow."

"Already thought of that."

"How—"

Chishiya pulls a lighter from his pocket.

"You're kidding."

He steps toward the window and flicks the lighter on. A flickering flame blooms at his fingertips.

But right before he can set the curtain on fire, Baya knocks the lighter out of his hands. "No!"

It drops to the ground. Chishiya stares at it, taken aback. "Why would you—"

"You can't set your own house on fire," she pleads. "Your notes, the fourth room, all your belongings—they'll be gone."

"Smoke will draw him," Chishiya says. "Heat will disorient him." He glances at her. "When he comes through the door, you move left."

"Okay. I'll distract him. But no fire needed," she decides.

Except he is already walking toward the door.

"Chishiya, if you could just calm down and properly communicate for a—"

He glances back at her. Something unknowing flashes through his gaze. "Don't die."

Baya swears under her breath when he steps into the hallway. Insane. He's insane.

She slips into the shadows near the door, heart thundering.

Footsteps approach, steady and heavy, like how Chishiya described.

Baya peeks at the hallway, where Chishiya stands as the King approaches, raising his gun.

Baya lunges from the left side. The King's attention flicks toward her, a split-second of hesitation, enough for Chishiya to step forward. His hand whips out, striking at the base of the King's neck.

The needle pierces skin. Chishiya presses the plunger.

The King's hand spasms. His gun fires.

Baya hears the bullet strike the wall. Her stomach drops. She lunges toward Chishiya, dragging him back as the King of Spades' body starts to buckle, then his body crashes to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Easy," Chishiya murmured. He crouches beside the King's body, pressing two fingers to his throat. "Alive," he confirms. "Temporarily."

"That actually worked?"

"Of course it worked—"

The second the words leave his mouth, the King of Spades' hand twitches.

"Or not," Chishiya points out.

The King's arm snaps towards him.

Chishiya moves to dodge, but he isn't fast enough. The King's hand clamps around Chishiya's wrist, yanking him downward with brutal strength. Chishiya's knees hit the floor hard.

"Chishiya!" Baya shouts. Without thinking, she charges forward.

"No!" Chishiya protests, but it's too late.

She grabs the King's arm, digging her nails in. His head turns toward her, eyes dark and cold beneath the mask. His hand releases Chishiya's collar and strikes out, knocking Baya sideways. She hits the ground.

Chishiya's free hand shoots toward the King's wrist, twisting at an impossible angle. He pries himself free and stumbles backward, a breathless curse slipping through his teeth.

The King rises to his feet with calm precision. The dart still sticks out from his neck, yet he doesn't seem affected.

Baya scrambles to her feet, pressing a hand to her head. "Why isn't it working?"

They dive in opposite directions as the gun goes off. The bullet strikes the floor between them, splintering wood.

Baya rolls to her feet and sprints toward Chishiya, grabbing his sleeve and yanking him away.

"Why the hell isn't it working?!" she demands again.

Chishiya's eyes light up with realization. "Stimulants."

"What?"

"I assumed he'd have a clean system. But if he's running on adrenaline and combat drugs... it'll take longer to get paralyzed."

"So he's going to be pissed and armed for the next five minutes?"

"Closer to three."

"Oh, great. That's comforting."

They skid into the next room as another shot fires behind them. Chishiya slams the door shut and locks it.

"Plan B?" Baya breathes.

"There was no Plan B."

She gives him a murderous look. "Of course there wasn't."

"Follow me."

"Where?"

"Just follow."

They bolt toward the side of his bedroom. Chishiya leads her toward the narrow window, barely wide enough for a person to slip through.

"You're kidding," Baya says.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"Chishiya, we're on the second floor!"

"Do you want to stay here?"

Baya glares at him.

"Go, go," he urges. His hands are already braced on the window frame as he swings a leg out. "Try not to fall."

Chishiya slides halfway out the window, glancing down. "It's about a five-meter drop. If we land on the grass, we should be fine."

"Should?"

"Unless you'd prefer to stay and negotiate with the King of Spades?" He swings the rest of the way out. His shoes scrape the wall as he lowers himself, arms straining. Baya watches as he releases his grip and drops the rest of the way, landing in a crouch.

"Your turn."

Her palms are already slick with sweat. As she grips the window frame, a tiny wince leaves her mouth. The sharp drop below makes her head spin.

"Take your time," Chishiya mocks.

"Oh, shut up." She breathes through the knot in her chest and lowers herself.

The instant her hands slip, gravity drops her down. Panic spikes through her as her foot skids along the wall—

"Gotcha."

Two seconds... over. Her eyes squeeze shut. She braces herself for the raw pain she's about to feel, the acid turning her into a puddle of blood and bones on the floor.

She can feel the heat licking at her skin, the danger inches away. But a pair of hands—Chishiya's—catch her midair, steadying her, pulling her into his chest with a sudden force that makes her breath catch.

"Gotcha."

Baya's heart skips a beat, not from the acid. She feels the warmth of his body envelop her, his grip firm and steady. For a brief second, she forgets the acid, the game, even the tension between them—she feels purely grateful.

"How miserable you would be without me," he comments.

Chishiya's arms wrap around her waist just before she crashes to the ground. The only sound is their heavy breathing. His chest rises and falls beneath her hands. His fingers press lightly into the small of her back.

Baya lifts her head to look at him.

"You all right?"

"Y-Yeah." She's painfully aware of how close they are, even in a situation like this.

Chishiya's eyes drop, then flick back up. He tilts his head toward the street. "We don't have long."

Baya stares at him for a beat longer than necessary before she forces herself to turn away. Her pulse won't slow while they dart toward the alley. Gunfire erupts behind them. Chishiya grabs her hand, fingers threading through hers as they sprint across the street.

They don't let go of each other's hand until the gunshots have faded into the distance.

"You better have another plan." She grits her teeth.

"I do."

"Couldn't you have said that before? Since when do you have a plan?"

"Since now." He taps his temple.

"You'd be in much better shape if you'd run as much as you run your mouth," she mumbles.

"I'm in great shape."

"You barely ever run."

"That doesn't say anything about being in shape."

"It does. You barely work out."

"Still, my body is in a great state."

She lifts a single eyebrow.

"Don't act like you weren't staring at me when we went swimming."

Her jaw drops. A deep crimson color glows on her cheeks as she looks away. "I wasn't staring."

"You were fighting the urge to."

"Shut up." Baya turns her back to him, arms crossed over her chest. "You're the one who stayed awake for five hours while I was on top of you."

"Exactly. You're the one who was on top of me."

Baya glares at him over her shoulder. "That happened in my sleep, you idiot. I have no control over that."

Chishiya's smile tugs higher. "Mm-hmm. Sure."

Baya exhales sharply, spinning back toward the darkened street. Her cheeks burn, and the warmth still lingers where his hand had gripped her waist.

The gunshots come closer.

"How is he moving already?!" Baya groans.

"Military conditioning. His body's overriding the paralysis."

"Then why the hell did you think it would work?"

Chishiya's hand tightens on her arm as they cut around a corner. "Calculated risk."

"Calculated—" Baya nearly chokes. "You mean gamble."

"Essentially."

"You're unbelievable."

They burst out of the alley into a wide, empty street. Chishiya releases her arm, taking a few steps forward. He glances down the length of the street.

"Ah-hah."

"What?" Desperate, she glances around to see what he noticed. "Where? Who—"

Chishiya marches forward. Baya scampers after him.

"Long time no see," he sighs out, pointing at two figures in the distance: Kuina and Ann.

"Ohh," Baya realizes.

They start walking towards the duo. "You need glasses."

"You need to stop acting like a smart-ass."

"But I am smart." Chishiya raises his hand to wave at Kuina and Ann.

"Chishiya!"

Kuina's arms swing around his neck. She pulls him into a tight hug.

He doesn't make any effort to return the hug. Instead, he gently pries her arms off him. "Let go."

Kuina laughs. "It's just a hug, Chishiya."

He looks unamused. "I didn't ask for it."

Kuina huffs, rolling her eyes. "You haven't changed. Still hate people touching you."

Chishiya doesn't answer immediately. His eyes drift to Baya, standing a few feet away. The corner of his mouth lifts up in a way that tells her she's an exception. Her face becomes crimson again, and she looks away.

She remembers the way he had leaned into her just a while ago, his head buried in their crook of her neck, warm breaths softly blowing against her skin as they sat there for who knows how long.

"Yeah," Chishiya replies finally.

Baya changes the subject: "What was your plan again? Because I think we should go back to your house. He won't expect us to return. When we reunite with Arisu and Usagi, we can fight him together."

"You guys were staying at his house?" Kuina asks.

Chishiya nods, digging his hand inside his pocket. "I agree with Baya. We'll go to my house. Let me set some traps near the doors and it'll be safe enough."

She gives him a dry look. "A week ago, you didn't even want to allow one person in, let alone three of them."

"Things have changed." He eventually removes his hand from his pocket, revealing a bag of cookies.

Baya exhales. "You stole them from the Jack of Hearts game, didn't you?"

"I did," he says proudly.

"While you should've been worried about me dying."

"Maybe it was a way to cope."

Kuina jumps in. "We missed a lot."

Baya looks the two girls up and down. They haven't changed at all, apart from new scars and wounds. She can feel Kuina's gaze linger on her stitched cheek.

The more Baya thinks about the wounds, the more she starts to feel the pain again. She had forgotten about it because of her moments with Chishiya and the King of Spades' sudden attack.

"I think we should try to beat the King," Ann insists. 

"Yes. Together we're unstoppable! Ann and Chishiya are the brains, I'm the fighter, and Baya is the follower who provides us of stability," Kuina encourages.

Baya's brows knit slightly. Being the follower is not exactly an honor compared to their roles.

Chishiya seems to notice her strange expression.

"You could be a mix of the beauty and the heart as well," he adds lazily.

A prickle creeps down her neck as Chishiya's words settle in the air between them, causing a silence that's only broken by the sound of him popping another cookie in his mouth.

Kuina blinks. "The beauty and the heart?"

He shrugs. "Fits her, don't you think?"

Baya's almost trips over her own feet. She can feel Kuina's eyes burning into the side of her head. Chishiya's face remains maddeningly bored, as if he hadn't just dropped that on her like it was nothing.

"That's strangely sentimental for you," Ann remarks.

"Just an observation."

Kuina's mouth falls open. Ann's brows rise.

Baya's heartbeat thunders in her ears. She needs to change the subject before someone—Kuina—decides to press the issue further.

"Anyway," she says. "We're going to Chishiya's house, right? Do we have a plan beyond that, or are we just going to sit there and hope the King of Spades dies of boredom?"

"I'd say that's a solid plan," Chishiya says.

"I'm serious."

"So am I," he replies. "No point in rushing into a fight when we're at a disadvantage. We'll regroup, assess the situation, and... figure it out from there."

Ann gives a small nod. "Reasonable. We'll need to rest anyway."

"And weapons," Kuina adds.

"I have weapons," Chishiya says.

"Since when?"

He shakes his bag of cookies right in front of her eyes. A genuine giggle escapes from her mouth, surprising (and confusing) Kuina and Ann.

They walk in silence for a while. The sound of their footsteps echoes in the empty street. Chishiya stays ahead of the group, his hands tucked into his hoodie pockets.

Eventually, Kuina steps closer to Baya, lowering her voice so the others can't hear. "So... what's going on with you two?"

"Nothing," Baya hisses.

Kuina's grin widens. "Sure, sure. You're free to tell me! I can be the wingwoman."

"Well..." Baya shrugs a little bit. She also told Usagi about her evolving feelings, but that felt different. Not only does it look like Usagi can relate—she clearly likes Arisu—but she seems to be able to keep her mouth shut about things like this. Kuina not so much.

"Come on. I can tell there's something there."

"There's nothing," Baya insists, though her face betrays her.

Kuina lets out a low hum, clearly not convinced. "Right. Nothing. That's why you looked like you were about to pass out when he called you the beauty and the heart."

"That... that was nothing," Baya says, stumbling over her words.

"Uh-huh." Kuina's eyes shimmer. "And the part where you were on top of him in your sleep? That's nothing too?"

Baya groans. "You were eavesdropping."

"Hard not to when you two were practically flirting while bullets were flying past your heads."

"We were not flirting."

"Oh, you definitely were."

A heavy sigh leaves Baya's lips. "It's... complicated."

"How complicated?"

Baya hesitates. She isn't sure how to explain it. "It's hard to tell what he's thinking."

"That's not surprising."

"That's the thing," Baya mutters. "And he acts like it's nothing. Like everything is nothing." She bites her lip, her gaze drifting toward Chishiya.

Kuina follows her gaze. "So," she says slyly, "are you going to do something about it?"

"Do what?" Baya scoffs.

"You know what." Kuina bumps her shoulder. "He's not the kind of guy to make the first move. If you want something to happen, you might have to be the one to push him."

Her eyes widen. "I'm not going to—"

"I'm just saying," Kuina cuts her off. "He likes you."

Baya's heart jumps into her throat. "He doesn't."

"Right, and you don't like him?"

Baya's mouth opens. Closes. Opens again. "I don't know."

"You definitely know—"

Ann spins around. "We can hear you," she announces.

Baya would rather cut her own heart out for real than listen to whatever is about to follow.

Chishiya also turns. "You weren't exactly whispering." His mouth curves into the ghost of a smirk. "And you do talk too much when you're nervous."

Baya covers her face with both hands. "Oh, no."

Kuina cackles. "This is the best day of my life."

"Should I be flattered?"

"I think you should tell him exactly how flattered he should be," Kuina hints.

"He should pretend he didn't hear anything."

Chishiya holds his hands beside his head, "Sure," and turns his back to them.

Kuina isn't done. "So how were the sleeping arrangements at his house?"

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🂱 — A/N: Erm not sure what to think of this chapter, but hope you enjoyed!!

Any theories about anything at all, or maybe what will change now that Kuina and Ann are involved?

Have a good day!! x