●・○・●・○・●
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
never stop running

—

༇ THE sun hangs low, casting a golden haze over the wreckage of the suburbs. A soft breeze whistles between the empty houses, fluttering curtains and sending wrappers flying across cracked roads.

The group walks in a loose formation. Arisu leads, scanning the area with a map they found in a gas station. Kuina sticks close behind him, chewing on a straw she found. Usagi walks in the middle, keeping glances on the group, her expression soft but alert. Chishiya walks a little off to the side, one hand stuffed in his pocket, the other lightly holding onto Baya's wrist. Ann, Aguni, and the girl Baya briefly met—Heiya—walk behind.

Baya doesn't complain. She's quiet, eyes distant, still wrapped in one of the oversized jackets they found for her. She's clean now, but she doesn't feel that way.

"Over there," Arisu says finally, pointing.

A large house stands at the edge of a street. Ivy climbs its walls, and the windows are dusty, but the structure is intact. Two stories, wide porch, and a yard surrounded by fences. "Could've been a shared home," he adds. "Maybe a retirement place or something."

They break off to inspect it.

Chishiya quietly checks the electricity. Arisu and Kuina clear the inside room by room. Baya pokes around the kitchen, then slowly drifts toward the backyard. She finds an old swing set, slightly rusted but not collapsed, and touches one of the chains.

"I don't hate it," Usagi says as she appears beside her.

"Me neither. I think this is the best place we'll find," Baya responds.

So they end up taking the place.

Within hours, the bedrooms are cleaned up and disinfected. Arisu clears a room for weapons. Usagi organizes food rations. Baya helps Kuina tape blackout cloth over the windows. Chishiya scrawls emergency plans on the walls with a permanent marker.

They sit in a circle that evening, in what used to be a sunroom.

"We'll take turns keeping watch," Arisu says. "Just for the first nights. We don't know anything about the Jokers. We might repeat the whole King of Spades process: random attacks."

"I'll go first," Heiya offers, sharpening a knife.

"I'll do second," Chishiya adds.

Baya leans her head on his shoulder. "You'll wake me up for yours?"

"I'll pretend I tried."

Kuina pokes them with her shoe. "Look at you two being gross again."

"I thought you supported."

"Not PDA."

They laugh. It's light and tired, but it's real.

"I have a theory," Chishiya then announces.

"Oh, here we go."

"We all met a Joker during our game, right?"

They nod.

"And we all played different colors, which means there are automatically eight Jokers."

"Are you saying there's one hundred fifty of them?"

"No." He shakes his head. "Just fifteen. All of us cleared the game, but we didn't witness the Jokers dying. I think there's one Joker per color, and the Joker only dies when he gets beaten in all ten games."

"That... makes a lot of sense," Kuina realizes.

"But hey, if we were all in different games, it might go very fast. We cleared eight games, and there are other players who also cleared games," Baya says.

"Only fifteen."

"What?"

"Only fifteen were cleared, maybe less. The Joker can only be in one place at a time. One color. We can say with certainty that we've beaten eight, but we can't say anything about the other ones. Some players might've not been able to beat the Joker."

"How many players are in these Borderlands?"

"I think about fifty people were in the white room," Ann says.

"So the chance of beating the Jokers is there." Baya drums on her legs, bright. "Right?"

"That depends on if we randomly get teleported again, or if we get to choose which games we play," Usagi jumps in.

Her optimism fades. "Oh, yeah. We should figure that out."

"You know what else we should figure out?" Kuina wonders. "Sleeping arrangements. In five minutes, I'm passing out on the floor if no one claims anything."

"There are at least five rooms," Usagi reasons.

"But," Baya interrupts, all fake sweetness, "some of us are very particular about where we sleep."

"Here it comes."

"I need a door that locks," Baya continues, "a mattress that sinks, and someone who doesn't mind me rolling around and clinging to them."

"Any other wishes?"

"Yes. That person needs to be okay with waiting five hours until I wake up, hand me a cookie once I do, and that person needs to steal the blanket all night. And then not even be sorry about it. They need to be the kind of person who would call it functional and—"

"Just say Chishiya."

"Okay." She leans even closer to him. "Do you want that, too?"

"A person that bruises my kidneys in their sleep?" He mutters. "Sure."

"Then that's settled." Baya claps her hands.

"Arisu and I are taking the other big room."

"Eh?" Arisu looks as if Mira just showed up in front of him.

"So what, you two get the second biggest room now?" Kuina says, scandalized. "Is this what it is now? A couple hierarchy?"

Eventually, the decisions are made.

Baya and Chishiya successfully claim the master bedroom, though not without Kuina sticking a note on the door that says, "Moaning Room. Do Not Disturb." Arisu and Usagi take the second-largest room. Arisu tries to sleep on the floor out of politeness. Usagi forcibly drags him into bed by the collar. Kuina and Heiya are forced to bunk in a room with two separate twin beds and spend fifteen minutes deciding who gets which one. Aguni takes the good couch downstairs and dares anyone to even look at it, and Ann takes a bedroom.

●・○・●・○・●

Kuina's voice rips through the house like a siren. "Wakey-wakey!" she singsongs as she bursts into the first room.

Baya, wrapped in the sheets, is drooling on Chishiya's shoulder. Chishiya's half-conscious, his hair disheveled and sticking out in all directions. Kuina grins. "Rise and shine, lovebirds. Time to save the world, or whatever we're doing today."

Baya barely cracks an eye open. "Five more minutes," she mumbles, burrowing deeper into Chishiya's chest.

Kuina, unfazed, snatches the blanket off the bed. "Nope! The world doesn't wait for you two to finish cuddling. Everyone except for you guys and Arisu is already up!"

"Is your biological clock no longer working?" Baya murmurs to Chishiya. "I remember when you blabbered all about it."

"It got ruined in the white room."

Kuina slams the door behind her. Next stop: Arisu and Usagi's room. Kuina sneaks in and kicks the bed. Arisu's body jerks up like he's been shot out of a cannon.

"Get up. We have a lot to do today."

●・○・●・○・●

"Hey, guys," Baya starts, leaning forward, elbows on the breakfast table. "What if we all taught each other our skills? I mean, we could be unstoppable. We have a perfect mix of talent here."

Chishiya, who's sitting beside her, arches an eyebrow, his usual cool demeanor not changing. He twirls a cookie in his fingers, clearly intrigued.

"Usagi, you're a pro at climbing trees, so maybe we can all learn a thing or two. Arisu, you're all about strategy. You can teach us how to win games. Aguni, you're a walking army, so you can teach us military tactics. Kuina, you're great at fighting. And Heiya, Aguni said you're a bow-and-arrow expert. Chishiya is able to teach you how to perform surgery even if he's the one you're performing surgery on!"

There's a pause as everyone looks around, each person considering the proposition.

They come to an agreement very easily.

●・○・●・○・●

Ann's the first to stand, pushing her chair back with a scrape that catches everyone's attention. She straightens her jacket, a professional look.

She begins to explain. "When you find a body—or anything—look at it. Don't just run in all panicked. Step back. Look at the surroundings. The way they died. The body language. It's all a puzzle. A mess of clues."

Kuina, who's chewing on a straw again, raises a hand lazily. "Yeah, but what if the body's already gone?"

"If you find remains—bones, things like that—you still have a shot. You can figure out everything from the injuries to what the victim was doing before they died. There's always a story, even if it's buried." She looks at Baya. "Count your footsteps. How many from the door to the wall? Notice the sounds. The smell."

Baya closes her eyes. Breathes. "There's... mold in that corner. And the wind hits harder near the stairs. Broken window?"

Ann nods. "Good."

●・○・●・○・●

In the ruins of a plaza, Aguni and Kuina teach them how to fight.

Heiya spars with Kuina first. "You move too much," Kuina tells her, pinning her with a single sweep. "Sometimes a good defense is better."

"You're quick, but you're not unpredictable," Aguni adds. "You fight with emotion. That's good. But if you don't learn to pace it, it'll get you killed."

Chishiya folds his arms and leans against a pillar, disinterested.

Baya tries anyway.

"Teach me," she demands, bouncing on her heels.

"Alright," Aguni says, "Hit me."

She does.

He catches her wrist and flips her over in two seconds.

"Ow," she groans, flat on her back.

"You're impulsive," he says, looking down at her. "But you've got energy. That's something."

Kuina helps her up, grinning. "We'll get you there."

●・○・●・○・●

Usagi's next, cracking her knuckles with a loud pop. She's not the kind to stand still, and her words come out fast, like she's been waiting to teach someone for a while.

"Alright, climbing and hunting." She paces in front of the group, eyes focused. "When you're climbing, first, you need to assess the tree. Don't just start climbing some random trunk. Look at the branches, the bark, and the stability. And make sure you're not getting yourself into a situation where you'll be stuck halfway up. If there's a predator coming at you or you're trying to get a better view of your surroundings, trees are your best friend. Same goes for hunting. You need patience."

"What happens if we're the ones being hunted?"

"You'll be lucky if you're able to climb up the tree fast enough," Usagi smirks. "And if you're really lucky, someone will be nearby with a bow and arrow."

"Speaking of," Heiya pipes up, raising his hand. "I can teach you all how to use a bow."

●・○・●・○・●

Heiya stands and grabs a bow from a nearby pile of equipment. She demonstrates fluidly. "The trick with archery is precision. The bow isn't your weapon, your aim is." She glances at each of them. "It's about feeling the tension, your target, and, most importantly, timing."

"How do we not accidentally shoot ourselves in the process?"

"With practice."

●・○・●・○・●

They all agree it's Chishiya's turn next. He doesn't argue. Instead, he just says, "We start after dinner," and disappears into the back room.

He's precise, cold, and impossibly difficult to follow at first.

He stands in front of the group, arms crossed, his tone flat. "Most of you will not remember this properly. You'll panic when it happens for real. I expect that. But we're doing this anyway."

He points at a rough diagram he's drawn on a wall.

"This is the human thoracic cavity. Learn the word. The diaphragm sits here—a dome-shaped muscle that contracts to allow negative pressure respiration."

Kuina blinks. "I'm sorry, what?"

He doesn't pause. "If you're stabbed below the fifth intercostal space it risks damage to the liver or spleen. You don't remove the object unless you want them to bleed out."

Arisu scribbles notes furiously. Baya, lying on her stomach nearby, raises her hand. "What if I do want them to bleed out?"

"Then I suggest a more efficient place."

He walks them through blood loss symptoms, tapping the side of a bottle filled with dyed water. "Lightheadedness, clammy skin, confusion. If you don't recognize hypovolemia, they'll go into shock. You need fluids. IV if possible. Oral rehydration otherwise."

"Translate."

He sighs. "If they're bleeding a lot, you patch them up and give them water. Not too fast, or they'll vomit. If they're shaking or not responding, that's shock. Wrap them in something warm."

"See? That I get," Heiya mutters.

But he's relentless. He sets up fake injuries using bandages and red paint. He shows them how to check for a radial pulse with two fingers. He demonstrates CPR, pressing on a stuffed jacket.

"No," he snaps at Arisu at one point. "You're not compressing deep enough. They'll die. Do it again."

Ann, focused and unfazed, becomes his unofficial assistant. He actually seems to respect her. Together, they show how to make a splint from wood and cloth. How to disinfect a wound without clean water. How to deal with burns.

"Use honey," Chishiya says. "It's antibacterial."

Baya perks up. "I knew food fixes everything."

"Don't eat it after it's been on a wound."

"Obviously," she mutters, licking a packet of jam.

●・○・●・○・●

The group doesn't realize what Baya knows until the day she casually dismantles a lock with a pin and a piece of gum wrapper. They watch, stunned, as the lock clicks open, and she just shrugs.

"Wait, what was your job?" Kuina blinks.

"I worked at the black market," she admits, slightly ashamed. "Or rather, I would steal donated organs and bring them to dealers for money."

Aguni and Ann look surprised, but impressed. Kuina grins. "I'm ready for this."

So they give her the next day to teach. The last day on their visas.

They start with a door. Baya pulls out a kit she scavenged: wires, pins, hooks, a few tools she crafted herself. She gets down on her knees in front of the old building's locked supply closet.

She inserts the pin, finds the tension, and pops it open in under five seconds. The others blink.

"That looked way too easy," Heiya says.

"It is," Baya chirps. "If you know what you're doing."

She hands a pin to each of them. "Your turn."

Chishiya unlocks his on the second try. Ann also succeeds quickly. Kuina breaks hers in half and curses.

Aguni stares at the pin like it personally offended him. "What is this? A paperclip?"

"Don't disrespect the paperclip," Baya scolds.

●・○・●・○・●

"People are dumb when distracted," Baya says, pulling them into a circle. "If you can lie with your eyes and smile like it's your job, you can get anything you want."

She demonstrates by stealing Kuina's lighter without her noticing. She shows them how to fake a stumble while slipping a knife from someone's belt. She explains how body language tells more than words.

"Confidence sells everything," she adds. "You don't act like you're stealing... you act like it's already yours."

●・○・●・○・●

They gather in an abandoned cafe, playing a bartering game Baya sets up. Everyone gets a few objects: lighters, batteries, chocolate, knives, a broken watch.

"The goal," Baya says, "is to get what you want without losing anything you actually need."

She teaches them how to lie with value, how to play desperation, how to smell weakness.

Aguni watches her with a rare sort of respect. "You're manipulative."

"Apparently. But I use it for work only." She looks at Chishiya. "Unlike some people I know."

Chishiya looks at her, raising an eyebrow. "Says the girl who thinks she can steal from me."

"I can," she confirms.

He chuckles, a sound that makes it clear he's not taking her seriously. "Is that so?"

"Yup. Easy peasy."

Chishiya narrows his eyes. Baya's already moving. She shifts in her seat, subtly inching closer to him, her eyes never leaving his. She taps her fingers against the table, drawing his attention for just a moment.

In that split second, she slides her hand into his pocket, fingers slipping his pen out with expert precision. She doesn't even break eye contact as she pulls it out.

Before Chishiya can react, she holds the pen up triumphantly. "Look what I found!" she declares.

He stares at her for a long moment. "I didn't even feel you take it."

"Exactly," she says with a wink. "You were too busy arguing with me about how you're 'impossible to steal from.'"

"Alright, alright," he sighs, rubbing his temples. "You win."

●・○・●・○・●

The sun is still up, but it's beginning to sink behind clouds. The house is full of stomping feet and half-arguments over chores.

Baya doesn't care. She's outside, on the backyard swing set with Chishiya.

The rusted chains creak, but they hold. Her legs are curled sideways across his lap, her arms loosely looped around his neck. She's wearing a hoodie that doesn't belong to her. He's leaned back in the swing, one hand loosely gripping the chain, the other resting on her back.

"Only six more hours on our visas," she says. "We were going to look for games after dinner, right?"

"Yes. But maybe the visas mean something else this time. I don't think they want the players to die this easily."

For a long time, they just sit there. The swing set squeaks softly beneath them. Baya eventually lays her head on his chest. They don't talk. They just breathe together.

And it's gross how in love they are. Embarrassingly gross. The kind of love that makes other people roll their eyes and pretend to gag when they walk into a room. But neither of them care.

Dinner comes. Kuina hollers out the window that they're going to starve if they keep making out.

Baya flips her off.

Chishiya just says, "Let them wait."

●・○・●・○・●

The eight of them just finished eating dinner when all phones ping at once.

Baya pulls it out, her heart so used to the nerves that it's already thundering in her chest as she opens the message.

CHOOSE YOUR NEXT GAME.

Below the text, two squares. One of them is yellow and the other is red.

The colors of the game she'll be playing.

They don't mention the difficulty level, and Baya doesn't even care at this point. She'll play anything just to avoid eating those things again.

"Everyone should share their options," Ann says. "Maybe we can make duos and join games together. Has anyone got orange or pink?"

No one.

She glances at Chishiya's screen. Green and black.

A long, deep sigh comes out of her mouth.

In the end, it appears there is only one match: Aguni also received the red option.

It makes perfect sense. The Jokers know they're with eight people. There are fifteen colors. Why not give all of them two options, meaning it's possible for them to have one match only?

"Should we team up?" Baya asks Aguni. "Maybe that's for the best."

He nods slowly. "Yes."

A heavy silence falls. Eight players. Seven different games. One match. That means six people are going in alone.

"I don't like this," Kuina says flatly.

Baya glances around the group, her heart hammering. She hates this setup. Splitting up in this world never ends well, but staying together might also lead to betrayals and deaths.

"They're trying to scatter us," she says. "They want to make sure no one leaves their game alive."

"Well, then we just prove them wrong," Kuina mutters. She's already got her pack slung over her shoulder. "We finish fast. We find each other after."

"We'll meet each other here."

Heiya bumps fists with Kuina and grabs a protein bar off the table. "We go in, we win, we meet. Easy."

Nothing's easy. But they all nod anyway.

Baya taps the red square. Her screen flickers to a map of Tokyo with a red dot on it; the game's location.

It's a gym.

They all head out just before sundown. The streets are quiet, unnaturally so, compared to the King of Spades last time.

Kuina peels off first, flashing Baya a peace sign before ducking into her assigned game arena.

Then Heiya, with a wave and a muttered, "Don't die."

Arisu's white glow flickers as he steps into it without a word. Ann disappears across the street, glancing back only once.

Chishiya is the last to go. He turns back to Baya, hands in his pockets. "You're the only one who gets to be babysat," he says lightly, nodding toward Aguni.

Baya crosses her arms. "Jealous?"

He raises a brow. "Do I look jealous?"

"You always look jealous. You just disguise it as judgment."

There's a pause.

Then he smiles, just slightly. "Come back."

"I will."

"You'd better," he says. "You still owe me a stolen cookie."

She grins. "I'm stealing the whole box next time."

And then he's gone. Just like that.

Baya stares at the spot where he disappeared, her chest twisting. Aguni says nothing, just waits a few steps ahead beneath the dull red light of the gym.

After a moment, she pulls Chishiya's hoodie tighter around her and walks toward it.

"Ready?" Aguni asks.

"No," she mutters, but they enter the gym anyway.

It reeks of sweat. The red laser scans them as they step in. A holographic card flashes overhead.

RED JOKER
Difficulty: 6
Participants: 2

The doors slam shut behind them with a mechanical hiss, locking out the last traces of daylight. Ahead, two  treadmills sit in the center of the room.

Both of them are encased in transparent glass—floor to ceiling. Behind each treadmill is a machine that looks like a grinder. Its silver teeth glisten under the flickering lights.

The voice of the Joker crackles overhead, glitchy and almost cheerful.

"Welcome to your workout. You are tasked with running. Enter your glass room through the door. Keep running or... you die. The speed increases every thirty minutes. The door will be locked the entire six hours."

Six.

Speed increasing? Baya doesn't know if she's even capable of jogging for one hour straight, let alone this.

A low hum rises as the grinders activate, their teeth beginning to spin. Then the treadmills start.

Baya and Aguni lock eyes. No words. Just understanding. They climb on.

During the first hour, the treadmills begin at a light jog—just enough to get the blood pumping. The glass walls on each side make it feel like a cage, and the grinder behind them moves slowly.

She's used to sprinting and weaving, but this is different. This is consistency. And consistency isn't really her thing.

Aguni is dead silent beside her. His form never breaks. His breathing is steady. It's almost unnatural how calm he looks.

But it's early. Ten minutes in, Baya's already itchy from the claustrophobia. The treadmill's glass enclosure distorts her reflection and amplifies her footsteps until it feels like she's being chased by echoes.

The speed has increased four times by now. Not by much. But enough that her calves are already tightening.

"You ever run cross-country?" she pants.

"No," Aguni grunts. "Military drills."

"Fun."

She's not joking. Baya does think that's fun. Maybe not the life or death part, but there's something deeply satisfying about physical exhaustion—it makes sense. It has rules. It hurts, but in a way you can understand.

She finds a rhythm. Focuses on her breath. Counts her steps.

Until the Joker's voice chimes again.

"Two hours to go until halfway. Let's spice things up."

The lights dim to a red hue. The grinders behind them pick up speed. They can hear the whirring now. It's so loud it drowns out their own breath. The floor of the treadmills tilt just slightly upward.

Baya stumbles. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

She adjusts her pace. Eyes ahead. She can't look at Aguni anymore, can't spare the focus. She knows she has to last another four hours.

By the third hour, sweat is pouring. Her hoodie is soaked, but she refuses to take it off. It smells like Chishiya. Clean soap, antiseptic, and a hint of something sharp. It keeps her sane.

Ye knees are starting to ache. She distracts herself. "Hey, Aguni."

No answer.

"Want to play a game?"

He grunts.

"Not this game. A better one. I'll ask you a question, you ask me one back. Helps the time pass."

Another grunt. But this time, maybe some kind of yes.

"Okay. What's your favorite color?"

"Black."

She rolls her eyes. "Of course."

His voice is rough. "Your turn."

"Mm... pink," she replies. "Maybe a soft green."

They fall into a rhythm. Between gulps of air, they trade questions. But only for half an hour or so.

Because the speed increases again. Now it's a run. Not quite a sprint, but close. Fast enough that even Aguni starts to falter, his shirt clinging to his back. His legs pump harder. Baya is gasping now, her body drenched. Every inhale burns.

Her brain starts to fuzz at the edges. Time becomes muddy. Seconds stretch and collapse. Her vision goes blurry around the sides.

She bites her tongue just to stay awake.

During the second last hour, Baya's legs are barely working. Her knees wobble. Her vision tunnels. She stares at the panel in front of her—no stop button.

She thinks about Chishiya. About his stupid, smug face. About how he smiled at her before she left, all sarcastic and sweet like he knew she'd make it. She has to prove him right.

The treadmill jolts, speed increasing again. It's nearly a full sprint now. The glass walls rattle, amplifying every cough and curse and gulp of air.

The grinders behind them whir louder, too loud. They've moved closer.

Baya's legs are gone. They're not even legs anymore. They're numb things that almost fail to keep up. Her knees are giving out every few seconds. She can't even scream. Her throat is too raw. Her hoodie sticks to her body, soaked through. Her hands cramp. Her fingernails dig into her palms hard enough to split skin.

She looks to Aguni. He's not doing any better. He's bleeding from his mouth. Bit his tongue, maybe.

Thirty minutes left.

The treadmill tilts up again, like running up the side of a building. She stumbles. Her foot slips. Her face smashes into the glass. She tastes blood.

She gets yanked back an inch, closer to the grinder. Only sheer panic gets her legs moving again. Not strength. Not will. Just panic.

Twenty minutes.

Her vision flickers black at the edges. Her hearing is going. All she can feel is the slapping of her shoes, the screech of pain in her back, her lungs turning into a useless puddle.

Baya sobs without meaning to. She bites her cheek hard enough to draw blood just to stay conscious. The taste is metallic. She focuses on it.

Her knees give out again. She hits the ground hard. Rolls her ankle. Nearly pukes from the impact.

But the grinder is right there now. She can hear the wind. Feel the heat.

She crawls to her feet, fighting the urge to give up. Her legs don't work. She's limp, broken, barely moving.

Ten minutes.

She looks up and sees her own reflection in the glass. Her face is pale. Eyes bloodshot. Hair stuck to her neck. Her lips are cracked, dried blood across her cheek. She looks like she's already dead.

Five minutes.

The treadmill surges again. Impossible speed. The grinder moves forward with a shriek of metal.

Aguni growls something and slams his fists down against the glass, forcing his body to keep going.

Baya's spine is lit on fire. Her throat tastes like acid. She isn't even running anymore. She's half-stumbling. Trying to hold onto the walks that surround her.

One minute.

"Come on," she whimpers, barely able to speak.

She sees Aguni stumble—his foot hits the edge, skidding sideways.

Thirty seconds.

Baya closes her eyes.

Chishiya's face flashes in her mind. Not just a memory, but an anchor. His voice. His hoodie. His touch. His stupid obsession with cookies.

Ten seconds.

Her legs give in, but she refuses to fall.

She forces herself into one last sprint.

Then the treadmill stops.

So do the grinders.

The lights cut out.

Silence.

Then a slow click. The glass lifts.

Baya collapses forward, face to the ground, hands trembling.

Aguni crashes to his knees beside her.

Neither of them speak.

They just breathe. Gasp. Shake. Shiver.

The dealer's voice returns, quieter now: Congratulations. You cleared the game."

They don't move for a long time.

Eventually, Baya rolls onto her side. Her body is shredded. She's soaked in blood and sweat and tears. Her vision pulses in and out. Her head swims. She can't tell if she's hot or cold. Everything hurts. Her calves, thighs, hips... all locked.

She's trying to breathe through it. Trying to stay awake. But her eyelids are so heavy.

Aguni shifts beside her. It's barely a movement. His back has slumped against the wall, chin tipped forward, breaths growing shallower. His whole body jerks onc and then he goes still again.

She can hear his heartbeat. Or maybe it's hers. It echoes in her ears, loud and fuzzy. Too fast.

She turns her head just a little. Aguni's eyes are closed. His chest is still rising, but it's slow, uneven. She should say something. Try to wake him up. But when she opens her mouth, no sound comes out.

She's so tired.

"Just... just five minutes," she whispers, slurring the words. "Then we walk..."

But her body's not listening anymore. Her head drops forward. Her breath catches once. And then she's out.

●・○・●・○・●

The next day, they sit there a while longer, not speaking. Just breathing. Healing, sort of. Baya wipes at her face. Her arms are heavy. Her knees are shaking from simply existing.

"We need water," she mutters. "Food. A bath. Honestly, alcohol."

With agonizing effort, she rolls onto her knees, then uses the wall to force herself upright. Her legs scream in protest. Her calves lock halfway up and she almost collapses again, catching herself with a hiss.

Aguni hauls himself up beside her. He's limping, but upright. She reaches for him without thinking, hooking her arm under his.

They start walking. It's more of a hobble. Her legs are noodles. Aguni is stiff, one knee clearly refusing to cooperate. They're agonizingly slow, but together. Supporting each other. Her shoulder is tucked under his arm, his hand gripping hers.

The walk should take ten minutes. It takes them over an hour.

By the time they reach the correct neighborhood, Baya is drenched in sweat again, her head spinning. But she recognizes the corner. The faded sign. The cracked sidewalk near the gate.

She almost cries. "We're close."

Aguni just grunts. His grip tightens on her shoulder. They make it past the gate.

The front steps are cruel. Baya nearly falls forward trying to climb the first. Aguni pushes her up, and she helps drag him after.

They collapse at the front door, too exhausted to knock.

The front door slams open.

Ann is standing there. Her expression flickers with disbelief for half a second before she rushes toward them. "Finally," she breathes. "We thought we lost you."

"Water," Baya mutters. "Please."

Chishiya appears in the doorway next, calm but tight-lipped, a bottle already in hand. He tosses it to Aguni and kneels beside Baya, his gaze sharp as he takes her in. "Are you okay?"

"I'm never running again," she grunts.

"Are you okay?" He repeats.

"I will be. Are you?"

"Yes."

"What... was your game?" Baya asks weakly.

"We'll talk about that later."

She inspects him for a moment. He doesn't look physically hurt, but something feels wrong. 

Kuina steps into view next. Her face doesn't light up. Her shoulders are tense.

"Who?" Baya asks immediately.

They don't answer right away. That silence is worse than anything.

"Where is everyone?" Aguni demands. "We all made it out, didn't we?"

Ann's eyes flicker toward the hallway. "Everyone... made it," she says carefully.

"But?"

"But Arisu is hurt. He'll live, but he has a concussion. Bled a lot."

"What happened?"

"His game included falling tiles," Ann sighs.

"We stopped the bleeding. He's inside, sedated," Chishiya goes on.

Without a word, Baya staggers to her feet. It's a bad idea. Her legs nearly fold beneath her, and Chishiya catches her before she can fall again.

"Hey," he says, voice softer. "He's okay. But he's not awake yet."

"I need to see him."

Chishiya nods and supports her weight as they limp into the house together. Apart from the lack of color in his face and the bandage that's wrapped around his head, Arisu looks like he's just sleeping

"He saved someone," Usagi says, holding his hand. "That's why he was too late to avoid the tile."

"He's an idiot," Baya whispers. They sit in silence again. Outside, the sun is starting to lower.

Which means one day of their visa has already passed. Two days left. So far, it seems like they will gain three days per game, and are only able to join a new one when their phone announces it. It's endless.

But fifteen games have been cleared so far.

●・○・●・○・●

🂱 — A/N: One of my friends is learning Japanese and she told me all about norms. She is also a fan of AIB and apparently, Chishiya is extremely impolite for multiple reasons

— there are 3 ways of saying "I" in Japanese, and he uses the rudest one
— he never apologizes for anything, while that's another highly common thing in Japan
— neither does he ever bow or call people "sir" or "miss/mrs/ms"

Idk it was just so interesting to me, because I didn't know about the "I" thing at all.

I haven't really portrayed the Japanse norms in this fanfic. Sorry about that!! But it seems like the entirety of AIB was a bit impolite, if you know what I mean, so I guess it's not that bad. 

Anyone got more theories??

Or maybe duos/game colors you'd love to see? (I published a thing called "JOKERS", where you can find every color's explanation)

Have a good day!! I have spring break right now but will be going on vacation for a few days, so expect less updates. I'm subscribed to Nijiro Murakami's private story and he posted something about an hotel he's staying at. Guess where that hotel is? Right, the place I'm going to

The odds that I meet him are very small but I'm going to manifest it anyway