●・○・●・○・●
CHAPTER SIXTY
a break

—

༇ BAYA wakes up slowly, the haze of sleep lingering in her mind. Her body feels strange, sore in places she didn't know could ache, but there's a warmth around her that she hasn't felt in two weeks.

Her eyes flutter open, but she doesn't move. She's still too tired. The events of the past few days come rushing back quickly: the woods, the pain, the fear. The faces of the people she thought she'd never see again.

Chishiya. The warmth around her is his presence. His arms are tightly wrapped around her, holding her close. His body pressed against hers, so close she can feel every breath he takes. She shifts slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position, but his arms tighten instinctively, pulling her deeper into his hold.

"Don't move," his voice is rough, thick with exhaustion, as he murmurs against her hair. She stills at the sound of his voice, her heart picking up speed.

Slowly, she opens her eyes a little wider, trying to focus on the room around her. It's dim, the only light coming from the crack in the curtains. It's peaceful.

She feels him press against her even tighter, his hands locked around her waist like a vise. "Chishiya," she breathes, her voice barely audible. Her eyes try to flicker to his face, but he's buried in her hair, his cheek resting against her shoulder.

She tries to shift again, but he responds immediately, his arms gripping her with more force, his fingers digging into her skin as if afraid she might disappear again.

"Seriously?" she whispers, her own voice cracking with emotion.

"You've been asleep for nearly two days." He hums softly as her hand slides over his arm. He doesn't let her move. Doesn't let her do anything except stay within the cocoon of his arms. His body shifts slightly, but it's only to pull her closer, if that's even possible.

Baya can't help but smile softly despite the exhaustion she still feels. She doesn't mind. It's strangely comforting, the way he holds her. She tries to move again, testing his hold, but he doesn't let up. His hand slides down her side.

She stares at the ceiling for a moment, heart aching in her chest. The feeling of his arms around her is familiar. She knows that this is where she belongs. With him. Baya curls into him, pressing herself as close as she can without any words. She doesn't need to say anything. She doesn't need to reassure him any more than she already has.

Baya lies there for a while, letting the warmth of Chishiya's embrace settle around her. But as the minutes tick by, something becomes painfully obvious: her bladder. The pressure starts building, and her body's need for relief intensifies. She shifts subtly, trying to wriggle away without disturbing him.

But Chishiya doesn't budge. His arms tighten even more. He must be half asleep, still too lost in the comfort of holding her. "Chishiya," she murmurs, trying to ease her body away, but he responds with a firmer hold. "I really need to go to the bathroom."

He doesn't answer, just pulls her in tighter. She laughs quietly, shaking her head.

"You're ridiculous," she teases, trying again to shift, this time with a bit more force. "I can't hold it forever, you know."

"Just stay for a minute."

Baya can't help the laugh that escapes her. "I'll stay right here once you finally let me go to the bathroom, you crazy man."

"Okay, okay. Let me help you up."

Chishiya's grip on her loosens just enough for her to shift her weight. The last few days of watching her slip in and out of consciousness have worn him thin, and now that she's awake, he can't help but hold onto her as though letting go would risk losing her again. His eyes scan her face.

Her leg feels like it's made of stone, stiff and painful. Baya leans into him, letting him guide her as he gently helps her stand on one leg. The shift in her posture sends a jolt of pain through her body, and she bites back a wince, clutching his shirt for balance. Her head spins a little.

They make slow progress. She doesn't realize how badly she needs him until she's practically leaning all of her weight on him, and he doesn't even flinch. When they reach the bathroom, Chishiya helps her sit on the toilet, making sure she's settled and as comfortable as possible, though there's little comfort to be found when you're recovering from living in the woods with a hunter chasing you. His gaze flickers down to her leg before quickly returning to her face. "I'll stay right outside."

"Okay."

Once she finishes, he helps her back to the bed. She's not sure if she'll ever feel fully whole again after everything that's happened, but with him beside her, holding her in a way that doesn't feel suffocating, she feels like she might just be able to piece herself back together.

●・○・●・○・●

Roughly four weeks later, Baya's feeling slightly better. Enough that the boredom starts gnawing at her. She's tired of being treated like she's made of glass. She's tired of Chishiya hovering nearby every time she so much as shifts in bed.

So when he disappears into the next room for a while, she decides she's had enough. She's going to get up. On her own. Like a normal, functioning human being.

Baya swings her legs over the edge of the bed carefully, biting her lip at the sore pull in her muscles. She pushes herself up, wobbly but determined, and stands on one leg. Her hand holds onto the wall.

Victory. Well, sort of. She makes it about three steps before a familiar voice cuts in from behind her.

"You're going to fall flat on your face."

Baya jumps and nearly tips forward. Chishiya appears at her side in an instant.

"I'm fine," she snaps, waving him off.

He tilts his head slightly, unimpressed. "That wobble was very convincing."

"I didn't wobble," she lies, glaring at him. "It was strategic balancing."

Chishiya's lips twitch like he's trying very hard not to laugh. "Strategic falling."

"I'm perfectly capable," she insists, taking another daring step forward. Her injured leg protests immediately, and she hisses through her teeth but refuses to show weakness.

"Yes," Chishiya deadpans. "I see that. So capable. So majestic."

"Shut up," Baya grumbles. "Go hover somewhere else."

"I'll hover right here. In case you decide to strategically collapse and crack your head open."

Baya huffs and tries to storm off, except it's less of a storm and more of a sad waddle. Chishiya follows her at a lazy pace, not even pretending to give her space.

"I bet you're just waiting for me to fall so you can say 'I told you so,'" she mutters.

"I'm not that petty," he says. Then, after a beat, adds, "Mostly."

She shoots him a look over her shoulder. "You're the pettiest person I've ever met."

"And yet you keep crawling back to me."

"I am not crawling!" she snaps, offended.

He raises one eyebrow. "Right. Sorry. Waddling."

She groans loudly and tosses a pillow at him, but her aim is horrendous and the pillow misses by a good two feet.

"Truly terrifying."

"You suck," she grumbles, wobbling again as she tries to move past him.

Chishiya steps right into her path, blocking her. Baya bumps into him with a grunt and glares up at him.

"Move."

"No."

"Chishiya."

"You're going to hurt yourself."

"I won't!"

"You already look like a deer on ice."

"You're so annoying!"

"And you're stubborn."

For a second, they just glare at each other. Then Baya's legs threaten to give out again, and before she can catch herself, Chishiya scoops her up and starts carrying her back toward the bed.

She shrieks. "Put me down, you tyrant!"

"Not a chance," he says.

"I can walk!"

"Sure. And I can fly."

She slaps his shoulder. "I hate you!" she huffs dramatically.

He glances down at her, completely unfazed. "No, you don't."

And as much as she wants to argue, the warmth curling in her chest betrays her. He sets her gently back onto the bed and tucks the blanket around her like she's a burrito.

"Rest," he says simply, turning away. "Strategically."

Baya groans and buries her face in the blanket to hide her smile. She pretends to rest for about... fifteen minutes. Which, honestly, is impressive given her usual level of impatience.

She peeks an eye open and spots Chishiya across the room, sitting in a chair with his arms crossed, watching her like a hawk.

"You look creepy just sitting there."

"You look unstable just breathing," he replies without missing a beat.

Baya huffs and wriggles under the blanket, trying to casually move herself to the edge of the bed. Chishiya raises an eyebrow.

"Where do you think you're going?"

She freezes. "Nowhere."

He doesn't even bother standing up. Just leans his head back against the chair and closes his eyes. "You have about three seconds before you faceplant and cry about it."

"I won't cry!" she snaps, kicking the blanket off. It gets tangled around her legs and she almost trips. "See? Fine."

Chishiya cracks one eye open. "What definition of fine?"

"Shut up," Baya grumbles, limping determinedly toward the door.

"You shut up."

"Real mature. I'm capable!" She reaches the door and grab the handle triumphantly.

"Congratulations," Chishiya deadpans, slow clapping from his chair. "She's touching a doorknob, folks."

"I hate you," she declares again.

"Mutual." He stands now, finally moving toward her. She tries to open the door. Fails.

She yanks harder, gritting her teeth, and the sudden force sends her stumbling backward, right into Chishiya, who catches her neatly like he's done this a thousand times before (he has).

Still grumbling under her breath, Baya lets him help her back to the bed, this time without a fight. Mostly. Except for the fact that she keeps accidentally elbowing him in the ribs every few steps.

"You have the survival instincts of a potato," Chishiya comments as she flops onto the bed again.

"At least I'm not a sociopath."

"Indeed, you're just an idiot."

She sticks her tongue out at him childishly. He flicks her forehead with two fingers.

"Grow up."

"Make me."

One of Chishiya's eyebrows shoots up. "Careful what you wish for."

Baya becomes crimson. "Pervert."

He shrugs innocently and settles back into his chair. "You started it."

She glares at him for a long moment, huffing, before yanking the blanket back over herself.

●・○・●・○・●

That evening, Chishiya chooses peace. He sits in the living room, on his usual chair, with a book only he likes on his lap. Baya is upstairs, fast asleep like usual.

Aguni and Arisu went on a run to get in shape. Chishiya, as much as he loves shapes and math and science, did not give them the pleasure of his company, which left him surrounded by women. The only other male is a ten-year-old kid who's sleep pattern matches Baya's.

So Usagi, Kuina, and Heiya are all staring at Chishiya from the couch.

"What do you want?" He grumbles without looking up.

"We want you to ask her," Kuina decides.

"Who, what?"

"You know who to ask what," Usagi jumps in. "Why haven't you done it? It's been two weeks!"

"I'm rising the tension for my," he gives them a glare, "audience."

"Edging, you mean," Heiya corrects. "You're just building up your courage because you're too scared to ask her for some dumb reason because it's very, very obvious Baya will say 'yes'. She'll take it as a marriage proposal."

Chishiya looks disturbed at the last two words.

"Exactly!" Kuina goes on. "You two have kissed, shared a bed, lived together, saved each other, have seen each other naked—"

"Why and how do you know about that?"

"Wait, you've actually seen each other naked?" Her face falls. "I was just listing random things."

"She hasn't seen me," he points out.

"Why have you seen her?"

"I helped her clean up."

"After what?"

Chishiya's eyebrows furrow. "Arisu and Baya's game," he says slowly. "Why did you have to ask 'after what'?"

Kuina shrugs. "Oh, you never know."

"Have you told her you love her?"

"Yes."

"Woah, woah, what? When? Where? How? Who said it first?"

"That's none of your business."

"You both said 'I love you' and you're still not dating?!"

"What is wrong with you two?!" Kuina yelps, throwing her hands up.

"You're like those stupid TV couples that drag it out for eight seasons for no reason!"

"I thought you were a genius." Heiya looks genuinely disappointed. "I feel lied to."

Chishiya pinches the bridge of his nose. "Saying 'I love you' and officially 'dating' are two different social constructs."

"You're a different social construct," Kuina snaps.

Kota finally lets them know that they've been loud and appears from the stairs, his pajamas still on. "I thought once you said 'I love you,' you were a couple!"

Chishiya opens his mouth to explain complex things, but Kuina cuts him off with a glare.

"You love each other. You live together. You survived death together. You hold hands like teenagers. You literally spoon at night. You are dating."

"Not officially."

"Then make it official!" they all yell at once.

"You are so lucky Baya is asleep right now," Kuina growls. "Or we'd just go tell her and let her fix you."

"Either way," Usagi holds up a finger, "you need to ask her to be your girlfriend. Right now."

"Right now?"

"Yes, right now."

"Why right now?"

"Because every second, there is a possibility that either of you dies and that means you'll never get to ask her."

"It sounds a bit off to just wake her up and ask her," Chishiya responds.

"Ah, so you're secretly romantic—"

"Baya takes sleep very seriously and will violently reject me if I dare to disturb her peaceful hours."

"You have a point. And it should be romantic! That's what she deserves after waiting for you to ask her... for like, an eternity."

Chishiya sighs heavily. "You're all insane," he mutters.

"No, you're insane for dragging this out!" Kuina shoots back.

Usagi leans forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "Seriously. What are you so scared of? Baya's the one person who actually likes you."

"Wrong," Chishiya says. "Arisu likes me."

"Arisu likes everyone. You could kick him into a river and he'd still walk after you like, 'Chishiyaaaa, wait up!'"

"That's irrelevant." Chishiya leans back in his chair,

"She's been waiting. She probably thinks you don't want her."

Chishiya flinches. It's barely visible, but the girls catch it instantly. Sharks, all of them. Like blood in the water.

"You do want her, right?"

Chishiya glares at her like she just asked if he wanted to cut off his own hands.

"Then go!" Kuina yells—

"Fine!" Chishiya huffs, standing up so abruptly that Kota startles.

"Where are you going again?" He asks sleepily.

"To ruin my life," Chishiya mutters.

"Good luck!" the girls chorus after him.

The walk upstairs feels like marching to his execution.

When he reaches her door, he hesitates. His hand hovers over the doorknob, fingers flexing uselessly.

Through the wood, he hears the faint sound of Baya's breathing. Chishiya groans slowly. This is stupid.

He knocks gently. Once. Twice.

No answer.

Of course not. She's a corpse when she sleeps.

So he opens the door carefully, wincing as it creaks. Inside, Baya is curled up under a blanket, looking disgustingly adorable. His heart does something complicated and inconvenient in his chest.

Chishiya crosses the room and crouches beside the bed.

"Baya," he whispers, poking her shoulder.
She groans in protest and buries deeper into the blanket.

He pokes her again. "Baya."

"Five more minutes," she mumbles, slapping blindly at the air, missing his face by an inch.

"Baya, wake up."

"Or what?" she grumbles, not even opening her eyes.

"I'll..." He searches for something threatening. "...eat all the cookies I reserved for you."

Her eyes snap open instantly, wide with horror.
"You wouldn't dare."

"I would."

Baya sits up groggily, her hair a mess. She gives him a dirty glance. "What is so important it couldn't wait until morning?"

Baya stares at him expectantly, waiting. Chishiya opens his mouth.

Nothing comes out.

He clenches his jaw, trying again. Still nothing. He can feel the words right there, hovering on his tongue, but the moment he tries to say them, his brain short-circuits.

Baya blinks at him slowly, still half in a dream, and murmurs, "You okay? You look like you're about to confess a crime."

He stands up abruptly.

"Chishiya?"

"I changed my mind," he says flatly, already backing away toward the door. "Go back to sleep."

Baya stares at him. "Wait, what? You woke me up for nothing?"

He's already halfway into the hallway.
"Goodnight," he says, and shuts the door behind him with a soft click.

He stands there in the hall for a second, leaning against the wall. Then he drags himself back downstairs.

The moment the girls see his face, they know.
Kuina stands up so fast she nearly trips over the coffee table.

"You didn't do it, did you?" she accuses.

Chishiya slumps back into his chair without answering.

"Are you serious right now?"

Usagi covers her face with her hands. "What is wrong with you?"

Kuina is losing her mind. She flails her arms. "You had one job!"

"Technically," he says, "you had one job too, and that was trusting me to complete my job, so really, we all failed here."

"No." Heiya stands over him like a disappointed parent. "You failed. We were brilliant."

Kota, half-awake on the couch, pipes up innocently, "Did she say yes?"

Dead silence.

"That's a no," Usagi tells Kota softly.

"Don't care," Chishiya says. "Leave me alone. I'm mourning."

"Mourning what?!" Kuina cries. "Your brain cells?"

He just closes his eyes, sinking deeper into the chair, pretending he can disappear.

The girls spend the next ten minutes loudly plotting ways to physically drag him back upstairs and force him to ask Baya properly.

"Okay," Kuina says after a heavy sigh, dropping back onto the couch and clapping her hands together. "We need a real plan."

"I don't need a plan."

"Clearly you do," she snarls. "You froze like a deer in headlights. And not even a cool deer. Like a weird, panicking baby deer."

"Thank you for that vivid imagery," he says dryly.

Kuina grabs a notebook off the coffee table—it's technically Kota's math notebook but nobody's caring about math right now (or ever)—and scribbles OPERATION: MAKE BAYA YOUR GIRLFRIEND in giant letters across the top.
Kota leans over, fascinated.

"Step one," Usagi stands up. "You need to set the mood."

"Mood?"

"You know, flowers, candles, music," Kuina chimes in.

Chishiya lifts his head just enough to give her the most judgmental stare known to mankind.

"I'm not putting on a whole musical to ask her out," he says flatly. "I'm not in a soap opera."

"You might as well be," Usagi mutters under her breath. "Have you seen yourselves?"

Chishiya slouches even further into his chair.

Kota raises his hand helpfully. "You could use flowers! Girls like flowers!"

Chishiya blinks. "Where am I supposed to get flowers? They're all dead."

The entire room falls silent. None of them have an answer.

"I'll draw a flower on a piece of paper," Kota offers.

Chishiya looks at him. "Thank you. That's somehow even worse."

"Okay, scrap the flower idea for now," Kuina says. "Step two: the speech. You need something heartfelt."

"We'll help. Something simple. Like: 'Baya, you make my miserable existence slightly less miserable. Will you be my girlfriend?'"

"Romantic," Chishiya comments dryly.

"Fine, fine," Kuina waves her hands. "How about, 'I'm an idiot, but I'm your idiot. Please date me.'"

"You can say," Kota pipes up, standing proudly on the couch now, "'You're my best friend and I love you a lot and also your hair smells good.'"
He beams.

Chishiya stares at him once again.

"Honestly?" Heiya says after a beat, "That's still better than everything else."

Chishiya runs a hand down his face.

Usagi tosses him a pillow. "Look, just make it you, okay? She already loves you. She loves your stupid face and your weird brain and your personality. You just have to actually say something, and she'll be yours."

He lifts the pillow onto his face to hide his embarrassment.

"We're going to make this happen," Kuina cheers. "We are so going to make this happen."

"And if you back out again, we will tie you up and throw you at her feet."

Kuina smirks widely. "Tomorrow. You're asking her tomorrow. No excuses."

"And you better make it romantic," Heiya warns. "Because if you just poke her awake and grunt 'date me', we will intervene."

●・○・●・○・●

The next morning begins with suspicious quiet.

Chishiya wakes up naturally. No screaming, no Kota tripping over furniture, no Kuina arguing with Usagi over breakfast. Just... silence. Which immediately makes him suspicious.

He gets dressed quickly, dragging a hand through his hair, and heads downstairs.

The entire house is empty except for Kota, who's sitting at the kitchen table with a large, glittery cardboard sign reading:

"ASK HER OUT OR ELSE."

Kota gives him a bright, innocent smile like he hasn't been weaponized by three women.

"They went out to give you space," Kota chirps. "They said you have until lunch."

"What?"

"If you don't ask her by lunch, they said they're gonna 'handle it themselves.'"

He has no idea what 'handle it' means, but given the glitter, he assumes it involves public humiliation.

Once he's upstairs, Baya is still asleep, curled up under the covers. She looks peaceful.

He hesitates at the door, then moves closer.

Okay. Simple. Wake her up gently. Say something romantic. Ask her to be his girlfriend.

Easy.

He sits carefully on the edge of the bed. Reaches out. Brushes her hair back from her forehead.

"Baya," he says.

She groans and moves her face deeper into the pillow.

Okay. That's fine. Try again.

He leans down a little. "Baya."

Another groan. This time, she cracks open one eye.

"...The apocalypse?" she mumbles.

"Not yet," he replies.

She tries to turn away, but he catches her wrist gently, stilling her.

Her sleepy gaze finds him again. "You okay?"

Chishiya opens his mouth.

Her messy hair, her sleep-swollen face, the way she blinks so slowly like she's underwater... If he asks her now, half-asleep and confused, she'll think it's some weird dream. Or worse, she'll cry. Or worse, she'll say yes and not even remember it which means he'll have to do it again.

Instead of asking anything, he gently pats her head like she's a cat and mutters, "You can go back to sleep."

●・○・●・○・●

Kota is waiting for him, judgment written all over his tiny face.

"You chickened out."

Chishiya doesn't answer.

"They're going to attack you when they find out!"

"I know."

"Want me to distract them when they get back?"

"If you can."

The front door creaks open.

They stiffen.

They're back. He's dead. It's over.

But instead, it's just the heavy sound of boots and the shuffle of sneakers.

Arisu and Aguni walk in, sweaty and out of breath from their morning run. Aguni peels off his jacket, tossing it onto a chair, and frowns at the glitter sign Kota is proudly holding up.

Arisu blinks at it.

Kota beams. "Chishiya chickened out."

Arisu looks at Chishiya. Then at Kota. Then back at Chishiya, who is sinking deeper into the couch like he wishes it would swallow him whole.

Aguni squints. "Chickened out of what?"

"Asking Baya out," Kota says loudly and clearly.

Chishiya grunts. "Is this a community project now?"

"He won't take the girls' advice," the kid continues. "Maybe you can convince him."

"No," Aguni says simply, and walks away.

Arisu remains standing. "Eh."

"Even if you have advice, I don't want it," Chishiya tells him.

"Usagi was the one who asked me. I don't have any advice," Arisu responds. "But you have to know that Baya told me she was sad."

Chishiya shoots straight up. "Why?"

"Because you haven't asked her. We were sitting in a tree, trying to survive, and we started talking about that. She didn't understand what you were waiting for. Said you had plenty of opportunities. So... I suggest you just ask her."

He's silent at that. Anyone else could've told him anything he wanted, but knowing what Baya said makes it real.

●・○・●・○・●

The air is cool and crisp, a gentle breeze rustling through the scattered trees as Chishiya helps Baya across the ground. Her leg still isn't fully healed, and the crutches seem to slow her down, but she's determined to keep going, her bright chatter filling the air.

Chishiya barely registers her words. His mind is preoccupied. He doesn't know why it's so hard to make this one simple request. Asking her to be his girlfriend should be easy.

They walk for a while, past crumbled buildings and overgrown plants, until Chishiya spots the perfect spot. A small clearing, surrounded by a tangle of trees, the sun slanting down through the branches. It's peaceful there. No distractions.

"Let's stop here," he says.

Baya looks up at him, raising an eyebrow. She's still chattering away, talking about how she's decided she wants to collect flowers from the abandoned fields ahead, or how nice it would be if the world wasn't in ruins and they could walk without all the crutches and injuries. She's so full of life that Chishiya almost forgets the reason they're here.

They both stop in the center of the clearing, and for a moment, it's as if everything else in the world has faded away. Chishiya's not the type to get worked up over things, but here, with Baya looking at him, her eyes full of curiosity and the warmth of her smile, he feels everything shift.

She shifts slightly on her crutches, still rambling, but he can tell she's starting to notice that something's different. She pauses mid-sentence and tilts her head slightly.

"What's wrong?" Baya asks. "You've been kind of quiet."

Chishiya takes a deep breath. He can't back out now. He's here. She's here. And he's going to ask her.

"I wanted to ask you something."

She doesn't say anything, but her mouth quirks up in a small smile.

"I've been thinking about this for a while, and I need to ask you." His words tumble out in a rush. "Will you— no, can I be your... boyfriend?"

There's a pause. He watches her closely, trying to gauge her reaction, but she's staring at him with wide, slightly confused eyes.

For a moment, Chishiya wonders if she's going to laugh or if he's misread everything completely. Maybe she'll say it's too soon, or maybe—

Baya's expression morphs from surprise into a huge, glowing smile. The kind of smile that makes her eyes sparkle with joy.

"No way," she breathes. She lets out a loud laugh, her entire body vibrating with happiness. "Wait—wait, are you serious?"

Before he can even respond, she drops her crutches, nearly tripping over herself with excitement, and jumps up, her arms flailing as she shrieks, "Oh my God, yes! Yes! Of course, yes!"

She takes a few hopping steps toward him and then launches herself into his arms without hesitation, her face buried in his chest as she laughs again, so joyfully that it makes Chishiya's heart skip a beat.

"I'm so happy," she peeps, her voice muffled against his shirt. "You have no idea how much I've wanted to hear you say that."

Chishiya stands there, completely dumbfounded by the intensity of her joy. He blinks down at her.

"You're really happy?" He checks.

"I'm ecstatic!" Baya exclaims, bouncing on her toes. "You finally asked me! I didn't think you would! You're so... you're so cool! And now I'm your girlfriend? I can't believe it!"

Her enthusiasm is infectious. A smile tugs at the corner of his lips.

"You've made my entire day—no, my entire week!" Baya wraps her arms around him again. "Now I get to tell everyone." She pulls back. "And everyone's going to be so jealous!"

He pulls a face at the thought. She grins cheekily, her fingers playing with the hem of his shirt.