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Like the way he knew the back of his hand, Sou knew that he absolutely needed to do something. Like the way he knew his times tables, Sou knew that he would do anything to make Keiji’s eyes shine again. What was his drive? Some kind of unfortunate empathy? Never, never in his life has he expressed such a desperate need to help another.
‘He has the same dead eyes as me; like a fish who ran out of breath a long time ago,’ a thought filled his mind. Ever since this realization, Sou became obsessed with getting reactions out of Keiji. He thought of a new way to irk Keiji every chance he got and tested them as if Keiji were a lab rat.
Since their first meeting, Sou had eaten up every chance possible to attempt figuring out the emotion behind Keiji’s expression. No matter how much strenuous effort he put himself through, there was no progress in seeing past Keiji’s dead, cold eyes. He took every opportunity to talk to the other, even if it meant ridding himself of personal time. ‘Isn’t it pathetic?’ he thought to himself. Sou is in an awful, despairing, death game, yet a single person seems to override every single thought he had. If he didn’t do something about this, it’ll distract him for ages.
It seemed like he would never advance. Many times, Sou came close to giving up. This pattern continued until that one fated moment.
Almost in an instant, Sou shot up from his sleep, sweating heavily. He paced around for a bit, his brain trying to adjust to its new surroundings. Oh right. He had been resting his head on the side of the bed. ‘Another nightmare, huh…?’ Sou eyed Kanna, who was sleeping soundly on his bed. She had insisted on sleeping there for the night, so he easily offered up the bed for her. Sou sighed, not out of distress or resentment, but of fondness. It was comforting, having somebody go out of their way for him, even if it is just to keep an eye out.
Sou wrapped his scarf around his neck and peered into a mirror. ‘Okay, good. I can still recognize myself.’ He was about to leave to do attractions, but he felt bad leaving Kanna alone. Gently, he shook her awake.
“Kanna, I’m going to go complete attractions. It’s still early in the morning, so rest up,” he whispered quietly. Kanna made a noise of acknowledgment before drifting back to sleep.
There had been a specific attraction Sou had been wanting to try out. Not only because he would clear it in no time, but it is something he wanted to partner with Keiji for. The Quick Draw minigame required great intuition and reflex; the only person he imagined to fit the requirements was Keiji.
To his surprise, Keiji was sitting in the Lobby, waking up with a coffee. Keiji eyeballed him, looking more tired than usual, and put his arm up as a half-assed attempt of waving. Sou approached him and awkwardly sat down nearby, hands still in pockets.
“Well, you’re up early,” began Keiji, stating the obvious. He continued, “Early enough that it’s convenient. I was hoping to do an attraction, but the others aren’t usually around during this time.”
Sou nodded. “Actually, I was thinking the same thing. I’m glad I ran into you! Would you like to partner up?” He put on his usual friendly act.
“Sure, was just about to ask. Let’s go find an attraction, then.” Keiji finished the last of his coffee. Sou stared at him, noticing an opening to make a playful joke.
It was kind of embarrassing, but it wouldn’t hurt to flirt a bit. Sou was curious about what type of reaction he could get out of Keiji this time. “Don’t have to look very far when there’s one standing right in front of me.” Sou smiled smugly and closely studied Keiji’s face.
An eyebrow twitch, a tiny sweat droplet forming at his cheek, and a slight blush were all obvious signs that Sou had caught Keiji off-guard. It was an awkward pause of three seconds before Sou explained, “It’s just a joke, ahaha! I’m just kidding, no need to look so uneasy.” Maybe it was showing on his face, but Sou was pleased with the expression he evoked from Keiji’s usual laid back demeanor. It was very briefly, but Sou swore he heard Keiji mutter under his breath, “I can’t fucking stand this guy.”
Sou led Keiji over to the Quick Draw attraction. “Let’s do this one. I’ve been looking at it for a while and I think we’d both be able to clear it in no time at all!”
Keiji sighed. He shrugged and followed Sou in, not bothering to ask about the rules. When a voice came on to explain them, Sou imitated a mocking motion and mouthed the words, “Blah, blah, blah.” It was enough to distract Keiji; he had not been paying any attention to the voice. He smiled briefly and shrugged it off. It wouldn’t be much of a problem… Right?
The mini-game began. Sou leaned into Keiji’s ear and whispered, “I’ve got a premonition. Pull out the crowbar.” Keiji subtly flinched, hoping it would go unnoticed. Of course, Sou realized but kept quiet so that Keiji could focus. This pattern continued until Sou ordered Keiji to do the impossible.
”I’ve got a premonition. Take out the gun.” In an instant, all the color drained from Keiji’s face. He remained still and looked forward, darting his eyes away from Sou. ‘Maybe I should have listened to the rules beforehand,’ he thought to himself. His breathing became irregular and sweat beads began to form on his face.
“What’s wrong?” Sou inquired, taking a good look at Keiji’s expression. It’s something he has never seen before. It made his heart jump, an overwhelming sense of sympathy taking over. “It’s almost about time, get ready. Hey, are you listening?” Sou shook Keiji’s arm with a nervous look. Keiji remained quiet. Despite wanting to, Sou didn’t pry any further; there was no time. He took Keiji’s shaking hands and guided them to the gun. At first, it came as a shock to Keiji, but he made no attempt to stop Sou. Together, they held the gun and fired at the final enemy.
“Sorry, I had no idea. You can have both of the clear chips,” Sou offered, feeling guilty for dragging Keiji into this.
Keiji, still regaining his composure, took a few seconds to respond, “No… No, it’s fine. Let’s split them. It was my fault for not paying attention to the rules in the first place. Sorry I couldn’t live up to your expectations, haha...”
Sou frowned. “Is that why your eyes look so dead all the time…? I can’t ever tell what you’re thinking.” The words poured out subconsciously. Sou leaned in to get a closer look at Keiji’s face. Keiji remained quiet for a bit. He nervously backed his face away in response to Sou’s advancement. “...Guess you can’t trust somebody with dead eyes like mine, huh?”
“I trust you,” Sou replied almost immediately. For once, he meant what he said, but it spilled out of his mouth unintentionally. He piped back down into the chair. Silence filled the room as Keiji gave Sou a surprised stare. Maybe it was his imagination, but Sou swore that he saw Keiji’s eyes glisten a bit. His heart skipped a beat. It was something so small yet impacting; it was as if God had parted the clouds just enough to reveal the corner of heaven. A tiny victory, something Sou had sought out since he first introduced himself to the other. However, this event caused Sou to realize how embarrassing his actions from the morning had been and it wasn’t long before he became a blushing mess.
“U-Um, you know, actually? I have to go. Right now. Thanks for accompanying me,” he stated in a hurry before running off, face buried in his scarf. Keiji reached his arm out in an attempt to stop him but gave up midway. He held the clear chip in his hand, face still a bit flushed from Sou’s statement.
Sou quickly locked the door of his room behind him. He dropped to his knees and tried to regain his composure. ‘What was that?! There isn’t any reason my heart should be beating this fast!’ he hopelessly thought to himself. Sou was too busy covering his blushing face in embarrassment to notice Kanna, now fully awake, staring at him.
“Welcome back. Did something good happen?” Kanna asked innocently.
Sou looked up and made a groaning sound. He pressed his hands to his head as if he was thinking deeply. That’s when he realized how much he missed joining his hands together with Keiji’s when they held the gun, even if it was for a few seconds. ‘That… That can’t be it, right? No way…’ He opened his eyes and stared directly at Kanna.
“Kanna, I... I think I fell in love with someone.”