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Shin’s always known he’s an unlucky guy. Shitty job, shitty life, shitty friends, shitty everything. All of it culminates in him being put into a god damn death game. Shin doesn’t think his life could get, literally, any worse.
And then it does!
Inside the rubble-filled hallway, he stands outside the room to the memory dance mini-game, scarf clutched tightly in his grip. He reads the rules, over and over again. He reads them so much his eyes hurt and then he reads them again because surely he must have read it wrong the first 4 times.
But no, as he reads it again, reality sinks in.
This isn’t one he can do by himself. And given the current state of tensions among the remaining participants, Shin doesn’t find himself on the ‘ favorably picked as a partner’ list. He sighs, long and low and probably the most pitiful he’s ever looked. He thumps his head against the wall, once, twice, his beanie slipping back on his head and exposing his roots.
He fixes it, when he’s done hitting his head for the third time, then tries to run a mental check on everything he knows about the remaining few. Sara’s out, Keiji’s out, Reko’s out, Kanna’s–
Kanna .
Something clicks into his head and hope begins to fill his chest instead of the nail-biting anxiety he’s been feeling. Kanna mentioned that she used to take ballet classes with her sister a few years ago. That could work, that could be his ticket to getting this over with. He may now be liked, but at least he won’t be dead.
At the very least, he’ll have Kanna.
That is, until he goes to her room to ask for her partnership.
“Kanna’s sorry, Sou! I already promised Nao that I’d be her partner yesterday… I-I didn’t know you wanted to be my partner,” Kanna relays softly, fidgeting with the end of her sleeves, a nervous habit he’s watched her display many times.
He sighs softly, disappointment and fear creeping at the edge of his face as he wonders what he’s going to do now. However, so Kanna doesn’t see and worry any more than she already does, he puts on a brave face. Smiling at the young girl, he ruffles her hair at the back of her head, careful not to knock her bucket off balance, and pulls her into a side hug.
“No need to apologize, Kanna, it’s okay. How about we do Hide-and-Seek later?” He asks, daring himself to be hopeful, and she smiles at him gratefully. At the very least, that will be taken care of. He smiles back, biting his tongue to keep his nerves from coming out, and he tries desperately to think of another solution.
“Be safe, alright, Kanna? I’m gonna go look around for a partner. We’ll meet up again later, deal? Come find me if you need anything,” He says, holding out his hand for a fist bump. Kanna’s smile grows, her confidence growing a little as she leans forward and bumps her fist against his, giggling a little afterward. Shin doesn’t know what he’d do if anything happened to her.
“Kanna will see you later!” She says and Shin nods his farewell before he slips from her room. With the door finally closed behind him, he leans against it and lets the full-body shiver that he’d felt creeping up finally run through his body. He leans his face into his hands, making a pathetic noise in the back of his throat that he hopes Kanna doesn’t hear, before he makes his way down the hallway once again.
With Kanna’s partnership being a bust, he’s now stuck scrambling to find someone who could tolerate being in his presence for long enough to get through this. His options are… limited, to say the least, but dammit he’s got to try.
He’s not going to fucking die here.
Well… Q-Taro would be a good bet, right? Shin chews his lip as he thinks about his options. The guy’s tall and athletic, he’d probably make a good dancer. It’d be worth a shot, and if all else fails he could probably take a hit more than Shin could.
He wonders around until he finds the red-haired giant, sitting at one of the tables, hunched over and counting his tokens. Shin tugs on his scarf, a nervous habit he’s developed recently, and pulls it up over his face as he stands in the doorway. It’s fine, really, Q-Taro isn’t going to snap him in half for just asking a simple question.
It’s fine.
He repeats that mantra to himself in his head, pulling his scarf down before he wonders over as casually as he can, carefully placing himself in just barely in his peripheral. He doesn’t notice Shin just yet, finishing up his counting and then sighing heavily– whatever it is he’s dissatisfied with the result.
He sits up properly, popping his back and taking off his hat to adjust its position– that’s when he finally spots Shin, standing like a ghost manifestation. Q-Taro jumps slightly, surprised by the sudden appearance, and slaps his chest like he’s having heart problems.
“ Jesus! ” He exclaims, then laughs a little nervously, like he got caught doing something he shouldn’t. He side-eyes the tokens, then turns his gaze back to Shin. If Shin was worried about anything other than his own survival, he might have looked more into that glance. But he isn’t, so he doesn’t.
“Hey… Q-Taro, I was wondering have you, uh… done the memory dance mini-game just yet? I figured, ya know, we could do it together and get it over with–” Shin starts, trying his best to be as friendly as possible, keeping his hands shoved deep into his pocket to keep from messing with his scarf anymore.
Q-Taro gets a sympathetic look on his face and Shin feels himself shrinking into his form, posture getting worse by the second as the man speaks, “No can do, Sou. ‘Ready did it with Gin. The kid’s got some moves, barely needed me at all.” He laughs again, a little more comfortable as he thinks fondly about his experience with said child.
“It was actually kinda fun, ya know. Been a while since I’ve been able to laugh about… anything really. He’s a good kid, I’m glad he’s stickin’ around. Sorry, I can’t be your partner, though. I wish you luck.” He looks genuine in his words, but Shin can do nothing but feel the blood rushing through his ears.
If Q-Taro and Gin are both out, then that means… Well, that means Shin’s going to have to get creative with his prompts. The only people left to ask would rather wring him out with their bare hands.
Great.
“No it’s- It’s fine, thanks anyway, uh, man,” Shin says, giving him a poor excuse for a thumbs up before he hurries off; hopefully Q-Taro didn’t see the shame on his face. He hears the man call back, “No prob-!” but the rest of the words get lost as he rounds the corner.
He has four participants left to ask. Out of all of them, Reko would be the best. She’s a musician, she’d obviously have very good rhythm– and Shin bets she’s a good dancer too. That said, she’s also the one that probably hates him the most.
It’s not like he’s thrilled about it either. But survival is key, after all. Now, he just has to find her.
He finds her in the medical office, with Safalin bandaging a cut on her arm. She’s gritting her teeth, eyes pinched shut, but otherwise doesn’t look any more irritated than usual. Safalin’s voice is floaty as she warns, almost sing-songy in tone, ”Miss Reko, I urge you to please be more careful during the mini-games… I understand the appeal of wanting to get as many tokens as possible, but we cannot have you injuring yourselves too terribly...”
Reko curls her lips slightly, grimacing once more with pain, before Shin makes his presence known by knocking on the doorframe.
Both of the women look over, Safalin with a creepy pleased smile and Reko who is now looking more irritated than usual. “Welcome, Sou… How may I help you? Are you injured?” Safalin asks, tilting her head and clasping her hands in front of her form while Reko rolls her shoulder with a grunt.
“N-No, I’m… I’m perfectly fine, thank you. I was… actually hoping to speak with Miss Reko myself, if you don’t mind,” Shin states, offering up a smile that most definitely has his lips quivering. Safalin hums, an ugly note that’s somehow off tune, before she steps away from Reko with a small gesture.
“Don’t let me interrupt… Please don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything… Goodbye for now,” She motions the two of them to the door, very obviously kicking them from the room. Reko stands, careful not to jostle her arm too much, before she walks up to Shin. He steps out of the way with a soft “oh, uh” to let her pass, though follows silently as she leaves the room.
“Um… Miss Reko, I know we have our differences. Believe me, this is not an ideal situation for either of us… However, I would like to ask if you have done the memory dance mini-game yet? I believe it would be beneficial to–” He starts, talking way faster than he’d originally intended, jumbled enough that he’s not even sure Reko can understand him clearly. She does though, apparently, because she stops in the middle of the hall and turns to face him.
“Notta chance,” She says, straightforward and blunt as always. As shitty as the revelation is, he can’t say he’s not relieved to not have to rely on someone who most definitely wants him dead. She continues though, hand on her hip and her eyebrows furrowed, “I already did the attraction with Sara. Besides, even if I hadn’t, I sure as hell wouldn’t be pairing with you. You’re the last guy I want watching my back.”
That’s… fair, he supposes. Not that it doesn’t sting to hear, but he can’t fault her for saying it.
“Of course… Just thought I’d ask,” He says, forcing himself to smile; it’s definitely more of a grimace. Reko gives him another once over, like if she looks at him long enough she can figure out every secret trapped inside his head. Eventually, she sighs, short and hot, then turns and continues her trek to wherever she’s going. Shin’s guess? Nao’s room.
“That’s… great,” He says aloud, to no one in particular, wishing for all the world that he could just lay down and give up. But that’s not how the game works, of course, and he won’t get any pity points for curling up in a ball and crying.
3 different people he’s asked and all of them have been failures. That leaves only two options… and if he’s being honest, which god knows he hates being, he’s not exactly looking forward to either of them.
He would have preferred any other options than a literal actual murderer or the shadiest person he’s ever had the misfortune of meeting. That’s including the original Sou Hiyori. His options are… not good, to put it lightly.
And that’s not even mentioning the option that maybe, somehow, in the worst twist of luck or fate or what have you , they’ve somehow ended up partnering up together and now Shin has to do the damn thing all on his own. At that point, he would rather just lay down and die.
But until he knows for sure that he’s out of options, he can’t do that just yet. So, with his metaphorical tail between his legs, he makes his way to find the first single participant he can.
As Shin wanders the halls in search of the two remaining contestants, he sees the others interacting; friendly in a way that almost feels foreign to the man.
Reko has indeed met up with Nao, now the two of them and Sara sit in the lounge and talk amongst themselves. Shin does his best not to listen in, but he can’t help noticing the way Sara stays mostly quiet. Hunched in on herself, bags under her eyes– she’s exhausted.
She’s scared. They all are.
If Shin was anybody but himself, maybe he’d have broken down at their feet and apologized for everything he’s done. He sees the haunted look in her eyes, the trembling smile on Nao’s face, and the desperate attempt at helping them feel better by Reko; he sees this all and he feels sick that any of them have to deal with this hell.
He keeps walking instead. Not his conversation, not his friends.
Shin begins to chew on his thumb as he continues to wander, seeing Gin with Kanna in the ruined corridor, sitting against the wall and giggling excitedly.
Gin proudly shows her a paper trick he’d learned from school, four triangles with his fingers moving them about, a bandage on his knee from a scrape he’d received; Kanna watches with awe in her eyes, Mew-chan held in her lap for safekeeping, and the bucket nearly falling off her head.
He’s glad she’s making friends, really. Kanna deserves good things; Gin does too. He’s happy to see her smiling. Shin smiles to himself, thanking whatever’s listening that she’s survived so far, then hurries on before he can interrupt them.
Finally, he makes his way to the Relaxation Room. Shin doesn’t really enjoy being in here if he’s honest– It’s supposed to be relaxing, sure, but all it does is give him a sense of dread for the outside he’s being locked away from. The simulated smells of greenage and pond water, the way it looks like if he just reached his hand through the glass he could feel the warmth of the sun on his skin again…
He tried it, once. The glass was cold. He avoids this room when he can.
For whatever reason, though, Alice seems to like this room a lot. Had Shin thought ahead, he’d probably have checked this place first. But he didn’t, so there’s no point in beating himself up now. Alice sits in the chair that faces the door, his head turned to look out at the fake outside area. His arms are crossed over his chest, legs crossed in front of him.
He’s slouching, nearly halfway out of the chair with the way he’s sitting. Shin’s only staring because he looks so ridiculous.
There’s a wistful expression on the man’s face, reminiscing about a past that Shin does not know (and if he thinks too long about wanting to know that past, that’s nobody’s business but his own). As Shin draws nearer, he can hear the man humming a tune he does not recognize. It’s nice, whatever it is.
“Alice? Do you have a minute?” Shin asks as he stops by the table, knocking twice on the wood with his knuckle to get his attention. Alice startles a little, lost in his head, his shoulders twitching before he looks over. He pushes himself up in his chair until he’s sitting properly, grunting as he does, before motioning to the chair in front of him.
“Sou Hiyori! To what do I owe the pleasure? It’s unusual for you to be out here,” He says in that funny way of his, that Shin absolutely does not find endearing. At all. He stays standing, for the time being, so he can run off if he humiliates himself yet again. However, he does come closer, hip against the table, leaning on his hand.
“It’s, ah… Nothing really. I was just… wondering if you’ve participated in the memory dance yet?” Shin asks cautiously, the grimace of shame already beginning to show on his face. He’s so ready to be laughed at that he’s surprised when he’s… actually laughed at. It doesn’t sound patronizing, at least…
“Ah! You wish to seek my assistance, do you?” Alice beams, almost giddy as he rocks in his seat a little, tapping his fingers on the table before he points his thumb back at himself. He squares his shoulders and smiles wide enough that Shin worries his mouth will split, then boasts, “I’ll have you know that I used to help choreograph all of Reko’s dance moves back when we were in our band together! I can be quite the dancer when I put my mind to it!”
“Really?” Shin asks before he can stop himself, backing up before he can slide down into the seat with ease. The chair is uncomfortable, but he can at least slouch with no problem. He tugs on his sleeves, and speaks again without really thinking, giving Alice a once over, “You… don’t exactly look the graceful type, if I’m honest.”
And he doesn’t, when Shin looks at him again. He’s top-heavy, with broad shoulders and arms that should crack Shin in half if given the chance. And he can’t see them now, but his legs don’t exactly look like they’re made for dancing. Then again, Shin looks like he’d been sitting in a room eating nothing but instant ramen for 24 years, so he doesn’t have a lot of room to judge.
Alice gasps at his words, placing a hand over his chest in offense as the words settle into his ears. “ Sou Hiyori! ” He accuses, using his other hand to point a defensive finger at the man, then continues with his voice stretched thin, “Are you not the one coming to me for help? And you’re questioning my abilities? That does not seem very kind nor fair of you! What gives you the right–”
Shin grimaces hard enough to crack his chapped lips and he licks them desperately, wincing at the taste of blood, “You’re right, I’m sorry, I’m– I was just kidding!” He holds his hands up in surrender, trying to smile– though they both know it’s too awkward to really placate anyone. He chuckles weakly, shrugging his shoulders, and shrinks under the man’s gaze for a good 30 seconds.
After the silence, Shin kicks himself lightly, then musters up as much sincereness as he can and whispers, “Please help me? I’m… I’m sorry.”
The silence stretches on a little longer and Shin keeps his head down. He can hear Alice cross his arms across his chest and shift in his chair until he crosses his legs. The chain around his leg rattles as he bounces his leg, humming loudly in thought. It almost goes on long enough that Shin thinks he’s going to melt into the fucking chair when finally says,
“I will help you! On the condition that I get half the tokens you earn for your jab at my dancing skills!” Alice declares and Shin deflates even more. It’s not like he’s got much of a choice in the matter so he sighs long-suffering and holds out his hand for the man to shake, “Thank you, Alice…”
Alice takes his hand as the deal is struck and Shin feels himself grow a little more confident with a new partner by his side. “ Truth is ,” He starts, rubbing the back of his neck as he leans back in his chair and stretches out, wincing as his spine pops loudly. His voice cracks on the last syllable and his face goes red; he clears his throat once, then once more for good measure, and tries again.
“Truth is,” He repeats when he’s settled, then fidgets with his scarf again, making conversation, “I’ve been looking for a partner all day… I’m pretty lucky that you haven’t paired up with anyone either.”
Alice raises his eyebrow and places his hands on his hips, shifting enough that the chain around his leg rattles again and he laughs, “Yeah? So eager to pair up with me that you came and found me last, hmm?” Shin winces at that and goes to apologize, only for Alice to cut him off.
“I do not wish to hear your apologies! Fact of the matter is, I would also be apprehensive to pair with someone of my likeness as well. I do not blame you for being cautionary with your options,” There’s a clear joking tone in his voice, but when Shin looks at him, he almost looks… lonely. The look is gone almost as quickly and he’s smiling again as he forces himself out of the seat and to his feet.
He holds his hand out to help Shin up, pulling him with ease as he says, “Lead the way, Sou Hiyori!” Shin, with no other options left, leads the way.
Despite the fact that Alice told him to lead and the ball and chain that should be weighing him down, Alice’s legs keep him a pace or two ahead of Shin at all times. Maybe Shin’s also keeping his distance because of the weird air, but he has to nearly break out in a jog just to keep up.
The walk through the lobby and back to the rubble hallway feels almost like a walk to the gallows. The collar on Shin’s neck feels tighter with every step and he feels like he’s going to be sick. He’s not even sure why he’s so nervous.
The opening to the room is pitch black and there are no sounds from the inside. As Shin approaches Alice’s side, he watches the man clench his hands into fists, trying to swallow down his nerves. At least he’s not alone in his fear, at least.
“Ready?” Shin asks, turning to look at the man as he does. Alice startles a little before he nods, straightening out the sleeves of his uniform, as if fussing over them will prolong the inevitable. “Af… After you,” Alice finally says and gestures forward when he’s done delaying. Shin grips his scarf carefully, pushing it up against his nose as he takes as deep a breath as he can, and heads inside with Alice a few steps behind.
Lights flick on in front of them as a doorway closes behind them. Until the end of the challenge, they’re locked inside. The closing of the door makes Shin’s shoulders hunch and in the darkness of the hallway he can just barely make out Alice twisting his hands in front of his stomach.
They both walk rather quickly through the hall, metal echoing back at them as their footsteps and shared breathing is all that’s heard. Until they make it to a black-out curtain, which Alice shoves aside. The lights inside blind them for a moment, blinking stupidly to get their vision back before the room is revealed to them.
They both survey the area: a small stage with a curtain hiding most of it, fake walls surrounding the stage painted to look like seating arrangements in an auditorium, a plaque by the stairs up to the stage, and the entrance hallway behind them.
Shin steps up to the plaque and hunches over to see it better as Alice takes his time walking around the small room. “ Memorize the dance of each of the dolls and repeat… Seems easy enough,” Shin reads aloud to himself, then straightens back up and looks over at Alice.
If he really is as graceful as he claims to be… Then he’d be a better candidate for the dancing portion. Shin knows he has two left feet; if he tried to do this on his own, he’d have gotten himself killed ages ago.
Well, that’s what partners are for, right?
“Hey… Alice? I can memorize the patterns if you get on the stage and follow the dance moves,” Shin proposes as Alice meanders his way back over, hands on his hips. The chain makes a rattling sound as he shifts, adjusting his weight on one foot, then makes a face as he thinks. After a moment, he nods in agreement, then teases, “A promising plan. Don’t get carried away while watching my performance though, you have to stay focused! Fuahahah!”
Alice grins boldly, chuckling at his own joke and all Shin can do is roll his eyes. Though, as he watches Alice climb up the stage, he has to admit the confidence he has does make Shin feel a little more at ease with the dance. With his brains and Alice’s moves, it shouldn’t be as hard as he once feared.
As Alice situates himself on the stage and Shin makes his way to the front to get a better look, the overhead lights come on and blind them both. Then, as Shin is recovering with a few rapid blinks, the curtain behind Alice swings over with a whoosh.
Alice yelps, loud enough that his voice echos and he drops down into a ball and covers his head. Shin’s whole body tenses at the sound and he’s just about to do the same when Alice peaks out from his huddle, looks behind him, and then laughs. “Oh, aha - It’s just the uh- Nothing to worry about, of course-” He starts, then turns to Shin with a nervous grin and a thumbs up.
Shin throws one back, though his hand is definitely shaking. The confidence he felt a few moments ago has now plummeted tenfold. It’s too late now for him to go and ask the more level-headed Keiji too, so… He’s not going to say he’s fucked but… Well, his hopes aren’t very high anymore.
Alice stands back up at the same moment when a doll comes down from the ceiling, held up by a single string. It’s black with a singular eye in the middle and Shin scoots a little to the side to get away from its gaze. It sways for a moment as a spotlight shines on it. Alice throws a look over at Shin, who shrugs, clearly just as confused.
When Alice turns back, music begins to play, an electronic beat that would be fun to dance to if the circumstances were different. While they both watch, the doll does three moves in slow succession. As the spotlight shines down on Alice, he looks at Shin again, who motions for him to go. He does after only a moment of hesitation, copying the moves as slow as the doll had done, holding the last pose for an awkward moment before returning to his original stance.
The doll staggers, as if it were struck, sparking a red color before swinging from the string holding it. It somehow looks more tattered than before, like the doll is falling apart. It takes a moment for the line to slow and go still, but soon enough it’s as still as it was before.
Then once more, it repeats a different sequence of three moves, bouncing to the beat as it waits for Alice to do the same once its turn is over. He does, a little faster and a little more confident this time. The doll swings again, sparking the same red as before; when the color change recedes the doll looks much more tattered, nearly falling apart at the seams.
It’s pulled into the ceiling slowly, barely hanging on to the string as it disappears amongst the lights and Alice and Shin share a look. “Is… is that all this is? That’s pretty easy if you ask me…” Shin mumbles to himself, suddenly feeling a little silly for how worried he’d been earlier. If that’s all there was to it, he could have had this mini-game finished ages ago and saved himself the humiliation and heartache.
The second doll comes from the side suddenly, rolling out on wheels unseen until it’s locked into place where it stands. This one is about the same height as Alice; with no legs and arms that reach the floor, a slightly triangular body, and a misshapen head with holes in it. Shin swallows and grips the scarf in his hands.
Alice takes a step away from the doll, clenching his teeth and pressing his eyebrows together in a worried grimace. He’s, understandably, a little nervous at the sight of this thing. Alice opens his mouth as if to speak some grievance about the thing, but he’s interrupted by the music turning up. It’s much livelier than before, loud enough that Shin knows if he listens to it for much longer he’ll get a headache.
As well, the lights begin to flash, making it slightly more difficult to concentrate on the doll. Shin squints and keeps his eyes peeled as the doll begins to move. The movements are much more fluid this time, more human-like but still clearly inorganic. The sequences are faster with more steps– but just as the first one did, once it was over with its turn, the doll seemed to bounce to the music and wait patiently for Alice to go.
He does, getting the first four before freezing for a split second. He takes a moment to continue, closing his eyes to repeat the steps to himself in his head before he does the other two slowly. As a result, the doll seems to wince as it’s pushed back on its wheels, the red color of its material turning a darker red before it returns to normal. It rolls back, wheels locked in place once more, then dances again.
Alice huffs, squinting a little as the lights continue to blind him. He gets the first three moves before freezing again. He racks his brain, twitching slightly where he holds his last pose– then he turns to look at Shin with a furrowed brow. Shin looks from Alice to the doll, then begins to copy the moves he’d followed, starting from where Alice left off. Alice copies along, matching the slow pace Shin has set and soon enough the doll winces again.
As the doll changes color and rolls back again, it begins to grow tattered just as the other did before. If the doll was human, Shin would suspect that it was beginning to grow tired. It rolls back again, locked into place. Alice shakes his hands out, shifting his weight as he breathes. “This is actually kinda fun,” Shin hears him say, and on the next strobing light, he can see the smile brimming on his face.
The doll begins to dance again before Shin can reply, so he snaps his eyes back to watch as the dancing gets slightly faster. Shin mumbles the moves to himself, copying them slightly with his fingers before his gaze turns back to Alice. Halfway through, he slows down and Shin picks up where he left off so they don’t have to stop. It’s definitely not as fast as the doll, but their confidence is growing as they keep winning.
That’s probably dangerous, but it’s nice to be good at something for a change. Plus, Alice’s cockiness is heady; it makes Shin feel powerful almost.
On the last move, the doll unlocks and is pushed back, turning the same dark red as before– only this time, instead of returning, it rolls its way back behind the curtain it had first appeared from, disappearing beyond it. Alice takes a little breath and claps his hands in front of him. He looks tired, but the smile on his face hasn’t faltered yet.
The sound bite of an audience plays, cheering loudly in the small room around them– with the flickering lights, Shin can almost believe that they really are in the middle of a stadium. The sound continues for a moment as the lights change, slowing their rhythm for a moment and narrowing down into a single spotlight.
The rest of the room grows dark, the sounds die, and they’re left in complete isolation. Shin can hear nothing but their breathing and the occasional shift of Alice’s chains before he asks, feeling too loud in the sudden silence. “It’s… It’s over, correct? That’s gotta be it,” He asks, cautiously, taking a tiny step back towards the stairs behind him.
That is, until they both hear something unlock and begin to stir.
Both Shin and Alice watch from their respective locations as the floor of the stage opens into a gaping maw of darkness; mechanical noises indicate something is rising from below. Smoke begins to billow out, coating the stage and the floor below in a thick layer of it. It takes a moment for the final doll to appear, but Shin is… quite shocked when it does.
The others were monstrous, grotesque looking that made his skin crawl. This one… this one had the effect of a pop star; one particularly famous blue-haired hologram idol comes to mind. This doll has pink and teal hair, one pigtail of each color, with a pink, teal, and black outfit to match, gloves and all. Aside from the lacking-a-face hangup, this doll looks almost entirely human.
And it moves like one too, which it proves as soon as the lights begin to flash and strobe once more, the music picking up once more. The doll doesn’t miss a beat as it begins to dance, faster than either of the other two had. Its movements are fluid and graceful and it’s hard to keep up almost.
Shin feels almost sick at the sight, and when he glances at Alice he can tell the other man feels the same. At some point during the doll’s movement, Alice had stopped watching and turned solely to Shin, with eyes that resembled those of deer in headlights. He looked helpless– Shin needed to step up his game if they were going to get out of this.
He moves closer to the stage then, settling in between the two of them as he watches the final movements of the doll. Then, it stops, and bounces in place, watching for Alice to make his move. It bounces cheerily, making the movement and if it had a face, it would probably be smiling.
Shin takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, beginning to oh so slowly recite the dance this time. Much less confident than before, he listens to the shuffling of Alice’s feet as he follows along. He’s almost through the first round– when he freezes.
Oh shit. Oh shit , he can’t remember which move goes next.
Shin opens his eyes and looks between Alice, who waits with about as much patience as a dog waiting for a treat, and the doll, who continues to bounce eagerly– if she could, she’d probably be taunting them. Maybe she is.
Shin bites his lip hard enough that it’s probably going to start breathing, and makes his next move. Alice follows with complete trust, throwing his arm the same way Shin had done.
Except, he’s wrong.
The doll lunges forward suddenly, faster even than her dancing; she rears back and slams her hand down hard onto Alice’s head. She jumps away as Alice yelps, grabbing his head and staggering slightly. Shin slams his hands on the stage, wincing at the pain that erupts from his palms, and calls out over the roaring music, “Shit- Alice, you okay!?”
The man staggers for a moment, his eyes closed and his teeth grit as pain washes through him. However, he stays on his feet, planting them firmly on the ground and holding his hand out to balance himself. After the pain subsides, he nods, rubbing gently at the tender mark that will surely leave a lump on his head. At least he’s not bleeding.
“Y-Yeah, I’m- Mm, fuck, that hurt. Let’s try not to do that again, okay?” Alice says after a moment, laughing a little, clearly nervous but trying not to let Shin know. He knows, but the effort is nice, of course. As soon as Alice steadies himself, the doll begins to dance again, as if nothing had happened, dancing as if it’s done this many times before.
Now that they’re more prepared, both boys keep their eyes on it; Shin mumbles the sequence to himself once more, and Alice takes another moment to recover. As the spotlight goes back to him, Alice sees him panting, beginning to grow tired of the constant movement. Shin can’t say he blames him, plus the hit did look like it hurt a lot.
He does the moves anyway, his hands slightly trembling with adrenaline. Alice gets about halfway before he turns his gaze to Shin again, complete trust in the man despite the earlier mishap. Shin doesn’t think about that as he finishes off the move set, letting Alice set the pace.
At the end, with the correct sequence, the doll throws its hand on its forehead and staggers back, somehow still looking graceful– if Shin didn’t know any better, he’d assume this was just another set of moves for the dance. However, the signature red glows against its white skin and Shin takes a breath of relief. That’s one round down. They’ve got this.
It takes barely any effort to bounce back and begin the next set of moves, twirling and bouncing as its form changes. It’s almost distractingly enchanting and terrifying all rolled into one. It would make a good show to watch if they were doing literally anything other than fighting for their lives.
As the doll begins to bounce in waiting, Shin’s eyes turn back to Alice. The man looks tired, hunched slightly as he blinks a few times. He does the moves until he can’t anymore and Shin begins to show him the rest.
That hit took a lot more out of him than Shin had previously thought, because on the next move Alice’s foot catches and he crumbles to the ground with a yelp. The doll moves with no hesitation, baring down on Alice with another hard slam, this time on his rib; he cries out and Shin nearly crawls on the stage to get at him.
The doll pays neither of them any mind as it bounces back into place and begins dancing again. Shin keeps his eyes on Alice as Alice watches the doll, taking pained breaths before he grunts and forces himself back up to his feet. He holds his side as he watches and Shin realizes too late that the doll has moved again.
When he turns his gaze back to the idol, the dance is nearly over– he’s missed at least the first half, if not the first two-thirds. Shin’s heart is racing at the realization; Alice can’t take another hit like that, and then what happens? Are they going to be killed? Is this it?
Alice gets the first three moves before his head turns back to Shin and he knows he’s failing at keeping the fear from his face. But Alice looks at him with confidence– he believes in Shin. Shin doesn’t really know why, why should this man put his trust in him at all?
But that look gives Shin enough to at least try. That’s all he can do.
It takes longer than any of the other rounds have, with each pose taking a full two minutes to work through as Alice clambers into place each time. With every held breath, Shin looks at the doll as it bounces, then back at Alice. The doll hasn’t lunged yet. So he’s doing something right.
Soon, with about as much luck as Shin’s ever, ever going to see in his entire life probably, they pose on the last move. They wait for a moment as the lights continue to flash, the music plays, and the false crowd begins to cheer louder and louder–
And then it stops. The music gets off, the lights freeze and narrow down to a single spotlight, and the crowd suddenly goes quiet. The doll staggers, hand on its forehead again and it crumbles to the ground on the platform it entered from. Slowly, the platform lowers, the mechanical whirring the only noise either of them hears until the stage closes again.
The silence prevails. Shin looks at Alice, watches him hold his bruised rib and the sore spot on his head, and he holds his breath.
When the silence began to grow almost deathly terrifying, the lights come back on and bathe the room in white. Confetti explodes from somewhere above and rains down on the two of them; a trumpet sound plays from the speakers, apparently signifying their victory. Neither of the men will admit that they screamed– it’s not like anyone is around to hear.
The room is empty save for the two men– somehow it feels smaller than before.
“Let’s get out of here,” Shin suggests and Alice couldn’t agree more. He clambers off the stage, faster than Shin would have thought possible with his injuries, but he can’t exactly blame him for being quick. They both stop long enough to grab up their tokens on the way out, but after that, they book it to the exit.
The metal door that had closed behind them is barely open enough before they burst through, nearly slamming into the wall on the other side as they break into the hallway. They don’t stop there, they keep going until they’re both stumbling into the room of rubble, collapsing on their knees when their legs finally give out.
With their safety guaranteed, they roll over until they’re on their backs, one foot touching the other’s.
They lay there, side by side, panting hard and staring up at the dark expanse of the room. His whole body is shaking with adrenaline and blood rushes to his ears. He hopes he never has to run like that again.
As the blood slowly begins to calm its rapid path from his brain and his head stops throbbing long enough to hear the world around him, he listens to Alice beside him. This close, Shin can hear the slight wheezing that Alice is doing. It worries him, if he’s honest– but for now, they can catch their breaths.
Then, Alice laughs. It’s weak and sounds pained, but when Shin turns his head over and looks at him, he looks happy. The confetti in his hair makes him look ridiculous too. Shin can’t say it’s not a good look on him, though. He likes that ridiculous look.
“ Fuaha , Sou Hiyori… I’m the one that did all the heavy lifting… How do you sound more out of breath than I do?” He says and if Shin wasn’t already red in the face from all the running he just did, then he definitely would be now. At least he can blame it on that.
He shoves Alice with his elbow, careful of his rubs and not very strong, considering he hasn’t done a real workout since… well, ever probably. When he catches his breath enough to speak, he mumbles it with embarrassment, fixing the beanie on his head where it’d come nearly clean off, “T-That doll hit you on the head, so you’re clearly imagining things. We should get you to Safalin. Obviously.”
Alice laughs again, a little more normal now that he’s had time to relax, then he forces himself into a sitting position. “You’re probably correct. I shall go see the Crying Doll Tia Safalin. I do request your assistance on getting up, though,” He finally says and Shin blinks at him for a moment.
Alice’s face is still red, but he can see the tips of his ears going as well… At least no one else is there to see them, right?”
“Yeah, I gotcha,” Shin says, awkwardly getting to his feet before helping Alice to his after three failed attempts. At least Alice doesn’t make fun of him for his weak little noodle arms.
They head to the medical office in relative silence, arms brushing against each other as they walk. It feels… Well, the trauma they’ve experienced from the situation together has definitely helped them bond a little. Hanging out with Alice is… almost nice.
Safalin greets them as they enter her room, then immediately begins scolding Alice for not being more careful in the game. Shin stays in the room as Safalin looks him over, getting him an icepack for his head and a list of instructions to follow for his ribs.
Safalin fixes Shin with a look as she tells Alice this, and says in that soft, patronizing way of hers, “Please… make sure he follows these… we need all our participants in top physical health…”
He’s not going to pick apart why she said it that way, he’s too tired to right now. Instead, he nods, and waits a little while longer as Safalin tests Alice for a concussion and broken ribs. When both of those come back negative, they’re kicked from her office with a smile. “Have a wonderful rest of your day, you two… Please come see me again if you need anything…!”
With the two of them left alone, though now with an icepack on Alice’s head and bandages around his waist. Neither of them says anything for a long moment as they exit to the main lobby– now that the game is over and the tokens are got, Shin almost feels… disappointed he can’t spend any more time with Alice.
That said, he’s got a promise to fulfill. “Hey, I still owe you half of my tokens, right? You’ve definitely earned ‘em, let me–” Shin starts, moving to rifle through his pockets before Alice holds his hand up and sits down heavily on one of the couches. “Save your tokens, Sou Hiyori– you’ve more than earned my forgiveness for your jab. You were certainly not wrong about my ability being slightly… lacking. Besides, your companionship was good to have! I had fun with you.”
Shin sputters for a moment, sitting in the chair across from him as if his legs would give out if he were standing any longer, clear confusion on his face. “ F-Fun? You said fun, right? Alice, you got the shit kicked out of you, how is that– Do we need to go back to Safalin and make sure you didn’t get a concussion? Because–”
“Nonsense! I’m fine! …Mostly. I don’t believe I’ll be doing any heavy lifting any time soon… Point is, I couldn’t have done it without you and you didn’t let me down. You’re not that bad a dancer yourself, you know. I would have enjoyed it more if we hadn’t have been fighting for our lives, but all in all, I’d say it was an amusing mini-game!”
Shin sits there, staring at him for a moment before he sighs, rubbing his hands over his face as a laugh bubbles up in his chest. “Oh my god… Anyone ever tell you you’re a real weirdo, Alice?” Shin asks as he lowers his hands to see Alice beaming at him. He shifts the ice pack in his hand, placing it on his ribs as he says, wincing slightly, “So I’ve been told.”
Then he pauses, and for the first time he actually since Shin’s known him, he looks embarrassed. He licks his lips, averts his eyes, then finally blurts out, “I’ve also been told I’m a great conversationalist over lunch. If you’d like to eat together, that is. Of course, you are under no obligation to join me–”
Now that he mentions it; Shin is getting hungry, his stomach growling as soon as the words leave the man’s mouth, even as he continues his rambling. Usually, he eats with Kanna in his room, or by himself if she’s busy… But today…
Well, today has been full of surprises, hasn’t it? Why not get out of his shell a little? Only fair to treat a man to a meal after watching him get the shit kicked out of him by a wannabe vocaloid. Hatsune Miku is way better, by far.
Besides, he’s looking forward to spending more time with Alice. He’s weird, sure, but Shin’s always had a thing for weirdos.
“You know what? Yeah, Alice, I do want to have lunch with you. Lead the way.”