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“Game: The Floor Is Lava. Difficulty: 8 of Spades.” Greaaat. Just my luck.
“Rules: Complete three obstacle courses before each door closes. A button must be pressed after each level to initiate a closing door. Players will have ten seconds between each course. Level 1: Water, Level 2: Acid, Level 3: Lava.” Hmm… it seems like it’s in order of increasing difficulty. At least with water, you could technically save yourself as long as you know how to swim. And with acid… well, maybe you’d lose a limb, but there’s still a chance. With lava though…
“CLEAR CONDITION: Pass all three challenges. All three buttons must be pressed at the end of the game. It is GAME OVER if the player falls and perishes within each level’s corresponding liquid or fails to reach a checkpoint within the allocated time.”
“Time Limit: 35 minutes. The game will begin once the metal door opens.” So that gives us about 10 minutes per level… Well, Spade games are my specialty. There might be a chance after all.
The rusty metal door in front of you slowly creaks open, as you notice the other players around you tense up. There are about 11 total players, most of the others being members of The Beach.
“Level 1.”
The obstacle course opens up to a row of challenges, filled with various parkour and agility time-based activities. Everyone forms into a single line, and thus begins the first course.
Luckily, you face no wipeouts during this level, successfully making it to the button, though, you don’t press it yet. While you wait for other players, you notice some of the players, too impatient to wait, push the other players. That would be a nasty thing to do for the next two levels, but I wouldn’t put it past a human in their ultimate survival mode.
One way or another, everyone somehow manages to get to the first checkpoint, some skillfully navigating the course, others defeatedly swimming across. You press the button, initiating the ten-second door closing. You notice some water begin to leak out… This is not gonna cut it for the acid level. We need to close it earlier.
“Level 2.”
With the stakes raised, it was somehow exciting… almost like you were the main character of a video game named something like Mirror’s Ledge. I promised Chishiya and Kuina that I’d come back alive. And if I do, we will all have more than a week left on our visas, giving us some time to relax. I guess I just have to survive this game two more times…
You stretch out your legs and join the queue, carefully making each jump. A few players in front of you end up taking a swim in the acid, but you manage to make it to the button following two others. As you glance back, a number of other players make the final jump, but one woman lags behind, rather far from the checkpoint.
“The acid is rising fast… it’s even faster than the water. Let’s just push the button — it’s only one person,” proposes one of the Beach members. That’s true… It seems like this level is about 5 minutes shorter than the previous one.
The woman begins to plead, panicking as the acid approaches ever so closer.
“She still has time, let’s wait—” You try to reason, before a very panicked player suddenly slams his hand onto the button.
“W-what are you—” The woman cries and desperately tries to make her last jumps as she is inevitably sucked into the acid.
The door closes, only a few drops of acid leaking out this time.
“Any longer and we wouldn’t have even made it to the lava,” the panicked player tries to reassure himself.
You decide to put your opinions aside and just be happy that it wasn’t you. There’s no time for empathetic thoughts in the middle of a death game.
“Level 3.”
This time, you’re placed near the end of the line. And it seems like the lava is rising much faster than the water and acid. I’m gonna guess this one is 5 minutes long. There’s no time to hesitate.
Everything was smooth sailing when suddenly, right at the end, someone jumped and fell square onto your back leg, causing you to slide all the way to the edge of the platform.
As you desperately grip the ledge, you notice a significant weight pulling you down… the player is hanging onto your leg. This is… awkward.
“Let go,” you demand, shooting him a glare.
“Pull me up first!” the player begs. As much as you would like to, no amount of strength would allow this miracle to happen, as the lava is rapidly approaching your feet.
You let out a pained sigh and frown. “I’m sorry.” You shake your leg as hard as you can, making him let go and fall deep into the lava. Your platform sways and your leg briefly comes into contact with the lava, giving you a nasty burn.
“AHHHHHHHHHH!” You scream in agony, desperately pulling yourself up, only to see the doors already closing.
Bastards. You scoff, carefully trying to make the next jumps with your injured leg. And it had to be my right one too…
You barely make it through the shrinking opening with just a second to spare, burning your other leg in the process.
“GAME CLEAR. Congratulations.”
And just as you make it out of that hellhole, you notice everyone else is gone. Dammit. They really just left me to die like that. And I have to get home? With two injured legs?? Ughhh…
You take your visa and drag yourself to some overgrown greenery nearby. Finding two long branches, you try to make makeshift crutches, and slowly but surely, drag yourself back to The Beach.
Finally seeing the familiar lights in your sights, you make your final push into the entrance, collapsing immediately. You briefly notice a worried Kuina calling out your name before you black out.
…
“Y/N! Y/N!” You slowly open your eyes as Kuina frantically calls out your name. “You’re awake…” She smiles.
“Kuina?” You blink. “Wait, what happened—” All the memories of that last game flood back. “Oh… I’m so sorry, Kuina. I should’ve at least tried to get to my room, I didn’t mean—”
“ Don’t apologize. And it’s not like I carried you here, haha…” Kuina laughs, glancing at something else.
“Then, who—” You turn your head, briefly locking eyes with Chishiya. He immediately turns away, seemingly upset.
“If only you saw how worried he was, he even princess-carried—”
“Kuina, we need some more ointment.” Chishiya interrupts, clearing his throat.
Kuina winks at you and leaves the room. Huh…? W-w-wait—
The door closes, and you’re left alone with Chishiya.
“So, you, uh… princess-carried me? Here? Really??”
“I told you to be careful.” Chishiya ignores your question.
“No, you told me to come back alive. I did.” You retort at Chishiya, frustrated with his know-it-all attitude.
“With third-degree burns on both legs. You might as well be dead—” Chishiya stops himself. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles.
“Don’t be, you’re right. I’m practically useless in this state.”
“I didn’t say—”
“Thank you for treating me,” you flatly reply, cutting him off, before turning away under the covers.
Chishiya sighs. “So, you’re just going to ignore me?” He pauses for a second. “I need to check your bandages, Y/N. Turn around.”
You huff and turn around, only to see him sitting right beside you. You meet his gaze, locking eyes for a few seconds before Kuina bursts back into the room. Chishiya immediately stands up as you avert your gaze.
“Hey guys, guess who’s back∼” Alongside the ointment, Kuina has a big, clinky bag — alcohol.
It’s true that I’m injured, and that we’re all stuck in this hell of a death game… but we all have over a week left on our visas — a day of partying won’t hurt!
Or so I thought…
“Kuina, you’re back! Are we finally partying at The Beach?” You ask, excited.
“That’s right! I’m sure we all need a day to just sit back and relax, and play some normal games, you know? Oh, here’s the ointment, by the way.” She hands it over to Chishiya.
“She’s injured, she’s not drinking. And I’m not either, it’s not healthy, especially under these circumstances. We always need to be on high alert. Kuina—”
Before he can begin lecturing Kuina, you pipe in: “I am drinking. And you can’t stop me.”
“ Oh, really? ” Chishiya challenges you, his classic smug smirk plastered on his face. “I think two out-of-commission legs tell you all you need to know that I’d win.”
“ You wanna bet? ” You retort, sitting up, letting out a wince.
“Woah, woah, the party hasn’t even started yet! Just let her drink, Chishiya, it could help with the leg pain, you know?” Kuina chimes in.
“That’s not—” Chishiya sighs. “...I’m leaving then, see you all later.” He gets up.
Kuina suddenly gets in his way. “Hey, who’s gonna take care of her after all the partying?” She points to you.
“You?” Chishiya plainly answers.
“Not if I’ll be as drunk as her!” Kuina laughs.
“You two are seriously not planning to drink that much, are you?” Chishiya asks, a little dumbfounded.
“And what if we are?” Kuina challenges him.
“...Fine.” Chishiya sits back down.
You and Kuina pour some drinks and begin playing a few drinking games, the loser having to take a shot of sake. Nothing too crazy.
When it seems like the sake isn’t having much of an effect, you two switch it up to shots of Vodka Cranberry. Chishiya watches cautiously, frequently pouring water for you both.
As the stakes rise, you are forced to take three shots of Vodka, on top of the previous three: the price of losing twice in a row, each loss stacking up another shot.
As you brace yourself, Chishiya takes your glass. “That would be six shots of Vodka, on top of the sake. That’s too much.”
You sway a little, trying to grab the glass. “Hey, give it back! I can handle it!”
Chishiya gives you a side-eye. “Yeah, right.”
“You drink it then, Chishiya!” Kuina chimes in.
“I don’t drink,” he firmly states.
“Then I’m taking it!” You reach over to grab the glass, but before you can take it back, Chishiya downs the whole thing.
“There, you happy?” Chishiya gives you both an annoyed look.
“Hell yeah! Cheers!” You two cheered, clinking your glasses together.
“I’m not drinking any more,” Chishiya adds, you and Kuina exchanging slightly disappointed looks.
Some games later, you two decide to play Spin The Bottle, a game only involving dares, allowing Chishiya to play.
At this point, you and Kuina feel quite drunk, but still in the partying mood. Chishiya comes back with more water, and you notice him stumble on the way back. Is he a lightweight…?
“Chishiyaaa, you’re back, right on time for Spin The Bottle!!” Kuina exclaims, briefly explaining the rules. In this version, the player who is not the spinner or the one the bottle lands on, gets to decide what the theme is, whether it is a silly skit or the classic romantic route.
A few simple, lighthearted rounds pass. Soon after, it's your turn. You spin it, and after six seconds or so, it lands on… Chishiya.
“The theme for this round is… kissing!” Kuina decides, giggling.
“Okay…” You, already incredibly drunk, don’t even think it through and immediately approach Chishiya.
“W-wait, what…?” You’ve never seen Chishiya this surprised or flustered before, stuttering and all. Cute…
“You two have to kiss, that’s all∼” Kuina explains.
“Why kiss? Why can’t we just hug or something instead?” Chishiya counters.
“Oh, it’s okay if you don’t want to…” You reply, slightly slurring your words.
“I didn’t say I didn’t want—” Chishiya stops himself, as you feel a hand on the back of your head.
In the next second, your lips gently press against Chishiya’s, as he reflects the same surprised look you’re giving him — both of your faces stained red from the embarrassment and alcohol.
The hand on your head releases, but Chishiya doesn’t pull away. Instead, he places a gentle hand on your cheek and deepens the kiss, interlocking your lips, finally giving you a kiss on the cheek and pulling away.
Whatever happens afterward is a blur. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was simply not important, but the next thing you know, you wake up alone on your bed. Kuina and Chishiya gone, the alcohol gone. What a strange dream…
But it wasn’t.
Because why would both Kuina and Chishiya be avoiding you all of a sudden? You catch Kuina, demanding an explanation.
“Kuina!” You rush toward her, as fast as these crutches could let you.
She turns around with a worried expression. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting right now?” She rushes to help you stand. “Those crutches are for emergencies!”
“Well— this is an emergency!” You blurt out.
“H-huh? Really? What happened?” Kuina goes on high alert.
“Uh…” You think about how to phrase this. “Do you remember what happened last night?” A probing question shouldn’t hurt…
“Last night… ahh I’m so sorry, Y/N! I was super drunk and I-I know that’s no excuse but I really didn’t mean to…” Kuina bows her head.
“Didn’t mean to what?” I don’t remember Kuina doing anything…
“Wait, you really don’t remember? Ahh this is gonna sound pretty bad…” Kuina takes a deep breath. “We were playing Spin The Bottle, and it was your turn. The bottle landed on Chishiya and I decided the theme to be kissing, since uh you two both like each other but clearly won’t admit it… Anyways! Since you two were taking way too long… I kind of just… p-pushed you two together…” Kuina pauses, looking at your reaction.
“...so the kiss was real?” You whisper to yourself.
“O-oh, you do remember that?” Kuina asks.
You nod, trying to process everything she just said. We really… kissed? Oh my goddd, what do I even do now?? It seemed like Kuina initiated it, but she said we ‘both’ like each other…? Wasn’t Chishiya just friend-zoning me though? With a brain like his, I’m sure he already knows but doesn’t see the point in telling me—
Kuina interrupts your thoughts. “I already asked Chishiya, but it seems like he doesn’t remember anything… I guess he really is a lightweight, huh? Either way, I’m really sorry about everything…”
“Kuina… it’s really okay, I forgive you. It’s no big deal to me… but how did Chishiya react to the news?” You asked, curious.
“Well, to be honest, after I apologized to him, he just forgave me and went on with whatever he was doing. With that kind of reaction, I’m sure he didn’t remember and was just pretending — as that would put him in a vulnerable position, I suppose,” Kuina replies.
“I see…” You pause to think for a moment. “Well, thanks for telling me Kuina! I’ll go back to my room now.”
“Let me help you at least—” You cut her off.
“Don’t worry about it, Kuina! I made it here in one piece, and I’ll make it back too, trust me. I’ll see you later∼”
You wave goodbye to her. “Alright… see you! Take care of yourself, okay?”
As you head back to your room, you notice a familiar blonde figure standing right at your door, seemingly debating whether or not to open it.
“Chishiya?” You look up at him.
You see a small flinch before he turns around to face you, his signature smile on. “Aren’t you supposed to be resting?”
“You’re the second person to ask me that today…”
“The first one was Kuina, I guess?”
You nod and open the door. “Well, uh… I’m going to head in now. Were you going to check up on me?”
Chishiya follows you inside. “Yeah.”
The door shuts as you sit down on the bed. “Before that, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?” Chishiya starts preparing everything for your check-up.
“Wait, Chishiya.” You tug on his hoodie. “Can you talk to me face-to-face for this?” You pat on the space beside you.
“Alright… what’s up?” Chishiya sits down next to you, slightly avoiding eye contact.
“Um… about last night… do you really not remember anything?” There’s just something not right about how he reacted in Kuina’s story. Even though I get where his thought process might be coming from based on Kuina’s assessment, I feel like he actually does remember…
“Do you?” Chishiya turns the question back to you.
“Hey— I asked first!”
“I’ll tell you if you tell me.” Chishiya smiles.
“As if I’d believe that.” You scoff.
“Information isn’t free.” He shrugs.
You give him an annoyed look. “I remember some things.” If you’re gonna play this game, so will I.
“Like what kind of things?” Chishiya inquires.
“Hey, one question at a time— and isn’t it your turn?”
Chishiya just keeps smiling, not saying anything.
“Y-You! I knew you’d just— I’m not saying anything until you do.” You pout.
“Alright, I guess the conversation is over now—”
But before Chishiya can get up, you get up to grab his arm. However, because of your injured legs, you suddenly lose balance…
The next thing you know, the two of you are on the floor, Chishiya hugging you, taking most of the impact.
Chishiya quickly lets go of you, and you prop yourself up. “S-sorry! Are you okay?”
As you turn to face him, all you can see is him looking away with a flushed face.
“What if I said I remembered… everything?” Chishiya speaks up in a quiet whisper.
You blush upon hearing that. “I would say… me too,” you reply in a shaky voice.
Chishiya’s eyes widen.
“...and I have no regrets.” You look at Chishiya, locking eyes.
“Then… can I…” It seems like he can’t get the words out, but you get what he means.
“Yeah…”
You lean in as he gently cups your face, pulling you into a deep kiss — sweet, lingering, and filled with all the words left unspoken.
