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Es jumped in their chair. For the past few hours, they had been completely engrossed in the provisions since Es had given Muu special permission to submit them again despite her verdict. She had requested so many things that it seemed as if Es would have to work overtime, at least before they heard that incredibly loud noise ringing through the halls. They had no idea what in the world that could be.
They quickly got out of their chair and rushed over to the door to peek outside. Perhaps they had grown paranoid ever since they witnessed Shidou's violent death but they just couldn't afford to risk anything. They had to make sure no one was hurt.
The hallway was completely empty. Did it come from the panopticon? Es figured it was unlikely given how damn loud that sound was. It sounded as if something particularly heavy was carelessly dropped onto the floor, almost right outside their door. But what would that even be? Surely Jackalope wouldn't bring in something so heavy unannounced.
"Touchi?" They look back. "Did you-?"
They blinked. How odd. They were sure Touchi was sitting on the couch just a moment ago. Or, perhaps they just hadn't noticed him leave considering how caught up they were in their warden work. They frowned. He should've told them, they figured, but ultimately ended up sighing in defeat. They'd simply have to go looking for him.
Their eyes scanned their surroundings as they walked down the hall to the panopticon. They checked every single room on their way down, just in case Touchi only seeked out a place to be by himself. However, much to their expectations, he was nowhere to be found. They could only guess he was in the panopticon with everyone else.
A hum escaped their throat as they approached the panopticon door. It was unusual for Touchi to willingly choose to be in a room with so many people so it was incredibly strange that he was somehow in the last place Es expected him to be. He'd have a lot of explaining to do when they found him.
They opened the door and froze on the spot. Sure enough, Touchi was standing in the middle of the panopticon but that suddenly became the least of their concerns when they noticed the billiards table right next to him which they were sure wasn't there before. When did that get there? Was the loud bang they heard earlier from that table being dropped from the sky or something?
A few prisoners surrounded the table as well, though Touchi was closest, leaning against it with an 8-ball in his hand. The rest of the balls lay in the center of the table, accompanied by a single cue. Es couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Surely there was a better way to get this in here..." Kazui approached the table, looking awkward. "That sound could've easily scared someone half to death."
"Maybe." Touchi shrugs, putting the ball back on the table and grabbing the cue. "I'm surprised that man even let me request this."
"This was your idea?" Yuno was walking around the table.
"I figured it could be fun." Touchi responded, stone-faced.
"Fun is a priority for you, huh..?" Kazui laughed awkwardly.
"What is going on?" Es gave Touchi a confused glance, finally announcing their presence.
Touchi immediately looked over. It could just be their imagination but they could swear his eyes lit up slightly upon seeing them.
"Ah, Es." He nodded. "I requested a billiards table."
"... Why?"
"I thought you could use some time away from work."
Es wanted to point out that wasn't what he had said just a second ago but they decided to hold back and just looked down at the table, completely bewildered. There were 9 balls in total, arranged in a diamond shape, though it looked a little sloppy given he probably didn't have the rack needed to arrange them.
When Es looked up again, Touchi was holding the cue in their direction with an unreadable expression as per usual. That same resting face which was just impossible to make out unless you'd known him for 10 years. They gave him a confused look. He tilted his head.
"Do you not want to go first?" The way he asked made it seem so innocent.
"Touchi..." Es responded awkwardly. "I just don't get why..."
"I just want to take your mind off of things." His voice suddenly softened. "You've been working so hard and straining yourself. It's good to let go for a while. So please."
The look he gave Es was enough to make them fold. He looked so pleading, begging them to just let him help them. It was almost silly in a way but Es only nodded awkwardly and looked down at the table once more. They didn't take the cue from Touchi's hands.
There was a slight problem. They looked at the cue, then up at Touchi, then back to the table. They cleared their throat, scratching their cheek.
"I don't, uh..." they muttered. "I don't know how to play this..."
Touchi let out a short hum of acknowledgement and pulled the cue back towards himself as he stared down at the billiards table. He gently tapped his fingers against the cue before looking up and gesturing for the prisoners to back away from the table. Yuno and Kazui, being the ones closest to it, stepped back.
"I can teach you. Let's play a simple game of 9-ball."
He ushered Es towards him with his hand to which they hesitantly complied. As they approached, Touchi dug into one of the pockets in the table and pulled out the cue ball. He was quick to place it down on the table. It looked like a random placement, though he seemed to know what he was doing.
Slowly, he leaned down and pulled back the cue, aiming it at the white ball in front of him and keeping it in place with his left hand. His eyes were focused, like a predator eyeing its prey, and his breathing was controlled. Es never thought they would see him so intently focused on a simple bar game. It was so unusual for a guy like him.
Then, his breathing stopped and he struck the white ball. It went straight into the 1-ball and every single ball around it were scattered across the table. Somehow, despite how messy it looked, he managed to pocket 3 whole balls, one of which Es noticed was the 8-ball. To say they were impressed was an understatement. How the hell did he manage to do that?
Touchi hummed as he walked around the table trying to find a good angle to hit the ball. Es wasn't exactly sure what his motive was but he seemed very displeased with the result despite how many balls he had pocketed. They figured that was a good thing but apparently it wasn't.
He leaned down again and aimed for the 1-ball, just as he had done in his breaking shot. Unfortunately, it seemed his luck was already up and Touchi ended up only grazing the corner of the ball. He stood back up straight and sighed, muttering something about a foul play before walking over to Es and gently pushed the cue into their hands.
They hesitantly grabbed it and looked towards the table. They had no idea what he had just done or why he had decided to play what Es would consider a bad move given there were other easier balls to shoot into the pockets. They shifted awkwardly and looked up at Touchi for answers. He nodded.
"9-ball has fairly simple rules," he started, "and I think you'll catch on pretty quickly given how smart you are."
Es felt their heart warm up slightly at Touchi's compliment but he moved on before they could thank him. He gently guided them towards the white ball and gestured with his hands as he spoke.
"The goal is to legally pocket the 9-ball. However, you must hit the balls in order." He points to the 1-ball. "Since I didn't pocket the first ball, you have to hit that one. That doesn't mean you can't pocket the 9-ball right away, though. You can use the 1-ball to push the 9-ball into the pocket, if possible. However, given the 1-ball and cue ball's position, it would take a lot of skill and coordination. For now, your best chances are pocketing the 1-ball since it's lined up pretty well. Though, I'll admit that I ended up playing a foul so you can move the cue ball if you'd like."
Half of his explanation ended up being a strategic monolog, but it did help Es get the gist of it. They nodded and nervously leaned down to copy what Touchi had done earlier, though they're sure they didn't look nearly as professional. It all felt so awkward, especially with the prisoners watching.
"No, that'll be hard to shoot with." Touchi was quick to point out their flaws.
"Sorry..." Es muttered an apology. "I haven't done this before."
"Don't worry." Touchi put a hand on Es' back. "I can give you a few pointers."
The first thing Touchi did was move the cue ball slightly to a place on the table that seemed efficient (not that Es would know) before guiding them over to a good shooting position. From there, he leaned down and seemed to be holding an imaginary cue in his hands, looking up at Es.
"I prefer open bridge in my left hand. It depends on what your dominant hand is, though. You could also play with a closed bridge since it's more common amongst beginners."
"... Huh?" Es was beyond confused.
"Copy my pose."
Es could only comply and tried to do exactly what Touchi was doing. The hardest part was copying his hand pose but they managed to end up with something that looked close enough to what he was doing. Despite that, the cue looked a little awkward since they weren't sure how to place it onto their hand.
Touchi walked around them and carefully moved the cue so it rested on their thumb. He moved their right hand back and forth, probably to check if the cue was doing to slide out of their hand, and gave a nod of approval before stepping back to give them some space.
"That's the ideal position to be in." He gestured to the 1-ball. "Now, try to see if you can get the ball in that corner pocket."
Es was still unsure. They didn't exactly know what would be the smartest way to hit the damn thing. Nevertheless, they had to give it their best shot. Taking a deep breath, they struck the cue ball which struck the 1-ball as intended. However, much to their expectations, the ball didn't go in and instead bounced off the corners of the pocket.
They couldn't help but pout a little. Touchi made it look so easy and yet they couldn't even pocket a single ball. They sighed and held the cue out to him.
"You hit the cue ball incorrectly," was all he said before grabbing the cue.
"Well," Es huffed, smiling slightly, "you didn't give me any instructions there."
"That's true." Touchi was already leaning down, eyes on the 1-ball. "Where you hit the cue ball is relevant to where it'll end up. You ended up hitting it towards the side so it swerved in a way that hit the 1-ball on the side rather than the center. That's what caused you to miss."
Es could only pretend to know what he was talking about as he hit the cue ball and flawlessly sent the 1-ball into the pocket, doing what Es couldn't. He didn't waste any time celebrating and quickly calculated his next move.
He moved around the table and leaned down again, this time propping his leg up on the side of it for support. It felt so ridiculously movie-like and Es held back a chuckle. Touchi really had a tendency to look overly nonchalant. It was laughable but Es didn't want to hurt his feelings.
Another strike. The 3-ball went in smoothly. Es was amazed at how easy it seemed for him considering they just blew their chances with what they could only guess was an easy ball. Touchi was seriously blowing them out of the ballpark. It was a bit humiliating.
"You're quite experienced, huh?" Es muttered with the intention of Touchi hearing.
His eyes were scanning the table but he spared Es a glance at their question. He gave a confirming hum as he moved once more and aimed for.. the side of the table? Es didn't question it.
"I used to play regularly back in my first year of high school." He hit the ball and his eyes followed it as it bounced off the rail.
Es watched intently as well. Somehow, it struck the 4-ball that was impossible for him to reach without the rail bounce, though it didn't quite make it into the pocket and instead bounced off the rail as well. Touchi hummed.
"You?" Es looked at him quizzically. "I didn't think you were the type to pick up a hobby like that."
Touchi approached them again, handing them the cue once more. He then reached into one of the pockets and pulled out an out-of-play ball, rolling it around in his hand.
"I just needed a distraction," he muttered.
Es guessed he didn't want the prisoners - who were spectating very intently - hearing him, so they moved closer so he could speak at a lower volume. They didn't want him to feel as though he couldn't tell them something.
"Distraction?" Es questioned him.
"It's similar to how you distract yourself with work." His eyes remained fixated on the ball. "You work to forget, but I would always play to forget. Billiards was a good coping mechanism for me because it meant I could think less about the things I didn't want to think about and instead direct my focus towards just playing the game."
He moves his gaze to meet Es' eyes. His eyes were warm yet sharp. It's clear he's trying to send Es some sort of message and they can only really clear their throat awkwardly in return.
"I don't mean to have you worry about me..." They fumble with their shirt collar.
"That's not it." Touchi shakes his head. "I just want you to go easier on yourself."
Then, he moves away from the table after dropping the ball back in whilst eyeing the 4-ball as if to give Es some sort of indicator. They glanced at the ball as well and gave a confident nod.
"Yeah. I will."
"Give it your best shot, Es."
Es would show him what they're capable of.
They got into the same position as before, still a bit unsure but trying to seem confident. Their eyes darted between the cue ball and the 4-ball and tried to figure out how much strength they'd need to put into it. However, with their lack of experience, they could only take a gamble. With a deep breath, they struck the white ball right in the middle.
The ball bounced off the rail. Just their luck. But before they could sigh in defeat, the 4-ball rolled its way into the pocket across from where Es had hit it, scoring themselves what they could only assume was a point. Subtly, their eyes lit up.
Touchi gave them a proud applause. Es felt their confidence build up slowly but surely. They almost couldn't believe they actually got a ball in.
"Well done," he praised. "You get another shot."
Es looked over at Touchi and caught him smiling softly at them. Their own lips twitched upwards in return and they gathered the courage to take another shot, this time without looking at Touchi for pointers.
They leaned down, honed their aim, and shot at the 5-ball. It landed in the pocket! Es' confidence was quick to spike and they muttered an encouraging 'yes!' to themself. They could swear they heard Kazui chuckle at them for that.
"You've got this, Es!" Yuno cheered on the side.
"Wouldn't it be cool beating a professional during your first game?" Kazui gave a pathetic attempt at encouragement.
"I'm not a professional," Touchi countered.
Es laughed. It had been a while since they'd felt so free and.. happy. Touchi seemed to notice as well given the small chuckle that came from him, though he was quick to cover his mouth.
"Yeah. I can do this." They gave themself the reassurance that they needed for the next shot.
They picked a spot, eyeing the 6-ball. There were only two balls left so, if they could pocket this one, they could certainly pocket the 9-ball. They were confident, getting into position with a huge grin plastered on their face. It was a tricky shot but they were going to give it their best.
They shot. It almost seemed as if it would land in the corner pocket but it ended up bouncing off the rails as it did on their first shot. They sighed. Their luck streak could only last so long, it seemed.
"It was a good shot." Touchi took the cue from their hands. "You were on a roll, too."
"Ah," Es scratched their cheek. "I'm sure I just got lucky."
"You can't win 9-ball with pure luck. However," Touchi trailed off, walking around the table and getting into position, "it can definitely help speed up the game."
Es tilted their head as Touchi struck the cue ball. Their eyes followed the ball as it collided with the 6-ball. It wasn't anywhere near a pocket, they thought to themself, until they saw it bounce against the 9-ball which was somehow conveniently placed right next to a corner pocket. It was painfully slow but the 9-ball rolled into the pocket, marking the game's end.
Es was stunned. They had totally forgotten they didn't necessarily need to hit the balls into the pockets in order. Though they hadn't expected to win, they were a little bummed out at being outsmarted by Touchi.
"I won." Touchi was stone-faced but his voice was laced with confidence.
Es looked back and forth between Touchi and the table for a while before bursting with laughter. Touchi seemed a bit surprised at their reaction but didn't comment on it. He was simply happy to see them letting go like that.
"You won," Es said between laughs, "though I'm sure that's something you're used to by now."
Yuno and Kazui were still standing by and clapped at Touchi's victory, although he himself was convinced it was a 'you played well' applause directed at Es. At least, he would prefer it if that were the case. Es deserves the praise, after all.
"I usually played by myself." Touchi nudged the final ball into a pocket. "Today is only one of the few wins I've gotten in a game of billiards."
"Well, I wasn't much of a challenge." Es' laughs died down, though their smile remained.
"I'd say you did well. This is your first time playing, after all. Be nicer to yourself."
Es nodded. They did feel like they did well, and hearing it from Touchi who wasn't very good at sugarcoating his words, they were sure they played their game well.
"It's been a while since I've played a classic game of 9-ball." Kazui approached the table. "Would you mind if I joined a game?"
"I wouldn't." Touchi shook his head. "Es?"
"Ah. That's fine. I mean, isn't this table here for everyone?"
"I wanna give it a shot, too." Yuno trailed behind Kazui. "Can we play in teams?"
"Sure." Touchi nodded. "I've tried playing in teams before. It's simple enough. You just have to switch cues per shot."
"Sounds easy enough." Yuno began emptying out the pockets. "How about prisoners versus wardens?"
Es looked towards Touchi. Their eyes met and Touchi nodded. Es smiled sheepishly.
"I don't wanna hold you back," Es said, half jokingly.
"You won't." Touchi handed them the cue. "You've shown me how quick of a learner you are. We can easily win this."
That only gave Es more confidence. As a team, surely the two of them could easily beat down Yuno and Kazui. Though Es worried Touchi would end up doing most of the heavy lifting.
"Don't think we'll hold back," Kazui joked. "I have years of experience with this kind of game."
"Well, I don't plan on losing." Touchi handed them the cue. "You can do the breaking shot."
Es laughed again. Their heart felt so light.
It was so odd seeing the serious Touchi be so competitive about something as fun as billiards. However, they didn't hate it. They only felt closer to him through it.
Their head was less in the game after that, focusing more on the feeling of just having fun. Of letting go. They felt more free than they had ever felt during their time in Milgram. Their prisoners were there with them, playing and laughing like friends, forgetting the strained relationship of prisoner and warden. They were so happy. It didn't matter how poor their play was.
Touchi was happy as well. They had never seen him smile so much. Every time they saw him look over at them, he had that same soft expression on his face. It was warm and comforting. It was exactly what they needed.
Whether or not they won didn't matter. What mattered was that they were spending quality time with those who mattered.
They only hoped things could remain that way.
Having sneaked his way to the leg of the table, Jackalope tapped his foot impatiently like an angry bunny. It was hard to tell what he wanted but the thumping of his back leg was very hard to notice over the competitive talk and laughter. Well, aside from Touchi, who was glaring down at him.
"What's with that look?" Jackalope mocked. "Shouldn't you thank me for my service?"
"I don't really care." Touchi's eyes narrowed. "It doesn't make up for your past."
"Well, if not for me, you wouldn't be seeing Es so happy. Isn't that something you should be oh so grateful for?"
Touchi didn't respond and discreetly reached into one of the pockets of the billiards table while the others were debating whether or not Yuno's move should be considered a foul, and pulled out the 8-ball which had been shot out. He kneeled down and carefully rolled it in Jackalope's direction.
"If you're anything like Jacka then play with that ball and shut up." He stood up. "Your voice is an inconvenience."
Jackalope curiously rolled the ball around with his right paw and chuckled. Touchi grimaced. Was he trying to go for some sort of gap-moe vibe?
"Well, I'd prefer it if you didn't bring up an ex-worker." Jackalope's voice changed entirely, as if going out of character.
"I don't care." Touchi leaned against the table. "Just don't bother Es for the next few hours. I never ask for much."
"Ah, that's right. You were quite a boring prisoner."
"So what?"
"I suppose I'll allow this." Jackalope picked up the ball with his paws. It was almost impressive. "But I can't promise things won't be harder for Es in the future."
"I'll destroy this place before that happens."
"Warden Touchi!" Yuno called out to him.
He hummed, turning back to see what all the fuss was about. She was pointing to the 7-ball which he can only assume she had played. It was up against the rail.
"It's touching the wall, right? It's not a foul. Es keeps insisting it is."
"Cause it's not touching the rail. And it didn't bounce off of it, either." Es crossed their arms.
"Well, you can clearly see that it is."
"We might need a bit of assistance, Touchi-kun..." Kazui looked awkward.
Touchi leaned down to inspect it. Yuno and Es both held their heads high all the while, completely sure that they were right in their hypothesis. He hummed, standing back up.
"It's not touching the rail."
"Damn it~!"
In the meantime, Touchi noticed the rabbit had left, though the 8-ball thankfully remained. He could only hope he stayed gone.