𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐊𝐄 • Chishiya Shuntarō

IX: HATTER

i've rlly spammed these chapters today

Arisu and Hana sat awkwardly in front of the Hatter, who had two girls on him. This was the type of shit you saw in a Yakuza movie.

"Why don't you guys have some drinks?" Hatter said. Arisu picked up a drink. Hana didn't move. "I always like to have a little fun before a game. What did you think? That I'd poison you?" He took Arisu's glass and drank from it. He did the same with Hana's; even though she'd left it on the table. "Is that proof enough? You really don't trust me, do you? You're a cautious pair, I like that. What did you used to do in the normal world?"

"I was a film production student," Hana said.

"I did nothing," Arisu said.

"Hm. Nerd, yeah?" Hatter asked."Me? I used to run a men's club in Kabukicho. 'Beach' was its name. Ever heard of it? It was the place to go! Beach, Beach, come and bring a friend. It's utopia, Beach!" He sang. "That radio commercial was playing all the time."

"I was gaming all the time," Arisu said.

"What I wanted... was to be the best in Kabukicho. So desperate. My men and I were always saying 'We're gonna take over this city!' As a host, it's all over. If you're looked down on by your customers, then you go back home alone. 'You can never, ever stop being proud of yourself.' That's what I always said to my men. Even so... one of my men lost his pride one night. He went home... and hanged himself. They all left me. I wanted... I wanted to tule the place with them. Now that I think about it, his death was a necessary evil. You see, it made me that much stronger."

"Stronger?" Arisu asked.

"At this new Beach, all the players are devoted to me. They would die for me! They have made me their number one. When I finally escape from this country, I will be their hero! The hero, Hatter. But to have a Hero, you need to have a tragedy." Hatter held up his drink for a toast, and Hana and Arisu held up theirs. They didn't have much choice. "To the new Beach."

Hana woke up to a knocking on her door. She got up to opened it, still rubbing her eyes with sleep. She assumed it was Arisu or Usagi, but was confused when she opened it to see white jacket.

"Hi," he said.

"What are you doing here?" Hana asked.

"I see the Hatter's taken a liking to you. I also hear you put up quite the fight when you were taken. The militant corps have their eye on you."

"What does that mean?"

"It means they want you to join them."

"We'll obviously I'm not going to, they seem like a bunch of assholes."

"I'm just warning you to avoid them. If you don't wanna join them, who knows what they'll do?"

"Why do you care?"

"Who said I care? I'm Chishiya." Chishiya held his hand out.

Hana shook his hand. "I'm-"

"I know who you are, Hana."

With that, Chishiya walked away, and Hana noted that to be one of the top ten most confusing interactions she'd had since she got here.

Hana later went out in an attempt to find Arisu and Usagi's, who she was meant to meet with earlier. She saw the back off Arisu, staring into a trash bin.

"You scavenging for food?" She asked, "Hey, Arisu, what's up?" She walked over to see what he was looking at. A huge pile of dead bodies, surrounded by flies. It reeked. She almost fainted, but Arisu held her upright, covering them back up.

"That's what this utopia really looks like," Chishiya said, walking over to them with Kuina following, "Another Beach rule. Death if you're a traitor."

Chishiya and Kuina took Arisu and Hana up to the roof. "Arisu," Chishiya said, "You and Usagi seem to have gathered a lot of information. Are you two planning something?"

"No, not really," Arisu said.

"All right, I'll cut to the chase. How do you think you're gonna live in a world full of despair?"

"What? Look, all we want is some answers. Who's behind these sick games and... who killed my friends, Karube and Chota. I thought I'd be able to survive and go back to the world the way it used to be. But if that's not possible, I want Usagi to return at the very least."

"Thanks, bitch," Hana said.

"Sorry. But Usagi's the only reason I'm alive."

"Very touching," Chishiya said, "This wish of yours sure is nice, but not very practically, I'll tell you."

"You'd have to win every single game coming up and become the next Number 1," Kuina said, "Impossible."

"Look, it's not about you guys," Arisu said.

"We both think you have potential. The pair of you," Chishiya said.

"What?"

"Yeah, that's why we're here right now."

"What do you mean?" Hana asked.

"What would you do if I told you things could play out differently?"