Alice in Borderland | Transmigration

Chapter 43

In your absence, it seemed as if greenery had decided to swallow up the crumbling city.

Vines stretched and curled around every available surface, even the ground was not spared. The sun glared as you and Ippei started your trek with no clear destination in mind. Chishiya had parted ways when he spotted the King of diamonds blimp not too far away, and you had to actively fight down the gnawing worry that surfaced whenever you thought about him.

Before leaving, he had given you instructions on how to treat your wound. You understood about 40% of what he told you. You would worry about that later.

Ippei's steps fell into sync with yours, and you took a second to breathe in fresh air after being trapped in the musky prison.

"Um, where are we going?"

You gave a half-shrug, "no idea, but don't worry, we're going to participate in the Queen of spades game later."

Ippei looked slightly alarmed, "wait, spades?"

You hummed.

Ippei fell silent. You gave him a sideways glance and noticed his unease.

"Can you run?"

He fidgeted, "Well, yes...but I'm not the best at physical activity."

You spotted a rock near your foot and kicked it, watching it bounce away, "then you'll be fine."

The two of you kept walking. It was difficult to spot the Queen of spades blimp as the buildings towered over you. If memory serves you right, the power station would be located in the outskirts of the city.

The Queen of spades game was pretty straightforward, there was a low death rate so you were happy about that, but it was difficult to plan for as it relied entirely on everyone's actions. You didn't know how Ippei and your presence would affect the game, you didn't even remember most of the details about the game as it came back to you in bits and pieces.

Didn't the Queen of spades have a crush on Arisu?

You brushed the thought away.

"Hey, isn't that the Queen of spades?"

Ippei's voice cut through your thoughts and you pulled your gaze up to where he was pointing. Sure enough, the blimp was high in the sky, not close but not far, you would probably make it by nightfall.

"Oh nice, let's go."

It wasn't until late afternoon you finally spot another soul. Ippei had kept an easy conversation going, you could see it was due to his nerves so you happily conversed with him.

The sun was dipping between the buildings, casting harsh rays.

That's when you saw her. She was a fair distance away, but you could easily make out her hairdo. It was so unexpected your steps faltered.

It was Kuina.

"Y/n? Are you okay? What— oh there's another person—"

Ippei's voice came in one ear and out the other as your eyes zeroed on Kuina. She had a black backpack hiked on one shoulder, her trademark outfit smudged with dirt. She seemed to be limping. Her body was littered with cuts and the sight of the red gashes immediately made you frown.

And suddenly she was staring back.

Her mouth dropped, eyes going wide. Your breath stopped in anticipation, but then she grinned, bright and joyful, and you returned it tenfold.

"Y/n!"

She rushed over, a breathless smile on her face, you met her halfway. You hesitated just as you were about to wrap your arms around her, wary of the cuts, but she demolished your worries as she threw herself onto you.

You stumbled, but fell into a fit of giggles as you embraced her. You had missed her so much.

She pulled back, smile not once leaving her face. "Oh my god, I was so worried about you! Where were you? Are you okay? Are you injured?" Her eyes narrowed at the blood on your shirt, "is that your blood?"

Her barrage of questions had you laughing, "I've missed you too, Kuina. And stop worrying about me, what happened to you?"

You eyed her gashes. They seemed pretty deep, mostly present on her arms and upper body.

"Oh, Jack of spades did a number on me."

"Clearly."

She shrugged, before going back to scrutinize your shirt. "Is that your blood? What happened?"

You were reluctant to tell her. If just a patch of blood had her going all mother hen on you, you wondered how she would react to the blood soaked bandages that currently wrapped around your waist.

You were saved by Ippei shifting awkwardly next to you.

Kuina's demeanour changed, eyes flickering to him. She eyed Ippei suspiciously, and you watched how he seemed to cower into himself at her stare.

"Kuina, this is Ippei. We helped each other out during our last game."

Sensing he was being introduced, he gave her an awkward wave.

She blinked, and then hummed, giving him a small smile, "hello, I'm Kuina. Nice to meet you."

"N-nice to meet you too."

You chuckled.

A question had been nagging at the back of your mind since you saw her. You had spent a while worrying about the others, wondering how to plot changed, wondering if Tatta was alive. 

"What happened to the others?"

Kuina's expression was indecipherable, and your heart sank.

"That's...a long story."