Ace of Hearts | Sunato Banda

Chapter 8

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Y/N's POV

"The King of Spades is always on the move, looking for more players to kill." Aguni explained, leading the group including Banda, Arisu, Heiya and me.

"But it's not random, right?" I made sure.

Heiya added "Yes, it certainly feels targeted."

"I bet he's keeping tabs on us. We'll find a good spot to ambush him." Aguni agreed "The King of Spades is never going to stop. He's already killed so many. I figured we'd be safe if we stayed out here in the woods, but that didn't stop him."

After a while, Aguni spoke up again "The compass is saying we should be near Kichijojo Station."

"You sure?" Arisu asked. Aguni didn't even glance at him.

The way he ignored Arisu, I also ignored Banda. He had been silently walking next to me. I wasn't in the mood to talk to him, anyway. Even with the uncertainty of my feelings, I kept avoiding his gaze.

Half an hour later, we stumbled upon a man. A dead man. He had hung himself in the middle of the woods. The color in his skin had left already. There were no hints of life in him.

I commented "Killed himself before his Visa could run out."

"That son of a bitch didn't even fight. He just took the coward's way out." Heiya berated.

Arisu replied "In a world like this, can you really blame him?"

"All I know is I'll never make that choice." she ranted.

"Have you ever lost someone you were close to in a game?" I reminisced, looking back at important people who were not as successful as I was.

"No, I haven't. What I lost.. was an important piece of who I was." the words came bitterly out of her mouth, she looked like I had unlocked a memory she was keeping to herself. "I owe a debt to the me who survived that day. I'm here because of what she did. So I'll survive, no matter what the cost"

"I'm never going to take the easy way out." Her eyes showed determination. "I have to keep living"

I could tell she was serious, and it kind of impressed me.

Aguni stopped walking. He looked over a large cliff, leading to a river. "We'll lure him here."

"Here? This is a cliff" Arisu stated the obvious.

"Nobody asked you." Heiya talked with attitude and joined Aguni, who had silently walked away. Arisu stood baffled.

Immediately, Aguni started setting up his trap. How come I always get dragged into these things? I've seen the King of Spades more than I've seen my parents.

„A smoke bomb?" Arisu wondered, as Aguni handed Heiya an object.

„The traps warn us of incoming attacks. We'll be alerted by them, even at night." he explained "It's too bad we don't have any grenades."

"You two, set up all the wires we have." he commanded Arisu and me. Thank God.

"Why just use wire?" Arisu looked confused as ever.

"A trap doesn't have to be real to be effective" Heiya answered his question. "As long as it makes the enemy go where you want them to go."

"You know a lot." Banda commented. He was doing this on purpose, right? I'm not crazy, am I?

"Sure do." she proudly replied.
"I taught her." Aguni took credit.

"Tall guy, you keep watch at the tent." he told Banda. Banda's face stayed indifferent.

We all walk away to do our part. While going with Arisu, I noticed Banda's eyes following our every move intensely. Mentally, my lips were upturned at the satisfaction of catching his attention but I couldn't let it show.

You think you have me all figured out, don't you? Two can play at that game.

"Arisu, I have a question" I started off by saying, walking close to him. In the distance, I saw Banda shifting at the sight.

Arisu looked to me and raised an eyebrow.
"What do you do when you're jealous?" was my question. He lightly choked when he heard the question. 

"You're so easily flustered, you know that?" I laughed and waited for his answer.

"In what sense?" Arisu listened intently while setting up the wires carefully.

"Like.. let's take Usagi as an example. How would you feel if a man came up to her and asked for her number?" I described a fake scenario.

"Where am I in this situation? Do I know the man?" he tried to clarify and get all the details.

"It doesn't matter.  Just answer the question." I pressured him.

"I... Well, I don't know. ...We're not even together, so I guess I wouldn't do anything."

"Are you sure? That's not what I asked. I said, how would you feel?" I emphasised the last word.

"Why would I be against it?" This guy never runs out of questions.

"You totally would be against it because we all know you like her." I had started to get frustrated, so I just sped the process up a bit. "I don't know who you're trying to fool"

His cheeks turned pink, he coughed nervously. His actions were cute, but I'm no Heiya. I know where I stand. I decided to leave the topic since it didn't look like I would get an actual answer. We quickly finished up and walked back.

"I understand that your job is to keep watch but why are you staring daggers into us with your eyes? Surely, there's other things to look at" I told Banda with an innocent expression.

"Just seeing if you were doing it correctly" he replied with a smile. We both knew what was happening but neither of us was willing to surrender.

Watch me single-handedly destroy you, Sunato Banda.

Oh, it's on.

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A/N: I'm already tired of writing about the King of Spades, can I just delete his character pls

Also, im going to be honest. I have no idea how to add Yaba back to the group again. 😔