"There we are."

We were standing in front of a five-storey apartment house with several flats. Chishiya opened the heavy front door which led us into a spacious stairwell, but it already looked dilapidated as if no one had entered it for a while. I could still hardly believe that Chishiya actually wanted to take me to his lair and pondered his possible motives for quite a while. We walked up to the top floor. I looked wistfully at the lift which like all other technology in Borderland was out of order. A little out of breath I leaned against the bare cold wall in the corridor.

"Let me guess: spade games are obviously not your speciality."

I snorted at his pointed remark. Then he pulled out a silver key from his pockets and inserted it into the lock of the flat door.

"You even have a key?", I asked, gobsmacked.

"Of course I have one. I wasn't planning to invite the king of spades for coffee," he replied, pushing the door open. "Although a simple door is unlikely to stop him. That's why it's important to keep as low a profile as possible."

I nodded in understanding and looked around the small flat. We stood in a sparsely furnished room with a futon bed and a small kitchenette. In the middle there was only a small table with a small camping cooker and a few tins and water bottles piled up all around. Even though the room was furnished in a minimalist way, you could clearly see that someone had been living here for a while. The bed linen was already wrinkled and I could see an open book on the pillow. A few pans and used pots stood on the kitchen counter and somewhere in a back corner lay a pile of laundry with worn clothes. A few depressing pictures hung sporadically on the wall. One was a black and white photo of a black cat sitting on a gravestone, another a creepy portrait of a woman in a mirror. Whoever had once lived here was not exactly the cheerful sort. While I looked around, Chishiya secured the door from the inside with several bolts and locks. Then he squatted down at the low table while I still stood in the sparse room feeling a little lost.

"Would you rather stand?" he asked without giving me a glance, then picked up a clean pot.

"Are you really okay with me being here?", I asked a little hesitantly.

"Why did you come if you already feel guilty about it?"

He looked up without making a face.

"Well I..."

"Oh please. Now just sit down," he retorted rolling his eyes.

Embarrassed, I put aside my bag with my few belongings and took a seat opposite to him.

"Hungry?" he asked as he opened one of the tins and transferred the contents into the pot. At the smell of the food, I actually felt my stomach rebel.

"It's okay. I can't just use up your supplies. I'll find my own tomorrow," I promised. Right at that moment, of course, my empty stomach had to let out an unmistakable growl.
I smiled a little embarrassed.

"First you don't get off my back, but now suddenly you want to be independent again. Neither works. So are you going to eat something with me or not?"

He raised his eyebrows expectantly and I put my hands in my lap, a little embarrassed by the situation.

"I....okay," I relented. "But I'll return the favour."

He sighed a little.

"Do whatever you like. I don't care."

He stood up for a moment and seemed to be looking in the kitchen cupboards for something. Then he came back to the table with a second soup bowl and chopsticks. I watched as he put the udon noodle soup in the pot on the camp cooker and turned it on. Once again there was an awkward silence between us. I felt guilty for forcing myself on him like this, but Chishiya seemed completely at ease with it, although he wasn't keen on taking me at first. When the food was heated, he divided it between the two bowls.

"Here," he said, handing me one, "It's not the best, but it fills your stomach."

Gratefully I took it.

"Thank you. It does smell delicious."

I smiled warmly at him hoping he would return my smile. But Chishiya's expression remained unmoving. I reached for the chopsticks and tasted while he watched me do so from the corner of his eye without his expression revealing any of his thoughts.

"So Chishiya-kun," I hesitantly tested his name. I liked pronouncing it. "Have you been out here alone all this time since the Beaches downfall?"

"Most of the time," he replied curtly, then shoved some noodles into his mouth on the side.

I nodded appreciatively.

"Didn't you usually hang out with that tough girl? What was her name again? Kaori?"

"Kuina."

"Ah yes, Kuina. It was on the tip of my tongue."

Chishiya's eyes narrowed momentarily.

"For only having seen me twice at most, you sure know a lot about me."

Damn. He'd seen right through me. I quickly averted my gaze from him and sheepishly stirred my soup with my chopsticks.

"Maybe it was three times or something..."

"Or something? Doesn't sound like you're too sure about that."

I rolled my eyes a little.

"Yeah, okay. Maybe more than that. Most likely. Happy now?"

Chishiya grinned smugly.

"I've got a real fan there."

His little teasing was really starting to piss me off. And he seemed to enjoy watching me increasingly lose my patience.

"You are wrong there. I just can't forget faces I've once seen. That's just the way it is," I lied.

"Well strangely enough, I can't remember you at all. So there's also the possibility that you made it all up."

I stumbled.

"Pardon? I'm not lying."

"Can you prove it?"

"I don't have to prove anything to you, Chishiya," I said now in an unmistakably defiant voice. "And I would have no reason to lie either."

He smiled superiorly.

"You're far too easily provoked, you know that? If you stayed calmer, you'd keep a clearer head and focus on the more important things."

I snorted.

"What is this supposed to be? A life lesson?"

"Just an advice for the future."

"I didn't ask you for advice."

He shrugged.

"You don't have to follow it either."

I picked up the chopsticks again and scowled, shoving some noodles into my mouth before putting the bowl to my lips and slurping out the rest of the broth. Chishiya also had finished eating by now.

"Refill?" he asked, still in a slightly belligerent tone.

"No, thank you," I declined curtly. "You'd better tell me why you agreed to take me to your place after all? You don't strike me as the sociable type...and also not someone who takes people with you out of pity."

He grinned mockingly and leaned casually against the pillar behind him that separated the kitchen from the living area.

"Well I thought I'd try something new."

I snorted again.

"Are you some kind of...sociopath? Should I be afraid you'll manipulate me for your own purposes?"

His expression turned a touch cooler again.

"Not a sociopath. I merely prefer to work alone."

If I didn't know better, I'd say he was almost a little offended by my words.

"Even more surprising that you brought me here."

"Fine," he said almost brusquely.

"If you insist. I'm a sociopath. Happy now?"

I chuckled softly.

"Yes, perfectly," I replied a touch more amiably. "Thanks for the food, though. I know you didn't have to share it with me. So maybe you're not that bad after all..."

He shrugged.

"What can I say? Even I have my moments sometimes."

"Oh really? Tell me more!", I asked with a challenging smile.

"More about what? About the sociopath inside me or my moments?"

"The latter."

"Well for one thing, I prefer not to be called a sociopath. I prefer charming, intelligent, handsome guy with a touch of twilight," he said with a completely serious face.

I had no idea how he did it, but he made me giggle again with his manner. Who would have thought that Chishiya could be such a charmer? An overly narcissistic charmer, but still. I would have to lie if I said I didn't find Chishiya interesting as a man. I was attracted to him in a strange way. It had been that way even back at Beach. He always suggested his superiority to others by his mere presence and he seemed to be able to control any difficult situation at the drop of a hat. I honestly admired him for these abilities.
And besides, there was the matter of Niragi for which I was more than grateful to him....

"I'll keep that in mind," I promised in a sweet voice.

Chishiya suddenly stood up and cleared our bowls aside. I also rose to help him clear away.

"Listen," he said quietly but firmly. "This is my stash and I don't want you touching anything here without my permission."

I put on a pout and he literally snatched the bowl out of my hand.

"I was just trying to help."

"You think what you owe me now you can just make up for with a little housework?"

"Well and what else? Do you want me to sacrifice myself for you in a game, perhaps?"

Chishiya's grin widened a little.

"That sounds a bit more tempting, at least."

I crossed my arms sullenly and grumbled:

"Well, you could have told me about that before. Any other things in the fine print I should probably know about?"

Chishiya made a strained thoughtful face.

"Yes," he said as if something had suddenly occurred to him. "Don't fall in love with me!"

Then he looked at me triumphantly as if expecting me to still applaud him for that unnecessary sentence. I made a disparaging sound.

"So you think I would fall in love with you? That would mean I'd have to compete with your self-absorption, which is really hard to beat, if we're being honest."

Chishiya smiled almost silently to himself.

"I suppose you're right about that. Still, I warned you."

"I hope you don't expect me to thank you for that generous gesture now."

A tiny silent smile was on his lips as he turned on the tap and placed the dirty pot under it. I stared at the stream of water in complete disbelief and could hardly believe my eyes.

"Wait a minute...you have...running water here?"

"Yes, there is a system here that runs on a generator. I have electricity too, but the generator's power is limited. Too much at once can quickly cripple it."

"Did you build that yourself?", I asked, puzzled. Chishiya obviously found this question amusing.

"I have many skills, but building a generator is not one of them. I'll have to disappoint you on that. The emergency generator was already installed when I got here. I guess I was lucky no one noticed it before I did."

"So that means you have hot water too?", I asked hopefully. I could hardly believe it. It would be too good to be true. I had wondered why Chishiya was one of the few in the last game who always gave off a pleasant fresh smell. Since the end of Beach, almost no one smelled hygienically clean anymore. My last proper shower had to have been quite a while ago too, if I thought about it carefully.

"Right, but like I said. An emergency generator only lasts for a limited time, so you should use everything sparingly. I hope it lasts at least for the time it takes us to gain all the picture cards."
I nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I promise I'll be frugal."

The thought of a warm bath, or at least a hot shower, however, hardly left me. But after his words, I didn't dare ask for it directly. I should be content with what I had: hot food and a safe place to sleep. For some reason, however, I felt I didn't deserve even that. Chishiya had taken me to his hideout against my expectations and even shared his supplies with me. Even though his big-headed behaviour was really exhausting at times, I definitely appreciated it. I looked around the room again while Chishiya was doing the dishes (a really unusual sight I had to admit). My gaze wandered over to his bed, while at the same time I wondered where I would sleep the coming night. Chishiya watched me and gave me a knowing look as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Do you want to know where your sleeping place will be?" he asked smugly. I nodded a little hesitantly. "Well, you have two choices. Either you sleep somewhere on the floor or..." He paused dramatically. "...next to me in bed."

Confused, I looked at him as he curled his lips arrogantly. My cheeks warmed a little in response.

"I don't think we know each other well enough for that yet," I said with a cool undertone. "Besides, I hardly think that was serious, was it?"

"Was I ever not serious?" he asked in a feigned innocent voice.
I raised my brows.

"I'll sleep on the floor then," I said ignoring his last question.

"If that's what you want."

"You know, Chishiya, I may look like a pampered princess, but I have no problem sleeping on the floor. Just for the record."

"Oh sure. You look exactly like the kind of girl who would rather sleep on the floor than in a nice soft bed," he replied, not even trying to hold back his sarcastic tone. Then he went to a small wooden chest and opened it. "Well anyway. Here's a futon mat, a pillow and a blanket. Make yourself comfortable somewhere."

He tossed the items to me uncharitably and I caught them somewhat awkwardly, almost dropping the pillow in the process.

"Thanks," I growled, then retreated with it to the far corner of the room, careful to leave as much distance as possible from his bed. Chishiya, meanwhile, was shaking up his own duvet.

"I hope you're not snoring, or I might have to murder you in your sleep."

"Haha," I replied tonelessly. "And no, I don't."

Chishiya grinned at me with a mocking smile, as usual. Then he turned away from me and brushed off his white jacket. It was the first time I had seen him in something short-sleeved and I was just processing the sight when he unceremoniously pulled the black T-shirt over his head and manoeuvred it into a corner of the room. I quickly averted my eyes from him, but instantly felt my face grow hot. Pull yourself together, Tsuki! After all, this is nothing you haven't seen before, an inner voice admonished me.
Still, for some reason I didn't manage to lift my eyes again. When I eventually did, he was wearing a different shirt, this time a grey one. He looked at me and twitched the corners of his mouth in amusement, as if he could guess my indecent thoughts, but said nothing about my behaviour.

"Aren't you going to change too?" he only asked, reaching for his book on the pillow. "There's the bathroom over there if you're too embarrassed around me."

A pout came to my lips, but it was short-lived as something else came to mind.

"May I-...so might I use the shower too?", I asked hesitantly, lowering my voice slightly in embarrassment.

Chishiya, who had already moved to a horizontal position, straightened a little and raised an eyebrow.

"You're asking quite a lot."

I lowered my gaze and looked down at my hands.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll just use as little water as possible too," I said in almost a pleading tone. "Promise!"

"Well I won't deny that you need a shower. So for my sake," he said almost indifferently and leaned back again with the book in his hand. Relieved, I stood up and gathered some of my things that I had always had with me since we were here in Borderland. Among them were fresh underwear, which I had been forced to clean in the river every now and then.

As I passed Chishiya's bed, I made a deep polite curtsy to him and murmured a "thank you".
He looked unimpressed over the edge of his book, the title of which I could now read clearly: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

"If this is an attempt to soft-soap me. Don't."

"Tss...", I just frowned and headed for the door leading to the bathroom with my head held high.

When I was finally alone, I breathed a little sigh of relief. As happy as I was not to have to be completely on my own, I was still grateful for a short rest without any company. I looked around the bathroom. It was bigger than I thought and there was indeed a bathtub. Still, I would settle for a warm shower for the time being. After all, I had promised not to be an unnecessary burden to Chishiya and I did not want to take advantage of him for my desire for a hot bath. I glanced at the door lock but decided not to lock it. Chishiya was an insanely smug guy, but I didn't trust him to just barge in here without notice.

As it was beginning to dawn outside, I flicked on the light switch and sure enough, a light bulb glowed, albeit quite dimly, above the mirror. I examined the shower a little closer and saw a shower gel for men on the shelf. I went to the bathroom cabinet and opened it, hoping to find something else. A half-filled shower bath with a rose scent fell into my hands and a simple shampoo bottle. I put both on the shelf and slowly began to undress. I then tied my hair and went into the shower cubicle. I turned on the water and sighed with pleasure as I stood under the jet of water. Warm water had never felt better on my skin before. I had to admit that it was really hard to part with it again, but I had promised Chishiya not to be wasteful with the water. I dried myself with one of the towels that were neatly folded in the cupboard under the sink. After the shower I finally felt fresh again, but also very weak on my feet. Even earlier I had clearly felt that my body was longing for rest. What worried me more, however, was the slight tightening in my throat and my miserable condition. Normally I was not so quickly out of breath, but the few stairs earlier had made me gasp after only a few steps. I wonder if it was the after-effects of the cold I had just had. I had caught it shortly after the Beach had gone down, but it was only a slight cold with a bit of a cold, sore throat and headache. Nothing earth-shattering. But now my legs felt wobbly like Jell-O as I tried to slip into my sleeping clothes. I blamed it on the exertion of the last few days and the mental stress. At least the last game had given us an 11-day visa. That should be enough to recover a little from the strain.

When I came out of the bathroom again, I briefly felt Chishiya's gaze on me, who was still reading in his book. He stayed quiet, however. Also in silence, I went to my sleeping place and tried to make myself comfortable there. Then I sat down on the futon mat and dug out my sketchpad and pencil. When I noticed that it was too dark to draw, I looked around briefly and discovered a small wall lamp above me, which I immediately tried out. I looked cautiously at Chishiya and watched his eyes narrow.

"Don't overdo it."

"Just a few minutes," I asked, and began to continue the layout I had started earlier. But even as I did so, I noticed my eyes almost dropping as I drew.

"What exactly is this supposed to be? A manga?", Chishiya suddenly asked.

I had to admit I was a little taken aback by his sudden interest.

"A webtoon, actually," I replied without putting the pencil aside. "It's about Borderland and our experiences here. If I manage to survive, I will finish and publish it."

"So the webtoon is about yourself?"

"No, it's different stories from the people at the Beach. I interviewed some there and they told me about their experiences here."

"So there is no main character in this story?" he asked.

I smiled.

"So far, no. But these are all just raw drafts for now, too."

"Will I be in it too?" he grinned cockily.

I paused for a moment and thought. In fact, I already had a few drafts for Chishiya, but I was reluctant to rub it in his face to avoid his stalker taunts.

"Hmm, let's see...", I replied vaguely.

"So you mean I generously take you in here with me and willingly share all my resources with you, but in return I don't even get a tiny role in your webtoon? Man, you are more heartless than I had assumed," he sighed exaggeratedly theatrically.

I smiled wanly.

"I told you... let's see."

"What kind of boring story would that be if I'm not in it?"

"I'll think about it, okay?", I replied a touch more irritably, setting the drawing utensils aside and then flicking the light off again. "I'm going to sleep now," I informed him before turning away from him, facing the wall.

"Well, that was unexpected."

I didn't reply and only heard Chishiya turn off his bedside lamp as well. The darkness was strangely comfortable and finally allowed me to settle down. The thought of Chishiya being so close to me and asleep still made me a little nervous.

"Good night, Chishiya," I whispered softly, "And thank you."

What followed was piercing silence.