ᴅᴀʏᴅʀᴇᴀᴍ ᴀɴᴅ ᴠᴏɪᴅ | ʜ. ᴍɪᴋᴀɢᴇ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ x ᴄ. ᴜᴛꜱᴜᴋɪ

『ten: unfamiliar』

Chapter 10

"If I have even a bit of the courage to find out the ending of the story"

A terrified expression started to take place in Izumi's features as realization started to set in. This wasn't a sick joke, this was something of a different caliber. Izumi felt scared, not only for her life but for the sake of the company as well. 

"...Chikage-san, do you perhaps know something about Hisoka-san's past?" Despite her current predicament, she forced herself to ask her captor. However, she was only met with silence. 

"Is it related to why you're trying to destroy the troupe?" She tried asking another question but was met with silence yet again. 

"Please tell me, Chikage-san!" Izumi pleaded, resulting for Chikage to heave a sigh as he got irritated by the minute. 

"...I guess it's fine. Since Director-san will probably never see him again." Chikage concluded. 

The green-haired male pulled his attention away from his laptop as he finally faced Izumi, preparing a response to her previous inquiries.

"...He used to belong to the same organization as me and [Name]." Chikage started.

"Yet he betrayed the Organization, and now he's living comfortably as a regular citizen. We can't forgive that." Chikage continued. 

"Betrayed—? Hisoka-san lost his memory." Izumi said as she attempted to reason with her captor.

"That's nothing but an excuse." Izumi perked up and scanned her eyes around the room, finding the source of the voice that spoke up just now. 

"We got involved with MANKAI Company for the sole purpose of getting our revenge on him." She explained, continuing her first statement.

"Revenge...? Then, even [Name]-san...?" Izumi questioned as she felt a drop in her stomach when she realized not one of them was even a little bit genuine. Every move had ulterior motives behind them. 

"Because of him, we lost everything that we considered precious to us." [Name] ended as she took her seat beside Chikage, folding her arms across her chest in the process. 

It was the next day, the sun has risen but Izumi couldn't tell inside the place she was being confined in. 

"Chikage-san, what are you doing at your computer all day long?" Izumi spoke up, trying her best to initiate a small talk. 

"You should move around. You're going to get out of shape." Izumi added. Though in the end, it was no use, Chikage wouldn't even respond to small talks. 

" "Who are you, sir?" " Izumi recited, quoting the lines from their newest play. 

"Chikage-san, I'll play every role other than Oz, so please practice with me," Izumi explained as she thought of the next line.

" "Sir Oz... The great wizard Oz!" " Izumi acted. This carried on for a long time, just Izumi acting out different roles until Chikage couldn't help himself but nitpick on Izumi's one-man performance. 

"...You're an unbelievably daikon actor." Chikage deadpanned as he started to get irritated. 

"Then please give me a better example." Izumi replied. To which Chikage retorted back with a simple "I refuse." as he went back to working on his computer. Not long after, Izumi started her act again.

" "I'm not a wizard. My transforming appearance was all a fake. See—I was simply moving this head—" "Izumi recited but was abruptly cut off.

 "...A "lie." "  Chikage corrected but shut his mouth almost immediately as he realized his screw up. 

"Oh, is that right? I'm surprised you remembered." Izumi commented as a smile crept up her face. 

"We practiced every day, after all." Izumi added.

"Tch..." Was all that came out of Chikage's mouth as he was still in disbelief and disappointed simultaneously. How could he fall for such a small trick like that?

It was now the fifth day. Izumi was getting worried for Chikage despite being locked up in the middle of nowhere by him. She had never seen the male sleep/ He was on his computer, typing away every time she laid a glance towards him. 

"Chikage-san, what are you doing on your computer all the time?" Izumi asked, hoping to know what was keeping him awake,  stopping him from sleeping a wink whether be it day or night. 

"Is it work?" She inquired yet received nothing but silence in response. 

"You're always working till the middle of the night. Are you that busy?" Izumi asked yet again to which Chikage replied with a sigh.

"My job is information-gathering. I have no time to rest." Chikage explained.

"...It used to be August's job, but he's not here anymore." He added to his prior statement. 

"Are you really okay going without sleeping for so long? You're going to collapse." Izumi said, worry lacing her tone. 

"Didn't I say I don't need to sleep?" Chikage retorted as he felt his patience get drained by the minute. 

"But you slept more when you were alone, right? Then you're definitely more sleep-deprived now!" Izumi exclaimed. Chikage halted his actions as soon as Izumi's words registered in his mind. 

"...You're such a busybody. Everyone in this troupe is...." He trailed off which lead to Izumi calling out his name in a questioning way.