THE GREAT WAR

vi.

ACT 1 — SCENE 6
' March Hare '

UNDERSTANDING CHISHIYA IS LIKE AN EPIPHANY THAT NEVER COMES. Defined by his roguish tendencies and an unhealthy amount of self-complacency brought by his undeniable intelligence, he's an elusive manipulator and a firm believer of the radical evil philosophy—that no one is ever truly good, and that at the core of humanity lies an inherent selfishness that fully manifests at the face of danger. This certainty is what validates his solicitude and his preference for remaining a mere observer and an instigator, letting others do the dirty work even at the expense of their own lives. At surface level, his character seems to be simplistic, a common case of asshole syndrome, but as Riko attempts to deconstruct his character in hopes of finding even just a small crack of benevolence, she's met with a thick wall of indifference.

"So you're cruel enough to betray someone and eventually get them killed," She clarifies, coming out harsher than what she had intended. "But you're also nice enough to not do it to me?"

Chishiya frowns, as if to taunt. "I simply enjoy your company. Is that so unbelievable?"

"Yes, it is. Your actions prove otherwise." She crosses her arms and sighs. "But your non-existent loyalty is the least of my concerns.What bothers me is the plan itself."

"Your first game was a six of hearts. And since you're still alive, surely you must have done something similar."

"I didn't betray anyone."

"No, but you chose yourself. And you'd do it again, wouldn't you? You're willing to do whatever it takes to survive. After all, you've already come this far."

Flashbacks of the prior events come flooding in—the anguished howls, hysterical cries, and final conversations all blending in to create a deafening symphony, enough to cause a pounding headache. The air starts to feel heavy, her lungs almost unable to handle its weight so she warns him, "Tread lightly, Chishiya."

"Oh? Have I triggered bitter memories? I apologize." He raises his hands up, conceding defeat yet his eyes glinted in mockery. "But then again, I was only speaking the truth."

"You're right. I would do anything to survive." Riko says through gritted teeth. "But I would never stoop that low. I would never go against my ideals just because I'm not clever enough to find another way."

"If that's the case, then leave. You have the freedom to end our alliance."

"No," Chishiya finds himself in the middle of astonishment and irritation. Why is she so adamant in staying with him? "We're going to sit down and think this through."

"There's nothing to think about." He replies, "That is the only way to gain information unscathed. Unless of course, you'd want to volunteer as bait, which would be uncharacteristically stupid of you—"

A faint sound of a gunshot reaches their ears, rendering them both silent. Sharing the same sentiment, the two indulge in their curiosity, peering over the edge and witnessing two men carry what seemed to be a corpse towards a garbage bin. Without care for the once living being, they throw the body inside, shutting it off with a lid before heading off with satisfied expressions, as if it was all in a day's work. The way it lay on top of something instead of being completely hidden inside the tall container had been enough proof that there have been others who experienced the same fate, yet Riko stubbornly goes down to see it with her own eyes with Chishiya trailing after her.

Much to her dismay, the dumpster is, in fact, a condensed cemetery, wherein the corpses are buried not in soil but in each others' remains. It's a disturbing sight, truly, even more so when accompanied with the repulsive stench of decomposition and the pooling liquid that she doesn't dare to know about. Feeling an uncontrollable urge to vomit, she jogs to a corner and paints the ground brown.