Alice in Borderland ~ Chishiya

18

I feel utterly and completely stunned. What just happened here?

"Be safe and out of the room when the time is up."

Not "be safe out of the room", but "be safe and out of the room". Everything is now falling into place.

I bring my hand to the wrist where the bracelet used to be on and rub it briefly. The bracelets were connected to a deadly shock. Anyone standing in "B" could probably use it at any time. In addition, the shock would come anyway for everyone who still had the bracelet on when the time was up.

Chishiya asked Purplesuit if he wanted to die himself. When he brought up the bracelet, Purplesuit seemed to understand. "Can you really.." he had said. "Am I glad I decided to rescue you!" the girl had said with relief, before the boy stepped back with a mean look in his eyes.

That was the extra message that Chishiya and everyone else in "B" received, which he examined the table for. They learned that our bracelets were connected to the shock that would go off when the time was up and that they could also push the button. That's what the boy was threatening her with so she'd free him. But he still let her die.

Eight of hearts.

'I don't understand,' the boy breaks the silence. I totally missed when the cards came up. He picks up his and puts it away. 'Why would you take off her bracelet? Once she freed you, you didn't need her anymore.' He speaks to Chishiya, who ignores him completely. He takes his card and puts it in his inside pocket. 'Fine,' the boy responds with a shrug, 'later.' Without looking back at us, he walks out of the building and disappears around the corner.

I try to stay calm and not think too much as I get my own card, but his question also occupies me. Why did he let me live when he could've let me die? Why didn't he even threaten to get me electrocuted if I didn't free him? But when I look at him, I see that I'm not the only one with a question.

'Why?' he asks. He runs his eyes over my face and is clearly thinking. He seems to find it visibly disturbing that he doesn't know the answer. 'Why did you free me when you obviously didn't know about the electrocution possibility?' Now that I think of the facial expressions passing by in the other room, I can see the full picture.

The girl had freed the boy after the threat and Purplesuit didn't believe it. Chishiya hadn't even threatened me.

'There was no logical reason to believe you still needed me,' he continues. 'Why did you set me free?' Unlike the first time I answered his "why" question, I now lie the same answer: 'I don't know.' If he has to die during a game, I think he deserves to die in the same way I want to: through a fault of my own ability and not through chance or the whims of a fellow player. I had helped him distract the mascot, because I didn't want to see someone like him die because of someone like Yuri. This game wasn't about betraying him to stay alive myself. 'Because we might work well together,' I decide to give as my reasoning.

His brown eyes still look at me inquisitively. Would he know there's more to it than what I said? He doesn't say anything about it. Now it's my turn. 'Why didn't you tell me you could electrocute me if I didn't open the door for you?' I ask. 'Why did you take my bracelet off after I did that? That guy was right: as soon as I freed you, you might as well could've let me get electrocuted. You didn't need me anymore.'

He looks like he doesn't agree, but I can't understand why. I try to read his eyes, just like he tried to read mine. Did he want to see what I would do if I didn't have that information? Did he want to find out if I'm the same as him? Does he think the same as I do? Did he want to find out what kind of person I am? I don't even know what kind of person that is.