The Winners Take It All | Chishiya [English]

Sober...or not!

I had promised Sakusa that we would play together again - and so two nights later I was standing in the large lobby with her.

I spotted Chishiya standing in the gallery with the other board members, looking down confidently. Note to self: I really must ask him how he's always able to look so confident!

Someone tapped me on my left side, and I looked up. It was Kuina. I smiled at her, and she returned the gesture. Sakusa had noticed her too and waved to her from my right side. Hatter was just finishing his speech and there was movement in the crowd. I was used to being pushed through it by now, so I let myself be pushed to the table in a relaxed manner.

I was handed my note and stood to the side to wait for Sakusa. I saw Chishiya in the crowd and wondered how he got down so quickly. He also seemed to want to play again today.

"Are you also Team 5?" Sakusa asked and I nodded.

"Oh, what a coincidence," Kuina appeared behind us and held up her piece of paper, which boasted a big five. I smiled. What luck - or maybe not?!

"Come on! Otherwise, we'll be late!" Yuki reminded and we made our way to the exit. I unconsciously looked back again as I was looking for Chishiya. But he was nowhere to be found.

We came to the parking lot and Kuina linked arms with me and Sakusa. Together we strolled towards the fifth car and... I groaned in annoyance.

Who was leaning comfortably against the car? Exactly. Niragi.

He grinned when he saw us and waved his rifle provocatively. Sakusa next to me suddenly smiled ecstatically and I wanted to slap my hand on my forehead. I didn't know how she could find this guy great. But I liked Chishiya, which may have sounded just as bad. So, I didn't have much to say about it.

"Man! What luck! I get to play with you today, right?" he grinned, and his piercings glittered in the setting sun, "It'll be an interesting game!" I noticed that Kuina seemed to be just as uncomfortable as I was. At least one of us who had the same respect for him.

Kuina grabbed my arm and pulled me along. She pushed me to the passenger side of the car while she got behind the wheel. This left Sakusa with the option of taking a seat at the back with Niragi. She liked it, I saw it in her eyes. We waited a little longer, then Kuina accelerated. From the corner of my eye, I saw Chishiya getting into the eleventh car with Aguni and a strange man. I would ask him afterwards what game he had played if I dared.

The playground was only five minutes away. When we arrived, the little bistro was nicely lit. If you didn't know that it was about to be a matter of life or death, then you would be looking forward to a relaxing evening.

"You go first," Yuki said firmly and Kuina gave me a look. I knew she was trying to tell me that Sakusa wanted to be alone with him. So, I shrugged my shoulders and walked forward.

The beeping was hard to miss as I walked through the door. Immediately three pairs of eyes were on me. I ignored them and picked up a phone. Soon after, Kuina appeared and stood next to me, gnawing on her straw. It didn't take long before Sakusa arrived, Niragi arrived last. I only glanced at Yuki, but I could tell she was disappointed. Apparently, things didn't turn out the way she wanted.

Registration complete!

The game now begins.

Number of participants: 7

Game name: Friends evening

Difficulty level: 2 of clubs

Rules:

All players gather around the large group table.

The drinks that are on the table must all be drunk before the time is up.

It doesn't matter who drinks which drink.

Weapons and any aids are prohibited.

Time limit: 30 minutes

Huh? A short game with a low level of difficulty? Then I would have to play again tomorrow or the day after! Kuina nudged me again and I noticed that most of them had already made their way to the table. There were fifteen different bottles on it, all of them filled with high-proof alcohol.

Oh dear, that would be fun...

I wasn't much of a drinker. I liked to drink a little alcohol every now and then, but only in moderation. That one time in Beach had been a small exception. I got drunk after small amounts - and I didn't have much in my stomach either, which was another point that made me uneasy.

The game starts in

3

2

1

29 minutes and 55 seconds remain!

We looked at each other. "Everyone takes a bottle first. Then there are eight lefts," one suggested, and that approach sounded pretty good. So, we would slowly work our way towards the goal. I grabbed a bottle that contained the least amount of alcohol and placed it in front of me. Niragi had already put his bottle on his neck and was drinking greedily. Kuina was already about to open her bottle too.

I twisted the lid off and took the first sip. The drink burned my throat and was a little unusual, but I liked the taste. The first bottle was empty in no time, and I noticed how my body felt lighter.

The alcohol kicked in, how nice.

Sakusa was grinning like crazy, and I suspected that she too had that dizzy feeling. I reached for a second bottle, but this time I didn't pay attention to the label, which I regretted quite a bit in retrospect. I had reached for a vodka that was burning like crazy in my throat!

My eyes began to water as the smell was also quite strong.

I noticed Niragi looking at me with amusement. Kuina also had to smile. "What... are you staring at?" I slurred slightly and Sakusa giggled next to me. Even among the strangers, one of the older gentlemen had to laugh loudly.

"You sound funny!" he replied and then laughed even harder, causing the woman next to him to start snorting loudly too. Then it was a domino effect. The woman infected the young man next to her with her laughter, Niragi also began to grin and so six people around me fell into a fit of giggles.

15 minutes remain!

"Don't laugh, drink!" I wanted to calm the crowd, but that only made them shout even harder. What now? If this continued, we would die - which would be extremely embarrassing given this low level of difficulty.

Kuina finally got a hold of herself and slammed her hand on the tabletop. "Come on... We don't have much time left," she instructed the others and they reached for the bottles again. The more vodka I got, the more colorful my world became. The lights were getting brighter and brighter, and I was starting to feel sick.

But I had to keep drinking, I couldn't give up yet. Only half and then a seventh of the last bottle...

What was Chishiya doing?

A thousand butterflies began to fly inside me, and I felt the warmth rising to my cheeks.

Shit, the alcohol made these stupid feelings worse.