The Winners Take It All | Chishiya [English]

The answer to a riddle

He was lying next to me when I woke up.

The moon shone gently through the window, bathing the room in a pleasant, silvery light.

As beautiful as it was, I couldn't enjoy it.

My insides burned.

The grief weighed on my lungs and left me gasping for air.

It was as if I was reminded again and again of what I had lost in the last few hours.

It hurt so much!

Why?

Why couldn't I let go?

"Calm down, Ayuna, you're hyperventilating," his calm voice next to me suddenly made me more aware of my surroundings again. Meanwhile, Chishiya sat and looked at me before forcing me into a sitting position too. He pulled me up by my arms and held me by the shoulders so that I didn't fall back again.

So, we sat next to each other without saying a word.

The silence caused a restlessness in me that I couldn't describe.

What if...

Shouldn't we have noticed the airship before the King of Spades surprised us?

Why-

"Breathe, Ayuna," the young man reminded me again and only then did I realize that I had been holding my breath. I greedily gasped for the oxygen that was finally coming back into my lungs.

A hand placed itself on my back and a familiar feeling returned to my body.

Warmth - that's what my grandmother's hugs always felt like...

And yet it was different...her fire was evenly distributed within me, his sparked.

He released his hand from me and the cold returned, I shivered. We sat in silence in the dim light, every now and then our arms or legs brushed against each other, the touch sent a spark through my body each time.

The tingling sensation was unpleasant, but also nice.

I saw his sideways glance – he was studying me.

There must have been so many questions on his mind.

"What happened in the game, Ayuna?" he finally broke the silence when I started my 'staring into nothingness' again.

I swallowed before trying to tell him what had happened to me.

But...

My voice didn't obey me.

"I-" I tried again before breaking out into a fit of coughing. My throat felt like someone had sandpapered it.

Chishiya got up and finally came back with a glass of water.

I accepted the liquid and sipped it a little before placing the cup next to the mattress.

My hands started shaking again and I almost spilled the contents onto the beautiful wooden floor.

"The Queen of Diamonds-" I swallowed again, "Was my grandmother."

Silence.

I looked at him, not expecting that reaction...

He had his mouth slightly open; his face was showing an expression that showed his surprise.

"And my teammate... was Ayumi," I added quietly after averting my gaze.

Would he listen to my story?

I had to get rid of it, the urge suddenly became greater and greater. I couldn't stay still anymore, or I would drown in my thoughts!