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“Konishi!” She was sprinting up the steps to the Reaper's Lounge, coming dangerously close to tripping over her heels. “Konishi—I beat my highest record! Look, look!”
Uzuki Yashiro leaped onto the couch and—respectfully—fumbled out of the way, as to not accidentally touch her superior and disturb her pristine figure. She tugged out her phone, opened up her Reaper app, and found her personal data, holding it out to show Konishi.
Konishi glanced over her narrow glasses, sparing Uzuki a glimpse. As she looked over Uzuki's data—her gaze hard, unflinching—Uzuki's entire body began to ache. She held her arm still—desperately trying not to let her phone wobble—so as to give Konishi the best viewing experience she could muster. Her arm was growing tired, but she couldn't dare show weakness in front of her superior. This superior.
Finally Konishi let out an affirming sound, and Uzuki dropped her arm into her lap. She stared up at the officer, drinking in her visage. Konishi's long platinum blonde hair fell over a shoulder and trundled towards her waist, kept out of her face but wildly curling at the ends. Her maid outfit was strict, all curves and cut corners—nary a frill save for her shoulders. Even her complexion was cold, calculated, usually uncaring.
Except for now. Now, with Uzuki, she proffered a faint smile. “Good work. You may even surpass myself one of these days.”
Uzuki's heart thundered about her ribcage. She tried to pretend her breathing wasn't flying out of her control. “Th-Th-Th-Thank you, Officer Konishi!” She bowed her head. “I will prove you right!”
Konishi was laughing, a quiet, almost missable murmur of sound. “See that you do. Now break that record tomorrow. Then we may have something to work with.”
“Ah! Yes! Y-Yes ma'am, I'll s-see to it!”
Flustered, she jumped up to her feet—then caught herself on the couch's armchair when her leg buckled. Stupid heels. She couldn't dare show weakness in front of Konishi—
—and especially not reveal that Koki had helped her get such a high record today. He'd gathered up some players for her, then stood out of the way and let her noise do the talking. Uzuki's head swam. Tomorrow. Tomorrow she could do even better. It would be easy. Sure, the chump players were mostly erased by now, but—imagine if she could nab a really strong one! That would be extra points...
Already she was calculating her next move, leaning against the couch chair.
Konishi snorted. “Goodnight, Uzuki. And good luck tomorrow. Us girls have to stick together.”
Uzuki's mind swam. “R-Really?”
“Sure.”
Oh, how deep and creamy Konishi's voice was. It always had this edge to it, this unrelenting wall blocking out the true depth of her feelings, but around it came little hints of care.
And she sounded so nice and relaxed around Uzuki! Ooh—She couldn't wait to tell Koki later. The Iron Maiden had a soft spot for her! She was going to brag all night. He was going to throw every pillow on his bed at her. But then she'd throw them back and tell him to shut up. It was nice having her best friend as her roommate, though sometimes he was an ass.
Uzuki, shaking herself, fought free of her torpor. “Okay—See you tomorrow! W-With an even higher score!”
“Atta girl.” The edges of Konishi's ice-chip eyes crinkled as she watched Uzuki go.
Uzuki gazed into the barren alleyway, eyes unable to settle as her superior ducked her head close to whisper into her ear, her lips nearly grazing Uzuki's skin:
“I think this could be your promotion.” Her heart was throbbing like a wound. “Imagine yourself playing Game Master, just for a few days.” She'd closed her eyes, envisioned the current Game Master standing at her side, the both of them at the top of 104. They'd stand so near, their hands—touching? Sure, touching. Konishi would smile fondly down at her as the sun rose.
The Game Master continued. “That experience will boost your odds. Soon enough you may even ascend to be my equal.”
Uzuki's breaths caught.
All this reaching she'd done—all the player eliminations, all the sleepless nights she spent concocting a plan for the next day, all the fights she'd gotten into with Koki, all the failures that she'd thought would ruin her shot. (That blasted Neku. Beat, terminating his job on her watch.)
Here it was. Here it was, here it was here it was here it was. She stared into the void, delirious with want.
Konishi's breaths passed across her skin. “Just do this for me, won't you?”
Her slender fingers wrapped around Uzuki's hand. The world beyond her died.
Uzuki stared, breaths staggered, as Konishi's other hand unfolded her fist, then popped two beady red pins into her hand. They were marked with black skulls, a little like the Player pins but with an edgier color scheme.
“Put those on for me, won't you? One for you, and one for Kariya. It should make erasing Neku much easier.”
Uzuki's heart sped. She was already clipping hers to her breast, just above her heart.
How Konishi smiled down at her, pearly lips pursed. “Atta girl.”
“I'll make sure Koki wears his too! I'll see to it!” Cheeks flushed, she furiously nodded, squeezing the extra pin in her hand.
He'd been kind of distant with her lately, but he'd do this—for her—right? They were still best friends.
“Wonderful. Now I'll see you at the end of the week, assuming Neku and Beat can't find me.”
“If you don't mind me asking”—Uzuki blurted, stumbling after the already-receding form of her superior—“where are you hiding?” She blinked, flushed. “S-So I don't accidentally lead them to you.”
“Oh, don't worry, dear.” A slim smirk cut across her lips. She grinned at the sinewy shadow splitting from her feet, cutting the alleyway in two. “Those idiots won't figure it out.”
Uzuki was heaving. Her sobs hurt so terribly that she sank to the street, unable to prop herself up any longer. Her only anchor was her best friend's hand, clutching her at the sleeve.
“She can't be dead!” Erased, gone, obliterated into minuscule soul fragments. None of them felt any better. Erratic, Uzuki clutched at her best friend, squeezing his vest between her clammy hands.
She still had so many questions, questions that would never be answered. When the dull aching in her head had begun, her vision overcome with red, she'd started to wonder: Had Konishi meant for this? Why didn't Konishi warn her about the side-effects?
She'd understood the Rhyme pin. Of course the pin was fake. Konishi wanted to look after it herself, and if she told Uzuki it was fake, then Uzuki could've accidentally revealed it to Neku and Beat. Would've compromised her plan. That made sense. That made perfect sense.
But the pins—Even just thinking about it caused another headache to bud. She'd entrusted Uzuki... and then the moment Uzuki finally could open her eyes again, she was... she was...
Stifling a scream, she curled up against Koki, let him gently rub her back.
He was too soft, too nice. She wished she could be attracted to someone like him. It would've made everything so much easier.
He muttered something.
Uzuki blinked back her blurry vision. “What?”
Koki paused. “Nothin' important.”
“No, no. Say it again.”
“It's not—”
Uzuki growled. “Tell me!”
Koki rolled his eyes up at the sky. “Fuck her. That's what I said. Fuck her.”
Uzuki squashed her impulsive smile. “Well, yeah, that's kinda what I wanted t—”
“That's not what I meant and you know it,” he retorted, half-laughing. “We don't need that energy in our lives. She's gone now. For the best, really. Now there's no way for her to break your heart again, yeah?”
Uzuki swallowed tightly. “But I wanted answers.”
“Sure, boo. I'll tell 'em to you.”
“Hmm.” Uzuki squinted at him. Didn't believe him a bit. “Oh, sure. Let's see what you've got.” She straightened a little, sitting up slightly. Koki visibly relaxed. “Why did Konishi lie to me?”
“She's always been lyin' to you.” Koki shrugged. “You just didn't want to believe it. She lied to everyone. 'Cept maybe Beat. She had to be direct with him to make sure he understood.”
Uzuki couldn't believe the laughter kept coming. She released Koki's shirt to wipe her eyes. “Okay, sure. She lied to everyone.” Konishi's pleased smile swam through her vision. She shook herself. “What was her deal with me, then? She looked out for me.”
“Easy pawn? She saw you liked her and thought, why the hell wouldn't I use this to my advantage?” Koki blew out a slow breath. “So she did. Every bit she could wrench out of you, she did.”
Uzuki's cheeks flushed hotly. She was almost—almost grateful that Beat and Neku had erased Konishi.
Really, she knew she had to be grateful to them either way. From what she'd heard whispered in the back alleyways in the aftermath of the Conductor's erasure, Neku had had something to do with the UG itself continuing to exist. She hated that. This little punk coming out of nowhere and saving them? Now that just wasn't fair at all.
Uzuki had worked so hard for Shibuya, dammit...
Blinking slowly, Uzuki asked, “Then why did I like her so much? Why do I...” She whimpered, bit her lip, squeezed her eyes shut. “Why can't I stop? Why couldn't I see it coming? Why can't I see it now?”
Koki sighed. He was such a good friend. He didn't deserve this. All that he'd put up with when she was pursuing each of Konishi's orders, all the nasty tricks she'd played to the point where Hanekoma himself had had to step in.
“You saw in her,” Koki said haltingly, still trying to answer her stupid questions for her, “what you wanted to be. That's a hard dream to let go of.”
Why did he have to be so smart? He hardly did his work. He should've been erased by now.
And yet.
Uzuki blinked rapidly, rubbing at her eyes. Her lungs pricked. “I'm sorry.”
“Eh. Buy me some ramen, we'll call it even.”
He shrugged so affably, just shrugged it all off his shoulders. All the burdens she'd put on him, all the pressure, all the time.
Leaning into him, she let him help her onto her feet.
The concrete was cold beneath her suit's fabric. Another week had ended, and the players were all logged into sleep mode while she and the rest of the upper-division planned for the following game.
God, she hated the Ruinbringers. She was still trying to figure out a way to sabotage one of their games so spectacularly that they self-destructed.
Snarling at the pavement, she traced the cracks, plucked out a piece of sharp stone. Then she hurled it across the street, watched it bounce and crumble. Sighed loudly, sagging into herself.
A pair of sneakers entered her shadow. Befuddled, she glanced up.
“Oh, it's you. And where have you been all week?” she muttered.
“Oh, you know.”
Uzuki rolled her eyes. “Eating out of every ramen shop on the block?”
“Yup. It's been great.”
He had a lazy smile on his face. Neither of them believed him.
“Well,” she said, lowering her voice, “you're doing way better that your job than me.”
Koki paused. His brow furrowed. “That's a laugh. What have you done with the real Uzuki?”
“It's true!” she seethed. “These games are bogus, and you know it. And I'm supposed to make sure they're fair.” She shook her hand up at the sky. “What am I even doing here? I'm failing. They may as well fire me.”
“Whoa, whoa, sister.” Koki bumped his bony shoulder against hers. “Don't let the rotten ones spoil you too. You just... gotta keep pushin'.”
“Ugh, for how long?” Uzuki folded her arms across her chest. Her shoulders hunched. “I should've known this wasn't my calling.”
Koki winced. He tapped her again, gentler, kept her company through the silence for some time. His gaze listed over his glasses, watching their shadows twist and lengthen in the afternoon's sun.
He spoke softly. “You're nothing like her.”
Uzuki's heart caught. She stared after him, her breaths weak. Somewhere beneath her sharp appearance and her level head, she was still the same flustered Harrier Reaper she had been when he picked her as his partner.
“Where have you been?” she finally asked. “There are people, you know, who like eating ramen too.”
He chuckled, starting to get up. She clambered after him, brushing concrete specks off her slacks. “Have you had Ken Doi's new thing yet? It's really... really something.”
Their shadows passed behind them, intermingling as they walked closer together, arms linked.