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Chishiya was now walking over to Kuina’s room, some expensive alcohol he’d been storing in hand.
It was an unlikely predicament he was in, but nonetheless, he’d lost a bet with her. Well; not just her. Usagi, An, Joe, and even Niragi of all people.
What bet could've possibly brought this unlikely group together?
Well.. it was complicated.
Relationships were no stranger at the beach, practically every corner you turned there was a couple kissing or making out or having glorified sex.
However, what was stranger to them was unspoken crushes. So many people here were so superficial, just looking for a one night stand to hold them over before they were forced to traverse the horrors of this world.
Except for a certain two.
Tatta and Arisu.
Their relationship was very unspoken. Sure, they were very openly friends but whenever anyone was near they could tell there was something under the covers with them. Whether it be quick glances when the other wasn't looking, or long yearning stares whenever they could.
It was hard to miss.
Unless you were one of them, of course. No matter how softly the two looked at each other or how lovingly they spoke they never seemed to catch onto the others feelings, let alone confess their own.
It was frustrating to watch, but also somewhat entertaining. For a place as shallow as the Beach it was somewhat refreshing to see a relationship as tender as theirs, even if it wasn't really a relationship.
It started off as small chat, Kuina would bring it up occasionally when they’d chat, but eventually even Ann had brought it up, and that's when Chishiya really knew how obnoxious the two had been. Kuina went to the people she thought would know most about the two, Usagi and Joe.
She'd approached Usagi very cheerfully, careful with her words as to make a good first impression, but quickly devolving into a fun chatter with her. What she had collected was that Usagi had, very obviously, picked up on their longing and found it to be quite cute. Arisu had even briefly mentioned it a few times, but was too embarrassed to go in depth about it
Meanwhile she'd approached Joe much more carefully, since she'd seen him around a few times. She questioned the man much more accusingly, moreso than she even intended, but he seemed to think it was fun to share what he'd picked up on about the two. He felt a little guilty sharing Tatta’s ramblings about Arisu, but figured it was for the greater good. Joe would never have time to find his own love if he just listened to Tatta spew about his.
Somehow, even Niragi had eavesdropped on Kuina and Chishiya's conversations and decided to butt in with his own thoughts. Of course, he thought the two were corny as hell for their little ‘yearning battle’ but shared that Tatta had purposefully gone to the same game venue as Arisu, despite playing it off as an accident.
Chishiya was surprised that someone like Niragi cared enough to observe their relationship, but was amused nonetheless with his unspoken infatuation.
Eventually they'd all gotten together, per Kuina’s demand, just to ‘talk’ in her room. Chishiya knew it was more than that. Kuina was sneaky like that.
When he'd gotten there, only Ann and Usagi were there. Joe had arrived shortly after, and Niragi had shown up eventually, looking already tired despite having just arrived.
“We should make bets on how long they take to get together!” Kuina shouted abruptly, all too cheery about this whole thing. Chishiya scoffed, he knew something like this would happen.
Usagi seemed hesitant for a moment, but was amused by the idea. So did Joe, but he seemed more excited about this.
Ann was composed as always, but Chishiya would notice a slight smirk form in the corner of her mouth. Niragi seemed to be offended at the idea of being called in for this, but Chishiya knew he’d do it nonetheless.
“I’ve been trying to get Tatta to ask him recently and he really seems like he's gonna do it! I’d give it like a week.” Joe spoke first. Niragi laughed at his speculation, clearly thinking otherwise. “More like a year. I don’t think they'll ever get together, at least not anytime soon.”
“I beg to differ. Give it like a month, they'll crumble.” Kuina butted in. Niragi rolled his eyes. “Two months, at least. They may be obvious, but they need the time to confess.” Ann added. Kuina seemed to perk up slightly when she spoke.
“I think they're already together.” Usagi spoke. Everyone turned to look at her, confused. For good reason too; what reason did she have to believe that? It made Chishiya curious. Maybe he’d been looking through the wrong lens.
“Well, not together together but I think they have something going on. Arisu always seems so flustered talking to him.. it makes me wonder if it's because they're already together.” Everyone seemed to be curious about this. She had a solid point, but it didn't really add up.
“But Tatta always says he hasn't confessed yet.” Joe added, and everyone seemed to agree with him. Usagi just shrugged, “Just a thought anyways.”
Now it was Chishiya’s turn to have everyone’s eyes on him, since he was the only one who hadn't betted yet. He thought about it for a moment. Niragi’s idea seemed implausible, with how obvious Tatta had been recently, but he also thought it was unlikely it'd take them just a week.
In that same thought, he thought back to what Usagi said.
Hm.
He would have brushed it off easily with how unlikely it was that the two could hide something like this.
But maybe they weren't hiding it well.
He thought for a moment longer, before speaking.
“Within the next week.” He played it safe. It was Tuesday, so it wouldn't make sense to say within this week, but he didn't believe they could keep their love hidden for a month longer.
Whether they were hiding their love from eachother or from everyone else, Chishiya now couldn't tell you.
Infact, he didn't even fully believe in his guess, but he figured it'd be easier to observe if they didn't know what it truly was.
Niragi seemed to quietly scoff at this while just Kuina smiled, happy that Chishiya went along with this.
They discussed their final bets. Joe’s was within the week, Chishiya’s was within the next, Kuina was by the end of the month, Ann was by the month after that, and they’d agreed anytime after that would go to Niragi. Of course, Usagi’s was if they confessed they’d been dating before all this.
They discussed what the winner should get, and they all agreed to share their best drink since it seemed they all had something stashed, with the exception of Usagi who didn't care much about that stuff. Even Chishiya had something, which Kuina found odd since he didn't really drink, but he had his reasons.
3 days had gone by, and Joe had started to lose hope. Tatta didn't seem like he was going to confess, and didn't believe Arisu would either.
One down, five to go.
The next week was even less promising than the last. The two seemed to talk less than they usually did, which Chishiya found odd. Everyone seemed to notice it, and Kuina especially so since she teased Chishiya for making such a weak guess.
Usagi had briefly met back up with Kuina and Chishiya, again per Kuina’s demand, and told them that Arisu attempted to brush off any mention of Tatta, simply just saying ‘We’re fine, Usagi’, which she chose to go with for the time being.
As the week came to an end, Chishiya had officially lost and Kuina started to seem less cheery about her guess. Oh well.
Two down, four to go.
However, when the third week approached, things seemed to flip almost completely. They seemed closer than ever, and it was only helped by the fact they'd been sent to the same venue together.
Kuina was now in high spirits, feeling more hopefully that she would win. She’d been much more observant of the two recently since her time was coming up. Meanwhile, Chishiya observed the two for his own theories.
He’d like to say he didn't care about this as much as the other’s did, but he’d unfortunately be lying. He wasn't even entirely sure why he was so entranced by their relationship, but he supposed that being at the beach was all too boring for him as of late, and this gave him a nice distraction. Not to mention it kept everyone else busy too, so he had the time to himself to do his own stuff. Not that it mattered to you what that exactly was.
Another executive meeting had ended and Chishiya found himself walking over to Kuina’s room. However, before he could reach it he ran into the man himself, Arisu. He was looking over the balcony of the second floor, much like Chishiya often did. He was ready to ignore him, just walk past and go to Kuina.
But, his curiosity got the best of him. He stopped, moving next to Arisu, who just looked at him for a moment in acknowledgment. Chishiya carefully considered his words before he spoke.
“Do you think Tatta likes anyone?” Arisu ended up speaking first, slightly catching Chishiya off guard. As he thought about the question, Arisu continued. “I know it’s an odd question, especially for you. I just thought since you always seem so observant, you’d maybe know.” Chishiya turned to look at him. Arisu looked back, and Chishiya just looked away, staring back down at the people crossing the lobby.
“You would know.” Was all he said, before walking away. Arisu turned around, watching him leave as if he wanted to say something, but bit his tongue.
As Chishiya neared Kuina’s room, the question lingered in his mind.
Whatever.
He knocked, and Kuina quickly answered.
“There you are! Was starting to think you’d ditch me.” She chuckled, and Chishiya offered a smile. He had a lot to fill her in on now.
He sat down on her couch, and she followed quickly behind him. “Anything interesting happen in the meeting?” She asked, but he just shook his head. “Just a talk about looking for the rest of the cards. Hatter’s been pushy lately.” Kuina just nodded, thinking of what else to talk about. Chishiya could tell the moment she did with the way her face lit up.
“Anything on Arisu and Tatta?” Chishiya huffed out a soft laugh. He thought she’d ask something like that. “Actually, I do.” She perked up at that, clearly signaling him to continue.
“I was talking with Arisu just before I got here. He asked me if I thought Tatta liked anyone.” Chishiya wasn’t even sure if it was possible, but Kuina smiled more at that. “And what’d you say?” She asked urgently. “That he’d know if he did.” As if on cue, Kuina’s smile turned into a frown.
“Seriously? No “yes” or “it’s you” or “you’re an idiot and he obviously has a fucking crush on you”?!” She practically yelled. Chishiya playfully smirked, “That would help you win the bet.” Kuina just gasped, lightly hitting his shoulder before laughing. “How mean..”
Their conversation just dissolved from there, with Kuina leading as per usual.
The third week was officially over, which left Kuina, Ann, and Niragi still in the race. Kuina was especially pumped now, Ann didn’t really care, and Niragi was still confident he’d win. Usagi was technically still in, but they all still doubted her, except Chishiya. Usagi was smart enough, he didn’t think she’d choose her answer unless she really believed it, so he still had some faith.
It was Wednesday, halfway into the third week, and it’d been bland so far. Chishiya hadn’t put much thought into their bet since he’d only really joined for Kuina, but it was hard to escape with Kuina mentioning it almost every time he saw her. He couldn’t tell if she was more excited about the drinks or their relationship. He supposed he didn’t really care either.
Anyway, that didn’t matter now. Chishiya was looking around the Beach, familiarizing himself with it without anyone knowing. He’d figure in the long run it’d be useful. It also made it a lot easier to get around as sneakily as he preferred to be.
He was just walking along the halls before suddenly hearing footsteps nearing behind him. He didn’t even have to turn around to figure out who it was. “There you are Chishiya. Was starting to think you were avoiding me.” Niragi said teasingly. Chishiya just stayed quiet. Since there wasn’t a gun pointed at his head right now, he guessed this was one of the rare times he wasn’t holding one. At least not the one he usually sported.
“Ah, don’t be like that. You’re not ignoring me are you?” Niragi continued, finishing his sentence with a laugh. Chishiya just continued walking quietly. He could almost hear the way Niragi’s face shifted. Niragi grabbed his shoulder, forcing Chishiya to look at him. “Don’t ignore me. Acting like you’re all better than me.” Chishiya just offered his usual smirk, which seemed to piss Niragi off enough for him to walk away. There was a staircase nearby so he just pushed Chishiya’s shoulder lightly before walking off. He’d opened the wrong door, but before he could turn around he was met with Tatta and Arisu making out in a closet with a singular light on overhead.
Niragi’s jaw dropped suddenly, and Chishiya’s eyes widened slightly. The two quickly turned to look at them, eyes wide and faces flushed. Tatta’s shirt was off and Chishiya was almost sure he could see a hickey on his neck. They all just stood there for a moment, before Arisu and Tatta quickly shuffled out of the closet, with Tatta putting his shirt back. Tatta was spewing out a string of apologies while Arisu just awkwardly avoided eye contact. Meanwhile, Niragi just looked immensely disappointed. “Seriously? Couldn’t you guys wait 2 months?” Tatta just looked confused. Chishiya bit back a smile as he placed a hand on Niragi’s shoulder. “Stand down Niragi.” He said. Niragi just pulled his shoulder away aggressively and scoffed, before walking away, and thankfully getting the right door this time.
Chishiya turned back to the other two, who seemed stunned. He chuckled under his breath and just walked past. He was pretty sure he could hear Tatta speaking to Arisu, but it didn’t matter now.
When he got to Kuina’s room, Niragi was already there, and by the look on Kuina’s face he already broke the news.
“I won! Fuck you jackasses I knew I’d win! Never doubted it for a second!” She cheered loudly. “I need to go tell the others!” Kuina ran off before Chishiya could even say anything. Instead, he just turned to Niragi.
“Do you really think this was their first time?” He asked. Niragi thought about it for a moment, before answering. “I figured it’d be more fun to tell her now even if she lost.” He said. Chishiya nodded softly at that. Seemed in character enough for him.
Within the day Kuina had broken the news to Joe, Ann, and Usagi. Usagi wanted to question her more, but felt bad since she seemed so happy with her win. By the next day, they’d all accepted her as the winner and were prepared to bring her their drinks, per the agreements.
Until, Chishiya heard a knock on his door. It was still early, so he assumed it was Kuina trying to wake him up. He thought it was strange she’d knock though, so he wondered who else it could be.
His suspicions were proved right when he opened the door, being met with Arisu. The two just looked at each other for a moment, before Arisu spoke. “Usagi won.”
Chishiya furrowed his brows slightly, looking at him curiously. “I knew about the bet. Usagi told me about it the night after you all had the meeting.” Chishiya’s eyes widened faintly. In all his theories, he didn’t expect this.
“She knew about us too, but I told her to keep track of you all anyways. I thought it was funny.” Arisu laughed. Chishiya huffed a laugh too, since Arisu’s was characteristically contagious. Chishiya was impressed honestly. He’d considered Usagi’s idea, but never this. He could respect it.
“Why’d you tell me this?” Chishiya asked. “I figured you’d want to know.”
Chishiya just nodded at that, before his mind went back to their conversation from over a week prior.
“Why did you ask me about Tatta?” Arisu raised a brow at this. “About if anyone liked him.” Chishiya clarified. Arisu’s mouth went into an ‘o’ shape for a moment, before it returned to a smile.
“I wanted to make this fun for you.” He chuckled, clearly proud of himself for that one. “Did it work?” Arisu asked. Chishiya just smirked, and that was enough of an answer for Arisu. "Good luck breaking the news to the others.” Arisu laughed out before walking off. He supposed that was his karma for partaking in this whole bet.
Eventually he broke the news to Kuina, who just gasped, yelled “What?!”, and fake cried into her pillow. It took her awhile, but she broke the news to the other’s, who all seemed shocked in their own right.
And here he was now. Walking to Kuina’s room. Bottle in hand. And a thought lingering in his mind. “Fun for you.” the words replayed in his mind. He smiled for a moment. A real smile. It was unlike him.
He brushed it off, wiping off his smile and walking inside the room. Everyone else was already inside, all holding a shot glass. “Chishiya, come in!” Kuina yelled. He found a spot next to her on the floor, and Kuina handed him a shot. Before he could even say anything Kuina started talking. “To Tatta and Arisu!” She shouted whilst raising her glass. They all cheered along, clinking their glasses and downing their shots.
On any other day, Chishiya would’ve declined the shot, but he was in a good mood. So he drank it, his face scrunching up as he did. Kuina just laughed at him, as it wasn’t often Chishiya made such a face.
“So nice of Chishiya to join us!” Niragi said, getting an eye roll from Chishiya in response. Niragi just laughed however.
Kuina had filled him in eventually. Usagi didn’t want the drinks, so she let Kuina keep them as a prize on the condition she’d share with their new little group. Kuina happily accepted, which is why they were all here now. There were about four bottles open and people pouring shots and drinks and mixers as they pleased.
In all the noise, nobody noticed the knock on the door, nobody except Chishiya at least. Suddenly, the floor started to open slowly, with Arisu walking in and Tatta following close behind. Joe and Usagi looked up, smiling. “Join us you sneaky lovebirds! We have drinks for days!” Joe shouted eagerly. They walked in and Arisu found a spot next to Chishiya with Joe shuffling to make room for Tatta to sit next to Arisu. “I’m still mad at you assholes.. Keeping secrets from us, so mean.” Niragi shouted drunkenly.
Arisu just shrugged, and Tatta giggled. “For the record I didn’t know about all this.” Tatta added whilst pouring himself something, and clearly directing his words to Arisu instead of the others. “I told you I was sorry.” Arisu added, his tone serious but broken by the smile on his face.
The night continued with yelling and laughing and cheering and drinking and all the things Chishiya swore he hated. However, he didn’t mind this. He could enjoy it even. His attention turned to Arisu and Tatta, who were now sitting on the couch together. He watched the two talk with each other as they normally did, and it all sort of clicked for him.
He just wondered how he didn’t see it sooner. They were pretty obvious, weren’t they?