Hisako flinched back—a blink, a small jerk.
Aniello looked so serious, his face drawn and still. "You understand, then."
Hisako nodded slowly. It took all her will not to glance over at Eiji and see him lying, bloodied and unmoving in the dunes of Hajime's Door.
Aniello withdrew back into his meal. "I don't want to have to walk back with my tail between my legs because one of my people couldn't make it out of a fight on their own."
She kept his words with her—when she lay on her bunk, when she mindlessly ate her breakfast, when she chose her Doors.
"Ten. Any ten."
Aniello gave her a sharp look as he began slapping flags on Doors.
"I'll be careful."
He sighed and went to help Eiji.
The first one was perfect—a tactical Door world where she cleared a series of blank halls. Perhaps it was a training facility, or the recreation of a certain scenario. Either way, it was right up her alley until it started looping.
It was some kind of puzzle, but she'd already seen every possibility, every trick, in one form or another. After she realized that clearing each room differently wasn't the answer, she left the simulation and waited.
After a moment, satisfaction curled in her mind as a figure appeared, standing and waiting. They spoke in terse, quiet Italian, and then they pulled a knife.
Small-blade defense was one of the first things Kanzaki had taught her. She disarmed the walker quickly and cut them down after summoning Toraichi.
She walked to the next Door with only a few scrapes and bruises.
The next two were a blur.
One was some kind of fantasy land—maybe a child's Door, if that was a thing. It took place in some kind of colorful children's board game, and the walkers were candies and sugary animals that eerily spoke in muffled human voices. It sounded like they argued and hissed behind their stitched faces and cotton filling. The only wounds it left her were some powdered bruises and unease.
The second was equally colorful, but it was more intense. It was more of a colorful maze, full of twists and turns and echoing Italian voices. It sounded like it was meant to torment her, but she didn't understand a word, and she focused on the ivy-laden walkers that jumped from the hedges. After a while, she realized she wasn't getting anywhere, and she started climbing over and cutting down the vibrant walls until she found the maze's center.
In the middle, someone was sitting at a plain, drab fountain, bare feet in the lukewarm water. She splashed her feet mindlessly, eyes unfocused, staring at the weak burbling of the water. Between the dull concrete and the murky water, it reminded Hisako of Sylvain's old building.
"Are you alright?"
The woman responded to English; her eyes drifted over, but her lips remained flat and sealed. Hisako moved toward her, letting Toraichi fade, but keeping a safe distance.
The walker didn't react—she just kept staring. Hisako eyed her. She didn't look like the other colorful monstrosities hiding around. She looked human and normal.
When Hisako moved to sit next to her, just out of arm's reach, her feet moved, shifting in the grass as she turned to face Hisako. Hisako couldn't miss the brilliant green drain from the grass beneath the woman's feet. She blinked—the grass wasn't colorless; it was normal.
"Oh," Hisako said to herself.
She stood and extended her hand to the walker.
"Come on."
The walker hesitated for a long moment before Hisako beckoned again. Then, slowly, she stood, and Hisako reached to take her hand.
The walker flinched back, hands going to her shoulders.
"It's okay."
Hisako slowly reached for her hand again, and the walker slowly reached back. When their hands met, nothing happened. Hisako pulled her toward the offensively vibrant hedges.
With each step, the world's natural colors appeared, spreading as the walker moved.
Hisako put her hand against the bush. The walker copied her, spreading the desaturating wave. She stared at Hisako, not moving until Hisako did.
Hisako stepped back and looked at the world. The walker's ability had desaturated a large chunk.
"Beautiful, no?"
The walker stared at her, then glanced at the swathe, the smallest of lights returning to her dull eyes. "Yes…"
"It is," Hisako assured her. She rolled back to lie in the grass, looking up at the sky.
The walker joined her, starfishing out next to her. As she did, the whole world began to desaturate—the cyan of the sky faded to a pale baby blue. When the wind picked up, little jade leaves flew from the bushes to dance across the sky with the pale-gray distant clouds.
"How beautiful," Hisako sighed.
When she looked over, the walker was gone. In her place was the Door, opening on its own for her. On the other side stood Aniello, waiting in one of the folding chairs from the track.
"Are you down?" He stood up quickly.
Hisako rolled to her feet. "No, no. I'm fine."
"I was about to go in—"
"I'm okay. Just took a little longer."
Aniello stepped through the Door, looking around the now-normal-looking world. He paused when he saw the fountain, then retreated into reality. "Ah, okay. Well done. Ehh, it is almost lunchtime; you should eat."
"Already?" She hurried through the Door to his side. "I've done three of ten!"
Aniello shrugged, a glum look on his face. "It happens. They cannot all be easy." He glanced at her. "But you understand that. Unfortunately, the game doesn't account for everything… Do you regret it?"
"No."
"You have until midnight to complete the Doors. I will be there to verify it."
"Thank you."
"It's no problem."
***
Aniello stayed true to his word, and she did her best to stay true to hers. She shambled out of the last Door, and her phone told her it was nearly midnight.
She'd amassed a few injuries through the last of the Doors, but she'd kept them to a minimum; her shoulder had been dislocated, but once she'd shoved it back in, it only ached, and she had a myriad of scrapes and bruises but nothing serious.
Aniello was waiting for her, and so was Cesco, casually talking with his student while they leaned against the wall. They stood when Hisako emerged.
"Ah, Cesco-san. Is something wrong?"
"Mm. Just wanted to see what was keeping my pupil up so late."
Hisako frowned. "Sorry. Took on too many Doors today."
He shrugged. "Or you just need to get into the swing of so many Doors. Today, Signora Carrasco took on twelve Doors. Tomorrow, you will take on at least ten."
She blinked. "I will?"
He gave her a calculated look. "You will. And you'll not keep Aniello up to do it. You'll finish them before twenty-two-hundred."
"O-okay… Is this part of the bet?"
Cesco raised a brow at Aniello. He spoke swiftly, and Aniello replied hastily and apologetically—Cosimo's name came up between the two. Finally, Cesco clicked his tongue, and Aniello sighed mournfully.
"Aniello and Cosimo caused unnecessary worry for you. I apologize on their behalf," Cesco chuckled. "So how about we make a bet of our own?"
"You already know what I'll play for."
Cesco cackled, and he patted Aniello on the shoulder, praising him cheekily in their mother tongue. He wagged a finger at Hisako playfully.
"What would your favor be?"
Hisako chewed on her lip. "Answers to Vice Captain Strömberg's questions."
"Eh, then, if you make the podium—top three—I will answer one question. Within reason."
"How much reason?"
Cesco snorted. "The right side of treason, let's say."
"Deal."
Cesco grinned wildly. A horrible smile that made Hisako understand "trouble." Aniello tilted his head sympathetically with a resigned expression, confirming her fear.
"How hard is it going to be, and what do you get if you win?"
"How hard? You won't win first place. Spain will run themselves ragged for that. Austria and France will be your main competition—they've both done fourteen Doors.
"What do I get? Entertainment. Win or lose."
"You want nothing?"
He smirked, eyes crinkling. "I always get what I want, and I never want nothing."
Hisako sighed. "Of course."
Cesco winked and strode off, leaving Aniello alone with Hisako.
Aniello yawned, then shrugged helplessly. Hisako followed him out of the warehouse, then, a few paces away—
"Wait, should I close the door?"
He looked back, his face confused before realization split the dazed look.
"The door—" She looked over her shoulder and found it had already closed behind them. "Ah. Never mind, then."
"Don't worry about it," he chuckled, beckoning for her to continue.
She blinked, exhaustion rendering her eyes heavy and mind sluggish. She tottered along the path behind Aniello, thoughts wandering.
The sky was dark and indigo as the stars appeared. Once more, she thought of how her friends were doing in Japan. She made a mental note to text them in the morning to ask them how they were doing. Maybe she could ask Eiji for one of his photos to show Kohaku.
***
Embarrassingly, Hisako woke alone in the bunkhouse, which meant she'd somehow slept through the breakfast bell. She hurried out of bed and threw on the closest set of clean clothes: her athletic gear. She shoved on her boots, hopping to tie the laces and get out the door.
At the cusp of the bunkhouse, she realized she'd forgotten her phone and badges, but decided to forego them.
She sprinted down the path and found everyone already well into eating. She stumbled, climbing onto the bench between Eiji and Hisakawa, and looked up at Aniello's face, torn between shoveling down a thick slice of caprese toast and laughing at her.
"Sorry for sleeping in," she said.
Strömberg waved a hand dismissively. "We let you. You needed it after last night."
"They announced the leaderboard earlier. You're in second place!" Eiji cheered.
"But seven and a half points behind first, and that gap will only increase at this rate," Hisakawa warned.
"And the competition will only get harder," Strömberg added. "In any other circumstance, I would advise caution, but…"
"I'll do my best," Hisako swore. "And… if I finish in the top three, Cesco-san said he'd answer one of your questions."
"You've made a deal, then?" Strömberg didn't sound upset.
"A bet, more like," Hisako replied.
Hisako ate steadily. After she'd settled in, Eiji nudged her.
"Do you see the person you saw in the photos?" he asked quietly.
Hisako glanced around carefully, searching the Knights' table first. The suspected spy was missing, as was Knight Rose. Even after scanning each table twice, she didn't find either of them. Farah was around, though, taking more pictures.
"I don't see her…Was Knight Rose here earlier?"
Eiji blinked and looked around. "No, actually. I didn't notice; Cesco-san made the announcements today."
"Hm." Hisako glanced around.
Cesco stood, and the competing officers hurried to follow. Nobody seemed on edge or cautious, just eager. Hisako shoveled down the last of her plate and stood too.
They moved in a pack, competitors leading the way and their socializing counterparts lingering in little talkative, mingling clouds.
As they approached the warehouse, steps quickened. Hisako looked ahead, curious about the sudden urgency. Officers spoke hastily, mumbling amongst each other in a nervous web. Hisako had to shimmy to the edge of the pack to see.
They neared the warehouse, and people suddenly stopped, systematically and suddenly in disorganized rows.
Hisako slammed into someone who'd abruptly frozen.
"Sorry!"
They didn't respond, so she rounded them to be face-to-face with the officer—a German officer with wide, twitching eyes.
She jerked back in surprise. He looked stunned and strained. His face twitched, and he seemed to be trying to speak. His fingers trembled as his hand tried to curl. Was he trying to summon his weapon?
Many other officers looked the same—struggling and frozen.
Hisako looked around, and finally her eyes fell on what theirs had fallen on.
Something was written on the side of the warehouse in what looked to be blood. The red strokes curled and dripped in a stylized hand she struggled to read. She had to stare and discern each letter.
Wait.
The second she understood the words, she knew why everyone had stopped moving.
The words sank into her head, chilling her body to the bone and freezing every muscle. She tried to summon Toraichi, but nothing happened. She tried to speak, but her lips only trembled with effort.
"Wait," the wall said, and for some reason, she was listening.