She walked toward the temple entrance but stopped just before stepping out. Turning back, she added, “My advice? Study poison.”
And then she was gone.
Her words lingered like the faint scent of incense in the air.Study poison?I whispered the phrase to myself. The very idea made me prickly all over.
Was she warning me about the next challenge?
The words hounded me the more I thought about them. I already knew every challenge here wasn’t what it seemed; there was always a twist that upended expectations. Could this be the same? But what kind of poison? Actual poison, the kind that tainted food, turning a single bite into a death sentence? Or was it metaphorical, a warning about the people around me?
The image of the bathroom came rushing back: the quick, calculated strike that had left me sprawled on the floor. Was that attack the beginning of everyone turning on each other? On me? The thought made my stomach drop.
I touched my cheek, the faint ache still nagging. Whether Reina was talking about poisoned food or a poisoned environment, I couldn’t dismiss it. I had to figure out what she really meant.
“You must know whom to trust.”
That thought echoed through my mind as I made a silent vow: I would watch everyone closely from now on and assume no one here would stop short of winning—not Kenji, not Jiro, and certainly not me. The stakes were too high. I had to be ready. Ready to adapt, ready to spot every lie, every hidden agenda. Whatever poison was brewing in this place, it wouldn’t claim me.
Stepping out of the temple, I scanned the pathways ahead. Reina was nowhere to be seen, but then movement caught my eye. Jiro stood in the distance next to an ishidoro, his gaze locked on me for just a moment before he turned and headed toward the maze.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
KENJI
I finally spotted Akiko walking near the library and jogged to catch up to her. “Where were you? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” I pulled her into a hug, relieved she was safe. “Are you okay?” I gently turned her face, examining where she’d been struck.
“I’m fine, Kenji,” she said, pulling back slightly. “I just needed some time alone. I was in the gardens.”
“Gardens? I checked there.” She looked off to the side, a sign she wasn’t being honest. “Akiko,” I said softly, “you don’t have to lie to me. It’s me, Kenji. Your best friend.”
Her eyes darted back to mine. “I’m not lying. Maybe you overlooked me. I’m short, remember?”
“I’m not blind,” I said, exhaling sharply. “I could pick you out of a lineup of shadows. I know your size, your shape, your…” I stopped myself before saying something that might sound too intense. “Okay, maybe I did miss you…”
Akiko frowned. “What? Go on, spit it out. You’re always telling me we must be honest with each other for our alliance to work.”
“This isn’t about the alliance!” My voice was rising. “This is about you, about us. Do you even realize how much you mean to me? You were my whole world back when we were kids. And then one day, we were just…separated. It wasn’t your fault, and it wasn’t mine, but that didn’t make it any easier.”
Her expression softened, and for a moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of the girl I used to know.
“I had no idea it affected you that much,” Akiko said. “It makes sense you were sad about moving, but…why didn’t you try to find me when you got older?”
“I did,” I said quietly. “I went by your house a few years ago, but you weren’t living there anymore.”
“After my mother died, I sold the house to pay for university.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, the guilt piling on. “Your life…the hardships you endured…it’s amazing that…”
“I survived? I know, right?” Akiko laughed, lightening the mood. “Kenji, I’m here now. That’s all that matters.”
“That’s right. You’re a fighter. I’m sorry about your mom, and your dad and everything else that went to hell after I moved. I always liked your mom. I have fond memories of her making us delicious snacks.”
“That’s right, she did do that,” she said, a small smile tugging at her lips. “But after my dad disappeared, she was never the same, not with the depression and the alcohol. I’m glad you never saw that side of her. You only have the memories that I choose to save. And those are the most important ones anyway.”
“I know, but I should’ve tried harder to find you,” I said. “Maybe I could’ve?—”
“Could’ve what? Saved me?” she interrupted.
“No. I mean, maybe,” I admitted. “I don’t know. I just feel like I let you down.”
