He glanced over his shoulder. “I said they should connect the two buildings. It’d be a lot easier.”
“Uh, yeah. They should.”
From where I stood, Kenji looked nothing like the predator I saw at meals or in passing. His hair was messy, his posture slouched. He almost looked like the boy I’d grown up with.
He flushed the urinal and came to the sink beside me, studying his face in the mirror as he washed his hands.
“Two more challenges,” he said, his voice quiet. “And then we’re free of this place.”
“Yeah,” I said cautiously. “Two more.”
His eyes met mine in the mirror. “I’m tired of this. It’s draining. To be honest, it’s not worth it.”
His tone was so casual that I almost let my guard down.
“And it’s driven us apart,” he added. “Cost us our friendship.”
Was he apologizing?
“I can’t wait to sleep in my bed,” he continued. “To have a toilet just a few steps away. And if I never hear Iron Face’s voice again, I won’t lose any sleep over it.”
I hesitated, debating whether to bring up Jiro’s plan. Kenji seemed calm, reasonable even. But could I trust him?
“About the challenges,” I began, testing the waters. “I was thinking?—”
“We should all team up and help each other to the end?” Kenji interrupted.
I blinked. How did he know? It felt like he’d been in the room with Jiro and me.
“Uh, yeah,” I said carefully. “I guess you were already thinking that.”
“It makes the most sense,” he said, lowering his voice. “The last thing we need is to turn on each other. But I think…” His eyes flicked to the ceiling. “I think that’s what they want.”
I followed his gaze, unease erupting across my skin. Did he really believe we were being watched right now?
“So, you think it’s a good idea?” I asked.
“I do,” Kenji said. “But it’ll only work if all three of us participate. Genuinely.”
“Jiro’s willing,” I said quickly. “I mean, if I tell him, he’ll go along with it. Let’s finish this safely.”
Kenji yawned and dried his hands on his uniform. “We can talk more at breakfast tomorrow. Let’s head back to bed.”
He led the way out, his steps slow and heavy. As I followed him back to the dorms, I watched his silhouette, his head tilted forward like he was already drifting to sleep.
When he disappeared into his room, shutting the door softly behind him, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
It’s important to keep your guard up, Akiko—the sharpest knife in the kitchen is the one in your back.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
A jarring noise tore me out of sleep, my heart pounding as I shot upright. For a brief moment, I thought someone was trying to break into my room again. My eyes darted to the chair. It was still safely lodged under the doorknob. Relief came in a heavy exhale.
“Wake up!” a harsh voice yelled, accompanied by rapid pounding on the door. Iron Face.
“Wake up! Your next challenge is ready for you!”
Challenge? I fumbled for my watch. The glowing numbers read 6:30 a.m. Why so early? Iron Face went down the hall, banging loudly on every door. When he reached Kenji’s, the thudding echoed like a war drum.
