Well, hello there!
So, like... Mana_Sputachu AKA _ManaChan on the bird app. Do you know her? She's awesome and frend shaped, and, as such, we have many conversations, some sillier than others. And one of our silly ones led to this.
I have to thank her times a million for this idea, and for being nice enough to look it over through its various stages of construction. Also, go check out her stories and art. Fantastic stuff.
Before I begin, let it be known that this takes place immediately after Come a Little Closer, and during Jam Session, on the night before the tournament's first round. Also, I have made no claims that this is a masterpiece by any means, so, like... be cool or whatever.
Onward~
"Iorin, please come to my room when you see this."
The text message from Chizuru Kagura didn't seem urgent; the tone seemed quite the opposite, really. But, of course, it was still very much Chiz: polite and to the point. Nothing more, nothing less. Though, at this hour, there was a tiny part of Iori Yagami — a tiny part, goddamnit! — that almost wished there was more to it. Perhaps something… friendlier. Especially after what he had just finished dealing with, as calming snarky bartenders in the middle of weird mental breakdowns wasn't his thing.
At all.
Nevertheless, Iori smirked at the correspondence on his screen, then entered the elevator just behind him. He pushed the button to go to the luxury suites on the top floor, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The bartender was Chiz's friend — not his — yet, he had tried to help her get through whatever the hell it was that wrecked her so badly anyway. He told her it was only for Chiz's sake, but, deep down, he knew how the woman felt and somewhat sympathized with her. (Though he was being completely honest when he told her that Chiz would have his head if he sat by and did nothing…) And, because the Universe seemed to like playing tricks on him, his specific brand of kindness (could it be called that? Who knew…) was rewarded with a decidedly unflattering nickname:
"Cupcake."
What the hell.
He supposed it couldn't be helped, though. As long as the woman didn't call him that publicly, there would be nothing to worry about. But if she pulled that shit out at a match, a mixer, or anywhere else, he'd have to burn her, Chiz's feelings about the matter be damned.
At that moment, a soft ding let Iori know he had reached the appropriate floor. He squared his shoulders and stepped off of the lift, then made his way to the room just down the hall. He cleared his throat and raised his hand to knock, but the door being pulled open stopped him in his tracks.
"Iorin," Chizuru Kagura greeted, her expression (disappointingly?) impassive. "Please come inside."
Iori placed his hands in his pockets and did as he was told, stepping into the space — which was oddly modest for Chiz, who, despite being a demure priestess, had a taste for finer things — and leaning against a wall. He immediately caught sight of his teammate and rival, Kyo Kusanagi, sitting on the sofa, and scowled fiercely.
"This better be good," he huffed.
"I assure you, the reason I called you both here is of great importance," the priestess told the young men solemnly.
"Look, Chiz," Kyo started, his tone whiny and agitated, "we know we need to band together to take those freaks out and keep Orochi sealed, so what's of such 'great importance' that you're calling us here so late in the first place?"
Chizuru pinched the bridge of her nose, evidently a little annoyed, and sighed.
"If we are to face the coming threat, then it's important that we keep our bodies as well as our minds sharp," she answered matter-of-factly.
At that, Iori raised his eyebrows while Kyo made one of his usual confused faces.
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said," Chizuru told her teammates patiently. "Now —" she turned away to rummage through a nearby bag — "I have devised the perfect way to do that. A little exercise for you two to prepare for tomorrow and the coming days."
"An exercise… for us?" Kyo asked slowly.
"Yes, Kyo."
"Okay but what exercise?" Iori prodded, now a little annoyed himself.
There was a lull as Chizuru produced two thin paperbacks from the bag. She handed one to Kyo and one to Iori, who quirked a brow as he read the cover.
"Sudoku for Intermediate Players…?"
"Sudoku for Beginner Players?" Kyo read out loud from his place on the couch.
Iori couldn't help snickering; it was no accident that Chizuru handed him the intermediate puzzles while that moron Kyo was given the beginner's set. Nevertheless, he frowned at the book in his hand and then at Chizuru, who appeared somewhat… enthused?
"Chiz, what is this?" Kyo asked while he thumbed through his book.
"That's called a 'book,'" Iori snarked. "They're used for what's called 'reading.'"
"Iorin, don't start," Chizuru warned, though if one looked hard enough they'd be able to see that she had a small smile on her face. She pulled a box of pre-sharpened Hello Kitty pencils from her shopping bag, opened it, and handed one to each of her companions.
"Now, while that is correct, Kyo, these books are full of puzzles to exercise your brain. Both of your brains. Sudoku is a game that involves logic and problem-solving. You also need to be aware of your surroundings — in this case, the numbers in each problem — so you can fill in the answers correctly. I'm going to set a timer for ninety minutes. In that time, you are to complete as many puzzles as you can. It's okay if you don't finish every single one, but you are to begin working immediately, and you may not help each other in any capacity. Is that understood?"
"I wouldn't waste my time helping that dimwitted Chad even if it meant having my wildest dreams fulfilled," Iori deadpanned.
"What the hell is a Chad?!"
"I'd tell you to look it up but that would involve that reading thing I mentioned."
"That reminds me," Chizuru cut in. "Kyo. Please give me your phone."
"What? Why?"
"Because I don't want you trying to consult any outside parties for help. That means no texts or video calls with Yuki or Shingo, and no online answer generators."
"But —!"
"Gimme."
Iori had to hold back a wayward chuckle, not just because of Chizuru's reasoning but also because of her random switch to completely informal speech. It was cu — no. Unusual. It was unusual, and it sounded weird.
…Yeah.
The young man blinked a few times and watched as Chizuru confiscated Kyo's phone before turning his attention to the puzzle book he was holding. He rifled through the pages and made a face; this would be almost too easy for him.
"Okay, you two," Chizuru said while placing Kyo's phone in her pocket, "make yourselves comfortable. I'll start the timer once you're both ready."
There was silence as the two men situated themselves, with Iori choosing to sit at the small kitchen counter while Kyo remained on the sofa in the seating area. Chizuru watched them both intently before pulling up a timer on her smartwatch.
"Three," she said calmly. "Two… one. …And go."
"Wait —" Kyo slowly opened his book to the first page — "We don't get to see the timer?"
"I can't have you distracted. Now, please begin."
"But wait! Why didn't you take Yagami's phone?"
"Because, unlike you, I don't need to rely on help from anyone or anything," Iori said distractedly while filling in the first set of numbers.
"That's bull —"
"Children, please focus on your tasks," the priestess interrupted while sifting through a shopping bag that had been neatly placed on the kitchen counter across from where Iori was sitting. Determined not to get sidetracked, the young man turned all of his attention to the slightly blurry page in front of him (he had left his reading glasses in his room earlier) and, despite the difficulty seeing, made short work of the problems.
On and on, Iori went, scribbling his answers in and periodically shifting his gaze to something else in the room as a means to refocus his eyes: a picture on the wall, the stainless steel refrigerator, Chizuru as she made tea…
It didn't take much longer for Iori to reach the last page of puzzles, as the remainder of the sheets appeared to have the answers on them. He found himself wondering if Kyo was aware of that fact. Hastily, he wrote the final numbers in, closed his book, and proclaimed, "Done," before rising from his seat. Without a word, he sauntered up behind Kyo and snatched the paperback from his hands.
"HEY!"
"Iori?!"
His teammates' startled and confused shouts didn't deter Iori as he quickly and neatly tore the book in half. He then forcefully threw the portion that was only the puzzles into Kyo's lap but held onto the answer key.
"What the hell?!" Kyo exclaimed.
"So you can't cheat, asshole."
With that, Iori produced a purple flame from the same hand holding the pages, burning them to ash instantly. He then pivoted to face Chizuru, who was calmly sipping on her tea.
"I will admit that was a good call," she told him with a smirk. "Now come sit. We still have forty minutes on the clock."
"Forty minutes?!" Kyo groaned. "It feels like it's been forty hours!"
"Lamenting how much time has or hasn't passed will not help you get through your trials any faster, Kyo," Chizuru pointed out.
"What she means —" Iori turned so that he was facing Kyo again — "is to shut your mouth and do your work."
"Eat me, Yagami."
"You'd like that wouldn't you?"
"Boys!" Chizuru shouted, impatient. "Stop bickering! Kyo! Puzzles!"
Kyo groaned as he turned back to his book. Iori, meanwhile, watched as he began to fidget uncomfortably in his seat.
"Chiiiiiiz…?"
"Yes, Kyo."
"Why did you have to give me the hard ones?"
"She gave you the easy ones, dumbshit," Iori told him with a pointed look. "Oh, wait. You didn't get that because of the whole reading thing."
"I can read just fine," Kyo growled.
Iori opened his mouth to speak, but Chizuru saying his name stopped him before he could start.
"Let Kyo work."
"…fine."
The room was silent for only a few seconds before Kyo let out a tortured-sounding grunt. There was a pause before he let out another, followed by another.
"IS there a problem, Kyo?" Chizuru calmly asked while leaning her back against a kitchen counter.
"Ngh… no."
"Then carry on."
The quiet was, again, broken by another pained noise, which caused Iori to squint at the young man, who looked like he was melting into the sofa.
"The hell are you doing?" He asked impatiently, as he was tired of the annoying sounds and really wanted nothing more than to go back to his room and maybe listen to a little music or watch some cat videos to lull himself into a calm and relaxed headspace before trying to sleep.
"It's just… numbers have never been my thing," Kyo responded, his voice strained. "Okay? I'm just not a numbers guy."
"'Not a numbers guy,'" Iori scoffed. He walked over to where his rival sat to peer over his shoulder and check his progress (there was nothing in Chizuru's rules that said he couldn't do that). He burst out laughing the second he saw the page.
"You're not even done with the first puzzle?!"
"Oh, shut up!" Kyo spat.
"Iorin," Chizuru warned as she set down her empty teacup.
"What?!" Iori asked. "You said we needed to keep our minds sharp, but this tool hasn't even finished the first one!"
"Math is hard," Kyo whined.
"You're not even doing math! You're just writing numbers in boxes!"
"You are struggling… on the very first problem," Chizuru stated, her voice laced with disbelief.
"I'm not struggling! I'm just — like I said: not a numbers guy. You should know that by now."
Iori threw his hands up while flicking his eyes toward the ceiling.
"Goddamnit, Kyo!"
"What is so troubling about this particular puzzle?" Chizuru inquired while approaching Kyo, Iori's completed book in her hand. There was a very distinct edge to her voice that Iori knew meant that she was either frustrated, disappointed, or both. Kyo opened his mouth to answer, closed it, then opened it again, sputtering an incoherent mess of syllables. Iori, meanwhile, glanced at Chizuru, who — to his surprise — glanced right back at him, grimacing.
"Okay, Kyo," she said slowly. "I can't help you here, as that is not in the rules I set."
"Can't you change them?"
"Why would I do that?"
"So I can call Yuki and ask her for help."
"Your girl's problem-solving skills aren't gonna help us with shit when we're out there," Iori pointed out. He glanced over at Chizuru, who looked down at her timer and then pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Let's make a deal," she said with a tired sigh. "Complete one page."
"One page?!"
Kyo looked absolutely scandalized as he broke into a cold sweat.
"A full page?! We're gonna be here all fuckin' night!" Iori exclaimed.
"Iorin, please —" Chizuru held a hand up — "we need to give him a chance."
"What we need to give this smooth-brained bastard is a kick to the head!"
"If anything, I feel that blunt force trauma would cause more harm than good in this situation."
"Is there ever a situation where it doesn't cause more harm than good?!" Kyo asked incredulously.
Iori gave Kyo an aggravated look before crossing his arms over his chest.
"Just do your goddamn work."
Kyo scowled as he turned his attention back to the sudoku puzzles in front of him. There was a very brief lull before he looked at Iori once more.
"Can you stop watching me?! It's weird."
"But watching you squirm is so much fun," Iori countered with a smirk. "It makes me feel warm inside."
"Boys," Chizuru warned, her voice low and dangerous.
Everybody fell quiet then, though Kyo and Iori shared one of their usual "You're a fucking asshole" glares toward one another. Kyo then returned to the task at hand while Iori made his way back to the kitchen counter. He lowered himself onto the stool he previously occupied, placed a hand in his pocket, and rummaged for his Airpods but realized with dismay that those, too, were back in his room. With a dejected sigh, he removed his phone from his pocket and started using various apps and websites to keep himself busy. After around twenty minutes, Iori yawned, which elicited a frustrated growl from Kyo, who turned and glared at him.
"Damn it, Yagami!" Kyo whined. Sweat covered his brow, and his expression was borderline manic. It would have been pretty damn funny if it wasn't so annoying. Regardless, Iori scowled at his rival, who looked like he wanted to rip his throat out.
"The fuck is your problem?!" He asked, exasperated.
"You broke my concentration!"
"Wha — how?! I wasn't even talking to you!"
"No, but you distracted me."
"Bullshit," Iori shot back. "You're just trying to use me as an excuse to stall for time so that Chiz over here gets tired and tells your useless ass not to bother with your assignment!"
"Whatever, Yagami."
Then, with a deep scowl, the young man returned to his puzzle.
"Iorin," Chizuru, who had moved back into the kitchen, whispered as she rested her elbows on the counter and leaned forward. "We both know Kyo is not clever enough to devise such a plan."
Iori was unable to keep from chuckling. His teammate was right, of course, but hearing her actually say it was an experience, to say the least.
"But, to be honest," Chizuru said, "he has surprised me."
"How so?" Iori prodded.
"He's doing worse than I thought he would."
"You mean you thought he'd actually be decent at this?!"
"No. I just didn't think he would be this incompetent at such a basic mental task."
At that, Iori made a face.
"Come on, Chiz," he sighed. "This is Mister One-star Intellect we're talking about! He's —"
"I know, I know," Chizuru interrupted, her voice tired. "But, still, we have to give him a chance."
"A chance to what, though?"
"To prove me — us — wrong."
"Are you sure you just didn't want ammo to use against him next time he gets all shitty toward you?"
Suddenly, the priestess drew back while placing a hand on her chest. Her expression was light — so light that she looked almost… happy. It was an unusual sight, as she had been on the more melancholy side of things as of late.
"Iorin," she breathed, her tone full of mock disbelief, "Why ever would you think such a thing?"
"Come on, Chiz. I know that even you can't resist taking the piss out of that brat," Iori stated. "It's okay to admit that he's an ass."
"And you're not?"
Iori frowned. It kinda sucked to know that Chiz thought of him like that, but it wasn't like it wasn't justified. However, before he could give it much thought, Kyo jumped up from his seat, tossed his book and pencil down, and raised his arms in a victorious pose.
"HA," he yelled, triumphant. "I did it! I'm done!"
Chizuru and Iori both looked at each other before the young woman brought herself upright and left the kitchen.
"I beat your stupid puzzles, Chiz," Kyo enthusiastically exclaimed. He punched the air, then picked up and practically shoved his ripped book into Chizuru's hands, a cocky smile on his face. Iori watched curiously as the woman turned her back to Kyo and looked down at the completed page. Her gray eyes went wide as she stood motionless, disbelief pouring from her very being.
"…How…?"
"How what?"
Iori approached Chizuru, a sinking feeling in his gut. He glanced at Kyo, who had ceased his private victory celebration and was now regarding the priestess, who hadn't moved, with curiosity.
"Chiz?"
Without a word, the woman placed the book into Iori's hands, then walked into the small kitchen, where she produced a bottle of 178 proof vodka, unscrewed the cap, and took a large swig, her patience obviously gone.
"What?" Kyo asked. "What's the problem?"
Iori looked from Kyo to Chizuru, then quickly read the material that was handed to him. He stared down at the completed brain teasers, unsurprised that every single answer was wrong.
Alright, let's get to it:
* Iorin is a nickname for Iori (but if you've been going to the KOF fandom for a while you knew that already, right?)
* Yes, there are hints of IorixChiz sprinkled here and there. Fight me.
* The snarky bartender is, of course, King, whom Iori actually tried to help through a PTSD-fueled breakdown in Come a Little Closer, which is right over there
* The hotel they are all staying at is the H Hotel in Los Angeles, not far from SoFi Stadium and LAX (the airport)
* For those not familiar with Sudoku, here's the Wikipedia explanation of it: Sudoku is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. In classic Sudoku, the objective is to fill a 9 × 9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3 × 3 subgrids that compose the grid (also called "boxes", "blocks", or "regions") contain all of the digits from 1 to 9. The puzzle setter provides a partially completed grid, which for a well-posed puzzle has a single solution.
* Iori likes cats but we been knew.
* One-star Intellect: There was once an old article that used a five-star system to rate several SNK men in different categories: intelligence, boyfriend material, things like that. Kyo's intelligence was one star.
* Chizuru has a massive alcohol tolerance, and, as such, has brought along a bottle of Pincer Vodka, which is, as I understand it, one of the strongest vodkas in the world.
Welp, I suppose I've covered everything here. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on this one, especially since it's my first time writing the 3ST together. Hopefully I did them justice. Thanks for reading and hopefully telling me your thoughts and feels! Cheers~