Maki held her breath as she curled up under a tree in the heart of the giant maze. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Maki began to type a text to Eli.
Nishikino Maki, 2:07 PM
Eli, how's the script going?
I got dragged into some water gun fight. Send help.
Maki waited for a reply calmly. Rin will never find this spot, Maki thought as she peered at her phone again.
Ayase Eli, 2:08 PM
Poor you.
The script is going great. We're over 70% done. Printing is going to come soon, so you need to prepare a printer.
Maki began to text a reply.
Nishikino Maki, 2:09 PM
Can you come see me?
I'm hiding in the garden's maze.
Maki was waiting for a reply when she heard a faraway holler that sounded a lot like Rin. Maki quickly typed to Eli.
Ayase Eli, 2:09 PM
Um...
Nishikino Maki, 2:09 PM
COME QUICKLY I HEAR RIN
PUT YOUR LEFT HAND ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE MAZE AND FOLLOW IT
IT'S THE MAZE RULE
HURRY
Ayase Eli, 2:10 PM
I should probably do the script with Umi
And why should I go see you?
You can hide in the maze alone.
Nishikino Maki, 2:10 PM
Pls come
I'm scared of Rin's water gun skills.
Ayase Eli, 2:10 PM
Ugh fine
I'm on the way.
Maki slipped her phone into her pocket and curled up into a ball under a tree. What if Rin finds me?
Moments later, Maki heard hasty footsteps coming her way. "Rin!?"
Fortunately for Maki, Eli showed up instead of Rin. "Nope, just me. "
"Thank goodness!" Maki sighed in relief. "Thanks for coming. You came awfully fast."
"Putting your left hand on the maze wall helped." Eli sat down next to Maki. "I didn't see Rin, though."
"Really?"
"Yeah, but I heard her voice near the entrance. I think she knows you're in here."
Maki stood up. "We should probably go, then. That gap over there exits out on the other side of the garden if we take the correct turns."
Eli shook her head. "Maybe we should stay. This maze is awfully complicated, and Rin probably won't find the center easily."
"Well, maybe it would be nice to get a headstart..."
"Having a backup plan would be nice. Leaving now would mean that you would have to find another place to hide. What if Rin is patrolling outside the maze?"
"Is she smart enough?"
Eli looked at Maki. "Don't underestimate Rin, Maki. Rin is very smart. While you were in college, Rin worked really hard in school. Her GPA was 3.8 at one point."
Maki blinked. "Really?"
"Yeah. So let's just make up a backup plan just in case. Other than the maze, are there any other good place to hide?"
"Well, there's a shack of pool supplies near the pool. Oh, and a treehouse in the other side of the garden."
"How about this? If Rin comes we run through that exit of the maze. Then we go to that shack and grab a kickboard or something. After that, we can go up the treehouse."
"Well-"
"Oh! I have a good idea! What if we get a water gun? Then we can shoot everyone out!"
Maki frowned. "Is that even allowed?"
"Well, they did force you into this game. You may as well just take advantage of it."
"Hm...Alright!" Maki smiled. "Let's do it!"
Eli grinned. "That's the spirit!"
Maki pointed to the exit. "When Rin comes, we run that way, let me lead. We are going through the herb garden."
Eli nodded. "Okay...what else?"
"Then we are going to run back to the pool area and get water guns. And not just one-we are going to take that whole backpack."
Eli smiled wider. "Perfect."
Maki smiled back. "Then we go the treehouse and wait."
Eli grinned. "And we are ready."
Maki and Eli knelt in the gap at the beginning of the escape route and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
Maki checked the time on her phone.
2:36 PM.
"Do you think she is coming anytime soon?" Maki asked.
Eli shrugged. "Probably. She has Honoka, after all. Honoka always finds a way."
Maki stared at the entrance way to the maze center.
And stared.
And stared.
And stared.
And stared.
Soon enough the warm heat of the afternoon lulled Maki into a deep sleep...
"Maki! Maki!"
Maki opened her eyes to a frantic Eli. "Huh?"
Eli gestured to the entrance. "I swear I heard Hanayo!"
Maki hastily checked the time.
2:51 PM.
Maki stood up. "Let's go." Maki grabbed Eli's hand and went through the intricate maze expertly.
A few seconds after Maki turned left, Maki heard Rin's voice.
"She's not here!"
Maki ran faster.
Once Maki and Eli were out of the maze, they stopped to rest.
"Well, Maki, that was close."
Maki nodded. "Let's continue."
Maki led Eli to a small garden full of aromatic herbs.
"Wow!" Eli stared at the derps while they walked past. "I never knew your family owned something like this."
Maki shrugged. "We use them in soups and some salads. Some of them are used in homemade medicine."
Maki gestured to a door at the end of the garden. "That door leads back to the pool."
Eli nodded. "Do you think Rin is following us?"
Maki pushed open the door. "Probably not. Although, we still don't know where Nico's team is."
Eli followed Maki through the door. "Yeah."
Maki led Eli through a short path between two walls. "Ah, we're here."
Maki and Eli emerged through a door behind the pool area.
Eli immediately grabbed the backpack full of water guns and Maki went into the shed.
"Maki? What are you doing?"
Maki came out with 4 buckets. "Buckets for water, " she said while filling up the buckets with pool water. "Don't worry, the pool is saltwater. Saltwater isn't that bad for your skin."
Eli smiled. "Should we go?"
Maki nodded.
After walking back through the garden without any encounters, Maki and Eli stood in front of a small treehouse.
Maki set the pails of water on the ground. "Eli, I'll climb up the ladder halfway. You hand me the buckets."
Eli nodded. "Roger."
Maki carefully climbed up the rope ladder that extended from the treehouse, stopping halfway. Eli handed her the buckets, and Maki placed each into the treehouse.
Once all buckets were in the treehouse, Maki clambered all the way to the top and gestured for Eli to follow.
Eli stepped into the treehouse. "Wow, nice place."
Maki shrugged.
Eli opened the backpack and emptied out the water guns. "Which ones should we use?"
Maki studied the plastic toys. There were 6 water guns in total; 3 big, 3 small. Maki took a big red water gun. "I'll take this one. We should get 1 big gun and 1 small one each. Let's leave the rest here. I'll fill up all of the water guns."
Eli nodded. "I'll take the blue water gun."
Maki handed Eli the water gun. "Can you stay on watch?"
"Sure."
Maki knelt down on the wooden floor and carefully filled up each water gun with pool water. "Eli, if someone comes we shoot, okay?"
Eli turned to Maki and nodded. "Yeah. But what if we run out of water?"
"Once we run out of the third bucket, one of us will have to go back to the pool."
"I'll go," Eli said. "Since I can get wet without, um, consequences."
Maki nodded. "Okay."
Maki continued to fill up each water gun. Where in the world is Nico? Maki thought as she filled the last water gun with water. "Eli, where do you-"
"Shh!" Eli peered out the window. "Do you see that?"
Maki looked out the window. Something black was poking out from behind a tall bush. "Is it Nico?"
"I think so. Maki, the ladder!"
Maki immediately began pulling up the rope ladder that was the only exit out or in the treehouse. "What do we do if she comes?"
Eli turned to Maki. "You take that window, I'll take this one. We'll shoot everyone out!"
Maki laid all of the water guns out on the floor. "Roger."
"KYAH! Nozomi!"
Nico was now walking around screaming (with Nozomi tickling her) ."Nozomi, stop tickling me! We need to find Maki!"
Nozomi smirked. "Hm? I thought you wanted to get revenge on Rin?"
Nico scowled. "Maki is the golden prize, right? Um, excuse me, but gold is basically the best!"
Nico did some strange arm movement that looked like she was sneezing.
"Is that a dance move or something?" Maki whispered.
"Shh! And it's called a dab!" Eli whispered back.
Nico, Nozomi, and Kotori were walking closer to the treehouse.
Maki bit her lip, her hand gripping the water gun tightly. Maybe we should just hide.
Nico suddenly looked at the treehouse, which made Maki and Eli duck down quickly.
"Hey, look! A treehouse!" Nico hollered.
"Wow! Maki's mansion is so cool!" Kotori exclaimed.
Nico started snapping photos. "This would look great on my Instagram feed!"
"But, usually there would be a ladder to climb up into the tree," Nozomi's statement sent chills down Maki's spine. "Where is the ladder?"
Eli locked eyes with Maki. 3, she mouthed.
2.
1.
Eli bounced up and sprayed Kotori with water, Maki following, taking aim at Nico.
"KYAH! W-water?" Kotori squealed.
Nozomi looked to the treehouse. "Eli!"
"WHAT? Maki?" Nico looked at Maki. "Aren't you-hey!" Nico dodged Maki's spray of water. "Take this!" Nico tried to shoot Maki back but the water didn't really go very high. "What the-?"
Nozomi frowned at Nico. "Nico, do you know what gravity is?"
"Why of course I do- kYAH!" Nico dodged Maki's spray of water again.
Meanwhile, Eli was taking aim at Nozomi.
Nozomi, noticing this, grabbed Nico and ducked behind a tree.
A very sad Kotori followed behind. "I'm out..." Kotori murmured gloomily.
Eli knelt down next to Maki. "Okay, Maki, good job, but we still need to surprise them more. Let's make up a plan. Do you have any ideas?"
Maki gestured to a nearby tree. "They are most likely going to climb that tree. Let's set up a trap."
"Good idea." Eli peered out the window. "Nico and Nozomi are gone. I think they are coming back, though."
Maki took out the plastic water container within one of the small guns. "We'll set this up on a tree branch. When Nico climbs the water will spill from the shaking."
Eli nodded. "Nice. I'll set up the trap."
Maki watched Eli carefully climb down the treehouse (with the ladder) and climbed up the nearby tree. Eli balanced the water container on one of the branches and smoothly slid down the tree.
Soon, Eli was back up the treehouse. "Maki, if Rin's group comes, you aim at Honoka and I'll aim at Rin, okay?"
"Sure." Maki checked the time.
3:31 PM
I do realize that I haven't written in a month, but I wanted to write a long chapter and it ended up taking too long. I split this chapter in half and the second part is going to be posted soon! Sorry for the really late chapter!