"Mr. Kitaniji, there's a commotion."
"You look a bit panicked, Konishi. That's rare for you. Report."
"One of the players has been erasing the other teams."
"I'm already aware." The Conductor turned in his chair, his face glowing in the light of a display screen. Different players ran across the screen, fighting the noise and each other in the way that partners do.
But what this player was doing was not that way.
"We'll have to recruit him soon." Kitaniji was smiling.
"Recruit him? But it's only day three, sir."
"Yes, but we must move quickly. He won't last much longer."
"In that case, Mr. Kitaniji, why even re-"
"Have you not noticed?" Kitaniji motioned towards the screen. A tan teenager was running through the scramble, a satisfied grin on his face. "He hasn't made a pact yet."
"He hasn't?" The iron maiden leaned closer to screen. "That's impossible, he should have been long dead by now if that were the case!" On closer inspection, the boy was running from a large noise. Being in two dimensions at once, there was no way he could destroy one on his own. Despite that, his pin techniques were impressive.
"Indeed. Yet he's still alive, full of energy on day three. Konishi, why do you think that is?" The strategist contemplated the matter, running a sharp nail over her lip in thought.
"Perhaps… He's an illegal player?"
"I've already checked. He most certainly dead." The Conductor once again turned towards the display, studying the pactless player. "No… I think it's an incredible determination keeping him alive. That, and incredible potential."

"Heh, avoiding these things is too simple!" Sho stood pressed against a narrow alleyway, the noise that was following him mindlessly drifting towards some sorry group waiting at the scramble. The young man was sliding back into the crowd of commuters when he was stopped the ring of his cell. "What- are the missions multiplying?" He looked at his palm; it continued to count down. Flipping open his phone, he smirked at the message.

Sho Minimoto,
Abandon your mission and arrive at the West Exit Bus Terminal a.s.a.p.
From the Reapers
It always annoyed the hell out of him that there was no comma after "from".

Sho raised a hand in greeting as he was met at the West Exit Bus Terminal by two reapers. "Well well, you two are different identities compared to the others."

'Even faced by two reapers, he's oddly calm. Does he have any idea how much danger he's in?' Konishi scrutinized the player as Kitaniji took a casual step towards him.
"Hello, Sho, we've been expecting you." Sho said nothing, only staring with cat-like eyes at the reapers with a mixture of suspicion and faint interest. After some seconds of silence, Konishi followed her superior's lead and took a step forward.
"It seems you're not a social animal. In that case, we'll make this quick. Why have you been erasing the other players?" The question dragged the player's eyes over to her, his gaze almost intimidating her.
"This is a competition, right? I was simply subtracting from the lower quartile. It's far too boring competing against such insignificant values! Anyone dumb enough to fall to such lesser eliminations wasn't worthy of winning reiteration!"
"You mean reincarnation?" Kitaniji gave a low chuckle. "You seem to feel strongly about this. Are you determined to win this game?"
"Not one iota." At this, Kitaniji laughed more loudly.
"Ah, Sho, I knew you were an interesting one!" He gave an amused smile, the dark tint of his glasses hiding most of his expression. "Well, that is quite fortunate for you, because you are not going to win."
"What!?" Konishi mentally echoed Sho's reaction, looking over at him sharply.
"Let me explain. Your noise erasure count is unimpressingly low, and you never formed a pact; a substantial disregard of the rules." His smile grew as he watched Sho's expression twist into anger. "But all is not lost. You have potential. If you wish, you could join our ranks as a reaper and, in a sense, survive." Once again defying expectations, Sho seemed to calm down, even regaining his smirk.
"Heh, you mean continuing my operations here, but solving for your solution?"
"Yes, I guess that is one way of putting it. It's either this or death. I think you would be quite a skilled reaper, Sho." Now it was Sho's turn to laugh.
"Sure, this game's interest is quickly decaying anyway!"
"Ah ah ah, not so fast. There is a catch, Minamimoto." The Conductor pushed his shades higher on the bridge of his nose, feeling how close he was to his own desired solution. "Even though you may not parish, you still will have lost the game. Though it will not matter whichever way you chose, if you join the reapers, you will lose your entry fee... Will you still do it?"
Sho's eyes hardened. The direction of his gaze changed. Konishi once again felt his eyes pierce through her. 'There's no doubt about it; he's looking straight at me!'
"I will."

Later, Konishi would ask what Sho's entry fee had been.
"A woman." Kitaniji looked somewhere in the distance, feeling satisfied with his new recruit. "The only one that met his expectations." The Conductor turned to Konishi somewhat somberly. "A terrible fate will befall her tonight." The light would glint deviously on his sunglasses. "But it's not her time yet."
Konishi let out a small gasp. 'But that means-'
"She will be eligible to participate in the next game." At that moment, the Conductor's smile seemed almost cruel. "It will certainly be an interesting week."

During the next reaper's game, Konishi would analyze Sho's performance from inside his shadow. The woman would be there. Konishi would watch Sho erase her.

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A/N: Hello everyone! Of anything I wrote, this would by far be my longest and my favorite! Hopefully you don't mind my headcanons. Feel free to critique!