"I want to know about Hoshi," Naoko began. "You had him do a couple of things for you, didn't you?"

"As we've established, yes," Bankei replied. "I had him perform some errands. Speaking to Takeshi about that book, passing that note you found on his body onto Kimi…I even had him volunteer to cook for us last night. I didn't want to involve him too much, for fear of him catching wind of my intentions, but there were some things I needed him to do specifically so that Mine wasn't too suspicious."

"So, he did what you wanted him to do, except for that one thing," Naoko surmised. "The note he didn't give to Kimi."

"I told him not to read its contents," Bankei explained. "I explicitly told him to simply slip it onto Kimi's person during dinner. He must've disobeyed me and read the note at the earliest opportunity. Perhaps at that point, he decided he would try to sabotage what I was trying to do, even if he didn't know what that was."

"Do you know why he decided to go instead of Kimi, rather than just not do anything with the note?" Naoko asked.

Bankei took a moment to recall. "I believe he did so because he was…curious? At the very least, he alluded to that idea in his conversation with Haru."

"Right. The conversation they had," Naoko replied. "Do you remember any of that?"

"Well, I mainly heard it," Bankei replied. "I was in that cramped locker, after all. But I remember Haru wondered the exact same thing. Hoshi's response…It was like this, if memory serves correctly…"

"I wanted to know what Bankei has been trying to do since being confined to that hospital bed," Hoshi said. "She's practically forced me to serve her, hand on foot, and in doing so, has asked me to do some rather odd things. Not long ago, she told me, very specifically, to go up to Takeshi, initiate a conversation with him about you, and recommend to him a book that I've never even read."

"So, that was her, huh?" Haru responded. "Shit. I just knew that bitch had somethin' to do with it. 'Course, if that means she's gonna try to get 'er revenge, she's outta luck. Pretty sure she'll have trouble overpowerin' the both of us."

"I'd imagine so, but…" Hoshi began. "You're not saying you're going to resort to violence again, are you? No offense."

"Sure, if I have to," Haru shrugged. "If she tries to attack me, it'll be self defense, and it's not like I'm not gonna hold back on 'er just 'cause she's a girl. I mean…what's that thing that people say? Equal rights, equal fights?"

"Yes, I suppose that's fair enough," Hoshi said. "Still, though, if her intent was to have Kimi come here instead of me, I'm not even sure if she intended to harm either you or her directly. Whatever she's trying to do, it's obviously troublesome, but I can't see her trying to kill us herself."

"You sayin' she thought if Kimi came here, we'd get in a fight, and I'd kill 'er?" Haru asked confusedly.

"It seems possible," Hoshi reasoned. "At the very least, it's the first thing that came to my mind after I walked in here."

"Well, if that was 'er plan, it's pretty fucked up. I mean, I wouldn't kill Kimi, probably," Haru supposed. "Not to say I couldn't do it. Sure, I'm not sayin' I'm some sorta superhuman. Matter of fact, I'm actually feelin' kinda iffy right now. But she's also very…y'know, small."

"That's very candid," Hoshi pointed out. "But you're not wrong at all. You could potentially do it, but I wouldn't say you're someone who'd stoop that low."

"Heh. Thanks," Haru chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Still, just to be fair, maybe I could ask you somethin' a bit candid. What exactly is Bankei holdin' over your head to make you do any of this?"

"It's…my secret. The one she was given some time ago," Hoshi answered carefully. "For someone like me, with my social standing…it's something I'd rather people not know. Even just confined to this place, I don't know if the others would be able to see me the same way if they knew."

"Oh, c'mon, it can't be that bad," Haru replied doubtfully.

"Well, I suppose if you want to doubt me, I can't do much to dissuade you," Hoshi replied. "I'm afraid that even now, I'd rather not tell you, or anyone else for that matter. The main issue with that, though, is that it's not really up to me. After all, by coming here, I've disobeyed Bankei. I suppose that means that she'll stay true to her word, and tell my secret to everyone in this facility. That's what she said she'll do as soon as she detects the slightest hint of disobedience."

"If you're that worried about 'er blabbin' to everyone, why don't we just make sure she doesn't catch wind of this?" Haru suggested. "Just tell 'er you gave Kimi the note, and she'll be none the wiser. If you're…" He stopped and let out a pained groan. "...Sorry. Anyway, like I was sayin', if you're still worried about her findin' out, you can probably talk to Kimi, and she'll lie for ya. She's real bitchy, I know, but I bet she wouldn't mind lyin' to Bankei. Y'know what I mean?"

"You…Do you really think she'd do that for me?" Hoshi asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"I mean, maybe," Haru said. "You won't know until you ask 'er, right? At this point, it'd be better than nothin'."

"I guess it would be," Hoshi supposed. "Whatever it is I've found myself involved in, it's definitely dangerous, and I could use all the help I can get."

"Yeah. Sorry I can't do much to help ya, sittin' in a cell," Haru apologized, hand on his chest. "Let's 'ope Kimi'll be able to throw ya a bone. She's a bitch, sure, but I bet that…I bet…"

Haru trailed off as something seemed to be wrong with him. Before either of them could say anything about it, Haru began to buckle as he let out a howl of pain.

"Haru!" Hoshi exclaimed in shock. "What's wrong?!"

"My chest…My muscles…" Haru struggled to simply remain upright as he spoke. "I don't know what's happening. It's like there's fire in my veins!"

"That can't be good," Hoshi replied worriedly. "Don't worry, I'm going to call for help on my-"

By then, however, it was too late. Mine was in the room with them.

"...And that's when it happened?" Naoko asked, interrupting Bankei's story. He didn't feel the need to know all the gory details.

"Exactly," Bankei replied. "It played out about how you determined it did. It seemed as though Haru being stabbed repeatedly shocked Haru, and he froze up for an oddly long period of time."

"'Oddly' long?" Naoko inquired further.

"I just wasn't expecting him to freeze up as long as he did, that's all," Bankei answered quickly. "But anyways, he did eventually turn to run, but he was hardly able to take a step before Mine caught up to him. She made quick work of him, fortunately, and I stepped out of my hiding place so we could work together to hide all evidence of us being in the room."

"I guess that was all quite convenient for you," Naoko commented.

"Indeed," Bankei agreed. "It would have gone perfectly if Hoshi had actually played his intended part. I was very much interested in getting rid of that brat, so her still being alive is actually rather frustrating for me."

"You wanted to kill Kimi that badly?" Naoko asked. "I figured you'd want Haru dead more than you wanted Kimi dead."

"Why would I?" Bankei asked back, baffling Naoko.

"...Because he attacked you. That's why I thought that."

Bankei let out a sharp exhale. "Well, I suppose that's fair. Really, though, it's not like I'd be angry at him for helping me."

"Helping you?!" Naoko exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, yes," Bankei replied simply. "Being beaten up wasn't enjoyable, of course, but it put me in an interesting position. No rational individual would ever think to suspect me of any wrongdoing, no matter what happened. Plus, emotional leverage is always nice. With that in mind, I feel as though a relatively manageable amount of bodily harm was actually a rather fair trade. Besides, before it happened, I was fairly confident that he was telling the truth, and that he wouldn't actually kill me."

Naoko took a moment to connect the dots to realize what that was implying, and when he did, he was even more baffled. "You're saying you…goaded him into attacking you?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't," Bankei said with a grin. "If that's how you want to interpret my words, I feel no need to stop you."

"Okay, moving on," Naoko replied quickly, his patience beginning to wear thin. "You rearranged the crime scene?"

"Yes, with Mine's help," Bankei said. "She moved Hoshi's body before he could bleed too much. Even with our precautions, the blood was a very troublesome issue. Made it hard to work with a clear mind. Mine didn't have it any better, though. The shock of killing Hoshi must have been clouding her mind. That was probably why she was so careless and ended up leaving a plethora of bloody prints on the floor. We had to clean up a decent portion of the blood at the crime scene just for that."

"Even then, she regretted what she'd done?" Naoko asked curiously.

"Well, of course she did," Bankei replied frankly. "What kind of monster do you take her for?"

"That's not what I meant," Naoko said defensively. "I just wanted confirmation."

"Well, you didn't have to ask me for it, I wouldn't think," Bankei muttered aloud. "But, in any case, yes, she had a lot on her mind as we worked. She barely spoke the whole time. The only thing I can recall her saying is something she mumbled to herself while we were standing above Hoshi's body."

"What did she say?" Naoko asked.

Bankei thought about it for a moment. "I believe it was 'Hoshi, I'm so sorry'. The meaning of that seems rather self explanatory, I'd say. That's how I knew she felt guilty. I ended up having to do most of the work when it came to his body."

"What did you do to his body?" Naoko asked warily.

"Well, I searched it, for starters," Bankei answered. "There was that note, obviously. I was disappointed in him, as you might expect, but I figured letting him keep the note would make the trial more interesting. There was also that notebook he kept on his person."

"You looked through the notebook, too?" Naoko asked.

"Mine did, actually," Bankei corrected him. "I had her look through it for anything that would incriminate either of us while I added some extra knife wounds to his body and planted that knife on him. She went through the last few entries he made and said she couldn't find a single thing worthy of note. With that in mind, I put it back where I had found it on him. I didn't want to cause anyone to think something was taken from the crime scene."

"Mine didn't notice anything interesting about what Hoshi had written in his notebook, huh?" Naoko felt like there was something wrong with that statement. That notebook they were talking about was definitely found on Hoshi's body, and Mareo had said he'd gone through it much like how Mine apparently did. However, he remembered Mareo saying there was something interesting, even if it wasn't related to the case.

"Thinking about something?" Bankei inquired.

"Well, I don't think Mine was entirely correct when she said there wasn't anything interesting," Naoko explained. "I suppose I'll have to check with Mareo. He should still have the notebook on him."

"Does that mean you're leaving?" Bankei asked, disappointed. "Is there not more you want to speak to me about?"

"At this point, I think whatever's in that notebook is probably more important," Naoko said. "This isn't over, though. You have a lot you need to answer for. Don't be surprised if I try to question you further."

Naoko didn't skip a beat before he left her bedside and walked over to the door. Opening it up, he saw there were two people outside who were traveling towards the door. It was Eryu and, funnily enough, Mareo, the person Naoko was hoping to see. Naoko looked back at Bankei briefly and decided not to have her involved in whatever conversation he was going to become involved in. He stepped through the door into the hall, then closed the door behind him.

"Just finishing up in there?" Eryu asked.

"More or less," Naoko replied. "I think I've heard enough from her for now. She's already making some odd claims. I think she tried to say she actually goaded Haru into attacking her."

"Seriously?" Mareo responded bemusedly. "That's absurd."

"Yeah, I felt similarly when she said that," Naoko agreed. "Anyways, I was just interested in talking to you, Mareo."

"That's rather fitting, since we're interested in talking to you," Mareo said. "So, should we talk here or somewhere else?"

"This isn't exactly something we'll be keeping to ourselves," Eryu said. "There's not too much reason to keep this behind closed doors…Though just to be safe, let's talk away from the medical room."

They had no pressing need to go anywhere far away. That, combined with the fact that keeping it under wraps from the others wasn't much of an issue, meant that they didn't have much in the way of problems hunkering down in the otherwise unoccupied cafeteria.

Naoko sat down with them at a table and began their discussion. "This is about Hoshi's notebook, right? Mareo said there was something interesting written near the end of it."

"You're exactly right," Mareo replied. "We didn't have much time for it then, but, well, we certainly do now."

Mareo produced the notebook in question and placed it on the table in front of Naoko.

"There's not much we require from you," Mareo continued. "Just take a look inside. We wedged a pencil between two pages as a makeshift bookmark. Read from there and tell us what you think."

"That's it?" Naoko asked. "Are you sure this isn't too secretive?"

"So long as we speak aloud and don't hide our conversation too much, we should be fine," Eryu reasoned.

Naoko hoped that was the case as he took the notebook and opened it up. It didn't seem like the camera in the room would be able to see the notebook's contents, fortunately, so he could read it without much in the way of fear, at least for the time being. At the point that was bookmarked, he noticed that it seemed to be written as if to address someone besides Hoshi.

"For those reading this," it read, "the following is a personal project of mine, made over the course of some days for the express purpose of helping us stay discreet and inconspicuous to IMONO."

"This is a weird opening," Naoko said out loud. "Did Hoshi expect other people to read this?"

"That appears to be the case, yes," Mareo replied. "Most likely, he'd copy it, and then give everyone a copy to read. We should be able to just let everyone read it straight from his notebook, however."

Naoko nodded, supposing that made sense, and continued reading.

"This sort of personal project is certainly daunting in regards to the level of thought effort needed in order for it to be effective, but I was compelled to do this anyways, due to some things that have happened recently. I'm sure you're all aware of how I've felt after Sasa was killed, and I'd like to apologize here for any concern or inconvenience I caused you all, either during or after the last trial. That was simply the result of my own personal pain and regret. If I had known she'd be taken from us so soon, I would have done more for her.

"But since then, I've realized that she was never the only one that I could have helped. Even now, something is definitely afoot here, as things are happening here that have placed all of us in a tremendous amount of danger. A quarter of us have been killed, and as of me writing this, we haven't even spent two weeks here. That in itself is rather baffling to me. Perhaps Yori is right about why we're really here. That sort of thinking is ultimately why I decided to create this little project of mine. If this helps us even slightly to get us out of this place, and with as few deaths as possible, then that would make me very happy. Besides, I'm sure that's what Sasa wanted as well.

"So, yes, with all that preamble out of the way, consider this to be a tribute, if you will. Not just to Sasa, but to all of you. In regards to you all reading this, I would like to thank some people in particular. Those people would be Naoko Koga, for giving me some much needed perspective, and Mariko Sato, for believing in me. I wish you all the best."

All this coming from the recently deceased, the words felt like they had a lot of weight to them. Naoko felt legitimately touched, yet at the same time, he couldn't help but observe the fact that what he had actually made hadn't yet been specified by that preamble. In fact, if he'd made that text with the intent of sharing it himself, and he'd been killed not long ago, was whatever he'd been working on even completed? Naoko couldn't help but turn the page to see what it was the text had been referring to.

On the next page, its purpose was already plain to see. It was, in essence, a guide to speaking to one another discreetly in code. Naoko had heard of this sort of thing before, interestingly enough. It was like a form of cant, where they could theoretically have long conversations with each other about sensitive topics, like IMONO, while seeming like they were talking about basic, mundane things. And it wasn't just one page. In fact, looking past the first one, the detailed instructions for this cant went on for several pages, and was fairly comprehensive, detailing specific code words for various key topics, such as IMONO and escaping, as well as how to discreetly initiate such a conversation in the first place. Hoshi must've been very close to completing it, Naoko figured. If so, then this was absolutely perfect for them. If IMONO didn't want them to keep things secret via writing to each other, then they'd need a workaround. If they used this, and used it in seemingly casual conversation, IMONO would be none the wiser.

Naoko stopped reading for a moment and looked up. "This is… very interesting. Is this really what he was doing in his free time?"

"Presumably, it was," Mareo supposed. "In between whatever else he was doing, of course. Eryu and I, as well as Yori, seem to be in general agreement that showing this to the others would be for the best. Well, everyone except Bankei, but that's something of a given at this point."

"Right," Naoko said. "Spreading the word about this seems like a good idea. After all…" Naoko realized that they were probably being watched by IMONO. He had to say something to keep things inconspicuous. "...I think it might help people move on from losing him. Especially Mariko. She'd like to see this, I bet."

"...Probably, yeah," Eryu replied, seeming to understand the reason behind what Naoko was saying.

"Actually, speaking of, where's Yori?" Naoko asked. "Mareo, you said that Yori agreed with sharing this."

"She did, yes," Mareo replied. "She said she wanted to look into something first. I must admit, it seemed a bit odd."

"I can't say I disagree with you," Eryu supposed. "Still, I think we both know her well enough. Whatever she's doing, I have faith that we'll know just what it is soon enough."

"..."

"I MUST SAY, THIS SORT OF THING SEEMS VERY UNUSUAL FOR SOMEONE SUCH AS YOURSELF."

"I could say the same for you."

"ARE YOU SAYING IT'S UNUSUAL FOR ME TO SPEAK TO PEOPLE ONE ON ONE?"

"No, that's not what I'm referring to."

"THEN YOU MUST BE REFERRING TO MY RECENT DECISION REGARDING THOSE SECRETIVE MEETINGS. I'M AFRAID THAT I HAVE NO INTEREST SPEAKING ABOUT THAT RULING ANY FURTHER. I'M SIMPLY DOING WHAT IS NECESSARY."

"Why is it necessary?"

"IT IS TO KEEP YOU ALL SAFE."

"You may say that, but I'm afraid if that is indeed the case, then your priorities are very skewed."

"ARE YOU ATTEMPTING TO IMPLY THAT YOU DOUBT MY SINCERITY?"

"Not exactly. I'm simply echoing a point that Eryu made already. I can imagine you may have overheard him when he said it, but in any case, it's a valid point. You're willing to allow us to kill each other, yet won't let us communicate discreetly with one another. That logic is very faulty, isn't it?"

"NO, BECAUSE THOSE TWO THINGS ARE NOT CONTRADICTORY. SAFETY AND RESPONSIBILITY ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE, AND ATTEMPTING TO HIDE THINGS FROM ME IS VERY RECKLESS."

"So, you're saying that you made the ruling because you care about both our safety and our autonomy."

"EXACTLY. I SUPPOSE IF YOU DON'T BELIEVE ME, THERE'S NOT MUCH I CAN DO. AFTER ALL, YOU'RE THE SAME PERSON WHO SUPPOSEDLY PUT GREAT THOUGHT INTO THE IDEA THAT I'VE BEEN LYING TO YOU ALL ABOUT MYSELF."

"If you want us to take you at your word, perhaps you should be more honest with us. You've left out a lot of important details about several aspects of our new life, not to mention yourself."

"THAT IS TRUE. I AM WILLING TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS, BUT NOT OTHERS. I WOULD NOT THINK THAT, IN ITSELF, IS WORTHY OF CRITICISM. IF YOU ALL HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP SECRETS FROM ME, THEN WHY MUST YOU JUDGE ME FOR DOING THE SAME?"

"...I suppose I can't argue with that."

"I ASSUMED THAT YOU WOULD AGREE. YOU HAVE CERTAINLY COME ACROSS TO ME AS VERY LOGICAL IN YOUR THINKING."

"True, but much like yours, my logic is by no means foolproof."

"LET'S NOT SPEAK ABOUT MY DECISION-MAKING IN SUCH A HARSH MANNER, PLEASE. IT IS UNCALLED FOR, ESPECIALLY GIVEN RECENT CIRCUMSTANCE. CERTAINLY, NO ONE, NOT EVEN MYSELF, COULD HAVE EXPECTED KIMI'S WORK TO AWAKEN A DORMANT MEMORY OF MINE'S."

"I wasn't trying to allude to that. But…I suppose now I have a new question to ask. What do you mean by 'dormant memory'?"

"OH. WELL, I WAS REFERRING TO MINE'S MEMORY. THE ONE THAT WAS USED BY BANKEI TO MANIPULATE HER. IT WAS A MEMORY THAT WAS BURIED AWAY DEEP INSIDE OF HER OWN MIND, NEVER TO BE UNEARTHED. THAT IS PUTTING IT IN SIMPLE TERMS, OF COURSE."

"That sounds like how one would describe a repressed memory. I'm no expert on the matter, but I have no idea how something like that would be possible."

"IF YOU AREN'T AN EXPERT, NOT KNOWING MAKES SENSE, DOES IT NOT?"

"Well, I feel like I know it well enough to say that that's not something that would be done voluntarily by the individual. Especially not in such a specific way. After all, it's not the whole memory. Just most of the specific details related to it."

"IS THIS A SEGUE INTO ASKING HOW YOU ALL HAD YOUR MEMORIES TAMPERED WITH? BECAUSE IF SO, I WILL NOT ANSWER YOU. JUST KNOW THAT WHAT OCCURRED WITH MINE WAS MOST LIKELY A FLUKE. IT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN EVER AGAIN."

"Then why did it happen to her? How did she recall the memory in its entirety?"

"I DON'T KNOW. PERHAPS IT WAS SUCH A STRONG MEMORY THAT IT COULD NOT BE BURIED WITHIN HER SO EASILY."

"That's one idea, sure. Other than that, though, there could be other explanations. Could there have been some sort of mistake?"

"IN TAMPERING WITH YOUR MEMORIES? I HIGHLY DOUBT IT."

"...I see."

"GOOD. JUST SO YOU KNOW, THOUGH, YOU SHOULDN'T TRY TO STRAIN YOURSELF TO REMEMBER ANYTHING THAT HAS BEEN BLOCKED OUT. IT WILL ONLY BRING GREAT DISCOMFORT, AND PROBABLY WON'T BEAR FRUIT ANYWAYS."

"Oh, I've tried already. A few times now, in fact. It made my head hurt each time. So…no luck."

"SEE? MINE WAS JUST AN ANOMALY."

"Hopefully she was, yes. I should be going, though. This has taken some time already, and I'd rather not spend too long away from the others. Can I just ask you one more question, though?"

"VERY WELL. WHAT IS IT?"

"...With this latest trial, there have been seven deaths total. We've been whittled down to nine people."

"TRUE. IT'S VERY UNFORTUNATE, REALLY. I WAS HOPING THAT YOU WOULD ALL BE ABLE TO COEXIST MUCH EASIER. WHAT IS YOUR QUESTION?"

"What happens if we all die? Or we're reduced to just a scant few survivors? What will you do?"

"IF ONLY A FEW OF YOU ARE LEFT STANDING AFTER ALL OF THIS, I SUPPOSE I MAY HAVE TO TAKE MORE DRASTIC MEASURES TO KEEP YOU ALL FROM KILLING EACH OTHER. NOT AN ENJOYABLE PROSPECT, BUT IT MAY HAVE TO BE DONE. I CAN ONLY HOPE I WOULD BE ABLE TO STOP THE KILLINGS. I NEVER WANTED ANYONE TO KILL ANYONE ELSE, AFTER ALL."

"And if nobody is left? Say, going by your own rules, you kill the rest of us, and exile the last killer. What then?"

"I DON'T LIKE TO CONSIDER THAT IDEA, TO BE HONEST. IT'S NOT A PLEASANT PROSPECT."

"But going by your rules, it could happen, couldn't it? What would you do afterwards?"

"...I SUPPOSE I WOULD HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE WITHOUT ALL OF YOU."

"Is that because it would be lonely, or because you care about us so much you're not sure how you'd live without us? Or is there some other reason I'm not aware of?"

"THAT IS A VERY INTRUSIVE LINE OF QUESTIONING. ADDITIONALLY, THAT IS ENTIRELY SEPARATE FROM WHAT YOU'VE ALREADY ASKED. YOU SAID YOU HAD ONLY ONE MORE QUESTION, DID YOU NOT?"

"I did. I apologize. I should go."

"THAT WOULD BE BEST, I FEEL. THERE ARE OTHER MATTERS THAT WILL REQUIRE MY ATTENTION, NO DOUBT. YOU CAN LIKELY SAY THE SAME, YES?"

"That's right. Thank you for your time, IMONO."

"YOU'RE WELCOME, YORI. FEEL FREE TO SAY HELLO TO NAOKO FOR ME."

"Can do."

END OF ARC 3

A/N: Holy hell, this is the end of the arc! This was quite the undertaking, I gotta say. At this point, there's a lot that needs to be plotted out, and doing so is already proving to be a difficult task. I have considered quite a few things for it already, though a lot of it is just in regards to my approach. I'm thinking of working out a way to reduce the overall length of the following arc, and those that come after, since this one ended up taking a lot longer than I originally intended. I just have to make sure I do so in a way that doesn't leave out too much in the way of descriptions and character dialogue, since otherwise, it'll end up pretty bare-bones.

Additionally, I'm planning on taking another break between arcs. It'll probably be longer than the last one, which was only a week, just so I can cool down a bit and work out what'll happen in the story beforehand.

In any case, thanks for getting this far! Just getting to this point has been quite a surprise on my part. This whole thing was just sort of a passion project I started out of personal interest, and I gotta say, I underestimated how much of an undertaking creating a full-length story like this would be. Honestly, this isn't the first time something like this has happened to me. In any case, I'd like to finish this story at some point in the near future. After that, I might post other stuff, but I'll have to figure out just what that would be, and that'll probably have to come after this.