Kugie was a loud, compassionate girl: never afraid to speak her mind, quick to show concern to anybody down on their luck, yet unyielding in her aggression towards anyone who would dare to harm her or her sister.

Hiyori was not interested in Kugie.

Kugie's sister, on the other hand, was not intelligent. She was kind, for certain, but frail and naive; a strange, skittish little girl whom he'd never seen without a bucket on her head. However, when Hiyori came to her, sniffing for any weakness more abundant than those she'd already displayed so proudly, he couldn't help but feel his curiosity pique. Despite her low grades in mathematics, she displayed a meticulous attention to detail in all of her work.

Yes, he figured, with enough guidance… Kanna would make a fine programmer, if not a survivalist. (He snickered at the thought. Of all lost causes!) Hiyori was an enterprising man, after all: the company could always use another asset.

When Kugie died, Hiyori was the first - or so he believed, at least - that Kanna opened up to. Tears streaking down her delicate face, she wailed in agony, asking if she could have possibly saved her; what she could have done different.

Hiyori had a knack for brutal honesty. He told her the truth.

"Oh, Kanna," he sang. "A weak, slow girl like you? What could you have possibly done?" He frowned. "Ah, if only the positions were reversed: I'm sure that both of you would still be here."

"R-Reversed…?" Kanna sniffled, breath hitching. "Y-You're saying… Sister would have saved me…"

"Of course. She was such an impressive girl, after all," he lied. "Think back to that incident, Kanna. I'm sorry if it's hard. Don't you think someone like Kugie could have done so much more than you, in your place? Someone strong, and defiant, and supreme…?"

Kanna trembled silently, tears staining the keyboard beneath her. Oh, he'd have to clean that. "... K-Kanna… should head home, Mister Hiyori. My… I've got a headache."

"Oh, of course, Kanna," he smiled down upon her. "My utmost condolences. I'm just loathe to lie to you, is all."

"R-Right…" She grabbed her bag with trembling fingers, harshly scrubbing the remaining tears from her face. "I-I'll see you next week, Mister Hiyori…"

Right as Kanna's fingers wrapped around the doorknob, Hiyori carefully raised his voice. "Oh, just one thing before you go. Have you ever heard of the ASU-NARO vow…?"

Kanna halted.

Another tidy sum found its way into Kanna's purse; the woman whose computer she had just recovered from near the brink of mechanical death professing her gratitude.

"Oh, it's nothing, ma'am…" she coughed, red-faced. "Really, it's the only thing Kanna's good at, hehe…"

The woman's beam never faltered, professing that she'd chosen a darned good area of expertise.

Stammering and embarrassed, Kanna made her way to the door, bidden a fond farewell. She sighed, once out of earshot, adjusting the strap on her hat so it didn't bump into her throat.'... Time to go home, then. Mom and Dad should be happy.'

Kanna wondered if Sister would have been just as proud as them. Though, she likely wouldn't have approved of her teacher in the slightest. Not that Kanna could have blamed her.

Kanna doubted she could hold anything against Kugie.

In the solemn distraction of her muddling thoughts, Kanna failed to notice the footsteps behind her until a large, strong hand wrapped around her throat.

She had barely begun to thrash and writhe and scream before a sharp pinch registered on the side of her neck, and she knew no more.

"Hey, girlie."

Kanna stirred.

"Yeah, you. Do you know what a majority vote is?"

"... What…?"

The voice huffed, evidently impatient with the girl who had just been kidnapped. "Just answer the question."

"O-Of course…" Kanna's hands scrambled for purchase against the carpet, before a foot came to rest on her back, pinning the slight girl to the floor. "A-Ah…!"

"Now, quick hypothetical: okay, Mister Blue is saying that he loves majority votes. They represent the way democracy should be, minimizing conflict all the while! Opposite him, Miss Red is saying that she hates majority votes! That they're just a way to silence the minority, and allow more darkness to build in the shadows!" The voice chuckled. "Now, who do you agree with?"

"Who are you…!?" Kanna gasped, voice hitching in terror. "H-Hiyori…? I thought you'd-! Th-These kind of pranks aren't fun-!"

The pressure on her back worsened. "Answer."

"M-Miss Red! Just stop!"

The pressure relieved, and Kanna scrambled to her feet. Her captor giggled, slashing a piece of chalk across a blackboard. "Whoops!" She pointed to the figure on the blackboard which she had just drawn a spear through the chest of. "He died! But good for you! Your opinion had more supporters! With that experience, your side's learned the terror of a majority vote."

Kanna quailed in terror, breaths building to a ragged tear in her throat. "Huh...? What's wrong?" Her captor cocked her head. "If you've survived, then you have to recognize the appeal of majority votes, don't you?" She snickered. "... Sure is complicated."

"Wh-What's… What's the point of this…?" Kanna whispered, eyes wide, back plastered to the sealed door behind her. "Kanna wouldn't vote if something like that…"

"Oh? You wouldn't?" The woman swept over, taking Kanna's chin in her hand. "Even if it's the only thing that could save you: having more supporters?"

"Wh-Wha…?"

"Because, Kanna… You're a very special case. So special, in fact, that we need to give you an easy First Trial like this one, just so you stand the slightest chance in the upcoming trials."

Kanna didn't bother voicing any more confused or terrified questions, shivering in silent terror, hand upon her throat.

"See? I'm throttling you, and you're doing nothing to stop it. I don't know why we even bother with idiots like you…" The woman sighed, though she didn't let go of Kanna. "I'd like you to take a look at these."

The woman dragged Kanna to the other end of the room. She obeyed, too terrified to defy her. The woman released her neck, sending her staggering a few steps back, frantically rubbing her throat.

"Wh-What," Kanna spied the four papers the woman had pinned to the blackboard, "are these…?"

"Take a look, why don't you? God, it's like herding an especially braindead sheep. Do words just go in one ear and out the other with you?"

Kanna flinched at the painfully familiar sounding words and, seeing no other choice, read through the papers. On it, was a list of names.

'15.5% - Sara Chidouin… HS Student

9.9% - Naomichi Kurumada… Boxer

9.6% - Keiji Shinogi… Ex-Detective

8.8% - Q-taro B.B… Baseballer

8.2% - Shunsuke Hayasaka… Office Worker

8.0% - Anzu Kinashi… HS Student

7.7% - Reko Yabusame… Singer

7.5% - Mai Tsurugi… Baker

6.6% - Alice Yabusame… Murderer

5.6% - Ranmaru Kageyama… HS Student

4.9% -Megumi Sasahara… Detective

3.0% - Kazumi Mishima… HS Teacher

2.1% - Shin Tsukimi… Self-Employed

1.5% - Gin Ibushi… Elm. Student

1.1% - Hinako Mishuku… Mid. Student

0.0% - Kanna Kizuchi… Mid. Student'

Kanna blinked. "H-Huh…? Zero percent… of what…?"

Her captor only laughed, leaning in very, very close to Kanna's face, relishing in her quivering lips and damp brow. "Isn't it obvious? It's your chance of walking out of here alive. Allow me to demonstrate…"

And something inside of Kanna, frail and gasping for air, drowned under the weight of her heaving breaths.

Kanna stepped out into the stale air of the facility, guided frantically down the stairs by her captor's echoing cackles. The woman had left what felt like hours before, but the laughter stayed. Kanna doubted it would ever fade.

Kanna… was going to die?

The woman had been very clear; shown her in painstaking detail: all the times she had succumbed to the pressure of her bleeding heart, screaming out in sympathy for these strangers.

The world had already taken her Sister… and now it wanted her?

A rage she had only previously felt on Hiyori's worst days clawed at the innards of her chest.

Desperate, chest heaving, she shoved it down.

A sound echoed in the corner of her hearing. She looked up.

An utterly massive man placed a card on the floor before her, before conspicuously shuffling into the next room. Kanna inched forwards, picking it up.

It was the Sacrifice; the card which would scrape the skin from her bones and leave the vultures to pick at her innards with crocodile tears flowing.

The card crumpled in her grip; the pressure of her rage roared back to life.

Kanna wondered if this was how Sister felt when her temper got the better of her, burning away her higher reasoning with the intoxicating rush of its flames.

It was like the start of a weird joke, Kanna thought. A baseballer, an ex-detective, a singer, a grade-schooler, a professor, two high schoolers, a middle schooler, and whoever this Kai person was all walk into a deathtrap.

'What was I thinking about, again…?'Another reason Kanna had no hope as she was. She shook her head violently. Everyone introduced themselves readily enough, spurred on by the monster at the top of the charts: Sara Chidouin.

Keiji Shinogi. The ex-detective insisted that he was still an active police officer, having guided Sara into leading the introductions. Kanna resisted a grimace; somebody was lying already…?

'I never would have caught on, either…'Her chest pulsed.

9.6%

Jou Tazuna, who preferred to be called 'Joe.' Kanna froze, staring at him.'Joe? He… wasn't on the papers.'The boy grinned easily, though he had only introduced himself at his best friend,Sara's,insistence.

He's suspicious. Undeniably. You want to live, right, Kanna? You'd better keep an awfully close eye on him.

Q-taro Burgerberg. This was the giant, the one who had placed the card burning a hole in her pocket as they spoke. She would have to take care of him, too, wouldn't she…?

8.8%

Reko Yabusame. She seemed pretty unassuming, honestly. A delinquent, maybe, judging by the exorbitant amount of gothic makeup, punctuated by the heavy leather of her vest. Kanna didn't feel terribly threatened by her, at least.

7.7%

Kai Satou. A homemaker, apparently. Like Joe, he didn't appear on the sheet. An unknown variable, then. And unknown variables had messed up Kanna's code enough times for her to never want to deal with any. She resolved to keep an eye on him, as well.

Kazumi Mishima. Horribly, horribly suspicious. All angles and hair. Kanna shuddered.'I don't know if I should let him walk behind me…'

3.0%. I wouldn't be too worried.

Nao Egokoro. Made of even more hair than the old man before her; vibrant red juxtaposing his faded gray. She was quick to defend him, as well, leaping down the throats of anyone who felt (rightfully) creeped out by Mishima.

Out of any of the unknowns, she's likely the least worrisome. She seems a bit of an idiot. Looks like you two have something in common!

Shin… Tsukimi. It had to be a coincidence. It had to be. It wasn't possible.

("Kanna Tsukimi doesn't have as much of a ring to it, if you ask me. The Kizuchis did you a real good turn, huh?")

If Shin was her brother, (2.1%, he hissed in her ear)then she never would have been in this situation. Never would have been forced to entertain these thoughts. She didn't mean a thing to him, in the tests.

Why should he matter to her?

Gin Ibushi, the youngest amongst them, went last, satisfied by their introductions.

He's almost as naive as you, hmm? No wonder he's third to last, then.

Kanna didn't feel threatened by Gin. She took some small solace in that. If she was frightened even by a child who meowed every third word, then she should just crumple into a ball of limbs and die right where she stood.

"And you still haven't introduced yourself," said the beast, her brusque voice ringing in her ears. "You don't have to worry… We aren't going to hurt you, I swear."

'Like your promises mean anything,'Kanna didn't say.

'Why bother pretending?'she couldn't ask.

'Kanna's name is Kanna Kizuchi,'she couldn't admit, because Kanna Kizuchi was a dead girl; a victim; a name on a sheet of paper, footnoted on the bottom.

A lost cause.

"My name… is Hiyori," she said, heart pounding in her throat. "Forgive me for being rude, but Mom and Dad tell me to be wary of strangers…"

"Okay," Sara smiled, violet eyes shining with sympathy. "Hiyori. How about we find a way out of here?"

Struggling to resist a scowl, Kanna agreed easily, the kidnappers' metal collar wrapped tight around her throat.

It was painfully easy, almost, to search alongside Sara. Her friend had run off to sniff out the lying detective, leaving the two in each other's company to search the floor.

'What was that saying, again…? About a hen in a fox den?'Kanna's fingertips twitched at her sides.

The first destination was a strange bar, of sorts: drinks of every variety lining the back wall as Gin and Mishima poked around.

"Don't go getting any funny ideas, Hiyori," Sara joked, a wry smile on her face.

How it juxtaposed to the blank gaze which dispassionately looked on as Kanna gagged on her own blood. She forced herself to giggle. "Don't be silly. What would K- I need a drink for?"

"I feel like it's understandable enough, considering the circumstances…"

A dummy head had fallen out of a box in Q-taro's possession, soon after introductions had finished.'Find my body, bring me back, for I don't have arms or legs,'it had said. The conclusion was simple enough to draw. Kanna hoped that it wasn't some ridiculous metaphor, at any rate.

The worst thing about this place was the blackboard in the back: Listing name after name that Kanna had seen, but never met.

And isn't it easier that way? To lose competition without any guilt? You should count your blessings, Kanna.

Sara had a short conversation with the boy and the old man that Kanna completely missed, absent-minded as she was.

You really are something else, Kanna. How exciting it'll be, to watch you struggle for air.

Kanna swallowed, throat suddenly dry.

In the hallway was a vending machine, with drinks marked at 1000 yen. Sara scoffed at the prices. "Talk about price-gouging… That better be one delectable soda."

"I'd buy one, just to see, but," Kanna wilted genuinely, "they stole my purse before I woke up…"

In the next corridor lied another vending machine, advertising a broad selection of exotic cigars and cigarettes.

"Looks like a smoking area in the back," Kanna surmised, staring at the glassed off room in back.

Sara hummed, reaching her hand into the vending machine slot and pulling out a cigar. Kanna jerked in surprise. "S-Sara…! Don't go turning into a delinquent on me…!"

Sara quirked an eyebrow. "Relax, Hiyori. I'm not going to smoke it." She stuffed it into her pocket. "No sense ignoring something that was obviously placed here intentionally, right?"

'... Guess I can't hold that against her.'

They wandered into the next room, comprising of nothing but a sole dart board overlooking a deep, abyssal pit, and two doors; red and blue.

Sara looked over the edge. "Best keep away, Hiyori… It's awfully deep."

"K- I wasn't planning to go jumping in, you know…"

Kanna wandered over to the doors, trying the red first. She grunted with effort, the knob remaining steadfast. "N-Nope… Looks like they don't want us in here…"

"What about the blue door?" Sara asked, jiggling the knob. It opened easily.

'Rats. Just my luck, huh?'Kanna sighed, following.

She froze beside the high schooler the moment she walked in. There were two floors to the room, five of which contained faceless dummies, limply stretched across the cushions.

"C-Creepy…"

"You said it, little lady!" agreed the baseballer, Q-taro, next to the entrance. Kanna and Sara both jerked back in surprise. He scratched his ginger beard, eyeing up the dummies. "This place is awful suspicious…"

"What are you doing, Q-taro?" asked Sara, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh, jus' gettin' a big ol' view of the room, 'sall." He gestured to Joe, Keiji, and Kai, inhabiting the further reaches of the room, fiddling with the dummies. "These guys, though… They're checkin' every corner, no hesitation. Ain't they scared o' traps?"

Kanna kept an eye on each participant in the room: Joe staring up at a large painting in the corner, stopping to talk to Sara when she approached; Kai fiddling with the dummies, searching for any abnormality; Keiji doing much the same with the cushions of the chairs.

"Hey!" Joe addressed her, nearly causing her to leap out of her skin. "Bucket Girl…" He squinted, tongue poking out from the corner of his mouth. "... Hiyori! That's it! You been takin' care of Sara?"

She wasnotwearing a bucket. If it looked nice and fit around her head, then by definition, it was a hat! Kanna plastered a fake smile across her face, ignoring the sting that came with hearing her mentor's name. "More like she's been taking care of me..."

"That's the Godfather of Sonobeno High for ya! Never slows down for anyone, not even little kids!"

'What's up with this guy…? He's way too enthusiastic. Isn't he worried about…?'

More evidence against him, I figure. That casualness should put you on guard, Kanna. Glad to see you can retain some information.

While she had been distracted, she missed a conversation Sara held with Keiji. She swore she could see him put something into her outstretched palm. Kanna's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

He could prove just as dangerous as Sara. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking you're safe.

Sara had already climbed to the second floor by then, leaving Kanna to breathe in her metaphorical dust.'Jeez… She really doesn't slow down at all,'thought Kanna as she fumbled up the ladder in her wake.

Only for her blood to chill upon spotting Sara (15.5%)holding a gun.

"Sara…" The name spilled from her throat, thick and clotted. "What are you doing with that?"

"Eh?" Sara whirled around, making no attempt to hide the weapon. "O-Oh! Sorry, Hiyori… I found it in the cushion, here…"

'... Then it's likely unloaded,'Kanna thought, throat tightening uncomfortably. "Hah… Never mind, Sara. I just got a little spooked, is all." A thought occurred. "Hey, would you terribly mind letting me have that?"

Sara wet her lips, staring down at the revolver. "S-Sorry, Hiyori… I'm afraid I can't let you have this. I don't want you to get hurt."

That would've been awfully funny, to someone like Hiyori. "... Hehehe. Don't worry, Sara. I was just testing you. You shouldn't be letting kids handle guns, after all!"

"R-Right…"

If Kanna was any stronger, she thought, the ladder would have split under her grip.

The cafeteria was a quick search, at least, revealing nothing but a locked kitchen door and an array of tables; Sara naturally discovering a dart and a lighter atop them.'A dartboard and a cigar…'thought Kanna.'Is this floor themed around vice?'

The space in the back was much more interesting, in Kanna's eyes. A pitch black passage, leading to a single door in the back, affixed with a softly glowing red light.

Kanna swallowed. "Ominous… I'm not sure I like the look of this."

Sara, lips pursed in a frown, jiggled the doorknob. It opened easily.

"Ha…" Kanna wilted. "Guess we're going in, then… Lead the way, Sara."

When she stepped into the room, she blinked in disbelief. The room was a complete juxtaposition to the hallway preceding it; all stuffed animals and pink hearts.

"I wasn't expecting something so… cute," Kanna admitted. She bit her lip, staring at the detached torso at the end of the room. It wasn't bleeding, so Kanna had little reason to believe it real.

Sara inched towards it.

"D-Don't tell me you're gonna touch that thing, Sara…!"

Sara hummed, inspecting it. "No, I won't. You don't suppose this could be… usable as a blunt weapon, do you?"

"... What?" Kanna blinked. "M-Maybe? Not by me, certainly…" She shook her head. "A-Anyway, doesn't this remind you of something? The doll head in Q-taro's box? 'Find my body…' Well, here's a body!"

Sara sniffed, inching away from the lifeless thing. "I suppose… we'd be able to attach the head to this torso, then. Macabre…"

"Will that make something happen?"

"It might. Keep close to me if that happens, okay, Hiyori?"

So she can sink her knife into your back.

"Okay. K- I'll trust you, Sara," Kanna lied, a pit in her stomach.

Sara smiled kindly. "I'm glad. Let's poke around a little more before we leave, okay?"

After a short search, Sara quickly discovered some bullets trapped in the opened stuffing of one of the plush animals resting against the far wall.

Nip that in the bud, Kanna. She has a revolver.

Kanna swallowed. "You mind letting me see those, Sara…?"

"I suppose," Sara acquiesced, holding the bullets out for Kanna to examine.

'Huh? These are…'Kanna quirked an eyebrow, relieved. "These are just dummy bullets, Sara. Not even blanks."

"Dummies?"

"They're like a- a toy. They make a loud sound, but they won't actually fire anything. Unlike blanks, which create a fake muzzle flash that could still kill somebody…"

"Crazy what they're teaching you kids, these days…"

"U-Um…" Kanna coughed, caught off-guard. "I guess…"

'Sara's… a lot stranger than I expected.'

15.5%

Kanna's blood chilled. "Anyway…" she started, forcefully flattening her tone, "let's take these to Keiji. He'd know a lot more than me, I figure…"

("Don't make the same mistake again, Kanna. Haven't I taught you anything? Sometimes I wonder if I ever should have bothered to teach you…")

Kanna had a bad feeling, once Sara and her had arrived back in the blue room. As Sara spoke to Keiji, having him examine the bullets, Kanna felt a shiver run from her scalp down to the bottom of her spine. Swallowing, she fiddled with her skirt, aimlessly staring at the painting in the back of the room.

'But that was a nine-cylinder revolver, right…? Sara only has six bullets.'

Is that really true?

Kanna's jaw clenched, staring Keiji down from her position near the door.'Earlier… they were talking about something. Keiji gave Sara something, didn't he? And this is the same room where she found the revolver.'

"Kan-" her heart beat painfully against her ribs. "I'm… going to head to the bathroom," Kanna called, slipping out of the doorway.

Kanna's chest felt cold and numb as heavy iron bars slid up behind her. "Wh-Wha…?"

"Hiyori!" Sara darted over to the entrance, pulling fruitlessly at the bars. "Damn…! Are you okay!?"

"K- I'm fine, Sara…!" she said, backing away. "I doubt I'd stand a chance against these bars, though… I'll look for something to pry it with!"

"Hiyori…!" Sara called after her as she ran.

Except, what was there to pry with? Kanna swallowed, stumbling out into the game room's hallway.

Why bother helping them at all?

'Th-That's…'

You saw it. How they left you to die; how Sara would kill you with her own hands just to save herself. Even if your chances can't possibly increase… Isn't it for the best if they die here? Sara, Keiji, Q-taro… All three of them are on the top sheet. And that's not even mentioning Kai and Joe.

"That's not… right," Kanna whimpered. "It's not…"

Kanna. You're disappointing me.

'I'm sorry. I'm so… sorry…'Kanna leaned her back against the cigar vending machine, scrubbing the tears from her face.'Sara.'

Good girl.

"Hey, you're that kid," Shin started, stood behind her, "Hiyori, right?" He bit his lip, murmuring, "such a strange coincidence," under his breath.

Kanna stiffened, not knowing what to make of that, blunt nails digging into the flesh of her palms. "... Yep! That's me!" She spun around, beaming. "Whatcha doin', Mister Shin!"

His brow raised, a sheen of sweat appearing on his forehead. "Uh… Not too much, I admit…"

'Maybe I laid it on a bit thick…'Kanna coughed. "Sorry, you just caught K- me off guard, is all…"

2.1%. Hardly a threat, but to someone as pathetic as you…

'Tsukimi…'thought Kanna, something ugly and raw carving a home into her ribs.'Kanna refuses… to believe that.'

"Hey, Mister Shin," she started, before she even realized what she would say. She floundered for the words. "U-Um, I was wondering… Do you want to explore with me?"

"Babysitting, huh?" he murmured. Kanna's smiled twitched. "S-Sure. Might as well make myself useful. I haven't done much besides feel sorry for myself, I guess."

"Great!" she sang, swooping ahead of him. "Hey, would you terribly mind checking out that vending machine for K- me? I've been wondering about it…"

Kanna swept into the bar as Shin hesitantly agreed.

Nobody was here.

Shin yelped, evidently shocked by the exorbitant prices.

Kanna pulled the Sacrifice from her pocket.

Shin's footsteps echoed through the hall.

A sickly sheen of sweat coating her forehead, Kanna smoothed the card out, dropping it beneath the nearest chair.

Shin came through the door. "Sorry, Hiyori. No dice. Even if I had 1000 yen, I wouldn't spend it on a soda…" He blinked. "Oh… you're checking out that chalkboard, huh? Makes me uneasy, to think so many people might have died in that First Trial…"

"... Me, too," she admitted.

Even when it eliminates your competition?

Cracking his neck, Shin took the bait. "Well, I don't think-" His sharp eyes flickered to the side in a double take. "Hmm?"

He bent over.

He picked up the card.

"Sacrifice…?"

Kanna's heart screamed inside of her, tearing her ribs to fragments of bone, stabbing at her organs. "Oh," came the noise from her throat. "What's this?"

"Don't let anybody know of this card's-!?" Shin flinched heavily. "H-Hey, don't look…!"

"It's fine, Mister Shin," Kanna murmured, taking the card from his hands. "Don't you think these tacky collars would have activated by now?"

"R-Right…" he coughed, panting for air. "Y-You gave me an awful fright, there…"

"'Sacrifice…'" Kanna barreled on. "K- I think… that you should avoid keeping this. Don't worry, I'll hang on to it."

"A-Are you sure?" he asked, scratching the bare section of his neck. "That card gives me a bad feeling. Why does it have a skull on it?"

"... I'm sure, Mister Shin," Kanna said, tugging her scarf tighter around her neck, its warmth doing nothing to thaw the ice of her collar. "You can trust me."

It was upon reinvestigating the pink room, when she discovered it; tucked into the dark cranny of the side wall, right before the entrance.

There was a nice little bookshelf in the corner of the room, illuminated only by the light of the desklamp.

Kanna's attention, however, was naturally drawn to the laptop on the table, right beneath the lamp. It was almost as if it was calling to her.

Kanna smiled wide.'Something's… going right?'Her heart calmed as she observed the laptop; dusty and old, very function over form. Kanna could respect that.

'I didn't have to… Maybe, if I prove that I'm useful…'Kanna dared to hope.

Kanna's joy evaporated into dust when she opened the laptop, and began digging around through its files.

Joe came barreling up to her, surprisingly enough. She squeaked in an embarrassing moment of terror upon seeing the gaudy high schooler running her down. "Hiyori! You're alright! I was real concerned when you didn't show up again…"

'... He seems so genuine.'

Ah, but so did I.

Kanna adjusted her hat to prevent it from toppling off of her head. "K- I'm fine, Joe. I just couldn't find anything to pry those bars with…"

Thankfully, Joe didn't press as to why she hadn't asked for help from Reko or Shin or anybody else. "C'mon, we've made some awesome progress!" he said, practically dragging her along with him.

"H-Huh? What kind of progress?"

"You shoulda seen it! Sara was awesome, findin' all these creepy doll parts and crap! We were done before I even knew it!" He grinned. "Sara's not the kinda girl I'd wanna screw with, that's for sure!"

15.5% - Sara Chidouin. That's self-explanatory. Who is this boy? If it wasn't for introductions, you wouldn't even know his last name. Look at the way he's manhandling you, even. He's sure to get somebody killed. And you do remember who the most likely candidate is, right, Kanna?

If Kanna trembled at the thought, Joe didn't notice, despite his warm hand holding her own as he rushed them to the pink room.

"It's a good thing you were right here, huh? I've been runnin' all over the place looking for everybody!"

Kanna chuckled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

"Hiyori!" Sara gasped, darting over to the girl. Despite herself, Kanna flinched. "Are you okay!?" the high schooler asked, seemingly determined to check every inch of Kanna for injuries.

Blushing, Kanna slapped the girl's hands away. "I-I'm fine! Everybody's… okay, right? I'm sorry I couldn't help…"

"Yes, we're all okay," Sara sighed. "I'm glad that you weren't in there; it was nerve-wracking."

"You shoulda seen it!" Joe cheered. "Sara never even touched a gun before, but she was all," he mimicked a gunfighting pose, darting his outstretched fingers from target to imaginary target, "bang! Pew! Pow!" He blew imaginary smoke from his fingertips, holstering them to his pants. "Who's your mama!?"

"I did not say that," Sara flushed.

"You shoulda! Oh, imagine the look on that painting geezer's face!"

Kanna had long since given up trying to keep track of this conversation.'... It's a fantastic front. I'll give them that. Are they really…?'

Just because they seem nice doesn't mean it'll hurt less when they slash your throat, Kanna.

Kanna's back straightened. She looked at the doll, whom several members of the group were converging upon to attach the various limbs to.

Kanna gasped.'That's… the woman who…'

Kanna took a step towards the door, trembling with terror.

The room filled with smoke.

'No…!'In less than two seconds, by Kanna's count, the room had filled to the brim with a thick, white smoke. Despite the open door being right next to her, the smog was thick enough to disorient her as she desperately dashed for the exit, her head slamming into the wall.

Really,echoed Midori's voice through the ringing in her ears.I guess even someone like me can't rescue someone like you. How sad…

The smoke cleared. Kanna scrambled to her feet, heart jackhammering against her throat.

"It's not poison gas, everyone," sang the woman who had shown Kanna her own demise, again and again and again. "Good day."

Reko barked in anger, Nao trembling in terror behind her.'Funny,'thought Kanna,'that somebody can feel like both, yet act like neither.'She swallowed.'I think… that there might be something terribly wrong with me.'

To Kanna's complete expectance, Sara was the first to calmly address the doll. "I'll ask, just what are you?"

The doll giggled madly. "My name is Sue Miley, the Laughing Doll. My master has instructed me to guide you brave souls, who have already overcome several trials, to the Main Game."

Keiji, tall and stolid, scowled in the corner of Kanna's vision. "Your master… In other words, you're on the side of the kidnappers."

"So you're our enemy!? Don't try and say that you're not!" Joe yelled, sweat coating his brow.

Miley only laughed in response, mocking him. "Oh, how very serious!"

Reko snarled, shoulder set. "Stop laughing, asshole! You wanna die!?"

And that was enough to set Miley off; to tell her to make an example of one of them. She giggled, gallons of ice water pouring down the back of Kanna's sweater.

Yet, Joe's collar clamored.

'Really…? Was he not…?'

As Joe screamed in terror, Sara spitting at Miley with all she had, Kanna backed away, eyes wide.

The clamoring stopped. Joe collapsed to his knees in relief.

'... Of course,'Kanna thought, feeling colder than she ever had.'If he's… There's no way they'd kill him like that.'

Just another way to ingratiate those two into the fold. Very, very clever, I must admit. You're lucky you're such an adorable kid, Kanna. That's the only reason they'll lower their guards on a creep like you!

'... I'm not a creep,'Kanna scowled, though she knew the argument was pointless.

She tuned back in to the conversation, past all the rage and laughter from either side of the room. "You will soon undergo a great trial in order to escape outside," Miley said. "As it has been prior, the superior will live, and the inferior will die; it is far from easy. One among you... will certainly die. And the person to die... shall be decided by your own majority vote."

"Eh?" Shin wet his lips. "Majority vote?"

"I'm saying that you'll pick it yourselves. The most unnecessary," the cold flash of a blade, "hated," a sweet whisper into the shivering girl's ear, "and acceptable among you must die."

("I'm sorry, Kanna," she whispered into the girl's ear as her counterpart watched on in choked, muted terror. "But it's you or Gin…")

Kanna fought with all of her meager strength to hold in a sob.

("See? You did it! Sure took your time, but you're getting better! The last time I tried to teach somebody, he cried like a little girl. At least you've got the excuse of actually being one!")

Something pressed into Kanna's hands, and she jerked violently backwards when she spotted Miley not four inches from her. "Do enjoy this…Hiyori."

Kanna shivered, the name settling wrong in her chest.

Miley giggled, addressing the crowd once more. "Does everyone have one now? Let us test the functionality with some actual use. When voting, if you know who voted for who, it turns into a quarrel, doesn't it?" She swept her arms across the crowd, snickering. "Thus, by voting with these tablets, you won't know who made what vote. As a test, try voting for whoever!"

This… was Kanna's last chance, wasn't it? Her eyes swept around the room.

Kai had already voted. Joe had, as well. Sara seemed to be contemplating her decision carefully.

'I don't want… to hurt anybody.'

Mishima whispered into his student's ear, back hunched and glasses sheening.

But it's not about what you want. Wants don't matter to a corpse, Kanna. Be smarter than that.

When Kanna lowered her finger onto Mishima's face, some part of her knew that there was no recovery.

She had finally done something irredeemable.

)

'I'm sorry, Sister,"Kanna thought, silently trembling as the weight of three votes burned through Kazumi Mishima's (3.0%)neck, his head rolling off of his body as his student (unknownunknownunknown)pleaded for him to wake up.'But Kanna is the one person I can't be, anymore…'

Miley smiled, and Kanna swore that it was aimed at her.