Dog Eat Dog Chapter 4: On Snakes and Sheep, a your turn to die fanfic

Loading…

defective…

operational…

defective…

operational…

defective…

operational…

defective…

operational…

defective…

operational…

Executing First Victim Conference…

Gin was quickly growing tired of waking up in dark, frightening rooms. He groaned against the tiles, more annoyed than he had ever felt. Blearily, he wiped away the drool pooling off of his bottom lip with an arm, before grabbing for Mew-chan.

The recent events sped back into his mind, the haze quickly clearing.'Big Sis Anzu! Big Bro Shin! What happened…!?'His head spun wildly around as his eyes roved over the room he had awoken in. Cat Vision didn't help when he tried to activate it: the room was utterly pitch black, with the exception of a large buffet table with a massive feast spread out on it, and a large monitor displaying Giggles' face.

Gin hissed, bristling, as she began to speak. "Eheehee… Everyone, how are you feeling?"

He gawked. Was she really asking that? They were horrible! Everything was! "Giggles! Where's Big Sis Anzu or Big Bro Shin, woof!?"

"This is a pre-recorded video... So, I'm afraid I can't answer any questions. Allow me to thank you, truly, for taking part in the Main Game," she said, smiling. Gin quivered. 'This is it, then…? Somebody's gonna get killed…?'Giggles' video continued, "this is a waiting room prepared for participants: the Last Supper room. You may fill yourself with food before the game, or form a strategy. Use it however you please."

Funnily enough, Gin didn't feel very hungry. A yawning void stretched in his gut.

Giggles cackled. "Those who successfully beat the Main Game can proceed to the next floor! Hooray! Note that those who do not exit their waiting rooms once the Main Game starts will die as a penalty. Do keep that in mind…" She tapped her chin. "I will now explain the rules of the Main Game. Everyone, please take the card you obtained while exploring and touch it to this screen."

"Huh…? Th-That card, meow…" Gin stuck his hand into his hoodie, producing the item in question. Truth be told, he hadn't really gotten a chance to look at it before everything went crazy.'Sage? What… does that even mean? Am I a librarian now, or something…?'

Reluctantly, Gin held it to the screen. It glowed a bright green, and Giggles continued her spiel. "You have your card, yes? Now, I will begin to explain. The basic rules are profoundly simple. One person will be selected by majority vote, and that person will die. That is all."

'Mister Q-taro…'

Giggles snickered. "The vote will be split into two parts. Through the first round, the preliminary vote, half the total will be chosen as candidates. Currently ten are alive, so this will be five. A final vote will be held using these, deciding the ultimate victim. In short, the victim is decided by gradually narrowing it down from ten people," she gestured with a grin, flicking her fingers downwards, "to five, to one! Of course, even those not chosen as candidates will participate in the vote itself! Please, do kill of your own volitions!"

'... That's a four in nine chance…'Gin swallowed, clutching Mew-chan.'Will I have to…? I swore…'

"However, there are holes in this game," Giggles' expression flattened. "We do not care for intentless games of luck. Such worthless acts as using rock-paper-scissors to fairly decide the victim are forbidden!" Gin goggled.'Rock-paper-scissors…!?'This lady had something firing wrong in her head! "And so, everyone, please take out your cards!"

Gin glanced back down at the card in his possession. A leather tome stared back at him, the word "SAGE" displayed underneath it in choppy lettering. The screen in front of him glowed.

In bold, uneven lettering, the name 'ALICE YABUSAME,' displayed.

"H-Huh…? Who the heck is Alice Yabusame, woof!?"

Giggles, oblivious to the boy's confusion, continued. "There are four roles given by the cards. The first is the Commoner. This is a meaningless card with no power at all. The second is the Keymaster. And oh my! It's a terrifying role indeed, for if chosen as the victim, everyone will perish!"

Gin clenched his fists. "H-How is that fair, mew…?"

"Third is the Sage," Miley said. Gin silenced, paying ardent attention to her next words. "By holy divination, they know who the Keymaster is. A very lucky role! Congratulations to its owner!"

'Wha…? That's… The Keymaster? But I don't… Who's Alice Yabusame? She wasn't on the blackboard…'Gin swallowed. Was somebody… Lying about their name?

"Fourth is the Sacrifice. Amazingly, this curious card allows the person to survive only if chosen as the victim!" Gin's heart stopped.'Only if… Does that mean…!?'

Miley cackled. "... Which means if they're not chosen, they die! However, there are positives as well! The Sacrifice alone gets two votes, and also... If they win, they can escape alive with a person of their choice!" she sniffed. "Well, but in that case... all the others will perish." So either two people were going to die… Or only two were going to live? Tears pricked at the corner's of Gin's eyes. "So good luck! There is one Keymaster, Sage, and Sacrifice each. All the rest are Commoners. Committed it to memory, yes?"

This was all too much… "So at minimum, two people will die. Everyone, do your best not to be one of them!" Gin's throat ached.

A distant sound echoed in the corner of his adept hearing. A scream? A sob? A cry of rage? He was too frazzled to truly tell.'... A two in five chance? That's… forty percent…'Gin hated his own selfishness; no matter what, an innocent person was going to die. His big siblings surviving wouldn't change that.

'... Who's Alice Yabusame? It has to be one of us, right? That's… The only thing that makes sense…'he swallowed. 'But the chalkboard…'

Gin didn't end up eating or drinking anything at the table. Giggles warned the participants that they had ten minutes of grace to arrive at the grounds before they would be executed.

Gin clutched Mew-chan and hesitantly stepped out of the room, his stomach churning.

In direct contrast to his festering, ugly mood while leaving the Last Supper room, the first order of business for Gin upon entering the Main Game grounds was to glomp the wind out of Big Sis Anzu as fast as humanly possible.

"Kaaph…!"

"Big Sis Anzu! Are you okay!?" Gin looked up at the girl, eyes glistening. "You and Big Bro Shin just disappeared…!"

Taking a second to regain her breath, Anzu responded. "Ah… I don't really remember… We were just standing right in the hall, and then…"

"We woke up here," said Big Bro Shin, frowning. "Or, the Last Supper room, I suppose…"

Gin detached from Big Sis Anzu's warm sweater for the sole purpose of giving Big Bro Shin the same treatment; more delicately, of course. Gin didn't want to accidentally kill him. The man smiled. "Good to see you, too."

Looking around the room, Gin noticed several weird-looking podiums, with reverse hour-glasses built into their frames. Notably, two of them were shorter than the rest.'For me and Shorty, I guess… But weren't there more of us? Why are there only ten of these things…?'

Gin had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer.

Giggles stood, smile splitting her face. "So, you've decided to play, after all…"

"Like we have a choice…!" shouted Big Sis Mai, face purple.

Giggles laughed her off. "Please take a good look at those desks, everyone. A rather interesting setup, isn't it?" She broke into a giggle fit. "They are reverse hourglasses. Most curious, indeed. When these hourglasses have all reached the top, the discussion will end. You have 70 minutes until the preliminary vote. After that, you can discuss for 20 minutes before the final vote. Well then, shall the discussion begin?"

Cotton Candy swallowed. "Wh-What are we even supposed to say, man…? This sucks…"

"Ah, wait a second…!" said Big Sis Megumi, brows furrowed and lips parted in concern. "Aren't we missing someone…?"

Stripey blinked. "Ah… Hinako Mishuku." A solemn expression took over his features. "Perhaps her rambling was not so inane…?"

"Aw, were you worried 'bout me, Old-Timer?"

Old Guy deflated in visible relief. "Miss Mishuku! Don't frighten an old man like that…"

She sniffed. "Don't worry. I ain't that selfish." She grinned. "'Sides, this could get interesting…"

Giggles chuckled. "So you're all here, after all? Delightful! Please, stand at any podium you like, and we will begin!"

Shorty stared at the two smaller desks, face flat. Her eye twitched. "... Really."

'Shorty's kinda scary…'

A slight shuffle sounded as the participants wordlessly took up place at whichever podium they felt like, with the exceptions of Shorty and Gin. Happily, Big Sis Anzu and Big Bro Shin decided to stand on either side of him. The boy blushed at the sense of comfort he felt.

"Oh, by the way…" Giggles grinned. "I left rulebooks on your desks. Please, make good use of them…"

Gin briefly flipped through his.'It's not like I would, but I can't lie about who the Keymaster is… Can I even try? I don't know who it is!'

Big Sis Megumi cleared her throat. "There's one thing I'd like to say straight-out, before this gets messy." She grinned. "I'm the Keymaster. No good voting for me."

'Huh? Already!? Is Big Sis Megumi really Big Sis Alice…?'Gin didn't want to believe that she was lying.'But that fear scent… Is she telling the truth? The Keymaster's the only safe card, right?'

Big Sis Anzu choked on her own saliva. "R-Really…? That's good, right?"

Big Bro Shin sniffed. "Sure, if she's being honest. Nobody else is claiming it, so…"

"Ah, that's a relief then, right?" said Old Guy.

"Ah, but…" Samurai Girl shuffled nervously, biting her lip. "I'm sorry, Megumi… but why are you lying?"

The police inspector blinked, caught off-guard. "Hah? I'm not lying."

"You are!" Samurai Girl tensed. "BecauseI'mthe Keymaster!"

"Wh-What!?" Big Sis Anzu gibbered. "Wh-Who's…?"

Old Guy frowned, brows knitting. "Oh, my… This is quite the conundrum. Two Keymasters?"

'Samurai Girl… Is she Alice Yabusame…?'Gin bit his lips, whining under his breath.'My head hurts already… We're all strangers, so nobody can really vouch for anyone else's name…'

Shorty scoffed, sneering. "'I'm the Keymaster! No,I'mthe Keymaster!'" She rolled her eyes. "Can't we save this petty shit for the final vote? We need to assemble candidates, first. Right now, the roles don't matter."

Cotton Candy flinched. "Huh? The middle schooler's right?"

Shorty's glare could have melted steel. "You're lucky you're not within shin-kicking distance."

"Huh? What did I do?" Big Bro Shin blinked.

Big Sis Mai's fists clenched at her sides. "Enough! Hinako's right. The very first thing we should do…" Her expression dulled, eyes shining. "... Is to assemble our candidates: weed out anybody suspicious o-or useless…"

"Hah…" the light in Shorty's eyes flickered out. "I've got a perfect candidate, in that case."

"Huh…?" Gin wet his lips from underneath his mask. "Shorty…?"

"Who…?" Mishima's lips curled downwards.

"Me. I'm ready to die."

'What…?'

"Sh-Shit…!" Cotton Candy blinked, eyes wide. "Kid…?"

"Preposterous!" Stripey's brows flew to his wacky haircut. "A group of adults, murdering a child out of convenience? It's simply out of the question."

"Hah, but somebody still has to die, right?" Big Sis Megumi said. "It's ugly, but… If she's offering, it couldn't hurt to just make her a candidate. There's still four other people to suspect."

Old Guy harrumphed, adjusting his tie. "Ludicrous. I shan't allow it. If you must have your first candidate, I insist upon myself."

Shorty sighed. "Guess I can't blame ya. The Sacrifice could be any one of us. No sense playing hero." She grinned. "How about that, Prof? You get to fulfill your savior complex, and I get to die. Win-win, right?"

He sighed. "You are a deeply concerning young woman, Miss Mishuku."

Samurai Girl bit a knuckle in thought. "Ah, but Hinako brings up a good point: where is the Sacrifice? One of our candidates is bound to be the holder, right?"

Stripey harrumphed. "Ah, but in that case…" He grinned, dramatically clutching at his one-piece's chest fabric. "... Wouldn't Megumi Sasahara and yourself be safe bets for such a vote? After all, one of you has to be lying about your card, and the Sacrifice wouldn't try to avoid amassing votes."

"He's… right." Big Sis Mai swallowed. "Realistically, we'd have a safer bet with anyone immediately claiming to be the Keymaster…"

Cotton Candy clutched at his edgy bandages, seemingly debating something with himself.'He looks constipated… but do I look any better, right now? I wish I could tell them who the Keymaster is…'

Shorty sighed. "We're getting off-track. Let's nix Megumi and Sara for the time being. Right now, we've got Mishima and me. Who else should we throw in? Has anybody been acting suspicious?"

"Hah… There's something I'd like to know…" Big Sis Mai scowled, stance tight. "Let's figure out the votes in the second trial. Whoever didn't vote for themselves… They'd be pretty dangerous to have around, right?"

"Whoever got Mister Q-taro…" Gin's already low mood plummeted, his heart in his stomach. The sound of drills echoed in his head.

"Hah…" Big Bro Shin gripped his podium. "I guess there's no hiding it, huh? I voted for Q-taro, so you want me out."

"Not just you…" Big Sis Mai scowled. "I want whoever else voted for Q-taro to just admit it already…!"

"Huh? Didn't Q-taro get three votes?" Big Sis Anzu's brow furrowed. "It was Gin and Shin who voted for him, and then his own vote, right?"

"That's the thing," said Big Sis Mai. "Q-taro didn't vote for himself: he voted for Gonbee!"

"Truly…?" Old Guy fixed his gaze to the ground. "It seems fate was truly stacked against Mister Burgerburg…" He sighed. "If you'll take me at my word, I voted for myself."

Big Sis Megumi hummed. "It was just Gin, Shin, and Ranmaru without any votes, right? Wouldn't it stand to reason that it was the three of them?"

Hinako snorted. "You're not that stupid, cop. Don't play dumb. If that was the case, than who the hell voted for Old-Timer?"

"Indeed," said Stripey, hand to his chin. "I would like very much to know. Especially, considering that my vote was not for myself."

"W-Wait… Seriously…?" Cotton Candy's lips parted in shock. "Th-Then that's two misplaced votes…!"

"A-Ah…" Big Sis Megumi's brow slicked with sweat.

"W-Wait…" Gin whimpered. "Who did Stripey vote for, nya…?"

"Hah…" Stripey grinned. "I don't see why I should tell you."

"You wanna get voted out, dude…!?" Big Sis Anzu yelped.

Samurai Girl pressed him. "Anzu's right. If you're unwilling to share, then we'll have no choice but to vote for you."

"That would be folly: to place all of your distrust onto one individual. Nonetheless, I'll clue you in. I voted for the one person in here with the capability to destroy us all…!"

"Hwuh?" Big Bro Shin's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about…?"

Big Sis Mai sneered in disgust. "Ridiculous. Did you vote for Q-taro or not, dipshit…!? Give us a straight damned answer!"

"W-Wait…!" Gin started, eyes widening. "H-He said that he voted for whoever could hurt us, woof?"

Big Bro Shin frowned. "'The capability to destroy us all…' Maybe he's talking about Q-taro? If anyone could have beaten the rest of us in a fight…"

"No… I don't think that's what he meant," said Shorty. "The only person who could 'destroy' us… Would be someone with a weapon." Her eyes turned onto Big Sis Megumi, cold. "Namely, a gun."

The policewoman sweat. "Ah, but it's unloaded… Why would he…?"

"Hinako Mishuku." Stripey grinned. "You continue to impress me. Yes, my vote was for Megumi Sasahara! How could I trust somebody who could have killed me at any point!?"

"So it was you…" Big Sis Megumi scowled. "I guess I've been outed, huh? I thought the same thing as Gonbee: couldn't have somebody so dangerous running around. Guess we accidentally covered for each other, huh?"

'Big Sis Megumi… You really voted for Stripey? That still doesn't explain…'Gin swallowed. "That's not true, Stripey! That Big Sis Megumi is the only dangerous person…!"

Stripey blinked. "Hwuh? What are you referring to, Gin Ibushi?"

Gin pulled out the knife case from his pocket. "When we were exploring, me and Big Sis Anzu and Big Bro Shin… We found this…"

"Sh-Shit!" Big Sis Mai's brows raised in incredulity. "Somebody's got a knife!?"

"See? Anybody could… Could be hurt by whoever's got this knife, meow…" Gin tightened his grip on Mew-chan. "So please, don't be so suspicious of Big Sis Megumi!"

Shorty sighed. "I was wondering when you were gonna bring that up… Just make sure you keep that thing away from me, whoever you are."

"Hrrm…!" Stripey grit his teeth. "Another dangerous individual…? I wish I was more surprised."

Old Guy blinked from behind his glasses. "Ah, I don't think trying to pin down whoever has the knife will bear much fruit, for the time being…" He adjusted his spectacles. "Miss Sasahara and Mister Yamada's votes were for each other, yes? What a strange coincidence…"

Shorty nodded. "At least we've cleared that much up. Effectively, Megumi and Gonbee's votes were for themselves. Getting back on topic, who voted for Q-taro? Ranmaru claimed he voted for Gonbee, so if that checks out…"

Big Bro Shin bit his thumb. "Right… Gin, Ranmaru, and I had no votes. Q-taro had three, and didn't vote for himself. That's me, Gin, and an unaccounted person."

"S-So the answer's in one of the people with one vote? Somebody who… Covered up their vote?" said Big Sis Anzu, brows furrowed.

"Right. Now, out of the people we can suspect…" He hummed. "Gin and I admitted to voting for Q-taro. Megumi is confirmed as a vote for Gonbee. Ranmaru claims to have voted for Gonbee, as well."

"Ah, but that doesn't really check out, does it…?" Shorty grinned.

"Oh? What do you mean…?" Old Guy scrunched up his nose.

Big Sis Megumi sniffed. "Right. The answer lies in who Q-taro voted for, doesn't it?"

"... Ranmaru. Who are you covering for?" Big Sis Mai had been gazing intently at her podium, hands quivering in rage. Now, she was looking straight at the high school boy. "Q-taro voted for Gonbee: I saw him do it. Now that Megumi's confirmed her own vote…"

"Then, Ranmaru couldn't have voted for Gonbee," said Big Bro Shin, eyes widening.

Cotton Candy dripped with sweat as nine sets of eyes came to rest upon him all at once. "A-Ah… Th-That's…"

"It doesn't matter," said Samurai Girl.

"Huh? What do you mean, Sara?" Big Sis Megumi raised an eyebrow.

"We did all this to weed out who to vote for, right? Problem is…" Samurai Girl sighed. "We can't vote for Ranmaru."

"Trying to plead for sympathy?" said Shorty, snorting. "Go right ahead. Worked well enough for me, and I'm not even trying."

"That's not it." Samurai Girl sighed, her eyes glistening. "Truth is… Ranmaru's the Sacrifice. Voting for him is suicide, no matter how you look at it."

Cotton Candy gawked. "A-Ah… Sara…?"

She averted her eyes. "Sorry, Ranmaru. I know you wanted to escape, but…" She glanced at Anzu. "I couldn't let everybody die like that."

"R-Right…" Cotton Candy sweat. "U-Uh… You've really screwed me now, h-huh?"

Gin furrowed his brow.'Cotton Candy doesn't seem too upset… What kind of a reaction is that…?'

"Ah, Ranmaru?" Big Sis Mai sweat heavily. "Y-You're really the Sacrifice…?"

"Sara…" Big Sis Anzu murmured. She almost sounded reverent, like she was whispering a prayer rather than the name of a girl her age.

"Shit. Back to square one, I guess." Shorty looked faintly amused.

Big Sis Mai muttered under her breath. "This doesn't sit right with me… Who did it…? I have to know…"

"Hrmm… Is the only candidate myself…?" Old Guy muttered. "I suppose I can live with that… Or not, rather, mwahaha…"

Shorty scoffed. "Don't be so quick to count me out. We only need three more candidates, and we've certainly wasted enough time."

Big Sis Megumi sighed. "This certainly would be easier if we knew the roles. I suppose it was a foolish notion that this would be easy…"

"Hah, don't you know…? I'm the Sacrifice. Sara's the Keymaster." Cotton Candy sniffed, scratching at his edgy bandages. "Shouldn't matter if we don't know the Sage, right?"

'He's being way too casual…! Is he really the Sacrifice?'Gin grit his teeth in worry.'Alice Yabusame… It's not Big Sis Megumi, or Samurai Girl… But it's not anybody else, either!'

Big Sis Megumi sniffed. "There is one lead I'd like to chase: Gonbee. Don't any of you find him suspicious? He shows up after the rest of us, having had free roam for however long, and then Q-taro, who we knew since the start, dies instead of him? It's undoubtedly strange."

Gin winced at the sharp bolt of guilt shot by Q-taro's name. Big Sis Anzu put a hand on his shoulder, frowning in sympathy.

"Ha. So, it's back to inspecting, Inspector? How typical," Stripey sneered.

"Funny. I'm serious, however. What reason do we have not to vote for you?"

He grinned. "I could say the same of you, Megumi Sasahara. It's unbecoming for a public defender to lie, after all…"

"... I'm no liar."

'This conversation is going in circles…'Gin groaned.'There's only one thing I can even do! I don't know what it'll accomplish, though…'

"Ah, but aren't you, Megumi?" Samurai Girl frowned. "After all, we can't both be the Keymaster…"

Shorty sniffed. "Yup. Way I see it, you're way more suspicious than Old-Timer. Did you think that uniform would protect you, or something?"

"I promise," said Big Sis Megumi, eyes glistening with something distant and strained. "That I will do my best for all of you. I truly don't want anybody," she paused, ever so slightly. Gin figured he was the only one to notice. "To die under my watch."

"Those are pretty words, but…" Big Bro Shin sighed. "A person can say anything. The truth is… We're strangers. How could we possibly know who the good liars are within a day?"

Samurai Girl averted her eyes. "... You can't."

An eerie silence fell over the group. The air felt heavy and suffocating, like it was a comforter Gin had slept under in the summertime, waking up sweaty, muggy, and miserable. He swallowed, thinking of his mother.'... I'm sorry…'

"I'm-" He started, choking on the words. "I-I'm the Sage, meow…"

Big Sis Anzu goggled at him as a loud murmur rippled through the crowd. Gin sweat, retreating into the comfort of his costume and Mew-chan. "Wha- Gin? You…"

"That means I'm a safe vote, woof? Since I can't lie…" He hugged Mew-chan. "The problem is…" He trailed off.

"What's the matter, Gin?" Big Sis Megumi furrowed her brow. Noticeably, she had begun to sweat. "Is there a reason you couldn't tell us earlier? I swear, we aren't going to vote for you, even if itisthe safest route."

"Th-That's not the problem, nya…" He stuttered. "The thing is… I don't know who the Keymaster is, mew…"

The crowd burst into surprised chatter, hurting Gin's sensitive ears even through the thick fabric of his hood.

"Wha…? Did they not tell him!?"

"Who the hell… Could it be, then!?"

"Another layer of bullshit. Great."

Big Bro Shin looked down at him, eyes mixing sympathy and confusion into a strange cocktail. "What do you mean, you don't know, Gin? Did Miley lie about the roles…?"

The woman in question cackled. "No, no, no… I haven't spoken a single dishonest word. Do you truly think so little of me…?"

He frowned. "I was asking Gin, not you."

"They gave me a name, but…" Gin groaned in frustration. "I don't know who it is! Somebody's lying about their name, woof! It could be Samurai Girl; it could be Big Sis Megumi; it could be anybody, nya!"

"So… What namedidyou get…?" Big Sis Anzu looked about as lost as he felt.

"... Alice Yabusame, meow."

"Alice…" Big Bro Shin tapped his chin. "Nope. Definitely haven't met any Alices. It's not the name of one of the First Trial victims, either…"

"Huh…?" Stripey muttered. "First Trial… Victims…?"

"So… Would it be one of the girls, then?" Cotton Candy tilted his head, picking at his ear with a pinky. Gross. "Alice is a girly name, isn't it?"

"Sure, but if whoever Alice is, is hiding their name…?" Shorty sniffed. "I don't think that'll matter too much. Maybe it's a guy, and he's just embarrassed."

"The real question…" Big Sis Megumi said, eyes flashing with something dark and poisonous. "... Is what reason does this 'Alice' have to lie about their name?"

"Ah, I swear, I'm really Anzu!" the teen swore, eyes wide. "I've never even met an 'Alice!'"

"I don't think anybody was really doubting you, Anzu…" said Samurai Girl, eyebrow raised in amusement.

"H-Hold on a second…!" Stripey muttered, voice lost in the buzz.

Old Guy hummed. "We have an equal distribution of men and women… but, considering Miss Mishuku's words, that doesn't help much, now does it…?"

"'Alice Yabusame…'" Cotton Candy rubbed his temple, right eye squinted. "I swear I've heard that name before, but… I couldn't say where…"

"EVERYBODY, SHUT UP!"

A shocked silence overtook the group at Stripey's outburst. Samurai Girl dared to break it. "G-Gonbee…?"

The man panted, eyes wide. "Shin Tsukimi! What you said earlier… The 'First Trial Victims…' Who are you referring to…?"

Big Bro Shin goggled. "D-Did nobody tell you…? Five people…"

"Died. At least, that's what we're assuming." Shorty sighed, eyes closed. "It would have been one hell of a stretch to assume everybody would survive those trials, after all. Surprised I'm still breathing, myself."

"... Y-You mean…?" Stripey's fists clenched and unclenched, his posture rigid. His throat bobbed.

"Yeah. There were 16 of us, originally. Their names were all up on that chalkboard in the bar."

"I-I saw that, but…" Stripey panted. "Why… Why was Reko's name there…!?"

"Reko…?" Cotton Candy muttered. "Alice Yabusame… Reko…" His brows knitted.

"Mister Yamada…?" Old Guy said, brow furrowed. "Did you… Know a Reko?"

"Hah, no… It's inconceivable… Utterly preposterous… If a worthless fool like myself…" Stripey muttered, the others' words lost to him.

Big Bro Shin scratched his shoulder, expression troubled. "Reko, Kanna, Keiji, Shunsuke, Naomichi… Gonbee, you knew Reko?"

"I knowaReko," Stripey said, eyes wild. "To assume this- thisvictimand her are one and the same would be the height of idiocy. The Reko I know would never die in such a- a trivial manner…!"

"W-Wait…!" Cotton Candy blurted, eyes wide.

Samurai Girl side-eyed him, not unkindly. "Ah, did you figure something out, Ranmaru…?"

"Reko Yabusame! I've seen her in celebrity magazines, before! If Gonbee here really knew a Reko, do you think…?"

Shorty sniffed. "Seems like a bit of a stretch to me… but it's more of a lead than we've had." Her attention turned to Stripey. "The Reko you're talking about… Would she happen to be Reko Yabusame?"

Stripey grinned, his mania apparently having passed. "Heheheh… Of course. Who else would inspire such feelings of adoration? Reko Yabusame… Is a very dear friend of mine."

"Then would you know Alice Yabusame?" Samurai Girl interjected. "Who is she? A sister? A lover?"

Stripey sneered in revulsion. "Don't be so-" He cut himself off. "E-Erm… I mean, I've met…her.She's… Quite inferior."

Giggles chuckled. "Oh, my. How entertaining…"

"You stay out of this discussion, Sue Miley!" Stripey collected himself. "Ah, Alice Yabusame… Is, er, Reko's sister. Completely forgettable, I assure you."

Cotton Candy's eyes narrowed. "... I get the feeling you're not being totally honest, dude. If Alice Yabusame has nothing to do with this, then…"

"Why were they the Keymaster?" said Big Sis Megumi, scowling. "Gonbee… I think this is too large of a coincidence to overlook." She grinned wolfishly. "I feel that, until we have evidence that suggests otherwise, we can assume that 'Reko' from the blackboard was Reko Yabusame."

"Shut your mouth, you vile woman!" Stripey spat. Gin shrunk back a little, whimpering. "I won't have you speak ill of Reko in such a manner!"

"Now, why are you so insistent on defending Reko, I wonder…?" Samurai Girl muttered, eyes narrowed. "Megumi's right. 'Alice Yabusame' is apparently the Keymaster, and we find out that you know a Reko Yabusame?"

"It's a coincidence! Thousands of people know Reko!" Stripey tore. "This line of questioning is an absurd waste of time!"

"No, I don't think that's right," Samurai Girl countered. "Alice Yabusame is apparently one of us, a 'Reko' is named on the blackboard as one of us, and you apparently know a Reko Yabusame?" Her glare intensified onto a sweating Stripey. "That's too many coincidences, Gonbee! I'm afraid I can't let this go! Please, tell us who Alice Yabusame is!"

Stripey stepped back, eyes wide, forehead glistening with sweat. "Ah, the Keymaster… Hah… F-Foolish. The Reko on the blackboard… Is an utter stranger. I've never met her."

"Stripey! Stop being so stubborn!" Gin tore, tears pricking at his eyes. "People are gonna die, woof! You obviously know something, don't you!? Please, tell us, nya…" He trailed off, voice cracking.

Something flashed in Stripey's eyes. "Ah, Gin Ibushi…"

"I think… Gonbee's much too suspicious to remain out of the candidate listing. If he knows the identity of Alice Yabusame, or hell, if heisAlice Yabusame, we'll just have to take the risk." Big Sis Megumi shook her head. "After all, can we keep a prisoner around when half of us are children? He's already proven himself unstable, as well as untrustworthy."

"Hah, I'm not surprised you would say something like that, Megumi Sasahara." Stripey sneered. "You truly are a selfish woman, hmm?"

Big Sis Megumi said nothing. The pit in Gin's gut wriggled. He clutched Mew-chan even tighter, looking at his voting tablet.

"Ah, I'm afraid that's it for the Preliminary Discussion. Ple-hee-heease…" Giggles' awful voice rang out, broken by chortling. "M-Make your votes now, haha…"

"Shit, seriously!" Cotton Candy swallowed. "U-Uh, Gonbee, I guess…?" He tapped his tablet.

Big Sis Anzu glared at him. "Don't announce it, man! Aren't you the Sacrifice? Why would you vote for Gonbee!?"

"S-Sorry…?"

Samurai Girl bit her lip. "Ah, so Ranmaru's the Sacrifice… And 'Alice Yabusame' is the Keymaster." She side-eyed Stripey. "I'll admit, I've got a heavy suspicion as to their identity…"

Old Guy furrowed his brow. "If Mister Yamada is Alice Yabusame, why would he not once claim the Keymaster role? Something doesn't sit right with me…"

"Ah… We've wasted so much time…" Big Sis Mai bit her lip.

"Don't worry. Just vote for me," said Shorty. "Don't think about my age. Just think about your own lives. Unless you're the Sacrifice, that is."

"Ah, truly reprehensible…" Old Guy muttered. "Please, ignore Miss Mishuku. Direct your votes towards me."

"I can't deny that the old man's a more comfortable prospect than Hinako Mishuku…" Stripey muttered. "Very well."

"Ah, is that really fair…?" Mai sweat. "I-I'll throw my hat in the ring, too! I'm not afraid!"

Big Bro Shin swallowed. "Vote for Mai…? Can't do that, I'm afraid."

Gin swallowed, staring at his voting tablet.'I've… Got no right to hurt anybody else… Even if Stripey's totally suspicious. He doesn't deserve to die… Nobody here should die…'

Drills whirring in his ears, Gin lowered his mitten down to the image of his own face.