The clatter of glasses and the chatter of patrons buzzed at the edge of Gin's sensitive hearing as he prowled forth, serving trays lining his frustratingly short arms.

It had been only three days since he was forced to work at this ugly establishment (all sharp lines and colorless marble; shouldn't bars have a sense of homeliness? Well, it wasn't like Gin would know, anyway), and he hated every second.

Mom was counting on him to come home with more earnings, though. So he toiled away, feeding poison to idiots.

"Dog boy!" screamed his manager, a loud woman always with an obnoxious laugh to be had at his expense. "Hurry up with those glasses, would ya!? I've got dry customers here!"

Gin grit his teeth, having learned his lesson about backtalk quickly, and only just refrained from slamming the tray down hard enough to smash the glass.

A trio of oddly familiar faces smiled as they received their pee water, nodding gratefully. The hulking, red-haired man tipped his drink back right away, nearly draining the pitcher in one go. The lady sat beside him tittered, nursing her own drink, while the older man (why were they hanging out with this guy, anyway? Was he one of their dads or something? Gin hoped he'd never go out drinking withhisdad again) stayed his hand, seemingly disturbed over drinking in front of a grade schooler.

At leastsomeonehere had some decency.

"Dog boy!" There she was again. Gin wasn't sure which hurt his ears more: her angry screeching or her grating laughter whenever he tripped or dropped something. "Get over here!"

He scuttled over compliantly, cursing her under his breath.

"What was that!?"

"Nothing, Miss Miley, meow."

"That's what I thought." She cracked her neck, nodding towards their somewhat skittish bartender. She got terrifying when she was in one of her more obsessive moods, but at least she never damaged his hearing. "Tia's going on lunch. Man the bar."

Gin flinched, already aware of what a disaster that would be. He couldn't tell bourbon from red wine! "Huh? But I don't have a liquor license, woof!"

His boss deadpanned. "Do I look like I give a shit?"

"You shouldn't use that kind of language, mew…"

Her glare deepened.

Flinching, he obeyed, taking the bartender's place. A stuttery, whispered "thank you," and he was alone against the thankfully miniscule number of patrons. Only about ten, to his count.

Feeling his palms sweat beneath his mittens (luckily, they allowed him to don pieces of his costume, so long as he wore the required bow tie and vest beneath), he approached the patron at the end of the bar, who had just polished off the last of her scotch to nurse a cigarette between her lips.

"M-May I, uh, fill you up, woof?" Gin did not know bartender slang.

The lady glanced up, and Gin found that she was not a lady at all as her eyes widened in shock. The girl quickly stubbed her cigarette into the counter, a clearly false grin peeking out from her bleached blonde curtains. She couldn't have been any older than fourteen.

"U-Umm…"

Gin's eyes narrowed. "Hey! No patrons under eighteen, woof!"

She balked. "No bartenders under eleven, woof!"

"Why are you barking, meow!?"

"Why are you!?"

Gin sighed, attempting to calm down. "Look, I can't serve you unless you show me some ID, meow. Do you want to grow up to be like my dad?" Gin gestured to the slovenly slob slumped against the video poker machine in the corner. "I have to drive him home, woof! And I'm twelve!"

The girl blinked. "You know how to drive a car?"

"His drinking buddies stopped hanging out with him, meow." Gin's expression flattened. "And mom won't drive him. He said it'd give me a headstart in driver's ed, nya."

"That's kinda messed up."

"I know."

"Hey," the girl's expression twisted as she looked around, spotting the table with the patrons Gin had served earlier. "Shouldn't you be more worried about those guys than my underage drinking?"

"Mreowr?"

She gulped, sweat sheening upon her forehead. "Look!" she hissed, pointing.

Gin looked over, a sick feeling in his gut.

The people he had served were laid out upon the table, hands to their throats and pitchers spilled. They weren't moving.

"Th-That's…"

Gin felt compression against the back of his skull, and his face swooped down to meet the countertop.

"Look at that," Miley hissed, pulling his head up to stare at the bodies (they were dead, of course they were dead; how could he have forgotten)."I leave you in charge for five minutes, and you kill three of our best customers. What is the matter with you, you little turd?"

"I- I didn't pour the drinks, mreowr!"

"Always with the fucking excuses!" His head met the table once more.

"Enough!" screeched the delinquent, leaping up quickly enough to send her barstool to the floor. "What's the matter with you!?"

"W-Wait, meow," Gin gasped. "It wasn't me…"

"Shut up! Both of you!"

The delinquent didn't back down, grabbing Miley by the collar and pulling her down to eye level. "Make me! If you keep hurting him, then we're gonna have a problem!"

Miley rolled her eyes. "Enough of this sanctimonious crap. The boy i-"

A whiskey glass across the jaw silenced her, sending her crashing against the wall of expensive alcohols, though Gin doubted they would sterilize the sin from her.

"Oh, crap," the delinquent girl gulped as the liquors exploded against the floor. "My dad's gonna kill me…"

"Wait," Gin murmured, head suddenly pounding. "You're…"

"Crap, crap, crap!" Hands on her head, she paced in place. "He's already sick of my crap, even if he won't admit it! This is the final nail in the coffin!"

"Stop panicking, mew," Gin said, voice still low. "I don't want you to worry ever again…"

"Huh?"

"Big Sis Anzu."

"Hwuh?" The girl blinked awake, face inches from Gin's own. "Gin…? Wha' time izzit…?"

Brain still scraping away the last grains of slumber, Gin said the first thing that came to mind. "You smoke?"

"Hwaaah!?" Big Sis Anzu's eyes shot wide open as she sat up with equal speed, jostling Gin uncomfortably. "Wh-Wh-Whaddya mean!? I'd never smoke! D-Don't you know that smoking kills!? I'm your big sis, aren't I?"

Gin blinked.

Big Sis Anzu wilted. "I-I've been trying to quit…"

"S-Seriously, woof!? You smoke!?"

"You're the one who called me out!" she whined, tugging her bichromatic tresses to cover her eyes, in lieu of a hood. "And no! N-Not anymore, at least…"

"I guess I was right, meow," Gin sighed. "Even delinquents can be good people."

"I'm not a delinquent anymore!"

A beat passed.

"Anymore, nya?"

"D-Darnit," the clown muttered, gnawing on a knuckle. "I didn't want anybody to find out about this…"

"It's okay, Big Sis Anzu," Gin consoled. "If it makes you feel better, I wanted to be a botanist when I was a little kid, woof."

"Huh." She blinked. "I can't see it."

Gin wished he could say the same, but his image of Big Sis Anzu was a little cracked. 'Not damaged!'he thought.'I wouldn't even believe it if it weren't for that weird dream…'

"A-Anyway," she continued, flushed. "I didn't have any friends back in middle school, so I was kinda… desperate to stand out. I bleached my hair, got weird piercings, wore coats in the summer… It was lame."

Gin tried to hold in his laughter. Honest.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh at the clown." Big Sis Anzu rolled her eyes. "You're gonna embarrass yourself in middle school, too. Don't think I'll feel sorry for you, either!"

"S-Sorry, mreowr…" Gin cleared his throat, stretching his back. "Why'd you stop, anyway? It'd be cool to have a scary delinquent Big Sis with a heart of gold, woof!"

"W-Well, turns out I'm kind of a coward." She laughed nervously. "I got challenged to a fight, and the guy pulled a switchblade on me."

"M-Mreowr!?"

"Yeah…" Big Sis Anzu rubbed her neck. "I dropped the delinquent phase pretty quickly after that." Her rosen eyes grew hazy. "Wh-When I woke up in this place, it was like I got dragged right back there, and this time there was no running away…"

Gin pounced on her. "I'm glad you're a clown, Big Sis Anzu," he said, nuzzling her cheek.

"Me too, Gin," she said, smiling fondly. "I'm really glad."

The one thing he had to wonder, however, was why the reveal hadn't come as a surprise.

Breakfast was a loud affair, Gin found as he tore into his shiozake, with animated (despite the ugly circumstances) conversations buzzing around his ears.

"What's so lame about shurikens?" Cotton Candy whined from the table behind Gin.

"The fact that you can say that in the first place is damning," responded Shorty, sat beside him.

Across from them, Stripey harrumphed into his okonomiyaki. "So quick to discredit the young man, Hinako Mishuku. Heed my words, Ranmaru Kageyama; if you let her trod upon you now, you'll spend the rest of your life as a walkway."

"Speaking from experience?" Shorty asked, grinning.

"... Of course not."

Sat at the same table as Gin, Big Sis Anzu conversed with Megumi, who seemed to tolerate her poor table manners by the scantest margin. "So, what's it like to shoot a gun, anyway?" she asked, the food in her mouth only half chewed.

The policewoman's eye twitched. "Tempting."

"Whuh?" Big Sis Anzu grunted, spraying crumbs across the table.

"R-Remind me, Anzu, what was it that Sara and you were discussing yesterday?" Big Bro Shin cut in, likely feeling the heat from Big Sis Megumi's flesh-melting glare. "Something about traffic cones?"

Gin tuned them out, polishing off the last bite of salmon. Samurai Girl hadn't shown up to breakfast, yet neither Big Sis Anzu nor Cotton Candy had anything to say about it. Something seemed fishy here, and he wasn't thinking about his breakfast.

As stealthily as a boy in a bright orange animal costume could move, he creeped his way to the common room's nearest exit: the medical office.

A rustling sounded from the room; the movement of clothing and tinkling of glasswares as they softly tapped against each other. Gin tensed, prepared to book it back to the breakfast table should Melon Soda Lady get anywhere near him.

Yet it wasn't her he found when he peeked around the corner for a better look. Samurai Girl stood near the wall, picking quickly through the various bits and bobs in the drawers of Melon Soda Lady's desk.

Blinking, Gin announced his presence inadvertently. "Mew…?"

Samurai Girl froze for a fraction of a second, before whirling on a heel, syringe held at the ready. Her posture softened when once she fully took him in.

"Gin," she sighed. "Be quiet, okay? I don't want Safalin to lock us out."

He huffed, a bit offended at her tone. He knew when to be serious! "Right, meow…" Samurai Girl, satisfied with that, returned to her rustling. "Um… Are you going to tell me what you're doing, meow?"

"Nope."

"Mraowr!? Why not!?"

"Shh!" Sara jerked a finger perpendicular to her mouth. Her lips twitched strangely as Gin glared. "I was joking. I'm looking for anything that can help us. This'll go quicker with two people, if you wouldn't mind?"

Nodding, and hiding a rush of excitement at the idea of espionage, Gin joined her in scrounging.

"Hey, Samurai Girl, you've been hanging out with Big Sis Anzu a lot, nya?"

"I have," she answered, not pausing in her perusal.

"What about Cotton Candy? Weren't you guys best friends, woof?"

"Who?" Samurai Girl blinked in confusion. "Oh, you mean Ranmaru? He's not my best friend." A strange look crossed her face, somewhere between longing and relief. "I could really use my best friend's advice right now, but… I'm glad he's not here. I've got enough to worry about."

"I think I understand, nya," Gin said, mouth dry at the thought of his mom with a collar around her throat.'No matter how much I want to see her…'

"Yeah..." Samurai Girl went silent for a moment. "After what happened during the," she hesitated, "game, Ranmaru and I thought it would be best to spend some time with other people. Sorry for taking up your time with Anzu," she smirked, "but I can't let you have all the fun."

Gin sniffed in understanding. Big Sis Anzu was a precious resource, after all. Still, she could stand to ease on the clutch a bit. At least nobody was draining his Big Bro Shin mana.

He was about to respond with something incredibly witty and clever when his mitten scraped against a button on the wall as he roved over every inch of the room for secrets. Samurai Girl perked in surprise, narrow eyes zeroing in on the expanse of wall beside him.

Gin followed her gaze, and quickly wished he hadn't.

Big Sis Mai stood there, her empty gaze boring through him with all the force of slender silver tendrils. His mouth ran dry, his face ran hot, and his mind buzzed with a fervor he had thought locked away; the chain rusted and shattered.

"-in? Gin!" A powerful hand came to rest upon his shoulder. "This thing isn't real."

Gin blinked the haze out of his eyes. Big Sis Mai… hadn't moved in the slightest. Her eyes were dark, like switched off LEDs.

'Oh,'Gin's lip wobbled angrily.'It's a cruel joke.'

Sara gnawed on a knuckle, inching towards the mockery. She put a hand up to the glass. "Is there a way to get this open? It doesn't seem like a projection; it's far too three-dimensional."

"Big Sis Mai," Gin rasped, "doesn't deserve this. Can't we just leave it alone, meow?"

Samurai Girl hummed sadly. "Sorry, Gin. It must hurt." She shook her head. "But I can't give up on something like this." She fiddled with the panel Gin had slid his mitten across. The sheen of the room's lights vanished.

"Apologies," Samurai Girl murmured, pushing the doll to the side and sinking into the darkness beyond.

"Samurai Girl!" Gin howled, sweating heavily. "Don't go, woof! It smells like burning plastic in there!"

Gin wanted to follow. More than anything, he needed to. Samurai Girl wasn't safe.

Big Sis Mai stood silently on the left of the entrance.

Worms gnawing at the flesh of his heart, Gin retreated.

"... Did you find anything out, meow?" Gin murmured, head low as Samurai Girl stumbled back into the medical office. She stared down at him, knees curled against his chest to nestle Mew-chan close.

"Safalin kicked me out before I could find out too much," she sighed, hands on her hips. "There were," she wet her lips, "more of those things back there. For all of us; me, you, Anzu… even some people I don't recognize at all. Five, to be specific." Her expression darkened, a stray strand of ginger hair falling freely across her face. "Doesn't take a genius to figure out who those belong to."

Gin stayed quiet for a moment, back kissing the wall. "It's ugly, nya. Just gross." He swallowed. "You saw Melon Soda Lady? Are you okay, woof?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. She just shooed me out and cried a bit more; business as usual, I guess." She went quiet for a moment, humming quietly beneath her breath. "Gin. I'm sorry."

"Mew?"

"For what I did back then: lying to all of you." She closed her eyes. "If I hadn't done what I had, maybe things would have been different."

Gin gasped. He didn't like her tone in the slightest. It felt too familiar. "No, Samurai Girl…! Don't blame yourself for that, woof! Nobody's mad at you!" He coughed. "W-Well, maybe Shorty is, a little… and Big Sis Megumi seemed pretty ticked off… b-but nobody else is, nya!"

Samurai Girl's expression turned a little gooey. "Anzu said something similar. You two really have rubbed off on each other, huh?" She chuckled quietly. "Thank you, Gin. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

'I'm supposed to be the one promising that.'Gin's fists clenched, invisible to Samurai Girl.'I'm supposed to be done feeling sorry for myself!'

He leapt to his feet, sending the teenager onto her back foot. "Samurai Girl," he called. "Let's do an attraction, woof!"

"Ah…?" She blinked. "I've definitely got the time. Have you done Spirit Shutter?"

"Yeah, with Shorty, woof!"

She hummed. "I hope we haven't exhausted our options. I'd feel bad if we missed each other. How about Hide and Seek?"

If Gin had real cat ears, they'd be lowering.

"No, then. That only leaves Charge Card Battle for me."

They would've perked right back up. "I haven't done that one, nya! Come on, Samurai Girl," he tugged at her navy blue jacket sleeve, "let's beat them senseless!"

"Violent," she chuckled. "Though that's probably for the best."

"How do you wanna split this up, Samurai Girl? Should we switch off every turn, nya? This doesn't really seem like poker or blackjack…"

"'Blackjack'? I'll admit, I thought you'd be more familiar with pokemon."

"Blame my dad, woof! He uses me to hone his skills."

"Huh. A-Anyway, a card game seems a little… lackluster compared to all the other attractions."

"I guess, nya." A beat. "Wait, Samurai Girl… Wh-What's that thing behind the dummy…?"

"I… don't know."

Panting, Samurai Girl brushed some ash off of Gin's shoulder.

"Thanks," he panted, "mraowr…"

She swallowed, wiping glimmering beads of sweat from her forehead. "This… is really taking a toll. I need to," she waved aimlessly, "go… lay down, or something…"

"Don't forget your Clear Chip," Gin said, grabbing his own and sliding back against the wall. What the heck were they thinking, making giant lasers part of a card game? "Woof."

"I," Sara grabbed her Clear Chip, trudging away, "agree. Woof."

Gin slumped to a sit, sliding a mitten off to caress Mew-chan's warm, familiar fur between his fingers. "It's weird, Mew-chan," he muttered. "We've got so many people who care about us now, but," he swallowed, "I wish we hadn't met here, meow. I wish Mister Q-taro and Big Sis Mai and Mister Mishima could have stayed alive."

He sighed. "But wishing's dumb, isn't it? It's not gonna do anything but make me feel bad, woof."

Mew-chan said nothing. He nestled them closer. "I know, meow. You're sad, too. I just wanna throw all these kidnapper jerks into a garbage chute, woof." He grinned. "Maybe they'd smell better."

A scraping of cloth against stone interrupted his conversation with Mew-chan. His hackles raised, and Gin crouched defensively as he scanned for the source of the intrusion.

To his right, Big Sis Megumi emerged from a small cranny of the room, separate from the one he had found two days prior. Her face looked as grim as he had ever seen it; the sourness seeming to eclipse her body language.

She smelled like rusted iron.

"Big Sis Megumi?" he chanced. "Are you okay, woof?"

She jolted, body pivoting towards him, hand clasping a holster absent of its pistol. "Gin," she said, after an awkward moment. "I wasn't expecting company."

"Are you investigating, mreowr?" Gin asked. "I found a secret room with Samurai Girl earlier. Is this like that, woof?"

"A secret room?" Big Sis Megumi blinked before shaking her head. "Ah, it's nothing. Don't be concerned about it, Gin."

"You saying that makes me concerned, nya!"

She sighed. "It's another trial room. This one… I don't think they made it out. All patchwork metal and sharp edges. It wasn't pretty."

Gin wilted, mind replaying an ugly mechanical hum; the hiss of sizzling flesh and the dissonant whirr of twin drills. "A-Ah… I'm sorry, meow."

"Don't be." She smiled softly. "I'm a police officer, remember? I've seen uglier things. That won't be you, Gin. Me, neither."

"But it was somebody, woof!" Gin's volume shocked him more than it surprised Big Sis Megumi. "It wassomebody,and now they're gone. Whoever's waiting for them to come home'll be waiting forever, mraowr!" He ground his teeth together, wishing they weren't so flat and omnivorous. "Big Sis Megumi… I don't wanna be reassured, o-or comforted, or anything like that, nya."

He stood up straight, Mew-chan tucked firmly into his grasp. "I wanna help."

The policewoman stood silent for a moment, before a few chiming giggles spilled from her lips. They grew and grew into an uproarious laugh, as the sharp crack of her clapping hands bit Gin's ears.

His face grew hot. "H-Hey, why're you laughing, woof!?"

Big Sis Megumi snorted, wiping her face. A few errant giggles leaked from behind her palm.

Gin's blush grew more furious, embarrassed tears springing to the corners of his eyes.

"Gin, don't feel bad," Big Sis Megumi chuckled. "I'm not making fun of you. It's just," a strange look overcame her, something stretched and waxy, "you reminded me of someone. He was a good kid, just like you." She sniffed, expression frosting over once more. "That's all."

She patted him on the head as she walked by. "Take care of yourself, Gin. Then you can worry about saving everybody else."

Dumbly, and feeling like the two of them had just discussed two utterly disconnected things, he watched her go.

"I'm saying it's a dumb idea," Shorty remarked, rolling her eyes. "What good is a sword gonna do against… whatever the hell's in these collars?"

"Uh," Cotton Candy flushed. "I- I, maybe, forgot about that?"

Shorty's eyes narrowed. "You're joking, right? How in the hell do you forget about their best leverage over us!?" She squeezed the bridge of her nose so hard, Gin was afraid he'd hear a crack. "And say you do get it off. What's next? They probably have guns!"

"Guns are illegal," Cotton Candy tried to defend himself, "and we haven't seen any!"

Shorty stared at him, then her glass of water, eyebrows twitching. Slowly, she pushed it away.

"Oh, come on! You're underestimating my mastery of the blade!"

"Wh-What," Gin interjected, plate cleaned, "were we even talking about again, nya?"

Shorty let loose a long-suffering sigh. "I don't know."

"You know, at least I'm trying to help," Cotton Candy huffed. "Sara never dismissed my ideas like you do."

"Then I admire her patience." It seemed Gin had no success in breaking up the argument. "She dumped you, anyway. You're stuck with me."

Cotton Candy sighed. "I can tell." He pushed his plate away, craning his neck to glance at the personal rooms. "I gotta go to the bathroom. I'll talk to ya later, Hinako."

"Sure, see ya." Shorty waited until Cotton Candy had fully left the room before turning her piercing slate eyes onto Gin.

He blinked. "Mraowr?"

The middle schooler struggled to fight a small smile. Maybe she thought it would hurt her image if she wasn't constantly scowling.

"Hey, Gin." Her eyes roved from side to side, before she pushed in close to Gin. "Has something seemed off about Ranmaru to you?"

"Cotton Candy?" Gin scratched his head; ineffectually, as he forgot to take off his mitten first. "I dunno. He seems fine to me, woof. Kinda weird and dorky, but isn't he always like that?"

Her jaw tightened. "Maybe I'm just crazy. I'm only asking you because I don't trust my own judgement."

"I think you'd know better than me, Shorty." Gin pouted. "I'm sorry, meow."

She sighed, shoving her dinnerware aside and standing up. "Thanks, anyway. At least you didn't try to feed me any bullshit." She grinned. "Try not to die, Gin. You're the only tolerable person here."

He mewled in confusion as she walked away. "Me!? Aren't you best friends with Cotton Candy, woof?"

She answered him with a chuckle. "Guess you could say that. See ya."

And she disappeared around the corner. Gin wished dearly for the company of Big Sis Anzu.'She never walks off like that! I'm tired of everybody trying to act all dark and mysterious! Isn't this place weird enough already!?'

Gin huffed, gathering Mew-chan into his arms, and made to search for her. Before he could get very far, however, he picked up some voices coming from the direction of the monitor room.

"... like I promised." Big Bro Shin? "There's a viewing station in here, apparently, but Alice…"

"Shin Tsukimi." Stripey was there, too? Gin huddled against the wall near the room's entrance, eyes narrowed. "You are doing me a great service. For that, I thank you. But please don't doubt me in the eleventh hour."

Big Bro Shin sighed. "Okay. Here."

Peeking around the corner, Gin watched as Big Bro Shin handed something over to Stripey. They looked like small disks; the kind his mom would put into the DVD player on movie nights.'No way they're watching movies, though…'Gin's eyes widened.'Wait. Didn't I see those in the prize exchange?'

"H-Hey!" The protest slipped out, Stripey and Big Bro Shin whirling in duplicate to face him. "Th-Those things are dangerous, woof! Have you guys gone crazy!?"

"Gin," Big Bro Shin said dumbly. "Wh-Where the hell-?"

"I'm serious, meow! You shouldn't be messing with those!" Gin made to grab them, but Stripey jerked them out of reach.

"Watch those claws!" he growled. "This macabre dealing hardly concerns you, boy. Begone!"

"No way, woof!" Gin growled right back. "Those are the victim videos, aren't they!? Don't those show people dying, nya!?"

Stripey's expression grew tight and cold. He turned away, clutching them with pale fingers.

"Gin," Big Bro Shin said, recovering from his shock. "Leave Alice alone. There's… something he needs to see." The scrawny man's eyes refused to meet Gin's own.

Gin's jaw tightened. "Then I'm watching too, woof."

Big Bro Shin's eyes widened. "Not a chance."

"I've already seen ugly, awful things, meow," Gin forced through grit teeth. "You're not gonna make me leave."

"That's no reason to…" Big Bro Shin trailed off, brow twitching.

Stripey huffed. "If you'll not impede me, Gin Ibushi, then you may stay. Shin Tsukimi trusts you, and I'll risk it myself." His eyes narrowed. "Do not make me regret doing so." He turned to the console in the middle of the room and inserted the first disk.

"You're just putting it in, huh?" Big Bro Shin muttered. He sighed. "Last chance, Gin. You don't have to see this."

"Neither do you, meow." Gin scowled. "If this is gonna help us, then I wanna be here too. If it's not, then you shouldn't have to watch it by yourselves anyway, woof!"

Big Bro Shin softened. "You're braver than me, Gin."

The screen lit up, and Gin grimaced, thinking of Big Sis Mai's face and voice ripped from her, done up in a cheap imitation.

He blinked harshly, squeezing Mew-chan until the discomfort of the thought subsided.

"Wh-Why…?"a squeaky, effeminate voice leaked from the monitor, faint and strained. "Kanna… can't understand…"

"God…" Big Bro Shin choked. The girl on screen couldn't have been any older than Hinako, her face twisted in agony, blood leaking from her mouth. Her lower body was shredded; ugly chunks of dangling meat dripping from between the gaps of her fingers.

Gin tightened his face mask, feeling ill at the thought of the smell.

"Mom… Dad… Sis…ter…" The girl's warm blue eyes iced over, blood and drool leaking from the corner of her lips. "Kanna's… so sorry…"

The girl went still, then silent.

"That's," Big Bro Shin managed, "Kanna, then. I guess I shouldn't be surprised; Gin and Hinako are children as well…"

"But it's hard to visualize a child dying." Stripey's fists clenched. "Right up until you see it. I pray we'll find the opportunity to alert this girl's family."

"I hope, nya," Gin whispered.

Big Bro Shin sighed. "We didn't even learn anything from this. What a waste of life."

"No, that's wrong, Big Bro Shin." Gin swallowed. "We learned what Kanna looked like, nya. We learned… We learned that she had a sister a-and parents who she w-wanted to see again…"

"Gin," the older man put a warm hand on Gin's shoulder, thumb rubbing small circles into the fabric of his cape. "There's two more. I know you probably won't… but I'm still giving you the option to leave."

Gin rocked his head. "No, meow. I still wanna know about Shunsuke and Keiji and Naomichi a-and…"

Stripey's fists tightened as he changed disks, expression thunderous.'...Reko. I've never heard Stripey so quiet.'

The convict's silence wouldn't last long. The screen lit up again, and another victim came into view.

"Reko…?" Stripey's pupils dilated, and he stepped backward.

A woman, adorned with a leather vest and far too many piercings, struggled violently against her restraints. Her arms were locked behind her back with metal shackles, and her chin dripped with a cascade of sweat.

"G-God fuckin' dammit…"she rasped.'Can't fuckin' end like this. I ain't… fuckin' done yet. Fuck. Shit… Fuck!"

She writhed and squirmed some more, but Gin could hardly pay attention by then.

Stripey looked awful; hands quaking violently at his sides, eyes glued to the screen, chest pumping harshly as he sucked in breaths through his mouth.

'This… is his sister, isn't it? The singer lady…'

Big Bro Shin's hand slammed down upon the console right as Stripey's sister gasped in agony, the blood vessels in her eyes near to bursting. Gin wasn't sure if that expression was any worse to freeze upon than her inevitable moment of death.

"Th-This is," Stripey choked, trembling in place, as though he was naked in the snow, "a deception…"

"Alice…"

Stripey's eyes sharpened into something primal and dangerous. Gin stepped away, swallowing.

"Play it," said the convict, toneless.

"No." Big Bro Shin made to eject the disk.

"Play it!" Stripey marched forward, yet Big Bro Shin stood firm against the taller, stronger man. "Dammit, listen to me, Shin Tsukimi! Reko cannot die!"

Big Bro Shin ejected the disk. "I'm sorry, Alice. This is why I didn't want to do this." He averted his eyes. "I was right. And I'm not going to let you watch this."

Stripey's hand shot out, clutching Big Bro Shin's scarf. He pulled him in close, features twisted with rage. "Give me that disk."

"... No."

Gin swallowed, afraid to move lest he be crushed under the sudden pressure. "S-Stop it, mew…"

Stripey's gaze flickered. His grasp loosened. The rest of his body followed.

The convict didn't seem imposing anymore. The look of him made Gin think back to when he'd lose his parents in a store, the world becoming so suddenly monolithic.

"I…" the man's jaw worked, but the words which usually seemed to flow from him like water from a spigot never came.

Stripey, slowly, clutched his head and wandered out of the room.

"I've never seen Stripey like that, mreowr…" Gin whispered. "He's like a deflated balloon or something…"

"I'm," Big Bro Shin's jaw tightened, and he tucked the disk into his jacket, "I'm going after him. If he wants to be alone, then he'll let me know. I just don't…" He sighed. "I don't want him to be alone right now. Especially once this sinks in. That… was definitely Reko Yabusame."

"I'd figured that out, meow," Gin said, taking solace in Mew-chan's comforting weight.

"Yeah, I know." Slowly, enough that Gin could hear his breaths, Big Bro Shin left the room.

A single disk sat, unused, upon the console.

Gin stared.

'Should I…?'Gin's tongue slid over his lips, smoothing the chapped flesh.'I don't have to watch it all the way through. I can just pause it before it gets bad…'

Gin inserted the disk. The screen lit up.

A tall, broad-shouldered man appeared on screen, down on his knees; chains hooked around his torso, his neck, and every limb.

He took deep, slow breaths, though his face was slick with sweat."You know, I didn't expect any better of someone like you."He grinned, crinkling the blindfold wrapped across his eyes.'But somehow, I'm still disappointed. It's almost funny."

Gin wasn't sure who he was talking to, nor who he even was, given the three names left on the blackboard all belonged to adult males.'Aren't the First Trials supposed to be winnable? Like the attractions.'An awful chill crept along Gin's spine, kissing the ridges.'How was this guy supposed to escape…?'

"What's wrong, Chief?'the man continued.'Nothing to say to an old friend? How lonely."

"... I'm sorry."

Gin froze.

"Save the empty words, Megumi,"the man sneered, lip twitching in distaste."Show some respect for the people you kill, would you? I'll be waiting for you."

"'Waiting'?"These tapes showed people who didn't make it. Big Sis Megumi wouldn't let somebody die. It didn't make any sense. Nothing made sense.

The man chuckled shakily, chest heaving."Yeah, deep down in hell. Circle Nine. It fits us, don'tcha think?"

The policewoman went quiet.

"Never could explain yourself. You'll rot, Sasahara."

And a timer Gin could not see reached a close, and the chains grew taught against the walls of the room, dragging the man's body parts along with them. It wasn't an immediate thing, though it was over within seconds; Gin saw the flesh as it pulled and tore away from itself, like he would do with chewing gum once it had lost its flavor.

Gin's mind buzzed with incomprehension.'It's a lie, isn't it? It has to be. They're trying to make us hate Big Sis Megumi, because she's…'

The Megumi on screen cut off his thought process when she stepped into frame, her raven hair hogging the view.

"Keiji,"she muttered."You shouldn't have gotten involved. You only have yourself to blame."

The camera cut.

For a long time, Gin only stared at the black screen, waiting for an answer.

His reflection held its silence.

Big Sis Anzu was the one to shake him from his stupor, plopping down next to him on the couch he sat upon, beaming grin at the ready.

When he had woken up to his First Trial, his favorite color was orange.

"Hey, Gin!" she grinned. "I'd been hoping to catch you! We haven't done an attraction for a while, have we? D'ya wanna help me out?"

Looking at her, he found that yellow was really growing on him. Gin forced a happy demeanor, glad - not for the first time - that the majority of his face was hidden. "Okay, meow."

"Gin?" Big Sis Anzu's head tilted like a puppy's. "Are you feeling okay? We don't have to, yet…"

Maybe he didn't quite stick the landing, but Gin wasn't going to allow Big Sis Anzu to have any more worries dragging her down; not when she, like all the rest of them, had to live in constant fear for her life.

"I'm fine, meow!" Gin insisted. "I'm just… w-worried that we won't have any attractions left, woof! What if I get stuck with Cotton Candy!?"

"Oh!" Internally, Gin melted at her trust. "I totally get it! Um, I've got Quick Draw and Stay On Target left." She pressed her hands together, expression pleading. "Please tell me you've got one of those?"

Gin never failed to marvel at how quickly she could lift his spirits, even if Megumi's betrayal still stung like needles through his brain, ending in the rears of his eyes.

"Let's do Stay On Target, Big Sis Anzu!"

"Yay!" she cheered, fists pumping. She stopped mid-thrust, blinking. "Wait, it's scary. I shouldn't cheer."

Gin smiled.

"I'm guessing we stand on that light? It's kinda big, don't ya think?"

"I think we're just small, meow."

"Rude."

"A-Ah… It's moving, woof!"

"Don't step on my shoes! My dad made them for me!"

"Gin, do you have a minute?" The voice came suddenly, slicing through the pleasant buzz of his chatter with Big Sis Anzu.

Gin froze in place, not turning around. Big Sis Anzu had no qualms in doing so.

"Oh, Megumi!" She waved. "What's up?"

The policewoman's gaze seemed darker than usual. Gin didn't know, however, if he could trust his own perception of her anymore.

"Just a little business proposal," the policewoman said, no hint of humor tracing her face nor decorating her voice. "Want to unload the last of my own Me-Tokens. I won't even ask for much in return. You interested?"

Big Sis Anzu opened her mouth to respond.

Vicious and clawing, unease tore through Gin's chest. He had sworn to protect her. He should trust her. To betray her would invalidate every action he had taken to redeem himself.

(The man's skin stretched like taffy before it tore.)

Gin shifted Mew-chan into his left hand, tugging insistently at Big Sis Anzu's sleeve. Her eyes flickered to him, eyebrows twitching in concern.

Jaw tight, Gin shook his head once, the motion small and hardly noticeable.

Big Sis Anzu caught it, and though Gin could clearly see the questions forming in her gaze, she nodded back.

"S-Sorry, Megumi," she said. "I'm not doing any more trading."

"If you're worried about your personal information-"

"I'm not!" Big Sis Anzu grinned nervously. "I just don't wanna trade. N-No hard feelings, ha…"

Megumi stepped forward, hair falling over her eyes as her head tilted down to meet their gazes. "What about you, Gin?"

Gin wasn't sure his voice would work if he tried to use it. Mutely, he shook his head.

"I see." Megumi turned her back to them. Gin couldn't read her body language. He was afraid to catch her scent, not knowing how the context would affect it. "Very well."

Then she was gone.

"Gin?" Big Sis Anzu squeezed his hand. "What's the matter…?"

"I'm," he started, unable to meet her eyes, like he was unadorned, the armor of his costume absent, "I'm going to go lie down, Big Sis Anzu. I don't feel very good, meow."

"... O-Okay."

A commotion stirred Gin from his daze.

"... Alice! Where are you going!?" Big Bro Shin's voice leaked through the poorly soundproofed door. "Hey, Alice! Quit ignoring me!"

Gin edged his door open, peeking through the crack. Stripey was on the warpath; a set to his shoulders and a manic fire in his eyes. Gin thought back to Big Sis Mai's expression right before she had made a break for it.

Gin swallowed, feeling bile rise to lick the back of his tongue. He could smell the imminent death.

"Big Bro Shin," Gin flung open the door, sweat slickening his mittens to where he could hardly keep them on. "Where's Stripey going, woof!?"

"I- I don't know," Big Bro Shin said, not stopping in his paces. Gin scuttled after him. "He was doing okay for a while, but… he just got thislook, a-and he ran off." His jaw clenched. "I think I messed up. How was I supposed to know what to say?"

'You did alright with me, Big Bro Shin.'

The trail ended at the medical office, where Stripey stood tall before a cowering Safalin, nails digging grooves into her desk.

"Tell me everything, witch," he demanded, voice tight and low, breaking occasionally with the rage he seemed to be barely holding at bay. "Everything about this place; who you work for, where we are, why…"

"Why Reko Yabusame is dead?" Safalin offered, sniffling.

"You don't have therightto say that name!" Stripey screeched, grabbing the too-wide collar of her strange one-piece sweater. "Curb your damned tongue, unless your next words are the information I demand!"

"I- I should warn you, Alice, violence against floormasters is strictly-"

Stripey tightened his grip, drawing her in close. "Curb your tongue," he hissed, punctuating each word. "You- You killed Reko. Made a damned snuff video out of it. Give me the boon of information, and I'll be gracious enough to kill you quickly."

"Alice, you're hurting. It's so terribly human," Safalin sighed. "Please understand that, although we're on opposite sides, I'd like to ease your burdens. I have-"

Gin flinched backwards as Stripey slammed Safalin's head against her desk. "You want to die slowly, then? Very well. I shall enjoy this."

"A-Alice," the Crying Doll spluttered. "Miley would have already activated your collar. I'm being exceedingly generous to you. But if you do that again, I'll have no choice…"

"You'll kill me?" Stripey laughed. Something dripped from the bottom of his chin to splash against the carpet, silent. "Is death supposed to frighten me? I have no freedom, no family; nothing but the shackles you and your people never bothered to remove. You won't frighten me with a threat so paltry."

Yet, just as Alice moved to seal his fate, just as Gin and Big Bro Shin both broke free from their paralysis to stop him, a dull, squeaky voice cut through the tension.

"That's your resolve, Old-Timer?"

Stripey halted. For a long, interminable moment, silence reigned.

"Hinako Mishuku?" Stripey muttered.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" the middle schooler asked, storming into the room, commanding more presence than the fully grown adults in the room. "What are you going to accomplish here?"

"I- I'm," Stripey struggled for words, Safalin still leaning limply in his grip. "What are you saying, girl?"

Shorty just smirked, slate eyes hollow. "You're trying to die, aren't you? You thought you'd go out in a blaze of glory or something?"

"Hinako Mishuku," Stripey growled. "Leave. This business is no concern of yours."

"Can you really say that with a straight face?" she asked. "Anything anyone does here is a concern of everyone else here. I figured you were smart enough to know that. Have you forgotten that we're killing each other?"

"And if that's the case, then why are you concerned with preserving my life? What worth has it to you!?"

"It doesn't," she said simply. "That's why we're connected, Old-Timer. Our lives have no worth. At least, that was true until we woke up here."

"What do you mean by that, Hinako?" Big Bro Shin interjected. "You're concerning me."

"Then be concerned. Not like it matters." Shorty grinned. "Old-Timer, you gonna put the strange lady down?"

Stripey stared down at her for a long moment, expression inscrutable. "Give me a reason," he said.

"Because dying here won't help anyone. You'll die having accomplished nothing but death. Anyone can do that. But if you just wait for one more day, Old-Timer," Shorty's expression grew blank, "then you can take a slot that would go to Gin or Shin here, in your absence."

"Th-That's not…" Big Bro Shin murmured. Gin would have voiced his agreement had his tongue been somewhere other than the pit of his gut.

The air grew tense again as Shorty and Stripey stared each other down, equally unyielding. Finally, finally, Stripey released his grip on Safalin's collar.

"Make no mistake," he said at length. "The moment I find an opportunity to kill any of the ones who did this, I will take it. I make you no promise, Hinako Mishuku."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Shorty said, turning her back to them all. "I can't bear the weight of a promise, anyway."

She left the room. Silently, Stripey followed.

Safalin rubbed her throat. "Ah, I suppose I should thank Miss Hinako for that." She turned her attention to the two remaining participants. "Oh, Gin, have you reconsidered my offer?"

Gin dragged Big Bro Shin away to do the last attraction. He was tired.

"So," Safalin said, having gathered them all in the common room, voice not suited to addressing crowds. "I, um, I gathered you all here b-because-"

"Dammit, don't tell me we gotta do the next Main Game!?" Cotton Candy moaned. "I'm tired! I wanna go to bed!"

"N-No, that's not it," Safalin assured hurriedly. "It's just, you deserve a reward for all your hard work! E-Everyone's gathered their Clear Chips dutifully, and such labor makes one amass… a-an aroma."

Shorty scoffed. "So you called us all out here to tell us we smell? Lovely as always, Safalin."

"N-No! It pertains to the reward!" Safalin sniffled. "W-We've taken the liberty of drawing you up a hot bath. A-And with an equal gender divide, neither side will feel lonely."

"Great," Shorty muttered. "Getting naked with the cop and the gal-pals. No better way to spend my evening."

Megumi's eyes narrowed. "You said 'we.' Who's this 'we' you're referring to?"

"You're missing the point!" Big Sis Anzu squeaked. Volume lowering, she muttered, "don't do anything that'll get our bath taken away! I've reeked for days, and everybody's been too nice to mention it!"

"I have."

Big Sis Anzu wilted. "Except Hinako."

"I don't trust this at all, woof!" Gin proclaimed, though his heart of hearts yearned for cleanliness. "Who's to say that this isn't a scheme to drown us all!?"

"Gin, if they wanted to kill us, then they could do it at anytime," Big Bro Shin said, gesturing to his collar. "They need us to go out one by one, for some reason. I feel like this kindness, at least, might be genuine."

"W-Well, aren't you cheerful," Cotton Candy muttered. "Can't wait to hop in the bath with you."

Samurai Girl hummed. "Well, I wouldn't complain. I've wanted to play with Anzu's hair since we met." The girl herself turned cherry red at that. "What do you think, Megumi? Is this a trap?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she shook her head. "You all can do whatever you wish. Take the chance to relax while you still have it. But I need to stay vigilant."

"What, and leave you unattended while we all splash around, doing each other's hair?" Shorty sneered. "Get in the bath, cop. Might loosen that stick from your ass."

"Miss Mishuku, I don't need that attitude from you."

"I don't care what you need. If you opt out, I'm keeping my eye on you the whole time."

"I," Megumi sighed. "Okay. I'll concede. We'll take the bath."

Big Sis Anzu and Cotton Candy cheered. Everybody else stared at them. They wilted as one.

Big Bro Shin hummed in amusement. He turned his gaze to Gin, holding a hand out. "Well?"

Gin took his hand, and let the older man guide him to the male baths.

"Huh," Cotton Candy muttered as they disrobed, except for, notably, Gin himself. Everyone besides the boy stared in bewilderment at the animal-themed scuba gear. "I just realized something. I barely know you guys." He coughed. "Well, I know you, Alice, because of Hinako. And I talked to Gin, like, once. I don't think I've ever talked with you, uh…"

"Shin," the man supplied, eyebrow quirked.

"Sorry, Shin." Cotton Candy cleared his throat. "I'm just realizing that I've spent all my time here hanging out with girls."

"So?"

"Well, I'm not used to it!" Cotton Candy glared. "I mean, I barely count Hinako as a girl, so she doesn't really count. But Sara and Anzu? Megumi? They make me feel like my face is melting at the sight of forbidden knowledge. Ark of the Covenant style, y'know?"

"I don't know," Big Bro Shin said. "They're just girls. When you grow up, they'll stop seeming so scary."

"Man, I hope." Cotton Candy sighed. "I don't really know much about Anzu, but Sara makes me wanna curl up in a ball and die." He blinked. "Like, in a good way. Sorry, I don't know what I'm talking about. I'll shut up now."

Stripey scoffed. "How vacuously teenaged." Finished washing, he retreated to the corner of the bath.

Cotton Candy sighed. "Yet again, my words blow in the wind, forgotten and foregone."

"Don't worry, Cotton Candy," Gin purred. "I was listening, woof! Your biggest weakness is girls!"

"One: not true. Two: stop calling me that. Three: why are you cataloging my weaknesses?"

"Mraowr? What'd you say, Cotton Candy? I can't hear you, woof!" Gin said as he slid into the bath, dipping under the water.

Cotton Candy sighed. "Brat. One day, you'll know my pain."

Gin bobbed back up. "Doubt it, meow!" He dipped back underneath.

"Well, I suppose that's my cue to get in," said Big Bro Shin, sliding into the water himself.

Cotton Candy reiterated his favorite vocal expression, standing up. "And the line dividing myself and the other men draws sharply before me." He shook his head, sliding into the bath. "Is it any wonder I've been hanging out with the girls?"

He retreated to his own corner of the bath, leaving Gin and Big Bro Shin opposite the other men.

"This is surprisingly nice," Big Bro Shin sighed, relaxing against the rim of the bath. "I haven't had any reason to go to a public bath since I was a kid."

"Lucky that they make these ugly collars waterproof, woof."

"Yeah," the older man sighed, tugging at his collar. "I wouldn't usually say this, but let's forget about the collars for now. This is our last chance to relax before," his eyes sharpened, pained, "well, before this becomes a game of survival again."

"Do," Gin started, biting his lip, "do you really think Shorty and Stripey are gonna go through with it, mew? What they were saying-"

Big Bro Shin put a hand on his shoulder. "I hope not, but we'll talk about it later. Right now, we can pretend. At least for a little while."

'But how can I do that, when Mister Q-taro and Mister Mishima should be in here with us?'Gin didn't voice the thought, wanting to obey Big Bro Shin's wish.

"You know," Big Bro Shin muttered, "I never told you how much I appreciate it."

"Mreowr?"

"Everything you do, Gin. You're unbelievably resilient. I," Big Bro Shin swallowed, looking up at the high ceiling as though it contained the answer for whatever question he was asking himself, "I have a sibling."

"You do, woof!?" Gin gasped. "H-Have I been encroaching on their territory!?"

"No, no," he quickly assured. "I never met them. Don't know whether they're younger or older, whether they're a boy or a girl. Honestly, I don't even know why my parents gave them up. I only know about it because I eavesdropped on them as a teenager." He sighed. "Never worked up the courage to confront them about it."

"Are you hoping to find them, meow?"

"Yeah, if they'd want to see me," Big Bro Shin admitted. "They've lived a whole life without Shin Tsukimi barging in. And if I've been targeted for whatever they're trying to accomplish here," Big Bro Shin gestured around himself, "then I'm kinda glad we've never met. At least they're safe, away from me."

"You don't know that, Big Bro Shin. I don't think that their life would be worse if you guys met, woof." Gin swallowed. "I- I know I'd be really happy if you were my sibling, meow."

Big Bro Shin smiled. "Me too, Gin. I'd be glad too."