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Executing Second Victim Conference…
Gin awoke with a start, leaping to his feet. He groaned miserably, shaking the pins and needles out of his arm; apparently it didn't get the urgency.
He suspected he had become far too well-adjusted to suddenly passing out.
"Here we are," came Uncle Crabstache's voice. Gin's head whipped around to meet the monitor at the far end of the table. Gin felt about as hungry as he had the first time around, seeing the food upon it. "The Second Main Game. Do you have anything you'd like to say, Safalin?"
"N-Not particularly," she replied, half out of frame. She sure wasn't photogenic, Gin figured.
"Very well. I'll go over the rules briefly, for the benefit of anyone who might have allowed the details to slip their mind." He cleared his throat. "Through a majority vote, one person among you shall be chosen as a Sacrifice. To preface this, half of the living candidates will be nominated for the role. As there are eight of you alive, this will be four."
He smiled. Gin poked disgruntledly at a turkey leg, half-ignoring him. "To avoid a droll game of chance, we have assigned each of you a role, which you traded amongst each other quite sublimely. The Commoner role, which as its name implies, is the most common card, has no special attributes. It is up to them to lead the conversation to a truthful conclusion."
Gin sniffed at a bowl of pudding, gagging when he realized it hadn't been refrigerated properly.
"The Keymaster is the Alpha and the Omega. Without them, all is lost. As such, every candidate will die should they be voted out."
Gin almost wished for the Sage again. At least he would tell the truth about it. He hated he knew already that someone was going to lie about the Keymaster.
"The Sage is a respected and dignified role. Through eyes sealed to most mortals, they divine the identity of the Keymaster. Should they lie about such holy knowledge, we shall smite them where they stand."
Gin shivered. Had he gotten away on a technicality last time? He hoped whoever had the Sage would be a bit more discerning.
"Finally, we have the Sacrifice: fuel for the continued survival of the masses. However, they are clever. Blessed with two votes, the Sacrifice, should they be voted for, has the authority to save themself and their chosen vessel at the cost of all other participants within the grounds."
Melon Soda Lady cleared her throat, nervously stepping further into frame. "W-We should mention… There is an order of priority for the roles, in regards to ties. Keymaster, Sacrifice, Sage, Commoner." She grinned nervously. "F-For example, if the Keymaster and Sacrifice were to tie, the Keymaster wins priority and all shall perish. Meanwhile, if two Commoners tie, both will die."
Crabstache nodded. "Thank you, Safalin. Now that you've refreshed yourselves, feel free to enter the grounds at any time." He smiled, head twisting on its axis in a manner that could not possibly have been comfortable. "Ensure you don't take too long, however, lest you find that the Main Game has moved on without you."
That sounded nice. Gin could also identify an incredibly thinly veiled death threat when he heard one. Anxiety slumping his shoulders, he padded into the Game Grounds.
Gin's mood lifted along with himself, as Big Sis Anzu embraced him tightly, twirling him around.
"Gin!" she cheered, setting him down as her hands settling upon his shoulders. "You okay? My gut's feeling better," her face fell, looking around the grounds, "but the rest of me's way worse…"
Gin hummed, biting his lip. He scanned the grounds, noticing immediately the three missing podiums. His gaze moved to the other participants: Shorty, still grimacing at her lowered stand; Stripey beside her, shoulders tense; Samurai Girl; Megumi; Cotton Candy, wherever he had been the past few hours.
"Where's Big Bro Shin?" he wondered, detaching from Big Sis Anzu.
Uncle Crabstache hummed, adjusting his tie. "Will that be it, then? We'll be starting momentarily…"
"Hey, wait a second!" Anzu called. "Shin's not here yet!"
"If he chooses not to participate, then his will shall be obeyed." Crabstache grinned. "Though he will forfeit further games, as well…"
"I'm here," came Big Bro Shin's voice, and Gin slumped in relief. "Have a little patience."
The man wandered into the grounds, hands coming to rest on either side of the first podium he spotted. Gin, tugging Big Sis Anzu along, skittered up to him.
"Big Bro Shin?" he probed. "Are you alright?"
The man stayed, staring blankly at the wood of his podium.
"Big Bro Shin?"
"Let's just get this over with."
Gin swallowed, stomach twisting at the sharp turn in mood.
"Ah, I see you've decided to participate after all, Mister Tsukimi," said Crabstache, the grease in his voice practically leaking from his mouth. "Excellent."
Shin said nothing.
"Well then, let's begin. You've seventy minutes to decide on your candidates."
The newly familiar silence descended eerily upon the crowd. Gin set Mew-chan neatly on his podium, wringing his mittens together uncomfortably.
"Well," Big Sis Shorty began. "I'll-"
"W-Wait," Gin whimpered.
"Hey." Her eyes met his, cold and gray as freezing metal. "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt somebody? Or am I too much of a loser to be allowed my say?"
Gin wondered if there was a rock-eating competition on the next floor: he certainly felt well prepared. He ducked his gaze, guilt clawing at his innards.
"Say your piece, Hinako Mishuku," Stripey said.
"I want to be considered for the Candidate Vote. That's all." She sighed. "Blind, dumb emotion nearly got us all killed last time around. So even if you're all 'morally opposed,' at least allow me as an option. There's eight of us left, and there'll only be six in less than two hours."
Silence reigned again.
"Alright," Megumi sighed. "Hinako is our first pick, then?"
"W-Wait," Gin muttered, not wanting to undermine Big Sis Shorty's choice again. Yet that ugly feeling still simmered within him, waiting for any spark to touch its fuse.
Stripey chuckled lowly. "So swift you are, Inspector Sasahara, to throw a young life away. Is such cold calculation commonplace in your profession?"
Megumi side-eyed him, unimpressed. "Do you have a point to share, Yabusame? Or are you just wasting our time?"
"Wasting our time?" Stripey's brow raised. "Why, Inspector! We've not been talking for five minutes and you've already solidified a fourth of our selection. I'm hardly one to tarry - you simply blaze through discussion at the speed of a bullet train."
She sighed. "Seventy minutes runs dry quickly when we continuously become side-tracked. No one has even mentioned the role cards yet, and we've got seven trades to sift through. Selecting our candidates as soon as possible - especially when we'll have at least two true options for the Final Vote - is only right, don't you think?"
"But that's just the thing, isn't it?" Samurai Girl asked. "If the Keymaster and certainly the Sacrifice end up in the final vote, we'll severely limit our options. Isn't now the best time to puzzle out the roles, while we still have time?"
"Nah," Cotton Candy said, wilting under Samurai Girl's glare. "Uh, sorry to disagree with you, Sara, but…" He shook his head. "Trying to pry open everybody's role right now, when everybody has a reason to lie about it? As much as I'd like to, ah, air my grievances… It just seems like it's going to turn into a big, ugly shouting match."
"He's right," Big Bro Shin sighed. "Certainly the Sage would have no motivation to be honest, as the safest vote. Maybe the real Keymaster, but we saw how hotly contested that role is." He glared at Samurai Girl and Megumi in turn; only the former had the sense to look ashamed. "And the Sacrifice… Well, I don't really need to elaborate, do I?"
Big Sis Anzu groaned. "What a headache. Gashu was saying the Commoners gotta lead the discussion in a truthful way or something like that, but what do we even talk about? I don't want this to turn into a popularity contest…"
"Well, there's one thing we could start with," Big Sis Shorty hummed. "You just implied you're a Commoner, right?"
"Huh? I thought we agreed not to pry into anybody's roles yet!"
"Nobody agreed to anything." Big Sis Shorty's gaze grew dark. "No matter how united you might think we are against the bigger threat: when we're in here, we're all on our own."
"I really don't see what you're getting at," the older girl sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Just let me ask you something, Anzu. Is it true that you didn't trade once?"
"U-Uh, I thought that was pretty obvious, c-considering…"
"Alright. And considering that we were forbidden from using our own tokens at the prize counter or ring-up boxes, that leaves us with a bit of a dilemma."
"What dilemma!? I was conked out for the last three hours! I didn't even do anything!"
"That's exactly the problem." Big Sis Shorty grinned humorlessly. "You were too out of it to notice that your wallet was swiped."
"What!? It's right," Big Sis Anzu patted her skirt, "h-here…"
Stripey scoffed. "Preying on a defenseless little girl. Despicable."
"Oh, no," Samurai Girl groaned. "That means…"
"Yeah," Cotton Candy agreed, nodding his head solemnly. "Uh, what does that mean?"
Big Sis Shorty rolled her eyes. "It means, Ranmaru, that we have no way to narrow down whose role is whose. Anybody here could have swiped a free two hundred tokens, and said anybody could have split those with whoever they liked."
"So even a person with no tokens left," Megumi realized, "could have traded at least four times."
"H-Hey, I'm innocent!" Big Sis Anzu protested. "It was my wallet they swiped!"
"Nobody's suspecting you, Anzu," Samurai Girl said, not unkindly.
"G-Good."
"That still leaves us with seven suspects," Megumi said. "Does anybody know when the wallet was swiped?"
Big Sis Shorty sighed. "Could've been at any point. I only saw that it was gone in the last hour, so we've got two unaccounted hours left."
"Hey, wait a sec!" Big Sis Anzu yipped. "How come you knew my wallet was gone to begin with, Hinako?"
"Hmm?"
"It's a good question," Samurai Girl added. "Just what were you doing to have figured out Anzu's wallet disappeared?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Hinako asked, raising an eyebrow. "I was trying to steal it myself."
"Wh-What!?" Big Sis Anzu choked. "What the heck, kid!?"
"Relax," she sighed, her mouth twisting at the sudden onslaught of stares. "I wasn't doing anything nefarious. I needed tokens to get my Sacrifice back."
"'Get your Sacrifice back'?" Megumi repeated. "So it was taken from you?"
"Yeah." Big Sis Shorty's eyes darkened. "You should be thanking me, Clown Girl. Apparently, they thought it was hilarious to give a victim of poison the Sacrifice."
"I- I had the…?"
"Not since the first trade, unless it found its way back to you." Big Sis Shorty sighed. "Guess we'll know once the Candidate Vote's taken care of. I highly doubt anybody's gonna vote for you, this time around."
"Whaddya mean, 'this time around'!?" Big Sis Anzu took a deep breath, her reddened face drawing back to pale. "I- I mean… Thanks, Hinako. You didn't have to do that for me."
"Damn straight I didn't. Maybe I just wanted control of the Sacrifice."
The older girl rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! I'm trying to be genuine."
Big Sis Shorty fought back a blush. Unsuccessfully, given Gin could tell. "Yeah, yeah, whatever…"
"So that's the first trade then?" Samurai Girl asked. "I know we're not trying to figure them out just yet, but knowing that Hinako had the Sacrifice, and at some point lost it…"
"It's helpful," Big Bro Shin said. "Don't worry, Sara. I'm keeping good track of it all."
Megumi hummed. "Six suspects, then. We can cross off Hinako, and Anzu's the victim."
"I notice you're not excluding yourself, Inspector," Alice remarked.
"As though you wouldn't all be immensely suspicious should I do such a thing?"
"Touchè."
"Anzu," she continued, pivoting her addressal to Gin's neighbor, "were you lucid at any point during that three hour period? Do you remember anybody coming in?"
"Um, Gin and Hinako were there pretty early on." She blinked. "Oh! Hinako, you were playing with my tablet! Is that how you found out my role!?"
Big Sis Shorty twirled a lock of hair around her finger, avoiding eye contact. "'Playing'? Jeez, you're making me sound like a little kid."
Big Sis Anzu giggled. "Well, anyway, those two were there. Um, I remember seeing Shin as well. I think he was keeping watch while I was recovering. Thanks, Shin!"
Big Bro Shin tucked his beanie over his eyes.
Megumi hummed. "Thatwouldnarrow it down, if we were more certain of the time frame. Whenever it was taken, it would have had to been whenever somebody was alone with an unconscious Anzu."
Megumi's words clicked right into place. Gin's eyes widened, remembering.
'You better not slack off now, Big Bro Shin! Look after Big Sis Anzu!'
Gin had come back to the medical bay with Big Sis Shorty in tow. Big Bro Shin had been keeping an eye on Big Sis Anzu.
Gin looked up at him to find Big Bro Shin looking right back. His eyes were dark and heavy, weighed down by some burden Gin wished he could find and tear apart.
Gin blinked in confusion, eyes flickering to Big Sis Anzu. Big Bro Shin's jaw tensed. He shook his head softly and slowly.
"The two best suspects," Megumi's words faded back into Gin's ears, "would likely be Shin and Gin. And with what I know of Gin's character, I highly doubt he would betray his own 'Big Sis' in such a way. Yes, somebody could have certainly slipped into the room unnoticed at some point, but without any evidence to prove such a thing…"
"So you're blaming it on the string-bean?" Ranmaru asked, whistling through his teeth. "That's harsh, ma'am."
"It's deductive reasoning. Unless Mister Tsukimi has anything he'd like to say?"
Big Bro Shin averted his gaze, staring off at a nail-biting Melon Soda Lady. "Does it matter what I say? Seems you've come to a conclusion either way."
'There's no sense in taking more than I need. You're too trusting, Gin.'
Gin remembered the sensation of his tokens piling back into his mittens. He had placed his trust in Big Bro Shin before, and it had not been misplaced.
"Stop!" he cried before he could even realize it. "You've got it all wrong, woof!"
"Gin?" Big Sis Anzu whispered, and his heart squeezed. He hoped she would understand.
"I'm sorry for keeping quiet about it, meow," Gin said, glad he hadn't much to say prior. "But it's not right to let Big Bro Shin take the fall…"
"Huh?" Big Sis Shorty blinked. "It was you?"
"Yeah, I snatched Big Sis Anzu's tokens," he said, biting his cheek. Beside him, Big Bro Shin's eyes widened. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but it's not like she coulda used them anyway, arf!" He shrank a little, rubbing his mittens together. "I just wanted to keep everybody safe, nya. I figured if I had those extra tokens…"
Cotton Candy laughed, smacking a palm against his forehead. "Seriously? What a waste of time! I was actually worried for a minute there!"
Big Sis Shorty glared at him. "This isn't good news for you, Ranmaru. You had enough tokens to trade, either way."
His jaw dropped. "Why would ya gotellingeverybody that!? What'swrongwith you!?"
Samurai Girl sighed. "Either way, we've come to our conclusion, haven't we? Gin was the culprit."
"It would seem that way," Megumi said. Gin swallowed as her gaze narrowed upon him. "I just have to question why exactly he would steal tokens if he wasn't going to make a trade."
What? Was she seriously going to question his motives? Sure, he was lying, but his intentions were never to get anybody hurt! Gin felt those flickering flames in his belly rising up again.
"Hey!" Big Sis Anzu protested. "Lay off him! He's got a point, it's not like I was gonna be using those tokens!"
"He still stole them from you," the policewoman retorted. "You two get on well, don't you? If Gin needed tokens, then surely he could have simply asked." Her eyes narrowed. "The only reason he would take them without anybody knowing would be to make a trade, don't you think? One he wouldn't want Anzu aware of."
Gin's fists clenched, cushioned by his mittens, as his heart pounded hard and wrong. He was almost tempted to pull his hood down, if only to air out his sweat-matted hair.
"That's- That's obviously not true!" Big Sis Anzu protested, gesturing at Gin wildly. "I mean, come on!"
Megumi cocked an eyebrow. "I don't see your point. I'm hesitant to believe Gin has poor intentions, yes, but that doesn't eliminate the possibility."
Boiling, burning,searing,bubbling right beneath his skin.Gin's teeth creaked painfully as they ground down against each other.
"What!?" Big Sis Anzu looked to Samurai Girl helplessly. "Sara! Help me out!"
The other girl worried her lip. "I'd like to… but didn't he admit to stealing from you, Anzu? Whydidhe go behind your back like that?"
"I- He- W-Well…"
Megumi leaned on her hip. "Don't you see my point? Gin's behavior is undeniably suspicious."
"I don't wanna hear that coming fromyou!" Gin roared, glaring daggers into the policewoman.
"Huh?"
"Why do you keep trying to make me look like some sort of bad guy, woof!? You haven't been trustworthy right from the start! I- I even wanted…" Gin felt angry tears prick at his eyes. The inside of his facemask was soaked with spittle. "I wanted to trust you sobadly,but I just can't do it, meow."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "That's a bold assertation about my character, Gin. I don't suppose you have anything to back it up?"
Gin stared back at her, chest heaving. "You already know, don't you, meow?"
She remained silent, posture still.
"A-Ah," Big Sis Anzu squeaked, eyes blown out. Oh, he'd worried her. "Gin? You alright? I know it's stressful when you're under the lens like that, but…"
"I feel," Big Bro Shin spoke up, posture stiffening slightly into something that would give him severe back issues in thirty years, rather than twenty, "that if Gin, out of all of us, has such a strong reason to distrust somebody, we owe him an ear."
Big Sis Shorty laughed, short and bitter. "He certainly doesn't hesitate to speak his mind. If even Gin's been sneaking around, then I'm not sure I even want to know what the Inspector's been up to."
"You've spent too much time with the convict, Miss Mishuku," Megumi refuted, still a breathing photograph. "I fear his negative influence may have tinted your perception of me."
"Gin," Big Bro Shin said, "don't you have something to share?"
Megumi's jaw twitched near imperceptibly as Gin reached hesitantly into his pocket, producing a slim disc.
Stripey sucked a breath in through his teeth. "This…"
"It's a victim video, nya," Gin said, though he couldn't help the feeling he was cantering over uneven ground. "For Keiji."
"Sothat'swhere those went!" exclaimed Cotton Candy. He pursed his lips. "Well, one of them, at least." Samurai Girl punched his shoulder. "Ow."
Megumi's expression remained the same. "And what would that have to do with me?"
"You…" Gin steeled himself. "You were there when it happened, when Keiji died, mew. I didn't even want to say it, but it's like you don't even care, woof! And when you keep lying over and over again…" Gin sniffed, swallowing the lump in his throat. "How am I supposed to trust a word you say, meow?"
Megumi only sighed. "I'm disappointed, Gin. You struck me as smarter than this."
"H-Hey!" Big Sis Anzu barked.
"How quick you are to turn against the boy, Inspector," Stripey laughed. "How black-hearted!"
"Enough," Megumi hissed, nose turning up in a wrinkly sneer. "I don't need a lecture from children and a convict." Her scarlet eyes turned onto Stripey, still grinning that empty grin within his superior air. "I know who you are, Alice Yabusame. I've been exceedingly kind to you, more than anyone in my position should have been. You, of all people, should be grateful I've played my cards close to my chest." She smiled, slim and silver. "Don't you think?"
Stripey stared right back at her, face carefully blank. "There is nothing you might scare me with, Inspector Megumi Sasahara. There is nothing you stand to take from me."
Megumi cracked her neck. "I had only figured, that if we were leading this discussion with blind allegations, my word as an officer of the law might be valued."
"Your word means nothing. Why not let the boy play the video? I'm sure it will be illuminating."
"As illuminating as the crime Alice Yabusame was truly convicted for?"
Stripey stared at her silently, blank expression sending small chills down the length of Gin's spine.
Big Sis Shorty seemed lost. "'Truly'? What… do you mean by that? I thought the Old-Timer was a white-collar criminal."
Megumi laughed, low and throaty. "You really think that's true?"
"Well, it's not as though we can trust your word," Samurai Girl said. "I'd like to see that video. Especially if what Gin claimed was true. If you really stood by as somebody died, Megumi…"
"Then what will you do?" Megumi asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Vote me out?"
"... If it comes to that."
"How cold." The policewoman shook her head. "That's good, though. Ups your chances, I figure. You're a smart girl, Sara. It'd be a shame for this place to claim you."
"Ha. Are you planning to take me with you?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Samurai Girl cocked a hip, matching Megumi's pose. "The way you're acting… It seems a bit familiar. Not quite the same, but you can't quite fly under the radar like Mai."
Gin swallowed, gripping the sides of his podiums. The unforgotten thrum rang true in the edges of his hearing. He took a deep breath.
Megumi quirked an eyebrow. "You're implying I have the Sacrifice?"
Alice scoffed. "Unlikely. The Inspector would hardly put herself at such risk. Especially not with a diversion laying in me."
"Old-Timer?"
"Make your grand announcement if you must, Megumi Sasahara. Your time runs ever thinner in this place."
Megumi stared back at him for a quiet moment. "On that, we can agree."
"H-Hang on a sec!" Big Sis Anzu called. "I'm not, like, the president of Megumi's fanclub or anything… but she still saved us back on the first floor!" Her gaze turned to Gin, thankfully more bewildered than betrayed. "I don't get it, Gin. Just what exactlyhappensin that video that's got you so freaked out?"
"Maybe we should play it," Cotton Candy suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. "I mean, it's better than making Gin tell us if it's really so bad." He craned his neck to look at Melon Soda Lady. "You've got a screen or something? There were plenty of screens in the Last Supper rooms, so I don't see why you wouldn't."
"E-Erm," she dithered. "Could that be seen as outside paraphernalia?" she muttered, biting her lip. "I don't know… Itisrelevant to the discussion… and wedidprovide it… but it's technically Gin's property…"
"I see no reason to be unaccommodating," Crabstache chimed in, stepping before Melon Soda Lady with his greasy hands clasped together. "Mister Ibushi, would you be so kind as to lend me that disc? An excellent use of resources, I must say. Truly ferocious, to chip away your precious time on such incriminatingobjet d'art."
Gin wished he had a comeback to hiss as Crabstache took the victim video, but he was too busy trying to figure out what an object dart was.
"Great. Just what I wanted to see today." Big Sis Anzu gulped. "A snuff film."
A monitor descended impossibly from the heightless ceiling on a thin, mechanical arm. Gashu fiddled with it for a moment, inserting the disc, before turning it towards the participants.
Exactly what Gin had seen before played out, to the letter. From Mister Keiji's calm condemnation to Megumi's sighs of grievance.
Suddenly, every pair of eyes was focused solely on the policewoman.
"You let him die," Big Sis Shorty whispered, gaze lost in something far away. "You as good as killed him yourself."
"What the hell!?" Cotton Candy hissed, lip curling in disgust. "You got an explanation for this, lady!?"
"Presuming," Megumi cut in, cold and authoritative, "that this footage is credible; why would I choose any other course of action? Saving his life would have risked that woman's. She made the correct decision, given the circumstances. No matter how morally outraged you may be."
"'That woman,'" Big Bro Shin echoed, tracing patterns in the dust on his podium. Gin tugged at his pant leg, concerned. He went ignored. "So you'd still deny it, even with video evidence?"
"What evidence?" Megumi cocked her head, matching the tilt of her posture. "The woman's face isn't shown, and the man is an unknown. Have you forgotten about the events of the Arbitration room already?"
"I haven't!" Big Sis Anzu protested. "I really, really haven't!"
"Surely," Samurai Girl said, eyes narrowed, "you have a reason for referencing that?Youractions back there, after all, hardly make you easy to trust."
The policewoman shook her head. "You're too focused on me. Think more about what happened with the one who dredged all this up. He pushed that dummy, don't you recall? A perfectly lifelike imitation of a human being we had spent days with, hidden in our midst. And who was the wiser? That video is nothing but a puppet show." Megumi's eyes narrowed, her piercing eyes painting sweat onto Gin's brow. "You have nothing tangible to prove any wrong-doing on my part. My actions are, and have always been, in the best interest of this group."
"But who's this group going to be," Big Bro Shin wondered, "once your actions have decided our… 'best interests'?"
An eerie silence descended.
"So…" Cotton Candy spoke. "Now that we're done throwing around accusations and talking about my creepy body double's, ah, untimely demise… Aren't we just right back at square one?"
"We need four candidates for the Final Vote," said Samurai Girl. "Hinako's volunteered, though I doubt anyone will actually choose her, this time around."
Gin's brow furrowed.
"Megumi, obviously, should be our next. No matter how elegantly she might have dodged the questions we've been asking her, the fact remains that she's been dodging."
Big Sis Shorty sighed. "So that's two. Great."
"No," Megumi said, scarlet eyes flashing. "We've got three. Surely no one wants to keep the killer around? It's only a matter of time before he escapes his leash."
Gin swallowed. Oh, no.
"... Killer?"
Stripey snarled at the policewoman, teeth shining in the low light. "Inspector-!"
"Though I'm led to believe he already has."
"Hey," Big Sis Shorty said, slate eyes wet and wild. "What do you mean, 'killer'?"
"I mean Alice Yabusame, twenty-six, convicted for the first-degree murder of Sou Hiyori." Megumi grinned nastily. "Who else would I be referring to?"
"'Sou Hiyori,'" Big Bro Shin repeated, snapping out of his daze. Beneath his breath, Gin could hear him mutter, "So he really is…"
"... Murder?" Big Sis Shorty rasped.
Stripey grimaced, clutching his jumpsuit. "Hinako Mishuku."
Big Sis Shorty stared silently at her podium.
"... You must be disgusted." Stripey closed his eyes. "I understand. This pain… it is not new to me."
"Fuck you."
"Do you understand now?" Megumi sighed. "As an officer of the law, I feel ashamed: this isn't information I should have kept close to my chest. However, I see no other choice now but to reveal it."
"And fuck you too." Gin bit his tongue as Big Sis Shorty's nails dug into her palms. "Snakes and liars, everywhere I fucking look. Why the hell do I even care anymore?"
"It's good," Stripey said, eyes still closed and expression serene. "That anger. That passion within you, Hinako Mishuku, can not be so easily snuffed-"
"Oh, just shut thefuck up!" Big Sis Shorty screamed, slamming her fists into her podium, heaving in rage. "Enough of the flowery bullshit, you scumbag! I- I actually thought-" She hissed, wiping her face. Her hands didn't leave, elbows coming to rest on the podium. "I must be stupid or insane; falling for the same trick over and over."
"B-Big Sis Shorty…" Gin whispered.
"Shut," she snarled, one wild eye peeking from between her fingers, "up."
Gin shut up.
"Jeez," Cotton Candy said. "So what if dye-job killed some guy? Gin killed me! Are we about to vote him out? And what about Q-taro, man? Vote out string-beanie over there - he voted for him! Isn't that technically murder?" He shook his head. "Megumi's right. You guys are getting way too worked up over morality when we're supposed to bekilling each other."
Big Sis Anzu scoffed. "Jeez, show a little less warmth and compassion, why don'tcha?"
"I'm just being realistic!"
"Enough!" Samurai Girl cried, pointing at the reverse-hourglasses which comprised their podiums. "Look!"
Uncle Crabstache chuckled. "Astute, Miss Chidouin. Yes, your time is now up. I hope your discussion was most… illuminating."
"Hopeless," Big Bro Shin giggled. "Utterly hopeless. You win again."
Gin tugged on his pant leg again. Again, he went ignored.
"P-Please cast your votes," Melon Soda Lady murmured. "Remember, the penalty for abstinence is death…"
Big Sis Shorty laughed. "Who cares?"
"I do!" Cotton Candy replied, casting his vote hastily.
All around Gin, the others were doing the same.
The ram in him wanted to charge; the dog, to cower; the cat, to slink away. Yet Gin knew now that an adult would put aside enraged, cowardly instincts aside.
Risking a glance at a that stiff, navy blue meercat of a woman, Gin made a call.