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Chapter Text

It's relatively quiet in the subway today. Though as much could be expected for any tuesday after 8pm.

Taking a seat in your regular spot on the train (atleast as regular as it can be, when accounting for the amount of times you had entered the bus to find it occupied), you get comfortable and remove your laptop from your bag, still left unlocked from when you had been working on it for your part time internship just hours earlier.

Now if only you had a car, full trains wouldn't be an issue..

That would probably a good topic to bring up the next time you visit home anyways, as you're sure your mother wouldn't mind helping you out with it, seeing as she was so excited for you to "go out and explore the world" as she had said when you got accepted to this university states away from your hometown.

Tuning out your surroundings, you open the tab for the game 'Your Turn To Die' and load into your most recent save file, the loud squeaking sound of the train derailing almost evading you as the train comes to an unnatural stop, ejecting you violently from your seat.

Though it would later be said to your parents that your death was likely a painless one, you still felt the searing pain in your entire body when you woke up the next morning.

...Morning?

Where were you?

Opening your eyes, you were met with white from every angle.

'Am in in the hospital?'

Quickly recapping the last few moments in your head, you recalled playing a game on your computer, before the train you were in jerked unnaturally, throwing you from your seat and into...

'Oh... so I am in the hospital! I was almost sure I was dead for a moment there.'

Realizing the pain you had been feeling when you first woke up had somehow faded, as if the impact you felt had taken place just seconds ago had somehow been removed like a uncomfortable splinter, you tasked yourself with sitting up.

Only to realize you were completely bound to the mattress you had woken up on, with only your right arm free.

'What the hell? Was I kidnapped by some crazy person?'
'Am I... going to be... killed...?'

This feels weirdly familiar.

"(Name)! Are you there?!"

Who's voice was that?

"Ah! Who are... are you next to me...?!"

Futilely trying to lift your head again, you settle for straining your eyes to look to your left, only to be met with the realization that whoever it is in here with you is too far away to be seen without turning your head. Which you evidently, cannot do.

"Yeah...! But I can't move! Can't you do something?!"

'Who is this idiot? Clearly I would be speaking from over you if I could... gah! this whole situation is so frustrating!'

Internally fuming, you struggle against your restraints as a ring echoes out throughout the white room.

"Uh, hey you! Is that yours ringing?!" You start, after feeling around your bed to no avail.

"Eh...? You're right... Something in my pocket's..."
"Here! Hello?! Whoever you are! Help us!"

...Beginning voiced guidance.

'Huh?'

"The First Trial will now begin. (Name), and, Joe. Find the key hidden in this room. Then, remove your restraints.
If you cannot do so before the time limit expires, the device on the beds will activate...
And your bodies will be crushed with a thud. By all means, please enjoy this thrill with all your body and soul.
The time limit is a healthy 5 minutes. And note that there is only one key, so please discuss who will use it."

'What in the Nankidai is going on here? First trial? Joe? Am I in some kind of Your Turn To Die themed nightmare?'

"Waaaaagh?! What're we gonna do?!"

Furrowing your brows, you begin to speak, trying to remember how this trial is supposed to go.

"Joe! Check your clothes!

"Yikes... When I took the phone from my pocket... I might've dropped somethin'...!"

"No way! Hurry and pick it up!"

"...Got it! Grabbed it! It's the key!!"

'Thank the heavens... It's meant to be for his restraints right?'
'Uhhh sandpaper... Ah I've got it!'

"Hurry and use that key!"

"You sure...?! If I do, you'll..."

'Ugh this dude!'

"Just do it Joe! Hop to it or we'll both die!"

"Okay! Okay! I'll use it...Then I'll save you too!! Definitely!!"

After hurrying to free himself, Joe quickly runs over to me, angling his body over mine before speaking.

'This has gotta be a joke.. Joe? Like actually?'

Unlike his sprite in the original game, you notice Joe is wearing a plain dress shirt with a loose green tie around his partially unbuttoned collar, with his signature dog charm resting in his breast pocket. From this angle you can't tell exactly what pants he's wearing, but you can tell he's wearing some kind of black slacks*.

Huh...

"I'm... I'm gonna try using the key for yours now! Hang in there okay?"

If you're remembering correctly, the key should be..

"Damn it! its too big to fit! Ah... What do I do..."

As expected. Taking a deep breath to steady yourself, You close your eyes and try to recall what the room is supposed to look like before opening your mouth.

"Joe is there... Whats in the room?"

"Uhh there's these numbers on the wall... And a keypad! maybe-"
"No! don't bother with that yet. What else is in here?"

Going quiet for a second, Joe looks around once more, before lowering himself over you again.

"There's some sandpaper, but I really don't know how that will-"
"Joe please let me see that key!"

Obediently, Joe holds the key in front of your face. 'Just as I thought... It was once a green key, and it's got red resin stuck to it!'

"Hey Joe, you think you could scrape off the red from the key using that sandpaper? Look, its a green key with red on it!"

Scrutinizing the key, Joe lets out a small gasp before rushing over to the other side of the room. You can hear the scraping of the key against the sandpaper in the otherwise silent room, before he rushes back over to you, a lopsided grin on his face.

"Alright I've got it!"

Joe quickly inserts the key, before sighing aloud.

"It's unlocked!!"
"Really?!"

"Wait a sec! I'll remove these now!"

Itching to remove yourself from the bed, the moment he finishes removing your restraints you jump to your feet.
Looking down at yourself, you realize that you are wearing the same outfit you had been when you left your internship and got on the train. Your hands don't look like Sara's either, and when you feel your hair, you can tell your hair isn't the same as hers either. So why are you here with Joe, and how does he know you?
'This.... is super weird. But I cant focus on that right now. We need to go.'
Looking around, you quickly see that there is a door wide open.

"Ah, Joe There's a door here... Let's get going now!"
Grabbing his hand, you pull Joe out of the room, and into darkness.

The two of you kept going straight ahead, but as far as you walked, you didn't see any light.
It seemed to be a very... very long hallway. Or maybe you weren't advancing much at all...

Making the choice to start running like hell, you tighten your grip on Joe's hand and make haste.
"Uh, are you sure we should be running? What if we run headfirst into a tra.....aaap!"

Guess you've made it to the drop, then.

Chapter Text

"Hey. Get up."

Is this who you think it is?

"Hellooo? You can't sit there stupefied forever, mx."

Opening your eyes tentatively, you are met with the swoon-worthy face of none other than Keiji Shinogi.

"I'm like... totally dreaming right now... right?"
Ignoring your ramblings, the blonde man outstreches a muscular arm to help you up, and you greatfully take it, looking around as he walks away to another part of the large lobby.

"Who the hell're you guys?! Where even is this?!"
The angry voice of Reko Yabusame echoes throughout the large room, getting your attention.

'Oh no... so this is really happening.'

The redhead Q-Taro Burgerburg runs a hand through his locks, clearly looking distressed. "Like we've got any idea ourselves! Calm down, lady!"

"Is there no one here who can explain?!"

"Just what is going on...? How troubling..."

Quietly watching the crowd of characters, you see when Keiji, who had left from your side to command the bunch begins to talk.

"Now hold on a second! We should confirm what each of us knows."

The young woman in overalls you recognise as Nao Egokoro shakingly grips onto an older mans arm, who you recognise as her old professor Mishima as she tries to interject into the conversation.
"That's all well and good... But I don't even know where this is!"

Misihima gently pats the younger woman's arm in a silent plea for her to let go, before speaking after her.
"I had quite a terrible experience earlier... So I can't remain calm... Mwahaha."

Though you know he is a genuine man, his manner of speaking still makes you uncomfortable, especially with the whole mad scientist look he has going on.

Averting your eyes to the smaller group on the right, you hear an especially restless Reko pulling at her short hair and cursing.
"Graaah!! We've been abducted! By some crazy assholes!!"

Standing near her you see the sixth grader Gin Ibushi cover his ears over his hood.
"Be quiet, meow!! Don't scream in my ear, woof!!

Shin... er Sou stands at a short distance from them both, halfheartedly trying to calm the woman down.
"H... Hey now... Fighting's no good."

A slightly calmer group of people are talking on the left.

Q-Taro stands stiffly with his arms crossed, his eyes darting around the open space as he speaks.
"What's goin' on...? Feels like we're wrapped up in somethin' outrageous."

The man wearing an apron that you quickly identify as Kai Satou stands near him, mumbling to himself.
"Yes... It would appear so."

Deciding to stop standing around awkwardly, you make your way over to Joe, who is the only person here who seems to know you so far.

"Joe!" You call, gently grabbing the back of his shirt.
"...Who're you?"

Huh?! Did you just imagine your earlier encounter?

"What are you saying?! You..! Don't you know me?"

Grinning, Joe pulls you foward into a rib crushing hug.
"Sorry! you know I couldn't ever forget ya! My bad, my bad! Hahaha!"

Sighing in relief, you escape his vise grip in time to see Keiji stop in front of the two of you.
"Hmm... Joe huh? ...You two are friends?"

"Well i'd say so.." You say, glancing at your 'friend' Joe Tazuna, who just stares at the ex detective with an unreadable look.

"Thanks for that. Joe here wasn't speaking up, see... Must've been wary of something cause he wouldn't even tell me his name."
An uncomfortable beat passes with neither Joe nor Keiji speaking until the latter sighs and walks a few paces away to address the group.

"Alright, everybody, listen up! I bet we're all thinking the same thing. 'What is this place? Why was I brought here?' And about all you know is who you are."

You shoot the blonde a questioning glance.
"And what exactly are you saying?"

"How about we give introductions? Should ease the suspicion a little, at least."
Exactly his words in the game. This is still so, so weird.

Kai steps foward cautiously. "Introductions, you say?"

"Well not a whole lot else we can do, am I right, (name)? The blonde catches your gaze, giving you a playful smirk.

"Uh, why're you asking me? Though I guess i'm not opposed to the idea..."

Keiji shoots you another award-winning smile, before looking towards the rest of the group.
"See, the calm ones know what to say. Now raise your hand if you don't mind blabbin'."

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"Hey, mx (name), could we search together?"
Turning around, you see Job hopper 'Sou Hiyori' standing to your right, a bashful look on his face.

"Oh uh... huh?"

"S-Sorry! If you can't trust me... That's fine..."

Feeling guilty for having spaced out on him, you quickly speak again.
" Well ah... Sorry Sh-Sou. t's not anything like that, just..."

If Sou notices your slip-up he doesn't show it, offering a small smile.
"Oh, I'm glad to hear that. I trust you too, mx (name). But throwing around a word like “trust” just makes you look suspicious, huh..."

"No, no... It's not like I really distrust you, Sou."
'I just don't fully get your motivations yet...'

You know why Shin decided to take on this persona for the death game, but it doesn't make you feel any less uneasy speaking with him when you know how he deceived others and treated the other characters in the game.

Speaking of other characters, your eyes quickly find Keiji as he begins addressing the group again.

"Alright, let's get searching around. Don't have any big spills, guys. And be sure to share any info you find."

"Mx (name)?" Sou tries to get your attention as you unconsciously grimace at him, earning you a "S...sorry" as the young man flinches and quickly walks away.

'So much for trying not to be suspicious 
I guess..'

Deciding to search on your own, you unconsciously begin doing the tasks you know the game requires while thinking to yourself.

'This entire situation is completely weird. How could I have even gotten here? It seems like Joe and I have a similar relationship to Joe and Sara's in the game, but he isn't wearing a uniform like his sprite in the game. I guess it can be inferred that he's somehow my age now, but how?'

You make a fist, digging your fingernails into your palms and wincing at the dull pain.
'So i'm definitely not dreaming, but how did I get here? I was on my way back to campus after leaving my internship... maybe it has to do with me playing YTTD before I died? The game is played in Sara's point of view, so maybe because of that my body was somehow remade in the game...? But if that's the case, why does Joe look older? If i'm living Sara's life why am I not a highschooler? I'll definitely have to find out more about what Joe thinks happened before we got here.'

Lost in your thoughts, you don't notice the iron bars separating the doorway of the blue room from the game room lowering until a strong hand pulls you away from the safely hazard and into his firm chest.

"H...huh?"

"You should be more aware of your surroundings while you're in this place, (name). You almost got caught there.."

Feeling your face furiously heat up at hearing Keiji's low voice so close to your ear, you flinch out of his loosened grip and turn to face him, covering your reddening face with your hands.

"Aaah hey Keiji! I uh... whew! Kinda spaced out for a minute.. moment.. how did I even get here?"

"Yeah I should've noticed when you first came in. You had this detached look on your face like you were seriously pondering something and it seemed like whatever I said to you just completely went in one ear and out the other. Speaking of which, You mind taking these bullets I found off my hands? Joe'll get antsy if I have em and I cant really give them to Joe either. I'd wait before putting them in that gun you found though."

Letting your hands from your face, you flinch at the coldness of the gun in your waistband.

'I guess I really just played through the story without thinking.'

Joe jogs up to you, and it's only then that you realize Q-Taro and Kai had are in the room aswell.
'I was really just sleepwalking my way through this place huh..'

"Hey are you alright? the bars just suddenly dropped down! We're trapped in this weird room!"

Looking around, you notice the dolls sitting in various seats in the room. You shudder at the thought of what this part of the game entails before an unfamiliar voice echoes out though the room.

"Hey now, don't put yourselves so on guard."

Joe, ever the energetic one, immediately jumps to attention. "Wha?! Whose voice was that?!"

"Ha ha ha. Don't sweat the details. I'm the master of this room. You can call me Meister. Now, to get right to it, lemme explain the rules of the next game."

Your eyes move to the painting on the wall, as the man in it continues speaking. Ugh, that's trippy.

"This one's simple! Right now, there's you five humans in this room, right? Glance around the room...! There's four open seats. One will be the Challenger, and the other four'll sit down and be targets."

Q-taro bristles at the Meister's words. "Targets...? Targets fer what?!"

"Well, I gave ya that cool weapon here in this room, didn't I?"

"W... We're gonna be targets for a revolver?!"

Keiji frowns, opening his mouth to speak. "And? What are the rules to this? Surely there's an outcome where nobody dies."

"Ha ha ha! Naturally! A regular deathtrap is just old-hat, get me? But, see... First you'll have to decide who'll be the Challenger for me."

Q-taro turns red in the face, clenching his first and looking up and the smug painting. "You're tellin' us to decide who's gonna shoot without knowin' what the game is?! Who's gonna want to be the targets?!"

Noting the brunette's silence, You look over at Joe at the same time he turns his head to look at you.
"Will the Challenger be safe?"

Ah dammit.

"Yep! Only the targets get to relish the thrill! What a shame!"

Joe holds your gaze, a serious look coming over his features.
"...I see. (name), can I ask you to be the Challenger?

Come ON. Whatever happened to the butterfly effect?

Q-taro, as expected, immediately rejects the idea.
"D...Don't kid me! Ya can't decide that all on yer own!"

Kai quickly agrees with the buff redhead.
"I suppose it may not be proper to make such a young individual handle a gun..."

Keiji however, only grins at you and agrees with Joe.
"I'm in favor of it myself. They've got a clear head."

Joe smiles hopefully at you and starts. Well, (name)? You confident?

Chapter Text

You don't register the sound of Meister congratulating you, or even notice the doll arm that drops near you. The second you fire off the last shot, the only sound you can hear is that of your own breathing as you dry heave , doubled over on the floor of the blue room.

"H-Hey! Are you okay?"

You look up, meeting Joe's chocolate brown eyes.
"Joe...It's okay... I just felt a little drained."

"Don't push it. Lean on my shoulder and we'll rest."
As the others reluctantly make their way out of the blue room, Joe Tazuna sits on the floor to your left, allowing you to rest your head on his shoulder. Instinctively, his right arm wraps around your back, and you inhale the faint scent of his cologne.

Smiling unconsciously, you decide to make a promise to yourself.

'I don't know if there's any way I can save everyone, but no matter what... I wont let Joe die.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking with Joe, the pair of you are caught off guard when you run into Kanna.

"(name)..."

"Kanna...?"

"...I... I..."

'What's the matter...?'

Worried by her hesitance, you gently hold the trembling girls shoulders.

"Kanna is everything alright? did something happen in the hall?"

"No... It's not that...I just... really wanted to ask you... About my sister."

Remembering this part of the game, you decide you will tell the girl the truth. If you don't tell her now, Sue Miley will tell her later, and you can't allow this traumatized girl to suffer any more.

"Please... give me an answer. Back then... could Kanna have... actually saved her sister?"
Kanna looks up at you with hope in her eyes, and a determined look on her face.

"I was disoriented... so I didn't hear what everyone else said. But you and Joe... and Mishima and Nao... You all had the same trial, right? Kanna... Could Kanna... have saved her?"

....

Right on cue, you notice Mishima in the hallway with you and Joe, sporting a nervous smile as he crouches down to Kanna's height.
"Oh my, miss Kanna. Reko and Nao were looking for you, you know? I heard you talking here, so I came over."

"...Mr. Mishima...Please tell me... I..."

You can't allow Mishima to lie to Kanna. Although you know he only means to help her overcome her grief, you remember her face in the game when Sue Miley told her she was the reason for her sister's death. You can't be sure if this new reality you're in is even real, but regardless, you can't bear to see Kanna go through that heartache.

"Miss Kanna, You were unluck-"

"Kanna." You interject, silencing Mishima as the three divert their attention to you.

"Kanna, I need you to listen to me, okay?" Shooting Professor Mishima a pleading look, you kneel in front of Kanna, as the professor nods in acceptance and stands up to let you break the news.

"Kanna, what happened wasn't completely your fault. But to be completely honest, You could have saved her."

Kanna gasps softly as small tears start to well up in her eyes.

"Shh Kanna listen. Although it was possible to save her, it would have been hard. You were in that room, you know how scary it was. They set you up to fail. It was possible, but Kanna, you were never going to be able to save her and that's the truth. But I need you to hear me when I say these next words, okay?"

Sniffling, Kanna nods as she tries to stop the tears from leaving her eyes.

"Your sister dosen't blame you for what happened."

"But... but how do you know that?" Kanna frowns, seemingly about to wail.

"Because Kanna, she loved you. Don't you know that? Me and Joe are nearly double your age and we almost diddn't make it out of that first trial with our lives. Kanna, your sister knew she might not make it out of that room, but I can bet before the timer ran out she told you that she loved you... didn't she?"

Tears overflowing from her eyes, Kanna sniffles and nods.
"Kanna's sister... Told Kanna she loved her before...before..."

"It's alright Kanna, we understand. You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened okay?" Mishima rubs the small girls back, smiling somberly at her.

"Yeah Kanna, don't cry. We're all here for you, okay? We're gonna get you out of here I promise." Joe grins, although you can see the somberness behind his expression.
Because the truth is, none of you know if that's a promise he can keep. But all you can do right now is believe.

"My sister was kind...Even when we fought... she'd never be cruel! She was always thinking about Kanna...Why didn't she use the key for herself?!"

Mishima kneels in front of Kanna once again, smiling warmly at the girl.
"Was it not that your very existence gave your sister happiness? Miss Kanna, I can sense that you were loved, as if it were in the very air. Surely, you were raised with the utmost care, were you not? I'm sure she was a wonderful sister."

"...Ah...Aah... *sniff*.Sis... ter... miss you... sister..."

"Now, the time for blaming yourself has passed. Your sister is surely watching you from somewhere."

Kanna wipes her face, a newfound determination blazing in her puffy eyes.
"Kanna...Kanna won't give in! Because... her sister is watching...!"

"Kanna!!"

Kanna jerks her head up to the sound, sighing.
"Reko..."

"Dammit, you nutty professor! What happened to “shout when you find her”?!"

Professor Mishima looks at the singer with a bashful expression, standing up to his full height.
"Oh dear, it appears I'm being yelled at."

Kanna smiles at the older female, taking her hand.
"That's not it, Reko. See, um... Let's go and I'll explain, okay?"

"...Hm? Really...? Sure, okay..."

When the pair walks away you stand up, looking at Mishima as he smiles and begins speaking.
"I will return to searching, myself. I must admit, though, it was very noble of you, telling the truth like that."

And with a positive look in his face, the older man walks away, leaving you with Joe.

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Keiji skillfully attaches the parts to the doll torso placed on the floor of the pink room. Right arm... left arm... right leg... left leg... And... the head.

Though it seems nothing is happening, you quietly remind yourself to show them the message on the other side of the door before voting starts. You want to save as many lives as possible, and you won't allow Professor Mishima to die so early on.
Glancing at Sou, you furrow your eyebrows. You know he likely voted for Mishima in the original game, and although you trust the rest of the players will vote for themselves like you need in order to stop a death from occurring in this room, you worry that Sou might still try to do something unexpected.

From a couple of feet in front of you, you hear the group start to notice the change in the room.

"...Wait. You guys smell somethin'?"
"Hey... Is it just me, or is the room going white?!"
"It's gas...!"
"P...Poison...?! Not good... We need to leave the room...!"

But the white gas fills up the room in the blink of an eye.

"It's not poison gas, everyone, so please relax. Ahaha. Good day."

As the white clears, you see the doll herself, grinning as the group of humans begin to voice their confusion.

Joe is the first to react.
"H... Huh?! Y... You're... The doll?!"

"Heeheehee... Yes, I am the doll that you just rescued. Advanced, am I not? As it happens, I have revived to tell you what is happening, and support you through the trials and tribulations to come."

Reko, however, is not convinced.
"Stay away from me, you creepy-ass puppet!!"

"My word, is there no one who can speak calmly here?"

Stepping foward, you clear your throat.
"I'll ask. Just what are you?"
As if you don't already know.

"Ehehe. Then we'll begin with my introduction... My name is Sue Miley, the Laughing Doll. I am the doll who will guide you on this floor. My master has instructed me to guide you brave souls, who have already overcome several trials, to the Main Game."

Keiji frowns.
"Your master... In other words, you're on the side of the kidnappers."

"Ahaha! How very serious! Ahaha!"

"Stop laughin', asshole!! You wanna die?!"

"Heehee... I'd rather not... No, I wouldn't like to be all torn up again... heehee... I know... I just have to tear you up first..."

Reko pauses.
"Tear us up...?"

"Ahahaha. As a warning, yes..."

Joe suddenly pales, his hands flying to his neck, where his collar rests.
"Wha?! M-My collar's... vibrating...!"

"Ehehe. Anyone will do, heehee. If it'll make you quiet..."

Despite knowing Joe is safe, you cant help but feel fear well up in your chest. You dash towards your friend, coming up in front of Joe and frantically trying to help him remove his collar.
"Hey what are you doing to him?!"

Though you know what her next words will be, you still suck in a breath in fear when the laughing doll opens her mouth
.
"Ahaha, oh, very well. I'm just making his collar explode. Ahaha, ahah."

Tears in his eyes, Joe removes your hands from his neck before backing away from the group in fear.
"No way! Gh... Get it off... get this thing...!!"

"Ahaha! Get away, get away! It's dangerooous!"

And then the buzzing stops.

"...That was a lie, of course. Eheehee... Did you enjoy it?"

"A... A lie..."
Joe's knees give out, and he collapses on the floor.

Miley only smiles before regarding the group again.
"That collar can't actually explode, after all."

Reko shakes in anger, frowning as the doll begins laughing.
"You piece of shit!!"

"Hahahahahahaha!! It's so funny, ahah, I can't, heehee, even talk, heeheehee..."

"She's out of her mind, meow..."

"Ehehe... You don't know, do you...Eheehee. What I'm about to explain... is in regards a fight you must take, ahaha, for your own destiny."

You stand next to a pale Joe as the laughing doll begins her monologue.

"You will soon undergo a great trial in order to escape outside. As it has been prior, the superior will live, and the inferior will die - it is far from easy. One among you... will certainly die. And the person to die shall be decided by your own majority vote."

Kanna only shakes her head in confusion.
"Eh...?"

"I'm saying that you'll pick yourselves. The one most unnecessary, hated, and acceptable to have die."

Having had enough of the doll's antics, Q-taro raises his voice.
"Stop talkin' nonsense.... like we're gonna do somethin' like that!!"

"Ahaha. Then by all means, starve to death here, all of you."

A beat passes before Keiji speaks.
"Whoa, just laying it on the table."

Nobody could speak up anymore. Realizing the opportunity, you ready yourself to bring up the note on the other side of the door, only to be cut off by Sue Miley.

"Ahaha, don't go so pale, everyone! I've got something good to hand out!"

Something good...? She's surely going to hand out the tablets. I need to speak before anyone makes a vote.

"Ehehe, does everyone have one now? Let us test the functionality with some actual use. When voting, if you know who voted for who, it turns into a quarrel, doesn't it? Eheehee... Thus, by voting with these tablets, you won't know who made what vote. Ehehe. As a test, try voting for whoever!"

Knowing this is your last chance to save Mishima, you yell.
"WAIT!"

...

The group looks at you in confusion as you quickly scurry to the door of the pink room.

"I.. I saw this earlier when I first investigated this room..."

Closing the door, you begin reading the words on the back of it.
"This is a practice for the Main Game. The start is signaled by the doll's revival. Follow instructions and hold a majority vote. The one with the most votes is to be sacrificed. However, this is a practice round. If the votes come to a draw, the game is forfeit."

Looking back from the door, you are met with faces showing varying degrees of shock.

"The Second Trial... It's named just like that first one we did..."

You look to Reko, who looks back at you with worry etched into her features.
"Dammit! Someone almost died because I said to keep the door open in case there was danger... If you hadn't pointed it out...

Joe walks up next to you.
"The game's forfeit if it's a draw? Then... don't tell me...!"

Keiji finishes for him.
"...If everyone gets the same votes... Then there's no sacrifice. Is that right?

The laughing doll Miley only twists her face in a stiff smile before speaking.
"Guess I can't hide it anymore anyways. Yes, you're correct. If the votes are equal, there will be no sacrifice... This round."

And leaving the group with her cryptic words, Sue Miley goes silent.

Chapter Text

(Name): 1 vote
Joe: 1 vote
Keiji: 1 vote
Kanna: 1 vote
Q-taro: 1 vote
Sou: 1 vote
Reko: 1 vote
Nao: 1 vote
Kai: 1 vote
Gin: 1 vote
Mishima: 1 vote

"Hehehehe! Well then, looks like it's ones across the board! I was looking forward to someone dying, but I won't have to wait much longer now. I'll be waiting... on the grounds of the Main Game! hehehe..."

With that, the laughing doll Sue Miley makes her exit, leaving the group alone.

"Big bro Joe... do you really think someone would've died if they got more than one vote, meow?"
Gin stands next to Joe, holding tightly onto his cat pillow as he looks up at the older boy.

"Can't say for sure, but I'm glad nobody did."

As the group begins to disperse while worriedly speaking among themselves, you tug on Joe's arm.
"Hey Joe, could you go exploring with me? I don't really feel very safe with a sadistic doll on the loose. You chuckle awkwardly, hoping he'll agree to search with you so that you can put the next step of your plan into action.

"Of course I will! What typa friend would I be if I left ya hangin'?
Joe grins warmly, as Gin takes off with Q-Taro to do more searching.

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In the original game, Sara found the keymaster card after the second trial in the kitchen. Since the second trial just ended, you feel confident you can get Joe to find the card if you just give him a small push. If he has the keymaster, he won't have any reason to take the sacrifice. At least that's what you hope.

As you enter the kitchen holding Joe's arm, you discreetly look under the tables to see if you see anything resembling a card.

"Ah..."

Just like in the game, the kitchen is suddenly plunged into darkness, and you faintly see a card illuminated on the floor under one of the tables.
"Hey Joe? I'm gonna go find a switch for the lights okay? You just stay in here and wait for me."

"You sure? It might be dangerous..."
Smiling warmly at Joe in the darkness, you reassure him.

"don't worry about me, i'll be back soon. Just look around and see if you find anything of interest here alright? Saves time anyways."

And with that you leave the kitchen, where you hope Joe will pick up the Keymaster card.

........................................................................................................................................................................

With you having left Joe alone, he instinctively makes his way to the unnatural glow he had spotted under one of the tables.
Kneeling down, he examines the source of light.
'There are glowing letters using fluorescent paint. ...They're on some sort of paper...' picking it up between his thumb and forefinger, he examines the paper. 'It's... a card?'

(The one who claims this:
This now belongs to you. Keep it on you always. This is a key to the exit. Let no one else know the existence of this card. Otherwise, you will die.)

Joe looks at the card in disbelief.
'What... is this?'

Just then, he hears your footsteps as you make your way towards him.
Joe, are you alright?

He hides the card before he can even think.

"I-I'm okay. Looks like the lights came on, huh?"

Joe doesn't know why, but when you smile at him again, he thinks he sees something like knowing in your eyes. Like you somehow know exactly what he's hiding in his pants pocket.

........................................................................................................................................................................

Sou leads you into the hidden room, sporting a satisfied smirk at having found it. If only he knew you had already gone into the room earlier and read through all the emails on the computer in it. If Sou was going to try and deceive the group by reading the emails out of order like he had in the original game, you were going to need to memorize the actual order in order to refute him.
"Dark, isn't it? There's only the light from that stand."

"I can tell." You reply stoically, pretending not to notice how he stiffens next to you.
"What did you want to show me in this place?"

"Check what's on the desk."

Halfheartedly investigating the table, you raise an eyebrow at him when your eyes land on the laptop.
"Very intriguing, right? I did try starting it up. There's no power cord, but it seems to be running on battery power. So once the battery's dead, it's over. Want to investigate what's on it, but..."

"Right.. you do understand this could be a trap, don't you?"

"I'm aware of that. But we can't not investigate it, you know? However... There's a problem. This laptop... it's locked with a password."

"So you can't see what's stored on it?"

"I tried some random passwords, but all I accomplished was draining battery... You got any ideas?"

"Hmm..."

Deciding to throw him a bone, you pretend to mull it over before answering.
"You thought of trying someone's name?"

"Aha! That's a possibility. And if it opens with someone's name... There's a good chance they're the laptop's owner! But if it's a name we don't know, there'd be no way for us to learn it."

Fiddling with his scarf, Sou thinks before speaking again.
"Hmm... If we just had a hint... Ahh...A hint, huh? Maybe this is a hint from the kidnappers."

"Humor me."

Sou grins before continuing, as you pretend to listen as though you haven't read these lines multiple times before.
"There's probably information on here that's valuable to us, but worthless to them.
'Solve the riddle, and we'll generously give it out. If you can't, it doesn't matter to us'
...Like that. And we can't see it once the battery goes dead, so it's like a time-limited treasure chest."

"Boy oh boy, sounds interesting. I'll leave you to it then, 𝘚𝘰𝘶."

If he reacts to hearing the way you emphasize his alias, you don't see it because you're too busy turning your back to him and leaving the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After completing the puzzle in the red room and retrieving a fainted 'Gonbee', you make your way to the bar where Keiji, Joe, and Reko are talking among themselves.
Hearing you, Reko looks in your direction before widening her eyes at the sight of her brother.
"H-Hwahhhhh...?! T-The hell is this about?! That guy on your shoulder...?!"

"You guys mind lending me a hand? He was hiding in the red room and collapsed when he saw me."

Taking the man from you, Keiji speaks.
"Relax. He's just fainted."

Confused, Joe helps Keiji set the fainted man down before speaking.
"Who in the world is this guy..."

"Anyone here experienced in bondage? I say we tie him up." You half-joke.

"Ahh, you don't miss a beat, (Name)."

Reko chimes in, masking her surprise at seeing her brother.
"We'll tie him with whatever we got available."

"As long as he doesn't move, should be fine. Once he's up, let's leisurely question him."

...

Deciding to try questioning Keiji, you lean on the wall next to him before looking at the tall man.
"Come to think of it, earlier you said... that there was someone you looked up to."

"...Did I say that?"
"I'm sure you know I wouldn't have brought it up if you hadn't."

The blonde smirks before meeting your gaze.
"Aren't you a perceptive one. Fine, I'll do this. If we survive that Main Game thing, I'll tell you."

"Hmm.. whatever happened to stopping the Main game from happening?"

"Hah, I doubt it'd be easy to avoid. These people aren't gonna allow that. And once it begins... Everyone'll be serious."

"...."

"And myself... I don't wanna die either."

"Keiji...I'd... hate to die too."
Though you haven't forgotten that you should already be dead, the idea of going through it again so soon scares you.

"Nobody wants to die. It'll be an ugly struggle, that's for sure."

Keiji looks away from you, almost bashfully, and lowers his voice.
"But if you survive regardless, and you're still curious about me... I'll be fine with telling you and you alone."

You ruffle his blonde hair gently, causing him to look back at you.
"Now if I didn't know better, I'd say you care about me, Keiji."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sou was lying face-down in the darkness.

In the hidden room with you and Keiji, Gin trembled slightly, squeezing your right hand.

"...It's okay, he's breathing. Hey, get a hold of yourself Gin."

Keiji frowns, looking around the room.
"...(name), check the surroundings?"

"Gotcha, officer."

"Gin, could you look outside the room?"

....

"There's signs of him being whacked in the head..."

From the other side of the room, you call back in mock surprise.
"Hey Keij? There's nothing on the desk."

While checking underneath, you see a green glow toward the back.
A familiar card...

"(Name)."

You flinch at the sudden firmness of Sou's voice before removing your head from under the table.

"Have a nice nap? You never pegged me as someone who just falls asleep anywhere but I suppose we all have our quirks." You grin.

Seemingly annoyed, Sou scoffs and turns his head before wincing at the sudden movement.
"Oww... Did I pass out...?"

Keiji comes up behind him before handing him his beanie that had fallen on the floor.
"You got whacked in the back of the head. Doesn't seem to have caused bleeding, though."

"That's awful... Who would do that...? Ack... I've been had! The laptop's gone..."

Raising an eyebrow, you tilt your head sideways at Sou.
"I assume you found something on it with how long you spent in here, right?"

".......I didn't figure anything out. Not the password... or what data was on it..."

Bullshit.

Keiji, forever the mediator, steps in.
"Oh well...It must've been inconvenient for somebody. So somebody used the confusion to steal it. Somebody... on the first floor."

Though you couldn't help but wonder. Professor Mishima isn't dead. So what reason would Nao have to hit Sou?

"We'll round everyone up. ...We should take the time to sort things out."

Obeying, you begin to follow Keiji out the door when Sou gently grabs your arm.

"Hey, Mx (Name). Were you... looking at something earlier?"

Caught off guard by the sudden warmth encircling your wrist, you turn to face the man before pulling away and crossing your arms, regaining your composure.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Sou."

Chapter Text

Watching you turn on your heel and exit the hidden room, Shin felt conflicted. He could tell you knew something you shouldn't since even before the first time he had tried speaking to you.

"Hey, mx (name), could we search together?"

When Shin first saw you, he could tell you knew more than you let on. When he walked up to you in that first hour after you woke up, he did it not out of simple curiosity, but out of necessity.
He saw the way your eyes traveled over everyone in the room as if you knew every single one of them personally, and he noticed the distrusting look in your eyes when he had offered to search with you, as if you knew of sins he had yet to commit.

"Well ah... Sorry Sh-Sou. t's not anything like that, just..."

Shin noticed your slip up. And although his entire body screamed at him to flee, he only offered a smile in response, knowing that you were scrutinizing him almost as closely as he was you.

So now, as you begin to make your first steps out of the hidden room, Shin knows that he can't let you go. Not when know his secret. Not when at the drop of a hat you can expose him to everyone.
"...I'll leave you to it then, 𝙎𝙤𝙪."
Every time you say the name "Sou" while referring to him, he hears the condensation behind it, the way you must internally mock him for being so weak. For not even being able to get 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 right.

"I assume you found something on it with how long you spent in here, right?"
You see through all his lies. All his attempts to be 𝙝𝙞𝙢, you see through. You must know that have the power to expose his lies, the 0.0% that hovers over his head like a halo of destruction. He can't allow you to leave. Not when you have so much power over him without even trying.
But Shin is weak, and so he watches you leave.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Um… Do you have a second?"

Lidded eyes shifting over to you, the tied up man scowls.
"Hm…? You…Eee…EYAAAAAAAAGH!!
Why are THEY walking around freely?! Hurry, hurry! Somebody capture them!!"

"W… What’s this all’a sudden?!"

Twitching in his spot and frantically trying to release himself of his ropes, the man yells.
"I know! Oh yes I do! This person is bad news!!"

Sou, who had previously been standing as far away from you as the situation would allow, suddenly walks forward until he's standing near the man.
"Calm down! Could you start at the beginning?"

Reko crosses her arms, trying not to make eye contact with her brother as she speaks.
"…And could you drop that weird tone of yours?"

Keiji frowns from his spot next to Reko
" Listen, we don’t have time to spend on you. But… I’ll allow a little time for inquiries. We’ll decide whether to untie you after that."

"Say again…?! Hmph…! Do not try to act superior, blonde rascal!"

"Oooh, scary. You handle the questioning, (Name)."

Stiffening, you look over at the ex detective, betrayal etched onto your features.
"Haah?! I’m doing that, too?"

Keiji only smirks, gently pushing you towards the prisoner.
"Mr. Policeman’s shakin’ over here."

.......

Joe removed Gonbee’s ropes.

The prisoner squints at the young man with a questioning look.
"…What is this meant to be?"

"... I’ve given up on suspecting my allies."
"…Hah?"

"I just can’t imagine it! That there’s a bad guy among us…"

"Mwaha… Given up on thinking, eh… What do you know about them? Hahaha…"

"Well yeah, I dunno anything, but… It’s what my heart says, so what else can I do! I’m not smart anyhow. So I’m gonna believe in this feeling."

"Hmph… you say such cheesy things. Oh well. As thanks for untying me, I’ll let you go without retaliation."
"I refuse to help out. …But I won’t interfere. So long."

And with that, 'Gonbee' leaves.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Without the task of looking for Nao, the main game came way quicker than you anticipated.

"Heeheehee... Well, I shall go over the basic rules one more time.
A total of two votes will be held: the preliminary vote in the middle of the discussion, and the final vote at the finale.
5 candidates will be chosen in the preliminary vote, and 1 victim will be selected in the final vote. If the chosen victim is the Keymaster, all lose, and all will die. If the victim is the Sacrifice, the Sacrifice wins, and can escape with one person of their choosing. If the victim is a Commoner or Sage, the chosen victim and the Sacrifice will die.
Ah, yes... I have left rulebooks on the desks. Make use of them as items, everyone. That is all... Heeheehee. Use your time however you please."

Shakily picking up your rulebook, you look around you.
You should be confident in your ability to get through this game without dying. After all, you have played this game before. But with you having led Joe to the sacrifice card, you were left to find only a normal commoner in its place. Not a bad card, but without the keymaster as an extra layer of armor, you started to doubt yourself.

After a beat, Sou clears his throat from across the room, looking everywhere but you.
"I'm nervous... but I'll say it... You see, I'm the Keymaster."

If he feels the burning glare you send his way, he doesn't comment on it, instead returning to fidgeting with his scarf.
When you came back into the kitchen after leaving Joe to find the keymaster, you saw him pick it up and read the back. There is virtually no way Sou has the keymaster.

As you're glaring at the man across from you, Joe clears his throat.
"Wait, please!! I'm... the Keymaster!!"

"There's... two Keymasters?!"
The group looks around at each other and to their rulebooks in confusion, as Sou speaks again.

"Huh... So that's how it is, Joe."
"That's... my line, Sou."

Sou only smirks at the man in response.
"According to Miley's explanation, there's only one Keymaster...I didn't imagine you'd tell a lie like this."

Mishima, looking between the pair in confusion, speaks up.
"What's going on now...? One of the two is surely lying, mwahaha.."

"This makes no damn sense...!!"

"Hey, hey. Settle down, everybody."
Keiji raises his voice, trying to get the group back on track.

"Listen, the roles written on the cards only really become important come the final vote. First of all... Our priority is looking for suspicious characters. ...Really might be someone on the side of the kidnappers lurking, after all."

After a beat has passed with only silence, Gonbee speaks up.
"...I'll make a topic for you. (Name), I will vote for you! Have you anything to say back?"

Huh??

Joe jumps up, immediately coming to your aid.
"Hold on!! They're like our leader!! What's your basis...?!"

"Haha... Then why don't we discuss whether their actions are suspicious or not?"

-Development-

"I found it suspicious from the word go... How a mere college kid became a leader."

"(Name)'s almost always acted with others. They couldn't do anything suspicious... right?

"Doubting the others is one thing, but doubting them?! You're awful...!"

"Talk back to him! Gonbee's just got the wrong idea about you!"

Gonbee only shrugs at the other players words.
"I've even seen through to the reason why the others have submitted to you. You possess all that can be called a weapon in this place, and stand supreme! You're an accursed dictator!"

Biting back a laugh at his words, you quickly bring out the knife box you had found in the kitchen and present it on Gonbee.

"This box was in the kitchen. It says "Please use as you wish," yet there was nothing inside to use."

"...What of it?"

"All that's left is an impression. An impression made by a kitchen knife."

Keiji backs you up.
"Yep. By the time They checked it, the knife was gone. Somebody probably went and took it."

Kai jumps in to agree aswell.
"The kitchen was locked the whole time. And mx (Name) very rarely acted alone... So surely they could not have taken it."

Gonbee, however, only grows more panicked by the second.
"How're you staying so calm?! Like, who was it?! Who took the knife...?!"

Taking back control of the situation, you speak up.
"That's not relevant right now!!"

"How could it not be...?!"

"The point I'm making is that I don't have control of all the weapons! So I didn't earn this trust by force!!"

"Uuurgh...!! Look at you, feeling all pleased! Very well. I'll speak no more... You trusting fools can just suspect one another."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Reko, as I recall... You're Reko Yabusame, aren't you?"

"Y... Yeah... I'm Reko Yabusame... And so what? J... Just coincidence, right? I dunno... anybody with that name."

Though you know the identity of Alice already, you can't think of a way to reveal it without looking suspicious, so you settle with sticking to the script.

"Like Reko says... I think there might be a separate person called Alice.

Agreeing, Joe jumps in.
"The blackboard in the bar! That blackboard had a list of people who could and couldn't drink! And it said both "Reko" and "Alice"!"

Less convinced, Mishima cuts in.
"Come to think of it, when I was searching I found some chalk on the floor, indeed. So... it's not at all impossible it was changed."

"Y-You got it wrong! It's not me!! Besides, handwritten pieces of paper?! Anybody could make those, right?!"

"If they had a pen, sure."

"B... Big sis Reko can't be a murderer, woof!!"

Trying to progress the conversation, you decide to throw Reko a raft.
"Then... could it be a relative's name?"

"I... I remembered...! M... My brother! It's my brother's name!"

Kai frowns, looking unconvinced.
"Alice is... your brother, not your sister? Even your excuses are becoming illogical."

"Dammit...! I... I...!"

Right as you start worrying Alice won't speak up, his yell echoes throughout the room.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!"
"It's me! I'm Alice, okay?!?! Reko did nothing wrong!! It's a misunderstanding!!"

Keiji frowns in confusion.
"..Listen, we're in the middle of a serious discussion right now..."

"And I'm being serious too!! Reko... Reko is my little sister...!!"

Pouting, Reko looks to her older brother.
"Couldn't hide it, huh...This guy's real name is Alice Yabusame. He's... my older brother."

Joe speaks up.
"Then... the "murderer"..."

"I lied about being a thief... I went to prison for killing someone. Indeed, I am... a damned criminal!! And Reko cut me off as well, saying to never show her my mug again! And yet... It's not even funny!! To think we'd reunite in this place...!!"

Reko frowns, clearly not having wanted her relation to Alice to be exposed.
"Me and him are total strangers at this point. I didn't want Kanna and the rest being scared of me 'cause of this guy. So when he woke up, I told him to hide our relation. Right after you all left the room!

"I'm a simple murderer. But Reko is different. She's a good and proper person. That's all I wanted to say. ...Dammit all."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I just remembered something. That Kai's the one who attacked me."

Huh??

Smiling menacingly, Sou drops this bombshell onto the group.

"That was a close one. If I hadn't remembered that, he could've gotten away clean."

'This makes no sense... why would Kai hit Sou himself instead of.... Oh.'
Because of your saving Mishima, Nao never ran off with his head. And so, Kai had no leverage over her. since he diddn't have anyone to manipulate into hitting Sou, he must of had to do it himself.

Opening your mouth to say something, you're cut off when Sou's piercing teal eyes snap to yours, a hostility you haven't seen before reflected in them.

"𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮, (𝙉𝙖𝙢𝙚)"
Curving his lips into a thin smile, Sou turns back to Kai.
"I'll hear out anything, Kai. Now's your only chance to tell the truth... If we're going to argue until one of us loses trust, I'll have to do my best too. Tell me, do you have that courage?

Smiling stiffly, Kai speaks up.
"Then let us suppose I do. What reason would I have to attack you, Sou?

Already knowing the answer, you butt in.
"There wasn't anything deep enough for resentment. Which meant you had an objective not tied to Sou!"

"Hmm. If you insist that's the case, what objective could I have had?"

Smirking, you stare at Kai.
"Kai, you wanted to steal the laptop Sou had."

"..."

"What other reason could there have been?"

Irritated at being left out of his own argument, Sou clears his throat and speaks again.
"The laptop is password-locked. Considering that, why do you think Kai would be so serious about taking it?"

Narrowing your eyes at him, you speak with enough venom in your voice to kill a grown man.
"I'm sure you know very well why he wanted that computer, 𝙎𝙤𝙪."

Seemingly caught off guard at you having figured it out, Sou sucks in a breath.
"The password was easily guessable."

Mishima's eyes widen as he regards the teal haired man.
"So in that case... you must have unlocked it, did you not?"

"Of course I did."

Pulling his hair in confusion, Joe exclaims.
"Wha?! Didn't you say you couldn't see anything?!"

"Yeah, but that was a lie."

Smirking, clearly thinking you aren't expecting his next words, Sou looks you in the eye.
"See, the password... Was mx (Name) here's surname."

Seeming unpleased by your stoic look, Sou frowns before continuing.
"But of course I know this isn't your laptop, mx (Name).

He pauses before finishing.
"It's Kai's. ...Isn't it?"

"....You read the emails."

"I wanted to read them all. If only you hadn't whacked me... urgh..."

...............................................................................................................................................................

"I was able to read four emails. All of them were sent from Kai to some other person... Though all the addressees were different. Nonsense addresses that seemed like codes... I'm guessing that was a security measure to hide who they were being sent to. I'll recount them starting from the oldest, okay?"

Deciding to wait to reveal what you know until after Sou has already laid his cards out, you listen with a stoic expression.

1st Email
As planned, 17 people have been secured. Just in case, is there no error in the date of the Death Game? Everything is proceeding smoothly.

2nd Email
I feel a deep affection for mx (Name) as well. I will certainly protect them. I am prepared to offer myself up for their family.

3rd Email
It's about time. If any harm comes to (Name), I will stand against even you as an enemy.

4th Email
Mx (Name) is looking forward to the games. Surely their friend will also take part.

Sou grins.
"...And that's what they said."

"Death Game... You gotta be shittin' me! Clearly he's talkin' about this!!"

"K... Kai! This's gotta be wrong, right?! You can't be with the kidnappers, yeah?!"

"Well now... Were the aproned scoundrel and (Name) acquainted?"

"Um... You don't think the "friend" is... Joe?!"

"Eh? M... Me?"

Sou relishes in the confusion he's caused, grinning widely.
"I inferred that much myself. It's a fact that Kai knew about this Death Game. He's with the kidnappers... And more terrifying yet... Mx (Name) and Joe are with them, too."

Deciding to finally speak up, you train your eyes on Sou, ignoring the questioning looks the others are giving you and Joe.
"Now, Sou, you'd better watch yourself if you know what's good for you. Did you really think you were so special that nobody was going to find the hidden room before you? Don't make me laugh."
"Everyone, listen closely. This Sou guy is twisting the facts. I found the hidden room before he did, and I even managed to guess the password and read the real order of the emails before Sou even knew the room existed.
So now, Sou. Do you want me to tell them the real context behind the emails, or are you going to keep up this act."

"..."

Sou pales, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water before the laughing doll Sue Miley speaks up from her spot outside of the circle.

"Yes, yes, your attention please. Eheehee... Sorry to intrude while you're getting all fired up, but it's time for the preliminary vote!"

Chapter Text

(Name) - 2 votes
Mishima - 3 votes
Kanna - 2 votes
Sou - 4 votes
Kai - 2 votes

"Heeheehee... The final 20 minutes... Please use this endlessly short time effectively. I'll be praying... you don't all perish. Aheehee."

Miley quietly sits in her chair again. And with that, the final battle begins.

Keiji begins, addressing the entire group.
"Okie-dokie. If anyone wants to confess the role on their card, let's go in order."

-Development-

Kanna looks down, seemingly having given up. "I have... nothing to say...

Kai parrots her, though the sweat on his brows gives away the fact that he is just as scared as the other four nominees.
"I have little to say myself. You are free to imagine as you wish."

Sou however, masks whatever he may be feeling effectively, only smirking and speaking in a bored tone.
"Sheesh, okay. I'm the Keymaster. I'm the one who's been saying it from the start."

Looking to Joe, you catch his eye as he stares at you with determination in his eyes. Looking down, you see his hands balled into fists, and his eyes silently give you reassurance. You don't regret giving him the Keymaster, though you do feel a tinge of uncertainty without the card to back you up.

Reko's voice brings you back from your thoughts as she glares at Sou.
"Honestly? This beanie sack of shit can't be trusted! Makes my blood run cold!"

Alice however, stays on his side.
"Hmph... I'll believe in Sou. And whoever tries to protect him is the Sage... That's where we ought to aim."

Always the observant one, Keiji points out Mishima.
"Professor, you're not talking... What's your role?"

"Wahahaha, I don't particularly think that matters at the moment..."

"Okay then... And Joe, you're the Keymaster?

"Yes...! I don't know why exactly Sou is trying to discredit me, but don't let him deceive you all!"

"Okay, that's all our statements for now. Let's give this some real focus, everybody."

Hmmm..

Thinking over the amount of votes each nominee got, you can't help but feel confused.
𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙖?

"Mishima, what did you say about your role?"

"Well, of course I said I wouldn't say it."

Narrowing your eyes at the man, you push him further.
"You corrected "It doesn't matter" into "I won't say."

".........."

"...t's like that, is it?"

"...H-Hold on a second, Mx (Name). There's not enough time for you to go doubting me now.

...

Mishima hardly contributed during the first half of the discussion, and nobody has reason to vote him. Yet, he alone has 3 votes. That makes no sense... until you account for the fact that Nao, who stands next to him looking at the floor, hasn't expressed even a hint of concern for her dear professor since the announcement of the voting results.
Everyone outside of the five nominees must have overlooked Mishima's high amount of votes due to their relief of not being voted, but when your eyes meet Keiji's, you can tell he's noticed and was waiting for you to figure it out.
He nods at you, giving you his cue to speak, and you hold eye contact with him while you say your next words.

"Professor Mishima... is the Sacrifice."

"Gah-"
Looking to Nao, you see when her face turns pale and she looks to her professor in fear.

"The professor isn't the sacrifice! You take that back!"

Though you feel bad for what you're doing, you can't allow the rest of the group to be put in danger.

"If he isn't the sacrifice, why does he have 3 votes? Who here voted for Mishima? tell me honestly."

A beat passes without any sound before you hear Nao begin to sniffle.
"P..please everyone. The professor isn't the sacrifice! If.. If he were, wouldn't he say he's the sage? It doesn't make any sense to accuse him of this!"

But everyone already knows. The other players all avert their eyes from the pair, with various sympathetic looks on their faces.

"It's okay, Miss Nao."
Professor Mishima gently rubs the back of his old student, looking down at her with a sad smile.
"My role has been revealed, it seems. I'm only glad I didn't have to deceive anyone in the end."
"Please, everyone. Take care of Nao for me."

Mishima lets his hand from from Nao's back, before hanging his head and going silent.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the end, Kai is chosen to die. You suppose some things just can't be changed.
After Kanna claims to be the sage, Kai retorts by admitting 𝘩𝘦 is the sage, with his claim eventually being proved to be true when the topic of card designs comes up.

-------

"...Ha. Hahahahaha... My fate... has been set, then."

Sou tilts his head in interest.
"Huh... So Kai really was the Sage."

Q-taro glares at the teal haired man, balling his hands into fists.
"Y-You!! Sure 'nuff, you had Kanna lie for you!!"

Sou only ignores the man, crossing his arms.
"More importantly, we should listen to Kai. Kai's last words, that is."

"When we came to the subject of designs... I realized I was in danger. I thought I might play dumb... But it was clear I would be the most-voted due to my lack of trust... Yet... yet... I... I do not wish... to die..."

"Kai..."
At his unguarded somber expression, you feel yourself frown. You understand how he and Mishima must feel. You don't want to die either. You know you have an unfair advantage, with your knowing most of how the game plays out.

Kai looks around the room, tears welling in his eyes.
"Please... Please vote for Sou!!"

"Ahaha, why me?"

"He is a dangerous man!! He will certainly disturb our teamwork, and lead everyone into danger...!! I did indeed have contact with the kidnappers! But if you let me live, I will tell everything! I have vital information for our escape...!!"

"See ya, Kai."

Mishima continues looking down and when you look closer at him, you see his lips moving slightly in what looks like a silent prayer.

"It's time to vote. Please refrain from whisperings, hehehe."

"Please... don't kill me...!!"

(Name) - 0 votes
Mishima - 3 votes
Kanna - 0 votes
Sou - 4 votes
Kai - 5 votes

"That's too bad... You lose, Kai. Such a close vote aswell, hahaha."

"...I understand. So long as you may be the Sacrifice, choosing you is risky..."

Sou only grins at the man.
"It's more than that. If you picked me with emotion... that would be your will. But everyone chose with logic. ...Awful, isn't it? "This vote isn't about our own wills!" That's what everyone's telling themselves - how they're fooling themselves."

"I'm sorry professor...!! I'm sorry... please professor... please!!! Don't let the professor die...!"

"Eheehee. Now, everyone, enjoy yourselves as I check your answers! First, the Sage! You were right on, everyone! It was Kai Satou!"

"..."

"Next, the Keymaster! Eheehee, the fierce battle between you two was a true sight to see!
Amazing! It was Jou Tazuna!"

"..."

"Aaand! The Sacrifice! The one who dies with objective incomplete isss..."

"Please...!!"

"Tadaaah! It was Kazumi Mishima!"

"Haha... ha... Well... what to say... Guys... Sorry... for trying to trick you..."

Q-taro frowns, sympathy etched onto his features.
"D... Dumbass!! What're you sorry about?! You... 'cause of us, you... you...!! Don't you feel bitter?!"

The professor only smiles in response.
"It's okay... As long as Miss Nao is cared for... I'm happy."

"I'm sorry...!! I'm sorry...!! I'm sorry... pro..fessor... professor..."
Nao collapses onto the floor, fainted.

"Oh my! How unfortunate indeed, hehehe. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝. Though I suppose the show must go on!"
"Eheehee. Kai Satou, chosen by vote, will be the main event. Whereas you're the opening act. Hurry up and die."

The professors hands fly to his neck as he slowly backs away from the group.
"It won't explode, will it...?"

"Ahaha, no, it won't explode..."

"What did you say...?"

"Eheehee. Aheh, aheehahaha...!"

"..?! It's hot...!! Gaaah...! My neck...!!"

The collar begins visibly changing color.

"Aaaah...!!! AHHHHHHH...!! It burns...!! AHHHHH...!!"

All you can do is avert your gaze as you experience the smell of human flesh burning... And the sound of blood evaporating.

"G... Gaaaaah...!!"

Professor Mishima takes a final step back. And with that, he falls backwards in front of Kanna.
And then the professor... stops moving at all.

"Hee... heehee, heeahahaha...!! Bwahah...!"

Kanna's eyes widens at the sight of the professors dead body.
"Ahhhhh... *sniff*... ahhh...!!"

"Hahahahahaha!! How unladylike. You wet yourself?"

"*sniffle*... A... Awful... Why would you do this...?!"

"You've learned what a majority vote means from this experience, haven't you?"

"Everyone... everyone's a good person here...!! How can you do this...?! What did we do?! I won't let this stand...!!"

"Heehee... heeheehee... You annoy me, you powerless little girl... ...No. You sister-killer."

"I... I..."

Miley only continued her taunts, laughing at the young girl.
"Hahaha, I saw all of it. How miserable you were in your First Trial, Kanna."
"Your actions killed your sister."

"I.... I know."

"Huh?"

"Kanna knows... that she could have saved her sister. But... It's okay. Because my sister is in heaven right now, watching me!"

Kanna looks to you, a smile on her face despite the salty tears silently rolling down her face.

"My sister still loves me. So you can't break my spirit!"

"Ahahahah, how noble. Regardless, 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩."

"Unfortunately, I will not let you do as you wish. I will issue... my own death."

"Y... You!! What selfishness...!! The knife from the kitchen?! As if I'll allow you suicide."

Q-taro suddenly lunges at the doll, jumping on her back and grabbing her arms.
"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"

"Dammit...!! Get off!! You idiot brute!!"

"Like hell!! I wouldn't let go if ya killed me!!"

"Dammit...!! I can't... activate the device..."

Kai looked to you, a smile on his face.
"Mx (Name). ...Can you hear me?"

You turned your head away from Q-Taro's struggle with Miley to look at the man.
"This is... resistance. Our lives toyed with to our enemy's whims, we are unable to save even a single person... As we die off, this is... my feeble... resistance. But it is one large step... toward counterattack...! It is a step I was able to take... because you all bought me time. It is surely... not futile. I entrust them to you...! Our regrets...!! Our hopes...!! I... am satisfied.

Q-taro's eyes widened.
"Kai...!! KAI...!!!!!!"

..............................................................................................................................................................

10 Remain

.

"Hey. You said you were a policeman, yes?"

"...What about it?"

"A policeman knows about murder cases, yes?"

"Yeah... if I'm in charge of 'em."

"...Do you know the crime I committed?"

"...Why?"

"...... I imagine it's just a coincidence, but...I killed a person once.

"...What was the victim's name?"

Alice meets the ex detectives gaze, seriousness in his eyes.
"It was...Sou Hiyori."

Chapter Text

Making your way to Joe's room, you pause in front of the door.
'Should I really be waking him up right now? I'm sure he's still getting over the events of yesterday....'
Hand raised in a fist, you prepare to knock once and come again later if he doesn't answer when the door suddenly swings open.
“Ah- Joe!” You drop your arm to your side and grin before waving awkwardly.

“(Name)! I was just about to go find ya!… Or try to anyways. You know i’m pants with directions..”
He grins at you sheepishly before opening his door wider and ushering you in.

…….

“So didja have anything specific you wanted to talk to me about? or did you just wanna chat? 'Twas the latter for me.”

…Now how should you go about this? It’d be weird to randomly ask your supposed best friend about your relationship with him.. so should you go the amnesia route?

“Uhh.. you good there? Looks like you’re spacing out again..”

Amnesia route it is.

Summoning all the freshman year acting experience you have, you frown at Joe with the best sympathetic face you can muster.

“Ah, you see Joe… I think something’s wrong with me lately.”

He tilt his head slightly, silently urging you to continue.

“I.. I just can’t remember anything that happened before I woke up in the first trial, Joe!”

“...Haah??”

Joe stares at you with an incredulous look, clearly confused.
“Maybe when they conked you out you got a concussion or somethin’? What exactly did you forget?”

You pause for a moment before speaking.
“Well, I think I can remember everything fairly well until yesterday. Err, maybe the day before? It’s hard to tell how long we’ve been here.”
The thought saddens you a bit.

Joe looks down at his hands for a beat, before looking you in the eye and smiling.
"Well I guess I'll just start from the beginning then."

...

Joe doubled over, placing his hands on his knees and breathing heavily.
"Whew! This should.. huff .... be the place.. right?"

The brunette looked up at the hospital, noting that most of the windows emitted no light.

"Joe??"

Looking to his right, he saw his best friend jogging towards him, calling his name.
"(Name)! I was coming to pick you up!"
He grinned, holding his hand up in a wave.

You grinned at him, grateful to Joe for having come to walk you home so late.

---

Walking together, you turned to your friend.
"Joe, you know you really didn't have to do this."

"But of course I did! You still have that stalker right?"

Tensing at the mention of your stalker, you looked forward, frowning a bit.
"Yeah..."

Sensing your mood change, Joe playfully bumped your arm with his before speaking.
"Well anyways, how has that new internship at the hospital been going?"

Grinning at your best friend, you gently pushed his arm back and ruffled his hair.
"It's actually been going great! The pay isn't too bad either. You ready to go back to college after the break though?"

"Sighhhhhhh, I'm definitely not excited for exams, but atleast I'll have you and Ryoko!"
Joe grinned, before looking forward.

...

From there, Joe narrated all the events leading up to your capture, and it matched up exactly as in the game. Seeing Kai, running to your house to find your mom passed out, and getting knocked out when you when you went upstairs.

"I heard you yell, so I want upstairs to go help you but you were passed out and some guys in all black ambushed me! I did my best to fight 'em off but I can't remember winning so i'm guessing I lost..."

He grins at you sheepishly before grabbing your shoulders.
"So do you remember now? All your memories come flooding back?"

Truth be told, you still didn't recall the events Joe had mentioned, but you guessed it would be best to put his mind at ease.
"Yeah... I remember now. Thanks, Joe! you're really the best."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...I've remembered. I am an AI program of Kazumi Mishima. An artificial intelligence."

Reko stares at the monitor incredulously.
"An artificial intelligence...?"

"Precisely. I am a replica made from copies of Kazumi Mishima's memories and emotions. I suppose you've all met with the real Kazumi Mishima?"

Keiji looks behind the monitor.
"On the back of this monitor... There's a photo of Mishima's face. If that's the truth... Are all of these AIs of different people?"

"Mwahaha... What a strange sensation. I would love to meet and speak with myself...!"

"...The old guy's gone, woof..."

"...What did you say?"

Nao's eyes begin watering as she places a hand on the screen.
"The way you talk... everything... It's the professor is actually here..."

Suddenly, a voice rings out and all the remaining monitors turn on, showing a face you recognize as the crying doll Safalin's.
"Ah, ooh, ahh...! Who was it?! Who went and started up the Mishima AI...?!"

Reko jumps back in surprise, eyes widening as she stares at the monitors.
"W... What the?!"

"Ranger...! It was you, wasn't it?!"

"Hey, don't get mad! Everybody seems pretty pleased, don'tcha think?"

The group simultaneously turns to the voice behind them.

"Hey there! You bastards slept well?"

"W-Who're you, meow?!"

"I'm the Dressup Doll, Rio Ranger! I'm gonna support y'all on this floor! Best regaaards!"

Keiji scratches his head, scrutinizing the boyish doll.
"Err... What about Miley...?"

"Ehh? You prefer the ladies, do ya? Sheesh. C'mon over here, Safalin! For they have so humbly requested a girl!"

Safalin speaks through the monitors, her voice multiplying and echoing throughout the room.
"Ah, ooh, *sniff*... But I'm angry at you right now..."

Ranger only grins beneath one of his masks.
"Yeesh, it's creepy when they all talk to you at once!"

"C... Creepy...?! You're awful! Boohoohoohoo..."

"Just joshin'! You're real cute, so move it already!"

"D-Do you meeean it?"

"NOW."

The doll appears behind Rio at once, though he doesn't seem fazed by her sudden appearance.
"Good to meet you, everyone... I am the Vice Floor Master, the Crying Doll, Tia Safalin..."

Ranger switches out one of his masks for one with a smug expression before speaking to the group.
"Now this is perfect. Let's begin explaining the rules of Floor 3!"
"You bastards are probably hyper on-edge after suspecting up a storm in the Main Game, riiight? And so! We thought of some wonderful festivities to let you reconcile before the next Main Game!"

Reko crosses her arms, frowning at the dolls.
"Wait!! We're doin' one again?! A Main Game...?!"

"All depends on you assholes! Hahaha!"

Looking over the doll's messy outfit, you notice the late professor Mishima's necktie.

Seeing your expression, Rio grins at you and steps closer.
"Whazza maaatter? My face scare you? C'mon,
(Name)!

"Shut up..."

"...Hmm?"

"Before your stupid explanation... take that off...!"

".........."

"Isn't that... Professor Mishima's necktie...?!"

Nao's eyes widen as her eyes snap to the doll's neck.

"Ahah. Sure enough... you recognized this thing around my neck? 𝙄𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙, 𝙮'𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬... 𝙁𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙'𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙆𝙖𝙯𝙪𝙢𝙞 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙢𝙖... 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙮𝙥𝙤𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧."

Nao balls her hands into fists, glaring at the doll.
"The professor... is no hypocrite...!!"

Kanna's eyes begin to water as her eyes go down to Rio's waist.
"Then... that skirt, too... It must be sister's...!!"

Ranger sneers in response, glaring at the group.
"...Whewww. You bastards got any right to condemn me?"
"This topic's donezo! Now everybody come see what's past these monitors! We'll have a fun game... Hahaha...!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking into the prize exchange room, you see the Receptionist Doll, Gashu sitting down. If you remember correctly, he makes a transgression during the second main game, leading him to commit suicide in order to keep the game going.
Though... for whatever reason you can't seem to remember what it is... Your memories of the canon storyline are slowly evading you. Frowning, you make a mental note to yourself to ask one of the floor masters to give you a pen and paper so that you can write down everything you need to know for future main games.
Without your memories of the canon storyline and how to go around it,
𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚.

You are brought back to reality when Safalin places a wallet in your hand.
"H..whuh?"

"Inside those wallets are Me-Tokens. Everyone has been given 100."

Keiji eyes his wallet before dumping a handful of tokens into his hand.
"Huh... So let me guess, you can trade these tokens for the prizes on display here?"

Rio makes finger guns at the detective before switching to a grinning mask.
"Correct! Just what I expected from you! The prizes are things related to clearing Floor 3, and person information profiles... and more!"
"However..."

Rio looks towards Safalin expectantly.

"You cannot trade for prizes using your own tokens."

"What's that mean, woof...?"

Ranger rolls his eyes.
"You can only use tokens you get from others! And if you get a lot from somebody, you can nab that person's personal info. Those tokens signify trust. All y'all bastards are gonna be selling, buying, stealing, and surrendering those suckers! In short, it's a game of buying and selling trust!"

Safalin sniffles before continuing where Rio left off.
"All of you will experience 9 attractions located around the third floor, and earn the right to challenge the Main Game."

"Whenever you clear an attraction you'll receive Clear Chips... And if you don't collect 10 within the time limit, you'll die before the Main Game starts!"

Nao stiffens.
"N... No...!!"

"Mwahaha...! Please do relax, miss Nao! Unlike in the Main Game, if you do well, then no one will have to die!"

"P... Please stop... Don't impersonate him...!!"

Safalin frowns and continues speaking.
"Most attractions require a group of two *sniff*. ...However, one cannot to the same attraction twice."

Keiji raises an eyebrow.
"Tokens and Clear Chips... I'm starting to see what you're getting at."

"Now, get what you need to do? There's a grand prize, too... A ticket to the surface! It's first come, first serve, so you snooze, you lose!"

Seeing the expressions on the players faces, Rio laughs before finishing his spiel.
"Your time limit is 3 days! Relax! You've got plenty of food and clothes, and even time to rest, so sleep soundly! We won't put any traps or trickery in your personal rooms, so use 'em freely!
Now, let the Sub-Game... The Trust Barter Game, begin!"

Chapter Text

Gently turning the knob of your bedroom door, Shin held his breath as it opened with a soft 'click'.
After looking back into the hallway to make sure nobody was around to witness him essentially breaking into your room, he stepped in, doing his best to be quiet while shutting the door behind him.

Looking around, Shin noted that your room looked almost exactly like his, and he may have thought he had walked back into his own room if not for your sleeping figure lying peacefully in the unmade bed.
Quietly making his way to the middle of the room, Shin frowned as he scrutinized the area.
He was inside, now where should he look? He doubted you had anything blatantly incriminating hanging from the walls of your room, but he couldn't help but worry about what you might know about him and his secrets.
"...I'll leave you to it then, 𝙎𝙤𝙪."

He shuddered. There was no way he could confront you directly about his fears without exposing himself, and so he decided searching your room as you slept was the next best thing.

This was a decision he was beginning to regret as he stood by your bed, worrying you might stir awake and see him.
He still had no idea what he would say to explain himself if you caught him snooping, but he decided he would cross that bridge when he got there.

Quietly making his way over to your dresser, Shin crouched and slowly opened your top drawer.
With your lamp being off, he couldn't clearly see what was inside, but when he put his hand in the drawer and felt around, his fingers just barely brushed against the cover of what felt like a thin notebook.
'Jackpot...?'
Confused but satisfied with his finding, Shin slowly pulled the item out of your drawer before closing it quietly. Swiftly backtracking his way out of your room and into his own, Shin finally held the book up to his face, getting a good look at the cover.
It was a plain black composition notebook, and Shin held his breath as he sat in his chair and
shakily opened to the first page.

[--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
D̶e̶a̶t̶h̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶
Day one- Second trial
K̶a̶z̶u̶m̶i̶ ̶M̶i̶s̶h̶i̶m̶a̶ ̶d̶i̶e̶s̶-̶ ̶3̶ ̶v̶o̶t̶e̶s̶
Nobody dies

Death(s) two- First vote
J̶o̶u̶ ̶T̶a̶z̶u̶n̶a̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶K̶a̶i̶ ̶S̶a̶t̶o̶u̶ ̶d̶i̶e̶-̶ ̶S̶a̶c̶r̶i̶f̶i̶c̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶v̶o̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶o̶u̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶s̶p̶e̶c̶t̶i̶v̶e̶l̶y̶
Kazumi Mishima and Kai Satou die- Sacrifice and voted out respectively

Death three- before the second vote
Reko Yabusame or Alice Yabusame die- room of lies???

Death(s) four- Second vote
Nao Egokoro and Shin Tsukimi or Kanna Kazuichi die- Sacrifice and voted out respectively???

[--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]
Those were the words you had written in the notebook Safalin had given you the evening prior, but feeling around your dresser drawer, you couldn't find it. Without the notebook, how could you save anyone?

Kneeling and frantically opening all your drawers to no avail, you don't notice Sou opening your door and crouching behind you until he dangles the notebook in front of your face.

Instantly paling, you whip your head around, eyes widening at Sou's smug grin as he holds the notebook.
"Wh... You-"

"Looking for this?"
Sou grins wider before holding the notebook behind his back.

"You... You CREEP! What the hell were you doing in my room? How the hell did you get that? Are you SANE?! I can only imagine what you must have been doing so close to my bed in the dead of night you FREAK."
You screech at the teal haired man, warily looking at the arm that holds the notebook, which is hidden behind the slender man's back.

Taking advantage of his surprise at being yelled at, you lunge at the man and reach behind his back, but not before he switches the hand the book is in and holds it in the air.

"Relax, Mx (Name), I don't plan on revealing your working with the kidnappers to the others... yet. But i'll have you know that I've already read through and memorized the notes you have written in this book, so whether or not you take it from me won't change anything. Now are you going to explain to me exactly how you have this information, or am I going to have to ask your dear ally Keiji to investigate for m-

You had already used all your strength to knee him in the sack, grab the notebook, and run out the door before he got the chance to finish his threat.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sou didn't end up getting the chance to interrogate you further before the others started to wake up and everyone got back to investigating the new floor.
Though you were especially worried about him revealing what was written in the notebook to the others, you reassured yourself he wouldn't dare reveal his identity to the group so early in the game, and you quickly got back into the routine of searching with the others.

Noting Sou's absence from the group, Kanna tries to convince everyone to let her speak to him on her own, but the idea is quickly shot down and you all make your way to his room as a group, though you wonder if Sou will still go with his memory loss trick now that he has dirt on you.
Opening the door to the job-hopper's room, you immediately notice the slab of wood lying on his bed.
'Alright then, he definitely won't be telling anyone about the book for now...'

Exhaling in relief, you almost forget to ask surprised when Gin exclaims at the sight of Sou lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

Keiji examines his body, noting the wood in the man's messy teal hair.
"Hmm... He's got wood splinters on his head... and a bump, too."

Crouching next to the ex detective, you hum in acknowledgement and frown, looking at him skeptically.
"You sure he's actually passed out?"

Sou suddenly begins sitting up with a groan, effectively cutting you off.
Sighing, you stand back up with and watch without intervening as he tries to sell his story of forgetting everything that happened before the first main game, while pointedly avoiding your gaze.

Keiji, unmoved by Sou's performance only crosses his arms, frowning at the shorter man.
"The Main Game's long since ended."

Sou's eyes widen in mock disbelief, and he looks over those present in the room.
"W... What do you mean, Keiji?! Over...? All of it...?! W..Who died...?"

Growing irritated by the man's antics, you speak up.
"The professor's dead. Kai too. You've clearly forgotten a lot, so we'll leave you to it. Go take a nap, Sou."

You make your exit, and the rest of the group does as well, seemingly on the same page as you.

Q-Taro closes the door behind him, a frown on his face as he turns towards the group.
"So's it really a lie?"

Reko crosses her arms with a huff, glaring at the large man.
"Obviously! He's at a disadvantage, so he's pretending like he doesn't remember!"

Keiji only sighs thoughtfully, looking to the closed door.
"That said... he's not going to answer us like that, either."

"Um... Could you trust Kanna to handle it?"

All eyes are on the small girl as she continues.
"I'll try to find the truth behind what Sou's thinking! I'm sure he'll be less wary of me than the rest of you...!"

"...No."

The group looks confused at your prompt refusal.

"Ah... Kanna it's not that I don't think you can, but I want to try first... Will you let me?"

Kanna nods softly, and gives the bedroom door one last look before walking to her own.

Joe makes his way over to your side as the rest of the group disperses.
"Hey... (Name) you sure you wanna go alone?"

You only smile at your friend and shake your head.
"Don't worry, Joe. He wouldn't dare try anything."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rapping on the door, you're unsurprised when Sou immediately peeks his head out and grimaces at you, clearly having been eavesdropping on your discussion with the group.

"So are you gonna let me in or am I going to have to break down the door, 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘯? You pretend not to notice the way he stiffens before schooling his face back into a frown. Sou opens the door fully, and you step in before closing it behind you.

Removing the book from its hiding spot under your top and tossing it onto the bed, you stare deadpan at Sou.
"So what exactly do you think the purpose of this book is?"

Sou raises an eyebrow at you, frowning and crossing his arms.
"Like i'm telling you anything. You clearly know more about this game than you should, so how about you tell 𝘮𝘦 what this book is about."

Sighing and settling into a chair, you prop your elbows onto your knees and slump forward, putting your chin in your hands and looking Sou in the eye.
"I'll tell you everything, but only if you ally yourself with me. I know all about how you changed the card positions after Q-Taro. And I'm sure you know that's why Mishima ended up dying. I'm sure they'd be willing to forgive Q-Taro since it was part of his first trial, but they definitely won't show you the same leniency."

You lift your head and extend your dominant hand towards Sou, ignoring the way his face has paled at your words.
"Let's make an alliance, Shin. I'm sure you know you don't have a choice anyways."

Chapter Text

Shin Tsukimi must be the most gullible man in the world.

Any regular person should be at least partially skeptical when being told they're part of a video game, but as you explained to him your situation and how you woke up in the first trial with your last memory being playing a game called 'Your Turn To Die' before what you assumed to be your death at the hands of a faulty train track, Shin found himself believing you (albeit against his better judgement).

He couldn't understand why he believed you so easily either. All your actions up to this point had been suspicious to him, from the way you had said his alias in the beginning to the unbelievable story itself.
But as much as Shin tried to tell himself you were working with the kidnappers, your story somehow made complete sense to him.
So now, as Shin sat on his bed and you finished telling him a overview of the events of the game up to the unfinished ending, Shin decided he would trust you, although you didn't need to know that yet. 𝙎𝙤𝙪 wouldn't trust your words so easily, after all.

-------

"Sou?"

Sou meets your eye at last, an unreadable expression on his face. You flinch slightly at the pressure under his gaze, rubbing the back of your neck nervously. Had your threat been too much? You weren't really planning on exposing him, but it was the only thing you could come up with under pressure, and it had worked, hadn't it? He hadn't kicked you out yet, at least.

"Assuming you're telling me the truth."
You perk up at the sound of his voice, meeting his gaze again.
"Yeah?"

Sou sits up straighter before continuing.
"If you're telling me the truth, i'm adding another condition to our alliance."

"Which is...?"

"You're going to save Kanna. If you're telling the truth and she's really my sister, I'm not letting you kill her."
If looks could incapacitate, you would be paralyzed.
"Whatever you want to change about the plot of this game is none of my concern, but I promise if you let Kanna die I'll do much worse than an evil Joe AI."

With that, Sou lifts himself off of his bed, strides over to his bedroom door, and opens it, beckoning you to leave.

"Oh! Leave? Like- right now? We're finished here already?"
You stumble over your words, caught off guard by his curt dismissal as he stands firm, avoiding your gaze as he waits for you to leave.

Frowning slightly, you oblige.
"Well, i'll see you around I guess? Don't die or anything..."

Sou only nods stiffly before closing the door in your face.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Weird, yeah? The most suspicious part is those stairs. There's a vending machine at the top."

'The vending machine...'
Walking up the stairs with Reko, you quickly notice that the machine is glowing faintly, signaling that its working.
"Looks like the power's on..."

Reko eyes the vending machine thoughtfully, frowning slightly.
"A vending machine with no clear merch or prices... The hell's its deal, you think?"

"The bill acceptor slot is plugged up, but it looks like you can put in coins."

"What should we do? Put in some tokens...?"

You can't tell Reko the truth about the vending machine without looking suspicious, so you decide to stick to the script. Pretending to be intrigued by the machine, you offer to put a token in.
"I'll... try putting one in if you want?"

Reko's eyes widen, likely worrying the vending machine is some sort of trick.
"C-Cut it out! You don't gotta take the risk. Move it."

"Haha, sorry Reko. You can try it first."

Reko takes a token from her wallet, steeling herself before readying to insert one. You hold back a grin, amused by her aversion to letting you take the risk but seeming so unsure of doing it herself.
"All right, we're doin' it! Here goes...! Step back just in case."

Reko swiftly inserts a token.

".......Nothing's happening."

Feigning chagrin, you look at Reko, imitating her baffled expression.
"Maybe ... One token isn't enough?"

"Hrmm..."

"Seeing as there's this number above it, i'd assume you have to insert... 200 tokens?"

Stiffening, Reko turns to you, mouth agape as she gathers her words.
"-Huhhh?! Who's gonna earn that many?! That'd better be one goddamn tasty soda!"

Amused by her words, you just barely hold back a laugh.
" Ahh.. maybe there's no need to worry about it."

"Got a point... 200 is just unreasonable. No problem ignoring it, then. Well, ain't that a relief. Let's ditch this creepy place."

You take the token Reko inserted from the return slot, and give it back to her.

"Hey, thanks. Now let's get a move on."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...I'm beat. Never run into a case with such an unclear motive behind the crime."

Huddled around the broken Mishima AI monitor, the group looks to Keiji in anticipation as he speaks.

"Who was the first to discover this?"

Keiji winks at you, raising a hand comically.
"That'd be this policeman here."

"...What was the situation?"
You already know what he'll say, but it can't hurt to stay close to the script when convenient.

"Ahh, well... Couldn't get to sleep, so I thought I'd have a chat with Mishima. When I came in... well, it looked just like this."

"...That true, Keiji?"

"...Yep. It's a shame. Really is."

For a supposed detective, Keiji really is a bad liar. The subtle tenseness in his posture, stiff smile and awkward roll of his neck are even more glaringly obvious when you know for a fact he's withholding the truth.

"Um..."

Nao walks into the monitor room, frowning at the sight of everyone huddled around Mishima's monitor.
"Has something happened...?"

"Aah! Nao- Y-you stay right out there, okay?!!"
Joe panics, trying to avert Nao's attention from the monitor.

It's in vain, as Nao catches sight of Mishima's monitor, pausing.
"Huh...? Pro... fessor...?"

"Nao..."

Nao averts her eyes from the monitor, looking Keiji in the eye.
"...Um. Please... don't look for the culprit."

"H...huh? What do you mean by that?"
Joe attempts to place a hand on the girl's shoulder, which she evades.

"....Please just let me be alone for a little..."
Nao trudges out of the monitor room, the sound of her footsteps receding quickly.

Keiji frowns, pointedly not looking at anyone in the group.
"This is one nonsensical incident. Would love to solve it right away, but... We need rest. Let's do a detailed investigation tomorrow. Asking Reko and Q-taro can wait 'til tomorrow, too."

Gin looks up at Keiji, concern written across his features.
"Mr. Policeman... You gotta find the culprit, meow..."

Keiji avoids the child's gaze, his mouth curved up in a stiff smile
"...Right."

Chapter Text

"Do you have a better code phrase?"

"Well, no? But how would she even remember that? You just told me and I've already forgotten it."

You narrow your eyes at Sou, fed up with his pessimism.
"Bullshit. It's literally only five numbers. And it'll be the last thing I say to her before we get separated, so I doubt she'll forget it. Plus, she has amazing memory."

You and Sou were currently brainstorming ways to differentiate the real Reko from the doll, and you had come up with the foolproof plan of giving Reko a code number just before entering the room of lies, so that when confronted with the fake she could say the code and you could get to her in time to save her from getting stabbed by her doll counterpart.
Sou however, was opposed to you using the code '11037', though he obviously couldn't come up with a better one.

"Why don't you just kill the doll when you get the chance? That way no code word is necessary in the first place."
Sou rolls his eyes, likely regretting helping you in the first place. He had been adamant that he only cared about saving Kanna the last time you had spoken to him, but once you asked, he agreed to help you brainstorm ways to save both Yabusame siblings before the second main game(albeit reluctantly).

Sighing in exasperation, you close the notebook you had been writing in and lay back on Sou's bed, ignoring the annoyed look he gives you.
"I cant do that, Sou. If I want to save both Alice and Reko, I need to keep the doll alive until we go back into the room of lies. I won't be able to stop Alice from getting killed if it dies before then."

Pausing, you frown slightly before continuing.
"It's only a precaution anyways. In canon the fake accidentally reveals herself pretty much as soon as we get into the room of lies. This is just in case I don't get into the room before then.

Meeting your gaze, Sou frowns, an unreadable emotion on his face.
"I still don't get why you care so much about saving them anyways. I get saving Joe, since he's become your friend or whatever, but If you want to continue playing the game with the advantage you have right now, you can't keep changing the plot. There isn't even a route where they both live, according to what you've told me. Either one or both of them dies by the end. If you keep changing the course of the game, you'll eventually be just as much in the dark as the rest of them.

Sou looks away, turning his head.
"Not that i'm saying this for your sake, anyways. If you keep messing up the events of the game, you won't know how to save Kanna, is all."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You... and Sou have been... hanging around a lot, huh."

Joe phrases it more as a statement than a question as he exits the memory dance room, still out of breath from the deadly exercise.

"....Huh?"
Equally winded, you stumble out behind him inelegantly, a confused frown on your face.

Joe puts his hands on his knees, attempting to steady his breathing before he continues.
"Sorry, I don't know why that's the first thing that come out of my mouth... I'm still super outta it after that."

Still slightly taken aback at his earlier words, you pause before gently placing a hand on his back.
"That's alright... I'm still winded too, haha."

You almost flinch at how pitiful and unauthentic your laugh sounds even to your own ears, but Joe doesn't seem to pick up on it as he steadies himself and stretches his arms upwards before turning to you with a grin.
"Well! That sure was one heck of a exercise, huh? Still don't know why you chose me anyways... I've never been a good dancer."

You smile at your friend, patting his back affectionately.
"Well we've all gotta get our steps in somehow while stuck in this place."

Furrowing your brows, you look up wistfully at the ceiling.
"Can't really remember the last time I went for a run... or saw the sun for that matter."

Sensing your dampered mood, Joe ruffles your hair, catching you off guard.
"Hey! Don't go spacing out on me now. We should shower and meet back in the main room, yeah?"

Greatful for your friend's timely distraction, you nod and start heading away from the attractions with Joe following closely behind.

...

"What did you mean back there, though...?"

Back in Joe's room after a much awaited bath, you look up at the brunette from your position laying on the floor.
"You never did elaborate on that..."

Joe smiles awkwardly, running a hand through his unruly hair.
"Ahh, I thought you would've forgotten about it by now."

"You're sidestepping the question, Joe."

Grimacing, your friend plops down next to you on the floor, laying down in a starfish pose before speaking again.
"Well, it's not like i'm upset about it or anything, but in the beginning it seemed like you and Sou couldn't stand each other... but since you went into his room that day it's like you guys have some kind of camaraderie with each other?"

Joe looks to you before reluctantly continuing.
"At dinner today, you guys were like... giving each other 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 too."

You hastily sit up from your position on the floor, instantly flushing.

Just hours prior, the group had been eating dinner when Gin made an offhanded comment about how "Melon Soda lady and Uncle Crabstache had better not try anything funny before the next main game, meow!", causing you and Sou to exchange silent glances at each other.
You hadn't thought anyone noticed, especially not Joe, but it seemed he had taken it out of context.

"We were NOT giving each other 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴! You're making it weird, Joe. What... What do you think happened in Sou's room?!!"

Joe's face flushes in response, and he springs up from the floor aswell.
"I didn't mean anything like that! I'm just saying, you guys have been way more cordial with each other! I would say Sou's being nicer since he lost his memories, but I think we're all on the same page when it comes to how much we believe that."

Still reeling from Joe's previous insinuation, you look to your friend, racking your brain for the best way to shut down whatever ideas he's getting.
"Well, it's not like that! We just had a mature talk and decided to ally ourselves with each other! Nothing more to it!"

You wish you could tell your friend the truth, but the less people that know about your unlikely transmigration the better, especially with the trust based nature of the game. You shudder at the thought of getting accused of being in kahoots with Asunaro because of your incomparable knowledge of the events of the game.

Misreading your action, Joe pats your shoulder, before laying back down with a grin.
"Well sorry for reading into it so much... I believe you."

..............................................................................................................................................................

It's officially the third day you've been on this floor, and needless to say, you're getting restless.
You had entered the room of lies the previous day prior to your unwarranted conversation with Joe, and though you had tried to reassure Nao that you hadn't noticed anything off with Reko recently, you can tell the subtle differences between the real Reko and this AI version the kidnappers prepared.
But there's no going back now. The only thing you can do is hope Sayaka Maizono's dying message is enough to save Reko and her brother.

Chapter Text

Reko takes the bongos from her brother... And throws them to the ground.

Though you had expected this outcome, you still can't help but grimace at the broken pieces of the instrument on the floor. You wish you could have persuaded Alice to go through with his apology sooner, but you decide to hold on to the hope that the siblings will reunite in the room of lies and sort things out. You made a promise to yourself that you would save them both and help the siblings resolve their problems, and you intend to keep it.

You walk over to Alice, who is still picking up the pieces of the broken bongos.
"Reko... hasn't changed at all. At least... not when she's around me."

You crouch down next to Alice, wordlessely helping pick up the pieces.
"I'm... sorry, Alice."

The man only smiles somberly, shaking his head.
"Just because you saw this side of her... doesn't mean that's all she is. Believe in the Reko you know."
Handing the last of the broken pieces to Alice, you nod your head and place a hand on his shoulder.
"...I understand."

Shakily getting to his feet, Alice cradles the broken bongos in his hands as if it's as valuable as gold, and judging by the look in his eyes, it may as well be to him.
"You've helped me this far. I feel... I was finally able to take a step. I'm in your debt."

As Alice leaves, you pretend not to notice the silent tears rolling down his face.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is...the room... where sister was...Because of me..."

"Calm down, Kanna."
You hold Kanna tight, firmly restraining her trembling shoulders.

"...Sorry... for getting distraught... I'm fine now..."

If you aren't mistaken, this should be the room where you find the smartphone with Kugie's 'dying message' on it. Since you've allied yourself with Sou, you don't need to worry about him seeing it, but just to be sure Kanna doesn't see it herself, you decide to make sure you collect the phone before you leave so Kanna won't get a chance to read it before you can change the message.

"Kanna... I'll leave the door open. Wait outside the room for me?"

Kanna shivers, quickly nodding in agreement with the idea.

Looking back to see that Kanna isn't watching, you begin to investigate the room. It doesn't take more than a few seconds for you to spot the smartphone on the ground, and you hastily shove the item in your waistband.

"Kanna? We can leave now... there was nothing of interest in here."

The girl nods in agreement, her thin arms still tightly wrapped around her torso as she walks ahead of you.

"Kanna? (Name)?"

The two of you turn around to find Sou and Alice walking towards you from a few feet away, Alice having been the one to call out.
"Kanna Kizuchi, rejoice. Shall the three of us trade tokens?"

Kanna looks understandably taken aback, tilting her head in confusion.
"Huh? Tokens...?"

Sou crosses his arms, nodding at you in acknowledgment before looking to Kanna.
"Yeah. ...We shouldn't talk in a place like this, so let's head back for now."

"I-I understand... Um... Thank you very much, (Name)."

The trio walks away, leaving you alone with your thoughts and an especially dangerous phone.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Would you like to do the honors? I'm not especially good at forging heartfelt messages if i'm being honest."
Back in Sou's room, you extend your arm out, phone in hand. Sou looks at the device for a beat, before hesitantly taking it and turning it on.

"... I know you said it would be bad, but this is... Do you ever find out who wrote it?"
Sou clutches the phone firmly, a prominent scowl etched onto his features as he looks to you for answers.

"...No. I doubt it's any of us captives though, so you don't need to worry about that. If you don't want to, you don't have to change it at all and we can just hide it in one of our rooms... but reading the message you wrote in the game really helped her. It's all up to you in the end, but I'd do it."

Sou exhales in defeat, frowning at the device before finally nodding.
"I'll do it. Read it over when I'm finished, okay?"

You leave him to it, sitting on his bed and looking around. His room looks the same as yours, save for the beanie he had tossed onto his dresser before you invited yourself in.

"Sou?"

The man in question jumps at the sudden voice, nearly dropping the phone in his haste. The two of you look at each other and to the door in silent panic, and Sou quickly shoves the phone in his dresser while calling over his shoulder at the voice on the other side of the door.
"Who...Who is it?"

You pointedly look at Sou, silently asking him what to do. He only stiffly shrugs his shoulders in response, tense as a deer caught in headlights.
"It's me, Keiji... Could we talk?"

Sou's eyes widen even further, and he gestures for you to hide somewhere, to which you hop off his bed and promptly roll under it.

From under Sou's bed, you can see his shoes as he curries over to the door, and while you can't see any higher than his ankles, you're sure he scowls when he opens the door.
"...Keiji."
"...Sou."

A beat passes before Sou steps aside, allowing the Keiji to enter, to which he immediately sits on the mattress above you.
You guess Sou doesn't have any qualms about you hearing whatever the detective has to say, then.
"I didn't come for much, only wanted to continue the investigation. You sure you didn't hear anything?"
You imagine Sou's scowl as he scoffs at the blonde.
"Didn't you already hear my alibi? You don't seriously still think I did it, do you?"

Keiji pauses, and you can tell the two are frowning at each other even from your spot under the bed.
"...Fine. That's not what I was here for. I'll just cut to the chase, then."
The blonde lowers himself off the bed, standing in front of the teal haired man.
"You broke the first monitor, didn't you."

He phrases it as a statement instead of a question, and you can hear Sou's sharp intake of breath as he stares down the taller man.
"Where is this coming from?"
"While I was... investigating the recent breaking of Mishima's monitor, I started to wonder about the first monitor that was broken. I saw you looking on the backs of the monitors when we first went into the monitor room. The first monitor to be broken... was yours, wasn't it?"

Obviously you know Keiji wasn't really investigating AI Mishima's murder, but you do wonder if he knew Sou broke his monitor prior to him revealing it himself in the canon game. From your spot under the bed, you shift quietly, aiming to get a look at Sou's face. Before you can make a move however, Sou starts.

"I think you should leave now, Keiji. You have more important things to investigate."
Keiji doesn't speak or make a move at first, but after only a couple of seconds you hear him sigh.
"The truth will come out eventually, Sou."

With that, Keiji exits the room and you hastily emerge from under the bed, dusting yourself off as Sou closes his door fully.

"Well, that was eventful."
Sou glares at you from his spot by the door, though there's no real anger behind his gaze.
"Why didn't you tell me I was going to get interrogated?"

You shrug, sitting back on Sou's bed.
"I don't think that happened in canon, actually. Wonder what possessed him to look back into that..." you muse.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nao... What's the matter? You've gone pale.."
Entering the prize exchange room, you're met with Nao, her face white as a sheet.

"I... I... bought it..."

"You bought..."

Nao quivers with fear, holding something in her hands.
"...A victim video. I thought it could be a clue to escape... But... I'm too scared... to watch... Please! Would you watch it with me?!"

Already knowing the contents of the video, you frown. You're familiar with the videos, but the idea of seeing one up close slightly worries you.

Perhaps sensing your hesitation, Nao grabs hold of one of your hands.
"U-Um, you can close your eyes! Just being there and holding my hand would...! Oh, and... If you could stroke my back and cheer me on like "you can do it!"...!"

Mildly amused by her words, you decide to push down your worries and help her out.
"...Okay! I'll close my eyes, hold your hand, and furiously stroke your back...!"

"Thank you so much...!! Um... and please don't forget the "you can do it!" chanting either!"

"Pfft-"

"Apparently you can view it in the Monitor Room... Let's go, before I lose my nerve!"

Chapter Text

"So... how has your relationship with Reko been since then...?"
sitting next to Alice, you reluctantly begin to eat the vegetables from his plate, awaiting his answer.

"Hmph... Nothing for you to worry about. The status quo is maintained! But observing her in these past days... While at first I thought she had changed... Her essence has not changed in the least... Reko is Reko. The same one I've known."

If only he knew...
"Huh... You said that Reko was once in the same band as you, right?"

Alice pauses in his eating, turning to you.
"Right..."

"So the reason you disbanded, i'd assume..."
Understanding the implications of your question, the man nods.
"Yes... It was due to the crime I committed. Look at this."

Alice produces a folded piece of paper from within his clothes, and upon closer inspection, you recognize it as a magazine article... the magazine article.

"One day, a kind, kind warden handed me this."
Taking the paper from his hands, you read the bold text at the top of the page.
'36-Rai 818 Breakup.'

"Samurai Yaiba, that was your band..."
Smiling thoughtfully, you think of Joe's line from the game
"Joe was really into it before you guys disbanded, actually."

Alice frowns, but doesn't offer any more words until you finish skimming the paper.

"... I had thought Reko was a superhuman with a will of steel. I finally realized... she was just human too. I've never... regretted something more." Alice's voice wavers at the last word, but you pretend not to notice, letting him continue.
"This article was my warning. I deeply wounded Reko's heart. And those wounds... can't be healed simply by me accepting punishment."

Alice pauses, seemingly contemplating his next words.
"...This article ...I have no more use for it. Throw it away for me."

Recognizing the pitying look on your face, Alice's frown deepens.
"It's not the article I need to confront, it's Reko herself... Please."

Needless to say, you don't throw out the paper. Not out of disregard for the man's feelings, but purely so that you can use it in the upcoming trial against the fake Reko.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"(Name). Wanna... trade tokens...?"

You stiffen at the sound of Q-Taro's voice behind you.
Turning around tentatively, you're met with Q-Taro's face, his shifty eyes refusing to meet your own.
There's no question about it. This is when Q-Taro will try to get the remaining tokens he needs in order to leave the facility... and leave you all behind to die.

"How about... 20 tokens! You got at least 20, right...?"
Refusing to speak, you look Q-Taro in the eyes, silently willing him to meet your gaze.

"I'll... I'll give ya 40... Not a bad deal, right...?"
Shifting nervously, the mountain of a man refuses to meet your gaze, only continuing with his rambling.

Giving in, you stop your staring, resolving to look somewhere other than his shifty eyes.
"Q-taro... What's your deal?"

Stiffening, Q-Taro attempts a smile, though it comes off as more of a grimace. Hiding the top half of his face behind his hat, he looks to the side, pointedly avoiding looking at you at all.
"...I'm just a li'l tired, s'all."

"I mean... Why are you suddenly making such an uneven trade?"
Q-Taro turns his whole head away now, pointedly looking at a speck on the floor to your right. You pretend not to notice the fat drops of nervous sweat dribbling down his neck.

"...My own tokens've got no value. Better that you have 'em. You'll trade, won'tcha?"

Sensing your apprehension, the man continues.
" I wouldn't give ya a raw deal... Trust me."

When playing the game for the first time, you decided to trust Q-Taro. You had adored his character, and decided to overlook the glaringly suspicious signs he was emitting, in favor of giving the man the benefit of doubt.
You ended up having to redo an especially difficult attraction due to your lack of saving beforehand, but you ultimately didn't mind getting the Q-Taro betrayal ending, because all in all it was only a game, and his actions later on ultimately trumped his temporary lapse in morality in your eyes.

But this isn't a game. If you give Q-Taro your tokens, everyone will die, excluding him. You want to believe if you were in his shoes you wouldn't make such a selfish decision, but alas, you understand his fear of death. You understand more than the rest of the players, having experienced the painful embrace of death yourself.
But even so, you won't allow him to do this. You'll do what you can to save him, but you won't let him throw away the rest of your lives while he's at it.

"Please... I'll give 40 tokens, you just give me 20. Will ya trade?"

"...Sorry, Q-Taro. I'm afraid I can't trade...I think you should calm down a little. You're obviously stressed."

Understanding you won't give in, Q-Taro hangs his head in shame.
"...R-Right... Sorry..."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

...One, two, three......Ten. You shakily count them over and over, and there's no mistake... You collected enough Clear Chips. You're safe for now... but it's about to begin again. The Main Game.

Someone will die again.

"Ugh..."
You manage to fall asleep before long, but when you wake up, as if gravity is crushing you, you find yourself unable to move.

As your lidded eyes quickly glance around the room, you notice the foggy silhouette of a human standing in the corner, seemingly watching you.

You can't move your body. You try to call out, but to no avail.

"..........You can't show anyone..."

There's a rustling on top of your chair... And before you know it, the figure is gone.

...

Sitting up hastily, your body feels strangely light.
Looking to the chair, you realize four papers have been placed on it.

Names, occupations, and mysterious numbers. You remember this.
9.5% Keiji Shinogi ... Ex-Detective

Your eyes lock onto the words on the page, and as expected you're meet with the proof that Keiji is indeed out of the police force. Thinking back to the victim video you had watched with Nao, you shudder invoulantarily.
It's not time to dwell on things you already know. Stuffing the papers into your clothes for future reference you compose yourself and exit your room.

Dawn of the fourth day

"Sheesh... That wasn't so bad, was it?"
Whipping around, you're meet Alice's eyes, and he raises an eyebrow before speaking to you.
"What is the problem? You seem on edge..."

Keiji enters the room at that moment, stretching.
"...Morning. Pretty refreshing one, eh?"

Reko follows closely behind, glaring at the man's back.
"The hell's refreshing about this?"

Q-Taro is in the lobby next, and you notice the prominent bags under his eyes.
" Dammit...! In the end... We've still got no means of escape."

Sou enters with Kanna, grinning lazily.
"Now, now... Maybe we should be glad we're still alive, huh?"

Gin, who had appeared out of god-knows where tugs on your arm, pouting at you when you jump in surprise.
"The loner's a loner, but still stubborn, woof! What a world, meow!"

"But I'm glad no one had to be sacrificed! Truly...!!"
You turn, met with the vibrant smile of Nao.

Finally, Joe emerges behind the pink haired girl, his eyes immediately finding yours before his lips turn up in a blinding smile, prompting you to let out a shaky breath you didn't even know you had been holding in.

Not a single person is missing. This game won't go how your opponents expect! You saved Joe, and you'll save Reko and Alice next.
Grinning, you pointedly ignore the nagging voice in your head that tries to remind you what happened the last time you saved someone. How one life was spared only in exchange for another.

Chapter Text

"Let's get to it! The glorious title of first place goes to...!"
Safalin cowers behind Rio as he speaks, reluctantly doing her imitation of a drumroll.

"B... Badah-badah-badah-badah-badah..."

"Q-taro Burgerbeeerg! Congrats!!"
The red haired man rubs the back of his neck, avoiding the gaze of his allies. Nobody knows what he was planning to do except you, but you can understand why he might still be on edge.

Rio, oblivious to Q-Taro's discomfort only waves his hand exaggeratedly as he speaks behind his mask.
"Okay, stand right here! Ahem! Well then, let's see, can I have an interview?"

Q-Taro balls his fists in response, glaring at the doll. "Why you...! Don't mess around! What's this privilege I got?!"

Pouting in mock disappointment, Rio fiddles with his hood.
"Daaw, what a spoilsport! I'll explain that later. Everybody but first doesn't get a prize, so I'll just announce them in order!

"Badah-badah-badah-badah-badah..."

Rio glares at the green-haired floor master behind him, causing her to cower even more.
"What's this annoying "badah-badah" thing? Don't interrupt me, Safalin!"

"Waaah!! You told me to do it just like in the rehearsal, didn't you...?!"

Sighing, you tune out Rio's words until he adreses you.
"And our flunking students are the three iiiiidiots! (Name)(Surname), Reko Yabusame, and Nao Egokoro!

Reko balls her fists in frustration, glowering at the dress-up doll.
"Who're you calling idiots?! This ain't a game!!"

Rio chooses to ignore her comment, sauntering over to another side of the area.
"Okay, three-diots, gather over here!"
Once the three of you reluctantly gather to where he's pointing, Rio grins mischievously.

"Now to announce the bottom of the barrel! In very last place isssss...! Gin Ibushi! Came in at dead last! Just the wooorst!"

You catch Sou's eye, louring as he shrugs in response.

Oblivious to the danger he's in, Gin walks over to Rio, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.
"Don't call me dead last, woof! You're making me mad, meow!"

"C'mon, you got 0 tokens! Seems you didn't accept 'em from anybody!"
"...I didn't wanna do something that's like trading money, meow..."

Rio switches to a pouting mask, beckoning the child over.
"Stubborn to the end! Don't kids these days feel any regret losing? Well, whatever, let's take a commemorative photo! Stand right there!"

Looking around, you frown as you see Rio's manic grin widen under his mask.
"In place? Good! Now smile wide..."

The lights shut off, and when they turn back on you look up to see none other than Gin and Q-Taro strapped on either side of a large target, suspended in the air.

"Wha...The hell's this?! What're you up to now?!"
"I... I can't move, woof!!"

from across the room, Sou looks up in horrified shock while Keiji glares at the dress-up doll.
"Ranger, let those two go. Or else..."

"Ahaha! How about no!"

Before you can even blink, a green glass cage falls from god-knows where and traps their group.

"Waugh...?! What's this cage?!"
"(Name), are you okay?!"

Tearing your gaze away from a panicking Sou, you're met with the equally distressed face of your best friend.

"Joe...! Just hang in there, okay? I'm gonna get you out of there so don't worry!"
You try to step forwards so that you can rest a hand on the cage or something, anything to comfort your scared friend, but Rio hops out in front of you before you can take more than a single step.

Alright bastards! Now you three get the prize of a front row seat of them from the Impression Room!

As soon as he finishes talking, the platform quickly rises, bringing the group of you, Reko, and Nao on a platform high in the air.

...So much for front row seats, your allies look the size of apples from this height.

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

"Gin... ya can't... die... You got parents... right?... Gin...!!"

Gin lays on the ground, unmoving.
You had completed the attraction the same way you did in the game... but seeing Gin's small form lying limp on the ground, you can't help but worry you were somehow too late.

"...(Name)."

Looking behind you with teary eyes, you see Joe. Your friend crouches down to your level and places a hand on your shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay, (Name). Keiji said he knows about a antidote, remember? So don't give up hope!"

He smiles warmly at you, and the tears in your eyes begin to cloud your vision as you stand up and wrap your arms around his shoulders, holding him in a tight hug.

But before you can completely lose yourself in the comforting embrace of your friend, a voice brings you back to reality.

"Let's go look for Reko...!"

Looking behind Joe with lidded eyes, you make out the blurry form of Nao, a panicked expression on her face.

"The policeman... he'll surely bring the antidote!! We should do what we have to do...!!"

"But... Gin looks so weak... Even Q-taro..."

"We're going, (Name)!!

You're dragged out of Joe's embrace and out of the room, Nao's thin arms doing their best to get you moving.

---

Shit.

You had been so caught up in your feelings and the fear of Gin dying that you had almost forgotten the plan! As you run alongside Nao, you can only hope you weren't too late.

As soon as you enter the room of lies, you see the two Rekos staring each other down, in front of an amused looking Rio.

"Took you bastards long enough to show up! Welcome to the Room of Lies! The stage is allll set!"

Looking from the left Reko to the right and back to the left, you begin to sweatdrop. You knew they were identical in looks, but the uncanny resemblance makes your heart clench.

"Now that we're all here, I was thinking of having a quiz..."
Rio giggles creepily from behind his mask, making you recoil in disgust.

Behind you, Nao hugs herself in fear.
"W... what are you talking about?!"

"Ahaha... you guys ever heard of doppelgangers? Someone witnessing you somewhere never went. Or else, you meeting another you... In some countries, that phenomenon... is considered an omen of death."

As soon as he finishes talking, a sound begins to ring out.

Both Rekos simultaneously clutch their necks in fear, and the one on the left speaks first.
"W... What the hell...?! Why'd my collar start making that noise?!"

"Mine too...!!"

Looking between the Rekos with manic glee, Ranger laughs behind his mask.
"Ahaha! It's begun! I wonder what type of death that collar will give...? Can't wait to see..."

Naos eyes begin to water as she looks between the two Rekos.
"Stop it...!! Ranger!!"

"You three idiots are just so friendly... Well then... I'll let you choose who to save."

"H..Huh...?"

Figure out who the fake is... Or just save whoever you like more! And if you don't pick either, both'll die."

Crossing your arms, you look between the two Rekos.
"Reko!"

The two look at you simultaneously, causing a shiver to run down your spine.
"Reko... do you remember what I said to you before we went into the room of lies...?"

The reko on the left gasps in recognition, while the one on the right only stares at you in confusion.
"I- I do! You said 'Just in case we get separated while in here, remember this code'! I think it was 11-0-3-7, right?"

The Reko on the left looks between you and the other Reko worridly, while the Reko on the right continues to stare blankly.
"So... This is it...? I'm gonna die now?

The Reko on the right begins to sob, clutching her neck in fear as the real Reko slowly makes her way over to you.

Nao nods at you, and you look back at Rio, determined.
"Ranger, I choose-"

"Don't be so self-centered, (Name) (Surname). The one I'm saying I'll let choose is... Nao Egokoro! I'm gonna have you pick!"

"M... Me...?"

The Reko on the right stops crying, her face contorting in anger.
"Don't be stupid...!! It's just about choosing the real one, right?!"

"Sigh...You're just full of complaints, huh?"
Huffing in mock exasperation,Ranger drops something on the floor.

"Shit! That's...!"
The knife Kai used to commit suicide. The knife the fake Reko uses to kill the real one in this route.

Reko stiffens besides you, eyeing the sharp object in confusion.
"A... A knife...?!"

"...It's mine!!"
Hardly hesitating, the fake Reko grabs the knife from the floor, holding it in front of her.

"Nao!! Pick me if you don't wanna suffer!!"

Shit.

"I'm serious!! This ain't just a threat! If I'm gonna die... then not only Nao... 
(Name)!! I'm takin' you with me too...!!"

Nao looks the fake Reko in the eyes, smiling warmly despite the dried tears staining her pale face.
"...You wouldn't do such a thing. Because... you're a copy of Reko... Even in this short time, I understood... You can't possibly hurt a friend."

The fake Reko stiffens, her grimace deepening as she looks from Nao, to you, to the real Reko.

"...So I'm sorry. Reko is my friend, too... I need to save her..."

"St... op..."

"I... want to save... the left..."

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!"

The doll charges towards Reko, giving you barely enough time to push her out of the way before you hear the squelch of a sharp knife embedding itself in human flesh, and you look down to see a deep red blooming through the fabric of your shirt.

You feel the sting of the sharp object in the side of your abdomen for only a second before everything goes black.

Chapter Text

"(Name)? (Name) can you hear me?"

Opening your eyes slightly, you're met with the worried face of your friend.
"...Joe? Where am I?"

His eyes widen, and Joe Tazuna pulls you into a bone-crushing hug.
"(Name)! We were so worried you wouldn't make it... How do you feel?"

Remembering what had happened before you passed out, you quickly sit up, clutching your side.

For some reason it doesn't hurt at all, and when you lift your top to inspect the damage you see there's no sign of you having gotten stabbed at all besides a thin scar on the side of your abdomen. There aren't even any holes or blood in the fabric, and a glance at a blushing Safalin confirms that you've been changed into a top identical to your original. Creepy, but not your main worry.

"I...I used my healing salve when you came in here... It... looks like it w-worked..."

Looking to the side again, you see Safalin standing in the corner of the room with her trademark wobbly frown.

"T-Thanks Safalin.." You turn back to Joe.
"Were you guys able to get to Reko in time? Where is she?"

An indistinguishable silence rings out in the office, and your eyes widen at the implication.
"Don't tell me..."

From behind your friend, another voice speaks up.
"No need to be so pessimistic, Mx (Name). Reko's alive and well enough." Sou gives you a rare smile from behind Joe, and you can't help mirroring his expression.

You did it. You saved Joe, and now Reko and Alice are both safe too.
"Her and Nao are still pretty shaken up though, so they'll definitely be glad to see you up and kicking tomorrow!"

You look back at Joe, nodding at his optimism. "Speaking of... How long exactly have I been out?" You get a closer look at Joe as he sits down on the couch next to you, noting the slight darkness under his eyes.

"Have you guys... Even gotten any sleep?" You tilt your head to look at Sou, who purses his lips without answering.

Joe has more than enough words for both of them though, and fills you in on everything you missed. Apparently Gashu decided he wouldn't start the next portion of the game until all the players were conscious, so everyone will have to meet in the medical office once they wake up for the explanation.

According to him you haven't been passed out for more than a few hours, but the stifled yawn Joe lets out is enough for you to decide it's time for both your allies to get some much-needed shut eye.

"Alright, you two. Let's all get our beauty sleep now."
You turn to Safalin in a silent question, and she nods shakily before waving the three of you off.

---

It only feels like a few minutes before you hear a soft knock at your door.
Getting up to turn on the lights, you frown slightly. Who could be trying to talk to you at this time? Not that you have any actual way of knowing how late it is, but the heaviness of your eyelids is enough confirmation for you that it's naptime.

Opening the door tentatively, you sigh in relief when you recognize Sou's unruly teal hair. You're surprised to see him without his beanie, but that's the thing you're least confused about as he invites himself in and settles onto your bed.

"So, we're just skipping the 'hello how are you, this is why i'm at your door' part of the conversation?"

You cross your arms after closing the door behind him, shooting a empty glare Sou's way.
The man in question ignores the jab, instead asking the question you least expected from him.
"Are... You okay?"

Seeing your confused expression, Sou runs a hand through his hair before trying again.
"What I mean is, are you alright like... mentally after that."

You continue to look in confusion at the teal-haired man on your bed, wondering where in the world Sou went and who replaced him.

"I- Well I saved Reko and Alice, so everything's fine anyways."
That doesn't seem to be the answer Sou was looking for, as his expression darkens slightly.

"If you had died, you wouldn't have been able to save anyone." You wince at the bluntness of his words, turning your head slightly.

"Well I survived, and the siblings did too."
Sou shakes his head, frowning as you sit down next to him. "Sou... Are *you* okay?"

The man exhales in exasperation, flopping backwards onto your bed.
"Doesn't matter. What matters is that you don't seem to value your life at all."

That... was absolutely not what you expected him to say.
"P...Pardon?"

Sou rolls onto his side, looking you in the eye despite you being higher than him.
"You do understand just because you died in your old world doesn't mean you don't belong in this one, right?"

You pause at Sou's words, caught off guard by his sudden seriousness.
"It's stupid to take a knife for someone you don't know."

You narrow your eyes at Sou, slightly offended by his words.
"I would do it for you too, y'know."

Sou looks up at you, an indiscernible expression on his pale face.
"Yeah. Stupid."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, all of you have assembled."

You stand between Joe and Reko as Gashu begins his explanation. Everything he's saying you already know, so you tune out until he finishes his speech.

"Card data has already been distributed at random to the voting tablets you possess. All that remains is… the permission to access it."

Q-Taro crosses his arms, frowning at the lanky doll.
"Why’d ya hafta make it so roundabout?!"

"Very sharp indeed, Mr. Q-taro. Because this time, you are able to make trades. And forcibly, at that."

Keiji seems skeptical, holding his chin in his hand as he mulls over Gashu's words.
"We can trade our cards…?"

"Indeed. Now then, let me show you. Come forth, Ring-Up Box…!"

A phone booth rises up from the floor, and you try to mirror the confused and shocked expressions of those around you.

"You may trade cards by making a request at one of these Ring-Up Boxes, situated in each room. They are simple to use. Simply insert 50 tokens and grab the receiver."

Nao pales. "F-Fifty tokens?!"

"Of course, just like the Sub-Game, you cannot use your own tokens."

Q-Taro grumbles about the rule being stupid and you look over at Gin, the only player that didn't get any tokens.
You briefly wonder if you can give him some of yours, but are cut off from your thoughts when Gashu's voice rings out again.

"You have a time limit of approximately 3 hours. When all have returned to their bedrooms, that will signal the start of this trading phase."

The atmosphere in the room is tense, but Gashu's smile only widens.
"Do not wear such gloomy looks, everyone. Win, and survive. For you were all born to win."

You fight the urge to scoff. Not you. You aren't Sara Chidouin. You chance a look at Joe from the corner of you eye, to see him narrowing his eyes warily at the doll in front of him.

If only you could tell him..

"So then, please return to your rooms within 5 minutes. If you do not… You understand, don’t you?"

---

Commoner.

You stare blankly at the screen in front of you, knowing the role you've been granted won't last, not with the trading system that's been put in place.

You have 50 tokens, but the idea of forcefully trading a deadly card to one of your allies makes your throat burn.

"(Name)"

You turn your head to the door, immediately recognizing Keiji's voice.
"Hey... Keiji?"

"Yup, that's me. Could you open up?"
It's been a while since you've spoken to Keiji one on one, and although him coming to your door is part of the storyline, you still smile knowing even though you aren't Sara, he still thought of you.

"Hmmm... If you’re Keiji, you should know the password! Say it and maybe I'll let you in."

You can practically see the blonde's lazy smile from behind the door.
"...Now that’s a toughie. Guess this case is going unsolved."

Huffing out a laugh, you open the door to see Keiji leaning on the frame, the same lazy smile you expected on his face.
"Glad to see you haven't died, (Name). You saved Reko, y'know."

You bite back a smile, shaking your head at the blonde.
"Would've done it for anyone."

"That's not why i'm here, though... (Name), you're the sacrifice right?"

You roll your eyes at the blonde, backing up to sit on your bed.
"Nah."

Keiji leans on the wall after walking in to your room, looking closely at you.
"Hum.. That's good then. Well i'm the keymaster."

You raise an eyebrow on reflex, but Keiji takes that as you disbelieving him and crosses his arms.
"Not gonna trust me at my word though, are you… ‘Scuse me for a second."

The policeman walks past you and into the ring up box in your room, as you watch curiously.

-The first trade has just been performed.-

Looking down at your tablet, you hum at your card being changed into a keymaster as Keiji leaves the ring up box and sits next to you.
"Huh… So you were a Commoner."

You purse your lips at the blonde, frowning at his idiocy though you know why he did it.
"Your Keymaster… for my Commoner. Not a very fair trade, in my expert opinion."

"That proves it to you though, right? Your friendly policeman’s the Keym-"
You lightly punch Keiji in the arm, effectively cutting him off.

"That's stupid. I believed you anyways."

Keiji smiles lightly, avoiding your eyes as he speaks again.
"Just… wanted you to trust me 's all.

"We’ve only got 3 hours. No time to waste suspecting each other over roles. ‘Cause we’re… gonna make our escape."

Although you know the plan won't work, you can't exactly say so without seeming suspicious.
"You must have an idea. Tell me?"