Part 33: Insight

BGM: Silence


05/29 (TUE), Early Morning
Mmm... Already morning...

I slept so soundly last night that I didn't even dream.

Dreams... Hard to believe such a concept has taken on a whole new meaning for me. I'd never considered the possibility of a whole other world existing within our dreams. Not to mention a goddess like Parca coming along and connecting me with others through said world. I mean, who could imagine meeting complete strangers within your own dream? It'd be a romanticized situation if this were a shoujo manga, I'm sure. I cast my mind back to the other participants' appearances. That's when I remember something crucial.

BGM: Intel Investigation Underway


One's an old man...!

Naomi's message from yesterday springs to mind. She said that there's definitely something suspicious about that girl and where she's staying. It's not just any old man, either. He's Japanese. That man is Numeral V. I might be on to something. Actually, I should have caught on right away.

There's still plenty of time before I need to be at school. I want to try something. My decision made, I make my way to the old man's house.

…...

BGM: A Dot on a Piece of Paper


05/29 (TUE), Morning
Fortunately, I make it all the way without getting lost. It's a pretty tricky route after all, but jotting down the address yesterday turned out to be worth it. But I probably would've been fine without it, considering I've somehow managed to memorize the route.

This is it.

I make sure to keep some distance away to avoid looking suspicious. It may be early in the morning, but people are still passing through. Once the area empties out, I check inside his mailbox. I feel pretty bad about doing this, but it's necessary. There are a slew of letters in here. Definitely more than a day's worth. Most of them are from debt collectors. Not just from one collection agency, either. There are multiple different senders. I ignore all that, grab a random letter, and remove it from the box.



I want to see to whom it's addressed, of course.

Ushizuka Shigetsugu...

That has to be the name of the old man living here. Just to be sure, I check a few other letters as well. They all cite the same name. All that's left is to get a glimpse of his face. I consider waiting for him to leave the house, but I need to remain mindful of the time. As important as this is, I still have school. Helps that I'm probably safest there, too.

Just as I decide to stick around for as long as I can, I notice two figures in the distance. Two figures that I recognize, even. One male, the other female. Both are foreigners, and tall.

BGM: WARNING
It's them...!

There's still plenty of distance between us, so I can't make out their faces. Not that I need to. I can tell it's them based on their silhouettes. Not only are they participants, but they're also the most dangerous duo by far.



Numerals III and XI. Federico Carminati and his partner. I instinctively duck for cover. They have to be targeting the girl. Either that, or they're looking into the relationship between her and the old man- just as I am. Assuming he turns out to be a participant, it's likely they've tracked him down to here. Numeral XI is carrying a notepad. I assume she's gotten a hold of his address somehow. In that case, they must be coming for him instead of the girl. After all, she wouldn't be listed as living here.

Just as I am deciding whether to stick around or head to school, the front door gets propped ajar. Noticing this, the duo duck into a nearby alley. From what I can tell, Numeral XI's the one who prompts them to do so. That surprises me. She seems like the kind of person to leap in when the opportunity presents itself, so I don't expect her to tread carefully. Both the girl and the old man are likely aware of the situation they've put themselves in. So it's only natural for them to scout out their surroundings before they leave the house. Deciding that the coast is clear, the door swings open.

BGM: Intel Investigation Underway


That's...

Light pours out of my bag all of a sudden. The moment that old man steps out of the house, in fact. That's when I become certain that he is Ushizuka Shigetsugu. His appearance matches what I saw in the dream world. A tenacious-looking old man. I got the impression he was a shut-in of sorts before, but his current attire of a sweater and loose pants says the opposite. Numeral XI and Federico remain hidden for some reason. Regardless, I've confirmed that Ushizuka's a bona-fide participant. It's safe to say that I'm putting myself in danger if I stay any longer. As such, I slink back to the station, taking care not to bump into any of the others.

…...

BGM: Villain


Looks like we were right on the money.

I whisper to Odette when the old timer leaves his house.

Shush, you dumbass.

She may have whispered, but she also slams her foot down on mine. Gotta admit, she's uncharacteristically cautious at times like this. You'd think someone massive like her would charge right in, but nope. She even keeps us a fair distance from the house to ensure we aren't seen. Granted, putting this much distance between us means she gets that her massive body doesn't lend itself to stealth. Enough about her. Let me recall how we ended up here in the first place...



Me and Odette had a talk about who to target after the third election, where that crazy thin Japanese lady got eliminated. Odette's intuition played a big part in us targeting Ro, so we still hadn't made use of the cards we were dealt at the beginning. Knowing there'd be a name or two among those initial cards, we decided to go after whoever was in my set. Normally I'd be against showing off my cards, but Odette told me which card she'd taken from Ro immediately afterwards, so... Well, not like she chose to do that without planning to get something in return.

Turns out I had that Russian kid's name card. Sofiya something-something. The kid had been through some rough stuff, but it ain't any of my concern. We took her parents hostage and Odette got her to spill her life story. Thing is, she implied that she had one of Odette's cards. Not only that, but Odette decided to give her some time to screw around. Time to let her get over her regret, really. Can't say why she did it, but there ain't no point in trying to get into that woman's head. I wouldn't have been able to learn much about Sofiya with just her name, so I decided not to complain.

Had things gone according to plan, Odette would've eliminated Sofiya, but that Miharu broad one-upped her. Make no mistake, Odette ain't the type to let something like that slow her down. We're the same in that regard. Plenty of things went awry for me back in Italy, but I never took issue with it. In fact, those situations are when people expose their worst side. You gotta make the most of that. Just like I said in the Court of Fate, two of the three cards dealt to me at the beginning belong to participants that've already been eliminated.

Next up is Numeral V, Ushizuka Shigetsugu. Odette had his name card, so we used it to dig up dirt on him, and here we are.



Hey, space cadet. Get it together; we're heading back.

The hell? You sayin' we can't jump the old geezer now and make him squeal? That, or we could break into his house while he's gone.

You sure enough oxygen's reaching that brain of yours up in space? Ain't no one crazy enough to do that at this time of day. Not unless they wanna be caught and reported to the police. Don't forget, this is a residential district. We can't go wild like with Sofiya and Ro. We gotta come back early in the morning or late at night.

Only got yourself to blame for that.

She smashes her foot down on mine again. Guess she isn't too pleased about the implication that she's the only one that stands out.



We didn't get any worthwhile info here, did we?

So you'd think, but it's easy to take a stab at how he died now that we've seen his house.

How's that run-down shack gonna hel- Oh. Now I see where you're going.

Heh. You're on point for once. Keep going.

Tch...

Figured she'd spill the beans if I acted like I caught on, but... that didn't go quite as planned. Now I know not even to bother pretending. She smacks my shoulder before she continues.

BGM: Intel Investigation Underway


This is a lonely old man we're talking about. In a country that's become known for cases of the elderly being discovered dead in their homes, no less. Knowing how insular Japan and its people can be, that's probably why it happens so often. Hell, apparently they even have specialists to deal with the dead and rotting bodies, too.



Anyway, just remember what the woman told you. That's as big of a hint as you can get.

That fatty did enjoy running her mouth...

I think back to what she told me. Seems like there were rumors of him kicking the bucket, since he rarely left the house.

Starvation, huh? You think that's it? Insular as Japan may be, it's a developed country. Wouldn't he have gotten retirement or unemployment benefits or something?

Under normal circumstances, maybe. The woman did mention that he had a bad back, right?

Yeah, that's right. Dunno why she remembers more of this stuff than me when I was the one who talked to the woman.



Don't underestimate lower back pain. A shipmate of mine suffered from it once, and they couldn't bring themselves to move even an inch. So let's assume the geezer got hit by it out of nowhere. Well, ignoring the fact that it wouldn't be sudden if he'd been suffering from it before, but...



He don't got no one to call for help. Everyone's used to him staying inside, so they wouldn't bat an eyelid. Not like he's getting direct care from the government, just disability benefits, so no one there's gonna come check on him. All it takes is a week without food or three days without water for someone to croak. Trust me.

I can tell she's serious by the tone of her voice. Knowing what she's been involved in, I wouldn't be surprised if her crew had come close to starvation at some point. That, or she's seen it happen to one of her shipmates before.

So basically, he starved to death after suffering from some crazy back pain, and all because no one was there to help him. It's possible, but would it really happen that qui- whoa!

A familiar light emanates from my book. The sign that a new card's been made. The same thing happens for Odette, too. When she notices, she can't help but grin. It's honestly sickening just how good she is at this.

Even now, he seemed well enough when he left just now. Same for that Russian kid. Guess that any participants with obvious symptoms are cured of them during Divine Selection.

...You're probably on the right track there. Chances are, everyone's physical condition gets reverted to a time when they were healthy.

She nods in reaffirmation after repeating what I said. I half-expected her to say she doesn't care, so it takes me by surprise. Her expression reverts to its usual state, and then she turns around.



All right, we got enough info for today. Let's head back.

We head back the way we came, making sure not to be spotted by Ushizuka.

…...

BGM: Alan


Unbeknownst to Rinka, Alan has been tailing her for the past few days. It brings him to the residential district where Ushizuka Shigetsugu, whose name he has yet to learn, lives. What's more, he has learned the whereabouts of both her school and Lion House. Seeing that she's making her way to school after obtaining the elderly man's name card, he chooses to stop tailing her for the time being. He closes his eyes and recalls her figure.

Rinka...

Eliminating her would prove a simple task, were he to actively focus on it. However, a number of reasons prevent him from doing so. The first is her relationship with Number II- Miharu. She may have gone to lengths to make it seem like they had a falling-out, but Alan witnessed them being friendly at Lion House. It confirmed to him that they are still cooperating. One cannot target Shishimai Rinka without first dealing with Hebinata Miharu.



Alan has no idea which cards she was dealt at the beginning either, which is the main reason for his hesitation in getting involved with her. Her actions during the previous election show that she cannot be underestimated. She may have eliminated a girl far younger than herself, but she went head-to-head with Numeral XI to obtain election rights.

The biggest reason of all, however, is that Alan has found himself under suspicion from Japan's police. His recklessness while obtaining Kamebuchi Keiko's information has landed him in a tight spot. He had made sure to scout out the positions of each camera in the hospital and cut off those he couldn't avoid. But something unexpected happened... He somehow ended up on the list of suspects responsible for the attack on the hospital. Under normal circumstances, he would use illegal means to ensure that he would not be arrested, but his current situation does not allow for that. Especially because he holds far less influence in Japan than back in India, where his company is based. He may have some leeway, but now is no time to flex those muscles.



Valid as those reasons are, Alan is simply using them as a means to distract himself from the reality of the matter. There is a far simpler reason behind his choice to not pursue Rinka. One that he had noticed earlier. The look in her eyes... It reminded him of himself. Not only does she lack his amassed fortune, but she is also nowhere near as physically imposing. And yet, somehow, her eyes burned with a determination matching his own...

More importantly...

Alan has the chance to learn the old man's name the same way that Rinka did, but he opts not to. To be more accurate, he can't. This is thanks to his spotting a particular duo keeping their eye on the old man's home. Numerals III and XI. Alan arrived after Rinka's departure, so they likely had no idea she was also there.

Numeral XI is in possession of Numeral V's name card, if I recall.

That was more than enough reason to understand why she was here. With sufficient connections at one's disposal, learning where someone lives based on their name alone is a simple feat. What surprises Alan is the fact that someone like her would cooperate with Numeral III. The sheer stupidity he displayed in the Court of Fate had Alan convinced that he could be left for later, but that was no longer the case if he's with Numeral XI.

It may not seem like it, but Alan has respect for those who have eliminated other participants. Only two people have earned this respect thus far. One is Miharu, and the other is Numeral XI. Alan can also tell that the latter is no ordinary person. One glance was all he needed to understand her background and the deeds in which she had been involved. Based on what he's seen, she seems to have the upper hand with Numeral III.



He must be her foot soldier of sorts. Regardless, I know now what must be done.

His target switches from the old man to those two. Keeping an eye on them will likely lead to him getting his hands on Numeral V's information without much effort. Not only that, but discovering where they're based now, while unaware of his plans, will give him the advantage down the line. That may be enough to make up for the disadvantage his celebrity status gives him.

He begins to tail the two, taking extra care not to be noticed.

…...



Soon after, Alan returns to the residential district. His attempt to tail them hasn't ended as well as hoped. Not from being noticed, though. Alan trusts himself to not slip up when it comes to that. However, those two must have unconsciously taken a path to shake a ny potential pursuers. It eventually led to him losing sight of them.

My priority should lie with Numeral XI.

He mutters to himself so as not to stand out. He then makes his way back to his own base of operations. The time has come for him to finally take action.

-----

Cardbook has updated.




I – Name – Shishimai Rinka
II – Name – Hebinata Miharu
III – Name – Federico Carminati
IV – Cause of Death – Fire
V – Name – Ushizuka Shigetsugu
VIII – Name – Kamebuchi Keiko
VIII – Cause of Death – Brain Hemorrhage
VIII – Regret – Child's Name
IX – Regret – Gold Medal
X – Name – Sofiya Priessnitz Alexeievna
XII – Name – Alan Scorpion


II – Name – Hebinata Miharu
III – Name – Federico Carminati
V – Name – Ushizuka Shigetsugu
V – Cause of Death – Death by Starvation
VII – Name – Ro Chanho
VII – Cause of Death – Stroke
X – Name – Sofiya Priessnitz Alexeievna
XI – Name – Odette Malencon


II – Name – Hebinata Miharu
IV – Cause of Death – Fire


II – Name – Hebinata Miharu
V – Name – Ushizuka Shigetsugu
V – Cause of Death – Death by Starvation


II – Name – Hebinata Miharu
III – Name – Federico Carminati
V – Name – Ushizuka Shigetsugu
V – Cause of Death – Death by Starvation
VII – Name – Ro Chanho
VII – Cause of Death – Stroke
VII – Regret – Dog
X – Name – Sofiya Priessnitz Alexeievna
X – Cause of Death – Death from Sickness
X – Regret – Seeing the World
XI – Name – Odette Malencon