Part 104: The Final Game Begins

[BGM: Ox's Logic]


…

Well that was... something?

Okay, temperature check real quick? I'm not saying that the Zodiac Race was all that better or anything, but at least it kind of had the air of some sort of “final judgment” thing.

This just feels like we're on a bad game show, right? I mean, am I imagining this? Is it just me? 'Cause I feel like it's incredible how much less authentic this feels.

Yeah, uh, I kind of get what you're saying. This seems... different, somehow.

I remain unsure if this game is more artistic or less than the one we have faced before. However, whatever the case may be, the truth remains unaltered.

We shall have to face this game down head on.



Hey, but we can do that real easily, right? I mean, even I get what we need to do, and I'm not even all that smart. The Cat said if there's a tie in terms of who has the most 'dominant animal' cards, everybody can win.

Which means so long as nobody takes the winner's card, we can all get out alive. ...Right?

However, the winner's card will be the easiest way for a winner to get to the needed 9 points, no? Is this not an issue to consider?

There's still the cards worth 2 points and 1 point to the winner. Someone can get a total of, um, 24 points without getting a single card of their own.

However, things aren't just going to end here, are they?

Huh?

Horse is r-right... Last time, the Jade Emperor added a rule later on which made me and Ox a traitor. They're probably going to do something like that again! ...But unlike last time, it doesn't sound like there are any items or anything that will let us fix that.

A-Are we really going to be alright?



Okay, everybody, listen up. We really don't have time to lose on the typical petty squabbling or banter which constituted much of our time in the last moronic Death Game we were all put into.

The rules this time are harsher, and the time limits are tighter. If the cretin behind this game decides to later alter this game from a team effort into a lynching, well, there's not much we can do.

Instead, we simply need to establish and follow an optimal strategy. In this case, doing so is not a particularly difficult mission.

First off, we need to choose somebody to be a designated 'winner'. For the sake of ease, let's just say that person will be Tiger. She's... like our mascot, no? Then let's go with her.

Hell yeah!

Now, the cards that will score for Tiger other than Tiger cards are the Mouse, Ox, Bunny, and Dragon cards. Therefore, Mouse, myself, Bunny, and Dragon will be responsible for picking up our own type of card when it appears, and gifting it to Tiger.

For the sake of things, Pig and Snake can also pick up their own type of card and gift it to Tiger, as those will be neutral to her score. As for everybody else, your job will be to simply not interfere. Check somebody on a round where there's nothing to do.



On the other hand, if a Tiger card shows up, everybody not assigned a task should try and take it. That will inevitably result in the Tiger card being ripped up. With this method, it's inevitable that Tiger will eventually win without a single Tiger card landing in somebody's hands.

Tch. Really just taking control of the group, are you?

Please don't do this. We don't have time. Does anyone have any actionable objections to my plan?

It seems a sensible enough strategy.

I think it makes sense.

I see no issues.

Great. Then in that case, we've got a plan. So... okay then. Do whatever you want until the two minute warning.

And like that, people began to disperse. Class dismissed. Frankly, I wasn't so confident everything would go nearly as cleanly as Ox claimed it would. I was also still confused about so many points. There were a lot of mysteries about, and I could feel myself on the cusp of solving at least a few of them. The key had to lie with the incident surrounding Amadeus Bowen's murder. To get to the bottom of it, I needed to interrogate more people. So, it was just a matter of who to talk to.

[BGM: Silence]


What, you didn't think we'd have at least one more route gimmick before the end of the game? Unlike Ox's route, however, we're actually going to end up speaking to everyone at some point, so really you just get to pick what order you talk to people in. For the LP, we'll just go from the top – no need to complicate things.

Ox prosecuted Mr. Morris. He should have a thorough grasp of the case. I decided to find him and talk about his perspective on all of this.

...

[BGM: Ox's Logic]


How certain am I that Aaron Morris is the culprit?

Before all of this, I'd say 100%. And now? ...Perhaps 95%?

It's only 5% lower?

Look, the possibility of a grand conspiracy is certainly present, I'll grant you. But I also oversaw a lot of the evidence, looked through it myself.

According to your story, the Chief of Police might have been trying to give this case a decisive edge, but it's not like he didn't have good reason. He may have wanted to prevent the bit about the knife coming out, but it was also pretty clear who the killer had to be.

None of the people involved had much of a connection before this, so the possibility of accomplices is minimal. A whole cavalcade of evidence points to Aaron Morris. And it's impossible for anyone else to have done it.

But that's the thing though. Isn't it kind of suspicious just how obvious Morris was? Wouldn't he have hidden it better?



He couldn't have known he'd be found out so quickly.

Okay, but there are still things he could have done better. Like, why send that delayed text to Snake? Doesn't that speed up the process of everybody realizing Bowen was missing?

The biggest mistake you're taking in all of this is taking Snake and Tiger's testimonies for granted. A reasonable person with knowledge of the schedule would probably know to be wary that you might be seen through the waiting rooms.

However, he couldn't have expected that Snake would have been such a vigilant watcher, and not just look on his phone or sit in a position that wouldn't give him a constant view of the room. Nobody could have.

He couldn't have anticipated Rooster barging into the office like that. He couldn't have anticipated Bunny finding the body so quickly.

Snake seeing nobody in the office would reinforce his dumb story about Bowen being out of the office when Morris entered. He would've written it off as Bowen having left the office at some point, probably when Sheep went to get breakfast on the first floor as usual.



Bowen going 'missing' would be a lot broader. And he still had the stolen master card, so he could come back at a later date to dispose of the body, not just leave it in the safe like that.

I guess when you put it like that, it makes more sense...

Face it Mouse, we got the right man the first time. He had the motive. He was the one who could've stolen all of the money out of the safe. He had the bills found in his car! He did it.

… ...And if you did get the wrong man? If you had a hand in the execution of an innocent person? Would you be able to admit it?

What are you talking about? Of course I'd admit it, why wouldn't I?

Just... think about it.

What do you mean?

Obviously there's a lot going on right now. I don't want to add more to your pile. But I think that's a question that maybe you should consider, when you have more time.

… ...Okay. I will.

[BGM: Silence]


With everything settled, I left Ox to himself.

Tiger was another key witness in the incident... She probably had some insights worth discussing. I paid her a visit in the classroom she was lounging in.

…

[BGM: Queen of the Jungle]


That old thing? Ugh, I really wish people would quit asking me about it. I mean, I get it, I know it was important.

But my memory's really not the best, you know?

Well, you don't need to run down the whole thing. I just have a few questions for you.

Alright, shoot.

… ...I feel dumb about what I'm about to ask now.

What?

Mouse, don't say that! Believe in yourself! I'm sure you're going to ask a great question!

Okay then.



Are you sure you didn't see anyone else enter Bowen's office?

Of course! What are you talking about? I definitely would've mentioned something like that to the police.

Figured. But you would've seen it, right? If someone did enter?

No, totally. I was reading a magazine they had laid out, but it was like... light reading. I was directly facing the door window. And when Bowen's office door opens, it swings all the way out to cover the window.

Honestly a bit of a design flaw, if you ask me. But, anyways, I definitely took note every time that happened.

What about the outside window? Were you looking through that?

No, why? Is it relevant?

Probably not. I guess I just wanted to ask.

Alright then. Anything else?



One other thing. You waited until the cops were already in the building before you left the waiting room, right?

Uh huh.

So... why'd you do that?

I don't know. I had nowhere else to be that day. Wasn't told to leave.

I guess that makes sense. ...That's about it.

Great! Hope that helped!

Thanks for indulging me.

No problem! Honestly, anything to take my mind off this situation.



First time? Cute. This time? Kind of infuriating. I'm trying to keep my cool, but yeesh, it's not easy.

Sometimes it feels like my emotions are just moving my body for me.

...You need to go to anger management.

What are you talking about?

What you just said? It's not healthy. In fact, it's a really bad sign. You should seek help.

Ah, it's fine. No big deal.

No, it is a big deal. You need to get it checked out.

Uh, well, if you say so, I guess I could think about it.

Don't think about it. Do it.

And with that, my time with Tiger came to a close.

...Bunny was the actual cop on the scene, right? He ought to have some insights for me. I paid him a visit.

…

[BGM: Lucky Foot]


You wanna ask questions about the incident?

I don't quite know how that'll help this specific situation, but sure, fire away!

Bunny stood nonchalantly, leaning against a wall. He was tossing a small globe up in the air with his left hand. From what I could tell, I guess he was left-handed.

I guess one of the things that stands out to me is just how quickly you were able to find Bowen's body.

Yeah, being able to recover it so quickly was rather impressive.

...But I'm wondering specifically how you were able to find it.

It's really not that big of a mystery. First things first, when I heard about the missing person, I asked around to get an idea of the situation.



I talked with Tiger, who was sitting near the scene, about when he was last seen. And she gave me the very useful tip that she hadn't seen him leave his office.

I knew the office was empty, that's why Sheep had called me... but with a witness telling me that the man should have still been in there, I thought it wise to really look around in there.

When I saw the safe, saw that it was body-sized, well... I just had to check it out.

And how did you open it?

I borrowed the master keys from Sheep.

'Master keys'?

Yeah, they could lock and unlock pretty much anything in the building. Including the safe.



With them, you don't need to know the safe's passcode.

Seems pretty irresponsible to let those also access the safe.

I guess Bowen trusted Sheep.

Alright then. I guess that all adds up. You pass.

I pass? Well, good for me.

Good for you.



...So, I heard about everything Dog said from Snake and Dragon.

Oh?

Yeah, they kind of explained that situation to the group.

That's nice.

...I suppose you think I'm pretty scummy, huh? I mean, I'm sort of complicit in the whole 'corrupt police force' thing, yeah? Dog... wasn't lying about all that. It's pretty bad. They do blackmail you. I've been trying to help things from the inside, but... ...I'm pretty much trash, huh?

It depends.

What does that mean?

At the moment, yeah, you're looking pretty bad. But I don't think you can ever stray so far off the path that you can't get back on it.

You say you've been trying to help from the inside? Then if you actually, you know, help from the inside, I think you can still turn things around.

But that's –



I'm not saying it's going to be easy. I'm saying that if you want to not be trash, that's what you've got to do.

And just like that, I walked away from him.

...

I still couldn't fit Dragon into the puzzle. For that reason alone, I needed to talk to her. She didn't look all too pleased to see me.

[BGM: Eyes of the Dragon]


Don't you have better things to do? ...Whatever, ask away.

Thank you, Dragon.

Yeah yeah, just get on with it.

I mean, to put it simply, are you sure you have no connection to all of this? No connection at all?

If I knew, I'd tell you, okay?

Although... okay, actually, I do know.

You do?!

Yeah, I heard something from Dog during our 'stay' at his dungeon.



Apparently, I used to run by his bar pretty frequently around the time of the incident.

Really?

Yeah, and once he said that, I realized that I did recognize him. He was right. I was a semi-regular customer of his, a while back.

But, uh, his place was usually the end of my bar crawls, not the start of 'em. I hardly remember anything from that time.

But I mean, that's a connection! That's gotta be why you were brought! So then... something important must've happened there.

You think I don't know that, dickwad? Ever since Dog told me that, I've been focusing. Thinking. Something must've happened one of those nights, something, but...

Ugh, it's just not coming to me. I think there's a chance I saw something, saw somebody. But... despite my best efforts, its not coming to me.

Hmm... But... maybe somebody doesn't know that.

Huh?

Forget it.



Tch. This whole thing's bullshit.

It is.

Still, I'm probably dealing with this better than you all. After all, I'm used to living in danger.

Because you're a gang leader, right?

Pretty much.

...You should really quit that.

Oh really? Thanks. I didn't think of that.

I'm serious.



Give me one good reason why I should stop.

For your gang's safety.

My gang's safety? How are they going to be more safe when I'm not leading them?

Maybe you should tell them to quit it as well?

That'd go over real well.

I'm just saying, you've got a lot of influence. You could do a lot of good. Or, if you keep going at the rate you're going, you could get a bunch of your friends killed.

Tch. Fuck you. What do you know about loss? The hell do you think gives you the right to stick your nose in my business?

I sighed, then walked away. There wasn't much else I could do.

...

Snake was a critical witness in all of this. He must have some sort of insight. However, after I found him, I was met with something of a wall.

[BGM: Dance of the Snakes]


My deepest apologies, Mouse, but everything I have to say on the incident has been spoken for. At the time, my mind was elsewhere. So it's not as though I was able to catch some keen details the police might have missed.

I was rather zoned out, all things considered. I'm afraid my perspective won't add anything to your investigation.

I sighed. I was afraid of this.

Did you think this investigation was easy? That by just asking the right questions, the truth would be made clear to you?

I was kinda hoping for that?

I'm sad to say, Mouse, life rarely works so cleanly. It's messy, full of things you'd rather be a different way.

Take my life for instance. I've spent so many years acting as a teacher, putting my art to the side. Because of that, I fear I've never been able to reach my full potential.

Ah, how regretful.

It hasn't been a waste!

Oh?



So what if you haven't been doing art full time? You've been a teacher! Presumably, a good one. That's, like, a super important job. You're shaping the future generation. Isn't that enough?

What a hopeful take on the matter. You make me long for simpler days.

And with that seemingly dismissive comment, Snake dismissed me. So I left.

*BWAAAAAAAAAAM!!*

Before I could talk to anyone else, the speakers began to blare. Ow, my ears... I guess this was the two minute warning The Cat was referring to? Anyways, the point was made clearly.