Part 207: NGAE: ~/cyan/betray/red/ally sigma\$ cd _

999 OST: [Imaginary]





As soon as we arrived, we began to treat Alice and Quark for Radical-6.



I gave Luna the Axelavir that I'd found in the Q room.
She quickly prepared it and...
Injected Alice and Quark.

Listen in: [English/Japanese]




But they should be fine.




Indeed.


Thank you, Luna.
And thanks for finding the medicine, you guys.
Thank you so much.


Don't sweat it.


No need to thank us.



Tenmyouji said nothing, just walked over to Quark's unconscious body.
He took the small boy's hand in his own and held it tight.
I could see tears at the corners of his eyes as he turned away from us.



Suddenly I remembered... Dio. Where had he gone...?
It didn't take me long to find him.
He was sprawled, unconscious, on the floor beneath the sink.




Oh, we found those in the crew quarters.
Before you returned, we went to check on the bomb in room 2, and we found them there.




Thank you again for dealing with them.
You are, quite literally, life-savers.
You have my eternal gratitude.



[Music fades out]

I coughed awkwardly and looked pointedly around the room.
I glanced over at Phi to see she was doing the same thing.

VLR OST: [Placidity]



Clover and Tenmyouji decided to remain in the infirmary, just in case something happened with Alice, Quark, or Dio.

Luna would represent Clover's team.
With Quark and Dio sleeping, K would represent their team by default.

...Which left me, Phi, and Tenmyouji.





Listen in: [English/Japanese]


No, I'll let you handle it.
I chose "betray" in the last round.
You probably don't trust me right now.


What? That doesn't matter now...


Excuse me.
I apologize for interrupting, but I think you should be the one to vote in the next round, Phi.


Why?


You already have 9 BP.
There's no reason for you to choose "betray" now. You see?


Hey, you're acting like I might actually try and betray her.


Not necessarily...




What does it matter what he's suggesting?
We're almost there!
We just have to play the AB Game three more times.
Then we can all get 9 points.
But that means each representative has to choose "ally" all three times...




Okay. I'll vote.




Yeah. I trust you.



I handed her the star key.








An Ambidex Gate has been opened.
Forty-five minutes remain until Ambidex Game polling closes.




Oh... Well, we could vote earlier...
But then each voter would be stuck inside the AB Room for 45 minutes.


Hm...


Okay. Let's go back to the infirmary, then.


I agree. Please, lead the way.




Luna and K set off toward the yellow door.
I was about to follow, when...



[Music fades out]


Hold on...




What?


The AB Room on the left...
In one of the other histories, she...




Akane's body was in there...



VLR OST: [Portentousness]


Maybe because she wasn't murdered.


But...how?
When did history change?


...
...


...
...






Is it alive? Or is it dead?
Sigma, Phi... You will decide its fate.




Exactly.


I wonder what she meant about us deciding its fate?


Perhaps she was saying her own fate wasn't decided yet.


...Huh?




What? No, that's impossible.
We've already opened the box.
We opened the door to this AB room and there was no body.


No, we haven't opened the box.
We haven't found a body, but we haven't found her alive yet either.
In other words, we haven't actually observed her.


The hologram was a recording from before this game started...


...
...




So come and find me. I'll be waiting.

[Music fades out]

Where was Akane now?
Where was she waiting for us...?
...
...
Or...what if she wasn't anywhere "now"...
What if she was waiting for us in another timeline?
Or what if she was waiting for us in the past...? Was that even possible?

If she was...
What would that mean...?





...Huh?



Well, this is new.



Not seeing anything...



Nope...



Nada.

Wait.



Well, that's something.





You're damn right I wish to jump.