Part 24: AB Game Round 2 vs Luna
VLR OST: [Consternation]
No... This isn't real...
I knelt down beside Alice's body and pressed a shaking hand to her throat.
No pulse.
Her skin had already turned pale.
The thing in front of me looked like a human being, but it wasn't being a human any longer.
Why had this happened?
I clenched my fist, took one last breath, and turned.
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
I was looking for Quark on floor B and couldn't find him.
So I came back here and... Well, you know the rest.
...
You better not be thinking I did it!
Well, suspicion often falls on the first to discover a crime.
She'd already been murdered when I got here!
How do you know she was murdered?
What...? C'mon, it's obvious.
Does that look like an accident or a suicide to you?
How do you know the weapon was a knife?
What...?
All you can see from here is the handle.
For all you know, it could have been an ice pick or some kind of tool.
W-Well, yeah, I guess that's true...
But, I mean, c'mon... Who wouldn't look at that and assume it's a knife?
If you wanna be like that, then the last person to see Alice is the person you should be looking at!
Who was the last person to see her?
This wasn't supposed to happen...
You promised me we'd catch them together...
Don't do this...
Clover...
I'll find out who killed you, and I'll...
I'll...
Hey, Clover.
Don't you talk to me!
I'm sorry, Alice...
Clover! Come back!
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
Even if you caught up to her, she'd never tell you anything.
...?
Think it through. There are two possibilities.
Either Clover killed her, or she didn't.
If the former is true, then I doubt she would confess. If the latter is true, then I imagine she'll be just as reticent.
After all, Alice and Clover seemed to know eachother. In fact, they seemed quite close.
It seems safe to assume that Clover is currently very suspicious of all of us.
I doubt she would open up to anyone right now.
Did you do it?
Not again...
Well, if you really want to suspect me, please, go ahead.
I'm beginning to feel rather accustomed to it.
I would ask you to consider my motive for killing Alice-- specifically, the fact that I have none.
Well, yes, but none of us do.
None of us have ever met Alice before, right? So why would we want to kill her?
But only if the murder had a motive beyond, well, murder.
What do you mean?
Do you remember when we found the old woman?
It seemed clear that her killer was Zero Sr., and that they were one of us.
There is every reason to think the same person murdered Alice.
Perhaps this person plans to kill us one by one.
Perhaps the only reason we are here is so that Zero Sr. can kill us at his leisure, in a world of his own creation.
Wh-Why would anyone do such a horrible thing...?
Presumably because they enjoy killing.
Zero Sr. seems to be rather... disturbed.
Hold on a minute.
That doesn't mean they're one of us.
There could be a tenth person hiding out somewhere--
Well, why not?
There's no way Zero Jr. wouldn't notice that.
And if he did notice?
I really don't think he'd just let something like that slide.
But isn't Zero Jr. just an AI without a body? What could he do?
Maybe, but Zero Sr. has a body.
Do you really think they'd really just let a tenth, unwanted participant just run around, murdering people?
Well, what if the tenth person is Zero Sr.?
Do you remember? He made it quite clear that the real Zero was one of us.
Dio?
Luna?
K, perhaps?
Or maybe Clover?
There was always Tenmyouji...
Wait a minute...
There was one person I'd forgotten...
It seemed like a bit of a stretch to think a kid could kill someone of Alice's size, though.
That meant there were five real suspects.
Dio, Luna, K, Clover and Tenmyouji...
Hmm.
Where had Quark gone?
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
All players please enter your votes.
If no vote is recorded before the deadline has passed, any non-voting parties will automatically ally.
A blunt but effective way to make the point.
What do you mean?
We should get to the warehouse.
It seems clear he feels no compunction about killing us, should we disobey the rules.
As such, I recommend we follow them.
I'll find out who did this to you...
I promise...
VLR OST: [Sinisterness]
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
Probably Tenmyouji and Clover.
Wasn't he a pair?
Doesn't Quark need to go with him?
As long as one person in each pair is there, it should be okay.
Sharing their destiny, huh?
Pretty much.
After all, you're a pair, but your partner is...
Well, I'd rather not say it.
Yeah... I know.
What? I don't understand what you mean...
Well, if Alice was still alive, you'd have a hard time choosing "betray".
If you'd picked "betray" you could have killed her.
'Course, that's not really a problem now...
I would have chosen "ally" regardless.
I mean... Sigma's going to be my opponent.
Really...?
Oh ho! This is interesting!
If one of you guys picks "betray", we are gonna get a show!
Dio!
You even gotta ask? "Ally". Of course.
Right, Phi?
I don't know about that. It's a difficult question.
What...?
But it's not as simple as just choosing "betray" either.
If K decides to ally for some reason, then you'd end up with 9 points.
Seems easy to me.
You're planning on betraying me, aren't you Dio?
As soon as you go through that door, it will be only the two of you in that room.
I've no doubt you could overpower Phi, if you had the desire to.
Give me a little credit!
No one has more gentlepoints than me. You think someone of my stature would resort to violence?! The nerve!
What...?
This is just a thought, but... Why don't all of you promise to choose "betray"?
Then you wouldn't have to worry about anything?
If you knew the other person was going to betray you, you'd have no choice but to do the same...
That seems pretty... negative for you, Luna.
Nothing to apologize for. We appreciate your suggestion, and we'll take it into consideration.
But unfortunately I don't think it's a very good idea.
See, my goal is to beat this game.
Maybe that wasn't the best way to put it.
When I say I want to beat it, I mean defeat it, completely.
I want to get us all out of here.
We haven't beat the Nonary Game until we're all out of this place.
I guess we won't all be getting out anymore, though...
Oh... You mean Alice...
Yeah...
...
At any rate, all of us choosing "betray" every time is hardly ideal.
We'd never escape.
Then what are you going to do?
Hmm...
K needs to choose "ally". It's the only way.
How will you make sure I do that?
I have no guarantee that you'll choose "ally" as well.
Would you do it if I could give you that guarantee?
Well, yes, I suppose so.
You promise?
Yes.
Good. Let's do this.
Huh?
There's someone behind you.
[Music fades out]
You bitch!
Goddamnit, Phi!
Open this fucking door!
VLR OST: [Eeriness]
Fuck!
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
Invalid pair detected.
Please retry with valid partner.
Members of a pair cannot vote in separate rooms.
Why the fuck not?!
This is against the rules!
How am I supposed to vote?!
Guh... This is bullshit!
Dio can't vote now, so the chance that Phi will chose "ally" just went way up.
After all, if you pick "ally" and she betrays you, then...
Dio will have 9 points.
Exactly.
But don't you think Phi might be worried that K will break his promise?
After all, if he can be pretty sure that Phi is going to choose "ally", then...
You needn't worry.
Her plan is very clever. I will definitely choose "ally".
We don't have much time left.
Let's go.
Okay.
Hm?
Of course.
We both have 5 BP right now.
Even if I did betray you, I'd only get 3 points. That's not enough to escape.
So I'd have to wait until the next round anyway.
Oh... I see...
...
...Huh?
Oh, nothing. Never mind.
Anyway, you promised!
You have to choose "ally"!
Right. I will.
VLR OST: [Ambidexterity]
Now, what am I going to do...?
Well, I guess there isn't really any question.
After all, I promised Luna I'd pick "ally".
But...
What if she was lying to me?
Ten seconds remain until Ambidex Game polling closes.
Nine... Eight... Seven...
Six... Five... Four...
Do we trust Luna?
Better get voting.