Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I want to live… I deserve to live…”

“I’m… going to live…”

“I’m…GOING TO LIVE!!”

Eva’s shouts echoed in the trial room as the elevator stopped rumbling.

And then…

The elevator door opened, and a chained collar shot out and at Eva’s neck. Slowly, she turned around to face it, her expression soon becoming fearful.

The collar closed around her neck. The chain then began pulling her, most definitely to her execution. Despite that, Eva gripped onto the podium in front of her. The podium that Wolfgang once stood at in the mock trial.

Eva desperately clung to the podium, hoping to delay her death, but the chain’s pull against her neck hindered her breathing, making her slowly lose her grip.

Eventually, her grip loosened, and she was dragged into the elevator, screaming in terror.

Damon had won.

He had managed to correctly deduce that Eva was the blackened that killed Wolfgang by proving Diana’s innocence.

However…

That victory was only hollow.

For his and the others’ survival, the blackened was fated to die, otherwise they would die and the blackened would be able to escape. Either way, at least one person would die.

And that person…would be Eva. The one person he thought he could trust.

Damon never really connected with anyone his age. He was always too busy focusing on his studies. Ironically, he managed to find that connection in a killing game, a situation in which trust could be taken advantage of.

What was even more ironic…was the fact that Eva did use his trust in her to her advantage, making him feel like even more of a fool.

But still…why did he feel bad for her?

Eva’s actions were not justified at all, from traumatizing Diana to killing Wolfgang in such a brutal way, but even so… Damon understood why she did it.

The clue to getting the Traitor Perk was made in a way only Eva could solve. What’s more, once she solved it and got the perk, Tozu pressured her into killing, otherwise she would die, and she didn’t even know when.

Damon knew that while Eva wasn’t innocent, she was a victim of this killing game, just like everyone else.

So when he saw the chain dragging her to her execution…

…he immediately ran after her, following her into the elevator.

The others looked at Damon incredulously, and shouted at him to stop, but their shouts fell upon deaf ears, for one thought consumed his mind.

He needed to save Eva.

Fiery Furnace of Affliction

Ultimate Liar Mathlete

Eva Tsunaka

Eva is in a dark factory, sitting on a conveyor belt. Suddenly, a fire ignites from behind her, lighting up the room. The conveyor belts start, slowly moving her in the direction of the fire.

Eva then notices an exit door at the other end. Immediately, she gets up and starts running towards it. Even though the conveyor was moving in the opposite direction, she’s able to approach it, until the conveyor belts tilt, now becoming a ramp.

Still, Eva keeps running against the conveyor belt. She makes progress until the ramp transforms into stairs, now a descending escalator. Shaking it off, Eva continues running up.

Suddenly, nails, rulers, and pencils are poured onto the escalator. Still, Eva continues to run, making progress until she trips, causing the nails, the sharpest of the supplies, to pierce her arms and legs.

Eva screams out in agony, the pain coursing through her limbs. In her agony, the escalator slows down and becomes smooth, now a ramp once more. Still, Eva wills herself to crawl up the ramp, desperate to survive. A trail of her blood is made as she crawls, and the objects continue to pour down on her.

The ramp starts to become steep, causing Eva to slide down briefly. The crawling only further increases the pain, causing Eva to cry out in anguish. Still, she keeps going and is nearly at the top. Suddenly, the pouring of the supplies stops, and she sees a familiar dummy at the top of the platform, not noticing the conveyor belt coming to a halt.

Controlled by strings, the dummy is made to bend down and reach a hand out to Eva for her to grab. Forgetting the dummy’s true nature and desperate for survival, Eva reaches out when…

Damon pushed the dummy aside, making it clatter against the wall. Despite the noise, he kept his focus on Eva.

He then reached a hand out to Eva. “Eva, grab on!”

Confusion flashed on Eva’s face, but she did as told, grabbing tightly onto Damon’s hand.

Damon began pulling her upward. He struggled, being not exactly the most fit. But still, he couldn’t give up. Not when one slip up could spell the end for both of them.

Slowly but surely, Damon pulled up Eva higher and higher, until finally, she was on the platform, breathing heavily from exhaustion.

Damon was equally exhausted, not used to this much adrenaline and strain on his body. Still, his focus remained on Eva.

Seeing her injuries, Damon picked Eva up in a bridal carry and ran through the exit door, hoping to be able to have her treated.

From the trial grounds, the remaining students watched in shock as Eva’s execution failed, all because Damon ran in and saved her.

Soon after, Damon ran out of the elevator, Eva in tow. The elevator closed behind him as he ran out.

Tozu in particular was very shocked. “What?! How?! I specifically designed that execution to make it so that the student had a very slim chance of survival!”

Damon stared at him in desperation. “Look, Tozu, I don’t care what kind of punishment I’ll get for this, but you have to treat Eva. Please!”

The host scoffed. “And allow a blackened to live? If there was a rule for your insolence, then I would’ve had Mara shoot you where you stand by now! …But that begs the question: what am I supposed to do now?”

Damon heard Eva whimper in pain, her breathing ragged and her sobs shaky. His face tensed.

He needed to save Eva.

Damon sighed. “Let’s make a deal, Tozu. I’ll do whatever you want me to do, in exchange for Eva’s life. You could even have me executed in her place, just don’t kill Eva.”

He was grasping at straws at this point. Would Tozu even take it?

Surprisingly, the masked man seemed to actually think about it. “Hm… Although this was unaccounted for, it would make things more interesting if she was kept alive…”

Tozu turned to Damon. “Alright then. It’s a deal. I’ll have her treated and kept alive, though I’ll discuss this deal of ours with you at a later date. For now, I’ll uphold my end. Take her to the emergency room, and she will be treated there.”

The elevator then opened as if on cue. Immediately, Damon went into it and pressed the button, closing the door. The elevator then began to slowly ascend.

As they ascended, Eva shook and sobbed, clinging onto Damon tightly. Some of her blood stained him, but he didn’t care.

What mattered was that he saved Eva, and that she was alive.

Chapter Text

The second the elevator reached the top and opened, Damon sped out and went to Alpha Sanctuary, Eva clinging onto him for dear life.

Once he made it to the emergency room, he immediately stopped, for someone unexpected was there.

Mara, the killing game enforcer.

She looked up at Damon, her gaze relaxed, but still intimidating to him.

He then recalled what Tozu said.

“Are you…going to treat Eva?” he asked.

Mara gave a nod, and gestured to the hospital bed she was standing next to.

Damon went over to the hospital bed to place Eva down. Feeling the movement, Eva whimpered, and clung to Damon tighter.

“Eva, please… You need this…” he softly insisted.

Slowly, Eva opened her eyes to look at Damon. Tears were still running down her face.

“I’ll be back, okay? You just need to endure this, and I swear I’ll be back,” Damon said with softness and with what little conviction he had left in him.

Eva looked down at herself, wincing at the sight of her injuries. She was in no position to fight.

Eventually, she let go and let Damon put her down on the bed without further resistance.

Damon backed away then looked up at Mara. “I assume you want me to leave so you can do the surgery, don’t you?”

Mara nodded again.

Without hesitation, Damon turned around and began for the door. As he opened it, he looked back.

Mara was gathering equipment for the procedure, and Eva…

Eva was staring at him sadly.

Damon’s expression softened. He didn’t really want to leave Eva like this, but he had no choice.

“I’ll be back. I promise,” he whispered before leaving.

That was the last thing Eva heard before she felt a prick in her neck and everything went black.

Damon sulked back to his dorm room, visibly exhausted.

When Damon closed the door behind him, he simply leaned against it and slid down on the floor, sitting on it.

So much had happened all at once.

Wolfgang’s death, the investigation, the trial, Eva’s reveal, and him saving her from death.

He was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Yet to him, it was all worth it in the end.

He saved Eva. She would live.

…

Damon looked down at himself.

Eva’s blood was all over his blazer. Not wanting to wear it any longer, he took it off and placed it in the laundry basket in the bathroom. Now standing up, he dragged himself to his bed, plopping down on it.

He risked his life…to save the one person that thought like him. That understood him.

…That betrayed him.

In spite of that, he chose to save her.

When he ran into the elevator, only one thought consumed his mind.

He needed to save Eva.

Damon was never one to focus on his emotions, with the exception of using emotional appeal to prove Diana’s innocence. So…why?

Why did he save Eva?

…

With doubt and exhaustion swallowing his mind whole, Damon fell asleep.

Tozu Theater!

Tozu: Have you ever reflected on your life choices? As in really reflected on them?

Tozu: You may have made some choices that you regret now, others that you believe with utmost conviction were correct.

Tozu: And some…that are ambiguous to you.

Tozu: For example, this morning, I had to choose whether to wear the mask I’m wearing right now, or an exact replica of that mask.

Tozu: You might be thinking, “Well, they’re the same, aren’t they? So it doesn’t matter!”

Tozu: Well, contrary to your assumptions, the two masks were different.

Tozu: The one I’m wearing right now is the one I’ve been using for years, and the other was brand new.

Tozu: Since the old one had yet to wear out, I chose to wear it, but was it wise?

Tozu: Because for all I know, this mask could crack at any second! But at the same time, these masks are well made, so it would probably take some years before that happens.

Tozu: To be frank, I believe the reason we have choices we are uncertain of…is humanity’s short foresight.

Tozu: Which is why, society has rules for just about everything.

The curtains close and the screen fades to black.

*ding dong, bing bong*

“Good morning, my amicable student friends! It is now 8 a.m.!”

“Before I leave, there are two things I wish to announce!”

“Firstly, for successfully completing the class trial, I have opened up a new area for you all to explore!”

“Secondly, Eva Tsunaka has survived the surgery, and is currently sustaining her injuries! She is believed to fully recover within four day’s time!”

“That is all for now! Goodbye!”

*Click!*

…

Damon slowly turned over on his back and lifted himself up with his elbow.

Did he hear that right? Eva survived?

Damon let out a sigh of relief. Eva survived. She would be okay.

Though right now, even though he wanted to visit her, he still felt tired. But then, he remembered what he said to her.

“I’ll be back. I promise.”

He made a promise.

He knew he would regret it if he didn’t keep his word, so after grabbing an identical looking blazer and putting it on, Damon left his dorm.

Though he would be stopped short by a certain cosmetologist at his door.

“Diana?”

Diana looked up at him, bringing her hand down. “Oh, Damon! I…um…was gonna check up on you. No one had seen you since you left the trial room yesterday, so…”

The debater cleared his throat. “I’m…well enough. I was just going to leave.”

“To visit Eva, right?”

Damon blinked in surprise. “How did you…?”

Diana rubbed her arm nervously, smiling softly. “I was gonna visit her too. To check up on her. I was gonna ask you if you wanted to come with, but it seems you planned on doing so, anyway.”

Damon then remembered the trial.

Right, considering what happened, Diana’s actions were understandable.

“…Alright. I’ll go with you.”

Diana smiled. “Really? Thanks!”

And with that, the two went off to Alpha Sanctuary.

When the two arrived to the ER, Damon opened the door and was met with the sight of Eva in a hospital gown and bandages covering her limbs. She seemed to be asleep, having her glasses off and placed on the table next to the bed.

Not wanting to wake her up, Damon slowly closed the door.

He turned to Diana. “Eva’s asleep. We shouldn’t bother her.”

Diana nodded. “Okay!”

As the two turned to leave, they heard footsteps approaching them.

It was Ingrid.

“There you two are!” the blacksmith exclaimed. “Damon, are you okay?”

“I’m…fine, Ingrid,” the debater replied. “Just checking up on Eva.”

“She’s asleep, so we were just planning to leave,” Diana added.

Ingrid nodded. “I see… Anyway, could you come to the dining hall?”

Damon sighed. “Tell them that I don’t regret what I did.”

Ingrid shook her head. “It’s not that… Tozu’s there.”

Damon and Diana blinked. Tozu? What could he want?

The blacksmith continued. “He said that he wanted to talk about something, but he wouldn’t say what. Oh, and he said this, he would tell Eva what he wants to tell us once she wakes up, so you don’t need to worry about her being out of the loop.”

Damon sighed. If Tozu has something he wants to say, it’s likely important. “Alright, lead the way.”

Ingrid turned on her heel and led him and Diana to the dining hall.

When they arrived, the others immediately locked their eyes on Damon.

After what he did, it’s understandable, though he can’t say he’s fond of the attention.

And sure enough, true to Ingrid’s words, Tozu was there, standing in the kitchen.

He looked at the newcomers. “Good, good! You’re all here now. Now, let us begin.”

“As I said in the morning announcement, I’ve opened a new sanctuary for you all as a prize for succeeding in the class trial. Bravo, I must say! Furthermore, Eva Tsunaka is currently in the emergency room sustaining her injuries. I have Mara monitoring her health, so no need to worry. Speaking of her, however…”

Tozu locked eyes with Damon, then began to stride over to him. “Damon Maitsu, I cannot believe you! Running head first into an execution, and saving her, the blackened? Do you not realize what you had done?”

“She has blood on her hands! She is responsible for the death of a student, yet you chose to run in and save her from her deserved punishment! You could’ve died, you know?”

Damon remained silent, glaring intensely at the host.

Tozu sighed. “I suppose I should congratulate you for your noble deed. After all, this is the very first instance in which something like that happened. As promised, I had her treated, and in exchange, I would choose what happens next.”

“Killing you would be a waste of a good participant, and attempting to execute her again would be costly, so instead, I’ve decided to add some new rules to the list!”

As if on cue, several high pitched beeps rung in the room.

“Go ahead. Read them,” Tozu said ominously.

Hesitantly, everyone opened their trinkets and opened the Rules and Regulations.

~~~

11. Should a Blackened Student survive their execution, they will be allowed to live and be treated for any & all injuries. They will also be considered “Decrepit”.

12. Decrepit Students will be given a period of time to recover. The length of the recovery period will vary depending on the injuries and their severity.

13. During a Decrepit’s recovery period, Students are not allowed to kill them. Decrepit will also be excused from Class Trials should any murders occur during their recovery period.

14. Once a Decrepit’s recovery period is over, they will be discharged and continue participating in the killing game.

15. If a Decrepit kills, the Spotless will be given more clues about the murder case. If a Decrepit is killed, the same disadvantage will be given to the Blackened, albeit to a lesser degree. None of the clues will be major.

16. Spotless are not allowed to interfere with an execution. Any Blackened must attempt to survive on their own.

17. If the spotless are the ones who lose the class trial, then they too will be given the chance to survive their executions. Multiple can survive at a time. The Blackened will still be granted release.

18. Spotless Students who survive their executions will not become decrepit. Only Blackened Students can become decrepit if they survive their execution.

~~~

The students closed their trinkets and looked up at Tozu.

“Quite interesting, no?” he asked. “I had a lot of fun making these rules.”

“Why are you prohibiting us from killing Eva while she’s recovering? That seems a bit unfair for any potential blackened,” Eloise said.

“Nothing in life is fair, my dear. I don’t want the murders to be easy, hence you are forbidden from killing any recovering decrepit. Besides, it would be a waste of effort treating someone only for someone to kill them,” Tozu stated.

“Is that everything you have to say?” Wenona asked.

“There are two last things!” Tozu chirped. “Though I will not allow you to bring any harm to Eva, I will at least allow visits, of course monitored by Mara. Secondly, I’ve cleaned up the crime scene in the boiler room. Don’t want a rotting body, after all.”

“Adieu, my friends!”

And with that, Tozu walked out the room without another word.

Damon processed the information he and the others just received.

New rules were added to the killing game, rules that changed everything.

Now that executions were survivable, that meant a lot of new possibilities.

A blackened could survive their execution and kill again to escape, or a blackened could win the class trial and still be able to leave, possibly leaving others behind to continue the killing game.

Either way, the blackened could still win.

Everyone looked at each other. They all realized the same thing.

The game had changed entirely.

Just then, Desmond cleared his throat. “Everyone. Right now, these new rules don’t mean anything to us until another murder happens. For now, we have other priorities. One, the new area unlocked for us. And two, Eva’s condition.”

Desmond turned on his trinket and opened the map. “According to the map, the new area is called Beta Sanctuary. Once again, we should explore it like last time.”

“And what about Eva? Even though she’s recovering, she shouldn’t be in the dark, right?” Cassidy asked.

“Who cares about her?” Grace asked.

Everyone turned to Grace, shocked at her statement.

“Sorry?” Desmond muttered.

“You heard me! Who cares about the mathlete? She killed Wolfgang!” Grace shouted.

“Grace! Don’t say things like that!” Diana screamed, not liking where this was going.

The golfer immediately locked eyes with the cosmetologist and pointed at her. “Really now? You, of all people, should be mad at her! She literally used you for her murder plot!”

She then pointed at Damon. “And you! She used you too, but you saved her?! How the hell does that make any sense?!”

“Grace, stop!” Diana yelled. “I know what Eva did, and I know that her actions can’t be justified, but at least she’s alive so she can atone, rather than dying guilty!”

Grace scoffed. “Whatever. I’m not gonna be in the same room as these apologists. You all can investigate the new area together or whatever, but I’m going alone!”

Grace then began to leave for the door, shoving Damon aside.

Diana reached a hand out. “Wait, Grace—!”

But Grace had already stormed out.

Diana looked down, saddened.

Ingrid went up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Diana. It’s not your fault.”

Diana looked up at Ingrid. The blacksmith gave a reassuring smile.

Diana smiled back. “Thanks, Ingrid.”

“Let’s just hope Grace doesn’t get into any trouble…” Desmond commented.

Grace went directly to her room after she left the dining hall. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it.

She then reached into her pocket and pulled out a familiar sheep lapel pin.

Wolfgang’s sheep lapel pin.

Grace curled her fingers around it and held it close to her chest, closing her eyes. She could feel the cold metal against her palms.

A single tear went down her cheek. “I’m sorry, Wolfgang…”

Chapter Text

When Eva came to, she found herself on a hospital bed. Slowly getting up into a sitting position, she regained her memories of yesterday.

The class trial.

The trial that Eva had lost, and as a penalty, she was sentenced to death.

Despite that, Damon, the most apathetic person she knew, the one whose trust she broke, saved her.

But…why?

He knew what she did, yet still risked his life to save hers. Did he still think their connection was genuine?

Eva shook her head. This was way too much to process, even for her.

As she looked around, she spotted her glasses on the over-bed table next to her. As she reached out and grabbed them, she noticed her arm was wrapped in bandages.

Putting them on, she observed her surroundings.

Eva quickly realized that she was in the Alpha Sanctuary ER. Her limbs were bandaged and she was in a hospital gown. Although she could move her limbs fine, it hurt somewhat whenever she did.

How long was she out for?

Suddenly, the door then opened with a creak…

And in came…Mara?

She quickly noticed that Eva was awake. Slowly, she walked inside, Eva watching cautiously.

Mara then pulled out a folded paper and handed it to Eva. Eva gingerly took it, keeping cautious eyes on the enforcer.

Seemingly satisfied, Mara left, closing the door behind her.

Eva turned her gaze to the paper. Curiously, she unfolded it and read its contents.

~~~

To Eva Tsunaka,

There are many things that you missed during your slumber, as well as some additional info concerning your recovery, so I will tell you through this note.

1. You are to fully recover and be released in 4 days.

2. During your recovery, Mara will be checking up on you, as well as deliver meals to you 3 times a day.

3. A new area in the tree room has been opened following the class trial.

4. New rules have been added to the Rules and Regulations section of the Tozu Trinkets.

5. The crime scene has been cleaned up.

6. Mara will be keeping a very close eye on you.

I wish you a speedy recovery!

Regards,

Tozu

~~~

Guess there was a lot that she missed… The others were most definitely investigating the new area now.

Speaking of…

Eva turned on her trinket and opened the map section.

Beta Sanctuary… Interesting. Shame she couldn’t leave and investigate, unless she wanted to risk her life…again.

Eva then opened the Rules section and read the new rules.

So she’s a decrepit, and the executions are now survivable, allowing for the possibility of more decrepit…

Eva sighed. Honestly, since she managed to survive her execution, it would make sense for Tozu to act in kind, but not even she expected it to turn out this way.

And she wouldn’t have even survived without…Damon.

…

Why did Damon even save her?

Why did he save the one that betrayed him?

Why didn’t he just leave her to die?

Why? Why? Why? WHY?! WHY?! WHY—

A creak of the door suddenly snapped Eva out of her near breakdown…

…And in came Diana.

Diana’s eyes widened, then a smile crept onto her lips. “Eva! You’re awake!”

“…”

Eva softened almost immediately.

She didn’t expect anyone else besides Damon and Mara to visit her, much less Diana after what she did to her.

Diana walked fully through the door, a digital clock in her hands. “I’m glad you’re okay. Are you still hurting?”

Eva looked down at her arms. “…It hurts when I move my limbs, but otherwise, I feel fine.”

Diana smiled wider, sitting down on the chair next to Eva’s bed. “I’m glad to hear that.”

Diana placed the clock on the table, then pressed the power button, turning it on.

Eva looked at her curiously. “What’s with the digital clock?”

Diana giggled. “It’s for you, silly! Since there aren’t any clocks in here, I thought it would be good to set one up here. I won two of them at the gachapon a few days ago, and I used one and kept the other in case the first one broke. I thought it would be good for you to use this one to keep track of the time while you’re still healing.”

Eva glanced at the clock. 11:56AM, it read.

“How long was I out for?” Eva asked.

“Only up until this morning, I believe,” Diana replied.

“I see…”

Eva leaned back into the bed. She recalled the last thing she heard before she woke up.

“I’ll be back. I promise.”

…

“Diana?”

Diana looked up at Eva curiously. “Hm? What is it?”

“Where’s Damon?”

“Damon? He’s investigating Beta Sanctuary with the others. The new area is essentially a large workshop. A lot of tools and scrap materials are stored there, and there’s even a large storage closet with a lot of items, so much so that not even Ulysses could keep track of it. Fortunately, there’s an item list that has all the stored items catalogued, so we’ll know if anything goes missing.”

Eva processed the information. Once she’s discharged, she plans to investigate the new area for herself, if only to sate her curiosity.

“Alright then… Did anything happen this morning?”

Diana seemed to hesitate at that. “Uh…well… Jean’s been taking the leader role since he’s the most experienced out of all of us.”

Although Eva felt that Diana was lying, she chose not to pry. “I suppose that’s fair. He is a ship captain, after all.”

…

An awkward silence fell on the two girls.

There was a lot that Eva wanted to ask Diana, since she’ll be in recovery for a few days, but there was one question that came to mind.

“Diana, do you still…?”

Suddenly, Diana glanced at the clock and immediately sprung from her seat, distress on her face. “Oh shoot! Sorry Eva, but the group promised to meet up at 12, and I don’t want them to worry!”

She sped for the door. “Bye Eva! I’ll be back!”

“Wait, Diana—!”

But the cosmetologist had already left, closing the door with a slam.

Eva fell back against the bed. She glanced to the side and noticed a drawer attachment to the table. Curious, she opened it and found a remote control that could adjust the bed.

Pressing a button, she got the headboard to move upwards. Eva kept holding it down until it was upright like a recliner.

Eva leaned back against it, closing her eyes from slight exhaustion.

Eventually, she drifted off into sleep.

Chapter Text

During the discussion, Diana had told the others that Eva was awake, much to their surprise, Damon’s especially. It was there that he planned to visit her.

Now, Damon was at the pharmacy, where the only other person there was Cassidy, who was currently opening capsules she had won from the gachapon.

The pro gamer looked up and noticed Damon. She then had an excited look on her face. “Yo, Bargain Bin! Over here!”

Knowing that Cassidy would most likely not leave him alone if he ignored her, Damon begrudgingly walked over to her.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Well…you and Eva are close, right?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘close’, but we trust each other.”

Cassidy rolled her eyes. “Yeah sure… Anyway, do you know what kind of gifts Eva likes?”

Damon looked at her confused. “Why do you ask?”

Cassidy gestured to the pile of capsules next to her. “Well, I wanted to give Eva something so she isn’t bored while she’s alone, so I wanted to get her something as a gift! I was gonna give her one of the consoles, but I felt like that would be insensitive, so I was trying to get something else, but I don’t know what to get her.”

Damon looked at the scattered prizes on the floor until one thing caught his eye.

A jigsaw puzzle.

He bent down and picked it up, inspecting it.

The box depicted a picture of the St. Basil’s Cathedral in Russia. The printed label read that there were 800 total pieces.

“Maybe…give Eva this,” Damon suggested.

Cassidy looked over to him and took the box and inspected it.

A large grin then formed on her face. “Oh, this is perfect!“

She turned her head to face him. “I’m gonna go give this to her now! Wanna come with?”

Damon glanced to the side. “Sure. I was planning on doing so, anyway.”

The pro gamer began walking towards the ER’s door. “Great! Come on, then! Onward!”

Damon followed behind Cassidy as the latter opened the door.

“Hey hey, Eva!” Cassidy loudly greeted as she walked in.

Eva looked up from the empty plate on the over-bed table at Cassidy, surprised to see her.

Just then, Damon walked in.

…

He came back, just like he promised.

Cassidy noticed the plate, and tilted her head curiously. “Were you eating before we got here?”

Eva nodded. “Yeah. Mara came by earlier to drop off lunch for me. She’ll be delivering meals to me 3 times a day during my recovery.”

Cassidy took a seat on the chair next to Eva’s hospital bed, while Damon grabbed a nearby chair for himself.

Cassidy kept talking. “So, I wanted to get you something to keep you busy while you recover…”

She pulled out the jigsaw puzzle. “And I got you this from the gachapon!”

Eva gingerly took the box from Cassidy’s hands and inspected it.

She then looked back at Cassidy. “Thanks. I was getting kinda bored in here anyway.”

Cassidy let out a laugh. “It was actually Damon’s idea to give that to you, but you’re welcome anyway!”

Eva blinked in surprise, not expecting such behavior from him.

Shaking her head, Eva placed the box down on the table. “I’ll open it later, though.”

The pro gamer nodded, “Yeah, that’s fair.”

“Anyway, you’re probably wondering what you’ve missed, right? Well, I’m gonna tell you!”

Cassidy then began telling Eva what happened during the discussion. However, Eva kept glancing at the other person in the room.

Damon.

The whole time, he hadn’t spoken at all. He mostly kept his gaze on Cassidy, but would briefly glance at Eva from time to time.

It almost looked like…he wanted to say something.

Eva cleared her throat, getting Cassidy’s attention. “Hey, Cassidy?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you mind getting some water for me?”

“Oh! Sure thing!”

Cassidy got up from her seat. “Give me about 5 minutes or so. Watch over Eva, will you Damon?”

Damon nodded. “Sure.”

Cassidy then began to leave. “Alright! See ya!”

And with that, she left.

…

Eva sighed. “That was easier than I thought.”

Damon turned to look at her. “What?”

“I wanted Cassidy out of the room so I could speak to you alone. I didn’t want her hearing.”

Damon raised an eyebrow. “What is it you want to say, then?”

Eva twirled a strand of hair nervously, looking down at it. She then looked back up at Damon, her face tense.

“…I wanted to say…thank you.”

“Huh? For what?”

“For two things. For saving my life, and for keeping your promise to come back. I…had been wondering when you would.”

“…Oh. That. Well… You’re welcome.”

…

Silence filled the room.

Damon glanced away nervously, somewhat unsure on how to progress the conversation.

Eva sighed, crossing her arms. “Do you want to know something?”

Damon glanced back at her. “What is it?”

“Back at that storage closet, when I brought you there so I could talk to you about the motive… I think that you already know that I planned to betray you from the start.”

Damon nodded. “I did.”

Eva brought her knees up slightly. “Well… when I was telling you about how I felt powerless because of my title, that part was true.”

She looked down. “I knew how the others would’ve reacted if I told them from the start that I was the Ultimate Mathlete. For years, that was people saw me as: a mathlete who has never lost a math competition.”

“Although it’s true, I wanted to be seen as…more than that. I wanted people to see my full capability. But… no matter how much effort I put into my work, no one cared.”

Damon held up his hand. “Wait, what is it that you actually do?”

“General mathematics, but I branch into other subjects. Literature, science, technology, to name a few. While I’m not known for those subjects, I consider myself an expert in those fields, regardless. I’m like a jack of all trades.”

“I’ve written papers about those subjects and published them, expecting to get attention from critics, but…no one even cared, solely because of my title.”

“When I was given my talent, I tried to ask the UTP to give me a new one, but they kept ignoring my emails and calls, so I eventually went to their main institute. That was a 6 hour train ride, by the way.”

“I lugged a huge portfolio with me, too—basically my entire life’s worth condensed into 500 or so pages. While they seemed to be impressed with my work, you know what they said? They said I had to be the Ultimate Mathlete. Because, if I wasn’t, no one else would be.”

Eva sighed. “My point is, my talent is ill-defined. It doesn’t cover most of what I do, and I can’t even get a new one. It’ll define me for the rest of my life, and I’ll be powerless to do anything about it.”

Eva leaned back, taking labored breaths.

She looked up to see Damon still focused on her, listening intently.

“That’s…certainly a lot…” he remarked.

“…”

He cleared his throat. “But… it’s good that you were able to get it off your chest after so long.”

Eva looked down again. Now that she thought about it, she did felt a little bit lighter after venting to Damon.

…

“Hey, Damon?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you—?”

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Cassidy came in holding several water bottles in her hands.

“I’m back!”

Cassidy placed the water bottles on the table and handed one to Eva. “Here you go, Eva!”

Although Eva lied about wanting water, the amount of talking she did earlier did make her thirsty.

She opened a bottle and drunk from it. Her throat felt a lot better.

She placed it down, refreshed. “Thanks, Cassidy.”

Cassidy grinned. “Anytime!”

The pro gamer got up again. “Anyway, I’ll be leaving now. You need the rest, after all! You coming, Damon?”

Damon turned to Cassidy and shook his head. “I’ll stay here a bit longer.”

Cassidy began for the door. “Alright then. See ya later!”

And with that, Cassidy left.

…

Damon turned back to Eva. “So, where were you?”

Eva raised an eyebrow. “Sorry?”

“You were going to ask me something before Cassidy barged in. What was it?”

Eva quickly recalled what Damon was talking about.

…

“Never mind. I forgot.”

Damon shrugged. “Alright then…”

He then got up from the chair. “I’ll leave now. Like Cassidy said, you need the rest.”

“But you’ll come back?”

“Yeah. I’ll visit again.”

Damon began for the door. “Goodbye, Eva. Get well soon.”

He opened the door and was about to leave, when…

“Oh. One last thing, Damon.”

Damon quickly turned his head to look at Eva. “Yeah?”

…

Eva smiled. “I like the gift. Thanks for choosing it.”

Damon turned away just as quickly.

…

“Anytime.”

And with that, Damon left, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

Chapter Text

Eva’s recovery went without any issues, and she was soon discharged on her final day.

When Tozu announced her release, the others immediately went to Alpha Sanctuary to see, and sure enough, she was back in her normal clothes, standing up.

Eva had told them she was fine, although she still had the bandages on, as she was told by Tozu prior to the announcement that the wounds were still sealing up, so she shouldn’t strain herself lest she wanted to open the wounds again.

Eva then left, announcing beforehand that she would explore Beta Sanctuary. Diana volunteered to show her around, to which Eva hesitantly allowed.

Now, Eva was being shown around the workshop by Diana, the latter of whom sporting her usual smile.

As Diana showed her around, Eva’s mind drifted into thought.

Why was Diana still acting so nice to her? Why was she still acting like Eva did nothing wrong?

Eva scarred Diana for life, framed her for murder, and even openly dismissed her kindness.

But still… she kept smiling at her.

…

Eva knew she couldn’t avoid the truth of what she did forever. Even though she’ll never be forgiven, the least she could do is atone.

And that starts with apologizing to Diana.

“Diana.”

The cosmetologist stopped and turned to face Eva. “Huh? What is it, Eva?”

“…”

Eva’s face tensed. She looked away.

“…”

“…I’m sorry.”

Diana blinked in surprise. “What?”

Eva looked up at her. “I said I’m sorry. I’m sorry for framing you for Wolfgang’s murder, and for what I said at the end of the trial.”

“When I first met you, I thought you were naive, and far too kindhearted. I thought that those traits would only get you killed. But still, you never backed down.”

“When you showed kindness to me, I thought you were only pitying me because I was exposed. No one has ever shown kindness to just because they could. There was always some sort of ulterior motive, and those motives always related to my talent.”

“Even though I lied about my talent, you still treated me like an equal. You didn’t care that I lied, you just wanted to be my friend.”

“…In spite of that, I killed Wolfgang and framed you for the murder. I didn’t even care that I was going to kill someone and frame another, I just wanted to live.”

“So for everything I did, I’m sorry. I know that no amount of apologies will ever wipe the fact that I killed him, nor will it wipe the fact that I scarred you for life, but know that I do feel guilty about it all.”

Eva turned her head away. “I understand if you don’t forgive me. Hell, I don’t even believe that I deserve your forgiveness, but I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry.”

In her peripheral vision, Eva could see Diana staring wide eyed at her, completely frozen in shock.

Eva turned on her heel, planning to leave for the day. “…I suppose you need some time to process all of that. I did just dump that on you without warning.”

“…Well then, goodbye Diana. I’ll see you later.”

Eva began walking away from Diana, not looking back.

Chapter Text

During the group investigation of Beta Sanctuary…

Grace opened the door to the boiler room and looked around.

True to Tozu’s words, the crime scene had been completely cleaned up, as if nothing had ever happened.

But the memory of what happened in the room was permanently seared into Grace’s mind.

Throughout the killing game, Wolfgang was the only one who put up with her brashness. He was able to somehow calm her down with words alone, much to her surprise.

When they became bunk buddies, Grace came to enjoy Wolfgang’s company, and when she learned that he wanted to connect with the others, Grace offered to help him by talking to him whenever possible.

Soon enough, Grace became emotionally attached to Wolfgang, and swore to keep him safe because he was her friend.

But when his body was discovered, Grace quickly realized that Wolfgang was gone, and she would never be able to talk to him again.

When she found out that Eva was the culprit, she was absolutely enraged. Listening to her motive only fueled that rage.

When Eva was about to be dragged off to her execution, Grace believed that Eva deserved it, that she didn’t deserve to live after what she did, that it would give her closure.

But alas, Eva survived. All because Damon saved her.

Like everyone else, Grace was absolutely dumbfounded. Why would Damon risk his life to save Eva, a murderer? He was even willing to take Eva’s place, if only to save her. What was even more surprising was Tozu allowing her to live and even having her treated.

The whole ordeal filled her with rage. Rage she wanted to release. Rage that burned like the sun.

But… that rage remained sealed, if only to keep herself from breaking anything and getting Mara’s attention.

Grace took several deep breaths, calming herself down.

…

Grace pulled out a sheep pin from her pocket.

The last fragment she had of Wolfgang.

She looked over to the area where Wolfgang’s body once lay.

“Don’t worry, Wolfgang. As I promised before, I’ll take care of your pin. I know how much it meant to you.”

Grace put the pin back in her pocket before leaving the boiler room.

Chapter Text

It had been two days since Eva was discharged from the ER.

She’d been keeping her distance from the others for obvious reasons, but she would talk to Damon and Diana sometimes, after the cosmetologist tracked her down and said that she was willing to give Eva another chance.

Eva had been mostly spending her time talking to them, or working on the puzzle she got from Cassidy in her room. Since they called off the bunk buddy system and Ingrid managed to fix the locks with the tools she found in the workshop during Eva’s recovery, Eva was able to work in peace.

Now, Eva was in the pharmacy, investigating the rooms. During her recovery, Cassidy had told her Mara changed the code of the steel door during the trial, so it was locked once again.

She tried the code that she had found from the poster, and sure enough, it didn’t work. She also checked the room where she found the poster, and it was gone.

Although it was likely that the new code was hidden in the workshop, Eva wanted to make completely sure, so she decided to investigate the pharmacy first.

After finding nothing, Eva then began for the door to the pharmacy, planning to go to Beta Sanctuary next. She didn’t exactly get to investigate thoroughly when Diana showed her around as she was distracted by wanting to get closure with her, so the best time for her to do so was now.

As she was heading towards the workshop and opening the door, she ran into someone.

Grace Madison.

Eva froze. She was the very last person Grace wants to see, so she had been avoiding the golfer the most out of everyone.

Grace was similarly shocked before her face morphed into one of anger. She gave Eva a silent death glare before turning away and walking off with a huff, not looking back.

Once Grace was out of sight, Eva let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t really want to deal with Grace, anyway, especially after everything.

Eva then went into the workshop, planning out how to investigate the area in her head.

Eva left the workshop after investigating for about half an hour and yielding no results. She then spent the rest of her time up until 8pm talking to Damon about her investigation, as well as asking if he found anything during the group investigation, to which he said no.

Now, Eva was in her room, putting new bandages around her arms and legs and putting on new clothes after showering.

Once she was done, she headed over to the light switch to flick it off when…

*knock knock*

Eva glanced at the door. Curious, but cautious, she opened the door slightly and peeked an eye out to see Damon.

Recognizing him, she opened the door fully.

“Hello Damon.”

“Hey Eva. Can I come in? I need to talk to you.”

Eva raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

Damon’s face tensed. “It’s… better if I tell you inside.”

Although a bit confused, Eva knew Damon wasn’t one to pull punches, especially in their situation. Plus, she (genuinely) trusted him.

She moved inside for Damon to enter. “Come in.”

Damon went into Eva’s room, silently observing the room before sitting down on the couch.

Eva sat down beside him, looking at him curiously.

Damon took a few deep breaths before looking up at Eva.

He began. “Tozu slid a letter under my door. It’s addressed to both of us.”

“What does it say?”

“It’s about the next motive.”

Eva’s eyes widened. “The next motive?”

Damon pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “It’s better if you read it for yourself.”

Eva took the paper from his hands and unfolded it before reading it.

~~~

To Damon Maitsu and Eva Tsunaka,

Tomorrow, I will announce the second motive. It will be related to the both of you, so I will tell you in advance of what it is. It’s a game I call: Deadly Doubt. The rules are as follows:

There are 3 roles: target, bodyguard, and assassin. Damon will be given the role of bodyguard. As a bodyguard, he will be tasked with protecting the target, Eva. Everyone else will be given the role of assassin, who are tasked with killing the target. Furthermore, each assassin will be assigned a weapon, which they must use in some way in their murder plan.

If Eva is killed, no class trial will be held and the assassins will be granted release, but Damon will die. If Damon is killed, then Eva will be granted release without a trial, but the assassins will die.

None of the assassins will know that Damon is the bodyguard, nor will they know that Eva is the target. Both of you will be given weapons to disguise yourselves within the group. You will not need to use them to kill, however.

Additionally, Eva will be forbidden from killing Damon, and vice versa, so no exploiting those loopholes! But both of you will be allowed to kill assassins, though in Eva’s case, the decrepit rules will still apply.

More details will be explained in the morning. Good night for now!

-Tozu

~~~

Eva looked back up at the debater with a worried expression.

Damon sighed. “I know. I’m worried too. Being a decrepit has already put you in a lot of danger, and this “game” only makes things worse.”

Eva gave the letter back to him. “What’s more, it’s implied that if an assassin is killed, then a class trial will be held, which means…both of us could still die. But…death is more likely for you than it is for me.”

She looked away, placing her hands in her lap. “I’ve been… reflecting a lot on what I did before and during the trial while I was recovering, and I…don’t want you to die, Damon. Besides Diana, I trust you a lot. You risked your life saving me and… I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself.”

Her hands slowly balled into fists. “I’m…really sorry for how things turned out. If I didn’t kill Wolfgang, if I didn’t take the Traitor Perk, then maybe… you wouldn’t have to suffer like this. You’re in a lot of danger now just because of this motive.”

Damon’s expression softened as he listened to Eva. She really cared about him, didn’t she?

Impulsively, Damon placed a hand on one of Eva’s, causing the latter to look up at the former in surprise.

Despite that, the debater continued. “Like I said in that storage closet a couple days ago, I never thought to blame you.”

Eva looked down at her hand. Damon still had his hand on hers.

Following Eva’s gaze, Damon quickly pulled away and cleared his throat. “But you’re right. We’re both in a lot of danger, which is why we need to cooperate with each other. I may be obligated to protect for this motive, but…”

A small smile formed on his lips. “I care about you too, Eva. I don’t want you to die, either.”

Eva blinked at him in surprise, a light pink blush slowly forming on her face. “Damon…”

She looked away, trying to hide her blush. She then glanced at him…

“…Hm.”

And smiled.

“Thanks. Let’s get through this…together.”

It was Damon’s turn to blush. He turned his head away, trying to hide the pink on his face.

“Yeah… together.”

He quickly composed himself, then got up. “I should…probably head back to my dorm now. Good night, Eva.”

Eva also composed herself before nodding. “Right. Good night, Damon.”

Damon began walking to the door and then left without another word.

…

Eva walked over to the door and looked at it.

Damon just left.

And yet… she already missed him.

Chapter Text

In the morning, everyone was surprised to find a weapon in their rooms. They were even more surprised when Tozu showed up and explained the rules of Deadly Doubt.

As a preventative measure, Jean suggested that everyone’s weapons should be listed so if an assassin died, they would know who the killer is immediately by looking through the list. Ulysses wrote the list down in his notebook as follows:

~~~

Damon: Whip

Eva: 8 throwing knifes

Grace: Bola

Toshiko: Pair of war fans

Eloise: Rapier

Desmond: Tranquilizer gun with 6 darts

Kai: Taser

Diana: Vial of poison

Cassidy: 4 smoke bombs

Ulysses: Bottle of sleeping pills(24 in total, 1 pill = asleep for 2 hours)

Ingrid: Warhammer

Jean: Cutlass

Wenona: Pair of sickles

Jett: Monkey wrench

Mark: Spool of thin wire(capable of cutting flesh)

~~~

The group then went their own ways, keeping their respective weapons in their rooms.

Once Damon and Eva left, they agreed to keep their roles a secret from the others by staying apart from each other, even from Diana. While they felt somewhat bad for keeping secrets from her, the two agreed it was for the best, both for Diana and for themselves.

Now, Damon was walking down the dorm hallway to go back to his room. As he was reaching his dorm room, however, he ran into someone.

“Oh! Hi, Damon!”

Diana waved Damon over. Curious, Damon went over.

“What is it?” he asked.

Diana puffed up her cheeks in thought and tugged at the strap of her makeup bag, a common habit of the cosmetologist whenever she’s in thought or nervous.

“Well, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something.”

Damon sighed. “I don’t know who the target or the bodyguard is.”

Diana shook her head fervently. “No, no! It’s not about that!”

The debater raised an eyebrow. “Then what is it?”

Diana hesitated for a moment. “Actually… can we talk about it somewhere private? Like your dorm?”

“Why mine?”

Diana brought a finger to her chin. “Yours is closer. Besides, I saw you were about to go in.”

“…Fair.”

Damon opened the door to his dorm and went inside. He let Diana go in before closing it.

Diana looked around his room before noticing the chessboard on the table.

“You play chess, Damon?” she asked curiously.

“Not really. I’ve only played it a few times,” Damon replied.

Diana smiled. “Do you wanna play? I know how to play chess.”

The debater looked at her confused. “You do?”

Diana gave a wink. “You learn a thing or two from clients.”

Although Damon was still confused, he decided to humor her for now.

He grabbed the chair near his desk and sat across from Diana. As the white pieces were on his side, he was to go first.

As the two played, Diana started talking. “I wanted to thank you for saving Eva.”

Damon looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. “Why?”

Diana smiled softly. “Because of you, I’m able to actually be friends with her, and she’s able to atone for what she did. You’re a hero, Damon.”

Damon shrugged. “Well in any case, you’re welcome.”

They continued playing in silence. About 2 minutes in, Diana spoke up again. “Hey, Damon. I don’t think anybody’s ever told you what happened after you left the trial room with Eva, right?”

Damon shook his head. “Nope.”

Diana briefly collected herself before recounting the memory. “Well… it was after you closed the elevator. As it went up, we all stood in silence for a while after what you did…”

The group watched as the elevator doors closed, locking Damon and Eva inside. Though they couldn’t really hear it, they knew that it was going up.

They could only be in absolute shock at what had just happened.

Damon risked his life to save Eva’s. He rushed headfirst after Eva as she was being dragged to her execution, all to save her.

Damon Maitsu, the Ultimate Debater, the one who had openly looked down on everyone and their talents, the most apathetic guy among them… saved the life of Eva Tsunaka, the Ultimate Mathlete, a liar, and a murderer.

What’s more, Damon bargained with Tozu, who was equally as astonished at the turn of events, to keep Eva alive. He even offered his life in exchange for Eva’s, if only to keep her alive. And the cherry on top was that Tozu actually agreed to keep her alive in exchange for a favor.

And so, Tozu let Damon take Eva up to the emergency room in Alpha Sanctuary to be treated for her wounds.

And all the students could do was watch in silence at the ordeal.

“Well, that was certainly something,” Tozu spoke through the silence. “I certainly didn’t expect Ms. Tsunaka to survive the execution, much less Mr. Maitsu rush in to save her life and risk his own being lost.”

The host let out a soft sigh. “As unexpected as everything was, it was certainly quite a performance. No blackened has ever survived their execution before, at least to my knowledge.”

He stepped off from his pedestal and strode towards the elevator. “Well, I certainly have a lot of brainstorming to do since I accepted Mr. Maitsu’s offer. A good man always holds up his end of the deal, after all.”

The doors opened, and Tozu stepped in before turning to face the students. “…As for all of you, you should leave. I will have to turn the power off in here, but to anyone who remains in here, I will leave the elevator on.”

He pressed the button. “See you all later!”

The doors closed.

…

Without Tozu’s banter, silence rang in the trial room.

From Wolfgang dying to Eva surviving, a lot had transpired in just one day.

Without warning, Grace went over to the elevator and pressed the button. Everyone looked at the golfer.

Diana spoke up. “Grace? Where are you—?”

The elevator doors opened, cutting the cosmetologist off. As soon as they entered, Grace went into the elevator and pressed the button, closing the doors.

…

“Everyone.”

It was there that Jean spoke up.

“We should all head up for now. I understand a lot has happened, and most of you can’t process it. They say sleeping helps one process traumatic events. We’ll discuss more in the morrow.”

Jean went to the elevator and pressed the button. A few seconds later, the doors opened.

The ship captain watched as slowly, one by one, everyone made their way in.

The ride up was dead quiet. No one spoke a word to each other as the elevator ascended.

Once it reached the top, everyone filed out and left the tree room, most likely to their dorms.

All but one.

Diana stood alone in the tree room, silent as can be. Every breath she took she could feel.

So much had happened, especially to her. As much as she wanted to believe that none of it was real…

The memories were far too realistic to do so.

…

She looked over to Alpha Sanctuary’s entrance. Within was the emergency room where Eva was being treated.

Despite the inner turmoil in her mind, Diana gave a smile and let out a small whisper.

“Get well soon, Eva.”

Diana turned away and left the tree room, heading to her dorm.

“…And that’s everything from my perspective,” Diana finished recounting.

“You really wanted to be her friend, didn’t you?” Damon asked.

Diana nodded. “Mhm. Hopefully, she can escape with all of us.”

It was there that Damon made another move. “Checkmate.”

Diana looked down at the board and saw that her king was indeed trapped in a checkmate, thus signaling her loss. She blinked at the sight, realizing that she lost track of the game while talking to Damon.

She put on a smile. “Good game, Damon! This was really fun!”

Damon nodded. “Yeah. Good game.”

The debater then picked up all of the pieces and quickly rearranged them as they once were. Diana then stood up from the couch and made her way to the door. Damon followed after her.

“I should get going now. It’s late,” she announced. “Good night, Damon!”

Damon waved. “Good night.”

Diana left the room and closed the door with a click.

…

As soon as she left, a smile that Damon suppressed crept onto his lips.

If you were to ask him, the time he spent with Diana was rather fun.

Chapter Text

Ever since the class trial, Kai had become more distant from the others. For multiple reasons.

Kai had been thinking about everything that happened up until that point, and realized what Eva had meant in the trial.

Wolfgang did isolate Eva from the group, making her an easy target for murder. Wolfgang did nothing when Eva was exposed and ridiculed for her true talent. Wolfgang did tell everyone to trust each other, yet he kept excluding her and Damon.

Eva may have made the choice to kill Wolfgang, but it was Wolfgang’s “leadership”, the Traitor Perk, and many other factors that pushed her to do so.

…Including the fact that Kai also made fun of her talent.

Kai had started feeling guilty about his remarks on Eva’s talent, so much so that it made him mad at himself.

But…no matter how much he wished for it, he couldn’t change the past. He said what he said, and because of that, Wolfgang was gone…forever.

However… that didn’t mean Kai couldn’t change the future.

One way or another, he was going to apologize to Eva, if it was the last thing he would ever do.

With that goal in mind, Kai got up from his bed and went over to the door.

But as soon as he opened it…

“Diana?”

“Kai?”

The sight of Diana at his doorstep greeted him.

Diana put on a smile. “Hey, Kai!”

Kai smiled back. “Hey, Diana. Why are you at my door?”

The cosmetologist rubbed her arm, a soft smile on her face. “Well… I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. We haven’t spoken much since the trial.”

It was true. They haven’t.

“Alright, when and where?” Kai asked.

“7pm, my room,” Diana replied. “Also, I invited Damon and Eva, and they both said yes.”

Wait, Eva? Eva was gonna be there?

Kai blinked, snapping out of his brief trance.

A small smile crept onto his lips. “…I’ll come.”

Diana beamed. “Great! I’ll tell the other two!”

She turned on her heel and went down the hall, waving at Kai. “See you later, Kai!”

Kai waved back before closing the door.

Once he did, his mind started racing.

This was his chance to apologize to Eva.

And he was going to take it.

*knock knock*

“I’ll get it!”

Diana got up from the floor and made her way to the door. She opened it to see Kai.

Diana beamed. “Kai! You made it!”

Kai walked in with his trademark smirk. “Wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Damon looked up from the large braid he was decorating with assorted flower hair clips. “Hey, Kai.”

Eva gave a small wave.

Kai waved back. “Hey, you two…”

Diana walked back over to the other three. “So, Kai! Damon and I were decorating Eva’s hair before you arrived! But if you want, I can do your hair too!”

“Are you sure Damon can handle Eva’s hair by himself?” Kai questioned.

“It’s fine. Diana gave me instructions on how to do this before you got here,” Damon spoke up, his focus back on the braid.

Kai sat down in front of Eva. “If you say so…”

Diana grabbed a few hair supplies before sitting down behind Kai and brushing his hair gently while talking to him.

While Diana was focused, Kai tuned out Diana’s voice and looked towards Eva.

Eva was currently in conversation with Damon while he braided her hair. They both seemed pretty engaged, but the strange part was…

Eva was smiling.

It was a strange sight. She always seemed so gloomy and closed off. Briefly learning about Eva’s past in the trial only amplified that perception. It was especially odd that Eva’s cheeks seemed to turn pink as she talked to Damon—

Oh.

…Oh.

That explained a lot.

“All done!”

Diana moved away from Kai and pulled out a mirror. She held it up. “Look at you, Kai!”

Kai turned to Diana and looked at the mirror to see his new hair.

His hair had been combed down and a golden butterfly-shaped hair clip was clipped to the side.

Kai smiled at Diana. “I love it, Diana! Thank you!”

Diana smiled back. “Anytime!”

Kai looked back at Damon and Eva. “How’re you two doing?”

Damon was just about finishing up decorating. “Almost…done.”

Diana gasped at the sight of Eva’s hair and passed the mirror to Eva. “Look at you, Eva!”

Eva grabbed the mirror and aimed it at her hair.

The flower clips brought a colorful glow to her monochrome ombré hair. It was a strange sight to Eva, but she found it quite nice.

She turned to Damon, still smiling. “Thank you for doing this, Damon.”

Damon shrugged. “…No problem.”

Kai noticed the slight hesitation in Damon’s voice, as well as a subtle blush on his cheeks, though Eva didn’t seem to notice.

*ding dong, bing bong*

“It is now 8pm! Nighttime is officially upon us! Please return to your dorm rooms and prepare for a good night’s sleep…or don’t! I’m not your parent.”

“Just remember: tonight could be the night which changes your life forever. Whether that’s for better or worse…is for you to find out.”

“Goodnight~”

*…click!*

“Huh? It’s 8pm already?” Kai asked.

“It seems so,” Damon remarked.

Damon stood up and stretched. “I’m going back to my room. See you all tomorrow.”

Eva, Kai, and Diana said their goodbyes to Damon as he left the room.

Eva then got up. “I should go back to my room too.”

“What about your hair?” Kai asked.

“I can undo it myself. I’ll be fine,” Eva replied.

Eva made her way to the door. It was then and there Kai realized this was his chance.

He got up. “Hey, Diana. I’m gonna go too. Good night.”

Diana waved at the two. “Goodnight, Kai! Goodnight, Eva!”

Eva and Kai left Diana’s room at the same time, but before Eva could make her way back, Kai grabbed her shoulder.

“Hey, Eva… Can we talk?”

“…?” Eva turned to the influencer curiously.

Kai swallowed. “…I just wanna say…I’m sorry.”

Eva blinked. “Huh?”

Kai let out a sigh. “I’m sorry for those remarks I made about you and your talent. I’ve come to realize what you meant by what you said in the trial.”

“I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on everything that happened ever since Damon saved you from execution, especially on what you said after we voted for you.”

“And before you say anything, I know what my profile says, but contrary to popular belief, I don’t dislike apologizing or headwear! I don’t even know where that idea came from…”

Kai scratched his head in frustration.

“I accept your apology.”

Kai looked back at Eva. “Huh?”

“I accept your apology,” Eva repeated.

“…”

Kai stood there, not expecting Eva to say that. “R-Really?”

Eva nodded. “Really.”

“…”

Eva turned away from him. “If that’s all, I’ll be going to bed now. Goodnight, Kai.”

Eva began walking away, her braid swaying back and forth.

…

Kai shook his head to snap himself out of it.

He didn’t expect Eva to accept his apology, but…at least it made for good closure.

He should probably head back to his dorm and go to bed now.

Kai turned around, beginning to head back to his room.

But before he could take a step…

*thud*

A strong thud hit the back of his head, knocking him out instantly.

And that was the last thing he felt before everything turned black.

Chapter Text

“Kai, are you in there?” Diana called out as she knocked on Kai’s door.

The next morning, Diana wanted to talk to Kai again since it seemed that last night’s hangout with Damon and Eva cheered him up. She wanted to come to the dining hall with him today.

But for some reason, Kai wasn’t answering. Diana woke up earlier than usual for this, since she knew that Kai would wake up later than her, but she didn’t expect Kai to be a heavy sleeper.

Just then, Tozu’s morning announcement rang, and slowly, the others walked out of their rooms. Most of them passed Diana, giving her a terse good morning, and she said it back, but Damon and Eva approached her, curious of the cosmetologist’s actions.

“Diana?” Eva called out.

Diana perked up at the sound of her name and turned to the pair behind her.

She quickly put on a smile. “Oh! Good morning, Eva! Good morning, Damon!”

“Morning,” Damon greeted back. “Why are you knocking on Kai’s door?”

Diana’s smile fell, her usual happy expression replaced with a sad one. “Well…I wanted to check up on Kai. He seemed to be a bit better after last night. But for some reason, he’s not answering.”

“If he’s not answering, then he’s probably asleep,” Eva suggested.

Diana fiddled with the strap of her makeup pouch. “Maybe…but I’m still worried.”

“We should probably get to the dining hall now. The others will probably wonder where we are. We can look for Kai later,” Damon suggested.

Diana was hesitant, but she knew that Damon was right. Considering the motive, it would be suspicious if the three of them were late. “Okay…”

They then left the dorm area and went to the dining hall.

When the three entered, Jean noticed them and welcomed them with a hearty good morning. Once they sat down, Jean counted everyone in the room and realized that they were short a few numbers.

“Has anyone seen Kai or Cassidy?” the ship captain asked.

“I knocked on Kai’s door earlier. He didn’t answer, so he’s probably asleep,” Diana announced.

“And what of Cassidy? Is she also asleep?”

Diana hesitated. “I didn’t knock on her door, so I don’t know, but she’s probably also oversleeping.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Diana,” Eloise spoke out.

“What do you mean?” Diana asked.

Everyone turned to her curiously, catching the fencer off guard somewhat, but she quickly gathered herself before talking. “Well, contrary to what you all may believe, Cassidy is a light sleeper. As her former bunk buddy, I’ve seen her wake up to quiet noises, then subsequently wake me up about them.”

“Really? How does she sleep then?” Jett asked.

“She would wear these headphones for ear protection at night. They weren’t soundproof, but they were enough to muffle whispers and help her sleep.”

“The morning announcement should’ve definitely woken her up then if what Eloise says is true, but why didn’t she?” Wenona asked.

The room went into silent pondering.

Diana silently pondered the questions. Why did Cassidy not wake up to the morning announcement if she’s a light sleeper? Not only that, where was Kai?

Unless…

Diana immediately banished the thought from her mind.

Nope! Nope! There’s no way Cassidy or Kai are dead! The motive makes it riskier to kill anyone!

But…

“It seems we’re at a crossroads,” Jean began. “I suggest we search for Cassidy and Kai once we finish breakfast.”

Everyone agreed to Jean’s proposal and began eating.

Diana, however, was still in thought.

Where were Cassidy and Kai?

Once the breakfast meeting was over, everyone split up to search for Cassidy and Kai.

They went into 4 groups of 3, but considering the number of people they had, there had to be a group of 4. Ingrid, Toshiko, Desmond, and Eloise were the group of 4.

Damon, Eva, and Diana went together and went off to explore Beta Sanctuary.

“Kai! Cassidy! Are you in here?” Diana called out.

All the three got was silence.

“Doesn’t seem like they’re in this room…” Damon mumbled.

“I’ll check the storage closet,” Eva announced before walking over to the door of the closet.

But when she opened it…

“Ah—?!”

Eva’s sharp gasp caught the attention of Damon and Diana, who ran over to Eva.

“Eva, what’s wrong?!” Diana asked before turning to the storage closet and quickly having her question answered.

The closet was completely trashed. Many of the items had fallen off of the shelves and were scattered on the floor.

But the most defining feature of the trashed closet…was a puddle of dried blood in the middle of the room.

“I-Is that…blood?” Diana squeaked out.

“What else could it be? Something definitely happened here,” Damon stated with a firm voice laced with nervousness.

“But what even happened here?!” Diana screamed. “Why is the storage closet trashed and why is there blood?!”

“If there’s blood here, then—” Eva began before being cut off.

Cut off by a familiar chime. One they hoped to not hear ever again.

*ding dong, bing bong*

“A body has been discovered! All students must proceed to the Alpha Sanctuary laboratory immediately!”

“Time will be allotted for all participants to investigate the murder, and afterwards, the Class Trial will begin!”

“Good luck, everybody!”

*…click!*

…

……

Chapter Text

…

……

Soon after the speakers clicked, Diana ran out of the workshop.

“Ah! Diana!”

Eva ran after the cosmetologist.

Damon quickly went after the two girls after snapping himself out of his reverie.

There was no way. Someone couldn’t have died. Not again.

But alas, the announcements never lie.

For when Damon arrived at the Alpha Sanctuary laboratory, Diana, Eva, and most of the others was there and were gathered around a familiar body.

One that brought him great misery at the sight of it.

The body of Cassidy Amber, the Ultimate Pro Gamer, lying on the floor covered in blood, headless, and most definitely dead.

…

Damon was speechless.

Of course he was. How could he not be after seeing such a macabre sight?

He wasn’t the only one, however.

Toshiko was facing away from the body and sobbing loudly while tightly hugging Ingrid. The blacksmith held the little girl close, her eyes focused on the girl, but many tears were rolling down her face.

Wenona and Ulysses were also looking away from the sight, although the historian seemed more frightened than the entrepreneur.

Mark was visibly very sad, tears slowly falling from his eyes. Jett had a hand placed on his back as a comforting gesture, but Mark seemed to be too focused on the body to care at all.

Eloise was crying heavily into Desmond’s shoulder, holding him tight and facing away from the body. Desmond held the fencer close, his eyes closed.

Grace was frozen in shock, just like when she discovered Wolfgang, but even more so, as the state of Cassidy’s body was more bloody and gory. Jean and Kai were nowhere to be found in the room.

Diana had fallen to her knees at the sight of the body and was sobbing into her hands. Eva had knelt down behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist and placed her head on her shoulder to give her some semblance of comfort, fighting the tears that pricked at her eyes.

“Quite a sight to behold, isn’t it?”

A familiar posh voice cut through the tense silence.

“To think that the killer went this far, too. Honestly, I’m almost impressed,” Tozu added. “Alas, she was neither the target nor the bodyguard, which means you all have to endure a class trial again, not that I’m upset about it.”

Grace’s gaze directed itself immediately to the host, looking as if she wanted to say something, but kept her mouth shut.

The host pulled out a familiar tablet. “I assume you all know what to do, correct?”

Silently, Damon took the tablet.

“Well then, I wish you all best of luck! Oh, and one last thing. Jean and Kai are currently in the emergency room. Jean is currently treating Kai for a head injury.”

“Ta-ta!”

And with that farewell, Tozu left.

…

Silently, one by one, people began to leave the room.

Until, it was just Damon, Eva, and Diana.

Diana’s sobbing had slowed by then, but she was still shaking and visibly distraught. Eva had loosened her embrace around Diana, staring at Diana with a sad look.

Damon knelt down to the two girls and placed a hand on Eva’s shoulder. “Hey.”

At the sound of his voice, Eva and Diana turned to Damon.

The debater took a deep breath before beginning. “I’m aware of how…horrible things are right now, but we have to do this. We have to investigate Cassidy’s murder.”

Diana sniffled. “I-I know, but…”

Damon sighed. “If you don’t want to do this, you can check up on Kai. Tozu said that he’s in the emergency room being treated by Jean.”

Diana seemed to contemplate Damon’s suggestion. “O-Okay…”

With a bit of help from Eva, Diana stood back up on her feet. She then left the laboratory, not once looking back.

“Looks like it’s just you and me again,” Eva remarked.

“So it is…” Damon mumbled.

Once again, Damon and Eva were a pair.

Right now, they needed to focus on the task at hand.

They had to find the one that killed Cassidy!

Chapter Text

To start off, Damon opened the Tozu Tablet and read the report.

“The victim is Cassidy Amber, the Ultimate Pro Gamer. She was discovered in the Alpha Sanctuary laboratory. Her head had been cleanly cut off at the larynx and is currently missing. The object that cut off her head is currently unidentified, though it’s likely something sharp. The rest of the body is lying face up on the floor. The cause of death is decapitation.”

Damon’s brows furrowed as he read the tablet.

The time of death was excluded from the report this time, meaning that he couldn’t use alibis to narrow down suspects.

However, there were still a few things to note about the body report.

First of all, the head was missing. And second, whatever was used to cut off her head is assumed to be something sharp.

Many questions surrounded these details. Perhaps looking into it more would allow for a clearer picture of the method behind the cause of death.

New Truth Bullet(s):

- Tozu Tablet 3

- Missing Head

“Hey, Eva? What do you make of this?” Damon asked, holding out the tablet.

Eva’s eyes trailed across the screen as she twirled a strand of hair in her fingers. “Hm. Odd.”

Damon raised an eyebrow. “What’s odd?”

Eva pushed up her glasses. “Hm… how can I put this? When the head is cut off, the headless body tends to spill a lot of blood to the point that it’s almost uncontrollable. However, it’s strangely bleeding fairly slowly.”

Damon looked back at Cassidy’s body, wincing at the sight of it.

Now that Eva said it, she was right. The neck wound was bleeding fairly slowly.

“Is there a reason for that?” the debater asked.

Eva nodded. “Mhm. By stitching up the wound, minimal blood would be spilt. At best, the process would take at least an hour or two since only the head was cut off. I don’t know if the killer did the same for the head, though.”

“…That seems like something a professional could do. Is there someone here capable of such a feat?”

Eva shrugged. “Not sure.”

Whatever the case, Eva made a good point.

Perhaps there’s a reason why the killer stitched up the neck wound.

New Truth Bullet(s):

- Neck Wound

“Also, there’s something I want to tell you,” Eva added.

“Go on,” Damon responded.

“But first, remind me who went to investigate Alpha Sanctuary again?”

Damon hesitated for a moment. “Uh… I believe it was Jean, Jett, and Mark. Why do you ask?”

“That rules those three out, then…” Eva mumbled.

“Huh?”

“Oh, right. You don’t know.”

Eva twirled a strand of her hair with her finger. “Remember the announcement that played when Cassidy’s body was found?”

“Yeah? What of it?”

“Well, apparently, it’s called the body discovery announcement, or BDA for short. However, it doesn’t just go off when a body is discovered. There is a certain requirement.”

Damon raised an eyebrow. “A requirement? How do you know this?”

“During my…planning, I had asked Tozu a few questions in relation to the murder cases, one of which were what would happen if a body is discovered,” Eva began.

“He said that if the body is discovered by at least three spotless, then the BDA would go off. He also clarified that the blackened’s sighting is excluded. After that, every student would be given some time to investigate the murder, and then the class trial would happen once time is up.”

“So for example, in Wolfgang’s case, since Diana watched him die, she would be the first spotless to see his body. Then, when you and Kai went into the boiler room and the lights turned back on, you two were the second and third spotless to see the body, thus triggering the BDA.”

Damon processed the information. That was going to be particularly useful in the trial.

New Truth Bullet(s):

- Body Discovery Announcement

“Anyway, I think we’ve been here long enough. We should investigate somewhere else. Maybe check up on Diana?” Eva suggested.

Damon nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”

After placing the tablet on the nearby lab table, Damon left the laboratory with Eva.

“Damon, Eva! Over here!”

Upon entering the ER, Diana waved Damon and Eva over to the hospital bed she was standing next to.

Upon the bed was Kai, who seemed to be unconscious and had a bandage wrapped around his head.

“What happened to him…?” Eva asked.

“…Jean said that Kai had bruised the back of his head, twice. Apparently, one is darker than the other, but he’ll be able to sustain them. I don’t think he’s gonna wake up anytime soon, though,” Diana replied.

So Kai was alive, just in a deep sleep.

“Do you think that whoever killed Cassidy knocked out Kai as well?” Eva asked.

“Maybe…” Diana replied tersely, wincing slightly. “I just can’t believe another murder happened…and in such a gruesome way…”

Eva placed a hand on Diana’s shoulder. “We’ll get through this, Diana. Together.”

In spite of the situation, Diana mustered a smile. “Thanks, Eva.”

Meanwhile, Damon contemplated Kai’s state.

It was very likely the killer and Kai’s assailant are the same person, but why would they bother in knocking him out? Was it part of the plan?

Either way, Kai would likely be brought up in the trial.

New Truth Bullet(s):

- Kai’s Condition

Soon after, Jean came walking in.

“Ah. Damon, Eva. There you two are. I wanted to ask you two something,” he said.

“Ask away,” Eva responded.

“Diana told me that you two and her were the last people to see Kai yesterday evening. Is that true?”

“Correct,” Eva replied. “I assume Diana told you about what we did last night?”

Jean nodded. “That she did.”

“Jean. You, Jett, and Mark searched the pharmacy, where you found Cassidy’s body. Where did you find Kai?” Damon asked.

“Kai was lying limply against the left wall of the lab. He was still breathing, so I took it upon myself to help him. Tozu suddenly came in and said that Kai would be out for a while, so much so that he would likely be unconscious until mid class trial, so he’s excusing Kai from the class trial until he wakes up.”

“Really now?” Damon mumbled to himself.

It’s possible that Kai was knocked out twice. But why?

Perhaps analysis on Jean’s story could provide insight.

New Truth Bullet(s):

- Jean’s Account

“Alright. Thank you, Jean. If you’ll excuse us, Eva and I have somewhere else to be,” Damon said.

Jean stepped away from the door. “Go along, then. I’ll see you two in the trial.”

“I’ll…stay here and keep watching over Kai,” Diana offered.

“That’s fine. Be seeing you, Diana,” Eva said before walking out of the ER with Damon following her.

Next stop: the workshop’s storage closet.

Chapter Text

Upon arrival, Damon and Eva were met with the sight of Ulysses and Wenona investigating the storage closet.

“Oh, it’s you two,” Wenona said upon noticing the pair, before a look of realization flashed in her eyes.

“Actually, there are some questions I wanted to ask,” she said as she walked over to the pair. “You two and Diana went to the workshop when we split up to search for Cassidy and Kai, correct?”

“Correct. And before you ask, we did find the storage closet trashed like this before the announcement rang. Damon can vouch for me,” Eva replied.

“Yeah, Eva’s telling the truth,” Damon added.

The entrepreneur brought a hand to her chin in thought. “Hm…”

“What? Is something wrong?” Eva asked.

“Oh, nothing much. Just…thinking about the new Killing Game rules,” Wenona replied. “Considering them, it wouldn’t be far fetched to suspect that a decrepit would attempt murder again.”

Eva furrowed her brow at Wenona. “Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying,” Wenona began. “I know you have the skills to pull off a good murder plan, even if there would be more evidence that could be used against you.”

She smirked. “…After all, you almost succeeded.”

Eva glared and grumbled at the entrepreneur, gritting her teeth.

Damon held an arm out in front of her, causing Eva to calm down somewhat.

“…Anyway, is there anything you and Ulysses have found in here?” he asked.

“…We found Cassidy’s head,” Wenona replied. “It’s in that box over there.”

She pointed to a cardboard box that sat near the shelf. “There wasn’t anything notable about the head apart from the neck wound. You’re…honestly better off not seeing it for yourself, so if you don’t believe me, ask Ulysses.”

“Alright, thank you for your time,” Damon said before walking away from Wenona with Eva.

“…I’m not exactly trusting of her, so I can check the head. You can check with Ulysses,” Eva suggested.

“Are you sure?” Damon asked, his voice laced with slight worry.

“…It’s fine, Damon. I can handle it,” she assured.

With reluctance, Damon walked over to Ulysses while Eva walked over to the box.

“Oh… Hello, Damon…” the historian greeted nervously.

“Ulysses, I need to see the weapon list in your notebook. I believe that by looking at the list, we can narrow down suspects,” Damon explained.

Ulysses opened his notebook and quickly flipped through the pages before stopping. “Here. This is the full weapons list.”

Ulysses turned the notebook over to face Damon. Damon read the list to himself.

~~~

Damon: Whip

Eva: 8 throwing knifes

Grace: Bola

Toshiko: Pair of war fans

Eloise: Rapier

Desmond: Tranquilizer gun with 6 darts

Kai: Taser

Diana: Vial of poison

Cassidy: 4 smoke bombs

Ulysses: Bottle of sleeping pills(24 in total, 1 pill = asleep for 2 hours)

Ingrid: Warhammer

Jean: Cutlass

Wenona: Pair of sickles

Jett: Monkey wrench

Mark: Spool of thin wire(capable of cutting flesh)

~~~

“Because the cause of death is confirmed to be decapitation, I suspect the ones with sharp weapons are likely to have done this. However, I believe that Eva is unlikely as it’s not possible to cut through human flesh so cleanly with a throwing knife,” Ulysses explained.

“…In any case, this list is a very important clue. Make sure you don’t lose it,” Damon said.

“I won’t,” Ulysses responded before walking over to Wenona.

New Truth Bullet(s):

- Weapons List

As soon as Damon finished his conversation with Ulysses, Eva walked up to him with a tense expression.

“…I’m done with my investigation,” she said softly.

“Was it that bad?” Damon questioned.

Eva nodded. “I won’t tell you anything about what I saw, but I can say that Wenona wasn’t lying. There isn’t anything about Cassidy’s head that sticks out apart from the obvious neck wound.”

“…But I am taking this with me.”

Eva pulled out a familiar ushanka.

“It’s honestly surprising that her ushanka didn’t fall off of her head and isn’t bloodstained,” Eva added.

“Why are you taking Cassidy’s ushanka?” Damon asked.

“Jett and Mark were close to Cassidy. I thought they would want this as something to remember her by,” Eva replied.

“…I suppose that’s fair, so I won’t argue with you,” Damon commented. “So, where to next?”

“…Actually, I want to stay here and investigate for a little while. I think there could be something here that Ulysses and Wenona missed,” Eva stated while twirling a strand of hair.

Damon nodded. “Alright. I’ll meet up with you once the investigation is over.”

Eva then held out Cassidy’s ushanka. “In the meanwhile, if you find Jett or Mark, can you give this to them?”

Damon took the ushanka. “Sure. Be seeing you.”

And with that, Damon left the storage closet.

Chapter Text

Once Damon left, Eva went on to investigate the storage closet, starting with the puddle of blood in the center of the room.

It was fairly large and was already dry. Based on those factors, the blood was likely Cassidy’s and it wasn’t any older than a couple hours.

Since the time of death was unknown, it was possible that the blood puddle could provide a clue about the timeframe of the murder.

New Truth Bullet(s):

- Dried Puddle of Blood

Another clue Eva found in the storage closet was none other than the closet itself. Or rather, the current state of it.

She, Damon and Diana found it trashed when they went to search for Cassidy and Kai in the workshop.

It was likely that there was a struggle between Cassidy and the killer. The killer beheaded her here, stitched up the wound, and dragged the rest of the body to the pharmacy laboratory. Cassidy’s body was covered in blood, after all.

Still, where did Kai fit into all of that?

New Truth Bullet(s):

- Workshop Storage Closet

While in thought, something suddenly got caught in Eva’s peripheral.

A faint glimmer behind one of the boxes on the shelves.

With curiosity, Eva pushed aside the box to see…

…!

This was…

Meanwhile…

Damon left the workshop and was about to head into the pharmacy when he noticed two people near the large tree.

Jett and Mark were sitting beneath the tree, the latter being silently comforted by the former.

The debater softened his gaze slightly.

Like Eva had said, Jett and Mark were close to Cassidy. They were likely still distraught.

Damon looked at the ushanka in his hands.

Eva had asked him to give it to the two should he find them, which was what he planned to do as he walked up to them, hiding the ushanka behind his back.

Jett noticed Damon walking up to him and Mark. “Oh, hey Damon…”

Jett’s voice was devoid of his usual high energy. Mark, on the other hand, looked up at the debater, but stayed completely silent. However, it was clear to Damon that Cassidy’s death heavily impacted the both of them.

“Hey, you two,” Damon greeted back. “I just came by to give you this.”

He brought his hands out from his back and held out Cassidy’s hat.

“It was Eva’s idea to give this to you, by the way,” Damon quickly added.

Mark’s eyes seemed to light up slightly at the sight of the hat. And although Jett’s face was obscured by the helmet, Damon knew that the drag racer had the same look in his eyes.

Mark gingerly took the ushanka from Damon’s hands and looked at it before bringing it to his chest.

“Thank you…” the music producer mumbled softly.

Damon nodded before walking away, though he didn’t get far before someone called out to him.

“Wait.”

Damon turned around to see that Mark unexpectedly was the one to do so.

Damon raised an eyebrow. “Hm?”

The music producer hesitated for a moment before speaking. “Um… There’s something I wanna tell you…”

Damon turned to face Mark. “Go on.”

“…You know that remark Eloise made in the dining hall?” Mark asked.

Damon tilted his head. “Yeah?”

“…Well… what she said was true. Cassidy was a light sleeper. She mentioned that once during one of our talks. Jett can confirm.”

The drag racer gave a thumbs up. “Yeah, he ain’t lying. Cass said that a few days back when Eva was still healing.”

“Okay, why are you bringing this up?” Damon asked.

Mark hesitated again. “Well… I think Cassidy was killed at night. I don’t think beheading someone is easy.”

Damon brought a hand to his chin. While Mark brings up a good point, Damon isn’t sure if that would fit in anywhere in the future discussion.

Either way, it was something that Damon should keep in mind.

New Truth Bullet(s):

- Eloise’s Remark

“If that’s all, then I’ll be going now,” Damon said before heading back into Beta Sanctuary.

While he was walking away, Damon glanced back at Jett and Mark.

Mark had gone back to holding Cassidy’s hat close to his chest. Jett looked like he was staring at the music producer while still comforting him.

Seeing that the two were okay, Damon continued on his way.

Chapter Text

The moment Damon opened the door into the workshop, Wenona and Ulysses walked out and went past him. When he went in, Eva ran out of the storage closet, stopped for a moment upon noticing Damon, and then ran over to him.

“Damon, I found something,” Eva said with somewhat bated breath.

“What is it?” Damon asked with curiosity.

Eva turned around. “Follow me.”

Eva led Damon to the storage closet. There, she led him to one of the shelves where a few boxes were pushed to the side, revealing a strange poster with even stranger content.

~~~

“No two tree leaves are the same, and the leaves from the Tree of Ignorance, although fake, are no exception. One leaf that falls from the tree will have the code on it.”

~~~

It was straightforward and was originally obscured by boxes, meaning that it was hidden for a reason, that reason most likely being that solving the poster would reveal the key for the new PIN pad code.

“I’m honestly surprised I didn’t notice it sooner,” Eva said. “But when I did, I realized something about it.”

“In order for someone get the code, they would have to find the code written on one of the leaves that falls from that giant tree.”

“Do you think someone figured it out?” Damon asked.

“Most likely, so I didn’t bother trying,” Eva replied.

New Truth Bullet(s):

- Hidden Poster

“…But there’s something that doesn’t make sense,” Eva added.

“What doesn’t make sense?” Damon asked.

“How could someone find the code from one of the leaves that fall from the tree practically every day? That would take quite a lot of time and luck, even for me,” Eva pondered.

Damon thought about it for a moment, then looked up at her.

“Eva, I don’t want to point fingers before the trial, but I think—”

*ding dong, bing bong*

*click!*

“Time’s up, everybody! Drop whatever you’re doing and proceed over to the Tree of Ignorance. Failure to do so will result in punishment, specifically of the electrifying nature.”

“See you all soon!”

*…click!*

…

“Already…?” Eva mumbled.

Damon glanced at Eva. Although he didn’t get the chance to investigate anywhere else, he knew that the others would’ve likely found something. For now, he had to steel himself for the class trial.

“…We should go,” he said.

Eva hesitated before glowering. “…Okay.”

The two then left the closet and made the trek to the tree room.

Upon arrival, they waited for everyone else.

Eventually, the others filed in, all except Kai, for obvious reasons.

“How could this happen…? The motive had only been announced two days ago…” Diana mumbled softly.

“Haven’t you realized by now? The decrepit rules encourage murder since blackened are now able to survive and try again. Not only that, the motive encourages murder even more, since killing the target would allow the killer to escape without a class trial,” Wenona remarked.

Diana rubbed her arm nervously as she sealed her mouth shut.

“Honestly, I suspected that someone would kill ever since last trial. I just didn’t suspect that the victim wouldn’t be her.”

The entrepreneur nodded in Eva’s direction before continuing. “Then again, the decrepit rules would make it difficult to cover up the crime if one were to kill her.”

“…Is there something you’re implying?” Damon asked with restrained frustration.

“Oh nothing… Just the likely possibilities,” Wenona remarked.

“…You know, I actually agree with her,” Desmond commented.

Damon turned to the marksman. “What?”

“I’m sorry Damon, but ever since you saved Eva and Tozu added the decrepit role, I’ve been more on edge,” Desmond explained. “As it stands, the chances of Eva being the killer are fairly high, considering everything.”

“He’s got that right,” Wenona added.

Damon glared at the entrepreneur with barely restrained anger. How could she accuse Eva with just the decrepit role?

*rumble…*

The ground shook before stopping again, signaling the arrival of the elevator.

The door within the tree then opened, allowing the students entry.

*Bzzz…*

“Well then, let’s get this show on the road, shall we?”

*…click!*

…

It was time.

Slowly, one by one, the students made their way through the opening, and as soon as everyone got on, the elevator began to descend.

Within the silence, the weight of the situation began to sink in.

Once again, another life was taken, and the thief was among them. Whether or not the thief would survive was unknown. The additional absence of another may or may not had added to that.

…

Amidst the silence, Damon snuck a glance at Eva and saw that she was staring in front of her with a tense, but somber expression.

It was understandable, Damon supposed. The last time Eva was in here, she was at risk of never going back up again.

But alas, Damon risked his own life to save hers.

Even now, Damon didn’t completely understand why he saved her. But if the situation called for it, he would do it again, even if it killed him.

After what felt like decades, the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. Everyone slowly stepped out of the elevator.

The room was the same as before, and sitting on the throne was none other than the goat masked host, Tozu.

“Welcome back, everybody!” he greeted with a joyful tone. “It’s been some time since we were last here, but I certainly could never forget what happened! Especially since remarkable history was made here…”

Tozu briefly glanced at Damon and Eva before continuing. “I must say, I’m rather intrigued by what will occur this trial. Considering the murder method, among other factors, I personally am quite excited!”

“Like last time, your names are on your podiums. Go along and get to your assigned one.”

With hesitation, everyone made their way to their podiums.

The stage had been set.

The line between life and death had become even thinner, now that the game had changed entirely.

Damon knew that even with the rules, he needed to pursue the correct truth for him, and everyone else to survive.

For one of the few people that didn’t seem to resent him despite everything, he needed to persevere.

Cassidy… She was someone with ambition and ferocity in her heart. And now, that heart was to never beat again.

In order to honor Cassidy, Damon had to solve her murder and survive…

In this class trial.

Chapter Text

Tozu Tablet 3: The victim is Cassidy Amber, the Ultimate Pro Gamer. She was discovered in the Alpha Sanctuary laboratory. Her head has been cleanly cut off at the larynx and is currently missing. The object that cut off her head is currently unidentified, though it’s likely something sharp. The rest of her body is lying face up on the floor. The cause of death is decapitation.

Missing Head: For reasons unknown, Cassidy’s head was hidden away from the rest of her body.

Neck Wound: The head was cleanly cut off at the larynx. The wound is bleeding rather slowly due to it being stitched up. It’s likely that the killer stitched it up for a reason.

Body Discovery Announcement: When Eva was planning her murder, she had asked Tozu a few questions in regard to the murder cases. One of her questions was regarding the body discovery announcement. According to her, Tozu said that to trigger the announcement, 3 spotless have to see the body. Once the 3rd person sees the body, the BDA will go off immediately after. He also clarified that the blackened’s sighting is excluded.

Workshop Storage Closet: The closet was completely trashed and a dried puddle of blood was in the middle of it.

Dried Puddle of Blood: The puddle is fairly large and is already dry. It’s assumed that the blood is likely no older than a couple hours, and that the blood is Cassidy’s.

Kai’s Condition: Kai was last seen last night and wasn’t seen again until the body was discovered. He has two bruises on the back of his head. One is darker than the other.

Jean’s Account: He, Jett and Mark explored the pharmacy and found Cassidy’s body alongside an unconscious Kai in the laboratory, triggering the BDA. Kai was still alive, so Jean treated him.

Weapons List: Ulysses listed all of the weapons and who had which weapons. As it stands, those whose weapons were blades or anything of the sort are suspects. The list is as follows:

Damon: Whip

Eva: 8 throwing knifes

Grace: Bola

Toshiko: Pair of war fans

Eloise: Rapier

Desmond: Tranquilizer gun with 6 darts

Kai: Taser

Diana: Vial of poison

Cassidy: 4 smoke bombs

Ulysses: Bottle of sleeping pills(24 in total, 1 pill = asleep for 2 hours)

Ingrid: Warhammer

Jean: Cutlass

Wenona: Pair of sickles

Jett: Monkey wrench

Mark: Spool of thin wire(capable of cutting flesh)

Eloise’s Remark: Earlier in the morning, Eloise said that contrary to popular belief, Cassidy is a light sleeper. Jett and Mark later confirmed this, saying that Cassidy talked about it before. This was brought up due to the fact that it’s assumed Cassidy was killed at night.

Hidden Poster: In the storage closet was a poster that had a riddle. It’s likely someone already solved it.

Chapter Text

“…Now then, I’m sure you’re all familiar with the rules of the class trial, no? Well, if you’re not, allow me to enlighten you!” Tozu began.

“All of you must use wit to unravel the mystery of this murder case and vote for who you believe is the blackened in the end. If the majority of you vote the blackened, only they will be punished, and the rest of you will resume your killing game experience. However, if the wrong person is voted for, then the spotless best prepare to face the jaws of defeat, while the blackened will be granted release!”

“…But as per the rules, I will allow you all a chance to escape those jaws and continue your experience. Whoever has to though…is for you to determine. Best of luck!”

…

Once again, Damon was back here.

He really didn’t want to be here, and based on the others’ expressions, neither did they. Especially Mark, considering how tightly he was hugging Cassidy’s hat.

But still…they had to do this. To survive. To see another day.

…

From beside him, Damon heard Wenona let out a sigh.

“…Since it seems no one is willing to break the silence, I will by proposing a suggestion,” the entrepreneur began.

“What is it, Wenona?” Ulysses asked curiously.

Damon turned to her with a raised eyebrow.

“I have a few suspects in mind, the top suspect being the first and currently only decrepit in this room: Eva Tsunaka.”

“H-Huh?!” Diana gaped.

“Huh…?” Eva gasped.

Everyone else gave varying degrees of shock at the entrepreneur’s accusation.

“Eva…?” Toshiko mumbled.

“Wait a minute… Why are you suspecting me all of a sudden?” Eva questioned.

“Don’t worry, I have my reasons why,” Wenona clarified before beginning.

“Now that executions are survivable, it’s possible that Eva would kill again to try and escape. Even if the spotless survive their executions, the blackened would still be granted release from the killing game, leaving us behind.”

“Even with the disadvantage that a decrepit would receive for killing, Rule 15 clarifies that none of the clues would be major, so with that, Eva would still have a chance of escaping, although slim.”

“Honestly, I’ve been suspicious of you ever since I exposed your true talent, Eva. You lied about your talent, you lied about not being Wolfgang’s killer, who’s to say you wouldn’t lie about not being Cassidy’s?”

Eva gritted her teeth. “…If you’ll listen to me, then I can explain why I can’t be the killer.”

Wenona raised her eyebrows in intrigue. “Enlighten me, then.”

Eva took a deep breath before beginning. “First of all, allow me to tell you all about the specifics of Rule 15. If you don’t remember Rule 15 reads: If a decrepit kills, the spotless will be given more clues about the murder case. If a decrepit is killed, the same disadvantage will be given to the blackened, albeit to a lesser degree. None of the clues will be major.”

“During my recovery, I had asked clarifying questions about the decrepit role to Tozu. One of my questions was about what was meant by Rule #15.”

“He said that should a decrepit kill, he would deliberately leave bits of evidence for the spotless to find before the body was found, although he will never say what kind of evidence. If a decrepit is killed, he would just give the evidence to the spotless in person.”

“And how do we know that you’re not lying?” Desmond asked.

“If you think I’m lying, then why don’t you take it to the judge?” Eva remarked.

“Well, Tozu? Are Eva’s words true?” Desmond asked.

“Indeed! Her words ring true!” Tozu confirmed with cheer in his voice.

“See? I’m not lying. I would have no reason to if I’m not the culprit,” Eva said. “And even if I was, I would have to use my assigned weapon.”

“For assassins, yes, but not for the bodyguard and the target,” Wenona countered. “Eva, you wouldn’t so happen to be either of them, correct?”

“…”

Eva was stunned silent.

Wenona was accusing Eva of the crime simply because Eva’s a decrepit. Damon had to turn the case around somehow.

“Why are you even suspecting me? All decrepit would be at a disadvantage should they kill again,” Eva argued.

“Yes, but if you were the bodyguard or target, you wouldn’t have to use your weapon to kill,” Wenona countered. “Even if you aren’t either, your weapon is a sharp object, which according to the tablet, is likely to be the kind of weapon used to decapitate Cassidy.”

“While that is true, there is another detail about the body report,” Damon chimed in.

Wenona stopped talking and turned to Damon with a raised eyebrow. “Hm?”

“The tablet does say that a sharp object is likely to have been what was used to decapitate Cassidy, but there is another detail,” Damon began to explain. “The body report specifies that the head was cleanly cut off.”

“I highly doubt that a throwing knife could cleanly cut off a head. So the weapon should be something larger.”

“Besides, I don’t believe Eva to be the killer anyway,” Ulysses added. “Her assigned weapon was 8 throwing knives. Those sorts of knives aren’t big or sharp enough to decapitate someone, and it’s required for all assassins to use their assigned weapon in their murder plan in some way.”

Wenona seemed to process Damon’s argument before speaking. “I suppose you’re right… However, Eva has yet to confirm whether or not she’s an assassin.”

“…So Eva, are you?”

Eva glanced over at Damon.

Damon was glancing at Eva with a tense expression. But then he mouthed, “tell them”.

Eva winced at the debater’s expression. Both of them knew that it would look suspicious if she lied, so…

“…Fine. I’m the target.”

“What?!” Grace shouted.

“…A day before the motive was announced, Tozu sent me a letter that explained the rules of Deadly Doubt. He assigned me the target role,” Eva explained.

“Guilty as charged!” Tozu chimed in, confirming Eva’s words.

“So the target… was you?” Eloise squeaked out.

Eva nodded. “And the bodyguard…is Damon.”

Damon nodded. “…She’s telling the truth. I’m the bodyguard, and Eva’s the target.”

At that point, everyone was staring wide eyed at Eva.

She put herself in a dangerous position with that confession.

“So…what does this mean?” Toshiko questioned. “Is she…not the killer?”

“You two…aren’t lying, right?” Desmond asked.

“Again, I would have no reason to lie if I’m not the killer. Tozu even confirmed my words, twice,” Eva replied.

“Still… your position alone makes you suspicious,” Ulysses commented.

“Okay then… Allow me to clear up some more confusion,” Eva began.

“Desmond, last trial, you suspected 8 people to be lying about their testimonies. By doing so, you were suggesting the existence of accomplices, correct?”

“Yes, I was,” Desmond confirmed.

“Well, I’m sure some of you remember, but during my…planning, I had asked Tozu some clarifying questions about the rules of this killing game. One of my questions related to the existence of accomplices.”

“I asked Tozu, ‘Can there be accomplices in a murder case?’ He said, and I quote: ‘Yes, there can be accomplices in a murder case, but only in theory. Only the student responsible for another student’s death becomes the blackened and is allowed to leave should they clear the class trial.’”

“In short, no matter how many accomplices there are, only the true blackened gets to leave if they successfully go undetected. Essentially, accomplices are nothing more than tools for the culprit, and have no benefit in being one.”

“Can confirm!” Tozu chirped in.

Eva brought a hand to her chest. “Now do you see? There are too many contradictions if you assume I’m the killer. So for now, drop the discussion of suspects and focus on the other mysteries of this case.”

…

“…Y’know, I actually agree with her.”

Jean mumbled those words loud enough for the room to hear, earning him some confused stares.

Despite that, the ship captain continued. “The mere existence of the decrepit role was enough to increase tension between us. If we let it continue to be at the forefront of our minds in this trial, we’ll be at a higher risk of voting wrong.”

“So for now, pretend that the decrepit role doesn’t exist, and treat Eva as you would any other crew member. Like she suggested, we should focus on the other mysteries of this case.”

Eva blinked, not expecting Jean to defend her like that.

“…I-If you say so…” Eloise mumbled.

“Yes… Making accusations early can derail the discussion. We should focus on something else,” Toshiko chirped in.

Wenona glanced at Eva for a moment, then sighed. “Fine. I acquiesce. Let’s focus on something else.”

Everyone else gave varying degrees of agreement.

“If that’s settled then, the first thing we should focus on is discussing what we know,” Jean began. “Let’s start with a summary of the events that led up to Cassidy’s body being discovered.”

“The time of death is hidden from us this time… Is there a specific reason why?” Diana asked.

“Last time, Tozu implied that he would divulge information in order to give the blackened and the spotless equal chance to win,” Eva recalled.

“It means that the time of death is potentially important to the case,” Ulysses surmised. “The question is: when did Cassidy die?”

“Her body was still bleeding when we found her…” Jett said. “Did she die this morning?”

“No. Cassidy couldn’t have been killed this morning,” Damon refuted.

“Huh? What do ya mean?” Jett asked.

“I can explain. Though the head was cut off cleanly, the neck wound on the head and the body would’ve still bled heavily, more so from the body,” Eva began. “I analyzed the wound on Cassidy’s body during the investigation and found that the neck wound was stitched up, which didn’t stop the blood flow, but slowed it to a degree.”

“Sewing up those sorts of wounds takes about an hour, at least, meaning that in order for the culprit to have done that, they would’ve needed extra time.”

“So would that mean… Cassidy was killed last night?” Ingrid questioned.

“That would be a fair assumption, yes,” Eva replied.

“Not only that, there’s another piece of evidence that suggests that Cassidy was killed last night: The blood stain in the storage closet,” Damon followed.

“When Diana, Eva, and I investigated the workshop, Eva went to the closet and found the blood stain first. Eva gasped loudly, so Diana and I went over to see what was wrong.”

“…There, we saw the closet trashed and a puddle of blood in the middle of it.”

“I can confirm Damon’s story,” Eva chimed in.

“S-So can I,” Diana followed.

“The blood in the storage closet was dry, meaning that it was there for at least some hours,” Damon emphasized. “It’s most likely that the blood is Cassidy’s, and by extension, that would mean that Cassidy was decapitated in the closet.”

“That theory does hold some water…” Ingrid mumbled.

“Alright, that’s one mystery solved,” Jean remarked. “Are there any others?”

Ulysses flipped open his notebook. “Let’s see…”

He stopped at a certain page. “There’s the mystery of Kai’s role in this murder case. Not only was he found near the body, but he was unconscious, and is unable to participate in the trial because of that.”

“Jean, could you explain how you found him?”

“Yes… Myself, Jett, and Mark went to the pharmacy while we were looking for Cassidy and Kai. Within the student laboratory, we unfortunately found Cassidy’s headless body and Kai unconscious and lying nearby. As soon as we saw the body, the announcement went off.“

“Kai was still breathing, so I took it upon myself to treat him. While I was treating his bruises, Tozu came in and told me that Kai would be unconscious for a few hours, so he wouldn’t be able to participate in the trial, and was thus excused. He would be able to join once he awoke, but for now, he is still asleep.”

Jett and Mark gave brief confirmations to Jean’s words, validating theirs and the ship captain’s alibis for the morning.

Ulysses scribbled in his notebook as he listened to Jean’s testimony. “I see… Was there anything notable about Kai’s condition?”

Jean nodded. “Aye. He had two bruises, one much darker than the other. Based on the existence of two bruises, I believe he was knocked out twice. And as one was darker than the other, I assume he was knocked out harder.”

“Was he knocked out harder the first or second time?” Ulysses asked.

“Likely the second. The darker bruise seemed more recent, anyway,” Jean replied.

The historian scribbled more in his notebook before observing it carefully. “Hm. I’m starting to see a clearer picture, but there are still a few missing details.”

“Well, perhaps a telling of Kai’s last known whereabouts could help?” Jean offered.

“Yes… That would be helpful,” Ulysses replied.

“During the investigation, when I was treating Kai, Diana had told me about his last known whereabouts. Apparently, the two of them, alongside Damon and Eva were together last night,” Jean began to explain.

“Yes… I did say that. The four of us were just hanging out in my room. Once the nighttime announcement rang, the other three left. That was the last we saw of Kai,” Diana confirmed.

Damon and Eva gave similar confirmations to the story. However…

“Actually… I saw him before I returned to my room,” Eva added.

“Huh? You did?” Diana questioned.

Eva nodded. “Mhm. He simply apologized to me for his remarks about my talent, and I forgave him for it before returning to my room. That was the last I saw of him.”

“Wait… why are you telling us this? Are you trying to make yourself suspicious?” Grace asked.

“No. I’m just telling the truth,” Eva countered. “Like I said at the beginning, I have no reason to lie if I’m not the culprit. Besides, me giving you all that tidbit of information would hinder me if I was.”

Grace didn’t say anything more, instead giving a hum of acknowledgment.

“So, assuming that the murder took place at night, then was Kai knocked out at that time?” Ingrid asked.

“It seems likely,” Ulysses replied. “But there’s still the mystery of what Kai has to do with all of this.”

Damon pondered Ulysses’ words.

What did Kai have to do with all of this?

…

The answer then dawned on Damon.

Although it was mostly based on speculation, it would explain a lot.

He just needed to prove it.

“I think… the reason Kai was at the scene because… the killer wanted to kill him.”

Chapter Text

“I think… the reason Kai was at the scene because… the killer wanted to kill him.”

…

“The killer…what?” Mark mumbled.

“Think about it. There are only two apparent reasons why a third party would be at a crime scene: they’re being framed, or they’re the intended victim. Considering how Kai was found unconscious, with bruises to boot, it’s likely that he was the original victim,” Damon explained.

“So you’re saying… Cass wasn’t meant to die…?” Jett asked.

“…Likely so,” Damon replied.

“…”

Mark looked down at Cassidy’s hat and hugged it tighter as he started to appear more and more depressed. “Cassidy…”

Jett was trembling in place. While his face was not visible and he was dead silent, it was clear that he’s reacting similarly to the debater’s words.

Cassidy died for no reason. The mere idea of someone dying for nothing was enough to unnerve Damon.

Especially since… that was nearly his fate once.

…

“Anyway… If Kai was the original victim, then a bit of the timeline could be made from that,” Eva began to continue the discussion.

“Cassidy, who is a light sleeper, heard Kai getting knocked out and saw him getting dragged away by the killer. She followed the two all the way to the Beta Sanctuary storage closet, where the killer planned to kill Kai.”

“When Cassidy tried to intervene, she and the killer got into a struggle, resulting in the storage closet getting trashed and Cassidy’s decapitation. Kai likely woke up around that time and possibly saw Cassidy getting decapitated, so the killer knocked him out even harder so he would stay unconscious longer and wouldn’t be able to testify.”

“After that, the killer took care of Cassidy’s body. They hid the head, sewed up the neck wound on the body, and brought it all the way to the Alpha Sanctuary laboratory to confuse the investigation.”

“Wait, if the culprit brought Cassidy’s body to the laboratory to confuse the investigation, why didn’t they clean up the storage closet?” Desmond asked.

“Not sure, but the evidence suggests that the murder may have been heat of the moment,” Eva replied.

“Poor Kai… Him having to go through all of that is just…awful…” Ingrid mumbled.

…

“So now what?” Grace asked.

Eva turned to Grace confused. “Huh?”

“What’s there left to talk about? We’ve discussed all the evidence, and we still don’t have a clue who the culprit could be!”

“Actually… there is one clue left,” Damon spoke up.

Grace raised an eyebrow. “Aa?”

“Eva found a poster within the storage closet, which had the next clue for the new PIN to the metal door. She can explain,” Damon informed.

Eva took over. “I didn’t find it when we first explored the workshop, but when I did, I found it to be very peculiar. It read: ‘No two tree leaves are the same, and the leaves from the Tree of Ignorance, although fake, are no exception. One leaf that falls from the tree will have the code on it.’ I assumed that someone found it already, so I didn’t try, but that was when I realized something.”

“For someone to find the leaf with the code, they would need to have a sharp eye. And a majority of us don’t have that sort of skill. However, one of us does. In fact, their jobs include honing that skill.”

“…What?” Toshiko mumbled.

“Out of the 13 of us here, 1 of us has notably exceptional observation abilities. Damon, you know who I’m talking about, right?”

…

Damon took a deep breath. “The one Ultimate here whose job includes practicing observation skills is…”

“…Desmond.”

The marksman stood there silently, not processing Damon’s words immediately before finally realizing what the debater meant.

And at the same time, his eyes widened in shock.

“Desmond, you are the most likely person here to have solved the poster and figure out the code due to your observation skills in your respective field,” Damon argued.

“Wait, what?!” Desmond shouted, still shocked.

“Huh?!” Eloise screamed.

“Desmond’s the culprit?!” Toshiko exclaimed.

Desmond held up his hands in surrender, beads of sweat dripping down his face. “W-Woah! Wait! You think…I’m the culprit?!”

“Damon’s not accusing you of killing Cassidy, he’s accusing you of finding and using the code,” Eva countered.

“It makes sense for a marksman like him to find something as small as a leaf…” Wenona said aloud.

“To be honest, I’ve had somewhat suspected you ever since Eva found the poster and brought it up, Desmond,” Damon said. “I don’t believe you killed Cassidy, but I have reason to believe that you found the code.”

“…So, did you?”

“…”

Desmond went silent. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but no sound came out.

Eventually, the marksman sighed.

“…I suppose there’s no point in arguing with the Ultimate Debater…” he mumbled.

“Desmond…?” Eloise whispered.

The marksman continued. “…Fine. You got me.”

“…I’m the one who found the code.”

Tozu’s Tea Time!

Tozu: Welcome back, my friends, to another segment of Tozu’s Tea Time!

Tozu: For today’s segment, I wish to speak of spiders, and what fascinating creatures they are!

Tozu: Most people are afraid of these arachnids, but contrary to popular belief, only few spider species are poisonous.

Tozu: Not only that, they eat about 400 to 800 million flies a year, and let me tell you, flies are much more pesky and annoying than spiders!

Tozu: It’s a shame our precious spider has left us far too soon…

Tozu: …Enough dwelling on the past! We must look forward to the future!

Tozu: Thank you all for coming to another segment of Tozu’s Tea Time, and come again!

The screen fades to black.

Chapter Text

“…I’m the one who found the code.”

…

“Hm, I thought so,” Damon remarked.

“Before the motive reveal, I found the code and inputted into the PIN on the steel door in the pharmacy, and found the new perk called the Spy Perk,” Desmond began to explain. “It’s a tablet that allows me to see who entered or exited certain rooms at what time. Here. I’ll show you.”

Desmond reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black tablet. He then tapped the screen and the tablet turned on. The screen depicted a picture of a map of the dormitory area. “If I tap my finger on a certain room, I’ll be able to see the records.”

He tapped on the dining hall, and a list of random strings of letters and numbers popped up, as well as a corresponding timetable next to each ID.

“However, everyone’s names are hidden behind random IDs and the IDs change every time. The perk also only tracks students who are alive,” Desmond added before putting the tablet away.

“How does it track us? I don’t recall seeing any sensors or the like around the doors…” Diana asked.

“Tozu told me it tracks us via the Trinkets, but not much else,” Desmond replied with a shrug. “Either way, this perk is still useful to a degree.”

“Wait a moment.”

Eva’s voice, still raspy, but sharp, cut through the atmosphere. Everyone turned to her curious.

“Desmond. How exactly did you ‘earn’ the perk?” she asked.

Desmond raised an eyebrow. “Sorry?”

“I’m sure some of you recall, but in order for me to obtain the Traitor Perk, I had to make a deal with Tozu. In exchange for making the first kill, I would be able to receive it and use it however I wish. If I failed to take a life, I would die.”

“Even with the stipulations you mentioned, I doubt that Tozu would readily hand something like the Spy Perk so easily to you.”

“…So tell me, what deal did you make with Tozu in return?”

“…”

Damon was stunned silent.

While he was somewhat confused about what Eva was talking about, her words made a degree of sense.

Did Desmond have to do something for Tozu to obtain the Spy Perk?

“Eva! Don’t make suggestions like that without a proper line of reasoning!” Ingrid suddenly interrupted. “There’s no way Desmond made a deal with—!”

“I did.”

“Aa?”

Desmond’s voice cut through Ingrid’s words.

“I did make a deal with Tozu to obtain the perk,” Desmond elaborated. “However, I made it clear to Tozu that didn’t want to kill someone and let people die for my freedom. So in exchange for the perk…”

“…I gave Tozu the idea for the motive.”

…

Everyone went silent at the marksman words as they stared at him in shock.

And then…

“You…did…”

“…WHAT?!”

The voice of Grace Madison echoed in the room, breaking the silence and igniting panic amongst the Ultimates.

“Y-You’re the one who came up with the idea of Deadly Doubt?!” Ulysses shouted.

Desmond raised his hands in surrender. “Hey! I have an explanation for it! I didn’t want to end up in the same position Eva was once in when she got the Traitor Perk, so I gave something of similar value to him: an idea for a motive. Surprisingly, he accepted the idea, and gave me the Spy Perk in return.”

“Well, Tozu? Is this true?” Eva asked the host.

“Very much so!” Tozu confirmed. “I must say, I was very impressed by the idea, so I took it without a second thought! And I’m quite glad how everything turned out in the end!”

Desmond sighed. “So yeah… the motive was my idea. I know that it looks bad, but—”

“Looks bad? You’re the reason we’ve all been suspecting each other constantly. Not that we already haven’t done so since the killing game was announced,” Wenona remarked, interrupting the marksman.

“But I promise that I didn’t kill Cassidy! I haven’t been even using the perk!” Desmond continued.

“Desmond, I know that you’re distressed, but right now, you are the main focus,” Jean began to argue. “If you wish to prove your innocence, at least let us use the perk to narrow down a culprit.”

“Oh, good idea!” Ingrid commented.

Desmond hesitated for a moment before pulling out the tablet. “Alright…”

Jean smiled. “Good. Now, let’s look at the records of the workshop storage closet, as that is where Cassidy was assumed to be killed.”

Desmond fiddled with the tablet for a moment before speaking up again. “Alright. I’ll show you the storage closet records for today.”

He turned the tablet over, making the screen face the others. On the screen was a list of records with corresponding times.

~~~

[20:26]: JA8251- IN

[20:26]: UQ0763- IN

[20:27]: RY3492- IN

[21:38]: JA8251- OUT

[21:42]: PF9284- IN

[21:43]: PF9284- OUT

[21:43]: UQ0763- OUT

~~~

“All of these records are marked at night,” Ulysses noted.

“Seeing that, plus with ID RY3492, which is most likely Cassidy’s, missing an out record, she was definitely killed in the storage closet at night,” Jean added.

“Still… as good as the clarification is, we still don’t have a good lead for a culprit,” Wenona chirped in. “No one has alibis during the time of the murder. All the evidence we have has been used.”

Jean went silent for a moment, humming in thought. Then, his expression became tense.

“Damn… I nearly forgot… We still don’t have an idea who did it.”

“Are you kidding me?! We still don’t have any idea who the culprit is?!” Jett shouted.

“If we can’t agree on a culprit, then how are we supposed to vote correctly? Should we just vote for the top suspect?” Eloise asked.

Damon began to think.

The discussion has gone on for some time, and yet no one had any idea who the culprit was.

Damon knew there had to be something that could pin down the culprit. Something that could definitely identify a killer.

Something like…

*…Drrrrr*

…?

A loud and familiar noise cut through Damon’s thoughts. Was that the elevator?

the others turned their heads on the direction of the elevator.

“What the…? Why is…?” Eva mumbled.

“Ah! It appears our little butterfly has finally arrived!” Tozu said.

Butterfly?

Wait.

Only one person came to mind at the sound of butterfly.

As suddenly as it started, the elevator stopped.

And when the doors opened…

“Kai!”

Diana looked relieved at the sight of Kai. In contrast, the influencer’s expression was panicked as he ran out of the elevator and to his podium.

“Did you guys start voting yet?! I’m not too late, am I?!” he asked with fear.

The others looked at him confused, but ultimately shook their heads.

Kai let out a sigh. “Oh thank god…”

“Kai, are you okay?” Eva asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Mara told me—or rather—wrote to me about what was happening here,” Kai replied. “But that’s besides the point! I know who killed Cassidy!”

Everyone gasped.

“…You do?” Toshiko meekly asked.

“I woke up just as Cassidy’s head fell to the floor. I saw who did it, but before I could react or do anything, I got knocked out pretty hard. I can still feel the pain on my head…”

Kai rubbed his head as if to emphasize his aforementioned pain.

“Well? Out with it! Who killed the gamer girl?!” Grace shouted.

“It was her!” Kai shouted as he held up his finger…

…And pointed at Eloise.

Chapter Text

“It was her!” Kai shouted as he held up his finger…

…And pointed at Eloise.

…

“…H-Huh? What…?” Eloise mumbled, shocked at being accused.

“I saw you, Eloise! I saw you use your rapier to chop off Cassidy’s head in one fell swoop!” Kai shouted.

“In one fell swoop?” Diana questioned.

“That explains why the Tozu Tablet specified Cassidy’s head being cleanly decapitated. The decapitation was done in one fell swoop, like a guillotine,” Ulysses said.

“And since Eloise is the Ultimate Fencer, using a sword is essentially second nature to her,” Eva added. “That detail of the neck wound makes the idea of her being the culprit believable.”

“Well, Eloise? Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Damon asked.

“…”

Eloise remained silent in shock for a few moments, not expecting to be accused. Strangely, Desmond appeared similarly alarmed.

“I… You’re saying… I killed Cassidy?” she asked.

“You’re the only likely suspect. No one else but you fits the requirements to be the culprit,” Damon replied. “Unless you have some sort of rebuttal, then—”

“Hold it right there!”

Suddenly, Desmond shouted, cutting the debater off. The marksman looked angry, an expression that was only seen at the end of the last trial.

“You’re accusing Eloise because of something Kai said? For all you know, he could be lying!” Desmond shouted.

“There’s no way Kai lied about seeing Eloise. He has the bruises and the testimonies to prove it,” Damon countered, confused about Desmond’s behavior.

Desmond hesitated at that, his rage simmering down slightly.

The marksman eventually took a few deep breaths before looking at Damon with a firm gaze. “I just don’t think that you can accuse Eloise of being the killer without proper evidence.”

“Evidence like what? We already have all the evidence we need to condemn her,” Eva noted.

“Besides, why are you so upset over that anyway?” Damon followed.

Desmond went silent at the question, his face tensing. He closed his eyes, seemingly in thought, and remained silent for several seconds before letting out a long sigh.

“Eva, tell me. What was my blackmail?” he asked.

Eva raised an eyebrow. “Why do you wanna know?”

“Just tell me what it was.”

Eva twirled a strand of her hair. “Well, I don’t have it on me. I think it fell into the furnace during my execution or Mara took it from me when she did surgery on me, but I do recall what it was.”

“With his weapons at hand, Desmond guards the only one he trusts. That’s what your blackmail said. And the photo was just you holding a sniper rifle.”

Desmond sighed. “Now I remember… Damon showed it during the trial, I just couldn’t recall what it said.”

“Some of you may have noticed the last part of the sentence, and you may be wondering what it means. Well, I’ll explain it right here, right now,” Desmond began.

“…In short, I trust no one here. I never have. The reason I’ve done what I’ve done here was out of moral obligation, not emotional desire, as well as preserving my own life.”

…

“You… never trusted us? But… why, Desmond?” Diana asked meekly.

“It’s… complicated, but let’s just say I’ve never really got the chance to…” Desmond replied.

“However, I’ve come to trust someone here. Someone I knew outside the killing game. Someone I vowed to protect with my life: the Ultimate Fencer, Eloise Taulner.”

“…You knew Eloise outside of the killing game?” Ulysses asked.

The marksman nodded. “Yeah, which is why I trust her and her alone.”

Within his mind, Damon contemplated the information Desmond was giving.

The marksman’s behavior made a lot more sense now. But still, the debater needed to come to the correct conclusion to come out of the trial room unscathed. He couldn’t let something like his or others’ personal relationships get in the way of that.

Like how he put aside his relationship with Eva in the last trial.

…

His relationship with Eva…

“Death is more likely for you than it is for me.”

“I’ve been…reflecting a lot on what I did before and during the trial while I was recovering, and I…don’t want you to die, Damon. Besides Diana, I trust you a lot. You risked your life saving me and…I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself.”

“I’m…really sorry for how things turned out. If I didn’t kill Wolfgang, if I didn’t take the Traitor Perk, then maybe…you wouldn’t have to suffer like this. You’re in a lot of danger now just because of this motive.”

Eva…

Even though it hurt, Damon still accused her of murder. He still voted for her.

Based on how everything was falling into place, it was very likely that Eloise killed Cassidy. But despite all of the evidence, Desmond is still defending her.

If the majority voted for the fencer and they’re correct, Eloise would be sentenced to death. Even though there’s a chance she could survive, the chances were likely slim.

It almost felt as if he, along with everyone else would be sending Eloise to her demise. Just like with Eva last trial.

It made him feel almost…guilty.

…

“So Eloise, anything you’d like to say?” Eva said, snapping Damon out of his thoughts.

“…”

Eloise remained silent and looked as if she was contemplating.

Then, she let out a long sigh and put on a firm expression.

“There’s no point in dragging things along.”

Desmond’s eyes widened. “Eloise…?”

“I’m sorry Desmond, but… I’m the culprit.”

There it was. The first party confession.

“Eloise… why? Why did you kill Cassidy?” Diana mumbled.

“Damon explained why, didn’t he? I intended to kill Kai as I believed he was the target, so I had been keeping an eye on him. But Cassidy tried to intervene, and she got killed for it,” the fencer replied. “Even if I did kill him, things would’ve still turned out this way, albeit a bit differently.”

“To be honest, I didn’t completely think Kai was the target. I was still unsure, so I came up with a backup plan just in case if I did kill the wrong person. However, Cassidy got involved, and things got out of hand.”

“I took the opportunity the motive gave us so I, along with several others could escape. As they say, kill the few to save the many. But I was foolish, and now, I’m going to die for it.”

She bowed, her face still firm. “I know no amount of apologies can erase my crime, but know that I am truly sorry for it. I’m willing to die for taking Cassidy’s life.”

“Vote for me now, and end this.”

…

“Well, I guess that settles it then. Eloise is the killer,” Wenona remarked. “As she said, let’s vote for her and end—”

“I don’t agree to vote!”

“—this?”

Cutting off Wenona’s sentence was Desmond, who was visibly very upset. His shout made everyone turn to him.

“This isn’t over yet!” he continued to shout.

“What’s your problem?! We know whodunnit and the evidence is solid! Let’s just vote this bitch already and get on with it!” Grace shot back irritated.

“While I wouldn’t put it so crudely, Grace is right. Eloise admitted to being the culprit, and all the evidence is stacked against her. I don’t believe there are any more topics to discuss,” Jean followed.

“But there is! There’s still one last thing you haven’t solved yet!”

“And pray tell, what might that be?” Wenona asked sarcastically.

“None of you have figured out how she kept an eye on Kai!”

Jean blinked in surprise before becoming tense. “Damn… he’s right. How did she keep an eye on him? Unless she had something like the Traitor Perk, then I imagine doing so would be hard to do.”

“I started distancing myself from you all after the first trial, so I don’t know how she even located me,” Kai said.

Damon went into thought. How did Eloise track Kai? It wouldn’t be possible for her to do so.

Unless…

…

“Eloise. I want to ask you a question,” Damon said.

Eloise flinched, not expecting to be called upon, but quickly gathered herself.

She looked at Damon with a raised eyebrow. “Y-Yes?”

“Did you know of the Spy Perk before all of this?”

Eloise went silent for a moment. She glanced at Desmond, the latter of whom looked rather panicked, before turning back to the debater.

She slowly nodded. “Yes, Desmond showed me the perk the same day he got it. We…kinda spied on you all so we could identify everyone.”

“After a few hours of that, we came up with ideas on who had which roles. However, I came to my own assumption that Kai was the target, hence I made the plan to kill him. And the rest you know.”

Desmond looked as if he was about to speak up, but Eloise beat him to it.

“And Desmond, before you say anything and start pointing fingers at someone else—say Jean, Mark, or Jett, the three that discovered the body—recall that it’s not possible and can be easily disproven.”

“She’s right, because of the announcement,” Damon added.

“Could you elaborate?” Ulysses asked.

“Allow me,” Eva began. “Another question I asked Tozu in the past was what would happen if a body is found. You all remember the announcement that played whenever a body was discovered, correct?”

Everyone nodded.

“Well, according to him, that announcement is apparently called the body discovery announcement, or BDA for short. As the name suggests, it goes off whenever a body is discovered. However, there’s a certain requirement for it to go off.”

“A requirement…?” Diana mumbled.

“In order for the BDA to go off, 3 people have to see the body. As soon as the third person sees it, the announcement goes off. Additionally, the blackened’s sighting is excluded,” Eva continued.

“And now, I believe that should be everything,” Damon concluded.

Desmond looked as if he wanted to object, opening and closing his mouth several times, but he remained silent, slouching in surrender.

“It seems Desmond doesn’t have anything more to say,” Wenona remarked.

“Alright then. Before we vote, let’s summarize what happened in this case,” Damon suggested before clearing his throat and beginning from the top.

“The victim of this case is Cassidy Amber, the Ultimate Pro Gamer. A day before the motive reveal, Desmond found the clue in the storage closet, solved it, and got the Spy Perk.”

“However, in order to receive the perk, he made a deal with Tozu and gave the idea of the Deadly Doubt motive to Tozu. Tozu accepted the idea and in exchange, rewarded him with the perk,” Eva followed.

“The reason Desmond proposed the idea to begin with was because he believed that no one would attempt to make such a risky gamble. How wrong he was…” Wenona said.

“Desmond told the killer, the one person they trusted, about the perk and allowed them to use it. Together, they used the Spy Perk to track the others and possibly identify the target,” Ulysses added.

“With some investigation, the killer secretly deduced that Kai was the target, although they were unsure about their assumption, so they made a back up plan just in case,” Jean chimed in.

“They were right to be uncertain, as Kai wasn’t the target, I was,” Eva concluded.

“On the night of the murder, the killer kept watch in the dorm halls as that’s where Kai was most of the time. They waited there all night, until Kai was alone in the hallway,” Damon said.

“There, they knocked him out, and began to drag him to the workshop storage closet! The poor thing…” Ingrid said.

Kai whispered a “thank you” to the blacksmith before Wenona picked up where Ingrid had left off.

“However, the killer’s movements were seen by Cassidy, who was likely awoken by the talk between Kai and Eva, or something else. Either way, she peeked out of her door and saw what had happened.”

“She knew that something was amiss, but she couldn’t risk being detected, so Cassidy secretly tailed them all the way to the workshop storage closet,” Toshiko followed.

“Cassidy watched from behind the storage closet door as the killer was about to kill Kai, but Cassidy stepped in and confronted them,” Diana said.

“Noticing Cassidy, the killer likely tried to salvage their plan and quickly kill him, but Cassidy tried to force them away, leading to a fight which trashed the closet,” Damon added.

“In the heat of the moment, the killer sliced Cassidy’s head clean off with the rapier they were given and required to use to kill the target, thus making them the blackened,” Ulysses said.

“The killer then hid the head in a box and stopped the bleeding from the body by stitching up the wound,” Damon followed. “The killer then dragged Cassidy’s headless body and Kai to the pharmacy laboratory and left them there to be found.”

“And that is the whole story behind Cassidy’s death, and the one responsible for that death…”

Damon pointed a finger at Eloise. “…was you, Eloise Taulner, the Ultimate Fencer!”

“Now, did I get anything wrong?”

Eloise shook her head. “No, you guys got it all right. That’s exactly how it went.”

“I, Eloise Taulner, killed Cassidy Amber.”

Chapter Text

As soon as the case was summarized, Tozu started the voting.

Eloise received the most votes, and was the blackened.

Tozu clapped his hands in applause. “Well done, spotless! Once again, you all succeeded in solving the mystery! Before I start the punishment, however, I will let you all have a few final words with your fencer friend. You may begin.”

…

No one spoke for a moment until Desmond came forward, tears slowly rolling down his face as he stared at Eloise in betrayal.

“Eloise… I trusted you. I trusted that you wouldn’t kill anyone, I trusted that you wouldn’t betray me…” he began. “How could you… do this?”

“…”

Eloise said nothing, looking away from Desmond.

The marksman’s voice started rising. “How could you betray me? You promised me that we would get out alive together! And yet you did this! How could you?!”

“Desmond.”

Eloise’s calm, firm voice made Desmond stop talking, his full attention on her.

Slowly, the fencer walked over to him.

“Please, whatever you do, don’t blame yourself or anyone else for this. Blame me, because I was the one who killed Cassidy. I was the one who took the motive for granted.”

She reached for her swan hair clip and unclipped it from her hair before lifting Desmond’s open hand in front of her and placing it in his palm.

Slowly, she closed his fingers around the clip. “And maybe, if I survive this, we can escape together. But if I don’t, you have to carry on without me.”

She walked away from Desmond and stopped in front of the elevator before turning around to face the others.

“And for the rest of you, please don’t make the same mistake I did, and get out of here, together.”

She bowed. “Until then, this is goodbye.”

She stood up straight and faced Tozu. “I’m ready now. Start the execution.”

Tozu tilted his head. “Are you certain? Know that there’s no turning back.”

Eloise turned to face the elevator. “I’ve already said my piece. Just get this over with.”

“Well then, if there’s nothing else you wish to say, I don’t see why not start now,” the host remarked.

*…Drrrrr*

As if on cue, the elevator started rumbling.

Eloise’s inevitable execution was being set up.

Despite the noise, the fencer didn’t move in the slightest. She remained facing the elevator, her face not visible due to being faced away from the others.

“Do not look away, dear pupils, for the battle is soon to commence!” Tozu began. “A battle that will test not only strength and speed, but resilience and resolve! A battle that puts honor and pride on the line, and will demonstrate the true beauty of war!”

During Tozu’s rambling, Desmond tried to reach out to Eloise, only for Jean to stop him and remind him of Rule 16. The marksman felt the rule to be unfair, but backed down.

“Place your bets, for only one side can emerge victorious, and the other will emerge forever tainted with blood and shame on their souls! There’s only one way to find out who will that be!”

“Without further ado, let the show begin!”

…

Seconds before the elevator door opened, Desmond saw Eloise turn her head to look at him, smile, and mouth:

“I love you, Desmond.”

…All before the chain collar clasped around her neck and dragged her in the elevator.

Bout of the Righteous Right Hand

Ultimate Fencer

Eloise Taulner

Eloise finds herself in the Olympics fencing arena with a foil in hand and in a fencing uniform. The audience, all of whom are faceless robots, make cheering noises at her. On the other side, she sees a faceless robot with its own foil and also in uniform. Realizing what was about to happen, Eloise prepares herself.

Eloise and the figure meet at the center of the stage and give their salutes to each other and the robot referee before bringing their masks down and assuming the en garde position. With a “Pret? Allez!” from the referee, the bout starts.

As soon as it starts, the robot suddenly forfeits and runs off the stage. As forfeit counts as a win for the other side, Eloise is given the win by default. She is slightly irritated at that, but pays no mind to it as survival is her top priority.

Soon after, a second, identical looking robot comes on stage. Once again, the procedure is carried out and the bout starts. Like the first one, the second fencer suddenly forfeits and runs away, giving Eloise the win. Eloise becomes more irritated at that, but she remains focused on her survival.

A third, also identical looking robot comes on stage and prepares to fight Eloise. They carry out the same procedure, and the bout starts.

This time, the robot doesn’t forfeit and instead attempts to strike Eloise in the torso, but Eloise counters with a parry. The robot continues striking at Eloise, but she successfully parries each attack. Eventually, after just a couple seconds, Eloise manages to touch the robot’s torso with her foil, giving her the win.

The two fencers continue on. In the first period, Eloise scores 6 touches, and in the second period, she scores another 6 touches, bringing her to a total of 14 points. One more, and she’ll win the bout.

Down to the third and final period of the bout, Eloise and her competitor carry out procedure, and the referee starts the match.

This time, Eloise changes her strategy and makes the first strike, having a plan in mind. As she predicted, the robot parried the attack. Eloise backs away, and gets into a more defensive position. The robot then began to lunge at her, but Eloise quickly prepared herself to counter it.

Unexpectedly, the robot suddenly freezes in place, making Eloise confused and lower her guard before the robot began to move again and quickly swipe at her, and Eloise is far too late to block it. The blade tip nicks her chest, tearing the fabric and her skin. The scar slowly starts to bleed.

Eloise presses against the wound with her free hand, wincing in pain. It’s then declared that the robot wins and earns a point. Eloise knew that was essentially cheating, but she also knew that Tozu was likely not going to make this easy for her, so she prepares herself for the bout.

It starts, and the robot charges at Eloise. Despite her injuries, Eloise continues fighting, although the pain in her chest was rather hard to ignore. Again, the robot strikes at Eloise’s chest, earning her another scar. The robot is given another point. The points were now 14-2 and there was only 2 minutes and 30 seconds left.

The bout continues, and Eloise starts losing. With each loss, another scar is added to her torso, each bleeding slowly. Another reminder of the robot’s victory.

Once it was down to one minute, the scores were tied and Eloise was slowly losing her grip. Her vision was starting to get blurry and she felt exhausted, but she was still going. Once the procedure was carried out, the bout started again.

The robot charges at her again, striking her continuously. Eloise parried each blow, albeit at a slightly sluggish pace. She tried to attack a few times, but her attempts were effortlessly blocked. Some of her blood dripped onto the stage, staining the ground beneath her.

At one point, Eloise couldn’t feel anything, her eyes drooping and her body going limp, until a very sharp pain in her shoulder jolted her awake.

She screams in agony, her voice muffled by the mask, and quickly found that her right arm was sliced clean off at the elbow and had fallen off to the side. Clutching the stub, she turned to look in front of her to find that the robot she was fighting had blood on its foil, which upon closer inspection, was actually a very sharp rapier, just like the one she used to kill Cassidy.

The referee halts the bout and gives the robot fencer the point, meaning that it had won, and Eloise had lost.

Suddenly, it, the referee robot, and the audience all turned their faceless heads to Eloise. The arena lights started glowing red, and each of the robots draw rapiers of their own. Seeing that she was in danger, Eloise began to run away, but the robots charged after her and quickly surrounded her.

Some of the robots held Eloise down by the limbs, causing her mask to fall off and reveal her fearful expression. The same robot Eloise fought with came forward and stopped in front of her. It raised its rapier up with the blade above Eloise’s heart, waited for a few moments as Eloise cried in fear, and brought it down.

In quick succession, many of the other robots began stabbing Eloise with their rapiers continuously, blood spilling onto the floor. Eloise is obscured by the robots as she’s being stabbed, and the screen fades to black.

“Quite the bout, I must say!” Tozu remarked as soon as the execution ended. “Compared to the last execution, I actually almost believed that she would survive.”

He shrugged. “Oh well! Can’t have everything you want!”

Compared to the host’s causal demeanor, everyone else was stunned silent.

Eloise had killed and was sentenced to death, but this time, she didn’t live.

“Oh, and a few things to note, the code to the door has changed again, and the elevator is back to its normal mode now.”

As soon as he said that, Desmond made a beeline to the elevator and went inside it. He pressed the button and the elevator doors closed soon after. The faint sound of scraping metal was proof that he was going up.

No one tried to stop him.

…

Slowly, one by one, the Ultimates silently made their way to the elevator and went inside.

However, no one pressed the button as Eva hadn’t went inside. She was still standing at her podium, her expression blank.

“Go without me,” she said.

With hesitance, Diana pressed the button, and the elevator doors began to close.

Eva didn’t miss when Damon was still staring at her as the doors closed.

Once they fully did, Eva turned to Tozu.

“Before you leave, there’s something I want to know,” she said.

Tozu raised an eyebrow in intrigue. “And what might that be?”

“Did you choose me as the target on purpose?”

Tozu went silent.

Eva narrowed her gaze at the host. “You knew that no one here would attempt to kill me, a decrepit, in order to escape, no matter how desperate they were. So you chose me as the target.”

Tozu remained silent for a few moments, before narrowing his eye at her. “And what if I did?”

“Then whatever purpose you have for this killing game, you’re willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it, even if you have to bend the rules.”

Tozu sighed. “Well, I suppose I can be honest. Yes, I deliberately chose you as the target for the reason you mentioned.”

Eva brought her hands behind her back, tilting her head. “I’m surprised you’re fine telling me all of this.”

“There aren’t any detrimental effects for me even if I don’t, so I have no reason to not tell you.”

Tozu clasped his hands together. “Well now, I believe I best get going. I’m a busy host after all. Farewell!”

Tozu sat on the throne and it then began to slowly descend into the ground. When it came back up, he was gone.

Seeing that the talk had ended, Eva made her way to the elevator.

Meanwhile…

Wenona always took whatever actions she took for a reason.

As an entrepreneur, she did what she did for the sake of gaining something to develop her business and her career. She couldn’t afford losses.

When she found herself stuck in the killing game with the Ultimates, she only became even more calculating of her actions, as she knew that one wrong misstep could cost her.

But everything changed when the blackmail was announced.

She had received Damon’s blackmail. When she first opened it, she saw the picture first.

The photo depicted the back of Damon’s left hand. On it was a green tattoo of a snake shaped like a circle biting an apple while wrapped around a pentagram.

At first, Wenona was confused. But that was until she flipped the photo and read the text.

“Once a sinner, always a sinner, the Snake of Hubris once lured the arrogant into tragedy.”

It was then that Wenona put the pieces together. The tattoo she then recognized as well.

It was the seal of the most mysterious cult in modern history, notorious for its elaborate crimes: the Sinners’ Nest.

Chapter Text

Eva made her way out of the tree room and to her dorm once the elevator reached the top.

As she was the last to go up, the building felt very quiet, though it wasn’t as if she wasn’t used to it anyway.

As she was entering and making her way through the hall, she heard faint crying, stopped, and turned to her left.

Diana’s room.

Eva couldn’t help but feel bad for her.

Diana was only 17, and she was forced to have to go through this killing game. Eva had already scarred her for life once, and she had only been scarred even more since then.

Although she didn’t want to intrude, the mathematician wanted to be a better friend for the cosmetologist, so with some hesitation, Eva knocked on her door.

The crying stopped as soon as Eva knocked, though the mathlete couldn’t hear any other movements.

“Diana, it’s me. Can we talk?” Eva asked with a soft voice.

Eva heard slow footsteps approaching before the door opened slightly with a creak. A red and puffy magenta eye peeked through the crack, staring Eva up and down.

“I’m alone, Diana. Can I come in?” Eva asked.

After a moment of hesitation, the door opened and Eva walked in as Diana closed the door.

“What are you doing here, Eva?” Diana asked, her voice laced with exhaustion.

“…I wanted to see how you were doing. I know that witnessing the execution was likely very hard for you to watch,” Eva replied.

Diana gripped her arm. “I just… I just feel like it all happened so quickly. Not just the trial, but the whole killing game. Wolfgang… Cassidy… Eloise… One moment they were alive, the next…they were gone.”

Eva winced at the sound of the lawyer’s name. Of course Diana was still hung up over his death. Why wouldn’t she be, after all that had happened to her that day?

“And the worst part of this? I think the dead are luckier than us. Because unlike us, they don’t have to suffer through this. They don’t have to worry about staying here any longer,” she continued.

Eva’s eyes widened. “What…?”

Diana’s eyes started to water up with tears, her voice starting to crack. “I don’t want to have to endure this anymore, but at the same time, I don’t want to die here. I…can’t die here.”

Diana brought her hands to her face, the tears starting to flow out. “I just…want this to end.”

By that point, Diana had started breaking down into tears, looking as if she was about to collapse. Carefully, Eva wrapped her arms around the cosmetologist and guided her to the bed. Diana also embraced the other girl, seeking comfort in her touch.

Eva got into a sitting position with Diana now straddling her lap as the latter cried into the former’s chest, holding her tight. Eva simply remained silent as she stroked the smaller girl’s hair.

After a few minutes, Diana’s sobs slowed down, and she looked up at Eva.

“Thank you, Eva…” she whispered.

“Anytime,” Eva whispered back.

Eva stayed with Diana until the cosmetologist fell asleep. Once she did, Eva lowered her slowly onto her bed before leaving the room.

When Mark left the tree room to go back to his room, Jett silently followed him.

The music producer didn’t try to shoo him off, instead finding comfort in his presence. The two had gotten to bond with each other quite a bit after the first trial.

All because Cassidy managed to bring the three of them together.

But Cassidy was gone now, forever.

Mark silently dragged his feet all the way back to his dorm and slammed the door behind him. Once he did, he leaned against the door, his body heavy with exhaustion. Soon enough, his legs gave out, and he slowly slid against the floor and onto the floor.

Although the trial was slightly shorter than the last one, Mark still felt just as tired and depressed. Tears pricked as his eyes as he hugged Cassidy’s ushanka close to his chest.

The last piece he had of the Ultimate Pro Gamer.

As he slowly broke down into tears, he heard something slide out from under his door. He peeked one eye out and looked to his side.

To his side was an envelope with his name on it.

Curious, Mark picked up the envelope, opened it, and pulled out the folded piece of paper inside and unfolded it.

There, he found a letter that would change his life forever.

~~~

To Mark,

If you’re reading this, then that means I am dead. I had somehow convinced Tozu to give this to you in case I died and you were still alive to receive this. Please read this carefully.

When you, Jett, and I first started hanging out while we were setting up the game tournament, I felt a special connection between us three, one of friendship. Even though you were closed off, you still stuck around, and I know that if you truly didn’t like us, you wouldn’t have willingly stayed.

I care a lot about you and Jett, arguably more so than my fans, and that’s a really high bar. This killing game may be tough, but I know that you and Jett can escape without killing anyone, even if I’m not there.

Promise me that you and Jett will be there for each other no matter what. Until then, I’m out, and if you have my ushanka, take good care of it. It’s very precious to me.

-Cassidy

~~~

Mark had never expected such a note from Cassidy, but based on the handwriting and the language, it was definitely Cassidy that wrote it.

Mark could only cry more tears upon fully reading the note.

He looked down at the hat in his lap, and let out a small whisper.

“I’ll take care of your hat, Cass. I promise.”

Chapter Text

*ding dong, bing bong*

“Good morning, my amicable student friends! It is now 8am!”

“As always, the crime scene has been cleaned up, and another sanctuary has been opened, and another secret lurks inside! The Gamma Sanctuary is free to explore!”

“However, the secret in question is a bit…different this time around. So I would like everyone to gather at the dining hall posthaste in order for me to elaborate further, because this time, I will explain what it is!”

“Until then, see you soon!”

*click!*

…

Although Eva didn’t really want to get up, she knew that resistance against Tozu was futile.

So, she slowly got up and made her way to the dining hall.

Upon arrival, Eva found that she was the first one there, apart from Tozu, who was standing in the kitchen with his hands behind his back.

The host said nothing as Eva made her way to a chair, simply giving her a quick glance before seemingly going back into deep thought.

Soon, the others made their way in one by one, their faces painted with varying degrees of exhaustion.

Eva knew they were still tired from yesterday’s trial. And based on Mark’s expression, he was likely the most tired. Despite that, he was still holding tightly onto Cassidy’s hat.

Once everyone arrived, Tozu began.

“Now then, as I said in the announcement earlier, I would explain what the secret in the new area is this time, and that is what I plan to do!”

“But first, you all remember the blackmail motive, right? Well, if you wish for more detail on the blackmail you received, then the new perk will allow you to!”

The host’s words caught the attention of the students, encouraging him to continue.

Tozu pulled out a small device that looked like a camera. “Introducing: the Sleuth Perk! This perk will allow you to gain more detail on the blackmail of whoever! Just take a picture of them or their blackmail, and the camera will print out a photo with extra details on your chosen subject!”

“However, only two of these special cameras will be available, and they can only be used once, so choose wisely. Additionally, I won’t be hiding these cameras behind the steel door in the pharmacy, but rather around the academy, for your easy access and my entertainment! It’s a win-win for both sides!”

“And with that, I bid thee farewell!”

Tozu then left the dining hall.

Once he left, Grace and Desmond began to make a beeline for the door. No one tried to stop either of them.

Slowly, one by one, everyone else began to leave.

It seemed that no one was in the mood to talk to one another after last trial. Even Jean seemed unmotivated. It was understandable, considering what had happened in the trial.

Maybe if Eva didn’t begin the killing game, if she didn’t kill Wolfgang, none of this would have happened.

But…it was already too late to take it back. Wolfgang’s blood would always stain her hands for the rest of her life.

If she just wasn’t so weak, then—

“Eva?”

A voice snapped Eva out of her trance, and she looked up in front of her.

Three people were staring down at her. Diana, who looked worried, Kai, who also looked worried, and Damon, who looked indifferent, but his gaze was softer than usual.

“Eva? Are you okay?” Diana asked.

Eva hesitated before standing up and putting on her stoic face. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t have to act around us, you know. You can be honest,” Kai assured.

At those words, Eva relaxed her posture, and her expression became one of nervousness. “Yeah, I’m really not fine. I just…”

“It’s okay, Eva. We all know how you feel…” Kai assured.

Eva sighed. “I know I don’t have to lie to you guys, but I’m just too used to lying to others…and to myself.”

Damon put a hand on her shoulder. “We don’t blame you for that.”

Eva blinked at the gesture, not expecting it.

She blushed and gave a small smile. “Thanks.”

As Damon brought his hand down, Diana spoke up.

“Anyway, we were wondering if you wanted to join us in exploring the new area?”

Eva pondered the offer for a moment before nodding as she pushed up her glasses. “Okay.”

Diana practically lit up at that. “Great, let’s go! Follow me!”

The four left the dining hall, Diana taking the lead while also making small talk to the other three.

“You know, when I woke up this morning, I found that the taser I got was gone from my desk,” Kai said.

“Tozu and Mara probably took all the weapons back. The whip I got was taken too,” Damon commented.

“The Spy Perk was also probably taken from Desmond. Mara took the Traitor Perk from me when she performed surgery on me,” Eva added.

“I mean, letting a student keep having access to the cameras or the gate records would probably not be a smart move,” Kai remarked, chuckling softly.

As they walked, Damon turned on his trinket and opened the map. He hovered over the new sanctuary before speaking.

“According to the map, the Gamma Sanctuary has three different rooms: a library, a gymnasium, and a theater,” he listed. “Besides that, there’s nothing else that’s showing up on the map.”

Eva twirled a strand of her hair. “Hm. Interesting.”

It took only about a minute for them to reach the tree room and reach the Gamma Sanctuary entrance. Once they did, Diana pushed open the doors.

The four found a mahogany hallway with three pairs of doors in the other side. Two of the double doors were on either side of the wall and one pair was on the far end.

“Should we explore one room at a time?” Kai asked.

Eva nodded. “That’s fine by me.”

Eva made her way to the doors on the right and pushed them open. She motioned for the other three to come with her before entering the room.

With slight hesitance, Damon, Kai, and Diana made their way over.

The group of four found themselves in the library Damon mentioned earlier. Shelves of books and a seating area in the far left corner decorated the room.

Eva walked over to one of the shelves and pulled out a random book and opened it.

“There’s actually words in this. It’s an actual book,” she said.

“Really? That’s a shock,” Damon commented.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Kai asked, visibly confused.

“I have books in my room, but for some reason, all of them are blank. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think it might just be for decoration,” Eva explained as she put the book back.

“Oh yeah… I think you mentioned that at one point during a conversation,” Diana recalled. “I also remember Damon mentioning that the books in his room were fake.”

“I did,” Damon confirmed.

“Huh. Guess I wasn’t here for that…” Kai commented as he ruffled his hair.

“Anyway, we should probably split up and explore this room,” Diana suggested.

The other three gave their agreements to the cosmetologist’s suggestion, and split up.

After a few minutes, they all gathered back at the entrance and shared their findings, being nothing of note, then went to the room across from the library: the gymnasium.

It looked like a standard gymnasium one would see at a school. Nothing about it made it stand out in comparison to the other rooms, which is exactly what made it stand out.

“Why is this room so normal in comparison to the other rooms in this building?” Kai asked.

“Maybe Tozu didn’t have the funds to do so?” Diana suggested.

“Then how do you explain the executions? They were very intricate and clearly thought out beforehand,” Damon commented.

“Whatever the reason, we’re still investigating this gymnasium for clues,” Eva chimed in before walking towards one of the bleachers.

Once again, the four found nothing of note and left. They then went to the third and last room of the Gamma Sanctuary: the theatre.

Quite unlike the gymnasium, the theatre was much more grandiose and emulated Tozu’s personality. Strangely, Damon found it vaguely familiar, as if he’d seen if before…

“Ok, now this is more like Tozu,” Kai remarked.

“Considering how theatrical he is, it’d be more surprising if there wasn’t a theatre here,” Damon commented.

The four made their way down each row and went to the side of the stage, where there was a backstage entrance. They went through the entrance and began investigating backstage.

“There are a lot of props here…” Kai commented.

Diana rummaged through a box of wires. “And a lot of equipment, too. It makes sense, I suppose…”

Eva looked up. “There’s even a proper fly system.”

She looked around briefly before noticing a ladder near the far wall.

“I’m going to go up there and inspect the system,” she said before walking over to the ladder and climbing up it.

As soon as Eva reached the top, she peered over the edge and looked down at the stage as she called out to the other three.

Damon, Kai, and Diana looked up at her upon hearing her voice.

“Is everything okay up there?” Kai shouted.

Eva simply gave a thumbs up. Kai nodded in response.

She began inspecting the fly system, looking over each rope and pulley, observing each light.

The parts seemed to be fairly sturdy, so it seemed that no one had to worry about them falling off suddenly.

After some time, Eva made her way to the ladder and began climbing down.

But as she was, her foot missed one of the rungs, making her accidentally slip off of the ladder.

“Ah—!”

As she was falling, a pair of arms suddenly caught her before her body could touch the floor and positioned her upright. When she looked behind her, she saw that it was none other than Damon.

He saved her again.

Saved her despite being a murderer, saved her with his surprisingly secure arms, saved her as if—

Wait, why did she think about his arms?

“Eva, are you okay?”

Damon’s unusually soft voice brought Eva back to reality. Realizing that she was staring at him while zoning out, she looked away as a tint of pink crept onto her cheeks.

“Yeah, I’m okay… Thanks for catching me…” she mumbled.

“No problem…” he shrugged.

From behind the debater, Eva saw Kai whispering to Diana. Although she couldn’t hear him well, his subtle smirk and Diana’s barely concealed smile said it all.

Damon then turned around, an eyebrow raised. “What are you two whispering about?”

Kai stopped whispering and put on a cheeky grin. “Oh, nothing~”

Diana gave the same grin, but remained quiet.

Damon looked at the two confused, but simply shrugged it off.

“I believe we’ve investigated all the new areas. We should get going now,” he suggested.

The other three gave their agreements and walked out of Gamma Sanctuary together.

Grace secretly peeked out from the crack of her room door as Damon, Eva, Kai, and Diana walked through the dorm hallway, engaging in friendly chatter.

…

She didn’t get it.

She didn’t get how despite everything, Eva Tsunaka was thriving.

Her true talent being exposed essentially made her an outcast amongst the Ultimates, and her current position as a decrepit only contributed to that.

And yet despite that, Damon, Diana, and for some reason, Kai, were amicably talking to her as if she was still innocent.

It wasn’t fair, Grace had thought. Eva got to live, but Wolfgang was dead for good. Nothing could bring him back.

He was the first person Grace got friendly with in years. And just like that…he was gone.

And it was all Eva’s fault.

One way or another, Grace was going to make sure that Eva was going to face the consequences of her crimes.

And if she had to get her hands dirty?

So be it.

Grace pulled out Wolfgang’s pin and clipped it to her shirt, in the area where her heart was.

“I’ll avenge you, Wolfgang.”

With that vow in mind, Grace got to planning.

Tomorrow, she would have her revenge.

Chapter Text

After investigating Gamma Sanctuary with Damon, Kai, and Diana, Eva made her way back to her dorm.

She felt a little tired from exploring the new area, so she decided to take a ten minute nap before leaving to do something else.

As she was walking through the hall to the courtyard, she saw Ingrid in front of the janitor’s closet holding up a small vacuum, humming a cheery tune to herself as she was about to turn it on.

“Ingrid…?” Eva murmured aloud.

The blacksmith looked up at the sound of her name and put on a smile upon seeing Eva.

“Hi there, Eva! How’re ya doin’?” Ingrid asked casually.

“Well… I just had a quick nap, and I wanted to do something else,” Eva replied.

“I see. Well, I wanted to ask you something,” Ingrid said. “Tomorrow’s laundry day, and I was wondering if you wanted to help.”

Although she wasn’t showing it, the mathlete was slightly taken aback at the offer. Her last interaction with the blacksmith was yesterday’s trial, and her behavior of avoiding the others had remained the same.

Eva was certain that the others wouldn’t interact with her after what she did, and she didn’t expect them to, either.

And yet, Ingrid was inviting her to help with everyone’s laundry, as if they were friends.

Despite her hesitance, Eva found herself not declining.

“Okay.”

Eva’s answer was simple, yet Ingrid’s eyes lit up like stars.

“Great! See you tomorrow morning!”

“By the way, Ingrid. Where did you get that vacuum? I don’t recall seeing anything like it anywhere,” Eva questioned, pointing to the object in Ingrid’s hand.

Ingrid looked at it briefly before answering. “Oh! It was in the janitor’s closet! It’s unlocked now!”

Eva’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Ingrid nodded. “Really really! Go on and see for yourself!”

Ingrid stepped aside and revealed the closet door that had been mysteriously locked ever since the mock trial.

Eva stepped forward and grabbed the door handle and turned it.

Sure enough, the door opened without a problem.

“Interesting. I wonder why it was locked until now,” Eva commented.

“About that, when I found out, Tozu suddenly appeared and told me that the closet had been unlocked ever since the first real trial ended, but no one ever bothered to check until I did today,” Ingrid explained.

Oh, that made sense. After what happened that day, it made sense that nobody would’ve had the energy to even think about it.

Especially since…

…

Eva grimaced as memories of the first real trial resurfaced.

So much had happened that day, especially to her. And yet here she was, still standing as if nothing had happened.

But it did happen, and she had the scars on her limbs to prove it.

“Oh wait, I’m sorry for bringing up bad memories, Eva,” Ingrid suddenly apologized.

The blacksmith’s apology snapped Eva out of her thoughts.

Eva coughed awkwardly. “I-It’s fine.”

The two stayed in an awkward silence for a few moments until Eva spoke up.

“I-I should probably get going. You have cleaning to do, right? I should leave you alone. Bye.”

Eva began rushing to the courtyard door, until Ingrid grabbed her arm.

“Eva.”

Ingrid’s voice was firm, but gentle. Eva looked at her confused.

“If you need anything, you can come to me, okay?”

…

Eva was shocked, to say the least, but nodded. “Okay.”

Ingrid let go of Eva’s arm with a smile. “Good to hear.”

The blacksmith walked away and turned a corner, vacuum cleaner in hand.

Eva stood there until Ingrid was out of sight before making her way to the courtyard door.

Chapter Text

Eva walked into the courtyard, pondering her earlier conversation with Ingrid.

When she entered, she found that the only other person there was Toshiko.

The matchmaker seemed to be looking around for something, and stopped upon seeing the mathlete.

Toshiko ran up to her. “Eva, have you seen Ingrid? I’ve been looking for her for some time now.”

Eva pointed behind her. “She’s in the dorm building. I spoke with her earlier and saw her walking in the direction where the dining hall is. I think she might be there.”

Toshiko raised an eyebrow. “You spoke with her? About what?”

“She just…invited me to help with laundry tomorrow, and I accepted. That’s all,” Eva replied.

The little girl eyed Eva with suspicion before relenting.

“I suppose I can believe you. Thank you for your time.”

Toshiko bowed before passing by Eva and making her way to the door.

Just then, she stopped and turned her head.

“By the way, could you meet me here again at five in the afternoon? I wish to speak with you about something.”

And with that, she left without further clarification.

…

Eva didn’t understand what was going on.

First, Ingrid willingly spoke to her and even said that she could rely on her.

Now, Toshiko wanted to talk to her later? Even after what she did?

Toshiko was a child, and was arguably more traumatized than most of the others from the killing game. Most people tend to despise the people or things that caused their trauma.

And yet, Toshiko wanted to speak with her later.

…

Despite Eva’s uncertainty, she knew that Toshiko likely had harmless intentions, since it was very unlikely for her to kill.

So, Eva decided to entertain the little girl’s request.

With that in mind, Eva made her way to the tree room, hoping to find something to do to pass the time until 5pm.

When the clock hit 5pm, Eva immediately went to the courtyard.

When she arrived, she found that Toshiko was already there, waiting patiently as she sat under the pavilion.

The matchmaker looked over to the mathlete upon hearing the door opening.

“Punctual, I see,” Toshiko remarked.

“I always make a point to be on time,” Eva commented as she walked over to the matchmaker and sat beside her.

“So you say…” Eva mumbled before looking back at Toshiko. “Anyway, why did you call me here?”

Toshiko took a moment to choose her words before speaking. “Tell me, what do you think of Mochi?”

Eva tilted her head in confusion. “Mochi?”

“Damon. What do you think of Damon?” the little girl clarified.

“Why are you asking me this?” Eva asked, visibly confused.

“Well, he saved you from death, no? Surely you must feel something for your hero.”

Your hero.

The two words were simple, yet something about them made Eva feel…off. Calling Damon her hero felt off.

Not in a bad or good way, just…weird, as if…she wanted to call him that, but didn’t want anyone else to.

In spite of that, Eva thought for a moment before speaking.

“Well… I do respect him for it, and I’m grateful that he saved my life. I’ve sort of developed…a bond with him, I guess you could call it.”

“Yes, I’m aware that you two have been talking to each other frequently ever since he saved your life,” Toshiko commented. “But I want you to think deeper than that. How does he, as a person, make you feel?”

Eva went silent, twiddling a strand of hair between her fingers.

What she thought of Damon as a person…

If she were to be honest, she considered Damon to be cold and arrogant at first, what with how he expressed himself in the mock trial.

But as she interacted with him over the past couple days, she saw a softness in the debater’s heart. One that with a bit of compassion and understanding, Eva managed to coax out of him.

She first used it to hopefully mislead him in the first real trial and divert suspicion off of her, something that admittedly, she’s not proud of at all.

After he saved her, however, Damon’s softness became more apparent, and for the first time, Eva felt like she had an actual friend.

From their past interactions, the two discovered that they had quite a bit in common. They had similar thought processes, thoughts about the killing game, and morality.

Admittedly, Eva found it nice to be able to talk to someone who thought like her, even if she met Damon in a not so ideal situation. It was also nice to mess with Damon occasionally, as she found his blushing face somewhat adorable, though his face in general was rather handsome, and—

…

Upon realizing what she was thinking, Eva’s face turned red with embarrassment.

From beside her, the mathlete heard a high pitched giggle, belonging to none other that Toshiko.

“It seems you’ve realized something about yourself,” the matchmaker said with hints of slyness.

Eva covered her face with her hands, covering the blush. “Bweh… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Toshiko stood up and turned to leave. “Then I hope that you will soon.”

And without another word, the matchmaker left, leaving Eva alone.

Just then, the thoughts she had of Damon earlier resurfaced, and as they did, she pondered them.

Was she really in love with Damon…?

Meanwhile…

When Damon finished investigating Gamma Sanctuary with Eva, Kai and Diana, he went back to his dorm and stayed there for a bit to rest before leaving to do something else.

As he was walking through the building, he heard shuffling, stopped, and turned to the stairwell that led to the underground floor.

Something, or someone was down there.

Damon was sure that no one would go down there after what had happened, but alas, someone did.

He wanted to simply ignore it and leave it be, but the debater couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe, he should check.

With hesitation, Damon slowly went down the stairs, making careful, quiet steps to not be heard.

To his surprise, at the bottom of the stairs was none other than Desmond Hall.

The marksman was fidgeting with something in his hand while staring at it with dead eyes. His usual calm demeanor was replaced with a sorrowful expression. There were even a few tear streaks on his face.

Upon closer inspection, Damon realized that the object in Desmond’s hand was Eloise’s swan hair clip.

Right, he was friends with Eloise outside the killing game, and the only one he trusted in this situation.

But Eloise killed Cassidy, and got sentenced to death for it, but unlike Eva, the fencer didn’t live. She was gone…for good.

Damon unconsciously softened his gave at the sight of the brooding marksman before him.

Desmond just looked so lost, so…depressed. It was so unlike him.

Then, without thinking, Damon called out to him.

“Desmond?”

The sound of his name caused the marksman to flinch slightly and look behind him.

Upon seeing Damon, he relaxed slightly.

“Oh, Damon… Hey…” Desmond whispered.

The two fell into an awkward silence as Desmond continued fiddling with the hair clip in his hand.

With a soft sigh, Damon silently took a seat next to him, watching intently.

Desmond seemed to feel the debater’s stare as he turned to look at him with a curious glance.

“So… what brings you here?” Desmond asked, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

“I was just looking for something to do when I heard your movements,” Damon replied.

Desmond’s face flashed with realization. “Oh…”

The two fell into silence again. Desmond continued fiddling with the clip as Damon watched.

The sight of the marksman being so miserable was almost pitiful to Damon. He had never seen him like this before.

That was when Damon remembered the trial.

Seconds before Eloise was sent to her execution, the debater had seen her mouth to Desmond that she loved him.

That was when he also remembered the moment when he started feeling guilty for sending Eloise to her doom.

Without thinking, Damon spoke again.

“Desmond.”

Desmond looked up curiously at Damon at the sound of his name.

“I want to tell you that…I’m sorry.”

Desmond’s eyes widened. “What…?”

“I’m sorry for your loss, and I’m sorry for being partly responsible for Eloise’s death,” Damon continued.

Desmond stared at him in shock before sighing and turning his head back to the hair clip in his hand.

“She was so close to surviving that execution… She was only one point away from winning that bout…” Desmond mumbled. “But… she told me to live without her if she didn’t make it.”

Desmond brought the clip up to his head and closed it onto his hair. “And I will do just that.”

He then stood up. “Thanks, Damon. You made me remember something important, and I also don’t blame you for her death.”

Damon stood up, shrugging. “You’re welcome, I guess.”

Desmond began walking up the stairs before stopping. “Also, one other thing.”

Damon raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Desmond smiled. “Good luck with Eva.”

And with that, Desmond walked up the stairs, leaving a confused Damon behind.

‘Good luck with Eva’? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Unless…

…

A soft blush tinted Damon’s cheeks as he slowly came to a realization.

Was he…in love with Eva…?

Chapter Text

Even when the next morning came, Eva’s thoughts from yesterday hadn’t left her mind.

After her talk yesterday with Toshiko, the mathlete went back to her dorm to ponder the matchmaker’s words. There, she made a great realization.

She had, indeed, fallen in love with Damon. Deeply.

Eva knew that it was a common trope in some shows for a character to fall in love with the character that saved their life, and that said trope was applicable in real life.

She just never thought that it would ever apply to her.

Eva had never fallen in love before. She never expected to, considering her life outside the killing game. So it was quite ironic for her to fall in love in said killing game, where trust was strained.

Truly, she trusted Damon, enough to genuinely consider him a friend. But at the same time…

Who was to say that Damon felt the same way about her as she did him?

These thoughts lingered in Eva’s mind as she made her way to the laundry room while carrying her laundry basket.

Once she made it to the door, she placed the basket down before opening the door, picking the basket up again, and walking inside.

“Eva, you made it!” Ingrid said cheerfully.

Along with the blacksmith, there were two others: Diana, Toshiko, and…Damon.

…

“Great. Just great. As if I need to be in the same room as the guy that I recently learned I am in love with while also having issues with regulating my emotions.”

As Eva thought that, she brought her basket over to the table in the center of the room and set it down.

“So, is this everyone?” Damon then asked.

“Mhm!” Ingrid confirmed.

“Though I have to say, I’m a little shocked that you’re here, Toshiko,” Eva remarked.

Toshiko let out a huff at those words. “This is just one of my many ventures here. And besides, who am I to decline when a friend in need asks for aid?”

Considering that the matchmaker had been formerly rooming with Ingrid, plus the fact that it seemed that the two had a sort of mother-daughter bond, it made sense.

“Well then, if everyone’s here and ready, where should we start, Ingrid?” Diana then asked.

“Let’s start with our own laundry,” the blacksmith suggested.

And with that, the five got started.

As Eva put her laundry into a washing machine, she glanced over at the others.

Ingrid and Toshiko were amicably talking amongst themselves, Diana was humming a tune to herself, immersed in the work, and Damon was also as immersed, though he was quiet.

It was there that Eva noticed that the debater had taken his blazer off and placed it on the table, revealing his brown vest underneath. His sleeves were also rolled up to his elbows.

For some reason, Eva couldn’t help but stare. Damon looked…kinda good without his blazer.

Just then, Eva felt a light nudge on her shoulder. When she looked over, she saw Diana, who looked suspiciously smug.

“Is there a problem?” Eva asked softly with confusion on her face.

Diana giggled softly. “Oh, nothing!~ Just noticing how you’re eyeing Damon like a statue.”

Eva’s eyes widened in shock before a soft blush coated her cheeks. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Oh, come on. It’s so obvious that you’re in love with him!” Diana said with certainty.

Eva’s blush intensified as she sputtered. “I-I’m not!”

Diana’s smirk only grew wider. “The blush on your face says otherwise~”

Eva covered her face with her hand. “Bweh…”

Diana smiled brightly. “Don’t worry, Eva. I support you two wholeheartedly.”

Eva groaned. “…Can we just focus on the laundry?”

Diana let out a laugh. “Okay!”

With the conversation done, the two girls went back to sorting everyone’s laundry.

“…What do you think of the new perk, Eva?”

“Huh?”

Eva snapped her attention back to the conversation she was having with Damon.

After she finished helping Ingrid with laundry, she met up with Damon in the afternoon and spoke with him for the last couple minutes in the underground floor hallway. As always, it was empty.

However, Damon was the one that did most of the talking while Eva mostly listened with the occasional nod. Though she had started getting distracted by Damon’s looks.

The two of them had been leaning against the wall fairly close to each other, close enough for Eva to see the debater up close.

It was only there that she took notice of Damon’s physical features. He had good bone structure, especially in his face. Combined with his blond hair and his emerald green eyes, he was rather attractive.

So when Damon asked the question, she had been rather surprised to be snapped out of her trance.

She blinked before quickly gathering herself, directing her full attention to Damon, only to realize that she barely heard his question.

“Um, sorry… What was your question?” she asked, subtle nervousness in her tone as she mentally berated herself for zoning out.

Fortunately, Damon didn’t pick up on it and repeated his question.

“What do you think of the new perk?”

“You mean the Sleuth Perk?”

Damon nodded. “Yeah, that.”

Eva twiddled a strand of her hair. “Well, what do you think?”

“…I think it’s odd.”

Eva raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Unlike with the last two perks, which were kept secret, Tozu announced the Sleuth Perk right then and there. What’s more, he introduced it to us the day after the trial, which is unlike the other motives, which were introduced only after some days later.”

“There isn’t really a “motive” this time around, just the opportunity for a student to uncover more about the blackmail of another person.”

Damon made a good point. There really wasn’t a motive, just an opportunity.

“If Tozu wanted us to learn more about each other’s blackmail, he should’ve introduced the perk to us during that motive, before everyone had given the blackmail back to their respective persons,” Eva said.

“Not everyone did, Eva,” Damon corrected. “For instance, I didn’t.”

Damon pulled out the envelope and opened it before pulling out Wolfgang’s blackmail.

Even now, the lawyer’s blackmail remained a mystery to Eva. Apart from what was being implied in the quote, there wasn’t anything else for her to go off of.

Not that she would ever find out, now that Wolfgang was dead(because of her).

“Do you want to find one of those cameras and use it on Wolfgang’s blackmail?” Eva asked. “Tozu said that we could also take a picture of a blackmail to receive more details. It doesn’t have to be the person themselves.”

Damon shook his head. “No. The blackmail motive is over and Wolfgang is dead, I have no reason to pry into his life anymore. But that’s not what I was talking about.”

“What do you mean?”

Damon hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth. “…I never got my blackmail either.”

Eva’s brows raised in surprise. “Huh…?”

“I’m not sure why either. Hell, I don’t even have a clue on who has it,” Damon continued.

A moment of silence fell between the two, the tension tightening like a knot.

“…Do you…know what your blackmail could be?” Eva asked hesitantly.

Damon shrugged. “Not sure about that either. As far as I’m aware, I have a clean record. Whoever received it has no reason to keep it for over two weeks, much less any longer.”

“Maybe the person forgot?” Eva suggested.

“Maybe. After everything that’s happened here, I wouldn’t blame them for forgetting,” Damon commented.

As Eva thought about Damon’s words, another thought crossed her mind.

“There’s also something else that’s odd,” Eva added.

It was Damon’s turn to raise his eyebrow in curiosity. “Oh?”

“I know that Diana’s told you, but after the first real trial, when you carried me up the elevator, Tozu left through the elevator as well, correct?”

Damon nodded, confusion forming on his face. “Yes, but where are you going with this?”

“When the second class trial ended, Tozu didn’t use the elevator.”

This time, Damon looked rather intrigued by Eva’s words, encouraging her to continue.

“He sat on the throne of the podium he stood on, and the platform went down, taking Tozu and the throne with it. When it came back up, he was gone.”

“…” Damon went silent, processing the information.

“If he used different methods to leave the trial room, then that means something. There are multiple secret rooms to this ‘academy’, but they all have different entrances and they aren’t all connected,” Eva surmised. “If that’s the case, then our situation is more complicated than we had originally thought.”

“Not only that,” Eva continued. “When I was still in the trial room post second trial, I had asked Tozu some questions relating to the motive, and he confirmed that he purposefully chose me as the target.”

Damon’s eyes were wide with shock as he listened to Eva.

“I surmised that no one would risk killing a decrepit to escape this killing game, regardless of how desperate they were. So, he deliberately chose me as the target to increase the likelihood of an assassin being killed and that a trial occurred. I had also surmised that Tozu wanted the killing game to happen, even if it meant bending the rules.”

“I’m not sure about you, but after everything, it wouldn’t be far fetched to believe that he also deliberately chose you as the bodyguard, Damon.”

Damon was silent in shock, likely processing the influx of information that Eva had given him in his head. Eva stayed silent through it all, not wanting to disturb him.

“So… what does this mean… for us?” Damon asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Not sure, but we’re likely at high risk of being targeted by Tozu, especially since he’s probably watching us right now,” Eva replied.

Damon looked around briefly before looking back at Eva.

“In any case, we should probably keep this between us for now. If this got out to the others, things would likely get chaotic really quickly,” he suggested.

Eva nodded. “Alright, let’s keep this between us. And…”

Eva smiled. “Thanks for listening to me.”

Damon was silent for a moment before nodding. “…No problem.”

With the conversation concluded, the two went back up to the main floor side by side, not parting until they reached the top.

Chapter Text

A few hours had passed after Damon’s talk with Eva in the boiler room, and now, the debater was spending his time using the pachinko machine.

As he was doing so, a finger tapped his shoulder. When he looked over, he saw Diana.

And she looked unusually worried.

“Diana? What’s wrong?” he asked.

The cosmetologist rubbed her arm, an anxious look on her face. “Um…”

Damon raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

“Um, Damon… Have you seen Eva anywhere? I wanted to spend time with her today, but I can’t find her,” Diana asked after a moment of silence.

“I spoke with her a few hours ago. I don’t know where she went, though.”

Diana brought a finger to her chin, a thoughtful look forming on her face. “I see…”

Her eyes then flickered back to the debater. “If you’re able, can you help me?”

Damon shrugged. “I don’t see why not. Where have you checked?”

“I already knocked on her dorm room door, and she didn’t answer. I also checked the dining hall, and even the underground floor, and yet, there was no sign of her,” Diana explained.

Damon went into thought about Eva’s whereabouts.

He knew that Eva could be elusive at times, often hiding from the others, but he was always able to find her no matter what. And ever since he saved her, she had willingly gone up to him and Diana a few times.

So for Eva to just disappear without a trace was…odd, to say the least.

Where could she be?

It was only about a hour before the nighttime announcement, and no signs of Eva were found, even from the others.

During the search, Damon and Diana got Kai to help look for her, and yet, even with three people, still no success.

The three were now gathered in the dorm building after searching the courtyard for the fourth time.

“Ugh, where could she be?” Kai groaned. “She wouldn’t be able to avoid three people who are searching for her, right?”

“I don’t know, but I’m getting worried. Did something happen to her?” Diana asked.

Damon remained silent, facing ahead of him as the other talked behind him.

But then, something caught his eye.

Underneath the door to his dorm was a corner of a folded piece of paper.

He stopped, staring at the suspicious sight.

Kai and Diana stopped as well, confused.

“Damon? What’s wrong?” Kai asked.

Damon said nothing, instead bending down and pulling out the piece of paper under the door.

Kai tilted his head. “Ah? Is that a note?”

“What does it say?” Diana asked.

Equally curious, Damon unfolded the paper and read it to himself.

~~~

To Damon Maitsu,

I have captured Eva Tsunaka and am currently holding her hostage. If you want her to come out unharmed, then give in to my demands.

Have Wolfgang’s blackmail and one of the Sleuth Perk cameras ready. Then, gather everyone in the theater. There, I will take both the blackmail and the perk and in exchange, I will hand over Eva.

Starting tomorrow, you have one week. Be wise about your actions.

~~~

…

Damon was stunned silent.

Eva was…being held hostage?

Kai and Diana had read the letter over Damon’s shoulders and were also stunned.

“W-What the…? What the fuck?!” Kai screamed.

“Eva’s been…captured?!” Diana shouted, very worried.

Kai was trembling. “W-What the actual shit is going on?!”

Damon didn’t understand either. And yet…

The thought of Eva being hurt by this mysterious kidnapper, or worse, killed…

Severely pissed him off.

“Kai, Diana. Gather everyone in the dining hall,” Damon ordered, restraining his inner turmoil.

Detecting the presence of rage in the debater’s voice, the influencer and cosmetologist gave silent nods before sprinting away from him.

Damon punched the wall beside him, anger coursing through his mind. His fist ached, but he couldn’t care less about his pain.

Eva was in danger.

It wasn’t long before everyone was in the dining hall, Damon included.

Everyone looked at the debater with varying concern, as his features blatantly gave away the idea that something was wrong.

The idea would be proven right as he slammed the letter down on the table.

“Which one of you did this?” he asked angrily.

Curious, Ulysses gingerly picked up the note and read it aloud.

Soon enough, everyone’s expressions morphed into those of shock.

“Eva’s being held hostage?!” Toshiko shouted.

“Yes, and I know one of you did it,” Damon declared.

“Oh, really? And how do we know that it wasn’t you?” Wenona asked, seemingly unbothered.

“What reason would I have to demand something that I already have?” Damon asked, pulling out Wolfgang’s blackmail.

“Alright, point taken,” Wenona resigned. “But I still have my suspicions.”

Damon shrugged. “Have it your way, but until I find out who did this, I’m suspecting all of you. And yes, that includes you two as well, Kai and Diana.”

Kai seemed to be ready to yell at Damon for his proclamation, but Diana quickly grabbed the influencer’s arm and shook her head, a sign that he shouldn’t. Reluctantly, Kai deflated and kept his mouth shut.

“If a crew mate’s missing, then we should all look for them together, ey?” Jean asked.

“No. I’m doing this by myself,” Damon proclaimed.

Jean raised an eyebrow. “Ah?”

“Again, until I find out who did this, you’re all suspects,” Damon continued. “I admit, a few of you seem very unlikely to have captured Eva, but I’m not taking any chances. The anonymity of the note makes things complicated as is. For all I know, there could be more than one person behind this. So, I’m doing this alone.”

“And, one last thing. Mystery kidnapper, if you’re in this room, know that you made a fatal mistake messing with Eva.”

“…Because you just messed with me.”

The way Damon said the last part was threatening, almost menacing, making some of the Ultimates flinch.

Without another word, Damon left the dining hall, several thoughts running through his mind.

He had a lot of work to do.

Chapter Text

Damon felt somewhat guilty of suspecting Kai and Diana for Eva’s disappearance, but in a killing game, no one was ever considered truly innocent.

What mattered was the task of finding Eva.

He started his investigation in the underground floor, where he last saw her.

Currently, he was investigating there, but as he had already anticipated, nothing of note was there, but he still felt it prudent to check anywhere he could.

According to his memory, Eva had went to the left while he went the opposite direction. So, he followed those footsteps before entering the dorm hall.

There, he stopped in front of Eva’s door. He planned to investigate her dorm, a place that could provide clues of her whereabouts.

Yet when he reached for the door knob, he hesitated.

Damon wanted to find Eva and make sure that she was safe, but at the same time, he felt somewhat dirty about invading Eva’s privacy.

No, he had to focus. Eva’s safety came first.

Pushing his doubts aside, Damon opened the door and stepped inside.

It was still as tidy as he last saw it some days ago, with the exception of the blanket being slightly askew, though that was likely from Eva having slept in it for most nights.

Once again, there was nothing of note, so Damon left the room rather quickly.

He then went to the courtyard, where he saw Toshiko and Ingrid talking to each other.

He might as well question them, since he needed alibis.

He made his way over to the pair. As he did, they turned their heads to him.

“Ah, Mochi. How’s your investigation?”Toshiko asked calmly.

“Fine. But first, I need to question you two,” Damon replied.

“Go on ahead,” Ingrid offered.

“When was the last time you saw Eva?”

“The last time I saw Eva? This morning, when we were doing everyone’s laundry,” Ingrid replied.

“I haven’t seen Eva since this morning as well,” Toshiko followed. “We’ve been together the whole time.”

Ingrid nodded in confirmation to the matchmaker’s words.

If these two were covering for each other, then it was likely that they were telling the truth.

“Alright. Thank you two for your time,” Damon said.

“You’re very welcome,” Toshiko replied.

“Anytime, and if you need anything, come to me, okay?” Ingrid offered.

Damon nodded before taking his leave and entering the tree room.

As Damon entered the tree room, he was suddenly approached by Diana, who looked slightly panicked.

“Damon…!” she gasped, slightly out of breath.

Damon raised an eyebrow, slightly concerned. “Is something wrong?”

“W-Well…” Diana trailed off, seeming somewhat hesitant. “I-I know you wanted to do this yourself, but I found something in regard to Eva’s disappearance. Here.”

Diana held out her clutched hand, revealing a medium sized object wrapped in her fingers.

A red headband with a black feather attached to it.

Eva’s headband.

“I found it in the library on the floor in the corner. I’m not sure how it got there, nor why Eva would be there, but I think you should know that,” Diana continued.

Carefully, Damon took the headband and observed it closely.

It was surprisingly clean and well kept. Eva must take very good care of it.

“If it was in the library, do you think that’s where the kidnapper ambushed Eva?” Diana asked.

“Most likely. The headband likely fell off when she was attacked, and it was left behind,” Damon surmised. “Not sure how the kidnapper didn’t notice it, considering its size, but either way, this is an important clue. Thank you, Diana.”

The cosmetologist nodded, a small smile creeping onto her lips. “You’re welcome, and good luck on the investigation.”

Diana then left the tree room, leaving Damon alone.

…

Damon looked down at the headband in his hand, a determined look forming on his face.

“Don’t worry, Eva. I’ll find you. I promise.”

Whispering that promise to himself, Damon pocketed the headband before walking to Gamma Sanctuary.