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fluffyDeathbringer
Nov 1, 2017

it's not what you've got, it's what you make of it

Elfface posted:

Point two: Gin is terrified of cages and has an abusive father. After meditating, he drops the animal noises. I feel they're not a cute anime quirk, but a fear response beaten into him. 'When you're in danger act like an animal' is a lesson he's had to learn.

he lapses back into it at the promise of cake tho

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HydroSphere
Feb 11, 2014



(What happened, I wonder...?)






Talk to Keiji.

“...I'm sure Alice would....”

(He's muttering something...)

“...Huh, what's up, Sara?”

“Nothing...”

(Feels like he's plotting something...)




Talk to Q-taro.

"Just what the hell is that vending machine..."




Talk to Gin/Nao.

“Gin, do you want to have some tea?”

“Hmm... I want soda, meow.”

“...I don't have any, so is coffee okay?”

“Why would it be, woof?!”

Talk to Kanna.

“Sara.”

“Kanna... You aren't with Sou?”

“He doesn't seem to feel well, so he's sleeping.”



“Alice...?”

“Yes. It seems he has a kind side, too.”



“Kanna... You can't trust so easily.”

“I-I'm sorry...”

“But Kanna... just can't see Alice as a bad person...”



“Y-Yes!”



“It was over toward the Ruined Corridor...”

Music stops.

(…! It couldn't be that room we found, could it...?)

“Sara, I'd like you to come with me.”



“Got it. Let's go together, Kanna.”

“Thank you so much!”






Talk to Reko.

“...How long's my body been like this...?”




“This way! It's through a passage in the back!”

(This is a different passage from the Rubble Room...)

Music stops.



“If you go all the way back... it's even darker.”

(She seems likely to trip...)

“Don't let go of me now, Kanna.”




“...Nah, it's fine.”

“...Ahaha... Being with you like this... really feels like I'm with my sister...”

I didn't know what to say to that. In place of words...



“Here it is. There's a door right here.”

“It's pitch black. Did you peek inside?”

“...No. Kanna and Sou... both lacked the courage to open it...”

“Ah... I'll go in first... If it's not dangerous, you follow.”



(Strange... It feels like I've been here before.)

“Kanna, it's okay. Come on in.”



(Wha...? Hold on, this is...!!)





Bad memories surfaced in my mind. The very first deathtrap I was tested by here.



...But I wonder why...

Music stops.

Something... feels different here.

“I-I'm coming in.”

“Kanna...”

“...Ah...”

“Ahh... ahhhh....”



“This is... the room... where sister was... Because of me...”

“Calm down, Kanna.”

I held Kanna tight. I firmly restrained her trembling shoulders.

“...Sorry... for getting distraught... I'm fine now...”



“...Okay...”

(This was Kanna and her sister's room, where they took that same trial... I can't make Kanna search it.)





Investigate phone.

There's something on the ground.

Music stops.

“It's a smartphone...”

If Kanna and I had the exact same trial... This was probably the phone used to play the voice instructions. Did the kidnappers forget to collect it...?

(Since it's here, Kanna's sister might have had it...)

Which means... Maybe... there's some message left on it. A message from just before her death.

(I have a bad feeling... I don't want to touch it...)



(But... if it's some clue...)



(Please, let my bad feeling be wrong...!!)

I picked up the smartphone. It didn't have a password on it, and unlocked easily. The moment it opened...



“...This can't be... This is just... too much...”



“I can't... I can't tell Kanna that...!!”

“Sara! Are you okay?”

(Kanna is behind me...!)

“What's the matter...? It sounded like you yelled something...”




“Kanna!! Someone's coming!!”

“Wha...?!”




Somehow, I'd managed to hide it without Kanna noticing.




“Sou...?!”



“Hmph... Quite the dark passage that was.”

“A... Alice too...”



“Huh? Tokens...?”

“Yeah... We shouldn't talk in a place like this, so let's head back for now.”

“I-I understand...”

“Um... Thank you very much, Sara.”

Music stops.

(I was... saved by coincidence...)

“Huh? Aren't you leaving, Miss Sara?”

“Ah, yes!”



(...I'll recover it later.)





“O-Okay...”

(Gah... As long as they're here, I can't go get the phone! I'll have to come later when they're an opening...)

“Oh, yes, Sara Chidouin.”

“Hwah... W-What is it?”

“Well... I just happened to overhear that youngster Gin talking, but...”



“...A ghost?”

“I don't know the details, but go take care of it.”

“...Sigh... Are you afraid?”



(When he tells me that so directly, it's hard to muster the will to refuse. Oh well... I'll make it a priority to do something about the Medical Office ghost.)

Talk to Alice / Kanna / Sou.

“Sorry, we're going to discuss a token trade.”

“Hmph... You're not welcome, Sara Chidouin. Can't you go away for now?”

(Oddly, it feels like he's being a little kind.)

“Sorry... Sara.”




Talk to Gin / Nao.

“Is it tasty, Gin?”






Talk to Keiji.

“Hey, Sara. Found a laptop charger?”

“No...”

“Figures... The more normal it is, the harder it is to get here.”


NeoRonTheNeuron
Oct 14, 2012
:O It's just a tree. Don't look too closely, Sara!

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!
Please! No more creepy black-and-red Joe! I can't take any more of it!

Elfface
Nov 14, 2010

Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
IRON JONAH
Probably a projection onto the glass by the mastermind, to mess with people.

Toalpaz
Mar 20, 2012

Peace through overwhelming determination
It's a tree...............

Also lol, this smacks of Sou stirring up poo poo. I wonder how he's actually going to be the good guy in the end before he dies.

Tenebrais
Sep 2, 2011

Toalpaz posted:

It's a tree...............

Also lol, this smacks of Sou stirring up poo poo. I wonder how he's actually going to be the good guy in the end before he dies.

I'm getting a strong multiple-personalities vibe. Like, there's two of him and one wakes up when the other sleeps or falls unconscious. Of course, the "good side" could just be an act.

On a similar note, I'm getting the feeling that Reko has been replaced by a doll that thinks she's the real Reko. I'm sure this will end well.

Jefepato
Mar 11, 2009

This?! This is a glorious dance! That has been passed down! In my family for generations!
I realize that Sara is not in the best mental state right now, but how could she possibly think that what's on that phone is actually a sincere message from Kanna's sister?

Even if she was angry enough to say that kind of poo poo just before she died, I hardly think she'd have had time to type it all out (and change the background of her Notes app to an inexplicable dark red color) while she was stuck in a deathtrap.

Goon Boots
Feb 2, 2020


Some things to remember:

Sara and Joe fell a large way down while navigating a dark hallway after the first trial.
Joe left his cell phone in the first trial room.
Joe mentions having a crew cut in middle school.
When Sara found her mother collapsed, she went back into the hallway of her house and Joe was already in the hallway.

Some things to think about:

Why was Sara's room in her house locked and only kidnapped after she unlocked it? It would have been relatively easy to take her at any point, so why the room specifically?
Why was Sara's mother unconscious?
Where was/is Sara's father?
What happened to Mishima's head? Is it important that it not be seen?
Why are some places on this floor in ruins?
When Sara clasped Reko's hand for the Web of Lies attraction, she noticed blood coming from Reko's glove. Was the glove Sara pulled off bloody? Why did Reko take it back?
What is wrong with the message on the smartphone?

Goon Boots fucked around with this message at 07:50 on Mar 22, 2020

differentiating
Mar 30, 2019

Jefepato posted:

I realize that Sara is not in the best mental state right now, but how could she possibly think that what's on that phone is actually a sincere message from Kanna's sister?

Even if she was angry enough to say that kind of poo poo just before she died, I hardly think she'd have had time to type it all out (and change the background of her Notes app to an inexplicable dark red color) while she was stuck in a deathtrap.

Yeah, it's clearly not real - for one, she'd just say it to Kanna's face, and for two, how would she know that she'd failed with enough time to type all that out? It's clearly a red herring designed to hurt her more than anything else. I don't even think we have any real evidence that this was the sisters' first trial room, since they seem to have all been identical.

That being said, hiding it from Kanna is (imo) the best choice at this point, with the goal being to delete the message entirely. She has enough guilt that she's likely to believe what's written, too.

limeicebreakers
May 1, 2017

Nao just gave a grade-schooler coffee, huh

neongrey
Feb 28, 2007

Plaguing your posts with incidental music.
I was drinking coffee at that age and younger, and I turned out fine*.

Elfface
Nov 14, 2010

Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
IRON JONAH

limeicebreakers posted:

Nao just gave a grade-schooler coffee, huh

He'll be fine, no need to worry about it stunting his growth.


Because he's a robot



That won't survive the game

Randalor
Sep 4, 2011



So what are peoples guesses as to what's going on? My current 3 beliefs are:

A) Everything we've been shown is true, and we need to care not only about our lives but the lives of others in the same situation.

B) That some of the people are honest, while others are on the side of the game masters. The professor and Joe are on the side of the game masters and are now loving with the group, Kai was a target of opportunity before he actually spilled the beans. "Moles" may or may not have a grudge against MC's family.

C) This is all one giant mind-trip to break MC, everyone is in on the act and have grudges against MC or MC's family.

I'm not quite sure which answer is the most "anime" of the three, the whole situation with the "dolls" feels like its setting up for a The Prisoner mind-gently caress ending.

MarquiseMindfang
Jan 6, 2013

vriska (vriska)

limeicebreakers posted:

Nao just gave a grade-schooler coffee, huh

This is great, he can just vibrate against the wall and phase through it.

Sordas Volantyr
Jan 11, 2015

Now, everybody, walk like a Jekhar.

(God, these running animations are terrible.)

Randalor posted:

C) This is all one giant mind-trip to break MC, everyone is in on the act and have grudges against MC or MC's family.

I'm not quite sure which answer is the most "anime" of the three, the whole situation with the "dolls" feels like its setting up for a The Prisoner mind-gently caress ending.

I'm generally against theories that run along the lines of "the entire game was a massive hallucination/the main character was dead the whole time" or what-have-you, because a lot of the time, they feel like they're dreamt up by people with an excess of over-analytical impulse and a dearth of actual storytelling experience.* That being said, I feel like this game, so far, has done plenty enough in the way of hints and openings for a massive misdirection about the core premise that I wouldn't rule it out in this case. The dolls, in particular, are what really open the door on that, since my money says that there's gonna be at least one scene for every single character where it looks like they might get swapped out for a doll - or perhaps a different doll, since they may all have been dolls from the word go.


*Ask me about 'Squall is Dead' and 'Indoctrination Theory' sometime if you wanna see me get incredibly animated about this

Regallion
Nov 11, 2012

Indoctrination theory? I'm familliar with dead Squall at least.

Randalor
Sep 4, 2011



I'm going to guess something to do with the Gardens basically churning out child soldiers for the highest bidder?

Arzaac
Jan 2, 2020


I think Indoctrination theory is the Mass Effect theory where Shepard is indoctrinated by the reapers the whole time.

Basically the same kind of "Haha, it was all a dream/delusion and what's really happening is a bad ending" nonsense.

Elfface
Nov 14, 2010

Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
IRON JONAH
Squall Is Dead proposes the idea that at the end of disc 1 when he gets stabbed through the chest with an ice spear is when he actually for-real dies and the rest is a dying hallucination because it's when villains become more villainous, friends become more friendly and towards the end the plot kind of falls apart.

These are also easily explainable by the plot progressing and intensifying, as tends to happen in stories, and writers running out of time and having to hammer in an ending.



Indoctrination Theory is the idea that somewhere towards the end of Mass Effect 3 (Usually when you get injured in the assault on Earth and slow-walk to the ending) Shepard is being mentally attacked by The Reapers. This much at least is true, represented by 'veiny screen' effects and the like. How much is real depends on your interpretation of this. Does Shepard actually encounter the Illusive Man in the Mcguffin Device. Is the Hologram Child real? Are they lying to Shepard about the effects of the different ending-buttons?

The canon answer is that Shepard fights off the Indoctrination, and everything is real, but you don't have to be much of a gamer to know that ME3 had an unsatisfying and inconclusive ending, so fan speculation went wild trying to turn it into something more clever.

tomanton
May 22, 2006

beam me up, tomato
'All your investment was pointless' endings are bad no matter how much lipstick is on the pig

placid saviour
Apr 6, 2009

Randalor posted:

I'm going to guess something to do with the Gardens basically churning out child soldiers for the highest bidder?

This is literally true, though.

HydroSphere
Feb 11, 2014



Investigate the figure in the glass.

Something is faintly reflected by the glass.



“...”

“Not... again...”

It's a hallucination. I must just be hallucinating again.







(No... more... No more of this... How long can I suffer...? How long am I... going to...)

I approach the closet, but the hallucination doesn't go away. In fact, I can only see it more clearly.

“...? Don't tell me, this is...!”




(No... He's not reacting...! What... what's wrong with my eyes...?!)






“Safalin...!”



Investigate Joe.



Talk to Safalin.

“If you have business, please let me know! And don't go searching around on your own...”



“We're free to search where we like, surely?”

“Sniffle...”

“Understood... I'll tell you the truth...”

Music stops.



“A doll?!”



You must have seen them before as well. A doll of Miss Kanna, a doll of yourself...”

(Come to think of it... I do remember using a doll that looked just like me in the mirror room.)

“Do you remember now...?”



“Are they really dolls...?”

“Yes, dolls made down to the smallest detail.”



“...”

The more I looked at the doll, I felt it might start moving at any moment.

(It's like... Joe really is there...)

Music stops.



“D... Don't be ridiculous! Who would... want this thing...!”



“A precious person you can no longer meet... You can talk to them, or have them beside you...”

“A doll... is a doll. I don't need it...!”

“But you're distressed, aren't you?”

“...!!”



“You have regrets.”




“Stop it...!!”



“That's not...!!”

“Stubborn, I see... Then just for you...”





“...........”



“Maybe you're not a villain... But you're sure not normal.”



“I won't speak any more about dolls. However, if I may at least offer a suggestion...”

“I have a device for healing mental wounds.”



“That is all... Well, so long.”

“Are you okay?”



“...I-I'm fine now.”

Music stops.

“..............”

“Want to sit down for a bit?”

“...Okay.”

“Sara... did you...”

“Did you... like Joe?”



“He was... a close friend. No one else... was as foolish, soft hearted and cheerful as him.”

“Yeah... I'll bet.”

“...He was someone important to you. Regardless of “liking” or “love”... right?”

“...Yes.”

(Come to think of it...)

“You had someone important to you too, right...? You said you'd tell me about it if we survived the Main Game.”

“...I did.”







“So when I went to visit friends... I had to borrow my mom's errand bicycle.”

“The brakes on it were busted. So one day, I fell off, and the bike went sailing into the river without me.”





“Soaking wet and awkwardly cool... He was my hero.”

“So he... was the person important to you.”




“Since you became a policeman yourself... Did you two reunite?”

Music stops.



“Well, there's lotsa different police in the world.”

“Okay, that's the end of that story. You calmed down a little?”

“Yes... Thank you very much.”

“See ya. You can always depend on Mr. Policeman.”





(I want to get moving... I'll continue clearing attractions.)








“F... Flies...? I'm not good with bugs... But I'll do my best...”









  • This is one of the more straight forward attractions, you just have to click on all the enemies before the time runs out.



  • After defeating a couple of waves of multiple insects, each summoner will call a single, larger enemy that takes a few hits to beat.




Music stops.




“Now... let's split these Clear Chips, okay?”



(With that, this attraction is done.)





Talk to Q-taro.



“Never sat down for a chat before, have we? Not a lotta occasions we have the time.

“It's fine if yer busy, though. How 'bout it?”

(Hm...)

Talk to Nao.



“Um... I've been too scared to trade tokens at all...”

“I've been worried that... trading will lead to something bad happening...”

“But everyone else seems to be doing it... So now it's just making me uneasy.”

“But if I can trade with you, I'll feel secure...”

(30 tokens... That's a fair amount.)

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

No reason not to trust in Nao here. I doubt we'll get much out of Q-Taro.

Also I'm genuinely worried but also curious about what Safalin was talking about, what can the dolls do that would help Sara's mental state?

Toalpaz
Mar 20, 2012

Peace through overwhelming determination
Nao

We've given up too many chances to get tokens........... Might as well pick some up.

Elfface
Nov 14, 2010

Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
IRON JONAH
Nao we need 200 of other people's tokens for that machine, it's gotta be important.

I reckon the doll will have a talking function. Pull a cord, hear Joe say "I forgive you".

OOrochi
Jan 19, 2017

On my honor as the Dawnspear.
Agree with going for Nao

Elfface posted:

I reckon the doll will have a talking function. Pull a cord, hear Joe say "I forgive you".

I certainly hope not. I feel like that'd be even worse for Sara.

NeoRonTheNeuron
Oct 14, 2012
Talk to Q-Taro

We've been avoiding trades so far, so I would recommend continuing to avoid them to guard Sara's dossier.

If Sara needs to get to 200, would you say that she has 140 (her 100, Gin 30, Reko 10) or just 40 (Gin 30, Reko 10)? If she can't put her own tokens towards the 200 door, realistically, she could be able to just collaborate with somebody else and trade 100 for 100 on the spot and spend them all. If her goal is to open the door on her own, without any assistance, then trading 30 for 30 with Nao is simply treading water.

From a meta-game perspective, the coin trades could be how we get access to everyone's dossier. If you were to accept her 30-coin trade, plus the 20-coin Nao-Reko-Sara triangle trade, you'd be able to reach 50. It's similar for Reko; she gives you 30, and the reverse triangle trade would have taken us to 50 Reko tokens.

IIRC, Q-Taro has proposed trading twice, and Gin has offered 40 tokens so far.

Veryslightlymad
Jun 3, 2007

I fight with
my brain
and with an
underlying
hatred of the
Erebonian
Noble Faction

HydroSphere posted:


“I have a device for healing mental wounds.”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YbNElsfYaE&t=30s

I can't be the only one who immediately thought of this.

Anyhow, Talk to Q-Taro because I think it's likely we missed the 50 token mark for Nao, per the explanation of NeoRonTheNeuron.

Jefepato
Mar 11, 2009

This?! This is a glorious dance! That has been passed down! In my family for generations!

Blaze Dragon posted:

No reason not to trust in Nao here. I doubt we'll get much out of Q-Taro.

Also I'm genuinely worried but also curious about what Safalin was talking about, what can the dolls do that would help Sara's mental state?

Based on context and phrasing, it sounds like the "device" she was talking about is something other than the dolls.

It's probably something even more disturbing and creepy. I mean, the very notion of a device that can "heal mental wounds" is pretty creepy even if the thing somehow works properly and was made by a well-intentioned person (which Safalin almost certainly isn't).

Sword_of_Dusk
Sep 30, 2018

Legendary Luminary
Trade with Nao. It wouldn't hurt to gain a few extra tokens.

Sum Gai
Mar 23, 2013

Jefepato posted:

Based on context and phrasing, it sounds like the "device" she was talking about is something other than the dolls.

It's probably something even more disturbing and creepy. I mean, the very notion of a device that can "heal mental wounds" is pretty creepy even if the thing somehow works properly and was made by a well-intentioned person (which Safalin almost certainly isn't).

Hey, now. She might be genuinely helpful and kind, just really, really awful at it.

HydroSphere
Feb 11, 2014





Music stops.

“Thank you very much! Even just for talking to me...!”

“You want to trade that badly?”



“Yes... I've hardly traded with anyone. I've got quite a lot left...”

“I thought... it was about time I start trading these.”

“ If it's okay with you... I want you to be who I trade with...”



“Sorry... Still, I'd like it to be 30 tokens.”

It's just for my own convenience, but there's no point in half-measures.”

“...Sorry for being selfish.”

(Seems she doesn't intend to change her mind.)

Music stops.

“Please, don't hold back on me... If you can't do it, just turn me down. It's kind of scary, but... I can consider asking someone else. Sara... Would you trade 30 tokens with me?

(What should I do?)



“Understood. Let's trade, Nao.”

“Thank you so much! You're very kind, Sara...”



(Well... That's it for negotiations.)

(It's about time I go collect the smartphone Kanna's sister left... I absolutely can't let Kanna find out about it.)




Investigate the bed.

I searched everywhere under the bed. The smartphone is nowhere to be found.


“Wha...?”

(Where did it go...? Gone... How can it be gone?!)




“Sou...!!”

“Huh? Wonder if I hit the bullseye.”

“You took the phone...?!”

“...Well, yeah.”



“Did you read what was on it?! That cruel message...!!”

“...Of course.”

“A hateful message written to Kanna by her sister...”



“...?!”

“...Heh. Just think about it, would you?”



“Huh?!”

“I recall there was a time limit in the First Trial, wasn't there?”




“I mean...”

“There's only one answer here.”



“Fabricated...?!”

“Amazing, huh? This is definitely trying to drive Kanna into a corner...”

“Just a solid ball of malice. Some people will do anything to harass.”

“...............”



“...Wh...”



“You're saying I wrote that message?!”

“...I saw it all unfold. You set that phone in place under the bed.”



“Kanna was right behind me! If I wanted to show her... I'd have just picked it up, right?!”



“You were insistent on having Kanna find the phone all on her own.”

“Because... that would inflict the greatest despair on her head-on.”



“I... did no such thing...!!”

“I wonder if you intended to offer Kanna a hand in the depths of despair, to make her depend on you?”

“Cut it out already!!”



Music stops.

“Ever since the Main Game... I've been wondering...”

“Since... the Main Game...? Sou... you... your memories...!”





“L... Lied...?”

“What was I to do? Certainly couldn't let myself be singled out if I wanted to get Clear Chips.”




(I'm a fool for even being a little worried...!)

“Well, doesn't matter. You and I aren't going to get along at this point.”

“When I'm around everyone else... I'll act the same as before.”

“Ahaha...!”

(What Sou thinks doesn't matter...! I'm getting that phone back! I'll destroy it for Kanna's sake!!)

“You've got a ghastly look on your face. Are these your true colours, Sara?”



Music stops.

(I'll attack the moment he's open...!!)



It went surprisingly well. Sou's resistance was extremely feeble. But... There was... one thing I didn't expect.



(The message... is different...)



Taking advantage of my surprise, he grabbed the phone back.

“Sou... Did you...”

“...Whew.”

“I won't let you have your way.”

“W-Wait!!”

(Urgh...!!)



Despairing, I put the room behind me.




(I can't just ignore him...)



Talk to Reko.

“Dammit... Even after all this searching, ain't no sign of a way to escape...”

“Goddamn Main Game... I don't wanna do that poo poo twice...!!”




Talk to Nao.

“Ah... Sara.”

“Sara, how are you using the tokens you've gotten?”



“Yeah, of course... We know nothing about the Death Game, so it's best to get more info...”

“Should I buy a prize, I wonder...?”




Talk to Gin.

“Big sis Sara... You look pale, meow...”

“...I'm fine.”

“O-Okay...”




Talk to Alice.

“This is a rather gloomy place... I'm fond of it.”



Music stops.



“Q-taro.”

“Wait, Q-taro. We're not done talking.”

The two went walking toward the lobby with an imposing air about them.

(Keiji...?)






Talk to Keiji / Q-taro.

Keiji and Q-taro are having a dispute.


Music stops.



“..........”

“Talk to me, Q-taro!”

“What is it, you two?”

“..........”

“...Sara....”





“Wha...?!”

“...Sorry...”

“W... What do you mean?! Who took it...?!”



“What...?”

“I handed it over ta Kanna... No charge on it, so I thought it'd be fine...”

“You handed it over?!”

“...Sou must be pulling the strings.”

“...!!”



“That's...”

“You have to have noticed, Q-taro... You knew that... and you still accepted the deal.”



“...”

“..........”

“...I see.”

“Sara, I'm gonna search for Kanna.”

“I'll go too!”

“She went... toward the Ruined Corridor...”

“I don't know what she got into your head, Q-taro...”



“...”

“Let's go, Sara.”

“Right...!”

Talk to Q-taro.

Q-taro is hanging his head.


“..........”




Talk to Kanna.

Music stops.

“Kanna!!”

“..........”

“Could you come over here and talk to us, Kanna?”

“...I...”



“I don't approve of your flirting, Keiji.”





“Hey, Miss Sara... On a date with Keiji? I don't think this place is all that exciting.”

“I could say the same to you.”

“Hahaha... Yeah, I guess so.”

“..........”

A tingling electricity filled the air.

(This is far from a friendly mood...!)



“You heard him. What do you think, Kanna?”

“...I can't do that...”

“And you heard her. Give it up, Keiji.”




“Sou... You don't have the password anyway.”

“Then what's got you so antsy, Miss Sara?”

“...!”

“Aren't you afraid...? Afraid of me seeing what's on this laptop.”

“I'm very curious just what you could be hiding.”

“If you're suspecting us, I think you're gonna be disappointed.”

“Then let's sit down and check that.”

Music stops.



“...What...?”



“Now, Kanna, give me the laptop.”

“...”

Don't, Kanna!! Look me in the eye... Kanna!!”

“Sou... you promised. If Kanna brought the laptop... you would give her that...”

“...”

(“That”...? She doesn't mean...!!)

“Want me to go first, huh...? You're surprisingly cautious, Kanna.”



“Wh... Stop!! What are you thinking, Sou?!”

Music stops.




“...”

(The message... should be changed, right...?)

Kanna traded the laptop for the phone.

“...!”

She stared, transfixed, at the phone's screen.

“...Sis... ter... Sniff... You...”







“Kanna...”

Kanna is crying. But they're not tears of despair. They're tears... of salvation.

(Sure enough... she read the changed message. Don't tell me... did Sou write it...?)

Music stops.

“I've got the laptop.”

“Got nothing left to say to you guys now, Miss Sara.”

“Hold on. You might not, but we sure do.”

“Sheesh. You're stubborn, huh.”

“Quit getting into quarrels. We're all in the same situation, with collars around our necks.”

“..........”

Junpei
Oct 4, 2015

Although next time, you would be wise to heed the ancient Japanese proverb... phone first!
I think Sou's downfall is the fact that he's assuming everyone around him is as cutthroat and willing to be cruel as he is.

Sword_of_Dusk
Sep 30, 2018

Legendary Luminary
Most people would've simply pocketed the drat phone, but not Sara. She had to put it back. And of course it comes back to bite her in the rear end, because why wouldn't it?

Blaze Dragon
Aug 28, 2013
LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

I'm genuinely confused about Sou doing a genuinely good thing. He got nothing out of it too, he would've gotten the laptop regardless, so why? Is there a part of him that isn't a complete monster?

Elfface
Nov 14, 2010

Da-na-na-na-na-na-na
IRON JONAH
It's to torture Sara. At some point she'll have to bring up the possibility that the phone was tampered with, and reveal to Kanna that she knows the message is fake AND what the original was.

NeoRonTheNeuron
Oct 14, 2012
Oh, I'm not so sure about genuinely good... Manipulations like this strengthen his hold over Kanna.

placid saviour
Apr 6, 2009
I can't wait for that little fucker to croak.

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A Bystander
Oct 10, 2012
I'm starting to think this Sou fella doesn't have our best interests in mind!

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