~Y/n pov~

"Gashu had something to gain from tampering with the trade...!" I stated.

"Perhaps he sent the Sacrifice toward someone who he wanted to kill..." Alice suggested.

"Is there an answer in the clues we have left...?!" Kanna asked

Keiji was deep in thought, "There's a fundamental issue... Maybe the Sacrifice wasn't actually sent to anybody?"

"Perhaps he sent the Sacrifice toward someone who he wanted to kill..." Alice trailed off.

"The question is who...someone he has a grudge on?" I asked.

"By formulating an escape plan...he trampled on his honor as a Floor Master!" Alice said vaguely.

"You're talking about...!" Sara was cut off by Alice.

"SOU HIYORIIIIIIIIII!!"

"Gashu meddled to kill Sou Hiyori, the leader of the escape plot. A perfect resolutiooooon!! Be grateful, Sara Chidouin!!"

~*~

"The only clue that hasn't been used yet... is this roster." Sara held it up.

Kanna tilted her head, "It looks kind of familiar..."

"That's just like the torn-up paper I found on the first floor, meow!!"

"Why...?! Why do you have that?!" Gashu looked panicked.

"Oh?" I smirked, "So you didn't intend for us to find that? Just what are you hiding?"

"Oof...!! Miley?! Curse her!! Handing internal documents to participants...?!" Gashu grumbled.

"Gashu! Just what is this roster?!" Sara demanded an answer.

"Hahaha... What indeed..." He laughed.

"Gashu just made a slip of the tongue. ...You freaked him out." Keiji smirked.

Gashu's face went blank, "Whatever could you mean..."

"Your son was a whole lot better at playing dumb, huh?" Keiji insulted.

"There are four bound sheets... And four names on each sheet!" Kanna exclaimed.

"'Sides our names, there's a buncha names I've never even heard...!" Q-taro commented.

A look of confusion filled Nao's face, "Huh...? This roster doesn't seem to be sorted by name."

"Hold on a sec... There are participants whose names aren't on this, huh?" Shin pointed out.

"A roster...? It's reminding me of something, meow..."

"If you want to look closer at the roster, tell Mr. Policeman and we'll look at it together."

" Kurumada... Hayasaka... Kinashi... Tsurugi... And tons of other peeps I dunno!! Were these people who died in the First Trial before they could meet us?!"
Q-taro's input was helpful for once.

"That might be it..."

Shin nervously adjusted his hat, "Hold on a sec... There are participants whose names aren't on this, huh? Counting them now... There are four of us participants whose names aren't listed here."

~*~

"Roster... roster..." Gin muttered to himself, "Ahh!! I remembered it, meow!! The bar on the first floor, woof! There was a list of names on the blackboard, meow!!"

"Now that you mention it, that was a roster too... But I couldn't possibly recall everyone's name..." Sara sighed.

"I memorized it, meow!!" Gin beamed.

"Huh?!"

"Can Drink was... Alice, Kai, Kazumi, Keiji, Y/n, Shunsuke, Sou, Naomichi, Mai, Megumi, Reko, Q-taro... meow! Can't Drink was... Anzu, Kanna, Gin, Kugie, Sara, Joe, Nao, Hinako, Ranmaru... woof!"

"That's amazing, Gin!!"

"Easier than learning the prefectures of Japan, meow! By the way, big sis Sara, your roster... It's missing the names Kai, Sou, Kugie, Joe, and Nao."

Does that mean four of us aren't meant to be here? Sou isn't there but Shin is..

Sara seemed to catch on to this, "Sou... What did you just say?"

"Huh? That there are four people's names missing..."

"...Meow? Kai, Sou, Kugie, Joe, and Nao aren't listed, so... Huh? That's five, woof."

Shin's eyes widened in shock, realising he had messed up, "H-Huh...? I guess I rushed and miscounted... Sorry."

"That mistake isn't just a trivial issue. Why did Sou get it wrong? That's what's important. Gashu, tell us how many participants were dragged into the Death Game."

"....That would be 21."

"There are 17 listed on the roster."

"Plus 5 who aren't listed... Doesn't that add up to 22?!" Alice exclaimed.

"What's that mean, meow?! There were exactly 21 names on the blackboard, woof!" Gin pointed out.

"Well then, let's compare the names on the paper roster with those on the blackboard...!"

Well Shin...I guess you can't hide it anymore...

~*~

"Huh...?! Shin Tsukimi...? That's the only person not on the blackboard, meow!!" Gin stated.

"What's going ooooon?! Just who is this person...?!" Alice exclaimed.

Sara boldly declared, "Shin Tsukimi... is one of us...!!And they rewrote their alias on the blackboard!!"

"No way...?!" Kanna exclaimed.

"Aha..." Keiji chuckled, "Interesting... If we follow that logic...Shin Tsukimi... has already been identified."

I smiled, "As expected of the policeman."

"What'd you saaaaay??" Alice exclaimed.

"If all the names on the paper roster are real, there's someone whose real name hasn't been revealed."

"It's one of the people not on the paper roster. Kai, Sou, Kugie, Joe, or Nao...!!" Sara pointed her finger at them.

Q-taro grinned, "Awright... Let's discuss those five's names!!"

"This is my real name!! Professor Mishima always called me "miss Nao," remember?" Nao told us.

Shin nodded and proceeded to lie, "I'm using my real name too. It was written there at the Prize Exchange, right?"

"Kugie... is the name of Kanna's sister...!" Kanna commented.

"If big bro Joe was using a fake name, big sis Sara would figure out right away, meow!"

"Kai's name was on his laptop. Based on the email logs, should be his real one!"

"Sou... I don't intend to withdraw until you talk." Keiji commented, seeing through his lie.

"W-What's the matter, Keiji?" Sara exclaimed.

Keiji smiled, "Oh... Just impressed by how calmly he could lie."

"...Lie...?"

"There were photos, but no names anywhere." Keiji placed his hand on his neck.

"Ahh... was that right...? I must've had it wrong." Shin chuckled.

"Sou... What exactly...  Are you afraid of...?"

Shin was silent.

"You said you'd tell the truth, right? To defeat Gashu together... We're your allies. Try trusting us... Sou. No... Shin Tsukimi."

"...I want... I want to trust you all, too..." Shin started, "But... but I...!!"

"Shin..." I smiled reassuringly, "It's too late, they already know...but it's ok because I'm here." (All Might that u? 👀)

"I..." He took a deep breath, "My real name is... Shin... Tsukimi...!! I'll tell you everything... Even the secret of that roster!!"

"You know about it, meow??"

"Yeah... Because that's exactly the same as what I got in my First Trial...!!"

I smiled sadly, "Let's all work together, even if it's just for a short while."

"It's... the victory rates for the participants in the Death Game. There's the weird percentages on the left, right...? Those are... everyone's chances of surviving the Death Game to the end... Their odds of winning!!"

"Hmph... Foolishness! How would they know such a thing??" Alice yelled.

"They used the AIs of us to run tests!!" Sara exclaimed.

"Right! They ran simulations of innumerable Death Games, all done entirely digitally!! They explained at horrible length to me how accurate this data was...! And... I saw... my own percentage... 0%... ...Certain death. I absolutely can't survive this Death Game... That's why... I had to abandon "myself"...!!" Shin cried.

"I threw Shin Tsukimi away!!"

"Why assume the name Sou Hiyori...? Was he an acquaintance...?"

"...I wonder..."

"Dear me, what a heartwrenching tale...But time has expired, everyone."

~*~

"Guys, our discussion's definitely progressing. We unraveled the mystery of this roster. Let's trust that the truth of this transgression... lies beyond that answer."

"This is your final discussion... Use it meaningfully."

~*~

"This roster lists the names of the "candidates," those who are qualified for victory. Even Shin Tsukimi, with his 0% chance to actually win, is listed! But, Nao... Out of us survivors, your name is the only one missing!! And in the Monitor Room, too... There was no AI of you! No... There didn't exist a Nao AI to begin with!! Because you were an outsider who didn't meet the qualifications to be a candidate...!"

"And so Gashu tried to kill you! He sent the Sacrifice, with its high risk of death, to Nao! This was your transgression, Gashu!!"

"Ahaha... Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha... Fantastic!! Simply fantastic!! Well done, Ms. Sara!! Such overwhelming mindpower! Such imagination!! And all of your cooperation!! Your unity!! You solved it!! You solved Gashu's shoddy quiz!! Yes indeed!! You are the chosen one!!!!"

"I'm sorry, everyone... I kept quiet about the Sacrifice the whole time... Thinking about what would happen we couldn't do it... I just couldn't say it!!"

"It's not your fault, Nao. All the fault... lies with Gashu!!"

~*~

"And this time, the right thing is to choose logic, so that you can escape!! You should choose Kanna!!" Kanna smiled sadly.

Tears threatened to spill, "K-Kanna?"

"JUST STOOOOOOOOOOP IIIIIT...!!!!!!" Shin yelled.

"...It's time to vote. I cannot wait any longer..."

I decided as much as I don't want to...I'd vote for Shin because that's what he wants..

~*~

Keiji - 0 votes
Kanna - 5 votes
Sou - 3 votes
Nao- 2 votes

~*~

"Thank you... Sara..." Kanna smiled, tears in her eyes.

"Why?! Why didn't you choose me?! I'll never forgive you, Sara...!!" Shin cried

"Y/n... Before I go... um... Could you... give me a hug...?"

I smiled sadly, "How can I say no?"

~*~

"Well then... I-I'll... announce the results...
The Keymaster was Keiji Shinogi.
The Sage was Q-taro Burgerberg.
The Sacrifice was Nao Egokoro.."

"I'm glad that I didn't have to betray you."

"Miss Sara... take this..."

"T-This is...!!"

"It's... an instant death switch. Unless you want her suffering to be long... You just have to press it."

Click click click click! Click click click click click! Click click click click! Click click click click click!Click click click click! Click click click click click!Click click click click! Click click click click click!

There was...Nao's lifeless body...

~*~

"Professor... I'm sorry... The present I was going to give you... I still couldn't finish it..."

"That's all right. You'll have plenty of time now."

"Paint to your heart's content, Nao."

"Yes...!"

~*~

"Next... is Kanna."

"Please take care of Sou... / Everyone... get along together..."

"Activating collar device... the Human Flower...!"

"Urgh... My neck... hurts..."

"Just now, Human Flower seeds were injected by your necklace through your body."

"Stop, Safalin...!! What are you doing?!"

"Please be at ease... She won't suffer like miss Nao. Roots will spread through her body... and feeling a comforting numbness... she'll die beautifully... Now, they will bloom..."

"...I'll kill you... Worthless... It's all worthless... The Floor Masters... Sara... Every one of the riffraff... I'll kill every one of you who killed Kanna...!! That's right... and first... will be Sara..."

~*~

Shin gripped onto my shirt, balling his eyes out. I hugged him, gently running my hand through his hair.

Silent tears slipped down my cheeks.

Kanna....

~*~

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1805 words

A/n I hated making this decision is the game...but we all know for the sake of the fanfic he needed to live.