The image of Mishima's neck getting fried is permanently burned into my mind.

I will forever be traumatized. There's no denying that.

But I could never understand the pain she's feeling...

Nao is kneeling by professor Mishima's dead body and puddle of blood.

Mishima is dead because of our majority vote.

An innocent man died because of this stupid fucking death game...

I'm still a mess myself. I'm on Joe's lap getting hugged my him and Sara has her hand on my shoulder. If I wasn't so scared, sad and angry I would be a blushing mess. I'm clinging onto Joe like my life depends on it and crying my eyes out. 

I hear shuffling and suddenly a head of orange is in front of me and next to Joe's other side. Sara looks me dead in my eye. "(F/n)." I try to stop crying at the sound of my name. "...Ah...sniff...y-yeah...?" I croak out. "(F/n), I know this situation is absolutely terrifying. I'm scared myself. But you can't let your fear consume you. You have to keep going."

I know she's trying her best but...

"I-It's not that easy Sara...I don't want to...sniff...be a burden but...ahh... I'm scared..." Sara frowns. "You can do it, (F/n). You'll be fine. Just try not to think about the fear." I look up at Joe and he smiles half heartedly. "I believe in you." He ruffles my hair and I try to smile. I wipe my eyes and get up. Sara hugs me and I hug back. 

After a while she pulls back and pats my back. "C'mon partner...let's go." She smiles at me and I crack a small one too. I grab Sara's hand for reassurance. I need it to not fall apart.

There's no time for tears...

We turn around to look at the exit to see Sou standing behind the door. He looks pissed. "Dammit!! She got us!!" He says. Sara and I walk up to him. "Miss Sara, miss (F/n)... Look at this..." Sou slowly closes the door. "Read it." He says. I wipe my eyes, clear my throat and start reading. 

--------------------------

[The Second Trial] 

[-Practise Round-] 

This is a Practise for the Main Game. The start is signaled by the doll's revival. Follow instructions and hold a majority vote. The one with the most votes is to be sacrificed. However, this is a practice round. If the votes come to a draw, the game is forfeit."

--------------------------

I step back.

"We could have avoided this!? How did we miss the back of a fucking door!?" I pull on my hair with both hands and feel Sara's hand on my back. "The Second Trial... It's named just like the first one we did..." Sou mumbles. "No shit!" I yell and bury my face in Sara's chest. "We never noticed...this note...!" Sara whispers in disbelief. "Dammit!! It's all 'cause I said to keep the door open in case there was danger...!!" I hear Reko facepalm. "...We were clearly lead into doing so. This room had an ominous air even before entering." Kai deducts. "The game's forfeit if it's a draw?" Joe practically chokes on his words.

I start pacing back and forth in front of the door.

"We searched everywhere and we missed the back of a door!? How!?" I keep doing wild gestures. "If everyone got the same amount of votes, then there'd be no victim..." Keiji states. "Y...Yer kiddin' me! S-So he died for nothin'!?" Q-taro asks. "Hahahah... How stupid are we?" I laugh and hold the back of my head. "I think I'm losing my mind..." I simply say. Sara grabs my hand and I look up at her. She gazes at me with a frown. I sigh and force myself to calm down for now. Sara looks back at Nao.

Oh God no...

We take a couple steps closer to Nao. "Professor... Professor... This is...just a lie, right? Professor..." 

Nao picks up Mishima's torso and smiles while trembling. "Please... Please get up... You can't do this... Everyone's worried... Professor...?"

Nao...weakly shook Professor Mishima's body...

...and his scorched, fragile neck...fell off...

Nao's smile faltered.

"...Pro...fessor...?"

"N...Nao! D...Dont touch that!" Joe yelled.

I covered my mouth.

I ran to an empty corner and threw up...

The smell and the gore... It was just too much...

I feel disgusting...

I feel a gloved hand on my back. It's Gin with Reko behind him. "(F/n)...you okay?" Reko asked.

I breathed heavily and backed away from my mess. "I...I'm sorry..." I mumble out. "Don't be ridiculous!! Don't apologize for that!!" Reko wipes my mouth with a handkerchief she had. Sara walks over as well to give me a pat on the back. "Meow... The old guy..." Gin shivers as he looks at Mishima's corpse. "Don't look, Gin! Stay away!" Joe orders. Gin hugs my waist and I kneel down to hug him fully. "Dammit...!! Dammit!! What the hell!!" Q-taro is pacing back and forth.

"Who...who voted...for Mishima...?"

Everyone turns to Joe. Reko clenches her fists. "Shaddup, you eyesore...!!" She yells. "Reko!" I say in a reprimanding tone but she doesn't budge. "H...Huh!? I mean...it's because of the votes he...!" Reko doesn't let him finish. "It's always possible everybody voted for someone 'sides themselves, you know!!" I see Joe start to sweat. 

Keiji walks in between the two with his hands raised. "...Settle down, now. Listen, everybody... Don't do any probing into each other's votes." Keiji orders. "But...!" Joe gets cut off again. "We voted without knowing a thing. No one...had any ill will. You'd know that, right, you two?" Keiji asks Sara and me.

"Huh!?" I let my confusion be known as I stand back up. I look to Sara and she starts talking. "I think you're right...we didn't know anything would actually happen..." She admits. "I mean, yeah! But..." I can't finish the sentence. "See? You agree." She grabs my hand and we face the others. "...Keiji is right. We shouldn't talk about the votes, Joe." The man in question is dumbfounded. "Sara..." He sighs and looks down. "...I got it... Just let me...be alone for a sec..." 

He starts walking out but I meet him by the exit. "Joe...are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" I ask. He sighs and nods. "Thanks (F/n), but... I need to gather my thoughts..."

He staggers out and I slowly walk back. And the others...some left, some stayed. They all began to scatter their own ways.

The people who stayed are Keiji, Nao, Gin, Sara and me.

I turn to Sara with a sigh and hold the back of my head. "This fucking sucks..." Sara nods and takes a deep breath. "You ready to go on...?" She asks.

Wish I knew the answer to that myself...

"I dunno... I don't have a choice, though. Do I?" I ask. Sara looks away from me. I take her hand and squeeze it. "Lead the way." I smile gently and she smiles back.

Here we go...

Sara and I walk up to Gin. He's right next to Mishima's body. Sara sighs and kneels down next to him. "Gin, I know how you feel, but you shouldn't be here..." I kneel beside her. "Listen to big sis Sara, Gin. You shouldn't have to see this, sweetie..." I gently whisper. "...J-Just a little longer, meow... It was just for a little bit...but... We were searching together, woof..." Gin squeezes his plushy tightly and stays right there. Sara opens her mouth to protest but I put a hand on her shoulder. "You heard him... Just a bit longer... Let's let him say his goodbyes..." Sara thinks about it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

I trust Gin. He's a smart kid, he should know his limits...

We decided that we should leave Nao alone and let her process what just happened so we walked up to Keiji, who was leaning against the wall. He looks deep in thought. "So...everyone else went outside..." I simply state while rubbing my arm awkwardly. Keiji turns to me. "...They all need time to think right now. So do you (F/n), and you Sara...and me too, 'course. I'm sure everybody' ll come back." He assures us with a smile. We nod at him.

Well, I think the both of us need to step out for a bit too.

I really don't wanna look at...Mishima...in that state anymore...

Sara and I silently walk out of the pink room while holding hands and into the cafeteria where we see Kai who is staring directly at the kitchen door. "It is locked... Perhaps there's nothing to be done." He murmurs to himself. "Umm... Kai? What are you doing...?" I ask. He turns to me. "I was thinking of ways to enter the kitchen. It has not yet been checked, you see." He explains. "...You're so calm." Sara mused.

And then silence.

They just look away and don't say anything.

"Umm...guys?" I ask, clearly uncomfortable. Kai seems to notice my discomfort and tries to start up some form of communication. "Miss Sara...?" She looks at him. "Err, Kai... Are you..."

The lights go out.

"What the fuck!?" I say before I can stop myself. "Ah...!" I hear Sara let out a surprised noise. "Miss Sara, miss (F/n), are you both alright?" Kai asks us. "I'm fine." Sara assures him. "Same...!" I say. "It may be a trap. Let us look for the switch." I hear Kai say, followed by some footsteps.

Shit, I can barely make out anything here!

I feel a feminine hand grab my arm, which means it's Sara. "(F/n), can you see well in the dark?" She asks. "Kinda? I just have to focus a lot. Let's look for the switch." I grab Sara's hand and start dragging her in the direction of the entrance wall but she halts. "Wait...(F/n), look!" She moves my head in the direction of a table we just passed and I notice a weird, green glow underneath it.

"Huh...? The fuck is that...?" I ask. "Let's investigate." Sara drags me this time to the table. We kneel down and look at what it is. Before I can grab it Sara slaps my hand. "Look first. We need to be careful." She whispers. "Right." I nod.

It's some sort of green writing on what looks like a blue card...?

I start reading.

----------------------------

The one who claims this: 

This now belongs to you. Keep it on you always. 

This is a key to the exit. 

Let no one else know of the existence of this card. 

Otherwise, you will die.

----------------------------

"W...What...?"

I don't have time for confusion or fear because the lights turn on.

"Miss Sara, miss (F/n), are you both unharmed?"

SHIT!! KAI NOT NOW!!!

I go to grab the card but Sara snatches it before I can and hides it in her pocket. She grabs me by the collar and pulls me up from behind the table. Kai is on the other side. "W-We're okay. Looks like the lights came on." Sara tries to act casual but my legs are shaking like a leaf. 

I may have a great poker face but I can never control my shaking or the look in my eyes.

Good God I hope Kai falls for this!

Please! I don't wanna die!!

Kai rubs his chin. "Let us look at the other rooms to see if anything occurred in that moment."

OH THANK FUCK HE'S NOT ASKING ABOUT MY SHAKING!

Kai starts walking towards the entrance and I go to follow but Sara stays put. I look at her and see her pull the card out. She flips it to see the back.

The back is yellow and has the image of a purple, fancy looking key on it. There's also text that says "Keymaster" on it.

"Weird...sounds kinda like a role..." I mumble. Sara nods and stuffs the card back into her pocket quickly. "Kai, hold on. (F/n) is scared of the dark so we need a minute for her to calm down." Sara tells him. I narrow my eyes at her but Kai nods and stands on the other side of the doorway.

"Why that excuse?" I ask. "It was barely visible, but you were shaking. It's a good enough excuse." She shrugs. I sigh. "Not completely fake either. Sometimes the dark creeps me out. Anyway, let's talk."

Sara nods. "It's weird how both of us found this card and we didn't die, but it's possible that if we tell someone we have this card, we will die. We can't risk it, okay?" She tells me. I nod. "I know...sucks to keep a secret from the others, but I wanna live. Anyways, "Keymaster" seems kind of like a role right...?" I ask. "Yes, it could be a role of the person who holds the key to the exit." Sara theorizes and I get an epithany.

"Do you think the others have cards that will help us get out of here?" I ask. Sara rubs her chin. "It's possible... We definetly can't rule that out. Good thinking, (F/n)." She smiles at me. I smile back and shrug. "Alright let's go see if anything's changed." Sara starts to lead the way but I get a realization of what I can ask.

I halt and Sara turns back to me. "How do you know Kai?"

...

I see her start to sweat.

"I want you to be comfortable with telling me, but I need to know whether I need to watch out for him or not. Please tell me, Sara..." I look at her sadly. 

She stays silent for a moment before sighing. "I...think Kai is my stalker..." She admits.

...

"WHAT-!?" 

Sara covers my mouth and I pry her hand away. "Sorry! Sorry! But seriously!?" I whisper shout. She nods. "I'm not a 100% sure, but it's possible. So, please be careful, (F/n)..." Sara squeezes my hand and I reciprocate before nodding. "I will. C'mon let's go." Sara lets out a sigh of relief and nods.

We head outside of the cafeteria and go to central hall to see a huge set of stairs in the middle of the hall.

"Woah what the...!?" I yell out. Q-taro and Sou are here. I power walk to Sou with Sara following behind. "Look, miss (F/n)! There are these stairs here now." Sou points out. "Yeah, I can see that!" I say while gripping my head. "Wonder where they lead..." Sara thinks aloud. "I don't know... But... Miley left a few spots of blood. I'm sure she went up here." He says. "...Miley...!! Did anyone else go up?" Sara asks. "I only just got here, so I dunno... Has anyone gone missing?" Sou asks. "We haven't checked yet so we can't really answer that..." I admit.

Nobody better have went up there yet, I swear to God!

Sou narrows his eyes at Sara and I but speaks with concern. "You two aren't thinking of going up, are you, miss Sara and miss (F/n)? I'm telling you for your own good... You should refrain for now." He says. "Umm no. Definetly not yet! I'm keeping my happy ass down here." I tell him and he nods. "...More importantly, there's something I wanna show you both." 

"Eh...?" Sara makes a confused noise. "Didn't we check this place top to bottom already?" I point out. Sou just flashes an innocent grin. "Come to the back of the cafeteria... Please." He starts walking away. "Ah, Sou...!" Sara calls after him but he just keeps going.

"Sure! Not creepy at all!" I yell after him and facepalm. "Let's go see what Q-taro has to say before I completely lose my mind, Sara..." I tell her. "Sounds good..." She chuckles awkwardly. 

We walk up to Q-taro. "Now when'd this get here...!" He gestures to the stairs. "Don't tell me these stairs lead to the Main Game grounds..." Sara shivers at the sheer thought. "Dunno 'bou that... But whatever the case, bet we gotta go..." Q-taro sighs. "Miley said she'd be on the Main Game grounds and since there are spots of blood here, I'm willing to bet your theory is right, Sara. Sorry." I frown and Sara groans.

"Dammit, it's just gonna be a trap anyhow...! Whaddya two think?" Q-taro asks. "...Everyone's on edge right now... If we go, we should get everyone together first." Sara points out. "I think so too. Strength in numbers, as they say." Q-taro nods at my reasoning. "...But you heard about the Main Game...right? We're gonna...make one of us die...? 'Course I don't wanna take part in it... But mentally... How're we supposed to have unity...?" He asks. "You...might have a point, but..." Sara couldn't finish her sentence. "We'll just have to figure it out somehow... No other way." I cross my arms.

"...Dammit!! Awright. I'm gonna wait. Gonna try an' believe in you two. We'll go up there when everyone's assembled. Anybody tries to go up on their own, I'll catch em' but good." Q-taro grins proudly. "Thanks, big guy. Don't wanna lose anyone else." I smile and fistbump him. "Please don't be rough, okay?" Sara smiles awkwardly. He nods and gives us a thumbs up as we walk away from him.

"Alright, I think we have to see what Sou wants to show us." Sara says. I groan. "Do we have to? That guy gives me the chills..." I rub my arms. Sara grabs my shoulders. "I know Sou is not the most trustworthy person right now, but we have to explore as much as this place has to offer. I'll protect you if he tries to do something, okay?" She smiles. I nod. "Okay...thanks, Sara." I grab her hand on my shoulder. "You're welcome." She backs up.

I really trust Sara. She just has an aura that radiates that she's a good person. I want to let her know she can trust me too...

"...I voted for Sou." I say flatly. 

Sara's eyes widen for a second. "Why are you telling me this?" She tilts her head. "If we're gonna be a team then I want you to trust me. I figured this was a good place to start. You don't have to tell me yours, I just-" 

"I voted for Sou as well." She cuts me off. 

I stay silent. 

"If you're going to trust me with your vote, I'll trust you with mine. Glad to see we think alike, at least." She smiles. "Heh, yeah. Alright, let's see what this teal creep has to show us then." I try to make light of the situation. Sara nods.

We go to the back of the cafeteria and it looks as normal as it can while being pitch black with an ominous red light. We look around but see no trace of the beanie wearing man. "...Miss Sara, miss (F/n). This way, this way. I'm over here..." I hear Sou's voice from the right side of the room. "How about you come meet us and not creep in the shadows?" I ask but get no answer. Sara shakes her head and holds up a lighter to where his voice came from. "It's a door!" I point out, shocked. "To think this was here..." Sara mumbles. I open the door with my free hand and we walk in, closing the door after us.

It's a dark room with what looks to be a desk with a lamp and a bookshelf on the opposite side of the room. Sou is leaning against the desk with one hand in his hoodie and the other on his scarf like usual. "Dark, isn't it? There's only the light from that stand." Sou says. Sara narrows her eyes at him. "What did you want to show us in this place?" She asks. "Check what's on the desk." He grins and walks away from the desk to reveal a laptop!

Why the fuck is there a laptop here!?

"A laptop!?" I shout. "Very intriguing, right? I did try starting it up. There's no power cord, but it seems to be running on battery power. So once the battery's dead, it's over. Want to investigate what's on it, but..." Sou trails off. "Right... This might be a trap, too." Sara points out. "I'm aware of that. But we can't not investigate it, you know? However...there's a problem." Sou says. "Of course there is! What is it?" I ask. "This laptop...its blocked with a password." Sou informs. "Great! Can't say I'm surprised though..." I sigh.

The kidnappers have proved to be anything but merciful. Why would they do us a solid all of a sudden?

"So you can't see what's stored on it?" Sara asks. "I tried some random passwords, but all I accomplished was draining battery... You two got any ideas?" Sou asks. I shake my head. "Hmm... Someone's name?" Sara suggests. "Aha! That's a possibility. And if it opens with someone's name... There's a good chance they're the laptop's owner! ...But if it's a name we don't know, there'd be no way for us to learn it. It'd be best if we could just conveniently find a piece of paper with the password..." Sou rambles.

If only! That'd be the fucking dream.

"Wouldn't that be nice..." I sigh. "Now that would definetly be a trap." Sara states. "...Yeah. Hmm... If we just had a hint..." Suddenly Sou looks like he's had an epithany. "Ahh... A hint, huh? Maybe this is a hint from the kidnappers." Sou proposes. "What do you mean?" Both Sara and I ask. He looks at us wide eyed. "Don't question it." I say. He nods. "There's probably information on here that's valuable to us, but worthless to them. Solve the riddle and we'll generously give it out. If you can't, it doesn't matter to us... Like that. And we can't see it once the battery goes dead, so it's like a time-limited treasure chest." Sou explains.

Woah... I didn't even think of it like that!

"Damn... That's...actually a good theory, Sou." I say. He grins. "Okay, I'm going to stay here and work on figuring out the password! Miss Sara, miss (F/n), tell me if you find any clues." With that he grabs the laptop and sits on the ground with it. I grab the lighter from Sara and take a look at the books. "They've got proper covers... But they're all blank notebooks on the inside. Keiji was saying there might be a meaning to the ordering of the books, though." Sou says without even looking up from the laptop. "Keiji knows about this room?" I ask but don't receive an answer.

Rude

Guess he's gotten too into it to listen.

"C'mon, Sara. Let's go get everyone else together." I say and grab her hand. "Good luck, Sou." I salute him and he nods briefly at me before looking back down to the laptop. 

We walk out with Sara until we get to the bar passage. Reko is there with Kanna and hands her a tissue. "Here... Wipe off with this." Kanna shakily takes the tissue from Reko. "...Thank you very much..." She says. Reko pinches her nose as if to stop a headache from forming. "Tch, damn puppet... As if you've even got a change of clothes."

Poor Kanna...

Sara and I walk up to them. "You two..." As soon as Sara starts speaking Kanna finches and her eyes widen. Sara frowns and looks down in shame. I look at Kanna and she keeps eye contact with me for a second before looking away. 

I'm sure she's hurt that Sara lied, but since I never actually did lie I'm not sure if she feels the same about me. Does it still count if you don't correct them?

Ugh... Who am I kidding? That's just as bad!

Reko turns to us. "Hey, you guys think you could look for somethin' Kanna could wear?" Sara nods. "No problem."

I can't just leave Kanna like this.

I take my hoodie off and hand it over to Reko. I've got a t-shirt underneath so it's fine. "Here. She can cover herself with this for now. We'll look for something better." I say. "Thanks, (F/n)." Reko smiles and hands the hoodie to Kanna. The girl looks at me. "Thank you..." She mumbles. "No problem, sweetie." I smile back at her. She puts it on. The hoodie is way too big on her but at least you can't see that she peed herself.

Sara and I walk into the bar to see Joe sitting on a stool, hunched over. He did say he wanted to be left alone. Just as I'm about to turn back, Sara walks up behind Joe until she's right next to his ear. "Why so droopy, Joe? This ain't like you at all!" She grins. Joe blushes and finches away from her but his down expression remains. "...I'd say that right back at you, Sara." He sighs. "Well, yeah..." 

The atmosphere is tense again... 

I walk up to them. "Hey, Joe. You managed to think some stuff over?" I ask. He nods at me and crosses his arms. "It's kinda calming here, somehow... Wonder why... I've never had a drink in my life." He grins.

Well he seems to be a bit better...!

"Dunno if sips count but if that's the case, I've drank alcohol before." I shrug. 

Silence again. 

"...Hey, guys. Do you really think Keiji's a cop?" Joe asks. Both Sara and I make surprised noises. "Joe... Have you been doubting it the whole time?" Sara tilts her head. "I-I mean... Just wanted your two's opinion." Joe tries to act casual. "I...havent really thought about it..." I admit and rub my chin.

Do I think Keiji's a cop??

I mean...he does have a sence of authority around him and he has a great ability to lead... I'm not sure... I just assumed he was telling the truth since I don't see why someone would lie about that, but...

"I...I think Keiji's a cop." Sara says, breaking my train of thought. "Huh... Right, okay..." Joe says with a smile. It falters quickly, though. "Damn, I'm a loser, aren't I... Just a little difference in opinion's got me uneasy." Joe sighs. "Hey, don't say that! You have every right to be wary! We only just met these people. Hell, I'm surprised you haven't voiced any doubts about me." I admit. "Well I can tell you're not lying because you always voice your opinions and seem very genuine." Joe says. "Heh, thanks!" I smile at him. 

God, he's such a sweetheart.

He better not die.

Joe runs a hand through his hair. "...Me, I can't think there's someone siding with the kidnappers among that bunch." Joe confesses.

Wait what?

"Huh...?" Sara makes a surprised noise. "Wait...weren't you the one who proposed the idea?" I ask. "Yeah, but..." Joe rubs his neck and doesn't finish his sentence. 

I guess it's just his intuition speaking. 

"But the more I try to believe, the more suspicious I get..." Joe sighs before looking up at the both of us. "Listen, guys. Could you...look into Keiji a little?" He asks. "Us?" Sara points at us both. Joe stares at us for a second before crossing his arms and shaking his head. "...Nah, sorry. Yeah, pretend I never asked." I put a hand on his arm. "Hey, if you're so concerned, we'll do it. Don't worry." I smile. Joe looks grateful.

There's a gasp from behind me.

Both Joe and I look behind me to see Sara holding her head and looking distressed. "Sara...?" He asks. "You okay...?" I retract my hand from Joe and reach out to grab Sara's hand. She takes a step back. "I...It's nothing. Leave it to us, Joe." Sara tries to change the subject. "Y-You two sure? Don't push yourselves too much." Joe says. "We won't, don't worry. Just relax." I tell him before grabbing Sara's hand and heading out of the bar. I lead her away from everyone until we find an empty area to talk. This happens to be the Game Room.

I pull away from Sara and cross my arms. "What happened?" I ask. "N-Nothing (F/n)..." I cut her off. "Sara, I'm not dumb. You and I both know that, that's bullshit. Look I just want to know what's going on so I can help." I frown. Sara thinks about it. "We want to trust each other, right?" I ask. Sara nods and keeps her head down. She sighs. "Back in the bar when Joe was talking about Keiji... I thought that it is best for us to find out more about him...for my own survival too... Is there...something wrong with me?" Sara places a hand on her forehead. "Oh, Sara..." I walk up to her and give her a hug.

She twitches, not expecting it.

"There's nothing wrong with ya, Sara. You just want to live, that's all. It's normal human instinct to want to live. I'm the same way." I admit and pat her back. Sara slumps against me and sighs. "Thanks, (F/n)... I needed that." She admits. "I think every single one of us needs a hug right now... You're strong Sara but don't be afraid to show your feelings every once in a while. They make you human. I know you want to be strong for everyone else but that's not healthy. Trust me, I would know..." I say. Sara pulls back a bit to look at me and raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" She asks.

Ah shoot... Should I really ramble about my life right now? Well...if it'll make her trust me...

"I have a lot of online friends with mental illnesses and I always try to stay strong around them to not show them my problems or that I'm unhappy because I want to help them. Sometimes though, I need to crack the mask and complain about my own problems and life. They're really nice and supportive so I don't know why I don't take off the mask more often..." I admit. Sara smiles at me. "I guess we have a lot more in common then we originally thought." She says. "Heh... Guess so." I smile back at her. We hug one more time before deciding to get back to puzzle solving.

We walk hand in hand to the Blue Room where we played Russian Roulette. We see...Kanna...sitting there? 

"Kanna...?" I ask quietly. "Wait wasn't she with... What...?" I stumble over my words in confusion. We walk up to her and Sara waves a hand in front of her face. 

She doesn't react. 

"...This is...a doll..." Sara realizes. "What... How is it so detailed...?" I inspect the doll more and feel weird. I grab its hands and inspect them. "Please use as you wish." I read the text on the doll's hand. "As I wish?? Ew..." My face scrunches up as my mind immediately goes into the gutter.

Sara looks at me weirdly. "...As I wish... Well, Kanna needs clothes..." She says. 

I know what she's suggesting... 

I sigh. "Alright... Let's just take 'em. Don't think about it too much." We dress the doll down and get Kanna's uniform. "Let's hide it behind a chair or something." I suggest. Sara nods. We pick the doll up, which was about as heavy as the actual person by the way, and hide it where no one would find it. "Alright, let's bring those clothes to Kanna." Sara says. I fold the clothes neatly before picking them up and walking out of the room with Sara.

Once in the bar passage, we walk up to Reko and Kanna who's still wearing my hoodie. "You two found anything Kanna could wear?" Reko asks. "Yeah." I say simply and hand the uniform to Reko. "We found this on the Blue Room." Sara adds. "Wha...! Ain't this the same exact uniform!? Creepy... Why the hell've they got stuff like this prepared?" Reko asks. "...Thank you very much..." Kanna mutters.

She looks even more feeble...

Poor thing.

Sara takes a step towards Kanna. "...Kanna." 

The girl moved back a bit with a startled yelp. 

"H...Hey, Kanna...? Easy now. What's up?" Reko asks. Kanna looks at both Sara and I. "I'm...sorry... Please don't be nice to me anymore... I'm afraid...of having hope...!" She grabbed the uniform from Reko and ran off. "Kanna!" I shout after her but she doesn't come back. "Guys! Hey! What's the deal?" Reko asks while making wild gestures. I feel Sara grab my hand. I look to her and see she's shaking while keeping her head down.

Oh no...

"Sara?" I ask. Reko steps up to her and puts her hands on her shoulders. "Sara, look me in the eye... Don't sit there an' brood over crap." Sara looks up at her. "Eh...?" Reko nods, having got her attention. "Talk to me. Or are you just not listenin' to what I say?" Sara sighs. "...I understand..."

Sara then proceeded to explain the whole thing with Mishima and Kanna.

"Mishima said that...!?" Reko asks. "It's my fault..." Sara mumbles. "No it's not! If anything it's all our faults for going along with it!" I say. "Cut it out! Don't say that shit! Did you both want to hurt her!? 'Course not, right!? Sure, Mishima was the first to lie...! And I dunno if it was right or not...! But guess what!? There was hope in Kanna's eyes! You know how hard it is to show hope to a person who's heart's been snapped...!? " Reko asks. 

Both Sara and I stay silent. 

Reko starts pacing. "Dammit...! Why...Why'd I go callin' Mishima a nutty professor..." She sighs and facepalms. "Reko..." Sara mumbles.

We're already having regrets... Great...

"Guess it ain't fair to decide he's no good just 'cause he's a man..." I raise an eyebrow. "Are you afraid of men, Reko?" I ask. She looks at me for a second before sighing. "I'd rather not talk about it... Anyways, I get the sitch now. I'll back Kanna up and get that hoodie back, you two. It's what we do now that's important, right?" Reko asks. "Yes...!" Sara smiles. "Hell yeah!" I grin. Reko gives us a smile before she walks off looking for Kanna. "Alright... Back to exploring?" I ask. "Yep."

We head to the Game Room again. "This is really back and forth, huh?" I ask Sara. "Kind of. At least this way we have a general sense of the layout." She shrugs. "True." With that we head into the Game Room.

There's someone walking into the Red Room!!

I open my mouth to ask who it is but Sara covers my mouth. The person closes the red door behind them and Sara uncovers my mouth. "Who was that?" I ask and grab onto Sara's arm. "I don't know. Have you got a theory?" She asks. "Well they were tall and had a male figure so I'd assume Keiji but wouldn't he be with a group or at least one other person?" I ask. "Good point... Let's be careful." Sara links our hands together again and gives mine a squeeze. I squeeze back and nod. "Alright..." I say. We walk over to the door and try the knob. 

It's unlocked. 

Sara and I take a deep breath before walking in.

---------------------------

[Author's Note]

Aaaaaaaand cliffhanger!

We got a new cover! You guys like the fanart I used (not mine of course)?

I wanted for this book to stick out a bit since the previous cover was a placeholder and has been used SO MANY TIMES XP

If any of you has some skill in making covers and wants to make me one, go right ahead! I'm HOPELESS when it comes to that stuff!

Next chapter we're meeting a new character so that's always fun!

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! I sure as heck am enjoying sharing this book with y'all!

Anyways that's it. Love y'all to death.

Kaja is finished here ^^

[Word Count: 6004]