[Dragon]: We now begin the third Trial. It’s up to the eight of us to make sense of the deaths of the [Goat], [Monkey], [Rooster] and [Dog].
He’s wrong. Absolutely wrong. Both him and the [Rat] are idiots. At any second, Lily will arrive and then the game will truly begin.
But the blood drains from my face as my hand hovers over the voting panel.
[https://i.imgur.com/wcNAWeu.png]
The [Rat] is right; the life that I had in this game is gone. A vicious X slashes my hope and pierces my heart.
There’s still some part of me that half-believes that this is a fairytale and if I just read to the end that somehow she’ll be alive. But there’s no getting around it: when it comes to this mafia game, she’s one hundred percent dead.
[Tiger]: [Snake]. You checked me last night, right? What did you find out?
I knew that the future was bleak. Though we like to think that we’re special, that we have a latent talent that no one else has or that someone will come to save us, that dull oblivion can happen to them and not to us, I myself always understood that a sense of destiny isn’t hope but delusion.
*snap* *snap* *snap*
[Tiger]: Hello…? Tell everyone what you found! Tell them that I’m town!
But even still I thought that Lily was different. Generous, hard-working, sharp, sparks in her eyes, isn’t she everything the world would call special…? How can someone like that, someone who deserves stars, just be cast aside like trash?
[Tiger]: Hey! I’m getting mad! Is this some kind of fucking power play, ignoring me like this?
[Dragon]: She’s probably tired. Glass breaking, loud noises throughout the night… of course she’d be fatigued.
The reason I left that dark dormitory wasn’t because I learned to have faith in myself; the creature had still wrapped itself heavily around my heart. It was because I thought that even if I wasn’t talented, even if my future was mundane and colorless, then at least I could support someone else with the power to paint the world. Someone like the girl who, day after day without fail, delivered her own meticulous notes to my door.
[Tiger]: There’s drowsiness and then there’s whatever this is! She’s awake, look - her hands are trembling.
[Pig]: M-maybe she doesn’t want to speak because she found out that the [Tiger]’s a Wolf.
[Tiger]: Shut the hell up! I’ll get her to speak if I have to pry it outta her.
But Lily didn’t have the power to change her future and neither did I. Even in this simple, game-driven world, our lives are toys for other, stronger, more talented, people. Like Gods who might watch us, or the Wolves who can kill us on a whim - we must either live for their amusement or die by their hand. And that’s all we can do.
[Dragon]: Tiger? What are you doing?
[Ox]: We can’t fight here. We’re not animals. Stop!
[Tiger]: Stop freaking out. It’s not like I’m using a blade.
I don’t want to live in a way that supports people I don’t care about. But nor do I want to give them the satisfaction of dying.
So I will just breathe.
in…
out…
in…
out…
I can see the Tiger approach me, fist curled, a fist that’s also shaking.
in….
out….
This must be a mirage; if I just had the energy to lift my hand and wave through her I’m sure she’d disappear.
in…
and then someone steps in front of me.
[Rat]: She told me that she checked you, and found that you were innocent.
and out…
[Tiger]: Huh. Then why was she so shy?
[Pig]: M-maybe it’s because you’re-
[Tiger]: Shut up! I’m a highly respectful young lady. [Rat] you were about to speak, go on.
[Rat]: She lost her voice, so when she found me outside the Trial Room she wrote me a note asking me to speak for her. [Snake], shake your head if I’m wrong.
[Yuri]: …
[Rat]: See? Everything’s in order.
The [Rabbit] flops forward onto the desk.
[Rabbit]: We dunno if you’re Wolf or Town. So why should you be her voice?
[Rat]: Like I said, if I say something she disagrees with, all she has to do is shake her head. You telling me you don’t trust these eyes?
[Horse]: I trust you! We all know not to judge a book by its cover.
There’s a long, uncomfortable silence, as if the entire group had gone temporarily mute.
They must be waiting for someone reputable to take the lead. Someone like the [Monkey], or the [Rooster], or Lily. Maybe I could step in, but I don’t really care. Besides, there’s still one other person who could take charge…
He’s straightening his tie, about to talk.
[Dragon]: Our first two Trials were extremely chaotic; even counterproductive. We’ve had so many arguments about voting that I don’t feel like we’ve made progress towards finding the Wolves.
[Dragon]: But if only one person is in charge of who to vote for then perhaps this Trial will be more constructive.
[Tiger]: Don’t tell me you’re about to make yourself king; I’ll take your crown and bash your skull in!
He shrugs.
[Dragon]: Listen. Let’s say we vote for someone immediately, in the next five minutes. What are the odds that we’ll vote for a Wolf?
[Rat]: Seriously? You want us to vote randomly?
[Dragon]: Just hear me out. What are the odds?
[Horse]: This question’s easy. If three Wolves are alive, it’s three out of eight! But if two are alive, then it’s 25%. If no one votes for the [Tiger], who we know must be Town, then it’s two or three out of seven!’
[Rat]: That sounds correct but the odds are really much worse, because the Wolves will vote as a bloc. If a few Townspeople draw the wrong conclusion, the Wolves will vote alongside those people and a Town will be executed.
[Horse]: But if even one person in the town is smart, they can do detective work and tip the scales. They just need to go full Gagatha Christie or Herlock Sholmes!
[Rat]: I’ve never heard of those detectives but yeah, one perceptive Town can be all it takes to catch a Wolf. Let’s say it all cancels out then and adds up to around a 25 or 30% as you said, if we're forced to vote.
[Dragon]: But what if we had a trial where the Wolves can’t vote and therefore can’t influence the outcome. What would the odds be then?
[Pig]: M-much higher?
[Dragon]: We can strip the Wolves of their votes if we have the [Tiger] dictate who to execute.
At this, the [Tiger]'s scowl vanishes and is replaced with a smile.
[Tiger]: Now we’re talking.
[Dragon]: Since we’ve proven that the [Tiger] is innocent, voting for whoever she says gives Town total control over the game.
[Dragon]: We’ll step away from our voting panels and allow the [Tiger] to cast our ballots for us and the Wolves will be powerless.
So the [Dragon] wants the [Tiger] to take charge. In mafia, this is actually a common play. Once a player is confirmed to be innocent, the Town can have them make all the big decisions while everyone else just pleads their case to that person.
It’s called giving the leader the hammer because their vote hammers the final nail in the coffin for whoever they judge guilty.
The only hammer I have meanwhile is this hammering headache. Even in my dim consciousness, something feels just wrong.
[Horse]: If the [Tiger] takes full responsibility.. then I think I'd like that.
[Ox]: If people have to die so be it - even if my hands feel unclean, my little sibs at home are waiting for me to make them pancakes. If you all say this is the best plan then I'm in.
The [Rabbit] simply nods, though she hardly lifts her head from the table.
The [Pig] looks at the [Tiger], frozen, and the [Rat] gazes up at the ceiling.
[Tiger]: I’ll take this as a unanimous yes! Long live the queen!
She strolls into the circle’s center, clapping.
[Tiger]: Let’s see. Who should I pick?
She raises her hand and gestures at each player in the circle one by one. She stalks past the [Dragon], wavers at the [Rat], and her accusatory finger finally lands on the [Pig].
[Tiger]: She’s suspicious, irritating, and thinks that I’m a Wolf. It’s gotta be her.
[Pig]: I don’t think that! I don’t anymore! I just want to be ignored!
[Tiger]: Then you shouldn’t have voted for me that first day.
Throughout all this, the [Rat] ignores the commotion and keeps his gaze on me. His expression is clouded, and when our eyes meet it’s almost as if he looks far within me.
Hmm? Are you expecting something? He should know, of all people, that I’m not doing anything anymore, not without her.
The [Rat] calls out to the ferocious blonde in a voice that’s serious yet amused. He’s smiling in an easygoing manner but that smile doesn’t reach his eyes.
[Rat]: [Tiger]. Wouldn’t it be better for you to vote for someone who says that they’re Seer?
[Rat]: Since we know for sure that between the [Snake] and the [Dragon] one of them is Wolf, we don’t need to overcomplicate this.
[Tiger]: Then I’d probably pick [Snake], because if she’s too scared to talk, then she has to have something to hide. But my gut feeling is that it’s gotta be the [Pig]!
The [Rat] frowns and runs his hands through his mussed-up hair. Though his eyes always had circles underneath them, in the courtroom’s harsh lighting they appear deeper and darker than ever. He turns towards me, and mouths six words.
Are you still trying to win?
And I just breathe.
[Rat]: Sure, let’s vote [Snake] then. We can vote [Snake] and then I’d like the [Dragon] to investigate me at night. Too many people think I’m suspicious.
What’s this feeling inside me? It’s not betrayal, or broken love; rather, It feels as if the creature inside me is awakening, moving, loosening, and the heart that it was constricting had again begun to beat.
[Dragon]: Wait a minute, [Tiger]. For this plan to work best, no one should influence you. Don’t listen to him.
[Tiger]: You’re not my Papa! I’ll listen to whoever I want!
Their words, their protests, layered one over the other breaks through the haze shrouding my mind. And suddenly I allow myself to think.
Since the second day, I had always known that either the [Rat] or the [Dragon] had to be Wolf. For them to both be Seer is impossible.
I hear the [Rat]’s scratchy voice, almost as if it were slowed, campaigning for my death, and the [Dragon]’s pleading otherwise.
[Yuri]: Hehehe.
I interrupt them. Oh god, I can’t hold myself back any longer.
[Dragon]: God bless you. Do you need a handkerchief?
[Yuri]: Hehehe.
[Tiger]: She’s laughing? What’s so funny?
[Yuri]: Hehehe…
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!
When I’m in pain, my favorite thing to do to make my mind fly away is to get immersed in social deduction. That’s why I spent my lost year playing mafia.
So let’s solve the puzzle of the [Rat] and the [Dragon]. Two teenagers, one slouched in a hoodie and the other sharp in a suit.
It’s a puzzle that already seems complete. The [Rat] has just finished sliding me under the bus while the Dragon is my knight in shining armor (though if I’m going with the bus analogy, it might be more apt to call him a crossing guard).
But are we viewing the puzzle right side up or upside down? You can take a moment to think about it, even if I can’t afford a minute here.
If the [Dragon] is the Seer, and thinks I am a Wolf pretending to be Seer, then why does he want me to live?
If the [Rat] is the Seer, and thinks that I’m Town, then why does he want me to die?
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
[Rat]: She’s clearly not in the right state of mind; I don’t know why I went along and spoke for her before. Like I said, let’s get rid of the [Snake], and have the [Dragon] check me during nighttime.
Even when I’m sitting askew in my chair, half-smiling, half-crying, my mind still churns. I understand. The [Rat] is setting a trap, with myself as the bait.
When there’s two people claiming to be Seer, the only way to know which one is telling the truth is usually by intuition. But there’s another way to know for certain.
If the [Dragon] checks the [Rat] and claims that the [Rat] is Town, and then the [Rat] reveals that he is the real Seer, then the [Dragon] will be exposed as a fraud.
In that situation The [Dragon] just said that the [Rat]'s word was completely trustworthy!
Meanwhile, the [Dragon] does not want me to die, though from his perspective I could only be a Wolf. While he might mean to soothe me his assurances are so illogical that they make my hair stand on end.
[Yur]: Haha… ha…
I catch my breath.
Even if Lily is dead, even if I’m adrift in a world that has nothing else for me, at least I can play mafia.
This feeling that I hold in my heart, it’s not oblivion but joy. It’s just the empty life I return to afterwards that makes playing mafia feel so punishing.
With the [Monkey], it wasn’t just protecting Lily that I loved. It was also the game itself, turning the Town to my command.
By instinct, I know who the Wolf must be. But there’s no solid evidence - as if it were made from glass.
Glass?
Let’s look at the map again.
[https://i.imgur.com/wEMLwi6.png]
Yes, any evidence that I have against the [Dragon] is surely made from glass.
[Yuri]: [Dragon], you said I didn’t sleep well because I heard a shattering.
[Dragon]: [Snake]…? Don’t push your voice too hard if it’s sore. It’s bad for your health.
[Yuri]: Answer me, [Dragon]. How did you know that I heard glass? Your room is far from hers.
I would understand if he heard the thumps. But he’s saying he heard glass shatter when he didn’t even share a ceiling or wall?
[Dragon]: Someone else must have told me about finding broken glass in her room. My mind must still be fuzzy from when we were knocked out because who it was, I can’t say.
[Horse]: I saw the [Dog]’s room with only the [Rat]. I don’t remember talking to you.
[Ox]: I don’t think anyone brought up what the room was like during breakfast.
[Rabbit]: But. Is the [Dragon] saying he heard some bump in the night really a reason to kill him? And what if the [Horse] just forgot she told him about seeing glass? Maybe she forgot she told him…
[Yuri]: There’s more to it. When the [Rat] said he was Seer the [Dragon] didn’t speak up to refute him. Almost as if you were waiting for something.
[Yuri]: You knew that the [Dog] wasn't a Wolf, because you were a Wolf. You didn't claim to be Seer because you understood that report was false, thought the [Rat] was a fake, and realized that you might not have to claim.
[Dragon]: Nonsense. I’ve never played a game like this; I was confused.
[Yuri]: Then the [Dragon] asked the [Tiger] to spare me.
[Yuri]: We’ve both said that we’re Seer. Why would the [Dragon] want someone who is a ‘confirmed Wolf’ in his eyes to stay alive? That doesn’t make any sense!
[Dragon]: Can it just be that I don’t want to be a killer? That I want as many people as possible to survive?
[Yuri]: Then why put our survival in the hands of the [Tiger]?
[Dragon]: She’ll take responsibility for us!
[Yuri]: Yes, she’ll take responsibility and lose!
Despite my shouts, the [Dragon] remains expressionless. But when I reach into my pocket, fidgeting, he betrays just a hint of emotion. It’s not happiness, sadness, anger, or surprise. It’s hard for me to recognize, but it has to be fear.
It’s as if to him, my pocket is a Pandora’s Box. But what is he expecting to be inside? Why is he more afraid of my pocket than my voice?
The only things there, aside from lint and dust, is a wrench - that I’ll probably never use - and my Card. Does he know about the wrench? Does he think that I’m the kind of person to bludgeon him to death with metal instead of words?
This is a mafia game, so I’d much rather play mafia. He should know that. What kind of person does he expect me to be?
Oh… I understand.
[Yuri]: The reason you want me to be alive… maybe you’re afraid that if I’m executed, I’ll show everyone this, consequences be damned.
I pull out my Card, clutching it to my chest.
[Yuri]: If everyone else learns that I’m the real Seer, you’d die next, right? Isn’t that why you want to save me? Cause you think I’d blow myself up?
[Dragon]: [Snake], I don’t believe you’re someone who’d explode herself voluntarily. So put that away.
We both know that I am that kind of absurd person. But I put it away. And speak:
[Yuri]: If you’re against voting for the [Dragon], raise your hand!
The [Dragon] holds his hand high. The [Rabbit] follows, then the [Tiger], and finally, everyone else - all except one.
[https://i.imgur.com/wggtAIV.png]
[Rat]: Ah, I was just testing everyone’s reactions when I said to “vote [Snake].” I’m fine with voting for the [Dragon].
Everyone turns towards him. The [Dragon] is an image of calm since I put away my Card. But one droplet, then another begins roll down his face - not tears, but beads of sweat.
[https://i.imgur.com/Ly4D8zI.png]
The [Horse] lowers her hand too.
[Horse]: I trust the Dragon. But when I weigh the evidence, there’s zero for the [Dragon] and there’s three points for the [Snake].
[Dragon]: Please wait!
He claps and bows his head.
[Dragon]: I sincerely want as many people to survive as possible. I don’t know what to say to make everyone believe that.
[Dragon]: If people want cold logic, there’s another reason I could want the [Snake] to live while still being Seer.
He’s given up his serene mien and speaks at a bullet’s pace.
[Dragon]: Both a ‘Seer’ and a ‘Seer Pretender’ are alive. Normally, the Wolves would try to murder the ‘Seer’.
[Dragon]: But if the ‘Seer’ is killed at night, then the Town will vote for the ‘Seer Pretender’ during the day, therefore killing that Wolf.
[Ox]: My head hurts. What are you trying to get at?
[Dragon]: The Wolves won’t murder me because when I die, the Town will kill the [Snake], who will be ascertained after my death to be a Wolf pretending to be Seer. If we execute her, then the Wolves no longer have a reason to keep me alive.
[Dragon]: If the [Snake] dies, the Wolves will kill me. If she's alive, they'll spare me. That would be the reason I'd want her to live.
[Yuri]: I thought of that possibility. It’s because I believe in your sincere personality that I know you've lied.
[Yuri]: You’re not a coward. And even if you were, the Healer would be able to protect you.
I’ve won. I know I’ve won; the [Dragon] is grasping at straws and any outside observer would find him guilty.
But why does this atmosphere seem so off? Are these the faces of people who’ve been persuaded? Is everyone secretly eating lemons in the Trial Chamber? Don’t look at me like that! Why did it turn out like this?
When I play mafia, they’re games that last no more than a half-hour. But this so-called game lasts for days, and between each Trial people eat, socialize, wander the halls.
I spent all my time with Lily, and I don’t regret that. But the [Dragon] must have used that time to build bonds with other players. Other players who will now protect him.
There’s no greater tool for evil and deception than the power of friendship.
[Yuri]: Listen! If you’ve spent a lot of time with the [Dragon], you must know he’s acting strange! He has to be a Wolf!
[Rat]: [Snake], I believe you. Everyone should.
[Rabbit]: I don’t. We had a good plan today… and you blew it up for no reason…
[Tiger]: That’s true! We were gonna put me in charge!
[Dragon]: And we are still going to.
[https://i.imgur.com/k5tNC3T.png]
He abandons his voting panel and steps away from the circle.
[Dragon]: Time is running out. If you wish to let the [Tiger] vote in your place, stand aside.
[Dragon]: Otherwise vote for who you wish to murder.
The [Ox] quietly backs into the wall. The [Rabbit] moans.
[Rabbit]: I’m very comfortable here… can’t the [Tiger] just slide her hands around me?
The Dragon hauls her away. She leans against the wall, glaring, before once again closing her eyes.
[Rat] 4-4… that’ll be a tie.
[Pig]: [T-tiger], who will you murder? Will it be me?
[Tiger]: I dunno. You and the [Snake] are both pissing me off.
[Pig]: Y-you’ll vote for me! I just know it!
She clings to her desk as if it were a life preserver.
[Pig]: I’m not leaving! I-I’m not!
The [Horse], meanwhile, hesitates, a troubled expression on her face.
[Horse]: Everything you said makes sense! Everything you say I understand, but…
She trails off, looking at the [Goat]’s corpse in the corner.
[Horse]: One. The [Goat] collapsed, for reasons we still don’t know.
[Horse]: Two. We all voted for the [Monkey], but he died when he showed his card to us. So, I guess we didn’t kill him.
[Horse]: Three, the [Rooster], and four, the [Dog] were killed by the Wolves.
[Horse]: Knowing that these bodies were once my friends makes me sick. Already, the only thing that keeps me together is treating them like numbers!
She holds her heart.
[Horse]: If I were to vote for someone that’d be the same as murder, right? It’d be a wish for them to die.
[Rat]: We’re forced to kill people to win. If you don’t vote it’s like you’re witnessing a murder and doing nothing to stop it.
[Horse]: But even if I’m alive after this game, how could I sleep at night knowing who I killed?
[Horse]: If I have to choose between hurting someone by doing nothing, or hurting someone by doing something.
[Horse]: I’d choose to do nothing.
[https://i.imgur.com/Ly4D8zI.png]
She closes her eyes and steps slowly back,
and the [Tiger] breaks into a smile.
[Tiger]: I don’t mind taking blood to survive. I am HUMBLED and HONORED that the five of you chose me to hold the knife.
[Yuri]: Ah, yes, you’re the world’s most humble person.
[Tiger]: And I thought we wouldn’t get along.
She draws a little blade from her pocket.
[Tiger]: Oh, one of the other knives in the kitchen is missing by the way. So I’m innocent; one of y'alls the reason I took this.
WARNING. LOCK IN YOUR VOTES.
WARNING. LOCK IN YOUR VOTES.
WARN *SMACK*
A hairline crack swallows up the words and zags across the screen as she pounds it with the blade’s handle.
[Tiger]: Stop nagging, I get it, I get it. I know who I’ll vote.
She hesitates. Finally, she sighs. She walks over to what should have been the [Dragon]’s seat and taps a vote on his behalf with the knife’s tip.
Beep.
[Pig]: That panel…
Beep. Beep.
[Pig]: That’s mine, right? The middle right?
[Tiger]: No, I could be voting for anyone.
The voting screen’s blue light casts her face in an icy pallor.
[Pig]: Please! Don’t do this!
Beep.
The [Pig] rushes over to the final panel, the [Tiger]’s own. Arms spread and in tears, she stops the other girl.
[Tiger]: The rules say ‘you can’t stop someone voting.’ So, scram.
The [Pig] shakes her head. The [Tiger] steps to the left, and the [Pig] steps left. The [Tiger] steps to the right, and the [Pig] steps right.
The Tiger looks down at her blade and mumbles.
[Tiger]: Guess I’m more of a thief than a killer.
She tosses it away. Then she simply circles to the other side and taps on the upside down screen.
[Pig]: No… no…!
Though the monitor that usually displayed results is broken, we can still hear the intercom’s emotionless drone.
We will now announce the results of the third Trial.
Zero votes… the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Snake, the Rabbit, and the Horse.
Three votes… Dragon
Nominators: the Snake, the Rat, the Pig.
Five votes… Pig
Nominators: the Dragon, the Rabbit, the Horse, the Ox, and the Tiger.
The Pig will be executed momentarily.
[Pig]: Don’t call me the [Pig]!! I have a name!
[Tiger]: Yeah, your name isn’t [Pig]. It’s dead meat.
The Tiger grabs the [Pig]’s blouse. Though she has a smaller frame, the [Tiger] still manages to lift the other girl on her tip toes.
[Tiger]: I’m tired of people who whine and complain. This is the kind of world we live in; the strong eat the weak.
[Tiger]: You played a terrible game; you shoulda killed me at night if you wanted to live. Don’t give me that pleading look!
But the [Pig] had for the whole time looked away, silent. The [Tiger]’s face flushes as if this were some dreadful insult.
She becomes quiet too, but in a quiet of burning tension and rage. She drops the [Pig] onto the floor and suddenly strikes; clawing at her clothing, tearing her sleeves.
[Tiger]: Where is it… I know it’s here… I’m not gonna wait.
The Tiger’s grumgles, dark and low, contrasts with the cowering girl’s shrieks.
[Tiger]: Aha! Found it!
The [Tiger] produced a familiar thin Card, and the [Dragon] shouts. Everyone else is frozen, watching a natural disaster about to strike.
[Dragon]: [Tiger]! Give that card back. That’s against the rules.
He opens the notebook and desperately flips the pages. He finds the writing he’s looking for and shows her the fold as if to ward off an evil spirit.
But the short blonde girl just gives a sadistic smirk.
[Tiger]: Look, everyone! A rival to Herlock Sholmes, or Gagatha Christie, the incredible genius girl detective cracked the case. She caught us a bona fide wolf!
She shows everyone the card. And then shows it to herself.
[https://i.imgur.com/bTIVeFl.png]
[Tiger]: Ah.
The [Pig] falls silent. Her face, which had been twisted in horror and pain, settles into an almost morbid calm.
[Pig]: Y-you broke the rules.
Then she explodes; she being the [Pig]. Blood soaks the [Tiger] from head to toe to fingertips that are left clutching rags and cloth-scraps. She then falls back, not from the blow, but from her own shock.
[Rat]: The full rule as written is ‘don’t let your card be seen.’ I was wondering about that actually.
[Rat]: Turns out that if you force someone else to show their card, they die and not you.
[Tiger]: I knew that. I knew that, but… I didn’t think she’d be the Healer! I-I-I…
The [Tiger] licks her lips, which are covered in blood. Then she spits and gags.
[Tiger]: It was… it was… it was you guys! You guys let me make this mistake! You five!
[Ox]: You can’t blame us! We trusted you!
[Yuri]: But she’s right. It’s not entirely her fault. Don’t look down at the floor; I'm talking about you!
The boy in question is practically choking himself with his tie, a grim aura surrounding him.
[Yuri]: [Dragon], you lied that you were Seer and said the [Tiger] was Town. Then you suggested that I check the [Tiger] while you check the [Dog].
[Yuri]: You killed the [Dog] during the night, leaving the [Tiger] to be the only player everyone knew wasn’t a Wolf. And finally suggested leaving our votes in her hands, knowing that her grudge against the [Pig] would prevail.
[Dragon]: [Snake], this Trial’s been hard on us all. Don’t make it worse by rambling nonsense.
[Rat]: She’s crazy, isn’t she?
Is there a hint of pride in the [Rat]’s voice? Or is that my own delusion?
But, I’m hardly crazy. No, no, no. I’m just logical in a world where everyone else is insane. The only bit of madness that I’ve maintained within me is the small hope that Lily is alive, because even as this mafia game can bring myself to move, the world afterwards is one that I can't take.
I watch the [Dragon] as he departs. His footsteps are heavy, but he glances back and meets my eyes; and in his I catch a cold resolve.