I know you said you won't give your source, but that sounds a bit fishy. [Or more than just a bit.] This isn't something you witnessed yourself, is it? You heard about it secondhand from someone?
And what does that part about "still being part of the game" mean? Just that the victim's name wasn't taken off the registry?
I wouldn't be repeating it if it was merely a rumor. I witnessed it, if you must know, but I won't discuss details further than that. I have to look out for myself, you understand.
As for that, well... their cards can still be earned. I suggest you trust me on that without elaboration, as well.
You're starting to sound like a magnet for misfortune!
Unless it was at the Roost. That's the only place I've been where I can see myself walking into a crime scene accidentally. You can at least say where it happened, right?
[And now for the second part. Hiyori blinks at the screen a moment, unsure what Esikko is even implying at first.]
[Not that he didn't already know that. But if anything drove that point home, it'd be this.]
Were you the only one who saw? I don't like the thought of this getting out. If everyone knows they can act as violently as they please, there's no telling what might happen.
You're not the first person who's told me there aren't consequences, though. So on second thought, it might be too late.
( Hm. Sorry again, Hiyori, he might have already let it slip to a few people. )
Aside from the killer, yes. That's why I can't exactly say anything. I should hope you'll be careful before spreading this around, either. Spread the facts as I listed them without talking about hearing about someone getting murdered, if you can. I don't want it traced back to my information.
But I have heard others mentioning that death isn't permanent here, so it may not be the first time, indeed.
I know you already have enough problems without worrying about the killer tracking you down, [and doing god-knows-what with the corpse— no, no, NOPE, not thinking about it!!!!!!] so I don't really blame you.
I just hate that we can't even trust each other. Uniting against a shared enemy isn't possible when there are people like that in our midst.
Sorry. I said "person," but I meant to say "subhuman scum." Or "monster."
It does feel wrong not to warn people that there's someone like that on the loose. But that would also spread distrust and cause panic, which could lead to other issues. I'm not sure what the answer is.
Anyway, the incident I heard about involved a guest killing a staff member. The person who told me said it was an accident. I'm not sure that was true, though. He wouldn't tell me the killer's identity either, so I assumed he was covering up for a friend. Unless he did it himself, and it was one of those "I'll say this happened to a friend of mine, even though it really happened to me!" sort of deals.
He didn't say anything about the staff member coming back to life afterwards, but he did say the culprit received no punishment. He also thought the staff might not be fully alive to start with. You sensed that they're something other than human yourself, correct?
( Ouch. He can't exactly defend himself when he brings it forward like this, no honesty at all in his sharing, but. He doesn't exactly want to, either. There's never been any reason to explain his own thinking, his own reasoning, his own circumstances, and so why should this be any different? )
Right. Somewhere between alive and dead. I wonder if that changes anything...
I questioned the doctors after the person came back to life, and was met with the explanation that they "never died in the first place," that this doctor performed life saving surgery. This is absolutely a lie, I can tell you this much. I saw it with my own eyes. I checked for a pulse. There was nothing.
So you saw the murder happen, [watched the killer do something unspeakable to their corp—no, no, no no no no no, not thinking about it!!!] waited until the killer fled the scene, checked the victim's pulse, and hauled them off to the clinic afterwards?
[Goodness.]
I'm surprised you managed all that. You must have been spent.
They love lying to us. That's nothing new. But it's odd to think they'd try to downplay their own abilities. If they truly can revive people, you'd think they'd want all the credit for it. That's what you call the ability to perform miracles, after all.
Which just leads me to wonder what's really going on. Could you tell what shape the victim's soul was in afterwards? They hadn't become a "lost soul" or anything like that, had they?
So much for the theory that you wake up in your home world after you die here. Guess we can safely throw that one out.
[He sighs with frustration over on his end.]
I don't know what to say to all that. I guess it's all the more reason to think they won't let us leave, even if we complete "Game 52." Even death doesn't free us. In that sense, this place is more of a jail than an actual prison would be.
[...]
I'm worried that at this rate, we'll be stuck here indefinitely. That we won't *ever* get home.
Oh, don't sound pathetic like this. I just know you're making a face that doesn't suit you.
We can get home. There's always "a way," it's just a matter of finding it, or creating it. I've been working where I can with my magic, testing its limits and the limits of the House itself. So relax a little.
[Called out...! He touches a hand to his face, which is, in fact, frowning. Something he always tells Jun not to because it'll give him wrinkles!]
So the House *does* have limits, then.
I guess we already saw those during that Clubs business the other month. "Clubs" doesn't seem much better than the House, though, since they also want us to play gross games where the loser suffers penalties. But if we found some way to pit them against each other again, maybe that could help? "While our enemies were busy destroying each other, all the hostages snuck out!"
^ That's the sort of ending I'd like.
Anyway, I haven't lost all hope. Things just seem to be growing worse is all. First there were more disappearances, and now there's some disgusting killer on the loose. Jun-kun and I also have birthdays coming up, which would normally be cause for celebration, but I'm worried we'll get cursed like Rinne-senpai. They have a way of sucking all the happiness out of things here.
Still, you're absolutely right: I do look much lovelier with a smile on my face. For my sake, as well as my fans' sake, I'll do my best to remember that.
In any case, the suits seem to be in constant conflict already, fluctuating by the day and hour. The last I checked, clubs had a lead of sorts, so those sort of incidents may just be culminations of collected energy from the struggles?
All these conflicts sound stupid to me. I really don't care *who* takes charge. Unless it's your suit and they all say, "We don't like this 'Game 52' business since it gets in the way of true love, which we support as Hearts, so we're getting rid of it!" That would make things more bearable, anyway.
But good luck with that. I've finished eating that woman's dishes for a month, and I have three memories to share, so I should be getting something from her soon.
Ahh, right. I'll look forward to hearing from you on that, then, Hiyori.
But I feel it worth mentioning in one more way: think of these conflicts as something like an hourglass. In order for one side to be full, the other has to be drained. You know? Most things in life are like this, and this place seems no different.
Well, I suppose it doesn't matter if you still find it stupid.
No, I mean between the suits. While Clubs seemed the highest when I checked, Diamonds seemed the lowest, and similarly, Hearts and Spades were lower, as well... But it seems to be constantly fluctuating.
The reason they may be in constant conflict with one another is like someone trying to constantly keep an hourglass even. You'd have to keep flipping it around.
It's a little complicated, and they're just my guesses based on what I saw.
This still sounds confusing! In the first place, "Clubs" and "Diamonds" and such aren't groups of people, right? Nor does it sound like they're roundtables of gods. They just sound like abstract forces, so I can't picture any of this at *all*.
Anyway, I still don't care who's winning and who's losing. Whoever wants to take the resort over can have it. All that matters is getting out! Unless you think whoever has the most energy can influence those "suit effects?" Which would mean Clubs effects are strongest right now and Diamonds effects are weakest. I haven't noticed Jun-kun acting funny at all lately though, so we can probably rule that one out.
Looking, I think. It felt like someone was inside of my head, and as memories randomly came to mind, I felt a distinct presence there. It was like a horrible pressure.
And then my nose began to bleed severely. I even passed out for a few seconds, so I'll have to try to be more careful.
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And what does that part about "still being part of the game" mean? Just that the victim's name wasn't taken off the registry?
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As for that, well... their cards can still be earned. I suggest you trust me on that without elaboration, as well.
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You're starting to sound like a magnet for misfortune!
Unless it was at the Roost. That's the only place I've been where I can see myself walking into a crime scene accidentally. You can at least say where it happened, right?
[And now for the second part. Hiyori blinks at the screen a moment, unsure what Esikko is even implying at first.]
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[And then it hits him.]
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N O P E! No elaboration needed! I've decided I don't want to know, so keep it to yourself, please!!!
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Well, if you ask some, it's all fine and deserved since I'm a spoiled little Prince.
But unfortunately, no, I can't share even that much. I'd hate for you to go poking around and get into trouble yourself.
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I've got to get out of here.
[Not that he didn't already know that. But if anything drove that point home, it'd be this.]
Were you the only one who saw? I don't like the thought of this getting out. If everyone knows they can act as violently as they please, there's no telling what might happen.
You're not the first person who's told me there aren't consequences, though. So on second thought, it might be too late.
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Aside from the killer, yes. That's why I can't exactly say anything. I should hope you'll be careful before spreading this around, either. Spread the facts as I listed them without talking about hearing about someone getting murdered, if you can. I don't want it traced back to my information.
But I have heard others mentioning that death isn't permanent here, so it may not be the first time, indeed.
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I just hate that we can't even trust each other. Uniting against a shared enemy isn't possible when there are people like that in our midst.
Sorry. I said "person," but I meant to say "subhuman scum." Or "monster."
It does feel wrong not to warn people that there's someone like that on the loose. But that would also spread distrust and cause panic, which could lead to other issues. I'm not sure what the answer is.
Anyway, the incident I heard about involved a guest killing a staff member. The person who told me said it was an accident. I'm not sure that was true, though. He wouldn't tell me the killer's identity either, so I assumed he was covering up for a friend. Unless he did it himself, and it was one of those "I'll say this happened to a friend of mine, even though it really happened to me!" sort of deals.
He didn't say anything about the staff member coming back to life afterwards, but he did say the culprit received no punishment. He also thought the staff might not be fully alive to start with. You sensed that they're something other than human yourself, correct?
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Right. Somewhere between alive and dead. I wonder if that changes anything...
I questioned the doctors after the person came back to life, and was met with the explanation that they "never died in the first place," that this doctor performed life saving surgery. This is absolutely a lie, I can tell you this much. I saw it with my own eyes. I checked for a pulse. There was nothing.
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[Goodness.]
I'm surprised you managed all that. You must have been spent.
They love lying to us. That's nothing new. But it's odd to think they'd try to downplay their own abilities. If they truly can revive people, you'd think they'd want all the credit for it. That's what you call the ability to perform miracles, after all.
Which just leads me to wonder what's really going on. Could you tell what shape the victim's soul was in afterwards? They hadn't become a "lost soul" or anything like that, had they?
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But I can sense some things, and I didn't notice any changes other than death, and now it's as if that didn't happen at all.
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[He sighs with frustration over on his end.]
I don't know what to say to all that. I guess it's all the more reason to think they won't let us leave, even if we complete "Game 52." Even death doesn't free us. In that sense, this place is more of a jail than an actual prison would be.
[...]
I'm worried that at this rate, we'll be stuck here indefinitely. That we won't *ever* get home.
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We can get home. There's always "a way," it's just a matter of finding it, or creating it. I've been working where I can with my magic, testing its limits and the limits of the House itself. So relax a little.
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So the House *does* have limits, then.
I guess we already saw those during that Clubs business the other month. "Clubs" doesn't seem much better than the House, though, since they also want us to play gross games where the loser suffers penalties. But if we found some way to pit them against each other again, maybe that could help? "While our enemies were busy destroying each other, all the hostages snuck out!"
^ That's the sort of ending I'd like.
Anyway, I haven't lost all hope. Things just seem to be growing worse is all. First there were more disappearances, and now there's some disgusting killer on the loose. Jun-kun and I also have birthdays coming up, which would normally be cause for celebration, but I'm worried we'll get cursed like Rinne-senpai. They have a way of sucking all the happiness out of things here.
Still, you're absolutely right: I do look much lovelier with a smile on my face. For my sake, as well as my fans' sake, I'll do my best to remember that.
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In any case, the suits seem to be in constant conflict already, fluctuating by the day and hour. The last I checked, clubs had a lead of sorts, so those sort of incidents may just be culminations of collected energy from the struggles?
I can't say for sure. But I am looking into it.
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But good luck with that. I've finished eating that woman's dishes for a month, and I have three memories to share, so I should be getting something from her soon.
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But I feel it worth mentioning in one more way: think of these conflicts as something like an hourglass. In order for one side to be full, the other has to be drained. You know? Most things in life are like this, and this place seems no different.
Well, I suppose it doesn't matter if you still find it stupid.
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The reason they may be in constant conflict with one another is like someone trying to constantly keep an hourglass even. You'd have to keep flipping it around.
It's a little complicated, and they're just my guesses based on what I saw.
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Anyway, I still don't care who's winning and who's losing. Whoever wants to take the resort over can have it. All that matters is getting out! Unless you think whoever has the most energy can influence those "suit effects?" Which would mean Clubs effects are strongest right now and Diamonds effects are weakest. I haven't noticed Jun-kun acting funny at all lately though, so we can probably rule that one out.
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It's just a bit of a pain, considering how my memories get shuffled through in return.
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What exactly does that mean, "shuffled through"? The House takes a look at your memories? Or they rearrange them somehow?
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And then my nose began to bleed severely. I even passed out for a few seconds, so I'll have to try to be more careful.
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