Yo, who had gathered everyone’s attention, was also looking down. But he started to explain.
“…I didn’t see it. I saw the stairs that suddenly appeared and went up to the second floor… In the meantime, it seems Amagi-san and Hibana went inside the door.”
“W-Why…? How did that happen?!”
“I don’t know. There wasn’t any argument beforehand, or anything like that…”
Not just Venus, but everyone was thinking, “Why?” but Yo didn’t have much to explain.
But if he really didn’t know, there was no helping it. Baka was convinced, thinking, “I see, if you don’t know, then it can’t be helped.”
“I wonder… what kind of room was this?”
Tama looked around the room.
Baka recognized this room. It was the room where Amagi had first died last time. A room with bottles filled with liquid, and a large water jar. And Hibana and Amagi were both dead, restrained in chairs. The same situation as Amagi last time.
“There’s too little to deduce from the situation… Were they gassed…?”
“…Hey, Yo. Don’t you know anything else that could be a motive? Really, nothing at all?”
Venus was still pressing Yo, but Yo just shook his head weakly.
“Yeah… I really don’t know anything. I don’t know why the two of them went into the room, or what happened in this room. If I had to say, there weren’t any loud conversations. If there were any, it was just a quiet exchange that I didn’t notice.”
“So, whether Hibana dragged Amagi-san into the door, or vice versa, it can be considered that it was with consent… Hmm.”
“That’s right. If they were fighting, there would be some noise. If they were being forced to do something against their will, they could have shouted loud enough for Yo on the second floor to hear.”
“Or, maybe they were secretly consulting with each other. In that case, I really don’t know the motive.”
Tsuchiya, Kaito, and Tama seemed to be deepening their understanding as they each advanced their reasoning. Mina was still in shock and agitated by the deaths of Amagi and Hibana, and Venus was also quietly distraught.
And Baka… was still feeling down.
Hibana and Amagi were the two who had died last time.
He couldn’t save them this time either. Destroying the collars didn’t work.
“What should I have done…?”
When Baka muttered that, some gazes gathered. But it seemed that each of them couldn’t find the words to say to Baka. Everyone was silent…
“…It seems that when people experience something they don’t want, they tend to fall into the thought of ‘Maybe it could have been prevented if I had done this.’ Even with things that they can’t solve themselves, or things that couldn’t be helped.”
Amidst that, Kaito spoke those words.
“The more virtuous a person is, the more they think that way. But you should rationally accept what couldn’t be helped. If you don’t, you’ll get exhausted quickly.”
Kaito said that, trying to be curt, but also encouraging Baka.
…Hearing that, Baka.
“…It’s too difficult, I don’t get it! What?! What does that mean?!”
Baka was a Baka, so he didn’t understand Kaito’s encouragement!
“‘Don’t think about it because you’ll get tired.’ And, ‘It’s not your fault, so don’t worry about it,’ is what he’s saying.”
“I see! Got it! Thanks, Tama!”
“That’s strange. We’re supposed to be using the same language, but why do I need a translator…?”
In the end, Tama stepped in, and Baka understood the meaning of Kaito’s words, and thanked him with a smile. Kaito had a very reluctant look on his face, but Baka, seeing that, smiled and thought, “You’re a good guy after all!”
…Although he was sad about Amagi and Hibana, Baka was a little bit cheered up.
After that, everyone returned to the Great Hall. Staying in the room with the corpses would only make them feel worse.
…And, just as Baka was starting to recover a little.
“Tama.”
Yo suddenly called out to Tama.
“Um… can we talk for a bit?”
Everyone was surprised by Yo’s words. Yes. Tama herself was also surprised.
“…Just the two of us?”
“Yeah. Just the two of us.”
Yo said that, looking a little nervous. …Tama looked at Yo, and then glanced at the others.
“Hmm… does that mean you want to talk about something you don’t want us to hear?”
And when Tsuchiya asked that with a difficult expression, Yo looked down, but nodded firmly.
“…I know that it’s understandable to think that way. But I really want to talk just the two of us. Can I have some time? 10 minutes is fine.”
…Watching Tama and Yo leave, Baka was fidgety, thinking, “I wonder what they’re going to talk about…”
After all, Yo and Tama were lovers. In other words, it was a secret conversation between lovers. Would they talk about something a little embarrassing? Baka let a fragment of such an imagination pass through his head, and started making a fuss. Seeing Baka suddenly making a fuss, Kaito frowned, thinking, “Suspicious…”
Now, after making a fuss for a while, Baka suddenly noticed Venus.
Venus was looking down with a gloomy expression.
“Hey, Venus. Are you okay? You don’t look well…?”
When he called out to her worriedly, Venus slowly raised her face and sighed.
“…Of course not. People are dying, you know.”
“Yeah, that’s true…”
Hearing Venus’s words, Baka felt down again.
“Leave me alone for a bit.”
Venus stood up unsteadily and walked away. Baka didn’t chase after her, but just watched her go.
“Hmm… what should we do?”
And so, the only ones left in the Great Hall were Baka, Kaito, Mina, and Tsuchiya. Among them, Tsuchiya was stroking his chin for no particular reason, and groaning.
“The lantern fires are two… so, Amagi-san and Hibana died before nightfall, which means.”
“Ah, that’s right…”
Baka also looked up at the lanterns, just like Tsuchiya.
Out of the nine lanterns, two were lit. And the lantern fires were supposed to be updated every day, at the timing when the night bell rang. Which means…
“Since Yo was left behind in the Great Hall, the possibility of Yo killing the two of them later is low.”
Once the door to the Game room closes, it doesn’t open. And the door on the second floor opens at the timing of the night bell after the door on the first floor corresponding to it opens. So, it’s impossible for Yo to kill the two of them ‘during the day’.
But.
“…Looking at that situation, it’s difficult to judge whether Yo was really left behind in the Great Hall alone.”
Tsuchiya said that, making a rather bitter face.
…That’s right.
Yo probably knew that Hibana and Amagi were gone, and was waiting in front of the corresponding second-floor door. And as soon as the door opened, he rushed in to check on their safety… and there, he found their corpses.
But, it’s not known if Yo’s actions were true. Maybe it was a lie that Yo was left behind in the Great Hall, and Yo also went into the Game room with the other two, and then killed Hibana and Amagi during the Game. Baka didn’t understand it well…
“…I guess it’s too much to say that he should have prioritized proving his own innocence rather than checking on the safety of the two.”
“…Well, it’s Yo who’s acting suspiciously. I don’t think we have any obligation to be considerate.”
Tsuchiya groaned, and Kaito sighed. Baka was flustered, but he couldn’t suspect Yo. He looked at Mina, who was also flustered like Baka, and the two of them just kept flustering. Fluster, fluster…
“…U-Um, Kabashima-san. Kaito-san. This…”
At that moment, Mina, who had been flustering, took something out of her pocket as if she had remembered something.
“Huh?… Ah! How cute!”
And, seeing that, Baka immediately smiled brightly.
“It’s Mina’s doll!”
Yes. In Mina’s hand was a Mina doll. Like the Venus doll that Baka and Kaito had picked up in the Room of the Scales, and the Kaito doll and Yo doll that they had found last time, there was a cute doll there!
“…We found Venus’s doll here.”
“Eh? Venus-san’s doll is over there…?”
“Yeah… Hey, Kabashima. Why don’t you bring the case with it?”
“Oh, that’s right! Okay, wait a sec!”
Baka immediately ran off, and came back with the giant gold coin and the acrylic coin that he had left behind.
He placed it on the floor with a thud, and showed the Venus doll through the transparent lid of the acrylic case.
“See? Venus’s doll! It’s cute, isn’t it?”
“Cute…?”
Next to Kaito, who had an indescribable look on his face, Baka immediately tried to take out the Venus doll. Since they had the chance, he wanted to put it next to the Mina doll.
But.
“Ah, Kabashima-san, wait!”
Mina suddenly stopped him.
“Huh?”
“Um, please leave it as it is. That, this doll, is dangerous.”
Beside Baka, who tilted his head, Mina gently furrowed her brow and said, “…I tried tickling this doll earlier, just to see. Like, tickle-tickle.”
“Okay,” Baka replied, vaguely thinking, Is tickling dolls a new trend? Tama was tickling Yo’s doll too, after all.
“And then… it felt ticklish!”
“I see, well, if it’s tickled, it’s gonna feel ticklish, right?”
“Hey, Baka, wait! Don’t take it for granted! Think it through!”
When Baka nodded, taking Mina’s report as a matter of course, Kaito immediately grabbed Baka’s shoulders and started shaking him. Though, Baka didn’t budge an inch.
“Got it? We’re talking about just tickling a doll, right?”
“Yeah.”
“But it felt ticklish!?”
“Well, if you tickle it, even a doll would feel ticklish, wouldn’t it?”
“U-um, Kabashima-san. It wasn’t the doll that felt ticklish, it was me.”
Mina, as if realizing, They’re not getting it!, hurriedly added an explanation. “In other words, the doll’s sensation is being directly transmitted to me… or rather, the doll and I are connected… or… well…”
Baka made a confused “Hooeeh” sound, so Mina was flustered, wondering, How can I make them understand? Baka was trying his best to understand!
“Well, in short, it’s the same thing I was talking about earlier. This is probably a ‘Cursed Doll.’ If you tickle this doll, you’ll feel ticklish. And if you were to stick a needle in it… you might die. That’s what it means, right?”
“Eh!? Mina, you’re gonna die!?”
With Kaito’s explanation, Baka finally grasped the situation. That’s right. This doll was dangerous! This is terrible, terrible, Baka thought, and started running around the room. He even ran on the walls and ceiling, which surprised Tsuchiya and Mina, who exclaimed, “Whoa…” Kaito just stared into the distance, thinking, Ah, so he does this kind of thing too…
“…In the first place, what is the purpose of this doll?”
Just as Baka calmed down a bit and returned to the floor, Tsuchiya said this.
“What purpose? It’s obvious, isn’t it? To kill people remotely. What else could it be?”
Kaito said this matter-of-factly.
Kaito gathered the gazes of Mina, Tsuchiya, and Baka, and grinned with a wicked, sarcastic smile. “This game is a Death Game prepared by a devil. Our goal is to fulfill our wishes. And the means to do that is to kill people. …Did you forget?”
At Kaito’s words, Tsuchiya sighed, and Mina looked down. Baka was pondering, What’s my wish… maybe, a soft-serve ice cream from Ministop…
“Well… as I said before, I have no intention of killing anyone. I just think it’s a tasteless doll.”
“Tasteless!? No! I think it’s a cute doll! Mina’s doll is cute! It even has braids!”
“Y-yes… fufu, Venus-san’s doll has a slightly assertive feel to it, which is cute.”
Tsuchiya looked troubled, but Mina seemed a bit cheered up by Baka’s words. Mina had been down until just now, so Baka was glad she was feeling better! When others are happy, Baka gets happy too.
“Now… what should we do with this doll?”
After looking at the doll, they had to think of a solution. Baka listened to Tsuchiya’s words seriously. Mina and Venus’s safety depended on this, so Baka, who prioritized safety, had no choice but to listen seriously.
“Having the person hold it is one option, but it would be terrible if there was an accident. It would be best if we could store it safely…”
Tsuchiya pondered, staring at the two dolls. Mina was muttering something scary, “If I accidentally fell with the doll in my chest pocket, would I get crushed…?”
“Then, a situation where no one can touch or move it would be ideal. In that case, how about putting it back where it was? Since Kabashima and I got the Venus doll, it shouldn’t be too far from the entrance of the room. It wouldn’t be a hassle, would it?”
And then, Kaito proposed this!
At Kaito’s suggestion, Tsuchiya and Mina were dumbfounded.
…And then.
“…Kaito. You… despite saying things that encourage killing, you make suggestions like that?”
Tsuchiya had a lukewarm expression.
Kaito seemed to realize something, and then, awkwardly, turned away with a “Pui.”
“That’s right. Kaito is a good guy!”
So, Baka puffed out his chest instead. After all, this Baka was a Baka who was good at bragging about others.
“Well, that’s the best option for now. Hmm… I see, so in your room, the doll was inside a locked door…”
Tsuchiya said, nodding. Mina also nodded, saying, “I think that’s a good idea.” But… some words also caught their attention.
“…Here, the doll was inside a locked door. Was it different on your side?”
“Ah. It was handed directly to us.”
And to Kaito’s question, Tsuchiya said something quite shocking!
“…H-handed to you!? By, by whom!? Is there someone else!?”
“Who is it!? Eevee!?”
“E-eevee? Um, our room was the one where we had to answer the ‘Twin Maidens’ quiz.”
Mina told the surprised Kaito and Baka. Baka and Kaito exchanged glances. What in the world are the ‘Twin Maidens’?
“…While Baka was jumping around here, you guys were doing a quiz…?”
Kaito didn’t say it, but his face clearly said, I wish it was the other way around. Baka was smiling, thinking, I’m bad at quizzes, so I’m glad I was in the Room of the Scales!
“…Let’s report the situation in each of our rooms. It seems we were playing games with quite different objectives…”
And then, Tsuchiya, looking at Kaito and Baka, sighed and proposed this.