Chapter Text
One word was burned into your head as you stared down at the voting pad. Sacrifice. The card you were unfortunate enough to receive. “Before we vote, does anyone wanna announce their role?” Keiji’s ever calm voice rang out, snapping you out of your misery filled thoughts. A voice in your head was screaming at you to stop, to take advantage of this card. Tell them you’re the sage, tell them you’re working with the kidnappers like Sou believes, tell them anything to make them vote for you. Escape was in your fingertips, an escape that you could share with Joe, your best friend. But that escape was a slippery slope to your death. Against the judgement of the logical part of your mind, you took in a sharp breath.
“Everyone, please don’t forget! I’m the Keymaster!” Yes, your goal was clear. Make everyone as least likely to vote you as possible. Although these people were relatively strangers, one gaze at Joe from across the room reminded you once more why you’re choosing this path. All of these people were human. They all had lives, families, and friends. No matter how strong your will to live may be, you couldn’t bring yourself to do such a thing. So here you were. Your clear, concise words cut through the tension in the room. At least for a moment. Cackling came from Sou’s end of the room at these words.
“Geez, Sara! I know you play dirty, but I wasn’t expecting you to be so obvious with your lies! Remember what I said at the beginning? I’m the Keymaster!” He received an annoyed scoff from you in response. You didn’t have the patience to deal with him right now.
-
You knew neither of them were telling the truth. One look at Gin, and it seemed he thought the same. Sou, you could understand. That guy seemed to lie as a hobby, and faking his role was no exception to this past-time. But Sara? No matter how hard you tried to wrap your brain around it, there’s no reason as to why she’d lie. You guess she’s just trying to save her own skin after the accusations from Sou, but she seems so…tense. Tenser than when she had to cram for that science test, due to her spending all of the prior night helping you plan for a date with Ryoko, when in reality you just wanted her to help you so you could spend time with her. You’d never hear the end of it from her if you revealed that, though. A small tap on your side by Gin brings your focus back to the current situation. “Why aren’t you saying anything about your role, big bro Joe? You could stop their argument right now, woof!” His voice was a hushed whisper, but one filled with urgency.
“..How’d you know my role?” You ask in confusion, tilting your head. There was a moment of hesitation on his end.
“I’m..the sage, meow. I did the divination stuff and it said you’re the Keymaster, woof! So..why is big sis Sara lying?”
“I’m just as confused as you are. Sara’s definitely not the lying type, but if I say I’m the Keymaster none of them’ll believe me! Dammit, if only I said something sooner!” Due to your increased frustration, that last sentence came out a bit louder than needed, earning you a suspicious look from Keiji.
“Got something to get off your chest, Joe?” He asks, one eyebrow raised. You quickly shake your head.
“N-Nope! Nothing at all!” Man, that guy gives you the creeps. Maybe it’s due to his weird fascination with Sara, or maybe it’s because he’s so insistent that he’s a ‘friendly neighborhood police officer.’ You hope Sara actually went through with your request to look more into the guy, if only to ease your nerves. Letting out a huff, you turn your attention back to the voting pad. Obviously, you can’t vote for Sara. And while you’d love to pick Keiji, you still need to keep him around as long as there’s a chance he knew your dad. They were both working in the police field, there’s gotta be a chance they met! Your gaze flicks down to an image of Kai. Sara says this guy’s her stalker. Regardless of what his intentions now are, you made a promise to Ryoko. Whoever makes Sara cry, we’ll make cry too. All of those sleepless nights Sara spent on call with you, too terrified to go to bed due to the stalking, flood your memory. Yeah, there’s no way you can let this guy off the hook. Eyebrows furrowed, you press the image of Kai’s face, signifying your vote for him.
-All Votes Have Been Received-