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[A door groans open. A pair of footsteps walks through before the door closes again.]
Mahiru: “There they are! I’m glad you could make it, Es-chan, Jackalope-chan~”
Es: “I didn’t have much of a choice but to come, did I?”
Mikoto: [scratching head briefly] “Geez, you really do have a sassy mouth.”
Yuno: “Isn’t it fine? I think it’s better if they act honestly rather than sticking to stuffy formalities.”
Kazui: “Why don’t we all get seated for now? That chair is yours, Es-kun. Ah, but we don’t have a seat for Jackalope…”
[A few footsteps and the scraping of several chairs can be heard while Kazui speaks to Es.]
Es: “He’s fine sitting with me.”
Kazui: “I see. That works out, then.”
[There is another moment of people getting settled before the sounds die out.]
Kazui: “Now, let’s start this from the top.” [He clears his throat.]
Kazui: “As you know, you, Es-kun, are a prisoner in MILGRAM because you have killed someone. However, we don’t yet know who you killed, what happened, nor what you were thinking. Part of the duty we ten prison guards have is to figure out the truth as well as your motivations behind your crime.”
Shidou: “To do this, this prison is capable of… ‘extracting,’ shall we say, your memories, thoughts, and feelings around the murder, putting them into song and video for us to analyze.”
Es: “That… How does that work?”
Yuno: “It sounds super weird, right? We’re not even sure if the results will show us everything.”
Haruka: “It’s… supposed to be p-painless, though, and… even someone like me might be able to… understand it. Maybe…”
Mahiru: “Aww, don’t worry, Haruka-chan! I’m sure you’ll be able to understand it just as well as anyone else~”
Kotoko: “After assessing the results, it is also our job to determine whether or not you can be forgiven for your crimes.”
Es: “Forgiven or not… What does that mean for me? What happens to me after you make your judgement?”
[A brief pause.]
Amane: “We are not concerned with what happens to you for now. If your fate is determined by our judgement, then we will address that after this task is completed.”
Es: “So your word might determine my fate?” [There is a hint of anxiety in their voice.] “With just one song…?”
Fuuta: “Relax, everything’s not done with just one run of this. We’ve got to work our asses off doing this three times.”
Muu: “It’s called… the ‘three trial system.’ We extract your memories, judge you based on what we see, then do it again until the last trial.”
Kotoko: “One cycle of it is considered one trial. We hope that by doing this repeatedly, all the songs extracted will be different enough for us to make a proper assessment. It’s fairer that way, no?”
[Es gives a small hum.]
Mikoto: “Though thinking about it, would Es-kun’s amnesia affect our results? Like, they still can’t remember their murder, right?”
Mahiru: “Oh, that’s true!”
Kazui: [He hums in consideration.] “Well, we’ll have to work with what we get regardless.”
Muu: “... Are we sure they can’t remember anything? Maybe… having full memory loss isn’t really true.”
Es: “…”
Haruka: “Eh? B-but… why would Es-san l-lie about that?”
Fuuta: “Obviously because they want us to forget about them being a dirty murderer! I bet you’d forgive them much more easily if you didn’t think about the fact that they killed someone.”
Kotoko: “It is true that they could be lying, but memory loss also isn’t completely unreasonable.”
Jackalope: “Es… [His words are less of concern and more like a warning.]
Shidou: “There are times when the brain blocks traumatic events as a coping mechanism. For someone as young as Es-kun, committing murder could very well be traumatic enough to block the memory.”
Amane: “I don’t think Prisoner-san’s age matters much in this. Even a person as young as me could do something like murder just as any adult could. Regardless of who they are, it does not change the fact that they committed a grave sin.”
Shidou: “Amane…”
Es: “Nn…” [The small sound they make is nearly a grimace, as if in pain.]
Mikoto: “Still, depending on the person, maybe committing murder really is bad enough to block it from memory. I mean, I wouldn’t want to kill anyone, and if I were in Es-kun’s place, I’d totally want to forget I’m a murderer.”
Fuuta: “Oi, don’t forget that they’re telling us they forgot everything - where they’re from, when they were born, everything! You can’t tell me someone honestly forgot who they even are as if this is some manga. If they’re going to ‘forget’ everything, then why don’t we just force them to remember?”
Kotoko: “It does sound improbable. However, I feel that there may be more to it.”
Es: [muttering under their breath] “... then just…”
Yuno: “Es?” [The others are still debating amongst themselves.]
Es: [shouting] “If you’re so concerned with judging my sins, then just get on with it already!”
[The room falls silent. Deafeningly quiet. There is a beat, then Muu sniffles.]
Muu: [starting to cry.] “Why did you have to be so scary about it…? Yelling like that… You’re so mean…”
Fuuta: “Hmph, you have some nerve, Prisoner, shouting at your prison guards like you’re the boss around here.”
Es: “...”
Kazui: “Let’s just calm down for now, alright?” [There is a shuffling noise as some of them settle.] “We can’t start the extraction much sooner - we have to wait until it’s time - but it is better to hold off on concluding anything until after the process is complete.”
Yuno: “Right, right! It’d be bad if we stuck to one idea that turned out to be completely wrong.”
[A heavy bell sounds as the room begins to change.]
Mahiru: “Ah! It looks like it’s time already.”
Es: “Huh? What… Is this the extraction you were talking about?”
Shidou: “Exactly right, Es-kun. With this, we’ll be able to peek into your mind. Perhaps the lost memories of what you did really will be hidden somewhere inside you.”
Es: “My lost memories hidden inside me…”
Kotoko: “No matter what you give us, we’ll find the truth behind your crimes.”
Es: [muttering] “The truth behind my crimes… The truth behind me…”
[The humming of the room gradually lowers in pitch.]
Kazui: “Prisoner zero, Es. Come now - sing your sins!”