Kibe, Jörg, Suzue and Usuda all walked upstairs. Once up there they saw it was a very linear hallway at the top. Each wall had about several doors. They all stared at them and studied them. Each one making their own reasoning and hypotheses on which to enter and which not to.
However Kibe needed to get a team together, it was clear that even though he can do this on his own. If he wants to catch the four assassins here for Yūri and Rin. He'll need to formulate trust between his new companions. Kibe then looked at the doors with a single glance before pointing to the one left of the center hallway. "Oh? And what makez you so sure that it's zat door?" Asked Jörg.
"Mmmm, good point, maybe it isn't that door." Kibe said, Jörg looked at him curiously. He couldn't tell if he was being misdirected. Jörg had forgotten that no one here has confirmed rather if they are allies or enemies. Meaning that they were all still against one another.
"Hmp, well then. I guess this is where we shall test truzt then, yes? Yes." Jörg said. Kibe and Usuda just stared at him as Jörg walked over and down the hall, he looked at the door that Kibe had picked out. He grabbed the handle. He tried testing it to see how often it had been opened or used. Thats when Jörg began to open it before-
"Wait." Kibe said which got everyone's attention. "Lets let Usuda decide which we go through first. His device did tell us that the rooms were booby-trapped.
Best to let him take point on this." Kibe said patting Usuda on the shoulder only for Suzue to swat his hand away. Kibe rubbed it, looked at her and looked at Usuda who was nervous and stuttering. "M-M-Me? But I just put in a few variables I don't I can hardly say that I'm the genius here." He said
"No one said that. Trottel." Said Jörg as he put his hands in his jacket pockets and stared at them. Kibe side-eyed Jörg before looking at Usuda. "You decide." Kibe said.
Usuda looked at all the doors, he was a bit nervous and wanted to desperately try to do some more good for the people trapped in here. He looked at the door closest to the back wall, he had a good feeling about it, but then shot it down in exchange for one closer. Usuda then pointed the one closest to their left. "This one." Usuda said. Kibe looked at his hand for moment and noticed it was unsteady. Kibe knew he was unsure. But he didn't push it. People like Usuda; Kibe knew he had to handle things delicately. So he stood back.
"Alright." Kibe said as he walked over and grabbed the doorknob. "Hey hey! How do you know the door isn't a trap?" Suzue asked with haste and worry as she pulled Usuda back a bit. Kibe looked at her.
"How would they expect us to find the keys if we can't get inside?" Kibe asked. Suzue didn't have an answer so Kibr opened the door. As they entered the room they all saw a very fancy and organized office space. The place also had a bit of mess around the place. A few books stacked on chairs and on the desk. They noticed the shelves of books there. Kibe walked over and looked at them, he saw Moby-dick. Kibe gently pulled the book out until it finally was in his hands.
"Hm, these guys are much more than I thought. More than a majority of the world hasn't even read this book." Kibe said. Usuda looked around and was putting everything down into the HDAF device. While Jörg was looking through the drawers. Suzue just stood by the door, her gaze moving from Kibe and to Jörg.
"These two, I don't doubt that they'll attempt to betray Usuda here. The keys will allow for us all to leave but they'll attempt to use that in order to get Usuda involved with them.
That Nazi, he'll no doubt be the first to make his move. He'll likely use intimidation before using force. As he does seem to be a man who enjoys utilizing his charisma. To get ahead." Suzue thought as she watched Jörg looked around. Her eyes then fell to Kibe who was reading Moby-dick. She watched as Kibe just....read the book. He was flipping through it rather quickly, he overall he was reading just a regular book.
"...What the hell is with this guy? This is all a test for assassins, he doesn't at all appear to look like a Sociopath or Psychopath. He looks like just some regular guy I would see at a Cafe or walking down the street.
...however that is what could make him dangerous. I need to assess him after this is all over. So I can understand just what I'm dealing with." She thought as she then turned to Usuda who finished putting everything down into his HDAF device and walked over to Kibe nervously. Kibe looked at him as he closed the book. Jörg saw them from across the room.
"...Hey, uhh, my device gave me the answer to what the key maybe." Usuda said. "Hm, lets hear it." Kibe asked.
"It says, that it may infact have something to do with the-"
"The Books right?." Kibe asked to which Usuda looked shocked by his instant answer. "Wow, that was...uhh yea. Thats what it said. How'd you know?" Asked Usuda.
"Look around, this room belongs to a inquisitive literary author. They read like a fiend and study the same. However they are also a messy one too. Which makes it odd.
Quite the contrast." Kibe said.
"Yea. But still,theres no way to say that those two things can be connected. Could be a red herring." Usuda said. Kibe nodded as he turned to where Jörg was and the somewhat messy desk. "You have a point, but are there any other clues that you can claim or attach to? The most major factors to deducting rather what is or shouldn't be used as a clue. I say try this, the law of 3. If an event or situation occurs more than twice it is bound to occur again. That is the law of physics and the law of the universe.
If it happens more than once, then it will be an event come the third." Kibe said. Usuda looked at him. "So what would you point out here?" Usuda asked.
"Mmm, look at the bookshelves here. Look what stands out here." Kibe said, Usuda looked over at it. The shelf was covered from top to bottom in books, books about on theology and skepticism. He saw fictional books talking about the probable other rules of the universe and some talking on the human unconscious. Usuda's eyes lingered on a book that was called "The Doctor's best medicine for the clinically insane.". It was a book about psychopathology.
"Maybe its this one. The clue is in this book." Usuda said. Jörg folded his arms looked at them. "You will searching for hours looking through there. Time we do not have." He said.
"Not if you find what, you're looking for." Kibe said as he then continued reading Moby-dick. He also looked to Usuda and the book he had chosen. "Thats not it by the way." Kibe said. Usuda looked at Kibe, he was so sure? This man truly was something else.
"So sure?" He asked, Kibe looked at him. "Look at these books, all of them are about or cover some sort of psychological and philosophical topics, yet here we have Moby-dick. Ultimately just a standard classic novel. However one of things about this book is the symbolism. Ahab is a perfect reflection of the destruction of man, our retaliation against nature and God himself.
This book, is the closet thing to describing our purpose here. Killing people for a living, guns for hire, hitmen. Our job is strictly aginst God's wishes.
So the first key. Must be Ahab." Kibe said, Usuda nodded at the reasoning and the perfect t deduction of the other possible options."Thats it? That'z your guess?" Jörg asked. Kibe looked at him. "You have a better idea?" Kibe asked. "Yez I do. The key has to be something buried, or hidden right? Not zomething obvious, most likely buried underneath all of this junk here." Jörg said.
"Alright, well if you want to keep searching, by all means go ahead. However I'm heading to the next room." Kibe said as he closed the book and began walking to the door. Usuda looked between Jörg and Kibe. Kibe left the room and closed the door behind him.
32 minutes left.
He looked down the rest of the hallway. As he did he could slightly hear the other three still talking and arguing with one another. Kibe walked down the hall and went to the second to last door on the right. He walked over and opened it. The room was a bedroom, he closed the door behind him. There was nothing out of the ordinary here. Just the average bedroom, seemed to belong to a young boy or adult. He looked around and saw how neat it was.
He walked over to the bed and gently grazed it. His mind flickered. Its like as if something was coming, he could feel like as if someone was knocking. Knocking on the back of his mind. Kibe then sat down on the bed, he then slowly laid down and close his eyes, before he then would wake up and be revealed to be a child again. Once again he was back inside the pale palace. A young child Kibe stood in a room filled with other young students. There was 20 of them, all of them sitting down in chairs infront of Kibe. All blindfolded.
Mizuki was standing by the door while another man. A bald one with glasses.
"La forme la plus authentique d'observation est celle qui naît de la visualisation mentale de ce que nous souhaitons le plus voir et désirer dans la vie.
Cet exercice s'appelle le vol mental. Vous utiliserez la lecture à froid et l'intuition pour lire avec succès une liste de trois nombres pour les étudiants ici présents. Avec ces chiffres, vous analyserez et déduirez leurs lettres.
Une fois que vous les aurez. Les lettres seront mélangées de centaines de façons. Vous les déchiffrerez et obtiendrez le code. Une fois que vous aurez terminé. Vous serez évalué sur votre rapidité, votre précision et votre qualité. Vous pouvez commencer." Said the bald teacher as he began to write on his chart. Kibe began to walk around the room, looking at the other blindfolded kids. As he walked around. As he did his eyes would trail around the kids. All of them with perfect posture and impeccably great breathing. Not one of them had shaky breath or even a hint of nervousness going through them. He watched them and their hands, he looked to see a few things. To see if their digits were moving or of their microexpressions. Studying their temples and their noses. He even looked at their lips for quivers and slight shakes.
The bald teacher walked over to Mizuki as they both watched Kibe.
"Vous voyez ça ?" Said the bald teacher
"Oui. Il cherche des indices, des signes, tout ce qui pourrait lui indiquer qui pourrait avoir le premier numéro dont il a besoin. On peut savoir quel est le numéro préféré de quelqu'un grâce à son corps. Des choses comme le nombre de franges qu'ils ont, le nombre d'ongles rongés, etc. La recherche de contractions est une compétence clé de l'observation." Said Mizuki as they continued to watch Kibe. Kibe then walked towards one of the kids, 5th row, and the third one. A young girl with blonde long hair. He went to her and stood in front of her. He stared at her body, he noticed no single sign of nervousness or conflict. She had perfect posture just like everyone else.
But he knew there was something. He then leaned down to her and tapped on her shoulder. "Jeg ved, at du er der." She said. Kibe looked at her. That language, Danish he knew.
"... Hvem er du?" He asked.
"22-1-11-25-18-9-5." She answered. Kibe looked at her and touched her nose and her eyes gently. She didn't really move an inch. Kibe tapped her knees and then the top of her forehead gently four times. He then stood in front of her.
"Okay, nu skal du høre, hvad vi gør. Jeg sætter to tal op på mine hænder. Du skal først gætte, hvilke jeg har, og så vælge et. Så går vi videre derfra." Kibe said. Kibe then put up one hand with the number two, and the other four. He then watched as her temples moved just a tad, the blindfold showing her eyes moving a bit to the right. A sigh from the body attempting to fabric a lie or a story. As the right side of the brain, the right hemisphere. Kibe watched as she thought for a good few moments, thats when he switched which hands they were one. Putting two on his right instead of his left and four on the left instead of the right. Thats when the girl guessed.
"Fem." She said.
"Prøv igen." Kibe said.
"...to." she replied.
"Godt gået. Nu skal du vælge et tal fra nul til to." Kibe asked.
"...One." she answered. Kibe thought for a moment as he then backed away.
"Prøv igen." Kibe said as he got up. Both teachers watched as Kibe began to wonder around asking every other student a question. The two watched him.
"Méthode inhabituelle." Said the bald man.
"Pas vraiment. Il utilise une sorte de jeu pour se débarrasser de leurs désirs subconscients. Nous avons demandé aux élèves de choisir parmi un algorithme de chiffres. Avant cela, nous leur avons offert une friandise de leur choix. Il pouvait s'agir d'un dessert, de malbouffe ou de n'importe quoi d'autre. Bien sûr, tous n'ont pas choisi quelque chose, mais voici ceux qui l'ont fait.
Ensuite, nous leur avons demandé de choisir un nombre dans l'algorithme. Vous voyez, une fois que votre inconscient est nourri, il ne peut s'empêcher d'en redemander. Le Ça, Sigmund Frued. Il s'agit de notre enfance et de nos pensées et actions intrusives. Il y en a beaucoup d'autres lorsque l'on s'aventure plus loin, mais l'essentiel est qu'ils choisissent tous à partir de leur subconscient ou mieux de leur inconscient. Nous avons nourri leur enfance d'un souvenir, ce qui nous a permis de les ouvrir et de révéler un désir. D'où le nombre, chaque nombre leur est associé.
C'est ce que fait le sujet, il utilise un jeu pour les ouvrir. La cueillette des numéros, c'est assez brillant. Il les a observés et a réalisé comment ils avaient des barrières. Il les touche pour se connecter, obtient leur numéro pour confirmer leur identité. Il les fait se sentir comme une personne et joue ensuite au jeu. Il les renvoie à leur enfance afin de les ouvrir. Ensuite, ils lui donnent le numéro après qu'il les a fait jouer au jeu des devinettes." Answered Mizuki as he wrote it down.
"Complexe, c'est presque comme s'il entrait dans leur esprit. Il voyage dans leur inconscient." Replied the bald man.
"Le cerveau humain est un labyrinthe complexe, presque impossible à naviguer. Encore plus à comprendre et encore plus à manipuler." Mizuki said. The bald man then looked at his own name tag for a moment, it read "Dr.Komper". Thats when a women with black and wearing a clean white suit walled in, she came over and handed a clipboard to Dr.Komper. He looked at it and nodded before the women left. Kibe took notice, but kept questioning the other students.
"...Ses scanners cérébraux sont arrivés." Said Dr.Komper. Mizuki looked at him and put his clipboard to the side.
"Il a une quantité étonnante de matière grise et de microprocesseurs. Littéralement, si on le compare à des processeurs, son cerveau équivaudrait à près de sextillions de processeurs. C'est quatre fois plus qu'Einstein lui-même." Said Dr.Komper. Mizuki took the clipboard as Dr.Komper handed it to him. He looked at him.
"Je vois, et cela concorde avec ses résultats au test de mémoire, si vous vous souvenez bien.
"Oui, je m'en souviens. Vous l'avez mis dans une pièce avec trois autres étudiants. Chacun d'entre eux, y compris le sujet, a été placé devant près de 300 personnes, puis après avoir été sorti de cette pièce. Ils ont été forcés de rester assis pendant près de 12 heures, à regarder la télévision et à écouter les conversations d'autres professeurs entre les deux. Ils ont ensuite été réintégrés. Les étudiants sont restés dans la salle et on leur a demandé de changer la salle ou les gens. Un élève a compris que la pigmentation de la pièce était différente, l'autre a identifié l'éclairage.
Le sujet... a identifié chaque personne dans cette pièce comme étant quelqu'un d'autre. Il s'est basé sur les rythmes respiratoires et les légers changements dans l'iris. Il a confirmé que chaque personne dans cette pièce était le jumeau des 300 autres. Un score parfait." Said Dr.Komper.
"Pourtant, il a échoué à son test psychologique et philosophique avec le Dr. Hecter." Mizuki said. A sign of disappointment in his voice.
"Le Dr Hecter est l'un des meilleurs spécialistes d'Abel. C'est un miracle qu'il s'en soit sorti sans devenir fou." Said Dr.Komper.
"...Il va réussir. Une fois qu'il y retournera, il le réussira. Il a juste besoin de plus de temps." Mizuki as he put the clipboard away on a table behind them.
"Bien sûr." Said Dr.Komper. Thats when Kibe would walk to the two of them. They both looked as he stared at them.
"Un, neuf et six". Kibe said.
"D'accord. Ils seront mélangés, vous les utiliserez ensuite pour obtenir le bon co-" however Mizuki would be cut off as Kibe spoke again. " Le code est B, J et G." Kibe said. Both Dr.Komper and Mizuki looked at Kibe with impressed looks.
Kibe then woke up back in the bed of the room of the tavern. He was holding a book, open. He was sitting on the bed. His eyes opening again as he looked down. He was reading a book called the "The reason for why." Kibe stared at the book. He looked at the page he was one. Page 41. He read through it briefly before he then found the clue. The room was that of a teenager, angst and ill picked choices scattered all about. From the soccer ball to the neatly done bed. Kibe could see conflict in the room and its decoration. So where else to hide a clue, then in one where the only question...is why.
Why is the key. Kibe then closed the book, but before he did he looked and walked to the desk. He noticed a highlighter in one of the drawers as he searched. He then got out a notebook from another. There was already notes written in it. He looked to see it was school notes. Talking about science and theories on multiverse jumbo. He looked through them meticulously. Going over every detail like it was all eye catching to him. He then stopped on a page talking about trauma and some stuff going on in school. He then got the highlighter and circled over some stuff going over "why is this happening to me?", he then went ahead circled another sentence talking about "Hating women and their terrible choice making". And finally another paragraph with him circling ever word such as "hate" and "desperate". He then put it to the side and flipped through randomly, he ripped two pages out and crumbled them up. He threw one casually into a trash bin across the room. One went in, the next he missed. He then tossed the notebook onto the bed.
Kibe walked over and looked the soccer ball across the room, his hands in his pockets. Just at the same time Usuda, Suzue and Jörg entered inside. "Hey, you haven't been tampering with anything have you?" Usuda asked nervously.
"Apologies, I couldn't help myself the ball. Reminds me of a memory when I was a boy." Kibe said. Jörg walked past him eyeing him. Cursing under his breath at Kibe's supposed incompetence.
"Verdammter Schwachkopf" Jörg said as he walked past. Usuda began to out everything into his HDAF device. He looked to Kibe. "D-Did you find anything useful?" Usuda asked.
"No, nothing. Its a bit to...mmm, too scrutinizing. There isn't anything here I can connect or read here." Kibe said. "Ah, zo the intellectual mind of the zee uh, party is having some trouble? How convenient." Jörg said. Kibe gave a small smile as he turned to look at Usuda who watched as the HDAF device began to run through the possibilities. Usuda watched it then bring up the clues. Notebook, decor, and emotions. All were the clues the device gave. Kibe looked at it. Usuda then looked up as he saw Jörg grab the Notebook off the bed. "Seems that there are notes here. Talking about this guy's studies and...ah ha, there is also highlighted parts here." Said Jörg as he brought it over and showed Usuda and Kibe. Kibe grabbed it and looked at it.
"I think our clue is one of these highlighted parts. I think its the circled words of hate here. It hate." Said Jörg sternly. Usuda nodded, clearly agreeing out a sign of anxiousness and on confidence. Kibe noticed it and then motioned for them to leave. "Two more to go." Kibe said. Jörg noticed Kibe so ready to leave and then grabbed his arm.
"Wait." Jörg said. Kibe looked at his arm and then to Jörg. "I will presume there is a clear reason for your firmness with me." Kibe said.
"Yes, before in the other room, you were very zure of how right you were. Even sarcastic. Yet now, you'll just agree with me? What iz it that defines right and wrong to you? Or perhapz you're hiding something." Jörg said. Kibe just stared at him, the two held eye contact.
"Maybe we could-"
"QUIET! I do not need ze words from a house fly." Jörg said as Usuda stepped away. Kibe looked at him and then back Jörg. Both looking at one another. Jörg searching Kibe's eyes and Jörg doing the same. Kibe noticed a coldness to Jörg's arms. Were they also prosthetic he wondered. Jörg then let go of Kibe. The two stopped back from each other. Jörg then brushed past him and walked out.
15 minutes left.
They all would then be back downstairs after searching the rest of the rooms. The TV was on downstairs, as Kibe and the rest of them looked to now see a mic on the table and the TV screen with four blank spots for all the keys. Suzue stood back with Usuda as Jörg and Kibe stared for a moment before Jörg then went ahead and grabbed the mic.
"Ahab, Hate, Pit and Clarity." Said Jörg. All the blank filled up, suddenly Hate's spot turned red and a large beeping sound rang through the place. Everyone looked up as red lights blared all around them. "WHAT!?" Jörg shouted.
"One of the words, hate, its not the key." Kibe said with shock in his voice. Jörg turned around and looked as Usuda. "This device was supposed to work right? You said it worked!" Jörg said as he walked to Usuda with Suzue getting between them. Her blade coming inches to Jörg's neck. Jörg looked at almost curiously then eyed her.
"I-I never said such a thing, I said it could help-"
"Yes you did, now we're running out of time. Thankz to your little hiccup!" Jörg said with a aggravated tone. Kibe watched them before he walked over to the mic. He looked down at it and noticed the timer. 8 minutes left. Kibe then turned around as Jörg backed away from Usuda and Suzue kept her weapon close as she watched him. "I think the clue might be something close to what we discussed before. Hate and desperation." Kibe said.
Usuda and Jörg looked at him.
"Whats the number one question asked when those terms are brought up?" Kibe asked. Usuda looked at him along with Jörg.
Usuda stuttered. "...Its why...the last key is why." Usuda said. Kibe then tossed him the mic. Usuda caught it clumsily before he then brought it to his mouth. 32 seconds on the clock.
"Why!" Usuda shouted to which then the final key would be set in and the bars on the windows and doors would be removed. Nearly everyone took a sign of relief. Kibe stared at Usuda and then outside the tavern window. "Endlich!" Said Jörg as he then left through the tavern doors. The rest following a few minutes after.
They looked around the fake town and could hear other events and people, but none were down the street they were. "Thank god." Usuda said as he rested on his knees. He breathed heavily.
"The eliminating will begin in roughly 25 minutes. Who knows what will come next." Kibe said, Suzue just stared at the back of Kibe. Focusing on just what kind of person it was she was dealing with. Usuda then remembered the fact they needed to be part of a team. He then took into account all of Kibe's help during the exercise before. He then stood up and took in a deep breath. He walked over next to Kibe. Suzue watched him.
"Hey...um, before...during the exercise. Why did you help me so much as you did? What if I was wrong? I could have gotten us killed or worse." Usuda asked. Kibe put his hands in his pockets. He then turned his head to Usuda.
"...I saw how invested you were into your device. Your mind is a palace of numerical possibilities and one driven to seek the best possible answer to nearly impossible equations.
I like people who have aspirations bigger than they are. Gives them reason to grow into them." Kibe said as he gave a smirk to Usuda who also smiled. "Maybe uhhh, maybe you could team up with me and Su-"
"Now wait just a moment. I shall have a say in this. It is under my protection that Usuda is. Hence I will be the one to decide who teams up with us and who doesn't." Suzue said as she looked at Kibe, who turned his head to her. Her eyes scanned and looked at him.
"Suzue, is that really-"
"Quiet." She said. Kibe looked at her and then turned completely to her. "You believe me a threat? Even after my help?" Kibe asked.
"My senses can detect when beast have different methods of getting a grip on their prey. I want to see yours." Suzue said. Kibe watched a she then gestured in a direction behind the tavern. In an alley. "Follow me." She said. Usuda wanted to follow but she gestured for him to stay. Usuda nervously crossed his arms as Kibe and Suzue walked behind the tavern into an alley. The alley was designed just like any other one. Trash bins and a dumpster behind the line of buildings. Litter scattered across the street and on the ground. Kibe looked around, before he turned around to Suzue who stopped a few feet away from him.
"I need to know that you aren't just a smart guy, but a tough one." Suzue said as she then unsheated her blade. Kibe stared at her and got in a low yet predatory like stance. Kibe took his hands out of his pockets.
"I would advise aginst this." Kibe said
"Then its a good thing I'm the one initiating this isn't it?" She said as she then blitzed towards Kibe who got ready to fight.