II／Murder Study (Revision) - Backdated to Monday

[puppeteerings]

[Phone ; Public]So the chaos has finally settled down, and this is the type of game this town is in habit of pulling? Rather crudely done, and I've seen some tasteless things back home. At any rate, while I'd also rather let bygones be bygones, this can still be a good time to revise a few things. Namely, I'll review a study in homicide, the

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[puppeteerings]

No, it just sounds that way. I'm already over it, this is more for the others who may feel bitter about what happened.

[Huh that explains it.]

Oh? You just missed out, so I'll summarize for you. A good number of citizens in town received a letter last week, telling them to kill someone else. It contained a target's name and picture, offered a reward of what the recipient desires, and a threat against what they hold dear. Needless to say, there were deaths, but some also killed without the need for that incentive. It is an excuse, but have you considered the alternative? This town doesn't value life, and no matter how much you do, it will keep generating events that will work towards breaking that mindset. I'm just issuing a warning in advance; you can hold onto your values, but be aware that it'll just keep getting harder as time passes. You're new, so of course you're still yourself, but with the passing of time, who can tell whether or not that'll change?

[puppeteerings]

Hm, I wonder. I've been told that this town pulls outrageous stunts once every month or so, and I've only been here since the start of May last month myself. From the reactions that I've been hearing however, this isn't a common occurrence. It's all just conjecture, but if this town has the power to take us all here and strip us of our abilities, then I'm fairly certain that it can kill us all just as easily. Yet it keeps us alive and no one can die, so its goal can't be wanting for our deaths. I can't be sure, but I would presume it to be more interested in breaking our psyche.

Ah, don't fault yourself. This town is sadistic and cruel; it's good that you missed out, but you can still learn from others' accounts. I'm not going to tell anyone how and what to think, but the warning's been thrown out.

... [A faint snort.]We're talking for the first time, isn't it too early to tell? For all you know, I might just be bored. That said, I do agree that things should be hard sometimes - it's not like we're always given a choice. But if

[puppeteerings]

Who knows? We're all prisoners here given minimal information. A record of all that's happened must be kept by someone in town, but even if we saw it, I wonder if it'll tell us much about what's the purpose of all this, and what our captors really want. Ah, the most that anyone can do right now is to look after each other. Moral and resolve will be trialled repeatedly here, so this is just a heads-up that it'll only get harder from here on.

[She chuckles.] And yet what happened last week was already a repeat. I overheard a public phonecall; this "Spring Cleaning" had apparently been staged once before, about roughly two years ago. The caller assured us that there were no lasting consequences, and while that may have lessened the damage, people still killed and were killed. That's an idealistic way of looking at things, but if you believe so strongly, go ahead and make the message. Try to spread the word and talk sense into people; it's about one of the few things that we can do. I suppose that I am doing something similar, but I've

[puppeteerings]

[She lost you?]It's morally wrong, but civilization progresses because people adapt to their setting and advance accordingly. By setting, that encompasses the climate, the technology, the attitude and laws harbored by other humans around them, and so on. Here, that includes the fact that we're closed in a town that we cannot leave, and where "dying" isn't really "death". Yes, that's true. People aren't really dying, but in that case, what would you call the act of killing? An act of violence that takes someone out of commission for a day, whether it contain a heavy amount of murderous intent or none at all. ...'Attempted murder', huh? We already have something else called that. So how would you redefine someone who tried to "kill" another, but gave up without harming their target? As opposed to someone who did spill blood and inflicted harm, even if their target didn't really die

[puppeteerings]

Hmm, you can only live for the sake of someone else? That sounds like a tiring existence, but you're set on it, hmm? I wonder if it's just stubbornness... Ah. It's up to you to decide how you'll live. I'm just letting you know that it'll be harder on you, but in this town, maybe that'll get reversed too, like so many other things have been

[puppeteerings]

[She can hear that tired smile. Comes with having Mikiya as your secretary, actually.] It still sounds like you're taking a bit much just upon yourself. It's fine to want to be helpful, but what if you break down? If that happens when others are counting on you, you will be letting them down too. But you should already know that, don't you?

Heh, that's right. Recognizing your limits is something that everyone can benefit from: you, and the people around you. [She chuckles lowly.] So why don't you just focus on this one person that you mentioned? Being around them and close to them, you'll probably also be able to experience happiness from seeing them smile to you, instead of having to picture a faceless mass that are alive, but may or may not be grateful to your efforts and actions. You can call that focus 'selfishness' if you want, but I think it's rather human. The former's better too, in my opinion; you'll be spreading yourself too thin otherwise. Makes sense?