01x09 - Survival of the Fittest

[bunniefuu]

You still have it, don't you?

You have Habu's phone.

I'm going to search you now.

Talentless Nana

Umm

T-There was no cell phone, right?

Episode 9: Survival of the Fittest

Nana- shan isn't the k*ller, right?

I didn't find any proof. For now

What do you mean, "for now"?!

That was a close call.

I had a hard time deciding

how to dispose of Habu's cell,

the item that would prove I was with her.

I thought the safest plan was:

Set Kaori's contacts on her desk

this morning, send her the text,

then ditch the phone before

Kyoya and the others joined me.

But if I sent the text that early,

they would realize I could have sent it.

Also, since Kaori can teleport,

I needed her to die while

I was with Kyoya, not before.

If she got the text at 9:15 AM,

teleported to her room, and died then,

This would make me suspect,

since my whereabouts during

the time of death would be unknown.

Additionally, if Habu's body were

to be discovered among the zombies,

her phone had to be with her,

or things would look unnatural.

Plan B was exactly as Kyoya theorized.

I would hide Habu's phone in my pocket,

send the text, then ditch the phone by

the corpses while my friends weren't looking.

I felt this was the easiest plan,

assuming Kyoya could be distracted.

The only moment I took my eyes off

her was when I was examining Kaori.

But I know I didn't give her

a chance to ditch a cell phone.

"I messed up

I'll put them on your desk"

The final text was sent at 3:04.

Until that time,

the phone had to be with Hiiragi.

When did she do it? When?

How did she get rid of the evidence?

After a lot of agonizing, I settled on Plan C.

From where the zombie was lying,

direct sunlight would hit it in the afternoon,

and by the time its finger melted

onto the phone, the text would be sent.

It was a high-risk plan.

When I was practicing the setup,

I accidentally sent two texts.

It was me

It was me

I'm sorry

Also, woodland critters

could have moved the phone.

Or, if Kyoya did search the area,

he might find the phone, and from it,

discover the identity of Habu's corpse.

An endless chain of risks.

Which is exactly why I chose

the option with the biggest payoff.

If I succeeded, not only would

I have an alibi for the text,

but the phone and the body--

both pieces of evidence would be burned.

However it really was a close call.

My fatigue made the choice difficult,

but I almost went with Plan B.

Apologize to Nana- shan at once!

Nana- shan was traumatized by Yuka!

You really crossed a line!

S-Sorry I hurt you.

You as*h*le Sorry won't cut it, pal!

Hilarious.

I recall someone saying we should,

"avoid jumping at each other's throats."

That was you, wasn't it, Kyoya?

Why would Nana- shan have

to do something so evil anyway?!

It's okay.

I'm sorry I failed you all.

I let someone die on my watch again.

Kaori was m*rder*d by Habu--

possessed by the enemies of humanity.

Just now

I heard Habu's spirit-voice.

She's apologizing to Kaori and to us.

And she wants us all to work together

She wants us to never suspect anyone again.

You can tell, can't you, Nana?

You can tell if we're being

controlled by the enemy?

Apparently, yes. So please, don't

hesitate to come to me if you need help.

And if I notice any of you

are in danger, I'll let you know.

Does that sound like a plan, Kyoya?

I'm keeping Kaori's body until tomorrow morning.

Let's inform the school, too.

Did the poison come from

Habu's saliva, or did I prepare it?

You won't be able to tell the difference.

I figured I couldn't trick a mind-reader,

so I rushed her into checkmate too soon.

But something's still off.

Before Kyoya catches on,

I'd better ditch this poison.

It's a shame I let Kaori's

body get so much attention.

Since everyone believes Tsunekichi was sick,

Kaori is the first m*rder victim in their eyes.

Now that there's a dead body, clear as day,

even Nakajima's disappearance

will feel more real to everyone.

Now I'm sure more people will have their

guard up which makes my job harder.

Oh, there you are.

I thought I'd stand guard so

I'd know if the enemy showed up.

But you're already tired from everything

that's happened! What a trooper.

It's important to keep up the facade

of a vigilant leader, always on patrol.

And it's easier to work at night.

I had originally intended to get

some sleep tonight, though

I'll stand guard tonight.

Go ahead and get some sleep.

I want to help you in any way I can, Nana- san .

She tried to save

Tsunekichi and Kaori, now me

What a weird girl.

Okay I'll rest my eyes for a bit.

These kids are enemies of humanity.

Just look at what Yuka did.

Then again, look at Nakajima.

Good people. Bad people.

That isn't for me to decide.

Sooo

You can read minds, right?

Yeah why do you--

Then why? Why didn't you notice sooner?

W-Why?

When you're being threatened,

you should cooperate.

What's your real power?

I told you, I can read--

It's such a pain to behead with a box cutter.

I just heard your inner-voice now.

A part of you that you don't

want to acknowledge fears me.

You're scared that my talent isn't telepathy,

but that my body fluids are poisonous.

I can understand your apprehension.

What if my blood spurted in your eye?

That sounds very alluring,

coming off of a m*rder by poisoning.

That was an excellent counter-attack.

I sense you have combat training.

As I suspected, you're not just any kid.

I could scream for help, you know.

But you won't. Because you don't

want your true talent exposed.

I don't want to tell them

that you were possessed by an

enemy of humanity and attacked me.

But I'd love to see how they

react when I tell them you're a liar,

and how you'd get yourself out of it.

I'm the class leader.

Nobody would believe that sweet Michiru

is trying to ensnare her beloved Nana- san .

Is there trouble again?

Everything's okay.

Well, see you in school tomorrow, my friend.

Nana- san , since you're such a good leader,

I have a present for you.

What's that?

Ooh, what's that?

A present.

Just open it and see.

What's wrong?

You can read my mind, right?

Sorry.

I can't really read any minds right now.

Probably because I'm still tired.

Okay! I'll ask you again at lunch.

No present for you until then.

And after lunch, I'll ask again after school.

I'll ask again tomorrow.

And each time, you'll have some

excuse for why you can't read my mind.

How long can you keep it up?

There's no way I know what's in that box.

Don't let her bait you.

Her mission is clear: expose my fake talent

and make the class lose trust in their leader.

After Yuka, Takanashi and Habu were k*lled.

Is this really the time for classes?

Believe me, I talked it over with my superiors.

See?

Doesn't it seem like a lot

of kids are absent today?

They're all scared.

What does Hiiragi have to

say about this? She's the leader.

I'm thinking hard about what's inside the box.

You can hear my inner-voice, right?

But the classroom is full of

everyone else's thoughts, too.

I can't isolate your voice very well, so--

You can't read my mind?

Going off the inner-voice

I'm hearing the loudest right now

Is it a greeting card?

Sorry, it's a bath set!

Oh, dear.

You must be awfully tired then.

Will you be able to read minds

when you really need to?

No, I really did hear that inner-voice.

I'm still hearing it now.

The voice says, "I love Nana- shan !"

Hey, Inukai. There's a note on your back.

Yeah, we felt too awkward to say anything.

Especially after how hard you've

been flirting with Nana all morning.

Well, I guess all of us were

thinking about that note.

In other words, Nana heard our

inner-voices instead of Inukai's.

Oh! I guess your inner-voices

were so loud I couldn't hear Michi--

And hey! Who pulled this rotten prank?

I assumed Michiru put it there herself,

to send you a subliminal message.

Well, I am very fond

of Michiru, too, of course

But you'd never tease her in

a way that would hurt her feelings.

Of course! If I'd noticed the note sooner,

I would have removed it!

But you still knew what the note said,

which proves you read our minds.

In other words, it seems

Nana's talent is functioning just fine.

Yes. I did it.

Now, I'd love to see you try

treating me like an impostor now.

Well, I'm glad that all worked out.

Thanks for the present. I love it.

I have no idea what happened,

but who put the note on her back?

There you go again, you conspiracy theorist.

Drop it, Kyoya. It was just a stupid prank.

I messed up big-time yesterday.

I need to rebuild their trust first.

Well, whatever.

Anyway, I'm opening applications for someone

to become my BFF and eat lunch with me.

Dude. Chill.

You passed my test with flying colors today.

So, why'd you bring me out here?

To pick up where we left off last night.

I figured as much.

Before we proceed, I have a question to ask you.

Where is the real Michiru?

The "real" Michiru?

The real Michiru would have

used her power to heal her hand.

I just remembered

Michiru calls you "Nana- shan ."

Your talent is transformation, right?

And you chose someone weak

like Michiru to transform into?

You're asking to get hurt again.

Now I'm even more fascinated by you.

You could have attacked me. Why did

you ensure Michiru's safety first instead?

What are you trying to say?

I'm saying, for an indiscriminate serial k*ller,

you seem to make an exception for Michiru.

Yeah, I was right to transform into her.

I think I'm getting further

insights into your true character.

Wait did you just say "serial k*ller"?

I'm Jin Tachibana.

This is your first time seeing me, Leader.

My name has already been

erased from the school roster.

I am a Talented, a few years your senior.

I want to make a deal with you.

Don't worry, I just put

a strong sedative in her drink.

Where are you taking me?

All I've got is stolen cafeteria coffee.

You okay with that?

Sure, thanks.

Don't tell me you're actually living here?

Sometimes. Whenever

I feel like eating people-food.

"People-food"?

It seems Kyoya has already

searched you for m*rder evidence.

Do you still have your

special sewing kit with you?

What are you talking about?

I'm saying, I have many cards

I can play to take you down.

My only hurdle is that I lack

a suitable dealer at the table.

Would revealing my hand to another

player give me an advantage?

I've been asking this question for five years.

If you tell me what

happened here five years ago,

I might be able to solve your problem.

I hope so. That's why I brought you here.

Were you a classmate of those zombies?

I buried my friends as best I could.

But Yuka Sasaki dug them up.

You are a beautiful murderess,

but I commend you on bringing her to justice.

You just know everything, don't you?

Those who have seen my talent

forsake evolution in favor

of writing fairy tales.

I'm sure you're aware,

most birds have good night vision.

But their vision is blurred so I've never

gotten a good look at your sleeping face.

So you've been spying on me?

Well, you did save my life once.

That's what sparked my interest in you.

Will you tell Kyoya I'm tired

of milk from the vending machine?

He's the cat?

The stupid calico you found

in the drain is the real cat.

But even though you seemed to be in a hurry,

I'm surprised you

prioritized the voice of the weak.

Is that who you really are inside?

I don't know who you really are inside.

At the moment, based off what I know,

you seem like a skirt-chasing

pervert with a m*rder fetish.

From the way you're acting, even if I yank out

your uterus, it won't reveal who you are inside.

So allow me to share first.

Did she use an unidentifiable

poison from Habu's body?

Or else

This might be the poison she used on Kaori.

Gathering crystallized poison

from the body isn't too difficult.

But for substances with high purity,

normal analysis won't suffice.

Who the hell is Nana Hiiragi anyway?

"I'm not like the others." "I am gifted."

It's unhealthy to suppress the

self-conscious during puberty.

Especially with teens with paranormal abilities.

Five years ago, it happened organically.

We just started k*lling each other.

At first, kids with the most promise,

like Nakajima, went missing.

Then, days later,

it became clear that one of

the girls in class k*lled him.

Her reason was, "Because I'm the most powerful."

The others exiled her,

but I remember that she'd

had feelings for the boy.

And that her feelings were not reciprocated.

Yet, the murders continued?

She was the first to be k*lled.

Then the girl who orchestrated it

was blasted outside the atmosphere

by a boy with psychokinesis and died.

His dorm room was next to mine.

I imagine your neighbor

suddenly got very quiet, yes?

The more powerful you are,

the more fear and panic you sow.

We soon split into factions

and warred among ourselves.

We both surmised the other side was

possessed by the enemies of humanity.

No one planted the idea to fight in our heads.

We were at w*r with our own imaginations.

Did you happen upon a rundown old cottage

while you were on the run from Yuka?

That cottage, along with this cave,

were safe houses at the time.

That's because as the w*r escalated,

we stopped going to school.

Didn't the school officials intervene?

They retreated.

Almost as if they foresaw our w*r.

Naturally, those of us who could fly or

teleport chased after their escape vessel.

I tried to follow them, too, but I gave up

because I heard the merciless cry of

cannons blasting from the ship to the shore.

Peace did not come to us after the faculty left

because there was no definite leader to

maintain the power balance among the Talented.

The leaders of the two factions were

a time-stopper and a future-seer.

They both boasted about being the strongest,

meanwhile, fearing that the other was stronger.

But you disguised yourself

as a cat and waited it out.

It's Survival of the Fittest.

It is not the strongest who will survive.

It's those who can adapt.

After my last comrade died,

I used my powers to return home.

My elderly grandmother

is my only living relative.

But the moment she saw my face,

she prayed for my soul.

That's because she was told I had died

fighting the enemies of humanity.

I soon learned that there's a group

of people who'd rather I not be alive.

I said a final farewell to my

grandmother and flew away.

In time, more Talenteds were

enlisted to live on this island

with the truth still buried.

The w*r was indeed caused by our own arrogance.

However, I suspect a governmental

conspiracy was also at play.

I wouldn't be able to live with myself

if I turned my back on all of this.

That's why I returned to the island.

And to my surprise,

a foreign body that wasn't present during

my school days was snaked into the mix.

That's me, right?

It would be easy for me to try you

for m*rder in a kangaroo court.

But you said there's a group

of people who want you dead.

Which is why you've been spying on me.

I think you'd have to out yourself to the

students if you wanted them to prosecute me.

And worst case scenario,

you might spark another civil w*r

like the one you fought in five years ago.

Yes. All this is true as long as you

keep your motive for k*lling secret.

Is this where our deal comes in?

Nana. I'll let you do your thing for a while.

I'll bet you k*lled your

fair share of friends, too.

So I suggest you cooperate, for your own sake.

What if I say no?

I'm thinking of letting everything go

and starting a business overseas.

Though I'd k*ll the

pretty murderess before I left,

so she'd stop k*lling my beloved classmates.

Understood.

But if we're going to make a deal,

I want us to be on equal footing.

You think I have an unfair advantage?

Forgive me, but,

I'm wary of making deals with someone who

doesn't even notice when his drink is poisoned.

Y-You must be

You must've been sent by the conspirators

I'm the sole survivor

of that w*r five years ago.

Whom will you report to about my death?

Report, eh?

Good point. He is a strange specimen.

I should probably contact the Committee.

Kyoya?

Interesting.

So this device holds all your secrets.

Where did he come from?!

A clever magician always fails at the

start of a show to misdirect the audience.

Like, by calling you "Nana- san " on purpose

when it should be "Nana- shan ."

Or by putting a bandage on

my hand after I've already healed it

to make you think my wrist is injured.

In your arrogance, you underestimated

the true extent of my powers.

I mentioned earlier that during

the civil w*r of the Talented

it was difficult to maintain the power balance?

Well, there was an exception.

I was the exception.

So it's not just their appearances

you can copy their powers, too?!

All the powers of all the Talented.

If all I could do was play dress-up,

do you honestly think I could

have won the brutal battle royale?

Son of a This guy

is a true enemy of humanity.

He's a monster!