[Yeah thanks for NOT EVEN PRETENDING IT COULD HAVE BEEN LILI GUYS god. But it was not in fact Lili so it's fine. He doesn't like how quickly they all jump to conclusions in general, but. Again, that's no longer for him to be concerned about.
But he'll explain.]
Sanji-kun and I met after the trial, to talk over things more. He liked Tomioka-kun, and I was frustrated. [A sword who couldn't even solve a sword crime; they'd both been feeling very strung out.] We talked over the evidence again, and we figured out that it had to have been someone bigger than Tomioka-kun. Someone strong enough to throw him through the window, and to get his sword away from him. When we took everything into account, it was only them.
[And in truth, he wasn't exactly positive, but--] Yu-kun had a dagger on him, and Tomioka-kun had cuts on his side. And Yu-kun was strong enough to hold his own against me, even when I was upset on Sunday.
... Was that all of it? Because considering powers and items, that doesn't disqualify everyone. There's a few objects that grant strength. I have one of them.
[ he doesn't know whether Yin Yu or Magnus did it, but those seem a bit too weak to immediately go for murder. ]
Sanji-kun told me Magnus's ability. [Which he will not doxx, if Dick doesn't already know it, because he doesn't want other people getting hurt. Also it probably would have changed Yasusada's target BUT MURDER PROPOSALS ARE DUE ON TUESDAY c'est la vie.] You're right, there's too much for us to have been certain. But we did what we could with what we had.
...And if it was between the two of them--I like Yu-kun. [For what that's worth.] I wanted to grant him a swift, honorable death. Even if he'd been guilty, no one deserves to go through something like what happened last week.
[It's not justice. He'd had to lie to Dick, but he told as much truth as he could about his own feelings.]
I can't say I understand fully, but you're right that these executions are a joke.
[ he can't because Murder Bad, but he knows sanji probably needed to kill and yams is. a sword. so. ]
I don't agree with what you did, but at least you didn't make him suffer.
[ unlike, say, jason, drowning and getting eaten by a shark last week. or nhs being stabbed with a pen right after. or even whatever happened to most of the others smh. ]
[No okay BUT REALLY, Dick gets himself a humorless smile at that. It looks very sad.]
He wasn't. [SANJI your MENTAL HEALTH] I was worried he'd try to use his ability or something to protect me. But I insisted.
I'm a sword, Dick-san. We're meant to be used. [To take lives, yes--but to protect those most important to them as well. This is what Yasusada wanted.
But he doesn't know if Dick would be satisfied with that, so he'll just... look down at the ground.]
Sanji-kun saw the memory I have, of... of Okita-kun dying as he held me. He knew I would rather it be me. He never would've made me be the one left behind.
[Which is why he doesn't believe Taako's grand declaration, other than the Magnus is guilty part.]
[ he would have accepted that, because he gets sword and he-- thinks of higekiri and he is so, so tired just thinking about it. but he appreciates the honesty regardless. ]
Which is why you didn't believe what Taako said. I'm not certain if I believe it all adds up, either. But if Sanji did have a role, would he have had a choice in acting that night? And would he have been able to warn you?
[THAT'S... hm. He looks like he wants to argue immediately, but--he'll have enough grace to consider it seriously.]
...I think he would have tried as hard as he could. We've trusted each other with everything from the beginning.
[Sanji knew Yasusada was loyal to him.]
We never spoke of roles, though. I didn't know we had anything like that. [He'd started to consider it after what Stephanie told him about the break-in, but he and Sanji hadn't.] But I don't understand what kind of role would lead to that. If it was just to ensure there was a death this week, then he should've known he could rely on me to carry it out.
It's all speculation, still. I don't have any proof, only a hunch. But it could be that each director has one role to ensure a death each week, and they take turns using it. Shinobu killed Yu, but the style of the kill for Hikage was completely different. If it was a role, there's bound to be extra rules. The punishment just for sharing our team to too many people is ridiculous. I can't imagine what it would be like for roles. And we know punishments are not always directed at the person breaking the rule. He might not have wanted to risk you.
[ he stops typing then, tapping on his leg. ]
It's a lot of "ifs", and I doubt you'll learn the truth in the graveyard. People tend to not remember if their killers aren't caught. Whatever the reason, Magnus did kill Sanji. I know who started it is semantics to you.
...He doesn't want to believe it--at least not like this. He has too much faith in Sanji's intelligence and cunning. If there would've been a way to let him know about something like this, he would have figured it out.
But--he thinks, for a moment, about the way Sanji had smiled at him, when he'd told him he'd do his best. I know you will, he'd said. He thinks about the look on Sanji's face, after their memory connection had ended--when Yasusada had had the privilege of seeing Sanji's own dear swordsman from home, and repaid him with blood and agony and the anguish of being left completely alone.]
If that's the case, then--why would Taako-san announce it like that? Isn't that too much of a risk?
[He, understandably, looks very unhappy about that.]
This is why I hate these places. [It's not fair. He hates, hates, hates the games, the secrets, the magic and items and bullshit. He wears the character of sincerity on his back with pride, and he doesn't hide who or what he is.] But I told you this would happen even if I was innocent.
[And he wasn't innocent, but he was also right. He lost control of his feelings first, and he would have been condemned to die for it no matter what.]
[ he's not going to be the one to argue against hating these places, or that everyone was immediately on Lili's side. He is worried about that, ultimately, because no matter what she says better people have murdered in these places. It's the nature of it. ]
Most people here are protective of the people they like, and so they're willing to believe they wouldn't do anything wrong. You're not immune to that, either. [ it's not meant as an admonishment, but considering the robotic voice it sort of comes out as it, and he wrinkles his nose a little. stupid...text to speech ] I'm saying you were partially right. I don't think your feelings condemned you this time. But if it goes with who people like more, it isn't any better.
[ dick knew for sure yams was guilty, but not everyone did. and they'd let others get away and condemned a few on flimsy reasons; the way the game is set up is a popularity contest. he... hates it. a lot. ]
I'm not saying I don't believe Sanji-kun could have killed. [He knows Sanji would have, knows that Sanji really only allowed him to go through with their plan because he thought Yasusada deserved the chance to decide his own fate. Even if he'd never said it out loud, Yasusada could see it on his face. He doesn't want Dick thinking his vehement defense is out of a misguided believe in Sanji's purity.] ...But if he knew he was leaving, he would have made sure Nami-san was safe first. If nothing else, please believe me on that much.
[As for the rest--well. He sighs a little.]
If you mean that, then please try to make sure what happened to Beau-san doesn't happen again. [More than his own situation, even more than everyone instantly assuming his guilt, he's still upset on Beau's behalf.] If more deaths occur, it will inevitably be at the hands of people whose guilt no one wants to see.
[He and Sanji had talked about that, too. They'd known they were past the point of causing minimum pain.]
[ but more that everyone has people they'd defend and believe to be right no matter what, he doesn't want to push on that subject. he sighs, barely, looking at his hands when yasusada speaks ]
We can't affect who gets picked for executioner. If we could...
[ there's a twist to his mouth. he doesn't want certain people getting picked any more than yams does, is the thing. but no one can control that. ]
[The way they'd all been so aggressively judgmental, because she'd dared to show her support for someone they were accusing. What Dick's saying and the way people truly act have been at odds since the start of all of this--is it any wonder that he couldn't trust them?
Dick's definitely right about that, though. His shoulders droop at the thought of the execution, and he looks down at the ground.]
I suppose you can try. Okita-kun was allowed to execute me in the castle, when we asked. [But it's not up to the directors, unlike how things were with Tiger and Dragon.]
...I promised some people that I'd fight, tomorrow. [He'll be honest about that too, especially because Dick already heard one of them. He and Ookurikara aren't close, but there are things they share, things Tonbokiri shares, that no one else can truly understand.] But there's certain people I won't kill. I don't think it will matter to anyone, but I'll uphold my honor as best I can.
I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again.
[ he'd expected the rest of that, even without hearing Ookurikara. he thinks about what to say to that for a long time, to be honest. ]
If it's your honor, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I know you'll follow your code. [ dick might not agree with what that is, but he knows-- he'd wanted a fair fight with Yin Yu. he'd at least try to do the same with whoever is there tomorrow. ] I wouldn't ask anyone out there not to fight.
[ guilty or not; he might have been more worried for taako last week but even though he'd killed jason, he'd never wanted nhs dead. ]
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You wanted to get caught, right? So we could concentrate on Sanji. I had something that could tell me if you were lying. I used it on you then.
[ it's. the real reason why he told lili. ]
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[But he didn't want to get distracted by BASS BOOSTED ANXIETY when he was already a goddamn mess, so. He tried.]
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[ that it was not secretly lili instead anyway moving on ]
Why did you think Yin Yu killed Shinobu?
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But he'll explain.]
Sanji-kun and I met after the trial, to talk over things more. He liked Tomioka-kun, and I was frustrated. [A sword who couldn't even solve a sword crime; they'd both been feeling very strung out.] We talked over the evidence again, and we figured out that it had to have been someone bigger than Tomioka-kun. Someone strong enough to throw him through the window, and to get his sword away from him. When we took everything into account, it was only them.
[And in truth, he wasn't exactly positive, but--] Yu-kun had a dagger on him, and Tomioka-kun had cuts on his side. And Yu-kun was strong enough to hold his own against me, even when I was upset on Sunday.
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[ he doesn't know whether Yin Yu or Magnus did it, but those seem a bit too weak to immediately go for murder. ]
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...And if it was between the two of them--I like Yu-kun. [For what that's worth.] I wanted to grant him a swift, honorable death. Even if he'd been guilty, no one deserves to go through something like what happened last week.
[It's not justice. He'd had to lie to Dick, but he told as much truth as he could about his own feelings.]
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I can't say I understand fully, but you're right that these executions are a joke.
[ he can't because Murder Bad, but he knows sanji probably needed to kill and yams is. a sword. so. ]
I don't agree with what you did, but at least you didn't make him suffer.
[ unlike, say, jason, drowning and getting eaten by a shark last week. or nhs being stabbed with a pen right after. or even whatever happened to most of the others smh. ]
Why was Sanji okay with you taking the fall?
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He wasn't. [SANJI your MENTAL HEALTH] I was worried he'd try to use his ability or something to protect me. But I insisted.
I'm a sword, Dick-san. We're meant to be used. [To take lives, yes--but to protect those most important to them as well. This is what Yasusada wanted.
But he doesn't know if Dick would be satisfied with that, so he'll just... look down at the ground.]
Sanji-kun saw the memory I have, of... of Okita-kun dying as he held me. He knew I would rather it be me. He never would've made me be the one left behind.
[Which is why he doesn't believe Taako's grand declaration, other than the Magnus is guilty part.]
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Which is why you didn't believe what Taako said. I'm not certain if I believe it all adds up, either. But if Sanji did have a role, would he have had a choice in acting that night? And would he have been able to warn you?
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...I think he would have tried as hard as he could. We've trusted each other with everything from the beginning.
[Sanji knew Yasusada was loyal to him.]
We never spoke of roles, though. I didn't know we had anything like that. [He'd started to consider it after what Stephanie told him about the break-in, but he and Sanji hadn't.] But I don't understand what kind of role would lead to that. If it was just to ensure there was a death this week, then he should've known he could rely on me to carry it out.
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It's all speculation, still. I don't have any proof, only a hunch. But it could be that each director has one role to ensure a death each week, and they take turns using it. Shinobu killed Yu, but the style of the kill for Hikage was completely different. If it was a role, there's bound to be extra rules. The punishment just for sharing our team to too many people is ridiculous. I can't imagine what it would be like for roles. And we know punishments are not always directed at the person breaking the rule. He might not have wanted to risk you.
[ he stops typing then, tapping on his leg. ]
It's a lot of "ifs", and I doubt you'll learn the truth in the graveyard. People tend to not remember if their killers aren't caught. Whatever the reason, Magnus did kill Sanji. I know who started it is semantics to you.
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...He doesn't want to believe it--at least not like this. He has too much faith in Sanji's intelligence and cunning. If there would've been a way to let him know about something like this, he would have figured it out.
But--he thinks, for a moment, about the way Sanji had smiled at him, when he'd told him he'd do his best. I know you will, he'd said. He thinks about the look on Sanji's face, after their memory connection had ended--when Yasusada had had the privilege of seeing Sanji's own dear swordsman from home, and repaid him with blood and agony and the anguish of being left completely alone.]
If that's the case, then--why would Taako-san announce it like that? Isn't that too much of a risk?
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Taako has lost a lot. Risking himself to save one of the few people he has left must have seemed worth it to him.
[ that probably sounds familiar to yams, at least. ]
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[Or does Taako not give a shit about that? What if it had backfired and hurt Magnus instead, or anyone else that he's close to?]
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I don't think he thought that far ahead.
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[He, understandably, looks very unhappy about that.]
This is why I hate these places. [It's not fair. He hates, hates, hates the games, the secrets, the magic and items and bullshit. He wears the character of sincerity on his back with pride, and he doesn't hide who or what he is.] But I told you this would happen even if I was innocent.
[And he wasn't innocent, but he was also right. He lost control of his feelings first, and he would have been condemned to die for it no matter what.]
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Most people here are protective of the people they like, and so they're willing to believe they wouldn't do anything wrong. You're not immune to that, either. [ it's not meant as an admonishment, but considering the robotic voice it sort of comes out as it, and he wrinkles his nose a little. stupid...text to speech ] I'm saying you were partially right. I don't think your feelings condemned you this time. But if it goes with who people like more, it isn't any better.
[ dick knew for sure yams was guilty, but not everyone did. and they'd let others get away and condemned a few on flimsy reasons; the way the game is set up is a popularity contest. he... hates it. a lot. ]
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[As for the rest--well. He sighs a little.]
If you mean that, then please try to make sure what happened to Beau-san doesn't happen again. [More than his own situation, even more than everyone instantly assuming his guilt, he's still upset on Beau's behalf.] If more deaths occur, it will inevitably be at the hands of people whose guilt no one wants to see.
[He and Sanji had talked about that, too. They'd known they were past the point of causing minimum pain.]
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[ but more that everyone has people they'd defend and believe to be right no matter what, he doesn't want to push on that subject. he sighs, barely, looking at his hands when yasusada speaks ]
We can't affect who gets picked for executioner. If we could...
[ there's a twist to his mouth. he doesn't want certain people getting picked any more than yams does, is the thing. but no one can control that. ]
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[The way they'd all been so aggressively judgmental, because she'd dared to show her support for someone they were accusing. What Dick's saying and the way people truly act have been at odds since the start of all of this--is it any wonder that he couldn't trust them?
Dick's definitely right about that, though. His shoulders droop at the thought of the execution, and he looks down at the ground.]
I suppose you can try. Okita-kun was allowed to execute me in the castle, when we asked. [But it's not up to the directors, unlike how things were with Tiger and Dragon.]
...I promised some people that I'd fight, tomorrow. [He'll be honest about that too, especially because Dick already heard one of them. He and Ookurikara aren't close, but there are things they share, things Tonbokiri shares, that no one else can truly understand.] But there's certain people I won't kill. I don't think it will matter to anyone, but I'll uphold my honor as best I can.
[No tricks, no games. That isn't who he is.]
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I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again.
[ he'd expected the rest of that, even without hearing Ookurikara. he thinks about what to say to that for a long time, to be honest. ]
If it's your honor, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I know you'll follow your code. [ dick might not agree with what that is, but he knows-- he'd wanted a fair fight with Yin Yu. he'd at least try to do the same with whoever is there tomorrow. ] I wouldn't ask anyone out there not to fight.
[ guilty or not; he might have been more worried for taako last week but even though he'd killed jason, he'd never wanted nhs dead. ]