Darwin's Game (ダーウィンズゲーム)

There you are! Hey, Rein, I'm over here!

Ugh. I wish you wouldn't yell out my name

and make a big scene, Kotori.

Sorry, my bad.

I'm just not used to meeting with you

in person, you know?

Since we usually correspond by text.

I'd prefer that,

but your texts are so garbled with emojis that sometimes

I can't make heads or tails of them.

Besides, I'm in a hurry.

Oh, sorry, didn't realize I was a bad texter.

Anyway, you're amazing, Rein.

That tip you gave me about the Eighth Clan's hideout

was right on the money.

I learned a lot from scouting, so ask me anything.

I was able to get most of what I need to know

from the text you sent about the warehouse.

Next, I'd like to ask about their numbers

and who specifically is involved.

I'd also like to know what sort of weapons they may have.

I don't know about their weapons,

but I can confirm there are a dozen people.

Possibly up to 15.

You guys really did a good job

of thinning them out, didn't you?

Now they can't mobilize like they could at their peak.

We're not the ones who should take the credit for that.

So, whose Sigils should we be worried about most?

Well, you know about that karate guy named Keiichi.

And then there's their leader, Wang, obviously.

And the Flame Demon?

I didn't see him, so I'm pretty sure he was

killed during the treasure hunt event.

Okay.

Mr. Hiiragi. Did you manage to overpower him?

All right, it's time for me to go now.

I'll pay you in points as usual.

Hey, one more thing!

Yes?

Don't worry about paying me for this time.

I have a favor to ask instead.

A favor?

I was hoping that you might pull a few strings

and help me get into the Sunset Ravens!

They could really use my skills!

But you're still a member of Icy Crown, remember?

Don't betray them.

We're already at war with Eighth,

it would be foolish of us to create another conflict.

Eighth is getting weaker,

there's no way they can stand up to the Sunset Ravens now.

You know as well as I do that you can win this.

Even if it means making a few sacrifices.

Actually, our leader is the type

who wants to avoid making any sacrifices. As a result,

we're basically playing D-Game with a handicap on.

Aw, he sounds like a good guy!

That makes me like him even more.

I heard a rumor that whenever a player clears an event,

the game'll reward them with a super-special privilege.

That Kaname Sudo must be an incredible guy.

Well, I'll pass along your request, but...

You should know, you won't get an answer right away.

Oh, yeah, that's fine, I can wait!

Do your best out there, okay, girl?

"Eighth Clan is too weak to stand up to Sunset Ravens,"

huh? I'm hesitant to be as optimistic as Kotori is.

But luckily, that terrible Flame Demon is dead,

and we know what Wang's Sigil can do.

So we could probably defeat them right now,

even without relying on Xuelan's help.

What really concerns me is...

Dammit! This whole thing is bullshit! All of it!

Knock it off, Kaname! Hurting yourself won't fix this!

That bastard cut my friend's fingers off, Ryuji!

I'm killing him!

Trust me, I understand.

Killing Wang is the one thing I want most.

But I promise Kaede can easily repair your buddy's hands,

so just calm down for a second, okay?

How do you feel now? Better?

Yeah. Sorry I lost my temper earlier.

But knowing they've got Shinozuka

is driving me freakin' crazy.

Let's go over the facts again. Obviously,

our main objective is to get the hostage out of harm's way,

but we also need to take out that piece of shit,

Wang, before he hurts more people.

So, we've got everybody in this room plus Rein.

Then there's the reinforcements from the Danjo Boxing Club.

We have to work with that.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able

to get in touch with Miss Number-One Player.

That's fine by me.

It's not like that woman's worthy of our trust, anyway.

We can take care of it all on our own.

Well, now that we're all on the same page,

let's talk strategy. According to Rein's analysis,

they filmed that video in a coastal warehouse district.

She could tell all that from only the video?

She saw a black-tailed gull in the corner of one frame.

I thought it was just a smudge or something.

And Wang doesn't strike me as the type

who would plant a red herring like that.

Shinozuka. This is my fault.

Don't blame yourself.

The only people in the wrong here are Wang and his lackeys.

You couldn't have known this was going to happen.

Your friend was just unlucky enough

to get snapped up by a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The main problem is that monsters like Wang

run loose in this world.

You should blame the world, if anything!

Shuka...

I'm sorry for the wait, everyone.

I've finally gathered all of the necessary information.

So let's go rescue the hostage.

Damn, my hands hurt so freakin' bad!

After all that, we still couldn't get him

to tell us where Sudo is.

It seems like he really doesn't know anything.

Oh well, that doesn't matter.

Give it some time, and I'm sure Kaname'll come to us.

He'll want to tell us what he thinks about

that video we made.

So you think the fatso's good enough bait?

You got that right. Then again,

we might as well have grabbed any average joe off the street.

That Kaname's a bleeding-heart softie.

He can't live with being responsible for the death

of another human being.

What he doesn't understand

is most people have no problem at all with killing somebody

if it means saving their own skin.

Excuse me, sir, there's an emergency!

What are you so worked up for, Shinji?

Is Kaname here already?

Actually, no, there are tons of police outside!

You're kidding me!

Squad A here.

We're stationed in front of the warehouse.

Roger. Wait for SAT to arrive.

Understood, sir.

Shit! Just when I was about

to get my quality time with Kaname, the cops

have to show up out of nowhere and ruin the whole thing.

What? Do they know I'm in here?

Hey, uh...

Do you think we might've gotten a little too carried away?

Huh? Well, well, look who's got all the answers.

You want me to play it safe and be a good boy,

is that it, Shinji?

No, I'm not telling you what to do, sir!

Uh. I'm sorry?

Smart, I was just makin' sure! So don't go pissin' your pants.

Nobody can touch Eighth Clan,

definitely not that bunch of pigs. Ain't that right, Kei?

Damn it.

I still haven't gotten any response from Wang and his guys.

I guess they're not open to negotiating.

Sorry I'm the only backup we could send.

Danjo Boxing Club suddenly got attacked by Uroboros.

It's possible that was coordinated ahead of time

by the Eighth Clan.

You're saying Uroboros and Eighth

have some kind of alliance?

I don't know for certain, it could be just a coincidence.

Don't worry, Inukai.

With you here, we probably have enough firepower.

Hope you're right, Kaname.

Okay, just so we're all clear, the first objective

of this mission is saving the guy they took hostage,

and the second stage is getting him to a safe zone, right?

Instead of exterminating those jerks?

I know it seems weak. And maybe it is weak.

But when I think about taking the life of every single Eighth

Clan member, I just don't feel like that's a line I can cross.

Well, for right now, the only thing we can do is stand by

until we get word from Shuka.

Shuka, is the radio reception coming through okay?

You can hear me, right?

Sorry, Rein, I'd love to chat,

but I'm kinda doing something here.

I just wanted to confirm that we had signal.

Ugh, if you're gonna bug me,

you should at least put Kaname on instead.

Hey, Shuka, sorry this is such a half-baked plan.

Oh, you shouldn't worry about me, Kaname, you're the boss

after all. I'm here to do whatever makes you happy.

That's enough, you two. You can flirt when this is over.

What's going on with Eighth?

Oh, yeah, them.

The police have their place surrounded right now.

The police are there?

Uh, Keiichi just came out alone.

In that case, we should make our move.

You sure that's a good idea?

Since they don't have Sigils,

the cops are basically just cannon fodder,