I'm actually X.
What?!
In other words, the "young man" who stole this from Michiko Takada...
was none other than me.
You absolute fools fell for my trap!
That prize will be mine and mine alone!
Initiative
Hitomi-san, you were lying to us?
For how long?
From the beginning, of course.
It was always my plan to take the entire 2.1 billion for myself.
For yourself?
But there was no guarantee you'd be the last person standing...
We could play this game a million times over and I'd always end up the winner.
You see, it's no coincidence that I've been in the minority in every vote.
But since you're such a little dunce, I'll spell it out for you.
The night before the first game, I listened to your foolproof strategy.
Even I had to admit it was brilliant.
I'd never dreamed of taking such an approach to win the game.
But soon after, I came to an incredible realization...
If I had two more teams like yours,
I could ensure my own victory, 100% guaranteed.
But how? I don't understand.
There were only 22 people here.
How could you form three teams of eight?
You really are quite slow, aren't you?
It was easy to make three teams out of 22...
with me on all three teams!
Caught on at last, have you?
All three teams followed the same strategy:
divide down the middle voting yes and no
until only one member of the team is left standing.
In other words, every member of the team should've had an equal shot at victory...
Except I had an unseen advantage.
Since I was on all of the teams,
whichever answer I chose would always have two fewer votes!
If I voted "yes," the yeses became the minority.
If I voted "no," the nos became the minority.
Which meant I was guaranteed to win!
I've been puppeteering this game the entire time!
I don't believe it.
You got everyone in the game to split into teams?
I'll admit that it wasn't easy.
The moment your team's discussion was over,
I returned to the lobby but could only form one team from the people still there.
I organized the remainder the next day, while the first game was ongoing.
While the game was ongoing?
No way! That isn't possible!
It most certainly is.
Remember what I said that night?
When the game starts tomorrow, let's refrain from any team huddles.
Instead, talk to the other players as much as possible.
The purpose of that suggestion wasn't to keep our team's existence a secret.
It was to keep you from realizing that I was putting together other teams.
It can't be...
And you were convinced the whole time that X was Number 15, remember?
That was also my doing.
I made sure he survived each round.
By reinforcing the idea that he was X,
I threw suspicion off of me!
So you lied to us, too?!
I certainly did!
And this contract you signed with our team isn't valid, either?!
That's right.
The fact that you bought it is a sign of your idiocy.
Violence? I'm all for it.
I'm fifth-dan in karate, after all.
I'm sure you're frustrated.
But if you ask me,
you only have yourselves to blame.
Remember what the dealer said?
"The one who can best control time will be the winner of Minority Rule."
I didn't sleep a wink the night before the first game.
Then I spent the six hours of play time going full throttle.
All to build my teams.
I couldn't have forged this ironclad system otherwise.
And what about you?
You heard you had a surefire win and immediately let your guard down.
Pathetic! You left yourselves wide open!
That's why you'll always be sheep before the wolves!
We lost...
May I continue the counting of the votes?
Oh, be my guest.
My vote will be the only yes.
The last one's obviously a no.
Then I shall read out the vote.
Our final vote, Number 22...
"Yes"!
What?!
It's yes?!
We have two votes for "yes" and two votes for "no."
We will move on to another vote.
Hold on!
Wait just a minute!
What in the world? Why did you vote yes?
We had an agreement!
We said that I'd vote yes and you'd vote no!
I saw right through you.
I knew that you were X,
and I knew your whole little scheme.
H-How could you possibly know that?
I had you all convinced that Number 15 was X!
Not me, I'm afraid.
On the contrary, I was convinced from the start that he couldn't be X.
It wasn't hard.
It was obvious if you really considered the situation.
X had stolen the 100-million-yen check from Michiko Takada
and entered the venue right after.
If Michiko Takada hadn't met me, she likely would've participated herself.
Which means X had to have a disguise prepared to fool Michiko Takada
once she was in the building.
You certainly met that criteria.
You can disguise yourself as a man or a woman.
But Number 15 didn't fit the profile.
Someone hoping to disappear into the crowd would never wear sunglasses.
It's effectively saying, "Hello. I'm in disguise."
I see now.
So, how did you see through my plot?
I knew from the start that my strategy wasn't actually foolproof.
If another team formed and tried the same thing, it'd wind up a stalemate.
But even so, I intentionally billed the plan as "foolproof"
to build unity among our team members.
You could say it was a kind of bluff.
So from the very start of the game,
I kept my ear to the ground for any signs of another team.
It was instantly clear to me that there was one.
How did you know?
Too much felt off.
The atmosphere in the room was strangely carefree.
It was like nobody felt they were in any danger at all.
By the end of the first round, I was sure of it.
None of the losers were distraught.
They'd just landed themselves 100 million yen in debt.
Wouldn't you expect more grief?
Perhaps a little kicking and screaming, even.
Yet not a single person raised a fuss.
It was as if they thought their safety was guaranteed.
That was the moment I was certain...
There was another team out there besides ours.
At least one. In the worst-case scenario, two.
And the real clincher came when Nao Kanzaki called me this morning.
Huh? Me?
She saw something...
But it's not just me.
I ran into that Number 1 fellow.
He seemed nervous, too...
Strange, isn't it?
Why would someone who owes 100 million yen to a shady organization
willingly go right back to that organization's property?
Most likely, he was worried his team's survivor would take the money and run.
You did a good job getting everyone on your side,
but you should've coached them a little on how to act after losing.
That still doesn't explain how you knew that I was X!
No, it was very clear that you were X.
You're obviously an exceptionally competitive person.
You're level-headed and bursting with grit.
However, when Nao Kanzaki first mentioned X,
you lost your cool.
I certainly did not.
Hardly. You were shaken and made your sole—
but unfortunately fatal—misstep.
Number 15?! What a coincidence!
I also thought he was behaving strangely!
You did, Hitomi-san?
I mean, he acts like he doesn't have a care in the world!
If he's got a 100-million-yen check in his pocket, that would explain it.
And how exactly was that a misstep?
Nao Kanzaki had mentioned that X stole 100 million yen,
but she never said anything about a check.
Only X could have known the stolen money came in the form of a check.
Incredible!
Do you see the holes in your plot now?
Don't pretend like you're so smart.
You think you've won?
All you did was thwart my plan!
You haven't actually won!
The game's back to square one! That's all!
No skin off my nose!
Back to square one, eh?
That's right...
We're right back to where we started.
All four of them still have an equal shot at winning.
Which means we only have a 25% chance.
As the last vote ended in a tie, the game will continue.
We will proceed to the next round.
We must now ask the observer to leave.
I don't think that's necessary just yet.
Outside contact is only prohibited once the round begins.
That is correct.
Then let us choose a questioner.
Number 22.
Me, huh?
I-I'm sorry. I'll leave the moment it starts.
Your topic, please.
Let us hear it.
The most important thing in life...
is money.
We have our topic.
"The most important thing in life is money."
Those who agree, vote "yes."
Those who disagree, vote "no."
The time limit is...
Wait a minute.
It's obvious what my answer is.
The heck?
Is the most important thing in life really money?
My answer is no.
Akiyama-san?!
Hey, what the hell did you just do?!
We're supposed to have six hours to think it over!
I don't need all that time.
Because I'm guaranteed to win.
As you saw, I just voted no. There's no trick to it, either.
See? This should serve as proof.
Now that there's already a vote for no,
if you want to be in the minority, you'll have to vote yes.
But if all three of you vote yes, it'll put me in the minority.
If you don't want me to win, a couple of you have to bite the bullet and vote no...
but whoever does is giving up the win.
And I'm sure of one thing.
No one here is that kind of person.
Which means that I'll win.
We have our first vote already, but I will now start the timer.
The voting deadline is six hours.
Akiyama-san acted so confident...
but can he really win?
Let's see here...
There's already one vote for no,
so I'll have to vote yes to win.
But if the other two do the same, Number 22 wins!
I can't do that!
If I vote no, I can't possibly win, either.
So if Number 15 also votes no...
That'll give it to Number 3!
I can't do that, either! What do I do, damn it?!
The guy who already voted is in total control of the game!
The one thing I do know is that with teams out the window,
there's no surefire strategy.
Wait, but...
Even if my team's finished, I can just make a new one!
Two people need to form an alliance.
Whoever wins splits the prize with the other.
One of them votes yes and the other one votes no.
That'd make for one yes and two nos.
If the last player votes yes, it's a draw.
And if they vote no, hoping to force a draw...
This could work! It could totally score me the win!
But the important thing is just that I don't lose!
The question is... who do I work with?
You want to ally with me?
Yeah.
It's true that by working together, we could avoid a loss...
but why ask me and not Number 15?
I've betrayed you once already.
I can't work with that guy.
This contract might not apply to you, but my signature's still valid!
Which means I've gotta split whatever I win with these six other people!
Number 15's in the same boat.
He's gotta split his winnings with the six guys on his team.
If Number 15 and I work together,
the prize minus the fee to drop out would leave us 1.05 billion,
1.05 billion ÷ 14 people = 75 million
divided by fourteen... That's 75 million!
We'd all end up in the red!
I see. But while your plan prevents losing, it won't spell a win.
Just look at Number 15 over there.
It's hard to tell with the sunglasses, but he's been glancing our way.
There are only three players here who haven't voted yet.
Any coordinating we do will be plainly obvious.
There's no way he'd ever vote no.
We can't afford to rely on wishful thinking.
We need to think up a surefire plan.
I've got one.
A plan that gives us a 100% chance of winning.
Oh, looks like they're getting started.
It's simple.
The three of us will form an alliance.
That will guarantee us the vote.
The winner will absolutely be one of us.
Listen, man.
We all know we can win with a three-person alliance.
But your team, plus my team, plus Number 3... That's fifteen people!
How are we splitting 1.05 billion fifteen ways?!
The prize won't be 1.05 billion.
It'll be 2.1 billion.
The full 2.1 billion?!
After I win, I won't drop out.
I'll advance to the next stage.
Are you nuts?!
Nope.
Is he stupid?!
The second game was hard enough!
Can't he even conceive how hard the third will be?
But it's a good thing he's dumb. I can make use of this!
I just love that unyielding ambition!
How manly! I'm truly in awe!
However...
Of course, that means I'll want a larger share.
The total prize is 2.1 billion.
As agreed, I'll pay the 100-million-yen debts
plus an extra 43.75 million for my teammates, Miura, and his teammates.
Paying the Debts & Splitting the Money for 15's Team + Miura's Team
143.75 million per person x 13 people =
That wipes 1.86875 billion from the pot.
143.75 million per person x 13 people =
1.86875 billion
I'll keep 230 million for myself.
Advance Payment to Number 15
230 million
The rest will go to Number 3. Is that acceptable?
What exactly is "the rest"?
It's 1.25 million.
Just 1.25 million?!
That's absurd!
Why should he get 43.75 million, you get 230 million,
and I get a piddly 1.25 million?!
I can't even pay the 100-million-yen entry fee with that!
But you can.
You told us you've got a check for 100 million.
You tried to sabotage the rest of us.
As a traitor, you should be grateful to get even 1.25 million.
Try showing it.
And now they're at each other's throats.
I refuse to accept these conditions!
What's the big deal? You still get out of the game in the black.
I at least want the same 43.75 million that he's getting!
What?! You think you're in a position to make demands?!
It's not unreasonable!
That 1.25 mil is an insult, pure and simple!
Conflict is such an ugly thing.
One hour remains.
I won't change my stance.
I refuse to yield a single yen.
Twenty minutes remain.
Ah, and now we're in a stalemate.
Ten minutes remain.
Listen. Why don't we make this round a draw?
A draw?
Force a draw, then resume during tomorrow's game.
We're in no rush.
Now that we're together, our victory is assured.
The rest is just quibbling over the spoils.
I suppose you're right.
Let's make it a draw for today.
Tch, I guess we'd better...
Wait, you can't trick me!
You're gonna pull a fast one and make yourself the winner!
I'm clearly not!
Like I'd believe you!
You tried to sabotage us once. There's no damn way—
Fine, fine.
Here's what we'll do.
To ensure that it's a draw, I'll take our votes up together.
Together?
Each of you, give me your yes votes.
I'll vote no to make it a tie.
None of us will be able to win.
There's no way for anyone to cheat like this.
Nice idea!
Yeah, no one can play the others that way.
One minute remains.
Voting has concluded.
If you wish to observe, you may enter.
Thank you so much!
Akiyama-san...
You three tried to make something work, but it fell apart in the end.
I'm afraid this won't turn out the way you expect it to.
Oh, but it will.
This is a reflection of who you three are.
I do pity you.
You don't realize you fell for my trap.
The hell's that supposed to mean?
Calm down. You'll see soon enough.
I will now tally the votes.
What's going to happen? Akiyama-san...
Next Time
The Losers' Revival