Legacy of Forgotten Times 167 Why should we keep you?

*Beep*

Linri heard the same dreaded voice once again. He hastily checked his watch to see the new vote tally.

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[Current Vote Tally]

Linri Harclaw (3) - Rondo, Jin, Rina

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Rina got up from the ground with great effort. She still seemed light headed, her legs were trembling.

"Sis!" said Riku and tried to help her but Rina stopped him. She was not going to get help from anyone, especialy not him.

"What? Should I take this as a provacation? Don't tell me you think I am a witch too?" Linri said sarcastically.

"I don't know, but one thing I am sure of is you have to die here. With you there is no guarantee that you wouldn't conspire with others to kill everyone here" said Rina. 

Linri just face palmed. He knew that, he had a bad imge in her eyes but really? He wasn't a senseless murderer! The problem was how to prove that without letting out too much information.

"Do you really think that? Look at the rules of this game! It is a game meant to make you doubt others and judge them with your own eyes. We win this game as a team so why would I help the baddies? Did you think that I enjoy what I did?" Linri asked with great passion.

"Then did you care about their deaths?"

"No! Why should I? If they weren't prepared to lose their lives they shouldn't have played this game. Same applies to you. If you aren't prepared to kill others or watch them die leave now. Because there are a whole lot more of that coming your way and even if you don't like it I am not the enemy this time. Heck, I might actually be your greatest ally and the only way you could win. Don't forget the purpose of this event. We are here to stop this terrorist from blowing up this school. If sacrifices are necessary for that no one should hesitate. Which brings me to my next arguement. If everyone's purpose here is to save others and stop the bomb why doesn't the witches just out themselves? Yeah, you might die but the rest of us would live and the school would be saved"

No one in the room stepped up as witches.

"See, this proves my point. No one has a noble heart and would sacrifice themselves for the greater good while they still had a chance to live. Do you think you can catch them without my help?" Eventhough Linri seemed like he was trying to defend himself he was also inspecting the other players and already had some ideas. For example, if they were witches Richard, Riku and Rina would have probably stepped up. Richard would because the posion wouldn't be able to kill him, Riku because he was a passionate idiot and Rina would because she was a hypocrite and wanted to prove Linri wrong. If she tried logically about it she wouldn't but now that she was still dizzy and had a hard time thinking she would definitely fall for that.

"How exactly can you help?" Ashley asked.

Ashley, Rondo and Jin. These three were Linri's biggest suspects. He was ninety-percent sure that two out of three of them was definitely a witch. His bet was on Rondo and Jin because of the stunt they pulled but that might as well be a personal grudge so he needed to find some real evidence.

"Well, it might be boasting a little but I am pretty good when it comes to reading people"

Ashley raised her eye brow.

"Is that so? Then why don't you read me?" she said sarcastically. Despite that soundind like a joke deep in her onyx black eyes Linri could see a crafty expression. She was testing him. Oh man! How had he not know anything about her before? Even if Linri and her didn't date the two of them would have made amazing crime partners! No! Focus Linri, focus! 

Before speaking Linri inspected her get up. She was not wearing her military jacktet. Instead she was in a black crop top and some sports wear as her pants. Basically instead of looks she had favoured mobility. Linri had met countless girls in his life but never once saw them wear anything other than a pants aside from three situations. One, when they were at home and trying to be comfy. Two, when they were going outside to have a walk or to a gym. Three, they just went through a break-up and still depressed about it, at least depressed enough to not care about their looks.

Then why would Ashley dress like that? Most likely because she wanted to get ready for combat. It must have been pretty hard to kick someone with tight jeans. Let alone kicking someone, you would have enough problems walking.

Okay, so maybe she was a close-combatant. What else? She also had this same sarcastic and crafty personality. Basically, she always meant one thing while actually thinking something else. But how does someone become like that? For him, it was a childhood trauma plus his father's training and lastly the effect of OG Linri's personality. Then how does someone have that personality from the start?

It can't be a natural personality trait since usually people like him would calculate every move and that would take too much toll on our brain to do uncounsciously. So she must have to have a background where she had to know about what other people thought. Also last time Linri saw her she was wearing a military style jacket so maybe she had a military background? No, military is too simplistic. You would only have to follow orders, it has to be something similar but also a different. It obviously can't be a mercenary as she didn't have that aura that Selim and others had. He was no expert but after interracting with them Linri ws at least sure that he could recognize a mercenary. Hmph, he wouldn't be able to get anywhere just with this much information. He needed something more.

"Well, let's just say you are a bitch who thinks you are better than everyone. In your defense you have proof that you are better than them but people can't just see it without you pointing out the obvious. Also, most of the time you are the smartest person in the room" 

Ashley squinted her eyes. She didn't like what she heard.

"I am always the smartest person in the room"

"That's just wrong. After all, before today you hadn't met me yet" 

There were sparks flying between Ashley's and Linri's eyes. Both of them were trying to dominate the other person with their will but neither of them backed down.

"That's still no excuse to keep you here, is it?"

"Depends, after all I can do one thing you can never do"

"What is it?" Ashley rolled her eyes. She didn't believe him one bit and if he made a joke regarding his productive organ she was first going to burn that thing off and then vote him.

"Beat you" Linri said as a matter of factly.

"Haha, that's the greatest joke I heard today. And I thought you were a little smarter than these idiots" Ashley said while shaking her head.

"Really? Are you really sure that about that? Or is it that you are too scared to compete with me? Well, of course, that would be the most logical explanation. I mean, you would always be the smartest person in the room if you get rid of anyone smarter than you"

"You said like that was a bad thing" 

Goddammit! Why did she have to be so much like himself. It felt like Linri was looking at a warped mirror. Of course, he would never fall for such a simple goading but it still annoyed him. Wasn't there a single difference between them he could use? I mean who would know of a way to defeat themselves or even trick themselves. Anything I could think of the other me could do too. He had to find a difference.

"Then how about a little competition to see who is smarter?"

"We are already competing and I have no interest in playing a game inside a game"

"That's the point. We are going to see who can catch the witches first and a little spoiler I am way ahead of you"

Ashley raised her left eye-brow. She was intrigued.

"How so?"

"You have to find that out yourself. Otherwise, do you think that you can't beat me?"

Ashley's eyebrows twitched.

"We already established that I don't care what you think"

"Weird, since it was already the point of the game I had thought you would have jumped at the opportunity to assert your superiority. Could it be you never intended to find them in the first place?"

"Fine! What are the rules!" said Ashley in anger.

He had finally found a way to tie her to his own ship. You see if Linri was in her position he would also give the same answer. No, it was not because he was competitive or needed to prove people that he was the best. He didn't need to prove shit! They already knew their place. The real reason why she accepted was his words. He asked her if she never intended to find them in the first place. That forced her to agree with him since if she refused people would think that she was a witch.

"Are they... flirting or fighting?" Riku spoke to himself but Richard appeared next to him.

"Why can't it be both?" He said with a smile.

Chapter end