Photo: "Silvery White's Sinful String" by me

Video: Otome Dissection

Dagger grinned slightly as he looked around. "Are we done? Great! Let's get to voting!"

Alice watched all of them carefully as they pulled the levers, a colored spinner coming down before the arrow began to spin. Leo watched, holding his breath as the arrow suspensefully slowed down before landing on the picture of Alice.

"Ding ding ding! You guys are correct! The murderer of this case is Alice Knightwalker! It's time for an exciting execution!" Dagger began to laugh as a podium rose out of the floor with a bright red button. Against Erik's protests, he slammed his fist down on the button, a screen coming up to flash the words GAME OVER as there was a pixelated version of Dagger dragging a pixelated version of Alice off the screen.

Alice smiled as she waved at all of them. "I had a lot of fun with you guys!" She let out a chilling grin as a chain shot out and grabbed her neck. "Have fun betraying each other~"

Dagger began to laugh insanely as Alice was dragged off, down the hall to a separate room. "Come along, my dear guests!"

Leo held back the urge to scream as he could only helplessly watch Alice's figure slowly disappear down the dark hallway as Dagger bounded after her.

"Let's have ourselves a spectacle with the execution of the Ultimate Pop Star!"

Alice Knightwalker has been found guilty.

Commence Execution One.

~

Silvery White's Sinful String

She was still smiling as the clamp around her neck suddenly released her. She landed on a stage, standing up to a roaring crowd of people.

The stage lights were beaming down on her, casting a bright glow over the girl that, for the first time, left no shadow to her.

As she shifted her gaze through the audience, her smile dropped slightly upon noticing Dagger standing in the back of the crowd, a large smile on his face.

The scene suddenly changed into a long hallway, the crowd's jovial cheering changing into angered yelling as they began to surround her.

In fear, she ran, only to scream in pain as her wrists and ankles began to bleed suddenly.

She looked back.

Dagger chuckled as he held up his hands to reveal spools of silvery thread, trailing all the way to wear they had been tied to her wrists and ankles. "Did you think you could run away from your angry fans? I'm your manager. I control you."

In fear, Alice turned to look back at the fans, who had drawn out blades.

The sharp edges glinted in the light as the wall behind Dagger fell away, revealing a cage of rabid dogs, teeth bared as they lunged at the bars in an attempt to get out.

"I'll give you a two-minute head start to run. You can die from running into your hostile fans, or die as a nobody while you get torn apart by dogs." He tugged on the spools of thread once again. "Of course, as your manager, I'll be holding you back."

Alice gritted her teeth as she started to run.

The string began to stretch out, pulling her arms and legs back as they dug into her bleeding wounds.

Knives slashed at her clothes, cutting into her body.

The girl as white and pure as snow began to turn pink with blood as she continued to run down the hall.

"One minute!"

Her pale eyes widened in panic as Dagger began to pull her back. She let out a scream before kicking her shoes off and willing her tired body to struggle harder to run.

Her hands and feet were turning purple from the lack of circulation as she held her arms up to protect her face.

Weapons flew around her continuously.

"Thirty seconds!"

The girl was trailing blood behind her, as her pace began to slow down to nothing more than a weak limp, her bare feet leaving footprints, dress reduced down to nothing more than just scraps of fabric hanging from her body.

"Surely you're tired by now. The blood loss must be getting to you."

Alice fell forward as a fan slammed a glass bottle against the back of her head.

She began to crawl, hands shaking.

Blood trailed from her mouth as she saw a light at the end of the corridor. She reached out a hand weakly, eyes lighting up in hope.

Dagger grinned as the cage behind him opened. "Zero."

With that, Dagger turned his back to the dying screams of the Ultimate Pop Star echoed throughout the corridor as he let go of the spools of silvery white string in his hands.

"I guess I'll let you go now."

When the dogs left, she had been reduced to nothing more than a bloody mass of a mangled body.

Alice has been executed.

She won't be performing anymore.

End Execution One.

~

Leo didn't realize the tremors that shook his body until Dagger stepped out, walking past him.

Eve screamed, her face green as she ran out of the execution room. "No! No no no no no no!"

Brody paled as he ran after her, the two disappearing down the hall.

"How annoying," Dagger sighed. "It wasn't that bad of an execution, was it?"

"How...how could you?" Elson asked, voice barely over a whisper. "Killing her wasn't enough, but you had to spit on her talent too?"

"Hm? Oh, that's how things work around here," Dagger grinned, eyes glowing red. "Because I mean, doesn't it feel a hundred times better to know that I killed her in the worst way possible! It's so...despairingly horrible! I love it! Ahahahahahaha!"

"Shut up!" Leo screamed as he sank to his knees, clutching the bars as his vision blurred with the tears running down his face. "Alice didn't deserve that!"

The host grinned. "Really? But she killed someone. On top of that, she lied to you all, didn't she? Pretending to be a good girl when she was really more worried about her social status!"

Leo pressed his head against the cold bars as he tried to suppress the sobs that racked his body. "There was more to her and you took it all away!"

A dark look came over Dagger's face as he looked down at him condescendingly. "Do I care? She was punished because she disturbed the peace of this island. If it pains you this badly to see someone executed, then..." he leaned over Leo, lips next to his ear. "Kill someone already and get off this island."

Leo felt a shiver run down his spine as he quickly spun around in an attempt to hit him. "Get out!"

Dagger jumped back quickly and began to laugh once again. "You're interesting too! Ah, but remember, attempting to attack the host is punishable by death!" He looked back at the pale group of people, huddled together in fear. "And remember, I get to toy with Elson for my contributions to this case. Meet me tomorrow in the morning by the beach. I'll be looking forward to it~" With that, the host walked off, Erik looking solemnly at Alice's dead body before he ran after Dagger.

A few minutes later, an announcement rang throughout the night. "Attention! It is now 10:00 P.M. As none of you have eaten anything, I will allow you to stay up for tonight. Have a good evening!"

"I hate this," Raymond closed his eyes as he sank against the wall. "I wonder what I did in my past to deserve this horrible reality."

"We must've been horrible people," Angel murmured as she clutched onto Gin's kimono.

Raven sighed mournfully as she carefully set a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Let's go back up. Kneeling in front of her dead body won't solve any problems."

Leo stood up, body heavy as he stumbled forward.

Elson caught him carefully. "Raven's right. Let's go. We'll find a way to avenge her and Legend's death."

The elevator was deathly quiet. The doors opened, revealing a brilliant night sky with twinkling stars.

"Is anyone hungry?" Aspen murmured. "I can make something for us. We haven't eaten almost all day."

"I'll help you," Gin sighed. "If anyone wants to eat then we'll be at the diner. It'll be good to talk over things."

With that, the crowd slowly dispersed, soon leaving only a few people hanging at the park.

Elson looked over. "What do you want to do, Leo?"

Leo shook his head. "Just take me to my cottage."

Raven, who had stayed behind, nodded as they began to walk slowly back to the cottages. "You...were really close with Alice, correct?"

"I was. We always had a conversation before we went to bed."

The Ultimate Knight was quiet. "I'm sure that she treasured it as much as you do. I saw it one night while you two were talking. She might have put up a facade until the very end, but please believe me when I say that she really enjoyed her time with you. I'd be willing to put my life on it."

Leo cracked a faint smile. "Thank you, Raven."

"I will inform you of what we talk about at the diner. Get some rest," Raven waved goodbye as she walked off down the road.

As soon as they got to Leo's cottage, Elson let go of him carefully as he stood and watched Leo open the door.

Leo looked back. "Thanks for carrying me here."

The Ultimate Conductor bit his lip. "Wait. I have something to say."

Leo blinked slightly. "What is it?"

Elson quickly bowed deeply, dipping his head. "I'm really sorry for accusing you like that! And...I'm really sorry for hurting Alice too." He smiled, sniffing slightly as he wiped his eyes quickly with his arm. "I'm a horrible person, aren't I? I switched sides so easily as soon as we moved onto a different suspect. For that...I'm so sorry for hurting you both."

"Ah, please don't cry..." Leo awkwardly stepped down his porch and put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "Alice's evidence against me was very strong. I don't hate you at all, so please don't be upset."

Elson stood back up, eyes slightly brighter. "You...don't hate me?"

"How could I? You were the first person to talk to me."

Elson laughed slightly. "That's because I lost a bet with everyone else." He stopped smiling and looked up at the sky. "The moon is really bright tonight, huh?"

Leo followed his gaze. "It is."

"I overheard Gin talking after the execution to Angel. He was telling her to forget about them so that they don't suffer anymore. Will you...forget Alice and Legend?"

Leo smiled and shook his head. "No. I'll carry on their wishes and the pain of losing them. I'll never forget them. It's the best I can do for someone with a talent like mine."

Elson nodded slowly. "In that case, hold your hand out. I have something for you so that you'll remember them better."

In confusion, Leo held his hands out as the Ultimate Conductor pressed a red flower into his palms. "She left this on her stand. It's one of the flowers from her dress. I'm sure...she wanted you to have it."

Leo gazed upon the flower that seemed to glow in the moonlight. "I guess Raven might've been right when she said that she enjoyed talking to me, then."

Elson smiled as he started to leave. "I think Alice really did think of you as a friend. Goodnight, Leo."

Leo waved, holding the flower to his chest as he slowly started to head inside. He closed the door, setting the flower down on his dresser before he sat on the bed, staring at the delicate red petals.

He smiled as he leaned back against his bed, closing his eyes slowly. "Thank you, Alice."

That night, Leo fell into a dreamless sleep at 10:29 P.M.