chopping is how i keep my mind thinking aobut good Thoughts

AKIRA: You know, this would have been a little easier if we had talked the other night. Ah, well. . . Are you going to kill me?

[static]

AKIRA: I don't think many people realize how much Max is actually willing to tell us, so long as we shake him down for answers. You know, we didn't even know you guys existed until the last trial? Imagine how we felt when Max confirmed there were seven Reapers left after Enoshima, instead of the expected two. Your advantage in this Game is pretty incredible-- you're slotted into a "helpful" position, a position that lets you earn the trust of the other Players, without them being suspicious of your motives. Have you ever asked yourselves "why?"

[static]

AKIRA: You are. That's right. You aren't aligned with them, just as we aren't. There are effectively three different teams playing this Game: yours, mine, and the Players. And you're two Reapers away from taking home a victory.One team given an advantage above all others-- yours. One team that has neither advantage nor disadvantage, but is forced to participate in this Game even more blind than we are-- the Players. And one team given the dirtiest, most hated job that can exist in a Game like this one, forced into the spotlight every single week through trials-- mine. . . . any betting man worth is salt would place a wager on your team to win, no questions asked. The chances of anyone else prevailing in this kind of environment is practically zero to none. And what if there is someone placing wagers on the outcome of this Game?

[static]

AKIRA: I know for the fact the Composer is one of them. I think I even know which outcome [static]
put her money on. I don't know anything else about the other-- ah, "gamblers," but these are the facts I do know. Gathered from Max, the Conductor, and the Composer [static]. The Composer built the Game this way in order to prove something. This Game exists for the purpose of settling a dispute between the Composer and the Conductor. But despite that, both of them want the same thing: for everyone-- everyone-- to get their second chance. There are others, beyond the Composer and the Conductor, who are benefiting from this setup in ways I don't yet know. With the setup of this Game being as it is. . . what do you think it would take for us to hit the time limit, and reach a neutral end where none of our teams win?

[static]

AKIRA: It's easy to say "we weren't exactly the ones doing the killing" when you don't have a gun to your head telling you to "Erase someone this week or we Erase you." We never asked for this. . . . I don't give a shit about winning, [static]. And neither does my one remaining teammate. Neither of us have ever wanted to kill anyone. We still don't. I wasn't lying about that. This Game-- This Game is bullshit. It's been bullshit since the very beginning. The only thing I have ever wanted to do, from the moment I woke up here, was find a way to break it. And from. . . the moment I learned it was possible to save the Erased, that became my goal, too. I'm not here because I want to turn a loss into a draw. If my team's loss would save the Erased and give everyone their second chance, I'd throw myself in front of your bullet in an instant. So long as. . . Someone was there to partner with him, so he didn't fall with me. I'm here because the Players and, most importantly, the Erased, don't deserve this.

[static]

AKIRA: Max made that real clear on day one. . . . I don't know. I don't know. I've been trying for four-going-on-five weeks to find a way to get rid of it, but I don't know-- . . . and that's why-- that's why all three teams working together to reach the time limit is such an impossibility. Because all of us agreeing to aim for that ending means some people will need to make sacrifices. I don't know how much I believe in anyone's goodwill any more. But I have to try.

[static]

AKIRA: Thanks for. . . actually listening to my note. Instead of just writing it off. . . . all we need is for one person from my team to make it to eight weeks. It doesn't. . . have to be me. Because between everything I already told you, and everything the Composer told me today [static]-- that communication is vital for the success of this Game, and that we'll have a better chance of achieving what we want with regards to reviving the Erased the longer the Game lasts-- I really think that's the right answer. As much as it fucking sucks.

[Sometime before the execution, Magnus goes to try and track Yusuke down. He spots him near the Livehouse, and immediately approaches, a serious (maybe trying too hard to be serious) expression on his face.]

Hey, you! Uh. Ice boy. [Yeah. He doesn't know his name.] Let's talk.