Three days later, Eve saw a group sign-up initiated by Evelyn—Werewolf game at 8 p.m. tonight. Everyone who had played with them last time signed up, and since Eve had no classes that evening, plus she kind of missed this cheerful new friend, she added her name to the list too.
Promptly at 8 o'clock, Eve arrived at Siyun and made her way to their usual spot with ease. Evelyn recognized her at a glance and greeted her warmly. A faint, unfamiliar flutter stirred in Eve's heart—Evelyn had actually remembered the name of someone she'd only met once.
Eve hesitated to go straight and sit next to Evelyn, so instead she found Valerie, who had sat beside her last time, and took a seat by her side. Before long, all 13 players had gathered. The seating order was different from last time: Player 1 was Dennis, Player 2 was Phyllis, Player 3 was Wendy, Player 4 was Gale, Player 5 was Lionel, Player 6 was Evelyn, Player 7 was Valerie, Player 8 was Eve herself, Player 9 was Moore, Player 10 was Cornell, Player 11 was Abner, Player 12 was Blanche, and Player 13 was Harold.
Evelyn began explaining the rules—they would be playing the Mechanical Wolf, Medium, and Half-Breed variant that day. Eve was familiar with this setup too, so she tuned out the rules again, this time openly watching Evelyn. She was sincere and easygoing with everyone, always willing to reveal her role and take charge during the game, and could adjust her stance promptly when needed. After just one game with her, Eve felt like she had become a little more outgoing herself. As Evelyn talked, she shuffled the role cards, and by the time she finished the rules, the cards were ready to be dealt. When Eve received her card, she peeked at it—she had been assigned the role of the Hunter. It was time to step up and shoulder the responsibility of a special role.
Once everyone had received and checked their cards, the game was ready to begin.
"Night falls—please close your eyes."
Eve shut her eyes obediently.
One by one, the voices called out different roles to perform their abilities.
"Hunter, please open your eyes. Your skill status is active. Hunter, confirm and close your eyes."
Eve saw a thumbs-up gesture appear in front of her—she hadn't been poisoned. She closed her eyes again, relieved.
A few more roles were roused in turn, followed by the process of closing eyes to prepare for the nomination phase. Eve had a hunch that Evelyn was the kind of player who always joined the nomination, so she planned to follow Evelyn's lead when casting her vote as an off-ballot player. Wait, I'm already assuming she's a good person. I shouldn't be so biased—better listen carefully to her speech, Eve reminded herself.
"Daybreak! Based on the random number 9, Player 9 will start the speeches in sequence."
"Pass!" Player 9 said flatly. Eve recognized this as a tactic to pressure the players speaking after him.
"Pass!" Player 10 echoed. Eve thought to herself—why did they even join the nomination if they weren't going to say anything? She'd wait to hear their off-ballot speeches instead.
Player 11 frowned, "Players 9 and 10 just checked out during the nomination—they're way too lazy. There must be a wolf among them." Eve found herself nodding involuntarily in agreement.
Player 12 explained, "I joined the nomination because I was afraid of voting wrong off the ballot, so I wanted to say a few words." Drawing on her impression of Player 12 from their last game, Eve thought she deserved a little leeway.
Player 13 claimed, "I checked Player 1—he's a Villager. My badge flow will be Player 10 first, then Player 2." Not even a single comment on the players who spoke before him? Eve thought—he didn't sound like the real Seer at all.
Player 1 suddenly challenged Player 13's claim, "I'm the Seer! I checked Player 2—she's a Villager. I think Players 9 and 10 are good people, and Player 11, who attacked them, is probably a Mechanical Hunter who doesn't fear elimination. My first badge flow will be Player 11, and I'll investigate Player 3 off the ballot next round to gain more insight into the non-nomination players." Eve thought—his move to counter Player 13's claim carried immense weight. Now it all depended on whether Player 2 would acknowledge her identity as a Villager. Even if she didn't, she could still be a Mechanical Villager.
Player 4 commented, "Player 13 feels like a wolf to me. There must be one of his wolf teammates among his two badge flow targets—Players 10 and 2. Player 1 doesn't seem like the Seer either. The real Seer is probably hiding among Players 5 and 6 who are yet to speak." Why is he so sure that neither of the first two claimants is the real Seer? Eve smelled a hint of a proxy claim.
Player 5 took the chance to step forward and claim the Seer role, "I checked Player 3—she's a wolf. My first badge flow will be Player 2, the confirmed Villager claimed by the fake Seer, and my second badge flow will be Player 8, Eve, who is off the ballot." Eve thought—while they could judge whether Player 2 accepted her identity by how she voted, there was still a chance she was faking it even if she challenged the claim, so investigating her made sense. Targeting herself, an off-ballot player, for the second badge flow was reasonable too—she was more than willing to take the Sheriff badge.
Finally, it was Player 6, Evelyn's turn to speak, and Eve leaned in to listen intently. Evelyn said calmly, "Player 1 probably imitated Player 2's identity as a Mechanical Villager, which is why he claimed to check her as a Villager. Player 4 is likely a minor wolf who has colluded with Player 13—he's deliberately attacking his wolf teammate to cozy up to Player 5, the real Seer." Although Eve thought it was too early to start hunting for wolves pretending to side with the good team, there was something about the way Evelyn spoke—steady and convincing—that drew people in. When she heard Evelyn side with Player 5, Eve's own stance became even firmer.
"Nomination speeches are now concluded. Time for players to withdraw from nomination or declare themselves werewolves. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The remaining nominated players are Players 1, 4, 5, and 6. All players not in the nomination phase, please close your eyes and vote for one of them to be the Sheriff. 3, 2, 1—cast your votes."
Eve closed her eyes and cast her vote for Player 5.
"Player 2 abstained, Player 3 voted for Player 6, Player 7 abstained, Player 8 voted for Player 5. Players 5 and 6 are tied. Tiebreaker speech—Player 6, you go first."
Player 6, Evelyn, spoke clearly, "We should vote Player 13 out today. He claimed to be the Seer during the nomination and then withdrew—that's classic wolf behavior trying to build up his identity. He must have teammates off the ballot, and he withdrew to avoid exposing their voting pattern. I urge everyone to vote for Player 5 for Sheriff. As a good person, I have no business competing with the real Seer for the badge." Eve felt a surge of satisfaction—she had made the right call siding with Evelyn.
Player 5 retorted, "Players 2 and 7 are definitely wolves who abstained to build their identities. Player 2 saw her wolf teammate Player 1 floundering, so she abstained to pretend she's a Villager challenging the fake claim. Player 7 was too scared to speak up for Player 1, whose speech was subpar. I'm changing my first badge flow to Player 10, who checked out completely during the nomination." Combining this with Evelyn's earlier judgment, Eve still decided to vote for him.
"Tiebreaker speeches are now concluded. All players except 5 and 6, please close your eyes and prepare to vote. Choose between Players 5 and 6 for Sheriff. 3, 2, 1—cast your votes."
Eve closed her eyes and cast her vote for Player 5 once again.
