()||<BIN>9</BIN><黑屏1>0,10</黑屏1>:
()||<BIN>73</BIN><黑屏2><BGM>BGM_Hello</BGM>:
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:At 09.00, Makarov finds herself looking up at this T-Doll wrapped in a black cloak. +In terms of authority, Makarov should have the higher ground as the interrogator, but she is completely dwarfed by the commanding presence of the Doll facing her. +Kar98k, the Doll who has survived countless battles.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:I have already told you everything I know about what happened last night. +I dislike repeating myself so many times, but your peskiness is leaving me with no choice.
PM(0)<Speaker>Makarov</Speaker>||:Even if the mysterious person who appeared in the Commander's room wasn't you, as Griffin Dolls, it is our obligation to uncover their real identity, don't you agree? +This is also for the sake of the Commander's safety and Griffin's security. Please think back carefully, Kar. Did you notice anything in particular when you entered the Commander's room at night?
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||<黑屏1>:Fine, have it your way...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<回忆><黑屏2><BIN>18</BIN>:Kar starts replaying her memory on the series of events that took place a few hours ago. The time was 02.15, and Kar was knocking on the Commander's door.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:Commander, are you still conscious? +Gosh, the Commander must've forced down too much at the banquet and passed out. See, this is why I'm always so reluctant to attend this kind of raucous event. +I suppose I'll have to come up with the first draft of the strategic plans for the next three days and let the Commander decide how to proceed when they get over the hangover.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Truth be told, Kar was more worried about the Commander's condition than her increased workload.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑点1>:"I'll just quickly check up on how the Commander is doing," thought Kar as she gave the door handle a tentative twist.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||<黑点2><回忆><BIN>82</BIN>:The door is not locked. Did the Dolls who escorted the Commander back neglect to lock the door on their way out?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:So Kar entered the Commander's room just like that. The interior was dark, and the only source of illumination was the LED display of the panel that controlled all electricity usage within the room. +The Commander was already sound asleep, their face faintly visible in the dim light.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:Rest well, Commander. +The ventilation in this room isn't the best to begin with, and the temperature isn't set to the optimal level either.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Kar quietly adjusted the A/C and ventilation systems through the control panel, which should soon rid the scent of alcohol from the air.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:<color=#A9A9A9>Kar, what you're doing is all for the sake of the Commander's speedy recovery. The sooner the Commander recovers, the sooner you can discuss the strategic plans...</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:That was what Kar told herself, but before she left the room, her eyes lingered tenderly on the Commander's profile.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏1>:
PM(0)<Speaker>Makarov</Speaker>||<关闭蒙版><黑屏2><BIN>73</BIN>:Hm, Stechkin reminded me many times to "pay attention to the details in Kar's testimony and find any discrepancies by comparing them with other witnesses' accounts." +But I find it rather challenging to do everything at the same time.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:Then let me offer you a hint. Why was the door not locked when I entered the Commander's room? +As far as I know, it was Zas and Grizzly who escorted the Commander back to their room after the banquet. They aren't usually that inattentive.
PM(0)<Speaker>Makarov</Speaker>||:Now that you mention it, when I questioned Zas about last night, she said she made sure to reset the coded lock on the Commander's door before she left.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:But the lock had been deactivated by the time I was there. At least we can now be certain that someone else entered the Commander's room between Zas and Grizzly's departure and my arrival.
PM(0)<Speaker>Makarov</Speaker>||:Perhaps we now have a clue that could lead to a breakthrough. There are also a few more Dolls who might have been inside the Commander's room as well. I'm going to question them about the incident as well.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:You might want to be more discreet about it. The Commander seems rather perturbed by the whole situation. +The Commander has been avoiding us since the morning meeting was over even though we still had important matters to discuss...
PM(0)<Speaker>Makarov</Speaker>||:Even if the Commander finds this disturbing, we must still continue the investigation! It's for the sake of keeping this base safe and secure! +Trust me, Stechkin and I will have this case solved in no time.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Now that Makarov has obtained all the information she needs, she runs off immediately – she can't bear to stay even a second longer under Kar's imposing presence.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||<黑屏1>:Trust, huh... I am starting to feel dubious about this concept.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>18</BIN>:Kar strolls up to the Commander's room on her own. There is something she wants to verify, but someone is tailing her as she walks.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:If you have something to say, please do so in broad daylight.
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:As expected of a seasoned veteran. You're as perceptive as ever, Kar.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:I have no desire to get involved in your and Makarov's frivolous game. +If you expect otherwise, you may leave right now.
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:If that's true, what are you doing here?
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:I have merely come to evaluate the possibility of an intruder entering the base.
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:That's not what I'm asking. +Let's put it this way. Right now, your top priority should be to prepare for the upcoming mission. +Even if Makarov and I hadn't taken it upon ourselves to solve the case, Kalina would still get to the bottom of it. +So why must you investigate this incident on your own? Are you doing this out of a sense of obligation? Or perhaps...you believe your honor is at stake?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Truth</BGM>:In response to Stechkin's verbal provocation, Kar's brows furrow in just the slightest hint of distaste, but this minuscule shift in her expression does not escape Stechkin's notice. 
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:Looks like I hit the nail on the head. The high-and-mighty Kar cares only about her honor, after all.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:And I suppose you enjoy being seen as a trespassing feral cat to be given a wide berth?
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:Ha-ha, very funny. Those trolls who posted the CCTV footage and ostentatiously named you the prime suspect on Grifchan are really up to no good. +Still, if the mysterious figure never gets identified, how will you prove your innocence and restore your honor?
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:Sounds like you have made some kind of discovery.
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:Oh, I just managed to spot the inconsistencies in some of the "details" given by the witnesses. +What I need now is a mighty soldier who will weaponize the "words" I have prepared, load them into her gun... +And pull the "trigger" at the truth.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||<黑屏1>:I gather you already have a candidate in mind.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><BIN>136</BIN>:Another day has passed. Cano, Makarov, and Stechkin are organizing a grand wedding dress try-on event, and I'm invited to attend. +With most of my duties out of the way, I am just about to leave the main hall when...
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:Commander, a moment of your time, please.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Kar? Sorry, I swear I'll have the strategic plan ready by tonight...
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:Before that, there is something we would all like to confirm, agreed?
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:M950A, Stechkin, Makarov, and Zas all come forth.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:Not everyone implicated in the incident two days ago is present, but they have all been questioned beforehand.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Kar, what's the meaning of this?
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:Just trying to double-check some final...details about the night before yesterday.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Wrapped in her black military cloak, Kar strides imperiously down from the elevated platform, the heels of her boots clacking ominously against the floor. I am certainly feeling the pressure as she approaches.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:After the end of the Valentine's Day banquet, while the surveillance system was under maintenance that night, I entered your room. +May I ask if you noticed the intrusion, Commander?
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:<color=#A9A9A9>I can't let Kar use that as a pretext to question me any further. I suppose my only option is to feign ignorance...</color> +Sorry, but I was really drunk that night, so I didn't notice you'd dropped by...
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:That's strange – when I entered your room, the coded lock on the door was inactive. +But according to Zas, after she and Grizzly had put you to bed, she definitely activated the lock just before she left.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:<color=#A9A9A9>Crap, so Kar already knows...</color>
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_stage8</BGM>:There can only be two possibilities. +Either someone had sabotaged the lock from the outside and broke into your room, or... +A person with access clearance other than the Commander entered the room after Zas and Grizzly had left and forgot to reactivate the lock on their way out. +So Commander, please think hard – do you really not remember anything from that night?
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:Kar's reasoning is perfectly sound. It is time you revealed the truth.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:I dove head-first into Kar's trap and it's too late to escape. +All the present Dolls are eyeing me suspiciously... My response will decide the course of this incident's development.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:<color=#A9A9A9>If I stick to my original explanation and insist on knowing nothing, everyone will only be more determined to find out who the culprit really is.</color>+<color=#A9A9A9>This is obviously not the best solution, so my answer should be...</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The Commander seems ready to reveal the truth. Even Kar grows tense.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:The long-haired figure captured on the CCTV footage was actually Kalina... +There was an urgent document that required my immediate attention that night, so Kalina rushed into my room, untidy hair and all, once the banquet was over.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:As a regular staff member at the command center, it IS possible that Kalina has access to open your door. However...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The Commander's claim has sent all the Dolls reeling in confusion. Stechkin sneaks up to Kar while the others are all abuzz with discussions.
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:<Size=35>Kar, I checked the image from that night again. I have seen Kalina with her hair down, and the person on the image did not match Kalina's appearance at all.</Size> +<Size=35>I think the Commander is determined to take this secret to the grave.</Size>
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:<Size=35>A secret that the Commander is so dead-set on keeping – what on earth could it be?</Size>
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:<Size=35>Now we just need to point out the mismatch, and the Commander's last defense will crumble.</Size>
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Right. If you have no more questions, then please excuse me. There are still a lot of affairs that I need to attend to.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Kar and Stechkin are obviously building up their next onslaught. If they make a fuss over this, my position will be severely compromised. This is why I must remove myself from this situation immediately.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||<BGM>BGM_Empty</BGM>:Not so fast, Commander. I have one last question...
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:<color=#A9A9A9>That's it, Kar. Force the truth out of the Commander bit by bit!</color>
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:How did you know Kalina came into your room in your drunken stupor?
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:<color=#A9A9A9>?!?!?!?!</color> +<color=#A9A9A9>...Kar, why didn't you follow the plan and question the Commander about the mismatched figure?!</color>
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Stechkin frantically signals Kar with her eyes, but Kar pretends not to notice.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Well...
Grizzly(4)<Speaker>Grizzly</Speaker>||<BGM>GF_Memorial</BGM>:Hold on. By the time we got the Commander back to the dorm, their face wasn't that flushed anymore.
ZastavaM21(6)<Speaker>Zas M21</Speaker>||:Now that you mention it, you also remarked on that back then. When we put the Commander to bed, the alcohol intoxication had more or less run its course. The Commander went to sleep very peacefully.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Grizzly suddenly chimes in as she walks out of the dressing room, and Zas verifies her claim. Their interjection becomes my strongest defense against Kar's inquiry.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:That's right. When Kalina came and asked me to deal with the urgent document, I woke up easily enough. +Though I passed out straight away after she left. +Sorry I didn't stay awake long enough to see you, Kar. You could've shaken me awake...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:The Commander's assertion does nothing to either calm the buzzing discussions or stop Kar's mind from racing.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:There are still a lot of questionable points regarding your statement.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Just then, someone taps Kar lightly on the shoulder and whispers something in her ear.
Grizzly(4)<Speaker>Grizzly</Speaker>||:Look at the Commander's eyes, Kar.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Grizzly's words seem to have made Kar reconsider. Kar peers sideways at the Commander. +At last, she makes up her mind.
98k(0)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:I believe that it's pointless to question the Commander any further.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:With that, Kar strides away from the center of the commotion.
APS(0)<Speaker>Stechkin</Speaker>||:Hey, hey, hey! That's it? What about me?! +Kar, wait up!
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏1>:Without the intimidating Kar to voice the questions for her, Stechkin soon gives up and pipes down.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏2><Night><BIN>18</BIN>:That night, when the entire farce has finally come to an end, I walk up to Kar's room and knock on her door.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:Kar, is this a good time? There's something I'd like to explain to you in person.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:After a momentary silence, Kar's voice comes from within the room.
()<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||<黑点1>:The door isn't locked, Commander. Please come on in.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||<黑点2><BIN>82</BIN><Night>:Kar, what's the occasion?
98k(2)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:Cano just gave me the dress and insisted that I try it on. +The event was meant to let everyone try on wedding dresses, but it got derailed because of me, so I couldn't bring myself to refuse her.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:I see. Right, about what happened back then...
98k(2)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:The person who appeared inside your room that night wasn't actually Kalina, was it?
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:I knew there's no hiding the truth from you.
98k(2)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:Stechkin wasn't fooled either. Back then, she already had evidence that would disprove Kalina's involvement. +I simply decided against exposing the truth for her at that moment.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:I know I'm not really in the position to ask, but why? If the shadowy figure was identified, all the gossip and rumors about you would have been dispelled immediately.
98k(2)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:I didn't question you today for my own sake, Commander. +I did wish to uphold my reputation, which I have earned through my achievements in battle. +But more importantly, I had to ascertain what that mysterious figure meant to you. 
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:That's what I have come to apologize for. Please pretend that figure was never there...
()<Speaker></Speaker>||:Kar brings her index finger up against her lips as a gesture for silence. +Her firm resolve is conveyed through this simple gesture.
()<Speaker>Commander</Speaker>||:I understand, Kar. +You did it because what matters to you the most is to protect what I believe is right.
98k(2)<Speaker>Kar98k</Speaker>||:If you believe protecting the anonymity of your visitor is the right thing to do, we must be the force that safeguards your righteousness.
()<Speaker></Speaker>||<黑屏1>:Kar's righteousness, Griffin's righteousness, and my righteousness. Balance must be maintained among these three aspects so that we are all headed in the same direction. Looks like I still have a ways to go in this regard.