Get up, Kinjo! Wake up!

You wake up in a dimly lit guest room. The storm rages outside, rain spattering against the window next to you.

Go to the kitchen!

The smell of Gohda's food floats through the air. You just start to notice your own hunger.

>>16806
I'll take a quick look around the room. Then I'll leave, lock the door, and head to the kitchen.

You see a briefcase marked 'KINJO'S BRIEFCASE' in large, bright red letters. There are some clothes inside as well as briefcase stuff. Like pens and paper.

You don't have the key, so you can't lock the door from the outside.

Last edited at 14/09/18(Thu)22:44:24

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxqqYisW88A

As you near the kitchen, you hear excited chattering inside. When you reach the door, Kinzo Ushiromiya turns to give you attention. His children and grandchildren seem focused on something at the other end of the room that you can't quite see. They excitedly talk among each other.

"Ahh, so you're the special guest! The Man of the Hour finally woke up from his nap. We'll be eating very shortly. Please, come in!"

Last edited at 14/09/18(Thu)23:49:31

>>16809

Enter the kitchen and take a look at what's going on at the other end of the room.

"Yeah, I'm finally here!

...Why am I here, again?"

Jessica looks back at you. "Shhh. Kinjo, watch."

She faces forward and you finally get a glance at what everyone is so interested in. There, standing in front of the crowd, is the island's main antagonist and hero, the Golden Witch, Beatrice. You can't help but notice that Maria isn't in the crowd.

Currently, she's levitating some fruits and making them go around in a circle. It's a spectacle juggling act. You notice a huge cake next to Beatrice, standing almost as high as the ceiling.

Your eye catches her's. "Kinjo Goldbar! [How nice to meet you]! I'm happy to see that you responded so well to my invitation."

Last edited at 14/09/19(Fri)01:05:43

>>16811
"<Nice, nice, nice>! I love magic tricks! What do you have in store for us tonight, Beatrice?"

"I'm so glad you asked. For my next trick, I'm going to need a volunteer."

"Ooh, pick me!" says George.

"No, over here!" says Krauss.

Everyone begs to be Beatrice's volunteer.

"Hmm. I pick you, Kinjo! Come right up. You're no doubt wondering where little Maria is, right? Well, you wouldn't expect a little girl to arrive before the cake is cut. Waiting is boring."

A knife levitates from the counter to the spot in front of you.

"That's why I'm asking you to make the first slice. Make it as big as you can. Don't hold back!"

>>16813
"You got it!"

I grab the knife and slice the cake!!!

You cut straight down the center of the cake. Everyone cheers as you do so.

"Now, it's time for Maria to come out! Maria?"

On cue, Maria rises from inside of the cake without a scratch on her! "Uu! Uuu!"

When she gets out of the cake, however, something incredible happens: another Maria gets out after her! Then another after that!

"Uu, now Maria has friends to play with."

"I've always wanted more children," says Rosa. "We'll be a wonderful family."

"Now it's your turn," Maria says to you. "Use your magic to do something awesome, Kinjo!"

You feel magic power inside of you. What will you do?

>>16815
"Here you go, Maria! Your flower that was taken away from you, I shall now give back!"

I transform the knife into a bouquet of roses and give them to the Marias.

You successfully transform the knife. Each of the Marias gets a flower.

"Thank you, Kinjo!""Thank you, Kinjo!""Thank you, Kinjo!"

"All that magic worked up an appetite," Beatrice says. "Let's eat."

THE END

created by Maria, Witch of Origins

"Maria? Hey, what are you guys doing?"

"Uu! Maria was showing Mr. Kinjo a game."

"A game? You shouldn't be involved with things like that, Maria."

He looks at you. "Sorry about all of that."

>>16818
"Heh, it's fine. It was a pretty fun game. But the real game's gonna start now, right Battler?"

"That's right. I guess I should explain.

Bernkastel's been launching attacks on my family. Even though she couldn't destroy our Golden Land, she's been looking for other means to do so, including attacking us conceptually. I decided to take control of this game so she couldn't get her paws on it."

"And Maria's going to help!"

Battler smirks. "That's right. We're going to present this game to you. As long as you win it fair-and-square, everything should go off without a hitch. If you lose, I'm not sure what Bernkastel will do..."

"Uu."

"That won't happen, though! We're all going to get through this together. After all, Maria and I will be here to help you out. There are a few things I should let you know about this game board. The game will be slit into two parts. The first part will be Investigation Mode. The layout for this section going to be completely different than anything that you're used to. It's hard to say whether this can really be called a 'fragment' at all. It's outside the bounds of my familiarity, at least. I can't tell you that much about it. The second part of the game is going to be 'Inquisition Mode'. More on that later.

Do you have any questions before I send you in?"

Last edited at 14/09/19(Fri)01:58:00

>>16820
"Nothing yet. I'll figure it out as we go along. I'm ready when you are!"

"Good luck."

"Fight, Mr. Kinjo!"

Everything fades into a predictable black. The curtains of a new game board finally peel back...

You find your own consciousness once more. You're in a room that you don't recognize from any of the Rokkenjima stories. It actually takes you a minute to realize that you've woken up in your own apartment.

Your cell phone is ringing.

>>16830
I open the cell phone and take the call. It's probably important.

"Kinjo? Is that you? It's me, Ozaki."

Ozaki? You haven't heard anything from him in more than thirteen years. What could this possibly be about?

"There's no time to talk. The police are on their way to you. You can't get captured. They're going to try and pin everything on you."

Ozaki gives you the name of an address. It should take some time, but if you use the back roads, you should be able to reach it.

"You have to expose the truth."

>>16833
"You'd better explain this later. Alright, I'm on my way."

I'll go through the back roads and follow the directions to the address.

As you distance yourself from your apartment, you see police swarm the scene, waving their guns around and evacuating the area. Phew. You were almost in that mess.

You walk for about three miles and reach the address that Ozaki told you about. It appears to be an old, stylish house. Does someone important live here?

Last edited at 14/09/19(Fri)13:50:13

>>16835
I'll walk up to the door and knock. If nobody answers, I'll see if I can just open the door and go inside.

A woman opens the door for you. "Mr. Goldbar, I presume. Come in. Your tea is almost ready. Make yourself as comfortable as you please."

>>16837
"Thank you."

I sit down on a couch, looking around the room.

"I was told that I need to come here, and it seems you were expecting me. What exactly is going on?"

"It's awfully rude behavior of me as a host," she says. "But I'd like to make a request of my own. Mr. Goldbar, do you mind looking over this piece of writing for me? I want to know what you think of it. Don't worry, it's just an excerpt."

She hands you a page of a manuscript. It looks like some kind of riddle.

Kinzo Ushiromiya was shot and killed by one of his family members. His children Krauss, Rosa, Rudolf, and Eva investigated his death and found six notes left by the culprit:

The first note was found in the reading room
The second note was found in the utility closet
The third note was found in the dining room
The fourth note was found in the outdoor gazebo,
The fifth note was found in the laundry room
The sixth note was found in the family parlor.

Each note had the same message: "The clues are where you find the notes."

Who killed Kinzo?


Last edited at 14/09/19(Fri)14:21:27

>>16839
"...You want me to solve this? Is it even possible with this little information?"

"You have as much information as the characters in my story. To elaborate, they tore up each of those locations and found no additional clues.

You're free to give up, but I'll admit to being a little disappointed."

>>16841
"The culprit is Rudolf. The message on each note says that the clues are where the notes are found. Looking at the first letter of the name of each room, you get 'r', 'u', 'd', 'o', 'l', and 'f' -- that is, Rudolf. A classic trick. Actually, I think I'd seen it somewhere a long time ago, but in any case, it was fun while it lasted."

I hand the manuscript back to the woman.

"Very good. You're able to solve a puzzle as easy as that. I can't guarantee that you'll be a worthy adversary to that woman, but you might just get your foot in the door.

That look on your face says that you have no idea why you're here. I'm not going to lie to you, Mr. Goldbar. Your situation is grim. You're being suspected of mass murder. Even now, the entire city is inciting a manhunt over you. The crime was committed thirteen years ago, but there's no statues of limitations for murder, I'm afraid. As I'm sure you're aware, the Rokkenjima incident was investigated and shelved thirteen years ago. But now, there's an eye-witness that places you at the scene of the crime: Ushiromiya Eva.

With that said, I have to know: where were you on October 4th and 5th of 1986?"

Where were you...? Your head pounds even trying to think about it. You can hardly remember anything before this morning. The game master hasn't granted you that information.

>>16845
"...I can't remember where I was. That's probably not good, is it?"

"I'm afraid not. In my line of work, I've found that amnesia makes for a better fictional cliche than it does a legal defense. You're aware of the letter bottles, right? Supposed confessions from the culprit. The police didn't may them much mind because, in both 'true' stories, Ushiromiya Eva died, but you're smart enough to know they're missing the point. It's not about the events. It's about the person who wrote it. They want to be understood. And, no offense, but if I'm right, that person makes a more compelling culprit than you do.

Actually, there is a small curiosity. Eva's confession came at a strange time. You're undoubtedly aware of the forgeries that came after Beatrice's letters were found. Usually just some kids trying to get laughs. But there were stories on the web that captured my attention-- a series of Rokkenjima tales written by the same author. Evenfall, Antithesis, and Concealment of the Golden Witch. As mystery novels go, they range from decent to completely disrespectful, but there's something more. I believe that whoever wrote those tails understands Beatrice's heart. Each tale shows Beatrice in a different light -- be that a victim, an aggressor, or a neutral party. But she's at the center of them all. Eva didn't name you as a culprit until the most recent tale, Concealment, was released. Other people made the connection. They started writing their own endings of the stories with you as its antagonist. People can't help but be drawn to the next big thing.

It will be up to you to clear your own name. I suggest paying a visit to Eva, but you'd have to manage getting past her security. There's also her niece, Ange. I'm not sure what she knows, but it might help to get her perspective.

You have friends in the shadows, Mr. Goldbar. We'll be here if you need. I want to know the truth. I hope you'll deliver it to me."

The woman tells you how to find Ange and Eva. Ange is in a private boarding school while Eva is in a hospital.

Last edited at 14/09/19(Fri)19:51:41

>>16848
"If it's to clear my own name, I guess I have no choice. Would you happen to have a phone number I can call, should I need you for something later on?"

The woman gives you a number. "Don't use it unnecessarily. My reputation could be ruined if it's known that I'm harboring a fugitive. Good luck."

>>16851
"Thanks."

I'll go to see Ange first.

You reach the gates of St. Lucia academy. The city life booms around you. You can hear schoolgirls excitedly talking and whispering among each other. Oh, to be young again. A few people give you strange glances, but that's probably because you're staring at a girl's boarding school, not because they think that you're a mass murderer.

There's a bored guard sitting in a windowed booth in front of an open fence. A schoolgirl shows the guard her I.D and he lets her through nonchalantly. Around him, tall fences surround the school. You're going to have to get creative if you want to get inside.

Last edited at 14/09/19(Fri)21:37:55

>>16853
BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFiRpTWgmH4

"I brought vodka, can I pass?"

You bless your luck. You always knew that the St. Lucia uniform you always kept on you would come in handy some day.

You walk up to the guard and offer him vodka. Unfortunately, you neglected to actually carry any vodka with you. All of your storage space was used by the uniform.

"Who in the blazes are you supposed to be? Don't tell me you're a student." The guard makes a remark over political correctness gone mad. "You got your I.D?"

>>16856
"<OH, NO>! Do I need an ID? I'm a transfer student, nobody told me anything about that! But if you don't let me in, I'll be late for class!"

"...Fine," the guard says. "Just this once."

He hunches over a bulky 1999 computer. "What's your last name? I'll look you up. We should have a record of all transfer students."

>>16858
"My last name...? It's Ushiromiya. U-shi-ro-mi-ya. Got it? See, I'm in there, right?"

The guard starts typing in the name, but he stops abruptly. "Wait, Ushiromiya? You mean like Ange Ushiromiya? Are you a relative-- wait, I know what you are. You're not a student at all! You're one of those 'fans' of what happened back then, aren't cha? Well, you're not getting passed this fence on my watch, buddy!"

Last edited at 14/09/20(Sat)16:15:52

>>16860
"You really know how to hurt a girl's feelings, don't you? How'd they let someone like you get a job working at an all-girl's school? I'm Ange's relative Maria, just ask her yourself!"

The guard gives you a deadpan expression. "That's it. I'm calling the cops. You can talk to them, Ms. 'Maria'."

The guard turns towards his desk and picks up the land-line phone.

>>16862
"Wait, wait! There's no need to go that far! You saw through my disguise, but you can at least let me talk to Ange right?! I just have some questions for her, and I'll be on my way out, that's all!"

He puts down the phone. "Look, buddy, I've been told to not let people like you in here anymore. I've gotta do my job. I got a little girl to feed. Damn. If you had just asked me if you could go to the Visitor's Center to begin with I coulda given you a pass, but now you've gone and done all this."

>>16864
"There's a Visitor's Center? Well, it's better than nothing. Could you tell me where that is?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake. I'll tell you what: you come back here wearing any other outfit and I'll pretend like I've never met you before. In return, you can promise to leave me alone for the rest of my life."

>>16866
"Done deal."

I leave and come back, wearing my regular outfit this time.

"Hello, 'sir'. Visitor's Center is down the path through the gate. You can't miss it. It's a big, circular building on your left."

He gives you a visitor's pass.

Last edited at 14/09/20(Sat)17:12:56

>>16868
I thank the guard and go to the Visitor's Center. Once there, I present my pass so I can speak with Ange.

An older women greets you at the front desk in the Visitor's Center. You ask to speak to Ange and the woman smiles.

"Yes, sir. May I please have your full name and relationship to the student?"

>>16870
"I'm Kinjo Goldbar, M.D. Ange's doctor. I'd heard she'd been feeling sick lately, so I'm here to see what's the matter."

"We don't get many visiting doctors here," the older woman says. It looks like she hasn't seen the news yet. "I'll call Miss Ushoromiya right away."

The woman dials on her phone and waits. "Miss Ushiromiya? Yes, your doctor Mr. Goldbar is in the Visitor's Office to see you. Yes. Yes, that's right. Thank you, goodbye."

She looks at you. "She'll be with you shortly. Remember that you can visit anywhere on campus, but only if you're with her."

About ten minutes later, Ange Ushiromiya appears in the room. She gazes at you coldly and is completely silent as she approaches you."

>>16872
"Ange. The name's Kinjo Goldbar. It's unfortunate that we have to meet this way, but I'm afraid I need your help."

Ange, staying silent, leads you outside of the visitor's center. When you're out of range of any listeners, she turns towards you again. Her gaze could drill a hole through your head. You can see that she's holding a small pocketknife in her left hand.

She's completely still.

>>16874
"...All this security around here, and you're allowed to hold onto that thing? Well, hopefully there's no need for you to use it.

...Your aunt is saying that I'm responsible for what happened to your family, and the police are after me as we speak. I know I didn't kill anyone, but I also can't remember what happened on those two days. I need to know anything that you can tell me that can help prove my innocence."

"Your innocence? Why would I know anything about that? What good reason do I have to believe that you didn't kill them? My brother, my mom, all of them! Are you really telling me that you don't even remember them? Are you saying you weren't there?"

>>16876
"I really can't remember anything. Was I there, or was I not? And if I did go, why?"

"Are you faking this? You don't remember my mom and dad asking you to go to the conference to check on grandfather?"

A flash of familiarity hits your brain. Weeks before the family conference, you were contacted in private by Rudolf Ushiromiya. He offered you a large sum of money if you'd attend the conference with them. The idea was that they'd present you as a neutral third party to check on the well-being of the family head. But when you got to the island...

T͡he ̷̨o̷͟n̛e ́w̡͡h̨͟͠o ̧̛ob̡͜t̶̢á̴̕in͏́s̨ thȩ̨ ̀ke͟y͜͝ m̴̕u̸͟s̀t͡͠ t͟͠҉h͞e͝͝ń̢͟ ͡t͢r҉ave̷̵l͡ ͞ţ҉o̴̵͘ ̶͠tḩȩ̛ ̴̴G͠oĺd̸̛e̷n̛ ҉L̶̛a̵̴n͜d in҉ ̴͡ac͟͟҉c̢o͘͢r̷͠d̴̡a͟͞n͝c̛͢e҉͞ ͢w͟i͝t́͜͢h ҉t̴̴he̸se ͘r̵͡u͘͢͢l͠ȩ̸͘s̕͝
̴͠҉Ǫn̛͝ ͞t͜҉̢h͡͞e̴͞ ̀f̛i̴r҉̧s̷̶͢t͜ ̸͝t͏̛͞w͘͡͠i͟ĺ͝ìg̶̷͘h̴̡͝t̨͝͏,͡͝ ͢o̸f̨f̡e̸͞r̴̀̀ ̡͡t͘͝h̸̕e͜͏ ̷s͟͡ix͟ ͞͞͝c͘͢͞h̶ó̡͝sen̴̷ ͏b͏͜y̵͟͝ ̀͠t̨h̶e̷ ̀k̕ey͡ ͘a̛ś̴ ͏͡s̀҉acr̨i͢҉̵f͡͏̢i̶͘c̸̵ès͘.͟͟

Your head pounds. Ange still glares at you unsympathetically.

>>16878
"No, I really don't... I may have hit my head on something. I don't have a clue what happened, but my life is on the line now."

Ange sighs. Her muscles seem to relax, but her face hardens in a different way just a few seconds later. She looks down.

"Kinjo Goldbar. Why you? Why did you get to survive? I would have given anything to bring someone back from that day, and now the one person that was there doesn't even remember anything? This is bullshit!"

Ange breaths heavily. Tears well up around her face. A couple girls give her strange looks as they pass by.

"...I was skeptical of my aunt's claims from the beginning. She claims that you've been threatening her into being quiet for so long, but is that really true? I've asked her what happened that day so many times. She face she made... it wasn't of someone that was scared of someone. It was of someone who was wounded by the truth, ashamed of it. Besides, neither of Beatrice's letter bottles included you. Maybe the person that killed my family didn't even plan on you being there on that day.

I wasn't on the island. I don't know what happened that day. But if you're determined to find out the truth, I'll answer whatever stupid questions you have."

>>16898
"I need to speak with your aunt directly. Can you help me do that?"

"That would be difficult even if you weren't you. Around this time last year, her health started deteriorating. She doesn't exactly share her medical records with me, but I think it's stress. She's been in Kibou Hospital since then, getting even worse. She's insanely paranoid. Guards hang out all around the building, uniformed and plain-clothed. The only people she ever talks to anymore are the nurses, and she probably avoids them as much as she can. The last time we spoke to each other was six months ago and we didn't exactly leave off on the best of terms. In other words, I'm not sure if I could help you. If you want my advice, get a disguise and hope nobody recognizes you. If you want my better advice, don't try to talk to her at all. You'll be getting yourself killed."

It looks like she's done, but she sighs again. "One more think, Goldbar. A lot of people have speculated since what happened. A lot of them want to think that my brother had something to do with what happened, or else he was the cause of it or something, but I don't think that's right. Before everyone went to Rokkenjima, Battler and I had a chance to catch up. I was just a little girl and I had no idea it would be the last time I'd see him, so I pestered him about silly things: Was he rich yet? What was he doing with his life? Did he have a girlfriend? That's when he told me the truth.

'Why are you interested in that stuff? Well, there's nobody in particular. The girl I asked out even rejected me. Dating isn't worth it, Ange. Take it from me.'

I pestered him until he told me who it was. I was just being an annoying little sister, I didn't expect the name to have any relevance. Do you know who it was, Goldbar?"

Last edited at 14/09/23(Tue)19:07:30

>>16900
"If I had to guess, was it one of the maids who was working on the island that day?"

"That's right. Shannon. Her real name was Sayo Yasuda. A lot of people consider her to be the witch that was on the island that day. Even more suspicious is the fact that another servant that was supposed to be working that day doesn't even exist. His servant name was supposedly Kanon. He doesn't have a real name, a birth certificate, or any public records at all. He's an enigma. I'm sure you already knew that, but when you take everything into account, it gets strange. What link do Shannon and Kanon have to that day? I have no idea. So little information has come forth. Besides everything else that's been in the news, I've told you everything that I know.

Goldbar. I'm giving you a chance to find out what happened. If I find out that you were lying and you really did kill everyone, I'm going to come after you. And nothing is going to stop me."

You hear a group of girls whispering as they pass by you. It's hard to make out what they're saying, but they start pacing quickly down a hallway.

Last edited at 14/09/23(Tue)19:20:41

>>16902
"Right. Well then, I'll <see you again>."

Now I'll head to Kibou Hospital.

Ange gives you directions. Kibou hospital is on the other side of the city. It'll take some time to reach. Well, no time to start like the present.

You walk through the streets of the noisy metropolis. Soon, the roads you walk on seem to be inhabited by fewer and fewer pedestrians. Nary a car passes you by. Oh well. It's times like this that humans can reflect on their thoughts and find inner peace.

You might even be so lucky, except for the fact that a black van seems to be trailing on the road next to you. Its pace matches yours exactly. This can't bode well.

Last edited at 14/10/02(Thu)19:28:30

>>16919
I'll go slightly off-course from Ange's directions to see if I can lose the van. Then once it's out of the way I'll get back on track.

You turn around a corner in at attempt to lose your stalkers. As you do, the van comes to a halt and some large men crawl out of the doors. They're wearing professional looking suits and sunglasses. You don't get the impression that they're police.

The men sprint towards you.

Last edited at 14/10/04(Sat)19:07:38

>>16922
BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBn1_fyBus0

I'll take out my trusty scalpel knife and attack the group head-on.

Attack

Ability

Item

Flee

You guys suck I did this first

>>16926
Ability: Kinjo's Magnetic Clacker Volley!

It's super effective! You slash one of the men's cheek and use the opportunity to run away and out of sight. What a rush!

As you're finding your way to the hospital, your cell phone rings. It's Ozaki's number.

>>16935
"Ozaki, is that you? You won't believe it, my Magnetic Clacker Volley actually worked! Using the motion of the clackers to induce a magnetic field was my best idea yet!"

You hear gunshots on the other end of the line.

"I can't talk for long. Kasumi Sumadera is sending men after you. If they capture you, they're going to want to know where Kinzo Ushiromiya's gold is. You can't tell them! Remember, we had an agreement. Sorry I took so long getting back, but better late than never, right?"

>>16937
"Well uh, I can't tell them if I don't remember! Could you remind me where it was?"

"...Kinjo. Are you saying that you didn't secure any of the gold that day? When you were on the island and we spoke over the phone...Shit, I have to go."

The line clicks. What was the talking about?

You're left with silence.

>>16939
I'll try to remember as much as I can about what happened.

What form did you have?

You remember Rudolf contacting you and asking you to join his family to their annual conference. He wanted you to keep it a secret, but of course you told Ozaki-- as you visited him in prison, that is. He looked contemplative as you left that day.

You remember waking up in your own bed on the sixth. As if everything had been a dream. You saw no evidence that you actually went to Rokkenjima, so your mind convinced itself that you hadn't. You learned from the news that Ozaki broke out from prison, but besides that, nothing interesting happened for about thirteen years. Then you got that phone call.

What happened in the middle of that. You try to remember...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92i4jaMH2m8

It's ten minutes before midnight.

"Take Maria and run! I'm not going anywhere until I find my mother."

"Uu! Don't be mad at each other! Soon, we'll all be in the golden land!"

>>16942
I take Maria and run.

There's only one safe place you can think of! The Gold Room!

You input the proper steps and run down the walkway with Maria. The first twilight victims remain unmoved and the switch on the clock is still broken. You see the entrance for the secret passageway across the room. It should lead to the other side of the island!

"Uu." Maria says softly. She coughs.

>>16944
Identify the first twilight victims and recall their wounds, then recall the input steps for entrance to the Gold Room. Then head into the secret passageway with Maria.

You identify the first twilight victims: Krauss, Natsuhi, Nanjo, a charred corpse with six toes, Genji, and Kumasawa.

The five non-burnt victims all suffer from gunshot wounds. Krauss and Natsuhi have wounds in the front while the rest have wounds in their backs.

You recall the steps.

You start to walk in the passageway with Maria, but she falls to the ground and has a coughing fit. Before you can urge her on, she starts foaming at the mouth. Someone...poisoned this little girl.

She falls dead to the ground.

>>16946
"Dead or alive, we're still making it out of here together!"

I'll pick up Maria and carry her with me to the other side.

You run forth. As you do, a gun cocks in the darkness ahead, forcing you to stop in your tracks.

Just a few yards down the secret path...someone is pointing a gun at you. It's too dark to see who it is. Any last words?

>>16948
http://youtu.be/Q3JknE8Rft0?t=25s

"Kinjo? Is that you?" It's Eva. "What are you saying. Where's--"

That's all you can remember.

>>16950
"...Maybe that was best left forgotten."

I walk into the hospital.

You walk into the hospital. A suspicious looking man eyes you on the way in. As you enter, you notice that he grabs his phone.

You make it inside the lobby.

>>16952
I'll walk up to whoever seems to be in charge of this place and ask them which room Eva Ushiromiya is staying in.

The bald man at the counter looks at you blankly. "Ms. Ushiromiya doesn't wish to be disturbed by the press."

Last edited at 14/12/18(Thu)17:07:06

>>16961
"Oh, well that's fine, because I don't really like the press either. I'm her personal doctor, and I need to know where she's staying so I can treat her."

I show the man my nametag.

He looks at your nametag. His eyes widen in horror when he sees it. "You! W-what do you want?"

It looks like you have a fan. He looks around the room as if trying to signal for help.

>>16963
"Hey, settle down. I heard Eva's been spreading bad rumors about me and I need to know what's going on. Now, I'm her doctor, so let me see her."

A large hand claps your shoulder. When you look around, you see two large men with security badges.

"Sir, can you come with us?"

It seems as if your clever ruse was thwarted.

>>16967
"Where are we going?"

The men don't answer. They lead you into an elevator and turn a key inside. Through a glass window, you can see the city fall beneath you. The elevator whizzes up until you reach the top floor.

You're leaded to a room guarded by a few more men. They glare at you sternly.

"Wait inside," the man inside you says. He opens the door and pushes you inside.

It's a clean, well-lit hospital room. Nobody else is inside. You don't hear any noises.

>>16969
"This place better not be for me."

I take a look around the room while I wait, opening drawers and reading things to see what's going on.

You don't find anything of interest around the room. You wait inside for a few minutes until a man enters.

"Kinjo Goldbar, is it? How nice of you to join us. My name is Tetsuro Okonogi."

>>16971
"Nice to meet you, Okonogi. So could you explain to me what's going on around here? Where's Eva?"

"Unfortunately, Eva won't be joining us. As you can imagine, it's hard to show up anywhere when you've been dead for a few months. One of many inconveniences of the whole ordeal. I'm sure she'd want me to send her love. She spent good years of her life making sure that nobody sought you out, after all. Lucky for us, she no longer has a say in the matter. Now, this whole incident can finally be cleared up. The horrible offender of those awful murders will finally be brought to justice."

Okonogi pulls out a small pistol from his coat. "Not in one piece, I'm afraid, but tragedies have ways of piling up. After you killed poor Eva, I had no choice but to put you down. Better luck in the next life, kid."

Okonogi aims towards you.

>>16973
"Wait. You've got the wrong idea. I didn't kill Eva...!"

Okonogi chuckles and puts his finger on the trigger. As he pulls, a bullet burrows itself into your skull.

---------------

"That's everything. I can't read anymore. What a strange tale. I could hardly make sense of any of it."

Last edited at 14/12/29(Mon)13:05:28

>>16975
"I couldn't either. So what's next?"

"Uu! Wait! Let Maria change the ending."

"Change the ending? What do you mean?"

"Watch! Maria can do it."

The bullet retracts from your skull. Your skin is miraculously healed.

"...Kinjo."

Okonogi is unconscious on the ground. Your friend, Ozaki, stands in front of you. "Hey, man."

>>16978
"Yo. Wait, why am I alive? What are you doing here? Why is your jacket purple?"

Last edited at 14/12/29(Mon)13:56:28

Ozaki sighs. "Exposition sucks. Here's the short of it: For whatever reasons, Eva kept the truth of what happened on Rokkenjima a secret. This attracted the attention of 'Witch Hunters' who started looking into her business. Some company figureheads didn't like this. Calls got made, etc. They wanted a scapegoat and, when Eva died and they gained control of her possessions, they eventually learned about you. Cut to now. The company wants to kill you and make it look like you really are a murderer.

As for my clothes, it's because I'm magic. I want to show you the truth and help you undo the damage done. K?"

>>16980
"Cool. So now what?"

"That day, how much do you really remember?"

--------

"Welcome to Rokkenjima, Mr. Goldbar. Krauss-sama eagerly waits to--"

...

"Goldbar, huh? That's a pretty funny name. Is that english?"

...

"Kinjo Goldbar...you did it. All of Father's gold..."

...

"I, Kinzo Ushiromiya, Head of the Ushiromiya family, with a sound mind and conscious, name my granddaughter, Jessica, to be my successor. My son, Krauss, will act as Head until she comes of age..."

...

"I'll do what I have to in order to protect my our future, Mr. Goldbar. For Shannon and myself, I'll..."

...

"They're all fucking dead! What the hell is everyone doing in this place? Was some gold really worth all this? It's useless, it's all..."

...

"They killed Rosa, too? What if we're next?"

...

"I've done as much as either of them! Even he thought so! So why the hell should I deserve any less than men like that? This is my story as well."

...

"I didn't want to have to do this, but... I have to kill you now."

...

"Take Maria and run! I'm not going anywhere until I find my mother."

---------

"I'm going to show you the truth."

Reality distorts around you. You find yourself in a familiar living room.

"You have friends in the shadows, Mr. Goldbar. We'll be here if you need. I want to know the truth. I hope you'll deliver it to me."

>>16983
"Here you go."

I hand her the previous post.

"Interesting. If what you say is accurate, you can remember threads of your journey to the island, but..."

A strange looking man enters the room. When he sees you, he drops the cup of tea. His eyes widen and his pupils enlarge. That's Battler Ushiromiya.

Last edited at 14/12/30(Tue)23:19:26

>>16985
"Battler? What are you doing here? And why is your hair so damn white?!"

"You're Kinjo Goldbar, aren't you? M-my apologies. The man you think I am died on Rokkenjima many years ago. I don't even remember..."

The man, who introduces himself as Tohya, tells you everything he can remember. The woman looks on in amusement, as if she had already pieced everything together.

All Tohya can remember is that everyone got into some kind of panic on that day. Six bodies were found in the gold room on the morning of the fifth. You tried to keep everyone together and spread words of encouragement, but your unorthodox methods just ended up confusing everyone. The family became separated, and time after time...

He doesn't offer any more useful information. Ozaki appears next to you.

"Do you get it? That must have been one hell of a day."

>>16987
"Yeah, I bet."

I turn to face Battler.

"Seems we both have something else in common. We're also both amnesiacs. ...Right now I'm framed for murder. Would you like to be my partner in crime too?"

"It doesn't look like it. Somehow, Eva had no idea that 'Battler' survived the explosion. Maybe things would be different if she had. I suppose you think me incredibly selfish, Mr. Goldbar."

>>16989
"Okay, Magical Ozaki Ghost. How am I supposed to clear my name when nobody knows anything?"

"That depends. I'm going to make you an offer, but first you have to answer a question. I want you to think about it."

Ozaki shows you his palms. They're empty. "First, close your eyes."

>>16991
"Eyes closed."

"Okay, open them."

When you do, you don't notice any huge changes, but you do see a small candy resting in Ozaki's hand. "A candy where none was before. Is this a trick or is it magic?"

>>16993
"Clearly it's a trick. You just pulled it from your pocket or somewhere when my eyes were closed."

Ozaki stares at you blankly for a moment. Then he smirks. Time stops around you, but a gust of strong wind nearly knocks you from your feet. The boundaries of the world are breached.

"I was wrong about him, Ozaki. Even a witch like me can admit as much. He just might have what it takes."

"See? Told ya."

>>16995
"Bernkastel? What's going to happen now? Will I see something horrifying and turn into shredded meat?"

"Far from it. What fun would there be in torturing you? I'm just here to make you an offer: stop playing this game. You can keep running around the world of 1998 if you want, but why dance next to an imitation? I can grant you a miracle that every other human has only dreamed of: I can send you back to fix your mistakes. You can save the people on that island before anyone has to be slaughtered. There are strings, naturally, but what I'm offering is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was all your friend's idea."

>>16997
"It sounds good so far. But I'd be a fool to go into this without first asking about those strings."

"The rules are similar to a game that you once authored in a far-away world: You have to try and stop the murders. As long as the epitaph's cycle doesn't complete itself, you'll be the victor of this game. If it goes through, you'll have lost the whole thing. I can plop you into a point before the murders have happened. All you have to do is say the word."

It sounds too good to be true, but Ozaki smiles at you reassuringly.

Last edited at 14/12/31(Wed)00:36:10

>>16999
"I accept your offer."

Thread II:

https://archive.seacats.net/gameboard/res/17001.html