MYSTERY

October 4th, 1986. 2:30 P.M.

"It's so good to have you back again!" exlaimed Jessica yet again as she, George, Maria, Battler, Shannon, and Kumasawa entered the magnificent Rokkenjima mansion. She turned to Battler and grinned. "These conferences haven't been the same without you."

Battler laughed. "Oh? You guys missed me that much?"

"Of course! You were always the one I could beat at cards! George is too good. But tonight my losing streak will end! Oh crap, that reminds me. I haven't finished packing the stuff I need to take over to the guesthouse. I'll meet you guys over there!" With a quick wave over her shoulder, Jessica dashed off down the hall, heading to her room.

"Oh ho ho ho," chuckled Kumasawa. "I wish that I still had that kind of energy. What is the saying? 'Youth is wasted on the young.'"

"Oh I don't know about that. Us youths use it pretty well. Right, Maria?" asked Battler, turning to his youngest cousin. He was surprised into silence, though, at the sight of her apparently saying a quick prayer in front of a giant portrait of a beautiful blonde woman.

"The witch of Rokkenjima," supplied Shannon, quietly.

"Maria prays for her every time she comes here," added George.

Battler looked at George, confused. "Prays for her? Why?"

Maria turned from the portrait and smiled up at Battler. "Uuuu! Maria prays that someday she'll be freed from the land of spirits and be able to come back to teach Maria magic! Uuuu!"

"Freed?"

Maria pointed to an inscription on a plaque beside the portrait. "She's stuck in the world of spirits, behind a lot of magical doors. Maria has tried to figure out how to open them, but..." She shrugged. "What about you, Battler? Can you help?"

Leaning in, Battler read the inscription there:

Behold the Golden Witch, savior of the One-Winged Eagle, trapped now in the world of spirits.
Those who seek to free her from her Golden Cage must open the Seven Portals which block the path.
Seek the Crown’s Pedestal, for from there one who is wise can sense all Portals.
To begin the journey to the Golden Cage you must stand on the Moon, and to reach the Golden Cage you must reach the Moon.
Disembowel the six who hold the keys, to clear the way to the Portals.

As the path to freedom is walked, sacrifice from what remains to open the Portals to the Golden Cage.
To open the Storm Portal of Air, feed it the invisible sacrifice.
To open the Clay Portal of Earth, feed it the crushed sacrifice.
To open the Frozen Portal of Water, feed it the drowned sacrifice.
To open the Smoke Portal of Fire, feed it the burned sacrifice.
To open the Steel Portal of Hell, feed it the bloody sacrifice.
To open the Cloud Portal of Heaven, the two shall be brought together and made whole, raised high for all to see.
Only truest power can open the Portal of Gold.
Once the Portal of Gold is open, the witch shall be revealed.
Once the path is walked to completion, all doors shall open, and there shall be no secrets.
The wise shall be praised, and shall have bestowed upon them four treasures.
One shall be, the Ushiromiya name shall have great respect.
One shall be, the land shall be restored.
One shall be, those who walked the path shall be given immortality.
One shall be, to end all struggles forevermore.

I await your return, cursed and beloved witch Beatrice.


Last edited at 15/05/24(Sun)16:42:06

MYSTERY

October 4th, 1986, 2:40 P.M.

"Phew, that's a creepy riddle. Are you sure that you want to solve it, Maria?"

"Uuu! Have to save Beatrice!" Maria stamped her foot and puffed out her cheeks.

"It's alright, Maria," said George, soothingly. "How about we all put our heads together once we get over to the guesthouse and see what we can come up with, ok?" This seemed to calm Maria down, and Battler looked thankfully at George.

"I wish I could help you all over there, but my poor back is acting up. It must be the storm that's coming in," said Kumasawa, putting a hand on her lower back and wincing in a semi-convincing manner. "Will Shannon be enough to help you? I think I'm going to take some painkillers and lie down in the servants' quarters for a time. If you'll excuse me?" Without waiting for a reply, Kumasawa turned and walked off in the direction of the kitchen and the servants' quarters.

Shannon giggled softly. "She just doesn't want to help carry the bags, I bet. I can get them, what with Genji, Gohda, and Kanon helping your parents get settled in." She reached for some of the bags.

Placing his hand on hers for a moment, George smiled. "It's ok, we can carry them." Shannon blushed and nodded, but still accompanied them all over to the guesthouse, where Doctor Nanjo and Kanon were waiting. No one had heard anything from Kinzo yet, but that was hardly new. The siblings and their spouses had been set up with their rooms in the mansion with Genji there to see to their needs. Gohda began preparations for dinner.

The rain began to fall. The family conference was about to begin.

MYSTERY

October 4th, 1986. 7:45 P.M.

The dinner had been fantastic and lively, despite the tense atmosphere that seemed to exist between the elder family members. The children could sense it, but knew enough not to ask about what was going on. Gohda didn't mind, though. He'd accomplished his goal, and the risky choice of serving an American dish he'd heard of, chili and cornbread, had been a huge success.

"A chef must take into account many things, Shannon," he said in response to a question that she hadn't asked as they stood in the kitchen, preparing to serve dessert. "When I heard a couple days ago that there was going to be a storm, that's when I knew that the weather was going to have a say in my presentation. And nothing goes better with a cold and stormy night than something spicy and warm to comfort the soul. Eh, Shannon?"

Shannon wasn't sure if he intended it to sound as suggestive as it did, but she didn't react as she got a tray ready. "That makes sense. But careful, Kumasawa is still resting in the servants' quarters through that door, and we don't want to disturb her. There, all ready for the sorbet."

"Excellent! Something nice and simple, to contrast the complex flavors of the chili." He walked over to the large walk-in fridge that had been installed a few years ago and looked at the padlock on it. Patting down his pockets, he muttered, "Now, where did I put that key?"

"Ah! Here it is on the counter!" said Shannon, and when Gohda turned she was holding the key to the fridge. "Why do you lock it anyway? Has someone been stealing food?"

Gohda sighed as he took the key. "Yes, it was Kumasawa. I'm not sure I'd call it stealing, though, since she asked me to put the lock on it six months ago because she kept gaining weight. It seems she has quite the sweet tooth, despite her professed love of mackerel. I swear that sometimes she just steals the key from me anyways." He unlocked the fridge and stepped inside, flipping on the light. Everything was in its proper place, just how he liked it, and he got the smaller platter of prepared sorbet off of the meat freezer in the back, where meat and fish could be frozen for long periods of time.

Returning to the main kitchen, Gohda set down the platter onto the tray and shivered a little from the cold of the fridge. "Go ahead and set the tea next to it on the cart and I'll take it in." He turned and shut the fridge door, relocking the padlock and placing the key into his pocket. "Thanks for finding the key, Shannon. I'll have to get a string for it after this conference is done. Let's go serve tea and dessert."

With that, they pressed the cart out into the corridor and off to the dining room.

MYSTERY

October 4th, 1986. 8:55 P.M.

Dessert had drawn to a close about a half hour earlier, and as if by unwritten rule the family conference began in the parlor, while all the cousins retreated to the guesthouse. Doctor Nanjo went with them as well, saying that since the only interest he held in the family was keeping them all alive and he was an old man who needed his rest.

So Nanjo had gone into his room with a book to read from the archive, and the cousins had gone into their room. Being right across from Nanjo's room, they'd asked if he'd mind that they were planning on staying up, but he'd said that he'd be shutting his door anyways, so he didn't care.

And so the cousins had shut their own door and played a couple games of cards before Maria got bored and turned on the television, giving the older cousins some time to just sit and chat.

"What?! You're going to propose to Shannon tonight?!" Battler had just blurted out, causing George to instinctively flinch and look over his shoulder to see who had heard.

"I think you'd have gotten more volume if you'd used your diaphragm," said Jessica, giving Battler a light punch to the arm. Then she smiled at George. "I'm happy for you both. I've watched your love since the beginning, and Shannon can't stop talking about you. Nothing can stand in it's way."

"Thanks, and yes Battler. She's agreed to meet me in the gazebo later, and I'm going to propose to her," replied George, "but what about you and Kanon, Jessica? How's that going?"

Jessica blushed, and Battler's eyes got wider. "You and Kanon? Sheesh, I vanish for a few years and everyone pairs up. Almost makes me regret being a bachelor."

Just then, the phone in the room rang, startling everyone except for Maria, who was fully engrossed in her show. George got to the phone first, and heard the voice of Krauss on the other end.

"Uncle Krauss?" asked George, then paused. "Sure, she's here. Hold on. Jessica, it's Krauss."

"Father? Why is he calling?" she replied, taking the receiver. "Yes?" She held the phone to her ear longer, and her expression grew resigned. "Are you sure? Ok, ok, I'll head over." Sighing, she put the receiver down and turned to her cousins. "Apparently my mom and dad want me over there at the conference, since a decision has come up that can't wait until morning." She rubbed her temples and mumbled, "Remind me to die before I get old, ok?"

George and Battler chuckled as opened the door and tiptoed out into the hallway, trying not to disturb Nanjo in his room. Given that they could hear his faint snoring, though, she could probably have been jackhammering and not woken him. With a resigned wave goodbye, she shut the door and George and Battler turned back to each other.

"Are you sure you don't mind that I'm going to ask Shannon to marry me?" asked George.

"Mind? Why would I mind?" chuckled Battler. "Oh, you mean that crush I had on her back when we were little? No need to worry, the past is past. I'm just a little jealous that you get to see what's under that cute maid outfit!" His laugh was cut short by a lightning-fast but soft smack from George.

"That's my future wife you're talking about. Be jealous, but be jealous quietly." Still, the slight smirk on George's lips let Battler know that it was all in fun.

A few more minutes passed in the relaxed chatter of old friends getting reacquainted, and then a light rapping sounded on the room door. Getting up, George opened it to reveal Shannon, Kanon, and Kyrie on the other side, with Shannon and Kanon holding trays of tea.

"Excuse us," Shannon said, "But we were wondering if anyone here would like some tea?"

"Ah, Shannon, we were just talking about you!" replied Battler, grinning. "Yes please! But why are you here, Kyrie?"

Kyrie smiled a tired smile. "I needed a break. The conference is getting downright nasty, and being your father's second wife seems to mean that I have even less say in decisions than others. So I decided I would join you all out here for a while before wading back into the fray. Is that alright?"

Battler replied, helping Shannon with the tray, "Sure thing! The more the merrier!"

Kanon had stayed out in the hall, though, and knocked on Nanjo's door. "Doctor Nanjo, would you like some tea?" He reached down to the doorknob and gave it a twist, only to find it locked.

"Ah, Kanon, he's sleeping!" exclaimed Battler in a stage whisper. As if to emphasize his point, a particularly loud snore came through the doorway, that left almost everyone trying to restrain a fit of the giggles. Kanon, abashed, turned and went into the cousins' room and set down his tray.

"Is there anything else we can get for you?" Kanon asked. "Otherwise we shall take our leave."

"Must you?" inquired Kyrie, seeing the looks that George and Shannon were sneaking each other. "Surely at least one of you could stay?"

After a bit of a discussion, it was decided that Shannon would stay and play a few games of cards while serving tea, but Kanon had to go back to the mansion to help. Kanon left the room, taking more care with his sound, and shut the door behind him.

Last edited at 15/05/24(Sun)16:44:56

MYSTERY

October 4th, 1986. 10:30 P.M.

The remaining tea had grown cold as the night wore on, but the cheerful talk within the cousins' room provided all the warmth needed. Maria had fallen asleep while watching her show, and Kyrie had carried her to a bed after turning off the television. Then George, Battler, Kyrie, and Shannon had continued their games. Here, in this room, there wasn't a tense and important family conference. Only friends and family sharing laughs over a game of cards. It could not last forever, though, and once Shannon realized how late it had gotten she let out a gasp.

"Oh! I've been here far too long! I should get back to the mansion. Thank you all for allowing me to join you," she said, rising from her seat. She cleared the cups and place them on their trays, but then seemed at a loss for how to carry both trays at once.

"Here, let me help you," said George, gallantly. Battler managed to hide his knowing smile as the two verbally danced with each other until eventually George left with Shannon. Since the television was off they didn't bother to shut the door as they left, and Kyrie and Battler could see Doctor Nanjo's door clearly.

"They're adorable, aren't they?" sighed Kyrie, after they'd left. "It reminds me of Rudolf and myself a long time ago."

"Really?" asked Battler, unable to picture it.

"...no, but it makes for a good line, doesn't it?" replied Kyrie with a chuckle.

"You and the old man, always looking for cool lines. By the way, did anything else come out at the conference besides bad blood and dirty laundry?"

"Hmm? Oh, do you remember that supply shed on the other side of the trees?"

Battler had to think for a bit, but then he vaguely recalled it. "Oh yeah. What about it?"

"It's gone. It burned to the ground a few months ago, along with everything in it. It sounds like that's where they'd stored all those sporting supplies from back in the days when they were certain one of the grandchildren would be destined to be a sports star."

"Man, that sucks! I hear George is still good at golf though, considering it's a businessman's game. I wonder if Jessica still fishes like she used to."

"Now this is stuff I wish I'd been around to see," interjected Kyrie. "What about you, Battler? Were you a fisher or a golfer?"

"Me? I was certain I was destined for baseball. Unfortunately my hand-eye coordination disagreed with me." They both laughed, as the rain continued to fall outside.

FANTASY

October 4th, 1986. 10:15 P.M.

Within the mansion's parlor, the discussion had reached a lull, with the 'sides' of Krauss, Natsuhi, and Jessica off in one corner, and Eva, Hideyoshi, Rosa, and Rudolf in the other. It was like two boxers waiting for the bell to begin the next match. Meanwhile, against a wall stood Gohda and Kanon. Kanon's face was impassive, but Gohda could not help but have a slight smile on his face at being able to see and hear all this delicious drama. However, Genji showed up and was destined to ruin his fun.

"Gohda. It is time for you to go check on the Master. I will remain here with Kanon."

"But-" began Gohda, but his objection was cut off by a cold look from Genji. Gohda hated waiting on Kinzo. He was a hard and cruel man, and at this time of night it meant waiting for him to ramble himself to a fitful slumber more than it actually meant doing anything for him. He frowned and sighed. "Alright."

Kanon watched him leave, and this time it was he who could not an expression of pleasure off of his face.

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

"OOOOHHHHHH BEEEAAAATRIIIIICEE! Who has taken you? Where have you gone? I will saaaaveee yoooooooou!" cried Kinzo on his bed, reaching towards the portrait that hung over the desk in his study. It was a smaller version of the one in the entrance hall, but it looked just as striking.

Gohda sighed again as he stood by the door, looking at the feeble and insane shell that was all that remained of the head of the Ushiromiya family. At least he was in bed. That meant that at most he would be awake for another hour. Idly Gohda looked to his right and realized that he'd forgotten to lock the door when he came in. Reaching out, he set the lock with a 'click.'

"Oh finally!" exclaimed a disembodied voice from the center of the room. "I was wondering how long it would take you to flip that lock!" Both of the men were stunned into silence as a body formed around the voice. It looked like a young and curvaceous woman in a red outfit, showing far too much skin to ever be considered decent. "After all, what's the point in demonic magic if there's no locked doors to make magic a necessity. What's more, with Riiche out of the picture, I have to live up to her reputation, don't I?" She sighed and pulled a pocketwatch out from behind a large bow that served as a belt. Pressing a button on top of it she made the lid flip up so she could look at the time.

"...Riiche?" asked Kinzo. "You...you know Beatrice? You know where she is? YOU KNO-WAAAGH!" Kinzo's angry demand was cut off at a gesture from the woman. A portal of inky blackness had formed underneath Kinzo and he fell into it, disappearing in a heartbeat.

"Shut it. I don't need you yet, old geezer," said the woman in red. Turning her fierce gaze upon Godha, she smirked. "Alright, time to start this show. I imagine the audience might be starting to get bored at this point, anyways." She snapped her fingers, and a long sharp knife fell from the ceiling into her hand.

Gohda finally managed to come to his senses. He understood that there was a demon in the room, and that it was coming for him. With a cry of terror, he turned and reached for the door...and suddenly found himself in the middle of the room, with her knife stuck in his belly. He looked at her in shock, then gurgled as she dragged it across his gut, spilling his entrails onto the floor. His last sight was up her dress, as she tapped the knife idly against her arm.

"Now...what would Riiche do...?"

Last edited at 15/05/24(Sun)19:30:50

MYSTERY

October 4th, 10:45 P.M.

Despite the rain, George felt warm. He had persuaded Shannon to walk with him out to the gazebo in the rose garden after they had returned the trays to the kitchen. Now they sat, sheltered from the storm, with his arm around her. They had been talking about themselves. They had been talking about each other. They had been talking about their past, their present, and their future. Now it was time for him to start them on the path to that future.

Kneeling beside her with far more confidence than he actually felt, George reached into his pocket and grasped the small box he had there. Shannon looked down on him with shining eyes and a bright smile on her face.

"Shannon..."

"Yes, George...?"

"Will you-" He paused, as he realized that her eyes were no longer on him. Instead, they seemed to be looking up into the night with a look of apprehension.

"G...Gohda? What...?"

George turned and looked as well. There they saw, in a flash of lightning, Gohda, seemingly looking out from an open window at the stormy night and the rose garden below. Standing, George took a few steps out from underneath the gazebo. "Gohda! What's wro-AH!"

As if on cue, Gohda lurched forward like he had been pushed in the back and fell headfirst out of the window. As the pair watched helplessly, he plummeted towards the ground and the window which had been opened out was pulled shut from within. At the instant the window slammed closed, both George and Shannon saw a human shape within the room, moving towards the window, then quickly withdrawing away from it behind the curtain at the edge. By the time the next bolt of lightning flashed, there was no sign of that figure.

The rumble of thunder was like a starter's pistol, and both Shannon and George let out a yell and ran over to where Gohda had fallen. There he lay, eyes open but unseeing, back obviously broken by the fall. His stomach had been sliced open, and most of his organs seemed to be missing. There were no footprints around him, and even despite the strength of the rain they were standing in he was still fairly dry. What they had seen was true. Godha had been killed, and had fallen from Kinzo's study.

Your custom epitaph is way cooler than any of mine ever were, I look forward to challenging it.

MYSTERY

October 4th, 1986. 10:50 P.M.

George was the first to break out of the shock that seeing Gohda dead and gutted before them had put them both into. "Go! Go get the others at the conference and tell them that there's a murderer in the study with Kinzo! I'll stay here and make sure he doesn't escape!"

Shannon looked like she was about to object, but a determined look from George stopped it in her throat. With a nod of equal determination, she ran off towards the entrance.

George took a step back from Gohda and looked up at the window. It was still firmly shut, as were the other study windows, and although there were things like gutter drains, a small ledge, and the storm shutters to hang off of or climb on, it would have been utter madness to try to escape by them in the short time that he and Shannon were occupied with the body. He was certain that the culprit was still shut inside Grandfather's study, and so he kept his eyes glued on the windows for any hint of movement.

Inside the mansion, Shannon made it to the parlor and yanked the door open. Everyone inside was shocked, but remained silent when they saw the frightened face of Shannon framed by her dripping-wet hair. "Gohda has been killed! He's fallen into the roses outside the Master's study! George is with him, and the killer might still be up there with the Master!" she exclaimed in a rush. The room instantly erupted into shock and questions.

"Everyone, quiet!" boomed Hideyoshi, and once more silence reigned. Hideyoshi had a determined look on his face, like he had become one of those ancient generals he so admired. "We don't have time for confusion. Rudolf, Krauss, and myself will go confront him in Father's study. Genji, you come too, we may need your key. Everyone else, go to George. It should be safer with him, but there will at least be safety in numbers. Now, let's move!" Falling in line with the commanding aura of this man who was usually so jovial, the group split.

At the top of the stairs, Krauss banged on the door of the study, which they'd all tried opening vainly. "Father! FATHER! Are you alright? Open the door!"

"Sir, if you'd permit me?" asked Genji, gently but firmly pressing him aside as he put the key into the lock and twisted. With an audible click, the lock came undone. Bracing themselves, they flung open the study door, ready to face whatever they found.

The room was in complete disarray, like a tornado had been through it. Books and papers had been flung about, seemingly at random. Some had even been thrown into the old fireplace, although it hadn't been lit. Items had been knocked off of shelves, drawers of Kinzo's dresser had been yanked open and rifled, and in the middle of the floor was a large amount of blood and guts. Beside it, drawn in that same blood, was a large number '1'.

The men tiptoed around the room, looking for anyone that might be hiding. They checked the bathroom, they checked underneath the bed, under the table, under the desk, behind the curtains, up the chimney, and even within the great suits of armor that stood guard on either side of Kinzo's desk. Certain that they weren't about to be ambushed, they relaxed, but their grim looks remained.

"Where is Father?" asked Krauss.

"Not here, obviously," replied Rudolf. "And neither is the killer."

"You don't think..." started Hideyoshi, but both Krauss and Rudolf shook their heads.

"Father may have been eccentric in his later years, but I can't imagine him killing Gohda, of all people," muttered Rudolf, idly kicking a tennis ball where it lay on the floor, thinking back on the days of his youth when his beloved Father had played many games with him. That was back in the time before he had become obsessed with his 'stolen Golden Witch.'

Genji, meanwhile, was crouched by the pool of blood, tracing a path away from it and towards a window near Kinzo's desk. Blood marked the trail clearly, and there was a second, much smaller pool on the windowsill, which had dribbled down onto some now-drenched books and papers in a haphazard pile beneath it. The others came over to look as Genji inspected the window. Other than the blood on the windowsill, there was nothing out of the ordinary that he could see. There wasn't even any blood or clues on the handles.

Pushing open the window, the men flinched as the cold air and smattering of rain struck them, and looked out at the crowd of people below.

"Is Grandfather alright?" called up Jessica from below.

"He's not here," Krauss replied to his daughter. "And neither is anyone else. George, Shannon, you're sure you saw someone?"

"Yes!" called up George. "We've been talking about it, and we're both sure we saw someone move away from the window after it was shut!"

"Well, they're not here now. Kanon, George, bring Gohda into the parlor so we don't leave him in that undignified state. We'll regroup there and figure out what our plan is," shouted Hideyoshi. Kanon and George nodded and grasped Gohda's corpse. George grabbed under his armpits, Kanon grabbed under his knees. Together, they carried him around to the parlor.

Once they had all regrouped downstairs, Hideyoshi spoke. "Alright, there's a killer loose on this island, Kinzo is missing, and we need to get everyone together. Genji. Genji?"

Genji rose from where he had been crouched beside Gohda. "You were a good man and a good servant, Gohda. I am sorry," he whispered, then turned to Hideyoshi. "Yes?"

"Genji, you're capable. I want you to go around to all the entrances and windows and make sure that they are locked tight. We need to make this mansion into a fort, and only people we want to let in can get in. Where's Kumasawa?"

Shannon spoke up. "She's resting in the servants' quarters. At least, that's where she said she was going..." Her eyes widened.

"Shannon and I will go get her," said Kanon, placing a reassuring hand on Shannon's shoulder. Hideyoshi nodded.

"I'll get the others from the guesthouse," said Jessica, still staring at the corpse with disbelief.

"I'll come with you. My Maria is out there," said Rosa with determination.

"No, I need you here," said Hideyoshi, to Rosa's surprise. "All of us have rooms in the mansion now. We need to check them over, and get whatever we can find for self-defense. Didn't Kinzo have some guns stashed away somewhere?"

"He did," replied Rudolf, "but they burned with everything else in the storage shed a few months back. If it weren't for Nanjo's nose this whole island would have gone up." Glancing at Gohda, he muttered, "Maybe it would have been for the best."

Eva stepped next to her husband, supporting his determined stance. "Hideyoshi is right. Now is not the time to fall apart, but to come together. Now we all know what we need to do. So do it!" Her fire seemed to rekindle the fire of everyone else in the room, and the residents of Rokkenjima began preparing for war.

Last edited at 15/05/25(Mon)09:30:05

FANTASY

October 4th, 1986. 11:07 P.M.

Shannon and Kanon had carefully made their way along the hallway from the parlor towards the servants quarters, peeking into open rooms and glancing behind curtains to make sure they would not get ambushed. They made it to the kitchen, and were relieved to see that it seemed to be empty. There, on the far wall, was the door to the servants' quarters where Kumasawa was sleeping and unaware of the horrific thing that had happened.

The pair of servants opened the door and peeked inside, and saw Kumasawa laying on a couch, covered in a blanket, sleeping peacefully.

"Kumasawa, Kumasawa!" called Shannon, jogging over to her and shaking her shoulder as Kanon came in and started to shut the door.

"Eh? Shannon? What time is i-AH!" Just as Kanon finished shutting the door, a black hole opened beneath Kumasawa and she vanished, leaving the blanket flat against the couch. Shannon let out a yelp that almost covered the sound of the doors and windows of the room locking at once.

"What? What's going on? Shannon? Did something happen?" asked Kanon, turning to look at Shannon. His eyes widened as he saw that Kumasawa had vanished.

"And the real question," began the woman in red, getting up from behind the couch and leaning against it in a provocative manner only a foot from where Shannon watched, stunned, "is what WOULDN'T I do for a Klondike Bar?" With that, she took the last bite from an ice cream treat she'd been eating and tossed the wrapper through a hole that appeared and vanished in the ground.

"G-Gaap!" stuttered Shannon, staggering back to Kanon.

Gaap smiled. "I'm glad you remember me, Shannon. I'd hate to go through the rest of this tale in vague terms. It's an interesting literary technique once or twice, but it gets annoying after a time. Anyways, things are going to happen fast now and I have a schedule to keep. So you two be good little furniture and kill yourselves, ok?" She glanced down at the watch she kept behind her bow.

"Kill ourselves? Why?" demanded Kanon.

"To free Riiche, of course. Your true Master. It is the purpose of furniture to do what is needed by the Master, isn't it. Well, you two were chosen to hold master keys, so you have to be disemboweled. Sorry. Now get to it!"

Kanon's eyes grew hard. "It is true that it is the purpose of furniture to do what the Master needs, but Shannon and I have resolved ourselves. We are no longer furniture. Not for the witch, and certainly not for you!" A glowing red blade appeared from his hand, and a glowing red shield appeared around Shannon. With a shout, Kanon charged at Gaap. Leaping over the couch, he swung the blade in a horizontal swipe, aimed for her neck.

She smiled. "You know the problem with these blades and shields of yours?" A black hole opened in front of the leaping Kanon, and he disappeared through it. "They're never going to stop each other." Looking beyond where Kanon had been, Gaap saw where he was now. He had appeared mid-leap in front of Shannon, and he hadn't been able to stop his slice before it slashed across her throat. He was now crouched beside her, her blood gurgling through his fingers from the gash as she tried to speak. Gaap giggled. "Well, not how I intended it, but that will work. I'll be back for you, Kanon, but first I need to see Kumasawa."

With that, she vanished. Kanon didn't see her go, as he was blinded by tears.

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

"Wh-where am I? It's so cold..." Kumasawa shivered, floating in inky blackness where no light shone.

"You're in my home, old one," said Gaap, and suddenly Kumasawa could see her in front of her. Her expression was calm, and almost sad.

"Wh-wh-who are you?" she said, teeth chattering.

Gaap sighed. "I am a friend of a friend. And I am your killer." As Kumasawa's eyes widened, Gaap held up a hand. "I am sorry for this, but you have a key, so it must be so. I promise I will make it fast and painless." Gaap disappeared into the blackness again, and suddenly Kumasawa felt warm hands against her chin and behind her head. Then, with a single tug, her neck snapped. For a single instant, before her spirit left her, Kumasawa finally remembered what it was like to be without back pain. Then she felt nothing at all.

Gaap looked down sadly at the old woman, a knife in her hand. The ritual was very specific after all. Beside her in the blackness there was another female silhouette, this one wearing a large hat.

"I thank you for that consideration, Gaap," said this other figure.

"I have no malice towards her, nor you, Lia. In the end, she was just an old woman who cared for everyone. It's sad that she had to pay the price for Riiche's freedom." She knelt down and slit open Kumasawa's stomach with a single slice.

"True. She died for Beatrice, and as much as I am tied to her, I must remind you that this is for her. I remember this as well, so I expect something truly grandiose in her presentation." She placed a reassuring hand on Gaap's shoulder and gave a small squeeze of encouragement, then vanished.

"Ok...Virgilia..." said Gaap, looking down at the still form of Kumasawa. With a snap, both she and the old woman were gone.

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Gaap reappeared in the servants' quarters, where Kanon was rising from the dead form of Shannon. He looked at Gaap, his eyes empty.

"You...you made me kill her..." he muttered.

Gaap smirked. "Perhaps. But the fact remains that it was you who did the deed. Your point?"

Kanon looked down once more at Shannon. "It...was hopeless to think we could resist our fates as furniture, and it led to this tragedy. I am prepared to die for the sake of our Master."

"Oooh? Well, the noble Kanon shines through once more. I guess there's nothing to say but...thanks!" With that simple phrase, she plunged the knife that had appeared in her hand into Kanon's stomach. His eyes opened wide, but he did not cry out. Instead, he fell backwards, hitting his head on the coffee table on the way down. As if the universe was granting him a final blessing, he bled away his life in unconsciousness.

Gaap smiled wickedly over him, then checked her watch. "Gah! I'm late! Goats! You know what to do! I'll be back to check the work later!" A few goat servants appeared and bowed, arranging the room how Gaap liked as she dove through a portal.

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Far off in the guesthouse, Nanjo awoke with a start. Perhaps it is a leftover instinct from when humans were mere animals, but he awoke certain that he was not alone. "Who's there?"

"Thanks for locking your door, Doctor Nanjo," Gaap's voice said in the darkness. "See, it's that prudence of the elderly that I was counting on."

"Who are you? What do you want?!" he asked again more strongly, sitting up in his sleepwear. Suddenly, as if possessed, his sheets wadded up and stuffed themselves into his mouth, leaving him gagged.

"Well well well! Looks like the more I play Riiche's part, the more I get the powers of the witch. I haven't felt this powerful in centuries! I wonder..." There was the sound of a snap, and Nanjo felt thick chains wrap themselves around his wrists and ankles, pulling them down and apart and leaving him spread-eagled on the bed. Then, this woman in red, bearing all the attractiveness of sin, came into his view. "Now then, Doctor, you were given a special privilege of carrying a master key, being Kinzo's doctor, after all. I'm afraid that privilege has led to your death, though. So it's up to me to perform the autopsy! Scalpel!" She snapped her fingers, and the bloody knife disappeared from Kanon's corpse and appeared in her hand as she brought it down for the first slice.

When the last slice was done and things were arranged how she liked, Gaap let out a breath and looked at herself. "Ick. Even his insides smell like sterile old people. With a blink the blood leapt off her body and sprinkled onto the sheets. Then she turned to the door to the room. Holding out a hand, she could feel a warmth coming from it. "Good. The eyes of humans can make a barrier as effective as a locked door. Then let's give them a little hope, eh, Riiche?" So saying, she undid the lock on the door and vanished. She had to check on the work of the goats, after all.

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Genji progressed throughout the mansion, methodically checking and locking every door and window that he could with the master key he held. Finally he came upon the servants' quarters. The door between the quarters and the kitchen was locked, but there were still a few windows in there that he had to check. Unlocking the door with his master key, he opened it and stepped inside. There he beheld the fallen forms of Shannon and Kanon. Quickly running over to them, he knelt, but up close he knew that there was nothing he could do for them. "I'm sorry that I could not save you both," he mumbled. Then he heard the sound of the door shutting behind him, and the unmistakable 'click' of the lock. Turning, he beheld the flustered face of Gaap looking at him, holding a poorly-hidden and dripping knife behind her back.

"Dammit, Genji! Why do you have to be so efficient? I had this great plan to get you in the dining room and serve you up on the table like dinner! It was going to be my masterpiece! But no, you just had to make it here before I was ready!"

Genji bowed his head. "I apologize for upsetting your plans. You are the one who has killed Gohda, Shannon, and Kanon in an attempt to free the Lady Beatrice?"

"And Nanjo. And Kumasawa," she said, walking forward. "You'll be the sixth, and the path will be clear."

"I see. Then please, allow me to serve the Lady Beatrice with my death, and to clear the dishonor I feel for failing to protect those that I considered friends." He held out his hand to her.

She paused, confused. "What do you mean?"

He gently let himself fall to his knees, and kept his hand extended. "There is a way that I may die with honor, and that meets the requirements of the ritual. I ask you, milady, to allow me to die how I choose."

"My my, Ronove, he really is like you, isn't he?" she whispered, offering him the handle of the knife. "If only he was a little younger..."

Genji took the knife with a nod of thanks, and without another word plunged it into his stomach. He drug it slightly sideways, then twisted it up, catching his heart. The light left his eyes, and he fell forward. He never moved a muscle on his face.

Gaap waited for a moment, then took Genji's hand, dipped a finger in his own blood, and drew a '6'. Uncharacteristically for her, she unlocked the door to the kitchen, walked through it, and shut it. She found herself momentarily at a loss for how she was going to lock it, then with a flick of her wrist the master key disappeared from Genji's pocket and appeared in her hand. She locked the door, then sent the key back to Genji's pocket. "These humans, furniture and people alike...they're so strange. Is that why you liked them, Riiche?" she asked the silence, before vanishing. She wanted a brief rest to think before the next round of killing.

MYSTERY

October 4th, 1986. 11:10 P.M.

Jessica burst into the guesthouse, soaking wet from the rain, and ran up the stairs. Immediately she ran into the open door of the cousins' room, her face showing worry for what she might find there. Kyrie and Battler looked at her, confused.

"Jessica? Why are you soaked? Did your poncho get blown away?" asked Battler.

Kyrie asked the more obvious question, "What happened?" as Maria sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Gohda's been killed! There's a murderer on the loose! We're getting everyone into the parlor for safety."

"What?!" "Killed?!" replied the stepson and stepmother.

Jessica didn't reply, as she was busy knocking loudly on Nanjo's door. "Doctor Nanjo! Doctor Nanjo, wake up! We're in danger!" She rattled the door handle and let out a quiet, "Oh? It's...unlocked?" By the time she opened the door, Battler and Kyrie had walked up behind her.

"...Bwaaaaaaaaaaah?!?!?!" Battler cried out, and Kyrie quickly turned to shield Maria's eyes from the awful scene in the room. There, stretched out on the bed, his shirt ripped open and his skin slashed from sternum to navel and from one side to the other in an inverted 'T'. The sheets were twisted and rumpled, like he had struggled desperately, and were absolutely soaked in blood. The only part that wasn't was soaked in saliva due to being stuffed in his mouth. Resting gently on his exposed innards was one of the master keys of the mansion. Above his head, drawn on the wall in blood, was a number '5'.

"Go back into the other room and get your things, Maria," said Kyrie gently, turning her away from the scene before walking in. Gingerly she leaned over and inspected the windows. They were locked, and the blood spatter on the windowsill showed that they had remained closed during the murder. Walking around, she confirmed that they were alone, and that the door was the only way in.

Jessica turned to Battler. "Did you see the killer come in? Who was it?"

Battler shook his head. "We didn't see anyone come in or leave. We didn't hear anyone knock or anything either! Maybe they got out through the window?"

Kyrie shook her head as she came back to them. "No one could have gotten out of the windows and had them locked behind them. I don't understand how this was done while you and I were chatting in the room over there."

"Kihihihihihih!" interjected Maria, who had walked in while they were talking and who was now staring at the corpse of Nanjo with a creepy smile. "It was magiiiic. Someone's trying to free Beatrice! Nanjo held a key, and now he's been disemboweled! She'll be freed yet! Kihihihihihi!"

With that disturbing thought in their minds, Kyrie and Battler gathered their things and quietly came back to the mansion with Jessica and Maria.

MYSTERY

October 4th, 1986. 11:45 P.M.

Natsuhi, Krauss, Jessica, Eva, Hideyoshi, George, Rudolf, Kyrie, Battler, Rosa, and Maria had gathered in the parlor. Those who had been in the mansion had gathered what they could find as weapons, though in most cases that ended up being things like paperweights and candlesticks. They were expecting the servants to come back with the knives from the kitchen, but they had yet to arrive. Everyone was getting nervous, especially since everyone had been brought up to speed about Gohda's death, Nanjo's death, and the numbers '1' and '5' found at the crime scenes. Jessica had shown Gohda's corpse to Kyrie and Battler, and Maria had snuck in a look. There still had been no sign of Kinzo, and there was an intense debate as to whether they should keep waiting in the parlor or go search for the others. Eventually Hideyoshi, who was the strongest advocate for staying in a defensive position, yielded, and as one the group left the safety of the parlor. It had been decided that they would head to the kitchen first, since the knives were there. Upon reaching it, they quickly grabbed knives, pots, pans or whatever else suited their tastes in a great flurry of activity. Hideyoshi then let out a cry of surprise.

"Oh, how could we be so stupid?! We left Gohda back in the parlor!"

"So?" asked Rudolf. "I don't think he's going to get up and walk away."

"No, but his master key might! I remember Genji saying he was awarded one six months ago! Eva, cover me!" With that, he ran off like a hero from a war movie, clutching his meat cleaver like a rifle and leaving his wife to run after him in shock. The others looked between each other, wondering if they should go after them. By the time any mustered the will to leave the safety of the kitchen, they had already been gone for a few minutes, so everyone waited and continued to check if they could get any more use out of the kitchen. When the door opened with a bang, everyone was startled, but it was just Hideyoshi and Eva returning, out of breath from running down the hallway.

"Sorry if we made you worry, everyone! We're back, and we brought the master key, as well as this other one we found in his pocket."

"Yeah, and he wanted to check all the window locks again! I thought we were going to get murdered!" shouted Eva.

Hideyoshi put an arm protectively around her. "It's ok, Eva. I won't let anyone hurt you. I just had to check to make sure our fort was still secure."

"So what do you mean, another key?" asked George. Hideyoshi held up a small key, and Natsuhi nodded.

"That's the key to the padlock on the walk-in fridge. Since Gohda was the one who cooked the most, it makes sense for him to have it."

Hideyoshi nodded his understanding. "That makes sense. Well we'll hold onto in for now, just like this master key. Can we go back to the parlor now?"

Battler held up a hand. "Hold on a moment, Uncle. Since we're here and we have a key, should we look into the servants' quarters? It might give us a clue as to where they all are. Maybe they're hiding in there after deciding it was too dangerous to come back?"

Hideyoshi frown, but acquiesced. Pulling out the key, he unlocked the door and opened it, revealing the horrific scene within. Genji lay halfway on his side and halfway on his stomach, propped up by a kitchen knife buried in his stomach. Beside him, his finger had traced the number '6'. Not far away, Shannon lay on her back, her throat slashed open wide and her stomach cut open. Beside her was the number '2'. In the middle of the room, Kanon lay slumped against the coffee table, his stomach cut open with blood pooling out around him, staining what seemed to be otherwise pristine clothes. Beside him was the number '4.' Finally, on a blanket on the couch was traced the number '3', as well as what seemed to be an arrow pointing back out into the kitchen and then pointing to the right.

Jessica and George both shouldered past Hideyoshi first, running to Kanon and Shannon, respectively. They shook them, and they called their names, but everyone could see that it would be useless. The others searched the room and the windows, and made sure that there was no other way that anyone could have gotten out. They considered moving the corpses, but decided that it would be best to leave them for when the police managed to make it.

Leaving them behind, they looked back at where the arrow was pointing. It was fairly obvious that it was pointing towards the walk-in fridge. Hideyoshi silently pulled out the key he had just pocketed as if by fate, and undid the padlock. Inside, they did not immediately find anything, and there was nothing in disarray. However, in the back in the meat freezer they found the corpse of Kumasawa. Her neck was twisted at an odd angle, and she had a mackerel stuffed in her mouth. Her stomach had also been sliced open, and more frozen mackerel had been stuffed inside, looking as if they were trying to break out. Her blood and organs had pooled out into the freezer, leaving it a grotesque scene indeed.

Before they left, more sullen and nervous and ever, they made sure to grab the VIP room key from the wall in the servants' quarters, as well as the four master keys possessed by the dead. They even grabbed the now-useless shed key for good measure. They returned to the parlor...and waited for dawn.

The clock chimed midnight.

Last edited at 15/05/25(Mon)16:53:42

MYSTERY

October 5th, 1986. 7:00 A.M.

No one had slept well that night. Maria had been the only one to sleep for longer than half an hour, and even her sleep was interspersed by whimpering and what sounded like an almost maniacal giggle. No one knew what dreams she was having, but no one wanted to know, either. Morning was only heralded by the chiming of the clock and a light lightening in the grey clouds outside, though the rain and thunder continued unabated.

"Uuu...Maria doesn't feel good..." said Maria, sitting up from where her head had rested against Rosa's lap. "Mama, Maria's tummy isn't happy..." Rosa leaned down and felt Maria's head and looked at her face.

"This isn't good," she said to the room. "Maria needs medicine. Is there still some in the main restrooms out past the entrance hall?"

"Yes," replied Krauss, "but if it's just a stomachache, is there any way she could wait?"

"Mama..." whimpered Maria, then started making gulping noises in her throat.

Rosa stood directly in front of her elder brother, fury in her eyes. "My little girl is sick and needs medicine. It is not a question of if I'm going to get her to that restroom. It's a question of who is coming with me to make sure we're safe. Got it?!"

Krauss gulped and nodded, cowed by the intensity of her gaze. "I...I'll go with you." Natsuhi objected, but he shook her head.

"I'll go with you too," said Rudolf. "I remembered something that I left in my room that might help us solve this damned epitaph that the murderer seems intent on following. Then we might be able to predict their next move."

Soon the entire room was in an uproar, some people saying that they would go, some saying that it would leave the rest unprotected. Eventually it was decided that Rosa, Maria, Krauss, Jessica, Rudolf, and George would go, while Battler, Eva, Kyrie, Natsuhi, and Hideyoshi would stay. Promising to be back as soon as possible, the group left for the restrooms, and the others started the long wait in the parlor.

"Ugh, my head is killing me," moaned Natsuhi. "I hope Krauss thinks to grab some headache medicine from the cupboard as well. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes in an attempt to block out any light. However, then the immediate mental image of a killer attacking her while her eyes were closed appeared before her, and her eyes snapped open.

"It's alright," said Hideyoshi. "If there's one thing that the killer can't control, it's time. We just need to keep our will for another day or so, and he won't be able to take us out. We can put up with suffering and hunger for a day, right?" Everyone except Natsuhi nodded silently. She just moaned and held her head. Battler looked at her sadly.

"Why did this all have to happen?" he mused. "Was it the epitaph? Or was the epitaph just a convenient excuse? Grr, it's all useless!" he growled, banging his fist against a chair. Kyrie came over to calm him.

"It's like Hideyoshi says. It'll be over soon. In the meantime, how about you and I try to think of a way to improve our position. In a way it's like chess. We've been backed into a corner, but our king is safe. Now is a time for a counterattack."

Battler let out a long sigh and nodded his head in agreement. Gathering together in a huddle with the others, they tried to think of a way to give themselves an edge.

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Meanwhile, out by the restrooms, a rather agitated pack of people waited outside a closed door, while the sounds of a vomiting child and a soothing mother came out.

"Why did she have to get sick now, of all times?" asked Krauss to no one in particular. Even still Rudolf answered.

"She's a child, big bro. Heck, if I had half a chance to relax I'd probably be puking my guts up right now too. Think about what we've seen. Me, I just wish she'd get over it so she could take her medicine and we could get back with the others. I feel really open out here."

George, who had been silently tapping his chin, suddenly spoke up. "If Genji was murdered before he completed his rounds, as seems likely that there's still unlocked ways into and out of this house. We should check that before we go back."

Jessica started to get a feeling that the men were thinking of splitting up, and she hurriedly said, "Yes, let's, but once we've gotten Maria her medicine, right? I don't care how tough you men all think you are, it'd be foolishly risky to try it now."

Rudolf laughed. "Risk is what makes a man a man, right big bro? Listen, I need to go to my room to see if I can track down that thing I was talking about. George, you want to do a quick check of the locks. How about you and I run off really quickly, do that, and get back here as fast as we can. Krauss, you stay here with your daughter and make sure that Rosa and Maria are alright. Ready, George? I'll race you back here!" George nodded, and they both jogged off into the mansion. The two remaining people watched them go, and listened to Maria retch again. Jessica looked over at her father, who was watching Rudolf run off with a concerned expression on his face.

"Jessica..." he began, and a worried frown appeared on his face. "If anything strange happens, retreat into the bathroom with the other two and lock the door. I'll be back soon." And with that, he too ran off.

Jessica sighed and leaned against the wall. "Why don't men ever listen to us?" She heard a sound to her left, and her head whipped around, but it was just her imagination.

FANTASY

October 5th, 1986. 7:45 A.M.

Within Rudolf and Kyrie's room, Rudolf was going through the items that he had brought with them on the trip. "Damn it, where is it? Where is that old thing?" He had shut and locked his door. He'd even bound it by the chain lock, to make sure he was safe from any murderer that would come for him. He didn't know that the murderer that was coming for him preferred locked rooms.

"Sorry, I probably already took it. I have a bad habit of moving things around that don't belong to me," giggled Gaap, who was suddenly seated on Kyrie's bed, swinging her legs.

"Who...who are you?!" asked Rudolf, turning towards her, a knife held in his hand.

"Me? I'm just a lonely little demon who's lost her best friend and is trying to get her back. Though I'm always in the market for new friends. How about it, Rudolf? Would you like to be my special friend?" She laughed and stood up, sashaying towards him slowly.

"S-speak sense, dammit. A demon? Demons don't exist!"

"Oh, I assure you they do. So do witches. And so do human sacrifices, which you're about to become."

"Like hell I am! If you're some demon, prove it! Wipe me out, if you can! Come on, I dare y-" The rest of Rudolf's words were silenced as his body simply...ceased to be. His clothes were gone, his knife was gone, his voice was gone, and his form was gone. All that remained was some of his blood in an amorphous blob. It hung in the air for a moment, then fell to the ground by the window, splashing and splattering around.

Gaap cursed. "I wanted to make all of him vanish. Ah well, that should be good enough. Invisible sacrifice, check. On to the next!" With a laugh, Gaap disappeared, leaving Rudolf's blood dripping from the windowsill.

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Down in the boiler room, George had run into an issue. It was true that the door up into the mansion had a normal lock, but the door out into the courtyard was not. Instead, it had a heavy metal bar on a hinge that could be set into a thick hook in the wall. In many ways, it was superior to a normal key lock. However, it could never be truly 'locked' either. As he pondered whether that was enough, he heard the lock on the door at the top of the stairs click closed, and the sound of heels on the stairs approaching.

"Gaap," he whispered without turning to see.

"Oh? You remember me? That shouldn't be possible. You are nothing more than a mere human," came back the voice that tugged at something buried deep within his soul.

"I do not remember you, demon. But I know you. Ours is a rivalry that has been through many iterations, through many lifetimes. I may not recall you now, but I could never forget you." He tried to move, to look around, but found his body frozen.

"Oh my. Words like those could make a girl's heart flutter. I'm honored. I wish that I had the time to properly duel with you like we have in the past, but I'm on a schedule. Besides, right now it wouldn't be a fair fight. As you can feel, I've gained a few skills since our last bout. I'd love to let you sample all of them, but that will have to wait. For right now, I can give you only one. You're about to know what every kick you ever gave would feel like. One after the other. I think that should suffice to crush you, right? Now hold on, let me get the proper range for this..."

He flinched as he felt the hard curve of a heel of a shoe, as cold as iron, on the back of his neck. In front of him, dozens of small black portals opened up, each one holding a shoe...one of his shoes...within them.

"Ready? Aaaaaand kick!"

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In the parlor, there was silence. Natsuhi had finally managed to take a nap, a welcome relief to her ever-present headache. Kyrie, Hideyoshi, and Battler had run off to the guesthouse once they'd realized there may be some antique firearms there that they could use in case the culprit came. Eva had agreed to remain behind to keep the windows sealed and the room secure in case the others finally came back. And so she sat on the sofa, watching Natsuhi rest and the rain come down.

"I'm almost done," said a female voice next to her, causing her to jump.

"Wh-" she began, but was cut off with a wave of Gaap's hand.

"The name's Gaap. I'm a demon. I'm also the culprit, and I'm really tired of you humans asking me who I am. So, now that that's out of the way, shall we celebrate?" She snapped her fingers, and an icewater bucket with a bottle of champagne appeared beside them, as well as two champagne flutes.

"C-celebrate?" asked Eva. "I don't know what you're talking about." Still, she took the glass, figuring it was best not to antagonize the crazy lady who had just confessed to serial murder.

"Oh sure you do. You have been hoping for either the return of the mythical Golden Witch to grant you immortality, or for the deaths of the family members so that you could become the head. I'm in the process of granting those wishes to the best of my ability. So, like I said, celebrate!" She popped the cork off the champagne, and Eva looked to Natsuhi. "Oh don't worry about her, she won't hear a thing. Demon power. You know how it is." She poured the champagne.

"Well...I mean...I can't say that I haven't thought about it..." said Eva, still uncertain as they both sipped.

"There we go. A little truth is good for the soul. Makes them tastier, actually. Like salt." Gaap laughed. Apparently she had almost no resistance to alcohol and was already mildly buzzed after only half a glass.

Eva tried to laugh, but it sounded forced. Gaap sighed and set down her glass. Feeling self-conscious, Eva did the same.

"The truth is, Eva, I like you. You have a spirit inside of you that reminds me of me. And a spirit outside of you that is absolutely terrifying in a really fun way." Eva looked at her, confused, but Gaap continued. "So it's with deepest regret that I can't fulfill all your wishes. I will do my best to bring Riiche back, and I'm killing off family members left and right...but you'll never be the head. You're the drowned sacrifice."

Eva looked at her in shock, and then she found her face surrounded by icewater. She tried to scream, but all that came out was bubbles. Looking around, she realized that her face was in the champagne ice bucket, but her body felt like it was seated on the couch. Yet no matter how she thrashed, her face didn't move.

Gaap waited a couple minutes, keeping the portal fixed between Eva's face and the top of the ice bucket. Eventually Eva stopped thrashing, and Gaap grunted as she pulled her body over and matched it's position with the face in the water. Dramatically wiping nonexistent sweat from her brow, she exhaled. "Alright, what's next? Burned? Burned. Finally an easy one. Kinzo? KINZO!" she shouted as she disappeared.

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Both Kinzo and Gaap appeared in the boiler room, standing over the broken pulp that was vaguely recognizable as George. "Ah! There you are. Welcome back to your tale!"

Kinzo shivered. "It's about time, demon! I almost froze to death. Now where is Beatrice? I demand you free her to return to me!"

Gaap rolled her eyes. "I am not liking this version of you, old geezer. I much prefer Goldsmith. But ah well. I will at least apologize for making you cold. Here, let me warm you up." With a flick of her wrist, the door of the blazing boiler opened up.

Kinzo looked at her, then at the boiler, and then at the dead grandson laying at his feet. At last, full lucidity seemed to return to his eyes. "If my death is needed to bring back my beloved Beatrice, then so be it. Do what needs to be done, demon."

"Now there's the powerful head of the Ushiromiya family! And so, that will be the first to go!" With a laugh, Gaap formed a portal around Kinzo's head, teleporting it into the blaze before closing the portal, severing his head from his body. As his corpse began to fall, portals popped and closed again and again, severing it neatly at the joints and teleporting each chunk into the fire. With a final flick of the wrist, the boiler door closed.

Gaap panted, fanning herself. "I must be getting old. This is getting very tiring. Ah well, only three more to go. Hell and Heaven. How poetic!" Without touching any of the boiler room doors, she vanished, leaving the two dead men behind.

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Krauss crouched beside the wall of his study, frantically twisting a screwdriver at the last screw of one of the furnace vent grates. Finally it came loose in his hands and he set it aside, feeling around within the tube. "Where is it, where is it?"

"Where is what?" asked Gaap, peeking over his shoulder. "You know, Rudolf was looking for something too. Do I really take so many things?"

Krauss turned, and his eyes widened. Staying on his knees, he bowed so fast that his forehead hit the floor with a thunk. "It's you, isn't it? The Gatekeeper, the Demon of the Portals. I have prayed to you for years..."

"Yes, yes. Gaap. Really, call me Gaap. It's short, it's sweet, it's cute. Maybe I need an epitaph with my name on it." Krauss continued to grovel, and she sighed. "Rise, mortal," she said, sarcastically.

Krauss scrambled to his feet, but kept his head bowed. It was a rather ridiculous sight, given the height difference. "I have done my best to pray to you, and praise you, and try to serve your wishes. So...have you come to grant me my reward? Wealth, power, and freedom from this accursed dream of the Golden Witch?"

Gaap smiled, turned, and locked the door to his room. She noted with curiosity that this study, unlike most of the other rooms, had a deadbolt rather than a chainlock. Shrugging, she turned around and looked back at Krauss. "Sure, I can do that. But first, you must survive one last trial."

"Of course, O Great Demon! Anything!"

"Very well. This trial...is punishment for your sins. May the Seven Sisters of Purgatory judge you!" They stood in awkward silence for a moment, and Gaap coughed. She said, louder, "MAY THE SEVEN SISTERS OF PURGATORY JUDGE YOU!"

From the darkness of the opened vent, muttering could be heard, and finally, "Asmodeus, you're on!" "Oh!"

Flying out of the grate came a metal stake, which suddenly took the form of a young girl holding a piece a paper. She read from it nervously. "I, Asmodeus, Stake of Lust, do judge you guilty of lusting after another woman's man!" Krauss blinked, and Gaap slapped a palm to her forehead. "Oh, um, another man's woman! Sorry, Gaap," she whispered, "we've never had scripts before." Gaap waved it off, and the Sister turned back into a stake. Bouncing around the room, she buried herself into Krauss' back. His look of bemusement turned to shock and pain, and he lurched forward. Suddenly Gaap found herself pinned against the door to the room by Krauss' body.

"This is really not going well. Next!" she called.

"I, B'zl'b, St'k 'f Gl'ttny," began the next, then swallowed the last of the pastry she'd been snacking on. "Ahem, sorry. Do judge you guilty of taking more than your fair share of the inheritance!" The sounds of richochets filled the room again, and another stake buried itself into his back.

Resigning herself to being trapped, Gaap took the moment to examine Krauss' clothes. "Hmm, nice pocketwatch. Not as nice as mine, but nice."

"I, Mammon, Stake of Greed, do judge you guilty of trying to succeed at business using underhanded means and shady deals, despite the damage to your honor." Krauss screamed in agony.

"Nice threads overall, too. Custom tailored? Has to be..."

It continued like that for all the stakes, until even Lucifer of pride was buried in his back. Gaap hadn't realized it, but she was actually supporting him at this point. The last of the light was leaving his eyes, and he whispered, "Why...?"

"I dunno. Seemed like fun at the time?" responded Gaap as she faded through the locked door, leaving Krauss leaning against it, dead.

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

In her own dimension, Gaap sighed and massaged her temples. "I'm so happy this is almost done. Riiche, how on earth did you stand doing all of this?"

MYSTERY

October 5th, 1986. 8:45 A.M.

Rosa, Jessica, and Maria had returned to the parlor to find Hideyoshi sobbing beside the body of his wife. Her face and hair were damp, and it was clear that she had drowned. The obvious point was in a mostly-melted champagne ice bucket that was beside her, along with an opened champagne bottle and two half-empty champagne flutes.

"What happened?" cried Rosa, running over to her sister. Jessica stayed behind, holding onto the still-unsteady Maria.

"W...we left for the guesthouse, to get guns, and....Waaaahahahahaha!" The once certain and proud Hideyoshi had had his spirit broken by the loss of his wife.

"Didn't any of you stay to keep her safe?!" Jessica demanded, making Maria flinch with the sudden strength of her grip.

"I stayed," replied Natsuhi, "But I...I fell asleep. I'm sorry! I just couldn't keep my eyes open. But all the doors and windows were still locked..."

"Damn you and your eyes!" shouted Hideyoshi, making as if he was going to attack her, but Battler held him back until his anger had turned back to grief.

Battler then turned to Jessica. "What about the others that were with you? What happened to them?"

Jessica seemed to break a little, and almost be on the verge of tears. "Your dad wanted to find something in his room...and George wanted to check the locks on the house, and then my dad said he had to go do something... Then, when Rosa and Maria came out, they still hadn't come back, so we came back here."

"Dammit!" shouted Battler. "And we didn't even find the guns. This twisted psycho has gotten even more of us, and we've gained nothing!"

Kyrie frowned as she finished her examination of Eva. "I can't tell anything from her, offhand, other than that she drowned. It's like she didn't even struggle. There's no bruising on her neck or anything."

"It's a tragedy. Now can we go find my dad and the others before they end up like this?" demanded Jessica. The others looked at her, shocked, but eventually they realized that was the smart course of action.

As they were preparing to leave, Natsuhi sniffed. "Does anyone else smell something burning?"

That innocent phrase led them to the furnace room. Hideyoshi had taken one of the master keys from the pile on the table, and he unlocked the door, revealing his second tragedy to him. George lay in the center of the dirt floor, beaten savagely. The wounds seemed to have been inflicted by some kind of curved object, almost like the heel of a shoe. The barred door to the outside courtyard was down, a fact which shocked none of them at this point. Within the furnace they found the neatly severed remains of some poor human, and by the extra toes on the feet Natsuhi said that it was almost certainly Kinzo, though much beyond that couldn't easily be determined before the smell made them retreat upstairs.

Next they found Krauss' study, with blood seeping from beneath the crack of the door. Although they used the master key to unlock it, they had no way to access the deadbolt, so Battler and Hideyoshi worked together to break it in. Krauss' body toppled back, away from where it had been leaning. Blood had pooled everywhere from the seven round holes in his back, and his clothes were completely disheveled. Even the pocketwatch that Krauss adored had been pulled out of its pocket, smashed, and had almost been ripped away from the vest where it was attached. Yet even though they searched the vent that was mysteriously uncovered and throughout the rest of the room, they could find no unlocked exits or any sign of the murder weapon.

Finally, they checked Rudolf's room. The chain lock was in place, but inside they could see a large splash of blood on the floor that started in the middle of the room and sprayed all the way up the wall to halfway up the window. However, when they finally managed to batter the door enough to cause the chain lock to fail, there was no sign of Rudolf. There was little doubt though that no one could lose this amount of blood and survive.

As they returned to the parlor, every one of them felt numb to the death they had seen. There were simply no more tears left to cry.

As they sat around the table, they barely even noticed the two corpses sharing the room with them. "We need to get one step ahead of the killer," said Kyrie, finally. "We need to surprise them. What would the next line be?"

"Uuu," Maria said, sadly, "'To open the Cloud Portal of Heaven, the two shall be brought together and made whole, raised high for all to see.' Uuu."

Kyrie nodded. "That's the one that made the most sense to me every time I read it. There's only one place on this island that screams to be that place."

Battler looked at her, confused, but Jessica nodded. "The chapel."

Kyrie nodded in return. "The chapel indeed. I say we go out there and search it. Turning the chessboard around, I know that I would have scoped out that place if I were planning on killing people there. Maybe they're still there."

Battler held up his hands. "Whoa, hold on. I want to face this guy as much as anyone, but I'm not eager to hunt him out." The sentiment was echoed by Natsuhi.

"No. We're going," said Hideyoshi, rising from his chair. "Eva is dead. George is dead. I will avenge their deaths. This I swear."

With that declaration of steel that brooked no argument, everyone rose and headed out to the chapel. The storm raged, but no one cared. All they worried about on the trek to the holy place was being ambushed by the crazy killer of Rokkenjima. However, they made it without issue, and found themselves face to face with the massive chapel.

"How are we going to search this place? Can we even get in?" asked Jessica.

"Come to think of it, we didn't find a key for this place in the servants' quarters, did we? Well, if we can't get in, we have to hope the culprit can't either. And we can look around the outside and see if we can find some clue as to their identity," said Hideyoshi, as determined as ever. "Alright, Jessica and Natsuhi together, Rosa and Maria and me together, Battler and Kyrie together. Be careful, everyone.

The groups split up and began looking around at everything. They checked the windows, they checked the door, they checked the foliage. All the while the white-grey marble looked down impassively.

Eventually Kyrie and Battler gave up searching the bushes and trees behind the cathedral and came around to the front again. There a horrific sight met their eyes. Rosa stood against the chapel doors, raised by stairs from the ground, and she had been pinned to them by some long metal spikes of some kind. There was one in her throat, one in each of her hands, and two in her gut. The two in her gut were the worst, since they also served to pin little Maria, her daughter, to her, making them one once more in death. Jessica, Hideyoshi, and Natsuhi were nowhere to be seen, and they neither Kyrie nor Battler had heard any cry for help or discharge of gunpowder.

FANTASY

October 5th, 1986. 10:30 A.M.

"Whew, let me tell you what, that was a trial. But, not like the criminal kind, because I'll never see one of those." Gaap stepped out of the bushes behind Kyrie and Battler, causing them to back up. She was, after all, nonchalantly pointing a rifle at them.

"I always thought it would be easy following one of those epitaph things, but it was a downright pain! I have no idea how Riiche tolerated it. And for the number of times she did it too! I already respected her, but it's reached a whole new level now. I guess it's good that she'll be freed soon, eh?" She laughed, but neither of the humans joined in.

Noticing this, Gaap's laughter died. "You guys are more fun when you know what's going on, you know that? Ah well, can't be helped. Rules of the game and all that. I wonder what a game would be like if all the pieces were fully aware? That's a thought for another time, though. For now, I need to see if you two have true power within you."

"True...power...?" asked Kyrie.

"Yeah. You know, like the epitaph says. Natsuhi and Jessica were a bust. Hideyoshi too, which is a real pain. I had hopes for him. So, what about you two?" She walked up to them, pressing them back against the door, with the corpses of Rosa and Maria between them. Gazing into each of their eyes intently for what seemed like an eternity, she finally stepped back.

"Nope. Nothing. Looks like I'll have to start again, unless the audience can find it." She turned and took a few steps away, causing Kyrie and Battler to relax.

"You know the great thing about these rifles," Gaap asked, turning around again. "They make great starting pistols too!"

She fired.

THE END

Time Unknown

Gaap took a bow on the stage that she had been both directing and playing on since the beginning.

"Thank you, thank you! And what's more, thank you all for coming to watch my play. I hope it was entertaining, thought-provoking, and fun in more ways than one!" she finished with a wink.

"Now then, gathered detectives, can you solve my tale? I promise I will not make it easy, as I've done my best to live up to my friend's reputation in the creation of this story, and I intend to live up to her reputation as you all attempt to unravel it. Nevertheless, I can recreate crime scenes and bring back the actors to talk with as I will, so there may yet be a chance that the secrets of who and how might be solved. The why will be the most difficult, and potentially impossible, so I will grant victory to any person or persons who can get the who and how for each killing."

"Let the grand deduction game commence!" So saying, she summoned a cushy armchair from the depths of nothingness and sat down, sipping on some conjured tea.

(a.k.a. Let the theories fly! I had a remarkable span of free time these past few days, so my replies might be a day or two in coming, but I'll reply whenever I can until this gets solved or everyone gives up.)

Last edited at 15/05/25(Mon)23:05:27

>>17586
(To clarify: does the recreation of crime scene and speaking to the dead mean we can request those things ourselves to gather more information? Or is it simply a method which Gaap can use to point out flaws in our theories and remind us of points in the mystery?)

(Oops, I guess I got a little carried away. That's just me wanting to add a bit of RP to it. You may all request information like normal, and I'll either supply it or refuse like normal. That was just the in-character explanation of how she'd supply it. I'm also attempting this post from my phone, so hopefully it works.

Alright, lets start with Gohda`s death since it is the first discovered. I have two initial theories, here is the first.

Gohda was set up on a pulley system that used a counter weight large enough to be mistaken for a human. When he fell the windows slammed shut as per design, and the counter weight was seen for a brief moment, before snapping the connection and falling out of sight. The room was purposely destroyed so that it would be mistaken for just another random object lying around. The room was locked via autolock despite what the magic scene wants us to believe.

>>17592

"Oh my, and they come out swinging! Hmm, how to deny this? After all, breaking any part of the theory breaks the theory, right?"

"The door was locked manually, not by an autolock mechanism."

>>17593
Then it was locked by Kinzo`s key. Since he was most likely already dead he had no use of it.

>>17594

"Of course he had no use for it! He never left the place." She winks. "But in regards to your theory, the door was not locked from the outside with Kinzo's key. Nor from the outside with any other key, just to stop that little line of thought."

>>17595
Good, then that means after locking the door from the inside the culprit simply left through the window after setting up the system, all before George and Shannon arrived to witness the body fall.

>>17596

(My phone and image boards don't mix well enough to post images, apparently. I'm enjoying this too much to wait another 12 hours to post, though. Hope that's ok.)

She winced as the blue truth loosely wedged itself in her hand. As she tugged on it, she grinned defiantly. "There's a problem. Gohda was forced to fall while they watched. It was not coincidence or luck. If the culprit was already gone, how could he time it so well?"

Last edited at 15/05/28(Thu)18:50:01

They could have thrown something to nudge him off, or perhaps left a wire to tug on the body. Since George and Shannon could only see Gohda when the lighting was flashing they could have easily missed someone throw an object such as the tennis ball to dislodge the body.

>>17598

"Grr...heh, you just keep pressing, don't you? Well try this on for size! Gohda was not dislodged by a thrown object! And here's one for free: No strings, wires, threads, or similar items were on Gohda's clothes or his corpse, aside from his normal work attire of course, when George and Shannon found him."

Last edited at 15/05/28(Thu)18:52:49

>>17599
They didn't find any since it was already removed by the time they got there or had fallen back into the room as well. In fact, a wire or rope could have simply been looped around the body and not attached, thus allowing it to be moved out of sight after causing the body to fall.

Much less a witch do it.

>>17600

The new blue truth wedges itself by the one still stuck in her hand, making them both stick fast.

"Gyah! Well, they say truth hurts. Of course, I could clear these out easily... But, for the sake of argument, let's call them valid. After all, there's still 12 other murders that I, Gaap, the Demon of Portals, committed! Do you really think you can deny me those as well?"

>>17601
Sure, I`ll play along for now. Nanjo`s death then.

During the time between when Kanon closed the cousin`s door to before George and Shannon left it open, Nanjo was killed. Anyone with a master key could have entered the room, or Nanjo himself could have unlocked it for them, seeing how the door was found to be unlocked.

>>17602

The blue truth flew right at her gut.

"But the magic! And the big number 5! Nanjo wasn't killed then!"

The blue truth flew on.

"Fine! Um, ah! Nanjo did not unlock the door, nor was a master key used!"

The blue truth was deflected by the wall of red.

Last edited at 15/05/29(Fri)17:18:02

>>17603
That was a close one, how about the window then? The window was unlocked already, or Nanjo unlocked it for them. It was then closed before killing him, and they waiting until after Kanon left to leave the room through the door.

>>17604

Her eyes widened as it came zooming in. However, when it was mere moments away:

"The killer did not enter through the window." Gaap smirked triumphantly.

Last edited at 15/05/29(Fri)17:19:40

>>17605
Hmm, running out of options here.

The door wasn't locked so the culprit entered at anytime when the cousin door was closed. The snoring could have been Nanjo, or simply a recording/culprit pretending. The door was only ever locked when Kanon went to try it, since the culprit had set it so nobody could enter.

>>17607

She managed to stop the stake of truth from piercing her gut, but only by sacrificing a foot for it to bury itself in.

She winced again. "Alright, I can't technically stop that, due to wording. I'll give you this one as well. I'd love to hear your full explanation about how poor Nanjo was murdered, but for now you've met the requirements for a POSSIBLE 'how' for his murder. You may continue."

Last edited at 15/05/29(Fri)17:22:46

>>17614
Just waiting for you to pull the carpet from under my feet.

The easiest solution to the next closed rooms appears to be with Gohda`s keys. Before Hideyoshi and Eva went to go retrieve them, the master key was placed back into Gohda`s pocket. Before that it was used to lock the servant room after killing Kanon Genji and Shannon. The same thing can be said about the freezer and Kumasawa, since he also had that key.

>>17617

"I'm worried I've been too lenient with you. I'll take this wall of blue down in a truly piecemeal fashion. First block: From the time Gohda died until the keys were gathered, the culprit did not take the refrigerator key from Gohda's pocket."

Last edited at 15/05/29(Fri)17:21:51

>>17618
Perhaps, guess we shall see.

The padlock was broken and replaced with another that works with the key.

>>17619

She started to seem quite relaxed, as far as twice-impaled she-demons went.

"There was only one padlock for the fridge, and it was not broken."

Last edited at 15/05/29(Fri)17:08:38

>>17620
Almost got me there.

They never TOOK the key from the pocket, but only put it back into the pocket. Gohda left it lying around earlier so it is safe to say he might have yet again.

>>17621

She grimaced. "You found the loophole." Then she smiled menacingly. "Of course, it was false. You know what they call a false loophole? A noose."

"After Shannon was shown giving the fridge key to Gohda, it did not leave his possession until Hideyoshi and Eva retrieved it from his corpse."

Last edited at 15/06/05(Fri)19:04:39

>>17622
Don't go killing me off just yet.

The freezer was unlocked, which allowed the culprit to simply place the padlock back onto the door. Thus the key was never even needed.

>>17623

Gaap almost seemed to swirl the words around in her mouth, savoring the taste of them.

"Now, stay cool, but the fridge was never left unlocked by mistake, and was always locked when the person with the key exited it."

(Also, because I'm not one to take advantage of confusions, I just want to clear this up. The large walk-in refrigerator door is the one with the padlock. The only 'freezer' portion was the meat freezer (rectangular box) in the back of the large walk-in fridge, which was where Kumasawa was found, and that had no lock on it, just a lid on the top of it.)

>>17624
Very well then.

Gohda set the lock on the cooler himself without knowing that Kumasawa was already dead inside.

>>17625

Her smile faltered, and her curly hair bounced as she dodged a truth to the face. It did pin some of her hair though. "He could have, but the door was locked when he found it, which is why he needed the key. Are yout suggesting that Kumasawa and the culprit snuck inside, she was killed and hidden, and then the culprit snuck out before Gohda came out with those delicious sorbets? After all, Gohda is not the culprit."

Nevertheless, the first truth doesn't dissipate yet.

Last edited at 15/05/31(Sun)07:26:45

>>17626
Of course I never suggested they put the corpse during that scene, Gohda could have easily went to the cooler multiple times during the game thus allowing for more chances for Kumasawa to be placed inside before Gohda noticed. He also could have been knocked out in the kitchen to allow for someone to safely put her in there, in addition prepare for his death later in the study.

>>17627

As one who spoke of nooses, Gaap was well able to see the invisible one that was starting to constrict around her. In retaliation, she denied the newest blue truth angrily.

"During the course of time that this game encompasses, Gohda only unlocked the door on the fridge once, and only locked the door on the fridge once. These were to get the sorbet on top of the meat freezer."

Last edited at 15/05/31(Sun)12:13:40

>>17628
Ah was that it after all.

Kumasawa was dead before Shannon gave the key to Gohda, he simply missed her when he went in since she was back inside the freezer out of sight.

>>17629

"But a Klondike Bar gotten that early in the game would have completely melted by the time of Shannon's death!"

Unfortunately for Gaap, while that statement was completely true, it did nothing to stop the blue truth that shot at her head. She yelped in pain as it yanked her hair back against the chair, pinning her thoroughly.

"Grr. Fine. It's possible that Kumasawa was dead beforehand. Bring it on, then. Your revised theory for the death of the other servants?"

>>17630
I believe this still works.

Gohda's master key was used to lock the servant room and was placed back onto the body before Hideyoshi and Eva went to get it.

>>17631

The blue truth slammed into her shin and stuck fast, but she retaliated quickly.

"Stating that theory is like having dessert before dinner. After all, the culprit could not have handled all three at once. Especially not with Genji's skills. So how did all three end up dead in the servants' quarters?"

>>17632
Seemed like dinner to me.

They were killed separately either in different rooms or one at a time in the servant room. The help of an accomplice is possible too. There was something said about the blood, so lets say they could have used garbage bags to prevent blood from spilling during transport.

>>17633

She narrowed her eyes.

"They were not killed one at a time. There was no accomplice. All three were killed in the servants' quarters."

She exhaled as the three red truths batted away the oncoming blue storm. "So many possibilities all rolled into one. I like it when men fight dirty. But only if they're hot.

"...If Gohda's master key was used after his death, it was used no more than once," she allowed.

Last edited at 15/06/02(Tue)18:24:15

>>17634
One of the other master keys that was found on their bodies was used instead. The corpses were all touched before the keys were gathered after all.

As for how they dealt with them, they were drugged and killed while unconscious.

>>17635

"The culprit did not touch Genji's, Shannon's, or Kanon's master keys from the time the game started until the time the keys were gathered from their corpses."

She squirmed in her chair, clearly uncomfortable at being so pinned down. None of the three were drugged. All three were very conscious when they were attacked."

Last edited at 15/06/02(Tue)18:26:55

>>17636
So many keys so many options..

It was Kumasawa's key which was then placed back on to her corpse when they found her.

>>17639

"I'm sorry, I know you humans can grow to hate it when you have too many. Let's get rid of them all, shall we?"

"The culprit did not touch Kumasawa's master key from the time the game started until the keys were gathered. The culprit did not touch Nanjo's master key from the time the game started until the keys were gathered. I do believe that accounts for all six, and there were only 6 master keys around during the course of this game. Does that make it a little easier for you?"

She laughed the laugh of the desperate.

>>17640
What about the possibility of a servant room key?

In case that gets shot down here is a side theory: Genji actually did kill himself at the promise of letting the other two live. Of course the culprit lied and killed Shannon and Kanon after Genji was dead anyway.

>>17641

She frowned. "There is no servant room key and..." She hesitated a moment, annoyed that her carefully-crafted charade would have to be exposed as at least being somewhat made up. "...and Genji did not commit suicide. Genji was murdered."

She looked away in a huff.

>>17642
The key we assumed was Gohda's master key was actually someone else's, the trick remains the same however by placing Gohda's actual key onto one of the corpses after discovery.

And as for how they were killed, They weren't drugged, but they were poisoned and set up to look like that afterwards.

>>17643

"Sorry, no. Gohda's key was Gohda's, and was the one that he had from the beginning of the game to his death, and it was the one recovered from his body by Hideyoshi and Eva. Again, if it was used after his death, it was used no more than once."

She took a breath, then finished with, "None of the three were poisoned or drugged. They died by knife wounds. Shannon was slashed in the throat and the stomach, Kanon was slashed in the stomach and had a concussion from the table, and Genji only had the stomach wound."

Last edited at 15/06/03(Wed)18:47:12

>>17644
One way or another Kanon was knocked out which allowed for the culprit to only have to fight two of them at a time.
A fight is incredibly unpredictable really, perhaps I missed a clue within the text about this. As for the closed room...

The door was locked from the inside and they left through the window. They then locked the window while everyone was searching the room, making it appear to have been locked.

>>17645

"Kanon was not knocked out so that the culprit could fight Genji and Shannon separately."

She smiled menacingly. "Yes, I imagine the window would be the easy, human way to do it. However, like I showed you, I left via the door, and in fact, no entrances other than that door were used in the servants' quarters throughout the entire game."

Last edited at 15/06/03(Wed)19:03:34

>>17646
Lets just backup the red for now. Going back to some of my old blues: Someone other than Genji commited suicide. Someone other than Kanon was knocked out.

Which would make it possible that the door was locked from the inside by one of the victims before they died from their wounds.

>>17647

"Out of the three, only Kanon was knocked out. No one committed suicide in this game."

She laughed. "Are you always so untrusting of demons? It happened like I showed you. None of the three victims, by which I mean Shannon, Kanon, and Genji, locked the door during or after the attack. I did!"

>>17648
Jessica had already gave Nanjo's key back to Hideyoshi before they found the servants. It was that key he used to unlock the door not Gohda's. Thus Gohda's key was only used once as per stated by the red.

>>17649

She winced as the blue truth slipped past her web of defenses and jabbed into her exposed thigh, wobbling loosely but staying in.

"Fine. Say that that is what happened, if you want. What does that change? The culprit still couldn't take all three at once."

>>17650
Naturally. The servants didn't see anything odd with the culprit being there, so they got up close and simply slit one of them before they could react. Thus leaving two to fight at the same time.

>>17651

"Not so fast. Even if the first attack was slitting a throat, the surprised victim would still count as a person for the purposes of not being able to take on three at once. Same for being knocked out. For the purposes of the statement, moving to attack starts the attack, even if the victims are unaware."

Last edited at 15/06/04(Thu)21:14:50

>>17652
The culprit made them fight each other, this either counted as murder or they were only damaged to the point where they could easily kill them without resistance. For example Kanon got knocked out in the process and was killed later.

They were killed all at the same time by a makeshift frag grenade which was created with knife fragments, thus creating knife wounds.

Lets move to Eva's death even if those are wrong.

>>17653

"The victims did not fight each other. The murder weapon was the knife in Genji's stomach."

She smiled. "Care to try a different murder?"

That works. You've almost had it about 3 different times, so you're probably just a bit too close to see it now. Step back, attack it later, and you'll probably get it easily.

Last edited at 15/06/05(Fri)18:41:40

>>17654
Alright, Eva's then. She was drugged with the champagne and then drowned in the water bucket that was in front of her. Natsuhi could have placed her head in or by chance she fell into the bucket.

>>17655

Gaap let out a small scream of pain and frustration as the blue truth struck home in her side, hanging loosely.

"Alright smart guy, where did the champagne come from? It was not there when the group split in the 7 A.M. post. What's more, Natsumi was not the culprit or an accomplice to this murder."

Last edited at 15/06/05(Fri)18:42:49

>>17656
It was brought into the room after they split up. Probably when Natsuhi fell asleep. The doors were relocked after. Whether by the hands of Eva or someone else is a nonissue.

>>17657

"I agree that it was brought in after, since I brought it. However, due to her headache, Natsuhi would have woken up if she was napping in the room and another person entered. Demon powers excluded, of course."

Last edited at 15/06/05(Fri)18:44:12

>>17658
That's self-explanatory right? Eva brought it in or Natsuhi woke up and noticed it but didn't think it was poison.

>>17659

"Oh? So sure of yourself, are you? Neither Eva nor Natsuhi brought it in, and Natsuhi did not see who did. Eva, however, did see. No free passes here, detective."

Last edited at 15/06/05(Fri)18:45:04

>>17660
They didn't enter but simply stood in the door way.

The culprit that is.

Last edited at 15/06/05(Fri)19:27:57

>>17661

"The culprit was in the room to place Eva's face in the bucket!"

>>17662
The culprit was already in the room then. Thus never entering to wake up Natsuhi.

>>17663

Gaap chews at her lip, then exclaims excitedly,
"There was nowhere for a person to hide in the parlor!"

She let out a laugh as the blue truth faded.

>>17664
Then they never hid. Natsuhi was never able to see who it was but they did see the person. Or they were simply distracted and never saw them despite not hiding.

>>17665

"...during the time between 7:00 A.M. and 8:45 A.M., there was a point where only Natsuhi and Eva were in the room. After that point but before 8:45 A.M., Eva's murder occurred. For a time after the murder but before 8:45 A.M., only Natsuhi and Eva's corpse were in the room."

Despite having beaten the blue, she gritted her teeth in frustration. She knew that she had either lost this battle or won it, depending on his reaction.

"Come on, then!"

>>17666
That doesn't deny my blue, right? Since the red basically says "Natsuhi and Eva were alone, then they weren't for a point in time and then the culprit left after killing."

George's death then?

>>17667

She was prepared for the reformed blue truth as it jabbed into her side next to the other one, where it also hung loosely in the gap in her dress.

Without flinching, she looked at him. "Alright, we can move on. But we're not done with this one yet, mark my words. We'll be back in the parlor again. George's death! What do you have?!"

>>17668
Don't count on it.
The culprit locked the boiler room from the inside and was hiding. After unlocking the door and entering the group was distractedby the bodies, which game the culprit the chance to they slip out before they were found.

>>17669

It seemed like Gaap's temper was flaring.

"At the time the door was unlocked but before anyone stepped inside, the culprit was not in the room!"

Last edited at 15/06/05(Fri)20:28:12

>>17670
The pile of keys on the table was actually smaller than we were led to believe. The culprit took one of those keys and locked the door. Perhaps even putting it back in the event the pile is the same number we are led to believe.

>>17671

"The only time a master key was used on the boiler room door during the course of this game was when it was unlocked to reveal the corpse!"

>>17672
The furnace can be accessed from the roof or another area. The culprit used that to bypass the locks after setting them from the inside.

>>17673

"It would be a pretty ineffective furnace if it couldn't be accessed throughout the rest of the house, wouldn't it? However, during the course of this game the furnace was lit, and any living thing that got inside it would be killed long before it could crawl up the pipes."

Last edited at 15/06/05(Fri)20:38:43

>>17673
When George is thinking about the lock to the backdoor he explains that it attaches to a hook and could never truly be "locked". The culprit tampered with the system allowing him to set it in an unconventional way, such as from the outside or have it fall into place after closing the door.

>>17675

She pounded her fist against the chair.

"Fine, that's possible! But when the culprit left, George was the only corpse in the room! I had to go back in to place Kinzo!"

>>17675
Well that isn't an issue right? The culprit went to go get a body after George was killed and preformed the trick once more. Neither door had to be locked until then so they could have just entered through either open door after killing George.
Works even if they did set the lock the first time, although that would just waste time.

>>17678

"Ah, but between when George was killed and the time that George's body was discovered, the culprit did not enter the furnace room through either door! The culprit only left!"

>>17679
My bad, a corpse isn't living so it can easily be thrown down the furnace even if it is lit.

It looked like she had one last card to play, but she held off, and let the truth bury itself in her arm.

"Grr." She exhaled, calming herself. "You haven't won yet. Which of my murders will you take on next, smart guy?"

>>17681
I suppose Krauss was found next, so lets go with that.

Seeing how it is the only time we see the mention of a vent in the mansion lets go for a classic and say the deadbolt was set by a string which was set up through the vents and to be pulled from the outside of the room. Thus leaving no evidence.

>>17682

Gaap blinked. "Wow...way to go for the simple answer first," she said, sarcastically.

"But no! The vent played no part in locking the door!"

Last edited at 15/06/09(Tue)18:20:54

>>17683
But it really is one of the simplest.

Anyway, While the group was busy with the boiler room the culprit went back and got a key from the pile in the parlor. The corpse was set up against the inside of the door, and either that gave enough pressure to make it seem like the deadbolt was set, or the culprit tampered with this lock as well to seal the deadbolt rather than set it. They then locked the door with the master key.

>>17684

Gaap flinched, but replied quickly, "The deadbolt was truly set. The deadbolt could only be set from a force inside the room."

Last edited at 15/06/09(Tue)18:21:49

>>17685
The body was set up in a way which set the deadbolt as the door was closed. Or it was just locked by Krauss before he died.

>>17686

She ground her teeth. "The deadbolt was set after Krauss died..." She stopped there, and the remainder of the blue truth jabbed into her other side.

"I suppose it's possible to set up a corpse to shut a deadbolt." She was sweating, though out of pain or worry it was hard to say.

>>17687
I suppose that means we can move to the next one.

The group never checked the window to Rudolf's room. It was unlocked allowing the culprit to take/throw the body out the window.

>>17688

Gaap suddenly relaxed.

"Ah, this one was some of my best work. I am the demon of portals, after all. The window was covered in blood, which had pooled in such a way that it could not have been opened without leaving traces in the blood. That was why they did not check the window."

>>17689
Yet they still didn't check it right?

Since they didn't check the room much at all they missed evidence that would have shown something such as a balloon or bucket to have been in the room. The culprit set this up inside of the room and caused the blood to spill while they were already outside, either with a timer or through the crack in the doorway.

>>17690

"Alright, alright, I'll throw you a bone. After they broke past the chain lock, a thorough search of Rudolf's and Kyrie's room was performed. No method of delivery was found."

>>17691
Same method, but it was strategically attached to a string so that it could be retrieved after deploying the blood.
Thus why nothing was found.

>>17692

"So many strings. I like to see puppets dance, but only so much. "No strings or lines were used in Rudolf's murder."

>>17693
The blood was just painstakingly thrown through the crack in the door until there was enough.

>>17694

Gaap laughed in a high-pitched and annoying manner. "Ha! Do humans really have such patience? Perhaps, but they don't have the time. "The blood was too concentrated to have been splashed from the door, and the time it would take to throw it in from the door while leaving no trace on the doorframe or outside would make it impossible."

Did I fall for another red?

the blood actually took a while to pool so that the culprit could have still used the window before it had covered it in the described way.

>>17696

"You didn't fall for another red, unless you mean me, of course." She winked.

"To answer your blue, from the instant blood was spilled anywhere in Rudolf's room, the window remained shut."

>>17698
Same method as the balloon, but a different way to deal with the lack of evidence.

The storage object was made out of something soluble such as ice, so that upon releasing the blood any evidence melted before the group could investigate.

>>17699

Gaap smirked. "Despite what Klondike bars and hot summer days would have you believe, things don't always melt so fast. No soluble, liquifying, or sublimating delivery method was used, as even ice, in the required amount, would not melt in time."

>>17700
Like the previous rooms the lock was a facade.

The chain was tampered with so it could be set from the outside, or wasn't actually set properly like we are led to believe.

>>17701

"Oh, nice use of vocabulary. However, that won't help you! The chain could not be set from outside. The chain was properly set."

Last edited at 15/06/07(Sun)21:09:52

Upon entering the room someone took/hid the the evidence before anyone else noticed.
Thus the balloon theory as I now call it still has a shot.

>>17703

"From the point that the door was broken in by those investigating, no objects in the room were taken out of it, nor were any objects touched or moved except to examine them. I'd include the time previous, but I did remove Rudolf's body, after all. Sorry to burst your...balloon."

>>17704
While they did not find anything it still doesn't mean they missed something. such as if it blended in perfectly with the blood. Additionally if the window only remained shut after the blood was splashed, then while the blood was mid-delivery in the air the window was closed before the splash occurred.

>>17705

"Even I'm not that good at hiding things. That's why I just take them. It's much simpler. There was no perfectly blended in item. Any item that may have been used for this trick would have been found if it were still in the room. Furthermore, the window was shut before the blood was in the room."

Last edited at 15/06/09(Tue)18:22:41

>>17706
It wasn't splashed from the door, yet it still entered the room that way. Something such as a hose fed through the crack could have been used to create the blood pattern we see. They locked the door and left through the window before doing this.

>>17707

Caught off-guard, Gaap had no chance to dodge the blue truth as it slammed right into her gut. She coughed in pain and surprise, and a trickle of blood appeared out of the corner of her mouth. She was held almost completely immobile by the blue truth wedges now, but she still had some fought left in her.

"Well done, detective. We both know my final kill doesn't really count as a closed room, so how about we save that for last, hmmm? Have a theory for the servants' room? "

Last edited at 15/06/09(Tue)18:24:15

Don't know if you can call it a theory at this point.
One of them was taken hostage causing the other two not to be able to attack. The culprit killed them anyway which left only two to deal with. Kanon was knocked out during the skirmish which gave them even more of an advantage.

>>17709

"None of the three were taken hostage! " She twisted in her chair, trying to find a way to free herself.

Last edited at 15/06/09(Tue)18:25:03

Something else was, or one way or another the culprit prevented them from retaliating, allowing them to kill with ease. For all we know maybe they tied em up.

>>17711

"No one and nothing was held hostage, and the only time anyone was restrained or held was as part of the struggle already defined as the attack, so it would not provide a loophole for the can't-kill-three-in-one-attack rule. A good attempt, but no. Shannon, Kanon, and Genji all ended up dead in the servants' quarters. All were killed there. They weren't killed one at a time, yet they couldn't all be killed at once. It's impossible, except for demon magic!"

Last edited at 15/06/09(Tue)18:27:05

>>17712
...Two of them were killed at the same time, one was killed at a different time.

>>17713

She smiled tiredly. "To save me the humiliation of having it narrowed down:Shannon and Kanon were killed before Genji found them. Just like I showed in the play. I blame my secret love of the theatre."

"However," she said, straightening as much as she could bear, "that love also inspired this! The closed room mystery within a closed room mystery! If you'll permit me one last bit of fun, When Genji reached the servants' quarters, it was locked and had to be unlocked by the master key! All red given for the servants' quarters mystery still applies! If I must lose, I will lose with a little artistry."

Last edited at 15/06/10(Wed)18:15:13

>>17714
At that time we don't know the set up though. So Kanon or Shannon's master key were not in the room, thus there is no closed room at that point.

>>17715

"True, true. Then I shall give you a bit more to work with. The door was locked. The windows were locked. Shannon has her master key with her. Kanon had his master key with him. There was no special key for the servants' quarters."

Last edited at 15/06/10(Wed)18:15:42

One of the victims locked the door from the inside, or it was the culprit and they were waiting inside at that time.

>>17717

Gaap hung her head as the blue truth stabbed her in the chest.

"Not the most interesting trick in the book, but it was for art's sake. The culprit locked themselves in the room and waited to the side of the door for Genji..." Her voice petered out into a whisper.

She hung there in the chair, seemingly limp. Then she sat up, drawing on all the strength of her home.

"You think you have me beaten? Then here's your final bit of challenge!"

"Nanjo's death: The last person to lock the door was Nanjo, at which point he was alive, in perfect health, and not afraid of attack."

"The servants' quarters locked door: Jessica did not give Nanjo's key to Hideyoshi."

"Eva's death: At no point between 7:00 A.M. and 8:45 A.M. were Eva, Natsuhi, and the culprit alone in the room together."

"Kinzo's burnt body: The furnace pipes are small. Only something about as large as a child could fit in them."

A wall of red appeared around her, and some of the blue truths fell out. "You think you can stop a demon, detective? You think you know my true name, the name of the culprit! Then NAME ME NOW! OOOOZAAAAAAAAAKIIIIIIIII!"

Before I do, allow me to clarify a few things.

First, did the group thoroughly examine Krauss's body, and to what extent?

Second, what is this?
>Natsumi was not the culprit or an accomplice to this murder.
>Natsumi

>>17737

(Going more OOC for this post. Blame my phone for the Natsumi. I meant to put Natsuhi. Will be edited when I'm home.)

As for Krauss' body, it's hard to say exactly which blow killed him without Nanjo, but he had seven large stab-like wounds in his back, made by something shaped somewhat like an ice pick. He then bled extensively. Judging by the blood, it's likely that the body was moved towards the door. As mentioned, the vest he wore had been torn, as if the pocketwatch that was attached to it was viciously yanked at some point.

If there is anything further you wish to know about Krauss' body, ask. Their examinations were amateur, but fairly thorough if they thought to check.

>>17738

((Alright, it's not letting me edit that one. However, just to be absolutely clear,
That was supposed to say Natsuhi. Natsuhi was not the culprit nor an accomplice to that murder.))

Last edited at 15/06/13(Sat)07:54:56

Alright then. First off those reds.

Nanjo was fine with the culprit being in the room with him. They probably had planned to talk.

Hideyoshi took it from her.

Someone else was there too then or Natsuhi left the room at some point. Sleepwalking maybe.

The body was cut up and then put into the pipes.

Whether those are right or wrong, moving on to the the culprit. The whydunit is not necessary so lets systematically eliminate the whodunit.

Gohda, Kumasawa, Nanjo, Genji, Kanon, Shannon, Rosa, Maria, George, Eva, and Krauss all clearly died. We then void Kinzo naturally. This leaves Battler, Kyrie, Rudolf, Natsuhi, Jessica, and Hideyoshi.

Battler went straight to the guesthouse and didn't leave someone else's sight until a murder was found, so he is crossed off. Kyrie also took shelter with him and was part of the alibi for Nanjo's closed room, since she was there while it was locked and didn't leave she is crossed off too.

Natsuhi was confirmed not to be the accomplice or culprit for Eva's murder. So even if she helped with others it means the main culprit we are meant to figure out is either Hideyoshi, Rudolf, or Jessica. Each of them are missing at the end, however Hideyoshi was with Kyrie and Battler when they split up to go look at the guesthouse, so he is crossed off.

We are then left with the apparent red herring Rudolf, and then Jessica. Both of which had a chance to kill since they were separated during the whole Maria vomit scene. The body found in the furnace could be Rudolf's cut up if not Kinzo's, but we cannot be 100% sure.

What we do know however that while there are Mystery and Fantasy scenes, it does not mean the Mystery scenes are necessary the full truth. In fact in some cases saying 'Everybody' could refer to 'Everybody in the room, but I just won't mention that X had already left'. In regards to Nanjo's death we see the only time a door is not confirmed locked by description, but stated by dialogue. Thus this is allowed to be a lie, meaning that the person who opened the door most likely lied to make the appearance of a closed room.

Thus my theory: Jessica is the culprit. With Natsuhi helping out in other instances.

>>17748

Gaap laughed maniacally as the blue truth sped towards her, up until the moment the tip touched her forehead. In a bright flash, the illusion of Gaap shattered, and Jessica Ushiromiya sat in the chair, gazing out at the audience with dead eyes.



A slight grin played on the edge of her lips. "It was fun, actually. Do you want to know how I did it?" Without waiting for a response, she began.

"I started planning this a little over two years ago, but most of my true preparations didn't begin until about six months prior, when I got that old pervert, Doctor Nanjo, to agree to burn down the storage shed while I was away on a school holiday so that I would have a solid alibi. He'd been lusting after me for a while, so I told him that if he helped me have "a little rebellion against my overbearing parents" he might get a chance to play. I'd already spent the prior month sneaking out all the various equipment I'd need with no one the wiser, and with the shed burned no one would think to look for it all."

"Next, the day before the conference. I told Kumasawa I'd bought some small ice cream treats for the other cousins, and I'd want her help in surprising them with them. I knew she could sneak Gohda's key, so it was easy to arrange a plan to get her into the fridge. She was the first to die, of course. I'd run off by then, saying I'd forgotten to pack my things, when in reality I went to the kitchen and waited for her to excuse herself, complaining of an aching back. We entered the fridge, I snapped her neck, stuffed her in the meat freezer, sliced her open like one of her beloved mackerel, and placed the dessert back on top so no one would think anything of it. Then I left, locked up, and left the key on the counter before heading over to the guesthouse."

"I'd told Nanjo that tonight would be the night, if he'd help me get away from everyone. So he left his door unlocked, called the cousins' room, played a recording of my father in case someone else answered, and that got me a reason to leave. I almost got spotted by Shannon, Kanon, and Kyrie, but I managed to slip into his room without them noticing. He, of course, locked the door and pretended to snore so that everyone would think he was asleep. Then, for obvious reasons, it was quite easy to get him spread-eagled, bound and gagged by his sheets to the bed. Luckily he had a blanket to stop the blood spray. I don't think he realized anything was wrong until the kitchen knife I'd pilfered earlier punctured his gut. Once he was dead, I unlocked and left through the door while the cousins' door was still locked."

"At that point I knew I was pressed for time. Genji always had to 'tend to Kinzo,' at this time. Yes, as you probably guessed, Kinzo was already long dead, but the servants, Krauss, Natsuhi, and I knew the truth, so Gohda didn't have any hesitation about letting me in with him 'for a friendly chat' when he went into Kinzo's study."

"Now this one I'm proud of. After I gutted him, I took some of the old fishing line that I'd taken from the shed - you know, the really strong stuff that's good for deep sea fishing? - looped two lengths around his ankles, up around the neck of one of Grandfather's suits of armor, and through the handles on the windows. Then I weighted those ends with tennis balls. Then I had three more lengths of line. Two went around the loops around his feet, and the longest was looped around his torso. Then I climbed out the window, along the ledge, and down a drainpipe. There I waited in the bushes for lover-boy and Shannon to appear and call out to Gohda. I yanked on the torso string, causing him to topple. His feet came through, causing the pulley system I'd rigged using the armor to start. The armor started to tilt as the windows started to close. When the windows shut, the halberd on the armor pushed down the locks on the top of them, the line snapped, and the tennis balls dropped and rolled away, pulling the lines down among the mess on the floor. Meanwhile I pulled all three lengths I had, getting the lines off of Gohda, before running off to hide in the entrance hall of the house."

"Predictably, one of the two went to warn the grownups, and when the group ran out to look at the body I joined them, so Shannon thought I'd been with them and they thought I'd been with Shannon."

"Later on in the parlor I saw Genji pocket Gohda's key while he was kneeling beside him, making the next one so much easier. Everyone split up. I said I was going to the guesthouse, but in reality I went to the servants' quarters. After all, someone was going to need to wake up Kumasawa. When Kanon and Shannon entered, I slit Shannon's throat from behind and shoved Kanon back. He tripped and hit his head on the table, so killing him was easier than I'd hoped. Then I locked the door and waited for my next victim. When Genji came in he immediately ran to check on Shannon and Kanon, allowing me to catch him by surprise. I got him in the gut when he turned to find out what the noise behind him was. To top it off I drew a 6 with his own finger, just like I'd drawn numbers at all the other murders, hoping to confuse the order of death. I took Gohda's key from Genji's pocket and locked the door before heading to the guesthouse. There I helped discover Nanjo's corpse, and saw little creepy Maria take the key from his stomach. I imagine she gave the key to Hideyoshi later. Seriously, I did the world a favor taking her out."

"I was worried about how I was going to continue, but then Maria had her stomach issues, and after that everything fell into place. The men acted predictably with a little bit of reverse psychology from me, and I was able to do what I pleased. I got Rudolf first. I'd taken the VIP room key from the pile earlier, and caught up with him on the way to his room, saying that I'd heard a noise and wanted his protection. Once there I knocked him out with a golf club I'd hidden under the bed, stuck him in the tub, and slit his wrist so that he'd bleed out into a bucket. Then I left him for the time being, taking his key with me. I got into his room, set the chain, left the door unlocked, and clambered out the window. I had to pick up Kinzo. I knew where he had been buried, but unbeknownst to anyone I'd dug him up and chopped him up a little bit before. So I snagged him and headed down to the basement through the barred door which I'd left unlocked. There, much to my surprise, was George. Luckily he was just as surprised as me, so I got a chance to take him out with my trusty golf club. Ironic, really, since it was his trusty golf club when he was younger. Scared by my close call, I locked the door to the mansion and retreated out of the cellar, using the thin handle of the club to hold the bar open enough so that I could shut the door at a point where the bar would naturally fall and lock."

"Of course, that was when I realized that I still had a bag full of Kinzo beside me in the rain, and I'd just locked the furnace room. I was really glad then that I'd chopped him up at that point, because I realized that Krauss would be in his room, since there was only one thing that he would be going for at a time like this, and his room was directly above the furnace. My goals were aligned."

"He let me in, since I was his daughter, which was his downfall. While his back was turned I stabbed him with the golf club (the handle of which I had sharpened. Golf clubs, who knew, right?) I left him by the door to bleed while I quickly dumped Kinzo's body down the vent, which Krauss had already helpfully unscrewed. With that done I propped his body up against the door at an angle, hooked his pocketwatch around the deadbolt, and shut the door. I heard him fall and I heard the deadbolt get pulled shut, so my plan seemed to work well. It was time to check on Rudolf. I managed to narrowly avoid being seen by the group that was going out to the guesthouse for whatever reason, but it let me know that only Eva and Natsuhi were in the parlor."

"Rudolf had long since bled out at this point, so I left his body in the tub and took the bucket of blood, along with a sump pump I had originally found while clearing out the storage shed. I opened the door to his room, braced the tube on top of the chain, fed it into the middle of the room, and started pumping. I was worried when the blood splashed a bit up onto the wall, but then I realized that it acted as a seal on the unlocked window, so after that I just let it happen. It only took about a minute. Then I pulled the tube back in, shut the door, locked it with Rudolf's key, and returned to the VIP room. There I stashed the bucket, the pump, and put his key back in his pocket before leaving."

"Then I got lucky. I saw Natsuhi going up the stairs, presumably to get her headache medicine from her room, so I figured Eva was on her own in the parlor. I ran to the kitchen, got the champagne ice bucket as well as the special champagne that the family had been saving. I'd drugged it a few weeks prior, of course, since there was no way it would be had before the conference. Finally a couple glasses and a trusty kitchen knife secreted on my person, and I was ready to go."

"Eva let me in, of course, and even helped me with the stuff since I said I thought it might help to loosen everyone up. After she'd set it down, I pulled out the knife, pointed it at her, ordered her to pour a couple drinks, and drink both of them. She was out like a light remarkably quickly. I was checking the door the whole time. I was planning to have to take out Natsuhi too, even though she wasn't on my list, but she must have been having one of her little semi-delusional depressions, because she never showed. I placed my poor unconscious aunt face-down in the bucket of icewater. She almost woke up, and unconsciously thrashed a bit, but it was incredibly easy to hold her down. Then I simply...left. I went back to guarding Rosa and Maria, and I assume Natsuhi went back to the parlor. I was confused for a while later as to why she lied and said she'd fallen asleep, but thinking back on it I probably would have lied too rather than admit to Hideyoshi that I'd left his wife unguarded while he was in that state."

"That just left Battler, Rosa, Maria, and myself on my list. Aunt Kyrie was kind enough to mention the chapel as well, where I'd long before stashed my final weapons, the first being ammo for an unfortunately-unusable harpoon gun that I'd found. It was just a matter of knocking out Natsuhi and Hideyoshi while we were searching, then coming across Rosa and Maria while they were near the front of the chapel. I used Maria as a hostage to get Rosa to do what I wanted, and then killed her with the harpoons. I killed Maria the same way, then stuck them up together. It was kind of like using really big nails, but a lot bloodier."

"The final weapon? One of Grandfather's rifles, which I'd saved. The epitaph was done, but my job was not. A bullet for Battler, and a bullet for me. The cursed Ushiromiya bloodline had to end. None must know."

"Jessica Ushiromiya is the culprit."

She finished, and all expression drained from her face once more. She sat there in the chair, like a marionette without a puppeteer, a lone stage light shining down on her.

The theater was silent.

THE END.