“Welcome, esteemed guests of the Ushiromiya family. I am Toshiro Gohda, servant of the Ushiromiya family, sent here to greet you all and to lead you all up to the mansion. As a matter of protocol, I ask that each of you give a brief introduction as to who you are."

>>8298
>Before anyone else can answer, I quickly move away from the others to stand beside Gohda and make an elegant bow to the other detectives, making myself the center of attention.

"<Good> day, everyone. I am the famous detective, Furudo Rika. You may or may not have heard of me."

>I then turn to Gohda and address him.

"I do not know the purpose for which your master invited me here, but rest assured that if there is a mystery to be solved, I will most certainly solve it. I only pray that it will be something interesting enough to be worth coming all this way for."

>I then start walking towards the mansion, not even waiting for the other people to introduce themselves. After a few steps, I turn back towards Gohda.

"Well then, would you please take me to the head of the mansion immediately? My little grey cells are already itching to get started, mi~"

After the awkward silence that followed the first introduction I turn to Gohda and the others to introduce myself.

"Hello everyone, my name is Tomitake Jiro. You can just call me Jiro if that's alright. I am a freelance photographer and like Miss Erika I'm curious to why we have all been invited here in the first place."

I will then follow Gohda to wherever he takes us once all the introductions are finished.

Sorry, I'm afraid I need you to wait here until the introductions are done.

"An introduction ? How bothersome. Well I'm Squitcher."
I make an unnoticeable wave with my hand
"Just Squitcher..."
"... there's nothing to add to that. My activities are better left untold, except that one time I rescued a cat.
That day, I was a good man.
Anyway, I must say a gentleman like me can't overlook the quality of the services that you have provided us with so far, it's been enjoyable, and I do hope your master's motives for that whole shady business are as interesting as my imagination makes it to be, I'd hate it if it'd turned out to be boring.


Also... Toshiro.. Go... Gohda was it ? I like your style, you're like... buff and all. That's cool. You're cool, I like you Toshiro. I can call you Toshiro right ?
What am I saying ? Of course I can.

I take out a cigarette and try to light it.

"So, are we gonna get going or what ? Hurry up people."

"Your praise is too kind, Squitcher-sama. I am happy to be of service, and you may refer to me however you like."

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about on that front, <Mister> Squitcher. With such a colorful group gathered, he must have some dreadful intrigue in mind, don't you think?"

I turn and give the servant a pleasant smile.

"Eccaia Ringwell, currently freelance reporter... Perhapse you've heard of me as well? ...No? Oh well, someday. Call me Eccaia, please."

After the introductions, Gohda leads you up a winding path. This path, which travels uphill, seems to be a little unnecessarily long. You are sure the given argument would be the aid given to climbing uphill by making it take a great distance by circling around the hill, but this is just plain absurd. Clearly, the designed is hoping to mask the distance between the port and the mansion so as to aid the feel of seclusion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOq7ZNTPVug (music to listen to while reading)

As you come to a clearing, your eyes are filled with the radiant color of a beautiful rose garden. Gorgeous shades of red literally blanket the area. Within the rose garden's various pathways, you notice a group of people standing around talking. Among them are four teenagers; two female, two male; as well as a little girl. One of the teenage girls is clearly out-of-place, as she appears to be a servant.

All but the servant-looking-girl seem rather taken aback by your approaching. Gohda, without missing a beat, initiates conversation so as to explain this situation as smoothly as possible: "Hello again, these people here are guests of your grandfather. It would appear he has taken to the inviting of special ephemera. From what I have been told, even they have not yet been informed as to the reasons surrounding why their presence was requested here.

Gohda introduces all of you to the group and then begins to introduce them to you.
"This man here with black hair is George. The man next to him is Battler. The young lady next to him is Jessica, and let's not forget our beloved Maria. Last-but-not-least, we have an associate of mine, Shannon.

Battler then questions George, "Does grandfather normally invite people outside of the family to these gatherings?"

George replies, "This is a first from what I can recollect. However, it is not unusual for grandfather to make hasty or unexpected decisions, much less act terribly unpredictably."

Whereby Jessica adds, "Yeah, I certainly wouldn't put it past that old man to do something off-the-wall like this."

"Uu~ Are any of you interested in helping Maria solve a riddle?"

"What a good idea," Shannon states, "if they're going to be our guests this weekend, we should get to know them. I'm sure they have places to be, but a riddle shouldn't be take too much of your time I hope."

Maria takes out a riddle book she had in her bag, opens up to the first page, and reads off the riddle.

__________________________________

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6AMdFYY_A4

So assume that you have a boat. This boat can only carry yourself and a single other item across a river. Now assume that you have a wolf, a sheep, and some feed. If left alone together, the feed would be eaten by the sheep, and the sheep would be eaten by the wolf. How can you ferry across all three without ever leaving a situation where you will lose one?

"Bring the chicken across first, then leave it there. Go back and take the wolf, bring it across while taking back the chicken. Pick up the feed, while dropping off the chicken. Then just drop off the feed and go back once more for the chicken."

"I believe that is the answer."

Assuming you meant "sheep" when you said "chicken"
Ah, close enough.

_________________________________________

"Uu~ solved like a master."
"Right then, if you will excuse us, I need to bring them to the mansion." Gohda says

Gohda then leads you all in through the front doors of the mansion. Inside the foyer, you see quite a few adults standing around. They all seem very surprised to see you.

"Gohda, who in hell are these people?" a man in a red suit asks.

"You see-"

"This is a family gathering!" a woman in purple shouts.

"Krauss-sama, Natsuhi-sama, these people-"

"I've never met any of these people before. Do any of you recognize them?" a orange-haired woman asks.

"Not at all. Are these friends of yours Gohda?" a man in a navy suit adds.

"My sincerest apologies, Eva-sama, Rudolf-sama." Everyone stops and turns to face a elder gentleman. "My master requested that none of you should know about this."

"What are you talking about?" a brown-haired woman asks.

"You see, Rosa-sama, Kinzo-sama has invited some people over for this conference. He has not told anyone of the reasoning. I'm sure even they are puzzled at this point. However, they are our dignified guests and we must treat them as such."

"I see. Wha-cher sayin' is dat Grandfather's guests're our guests." A rather plump man replies. "It sheems we got no choice but ta let 'em stick around."

"Correct, Hideyoshi," Gohda replies. "Only Grandfather knows why he summoned these people here. The servants were merely told there would be more guests and that nobody else would know why."

"Very well then," says a white-haired woman. "I'm Kyrie, and it seems you've already heard the names of everyone else here. Since dinner is in a bit, you may have time to drift around a bit if you'd like."

"If you leave your luggage here, I will see to it that it gets delivered to your rooms," Genji says.

"Yes, of course. But go somewhere else," Krauss says. "We'd prefer if you didn't put your nose in our business."

The detectives have free reign to explore the mansion (note: certain places may be unsearchable/unreachable)

2nd floor

3rd floor

>Having been unusually silent since I introduced myself, I suddenly surprise everyone by speaking up.

"Nn...so we don't even get to meet the man who sent us here yet? Well, I suppose that I can wait until dinner to hear what this is all about...assuming the old man is even going to bother to join us."

>I turn to Gohda.

"Oh, and Gohda-san, about when you referred to me as 'special ephemera'? I didn't want to interrupt at the time, but I'm not sure that word means what you think it does. Perhaps you should look it up. *giggle**giggle*."

Not giving Gohda a chance to answer, I turn to Jiro and whisper in his ear.

"By the way, Jiro-kun...I'm just letting you know that I consider you a rival. You probably thought that you were very clever solving that riddle, didn't you? Well, obviously I solved it myself in a matter of seconds, but I wanted to judge the competence of the rest of you by seeing which of you would solve it the quickest. ...Therefore, I've determined that you are someone who I need to keep a particularly close eye on. Remember, Van Dine's 9th: There can only be one detective. And I don't intend on allowing you to take that spot from me."

>I turn away from Jiro. My expression then does a 180 and I give the whole room a charming smile.

"Nipaaaaaa-*"

>I then leave the room and head towards the servant's room.

"Does it not refer to something temporary, such as guests?"


You are standing outside the servants' room

Shocked by the girl's statement I am stunned for a moment.

"All I did was solve a puzzle...?"

After regaining my composure I decided to explore as well and go to the parlor. I enter and then survey the room.

>>8351
No reason for Ouro to not play, I just had to get the game moving...

The parlor is a room filled with couches, coffee tables and a television set. There appears to be expensive decorations lining the walls, as well as a fireplace. There is nobody in the room.

[OoC: Ephemera generally refers to objects rather than people, but yes, your usage was technically correct. I simply intended to portray the way in which my piece delights in mocking people by making a big deal out of completely insignificant points.]

>I enter the servants' room, not bothering to knock.

"Well this looks like one good opportunity to check the back stage, I'll be chilling in the kitchen, you're free to come along, ladies"

I walk towards the kitchen's door and knock on it.

>>8353
Inside you find the servants' quarters. Beds, a table and some chairs, some typical furnishings for the servants to use during their breaks and at night. There is also a young man inside.

"You must be one of Kinzo-sama's guests. I'm Kanon, one of the servants. Is there anything I can get you?"

>>8356
Gohda answers the door.

"Ah, Squitcher-sama. How may I be of assistance?"

With a questioning look at Genji, I ask: "Even if the master of the house doesn't want to meet us yet, we'll see him at dinner, surely?"

I shake my head at Squitcher's invitation. "As fun as that sounds, I think I'll pass. I'd like to take a closer look at that delightful little courtyard over there."

I start down the hallway, looking for a way outside.

>>8357
"Yes, actually. Would you mind telling me where I could find some duct tape? You see, I seem to have somehow forgotten to bring any with me, and a great detective should never go anywhere without her duct tape after all."

>>8359
"That is, of course, assuming that he feels like coming down from his study. Granted, he most likely will just because of his invitations to you."

There is an entrance to the courtyard very near the foyer area.

>>8360
"I'm afraid we don't have any duct here on this island.

>>8362
"What!? No duct tape!? What kind of place is this!? Nng...Well, since you're here, would you mind telling me how many people are on this island besides us, and what their names are? In particular, are there any servants here besides you, Gohda-san and Genji-san?"

>>8363
"I'm very sorry that we don't have duct tape, if you need something fixed, I may be able to help... as for people on the island, I believe there should be 23 people.... Kinzo, Krauss, Natsuhi, Jessica, Eva, Hideyoshi, George, Rudolf, Kyrie, Battler, Rosa, Maria, Nanjo, Genji, myself, Shannon, Gohda, Kumasawa, and Kinzo's 5 extra guests"

>>8364
Mm, I see...I know who most of those people are, but who are Nanjo, Shannon and Kumasawa? More servants like yourself?

After he gives his predictable answer, I'll take a quick glance around the room. Is there anything of note?

I decide to leave the parlor and go to the courtyard. When I get there I'll take a look around.

>>8365

"Nanjo is Kinzo's personal doctor and friend. Shannon and Kumasawa are female servants. Is there anything else that I can get you?"

It looks like a fairly standard quarters.

The phone rings and Kanon picks it up. After a brief conversation he explains that he needs to go back to work and that the room needs vacated.

>>8366
A walled in courtyard. It has a rather "closed in" feel because of the walls on all 4 sides. You also notice a small concrete staircase in one corner. This must lead to some sort of cellar.

>>8367
"Wait, just one more thing...You said five guests, right? I only know about myself, Squitcher-san, Jiro-kun and Eccacia-chan, but...was someone else invited? And have they arrived yet?"

>>8369
"I was merely told a number, you're the first of Kinzo's guests that I've met today."

With that, Kanon leads you out of the quarters and locks the door. He then heads off down the hall towards the foyer.

I look up higher to the third floor, are there any windows? If so are the lights on or off?

>>8371
There is light coming from the third floor window.

>>8372
I take a look at the structure of the mansion and try to determine if it would be possible to climb.

>>8373
A vertical wall with nothing to grab on to. Maybe if you had a rope tied to the top of the building... or perhaps television-quality physics-breaking plunger devices.

>>8374
"Well that's a no-go."

I leave the courtyard and go back to the foyer to check up on everyone.

>>8370
>I take a pen and notepad from my pocket, and quickly jot down the names of everyone on the island, making sure to leave room for the mysterious 23rd person. Then, I follow Kanon towards the foyer.

>>8358
"Oh, it's you Toshiro ! Are you alone ? Well that doesn't matter.
I was curious about what this place looks like... Do you have some snack to offer me ? It's been a while since I last ate or drank something.

Oh, and also would you mind telling me more about this place and its peoples ?"

>>8375
>>8377
The adults are still rather unsettled by your presence and are probably going to want you to not be around them.

>>8378
"Kumasawa is in here helping me prepare tonight's dinner. As for a snack, it may be best to not spoil your appetite. How about a piece of fruit and a cup of earl grey? Also, who/what would you like to know about specifically?"

>>8379
"...On second thoughts, maybe that isn't such a good idea. A detective should always try not to make a bad first impression. Hmm...I should probably get someone to guide me to my rooms. I guess I should try and find one of the servants."

I hear Squitcher and Gohda talking in the kitchen next door to the room I just left.

"...Gohda-san will do, I suppose. I'll just wait for them to finish their conversation."

I stand outside the door to the kitchen and decide to eavesdrop on the two of them, waiting for a good time to enter.

"I don't think I should bother them."

I head outside of the mansion, back to where I first met Battler, George, Shannon, Jessica and Maria.

>>8379
"Tea ? I'm not a tea lover... I'll just take whatever fruit you have, I have faith in your judgement.

Well, is there anyone else I didn't met ? Seems like there's a lot of peoples on this island, might be best to know a little about them.
And...Having an island all for yourselves... It's quite surprising... Is there any trivia about it ?"

I try to peak behind Gohda to see the person he was talking about

"Say hello to your friend for me, as well"

>>8381
They're still outside near the rose garden. Shannon appears to have gone back to work. Maria is rather happy, looking at a rose that appears to have something wrapped around it.

>>8382
Kumasawa waves back, smiling.

Gohda goes back into the kitchen towards the refrigerator. He pulls out an orange and hands it to you.

"The Ushiromiya family made its fortune in the business world. Rumor has it that the grandfather, Kinzo-sama, used 10 tons of magical gold to build his business empire. They have owned the island of Rokkenjima for quite some time. I believe the island may also have been a military base at some point."

I walk up to the group and greet them.

"Hi again, what are you guys up to?"

"Uu~ we're admiring Maria's rose"

She points to the rose with the candy wrapper wrapped around it

>>8384
I take the orange from his hands

"Thanks Toshiro. Oh, would you mind giving me a knife to cut the orange's skin ?

Military base ? 10 millions of magical gold ? Ahaha, that's quite an interesting tale you've got there.
Could you tell me about Kinzo ?"

>>8387
"Ah, allow me."

Gohda takes the orange and peels the skin off using his hands, throwing it away.

"You see, Kinzo-sama is quite an interesting fellow. Most of the day he spends locked away in his study. Only Kanon, Shannon, and Genji are allowed in there to bring Kinzo his meals, but I still do cook for him thrice a day. Supposedly Kinzo spends most of his time studying the arcane in his room. Other than that, he really enjoys risk-taking. He seems to live by a 'higher risk yields higher reward' philosophy."

>>8386
"Oh wow, it is quite a nice flower indeed."

I turn to the others.

"If you don't mind me asking, which sides of the family are you each from? You see my group had just recently met the other members of the family, besides Kinzo of course, and they didn't seem to thrilled to talk with us. Since we will be together on this island for awhile I thought it would be best to know."

>>8389
"I'm the son of Hideyoshi and Eva. Jessica is the daughter of Krauss and Natsuhi. Battler is the son of Rudolf, Kyrie being his step mother. Oh, and Maria is the daughter of Rosa. How about you, any interesting facts about you?"

>>8388

"Ah, there was no need for this... Thanks anyway."

I half-heartedly take back the peeled orange from his hands

"He's quite an odd fellow, that Master it seems, I guess that does count as interesting for my standards.
You said he stayed locked up in his study most of the time. You cook for him all day and he doesn't even show up eh ? That's cold man. You see him sometimes though right ? "

>>8391
"Very rarely. Now that you mention it, it has been quite some time since I've actually seen him."

>>8393
"Rarely ? Is he that secluded ? When was the last time ?"

I start to eat my orange

>>8393
I decide to take this opportunity to enter the room.

"Well, he'd better come out of his study today. It would be a terrible anticlimax if we came all this way for nothing. But I'm curious about why he only lets those three particular servants in there. What's so special about them, if I may ask? Does he have some reason to distrust the other servants?"

>>8394
"To be honest, I can't recall. A couple months, maybe...."

>>8395
"Genji is the head servant and a close friend of Kinzo. Shannon and Kanon are servants hired from Kinzo's orphanage. They wear the crest of the one-wing to show that they are given higher authority as servants. Perhaps I simply have not been working here long enough... Anyway, I need to get back to cooking. If you would excuse me."

>>8397
"I see. So they're specially selected by Kinzo-sama, while you two are just part of the kitchen staff. *giggle**giggle*. Regardless, I was wondering whether somebody would show me to my room. Do you know where I could find somebody who's free at the moment, like Genji or Shannon perhaps?"

"Ah, I've just finished my part and can show you to your rooms if you'd like."

>>8399
"Ah, excellent, nipa~

Well then, Squitcher-san, are you coming too or do you still have things to do here?"

>>8396

"Sounds like you're working hard and ain't rewarded enough man. Seems tough to me. Thanks for the orange Toshiro, I'll be expecting your meal and it has better be damn delicious !

I turn towards Erika, and take another bit of orange to eat.

"So, miss uh... Miss, don't just go busting in other's conversation, kay' kiddo ?
You're cute and all, but don't let your youth or some hormones get you all excited and bother adults, that's called rude in the street I used to live in. Now excuse me, I've got stuff to do."

After hearing Kumasawa, I turn towards her
Thanks, young lady, but I'll just wander around
for now. I like taking strolls.

I go towards the other corridor of the mansion and try to find an unlocked and empty guest room

>>8390
"Myself? I'm a freelance photographer primarily, but how I got there isn't as simple as it seems. To start with, my first time holding a camera was when I was actually covering wars. That was a hard time, but it got me to see that even in the that setting I had grown to love taking photos.
After that I was occasionally called to take snaps of crime scenes, but my life now is mostly stress free. I get to relax and take picture of anything I wish."

>>8401
"Oho, seems you are quite the charmer."

>>8400
"Your rooms are all located in the guest house, across the way. It is quite a walk, do you wish to go there now?"

>>8401
The first guest room you check is empty and unlocked. (the one right across the hall from the kitchen.

>>8401
"Hmph, what a rude man. Hasn't he ever heard of the detective's authority? Well then, Kumasawa-san, shall we go?"

>>8402
"Uu~ take a picture of Maria's rose!"

>>8403
"Well, there isn't really much to do around here if I can't get any duct tape and the guy who called me here is shut up in his study. So, I think I'll stay in my room until dinner."

>>8403
I decide not to open this one. I go to the left-wing corridor on the map and then try to find an unlocked and empty guest room

>>8407
All 3 are unlocked and unoccupied.

>>8406
Do you wish to stop and speak with them?

If not, you can stay in your room until dinnertime.

________________________

Make final posts and stuff etc. The dinner event will be posted when I get back.

>>8405
"Sure thing, I have something you may like too."

I reach into my carry bag and take out one of my two cameras. This one being a polaroid camera.

"With this you can have the picture in moments."

I then get in a suitable angle underneath the rose and snap the shot. Once the picture comes out I wave it back in the air and hand it to maria.

"Here you are Maria."

>>8408
I enter the second one.
Is there anything of interest ? Is there a piece of paper and a pen lying around ? Is there windows ? How does the chain and the lock works ?
If nothing, I try to enter the 1st one.

>>8409
Make sense for being in character.

Maria runs around smiling while waving the picture about.

"I still don't understand why grandfather would invite other people over. I wonder if the cameraman is supposed to document some event or something."

A pause, and then everyone simultaneously says "I wouldn't put it past grandfather..."

>>8410
The rooms are set up similarly to how a hotel room would be set up. There is a notepad and pen sitting near the phone. A single window, a single door. A bathroom attached. There is a lock on the door handle itself as well as a chain lock. All 3 of these rooms are set up the same way.

>>8408
I wave to Jiro.

"Well, if it isn't my rival! Kumasawa-san is escorting me to the guesthouse; would you like to come too or are you busy here, mi~?"

>>8413
"Rival... is it?"
I wave back.
"No it's alright, go on without me. I'll stay here for now."

>>8414
"Okay, but I don't think that you'll find any important clues around here! May the best detective win, nipa~!"

I follow Kumasawa to the guesthouse.

I head outside and look around the courtyard, taking note of the light on the third floor. While I'm there, I curiously walk around the edge and peek through the windows of all of the first floor windows.

>>8415
Your room is located on the second floor of the guesthouse. Each detective has their own separate room.

>>8416
Looking for anything in particular?

>>8417
Since there are a lot of guest rooms, I want to get an idea of which of them are in use by family members and whether there's anybody around who I haven't met yet.

I'll also take a peek in the cellar if it's unlocked.

>>8418
I believe you've seen almost everyone...

All of the guest rooms on the first floor are unoccupied aside from Squitcher who appears to be taking a pen and paper out of one of the rooms.

The "cellar door" is locked.

You are all called over to the dining room to eat dinner.

It would seem that Gohda was the head chef, as he has come to serve and explain the dish.

The seat at the head of the table remains vacant.

The other family members seem to be questioning Kruass as to where Kinzo is.

Eva, leading the argument, argues "you're hiding something, I just know it! We haven't heard from directly or seen grandfather since last year!"

>>8420
I take the notepad and the pen with me

>>8421
Right then.

Also, are any of you going to try to jump in on this conversation as well? Or do you actually think Kinzo is alive?

>>8420
"Well now, Eva-san, if Kinzo-sama really is dead, then who invited us exactly? It would be pretty silly for Krauss-san and Natsuhi-san to invite guests who would be expecting to see the head, if they wanted to hide his death.

Although, if he is alive, then I must say that I'm quite annoyed that he still refuses to give us an idea of what we're here for. I'm almost of a mind to break into his study myself and demand an explanation. Nipa-*"

I watch Krauss and Natsuhi's faces closely to gauge their reaction.

>>8423
"A mere guest?! How dare you stick your nose into our business! Grandfather simply wishes to be left alone!"

"Unless grandfather did send them but has passed since then! Aniki, why don't you just tell us the truth."

"Wow wow ladies, calm down.
Let's not get too fired up over this while we've got this delicious meal right in front of us, that would be insulting to those peoples who worked hard to get that tempting smell and tasty appearance to this food.
And it is a proof of your quality services, which I don't want to deny the excellence until now, but there's obviously a problem right under our noses.
It's a fact that these letters who called us bunch of jokers here are a main problem between us and the calm and serenity of a fine meal.
And as much as I appreciate your servant's services, those three winged whatever are aware of what's going on, or at least more than anyone in this room.
But a servant is no responsible for the orders that his master gives him, and if our dear Kinzo is still the master of this family and island, it seems obvious that guests and children should just let it happen. However, if it is not the doing of Kinzo, who is the master now ? Would it be you, blond-guy who looks like an actor or miss gorgeous in purple over here ?
Or someone else ? Or are the servants acting out of their own will ?

In the end, whatever is going on, it is to the master, whoever he is, that the questions should be asked, so now, purple lady and handsome blond there, why are you trying to stop us from questioning Kinzo ? Is he not the Master ? If he is, certainly his authority shouldn't be questioned, and this debate shouldn't even be there to begin with ? Isn't that insulting for him that there are some people questioning his life status ?
I know I would be upset if someone thought I was dead.

Or if you're the one in charges for whatever reasons, then enlighten us. Or you, gray hair in that dazzling suit"

I point towards Genji

"So let's just get this over with and enjoy our meal, 'kay ?"

>>8426

"Oh, maybe looking at the letters again might help us understand what's going on, I think I brought it with me"

I try to find the letter in my pocket

“Please forgive us for butting in, <Miss> Natsuhi, but as you can see, there’s a possibility that we were summoned by someone to be props in this very argument, so it’s only natural that we’d be curious. For my part, I don’t doubt he’s alive, but I’m starting to wonder if he only invited us as a counterargument to <Miss> Eva so that he wouldn’t have to appear himself. ...Of course, that’s assuming he knew the topic would come up at all?” I cast a questioning look at Eva on this last point.

"If not... Well, to be blunt, is <Mister> Kinzo of sound mind? The secrecy in the letters he sent and the fact that he didn't try to telephone us directly suggested a certain amount of paranoia."

>>8428
"We aren't going to get anywhere unless we just ask the man himself. Why don't we go over to the study and knock? If he yells at us to go away, at least we know that he actually exists. And if we get no response, well, I'm sure Natsuhi-san would understand that we would have to break the window and check his condition. Something could have happened to him, after all. *giggle*."

I decide to start eating my food in order not to be brought into the conversation.

Suddenly, the door bursts open. Standing in the doorway you see an elder man. Graceful, carrying an air of authority, this man's mere presence seems to inspire shock and obedience in the aunts and uncles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDFFHaz9GsY

"Fools! I could hear your arguments from the third floor! Me? Dead?! Your actions are so damned predictable that I foresaw every step, every argument, up until now. To that end I have enlisted the aid of these guests!" He shouts as he points towards the detectives. "I'm sure by now everyone is curious as to the reasoning behind their presence. You see, I knew that you fools would be so busy fighting each other that you would fail to solve my epitaph. To that end, I figured a little competition was necessary. Whosoever solves my epitaph shall receive in full the wealth of the Ushiromiya family and succeed me as head. I challenge everyone on this island to solve it; servants, family, guests, I don't care as long as it is solved!"

Walking out, Kinzo ends by saying "I shall return to my study, for I will be safe from the vultures there. I will not leave my study again until the solving of the epitaph."

An outrage. There's no real better word to describe it. Anger, shouting, pointing of fingers. This carries on for some time. Battler, George and Jessica, disgusted at the attitudes in the room, get up and leave, bringing Maria with them.

"We need to remove these guests!"
"The rain makes that impossible...."
"That doesn't matter, just send them to the guesthouse!"
"Putting guests under house arrest? That's below the future head of the Ushiromiya family."
"They're a threat, a risk. If grandfather invited them, they must be able to pose a serious threat!"
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...

Eventually the adults calm down. Weighing things more carefully, in a way that is ironically less logical, they come to the conclusion of an "us or them" mentality. Ordering the servants to remove the guests from the mansion, they appear to have agreed to work together if only to prevent the solving by the guests. You all are escorted out of the mansion by the servants.

_______________________________

It seems we're approaching the end of the first day. Any closing remarks before going to bed? Oh, and for good measure, the detectives shall all sleep 8 hours tonight.

I give free motion to the detectives once again before going to sleep. The cousins are in their room on the second floor, each of you have a separate guest room, and Nanjo is in his guest room. All of the entrances and exits to the building are being guarded by servants. I'll start a new thread in the morning for morning of the second day.

>>8433
"Hmph! How dare they treat a detective in that way? Honestly!"

After regaining my composure, I think
back to what Kinzo was saying.

"What was that about an epitaph? Some kind of riddle? I don't care about becoming the head, but if there's a riddle to be solved, then I must solve it. ...But, the epitaph must be back in the mansion. I don't have a chance at solving it if I can't even read it. And I don't expect that those rude people are going to give me the chance any time soon. ...Is there anyone that I could ask about the epitaph, someone who might have written the riddle down or something?"

...

"Well, the cousins might well know something about it. And they didn't seem too happy with the way their parents were acting, so they might be willing to give me a chance. ...Oh, but wait...there is another guest here other than us, right? Putting aside that unknown 23rd person, there's that 'Nanjo' person that I heard about from Gohda. He should be here, shouldn't he?"

...

"If he is Kinzo-sama's personal doctor, then he has no ties to the family. Furthermore, his priority would be to respect his patient's wishes. Kinzo-sama specifically said that everyone should be given a chance, so...perhaps Nanjo would be able to give me some information about the epitaph."

That decided, I leave my room.

"I saw which rooms each of us entered, and the cousins have a larger room to themselves. ...So, by process of elimination, Nanjo must be in one of these other rooms."

I knock on one of the doors that I know doesn't lead to any of the other detectives' rooms.

>>8434
"Tch. In the end, they didn't even tell us what this 'epitaph' was before they locked us up in here. What a strange bunch.

...Judging from the name, it sounds like Kinzo wrote some kind of riddle or puzzle in memory of someone who died. Since the family's already known about it for some time, and they were supposed to be working on it... Maybe if I ask the younger ones who stormed out earlier, I can get a straight answer.

I wonder who it was that died? Must have been pretty important to Kinzo to warrant such a big production..."

I wave to Erika as I pass her.

"Looks like we were thinking the same thing, huh? Good luck with the doctor, Detective. Maybe we can compare notes later."

I walk down the hall to the cousins' room and listen at the door a bit before giving it a light knock.

>>8435
"Mi-. Working together will save time. ...Still, that's quite impressive that you were able to read my intentions so easily. I'm impressed."

"No wonder why the adults got so angry when we arrived... I think I hear some talking going on in the hallway. I might as well check it out."

I leave my room.

"Oh, is there some sort of party going on? What are you both doing out here?"

>>8437
Oh, Jiro-kun. I was going to go and visit Doctor Nanjo, while Eccacia-chan went to the cousins' room. We want to find out more about this "epitaph". I don't really care who solves it as long as it's someone who will make those arrogant fools in the dining hall mad, so I suppose that you can come with one of us if you're interested."

"That sounds like a good idea, I will go with Miss Ringwell. Oh but first I want to check on something so you can go a head while I catch up."

I go downstairs and quickly check the layout of the guesthouse. After I will try to leave through the front door in order to see just how the servants are guarding us.

>>8439
Mi-. Good luck with that.

Since nobody has answered the door that I knocked on while this conversation has been happening, I assume that Nanjo is in a different room, so I go to the next door and knock on that.

"Well, it seems like most of my questions were answered weren't they, now all that fuss ruined a perfect dinner, what a shame."

I light up another cigarette

"I won't stand sitting around much longer, let's see what the others jokers are doing"

I venture out of my room and see Erika

"Oh, it's you kiddo. What are you up to now ? Looking for some murders or somethin' again ?"

>>8439
Only Genji and Kanon are in the guesthouse. They are each guarding one of the doors. They refuse to let you by.

>>8440
Nanjo answers his door. When asked as to the content of the epitaph, he simply states that he cannot recall it.

>>8435
The cousins say that they have no interest in aiding vultures.

>>8441
"Oh, it looks like everyone is here then, doesn't it? We were trying to find out something about the epitaph, but it doesn't look like we're going to get anywhere unless we can get past the servants somehow. Maybe we should try jumping out of a window or something."

>>8443
"Well if you want to escape, then you gotta search for an escape route, I'd advise searching for a back door or something.

Now that i think about it, those kids are here, aren't they ? We can always try to get some information out of them, or simply search for a back door ourselves.
Windows are a last resort, I guess you're excited over that whole shady epitaph business eh ? Seems interesting to me too.

Well, do what you want, I'm going to check out the layout of this place. You're free to do your things."

As I said, I enquire the layout of the place, are there any back doors ? Others exits ?

>>8442
I go back to my room and try to escape the guesthouse by jumping out of my window. If I get caught I'll just go to sleep.

>>8444
>>8445
There are 2 doors (front and back), both of which are under the servants' watch. There are no windows that aren't in the servant's vision on the first floor. Jumping from the second floor is a bad idea....

>>8446
Which servants are guarding which doors ?

>>8447
Kanon front, Genji back. Though they can see each other at the opposite end of the hallway.

>>8448
I'll just go to bed, I suppose.

>>8443
"Hmph. I'd try it if I was sure it wouldn't get us all locked in a closet for the next two days. I don't much like getting branded a 'vulture' when I haven't done anything to deserve it.

...Listen, isn't there something else that's odd here, though? Earlier the servants were keeping things secret from the family, so I thought for sure they were following <Mister> Kinzo's orders, but now they're going against that and helping to keep us in here. Not just pretending to keep the family happy, but actually doing it."

>>8448
I try to talk to Genji

"Excuse me, um... Gen... Genji was it ?
I think i already said it back then before that whole mess, but I am really appreciative of your efforts and all the services you gave us until now. In fact, it would have been perfect if not for that ugly fight back there, but it is not your fault, as it is your master's doing and orders that made that whole situation happen, and as good servants that you are - and I do mean that - you followed your master's order.
But now which masters, because it seems like you've got a lot of them. I would assume Mister Kinzo is your master, but it seems that by following the other's orders by confining us here, you made useless our very invitation to this place by not letting us on to what the epitaph is all about, and this seems quite contradictory with mister Kinzo's wishes.
So, are you Kinzo's servants ? You are quite a dedicated servant, I can tell that much just by looking at you, and Toshiro- I mean Gohda-san, told me that you were also his friend.
Would you go towards the wishes of your master and friend, Kinzo Ushiromiya by letting us out of this place, or at least by informing us of the epitaph ?

>>8451
No response

>>8452
"It may seem odd to you, but I follow orders exactly. The master only instructed me to not aid you in solving the epitaph. Krauss-sama ordered me to prevent you from leaving, nothing about the epitaph at all."

>>8453
(That was directed at Erika, actually. Sorry if that wasn't clear.)

>>8453
"And as a friend of Kinzo, what do you feel ? Didn't he invite us so that we try to solve that epitaph ? Doesn't Krauss's orders prevent us from Kinzo's, your friend's desire ? "

If no response, I'm going to bed, not before checking out the hour on a clock.

>>8455
"I'm simply following orders. The house arrest is temporary, I'm sure you can get a chance tomorrow."

10pm

Second thread
https://archive.seacats.net/gameboard/res/8457.html