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Yeah, the patch team is down to like one or two guys working really slowly and it keeps getting pushed back. Back when I started the thread the ETA was around the end of August. I forget if they even had an estimate anymore last time I checked.
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Mar 27, 2013 04:04
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Weeeeeeelp. 
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Mar 27, 2013 04:07
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Just play it with the original artwork. It's fine (and less generic).
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Mar 27, 2013 05:02
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I think CnC didn't get a crossover with Touhou ever, although AoE did get some sort of interesting crossover, kinda. Regarding this update, I like how Kanon is always in denial, I can just imagine him breaking Shannon's toys cause she can't have fun, fun is not for furniture.
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Mar 29, 2013 12:42
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Kreeblah posted:Just play it with the original artwork. It's fine (and less generic). Yeah, the big failing with RK7's art is hands and proportions. As long as you aren't looking at the character portraits, it's easy to get used to. He's definitely improved since the dodge and burn days of the flipper handed Higurashi sprites. Some of the original faces are a lot more entertaining, mostly Beatrice's.
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Mar 29, 2013 12:57
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Part Twenty-Eight: Danmaku of The Golden Witch   For the cultural festival today, she had formed a group with her friends, and had announced that they would perform light music on a temporary stage. She had kept on preparing and practicing for that, and had really looked forward to today, ...but there was one thing that had worried her. She looked at the clock. ...There was still a little time, ...but she was uneasy. Would that person really come? After taking a single deep breath, her heart jumped when all her friends suddenly started speaking in shrill voices.  ...None of the girls would say it, ...but to them, the cultural festival at Jessica's school was really a boyfriend exhibition. Jessica didn't have a boyfriend. She had many friends of the opposite sex, but no special 'only one'. ...But Jessica was a little famous around the school, and everyone thought it would be natural for her to have a fitting partner. Furthermore, her pride had caused her to act like that was the case. So she had slyly been able to trick them somehow until this year. ...But for various reasons, she hadn't been able to escape this year's cultural festival...  : "Jessie~. Is your boyfriend he~re?": "Wha?! Ah, uh, no, looks like he's not here yet. Is he busy at work? Ahahahahahahahahahaha..."Even Jessica's friends had any real importance (spoiler: they do not) they game doesn't even try to make them distinct, so gently caress 'em, they get to share a portrait. : "What kind of person is your boyfriend, Jessie? At least give us a hint. What kind of relationship? What kind of relationship?!" : "Awesome, he's a working man, right?! Will he come in a suit?! Of course he'll be wearing glasses, right?! Kyaa-!!" : "Heeeeeey, he doesn't really exist, does he? If you come clean now, we'll let you join us! Let's cry together during this cultural festivaaaal!" Jessica's bitter smile was covered with cold sweat. ...It was starting to seem doubtful whether she really had deceived her sharp-witted friends...    : "F, f, fake?! Wh, who...?! I can't think of, anyone...!"Shannon's ridiculous plan surprised Jessica into hysterics. Even so, it was probably more realistic than the unrealistic methods running through her head about getting a boyfriend in the big rush before the cultural festival.  : "For example, ...what about Kanon-kun?": "K K, Kanon-kuuuuuun?! N n, no way, no way!! Anyways, I'm sure Kanon-kun has work on the day of the festival..., and I don't want to bother him...": "Of course, I've fully checked the schedule. Kanon-kun has that day off." : "...Wh, ...why are you always so clever at times like this... No, wait! It'd be even worse if he's off... I can't pull him away from his precious break just for my own vanity!": "If you don't pull Kanon-kun away, he'll always be shut away by himself, so I think it would be perfect if you could forcibly pull him away." : "Y, y, ...you think so? ...No, but, ...I'd feel bad for Kanon-kun...": "Then try everything else... How about meekly confessing to everyone that you don't have a boyfriend?" : "Sh, Shannonnnn~!! You aren't really worrying for my sake, are you, you're teasing me, riiiight?!!"Jessica wrestled about with Shannon, her eyes teary. But Shannon was unconcerned, laughing with her usual smile. : "Yes, this is to get you back for making fun of me and George-sama all the time."Listening to Shannon's comeback, the likes of which didn't happen even once a year, Jessica hugged her cushion and rolled around on her bed, pretending to faint in agony. She was so frustrated that she couldn't stand Shannon's smile, which looked so triumphant, but right now, she was the only person Jessica could talk with. She could choke herself to death with her cushion later. : "Isn't it alright, Milady? It's a cultural festival, but it's also a chance for you to have fun with Kanon-kun.": "No, that may be true, but, no, no, no, no...!!"Jessica buried her head in her favorite pillow to hide the fact that her face had grown bright red. And she grumpily chewed the fingernail on her thumb. ...It really was a reaction to be appreciated.  So Jessica had heard the details of how Shannon's and George's love was progressing, and on the other side, Shannon had heard the details of what type Jessica liked, and what kind of man she might be interested in. Judging by Jessica's reaction, maybe it had been unrefined to speak of that in detail... She had said that because the discussion wouldn't progress if Jessica kept rolling around on the bed. Jessica had been thinking about Kanon ever since he had shown up. There were almost no young men on Rokkenjima. So maybe it was natural for Jessica, as a girl in puberty, to become interested in Kanon. But if anyone said that, it would destroy the romance of a maiden's pure heart and love at first sight. Shannon had been with Kanon the whole time at the orphanage, so she had known him before they had started working. So Jessica had asked persistently about what his hobbies were, what his favorite food was, what type of girl he liked. ...It was clear to Shannon that Jessica was infatuated with Kanon.  That would require him to be capable of emotions other than apathy and hate, though, Jessica.  So let's see. George coined the term “tsundere” decades early and predicted its popularity down the line...has a young cousin with a “cutesy” verbal tic...and has not stated what specific business he plans to go into when he sets out to build his kingdom... ...I'm not gonna flat out say that George would go on to bring about an earlier glut of lovely moe anime if he were to survive 1986, but it's a possibility we cannot yet dismiss. : "Wo-w, George nii-san sure is incredible, being able to understand future trends. Awesome. ...No, wait! Are you saying that my type is in the wrong time period?! Uwaa-uwaa-uwaa-, I give u-p!!"...In the end, Jessica agreed to Shannon's plan of having Kanon act as her boyfriend, but she had to waste several days before that... And so a second power abuse romance is born. One suspects the only reason we don't have a full set of them is because Battler's been slumming it for six years and Maria's 9.     Jessica regretted calling out at such a bad time. ...Kanon always had a sour look, but he had some bad days and some good days. ...Unfortunately, this reaction was the former.  : "N, n, no, umm, well, ...errr." : "..."All that confidence and effort she had piled up by practicing in front of a mirror all night was wiped out in about five seconds... Jessica turned bright red and hung her head. When he saw that, Kanon took a deep breath. ...Jessica thought he had been shocked, and her face went pale.  : "...I was strictly ordered by Shannon to work specially for you on that day, Milady. I have never been to high school, so I don't really understand, but I hear it's a place where girls feel very ashamed if they don't have a boy with them. ...And I was particularly ordered that the daughter of the Ushiromiya family not be in any way inferior to common people.": "Waha, wahahahahahahahahahaha, Shannon, I'll beat you to death late----r!!!"Jessica kept yelling with a strange voice, and a broken smile, like a tea kettle filled with boiling water. As Kanon watched this, he sighed again. Kanon wasn't an idiot either. He fully understood what Jessica intended by inviting him. ...However, it would be really annoying to go along with the lady's game of love. But Shannon had talked to him persistently. He was very indebted to her. He couldn't refuse.  But he remembered those words Shannon had told him. ...Had Shannon seen something that could not be seen by him? I don't understand Shannon's feelings. I am furniture. ...As if I could, become something more than that. It was a truly odd exchange between Jessica, who was still rambling on in a strange voice, and Kanon, who took a deep breath...  Let's pretend I did this intentionally to show what it looks like when you go through previous text, and wasn't just too lazy to retake the shot. It turning everything yellow is actually sort of notable for something we'll see later in the episode. : "Huh, ah, ah, sorry!! Wh, who...?"As my friends all gathered together, ...they were looking this way with hard to describe expressions, whispering to each other! in small voices that weren't small anymore. Even I feel kind of shameless. Did I just say 'sorry, who'?! Like I don't know who's shown up...! Aaaaaaaaah, it's useless, it's useless, my mind is blank...   : "He, h, h, h, hey! A, aren't you late, wahahahahaha!": "...I didn't know where the entrance was. I apologize for being late."Same portrait as usual for the same reason as George and Shannon earlier. He doesn't wear his alternate costume enough to really need another portrait for it. : "R, right, umm, ...that outfit suits you, doesn't it? Wahahahahahahaha...!!": "...Shannon, ...said normal clothes wouldn't do, ...yesterday, ...we bought this. It probably doesn't fit me...": "Wa, wahahahahahahahahahahahaha, that's not true! Shannon, when I get back I'll promote you two leveeeeeeeels!!": "...This place is kinda filled with girls. It's uncomfortable." : "...I get the feeling that I'm getting in the way. Am I a burden?": "I, I, I told you, no way!!" I have no idea why they're using parentheses instead of quotation marks now. : "Ahiiiiiiiii, you, you, you aren't a burden, Kanon-kun!!": (((Kyaaaaaa, she calls her boyfriend 'kun'!!!))) Yes. She just said that. That...ugh. Let's just take solace in the fact that this update is the last of this romcom bullshit. At least for the time being.  : "S s s, sorry, Kanon-kun, just for three seconds, could you close your eyes...": ((((((Hiiyaaaaaaa, kiss, it's a kiss, she's going to kiss him!!)))))): "S, ...sure." ...When Kanon opened his eyes, for some reason, there was a horrible tragedy in the room. Everyone had been driven into the walls, their arms and legs outstretched. Jessica put her brass knuckles in her pocket before Kanon opened his eyes. Thank you so much Jessica.  : "A, anyways, let's go over to the stage. Our turn is coming up soon, so wait in a seat for bit. 'Cause we have to get ready! If you go straight to the end here, there'll be a temporary stage, so you'll know where to go. Please wait there!"She pushed Kanon's back, as looked like it would be hard for him to go by himself, and chased him out. Even though Kanon was confused by Jessica's attitude and panic, which he had never seen before, he followed her instruction, and headed in the direction she had indicated. After seeing him off with an awkward smile, Jessica slammed the door shut and yelled loudly.  : "...Ugugugugugugu, I lost the bet.": "I was sure that Jessie didn't have a boyfriend.": "That wasn't a boyfriend, right, she's just harassing one of her servants, right?": "Waaaah, Jessie's boyfriend's incredibleeee...!": "Sh, sh, shut up!! Come on, let's get ready!!"When Jessica took the brass knuckles out of her pocket again, everyone energetically returned to their tasks. Well, she may not be terribly ambitious in how she uses them, but she does have a handful of minions terrified into submission already. Maybe Jessica really does have Kinzo's blood in her.    When Kanon went down the corridor as Jessica had told him to, he ran into a temporary stage set up where the vending machines should have been. It was probably being rented by the hour by some group or circle. Groups from the school where singing songs, but the place was already getting excited. Disliking that clatter, he approached a dark wall alone. ...So this is what they call high school. It sure is noisy. ...That's what Kanon thought.  ...He had the responsibility to report everything he saw and heard to the Master. ...So he also had to report about how Jessica had acted without restraint earlier. ...At the very least, it was not fitting for the daughter of the Ushiromiya family. The Master, Krauss-sama, ...and especially Natsuhi-sama would probably be angry. If I am to report it in a way that protects Milady, should I blame it on inappropriate school friends...? : "...What was all that? ...So stupid."Kanon thought back on how Jessica had acted earlier, and sighed again. He could understand Natsuhi's headache a little now. ...Come to think of it, Natsuhi-sama, as the president of the PTA, should have gone to an informal gathering after attending the ceremony in the gymnasium. Hadn't she said that she wouldn't be there to see Milady's event? ...That was probably for the best.  Several female students keep glancing at me. It seems they're all whispering the same things that Milady's school friends had said, and it's really unpleasant. Come to think of it, didn't Shannon warn me? ...If you walk alone at something like a school festival, you better watch out because a lot of strange people will come and talk to you. : "H, hello~, are you by yourself?"Just as expected, a group of girls I'd never met started talking to me. Their stares started to make my back tingle. ...Didn't she tell me some magic words that could chase them off in times like this? ...Ummm.  : "No, it's that kid, Jessie's boyfriend!!": "No way?! That kid is?!": "I can't believe it, I was sure he was fake!": "Isn't he cu-te, he's younger?! How nice!!": "...Haah."...There's no way I'll ever come to a place like this again. Kanon sighed for about the zillionth time today.  With this huge crowd, he couldn't even see the stage. Fortunately, there was a fallen beer case nearby, and he tried using that as a footstool. When he did, he realized that there was now a new group on the stage.  Natsuhi-sama wouldn't approve of any hobbies outside of study. Maybe she was always practicing in secret. ...Come to think of it, recently, she's been returning really late from school, hasn't she? ...Maybe she's been practicing at school, far away from Natsuhi-sama's prying eyes. It really is for the best that Natsuhi-sama didn't come. ...If Milady were to get scolded by Natsuhi-sama after putting so many hours of practice in, she would probably be dejected... : """Jessie-samaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!""": "Everyone, thaaaaaaaaaanks for gathering here today!!"I can hear Jessica-sama's forceful voice through the speakers.  Jessica-sama was in great spirits as they kept calling her Jessie-sama. ...Everyone was probably a fan. Her mike performance responded to that and grew more excited. ...It was almost like a song program on TV. ...At first, he thought it was superficial, but that feeling had changed into appreciation. It was pretty incredible. Kanon had never listened to music of his own free will, but he had often heard the kind of music that the people of the Ushiromiya family liked. ...Since that was almost all classical music, Kanon had naturally started liking classical music too. ...So to Kanon, the song Jessica sang was, how should you say it, ...very highly colored. An any case, if Natsuhi-sama heard it, she would probably faint.   (Click for video) You should probably click that because screenshots do not adequately convey the full glory of this moment.  Yes, this is really happening. She is singing a Touhou song while Niconico comments scroll across the screen.   Blink-and-you'll-miss-it Higurashi reference here. The ASCII face is Rena, one of the major characters from that.  By the way, there's a notable difference from the original version here.  In the original, Jessica cosplayed as Marisa here, in the lone CG the original had featuring a character. For copyright-related reasons, she was given what the wiki claims is an original costume. Before I checked it, I'd assumed she was just dressed as a different, more obscure Touhou. Also, the song? Its lyrics includes a mention of Oyashiro-sama, an extremely important figure in the plot of Higurashi (it also namedrops the first episode, Onikakushi, here, but that doesn't seem to be in the actual lyrics, as far as I can tell). So this is When They Cry referencing Touhou referencing When They Cry. ...Yeah. But everyone looked like they were having a really good time. The die-hard fans who had even brought pen-lights sang along, dancing crazily with the same movements, almost as though it had been planned ahead. On the stage, Jessica-sama also sang enthusiastically, dripping with sweat. ...He couldn't find a single element that was appropriate for a daughter of the Ushiromiya family, ...but it looked like she was having a lot of fun. : """Jessie-samaaaaaaaa!! Jessiiiiie, Jessiiiiiiiiiiie!!!""" Oh and to top it off, remember, this takes place in 1986. And the first Touhou game wasn't released until 1996. As I said somewhere earlier, When They Cry does not give a single gently caress about anachronisms.   As I looked at Milady having a great time, I thought. Isn't this Ushiromiya Jessica's true form? ...Don't I know best that during her life on Rokkenjima, she'd had no choice but to kill her sense of self? Then the time she spent, ...not as Milady, the successor to the Ushiromiya family, but as a single girl called Jessica, living life to the fullest, must have been very important to her. ...I worked close to Milady, saw her in all seasons, and I thought I knew everything about her. ...But that was only limited to one side of her, Milady of Rokkenjima.  ...I still can't go along with the excitement of the crowd. ...But I feel like I can see something that 'cannot be seen' on Rokkenjima. ...I don't know if this is the unseeable thing Shannon was talking about... But I still can't see the ocean as blue...       : "Hmm, busy as usual?" : "It appeared so. That person is also very energetic. That's right, then, I think President Emoto also came."Naturally, the topic of Jessica's cultural festival came up at dinner. School events often became social gatherings for local volunteers. It was the same for the Ushiromiya family, who were celebrities around here. By remembering the names of the important people at the informal gathering, Natsuhi told Krauss the news. ...Jessica didn't really have any interest in that discussion, and rudely slurped her pumpkin soup.  : "...Milady. Are those manners appropriate?": "...Yeah yeah, sorry 'bout that." : "How was the festival for you, Jessica?": "Huh? Ah, ...well, okay!" : "I was watching. You did a good job.": "Huh, ...huh?! Ah, ...ahahahaha, w, well!"Jessica's face turned bright red. ...She probably hadn't thought that Natsuhi would actually come to see her on the stage. She felt a mix of happiness and embarrassment. Actually, she hadn't wanted her mother to watch because she didn't want to be told that her music was inappropriate for the Ushiromiya family. ...But it wasn't as though it didn't make her happy to hear her parent say that she did a good job after watching her try her best...  : "...ah, ...oh, ...yeah."The smile that had been there until a second ago crumbled like sand. ...Jessica immediately realized that she was talking about something different. Jessica was also the school's student president. ...She had no interest in something so annoying, but her parents had been pushy so she had grudgingly accepted. Unfortunately, she was popular in school, so she had won the election easily. So Natsuhi was praising her for the student council sponsorship ceremony at the beginning of the cultural festival. Actually, she had just carried that out halfheartedly. She had immediately met up with her friends, and had held a stage rehearsal for the rest of the time...   You could say that her room was the place where her parents had ordered her to be. So maybe you could say that for Jessica, instead of returning to her own room, being in an unknown location in this large mansion was a meager form of resistance...   : "...Well, if she had been talking about that, I'm sure she'd have said something about how it wasn't appropriate for the successor to the Ushiromiya family. ...So isn't it alright this way? Ahahahahahaha."Jessica laughed at what she was sulking over. ...She laughed at what kind of words she would have had to receive to be satisfied. ...It was ridiculous. In the end, I was just acting like a kid. I'm a little surprised, and it makes me want to laugh.  : "Wa, ...Kanon-kun. D, don't scare me like that, hahaha...! *cough*cough*!"Just as she had tried to force a laugh, Kanon had suddenly started talking to her, and she choked. : "What? Something to say...?": "..., umm.": "...Yes?"Jessica's expression became the one she always had when looking at Kanon. The listless Jessica from a second ago was gone. If he had still only known of Jessica as the successor to the Ushiromiya family, as he had until yesterday, ...he would have mistakenly thought that Jessica's mood had sprung back to normal. ...But that was wrong. He now knew a part of her that he could not have seen until yesterday, so he understood that there was no way that, on the inside, Jessica was just as she appeared.  : "Wha?! ...Ah, ...ahahahahahaha?! R, really, I'm embarrassed..."Even though she had heard the words she had most wanted to hear, Jessica acted shyly, and couldn't accept them seriously. : "...I cannot sing. And I don't know how to play any instruments other than the harmonica and the recorder, which I learned in elementary school. ...So I had just assumed that Milady was the same."...Kanon hadn't planned on looking down on Jessica that much. But people playing unique instruments were always on the other side of the Braun tubes in the TV. ...At the very least, he had been under the impression that it would be impossible for Jessica. : "...I am furniture. ...So I didn't believe there was any need to sing songs or play instruments."But, ...I'm not sure anymore.  : "It isn't an understanding...Because we really are, ...furniture.": "I know that the kids from the Fukuin House, ...receive assistance from Grandfather in various ways, and I realize that you feel gratitude for that. ...But that doesn't mean, ...you should call yourself furniture. Aren't you a human like us?": "...": "Kanon-kun, when you saw me singing, ...what did you think?": "...It looked like you were having a lot of fun.": "That's probably wrong.": "...Huh?": "It didn't look like I was having fun, ...you were jealous, weren't you?": "..., that isn't..."Even Kanon himself probably hadn't noticed that emotion. ...Kanon had probably seen something he had never seen before, known about it...and been jealous. And to trick himself about that emotion, he had called himself furniture over and over...  : "...Probably, just like you had to live at the Fukuin House, I don't have a choice either. I couldn't choose the stars under which I was born.": "...That may be true.": "But there's one place where you and I are completely different. ...Know what that is?"I am furniture, and Milady is not. ...He was about to say that, but stopped. : "...I do not know.": "Kanon-kun, you think that your own fate is everything and you gave up. I can't accept this kind of fate, so I do the best I can. ...So in addition to the constrained part of me that must act as the daughter of the Ushiromiya family, I've created another part of me that can do everything I like.": "...Another part, of yourself." : "...": "You know, people are always making another part of themselves inside themselves that they can really like. This isn't escaping from reality, okay? ...When I'm that other part of myself, I can really feel like I'm living a great life. So no matter how constrained and boring everyday life is, I can definitely live without suffocating.": "...To make, ...inside yourself, another self that you can really like..."  Through her relationship with George-sama, has Shannon given birth to a part of herself that isn't furniture? ...And did this other Shannon, see something that cannot be seen by furniture? : "Yeah. ...Well, I don't know anything about your private life, Kanon-kun. But, ...I can sorta guess. Your private life is probably, nothing at all. Bulls-eye...?"Kanon couldn't reply, but that was answer enough. He had no concept of a private life. So Kanon would always be Kanon. So furniture would always be furniture. : "...Kanon-kun, Kanon isn't your real name, right?"In the Fukuin House, because new graduates would be given new families and a new life, they were even given a new name. ...In his case, that was 'Kanon'. : "...Certainly, ...that name of mine may be a temporary thing." : "So even for you, it should be alright to have times when you're Kanon-kun, and times when you aren't. ...Maybe the Kanon-kun you are when you act as a servant calls himself furniture and strictly limits his own will. ...But when you aren't Kanon-kun, I think it's alright to live much, much more freely."Those words definitely weren't just lip-service. Jessica had also been like this in the past. She had cursed her own birth into an environment different from all of her friends at school. Only she had been in a heavily constricted environment. forced to learn various things, and it had even interfered with the friends she had played with. ...Even though that was sad, she had given up, thinking that she had just been born under that kind of star. But one day, Jessica had stopped giving up and surrendering. Stuff like the Ushiromiya family customs and pressure, those didn't matter. She had created a real 'Jessica' inside herself, who could do what she really wanted to do.  : "...I wonder if it would be alright for you too, to have times when you live as Kanon, and times when you live as, umm, ...your real name. ...When you aren't Kanon, ...can't you become another part of yourself that you can like?": "...A time when, I am not Kanon."He had thought that his real name didn't matter at all. So he had thought Kanon was all of himself. And now Jessica was saying that he should create a new existence, another part of himself that wasn't Kanon. : "...Kanon-kun. If you don't mind, tell me. ...What is, your real name?": "..."He was silent for quite some time. Maybe Kanon's real name had risen to the tip of his tongue. ...After hesitating for a long time over whether he should say it, ...in the end, ...he swallowed it back down.  : "No matter what kind of real name I had, ...the only truth now is that here, I am Kanon. The past has nothing to do with anything. ...The materials with which furniture is made, whether it was originally the trunk of a tree or not, in the end, it's all the same.": "...I told you to stop that! You aren't furniture, you're human, right?!": "I am not human!"Kanon clearly spoke his refusal. ...It was with a rage that he normally didn't show. Jessica couldn't say anything back, and was struck silent...    : "But despite that, to speak of that dream in the sky, ...that's just, ...too cruel...!": "...Furniture and ducks!! What the hell is all this!! ...No, ..."Jessica had unconsciously gone along with Kanon's forceful manner of speaking, but she realized that she shouldn't fire back, and swallowed her words. : "...I don't know anything about you. I don't even know your upbringing, and I don't know the hardships you've been through. ...So I can't even imagine why you started calling yourself furniture. ...But know this. You aren't furniture or a duck. You're a real human.": "..." : "...Only a human like Milady can embrace that possibility. ...I am not like that. My future and possibilities, aren't even a dream I am supposed to see. ...So, Milady. Please don't, ...say any more, ...cruel things...": "Why... Why, ...are you saying that...": "Because it seems that you are making the mistake that I am a human, just like you are, Milady. We are different beings. I just wanted to make that clear. ...I heard from Shannon. Something about Milady starting to like me.": "Huh, ...wha?! Ah, ...no, wahaha..." : "...But that would surely be fooling myself. No, it would also be fooling you, Milady. Shannon and George-sama will definitely fall apart. ...Even though Shannon herself probably realizes that day will come, ...such a stupid thing...": "Th, ...there's nothing stupid about it!! And, George nii-san's a wonderful person, and he's bearing both of his parents' expectations. ...Yeah, when it comes to marriage, I'm sure Eva oba-san will interfere in various ways, and, umm, I think their future prospects look like they'll be full of trouble, alright?! ...But you know, George nii-san isn't the kind of person who'll surrender to all that! Shannon isn't Juliet, he'll definitely bring her happiness!!": "People cannot love furniture. ...I am trying to say that even if Milady can love furniture, I cannot love Milady.": "...nn-"Those words of Kanon's, ...crushed all of Jessica's bittersweet feelings from that day. There was no way her emotions could have predicted that she would be refused so clearly... In an instant, she had lost the willpower that had caused her to try and unravel something stubborn in Kanon's heart, ...and before she knew it, she was just standing there in shock...  : "...Thank you very much.": "Huh...?": "For thinking of me as a human, ...thank you very much. Just those feelings truly make me happy. ...And, anything more would be too cruel, so...": "No, th, ...that's enough. ...Umm, ...sorry."Jessica recklessly scratched at her head and spoke, trying to force her voice to sound bright.  : "No. ...I was also...happy that I could see Milady having fun.": "...Then, let's be done for the night. ...If I don't go back to my room and turn off the lights, Mom will get mad at me again. ...Hahaha.": "That would probably be most appropriate. ...I wish you a good night, Milady.": "...Yeah. ...Good night..." ...But he hadn't made a mistake at all. ...Thinking of her sake, he'd been forced to refuse her now, while the pain was still at its smallest.   : "How long have you been there...? ...You're just horrible."When he turned around, the witch was suddenly there. ...It look like she had been there the whole time, enjoying the performance of those two.  So, were you all starting to think Beatrice wasn't so bad, playing cupid and being Shannon's friend and all that? Kanon pulled that butterfly brooch out of his pocket. It was the crystallization of the great magic that the witch had bestowed. Without hesitation, Kanon slammed that against the ground and stomped on it.  : "...Hoh? What is the meaning of this, when you know that was something given by me?": "Just now, I figured it out. ...What you are doing isn't as tasteful as being a cupid of love. You are just a demon who enjoys showing love to those who can never be joined, and deceiving them." : "...Hmph. ...You are free to think that. Most humans I have lent my power to have said the same thing.": "Don't play dumb!! You didn't lend Shannon your power because you felt sorry for her. ...You found a weak point in Shannon's heart as her chest burned with love, and you made her break the mirror that sealed you. And that's not all, ...you planned this out until the end, and you're toying with her! Am I wrong?!" : "Just as you've noticed, there is a faint love in Jessica's heart. I had hoped that you would punch a hole in that and harvest it." : "However, regretfully, it wouldn't be interesting if they didn't go too far, right? If that happens, I think you all would entertain me greatly, *cackle*cackle*!"Nope! Really, what kind of Mephistopheles would she be if she wasn't a dick about it? The witch laughed. Even though she had known that the two could not be joined, she had lent magic to join them together. However, they couldn't escape the fate that made it impossible for them to be joined. ...The witch knew that. Even if they were joined, the relationships of Shannon and George, Kanon and Jessica would fail, and as they wandered through the eternal desert in the hell of love, they would be tormented by eternal thirst...! : "Did I not lend them that power without asking for compensation? I'll lend a hand in love. So that as compensation, I can enjoy watching the cruel fate that the two of them will eventually meet. Even after one thousand years, no better show exists...!"George and Shannon? All for the delicious schadenfreude down the line, with that convenient mirror smashing as a side bonus. Kanon and Jessica? More of the same. And that apparent pity for Kinzo last time?  Fake. His pain and insanity are just another part of the game. : "You really are a witch. Disappear and get out of my sight, you demon...!!": "...I shall disappear without being asked. My power still hasn't returned. It is still tiring to continue showing myself. ...I overdid it when I gave you lovers my power. ..As I am now, it will not be easy to maintain that power without that brooch as a catalyst."Kanon ground his foot even more into the stomped brooch. He felt it break under his foot. Then, it evaporated like water, and changed into butterflies that sparkled gold, which fluttered away from beneath Kanon's foot...  : "...I cannot imagine whether that will be tomorrow, next year, or even one hundred or one thousand years in the future. But as long as there are those that entertain me, I will surely gain power and revive. ...I will erase this form for a short while, until that time comes." : "However, I will definitely be revived. Make sure that you won't regret that day's coming at any time. I will surely have my second coming and control everything as this island's true master. ...That is the time when the door to the Golden Land will be opened again. ...I will surely wake the greedy dead...!": "...You talk too much!! Disappear, now, Golden Witch...!!" The witch left with a scorn-filled laugh, became a group of gold butterflies and scattered away. ...The whole area sparkled like a gold blizzard in a snow globe. It was a fleeting fantastical scene that disappeared in a heartbeat... The witch could no longer be seen. ...However, Kanon felt like he could still hear that shrill, unpleasant laugh...   I see, so that's why the word furniture is fitting, *cackle*cackle*! Furniture is created to serve humans. And I cruelly treat humans as playthings during my thousand years of boredom. What a truly pleasant three-way deadlock, that I cannot control furniture! You fool, Kinzo, do something truly interesting! You, furniture, try and see if you can hit me...! Tonight, two seeds of love have been sown. ...Including the one already sown, that makes three!   : "Master, drinking any more will be damaging to your health. ...Haven't you also been warned by Doctor Nanjo?" : "Be silent, Genji!! You do not understand, you do not understand my grief and sadness! Even though I believed that as my oldest friend, at least you would understand my pain!! Why can't you understand?! Oooooohhh, Beatriiiiiice, why did you leave me alooooone...?!!"     I correct myself. Their alternate costumes do show up again.  : "I mean what I said. ...I still haven't built up my castle. Once I can do that, for the first time, I will be able to think of myself as an adult. ...When that happens, I want to marry you." : "...Th, ...that's, umm, ...err..."  : "...If you accept my engagement proposal, I will proclaim right there, to all of the relatives, including Grandfather, my engagement to you.": "G, ...George-san...": "I'm sure some people won't approve of our relationship. ...But, there's no need to look at their faces. ...Because you only have to fill your eyes with me. I will definitely make you happy. That, I promise you, definitely."     Kanon's “casual” clothing. Nothing for Jessica's, uh...personification of Britain...? costume, though. She does have sprites for it, but they've yet to actually show up.    Jessica has the same hair and eye colors as Beatrice and originally dressed up like a witch. Possibly worth taking note of for theorizing! Or possibly a red herring. (though really, if that were meant to be a serious clue they'd have probably made her PS3 costume recognizably witchy)  Next time: Most likely, we will never again be so glad to see Rosa and the Angel of the Bottomless Pit.
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Apr 14, 2013 08:21
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I'd say the opening to the second episode is Umineko's weakest from a sheer engagement-standpoint. The first episode needed to introduce the characters, and had the benefit of the reader not going through the actual murders yet. Once you're through episode 1, all you want to do is find out more about what's going on, and see some more action/cool character moments/more awesome music, and instead it's just boring romance exposition in scene after scene. The openings to later episodes never really comes close to the drudgery here as far as I remember, and episode 2 also has a particularly large amount of text dedicated to it. I can't remember if we're ready to actually get on with things yet, but hopefully it'll be soon at least.
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Apr 14, 2013 09:35
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Beatrice is pretty mean.
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Apr 14, 2013 10:06
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Insurrectionist posted:I'd say the opening to the second episode is Umineko's weakest from a sheer engagement-standpoint. The first episode needed to introduce the characters, and had the benefit of the reader not going through the actual murders yet. Once you're through episode 1, all you want to do is find out more about what's going on, and see some more action/cool character moments/more awesome music, and instead it's just boring romance exposition in scene after scene. The openings to later episodes never really comes close to the drudgery here as far as I remember, and episode 2 also has a particularly large amount of text dedicated to it. It really isn't particularly interesting, but I hope no one makes the mistake of assuming Episode 2 so far is not important in the grand scheme. Plenty of later recurring stuff was just introduced.
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Apr 14, 2013 12:24
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Besides the change in the CGs, Jessica sings a different, original, song in the PS3. Sui-Sui Sweet
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Apr 14, 2013 12:31
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Wili posted:Besides the change in the CGs, Jessica sings a different, original, song in the PS3.
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Apr 14, 2013 13:29
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Artificer posted:Beatrice is pretty mean. Or alternatively, she's being very kind and giving Kanon someone to blame for problems that are ultimately of his own making.
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Apr 14, 2013 16:44
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I just got through this part and I was confused about the costume as well. Well this explains it.Autumncomet posted:I actually prefer this song, it sounds more like her. That might be because it sounds like the voice actress herself sings it. While Tsurupettan is a fan made song for Touhou. Here's the original with lyrics if you haven't seen it: http://youtu.be/xX050NcDNAU EDIT: better quality link Bholder fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Apr 14, 2013 |
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Apr 14, 2013 21:17
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Another update, more background plot. I remember the comming part just reminds me how much of a good person Rosa is, maybe.
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Apr 18, 2013 22:14
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Walterion posted:I remember the comming part just reminds me how much of a good person Rosa is, maybe. One of the things that always got me is how Rosa is kind of weird that way. Like she's pretty terrible to Maria, but there were moments where I was like "you know, Rosa can be pretty cool sometimes". Though I think Umineko does well by a lot of its characters in that regard, almost all of them get a moment here or there.
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Apr 23, 2013 15:26
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Does Kanon's arm-at-the-chest's-height pose serves some purpose, or maybe it's a part to some anime butler stereotype? Or is it just a random thing meant to differentiate him? I
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Apr 25, 2013 15:21
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Szurumbur posted:Does Kanon's arm-at-the-chest's-height pose serves some purpose, or maybe it's a part to some anime butler stereotype? Or is it just a random thing meant to differentiate him? I It's what they do instead of bowing in the Ushiromiya household. It's just a salute. Also I've finished the original Umineko and started on Chiru and I still can't sort out how I feel about Rosa. Complicated characters are good but I kinda wish I could make up my mind about how much I dislike her.
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Apr 25, 2013 16:28
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I love how Rosa's written, she's one of my favorites. It's why I like Umineko more than Higurashi, the larger focus on adult characters. Children are okay characters, but don't usually have the potential to be as nuanced, you can do a lot more with adult characters. Natsuhi and Rosa are both very good examples of this.
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Apr 26, 2013 15:28
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I hope this isn't dead.
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May 19, 2013 19:50
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Likewise I hope this hasn't been abandoned. It was wonderful to see the update by update speculation going on. Plus the LP was what prompted me to pick up the VN after finding myself hooked on the story. Plus I can't wait to see what some of the later characters look like with the updated graphics.
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May 19, 2013 20:04
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Haven't given up on this. Should have an update up within a couple days. Might even manage to get it finished later today, with luck.
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May 20, 2013 12:40
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friendlyNeurotoxin posted:Likewise I hope this hasn't been abandoned. It was wonderful to see the update by update speculation going on. Plus the LP was what prompted me to pick up the VN after finding myself hooked on the story. Just have hope on Shiny, he will probably do it. If nothing is said, consider the whole thing on going.
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May 24, 2013 01:13
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Part Twenty-Nine: Mother Of The Year We're finally there, folks. The point of divergence, and the part where people other than George, Jessica, Beatrice and the talking chairs are relevant again.  It seemed that Maria had been awfully pleased with that. And since then, she had kept on making a fuss inside the train about wanting to have a Halloween festival, without caring that she was attracting the attention of others. Halloween is popular in Europe and America, but people aren't familiar with it at all in Japan. The shopping district was colorfully decorated with orange pumpkins, but the costume parades of children demanding sweets and saying 'trick or treat' were nowhere in sight.   : "The family conference isn't for playing. We're going to meet Grandfather, so you have to dress up nice."Honestly, Rosa, you might be better off grabbing a witch costume yourself in case he actually bothers to come out of the study. Let Maria do most of the talking, nod along enthusiastically, maybe get some cliff notes from her in case you have to speak up, and see if you can curry some favor by pretending to have become an occult nut yourself. While it wasn't completely full inside the train, it was really packed, with almost all of the seats occupied by passengers. Among them, Maria was making a fuss, stomping her feet on the seat while Rosa scowled at her. Since earlier, Rosa had warned her many times to lower her voice, but Maria hadn't obeyed her at all. ...Once Maria gets this way, no matter how much you try to explain the situation or calm her, she doesn't listen. Before, Rosa used to pamper Maria and give in to her at times like this. But, that had probably been a bad thing. When young Maria had complained noisily, her mother had given in, wrongly assuming that Maria had listened to what she had said. Rosa had realized that error with the help of an educational book, and since then, she had turned the part of her heart that wanted to pamper her beloved daughter into a demon... But Rosa managed to get less and less of a mutual understanding with Maria, and started to be discouraged by her own powerlessness little by little...   : "If you don't give me sweets, I'll play a prank! If you don't give me sweets, I'll play a prank! Uu-uu-uu-!!"A stout old woman, who was sitting nearby as Maria stomped her feet, picked a candy out of her handbag and gave it to Maria.  Maria: By the age of nine, fluent in Hebrew, a walking encyclopedia of the occult, and has the Bible committed to memory. Still doesn't quite understand calendars.  : "It's alright, ho ho ho. She's a lovely young lady. How old is she?"Maybe there was no malice in those words from the old woman. ...But, it seemed that Rosa had taken that in an extremely humiliating way.  : "Maria, I'm always telling you to not accept sweets from strangers!!": "Uu-! Uu-!! Maria got that!! Uu-uu-!! No, Maria's!!": "Let go of it! Don't I always tell you to listen to what Mama says?!!": "Mari-a's!! Mariaaaa's!! Uu-!! Uuu--uuu--!!" Since we haven't seen Rosa for a pretty long time, the game is nice enough to give us a reminder of her most prominent character trait: child abuse. Rosa immediately took the candy from Maria's hand and pushed it back towards the dumbfounded old woman sitting next to them.  Breathing heavily, Rosa once again held the candy out to the old woman. ...After the old woman grew bewildered about what she should say, perhaps she understood that what she had done may have caused trouble to parent and child, and she accepted the candy back, apologizing... Then, Rosa finally took notice of her surroundings... Her daughter's clothes were all messed up, she was crying and shouting with her nose dripping, and there were many dumbfounded passengers watching them. ...Except for the sound of the train running, the interior was completely silent. And that she does not give a single gently caress about hiding it. Fortunately, that pitiful silence didn't last more than a short while. ...However, it was followed by an even more painful atmosphere as everyone whispered.  When the train stopped, Rosa forcibly pulled Maria's arm and got off, almost dragging her daughter along.   At the moment she was hit, Maria stopped crying for an instant, but before long, she shouted and cried even more then before. Rosa, whose emotions had exploded, grabbed the nape of Maria's neck and dragged her, tugging at her hair.  Along with those severe words, Rosa hit Maria's cheek over and over again. The more Maria cried and shouted, the more Rosa hit her. And the more Maria was hit, the more intensely she cried and shouted... Well at least she's not...leaving her out in a typhoon this time...I guess...? : "Mama, it hurts...! Mama, it hurts...! Mama, save me, Mama, save me...! Uu-uu-uu-uu-!!": "Why can't you stop that uu-uu-!! It's because you're like this that you can't make friends!! It's because you are like this that Papa's business trip doesn't end!! It's because you are like this that I...!!" : "ah, ...excuse me, ...madam, did something happen...?": "Is there something, that you want...?!"The one who timidly called to her was the station attendant. Rosa glared at him with a look that said 'don't cut into the problems of a mother and a child, stranger'.  Rosa yelled at the station attendant not to worry anymore, since they would get on the next train. ...And then, finally, or maybe we should say, for the second time, ...she noticed the passengers on the platform staring at her from the distance. ...Rosa sweat slightly and felt the wind torturing her, making her sweat cold. Maria still kept on crying, shielding her own head. ...No, ...if this beating continues, she will probably keep crying forever.  : "..., ...I, ...again..."As Rosa recovered from the evil heat inside her head, ...she knew she had surrendered her soul to something bad again.  : "...Maria..., I'm sorry..., I'm sorry...": "Mama, ...Mama... Welcome back, welcome back..."Finally, ...Maria realized that her mother had turned back to being her mother. Then, she clung to her mother's body and cried, burying her face on her mother's chest.  : "...Forgive your bad Mama... Forgive your bad Mama...I'm really, ...sorry...! Please, don't hate your Mama...": "Uu-... Maria is perfectly fine... Won't hate Mama. ...Mama was only being possessed by an evil witch again. ...But, Mama came back, so just fine.": "Yeah, ...yeah...Mama was just, ...being possessed by an evil witch again...I'm sorry, ...I'm really sorry..."...Well, that’s interesting. Though Maria seems a bit too cool with Beatrice for Rosa to be a possible vessel... The two of them hugged each other, asking for forgiveness and sending words of forgiveness at each other, for a long time. After a while, the two of them gradually calmed down and separated their faces from one another. Maria's face, Rosa's face, ...both were deep red after crying their eyes out.   That was a sweet which had been alongside the cash register at the shop where they had eaten breakfast. ...It was a fancy sweet that had a big orange marshmallow in the shape of a jack o'lantern attached to the tip of a stick. Maria had wanted that and had insistently pestered for it. ...Rosa had said that there was no way she would buy such a sweet right after they'd had breakfast, and had rejected it. : "...Then, Maria. ...I don't know if they sell it in this town or not, but let's get off and try searching for it, okay?" : "u, ...yeah! Like you so much Mama, love you... Thank you...": "I love you too, Maria..."The truth was that they had no time to waste loitering around at a stopover station. If they missed the airplane, they would fall half a day behind schedule. She should have left home with more time to spare, but she had ended up leaving late after choosing Maria's clothes. ...Because of that, Rosa had been a bit impatient since the morning. She looked at the clock. ...They had to get on the next train immediately.  Fortunately, they could see that there was a big supermarket right in front of the station. ...Maybe they wouldn't be able to find a sweet exactly like that one, but Maria would probably accept a similar one. Besides, Rosa also couldn't show up with a face swelled from crying. She must fix her make-up.  The two left the turnstiles of the station in this unknown town. Maria walked across the pedestrian crossing together with her mother, chuckling to herself, as though she was walking in an amusement park. Both faces were still deep red, ...but the two of them, mother and child, smiled at each other without any restraint, looking warm...     : "Oh, it's you. ...It's nothing. It's just that this was a pleasant place to think." : "...I'm finishing all of today's preparations. For now, shall we relax and wait while drinking tea?": "...Sorry. I'm always pushing all my problems on you." : "...Please. Can't you rely on me more? ...I am your wife.": "...Naturally, I'm grateful for you always coming to my aid. ...For that very reason, I am able to devote myself to my work.": "I understand. ...About your work. And the topic of Father's inheritance, right?" Natsuhi softly cuddled close to Krauss's shoulder. She spoke words to reward Krauss for the difficulties of his work, ...but Natsuhi was herself the one who knew best that it wasn't going well. ...Krauss's project was something like a seesaw where a large amount of money swings. A big investment is linked to large collateral, but with a large-sized seesaw, the swaying is greatly slowed, and it's not something which shows immediate results. At times, you make more investments so that the seesaw inclines faster towards the good side. ...Naturally, you do that because you have confidence that, in a not so distant future, you'd be able to recover all the investments made. ...However, the seesaws Krauss chose never turned out as he would have liked them to. ...His foresight wasn't wrong, ...but times were slow. They would never catch up with him.  However, ...if nobody got on the opposite side of the seesaw, you couldn't play on it. And no matter how much time passed, nobody would come to the opposite side of the seesaw. The seesaw is a popular piece of playground equipment so, if you waited, a companion would surely show up. ...Krauss was aware of that. The weather looked like it was getting worse. So, nobody would come outside to play. But the seesaw is a popular piece of playground equipment so, surely someone will come. ...If he vacated his place because the weather seemed to be getting worse, certainly someone would snatch his place away, and he would end up only longingly gazing at someone having fun playing on the seasaw from a distance again... The solution here is pretty obvious. Invest everything into the development of automatic seesaws, duh. On one side of the seesaw, he continued to wait patiently, all alone... That was Krauss's project, and his current situation.   : "...Even so, I cannot believe that! I always closed my own projects like a coward. ...Why can't I believe in myself?! Who would believe in a man who can't believe in himself? Nobody believes!! ...I'm always sitting on the seat where the losers must sit, ...my father, my mother, ...and my siblings, all of them sneer at me... How long is it going to take for me to be set free of this complex... How long..."...Only Natsuhi knew. She knew of Krauss's anguish. As the eldest son of the Ushiromiya family, who had been forced to shoulder a big responsibility from now on, he couldn't open his pained heart to anyone, and was always compared to his father's great enterprises... "...I'll finish all the preparations, so you can devote yourself to the family conference. ...I'll handle all of them.""...Sorry. ...Will there be any problems, ...with Father?" "No. ...Genji and Doctor Nanjo are on our side. ...I'll never allow those greedy siblings to meet Father."Kind of a waste of effort, that. It’s not like Kinzo wants anything to do with them.   (click to watch) It occurred to me that I'm pretty sure Gohda's the only one who hasn't been heard in one video or the other already. Figured I might as well fix that. In the kitchen, multicolored ingredients were gathered and the preliminary arrangements were promptly being started. Even though it was still morning, the ingredients for dinner were already in saucepans and steaming. Normally, he had to deal with several assorted matters other than cooking, but on the day of the family conference, he could devote himself entirely to cooking. To Gohda, who was originally a chef, this was surely the greatest gala occasion of the whole year.  : "Yes, dinner will be an excellent calf steak...! A wonderful cut of meat is already anxiously waiting for tonight in the refrigerator. Please, be sure to look forward to the meal tonight."It was rare for Gohda to be in this good of a mood towards his fellow servants. To Gohda, who bragged about being a chef attached to the Ushiromiya family, being qualified to announce the cooking at the family conference was his greatest honor. : "...Understood. I will leave everything to you. ...Also, is Kumasawa there?": "Kumasawa-san? I happened to see her earlier, but she is not here. I wonder if she went to make preparations at the guesthouse.": "...So she is loafing around again. ...No, it is fine. Then, I am counting on you from now on.": "Yes, leave everything to me, Gohda...!" : "Excuse me. The preparations for all the rooms in the guesthouse are complete.": "...We received instructions from Milady to make preparations for four people so that the children can stay there, but what shall we do?"no goddammit go away you two JUST finished with your romcom bullshit : "...I hear this year, Battler-sama is coming for the first time in six years. I guess Milady wants the four cousins to stay up until late in the night. ...Make the preparations. You do not need to tell Madam.": "I see. Certainly.": "...So tonight, we'll have the late night shift, followed immediately by the morning shift. It looks like these two days will be tiresome." : "Speaking of that, the weather forecast is saying a typhoon will strike right over here... Is that alright?" : "...Shannon, do not be in a hurry, calm yourself. Kanon, be sure to greet them with courtesy.": "...Y, yes. I'll be careful.": "...I'll be careful.": "Today is a day that an important guest will be coming. ...See that you do not make any blunders.": "...We understand. ...Any guest who visits here is important." : "...Shannon, what's wrong? ...It seems you have been uneasy about something. Do you have some prior engagement at this time?": "Huh? N, no, it's nothing. My apologies...": "Nee-san. An important guest will be arriving today. ...Detach yourself from your private life.": "I don't, ...I don't know what you mean by private life..."As Shannon blushed just a bit, she turned her gaze away from the clock. ...Was it about time for the airplane carrying the family to arrive at Niijima? ...She had planned on to hiding the fact that her reunion with George after such a long time was making her heart palpitate, but Kanon, who stood at her side, understood her perfectly.    OH GODDAMMIT ...Inside a bathroom stall, George was practicing something over and over, taking out a small velvet box hidden in his pocket like a quick-draw desert gunman. : "That's not it... Shannon likes a man with traction. I, it must have a more powerful feel to it...!" : "Aah, if I don't say properly that it's on the left hand, maybe she'll put on the right hand! N-, no, Shannon isn't that ignorant, aaah but, if there's no free will, that'd be a little, I mean, uuuuuu, nnnnuuuuuuu, muuuuuuuaaaaaaaaahhhh...!!"As he crossed his arms, nodding, someone knocked on the door. George was suddenly brought back to reality. Remember, folks. Always take time to practice your creepiness well in advance, in the comfort of your own home or another private spot. Doing it in the bathroom on the way is potentially embarrassing, and shows a shameful disregard for the craft.   : "Really...? That's good then. But you know, you're straining yourself way too much. Your rear end'll burst."Rudolf washed his hands, laughing cheerfully, and left. ...George knew that the most embarrassing part hasn't been overheard, and he patted his chest, feeling relieved...   : "...Rosa-san is an adult now. She'd manage it somehow. No matter how old they get, older brothers always treat their younger sisters like children." : "Dad's the same, no matter how old he gets, he's just a child."Oh, hey, look, it's Battler! Remember him? The actual protagonist? And it only took 82 pages for him to resurface! Out of 348.  : "What'd you say? If I'm a child, you're a baby, aren't you? Come on, Battler-chan, up up~!" : "Stop it, that tickles, wahahaha, stooop!": "You look more like two bratty friends than a father and son. ...Look, she's here." : "Maria! Shouldn't that be 'It's good to see you again'? Say it, would you?": "Uu-. It's...good to see you again..." : "There you go! Well said! How about some candy as a reward?! ...Oh, huh? Where'd I put it...": "Rosa-san, it's good to see you again. It's good to see you too, Maria-chan.": "It’s been too long, Kyrie nee-san, Hideyoshi nii-san. ...And, ...oh my, Battler-kun?! Look how big you’ve gotten...!" : "Ah, come on, hahaha... It's embarrassing hearing that from every person I meet!”: "Hey, Rosa. You're late. If the plane was on time, you'd barely have made it...": "I'm sorry. We had some trouble making our train connection. So, are we waiting on the weather again?" : "Oh, don't complain. I much prefer the 30 minute plane trip to spending six hours bouncing about on a boat. Even if we're kept waiting here for an hour, it's still much faster overall."  : "...Uu-?"Maria noticed a big man who she didn't remember mixed among the relatives, and hid behind Rosa's back, glaring at Battler. : "Hey, Battler, say hi. The last time you met her, she was just three years old, so this is just like a first meeting.": "She wouldn't remember if she was 3! Hey Maria, long time no see. You sure have gotten big!": "Maria. This is Battler onii-chan. Rudolf oji-san's son. ...Understand?" : "...The brother's son is... The brother is the son. ...?? ...Uuuu---!!"As you may have noticed, this conversation is similar to the one from way back at the start of EP1. Thankfully, it's different enough to not be totally redundant. She was obviously being cautious. After all, it would be no surprise if she found it frightening for a large guy like Battler to suddenly start speaking frankly to her. Battler noticed that as well, and thought of various ways he might approach her. Then, he noticed the sweet she had in her hand. It was the jack o'lantern sweet that Rosa had bought for her.  The adults thought that method wasn't good, but surprisingly, Maria looked pleased, her face splitting into a wide grin. : "Halloween, Halloween!! Look, Mama, Battler also knows about Halloween, look, look!!": "Hey, call him Battler onii-chan! Sorry, Battler-kun.": "No, no, don't sweat it. Please call me Battler. Because I'll also call you Maria. Look, Maria, it's Halloween! If you don't give me sweets, I'll play a prank~!!":"If you don't give me sweets, I'll play a prank~!! Kyahahaha, Kyakkya!!"From inside her purse, Maria picked out a jack o'lantern sweet similar to the one she had in her hand and presented it to Battler. It seemed that Battler accepting it was enough to confirm their friendship. The adults were amazed at how the children had established communication with each other.  : "That's right, in Japan, Halloween is a minor event. You oftenly see people marching in costume parades on the news from overseas, but I've never seen it in Japan."It wasn’t until this prompted me to look them up that I learned Halloween parades were even a thing. It had never struck me as a “parade” sort of holiday. Also the translators have gone beyond the odd typo now and then to just straight making up words. “Oftenly?” The hell’s wrong with “often?” : "Maria wanted to wear a costume too. Wanted to say 'If you don't give me sweets, I'll play a prank' with all the cousins wearing costumes...": "I see, I see. Next time, let's do it together! What costume Maria would like to march with?": "A witch!! Beatrice!" ...Eh. It just doesn't work on her.    ...You aren't talking about Kanon, so you get a pass, Jessica. For now. : "...You know. When the day of the family conference comes, for some reason, I feel uneasy about this witch." : "Hoh... Why do you say that again...?": "The family conference is the day when everyone related to Grandfather gathers. ...I hear that this time, Battler will also come after being away for six years. ...Something like that. I always wonder about whether some 'relative' who hasn't shown themselves for several decades might unexpectedly appear.": "...Hohoh. Could a relative like that exist...?": "It's Beatrice-sama. ...Nobody knows her background. Could she be Grandfather's mistress from long ago? ...Maybe her descendants will unexpectedly appear and tell us to return the gold we were granted or something, right?": "Hoh-hoh-hoh-ho... Krauss-sama and the others will probably have a discussion about the Master's inheritance problem this year too. ...So, if they get excited with that talk of the witch's gold, it would be just natural if the witch who gave out the gold came soon herself, right?" : "...Well, I wonder. Hoh-hoh-ho... Even if I try to remember, this old woman here can't even recall what she had for breakfast this morning...": "Kumasawa-san, you're always escaping with those excuses, but you know something, right? Sometimes you feel kinda devious, like you know something and you're laughing behind our backs, right?": "Hoh-hoh-ho..., that's harsh. ...I don't have any secrets. ...The only thing I can say is that Beatrice-sama is the Golden Witch, and that she is the other master who controls the night of this island.": "That's second-hand talk from Grandfather. It must be a pain to go along Grandfather's tales, even though you get paid." : "...But, I can say this much.": "...What?" : "I've also heard that. It's that story about, since there are lots of sunken rocks and shipwrecks around here, the fishermen got afraid and unreasonably didn't approach here, right?": "...Evil spirits settled down in Akujikishima and continued to eat the souls of people since ancient times. ...There were lots of people related to this island who were dispossessed of their lives."So on top of Beatrice being unsealed, there's soul-eating spirits running around the island too. Lovely.  : "Kumasawa-san, you really like those stories. I'll admit that it'd be pretty eerie for a shrine for the repose of souls to disappear with a thunderbolt. But, well, it was all worn out from the start. I wonder if it wasn't just carried away by some large wave. Hahahahaha.": "The evil spirits of Akujikishima woke up from their sleep, and summoned Beatrice-sama. ...If Beatrice-sama happened to come for the family conference...": "If she happened to come...?"Kumasawa kept silent for a moment there. ...To Jessica, who wanted to press her to keep going, it was an eerie silence. When Kumasawa realized she was scaring Jessica with her silence, she grinned broadly. : "Well now, I wonder what would happen. Hoh-hoh-hoh-hoh-ho..." : "I think so. The heart and the wallet must be rich. Got it, I'll keep that day open. Please, make the reservations.": "Understood. Absolutely.": "Yeah, I'm counting on you. I love you, Kyrie."  : "I'm sorry for making you wait. Did the contact from America come?" : "Yes. It's from the lawyer Dale Watanabe on the external line. I'll transfer it.": "...Overall, how do you feel about the situation?": "That is, well, ...it seems one thing is not favorable. It seems the other party doesn't plan to withdraw from the trial at all.": "...Looks like we can't fool 'em after all. Ahaha... Please, transfer it here.": "Understood. Immediately."The executive ordered that the external line be transferred to the secretarial office. : "Hello. 'Hello, hello'! Sorry for the wait, Ushiromiya speaking. Thanks, thanks. How is it going over there?"The words in single quotes are spoken in English. Without the voice patch they just look completely random. And, oddly, don’t even match the convention the game eventually settles on for English.  : "'Hello', President Ushiromiya. Let's skip the greetings and go right into the main question. I have good news and bad news, which one shall we start with?": "...The bad news can go first. I can't fight if there's no dessert." : "...So that other trial was a disaster. ...Even though I was thinking that their conditions were more favorable than ours. That's tough, huh. Then, what about the good news?": "I managed to get in contact with the executives of the other party. I explained to the other party the situation we are in, explained that we have no intentions of violating the other party's brand image, and I managed to get their understanding. The other party will offer us conditions in a few days, and if these are carried out, they promised to withdraw from the prosecution. This is their proposal according to the number 2 man on their board of directors.": "Your impression?": "Honestly, I expect the conditions will be extremely severe. We assume that changing the company name and the brand name will be inevitable. Where we do have margin in the negotiations is the amount of settlement money, the appearance of a public apology on a major newspaper, and the amount of time needed to carry out those things.": "These guys are simply and indirectly telling us to go bankrupt.": "The other party, in the recent years, just changed to their second president and the groundwork is not finished yet over there. If we resist until the bitter end, they fear that the forces who want to go against the current president wouldn't hesitate to do some work in favor of the enemy. Hence, it seems the big shots of the other party want to settle this matter as fast as possible too. Hence, for the sake of a quick settlement, maybe we still have enough leeway to pull for some mitigation of the conditions." : "Thank you very much. If there's any more progress, please contact me. You have a high salary, so no idle gossiping around. Hahahaha. 'Thank you, thank you, goodbye'."Rudolf hung up the phone. It seemed that the executives sitting at the reception seats could guess about the contents of that discussion. : "...So you heard it, you rascals. Well, you get the point. As long as we get the money, they will forgive us. After that, we should make only the amount of money the point at issue." : "But, President. The supposed sum for the settlement that Mr. Watanabe indicated is too much. We don't have that much of a margin...!": "When we knew it would become like this, we started the diversifying, didn't we...!" : "The calculations were that we could escape the capital crisis if we were able to endure for three years. ...It can't be, to be stabbed here..., really, we're in no position for that...!": "I guess we fell at the 'step' of the 'hop, step, jump'. I could cry.": "We have no choice but to draw the money from the main bank." : "Stop that. Do I look like that kind of man? The contents of my wallet are all exposed to you guys, alright? The account books over there show all that our company has.": "In that case, ...we need to raise money. We need a sponsor who can draw in several million for us as soon as possible.": "...President! Couldn't something be worked out with one of your associates...?!": "President! President...!": "...Aaaah, calm down, you bastards. ...I'll find a way to raise the money. You guys maintain the business without making too much noise. The other side is saying that they will forgive us as long as we gather the money. We already have thick pipelines in Asia. Things'll probably be shaky, but we'll be able to maintain transactions. In short, the point is that if we gather the money, we'll be able to settle everything. Look, I'll settle everything. I won't let you out in the cold. Start feeling like you've gotten on a big boat! When I settle things safely, I'll be rewarding all of you guys with a champagne tower. I promise. So, shut up and come with me. Alright?!!" Note that even after getting a flashback to him doing some business poo poo we...still have no idea what his company actually does, unlike the other three siblings. : "...Are you alright? You're still very drowsy, aren't you? Lately, it seems you've been very busy at your work.":: "Being busy at work is great, isn't it? If I start wasting time, we'll all be out in the cold starting tomorrow.": "You're right. Since Battler-kun's come back, it would be a problem if the two of us had to go around begging.":: "...That's right. After six years, the whole family is present. ...So, the family head has to give his best to be able to spend time together without outsiders..." : "...If I could borrow ten million at once by prostrating myself before Father, I'd do it a dozen times, but... If I can't, I better hurry and start to hide myself. ...I've always depended severely on his financial support, and now I'm going for the inheritance. ...I'm going to hell. ...I guess Father won't want to meet me like this..."Well, look on the bright side, Rudolf. It's not like this is going to make him want to meet with you any less than he already does.     : "I don't want to join in on the argument of those vultures. They can discuss how they will suck my bones as they wish. ...They really are foolish." : "...My, my. How troublesome..."Nanjo shook his head slightly. ...To him, children and grandchildren were lovely things. And he believed that their growth was the only enjoyment for old men. To him, Kinzo's words were a very sad thing.  : "If the time I must leave this room comes, I will show myself. ...Just as that one does not show itself."When Kinzo raised his face, in the direction of his gaze was the portrait of the witch, which was respectfully displayed on the wall... : "..." : "Today, I will...hold a certain ceremony." : "Hoh. ...And what would that be?": "...It would be more accurate to call it a gamble. ...Because miracles do not dwell in magic that doesn't bear risks."Nanjo already heard that story many times over. You could call it Kinzo's favorite phrase. ...It seemed that Kinzo believed that magic and miracles could happen by betting your own fate with certain kind of risk and triumphing...  : "Hmph...I see. If the secret ritual I devoted my research to hits you who is not proficient at magic as well, would you call it a gamble? Whatever." : "Hoh... I wonder what on earth is this gamble you will start... As your friend, in that bet, ...no, was it a ceremony? ...I only pray from the bottom of my heart that you can win in that ceremony.": "Hmm, ...I thank you." : "Right, Battler-kun from Rudolf-san's family. I hear he will be coming after six years. I'm sure he has become a splendid boy.": "...Oh, Battler? ...I wouldn't call him 'longed for', a guest who doesn't show up for six years."Meanwhile, these single quotes are...just quotes, not English. After hearing Battler's name and showing an ill-humored expression, as though saying that was a let-down, Kinzo turned his back again. : "I guess these six years went by in a blink of an eye to you since you began immersing yourself in your research in this room..." : "...Tonight, let us enjoy ourselves as we see what kind of miracle the roulette will show us. ...The payoffs are large. And I don't feel like losing... ...Beatrice, ...you can accept my bet..."At that time, the telephone on the table rang. It seemed that the piercing sound didn't please Kinzo, and he picked up the receiver in order to preserve the silence as much as he could.  Kinzo hung up the phone rudely. Looking at that, Nanjo sighed yet again and shifted his attention outside the window. As he is now, Kinzo is probably not interested in any kind of guest. ...Did a guest exist who would make Kinzo come out when the time came, as he had said? He had someone in mind, but that guest couldn't appear... Nanjo stared at the witch of the portrait, who held a candid facial expression, unable to decide whether she was smiling or sad, and he gazed up at the lead-colored sky...   And now, back to Purgatorio.  Where everything is suddenly purple. We're gonna be seeing this place pretty often from now on, and it's its own little dimension separate from the game board.    Also, Purgatorio!Battler and Rokkenjima!Battler are distinct entities. The one we just saw at the airport has no idea he's about to be trapped on an island for two days with ritual witchmurders to try and solve. Poor bastard. And Battler? He just slovenly shrugged his shoulders as though he didn't really feel like being her opponent. He just couldn't make his eyes meet hers. But that didn't mean he wasn't a match for her. ...It signified his plain determination to never be taken in by the artifices of this bastard. It was an expression of his powerful determination to fight. : "Don't you tell me you don't have a plan...?" : "Since I don't know your moves, I don't have any plan. ...Feel free to take the initiative." Not really that impressive a display when you're crushing someone who's still learning the game, Beatrice. : "...Whatever moves you come at me with, I won't believe you! ...As long as I stand my ground on that point, I won't lose. And that's that. This game was made so that I can't defeat you, right...?": "Maybe you're right. However, you know what? I'll decide how many times we'll repeat this game. It will be repeated over and over again, until I win and you recognize your defeat, okay...? In other words, this is torture. It's eternal torture that will continue until you surrender to me...! It will continue eternally, until you recognize me and the existence of the witch!" : "Did a witch from somewhere suggest that to you...? *cackle*cackle*, that's just fine...!" : "I'm tired of listening to your rambling. ...C'mon, get this started!": "Come, let us begin! I already know your moves far too well. A defense doesn't amount to much if the plan behind it is known! Don't think you'll be able to defy me with the same moves!!": "...Beatrice. I have only one thing to tell you before we start.": "What is it...?" : "Then, what are you talking about...!"  "How interesting, that's a nice comparison!! Torture where we torment each other sounds truly interesting! Come, shall we begin that torture!! Ushiromiya Battleeeeer!!!"  Next time: A special guest.
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May 25, 2013 10:51
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Finally, ...Maria realized that her mother had turned back to being her mother. Maria's compartmentalization of her abuse as being done when Rosa is possessed by a Witch and turning into Bad Mama always gets me. To see her begging for her "real" Mama to come back is just heartbreaking . Maria was very annoying to me in episode 1, but then when you see her horrible treatment here you feel guilty for thinking badly of her.Mother of the Year indeed, goddamn, Rosa.
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May 25, 2013 12:24
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Interestingly, no matter how this game tries to make me hate Rosa, I just can't mainly due to this scene. Yeah, she is abusive and what she is doing is wrong, but at one point she realizes this herself and stops... then the whole thing starts over.
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May 25, 2013 14:01
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God drat!  I remembered that Rosa hit Maria in this scene, but I forgot about whole 'repeatedly hitting her while screaming that everything is her fault, including her Dad leaving'.
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May 25, 2013 14:17
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Alright, the good parts have started again. It's been a while since I played Umineko, so I hope Episode 3 has a better opening when we get there.
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May 25, 2013 14:38
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Insurrectionist posted:Alright, the good parts have started again. It's been a while since I played Umineko, so I hope Episode 3 has a better opening when we get there. It does, it pretty much starts right away. Episode 4 on the other hand...
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May 25, 2013 14:42
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Mercury Hat posted:Maria's compartmentalization of her abuse as being done when Rosa is possessed by a Witch and turning into Bad Mama always gets me. To see her begging for her "real" Mama to come back is just heartbreaking What's weird is that Maria seems to think witches are a good thing, but then seems to convince herself that her mother is possessed by one. Although, this may explain her obsession with the occult. If she REALLY believes that her mother is obsessed then she may be trying to research how to exorcise her.
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May 25, 2013 15:48
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And with the Phoenix Finger-Point and Answer playing, we can get on with Episode 2! And Episode 2 pretty much has the slowest opening of any of them. Now that Shiny's managed to wade through it, transcribing things should be a bit more bearable.
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May 25, 2013 15:52
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Rosa's emotional cycle of abuse and guilt is really sad. Anyways, Turn is pretty interesting in hindsight!
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May 25, 2013 17:08
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The game begins. Also, it's good to see Battler back again, and Pugatorio!Battler, since they are the stars of this show. If I remember correctly, the quota of romcom of episode 2 was met and now we are going in dry with the family meeting. Mind you, it may be the same meeting, but new information tends to spring up from time to time. Also, the music is fantastic, always stop to listen to it while reading this. It gets better and better with each episode that goes by.
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May 29, 2013 00:56
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It seems the Chiru PS3 conversion patch is finally complete. http://uminekofix.wikia.com/wiki/Core_Arcs
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Jun 8, 2013 10:39
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Vyxzuw posted:What's weird is that Maria seems to think witches are a good thing, but then seems to convince herself that her mother is possessed by one. Although, this may explain her obsession with the occult. If she REALLY believes that her mother is obsessed then she may be trying to research how to exorcise her. I think that Maria's belief in witches includes separating them into "good" and "bad" witches. Notice that she specifically calls Abusive!Rosa the "bad witch", instead of just "witch".
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Jun 8, 2013 15:14
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The relationship between Rosa and Maria is really complex. Kind of like most of the relationships in this story.
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Jun 10, 2013 04:10
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Part Thirty: And One Open Slot Still Remains  In the midst of all this, there was a single unhealthy rose, and Maria became overwhelmed with dejection at its state. But George used his quick wits, and, saying everything would be fine if they looked over this poor thing, marked it with a candy wrapper, and immediately restored Maria's good mood. And once Battler, with whom she had been getting along well since that morning, raised the subject that Maria loved so much, Halloween, she began playing around energetically again. Maria probably treasured that marshmallow jack-o-lantern candy that her mother had bought for her more than anything. ...It seemed that several of them had been bought for her, and she demanded trick-or-treat from every person she met, giving them candy instead of the other way around.  : "No, ...I think there's probably a slightly deeper reason. After all, she is the 'witch' Maria-chan.": "Come to think of it, when we were at the airport, didn't Maria say that if she was going to wear a costume, it would be a witch? Did Maria like witches?": "...Yes, she loves them. So much that it becomes a problem.": "Well, admiring fantastical stuff like that is to be expected at that age.": "At least it would be cute if she admired a heroine on some TV anime...haah."Judging by Rosa's appearance, it seemed that, as a mother, she did not find her daughter's love for witches pleasant. It seemed that the cousins other than Battler were able to realize this, and they shrugged their shoulders, smiling bitterly. : "Hmmmm? So you're arguing that because she likes witches, she also likes Halloween? If we don't know, why don't we just ask the person in question? Hey, Maria. What kind of relationship do Halloween and witches have with each other?"As Battler asked that, George and Jessica raised a small voice. ...It seemed they were too late.  Just barely on the island and you've already brought out Evil Maria. Way to go, Battler.   : "Yes. So they thought that at the end of October, the sun died, rested its body in the land of the dead, and then revived again at the winter solstice. Then, they called the day that the sun ended its one year lifespan and died New Year's Eve, or Samhain.": "It's very interesting to think that on the day of the winter solstice, when the daylight hours start to grow longer again, the sun is revived. It's an episode that makes you understand how much ancient people regarded the sun as sacred.": "...I see. And? What do witches have to do with this?"It seemed that my casual urging forward had slightly infuriated Maria. She glared at me with eyes that told me to let her explain without interrupting. ...Maria looked like she was having fun telling me, so I decided not to interrupt...  At the time, the people believed that the souls returning to the physical world would go into people's houses or possess people, and do bad things. So in order to avoid harm from them, the people created enchantments. One of those was to imitate creepy monsters and scare the souls instead, which was apparently a way to avoid being possessed. : "That part became a festival, which turned into a costume parade. ...Maria's really knowledgeable!": "...Ain't it the truth. Even I never knew Halloween had such a history.": "But where did the whole thing about give us candy or we'll prank you come from?"Her knowledge was so extensive that the adults had suddenly started listening in too. Maria, who was normally treated like the youngest the whole time, puffed out her chest in pride. Rosa tried to say this was just a kid's story, and that she wanted to quickly break up the circle and set the luggage down in the guesthouse, but nobody else agreed, and she let out a heavy sigh.  According to Maria, the souls of the dead weren't the only ones who visited from the nonhuman world. There were also spirits that had an intimate connection to how people lived. Because humans could receive the favors of those spirits, they were able to earn a wonderful blessing, and a year's worth of good crops. : "So in other words, Halloween was also a bit of a harvest festival?": "I see. ...Now you mention it, I get the feeling that October is a turning point in various ways, including seasonally. Really the opposite of April in Japan. ...I see, that might be a good place to mark it.": "Uu-! And you know, the witches, they hold a witch assembly during that time, on the Sabbath. The witches thank the spirits that give out blessings of prosperity, and reward them."Trivia fact: October 4th and 5th 1986 were a Saturday and Sunday. So last episode's round of murders happened on the Sabbath. : "Halloween costumes imitated the guests coming from the other side. ...In other words, you might as well say that giving candy is because of feelings of thanks for the yearly harvest.": "Uu-! Just like George onii-chan says!" One must wonder, then, why Kinzo didn't move the conference to Halloween proper to help with the ritual. Surely he knows it's a better time. : "And you know what? You know what?! October is the time when the power of witches and demons is at its most vigorous and prosperous! Kihihihihihihihi, I'm sure Beatrice will come! And then, we'll eat marshmallow candies together, and she'll bring Maria to the Golden Land with her! We'll sing magical songs together, learn magic spells together, learn how to draw magic circles together! And then, we'll learn the secrets of runes, and Maria will become a great witch really, really quickly!": ”And we'll draw on the walls in blood, and murder everyone, and I'll get a pony, and...” : "My, my, isn't that wonderful. It's best for kids to have dreams. By the way, Rosa, how old will Maria be this year again...?": "M, ...Maria... That's enough of that story!": "Don't worry about it, Rosa-san. It's a dream that any girl has at one time or another.": "Th, thank you very much. ...But Maria has already graduated from that age. ...Hey, I'm telling you to stop!"Rosa scolded Maria, trying to shut her up before her cheery discussion about black magic earned her the sniggers of the relatives.  Battler had been gone for six years, and had completely forgotten about the Legend of the Rokkenjima Witch. However, when he said that he didn't know Beatrice's name, Maria's mood, which had been so bright until just now, became sour in an instant. When he saw that, Battler immediately remembered that it was the name of the witch of this island, but the damage had been done. ...Until Maria's mood improved, she went on and on about many mysterious and fabulous episodes regarding the Golden Witch...  : "Certainly. ...Well then, everyone, I will guide you to the guesthouse.": "...Then if you will excuse me."Gohda lead the relatives and they began to head to the guesthouse. Since they wanted to set down their luggage and take a quick rest, they didn't realize that Rosa and Maria had stopped in that place.  She let go with the hand that had been gripping Maria's arm the whole time. ...There was a bright red mark there, making it clear how much excessive force she had been gripping Maria's slender arm with. That hand then slapped against Maria's head, pinched her left ear, and lifted... : "Even though I'm always telling you not to talk about witches...Haven't I always said that was our promise together...?"Man this isn't even a case of her bringing this poo poo up out of nowhere again, they loving asked her about it. : "Mama, ouch, Mama, ouch..., ouch ouch ouch..." As Rosa cursed, she twisted Maria's ear up, making it seem like it was going to snap off... As an expression of anguish spread across Maria's face, she stood on her tiptoes as though her life depended on it, trying to soften the pain on the ear that was being pulled... Rosa suddenly stole the candy that Maria had been holding in her hand. She then threw it on the ground and stepped on it over and over. To Maria, it was supposed to proof of her memory of that brief span of time when her mother had bought something fun for her... But the fact of the matter was that she saw her mother trampling on it. ...It was as though a brand had been pushed against Maria's eyes, leaving a mark that couldn't be erased...  Why the gently caress do you even have a kid? Maria closed her eyes tightly, patiently bearing her mother's violence...No, that wasn't quite it. : "...Come back, Mama, come back, Mama... Save me, Mama, save me, Mama... Beat the bad witch..."She kept bearing it, muttering that over and over... : "Didn't I, tell you, to stop, saying, witch!! Why you, you, you!!!"Rosa's shoulders shook as she breathed, tired from hitting. ...Maria grasped her hands together, withstanding it, hoping her 'mother' would come back quickly... : "...Mama, Mama... Come back quickly... Save Maria, Mama... Finish off the bad witch...": "Wh, ...why don't you just stay there doing that forever!! And then you can just stand there, mumbling about witches and Halloween forever!!"After throwing those words at Maria, Rosa went off towards the guesthouse, leaving Maria behind. Two-for-two on leaving the 9 year old out to face a goddamn typhoon. Such a wonderful mother.    : "Hmm? What happened to Maria-chan? Is she still by the flower beds?": "...Yes. It looks like there was a rose she liked, and she said she wanted to look after it and didn't listen. I decided to let her do what she wants for a while.": "...We sometimes forget that girls have their own little world. Sometimes, we have to respect that, right?": "...That's right. ...Thank you for caring, Kyrie nee-san. ...Gohda-san. Where is our room?": "I will guide you, this way. Allow me to hold your luggage.": "I'm fine, I can carry it myself, thank you."Rosa went into her room, guided by Gohda. She then closed the door somewhat violently and threw her luggage on top of the bed. : "…"   : "...Kihi, ...kihihihihihihihihihi... ...I'm fine. ...Kihihihihi."Oh, hey, and thanks to Rosa we now have Evil Maria running around unsupervised. Magnificent. Maria laughed unpleasantly, but to Kanon, who had seen the whole thing, it looked like she was enduring as best she could... : "She's a horrible person. I can't believe that was a mother...":"...It can't be helped. Maria can handle that much. Maria is just fine. Kihihihihihihihihihi..."Kanon got down on his knees and picked up the trampled candy. ...It was tragic just looking at it. He thought about dusting it off and returning it to her, but really couldn't do so with it in that condition. He was at a loss at what to do, and he met eyes with Maria. ...No, they didn't meet. Maria was looking at the candy that Kanon had picked up.  : "That's right...I'll exchange it for something I received earlier."Kanon remembered that a similar candy which he had received from Maria was in his pocket. Maria stuck out her hand. ...Kanon thought she was trying to take it, so he held out the candy, but Maria didn't try to grasp it. ...Then Kanon realized. ...She was saying 'Give it back'. ...No matter how tragic and trampled it was, the candy was Maria's. ...Her mother had bought it for her. No matter how tragic, it had to be this candy... If it could be made clean by dusting it off... ...Kanon hung his head. It may well be the ultimate condemnation of someone's ability as a parent when Kanon, an ottoman made of solidified hateful apathy, cares more about their kid than they do.  : "...Thank you. A human can't do anything except dust it off, but a witch can repair it to how it was. It would be easy for Beatrice. Kihihihihihi.": "...Maria-sama, ...you know about Beatrice..., ...sama?"There couldn't be anyone related to the Ushiromiya family who didn't know Beatrice's name, with Battler as an exception. ...But just now, Maria had told Battler about it proudly. She had spoken almost as though she was meeting with Beatrice regularly. The inside of the fist Kanon made with his left hand hurt sharply. ...In the past, a witch called Beatrice had appeared, and had tempted him and Shannon. He had always tried to make himself think it was a bad dream. ...However, Shannon insisted that it had definitely been a real witch.  ...He had known that Shannon had broken the mirror. ...And he remembered that, upon the witch's departure, she had left with parting words staying that she would eventually be revived. And then, ...this girl who wouldn't stop having faith in Beatrice, spoke as though she had met Beatrice. ...Kanon couldn't suppress a sense of some kind of misfortune welling up in his heart.  ...So, Kanon? Now might be good time to run. Just sayin'. : "Kihihihihi... You know, Maria is friends with Beatrice. Why don't we meet her today and play? Kihihihihihihihihi...": "P, ...play?": "...Yeah. Let's play, okay? Let's study magic together. Kihihihihihihihi..."  : "...Come on. We've put this conference in our schedules and come all the way out to Rokkenjima during the very busy fall season. I wish father would act a little more sociable.": "Really. ...Doctor Nanjo. Is it really a problem with his research and his mood? He isn't already bedridden, and unable to get up, right?": "...Well, ...I wonder. There is not much I can say..."Nanjo glanced at Natsuhi. As though he wasn't qualified to disregard Natsuhi when he spoke. : "Father is steadily regaining his health. Calling him bedridden is extremely rude...!": "But he only has three months left to live, right? Normally, wouldn't that mean that he'd have wasted away, unable to get out of his bed? Right, Doctor Nanjo?": "...For a normal patient, that would probably be the case. But Kinzo-san has extraordinary willpower. ...I may not even be able to approach, in fear of that willpower..." : "Don't say that. If he were here, you would complain the whole time about how you couldn't relax. Shouldn't we celebrate that all of the siblings have gathered this year, by ourselves, and without even one of us missing?": "We couldn't meet him at last year's family conference, right? I wonder why you can't understand that his children, related by blood, want to see him after two years.": "...If you have words of greeting, I will tell him for you. And Eva-san. ...Is there something you have to discuss with Father other than greeting him...?": "...nn. ...Come on, what are you talking about, sheesh.": "Give it a rest, Eva. Natsuhi-san, forgive us. Eva is just worried about the condition of Father's sickness, as his daughter. Please understand her feelings a bit.": "That's right. Haven't you quickly become respectful of Father now that his remaining life has been announced, Eva? ...I see, it isn't as though I can't understand how much you want to see him. ...Hmph." : "Yep! Just as Rudolf-kun says. ...We can only gather our faces here once a year. We must take this precious time seriously and talk together modestly."Even though the tea hadn't even come, ...they were very strong-minded.  : "But before that, I wonder if we have enough leeway to enjoy some black tea at our leisure, surrounded by the wonderful furnishings of the parlor..."Kyrie's words seemed to hold some slight warning towards all of the people gathered in that place. They all understood, and as they cleared their throats and straightened their neckties, the atmosphere in the room returned to normal for a moment.   Shannon entered the parlor, pushing the serving cart. Everyone decided to slowly enjoy some black tea for the time being... A wonderful aroma began to spread throughout the parlor. As far as anyone could see, the strained atmosphere which had been there until right before Shannon had entered seemed like a lie. ...Of course, Shannon, who was setting out the tea, probably didn't even notice. ...Kyrie acted as though she was laughing at everyone's adult appearance. Rudolf didn't like it when Kyrie took the initiative and spoke at the family conference. ...It was his worthless male pride. He probably didn't want to look like a weak man who took advice from his wife. She understood that, and did her best to refrain from saying anything unnecessary. So she separated herself from the circle of siblings, which only looked like it had no outsiders in it on the outside, and slowly enjoyed her tea near the window.  It seemed that Rosa hadn't been able to get along just on the surface. ...They had come here to fight bloodily and dirtily, each trying to steal the inheritance. Maybe by now she didn't want to play a part in a conspiracy. ...Or maybe she was still much too inexperienced for that. : "...It looks like the wind has started blowing hard out there. ...The plants are all shaking so much.": "The typhoon has probably already come fairly close. ...I wonder if it will rain a lot tonight.": "...Maria-chan really has grown a lot this past year.": "...Does it look that way...? She still can't even fold her own clothing yet.": "Yes. It's because she has such an affectionate mother. Kids with a rich heart grow."AHAHAHAHAHAHA. Rosa was silent. ...Maybe she was unsure as to how Kyrie meant that...  So hand her off to someone else! Anyone else. A sibling. One of the cousins. Hell, Kinzo stays locked in a single room 24/7, is perpetually tanked on absinthe, and can barely be assed to pay attention to anything that doesn't relate to getting Beatrice back and he would still raise her better than you. : "Doesn't that go both ways? ...A parent can't choose what kind of child is born, too.": "..."Rosa bit her lower lip... : "It isn't a matter of who is at fault. Isn't everything alright as long as you slowly watch over her as she grows up, with living together on your mind? Rosa-san, you spend every day with Maria-chan, so you probably don't notice any small changes. But the rest of us, who have been reunited with her after a year, really understand that she's grown up a lot...": "...If you are serious, thank you very much." As Hideyoshi and Rudolf, who had a soft spot for women, watched her go, ...the atmosphere in the room began to revert back to what it had been right before Shannon had visited. : "...If Father is unable to be here, well then, there are still things we can talk about. Right, Rudolf?"]: "Yes, that's right. ...We didn't come all the way out here just to drink some dusty tea, right?": "...Very well. Why don't we hear this topic that you're scrambling to get to?": "...My, my. Those people sure are strong-minded. They really started fast.": "I must join in as well. ...If I don't assert myself, those people will quickly forget that there are four siblings.": "...It's pretty tough for you too. ...Maybe I didn't choose my words well. My apologies.": "No, I don't mind. ...I'm the one who should be apologizing. As a pair of mothers with daughters, we must interact more often. E-very time we meet, we talk about something strange..."Show of hands. Who actually remembered by this point that Rudolf and Kyrie have a daughter?  : "Oh, no. The sky is getting dark quickly. It's almost as though the people in this room have made the weather worse. ...There's already thunder. Oh? Was that one there...?": "...Huh?"There really were small splashes of rain on the glass of the parlor window. ...It seemed that the weather had gotten worse faster than they had expected. ...Just then, a silent thunderbolt struck inside Rosa's head, and she remembered that her beloved child was in the rose garden.   : "Oh, ...oh no...! Maria...!!"Well, at least she didn't go take a nap before the realization hit this time around. Everyone looked back at Rosa when she let out a small scream. : "...What, what happened?": "I, I'm sorry, I'm going outside for a second. I'll be right back!": "...What the, what's going on with her, really..." : "It's fine, right? She'll be right back. ...More importantly, should we begin? Our main topic.": "That's right. We can keep talking about that without Rosa. Let's return to our discussion.": "..."Rosa dashed from the entrance hall into the rose garden.  Just as Kyrie had said, the wind was mixed in with small droplets of rain. There was also a low rumble of thunder. ...It could start raining anytime. Rosa headed for the rose garden. She headed for the place where she had scolded Maria a short while ago. ...It was almost lunchtime. The children had been told that they should come to the mansion around lunchtime, so they were probably in the guesthouse, waiting to be called. ...Even if Maria didn't come, they would surely think that I had taken her to the mansion with me, and wouldn't worry much. ...After all she was with her mother, so there shouldn't have been anything to worry about. I was here, and threw my daughter into the worsening weather outside, all alone...!  : "...Uu-."It really was as I'd thought. She was still standing stock still, ...exactly the same way she had been, in the place where I had scolded her. Held in her hand, ...was the candy that I had bought, given her, and then stepped on and crushed. With that gripped in her hand, she stood there as the strong wind whipped her hair about, tormenting her... And she didn't even get lucky enough to score a mystery umbrella this time.  : "...Uu-. Mama, welcome back...Maria waited a long time for Mama to come back. ...Mama was pinched by the scary witch, but Maria held out, waited for Mama to come back without crying...": "...Maria...Forgive Mama..., forgive Mama...": "Mama isn't bad... She was just possessed by a bad witch again... So I'm fine. I really like Mama. I love you...": "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry...Mama...lost to the bad witch, ...forgive me..."Rosa buried her face in Maria's small chest, crying and begging forgiveness. ...And again those tears dripped down after who knows how many times.  The sound of Maria sniffling made Rosa notice. ...If she stood exposed to the wind for too long, she would probably catch a cold. : "...So, Maria. It will be lunch very soon. Why don't you come back to the mansion with Mama.": "Uu-. Don't go.": "Wh, ...why...?"Rosa thought that she had already received Maria's forgiveness, so she hadn't imagined Maria would refuse. But that expression on Maria's face didn't look like that of a child resisting her mother. ...So Rosa wasn't able to understand why Maria wanted to stand still, pointlessly, as the weather grew even worse. Maria answered that question...  Rosa was a little lost for words and remained silent. ...After they had just gone to great lengths to make up with each other. She chose her words carefully, trying to get Maria to come with her to the mansion without denying the witch outright. : "...Beatrice is, ...coming?": "Uu-!": "Really... Then instead of waiting here, why don't we wait in the mansion? If you stay in this wind too long, you'll catch a cold...": "Come! Beatrice will co-me!! And when she does, I'll give a candy to Beatrice. I'll do trick-or-treat! I'll give her a jack-o-lantern marshmallow candy and say Happy Halloween!! Uu-!!"Maria pulled yet another sweet out of her handbag, moaning uu-uu-. Rosa was bewildered and didn't know what to do as Maria started being difficult again...  The wind blew even stronger, and in the middle of the blizzard of scattered rose petals, ...a figure appeared, leaving Rosa unable to imagine that this was a scene from reality. ...No, it was probably, definitely, ...fantastical. Because that shadow of a person was...   Wait what.  Yes. Beatrice is openly running around on the board this time. ...Normally, Rosa would scold her daughter if she dashed over to someone who she hadn't seen and didn't know. ...But Rosa forgot about that, unable to do anything but stand there, shocked.  : "...It's been a while. Have you been healthy?": "Uu-! Maria is healthy! Witches don't catch colds! Uu-!!": "*cackle*cackle*! Witches make people catch colds with curses, but how foolish would it be if they caught one themselves. From now on, you should concentrate on doing your best to not catch something like a cold."She patted Maria's head as she said this, smiling roguishly... Rosa couldn't have known the name of the woman who was spoiling Maria, looking happy. ...However, Maria had called to her in the beginning when she had appeared. Therefore, even though Rosa had never met her, even though she hadn't named herself, Rosa was able to know her name. ...However, that name held a special meaning on Rokkenjima and in the Ushiromiya family. ...There's no way something that stupid...!  : "Hmm, Happy Halloween. Hoh, for me? How truly lovely that this unique light, of a man lost in the darkness of purgatory, unable to go to heaven or hell, would be made into a candy like this. ...Right now, on this island that has been cut off both from the world of humans and the world of nonhumans, there may be no more suitable sweet. *cackle*cackle*...!" The witch noticed the sweet that Maria was grasping. ...It was Maria's candy, which had been stomped on by Rosa until it reached this pitiful state. : "...Uu-. Stepped on and smashed. ...Can Beato return it to normal...?"Maria didn't go so far as to say that it was her mother who had stepped on it. However, when the witch saw the candy, for some reason, she looked at Rosa and grinned. ...A chill went down Rosa's spine, as though she felt that this gaze was staring right through her. : "It will be easy. Give it to me.": "Uu-!"Maria held out the candy gleefully. ...Rosa could do nothing but watch over this, stunned. ...How would this person gloss over the fact that the candy was pitifully trampled and trick Maria...? Maria looked as though she believed that it could be fixed as good as new. ...There was no way that could be done without real "magic"...! : "My, my, it is quite crushed, isn't it. ...Come, Maria. Close your eyes and try to remember." ...Along with those strange words, spoken as though singing an improvised folk song, the witch threw the sweet into the air. Maria was closing her eyes and remembering, just as the witch had told her. ...What shape had that crushed candy really had? Therefore, only Rosa saw that scene.   And as she did, ...unbelievably, ...it returned to its beautiful original form, just like the time it had been bought... And she can use her magic freely. So she has no actual need for an elaborate murder ritual to regain her power, it would appear. Only Rosa and the witch had watched that scene. Unable to understand the event that was occurring right in front of her eyes, Rosa stood with her mouth open, forgetting to shut it...  : "…"There was a very bold contrast between Rosa's shocked appearance and Maria's innocently joyful one. ...Was that what the witch was laughing at? A smile floated to Beatrice's face, different from the one that she had shown Maria. : "...Does my face look familiar? If you stare so fixedly, you might burn a hole through it.": "Huh, ...ah, I, I'm sorry...!"Rosa was very aware of the meaning of those words. ...Rosa had known her face. ...She had known it from the portrait of the witch. But, no wait, ...was this mystery woman really...?! : "...Maria. I will give this to you in exchange for that sweet." : "You must not. The time will soon come that you may open it, but until then, you definitely must not. Take good care of it. It will become an invitation calling you to the Golden Land.": "Golden Land!! Finally take Maria there!! Kyakkya! Kyakkya!!": "Take it and treat it with care. You must not show it to anyone.": "Uu-! Promise! I'll definitely keep a promise with a witch!" She probably hadn't imagined that the witch would speak to her, too. Rosa was bewildered at this second western envelope, which was thrust before her. She remembered seeing that western envelope. ...There could be no mistake. It was Kinzo's special envelope, used when he wrote with his own hand, and bearing the Ushiromiya family crest. Furthermore, it was sealed with red sealing wax, ...and furthermore, it had the mark which was thought to be made by the ring of the head. In other words, without even asking what was written inside, ...this woman, who Maria called Beatrice, was trusted enough that she was in charge of a personal letter of the current Ushiromiya head...!  So that's possibly one out of six pre-confirmed. : "...What did you say..."Rosa looked back and forth several times between the witch's face and the envelope that was handed her. Today was the family conference, and the biggest object of discussion was the inheritance problem. ...So, she had joined together with Eva and Rudolf, and they had planned to force a certain condition on Krauss to try and extort several hundred million yen in cash out of him. It was as if the witch could see through all of that. ...And what is she trying to announce to us when all of the siblings are gathered? With a personal envelope that no one but the Ushiromiya head can use...! : "...Maria, the weather is getting worse. Return to the guesthouse and wait for lunchtime. ...And Rosa, let us meet later. Allow me to name myself in that place. ...*cackle*cackle*cackle*."The witch turned her back to her, laughing. ...And then began to head towards the mansion with an air of composure.  At last, Rosa was left alone in the rose garden as the winds grew stronger, ...unable to do anything except pray that what had happened was just a daydream...   : "I have been waiting. ...Beatrice-sama.": "...It's been a while, Genji. ...Hmph. You've gotten old.": "...No matter how old he is, furniture will only carry out his work like furniture, until the end.": "...I remember how that person's wife used to be jealous of you. ...Is Kinzo well?": "He is very well.": "...Hmph. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!"The witch probably laughed because she knew that Kinzo's head physician had announced that his remaining life was slim. ...However, if anyone actually looked at Kinzo, his will power, which made it extremely difficult to imagine that his remaining life really was slim, might make it seem natural to call him healthy. ...Maybe the witch laughed at that.  As the witch grinned, she started walking, leaving Genji behind. ...Her gait was like that of a family member who knew the inside of the mansion well. Genji followed her, as though he served her.    Kyrie and the witch's eyes met. ...Realizing that it would be rude to pretend not to notice, she greeted the witch. : "...Pleased to meet you.": "You were Rudolf's second wife, yes?": "That is correct. This is Kyrie-sama, Rudolf-sama's current wife."From this exchange, Kyrie realized that she was a guest of fairly high rank, even amidst the Ushiromiya family. ...And, the fact this was a guest of that level, ...coupled with the face of the portrait in the entrance hall that she bore, ...made Kyrie's eyes open wide in an instant...   While the portrait we've already seen a bunch of times corresponds to Ep1, this one corresponds to Ep2. Unlike the first one, as far as I can recall it never actually shows up hanging on a wall or anything, just in CGs.   : "...Pleased to meet you. I am Kyrie. I wonder it this is our first meeting. If we did greet each other before, I apologize for forgetting your name.": "...Even though you have a vague idea, you dare to ask my name?": "..."Kyrie had planned on giving her a sociable and humble greeting. Her expression grew slightly cloudy at that openly oppressive response. ...Anyhow, it didn't seem like this was a person she could grow to like. ...But if Kyrie's imagination was correct, ...this "witch" probably held a huge key to what her own husband was most interested in, and something that couldn't help but influence tonight's family conference... So without shooting back a retort, Kyrie did nothing except silently watch her go up the stairs to the second floor, with Genji following behind. So when someone tapped her shoulder from behind, she was so surprised, she almost choked. It was, Natsuhi...  : "...The Golden Witch, Beatrice, was it? Without the gold she gave, the revival of the Ushiromiya family to what it is today would not have succeeded, or something. ...Just like Father, a fantastical story."Natsuhi spoke in a perfectly ordinary way. ...She spoke from the position that the idea of a witch was just foolish, and that after all, it was nothing more than Kinzo's ramblings. ...However. something didn't make sense to Kyrie now, for some reason. Just now, she herself had seen the Golden Witch come in from the entrance hall and climb up the stairs. So Natsuhi's method of speech seemed almost like it was inducing her to not accept that the witch existed, or that it was forcing her to think that it might not exist... : "...I'm sorry. I think I'm feeling a bit of a headache. ...I think I'll rest for a little while.": "Oh, is that so...? Then I have some good headache medicine. Allow me to prepare it..."  :"...How long has he been inside here without leaving?": "I believe it has already been several years.": "...Did he want to make me a bird in a cage that much? How pitiful. ...Now you, the person who wished that, are the bird in a cage. ...Aren't you the ghost of the study? ...What a pitiful man to not recognize that.": "...He would probably continue his research until the day he could meet you again, even until he literally became a ghost.": "Is it love or madness or a delusion? ...If those are well enough developed, will they become magic? ...You sad magician."The witch grasped the doorknob to the study.  : "...Beatrice-sama..." : "What is this. ...A magic repellent! ...Is that person unable to get by without relying on something like this...?": "...I have heard that this door is painful for you, Beatrice-sama. Shall I open it...?": "No, ...it is fine. If he wins, I will be a bird in a cage for all eternity. ...If he loses, only the life of a laughingstock will be left, the life of a pitiful magician who went mad with love and lost everything."  Poor Kinzo. So close.: "...The magic repellent could be here for that reason. ...Hmph. ...I see, that is also honorable. ...Now, everything is on top of Kinzo's game board."    Beatrice's bio gets updated, with new text in addition to the new outfit. Yes, it does this before the ushering to the VIP room actually happens. Next time: Rigging the wheel
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Jun 10, 2013 11:36
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Oh boy here we go. All I really have to say is that Fortitude is an amazing track.
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Jun 10, 2013 12:17
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Rosa continuing to cement her position as parent of the year. And of course, Kinzo is already getting hosed over by his own paranoia.
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Jun 10, 2013 12:34
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Here we see Beatrice learning from her mistakes last game. Last game she was just a vague, shadowy threat. The possibility of a 19th person was vague. This time she's moving openly, rather then just have strange things happen with people blaming Beatrice, she's openly appearing and saying "Here I am! I'm going to kill you all now." Insurrectionist posted:And of course, Kinzo is already getting hosed over by his own paranoia. I dunno, I think meeting Beatrice when she's running around ready to kill a bunch of people to resurrect her might lead to him dying. Keeping himself sealed away in a room protected from supernatural influence is a pretty good way to guarantee his safety. Not doing anything dumb like leaving or letting anybody in like last time is the best way to survive his gamble. He's waited decades for Beatrice to come back, he can lock himself away for two days in order to guarantee he'll see her again.
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Jun 10, 2013 19:22
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| # ? Jun 3, 2024 17:21 |
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Kyrie and Kanon are all right.  I'm excited to see how Beatrice is going to get involved with the murdering.
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Jun 10, 2013 19:44
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