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Actually we are near the end of this episode.
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Feb 19, 2014 02:41
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| # ? May 22, 2024 12:10 |
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And I should have another update ready Friday or Saturday. Possibly sooner if other things this week take less time than I'm expecting, but it'll definitely be up around then at latest.
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Feb 19, 2014 03:24
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PLOT TWIST: This whole story was just an elaborate S&M session between Battler and a dominatrix. When you're from a rich family, you can afford to have really elaborate fetishes.
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Feb 20, 2014 09:04
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Fates End posted:PLOT TWIST: I wouldn't put it past
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Feb 20, 2014 12:28
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Note that Beatrice only said that Kanon was killed in Jessica's room but made no mention to its timing, which means he can be killed at practically any time after he was last seen in the room and could have left it before returning and getting murdered. Also, Kumasawa was killed without a concrete proof the second time as Nanjo was conveniently not available for prove her status in both episodes. For some reason, I just can't help suspecting her even though she has little motive for murder. By the way, have we seen Kinzo at all since the murders began?
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Feb 20, 2014 18:47
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Jeek posted:
No. Not since he locked himself in his room at midnight.
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Feb 21, 2014 00:39
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havenwaters posted:No. Not since he locked himself in his room at midnight. Which makes two games in a row now he's done that.
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Feb 22, 2014 20:34
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Nah remember in the last game Kinzo snuck out of the story at some point only to end up stabbed in the head and shoved in the boiler.
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Feb 22, 2014 23:09
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Part Forty: The Second Mirror    : "George-sama, I understand well that you aren't able to believe that so suddenly. ...Anyways, ...even though I should have seen it with my own eyes, I'm still not sure what it was I saw... I'm sure I saw it. And I'm sure I got into a scuffle! And yet, ...I almost feel like it was all an illusion..." : "...I see. ...So that's why you couldn't go into the details in front of Rosa oba-san. ...If what you said is true, then we're in even bigger trouble. ...I see, I understand that Genji-san handled the whole thing composedly." : "...If only I had the power to explain it."George had not actually seen it, and even when pressed to believe, he just couldn't imagine it. ...It was only natural. Because even the people who had actually seen it had given up asking themselves what it was...  : "...Let's rewind the story a bit. ...Shannon, you said that when you thought Kanon-kun was an impostor, you picked up some spider-webs and came back, right? Why did you do that?": "...That's right, I was thinking about that as well. Why spider-webs?"Because even witches and demons can be arachnophobic. No crazy mystical stuff going on there. I'm like 90% certain the whole “burn and explode into butterflies” thing is what actually happens if you rub spider webs on an arachnophobe.  : "...When it came to those old stories, ...Kumasawa was very knowledgeable." : "That's because spiders are useful. ...Certainly, the existence of such a creed isn't strange at all." : "...I'm sure. ...I think that torii shrine was entrapping the power of those evil spirits. ...And, since the spirit mirror was broken, that power revived...I have no doubt that it became the power to make Beatrice-sama revive...If I, ...as weak-hearted as I am, ...hadn't done such an outrageous thing... Whaaaaaaa...!!"Yep. This is all your fault, Shannon. Way to go. : "...Shannon. You don't have to worry about that anymore. ...I don't blame you for that."I blame her. Because if she hadn't broken the mirror, we might have been spared the first quarter of this episode. Since long ago, Shannon had hinted at a certain occult aspect regarding how she had met George. After listening to her, George had come to think that this was typical of a girl, associating love with fate, chance, and miracles.  ...Just breaking a mirror in some musty shrine wouldn't change the fate of our meeting. So uh. Were you destined to be together or is that just feminine superstition, George? Pick one. And that would never cause any curse. I should have cheered her up, saying it was only a musty mirror covered in dust. : "...I had heard the story of a spirit called Beatrice from several coworkers ever since I started working on this island. In the beginning, I thought it was ridiculous, but since it would appear indiscreet to comment on that, ...outwardly, I conducted myself as if I also believed it. ...But, could it really-": "She existed. ...Beatrice-sama was in this mansion all along. ...But Beatrice had lost her powers, ...and could not appear before us. She did 'exist' all along. It's just that we couldn't see her." : "...That is all. ...We have already explained everything we saw. ...I understand that it would be very unreasonable to try and force you, who didn't see it, to believe it." : "How could he believe it? ...I thought that it was undoubtedly Kanon-san. ...But that guy got up from the bed, ...and, that's right, when he started to grope about that wound in his chest in that manner, ...I felt that this wasn't Kanon-san, but some different being. ...George-sama probably couldn't understand it. ...The terror of that moment when the person I thought I knew well exposed that he was in fact, a different person...I can't explain. ...I can't explain it at all...": "I understand. ...I can guess at what kind of a shock such a dreadful thing would cause to Gohda-san.": "...Thank you very much, ...George-sama."And they all went silent again. Shannon kept crying no matter how many times she was consoled, thinking that listening to the witch's sweet whispers and breaking the spirit mirror on that day had all been a mistake...  : "...What happened to this mirror that you broke?" : "I don't remember. ...I probably left when I broke it, ...so it's probably just how I left it.": "...So when, as they say, the reef was struck by lightning and disappeared, the bottom of the ocean... Well, I'll bet picking it up and taping it together won't make it effective again. Hahahahaha.": "...Truly, ...what, ...have I done..."All your fault, Shannon. All your fault.  : "...Sorry. I shouldn't have said that." ...Even if he was told a story about witches and evil spirits, it just sounded fake to him. Even so, he listened seriously to Shannon's story, trying find a hint that might relieve at least a little of the pain in her heart. : "Come to think of it, ...I think it is different from the one in that torii, ...but I have heard that Madam keeps a spirit mirror as a charm.": "...Really? Natsuhi oba-san?" : "Yes. I believe she received it as a memento from her grandfather or something, and that it held a very strong magic repelling power, of high pedigree? A spirit mirror or something...": "...I have also heard the same story. ...Something about the mirror having the power to reflect that which is not good and send it back."  Ah, I get where this plan is going. She shows up to stake you, raise the mirror, stake bounces. She swats it back, raise the mirror again, rinse and repeat until she fucks up, then go apeshit on her while she pulls it out. About three rounds and boom, witch problem solved. Classic. This is a Good Plan, George. I approve. : "...The shrine and the torii where it was enshrined are gone now, but the important thing is that there is still another spirit mirror. ...I've heard that Natsuhi oba-san's family is descended from Shinto priests. Maybe that isn't just a simple mirror.": "I, I am sure that I have heard Madam say that she keeps it safe in a treasure box. ...It might not be very large.": "...I don't think its size is a problem. Even the mirror I broke didn't look so big at a glance.": "...If our opponent is occult, then we too must resist by using occult measures. ...If we just sit around here, nothing will be resolved. It's worth trying, if only for some peace of mind."Of course, this didn't mean that George had accepted the witch. ...However, he thought it would be necessary to have some kind of purification ceremony to heal the wounds in Shannon's heart. ...So this story about Natsuhi's spirit mirror was really convenient.  : "...Maria-chan told me about it earlier, but the door to Grandfather's room was supposed to be able to repel magic, right? ...As expected of Grandfather. This means he was pretty good on defense when it comes to the occult. ...Let's go. To Natsuhi oba-san's room!": "B, but, I think Madam's room is locked...! We returned the master keys to Rosa-sama, ...and even the key box in the servants' room is now locked away...": "...In that case, Natsuhi oba-san should have been walking around with that key. ...Natsuhi oba-san's corpse should still be in the chapel. It would be bad to disturb it ourselves before the police come, but we can fully explain that."Or you could just smash down the door to Natsuhi's room. Save yourselves a trip through the typhoon, and it's not a crime scene. : "However..., the entrance to the chapel is also locked...": "Hahaha, Gohda-san, can't you break a single glass window with your physical strength? You could smash it with a rock from around there.": "W, would it, ...umm, be okay to break the window of that important chapel...?" : "Let's break the glass. Then, let's borrow the key from Natsuhi oba-san's corpse."It seemed that George's claim that he would take responsibility gave the servants a great amount of courage. ...Shannon and Gohda faced each other, and then looked at George's face again. : "Grandfather knows everything about the occult. I'm sure he'll understand if it's about the power of Natsuhi oba-san's spirit mirror. Don't worry, he won't get mad at you.": "...I wonder if Madam's mirror, ...can really seal, ...Beatrice-sama once again.": "I don't know. But I think it's worth trying. ...So let's go. It's getting darker and darker outside. Quickly! Shannon, get a flashlight! Gohda-san, find something that looks like it can break the glass! Sorry Genji, but could you get us some umbrellas?" Shannon checked the emergency flashlight. Just in case, she changed the batteries. Gohda was testing several heavy looking cooking tools. ...Normally, a highly praised chef like himself wouldn't want to use them for something other than their intended purpose. But now he was frantic to fulfill the orders of the one he accepted as his master. After some worrying, he took a large, thick-feeling frying pan. Genji removed several umbrellas from the umbrella stand set in the corner near the kitchen door. ...He took three of them.  : "Wh, ...what in the world, Genji-san?! Even you should understand how dangerous it would be to be alone in this mansion now...!": "...I cannot go. ...So that the Master can call for me at any time, I must remain here.": "Genji-sama...": "...Go, so that you can work for George-sama. Be sincere, so that there are no blunders. Gohda, I am counting on you to be an example.": "Y, ...yes. ...Leave it to me.": "I will surely fulfill my duty..." As Genji said that, he sat down. As though saying that he didn't intend to discuss this anymore, ...his gaze fell to the chessboard that he had played on with Nanjo. When George saw this, he decided to leave Genji there. : "Let's go, everyone. It looks like the wind is a little softer right now!"When George took an umbrella and dashed down the hallway, Shannon and Gohda chased after him, each holding a tool. ...After they flew out of the room, Genji quietly stretched his hand out to the corner of the room with the chessboard. ...He softly pulled something that was there towards himself, and hid it by covering it with his palm. Genji killed his breathing even more than before. ...As he did, ...something flashed gold.  Three people out on their own, in the open, with no decent way of protecting themselves and with Beatrice taking an interest. No way this can end badly! It happened in an instant. ...The elegant gold butterfly, flapping its wings, was pinned against the wall by the knife Genji threw, just like a butterfly in a bug collection. After the gold butterfly beat its wings several times, looking like it was in pain, it accepted the fact that it couldn't break free, became fine gold powder and smoke, and disappeared as though it had melted into water...  Genji still gazed down at the chessboard as though nothing had happened. ...Maybe he would think up a brilliant move very soon. But no matter what move he made, his opponent would not be able to respond for all eternity. Even though he knew that, Genji searched for a brilliant move. ...It must have been the perfect way to kill time, during the short period before some fate would be given to him... ...He didn't know what result the roulette would bring about. But that decision would be made very soon. ...No one could interfere with the tumbling roulette ball...  The door to the parlor was not only locked, but blocked with a barricade made of sofas and the like. So Rosa scowled, apparently thinking that if a suspicious person appeared, it would be by breaking the window. Sitting on a one-person sofa, her back to the door, she continued to hold onto her gun.  In the beginning, I had been a little interested, and had tried to solve it, but I had never had a clue about what that weird paragraph meant. ...I didn't doubt that there was some riddle hidden there, but I couldn't imagine that I would solve it by chance. In the middle part of the epitaph, there were the lines from the first to the tenth twilight, saying to journey to the Golden Land. At the first twilight, you shall lift up as sacrifice the six chosen by the key. At the second twilight, those who remain shall tear apart the two who are close. It was obvious that this hinted at the first six murders that had already occurred in the chapel, and Jessica and Kanon-kun's murders.  Doctor Nanjo and Kumasawa baa-chan's corpses hadn't been found. ...However, if we reasonably assumed that they were the sacrifices of the fourth and fifth twilights, ...they would surely be found in a pitiful state, with their head and chest gouged. In which case, could we expect that three more would be gouged in the stomach, knee, and leg and killed? ...Who would that be? ...I looked around the room, noticing that there were three people here, but, how should I say it, my emotions seemed paralyzed. ...I couldn't understand my strange and frightening feelings.   : "...Hey, Maria." : "Uu-...?": "What was it again, that Beatrice said she would do if we solved this?"I was sure that the witch had written in her letter that she would give up on collecting the debt, or something abstract like that. ...I optimistically took that to mean that she would give up on killing the whole family, ...but was it really written with that meaning? I didn't really feel like solving this riddle would actually save us. ...I thought that even if we did solve it, would that be doing just what the culprit wanted us to, and would all be a wasted effort...  : "No, that's not true. ...If you solve the epitaph, Beato's ceremony will be over. So there won't be any need for more people to die." : "...Why, ...are you so sure?": "The gold has been Beatrice's from the beginning. She wouldn't go after something that's hers."Especially when she could just conjure up a fresh mountain if she cared about the gold itself at all. : "...Then, ...then why is Beatrice giving us all these big hints? ...Not just that, why did she even set up this game-like thing?": "Risk is essential for magic." Pictured: the only magical implements you'll ever need. Take note, aspiring wizards. : "...Risk. ...I don't really know what you mean.": "For example, in a marathon, ...do you think that a medal that anyone can get by running the whole thing is worth the same as the medal given only to the person who gets first...?": "No, I don't...So what does this mean? In the end, she's just playing around? Purposefully giving us a chance-": "W-ro-ng. That's what a witch is. No matter how great the magic, there are definitely risks and weak points. No, there has to be." And from this we can conclude further that the most magical place on earth is not Merlin's homeland of England, not Brocken where the witches gather on Walpurgisnacht, nor even Disneyland's Magic Kingdom, which straight up calls itself that. It's Las Vegas. Who would have thought? : "That is correct. So Beato properly explained the risk of the ceremony to everyone. Therefore, if this riddle is solved, the ceremony will be suspended. After all, if she breaks her promises, then there wouldn't be any risk.": "If we solve this, ...will she really keep her promise?": "Why is it beautiful when a flower withers? Why is it that an artificial flower isn't beautiful no matter how elaborate it is, even if you can't tell the difference by looking? Humans can bring about miracles by gambling their death. If there were an undying human, that person would have no way of bringing about a miracle. ...Us too, life too, the witch and the ceremony too. If we don't bear a risk, we can't succeed in anything.": "...What do we do if we solve the riddle? Should we raise our hand and cry 'That's it!', tell the witch our answer and see what she says?" : "Uu-. I don't know about that. But, if we solve it, the ceremony will surely end automatically." So, ...if you don't bear a risk, nothing can be gained. That is doubtlessly the way of the world, ...but it was in conflict with the chessboard theory style of thinking that I liked. At least when making moves in chess, players grope for the best move, always trying to avoid risk and hoping for an advantageous turn of events. They don't trust to chance, like in gambling. ...That's right, there's no room for gambling in an intellectual game. And yet, this person called Beatrice had committed such an outrageous crime, ...or maybe a ceremony, ...while purposefully imposing conditions for her own loss and announcing them to us.  I thought she was probably making us focus on the epitaph to trick us in some way, speaking in riddles. ...But Maria said only that was impossible. She said that this was a genuine risk that the witch had taken, and therefore proof that this was a formal ceremony for magic. ...I can't understand this witch called Beatrice. Even though she is supposedly committing this chain of murders with some goal in mind, ...why did she go to all the trouble of exposing the conditions by which she would lose? ...No matter how I turn the chessboard over and think from my opponent's perspective, ...I can't understand why she would give up if this riddle is solved.  If she just wants to massacre us all, she could just do it secretly, without this whole crazy setup. There was no need for that scrupulous advance notice, this closed room acting or anything. ...It's all over-acting. I don't understand at all what it means. As long as I continue to think of Beatrice as a greedy human culprit, will I be able to understand anything? ...If I don't accept her as a witch, will I be unable to even set the pieces on the chessboard after all...? ...If she was really a witch, and everything Maria had said was true, there would be only one thing for us to do. ...The reasoning and the discord and searching for the culprit had all been pointless. We should have all gathered in the dining hall, combining our knowledge to solve the riddle. If we had combined the knowledge of that many people, maybe we would be able to at least grasp a thread of the answer...  In the end, chessboard theory is a technique of thinking where you project yourself on your opponent. ...So greedy people see their greedy selves inside their opponents... I looked vaguely at Rosa oba-san. She was probably tired from being under all this tension the whole time. She couldn't sleep, but she kept staring vaguely at some point off in space. Rosa oba-san had proclaimed that she couldn't trust anyone who had not been killed. ...Rosa oba-san's chessboard thinking, ...saw herself inside her opponent. ...In other words, Rosa oba-san, ...might have been an isolated woman, unable to trust anyone and unable to let her guard down. ...Long ago, I think I heard a bit about it from my dad.  So she decided to finally carve out her own unique niche as “the crazy abusive one.” Certainly Rosa oba-san had said many things today that could be taken as abusive language. ...But, in a sense, those were words that had been showered upon her, and engraved on her vocabulary. The many abusive words that she had spoken, ...were also words that Rosa oba-san had been showered with in the past... ...Now that I think about it, I've had the feeling that her style of speech sometimes has traces of Krauss oji-san or Eva oba-san in it. ...I'd accepted that they might be similar because they were siblings, ...but maybe that wasn't the case... I sympathized from my heart with Rosa oba-san, who I had come to think of as being only gentle... I don't think I'll ever stop wondering what alternate Rosa the characters are seeing when they express this sentiment.  ...But this is Maria we're talking about. She herself would never break a promise, and she had the most innocent heart... So she believed that Beatrice also wouldn't break a promise. She could believe that. But wasn't that just an image of Beatrice that Maria imagined...? There's no proof that the real Beatrice definitely keeps her promises, right...?  : "...So you're saying a complete monster like you follows the rules?" : "I won't deny that I am brutal and unjust and a monster. ...However, I am a witch. I use magic. In order to use magic, there are some rules that must be followed. ...Because I am a witch, I cannot neglect those. You should believe at least that much." : "...Even after everything's gotten so crazy, you're still telling me to believe only those rules?": "...I do play tricks. Of course, I also deceive people. That's no different from humans. ...But not once have I disregarded something that I have said as a promise. What about humans? Do you always keep your promises?" : "...Since we have catch phrases like 'Keep your promises', ...it's doubtful that we always follow them properly."  : "...If there's even a small loophole, they'll immediately say something like 'Increase the number of wishes to one hundred', or 'try changing into a tiny speck'.": "...Dad often tells me something. He says that there's nothing as scary as contracts. ...He said it's only natural that people who agree without reading them thoroughly will be chewed to the bone. ...He made a killing through vice.": "...Imagine it. When people are born, they don't know of fraud. ...They get it from somewhere. And so they learn it.": "...": "Yes, the crimes of the human world, which must be forced on one another. ...Let me see, I've heard that from a witch somewhere. Oh well. ...I'm not as heartless as you think, you see? *cackle*cackle*cackle*!"  : "...I see. So you're saying that this eternal torture, will be the same for me. ...*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*. ...Maybe. One thousand years is a long time... Maybe a witch's true strength is decided not by their magical power, but by the strength of their determination. ...I see, I can accept how terrifying Lady Bern is.": "drat you, babbling on and on about this incomprehensible stuff. ...Let's quickly continue this eternal torture. I'm prepared to stick around for one thousand years or even ten thousand years.": "*cackle*cackle*! Good, good. It looks like you've regained some of your will to fight. It would be boring otherwise. Come now, don't you often see it in competitive games? Sometimes one player intrudes on their opponent's territory, but the opponent is so weak that it's a bit of an anticlimax, so the first player loses on purpose to extend the game until the last round, when they get serious and shower their opponent with blows, right?": "...I don't get what that means.": "It's the same as wine. If you don't let it age well, it won't sparkle. ...You are the same as that wine. I'll carefully make you age. ...I'll raise you to be the best alcohol to color my elegant time..."  Next time: No regrets.
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Feb 23, 2014 22:48
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Even more splitting up? You'd think they might learn...even if Genji had a 'good' excuse this time, and the others a decent reason to move.
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Feb 24, 2014 01:50
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LET'S SPLIT UP, GANG! Battler = Shaggy Jessica = Daphne Velma = George Fred = ??? Scooby = Maria??????
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Feb 24, 2014 07:07
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Scooby is obviously Kinzo. Scooby Snacks = demonic absinthe.
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Feb 24, 2014 07:44
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Umineko ends when Battler and Maria accidentally capture Beatrice in a hilarious chase scene, unmasking her and revealing her to be Captain Kuwabata
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Feb 24, 2014 08:01
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Dr Pepper posted:Umineko ends when Battler and Maria accidentally capture Beatrice in a hilarious chase scene, unmasking her and revealing her to be Captain Kuwabata And then everyone dies anyway, at least if Higurashi taught me anything.
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Feb 25, 2014 07:46
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Speaking of dying, did Shiny777 get eaten by a daemongoat or something? 
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Mar 5, 2014 01:49
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I'm alive and well. Will probably have something up in the Friday-Sunday range. I suppose it at least means I'm doing a decent job picking up the pace again if someone's asking after only a week without an update now. 
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Mar 5, 2014 05:28
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Part Forty-One: The Second Twilight As It Should Have Been George, Gohda and Shannon had broken a suitable window, and were inside the chapel. ...Since they really hadn't wanted to break one, they had searched for another way in, just in case. ...But in the end, after proving once again that there was nowhere that they could slip in through, it only became more obvious that this chapel was a mysterious closed room... Inside the chapel, time had stopped since they had left it earlier. Of course, George hadn't been able to approach this horrible Halloween party again. It was only natural. Because it made him remember again the sadness of losing both of his parents at once. ...And Gohda, thinking of the possibility that those corpses might have changed in some horrible way now that a half of a day had passed, didn't want to let George approach. Shannon followed Gohda's instructions, and approached the party table... ...Normally, Shannon might have resented having another dirty job forced on her. ...But now, she could truly understand Gohda's mental state. Even though Gohda had prodigious skill, he had gotten into trouble, lost his job, and been left out in the streets, when Natsuhi had given him a new life.    ...Now that half a day had passed, the bodies of Natsuhi and the rest had changed completely. Small bugs that had sniffed out the smell of death had started to gather. ...It really wasn't something you wanted to look at directly... : "...Madam, ...excuse me..."Because of her long experience as a servant, Shannon had an idea of which pocket Natsuhi had kept the key to her room in. ...Probably, in this pocket... Her guess didn't fail her. Just by touching the outside of the pocket, she was immediately able to feel it...  : "It's here. ...The key to Madam's room."Shannon held the key up high, showing the others that it had been found. As George and Gohda watched her, their eyes opened wide... That wasn't the expression Shannon was expecting, so it startled her.   Because it was the first time George had seen them, it might have looked like some kind of illusion. ...But Gohda already knew. ...He knew that those gold butterflies were a long way from being beautiful, and that they caused some kind of misfortune. And that gold swelled, trying to suck Shannon in...  : "Sh, Shannon-san!! Run!!": "Huh?! Kyaa!!!"Shannon also realized that gold butterflies were trying to swallow her up. She ran unsteadily, her expression still shocked. As she did, the gold butterflies danced around Shannon at once. They grouped together. They tried to swallow her up!  George and Gohda rushed up to Shannon, driving off the group of butterflies. And while the butterflies were scattered, they ran towards the broken window! However, they needed a good footing to get out of the window, which was surrounded with shards of broken glass. When they had entered, there had been enough time to prepare for that, but now there was none.  Gohda took off his jacket, swinging it around and scattering the group of butterflies. But he was vastly outnumbered. It was doubtful that it even bought them a short amount of time. George struggled with the broken handle. Its age showed, and it didn't turn well. I can't leave it to strength, it needs the right angle or some trick... : "George-sama!! drat iiiiiiiiiiiit!! You monsteeers!!"...At that time, Gohda saw it. ...He was seen by it. In other words, their eyes met. On top of the party table, ...no, as if it was holding up the stained glass, floating, laughing, the figure of the witch. As the number of Gold butterflies decreased, he saw the figure of the laughing witch in the center of golden whirlwind.   Yay! Would've been better if they'd been the second twilight like she suggested, but hey. Better late than never.   I had forgotten that Worldenddominator showed up here. There's a scene a little bit down the line that's so strongly associated with it that I could have sworn it debuted there.  : "Are you sure it's good to just stand there...? If you think this place is suitable for your cemetery, then very well. *cackle*cackle*!! I'll praise your spirit for wanting to stay by your former master's side and serve him even after death!"The golden whirlwind that wrapped around the witch burst. It was like an evil hand had literally spread its fingers and was trying to attack them! The group of gold butterflies made a 'za' sound and attacked.  : "Hurry!! We can't stand here!!" There was no time to take out their umbrellas. The three of them dashed out into the pouring rain. They didn't turn around, so they didn't realize it, but because the gold butterflies apparently couldn't do as they pleased out in the rain, and they weren't able to chase the three of them well. The three people ran from their golden pursuers, and flew into the mansion...    They unlocked the door, and flew into the room. A bit of the scent from Natsuhi's favorite gentle incense remained in the room. ...However, there was no time to let that calm them now. : "Where is it?! You said it was in a treasure box, right...?!": "It's just something I heard...! I never knew where it actually...!": "...I, I think it's probably in her dresser, or in the corner by the bed!"Shannon claimed that because of her woman's sense. But in the corner by the bed, there was only an incense burner, a half-read novel, and glasses. But the dresser was elegant and had many drawers, and it would be understandable if she had kept some of her valuables there.  He emptied the drawers one by one and examined their contents. ...Every small box for makeup looked like a treasure box, and the amount of effort it would take to inspect all of them made him feel a little dizzy. : "M, ...maybe it's this box... It's locked, and I can't open it...!"At a glance, it looked slightly larger than a music box. When shaken, it rustled, as though various small objects were inside. But it was locked and didn't open! : "N, normally, you'd hide the key somewhere nearby. ...But maybe some people always take it with them... I don't know, ...I don't know...!!": "There's no choice..., break it! But we can't do it with force, right? We might break the mirror inside. Could there be a tool to pry it open...?! drat it...!!"Gohda looked all over the room, trying to see if there was some tool that they could use. And he noticed the door, which had been left open ever since they had entered. He approached the door to close it, ...and noticed the abominable shadows of people approaching from beyond the darkness in the hall...  Hey now, are you saying goat butlers aren't people, Gohda? You loving racist. : "...G, ...George-sama!!! H, ...hurry..."Gohda's voice trailed off... It was the shock from seeing a procession of those not of this world. He was a servant. So he knew all of the servants that worked for the Ushiromiya family. ...But he didn't know about these. However, they were definitely servants...!! They weren't servants working for Ushiromiya Kinzo or Ushiromiya Krauss.  Yeah, she's got a whole army of these things.  And the lightsabers are standard issue. I think she's onto something here. They really should be standard for all butlers. As the new master laughed loudly and trimly directed six of the new servants, he saw them pierce the darkness as they came. ...Of course, she was clad in the gold butterflies that were her symbol. Gohda hurriedly closed the door and locked it! However, just as he locked it, it returned to normal, just as though a spring or something had knocked it back! Just as though some prankster on the other side of the door was creating the illusion that it was opening every time he closed it. ...They shouldn't have reached the other side of the door yet!! Then who, how...?! It felt just like playing with a broken toy. *click*, *boing*.*click*, *boing*.  It was like the witch could see Gohda's frantic effort through the door. Even as their footsteps were approaching. And when not just footsteps, but their breath too could be heard, Gohda gave up on the lock and slammed into the door, locking it himself with his large body. : "...George-sama, quickly quickly quickly!!!": "George-sama, what about this?!": "A letter opener?! That's better, let me have it! The fountain pen isn't working!"George took it, and once again dug into the crack under the lid of the treasure box. ...It looks like it's working...! : "Quickly quickly!! Hiiiiiii, UOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"The pressure from across the door grew even stronger.  But he was still lucky. He wasn't touching them directly. Because they were on the other side of the door. So it was natural that if he touched them directly, ...Gohda's cry would turn from something brave into a shameful and very real scream that would make glass shatter. Gohda couldn't believe what was right before his eyes. ...Going through the door, ...an arm, ...an arm, ...almost as though it was sticking through water, as though it was perfectly natural, slipped through, and rubbed the back of Gohda's hand as he tried to hold the door closed as though his life depended on it. ...It, slid up his arm, ...to his chest, ...and then, ...his chin. By now, Gohda's scream didn't sound like his voice. He could hear a sweet whispering voice from across the door. ...It wasn't coming from the witch, but judging by the sound of the voice, it was a young woman. ...But that didn't change the fact that it was a voice from one not of this world.  (Click to watch the murders.) : "HIIIIIIIIIiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIiiiiIIIIiii!!" : "Thanks. It's over already isn't it? ...*giggle*giggle*!"We get no formal introduction to this stake, but she's Beelzebub, the Stake of Gluttony.    That obscene arm split open. And they heard the sound of something jumping around the room at an incredible speed. They didn't know what it was. Incredibly fast, small, like steel or maybe a beetle...! When it buried itself right in the center of Gohda's chest and stopped, ...for the first time, ...they realized that its true form, ...was something like a stake with a strange design on it... Gohda's large body shook..., bent backwards, ...and fell over. Farewell, Gohda. You were pretty much the only normal person on the island, and died so that the other half of the Romcom Bullshit Brigade might go with you. Truly a noble cause. As it did, the door opened softly, even though no one was pushing it, ...and the new master of this room was welcomed in. It looked almost as though the door itself had accepted her.  : "...Shannon. The roulette has chosen you and George. Thank me for your day of release. Do you have any regrets?" Uhhhhhhh. *crack*. It was the sound of the lid to the treasure box breaking and opening. When George turned it over, accessories, charms, ...various small objects that Natsuhi had treasured when she was a girl fell out. ...Mixed in with that, was a pouch that stood out from the rest. He picked it up, and checked it immediately. ...This was it. : "I found it..., this is it...": "You can't do anything. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!! Die!": "...D, drat it!!"All at once, the gold butterflies attacked George, who was impatiently trying to remove the contents of the pouch.    At that time, it seemed like, for just an instant, a bright red flash lit up the room... That red flash seemed to wipe out the gold butterflies that were raging around the room, ...as though drawing a circle with Shannon at the center... ...Therefore, it was a very divine scene. ...Almost as though a single streak of light cut through the clouds in the ceiling, in this world of gold... George, who was curled in a ball, trying to protect himself from the group of butterflies, didn't have a clue what was going on. ...Then he noticed that Shannon was blocking the way to him, shielding him, as with a face that she had never shown him before, she glared at the witch and the rest...  So instead of a built-in lightsaber, Kinzo decided to give Shannon barriers. That seems like a step down to me, but whatever.  : "...Kanon-kun, ...how could you? ...Not that you killed him. ...How could you, erase his remains, ...and even try to disgrace his honor...": "Come now, Shannonnnnn, does that make you mad? If you're lonely because you can't meet Kanon, just ask me, I'll bring you together any tiiiiime!!"  When the witch snapped her fingers, ...one of the six goat attendants, ...glittered gold and changed into Kanon. It was definitely a sight to make one doubt their eyes. ...It was definitely Kanon's face. ...However, in those eyes, there was none of that sincere glint of Kanon's. ...They were only the vague eyes of furniture that only obeyed the orders of the witch. ...George couldn't understand the scene right before his eyes. ...And he finally understood why Gohda and the rest had been unable to talk about what they had seen in the servants' room.  : "Yeah, it's fun. It's always fun to reunite two that have been torn apart by death. Because I get to enjoy tearing the two apart by death, reuniting them, and then tearing them apart again."  ...From the impostor Kanon's arm, ...a strangely shining locus extended. ...It planned to tear Shannon apart with that. ...Shannon, who still hadn't prepared her heart, with a single stroke... : "...I won't forgive you. ...For dishonoring the dead not once, ...but twice, ...I won't forgive you." : "Stop babbling, get killed by your brother, Shannonnnnn, I'm sure you'll be able to have a good dreeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaam!!!"    Okay, murder barriers at least sound like a rather more equal trade. The figure of the foolish furniture who had mocked Kanon's form and even disgraced his honor after his death, broke into countless gold butterflies, and then those butterflies themselves broke into pieces, and those pieces were broken into pieces, until they were no longer butterflies, but a golden splash, and disappeared. : "...Sh, ...Shannon...": "...George-san, please don't move from there. I don't want to shift the central axis.": "This is..., ...I'm surprised!! Even though you make a face like you wouldn't hurt a fly, ...you can display such power?!! I see, so the spirit mirror is lending you power... But you don't have the preparations or the time to draw out the true power of that spirit mirror. I won't give you either of those. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!"The spirit mirror George gripped had let out a divine sparkle, and displayed a strength that wouldn't submit to wicked power. But that sparkle was no match for the witch's sinister nature...  Especially when the cabinet incinerates your toe for touching it. : "...I am not furniture. ...And, I think you are very pitiful right now.": "Whaat...? Hoh. ...I wonder, what did this furniture, who hasn't lived even a hundred years, just say to a witch of one thousand years...?": "...You are a very pitiful person. ...Of course there will be regrets between two people who love each other. But there isn't even a scrap of the kind of regrets you're hoping for.": "You dare speak, furniture...!! When you say that, have you forgotten the days that you wanted to be tied to George so much that you licked my shoes?!!" : "...It does mean something, it definitely does. ...But it's completely different from what you're saying. It means something so sacred that one such as you has no right to speak of it wickedly. So I no longer have any regrets. George-san and I have sworn our love to each other. As proof, I accepted the ring. ...With that, our eternal vows were completed! No matter how you torture us with your wicked magic and your malice, you cannot disgrace that for all eternity!!"    : "That's enough, stop talking furniture, you furniture furniture furniture, who the hell do you think you are, talking like that, showing off this fraud that love is beautiful when in the end it's filthy filth, don't people become adults when they realize thaaaaaaaaaat, die you trash, furniture furniture scrap, I'll turn you into a filthy maggot, then we'll see whether that glasses guy still loves you, I'll show you that this guy's only had his eyes on your fleeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh, die you piece of craaaaaaaaaaaaap, don't you tell me about looooooooooooooooooove!!"Maybe I should have saved Part 39's title for this one. Ah well, hindsight and all that.  The invisible column of light with Shannon at the center, started to have bright red ripples drawn all over it at once. ...The wall did its best to withstand the malice that eyes couldn't see as it tried to corrode in on them from all directions.  ...I uh. I think Beatrice broke, guys. The bright-red ripples frantically drew a pattern of resistance, but instead, it became a red wall of despair and began to wrap up the two of them...   : "...George-san, I'm sorry...It was impossible, ...for me, ...after all...": "...Yes, thank you. ...You fought for my sake. ...That alone makes me happy."...As the round wall that had once protected them was assaulted and covered with a locus of bright red ripples as it made something like a scream, ...it began to suck the two of them up instead. : "George-san, can I ask a favor?"Shannon grasped George's hand behind her. So George hugged her shoulders just as strongly. : "What is it?"  Beatrice ain't having none of that poo poo, though. You should probably watch the video just for this last bit because it does not translate very well to screenshots.  And with the last three sacrifices, we've got our final five for Ep 2: Battler, Rosa, Maria, Genji...and Kinzo. At least all this ritual murder paid off for the poor guy this time.   Next time: Retroactive sequence breaking and a reunion
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Mar 12, 2014 08:43
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For a witch who has lived a thousand years, a sudden breakdown like this is pretty unseemly. I wonder if that is an implication that the mastermind have some issue with love and sex thanks to someone in the Ushiromiya family. (Edit: Seems like the chapel door is closed, not locked. Paradox averted.) On an unrelated front, have Battler ever actually seen Kinzo in either chapter at all? Jeek fucked around with this message at 11:11 on Mar 12, 2014 |
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Mar 12, 2014 10:10
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Jeek posted:By the way, Beatrice has said before: I think that's specifically talking about that door; she's just saying that no one could have passed through it without unlocking it. Otherwise it doesn't make much sense for Battler to immediately bring up the possibility of another door. The possibility of breaking a window didn't need to be considered back then, because they were obviously all intact. Fake edit: Wait, why do you think it's unlocked now? They just had to break a window to get in, I don't think they would have done that if they could walk through the front door.
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Mar 12, 2014 10:55
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Zandar posted:Fake edit: Wait, why do you think it's unlocked now? They just had to break a window to get in, I don't think they would have done that if they could walk through the front door. This is from part 36:  No mention of door locking after this picture, so I assume it is actually just closed, not locked. On a second thought, Rosa did not bother to collect the chapel key when she took the master keys. Do you think it would be important to the case?
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Mar 12, 2014 11:11
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Jeek posted:On a second thought, Rosa did not bother to collect the chapel key when she took the master keys. Do you think it would be important to the case? I think it's been in Rosa's possession ever since she took it from Maria's envelope.
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Mar 12, 2014 11:16
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Man, Beezlebub, you SUCK. All the other stake sisters get interesting moments, especially when they <SPOILERS> with <SPOILERED> later on with <SPOILERS> on how to deal with <SPOILERS> But you? ALL YOU EVER DO IS TALK ABOUT FOOD. On the other hand, you did have a line in the 5th arc that made me giggle. So you get a pass. For now. As for Beatrice...She is a woman of a thousand faces, and approximately 666 of them are a variation on "I will feed you your own children". (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Mar 12, 2014 12:34
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Beatrice flipping out was pretty funny.
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Mar 12, 2014 15:04
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Oh hey Beatrice is there something you want to talk about. I think you have some issues.
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Mar 12, 2014 19:15
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Shiny777 posted:I had forgotten that Worldenddominator showed up here. There's a scene a little bit down the line that's so strongly associated with it that I could have sworn it debuted there. I can't wait for that scene personally  And after re-reading it, holy crap does this scene have a different meaning if you know the spoilers...
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Mar 13, 2014 23:00
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That end of that update really needs to be watched in video for anyone following along here for the first time.
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Mar 13, 2014 23:10
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Beatrice is going to end up having a terrible, tragic past, isn't she?  Can someone please post the text of the epitaph or at least which update it was in? I'd look myself, but spoilers and I'm sure you guys are enjoying the flailing around.
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Mar 14, 2014 00:42
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Shiny777 posted:Part Nine: The Banquet of Miracles Begins (Section A)
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Mar 14, 2014 01:01
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Even a few months later, the whole red text thing still bugs me. I accept that it's a rule to facilitate a game, like chess pieces being arbitrarily limited in how they can move. But I've been thinking a bit about a recent argument I was in, and worked my way to a topic possibly related to Umineko - the red text has been established to only be used to tell the truth, but has the VN or the thread ever addressed whether this is only for objective truth, or if subjective truth works fine, too?
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Mar 20, 2014 07:17
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So you mean if a person says something in red that they THINK is true but didn't actually happen? That's a fairly good question, but I guess it would break the mystery if there was that sort of doubt (Battler could just say "but maybe that's not what actually happened!" each time), so probably not. Thanks for the link to the epithet, MercuryHat. 
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Mar 20, 2014 07:23
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Zack Ater posted:Even a few months later, the whole red text thing still bugs me. I accept that it's a rule to facilitate a game, like chess pieces being arbitrarily limited in how they can move. But I've been thinking a bit about a recent argument I was in, and worked my way to a topic possibly related to Umineko - the red text has been established to only be used to tell the truth, but has the VN or the thread ever addressed whether this is only for objective truth, or if subjective truth works fine, too? This is an excellent question.  But no, the VN hasn't directly addressed the exact nature of red text yet.
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Mar 20, 2014 12:57
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It's not really possible to discuss the nature of the red text without giving away themes of the story, I don't think. But it is true that Battler is incompetent, if you want to calibrate your bullshit detector .
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Mar 20, 2014 16:10
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Mecca-Benghazi posted:So you mean if a person says something in red that they THINK is true but didn't actually happen? That's a fairly good question, but I guess it would break the mystery if there was that sort of doubt (Battler could just say "but maybe that's not what actually happened!" each time), so probably not. Indeed, it would break the game if the red truth didn't actually limit Battler in the way he thought that it would. At the same time, I don't think you can use that as evidence the Red Truth is 100% objective. Look at the two posts above me- the Red Truth was used to substantiate a subjective quality that mostly depends on individual opinion.
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Mar 20, 2014 16:37
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Also Beatrice's laughter is apparently True.
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Mar 20, 2014 20:22
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Status update: 42's mostly finished, but on hold at the moment because I've got a couple major assignments due soon. Should be able to get it finished and posted Tuesday once my plate is clear again. Also, update 45'll be the last of Ep2. If nothing goes wrong, should finally wrap this one up somewhere in April and be on to Banquet a bit after finals.
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Mar 20, 2014 21:11
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Part Forty-Two: I Wonder What A Low Percent Epitaph Ritual Would Look Like    He had half-heartedly gone to ask Rosa and the others what they would do for dinner, but he had been yelled at by a voice telling him that they had canned food so they were fine, and the door wasn't even opened for him. ...So ironically, the servant Genji was able to eat a more delicious meal... ...But why was it that Genji wasn't afraid to do the rounds all by himself, even though all of those crimes had been committed, and many people had already met a brutal end? ...Judging by his appearance as he carried out his normal tasks without a trace of fear, as though everything was normal, you might think that all of the horrible events that had happened today were just a dream or an illusion. Was he taking a philosophic view, or was it simply resignation? Or perhaps that he is simply incapable of emotions stronger than  Genji must have considered it a virtue to systematically carry out his duty until the last moment, since the fate that awaited him was unavoidable. It would probably be impossible to perceive the depths of his heart for all eternity, unless he told of it himself... Because he had given the master key back to Rosa, the places he could go to were extremely limited. All he could do was walk around the hallways, checking to make sure that the windows were closed. So he was probably able to go around that route far more quickly than usual.  : "...Hmm."  : "Who is it?!"I was napping in a sofa, and that voice also brought me back to reality. : "...Rosa-sama. It is Genji." : "Do you have some business? We'll be fine without opening the door. Tell us from there."   : "...I see. Understood, let's go and check them. ...Until I see the corpses, I won't believe anybody.":: "...": "...Uu-. It's alright, Battler. If Maria's there, it'll definitely be alright."Maybe my face was shadowed with anxiety. ...Maria grasped my hand with her small hand, and spoke softly, trying to give me courage. Since it was Rosa oba-san's job to ready the gun and stand guard, it fell to me to remove the barricade of sofas. When I finished, I took a backward glance at Rosa oba-san, who was pointing the barrel of the gun over my shoulder, and opened the door.  : "Battler-kun, wait! Just in case, let's check the doors and windows of this room. Wait a second."Rosa oba-san called me to a halt to prevent me from going on ahead, and began to carefully check the locks on each of the windows. ...But those locks had already been checked once. ...It felt kind of unpleasant, as though she suspected that I might have secretly unlocked them when she wasn't looking. ...No, maybe Rosa oba-san was right for being this cautious... Even though it was called a courtyard, it wasn't really a pretty place you could take a walk in like the rose garden. On the contrary, since it was surrounded by the mansion on all sides, it made you feel a little discomfort, as though it was telling you that even if you tried to escape to the outside, you couldn't escape from the mansion.  Even without Genji-san pointing his finger, we understood immediately. Right in the center of the courtyard, ...we could see where Doctor Nanjo and Kumasawa-san lay... Rosa oba-san entered the courtyard without even opening an umbrella. ...So Genji and I also entered the courtyard without opening an umbrella. Only Maria opened her umbrella.  : "..., Maria...Is this, ...that thing?": "...Uu-. ...It's the seventh twilight and the eighth twilight."Now that's odd. They died earlier than George, Shannon, and Gohda, so they should have been four and five. Looks like the epitaph ritual allows some room for sequence breaking. That or Beatrice is just getting sloppy about it.  That gaping wound on their necks definitely made me want to avert my eyes, but after seeing the Halloween party in the chapel, even though I thought it was horrible, it was no longer enough to make me feel sick. More importantly, my gaze fell to their legs. On Doctor Nanjo's knee. On Kumasawa-san's ankle. ...Driven into each of them was something like a knife or a stake with a demonic decoration. ...They must have been the same as the one that had pierced Jessica's back. : "...What is this? ...It's the same as Jessica-chan. Is this supposed to be some kind of occult ceremony, I wonder?": "...I do not know. The last time I saw their bodies, there was nothing like this. Maybe it was done after they were carried out of the servants' room." And she couldn't even be assed to make the stakes stay in right? Yeah, definitely sloppy. This is no way to conduct an elaborate murder ritual, Beatrice.  Its full length was probably about 30 centimeters. It was probably made out of bronze or iron or something of the sort. Even without touching it, I noticed that it had some weight to it. It was composed of a grip and a cone-shaped part, and it was obviously made to be a piercing weapon. Maybe it seemed like a miniature version of those lances western knights used on horseback. The ditch that had been inscribed in a spiral shape made it also look like a drill. ...However, the grip had an occult-like design of a demon or something, so instead of a weapon used in war, it felt like something that would be used in a ceremony to offer up a sacrifice. Now I'm wondering what would even be the right size to actually use the Stakes as lances. : "...There's no mistake. ...They're meant to be, sacrifices.": "...At the seventh twilight, gouge the knee and kill. At the eighth twilight, gouge the leg and kill." : "Wait. Then, they've left out the fourth, fifth, and sixth twilights. ...C, ...could it be..." : "What is this? Where did George-kun and the other two go?!": "...I was told that they wanted to go to Madam Natsuhi's room to search for something, so they left. They have not returned yet."  : "Two or three hours ago, I believe.": "N, no way...!! Why didn't something that important, wait, no, ...why didn't you think that was suspicious?!": "...There must always be one servant awaiting orders. It was my duty to wait for orders until they returned." Really, given the other two chairs, there's a pretty decent chance that Genji is literally a robot. Or at least some magical equivalent. We ran towards Natsuhi oba-san's room. ...With a touch of anxiety, and just as much resignation.   Before we even saw the inside of Natsuhi oba-san's room, ...we were imprisoned by a certain resignation.  On the face of the door, ...how should I say it? ...Hands had been heavily painted with the same red paint that the magic circles from before had been drawn with, ...and had banged on the door, scratched it, dirtied it. ...It was dirtied like the aftermath of a kindergartner playing in the mud. I didn't know what it could mean. ...The bright-red paint that had been slathered on was dripping down, and even though no one said it, it made us think of blood. : "...G, ...Genji-san, please open it."Rosa oba-san held her gun up high and ordered Genji-san to open it. Genji-san approached the door without being particularly troubled by that stuff on it, and turned the knob, but immediately turned around, shaking his head.  : "...Battler-kun, would you open it for me with this?": "Just trusting Genji-san with something like that wouldn't..."Rosa oba-san glared at me with an intense gaze. ...Getting into a fight here would only make the environment turn even more sour. Without talking back any more, I approached that creepy door, and tried the knob. ...It didn't open. It was definitely the resistance of the lock. I stuck the master key into the keyhole. *clunk*. There was a light resistance. While listening to Rosa oba-san as she told me to take care, I opened the door without taking any particular care.   : "...! H, horrible...": "...": "As I thought, ...it was a reproduction of the fourth, fifth, and sixth twilights.": "...Uu-."The inside of the room looked as though a robber had just broken in. Drawers were flung open, pulled out, with their contents thrown about, devastated so that it looked nothing like the room of the methodical Natsuhi oba-san. But the thing that caught the eye before that, ...was Gohda-san's corpse lying facedown right in front of the door...  : "...Was gouging the chest, the fifth twilight?": "...Uu-."Maria grabbed my hand. ...Her expression looked just like normal, ...but maybe she really was afraid of the aura in this room where three corpses lay. And, along the wall farthest into the room, George-aniki was dead.  That...doesn't look like George... ...This time, one of those stakes had been rammed right in the center of his stomach. I would suggest that Beatrice should have saved Beelzebub for this one, but then I remembered the PS3 graphics would have killed the fat joke murder streak anyway. Alas. ...Was gouging the stomach, the sixth twilight? Shannon-chan's corpse was face down in front of the dresser, lying in a sea of blood. Had she seen her own face in the end, in that horribly broken mirror stained with blood? ...Because she was face down, I couldn't see her face, but I could imagine even without seeing it. Nearby, in the sea of blood she lay in, a demon's stake had fallen... Another one that fell out? Really, Beatrice? ...Only the fourth twilight was left. Gouge the head and kill... Maybe my heart was completely tired out and dead... Even though I knew what I was doing was wrong, ...I lifted her head, and checked. ...And, I made sure that my guess was right on the mark.  There was a gaping hole in Shannon-chan's head, and her insides were dripping out. Not only that, ...you could even see, ...inside her. After seeing that, I finally noticed that what I was doing was wrong. I immediately averted my eyes, but by now, it was probably pointless.  : "Hey, Battler-kun!! You must leave everything alone until the police come!! What do you think you're doing, touching it?! What will you do if our precious proof on the scene gets disturbed?!!"Rosa oba-san got violently mad at me, and even tugged at the back of my collar. I tottered limply and fell on my butt, ...and gazed dimly up at the ceiling... : "...Maria.": "Uu-...?": "...After this, even the eighth twilight is over. ...What was the ninth twilight again?": "...At the ninth twilight, the witch shall be revived and none shall be left alive." : "...The witch shall be revived and none shall be left alive, you say. ...We're going to die? Or is the ceremony of sacrifices over now, ...our journey shall end, and we should reach the Golden Land...?": "..." : "...What is our journey? ...We've spent the whole day trying to find the culprit, spinning our heads as we tried to break out of this situation, ...and we haven't gotten anywhere. It's like they say, thinking stupid is no better than sleeping." That's right, ...if nothing could be solved, it would have been much better if we had locked ourselves up the whole time without thinking at all. Grandfather was the wisest of us. He'd been shut up in his room since yesterday, without any contact with anyone. ...That would have been fine. Grandfather was the most correct... : "...It's alright, Battler. ...If you're with Maria, it's alright. ...The witch is very fickle, and she's a terrifying being who maybe kills humans for fun sometimes. ...However, if you're together with Maria, it's alright. So, don't be afraid." : "...Thank you. ...It's soothing, and I'm happy."After Rosa oba-san finished investigating their deaths, she proclaimed that she would seal this room again, chased the rest of us out, stole back the master key she had lent me, and locked the door again. It seemed that George-aniki had been holding the original key to Natsuhi oba-san's room. She had also collected that.  Now that we had been released from our suspicion of those three, we once again returned to the parlor. I don't have a clue what's going on anymore. ...If only the dead were safe, and everyone alive was a wolf, ...all that was left was me, Rosa oba-san, Maria, and Genji-san. ...Only those, Grandfather, and that 19th person, the guest who we hadn't even sensed, Beatrice. 13 people had died, and six were left. ...With only six people, how would the wolves and sheep puzzle end...? Even though the puzzle which had had 19 people in it had been reduced to six people, ...I couldn't find any answer...  : "Thank you, Genji-san. This is far enough. Please rest for the day.": "...Certainly. ...Then, if you will allow me to rest.": "H, ...hey, Rosa oba-san...are you saying that you'll leave Genji-san all alone in a situation like this...?": "...That's right. I think it's very dangerous. ...But, in that case, why is he safe? After those three headed to Natsuhi nee-san's room, he was alone the whole time. And yet he's safe. ...It's the wolves and sheep puzzle. Why would an isolated sheep be safe in its weakest position?"Because the sheep was really good with a knife? : "...P, ...probably because, by coincidence, there weren't any wolves...": "Wrong. Because it wasn't a sheep.": "Are you saying Genji-san's, ...a wolf...?" : "...Battler-sama. Thank you for your concern. ...I believe that trust will be won not with a hundred excuses, but with simple faithfulness. ...Even if I am not able to gain your trust, I wish to be faithful until the end.": "...Genji-san...": "...Then, we're decided. If you are truly innocent, the police will prove that for us when they come tomorrow. So, until then, we cannot remove you from suspicion. ...After your long years of service, I find it truly painful to treat you so poorly. ...But please understand about tonight. ...Then, when tomorrow comes, please let us make up again."Genji-san gave his head a small shake. : "...Today and tomorrow, I will continue to be a servant of the Ushiromiya family. ...If you have any business, please say so at any time. Then, if you will excuse me."After hearing all that, there was nothing left to say. Genji-san bowed deeply, and left down the hall... And we entered the room.  If I said anything unnecessary, it would turn into another fight. For a while, I gazed at her from the corridor, figured I had waited just about long enough, and entered the parlor behind her. ...If she couldn't trust anyone but the dead, she could just go around killing everyone with the gun she held in her hand. And then in the end, she'd realize that she herself was the wolf. ...And then in the end, she could blast through the head of the final wolf, and the curtain would close on this insane murder theater... As I thought that bitterly, I returned to the sofa where I had been encamped before, and rudely rested both of my feet on the table... ...When I tried to do that, I found something there and stopped moving my feet. : "...What is, this...?"Right there, almost as though it was addressed to me, ...was a western envelope. It was that envelope from before, with the seal of the One-winged Eagle. ...And it was unopened.   Well, there's no mention of what Maria's been doing during all this window checking... I had been sitting here the whole time, until I had gone with everyone to check the corpses. And there hadn't been anything. ...And when I returned, it was, here. : "...It's alright. There was no problem with the locks on the windows. This room is safe."I heard Rosa muttering that... ...Wait wait wait wait. ...Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait. We had made sure this room was safe when we exited it. We had checked that the windows were all perfectly locked. ...And we had locked it, come back, and the windows were still locked. ...Then, wait, who had put this letter here and how... I opened the letter. Two pieces of stationary came out.   : "...Uu-? ...Battler, ...what is that?": "Ah, ...aaah, when we came here just now, ...i, it had been set here.": "What happened, Maria? ...Huh?! Battler-kun, that letter?!": "W, wait, err! It was set here. Why?! Even though we properly checked to make sure this room was closed!! Why?! Why!!": "...Maria, come here."Rosa oba-san closed her eyes just a little, and after silently thinking something, told Maria to come. Maria obeyed her mother's words. As she did, something unbelievable happened. Rosa oba-san pointed the barrel of that gun at me...   : "W, ...why?!?!": "When I came into the room just now, I saw that there was nothing at all on the table. ...And I know that Maria did not approach that table. ...It was for a short time. But the only one who claims to have approached the table and found the letter, is you.": "How can you, ...wait, th, that's all screwed up!! Why would I put something like this here?! Wait wait, I just found something suspicious and reported it, right?! Why are you suspecting me?!": "Because only you could set that letter there!! That's right, this is all a charade!! You pulled an envelope from your pocket, and then acted as though you had just found it. To create the illusion that the witch entered a closed room, set down a letter, and left!!": "...Dumbass..., a, ...are you thinking like that again...? Are you going to doubt me, ...because of something like that?! Cut it out!! My dad and everyone else were killed!! Why would I take part in the culprit's scheme?!!": "That's right. Even if you could have received a large amount of money, I don't want to believe that a demon who would sell their own parents exists." : "...Wh, ...whaaa?!?! Think about what you're saying!! Dad is Dad, right?! Of course, I'm not related to Kyrie-san by blood, but she's like a big sister to me!! You can't ignore at least that much, you bastard!!" : "Uu-uu-uu-!! Sto-p i-t!! Uu-uu-uu-!!" : "Stop saying uu-uu-!! ...I'm sorry, that was a bad way to say it. Of course, Ushiromiya Battler-kun might be Rudolf nii-san's child! ...But, are you really Battler-kun, Rudolf nii-san's child?!": "What the hell are you talking about?!! If I'm not Battler, then who else do I look like?!": "Including Rudolf nii-san, we've been reunited with you after six years. No one can prove that you really are Ushiromiya Battler, right?!" : "Cut it out, drat it!! I am me! Ushiromiya Battler!! If we're going to doubt even that much, are you really Ushiromiya Rosa?! I'm myself, no one else!! Yeah, that's right, it's just as you say, the only one you can trust other than corpses is yourself!!! : "My reasoning goes like this. You're in contact with the real culprit, and while I wasn't looking, you lent them one of the five master keys!!": "I didn't do something like that!! See, there are five of them here, right?!": "As if that matters!! You could have had them set it in a pre-arranged spot, and collected it, right?!! And weren't you the one who said it was suspicious whether there were really five master keys?!" : "Shut uuuuuup!! Then why don't you show me some proof, how do you say the culprit killed George-aniki and the rest in that closed room?! How did they lock it?!!" Hmm...I'm suspicious of this declaration, guys. I don't think we can trust that some of those sentences really ended. : "Come on, now there's only one suspeeeeect, or are you still playing innocent, Ushiromiya Battleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer?!": "Shut uuuuuuup!! You stay silent tooooooooooooooooooooo!!!": "You're the one who's staying silent, how do you say the letter was set here by someone other than yourself?! As long as you can't prove that, you're a wolf!!": "If I can be suspected, then you can be suspected, you try showing me some proof, wasn't the first person to enter the room and begin checking the windows you, Rosa oba-san?! Then you anticipated that I would return to the place I had been sitting, and secretly placed the letter. I can also suspect that this is your trap, right?!": "Why would I use a trap like that?!! If I was a wolf, I'd shoot you with this gun without question!!" : "All of the master keys are in your hands! So this place and the room just a while ago, are all your doing, aren't they?!! If you can talk your way out of this, then let me hear your excuse!! That's right, you've been suspicious from the start, Rosa oba-san! Why is it that even though six adults in the family conference were killed, only you were the exception, Rosa oba-san? Why were you the only one not in that chapel?!" : "Uuuuu----!! Sto-----p iiiiiiiiit!! You mustn't fiiiight!! Mama too, Battler too, stop iiiiiiiiiiit, stop iiiiiiiiiiiiit!!! It's no one's fault! It's not Battler's or Mama's fault!! The witch did all of this! It was done with magic!! It's no one's faaaaaaaaaault!! Uu-uuuu---!!"Maria thrust herself in between Rosa oba-san and me as the blood started rising to our heads. I was taken aback by Maria's crying voice and returned to my senses. ...I had acted shamefully just now. My eyes filled with tears.   : "So there's no way you're the culprit, and there's no way Maria, Genji-san or I am the cuplriiiiit!! Why has it come to this?!! Why am I screaming with Rosa oba-san, ...who I loved?! Why am I having this fight, ...with the kind aunt who I loved?! Why, why does everyone have to suspect each other?!?! I'm not going to doubt my aunt, I'm not going to doubt anyone, it's all the work of the witch, it's all the work of Beatrice, it's all, all a crime that Beatrice committed with magic!!" : "So forgive us, release us, release us from this hell of suspecting each other until we see each other's deaths!! Give me my kind relatives and cousins back!! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it all!! You definitely exist, it's your victory!!" Speaking of people screaming about Beatrice...    : "...That person's ceremony, let's see, how far has it progressed? ...It must have progressed quite far by this time."Kinzo lifted his heavy body from the chair, ...and approached the portrait of the witch that he had gazed at every day.    : "...But I won't let you escape!! You are mine!! From your hair to your toenails, to the dirt under your toenails, you are mine!! Every fragment of your flesh is mine, even the broth of your corpse is mine!! I won't let you escape, this time you won't slip from my hands!! I'll make you mine for all eternity!!! I will never let you escape a second time, I will never let you escape a second time!!" Kinzo howled in rage, then suddenly fell to his knees, ...as he shook and scraped at the wall... ...In an instant, he had started sobbing.  : "...Whaaaa, hic..., that's wrong, I didn't want to say something like thiiiiis, Beatriiiiiiiiice... Please, ...let me meet you one more time... Even if you only let me apologize... Whaaaaaaa, Beatriiiiiiiiiice, ...hic, ...hic...! Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauaauauau...!!" : "In atonement, I offer all that remains of my life...!! In order to apologize to you, in order to atone for my crimes, ...I offered, ...everything... ...Please, even if it is as I die... ...At least, ...Let me, apologize, ...just once...e... Beatriiiiiiiiice... Whaaaa, hic, aaaaaaaah, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"Well, uh. I guess we vaguely know where Beatrice's issues might be from. ...As Kinzo shook and cried, behind his small back, a butterfly appeared out of nowhere, like flake of gold leaf, and softly fell down... Oh, hey there hitchhiker butterfly.   On the other hand, this is a hell of a 180 from all that ranting before. Also, it really seems like this should be some of that weird “-less “dialogue” Kumasawa and Bernkastel had, but it's unvoiced, so I guess not. Kinzo. Do you remember...? That musical piece of chess you played with me, which was still ongoing...?  : "...That's right. Like this. ...I advanced my queen. ...That was a very spectacular move. That move might have been a little too intense for you. ...I worried about whether you would throw away your piece or not, ...I kept worrying..."Kinzo waited, with the opposite seat empty. ...Surely, very soon, his opponent would appear there, ...and he would be able to restart this game again... ...You fool, Kinzo. You want to apologize? You want to see my face again? You want to make my smile an eternal thing? Why can't you say a much, much simpler word? Even though that is the sole element of the world... At that time, Kinzo muttered. ...A prayer? An entreaty? ...It was probably best to just call it muttering.  They were pure words, like something an innocent child would say, without any evil intent...  That's right, ...unless there's a miracle. So this is, ... At that time. ...Kinzo definitely heard a small knock, with a different tempo than those of the servants...  But, hey, anyway. Weird and hosed up as the relationship might be, they're reunited in the end. : "...I'm asking who you are!! Will you not answer?!!"The woman beyond the door, ...didn't answer. : "Could it be, ...oooooh, ...could it be... B, ...Beatrice? ...Beatrice, ...Beatriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice!!" ...Just in time for everyone to die.      Guess the death bio job got handed back to Maria.     Next time: The golden banquet and Rosa's finest hour.
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Mar 28, 2014 06:15
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There you have it, mystery solved! It was Battler all along.Shiny777 posted:Next time: The golden banquet and Rosa's finest hour. 
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Mar 28, 2014 10:48
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Uh.... errr... um... So Shannon, George, and Gohda were found dead in the room. The room was locked, the only keys were either inside it or in Rosa's possession and she didn't do it.. uh.. Screw it it's magic.
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Mar 28, 2014 19:23
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I really like this update, despite Battler's eventual capitulation into a clueless wreck, him being cornered like that still brought out some fire from him, and board-Battler almost even gave in and started suspecting someone he knew! You go Battler!
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Mar 29, 2014 03:34
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| # ? May 22, 2024 12:10 |
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Kumasawa is still way too suspicious for my taste. Staked in a non-fatal location, and the stake conveniently fell off? That is the perfect way to fake death, especially since the only one capable of examining dead body is dead as well. It would also explain the sequence breaking - faking a stake in the head, chest or stomach is more difficult after all. Shannon's position in the murder scene is weird as well. According to the picture, she died facing the dresser, which would be awkward for someone to stake her in the face. Not sure what to make of that observation though.
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Mar 29, 2014 10:18
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