|
EagerSleeper posted:I had blocked this user years ago due to their inability to troll in a humorous fashion. Years later, and they still post on the same level of tiresome and unfunny. Aren't people supposed to improve, not stagnate, as time goes by? Years later this user is still fighting to deny the existence of "fun" and "humour" in a place between worlds: Something Awful, an internet comedy forum. As long as they  the thread can still be considered unfun and unhumorous and thus no one wins the match.
Toalpaz fucked around with this message at 23:23 on Jan 16, 2017 |
#
?
Jan 16, 2017 21:07
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 06:26 |
|
|
EagerSleeper posted:It's suspicious though that 6 year old Ange got sick and bedbound exactly one day before the family conference. Is it possible though that either Kyrie or Rudolf loaded her up with a whole bunch of laxatives on purpose the day before the trip, so that way she wouldn’t be around for the horrible events of Rokkenjima? That theory of course assumes that Kyrie and Rudolf knew ahead of time that something was going to happen. Perhaps they had a plan that they wanted to do during the conference, something that would force the other siblings' hands for the inheritance. It's possible, but if they're trying to protect her, why not Battler too? It's not like two people who have contact with each other getting sick at the same time would be that suspicious. ProfessorProf posted:Welcome back, thread! The profile page has been updated as we leap into a new adventure. Well, in that case I hope that the human side will not disappoint.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2017 22:05
|
|
|
idonotlikepeas posted:It's possible, but if they're trying to protect her, why not Battler too? It's not like two people who have contact with each other getting sick at the same time would be that suspicious. If we assume Kyrie's in on it, but not necessarily Rudolf, it might be either she has lingering resentment over Battler's existence or believes given his age and how they kind of have a more friendly relationship that she believes he would be capable and will collude with them when the time comes.
|
|
#
?
Jan 16, 2017 22:33
|
|
|
Robindaybird posted:If we assume Kyrie's in on it, but not necessarily Rudolf, it might be either she has lingering resentment over Battler's existence or believes given his age and how they kind of have a more friendly relationship that she believes he would be capable and will collude with them when the time comes. This would require Battler to be a culprit, of course. Edit: Also it should be of note that, unlike episode 2 and 3, Episode 4 has its own unique opening from the original version. This one uses diffrent animations, but it's the same music as the episode 1 opening, and is kind of interesting. Take a look: https://polsy.org.uk/play/yt/?vurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DM4uBdroNHH8 oath2order fucked around with this message at 00:11 on Jan 17, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2017 00:07
|
|
|
oath2order posted:This would require Battler to be a culprit, of course. This is the same one but with the PS3 sprites: http://polsy.org.uk/play/yt/?vurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DhU_vECs4i10
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2017 01:37
|
|
|
Toalpaz posted:Years later this user is still fighting to deny the existence of "fun" and "humour" in a place between worlds: Something Awful, an internet comedy forum. As long as they Ahahaha.wav The true gold was apparently unironic autism jokes all along. EagerSleeper fucked around with this message at 08:50 on Jan 17, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2017 02:18
|
|
|
oath2order posted:This would require Battler to be a culprit, of course. Honestly, I kind of don't like the theory for this reason. Having Battler be in on it feels kind of like a cheap trick. Maybe additional information in the next episode will contextualize things, though.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2017 05:48
|
|
|
idonotlikepeas posted:Honestly, I kind of don't like the theory for this reason. Having Battler be in on it feels kind of like a cheap trick. Maybe additional information in the next episode will contextualize things, though. We have already gotten Red Truth on him not being a culprit or accomplice.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2017 05:56
|
|
|
idonotlikepeas posted:Honestly, I kind of don't like the theory for this reason. Having Battler be in on it feels kind of like a cheap trick. Maybe additional information in the next episode will contextualize things, though. As I said, it's assuming not Battler is actually an accompliance, but Kyrie and/or Rudolf believes he is willing to be one, thus why he wasn't sickened if we go with the idea they deliberately got Ange sick
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2017 16:40
|
|
|
Knowing that family's history, I really don't think so. Battler's been pretty skeptical of his parents across gameboards.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2017 16:50
|
|
|
Robindaybird posted:As I said, it's assuming not Battler is actually an accompliance, but Kyrie and/or Rudolf believes he is willing to be one, thus why he wasn't sickened if we go with the idea they deliberately got Ange sick I know that Battler had been gone for six years prior to the conference, so maybe they came to Rokkenjima on their own terms while Rudolf and Kyrie couldn't argue against it without revealing their plan. This is all just speculation. :p But if they did intentionally get Ange sick prior to family conference, then perhaps they were also responsible for Asumu getting sick and dying? Idk, I'd need to see more from episode 4 to really have confidence in these theories, especially to see if there were any other culprits beyond Shannon for the murders. Last episode opened up the possibility of multiple culprits acting at the same time (Eva and a yet unidentified person who killed George, who is probably Shannon), so it would be good to consider the motives of everyone on the island.
|
|
#
?
Jan 17, 2017 17:20
|
|
|
 BGM: String Quartet #1 in G Major  "What do you mean, pleasant awakening...?! I was so excited, I couldn't sleep a wink. After all, the curtain is rising on the fun, fun fourth game...!"It seemed that she truly had been so excited that she hadn't gotten any sleep. Did she show absolutely no signs of lacking sleep because she was young, or because she had the mind of a little kid? Ronove chose not to say that aloud, and laughed 'pu ku ku' instead.  "I really ran that Battler into the ground last time! Ah, the look on his face when he was like 'You tricked me'! That was so patheeetic! Even so, is that guy still feeling down?" "Feeling down, you say...?" "Hmm, well, that's right. That man's a bit too trusting for his age, isn't he?" "Indeed. Although you could call that his charm. Pu ku ku..." "*cackle*cackle*cackle*! Ain't it the truth, ain't it the truth? Well, speaking of which. Didn't he totally fall for that one last time?" "Yes, totally and splendidly. You violated the purity of one never deceived since the time of his birth, as well as his rosebud-like innocence, all to your heart's content. Even the joy of dashing across a field covered with beautiful new snow on a winter morning and trampling it completely wouldn't even begin to compare."  "Most people would be crushed after something like that. Pukukukuku, so much so that they wouldn't want to see your face ever again." "I-I know that much...! I also... umm... thought that if he was too disheartened to join us at the table, even though the fourth game is finally starting, that would be such a pain, so I came to you, thinking that it'd be better to prepare a counter-measure for that case beforehand...!" "Hmmmm... In that case, perhaps it really would be best to prepare such a counter-measure. I am sad to say that your 'North Wind and the Sun Strategy' gave Battler-sama quite a shock." "H-Hoh... A shock, you say? How bad of one...?"Beato lowered her voice slightly, asking timidly. Ronove followed suit... and lowered his voice in the same way.  BGM: Moon  "...Th-That is... troublesome... Is he really feeling that down...?" "Pukukukuku. It is only natural. After all, you thoroughly beat him down, Milady. That would make most people start to distrust humans." "Hoh, distrust of Humans? How convenient! Let him give up on Humans and trust witches, wahahaha... O-Oh, *cough*. Sorry, I shouldn't fool around too much."Beato had tried to joke about it, but the situation seemed to be quite serious, so that even she took the hint and hid her laughter. "...Is it really that serious...? Sh-Should we wait just a little longer before beginning the fourth game...?" "Lady Bernkastel's guest will be arriving, so it may be best to open the fourth game quickly. However, perhaps you ought to show a little concern for Battler's feelings, Milady." BGM: Monochrome Clock "When a person's heart is dark and closed off, interacting with them in a dark manner gains you nothing. Your only option is to shine with a brightness stronger than the dark."  Battler's stomach involuntarily growled at the fragrant smell of the croissant. His breakfast plate was empty, but Battler hadn't eaten any of it. The biggest glutton of the Seven Sisters of Purgatory, Beelzebub, had waited for Ronove to leave, and had then come to snatch the food away. Battler had noticed, and they'd been really noisy ever since. Even though Beelzebub only had to give it back immediately or else throw it into her own mouth right away, she intentionally ran around in circles, making fun of Battler.  "Give my breakfast back, dammiiiit!! If you give it back now, I'll let you off with a single flick to the forehead. But just you try eating it!!" "What, are you gonna eat me up insteeead?! Kyaha! If you think you can, just try it! I'll bet I'll be as sweet as honey pancakes." "Kya!" "Gotcha!! Right now, I want to eat that bread even more than your thighs. Be a good girl and give it heeeeeeeeere, fugagigigigi...!! So, you resist until the eeeeeeeeeend...!!" "Ugugugugu!! No way, no way, I won't give it to yooou!! Even the croissant wants me to eat iiit!!!" ...She flung the door open. Like a marathon runner drawn on a certain caramel box, with her hands held high and an idiotic cheeriness, Beato appeared. For some reason, flags from around the world and confetti scattered about, perfectly completing this magnificent entrance. Battler and Beelzebub, who had been fighting over the croissant, completely forgot about their argument, speechless.  "K... Kyahahahaha! Good morning, Beatrice-sama! I'll just be on my way now! Here, Battler-kun, say aaah!" "Mmnng!! Mmm mmm, *chomp*, *gulp*. ...H-Hey, morning, Beato... Glad to see you're cheery this morning."...Beato and Battler looked at each other. It seemed neither had a clue what was going on with the other.   "Pukukukukuku!! No, no, he was sleeping like a baby in his futon, clutching his knees. I informed him that it was time to wake up, but he just wouldn't rise. I tried to feed him, but it seems that a naughty cat wandered in and prevented that. Pu ku ku, pu ku ku ku ku!" "...G-Gwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh...!!! You tricked meeeeeeeeeee...!!" "Tch, you should talk. Weren't you the one who played that massive trick last time? I don't have a clue what's going on, but it looks like you got what you deserved." "...By the way, Ronove, nice one." "Pukukuku, thank you very much, Battler-sama." BGM: Organ Short #200 Million in C Minor For a while, Beato was very energetic, trying to hide her embarrassment...  "Heh. Don't take me so lightly. Did you really think I'd still be hiding in a corner, holding my knees?" "*cackle* Then who was that person crying their eyes out in frustration last time? You could've gathered your tears in a jar and called it face lotion." "Sh-Shut up. That was, um, just because I was a little surprised by your crappy act. I might've looked a little lame, but don't think the same move'll work twice." "Of course not. And don't disappoint me by falling for the same move over and over again, okay? *cackle*cackle*!" "Ihihi, yeah, just you watch. I'll show you that I'm a guy who gets stronger every time he's beaten down." "...But Beato." "Yes, what?" BGM: None "Hoh? Why's that? So you really are weak against a rear attack?" "...You and I are enemies, and we'll certainly never join forces... I now understand that clearly. So don't you ever try to trick me about that fact again." "*cackle*cackle*! You say that, but knowing your weaknesses, I'll..."Beato thought they were still joking around, but that tone had disappeared from Battler's expression some time ago. Beato felt as though his eyes were like the surface of black tea that had cooled down...  "You hear me? Don't do it again." "...I don't get it. I might do it again when you've forgotten, right...?" "Don't do it again." "...Nnn..."Pierced by his strong and forceful gaze, Beato held her tongue. Maybe she was certain that Battler would break that silence with laughter. However, Battler's serious expression didn't change in the slightest. So to break that silence, Beato had no choice but to start laughing herself.  BGM: The Candles Dance "...That's right. I almost forgot you were my enemy for a second there."" "I won't embarrass myself like that again. I won't fall for your rear attack again. Never again...!" "...Hmph! Hahhahahyahhahha!! It seems I'm not the only one who cannot wait for the fourth game. I am pleased, Battler. Come, take your seat." "...Yep. Just how I like it. Clever little tricks won't work anymore." "Stop acting so tough. You remain in a state of surrender for the last mystery in the previous game, the mystery of Nanjo's murder...!" "...My answer for that one's still on hold for now. But that doesn't mean that I've lost heart. I'll definitely break your 'red truth'... and show that I can deny witches...!" "Hmph. A commendable attitude. You truly are a man like a phoenix. Don't betray my expectations! With that, let us raise the curtains on the fourth game." "But before that, it seems we must welcome a new guest." "A guest..." "You remember as well, correct? That mystery girl, who appeared at the very end of the last game without an invitation, ruining my fun." "...That person..." "She says she wants to join our game. I sent her an official invitation, inviting her to join this match. Ronove, summon our guest." BGM: Haze The voice that answered Beato's call came from the darkness in a corner of the room. When Battler turned around in surprise, he could now see that mystery girl there. "My, my. How rude. All you had to do is greet us as soon as you arrived."  "Hoh, and what would you say?" "<Good night, have a nice dream>." "*cackle*cackle* Hahhahhahahahahahaha! How amusing, how truly amusing...!"Beato cackled and clapped her hands. But that was only Beato, and nothing rose to Battler's face except a bitter smile. "...Whew. You sure are a fighter." "..."Battler and the girl's eyes met, and he shrugged his shoulders as he spoke. But the girl didn't answer, giving only a cold stare in return.   "I don't need your gratitude. You were just slacking off. I only told you to open your eyes." "Kuhhyahhyahhya! That's so true, stop slacking off, Battler, hyahhyahha!"Beato tried to laugh as though sympathizing with her, but it didn't reach the girl's ears. She did absolutely nothing except stare at Battler with ice-cold eyes.  "...Well, it looks like someone hates me." "I'm just annoyed that you aren't taking this fight seriously." "Are you saying I'm not serious about this...?" "Don't tell me that travesty earlier was you being serious. Don't take me for a fool. How long do you intend to play along with the witch's farce like this?" "...I'm fighting Beato in my own way. And doing it seriously, of course." "Seriously? Don't make me laugh. You keep on drinking tea and chatting with a witch for all eternity and call that fighting seriously? Keep the jokes to just your hairdo." "...Well, that's because I wasn't used to this witch's game in the beginning, and I've been through a lot of harsh stuff. Still, I'm finally starting to see how to fight, and I'm getting the knack of doing it. If the pathetic way I've been acting makes it look like I haven't been serious to you, you're just wrong." "...Is that so?" "Of course, I know I've gotta close in a lot more before I can grab Beato by the collar. But no matter how long that distance may be, it's still finite. And in each game that passes, I'm steadily closing that distance step by step!" "No matter how long it takes, I'll close in on that witch, and I'll definitely checkmate her. It might take a thousand years, to use her phrase. But even so, I'll definitely win sooner or later. Why? Because I definitely won't accept losing. I definitely won't stop moving forward, closing in on her! In other words, there's just one thing I can say for sure." "I will definitely win against that witch someday! That's how it is." "You really don't sound like you're in a hurry. Are you even trying to win? Even the finite can become endless if you treat it the wrong way. By now, you've become an Achilles who couldn't even outstrip a turtle." "I get it. So this is why I'm needed. At this rate, there's no way you could win against the Endless Witch even after a billion years." "...Who are you? It's not like you'll be struck by lightning if you just tell me your name." "..." BGM: Melting Away At first, Battler faltered under the firmness of that look, and his gaze wavered slightly, but then his eyes gradually began to be sucked into the pupils that were staring at him. Then, inside those eyes, he saw a light that he'd seen sometime before... Battler was struck by how strongly they resembled the eyes of a girl who definitely couldn't be here, even though that was completely impossible. "...I know it's stupid, but for some reason, it feels true to me." "But that can't be right. That person's supposed to still be six years old. You couldn't possibly be... Ange, could you...?" "Nn..." "I'll put it another way. If I said 'I am your ally, so trust me', would you believe it? Would you unconditionally trust some unknown girl you're meeting for the first time just because she looks a little like someone you know?" "...It's because you're such a softy that you got tricked so easily in the last game and cried so bitterly. You said it yourself. That kid is six, right? Do I look like I'm six? If I were to claim that I'm that kid despite that, would you just swallow that story?" "...If you say it like that, there's no way I can argue back." "...Sorry. That's right, I am a softy. And that should've been made clear to me after the last game. Is that what you meant when you said I wasn't being serious?" "Yes. You may think you're fighting against a witch, but you're just getting along with her and playing. You're just playing at fighting in a friendly game of chess." "That may be a serious contest for you two, but looking at it from far away, I only see you playing around and following the rules like you're good friends." "...Ihihihi. That's harsh." "But as long as you're unable to win at this game, you won't be released from this place. That's why I came. I came to bring this game to its conclusion. You claim that you're closing in on the witch, but you're just like a hamster running around in a wheel." "At a glance, you might think that running around in a wheel is endless. The Endless Witch Beatrice. It's just like you. He thinks he's fighting, but he's actually just running around in a wheel while making a fool of himself." "...This isn't a game. This is nothing more than a cage to shut him up in... for all eternity." "Hoh. You liken my Endless to something like a wheel that a mouse plays in? Interesting, interesting, *cackle*..." "Something that's endless in a certain dimension can be less than endless in a higher one. The fact that a Menger sponge has infinite surface area only matters in a world of less than three dimensions. In the three-dimensional world of reality, it has zero mass. Not only is it not endless, it doesn't even exist." "*cackle*cackle*cackle*...! What an assertive woman. It seems you are worthy of being called my enemy." "...Who... are you?" BGM: Haruka "No one can prove that I really am your ally. On the contrary, it's more desirable that you keep your guard up strongly enough to find me very suspicious." "...That's right. Last time ended up pretty bad. I've got to be at least that careful. I don't plan on getting tricked twice." "*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*...!"Beato laughed in a truly pleased way, which was humiliating only to Battler. "People don't just get tricked out of the blue. That only happens when they fail to check things for themselves and leave it to other people. Saying that you thought the light had turned green just because you saw other people start crossing doesn't count as an excuse for getting into an accident. Get it...?" "Yeah, I get it. You're telling me not to swallow information given to me by others, but to think for myself. In the past, I swallowed all the magic Beato showed me. I stopped thinking. So I was useless."Battler grimaced as he remembered his many painful losses. The witch watched and laughed again, putting on a bold appearance. "I'll offer you advice in a way that works to your advantage. Of course, you shouldn't swallow everything I say. Because no one can provide certain proof that I'm your ally." Battler couldn't rid his head of that eerie smile worn by Virgilia, a person he'd once even thought of as trustworthy and reliable. "So I don't need you to unconditionally trust me. You might as well take my advice as nothing more than an opinion to be considered. After all, the player who's fighting in a game against the witch is you." "...That's right. Saying I lost because I followed the moves of an outsider would be just too pathetic of an excuse." "Oh yes! My opponent is Battler. You are nothing more than an outsider. You should bear that in mind. *cackle*!" "No, I'm not an outsider. With Beatrice and Ushiromiya Battler... and I who gaze down from above, it's almost like a fight in the shape of a triangle. At a glance, it might not look like a united front, but having a united front doesn't necessarily mean fighting together." "Hoh. What an odd thing to say." "Just now, he described fighting with you as closing the distance. But you can't measure distance with a single eye. Only with two eyes are things visible in three dimensions, and only then can distance be judged. And even when you have two fields of vision, it's pointless if they're in the same place. You can pin down witches more accurately when they're far apart." "...Shooting from different positions and different angles. So, basically, it's crossfire. Heheh, interesting." "We're shooting...from different positions... and different angles. So I won't get along with anybody. That's how I'll keep my own position separate and catch the witch in a pincer attack." "...Are you okay with this, Battleer? This girl may actually be an ambush I set up, right? She might just be saying something plausible to gain your trust, right...?" "...Maybe. She's been saying that over and over again herself. So of course, I can't blindly accept her advice." "But as to whether she's worthy of trust or not, I can think for myself and make a decision. As long as I don't stop thinking for myself, I won't be tricked by anyone again...!" "*cackle*cackle*cackle*!! What confidence, Ushiromiya Battleer! After you've said so much, it makes me want to trick you all over again, you see...? I can't wait to see what kind of face you'll make when you realize you've been duped once more! How pleasant, kuhhahahahahahahaha!!" "...It looks like you know my name, but I don't know yours. Tell me." "..."For a while, the girl remained silent, without changing her expression even once. She looked as though she couldn't decide whether to say her name or not... or possibly, as though she was deciding on the name she'd say on the spot.  BGM: Melody (instrumental) "Girdle? You wear one?" "That's my name, dumbass. Call me Gretel." "Then should I call myself Hansel? Ihihihi, just kidding, I'm Ushiromiya Battler! Call me Battler." "...Nice to meet you. I hate handshakes. Don't take it personally." "...Ah, really? Sorry. After all, it isn't certain that you're my ally. And you just told me to keep my guard up too."Battler drew back his right hand, which he had stuck out. His bitter smile disappeared... and was replaced with a strong resolve directed at this new fourth game.  "...Because there is definitely... someone waiting for you to come back. For that kid's sake as well..."Maybe there was something she wanted to say. Gretel clenched her fists in front of her chest and hung her head in silence, at a loss for words for a short while. As though smashing through that silence, Beato spoke up in a forceful voice.  At the same time, as though it had been blown by a sudden gust of wind, the clock that had been turned back to October 4, 1986... started to move. While we remained in the witch's tea room, the blue-gray sea and the green Rokkenjima spread out beneath us, and we could see a boat heading there, its wake trailing behind it. The sky was already cloudy, and it seemed that the barrier of the typhoon would soon shut the island away.  BGM: Wingless Then, once all of its passengers had disembarked, the boat began to separate from the shoreline. The relatives were gradually swallowed up by the island.   "Maria-chan, you'll trip if you aren't careful. Look out...!" "Uu-uu-uu-!! Gonna faaall, faaall, siiink, siiink, *giggle*!"...The long-missed cousins I had loved dashed across the beach, getting swallowed by the forest path that led to the mansion, and disappeared. And of course, Onii-chan could be seen among them too.   "*giggle*! Uu-uu-uu-! *giggle*giggle*!"Maria onee-chan, whom I'd loved, started dashing, and Onii-chan chased after her. They were swallowed up by the forest. Following them, Father and Mother were also swallowed up. The rest of the parents were swallowed up... They were swallowed up, leaving only me behind... Dumbass... How long are you gonna joke around and play with a witch in a place like this...? Come back quickly, Onii-chan...! Don't leave me all alone...! And realize.  
Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 16:26 on Jan 18, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 14:31
|
|
|
Interesting name choice. I look forward to seeing Beatrice get shoved into an oven.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 14:49
|
|
|
It makes sense. The girl abandoned by her family, endangered by a witch but hoping to destroy that witch and take her treasure. If you believed witches existed, it might be a good name to choose.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 15:25
|
|
|
Ange's and Beato's portraits were swapped for the line "*cackle*cackle*cackle*...! What an assertive woman. It seems you are worthy of being called my enemy."
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 16:15
|
|
|
ProfessorProf posted:
A Menger sponge, eh? You start with a cube, and then divide it into 27 cubes,, then take out the middle of each cube, leaving 20... repeat as wanted, for it can be done forever so they say. This series is one for introducing a lot of obscure mathematic/logical trivia, eh?
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 16:46
|
|
|
Well then I'll point out a logic flaw to the human side. Batter is arguing that it can't be a witch who killed all those people but it doesn't mean that the people didn't die. So based on the logic shown no matter who wins that family is doomed.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 18:43
|
|
|
Finally... Umineko is the Saturday night variety show that I always dreamed it could be~DLord posted:Well then I'll point out a logic flaw to the human side. Battler is probably going to argue himself into a pile of bones at the end of this story.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 19:05
|
|
|
With this exchange between Battler and Ange, I was half-expecting a paradigm shift in the grounds for Battler's denial. Witches don't exist because they are politically insignificant. Witches don't exist because nothing is real and we must let go of the wheel of dharma. Witches don't exist because Western magic is all foreign fakery, but Japanese traditional magic is the real deal. Force Beato to more concretely define the scope and limit of her powers. I suppose rejecting Beato's game from the get-go would kind of undercut the whole "solve the mystery" aspect of Umineko, though, so maybe it's for the best.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 19:20
|
|
|
DLord posted:Well then I'll point out a logic flaw to the human side. Except each iteration has had a different set of people die. So part of disproving witches might be figuring out who actually died.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 20:57
|
|
|
Qrr posted:Except each iteration has had a different set of people die. So part of disproving witches might be figuring out who actually died. This is probably true. Though wasn't this latest episode the first of the 3 we've seen that didn't end with no one being left alive (per the text, of course)?
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 21:04
|
|
|
I think so. We only got Maria's bottle letter at the end of the 1st, and who knows what happened at the end of the second. But assuming we can believe the narration, yes.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 22:49
|
|
|
People die in different ways, but they all end up dead in the end. (Given the whole Maria bone business, even in the first game they all end up dead.) The only change to that so far has been Eva surviving. Based on the fact that we see a scene AFTER Rokkenjima with her and Ange, I believe that Eva surviving is canonical. That means that games one and two are non-canonical for sure, although they may still provide insights into what's happening. (There wouldn't be much point in going through them if they didn't.) Rokkenjima itself represents a closed room, it seems like, and what we're trying to do is figure out what happened inside of it that resulted in almost everyone being dead. And yeah, that includes Battler. I mean, we've even seen him get killed. He's super dead. Based on the fact that Eva is now the obvious killer because she survived, I'm assuming she's not. This is not a logical deduction, but a suspicion based on the way murder mysteries are structured. It's too early to reveal her. I'm also not sure if this fourth game is going to show us what actually happened, or just give us another way of looking at the events that will, when combined with the previous versions, help us figure out what actually happened. (Is the idea that the remaining four episodes explain the stories told in the first four?)
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 23:51
|
|
|
I don't think there's anything wrong with taking cues from the story structure itself. After all, this work is posed as a response of sorts to the murder mystery genre.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 23:54
|
|
|
idonotlikepeas posted:(Is the idea that the remaining four episodes explain the stories told in the first four?) All you need to know is that you'll see.
|
|
#
?
Jan 18, 2017 23:57
|
|
|
tiistai posted:All you need to know is that you'll see. Fair enough! (Does that mean that I will also begin to love?)
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2017 00:36
|
|
|
Higurashi was similarly separated into two cycles of four arcs. The second cycle gets the suffix Kai, or "solution". The second cycle of Umineko has the suffix Chiru, or "breakdown" (or "scatter", "disperse"). Make of that what you will.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2017 00:57
|
|
|
Redmark posted:Higurashi was similarly separated into two cycles of four arcs. The second cycle gets the suffix Kai, or "solution". Witch Hunt always translated it as "core" arcs. Was that a mistranslation? idonotlikepeas posted:Fair enough! (Does that mean that I will also begin to love?) When you accept that magic is real, yes.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2017 01:06
|
|
|
idonotlikepeas posted:Fair enough! (Does that mean that I will also begin to love?) If you want to see, you better do. oath2order posted:Witch Hunt always translated it as "core" arcs. Was that a mistranslation? I always figured it was more of a fitting "nickname" than an unintentional mistranslation.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2017 01:18
|
|
|
tiistai posted:If you want to see, you better do. It's more of a fandom nickname for the second half, yes.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2017 03:38
|
|
|
POOL IS CLOSED posted:I don't think there's anything wrong with taking cues from the story structure itself. After all, this work is posed as a response of sorts to the murder mystery genre. It looks like Umineko might be trying to do something like that with its "anti-mystery". I doubt they're going to neatly explain everything in the end after talking about how mysteries that do that are lame.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2017 06:55
|
|
|
avoraciopoctules posted:It would be kind of interesting if Murder on the Orient Express had Poirot skip the big reveal. Or maybe go up to the point where he's got the two possible explanations, but leave it in the reader's hands to decide which one they think is true. Weirdly, the more recent Sherlock Holmes games do that. You find all the clues and put together who you think did it. Accuse them, you get a scene and the episode ends. Unless you specifically ask for it, you never know if you got the right solution.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2017 19:27
|
|
|
avoraciopoctules posted:It would be kind of interesting if Murder on the Orient Express had Poirot skip the big reveal. Or maybe go up to the point where he's got the two possible explanations, but leave it in the reader's hands to decide which one they think is true. Some of the witch posts in this thread indicated that there's still argument/discussion over the story, plus there was that extra letter mocking riddles that come with a provided solution, so I will not be surprised if this is the case.
|
|
#
?
Jan 19, 2017 19:48
|
|
|
 BGM: Steady Pace   "...G-Good day to you." No matter how many years pass by, this style of greeting still feels very awkward... Even though I'd responded to the greeting in order to stifle that awkward feeling, the classmate who had spoken looked at me blankly.  "...Huh? *giggle*giggle*giggle*"" "Huuuh, what's that? It seems you're mistaken, *giggle*giggle*..."Their choice of words and manner were certainly what you'd expect from a school for rich girls, but the actual meaning was as innocent and cruel as you'd expect from kids of that age. It seems they found it funny that I'd mistakenly thought the greeting was directed at me. No, it might be the opposite. Maybe they didn't know how to react after being suddenly greeted by a gloomy, quiet kid like me. No, judging by the gazes of my classmates, who were looking this way over their shoulders and whispering to each other, it looked as though some of them considered this refreshing morning ruined. I was... dark. Because I was disliked. So, trying not to get in the way of everyone's refreshing morning any more, I stooped lower and entered the classroom. Almost like I was cutting through the aisle in a movie theater while the movie was running.  It's not a school that anyone can get into by taking a test. It's a hidden rich girls' school, known of only by a select group of celebrities from various fields. For lofty nobles who truly wish their daughters could be raised like saints, this is probably the ideal school in which to protect them from the impurities of the common world. But at the same time, it was probably also convenient for nobles who wanted to confine daughters they didn't want out in public. As well as an academy isolated from the impurities of the common world, it also held excellent potential as a prison school. I was truly among the latter... and was confined in Saint Lucia Academy, forced to live my life in dreariness. Of course, there weren't that many students like me, and you couldn't tell us apart at a glance. However, even if we never fessed up about it, you could usually figure out who we were by watching how we acted. After all, we were always hanging our heads, with an expression on our faces as though the whole world had abandoned us. Anyway, every class had one or two kids like that, so even if they didn't speak up about it, you could guess who they were. Therefore. Even though I never confessed that I was one of those kids, at some point, everyone in my class knew about it... Just like how the seriousness of an injury becomes a sign of status in a hospital room, how noble a birth one had became a sign of status here. Those girls who couldn't be acknowledged in public were probably nothing more than filth to the others. They must've thought that getting involved with such students would dirty them as well. When a rumor sprang up about a particular student, those fastidious girls would grow cold and distant, chasing that student out of all social groups. Thanks to that, I led a quiet school life like this, all by myself... Well, that's only if hearing people whisper behind my back, finding my things lost or broken all the time, and having everyone pretend like they didn't know anything... can be called a quiet school life. Even this early in the morning, I must look worn out. I can almost understand why my other classmates, who had a refreshing morning, looked at my face and wanted to click their tongues. Consciously trying to do as I should and avoid tainting my classmates' morning, I quietly took my seat. Then, unusually, someone came to talk to me. It was the class leader.  "...Is there some business you have with me?" "You're the only one who has not submitted her questionnaire for the class presentation, Ushiromiya-san. Did you forget that the deadline was yesterday?"...I'm pretty sure I heard something about that last week. But I'd thought that the questionnaire hadn't been passed out yet. The details would be written there, so there shouldn't have been any need to remember them beforehand... "...I wasn't given a questionnaire..." "That can't be. I believe the dormitory leader handed them out to everyone. If you lost it, all you have to do is honestly say so." "...I lost it. I'll fill it in right now, so could you give me a sheet?" But I have no way of knowing who was behind that. In the end, treating it as though it was my own carelessness would settle everything more quickly... "Once you've filled it out, drop it in the questionnaire box in the student council room yourself. Our class is the only one that didn't get everyone's in by yesterday."As I hung my head at the class leader's scolding, I could hear the giggles and whispers of people watching, coming from no direction in particular... Ushiromiya-san did it again. She's just so careless. She doesn't deserve to be in this school. She has no dignity, and no manners either. Sorry girls, but I've dealt with much worse when it comes to unfair personal attacks. As I froze my heart and let those arrows of ridicule pass by, I quickly filled out the questionnaire...  BGM: Eternity The only survivor of the accident was... Ushiromiya Eva. Only Aunt Eva. Even at the time, I hadn't really liked Aunt Eva. At a glance, she would act kindly, but even as young as I was, I could see that she was somehow making fun of Father and the rest, and I hadn't liked it. So when it was decided that Aunt Eva would take care of me, I was pretty miserable. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered if that gentle Uncle Hideyoshi and George onii-chan had been with me, but I hated the thought of living all alone with Aunt Eva. I'd frankly said that to Grandpa, hoping to live together in his house. However, Aunt Eva had been very insistent that she should be the one to look after me. She had no desire to remarry, so as her successor, I was essential if the Ushiromiya family was to continue. Aunt Eva felt very strongly about the family. She insisted that she take charge of me right away, so that she could give me an education and lifestyle fitting for a successor. After that, it seems that confusing negotiations with lawyers took place. But in the end, I was forced to go live with Aunt Eva. After doing that, Aunt Eva told me something.  And in order to make you a fitting successor to bear that, the rest of your life will be dedicated to frantic studying. Sacrifice the rest of your life for the Ushiromiya family. That's what she said. At first, I thought she meant that literally. But I quickly realized that wasn't the case. Because even now, in Aunt Eva's eyes, the one most fitting to succeed her was the late George onii-chan. At our first meal together, I received strict instructions and questioning about table manners... and was forced to listen to her abuse Mom and Dad as though they'd been neglectful in their discipline. I also received the same strict instructions regarding manners at my first party, and my clumsiness had been disparaged in front of everybody, forcing me to endure insults to Mom and Dad as well. After that repeated over and over, I eventually began to understand. Aunt Eva didn't really want to make me her successor. She thought George onii-chan was the only one truly suited to be her successor, and she couldn't forgive the fact that it was to be me instead. So she insulted me in front of lots of people. She humiliated me. And she made it known exactly how I was inferior to George onii-chan to both acquaintances and strangers, surely in place of a memorial service for her dead son... Or rather, she must still be mourning his death. ...However, that wasn't something I could endure. I couldn't possibly live together with Aunt Eva. I was kept like a pet, my life continually compared with her dead son's. I understood that even when I was still in elementary school.  However, Aunt Eva had already foreseen that. No, thinking back on it, she might've lured me into escaping. I was caught by the guards and brought back, and for being a coward who had smeared the Ushiromiya family crest with mud and tried to throw it away, in a way that makes my whole body shake and shiver just remembering it, I was punished. How should I describe what Aunt Eva was like when she punished me? In a frenzy? Gleeful? I saw the anger and sadness of losing her beloved son, and well as the hatred and pain from me stealing that inheritance from the son who should've received it. And the dark pleasure at being able to let those feelings out on me. I was hit with all those negative emotions at once. Then, all of my free time and freedom to act was stolen, and I was put under surveillance around the clock. I may have lived in a gorgeous mansion, dressed in expensive clothes, but my heart and my dignity had been trampled upon, and I was the Ushiromiya family's slave... its cattle. Compared to that lifestyle, the derisive laughter of my classmates here was calm and pleasant. It caused my heart no trouble...  BGM: Mystic Forest ...Because if I left it in my desk, it might 'disappear' again. During lunch break, after dropping it off at the postbox in the student council room, I finished lunch by myself, as usual, and headed behind the school building, where no one could be seen. Only my time by myself could protect me from the derisive laughter and gossip. Since I was hated and didn't have a single friend, my time alone was the most kind to me. After checking the surrounding bushes to see whether some malicious classmates were hiding and threatening my time of quiet, I finally relaxed the tension from my entire body, knowing that I had gained some true peace. Then, I let out a sigh. It faltered, heavy, as though it was the first time I had breathed out today. My old favorite place behind the vegetable garden storehouse... had been found out by my classmates, and I'd been teased, so this was my new lunchtime hideaway... There was nowhere to sit behind the school building. As I crouched near the wall in the shadow of the bushes, I opened my bag and took out a book with an elaborate, old-fashioned binding...  But this wasn't a book. It was a diary. Of course, it wasn't my diary. There weren't any special things worth writing about in my daily life. Every single day was just gray, cold and dry. In those completely unchanging days, there aren't any changes worth writing down. This was... the diary of Maria onee-chan, a girl I'd been very close to. She'd been a bit strange and three years older than me, but Onee-chan was always a warm, wonderful cousin. She would always grab me by the hand and let me join in on some fun game. I remembered that being able to see her was the most fun part of our family gatherings... When I opened the diary, the characters, which were made fairly skillfully considering that this was an elementary schooler, were packed close together, though they were written on every other line. Was she just hopelessly obsessed with jotting everything down in her diary? Probably not. To her, writing her daily life down in a diary was probably like having a conversation with another part of herself. So rather than an object on which the events of her day were written down, Maria onee-chan's diary was written like a letter to another part of herself, telling of the events of that day. I found this diary among her belongings after her death and secretly took it home. At first, I'd felt that reading someone else's diary might be boorish... and satisfied myself with just keeping it by my side, but I couldn't help flipping through the pages and reading through it bit by bit. And by now, she had become my only friend. I gently opened to the page with the bookmark.  At the same time, a very, very soft breeze blew, tickling the paper. I thought the open diary might have sparkled faintly.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2017 14:11
|
|
|
...I think Eva's managed to out-terrible Kinzo.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2017 15:48
|
|
|
Aumanor posted:...I think Eva's managed to out-terrible Kinzo. We'll see, Kinzo I wouldn't be surprised had a few more secrets to find out. No based how we're only on game 4 I know there is more secrets. We got 4 more games to go.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2017 17:50
|
|
|
I wonder how Ange fares in the timelines where no one at all comes back. Maybe better, since she would have the option to stay with her grandfather and perhaps would be able to process her grief more easily, instead of being instantly forced into an abusive situaion. It's interesting that both she and Battler have tried to escape from their names, and both have failed in the end. The Ushiromiya name seems like poison, in a sense.
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2017 18:04
|
|
|
Ange's life sucks...  Alright, I'm ready for some exciting diary action. I'm not sure how reliable this info is going to be, since I'm not sure if the world where Eva is still alive is canon or not. But maybe this will still have clues in it nonetheless?
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2017 18:11
|
|
|
Aumanor posted:...I think Eva's managed to out-terrible Kinzo. Maybe, but in the end this is all Kinzo's fault
|
|
#
?
Jan 20, 2017 20:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 06:26 |
|
|
Notes from a Certain Cook ------------------------- Original Translator: theacefrehley of AnimeSuki. Edited by Tiistai and oath2order  Since they call it the Seven Islands of Izu, I used to think that the archipelago of Izu was comprised of no more than seven islands. At first, I was told that Rokkenjima was a considerably small island. However, compared to what my poor imagination envisioned - an island the size of a tatami mat, shaped like a whale's back and with a single palm tree growing on it - Rokkenjima seemed actually quite vast. The coastline of the island is a little over 10km. At its widest point, it is probably about 3km across. On a map it would certainly appear small but when you take into account that it's a private island, with only the mansion of the Ushiromiya family built there, it's unimaginably vast. I remember well how the presence of the imposing mansion beyond a beautiful rose garden made a great impression on me on my first visit. Not even in my wildest dreams could I imagine my life as a cook would take such a turn. As though it was something out of a comic book or fairy tale, I was summoned to be the exclusive cook for a millionaire. ---  BGM: WINGLESS That said, the fact is that things like pride, conventions and ties of obligation were held in high regard there. So when the head chef who kept all the cooks working together with his powerful charisma had to retire due to his deteriorating health, everything blew up in one fell swoop. For a cook with exceptional skills and pride, the only person they can respect is a cook that surpasses them. That's why no matter how inflexible, conceited or juvenile we were, as long as the head chef held his authority we all did our work as one. So, with the head chef suddenly retiring, perhaps this was the inevitable outcome. We split off into a few factions. Among the kitchen staff, a certain person was the popular candidate for the next head chef. He was greatly appreciated for his respectable achievements and skills as well as his leadership over the enthusiastic juniors, among other things. However, he was actually also a very obstinate man and he didn't get along particularly well with the hotel side. What the hotel side needed was a chef who would produce satisfactory results within deadlines and budgets suitable for them, rather than a chef who would go over deadlines and budgets in order to produce results satisfactory to him... That difference in priorities spelled trouble for the cooks. The candidate recommended by the hotel side was a typical opportunist. The kind of person who owed his position to his talent at sucking up to the bigwigs rather than at cooking. Rather than put his efforts into his cooking, he spent his time vying for the position of 'head chef.' Needless to say, that man was appointed as the head chef. The person siding with us was named as his assistant. We weren't satisfied with the result, but we decided to resume work in the kitchen in order to observe the situation for the time being. However, the differences to the predecessor became immediately obvious, and dissatisfaction among the cooks exploded. Many of them did not approve of his methods, which disregarded the pride they felt as cooks. Of course, I was among them. Before long, the assistant and his sympathizers decided to force the hotel to negotiate by slamming down our letters of resignation. We felt that there was no longer any other way around it at that point.  It turned out that the assistant hadn't really been on board with our reckless methods from the start. I didn't find out about it until later, though. Being young at the time, we were just eager to raise a revolt alongside the assistant and stick it up to that drat annoying head chef successor. As a result, what we got at the end was an unexpected twist. The assistant was dissuaded from resigning at the last moment, so he didn't join the coup d'état. ...In fact, the hotel side saw this as an opportunity to purge the kitchen where the factional infighting had intensified, and to that end dissuaded personnel useful to them from resigning in advance and wittingly overlooked the outbreak of the coup. I wasn't dissuaded. ...In other words, it was the perfect pretext for the hotel side to fire me. We, the younger ones, felt betrayed by the assistant and the others, and prepared to go on strike, but... A cook is a cook because he makes food. And if he doesn't make food, he can't make a living. Starting with the people who had calmed down, they quietly backed out from the uproar one by one, found new jobs and disappeared... That was when I recognized just how inexperienced I was. Being a former cook from a well-established restaurant can be an asset, but it is also a burden. Finding a new place to work was not a simple task. I tried finding employment from restaurants and hotels of the same rank, but because connections are tight in this industry, the details of the troubles were already made widely known and potential employers were warned that the relations between them would have to be reconsidered, should they hire one of the troublemakers. It was as if a circular notice had been sent out to make the rounds. It seemed like I would never get another chance to call myself a cook again... --- One day I received a call from a junior who had been on my side and quit together with me.  BGM: NOVELLETE At any rate, a millionaire family was looking for an exclusive cook and they wanted someone very skillful. However, skilled cooks are typically already attached to somewhere, so finding a free one would be difficult. They also have ties of obligation to those places, so there's no way they would just thoughtlessly resign even if someone waves a high salary in front of them. In other words, it was a perfect job for someone like me. Serving as an exclusive cook in a mansion on a solitary island... that doesn't sound too bad. Besides, I couldn't afford to be picky with my economical situation anymore. The status that would come with the job would satisfy my youthful pride, as well. And so, I decided to participate in the selection process for the Ushiromiya family. Besides me, more than 10 young cooks had gathered there. To be honest, I may have been the oldest one there... I still thought of myself as young, but standing among of a bunch of truly young people ended up making me feel overly self-conscious. The young cooks were also full of inspiration, however. With further experience they would grow into even better cooks. In terms of experience, I really had the upper hand here. My proficiency at customer service, which I had learned under the former head chef, was also greatly appreciated. The difference between a cook who coops up in the kitchen and a hotel chef who carries the dish himself to a VIP customer and even has a pleasant talk with them is clear as day. That's why at first, based on the response I was getting, I felt like I would hired for sure. ...Nevertheless, there was also the possibility that they would prioritize hiring young people, based on reasons like "habits from other workplaces might cause issues". In the end, it was all in god's hands.  Thus I became the cook in the exclusive service of the Ushiromiya family. There's a part in my contract that states I'm strictly not allowed to serve food to anyone besides those connected to the family during my contract period, and that gave off a very <executive> feeling, stimulating my pride most of all. My cooking mustn't be offered to anyone besides relatives of the Ushiromiya family...! Not bad. And so began my second life in the mansion of Rokkenjima... --- I'm sure it wouldn't be interesting if I just wrote on and on about my hardships as a cook and a servant. I'm not that interested in writing about it, either. Rather, I'd like to write about something interesting from my life at Rokkenjima. And the most interesting thing there must be the legend of the Golden Witch, Beatrice.  BGM: WITCH IN GOLD There was something different about this one, though. Japanese ghost stories are typically about departed spirits, or the Japanese youkai. This one was about the Golden Witch, Beatrice-sama, so... it felt really out of place. Admittedly, the Ushiromiya family mansion gives off such a sense of anachronism that even if a ghost wearing a triangle headband like Oiwa-san popped out, it would probably just make you snicker. Perhaps that ghost story was the perfect fit for this mansion. They say that the Lady of the portrait, which is prominently displayed in the hall, wanders about the mansion every night. That Lady is the master of this mansion at night and if you fail to show proper respect to her, you'll suffer a terrible fate. Stuff like that. From what I was told, some servant who had taken Beatrice-sama lightly and spoke ill of her apparently had to quit because of some serious injury. ...Well, that's how it goes. When misfortune strikes, it's all because of Beatrice-sama's curse. That means that whenever something bad happens, it's not unlikely that people would start feeling like shifting the blame to the person that failed to pay proper respect. I understood that right away and made sure not to forget to show my reverence for Beatrice. But in my thoughts I was sneering at her, thinking there's no way someone as ridiculous as that actually exists... The senior servants blindly accepted this Beatrice ghost story. Rather than being just a simple "show respect or you'll be cursed" kind of deal, it felt more like a real person had died an unnatural death in the past and was still being revered to this day...  Humans are funny creatures. Live among a group long enough and you'll eventually start feeling like they do. At some point even I started feeling a shiver down my back whenever I passed by that huge portrait during my nighttime rounds, as if her eyes were glaring at me. Even so, I still didn't think of it as anything more than a ghost story... At least, not at first. The nighttime rounds are a lot of work because we're supposed to make sure that every door and window in the huge mansion is locked up. But since the family members are already asleep, it allows the servants to take a weight off their shoulders. It happened on a night like that. As I was passing through the hall I happened to notice a figure of a person, disappearing at the top of the grand staircase. I even heard the sound of footsteps. I was kind of slacking off a little since I had thought that Master and Madam were already sleeping, so I hastily regained my composure and tensed up. It had been a soft, fleeting figure, and so it left a vaguely feminine impression on me. There was nobody among the servants with a silhouette like that, so I naturally assumed it must have been Madam or Milady. The silhouette had looked like maybe a négligée or something like that. But the more I thought about it, the more it felt odd. Madam is a very strict person and she's always saying that the corridors of the mansion were the same as public roads. What she means by that is that people shouldn't be walking around the corridors in indecent clothing, such as a nightgown. As a matter of fact, the Ushiromiya family members always dress formally, even in their own home. A man should be able to relax in his home by wearing more comfortable clothing, but such logic doesn't apply to the Ushiromiya family. Indeed, I've sometimes happened to see Madam reprimanding and lecturing Milady because of her unkempt clothes. So, thinking about it carefully, that silhouette was definitely not something you would normally see in the mansion. The more I think about that figure, the harder it gets to imagine it was anybody from the mansion... Who on earth was it that I saw...? Could it really have been... Beatrice-sama...? The place where I saw that figure was the hall. Right in front of Beatrice-sama's portait. Now that some time has passed it's actually more unsettling to think about than back then.  BGM: ROSE Kanon was the temporary name of this servant boy who was permitted to wear the One-Winged Eagle. Early on, I used to think I wouldn't be able to get along too well with him. Not that I think so any longer. ...Anyway, what I had witnessed was so unusual that I thought I should talk about it with him. He had served here many years longer than I had... and knew a lot more about Beatrice-sama's ghost story... and yet, he was someone I could talk to from a slightly superior position. I started the conversation with that in mind. I wanted to talk to someone about my earlier experience. It's not like I absolutely had to talk about it, but if I hadn't I wouldn't have been able to calm down. Indeed, now I understand well the feelings of that barber who couldn't help shouting 'the King has donkey ears'...  "...I wonder if that might have been Beatrice-sama. ...Kanon-san, have you ever experienced anything like that?" "..........."He was standing still and silent, staring at me with eyes that looked like they were evaluating me. ...Like a cat trying to decide whether to stay put or run away. Just as I started wondering if he had flat-out ignored me, Kanon-san responded. "...When I was on my shift doing the rounds one night... I saw a golden butterfly." "A golden butterfly...? ...Don't they say that when Beatrice-sama is about to appear, they fly around to announce her...?"That's how the story goes. Butterflies that glitter like gold are said to be a sign of Beatrice's appearance. It's similar to the will-'o-wisp that come out before a ghost appears.  "...Among the old servants, the golden butterflies are said to be the precursor to Beatrice-sama's appearance... and that if you follow after them, you might be able to meet Beatrice-sama, but it's also said that you should never do that." "You didn't follow after them then, Kanon-san...?""That's right. ...Doing that would be disrespectful towards Beatrice-sama." "...Wasn't there a servant that followed after them who had to quit due to a serious injury?""That's what I heard. ...It seems that Beatrice-sama is generous to those who respect her, but cruel to those who are disrespectful."I got the feeling that Kanon-san thought that even just idly talking about Beatrice-sama was disrespectful... I felt like there was something more than just hatred towards me there. "I'm sorry for wasting your valuable time. I'm sure I must have been mistaken... Perhaps it was Madam or Milady in a nightgown and I just misunderstood what I saw.""...Neither Madam nor Milady would ever walk around the corridors in clothes like that."BGM: NONE "But I did see a figure like that. It was white... like a woman wearing a négligée or something.""...I've never heard of Madam or Milady having any nightwear like that." "......."Maybe that contradictory answer had been the answer since the beginning. That female figure had been neither Madam nor Milady. ...Perhaps it really had been Beatrice-sama after all. It didn't make any sense. I didn't want to acknowledge that witches exist just because of something like that... I had to find out who that figure had been. Those thoughts might have shown up on my face and Kanon-san must have noticed it, because he then spoke to me as though he was giving me a warning.  "Hahaha... No, no. That was not my intention at all.""I... also used to doubt Beatrice-sama's existence." "Oh? Is that right, Kanon-san?""Yes... I felt the same as you do now, Gohda-san. I had my doubts about this mysterious witch that the older servants kept on insisting over and over that I had to show respect for. ...I even planned on uncovering her true identity, should she have one."That was unexpected. Here I was thinking he blindly believed in Beatrice-sama, but now he was telling me he also used to doubt Beatrice-sama's existence. ...It piqued my interest. "In that case, Kanon-san... why do you believe in her now?""......Because I was shown a miracle that... only a witch could perform. No, not a miracle. That was a warning. Beatrice-sama warned me because I had profaned her by doubting her existence." "...Could you tell me more about it?""......."He fell silent again. At this point however, I wanted to resolve the uncertainy I felt, so I refused to drop the issue easily. Eventually my persistence paid off and he began his tale about the 'incident' that caused him to believe in the existence of the witch... Simply put, it went like this. One day, he had been organizing the tools in the gardening storehouse, tidying the place up. He said that he forgot to return the storehouse key to the keybox in the servants' room and had gone to bed with the key still in his pocket. The storehouse shutter can only be opened with a single special key. There are no master keys or spare keys for it. In other words, nobody could have entered the storehouse that night. Then came the next morning. In order to take care of the rose garden, he opened the storehouse to pick up some tools. He was in for a surprise.   BGM: MIND "That's absurd... If Kanon-san had the key the whole time, wouldn't the gardening storehouse have been a closed room? There's no way anybody could have made a mess inside the storehouse or drawn any weird shapes.""...I could hardly believe it myself back then. I still can't forget the shock I felt when I opened the shutter and saw the state the storehouse was in. It was like a tornado had blown through it. There was that eerie magic circle too." "...I'm sure that anyone would be distraught if that happened to them. However, we could also consider the possibility that it may have been an elaborate prank meant to frighten you.""......A prank...?" "Yeah, that's right. You are young. Couldn't some other servants have just been teasing you by playing a prank like that?""...But I had the key. Nobody could have entered the storehouse on that particular night." "Couldn't there still have been a spare key that you didn't know about, Kanon-san?""...No, there shouldn't be." "Can you really assert that? Kanon-san, you may not believe there's a spare key, but it's impossible to prove that it 'does not exist'. The truth is that a spare key might exist without Kanon-san's knowledge. With that in mind, this mysterious storehouse incident can be explained as someone's prank."I felt like I had become a great detective, just for a bit. Naturally, he had no objections. It improved my mood and I blurted out disparaging remarks about Beatrice-sama. There's no way witches exist. Surely it's all just misunderstandings, surely even the numerous mysterious incidents caused by the witch can be explained with some sort of coincidences, tricks or whatever. ...Upon hearing that, Kanon-san's eyes flew wide open. His facial expression was unforgettable. He looked as though I had said something unforgivably dreadful... My careless comments seemed to scare him out of his wits. His uncanny expression that I had caused by getting so carried away left a lasting impression in my heart, like a thorn... ---  BGM: NOVELLETE For that reason, only a few people were scheduled to have their the work shifts that day. In fact, Genji-san and I were the only ones on duty. "When the cat's out" and all that, isn't that what people say? I remember it was quite a carefree day. Genji-san stayed in the servants' room the whole time, being very busy with paperwork. In the meantime, I grabbed a can of beer and some persimmon seeds and secretly took a casual stroll through the rose garden, raising a toast to the roses. It really was a wonderful day and I found myself thinking it would be nice to have a day like that every week. I mean, even preparing the meals was a task quickly finished, since I only had to make enough food for me and Genji-san. And because the food didn't require much effort, cleaning up was equally simple. I used this rare opportunity to tidy up the whole kitchen even more diligently than usual, flashing a wide smile at the sparklingly clean sink. It fell to Genji-san to do the nighttime rounds, so once I had finished I went to the servants' breakroom to take a leisurely shower and wash away the fatigue of the day. (Fatigue my foot, all I had done was have a drink in the rose garden...) But then the telephone rang. Getting a phone call this late was very surprising, so I thought it must have been something urgent. Genji-san is the kind of person who thinks it's impolite to make a phone call in the middle of the night, so even if something urgent happened during the night he would rather go up to the other person's room to knock on their door than call them on the phone. Since it must have been Genji-san who was calling, I picked up the receiver in a hurry while covering myself with a bathtowel, wondering what could possibly have been going on. Yes, what is it? His reply was quite simple.  "...Please come to the kitchen as soon as possible. Hurry."BGM: NONE Genji-san's voice sounded uncharacteristically nervous. I remember realizing just from the tone of his voice that something strange must have happened. ...But what on earth could it have been? The kitchen is the most important position in this job for me. If something had gone wrong there, the responsibility would no doubt be mine... But could I, of all people, really have caused some kind of a blunder in the kitchen? Anyway, I changed back into my clothes and rushed to the kitchen. And what I saw there... I doubt I'll ever be able to forget.  "I need you to help me. It's too much for me to manage alone."As I was looking at that bizarre scene, I was all the more astonished that Genji-san's nervousness had only affected the tone of his voice... At any rate... the kitchen, my pride and joy... that should have been tidied up and neatly organized... how could this have happened...? The pots and bowls that I had polished to a silvery shine... were all piled up in a tall heap on the table... as if they were children's toy blocks. And around that pile were ladles and other utensiles lined up in a radial pattern... How should I put it... At first impression it seemed like aboriginals had used the cookware to build a totem pole or something.  BGM: CLOSED MY HEART Needless to say, it sent shivers down my spine... That's when that thorn came back to my mind. ...This is it. This is what Kanon-san saw inside the gardening storehouse... It's the same thing... "...Gohda. We mustn't let the other servants see this. Let's clean this mess up tonight." "Th-tha-that's right... Let's clean it up... Wh-who could have done this...!"It was weird to even say that aloud. There was nobody on Rokkenjima that day besides me and Genji-san, after all. I would never do something this stupid, so that means... the culprit is automatically Genji-san... No, but wait... Genji-san would be the last person to do something as absurd as this, wouldn't he...?! What is up with this messed-up prank?! Is he harassing me?! But Genji-san himself is cleaning it up with me. Scattering things around and then cleaning them up himself... would he really do something that pointless just to scare me tonight...?! That's unimaginable! I tried figuring out the culprit behind this grotesque magic circle prank... but the only one I could think of was the Golden Witch, Beatrice. "G-Genji-san, when did you notice this...?" "I was on my way to the servants' room after finishing my rounds when I noticed that the kitchen door had been left open... I took a peek inside and saw this mess." "Could it have been... a burglar...?!" "Everything was without question locked up. Besides, no burglar would take the trouble to come all the way to Rokkenjima." "Then... who could have done this...?!" "......There's no need to investigate it. Anyway, Gohda, you clean up the pots. I'll erase this thing. By no means can we let anyone else lay their eyes on this graffiti." "Ah, um... This is just what I heard from Kanon-san, but apparently something like this had happened before, in the gardening storehouse... D-does this kind of thing, uh... happen often...?"That might have been something I shouldn't have asked. Genji-san is the kind of person who won't stop moving his hands even when he needs to move his mouth, but this time he stopped in his tracks and lift his head with a stern look on his face... "...drat that Kanon. I told him not to talk about it." "I-I'm sorry, please don't scold him! I was the one who insisted...! More importantly, please tell me...! Has this kind of, uh, stuff... happened before as well...?!" "...Sometimes. It's just a prank." "J-just a prank, you say, but who would...! I mean, there's nobody here but me and Genji-san, you know?! Who else could there be?! I certainly didn't do this! Genji-san, was it you?! That can't be right!! Then, what's going on here, who did this?!" "...You shouldn't pry into it. Just be silent and clean up... And never say a word about this to anyone. Not even to the Master, not to mention Master, Madam or Milady either... Kanon will be punished later." "I-I'll never ask again, so please...! Genji-san, would say this was done by Beatrice...?!" "Do not say that name in vain."  It almost sounded like a threat. At the same time, he seemed to be half-acknowledging that Beatrice-'sama' was behind this. ...Bizarre incidents like this... they're probably not limited to the gardening storehouse case either. And each time they happen, they're dealt with and covered up before anyone from the family notices, no doubt... "I'll watch my tongue, so... please tell me. Did Beatrice...sama... do this...?" "......I think so. ...There have been even more incomprehensible incidents in the past. Things clearly impossible for a human being." "...Such as...?" "...A young servant on a night shift once saw a golden butterfly and started following after it. She chased it up to the back door entrance, which was locked, but she lost sight of it and gave up." "If I remember correctly... even if you see a golden butterfly, you're not supposed to follow after it, isn't that right...?"  "What?! You, you mean... That young servant chased after the golden butterfly, gave up... and by the time she turned around, they had already been drawn there? During the few seconds when she had her back to the walls?!" "...She couldn't have overlooked the wall. She strongly asserted that there had been nothing drawn on the walls at first, and that it had all happened between the few seconds it took her to check that the back door was locked and to turn around and walk back." "N-no-no way, you're kidding me... Hadn't it been just a joke between the servants...?" "...She called for me and I went to help erase them... They were complex patterns. Certainly not something you could draw in just a few seconds or simply overlook. Soon afterwards that servant had a high fever. She was hospitalized and had to quit. I heard she moved back to her hometown after that. She hasn't contacted us since." "...That's ridiculous... No-no, that might have been an elaborate prank as well! Or rather, perhaps that young servant herself was the culprit behind that prank in order to make fun of everyone, or something like that..." "...I see, that's also a possibility... Let's stop this chitchat now... Although, I've also had first hand experience... with something that was definitely impossible for humans." "Oh. W-what was it...?" "......"That's where Genji-san stopped talking... And after a long silence he decided to ignore me and resume cleaning... For Genji-san, who is very strict regarding his work and, in that sense, a very pragmatic person, to keep his silence when it came to Beatrice... His silence alone told me in a more eloquent way than a myriad of words ever could that witches do, in fact, exist...  BGM: DEAD ANGLE Eventually, we finished cleaning everything up. ...Even if we said that there had been a weird totem pole and magic circle in the kitchen, I'm sure nobody would ever believe it. Genji-san warned me again not to speak of it to anyone... That night, I drank strong alcohol as I forced myself to forget what I saw. After a while, I had convinced myself that it had all been just someone's ill-natured joke. But even now I still sometimes feel frightened. Such as when I enter the kitchen the first thing in the morning in order to make breakfast... What if the cookware has been stacked into an eerie pile again? It scares me. I shouldn't be thinking about this. I'm hoping I'll be able to forget by writing this down.  ... 
oath2order fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Jan 21, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jan 21, 2017 16:19
|
|