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The Witches' Tanabata isn't that Sweet -------------------------------------- Original Translation by chronotrig of AnimeSuki. Edited by tiistai   BGM: Worldend (solo) It is a well-known event celebrated by writing wishes on strips of paper and hanging them on bamboo branches. It is not often that these wishes are granted, but sometimes spirits and souls of the dead, or even demons and witches, will find the wishes and grant them on a whim... Ushiromiya Maria was supposed to write one such wish at school. There was plenty of paper, so the students were allowed to write as many wishes as they could think of. Everyone was eager to write several wishes at first, but unexpectedly after writing only two or three trivial wishes like 'I wish I had a lot of money' or 'I want to be ____', they came to realize their lack of imagination despite their youth. However, unlike the other children, Maria thought that writing just one wish was enough.  Rosa was busy with work and would often stay overnight at her workplace. Maria was a child, so while she understood on some level that it was just part of her mother's job, it didn't mean she wasn't still lonely. That's why she wrote down her simple wish for her mother to come home every day. By the way, have you ever thought about who grants the wishes written on these strips of paper...? There are various theories, such as the Tanabata legend, or the countless ancient gods of Japan... but in fact they are all wrong. Who grants the wish is that which is the closest to the person who wrote it. It can be the so-called guardian spirits or ancestors of the person. For those without a spiritual guardian such as that, it can be their parents or a close friend. To Maria, the witch was even closer to her than her own mother. So, in Maria's dreams on the night of Tanabata, Beato accepted the wish that the girl had entrusted to that piece of paper, and read it.    "Indeed. Today, you hung a Tanabata wish on some bamboo, did you not? That wish has reached me. Therefore, I have come to you to grant that wish." "Really?! Thanks, Beatrice!! Uu-uu-uu-!!" "Well then, about your wish. You wished that 惣our mother would come home every day'... Are you really fine with just that?" "Yes. That alone makes me happy.""...Hmm..."Beato crossed her arms and started mumbling. It looked as though she was mulling over how best to refuse and not grant the wish. Maria believed Beato could do anything, so when she saw her making a face like, Maria started to grow anxious...  "...Uu-. ...Is it a difficult wish to grant, having Mama come back?" "No. To make it plain, it's as easy as pie. Nothing difficult about it. But Maria, think carefully. Is it enough just having Mama come home?""...?""If I grant that wish with magic, then starting tomorrow, your mother will return home every day... However, even if she does come home, she won't necessarily be in a good mood, you see?"Rosa was the president of a small company. Things still hadn't gotten off the ground, and running the business was like balancing on a tightrope each day. She was desperately trying to expand her business by clinging on to any order she could get and using that to bring in more requests little by little. If Rosa were to come home at a set time every day in this state, it would not end well. In order for Rosa's company to achieve financial security overnight, she would have to make a wish herself, and make it clear exactly how and where the magic should be used. But even if the magic from Maria's wish might reach Rosa, it would not extend to Rosa's company. In short, the wish would be granted by Rosa suddenly losing her job, or else with the company being suddenly crushed, so that Rosa could be at home every day. That probably wasn't the wish Maria was hoping for... Because of this, Beato had come into Maria's dreams to ask what her true wish was. "So Maria, let me hear your true wish. Your wish is not just that your mother comes home, right?""...No, just having Mama come home every day... isn't good enough.""That's right. What comes after that... is what you truly wish for."The desire for her Mama to come home was only the beginning of Maria's true wish. The wish she truly desired was something that must not remain abstract.  "Mama will come home, and then...?""Mama will always come home early... and make dinner with me.""And then...?""We'll have fun talking together, peeling potatoes, setting up dishes...""And then...?" "It will definitely be happiness..."She didn't just want her mother to come home every day. The happiness painted in Maria's mind continued much longer after that... It was something wonderful even just to imagine. A meal that the two made together, and could enjoy together while chatting. Maria had never once asked to eat out. Just eating at the table with her mother was more than enough. Even though it only happened rarely, Maria wished for it to happen every day. The glimpse of that dream world made Beato smile warmly. Maria wished for her to somehow grant that wish, but Beato simply giggled and spoke again. "Is that enough...?" "Huh...?" "I do believe that this dream of yours includes more than just a happy dinner... That wish still needs more to it before I can listen to it. What you truly wish for surely continues much further, after having that fun meal."............" I'll make tea for Mama. As we drink our delicious tea together, we'll watch TV. Then I'll heat up the bath and we'll take a bath together. I'll even put in one of those bubble-filled bath bombs that Mama loves. Then we'll splash around having fun in the tub, and make even more bubbles. Then she'll kiss me goodnight, get things ready for tomorrow, and go to sleep. ...Then, the sun will rise, I'll wake up early, and wake Mama up when she oversleeps. Good morning, Sakutaro. Yeah, I know. I'll bring Mama some juice to drink. I'll bring her some chilled original blend vegetable juice in a chilled cup. If she drinks it right after waking up, she'll feel refreshed and start the morning smiling. I'll put bread in the toaster and cover it with rose-flavored jam. Then I'll bring in the morning paper and set it on Mama's chair. Alright, I'll be back soon, Sakutaro. After a morning like this, I'll be happy all day long at school. School is fun too, and everyone in the rabbit band is always happy as well. They really make a ruckus in my pocket. So I'm sure that Mama will make lots of progress at work. So I'm sure that Mama will come home in a good mood. So I'm sure that we will always, always be happy every day.  BGM: NONE I could hear a monotonous electronic sound buzzing on. It was the sound of my alarm clock. ...Oh yeah... I was dreaming the whole time.  BGM: Apathy There was a small piece of bamboo beside my bed with that piece of paper hanging from it. I wonder if that's why I had such a strange dream. Beatrice came from Rokkenjima... and took my wish for Mama to simply come home every day, added onto it and expanded it more and more, into infinity... She drew me a clear picture of a world that I couldn't see at all before, when I wrote that wish down. No, that's not all. Until a second ago, I really was inside that world. I'm sure that, for just a brief moment, Beatrice granted my wish for me using her mysterious magic... She had endlessly expanded my resigned and small wish. After all, Beatrice is the Endless Witch. ...And, if the world she showed me was made by magic... then as a witch apprentice, I should be able to do it too. That happy dream, which was so faint that the alarm had drawn me away from it, I should be able to make into something real. As a witch apprentice, Maria knew how to make that magic a reality. "...Uu-... By believing." Yes. By believing in magic, it gains power. So Maria strongly believed that it had not been a dream, but something that could be made into reality. ...What was the first thing I did on that happy morning?  Maria jumped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. She wanted to let her mother know that this was the start of a happy morning, which would lead to a happy day and a happy tomorrow.  末The End.  BGM: About Face Bernkastel shrugged mockingly. Lambdadelta, who had been chuckling at how sweet the story had been, looked annoyed at this wet blanket response. Beatrice commented that Bern didn't understand.  "It's not like that. I weaved a fragment of the world Maria desired, and gave her the key which led to there. All that remained was for Maria to use that key and open the door." "Even if that were enough to make her happy... Maria herself was the one who made that wish come true, not you." "You're as twisted as ever, I see, Bern. There's no way for a wish to be granted unless there is a strong desire for it to come true." "...Humans with strong enough wills are going to eventually grant their own wishes, regardless of any witches. The witch's turn will never come." "I wouldn't even want to grant a weak-willed wish." "Yeah, seriously. A certain future dwells within certain willpower. Our infatuation with the strength of that will leads us to just unconsciously lend our power, right?""Yes, precisely. It wouldn't be interesting if the wish weren't bold enough to make us unconsciously want to lend our power." "Bern, you take people's efforts and the strength of their wishes a little too lightly."Beato and Lambda kept sighing about how Bern didn't understand.   "Hoh. How about it, Lady Lambdadelta? I imagine that one who is so often adored by Humans such as yourself would be an expert at granting wishes." "Me? I keep it simple. I just fairly and equally encourage everyone to give it their all."Lambdadelta is the Witch of Certainty. She praises the willpower to certainly succeed until the very end. Despite possessing both innocence and cruelty, she also has a more tender side with regards to people's passion.  "The most common wishes I get are all stuff like 選 want to be super-rich', or 選 want to get ahead in life', or 選 want to solidify my current position'.""Just now, you said that you fairly and equally encourage everyone, but do you really grant such impudent wishes for everyone...?" "Of course not. I avoid granting those wishes to everyone in equal measure. But in exchange, I watch over the children who don't slack off in their efforts until their wish is realized also in equal measure."Lambda will never smile upon humans who wish to 礎ecome super-rich', but do nothing to work towards that goal. Also, she will never grant success to those who try only once to become super-rich. What Lambdadelta bestows is not the fulfillment of the wish, but the power needed to achieve it. "The wish 選 want to be super-rich' can actually be granted for anyone, you see? After a suitable amount of effort, of course. I guarantee the fruitfulness of those efforts." "...However, you make no guarantees about the necessary amount of effort for that to be granted, right?""*cackle*cackle*. I see. The fruits of labor will eventually be granted, but you make no promises about when that will be. You are quite a mean person.""You think so? Do you have any idea how valuable is a guarantee that your wish will eventually be granted without fail? You know, I like people who work hard. I like people who throw away everything for that goal, and who are capable of abandoning themselves to that unending self-torment."Those who make their wishes to Lambdadelta must strongly believe that those wishes will be granted eventually. Without that strength of heart, those wishes will not reach Lambdadelta, and never again would power dwell in the Magic of Certainty. And, to those people who certainly never give up, and do not forget the meaning of hard work, it's merely blasphemy to their hard work to have their wishes granted by another. That's why Lambdadelta would never dirty their precious hard work. All she does is promise that certain resolve will bring forth a future of certainty.  "Hmmm. So, that is the Magic of Certainty. A magnificent power that is in no way inferior to my own Endless Magic.""Yeah right, it's way better...! You're rock. I'm paper!! Not only that, I'm super-thick paper that's been folded twice!""...Folded twice means that you're all wound up. Fits you perfectly.""Doesn't it?! Oh-hoh-hoh-hoh-hoh!"With Lambda the only one who didn't get it, all three witches cackled together... "Lady Bernkastel, are you not the witch who controls miracles? There must be as many humans who want you to grant a wish as there are stars in the sky.""Well, they are miracles, after all... Granting things that shouldn't be granted... I imagine lowborns with excessive ambition but a dislike of work would love that. But that's no good! Those filthy wishes are unfitting for someone as wonderful as you, Bern. Before you look at wishes of people like that, grant my wish first, Be~rn!!" "Miracles are called miracles precisely because they don't happen... For me to do something as sweet as granting a wish would be a miracle in itself.""Human passions don't amount to much to witches... but it seems they don't amount to anything at all to you.""...I don't want to hear that from someone who's name is known for her cruelty, like you." "*cackle*cackle*cackle*, wahhahahahahahahaha! Not much I can say against that. I may have been too uncharacteristically soft.""Well, you are really soft and sweet when it comes to Maria, Beato. You should spread that sweetness around to more people besides Maria, instead of letting it pile up like sugar at the bottom of the cup.""...Good grief. It's not just Beato. You too, Lambda. You both have been a little too sweet today. Dried plum goes better in coffee than sugar does.""Bern, it's not like Tanabata comes every day, right? Go and grant at least one wish." "No way."With a fed up look on her face, Bern disappeared. In the process of living a thousand years, she had lost her human heart. She didn't like sweet or heart-warming stories. Beato laughed coldly, as though this was the way a witch was supposed to be. All of the warmth that had woven Maria's happiness was gone from her expression...   ...You're telling me to grant at least one wish because it's Tanabata? Hmph. I am a witch. The witch who governs miracles. ...No matter what kind of effort, fortune, entusiasm, or unity... I know that the end of it all, there is no miracle waiting. It's exactly because I know that there will be no miracle that I am the Witch of Miracles. In that case, just whose wish are you saying I should grant...? So what if it's the Tanabata? They're just being a little too festive. Expanding a happy dream into infinity? Effort that brings success no matter what...? It's so sickningly sweet that my tongue will fall off... Aah, how revolting. It's the same to you, right? Very well.  Because that's obviously what you're looking forward to. --- Little Ange had recieved a small piece of paper at school... She had written 'I wish for my family to come home' on it and now she hung it on a bamboo branch and fastened that to her bed post. Then, she clapped, and made her wish again so that it would come true... Having wished with all her might, Bern appeared to her in the land next to illusions, the world of slumber.   "Ye...yeah. ...Who...are you...?""I will not tell you my name. This is the world of slumber, a world as fleeting as a receding tide... Even if you hear my name, it will not remain in your memory.""......""Well then, your wish... I wouldn't mind causing a miracle and granting your wish.""...Really...? Really...?!""Yes. Really. However, magic is something that will not be granted unless you wish for it strongly and work hard for it... that's how it works, apparently. According to Lambda. It's such a pain."Ange was not able to hide her surprise at this witch, who showed up in the world of her dreams, claiming that she would grant her wish. However, she felt that the witch wanted something in exchange for the miracle. ...But, if her family would come home, Ange thought that she would accept any undertaking. "......""I'll work as hard as you want me to, Lady Witch. Please hear my wish...!" If you follow my instructions every single day, if your desire for that wish to be truly granted reaches the heavens... at that time, I will definitely pay you another visit, and grant your wish."Although, that could be 1 year from now, 5 years from now, or perhaps 10 or more years from now. In that regard, I guess I'm about the same as Lambda. I'll grant it eventually, so it's not exactly unkind. *giggle*giggle*... "Then, Lady Witch. ...What should I strive for...?""Today, you were told by your foster mother, Ushiromiya Eva, to think of her as a replacement for your mother, and that you could count on her for anything, right...?""Ye... yes." We are connected as aunt and niece. But we are also connected in that I have lost a child and you have lost your parents. And we cannot trick ourselves into thinking of each other as replacements for our lost family. Even so, I think of you as my own child. So if you... could allow that, then I'd like you to think of me as a substitute for your mother, and I want you to rely on me for whatever you need. Eva had hugged Ange as she said that. To the young Ange, Mom was Mom, and Eva definitely wasn't... However, she understood the the meaning of those words, and the affection verging on sorrow. But as would be expected from a child her age, she needed some time to accept this... "Yes... Eva oba-san definitely said that.""If you wish, from the bottom of your heart, for your real mother to return... then you musn't give the position of mother away to somebody else so easily. If your real mother loses her position as your mother, then she will never come back home." BGM: Soul of Soul If she accepted someone who wasn't her mother as her mother, then when her real mother came back, there would be no place for her to return...  "...Okay? For your real mother's sake, this is important, right...?""Ye... yes, Lady Witch... Aunt Eva is Aunt Eva. I will certainly never call her Mom. I won't think of her as Mom.""Good. Aunt Eva said something else as well, didn't she...?" But I think that this would surely sadden my child and your parents. ...Wouldn't it be alright if we could remember how to smile, if only a little bit at a time? Of course, we can't do that right away. We have to remember our forgotten smiles bit by bit. That's why... I've decided that from today on, I'll try my best to practice smiling. ......Sounds weird... right? Ange-chan, if you ever remember how to smile... please show me too. I feel that if we do that, we'll be able to remember how to smile even more. "Yes... Eva oba-san definitely said that.""If you wish for your family to return, it's necessary to carry pain and sorrow strong enough to lift that wish to the heavens... Until that day, you mustn't show your smile.""I mustn't... show... my smile.""Yes, that's right. I'll be watching over you. If it seems like a smile is going to come upon your face, even once... I will accept that as a sign that you don't care if your family comes back or not anymore. I promise you that the miracle of them coming home will never happen.""...I ...don't want that. I certainly won't smile...! Until Dad and Mom and Onii-chan come home, I will certainly never smile...!" "You musn't feel joy... You must never forget the sorrow of losing your family. And stay away from the demon who will try to make you forget that, who will try and decieve you. Ushiromiya Eva will try and crush that resolve many times with her sweet words. But you must never listen to them, alright...? Eva is a demon who will try and steal away your family for all eternity. *giggle*. No, she actually DID STEAL THEM AWAY.""M-my resolve won't be broken...! Until my wish is granted, I certainly will not listen to anything Aunt Eva says...!! So please, grant my wish, Lady Witch...!!""Sure. As long as you continue to keep your promise... then one day I will definitely appear before you and grant your wish... It's alright. I will definitely not ignore your pure-hearted resolve... *giggle*giggle*giggle*."The next morning... Ushiromiya Ange made it crystal clear to Eva. They were... the magic words that would bring forth the miracle of her family coming home. And, the words were a curse that the cruel witch had made her say. From that day on... those words stole away Ange and Eva's smiling faces for all eternity...  "...Isn't this kind of Tanabata more wonderful in a witch's eyes? ...*giggle*. Ahhahahahahahaha... Aah, I won't get bored. At least not for a while."These kinds of Fragments exist... but what do you think? All of you who love these ill-natured stories, this kind of suffering is much better, don't you think...? Is this good enough? Beato? All I really did was make it a tale more suited to my role. <The End>
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Apr 8, 2017 16:17
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| # ? May 13, 2024 22:37 |
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Kids are stupid. I know this for a fact. I can't begin to imagine the chip on Ange's shoulder that caused her to ruin her relationship with Eva like that. But to realize that Ange turned her own life intoa living hellhole, that's hosed up.
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Apr 8, 2017 18:04
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Now that's just rude, Bern.
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Apr 8, 2017 18:14
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Guys I think Bern might be kind of mean.
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Apr 8, 2017 18:21
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bman in 2288 posted:Kids are stupid. I know this for a fact. I can't begin to imagine the chip on Ange's shoulder that caused her to ruin her relationship with Eva like that. Agreed 1000%. This game lured me into a false sense of hope with the Valentine's day and White day specials being hilarious and heartwarming, but now it's back to immortal creatures laughing at human misery.
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Apr 8, 2017 18:52
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Nah Bern is the nicest witch in this story.
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Apr 8, 2017 18:51
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So Ange had a dream that pretty much told her to reject Eva and never be happy. As a result she rejected Eva and destroyed her happiness. But yeah it's kind of sad that Ange started the fight with Eva.
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Apr 8, 2017 19:21
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Is it time for Tanabata already?   Warmly protect these smiles, okay?
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Apr 8, 2017 22:28
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Why would you do this
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Apr 8, 2017 22:32
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Artificer posted:Why would you do this #Miracles4Lyfe
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Apr 8, 2017 22:38
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 These Fragments exist!
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Apr 9, 2017 00:57
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tiistai posted:
That just makes it hurt even worse.  
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Apr 9, 2017 01:30
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The TIPs are kind of a mixed bag in terms of content, in terms of some being really lighthearted and funny, others being sweet, and some being bleak. For comparison's sake, here is a sneak preview of the post Episode 5 TIP.
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Apr 9, 2017 01:33
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Apr 9, 2017 01:47
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Note that this demonstrates the reality of magic: the witch's darkness, combined with the Endless Magic, traps those on the gameboard until at least 2006, when Greenspan left office.
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Apr 9, 2017 01:53
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Time travel is easy because, like magic, it exists.
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Apr 9, 2017 03:02
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lotus circle posted:Time travel is easy because, like magic, it exists. Like, technically time travel kind of exists, but only forward?
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Apr 9, 2017 03:17
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Beato and Lambda: You can't be a cruel witch all the time. Bern: ....hold my beer. If this is how Higurashi's protagonist turned out after that bullshit, how's Battler gonna turn out? Oh right Kinzo.
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Apr 9, 2017 03:26
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Fabulousvillain posted:Beato and Lambda: You can't be a cruel witch all the time. Beato: I taught a little girl that happiness at home starts with happy actions. Lambda: I encourage people to stay determined and fight for what they want. Bern: witches y'all suck, i'mma go tell this orphan that if she accepts love and happiness in her life her dead family will disappear forever
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Apr 9, 2017 04:19
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Fabulousvillain posted:Beato and Lambda: You can't be a cruel witch all the time. I don't think that Battler is going to have to go through a hundred years of things. Also he doesn't feel the pain of dying all those times. He shouldn't turn out like Bern.
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Apr 9, 2017 05:25
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 October 5th, 1986, 11:00 AM  BGM: Voiceless In the arbor... sat the sad witch whose eyes had lost their glint... and Battler. Virgilia could also be seen there. She sat next to Beato, knitting quietly. Lambdadelta's game had passed the climax of the first twilight, and they were taking a short break. Gazing out at the golden rose garden soaked with rain, Battler thought back on the present, what was to come, and what had happened so far...  Even with the game stopped and Beato unable to speak, he could still keep on fighting. Virgilia suddenly stopped her knitting. Battler noticed it too. Because, though none should have been able to visit this rose garden, she had noticed a silhouette approaching.  "...That's unusual. Not many people can reach this place." "It's her..."That silhouette, which walked amidst the quietly falling rain without so much as an umbrella, was Dlanor.   "Why... are you here?" "It's been some time, <Mrs> Beatrice. No wait, now it's <Mrs> Virgilia, is it NOT?" "Long time no see, Dlanor. Come over here. We aren't ones to leave a guest out in the rain." "..." "Don't worry. She hasn't come to fight." "...Do you know her?" "She's one of my old friends from heaven. This really takes me back." "That it DOES. <Mrs> Virgilia possesses a deep knowledge in Heavenly STUDIES. I have often argued with her over INTERPRETATIONS." "Ho ho ho... My many intellectual adventures with you were quite enjoyable. I'd like to do it again sometime." "Yes. Let's do it again SOMETIME. I'd love to fight with you AGAIN."They used the word 'fight', but it didn't sound like they meant anything unpleasant by it. It sounded like something old chess rivals would say to each other. Unlike Beato, it seems that Virgilia has always acted properly and courteously, so she had many friends in various other worlds, including both heaven and the demon world. Surprisingly, Dlanor was one of them... Dlanor, who had crossed swords with 'me' just a short while ago, ducked her head as though taking shelter from a sudden rain, and sat in the seat Virgilia pointed out, like a guest. "...Is there any type of black tea you would prefer?" "ANYTHING. Any tea you make is SUPERB." "Then how about some Darjeeling? Battler, Beato, would you like some more?" "...Yeah. Beato and I would like a refill. Right?" "..."As usual, Beato didn't answer, but if you quietly gave her a cup, she would sip it from time to time. There was still some black tea left in that cup, but it had already chilled. So Battler asked for a refill for Beato as well...   "She's no longer participating in the game. Lambdadelta is the one controlling the Beato that's on the game board." "I KNOW. However, she is the original master of this WORLD. And you are the proper guest, invited by that MASTER. That is why I have come to pay my RESPECTS."On the game board, Beato and I met Dlanor. But those were the game pieces of those witches. They weren't Beato and me ourselves. "Is that why you went out of your way to greet Battler-kun and Beato here...? I see you're as conscientious as always." "That is my way of doing THINGS. Greetings, <Mister> Battler. I am Dlanor A. Knox. We play opposing roles, but it is a pleasure to meet YOU." "...Sure. I'm Ushiromiya Battler. Pleased to meet you." "Greetings, <Miss> Beatrice. I am Dlanor A. Knox." "..." "...Beato. She's saying hi. " "..." "...She says 'welcome'." "Thank you very MUCH. <Miss> Beatrice."The witch and the Inquisitor of Heresy whose job it was to hunt witches greeted each other around a tea table surrounded by the aroma of black tea. It was a strange sight.  She was a witch, so it wasn't an incredibly bizarre scene. Though I was a bit concerned about whether Dlanor, an Inquisitor of Heresy, could watch such a spectacle. "...Do not WORRY. I am not so boorish as to complain about how my tea is SERVED." "Even though the tea's being made with magic...?" "...There is a tea set hiding in the shadows, and <Mrs> Virgilia is making us tea with it in SECRET. We interpret and/or judge that it was 'made with MAGIC', and it is written as such in the TALE. That interpretation is allowed by Knox's 9th." "Oh my... I do believe the interpretation of the 9th is such a delicate problem that it's viewed as a taboo, even in the Great Court... Even though it's just a personal opinion, if it became known that the Head Inquisitor of Heresy said such a thing, you might be sacked." "No matter how I might interpret it, there is nothing false about the way your tea TASTES. Therefore, I do not worry about how it was PREPARED." "...Aha..."Though she looked cold, she was a surprisingly tactful person. If Dlanor were to deny that the black tea had been prepared with magic, this magic would surely be crushed in a instant. However, since the possibility had been presented that a tea set existed and had been used to make the tea normally, the fact that Virgilia had made tea was, in the end, undisputed.  "I see. The important thing is that you're being welcomed with some tea, so it's just common courtesy to avoid complaining about how it was made."...That's right. It's common courtesy to be grateful for tea that someone makes for you. There's nothing elegant about pushing your way into the kitchen and poking around through the tea-making process. "You don't invite your guests into the kitchen. And when you set the table, you should adorn it beautifully in the spirit of hospitality. Here you go. It's hot." BGM: In the Sun "*giggle*. You still can't drink it straight?" "I'm a KID. It must be SWEET." "The word 'lie' makes it sound bad. The word 'embellishment' is probably more fitting." "When giving a child candy, you can take a crumpled up one out of your pocket, or use a wonderful bit of sleight of hand to take the candy OUT. The impression you give with each method varies GREATLY." "That's because it's cooler to take it out with a little magic trick." "WRONG. It is significant because it embellishes the result--giving them the candy--by making it even more beautiful and FUN." "...Think of when you give Maria-chan a candy. There's a huge difference between taking it out of your pocket to give to her and slipping it into her pocket saying a fairy gave it to her for being such a good girl." "In my opinion, it would be boorish to then question everyone about their alibis and pinpoint who it was that slipped it into her POCKET. The important thing is the result: that the girl received the candy and REJOICED. And it is significant that it was embellished in a way that made her REJOICE." "...That's surprising. When you showed up, I got the feeling you'd deny anything that went by the name of magic." "That is how I act in my capacity as an Inquisitor of Heresy. It is my JOB. However, when I am away from my job, I don't enjoy being quite so cold-HEARTED." "So, this is what they call leaving your personal feelings aside when on duty? You do it well." "As an Inquisitor of Heresy, hunting witches is my JOB. However, I personally find witches pitiable. Despite this, I carry out judgment mercilessly as an INQUISITOR." "...In the end, that doesn't change the fact that I sentence witches to DEATH. In the end, my pity is nothing more than a useless EMBELLISHMENT. Whether I have it or not, nothing CHANGES. So, it would be better if I DIDN'T..." "...That's not true. Even if the ends are the same, there's a big difference depending on your heart. Your mother's cookies must have been more delicious than those made by a good pastry shop. That's because you know that they were made with heart." "That's right. Even if the result appears to be the same, there's a huge difference between whether or not it had a little thing called sincerity..." "Is that SO...? Whether I have a heart or not is completely MEANINGLESS."Dlanor's gaze fell to her cup, a little sadly...  "..." "After hearing all that, I've changed the way I look at you. So I'm certain your heart isn't something meaningless."Virgilia was a little surprised to hear the words she should have said coming from Battler's mouth. After all, understanding the 'heart' is the first step towards finding the essence of magic. By now, perhaps Battler has unconsciously started to understand, bit by bit, the essence of Beato, the essence of witches... and the very first essence of all, magic. Whether you want to become a witch or vanquish them... The very first step is learning about magic. Virgilia was sure that she felt this faint change within Battler...  "That 'me' wasn't me. Lambdadelta was controlling him."I joined in on the 5th game partway through. I still haven't participated at 'this point in time'. So until I do join in, the piece 'me' is probably being controlled by Bernkastel or Lambdadelta.  "...Just what kind of whim are they working off? Trying to make it look all cool... They made me look like some kind of knight coming to save Beato." "Lady Lambdadelta wants both witches and humans to be in balance, resulting in a draw. With Erika's appearance, the scales tipped strongly in the favor of the human side, so she manipulated the tale in a way that supports Beato." "I am aware of that. However, pieces cannot do things that are impossible for THEM. And they specialize in actions appropriate to their original PERSONALITY. Therefore, that was certainly something that you... that Battler was capable OF. That is why I am grateful to YOU." "...It feels a bit weird to be praised when I didn't actually do anything. After the game continues a bit more, I'll probably regain control of my piece. Not sure I'll be able to go easy on you then." "It's the same with ME. The next time we cross swords, I won't hold BACK." "Bring it on. I'll be your opponent. Come at me with all you've got." "I PROMISE. With everything I've GOT."...Dlanor. I'd thought she was an emotionless killer doll without a heart, but maybe she actually is pretty approachable. Though of course, neither of us will show any mercy when fighting over the game board. For a while, we gazed at the rain-drenched rose garden as we quietly enjoyed our tea.  BGM: Witch in Gold (cembalo) With a sudden sigh, Dlanor muttered something. "What is it? If it's about that fight a short while ago, it's already over. We both fought with everything we had. The outcome was just luck of the draw." "No, it wasn't luck of the DRAW. I couldn't just let it be, so I came here to APOLOGIZE." "...What are you talking about...?" Virgilia spoke softly, without hesitating in her knitting. "...YES. <Mister> Battler." "That <Mister> really hurts. Just Battler is fine." "Battler. I APOLOGIZE. We did not give it everything we HAD." "...I know. 'Kinzo is dead at the starting time for all games'. Beato has already spoken that truth. In that battle, Battler-kun could only have achieved a draw at best. He most certainly had no chance at all of winning." "...You're right. If you just say that, the whole fight's already over. Why didn't you use that red? Don't tell me it was because of a stalemate or something like that." "Boom. That's checkmate. Why didn't that girl use that trump card...?" Though she had fought calmly up until that point, she quickly got flustered when I dashed forwards. I'd thought that she had been frightened by my sudden attack, but the truth was different. Even though she held a trump card which could completely repel me, she suddenly became unable to use it, and hesitated. "I don't UNDERSTAND. All of a sudden, in that instant, use of that trump card became FORBIDDEN. Once we lost that, your victory was GUARANTEED." "...The Game Master, Lady Lambdadelta, probably interfered." "That bastard... So in the end, that whole fight was a farce in the palm of Lambdadelta's hand. She made 'us' play out that entire act according to her script." "I do not like IT. However, since you told me to fight with everything I had, I had no choice but to let you KNOW. Please forgive ME." "Still, even though you'd lost your trump card, you kept on fighting all-out with your remaining cards. I don't believe anyone could find fault with what you did." "...That's right. On the contrary, you should be mad at Lambdadelta for butting in." "'Kinzo doesn't exist' should already be an established FACT. Lady Lambdadelta and Lady Bernkastel should know this WELL. And yet, they are both leaving room for Kinzo to exist as they continue in this GAME. It's almost as though the two are conspiring to prevent Kinzo's existence from being DENIED." "YES. They must be after SOMETHING." "...That is a bit odd. Lady Lambdadelta and Lady Bernkastel should always be in opposition unless the witch side is in a superior position. It's hard to imagine that those two are conspiring together at a time like this..." "I can't help but think that they have some sort of wicked GOAL. I came here because I wanted you to know THAT." "...So, you came all the way here to tell us something like that?" "YES. Which means that my business here is FINISHED. I think I will leave NOW. The game will probably resume SHORTLY. I must aid Erika during the rest of this GAME."Dlanor gulped down the last of her black tea and stood up.  "...I understand. If I went easy on you, I'd have my own head smashed in." "On the game board, I am nothing more than Lady Bernkastel's piece and Furudo Erika's SUBORDINATE. In the future, we will probably stand across from each other as opponents many TIMES." "...However, my heart is always NEUTRAL. No, please forget THAT. That has nothing to do with the relationship between the two of us." "It does. There's no doubt you're a fearsome opponent, but you don't piss me off anymore. Though that Erika totally pisses me off." "Heh, hahahahaha."Dlanor's expression finally softened slightly. At the very last moment, it felt as though we finally understood each other. "Furudo Erika is a very evil CREATURE. She's lost face from her recent defeat and is burning with a desire for REVENGE. Even I don't know what she is PLANNING. However, it can't be anything GOOD. Please take CARE." "...Just knowing she's Bernkastel's piece means I can't let my guard down."Dlanor nodded as though satisfied, left the eaves of the arbor and walked out into the rain. "...Who would have thought that I would work as a subordinate to such EVIL... Why was I called to this WORLD?"Dlanor let out a small sigh. 'Pieces' can do nothing except fulfill the function they have been given. And that function is given to them by the one who controls them. She probably can't disobey 'her' own player, Bernkastel.  "..." "...<Miss> Beatrice. What is it that you want from ME? I do hope that I can help you in some way, though I may be a subordinate of EVIL..."She spoke to Beato... but of course, there was no response. After bowing once more in thanks for the black tea, Dlanor disappeared off into the rainy rose garden...  BGM: None "Yes. This child is the one who called Dlanor here." "..." "...So, Beato called her here so I could meet with her..."...However, I know of a person who reached this place despite Beato's wishes.  ...In the last game, Ange reached this place by herself... even though she was an uninvited guest. Was that... also something... Beato wished for...? "I am here, you are here. Beato is here. Dlanor was invited here. All of these things happened because this child wanted them to. Even the bit of time you and Dlanor spent together drinking tea." "..." "...Beato. What was I... supposed to learn from her...? Does it have something to do with finding your heart... and letting you sleep peacefully...?"Dlanor A. Knox. The natural enemy of witches. Inquisitor of Heresy. A vanguard of mystery... who denies fantasy. 
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Apr 9, 2017 13:52
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You know, I think Dlanor might be pretty GREAT.
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Apr 9, 2017 14:35
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Apr 9, 2017 15:46
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CottonWolf posted:You know, I think Dlanor might be pretty GREAT. Let it be known that Dlanor is the BEST.
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Apr 9, 2017 15:58
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Let it be known that Battler's incompetence knows no bounds.
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Apr 9, 2017 16:14
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Even the narration can't resist dunking on Battler.
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Apr 9, 2017 17:59
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So yeah Dlanor's whole thing is hating the game, not the player. She's still totally merc you during the game though.
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Apr 9, 2017 19:15
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rekt So I guess Beatrice really wants to die already. In theory, nobody else has to be allowed into the gameboard, but Beatrice allows them to? Am I getting that right? Also, wasn't Virgilia known as Beatrice too before our own Golden Beatrice came by? In the real world of Umineko the name "Beatrice" seems to be a scapegoat presented by everyone on Rokkenjima whenever something bad goes on, so I'm starting to suspect that Kumasawa, who Virgilia represents, may have been involved in some heinous poo poo back in the day. Maybe she cleaned up for a death in the past? Perhaps something that involved OG Beatrice that Kinzo fell in love with? Maybe she was friends with OG Beatrice? Bitter enemies? I'm not sure. I just think that Kumasawa being a Beatrice is significant, and not just flavor text.
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Apr 9, 2017 19:21
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ProfessorProf posted:
Fandom trivia: This is often shortened to "pieces can't act against their nature" although that specific phrasing never appears in the text.
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Apr 9, 2017 22:19
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  "..."Cornelia slowly got up, and, as she had been ordered, stood on one leg. Her hands were clasped behind her back. Because she had been ordered to do so. Then, with a *thump*, Erika pushed her from behind with both hands. Cornelia landed on the floor face first with a *thud*.  BGM: Black Lilliana  "..."Cornelia rose shakily. Then, once again, she stood on one leg as she had been ordered. She had been ordered not to hold her ground. So she had fallen on her face over and over again. She had barely managed to protect her nose, but after smashing against the floor so many times, her face was bright red. She wasn't shedding any tears. No, she couldn't shed them. Because she was forbidden to do even that...  "..."*thump* *thud*.  *thump* *thud*. *thump* *thud*. *thump* ...*thud*. Erika repeated this falling torture over and over again. At times like this, Erika hated counting things. So she decided that, once she ran out of fingers to count the number of times, she would just repeat it until she lost interest. However, Erika's main redeeming feature was that she never lost interest in anything, so the torture continued on without end... ...Erika didn't know why Cornelia had been unable to fully protect the window. So the whole time since then, she had placed all the blame of their loss on her.   "Oh, is that true? Then please take her place from now on." "G, Gertrude has done nothing wrong..." "Gertrude. Please stand. On one leg. Clasp your hands behind you." "..."Gertrude followed the order... and clasped her hands behind her back, standing on one leg.  "You mustn't resist or hold your ground. You are not permitted to bend your knees. You are not permitted to shed any tears. Got it?" "...As you wish..." "Gertrude..."Erika made a show of walking behind Gertrude. She was even enjoying making her wonder when she'd push... At that time, Gertrude and Cornelia burst in a bright light and disappeared. Because Dlanor, who must have returned at some point, had sent them back to the heavens for the time being. Erika, who'd had her fun spoiled, directed a bluntly malicious expression at Dlanor...  "...<No, thank you>. Punishment only works because it causes pain. There's nothing interesting about an unfeeling doll girl that I can't leave a single injury on."Erika slowly grabbed hold of the back of Dlanor's hair, tugging unrelentingly. Dlanor's neck tilted upwards, creaking. "...You may not cause a physical injury, but you do INJURE." "Hmph. As if you had a heart which could be injured. You lowly witch-hunting murder doll. Are you trying to talk back to me? Me, the envoy and double of the great Lady Bernkastel...?!" "...NO." "I got scolded by Lady Bernkastel because you guys are useless...!! Please, never fail so lamely again...! Un-der-sta-nd...?!"The hair she had grabbed was stretched back as far as it would go, along with more creaking... This didn't cause Dlanor any physical pain, but she could clearly feel Erika's ill will. "...My APOLOGIES. Forgive ME." "Filth."With a sound like a bowstring being cut, several of Dlanor's hairs were pulled out. Then, Erika waved her hand about as though trying to brush off something dirty that had gotten stuck to it.  BGM: Totem Blume "UNDERSTOOD. Gertrude, Cornelia." ""As you wish.""The two of them reappeared behind Dlanor and reconstructed the crime scene for Erika, the one who had just been tormenting them...  "...Kinzo disappearing was nothing more than an added bonus for the first twilight. Okay, let's start investigating the first twilight. But before that. Did you realize that we were actually given a riddle before the murder case even occurred?"  "That's right. For that instant, the tale creates the illusion that it was impossible for any human, making it seem like an unknown witch exists." "...Let's start by crushing this Illusion of the Witch. We'll first check the situation in the dining hall last night when the letter was delivered." "UNDERSTOOD. Gertrude, Cornelia. Reconstruct last night's family conference in the dining hall." "As you wish." And partway through, the servants had arrived to serve tea.  "Please, allow me to speak. Before the family conference, Erika, George, Jessica, Maria, Nanjo, Gohda, and Kumasawa left the mansion and moved to the guesthouse." "Please, allow me to speak. Of those who remain, only Krauss, Natsuhi, and Genji were in the second floor corridor, while all others were in the dining hall."  "Aha. That would mean no one inside the mansion could have knocked and placed the letter there, right? Eheheheh." "YES. The witch side will probably say that this person is the one who wrote the letter... the witch, Beatrice." "Ridiculous. A stupid trick. There's no guarantee that the letter was placed there at exactly 24:00. It's only sensible to consider that it might have been placed there earlier." "Just a few minutes before the letter was discovered, Shannon and Kanon came in to serve TEA. When they entered, multiple witnesses confirmed that there was nothing suspicious like a letter in the hallway." "Maybe one of those not in the parlor: Krauss, Natsuhi or Genji, simply saw their chance right after that and placed the letter there. No wait, it should be possible for the people who supposedly went to the guesthouse too." "We've heard that the mansion was locked and that no one outside could get in, but if someone pretended to have gone to the guesthouse and instead hid inside the mansion, it's perfectly possible that they could've placed the letter there." "Allow me to speak. Blue truth, effective." "In that case, the problem is the 'KNOCK'. Unlike the letter, someone would have to exist there at the instant of the KNOCK." "I see, so this is the so-called proof that a person who shouldn't be there, a witch, existed? This is completely ridiculous. Do they think I, Furudo Erika, would surrender to something like that? *giggle*giggle*, ahhahaha!" "First off, we can doubt whether the knock was even something hitting the door to the dining hall at all. For example, there may be a certain pillar on the second floor which, because of how the mansion is constructed, makes a noise when struck which is transmitted down the pillar and which sounds just like a knock on the door to people in the dining hall." "Or they could have misheard some random sound to be a knock and all misconstrued it in the same way. Or the recorded sound of a knock could have been stealthily replayed from a tape, which might have been carefully set up to go off at exactly that time." "Either way, I can think of many ways to make them hear a knock even if no one was on the other side of the door...! How is that? My master! How is my reasoning...?!!" "Well, it looks like your cute piece gave it her all to think up these blue truths, so I guess I'll be nice and give out a few red truths♪ I guess I'll start with the letter. There was a knock when the bell of the large clock rang out 24:00. And when the door was opened, there lay a letter in an envelope bearing the One-winged Eagle. It's so obvious to assume that the people who weren't in the parlor secretly placed the letter there, right?" "...Oho? Then.. when Shannon and Kanon came in to serve tea, who was the last human to enter the dining hall...? Let's say it was Kanon. Wouldn't it be easy if Kanon, the last person in, secretly dropped the letter there when he closed the door?" "Not a single person in the dining hall... no, there's a simpler way to say it. Among all those inside the mansion at 24:00, not a single person placed that letter in the corridor." "So, you can't say that no one touched it?" "Of course. They 'touched it when they picked it up'. I couldn't say that none of them touched it." "I see. Then let's interpret it this way... Someone who existed outside of the mansion at 24:00 placed a letter somewhere other than the hallway beforehand. Then, it was moved by some means and ended up 'placed in the hallway'." "It was simply glued there in a way that would make it come unstuck after a certain amount of time. When it eventually fell off, it became 'the letter left behind by a witch' who shouldn't have existed. In other words, this is a classic trick where the true sender gives themselves an alibi by making the letter appear at a different time." "Allow me to speak. Blue truth, effective." "In other words, the fact that it landed just outside the dining hall door was just the culprit's good luck. At worst, it might have happened in the kitchen, the corridor, or even inside the dining hall." "...Oh, <good>! If it had happened inside the dining hall, that would have been even more wonderful. Within everyone's sight, a letter would suddenly appear on the floor. And that wouldn't even violate a red truth saying 'no one in the closed room of the dining hall touched the letter unexpectedly'!" "Well DONE. If the letter was stuck to the bottom of the serving cart, then anyone could be the CULPRIT." "That might work okay regarding the letter. However, will that same type of argument apply to the knock as well? Let's try this again, shall we?" "...Please, go ahead." "This isn't the limited meaning of them knocking on the door, okay? It means they didn't use a pillar to transmit the sound or push the play button on a cassette tape they'd recorded or create that knock sound by any means! Of course, this applies to direct, indirect, intentional, coincidental, and unintentional means!" "This wedge has already been knocked in, but I'll repeat it. Maybe someone other than Krauss, Natsuhi, or Genji made that knock, or else a sound that could be misidentified as a knock." "Please, allow me to speak. Let it be known that at 24:00, except for Krauss, Natsuhi, and Genji in the second floor corridor and all of the people in the dining hall, no humans existed inside the mansion." "Please, allow me to speak. Let it be known that in addition to Krauss, Natsuhi, and Genji, none of those in the dining hall knocked on that door. In this sense, 'knock' includes all direct, indirect, intentional, unintentional, and coincidental events that could create a knocking sound."A direct knock refers to someone literally hitting a door to make a knocking sound. An intentional knock refers to someone creating a fake knocking sound to try and make it appear that someone knocked. An unintentional knock refers to someone unintentionally creating a fake knocking sound. A coincidental knock refers to some kind of coincidence creating a fake knocking sound.  'Anyone who was in the mansion' would also include any unknown person X who had snuck into the mansion. Therefore, it literally meant 'it was impossible for anyone inside the mansion to knock', with no word play allowed. "...I see. No matter how much I toy with it, it's impossible for anyone except those in the guesthouse group to create the knocking sound, right? Like me, for example. What if I, Furudo Erika, recorded a knocking sound on a cassette tape and used some kind of secret contraption to start it playing at exactly 24:00? Of course, I wasn't in the mansion at 24:00. There aren't any problems with this, are there?" "No PROBLEMS. However, though the knock did serve as a way of informing them about the letter on the other side of the door, I do not think it would have worked if the letter had fallen ELSEWHERE."If the trick in Erika's theory about the letter being stuck to the serving cart was accurate, then the location that the letter fell was a matter of luck. Because it had fortunately fallen near the door, the people in the dining hall noticed it due to the knock. However, if the location it fell was a matter of chance, it might have landed in the far off kitchen or remained stuck even after they entered. If that had happened, the knock would have been ignored as though they'd just imagined it. In other words, the knock by itself wouldn't transmit any message at all. It only made it appear as though someone had been there because it was paired with the letter. In that case, the random location the letter fell to off the bottom of the serving cart couldn't be connected with the knock. For the letter to be found thanks to the knock, it would have to be reliably positioned 'on the other side of the door'. However, it was announced in red that no one in the mansion placed the letter in the hallway.  "...For example, let's assume there was a device on the serving cart that 'drops the letter when it stops moving'. In this case, you'd think they could predict that the cart would probably stop just once when those two knock on the door to the dining hall, and by doing so, they'd be cleverly making it so the letter drops right in front of the door." "But even this doesn't work, okay? The action of 'stopping the serving cart' would indirectly lead to 'placing the letter in the hallway'. That would mean Shannon and Kanon, who were pushing the cart, had 'indirectly and unintentionally' placed the letter there! So even this is no good! Furthermore, setting it up so that the letter peeled off with the passage of time would mean that the people pushing the serving cart had 'coincidentally and unintentionally' placed the letter there. Of course, this is also no good!!" "Repeat it. 'At 24:00, only Erika, George, Jessica, Maria, Nanjo, Gohda, and Kumasawa existed outside the mansion'."Like if someone in the dining hall had slipped out the window just at 24:00... and 'didn't exist in the mansion' at that time... With this wordplay, it might be possible to get around the red truth.  "...Repeat iiiiiit...? Even though I'm nice enough to give you all this red for free? Aren't you being a bit greedy? I'm not an idiot like Beato, so I won't go around saying everything my opponent tells me to repeat..." "...I'll give you a full body massage in a bath with marshmallows and konpeito sometime soon. Enough to rub your skin off." In other words, no matter how much they struggled, those 8 people, including Erika, could not have existed inside the mansion, much less in front of the door. And at the same time, no matter how much they struggled, those inside the mansion could not have existed outside the mansion. "In that case, the letter might have been stuck to the ceiling of the hallway instead of the serving cart. The ceiling of the hallway is surprisingly high, so even if you just stuck it there out in the open, maybe no one would notice it. This way, it would certainly fall in the corridor. And you can slip by the red if someone outside the mansion did this! <Good> job, me...!" "Please, allow me to speak. The letter never existed on the ceiling of the hallway." "Please, allow me to speak. Know that the letter never touched the serving cart." "...Wh, who cares about that?! Anyway, someone outside the mansion used some kind of trick to place the letter there!! If you try to use that letter and the knock to argue that Beatrice exists, it definitely won't work on Furudo Erika." "Please, allow me to speak. It was impossible for anyone outside the mansion to influence anything inside the mansion around the time of the family conference." "Then someone outside the mansion set up some kind of device before the family conference. Something other than the ceiling or the serving cart!" "Allow me to speak. Blue truth, ineffective." "Why...?!! That's the only way, right?! Someone outside the mansion used some kind of device other than the ceiling or the serving cart...!!" "A, allow me to speak. Unless you can specify or theorize what that something might be, the blue truth will not be acknowledged." "Allow me to speak. All of Lady Erika's blue truths regarding the letter have been lost." "They've all been lost, you say...?! Watch your tongues a bit more, useless furniture! If I can just think of that device, it's an instant checkmate...! What do you mean A L L of them?! What do you mean my blue truth is ineffective?!" Erika's face twisted. These words that seemed to deny Erika... no, Erika's reasoning... were the worst form of torture and humiliation for her. "...<Miss> Erika. Why don't we postpone the riddle of the letter for NOW? Your blue stake about 'someone outside the mansion playing it with a cassette tape' is still EFFECTIVE. If it was possible for sound, then perhaps it wasn't impossible for a letter as WELL."As Erika made to grab and pull Gertrude's hair, Dlanor stopped her with those words. "That's right, my blue truth regarding the knock is still effective...! It's not true that everything's been denied...!! My master! I will solve the riddle of the letter without fail. Please allow me to postpone that...!!" "However, I will definitely figure out the riddle of the knock here! I've hit you with the blue stake that 'someone outside the mansion set things up with a cassette tape or something to make a knock sound play'...!" "Eheheheheheheheheheheh...! You really are a cute kid, piece of Bern's. Very lively. Anyway, she's yelling that you forgive her because she's solved one of the two riddles, even though she resigned on the other. So, will you forgive her...?" "...Sure. Normally, I'd never forgive my own piece for the shame of surrendering, but if you've managed to solve one of the riddles, I guess I'll let it slide for now..." "M, my master..."When Bernkastel said she'd let it slide, Erika couldn't hide her relief.   "...Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" "Misidentifying a knocking sound means this: they would not mistake a sound very similar to a knocking sound for a real knocking sound. Hitting a pillar to make something similar to a knocking sound is no good. When you record a knocking sound on a cassette tape and play it back, it becomes 'the sound of the tape with a knocking sound on it', and not a knocking sound. So that's no good either!" "In other words, all of them would correctly distinguish a knocking sound of something truly hitting the door, and they definitely wouldn't mishear it. It's totally impossible that any sounds except hitting that door directly would be misinterpreted as a knock!!" "Wh, what the... But that means... at the time the bell sounding 24:00 went off, no one existed who could have hit the door... Gggh, ggghgghhhhh..." "Yep, they don't exist. After all, the Golden Witch Beatrice hit it. *cackle* *cackle* *cackle* cackle* *cackle*...!!" "...So in other words, there's no way to fake it, and you have to hit the door. So what about this?" "'To knock' means someone hitting a door with their hand, right? I won't accept hitting it with some device, eheheheheheheheheheheh!! They heard a knock at the same time as the 24:00 bell. At that time, everyone inside the dining hall definitely heard it." "And none of them misinterpreted a knocking sound. Krauss, Natsuhi, and Genji were not involved with the knock. No one else existed inside the mansion. And that knock refers to the action of standing directly in front of a door and hitting it with a hand." "...Hey, Bern. What do you think of my red? Don't you think this is pretty simple and enjoyable despite being before the first twilight? The Golden Witch descended quietly with a knocking sound. *giggle*giggle*, eheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh...!" The two witches doubled over laughing as though this was the most fun thing in the world...  "Gah, M, my master... Don't worry. If you just give my little gray cells some time, I will definitely reach an answer to this pitiful red...!" "...You're nothing but a piece. Your absence wouldn't hinder my progress in this game in the slightest. If you can't think of any theories in particular, please just go back to the piece tray and gather dust or something. It's painful to even remember useless pieces." "...After all, Bern is pretty forgetful. If you don't try a little harder, Bern's gonna forget you, okay...? You'll collect dust in that forgotten piece tray, awaiting your turn that will never come. I imagine that'd be pretty harsh, don't you think...?" "D, don't worry, Lady Lambdadelta, and my master...! I promise that I'll keep you entertained and never let you down again...!" "...Oh, how reassuring. I guess you're my double after all. Then make sure you really are giving it your all, in various ways. If you don't make an impact, I might forget all about you..." There was no room for Erika to step in. If she contented herself with that, she would literally have no place to go, and would be buried in an eternal oblivion. Erika endured with a hideous expression, looking with shame at the back of the master who was ignoring her. And with both fists clenched, she thought frantically for some kind of breakthrough. I am the detective, I am Furudo Erika. I am the piece and double and servant of the great Lady Bernkastel...!! I'll definitely make her satisfied... satisfied... definitely, definitely, gah, ggghggghhhhhh, Ushiromiya Battler... how dare you... humiliate me so... As she stood there, ignored by the witches and shrouded in darkness, it looked like someone had told her to go stand all alone in the hallway...  BGM: None Even Gohda-san's wonderful meal, which had supposedly been in the works since yesterday, provided no comfort. The several empty seats quietly burdened us with a pain-filled sadness... Then, in the middle of this meal that felt like a vigil, Erika suddenly stood up. Everyone focused on her to see what was the matter. Her expression was somewhere on the line between relieved and insane, as though she'd made some groundbreaking and strange discovery.  "...Hey, what's up? Are you okay...?" BGM: Smile-less Soiree With an ugly expression covered with cold sweat, Erika glared and lashed out at Battler. "...What do you get...?" "There's no way you jumped down from the third floor study...! Not one of us saw you fall down and land in the courtyard...!!" "..." "You didn't jump down! You used a rain gutter or something and clumsily wriggled down the outer wall!! What do you think of my blue truth?!! Come on, what's your counterargument?!" "...My counterargument?" "You don't have a counterargument? Then my truth is effective, right?!" "Hey, did you see that?! Trying to look cool and making it look like you jumped down was all an illusion! You just jumped out and latched onto a rain gutter...!!" "...My argument then was about whether it was possible for Grandfather to escape from the study, right...? And it was possible for Grandfather to escape through the window. All I did was prove that. Whether I jumped down or crawled down, that doesn't change anything, does it?" "Don't try to change the subject!! A mere human can't jump down from the third floor...!!" "Did you see that, did you see that...?!! What do you think of my reasoning, my master...?!!" "...Are you tired or something? Just calm down and eat some food."When he escaped to the courtyard through the window... Battler really did use the rain gutter to crawl down the wall, just like Erika said. His hand had slipped halfway, and he had fallen from a considerable height, but he had managed to land on his feet. No one had witnessed this, but most likely, everyone in the dining hall now except Erika had realized that something like this had happened. Since the very beginning, no one had believed that he'd jumped down from the third floor window. Even if they hadn't witnessed that directly. So they had no clue what Erika was complaining about all of a sudden and started to whisper, staring at her with cold eyes and dubious faces...  "My master, please acknowledge this!! I am not incompetent or a disappointment...! I will match up to your expectations without fail, so please don't abandon me!! My master...!!"Facing someone that might have been somewhere beyond the ceiling, Erika spread her arms and yelled.  It was an incredible sound. They could even feel the earth shake. At the same time as that sound, Erika went limp and fell into her seat like a puppet who'd just had all its strings cut. Then, as the sound of wind and rain slowly filled the room once again, Erika slowly opened her eyes as though recovering from a bout of dizziness. Then, she continued eating in silence as though nothing had happened. As if she had been acting normally the whole time. ...Didn't Erika just stand up suddenly and yell something strange at someone...?  When they saw this ordinary appearance ...everyone convinced themselves that they were totally worn out and that they must have just seen some illusion of Erika suddenly yelling. So Erika's sudden transfiguration of a few seconds ago was treated as a daydream and faded out of everyone's memories... Erika quietly poked at her salad and muttered in a voice no one could hear.   
Quinn2win fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Apr 10, 2017 |
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Apr 10, 2017 13:26
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Let it be known that I have a strong urge to punch Erika in her stupid FACE for what she did to Cornelia. That is just not COOL. Also, Dlanor is still the BEST. Skylight fucked around with this message at 14:30 on Apr 10, 2017 |
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Apr 10, 2017 14:21
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I would feel bad for Erika if I didn't enjoy her getting dunked on so much Time to prove you're smarter than the great detective, thread. You already missed your chance with the obvious raingutter thing too. tiistai fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Apr 10, 2017 |
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Apr 10, 2017 14:25
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So, it gets a bit inconvenient to constantly prefix or suffix everything I say with "except none of these people exist". In order to simplify this post, and some future ones, let me suppose the following: Bernkastel, Lambdadelta, and Erika only exist as characters in a story being told inside the story, and their interactions only affect that second layer of reality. This story might be a bottle story, a representation of someone's suppositions of the crime, a delusion, or some other thing. So when I'm referring to any of them, I just mean the story representations of them and am not in any way acknowledging their reality in the primary story. We got hit with a one-two punch here of Erika being a douche and then an explanation of why she's such a douche, namely that if anything gets screwed up she's going to be banished into nonexistence. So it's a bit hard to hate her even when she's acting like a total wad. As for the mystery, let's see if we can summarize: 1. Erika, George, Jessica, Maria, Nanjo, Gohda, and Kumasawa went to the Guesthouse before the conference. 2. Krauss, Natsuhi, and Genji went to the second floor. 3. All other characters are in the dining hall. 4. None of Krauss, Natsuhi, or Genji touched the letter. 5. Not a single person in the mansion (everyone except the people in statement 1) placed the letter. 6. Neither Krauss, Natsuhi, nor Genji knocked on the door or in any way generated a knocking sound. 7. None of the people in the dining hall knocked on the door or in any way generated a knocking sound. 8. At midnight, only the people who started in the mansion (statements 1 and 2) are in the mansion. 9. It is impossible for any character in the mansion to be the source of a knocking sound. 10. No-one in the mansion placed the letter in the hallway. 11. At midnight, only Erika, George, Jessica, Maria, Nanjo, Gohda, and Kumasawa exist outside the mansion. 12. The letter touched neither the ceiling nor the serving cart. 13. It was impossible for anyone outside the mansion to influence anything inside the mansion around the time of the family conference (which includes midnight). 14. None of the characters misidentified something other than a direct knock on the door as a knock. Knocking is defined as someone standing in front of the door and hitting it with their hand. My thoughts: 1. Krauss, Natsuhi, or Genji could have touched the ENVELOPE to deliver the letter. It was not stated in red that they didn't touch the envelope, only the letter itself. This also applies to the letter touching the ceiling or cart. That's just a quibble, though. 2. Not a single person in the mansion placed the letter, but multiple people could have placed it at the same time. Therefore any two or all three of the others could have placed the envelope outside the door. Again, mostly a quibble. 3. All we have on the knock is confirmation that nobody misidentified it. If nobody misidentified it and nobody could have made it, the obvious conclusion is that it never happened to begin with. Rudolf, Shannon, and Kanon are the only ones to react directly to the knock, so if they has prearranged it, it would be simple enough to for Rudolf to say "oh, come in" and the other two to talk about the knock they heard, and everyone else in the room to just assume the knock happened and they just hadn't heard it. There never was a knock in the first place. 4. Similarly, we don't have confirmation that the letter was placed in the hallway at all. Kanon opened the door and "found" it, but he could have just had it in his pocket and pulled it out at the appropriate moment. It has not been confirmed in red that he didn't touch the letter. So he just had it in his hand, and said he found it in the hallway, and everyone assumed it was true. This seems to be a weakness of Erika's, in general. She's relying too much on what others have told her instead of investigating herself.
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Apr 10, 2017 15:15
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Litttle did anyone realize that this island was built in a way that the trade winds pass by Kinzo's study causing an updraft of wind that allows him to more safely jump from his own window swooning all who witness this. Theres a hidden device X that helps with dealing with a high fall; such a trampoline, bungee cord, something else, hidden under the window. It could be hidden in the bushes, trees, or somewhere else. Battler using his expertise in Gymnastics used the branches of trees to quickly make his way down safely. Uhh... there was a zipline there the whole time and no one noticed but Battler since he jumped from the window which itself has a blind spot that keeps it hidden. I think a few of these break Knox rules, but gently caress it, I still haven't had breakfast.
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Apr 10, 2017 15:15
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idonotlikepeas posted:So, it gets a bit inconvenient to constantly prefix or suffix everything I say with "except none of these people exist". In order to simplify this post, and some future ones, let me suppose the following: Bernkastel, Lambdadelta, and Erika only exist as characters in a story being told inside the story, and their interactions only affect that second layer of reality. This story might be a bottle story, a representation of someone's suppositions of the crime, a delusion, or some other thing. So when I'm referring to any of them, I just mean the story representations of them and am not in any way acknowledging their reality in the primary story. You know Battler himself has pointed out on several occasions that there's no reason to fight the Meta.
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Apr 10, 2017 15:40
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I wasn't given a Battler avatar, though, was I?
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Apr 10, 2017 15:57
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idonotlikepeas posted:My thoughts: I could easily smash your blue if I was allowed to use red of my own :^) but this'll have to do instead: Knox's 8th. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not presented. If you're pulling a Rudolf-Shannon-Kanon conspiracy out of thin air, don't expect me to take it any more seriously than small bombs.
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Apr 10, 2017 16:19
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My blue truth for the letter appearing is that it wasn't Shannon who touched it. It was Sayo.
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Apr 10, 2017 16:21
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tiistai posted:Time to prove you're smarter than the great detective, thread. You already missed your chance with the obvious raingutter thing too. Doesn't really disprove the whole thing with Kinzo's DESIRE, so not really worth focusing on. Only reason Erika needed to focus on it so much was because she was proven wrong thanks to it. EagerSleeper posted:My blue truth for the letter appearing is that it wasn't Shannon who touched it. It was Sayo. Doesn't matter, that's blocked by the red truth excluding everyone in the mansion. That one is simple, however - there's an hour gap between when Shannon/Kanon came in to serve tea, and when the knocking happened. Anyone in the guesthouse could have placed it between those times, and left before 24:00, thereby fulfilling the red truth about "no one in the mansion" and "at 24:00, these people were in the mansion". ProfessorProf posted:Barely an hour ago, Shannon and Kanon had come in to serve tea. At that time, everyone had seen that nothing lay in that spot. Someone came, knocked, left an envelope with the mark of the One-winged Eagle on it, and left... I'm not sure if this intentionally contradicts what Dlanor said about the circumstances at the time, but within the setting posed by the section at the time of the incident, it's not hard to solve. The easy answer is that one of Gohda or Kumasawa unlocked a door with their master key in order to do that. The tricky part is the knocking, which I still haven't thought of an answer to yet. Cyouni fucked around with this message at 18:13 on Apr 10, 2017 |
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Apr 10, 2017 18:07
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Cyouni posted:I'm not sure if this intentionally contradicts what Dlanor said about the circumstances at the time, but within the setting posed by the section at the time of the incident, it's not hard to solve. The easy answer is that one of Gohda or Kumasawa unlocked a door with their master key in order to do that. It was impossible for anyone outside the mansion to influence anything inside the mansion around the time of the family conference. And if you don't consider Gohda or Kumasawa to be people "outside the mansion" when they're placing the letter, no one in the mansion placed the letter in the hallway.
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Apr 10, 2017 19:32
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