Chapter 4 (h)

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Satsukawa: "Erika, are you still with me?"

Erika: "... Where else do you think I am?"

Satsukawa: "I don't know... sometimes you just space out all of a sudden."

Erika: "It's probably because of you, you're a boring person."

Satsukawa: "What?! No, I'm not!"

Erika: "Yes you are... sometimes..."

Satsukawa: "I never thought of myself as a boring person..."

Erika: "That's what all the boring persons think."

Satsukawa: "Is that... so?"

Erika: "Yes, they all think they're pretty interesting, and they can't understand how someone could be bored by them."

Satsukawa: "But I'm not that kind of person... I've always been a very outgoing guy who can socialize with everyone."

Erika: "That doesn't mean a thing. There are boring persons that are pretty extroverted, but they're still boring, because they keep talking about inane stuff. By the way, this conversation right now is excruciatingly boring, so let's stop this, okay?"

Satsukawa: "All right..."

I wonder if I have become a little more like Bernkastel. When you know so much, when you have seen so much, when you have experienced and thought so many different things, everything that isn't particularly strange and unusual becomes dull and stale. The boredom that sometimes I feel is almost unbearable, but it is probably nothing compared to what the witch of miracles must endure.

Satsukawa: "By the way, Erika, don't you think we've been idling for too long?"

Erika: "I wasn't idling at all. All this time I've been busy thinking about the case."

Satsukawa: "While you were talking with me?"

Erika: "I wasn't really paying attention to our conversation."

Satsukawa: "That's... huh... What the hell I've been doing for the past two hours?!"

Erika: "Talking by yourself, I guess."

Satsukawa: "..."

Satsukawa lets out a dejected sigh.

This is really funny. I have completely lost any cognition of the passing time, while I was reminiscing the Rokkenjima incident. I vaguely remember that I have been talking with Satsukawa, but I can't tell about what. This is no good, a true detective should always memorize everything, including boring and irrelevant particulars. I need to be more careful in the future.

On the bright side, at this point lessons have already ended, and club activities have started, which means it is time to pay a visit to a certain guy.

Erika: "Satsukawa-san, to tell you the truth, there isn't really much that I plan to do before challenging Teramoto. So until then we can only wait."

Satsukawa: "I see... Wait! What exactly are we doing here, then?"

Erika: "Nothing much, but there's somewhere that I'd like to go to while we're still here."

Satsukawa: "Is it related to the case? Because I've got quite a backlog of paperworks to do, and..."

Erika: "Satsukawa-san, it almost looks like you want to be done with me as fast as possible, as if you weren't happy to be in my company. Try to choose your words with more care, I could get the wrong idea."

Satsukawa: "Ah... ha ha ha... I didn't mean to..."

Erika: "I know. Anyway, to answer your question, maybe it's related, maybe it isn't. It's still worth a shot, and we don't have anything better to do."

Satsukawa: "All right, I got it. Where do we go?"

Erika: "The student council's room."

Satsukawa: "Ah, I see... You suspect there's a connection between Kubota and Teramoto."

Erika: "That's more a certainty than a suspicion. I'm more interested in understanding why Kubota is following her orders."

Satsukawa: "Blackmail?"

Erika: "Probably, but about what? That's what I want to know."

Satsukawa: "Well, I'm not really looking forward to listen to that guy's babbles again, but this is work. Shall we go?"

Erika: "Indeed, let's go."

Kuon Kubota is certainly a pretty interesting guy. His exaggeratedly dramatic mannerisms defy any common sense, and the way he reasons is all messed up. But I think that is just his way to distract people from his many shortcomings. I must admit that his tactic is effective, in a way. I haven't talked much with him, but it was really hard to keep focused on what I really wanted to talk about, he has a knack for derailing the conversation away from subjects that bother him.

I think I have already figured out what he is trying to hide the most, but I don't quite understand why. His image as the student council president should have been damaged already, his incompetence should have been already demonstrated. And moreover it doesn't seem like he cares that much about it, that guy doesn't seem to have any shame. But that doesn't quite fit with my theory. So what I think, is that he just has his own peculiar view of what is shameful and what it is not.

How come, Kubota? What am I missing?

I am going to find that out very soon. We have reached the third floor, and we are now in front of the door of the student council's room.

I knock. A female voice invites me to enter. From that I can deduct that other members of the student council are here; at the very least, one of them is. This is what I was hoping for.

I open the door, and I step inside.

Erika: "Sorry for intruding."

I quickly count the people inside: five.

At the far end, near the windows, there are two guys. Judging by the way they look and the shabby state of their uniforms, I would never think they are student council members. One has bleached hair, the other is wearing sunglasses; quite a characteristic pair. I wouldn't go as far as to say that they are delinquents, but they don't exactly look like model students either. Moreover, apparently they are busy playing some card game.

Closer to the door, sitting at the long table, there is a glamorous girl, covered in makeup, with a fashionable hairstyle. She isn't even looking at me, her eyes are religiously focused on her nails, which she is polishing.

There is then another girl, standing at the opposite side of the table. This one seems to be the most normal person of the whole group, and I bet she is the one who answered to my knock earlier. Even so, right in front of the chair that she was probably sitting on, I can spot a magazine. No doubt she was reading it a while ago. In the end I can safely conclude that not a single person here is taking his role seriously.

The fifth member is, naturally, Kuon Kubota himself, who is being uncharacteristically silent and quiet. In fact, he is sleeping. Why am I not surprised!

While examining more attentively this strange group, I notice that there is something that they all have in common. They are all, in a way, good looking people. Even Kubota is the kind of guy that could make a young girl's heart beat faster, if only he wasn't such a weirdo. These students must be popular, and that certainly played a decisive factor when they were chosen for their current roles. But normally people like them avoid responsibilities, they are more fit for a student party than a student council.

This would be quite surprising, if the reason wasn't already blatantly obvious. These guys aren't here to work, they are just like Kubota, they are here to look good and important, and then they do whatever they please. They probably use their popularity and influence to push most of their chores onto others. Come to think of it, I already know that Kubota did that with Oda.

This is indeed an interesting bunch, I wonder who came up with this revolutionary approach to run a student council. Maybe it was Kubota himself, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

Normal Girl: "Aaah! You're that detective girl!"

Sunglasses Guy: "Whoa! Really? Is she going to arrest us?"

Bleached Guy: "What the hell are you talking about, idiot? She isn't a cop."

Satsukawa: "She's not, but I am."

Bleached Guy: "See? That's the one who's going to arrest us!"

Sunglasses: "Ha ha ha ha! I guess I'll call my lawyer then!"

Glamorous Girl: "Those two idiots, why do they always need to be so silly?"

She shakes her head in disapproval, while blowing on her nails.

Normal Girl: "Ah, hmmm... what can I do for you... err..."

Erika: "Erika Furudo."

Normal Girl: "Right, Furudo-san!"

Erika: "I came her because I wanted to have a little chat with Kubota, but it seems that he's pretty busy at the moment."

Bleached Guy: "If you want me to wake him up, there's no problem!"

I think I have a good idea of how he plans to do that.

Erika: "Please don't, let him sleep for another while. I think I'll take this chance to ask something to you guys instead, if that's okay with you."

Sunglasses Guy: "I haven't done anything, I'm clean!"

Bleached Guy: "Hey, are you completely stupid?"

Glamorous Girl: "Besides you aren't clean at all, when was the last time you bathed?"

Sunglasses Guy: "A true man must smell! That's how you get the chicks to fall at your feet!"

Glamorous Girl: "Yeah, they all drop dead like mosquitoes when they smell you."

Normal Girl: "Ha ha ha ha!"

Sunglasses Guy: "Tch! What a bitch!"

Glamorous Girl: "You wish."

Erika: "You guys really get along, I see. I'm almost envious! *giggle* *giggle*"

Normal Girl: "They always pick on each other, but they're good friends."

Sunglasses Guy: "I'm not! Not at all!"

Glamorous Girl: "Who wants to be his friend, anyway?"

Erika: "Regarding Kubota, does he always sleep when he's here?"

Bleached Guy: "Nah, normally he comes here and talks all the time. This is one of those rare occasions when he's tired and remains quiet."

Glamorous Girl: "That happens at least once every week."

Normal Girl: "Thursday, it's always on Thursday. I wonder why..."

Just like I suspected.

Erika: "What do you think about him?"

Normal Girl: "Uh? About Kubota?"

Sunglasses Guy: "Maybe she wants to know if you like him."

Normal Girl: "Idiot!"

Erika: "I didn't meant it that way, I just want to hear your general opinion."

Normal Girl: "Hmmm... he's a strange guy, but that's part of his charm, I guess."

Sunglasses Guy: "Go on and admit you've got a crush on him."

Normal Girl: "That's not true at all, jerk!"

Bleached Guy: "I think he's cool, he's a bro."

Sunglasses Guy: "I didn't know you swung that way."

Bleached Guy: "Shut up, faggot! It's called bromance, I just respect the cool guy, no homo."

Cool guy, uh?

Sunglasses Guy: "Man, I was just kidding! Of course I respect Kubota, he's our boss."

Bleached Guy: "He's fine, when he doesn't start with his obnoxious talks."

Sunglasses Guy: "Ha ha ha! So true, that damn son of a fox! I could kick his sorry ass into the next week, when he does."

Glamorous Girl: "At least he's got style, unlike you cavemen."

Bleached Guy: "I'm no caveman, I'm smart and neat. This guy on the other hand..."

Sunglasses Guy: "The hell, you dork! You're no better than me!"

Bleached Guy: "Yeah, then why do you suck so much at chess?"

Sunglasses Guy: "That's just not my thing! That's all! And then you suck too when you play against Kubota."

Bleached Guy: "At least I am a match, unlike you."

Sunglasses Guy: "You still lose every time!"

Bleached Guy: "I tied once!"

Sunglasses Guy: "As if that counted!"

Erika: "Kubota is a good chess player? Interesting."

Bleached Guy: "He's a pro. Can't win against him."

Glamorous Girl: "You're both amateurs, that's why you keep losing."

Bleached Guy: "Bulls! I'm the strongest in my neighborhood!"

Normal Girl: "Ha ha ha ha!"

Bleached Guy: "Don't laugh!"

Normal Girl: "But... come on! Ha ha ha!"

Bleached Guy: "Don't laugh, I said!"

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Chapter 4 (g)

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And with this I covered all the members of the Ushiromiya family. Honestly, if I didn't know that it is all real, I would mistake it for the setting of a soap opera. There is so much drama that you would probably need several hundreds episodes to cover it all. But then again, this is probably what the Ushiromiya are for the world. They are nothing but characters of a fascinating story, pawns standing on a chessboard, meant to be played with and mercilessly sacrificed.

But to me... it is different. Because I have personally met those persons on that island. I have been there, I have talked to them, I have memories of them. It was a long time ago, so even I cannot remember all the details, in addition, since I was still very young, I have spent most of my time with the cousins. So, in the end, I cannot say that I know a lot more than the rest of the world, but I can confirm that Jessica was dumb and vulgar, George was awkward and unpleasant, Battler was silly and unreliable, and Maria was an annoying little runt.

If I concentrate, I can probably see that place again. There are many fragmented images swirling around in my head, I just need to arrange them in the correct order. The first thing I see is a small gulf. Right in the middle there is a harbor, a single wooden quay stretching out to the sea. Beyond is the beach, where the children used to play on; picnics... treasure hunts... There is a long winding path that leads high above to the top of the cliff. When I finally climb the last set of stairs... a magnificent rose garden welcomes me. It is huge, gigantic, the roses are so tall that I cannot see beyond them. It is like being inside a garden maze. If I look to the right, I can see the majestic guest house. When the night comes, I will be sleeping there. If I proceed further and head left, I can eventually reach the mansion. It is a breathtaking view, it is as if I am suddenly pulled inside one of those old European estates. Everything is so big and strange. A butler welcomes me, he is nothing like Rokudou, this one is the real deal. Impeccable, elegant, perfect. I walk inside the great hall and... I find myself in front of that portrait... the portrait of the witch... Beatrice.

Suddenly I don't feel like remembering that place anymore. It is not a habit of mine wasting my precious little grey cells with memories that have no longer any purpose. That mansion was blown to smithereens, it not longer exists. But still... that butler... His name was Genji Ronoue, he was one of the few persons that Kinzo used to trust unconditionally. What foolishness! To trust a mere servant! It is as if I trusted Rokudou, ridiculous! Anyway that man died too that day, and there were other servants that met the same fate, but I can't care less about them.

Now when did that important event happen again? I think it was 1987, a year after the tragedy. That was the beginning of what would transform a mere news story into a worldwide phenomenon. It was all because Eva was desperate for money. Her siblings left her with so much trouble and debts, it is a miracle that she managed to survive. In the beginning it must have been really hard for her, so she sold everything that she could. Among the various inherited goods that she didn't care about, there was one of the many rare book collections of her father. It had been recovered from the library of the secret mansion Kuwadorian, which is why it wasn't affected by the explosion. Eva was absolutely unaware of its true value. I can pretty much relate to what she probably thought. In her eyes it was just a bunch of books about worthless occult garbage. Apparently Kinzo was a real expert on that subject. He used to hoard anything that dealt with western occultism, and he could pay ridiculous sums of money just to increase his collection. If there was a doubt that he was a madman, this should settle it. But fortunately for Eva, the world is full of rich idiots that don't have anything better to waste their money on. Those books were extremely rare, some were unique, even legendary. The discovery of Kinzo's secret library has often been compared to the finding of the dead sea scrolls. Some of those books until then were only rumored to have existed, that is how rare they were. Eva's auction inevitably caused a sensation. Scholars, historians, collectors, and dilettantes from all parts of the world suddenly became interested in Rokkenjima and its mysteries. This is how the incident gained international resonance.

Then, a few months later, a fisherman announced to the world a most unusual finding. He had recovered from the sea a strange bottle with a whole manuscript inside. What was narrated in there was definitely no ordinary story. Until then the question about what happened during those two days, from October 4 to the end of October 5, had remained without an answer. Until then it was hard to even speculate about that, since so little was known, but from that day everything changed. The message that was found inside that bottle reports a complete account of those very two days. It is written in first person from the perspective of Maria Ushiromiya, as if that brat wrote down everything that she saw as she was witnessing it. It is a detailed chronicle of what she experienced on her last two days of her life. In a way it is meant to look like a sort of testament that she entrusted to the sea before dying.

Naturally it was evident from the very beginning that nothing of the above can be true. There is no way that Maria could write all that stuff in two days, especially not in the middle of the situations described. The true author was definitely an older person, a 9 year old girl couldn't possibly know all those complicated words. Later it was confirmed that the handwriting was different from Maria's, and not just hers. None of the Ushiromiya could have written that, none of their handwritings match. Considering these facts, it should have been concluded that that message was just a fake, the product of the imagination of some kind of fanatic. However in that story are mentioned many details that only a person that had physically been on Rokkenjima could have known. This was confirmed by servants that used to work there, and I can confirm that too. Then someone remembered that a similar bottle was found near Rokkenjima, back when the rescue team was looking for survivors. That was a shocking revelation. The author was the same, those manuscripts were undoubtedly written by the same hand, and the stories were similar in many aspects. It was a real conundrum. Since the first bottle was retrieved near Rokkenjima and so close in time to the tragedy, the likeliness of that being a prank was almost null. And considering we are talking about a massive amount of pages, it can only be concluded that both stories were written before the island exploded. Best of all, they both describe how everyone attending the Ushiromiya family meeting of 1986 dies at the end of October 5. It is as if the author already knew what was going to happen.

That being said, it was clear from the start that those stories are not reliable. In the first place they both tell how a witch, using magic, summoning demons, and performing strange rituals, kills every single person on the island in a series of gruesome murders. Now, there are some idiots that actually believe that a real witch existed on Rokkenjima, but even they cannot deny that Eva didn't die in the real world, and that is a clear inconsistency. There is then the fact that the two stories, while following a similar plot, are decidedly different. For example the order and the way the victims are murdered are not the same. To settle the matter, both messages end with a sort of request; they ask for the reader to find the truth. Basically the author implicitly admits that the given fantastic explanation for the many deaths is a lie.

Considering all that, nobody should have taken those stories too seriously. But there was something about them, something very unsettling. Even people that at first laughed at all those imaginative descriptions had to change their opinions after taking in account certain facts. For example, the legend of the golden witch, Beatrice, which is portrayed as the culprit in both stories, doesn't just come out of nowhere, it already existed, and since a very long time.

Those that have met Kinzo, even occasionally, would often hear him telling a very strange tale. According to his claims, In the past he had met an incredibly beautiful woman. She had blue eyes and golden hair, and her name was Beatrice. That woman was actually a witch and Kinzo entered a contract with her. Because of that he was given ten tons of gold, an incredible fortune, and it was all thanks to that enormous capital that he was able to build his empire. Of course no one ever took him seriously, Kinzo was quite an eccentric man, and he was famous for telling such stories. However there are people that claim that the gold actually existed. How exactly did he manage to get his hands on such a ridiculous treasure is still speculated, but certainly, assuming this is true, it couldn't be anything legal. In that case the story of the witch would be just a cover, a lie he used in place of a truth that he couldn't openly tell.

The next question then is who could this Beatrice be. Once again there are people who claim she actually existed. Those are mainly servants that worked for Kinzo several years ago. According to them Beatrice is the mysterious woman that used to live in Kuwadorian. Only a selected few used to work in the secret mansion, but rumors of a witch living in the forest of Rokkenjima spread among all the servants. The legend was then enriched with many other particulars and grew out of proportions. Especially among the maids the fear of Beatrice was particularly strong. One couldn't work there without being told horrible stories about how those who made fun of the witch would incur her wrath.

"Beatrice is the master of the night, you must never disrespect her."

"Every night Beatrice appears in the VIP room at 2:00 AM, if you dare disturbing her, she will curse you and you will die."

"If you see a golden butterfly, run away! That is one of the witch's forms. Something very bad will happen, if you follow it."

These are but a few of the childish superstitions that the servants used to believe in. In many ways they were quite similar to school legends, and it isn't surprising, because the maids were for the most part very young girls. At that time any kind of unusual event or incident would be attributed to the witch pulling pranks or taking her vengeance on those who didn't show the due respect. It is interesting to note that a maid actually died in 1967, and another was severely injured several years later. Both cases were officially recognized as incidents, but most certainly they contributed to reinforce the idea that the witch existed, and that she was very vindicative.

In 1984 the legend was further strengthened by yet another of Kinzo's crazy stunts. In accordance to his will, a giant size painting portraying Beatrice was exposed in the great hall of the mansion. The mysterious witch that until then could only be imagined was suddenly given a form and a face. Along with that painting a strange metal plaque was placed on the wall; carved on it was the witch's epitaph.

That so called 'epitaph' was basically an elaborated riddle meant to give clues on how to reach the ten tons of gold. I really had a lot of fun solving it, never again my many little grey cells had to work that long before I could reach a conclusion. That was a real challenge. But the author of those strange messages interpreted it in a different way. The various lines of the riddle were taken in a more literal sense, and as such they became instructions of a serial murder divided in several steps. Basically it is 'And then there were none' all over again, but a bit more elaborated, and with more victims.

Once such extensive knowledge of both the epitaph and the legend of the witch is considered, it becomes even more clear that the author couldn't be an ordinary person. But what exactly was he or she thinking? What kind of objective this person had in mind for writing those stories and entrusting them to the sea?

Very soon people realized that everything suddenly makes sense if you analyze the manuscripts from a murder mystery perspective. After all the homage to Agatha Christie's masterpiece is quite evident, and if you remove the blatant lies, what you get are substantially crime fiction stories. Enthusiasts of the golden age of mystery novels often pointed out how the theme of 'magic' is inherent in the genre as a challenging factor. In other words the golden witch of those stories is a metaphorical representation of what the sleuth is meant to defeat, the incarnation of the illusion that must be dispelled in order to bring the truth to light. Once one realizes that, it automatically becomes clear that the detective is Battler Ushiromiya. The narrator, Maria, strongly believes in the witch's existence and in her magic, however she is constantly challenged by her older cousin. Battler refuses to accept the supernatural as an explanation for the murders, and through the analysis of clues and his reasonings he tries to explain everything by human means. However at the same time he refuses to accept hasty conclusions. So, whenever one of the characters is accused of being the murderer, after various circumstantial evidences are exposed, right when it seems that the case can be closed, Battler comes to the rescue and turns everything around. He usually starts with his signature line: 'Aaah, it's useless, it's all useless!' He says that, and then with a barrage of ridiculous arguments he manages to invalidate all the accusations one by one.

Truly a funny read, but... what the hell is that?

This is not Battler, this is simply not him. I knew the guy, I have met him personally, and therefore I can tell with confidence: Battler wasn't like that! Or rather, from a certain perspective it is him, but not quite the same person. And it isn't just Battler, it seems that all the cousins in a way or another have been embellished and transformed into something else.

Jessica, for example, while her vulgar ways to express herself are faithfully represented, rather than being shown for the retarded rebellious teenager that she was, she is depicted as a good natured maiden with a pure heart.

The way George was changed, then, is absolutely hilarious. He is the one who got the biggest overhaul. That good for nothing, unsociable, and awkward fatso became a sort of prince from a shoujo manga. The George described in those stories is practically the perfect man. He is successful, decisive, gentle, responsible, strong; all qualities that the actual person never possessed. At least he was never described as a good looking man, I guess not even that author could go that far!

In Maria's case then, it is almost fascinating how many of her annoying habits are shown in a way that make her look cute instead.

From that I can reach a pretty solid conclusion: the author of those messages loved the cousins.

Such is the effect of love on a person's mind, it completely impairs the ability to make objective judgments. It makes you see things that do not exist. It is a horrifying psychological disorder that gravely affects the normal functioning of the brain. In extreme cases it even leads to death. That is how wrong love is. I can't believe this world keeps glorifying it.

So in the end, these murder mysteries, written by someone that was undoubtedly related to Rokkenjima and the Ushiromiya, and that supposedly already knew that everyone would die, ended up being seen as attempts to give clues to the world, so that one day the truth would be uncovered. Inevitably people started speculating that the Rokkenjima incident was a planned crime, and that somehow, by solving the fictional stories, the real culprit could be found. However a conclusion simply cannot be reached. These mysteries are incomplete, the detective never makes his final declaration, and in the end he dies like everyone else. I guess the author didn't have enough faith in Battler. So even if I were to tell my conclusions to the world, I wouldn't be able to prove that they are definitely correct. Everyone would keep sticking with their own theories, with their own interpretations, with their own delusions. This is the worst possible situation for me. I know what happened on that island on those two days, I know who is responsible, I know the meaning behind those stories, and I know who wrote them. But as long as I cannot back my claims with proofs, evidences, or logical arguments, they will never become truths.

But the Rokkenjima phenomenon doesn't end here. One day it was announced that a third bottle was found. For a long time it was speculated that other messages might have existed, aside from the two that were already found, and many expected that at least one more would be discovered eventually. So when the so much anticipated announcement was made, everyone enthusiastically welcomed it. But it didn't pass much time before people realized it was a fake. The storytelling was clearly different, and the narration wasn't nearly as compelling as in the originals. However this idea of writing alternative explanations of the Rokkenjima serial murder was soon emulated. Forgeries begun popping up everywhere, even from very distant countries. It all became a gigantic game, the truth didn't matter anymore. It was simply fun to read new interpretations, it was simply fun to imagine new scenarios, it was simply fun to make new theories and discuss them. This phenomenon reached its peak with the advent of internet. At that point everyone could easily write stories and make them available for reading in the world wide web.

As of today literally hundreds of different stories have been written. Some take a serious approach, and strive to be as much as plausible as possible. Some do not even try, and are completely unbelievable. There isn't a single victim of the Rokkenjima incident that hasn't been depicted as a cruel murderous monster at least once. The Ushiromiya family members have been killed over and over in the most horrible ways. The strangest theories have been proposed. Witches, espers, demons, aliens, spirits, vampires, the forgers didn't stop in front of anything. And then conspiracy theories, conspiracy theories, conspiracy theories. The government, the Americans, the Russian KGB, the Illuminati, Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese Red Army, these are but of few of the organizations, real and fictional, that have been described as being behind the tremendous explosion. It has been speculated that Kinzo had died several months before the tragedy. It has been speculated that Eva solved the epitaph and found the gold. It has been speculated that Rosa met Beatrice and killed her. It has been speculated that Battler was actually Kyrie's son. It has been speculated that other never previously mentioned people were present on that island, but that was just an excuse to add new characters to revitalize a stale setting.

There is a place where all these strange stories took form. It is a place that only exists in the collective thoughts of human minds, a place that lies in a purely imaginary field. That place isn't real, and yet... it exists.

It is a sea of infinite possibilities, a world of metaphors, a world beyond reality... the metaworld.

Lady Bernkastel is there, somewhere, traveling through infinite stories told and never told, in an eternal quest to find relief from her boredom.

In that place I was born anew.

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Chapter 4 (f)

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October 6, 1986, 0:00 AM.

This precise time doesn't simply mark the beginning of a particular day. No, it is far more terrible than that. This is when an unthinkable catastrophe occurred.

The first to notice were the inhabitants of Niijima, one of the many Izu islands that lie south of the Tokyo bay. Reportedly at that precise time a powerful explosion could be heard. It was strong enough to wake up people from their sleep. The shock wave reached their houses and made the windows' glasses shake violently. Many rushed outside to see what happened, but the center of the disaster was several kilometers away. It was the middle of the night, so there wasn't much that could be seen, however a few persons noticed something strange looking west near the horizon. The sky had just cleared up after the passage of a violent typhoon, but no stars could be seen in that direction, it was as if a thick cloud covered that part.

The reason we can be sure that that explosion occurred exactly at midnight, is due to the fact that it was strong enough to be detected by several seismometers, in other words we possess scientific evidence that it was indeed 0:00 AM. Conspiracy theorists later often used this fact to point out the unlikeliness of this timely disaster to be the result of a natural or a random event. However authorities and experts repeatedly argued back that the probability of that happening by chance is just 1 on 1440, far from being impossible. This would be a valid point, if it wasn't for the fact that that October 6 was no ordinary day.

It didn't took long before the epicenter of the explosion was determined to be in Rokkenjima. At the time that small island, barely 2 kilometers wide, was practically unknown to anyone. Since it isn't of any particular relevance, you don't usually find it on maps. However, even then it was a pretty peculiar place. Normally it shouldn't be possible for a single individual to own an entire island in Japanese territory, but Rokkenjima was an exception. This is a very debated argument and the subject of various speculations, but it is widely accepted that the GHQ had a hand in it. What is certain is that in 1950 the entire Rokkenjima island was purchased by Kinzo Ushiromiya. He was a money shark who had made huge profits in an incredibly short time through dirty deals and his many connections. It is said that he gained most of his wealth by speculating on the Korean war. Originally he was supposed to build a marine resource base on that island, but he turned it into his own residence instead. Truly Kinzo Ushiromiya was as much visionary as he was a lunatic. Why did he want to live in that forgotten island? Why did he move there with his whole family? Rationally it doesn't make any sense, especially considering he was a businessman, being so cut off from the mainland was decidedly unpractical. According to certain rumors, Rokkenjima held a sentimental value to him, but his true reasons remain unclear.

The morning following the tragedy, Kawabata, who used to work as a ferryman for the Ushiromiya, found the landscape of Rokkenjima completely changed. There was no longer a harbor where he could dock his boat, there was no longer a mansion on the top of the cliff, the cliff itself was gone. Of course, there was no passenger that required his services either, not that day, nor any other day thereafter. Instead Kawabata was welcomed by several patrol boats of the coastal guard. They had come directly from Tokyo and Shimoda. There were helicopters surveying the site from above, and even the JSDF was mobilized. It was truly an appalling sight.

When Kawabata was questioned by the police, he revealed a most shocking truth. On October 4, two days before, he had ferried to the island practically all the living relatives of Kinzo Ushiromiya. With just a single exception, they were all gathered there. Kawabata explained that that was an annual occurrence. Every year on October 4 they would all gather for an important family meeting. Normally they would only stay for a single day and then leave on October 5, but that 1986 a typhoon engulfed Rokkenjima and the near areas. Traveling by sea in such conditions was impossible, and so Kawabata had no choice but to wait for the following day. Strangely enough he couldn't contact the Ushiromiya by phone, it seems that the line was cut off. At the time he simply attributed the cause to the typhoon, but many believe that the island was purposely sealed off from the rest of the world. It was later revealed that there was a radio device inside the Rokkenjima mansion for such emergencies, but no distress call was ever received. It is a dreadful thought that many of the victims of that tragedy could be still alive if only that typhoon came a day earlier or later, but there are people who don't think so. Some say that the explosion would have simply happened a day earlier, some say that Kawabata would have become another victim; and then there are some that claim that Kawabata wouldn't have gone there on October 5 either way. Of course Kawabata always denied that, but it is a fact that the boat of the resident Ushiromiya was conveniently on Niijima for repairs. In other words, typhoon or not, nobody would have been able to leave the island anyway, without Kawabata.

As the rescue team surveyed the site of the explosion, it became clear that there wasn't much that could be found, not even debris and rubble. Whatever existed there, it was completely pulverized by the incredible detonation. It is estimated that the resulting crater is around one kilometer wide, which means almost one half of the whole island was destroyed.

Considering the situation, it isn't strange that no corpse was found. A list of the victims was reconstructed based on what was testified by several related individuals, but technically they are all just assumed to be dead. The only exception is Maria Ushiromiya, the youngest family member. Somehow a fragment of her jaw was preserved enough to be compared with her dental records. Because of that it is almost certain that everyone else followed her fate. All, except one person.

This is yet another mystery of this strange story. When the helicopters arrived on the site, they were able to spot a building that wasn't supposed to exist. It was found at the opposite end of the island in relation to the crater, and because of that location, it was spared from the destruction. As the investigations later established, Kinzo Ushiromiya secretly ordered the construction of a second mansion when he built the first. Since it was never registered, and the normal procedures weren't respected, it is an unauthorized building. According to what has been reconstructed from various witnesses, not even Kinzo's closest relatives were aware of its existence. It was literally a secret mansion, but it is now known that it was called Kuwadorian. There are rumors that a woman, Kinzo's lover, used to live there. This theory is supported by several witnesses, including Kawabata, and by other circumstantial evidences. However as of today nobody was able to give her an identity, there are simply no records of such a woman ever existing. Truly, if this Kinzo's mistress ever was there, she literally came out of nowhere and in the same way she disappeared.

But on that fateful October 6, the secret mansion Kuwadorian wasn't empty. When the rescue squad arrived and explored the building, they found Eva Ushiromiya, Kinzo's eldest daughter. Hopes rose up after that finding, and the searches intensified. The rescuers spent three whole days combing the forest that survived the explosion and the surrounding waters. In the end the only thing that they were able to retrieve was a bottle with a strange message inside. At the time they didn't think it was anything relevant, at best it was a bad joke. The strange message was archived and forgotten, for a while. By that time it was concluded that Eva Ushiromiya was the only survivor of that tragedy.

As it is to be expected, Eva was found in a state of severe shock. She was quickly brought to a hospital in Tokyo, but apart from the psychological trauma she was unharmed. Of course the whole nation at that point was impatiently waiting for her to recover. Both the police and the press had many questions that they hoped she could be able to answer. They were all disappointed.

Eva didn't talk, no matter how much she was pressured, she adamantly refused to reveal a single detail of anything that happened during those two days. The police interrogated her for hours. Who knows how many times they made the same questions over and over. Who knows how far they went to get her cooperation. I am sure that they tried all the methods available, but they all failed, Eva never yielded.

She died twelve years later of heart failure, allegedly due to severe fatigue and psychological stress. She brought all of her secrets with herself to the otherworld. What kind of important reason did she have to carry that heavy burden until the very end? She probably would have lived a better life if only she opened her heart, but in spite of the unimaginable stress that destroyed her mind and body, she remained true to her decision to never reveal what she witnessed.

Naturally due to these circumstances Eva Ushiromiya became the center of everyone's suspicions. After all, with all of her relatives gone, she became the heir of the Ushiromiya's vast empire. The very fact that when everyone else died she was in a safe area, far from where she was supposed to be, isn't something that can be easily explained. She must have known in advance what was going to happen, but then why did she go to the secret mansion alone? How could she leave her husband, her son, and all of her relatives behind? And then why did she refuse to tell what happened? So it really isn't strange if people started believing that she planned it all. If it wasn't an accident, then the one who survived and benefited from it had to be the culprit.

Even so, regardless of the many suspicions, due to a lack of evidences and witnesses, there was simply no way to prosecute Eva Ushiromiya, nor to conclude that a crime was committed at all. Int the end, the case was archived.

Up to this point it was still called the "Rokkenjima explosion incident", or simply the "Rokkenjima incident". It occupied the first pages of many newspapers for about a month, but the public interest waned pretty soon. Even considering the extremely unusual situation and the many unanswered questions, it still lacked that something that would make it the center of speculations and conspiracy theories for years to come. Of course that something later materialized itself in the form of two peculiar findings, but before that, it is probably useful to remind who were the members of the Ushiromiya family.

Let's start with Kinzo Ushiromiya, the family head. If you could sum up all that was written about him, you would get several books thousand pages long, and as it is often the case with extraordinary men, discerning facts from legends is very difficult. It seems that most of his relatives died in the great Kanto earthquake of 1923 when he was still very young. He himself and his parents were unaffected by it because at the time they lived in Taiwan. The Ushiromiya used to be a wealthy and powerful family even back then, but the earthquake destroyed most of their holdings, so, while it is only thanks to that tragedy that Kinzo was appointed as the new head, it is also what left him with nothing but ruins to inherit. Not much else is known about the following years. It seems that Kinzo kept a low profile and he never made use of his talents. However it is believed that an important event happened during the second world war. Kinzo actively participated in it as a soldier, but he was never sent to the front lines, so it is hard to speculate what could have changed him that much. The military are notoriously tight-lipped, and with the confusion that followed after the unconditional surrender and the american occupation, it isn't strange that not much is known about what Kinzo was involved with. What is certain is that he returned from the war as a different man. From that point onward he started making several crazy investments as if he was possessed by a demon. His economic strategies were hazardous to say the least, no matter the risks involved, he would bet everything he had even if failure would have meant dragging his whole family into poverty. Miraculously Kinzo always won his bets, and as a result he gained a ridiculous amount of wealth in a very short time.

Those were years of radical changes for Japan. For the many noble families and the bourgeois of those times adapting to the new situation was very difficult, but Kinzo was different. Having spent his childhood far from the mainland, his mind was more open to the world, and he was fluent in both Chinese and English. Notoriously Kinzo has always been fascinated by the western culture, to a maniacal level. All of that helped him immensely in establishing good relations with the GHQ, and that gave him several advantages over any other competitors.

Kinzo was married with a woman that he, reportedly, never truly loved. He was forced to marry her when he was still young, soon after he was appointed as the new family head. Even so he had four children from her. Kinzo's wife was already dead at the time of incident, so there is no point in remembering her. Her offspring and respective families, however, are quite important.

The firstborn son was Krauss Ushiromiya. All of Kinzo's children and grandchildren were given those strange western sounding names. His fanaticism for the west was that bad. As the one who was supposed to eventually become the new family head, Krauss spent his life in the attempt to replicate the outstanding achievements of his father. He failed miserably. To be completely blunt, he was an idiot who could be easily beguiled by unrealistic promises of huge profits. In 1986 Kinzo had already retired from the public scene, and he had left to his eldest son the duty to administer his empire. That wasn't really a wise choice, but it seems that in his latest years of his life he no longer cared about money, or the fate of his family. Krauss abused of his position and embezzled more than his due in order to make several horrible financial investments. After every failure, he would invest even more money in even riskier business to compensate for the losses. If he wasn't caught in that explosion, he would have probably ended up losing every single yen that his father gained, as unbelievable as it may seem.

Krauss was married with Natsuhi. Not much is known about her, as she rarely left the mansion, but the many servants that used to work for the Ushiromiya describe her as a very stern person. It seems that Natsuhi wasn't in good terms with Eva. As the wife of the next in line for the title of the family head, she desired for her role to be recognized. However Eva would not consider her anything more than a borrowed womb meant to provide a heir for her elder brother. It seems that Natsuhi greatly suffered from the scarce power that she was granted in the rigid rank system of that family. Tragically she was a failure even as a borrowed womb. It took her twelve long years before she was finally able to bear a child, and that child turned out to be female.

Krauss' and Natsuhi's daughter was named Jessica, at the time of her death she was 18 years old. Just to confirm her mother's inability to provide a suitable heir for her husband, Jessica never learned to behave as her position required from her. She was an unrefined tomboy, absolutely unladylike, and she lacked in intelligence. Overall she was more suited to live a commoner's life.

Krauss's family members, along with Kinzo, were the only permanent residents of the Rokkenjima mansion, excluding servants. The remaining Ushiromiya all settled in Tokyo, and only traveled to that remote island for the annual family meeting or other special occasions.

Kinzo's second child was Eva. It is rumored that she always harbored the ambition of becoming the family head in place of her older brother. The reason she thought she was fit for that role was because... she actually was. After all it is a fact that Krauss was utterly incompetent, and Eva proved to be a money shark even worse than her father. It is easy to imagine her frustration for her merits to go unrecognized on the ground of her being just a woman. Those who think Eva was the culprit believe this was her motive for killing her whole family. Personally I don't think that explanation works, at the very least it is simplistic. In any case it is evident that Eva never completely abandoned her ambitions. For example, after her marriage she was supposed to take the family name of her husband, as it is customary, however the reverse happened. That way she maintained her position and her rights in her original family. Hideyoshi Ushiromiya, her husband, claimed that he accepted that arrangement because he no longer had any living relative. In other words it was to follow his wish to become part of a big family. Honestly, I can only laugh at that obvious lie. The reasons were purely political and economical. Both Eva and Hideyoshi had interests in participating in the annual family meetings, where many important decisions regarding the family's vast wealth used to be taken.

Hideyoshi was himself a pretty successful businessman. Very much alike Kinzo, he created his fortune from nothing through his efforts. He owned a successful fast food chain management company which was even listed in the stock market. However, in his rush to acquire capitals to expand his empire, Hideyoshi sold more stocks than he should have. At the same time he made several unpopular choices who created discontent among his investors. As a result there were certain individuals that banded together and started to buy every stock available. It was obvious that they were trying to reach the majority of votes in order to overthrow the current president. Hideyoshi was bound to become a mere stockholder of the company he so hard worked for. The world of finance is merciless, and Eva learned it the hard way through her husband's plight. She certainly treasured that lesson, because later she became famous for using that very tactic in order to assimilate rival companies.

Eva most likely saw an opportunity in Natsuhi's apparent inability to bear a child. If Krauss had no heir, then her own son would eventually become the head. George Ushiromiya was the first of Kinzo's five grandchildren. At the time of the incident, he was 23 years old. Eva most likely believed he would succeed his grandfather one day. Basically she pushed her own ambitions on her son. I can imagine her anger when she was told that Natsuhi finally became pregnant. But in the end I doubt that George would have been chosen either way. He was a complete failure, a pathetic excuse for a human being. After the incident various magazines dug up a lot of dirt out of the Ushiromiya's personal lives. They were particular harsh with George, but that's because there was a lot to say about the guy. He has been described as a very unsociable person, an awkward nerd, a good for nothing. Some even claimed he was a NEET and a hikikomori. At any rate pretty much everyone agrees that George was a very unlikable person. He never made any friends, how sad is that?

Ah, the next family is definitely my favorite, for various reasons. Rudolf Ushiromiya was Kinzo's third child. He was famous for being a womanizer and a swindler. He started from a very young age. Back to his university days, he was already sleeping with several different women and making money out of barely legal transactions. Like his siblings, he also ended up running his own company, but I never quite understood what kind of business he was involved in. All I know is that he was making profits out of a niche market, but he ended up messing with the wrong guys. Expanding to foreign countries seemed a very good idea in the beginning, but then his activities raised too much attention, and a powerful american company noticed that he was blatantly infringing their copyrights. There was no doubt that he would never win the lawsuit, after all Rudolf was clearly at fault there. So he tried to reach a settlement out of court, but that meant he needed to provide a lot of money that he didn't possess. He didn't live enough to see the end of this story; his sister had to pay for his misdeeds in his place. His messed up company was later disbanded.

Rudolf married twice. The first time was with Asumu Ushiromiya, from whom he had his first son. Asumu died young in an 'accident' in 1980. Rudolf immediately remarried, this time with Kyrie Ushiromiya. It is a well established fact that Rudolf used to date both women at the same time, and that he was unfaithful throughout his first marriage. We can be pretty certain of that because Kyrie was already pregnant when Asumu died. Plus, according to certain sources, that wasn't even the first time Rudolf impregnated her. Allegedly the previous child died at birth. Speculations and crazy theories concerning this triangle abound. There are some who believe that Asumu's death wasn't accidental, and personally I have no doubts that she was murdered. It isn't really surprising when you consider that Kyrie was a Sumadera. Seriously, there couldn't be a shadier couple: a known swindler and the daughter of an infamous Yakuza family. The Sumadera are the worst criminal organization of the entire nation, they basically rule over the whole Tokyo from the shadows. In the underworld there is barely anyone who can match them, and no one in his right mind would openly defy them. That's the kind of family Kyrie was raised in.

Rudolf's firstborn child was Battler Ushiromiya, he was the same age as Jessica. Battler was a pretty interesting young man, he inherited his father's charm and he was the spitting image of Kinzo in his youth. He had many good qualities including an above average intelligence, but he was so silly and unreliable that you would rarely notice. On the surface he was very laid back and carefree, but that was just a mask he wore. When his mother died and his father remarried with the already pregnant Kyrie, he was so disgusted that he decided to divorce from his family. Can you imagine a 12 years old boy doing that? For the next 6 years he had been living with his maternal grandparents, he even adopted their family name. Since he was no longer an Ushiromiya, he didn't attend the annual family meetings for five years straight. Funny, isn't it? When Battler finally decided to forgive his father, he was right on time to become yet another victim of the Rokkenjima incident. However that wasn't completely random. That very year both of his grandparents died, and Rudolf took that chance to apologize while begging him to return to his family. There are really quite a lot of suspicious coincidences, if you ask me.

Kyrie's child was named Ange. She was the only Ushiromiya that wasn't on that island when it blew up. At the time she was only 6 years old. It appears that she fell ill right the day before October 4, and because of that she couldn't go with everyone else. People usually comments that she has been really lucky. Because of that timely illness, she was spared from the tragedy and survived. Every time I hear that I burst into laughter. Ange was lucky? What a joke! She was better off dead! A thousand times better! Her whole family died when she needed it the most, and after that her life became a true hell. Naturally Eva adopted her, but those two never got along. It seems that Ange grew up as a very gloomy and disturbed girl. Very much like George, she never made any friends. She became the target of several paparazzi, all trying to get a scoop from the child who was spared from the Rokkenjima incident. In other words she was never allowed to break free from that tragedy. According to those who had met her, she has always been an oddball, but after Eva's death she went completely nuts. She was sent to a clinic for the mentally ill, and nobody ever heard any news about her since. Truly, she is a most pitiful girl, I really wouldn't want to be in her shoes.

I think the factor that mostly contributed to her mental breakdown was the Rudolf's family culprit theory. While initially the public opinion agreed that Eva Ushiromiya had murdered everyone, everything changed when it was revealed what kind of people Rudolf and Kyrie were. To say that those two were demonized would be an understatement. They were basically depicted as evil incarnate, and all of that for the sole purpose of pleasing the many conspiracy theorists who only desired to be told a gruesome story. According to that theory, Rudolf and Kyrie killed their relatives one by one using guns or even melee weapons. Their alleged motive varies depending on specific interpretations, but nobody really minds as long as there is blood involved. In this scenario Eva somehow survives and kills the two bad guys, but not before they had already eliminated everyone else. Then Eva makes the whole island explode to erase any proof of what happened. She doesn't want the world to know what kind of messed up family the Ushiromiya were, and that is why she decides to keep her mouth shut. A variant of this theory includes Battler, sometimes depicting him as the true mastermind behind it all. This would be supported by the fact that nothing ever happened until his return, so it must be his fault in a way or another. So they say.

Honestly, if I had to list all the flaws in this worthless theory, I wouldn't even know where to start from. But what else can you expect from the brainless masses? They accepted it simply because it was a gruesome and interesting story. They wanted it to be true because it was fun. Not like I can really blame them for that, but the theory could use some improvement. However, I cannot deny that the fact that Ange conveniently wasn't brought to the island that day is suspicious, that much is undeniable.

Next is Rosa Ushiromiya, the last of Kinzo's children. She was born many years after Rudolf, so she was still young, if you compare her with her siblings. Because of that, she always held very little power in the family decisions. Rosa made the fatal mistake of falling in love with the wrong man. For a time they lived together, against Kinzo's will, and they were supposed to marry. But that man only cared about his dreams, and he didn't have any intention to tie the knot. When Rosa told him that she was pregnant, he must have had the scare of his life. That man persuaded his bride-to-be to co-sign a loan, then he fled with the money overseas, with the promise of coming back once he made it big. Naturally, he never kept his promise, and he never intended to. All that Rosa was left with was a huge debt to pay and a daughter to raise without anyone's support. Despite that, she didn't let herself fall into despair. She managed to start her own business somehow, just like her siblings, but in the end all the profits went to the bank she contracted her debt with. Basically, she was working to pay the interests, and there didn't seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel. The situation worsened when her western clothing design company experienced several economic difficulties. But there was something else that afflicted Rosa even more than her disastrous financial situation. That woman never accepted the prospect of remaining a single mother forever. So, in order to pursue her romantic dreams, she neglected her daughter to spend time alone with several men. As if anyone would be really interested in an overdue Christmas cake. There are documents that attest that Rosa was visited by social workers. There were serious concerns regarding how she treated her child. It was reported that Rosa's daughter was often left alone for several days straight. It seems that she was even subjected to physical abuse, probably because her mother needed someone to relieve her stress on.

So, I guess it isn't surprising that Maria Ushiromiya had several psychological problems. With a mother like that, that is only to be expected. At the time of her death, she was only 9 years old. Maybe it was a fortunate event for her, at least she stopped suffering. I don't think she would have had a good life considering all that she went through, and the messed up family she had. Maria was generally described as a creepy and annoying girl. Not surprisingly she suffered from a scarce development of the emotional sphere, which often caused her to act as if she was still 4 years old. It is known that she was fascinated by the occult and other strange and creepy subjects. She was described as having a vivid imagination, but she was so assertive in claiming that her fantasies were true, that some suspect she was psychotic.

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Chapter 4 (e)

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Teramoto knows that she has nothing to gain from accepting my challenge, she knows that it would be just a pointless risk for her. That is why she doesn't want to do it, that is why she is trying to find excuses. She is sufficiently smart and she can keep her cool, she wouldn't let herself be blinded by anger and fall for an obvious trap. In other words no matter how much one teases her, she is the kind of person that would keep her emotions under control and always take the most sensible decision.

That is precisely why I needed a public.

Normally she would just ignore my bait, but given the current situation she can't afford to do that, and at this point she must have already realized it. She is looking at the many students that are surrounding her, and she doesn't need spoken words to understand what they are expecting her to do. She must accept, there is no other option. She has been shamed; if she were to simply walk away now, she would inevitably lose power and prestige.

When I will be done with her, she will look back at this moment, and she will think that a damaged reputation is still better than one that is completely destroyed. But right now she doesn't think there is a serious risk of that happening. She knows that there is much more to lose than to win from my challenge, but as long as she believes her chances of victory are high, that isn't really a big concern to her. Conversely if she refuses, it is certain that she will lose something.

The occultism club members that are with Teramoto don't have any doubts, their leader must fight. They follow her and they are loyal to her because they have faith in her ability to win any kind of argument. She can stand her ground against teachers, not even the principal can intimidate her. They certainly respect her and admire her for that. So it is absolutely unthinkable that she would be scared now. Teramoto can't possibly betray their expectations.

As soon as she realizes that she has no choice, all traces of indecisiveness disappear from her eyes. She knows she must accept, and her pride doesn't allow her to think that she can lose. Her mind is set: she will fight me, and she will crush me. She will make me pay for all my insults, she will make me regret challenging her. This is what she is thinking, the poor fool.

But it is quite amusing to see her so confident! I really couldn't ask for anything better. This is how I want her! Play your role to the fullest, Teramoto!

Teramoto: "So you want proofs, how typical! But are you really sure about that? Can you really bear the shock of witnessing something that will completely change the way you look at the world?"

Erika: "I told you already, I can bear the weight of any truths!"

Teramoto: "I wonder about that! I think you're simply confident that I won't be able to prove anything. When the time will come don't cry on me, don't say I didn't warn you! You'd better prepare yourself."

Erika: "Very amusing, but this is just pointless talking! If you decided to accept my challenge just say so!"

Teramoto: "Not even a second thought! I admire your determination, albeit this is probably just the result of your recklessness. As you wish then, I've decided to grant you this honor, I'll open your eyes to the truth of this world!"

Erika: "Pfff ha ha ha ha ha!!! This is great! You think you can tell me what the truth is! Aaaah! This is truly awesome! Fantastic! Totally perfect! The only detail left to discuss now is... when!"

Teramoto: "I need time to prepare for the ritual, and I need time to find volunteers. Considering what happened there, I expect that very few will agree to join."

Erika: "Of course I'm not asking you to do it today, but I don't have time to waste, my investigations must go on. I'll give you until tomorrow, how about it?"

Teramoto: "You're really pressuring me, aren't you? Well, I think it'll be all right. As you desire, Furudo-san, tomorrow I will perform my last ritual in the abandoned PE shed of this school! Assuming that I'll be granted permission, of course."

Erika: "Don't you worry about that. Pretend that you already have it, tomorrow it'll be made official anyway."

Satsukawa: "You don't know that for sure..."

Erika: "Don't question my predictive abilities, Satsukawa-san! Oh and... people! Don't tell anything to the teachers, okay? You don't want them to mess with Teramoto's gathering, right?"

Teramoto: "I take it I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning, I'll let you know the exact time and place then."

Erika: "Good, this is settled!"

Teramoto: "Yes, it'll be a great day! I'm looking forward to it!"

Erika: "My thoughts exactly!"

Teramoto: "You don't really know who you're messing with!"

Erika: "Do you? Teramoto?"

Teramoto: "..."

Erika: "What is it? Lost for words already?"

Teramoto: "I was just thinking that you're indeed a mystery. Who are you exactly?"

Erika: "All that you need to know is that I'm a great detective."

Teramoto: "I see... then that's what you are, nothing but a delusional fool..."

Erika: "You've got guts... calling me delusional!"

Teramoto: "Ha ha!"

What kind of reaction is that? Is she mocking me?!

I will take great pleasure in destroying her!

It seems that Teramoto decided that the conversation is over, and with an impish smile she invites her lackeys to go elsewhere. I could take this chance to pronounce some sarcastic parting words, but I choose not to in the end. The show is over.

The students resume their chatters and little by little they disperse. Not having anything else to do in the cafeteria, I also invite Satsukawa to find a more tranquil place to go to. He agrees, and we rapidly abandon the chaotic hall.

Satsukawa: "Erika, are you really sure that Wakamatsu will be fine with your plan? I don't think she'll just pretend to look elsewhere while Teramoto involves more students in her occult practices. You were supposed to make her stop that, not to instigate her to do it again."

Erika: "Hopefully the principal will never know. All that I wanted from her was to postpone the punishments."

Satsukawa: "I can't really say you've been discrete... Will your challenge really remain a secret? Considering how fast rumors spread in this school, pretty soon every single student will know about it. It's bound to become a hot topic, and the chances that it will reach a teacher's ears are pretty high."

Erika: "I have confidence that the students will be careful. Apparently, for about two years, Teramoto managed to organize several gatherings without anyone noticing. The students here certainly talk a lot, but they can keep their mouths shut when a teacher is around."

Satsukawa: "Well... this might be true... but the situation has changed. They teachers are probably a lot more alert now, especially around Teramoto and her friends."

Erika: "There's certainly the risk that they'll find out, but if that happens, I'll come up with something. There's no need to worry about a mere possibility."

Satsukawa: "That's easy for you to say that, but if we give you permission to proceed with your plan and Wakamatsu finds that out, I'm going to be in a lot of trouble..."

Erika: "When she'll realize that I solved the Teramoto issue, she'll be too happy to care."

Satsukawa: "I hope you're right... I'm not even sure that you'll actually solve anything."

Erika: "Was that supposed to be a joke, Satsukawa-san? Because I don't really find it funny. Teramoto's reign will end tomorrow, nobody will believe in her lies ever again."

Satsukawa: "At least one of us is confident..."

Dlanor: "I am also confident in Miss Erika's success."

Satsukawa: "Oh, right... I forgot about Dlanor..."

The main objective of today has been reached, now I only need to wait.

Satsukawa: "By the way, where are we going?"

Erika: "To a nice place where we can relax."

Satsukawa: "Is something wrong? You look tired."

Erika: "Is that how I look?"

Satsukawa: "Well, you're not energetic like your usual."

Sometimes I wish Satsukawa would just shut up.

Satsukawa: "I guess you can be gloomy too sometimes."

Erika: "I used to be always like this in the past..."

The past, a period of my life that I want to forget. I haven't always been a detective, I haven't always been a witch of truth. Before meeting Bernkastel, what kind of person I was? I have removed from my memory a lot of details about my past self, and I am quite glad of that. The me before becoming what I am now is a me that I don't want to be reminded of.

However right now I feel like I have lost a piece of myself, and in its place I have regained something that I decided to discard. Why is this happening? It isn't because of Teramoto, it isn't because I am tired. If I am suddenly returning to the past, it is not because I want it, it is because the past itself decided to come back.

As much as I would rather not think about it, I simply cannot. And so, while I absentmindedly keep on talking with Satsukawa about uninteresting topics, my mind travels back to that cursed day.

The Rokkenjima incident, the Rokkenjima explosion incident, the Rokkenjima serial murder.

On that day, I was supposed to die.

I am spiraling down into the abyss...

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