Chapter 4 (i)

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Erika: "So, is that what you usually do here? Playing games?"

The two boys look at each other with puzzled and slightly concerned expressions.

Sunglasses Guy: "You're not going to rat us out, right?"

Bleached Guy: "Hey, it's not like we just play games anyway."

Normal Girl: "Right, sometimes some of us do their job, unlike you."

Bleached Guy: "Yeah, but it's not like I do absolutely nothing, I give you all my moral support."

Sunglasses Guy: "Ha ha ha! Damn right! But let's keep it between us, okay?"

Glamorous Girl: "Don't worry, she's no friend of Nagaoka, I doubt she's on the teachers' side. And even if she was, we'll just deny everything as usual."

Sunglasses Guy: "What about the cop?"

Satsukawa: "I can't really say I approve your slacking off, but I guess I can turn a blind eye on your crimes."

Erika: "I've no interest in exposing your petty misdeeds. Such trifles aren't worth my time."

Bleached Guy: "There you go, you're safe."

Sunglasses Guy: "All right!"

Erika: "To be honest, I was about to ask you what did you think about Kubota's blatant negligence of his duties, but I guess you don't really care."

Bleached Guy: "Not at all."

Sunglasses Guy: "The way he manages to always be the boss without doing anything productive is what I respect the most in him. He's the supreme lazy genius!"

Normal Girl: "I think he should be a little more serious though..."

Sunglasses Guy: "There she goes again."

Normal Girl: "Why don't you understand?! If he messes up, we're going to pay the price as well!"

Sunglasses Guy: "Stop worrying about the future! Live the present!"

Bleached Guy: "That's our philosophy!"

Glamorous Girl: "Idiots..."

Erika: "I see... I think I understand now..."

Bleached Guy: "By the way, how come you're so interested in our boss? You don't think he's the culprit, do you?"

Sunglasses Guy: "Ha ha ha, no way!"

Glamorous Girl: "I think she's got her eyes on Teramoto."

Normal Girl: "Right! Right! I was there in the cafeteria earlier! I've seen how you challenged her! That was cool!"

Erika: "I'm glad you liked my little show."

Normal Girl: "I'm so curious now! I want to see how it goes!"

Glamorous Girl: "Forget it. Unless Teramoto herself asks you to go, you'd better stay out of it."

Normal Girl: "I know... but still..."

Erika: "Why are you that afraid of Teramoto?"

Glamorous: "I'm not particularly afraid or anything, I just think it's unwise to crash her parties. It's like respecting unwritten rules, nothing major will actually happen if you don't, but you might get disliked by everyone if you do."

Normal Girl: "Right! Right! Even if you don't believe in deities, it's rude to disrespect their temples. You won't get smitten by a god, but you'll still be hated by the faithfuls."

Glamorous Girl: "This school has its myths and legends, and Teramoto is the priestess. That's just how it is."

Satsukawa: "Is that how you see it? When you put it like that, it doesn't look like something bad."

Erika: "That comparison doesn't work. We aren't talking about a religion, or traditions. Teramoto just made everything up out of thin air."

Glamorous Girl: "So? Isn't it the same thing? It's all made up either way, the only difference is when it was made up."

Normal Girl: "Waaah! You're such a nihilist!"

I thought that girl was just a bimbo, but it looks like she has some brains. I would probably like her style, if I wasn't so annoyed by her air of superiority and her lack of respect. She still hasn't moved her eyes from those nails.

Erika: "Then, what do you think about what I'm doing? I've already challenged Teramoto, and I plan to expose all of her lies."

Glamorous Girl: "You're not a student of this school, you don't have anything to lose."

Normal Girl: "I don't think you'll win, there's definitely something strange inside that shed. But I'm still fired up at the thought of your challenge!"

Erika: "And what if I completely destroy her?"

Normal Girl: "No way! Ha ha ha."

Glamorous Girl: "That'd be bad."

Erika: "How so?"

Glamorous Girl: "You might question Teramoto's ways, but she always kept things under control. I've heard stories; there was a lot more bullying and delinquency before. The principal will say that it's all thanks to her, but I disagree. There was no way for us girls to fight against troublesome guys like Baba or Oda before, but Teramoto created an united front. She keeps the scum in check through one of the few things that they can understand: fear. I shudder at the idea of what would happen, if she were to suddenly lose her influence. It'd throw the whole school into chaos."

Throwing the whole school into chaos, that doesn't sound half bad!

Sunglasses Guy: "Girls are scary..."

Bleached Guy: "Indeed."

Glamorous Girl: "You're wasting your time. Teramoto has nothing to do with what happened."

Now, that was quite a bold statement. What is even more interesting, is that she talks about this delicate subject as if it didn't concern her, half boringly.

Erika: "You look pretty confident, but then who's the murderer according to you? Who should I investigate about in order to not waste my time?"

Glamorous Girl: "I don't know who did it, but if I'd have to pick one, I'd pick Junko Andou."

Erika: "Junko... Andou?"

I didn't really expect her name to be mentioned, this might be interesting.

Sunglasses Guy: "Who's that again? It rings a bell..."

Normal Girl: "Don't you remember? A few months ago we did a lot of talks about her."

Bleached Guy: "That's the short, unsociable chick."

Sunglasses Guy: "Ah! That one! Quite the oddball."

Erika: "Please explain, why exactly did that girl catch your attention?"

Normal Girl: "It all started one day while we were hanging out..."

Erika: "You guys spend your time together even after school?"

Sunglasses Guy: "Of course! We're all friends here!"

Erika: "Then, what happened?"

Normal Girl: "We were just going to a karaoke and... that area is a bit shady, you know, especially after dusk. Anyway one of us spotted Andou and said: 'Hey, isn't that girl one of our schoolmates?'"

Glamorous Girl: "It was me, I spotted her. I never forget a face."

Sunglasses Guy: "I had absolutely no idea who that was."

Bleached Guy: "Same with me. I remember all the cute girls though."

Normal Girl: "Aaah! That's mean! Ha ha ha!"

Erika: "So what about seeing Andou there? Why did that become a topic for your conversations?"

Glamorous Girl: "It's because of the people she was talking to."

Normal Girl: "Shady people."

Bleached Guy: "Those were yakuza, I tell you."

Glamorous Girl: "At any rate, those men were clearly crooks."

Satsukawa: "Are you really sure about that? Are you certain you didn't get the wrong idea?"

Glamorous Girl: "I'm pretty sure."

Bleached Guy: "Yakuza! Definitely yakuza!"

Sunglasses Guy: "The hell do you know about yakuza?"

Erika: "What do you think those men wanted from Andou?"

Normal Girl: "That's what we've been discussing afterwards."

Bleached Guy: "At first we didn't even know her name, then we did a bit of research. That's when we learned how much of an oddball she is."

Sunglasses Guy: "Pretty much everyone told us that she barely talks to anyone, and she never looks into your eyes. In short, she isn't normal."

Normal Girl: "I think she has some kind of mental disorder."

Erika: "Isn't it possible that she was simply being picked up or picked on by those shady men?"

Normal Girl: "With those baggy clothes she was wearing, I doubt she attracted their attention."

Bleached Guy: "You could mistake her for a boy, not the kind of chick that a yakuza would make his move on."

Glamorous Girl: "It's hard to tell what that girl thinks, but I'm pretty good at reading the body language. I had the impression that those two were familiar enough with her. In other words it wasn't a first encounter."

Erika: "Then, what do you think they were discussing about?"

Glamorous Girl: "I don't know... business, probably."

Erika: "Business... uh?"

Satsukawa: "It seems to me that you're painting her as a murderer way too easily."

Normal Girl: "But she's a wacko! If there's a psycho killer in this school, it must be her!"

Erika: "However, there should be some sort of connection between her and the victim, don't you think?"

Normal Girl: "Maybe she just didn't like Gotsuji for some reason."

Sunglasses Guy: "Wait, are you saying that she might kill again? Scary!"

Normal Girl: "Ah! Now that you mention that, it's quite probable!"

Satsukawa: "Whoa, guys! You're running quite a lot with your imagination!"

Glamorous Girl: "There is a possible connection though..."

Yes, there is one, and it is quite obvious, but I hoped they would tell me something that I didn't know already.

Normal Girl: "Now that you mention it, she's a member of the do-it-yourself club just like Oda, right?"

Bleached Guy: "I've heard that Oda and Gotsuji were childhood friends. Maybe Andou was jealous, so she decided to eliminate a bothersome rival."

Sunglasses Guy: "No way!"

The conversation gets interrupted, as Kubota gives signs of waking up. Honestly, I am amazed he managed to keep sleeping through the loud talks for so long.

He stretches his body and yawns loudly, without any consideration for the rest of us.

Kuon: "My dear friends... I have a dream... I dream of being able to dream without being abruptly woken up!"

I don't think he realized that I and Satsukawa are here, yet.

Kuon: "In other words, because of you I'm not allowed to dream, and what is a man without his dreams?! Hmmm..."

He finally looks at me with his sleepy eyes. I guess his clouded vision needs some time to bring me into focus. He stares at me with both of his eyebrows raised for a few seconds.

Kuon: "Oh... if it isn't my dear lady..."

Erika: "Good morning, Kubota."

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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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