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Danganronpa 1 Drama CDs Translation: REARRANGE Hope's Peak Academy School Festival Coming Soon!
Out now! Fully translated including cast interviews! Merry christmas!
Originally this was going to be released alongside all the other drama cds but we have now split them up for various reasons, we hope you like it!
Tags:
@hopeymchope @issantashikibaindr3orndrv3yet @jelimore
Translation: “Yona of the Dawn” Chapter 175 Complete (Spoilers!!)
So now that I’ve seen the scans, I can more accurately translate this chapter. As a rule, I don’t use scans that aren’t mine, so I won’t put the scans here. But for those who want to know what the scans are saying, here is the script. All I ask if that you don’t use this translation to scanlate. Thanks!
Chapter 175: “I called you many times in my dreams”
Hak: “Princess!”
Hak: “!”
Hak: “Princess…”
Yona: “Ha…”
Hak: “Princess, are you alr-“ (is she delirious?)
Yona: “Hak…”
Yona: “I love you…”
Hak: “Huh?”
Yona: “Ha…k…”
Hak: “Have you come to?”
Yona: “…huh”
Yona: “I’m…”
Hak: “It seems that you inhaled too much smoke. How are you?”
Yona: “Is that really you…?”
Hak: “…yes”
Yona: “I’m finally…”
Yona: “Able to see you…”
Hak: “…there were so many things…
Hak: “I wanted to say to you…”
Hak: “You’re…”
Hak: “Really alive…”
Hak: “Thank you”
Hak: “Princess”
Yona: “Hak”
Yona: “That’s…my”
Yona: “Thank…”
(Violently coughing)
Hak: “Wait”
Hak: “Don't talk too much”
Hak: “Do you mind?”
Hak: “We'll remove the shackles later”
Yona: (My legs feel lighter...)
Hak: “Did Kuelbo put these chains on you?”
Hak: “…I should've killed him”
Hak: “He was just here but now he’s gone”
Yona: “Huh?”
Yona: “Kuelbo came?”
Hak: “…he did, but”
Yona: “I see…”
Hak: “Why…..”
Hak: “Do you look kind of happy….?”
Yona: “Because…”
Yona: “He came for Yuran, right?
Hak: “Yuran…?”
Hak: “…ah, now that you mention it, he did”
Yona: “Really?”
Yona: “I’m happy for her…”
Hak: “Who is she?”
Yona: “She's Kuelbo's wife”
Hak: “…yes?”
Hak: “….that old man made you and his wife wait on him and sleep with him?
Yona: “Yes, but Yuran wasn't there”
(Huh, why is Hak making that face…)(*1)
Hak: “She wasn’t…..?”
Yona: “Ah, it's alright”
Yona: “Since I was a prisoner, I kept my guard up”
Yona: “but even though I was a prisoner…”
Yona: “Yuran saved me”
Hak: “Looking at her facial expression, it doesn’t seem that something happened to her other than the leg shackles…”
Hak: “But it’s not strange at all for her to be on the receiving end of violence”
Hak: “We…”
Hak: “…should hurry and treat your legs”
Algira: “Vol-nyan, are you dead?” (Ow ow ow)
Vold: “I’m alive” (Quit calling me ’nyan’)
Algira: “Hey, look”
Vold: “Princess Yona is…”
Algira: “…okay!”
Vold: “Huh?”
Algira: “Intuition. When something bad happens, the hair all over my body stands on end” (Right now it isn’t)
Vold: “You're amazing”
Vold: “Where are you going?”
Algira: “This fire makes it impossible to call for help”
Yona: “…Hak?”
Yona: “Hak…!?”
Yona: “Ha…”
Yona: “He’s covered in terrible injuries and burns…”
Yona: “And he came here in his condition?”
Yona: “Hak”
Hak: “…I’m fine”
Hak: “I just…need a break”
Yona: “Hak…”
Yona: “What should I do?”
Yona: “Don’t die”
Yona: “Ha..”
Yona: “Don’t die”
Yona: “…uh”
(Yona coughs more)
Yona: “My throat…hurts”
Yona: “I want some water”
Yona: “!”
Yona: “Here's some”
Yona: “Water”
Yona: “But there's no ladle”
Hak: “Princess…don't leave my sid…”
Yona: “Wai-“
Yona: “There's no more wate…”
Hak: “Your small mouth”
Hak: “…just isn’t enough”(*2)
Hak: “Princes…”
Yona: “Smoke…”
Hak: “It’s made it this far…”
Yona: “…Hak, your body is…”
Hak: “….”
(There’s no time to worry about my pain…)
Hak: “…you’re Gobi, the High Priest of Xing, aren’t you?”
Hak: “Are you running from the fire as well?”
Hak: “Or are you still after the four dragons and the princess?”
Hak: “For Aligra and Vold's sake, I missed”
Hak: “But the next time you try something, I’ll strike your head”
Yona: “Hak, the smoke”
Hak: “It's fine”
Hak: “Because something flew across the sky just now”
Jae-ha: “Sorry to keep you waiting”
Yona: “Jae-ha”
Jae-ha: “Algira and the others told me where you were”
Hak: “As expected of the Five Stars”
Yona: “Jae-ha, Hak is badly injured so take him with you immediately”
Hak: “You idiot, you're going first”
Jae-ha: “It’ll be okay. I’ll return for Hak right away”
Yona: “…okay”
Yona: “Is everyone else…safe?”
Jae-ha: “Of course”
Jae-ha: “Let's go home”
Jae-ha: “To Kouka Kingdom”
The Next Chapter is June 5th
_____
T/N
1: Dialogue in parentheses are handwritten dialogue in the scans
2. This seems to be a pun of sorts. It can be read “There’s not enough water” but it can also be read as “he can’t get enough of her”. I hope I translated it in a way that is understood.
NOTE: If anyone can get me the Japanese scans of this series, I will gladly translate it.
EDIT: I have now seen and added the translations for both of the missing pages. The translation is complete.
@haetbitmark .letter from Jinyoung to Jackson
Danganronpa Kirigiri Volume 2 Full Translation Part 4
Thanks to everyone for the wait, but here is our translation for DRK2 CH4 after 4 years. A big thank you to everyone who helped out! Full credits will be in the volume release.
Chapter 4: Massacre Auction (The Detective and the Killer)
For a while, we watched the electric screens slowly fade away. Arguing on whether our situation was just a prank or a comedy show was asinine now. The only thing that mattered was Taehime's body being real. She, better than any evidence, made the situation crystal clear: everyone was to obey the rules established by the killer.
"We should remove Ms. Uozumi's body." That suggestion came from Kyoko.
She was a girl that was just starting out her junior high school life, yet stood in front of a charred corpse like it was nothing. We wrapped Taehime in the tablecloth on the table, and laid her down in a corner of the room. Before entering the cafeteria, Kyoko put her little hands on Taehime's chest. She closed her eyes and began to pray.
It was very… pure. Then we all returned to the dining room. The burnt table was clearly no longer stable, and everyone had moved to their chairs, quietly. On top of them were bags full of money. The air was stuffy, but there was no way to open the windows, so we had to put up with the odor.
"Hey, you two. You should probably get those bags of yours. Leaving huge piles of cash around, unattended, is asking for trouble. Be more careful!" warned Yuzen. He pointed towards our bags of money that were still in our empty chairs.
Oh, right, I did have 100 million yen now. I looked into the bag. There was exactly the right amount; so there didn't seem to be any thieves in the room. Not with so many eyes around.
"This is all really serious." said Akio, touching the visor of his cap. "I can't be sure yet, but it's not the <CIA> or <NASA> that's behind it, so it has to come from the heart of the army. Maybe it's a psychological experiment? I've heard that a certain research institute is doing studies on the minds of people in mortal danger..."
"What army?"
"What a question… the US Military, of course!" he said, chuckling.
Yuzen frowned and said, "What? What does the US Military have to do with this? Didn’t that glasses detective say this was in that note of hers? Some psycho killer started acting like what that notice said. It has nothing to do with the US Military. "
"But then how do you explain all this money?" Akio said as he pointed at the bags. "This huge amount isn’t possible for regular folks. An organization has to be behind this."
Well, he wasn’t wrong.
There was no doubt that without the help of this organization, a plan like this one would have absolutely no chance of working. They still didn't know anything about the Victim's Catharsis Committee. Should I tell them? Would they really understand if I told them?
"So, what are we gonna do?" Seiunsai asked everyone. "When the auction starts, will you bid or not?"
"It's three hours till 10:00." Mikado said, "There's still time to discuss it together."
"Discuss? What the hell more is there to discuss?"
"I think everyone should cooperate!" I got out of my chair so everyone would look at me. I was waiting for this opportunity!
Yuzen looked at me with disdain. "Oh, joy. The glasses detective is back to say her piece."
"And say my piece I will! If we join forces in this auction, we should be able to get out of this alive!" Everyone took a moment to think about it.
"Okay, what's the plan?"
"We all take turns buying Detective's Right. The person who becomes a detective for that day must go around the rooms at nightfall, and collect all the keys one by one. The murderer can't kill in front of the detective, so we can avoid a crime. If that's the case, I don't think anyone would betray us because we're protecting each other. "
"An idea only a little kid can come up with… too bad it won’t work."
"Why not? If the problem is money, there is a solution. If the person buying the Detective's Right for the cheapest amount has 1 million yen and does it five times, that's only 5 million yen in total. You can go home safe and sound, with a profit of 95 million yen."
"Can we be sure that everyone will survive?" Yuzen asked me."I don't know how the hotel is really organized at the moment, but there is a possibility that the detective can't prevent a murder when he inspects the rooms. There are ten rooms. Barring the detective who can go out, and the deceased, that leaves eight rooms. The person who winds up in that eighth room for the detective may get very unlucky."
"But…"
"If you think about it, four of the nine people here can’t become detectives. Who then? Can we really let chance decide? Would you be willing to risk yourself being excluded from that chance?"
"Well, that’s..."
"Can you see it now? Your plan for the detective to protect everyone is just too unreliable. Plus, think about it? Doesn’t the detective also have to abide by certain rules like the curfew? There isn't any for the murderer, and with all that time to prepare, the murderer will have time to act."
The difference between one of us could influence our fate; and that's what will point to the victim. If there is even the slightest possibility, the completely safe Detective's Right cannot be handed over to others.
If they start thinking like that during the auction...then working together is outright impossible
"I saw what happened with Taehime and I won’t give up on getting that Detective's Right without a fight." Yuzen practically snarled out.
Yes, we still haven't had time to recover from her death. I wasn't in complete control of the situation.
"The bullet seemed to come from the wall across from it." Suisei's voice was heard from above. Before I could react, he started inspecting the portrait on the balcony. There was a small hole under the damaged canvas. "It wasn't an impact mark, so this must have been the point of impact, and I think it's out of ammunition, but be careful not to pass in front of the trajectory."
Suisei came down from the balcony rolling up his sleeves.
"Mr. Real Detective..." said Meruko. "I don't know why all this is happening, but… please catch this killer and cancel this auction!! I want to go home!"
"<Nice idea>, lovely lady. Once the culprit is caught, there’ll be no need to participate in this auction."
"Can you catch the culprit?" Seiunsai asked as he stood up, but Suisei shook his head from right to left.
"Unfortunately not yet, because I have work left to do." said Suisei pensively as he sat back in his chair. In the end, time just passed on with no bids made. Everyone seemed anxious, wondering what to do while watching the clock with an anxious eye. Kyoko and I were sitting side by side, apart from the others.
"It’s been three hours and no one has entered that booth to place their bets yet."I said to Kyoko. She stared at the floor, touching her braid with her fingertips.
"Because today isn’t the only time to get the auction… I suppose they’re trying their best to the last minute to think of a way to get the Detective's Right consecutively with no losses." she said.
"Yeah, it makes sense. If you don’t get the Detective's Right, chances are you’ll be killed on the same day."
"I think you were right earlier." "Huh?"
"Everyone needs to work together. This game should be approached directly, even if at first glance it seems like a poor idea."
"But...if someone goes against the rest, everything will just fall apart."
"True, and it's likely a dissident will certainly make themselves known in time."
"Agreed...still. I...don’t completely think that trying to save yourself at others expense is too out there. It’s sort of like a built-in instinct…"
"Would you do that, Yui-Oneesama?"
"I...I’m not sure. It kind of requires being in the right situation."
"I think this qualifies as the right situation." she said, chuckling.
"...Wait, did you just laugh?"
"Nope."
"I’m pretty sure that was laughter. That’s the first time I’ve heard you laugh before."
"By the way, have you noticed it yet, Yui-Oneesama?" Kyoko was awfully good at changing the subject.
"What's up?"
"The culprit is among this group of people."
"Oh, that’s, uh… wait, what?" I accidentally let slip in a loud voice. Everyone glanced in our direction, but they looked away after giving us annoyed looks. I focused my attention on Kyoko and spoke, loudly enough for her to hear. "No, I didn’t think that was really possible. Why do you think so? Did something give you an idea?"
"The Norman we saw was from a pre-recorded video. If the killer was somewhere else watching us, they could have done this in real time, but they didn't, because they couldn't. They are among us after all."
"But how did they predict our reactions?"
"It's easy to divert someone's attention and guide the conversation. If you didn’t catch that, it proves how foolish you are, Yui-Oneesama."
"Hey! I know I’m… sort of foolish, but still!"
"See? I got the answer I wanted. All that’s left is to prepare the right answer in advance. For example… ‘Don’t be so angry Yui-Oneesama’."
"Eh? Ah??"
"That was my demonstration of Norman’s approach."
"Um… not quite sure how to react honestly, but I think I get it."
"To start with, Norman was fairly one-sided and quite forceful with his speech pattern, and his delivery was stiff, for that fact."
"I guess so…"
"Looking back, it was rather noticeable when Susei asked Norman a question, more than likely to make sure if Norman was a recording."
Come to think of it, Norman did in fact ramble on after Suisei asked him something.
"Perhaps the culprit may have hidden a remote to pause the recording whenever they wanted. Though it seems to me they can’t have done anything more complicated than that."
"How did they kill Ms. Uozumi?"
"Well, I have several theories, but the most plausible one is this: An automatic launcher. Behind the wall laid a pistol, or perhaps simple fixed bullets. From there a percussion cap and something else like a spring to actuate the drummer. Thus, creating an automatic trigger mechanism."
"So… why did Ms. Uozumi catch on fire after being shot?"
"The killer likely hid an ignition device on Ms. Uozumi, probably as a last resort if the bullets didn’t hit her. It could have been a medallion, a watch, a phone…"
"Oh! She did mention that she was given her clothes here!"
"In that case, the device that triggered its combustion had to be in her uniform. If you look at the way she burned, I think her clothes were made of highly flammable materials. The culprit planned from the beginning to kill the maid in a spectacular manner to show that the auction was the real deal."
"So they went that far just to get us into this game?" I folded my arms across my chest and turned towards the remaining participants. One of them really was the culprit?
"By the way, I forgot to tell you something important about Ms. Uozumi." I recalled.
"What’s that?"
"She was actually a detective."
"...Oh, really?" As expected, Kyoko was surprised.
"Yeah, I saw her detective library card, DSC 756" I lowered my voice "I don't think it's fake either. She said she was after Seiunsai Toyano'ou who had committed various frauds and forgeries."
"Hm…" She looked at her fingers and didn’t bother glancing at Mr. Toyano'ou.
"If he's the culprit, it would make sense that Ms. Uozumi was the first to be killed. He kills the most troublesome detective who's directly after him. Ah, then maybe this auction is part of a giant scam and-!"
"Impossible. The Duel Noir is revenge against a culprit." She answered.
"Oh, right."
"I don’t think Ms. Uozumi was killed because she was a detective. Plus, I don’t think the culprit knew about that either."
Then, Seiunsai doesn’t have anything to do with the Duel Noir. It wouldn’t be far-fetched since sometimes unrelated innocent people can be dragged into one, only for the culprits sake of pulling off a trick.
"Among us is the murderer, and the other is the target who committed a crime so awful that the murderer’s goal is to gain vengeance by killing them. Perhaps we can go about this angle? If the target has to have done something awful then…" I reason.
"Do you really think that people would be willing to open up about their past sins so easily?"
"I suppose not…"
"Regardless, we should probably find a way to handle the auction." Kyoko said as she looked at the electronic scoreboard.
"Are we really competing against each other?"
"It’s unfortunate, but there’s no choice."
With curfew starting at ten, we have less than three hours remaining. Accounting for betting and allocation of rooms, really that’s only two hours left.
I couldn’t help but feel nervous.
"There are five auctions in all, and the limit is 100 million yen. Honestly, when you consider the math, no more than 20 million will probably be used per auction."
Even now, I couldn’t fully believe that I was talking about such huge sums. With that much money you can buy all the clothes you want, new glasses, designer bags...
"Yui-Oneesama?"
"Ah! I was having an awful fantasy! No, no this money… it’s no different than Monopoly money!" I shook my head, looking rather flustered.
"By the way, are you gonna bet for the Detective's Right at the next auction?"
"Of course, if I want to save everyone I need that master key. How can I protect you without it?"
"I see." said an embarrassed Kyoko who took to looking at the ground. "The others will definitely be taking this seriously. They aren’t out to protect others, but merely to save themselves. I can’t exactly condemn them for that. However, winning that auction is essential for us, otherwise we can't do anything."
If we fail, we are powerless. You need to play in order to win and win in order to remain a detective. I would never have imagined that I would need to compete with others in order to gain that Detective's Right, but if I don’t want someone to waste it then I had no choice.
"Say, don’t you need the Detective's Right? You have been a detective since birth, so is it really okay for you to be alright with the possibility of someone essentially taking your title like that."
Kirigiri put one hand against her chest and looked up at me.
"Well, you're right, but I'm surprised I'm able to adapt to the situation so quickly."
"You’ve gotten used to it already?"
"I thought…there was nothing beyond being a detective. If I stopped being a detective, I'd disappear like the mermaid princess in the fairy tale. Yet, here I am, a powerless detective, but still around. Maybe, I was fearing in vain that I would disappear, dissolving into sea foam.."
"Of course it was in vain!" I said smiling, but she was serious.
"After that last Duel Noir, I reflected to myself… I believe I was too attached to the identity of a detective. Of course, I still want to be a detective that carries on the Kirigiri name. I will always be proud of it. Still, I haven’t forgotten about our talk… about concealing one’s thoughts."
"R-really?"
Despite how she had hidden away her feelings, even a kid like her still has problems. But due to how well she had kept her mask on, I never really noticed...
"I don’t have the Detective's Right, but strangely I feel calmer than usual. Like I have woken up from a dream, and it has been easier on me to distract myself from my emotions."
Kyoko smiled, her hand covered her mouth. I didn't fully understand her, but I knew this Duel Noir had awakened some sort of fighting spirit within her. Her expression, which was unusually eloquent, conveyed a sense of elation. To put it in a more modest way, she seemed to be excited.
Being a detective may have been the meaning of her life, but at the same time it put a great strain on her shoulders. She was so small and frail, yet she carried a heavy burden. Ironically, the confined space freed her for a moment from that pressure. Perhaps because of this she managed to realize how much she overestimated her real self.
"It's thanks to you, Yui-Oneesama."
"Hey, I didn’t do anything…"
“You were the one to tell me I wasn’t empty. I suppose that having someone like you by my side is…” she trailed off, suddenly too embarrassed to continue her sentence.
I let a moment pass in the hope that she’d continue, but perhaps due to some sort of inner conflict she couldn’t bring herself to.
“Well, when you think about it, we were only really stripped of our “Detective's Right” while we’re in here, under the 'Victim's' rules… We’re technically still actual detectives, right?” I attempted to reassure her.
“I hope so,” Kyoko said unemotionally. She tucked her small hands into her uniform pockets.
“Either way, I don’t intend to be like you, Yui-Oneesama. I’m not concerned with protecting everyone or keeping them alive. I must solve the case by any means necessary… that’s what it means to be a Kirigiri.”
“Whatever you say, Little Miss Detective.” I pet her on the head as if coaxing a child. She only replied with her usual agitated glare.
“So, any ideas for the auctions?” I asked to avoid her scolding me.
“We could win the Detective's Right five times in a row.”
“Huh? Do you have a way to consistently win without someone snatching it from us?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I’ll team up with you, Yui-Oneesama. It doesn’t matter who wins the Detective's Right, because as a team, we have a very clear advantage. By combining our money together, we have 200 million yen, double the amount everyone else has. That’s twice as much as the others who would only be able to spare 20 million yen in comparison to our 40 million. Norman never mentioned any rules regarding lending or borrowing money, correct?”
The words ‘team up’ coming out of Kyoko Kirigiri’s mouth sound unreal, but here we are. The plan will work in theory, but trust between the two of us will be required. Well, of course I trust her. Does she trust me?
“What do you think, Yui-Oneesama?” she asked me.
“We could use our partnership and combined money for one or two days, sure, but… It wouldn’t be long before the others catch on and realize that teaming up would be beneficial for them. If that happens, then they might team up into groups of three, and we would have no chance of winning the auction then,” I answered.
“Either way, winning the first three auctions would still be possible. We can spend more money on the third auction in particular. If everything goes according to plan, then the others should ideally develop a different mentality.”
“What do you mean?”
“We win the Detective's Right for the first three auctions and successfully protect everyone, like you want. The others will start to accept that we’ll win, along with feeling assured enough to trust us with their lives,” said Kyoko. “They’ll start to consider that they should save whatever money they have left when they leave, practically guaranteeing us the Detective's Right each time.”
“But will things really turn out that well for us…?” I mumbled, slumping my body against the back of the chair. My body had slowly grown numb, no thanks to me spending the day sitting in one spot.
“Unfortunately, there are still two flaws in this plan,” she said as she raised her pale finger. “The first is the idea that we’ll be able to save everyone. We don’t know if protecting everyone is possible, as Norman left the murder weapons and method of murder intentionally vague.”
“No, we have to protect everyone,” I said.
Kyoko shook her head. “That’s not the only issue. If you want to protect everyone, ‘everyone’ potentially includes the murderer, who is also the 'Victim' of the Duel Noir.”
“Ah, right… The 'Victim' is participating in the auction with us!”
“Indeed, they also possess the master key, so winning the auction isn’t necessary for them. They’ll likely try to disrupt the auction.”
“So the teamwork method is useless after all…”
“No, I wouldn’t say that,” Kyoko let out a disagreement. “I believe there’s still some merit to it.”
“Why’s that?”
“We can at least work to win the first and second auctions, but things may start to take a turn by the third. I’m not entirely sure if we can win the Detective's Right by then. But that’s okay. The main concern is who will win and how they’ll win, and we must deduce if there’s any abnormalities. If we continue to back the 'Victim' into corners, they may begin to intentionally sabotage us. They’ll eventually expose themself that way,” she explained.
We have to turn the 'Victim's' rules in on themselves and use that to lure them into exposing their own identity. To come up with such a plan in such tense circumstances… I’d say it surprised me, but I’ve come to expect that of Kyoko. What would I do if it wasn’t for her? I ponder that possibility for a while, and the more I do the more anxious I get.
“This plan is going to work!” I exclaimed. “We don’t even need to win all five auctions. If we expose the 'Victim's' identity in the middle of the game, it’ll be over before we reach that point!”
“That’s true.”
“Then… you can have my money, Kyoko. You’ll win the Detective's Right.”
“…Are you sure that’s the best idea?”
“Better idea than me winning them,” I replied, smiling. “Our first order of business is the first auction. We just have to win.”
“…I know that.”
I opened my bag and looked inside, but I’m interrupted by Suisei standing from his chair.
“Alright, ladies and gentleman.” He spoke like he was on stage, eccentricity in every gesture. “If each person takes five minutes to bid, then finishing this single auction will take us forty-five minutes. It’s about time we stopped wasting time.”
“H-hey, I thought no one was bidding!” Yuzen said.
“H-hold on, I’m not done calculating!” Seiunsai counted his fingers.
“I don’t wanna be a detective! I just wanna buy vacuum tubes! Why did this happen to me…?!” Meruko sobbed.
Mikado, legs crossed, silently scanned the pages of a book he was reading. He was in a world of his own, uninterested in interacting with us. He mentioned that he wasn’t here for the auction in the first place, but I wonder if he changed his mind after hearing our lives are on the line.
Sae embraced her money bag in her arms, cradling it with her eyes shut. Looking almost intoxicated, she treated the bag like a small baby… This place just kept getting weirder.
“Hey, Kyoko,” I leant over to her ear and whispered. “What about Suisei…? Do you think we should tell him about our plan?”
“That’s not necessary. I don’t doubt that he’ll catch on after the auction results.”
Right. As a Double Zero, Suisei was also competing against us to win the Detective's Right and to stop the 'Victim'. It doesn’t surprise me if he’d be able to pick up on all the small details.
“Then I’ll be placing my bid first,” proclaimed Suisei. “If you have any objections, please raise your hand.”
As a matter of course, nobody raised their hands. After Suisei ensures that everyone is content with his decision, he hoists up his hiking bag and walks towards the booth.
“You can discuss the general order of your bids while I'm here. Less time wasted,” Suisei said as he opened the door.
I noticed a machine reminiscent of an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) from the door crack. Suisei faced the machine, and shut the door behind him. The auction had finally begun.
“Okay, everyone, then we can decide our bidding order,” I said as I stood from my chair. “I think it would be fun if we decided by playing Detective Rock-Paper-Scissors, right?”
“Can we use Detective-Culprit-Target?”
“What's Detective-Culprit-Target?” Mifune tilted her head to the side.
“You never heard of it? The Culprit beats the target, but is defeated by the Detective. In turn, the Target beats the Detective. It’s that sort of game!~”
“What? No, that sounds stupid. Just use normal Rock-Paper-Scissors,” Yuzen said. Rude…
In the end, we played plain old Rock-Paper-Scissors instead. We would bid in order of Seiunsai, Kyoko, Sae, Mikado, Akio, Meruko, Yuzen, and finally Yui (me).
Just as our bidding order concluded, Suisei came out from the booth. He had a strange card in his right hand, and stranger still, a noticeably smaller bag in his left. Everybody’s head turned towards Suisei, and more specifically, his bag. It’s a little… no, a lot lighter than before. I don’t think he could have hid the cash anywhere. It definitely wasn’t on his person, as his jacket was very burnt from putting out the fire earlier on.
“Great, now who’s turn is it? It takes a little while to complete all the procedures in the booth, around five minutes, so you best hurry.” Suisei revealed the card in his fingers, before leisurely yanking out a chair and taking a seat. He tossed his bag over his shoulder, and it slowly deflated as it met the floor. It didn’t take long before the crowd went into a frenzy. I quickly grabbed Kyoko by the hand and pulled her aside.
“H-hey, Suisei is definitely up to something!” I said.
“You’re overreacting, Yui-Oneesama.”
“For good reason! He’s clearly done something with his money!”
“Yes, I didn’t expect that… definitely worthy of a Double Zero.”
“Don’t start praising him, it’s because of him we can’t win the Detective's Right!”
Seiunsai walked into the booth as Kyoko and I talked in hushed voices. It would soon be Kyoko’s turn after he’s done.
“What now? Do we revise our plan?” I asked.
“Yes…” Kyoko crossed her arms and fell silent, lost in her own thoughts. “We should skip this auction.”
“Skip it? So we shouldn’t bid at all?”
“Indeed. We can’t compete with Suisei.”
“Can’t compete… ugh, this is ridiculous!”
“Don’t worry, Oneesama. Did you forget? Suisei is on our side.”
“But, I… I just don’t think we can trust him!” I blurted out. “He’s a total cheapskate! You ended up having to pay for both the taxi and our dinner, didn’t you?”
Kyoko shook her head. “Cheapskate would be inaccurate. As you just saw, he spent plenty of money on the auction.”
“What if he’s tricking us somehow…?”
“That’s always a possibility. But if that’s true, then that only emphasizes the fact that we shouldn’t blindly throw our money away. If the empty bag is only a bluff and he only wishes to make us bid higher, then we’ll end up losing all of our money.”
“We’re running out of time. What do we do?” I glanced back to the bidding booth where Seiunsai just left. His bag looked the same size as he entered with.
“It will be better for us to keep it.”
“Hmmm… I don’t know… if that’ll work…” Kyoko walked toward the booth, as I slowly gave my opinion with a drawl. Struggling with the weight of millions of yen in both her hands, she dragged the bag behind her. With arms so small, getting the bag to move was a battle in itself. As Kyoko made her bid, I approached Suisei.
“So, umm… how much did you…?” I pointed to the empty bag while I questioned him.
“Woah, don’t you know that it’s a closed bid? I can’t tell you no matter how much you beg, little lady.”
“This isn’t the time, Suisei!” I didn’t want to yell, but the frustration is getting to me. “If you have a plan, then you need to tell me, please. If we work as a team, then-”
“Ms. Samidere.” Suisei stared down at me with a scolding glare, his arms crossed. “I’m not revealing this information to you because I expect better from a detective. But perhaps you’d prefer for me to treat you like you’re any other little girl?”
Despite the stern lecture, the intent behind it is probably ‘stop relying on others’. Regardless of how dire the circumstances are, ‘please tell me’ won’t cut it in the eyes of a detective. Is Suisei going to win? Judging from the look in his eyes, he’s already convinced that he will. I dejectedly dragged myself to a secluded corner of the room, before Kyoko exited the booth. I nearly sent myself flying over my own feet when I darted over to her.
“How did it go?” I asked.
“Fine,” Kyoko played with a strand of pale hair beside her cheek. “I didn’t place a bid. Thankfully, it looks like they allow you to do so.”
She suddenly showed me a card. “And this is?”
“A bidding card. I’m assuming it’s not too different from the Detective Library registration cards.” she said. The bidding continued on in the background of our chatter. Sae’s turn was after Kyoko, and she spent almost all of her allotted 10 minutes inside the booth. When she came out, she was still cradling her bag of money like an infant. Maybe she took so long because she was torn between the choice of life or money.
Then Mikado walked into the booth, and came out after a few seconds. He held the bidding card in his right hand, all wrapped up. His and Sae’s attitudes are like night and day, Mikado wasn’t concerned with the auction whatsoever.
After Mikado finished, Akio, Meruko and Yuzen all entered the booth individually. Meruko took the longest of the bunch. She could barely budge her hiking bag, and when she finally got it inside, it took her even longer to figure out how to operate the ATM. Then after an eternity, my turn arrived.
The booth was almost menacing. It towers over me as I open the door. When I do, I see a machine with a touchscreen. If the Victims’ Catharsis Committee were the ones to prepare this specifically for the auction, they’re certainly going all out for this singular Duel Noir. I walked inside and shut the door behind me. Nobody would be able to see what I was doing in here as long as the door was closed.
【Please Enter Your Name】
8-bit text? In today’s day and age? Weird, but alright… I moved past my suspicions and did as asked of me. For a moment, I thought about using a pseudonym in place of my real name, but it wouldn’t make a difference, so I used my real one.
【Yui Samidare】
The process wasn’t any different from an ordinary ATM. After I entered my name on the touchscreen, an authentication pop up requesting my fingerprints was displayed. I accepted the request and pressed my thumb against it.
【Registration Successful】
The screen flashed to one that requested I enter the desired amount of money. I typed in 0, but just as I was about to press the ‘OK’ button, I stopped myself. What if Suisei was bluffing? What if he’s deliberately fooling us and was hiding his money somewhere? He could be trying to create the illusion of him bidding all of his money, when in reality he’s luring us into a trap. It’s possible that he only bid the bare minimum of one million yen and he’ll manage to snatch the Detective's Right right from under our noses.
Suisei winning the Detective's Right wasn’t the issue, though. The others were. Did they catch on that he was bluffing? They had to, right? With his rather blatant display of his empty bag, it would have drawn suspicion from at least one person. So if they knew he was bluffing, then what would they decide to do?
Their minds would lead them to a plan for winning the Detective's Right. All they’d have to do is to bid two million. So with that in mind, would someone actually take the risk and spend two million? But wait, surely they wouldn’t be the only person to think of that, right?
Two million won’t be enough to win. Three million? Four million? Aaaah, what do I do?! 10 p.m. is rapidly approaching. I have to act, and I have to act soon. Everyone is counting on me. I opened my bag and tore open the plastic wrap containing my money. After a bit of struggle, I unbundled five stacks-which is five million yen.
【5 million yen】
After I pressed 【OK】, a drawer automatically opened from the machine, and I placed my money inside.
【Bidding Successful】
Then a card, similar to the bidding card Kyoko showed me, popped up from a slot beneath the touchscreen. I took it out and inspected it thoroughly, and that’s when I came across a warning on the back.
【※Caution: After the end of the auction, the winner’s card will automatically become the master key. Please keep this card safe.】
I left the booth with my newfound bidding card in hand. Everybody’s eyes followed me as I walked past. Ten minutes passed us by, before the sound of a siren blared around the room. If I recalled correctly, that siren signaled the end of the auction. Everyone’s eyes darted across the room.
“Hey, look!” Yuzen pointed to the balcony.
The portrait, which had once displayed Norman, now displayed a leaderboard. It wasn’t legible from the dining table, so we climbed to the top of the balcony to get ourselves a closer look.
That leaderboard displays the auction results.
Today’s auction results:
Suisei Nanamura 100 Million
Yui Samidare 5 Million
Kyoko Kirigiri 0 Million
Mikado Shinsen 0 Million
Akio Chage 0 Million
Seiunsai Toyano'ou 0 Million
Yuzen Minase 0 Million
Meruko Mifune 0 Million
Yae Sozuru 0 Million
Among all of us, I was probably the most shocked upon viewing the auction results. I wanted to scream out ‘he got me!’ and drop down to my knees- but I did my best to contain myself. I tried my best to maintain an emotionless front, but my expression on my face probably came through regardless.
“Wait, Mr. Real Detective bid 100 yen? But wasn’t the minimum 1,000,000 yen??” Meruko said and curiously tilted her head with a finger to her mouth.
“No, you Pumpkin-head. If you paid closer attention, you could clearly see it said 100 million yen, not 100! He used everything up already!” Yuzen shouted.
“Huh? Really?!” Meruko exclaimed.
“That’s right,” Suisei said. He leaned against the balcony railing, flamboyantly raising his arm over his head.
“Have you gone insane?!” Seiunsai snapped. “Now you don’t have any money left. What’s your plan for the next auctions?”
“Uh, wait, none of you spent anything?!” I blurted out. “What’s happening?”
“What’s happening…?” Yuzen rolled his eyes. “Did you not see that detective’s very clearly empty bag? Or did you actually waste your money even after seeing it? Any smart person wouldn’t bid.”
“You’ll lose your money if you don’t win, right? Didn’t you bother to listen to the rules?” said Seiunsai.
“How could you throw five million yen down the drain?” Even Sae rebuked me. I wanted to defend myself, but I couldn't find the words. I really was overthinking… I glanced over my shoulder to Kyoko, whose icy glare was harshly piercing through me. I’m sorry…
“Then I guess it’s up to the detective to protect us,” Akio said, attempting to wipe off his sweat drenched face.
“A-are you really going to save us?” Meruko asked Suisei.
“Of course, what else would I be here for? Now, please follow me, ladies and gentlemen. It appears this card is now my master key.” Suisei waved the card in the air, swiftly backflipped off of the balcony, and gracefully landed on his feet. Not waiting for anyone, he strolled out of the dining hall without another word.
“H-hey! C’mon, guys!” Yuzen ran down the stairs, and we all followed quickly after him.
After we left the dining hall and entered the lobby, I whispered, “I’m sorry, Kyoko, I failed… This isn’t how I thought things would go…”
“It’s not difficult to imagine the train of thought that led you to your bid, Yui-Oneesama,” Kyoko said, less frustrated than I imagined she would be. “It may have been a failure, but this just seems to be your style.”
“Is… that a compliment?”
“No.”
“R-right.” I downheartedly hung my head. “A-anyway, what do you think Suisei is up to? He spent all of his money in a single day. Do you think he has a plan?”
“Perhaps he intends to end everything tonight.”
“Really…?” It didn’t seem too far-fetched, he’s a Double Zero, after all. He might’ve already discovered the 'Victim's' true identity… As he checked the rest of the doors in the lobby, we all curiously crowded around him.
“There’s a card slot here.” A thin slot was installed in the wall next to the door. Suisei slid the card halfway in, then an electronic beep rang out and opened the door. Everyone let out an audible gasp. “There’s forty-seven minutes left until 10 PM. It’s crucial that we find the guest rooms as soon as we can.”
Kyoko spoke up for once, “Suisei.”
“Yes?”
“May I see your card?”
“Ah, go ahead.” Despite the bidding card’s value of 100 million yen, Suisei didn’t think twice about entrusting the expensive item to Kyoko. She took the card and inserted it into a different door, but nothing happened unlike Suisei’s prior attempt. Kyoko wordlessly returned the card to its owner.
“It appears that this card registers the user's fingerprints. For such a flimsy card, it really is quite intricately designed.” Suisei hid the card in his suit pocket. I was always left puzzled whenever these two detectives interacted. Their lack of communication certainly didn’t help with my confusion. I could deduce they were confirming if anyone other than the auction winner would be able to use the card, (“No” being the answer).
Opening the door led us to a brand new section of the hotel. Across from us was a narrow hallway, with walls that stretched out to fit 5 doors installed on each side. There was a staircase to our left, which I assume led to the next floor. Suisei walked to the door closest to us, but there was no card slot. He pulled at the door handle, to which the door opened up. But what stood before us was… a wall of pure solidified cement. Initially baffled, I came to the realization that the purpose of this barrier was to block irrelevant areas to the game off. We opened the other four doors, but they were sealed with concrete as well. There were no secrets, nor hidden mechanisms, nor passageways, nor anything else of note.
“Thankfully, since we’re so limited in where we’re allowed to go, our workload has been cut in half,” Suisei said leisurely.
We went to look upstairs. Strangely enough, the stairwell and hallways were spotless despite the hotel being abandoned. The hotel had to have been recently polished, but despite that, the stairs were incredibly steep, which would likely be uncomfortable to guests. Then again, it wouldn’t be out of character for this game’s host to design the stairs to be as insufferable as possible.
We came to a stop at a platform to the side of the stairs, where a plate stood which read ‘2F’. It was only the second floor, but the entryway was similarly blocked off with a concrete wall. Yuzen attempted to kick it down, but to no avail. We climbed the stairs further until we reached another floor. The text on this plate read ‘3F’. Fortunately, the third floor’s doorway actually had something on the other side. As for the staircase to our left, another plate read ‘4F’. However, the stairs had collapsed with a massive hole in the middle that exposed the stairs below. We had better be careful, or else someone might trip and fall…
“That’s too dangerous… Is an under repair notice too hard to put up for the owners!” Yuzen complained.
We didn’t have any other option but to enter the third floor. The hallway was about twenty to thirty metres long, with a red carpet extending forwards, until the corridor came to a stop and directed towards the left at a ninety degree angle. A complete lack of windows led to dim lighting that was barely bright enough for us to see. A sign that read ‘301’ hung on the nearest door.
“It appears to be a guest room.” Suisei said as he held the door handle. There was no card slot, but it was not locked so he opened it without inserting his card. We took a peek inside the room…
The first thing that came to mind was not a bedroom, but a prison cell. This is the worst excuse of a hotel room I have ever seen. A bed supported by iron pipes lay in the center of the room; it definitely wasn’t installed here before the hotel’s closure. The Victims’ Catharsis Committee must have designed it for the game. It looks so cheap…
A pile of bedsheets was haphazardly thrown over the headboard. We had to make our own beds thanks to the lack of maids that once used to work here. The only source of light we are provided with is a flickery lamp that was built into the ceiling. There was a window, although I can hardly call it one. High above our heads across from the doorway, it was merely a rectangular hole in the wall. It has no glass or other barriers to prevent the elements from blowing inside, only three iron pipes barring it off as the harsh night air howls. No wonder it’s so cold.
A wall heater sat alone in the corner of the room, though its effectiveness in protecting us from the outside elements, I would put into question. An integrated bathroom was to our left, which had running hot water. It was our only hope in what is essentially a despair-inducing prison cell. That sums up all we have in our rooms.
“Seriously…? We really are prisoners, aren’t we…?” Yuzen groaned.
“Nowadays, prisoners have better living conditions than this,” Seiunsai said with a frown. “I’m going to freeze to death here…”
“I wanna sleep in the lobby…” Meruko sniffled, as if she were to burst into tears at a moment's notice.
“I’m just as disappointed as the rest of you are, but we have to obey the curfew,” said Mikado. Despite the situation, he sounded as calm as if he already came to terms with it all.
“Mr. Real Detective, please, you must come to our rescue.” Sae lewdly wrapped herself around Suisei’s arm and pampered him, as if she were a cat, pressing her body closely against his. Did she forget there’s minors here…?
“There’s only five rooms. Where are the rest?” Yuzen asks as he glances around the hallway.
“Maybe they’re around the corner?” I asked.
We left the room for the time being and turned the corner. The hallway went around the left corner, and five doors were lined up on the right wall. We could see the corridor stopped at a dead end without any windows or emergency exits, as much as I would’ve liked to have seen one. The third floor took the shape of an L. Completely empty aside from the guest rooms. My assumption was that the hotel was renovated for the Duel Noir, straying from its original and far more luxurious designs.
“Now then, where would you all like to stay for the night?” Suisei, unbothered by the unusual circumstances, said.
“Choose whatever.” Yuzen opened the nearest door.
“H-hold on, we should really consider our assigned rooms!” Akio objected. “Just think about it. The closer someone is to the Detective, the safer they’ll be.”
We fell silent upon hearing what Akio said. He was more than likely correct. While the Detective is occupied with opening all of the rooms, the 'Victim' will have the chance to commit murder, which will endanger the person in the room farthest from the Detective.
“If we consider this floor’s structure, then it would be safest for the detective to stay in the room closest to the entrance, right?” said Seiunsai.
The third floor led to nowhere aside from the guest rooms. Essentially a cul-de-sac in the form of a hallway. If the detective stood guard by the entrance, then the 'Victim' would theoretically be unable to escape.
“Then it’s settled, I’ll stay in room 301,” said Suisei.
“So who gets to stay in the room next to him?” Yuzen asked.
“Oh, I know! We should play Detective-Culprit-Target-”
“We already told you, no one understands what that game is!” Yuzen cut me off. “Well, if there’s no other volunteers, then I guess I can take one for the team. No objections, right? Right, then-”
“Hey, quit messing around!” Seiunsai suddenly grabbed Yuzen's shoulder.
“What’s it to you, asshole?!” Yuzen snapped.
“We need to be fair, don’t we? So let’s decide fairly.”
“How so?”
“What if we used the bid results to decide?” Mikado stepped forward, mediating the brimming war between Yuzen and Seiunsai. “Whoever bid the second most will earn the room closest to the detective.”
“Ah, so then our money won’t be totally wasted,” Seiunsai stroked his white beard. “That sounds like a good idea. Alright, I agree.”
No one objected to Mikado’s proposal. As the lucky one who bid, I was allowed to stay in the room next to the Detective, Suisei.
“Wait a minute… everyone else didn’t bid, right?” said Seiunsai.
“Then we can use Detective-Culprit-Target to decide… actually, nevermind. That’d be a pain in the ass.” said Yuzen.
“H-hold on, let’s use a more creative method this time.” Seiunsai pulled out something from his tuxedo’s chest pocket; a deck of playing cards. Specifically a bicycle deck, a brand commonly used for magic tricks. “Hmm… we have seven people left, so we’ll use the cards from Ace of Hearts to Seven of Hearts. The smaller the number, the closer your room is to the detective’s. Does that sound fair?”
“Wait, how can we know you won’t cheat, grandpa?” Sae blurted with a skeptical glare in her eyes. She nabbed the deck of cards away from Seiunsai, and held them closer to the light. She carefully inspected each and every card on both sides.
“Well, if you’re so bothered with me dealing the cards, then someone else can.”
“I’ll do it.” Yuzen swiped the cards from Sae’s hands. After an awkwardly long amount of time, Yuzen is finished shuffling the cards. He crouched down and lined up a total of seven cards along the floor. “C’mon, pick your cards!”
Everyone took turns selecting their cards. Minase was left with the only remaining card on the floor, the Ace. The final order was: Yui, Kyoko, Yuzen, Sae, Mikado, Seiunsai and Akio.
“Why am I last…?” Akio questioned. “...Ah, are you all also in on this conspiracy?!”
“Conspiracy this, conspiracy that… Do you only ever talk about conspiracies?” I couldn’t help but ask. Well, this auction was a conspiracy with a certain organization behind it, but he didn’t have to bring it up all the time.
Nobody occupied room 312 at the end of the hall, because the person who intended to stay the night there, Taehime, had died. It didn’t feel right to take the room of the deceased, so either out of fear or respect, we left the room be. I also noticed that none of the room numbers had a four or a nine. That’s something you commonly saw in older hotels. Apparently it was considered bad luck to include them. I decided to check the time: it was 9:45 PM.
“We should enter our rooms as soon as we can,” Suisei said. “It’s safe to do so, until 10 PM, that is.”
We followed his request, and we headed to our newly assigned rooms.
“I’ll open all of your doors in order after 10 o’clock. Remember that you won’t be able to open your doors until then, so I advise you to be careful.” We nodded in response as confirmation that we understood. With that, we all split up into our separate rooms, along with a silent prayer in our hearts that we would wake up the next morning.
“Kyoko…” I called out to her and stopped her in her tracks.
“Yes?”
“We’ll see each other again, right?”
“…Who knows?” she bluntly replied, and without sparing me a glance, she walked into her room. The door closed. Each time we parted, I couldn’t stop worrying if it would be our last. I stood alone in the hallway and absentmindedly stared at the door that had just shut on me.
And then… I snapped out of my daze by movement in the corner of my eye. I swiveled around to see Akio walking toward me. It felt odd to me; a man in baseball attire slowly approaching me in an old hotel in the dead of night.
“Akio? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, it’s nothing major…” Akio took a look behind his shoulder, scouting for potential eavesdroppers. “You’re alone now, right?”
“Yeah, as you can tell.” Also as far as I could tell, at least.
“You’re a detective too, yeah? I have something to tell you.”
“…Let me guess, a conspiracy?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but… nothing about this sits well with me.” Akio stepped a little closer, and lowered his voice into a hushed whisper. “You know Mikado Shinsen? He might be behind this odd social experiment.”
“Huh?!” I exclaimed, before I made sure to lower my voice. “Mikado? What are you talking about?”
“I swear I’ve seen him before. Didn’t you hear? There was an accident recently, a tunnel that collapsed. All fifteen people inside died…”
“Oh, yeah, I did. When the rescue team came three days later, it was too late, right?”
“Yeah. Strangely enough, there were also a ton of paranormal sightings around that tunnel. I used to collect all sorts of things there. Once I heard about the accident, I thought it might have been caused by a paranormal phenomena, and I lived nearby, so I rushed to the scene. There, I took all the photos I could, and… I saw it in one of them.”
“A-a paranormal phenomena?”
“No, no, it was him. Mikado. He was just staring at the tunnel, in a crowd full of news reporters and onlookers.”
“…That has to be a coincidence, doesn’t it? Maybe he was there because he had nearby work to attend to.”
“Work? Media report? Maybe, maybe not, who knows? But that’s not all. A while ago, I was investigating a house that was the scene of a murder, and I was taking a couple photos around the area. It had been a week since the case closed, so there weren’t any reporters, but… there was still someone caught in the pictures, looking at the house. It was Mikado.”
“Well, what if he just happened to look like him?”
“I’ve already compared the two, and there’s no doubt about it. It was definitely Mikado.” Akio’s body shook. “When I arrived here, I saw him… I thought the same thing, that maybe they just looked alike. But when he started talking, I started to piece it all together… That man is Death Incarnate. He will bring despair. This odd social experiment is the Grim Reapers’s game, and it’s here to watch how we react...”
Mikado? Reaper? I’m a detective so solving cases with the supernatural was against the rules of mystery. But judging from Akio’s trembling body and wide eyes… he wholeheartedly believed what he just told me.
“Shit, we’re running out of time. Ugh, I really don’t want to sleep in that prison cell… but I don’t have any other choice. I’m off.” Akio tilted the brim of his baseball cap below his eyes, before he walked down the hall for a little.
“Why tell me all that?” I asked him.
“I don’t really know myself. My sixth sense, I guess.” It was 9:50. We said goodbye, and I opened the door to my room. In an attempt to regain my courage, I took a long and deep breath, and stepped inside. Just as I let go of the door handle, it shut behind me by itself. Another automatic lock? Filled with an instinctive panic, I rushed to open the door again, which thankfully it did. So the door could freely be opened before the curfew arrived. Still I would be better off keeping it shut if I didn’t want to get punished. Even if I opened it by accident, I could get into trouble.
I looked around my new room. It was practically the same as Suisei’s room, which we were just in. Drab concrete was present in every corner of the room; the ceiling, the floor and even all four walls. The dreary gray blended together, uniting everything in the room, dragging my mood into a lifeless lack of colour. There wasn’t much decor inside, which was tolerable. My main gripe was the unbearable frost of the night breeze, which despite my wishes I had no way to block the open window.
I progressed further inside and stared up at the barred window. It was placed high above me, about three heads taller, impossible to look out from. My rough estimate would be two meters or so. Could I use the blanket to cover the window? I cast my eyes over to the bed, but when I grabbed the blanket, a realization dawned on me. The bed’s feet were screwed into the floor. It wouldn’t budge, probably to prevent us from barricading the door to escape the 'Victim'. I could sense the 'Victim's' malice from that alone. They clearly don’t want us to have any chance of fighting on.
Our only guaranteed safety is in the Detective's Right. No, what if that’s what the 'Victim' wanted me to think? After all, the door opened outwards, so the bed couldn’t be used as a barrier anyway…I kept myself busy by hopping up and down trying to peer outside, when 10 p.m. struck. The click of the door locking told me that. Every muscle in my body tightened at the noise, and even knowing it won’t matter, I looked back to the door.
The 'Victim' will be making their move now. The building’s atmosphere completely shifted. The concrete walls ran deadly cold. I could feel them closing in on me as the gray swallowed up my focus. And then there was that silence, as if all life on earth had inexplicably vanished… 10:01… 10:02…
I tried to force open the door, but no matter how hard I shook it over and over again, it refused to comply. It’s really locked tight… I’m completely helpless. I willingly participated in the Duel Noir this time, but I no longer wanted to. I just wanted to go home.
The 'Victim' could open the door at any moment. The perpetrator of this current case… are they really here with us? The internet report I read before coming here emerged in my mind. That report mentioned a case where a man had gone insane, and killed each guest one by one. It was apparently an extreme case of hallucination, and the culprit said that ‘someone was watching him from inside the walls’.
Inside the walls… Goosebumps ran through my body. I could feel each wall watch me with invisible eyes. Indeed, there are people watching us. The wealthy who find sick entertainment in watching these killing games… But there’s something I found far more terrifying. Death. The walls were as cold as death itself. Maybe it was Akio getting to me, but the word ‘death’ rang nonstop in my mind.
The walls felt suffocating, all this time crushing me under their oppressive nature. I want to scream. But I don’t. It’s okay. …It’s okay? Why would I think that? My only chance at safety was the one with the Detective's Right- the actual detective. I’m not a detective here. I’m just a weak high school girl. But I long to be one. I long to regain my power to fight through the darkness and fight against crime. A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts.
“It’s me, Suisei.” Yeah… Yeah, that’s Suisei Nanamura’s voice! “I’m opening the door now.”
I heard a beep accompanied with the familiar click of the lock. The door opened. I shrunk into the corner of the room and pinned both of my arms against the walls to ensure a guarded stance.
What if it isn’t Suisei behind the door? Or… what if Suisei is the 'Victim', the perpetrator and culprit behind the case? I know it’s impossible, but right at that very moment, I was a frightened animal acting on instinct alone. The cold air only further put me on edge.
“Are you okay?” None other than Suisei Nanamura stood in the doorway. He held something in his right hand, which I envisioned to be a knife or a pistol, but it was merely a card. I nodded and wiped away the cold sweat from my forehead. “Very well. Let’s go, then, follow me.”
I stumbled after him as he left. The lights in the hallway were dimmer than they were before. Maybe it was to set the ‘nighttime mood’. The next room was Meruko’s. Suisei slid the card into the slot beside the door, and it unlocked. Even if Suisei was only opening a few doors, he was a hero in my eyes, and I know he must be to everyone else too.
“You saved me, you saved me! Thank you!” The former supergirl bolted from the confines of her room and pulled me into a hug.
“A touching reunion, but we can save the hug for later. We still have rooms to open.” Suisei continued down the hallway. Next up was Kyoko. I checked the time: 10:15. At this rate, we would have everyone safe and sound in less than fifteen minutes. But as Suisei was about to open the door to Kyoko’s room, I saw movement. At the end of the hallway, the figure of a person stood.
“Suisei! Look!” I called out to him. The figure ran around the corner with the patter of footsteps following them. Suisei stepped away from the door and looked toward the hallway's end, following my outstretched finger- but there was no longer a trace that anyone had been there.
“There’s a person there!” I said.
“A person?” Suisei repeated.
“I saw them too!” Meruko nodded.
“Well, it was dark and from a distance so I couldn’t really… make it out… but there was definitely someone there, I’m sure of it!” I said as I ran down the hallway with both Meruko and Suisei trailing behind me. I stopped at the hallway’s corner. In front of me, in the depths of the dimly lit hall, a door slammed shut! “Did you see that?!”
“Ah!” Suisei narrowed his eyes, then nodded.
“Yes, that empty room, the last one in the hall.” The figure hidden by the dark was the one to close the door, now hiding themselves behind it.
“Now that it’s past 10 p.m., the only people who can open doors are those with a master key,” Suisei said, gesturing to show off the card he held in his right hand. “Other than me, the detective, the 'Victim' is the only one with the master key.”
“Then that’s the 'Victim'!” I said.
“Let’s catch them!” Meruko agreed.
Meruko and I scurried towards the room, but Suisei stopped us. “Wait! One of you should stay here. You can keep watch since you can see the whole hall from here.”
We stood by the bend of the L-shaped hallway, and we could indeed see every room.
“Then I’ll wait here. Mr. Real Detective, you have to take the 'Victim' down!” Meruko walked back to the bend and crouched down beside the wall.
“You’ll be okay by yourself?” Suisei asked.
“Yeah!”
“If you see somebody, yell out their name. Understand, little lady?”
“Hey, I’m an adult!’
“Very well, I’ll be counting on you. Now, hurry up, Yui.”
“Okay!” I nodded.
Suisei and I hurried into the depths of the hall, and came to a skidding halt by the empty room. Suisei abruptly halted himself, and took a moment to listen for any noises behind the door. After a few seconds, he inserted his card into the slot.
Suisei swung the door open so forcefully that I thought it might hit me. Was the 'Victim' going to charge out of the room straight at us? Or will they be hidden somewhere inside, concealing a weapon? That’s what I imagined, and those thoughts lead me to take a fighting stance. But the room was completely empty. The light was on, so I could see inside the cramped room as soon as the door was open. As far as I could tell, not a single person was present, let alone the 'Victim'.
How?! I definitely saw the door close, and I definitely saw someone go inside. It’s not just me either, Suisei and Meruko testified to seeing it, too! The room was the exact same as the others we saw with a pitiful bed in the very center. Except the blanket and sheets were still draped over the headboard because nobody was here to make their bed. Nobody was hiding underneath the bed either.
We stepped inside and we immediately investigated the bathroom. As expected, there still is no sign of anyone. Where did the 'Victim' disappear to? Is this the “Disappearing Act”? That wasn’t the only oddity, though. A big, neon pink ‘X’ was painted onto the rightmost wall. “What is this…?”
“I’m assuming the 'Victim' left it for us,” Suisei said. He touched the paint, which stained his finger bright pink. Did the 'Victim' paint the X before they came into the room, or did they get caught after drawing it and ran back inside?
“The 'Victim' was definitely here at some point. But if that were true, don’t you think there has to be a secret passage somewhere?” I suggested.
“Hmmm…” Suisei stared blankly at the wall, deep in thought. I knocked on everything I could find. Under the bed, the bedroom walls, and even the walls of the bathroom. But I failed to find any secret passages.
What about the window? I sprung from the ground and hooked my fingertips into the window sill. I managed to successfully grab the iron bars after struggling to climb up, the touch of the freezing metal stung my hands like tiny needles. The bars couldn’t be taken off, which I expected. Either way, I definitely wouldn’t fit through that gap, which was only about forty centimeters horizontally and twenty centimeters vertically. Even if I could fit, I couldn’t go anywhere since the only thing beyond the window was the cold and abyssal night sky.
It was a completely locked room. Suisei stopped staring at the wall and came over to investigate with me. We took a little too much time investigating each and every corner of the room, and I started to worry about Meruko. She was all by herself, and the 'Victim' was nowhere to be seen. What if she’s…?
Finally, Suisei dusted off his suit and said, “Other than the door, it’s impossible to enter or leave this room.”
We came to the same conclusion. “So then where did the 'Victim' go, and how did they escape…?”
“Perhaps…” Suisei pointed to the wall with the X painted on it.
“The wall? Are you saying that the culprit somehow walked through the wall…?” Walking through walls was obviously impossible, but what if…? That's when I recalled Akio slept in the room neighboring it.
“I’ll check.” As if he had read my mind, Suisei entered his card in the slot and walked out into the hallway. The door closed on me before I could say anything.
“Ah, I’m coming too!” I ran and tugged on the door handle in an attempt to follow him, but it was a fruitless effort. The door wouldn’t budge, leaving me, once again, trapped.
“Mr. Real Detective!” I heard a shout from the hallway. Meruko yelled out for a drawn-out period of time.
Suisei had said, ‘If you see someone, yell out their name’, so it appeared she was following Suisei’s instructions exactly as he asked.
“Sorry, Mr Nanamura! I’m stuck in here…” I said as I knocked on the door. Suisei returned after roughly two or three minutes, so I finally stepped out into the hallway.
“Yui!” Meruko waved from a distance, still at the bend of the L-shaped hall. I waved back.
“I believe we’ve been tricked.” Suisei raised his chin and angled his head toward the room beside us; Akio’s room. Tricked?
The neighboring room had its door shut. The door probably closed automatically after Suisei concluded his investigation inside. He slid the card inside the slot again and opened the door. What greeted us is something I didn’t expect… or maybe something I didn’t want to see.
Akio Chage was slumped against the bed like he had slid off of it in the middle of a deep slumber. His head still rested against it, his eyes were shot wide open, his mouth left agape. Both of his arms were spread out and limp against the sides of his body, and his equally limp legs were splayed out against the floor. His baseball cap, which I figured as his personal trademark, was now lying behind the bed. The sports bag sitting in front of the bed must have been his luggage.
“Akio…”
“He’s dead,” Suisei declared such horrible news so indifferently. It didn’t even matter to him.
“He’s really dead?” I asked.
“Yes, he’s no longer breathing nor does he have a pulse, both of which I confirmed a few minutes ago. I noticed that he has marks on his neck. He must have been strangled to death.”
“Strangled to death…” Of course, there wasn’t anyone here besides us. I checked the time on my phone: 10:30 p.m. By the start of the curfew, 10 o’clock, the 'Victim' managed to murder Akio and flee the scene without getting caught. We saw the supposed 'Victim' not too long ago. But weren’t they in the empty room next door?
There’s evidence that they had been there, something that the 'Victim' left behind after they entered the room. The X on the wall… Was that hinting at Akio’s demise? Or was it some kind of deranged prank? I shakily stepped inside the room. Without getting too close, I inspected the corpse.
He drew not a single breath, and as for his pulse… No, I’m not able to do it. I can’t touch him. I’m not like Suisei or Kyoko, I didn’t have any experience in murder cases, nor did I know how to perform an autopsy. But I can tell that Akio is dead because of the unsettling sight of his lifeless eyes.
I investigated the bathroom. Nobody. I looked under the bed. Nobody. I checked the window. The iron bars refused to move. The blankets were placed on the bed and rolled into a ball, but it’s too small to hide a person inside. Another locked room mystery.
“Yui, take a look at the victim’s neck,” Suisei told me. “There are marks, marks clearly resembling human fingers. He must have been strangled by hand. There’s also evidence that he resisted his attacker.”
“Then the 'Victim' might’ve been scratched,” I said.
“True, unless they were wearing gloves.”
I suddenly spied something. “Huh? Hold on, Akio has something in his mouth.”
There was a foreign object inside of his mouth. Suisei pulled out a pair of tweezers from the inner pocket of his suit and plucked out the unknown item; a piece of paper crumpled up into a ball. Suisei lowered it onto the bedsheets and unfolded it with the tweezers. He avoided touching the odd note with his own fingers, but read out what was written on it.
“Target #1 - Revenge SERVED!”
We’d been tricked. The 'Victim' had slipped out right from under our fingertips. Suisei and I left the crime scene alone and returned to the hallway. We informed Meruko what had happened, while doing so she sobbed uncontrollably with her face twisted in horror.
“You girls should head back to the lobby,” Suisei instructed us. “I’ll continue releasing the others.”
“Okay…” Meruko sniffled.
Meruko and I walked down the stairs to the first floor together, but our plans were cut short when we found out that the door to the lobby could only be opened with the master key. We decided to wait for Suisei and the rest, and merely sat together silently in the hallway. In this case, we could find some ease knowing safety due to the ‘only one person dies each night’ rule.
At least no one else will die tonight. Ironically, someone’s death was our only source of comfort… I wondered just how long we would stay trapped in this hellhole before we snapped. How did the 'Victim' kill Akio? And just where did they go?
Chapter 4: End
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Little sneak peak of what we've been working on
for those that have been wondering what we've been up to recently.
Danganronpa Kirigiri Volume 2 Full Translation Part 1
Thanks to DJ Shocker, Shenmen, Chilly, LiarieCC, and Blackflirtlarping. This is a fully fixed up and complete translation with no missing bits.
Danganronpa Kirigiri Volume 2: The Norman Hotel Detective Auction
Chapter 1: Daily Life
Couples dressed to the nines for Christmas Eve wined and dined in window booths, but due to the height of the building, no matter how much I craned my neck I couldn’t see them satisfactorily.
I must have gotten a little carried away, bouncing around the hall to eagerly check out the outside scenery from the windows of this high-rise building, as I felt someone tug on the sleeve of my coat; Kyoko Kirigiri. She gazed up at me, wordlessly, with cool eyes. I felt almost as if I was being scolded.
“Thank you for waiting! Please come this way.” Both Kirigiri and I followed a waiter into the interior of the hall. Suddenly, an enormous Christmas Tree came into view. A fir tree that must have been imported from abroad, decked out in dazzling star ornaments that were determined not to lose to the lights of the city in terms of brightness.
We found ourselves being led to a wide individual room.
An antique candle holder stood in the center of a table draped in a white cloth, the candles fully aglow.
Napkins and cutlery for three people were already laid out on the table. And the furthest wall was transparent, giving us a scenic view of the city nightscape.
“Woww! This is amazing!” I dashed over to the glass wall without thinking, and gazed out at the city lights twinkling under the night sky.
“Kirigiri, come here!” I called out to Kirigiri, who stood behind me. She seemed to be hesitating. She looked at me with a slightly concerned expression on her face, then approached the giant window. She looked over the city nightscape with pink tinged cheeks, seemingly unable to tear her eyes away from the lights of the city.
“Isn’t it pretty?”
Kirigiri nodded.
“Won’t you tell me how you really feel, out loud?”
“…It’s pretty.”
At this point, Suisei Nanamura entered our private room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, ladies. I see you’re enjoying my Christmas present to you.”
By ‘present’ did he mean this view?
I suddenly felt a little embarrassed at taking the bait so quickly and backed away from the glass wall, flustered.
Suisei pulled out a chair with a gesture that made it seem like this was something he was well accustomed to. I lowered my head to him in a quick bow and took a seat. I really wasn’t used to how to act in a place as fancy as this.
On the other hand, Kirigiri seemed used to it. She lowered herself onto the chair, almost princess-like, and gave Suisei a casual nod as her thanks.
Kirigiri continued to surprise me, but I think she was essentially a refined and well-mannered kid. When it came to being a detective and solving cases she became cool-headed and almost difficult to approach, but I wondered if that had something to do with being raised in a family of detectives.
Suisei placed the Santa hat he’d been wearing on Kirigiri’s head and sat down opposite her. He didn’t offer any explanation as to why he’d given her the Santa hat, and Kirigiri herself didn’t react.
Well, she looked cute like that so I had no complaints…
“Well, I am a happy man! Having the honor of spending Christmas Eve with such beautiful young ladies…”
After sitting down, Suisei propped both elbows onto the table and rested his chin on top of his hands, suddenly observing us intensely.
I was bewildered by the suggestive look in his eyes.
“W-what ?”
I suddenly found myself feeling very shy.
Suisei had a face as handsome as an actor - he was an attractive man. I had absolutely no objections to joining him for Christmas dinner-
‘“2,000, 9,800, 23,000.” Suisei suddenly rattled off a series of mysterious digits.
“Huh?”
“The price of your glasses, the price of your coat, and the price of your boots.”
“W-what…? How did you…?”
He knew?
The numbers were more or less correct.
“There are many ways to observe other people, and one of the most effective ways is to judge them by the value of what they’re wearing. Through knowing the value of their material possessions - in other words, their quality - is not a method to be overlooked.”
“I - I see."
“Yui Samidare-kun - for example, in your case you’re confident about your legs, so your most valuable possession is your boots. However, from the way your boots are worn down, they don’t seem to be specifically designed for sports. And you’ve chosen to walk down the path of becoming a detective. Aiming to become a detective at such a young age is probably due to something that happened in your past-”
“O-okay, I got it.”
I put both hands up in front of me, as if to evade Suisei’s words. I don’t think I wanted to hear anything else he had to say.
Suisei’s lips curled into a grin and he spread out his arms while gesturing at the clear glass wall.
“7,445,000 yen. The price of everything you can see from here. Along with the price of electricity for every building. The true essence of everything is so beautiful.”
Suisei gave me a smug wink.
Detectives were really hard to understand.
Suisei Nanamura was a Double Zero Class detective. According to the DSC (Detective Shelf Collection) at the Detective Library, his number was 900. The number nine indicated that he dealt primarily with murder investigations, and his double zero was proof of his skills.
In the past there was a detective who, due to the successful handling of his cases, moved up as far as rank three, but that took over 20 years of his career. For Nanamura to hold a double zero at the young age of 37 was, quite simply, incredible. It was not an honor you earned with half-hearted skills.
“Well then, let’s continue talking about the job over dinner.”
Suisei snapped his fingers, and from behind him a waiter appeared to fill his glass with red wine. Two more waiters also appeared by his side as if they were servants attending to a prince.
Since Kirigiri and I were still underage, we were passed a soft drink menu. I chose orange juice, and Kirigiri ordered a coffee.
“Let’s toast to our first meeting - is what I’d like to say, but allow me to refrain. After all, in our world a toast doesn’t signify the start of something, but the end.”
Suisei took a sip of his red wine.
The waiters began to lay out plates in front of Suisei. Usually when it came to French cuisine, every dish was served one by one, but for some reason they continued to pile dish after dish in front of him.
“10 hours, 28 minutes and 49 seconds.” Suisei suddenly rattled off another series of digits.
“That is the time that’s passed since I opened the letter challenging me to this Duel Noir. The time limit from when you open such a letter to who is victorious being decided is 168 hours. For my own sake, I opened the letter at exactly 10 am today.”
Suisei said with a serious expression on his face. However, he hadn’t stopped eating. It occurred to me that most of the food had already disappeared from his plate.
When did he…?
One plate each was placed in front of Kirigiri and me. If we tried to match Suisei’s pace, the food would be devoured before we could even enjoy it.
“Mr Nanamura, how many Duel Noir challenges have you participated in up until now?”
“This would be the fifth time.”
“The f-fifth time?”
“I can only call it bad luck. Out of all the detectives I know, there’s some who’ve never even heard of Duel Noirs. In fact, it’s more likely a detective will hear of Duel Noirs.”
Naturally, Kirigiri and I knew what a Duel Noir was.
Just a little earlier, Kirigiri and I had been wrapped up in one. A Duel Noir was a game organized by an organization called The Victims Catharsis Committee. Both a detective and a criminal engage in a deadly duel. After receiving a letter of challenge from a criminal, the detective will attempt to solve a case in real time.
Unlike what their name suggested, The Victims Catharsis Committee wasn’t a charitable organization at all. Under the name of providing catharsis for victims of crime, the committee lured participants into their game. It seemed that when it came to recruiting ‘challengers’, they particularly aimed for those who were driven by a need for revenge. In other words, by using those who were willing to go as far as murder, the game unfolded.
The detectives, on the other hand, were chosen out of the names registered on the Detective Index at the Detective Library.
There were approximately 65,500 detectives registered on the list, and their names were public information. It was assumed that The Victims Catharsis Committee summoned detectives from this list according to the difficulty of each case. For this, a detective’s DSC number was used as reference.
“The further you move up in rank, the amount of detectives decreases. Statistically it becomes more likely for one to be challenged to a Duel Noir.” Nanamura placed his fork on top of his plate, wiped his mouth with a napkin, then suddenly threw them all behind his back. One of the waiters caught the plate while barely moving an inch. With the space he cleared from throwing away his plate, Nanamura placed his two fingers together on top of the table.
Suisei began to stare at Kirigiri and me as if he was observing us.
“I read your file about the case you solved, you two. It was a great case for your induction.”
The Sirius Observatory was our induction case? And yet even now every time I remembered that day I felt a dreadful despair.
“However, the next one doesn’t seem to be so. Looking at the letter of challenge, the culprit seems to not only understand the aim of Duel Noirs far too well, but they also plan to win. That’s a troublesome attitude. Seems almost as if they’re enjoying the game. It’s probably a treat for the spectators as well.”
“Spectators?”
“Oh? You didn’t know? Duel Noirs are broadcast in real time. The spectators watch over them during what’s called a Closed Circuit, whilst eating and drinking together. You could call it a live-viewing.”
Speaking of which, didn’t the mastermind between the previous case say something along those lines?
The Victims Catharsis Committee didn’t just want to play a game - they wanted to offer a show.
“This is all pretty hard to believe. Who on earth would watch a Duel Noir?”
"I can’t tell you exactly who watches them, however there’s no doubt they move in high-class circles. In order to participate in a Closed Circuit, it’s said that the price is equivalent to that of the school fees from a third world country.”
What an incomprehensible and compassionless comparison. We can compare this to the duel in the arenas of Rome. People paid a lot of money to see blood and people killing each other. They want drama. Of course, I don't think I'd like to see that myself, people being killed so brutally.
“By the way, why are you after the Victims Catharsis Committee?" asked Suisei.
"We can't leave such an organization in the wild! " I said with a cry from the heart.
"A great sense of justice, huh?" smiled Suisei. He then turned to Kirigiri. "What about you?"
Kirigiri hesitated for a moment, "There is no reason. Honestly, I haven’t received another invite to do so. "
“Um, a-ah, w-wait we should really be united on this!” I turned to retort at Kyoko. “Wait, are you telling me you aren’t willing to fight the Victim’s Catharsis Committee!?”
“No, I’m just interested in having my detective skills recognized.”
“...Seriously, you’re only interested in moving up the ranks? Are you really satisfied with that? After being manipulated, aren’t you the least bit offended?”
“...I do.” Now that actually surprised me. Still, she was answering me in that usual expression of hers. She wasn’t quite good at showing off her feelings, or rather she has an incredible poker face.
"It's not right to hide your emotions behind a stone face, you know? So just try to deal with this organization with me! Isn't this a detective's job? That we aren’t just limited to dealing with immediate threats!?" I questioned.
"If Yui-oneesama wants me to help her, then I will."
"You're so childish!"
I chewed my lower lip to control my frustration.
"Don't you have your own opinion? Are you just a doll that we can control as we please?"
Kirigiri simply looked at me with cold eyes. Was she actually angry?
"A detective operating without a client is just fulfilling mere self-satisfaction." Kirigiri said before looking away.
"Maybe, but at least I’m making an effort to find out the truth." I suddenly got up. Weirdly, it reminded me of my childhood, and especially of my sister.
“Find the truth? What a childish response.”
“Says the actual child!”
After my sudden outburst, a sound echoed in the room. I looked at the source of the sound; Suisei was holding a mini trumpet. My ears began to ring.
“Alright, no fighting. Honestly, you’re like children. No wait, not even that, but rookies” Even so, from my point of view, he was much worse. He then threw the trumpet with a bitter laugh and a waiter caught it without problem.
"A detective is nothing without an ideology, especially not trustworthy. They’re also nothing if they’re too self-serving. I guess you two have at least one half of what it means to be a proper detective." said Suisei before shrugging.
Kirigiri and I looked at each other for a moment.
"Sorry I got carried away." I said as I sat back down, my face flushed from embarrassment. Kirigiri remained silent with her face being stoic.
"Well, let's go back to our history lesson," Suisei said, “Since my investigation into the Victims Catharsis Committee began, the amount of missing detectives had reached the double digits.”
“D-double digits?”
“Get what I’m saying? It means that the situation is getting increasingly difficult to back out from.”
“Is that what you got from this investigation into such a dangerous organization? If so, then that just means we need to hurry up and eliminate them!”
“Really brave of you, Yui Samidare. The detectives that disappeared would have said the same thing. These detectives were Double Zeroes, yet even they couldn’t shake this organization. It’s proof that this situation can’t be solved so easily. Say, did you know the Victims Catharsis Committee is registered as a non-profit organization? Complete with an office building, people can freely enter and exit.”
“Really? But then… what’s the matter?”
“The matter is that the only information that can be gathered is what they have open to the public. They spread detectives thin with so much useless information, while the real information is carefully concealed. If you want to hide leaves, put them in the forest. That good example is written in ‘Father Brown’. It’s a famous detective novel by G.K. Chesterton.”
“Then...what purpose does this group have? Is it to really treat the vengeance of others as some sort of program to watch?”
"From what I know, those who traced this organization before they disappeared seem to know there was a real purpose to that.”
“There’s a purpose?"
"The detective who told me about it is still missing, so maybe he knew the real purpose of the Victims Catharsis Committee, or..."
"Well, it definitely wasn’t for ‘Catharsis’."
"What is it from you, Yui? You refer to the Victims Catharsis Committee as evil."
"Isn't that natural? They kill innocent people."
"But both parties are often criminals, aren't they? You should know that if you've ever participated in a Duel Noir." Suisei challenged me. "They're trying to get revenge on someone who's made them suffer in the past, often from a crime."
In the past Duel Noir, the culprit of it, was trying to get revenge for his family that was murdered. He wanted to avenge them.
"Life has also taken away the criminal’s common sense." Kirigiri challenged as well. "They have decided to take revenge on the people who stole from them."
"In this world, there are people who live their normal lives without being judged for the mistakes they have made, while others live a miserable life in the depths of society. Life is simply unfair. Don't you think their behavior is normal?" asked Suisei.
"I can understand that feeling... but it's still unacceptable to turn to violence." I spoke back in retort.
“In the end, what you’re saying is only the opinion of one detective. There is only a thin line that separates justice from evil. For many people, the Duel Noir is a relief or a holy war. Some people think that challengers are rewarded only because of a necessary evil that can change the world.."
The Victims Catharsis Committee was a necessary evil?
Is that really the case?
"Even if there was another reason... when you're determined to kill people, and you
choose this path, I think you should be punished, no matter what the context is."
"You really are someone with a strong sense of justice." Suisei laughed softly. "But if the iron is twisted, it's very difficult to go back once it's done. A child like you can turn out to be the biggest threat."
"A threat..." Didn’t expect him to call me that.
“Don’t get too personally involved if you ever want to be married to an adult.” he said
"Don't let your feelings get in the way of your judgment, Yui-oneesama." warned Kirigiri. Well, I couldn't think of anything else to answer.
For a professional detective or for Kirigiri, hiding their emotions and not bringing their personal ideas into the business is very easy. I also think it is necessary. However, there's no reason to leave the Victims Catharsis Committee alone like that.
"Whatever the circumstances, I don't think it's time to change my mind about an
organization like this," I stretched my neck slightly, "No matter the context or despair, a normal human being has to control themselves."
“So what they said about youth being both a wound and a sharp knife was correct!”
“Mr. Nanamura! Do you really think the culprits of these Duel Noirs are innocent victims?”
"Yep, but in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter to me." laughed Suisei as he answered without hesitation. "Innocent or not, as a detective, my true opponent is mystery. My existence is there to solve those that are right in front of me. Say, don’t you think it's more fun solving a mystery solo?"
“And so it turned into this…”
This was expected from a Double Zero. He really trusted his experience. "Do you really think I can forgive criminals? I'm not that naive," he said.
"I'm sorry I doubted you…”
“That’s quite alright!”
“Is there anything else we should know about the Victims Catharsis Committee?"
"I don't know anything else, but I heard another story from a single detective who had been the victim of a Duel Noir."
"Just one?"
"We call him the President, a man... I mean, they could be a woman, who is the brains of it all. Their identity is surrounded by a veil of mystery. One day they founded the Victims Catharsis Committee, a little less than 10 years ago."
"So they are the boss of the organization?"
If we could reveal the identity of the president, we would be able to charge the Victims Catharsis Committee as a criminal organization. The shadow that organization had casted was beginning to mold itself into a human figure.
"Who could be the president? Could he have been an ex-detective?" Kirigiri said abruptly.
Suisei raised an eyebrow, placing his elbow on the table to support his chin. "Why do you think that?"
"Duel Noir targets must organize an unsolvable crime and become guilty of a false incident. In fact, it means that the organization is able to cover up the real culprit in a case and keep it for a future game. Only a top-notch detective could do that." I spoke, and was rather surprised from what came out of my mouth. Wow, guess I was getting up there in being high level as well...
"That's right, you're absolutely correct." Kyoko nodded.
"However, if it is a high class detective who could find the real criminal very easily, he can survive their little adventure. As long as the rank is high enough, for example..." said Kirigiri, "The triple zero rank of the detective library counted four people in the past, but one of them disappeared from the records, perhaps they are the President we are after."
"This may be a consideration to be taken into account in order to identify the president of the organization." Applauded Suisei. "I'll skip the explanations, because to us, time is money. Kyoko Kirigiri, you seem to be able to follow me easily. "
"So, which detective was struck off the books?" Kirigiri asked.
"Unfortunately, I don't know." Replied Suisei, extending his arms. "When I registered in the detective library, there was nothing that could designate his identity, like most triple zeroes. All we know is that he's human. He was probably one of the first detectives in the library. If anyone knows anything, it must be a detective who handles gender cases. As far as I know, one of the founders was in this field."
Speaking of the founders, I heard that Kirigiri's grandfather is one of them. It doesn't look like he's registered, but... anyways, I might be thinking too much.
I was watching Kirigiri's reactions from the corner of my eye, but she didn't seem disturbed.
"If you're able to speculate that far, why can't anyone find him?"
Suisei took a knife & fork and raised his arms up. "It's because everything is speculation. If one of the old triple zeros turned out to be the president, it would be a shock."
"Why?" I asked
"There is a difference between time, money or talent. That's the difference between us and the Triple Zeros. If they turn out to be criminals, it will have a big impact on the rest of us and our reputations. It's not a joke- it's a fact - and it's not an easily by-passable problem. It's an undeniable defeat." Suisei said.
For me to be a Double Zero was already above the clouds, so if someone with a lot of pride like Suisei said that... then maybe I should at least admit that I wanted to fight much harder than I already was.
"There's only one way to get closer to the Victims Catharsis Committee," said Suisei. "It's to capture the challenger, the murderer. They are in direct contact and receive private information. But then again you'll need to know the identity of the murderer. However, if we can do it, it would be a big step. Do you understand?"
"Of course!" I exclaimed. "I wouldn't let a criminal win."
"That's a powerful mantra." Suisei got up from his chair and looked at his watch.
"What? Are you planning to leave?"
"We are eating, but time is running out, and time is money." Said Suisei, waving to the waiter. "Even if there wasn't a confirmation, it's still a Duel Noir. Are you sure you want to come?"
"Yes." I said without hesitation. Kyoko saw my face and also nodded.
“Then let’s discuss this Duel Noir, shall we?”
The culprit of the Duel Noir can get funds from the organization in order to purchase Techniques. These Techniques range from tactics to weapons and once their ‘deck’ is assembled what they chose will be on display in the letter to the detective.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Message for the Detective
Heed the Cry of the Noir
Location — Norman Hotel — 80,000,000 yen
Weapon — Knife — 5,000,000 yen
Weapon — Revolver — 15,000,000 yen
Weapon — Hammer — 3,000,000 yen
Weapon — Rope — 3,000,000 yen
Weapon — Automobile — 10,000,000 yen
Trick — Locked Room — 100,000,000 yen
Trick — Disappearing Act — 100,000,000 yen
Other — Cash — 1,000,000,000 yen
Total cost — 1,316,000,000 yen
According to the above cost, the following detective is summoned — Suisei Nanamura.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It seems he's the detective to ask.
I felt a little overwhelmed when my eyes met Kirigiri's. This time, the person had accumulated several weapons and tricks. He could buy this from the organization, the price being marked on the letter.
The higher the price and difficulty, the higher the rank of the detective. "I'll tell you the most important things first," said Suisei, taking the bag a waiter had handed to him. He put the letter back inside and closed it.
"In a Duel Noir, there is a rule that says the criminal cannot kill the detective in charge of investigating. It's because there's no game when the detective's not there. The detective is always asked for through a letter. If you're not the detective, you're just a secondary companion. So it could be that the culprit is one of the victims, even if they're dead. You could die." His voice suddenly resounded. "Me and the others, if you think about it, are jumping into the criminal’s trap. It may indeed be that if we apply ourselves to all this, you won't get out of it unscathed and wind up a victim."
“A...victim?” Those unexpected words made my voice change.
We would need to think about this carefully….
If we get in the way of the culprit, we could die.
“Are you scared?” said Suisei
"I... think I'll be fine." I lied to myself.
In contrast, Kyoko looked quite calm and gave a nod of her head.
"For the criminal to win, they must kill their enemy to get revenge on them, and last 168 hours without being discovered by the detective. If you win the "Duel Noir." You win the amount of money spent on the game. For a criminal wanting to start a new life, that's a good motivation." He said.
“That...sounds like such a desperate situation to wind up in.”
"Exactly. They can put everything aside, including their past, and have a normal life if they wish. On the other hand, if the detective manages to find out who the culprit is, they will have to refund the money they spent on the game. If they cannot pay with money, they will have to pay with their life. In tune, I will do the same and fight with my life.”
In short, it is a game of life and death for our enemy. To stay alive, they're going to do everything they can to not get caught. But I'm not going to be beaten. I became a detective to answer the call for help. If you want to bring justice as a detective, you have to put your life aside. That's the purpose of a detective. As such, I have no qualms about risking it all and even giving up my own life for it all. In contrast, Kyoko was a detective by nature with no sense of purpose outside of the profession. She was involved in this career since she was so young, and is now about to become a detective machine, utterly incapable of feeling death.
But, no matter how much detective work was installed in her, she was still a junior high school girl still starting out.
"The Duel Noir does not always take place in closed areas. However, as this limits the movement of detectives and drives the police back, these locations are often chosen. The Norman Hotel, which was chosen for this game, is an old abandoned hotel in the mountains. It will be very far from the city. We cannot afford to neglect the preparations. We’ll probably be there for at least 100 hours."
Suisei looked at his watch once again, and raised his hand to say goodbye.
"I have to go." Suisei began to leave, when he suddenly turned around, remembering something. "Oh, and let's confirm the schedules before that. I'll leave for the Norman Hotel the day after tomorrow, because there's something I absolutely have to do tomorrow. I will leave around 7am, and with the transport, I'll probably arrive around 10am. Is that okay for you? It's only one day, but..."
"Isn't there a time limit?"
"With my speed, we shouldn't be late. There's no problem."
“Oh...okay?”
"Let's pray for our victory!"
Suisei then headed for the exit of the private room, before diverting to the windows. He opened one of them. A strong wind rushed into the room. Suisei moved his legs to the other side of the window. "Good luck!" He gave us a thumbs up and jumped out of the window.
"Mr. Nanamura!" I quickly got up from my chair and rushed to the window that was still open. I then saw him slowly descend towards the illuminated city, a parachute deployed. The big sky-blue parachute added something to the beauty of the city. Were the high-ranking detectives all like this? I froze for a moment, watching the man slowly descend. The sound of cutlery made me return to my senses. A waiter came to close the window, blocking the wind.
"Well, let's continue this meal, even if we’re worried. D-day is only the day after tomorrow.”
"Yui-oneesama." said Kirigiri. "This could be our last Christmas."
"Don't say such a thing! Of course we won't be killed so easily! We'll have more Christmases after this!"
And I'll protect you. I couldn't get those words out of my throat. I could only superimpose
Kirigiri's possible death based on my little sister's... Because of that, I didn't even want to think about it. I didn't really trust Suisei. Moreover, if I let myself be trapped in my little sister's illusion, it could be annoying for the investigation. I forced myself to drop a "I'll do my best for the Duel Noir."
"I guess I don't have a choice if I want to improve my rank."
It's still my little sister's voice....
"Hey, Yui-oneesama." Kirigiri was young, but her voice sounded very adult. "We must survive the Duel Noir, no matter what happens there."
A waiter approached me, and gave me something that looked like a fine notebook. When I opened it, I discovered the dinner bill. 62248 yen.
“So Mr. Suisei Nanamura didn't pay?”
The waiter tilted his head and smiled to remind me of his presence. I checked my wallet but I only have two 2,000 yen bills on me.
“What’ll we do?” I whispered to Kirigiri: “That damn detective! His spectacular exits and entries show he has money, but likes to keep it!"
"Keep calm, Yui-oneesama." Kirigiri replied gently. She then took a card out of her wallet. "Can I pay at once?"
"Certainly." After settling everything, the waiter bowed and then left us alone.
"Kirigiri... you’re so cool..."
Once dinner was over, we left the building. Even if we moved as far away as possible, it was impossible not to see it. Lights that were almost blinding our eyes were emanating powerfully from across the city. I felt like I was in a paradise under the ocean, walking with Kirigiri. The Christmas lights were comforting, and a row of Christmas trees illuminated the faces of passers-by.
"Well, now that we're here... I can walk you home..." I said. Kirigiri remained silent for a moment, listening to the sounds of the night. She then turned around and started to walk away on her own.
"No need, it's too late anyways. I'll send you a message."
"But, alone at this hour..."
Kirigiri leaned her head and said to me over her shoulder: "Maybe if it was a foreign country, but there is nothing threatening on the roads of this country."
"But, if a man is attracted to young girls like you... he could do... that!"
I tried to attack her from behind, to grab her neck, but the next thing I knew, she was
gone. She then appeared behind me and put my arms behind my back.
“Ow, this hurts…”
"See? I can defend myself." She released my arm. “You need to be careful, Yui-oneesama. If you tried you could probably beat an older man with a high kick from those legs of yours.
"Be careful though, because if a man really wanted to attack you, you probably won't be up to it."
"Of course I will."
"Did you take a self-defense course?...And if possible can you teach me that trick too?"
"I'm going now." Kirigiri said as she looked at the street clock.
"Let's just go back together anyways, I want to talk a little more with you. It's quite boring, being alone."
Kirigiri frowned, creating a wrinkle on her forehead. She kept walking without looking at me. I ran up to her.
"We can keep talking about..."
"What, teaching you self-defense?"
"No, about the president of the Victims Catharsis Committee..."
"What's the matter?"
"He's a former detective, and one of the founders of the Detective Library... couldn't it be your grandfather?"
"It's very dramatic, but no, it's not him."
"How can you know that?" I asked.
"My grandfather was never registered in the library. He told me that before. He never became a triple zero, and it's not registered, so it couldn't be deleted."
But did her grandfather tell the truth?
"Are you sure he's not lying to you? A grandfather would never tell his granddaughter that he is the president of such an organization..."
"My grandfather is very proud to be a Kirigiri, more than anyone else in my family... He would never settle for being put in boxes like the library ranks. He was against the whole DSC classification system in the first place."
"Just pride?" I opposed. I've never heard of this family. She came from a detective
family, there was no doubt about it. She has these abilities at only 13 years old. Maybe she really comes from a big detective family and that blood flows through her veins, but I haven't seen any other detective react to the name 'Kirigiri'. Even Suisei, who was a double zero.
"I know what you're thinking. The Kirigiri family are good detectives, but we don't want to
be known. We live in the shadows. So the ordinary detectives don't know us. That's why my grandfather didn't register in the library, to protect the Kirigiri pride. We almost never talk about ourselves."
"It's an incredible story... but why did Kyoko-chan register in the library? Isn't that
against your family's principles? At least, according to your grandfather.”
"First, my grandfather technically lives abroad. So he doesn't fight crime from here. It is
impossible for him to be the president of a small organization located only in Japan."
"It's true that he's on another level... Sorry for doubting your grandfather, Kirigiri. Even
adults fight crimes like this anonymously, ignoring the opinion of the public and the government, but maybe he knows the president of the Victims Catharsis Committee? I mean, he was the 'president' of the library."
"I wonder about that, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"Maybe if you say your name, an official will recognize him. It's probably easier to sneak in discreetly."
"It doesn't matter. It'll always be the same thing; what do I do after that? How can I sue the president of such a non-profit organization?" Kirigiri looked troubled, and she moved her fingers closer to her face, as if to warm them with her breath.
"Whatever! Everything ends up being discovered! Like how Al Capone ended up being nabbed for tax fraud. There’s probably something that can be put on him. As long as we can stop the Duel Noir"
“Such an extreme line of justice, that’s no different than succumbing to evil.”
“Erk…”
"Yes, but being around all the time thinking about conspiracy theories will do worse than
better. For now, we should put the president's case aside. Let's try to clean up what's in front of us." I was really getting told by a girl who was younger than me.
That's right. We have already made good progress. Suisei Nanamura's Duel Noir had already started for 12 hours. We must remain calm. We'll think about how everything will go after we arrest the Duel Noir criminal... If we manage to get out of the hotel alive.
We continued to walk, our minds clouded with questions. Kirigiri suddenly stopped.
"What? What's the matter?"
"We have arrived." I looked up to see a huge traditional house, with a huge door. I had
trouble closing my mouth. The streetlights continued along the hill, and the white barriers extended far and wide
“Were there any houses like that left?” In this case, it was the largest traditional house I had ever seen. I watched Kirigiri, my eyes full of jealousy. Yes, she was definitely a lady.
"My curfew has already passed." Kirigiri said. "Fortunately you're not a man, because even for a detective, he would have been angry." Kirigiri seemed a little uncomfortable.
"If you had a curfew, you should have told me. We would have left sooner." I said.
"It's because I was talking to you that I'm late," Kirigiri replied, with cold eyes.
"Yes, it's because I've talked too much. I'm sorry, but I had to be absolutely sure what we discussed."
"If you say so."
“I’ll explain the situation, if that works?”
“That would help me quite a deal.” she said with a slightly softer tone than before. I felt rather pleased from it all.
Kirigiri walked to the large gate before stopping. The gate was made of wood, and I could only imagine the splinters that would be caught by touching it. It was still quite warm, but there were no signs, just an intercom.
"Aren't you coming home?”
“Only outsiders go through the front door. Family access is through the back.” She said as she walked along the wall.
“How… formal.”
The massive trees planted on the other side did not allow me to see behind the gate. It was difficult to see the majestic residence, but it was impossible to see a human presence. For someone who didn't know the place, the residence was a total mystery.
"Do you live with your grandfather or alone?
"It depends, but there are three maids. One person is always there."
“Servants, are you serious?”
Since the school we went to was full of young girls, it was not difficult to hear that some families hired maid servants so that they would not leave their daughter alone. One of these families was Kyoko's. She had neither her father nor her mother. I didn't have the details, so I didn't understand the situation well, but I easily understood that I shouldn't ask more questions.
"By the way, didn't you live abroad for a while?"
"Yes, with my grandfather. I stayed there for 5 years. Then I had to come back to this school, as I was already enrolled here," Kirigiri said. "It had to happen at some point. There's a small portal that allows easy access."
"My life is very different from yours."
"Really?" Kirigiri stoically replied.
We walked along the fence for a while, until Kirigiri pointed to a specific place. There was a small gate to make it easier to get in. She took the key out of her pocket, inserted it and turned the key. The gate opened easily.
“Eh? You had the key for this place on-hand?”
“The problem isn’t about me having the key. The problem is what to do afterwards.”
“Is sneaking to your room not on the table?”
“He’ll definitely catch me.”
"So what should I do?" I asked.
"Wait here, I'll call Grandpa."
"Okay, I'll wait."
"I'll be back soon."
"Oh, wait a minute!"
"What?"
"Wouldn't it be better if you took that hat off your head," I replied, pointing at the Santa's hat that was on her head. She pushed it slightly. I watched it fall at my feet. Kyoko looked rather surprised.
"What is it?"
"Didn't you notice?!" I picked up the hat and encouraged Kirigiri. "Hey, you better go."
"Oh, yeah." Kirigiri walked towards the door of the house. Once Kirigiri was out of sight, I put my hands in my pockets and leaned against the fence. It's unusual for Kirigiri to panic. Maybe her grandfather was that strict? Or maybe she really loves her grandfather. That must have been it. For her, who didn't have parents, it must have been difficult. I looked up to the sky, looking at the streetlights.
Suddenly, little white glitter began to fall from the sky. A white Christmas? On Christmas Eve I am often alone, wondering what I will do next year, and my anxiety overwhelms me. This year, I met a girl named Kirigiri Kyoko, whose presence really helped me. I no longer have this feeling of loneliness and emptiness. We're both detectives too. Will she be here again next year? I was imagining our future: two detectives always together. I didn't want a dark future, but wasn't that the fate of a detective?
"Yui-oneesama." I heard a voice. I saw that the large gate was open. I turned around to see Kirigiri, looking at me with concern.
"Where's your grandfather?" I walked away from the white barriers by redoing the button on my coat. I approached Kirigiri looking behind her, but there was no one there.
"You're the man who wants to seduce my Kyoko!”
The voice came from above my head. An old man wearing a kimono was on the wall. I only noticed it now? I stepped back before being pulled forward again, put on the ground. A short time before, I was quietly contemplating the sky. It was disturbing to see an old man jump off a wall that high. The old man's cane kept me on the ground. Was he really that strong?! He lifted it up to try and hit my head.
"Wait, it's not her! She's a woman!"
"What?" He pulled his cane away, lifted me up, and grabbed my chest. "What are you doing!" I shouted, clearing the man's hand. I jumped away.
"It's Yui-oneesama, the detective who goes to the same school as me."
"Oh, is that true?" he said, scratching his white hair. "Sorry, I heard Kyoko was going to eat with a boy, excuse me for the misunderstanding!"
Despite his white hair, he looked pretty young. His hair was shiny, his wrinkles discreet, he stood up straight and his eyes were shiny with life. He had a cane in his right hand, but his legs didn't seem weak. Maybe it was some kind of weapon for him.
"I'm glad to know that Kyoko has made a friend. Was it you who called?" he said with a smile. He looked like another person with that soft smile on his face. “You’re taking care of my granddaughter. I’m so embarrassed. She was always alone, and didn’t seem to be used to life here. I was getting worried. If she has a good partner like you, then I can relax. Right, Kyoko?” “Yes.”
"I'm sorry for delaying Kyoko and making her miss her curfew. She didn't seem familiar with life here, and I wanted to make sure she didn't get hurt."
Kirigiri was half hidden behind her grandfather's back. She seemed more comfortable than usual.
"We both talked about the incident, and it took a long time... I didn't know there was a curfew. Please, don’t punish her!"
“Heh, I always wondered who Kyoko would bring back to me. Anyways, don’t worry, there’s an exception to every rule. If it involves a detective case, I'm willing to forgive her. For the Kirigiri family, detective business is very important and comes first. Even death does not deviate from its purpose."
“O-oh, so…”
“If it was detective related, then that curfew crap can wait!” he said with a merry laugh.
Was that what Kirigiri's grandfather taught? It sure explained a lot...still, glad he wasn’t unreasonable. Honestly, when he knocked me down and groped my chest, I was expecting the worst. Still, from what I’m seeing, he’s a pretty agreeable guy. Though, perhaps, that could be just his love for Kyoko, spoiling her?
“Heh, thought I was a grouchy old man? It’s all over your face!”
“Erm, s-so sorry!”
“Like I said, when it comes to being a Kirigiri, being a detective goes past one’s family, even death itself. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
"That’s my girl! If it is for a case and to see Kyoko become a first rate detective, than I suppose it's worth keeping the gate unlocked at night,”
"Really?" Kyoko asked in wonder.
"Of course, as long as you’re focused on your duty!”
"I'll do my best to be a good detective," Kirigiri replied, her eyes shining.
"Good girl." said the grandfather as he stroked Kirigiri's head. She and her grandfather seemed quite happy.
I felt a little uncomfortable in front of the stage, but I couldn't help but think it was cute.
"Uh, tomorrow we'll have to solve a Duel Noir case, so Kyoko will be spending the night somewhere else. O-Of course, I’ll also be there with her! Is that alright?”
"Of course!"
Well, it was easy... but sending his little girl without hesitation into such a case... He
didn't seem to be afraid of the death of his loved ones. Did he know a lot about the Duel Noirs? He must have heard about the Victims Catharsis Committee, thanks to Kyoko. He at least knows a little. Maybe he even knew more than we did. Such a great detective, who is also the founder of the Detective Library, necessarily knows more. I hesitated for a long time, not knowing if I should ask him or not. The man spoke again.
"Well, it's about time we head inside. You should go home too, Yui. It's cold tonight and you need to prepare to investigate. Shall I call a cab for you?"
“Oh, no, I’m fine.”
"It was a pleasure to meet you. Kyoko, you can see her off."
I slowly lowered my head, always thinking.
"May I ask you for another cho-..."
There was no old man left in front of me. I was looking around, but nothing... nowhere. He had disappeared. Completely missing.
"Yui-oneesama, maybe you should go home..." said Kirigiri, near the gate.
I hadn't noticed it, but I was tired. The tension and my heavy breath disappeared, and I could feel the fatigue falling on my shoulders.
"I'm sorry to have bothered you, Yui-oneesama."
"It's okay, I'd let an old man touch my chest if it's for you." I said, removing the dust from my coat. "But I didn't know your grandfather was so... focused on your education. Still, it's great he’s not so uptight. "
"Hey, Yui-oneesama?"
"Yes?"
“It’s weird to choose detective work over family, yes?”
“W-w-well, I w-wouldn’t call it strange, just… well, it does seem to involve a lack of caring about people’s feelings in the matter.“ I said after a good degree of thought.
“People’s feelings?”
“Are you asking because you have doubts over your detective work?”
"No, that’s not it. Anyway, what Grandpa said earlier, that detective work was more important than the death of a family member… don't you think it's strict?"
"Well, I find it stranger than strict, but I guess that's your family's opinion of detectives..."
"No, it's different. For my family, work is really more important than the death of a family member. It's not a suggestion, it's an obligation. A dogma."
"Okay... I think it might be beautiful? It means you're very proud to be a detective, right?"
"Don't you think it's abnormal?" Kirigiri continued.
She had so much pride in her work as a detective that I could hardly see her doubting that. She was raised into it during her childhood, which made the thought of her doubts even harder to fathom. Still....
"What do you think?" I asked her.
"I don't think it's abnormal. I think… I think it's a good mentality," said Kirigiri. I thought for a moment to say that she didn't have to continue, but she opened her mouth before me. "But I feel like I force myself to think like that. Like, I live like a real detective, because I don't want to feel empty."
For her, her life was all about detective work, but even still...
"As long as I'm here, you won't be alone or empty." I hugged her.
"I want it to stay that way," Kirigiri said, looking at me.
"Of course! You're the coolest, most pure detective I know! Let's do our best together! Tomorrow and for as long as possible."
"Ah? ...Well, goodbye." Separating myself from Kirigiri, who walked back with a shyish look on her face, I laid my hand on the gate. I gave her one last look before running to the dormitories, the snow accompanying me. My curfew passed a long time ago! The dormitories were guarded, so I discreetly passed through a window.
Heh, violating the rules on Christmas night.
It felt quite nice!~
Chapter 1: End
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Translation: “Guren Ichinose, Catastrophe at 16″ Chapter 15 FULL CHAPTER! (Spoilers!)
So, thanks to the response I got, I decided to move ahead with translating these chapters in full. I will also be putting up a link to the raws so that people can follow along. Please do not use either the translation or these scans to create a scanlation. Also, please keep in mind that I do not read or watch the english translation of Owari no Seraph...therefore, I may not always know or use the official ‘terminology’. Anyway, with that out of the way, here’s the full chapter.
Guren Ichinose Chapter 15 RAWS
Page 01:
Guren Ichinose, Catastrophe at 16
Chapter 15
1:30 AM
Page 02:
Shinya: “So you’re also gonna infiltrate from here after all~”
Shinya: “By the way, do you have a motorcycle license?”
Guren: “No”
Shinya: “No license, huh? There where did that bike come from?”
Guren: “I stole it”
Shinya: “You took off on a stolen bike”
Guren: “It’s the prime of my youth, isn’t it?”
Page 03:
Shinya: “I don’t like any prime of youth where you put on night vision goggles and enter a park”
Shinya: “There are couples making out here?”
Guren: “It’s summer, after all”
Shinya: “I know there’s still a little time until the meeting, but do you intend to ambush them?”
Guren: “No”
Page 04:
Shinya: “A trap talisman?”
Shinya: “Are you spying on that dirty couple from the top of that tree?”
Guren: “Yeah”
Shinya: “Go on” (*1)
Guren: “Go on what?”
Shinya: “Who kno~ws?”
Page 05:
Guren: “In the meeting place…”
Guren: [Those suits are just like the ones worn by the Hyakuya Sect members who attacked the school before]
Guren: [Since they have the same abilities as Saitou]
Guren: [There’s no chance of beating them]
Page 06:
Guren: “There’s still 15 minutes remaining”
Guren: “Still, I’m not sure whether if we should head over to the conference or not”
Guren: “…hm?”
Guren: “!”
Page 07:
Guren: “Why is there another vampire…!?”
Black Suit: “Dammit” (*2)
Page 08:
Black Suit: “Damn you”
Page 09:
Black Suit: “Wha, she’s fast…”
Page 10:
Guren: “She took all of those black suits out in an instant…”
Guren: [Did she notice us!?]
Guren: [That’s impossible, at this distance-]
Shinya: “Hey, Guren!!”
Guren: “I know!”
Page 11:
Guren: [At this rate-]
Page 12:
Guren: “Dammit”
Page 13:
Guren: “Kuh”
Guren: [I’m dea-]
Shinya: “Guren, take my hand!”
Page 14:
Guren: “…Shinya”
Shinya: “Hm?”
Guren: “She might be able to catch up with us”
Page 15:
Shinya: “You’re kidding, right!? I’m already going almost 100km an hou…”
Guren: “She’s here”
Guren: [If we can survive this attack]
Guren: [We’ll be able to to get away when the vampire lands]
Page 16:
Guren: [-however]
Guren: [If Mahiru couldn’t even put a dent in them]
Guren: [Then will my attack work at all…]
Guren: […against a vampire that only needed a moment to slaughter an entire company from Hyaku Sect?]
Shinya: “GUREN!”
Guren: [There’s no time to hesitate]
Page 17:
Guren: [One attack]
Guren: [If she avoids even this attack]
Pages 18/19:
Vampire: “!?”
Guren: “…I’LL CUT”
Guren: “YOU”
Guren: “DOWN!”
Page 20:
Guren: “Got her! Step on it, Shinya!”
Shinya: “I am!”
Shinya: “Is she still after us?”
Page 21:
Shinya: “…hey!”
Shinya: “It’s too early to relax”
Guren: “Sorry”
Shinya: “! That truck’s turning right!”
Page 22:
Shinya: “Hold on tight, Guren!”
Guren: “Shit, today’s just not my day”
Page 23:
Shinya: “Is she coming?”
Guren: “Probably not”
Shinya: “That’s not very reassuring” (*3)
Shinya: “Hey, Guren, you’re hurt. Did the vampire do that to you?”
Guren: “No, this is because of your terrible driving”
Shinya: “Oh, that…avoid it, then”
Page 24:
Shinya: “Well then, I’ll take care of it…”
Guren: “It’s fine, I’ll do it myself”
Shinya: “You’re really violent, you know”
Guren: [My blood is cursed]
Guren: [I don’t know what’ll happen if he touches it…]
Shinya: “If you don’t treat it right away, it’ll leave a scar, you know?”
Guren: “Thanks for the concern”
Shinya: “You won’t be able to get a wife, you know?”
Guren: “Ah, yes yes, shuddup already”
Shinya: “Ah ha ha”
Shinya: “But that was close just now”
Page 25:
Shinya: “What was that thing?”
Shinya: “Do you know?”
Ferid: “This is scary, isn’t it?”
Ferid: “If you make contact which this kind of forbidden curse, the world will soon end”
Guren: [The vampire]
Guren: [Was disgusted by the experiment being carried out by the Hyakuya Sect]
Shinya: “But you know”
Shinya: “If the vampires really have their eye on them, wouldn’t even the Hyakuya Sect be destroyed?”
Page 26:
Guren: [The Hyakuya Sect should realize that they can’t win against the vampires]
Guren: [With every organization’s desires intertwined, the truth is completely obscured]
Guren: […No]
Guren: [She’s more than likely at the center of everything]
Page 27:
Shinya: “…it seems like”
Shinya: “If we mess this up, everything’ll be over before we know it”
Guren: “…seems like it”
Shinya: “Where you going?”
Guren: “Home”
Page 28:
Shinya: “Then I’ll see ya at school tomorrow”
Guren: “Yeah”
Shinya: “Good night-“
Guren: “Shinya”
Guren: “….”
Shinya: “What is it?”
Guren: “…thanks for today”
Page 29:
Guren: “If you hadn’t been there, I’d be dead”
Shinya: “Huh, huh, does that mean you owe me…”
Guren: “Not at all”
Guren: “You would’ve died if not for me, as well”
Shinya: “I guess so~”
Guren: “…I guess”
Page 30:
Guren: “I’ll trust you a little”
Shinya: “A little, huh?”
Guren: “Yes”
Guren: “A little”
Shinya: “Thanks for that”
Shinya: “I’ll see ya tomorrow”
Page 31:
Shigure/Sayuri: “Guren-sama!”
Sayuri: “Why are you covered in blooooood!?”
Guren: “Don’t get close, my blood’s contaminated”
Sayuri: “I don’t care!”
Guren: “You should. Shigure, take a bath and wash off the blood”
Shigure: “..uh, uhh”
Page 32:
Guren: “You two will get a scolding later. Go to Aichi right away for an examination” (*4)
Guren: [Nothing is happening]
Guren: [It doesn’t spread through touch? So is it a question of quantity then?]
Sayuri/Shigure: “Are you coming with us, Guren-sama?”
Guren: “I’m staying here”
Sayuri/Shigure: “Then we’re staying by your side…”
Guren: “Don’t be stupid, you’ll obey orders”
Shigure: “No, sir”
Sayuri: “I’m also saying no, sir”
Guren: “Are you angry?”
Guren: [I’m glad they didn’t come with me tonight]
Page 34:
Guren: [If they had come, no doubt they’d be-]
Sayuri: “…what’s wrong, Guren-sama?”
Guren: “Hm?”
Guren: “Ah, nevermind. I’m going to take a bath and go to bed.”
Sayuri: “…u-um, shall I wash your back…”
Guren: “Quiet”
Page 35:
Guren: [The death]
Guren: [of my friends]
Guren: [If I were Mahiru]
Guren: [I’d probably discard them all]
Guren: [When did I get this soft?}
Shinya: “You can’t become like Mahiru”
Shinya: “I don’t think that’s being soft”
Shinya: “Or perhaps I should say, that if you do make the same choice as Mahiru”
Shinya: “Then there’s no need for us to save her”
Shinya: “What do you think about that?”
Shinya: “Guren?”
Page 36:
Guren: [Is risking my life for the sake of others]
Guren: [Instead of my objectives or my ambitions]
Guren: [Weak?]
Guren: [Or strong?]
_____
T/N:
1. I’m honestly a little stumped on this…Shinya uses “tsukkonde yo” which has many meanings…I think he’s asking Guren to ‘go on’ as in he wants details.
2. I’m calling these Hyakuya guys “black suits” because it saves space
3. I had to tweak this a bit because in Japanese, they affirm a negative. The actual line is “Is she not coming?” “Probably” “Probably is a problem”, which doesn’t sound natural in English.
4. Not so much a note as a fun fact…I lived in Nagoya, Aichi province when I was in Japan. Nice to see it show up in this series.
