Our Jazz Has Standards, But Our Detective Doesn't: Anata Wo Yurusanai

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King of Bleh: Mar 3, 2007; A kingdom of rats.

Getting drugged at a pivotal moment is a classic Noir move, if it's good enough for Sam Spade then it's good enough for Ririko.

# ? Dec 21, 2020 19:36

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# ? Apr 26, 2024 13:58

Seraphic Neoman: Jul 19, 2011

So did we Ririko ever meet Saya or...?

# ? Dec 21, 2020 23:46

gimme the GOD DAMN candy: Jul 1, 2007

i guess the idea is that she is an actual ghost, who may have formerly haunted ririko's dad.

# ? Dec 22, 2020 02:14

ivantod: Mar 27, 2010; Mahalo, fuckers.

Welcome to the penultimate part of chapter four! Last time, on her quest to figure out the truth behind the arson cases from 1987, Ririko had some drugged tea at Chiharu's apartment, so let's see what happens now!

The vehicle stops and the ride is finished.

Some time later...

_Ririko-san?

Huh? Who is...

_{It's Asuka.}

Where are we?

_{Be quiet! Let's hurry, come on!}

They tricked you.

Completely.

The sign there says, "Ishihara Landscaping".

"Ishihara Landscaping"... I see.

Let's get out of here.

Wait, not yet.

It's dangerous here. We can come back another time.

Do you have your camera?

Yes.

Give it to me.

Here you go.

Look, they came out!

Ririko takes the picture of the two guys.

Did you get it?

I got it. Let's go!

And finally, we're back in the safety of the office.

You saved my life. But, how did you know...?

Asuka?

She was good about thinking quickly on her feet.

You didn't come back, and your mobile phone was not reachable. Then Chiharu came out, and put a bulky package on a truck. Asuka never hesitated about following the truck. I think that's great judgment, when she's only just started.

Where is Asuka?

I told her to go home for the day.

I must thank her tomorrow. Then...

"Ishihara Landscaping"?

Right. Let's have a look at that. Did you print out the photo?

Here.

Is one of these guys Ishihara Taichi?

No idea. I didn't even have time to check out the company name when we were there.

Yuuji, let's keep an eye on "Ishihara Landscaping".

All right. I've been thinking...

What?

Look at this.

Let me guess. Another device of Sakamoto's?

Uh, what are those? Did you buy them on the night market? But why so many?

It's Sakamoto-kun's new invention. Look at the suction cups at the bottom. Theres' a little microphone there and it records to a miniature recorder inside.

A frog-shaped recorder?

You can record indoor conversations simply by attaching it to the outside wall.

But why does it have to be in the shape of a frog?

You'll have to excuse the peculiarity. He calls it the "croak recorder".

Yes, as you might imagine, there is some wordplay going on here. Japanese onomatopeia for the sound that frogs make is "gero-gero". Also, "gero" typically means "vomit", but is also used as slang for "confession" for obvious reasons. Therefore when Sakamoto calls it in original Japanese as "gero"-recorder (録音ゲロ), of course it's understood as "confession" recorder, as in, recording somebody's true words without their knowledge, but also because "gero" is the sound that a frog makes, it obviously also had to be in the shape of a frog, right?

He has a unique feel for things, doesn't he? But, what do you think we should do with it?

How about putting it on the roof of a truck?

Good idea! Let's do it immediately!

You mean to go back there right now?

Sure. Wouldn't it be good to do it as soon as possible?

It's fine. They won't expect somebody to return so quickly who only just escaped from there.

I guess that's probably true.

Let's go!

And so we head back to the landscaping company parking lot.

Yuuji.

_{Shh! Don't talk so loudly!}

_{Let's split up. You take the three in the front, and I'll do the three in the back.}

_{All right.}

And so we put these completely inconspicuous frogs on the trucks.

_{Are you done?}

_{Yeah, I've attached them all.}

_{Let's go back.}

_{Are you actually making a joke right now?}

Puns are coming fast at us right now! But this one is very simple, the joke is simply that the words for "to go back" (帰る) and "frog" (カエル) are both pronounced the same in Japanese -- "kaeru".

That was a rough first day after reopening...

I suppose... I thought I was going to die.

Those guys are really dangerous, you know.

I'm not going to forgive this.

Going into hiding is not generally a hobby of mine.

I'm not saying it should be a hobby. But for heaven's sake, please don't do something rash!

Sure. Thanks.

Good morning, Yuuji.

Did you manage to get some sleep?

A little bit. When are we going to go and collect the recorders?

How long can they record for?

About 20 hours.

Then we should do it tonight. Let's go together.

Okay.

And then there's the matter of Goto Chiharu. I'll deal with that one.

Yes, it's again time for Yuuji to be annoyed with Ririko! Also, it's time for a "check"!

Eyes: Serious and angry face. He's really worried about me.

Mouth: No matter what I say, he always worries about me.

Hand: His whole body is tense. He really wants to stop me.

We can choose the first one to continue.

I understand, Yuuji.

I can't do that. This guy is the only lead I have to my father. If the police get him first, we are going to lose our chance to talk to him.

Is this really what you're thinking?

We are already past the point of no return. Please, Yuuji, come with me.

That's not the issue here.

I'll have everyone on stand-by: Sakamoto-kun, Mayumi and also Asuka.

I'll let everyboy know the phone number of Sano-san from the Metropolitan Police. If we're not back in half an hour, I'll instruct them to call him. Does that make you feel a bit less anxious?

Well, maybe. But it's still dangerous, you know.

I know, I know. We'll be careful. Let's leave in 30 minutes, I'll instruct everybody what to do. And, uh, can you ask Asuka to come talk to me, please?

All right.

A few moments later...

I just want to say thanks. Thank you, you saved my life.

You're exaggerating. I just followed them and called Yuuji. I didn't do anything that big.

No, you were great. I can't believe you made the decision to follow the truck in that situation. If you hadn't done that, I wouldn't be here any more.

A girl, you say? Was she perhaps wearing a red jacket? If so, then it might have been our friendly ghost, Saya!

A girl?

Yeah, about 6 years old or so, I guess? She came up to the car and pointed at the truck.

What kind of girl?

She was wearing a skirt, but I don't remember her face, it all happened in a moment.

A moment?

She was gone. She left while I looked at the truck.

And then?

That's it. Goto Chiharu was standing there, talking to the driver, with a big package on the ground in front of her. And I somehow knew it in my gut that it was you in that package.

How, indeed. Saya's ghost sure seems to be everywhere these days.

Well, either way. It's time to go with Yuuji and pay another visit to Chiharu!

*ding dong*

Who is it?

Delivery. You have a package.

Yes.

Hello there.

Ah!

Surprised? Well, I guess you weren't expecting to see me again. The tea was nice, if you see what I mean.

What do you mean?

You don't know? Then, should I explain it to you? How about, you drugged me?

You! How can you still...!

Yuuji, wait a second.

Goto Chiharu-san, there is no way for you to get out of this. So it's better if you admit what you've done.

I'm really sorry. I have no idea what you're talking about. Yesterday, you decided to leave suddenly because you were not feeling well. Actually I was quite worried about you.

Goto-san. These kinds of lies may end up costing you a lot.

What do you two even think you're doing? Making accusations like this all of a sudden. What did I do?

You put sleeping pills in my tea. You put me in a bag and carried me out. You attempted to kill me. That about covers it, I think. Basically, you won't be coming out for at least five years.

Do you even have any proof?

Uh, what?

So, I think this is a bit silly. Even if there's no physical proof, there are testimonies of three people, Ririko, Asuka and Yuuji, who all witnessed the events first hand, including Chiharu bringing down the bag containing Ririko's unconscious body. That should be counting for something, right?

I said, do you have proof.

I do.

What?

I'm not telling you that.

There is.

Then tell me.

No.

Look, you're just bluffing.

I'm not bluffing. The evidence will be presented in court. Use your stupid head and think about it for a second! The fact that I'm alive means your plan has failed. So we have the evidence and you're finished. Better start saying goodbye to your husband.

If you tell everything, you may get your penalty reduced. How about it? You still have time to turn back!

I don't know anything.

All right, I see. Yuuji, let's go.

Well, as expected, we didn't accomplish much here, so we'll do what we normally do in this kind of situation--go outside and wait for her to make a move!

Are you letting everybody else go back to the office?

There is no point in all of us being here right now.

You think she'll come out?

I'm sure she will. Her husband is an office worker, she'll want to take action before he comes back. Did you set up the transmitter?

Yes, I managed to sneak the transmitter pen into her bag. By the way, Ririko. About that evidence...

Silly. There's no such thing. We're going to collect some evidence now.

Ha ha. You really were faking it there.

Don't be rude, it's called a bluff.

Hold on! She's making a move. She's on the phone with somebody. Let's listen to it!

Can you turn up the volume?

As Ririko and Yuuji listen to the conversation, because we're using just that pen transmitter, we can only hear Ciharu's side of the conversation, so the other side will be represented with dots.

quote:

Chiharu: I can't believe this! You let that woman escape!

????: ......

Chiharu: I thought I explained it all to you! I'm only helping you out for old times' sake. You promised I only had to give her the drugs...

????: ......

Chiharu: You said there was not going to be any trouble! This is not worth it the pittance you're paying me! If you don't sort her out properly, I'll tell everything!

????: ......

Chiharu: Yes, sure. Now?

????: ......

Chiharu: All right, in one hour.

There you go, evidence number one.

Sure, sure, you're awesome. But, who was she talking to?

Ishihara Taichi. I'm sure of it.

I see.

Let's follow her!

A little bit later...

What should we do?

I wouldn't get too close. I think they are both dangerous.

Maybe we can take a picture?

Yuuji, do you have the GPS tracker?

Yes, I have it here. Should I put in on that car?

Please. I'll take a photo in the meantime. Give me the camera.

Luckily, the car appears to be parked right next to some bushes, allowing Yuuji to have a somewhat undetected access to attach the tracker. Meanwhile, we need to take a photo over here. The game asks us to do it ourselves, and we simply need to adjust the zoom until both of their faces are clearly visible, like so:

(All right, that's evidence number two.)

As we are doing that, Yuuji returns.

All right, I'm done.

He's leaving! Hide!

Let's follow him.

Is that Ishihara?

Probably.

Where do you think he's going?

We'll find out soon. GPS?

It's on, it's on. The flashing dot is his car.

I'm sorry, Yuuji. I think it's going to be another long day!

But in following him, we simply end up back again at the landscaping company!

He went in, right?

Yeah, he went in.

All right, let's at least get those recordings and get out of here as quickly as possible.

Proably not a good idea to do it right now...

I know, let's wait until it gets dark.

Shall we go in?

Isn't it still too early?

It's not really going to make a difference now even if we wait until midnight. Let's just do it.

All right, all right.

Did you get all three?

I did, you?

Yes, I got all three.

Ok, let's go home.

And finally, back at the office again!

Sorry that we came back so late! Is everybody still around?

Of course! Sakamoto-kun is very enthusiastic.

That should help. There are six recorders. Can you guys split up and listen to them to find the relevant parts?

Leave it to me.

Ah, sorry, can you ask Yuuji to come over, please?

(Mayumi, are you all right? It seems that Sakamoto-kun's "Roger that!" is starting to rub off on you too...)

Then, Yuuji comes to talk to us...

Why don't you get some sleep?

I slept in the car on the way home, so I should be ok. I'm going to edit everyone's data and then go to bed. You too, Ririko. I'll wake you up when I've finished editing, so why don't you get a bit of sleep until then?

Thanks Yuuji. Then I'll go and lie down.

Some time later...

Ririko...

Ririko.

Ririko!

Wake up!

Ah, Yuuji?

It's done.

Asuka found the important part. The lower pitched voice is probably Ishihara Taichi. The higher pitched voice is someone named Shimabukuro. Ready? I'll play it now.

quote:

Ishihara: Shimabukuro! This is all because you're too stupid! How did you not tie her up properly!

Shimabukuro: I did! With the packing tape!

Ishihara: Well, it must have somehow come off then, right? What are you doing, you bastard! You're always messing things up! It was the same that other time! Kitamura ran away so we were forced to do a hit and run on him! Do you understand how much trouble you've caused me!

Shimabukuro: I'm sorry, but that other time I did...

There is a sudden burst of noise on the recording.

What's going on here?

Sorry, there was a bit too much noise here. Let me fast-forward.

Sure.

quote:

Ishihara: Oh, right, Shimabukuro. What happened to that car you took to the paint shop?

Shimabukuro: It's still there. Do you want me to go and get it?

Ishihara: No, not yet. Let it stay there for now. Tell them I'll pay for it.

Shimabukuro: But it's a waste of money.

Ishihara: It's fine, just do as I say. It's still too dangerous. That bitch is sniffing around, and it's all because you screwed up.

Shimabukuro: Sorry. But what are we going to do about her?

Ishihara: We'll have to take care of it. We need to get rid of her before she causes a stink. If she goes to the police, we'll be in a world of trouble. Anyway, I'll take care of it. I have an idea.

Shimabukuro: Understood.

Ishihara: And then, there's that Chiharu. I've just about had it with her. All she does is complain about everything.

Shimabukuro: She's annoying. She keeps ordering me around. Who does she think she is? Let's get rid of her, too.

Ishihara: You're right, we should. We'll bring her over here tomorrow and pack her up. When's the next garbage disposal?

Shimabukuro: The night after tomorrow.

Ishihara: Where?

Shimabukuro: Tomiura, Chiba. In the mountains.

Ishihara: Then we'll throw out the Chiharu bag then.

Shimabukuro: But what about the other woman? Ririko, is it?

Ishihara: Leave it to me. I said I will take care of it.

Shimabukuro: Understood.

Is that all?

That's all.

...Yuuji.

Hm, what?

I want to hear everything.

As I said, this is everything.

Yuuji, let me hear it.

Please. I know you've added that noise on purpose. I'm right, aren't I? Don't worry, I'm prepared. Just let me hear it.

Ok, ok, wait a minute. Here it is.

quote:

Ishihara: Kitamura ran away so we were forced to do a hit and run on him! Do you understand how much trouble you've caused me!

Shimabukuro: I'm sorry, but that other time I did quite well, didn't I? What was that old man's name...

Ishihara: You mean, Takeuchi Isao?

Shimabukuro: He's that woman's father, isn't he? Chiharu was delighted to tell me.

Ishihara: I know. It's so dumb for both father and daughter to fall for the same trick, isn't it?

Shimabukuro: I think we handled it quite efficiently back then, no?

Ishihara: Well, of course! He was fast asleep! All we had to was pack him up, take him out there, and throw him away with the rest of the garbage. It would have been difficult to make a mistake with that one!

Shimabukuro: Well, I guess so.

Ishihara: Oh, right, Shimabukuro. What happened to that car you took to the paint shop?

Well, I guess now we know what happened with both Kitamura and Ririko's father. It would appear that they may have come too close to these guys and were both killed to silence them.

It's fine, Yuuji. Thanks. But, do you mind to leave me alone for now?

All right, I'll head home.

Upstairs, in Ririko's room...

And, indeed, the sound of a burning fire can be heard. So Ririko runs out quickly...

Well then.

TO BE CONTINUED...

# ? Dec 28, 2020 23:03

Taberquol: Jun 16, 2012

I feel like I should have expected that in a story about arsonists but I did not!

I am incredibly charmed by the frog recorders, I hope they make it out.

# ? Dec 28, 2020 23:21

Blaze Dragon: Aug 28, 2013; LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

So dad's dead. That's a sad ending for that. Seems the game is really setting up Ishihara as the final boss for RIriko's story here.

# ? Dec 28, 2020 23:21

Seraphic Neoman: Jul 19, 2011

"please ghost not right now I'm depressed."

# ? Dec 29, 2020 06:24

ivantod: Mar 27, 2010; Mahalo, fuckers.

Last time, Ririko was still investigating the 20 year old arson case, but it seems that some people were starting to feel a bit threatened, so they set a fire to the kindergarten building. Thankfully after having been warned by the ghost of Saya, Ririko managed to escape from the burning building.

In our final part of chapter four, we find Ririko and Yuuji the next morning, observing the aftermath of the fire.

They really did a number on us, huh?

I guess this was the "idea" that Ishihara was talking about. I was so stupid. If I had thought about it a bit, I could have predicted what they were going to do.

You should not be so hard on yourself. After what you've heard on the recording, you were not in a state to think straight.

Yuuji. For the first time in my life... I feel like I want to kill another person!

Ririko...

I know. I won't kill him. But I won't forgive him! I'm going there tonight!

Going where?

"Ishihara Landscaping". It's no good, unless we catch them in the act. I'm going to take the GPS transmitter and get on the truck loaded with garbage. I will discuss this with Sano-san. Both of you will follow me.

I will do it. I have to do it.

All right... I will follow you.

Yuuji is totally right here. This seems incredibly ill-advised. But, hey, it's Ririko.

And so, a bit later...

(How far is it to the destination in Chiba? I'm sure that the package containing Goto Chiharu's body is on this truck. I doubt she's still alive at this point...)

Eventually, the truck starts moving, with Ririko hidden on board. And some time after that...

Well, let's listen to them. It's two people we're already familiar with!

quote:

Ishihara: Shimabukuro, have you finished digging that hole? Hurry up already! We have to cover it all over by dawn!

Shimabukuro: Yes! Well, I'll get started.

(I held my breath and headed in the direction of the voice.)

(This hole... it's more than 20 metres in diameter. There are six excavators and several heavy machinery transport trucks here. The lights are on and the workers are going about their business.)

What are they even doing here? Apart from the arson side business, are they just illegally dumping rubbish from their regular business? What is even going on here?

Well, no matter, because, as expected, Ririko gets caught by Ishihara.

Good of you to join us! It would be a shame for Chiharu to be lonely, so really good timing on your part, miss. But I'm sorry to tell you, this is not the hole where your father lies.

So you're admitting you killed my father, then?

It wasn't me, Chiharu did it. I just gave him a proper burial.

That's enough!

I'll be happy to bury you close to him, if that's what you want.

By the way, you seem to be running a very large scale illegal dumping operation here. Good you haven't been caught yet, huh?

Well, you know, this is a man's world, not something for a woman like you to meddle into.

Don't make me laugh, a man's world. You're just dumping rubbish and burying it here.

I don't think you get it, miss. We're making hundreds of millions of yen with this. Thinking of environment doesn't even come into play, when there is so much rubbish to be dealt with. And that's where we come in, you could almost say that we're like a charity, you know.

By the way, Ishihara is addressing Ririko with "ojou-san" (お嬢さん), which is kind of a polite way of addressing a younger woman, so I've decided to translate that as "miss".

And you don't mind to bury some dead bodies with the rubbish, do you!

Well, it's not like they have any use, have they?

Who is ordering you to do this?

What are you talking about?

Who instructed you to kill Kitamura-san and my dad? Or are you just planning to play dumb, same like you did back then?

No, really, what are you talking about?

The arson incident in Izumichou. You didn't want to talk about Asakura Ryou then either. What are you so scared about?

Don't talk to me like you have an idea what you're talking about here!

Oh, did I get it right?

You're no match for Asakura, are you? So you just have to do whatever he tells you to do. Like you're his pet dog, isn't it?

Shut up! Think a bit about the position you find yourself in right now before you say anything more! You have the nerve to be snooping around like this! What do you people even want? Your father, that old man Kitamura... You're all getting involved into things you don't need to be involved in! If you had just stayed at home and enjoyed your tea, none of you would have needed to die!

I see, so you really don't want to talk about Asakura, then?

All right, I'm done chatting with you. It's time for you to be buried too.

Sorry. But I'm not planning on dying just yet.

No matter how stubborn, there is nobody here to help you...

I don't know about that...

And then the sound of police sirens is heard...

What are you...

Do you hear that? It's the sound of your doom.

The logistics of this event are a bit fuzzy, but I think the main trope is the one where the villain suddenly turns stupid and instead of killing James Bond right there on the spot, he invents some really elaborate way which he doesn't stick around to check if it actually succeeded or something like that, you know. Why even talk to Ririko here? Just knock her out and tie her up!

In any case, Ishihara is arrested, and a bit later, Ririko goes again to visit Kitamura's wife.

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't painful. But it's not over. This is not over yet!

What do you mean? Ishihara, the man who killed my husband and Takeuchi-san, has been caught, hasn't he?

True. But he's just "Youth A". There is still "Youth B", and he hasn't been caught.

So there is another main suspect?

I think so. Behind Ishihara and Shimabukuro, there is Asakura Ryou.

That's fine. But just let me know if you do remember.

In any case, the events from 20 years ago are not over yet.

And well, since there is nowhere else to go--our office slash home is not currently in a livable condition--let's just head over to Limelight! It's been a while since we've been there!

"The Good Die Young" is a British noir thriller from 1954. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert who later did a lot of work on various James Bond films, including directing a couple of them in the 1970s.

He wasn't really that young any more.

But he was a good man. Even if he was younger than me, I respected him a lot. It's disappointing that I won't be able to see him again.

I'm sure my father would have been happy to hear you say that.

Hm, what could it be...? Well, you're a priest, so... love for god?

Wrong. You can throw things like that in the trash.

Are you sure... it's ok for you to say something like that?

There's no problem. I'm an "ex" priest, anyhow.

Then, what is it?

Dignity. Most things can be bought with money... which is regrettable in itself, but not dignity. This is the one thing you can't buy, no matter how much money you have. Ririko-san, your father had dignity. It's not easy to find someone like that. So, you too, should live your life with pride.

I see. Thank you.

So, let's drink to a long goodbye?

Why not.

What is it?

I'm getting on a bit in years, so I was thinking of taking some time off. I've always wanted to do a leisurely tour of Europe.

That sounds great!

Yes, that's what I'm talking about. I was wondering if you would be able to take care of the bar in my absence.

Huh?

Oh, no, it will be closed.

But...

You're in a bit of a difficulty right now, no? It will take some time to repair the damage from the fire. In the meantime, simply use this bar as a temporary office.

And also, we can just stay here for the after work drinks, right?

But, are you sure? Really?

Please use it without reservations. I've been planning this trip to Europe for a long time, but I just couldn't find the right moment. But, it's the right moment now.

That would be really helpful! Of course, I will pay you rent.

Don't worry about the money. I will just be happy that you have a place you can use.

Thank you very much!

Well, I guess that's our office situation sorted, at least for now!

* * *

And so here we are at the end of the chapter four, even if some details of this finale are definitely a bit fuzzy and don't bear thinking too hard about them. Also, as you might notice, not much is really resolved here, and in fact the game seems to have a bit of a weird structure. The first three chapters are more-or-less self contained, but then the last three chapters (of which we have still two left) tell just one continuous story--that about finally resolving the arson case from 1987. So you should not really expect any cheating spouses to appear any more, or anything like that. Additionally, it may look like Chiharu was kind of dumped unceremoniously and removed from our plot, but don't worry, it's not quite that simple.

So the final two chapters are actually even labelled as part 1 and 2 of the same story, and, well, not to spoil anything, but it's also time to finally sort out what's been going on with Ririko's husband too. So, there's something to look forward to on that front also.

And finally, the last thing to look forward to is... well, turns out the game actually lets you read Yuuji's book! They in fact implemented that as an extra that you can access when you clear the game! So this is also something we'll do somewhere in the near future.

Anyway, see you in a few days!

P.S. "Abandonment of a corpse" is a real crime. For example in most parts of the US it's a felony. To quote: "A person commits the crime of abandonment of a corpse if that person abandons, disposes, deserts or leaves a corpse without properly reporting the location of the body to the proper law enforcement officials in that county."

# ? Jan 4, 2021 21:38

Psion: Dec 13, 2002; eVeN I KnOw wHaT CoRnEr gAs iS

I like the bartender's excuse not to have to draw another set of office backgrounds :v:

what a helpful and cool guy

# ? Jan 4, 2021 22:17

Seraphic Neoman: Jul 19, 2011

drat, rip Chiharu. Shoulda known better huh.

Also that is an awfully nice offer for an office, Bartender Dude.

# ? Jan 5, 2021 02:53

Psion: Dec 13, 2002; eVeN I KnOw wHaT CoRnEr gAs iS

Seriously though it's so out of left field this game is doubling down on continuity and a story line which doesn't stop after a case. I guess I get it, establish with some one-shots and then hit the main plot, but it does feel like it ran long until they switched gears.

# ? Jan 5, 2021 03:13

Seraphic Neoman: Jul 19, 2011

Might be a case of rewrites. They were trying to weave the "disappeared dad" story into previous cases but it ended up being a mess mechanically.

# ? Jan 5, 2021 19:42

gimme the GOD DAMN candy: Jul 1, 2007

i guess the only reason why her dad was considered missing is that no one actually looked for him until this chapter.

# ? Jan 6, 2021 00:26

ivantod: Mar 27, 2010; Mahalo, fuckers.

Welcome to chapter five!

At the end of the last chapter, some people involved with the arson cases from 1987 got themselves arrested, but not before setting fire to Ririko's kindergarten office/home. Also, it seems that they did also kill her father to prevent him from continuing his investigation into them, although there still appears that there could be something more behind all that.

The beginning of chapter five finds Ririko in the visiting room of a detention centre where Ishihara is being held...

What is it? You look like you're about to murder me.

Sorry, but I don't have time to deal with your provocations.

It wasn't me who killed you father. It was Chiharu.

_{Just looking at you is making me want to throw up.}

If you really hate me that much, how about I let you hit me? How about it, come on?

Ishihara! Stop trying to provoke her!

Since there is no depiction of the guard's face, then this is how he will be shown in the dialogue!

Miss, if the accused becomes more agitated, this interview will be terminated.

I'll be careful. Please let me continue.

All right.

What do you want? I already told everything I know. Whatever you want to know, ask the detective who interrogated me.

You know Asakura Ryou, right?

Who is that supposed to be?

Where is he hiding, then?

I told you I don't know him!

Why are you trying to hide this?

You're stupid. What I don't know, I don't know. Have you gone crazy?

Let me ask you one more time. Where is Asakura Ryou?

Stop with the bullshit! Let me tell you something that I do know. Let me tell you how dumb your father was to fall right into Chiharu's trap!

Ishihara, watch your mouth! Takeuchi-san, this is enough. It's useless talking to him.

Please, just a bit more.

All right.

I'm just telling you, you're likely to get the death penalty. So before you die...

Do I look to you like I'm afraid to die?

You don't. That's why I think it's so strange... Why are you so afraid of Asakura?

I'm not afraid of him! I told you, I don't know Asakura!

You remember the arson in Izumichou, right? You also protected Asakura back then too. Why?

Jailer! Hey, jailer! I've got a stomachache! Take me to the doctor's office! Come on! It hurts like hell! I need a doctor!

So you really don't want to talk about it, huh? All right. But I'm not going to give up.

And well, I guess we won't be getting anything out of him this time either. So let's head back to our new "office".

When I mentioned the Izumichou fire, he suddenly developed stomachache.

Ririko, you really have a lot of patience...

No I don't. I want to send him straight to hell! But I also understand that Ishihara is not the real enemy here.

You mean Asakura Ryou?

Right. It was Asakura who killed the boss.

But why? I don't understand why. Isn't the statute of limitations for the arson case is long expired anyway?

So we need to look into that further. I'll talk to detective Sano. I want to know the details of Ishihara's interrogation. And also the one of Shimabukuro.

Who do you mean by "we"?

Me, Mayumi, Sakamoto-kun...

Thanks, but... this is not really part of our official work. This is my own private...

Mayumi and I are both indebted to the boss! That's why we are still here, isn't it! Right? Isn't it weird to suddenly now start saying how this is a private thing?

I'm sorry, Yuuji. You are right. Honestly, I do want you two to help me out with this. But what about Sakamoto-kun and Asuka?

Why not them?

Well, they have never even met the boss.

It doesn't matter if we're doing this for a client or not.

I know what you're thinking. This is way more dangerous than your typical cheating spouse case. But, actually, Ririko is just about to bring that up, believe it or not! Just after we do a "check"!

Yuuji: I can strongly feel the concern for myself.

Face: Looks so serious, it's scary. I've never seen Yuuji's face look like this before.

Hand: Yuuji's hand is shaking. I can feel his anger.

Like most of the time, it doesn't matter a huge amount what we pick, so let's go with option 1.

I'm happy that you all care about me, but... still, I can't. This is different from the cases we've had so far. It's not like an extramarital affair or a simple background check. I might... I might be killed. I don't want to drag everybody into a dangerous case like this.

Everyone is already involved! At this point it doesn't make sense to pretend we haven't seen what we have seen!

But, Yuuji, you're so close to achieving your dream of being a children's book author! It's not too late! You can get off this case!

How can you be sou sure that it's not too late?

I don't know, but I'm sure if you don't get off this case that you will definitely be in danger.

The people you're after are the kind of people who don't care about having to kill someone. They set fire to our office out of retaliation. At this point there's not guarantee any more that any of us can get off this case safely. Isn't it like that?

That's... that's true.

Getting through this with half-measures is not going to be possible. The real battle has already begun. So we'll just have to work together to get through it.

I'm sorry... It's all my fault.

I understand. I understand. I won't say any more. I will just ask you for help.

That's what you should have said from the start, you know. Then, what should we do?

Mayumi will stay here. She'll be in charge of communication, like always. Yuuji, you team up with Sakamoto-kun to look into Ishihara Taichi. Find out as much as you can about him, inclduing any personal relationships.

All right. And Asuka?

She'll stay with me. We'll hit up our police contacts and try to gather more information. Is that ok?

All right. I'll tell everybody.

Thank you, Yuuji!

Well, that actually went pretty well. So now we at least have our whole team back in action, it's been a while.

Also, it's time for...

...the chapter title! As always, it's the title of a song. The song "Speak Low" was written in 1943 by Kurt Weill, with lyrics by famous American poet of the time, Ogden Nash. Kurt Weill may be familiar to you from his collaborations with Bethold Brecht as the music composer for his plays, which gave us among others, the famous song "Mac the Knife". Anyway, here is the song that is the title of this chapter, peformed by the composer himself!

Now let's see what awaits us!

To start with, as she already mentioned, Ririko is meeting with her police contact, detective Sano.

Please do what you can. By the way, I also want to thank you for making it possible for me to meet Ishihara. I appreciate it, really.

It's no big deal. But, did you manage to get anything out of him?

Unfortunately, not. Um, but... Ishihara did confess to the crime, right?

Yes, but only regading the murder of Goto Chiharu. He was practically caught in the act there, so it would be difficult to deny.

What about the murder of my dad?

He admitted to dumping the body, but is refusing to admit that he killed him.

Was he killed by Goto Chiharu, then?

Yes, that's what Ishihara is saying.

Is it possible that Shimabukuro killed him?

I don't know about that. Shimabukuro admitted to killing Kitamura Kouichi, but he's also testifying that Goto Chiharu killed your father.

Could it be that they both agreed to tell this story in case they were caught?

I don't really know. But it's certainly one possibility.

Can I meet with Shimabukuro?

I'll try to arrange it.

Thank you very much. To tell you the truth, I wanted to ask you one more thing. Would it be possible for me to read the statements from Ishihara and Shimabukuro's questioning?

Who interrogated the two of them?

A detective named Sasaki, from our department.

Then, at least, could I talk to him.

Uh, but...

I understand the situtation, but... please!

All right. All right. I'll try to persuade Sasaki. I will explain the circumstances to him.

Thank you very much.

I'll tell him to come and visit you. Can you do it tomorrow?

That would be great.

I guess Sano is just a nice guy like that so he doesn't mind helping us, no matter how far Ririko pushes it!

Anyway, back to the "office" to meet up with Asuka!

Was the door unlocked?

Yeah, Mayumi-san was here before me, so she let me in.

Where is Yuuji and Sakamoto-kun?

They've gone out.

So, what do you think about the ambiance?

We're going to look deeper into Ishihara and Shimabukuro. All of us. Asuke, can you come with me?

Sure.

How much have you heard already about this?

Well, I got the gist. So... any leads so far on Asakura Ryou?

Nothing really so far. Oh, right, I have this.

Oh, right, the still frame from that video tape.

That picture looks pretty rough.

It's video still frame from 20 years ago.

This is Asakura? He's still a boy here, how old was he?

He was 15.

So, he's... 35 years old now, right? I'm not sure how much this will help us, though.

Well, it's all we've got so far.

I see. That's not so good, huh.

As usual, Ririko is interrupted by her phone. Let's see who it is.

This is Takeuchi.

Ah, it's Sano. About the Shimabukuro thing, how about tomorrow at 10 AM?

Thank you very much!

Also, I've managed to persuade Sasaki to visit you at 8 PM.

Sorry for making you go to all the trouble.

Well, later.

Anyway, with that arranged, back to Asuka.

Asuka, can you be ready to go tomorrow at 9 o'clock?

Sure.

Well, I'm going to head out now. Do you want to come with?

To where?

Shingi.

All right, see you tomorrow.

Well, it has been a while since we talked to Shingi. So, let's head over there and see what he has to say about recent events.

Asuka?

But you look like you're doing ok now.

Change the subject. I don't really have time right now to be depressed.

So, what happened today? Did Ishihara cough up anything?

No, nothing. At least for now. But, speaking of which, can you tell me where you got that information from?

What information?

How did you find out that the name of "Youth A" was Ishihara Taichi?

Oh, that. But didn't I already tell you I can't talk about that.

That was then, this is now. Things have changed.

Oh, fine. What do you want to know?

I want to meet with the person who told you about it.

And what are you going to do when you meet them?

I want to talk to them about Ishihara.

That's easy for you to ask like that.

A yakuza? Or some kind of informant?

What do you mean?

I'm starting to worry about you, is all.

About me?

Kitamura-san and your father knew too much about this case. That's why they were bumped off by the main culprit.

You mean, Asakura.

Asakura?

Right, Asakura Ryou.

This Asakura Ryou, did he kill your father?

I think so.

Who is he?

Well, that...

But you're going after Asakura.

Of course.

But, why?

What do you mean?

You want me to back off of this case?

...Yes. It would probably be a good idea if you could.

I cannot.

Ishihara and his people tried to kill me! They burned down my office!

And after that?

So far, nothing.

You need to be prepared. If you're getting into this, you need to be prepared. Don't forget what happened to Kitamura-san and your father. They were not stupid and they were trained police officers. Do you see what I mean?

Yes. But I can't withdraw from this. I just can't.

I get it. But you have to promise me one thing. If you start to feel like you're about to walk into danger, stop and turn back. Understood?

Yes.

If anything happens, call me on my mobile.

But you never answer the phone!

That's because I haven't given you the number that I do answer.

You're terrible.

Anyway, Asuka has the number, just ask her.

All right. Anyway, this bar is our temporary office. If you need anything, call me.

Anyway, are you going to tell me...?

You mean the source of my information?

Yes. You haven't told me.

There is a bicycle shop in Izumichou, called Yamakawa Cycles.

Yamakawa Cycles!

Ah, yes, if you recall the story from Sano, he mentioned about him and Ririko's father talking to a bicycle shop owner back in 1987. So I guess it's the same guy.

Oh, you know it?

I heard about it from the police. What about it?

Anyway, the old man Yamakawa Haruo remembered Ishihara Taichi's name.

But, how did you know about Yamakawa Cycles?

Oh, right.

Anyway, just ask Yamakawa. Tell him you already spoke with me and I said it's ok.

All right, thanks a lot.

Things seem to be going quite well for us today. That can't be good!

Anyway, tomorrow morning, Ririko and Asuka are on the move! We are on the way to talk to Shimabukuro.

Detention centre, right?

Yes... Let's hope the traffic is not too bad. Oh, and Asuka... Can you let me know later the phone number, you know, the one that Shingi does answer.

Huh, isn't that curious. It's quite rare that Shingi gives out his private number. He must really like you.

Not sure if I should be happy about that...

Haha, I see what you mean.

After arriving back at the detention centre, it's time to talk to Shimabukuro.

What do you want?

You killed Kitamura Kouichi-san, right?

Yes. Guess there's no point in denying it now, since they found the car and all...

Who was the instigator? Ishihara Taichi?

That's right.

Then let me ask you, who dealt with Goto Chiharu?

It was Ishihara-san.

Really?

Yes, it was him.

Then, one more. Who killed Takeuchi Isao?

It was Goto Chiharu.

Really?

Yes, it was.

That's a bit odd. Ishihara says it was you.

Ah, Ririko is trying her silly bluff again, huh.

That's nonsense! It was all her! I had nothing to do with it!

You should be careful about this. Killing one person or two is not the same thing. Under Japanese laws, if you killed two people, you will definitely be getting the death penalty.

This is surprisingly true. Death penalty is not usually given to "single" murderers in Japan, but only to "multiple". Also I was surprised to find out that still to this day it's actually performed by hanging.

I DIDN'T DO IT!

But you helped, didn't you? Just like the truck that I was on.

I did, but I didn't think they would kill him.

You didn't?

I didn't! You have to believe me!

Fine, I'll believe you. One last thing, does the name Asakura Ryou mean anything to you?

Hmm, Asakura... I don't know that name.

All right, that's enough for now.

All right, we didn't really find out here anything we didn't already know. So, let's head over to Yamakawa Cycles.

So you mean this Shimabukuro is just small fry.

Yeah. I really think that he genuinely doesn't know about Asakura.

Then, it was really Goto Chiharu who dealt with the boss?

In any case, that's at least what Shimabukuro believes to have happened.

But, if so, what is Chiharu's motive?

I guess she didn't want to have her past exposed.

That's it?

I guess she was threatened by Ishihara. She seems to have had a rough time in her youth, so she probably couldn't let her husband find out about it.

But would you really kill a person just because of that?

I heard that Chiharu's husband is a member of the "elite", so she probably didn't want to ruin the happiness she's found. So it's not strange that she would think like that.

Stupid woman.

But hey, Ririko. Why don't we go there? I mean Goto Chiharu's house.

Right now? But it's only noon.

Even "elite" corporations usually take Sundays off, don't they?

Sundays?

Right.

All right, let's do it. But before that...

Yamakawa Cycles?

Something like that, yes.

All right, let's see.

Sorry, we're not customers.

Oh, are you Ririko-san? I already got a call from Suzuki-san.

Yes, I am Takeuchi Ririko.

The daughter of that detective, right? I was sorry to hear about that.

Yes... But, more importantly, please tell me, how do you know about Ishihara Taichi?

Well, I can't forget it. Kawabata-san was a good man, you know. He liked road bikes... we always semeed to be on the same wavelength.

I know that "checks" seem quite rare in this part, but nevertheless, there is one here!

Yamakawa: Seems friendly and easy to talk to. Also looks like he has good memory.

Face: He seems to be sympathetic. Has a relaxed look.

Hair: About the same age as the boss. Although his hair seems to have receded a lot more.

Option 1 it is, again.

So you spoke to my father about Ishihara.

That was already 20 years ago...

And you haven't spoken with him since then?

At first, I didn't recognise him. The old man got a bit chubby, huh?

When was the last time he visited you?

Ah, I guess about six months ago.

What did he say to you?

Well, we discussed the upcoming elections...

Elections? What did you talk about?

We had the elections in the spring. I guess both of us always voted Republican. I was volunteering for the local representative.

There is no political party with such name in Japan. The two biggest parties are Liberal Democrats (despite the name, this the conservative party, like US Republicans) and Constitutional Democrats (this is the progressive party, like US Democrats). The Liberal Democrats have been in power basically continuously for many decades already.

What did my father want to know?

He was asking me various questions about Yazaki-sensei.

We have heard that name already, long ago. Don't worry if you don't remember, coz there's gonna be a flashback in a minute!

Yazaki-sensei.

Yazaki Kengo, member of the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives is the lower house of the Japanese parliament.

Yazaki Kengo... I've heard that name somewhere.

Well, of course you did. He's basically the "brains" of the Republican party.

And then...?

Look, there is that veterinary clinic at the corner of the shopping street: "Yazaki Veterinary Clinic". He's the only son of Dr. Junzou, the clinic director.

Is that all?

Yes, that's all. We didn't talk about much else, he seemed to be busy.

I see, thank you very much.

That's all for here, for now.

Hey, Ririko, what's up. Why such a grim face?

Hold on, give me a moment. I'm just... trying to remember something.

All right, all right.

quote:

Have you heard of Yazaki Kengo?
Yeah, I've heard the name. Some kind of politician, right?
Yes, this guy.

So what's up with this Yazaki Kengo?
He's quite a dirty guy, that one.

Those are some interesting thoughts that Ririko is having there. Certainly, Kusanagi may still be alive since none of the criminals have mentioned him in any way. But at least it's pretty clear that the game has now started to put all the pieces into their places for the finish of this story.

In any case, Ririko and Asuka soon arrive at Chiharu's house.

Well, there we are again at Goto Chiharu's house.

For sure. I don't exactly have good memories of this place, though.

Well, let's head on up and talk to the husband.

Could you tell us about Chiharu-san?

Chiharu... I was deceived by that woman. It's a terrible story in the end. I didn't realise the kind of person she was.

Did you not know anything?

Of course not. Therefore, the funeral was held at the Saeki house, the home of her parents. I paid for it, of course.

How did you get to know Chiharu-san?

It was just an arranged blind date. You know, a typical story. I was completely fooled.

And here's one last "check" for today!

Masayuki: Thin face and slender body. I wonder if it's because of stress?

Clothes: Stiffly dressed, like a bank employee. Isn't it a bit too formal?

Eyes: I could feel his eyes looking distantly through his gold rimmed glasses.

This time, let's go with option 2.

I understand that you work for an investment company. You seem to be dressed very neatly. Do you always dress so formally when you work?

It that so unusual? I guess it's still the influence of the bubble economy. A lot of people think that an employee of an investment company would be more rough seeming. We are a foregin company; it's a solid business that contributes greatly to the world economy and the international society in general. We provide techinical assistance to developing countries, building infrastructure and all sorts of things. I mainly work in energy and resources sector. I do many different things, I often have to go abroad for meetings, so I have to dress carefully. So I always try to keep it up.

Oh my god, is he reading from a company brochure! What is this!

I see.

If my boss finds out that my wife is a murderer I will never be able to get promoted.

I understand how you feel, but please try to calm down a bit.

You're right. I apologise. So what did you want again?

What is the name of the company you work for, Goto-san?

It's G&Y Trade.

That's a big foreign company, isn't it?

Well, yes.

Are you very busy with your job?

I travel abroad, so it's a bit of an irregular schedule. Is that what you came all the way here to ask me?

No. I wanted to find out something. Goto-san, you didn't know anything about your wife's acquaintances?

I didn't.

What about Ishihara Taichi?

No, I don't know him.

And Shimabukuro Kazuhiro?

Of course not.

What about Takeuchi Isao?

You seem very persistent. I only know because a detective mentioned him.

A detective?

A detective named Sasaki.

Oh, well, that's the guy Sano pointed us to, so we'll be talking to him soon.

So, Sasaki-san told you about it?

Yes. He was also very persistent.

I see.

It's just I'm really upset because of all this!

You don't like being treated as a suspect, do you?

That's right. That's exactly right.

Sorry. We also came here today unannounced like this.

No, it's fine, as long as you understand my situation.

I understand how you feel. If there's anything else, may I contact you?

If you want to call me, please jsut call me at home and not the office. You understand, right?

I understand. I won't call you at work. All right then, we should be going...

Oh, that's right, Goto-san, I forgot... Do you know Asakura Ryou?

All right. Then, please excuse us.

Yeah, this guy seems a bit odd. Let's see what Ririko and Asuka have to say about it as they stand outside the building.

So, what did you think of that guy?

I think so, too.

Number one, he starts talking about himself in detail, without even knowing what we came here to ask.

And number two?

Acting suspiciously. Restless.

Number three?

He stumbled a bit there when asked about Asakura.

Correct! You get a total of 70 points!

I have still more.

Then, what's number four?

He's talking about his work in very generic terms. He could have mentioned something specific like they built an oil pipeline somewhere or whatever. The company guys at the club always wanted to brag. They would tell me all the little details without me needing to ask. They just assume everybody will be interested to hear what they did overseas. But this guy is talking about resources, energy, abstract things like that.

He's probably lying. This not what a person in his job would be like.

All right, then, that's 80 points. You get a passing grade!

Shouldn't I be getting 100 points?

I'm not sure... you missed one last bit. He said we should contact him at home, right?

He did.

But how did he know we already have the number?

Of course! That's amazing.

So show some respect, ok?

I do! I do!

Going investigating with Asuka is definitely fun! But it's time to return to the "office"!

True, this case has been getting a bit messy. So let's make a diagram so we can follow better all involved parties!

First of all, Ishihara Taichi admits that he killed Goto Chiharu.

And he says that it was Chiharu who killed the boss. Sorry, Ririko.

Well, we can't get Chiharu's testimony, but it's pretty certain.

Then it was Shimabukuro who killed Kitamura-san and made it look like a hit and run. The order was given by Ishihara.

That's what should have happened. The testimonies support it.

And then, Ririko, what do you think about this?

Yes. But there is no proof.

And then, what? Goto Chiharu's husband is a bit suspicious?

Yes, Goto Masayuki. He's very much a grey area at the moment.

And then?

Yazaki Kengo. A representative from Izumichou. The person whom both the boss and Kusaangi were investigating. He also seems fishy.

Yazaki Kengo. Here.

All right, Yuuji, now is your turn. What did you find out.

Well, our findings were not so complicated.

Was Sakamoto-kun all right?

Uh, what do you mean?

Sorry, nothing, please continue.

I lit an incense stick for Chiharu. It seems that her husband didn't even attend the funeral. Saeki Kazumi was quite bitter about it. She blames Masayuki. She thinks he's the worst.

I didn't really think she would have wanted me to bring up the topic of Chiharu, but she did say that he was a swindler.

A swindler!

Well, it's an old-fashioned word, but that's what she said. She said that the whole thing about him being some kind of an "elite" was a lie.

What do you mean?

I see. Well, either way we need to look more into Goto Masayuki. And then?

I looked into Ishihara Landscaping. I was surprised to find out that it's quite an old family of good origin. Ishihara Taichi is the fifth generation. His father died about 10 years ago. The following year his mother followed his father.

Is he married?

Divorced. Now has a common-law wife. A woman named Hotta Ayako. She's the owner of a snack bar named "Lupin".

That's kind of a cliched development.

What can I do. It's true.

Did you go to "Lupin"?

I did, but they told me to go away. They said there's nothing to talk about.

Why did he split up with the ex-wife?

I think she must have gotten fed up with him and left. After his father died, he started doing whatever he liked and the business went into decline. I also heard that he was a drinker and a hitter and a guy who generally gets into trouble.

I'm surprised they didn't go bankrupt?

They were selling off land to make ends meet. And then there is also the illegal dumping. It seems that all the decent employees had quit. So Shimabukuro seems to be the only regular employee.

So he is making money by illegally dumping rubbish under the guise of a landscaping business.

So what about Shimabukuro?

We're looking into it, but nothing yet.

Where does he live?

I think he is renting a room in a house near Ishihara Landscaping. His parents live in Naha.

Naha, Okinawa?

Yes, on Okinawa.

How did he end up working at Ishihara Landscaping?

I haven't researched that yet.

All right, I see. Yuuji, you should thoroughly investigate everything related to Ishihara Landscaping

All right, got it.

Well, that was quite exhausting. But luckily, Ririko is interrupted by a phone call.

Yes, this is Takuchi.

Ah, Ririko-san. This is Kitamura Chieko. I remembered. About Asakura Ryou.

You did!

Yes, I remember now. Can you come over?

Of course. I'll be there immediately!

*click*

Yuuji, I have to go out for a bit. Kitamura-san's place. If a detective named Sasaki comes to see me, please keep him busy.

Asuka, we're going out!

I'm coming, I'm coming!

Well, next time we'll find out where did Kitamura's wife hear the name Asakura previously, but in the meantime, I hope your head is not spinning right now, because that was a massive info dump right there. But hopefully things will clear up a bit as we proceed through the chapter! Let's see how it goes.

On another note, I have to say I am enjoing the Ririko/Asuka pairing very much!

Oh, and by the way, I'm sure it hasn't escaped your attention that an island location was mentioned (Okinawa)!

# ? Jan 14, 2021 23:49

gimme the GOD DAMN candy: Jul 1, 2007

well, it seems straightforward enough. asakura was a pseudonym or at worst an alternate personality (because that's the kind of story this is) of yamaki. statute of limitations doesn't matter for a political scandal. i'm not sure where the swindler widower comes in, if he even does.

# ? Jan 15, 2021 01:45

Blaze Dragon: Aug 28, 2013; LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

gimme the GOD drat candy posted:

well, it seems straightforward enough. asakura was a pseudonym or at worst an alternate personality (because that's the kind of story this is) of yamaki. statute of limitations doesn't matter for a political scandal. i'm not sure where the swindler widower comes in, if he even does.

He's way too suspicious not to. I can't imagine he's a red herring with how much setup he's getting this late in the game.

I have no idea where he falls. At the very least, I agree that Yamaki and Asakura are likely one and the same. Goto is a mystery, but there's no way he isn't involved with how hard he's playing the victim despite his testimony being bullshit and him being clearly unaffected emotionally by his wife's death.

# ? Jan 15, 2021 02:33

gimme the GOD DAMN candy: Jul 1, 2007

he might just be a shady dude up to shady poo poo that is completely unrelated to the asakura stuff.

# ? Jan 15, 2021 02:37

Robindaybird: Aug 21, 2007; Neat. Sweet. Petite.

I doubt it, the previous cases didn't really use much in the way of Red Herrings, it seems unlikely the writers would change tactics this late in the game.

# ? Jan 15, 2021 02:39

Seraphic Neoman: Jul 19, 2011

I think Asuka might actually be a better detective than Ririko

# ? Jan 15, 2021 03:04

tomanton: May 22, 2006; beam me up, tomato

We absolutely will not here where she heard of Asakura before. She said all that poo poo with a gun to her head

# ? Jan 17, 2021 06:06

ivantod: Mar 27, 2010; Mahalo, fuckers.

Hello! Last time, Ririko got a phone call from Chieko saying that she has finally managed to remember where she had heard the name "Asakura Ryou" previously! And so we join Ririko as she arrives at Chieko's house...

The book's title is "The King of Darkness", by the way.

It's a novel?

Yes. It's a book that my husband recommended I read. So really gave it my best, but in the end it wasn't my kind of thing. So I gave up halfway through.

Uh, but, here it...

That's right. The main character in this book is named "Asakura Ryou".

(Hm. The author is named Kurihara Tetsuya and the book was published by "Shinpousha". Oh! It's Suzaki Youichi's company!)

Hope everyone still remembers Suzaki from the "coded letters" case a while ago!

I'm sorry, but could I borrow this for a while?

Of course. That's why I called you over.

I'm sorry, but I'll have to excuse myself right now. I will explain everything properly later.

Thank you very much.

A bit later, in the car, with Asuka.

But this is good, right? Asakura Ryou has been found!

Can we really call this "found"?

Of course we can, of course we can!

Either way, we should start looking into it immediately.

And to do that, we'll make a phone call to Suzaki!

Hello, this is Suzaki.

Suzaki-san, this is Takeuchi Ririko. It's been a while.

Ah, Ririko-san! Don't be a stranger, ok?

Are you taking good care of Akane-san? How is it going with the wedding?

We're looking for a venue right now. You will come to the ceremony, right?

Of course!

Then, it must be something urgent if you're calling me like this on my mobile?

Well, something like that. I'm looking into a book called "The King of Darkness", published by Shinpousha.

"The King of Darkness"!

What's wrong?

"The King of Darkness" is the first book I was in charge of editing here!

Oh, really! Well, that's lucky, huh? So then you must also know the author, Kurihara Tetsuya?

I do know him. Or, to be more precise, I did know him.

What do you mean?

He's passed away a long time ago.

He's dead? How?

I'll tell you all the details. Can you come over tomorrow?

I'll be there. At what time?

Any time in the afternoon is fine.

All right, I will see you then!

*click*

All right, next is to meet with detective Sasaki.

Oh, right, that's what we were supposed to be before we got called out by Chieko. All right, let's head back to the office! Uh, I mean, "office"!

Sorry to keep you waiting.

I am Takeuchi Ririko.

Do you mind if I don't give you my business card?

Of course not.

I wouldn't want you to think that I am leaking the details of the investigation.

Before we continue, expectedly, there is a "check" to be done.

Sasaki: Putting a bit of pressure. Does he want me to make the first move?

Face: Square, strong-willed looking face. A bit overly serious, isn't he?

Eyes: He can't hide the sharp look in his eyes. He's a detective, after all.

We'll just go with option 1.

Wait a second, please!

Yes, what is it?

I understand completely what you're saying, Sasaki-san. After all, I am a detective's daughter, too. It's only natural that you can't discuss this stuff with an outsider. So I'll just ask a few questions, and you can answer as much as you are able? Of course, I am not recording this conversation.

You beat me to it. I was just going to suggest that. Seems you're quite good at negotiation, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Please go ahead and ask your questions. I will answer what I can.

Thank you very much. Then, the first question. What are the charges against Ishihara?

Murder and instigation to murder. Also, abandonment of a corpse.

What about rubbish dumping?

That one is a civil matter. It will be resolved eventually.

How much has Ishihara admitted to his crimes?

What about ordering Shimabukuro to kill Kitamura Kouichi?

He admitted to instigation.

And the murder of Takeuchi Isao?

He denies it.

And what is your opinion, Sasaki-san?

I can't really say. Takeuchi-san's body has not yet been found.

Are you still looking for him?

Of course. You can count on us. And, uh... I know this is a bit late to say, but... I'm sorry for your loss.

It's fine, please don't worry about that, Sasaki-san.

No, I should have said this to you to begin with.

Can I ask the second question?

Go ahead.

What are the charges againt Shimabukuro?

Murder and abandonment of a corpse. He's already admitted to the murder of Kitamura Kouichi. Also to the dumping of Takeuchi-san's body.

Uh, but I guess he doesn't want to say where, or something? Weird.

Is it Goto Chiharu who killed my dad?

That's what we're going with for the time being. Ishihara and Shimabukuro's testimonies are in agreement on that point.

Third question, then. What was the cause of death of Goto Chiharu?

That... is a bit of a problem. You mustn't reveal this to anyone.

I understand.

Suxamethonium?

One of the so-called muscle relaxant drugs. It's used as part of the general anaesthesia. If you are injected this drug, your breathing will stop.

True, but also, for a moment I felt like we've dropped back into one of our medical games which we've played in this thread... some years ago.

Is this drug available to ordinary persons?

No, not at all. It's only for medical use.

Were any components of this drug found in the corpse?

No, no traces of the relaxant. The autopsy showed that heart failure had occurred. There were no external injuries.

Did Ishihara admit to using this drug?

A vial and a syringe have been found at his home, along with his fingerprints. With this evidence it's hard to conclude otherwise.

Then, one last thing. What was the motive for the killing?

Whose motive do you mean?

Ishihara's.

According to Ishihara's story, it went something like this.

First, Takeuchi-san and Kitamura-san found out about illegal rubbish dumping. Then, in order to destroy the evidence, Ishihara asked Goto Chiharu to kill Takeuchi-san.

After that, he ordered Shimabukuro Kazuhiro, to kill Kitamura-san. Finally to keep her mouth shut, Ishihara himself killed Goto Chiharu.

Do you believe this testimony from Ishihara?

For the moment... there is no evidence which contradicts it.

I understand, I was asking a lot of you here. Thank you very much.

Then, I'll leave you to it.

And, well, he leaves.

The next day, Ririko and Asuka are again on the move...

Asuka, what do you think about all of this?

You mean, about what Sasaki-san told us yesterday?

Yes, that.

I'm really not convinced regarding Ishihara's motive. I just don't think illegal dumping is a good enough reason. And why would the boss and Kitamura-san even be interested in a rubbish dumping issue like that?

Ha ha, you're right. He barely even bothered to separate rubbish for recycling.

And then there's the matter of the muscle relaxant drug. Why would they use such a complicated way to kill someone? That seems strange.

That's true, isn't it. It just doesn't fit with someone of Ishihara's character.

Right? There's something odd here.

Well, let's look more into that, too.

Then, where are we going today?

To Chiharu's parent's house. We're going to talk to Saeki Kazumi.

Ah, right.

Will you be okay? I think we have a pretty hard program today, too.

Don't worry about me, I have confidence in my strength.

The investigative work really does seem more fun since Ririko and Asuka have partnered up, doesn't it?

In any case, soon we arrive at Chiharu's parents' house where we'll be meeting her mother.

My name is Takeuchi.

What... a detective? Give me a break already from all of you police and detectives... I'm also busy, you know. I already told the police everything about Chiharu. She ran away from home and died all on her own. I had nothing to do with it! So just leave.

I didn't come here today to talk about Chiharu.

It's not about Chiharu? Then what is this about?

It's about Goto Masayuki, I think he's suspicious.

So it's about Goto, huh.

I've only met with Goto Masaykui-san once, but at that time I thought that he was a little strange. So I thought I might find out more by asking here.

I see. Well, that's fine. What do you want to know?

Do you remember our other investigator named Kizaki?

Kizaki?

Kizaki Yuuji.

Oh, that boy.

Did you tell him that Goto-san was a swindler?

Yes I did. That's what I said.

What did you mean by that? If you don't mind, can you tell me more details?

I said he was a swindler, because that's what he is. What's the name of that company, "G & something". I'm serious, once I called him there and they said there are no employees of that name.

You called Goto's company directly?

I did. Although Chiharu told me not to.

What did you call him for?

I was a little short on cash. It wasn't a lot of money, so I was thinking of asking him to be a guarantor on my loan.

And?

And so I told him: "Isn't it strange? I called 'G & Something' and they said there was nobody there named Goto Masayuki".

And then?

He suddenly started talking like a yakuza and really scared me. "Don't tell Chiharu!" he said. Well I guess I got paid to keep quiet so I was fine with that. But it's strange, right? So then I told Chiharu.

Did you also tell her about the hush money?

How stupid do you think I am? No, I was just trying to advise her. So I told her to be careful because that guy is suspicious. And then Chiharu got angry with me! Don't come near us, she said. Children treat their parents like germs, you know. They're all just self-cenetered.

Is that all, Saeki-san?

How do you mean?

About him being a swindler.

He's got a lot of money, but no idea how he makes it. And also, I saw his shoulder tattoo.

Tattoo?

That's right.

He's got a tattoo of a lizard on his shoulder, that guy. I've never heard of an elite Tokyo University graduate having such a tattoo.

Are you sure?

Yes, I saw it my own eyes, there's no mistake. I said to Chiharu, "he can't be a respectable person with a tattoo like that". But she just said that it's a fashion and that I don't know anything and shouldn't talk about it.

About "respectability", the problem is that this is the sort of tattoo that an actual yakuza really might have. Hence, "not a respectable person".

Really? That must have been terrible.

Right? That's right. She always made fun of me. She would never listen to me. And look at it now, what a mess. I know that Chiharu was killed by that man.

Is that true?

You don't believe me either? I know it all. It was all arranged by that man.

I will believe you.

Really?

There is no proof, but I think what you just said is possible.

Do you? I think I'm still a good judge of character. I'm happy that you believe me.

We're done here, so let's go back in the car!

So did you believe all that?

No way. Although the part about hush money is probably true. She wouldn't boast about it she didn't actually receive it.

That's true.

We'll set up the transmitter, in Goto's house.

Good idea. When?

Maybe tonight... I'll put the pen in the living room, near the phone. Asuka, I need your help with that.

I'm a little nervous... but sure.

Ah, it will be fine. So, what's next?

The publishing company? Suzaki-san is there, right? Although...

Wait a minute. Before that, should we stop in Izumichou? I'd like to have a look at the clinic of representative Yazaki's parents.

Roger that!

All right, let's see what going on at the vet clinic.

Excuse me... Is anybody working here?

Ah, no, it's just... There was something I wanted to ask you.

No problem. Unlike those penny-pinching lawyers around here, I don't charge for a consultation.

Are you... all right? You seem like you have been drinking?

Sure I have been drinking. But I can still at least do an examination.

Well, this guy seems already fantastic. Also we haven't had a drunk doctor in a while. Anyway, let's do a "check".

Clothes: The white coat is wrinkled and dirty in many places.

Face: Puffy eyes, red face. I can smell whisky every time he opens his mouth.

Hand: His hand seems to be shaking slighty. Is he really ok, I wonder?

In a bit of a change, let's go with option 3!

Should you really be doing examinations when you're intoxicated like this?

Oh, I know when I've had too much. I'm not intoxicated yet. A simple examination should be fine. I wouldn't be so sure about a surgery, though. If it's some kind of an emergency I can refer you to another clinic...

At least you realise that much. Well, I just wanted to ask you something.

What sort of thing?

I wanted to talk to you about Yazaki-sensei from the Republican party.

Oh, about that, huh.

You're Yazaki-sensei's father, right?

I don't generally trust people who refer to him as "sensei".

Where is your son?

Have you not heard me? Please leave.

I'll come back.

There's no need.

That didn't go very well. So let's go across the street and have a chat with our friendly bicycle shop owher!

Are you busy?

No, it's fine. What is it?

We've been to Yazaki-sensei's parent's clinic, but we got kicked out.

He's a little strange, isn't he, that old man?

Yes, a little.

It's not just a little. He's completely drunk, he's been drinking since noon. But he didn't use to be like that.

What was he like?

Well, he used to have a good reputation, he was quite skilled. Many customers came to see him from a long way away. But he changed completely after his wife passed away. No one comes to see him any more.

Not even Yazaki-sensei?

He doesn't even let him in the house. I don't know the details, though.

I'd like to meet Yazaki-sensei.

Well, I don't really know his address, but during election season his secretary Tanaka-san comes often.

Do you have Tanaka-san's contact information?

Wait, I'll get it for you.

Oh, wait, do you have any posters of Yazaki-sensei?

You mean like from previous elections?

That's fine.

Hold on a second.

Thank you very much. I'll send you back the business card.

Ah, that's no worry. I have another card for Shuumei-san.

Shuumei?

Yes, everybody calls him that because his name is Hideaki and he's a nice guy who keeps low profile.

Oh, hey, we've been so focused on plot that there has not been any time for wordplay! But here we are again! I must admit, though, I'm not completely sure about this one, but I have at least come up with what I think is a plausible explanation. First of all, in what should not be a surprise to anyone, the name Hideaki (秀明) can also be read as "shuumei". "Shuumei" is also word (醜名) which means "scandal". So I guess the idea might be that a nice guy in politics who doesn't get into scandals is given the nickname "scandal". I feel this one is not as clever as usual, I must say. But I may have understood this one wrong too, so if someone has a better idea, let me know.

Just tell him that uncle Yamakawa sent you and he should help you out.

Did you give his business card to my dad, too?

No, I didn't. But I did give him Shuumei-san's contact information. Is there something wrong?

No, not at all. Thank you very much.

Back in the car, Ririko is having a think...

But of course it goes to voice mail, so Ririko leaves a message.

It's Ririko. I got mixed up in an incided and dad has died. I'm not going to pry into where you are what you are doing, but I have some questions about Yazaki Kengo, the representative. Please call me back as soon as you can.

We're getting closer to the end of the game, so I guess it's time to start bringing Kusanagi back into the picture in some way. Also don't worry about mobile phone usage while driving, Ririko is sitting in the passenger seat here since it's still Asuka who's behind the wheel!

Ririko, can I talk to you? There's one thing which is bothering me.

What's wrong?

It's about that medication that Sasaki had mentioned... Suxamethonium.

Oh, the muscle relaxant drug which was found in Ishihara's house? What's wrong?

I've heard of it before. There used to be this bitch who worked at the club. She would make customers buy her pets and then resell them.

What do you mean?

She would take the customer she was with to the pet store and then she would beg for a pet: "I want a doggie!". And the stupid customer would buy her a puppy, right?

That would end up expensive, right?

Probably about 100,000 yen. Anyway, she would take the dog home for the night and take a picture with her mobile phone.

Because, of course next time the customer would ask her, "how's the doggie". And so she would take out the piture to show him. But after that, she would sell the dog back to the store and return it.

So the store is in on it and they share the profit?

That's right. I mean, it's ok to try to get some money from the customers, but the pet shop I can't forgive.

What's the problem?

Well, after a few rounds, the dog gets bigger. I mean, that's expected, but... then you can't sell it any more as a cute puppy. So they get a veterinarian to euthanise the dog.

Sigh. That's terrible. But I see what you're getting at. The medication used for euthanasia.

Yes. I remembered it because the guy from the pet shop couldn't stop talking about it.

Suxamethonium?

Yes.

Asuka, we need to turn back!

All right, all right.

Well, of course. A clinic is able to get medications which are not generally available to the public. Not sure we needed to go through this whole complicated story about dogs to get to that conclusion, but at least it didn't take long! But, we'll see about that one next time!

# ? Jan 28, 2021 23:24

tomanton: May 22, 2006; beam me up, tomato

Narratively, Asuka's insights connecting in some way to her former (frowned upon?) profession make her a more interesting detective than Ririko. Still waiting for the bar to get a visit from taxi guy and Shizuka

# ? Jan 30, 2021 03:03

Seraphic Neoman: Jul 19, 2011

Asuka is loving doing work

# ? Jan 30, 2021 06:06

kirbysuperstar: Nov 11, 2012; Let the fools who stand before us be destroyed by the power you and I possess.

Asuka rules, what a good hire

# ? Jan 30, 2021 09:08

Blaze Dragon: Aug 28, 2013; LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Games > Let's Play! > Our New Detective Has Standards, But Our Main Detective Doesn't: Anata Wo Yurusanai

# ? Jan 30, 2021 17:18

Psion: Dec 13, 2002; eVeN I KnOw wHaT CoRnEr gAs iS

tomanton posted:

Narratively, Asuka's insights connecting in some way to her former (frowned upon?) profession make her a more interesting detective than Ririko. Still waiting for the bar to get a visit from taxi guy and Shizuka

In a storywriting sense, she kinda has to be. If she didn't have insights to help crack the case why be here at all?

but regardless, yeah she's pretty great so far

# ? Jan 30, 2021 19:54

ivantod: Mar 27, 2010; Mahalo, fuckers.

Blaze Dragon posted:

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Games > Let's Play! > Our New Detective Has Standards, But Our Main Detective Doesn't: Anata Wo Yurusanai

This is amazing, I love it!

# ? Jan 30, 2021 22:13

ivantod: Mar 27, 2010; Mahalo, fuckers.

Hey everyone, sorry for another delay, but I needed a short break! :v:

The next update is now in the works and will be posted later this week!

# ? Feb 16, 2021 13:41

Blaze Dragon: Aug 28, 2013; LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

ivantod posted:

Hey everyone, sorry for another delay, but I needed a short break!

The next update is now in the works and will be posted later this week!

Dude, it hasn't even been a month, it's fine. That's not even a short break!

# ? Feb 16, 2021 14:00

ivantod: Mar 27, 2010; Mahalo, fuckers.

Blaze Dragon posted:

Dude, it hasn't even been a month, it's fine. That's not even a short break!

Hehe no worries, I just don't like to leave people hanging like this, that's all. Normally I "attempt" to have about one update per week or so, but it's been over two weeks so I just wanted to let everybody know that it's coming.

# ? Feb 16, 2021 15:40

ivantod: Mar 27, 2010; Mahalo, fuckers.

Hey, so, guess who's back!

Last time, we left Ririko and Asuka just as they were about to go back to the vet clinic to find out more about a certain medication. So, let's see...

I told you I have nothing to talk about with yu. Please leave.

But I have something to talk about. Do you use muscle relaxant drugs at this clinic?

Yes, we do use it. What of it?

Do you use it for euthanising the dogs?

Not just dogs. Also cats. Why are we talking about this?

You would dispose of an animal if asked to?

Dispose?

I heard there are such doctors.

I've never used medication to dispose of animals! It's only for situation when there is no other option! Don't talk to me like you know everything! What do you think a pet's life is? It's a living thing, it's not a toy, you know!

As you can imagine, it's time for a "check", same as most of the times at the begining of a conversation!

Unform: The white coat may be dirty, but he is still proud of his profession

Arm: Is his arm shaking because of alcohol.

Face: His face is red because of alcohol? Or because of anger?

This time, we pick option 3.

I should take things at face value. Dirty white coat, breath that smells of alcohol, not super clean examination room. If you ask me, it doesn't seem like you're doing so well here. I don't think you sound very convincing.

What are you talking about?

I heard there are such veterinarians who collude with pet shops to make money. This clinic doesn't look like it has a lot of customers, your business must be struggling, right? There's nothing you can do when there's no patients, so maybe you instead have clients among the pet shops?

I don't know. But there are people everywhere who will do bad things for money.

You too?

What do you mean?

Do you also do bad things when you need money?

No, I don't.

Let me be clear. I'm not the kind of person who cares for money. If I have money troubles, I can close the hospital... or I can sell my house. I can't take it with me anyway. Rubbish... it's all a load of rubbish. But you... have you ever lost a parent?

I don't have to answer that, do I?

I'm a veterinarian, so I've witnessed death many times. It's also the same for humans. As we get older we slowly lose our strength, we get incurable diseases like cancer. Do you know how miserable it feels when you are not able to cure someone? Have you ever seen a cat who cannot speak, but whose look tells you that it wants to keep living? Have you ever seen a dog vomit blood repeatedly and become unable to breathe? Do you know what it's like for a family to helplessly look at something like that?

I only use the drug when I know that I have already made every possible effort. Only then. I'm not the kind of person who tries to manipulate those who don't know. I don't know about other veterinarians, but I'm not in it for the money.

I understand. I'm sorry about that part.

Is there a part you're not sorry about?

Where do you keep the suxamethonium drug?

In a safe place.

Did it ever happen that it was stolen?

What do you mean?

Do you know a man named Ishihara Taichi?

No, I don't know him.

He's an arsonist who burned down the Kawabata family house 20 years ago.

Oh, right, that one.

Did you know Kawabata-san?

Not locals?

That's right, they were not from around here. So in 20 years nobody remembers them any more. Anyway, are we done already? You should leave.

Do you know Asakura Ryou?

...No I don't. Are you with the police?

No, I'm a detective.

I'm looking for a man named Asakura Ryou.

As I said, I don't know him. Please leave.

All right, I'm leaving.

Well, this guy is a little bit intense. Also, probably we should consider ourselves lucky to not have gotten a whole case regarding this pet swindle thing. Because that would have been absolutely excruciating, for real.

Back in the car, our dynamic duo is comparing notes... but seriously, having Ririko and Asuka work together like this is loads of fun!

So, what do you think?

I'm not really sure. I think he definitely knows something.

Well... maybe. But I don't exactly have a feeling that he's going to tell us, you know. We are not police, so we can't conduct a search of his premises.

But the police can't do that either, can they? When there's no evidence of any kind.

That's true, you're right.

Should we stake out the place?

No... I'm not sure. Even if he violated the P.A.L., it would probably be difficult to prove. Also, arresting him on drug charge doesn't really accomplish anything.

"P.A.L." stands for "Pharmaceutical Affairs Law", passed in 1960 which regulates, among other things, the manufacturing and distribution of pharmaceutical substances. This makes the game a bit outdated since some years after its publication, in 2014, the law was amended and renamed into: "Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices", because that sure rolls of the tongue much more smoothly than the original name. You might recall the Batista game being particularly keen to make fun of these overly bureaucratic names at every possible opportunity--in fact it was one of the few things that was actually fun in that game.

Also...

Also?

He doesn't give an impression that he would willingly go with a scheme like that.

Why?

I tend to believe him when he says he doesn't like to get rid of animals.

Well even so, maybe he is fine with getting rid of peop... oh, sorry.

Don't worry about it. But it's true, you never know.

Anyway, Asuka, let's go and meet with Suzaki-san next. Oh, I guess that might be a bit awkward for you, right? Can you go and do something else for a while, and I'll contact you when I'm done?

Sure, gotcha.

And so, let's go and meet up with our old friend once again!

Please tell me everything. I need to know everything.

I see. That's a bit...

There's some kind of situation here, isn't there?

Yes, well... Anyway, have you read the book?

More or less, I've looked it over. It's interesting that the main character is a criminal. I guess it's like a "noir" novel?

Well, I suppose you could call it that.

You said the author is dead, right?

Yes, well, I did.

Is the main character, Asakura Ryou, a real person?

A true story?

Non-fiction. The author told me that the names have been changed, but the rest is mostly true.

Changed? Is Asakura Ryou not a real name?

No, that's the only one which is real. "Ryou" is the one written with the mouth underneath the kettle lid.

And by "mouth underneath the pot lid" he means 亮, because it has a "kettle lid" part 亠 on top and then underneath that is 口, the character which means mouth. It has no significance at all, and is simply a way to tell another person which kanji, out of many with the same pronunication, is used in the name!

I'm sorry, but I'm having a bit of a hard time following exactly what you're trying to tell me here.

I know what you mean... but in here, I can't really...

Look, do you have a bit of time?

Sure, yeah.

Would it be all right if we went back to my office?

Sure. Let's go.

And by "office", of course, she means...

Well, it's fine.

Yes... However, I am not entirely comfortable discussing this with you. Because there is supposed to be this relationship of trust between the writer and the editor.

Suzaki-san. To tell you the truth, there is actually a murder case related to this book.

Eh?

Suzaki-san, do you know Kitamura-san?

Kitamura-san?

From the fire department?

Oh, that's right. He came to inquire about this book. Is he...?

He's dead. Most likely murdered.

I see.

What did you and Kitamura-san talk about?

Huh? What do you mean?

Kurihara Tetsuya's real name is Asakura Tetsuya.

So, you're saying that Asakura Ryou's father wrote a book with his son as the main character?

That's exactly what I'm saying.

But, why would he do that?

I guess it's natural to ask that. Because everything written here is true: assault, robbery, arson, murder. With Asakura Ryou, there are no taboos. He just genuinely enjoys commiting crimes. The location of the incidents, the victims, etc. have all been changed for the book. But what is written in there is what actually happened. I have actually counted. In just the incidents written in this book, Asakura killed 21 people.

So that makes a total of 23.

Eh?

Nothing, don't worry. But, if this story is true, why write a novel like that? Why did Asakura Tetsuya write a novel in which he basically accuses his son?

It's all right in there. As it says in the novel that Asakura Ryou grew up in an orphanage in Naha, Okinawa.

Right.

It also ays that his father was not known, but the reality was different. Asakura Tetsuya was a Catholic priest.

Even now, Roman Catholics do not allow the priests to marry. Even Christian priests like Greek Orthodox are allowed to marry, but Asakura Ryou's father belonged to the Roman Catolic church.

Is Asakura Tetsuya actually Japanese?

He is Japanese. I don't know the exact details, but he got baptised while he was living and studying in Italy. Then he came back to Japan and met a woman who lived in Okinawa.

Asakura Ryou's mother?

Right. After she got pregnant with a child, Asakura had to make a choice: religion or family.

And Asakura Tetsuya chose religon?

Yes, he did. He went to a monastery in Oita.

Oita is a town and prefecture on the Japanese island of Kyushu, in the south of the country.

He left behind his wife and child?

Yeah.

That's quite a terrible story.

It is. Ryou's mother died of an illness in Okinawa when he was three. She was a transplant from Tokyo, not a local Okinawan. So she had not relatives around and Ryou ended growing up in an orphanage.

And novel is about what happened after that?

Yes. Do you recall the last scene in the novel?

You mean when Asakura Ryou goes to the church to repent?

That's right. The book ends with Asakura Ryou going to the church to repent for his sins. But that's not really why he went there.

What do you mean?

So Asakura Tetsuya left the monastery and went wandering all over Japan. He just didn't know how to come to terms with the sins of his son.

And what answer did he finally arrive at?

Yes, it was to write a novel with his son as the main character. He felt there was no other way to atone for the sins of his son.

He atoned for the sins by writing a novel? Was there no other way? Could he not get his son to be charged for what he did?

When Asakura Tetsuya heard his son's story, he realised it was all true. But it was clear to him, he knew that he could never prove any of it.

How could you allow such a book to even be published?

Until then I just thought it was a great read and the writing style was far above a typical newcomer. When a novel is that good, I would do anything to publish it.

And what about Tetsuya himself?

It seems that he was considering killing himself. But that was against his religious teachings, so he could not do it.

So... you lied about the book's author being dead?

I've made a promise... with Asakura Tetsuya.

Where is he now?

He lives quietly in a church in the contryside.

Tell me his address, please!

Sorry, but I promised not to tell anyone. What are you planning to do if you meet him?

You're not making any sense. Afer telling me all this, you don't want to give me his address? You shouldn't do things half-way.

You're right. But maybe it's my editor's conscience.

Editor's conscience?

But what's the point of hiding only their address?

Because that's what the writer himself wanted.

Even when it has to do with a crime?

"The King of Darkness" is officially fiction. There is no proof that's it's the truth. Do you see what I mean? There is no proof whatsoever. For all we know, Asakura Tetsuya might have lied about all of it. Writers have been known to do so, you know.

Right, even you went along with Kouda-sensei's lies, didn't you?

You're being sarcastic now?

Let me stop mincing the words. Please tell me! Suzaki-san, it's a lot more important than you think! Your "policy" can go and gently caress off!!

But why? What is this all about?

Kitamura-san and my father have both been killed by Asakura Ryou.

Your father?

That's right.

Hanno is a town in Saitama prefecture, known among other things for outdoorsy activites like hiking, but also as the location of the first Astro-Boy monument in Japan!

Thanks for your help!

Well, we won't be heading there quite yet! We did promise Asuka to meet up with her, and also in case you forgot, we're supposed to go and talk to Chiharu's husband!

I think I'm starting to get it a little bit finally...

Do you? I'm still not really sure...

You should really read "The King of Darkness". Take it home with you tonight, ok?

All right, I'll read it.

By the way, I guess it's about time to go to Goto Masayuki's house. Is this all right? I'll ask to use the phone and you keep his attention as long as you can.

Roger. Let's try it.

A bit later, over at Goto's house...

I'm sorry, but there is something I forgot to ask you...

I'm tired, so can we be done with this quickly?

Yes, we'll do that. But first, I need to just...

What is it?

Can I borrow your phone? My battery's gone out.

I guess it can't be helped. Fine, go ahead.

First of all, I guess when this game was made, people must have still had landlines? And second, there is no reason whatsoever for this guy not to throw both of them out right this second. I mean, if he's as shady as he seems, it is certainly in his interest, and it's not like Ririko and Asuka have any proof at all, other than the story from his mother in law, whose reliability is certainly a little on the questionable side. But I guess in this game people often seem to be happy to let Ririko pry into their lives, even though there is no reason that they should.

Sorry. I'll be done quickly.

Ririko dials Mayumi's number.

Hey, sorry, it's me.

Ririko-san?

Yeah. My phone battery is dead. Did you try to call me?

Oh, that pen transmitter again, huh?

Not really, no.

Oh, that's too bad. Thanks for handling it.

Eh? Ririko-san? What are you talking about?

I guess we're just going to lave it on the desk... and hope he doesn't notice? Or something?

No, that's fine, leave it alone until I'm back. I'll have a look at it then.

Ririko-san! What's going on?

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. All right, I'll be back soon.

I have no idea what you're talking about!

All right, later.

Ririko-san!

Ririko hangs up.

Back on the other side of the room...

Haha, you're a funny person, aren't you.

Am I? I don't know... I guess?

Sorry about that. Thanks.

No problem.

Seems like you two are having fun. What were you talking about?

Ah, no we were just talking about cars for a bit there... I guess you can't help being a detective, huh?

I think you might find my story more interesting, though.

What kind of story is that?

We've met Saeki Kazumi.

And...?

She told us many things. You lied about working for G&Y Trade, didn't you?

That old lady is quite annoying. No it wasn't a lie. I don't work for them now, it's true, but actually I changed my job recently. I didn't tell Chiharu because I didn't want her to worry. But I explained it all to her mother.

And hey, it's a "check"! It has been a while!

Face: He says a lot of things very quickly. But it all sounds like nothing but an excuse.

Mouth: Whenever he talks about Saeki Kazumi, his facial expression darkens.

Eyes: He averts his eyes when I look at him. It's strange that he wouldn't tell something like this to his wife.

Let's go with number two!

I heard that you even gate Saeki Kazumi-san money to keep her quiet?

Chiharu was a bit annoyed with her too. She was trying to borrow money in Chiharu's name everywhere. It was a lot of work for me to constantly have to clean up after her.

I see. So where do you work now?

I don't want to tak about it.

You're not going to tell me?

No. What exactly is this about? Please stop prying, it's uncomfortable.

All right, I apologise. I will ask you something else. The other day, you said you didn't know neither Ishihara Taichi nor Shimabukuro Kazuhiro. Then, do you know a man named Tanaka Hideaki?

Who? Tanaka, you say?

He's the secretary of the Republican Party representative Yazaki Kengo. You don't know him?

No, I don't know him.

And what about Representative Yazaki?

I don't know him.

You've never heard of him?

I haven't.

Then, what about Asakura Ryou?

I see. Well, we'll excuse ourselves for today, then.

Back outside, in the car...

Is it working?

Yes, I can hear him. I'll put it on speaker.

Any movement?

You would think if he's hiding something, he'd be more worried considering all the noise we're making.

Do you think he's going to head out?

Why?

While talking to him earlier, I found out which car is his.

Oh, yeah, he seemed to be in a good mood. What were you talking about?

Oh, you know. I was just complimenting him here and there.

Huh.

And so I told him that if he ever has an affair with a woman he should be careful if he driver her in his car. Because the perfume would give it away.

Perfume?

True story. The smell of the perfume lingers in the car for a long time. It's pretty common for people to get caught this way.

Ha... for real?

This is what I'm telling you. So I told him, after a woman leaves his car, he should drive around for a few hundred metres with all the windows open.

Asuka, never change.

There is a reason why I was always number one at the club.

I see.

So, therefore, that's why I'm going to head down to the underground garage now.

What are you going to do?

I'm going to put the GPS transmitter on his car.

Do you know how to do it?

Don't worry, leave it to me. Sakamoto-kun taught me everything.

Haha, I see.

Wait for me here. I'll be back quickly.

A bit later...

TO BE CONTINUED

So, it seems we've hit the typical boring part in the middle of a chapter! But I think things should escalate again soon and certainly the next (last) chapter is much more action packed (and also shorter) than others so at least we should be in for a more exciting (?) finale... or so I hope!

# ? Mar 2, 2021 22:43

Blaze Dragon: Aug 28, 2013; LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Asuka better not be hurt or dead. I will never forgive the game if she is.

# ? Mar 3, 2021 00:25

Seraphic Neoman: Jul 19, 2011

Killing Asuka would literally be the dumbest move on the part of the author given how much she does for the story.

# ? Mar 3, 2021 18:21

gimme the GOD DAMN candy: Jul 1, 2007

asuka's pretty sharp, but providing a reason for him to go for a drive and then going back to tamper with his car immediately afterward wasn't the best plan.

# ? Mar 3, 2021 21:36

Haifisch: Nov 13, 2010; Objection! I object! That was... objectionable!; Taco Defender

You'd think Mayumi would be used to getting fake phone conversations for cover purposes, what with working in a detective agency and all.

# ? Mar 17, 2021 01:34

tomanton: May 22, 2006; beam me up, tomato

Was doing some deep cleaning and found a spare glass panel wrapped in newspaper dated Halloween 1987: the front page had a world story, a domestic story, and a developing local story about rich folks hiring a bigshot private eye to investigate a suspicious death in their family. Life imitates art.

# ? Mar 31, 2021 03:49

ivantod: Mar 27, 2010; Mahalo, fuckers.

So last time we learned a bit more about Asakura Ryou's father and then Ririko and Asuka went over to talk to Goto again. Afterwards, Asuka suggested that she go and attach the GPS to Goto's car, but never returned from that errand...

She means the receiver for the pen she left in the apartment. But, let's go and look in the garage...

Uh-oh, that's the GPS receiver that Asuka had with her...

!!!!

This is the conversation that Ririko is listening to through her phone receiver. Obviously, we can only hear Goto's side of it.

quote:

Yes, that's right, Shuumei-san. I think they have figured out something.
Yes, that's right. How to put it... that woman is really confident. She even mentioned Yazaki-sensei's name! This is definitely not good!
I know that. I know. I'm not going to do anything until I get the go-ahead. But we have to take action quickly.
Yes, that's right. Thank you, yes.

Ririko gets a call from her office...

Yes, who is it?

What's going on? Your voice sounds weird.

It's Asuka! Asuka has disappeared!

Ririko, calm down. Where are you right now?

I've left Goto's apartment. I let her go on her own, it's all my fault!

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? CALM DOWN!

Right. There's no point in getting flustered right now.

For now, just come back here. Then we'll figure out a plan together.

All right. I'm coming.

Back at the bar/office...

It's all my fault!

Right now is not the time to discuss "whose fault"!

I get that... but, no matter how I look at it, I don't understand. I was watching Goto's movements while asuka was down in the underground garage. He definitely said it clearly on the phone that was not going to do anything to her for now. So it must not be Goto and his people who took Asuka.

Then, who?

Asakura Ryou.

You think that Asakura himself kidnapped Asuka?

Or somebody else who is working with him.

Then, who the hell is it...?

I DON'T KNOW! That's why I'm so anxious!

Ririko, deep breaths.

Yeah.

Let's just calm down for now.

Again, Ririko's phone rings...

Yes, this is Takeuchi.

Greetings, Ririko-san.

Who are you?

Ha ha, no I don't think you can get me to tell you my name quite so easily...

Asakura Ryou, isn't it! You're not going to get away with this!

I see. You're quite pushy aren't you. I wonder who it is that you remind me of...

You better be ready. Because payback is definitely coming!

Well, putting that aside for a moment... right now, you're quite worried about Asuka-san, aren't you?

Where is Asuka?

So you are worried! She's ok for now. She's alive.

Give Asuka back!

Ririko-san. You need to stop saying useless lines. "Give Asuka back!" That's a pretty stupid thing to say. Do you really think I am going to return her just like that? But if you like that kind of cheesy line, I guess I should go with it. Now, what would be a good retort to what you said...? Oh, I know! "Stop talking so much and just bring the money!" That works, right?

You talk entirely too much.

Well, I'm a happy person. I'm happy that I can talk to you like this, you know. By the way, have you already started tracing this call? Probably you can give up on that since this isn't even my phone.

Then tell me! What do you want me to do so you would give Asuka back?

I mean, I'm a kidnapper, so it has to be the money, right? So, my next line is: "Bring me the money!"

How much?

But, you don't even have any money, Ririko-san, do you? Didn't your office just burn down?

Because of you!

I don't really like it when I'm falsely accused.

Just hurry up and tell me how much!

10,000 yen.

Just as a reminder... 10,000 yen is about $100, so he's not actually serious about the money.

10,000 yen?

That's right. Isn't it a great offer? For Ririko-san, we have a special price. I don't really need that much money. Just bring it tomorrow at noon, please.

Where?

Ah, where should we do it... Let's see, how about the "Peace" cafe at Sakurada-mon? You know, the place where you used to meet up with Sano-san from the Metropolitan Police, right? Anyway, be there tomorrow at noon. Oh, and don't informt the police, ok. Wait, how should I say it so that you understand... "Call the police and the hostage dies!" Sorry, but this time I really mean it. See you tomorrow, have a good night, Ririko-san!

*click*

Do you think that was Asakura Ryou?

Perhaps.

A ransom of 10,000 yen?

He's just messing with us. Hold on.

Ririko makes again a call on her phone...

It's Takeuchi.

What is it?

I'm sorry. I made a mistake. Asuka's been kidnapped.

Who?

They don't want to say. But I think it's Asakura Ryou.

Where are you now?

Limelight.

I'll be right there.

Some time later...

Is there any point?

As far as my experience, the police are only useful when you want to try and get your money back. Involving the police will definitely increase the chances of getting the ransom money back.

But what about the survival chance of the victim?

No idea, I don't have the statistics.

But your personal opinion as a lawyer?

Chances for survival decrease by involving the police.

Then, let's not waste time deliberating about it.

I agree. There is no point.

The location, as mentioned a moment ago, is Sakurada-mon (Sakurada Gate), one of the gates of the imperial palace in Tokyo:

_{By そらみみ (Soramimi) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43287811}

As mentioned by Shingi, Sakurada-mon is indeed located across the road from the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police!

Are they trying to test us?

Yeah. They're probably serious about killing her if we tell the police.

But, the ransom of only 10,000 yen? It's a joke. This is a problem, it would have been better if we could have simply paid off the money.

So what do they want then?

Well, I don't know. For the time being, we have no choice but to go along and see what their move will be.

But even if we do what they want, it's not like they are going to give Asuka back.

We'll just have to outsmart them at some point, no?

So he must have been already following Ririko for a while. If he wanted to get rid of her, he's already had plenty of chances. So then, why kidnap Asuka? If it isn't ransom, what is the goal of the kidnapper here?

Maybe he just enjoys playing with us?

What would the best for us to do here?

When things are like this, you can't let them get the upper hand. If you simply do what they tell you, they will kill Asuka when they get bored of the game. So you have to stop playing the game at some point. You have to make it seem like you don't care about Asuka. You have to drop out of their game first.

I'm not sure I can do it, it seems scary...

I really have no confidence...

There's no other way. I'll take the responsibility, so if something bad happens, she will have a grudge against me, not you.

What do you think, Yuuji?

...All right. Let's try it.

Okay, then, what are we doing? Who is going to be there?

Yuuji and I will go. Yuuji will drive.

All right.

And the others?

Mayumi and Sakamoto-kun will be in the other car. They can wait outside of the place and bring a receiver so they can listen in to the conversation.

Oh, hi, Mayumi. Unfortunately you don't really get to participate much the story any more, so we don't get to see you that often these days.

I'll bring my boys around. I'll get all the security staff from the club to stake out the perimeter and pretend to be ordinary civilians.

Thank you.

Do you have another receiver? I'll take one with me, too.

I'll get it for you.

Also, give me all your mobile phone numbers.

I will make a list for you.

Well, other than this, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Let's finish the meeting here. Is it ok if we meet again tomorrow morning at nine?

Yes, thank you.

I doubt it.

We're going to war tomorrow. Your first task is to get a good sleep tonight.

All right. I'll go to bed.

And so our little strategy meeting ends. Let's see what tomorrow will bring.

At the designated time, Ririko is waiting in the cafe...

(It's already past noon, but so far there are no sings of movement. One of Shingi's security guys must be lurking in here, but I have no idea who it is.)

(But, when I think about it carefully, it's difficult to imagine that the culprit will just show up here in the cafe. After all, it's located right across the road from the Metropolitan Police headquarters: many police officers come here on a break as customers.)

(Why did the killer even choose this place? Was it to show me that he knew of my secret meetings with Detective Sano? Well, there's no point in thinking about it now. Let's just wait for him...)

Then, Ririko's mobile phone rings.

Takeuchi.

Sorry, sorry, I'm running late, I know! I had to take care of a dead body, so I'm running a bit behind schedule.

Oh, I see. Well, I guess you are working hard today.

Ha ha, Ririko-san, it seems you're in a bit of a different mood today, huh? I guess this is more like what I was expecting from you--I was a bit worried yesterday because you kept using all those cheesy lines. I suppose you figured me out, that Asuka-san is still alive. How did you know?

There would be no point to this game if she were dead.

I beg to differ. This guy is insane and there's no reason why he wouldn't kill Asuka and then still want to have a bit of a play to mess around with Ririko and then at the end tell her it was all for nothing. In fact, that seems MORE like something he'd do... unless of course, there is something more to all this (whichi I don't necessarily trust this game that there is, mind you!).

You get 100 points for that answer! Well done. You're exactly like I imagined you would be, Ririko-san.

Let's just get started.

Al right, fine. It's kickoff time! By the way, Ririko-san, did you bring the money?

Yes I did.

Is there an ashtray on the table?

There is.

Do you have a lighter?

I have matches.

That should do fina. Then, please burn the banknote in the ashtray.

That's a waste, no?

Well, it's my money anyway. Just burn the whole envelope. Please, go ahead.

How did you know there was an envelope? Where are you?

Ah. There!

Yes, correct! I knew you'd figure it out! MISSION 1 CLEAR!

You reacted well to my hint about the envelope.

Well, it seems you want to play a game with me, so...

That's also correct! Please play with me! Of course, Asuka-san's life also depends on that. Anyway, are you ready for your next mission? Please go to the bench in Kitanomiya Park. The place where you used to meet with Murase-san from the forensics department. You remember, right?

I remember.

Let's say, in 15 minutes? Well, see you later.

*click*

Ririko goes back to the car and calls Yuuji...

Yuuji, it's Kitanomiya Park.

I heard it already on the receiver. Let's go.

This guy is quite a joker, huh. Do you want me to come out there with you?

Yes, I would ask you to join me. I don't really like this situation of having to do as he tells me. Call Shingi and ask him to get his guys to come there too.

Roger. I'll see you in a bit.

A bit later, at the park...

Well. I wonder what we'll have to deal with this time.

He's just enjoying getting a reaction out of me. He is clearly watching me from somewhere at all times.

But how?

Maybe he's using the telephoto lens on his camera?

Wait a second! Look!

There is a bit of a glint coming from the wooded area. Could it be?

There's something shiny over there. I don't think it's the luminous moss.

The luminous moss?

Ah, don't worry about it. Could that reflection be from the camera lens? Let's get Shingi to check it out.

Okay. I'll ask him to.

As before, Ririko gets a call on her mobile phone.

Greetings, Ririko-san. Looks like you brought a guest. Is that Kizaki Yuuji, your assistant?

Where are you watching from?

I'm not going to tell you that.

You never set that I have to come alone.

I will forgive you for Kizaki-kun. But it looks like you've brough along a bunch of other friends. But, oh well, I guess at least you haven't told the police. So that's a point in your favour. They would be useless to you anyway.

Be careful how you talks. My father is an ex-police officer!

Don't you mean "was", if we want to be precise here?

I will kill you!

How uncivilised. But ok, let's just get on with the game. There are two boxes under that bench next to you. Get them out.

Oh, do be careful, because there's a bomb in there.

Two boxes, red and blue. Listen to me carefully now! In one of the boxes, there is a bomb which will explode if you open it. But you must choose one of the boxes and open it. If you don't, Asuka-san will die. All right, ready, set go!

......

Funnily enough, the game here actually uses the "check" option to let us choose one!

Blue: There is a ticking sound like a clock coming from the blue box!

Red: Red box... let's open this one!

Ririko says to open the Red box... so let's do that, why not!

What do you mean "FAIL"? There is no bomb in this box? For the curious, the original Japanese writing on the piece of paper is ハズレ. Also, in case you were wondering, it actually doesn't matter what you choose--the blue box simply contains an ordinary clock. So it's all a big joke.

Why did you open the red box?

You said it would explode if I opened the lid. So it's not a time bomb. Therefore the blue box with the ticking sound was not going to explode.

Yet you still opened the red box... why?

I couldn't imagine that you would jus tkill me. Then you would have no one to play your game with. You could have captured me instead of Asuka if that's what you wanted. So I just figured it was safe to open whichever box. Am I wrong?

As expected, Ririko-san. But other people, even with that reasoning, would still open the safe blue box. You're quite unflappable, aren't you. I'm really starting to enjoy this.

So, how about it? Answer a few questions of mine?

All right. Please ask.

Are you observing this bench from somewhere?

Yes.

Are you looking through a telescope or telephoto lens?

Also yes.

Asuka is not with you?

Correct.

Is Asuka alive?

Of course.

You have an accomplice with her?

An accomplice? I do, yes. But how many of you are here? Oh, here we are, about ten, right?

But you are all wrong. That reflection is not a lens. It's just a mirror I hung there. However, now I'm going to ask all the rest of the people to leave. Just you and Kizaki-kun, please.

So the mirror was just a trap to find out how many people are here.

Yes. Did you like it?

Well, anyway, time for Mission 3. The "Premium" hostess club, Asuka-san's home base. Let's meet there in 30 minutes!

*click*

All right, let's head to our next stop.

On the way there, Ririko is talking to Shingi on the phone...

He's just messing with us! To choose my own club...

Is there anyone there right now?

We're closed for the day. All my people are here.

Locked?

Of course! But, don't forget the important part.

I know, I know. We have to take initiative at some point. Let's see what they do.

Well, we'll be on stand by. Stay in contact.

Where do you think Asuka is?

With his accomplice. He just said it on the phone. I don't believe he's working alone.

Why not?

He took Asuka in a car. I don't think he would have been able to do it alone.

Maybe a professional could.

A professional would not risk doing it alone.

Sure. But I don't think he's a professional?

Maybe not. But I don't think he's an amateur either.

Ririko gets again a call from the kidnapper...

It seems it's just the two of you now, finally.

Yes we are.

What about the others?

I asked them to leave.

All right, Ririko-san. Let's trust you. Then, on to Mission 3.

What is it now...?

It should be arriving any moment now...

This time, we get a bike messenger!

Delivery for Takeuchi Ririko-san. Please sign here.

Who is the sender? It says here, "Suzuki Shingi", what was this guy like?

Funny, the kidnapper is using Shingi's name as sender...

I don't know, a filthy guy, I think some kind of homeless fellow.

Did he say anything?

Not really. Well, I got paid in advance, so... I'm off!

He leaves.

W-wait a minute!

He doesn't know anything. I just asked a homeless guy in Yoyogi Park.

Yoyogi park is in Shibuya, Tokyo. It looks like this:

_{By Shinjiro - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10294098}

You asked him?

Well, I'm not sure about that. Anyway, please open the envelope.

Inside, there are five cards with letters written on them.

What is this?

How are you with puzzles, Ririko-san? It's super easy, just rearrange the five cards and then you have 40 minutes to get to the destination they show. If you're late, I'll kill Asuka-san.

Stop messing around! How long do you intend to keep this up?

Basically, until you fail.

What kind of grudge do you have against me?

I have nothing against you. We're just having a bit of fun. That's all.

Then I want to have a proper chance at winning.

A proper chance?

Right now as it is, I stand no chance. If my possibility of winning is not even 1%, then what kind of game is it?

I guess I overestimated you, Ririko-san. I expected you would be tougher.

I don't care for being lectured. If you want to keep playing the game, you'll have to give a little.

You're a pain in the rear end. Fine, what do you want me to do?

How about, when I complete a mission you answer my questions?

Fine. But, Ririko-san. You can't ask me stuff like "where's Asuka", ok?

I understand. It's a deal.

Then, let's keep our promise to each other. But look, Ririko-san. Now you only have 38 minutes left already.

And, well, it's up to us to solve the puzzle, as expected. Let's have a look.

Ok, well, they're not even trying with these any more! But it fits that a puzzle mission is a reference to the chapter where we had to solve puzzles, so, here we go:

That's it! LUXOR! Yuuji, call Shingi!

Ok!

So, I guess, our next destination is Akane's bakery. Let's head over there.

Sorry! I will explain later!

So how is your friend doing?

Where are you watching from now? Another hidden camera?

Is that your question?

No.

We had a deal. Please ask your question, then.

Are you Asakura Ryou?

No.

Then prove it.

What do you mean?

Prove it to me that you're not Asakura.

I don't have to do that.

I see. If that's how you want it.

Ririko hangs up on him... but he calls her right back again and they continue the conversation.

How I want it? Look, this is your first and last warning. If you don't behave yourself, I will kill Asuka-san.

Listen, I'm after Asakura Ryou, the person who killed my father. Can we stop this nonsense now?

Fine, let's change the plan. Go to the Takaido interchange and take the Central Expressway. Drive about a kilometre past Hachioji interchange and you will get to a emergency stop area. Get there, this is your last mission.

The Central Expressway (Chūō Expressway) starts at Takaido interchange in Tokyo and heads in the direction of Nagoya (of course, going past Hachioji area of Tokyo along the way). Still loving the use of real locations around Tokyo in this game!

And then we're done?

Yes, let's finish this. You have to come alone. If there's anybody else with you...

...you will kill Asuka?

Correct.

*click*

Outside...

Central Expressway. There is an emergency stop area past the Hachioji interchange. But I'm going alone.

Why?

He told me to come on my own.

Are you sure that's ok?

No, but I have no choice but to go.

True. Sorry, it was a stupid question. Well, I'll get in Mayumi's car and wait for you at the closest service station.

A bit later on the highway...

ASUKA!

Ririko-san.

Who are you?

It's me.

Kakiuchi Mamoru.

What. Why is this guy here now? Isn't he like supposed to be in jail or something? What is even going on here any more? Don't ask me, because I have no idea!

Why are you doing this to me.

Without kidnapping her, you wouldn't have played the game, would you?

I don't have time to mess around with you right now.

Sorry. Bad timing, I guess.

Bad timing? I'm about ready to kill you!

Ah, I can understand that. After going to all that trouble to prepare everything, I suppose we'll have to stop for now.

But we'll finish this. One way or another, soon enough.

Don't drag other people into this!

Just make sure to play properly next time, ok.

And he's off. But, a question poses itself. Did we... did we actually just waste time on a side plot that has nothing to do with anything? I mean so far it seems it was just his little revenge on Ririko and nothing else. It can't be, can it? But the problem is that with this game, the answer usually is the most straighforward one, so... it means that it almost certainly can be, and is.

Unless, somehow... Mamoru is actually Asakura. But that would just be completely hilarious.

You know, let's just keep going and see.

Anyway, finally back at Limelight...

Asuka! Are you really all right?

Yes, I'm fine. They didn't treat me roughly.

And Oota Masaru didn't try anything with you?

Ah, yes, Masaru, the other part of this silly duo. But I thought they both were on trial/in jail/something, so how are they back now doing this nonsense again? Especially since, didn't Masaru actually regret his actions or something? I'm confused here.

Not at all. Maybe he didn't find me attractive enough?

Don't joke like that. It makes me sick what happened to you.

Masaru said he didn't want to do it anyway. He doesn't want to have anything to do with Kakiuchi anyway.

But he still doesn't disobey his orders.

Seems like it. It's a bit strange.

I'm sorry, Asuka. I should have been more careful.

Ririko-san, it's not your fault. Nobody could have predicted that.

Still, it's my fault.

By the way... where's Shingi?

Seems he's gone home.

Ah. I didn't even get to thank him.

I wouldn't worry about it. Despite how it may seem, he's actually quite shy.

It's true. We had a bit of a long detour here. How much have you heard already?

Not much. What are the new details about Goto?

That's right, I need to fill you in.

What about everybody else?

Let's finish the meeting for now. Asuka also needs to go home and rest.

I'm fine! I just had rest while I was all tied up.

No. No, no. You need to rest a bit. We'll meet in the morning to plan our next move.

Right. That's seems like a good idea.

Later, Ririko is walking outside...

(But when you think about it, it's only natural for him to have a grudge against me. As twisted as it was, those two families were important to him. And it was me who cause it all to fall apart.)

(But now... I need some kind of a break. The thread that was about to be untangled seems to have tangled itself back again.)

And while thinking like that, Ririko has arrived at (what remains of) the kindergarten.

Hey. If you know something, can you tell me?

I can't tell you.

Why not?

Because.

Then I'll ask questions and you just answer, ok?

Yes.

Are you Kawabata Saya?

Yes.

Do you know Asakura Ryou?

I know him.

Where is Asakura Ryou?

I don't know.

Do you have a grudge against Asakura Ryou?

Nah.

Do you want revenge against Asakura Ryou?

Whatever.

Do you want to kill Asakura Ryou?

That's the same question.

Cheeky, huh?

So what.

It was Asakura who killed you and your parents, right?

Yeah.

And you don't hold a grudge?

I don't.

Then why? Why do you keep appearing in front of me?

I can't tell you.

Why not? Why can't you tell me?

I can't tell you yet.

If you know, tell me!

Ok, I've already said it but I just can't get my head around it. Did we just spend all this time on a nonsense detour which will go absolutely nowhere? Seriously? I don't understand what's going on with writing in this game. It has so many good qualities, but then it fails on most basic concepts, repeatedly.

Well, as far as I can tell, this is the last of the detours, from now on until the end we should be directly on the straight path without weird detours like this one (or so I hope). We have two more parts to this chapter and then the last chapter which should be a pretty action-packed finale (or so I hope). This game really could have been by at least 1/3 shorter than it is--there is way too much padding in a story which is NOT that elaborate. Structurally the whole thing is just a mess, honestly, and I'm really about ready to move on to something new, but luckily, as I've explained, there's not much left to do here, so we'll finish it. I'm sure everyone wants to know what really happened with Kusanagi, right?

Well, as I said...

# ? Apr 15, 2021 22:18

Taberquol: Jun 16, 2012

This game keeps yoyoing my expectations and I don't think that's a good thing. Like it doesn't suck, but it's baffling.

I'm glad Asuka lives.

Oh joy, Kusanagi. I'm thinking he got in over his head on a case and the break up was his idea of protecting Ririko. The relationship was just so soul-sucking though. Do want to see what variety of dumpster fire it turns out to be.

# ? Apr 15, 2021 22:45

Seraphic Neoman: Jul 19, 2011

I can only assume that Kakeuchi and Oota are working for Asakurah Ryou, that seems to be the only possible connection. And I guess they had a really good lawyer and managed to get out on bail or something?

# ? Apr 15, 2021 22:46

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# ? Apr 26, 2024 13:58

booksnake: May 4, 2009; we who are crowned with the crest of wisdom

I mean, sure, I didn't see that turn of events coming.

The dude is super creepy, but I guess I can kinda see jail time not being able to stick for just kind of being a manipulative rear end in a top hat.

...

Why, though? Who wanted to see that guy again? Why would you do a call back to him?

# ? Apr 15, 2021 22:57

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Let's Play! > Our Jazz Has Standards, But Our Detective Doesn't: Anata Wo Yurusanai

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