10. Twins and doubles must not appear unless...

He's lying, right? Please tell me he's lying, Harriet!

How could you do it, Mother?

THIS lady killed Chris?

Good grief, things have certainly gotten...noisy. Though it does make for a good opportunity to answer your questions.

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Ah, yes, I never did explain it to you, did I? Mash had the same misunderstanding...

What? You mean I made a mistake with the Violet family tree I drew!?

Indeed. I'm quite certain that Harriet is Adamska's wife, while their daughters are Juliet and Eva.

But, I drew it exactly how Senpai described it... If I'd made a mistake, he would have noticed.

Ah, not necessarily. He is somewhat preoccupied with the personages of Chaldea. Perhaps a bit too much so, it turns out.

By way of example...tell me, Mash, what do you think of when you think of Lancelot?

...The fact that he's Galahad's father, I suppose.

There you have it. That is exactly the line of thinking that has tripped our Fujimaru up.

If a woman who looks like Stheno told you she has a younger sister, you would immediately think of Euryale, no?

Ah!

Similarly, once Eva was assigned Minamoto-no-Raikou's appearance, Fujimaru could not help but see her as anything other than a mother.

Of course, I don't believe Juliet meant to deceive Fujimaru, since she had no way of knowing his unique circumstances.

It was merely an unfortunate misunderstanding that persisted till now.

But...but Eva HAD to be the mother!

That way, the parents would be Adamska and Eva, and the twins would be Juliet and Harriet.

It just makes sense! Why would they name them any other way!?

More likely they were named for their parents. Juliet's name was taken from Harriet, Eva's from Adamska. You see?

Such an arrangement certainly makes sense.

But, if Harriet is Juliet's mother...why do they look the same age?

Remember, Morris was a man who looked like Mordred. It's no surprise that there would be other disparities between what Fujimaru saw and reality.

Something as simple as a difference in age could certainly be such a detail that was altered.

This is so confusing...

I imagine Fujimaru must be even more confused, since he is only learning the truth now from Holmes...

Surely you must have seen the signs.

For example...think back to the conversation you had when you asked Eva her alibi.

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Ms. Violet? Well that's a strange question... No, Mother turned in early last night.

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It seems you remembered something. One such revelation tends to lead to others, like so many dominos.

Now, now, you mustn't let your appearance slide over something like this. Haven't you noticed your hair getting sticky from the ocean breeze?

Not really. It's not like I've been to the beach.

I must say, it's always fascinating to see twins with such...different personalities.

So we're just supposed to believe you've got an alibi, huh?

I mean, hypothetically speaking, couldn't twins swap places to pull this kinda thing off? Just sayin'.

...No way. No one would get them mixed up like that. I know I wouldn't...

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You think? I know we're twins, but we're actually fraternal. I don't see much resemblance myself.

Personalitywise, I think she takes after Mother. They're both really free-spirited... I'm honestly kind of jealous.

It's the same principle as optical illusions. Once you've seen something that isn't there, it can be very difficult to unsee it.

There have even been cases that would have been solved very quickly had it not been for confusion regarding who is related to whom.

Harriet's alibi was supposed to have been verified by Eva, and Eva's alibi verified by Juliet.

But as only Eva and Juliet were together at that time, that leaves Harriet without an alibi.

Furthermore, Harriet had no idea about Chris's pocket watch.

Had it not been for that, things might have gone quite differently.

...Would you please stop, and allow me to get a word in?

I have to say, you certainly found a hell of a detective, Aaron.

Then, you really did kill them...

Wait, I remember now. Twenty years ago I had a one-night stand with a woman I never saw again. Yes, that was you! You even mentioned your name was Harriet!

I was just looking to have some fun. I didn't want to cause any more trouble than was necessary, so I left out my family name.

Do I seem drunk to you? I'm actually at a loss because I can't seem to get drunk.

...Oh, by the way, I haven't taken you to bed before, have I?

Ugh! You're just as gross as Morris was!

My apologies. I've been with so many women, it's impossible to keep track of them all. I must've confused you with one of my myriad one-night stands.

No wonder Juliet seemed so familiar. She looks just like you did back then.

I did enjoy that night we spent together, Aaron. I have no regrets about that part.

But I didn't find out until later that I'd become pregnant with Juliet and Eva as a result.

By the time I had, it was already too late... My parents had promised me to Adamska. I had little say in the matter.

I already knew you were pregnant when we got married, Harriet. You have nothing to feel bad about!

Thank you, Adamska. I do so adore how understanding you are.

But I just couldn't tell you, or my parents, who Juliet and Eva's father really was.

If I had, my father would have been so angry he would have started a war with the Goldie family...

But I never imagined a secret I decided to keep almost twenty years ago could lead to...this...

Harriet? What're you doing all the way out here?

I have a favor to ask you... I want you to reconsider your engagement to Juliet.

Huh? Where'd that come from? And what's it matter to you?

...I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that.

I don't get it...

But okay, I'm fine taking Eva instead. She's more my type, anyway.

I'm sorry, but I cannot let you marry Eva, either.

Tch... Why's that?

...I can't tell you.

Man, this is nuts... Are all you Violet chicks this crazy?

I don't know why my old man's so afraid of you guys. He should've made up an excuse to invade your turf long ago.

(I can't possibly tell him the truth... If I did, it could lead to all-out war between our families.)

(...I...I'll just have to push him off this cliff...)

Look, Morris. Can you see that ship over there?

Huh? There's no way a ship'd come all the way out

You want me to reconsider the engagement?

That's right. I thought you, of all people, could be reasonable about that.

Does that mean you want Ms. Juliet to marry for love rather than politics?

If that's how you want to interpret it.

Nonetheless, I have been named Mr. Aaron's successor. If he desires this engagement, I am obliged to comply.

So I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid I must refuse your request...

(Damn it. I can tell there's no chance of me convincing him.)

(...I'll have to kill him, too. I had hoped it could only be Morris...)

I see... By the way, can I see your hand for a moment?

Yes, of course...

Thank you.

Ms. Harriet, what did you just do?

...Goodbye.

It's a dangerous world, so I've always been certain to keep a bit of poison on me.

But I never thought I would end up using it on Chris like that...

You did all that for me, Mother...?

Juliet, please understand you did nothing wrong.

This was all my doing, and so I will pay the price.

Thinking about it now, I guess I should have told my father about this. Maybe then, if I'd ended up marrying Aaron instead...

...none of this would have happened.

If only I had known what you were dealing with, I could have helped you find another way...

I'm just as guilty as you are. I may have been too oblivious to share your suffering, but I can at least share your punishment.

Thank you, Adamska.

This might not mean much coming from me now, but...

...you were the best husband I could have asked for. ...Ghh.

No! She used the poison on herself!

...I still had some left over. I'm sorry. I couldn't think of another way...to make amends.

Mother!

Eva, Cain... I love you all so much. And Juliet...please don't make the same mistake I did.

Mother, wait! Don't go!

Goodbye...

Our ride should be here soon. I'm afraid I must ask you all to get ready to leave.

...Please...let me stay with Mother just a little longer.

Mother...

I'm so sorry, everyone. I could have stopped her...

As soon as I heard about the threatening letter, I had a feeling this might have been the case all along.

I remember what she was like back then. Still, I couldn't bring myself to ask her about it.

I know I should have said something, but I just couldn't bear the thought of her hating me.

Please don't be so hard on yourself. This case would remain unsolved without your help.

Me? No...I'm just a sniveling coward who left all the dirty work to you.

I'm sad that Morris is dead, but...if I had been in Harriet's shoes, I think I might have done the same thing.

Excuse me, everyone. There's something I want to tell you.

Cain! What's come over you...?

Cain?

It looks like Cain has decided to come clean. Now that all eyes are on him, this seems it would be a good time for us to have a private chat.

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...Hmm. I am sure Da Vinci could explain the connection between you, Chaldea, and Rayshifting in magecraft terms...

...but I am afraid that is all a bit beyond my area of expertise, as it were. The best I can do under the circumstances is offer conjecture.

I imagine whoever that body belongs to must have had a powerful reaction upon learning Juliet was engaged.

Whether out of friendship, love, or perhaps pity...they must have wished to help her with all their heart.

From here on, my speculation takes a turn for the romantic, but...perhaps the moon saw that wish, and decided to grant it.

Perhaps, in searching for someone with both the ability to help in this matter, and someone with a desire to do so...

...it found you, and used Chaldea to forge some manner of connection between you, with moonlight as its conduit.

Chaldea is no stranger to oddities of time and space. And you did truly wish to help Juliet, no?

It would seem you're about to lose consciousness again. I suppose that makes sense, as your role here is complete.

By the time you wake up I will have already set off for the real Kogetsukan, but rest assured that I will return in a few days.

Well now, it seems that Cain is saying something quite important indeed.

...I still hate this family, and this whole society. I'm scared of dying, too. But I decided to be brave.

I see now that even small lies can have huge consequences. My mother taught me that.

So I'm telling you all, right here and now: I'm gonna change the Violet AND the Goldie families!

...Perhaps he really will succeed at changing the way both families live their lives.

But that is no longer our concern.

Ah, right. I do believe this is the last time you will see these people, so if there is anything you've been meaning to tell a certain someone, now is the time.

Something that body's true owner may have been wanting to say, or perhaps even should say.

What is it, Fujimaru? With Mother's death and Cain's revelation, I...I feel like I'm losing my mind...

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Wh-where did that come from...? And you're saying that now, of all times...?

No...you're right. Now is exactly the time I need to hear that. You always know what to say.

...Thank you, Fujimaru. That means a lot to me. You know, I have something to tell you as

Fujimaru? What's wrong? Are you all right...?

And so ends the case of the murders at the Kogetsukan. I hope you enjoyed it.

I congratulate those of you who arrived at the truth. But if you got it wrong, well...don't feel bad.

If those who made mistakes were without worth, then I am afraid I would be the only one in the world with any worth to his name!

...That was a joke. Go on, laugh.

At any rate...even if one error or another led you to the wrong conclusion, no one can say you did not give it your all.

That experience is yours, and yours alone.

If you enjoyed your experience at all over these last few days, that is enough in and of itself.

Everyone makes mistakes at times. Even me. That is why the search for answers is as much a journey as it is a process of trial and error.

At any rate, this concludes our latest case. I do apologize that the detective ended up monopolizing the spotlight.

This little event was, admittedly, small in scale compared to others, but I hope one day to take you on a much...grander adventure, one truly worthy of a great detective.