3. Can't Heal with Hot Springs

Yikes, that was too close! I barely managed to shift in time!

What the hell IS that thing!? It doesn't obey the laws of physics, you can never tell when it's about to do something...

It attacks constantly, and I have no idea what it even is! And the worst part...

"ANALYZING... DENIED." "DELIBERATING... DENIED."

"EVALUATING... DENIED." "DIAGNOSING... DENIED."

"DENIED. DENIED. DENIED DENIED DENIED DENIED DENIED."

...is that it speaks our language! Ugh!

(I can just dodge its attacks by teleporting, but that won't stop them. And if I mess up even once, I'll be dead!)

(There's one thing I could do to hold it back for now, but it's not giving me time to pull off a big move like that.)

(If it would just let up for two seconds, then I could)

...!

(It knows that. It knows, and it's planning on keeping this stalemate going forever.)

(How long can I stay focused? Five days? Ten? ...Then again, I don't think I can afford to worry about that.)

(That magical energy wind is spreading even now. At this rate, it won't be long before the whole world becomes a desolate wasteland.)

(...I can't stop this thing by myself. And there's no one else who can help me, either.)

(Some big deal Magicians are. No matter how much people fear or idolize us, in the end, we're only human.)

(We're not nearly powerful enough to stand up to a potentially world-ending disaster on our own.)

Still, it's gotta run out of steam eventually, right!? Seriously, what the hell!?

Are you seriously telling me it's a star from outer space here to destroy the world!?

Morning, Fujimaru. I take it you slept like a log?

？！

Glad to hear it. I slept well too, and I feel great.

So, now that Aozaki's death has been solved, we can finally focus on finding the Holy Grail. After we've had a proper breakfast, of course.

Good morning, Senpai. Good morning, Soujyuro. You're both up bright and early today.

？！

Everyone up? Nice to see you all keeping a healthy lifestyle.

I hate to rain on your parade, but I've got some bad news you need to know.

Aoko was just found dead at the second secret spring. Come to the public bath as soon as you can.

？！

(I don't see Aozaki here, so it looks like that really is her...)

What's the situation here? Who found her?

I did. She wasn't in our room when I woke up, which gave me a bad feeling.

I came here to check on her, and found her like, well, that.

I was still coming to grips with it when Kumanoin came in to open the spring, and he then told the other guests.

How horrible. To think we've had people turning up dead two days in a row...

First there was a body at the Spring of Youth, now there's one at the Spring of Romance...

The great Wanwan must be cursing us. He must be furious with us for tainting the springs.

Although, hang on. Who is this person, anyway?

Her face is too mangled to identify, but she seems to be wearing the same outfit as the victim from yesterday...

You think so? It's just the latest big-city fashion. You see this kind of outfit everywhere nowadays.

Oh, I see. I guess that explains it.

Then she must be a burglar who decided to sneak into the springs.

All the guests are safe and accounted for, including yourselves, of course, so it couldn't be any of them.

So, what's the play now? Did you want to gather everyone for questioning again?

Nah. I doubt anything's changed from yesterday. They still won't have any way of verifying their alibis.

I'll take charge of the crime scene until the police get here. You okay with that, Proprietor?

Fine by me. Better you than me if the police have a problem with it.

All right, I'd better get back to it. See that the body is brought to Hell's Pavilion again, will you?

？！

...

...

...Um... I'm a little reluctant to say this in front of the deceased, but

Don't worry about it, Mash.

Better to be blunt about it and say, "She's just going to come back again, right?"

There, I just tracked down the traces of my magical energy! This must be where I died!

Yikes! What happened to me!? My whole face has been smashed in! How the hell did that happen?

Oh, Alice, you're here, too. That's great☆ Can you tell me what's going on here?

？！

Thanks for catching her up. Kuonji and I have too much of a headache to keep our thoughts straight.

I hope you appreciate what Fujimaru is doing for you, Aozaki.

Most people wouldn't be nearly so gracious to someone who went and got herself killed twice in two days.

Good point... Ehehe. Sorry for all the trouble, Fujimaru.

Still, thanks to you, I have a good handle on the situation now. Let's not waste any more time.

We'll start by going around and questioning all the other guests one by one. That's why you didn't gather them all in one place, right, Tobimaru?

If everyone insists they were just sleeping last night, even suspicious testimony will skate by thanks to the peer pressure to not rock the boat.

It's better to talk to people one at a time if we want to hear their full alibi.

R-right.

We should be treating the search for my killer and the search for the Holy Grail separately.

It sounds like there was a lot of time wasted by not doing that yesterday.

Today, we don't need to bother looking for my killer. We should just focus on learning why the other guests are really here.

I don't buy for a second that they're actually here to exorcise the Kumano Inn's spirits. They're here for other reasons, and it's up to us to find out what those are.

Yes. Chaldea's goal comes first here.

Besides, if my killer also has the Holy Grail, then looking for one will lead to the other anyway.

？！

I agree with Aoko.

We still don't know where the Holy Grail is, but if we can find out what the other guests are really doing here...

...we'll be able to determine which of them would need it.

Exactly. So, let's get star

Not so fast, Aozaki. You stay here.

Yeah. I swear, I don't know how you can be so smart, but still always skip over the last crucial part.

Think about it. How do you think people're gonna respond to a dead woman asking them questions? No, we'll launch you when we know what target to point you at.

In the meantime, we'll stick to just me, Fujimaru, Mash, and Soujyuro again.

...Fine, makes sense. I guess you and I will be holding the fort down then, Alice.

Ah.

Alice?

...That's fine. I don't have anything else to do right now, anyway.

We got a Holy Friar here. She wants in on the investigation, too. Just yesterday it was all about how boring it is to mind the store!

Whaddya say, kids? Think you can make room for Alice, too?

Not that she'll be much help! She's way out of shape, can't hold a conversation to save her life, and

Kuonji, huh... Yeah, that could work. She's practically a walking lie detector.

The only problem is, I'd rather not go around in a group of five. Too many or too few of us will put people on their guard.

All right, let's split up. Fujimaru, you go with Soujyuro and Alice...

...and I'll go with Mash.

？！

Soujyuro's your Servant now, right? So it's his job to keep you safe.

You'll also need him to interpret for Alice, so that's why she should go with you two.

As for me, I don't mind going off on my own, but like I said, acting alone would invite suspicion too.

So I need someone to come along and be my notetaker, which is where Mash comes in.

Sorry about this, Fujimaru.

Now I see.

Okay. That arrangement makes sense to me. I can tell you're committed to staying impartial, even with yourself.

？！

If we're all agreed, then let's get started. Mash and I will take the new building. You three take the old inn and outside areas.

We'll meet back up here in the Sky Room in the afternoon and compare notes. All right, let's get to work.

It looks like there aren't any guests staying in the old building.

The closest we saw was Yoshisuke eating old-fashioned ramen in his office.

Likely because the hot springs are closed. Most wouldn't want to come to a place where two murders occurred in as many days.

Let's head outside. I don't think we'll learn anything new in

Perfect timing. I was afraid I'd have to go back to my room empty-handed.

Excuse me, miss. You've been filling in at this shop, yes?

Would you please wrap up one of these adorable horror monster plushies for me?

Excellent taste, madam.

But they actually come in sets of two. If you could please wait here, I'll go prepare another one.

So these are all handmade. I knew it was worth coming.

...

？！

This is your chance to question me, you know.

？！

I'm Ryougi. I came here from Mifune, Tokyo with my family. But who cares about that?

I take it you two are college students? Maybe here as part of some club activity?

I work at a detective agency. I thought my partner, Tsukiji, explained as much yesterday.

Oh, right. I'm sorry. You two seem so different from the other guests that I just assumed.

You're not like the rest of us who came here for reasons we can't share openly, right?

Oh yes. Secret reasons we can't even tell our loved ones, let alone complete strangers.

Oh my, why did I say that? Perhaps I'm a little more giddy than I thought.

？！

Think about it.

The proprietor said he'll reward us for every spiritual disturbance we eliminate, right? But isn't that just common sense?

Of course people are supposed to be paid for their work. That's not enough to attract this many of them.

Oh, yeah. Good point.

Not to mention that genuine psychics are in very high demand. They'd have no reason to come all the way out to a mountain just to find work.

For that matter, most real psychics wouldn't come near this place. They know all too well that they'd be no match for spirits visible to the naked eye.

？！

The other guests may be able to dispel evil spirits, but very few of them could truly be called exorcists.

No, I suspect they all have very different professions. Which means they aren't here to banish ghosts and earn money.

Thank you for waiting. Here's your set of talking twins, Tweedle Dee and

Is something wrong?

Fujimaru and Sizuki look a little tense.

Everything's fine. We were just making small talk. Thank you. I'll take good care of them.

Goodbye, detectives. I suggest you try bringing this topic up with the other guests as well.

Phew, she's finally gone. I was ready for a fight, but I'm glad it didn't come to that.

Do you know her, Alice?

No. I only met her here at this inn. But I can tell she's the real deal.

She has the distinct air of a professional spirit slayer about her. When it comes to killing spirits, she's probably better than any of the other guests.

？！

Well, for example, if the entire new building became possessed, I'd bet she'd handle it by cutting the whole building in half.

Aaaaiiiee! Somebody, anybody! Help meeee!

？！

It's coming from right over there! Come on, you two! There's a girl under attack by evil spirits!

...

Don't worry about them. Those were just the residual thoughts of some ruffians I once taught a lesson to.

They must have followed me all the way to this mountain to get revenI mean, out of sheer gratitude.

What's that? Sounds like stalking, you say? Indeed, that's exactly what it is.

But I suppose that's the fate of an idol who rescues lost souls...

Anyway, thank you for showing up in my hour of need.

I'm just a poor, helpless woman of the cloth who doesn't know a thing about fighting. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't showed up.

Good thing we happened to be close by, then. Maybe God had a hand in this, too.

Oh my.

Indeed, I couldn't agree more, young man with an innocent, trusting smile. You know, if I may be frank, you're exactly my type♡

Something's not adding up. If you're so bad at fighting, how did you teach those evil spirits a lesson?

Well... I usually work with a partner who chases off the ruffians for me, but they have other business to attend to right now.

Seriously though, how long are they going to keep hiding?

Oh, but enough about us. Was there something else you wanted to talk to me about?

？！

You want to know the guests' real reasons for coming to these hot springs?

Yes, I know what they are. But as a woman of the cloth, I can't go around speaking of other people's deep, dark desires.

You need to save those for the confession booth where you can take your time, or it'd be a waste of a good meal♡

Be careful, Fujimaru. This is the kind of person who's better to keep your distance from.

？！

I-I can't believe it! Did you just call me a devil!?

Oh, uh, I'm sure he was just speaking figuratively.

Your face is practically screaming, "How did you know that!?" Not that it needed to.

...It seems you're all skilled mind readers as well. Very well, let us make a deal.

If you agree that we never had this discussion, then I'll answer your earlier question.

Having said that, revealing other people's secrets is something trashy priests do, so I'm only going to reveal my own.

I'll leave it to you to determine whether or not my circumstances apply to anyone else.

I am an exorcist, but as I said before, I can't actually banish evil spirits. I can only banish demons.

Huh? Is there a difference between evil spirits and demons?

There is. Evil spirits are a form of karmic retribution caused by human actions, while demons are beings beyond human comprehension caused by the outflow of evil.

At any rate, I can't do anything with evil spirits. So then, why did I come to these springs?

To bring a certain scoundrel to justice

To capture a con artist who only claims to be an exorcist.

？！

Indeed. Which is why I'm not partaking in the rewards for exorcising evil spirits, no matter how much I wish I could.

Sorry, could you explain what makes this exorcist a con artist?

I mean, questions of style or spiritual power aside, as long as they're actually able to banish evil spirits, doesn't that make them real enough?

Good question, upstanding young man. As my mentor once said, there's only one thing that makes an exorcist a con:

Using exorcisms as a pretext to appropriate that household's property. Indeed, stealing wealth is the most evil deed there is!

So those are your true feelingsor rather, your core principles. Can't say I'm surprised.

Anyway, you're saying that's why one of the guests came here?

And you followed them here in order to capture them after this fraudulent exorcist commits their crime?

That's right. After all, I'm sure they're not after the five secret springs.

Didn't you think it was strange that these so-called "wish-granting springs" all only confer very specific benefits?

Any wish where the results are predetermined is no wish at all.

Good point. I was wondering about that myself. I know getting younger and finding romance aren't things I'd want someone else to give me.

Right? But the Kumano Hot Springs still became famous for having wish-granting springs. Why is that?

Because there's a sixth secret spring the proprietor hasn't told us aboutone that really does grant any wish.

That's why the other guests are here. They want to use THAT spring.

If it really can grant any wish at all, then some people would be perfectly willing to pretend to be an exorcist, or even commit murder, don't you think?

？！

...

Is something wrong, Sizuki?

I thought I just saw someone staring at us from the top floor of the old building.

Oh my, how frightening. I knew I shouldn't have spoken about other people's secrets, even if I was only speculating.

All right, I have something I want to look up in the reference room, so if you'll excuse me.

...

？！

Thanks, Fujimaru. Let's hope I was just seeing things.

I guess this was a waste of time. I'm sorry.

Not necessarily. Someone's coming up from downstairs.

Huh? What are you people doing here? Are you...having a tryst? Here, in this haunted spot?

...

Oh, it's just you, Yoshisuke. Don't scare us like that. We thought you were the bad guy.

Bad guy? You mean, the one responsible for the murder this morning? Don't be ridiculous. I don't have the guts for something like that.

More importantly, what are you all doing in the Inverse Reflection Room? This room is part of our Big Five Ghost Stories.

？！

Yes, this is one of them. There was a rumor once that the daughter of the inn's former proprietor had an affair with one of the bellboys.

The proprietor was furious. He had the bellboy banned from the premises and confined his daughter to this attic.

Said he would never let a shameless hussy like her set foot outside again.

His daughter wept and said it wasn't her, she had no memory of doing anything like that...

...but as the eldest son of a prestigious family, the proprietor wouldn't hear any excuses from a woman, not even his own daughter.

In time, the girl became mentally ill.

She would go on and on about how it hadn't been her in the bellboy's room...

...but her own reflection from the mirror.

Eventually, it came to light that the whole bellboy business had been made out of whole cloth by the head clerk, who couldn't stand him...

...but by then, the proprietor's daughter was already gone.

Not dead, mind you. Gone. Vanished into thin air.

As you can see, the only way in and out of the attic is the very staircase I just came up from.

She was gone with the wind, even though an apprentice was assigned to stand guard.

But to this day, every now and then, you can hear sounds coming from this attic. See the mirror covering that wall?

If you come up here when you hear those sounds, you can still see the innocent girl...

...covered with bruises from her father's beatings, walking inside the mirror, saying...

"It wasn't me. It wasn't me..."

？！

Heeheehee, sorry about that. I may have put my showbiz days behind me, but old habits die hard.

Anyway, let's get out of here. Just because it's daytime now doesn't mean we're safe.

Spirits have a way of coming out whenever the sun decides to hide, and it looks like it could be getting cloudy very soon.

Then before it gets dark, tell usdo the Kumano Hot Springs have a sixth secret spring?

...Where did you hear that?

From one of the other guests. They said it can grant any kind of wish.

Why didn't you tell us about that, Yoshisuke?

Why would I? I've never seen any spring like that myself.

I only ever heard the former proprietor say it existed.

He said there used to be a road leading straight to hell there...

...in the Room of No Opening. Believe me, I'd like to get that door open if I could, but nothing has ever worked.

I was hoping that one of the psychics who made their way here would be able to figure it out...

...but after two years and only a number of cursed psychics to show for it, I've given up.

Oh, but a monk in training who once stopped by here did have this to say.

"To reach the omnipotent spring, you will need an omnipotent chalice. Use the chalice's wish-granting power to open the door."

Haha, ridiculous, isn't it? If I had a chalice that could grant wishes, I wouldn't need the spring in the first place.

？！

I think it's time we went back to the Sky Room.

We didn't learn anything about Aoko's killer, but we learned a lot about the Holy Grail.

Let's go see what Aoko has to say about this. If there really is a spring that can grant any wish...

...then I'm sure she'll know what kind of wish it granted.

An omnipotent secret spring that can grant any wish at all, huh. Let's see...

There's the Spring of Youth, the Spring of Romance, the Spring of Male Transformation, the Spring of Happy Homelife, and the Spring of Stiff Shoulder Annihilation.

If the spring changes every day, than you'd think there would be a different one on the sixth day as well.

But Mr. Kumanoin said he's never seen the sixth spring, and can only guess that it's past the Room of No Opening.

If that's true, then the Holy Grail would be in this omnipotent spring, rather than with a person.

？！

So if this omnipotent spring is actually the Holy Grail, that would mean you need a Grail to get a Grail.

It's like a catch-22 riddle. Or maybe

Or maybe...the Holy Grail was never relevant in the first place?

Fujimaru, you and Mash said that using a Holy Grail creates a Singularity, right?

But the Holy Grail here hasn't been used yet. That's the only way any of this makes sense.

And that would mean that something other than a Holy Grail created this Kumano Singularity.

Damn, Tobimaru, for a guy without much paranormal experience, you really are a quick study. Why're you just a detective again?

Because I'm a quick study. Anyway, this gives us two leads:

Whoever killed Aozaki this morning, and Aozaki One's statement about how the world will end if something isn't done.

I think we'll arrive at the answer sooner if we focus on those questions instead of looking for the Holy Grail.

So, how about it, Aozaki? Why'd Aozaki One say something like that?

Look, I'm Aoko Three, remember?

I have no idea what Aoko One saw, or where she came from to get here. Not yet, anyway.

But, if I were to guess, I'd bet Aoko One was actually there, at the spot that'll bring about the world's end...

...and she probably came here to Kumano Hot Springs because this place has the key to stopping it.

That's all I can say for now.

Maybe it happens because someone wished to destroy the world?

？！

The logic checks out. Though whether someone could easily make a wish like that or not is another story.

Still, if someone did make a ridiculous wish like that, there'd be a number of ways to grant it.

If what causes the world's destruction doesn't exist in this era, they could simply have it come from another world instead.

Like that self-styled rock singer over there.

Or, maybe, the wish breaks a fundamental rule of the world.

If something impossible were to happen here, it could introduce cracks into the Foundation of Humanitythe texture this world is built upon.

That would definitely destroy the world. You know what I'm talking about, right, Mash?

Yes. It's like when a tiny bug results in a total system shutdown.

Right. For example, it could be something like bringing the dead back to life.

Then, does that mean...you're the culprit, Aozaki?

Dying once wasn't enough for you, huh?

Aoko's Magic isn't true resurrection. It's more like scamming time itself. So that doesn't count.

More importantly, what about the Room of No Opening, and...Wanwan, was it?

If a mountain spirit that's been worshipped here for a long time has the power to grant wishes...

...then whoever tries to misuse that power must be responsible for ending the world.

And if Wanwan really is as the legend describes it, then it wouldn't need a Holy Grail to grant a wish.

Things are finally starting to come together. The enemy's after the omnipotent spring...

...and they probably mistook Aozaki for a rival when she showed up bright and early at the spring, so they murdered her.

Huh? You mean I went to the hot spring first thing in the morning more than once? What was I thinking?

Oh! In that case, we learned something useful! While Tsukiji and I were going around questioning people...

It was kinda hot last night, so I opened the window to get some air, and I heard arguing coming from the hot springs.

I couldn't tell you if one of the voices belonged to that Aoko lady or not...

...but the other voice definitely belonged to Bazett.

Bazett doesn't have a room of her own? Of course she doesn't. She's staying with Caren.

Hm? If Caren wasn't in her room, then she's probably just out somewhere.

That nun's the most gung ho about exterminating evil spirits by a long shot.

？！

Come on, Fujimaru! We might still catch her there if we go now!

Ooh, is it time to capture someone? Then I'm going, too! You don't mind, right, Tobimaru?

It sounds like we've got a possible suspect now, so yeah, fine.

I'll go secure Caren and Bazett's room in the meantime, just to be safe. We might run into them on the way, too.

Sorry, Fujimaru, but I'm gonna have to borrow Mash again.

She's the whole package: smart, quick on her feet, and can handle ghosts and spirits no problem. There's no one more reliable here.

I'd be glad to be your bodyguard, Tsukiji. Just make sure you keep Master safe in exchange, Soujyuro.

What're you gonna do, Alice?

I'll go with Fujimaru. If he's going to the reference room, then he's going to need my help.

Oh, hello. Excellent timing.

I thought something seemed off in the reference room, and when I went to investigate, I heard disturbing noises coming from inside.

The Devil's Classroom must have begun. There was a guest in there, too... Caren, I believe her name was?

She still hasn't come out, poor thing. I'm afraid evil spirits might have possessed her, or even eaten her outright.

As guests yourselves, you're of course under no obligation to help her, but...

？！

Wonderful. Then let me give you one piece of advice: try not to destroy any of the dolls.

Of course, that may be easier said than done. After all, inside, it's alreadyOh.

？！

These are poltergeists. I saw them all the time at the Kuonji Estate. Don't worry. You can touch the floating objects without them possessing you, too.

Just move out of the way if they fly at you and you'll be fine. The real problem is

Teeheehee. I see we have some new students. Welcome to the Devil's Classroom.

The path of art is steep and treacherous. Its zenith will always be beyond your grasp, just like a sacred mountain's summit.

You can never hope to reach it, no matter how much you whittle your soul away. Your attempts to do so will only result in frustration, despair, and burnout.

But now, I am here to free you from your suffering...by turning you into mindless dolls!

Fear me, for I am the most formidable of all the Big Five Ghost Stories!

I am God Caren, the devil of beauty!

No, God. It's right in the name. It just goes to show I'm truly not a devil at heart.

That's just the name of the evil spirit possessing me. Try not to get them mixed up.

？！

Also, I'm sorry. As you can see, I'm not my usual self anymore.

I didn't tell you this before, but Caren Hortensia has a Masochistic Medium's Nature

My body has the laughably unfortunate tendency to be possessed by any spirits that happen to be nearby.

So when I entered this incredibly dangerous haunted room, well, you can see for yourselves.

And now that I'm possessed, I can do whatever I want.

In this room, my word is law. You're all going to be free labor for God, and there's nothing you can do about it♡

？！

What a joke. I feel embarrassed for you, being so proud of such mediocre familiars.

Familiars are about quality, not quantity. Let me show you what I mean.

Wha

Heh. I told you. In here, my word is law, thanks to my perfect anti-Ploy Kickshaw countermeasures.

You'll never be able to awaken them in this inn again.

And without your precious familiars, you're no more threat to me than the dishrags you use to clean the floor.

Now go on, my devil puppets! Show these people what art is truly all about!

What is this? I feel sino, wait, not sick. I feel like... Like...

Like I have to make something! Where are the materials!? Please! You've gotta let me remake what I just destroyed!

？！

Go right ahead. You'll find instructions in that cardboard box. They're simple enough for even a beginner to follow.

As long as you completely replace the dolls you destroyed, you won't have to worry about any curse.

Yay! It's so generous of you to provide the materials♪ Is it okay if I use this table? Great! Just watch, I'm gonna make some awesome dolls!

？！

There, all done! Check out the pompadour on this puppet! Spitting image of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, if I say so myself!

Man, that was satisfying. I haven't done any arts and crafts since...high school...

Uh... Why aren't my hands stopping? I've already made three...four...five dolls now...

？！

What's going on? You already made enough dolls to replace the ones you broke. Why aren't you stopping?

Your dolls even look just like the guide says they should, unlike Aozaki's.

They're not going to stop. I told you, they need to be COMPLETELY replaced.

The sculptor who died in this room was a God-given genius, and your replicas need to be equally perfect down to the millimeter.

And what makes an artist perfect? Flawless repetition of every movement.

That's right. To be identical, it's not enough for them to be shaped the same.

The actions of the people who made them also need to be the same. Art demands beauty, even from the very people making it!

Huh? So, now that we've made one doll...

...the other nine won't count unless we make them with the exact same actions as the first?

That's right. And until you can, you'll be stuck here doing arts and crafts for eternity.

You'll be making meaningless practice pieces until your lives give out and your souls are worn threadbare!

？！

Hohoho. Maybe now, you understand the beauty to be found in automation.

Haven't you ever watched a video of something like, say, screws being made over and over, and found yourself marveling at it?

So what, the devil of beauty only cares about machines!? How is THAT a victory for artistic merit!?

Say whatever you like. You'll never be able to break this rule until you're as good as a machine yourself.

And of course, humans just aren't capable of such precise operations. You're going to be stuck working here forev

There, that's ten of them. This ought to break the curse, right?

Um...

I'm sorry, what did you just say?

He's saying he made something that satisfied your conditions while you were prematurely gloating.

Ten dolls, all made with exactly the same actions, all identical down to the millimeter.

No way. You actually did it!?

Nooo! The devil of beauty is leaving me now that it's satisfieeed!

So, it's okay if I "teach her a lesson," right? Especially since she's still dressed like a devil.

Khh! All right then, you leave me no choice! I'll just have to bring out my final work!

This is the demonically modded HG model that blew even the devil of beauty's mind! You'd better give it a good rating!

Hnnngh... Arrrrgh...

Huh!? Where am I? Would you believe me if I told you it feels like I just woke up from a long nightmare?

Fine, whatever. Just answer our questions honestly and we'll believe whatever you want.

We heard that Bazett and I were arguing last night. Do you know anything about that?

Bazett was arguing? With you?

Ohh, so that's why I haven't seen her all day. I swear, she's just as much gorilla in heart as she is in body.

A...gorilla? What do you mean by that?

？！

I do know Bazett went out last night, yes.

And yes, she probably did argue with you. I can't deny that she might have gotten violent, either.

The corpse this morning had its face smashed in, right?

Bazett's iron fists can even shatter concrete, so they could easily do worse to someone's face♡

Do you have any idea where she might be?

I didn't before, but I do now.

She probably freaked out after killing Miss Aozaki and decided to lay low for a while.

I'm sure you'll find her sobbing like a small child in Hell's Pavilion, if you want to go interrogate her.

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Excuse me. Could I ask you something as well?

What is it?

How did he do that? How did he perform so many intricate operations like it was nothing?

The devil of beauty did say a genius would be able to accomplish it, but I don't buy it. That kind of thing shouldn't be possible, even for a genius.

Humans just aren't capable of replicating movements down to the millimeter. If they could, there would be no point in sports of any kind.

So what kind of trick did he use to bypass this room's haunting?

...You said the only way humans could do this was through automation, but he managed it because he does anything but that.

Huh?

Human movements may seem simple, but they're actually very complex. Even the everyday actions nobody thinks about, like walking, raising our hands, bending over...

Any person unconsciously coordinates tensno, hundreds of body parts to make them happen.

It actually takes tremendous cognitive effort to manually replicate every single motion.

People's bodies move on signals from their brain, but the cerebral cortex is inherently imprecise, and tends to do sloppy work.

It can't manage simple calculations or make correct decisions. It even makes people's personalities fuzzy and incoherent.

The only reason we're able to do these kinds of things without thinking about themthat is, to automate themis because of the basal ganglia.

Without the basal ganglia, people would never be able to live their lives as easily as they do.

So what do you think someone's daily life would be like if their basal ganglia simply didn't work?

Even so-called simple actions like walking or raising a hand would require extreme, constant effort.

Most people without functioning basal ganglia would probably be stuck in a hospital bed or dependent on machines to live.

But not Sizuki. He's learned how to manually move his body just as naturally as we do, as though it were nothing.

Compared to most of us who rely on our basal ganglia's support to move our limbs and have no idea what our bodies are really doing...

...Sizuki knows what every bit of his body is doing at all times, and is constantly wracking his mind to move it.

That's all this comes down to.

It's a mechanism that isn't artistic in any way, yet is still inarguably art in its own right.

For Sizuki, replicating movements down to the millimeter...

...is no different than breathing.

Yup, she's here all right. Hey, you there. The pretty lady in the suit. We'd like to talk to you for

A-Aozaki!? B-but, I thought you were dead!

I'm sure you're surprised, but please, take it easy. We don't want to fight. We just want to talk about last night.

You just want to talk...? Oh no. You're not fooling me!

I could easily see Aozaki coming back to life just for a rematch!

Besides, I knew what I was getting into when I came to this country to investigate a mage! The only way we're settling this is with maximum effort and violence!

I won't even demand a one-on-one duel. You can all come at me at once! My Mystic Code is a counterpunch from the Age of Gods that can turn back any attack.

Oh, but it is weak to Curse, Fear, and such, so please don't use any underhanded methods like those!

Khh, I guess this is it for me. But it's partly my own fault for letting myself get rusty.

I should have known better than to run away without proving my innocence. Fine, do with me what you will.

I know all about the infamous Aozaki Touko, the puppet master. Go ahead. Use me for whatever twisted experiments you like.

Huh? Touko's my sister. I mean, did you see any puppets during that battle?

Oh! Now that you mention it, I guess it was more of a good old-fashioned brawl, wasn't it? So, you're really not Aozaki Touko then?

Hell no. We might look similar, but we couldn't be more different.

Though if you're fixated on her, then you must be a Seal Designation Enforcer for the Association.

Seal Designation... They say people like you are only around to make sure extraordinary talent stays safe...

...but the truth is, you're executioners who go around apprehending mages.

So what's an Enforcer like you doing at a hot spring inn like this? And why did you kill me?

Hmph. I knew you were going to say something like that.

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Poor thing. You shouldn't have been so mean to her, Aozaki. The way she's pouting proves that she's innocent.

What do you expect, Sizuki? Aoko can't help but pick on the weak. It's in her nature.

Would you two shut up for a minute? I wasn't being serious. I was just trying to trick her into talking.

I know you're not going to believe me, but I didn't kill you.

But when I went to the bath early in the morning and found you dead with your face caved in...

...I knew I'd be blamed for it, so I decided to hide.

I figured everyone else would forget about me if they didn't see me for a while.

That seems...questionable. But hey, who am I to judge?

Anyway, what about last night? One of the guests said they heard you and me arguing at the public bath.

What were we arguing about? What did you see?

Well... Um...

I, uh, don't care about the secret springs. I just, you know, came to soak in the springs because I couldn't sleep.

Hello...? Anyone here...?

Yay, it's just me! Looks like my plan to stake my claim late at night paid off!

Hehe. Spring of Romance? That's so stupid. As if a hot spring could have any effect on your destiny.

I don't buy it for a second, buuut, luck with men is all a crapshoot anyway, so I'm sure this'll only help.

There's plenty of time until morning too, so with this, I'll be first in the spring for suHuh!?

...Are you going in?

fs;lkwrwsdf#^%Esdfkjsa!?

I then explained that no, I wasn't there to go in the spring, and promptly left the bath.

After that, I went back to the public bath lobby, laid down in one of the massage chairs, and waited for morning.

That was my backup plan; to take a perfectly natural morning bath.

I then went back to the public bath as soon as it was five, and

And that was when you found my body. Then you made yourself scarce right before Alice showed up...

That would definitely make you look suspicious. But you didn't actually kill her, right?

Of course not. I wouldn't kill someone just for catching me try to sneak into a secret spring.

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No. No one.

I thought that was strange too, but since there was still a corpse there, I had no choice but to run.

Maybe we should ask the other guests their alibis?

...On second thought, no, there'd be no point.

My first death could plausibly be explained away as an accident, but someone clearly killed me for my second.

The question is, how did the killer get into the bath?

Exactly. I had my eyes peeled the whole time to make sure no one got in before me.

Actually, I was wondering about that. Why did you leave Aoko alone in the bath?

If you wanted to be the first to go in, wouldn't killing her make sure she didn't beat you to the punch?

Because she was still fully dressed. No one's going to go in a hot spring wearing their clothes, right?

I'm sorry for all the trouble my companion caused you. She really does regret her actions, so I hope you can forgive her.

Hey, don't act like this was all on me! From what I hear, you gave them a pretty big headache yourself.

All right, all right, no more fighting. You two are both leaving now, right? Take care.

Oh, but first, I have a question for you.

The real reason you came to this inn was to go in the Spring of Romance, right?

That's right. Bazett insisted that she wasn't going to die lonely on a potentially fatal assignment.

D-d-d-d-don't be ridiculous, I just came here to make sure I was in good shape for my Aozaki Touko investiga

Yeah, that makes sense. I'm sorry for messing that up for you.

You don't have to apologize. Last night was just a coincidence. Bad luck, that's all.

Anyway, you said you're Aozaki Touko's sister, right? Then I think we should get going before things get really messy.

Farewell, everyone. And please don't tell anyone about what happened in the reference room, okay♡

Oh, one more thing. If you're going to continue with your investigation, look for my briefcase.

It has all the documents put together for this stealth mission, but it went missing at some point.

Missing? Do you think someone stole it?

Probably. But it's specially made to be extra durable, so they won't be able to break it open easily.

If you find it, you have my permission to look at its contents. The passcode is "20051028."

Those documents didn't have any useful information for me, but maybe they will for you.

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So they were both completely innocent, huh. Then the killer must be one of the remaining guests, or one of the inn's full-time residents.

Among the guests, there's the woman who claims she came here with her family on vacation, the man who gives off old-fashioned patriarch vibes...

...the self-styled psychic with the hunting rifle, and the inconspicuous yet suspicious girl.

For the residents, there's the proprietor, and the dollmaker.

That makes six suspects in total. And among them, the ones whose true goals we still don't know are

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Right. I'd bet they're here for the omnipotent secret spring. The exorcisms are probably just a pretext.

Yoshisuke and Kashinko have been working at this inn for a long time, so they wouldn't have any goal beyond that.

And if two of the guests are just here on vacation, does that mean we should be suspicious of the psychics?

Wrong. Ryougi and Shirou are the two shadiest by far.

This inn's so well-known for being haunted that it's on the brink of bankruptcy. There's no way regular people would come here by choice for a hot spring trip.

Anyway, we've narrowed the suspects down. If we split up again tomorrow, we should get pretty close to wrapping this investigation up.

...Uh, are you girls listening to me?

I was thinking about the example from before...

...and I don't see how wishing for someone dead to come back to life is a bad thing.

Why would a wish like that cause the world to end?

That's a good question, Mash.

The problem is, once you bring Dead Person A back to life, that establishes a new law of nature saying it's okay for the dead to be revived.

From there, it's only a matter of time until Dead Persons B, C, and D come back to life as well.

The more it happens, the less rare it becomes, and eventually, the new law becomes permanent and normal.

And then, before you know it, you have a world with living dead people everywhere you go.

Isn't there a term for that, Aoko?

I think we saw it in that weird movie Sizuki borrowed from Kinomi. What was it called again?

"Dance of the Dead"?

No, Alice, you're thinking of "Dawn of the Dead." Though it is definitely a classic zombie movie.

Must be nice to be so carefree that you can just sit down for tea like it's nothing. Don't feel like you have to keep her company, Mash.

Not at all. I'm learning a lot from her. Alice's lessons have been a valuable source of Mystic knowledge, and they're entertaining, too.

You see, Aoko? It's fine. Mash still remembers her manners, unlike a certain someone I could name.

Don't worry, we can still hear what you're talking about just fine, so don't mind us.

That so. All right, then tomorrow, let's go with the same teams and talk to

Wait. We should have Alice stay here instead of coming with us. She can't use her Ploys right now.

Shit, really? Yeah, I guess you're right. She's not gonna be much help in a brawl otherwise, unlike Aozaki.

All right, Fujimaru, tomorrow, you go with Soujyuro and Aozaki.

By the way, are we not gonna go in the outdoor bath today? I was looking forward to it.

Ryougi's family is using it today. That's only fair; we don't have any right to monopolize it.

Damn, too bad. Welp, might as well call it a day then.

Tomorrow's going to mark this secret spring tour's halfway point. Make sure you all get plenty of rest tonight.

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Morning! Have any good dreams? It's your morning radio bird, here to bring you your daily update!

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Beats me. All I know is, I woke up here, and I was already pecking away at your water bottle.

I gotta have my water in the morning, seeing as I'm a bird and all.

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So, how's the investigation going? Figure out whodunnit yet? You know, I got some idea myself.

Seeing as I'm a Richard the Third, I usually forget things real quick-like, but I just remembered something about this inn.

I bet the killer's the one who makes all that noise when they move and spits out those nasty-looking pell

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Senpai!

That came from the public bath! Come on!

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