5. The Great Detective's Swift Judgment

Yeah, yeah, it's me again! Sorry for all the trouble!

My deepest condolences. It's not every day I get to offer them directly to the deceased in question, so thank you for the novel experience.

Now, can we move on? I trust that's you over there, Aoko?

Yeah, that's me, all right. Go ahead and investigate, deliberate... Whatever you have to do.

？！

Wait, I thought you said there couldn't be more than one of you in the same time period.

That's true, but occasionally there can be a little...slipup. Like, if my future self forgot to carry the one when calculating the jump time?

(That's the one kind of mistake you should never make when Rayshifting!)

So this Aozaki's you from even further in the future, huh. I don't know how I'm gonna keep all this straight.

Never mind Aozaki's mistakes right now. We need to figure out how this one ended up dead.

It looks like she died from shock or blood loss after being cut with some kind of blade.

The wound was inflicted on the front of her body, so I doubt she was taken by surprise. Whoever did this must have been incredibly skilled.

I'll say. Whoever it was must've been a bona fide sword saint, since Aozaki's lasers work on everything up to swordmasters.

Kinomi, tell us more about the bath situation this morning. Who discovered the body?

I did. I woke up late today, since I cleaned the bathing area last night.

I usually wake up before five, but today it was six, since I'd already handed over the key.

You mean, the key to get into the springs?

Yeah. Ryougi actually reserved today's secret spring a whole year ago.

Even paid me ten million yen in advance, all up front. Thank goodness, too. That cash was my lifeline this past year.

Anyway, after I locked up last night, I gave the key to Ryougi so that she could let herself into the spring in the morning.

Said she could take all the time she wants. Hehehe.

So I waited until after six before coming to man the reception, so as not to intrude.

But I didn't see any clothes in the hamper, so I figured she and her family must not have gotten here yet. Then I went to check the door, and

And you found it was unlocked, followed by discovering Aozaki's newest corpse, huh.

So Ryougi reserved this spring a whole year in advance? That sounds serious. What's today's spring again, Senpai?

Uh, Fujimaru?

I was certainly annihilated, but not because of a little shoulder pain.

Sorry, today's actually the Spring of Happy Homelife. But I give that bit just now a ten out of ten!

？！

Thinking this through...

...it seems either Ryougi lured Aozaki out here to kill her, or someone else killed Aozaki thinking she was Ryougi.

Either way, we'll need to hear what Ryougi has to say about this. Fujimaru, Soujyuro, Mash, I'd like you to go talk to her.

Actually, you go with them too, Aozaki. Ryougi's cool as a cucumber and she doesn't have loose lips.

But I bet she'll be more willing to open up with you there.

I see. You want me to act like I just saw her earlier. You got it.

Alice and I will handle everyone else. Let's see... The only other people here now are Shirou, Fujinon, Sugitani, and Kashin.

I'll talk to Shirou, and I'll probably check in on Sugitani, too. Alice, you talk to Fujinon, and Kinomi, you talk to Kashin.

We'll all meet back up in the lobby once we're done. Okay, let's get going.

Okay, this is the Chimera Room, where Ryougi's staying. It shouldn't be too early to knock, since it's eight in the morning now.

Oh, if it isn't the detective's assistant. Is something wrong? You look so serious.

I was planning to bathe in the hot springs this morning, but unfortunately, something suddenly came up.

It was all thanks toyes, you. You're the one who approached me when we happened to pass each other in the hallway.

Oh yes, they're fine. So much so that my husband didn't think twice about scolding me for wasting money again.

Said it sets a poor example for our daughter, if you can believe that. He wasn't worried about me in the slightest.

Um, on a different subject, may we ask where you were this morning?

I was planning to bathe in the hot springs this morning, but unfortunately, something suddenly came up.

It was all thanks toyes, you. You're the one who approached me when we happened to pass each other in the hallway.

？！

O-oh, right. Of course. Um, I'm sorry, could you remind me what I said again?

You asked me where the place that grants wishes is.

I assumed you meant the secret spring, and you seemed to be in a hurry, so I gave you the key.

Really!? Just like that!?

Even though you reserved the Spring of Happy Homelife a whole year ago!?

Yes, I did. That spring is the whole reason I brought my family here.

But I don't care whether that wish is granted or not.

The idea of going on a trip with my family, to a hot spring said to bless us, no less...

...is more than enough for me. I don't need to be the first to bathe in it, nor do I mind whether it grants wishes or not.

I see. So your goal was just to come here and make a wish with your family.

Yes, that's right. I just wanted to spend some quality time together at a memorable location.

But never mind that now. Since you're questioning me, I assume someone else has turned up dead at the bath.

Who was it, and how were they murdered? Just to be sure, their body wasn't twisted, was it?

？！

I see. Well, I'm relieved to hear the cause of death was something ordinary like a laceration. May I take a look at the body?

Sure, as long as Aozaki's okay with it. Tobimaru never said you were a suspect.

Suit yourself. I don't have any right to stop you.

Then lead the way. But could you give me a moment first, please?

Whoa, is that a real sword!? It looks like a genuine historical relic!

Don't worry, this is just for my protection. Since the victim was killed with a blade, I need to make sure I can answer in turn if necessary.

...

？！

I'll be blunt. It was my sword that killed her, albeit with a far lower degree of skill.

It looks like I have a doppelganger here at this inn. Perhaps this is one of the ghosts at work.

？！

Yeah. I'm still not sure why, but it looks like a clone of whoever wants to go in the secret spring keeps showing up here.

And those clones must be who's been killing Aozaki every morning.

A clone of whoever wants to go in the secret spring... Maybe that's what you need to do to have your wish granted.

That sounds just like another Kumano legend.

Shirou told me there's a monstrous mountain god here who will show you your future.

However, witnessing the future also causes this god to die.

So since it doesn't want that, whenever it shows someone their future, it has that person die in its place.

In other words, you could say that people who die this way are being killed by their own future, no?

Yeah, I could see that.

So, if I hadn't come here, then

Yes. I'm the one who would have died.

I can't imagine I would ever lose a sword duel to myself, but it could be that seeing your cloneyour future...

...invokes a rule that says no one can leave until the wish has been made and at least one person is dead.

So, this rule is essentially a curse? One created by the mountain itself?

And one powerful enough to kill someone as strong as Aoko fouruh, multiple times, at that.

Looks that way. I can see her maybe letting her guard down once or twice, but more than three? No way.

Anyway, it looks like this answers the question of who killed Aozaki.

The culprit must have been the monster who's been living on this mountain since ancient timesthe one Kinomi calls "Wanwan."

Well, maybe "culprit" isn't right. It seems more akin to an automated system that kills anyone who tries to go in the secret springs.

...

Let me guess. You're thinking "Doesn't that mean there would have been similar deaths before then," right?

I don't think so. This year's secret springs are just special, that's all. Though I don't yet remember what it is that makes them that way.

More importantly, you mentioned Shirou by name earlier. Do you know him, Ryougi?

Huh!? N-no, not at all. Not in the slightest.

？！

Well, well. So you came here with your husband and daughter, and you still snuck off for a tryst with

It's nothing like that! Shirou and I are strictly business associates!

We have an arrangement giving me first right of refusal if he happens upon any high-quality artworks that he can't display openly! That's all!

Oh! So Shirou's an art dealer then. That's how you know him.

But, what does he have to do with your emergency errand this morning?

Well...last night, he told me he could no longer sell me an artwork we had agreed upon.

So I panicked a bit and asked Fujino to go talk to him and find out what had happened.

But then, my husband overheard us from the other side of the door, and said the four words I dread more than anything else: "We have to talk."

Believe me, that was far scarier than any ghost story. I almost thought it was one of the Kumano Inn's spiritual disturbances...

I see. Well, putting your family's differences over luxury goods aside...

...your testimony has helped us put a lot of pieces together.

Let's go find Tobimaru and Alice at the lobby. I think we're finally about to crack this case.

Then it seems pretty clear that this morning's Aozaki killer was another Ryougi. It's just like what happened with Sugitani.

Yeah. I thought the other me I saw yesterday turned into that mist, but that was all Kuonji's doing and didn't have to do with the murder.

If we wanna stop this from happening again, we're gonna have to cut it off at its source.

I don't know what this Wanwan thing is supposed to be, but we'd better find it and destroy it soon.

But first, we have missing people to find. Sugitani is here, as you can see, but Shirou was nowhere in his room.

I couldn't find Fujino anywhere, either.

Lady Kashin wasn't there, either. Now that I think of it, she was already gone when I brought her breakfast early in the morning.

I always thought there was something shady about that creepy puppeteer. You said Kashin lives in the old building? I'mma go take a look.

Fujino should have gone to Shirou's room. You said he was staying in the Indigo Room, yes?

Huh? No, I'm afraid you're mistaken.

Mr. Shirou was staying in the Indigo Room at first, but he switched to the neighboring room on the second day.

Said there was "bad juju" in his original room, and he wouldn't be able to relax there.

The neighboring room... Oh no. You don't mean the Camellia Room, do you?

Uh, yes, I do. He liked it very much. Said it was "charming."

No, Senpai. It's the site of the Hanged Writer, one of the Big Five Ghost Stories!

Yes, Senpai! It's the site of the Hanged Writer, one of the Big Five Ghost Stories!

？！

That's gotta be the worst room in this whole inn. Why would you change his room to someplace so dangerous?

Lady Kashin says the room needs to be used once in a while to avoid it deteriorating even more, so I thought I would take her word for it and give it a shot.

If it turns out to not be haunted after all, then I can start putting regular customers up in it, too. Hehehe.

You idiot! I swear, you're just as irresponsible as ever!

I'm getting a bad feeling about this. I'll go pay him a visit right now.

Fujimaru, Soujyuro, Aozaki, would you come with me?

You too, Proprietor. We could use someone who knows this inn inside and out.

What about me and Mash?

Tsukiji, you're going to stay here, right? I believe you make it a rule to never do anything dangerous if you can help it.

Yeah, pretty much. And that definitely includes charging into a known haunted place.

Then you should stay here and keep him safe, Kuonji.

As for you, Mash, I'm sorry to ask, but do you think you could go back to my room and make sure my family stays safe?

Yes, of course! I appreciate your trust! Don't worry, I'll take good care of them!

Listen closely. If Fujino's been possessed by an evil spirit, then we'll need to kill her before she can kill us.

Don't try to hide or keep your distance. The only way we'll win is if we get in close while she's targeting someone else.

What can you tell us about the Hanged Writer, Kinomi!? How did it come about!?

Well, according to the last owner, it happened some time ago, back in the Showa period.

During an unseasonably hot May, an author suffering from writer's block came to stay at the inn with his editor.

They'd reserved the room for weeks, saying they expected to stay for a long while.

The author's wife and child had also come along to stay at the inn with him...

...but it wasn't by the author's choice. It was the editor's.

The editor had threatened the author, telling him he was going to finish his story, and his family would pay the price if he tried to run.

That's what times were like back in the day. No matter the accolades, the author was still a slave to the publisher.

For the next several days, the editor kept hounding the author to work on his manuscript.

He even had a latch put on the Camellia Room's door so it couldn't be opened from the inside, locking the author in.

But even with all that, the words never came, and the editor's temper grew worse by the day.

He even began to take out his frustrations on the author's family, leaving increasingly visible marks.

That was probably what pushed the author over the edge.

One day, he told his editor that he wanted to have dinner with his family, and had them brought into the Camellia Room.

He then drugged his wife and child with the sleeping pills he was taking for insomnia, and hung himself with a towel.

There were no beams in the ceiling to tie the towel around, but he managed all the same.

The next day, the editor knocked on the Camellia Room's door, only to hear "It's not finished yet."

The editor then knocked again the next day, only to hear "The words aren't coming yet."

Then he knocked again the day after that, only to hear...

...Only to hear?

"I can't come out"...from behind him.

The editor then opened the door and saw the author's dead body...

...along with those of his wife and child, who had died of overdose.

Thanks to the unseasonable heat and humidity, the bodies had already decomposed.

The editor was shocked, but still noticed the author's unfinished manuscript on the desk. "Well," he thought, "I may as well publish whatever he wrote."

So he stepped inside the room to collect the script, only for the door to close behind him. And that was that.

？！

I mean, that was that.

Nobody came out from that room for the next year, and nobody could manage to open the door.

Finally, the innkeeper couldn't take it anymore, and called in a well-known professional exorcist, who managed to finally get the door open.

But when they opened it up...there was nothing inside. Not a single dead body to be seen.

Even a single corpse is more than most people can handle. The stench from multiple stewing over a whole year should have made the room completely unusable.

And yet, somehow, the Camellia Room was exactly like it was a year ago, seemingly no worse for wear.

So the owner decided that nothing must have happened after all.

The author and his family must have left without a word, and the editor must have followed suit.

Really, that was arguably the only explanation he could use at the time.

That's why Lady Kashin told me to watch out around this room whenever it gets hot in May.

She also said someone's still trapped in there even now, but I decided to just not think about that part.

？！

Oh, did I not tell you? The new building was built on top of the Kumano Inn's old annex.

So everything up to the second floor is basically the annex with a new coat of paint. Hehehe, pretty good cost-saving measure, right?

All right, Kinomi. I see how it is. You're very good at telling scary stories. When this is all over, you're going to apologize to Shirou and mean it.

So, it's a conceptual Bounded Field where you can't open it from inside. You could simply just not enter, but that won't do now.

What if one of us holds the door open and stays in the hall while the others go in?

...Yeah, that's the only thing I can think of right now, too.

Well, we're here. Um, is it okay if I wait around here?

(So Kinomi's not even blinking twice at this smoke... I guess he really hasn't been running a haunted inn for a while for nothing.)

Fine. You can stay in the Indigo Room.

Roger dodger!

All right, this is the Camellia Room...

Are you all ready to do this?

？！

I'll open the door and go in first.

We could be hit with some sort of psychic blast right away, so wait a beat before you follow me in, Fujimaru.

...Okay, here goes. Three, two, one... Go.

What the!? The lights just went out all of a sudden! Are you two still there!?

Don't panic! Everyone stick together! There are evil spirits headed our way. We'll need to take them out before we can move on.

The lights are back on. What was all that? Was that the writer's ghost?

I was just doing my best to imitate how others fight. I'm afraid I won't be of any more help, though. That took everything I had.

？！

Dammit, you're here too now, huh.

I was yelling at you not to open the door, but I guess you couldn't hear me.

It's part of this room's curse. From the outside, it probably just looked like an ordinary door.

I'm sorry, guys. I thought I could keep the door open, but then the lights suddenly went out, and before I knew it...

Simply touching the door must have activated the curse the same as if you'd gone inside.

It's not your fault, Aozaki. The rules governing this room never meant to play fair.

At any rate, we can worry about getting out of here later. Are you two all right?

Mrs. Ryougi... Did you come here for me? Even though you knew this room was a trap?

Of course. Granted, I can't say I thought that far ahead, but I couldn't go losing you, now could I?

Not to mention, I still haven't received the item you promised me, Shirou.

Ha! Even now, you still care first and foremost about your hobbies, huh! I guess you're nothing if not consistent!

？！

Fujino is my bodyguard. There were lots of unsavory rumors about this place, so I asked her to come along on this trip for me and my family's protection.

That's right. I was happy to oblige a request from Mrs. Ryougi, even if it meant giving up my day off.

Fortunately, between the relaxing hot springs and the fun events they've been surprising us with every day, I've been feeling very rejuvenated.

Now I see. So that's why you were paying such close attention to Ryougi.

We didn't know you were her bodyguard, so we thought you were waiting for a chance to attack her.

Oh, no, that was just habit. I didn't have anything else to do here, so...

Fujino.

Right. I'm sorry. I'll explain now.

I came to the Camellia Room on Mrs. Ryougi's behest.

She had asked me to talk to Shirou and find out why he changed his mind.

When I got here, Shirou was already talking to someone else.

Who was that?

Kashin.

When she noticed me, she grabbed her things and left the room.

Then the lights suddenly went out, and we discovered we were trapped in here.

Yeah. Couldn't even use the phone to call for help.

We were trying to figure out what we could do when we heard you all coming outside the door.

We yelled for you not to come in, and to fetch someone who knows a lot about ghost stories...

...but I guess you couldn't hear us.

？！

Yeah. It was a Japanese sword I was originally planning to sell to Ryougi.

Used to be an art dealer, remember? Ryougi's a regular. I usually sell her something once a year.

When she told me she'd be staying at this inn, I thought I'd deliver the Kanesada she'd been wanting personally and take a little hot spring R & R while I was at it.

But at some point, Kashin convinced me to sell the sword to her instead. I still don't know how that happened.

So the suspiciously coy Shirou turned out to be a sword smuggler...

So that's why you told Ryougi the deal was off; because you'd agreed to sell the sword to Kashin instead.

That's right. When I received his letter informing me of such last night, I was so upset I could have stabbed my pillow, despite hardly being a young girl anymore.

Huh? But you did do something to your pillow. There were feathers flying all around your room after you sliced it clean in half...

Let's go back to our rooms, Fujino. I think we need to have a nice, long talk about the meaning of friendship.

Weren't you listening, Mrs. Ryougi? We can't leave this room anymore. We're trapped.

This is just a human-repelling Bounded Field, right? So all we need to do...

...is cut it. See? No more haunting.

It's just like your big sister says. There's nothing better than a storied sword for breaking Bounded Fields.

Drat, I was afraid it might break. This is exactly why I wanted a new one.

I guess. They do say sword saints can cut literally anything, so... Man. I'll have to remember this if I ever end up fighting a samurai.

In other words, a truly great sword can cut the cycle of vengeance, the chain of hatred, and intertwined karma itself. No wonder he was a god among smiths.

？！

I see. So a miracle sword can cut through Bounded Fields. That explains what Kashin meant.

What are you talking about?

Oh, when she passed me by, I heard her muttering something about finally being able to open the sealed door.

Oh hey, there you are. Does the fact that the smoke's gone now mean you exorcised the Camellia Room?

Wait. Why the long faces? Oh no. Don't tell me Shirou and Fujinon are

？！

Huh? What're you talking about? Where's Mrs. Ryougi?

Ryougi and Fujino are back at their rooms! We'll explain later! Just head back to where Tobimaru is for now!

Hey, Aozaki, maybe we should call Alice for this!? And Fujimaru, you must be worried about Mash, right!?

We don't have time for detours!

Whoever Kashin is or what she's up to, the omnipotent secret spring is in the Room of No Opening, right!?

We can't let her wish be granted! I don't know what's going to show up if it is, but something definitely will!

Got it. Then we'll just have to do our best on our own.

？！

A gunshot! It came from the old building!

Aww, they made it. That's too bad. This would already be over if Sugitani hadn't interfered.

But don't worry, Lord of Kumano. Use this body, and together, we will truly bring Wanwan the Kudan to life.

Oh good, it's you guys! You've gotta stop her!

The puppet chick's finally shown her true colors!

What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm a puppet myself? A tool to be used and manipulated?

Because if so...

...you would be entirely correct. I see you are a wise person, capable of accurately assessing the future.

I like people like you. I like to use them for energy.

Knowledge... Social status... Winners... Praise... I despise the arrogance they cultivate / the pride they impart.

That is why the wish made to the Kumano spring must be simple above all else.

It cannot be for one's own benefit. Nor can it rob others of their gains.

It must be something clean and pure that doesn't trod on your neighbors' own wishes.

That is why the three of youAoko, Sizuki, and Fujimaru...

...fail to measure up.

Not only is a wish to save the world just so...so...

...run-of-the-mill, it is also one that will never come to pass.

？！

My name is a truth born from lies. Whoever speaks of me, that is what I shall become.

What is your wish? Do you hold any value?

Is it the only one found in this world? There is no second one?

In that case / Regardless of what tomorrow brings, the star will grant that wish.

Yes...

No matter how beautiful the wishes, or how refined their theory, the very fact that they overlap means the result can only be countless stardust.

No, this wish must be the only ONE of its kind. That single wish is what will produce the number one star.

(A single wish, producing the number one star? What is it talking about?)

？！

？！

You too, Fujimaru. Wanwan, or whatever that thing is, is practically dripping with bloodlust.

Honestly, part of me would rather just turn tail and run, but that'd just give this thing free rein to run through that door.

Yeah, save the thinky stuff for later! We need to settle this now, Fujimaru!

You give us a hand too, Sugitani! Now's your chance to get your payback!

This thing practically screams "curse," and you still want to fight it!? ...Ah, screw it! I'll join too! This isn't my deepest wish, but I won't mind having it granted!

Hey, Kashin! I don't know many prayers to send you on to the next life, so I hope you don't mind if I offer hot lead instead!

I've been in this business a long time, and you don't see mountain monsters like that every day. I mean, that thing was practically a god.

Yeah. It was easily strong enough to curse this whole inn to death.

It would definitely have caused more damage if we hadn't stopped it.

Well, it's gone now. And so's the nasty air that was hanging around the inn.

Looks like all's well that ends well. The other haunted spots'll probably disappear on their own now, too.

？！

I think so. Even if the omnipotent spring really is in that room...

...without Wanwan around to grant the wish, there shouldn't be any more weird phenomena anymore.

In theory, sure...

But we still don't know who was wishing for the world to end, though. That's the one thing I wish I knew.

Master! Are you okay!?

？！

Man, you're a really fast runner, Mash! I can't keep up at all!

Oh? It feels so pleasant in here. Does this mean you solved everything? All right!

Wait. Kashin's on the ground! What're you people doing!? We have to help her!

I'm kind of getting the impression she was the bad guy here, but I'm not gonna worry about that now! Snap out of it, Lady Kashin!

Nnn...

YoshisuKE...? Is thIs...the RoOM of No OpeNIng?

HmM? So mAny NEw faces heRE. Are tHEy new GUests?

You don't remember us? Senpai, I think Kashin might have been

？！

Looks that way. She sure doesn't seem to be faking it.

Kashin, you just severed the Bounded Field around the Room of No Opening, and you almost turned into Wanwan. Do you understand?

...I DId?

I'm SO sorRY. As a proFEssionAL puppeTEER, I SHOuld neVEr have let THIs happen.

NoW that You menTIOn it, I do FEEL as though I've been STUck in a dark place dreaMING for a long tiME.

Really? Well, that would explain why you've been acting so weird lately.

Your enunciation is usually all over the place, but the last few days, you've been speaking totally normally!

I WAs? Hmm. It muST have been THAnks to the oX god.

I HOpe I didn't CAUse any oTHer trouBLE. The ox GOD can be Very meAN.

If iT wanTed to, it COUld easiLY make haUNTed spots eVEn more haunTED.

Aha. So it was you and Wanwan who powered up the Big Five Ghost Stories at the worst possible time.

You were the ones who lured Ishtarin and us out to the Endless Hallway to try and kill us...

The ones who stole Bazett's briefcase and hid it in the Inverse Reflection Room as a trap...

And the ones who summoned the ghost in the Camellia Room as a last ditch effort to slow us down.

I see. No wonder we've been having so much bad luck lately.

Really!? So the ox god's the reason I got turned into a woman, too!?

NO, that waS all ME. You hAd a beauTIful soul, SO I thoughT I WOuld do yOU a faVor.

I understand you were under Wanwan's control when we got here, Kashin...

...but may I ask what you were doing here at the Kumano Inn before that?

My master was a SORcerer. He came to thIS mounTAin to capture tHE Phantasmalthe oX god, that lives hERe.

He was inTEResteD in the ox GOd's ability to SEE the future. But the oX god turned ouT to be a sPIrit without A physical BOdy.

Once HE realiZEd he COUldn't capture the OX god, my masTER left TO look for a NEw suPERnatural beINg...

...and left me beHINd on this mountain.

I've BEEN studyINg the oX GOd on his reQUest, and aT some POInt...

...people beGAn calling me the OX god's priestess.

I see... I'm sorry to make you recount such painful memories.

Yes, it wAS very rude. I'm not a priesTESs.

Maybe not, but you obviously had the most ties to this god. That must be why it was able to possess you.

？！

Yeah. Let's go see what's inside. You don't mind, right, Kinomi?

O-oh, sure. Usually I'd be worried about getting cursed, but there's no Wanwan left to curse us now, right?

Okay, let's go! I'm curious about what's in there, too! Who knows? Maybe there'll be something that'll kick off a second Kumano Inn boom!

Well, there you have it, Fujimaru. Looks like we'll just have to go along.

I think it should be safe, though. Aozaki's still got plenty of pep, and I'm not getting a bad feeling about this, either.

It looks like a pit that formed on its own. No wonder it was called "Wanwan's Road Home."

It doesn't look too steep. As long as we're careful, I think we can all make our way down safely.

I'm not detecting any magical energy. Just a faint heat signature.

I think this is geothermal heat. According to what we heard, this should lead to

？！

So the omnipotent secret spring really did exist!

Oh, right. We just defeated Wanwan, so

Yeah, I'm afraid this is just regular hot water. Nothing unusual about it.

There was strong magical energy coming from the Spring of Male Transformation on the third day...

...and the Spring of Happy Homelife today, but this is just a normal spring. It seems like a good one, though.

Well, there you have it. Sorry, Kinomi.

No worries! I can totally work with this! The atmosphere alone is gonna draw guests like flies to honey!

I can put an elevator in the pit, andno, wait. That would ruin the natural ambience!

I'll build a nice wooden staircase for easy access, install some beams to add minimal light fixtures...and then, Wanwan's Secret Spring will be all done!

Wooo, I can't wait to get started! This is it! This is where I'm gonna turn my whole life around!

Man, I'm so glad this whole Kumano Hot Springs murder mystery is behind us now!

You know, I think all of us coming together like this is a sign, so how 'bout you guys help me with the building, funding, and marketing!?

What do you think, Aozaki? Anything to say?

Nope. At this point, I just have to admire his sheer selfless greed. You win, Kinomi. You win.

Ahhh. Nothing beats a dip in a hot spring after a job well done.

I see you finally feel like you can take it easy. I suppose it's no surprise, seeing how this case has literally been life and death for you.

Please don't hold it against her if she starts acting goofy, Mash.

？！

I agree. It was so nice of the inn's remaining guests to let us have the outdoor bath again tonight.

I see. So Wanwan is gone, and the case is closed.

Then the inn's other haunted spots should fade away in time. Though this also means the omnipotent secret spring is gone as well.

Thank you for doing such a good job protecting my room, Mash.

Now that the haunted spots will be gone, I can finally enjoy some private family time starting tomorrow.

So you're still going to stay here for a while then. What about the rest of you?

Well, it looks like Kashin's still processing what she went through, so I figure I'll stick around a while longer to keep an eye on her.

Once she's back to her old self, then I'll tell her how pissed off I've been about these last two years.

I think I'll stay here a while longer, too. This experience has shown me that I still have a lot to learn.

The Hell's Pavilion sounds like it should be perfect for training. There won't be any lights in there, and there should be plenty of boulders for target practice.

I'm gonna say my goodbyes here. My business is done, and I got all the hot spring time I could want.

So I think it's time I got back to my regular life now. Take care, young detectives.

If our paths ever cross again, I'll make sure to offer you a discount.

Really? Are you sure you want to leave without ever trying our famous outdoor bath?

You could always stay another night.

Nah, these hardworking youngsters deserve it more than me. 'Sides, I've got my own outdoor bath at home.

Good point. Aoko, Kuonji, why don't you take the outdoor bath today? You've certainly earned it.

Thank you. Don't mind if we do.

...Hey, I just realized Tobimaru's not here. Anyone know where he is?

I saw him in the old building's lobby. He's always there in the evenings.

Come to think of it, what IS he doing there, anyway?

I guess he could've been looking for clues about your murder, except he seemed to be sneaking around a lot for that.

？！

Oh, you know. I had some time to kill, so I was looking at souvenirs.

I've been gone from the office for almost a week. I've gotta bring them back a little something if I don't want them resenting me.

Hey, Tobimaru. What were you doing in the old building earlier?

I was on the phone. It's been several days and the police still haven't shown up, so I was worried there might've been a landslide on the road or something.

We're all going home tomorrow, right? So we ought to make sure we'll actually be able to leave.

That's so responsible. You've learned to be really thoughtful about the details in the last ten years, huh?

I know I've always been high-strung. I'm not like you and Aozaki. Deep down, I'm a coward at heart.

When push comes to shove, I freeze. If reality throws up a wall, I just turn around and walk the other way.

If there's something I can't achieve, I could see myself wishing for a miracle.

？！

That sounds kind of serious, Tobimaru. Everything okay? Is your agency having financial troubles or something!?

Hardly. I'm enjoying my life just fine. And my future's looking pretty bright!

...Oh, right. I almost forgot. You're all already from the future, aren't you?

Soujyuro and I are from 2001. Well, maybe not THIS Sono-G, but you get my point.

Nothing much changed in society when we hit the new millennium, but it still felt like a chance for a fresh start.

Most people believe that the time of rapid growth, and the time of paying the price for that growth, is over now.

They think this is the start of an age where everything will be new, and progress will continue unchecked.

Ten years from now, the gap between rich and poor will be gone, silly prejudices overcome, and countries all over will prosper.

It's a world where you can talk about lofty ideals like that and not have people constantly giving you side eye.

So, what ARE things like in your time, Fujimaru? Is it like the world of the future we see in movies?

？！

Small, everyday items might've surpassed anything people have dreamed up in movies. Mobile devices have had amazing development compared to now.

Honestly, I think they're even more revolutionary than flying cars would've been. They've made the world smaller than ever.

Riddell said something about that once.

I think it was, "Once the world became like a dream come true, people stopped talking about other dreams."

I don't agree with that, though.

People are always going to dream, no matter what the times are like or what they're allowed to say.

The only thing that changes is who people entrust their dreams to. They won't have to depend on those of their own time anymore.

Entrusting one's dreams to people from a different time, huh...

So, even if one's timethe world one lives in ends up at an evolutionary dead end...

...people born in that world could still be accepted and loved by a later world?

...Even if, say, that world was erased because it wasn't the right way forward?

You're quite the romantic, Mash.

That's not the example I was thinking of, but it's wonderful.

Our history is full of incidents where one culture was trampled, and a new one was born from its remains.

But there will always be people to inherit dreams that have no place to go. That hope of yours is the kind of thing that leads to the world growing bigger.

Sounds like they're talking some pretty complex stuff over there. Should we do the same?

？！

No, don't bother. I shouldn't have brought up this topic in the first place.

In fact, no matter what the future has in store, there's no way it could beat what we've got here.

Just look at us. We're enjoying a private outdoor bath at a fancy inn under a beautiful night sky...

...and we're doing it with friends and colleagues we all like and get along with. Life doesn't get any better than this!

So let's wait to talk about the future again in our own times and just enjoy what we've got now, in this moment.