Gyakuten Meakashi

The Eye Opening Turnabout

Part I – An Act of Kindness

In the early morning of the next day, the phone rang in the shrine of the main house. A passing medium picked it up.

"Hello, Main Family Shrine. Yes, alright. Just wait a moment."

She removed the phone from her ear and called towards the side room.

"Mystic Iris, you have a phone call. It's Detective Marshall."

"Eh? Detective Marshall?"

Iris emerged from the room, still in her dressing gown. She received the phone from the shrine maiden.

"Hello, this is Iris."

An evil cackle sounded from the earpiece.

"Heh-heh-heh...Do you know who this is?"

Iris gasped.

"T-That voice! But it can't be! My sister's supposed to be locked up at the academy!"

"They didn't let us make outside calls from the academy. So if I'm calling you now, what does that mean...?"

The teasing voice continued.

"Y-You broke out of school?" Iris made sure to keep her voice down, in case she alerted Morgan.

"Aww, I missed you, younger sister!" A forced, sickly sweet voice reached her ears.

"D-Dahlia.."

There was a chuckle, and then they both burst into laughter.

"Wow, to think you really escaped. You're amazing, Dahlia!"

"Their security might have been a little too lax for keeping someone like me locked up! Ah-ha!"

Dahlia leaned back onto the apartment bed and punched the pillow enthusiastically.

"Hey, Iris, has the school notified the family about my escape?"

"Hmm, I don't think so." Iris's hesitant and gentle voice was music to Dahlia's ears.

"All phone calls and visitors to the main house go through me this week since the Master is out with the rest of the family. So I can say with confidence that they haven't yet."

Dahlia smirked.

"Wow, I'm impressed. That's the 'chosen member of the branch family' for you."

"Ehh? But I don't want to be! Trade with me, Dahlia!"

"Are you kidding me? I don't want to either! Anyway, if anything happens that has anything to do with me, please contact Jake, okay? I'll be hiding in an apartment in the area for a while."

"Right, if mother finds out you ran away from school. I think there could be a lot of trouble..."

"And I have one more favour to ask of you, Iris."

"Hmm, what?" Iris pressed the earpiece closer to hear better.

"I'm want to get a part time job so I can support myself. Uncle Grossberg was on my side. I'm going to put out feelers and see if I can work at one of his businesses."

Dahlia adjusted the phone to her other ear.

"When I know what hours I'll be working I'll let you know so..."

"You just need me to disappear while you're working, right?" Iris smiled at her sister's well thought out plan.

"Right! That way, if it looks like I might be caught on the job. I can just say that I'm you."

"What about your hair? Won't they be able to tell?"

"Nope, I still have that black wig that Jake had made for me from a while back. It still fits perfectly and I'll just use it as my disguise."

"You're quite a crafty one, you know, Dahlia."

"And of course that's a compliment, right? Ah-ha!"

"In that case, then no problem, you can have a job! Just leave it to me, Dahlia, m'dear." Marvin Grossberg drew a long breath on the pipe he was smoking and breathed out deeply.

Dahlia smiled her angelic smile.

"I knew I could count on you, Uncle Grossberg!"

She bowed deeply, remembering what Iris had taught her about manners.

"I'm not very experienced but I look forward to working with you."

"And I you!" Grossberg nodded.

"So, how are things here? Anything new in Hinamizawa?" Dahlia sat herself back in her chair and observed her uncle's office.

They were sitting across each other on a handsome mahogany worktable. A large painting of a farmer hung on the wall next to them, its oil paint still glistening freshly. It was obvious he was well off.

"Nothing really new...it's been pretty laid back ever since the incidents over the two families ended."

"Wow, it's like the war ended and everyone got soft?" Dahlia took a sip of her apple tea and eyed her uncle playfully.

"Now that you mention it, it had gotten serious and there was that dismembered body, wasn't there?"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

"Did they ever catch the killer?"

"Hmm, if I remember right, they haven't caught the ringleader."

"But the murder happened on the night of the cotton drifting – the night Hinamizawa celebrates their guardian deity, Ami Fey! Everybody made a lot of noise about it being Ami's curse, right?"

Dahlia referred to her ancestor, the first of the Feys, Ami Fey, whom started the whole tradition of spirit channeling and was the oldest head of the village.

"Yes, Ami Fey's curse. It happened the next year too…"

Dahlia nodded and crossed her arms.

"Right, that caused quite the stir too! A man who supported the main family died in an accident! And it was also on the day of the Cotton Drifting! Two years in a row and it really hits you, you know. I still believe in Ami's curse."

"Dahlia, it wasn't just two years."

"Eh?"

"It happened the year after as well… Last year, in fact."

The elder twin took a deep breath.

"You can't mean that…"

"Oh, but I do, m'dear. It happened once again."

Grossberg's brow furrowed and he leaned against the worktable.

"Ami Fey's curse, that is."

The following day, Iris came to visit Dahlia in her apartment, along with more news behind the mysterious curse. Iris sat on Dahlia's bed and closed her eyes to think just like her sister did in a situation worth contemplating.

"I think the strange illness case was an exaggeration. But it's true his death was sudden."

Dahlia looked up, knowing her twin was referring to a priest of the main house.

"The priest wasn't feeling well because of all the stress of getting ready for the cotton drifiting. I think it was acute heart failure or something like that."

Dahlia turned on Iris with a puzzled look on her face.

"But it's weird that it happened on the day of the cotton drifting, isn't it? And for the third year in a row. And everyone who's died mysteriously is someone Ami Fey shouldn't curse. There's definitely something strange behind this…I remember the people who went against the main family hated the priest, didn't they?"

"Yes," Iris opened her eyes.

"They attacked him for being a fence sitter. He was passive in the branch families going against the main family. And he didn't raise any objections to the main family going against the other side either. They said he wasn't fit to be a priest at the main family shrine."

"Hmm, thinking back on it now...maybe the priest was pretty mature about the whole thing. I mean, everyone around him was worked up into a frenzy..but he stayed cool and remained neutral."

Dahlia said thoughtfully.

"I don't know about that." Iris looked down hesitantly.

"…Huh?"

"If he was mature, shouldn't he have gone along with what everyone wanted? Uncle Fey wasn't just the head priest at the shrine. He was technically related to the head of the Fey family, the main family. I don't know if it was a good idea to disturb the peace at a time when all of Hinamizawa needed to join together in unity."

Dahlia stared at her sister.

This was the first time our opinions had been so at odds on anything before.

She suddenly felt herself flare up at anger, even though it wasn't really a big deal. Was it because she felt like she was losing a connection with her sister?

"So what are you saying then?" Dahlia snarled.

"The priest should have hidden his opinion out of consideration for the whole village? Are you saying that you shouldn't try to an individual when surrounded by totalitarianism?"

"I-I didn't say that!" Iris shrank back in fear and raised her hands in denial. She knew how Dahlia was when she was angry.

"It's just…he's one of the heads in the main family…so…maybe he should have been a little more careful in his behaviour.

Dahlia observed her sister. It had been a little more than a year since they were torn apart. Yet during that time, Iris had advanced so much, in becoming a part of the main family.

She changed her glare to a teasing smile.

"Hmm, when did you get so grown-up, Iris?"

Iris smiled back, relieved that Dahlia wasn't angry at her anymore.

"I guess I really am starting to think like a Fey."

"What's wrong with that? You are going to remain a part of the main family, even if it's the lower ranked side of it. It just goes to show how far you've come in studying to be a good shrine maiden!"

"I-I'm not studying that!" Iris glowed bright pink.

"I'm just trying to figure out what to do to keep our mother satisfied! You could do that no problem!"

"I don't want to! It's your job to babysit that hag, not me."

"D-Dahlia!" Iris reached out for her instinctively and stopped when she realised her sister had fixed her with a cold stare.

"D-Dahlia…?"

"Iris…I was never happy about being separated. Not when our homes were pulled apart…and not when we were physically pulled apart either. Maybe you think I hate you for that."

Iris looked down, shivering slightly in the cold atmosphere.

"But then you would be wrong."

She glanced up, surprised to see Dahlia giving her a comforting smile.

"It's true that I don't agree with this, that I don't think it's fair. But there's nothing for you to feel bad about. You work hard as Iris."

Dahlia gently tapped a fist on Iris' forehead.

"And I'll work hard as Dahlia."

Iris left soon after that, wishing her sister good luck. Marshall arrived towards the evening, just as Dahlia had finished fixing herself some dinner.

"Hey, bambina. Can I come in?" He tipped his hat to her.

"Oh, Jake! Perfect timing, would you like to eat before you leave?"

"Appreciate it, bambina." Jake took a seat on the other side of the small table.

After a minute of silence, his face grew serious.

"The school called your house today."

"Today? Ahahaha, took them long enough. It looks like they really didn't want this to get out!"

Dahlia said good naturedly.

"Misty Fey took the call. She says she'll look for a good opportunity to talk to your mother about it."

"If my hag of a mother finds out, then it's the torture chamber as soon as they find me, ooh, scary." She said mockingly.

Later that night, Dahlia receives another call from Iris.

"Well, Iris? What's it looking like with the hag?"

"Mother's furious. She wants them to march you straight away to her when they find you."

"Ohh, scary! What are Aunt and everyone actually doing?"

"There's a family meeting coming up. They want to ask everyone there if they're hiding you. But it doesn't look like they're going to have them search around your area or anything."

"…I guess Aunt Misty really stood up for me. That's nice of her. It seems like she's more of a mother to me than that old hag…"

Dahlia sighed and repositioned the earpiece.

"Okay, tell me if anything else happens. I'm planning to leave town if things get really bad. Jake, Uncle Grossberg and Aunt Misty, they all helped me. I can't let them take the fall."

"…"

There was an uncomfortable silence on the other end of the phone.

"I know what you're thinking, Iris." Dahlia laughed.

"You're wondering why I have to be the only one in hiding, when we're sisters sharing the same blood, right?"

"I-It's not fair for you to be the only one with so many restrictions." Iris hiccupped.

"Thank you, Iris. I'm just happy knowing you feel that way."

She hung up after teasing her a bit more to cheer her up. And lay on her bed dejectedly.

I'll get some groceries tomorrow since I probably won't be able to stay in this town. I'll either be sent back to school if they find me…or I'll escape to some other far away town.

Either way…I have no choice but to live alone without anyone's help…

"That'll be nine thousand yen,"

"N-Nine thousand yen?" Dahlia stared at the shopkeeper in horror.

"I checked all the prices on this food, it should only be four thousand five hundred yen!"

The shopkeeper eyed Dahlia with an air of indifference.

"Can't be helped, can it? You're a member of the branch family, are you not? All people from the branch family have to pay double."

"What are you saying? That's crazy talk!" Dahlia glared at him.

"I don't HAVE nine thousand yen!"

"Well then, I suggest you take this pile of shopping and place each item back to it's original shelf, miss."

"But I need this food! I can't just go and.."

Dahlia struggled and desperately tried to think a way out of this.

This was the cheapest department store for food she could find and there was no where else she could go. If she left the area, she would be spotted immediately by the main family.

What could she do…?

"Give it to her for four thousand five hundred like it is, mister. I don't think it's very fair of you to do this to her."

Dahlia looked up in surprise and found a girl close to her age standing next to her with her arms crossed. She wore a tan scarf and a blue magatama across her neck.

No way…a member of the main house?

She was just about to leave in a hurry in case she was caught when her brain suddenly registered what the girl had just said.

She was helping her?

"M-Miss Fey! I'm so sorry! Is she with you?"

The girl looked at the cowering Dahlia.

"Yes, she's with me. So you better show her the same respect as you do to me, understand?"

"Y-Yes, of course, Miss Fey! In fact, since this is you we're talking about. You can get a discount for all of the food! You can have it for a thousand yen!"

Wha..? Just who is this person? And why does the shopkeeper respect her so much? She's not part of the yazuka, is she?

"Thank you very much."

They both left the department store. Dahlia felt her purse and was surprised at how heavy it still was.

"Are you okay? That shopkeeper's quite a handful, he's even acquaintances with some street alley punks. I'm glad he didn't call them on you."

Dahlia glanced up into the warm eyes of her saviour.

"Y-Yeah…thanks a lot…for that…um…"

She smiled.

"You act like you don't know me. That's kind of harsh, since we go to the same school and all."

"The same school..? Oh!"

Dahlia blinked, realising her error and tugging her hair to make sure her wig was still positioned correctly.

She thinks I'm Iris.

She quickly regained her composure.

"I-I'm surprised at you, I didn't think a member of the main family would look out for someone from the other side…"

"Hey, we're family, aren't we? I don't see why I should treat you differently just because we're in different positions of this supposed 'hierarchy'."

Dahlia felt a hand gently rubbing the top of her head.

"H-Hey, are you mocking me?"

"No, I'm just glad, that's all." She smiled again.

"Glad…? About what?"

"That you're okay."

Dahlia was stunned, and let the girl pat her head for a while.

This was the first time…that someone who I didn't know helped me when I was in trouble…

I didn't think there was anyone, let alone someone from the main family, that would come help me…

Just who is she?

Part I - An Act of Kindness End