Red truth of the chapter: Don't split the party.
Ōkami no Naku Koro Ni, Ch4
Yukari stood, and addressed the assembled people. "We need to find Kenji. I am going to split everyone up into groups of four or five to search the house. You must stay in those groups at all times, we don't want anyone splitting off."
The groups were decided, Yukari was with Kaname, Suru, Mayu and Karen while Marin, Kira, Sharon, Shika and Saban made up the second group, and Sukoshi, Lana, Renji and Rina were in the last group.
The three groups left the parlour in search of the missing man. After about half an hour of searching the ground floor, Yukari was puzzled by the absence. They still had not found Kenji, and had search all of the ground floor. Her group went up the stairs to the first floor, which Sukoshi's group was supposed to be searching. They looked around for the other group, and Yukari noticed an open door.
"Which door is that?" she asked Kaname.
"That's Kenji's study!" Kaname exclaimed, and they all stared at each other for a moment, before dashing to the door.
Yukari was the first to reach the door, and looked through, to see the four who had been searching in the room. Rina and Lana were stood back, while Sukoshi and Renji were knelt over Kenji. There was blood on the floor, which had flowed from Kenji's chest, and Yukari knew instantly that he was dead.
Sukoshi looked around at Yukari's entrance, and shook his head at her. "He's dead, and cold. It's been a while since he died."
Yukari stared at the body. Here was her first suspect, dead. "Shit..." was all she managed to say.
"Hm... I suppose I should have guessed that was coming," Ange said, tapping her finger against her chin in thought. "So, Kenji's dead."
"Yes, quite the conundrum, don't you think?" the warlock asked, leaning back and yawning. "This one should be fun."
"Ri~ght," Ange looked back to the board.
"What happened?" Yukari seemed slightly distraught.
"We searched the whole floor except this ROOM," Lana began explaining. "When we still couldn't get in and there was no response, Renji-san and Sukoshi-kun broke down the DOOR. We found the room like THIS."
Yukari's eyes flew around the room. There was one window, which, on closer inspection, turned out to be locked from the inside. By the window was a desk, and on the desk...
"A gun?" Yukari stepped over to it, and examined it. It was a pistol, she did not know the make, but it had an attachment on the end of the barrel, which she knew to be a silencer. It was placed on the desk, and when she checked it, she saw that a single bullet had been fired from it. Looking over towards the body, she spotted where the bullet was lodged, in the wall behind where Kenji would have stood.
"So, the killer shot from about here..." she mused. She went over to the door. "This was locked when you entered?"
"Yes it WAS," Lana said.
"Am I allowed to assume that Lana and Sukoshi aren't lying?" Ange asked.
"Hm... I'll say this, Sukoshi and Lana are permitted to lie with regards to anything they deem 'private.' They will not lie about anything directly to do with the case, however. Thus, any information about alibis or crime scenes will be correct, but they may lie, for example, about motivations where they think it is unrelated. That do?"
"For the moment."
"Hm... and Renji, there are just the two keys to this room and the master key which I have, right?" Yukari asked.
"That is correct, Kotobuki-sama."
"Right, okay." Yukari thought. "Have you found Kenji's key?"
"It is here," Renji said, producing the key. "It was on his body."
"That's right, it was in his pocket," Sukoshi agreed.
"So let me guess, the door was locked, the window was locked, I have the master key, he has his own key, the other key is in the safe, we have a closed room, simple," Ange said.
"Essentially, that's most of the points." The warlock looked over at her boredly.
"Fine, then blue truth: The second key had been taken out of the safe by Kenji earlier. That key was how the criminal escaped this room."
"The second key to this room is still locked in the safe. It has not been out of the safe in the last day."
"Then, The door wasn't really locked. Renji pretended that it was, tricking Lana and Sukoshi. Thus, Lana was not 'lying' when she told me that the door was locked."
A wedge of blue truth fired at the warlock, and he sighed. "Let's hear it from the lady herself."
Yukari pondered, "Who checked the door was locked."
"I DID. It was definitely LOCKED," Lana said.
Klein batted aside the wedge, and waited, "Your move."
"This crime occurred before I received the master key, and before Haber was murdered. The criminal used the master key to escape, then planted it in Haber's room!" It was a desperate move, but maybe...
Klein stared at her, and sighed. "Fine, I won't argue with that."
"What?" Ange was surprised. "That means this room is broken."
"Maybe... why don't you suggest that theory to the gathered humans?" Klein asked, with a smirk.
Yukari explained her idea, her solution, to those gathered, but Renji shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Kotobuki-sama, but that's impossible. If you would look at the door..."
Yukari looked, and saw the problem. "A... chain lock?"
"Kyahahahaha!" The warlock burst out laughing. "You thought it would be that simple? This is my masterpiece!"
Ange growled, knowing this would be a headache-inducing experience.
"But... it could have been broken before we entered, the murderer could have cut it, we have no proof that it was set!" Yukari's words were correct. The chain was now broken, as one of the links had given way after the two men had broken down the door, breaking in half.
"So that's what it was..." Sukoshi said, grinding his teeth.
"What?"
"When we broke down the door, I heard the sound of something snapping, like a chain breaking under force."
"What? That's..." Ange stared at the chain, willing it to disappear, all to no avail.
"And before you ask, As long as the chain lock is complete, it cannot be set from outside the room. Obviously once it's been broken though, you can 'set' it from outside. Not that that'll help you much." The warlock gave a devilish smile, and wore a look of triumph.
"Then... There is a way into the room other than the door of window."
"This is the eternal truth: As with the previous room, there are only two ways for a person to go in or out of the room, those are the window and the door."
"Again, by Knox's 3rd, hidden passages are FORBIDDEN!" Dlanor finished the sealing of the room.
"Then... then... the murderer is still in the room!"
"The murderer left the room after murdering Kenji. After he left, he did not re-enter the room until after the chain was broken. After all, they might have returned and be in the room now, but the only people in the room at the moment are those you are aware of, none are hidden."
Ange gritted her teeth. This was ridiculous, how could this work? It was impossible. It truly... no there was a way to solve it. There had to be, she knew, there must be a way. She would give him every possibility she could think of, and force him to reveal the truth.
"After committing murder, the murderer left by the window. After breaking in, Renji closed the window when Lana and Sukoshi were distracted." Ange raised her staff, "Mammon, now!"
Mammon flew at her opponent, her tip covered with blue truth.
"Alternatively, Renji or Rina is an accomplice, and caused the sound of a chain breaking, it was not made by the chain lock. The chain lock had already been broken! Come, Stake of Wrath, Satan!"
A second stake appeared, and flew at the warlock, it's blue trail formed of Ange's truth.
"Or maybe, Kenji committed suicide! Or the gun went off accidentally! Come, Stake of Sloth Belphegor, Stake of Lust, Asmodeus!"
Two more stakes appeared, and set their deadly path towards Klein.
"Finally, maybe he set the chain lock after he was shot, and the criminal had escaped." Ange raised her staff once more, "Come, Stake of Pride Lucifer!"
A fifth stake flew at the warlock, and now all of the stakes ricocheted around the room, before embedding themselves in the warlock. Mammon in the forehead, Satan in his chest, Belphegor in his stomach, Asmodeus in his knee, and Lucifer in his leg.
"Kyahaha... so many solutions... so sad..."
Klein shook slightly, then glared at Ange, "You think... my masterpiece is that easy? Then let's begin, Van Dine's 18th, suicide or accidental death is forbidden!"
The two stakes of Sloth and Lust were surrounded by red, forcing them out of Klein's body.
"Next... Kenji's death was instantaneous."
The stake of pride fell from Klein's leg, clattering to the floor.
"The sound that Sukoshi heard was definitely the chain-lock snapping."
The stake of wrath joined her sisters on the ground. Only one stake remained, greed, sticking grotesquely out of the warlock's forehead. Klein reached up and grabbed the stake, and his hand was surrounded by red light, as he pulled the stake out.
"The window was shut and locked when Sukoshi and Renji broke down the door." He threw down the stake, who landed in her human form, making a pained face. "I'm sorry... Ange-sama..."
Ange stared, all five, all of them, all of her suggestions, taken down like it was nothing.
Klein yawned, "I'll leave you be for now, I need to go set up the last bits for the next trial. Just check everything's in the right place... unless you've got any other suggestions... but your face says you don't, well see you later." Klein glowed purple, and disappeared, leaving a stunned Ange, with the five stakes, and Dlanor looking solemn.
A large room, decorated with lines of bookcases, and large chairs, awaited the warlock when he materialised. In one of the chairs sat another figure, who looked up when he appeared. "Oh, Satoru, you're back."
"Yes, I just left Beatrice with my masterpiece."
"Oh god, that one," the second figure sighed.
"Oh, come on Mist, just 'cause you couldn't solve it."
"Let's see if anyone solves it, I wonder..." the second person, 'Mist,' replied.
"Anyway, I'm just passing through, I have to go and double check my moves for the next part of the game, I'll see you later," Klein vanished once more, and the other figure leaded back in his chair.
"What are you people looking at? You want me to introduce myself? I'm Mist Valley. A warlock? I suppose you could say that. But I like to sit back and watch the show. Satoru's put on a decent one here, I imagine you'll like it... oh, but has his latest closed room got you stuck? Well, I'll drop a hint I suppose. The trick can only be completed because it's a chain. It wouldn't work if the lock used a piece of string. Not that string would make a good lock, kukuku..."
Mist yawned, "Now, away with you, let me enjoy my vigil in peace."
Bis Bald
BW