"Does he really intend to keep us waiting?" questioned Krauss. "Dr. Nanjo, you're his physician. Just how much rest does he really need?"

"You know he is already quite old and his illness is quite debilitating, Krauss-san," said Dr. Nanjo. He was Kinzo's personal doctor as well as one of his oldest friends.

"Then why did he have us called if he doesn't intend to meet us?" Krauss asked.

Suddenly, an ear piercing scream was heard.

"Shannon!" George gasped and he dashed off.

Keitaro and Phillip shared a nod before they ran in the same direction as George. Battler, hearing the scream, also followed.

George found Shannon on her knees, trembling, pale with fright in front of Kinzo's private study. "Shannon!" George exclaimed as he knelt at her side. "Are you OK? What's wrong?" With a shaking arm, she pointed with a trembling finger into the room. George's gaze followed and his eyes widened behind his glasses. Keitaro, Battler and Phillip also looked into the room and saw it for themselves.

Kinzo Ushiromoya had a noose tied around his neck and was left hanging from his ceiling, with blood dripping from his mouth and a stake through his heart. The rest of the Ushiromiya family and guests also came up to see what's wrong and saw the same sight. Rosa pulled Maria into an embrace, shielding her daughter's eyes from the sight.

"Dear God!" Krauss gasped. "Father!"

"Someone get him down!" screamed Eva.

"NO ONE MOVE!" Battler shouted, cutting off his family from moving any further. "Look, Grandfather is dead and now we're looking at a crime scene. We can't touch anything or else we may lose the key to finding out who did this!"

"He's right," Keitaro agreed. "We can't risk contaminating the evidence."

That was when a crash of thunder was heard. The storm predicted by Phillip had come.

Ryuji, however, as he was holding and comforting Kotonoha, thought, 'Now, this has become quite interesting..."


LOVE HINA/DOUBLE TROUBLE

Chapter 52: Murder on Rokkenjima (Part 2)

BY: Kamen Rider Chrome & Ten-Faced Paladin


It was a tense atmosphere in the main sitting room as the Ushiromiya Family waited for Battler, Keitaro, Phillip and Dr. Nanjo to return and announce what they found.

Krauss was sitting in a chair, staring into the fire, trying to get his thoughts in order. Seeing his father strung up and pierced by a stake was just world-shaking for him. On a nearby couch his daughter Jessica and wife Natsuhi, a woman in a purple blouse and black skirt with long curled brown hair tied in a ponytail, were holding each others' hands for solace. Rudolph was leaning on the mantle with a glass of wine, talking quietly with Kyrie about what they were going to do. Eva, George, and her husband Hideyoshi, a portly man with black hair were likewise worried about what happened and what could happen to them. Rosa sat on another chair, her daughter in her lap who was trembling and afraid. Poor Kotonoha was trembling something fierce and Ryuji was holding her near the window to help her calm down. On their own sofa, Beatrice and Kitsune were feeling a little isolated since they didn't know anyone else in the room and their men were elsewhere.

"So much for the romantic night I wanted to spend with Keitaro," Kitsune sighed. "I had a sexy nightgown picked out and everything."

"I designed my own lingerie for this trip," Beatrice sighed. "Poor Battler though. He and his grandfather had never been close, but for this to happen..."

The clicking of the door announced someone entering. All eyes went to the door where Keitaro and Battler entered the room.

"Well?" asked Krauss. "Where is Otou-sama's body?"

"The only place we could put it for a proper examination was the taxidermy room with all the trophies," Battler sighed. "Dr. Nanjo did an examination and we can definitely say that it was a murder."

"Of course it was murder!" Eva snapped. "Suicides don't look like that!"

"You'd be surprised how elaborate some suicides can be," Keitaro commented. "We had to check since he was found hung, he may have just committed suicide and someone that found him before the maid may have exacted some emotional revenge for something."

"So he really was murdered then?" asked Kyrie.

"Dr. Nanjo confirmed it," Battler nodded. "He was stabbed with that stake first before he was hung. Apparently whoever did this has a flair for the dramatic. There weren't any signs of a struggle or defensive wounds on his hands or arms, meaning that whoever did this was trusted by him. He never saw it coming."

"Did...did he suffer?" asked George hesitantly.

"It was mercifully quick," Keitaro replied. "The stake thrust pierced his heart and he died quickly."

"Is there any clue as to who did this?" asked Rosa.

"Phillip's still scanning the room for clues, but we have a preliminary," Keitaro explained. "Since he doesn't have any defensive wounds on his body, and the fact that other than the bloodstain his study doesn't seem disturbed, it's likely the one who did this was someone close to him."

"You're not accusing any of us, are you?" asked Natsuhi incredulously.

"We're not accusing anyone," Battler tried to reassure his family. "But the fact remains that someone on the island is our killer." There was a flash of lightning after that statement, followed by a crash of thunder.


Kinzo's Study

Phillip was in Kinzo's study, gloves on to prevent his fingerprints from contaminating the scene. He was meticulous as he scanned the room, taking pictures with the Bat Shot. He had taken pictures of Kinzo's body earlier and had helped Dr. Nanjo examine Kinzo's body.

"A man like Kinzo Ushiromiya, who made up his fortune out of almost nothing, must have enemies," Phillip murmured. "And now one of those enemies is on this island and has committed murder. Still, there had to be motive and opportunity."

Questioning the staff earlier, they had learnt that Kinzo was alive before the guests had arrived. Also, Dr. Nanjo confirmed that the time of Kinzo's death had been around the time before their evening meal was served. It would explain his absence.

The most obvious suspects had to be the staff since they had access to Kinzo. However, if memory serves, before the meal, members of Kinzo's family had left the main hall to use the bathroom or just walk around a bit, separating themselves from the rest of the group.

Phillip flipped open his Stag Phone. The typhoon outside was causing interference, preventing them from calling for help. They were stuck in the mansion, on an isolated island, away from civilisation. Clearly, this was a setup that Phillip was familiar with. If they didn't catch the killer soon, then more bodies were going to turn up.


"Look, I think it's time we decided who should be the new family head," said Krauss.

"Really? Now?" Rudolph asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Excuse me," Ryuji spoke up, "I know I'm just a guest but even I think it's inappropriate to talk about something like inheritance when the late family head had only just passed on." Kotonoha was still upset over what she'd witnessed.

"Also, isn't it more important to find out who killed Otou-sama instead of bickering over the inheritance?" Rosa questioned.

"Hm, that's interesting, coming from you," spoke up Eva.

"Excuse me?"

Keitaro frowned. Honestly, how could they argue when their own father had just been murdered?

"Urashima-san," interjected George. "Have you found any new clues?"

"No, I haven't," Keitaro apologized. "But I promise to continue my investigation. You don't have to worry."

"That's good. With a famous detective like you on our side, the killer doesn't stand a chance," said Eva as she praised Keitaro.

"He's not just good, but the best," Kitsune interjected.

"For now, I would recommend you all to go to your rooms. Keep your doors and windows locked also, just to be safe. And, if you do need to leave for anything, bring someone along with you," Keitaro advised. The 'buddy-system' would be necessary for their survival.

The Ushiromiya family separated and went to their assigned rooms. The guests as well, leaving Keitaro, Battler, Beatrice and Kitsune in the main sitting room. Moments later, Phillip joined them after he finished scanning Kinzo's study.

"So, what have you found?" Keitaro asked Phillip. "Any clues?"

"No," Phillip shook his head."The killer was careful not to leave any clues behind."

"So, we've got no leads," Battler frowned.

"Not necessarily," said Keitaro. "In every murder there's motive and opportunity. We just need to question each member of Kinzo's family to find motive and then try to fit opportunity."

"You really think one of his kids did this?" Kitsune asked.

"Keitaro..." Battler wanted to argue.

"Battler, I know you don't want to believe anyone in your family did this, but we need to think logically and objectively here," said Keitaro. "I also don't think you should help in this investigation. You're too close to it and that might impair your judgment."

"You want me to stay back?" Battler argued.

"I want your cooperation," said Keitaro. "Now, we need to think of a motive."

"Kinzo's fortune, the will and the inheritance," Phillip listed. "Those are things worth killing for."

"Also, I'm kinda thinking Kinzo wasn't the warmest parent," guessed Keitaro. One didn't get ahead in business by playing nice, and building up from nothing required one to be beyond ruthless at times. As a result of that though, one would make a lot of enemies.

"Now you're just speculating," Battler shot back.

"Was he the warmest guy?" Keitaro asked and Battler didn't have a retort. The silence spoke for itself. "So, his kids might resent him for something."

"Happens more often than you think," said Kitsune.

"So we're treating everyone in this mansion as a suspect?" Phillip asked.

"At the moment, pretty much," said Keitaro.


Hallway

Ryuji walked down the hallway of the mansion, his mind a train of activity. Ryubee would definitely be upset that one of his oldest friends had been murdered. Ryuji felt that helping find the killer might settle his adopted father's distress, or at least give him a target. Still, there was plenty of time to try and suss out the killer. Kotonoha needed something to settle down and he intended to get her something to drink. Besides, Ryuji himself was hardly a target since he wasn't in line for Kinzo's fortune. Possibly his business as Ryubee's heir but definitely not for his estate.

Turning down one hallway, Ryuji stopped when he saw Keitaro leaning on the wall with his arms crossed and his hat tipped. The Sonozaki heir of course knew that a confrontation was due since they were enemies, but this seemed hardly the time or place. Still, he was prepared to use the Phobia Memory if he needed it.

"You know, when I first met you, I never suspected that you were part of the Sonozaki Family. I never even suspected that you were part of Museum," Keitaro spoke to Ryuji, not looking at him.

"I guess that must've come as a shock for you," remarked Ryuji.

"Kirihiko was very informative," said Keitaro. "Do you even know what Gaia Memories do to people?"

"I've done my research and I know that a person can control a Gaia Memory if they have a strong will. Those who go out of control simply weren't strong enough," Ryuji argued.

"Your research came from sacrificing people and using them as guinea pigs," Keitaro shot back.

"Sometimes you need to sacrifice the few for the many. You know, survival of the fittest," Ryuji stated. "Are we done here?"

"No," said Keitaro. "Otome Katou and her friends, they're in the hospital now. Care to give a statement?"

"Are you suspecting me of putting them in the hospital?" Ryuji asked.

"Well, considering what they did to your fiancée," Keitaro said. Ryuji frowned.

"If they are in the hospital, they only got what was coming to them," said Ryuji coldly. He decided to change the subject, "By the way, how much do you know about your partner?"

"He's my brother," defended Keitaro.

"And are you sure he's not keeping secrets from you?" Ryuji asked.

"No, he never keeps secrets from me."

"Shows what you know." Ryuji smirked. Keitaro scowled but pondered what Ryuji meant by that. Not wanting to lose argument, the detective decided to turn thing on Ryuji.

"Does Katsura-san know about your family business and what you're doing?" Keitaro asked. In the short time he'd known Kotonoha Katsura, he knew the young lady would not approve of the things the Sonozakis and Museum were doing. She seemed like the type of woman who would be against such things if she knew about them. How she got involved with the Sonozakis, he did not know, but she was engaged to Ryuji which meant that there was some kind of prior relations there.

"Not yet, but she will, eventually," Ryuji answered. "Anyway, I think you have more important things to worry about than what I get up to in my spare time. There's a killer somewhere on this island that needs to be taken care of. I'm guilty of a lot of things, but murder is definitely not one of them. Otou-sama would destroy me if I was the one who killed his friend. He has ways of finding out secrets," Ryuji began walking down the hall again. "Now if you'll excuse me, my fiancée is very upset and I need to get something to calm her down."

"Very well Sonozaki-san," Keitaro nodded. As bad as Ryuji could be, his one redeeming quality was how much he cared about Kotonoha. Takayuki had mentioned that Ryuji genuinely loved the girl. Outside his own family, she was probably the only person he cared about the most.


Sitting Room

"Searching," Phillip spoke, his mind deep into the Gaia Library. "Subject: Ushiromiya Family. Input Keywords."

"Krauss Ushiromiya, Eva Ushiromiya, Rudolph Ushiromiya, and Rosa Ushiromiya," Kitsune listed off the names as Beatrice and Battler watched.

"What's he doing?" whispered Beatrice to Battler, curiously watching Phillip stand so still.

"Phillip has a photographic memory but he has so much information in his brain that the only way we can access specifics is to use related keywords. Think of it like using a search engine on the Internet," Battler explained, or rather how it was explained to him without letting on about the Gaia Library. "He's likely read up everything remotely connected to the family out of curiosity knowing him. Now it seems to be coming in handy."

"I see..." Beatrice blinked, not quite getting it but going with the flow anyway.

"Krauss Ushiromiya," Phillip spoke. "Eldest of Kinzo's children. Has had the most success at business ventures, operating in several different fields and making moderate gains over several of them. He is rarely seen in the public eye, even quotes are rare. He has a habit of shutting out everything else except his work, which is possibly one of the keys to his success."

"Doesn't sound like he'd need to off Kinzo then," Kitsune frowned. "He's in the black as it is."

"The inheritance is more than just a bank account," Battler shook his head. "It includes all Ushiromiya properties including Kinzo's businesses, his stock in other companies, and even this island itself."

"Correct," Phillip nodded. "Kinzo's net worth and his inheritance equal to more than double, perhaps even triple Krauss' own."

"So there's the motive," Beatrice grimaced. "Still, it's nothing that Krauss-san couldn't match if he had enough time, could he?"

"Why work for it when he could have it right away?" suggested Kitsune, playing the devil's advocate. "Okay Phillip, what about the next one?"

"Eva Ushiromiya," Phillip continued. "Married to Hideyoshi Ushiromiya who was in turn adopted into the family rather that Eva changing her name and thus eliminating her as one of the candidates as Kinzo's heir. Hideyoshi is the owner of a medium-sized restaurant chain that does very well. One of his defining business traits is his cautionary style of business which brings slow and small, but steady profits."

"As the second born, Aunt Eva has less of a chance of becoming the heir, especially since she hasn't really made a name for herself other than bringing Uncle Hideyoshi's business into the Ushiromiya fold," Battler frowned. "If the issue of Grandfather's inheritance were a normal event rather than his riddle challenge, she wouldn't have much hope of getting it."

"So she could have killed Kinzo in order to manipulate events to make her the heir, or at least get a clue on this riddle of yours and killed him to shut him up," Beatrice grimaced.

"Aunt Eva always was ambitious," Battler frowned. "But I can't see her wanting to actually kill..."

"Rudolph Ushiromiya," Phillip spoke up. "The third child of Kinzo. First married to Asumu Ushiromiya," Battler winced at the name. "But she later died in an accident. Later he married his personal assistant Kyrie Ushiromiya..."

"Really?" Beatrice blinked. "Kyrie-san used to be his secretary?"

"Yeah," Battler nodded, looking solemn. "Don't get me wrong, Kyrie-san tries hard and she's a great woman. I like her. But...the way Dad just seemed to get over Mom so fast and marry her kind of drove a wedge between us for a while. It's part of why I went into being a detective rather than business like him."

"Oh Battler," Beatrice frowned, hugging his arm.

"Unlike his elder brother, Rudolph's business ventures are mediocre and do not stand out," Phillip elaborated. "Far from doing badly, they just do not really compare to Krauss or Kinzo's holdings."

"So he'd probably not get the inheritance unless he solves that riddle, but with two crafty siblings he probably wouldn't get it in time," Kitsune commented. "He needs and edge to get it."

"Mitsune-san, don't you dare say-!" Battler growled.

"I'm not accusing anyone, I'm just trying to use some logic here," Kitsune quickly defended. "I'm hoping that it's just some psycho who wandered onto the island or something rather than one of the family members." Battler settled down from the comment, but he still didn't like to hear anyone say his father was a killer.

"Lastly is Rosa Ushiromiya," Phillip continued. "Unmarried, but with one child..."

"The dick ran away once he found out that Aunt Rosa was pregnant," Battler sighed as Beatrice and Kitsune looked on curiosity. "Since then Aunt Rosa's been working her ass off at her business. I think she hopes if she becomes a smashing hit or something he'll come back. She hasn't been the same since he left."

"Recently, Anti-Rosa has been floundering due to lackluster designs which have not been received well by the fashion community. She is currently in debt with her co-endorsers and is possibly struggling to pay them back," Phillip continued.

"Oh! I can help with that! I specialize in western clothes!" Beatrice grinned, a chance to show off her skills overcoming her fear of the situation.

"Beato..." Battler sweatdropped.

"Another motive," Kitsune winced.

"Then we have Kinzo's grandchildren, but most of them can be ruled out," Phillip commented. "Maria-chan is far too young to commit such a crime, Jessica-san does not have the body strength and suffers from asthma, Ange-san is not on the island, and Battler-san was with us the entire time. The only possible suspect is George Ushiromiya."

"George couldn't hurt a fly even if he wanted to," Battler shook his head. "He's like his father. Not a bad bone in his body. He does have martial arts training that gives him a mean kick."

"But he could still have a motive," said Kitsune. "Even a good guy can be driven to kill when given incentive."

"True, but George has never cared about money. He's the thriftiest person in the family," Battler retorted. "Uncle Hideyoshi made him work for his spending money growing up and is personally teaching him about the business. If anyone here knows the value of a yen, it's him."

"There are other motives than greed," Phillip said.

"Well," Beatrice commented. "What about that maid? I think her name was Shannon? When she screamed, he was up and running to her like lightning. It looks like they're in some kind of relationship."

"They are," Battler admitted. "George-aniki confided in me and told me that he wanted to marry Shannon. He's been keeping this from his family but he feels that Aunt Eva suspects. But..."

Beatrice added, "His mother might not approve. No offence Battler, but your aunt looks like one of those snooty types who cares about bloodlines and stuff. I doubt she'd approve of a maid being her daughter-in-law."

"None taken, she is," Battler grimaced.

"So if George solves the riddle and becomes the heir, he'd be able get together with the girl and no one would be able to stop him," Kitsune commented. "It would almost be romantic if murder wasn't involved."

"We should question them and check their alibis," Phillip suggested.

"Considering they're all related to me, I'd better bow out on this part of the investigation," Battler sighed. "I'd compromise my judgement with how I want them to be innocent."

"It's not wrong to want to believe that your family is innocent," said Phillip. "It could be some kind of assassin from a rival corporation. But that's just a theory."

"Hey," said Keitaro as he entered the room. "So, did you manage to find anything new?"

"Nothing new, only what we know about the family so far," said Phillip. "We've found possible motives but no opportunity."

As Phillip offered theories, Keitaro gazed at the portrait hung up on the wall. In almost every room, there was a copy of it somewhere. Staring at it and then at Beatrice, Keitaro noticed the resemblance. There had to be some kind of connection. No two people could look that alike without a connection. He never believed in coincidences. Paranoid thinking, perhaps, but coincidences were not something he believed in. Things happened for a reason, always.

"So, what's the story of that portrait?" asked Keitaro.

"That?" asked Battler, pointing to the portrait. "Well, they way Dad told me she was an Italian woman that came here during World War II when the Japanese were using the island as an outpost and allied Italian soldiers would stop by to stock up or transport supplies. Everyone suspects she became his mistress but that was just a rumour."

"With how her portrait is everywhere, I'd say it's true," Keitaro commented, eying the portrait and then Beatrice. "And she looks an awful lot like you too Beatrice-san."

"You think so?" Beatrice frowned, looking to the painting. "I'm not sure if I see it."

"Seriously?" asked Kitsune. "It's like looking at twins to me."

"That's just your imagination," Beatrice continued to deny.

"Anyway, we really should get back to our rooms," said Keitaro as he looked at the clock. "It's getting late."

Phillip added, "You know, if all this is about a riddle, maybe we should take a look at it."

"It's under the portrait in the main hall," Battler answered. "You can't miss it."

"Well then, let's take a look at this riddle, shall we?" suggested Phillip.

The Urashima brothers exited the room with their friends following, entering the main hall where the portrait of Kinzo's mistress was. Adjacent to the portrait was a plaque which had a set of writing on it.

My beloved hometown, the sweetfish river running through it.

You who seek the Golden Land, follow its path downstream and seek the key.

If you follow the river downstream, you will find a village. In the village, look for the shore the two will tell you of. There sleeps the key to the Golden Land.

He who lays hand upon the key shall travel under the rules below.

At the first twilight, you shall lift up as sacrifice the six chosen by the key.

At the second twilight, those who remain shall tear apart the two who are close.

At the third twilight, those who remain shall praise my honorable name on high.

At the fourth twilight, gouge the head and kill.

At the fifth twilight, gouge the chest and kill.

At the sixth twilight, gouge the belly and kill.

At the seventh twilight, gouge the knee and kill.

At the eighth twilight, gouge the leg and kill.

At the ninth twilight, the witch shall be revived and none shall be left alive.

At the tenth twilight, the journey shall end and you should reach the village of gold.

The witch will praise the wise, and should bestow four treasures.

One shall be, all the gold from the Golden Land.

One shall be, the resurrection of the souls of all the dead.

One shall be, even the resurrection of the lost love.

One shall be, to put the witch to sleep for all time.

Sleep peacefully, my most beloved witch, Beatrice.

"OK, even her name's 'Beatrice'," said Kitsune as she looked at the blonde. "You csn't say that's not a coincidence."

"This...is starting to get creepy," Beatrice finally admitted.

"Kind of a grim riddle," Keitaro frowned. "Phillip, what's your opinion of it?"

"It suggests sacrifice for a ritual to revive a witch, but that'll be too literal which riddles rarely are," said Phillip. "There must be some kind of hidden meaning."

"The mentions of a Golden Land probably mean the spot where Kinzo's hidden the fortune," Keitaro frowned, stroking his chin. "From the first line, it would suggest that we start looking in Kinzo's hometown for the path and key to it."

"Grandfather was born and raised on this island though," Battler interjected.

"So then we start looking for a river to mark a path," Phillip nodded. "But it may not be a literal river, perhaps something that has river in it's name or is considered a river in some sense."

"There are no rivers on the island though," Battler frowned. "My relatives have searched the island for it."

"Not on top of it," Phillip replied. "But this island was used as a station during WWII was it not? Perhaps it means in tunnels of some sort and an underground river."

"So, there's like an underground river?" Kitsune asked.

"In World War II, underground tunnels and rivers were built to transport supplies so that they wouldn't be found by enemy forces," said Phillip. "Resources were protected that way."

"So...finding a village at the shore may mean an underground base that has access to the ocean?" asked Beatrice.

"And your relatives never clued in on this?" asked Kitsune.

"When WWII ended, the Japanese army removed everything or so we thought," Battler shrugged. "Why would we look for it?"

"It may have been you grandfather testing all of you to take the initiative and find things out for yourselves instead of blindly following," Keitaro suggested. "But there has to be a clue of where these tunnels start. Probably with the mention of a hometown. Did Kinzo have anyplace outside of the mansion he spent his time?"

Keitaro was beginning to see why Battler's relatives were all getting stumped by the riddle. Just to figure out the first part, you had to have an intimate knowledge of the island of Rokkenjima to know what the heck it was talking about. Then you had to know Kinzo himself to have a clue as to know where to look for that clue. With how his children were more concerned with money and succession, they likely never caught onto that fact. Keitaro was still stumped on the portions talking about killing, but he had a feeling that the parts about the Golden Witch were about his mistress. How she played into things, Keitaro wasn't sure yet but he was sure that it was important to this case.

"Hey, I know this riddle's interesting, but shouldn't we be more focused on who killed Kinzo?" asked Kitsune.

"Solving this riddle is the key to the mystery," said Keitaro. "I'm sure of it."

"The killer's whole game plan is here," Battler explained. "If he wants to solve the riddle then he's going to have to go all over the island and search out specific areas. If we can figure out where those areas are, we can get ahead of him and cut him off."

"Killing Kinzo was likely to cover up any information on the riddle he got as well as keeping Kinzo from barring them from succession when they do solve the riddle, if they can manage it," Phillip added.

"We'll start our search tomorrow," ordered Keitaro. "If the killer is searching, they can't do anything with the storm going on. He's pinned just like we are. We'd better take any chance we can get by staying alert and rested."

"Good," Beatrice nodded before she grabbed Battler's arm. "Now come on Battler. I'm scared and I need life-reaffirming loving tonight!"

"Really, Beato?" Battler asked as she dragged him along.

"Well, that girls moves fast," said Kitsune, impressed, "She knows what she wants."

"Reminds me of someone I know," Keitaro commented, glancing at Kitsune. The blonde merely grinned back with a wink.

"You both go on ahead and sleep. I want to stay and ponder this riddle a little longer," said Phillip, reading over the entire riddle.

"Don't stay up too late like you usually do, Phillip," advised Keitaro.

"Yes, yes," Phillip waved off his brother's concern.

"You heard the man Kei!" Kitsune grinned. "We've got our own room set up and I plan to put it to good use." Grabbing Keitaro's arm, she yanked him to the exit of the room and made her destination the guest room.

Nothing like terror of death to get a girl's motor running.


Ryuji and Kotonoha's Room

The sudden death of Kinzo had left Kotonoha in an emotional shaken state. Fortunately, she had Ryuji to comfort her. Right now, she was sleeping, while in his warm embrace. However, Ryuji Sonozaki was wide awake.

After receiving his Phobia Memory, he'd learnt plenty of Raito and why he was important to the Museum's goals. He was surprised to learn that Raito Sonozaki was Ryubee's youngest son and his cousin. Also, he'd learnt that Raito had amnesia and was known as Phillip Urashima now.

It was funny, Phillip was technically the true heir of Ryubee while Ryuji was the chosen heir. If that wasn't as close to Cain and Abel as one could be, Ryuji didn't know what was.

Well, that issue could be taken care of later. Right now he had a fiancée to comfort and a murderer to kill for his uncle. Ryubee didn't have many men he trusted, but Kinzo was one of those cherished few and his death would be a deep blow.


The typhoon continued all through the night and still remained until the next morning. As members of high society, the members of the Ushiromiya Family were expected to move on even after something tragic had happened so they could get on with their lives. The servants still worked to make breakfast as Kinzo's body continued to remain in Dr. Nanjo's makeshift morgue while his study had been locked to prevent anyone else from entering and contaminating the scene.

The radio and phones still didn't work either so they were still isolated from civilisation and could not call for assistance.

Maria, being an early riser herself, found Phillip standing in front of the portrait of Beatrice which had the riddle under it. It looked like he hadn't moved from his spot and was dressed in the same clothes as before. However, he had rested for a bit before coming back to study the riddle very early in the morning.

Whenever was Phillip was focused on something, there was next to nothing that could make him budge. His find was going over every word of the riddle, pondering the symbolism inside of it and what each word could possibly hint at. He'd figured out several particulars, but he may need more information to find it all out

"Good morning, Mr. Phillip!" Maria smiled at the concentrating teen.

"Good morning, Maria-chan," Phillip absently greeted.

"Do you believe in the witch Beatrice?" she asked. "I think she killed Grandpa because he did something bad."

"I don't think so," Phillip shook his head. "I believe the Golden Witch will be the one who will show us who did kill your grandpa."

"Really?" Maria gasped.

"From what I know, the 'witch' loved your grandpa very much so I'm sure she'll help us find the bad person who did this," Phillip smiled.

"Hm. I hope so," Maria smiled.

"Maria~!" Rosa's voice rang before the woman herself came into the room. "There you are! Stop bothering Urashima-san and come to breakfast!"

"Hai, Mama!" Maria said. "See you at breakfast, Mr. Phillip!" She ran towards her mother and took her hand. Phillip watched as mother and daughter walked to breakfast together.

"Must be nice to be so young and innocent," Phillip remarked.


"OK, what's going on?" Keitaro asked as he, Phillip and Kitsune came across the entrance of the dining hall. The double doors were locked and standing in front were George, Jessica, Battler, Maria, Beatrice and Rosa.

"Someone locked the door," Battler said.

"I can see that," said Keitaro. "Did you get anyone to open it?"

"I sent Genji-san to get the key," said Rosa. Genji returned with the master key and unlocked the double doors. When the doors were opened, those assembled were treated to a grim sight.

Krauss, Eva, Rudolph and their spouses were sitting in their chairs with their throats slit.

Phillip recalled one of the lines of the riddle, "At the first twilight, you shall lift up as sacrifice the six chosen by the key."

The Urashima Brothers now had seven murder victims in total. As Rosa held Maria close, averting her eyes, Keitaro's eyes narrowed. The killer had struck again, this time right under their noses. Three of the Oyashiro children were dead along with their spouses and Kinzo. He looked at Ryuji who was comforting Kotonoha, holding her close and preventing her from seeing more of the grim scene. Then, he gazed at Rosa and Maria. The woman had more to benefit from this murder.

However, how had she done it. He examined the lock. It seemed the key only worked on the outside. The door could only be locked from the inside. Meaning, the killer could not have gotten out.

This was a Locked Room Murder.


Hinata-Sou

The residents were worried. They had learnt from the weather report that there was a typhoon in the area that Keitaro, Kitsune and Phillip had gone to. They had tried to call them, to ask if they were alright, but the typhoon was interfering with the connection. So, they were stuck wondering, worrying.

There was a knock at the door and Haruka went to answer, wondering who it was. She opened the door and saw that it was Kirihiko Sudou. He looked like he'd been hurt and his clothes were in tatters. He did manage to bandage himself up, but he seemed to be a bit unsteady on his feet. He was holding something clutched in his hand, covered in blood. It was a gi, the same kind Motoko wore.

"What happened?" Haruka asked.

"Takayuki and I tried to go after the Sonozakis but we ended up fighting one of their enforcers. In the fight, he tried his best, but...he got killed," answered Kirihiko. "I'm sorry. This is all that's left of him." There was a thud and Haruka turned to see Motoko on her knees on the floor, all color drained on her face. Her wide eyes were focused on the blood-stained gi in Kirihiko's hands.


KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Lots of death in this chapter. Now six of the Ushiromiyas had been murdered. Who did it, how did they do it, and why? Those are the questions we need to ask ourselves to find the culprit. Damn, who'd done it? Also, why was Rosa spared the gruesome fate? We'll find out more in the next chapter.

TEN-FACED PALADIN: And now things get kicked into overdrive with the mass murder. How was this pulled off? Who is responsible? Was it truly the work of men, or was it perhaps other forces at work? Could the Golden Witch truly be responsible?