This is the Hifuu Detective Agency: Case 5 - PoFV

by That-which-isn't

Book 5 of the Hifuu Detective Agency series. Spring has come to Gensokyo and amid the tranquil beauty of a season decorated in countless blossoms, a spectacle of a different sort is unfolding. An Incident with no mastermind covers all of Gensokyo, bringing up many questions Renko and Merry have been avoiding. About their relationship with this world and with eachother.

11. Phantasmagoria of Flower View: Challenge

[A Challenge To The Reader]

Once more it is time for me to offer my usual challenge to you, dear reader. As I had warned you before, this Incident is not like most. It is an Incident where the culprits are already well known. It is only the nature of the Incident itself that remains to be discovered. Can you deduce the truth behind the Sixty Year Cycle Great Barrier Incident, as Renko Usami did?

I will assure that all of the events I have written of up to this point are true. You may suspect, due to the contradictory nature of some of the facts presented that there is some deception in play, perhaps on my part, whether by intention or through a misunderstanding. Let me assure you that that is not the case. Specifically, I will state the most confusing facts of this case again to call attention to them explicitly: The culprits of this case are Yuuka Kazami and the three Prismriver Sisters. Specifically, Yuuka was the main culprit and the Prismriver Ensemble were what might be called accessories after the fact.

Because this case is more confusing, and of a different style than most, I would like to present to you a hint, which I have composed into this story as I wrote it after the fact, with all the hindsight I possess. I made the first chapter of this story our encounter with Yuuka Kazami because to do so is in accordance with Knox's Ten Commandments for writers of mysteries: the culprit must appear near the beginning of the story.

That is not my only reason for structuring this story as I have though. There is also the fact that we only met Yuuka once, and Akyuu never told us much of anything about her. As a result, at this point in the story Renko was only aware of one culprit -Yuuka. Our other discoveries came later.

Thus, dear reader, you are actually in possession of more information than my partner had when she made her deductions. Therefore, I challenge you, wise readers, only to discover the same elusive truth that Renko will reveal in the next chapter. I do not expect you to discover the elements that we had not either until they are revealed.

As an author, you may assume that I am writing this passage with a smug look on my face, confident in my assumption that you will not discover the role the Prismriver sisters played in all of this.

At any rate, that is all of the hints that I can give you. Now it is time to test your imagination against the great detective's. What is the truth concealed within the nature of this case with no culprit?

I wish you, dear reader, the best of luck.