In the cathedral devoid of people, .........a figure could be seen still staring up at the heavens, its chest pierced with a long red rod which pinned it in place to the ground......the figure of Anon.
......Ironically, it looked just like what he had done to Yukarin with green wedges in the 4th game......
Anon had died quite some time ago.
No, .........in this place, the concept of death means nothing except that one has stopped thinking.
Therefore, in a sense, Anon was not dead.
......After being defeated in a fight over the truth and surrendering, he no longer had the strength to think of a way to resist.
That's...what made him dead.
ShikiEiki's massive rod, which had been left in place of a tombstone, ......fastened Anon to the spot even after his death...
This was being lit by a faint light seeping out of a high, high skylight.
Quiet footsteps rang out across this still cathedral......
From the darkness behind a pillar, ......a woman slowly stepped forwards.
......It was Yukari.
Just like they had been the whole time in Gensokyo, ......her eyes had no light in them, and were still muddied over with gray.
This person was once unable to even drink sake to her satisfaction by her own will, ......but though it was slow, ...and though there was no life in her eyes, ......she was, surprisingly, walking.
Then, with slow, deliberate steps...she reached Anon, who was still dead and pierced......
Then, ......she slowly......touched Anon.
......She tugged...on his sleeve.
However, anon showed no reaction......
......When she realized that it wasn't sleep......but death............The witch with the hopeless gaze......let her head hang even lower...
Then......she quietly.........whispered...
"........................You......liar........."
Yukarin......softly touched Anon.........
Then, ......she pressed her forehead against Anon's chest.
There was no longer......, ......any heartbeat.
It wasn't just because he had surrendered.
It was because the Lunarians had chased him from the game board.
......So from now on...
......Anon would never......return...
So from now on...
.........The Boundary Witch Yukari...
Had lost her reason.........to exist............
.........Thank you...
......Liar......
...Goodbye......
And.........
...Sorry.
Then, ......the Boundary Witch...completed......her task...and scattered...as a mush of purple.
In Gensokyo, ......the gray rain...gently continued to fall.
......There was a faint aroma of good sake.
SURE.... IS......... ELLIPSES........ AROUND HERE........... ......... ...
Yukarin stared blankly at the surface of the sake.
There was Yuuka, continuing her knitting, .........along with me and......ShikiEiki, talking to each other.
......This is.........a recollection......
A recollection of Anon's memory, which ShikiEiki's rod must have given him as it pierced him......
A recollection of that time ShikiEiki had come to visit Gensokyo.........
"It's the same with ME. The next time we cross swords, I won't hold BACK."
"Bring it on. I'll be your opponent. Come at me with all you've got."
"I PROMISE. With everything I've GOT."
......Eiki.
I'd thought she was an ruthless killer doll without a heart, ...but maybe she actually is pretty approachable.
......Though of course, neither of us will show any mercy when fighting over the game board.
For a while, we gazed at the rain-drenched rose garden as we quietly enjoyed our sake.
"......Still, it really is terrifying. The way you fight. ......Yama's Ten Commandments, or the Decalogue, wasn't it? Those fallbacks of incident solving, right?"
"YES. ....."
"Hidden doors must not exist. That's Yama's 3rd, right? That means there's no need for incident solvers to even look for hidden doors. ......Sounds pretty ridiculous."
Yorihime said it herself.
She said that, because they were forbidden by Yama's 3rd, even searching for hidden doors was a waste of time.
I'd like to counter that by saying it isn't so uncommon for a rich family's mansion to have a hidden door or two built into it.
......But apparently, that sort of rule works perfectly well in incident solving.
By the way, there exist many wonderful STGs in which hidden doors appear, and where hidden doors are the theme.
......Of course, this is limited to games which have the 'premise' that hidden doors exist.
If that 'premise' doesn't exist, hidden doors must not exist.
So because that 'premise' doesn't exist, there is no need to search for hidden doors.
......I think that's probably the essence of her ridiculous argument.
I get the feeling that the incident solver trying to expose the truth and the illusion trying to confuse it with a mixture of truth and lies...are getting blended together, leading to a bizarre form of argument similar to a Devil's Proof.
Making a incident seem to be accomplished by a witch with magic is fantasy.
Exposing that it was a human's crime done with tricks is anti-fantasy.
Considering all possibilities to expose those tricks is incident solving.
But is it also mystery......to claim that possibilities with no hints supporting them are unworthy of investigation?
Let's say a hidden door is hidden in a way that there would be no clues.
Would claiming that a hidden door therefore exists even though a incident solver couldn't find it......be anti-mystery?
.........That's enough of that.
This argument is too far of a digression from the riddles I'm actually supposed to be solving.
My fight is very simple.
I'm only fighting to explain how it was possible for a human to carry out these incidents which were supposedly carried out by a witch.
This whole discussion about 'mystery' and 'anti' doesn't serve any purpose.
That's why I didn't have any particular interest regarding these rules known as the Yama Decalogue...
"............Do you dislike me for it?"
"It doesn't work for me. ......There's something strange about making it possible to deny the existence of all hidden doors without investigating. ...It's about as dubious as a Devil's Proof. ......Even though it's supposed to be the exact opposite of fantasy, it somehow feels like it's the same kind of argument."
"..............."
"......Ah, I shouldn't have said that. You are the one who made them, after all."
"Do not WORRY. ......After all, there are some who say it is nothing more than a GAME."
"The Decalogue feels like something very arrogant to you, right, Anon-kun...?"
"......To be honest, yes. ......If there was ever a incident solver who said he didn't need to look for hidden doors because they must not exist, everyone should start looking around on the floor to see if some of his screws had come loose..."
"In that case, Anon, ......let us say that the 3rd Commandment doesn't exist. In that case, what would happen to STG mysteries...?"
......What if Yama's 3rd, 'hidden doors are forbidden', didn't exist...?
".........In other words, hidden doors would always work just fine as the standard trick for incidents."
"This does not refer to hidden doors with hints or FORESHADOWING. ...It refers only to doors that even the detective cannot find because, of course, they are HIDDEN."
"Anon-kun, you often fight by using a Devil's Proof to assume an undiscoverable element X. ......That's what this is about."
"That'd be horrible. The STG genre wouldn't be worth playing at all."
By becoming not worth the time......it would cease to exist.
No one would want to try solving the riddle from the beginning if they knew the answer might just be an unforeseeable hidden door.
"......If you don't have some guarantee that no hidden doors exist, you don't really feel like trying to reason it out. ............I see. Knox's 3rd is necessary. ......Without that, it wouldn't be worth reading closed room mysteries."
"If you don't feel like trying to reason it out...what does that mean...?"
"It means you don't even feel like reading it."
"That's IT. ......Humans are weak creatures, who can't even think unless they have proof that reasoning is POSSIBLE."
"...That reasoning is possible. ......In other words, they need encouragement that they can solve it if they do their best."
That......might be true.
......It's the same with exercising.
If you're told to run around the campus ten times, you can tough it out.
However, if you don't know how many times you're supposed to run around it, you'd probably get tired out before you made it around three times.
The same thing goes for thinking and reasoning.
Humans view a problem differently depending on whether or not it's guaranteed to be solvable......
"In incidents, there's always a scene where the incident solver announces that he's discovered who the culprit is. ......That's a sign saying 'The hints have all been given in the previous parts of the story, so dear readers, please try to reason it out'."
".........Ah. I always thought it was just a classic line, but it did also have that effect."
"To put it harshly, as long as the incident solver doesn't say that, ......readers won't feel like trying to solve it no matter how much they love solving mysteries."
"......Weren't you like that yourself in the previous GAMES......?"
".................."
Now that I hear it, ......maybe that really was the case.
Maybe my fight against Yukarin really began in the 2nd game.
At first, I didn't seriously try to tackle the closed room riddles Yukarin threw at me.
After all, I knew nothing except that people had died in a closed room, and the windows and doors were all locked from the inside.
......I had basically no hints.
So I refused to argue on the grounds that I couldn't fight because the lack of clues made reasoning impossible.
......After that, Yukarin sneered at me, didn't she...asking whether I would repeat that over and over forever in an endless repetition of moves......
At that time, Yukarin said this:
'Of course not. I'll give you the thing that people like you always demand. The reason you always stop thinking and then moan about it is 'lack of information'! If you are then given information, you start doubting whether the information is true or not by 'denying the basis'! Isn't that convenient? What clever little words to hide your own incompetence.'
Once we reached that point, the curtain finally rose on my battle with Yukarin......
"......So, ......that's when I finally had a guarantee that I could solve this tale if I tried, ......and I stepped up to the stage with her for the first time......?"
"Yukari. ......She's a strange PERSON. Though riddles are the only holes witches can live within, she began to give you parts of the truth, a method by which those riddles could be SOLVED."
You could say that the truth is a hint Yukarin gives me so that I can compete in this war of reasoning.
......Like candy.
Because I've been given hints, it's like she's saying...try and solve it......it can be solved.
......A enigma which is guaranteed to be solvable......can't be called a true 'enigma'.
"Isn't this almost as though.........Yukarin herself is admitting......that she isn't really a witch...?"
"My, my. That does seem logical. ......She truly is a strange person."
".................."
Yukarin gave no answer.
With gray eyes, ......she did nothing but blankly gaze her sake...
"I created the Decalogue to act as a crutch for the power of THINKING. ......It most certainly wasn't made as a way to arrogantly decide things."
"......A crutch...for the power of thinking......"
"That's RIGHT. By Yama's 8th, it is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not PRESENTED. ......This does not only mean that one is forced to avoid making theories that are not supported by CLUES."
"If you turn it around, .........it means that the one proposing the riddles is forced to display clues which lead to the solution."
"......So, in other words, ......if you follow the Decalogue, ......all riddles must have hints, ......and therefore, it's guaranteed that finding the solution is possible."
I see......so this is what they mean by a crutch for the power of thinking.
If you can believe that it's solvable, you start feeling the desire to have a go at those riddles.
If you're capable of believing that hints do exist, you get fired up about rereading the story to search for them......
"I'll admit......it might have the power of giving courage to people trying to solve it."
"You seem to think that the Yama Decalogue is a series of restrictions imposed by the one who made the INCIDENT, but it is also vital for the READERS. .........By using the Decalogue as a crutch, we are given the courage needed to use reasoning, as well as the willpower to reread the tale several times in search of the clues we know must be hidden THERE."
".........It's like the lid of a jar of jam which is too tight and won't open. ......Like Mom always used to say, ......if you think you can't open it, then it really won't open no matter how hard you try. ......The same thing happens in sports. They say that whether or not you have a strong image of yourself and believe you can win no matter what has a large impact on the records."
In that case.
The Yama Decalogue isn't really a set of arrogant and strict restrictions.
......You can also see it as a way to encourage readers, who are trying to solve the mystery, by telling them to give it their all since it's definitely solvable...
".........That's an interesting way to interpret it. ......However, I've heard that not all incidents around the world follow the Decalogue all the time, right? .........When you bump into one of those, won't you feel tricked...?"
"Even the Decalogue is nothing more than a single INTERPRETATION, and it does not apply to all INCIDENTS."
Was this or that famous incident really a fair incident--in other words, one that followed Yama's Decalogue?
In fact, in incident discussions, arguments like these sometimes become more heated than talk about the actual tricks......
"I can understand why they'd want to criticize it. ......They try to solve it, believe it's solvable and follow the Decalogue, but it's actually not made to be solvable at all. I can understand how that'd get pretty annoying."
That's right.
When fighting with the Decalogue, ......there's just one thing you want guaranteed from the beginning.
In other words, .........you want a guarantee that this incident will adhere to the Decalogue.
If a work labels itself as an orthodox incident , then you have nothing to worry about.
However, the STG genre contains many other non-orthodox sub-genres within it.
"............Though you just fought with Yukarin using the Decalogue as a weapon. ......Can I take that as proof that this game world of Yukarin's follows the Yama Decalogue......?"
"........................"
When I asked that, ......there was a strange silence.
Yuuka, ShikiEiki, ...and of course, Yukarin......all remained silent for a while......
Almost as though my question had touched at the core of something...
"That......is something I cannot answer myself."
"Why...?"
"This is a game that this person made. ......A game to decide which of the two of you will win. ......This person has called it a confrontation between mystery and fantasy."
"But unfortunately, she has never called it an orthodox indecent. That means you have no guarantee that it follows the Decalogue."
"......But at the same time, Yukari has said that this game is a contest between you and HER. ......In other words, there is a chance that you could win."
"In other words, ............you're trying to say that reasoning is possible?"
..................
".....If you asked this person, she would probably say that reasoning is possible. ....However, just as she is the challenger and you are the challenged, the two of you are different creatures. ......Something Yukarin might have proposed thinking it is solvable...may or may not be something that is solvable for you as well."
For example, let's say we propose a simple riddle that any Japanese person would know.
...However, if the person we're telling this riddle to is a foreigner with a Japanese-English dictionary in their hand, it might be almost impossible to solve.
...In other words, it's possible to have a one-sided 'solvable problem' which might be easy for the questioner but extremely difficult for the person trying to solve it...
By the way, do you know of the foreign riddle: 'Why do dragons sleep all day?'
The answer is
It's a riddle from the English realm, so it might be a little tough for a Japanese person.
"For that reason, .........I cannot promise that this tale is something you will absolutely be able to solve. .........However, I can promise you one thing. ...I will guarantee it with the truth."
".........What?"
"Yukarin wanted you to solve it, so she made this game...the riddles of this tale...solvable. That alone, I will guarantee with the truth."
It was......the one guarantee....that all those who try to use reasoning desire.
"I don't know whether my Decalogue will apply to that answer or lead you to IT. ......However, when you run into a tight spot and want a compass for your reasoning, please try using my Decalogue if you REMEMBER. ......It might give you renewed courage and possibly even some new DISCOVERY......"
"Thank you. If I'm truly stuck, I'll think about your fighting style. ......Are you sure it's alright to help out an enemy like this?"
"Pay that no MIND. I came to this tea party without a GIFT. I hope you enjoy this in place of a SNACK. ...And...if you come face to face with me AGAIN, there probably won't be time to speak of something so CASUALLY."
.........Yama's Decalogue......and Yuuka's truth.
'Yukarin wanted me to solve it, so she made the riddles of this game solvable'.
In other words, ......Yukarin wants me to be capable of solving it.
Isn't that......proof that reasoning is possible......?
......Of course, that's from Yukarin's point of view, ......and it doesn't necessarily mean that reasoning is possible for me......
Compared to before now, when I didn't even know whether reasoning was possible or impossible, ......that one line might give me a great deal of courage...
At least it has the power to silence any negative thoughts about it just being useless anyways...
"......Unless the other party assures you that reasoning is possible, you won't do it. ......It's almost like love between shy, young people."
"Love?"
"Yes. .........Unless you have proof that the other person loves you first, you don't want to love them back. ......Right?"
Both boys and girls......want to hear someone else say they love them first.
That's their dream.
......If they're in love, they don't want to love the other person until they're sure this person loves them back.
After all, there's nothing as painful as a one-sided love, ......and the scars of the heart that leaves behind last a long time.
Because they are afraid of that pain, ......they want proof that the other person loves them first more than anything else...
Both the incident maker and the incident solver......first want the other party to say they will solve it (that it can be solved).
Until the maker is assured that the players will certainly have a go at the riddle if they propose it, they don't want to make the incident.
The same goes for the players.
Until they are assured that they will certainly be able to solve the riddle if they try, they don't want to read the story.
Because they don't want to write what they consider a masterpiece and be hurt when no one reads it.
Because they don't want to reason about what they consider a masterpiece and be hurt when they realize it was all useless.
"By that argument.........it really isn't a stretch to say it's like love between shy elementary or middle school-aged kids. ......Even though they really do want it, they don't have the courage to reveal their feelings, so they wait uncomfortably for the other person to confess......and by the time summer ends, nothing's happened."
"Heheh, sometimes they'll even go out with a different person. That's what my first love was like, ihihi."
Along with these one-sided feelings they can't express, they lament the passage of a summer which will never come again, and the days of their youth end.
The writer who wouldn't write until he gained the support of readers...goes for all eternity without releasing his maiden work.
"......Anon-kun. When does this 'the chicken or the egg' type of shy love reach the level where it progresses into mutual love......?"
"Well, .........that's probably when things start to pile up. ...It starts as a relationship between friends, they communicate with each other more, ......and when the two both reach the level where they're sure......that 'I like this person and they surely like me', ......well, then they probably just naturally become a pair of lovers."
"My impression up until now is that relationships which start with a sudden confession of love tend to break up more often, whereas pairs who never actually confess to each other but realize that they've always been together usually stay together for a surprisingly long time."
"In other words, this happens after the two of them trust each other and a relationship of trust is BORN, ......is what you're SAYING."
".........Maybe. ......It's a bit odd. ...I've always thought the mystery genre was a battle between the writer and the reader, ......but maybe it actually isn't."
"Yes. It's something which can't go on without a relation built on mutual trust, ......a relationship with love."
".................."
".................."
"......So, you're saying that our relationship......isn't one of killing each other, but one with love?"
"......*giggle*. Though it doesn't look like anything more than a pair of elementary schoolers bullying each other to me... Heheheheh."
Yuuka joked at us in a middle-aged woman sort of way.
Still, ......though I'm not expecting friendship or a trusting relationship, ......I can accept her as a rival.
Yukarin is fighting at full force, trying to make me acknowledge that she's a witch.
So I'll respond to that and go all out trying to deny that magic exists.
"How do you know that Yukarin is fighting at full FORCE?"
"I can tell by looking."
"It isn't as though she has proclaimed in red that she was fighting you at full FORCE. ......And yet, you still have no DOUBTS? You are the one who said you wouldn't believe anything except the TRUTH."
".........Nn, .................."
"*giggle*. ......I'm sure this is the stage where communication increases and you learn not to doubt your relationship which Anon-kun was mentioning earlier."
Yuuka and ShikiEiki giggled together.
......One guy, multiple women.
The topic is love.
......Wait a sec, isn't this the worst formation for getting made fun of?
When I tried to change the subject and bring back a proper mood for a tea party in the rainy Gensokyo by clumsily searching for a more noble subject, Yuuka saw right through me and laughed at me......
..................
Even amidst this, Yukarin kept looking downwards with those gray eyes, staring into her black tea.........
............
.........Yeah, that's right......
They.........have given me so many hints...
And yet, I barely thought about it at all...
By now, it's all too late......
.....'Let me think'.
Now that everything is too late already and I have an endless amount of time on my hands, .........let me think.
......One more time, let me think about the truth Yuuka gave me...and the crutch of the Decalogue that Eiki lent me......
With the truth, .........Yuuka guaranteed that at the very least, Yukarin left enough room in this tale for me to achieve victory.
......That truth guarantee will once again......give me the power to start my heart beating...
And......there's the crutch of the Decalogue, which Eiki lent me.
Dlanor herself warned me in the beginning that the Decalogue isn't so almighty that it can solve all riddles.
However, she had said something about how it could be used as a method to solve......no, to take on riddles.
......Let me try it.
......let me believe that I'll definitely be able to solve it, ......that it is a solvable tale, a mystery......and let me take it on one last time......
When I came to, ......I was suddenly in...
...that strange tea room where I had often argued furiously with Yukarin from across that table.
......Of course, Yukarin was nowhere to be found.
It was just me......isolated and alone.
That's alright.
Even so, ......I won't stop thinking.
Okay then.
.........What were Yama's Commandments again......?
I'm sure Eiki explained most of them when slamming me with them.
Of course, even I recall them vaguely.
What was......the first one, again......?
"......Allow me to speak. Yama's 1st. It is forbidden for the culprit to be anyone not mentioned in the early part of the story."
When I muttered about what the first one was...
.......As if answering my question, .....Eiki's subordinate appeared.
Without bothering with an unnecessary 'hello', she told me nothing more or less than what I wanted to know.
"......Yeah, that's it. The 1st. ......The culprit has to be one of the people mentioned in the early part of the story."
In other words, .........does that mean the culprit must have appeared already......by the first game......?
A given.
......A given...?
......Have I really.........kept that as a basic assumption......?
With each new game, the number of people in this tale keeps increasing.
That violates the closed circle rule.
By that point, everything gets screwed up.
Did I give up on the inside, ......thinking that the true culprit or mastermind must not have shown up yet and that reasoning was therefore useless......?
If I read this tale as a fantasy, ......new characters keep showing up to the point where even having demon kings or gods or creators appear wouldn't be strange at all.
Even if the true mastermind first appears in one of the last Episodes, I'd have to accept it.
However, ......if I read it as a mystery and stick with that conviction...
Then there's no need to worry at all about anyone who shows up later.
Because Yama's 1st clearly states that it's impossible for the culprit to be anyone who appears later on in the story.
............Of course, there's also what both Eiki and Yuuka said.
There's no guarantee that this tale follows the rules of the Decalogue...
"......Yama's 2nd?"
"Allow me to speak. Yama's 2nd. It is forbidden for supernatural agencies to be employed as a incident solving technique."
......That's right.
A incident solver can't go around using magic.
"So, ..................if this is a fair battle, ......does that mean that, like the incident solver, ......the culprit also isn't allowed to use magic......?"
"Allow me to speak. ......Know that the interpretation is up to you."
"Yeah, that. ......Sure. I'll interpret it my way."
If this game is a battle between me and Yukarin...
...Then because this tale is solvable, no elements will appear which make it impossible to solve.
In other words, things like magic mustn't appear.
When they do appear, I shouldn't suspect that the mystery element is breaking down, ......but I should instead question why it was shown and suspect the witnesses and observers.
That's right, ......that was......Yukarin's greatest weapon in the 2nd game.
Depictions of magic, which couldn't exist in a mystery.
If I can't believe that Yukarin is fighting me head on with everything she's got, ......I won't be able to reason any further than this.
.........Sure, ...I'll acknowledge it.
Unless we acknowledge that we 'love each other', ......we won't be able to get any further.
When Yuuka ran out of patience with the two of us, shy and incapable as we were of acknowledging that out loud, she gave me that red truth instead.
That was the red truth saying 'Yukarin wanted me to solve it, so she made the riddles of this game solvable.'
......What the hell.
It's like 'Satou-san in class A says he likes you~'.
Like hearing a love confession via a friend...
.........I really am.........pitiful.
Reasoning......is love.
If we don't love each other, ......the reasoning won't start.
In that case, how can we say that we love each other?
'If you think you can solve it, just you try.' 'You're incompetent, like hell you can solve it.'
......Yeah, according to Rinno-aniki, you call that sort of thing 'tsundora'.
Heheh, that brutal witch is finally starting to look a bit cute.
......If I meet her again, I wanna try saying 'You're such a tsundora'.
If I meet her again, .........somewhere...
..................
"......Tell me the other parts of the Decalogue. I don't care about the order. ......Give me something that seems useful."
"Allow me to speak. Yama's 8th. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not presented."
"Allow me to speak. Yama's 6th. It is forbidden for accident or intuition to be employed as a incident solving technique."
It must not be solved with clues that aren't presented.
And, it must not be solved by relying on accident.
If this tale is made in a way that it can be solved...
We can read this the opposite way.
In other words, ......clues must be prepared so that the case can be solved.
And, it has to be made in a way that it can be solved without relying on an accident.
If I can believe that Yukarin is challenging me to a fair game where reasoning is possible...
......I can be sure of that.
In other words, ......Yukarin has already left me clues, hints, and messages in this tale.
......It isn't from the Decalogue, but Reisen or someone said this:
There are three riddles to be exposed in an incident.
One is the 'who dunnit'. Who is the culprit?
One is the 'how dunnit'. How did they commit the crime?
One is the 'why dunnit'. Why did they commit the crime?
.....
As Yukarin goes through each successive game, she watches me closely...and tweaks the game as needed to get a good arrangement.
When Yukarin realized that I'd completely surrendered in the 2nd game because it was too hard, she secretly worried.
If I surrendered and lost the will to fight, ......the game would no longer remain on an even footing.
Therefore, in order to make me regain my will to fight, ......from the 3rd game onwards, she set things up in a way that made it easier for me, giving me tips on how to fight and a few hints.
Yuuka and Ran obviously appeared so that they could help me.
Also, though we still had the usual crazy magic shows, she gave me the metaphor of the Braun tube trial, as well as tips on how to fight back.
I finally understood how to fight, .........and most likely, at the end of the 4th game...
......Yukarin managed to have the all-out showdown with me that she had probably wanted.
......Then, Yukarin acknowledged that my abilities had become full-fledged, .........and entrusted me with her heart............entrusted me with explaining this tale, didn't she...
In that case, ......it was really dumb of me to boycott most of the 5th game just because I was so disgusted with those two Lunarians...
It doesn't matter who the Game Master is.
All I need is to search for the truth in Yukarin's game.
......On the contrary, I should probably...thank those two witches just a little for continuing the game in Yukarin's place, now that she's gone and left everything to me.
Of course, I doubt those evil witches were trying to do anything of the sort......
Culprit. Crime. Motive.
The answers to those three ultimate riddles...the hints.........must be scattered throughout the previously shown tales.
It's probably a very faint light, ......like trying to find beads that have fallen onto a sandy beach.
They're definitely there.
......However, they're so faint that unless I believe strongly, there's no way I'll be able to find them.
"Please. Allow me to speak."
".........What is it......?"
"Go back......through the tale. ......Know that you will be given them as long as you don't lose sight of the truth's faint light."
".........Right now...............through this tale......"
"Know that for reasoning to be possible, a trusting relationship is required."
"......Yeah, ......I know. .........In fact, ...maybe I finally noticed just now."
It's something that been repeated over and over again throughout the tale......persistently so.
"......Without love, ......the truth...cannot be seen......"
Slowly, the tea room dissolved into darkness......
Then, as though I was slowly sinking into a pitch black sea, .........I passed through the crevice of the long journey I'd taken with Yukarin.........and kept on falling and falling......
It was a bizarre experience......like crossing over the boundary of sleep while still conscious.
The several tales before became faint bubbles, ......no, were they small shining Fragments? ...And were scattered like stars amidst a pitch black sky.
I kept sinking on and on......into that sea......
The tales up until now.........one after another.........after another.........
The flower youkai guided the faceless protagonist to Mount Purgatory, ......and brought him below the feet of the eternal lady who waited at the top, Yukari.
Therefore, .........the innermost depths lay not at the bottom, .........but at the peak of Mount Purgatory.
The eternal lady......had been waiting there for the faceless protagonist......the whole time......
　And then...I...knew.
......I've finally...reached the truth.........
.........To the depths, no.........to the peak...of Mount Purgatory............
............Idiot............
......You.........really are......an idiot......
"...Ah, ......gwah............that hurts........."
He woke from the sleep of death, ......and bit by bit......his sense of pain came back to him......
On Anon's face, which still looked up at the heavens as he hung there pierced by the rod, ......a suffering and alive expression gradually returned......
"You.........really are......an idiot............A huge idiot........."
Anon...noticed.
......The whole time, .........Yukarin had been snuggling up against him......sleeping.
And when he held her, .........He knew.........that it was not Yukarin.........but her crumbling......remains.
So, when Anon just tried to hold that form as fragile as ash, .........just like a sand castle made on a beach......which has been washed away by a small wave......it fell apart and lost its form......
At Anon's feet......lay nothing but the ragged remnants of Beato's dress......and a pile of ash.
No, ......on top of that pile of ash......he could see something sparkling purple.
......It was............the husk......of a single purple butterfly......which had been torn to bits......
And so, .........Anon...knew......
I've......definitely reached the truth...
......However, ......I wasn't able to do it.........while Yukarin still remained in this world............
"......Yukarin......, ......you, .........really are............an idiot......"
I've finally......reached the truth of this crazy riddle you've created......
......Just......like you wanted......!
I didn't lose heart......and I finally......made it there in the end.........
So why......did you lose heart............without waiting for me......?
......You believed so strongly, didn't you......? That I'd......definitely reach the truth......
So, .........why.........?
Why............couldn't you believe with me...............and wait.........?
You aren't the one who's been forcing an endless torture on someone else.
It's me...!
I've been the one putting you through a cruel torture...!
You resisted until the very end and kept on protesting to me......
........And even though......I've now finally.........reached that truth...
To think that you.........couldn't wait any longer.........and that it's all too late.........
"Y........., ............you idiooooot...............Why......did you lose heart.........before me? Dammiiiiiiiit......"
It's my......fault......
I forced her to endure this torture.
In fact, she's been doing a wonderful job sticking through it for so long......
Over and over and over again, you kept on protesting to me, .........and because I was so incompetent......it was as though I couldn't understand the truth.
"Idiot............idiot...............Your riddles......are too twisted......!! ......Why couldn't......you say it............more simply......?...Idiooooooooooooot!! Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaggghhhhh!!"
His scream of pain......filled the sad cathedral...
The sad witch who wasn't able to let Anon know of the truth.
The sad man who wasn't able to understand the witch's truth.
>devoid
Why not just use 'void'?
Anon's howl of anger and sadness rang out for that pair......
The clock hung in the cathedral showed that it was 24:00 on October 5, 1986.
Time was up.........for everything.........
You're kidding me......don't set something like a time limit on this difficult riddle you're so proud of......
".........No, ......I understand...... Even though there was such a faint chance of that miracle happening, .........you prayed for it to happen............You're.........just like that oldfag."
You prayed for and bet on the power of a miracle.........one so unlikely that it was totally impossible, less likely than finding a bead you've dropped on a sandy beach.........
And that means I've now truly arrived at that miracle.
However, ......your time......didn't last long enough............
If I had reached this point even a little sooner...
If I could have seen the truth......!!
Even if it had been right before time was up, .........I might.........have been able to save you...!!
But right now, ......I've been run through pathetically.
......I can't......even hold what remains of you......!
......As I attempted to pull the long sword out, ......I tried stretching out my arms and kicking my feet, struggling to at least touch her remains......but nothing worked.
"......Shiiiiiit......, dammiiiiiiiiiitttt.........!!!"
.........At that time, I noticed a purple glint on the palm of my hand.
It was............a single wing from a purple butterfly.
That small fragment of purple.........was the only piece of Yukarin......that I was permitted to touch.........
I cried with all my strength, .........gripped that fragment...and pressed it against my head, apologizing.
......Why couldn't I reach the truth earlier......?
Then I pressed it to my chest, .........promising that even now, ......I would never again lose......the truth......
When I pressed my hand against my chest, ......the sword piercing my chest cut my wrist, and blood dribbled out.
That blood spread throughout my fist.........and it must have......soaked that purple Fragment with my red blood.
It must have been......the only way of telling her...that I'd found the truth she had wanted me to know about......
I clutched the wing of the gold butterfly......with my freshly bleeding hand.........and pressed it against the rod which pierced me......
At this point, ......Anonymous...knows.
And he understands.
......He's found.........this tale's......everything......
At that time, ......it seemed as though......a faint golden light leaked out of the gaps in his clenched fist.
The two Lunarians had their backs turned, and Reisen was laughing at anon's corpse.
"......That really is pathetic, Anon-san. I'll make your foolishness into a statue, and for all eternity.....................Huh......?"
At that time, Anon's chest......no, .........the rod that pierced Anon.........began to sparkle purple from deep within his chest......
That bright purple light.........began to change the rod's shape and color......turning it into a purple long sword......
".........What's going on......?"
"A, ......Anon is......, ......what.........is this......?!""............ah."
"Gwah...!!"
Anon coughed up blood and groaned.
His consciousness...came back.
His will to live, his will to fight...came back...
The rod which pierced Anon......could no longer be described as such.
...By now, it had become a purple long sword.
Then.........slowly......slowly.........it pulled itself out of Anon's chest......
It finally pulled itself out of Anon and started dancing through the air......then stood up in front of Anon's eyes as though it knew who its master was.
Anon, crawling on the floor and moaning, grabbed the purple long sword......and though it looked painful, ......he slowly.........rose to his feet once again.
"......This sure is an elaborate act. ...Is this one of your tricks, Toyo?"
"Gahhhh?!?!"
...
When she noticed that Anon's resurrection wasn't part of a script Toyo had thought up, Yori also frowned slightly...
"......Sorry. Retrials will not be permitted. Moon Rabbits, eliminate this resurrection illusion..."
"Understood. 45, 410, firing permission granted."
"I, ......it's......unable to target!! IFF error, code 999...!"
".........Eeek."
"...999, you say..., impossible...!"
The Moon Rabbits hesitated, unable to carry out Yorihime's orders...
"Toyo. What kind of farce is this? ......The Illusion of the Witch has been completely destroyed, and the trial ended with our victory."
".........Sorry, Yori. ......You'll have to stick around a bit longer. .........Isn't that right, Anonymous......?"
"............Yeah. ......Sorry to keep you waiting, Reisen, ......Yorihime. ......Now it's time for my truth......"
"Request for a retrial accepted. ......The assembly of witches retracts the adjournment of the Court of Illusions!!"
"O, objection. The trial has already been concluded and the results have even been announced...!"
"Objection overruled...!! All verdicts are overshadowed by new truths!!"
"Objection!! Not only has Anon been banished as a player, he also doesn't hold the rank of witch...! He isn't qualified to call for an appeal...!"
"Objection overruled!! He already does have that. ......By the name of Toyohime, I acknowledge it.........Anonymous...! I acknowledge you as the new Witch of Purple, ......no, .........as the new Boundary Sorcerer, Anonymous...!!!"
"......Wh, ...what did you say......? ......A, ......Anon got.........the rank of a witch......?!"
The rank of a witch, which she had desired for so long, had been granted to Anon so quickly.
And on top of that, this wasn't anything temporary.
......This was an official, proper authorization by Toyohime.
Reisen couldn't accept it, and her face turned bright red...
".........Hmph, ......hehehehehhahaahahahahahahaaah!! Looks like that witch's game really will keep us entertained until the very end...! Sure, I'll play along...!"
"Reisen, you handle this...! The truth you've created with me is perfect...! The construction of truth which makes Sanae the culprit is perfect...! Battler certainly won't be able to break it!"
"O, of course, my master...!! There's no need to worry at all! Anyways, Moon Rabbits, my master ordered you to fire, right?! How long is it gonna take you to carry that order out?!"
"E, error code 999! A, an access code is required to target the territory lord...!"
".........Nyeh. I told you he'd do it nyeh."
"Territory lord...?! Who is?! Who controls this Fragment?! I do...!!"
".........Territory lord............You don't mean........., ......Anon is.........?"
"Yes. Anon has been authorized as the official territory lord of this Fragment...!"
"Yes, that's right. ......So you still don't understand? You don't know what that purple sparkle signifies? .........He's reached it, ......Anon has. ......He's made his way to the innermost depths of all truths!!"
"....................."
"That means Anon's understood everything about this world, this tale, this game. ......In other words, he's reached the position of the game's master. ......*giggle*, I'll bet you don't want to believe it, right, Yori?!"
"......Heh, .........*giggle*giggle*giggle*giggle*!! Yeah, I don't want to believe it...!! Okay, I'll test Anon to see whether he really understands everything...!! Reisen!"
"Too bad, Reisen. .........Just when you were finally appointed as the territory lord of this Fragment, you've been deprived of that title."
"The new territory lord of this Fragment is Anonymous. ......*giggle*, is it awful? Hey, hey, don't you feel just awful?! How's it feel to be deprived of that title just when you'd finally gotten it?! How's it feel?!"
"Ahh, ...waaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhggh!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnn!!! If you think you can disprove my theory, just try iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!! It's impossible,
impossible!! The theory I've created has no holes!! It's impossible to deny that Sanae is the culprit!!"
".........I can construct a theory with someone other than Sanae as the culprit. ......It may be that your truth is impossible to disprove. ......If so, that means your truth won't be able to deny my new truth either......!"
Battler spoke with the truth allowed him by his status as a sorcerer.
"A, ......a culprit other than Sanae...?! ...H, ......hah!! How's that?!! ShikiEiki!! Let's see where this delusion of Anon-san's takes us...!!"
......Slowly, ......ShikiEiki stepped forwards.
In her hand......was the huge rod of the Decalogue.
She also had a smaller rod.
In Anon's hand......was a purple long sword.
......The two rivals once again.........No, for the first time......they truly confronted each other.
".........Anon, I've been WAITING."
The original was fucking dumb and this is still really fucking dumb.
Mugen?.................. Mugen is that you?..................
...............
...............................................
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Wow, long time no see writefags
Keep it up
>>14337872
Can you even consider this writefagging? It's just replacing names with touhou shit.
>>14337876
You know that you can replacing everyone name right ?
"Sorry to keep you."
"You did NOT. Your return was sooner than I ANTICIPATED."
"Kill him, ShikiEiki Yamaxanadu!!!"
ShikiEiki's form disappeared in an instant.
As though her slow, dignified movements from before were only a lie...!
......The curve drawn by the rod of the Decalogue burned itself into the retinas of those who saw it.
Before anyone had enough time to follow that curve, ......it was already approaching Anon's chest...!
"Lady Reisen's reasoning has solved the 5th GAME. No new facts exist which overturn the truth created by this reasoning...!!"
"It's possible to show a different truth by using a different interpretation!! When multiple truths exist in parallel, the authenticity of both is questioned!!"
In this closed off world, it's possible for differing truths to exist at the same time.
Furthermore, as long as multiple truths exist, it's impossible to claim that any of the truths are the single truth.
In other words, even if I can't overturn Reisen's reasoning, by questioning its credibility.........and conquering it, I can defeat it...!
"Yorihime's reasoning is perfect. You won't be able to overturn it easily. ......But still. If you can present a theory on par with Yori's, the fight will come down to a verdict. That means it's possible that either one of the truths will be defeated and denied!"
".........This plot twist is truly laughable...!! I'd expect nothing less from a plot twist by a demon!!"
"Then let me ASK!! What is this theory with someone other than Sanae as the CULPRIT?!!"
Anon's purple long sword drew both curves of theory and truth at will.
"It's possible to construct it using the revenge of the mysterious character from 19 years ago, which Sanae confessed about."
"Yama's 1st. It is forbidden for the culprit to be anyone not mentioned in the early part of the story! A person first introduced in the 5th game cannot be named as the CULPRIT...!!"
"What if the mysterious character from 19 years ago was among us since the very beginning? For example, ......what if it was me?!"
"Yama's 8th. It is forbidden for the case to be resolved with clues that are not presented! Was there ever any foreshadowing showing that you might be the mysterious character from 19 years ago?!!"
"The truth from the 4th game that I am not the son of my mother. The feeling that my dad was hiding something in both the first game and this game. In particular, in this game, it was made clear that there were some special circumstances having to do with my birth."
Anon proposed that he might be the mysterious characterfrom 19 years ago, ......and announced that he would reconstruct the crime with himself as the culprit.
As ShikiEiki cautiously held her sword at the ready, she gauged the distance between them...
Now that Battler had inherited the position of this world's territory lord and attained the rank of Boundary Sorcerer, his movements surpassed human understanding.
By now, the physical distance between them probably counted for nothing.
Because their extremely agile battle was surpassing the point where the concept of distance made any difference.
"......A good START. Let us hear......your theory with Anon as the culprit...!"
"Yeah, I'll let you hear it. I'll prove that this explanation also works, ......and that you can't be certain Sanae is the culprit...!"
"!! If you're supposed to be the culprit, that creates several contradictions! I'll use those contradictions to reap your feeble truth! I, Reisen Udongein Inaba, the incident solver and the Lunarian of Truth will...!!"
This time, Reisen stepped forward.
......In her hand, there appeared a katana like the one Yorihime held.
A ruthless katana for slashing through everything that threatened her theory...!
