Check the last part for the beginning of this route!
Otherwise, here's a quick summation: In this route, the first noticeable difference is an extra scene featuring a sleep paralysis demon(?) pushing us towards meeting with the chain mail's sender, who is now the mysterious woman from the alleyways. Now, we'll learn more about her and listen to her testimony, which will lead us down a familiar road.
In response to the provocative words she spun, I asked---
>Who are you?
> ⬢ You're the culprit, aren't you?
Let's be straight to the point, and repeat what we said earlier.
> ⬢ You're the culprit, aren't you?
"Mr. Nao Hayashi... You're the culprit, aren't you?" I asked the question that had been in my heart for a long time.
Nao Hayashi looked at my face and replied, "You... are you an idiot? If I was the culprit, do you think I would meet with you people?"
That makes sense, but there is no one else to suspect.
"Fine. Let me continue my story." Nao Hayashi spoke after regaining her composure.
"From now on, everything I'm going to tell you is true... But, it's because it's the truth you might not believe me. That's why I had to rely on such a roundabout method as a chain mail."
After finishing that enigmatic introduction, Nao Hayashi slowly began to speak---
"I used to be a {make-up} artist. I had a contract with an entertainment production company, and my work was going well."
"Among the celebrities I was in charge of, there was a famous singer that everyone knew..."
"I had known her since the time she operated under her real name."
"We became friends while seeing each other every day... She always complimented me on how beautiful my eyes were."
"But, since that day, she's changed..."
"That day was when she appeared on a certain program. It was a ghost special for summer, like the ones that every station does yearly."
"It was a really silly show, going to a forest at night to test your courage, having a ritual to summon spirits in an abandoned building and all that kind of stuff."
"A few days after the show ended... she started to look a little strange."
"Sometimes she muttered words that didn't make sense, and I happened to see her once with a knife in her bag..."
"One day, I saw her wandering out before recording, and I decided to follow her."
"She went to an abandoned building. The same building where the spirit summoning ritual was performed in that special..."
"That's when I saw... a horrifying sight..."
"It wasn't a set for a shoot... It wasn't cheesy like them, it had a gruesome, hair-raising atmosphere about it..."
"There, she was---"
"She... was killing someone..."
"She was completely naked and bathing in their blood, which she carefully and thoroughly rubbed onto her body... She cut open the abdomen of the corpse and buried her face in it..."
"It was like she wasn't herself... Like a {split personality} or something... She was like a completely different person..."
"Her expression... Her insane smile of ecstasy... It's still burned into my eyes even now..."
When Nao Hayashi finished speaking in one breath, she let out a heavy sigh. She grimly held both eyes, as if wanting to erase the images of the past.
It was a magnificent testimony. Mr. Kogure next to me covered his mouth with a handkerchief in a desperate struggle against the backflow of gastric fluid.
I took a deep breath and asked her, "That woman's name is...?"
"...Erisa Hattori. Now Miyuki Kawahara, a nationally popular singer."
"T-that's a lie! Miyuki-chan, a {cold-blooded murderer}...!? That Miyuki-chan, killing people...!?"In contrast to the enraged Mr. Kogure, Nao Hayashi was perfectly calm.
"That's what I told you. You can't believe my story because it's true...""If people could easily believe me, I would have called the police instead of using a chain mail in the first place."
"The reason I went to the trouble of using a chain mail and giving an indirect hint that the culprit's name was "Erisa Hattori" was because of people like him who would suspect me instead."
Her objection is valid. Mr. Kogure knows that too, so now he's frozen in place with his arms crossed muttering "Hmmm".
But can we trust her shocking accusations in their entirety?
Verification: Testimony of Nao Hayashi
Should I believe Nao Hayashi's testimony in its entirety?
>I should try believing it.
>I can't believe it completely.
It fits with the other route, so...
>I should try believing it.
Why should I trust her testimony?
>Because there is no point in lying.
>Because of the seriousness in her eyes.
Well, I guess the most logical one would be the first.
>Because there is no point in lying.
We will need to corroborate her testimony. How can we do that?
>By going to the murder site. (Conclusion)
>Maybe it's a lie after all...
It's time for us to go, and see what will change.
>By going to the murder site.
Guided by Nao Hayashi, we headed to the abandoned building where she witnessed the murder.
When I asked her to lead us to the murder scene, she unexpectedly accepted the request. It seems she expected us to say that.
It's been around 20 minutes since leaving the family restaurant. We have walked a long way.
We've been following Nao Hayashi, who keeps walking without a word. When are we going to arrive at the site?
"It's over there." A dim alleyway was visible ahead of Nao Hayashi's finger."Are you prepared?" We can't go back anymore. I silently nodded.
"I-it's awfully dark in here, isn't it?" Mr. Kogure restlessly wanders about like a small animal.
After hearing Nao Hayashi's testimony, his fear has been spurred on.
"That Detective, is he useful at all?" Nao Hayashi looks at Mr. Kogure with cold eyes."If you don't stand firm, you will fall prey to her as well." I felt a touch of anxiety at the seemingly meaningful smile she showed.
Is this a trap to lure us in---? I don't think it's something like that...
We enter the abandoned building we were after, and climbed its stairs for 78 steps. Led by Nao Hayashi, we arrived at the 4th floor.
Looking around the musty floor, we find no signs of anyone here. It seems that we are alone.
"Come here..." Nao Hayashi started walking to one of the floor's corners.
"Ah, please wait a bit.""This is...!" Mr. Kogure and I raised our voices in astonishment as if we were trying to compare them.
What the hell is this place...?
A mysteriously flickering candle, many instruments of unknown use, ancient documents written with kanji I've never seen before.
The first thing that came to mind was a black magic altar that I saw in a horror movie once.
"It's here. This was the place where she..." As if the nightmare of the past had revived, Nao Hayashi began to press her eyes tightly.
Even so, this extraordinary sight is overwhelming me. It feels detached from reality.
But, among everything, I was fascinated by the gigantic lump of iron that stood out from the scene.
[That's not a lump of iron!]
A gigantic humanoid made of metal with a cold, dark glow. The faint smile on its face combined with the atmosphere of the room added to the eerieness.
It has such a strong presence that it wouldn't be strange to see it displayed in a museum. And, is that faint smell of blood just my imagination?
"Sir, what in the world is this...?" Mr. Kogure timidly touches the giant humanoid.
"Stop!"
Mr. Kogure's hand stops at a shout that seemed more like a shriek.
"Don't touch it! Touching it... is dangerous." "Dangerous? What's the danger?" I inquired into her unarticulate warning.
"That's a torture device called an "iron maiden". There are countless spikes inside, the trapped victims get..."
Stabbed to death...? Rather than calling it a torture device, I feel that it's more accurate to consider it an execution device.
"This hideous torture device also has the effect of collecting the blood of the people trapped within...""Keep a bowl at your feet so you don't spill the blood of the skewered human..."
"Collecting blood? What are they going to do with that?"I wanted to inquire about the reason for her abnormal behavior, so I asked the completely rigid Mr. Kogure with a sidelong glance. [This sentence's weird, but I think it's accurate...]
"From time immemorial, blood has been a mystical symbol of death and rebirth.""While I was studying make-up, I learned that blood contains raw materials for collagen, which maintains skin elasticity and stimulates the metabolism."
"In medieval Europe, it seems that they tortured the poor for their blood and used it in black magic rituals to promote beauty and longevity."
"Of course, they probably didn't know about collagen, but the wonders of life and the warped desire to stay beautiful forever must have made them seek out blood."
"Then, the purpose of these serial killings is..." "Correct, blood. She keeps murdering people in order to maintain her beauty.""And, she must have strong envy towards those who have something more beautiful than her..."
Everyone wants to live long, and women naturally want to be beautiful.
However, to exchange human lives for that... A woman's desires seem to be immeasurable to me, a man.
[There's no dialogue connecting to this unlock, so I'll put the link here: The Virtues of Blood.]
[Immeaditely afterward, footsteps can be heard.]
"S-sir! Someone's coming!"
"Over here! Hurry and hide!"
Alright, I'll stop here. I know I promised a longer post, but because of the same problems that delayed it, I was unable to go much further than this. I sadly didn't use the time I had to translate this as well as I'd like. However, to make up for this second blunder, the next post will be posted a day ahead of the normal schedule. I can't promise much about the length though, so forgive me about that.
So, see you then.
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