Check the 4th and 5th parts if you've forgotten the beginning of this route!
However, let me give a short summary here too. After deciding to meet with the mysterious woman behind the chain mail, we meet up with her in a family restaurant, where she reveals herself to be the very person she accused! Or so it seemed, but as she explained, the killer claimed themselves to be her during their confrontation in a back alley. Now, we reach the moment where we decide to believe or distrust her story. Let's begin.
Miyuki Kawahara's True Intentions
Why did she choose such a roundabout way as chain mail in the first place?
>Because she didn't need to use her name.
>Because it can be sent to an unspecified number of people.
Let's see what's on the other option.
>Because it can be sent to an unspecified number of people.
Is her aim really to stop the culprit?
>That's right.
>It may be something else.
Since we won't believe her, we should choose this one.
>It may be something else.
Different possibilities... Those could be---
>That she never saw anything.
>I don't know...
Well... there's not much confidence here, but at least we have a path to the conclusion we want.
>That she never saw anything.
Then, is her testimony completely false?
>Unfornunately, yes. (Conclusion)
>No, I should rethink this.
There is another way to get here through the very first option, by the way. It's the more logical path too, oops!
>Unfortunately, yes.
Miyuki Kawahara's testimony is a complete lie---
People use lies to often cover up the truth.
But, in this case, she has no reason to hide the truth about the serial killings unless Miyuki Kawahara herself is the culprit.
However, why would the culprit bother to contact us? So why would she lie?
I've heard stories of an illness in which people lie so that they could look greater than they actually are, or to stand out more.
If it's just at the level of bragging, it can be charming, but when it becomes a serious problem, not even the person themselves can recognize what is true or false.
If we assume she is a pathological liar, everything would make sense, wouldn't it?
Although I'm not confident in this idea, I should try to talk to Mr. Kogure about it.
"Mhmm..."
"What do you think, Mr. Kogure?"
I asked Mr. Kogure, who continued to groan with a sour face, for his opinion.
"Well, sir... I can't believe it myself. Miyuki-chan's testimony being a complete lie..."
"And, while that theory explains why she wasn't killed by the murderer, it doesn't explain why she went to the trouble of testifying that the culprit called themselves after her real name."
"And, that frightened look on Miyuki-chan's face... That is undoubtedly true!" Mr. Kogure strongly asserted.
Mr. Kogure's words certainly make sense. Maybe I'm the strange one for suspecting her story to be a lie.
But, I am a detective.
There are times when you must doubt each and every human being for the sake of pursuing the truth...
"This is an ill-fated job, after all..." Without speaking to anyone, I muttered to myself in a self-deprecating manner.
"Excuse me, Detectives." Covering her mouth with a handkerchief, Miyuki Kawahara sat down.
She's still a little pale. Maybe because of that, her impression feels a bit different.
"Is everything alright, Miyuki-chan!?"
"Yeah... Apart from that, I still need to work. I have to get back to the set as soon as possible."
When she said that, she sat up as if to run away.
"Hey...! Wait a minute!" I couldn't help but grab her hand. It was thin and cold.
Since the veracity of Miyuki Kawahara's testimony is still uncertain, we can't just leave her alone.
Besides, if she really did see the killer, her life would likely be in danger.
"You are a witness to a murder case. And, the murderer saw your face. As it is, you are in danger. The police will take you into custody for your protection." I tried to persuade her to stay.
"That's a problem. I have a job to do. I have a lot of fans waiting for me, you know?"
"But, if the killer attacks you and you get injured, you'll have a bigger problem. Your opponent is a horrible serial killer. It might end up being more than just an injury."
"Miyuki-chan! This is for the sake of your fans too! Please listen to us!" Mr. Kogure, on the behalf of her fans, earnestly requests her cooperation too.
"...Alright. I'll ask my manager to adjust my schedule for the future."
"But, I can't do it today. I can't cancel this shooting right now."
"In that case, we'll take you to work. You never know what might happen along the way."
"No, it's fine. My manager is waiting for me right there. The shooting set is just a short drive away, so don't worry."
"But..."
"If I stay with you guys, strange rumors could pop up. That would be a problem. You understand?"
Strange rumors, what kind of rumors... I had the urge to say something in return but decided to hold back.
However, this is a problem. Again, since we have no warrant, I can't do anything forcefully.
What should I do---?
>Follow her, even if forcibly.
>Do as she says here.
Let's take the safe route this time, we might get something from her if we're nice.
>Do as she says here.
It can't be helped. Let's respect her wishes here.
If we force her to do something and she doesn't cooperate, there will be no way to get her trust back.
Not to mention, I don't want to make enemies of Miyuki Kawahara fans all over Japan, including Mr. Kogure.
"Well then, if something strange happens or you feel uneasy, you can call my cell phone."
"Also, never be alone. Always have someone you trust near. Understood?"
I made sure to remember to ask for her phone number.
Of course, this is for my job. I have no ulterior motives.
On the other hand, Mr. Kogure didn't forget to ask her for an autograph and a commemorative photo before parting.
Of course, this wasn't for his job.
[Photo flash]
Then, we saw her off...
The following day---
"---Popular singer Miyuki Kawahara's sudden death shocked not only fans but also many others."
"According to police, Ms. Kawahara's cause of death was a heart attack."
"Last night, during filming for a TV program, the program staff found Ms. Kawahara collapsed in her dressing room."
"Ms. Kawahara was immediately taken to the hospital, but she was dead on arrival."
"There are concerns from many sides that the sudden death of this nationally popular singer may lead to suicides by her passionate fans."
"Ridiculous... Miyuki Kawahara suddenly died? By heart attack? That's... I can't believe it..."I stood there, unable to move at the shocking news that came on as soon as I turned on the TV.
[Crashing sound]
"Sirrr-! Miyuki-chan's...! Miyuki-chan is...! Guhfhfhfhfhfh...!" [Crying maybe?]
Mr. Kogure burst into the room and buried his messy face and runny nose into my chest.
"Sir...! Am I having a nightmare?! To think that Miyuki-chan would end up dying...!" "Yeah... I can't believe it. By a heart attack...""Sure, she said she wasn't feeling well yesterday, but for her to die... No way, could the killer have..."
All sorts of speculation run through my head.
"Sir... the person we met yesterday was definitely Miyuki-chan, right?" "Eh... What do you mean by that?" Mr. Kogure had said something weird out of nowhere.
"...Please look at this." Mr. Kogure held out two pieces of colored paper.
The colored paper on the right is vaguely familiar. This is the autograph Kogure got from Miyuki Kawahara yesterday.
I've never seen the autograph with the heart on the left. Is it also an idol's autograph?
"What's wrong with them...?" "Well sir, as you know, the autograph on the right is the autograph Miyuki-chan gave me yesterday.""And on the left, that's the autograph that I won from a magazine sweepstake."
"Huh, who is it from?" "From Miyuki-chan."My head went blank. "W-what do you mean?" The left and right papers are clearly different, but...
I grabbed them and asked for an explanation.
"That means that the autograph I got from Miyuki-chan yesterday wasn't Miyuki-chan's autograph!" "No way...! I mean, she drew that autograph right in front of us!" "That's right, sir... That's why I asked if we could be certain if she really was Miyuki-chan...""I was so excited at the time I didn't even notice that the autograph was fake."
"However, when I compared them this morning..." So this isn't Miyuki Kawahara's signature?
"I thought I was mistaken, so I looked up her signature on the Net, but..."
"...As expected, yesterday's autograph is a fake."
Good lord. What the hell is going on?
The woman we met yesterday... She must have been, without a doubt, Miyuki Kawahara. But then, why---?
[Inference Logic time!]
Okay, I've decided to skip the answering process because it's the same as in the other ending for this route, only with fewer keywords. However, the dialogue after it may be different, so I'll translate those, but first...
Anyway, see you next time!
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