Sayoko's Caravan Episode

First half

Producer

(Sayoko, Julia and Karen had passed an audition for a mysterious drama, so we came to the middle of the mountains in Okayama prefecture for the shoot.)

Producer

(It's a dramatization of a famous mysterious novel, 「The Case of Momotarou Series Killer」　and if it gets a good rating there might be a sequel...  Everyone is really psyched up.

should that instead be "serial killer"?

Producer

...Sayoko, how are you doing?   The role of the main detective...  it might be quite the hard role, but just do your best!

Sayoko

Roger!  I'll give it my all.

Producer

That's good, keep it up!

Sayoko

...But, the mastermind behind this case sure is a clever villain.

Sayoko

So, Inspector, we can be sure that he is spying on us from the shadows, even at this very moment.

Sayoko

...With his eyes, as cruel as an oni...!

Producer

...Sayoko, I'm not an inspector, though?

Sayoko

...Eh?  Ah...P...Producer, I'm sorry!  I'm getting too into my role!

Producer

It's fine, it's actually better that way...but we're on break right now so you better take a break when you still can...

???

(Screaming) !!!

Producer

W...what happened!?  A scream!?...  Is that...Karen's voice...?

Sayoko

Inspector, this way!  Hurry!!

Producer

Y...yes!...  Wait, I'm not an inspector....  Oh well, whatever!

Producer

(When we get into a room of a abandoned hotel that we use as a location for the shooting.  What we see is...)

(When we got into the room of an abandoned hotel that we're using as a set location, what we saw was...)

Karen

Ah...  Producer-san...!

Karen

Julia-san is...collapsed over there, bleeding...!!

Producer

(When I follow Karen's fingers, I saw familiar red hairs....  It really is Julia!?)

Producer

Call the ambulance!  Hurry!

Staff

Y...yes!

Producer

Ju...Julia!  Are you alright!?

Sayoko

Don't touch her!  You might destroy evidence that could lead us to the murderer!

Producer

Eh?  Ah...I..I see!

Producer

(Sayoko's really getting into her role...  I see, so this is just acting!)

Producer

(So these three are just using their break for rehearsal...  They're really serious about their work!  Alright, I'll help them too...!)

Sayoko

We can't let the messages that Julia used her last moments to leave it for us go in vain.

Sayoko

Please take a look at Julia's finger tip...  There's a dying message she wrote with her own blood.  It's distorted quite a bit, but it reads [PS]...

Sayoko

What's more...  Julia's guitar is lying on top of her body.  Isn't it a bit unnatural if she just tipped over...?

Producer

That's true...!  Sayoko...I mean, Ms. Detective, what's that mean...?

Sayoko

...Two of the guitar strings are snapped.  So that would mean...  I see...!

Karen

P...Producer-san, Sayoko-san...!  I...is Julia-san really dead...?

Producer

Karen, calm down...just calm down.  I'm sure Ms. Detective will solve this case for us...!

Sayoko

...Rest assured.  I'll bring justice for Julia.

Sayoko

I've already solved it....  Everyone, please gather at the hall...!

Producer

(By the detective's...by Sayoko's order, all of the actors and staff are gathered at the hall.)

Prducer

(After we investigated everyone, we found out that the only people with an alibi were Sayoko and I.)

Producer

(So this would mean that, for this little play, excluding us, everyone is a suspect...)

Sayoko

Everyone, thank you for gathering here.  I'm already get a picture of this case...

is this present tense "I'm already getting," or past tense "I've already got"

Sayoko

...About Julia's murderer...  The murderer is among us!

Producer

W...what...!?

Later half

Producer

The murderer is among us...?

Karen

...A...cruel person like that is among us...!?

Producer

I's alright, Karen! I'll protect you no matter what happens!

Karen

P...Producer...Uuuu...

Producer

Tell us, Sayoko!  Who is the murderer...!?

Sayoko

The murderer is....  None other than you, Karen!

Karen

...Ehh!?  I couldn't possibly do something like that...!

Producer

T...that's right!  There's no way Karen could've done it!  Sayoko...  Ms. Detective, please explain!

Sayoko

Very well...  First, let me explain how the murderer is a killer with a theme in their mind...

Sayoko

Julia is fell on the floor with a guitar with two strings broken on top of her.

Sayoko

Take two strings from 「ぎ」(Gi)...or, in other words, take the dakuten out*

*Dakuten (゛) is use for indicate a change in sound in Japanese language, in this case, from ぎ(Gi) (from guitar (ギター/ぎたー）to き（ki)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakuten

Sayoko

And what if we combine that with the ジ(ji), which is the first letter of Julia(ジュリア)?

Producer

..We'll have 「キジ」 (kiji/ A pheasant)!...  Does that mean!?

Sayoko

In [The Case of Momotarou Series Killer], the drama we're filming right now, there are victims that got killed in a way that resemble a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant.*

*Those three animals are an important characters in the tale of Momotarou.

Sayoko

That mean this case takes an inspiration from this drama!  ...And...

Sayoko

I'm sure our cleaver Producer already figured it out.  That's right, Julia's role is the pheasant...

Producer

I see...

Sayoko

Though we still haven't discovered them, I'm afraid that the [dog] and the [monkey] already dead too.

Sayoko

And this mean we can be sure that the murderer is among those who work on this drama.

Sayoko

And the most important clue is...the message that Julia left on the floor.

Karen

B...but, That [PS]...!  It doesn't have anything to do with me...!

Sayoko

...Karen.  How can you be sure that it has nothing to do with you, even though we don't know what it mean...?

Karen

Eh!?  I...I...., it really has nothing to do with me!

Producer

(Sayoko....No, Ms. Detective sure is really clever.  And these two really get into their roles..!)

Sayoko

...What's more, this message is really standing out.  There's no way the murderer could miss it.

Sayoko

That would mean, [PS] was written by the murderer...  I'm sure a scientific investigation could prove that...

Karen

Uhh...

Producer

Um...

Sayoko

...But there's no need for that, for I've already found the killer!

Sayoko

The one who knows that the message has nothing to do with them even before we could decipher it...in other words, the murderer wrote it themselves...

Sayoko

It's you, Karen!

Producer

I can't believe it that the killer is Karen....  Karen, if you have proof that you're not the killer, please show it to us right now!

Karen

...I...I didn't intend to do it...

Producer

Eh?...  So you really did it, Karen...?

Julia

...Hey, what's everyone doing here?...  Did Karen do something wrong?

Prroducer

That's right...  I still can't believe it...  But Karen murdered Julia...

Julia

What!?...  Wait, I was murdered!?

Producer

...Whoa, Julia!?  Did you return to life!?

Sayoko

Don't tell me this is the curse of the oni like in the legend...!  Julia is becoming an oni and came back to take revenge on her murderer...!

Karen

Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!  I...I'm sorry!  Please don't come near me~~~!

Producer

E..everyone, please calm down!...  What the meaning of this?  Isn't this just an act...?

.....

Producer

...So....  Julia was practicing guitar there.

Julia

That's right, it's the bathroom, right?  I found that sound really echoes in there.  So I thought I'd arrange my song there♪

Julia

But, we have a lot of shooting in the morning lately, right?  So I started to feel sleepy...

Producer

And you placed the guitar on top of you, so that it won't get wet, and write the idea for the song on the floor, so that you don't forget it...

Karen

...B...but what about the blood?  There was blood on the floor, right?...Uuu...

Julia

That's tomato juice, not blood.  I spilled it when I was laying down.

Producer

(That [PS] is the abbreviation of [Pick Scratch], a guitar technique...)

Producer

(In short, Sayoko and Karen are not acting at all...and the detective's reasoning is completely wrong...)

Producer

...But why did you admit your guilt then, Karen?

Karen

Well...  Sayoko-san looked really confident in her theory, so I felt like that she might be right...

Sayoko

I'm sorry...  My theory, it's completely wrong...  I couldn't call myself an ace detective now...

Producer

Well, I guess that's the case.  But that really was great acting you did!

Sayoko

Acting...?..  Ahh!!

Producer

Hahaha...!  So you remember now!

Sayoko

I...I'm...completely into the detective role...!

Sayoko

If that was really a murder case, I shouldn't act like a detective and just call the police!

Sayoko

And I did say some mean things to Karen...  I have to apologize!

Karen

Y..you don't have to worriy about me...Sayoko-san...

Sayoko

I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, Karen!  To suspect my friend, I'm really the worst...!  (Sobbing)

Julia

Whoa!?  You don't have to cry, Sayo!

Julia

Both I and Karen don't hold it against you.  Sayo just wanted to solve the case, right?

Sayoko

...(sobbing)...Julia......

Karen

And it turned out nothing really happened after all...

Julia

Well, all is alright after all♪

Producer

Julia is right!  So, Sayoko, you don't have to worry about it anymore.  You did try your best after all!

Sayoko

Producer....  Thank you very much!

Sayoko

..but, I'm glad that Julia is safe...and no murder really happened!

Producer

(After that, everyone laughed and forgave us for all the trouble we caused.  Look like it affected the drama in a good way.)

Producer

(We could say that Sayoko really showed her talent there,  I'm sure it will prove useful to our work...!)

You have a tendency to write "calm," as "clam."