Mystery TRPG: The Steam Shrouded Murder Case

https://youtu.be/MV1WLV8-IJo
[Another mystery event, there was a contest to guess the killer before the final chapter unlocked.]

1: Do You Want to Play a Mystery TRPG?

Maki: With all the help everyone gave, we were able to suppress the aradama on schedule. Thanks again.
Ellen: Makimaki, you don't have to be so serious-. We were just doing what we had to do.
Yui: That's right; no need to thank us. Rewarding us by letting us all spend the night together has already got me feeling the joy of life!
Hiyori: ...I don't really think that's a reward.
Ellen: Still, Hiyoyon. We're all staying overnight at a ryokan! Doesn't that get you kinda excited~?
Kiyoka: It's not often we get to go on missions overnight with this many people.
Kanami: The food we got for dinner too... It was really good, wasn't it-?
Suzuka: Yes, the flavor was exquisite.
Kanami: Maybe it's because of that I ate so much, but I'm feeling so tired now...
Suzuka: It's a little early to be going to bed, but there's no need to keep yourself up either. Why not tuck in for the night?
Kanami: I guess I will...
Kanami: Yawwwn... Anyway, goodnight, everybody-...
Maki: Feel free to spend your time however you want. Though, since Etou is going to bed, please try to keep it down.
Ellen: We hardly get chances like this, so I want to play something together with everyone. It'd sort of feel like a waste if we didn't.
Yui: The normal thing to do would be to play cards, right? Did anybody bring some?
Hiyori: It's not the kind of thing you'd bring along on a mission.
Kiyoka: Um, then, how about we play a kind of "deduction game"?
Hiyori: ...Deduction game?
Kiyoka: It's a mystery game where you play as characters who came across a murder case, and we try finding the truth of what happened and who did it.
Ellen: Wow! That does sound like fun. Nice idea, Kiyoka!
Kiyoka: Since there's a fixed number of players, if Shidou-san and Konohana-san would join us too... I'd be glad!
Suzuka: That's fine. We had no plans after this, so we wouldn't mind joining you. Would we, Maki-san?
Maki: Alright. It sounds a little tough, but fun too.
Kiyoka: I'll start with a quick introduction. The game we're playing today is "A Murder Case in a Certain Ryokan".
Kiyoka: Including the victim and the detective/GM character who steers the plot, there are 7 characters in all.
Kiyoka: The hostess victim, "Nekoma Tamaki". Nekoma's kouhai, "Toritani Hina". The new hostess who has only been there for a few months, "Tatsunami Mizuki".
Kiyoka: The chef who's close friends with Nekoma, "Torai Rena". The magazine writer who came looking for material, "Inokawa Susumu". The guest staying the night, "Chidori Takumi".
Kiyoka: And lastly, the detective who is currently working part-time at the ryokan after their partner pointed out their etiquette is lacking, "Inui Kaguya".
Kiyoka: The last role, the detective, is also played by the GM, so, since I've already played this before, I'll do that one.
Kiyoka: We can now decide on who's playing who, and I'll give you these handouts on each one.
Kiyoka: The handouts describe what type of character they are, what they were doing the day of the incident, and what your mission is. You can use them as reference while you're playing the character.
Kiyoka: So then, about the characters, what do you think? Is there any of them any of you want to play?
Ellen: Let's see... We don't know any of the roles or characters all that well, so one idea is to give them out at random.
Hiyori: Sounds good. Why don't we go with Ellen's suggestion?
Kiyoka: Then, it doesn't sound like anyone is against the idea, so I'll pass around the handouts.

Hiyori: (Torai Rena... So I'm a friend of the murder victim, Nekoma.)
Hiyori: (My mission is to hunt down the truth behind Nekoma's death. The game's about searching for the culprit, so that sounds about right.)
Kiyoka: I'll give you time to read through the handouts later, so next I'll be explaining how the game progresses.
Kiyoka: For deduction... You'll get 40 minutes in total to discuss who you think is the culprit. After 40 minutes have passed, you'll vote on who you think it is, and the one with the most votes is put under arrest.
Suzuka: Am I correct in assuming these handouts you've given us are enough for us to exchange information and identify the culprit?
Kiyoka: That's basically right. Though, after every 10 minutes of discussion, as the detective, I'll give everyone "the brilliant detective's opinion".
Kiyoka: It's okay to think of "the brilliant detective's opinion" as an absolute truth. Please treat it like a hint.
Suzuka: I see, so rather than all of us only exchanging information, you'll be speeding up the discussion like that as well.
Kiyoka: That's right. After 30 minutes have passed, following the final "brilliant detective's opinion", it's okay to try persuading people to agree with your own personal opinion. Does anyone have any questions?
Maki: The mission we get in the handouts is something we have to accomplish besides finding who the murderer is... Am I supposed to think of it like that?
Kiyoka: If you try to accomplish it as best you can, I think it'll make things more fun!
Ellen: Is it possible someone could tell lies when we're having the discussion?
Kiyoka: Yes. The culprit can lie of course, but it's okay for others to lie too to accomplish their missions.
Kiyoka: Though, if you tell too many lies, it'll be hard to identify the culprit, so if you could keep that in mind while playing it would help me as the GM.
Yui: I have a questiooon~. About getting into our roles, if I'm playing a guy, should I act like that?
Kiyoka: You can choose how much you want to get into your roleplaying. You can get deep into the character, or you can act like normal while you work on your missions and search for the culprit. Both work just fine.
Hiyori: Just getting into character alone seems like a lot of work.
Kiyoka: Also, one last thing to be careful of. You're not allowed to let other people see your handout, or tell them exactly what your mission is.
Kiyoka: Now then, please read them over for the next 15 minutes.

Kiyoka: It's been 15 minutes, so I was thinking of starting now, but, is everyone ready?
Suzuka: There shouldn't be any problem with that.
Kiyoka: In that case, let's read through the prologue...

Kiyoka: On a small isolated island, this hot springs ryokan stands-- Many visitors come, looking to be healed in the hot springs. However, as it's outside of the tourist season, there are few people here now.

Kanami (Nekoma Tamaki): Come on in. Thanks for stopping by. I'm Nekoma, and I'll be in charge of the room you'll be staying in.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): I'm in your care again, Tamaki-chan! The food here's so good, so I'm looking forward to dinnertime.
Kanami (Nekoma Tamaki): Inokawa-san. Are you here looking for material on a hot springs article this time?
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): An article between that and the gourmet food here, something like that-? I got permission to cover it, so I'm counting on your help-!

Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): In this awful weather, I'm glad to see at least a few guests arriving.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): That's for sure. Though, all I can do is show off my skills as a cook.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): By the way, if you keep idling around out here, Tatsunami-san, won't Tamaki give you a scolding?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): She would. I'll go and help out Nekoma-senpai. You do your best at cooking too, Rena-san-!

Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Phew... I'm not cut out for physical labor after all... Your luggage... Can I leave it there?
Maki (Chidori Takumi): ...Sure. That's fine. Will you be the one in charge of my room?
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Not feeling happy about that? Though, you're right on the mark. I'm only a part-time hostess here, so I've still got a ways to go.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): ......
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Oh, Toritani-san? You're looking a little out of breath, aren't you?
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): I'm very sorry I was late to welcome you in. My name is Toritani, and I will be in charge of your room here, along with Inui.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): I will do all I can to provide you with a healing experience. If I am insufficient in any way, I would appreciate if you let me know.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): How polite of you. I'll be in your care during my stay.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): By the way, the part-timer girl... Her face is looking awfully pale; is she alright?
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): ...Yeah. Don't pay me any mind. I'm always looking like this.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Inui-san... Watch how you speak to the guests! (whispered)

Kiyoka: --The staff of the ryokan perform each of their duties, and the guests enjoy this time spent away from their daily lives.
Kiyoka: --However, the next day. The open air hot springs, what should be the centerpiece of the ryokan, had been transformed into the scene of a tragedy.

Kanami (Nekoma Tamaki): ......
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): KYAAAA-----!! ...S-Somebody, please come quick! Nekoma-senpai... she's--!

Kiyoka: The hostess, Nekoma Tamaki, was found dead.

Hiyori (Torai Rena): Tamaki...!
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Whoa there, Torai-san. You can't go any closer. She's already passed on.
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): And this is a case. Which means preserving the crime scene takes top priority. Get ahold of the panic in your heart, and trust my word... The word of the brilliant detective, Inui Kaguya.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): I thought you just had the same name, but you were the real detective after all. But, more importantly-- Call the police!


Kiyoka: --But, because of the heavy rain, it was possible it could be days before the police could reach the remote island. Out of fear for themselves, the staff and guests came to the conclusion that they should find the suspect and restrain them.

Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Sigh... If that's how you all feel, I won't stop you. Just, don't forget you could pin the crime on the wrong person.
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): I'll give my support, but I hope you can find the suspect yourselves. Now, it's time for deduction.

Kiyoka: --"A Murder Case in a Certain Ryokan" begins.

Yui (Inokawa Susumu): For times like these, you should start by asking with the person who first found it, right? Mizuki-san, how'd it look to you?
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): Ah! And I'm a writer who works on magazine articles and stuff. Hope we can get along~.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): When I came to the bathhouse for morning cleaning duty, like I'm in charge of every day, I found Nekoma-san.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): ...I thought it was strange then that the entrance to the bathhouse wasn't locked.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): So that means the entrance is normally locked?
Hiyori (Torai Rena): But wait, can't you go into the baths at night?
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Under ordinary circumstances, that's correct.　But, last night, since the forecast said a typhoon was coming close bringing heavy rain, the open air bath should have been locked.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Then, when was it locked up last night?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Nekoma-senpai said she would lock it, so I don't know the exact time either...
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): I saw Tamaki-chan in the hallway last night after 9 o'clock, so it had to be after that at least?
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (Last night... after 9pm? That would be around when Rena was unable to go home due to the heavy rain, and decided to stay at the ryokan.)
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Did anyone see Nekoma-senpai after that?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): ...I guess not. I was working the early shift this morning, so I came in early and was relaxing in my room. I don't think I was asleep yet then.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): I couldn't go home because of the rain last night, so I ended up staying here suddenly. I have to restock ingredients and prepare meals early, so I should have already been lying in my futon.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): If only we could estimate her time of death, we could come closer to identifying the culprit... But that seems slightly difficult with the current state of things.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Changing our perspective, why don't we think about things from the angle of why Nekoma-san was killed?
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): I don't see why not? Though, do you have any idea of why anybody would want to kill her?
Maki (Chidori Takumi): Are we including that as part of it? I've never even met her before, so I wouldn't know where to start.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): She was a fun and sociable senpai. She'd make sure I knew everything I needed to know for work too.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Though... She could get a bit on your nerves sometimes.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): That's true. She was a reliable worker, so I can't imagine she wouldn't have locked up...
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): And it was easy to ask her for even the littlest things, since she was so friendly and approachable-.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): You were close with Tamaki-chan, weren't you, Rena-san?
Hiyori (Torai Rena): How'd you know that?
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): I've made use of this ryokan plenty of times. I'd hear it from Tamaki-chan herself every now and then. How she's real close friends with Rena, the girl cooking the food here.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Oh...
Hiyori (Torai Rena): The people from the ryokan know already, but I was close with Tamaki. She was my dear friend. That's why I want to find whoever did it, no matter what...
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): She had good friends, and she made sure to do her job. Listening to people's comments on her, it doesn't seem like there'd be any reason for someone to murder her.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): This is where I'd want to determine an "estimated time of death", like you see in dramas and in novels.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): So we're back to that, huh... Hmm.
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Alright, it's been 10 minutes. Here's where I'll offer one of my opinions. It's got to do with the estimated time of death.
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): "The brilliant detective's 1st opinion": All I'll say is, somebody here's capable of figuring out the time of death.



2: The Estimated Time of Death Is?

Yui (Inokawa Susumu): What do you mean, somebody here can figure out the time of death?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): She must mean practically speaking. So then, someone here must be a doctor.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Unless the magazine writer is actually a secret doctor, there's only one person it could be.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): That's right... I'm a doctor. I might not be able to give a precise autopsy, but I'll take a look at her.

Maki (Chidori Takumi): Judging by the state of rigor mortis, it was likely a murder... The cause of death was excessive blood loss due to blunt trauma to the head.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): It would have been about 7 to 8 hours ago from now.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): It's 7 in the morning now, so the estimated time of death would be roughly "between 11pm and midnight" then.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): Yeah. If the police do an examination later on, it shouldn't be too far off from correct.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): Though, I'm not sure what to make of you suddenly revealing somebody's occupation, miss detective. Seems like your partner was right about you.
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Just something that was necessary in shedding light on the truth.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): I have my own circumstances to deal with though...
Hiyori (Torai Rena): I understand you have your reasons, but I still want you to explain why you didn't tell us you were a doctor. Estimating the time of death is important enough to warrant it.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): ...I might be a doctor, but I didn't think I would be able to offer anything besides a guess from the stiffness of the body. It wouldn't be accurate enough.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): That's the kind of thing that would benefit the killer though.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Now now. Regardless, now that we know when the crime was committed, can we proceed with our discussion? We have little time to spare on this.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Well, you could always prove the doctor's innocence by showing they had some kind of alibi at the time.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): Thanks for that, Hina... san.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): No, I only said what was on my mind. I was resting in my own room during that time period.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): Just to confirm something, you hostesses live and work here, right? Do you share rooms too?
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): All the hostesses here now live here as well. That includes the late Nekoma-san.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): They aren't very spacious, but we do have our own private rooms. Though we shared rooms in the past.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): It's important to have privacy, after all. I lucked out that they did the renovations shortly before I started working here.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Though, the trouble with it is the sound of doors opening and closing is a little too loud...
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Yes... You can tell exactly when people in the nearby rooms are coming or going.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): I was resting in my private room at the time. I hadn't gone to sleep yet.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Maybe it was the pillow's fault, but I couldn't get to sleep even though I was lying in bed at the time.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): I think I was also in my room around 11pm, getting ready for bed.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): ...I do remember hearing the sound of a door around that time.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): I was taking a stroll around the ryokan at the time. Taking a few pictures while I was at it.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): Going around taking pictures that late?
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): I was making notes for writing my article, but I wanted something to distract me. And if was going to publish any photos I took, I'd get permission first, of course!
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Since it was so late in the day, it's going to be hard proving everybody's alibis.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (Though the killer might be lying about theirs...)
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): I'd like to get more information for now, so if anybody has anything they noticed, would you mind sharing it?
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (Should I reveal some of the information on Torai Rena's handout?)
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (Unable to sleep, she left her room past 10:40pm to buy something to drink, and saw Mizuki talking to Inokawa...)
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): In that case, there's something I'd like to ask you, Mizuki-san. This isn't restricted to last night, but you and Nekoma-san would sometimes get into fights, wouldn't you?
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): That reminds me, I saw the two of you talking about something at noon yesterday-.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): You looked like you were kind of worried about who could be listening; what was that about?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): I was only asking Nekoma-senpai something about work, you know?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): It would be a little embarassing if a guest overheard me...
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): And anyway, Hinahina, what about you? Didn't you get into the hot springs yesterday?
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): As the typhoon was approaching, I did not.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): But you love hot springs so much that it's the reason you started working here. You didn't at least enter the bathhouse to try taking a dip?
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): No. If I had gone, I would have told you all. Even if I may love hot springs, there are times I don't go in them.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Come to think of it, I heard from Tamaki before about how you love hot springs.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): If you work at a ryokan you'd know all about it, wouldn't you-.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): Or actually, if you love hot springs that much, we should all go in together next time! Or we could get in with just the two of us!
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): I don't think now is the time to be saying that...
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): It's been 20 minutes.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (20 minutes already... It's pretty tough finding a time to bring up information.)
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Now then, I'll give out a new deduction from my own findings.
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): "The brilliant detective's 2nd opinion": The tragedy that happened here might have a lot to do with the bad rumor this ryokan's wrapped up in.



3: What is the Ryokan's Rumor?

Hiyori (Torai Rena): ...The bad rumor this ryokan's wrapped up in?
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Was there something like that?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): About that... I've heard a little about it myself.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Could it have something to do with... the furnishings and guest's belongings going missing from the rooms?
Maki (Chidori Takumi): Does it happen that often?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Unfortunately, it's bad enough for it to be mentioned on review sites...
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Though no one has lost any money or valuables yet, so it doesn't seem like anyone has taken legal action.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Losing furnishings is one thing, but the manager has said they'll take strict measures if guests are losing their belongings.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): So then, this hasn't just happened once or twice... Bad publicity like this could cause a lot of damage to the ryokan's reputation.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): So that means, the ryokan is suspecting there's a thief?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): There's probably people thinking that's the case.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): I had no idea...
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): You aren't a hostess after all, Torai-san. Since it isn't directly related to your work, you wouldn't have been informed of it.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Still, how do the cases of missing items connect to Nekoma's murder?
Hiyori (Torai Rena): From what you've said, the thief didn't steal money or valuables. I can't imagine a person like that would kill someone.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): ...That's true. Were they only stealing things it'd be hard to get punished for taking?
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): The brilliant detective Kiyoka-chan said the stealing is linked to the murder, so either Nekoma Tamaki was the thief, or she found the thief out.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): It's got to be one of those two, right-? Though, drawing conclusions from outside the game like that might be a little unfair.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): Another possibility is that Tamaki-chan was writing complaints on those review sites, though knowing her personality it seems sort of out of character.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Nekoma-san was a bright and friendly girl, so if she was going to make complaints, I'd think she'd name the culprit herself.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Agreed. She also helped manage the hostesses, so if she'd known who the thief was and reported it to our boss, it's highly likely the problem would have been solved there...
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Which means I think it's one of the earlier two.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): A thief and a murderer... If that's the case, it sounds like you'll have a hard time getting guests to stay here in the future.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): ......
Maki (Chidori Takumi): If Nekoma was the thief and the victim of this case, then their connection to the killer...
Maki (Chidori Takumi): No, I guess we don't have enough evidence to decide that for sure.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (It seems like everybody who worked at the Ryokan besides my character, Torai Rena, knew about the missing items or thefts to some degree...)
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (Since Yui's character, Inokawa, is a writer for magazines, she'd want to find material that looks like it could be trouble.)
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (She's acting like this is the first she's heard of it, but it wouldn't be strange if she already knew. Just to be sure, I'll check something...)
Hiyori (Torai Rena): This is changing the subject a little, but there's something I want to ask you, Inokawa.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): At 10:40 last night, I couldn't sleep, so I went to buy something to drink. Then I saw you talking with Mizuki... What were you two talking about that late?
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): I was just asking Mizuki-chan a little question-. I wanted to know why she became a hostess here.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): It's a bit of a private question, so I declined to answer.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Is there something special about you being a hostess here?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Mmm, I guess I don't have a choice...
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): I wanted to keep this a secret, but that might just make me seem strangely suspicious, so I'll tell you all.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): My true name is Tatsuno Mizuki. I'm the granddaughter of the manager here. I was searching from the inside-- to see if the thief was an employee.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): The more I investigated, the more circumstances seemed to point at it being an inside job.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): ...That is unfortunate.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): Then, in that case... Do you have any leads on who the culprit was?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): I found out--
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Look at that, it's been 30 minutes. Time to give my final opinion, looks like. Then, let's walk on back to something important.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (Grh... That's bad timing. Though, Kiyoka... She really seems to be having fun with this.)
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): "The brilliant detective's 3rd opinion": Was the bathhouse really left open last night? Or... Did Nekoma lock it at one point?



4: Only 10 Minutes Before We Vote on the Culprit


Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Let's walk on back to something important. Was the bathhouse really left open last night? Or... Did Nekoma lock it at one point?
Maki (Chidori Takumi): Is it that important? Though, I get that it's useful information.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Let's think a little on whether or not Nekoma-senpai locked the bathhouse.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Going off the current circumstances, she went to lock the door, but was killed before she could do it.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): The alternative is, she did lock the door at one point, but someone came in after and unlocked it again.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): I see! But, isn't that something we have no way to make sure of?
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): That's not true... Due to the heavy rains, Nekoma-san went to lock the doors last night, but it's ordinarily left open. But then, there would have been one last quick patrol at 10pm.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): The one on patrol duty last night was Inui-san. Since it was her, she must know whether it was locked or not then?
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): That's right. I did the patrol. At that time, at the bathhouse... The door to the baths was locked.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): Hmm... So if the door was locked at 10pm, that means someone would have had to unlock it after that to get in, right?
Yui: Actually, Kiyoka-chan, you've gotta tell us something that important sooner-.
Kiyoka: I-If nobody was going to confirm that, I had to keep that information to myself...
Kiyoka: There's someone with enough information to verify that on their own. Whatever moves I make are up to them.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Though, nobody besides the employees here would take the keys out. Which narrows down the suspects some.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): I wondered a little myself if the cause of death was an accident, but it's looking like that's not the case.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): That's right. Who was it you thought was most likely to be the thief, in the end?
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Nekoma Tamaki-san. She's the one I suspected of doing it.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): I see... I'm sure she wasn't doing that from the moment she started working here, but... That's a real shame.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (My mission is to get to the bottom of my friend's death, but she turned out to be a thief...)
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): The person who killed Tamaki-chan, after she was suspected of stealing things...
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): "I just can't forgive you, Tamaki-chan, for ruining the ryokan's reputation with your stealing...!?"
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): Somebody could have felt something like that, right? Say, the manager's daughter, Mizuki-chan.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): If I were the one who committed the murder, I'd have really mixed my priorities up. That would end up being even more scandalous.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): And it doesn't look like we have time to look into every one of the victim's personal relationships for clues.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Which means, we're proving our alibis based on the estimated time of death?
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Though, we couldn't prove everyone's when we checked earlier.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): And to start with, I think it'd be difficult for anyone who's not a member of the staff to unlock the door and commit the crime.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): That puts me in trouble. I can't prove my alibi, and it's possible I took the key to the bathhouse.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): The same goes... for me.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Though, Torai-san is a chef of this ryokan as well. It's not as if she couldn't have taken the key, is it?
Hiyori (Torai Rena): It's a little more plausible than one of the guests doing it. Though, I don't have any reason to have killed her.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): What if it's all the more reason because you two were close that you couldn't forgive her? Well, there's plenty of reasons we could come up with.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): About the alibis... Last night, "from 11pm to midnight", I was in my room. And Toritani Hina-san was with me.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): Because, she's... my lover.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): ......
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): You didn't need to tell them that here...
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): Ehh-!?
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): Then, why didn't you say something before? You could've proved your alibis right away.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): Not doing that feels suspicious.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): That's because...
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): I'll explain to them why.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): If you all had known my lover was visiting, I assumed you would poke fun at us, so I simply wanted to leave it unsaid.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): And... Nekoma-san did love to gossip, didn't she? I thought she would pry too much into it...
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): ...It feels like it could be annoying to deal with.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): I only didn't say something before because Hina stopped me before I came to visit.
Maki (Chidori Takumi): Still, now that things have come to this, I don't think it should matter more than proving our innocence.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): I'm sorry. After what happened here, I... I found it too hard to say to say I had slipped out in the night to meet with my lover.
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): It's right about... time to make a decision. Was there anybody you found suspicious?
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): There's not much time left. If anybody wants to offer up their opinion, you'd better do it now.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): I think Mizuki-san's still a little suspicious after all.
Yui (Inokawa Susumu): She could have revealed herself as the manager's granddaughter to the victim, and blamed them for the stealing.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): Oh... I didn't think, by trying so hard to find the culprit, I'd end up being suspected instead.
Ellen (Tatsunami Mizuki): I'm not sure about the culprit's motives, but I still think there's someone more suspicious than me here.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): If it was someone on close terms with the vicim, they could have called her out alone and taken her by surprise when they killed her.
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (Should I say something too...? No, I should be using this time to think carefully over everything.)
Hiyori (Torai Rena): (I'll put everything we've learned together and fill in the name of the suspect.)
Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): Write down the name of who you think did it on the paper. Then we can check over them later.



5: The One Who Committed this Crime is...!

Kiyoka (Inui Kaguya): It looks like everyone's votes match up with my deduction.
Kiyoka: --As a result of the voting, Toritani Hina will be restrained and put under arrest.
Kiyoka: From here, I'll narrate to you the ending. Please bear with me for just a little longer.
Kiyoka: It would help me too if you'd say a few things about why you did it too, Konohana-san.
Suzuka: Yes, I understand.

Kiyoka: Not long after Toritani Hina was taken into custody, the sky became so clear you wouldn't imagine a typhoon had just come through. While waiting for the police to arrive, Toritani Hina began to speak about why she did it.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): As you're all already aware, Nekoma-san had a habit of stealing. It wasn't that she wanted money, she simply enjoyed the act of stealing itself.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): I had unknowingly cooperated with her previously, in the form of keeping watch for her. Afterwards, Nekoma-san and I had a complicated relationship, though I wouldn't say it was antagonistic.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Last night, at around 11pm, since it seemed we had entered the eye of the storm and it wasn't raining, I did indeed go into the hot springs.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Nekoma-san still had the key, so when I told her I would come get it, she replied that she would meet me there.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): I was going to do some cleaning of the rain battered open air bath, when she told me this. She was going to have some fun in the room of the guest who had arrived today-- steal from them, and she wanted my help.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Of course I refused, and told her that it would be better if she admitted to what she had been doing all this time. Then she grabbed me in anger, calling me "her accomplice."
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): There was a struggle, and I threw her away from me. I had no desire to help such a self-centered girl.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): Halfway through, the rain had once again come pouring down, and I was unable to find the key to the door to the springs.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): The last thing I remember thinking was that I wasn't able to enter the bath.
Kiyoka: The sound of a car approaches. Several police officers arrive.
Suzuka (Toritani Hina): I wish that, just one more time... I could have enjoyed the famous hot springs here.
Kiyoka: That concludes "A Murder Case in a Certain Ryokan". Good work, everyone-!

Yui: That was a ton of fun-! Though, I was half counting on luck for my vote.
Kiyoka: I had trouble figuring it out too, the time that I played.
Ellen: I wanted to do things a little better, but it sure was hard finding timing to put out the info I had-.
Ellen: Makimaki's confession at the end that "they were lovers" is what made my mind up.
Maki: I wasn't sure about doing that either. My mission was to "not allow your lover, Hina, to be arrested".
Maki: Since Suzuka, who was playing my lover, was starting to look suspicious, I thought I'd better give her an alibi, but I guess it backfired.
Suzuka: It was certainly a bit sudden. If you had told that lie when we had first given out alibis, it might have been effective.
Hiyori: There was a lot of info leaning that way, like how Toritani Hina loved hot springs, so it seemed like it'd be easy for her to get votes.
Suzuka: I had a very hard time finding someone else to pin the blame on... Those brilliant detective's opinions giving away the truth made it troublesome.
Kiyoka: I know. It's hard playing the role of the culprit.
Yui: Hey hey, Kiyoka-chan! I want to ask something! My mission was to "find out why Mizuki was hiding her identity without revealing it," but, did I do that?
Kiyoka: Inokawa Susumu already knew about Mizuki's true identity from the start, and since you learned what her goal was without bringing it up yourself, you cleared your mission, Yui-chan.
Ellen: My mission was to "eliminate the cause of the ryokan's bad reputation (by having the death treated as an accident)", but... Isn't that impossible to do? This ryokan has criminals all over.
Kiyoka: Apparently if everyone only has one vote, it's treated as an accidental death and the mission is cleared.
Kiyoka: If that happens, the detective also sort of stops pursuing the truth. It kind of feels more like a game that way.
Ellen: I have a hard time accepting that, but... It was fun, so that's OK!
Hiyori: Looking back, Nekoma was such an awful person that, even though I cleared my mission to "get to the bottom of my friend's death", it doesn't feel very refreshing. Though it was fun.
Suzuka: Toritani Hina as well... She was a bit of a difficult person.
Yui: Though, I'd like to get along with a girl that loves hot springs, myself.
Kanami: Yawwn... I'm up-. What are you all doing?
Hiyori: We were playing a game where you find the culprit of a murder case.
Kanami: What the heck; that sounds so fun! I wish I could've played too-.
Kiyoka: Then, next time, let's bring in Etou-san too!