Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Can you solve this mystery before the Ultimate Detectives can?
Pay close attention. Anything might be a clue…

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By the time we arrive at the library, there’s a lot of shouting going on. Byakuya gestures for us to enter the door, then stands aside, looking rather displeased. Kyoko strides in ahead of me, and her sheer presence seems to make the room fall quiet. I shuffle in after her, trying to look confident rather than intimidated. It’s hard not to feel like an impostor - and not even an Ultimate Impostor, at that - next to such an effortlessly composed Ultimate Detective with no hesitation in her eyes.

I catch my reflection in a full-length mirror as I enter the room. The fact that I’m wearing a cheap vampire costume really doesn’t help my confidence, especially next to Kyoko’s tailored masquerade gown, complete with long leather gloves. I give myself a nervous smile.

As my fellow detective makes a beeline for the… “corpse”, as it were, I pause to survey the room. It’s a grand-looking library for how small it is, with polished mahogany shelves and matching antique furniture. There’s even a mezzanine floor above us, reachable by a set of wooden stairs. A small chandelier clings close to the ceiling, and a dented brass lantern hangs down on a thick chain, hovering by the mezzanine railing. Alongside the tall silver candlestick standing by the upper window, these suggest that the mezzanine is the main reading area at night.

In front of me is a round mahogany table with mosaic inlay, surrounded with plush armchairs. Celestia sits in the one facing the stairs, sipping tea and idly turning the pages of a book on the bookstand in front of her as though this is none of her business. The books piled up beside her on the table look old and expensive, many with leather bindings, and sometimes even an inlaid jewel or two. Nearby, a full camo edition of Mahiru taps her foot impatiently, and Sonia pats her shoulder while fiddling nervously with the wide collar atop her ruffled red-and-white dress. Byakuya moves to join the two - he told us on the way here that they’d arrived together just moments ago and found the victim together.

The two windows - one straight ahead, and one upstairs - give the room a warm, even light as the afternoon sun filters past the deep red valance curtains, glowing against the long golden tassels that run along their scalloped edge. No wonder Mahiru chose this place for her impromptu lolita and ouji style photoshoot. There’s a heap of props and decorations in the corner, partially crushed by a marble statue of a seated woman in a long robe. That’s where Kyoko stands now, next to Maki and… Tsumugi? How did she get invited to this party?

Before I can move to join them, a voice catches my attention.

Interview Log 1

BT: Any thoughts so far?

Though he’s mellowed out over the years, Byakuya has never gotten out of his habit of having high expectations for others. I shake my head, but Mahiru interjects before I can speak.

MK: Hey, you’re not the only one waiting for answers here. I’m sure our detectives can get to a conclusion faster after taking down all our testimonies. Right, Shuichi?
SS: Uh - right, if you have a statement to make, I want to hear it.
MK: Good. So, about ten minutes ago, Sonia, Byakuya, and I arrived for the photoshoot. It was around 4:30. On our way here, we heard a really loud crash, so we tried to hurry, but by the time we got here, the decorations were ruined and Monomi had been crushed to bits. Right away, Byakuya ordered everyone not to move, and said he was going to fetch the Ultimate Detectives.
SN: We saw nobody enter or leave the room between the crash and when we got here, or afterwards, until your arrival.
SS: Thanks. Can you tell me what you were doing before then?

Byakuya makes a small “harrumph” noise and walks off, like he has better things to do. I don’t stop him. Surely he wouldn’t just tamper with a crime scene for his own amusement.

MK: All three of us were in the parlour. I was helping arrange the flowers in the middle of the dinner table and chatting with Sonia about the photoshoot. Byakuya overheard us and wanted to come and keep an eye on us. Maybe he was worried that we’d go overboard with the decorations. Men and their control issues, right?
SN: He said some of the books there are worth as much as the whole GDP of Novoselic! And he said that a commoner like Mahiru could work her fingers to the very bone for all her life and not be able to pay him back. We cannot be having that! Our Mahiru needs her fingers to press the shutter!
SS: …Yeah, that sounds like him. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Do you remember anything else that might be relevant to the case?
MK: Hmm… Toko was in the dining hall too, clinging to Byakuya as usual, but he managed to distract her before he came with us to the library.
SN: Oh, I also saw Celestia there, on the other side of the hall!

At this point, Kyoko cuts in. When did she get here? Is she already done examining the, uh, “body”?

KK: Sonia. Your dress is beautiful, but it’s not really lolita, is it? Why were you invited to this photoshoot?

Kyoko is as blunt as always, but Sonia doesn’t seem to mind.

SN: Mahiru says that having a real princess in the background will help create an atmosphere of luxury! But I am not dressed as a princess today. Today, I am a humble countess.
SS: A countess? Anyone in particular?

Her eyes start to sparkle with excitement. Ah, that’s right - there’s exactly one thing she gets this excited about.

SN: Elizabeth Báthory! She was the most prolific female serial killer in all of history, and there are stories about her bathing in the blood of her victims to stay eternally young and beautiful! They say that-
MK: A-anyway! Your winning personality also puts big smiles on people’s faces, and that’s what I like to capture in my photographs. So that’s why.

Satisfied that the gory monologue has been averted, Kyoko and I step back to confer.

I describe to Kyoko the things I’ve noticed about the library. In return, she passes me the tablet she’s been taking notes on. “I’ve examined the body,” she says. “Well, to the extent that it counts as a body. This is the format you’re used to, isn’t it?”

It is. It’s startlingly familiar. I take a deep breath as I start reading.

My contemplation of the Kirigiri File is interrupted by an emphatic cough behind me. I turn around.

Interview Log 2

Celestia Ludenberg is as elegant and composed as always. Her hair is styled in a ribbon-topped half-bun with long black curls spilling out underneath, wreathing her ruffled white bolero with a striking contrast. Her lace-trimmed black dress carries a matching bright white print pattern of wrought iron gates. She's put effort into this party, but she's clearly decided to come dressed as herself.

When she sees me looking at her, she coughs again, for emphasis.

CL: Ahem. Isn't it terrible? All I wanted was to take a relaxing tea break and enjoy a book, but how am I supposed to do this with all the ruckus going on?
SS: …I’m sorry that you’ve been disturbed by this situation. If you cooperate with us, we can try to conclude our investigation as soon as possible.
CL: Hmpf. Very well. Ask me your little questions, detective.
SS: Okay. Let’s see… When did you arrive at the library?
CL: Oh, much earlier than everyone else - around 3pm. I’d had enough of the silly low-stakes party games, you see.

Ah, yeah… she’s the Ultimate Gambler, after all.

CL: Perhaps Mahiru got her idea to have a photoshoot here after peeking through the door and seeing my elegant silhouette against the window. She called out to me at around 4pm to tell me she was organising one, and to wait here for half an hour while she got everyone together, and then she left that big mirror in the corner.
SS: And where were you at the time of the crime?
CL: Right here, reading my book and drinking tea. I didn’t notice anything unusual until I heard a loud crash.
SS: Who was with you at the time?

She takes a sip of tea as she thinks.

CL: Tsumugi and Monomi were in the corner sorting through some decorations for the photoshoot. Maki must also have entered at some point, though I didn’t notice her coming in. She’s the Ultimate Assassin, after all… she can sneak up on any of us, even in that ridiculous knockoff dress. Isn’t it creepy?
SS: …Sure. And the four of you were the only ones in the room? Did anyone else come in while you were here, other than Mahiru at 4?
CL: I was quite absorbed in my reading, so I can’t say for sure. You know how it is with books, sometimes - one would have to shout in your ear just to wake you up from that fantasy world.

Kyoko leans over the bookstand in front of Celestia and peeks at the pages of the book.

KK: …A Hundred Years of Portland Cement? This doesn't sound like your kind of reading material.
CL: Oh, weren’t you aware? Knowledge is one of the keys to success in this world. It makes or breaks your chances in everything from the stock market to the prediction market - in other words, it is the true form of luck. It stands to reason that I, the Ultimate Gambler, would be in pursuit of all knowledge.
KK: Plausible enough.

She doesn’t sound convinced.

SS: So you didn't notice anyone entering or leaving, at all?
CL: Well, I certainly noticed Tsumugi and Monomi walking in. They were rather noisy. I could barely see that cosplay woman's face behind the big crate of junk she needed both hands to carry, but I would recognise her grating voice anywhere.
SS: R-right. So that's everyone?
CL: Yes, yes. Ugh, all of this questioning has quite ruined my mood. If you have nothing else to ask, then I rather feel I require a fresh cup of tea.

Without waiting for us to reply, Celestia flounces out of the room.

I hear another, sharper emphatic cough behind me. What is it this time?

Interview Log 3

Tsumugi Shirogane has gone all-out on her costume, with her hair cropped short under a black top hat with blue roses, matching in both colour and material with her jacket and salopette. When she raises her head from coughing emphatically, I see an eyepatch. This all looks a little familiar - wasn’t there a gothic manga where the protagonist wore this?

TS: A-he-hem! The nerve of her, acting like the victim in a situation like this!
SS: I suppose she isn't the one who was crushed under that statue.
TS: More importantly! I was almost crushed by the statue too! It fell so close to me that I could hear it whooshing through the air - I could have become just plain pulp!
SS: Ah… yeah, that would be bad.

I'm sure I sound pretty half-hearted, but… she knows what she did to us.

KK: Quite frankly, most of us hate you. How did you get yourself invited to our private party?
TS: Let's just say that I pulled some strings to become the contractor for the interior decoration for the party, and asked for permission to attend the party in person “in case any maintenance or repairs are required”. By the time the contract was signed, Byakuya couldn't back out on that invitation anymore - it just wouldn't do for the Togami heir to become known for breaking agreements, after all! It's his own fault, really - a costume party is plainly the place I belong most.
SS: If you don't mind, I'd like to get to the point. Let's start with when you got to the library.
TS: Oh, so you’re thinking of me as a suspect, are you? So unfair. But let’s see… It was about 4:15 by the time I got all my materials together and carried them here to do the decorating Mahiru wanted me to do. She wanted to start the shoot at 4:30, so I was running late. I ran into Monomi on the way, so I grabbed her to help out. Let's just say that 15 minutes later, we still hadn't gotten anywhere, and it was all her fault.
KK: Why help Mahiru? You aren't really the type to do favours for free.
TS: Honestly? I've been low on work since the whole V3 scandal, and even my old doujin circle ditched me! So I was itching for any excuse to put my cosplay skills to use. Oh, what if it was a terrible mistake? She did organise this photoshoot and get us all together - what if she’s the one behind the murder?

Is this a ploy for sympathy? I’m not very impressed.

SS: Did you see anyone else here when you arrived?
TS: Of course. Celeste was sitting at the table looking bored, and Maki was off in the corner being a big white cloud. Neither of them are very friendly, so I left them well alone and set up shop in the corner under the mezzanine.
SS: Did anyone else enter or leave?
TS: I think I heard the door open once or twice, but didn't look to see who it was. I had my hands full trying to put up those decorations. That useless bunny said she would help, but all she did was produce cheap candy seemingly out of nowhere. What am I supposed to do with that? Hey - Monomi is so stupidly cheesy, maybe she set this whole thing up hoping that her death would bring us all together or something, I don’t know.

That doesn’t sound like Monomi’s style… does it?

SS: You were the closest to the victim when she was crushed. Can you tell us what you saw?
TS: I wasn't really looking at Monomi at the time, since Celeste decided to get on our case all of a sudden. Who does she think she is, bossing us around? Her tastes are too over-the-top, anyway - Mahiru said she likes things more candid, so I was going to go with that. You can't have two creative visions on one project - you just plain can't!
SS: So you were having some trouble with Celestia?
TS: So much trouble. She's a bundle of latent violence pretending to be a lady, and god help you if she ever stops pretending. Speaking of which, how was your chat with that gothloli gambling addict? I'd keep an eye on her, if I were you…

She leans in conspiratorially, pushing her glasses up to make them glint in the light.

TS: Celeste has been on edge ever since she first got here. You know what I think? I think she’s feeling insecure. Byakuya is the real deal - the heir to the Togami name, and quite a skilled gambler in his own way, making his personal fortune by day trading as a hobby. In front of him, I’m sure she can’t help but feel like a plain pretender.
SS: Thank you for your testimony.

Though I’m not sure how it helps us solve this case, exactly. I glance at Kyoko, who nods. At least she agrees with the assessment.

TS: Anyway, I hope it’s plain to see that I wasn’t involved. Why don’t you try talking to the Ultimate Assassin over there? I saw her sneaking towards the library earlier - of course I did, I came up with all her sneaky tricks myself! And she was the first to start running towards me and Monomi when the statue fell, like she wanted to check if the job was done. Who knows what her blood-soaked hands have been up to?

That isn’t how I like to think about Maki, but this isn’t the time to argue. Maybe Tsumugi will never learn to see any of us as something more than the characters she created. So be it. We have our own lives to live, now.

Interview Log 4

Maki Harukawa is dressed uncharacteristically in a large, frilly dress puffed up by a petticoat that looks almost as wide as she is tall. The pure white colour scheme - especially on the large bonnet tied around her chin - clashes so much with my usual mental image of her that I have to remind myself not to laugh. Did Kaito put her up to this?

When she notices me looking, Maki looks away.

MH: It doesn’t suit me, does it?
SS: Th-that’s not it. It’s a cute dress. You have a right to wear cute things too, Maki.
MH: …Right. Thanks. Did you want to talk to me about the case?
SS: Yeah. So, when did you arrive at the library?
MH: Shortly after 4pm. I saw Mahiru walking out of it.
SS: Was anyone else around?
MH: Celestia was drinking tea at the table you just saw her at. I didn't see anyone else.
SS: Did anyone else enter or leave?
MH: I heard the door open behind me three times. The first was when Tsumugi and Monomi came in, but the other two times, I didn’t quite catch who it was. It’s this stupid bonnet. I just can’t get used to having my peripheral vision cut off like this.

She looks really uncomfortable in her outfit. Physically, it suits her, but even I can tell it’s not her style.

KK: You don’t strike me as the bookish type. Why did you come to the library?
MH: For Mahiru’s photoshoot.
KK: …which was set for half an hour later, and you didn’t mention her inviting you.
MH: Is it wrong to want to arrive early and help a friend out?
KK: And yet you didn’t help with Tsumugi’s decoration troubles at all.
MH: You expect me to work with her?
KK: I expect you to tell me the truth.

They’re both intimidating people. The look in Kyoko’s eyes… I’m just glad not to be in the crossfire.

MH: I… Fine. I came here because I saw Mahiru carrying a large mirror, and I wanted to use it. There are a lot of details on this outfit that I’m not used to. Like this ribbon keeps twisting, the bonnet keeps sliding around, and I can’t seem to get the bows on the hem to sit like they’re supposed to in the picture. I needed a full-length mirror to see how everything looked.
KK: …And you were thinking of all this even though Mahiru hadn’t invited you to the photoshoot yet?
MH: Well… You’re right. I don’t usually care about this stuff. But this is the outfit Kaito said he wanted to see me in, someday… so I wanted to get it right.

She’s blushing. I give her a smile.

SS: I’m sure he’ll appreciate it no matter what. Let’s carry on. Where were you at the time of the crime?
MH: …I was still there in the corner with the mirror. I could hear Celeste and Tsumugi arguing while Monomi made a sorry attempt to mediate. And then I heard a loud clang, so I thought something must have gone wrong - by the time I turned around, I saw the statue falling, and I ran.
SS: You ran?
MH: I ran towards the falling statue on instinct. But I couldn’t reach Monomi in time to pull her away from it. She was crushed to death right before my eyes. …Though she sprayed mechanical parts instead of blood, and there was no pain in the sound of her scream, so it didn’t feel at all like watching someone die.

Brrr. The scary things Maki says sometimes are made all the scarier by her innocent, angelic outfit today.

SS: I think that’s everything we wanted to know. Thanks, Maki.

With a curt nod, she turns to leave, but ends up stopping in front of the mirror again to adjust the ribbons on her shoes. You can do it, Maki. We believe in you.

A hand beckons us from the railing above.
“There are things upstairs that may interest you, detectives,” says Byakuya.

Interview Log 5

Byakuya Togami looks about the same as he always does, standing haughtily at the railing of the mezzanine where he can watch us scurry about below. Wait, the same as he always does…? I lean in to whisper to Kyoko as we head up the stairs.

SS: He didn’t dress up for his own costume party?
KK: Not quite. Look at the dramatic cut of his shoulders, and the damask pattern to his tie. His shirt even has subtle lines of blue-grey embroidery to match his eyes. And judging by the way the light falls on it, his jacket is made from silk velvet. Even royalty can’t get their hands on such a material easily anymore. He’s showing off, but in a way that asks you to speak his language.
SS: …Right. Thanks for the analysis.

I can’t help but feel a little out of my league, but thankfully, the two posh scions are too busy to notice my nervousness. I start by taking in the surroundings, leaving the interview to Kyoko, who knows Byakuya better.

The mezzanine is a small, cosy space, with shelves lined mostly in literature and poetry in at least four different languages. Now that I think of it, most of the books downstairs were non-fiction. I suppose these are meant for relaxing evening reading, where the light is brighter. There's a pair of velvet armchairs and a small table with an empty bookstand.

Up here, I can see the chandelier up close - it looks like it used to hold candles, but had been modified to use electric bulbs. The lantern swings on its chain nearby. It’s an openwork lantern, made entirely out of brass with an intricate pattern of holes around the engravings, and feels heavy in my hand as I turn it. The dented face seems to have some pale dust on it, and there’s a bit of golden string tied around a strip of brass between two of the larger holes. Hmm.

The garden is outside the window - a French-style garden with tidy flower beds in elaborate shapes surrounding a fountain in the centre. The sky is clear and blue. None of this appears to improve Byakuya’s mood, however.

BT: Who brought this candlestick here? We can't have candles in the library. Do you have any idea what some of these books are worth?
KK: I was wondering about that. It's good to know that the candlestick must have been brought in from elsewhere.
BT: Should I be glad that the flame has burned out, or annoyed that it hasn’t lasted until the next servant shift change? They don’t usually burn this fast. Regardless, I'll make sure this gets back to the dining hall, where it belongs.

As he picks up the candlestick, something falls, and I catch it. A piece of wax? Candles can drip wax as they burn, but this piece looks more like it’s been carved out.

While I’m here, I take a closer look at the window. The mahogany frame is polished to a mirror shine. The valance curtain hangs low over it, its long tassels lending a golden tinge to the sunlight. Ah - there’s a hint of gold string stuck between the window and its frame, too. Coincidence? But given what I found on the lantern earlier…

I turn around, thinking. Kyoko is still talking with Byakuya. I can’t help but feel like she’s more thorough than I am with her questions.

KK: Is this the pedestal where the statue of the robed woman originally sat?
BT: Not just any woman. Juno Moneta, the Roman goddess who gave us the English word for “money”. Her rightful place is here, watching over our place of study, protecting the business interests of the Togami line, now and always.
KK: It’s a pretty beat-up pedestal. Look at the scratch marks.

I look over her shoulder. There’s a big tombstone-shaped indentation that matches the shape of the sitting figure, but inside that indentation is a series of scratch marks, like something heavy has been moved across it slowly, in fits and starts. It seems obvious, at this point, what that implies.

KK: I think we've seen enough.
BT: Then, if you'll excuse me.

He stalks out of the room, candlestick in hand.

I look at Kyoko, who nods at me.

“I believe that's everything we need to solve the case,” she says. “What do you think, Shuichi? We'll need to demonstrate who the culprit is, and the best way to do that is to have an explanation for how they committed the crime, and to be able to prove that nobody else could have done it. The way these things go… We'll usually find out the motive later, when we convince them to confess. So we don't have to worry about that part just yet.”

“Right. That’s been my experience too.” I pause to mull over what we've seen and heard so far.

“Have a think about it. I'm sure everyone will feel more secure knowing that you're giving us an independent second opinion. Just let me know when you're ready to find the culprit with me.”

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Can you help Shuichi prove himself to Kyoko?

When you think you've worked out who the culprit is and how they committed the crime, proceed to Part II to see what happens next!