Triple shot mocha latte with a side of murder. Jisei series.

[HydroSphere]

The Jisei mystery series (Jisei, Kansei and Yousei) are a series of supernatural murder mystery games created by Sakevisual, as part of the Green Tea line.

Jisei was released in 2010, Kansei in 2011 and Yousei in 2013. The fourth game in the series, Shinsei, is currently in development, with no estimated release timeframe at the time of this post.

The same team worked on the first three games in the series:

Art: M. Beatriz Garcia
Writing: Ayu Sakata (founder of Sakevisual)
Music: Marc Conrad Tabula

One thing I would like to make clear right at the start of this LP; although each game has its own murder mystery, and we will get to find out the "who" and the "how" and the "why" of each murder, there is an overarching storyline - in addition to Shinsei, there is a fifth installment planned - the conclusion of the overarching story is likely at least a couple of years away.

Notes about the LP:

No spoilers, please. Speculation is always welcome, and does not need to be spoiler tagged.

If you enjoy this LP, please consider buying the games from one of the following sources:

Sakevisual.
Itch.
Steam.

Please note there are minor spoilers on the Yousei page.



Jisei, Part One.
Jisei, Part Two.
Jisei, Part Three.
Jisei, Part Four.
Jisei, Part Five.
Jisei, Part Six.
Jisei, Part Seven.
Jisei, Extra.



Kansei, Part One.
Kansei, Part Two.
Kansei, Part Three.
Kansei, Part Four.
Kansei, Part Six.
Kansei, Part Seven.
Kansei, Part Eight.
Kansei, Part Nine.
Kansei, Part Ten.
Kansei, Part Eleven.
Kansei, Part Twelve.
Kansai, Part Thirteen.



Yousei, Part One.
Yousei, Part Two.
Yousei, Part Three.
Yousei, Part Four.
Yousei, Part Five.
Yousei, Part Six.
Yousei, Part Seven.
Yousei, Part Eight.
Yousei, Part Nine.
Yousei, Part Ten.
Yousei, Part Eleven.
Yousei, Part Twelve.
Yousei, Part Thirteen.
Yousei, Part Fourteen.
Yousei, Part Fifteen.
Yousei, Part Sixteen.
Yousei, Part Seventeen.

[HydroSphere]

• The Options screen. The character icons allow you to switch off the voices for individual characters. The protagonist is unvoiced.

• A production sketch of our protagonist – this is the only sketch unlocked at the start of the game.

Then maybe he'd see what it's really like. When you die, there are only two things. The first is the sudden and terrifying realization that you are dying.

The second thing is the final wish. As a person dies, there's always one last thing they wish they could do before they pass on. Sometimes it's as simple as wanting to say goodbye to a loved one, but usually it's a wish full of pain and regret. It's a wish for a life lived better, an angry word taken back, or a promise kept. A wish that will never be granted.

Yeah. Death sucks. Every single time. But I've experienced so many, I'm kinda numb to the whole thing by now. That's not to say I'm comfortable with it. I'm just used to it.





Opening.






I blink slowly, trying to get my bearings. This place doesn't look familiar. Then again, it's been three years since anything has looked familiar to me.

I yawn as my mind slowly clears. The room I'm in is filled with the scent of freshly ground coffee. I hear something. A machine...steam?

Right. I'm in a coffee shop in some city called Edgewater. It's my second day in this city. Judging from the empty cup on the table in front of me, I stopped here for a coffee because I was getting sleepy... And then I fell asleep. Typical.

I guess even a triple shot mocha latte isn't enough to keep me up these days. I wonder if I should get another one. Eh, why not?

I head over to the counter. No one else is in line since it's still afternoon. The girl at the counter grins as soon as she sees me.







She laughs and winks at me.

"So, what can I get for ya?"



"Uh..."



Ugh.





Why am I feeling this now? There shouldn't be any reason...




I grab the counter for support and stumble off in the direction she's pointing. My head is hurting even more now. If I'm feeling this sick, it can only mean one thing.

Someone has died.

As I walk down the hallway, I see the door to the women's bathroom is wide open.




Lying on the tile floor of the women's bathroom is the corpse of a woman. I enter the restroom, gagging at the smell of the restroom's flowery perfume and disinfectant.

• Jisei is only about two hours long. Kansei and Yousei are a bit slower paced.

I hope she died quickly. Otherwise, this is going to wind up being very unpleasant...



I brace myself for the sudden pain in my chest, but it never comes.

I can't breathe. I try to open my mouth, but it refuses to open. Something's on my face. I want to tear it away, but someone is holding me down. I'm going to die. I'm going to die..."

I only wish that...





My brain always remembers the pain of every death I experience, even though none of them are mine.

I'm suddenly aware of someone staring at me from the hallway.



A woman is standing behind me, staring in horror at the dead body lying on the restroom floor.




I sigh and hang my head. This isn't going to end well. Then again, it never does.



A man strides briskly down the hallway towards me. His voice and demeanor are sharp, fluid, and commanding. Even without the uniform, it's obvious he's some sort of man of the law. Considering what he's wearing, I'd guess police officer.

"Sorry, officer. I promise I didn't move anything."

He looks surprised.



"Oh, you're not? Sorry... my dad was a police officer, and you look kinda like him. I mean, you carry yourself the same way."



He sounds skeptical. I guess I can't blame him.



He raises a knowing eyebrow, as if he's just caught me in a lie, but he doesn't comment on it.



"Sure."







The detective pauses for a moment. It looks like he's trying to choose his words carefully.

"Unfortunately, a dead body has just been discovered on this premises."



"…"

"Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the situation yet. Because of this, I'm going to have to ask you all to stay here until the police come."




"I see..."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to speak with each of you separately for just a little bit. It'll help move the investigation along if I can start collecting information now. Is that okay?"



"Yeah, it's okay with me."

"Y-yes...it's fine."

"What about you, kid?"

"It's fine with me."

"Right... Then we'll start with you. Come with me, please."

Detective Gurski motions for me to follow him to the hallway away from the rest of the coffee shop.



Detective Gurski glances at me and gently kicks the door of the bathroom. It swings in and bounces gently off the wall, closing with a soft thud.



"Fine, I guess."



He frowns at me.

"Never mind. Let's just start with your name."




"Because I'd rather not."







"Fine. No name, then. Why don't you tell me what happened today?"

"You mean about when I found the body?"

"Anything you think is pertinent."

"Well, I came in here around noon today. I ordered a coffee, drank it, then fell asleep."

"You fell asleep after you drank a triple shot mocha latte?"

"How do you know what I drank?"

Detective Gurski nods at the empty cup on the table where I was sleeping.

"Saw you snoozing when I came in."




And a serious one at that. He's even reading my drinks when he's off duty?

"Well, I woke up about ten minutes ago, I guess. Maybe less."

Gurski glances at the clock on the wall.



"I guess so. I was just about to get another drink when I suddenly started to feel sick."

"Ah, yes. I did see you looking a little ill when you were at the counter."

"The girl at the counter told me I should go to the bathroom, and when I went, I saw the body lying there."




"Did you touch her?"

"…"

Even if I say no, they'll probably find my prints on her anyway...

"Yes."

"And why were you touching her?"

"I wanted to see if she was okay. I didn't know she was dead at the time."

The detective nods understandingly, but I doubt he believes me. Any idiot could have seen the knife in that woman's chest from at least ten feet away.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

There's something weird about all of this, but maybe I should keep it to myself for now...

• Do we confide our suspicions to the detective?

[HydroSphere]

• Gurski may be a bit sarcastic here, but he does appreciate our protagonist voicing his suspicion, doing so increases Gurski's trust by three points. In all three games, each character has a trust level, which can increase or decrease depending on how our protagonist interacts with that character. In Jisei, the trust levels aren't that important; a high enough trust level with certain characters will save us from a couple of bad endings / game overs if we make certain bad decisions, but otherwise doesn't affect anything.

"But what makes you think this is suspicious?"

“Just...a gut feeling."

"I see. Anything else?"

"No."

"Then please wait in the main area."

"Sure."



“Would anyone like to go next?"

"I'll go."

The woman raises her hand timidly, and Detective Gurski nods at her.

"Then follow me."

Music stops.

I sink down into one of the chairs and close my eyes.



This doesn't make any sense. The woman in the restroom has a knife in her chest, no doubt. But in my vision, she was being suffocated. Then again, my vision did cut off before it finished.

That woman interrupted me. I wish I could read the body again, but I'm sure to get caught if I even try to get close to the body.

Somehow it doesn't really seem worth the risk. I guess I'll just have to approach this from a different angle.

• We can start questioning the “coffee shop girl” and the “college boy” now, but before we do, here's a look at the notepad you can see in the lower left of the screen.

• Examining the room.

• Trying to move.

• Questioning the coffee shop girl.

The girl who works at the shop is sitting a few tables away from me, staring at the ground. She looks up and notices that I'm looking in her direction.



"Huh?"

"Knowing you're in the same building as a dead body, I mean."

She smiles apologetically at me.

"By the way, my name's Chance."

Chance? That sounds like such a fake name...



"You have a rather unusual name."

She laughs.

"I get that a lot."

"The truth is, I changed my name. My parents named me Bertha."



"You're a famous singer?"



"Haha, that's why I chose that name. Get it? Chance? I'm pretty cheesy, huh?"

"Maybe not cheesy, but...I think the name Bertha actually means famous... So really, you had a good name in the first place."



"Not particularly. I just like to pay attention to names and what they mean."



I seriously doubt that.



"Do you know anything about the woman who died?"



"Still, I think I would have recognized her if she was someone I knew."



"Do you remember what time you saw her?"



"What makes you think it was 2:00?"




"I see..."



"Do you think the killer is still around?"

"I sure hope not!"

Chance shivers.

"I don't know why he'd stick around, anyway. Doesn't a murderer usually run after he kills someone?"

"Good point..."




As soon as she sees me, she quickly looks away.



"Then do you mind coming with me?"

"Not at all."

Chance waves at me before hurrying off after Detective Gurski.

"Um...about earlier."



The woman glares at me, her eyes laced with disgust.




The woman frowns at me.



She sits down and folds her arms, glaring at me from across the room. I guess I should leave her alone.

Across the room, the college boy is typing away on his laptop. He pauses to glance at a pile of notes on the table next to him. He's still doing homework at a time like this? He looks up, and we briefly make eye contact.

"Is something wrong?"

"Not really. You just look really calm, all things considered."

He glances to the side nervously.




"It would be a lot nicer if that were the case."

“I'm sorry. You're the one who found the body, right?"

“Yeah.”

He's silent for a moment.

"Is it scary? Seeing a dead body, I mean."

"Uh..."

I guess most people would be pretty terrified to see a dead body, especially one that's obviously been murdered.

"Yeah."



"Oh. I guess I do."





"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine."

He laughs nervously before smiling warmly at me.




"So what are you doing here, anyway?"

"Studying."

He nods at the pile of paper scattered across the table.

"I have an exam soon, and I come here a lot since it's a quiet place with no distractions."




"Are you in college?"

"Yeah, but I'm only a part time student. Even community college is expensive."

"I have to keep a part time job just to stay afloat."

"What do you do?"




"I see."

• The game only lets us ask Kizaki one of these questions; luckily, it it has a back function, so we can ask him both questions without needing to load a previous save.

"What's the exam on?"

"Huh? Um..."

I glance at the papers scattered across the table. They're covered in notes written in Japanese.

"Japanese?"

"Yeah. Japanese."

He doesn't sound terribly confident...



"Do you think the killer is still here?"




He looks like he's about to start crying.



"What if the murderer is still here! What if we're all going to be picked off one by one until there's no one left?"



I point at Kizaki's laptop.

"You're even connected to the internet!"

"Oh, yeah..."

He suddenly looks a lot more relieved.

"I guess I overreacted..."

No kidding.

"But it's still really creepy to think that someone was killed here. I hope that detective figures it out soon."



"Can you remember anything about the woman who died?"

"I'm afraid I was pretty caught up in my work. I didn't really notice much about anyone else."




"I remember wondering if she was looking for you, and you just didn't notice her because you were asleep."

Wow, is there anyone in this coffee shop who DIDN'T watch me sleep?



Kizaki looks up, surprised.

"Oh...right."

He quickly shuffles a few of his notes around into a neat pile before he stands up.



"Hey."

• Should we continue to try reason with her, or be more blunt in the hopes that an calling her a fool will get through to her more effectively?

[Syrelian]

I don't even care if it works, I can just already tell she's not one to back down on assumptions so I say we just outright call her a foolishly foolish fool who foolish considers others fools and move on

Game looks intriguing already though

[HydroSphere]

"Making a snap judgment like that without any proof at all is ridiculous!"

"Making snap judgments is my job, kid."

"In the REAL world, not everyone has the luxury of pandering around waiting for things to happen."



"What do YOU know about the real world?"



"You really think that? Well, congratulations! You've won the prize for world's biggest moron!"




"That's enough. What do you think you're doing?"



"From what I understand, you provoked him."

"He's the one who approached me!"

Detective Gurski sighs.

"Miss Bergstrom, that's still no excuse."

He turns to me.

"As for you, do you have any idea of the situation you're in right now?"

He pulls me to the side before I can say anything.



"I'm sorry. She just..."

"You're already on thin ice, kid, and that temper isn't doing much to help your case."

"What?"

"You do realize that she's convinced you're the murderer, right? Acting like that only makes you look more suspicious."

"Yeah, well..."

"And I have to be honest, a lot of the evidence points towards you already."

"You were the first at the scene, and you even admitted to touching the body. There's not much that votes for your innocence."

"But all the evidence you have is only circumstantial."

"I can hold you for 48 hours before charging you with a crime. That's enough time to find more evidence."

Ugh...sometimes I hate that law.

"I know. But I didn't do it."

"If you really want me to believe you, you're going to have to be a lot more cooperative."

"Obviously you're interested in clearing your name, whatever it may be. It works better if you work with me, not against me."

"You want my help?"

He frowns.

"Not particularly. But I don't have many options right now."



"I'd rather have you where I can keep an eye on you. So I'll let you talk around, but you have to tell me everything you learn."

"And for the record, this isn't a free pass to conduct your own investigation. I'm only saying you can talk with the others."

"Got it?"

"Got it..."




Chance notices me looking at her. She giggles and waves at me.



"You got changed."



: "But never mind that. How did it go?"

"How did what go?"

"Talking with that detective, of course. Did he say anything?"

• Telling people that we're supposed to be reporting to Gurski is only going to put their guard up.

"Nothing in particular. He just wanted me to not bother him."

: "What do you mean by bothering him?"

Beats me. So..."



"Did you notice anything suspicious about Kizaki?"

"Who?"

"That college kid."

"Oh. Is that his name? I've never seen him before."



"He does? I'm pretty sure I haven't seen him before... Maybe he usually comes at some other time?"

"Yeah. Maybe."

: "But I don't recall him doing anything weird. He came in, set up, and spent all his time working on homework."



"Did you notice anything suspicious about Miss Bergstrom?"

"You mean that woman who looks like she's mad at you?"

"Yeah. Her."

"Well, she definitely looked like she was in a hurry."

"Then again, she always does."

"She comes here often?"

All the time. And she always looks like she's in a hurry. I guess she's a busy woman."



"Do you know what Miss Bergstrom does for a living?"



"I'm afraid I don't know exactly what she does, though."



“I guess that's all I want to talk about for now.”

"Talk to you later, then."



I look over at Kizaki. He's still typing away at his computer. I guess even being at the scene of a murder isn't an excuse to turn in homework late...

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"It looked like Detective Gurski was lecturing you about something. He's a pretty imposing guy..."



"I guess I'm just worried he's gonna arrest me or something."

• We've already seen that Kizaki is somewhat prone to letting his imagination run riot and panicking; let's try to reassure him.

"Although I don't know if the same goes for me..."

"What?"

He looks confused.

"Nothing..."

Detective Gurski's threat to keep me in custody for 48 hours is still looming over my head. I'm really on a short leash...



"Did you notice anything suspicious about Chance?"

"The girl who works here? She wouldn't do anything!"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. She works here, after all."

"That didn't answer my question."

"Well, if you're wondering if I saw her do anything weird, I didn't. She was cleaning the espresso machines for a while. She didn't look too happy about that. Then she went into the back kitchen, so I didn't see her anymore."

"If she were in the kitchen, she could have gone to the bathroom without you seeing her, right?"

"I...yeah... I guess so."



"Did you notice anything suspicious about Miss Bergstrom?"

"I'm afraid I didn't see her come in. I was busy working at the time. I didn't notice anything until I heard her scream."



“That's all for now.”

“Un.”



Miss Bergstrom is still across the room from me, brooding. Oh boy...this isn't going to be easy. I doubt she even wants to speak to me after I nearly lost my temper and hit her.

• Nearly lost your temper?

I approach her carefully, holding my hands out in an attempt to show that I mean her no harm.

"Hey..."



"I'm sorry."



"I said I'm sorry."

"I acted out in anger when I shouldn't have."

"But someone is dead here, and I need to know what happened! Won't you please just talk to me?"

"Why are you even doing this?”

• Given the last encounter with Miss Bergstrom, the less confrontational answer seems like it might be a good idea.

"I want to prove I'm innocent."

After a moment of silence, she lets out a long sigh.

"I guess it's okay, then... What do you want to know?"



"Did you notice anything suspicious about Chance?"

"That barista? She's a sweet girl, if not a little unrealistic. She'll talk about her dream of being a singer to anyone who will listen."

"She often gets livid when anyone says anything that doesn't coincide with her dream, but she's very cheerful, otherwise."

"Livid?"





"The whole thing was settled out of court, and the owner of this place is her father, so naturally she got to keep her job."

"Honestly, kids these days just get everything handed to them on a silver platter. It's wholly frustrating."

Ah, that's what she was talking about before when she said that parents wouldn't come in to rescue her. I guess her anger makes more sense now.



"Did you notice anything suspicious about Kizaki?"

"I assume you mean that boy over there? He hasn't done anything that seems out of the ordinary. I can't really say one way or another, though."



“That's all I need for now.”

“I hope it helped.”

• Off to report to Gurski.

Biodev Imaging! Isn't that where Miss Bergstrom works? I wonder if they knew each other...

I peer around the corner to get a better look. He doesn't look very pleased.




He hangs up before letting out a frustrated sigh. As he does, he sees me looking at him.

"Whoa, how long have you been there?"

• Our protagonist needs as much information as they can get to prove their innocence - if we don't admit to overhearing at least part of the call, it'll be difficult to ask around about the victim and Biodev Imaging.

"So pretty much everything, then."

"I guess so..."

"And do you have anything useful to tell me?"



"Chance says she saw Sara come in around 2:00."

"Interesting. So Sara must have been killed sometime between 2:00 and 2:40. The first thing to do is see if anyone has an alibi for that time period, then."



"Miss Bergstrom works for Biodev Imaging. Chance told me that a lot of people who work there like to come here to eat."

"Do you know what Miss Bergstrom does at Biodev Imaging?"

"No..."

"It probably wouldn't hurt to ask her."



"Kizaki says he comes here all the time, but Chance claims she's never seen him."

"Do you think he's lying?"

"I don't know. He seems honest enough, but he could very well be pretending."

"Why don't you test him, then? If he really comes here often, he'll be able to answer questions about this place without any problems."

"I guess so..."



"Chance has some pretty explosive anger issues. She tried to burn a guy with hot coffee once because he insulted her voice."

"Really? I'd hate to be that guy."

"Still, one act of violence doesn't make her a murderer. It might be worth looking into it, though, if you can find a way to be tactful about it."



“I don't really have more I can tell you.”

"I see."



I don't think I'm allowed in there with the dead body.




Actually... it looks like there's an emergency exit in here, too. It's the kind that only opens from the inside. Hm... I bet the killer could have slipped out here without being seen by anyone in the coffee shop.

[HydroSphere]

The voice seems to be coming from...inside my head?

"Yeah, but if you can't hear me, that makes communication rather difficult, now doesn't it?"



"I just-"



"Never mind."



Alike? Yeah right... I don't go around randomly speaking inside of other peoples' heads...




I wait for a few seconds, but the voice is gone. No one else seems to have heard it, so I guess it really was all in my head... Ugh...this is getting even more troublesome by the minute. First I'm accused of murder, and now some random person is dropping thoughts in my head. Or hey, maybe I'm just going crazy. I should probably be a lot more surprised or freaked out by this turn of events, but the only thing that surprises me right now is how unsurprised I am. I shuffle tiredly into the main area of the coffee shop and sit down, burying my head in my hands.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah...I'm fine."

"Really? You've been looking terrible all day."

"Oh, let me get you something to drink!"

Chance hurries around to the counter and begins mixing a drink for me. I lean back and take in the smell of the coffee. It's really relaxing...



She hands me a hot cup brimming full with a hot latte. I take a sip of it, and my body suddenly feels alive again. Mm...the smell, the steam. I seriously doubt I'd ever be able to function without this stuff. I take another sip, and then another, enjoying the flavor and the heat. I feel like I can finally think. Yes. I'm addicted.

"That was good. And you made it so quickly."

"Of course I did. Sometimes things get really busy in here."

"That counter is designed with everything we need to mix drinks quickly. Of course, if we want to do other things like make sandwiches, that's all in the back kitchen."

Chance looks pretty happy right now. Maybe this is a good time to ask her about that one guy who insulted her.



"So, did you really throw hot coffee at a guy for insulting your singing voice?"

"Oh yeah...that was a particularly bad day."



"New girlfriend?"

"My ex-boyfriend broke up with me here at work by bringing his new girlfriend here and telling me we were over! He said he didn't want to be with someone who had such unrealistic dreams!"



Wow...sorry about that."



"Anyway, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask."

• Talking to Gurski opens up new conversation topics with Chance, Kizaki and Miss Bergstrom.

“What were you doing between 2:00 and 2:40?"

"Hm...around 2:00, I think I was finishing up some work in the office."

Then I headed out for a late lunch. I usually grab a sandwich and an espresso from this place."

"Were you with anyone else at the time?"

"Of course not. Everyone else had already left for lunch."

"What did you order when you got here?"

"Nothing. I went straight to the restroom, and then I saw you."



"Why did you just head straight to the bathroom instead of ordering?"

"I always wash my hands first. It's filthy to do anything else, and I can't exactly afford to be ill."



"What do you do for a living?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious."

"Well I do lot of things. Mostly human resources management."

"Human resources? As in..."

"The usual things. Recruiting new blood, organizing and training employees, writing policies, and the like."

Wow...that's a lot.



"Do you know anyone named Sara Blackmoore?"

"I can't say I do. Should I?"



“That's all I need for now.”



“What were you doing between 2:00 and 2:40?"

"Um...studying, mostly."

"Mostly?"

"I was also chatting with a friend online."

"Sometimes I get distracted."



"Do you really come here that often?"

"Of course I do. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious about this place. Do you know what kind of sandwiches they sell here?"

"They rotate them. The two for today are tapenade with avocado, and turkey and brie."

"I see. And how much does a green tea cost?"

"A shaken green iced tea, or a green tea smoothie?"

"Um...either."

"The shaken green iced tea is only $2.65, but the green tea smoothie is $3.70."

"Thanks..."

Wow, this guy knows the place pretty well. Almost uncannily so...I guess he really does come here often. I wonder why Chance doesn't recognize him...



"Do you know anyone named Sara Blackmoore?"

"S-Sara?"

"Um...no, I don't think I do."

Wow. That's quite possibly the most guilty reaction I've ever seen. This guy would be terrible at poker.



“That's all for now.”



"What were you doing between 2:00 and 2:40?"

"Working, of course."

"Afternoons like this are always slow, so it's usually just me and the manager."

"Although my manager is currently out at the store."



"Why did your manager go to the store?"

"We ran out of soymilk. I forgot to restock yesterday, and he kinda got mad at me... I had to come out here and clean all the espresso machines as punishment."



"Do you know anyone named Sara Blackmoore?"

"I'm sorry. I'm really bad with names. Even if I did know her, I probably couldn't tell you."



“I guess that's all I want to talk about for now.”



I look into the glass case filled with freshly made sandwiches. Sure enough, the two specials of the day are tapenade with avocado and turkey and brie. Kiazaki was right.

• Time to report our findings again.

Did you know that there's an emergency exit in the men's room?"

"Yeah, I noticed that. There isn't an alarm on the door, either, so it's possible that the murderer escaped through there without being detected."

Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

"If the murderer did go through there, he or she was probably the last person who passed through. It's possible that there was some evidence left behind in there."



"No one here has a full alibi. Chance and Kizaki both saw each other for a while, but Chance was in the back kitchen around the time of the murder. She could have slipped away without being seen, or Kizaki could have gone past the kitchen without her noticing. Miss Bergstrom claims she was working at that time, but there's no way to corroborate her story."

"Hm...so all of them had an opportunity. But what about a means and a motive? We need to figure out why someone would want Sara dead in the first place."



"Miss Bergstrom was really evasive about her job. When I asked her about it, she didn't seem to want to tell me much about it."

"She did say she's in human resources, though."

"Is that so? I suppose she's pretty high up on the totem pole, then. I think Sara was just a secretary with low level clearance, so it's doubtful they'd have met."

"Still, it's definitely something worth keeping in mind. Ask around and see if anyone knows anything about Biodev Imaging."



"Chance only got violent because the guy was her ex-boyfriend. Turns out she threw hot coffee at him because he broke up with her."

"Well, that makes a lot more sense than just attacking some random guy."

"But that doesn't change the fact that she has anger issues. Plus, things aren't exactly looking up for her right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I examined the knife in Sara's chest. It's an industry grade kitchen knife, and it's part of a set."

"I'm willing to bet that the rest of the set is in the kitchen here."



"No. I'm saying that whoever stabbed Sara had access to the kitchen at some point in time."

"Why? Do you think she did it?"

• Even disregarding the question over the COD, there's an issue with the "Chance stabbed Sara" theory.

"I doubt she had anything to do with this."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, if I were going to murder someone, I wouldn't do it at my workplace with a weapon that only I have access to. It's ridiculous."

"Good point, but she's obviously not the type for pre-meditated murder. If it's her, it was likely an impulsive decision."

"If you can find a motive, then we'll be getting somewhere."



"No one here recognizes the name Sara Blackmoore."

"Well naturally the killer is going to deny knowing her. But if no one here seems to recognize her, she probably didn't want to be known. I wonder what she was hiding."



“I don't really have more I can tell you.”





I'd better not touch any of this. If I leave my fingerprints on it, I'm sunk.




Great. The voice in my head is back.




Easy for you to say. Somehow I doubt Gurski will just let me waltz in there.



Great. A distraction. Like what, blowing stuff up with your mind?

Before I can think any more on the subject, a loud crash echoes from the coffee shop.

"What happened?"

"I don't know! It sounds pretty serious, though!"

"Great. Just what I need."

Wow. Thanks, random voice. Guess I owe you for this one...



If I move fast, I can probably get a quick peek at the crime scene again!

• We could go to the crime scene, but shouldn't we check out that loud crash?

I head into the main area to find Detective Gurski glaring at Kizaki.



"I know we're all on a hair trigger here, but could you please try not to go stumbling around over everything?"

"Y-yeah...sorry."

"Thank you."

Gurski leaves without another word. Agh...I missed my chance to look at the body! Stupid...

• Looks like the crash wasn't important after all, so let's jump back and go check the crime scene while Gurski is distracted.

Maybe it came off when she was struggling against her attacker?

I look around the room some more, but I can't find any sign of whatever was on Sara's wrist. The bathroom looks clean, and there are no signs of a struggle at all. Weird... I certainly wouldn't just let someone stab me in the front without putting up some sort of fight.

[Syrelian]

Immediately sounds like our mysterious telepath is probably Kizaki, or more likely Kizaki's online friend, considering their involvement in the distraction and response to the name Sara they're involved, but if they were the psychic I feel like they'd be a little more personable rather then using detective as a diminutive

[HydroSphere]

• This is our cue to leave, but if we decide to try examine the room again...

“I tried to give you some leeway, but now you're poking around the crime scene in secret?”

“I'm sorry, kid, but if you can't cooperate, then I don't have much of a choice. I'm taking you into custody.”

• Jumping back and leaving the bathroom...

Whatever happened was enough of a distraction, I guess. Still, it bothers me that my mysterious benefactor seems to know what I'm up to, but only some of the time. If it were someone in here with me, then all my movements would be readily obvious. But it seems more like someone who's getting regular reports on what I've been doing. Someone inside the coffee shop must be communicating with someone on the outside. I need to figure out who it is.

"Oh, there you are."

"Hey..."

"Something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I was just trying to stay out of the way in case anything bad happened."

"What was that loud noise, anyway?"

"Just an accident."

"I see..."

An accident, huh? I wonder what caused it...



"I found a lot of duct tape in the garbage can in the men's room."

"Duct tape?"

"Yeah. A whole bunch of it, like someone used it and dumped it there."

"Hm...perhaps the killer used it to restrain Sara."



“I don't really have more I can tell you.”







"What do you know about Biodev Imaging?"

"I think they have something to do with medical stuff, but I'm not sure."



"What was that loud crash earlier?"

"Oh, that? I just dropped some dishes..."

"I was cleaning up, and that guy Kizaki offered to help. When I handed him a tray loaded with dishes, I let go before he had a good grip on it, so it fell."

Don't worry. Nothing broke."

"Although it's weird...I really thought he had a grip on that tray, but it slipped anyway. It's almost like he did it on purpose."



"As soon as she came in, he kept staring at her."

"At first I thought he was just being a teenage guy, and staring at women, but looking back on it, it seems like he was observing her."

"Do you think I should have reported him?"

"No, it's not a crime to look at another person."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. Besides, didn't you say that the murderer has probably run away by now?"

"That's right...I guess I'm overthinking this. Thanks."



"Who are you texting?

"Huh? Oh, my boyfriend."

"Didn't he break up with you?"

"That was a different boyfriend."




"Even if he's a little bit older than me, I still love him!"

Sounds more like she picked up a sugar daddy rather than a boyfriend...

"I'm telling him everything that happened today so he can comfort me and help me feel better."

"Are you sure it's okay to just tell him about it?"



Yeah...but you're kinda at a crime scene. I'm fairly certain the police wouldn't want you broadcasting the details of a murder before they even solve it.

“Don't you think you're being a little too reliant on him? You're making it sound like you can't cope on your own."

"You'll understand one day when you get a girlfriend of your own."

"What?"



"Well, no, but..."

"Then you don't know what it's like."

"Fair enough."

So she's definitely telling someone about everything going on in here, but somehow I doubt her boyfriend is the one giving me random hints. I suppose I should keep looking.



"I guess that's all I want to talk about for now."




"What do you know about Biodev Imaging?"

"Biodev? That's a biological engineering company, isn't it?"

"They specialize in body parts, like artificial hearts and lungs and such."

"But lately, they've expanded their research to trying to grow replacement organs from living cells."

"Wow, you sure know a lot."

"Ah, no. I just happen to know about them because they're a big deal at my school. They've funded a good portion of the biomedical engineering program there, so their name is all over the place."



"What was that loud crash earlier?"



"She handed me a tray loaded with dishes, and it was a lot heavier than I thought, so I kinda...dropped it."



“That's all for now.”






"What do you know about Biodev Imaging?"

"Plenty, seeing as I work there. We're a medical group that creates artificial organs."

"There's a huge demand for organ implants, but there are very few available donors, and compatibility is always an issue. We make things like artificial lungs and bionic hearts."

"Wow. That's pretty impressive."




"What was that loud crash earlier?"

"Just those two kids dropping a pile of dishes all over the floor."

"Honestly, it gave me such a fright! I thought my heart was about to leap out of my chest."

"It's a miracle that no one was hurt. I noticed that boy pushed the girl out of the way just in time. He has some quick reflexes."



"Who are you emailing?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious. I'm kinda surprised you're still working at a time like this."

"The world doesn't stop spinning just because one person died."

Yikes, that's a cold outlook.

Even if it IS accurate...

"If you must know, I'm emailing some partners in Germany, finishing a draft of a new policy for some of my coworkers, and rearranging my schedule to make up for a meeting I'm missing right now."

"You sound busy."

"I am. So if you could leave me alone, I'd really appreciate it."

"Right. Sorry."

Hm, while she's definitely writing a lot, she clearly isn't paying attention to anything that's going on here. I suppose Miss Business isn't the one spying on me. Better keep looking.



“That's all I need for now.”

Kizaki is still working on his computer. Does this guy even take a break from homework? Hm, he keeps pausing. It looks more like he's chatting on an instant messenger. Interesting...




"Who are you chatting with online?"

"Who?"

"Um...my sister..."

"Your sister?"

"Yeah. She and I are really close, so I always go to her for advice."

"I just needed someone to talk to... It's not weird, is it?"

"Of course not. It makes sense that you'd want to talk to family when something like this happens."

"Do you have a sister, too?"



"Not exactly? So are you an only child, then?"

"My sister died three years ago..."

"I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine. It's not like it was your fault or anything..."




"Did they ever catch the guy who shot her?"

"No..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Just forget I said anything, okay?"



“That's all for now.”









Organs from living cells! Isn't that what Biodev Imaging is working on? Uh oh...I see a pattern.

"She resigned recently, saying she was pursuing a new direction in her life, but I'm guessing it's only because she obtained whatever information she was looking for. "If she was supposed to meet up with someone to hand over information, she should have it with her, probably on a secure USB. It'll likely be disguised as something else that she can always keep on her person, like a keychain. If you can find it, you'll probably have your murderer."

I guess I'll have to keep an eye out for something that looks like a disguised USB drive. Like that'll be easy... I can't help but feel uneasy about this, though. My mysterious information source is being very generous. Somehow, I don't think this person is just doling out information for free. There must be an ulterior motive...




"Chance says that Kizaki was watching Sara."

"Watching her? Like a stalker or something?"

"I guess?"

"I wonder why she didn't mention this before..."

"She said she just remembered."

"Interesting. If he was watching her, then he probably knows something. But since he came here first, he must have been expecting her to come here. That means she definitely came here to meet someone. Try to find out how he knows about that."

"And how will I figure that out?"

"Why don't you just ask him?"

"Really?"

"I get the feeling you'll get something interesting if you ask."



"I think Sara is a corporate spy..."

"Really? What makes you think that?"

• Gurski isn't the type to accept a hunch as a reason for a theory.

"I did some research on her."

"Um...I borrowed Kizaki's computer and looked her up online."

] "And?"

"She used to work at Auten Engineering, a company that specialized in growing organs from cells. And Biodev Imaging is currently trying to expand to do the same thing."

"She just resigned from Auten Engineering, and now she's working for Biodev Imaging? You yourself said she was just a secretary, so clearly she's not working for these companies because she has a specific skill set needed for this line of work. She's probably after something that Biodev Imaging has."

"That's one possibility..."

"One possibility?"

"The key here is to figure out who she's working for. For instance, she could have been working for Biodev Imaging, by stealing information from Auten Engineering. If it's like that, then this could be a move by Auten Engineering to retrieve information before it winds up with Biodev Imaging."

"Or, conversely, she could have been working for Auten Engineering and stealing information from Biodev Imaging. In that case, anyone from Biodev Imaging now becomes a primary suspect."

"Of course, that doesn't rule out other motives, but this seems like the most logical one."

"Corporations like this are cutthroat at best. It's always a race to see who can get results the fastest so they can get a larger market share or government grants. Rather than work together, they do whatever it takes to get ahead of the competition. And when they can't be vindicated through lawsuits and manipulation of the laws, they'll resort to darker practices."

"Looks like it's time to learn more about Auten Engineering."



“I don't really have more I can tell you.”





“What do you know about Auten Engineering?"

"Those two-bit scientists? Ha! They couldn't deduce their way out of a paper bag!"




"I see you're not a fan..."

"Companies like Biodev Imaging are trying to do some real good, but we have to keep playing games with Auten Engineering just to get a place on the map. It's utterly ridiculous."



“That's all I need for now.”




"So uh...why were you following Sara around?"

"What? I wasn't following her! We just happened to come in here at the same time!"



"…"

• The second option makes Kizaki temporarily angry, leading to a decrease in trust level.

"If you tell me what happened, maybe I can help you."

"Why can't you talk about Sara?"

Kizaki glances around the room before he speaks.

"It's not safe. I'm probably already in trouble just for telling you that much..."

He leans in and lowers his voice.

"Please be careful."

• If you have a low trust level with Kizaki, this line of questioning stops here. If you have a high trust level with Kizaki (by reassuring him when he worries about being arrested and offering to help here), you get a bit more information:

"In case you haven't noticed, someone is dead, and you might have information that can help us figure out who the killer is. I am not going to accept some ridiculous answer like "I can't talk about it right now.””

"But I-"

"No excuses!"

I grab Kizaki by the collar of his shirt and drag him into the side hallway.



"The bathroom."

I glare at Kizaki, and he nods quickly in agreement.



"You're going in a pair? I thought only women did that sort of thing."



"Fine, go ahead."

"Just don't do anything stupid. I don't have enough handcuffs for everyone."

"Warning duly noted."



"I-I'm not allowed..."

"Not allowed!? Someone is DEAD, Kizaki. Do you not comprehend this?"

"I don't care if you have some embarrassing secret, or you made a promise, or it's a matter of pride or anything stupid like that! All I care about is figuring out who killed this woman! So stop being so stubborn and just tell me what you know!"
"…"

"Are you going to talk or not?"

Kizaki stares down at his hands before letting out a long sigh.

"Auten Engineering."

"What about them?"

"They're my current employer."

"Current?"

"I work for an agency that specializes in...information and investigation. I suppose you could call us private investigators. Sara Blackmoore recently stole some sensitive and important data from Auten Engineering. We were hired to retrieve it and find out who was buying it from her in the first place. We figured the drop point would be here, so I came here ahead of time to watch the hand off."

"At first, I thought you were supposed to be her contact, so I didn't want to tell you anything..."

"Does Detective Gurski know about this?"

"I think he has a rough idea...our agency has had dealings with the police before..."

"I don't think he approves of our methods very much, though."

"Methods?"

"Well, we may or may not use techniques branded as unscrupulous...specifically concerning the manner in which we retrieve certain information from various electronic sources."

"So you're hackers."

"What? No, no! Of course not!"

"Well, I'm not, at least..."

"I'm the footwork guy. I do a lot of the physical investigation, like coming here today."

"I suppose your agency is really in a state of panic right now, huh?"

"Yeah...we're really scrambling right now. Even though Sara's dead, we still don't know who she was selling to, or where the USB drive holding the information is."

Seems like everyone's after that USB drive... I wonder what she even stole, anyway. It must be a pretty big deal for people to want it this badly...

"Um...can I go now?"

"What?"

"I really should get back. People might start getting suspicious otherwise..."

"Sure. You can go."

"Thanks."

Wow. What an odd kid. He seems much too polite and awkward for this line of work. Then again, I suppose his awkwardness makes him seem less suspicious. I wonder how he even got roped into doing stuff like this in the first place. It doesn't seem like something he'd randomly volunteer for...




"Sure. What's up?"

"Well, I don't really know if it's my place to say it, but I think I know who the killer is..."

"You do!?"



"We keep thinking that is has to be someone here. But what if it's none of us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, even though I got here at 2:00, what if the killer got here before me? He could have been hiding in the bathroom, and I'd never know it. There's an exit door in the men's room. He could have used that to escape after he killed that woman."

That's what we were thinking earlier! But at the same time, it seems a little far fetched that the killer is just a random person who hid in the bathroom...

• Should we agree with Chance? On one hand, her theory may seem far fetched, but there's no concrete evidence to contradict her theory. On the other hand, Chance is fairly calm about the situation (even if it is only because she's leaking information about the murder to her boyfriend) and it's possible that questioning her theory could lead her to remembering more useful information.

[Syrelian]

Question it, I don't think being her yes man is worth enough to avoid thinking more about the scenario, especially when we've already had similar thoughts, we want to explore other possibilities and impossibilities

Kizaki's employer definitely seems to be our psychic confidant however, and I imagine Kizaki knows they're psychic if they got roped into a distraction for someone they don't even know is in on it otherwise, hell I wouldn't be shocked if the messaging is one-way and Kizaki's getting responses in their head

[HydroSphere]

"Are you sure? It seems a little bit iffy..."

"So you think that someone here is the killer, then?"

Well, no...I mean. I guess so."




"It's nothing...I'm so worn out, I'm not even thinking straight."

Would you like another latte? I can brew one for you..."

"Yes, please..."

"Coming right up."

Chance hurries off, and soon I hear the whirring of the coffee machine. She returns shortly with a tall cup in her hand.



"Thank you."

As I drink deeply, I can feel my muscles relaxing. I sit down in a nearby chair and lean back to enjoy my drink, but for some reason, I feel a little unbalanced.



What...

Chance stares at me impassively as I struggle to sit up straight. It's becoming harder to breathe...




I feel so lightheaded...

• If you have a high trust with Chance (admitting to reporting to Gurski and asking Chance if she likes her job rather than asking straight out about the rumour that she threw coffee at a customer), instead of her asking if our protagonist thinks someone currently present is the killer, she'll embarrassedly say her theory was just a thought, and “being a detective is harder than it looks”. Our protagonist does not mention the USB drive in the high trust version and therefore doesn't get a poisoned latte.

“That's a good idea. You're probably right."

"I'm glad you think so. I was worried that it might not make any sense."

• Agreeing with Chance has the same dialogue regardless of her trust level.

"What do you know about Auten Engineering?"

"Um...is it a car company?"

"Never mind..."



"I guess that's all I want to talk about for now."



"What do you know about Auten Engineering?"

"They're the leaders in the industry, but some people claim they steal ideas from other companies. On the flip side, Auten Engineering has claimed repeatedly that other companies steal from them."

"In fact, they were just about to make a pretty big announcement, but it was suddenly pushed back for some reason."

"Personally, I think they're just a target of criticism because they're the biggest. They may not be perfect, but they're no worse than any other company."



“That's all for now.”




"I've heard mixed reviews about Auten Engineering."

"How so?"

"Miss Bergstrom claims that they do nothing more than manipulate laws and bribe politicians. She's clearly not impressed by their business practices."

"No surprise there. She has a major stake in a rival company, after all."

"What about the others?"

"Kizaki says that Auten Engineering has come under fire for stealing from other companies, but they claim they're the ones being stolen from."



"And what does Chance think about all of this?"

"Uh...she thinks they're a car company."

"Oh."

"Yeah."



"I don't really have more I can tell you."




As I enter the bathroom, I nearly run into Miss Bergstrom.

"I'm sorry!"

"N-no...it's fine."

Miss Bergstrom shifts uncomfortably and fiddles with her watch for a moment.

"What are you doing in here, anyway?"

"Well, I had to use the restroom, and the women's one is off limits, naturally. Don't worry, I'm done."

"Um...do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"I suppose it depends on the question."

"I was just wondering why you decided to work for Biodev Imaging. It seems like it's really important to you."

"When I was younger, my father passed away due to heart failure. It was genetic, and there was nothing we could do to stop it."

"I wished there was a way to save him, but there wasn't any viable technology at the time. I work for Biodev Imaging because we're doing things for people. We're saving lives."



"Hopefully that's a suitable answer for you."

• This scene is slightly longer if you have high trust with Miss Bergstrom – she claims that larger companies, such as Auten Engineering are only in the business for money, she can't stand greedy people, and will never forgive them, though she understands that's how the business world works.

Yeah. I was just curious. Thanks."

"You're welcome."




Oh hey, the disembodied voice is back. It's been a while. I was starting to get worried.

"I'm afraid I don't have much more I can offer you. You're on the inside, so you have all the keys. I know you've seen more than the rest of us can see. Try to remember. The last piece of the puzzle is there. Good luck."

Good luck? That's it? I'm not sure whether or not I should be offended that my mystery friend seems to have ditched me. But the truth is that even if I only have a fragment of Sara's death, it's a lot more than anything else we've got right now.





I can't breathe...I can't open my mouth... There's something on my face. It's stopping me from breathing. Is it a gag? No, it's actually holding my mouth shut. It's...tape. I can smell it. The flower scent of the bathroom is strong, but it smells like duct tape. I twist my hands, but they're also taped together. And there's someone here with me. Someone holding me down while I'm struggling. I can feel fingernails digging deep into my skin. One of them bends as it digs into me. I twist around, and I can feel it snap against my skin.

That's it! That's the missing piece!






I have my proof. I know who the killer is. I need to speak with Detective Gurski.





"Detective!"

"Whoa, hey. I'm just getting everyone's numbers so we can call you later on."

No need for that. I've figured it out!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

All the eyes in the room are suddenly focused on me.

"What?"

"You mean you know who the killer is?"

"You figured it out?"



"Well, you're going to need to fill in the gaps before you try to sell this as the absolute truth. But I'm willing to listen."

"Let's go over what we know, starting with the timeline. You arrived around noon, so you were here before everyone else."

"Right."

• In order to make our case and catch the killer, we'll need to answer the following questions:
  
  Who arrived first?
  
  Who arrived second?
  
  Who arrived third?
  
  How was the victim killed?
  
  What was the purpose of the knife?
  
  Who is the culprit?
  
  What was their motive?

[Syrelian]

Chance obviously arrived first, she was working shift
After that it was... Sara, us, Kizaki, Bergstrom if I recall correctly

The murder was I believe by strangulation

The Knife was meant to misdirect focus towards Chance, appearing as a red herring due to CoD being strangulation

The Culprit is Bergstrom, but Chance is an accomplice

The immediate motive was to acquire the USB of info before Kizaki


This is my hypothesis, Chance in the bad end speaks like she isn't the murderer but rather an accomplice, but she could have been hoping we'd produce the wrong criminal
Chance is the only one we know with pink nails, Bergstrom's are purple, and I somehow doubt Kizaki has painted nails
Chance has layers to a motive, wanting resources to become a singer, which we know she takes seriously, and backs why she'd take an underhanded job to gain money beyond what a shitty 9-5 could give
Bergstrom has a motive, but doesn't have the nails, and isn't in a bad position financially, but has a personal moral motive, the trick here is that Bergstrom and Chance worked together to grab Sara, thus why Chance's nail broke, Bergstrom chokes Sara to death, and they fake a second CoD with the knife, in the confusion Chance hopes to secret the USB away, either because Bergstrom carrying it was a liability, or because she is working for a different employer in this job

If I'm wrong, its probably Chance on her own and Bergstrom is innocent

[HydroSphere]

“It was Chance. You came in around 2:00 to work, right?"

"Sure did!"

"Alright, who came in after her?"



"It was Kizaki. He even saw Chance cleaning all the espresso machines after she argued with her manager."

"That's right. The manager sounded pretty angry with her. He said she messes up like this too often..."

"Hehe...oops."

"Alright. And after Kizaki, who came in?"



"It was the victim, Sara. Chance and Kizaki both saw her come in."

"And after that, but some time before 2:40, Sara was murdered. Then Miss Bergstrom came in and found you with the body."

"Yeah. Then there was all the yelling and accusing and all that other stuff..."

"So how was the victim killed?"



"She was suffocated."

"With what?"

"Duct tape. The culprit used it to bind her as well as seal her mouth and nose."

"After she died, the killer removed all the duct tape and threw it away in the men's room."

"That makes sense. But what about the knife?"



"It was meant to incriminate Chance. The culprit overheard her argument with her manager, so he or she knew the kitchen would be empty. After Sara died, the culprit removed all the tape, snuck into the kitchen, stole a knife, and stabbed Sara with it."

"So who do you think the true culprit is?"



"It was Miss Bergstrom."

"Are you sure about that?"



"Yes. I'm positive."




"Sara stole from Auten Engineering for you, but something went wrong with the deal."

"You think I'd do something as dirty as hiring a corporate spy?"

I glance over at Kizaki, but he doesn't make eye contact.

"Well, let's put it this way. I have a testimony that Sara did, in fact, steal information from Auten Engineering."

And considering the situation, I believe that she came here to deliver that information."

"The USB drive that held that information is nowhere to be found, which leads me to believe that whoever she was supposed to meet with did meet up with her. Biodev Imaging is still a new face in the live cell marketplace. I'm sure a little kick start from the competition's research files couldn't hurt. You're the only person here with ties to Biodev."

"Do you wish to deny asking Sara to steal information for you?"

"In case you forgot, I was the last person in. Sara was already dead by the time I got here."

"Yes, but that wasn't your first time here today. You came here before Chance arrived."

"You come here often enough that you know when her shift starts, so you came before she did so that she wouldn't see you. You hid in the bathroom to wait for Sara. When you heard Chance and her manager arguing, you suddenly got the idea to frame Chance. You knew the manager and Chance would both be out of the kitchen, so it was a golden opportunity to plant evidence that only Chance should have had access to. You killed Sara as planned, then removed all the duct tape, planted the knife, and escaped through the door in the men's room."

"That sounds like a solid theory, but then why did she bother to come back? Isn't it more incriminating for her to return?"

"That's what's been bothering me for a long time. But I thought about it, and I finally understand why she came back."

"Your false nails."

"What?"

"I found one in the bathroom already, stuck to that huge pile of duct tape that you used to kill Sara. She fought hard when you restrained her, and your nail broke off in the struggle. Unfortunately, you didn't notice until after you had escaped. You replaced it with a new one, but then you noticed that you were bleeding. The police would now have your DNA as proof that you were the murderer. With Sara's line of work and her recent job, they were bound to consider you as a suspect at some point in time. You knew you had to get rid of it immediately. You couldn't return through the emergency exit, so you had to take a chance and come in from the front."

"Unfortunately, when you came back, I had already discovered the body. So you decided to try to frame me, instead."



Jennifer stands in shock for a few seconds.

With a sudden burst of energy, she pushes me aside and races for the door.



Kizaki races after her and grabs her by the wrist.

"Let go of me!"



She spins around and slaps him in the face. He winces and stumbles back a few steps.




Miss Bergstrom is already heading towards the front door, but Detective Gurski steps in her path.




She skids to a halt and desperately searches the room for another exit, but I'm already blocking her passage to the hallway. She sighs and shakes her head resignedly.

"I'm such a fool... Running is the biggest proof of guilt, no? I suppose I should have seen this coming."



She pulls up her sleeve and unstraps the watch around her wrist.

"This is the USB drive. Everything on it belongs to Auten Engineering."

Detective Gurski takes it from her with a nod.

"Why did you even do it in the first place?"

"That greedy woman came to me today saying that someone else had offered her even more money for the information that I hired her to steal. She said that I'd have to pay a much higher price if I was still interested, and that I should meet her here to make the exchange. People like her are the reason the world is hurting so much. Because of her greed, dying people are being denied the care they need!"



"How can you say that!"

"What?"

"You have no right to decide who deserves to live and who deserves to die!"



"I..."

"You say that it's for the greater good, but it was really just for yourself, wasn't it?"

"I just thought that..."

Her voice trails off. I open my eyes slowly, struggling to maintain my composure.

"I know you thought you were doing the right thing, but there is nothing in this world that will make the weight of killing someone go away. You're going to spend the rest of your life with that burden, desperately trying find a way to make the guilt disappear."

"…"

"I'm sorry."

Outside the window, a police car with flashing lights pulls up.



I sink down into a chair and lean back. I feel so drained...I wish I could just go to sleep and not wake up for at least a year.



"Kizaki?"

"Yeah...well...no...I mean..."



"Naoki, huh? You look...different."



A disguise? He may have changed his appearance, but he doesn't seem to have changed his personality at all. It looks like the whole shy guy thing wasn't an act. In fact, he seems even shyer now...

"Was there something you wanted?"



"About what?"

"Um...we have a little bit of a problem with this case..."

"A problem? What do you mean?"



"The police have the USB drive now, so it's as good as safe, and Miss Bergstrom already confessed to hiring Sara. What's the problem?"

"Miss Bergstrom said that Sara claimed someone else was interested. If this third party really is after the info, we need to know."

A third party is involved? I suppose that would explain why Sara had an ID for Biodev Imaging. She was likely hired to steal research from them as well. Still, all this corporate backstabbing doesn't really have anything to do with me, and I'd really like to get away from this place as soon as possible...

"Well, that's all very interesting, but I don't see why you're bothering to tell me any of this."

"We think your ability might be useful in figuring out the third party."

I quickly glance around the coffee shop. Everyone else has gone already, but I lower my voice anyway.

"How do you know about that?"



"So you..."



Once I experience it, I remember it forever."

"So earlier, when I asked you about what this place sells to see if you really were a regular customer here..."



"I can recite the entire menu for you if you want, though."

"That won't be necessary..."

"I suppose I should have been suspicious when you answered so specifically. A normal customer would say something like one or two dollars rather than give an exact price."



"I suppose I have you to thank for the voice in my head giving me information about Sara as well?"



"Your boss?"

"So you're the one who was leaking information about me? All that time chatting online, you were just telling your boss what I was up to!"

"Guilty as charged."

"But it really would be a good thing if you could work with us. Would that be okay with you?"

"Um...I dunno. I'd really rather have as little to do with this as possible."

"And honestly, I don't know why your boss thinks you need my help, anyway."

”You've got it all wrong, detective."





"Aki? Am I to assume that you're the boss that Naoki speaks of?"



She smirks as she looks me over, sizing me up.

• All the options on the title screen are unlocked – I'll show off the Production Sketches and Director's Notes in the next update.

[Syrelian]

Okay, not quite how I was thinking things played out, but I'm glad my layout of the case largely fit, I had arrival order wrong but the rest of the detail notes largely held up, Chance had no hope of recovering the USB, even if we hadn't caught Bergstrom, because she already had it on her person

The drama thickens however, onward we go!

Thank you for playing this, its really interesting already and I can't wait to see what the sequels get up to!

[HydroSphere]

• Answering the order people arrived, murder method and purpose of the knife incorrectly.

"It was the victim, Sara."

"That can't be. I remember seeing her come in, so I had to be here before her."

"I saw her come in, too."

"That's right, I forgot. Um, in that case..."



"It was Kizaki."

"Didn't Chance say she saw Kizaki come in? He couldn't have been the first..."

"Ah, yeah. I didn't mean that."



"It was Miss Bergstrom."

"Everyone else was here by the time I arrived, you know."

"Right...that's true."



She was stabbed in the chest."

"Sorry, kid. I'm afraid that's a no go."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that there's hardly any blood on the body or at the scene."

"If someone is stabbed, then naturally they lose a lot of blood. The fact that there isn't much blood at the scene means her heart had already stopped beating before she was stabbed."

"Why didn't you tell me that from the beginning?"

"Because you're the one gathering information for me. It's not the other way around."

"Fine."



"She was poisoned."

"Poisoned? Are you sure? I examined the body, but I didn't see any signs of poisoning. I may have missed something..."

"But I don't think she ate or drank anything while she was here, anyway."



"You're free to check for yourself if you don't believe me."

"Yeah, I didn't mean that."



"She died of natural causes."

"Natural causes? I'd hardly call a knife to the chest natural causes. Don't tell me she died of a heart attack and then someone came along and stuck a knife in her for fun."

“ Y-yeah...that wouldn't make any sense."



"Someone else put it there."

"Why?"

"Um...I don't know."

"Don't you think it's more logical to say the murderer put it there to distract us?"

"That's right! That's what happened."

"Are you sure you've got this figured out?"

• If you answer incorrectly at least three times...

"I don't think I can really trust your deductions... Why don't you just wait here with the others?"

"Leave the rest of the investigation to me, okay?"

"But-"

"Please don't interfere with the investigation any more."

"Right...sorry."

I sink down into a nearby chair and close my eyes. I guess my role in this is over.

• If you have low trust with Gurski, he accuses our protagonist of trying to throw the investigation off, and arrests the protagonist as the main suspect. Kizaki / Naoki tries to stop Gurski, but Gurski orders Naoki not to interfere with an officer in the line of duty, (the protagonist picks up on “Kizaki” being called Naoki) and tells Naoki that he can visit the protagonist with his friends at the station.

• Accusing the wrong person of being the killer.

"It was Chance."

"Are you sure about that?"



"Yes. It had to be her!"

"Wait, you think I did it?"

"That's right. The only person who had access to the kitchen was you. You even made sure your manager was out of the way by forgetting to restock on soymilk. That way, you knew no one would catch you in the act."

"What about the knife? I thought you already said that knife was put there to frame me!"

"Yes, but you're the one who put it there. You knew it would look suspicious, especially after the police found the true murder weapon in the men's room."

You knew that once it was found, police would assume that the real killer ran and left you to be framed."

"She may have means and opportunity, but what was her motive?"



"It was an act of rage."

"But I never even spoke with her! I don't even know the woman."

"Kizaki can verify that Chance and Sara didn't interact with each other when Sara came in. Unless Sara went out of her way to visit Chance and make her angry over the span of a few minutes, it hardly seems like a reasonable explanation."

"Do you even have any proof that she did this?"

"Um..."



"Maybe it's better if you just let the police take over from here..."



"It was Kizaki."

"Are you sure about that?"



"Yes. I'm sure of it!"



"You really think it was him?"

Detective Gurski smirks. It looks like he's trying to hold back some laughter.

"Why not? I'm curious. What possible motive would he have to kill Sara?"



"He works for Auten Engineering, and he was trying to get the USB back."

"Well you don't have to tell the whole world about it!"

"Oh, so that's your employer. I was wondering about that."

"Wait, you already KNOW he's a spy? Why didn't you tell me?"



"It wouldn't be very professional of me to announce to the world that he's a private investigator, you know..."

Oh yeah. Oops...



"It was an accident."

"An accident?”



"Well, now that you put it that way, it doesn't sound that great..."



"Anyway, if this is the best you can come up with, I think it might be better to just let you sit this one out."

"Don't worry, we'll find the culprit. You can just relax and try not to get in the way."



"It was you, Detective Gurski!"

"What? Are you sure about that?"



"Of course I am."

"You're not really a detective, are you?"



"It's too convenient! You're a random off duty cop who just happens to be here?"

"Is that really so hard to believe?"

"Why isn't crime scene investigation here, yet? What about other officers? You claimed to call them, but you never did. You've been leading us all on, and using me to do your dirty work."

"What? I don't even have a motive!"



"You want the information that Sara stole. You were the person she was supposed to meet. The two of you met up, but she didn't give you the USB drive with the information on it. She told you she hid it somewhere and she'd tell you where it was after you paid her. Maybe she asked for more money. Either way, you had a disagreement. She tried to run, and you stabbed her. You told me that the knife came from the kitchen to throw suspicion on Chance, but it was all you."

"And...do you have any proof of any of this?"

"Um...not exactly..."

"I really thought you had actually figured something out."

"For your information, no other officers are here because there was a huge accident on the highway nearby. Traffic is backed up for miles."

"Besides, what exactly would I do after all of this, anyway?" If I were an impostor, I wouldn't be able to keep the act up forever. Eventually the real police would be notified. And then what? You've all seen my face. The police would have no problem tracking me down. Did you think this through at all?"

"Why don't you just go sit down and wait for the cops to arrive. Because I promise they will."

"I really think you're done helping with this case..."



"It was someone else."

"Are you sure about that?"



"Yes. No doubt in my mind."

"So then...who was it?"

"It was someone else who ran away afterwards."

"Someone else? But no one else came in."

"It was someone who came in before Chance got here. The murderer hid in the bathrooms before Chance arrived. She didn't realize someone was there."

"Hm...that does make sense..."

"Sara went to meet him, and he killed her by suffocating her. Then he took her USB drive and ran away."

"Well, what was his motive?"



"It was a random murder."

"A random murder? Didn't you just say that this person was hiding in the bathrooms waiting for Sara? Why would someone pre-meditate a random murder?"

"Oh...right..."

"Your reasoning isn't very solid at all. I think for now, you should just sit down and wait for the police to arrive."

"I guess so..."

Everyone else looks disappointed. I guess I can't blame them. I'm not even sure what I was thinking... I sit down and close my eyes. I guess I'm just not cut out for this sort of thing.



"He wanted revenge. He was from Auten Engineering and she stole from him."

"That does make sense, I suppose. I guess we're back to square one, though."

"I'll be contacting you all later so we can take your statements, but I guess this is it for now."

I lean back in a chair and relax. My muscles feel pretty weak. Even though what I said makes sense, I can't help but feel uneasy. Was it really just some random person? There are still pieces of the puzzle that don't fully fit. Surely this isn't it... Oh well. It's not exactly my problem anymore.

• You don't get the second chance for this ending, you just get kicked back to the title screen.

• Production Sketches and Director's Note.

• Audio outtakes - I don't think these are accessible in-game.

[HydroSphere]

• There's nothing to see in the Gallery or Extras yet.

"Oh yeah? So how, exactly, am I supposed to think about it?"

"You need to be more flexible. You should be open to the idea that what looks like one thing might just be a small part of something completely different. The outside shape doesn't always give you a good idea of what's inside."

"You mean like how my tiny little sister is such a huge genius?"

"Hehehe, just like that!"

"Who on earth invented this thing, anyway? It's such a weird puzzle."

"Well, I think that according to legend, the tangram happened when someone dropped a square tile and it broke into seven pieces. When he tried to put them back together, he discovered that he could shape it into many different things."

"So basically we're having fun at the expense of some poor guy who broke his tile?"

"Well, if it weren't for that, wouldn't the tile just be a boring tile like all the other tiles? But because of what happened, it's now a famous puzzle that's been seen across the world."



"Broken, huh? I think I'm happier just being a boring old tile that no one will ever notice."

"I don't think we get the luxury of choosing what happens to us."

"You don't think we get to decide our future?"

"I never said that. We don't get to decide what happens to us, but we can always decide how to respond to it."

"You know, you sure think about a lot of deep stuff for a fourteen-year-old. I thought girls your age were supposed to be into cute guys or nail polish."

"That's a stereotype, and you know it."

"What, I'm not allowed to tease you? Besides, I'm sure you'll start thinking about a boy one day. And when that day comes, you'd better make sure he gets my approval first. I don't want to lose my sister to some punk kid who's no good."

"Haha, stop joking! I told you, I'm not interested in that sort of thing."






Opening.











"I hope you slept well."



Aki sits beside me on the couch.

"You're our guest, after all."

"Except for the part where I don't want to be here."

"Well there's not much I can do about that. You have to admit, it's a lot nicer than police custody, though."

"I don't see why Detective Gurski thought it was necessary to detain me, anyway."

"I already solved the murder yesterday. The murderer even confessed!"

"Confessions can be recanted. It's best to have the most solid case possible in situations like this."

"What about Naoki? He was there! Why not use him?"



I roll my eyes.

"Whatever. There's plenty of painfully obvious evidence at the scene already. You hardly need me."

"You'd be surprised what expensive lawyers are capable of doing. We need the most airtight case possible.”

"Miko might seem like a relaxed guy, but he's thorough."

"Miko? You mean Detective Gurski?"

"Yeah. Mikolaj Gurski."

"You seem awfully familiar with him."

"You think so?"

Her expression breaks into a wide grin. I can only assume there's a story here that she's not telling me.

"Anyway, you should thank me for convincing him to let you stay with us. With us you get a nice bed, good food, and-"



Naoki opens the door to the apartment, triumphantly holding up a cup of coffee.

"...coffee."

"Ah-"

Naoki stumbles as he enters, grasping at the air in an attempt to catch himself.



She steps to the side as Naoki goes crashing to the ground. The girl gazes placidly at Naoki lying on the floor.

"Be careful."



"Ooh, nice save."

The young girl nods and hands the cup of coffee to me before disappearing back into the hallway.

"Who was that?"

"That's Li Mei."

"Uh huh. I saw her yesterday, but she just kinda nodded at me and walked off."

Naoki stands and rubs his head ruefully.

"That's Li Mei for you..."

"She's a quiet child. Hmm...quiet child...quield? Anyway. There's too much going on in her head, so it's a little hard on her to maintain conversations."

"What, she's like a genius kid or something?"



"Not exactly. It's a little more complicated than that."

"Why don't we talk about it on the way there?"

"There? Where are we going?"

"To speak with our client, of course."



I gaze sleepily out the car window and struggle to sit up straight in my seat. It's still early morning, and the city is only faintly outlined against the pale sky. I take a few sips of my coffee before dozing off completely.



The cityscape outside the car has transformed into a country scene. I vaguely remember passing the big city, but I'm pretty sure I fell asleep after that. Typical. I gaze at the rolling countryside as it passes by. All I see are clusters of trees with telephone poles dotting the side of the road. Aki's driving is surprisingly sedated. Considering her personality, I expected a lot more road rage. She seems content to chug along slightly below the speed limit, even though the road is perfectly straight and no other cars are in sight. I feel like we're creeping along at an incredibly slow pace. I guess this is why we had to leave early. At least I get to sit in the front. Glancing in the back seat, I see Naoki dozing, his head resting on his chest. Li Mei is awake, but she's staring blankly out the window.



“No, not particularly. The seat feels lumpy, and now my neck hurts."

Aki laughs and shakes her head.

"At least you're honest. Should we have gotten you something stronger than a triple shot?"

"No, it's not your fault. It'll kick in soon enough."

I look out the window again, trying to focus on the scenery. It looks like we're far away from the city by now.

“Any reason we had to leave so early?"

"We have a long way to go to meet with our client, and he's the sort of guy who will get very fussy if we're late."

"Where are we going, anyway? What are we supposed to be doing? Who's the client you're talking about?"

"Wait, you said you were going to tell me about Li Mei, didn't you?"

"You're overflowing with questions. I suppose I can't blame you."

"You're not the only one with questions, though. In fact, you're a pretty big question mark, yourself."



"I guess that works."



“Who ARE you people, anyway? You work for high profile corporations like Auten Engineering, the police seem to trust you almost unconditionally... But you just look like a bunch of kids."

Aki bursts out laughing.

"You're a kid too, aren't you?"

"Yeah, well..."

"We're a special investigation agency. Our work isn't always as exciting as corporate espionage and murder. More often than not, we're just snapping photos of cheating lovers."

"As for why the police trust us, that's sort of a weird story. That's for another question, though."

"Okay, my turn. What's your name?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that."

"You do realize how suspicious it makes you look when you hide it, right?"

"It's complicated."

"Things are only as complicated as you want them to be, but I respect your privacy."

The girl who can insert thoughts into my head whenever she wants respects my privacy? Ironic.



"Kangai?"

"Roughly translated, it means strong emotions. It's a sort of play on "kansei.""

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"



"Since you have a type of kansei, we can call you Kangai. Kan...Guy. Get it?"

"Yes, but it's stupid."

"I never claimed to be good at picking names."

"Try to think of something else, please."

"I'll see what I can do."

I lean back in my seat and adjust myself, attempting to get comfortable.

"Is there any reason your car is so tiny?"

"Is that your next question?"

"No. I'm just saying that there's not much space here."

"Li Mei never complained about it."

"Yeah, well, Li Mei is tiny."

"Oh yeah, what's the deal with her, anyway?"

"Now that's definitely a new question."



"Where are we going?"

"A small estate out in the countryside. It belongs to one Mr. William Auten."

"Auten? As in Auten Engineering?"

"Got it in one."

"So he's the guy who hired you to track Sara Blackmoore because she was stealing information from him."

"Yup. Well...until she was murdered, that is."

"Yeah, there is that."

"We reported to him yesterday about what happened."

"You mean about how Miss Bergstrom hired Sara to steal from him?"

"That and the fact that Miss Bergstrom claimed a third party was also interested in the information."

"He didn't sound too happy about that, so he ordered us to come see him today to give a full report in person."

"Wow. That's a little demanding..."

"I can't blame him. His entire company's at stake here."

"I hope you don't mind coming with us. Since you were there yesterday, it seems only natural to bring you along."

"Yeah, I get it."

I'm sure the real reason she's taking me along is because she promised Detective Gurski that she'd keep an eye on me. But I guess I don't mind talking to this Auten guy. It's not like I had any plans for today anyway, and it might be interesting to see the house of a millionaire.

"Why does Mr. Auten live so far out of the way, anyway?"

"Considering that his company is in the middle of Edgewater, wouldn't it make more sense NOT to live a gazillion miles from the place?"

"Who knows? Word is that he really hates the city. His assistant said that he rarely leaves his house, conducting most meetings via satellite."

"Weird. His entire company is built on cutting edge technology, but he doesn't want to live around a couple stop lights?"

Aki shrugs.

"Rich people are eccentric. Comes with the job description, I think."

"Sounds more like paranoia to me."

"Maybe it is."

"Alright, next question."

"Where are you from, anyway?"

"Um...Los Angeles."



"What?"

"Miko told me about it. Yesterday, you told him that you were from LA, but when he asked you about precincts, you didn't correct him. In Los Angeles, police work districts, not precincts."

"I'm surprised he didn't cuff you on the spot for lying to him."

“Actually, no I'm not."

I turn my gaze back to the scenery outside, unsure of how to answer. Detective Gurski knew I was lying yesterday.



"I've been living in Los Angeles for the past three years. Isn't that good enough?"

"And before that?"

"Only one question at a time, remember?"

Aki raises an eyebrow.

"Of course. Go ahead."



"So what's the deal with Li Mei, anyway? "Earlier you said there was a lot going on in her head."

"All of us have a sort of kansei like you do. We can all sense thoughts and feelings to some extent."

"And?"

"Li Mei's kansei is probably the purest form of them all."



"Everyone?"

"Everyone. If you're happy, she's happy. If you're sad, she's sad."

"Everyone else's emotions are constantly streaming into her mind. She has to spend a lot of her energy sorting out which feelings are hers and which aren't."

I turn to look at Li Mei. Her eyes are open, and her body is unmoving as she stares straight out the car window. Her mind must be a mess. I wonder if she can feel my pity for her. Can she even tell that it's me, or is it all mixed up inside of her? Oh man, should I even be feeling this way? If she can sense it, it's probably really demeaning to her that I'm feeling bad for her. I don't want her to think that I think of her as a poor little kid or something. I desperately try to conjure up another emotion to squelch my current mood, but my mind is completely blank. For a brief moment, Li Mei glances at me from the corner of her eye. She nods slowly, almost imperceptibly, but I think she's trying to tell me she's okay.

"My turn now."

Aki grins.

"Where did you live before Los Angeles?"

"Somehow I knew you were going to ask that."

"Oh, am I really that predictable?"

"…"

”Not going to answer?"

"Edgewater."

"What?"

"I used to live here. In Edgewater."

"Here?"

Aki sounds surprised.



She glances at me out of the corner of her eye. I'm sure she wants to ask more, but for once, she doesn't press the issue.

"Well, I guess that was my question. Your turn."



"What did you have to do to get the police to trust you?"

"We stopped the assassination of a visiting dignitary."

"You WHAT?"

"Everyone makes a big deal about it, but it was sort of a fluke."

"Naoki was trailing a businessman and secretary who were...ahem, putting in extra hours at an expensive hotel."

"And?"

"He saw the assassin, thought it was suspicious, and called me in. We intercepted the assassin, saved the day, and apparently that makes us trustworthy heroes."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"You'll forgive me if I find that hard to believe. A story like that is ridiculous."

"So? You're the boy with a kansei that allows you to experience the final moments of any dead body you touch."

You should be used to the ridiculous by now."

I guess she has a point there. It still doesn't sound like a real story, though.



I jump a little as Li Mei speaks up from the back seat. She's been silent for so long, I almost forgot she was there. Li Mei is pointing at a small side road that we just passed.

"Oops!"

Aki gives the steering wheel a tight spin and the car's tires screech as the car spins in the road.



"Naoki jerks awake as his head bumps against the window he was using for a head rest."

"Sorry! Missed a turn."

He rubs his head slowly.

"Yeah, I noticed. I guess we're almost there?"

"Yup. Just a few minutes now."

"Anyway, what were we talking about? Right, Mr. Auten. He's one of those self-made men you hear about all the time. Built Auten Engineering himself from the ground up. But he's also ridiculously secretive. No interviews, hardly any TV appearances. His assistant, Sophia Millerson, does most of that."

The car slows to a stop as we approach Mr. Auten's house. I squint out the window to get a better look at it. It looks like a very expensive, very pretty, box.



"This is it?"

"This is it."

"But it looks like someone just glued some fancy doors and windows onto a huge box."

"Yeah, it kinda does. I guess since he always stays inside, he doesn't care what it looks like on the outside."

Aki kicks open the car door and leaps out. The front doors of the house swing open silently, and a strict looking woman approaches us.



"Yup. I'm Aki Mizutani. You must be Sophia Millerson. We spoke on the phone."

Aki thrusts her hand out, but the woman merely raises a skeptical eyebrow.

"You're not exactly what I pictured."

Looking at Aki's wrinkled shirt and dusty pants, I can see why she might be a little thrown off.

"Being a private investigator involves having an appearance that doesn't stand out, ma'am."

"Truly."

The woman places her hands on her hips and sighs reluctantly.

"Well, come in. Mr. Auten seems unusually eager to speak with you."

Aki kicks the car door shut and motions for us to follow her. I climb out and stumble for a moment as my knees buckle underneath my weight. Ugh...my legs are cramped from sitting in that car for so long.



"Naoki comes stumbling out of the car after me, and we both do our best not to look like a pair of goldfish who've been dumped unceremoniously out of our bowl.

"Are these your associates?"

If she was unimpressed before, she's plain worried now. I can't say I blame her.

"They are."



"This is Li Mei, and this is my brother Naoki."

Li Mei glides up to Sophia like a swan and offers her a polite bow.

"And he is?"

Sophia points at me.

[HydroSphere]

Kangai? She's really going to stick with that weird name?

"Kangai? Unusual."

I turn to Aki and make a face, but Sophia either doesn't notice or care.

"Sorry, it's the best I could do on short notice. You should've given me something to work with!"

I'm suddenly regretting not telling her my name was Fred or something. I guess it's better than nothing.





"What's that light?"

"It's a retina detector."

Sophia indicates a small camera set in the door frame that we passed through.

"The house takes a shot of the eyes of anyone who passes through. It's useful for identification purposes. There are other sensors around the house that also capture your retina image. The house can remember your preferences and adjust things like lighting and temperature as soon as you enter the room."

Whoa...that's more than a little bit creepy.

"But I thought Mr. Auten lived out here because he didn't like technology."

"Mr. Auten lives here because he enjoys the peace and quiet being away from the city affords him. This house, however, has the most cutting edge security possible, including quite a few innovations not yet available on the market."

Fun. I'm sure the house is already looking up my dental records.

"Now please, don't dawdle. Mr. Auten's other guest is already here waiting for you."

"Other guests...?"

As we enter the house, I see the outline of a man standing at the far end of the room inspecting a scroll on the wall.




"Miko. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Aki doesn't bother to disguise the sarcasm in her voice.

"Detective Gurski played a major role in the apprehension of the murderer yesterday. It's only natural that he'd be invited back here by Mr. Auten."

"Yeah, I was actually THERE. Unlike some people."

Detective Gurski looks pointedly at Aki, but she just gazes coolly back at him. Sophia ignores the chill in the air between them and nods at us curtly.

"Please make yourselves comfortable. Mr. Auten is finishing up on a conference call. He'll see you once it's finished."

"Ooh, can we explore the house?"

"If you wish. The house currently logs you all as guests, so any doors you are authorized to pass through will open automatically."

Aki takes her brother's hand and gives it a quick tug.

"Let's go!"

"U-um...okay..."

Naoki trails after her, looking unsure. At the far end of the room, Detective Gurski rolls his eyes.Sophia turns and heads up a narrow staircase, presumably to do something important.The room is silent now. I swallow, trying hard not to make a sound. Detective Gurski turns to inspect the fountain in the middle of the room with feigned interest. Unfortunately, he looks more annoyed than interested. Li Mei stands silently in the center of the room, staring off at nothing in particular. There's something about her that bothers me, but I can't figure out what it is. Her still body and distant gaze remind me of the corpses I've seen, but even a dead body doesn't give me the uneasy feeling she does. Aki said that she feels the emotions of everyone, but it looks to me as if she doesn't feel any emotions at all. Before I can think on it more, the front door slides open to reveal a young woman with slightly unkempt hair standing on the other side.



"I'm so sorry I'm late! I got lost on the way here. Do you know how easy it is to miss that turn to get here?"

"Um, what?"

The woman looks at me expectantly. I wonder if Sophia knows there's a visitor. Should I go upstairs and tell her?

"You must be Liam Auten. I've heard so much about you!"

Liam? I thought Aki said that Mr. Auten's name was William... She smiles and holds her hand out. I give it a quick shake before stepping aside to let her in.

"Yeah, I'm not-"



She walks around the perimeter of the room, examining everything quickly with her eyes.

"And even if they ARE true, you're free to do what you want with your life! No one should judge you for your choices, right?"

"I don't think-"



"Uh..."

"Hm, did your uncle not tell you about it?"

She flits around the room again, stopping to inspect the bamboo that stands like a guard by the hallway.

"Pretty! Is it real?"

"I honestly have no idea."

She looks up and notices Detective Gurski for the first time.

"Oh! Hello!"

She rushes up to him and holds out her hand.

"Marissa Klein."

"Yes, I heard."

Marissa nibbles on the edge of her fingernail coyly.



Is she...flirting with him? I'm not sure I want to watch this...

"I'm afraid I'm only here for business, ma'am."

She gives him a gentle push.




"I don't work here."

Marissa's eyes grow wide.

"A guest? Even more interesting!"

She points to the fountain that Gurski is looking at.

"Are you an art fan?"

She reaches out to touch the dragon coiled around the glass sphere.

"Please refrain from touching the art."

Marissa freezes as Sophia appears at the bottom of the staircase.

"Miss Klein, I presume?"

"Yup! Sorry I'm-"

"You're two hours late. Mr. Auten has other business to attend to, now."

"Hang on, I called and said I'd be late, though!"

"I don't recall receiving such a call."

Marissa turns to me and grabs me by the shoulders.

"You didn't tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"You're the one who answered the phone when I called! Why didn't you tell her?"

: "I just got here. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Why is it that everything is somehow my fault? Marissa blinks and releases her grip on me.

"Wait, what's your name?"

"Uh...Kangai..."

I choke a little as I spit the name out. It sounds even dumber than when Aki says it.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I thought you were Liam Auten!"

"Yes, I gathered as much."

"Miss Klein, you may have called ahead, but the fact remains that you are very late, and Mr. Auten has a strict schedule."

"Wait, this is my first major interview! Is there any way I can squeeze it in today?"

Sophia sighs.

"Come with me."

"Oh, thank you!"

Marissa skitters up the staircase after Sophia. Detective Gurski is eyeing me with a quizzical look on his face.

"Kangai?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Did Aki pick that name for you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"She's notoriously bad at naming things. When she was a girl, she had a cat that was born with only a stub for a tail. She named the cat "Stubtail.""

"Great."



"I'm sorry you're stuck with those kids right now. If I had my way, I wouldn't group you in with them."

"What are you talking about?"



"Wait, WHAT?"

"Miko, are you gossiping about me again?"

Aki enters from the hallway and slaps Detective Gurski on the back.

"I'd rather you don't feed our friend "Kangai" here any misinformation."

"Well, I haven't lied to him, if that's what you mean."




Marissa's smiling, but it looks forced.

"Did you get your interview?"

"Of course. It'll be a winner, so be sure to look out for it."

She points her pen at me and jerks it back like a gun.

"Bang!"

Somehow, I doubt her article will win very much.



It seems to be taking all of Ms. Millerson's strength not to strangle Marissa.

"Please make it quick."

"Right-o!"

Marissa salutes and heads off down the hallway.

"Shall we get going?"



Sophia knocks on it twice.

"Mr. Auten, the investigators you requested are here."

A small burst of static pops from a speaker on the wall as Mr. Auten's voice emanates from the tiny box.



A camera descends from the ceiling and pans slowly across us before coming to a stop in front of me. The lens adjusts and focuses on me. Suddenly, another burst of static.



"What?"



Everyone turns around to stare at me.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! Stop blaming me for everything bad that happens!"

Mr. Auten's voice crackles over the speaker again.



"I'll take care of it right away, sir."

Sophia turns towards me.

"Please follow me this way, Kangai."

"But I didn't do anything."

"Please follow me this way, Kangai."

Sophia repeats her request, but her voice sounds much more tense.

"Fine, fine. I'm coming."



"I apologize for Mr. Auten's sudden outburst. He's prone to unnatural mood swings based on unidentified provocation."

She sounds more like she's giving a press release than an apology.

"We can proceed with your discussion after he is less agitated."

"You're not kicking me out?"

"Mr. Auten called for you. Once he settles down, he'll want to speak with you again. Until then, please make yourself at home while I go to work out the details of this visit with your associates."

She turns and heads back up the staircase without waiting for a response from me. I collapse on the stone bench with a sigh. I really can't catch a break, can I?

"Are you okay?"

Aki has followed me down the stairs. She looks concerned.

"No worries, I'm fine. After all, crazy old men yell at me ALL the time."

She smiles, and I think I hear a small giggle escape her lips. At least she's amused.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's hardly your fault. No need to apologize."

"Just sympathizing with you."

"Right. That part of your kansei, or are you just trying to be nice?"

"What do you think?"



"Detective Gurski is still up there trying to talk to him, but he won't listen to reason."

"Any idea what's going on up there?"

"No. I can't think of anything I've read that's like this."

"I don't know what you did, but you've got Mr. Auten bunkered up in there pretty good."

"I didn't do anything. You saw me."

"Yeah, I saw. It doesn't make any sense, though. He seemed pretty insistent about talking with us today. Li Mei, what do you think?"



"He's scared..."

"Yeah, we figured that much out already. Anything else? What about when he first reacted?"

She inhales and lets out a tiny breath.

"He was not surprised."

Not surprised? That's strange. Does that mean he expected to see me? But if that were the case... My thoughts are interrupted by a new voice



A young man - probably in his teens or early twenties - is staring at us from the hallway. His gaze passes over Li Mei, Aki, and Naoki, before resting on me.

"Way to go!"

He gives me a thumbs up.

"What?"





Aki holds back a snicker.



He shrugs and regains his composure quickly.

"Oh, well. I've seen worse."

What's that supposed to mean?

"Let's see... a bunch of people hanging out in the lobby for no reason... That's an easy one. Uncle called you out here, and now he's having a hissy fit and making you wait. Am I right?"

"Got it in one. And you must be Liam Auten."



I feel a little insulted that she'd equate me with this guy, though. Everything about him screams "slacker." He doesn't look like he's had a hard day in his life.

"I'm Liam, alright. But who are you? You definitely don't look like business partners."

"Uncle's not the kind of guy who lets just anyone enter. He's all crazy paranoid that way."

"If he's as paranoid as you say, why are you here?"

Aki ignores Liam's question and counters with her own. Liam shrugs.

"Meh, I'm family. It's not like he's got a choice."

Despite his casual air, I detect a hint of smugness around him. He probably enjoys feeling like he's above us. I've known this guy for about ten seconds and he already ticks me off. Naoki looks like he agrees with me, but it's clear he's trying to hide his feelings. Aki, on the other hand, doesn't seem bothered at all.

"Ah, so you're visiting your uncle today?"

"No, I live here."

He looks a little hurt that she'd assume otherwise.

"Really? That's even cooler! It must be kinda boring for you, though."

"Huh?"

"I was looking around earlier, and nearly all the doors are locked."

His wounded expression quickly transforms into one of pride.

"That's because you're a visitor. You don't get many access privileges."

"I'm allowed in, like, every room in the house!"

"Like? So not all of them..."

Aki's eyebrows shoot up. She definitely looks interested.

"Yeah, well..."

Liam looks to the side and mumbles.

"There's like a lock on his office and the security room. But those rooms are pointless anyway."

"Oh, well, if that's all."

Aki shrugs casually, and Liam relaxes his shoulders. I glance at Naoki. He's staring at some invisible point on the ground, trying his best not to be in this conversation.



"Hey, can I ask you a question?"

Her voice is suddenly quiet. Conspiratorial, almost.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Aki watches Liam's expression carefully as it changes from uncertainty to curiosity.

"I don't suppose I could ask you for a favor?"

"What?"

He's caught off guard by the request.

"Well, seeing as your uncle seems to be hanging us both out to dry, maybe we could at least spend the time doing something interesting."

"Like..?"

"I dunno, maybe you could show me around. We could poke around your uncle's precious privacy while he's busy being difficult."

Liam smirks.

"Heh. I guess I've got nothing better to do with my time. Sure, why not?"

He coils his arm around Aki's waist and guides her towards the hallway.




Agh...I really wish she wouldn't do that. I'm still surprised every time she uses her brain voice. Or kansei. Or whatever.

"Is she always like that?"

"Yeah... Aki has a way with people. She's...persuasive."

"No offense, but that was a rather thinly veiled bit of manipulation there. Why'd he fall for it?"










Naoki gazes at the floor and kicks aside some imaginary dust with the side of his foot.

"..."

"What?"

"Nothing...we should probably get going."

"I'd rather not split up if we don't have to. I don't do well exploring new places..."

"You're not even leaving the house. How bad could it be?"

"Well, I got stuck in an elevator once because I couldn't figure out how to get it to go to another floor..."



I don't even want to think about how he managed to accomplish that.

• Doesn't sound that unusual to me, I had a job where the lifts worked a little differently from the usual, and people were constantly ending up stuck in the lift on a floor they didn't want to be on.

• Unlike Jisei, Kansei has multiple endings. There'll be a decision coming up soon which will determine the focal point of this investigation; one option leads to two "normal" endings, the other option leads to a "normal" ending and a bad ending. There's also a true ending, which will be unlocked once we've seen either of the endings from option a, and the normal ending from option b. Aside from taking certain actions, the main factor in determining which ending we'll get are trust levels - on certain decisions (such as this one), I'll be asking for votes to decide how we should proceed.

[HydroSphere]

"Then let's all go together."

"Is it really okay?"

"Sure, why not? As long as we learn something, I'm sure Aki won't care."

"Is that okay with you, Li Mei?"

"It's fine."



The three of us walk down the hallway together. Naoki hangs behind Li Mei and I. He seems uncertain.

"I thought we were all going together. Or are you not coming?"

"I'm coming!"

Naoki hurries to catch up to us.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, man."

"That's easy for you to say. I'm not like you!"

"..."

The expression changes in Li Mei's eyes briefly, as if she's just recalled something that she had hoped to forget.

"So you're nervous. No big deal."

"Yeah. No big deal. Heh..."

The hallway stretches out with doors on either side. Behind the glass door at the end, a staircase leads downwards to parts unknown.

"So where do you two want to start? Maybe we should start at the end of the hall and work back."

"Anything but the stairs."

"Let's take the stairs."




"So..?"

"Where should we go?"

Didn't I just ask them that? Why am I the one who has to decide now?

"Um..."



"Let's take the last door on the left."

"Good idea!"



"Whoa..."

It feels as if the three of us have been transported into a museum. The room is filled with art pieces and artifacts. It looks like they're from China.

"Well, Mr. Auten certainly knows how to spend lavishly..."

The three of us wander around the room, stopping here and there to inspect some of the pieces. Most of them are labeled, but I'm still not exactly sure what any of this stuff is. Li Mei seems particularly captivated by a large tapestry on the far wall. The tapestry features four animals circling around each other. At the foot of the tapestry sit four polished plates. Each plate has one of the animals carved into its surface.




"Hey...what exactly does the tiger do?"

"The tiger and the dragon are eternal rivals, equally matched in strength. The dragon is the sly one, ruling through intelligence and trickery. The tiger is the strong one, fighting with raw power and force. Mind versus body."

"They represent balance. Opposing forces of nature. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. It just...stood out to me."

"Anyway, it doesn't look like there's much to see here."



"Why? I thought all rich people liked to spend money on useless things."

"Well...it's more like it doesn't seem his style. As far as I can tell, he's never publicly stated he has any interest in Chinese history."

"Usually an avid collector likes to make his collections well known. It's a mark of pride."

"Yeah, but we're talking about Mr. Auten here. He seems to be paranoid about pretty much everything. I doubt he'd just tell the world about his expensive collection of priceless art from China."

"It's not art."

"What?"



"Really? How do you know?"

"The words."



I look at Naoki. He looks worried.

"Is she right?"

"I-I think so. Li Mei knows better than I do, though. She was born in China. I can only read whatever Chinese overlaps with Japanese characters."

"So all those artifacts he gathered up are for protection. Protection from what?"

"I don't know..."

We look at Li Mei, but she shakes her head. There doesn't seem to be any indication of what Mr. Auten is trying to fend off.

"Well, should we keep exploring the house?"

"Yeah, let's get-"







"Whoa! Are you okay?"

"I...don't feel so good..."

"It's happening."

"What's going on?"

I feel my stomach churning. Li Mei looks ill, too.

"Please don't..."

"Scared. He's scared."

"Who? Kangai?"

I clutch at my stomach. Everything feels so light....

"It's Mr. Auten..."



"Mr. Auten!"



"Something's wrong with Mr. Auten!"

I rush to the door and pound on it frantically.

"Mr. Auten! MR. AUTEN!"

Gurski grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me away from the door.

"Let me in! There's something wrong!"

"Whoa, kid. Calm down."

I feel like I'm about to throw up, but I doubt Detective Gurski would appreciate that.

"I...he's not okay..."

Gurski stares at me for a moment. He looks torn. I can tell he's not exactly ready to trust me yet, but I think he also feels like something is wrong. Finally, he turns to Sophia.

"Mr. Auten has been unusually quiet for a while. Are you sure everything is okay? Is there any way we can force ourselves in?"

Sophia doesn't look pleased by his request.

"It's certainly unorthodox. I don't think Mr. Auten will be pleased."

"I think he'd be even less pleased if he needed medical attention and we didn't get it to him."

Sophia sighs and nods.



"And how, exactly, does one do that?"

"Someone needs to reboot the system manually, then someone else has to enter the restart code within ten seconds of the system being rebooted."

"Sounds complicated."

"It's meant to provide maximum security for Mr. Auten. I'm the only one here who knows the code, so someone else will have to go to the basement to reset the power. The basement door is usually locked to visitors, but I can unlock it from here."

Detective Gurski glances over my shoulder.

"Alright. Naoki, go reset it."

"What? Why me?"

Somehow I get the feeling Naoki says that a lot. He doesn't seem very enthusiastic about going down there.

[HydroSphere]

"Why don't I go down there instead?"

"You?"

"Yeah, why not? I know how to flip a few switches."

"Yeah! He could do it!"

Detective Gurski shrugs.

"Sure, why not?"

"Alright. The reboot process is fairly simple. Just flip all the switches off, then on. Then push the reset button."

"Okay."








"Sorry, kid. There's nothing you can do now."

"What do you mean?"

Detective Gurski glances at the office door as Sophia exits. She looks pretty shaken. Naoki is at her side, supporting her.

"You were right about Mr. Auten. He's dead."

"What? What happened?"

"He was already dead when we got there. Sophia tried to revive him, but..."

Naoki stops and glances at Detective Gurski uncomfortably.

"I stopped her. It was too risky."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not important."



"Sophia. I know you're upset, but we need to contact the police. My phone isn't getting any signal."

"All signal is blocked off in this place. Mr. Auten's orders, of course."

"Is there a land line I can use, then?"

"In there..."

Sophia lets go of Naoki and numbly points at the study door.

"I'll show you."

As the two of them leave, Li Mei approaches us. Any sign of her distress from before has disappeared. Her expression is placid.

"He's gone."

"Yeah. Naoki, what happened in there?"

"W-well..."

Naoki shifts back and forth as if he's not sure he should be saying anything.

"Mikolaj checked his pulse, but he was already dead."

"You said Sophia tried to revive him?"

"Yeah. She was going to use CPR, but Detective Gurski stopped her."



Naoki sighs. He looks pretty shaken himself.

"We should tell Aki what happened."

"But we don't know where she is."

"She's coming."

Li Mei turns towards the staircase just as Aki reaches the top.

"Hey, what happened? The lights went out for a moment."

"Mr. Auten died."

"Died? How?"

"Poisoning, it seems."

"Did you read his last moments?"

"I'm afraid not. Gurski won't let me in there."

"What about you? Did you see it?"

Aki turns to Naoki and he nods.

"I got it."

"Good, then we'll take a look at it later."

Detective Gurski exits the study with Sophia. She appears to have calmed down, but her body still trembles every time she breathes in.

"The police are on their way. It's a bit of a drive for them, so we'll have to sit tight until then. I suggest we all wait downstairs."

"As I don't have any jurisdiction here, it's only a suggestion."

He looks directly at me.



He turns and leads Sophia down the staircase, helping her with one step at a time. Aki frowns as they leave.



"Huh?"

"Nothing."



"What do you mean by that? Since when were we in trouble?"

"Um...it's not you."



I suddenly remember something that was bothering me earlier.

"You know, Detective Gurski told me that you guys belong to the government. What does that mean?"

"It means that Miko shouldn't talk so much."

She heads down the stairs before I can ask anything else. Naoki follows meekly, but Li Mei stays with me.

"What's up?"

"Do you truly want to know?"

"About you guys? Well, I think I deserve an explanation."

"But do you want one?"

"Well...yeah. I guess so."




"I...what?"

Li Mei nods once, looking satisfied with her succinct explanation. She turns and heads down the stairs without another word.

Parole? They're all convicts! Wait...even Naoki? Aki, I could understand. But Naoki? And what about Li Mei? What did she do? I'm really starting to worry about the sort of people I've fallen in with here... Slowly I descend the staircase, measuring one step after another. Maybe I really shouldn't have asked.



"Glad you could make it. Did you take a wrong turn somewhere?"

"No."

"You okay?"

"I'm fine."

I look around the room, hoping to change the subject.

"Where did everyone go?"

"Ms. Millerson wasn't feeling well, so Naoki offered to make some tea for her. They both went to the kitchen. Aki said she had to use the restroom, although I suspect she just wants to look around, and I'm never entirely sure what Li Mei is doing. The house is in lockdown right now, so it won't let any of us leave until Sophia unlocks it. I guess you can roam around or do whatever you feel like."

"Okay."





Examine the tree.

At first glance, it appears to be a peach tree, but all the peaches are actually lightbulbs. That's sort of interesting.

Examine the bamboo.

It's live bamboo. I bet a panda would enjoy it.

Examine the calligraphy.

Some sort of Chinese calligraphy. Too bad I can't read it.

Examine the office door.

That's the door to Mr. Auten's office. I'm fairly certain that I'm not allowed in there.

Examine the fountain.

It's a water fountain. The glass orb is lit by a light bulb, but it looks like there's a bowl in the middle. I'd guess that back in the day, it held oil for a flame.



Detective Gurski stands across the room from me, arms folded across his chest. He appears to be deep in thought, but it's not long before he notices that I'm looking at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Well that's not true."

"Nothing I want to talk about, then."

He uncrosses his arms and sighs.

"I don't know where you've been all these years or why, but that look in your eyes is still the same."

"What look?"

"The one that says you're already trying to figure everything out. It's like watching someone who's just started work on a puzzle."

"You're digging through the pieces and looking to build a frame, but you don't have much yet."

"That much is true. I don't remember seeing you before, though."

"I doubt you would. We've never met in person. I sure heard a lot about you, though. Both of you."

I suddenly feel my stomach knot up.

"How much is a lot?"



"Yeah, that was kind of on purpose..."

"Do you have any idea how much work was put into finding you?"

"Don't even start. I'm not in the mood to hear a lecture from someone who doesn't know what I'm going through."

"You know, back in the day, I couldn't go ten minutes without hearing your names."

"Oh, they're so great! What heroes these kids are! Why can't we have such helpful people here?"

"What a joke. When we found her body, the first person they looked for was you, but you were nowhere to be found.At first they thought you had been kidnapped. As days passed, they thought maybe you had been killed."

"When I saw you yesterday, I thought you had finally come back to do something worthwhile again."

"I solved that murder for you, didn't I? What more do you want?"




"It's complicated."

"Things are only as complicated as you want them to be."

"Aki told me the same thing this morning."

"Then maybe you should listen."

"I'd rather you don't get involved. This is something I have to deal with on my own."

"Sorry, kid. I'm sworn to uphold the law. Even if you don't want me getting involved, I kinda have to."

"I know. Just..."

I sigh and let my hands fall to my sides.

"It's not what you think."

"We'll talk about this more later, but I promise that this isn't over."




"Are you kidding? She was the first."

"And that's why I didn't want to tell you who I was! I knew they'd all find out I was back!"

"They'd find you eventually. It was only a matter of time."

"Am I in trouble?"

"Yeah, I'd say so."

"If it weren't for Aki's insistence that you stay with her, I'm sure they'd already have come to take you back."

"This is not good. This is SO not good. What am I supposed to do?"



"Listen, I'm sorry, okay? I was fifteen and stupid, and I shouldn't have run away."

"But can we just focus on the dead body we've got on our hands right now? I kinda feel like we're letting the past get in the way of the present."

"The present only exists because of the past, you know."

Gurski studies my face carefully, gauging my reaction. Finally, he sighs and shakes his head.

"But I see your point. Figuring out the cause of death for Mr. Auten does take priority right now. I'll be upstairs. Come talk to me if you find out anything."






He skids to a halt and jumps a few times, holding his hands out in self defense.

"Um...hi."

He stops for a moment to look me over.

"Never seen you around before. You're not one of Liam's friends, are you?"

"Not really."

"Oh, good! I can't stand Liam's friends. Don't tell him I said that."

"Your secret's safe with me, I guess. Who are you?"



"Sophia hasn't been answering my calls."

"You came here? I thought the house was in lockdown."

Kevin taps the temple of his head.

"Master code unlocks any door."

"Right."

"And who are you, again?"

"Kangai. I'm a...um...special investigator."

"Wicked. So Big Will is finally gonna bring down the hammer on Liam and his little night life."

Big Will? Does he mean William Auten?

"Um, actually...Mr. Auten just passed away."

Kevin stares at me blankly for a moment, but his expression slowly changes as he processes my statement.

"Passed away. As in...dead?"

"I'm not entirely sure there's another way to interpret that."

"Whoa..."

Kevin runs his fingers through his hair and laughs nervously.

"Sorry, man. This is just...wow, I can't believe it. It's kinda unreal, y'know? I just saw him yesterday and he looked fine."





"Yeah, I get it."

"So what happened?"

• Do we tell Kevin the truth? Liam and Marissa are also going to ask the same question at some point – should we lie to either or both of them or tell the truth?

[HydroSphere]

Content warning - mention of suicide.





"I'm not sure. Probably a heart attack or something."

"That's not a surprise. He kept refusing to see a doctor. Man, Sophia would beg him to at least get a checkup, but he'd have none of that."

"Don't quote me on that, though. I can't say for sure if it is or isn't."

"It really is a shame, though. He was a good man. Did a lot of good work in the medical world."

"Oh yeah?"



"MAN. Dead? Really?"

He shakes his head.

"Sorry, that's just too weird. I'm still having a hard time believing it."

Kevin blinks a few times as if he's not sure he's really awake.

"I'll be in the security room if you need me. It's the first door on the left here in this hallway."

"Um, okay."



Examine box on the wall.

It's a retina scanner. The door only unlocks if you have clearance. There's a keypad attached to it. I bet I could override the scanner if I knew the right codes.

Examine first scroll on the left.

It's an old painting on a silk scroll. It appears to be a mountain of some sort.

Examine second scroll on the left.

It's an old painting on a silk scroll. It appears to be a forest of some sort.

Examine first scroll on the right.

It's an old painting on a silk scroll. It appears to be an ocean of some sort.

Examine second scroll on the right.

It's an old painting on a silk scroll. It appears to be a cave of some sort.

Examine vase near the stairs.

A vase with some sort of plant. The vase looks authentic, but the plant is definitely a fake.

Examine security camera.

A security camera. It's enclosed in tinted plastic so I can't see which direction it's pointing in. Is it looking at me?




I try the door, but it doesn't open. I thought Kevin said he'd be in here. I knock on the door and I hear the sound of footsteps. The door slides open.

"What's up?"

"Um, you said you'd be here?"

"Yeah, I did. What do you want?"

I crane my neck to peer over Kevin's shoulder. The room behind him looks mostly empty, but I can see the glow of television screens across the wall.

"Can I...come in?"

Kevin frowns, but he steps aside to let me in.

"Sure, why not? Since Mr. Auten hired you, you'd probably be allowed in here anyway."



A long counter stretches across one wall. It bears a lonely keyboard and mouse. Mounted on the wall are several monitors, all flickering with images of various rooms in the house. At first glance, it appears to be a room meant for a high security corporate building, rather than just a house.




"So you can see everything from here?"

"Not everything. Mr. Auten's office is strictly off limits. Very private, you know. No one knows what he does in there."

He folds his arms across his chest and scowls.

"As if it isn't obvious."

"Obvious? What's obvious?"

"Mr. Auten never likes to be far from his booze. His solution to anything stressful is to drink it away. Course, he tries to hide it because it's not very professional, but every time he walks out of that room, he reeks of alcohol."



"Can you think of any reason that someone would want Mr. Auten dead?"

"You're kiddin' right?"

"Um...no?"

"You must be new around here. Mr. Auten's infamous around these parts."

"He's a ruthless sort of dude. Any little guy tries to start something new, he crushes 'em."




"Of course, that's only the stuff we know about."

"If you ask me, he's got more than just dirty business practices going on. I mean, seriously. Look at this place. No one builds a house like this in the middle of nowhere unless he's got something to hide. If he's not doing something illegal, I'll eat my motherboard."



"Why do you work for Mr. Auten?"

"The money. Duh."

"But you said he's probably doing illegal things. Doesn't that bother you?"




"In other words, you don't really care where the money comes from as long as you don't get in trouble."

"Yeah, pretty much. Why, should I?"

I'm starting to think that I'm not going to like anyone in this house.




"How'd you get this job?"

"Mr. Auten offered it to me."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. He hand picks everyone who works for him."

"How'd he find you?"



"That's pretty lucky."

"Yeah, that's the word for it."

Whoa...am I imagining things or is he resentful about something?




I doubt Kevin would appreciate it if I poked around all of his stuff. I should probably wait for a time when he's not around.

• Even though we've currently exhausted all our conversation topics with Kevin, if we go back in, Kevin has something he wants to talk about...

"You're an interesting guy, Kangai."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, for one, you keep some interesting company. I was bored, so I decided to run facial recognition on them. I found quite a few news reels about them, complete with security camera footage and mug shots."



"They did WHAT?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Like I said, you keep some interesting company."

"Weirdly enough, when I looked up their police records, they were completely empty. They haven't been charged with anything."

Nothing at all? I wonder how they managed to get out of that. Aki's doing, no doubt.

"The other girl with you is the real problem, though."

"Who, Li Mei?"

"I couldn't find a single thing on her. No online profile, no yearbook, no images of her anywhere, and no connection to anything your other friends did."

"So maybe she doesn't like social networking and she was homeschooled. What's the big deal?"

"Dude, seriously? You've got to make a real effort to be that much of a ghost."



"You're one of those guys who think the moon landing was faked, aren't you?"

"Oh, come on. It's not like that."

"Besides, how much do you know about her, anyway?"

Well, I can't exactly tell him that she has a kansei that makes her a human sponge for emotions. But beyond that, I really don't know a thing. Aki refused to even speak about it when I asked her.

"I know enough."

"Of course you do. You're the genius detective, after all."

"Oh no..."

Kevin taps a few keys on his keyboard and two of the monitors light up with an old newspaper article.



"I gotta admit, you're actually kind of cool. So are you on a super secret mission right now or something?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You know, since you're using a fake name and hanging out with criminals and stuff."

• Strictly speaking, Kangai isn't on a case right now, at least not officially, and it's not a lie to say that Kangai was a nickname given by Aki.

"No, it's just Aki's nickname for me."

"Well that's disappointing."

"Life's not all secret missions and government conspiracies, you know."

"It would be cooler if it were."







Examine the picture of the flowers.

Some sort of art screen. It looks very old.

Examine the calligraphy.

Calligraphy. Chinese, I assume.

Examine the door.

That's the door to Mr. Auten's office. It's locked.




"Do you really think Mr. Auten was murdered?"

Detective Gurski sighs and rubs his temples slowly.

"I don't know, kid. I can't just march in and declare it's a murder without any evidence. For all we know, he committed suicide."

"Do you think he killed himself?"

"Hard to say. His reaction when he saw you certainly was...unusual."

"That's not a level of fear you see in most people. He very likely could have done something foolish in response."

"So you think it's my fault?"

"Now, I never said that. There are a lot of things that might drive someone to suicide, but in the end, it's still the decision of the individual."

"Yeah...I know..."

Gurski studies my face carefully before he speaks.






"Are Aki and the others really convicts?"

"Well...technically, no."

"No?"

"They're not on record as having committed any crimes."

"But Kevin told me they were in the news a lot. He said something about selling the Space Needle?"

"Please don't remind me. That was one of the bigger headaches, and a huge publicity fiasco."

"And yet somehow, I'm supposed to keep them out of trouble now."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess you could say I'm their official handler. I'm supposed to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't do anything else."

"But what did they even do?"

"Hustling, mostly. The twins ran a lot of cons. Aki's got some sort of charm about her that makes people trust her. She's really manipulative, and her life is nothing but moral grey."

"Naoki's a good kid, but he'll do anything his sister tells him to do, and he's a fast learner. He can pick up on pretty much anything."



He rubs his head slowly as if an old headache had just found its way back to him.

"But Aki is Aki. Somehow, she managed to cut a deal. Clean records in return for their special services."

So now the government uses them as investigators, spies, or anything else requiring a quick mind and an expendable body."

"Ah. That's why she said they're a special investigation agency."

"It's not an inaccurate statement."



"What about Li Mei? Where did she come from?"

"I'm afraid that's classified information."

I raise an eyebrow, but I don't press the question. It's obviously not something I want to get involved with.







Examine soap bottle.

A soap dispenser. According to the label, it's evergreen scented, but it just smells like soap to me.

Examine first wall lamp.

A lamp. It uses ones of those compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Examine second wall lamp.

A lamp. The bulb uses a lower wattage than an incandescent bulb. Aki would probably attempt some sort of "Mr. Watten" joke at this point.

Examine desk lamp.

A lamp. The body is made out of porcelain.

Examine mirror.

Hmm...there's a space between the frame and the wall, so it's not a two-way mirror. I can't believe I'm checking for this. Old habits die hard, I guess.

Examine sink.

A sink with a porcelain basin.

Examine towels.

I guess you're supposed to dry your hands on these towels. Where exactly am I supposed to put the towel after that?

Examine stall.

A bathroom stall with a toilet in it. This place is a lot like a public restroom. I wonder if Mr. Auten used to accept a lot of guests.

Examine chair.

This chair is sadly not as comfortable as it looks.





If I had to name it, I'd call it the living room, but it doesn't feel very lived in at all.

"Oh, Kangai! Hello!"

"Uh, hey."

She looks happy to see me. Did I do something?

"Hey, did something happen? I saw Sophia rush by with that nice boy, but they didn't tell me what was going on."

"Oh! Yeah, um..."

I'm not sure there's a tactful way to put this.

"Mr. Auten died."

"WHAT? Are you kidding?"

"No..."

Marissa stares into my eyes, searching me with a mixture of fear and panic. I stare back until the truth of the incident sinks in. Her expression changes slowly as she realizes that I'm not lying.

"Are you sure? What happened?"



"Did he die of natural causes?"

"Why would you ask that?"



"That's why I came. I was hoping I'd be able to uncover something about what he might be doing."

"So you're really just sneaking around trying to dig up some dirt."

"It's really not what you think!"

"Okay, then what?"

"Nothing."



"What sort of illegal things was Mr. Auten doing?"

"Oh, it's hard to say. Everything's just rumor, you know?"

"It would be awfully irresponsible of me to spread false information, so I really need some hard evidence before I say anything else."

"Right. Sure."

It's obvious that there's something she doesn't want to tell me. I wonder if she's a victim of Mr. Auten's actions in the past.



"Earlier, you talked about some rumors about Liam. What was that all about?"

"Ah, those..."

"Well, recently, word's been going around that Liam Auten is involved in dog fighting."

"Whoa, whoa... That's a felony!"

"Not to mention extremely cruel."

"Well, I'm glad he chose to draw the line somewhere, at least."

"I'm fairly certain he was just getting fed up with Liam's antics. It's one thing to dismiss underage drinking. But the heat from Liam's participation in animal cruelty is bad publicity he didn't need."



"Planning on? So he didn't get around to it yet?"

"As far as I can tell, no, but you'd really have to ask someone more knowledgeable than I."




Examine window.

The garden is made up of evergreens. I think those flowers are called rhododendrons. They're a fairly low maintenance plant.

Examine TV.

Two thousand channels, and still nothing on.

Examine disc.

"Benefits of Organ Reproduction." Looks like some sort of corporate presentation or informational video.

Examine disc player.

Some sort of combo disc player that reads all sorts of formats. It's empty.

Examine table.

A dining room table. It looks like it could host a lot of people, but judging from the dust in the middle, I doubt it's been used for a while.[/i]

Examine door.

This door leads back into the main hallway.





Examine tapestry.

Tortoise, dragon, phoenix, and tiger. Li Mei says they're from Chinese mythology.

Examine plates.

These plates have the same animals as the tapestry. I guess these creatures are really important.

Examine armour.

Some old armor from the Qin Dynasty, if the label is to be believed. Looks like it's still in decent condition, so I guess it worked pretty well for whoever owned it previously.

Examine pot.

A very nice urn. It must have been expensive when it was first made. It's probably even more expensive now.

Examine door.

I'm not sure where that door leads. Outside, I guess? Either way, it's locked.

Examine pottery.

There are a lot of strange markings on this thing. According to the label, it's an oracle bone. I guess people tried to see the future with this?

Examine box.

It's some sort of box. There's no label on it. I guess it's not that important.



Li Mei is gazing blankly in the direction of a collection of old plates. I approach, but she barely seems to notice my presence.

"So uh...hey."

Li Mei blinks slowly and turns to face me. She nods once to acknowledge my presence. I shift my weight from one foot to the next as she stares at me expectantly. What am I even supposed to say?

"How are you feeling?"

She stares at me with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"I don't know."

She states it so simply, I almost feel foolish for asking.

"I guess I was just wondering if you were okay, since someone died after all..."

She tilts her head and looks at me curiously.

"Does it bother you?"

"Does what bother me?"

"Death."

• I went with the first option, completely forgetting that Kangai noted in the prologue of Jisei that he's experienced so many deaths by now, he's become somewhat numb to it.

"Yeah, of course it bothers me."

"I mean, even if I've experienced it before, that doesn't mean that I'm okay with it."

"Death is a terrible thing, no matter how often you see it."

I stare at my hands and rub my fingers slowly together. My palms feel sweaty.

"What about you?"

"..."

Li Mei stares at me curiously, as if she doesn't fully understand my question.

"I mean, are you bothered by death?



"He was very scared."

"Mr. Auten?"

"Yes. But even though I felt his fear, I knew that I was not scared."

"I'm not scared, but I still feel scared. Does that mean I'm bothered or not bothered?"

I sigh and lean against the door frame.

"You know, I've always wondered what it would feel like to die."

Li Mei tilts her head to the side. She looks curious.

"I mean...I've experienced deaths of course, but they're not mine."

"And somewhere in the back of my mind, every time I do it, I always know it's not mine. I've always wondered... When I die, will I be afraid, or will I think that it's just someone else's death again?"

"Or maybe by the time I die, I'll be so comfortable with it, I won't care, even though I know it's mine."

I turn to face Li Mei. She's watching my face carefully.

"I don't know. That wasn't really an answer, huh?"

I laugh and shrug casually.

"Honestly, I don't even know why I said any of that."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that there isn't really an answer."

"You and I both have to carry other people's emotions. It's tiring, and sometimes it's confusing."

"But I think that if we didn't have these abilities, we'd still be sad when other people are sad and scared when other people are scared. That's just being human."

Li Mei smiles and takes my hand in hers.



"Um, sure. You're welcome."



"What is everybody feeling right now?"

"Naoki is scared-"

"No, I meant the others. Not our friends."

"Oh... I apologize."

"It's fine. I wasn't very specific."

Li Mei takes a deep breath and closes her eyes again. This time, it takes her a little longer to sort out her thoughts.

"Sophia is sad. She feels as if there is no hope. But...there is also relief."

"Marissa is scared and disappointed."

"There's so much emotion inside of her. It's all flowing at the same time. She wants to be happy, but she also feels very guilty."

"Humans are very complicated."

Li Mei nods earnestly, as if she's just struck a new idea. I nod in return.

"Kevin is uncertain. He does not know what he should be feeling."

He definitely seemed to have trouble believing me when I told him that Mr. Auten died. Denial, I guess.

"And Liam..."

"...I can't."

"What's wrong?"

"He is with Aki right now."



Aki... That girl seems to enjoy invading everybody's privacy. It's a wonder that Naoki and Li Mei put up with her. Hopefully whatever she's up to will lead to something useful.



"What did you do before you lived with Aki and Naoki?"

"I'm not allowed to speak about that..."

"Is there anything you ARE allowed to speak about?"

Li Mei closes her eyes and takes a small breath. Her lips move slowly, as if she's poring over the list of things she's allowed to share. Finally, she opens her eyes and smiles with a self-satisfied look on her face.



Whoa. What's with that phrasing? She sounds so formal all of a sudden.



"What does the calligraphy in the front hallway say?"

""No dust settles here." It means that this place is quiet and safe from influence of the outside world."

"Huh, okay."





"H-hey..."

"Hey."

Naoki welcomes me with a halfhearted smile. Sophia is standing at the other end of the kitchen, sipping slowly on a cup of tea. Her eyes don't waver from the small cup in her hands. I lean in towards Naoki.

"Is she okay?"

"She's feeling better. Still a little shaken up, though. She was crying pretty hard when we found Mr. Auten's body."

"Kangai."

"Yes?"

"I hope you don't mind if I ask you something."

"Um, no. Go ahead."

"How did you know that something bad happened to Mr. Auten?"

"U-um...that's-"

"Naoki, please. I was asking Kangai."

"Sorry..."

"So? How did you know?"

• Should we tell the truth or lie?

[Syrelian]

The truth, I think its a good piece of honesty to say it, and the worst is that she takes it as a gut hunch, we have a solid alibi, but if we're evasive we could come off as possibly involved anyway

And we need people's trust to get to the bottom of things, unlike the cause of death, why we detected it isn't going to send people into panic or frenzy

[HydroSphere]

"Um...I guess you could say I have a sort of sixth sense?"

"A sixth sense. As in...psychic?"

"I guess you could call it that?"

"Can you give me details on how it works?"

Whoa...she actually sounds like she might believe me.

"I can't really say. I just...feel things. I get sick sometimes, and then I know something bad has happened."



Still, I feel as if she deserves at least a partial truth.

"I see. I suppose it's different, then."

"Different? From what?"



"It's not like what you described, though."

"What sort of experiments?"

"I don't really know much about it. It was a long time ago - before I started working for him. He just mentioned it in passing once, so I thought maybe that had something to do with it. He was terribly drunk at the time, though, so I suppose he might not have even been telling the truth."

"I'm sorry. I'm jumping to the strangest conclusions here. I must not be in a very good frame of mind right now."

Sophia sighs and shuts her eyes. She looks like she wants to cry again.

"I'm sorry. You really cared about Mr. Auten, didn't you?"

For a moment, Sophia doesn't respond. Her shoulders shudder as she takes in a deep breath. Finally, she opens her eyes and speaks in barely more than a whisper.

"I don't know what I'm going to do now that he's gone..."

"I'm so sorry."

Naoki places a gentle hand on Sophia's shoulder. For a moment, I feel strange. She definitely sounds sincere, but something about what she just said sounds off.




"I'm sorry. I just really want to find the person who did this. If there's anything you need to know, just ask, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Thanks."



Examine door.

This door leads back into the hallway.

Examine kettle.

It's just a normal kettle. Nothing suspicious about that.

Examine towel.

It's a dish towel. It's about exciting as a limp towel.

Examine pots.

It's empty.

Examine spoon.

A spoon with a hole in the bottom. Probably not too useful for serving soup, but perfect for straining pasta.

Examine jar.

A small jar of salt. Looking at how large the grains are, I'd guess kosher.

Examine cooker.

Looks like a gas stove. Commercial grade.

Examine utensils.

Some spoons and a spatula. They're all a bit dusty.

Examine recycling.

There's a recycling bin in here. It's about half full of glass and plastic bottles.

Examine tea pot.

There's hot tea in there. Naoki probably made it.

Examine microwave.

A microwave. It's very clean. Sophia really keeps things tidy around here.

Examine fridge.

The fridge is pretty well stocked, but it's all pre-packaged food. I guess no one cooks around here.




"What do you think about Mr. Auten's death?"

"What do I think? I think it's terrible!"

"I really don't like having to see dead bodies."

"Well, I meant, who do you think did it?"

"Um...I really can't say. I don't wanna make any judgments."

He glances to the side and begins to absentmindedly fiddle with his fingers.

"Can you at least tell me your thoughts on everyone here?"

"Well, Liam is pretty angry with his uncle. His eyebrows went down every time he spoke about him. He covered his face when Aki started asking more questions, so he's got something to hide."

"I'm pretty sure Marissa's hiding something, too. Every time she smiles, her eyebrows go up, as if she's worried. After she finished her interview with Mr. Auten, she was even more nervous than before."

Naoki glances at Sophia before leaning in and whispering.

"Sophia was pretty frustrated when we came, but now she's really anxious. She won't stop pacing back and forth."

"And what about Kevin?"

"You mean that guy with the red hair?"

"I didn't really get to see his face. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I was just curious. Really, it's good enough that you know this much. I'm kind of impressed."

"I've been studying body language for a while, now."





"Why do you work for Mr. Auten?"

"Mr. Auten values my services. I am a trained professional and an excellent personal assistant."

"That wasn't really an answer. What I meant was, why did you choose to work for him?"

"I have personal reasons, but my employment is both legal and morally sound."



"Was Mr. Auten planning to cut Liam from his will?"

"He was. Liam's actions were very costly in terms of both money and public image. Mr. Auten wanted to punish him for his cavalier attitude."

"When Liam took up dog fighting a few months ago, that was the last straw. Last week, Mr. Auten informed Liam that he would no longer be inheriting anything."

"How did Liam take that?"

"He was furious, naturally. He called Mr. Auten a selfish and greedy old man, and he said that he'd make him regret his decision."

"Mr. Auten never got around to doing it. The lawyer was scheduled to visit next week. As it stands, all of Mr. Auten's fortune now belongs to Liam."

How convenient for Liam. Killing someone seems like a good way to get revenge, although I don't think Mr. Auten regrets much now that he's dead. Still, it's definitely something to keep in mind.







Examine lights.

The emergency lights. They're not on right now.

Examine fuse box.

I can turn off the house's power from here. I probably shouldn't, though.

Examine box.

Whoa, this box is full of papers. They all look pretty old. Hm...experiment results? I don't understand what any of this is about. Maybe I should ask someone trustworthy. I'll take a few of these pages and leave the rest here for now.




"Whoa!"

"Oops, sorry, Kan!"

"Where have you been?"

"I was just upstairs with Liam."

"..."

"Oh, don't look at me like that. It's not what you think."

"Of course."

"For your information, I was just asking Liam about the staff."



"I- what?"

"That can't be true! Kevin said that Mr. Auten pays him well."

"Well, then Kevin was lying."

"And what makes you think Liam wasn't lying?"

"Let's just say that he strongly believes it's in his best interest to be truthful."

"In other words, you used your kansei."

"Got it in one."

"So if Mr. Auten doesn't pay anyone, why do they work for him?"






"Whoa. So, basically he gets people to be completely devoted to him by holding on to what they love. And in the end, he doesn't have to pay a cent."

"I have to admit, I'm actually kind of impressed."

This is getting complicated.

"If we want to get to the bottom of this, we're going to need another look at the crime scene."

"But Detective Gurski's guarding the door. I doubt he'd let even you in."

"Oh, I'm the last person he'd let in."

"But we don't need the real thing. We've got something just as good."



"Naoki? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Sophia."

"I called him here, of course."

Aki glances around the room quickly before taking a step towards her brother.

"This is what my kansei is actually good for."

Aki takes Naoki's hand in hers and closes her eyes.




The world looks a little warmer and softer than I'm used to. It's kind of surreal. On the ground before me is a dead body. Mr. Auten, I assume.

"Are we...in the office?"

"Of course not. We're still in the main lobby."



"Okay, so what do we do now?"

"Have a look around, of course. Does anything look suspicious?"



Examine scrolls.

A fancy scroll with Chinese calligraphy on it. I have no idea what it says.

Examine newspaper.

Today's newspaper.

Examine laptop.

Mr. Auten's computer. The screen is dark.

Examine books.

A lot of books. I think it's an encyclopedia set.

Examine shelves.

A bunch of shelves. It's just Naoki's memory, so I can't see what's inside them.

Examine chair.

A very comfortable looking chair befitting an executive officer.

Examine phone.

A phone that's actually plugged into the wall. I suppose a land line is still more secure and reliable.

Examine drawer.

Some drawers. Too bad I can't get a look inside.

Examine Auten.

If I were in the real office, I'd be able to read Mr. Auten's final moments. Unfortunately, I'm not in the real office. Judging by his skin color, I'd agree with Detective Gurski. This guy was poisoned.

Examine globe

I wonder why people instinctively search for their home whenever they see a map. Maybe we're searching for a feeling of belonging. Well, I found Edgewater, for what it's worth.

Examine bottle.

Some sort of alcohol. I'd guess cognac by the color. The ice in the glass hasn't melted yet, which means Mr. Auten was drinking this right before he died. Maybe he was poisoned!



"Um...if I had to say, I'd guess the cognac on his desk. The ice wasn't melted, so he poured it recently. And he didn't get to drink very much of it, so it may have been the source of the poison."

"That's logical, but how could anyone poison his drink in the first place?"

"Maybe the killer poisoned the cognac before giving it to Mr. Auten."

"If that's the case, then the murderer could be anyone."



Then I guess we'll just have to figure out who bought it. Sophia probably knows who's given him gifts lately."




"Did you learn anything else when you were speaking with Liam?"

"Well, he did mention that his uncle likes to drink."

"That's not exactly news. I'm pretty sure everyone here knows that."

"It sure makes poisoning him easy, though, huh?"



"So. You and the others are criminals, huh?"

"I see Miko has been talking to you."

"Li Mei is the one who told me."

"Well, I won't deny that we've done things on both sides of the law."

"But we're not just a bunch of criminals, okay? I have my reasons."



"I've explored as much of the house as I can..."

"But..?"

"Well, I haven't gotten a good look at the security room. Kevin's always in there, and I don't want to be poking around while he's watching."

"Hm...good point. I wonder if there's a way to get him out of the room for a while..."

"Even if we could, the door would lock behind him. There's no way to open it without him. The only way to get in is to reset the power and override the system. You can't override the security system without a code."

Aki's eyes suddenly light up.

"So what you're saying is, it IS possible to enter without him."

"No..."

"You just said that we could get it if we had a code."

"But we don't! I don't think Sophia's just going to tell us hers."

"I'm pretty sure she already did."



Naoki appears beside me. He looks a little out of breath, as if he ran here as quickly as he could.

"Wait, did you just call him here?"

"Yeah."

Aki stares at me as if this should be obvious.

"It's better than sending a text, although the range isn't that great..."

She laughs.

"But first things first."

She turns to Naoki and places her palms together, almost as if she's in prayer.



He frowns.

"Every time you say that, we do something illegal."

“Well, it's for a good cause."

"You always say that, too."

"I suppose I do."

She smiles widely, showing off her teeth in a cheesy grin.

"But you'll help, right?"

He sighs.

"What do you want?"

"When you guys first opened Mr. Auten's office, you saw Sophia's security code, right?"

"..."

Naoki looks around apprehensively. It seems he already knows where this conversation is going.

"Well, we're just going to try a little experiment and see if it works on other doors. Like the one to the security room."

She folds her arms across her chest and draws her back up. She paces between Naoki and I like a general giving orders.

"I'll distract Kevin while Kan turns the power off. Kevin will no doubt head to the basement to fix the problem. Once the power is back on, Naoki will use Sophia's code to get the two of you access to the security room.



"Got it?"

Naoki sighs. He looks resigned.

"Got it."

Aki turns and looks at me expectantly.

"Yeah, I got it."

I try not to sound too resentful. It's not an entirely terrible plan, but I don't like having Aki boss me around.

"Good. Then wait for my signal."

Aki strides down the hallway and knocks on the door to the security room. After a few moments, Kevin opens it and lets her inside.





As soon as Aki starts speaking, I turn and walk down the hallway with long, quick strides. I hurry past the rows of doors and I quickly make my way down to the basement. Once I arrive at the basement, I flip all the switches off. The room plunges into darkness.




After a few seconds, the lights flicker back on. At the same time, I hear the basement door slam shut.




I crack the door to the bathroom open slowly. In the hallway, Naoki is already busy punching in a string of numbers into the security pad. His fingers race over the buttons, tapping each one in an even rhythm. The box beeps softly and the door opens. The two of us leap through it and begin our search through the meager contents of the security room.



Examine phone.

Wow, a phone that's actually attached to a wall. I guess if cell phones don't work here, you need a land line after all.

Examine recorder.

Some sort of recording device. I assume it stores footage from the security cameras.

Examine top right monitor.

The main staircase. Not much going on.

Examine second from right monitor.

I think that's the upstairs hallway.

Examine third from right monitor.

It's the basement. I get the feeling I'm the only person who's been there in a while.

Examine fourth from right monitor.

That's the living room.

Examine fifth from right monitor.

Mr. Auten's collection of expensive things that break easily.

Examine sixth from right monitor.

A luxurious looking bedroom. I'm a bit envious; all I get is a couch in Aki's apartment.

Examine seventh from right monitor.

Someone's bedroom, I think. Looks nice and large.

Examine lower left monitor.

The road that leads to this house. There are a lot of trees outside.

Examine second from left monitor.

The main entrance.

Examine third from left monitor.

A bunch of lines of code. I can't understand any of it.

Examine fourth from left monitor.

A bunch of computer files. They're probably important.

Examine fifth from left monitor.

The kitchen. Not much going on in there.

Examine sixth from left monitor.

The downstairs hallway.

Examine seventh from left monitor.

The stairs leading to the basement. Looks like the coast is clear for now, but Kevin might be back at any minute.

Examine mouse.

A computer mouse. It looks normal to me.

Examine keyboard.

It's a normal computer keyboard.

Examine chair.

A fairly standard office chair.

Examine left most map.

A map of the second floor. All that's there is Mr. Auten's office and a few bedrooms.

Examine top right map.

A map of the first floor. I think I've been in all of these rooms.

Examine lower map.

The basement. It's pretty small.

Examine computer.

I kneel beside the computer to inspect it. It looks like it was custom built, but there's nothing suspicious about it. As I stand, I notice a yellow bit of cardboard sandwiched between the computer and the glass desk.

"Hm...what's this?"

I pull it out gently. It's a folder stuffed with papers. This looks promising.



I roll up the papers quickly and stuff them under my shirt. Naoki and I make a mad dash for the door. We burst out into the hallway, shut the door quickly behind us, then attempt a casual walk back into the lobby.





After a few minutes, Aki rejoins us.

"So? Find anything?"

I show her and Naoki the papers that I discovered.

"Hm...these numbers are pretty recent. I see a lot of references to other companies, but I'm not sure what they mean."

"Likewise."

Aki and Naoki both furrow their brows in concentration as they examine the papers. Despite their wildly different personalities, they still reflect each other's actions. Finally Aki sighs and hands the papers back to me.

"I've got nothing."

I take the pages back from her and roll them up again. Maybe someone else can tell me what they mean.






Liam approaches me as soon as I enter the hallway.

"Huh? Yeah, what's up?"

He runs his fingers through his hair and yawns.

"Just wondering if you were on good terms with that police dude."

"Um...I wouldn't really say that I am..."

"Huh. Well that sucks."

He shoves his hands in his pockets.

"I told him I wanted to go, and he was all like I can't leave 'cause Uncle is something or other."

"Um...dead, you mean?"

Liam stares at me as if I've just placed an octopus atop my head.

"What are you talking about?"

"Mr. Auten is dead! He just died!"

Did Aki even tell him any of this when she was speaking with him? Liam's eyes dilate as he processes my statement.

"Wait...so that means..."

His eyes light up as a self-satisfied smirk spreads across his face.

"Well, there's irony for you."

"What's so ironic about it?"

"Oh, come on. What ISN'T ironic about it? The man makes artificial hearts for a living, but his own ticker fails on him!"

I purse my lips and attempt to keep my voice calm.

"You don't seem that cut up about it."

"Why should I be? He was due for it soon enough with the way he was drinking. Heart attack, right?"



"Yeah, it was probably a heart attack."

"Yeah, figured as much. Well, that's that, I guess."

"That's it? You're just going to shrug if off like that?"

"Am I supposed to cry or something?"

"He's your family."

"I've lost family members before."

He shrugs.

"Really, it's more annoying than anything else."

He kicks the door to the living room and the sensor by the door beeps a complaint.

"Right."

Liam rolls his eyes and turns toward the camera. The lens takes a brief moment to focus before the sensor beeps and the door opens.

"I can't believe I'm locked in this stupid place because of a stupid heart attack."



"Liam Auten! Just the man I wanted to see!"

"W-what?"

Liam looks a little taken aback as Marissa gushes over him.

"I'd like to interview you for the magazine Modern Trends, if you don't mind."

"Oh, um...sure."

Liam quickly regains his composure and throws himself on a nearby couch.

"What do you want to know?"

I quickly duck out of the room before I have to watch any more of this display.





"It turns out that Mr. Auten was going to cut Liam from his will."

"Well, then. That's an interesting turn of events. Do you know why?"

"One too many run-ins with the law, it seems. The big one, apparently, was him getting involved in dog fighting."

Detective Gurski grimaces.

"That would do it."

"Am I to assume that Mr. Auten never actually got around to making this all-important change in his will?"

"Yeah. Sophia said that the lawyer was going to come by next week."

"Great."



"I found a bunch of these papers in the basement. Any idea what they're about?"

Detective Gurski takes the sheets from me and pages through them carefully. With each page he reads, his eyes widen.



"What? What is it?"

"Old research. Very old research that certain people in the government want to pretend never happened."

"How do you know this?"

"It's a long story, kid."

"It's not like I have anywhere to be."

He sighs.

• If you have low trust with Gurski, this line of questioning stops here.

"Specifically, an old experiment that William Auten was involved with. I got in a lot of trouble for what I saw."




"So you're the one who caught Aki and Naoki?"

"I was Aki's arresting officer, yes. We technically never caught Naoki."

"He got away?"

I'm having trouble thinking of Naoki as the sort of guy who could run from the law for very long.

"Aki went down fighting so that he could escape. We spent three days looking for him, and not a thing. Then, less than an hour after she cut a deal, he showed up on our doorstep to turn himself in. Like magic!"

He scowls.

"Part of me suspects that she planned it all in advance."






"Do you know anything about Liam's night life?"

"You mean all the drinking and gambling, or extra stupid stuff?"

"Well...I was thinking about...other things..."

Oh, the dog fights, then."

"You knew about that?"

"Well, yeah. I'm the reason Mr. Auten found out in the first place. He asked me to track Liam's movements on his phone. Guess he didn't trust him."

"There's a surprise."

"Anyway, I noticed Liam was spending more and more time in a corner of town that's not really hot on the usual party clubs, so I did some more digging. Found out that Liam was watching dog fights, and in some cases funding them himself. Big Will was furious when I told him."

"When you showed up, I thought he had hired a private investigator to get some proof."

"I guess it's kind of a moot point, now."



"So um...about your family's debt..."

Kevin's face darkens and he tugs on his hair nervously.

"Yeah, that..."

"There's nothing to feel bad about."

"You think so? Because I think there's plenty to feel bad about."

He glares at me.

"My parents took out a loan so I could go to a good college, yeah?"

"Everything looks okay until my last year, when the company suddenly changes their policy."

"The minimum payment shoots up, and the interest rate goes through the roof."

"They can't do that!"

"Sure they can. It was in the contract, printed all tiny and in legal junk."

He rolls his eyes.



"And if I had been there, maybe I could have read the contract myself and seen something..."

He looks like he wants to say more, but instead he merely gazes at the ground.

"So yeah. I feel pretty bad about it. But what can I do, you know?"





"Oh. Hi again."

I scan the living room quickly. Liam's the only person here.

"Where's Marissa?"

"Oh, her? She went to the bathroom. I think."

He turns his back to me and focuses on the widescreen television set in front of him.

"Did you want something?"

"Um, just wondering if we could talk."

"What, are you a reporter, too?"

"No..."

"Oh, right. You're with Aki. She said you guys were economics students studying Uncle's business practices."

Economics students? I would not have called that.

"Yeah. School paper."

"Well, you can ask me anything you want, I guess."

"But I don't really pay attention to what Uncle did."



"Did your uncle threaten to cut you from his will?"

Liam's eyes narrow.

"Who told you that?"

"No one. I'm just asking."

"Well the answer is no. Uncle never did anything like that, and if anyone is saying things like that, they're lying."

"Really?"



"Yeah, that's really not how I heard it."

"Listen, sometimes he might just say things to...you know, try to convince me. He doesn't really mean it, though."

"So he DID threaten to cut you from the will."

"He does that all the time, though!"

"But he actually scheduled a lawyer this time."

Liam's carefree expression fades into an unpleasant frown.

"So?"

"He meant it this time. You know that."

"No, he was just trying to scare me, like he always does. There's nothing more to it than that!"

Liam's casual attitude is completely gone. His body is tense, and his eye bore into the television screen as he struggles to ignore me. I've definitely struck a nerve.



"Is there anyone who might want your uncle dead?"

Liam frowns and stares at the ground.

"Lots of people, I guess."

"Can you be more specific?"



"Sorry. I was just asking."



"I heard that your uncle didn't pay his employees?"

"Well, Sophia and Kevin, yes. He said that in order to trust someone, money can't be involved in the equation."

"Wouldn't it make someone less trustworthy if you didn't pay them?"

"What, you think one of them killed Uncle? What would they have to gain? If he's dead, it's not like he could pay them."

Liam eyes me suspiciously.

"You're asking weird questions. What's this really about?"

"Just asking some economics questions. Nothing big."





Marissa points at the stall.

"Um, no, it's fine. I was just wondering what you were doing in here."

Marissa frowns and begins to fidget.

"Well..."

"Wait, do I want to know?"

"It's nothing bad!"

She scans the room quickly with her eyes.

"I just needed a place where I could be private. You know, someplace where no one is watching. There are cameras. All over this place, you know."

"So?"

She shivers.

"That's terrifying! Aren't you bothered by the fact that someone you don't know could be watching your every move at any point in time? We give up so much of our private lives into the hands of strangers, and we don't even think twice."

"Doesn't it bother you?"

"I guess so..."

It's probably something that should bother me more, all things considered.

"Well, Mr. Auten at least had the decency to leave the restroom as a private area. I wonder how long that will last..."

"So you came in here because you need to be alone?"

"I just needed some time to think without feeling like someone is watching me."

"Um...I guess, I'll just leave you alone, then. Yeah."





"Does anyone in your family suffer from any kind of medical condition?"

Sophia places her hands on her hips and gives me a sharp glare.

"Has someone been talking about my husband?"

[Syrelian]

I'm thinking maybe we shoulda dropped the Maybe Murder bomb on Liam having seen the context of the question, but its too late now

As for Sophia, drive the dumbass under the bus, its not even a lie, its just a partial truth

Things are getting quite curious, I sorta get Auten's idea of trust, in that as long as you're offering something no one can replace, you can trust them to not be motived elsewise, though admittedly enough cash could sway Kevin, since it comes back to money still

I'm currently suspecting Kevin for that reason, Sophia's problem is presumably "solved" still, and she was to be here till the transplant, thus the relief, he can't move her hubby off the list if he's dead, but I don't think she had motive to kill, and I think she's anxious that the deal could still be off somehow

Liam seems stressed about the idea of being cut, but too cavalier about the business to actually believe it

Marissa would be suspect but I feel like its a bit too easy, if you were gonna be the last person to talk to the man, you wouldn't use a fast poison, just leaves you with a very bad alibi situation

Oh and you didn't link Sakevisual's site in the OP after you finished Jisei

[HydroSphere]

Oh and you didn't link Sakevisual's site in the OP after you finished Jisei

Thanks for the reminder, I've added it now.

[HydroSphere]

When we get to the question about the cognac, do we want to be truthful with Sophia about our reasons for asking:



Also, tie breaker between telling Sophia that Liam mentioned her husband's health, or evading the question.

[HydroSphere]

"No. I was just asking."

She eyes me carefully, weighing whether or not I'm telling the truth.

"My husband is very ill right now, but it has nothing to do with Mr. Auten or anyone else here."

"Are you sure?"

Sophia's eyes narrow.

"Please do not pry into my private life. It's very rude."



"Um...I found these papers lying around. They're about some uh...other companies, I think. What are they, exactly?"

"Those are some of his ledgers from one of his smaller companies."

"I didn't know he owned other companies."

"Well, he's bought most of them up under various names or through organizations that he heads."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that his ownership of these companies is not readily evident."

"So he owns them in secret?"

"Yes."

"Why?"




"Can you think of any reason why anyone would want to kill Mr. Auten?"

"Sadly, I could name several."

"Mr. Auten wasn't a very popular man in the business world. His most recent project stepped on a lot of toes."

"And that would be..?"

"Organ replication."

"What?"

"Auten Engineering is concerned mostly with mechanical organs, like artificial hearts or lungs. But lately Mr. Auten has been trying to find a way to grow organs from living tissue. The process involves taking a tissue sample from the patient and using it to recreate the organ they need replaced."

"It ensures compatibility, and it allows for replacement of things impossible to substitute with mechanics. For instance, bone marrow."

"The end goal was to be able to recreate any and all parts of the human body when necessary."

"That sounds pretty sketchy..."

"Well, under certain circumstances it is."

"Of course, technicalities aside, the ethics of such research..."

"Well, there were the obvious protests, demonstrations, and death threats."

"Hang on, why didn't you mention this before?"

"I didn't think it was important."

"Are you kidding? He received death threats, and now he's dead! You seriously don't see the connection?"

"But none of them seemed like serious concerns. Besides, Mr. Auten received death threats for lots of his work. I didn't think this would be any different."

"Oh really? Why would people threaten to kill him?"

"He saved a lot of lives with his work, but people have died because of him, too. Once in a while, one of the organs built by Auten Engineering malfunctions and someone dies as a result.



“And, of course, it's very expensive to get a replacement organ. People have gone into debt over them, and that brings about much hatred as well."

It's starting to become more evident why Mr. Auten doesn't like living around people. If that many people hated me, I'd probably lock myself up, too.

"You'd think that with all the lives he's saved, people wouldn't hate him so much."

"It's really not as simple as that. It's possible to do good things with bad intention."

Whoa. She looks angry... I thought she was really distraught about Mr. Auten's death, but looking at her now, she definitely seems to be harboring anger towards him.

"I'm sorry, I really don't know much more than this. The only thing I know about his work is what I wrote for his press releases."

"I know he kept copies of all of his research, but I'm afraid I wouldn't know where to look."



"Did anyone buy some cognac for Mr. Auten recently?"

"That's an odd question. Is there any reason you want to know?"



"We think it might be related to the murder..."

"Are you sure?"

Surprise registers on Sophia's face for a brief moment.

"Well... You don't think his cognac was poisoned, do you?"

"What?"

"Well, it certainly looks that way. The symptoms are all consistent."

"The pale skin, the sweating."

"I see..."

Sophia looks like she's deep in thought. Maybe I shouldn't have told her about the cognac after all...

"I'm sorry, I'm really not feeling well. I'd like to take a nap now, if it's okay with you."

"Yeah, sure. That's fine."






"Oh, hey! Sorry dude. Didn't see you there."

"Yeah, I figured as much. Going somewhere?"

"Eh, just heading back upstairs to my room. There's like nothing to watch on TV."

Liam pushes past me and strides into the main lobby. I hurry after him.



"Yeah? Okay, shoot."

"So...do you really participate in dog fighting?"

Liam's eyes grow wide.

"Why is it that that's all anyone ever talks about?"

"Is that a yes?"

He rolls his eyes.

"Sure, whatever. Yes."

I'm surprised that he confessed so easily. I guess he feels like he doesn't have anything to lose.

"W-why?"

I try to keep my cool, but I didn't expect him to be so bold about it.

"Um, because I was BORED. Duh."



"That's a terrible excuse, Liam."

Liam throws up his hands in exasperation.



"Because in nature, animals aren't kept in cages between fights, the loser isn't shot in the head, and-"

"Yeah, okay. Forget I asked. Let me guess, you're a vegetarian?"

I raise an eyebrow.

"What if I am?"

"Yeah, I figured as much. I'm really not in the mood for another lecture."

Liam turns and heads up the stairs.

"I'm out of here."

Liam bounds up the staircase, two steps at a time. Aki glares at him as he ascends the steps. She shuts her eyes and breathes out a single, quick breath.



Without warning, Liam trips on a step and falls forward, planting his face neatly on the top flight of steps. He looks around in a disoriented panic. With some effort, he scrambles to his feet and runs up the stairs, disappearing down the hallway past Mr. Auten's office.

I spin to face Aki.

"What was THAT?"

She gazes off into the distance, suddenly interested in some invisible point on the ceiling.

"Hm? What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! You did that!"

"Eh...sort of."

"Care to elaborate?"




She smirks.

"Comes in handy more than you'd expect."

"I'm not sure whether I should be impressed or disgusted."

"You could be impressed AND disgusted. Hm...imprusted?"

"Please don't."




As soon as she hears me, she looks up. Her eyes are wide with fear.

"What's wrong?"



"What happened?"

"I don't know."

I grab the door handle and pull. The door doesn't budge.

"Go get Aki."

Li Mei nods and runs down the hallway.

"Sophia! Sophia, are you in there?"

I pound on the door, hoping for a response.



Kevin rushes up to me. He looks out of breath.

"What's going on?"



"Both?"

"Sophia's in there. He locked her in there, and she's hurt! I can't-"

He pauses for another breath.

"I can't open it without your help. The basement downstairs. You've gotta turn off the power!"

"Sure."



As I open the panel, the basement door slams shut behind me. I run towards the door and pull on the handle, but it doesn't budge.

"Kevin! Kevin, what's going on?"

I pound on the door with my fists, hoping to attract someone's attention.

"Hey, I'm trapped down here! I'm in the basement!"

I press my ear against the door, but I can't hear anything outside. I grab the handle and pull it again, but the door doesn't even budge. Again, I slam my fist into the door, but it's useless.

"HEY! SOMEONE LET ME OUT!"

I have to get everyone's attention somehow.



I stand in the dark room, straining to hear something, anything. Any clue that someone knows I'm down here. I hear some shouting, but it's so muffled that I can't even tell who's speaking.



With a sigh of relief, I turn the power back on. Looks like my message was received after all. I hear a beeping noise, and the basement door slides open.



"What happened to Kevin?"

"Um...he's gone."

"What?"

Naoki looks at me apologetically.



"And Sophia..?"

"She's not doing well. Someone hit her on the head pretty hard. Aki's trying to stop the bleeding, but..."

"I'm sorry. I could have stopped this. I should have stopped this."

"It's not your fault. You can't blame yourself for the actions of others."

"So what now?"

Naoki sighs and turns slowly.

"Wait for the police to show up, I guess."

I watch him trudge up the stairs, and I follow reluctantly.

• This was the route B bad ending; next update will cover the normal ending.

[Syrelian]

I'm gonna take a wild guess that Kevin, or perhaps him and Liam together, are the culprits and this escape was orchestrated because we put Sophia onto investigating the Cognac without warning that Liam knew Things

The companies were FINANCIAL institutions, ergo Auten's probably owns the loan sharks that're on Kevin's family, meaning he owns every part of the puzzle, and even if Kevin found the money he wouldn't be allowed to escape, providing AMPLE motive for murder

[HydroSphere]

• Having a high trust with Sophia is essential for this route; stretching the truth about Liam (he told Aki about Sophia's husband, but he didn't mention it to Kangai), gains you four trust points with Sophia, evading the question loses two trust points.

"Um...Liam told me about him."

"That boy!"

Sophia's expression tightens for a brief moment, but it doesn't take long for her to regain her composure.

"Yes. My husband's heart is failing, and Auten Engineering is the only company with the technology to keep him alive. Mr. Auten allowed my husband preferential treatment in exchange for my services. I may not receive a paycheck, but I value my husband's well being even more."

She clasps her hands together and straightens her back.

"Now, please, do not pry any further into my private life."

• If we had chosen to lie and claim Kangai had a “lucky guess” that something had happened to Auten earlier, that also would have lowered Sophia's trust points, which would have resulted in Sophia refusing to discuss the ledgers found in the security room.

• While the second option does not lower Sophia's trust, you need to pick the first option for the normal ending for this route.

"We think it might be related to the murder..."

"Are you sure?"

Surprise registers on Sophia's face for a brief moment.

"Well..."

"You don't think his cognac was poisoned, do you?"

"What?"

"Well, it certainly looks that way. The symptoms are all consistent."

"The pale skin, the sweating."



"I mean, if he were poisoned... what kind of poison are we talking about?"

"What do you mean?"

Sophia paces back and forth on the floor, speaking rapidly under her breath.

"Why didn't I remember until now?"

She berates herself. Sophia spins around to face me again.

"This poison we're talking about. Is it a sort of clear, oily liquid?"

"Sophia, do you know what it is?"

She hurries to the cupboard and pulls out a white, linen napkin.

"I just hope it's still here."



With the napkin wrapped around her hand, she picks carefully through the pile of bottles and cans until she finds what she's looking for.

"Here."

She holds up a simple, plastic water bottle. It's empty save for a few drops of water sloshing around the bottom.

"What is it?"

"I found this in the incinerator yesterday. We burn our garbage daily. I pulled it out because it belongs in the recycling. When I picked it up, I got some of the contents on my hands. It's not water - the texture is more like oil."

"But what makes you think it's the poison?"

"Because I felt ill all yesterday after I touched it. The same exact symptoms you spoke of! What if it's the poison? What if the killer tried to throw it away?"

"But...it's just a water bottle you happened to find. You may have been sick for some other reason."

"No one in this house puts recycling in the incinerator. Mr. Auten has very strict rules, and we've always followed them. This is the only time I've ever seen something out of place. Please, just look at it!"

I take the wrapped bottle from her, being careful not to touch the plastic.



"Let's take this to Detective Gurski."

Sophia nods in agreement.




"Yeah, I think we have our key piece of evidence!"

I hold up the bottle for Detective Gurski and Aki to see.

"And what is it?"

"It's the poison!"

"Or...what's left of it, at least."

"It'll be easier if I just explain to you who did it.

"Fair enough. So who did it?"

• There's no penalty or bad end for guessing incorrectly this time.

"It was Mr. Auten."

"You mean suicide?"

"Are you sure about that?"

"It had to have been. He locked himself in his office, then took some poison."

"But why? I know I said it was a possibility, but I've gotta be honest - it's not a very big one. Unless you have proof?"

"Uh..."

"Kan, why would he call us here to speak with us, then kill himself?"

"Maybe, because... Okay, maybe I didn't think this through all the way."

"I'll say."



"It was Liam. Mr. Auten was going to cut him out of the will, so he killed him before it happened."

"So there's at least motive. What about means and opportunity?"

"He snuck into Mr. Auten's study and poisoned his drink."

"But how? Liam's not allowed access into the study in the first place. Don't you remember?"

"Oh, right."

"Are you sure you thought this through?"



"It was Sophia."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're his personal assistant, which means you had access to his office."

"But I don't! Mr. Auten wouldn't even let me enter!"

"Yes you do! You got us in earlier, didn't you?"

"After we reset the power. She wouldn't be able to do it on her own."

"And I would never kill Mr. Auten! He was my husband's only chance to live!"

"Y-yeah...I guess so, huh?"

"Are you done with your wild theories yet?"



"It was Marissa."

"The reporter?"

Detective Gurski frowns. He doesn't look convinced.

"She must have poisoned his drink during their interview!"

"When? He was speaking with her the entire time. She wouldn't have gotten the chance to do anything."

"Oh, right. Hm..."



"It was Kevin."

"The IT guy?"

"But how did he do it?"

"He poisoned Mr. Auten's cognac, most likely. He wanted it to look like someone from the outside poisoned it before it even arrived at the house, so he picked something that Mr. Auten would lock up in the office."

"How'd he get into the office? I thought no one was allowed in."

"That may be true for Sophia and Liam, but Kevin controls all the security in the house. I bet he has a master code that can open any door."

"Is that true?"

"Yes, he's never used the master code, but it does exist."

"So he had means and opportunity. What about a motive?"

• If you get this question wrong though...

"He did it for fun."

"What?"

"He wanted to kill Mr. Auten because he thought it would be fun."

"Well that's not a very strong motive to go off of. Are you sure about that?"

"I guess not..."

"But we have some physical evidence! Sophia and I found it!"

Sophia holds up the water bottle for Detective Gurski to inspect.

"Sophia found this in the incinerator. We think he carried the poison in this bottle and then tried to destroy the evidence."

Detective Gurski leans down to inspect the bottle.

"I suppose we could test the contents for poison and see if this has any fingerprints."

"Exactly!"

"Well, it's a start, but without a motive, you can't say for sure that it was Kevin."

"Yeah..."

"I think you've done enough. The police should be here soon, so just sit tight until they arrive. We'll take it from here."

"Yeah. Sure."





"He did it for revenge."

"Revenge? For what?"

I hold up the papers I found in the security room.

"Destroying his family's business, of course. We- um...I found these in the security room."

I hand the papers to Detective Gurski and he riffles through them, scanning each page briefly with his eyes.

"What am I looking at?"

"Proof of ownership. Mr. Auten owned quite a few loan agencies under assumed names. He gave out student loans to families like Kevin's, then changed the interest rate without warning, putting them into more debt than they could handle.



"So Kevin would bear a grudge against Mr. Auten for cheating his family and using him!"

"That's a good enough motive for me, and he's the only person with the means to do it."

"Sophia found this in the incinerator. We think he carried the poison in this bottle and then tried to destroy the evidence."

"Meaning that we'll probably find his fingerprints all over it."





"What is that?"

"The house is coming out of lock down. Kevin must be unlocking all the doors!"

I groan.

"Of course! He can see us! I'm holding his stupid murder weapon in my hand! He probably knows we've got him figured out."

"But Kevin isn't going to leave through the front. We'd never let him past us. Sophia, what other exits are there?"

"There's an emergency door in the museum-"

Detective Gurski and Aki exchange horrified glances.

"Li Mei!"

"Is there any way to lock all the doors again?"

"U-um...there's a panic box upstairs that-"

"Don't explain it. Just go!"



Detective Gurski grabs the handle on the door and pulls, but the lock by the door beeps stubbornly. He pounds on it with his fist.

"Kevin! We know you're in there!"

No response.

"KEVIN!"

Aki glances at Naoki and nods. He nods in return before punching in a string of numbers into the box beside the door. The box rewards us with a friendly beep and a click.





"Kevin...it's okay."

Detective Gurski holds his hands up for Kevin to see.

"We're just going to talk."

"What if I don't want to talk?"

Kevin shakes his head vehemently.

"I'm not stupid!"

"No. You're very intelligent. You should know that Sophia's locking the doors, and there's nowhere to go. So why don't you just put that knife down and let us talk?"

Kevin's gaze darts back and forth between us and the exit.

"Y-you're lying..."

Aki steps forward slowly, hands held into the air.

"Kevin, please. Just let her go."

Kevin's expression softens for a brief moment, but he doesn't release Li Mei.

"You think I'm going to give up my only bargaining chip?"






"Agh-"

Kevin stares at Li Mei with muted disbelief. His entire body begins to shake, and he collapses to the ground.





"My body is frozen in shock. The world around me is fuzzy. Distant. I see Detective Gurski kneeling beside Kevin. He's shouting something at Naoki, but I can't understand what he's saying. Aki rushes forward and wraps her arms around Li Mei. This is the first time I've seen Aki look so frightened...




This can't be happening. There's no way this is happening. I can hear my own heart pounding against my ribcage as blood rushes through my head. The world is starting to grow even fuzzier. I feel ill. I clutch at my stomach and stumble a few paces back.

[HydroSphere]

Before we start the "A route", could I ask you to vote on the following:



Whether we go with Naoki and Li Mei to explore the house prior to the murder.



And, which room we examine.

Previously, we opted to go with Naoki and Li Mei, and investigated the Museum. We can explore the Museum again if we have Kangai explore alone, or there's also the Living Room or Basement.

[Syrelian]

Alone and Basement, its possible we may find something of note amongst the files with our change of focus

And uhh, trained killer Li Mei is somehow both what I expected and not what I expected? At least its a pretty clear-cut case of self-defense, RIP Kangai's sanity though

[HydroSphere]

• There's no alternate dialogue before this point.

"Just man up and go alone."

"But what if something happens?"

"Like what? You're in the super house of technology. If something goes wrong, a robot will probably pop out and save you."



"Probably not."

"Oh..."

He actually looks disappointed.

"Come on, let's just get moving."



"Alright, this is where we split up. Let's start at the end and work our way back. There's the staircase and the two doors at the end. Do either of you have a preference?"

"No."

"Um...I'd rather not go down there, if it's okay."

Naoki points at the staircase. No surprise there. It's quiet and out of the way, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Naoki's afraid of being underground.



"Fine, I'll take the staircase."

I turn and head down the stairwell.



It's a straight path to the bottom. The door at the end looks like all the other doors in the house. I touch it, and it beeps quietly at me, but doesn't move.

"Really?"

I run my hand along the door's surface, looking for a handle, but there doesn't seem to be one... I push on the door and it beeps again, but it still refuses to budge. Well, Sophia said that we had guest privileges, so I guess whatever is in here is off limits to guests... I turn around and head back up the stairs. So much for that.



I lean against the wall and shut my eyes. They'll probably be out shortly.

"Anything?"

"I'm afraid not. The door is locked."

"What about you? Find anything interesting?"

Li Mei nods. She looks pleased with herself.

"It's full of work from ancient China."

For a brief moment, Li Mei's expression actually displays a childish expression of happiness.

"It's beautiful."

"So he's an art collector, then?"

"No. Those piece are protective wards."

"Strange."



Naoki appears from the first door in the hallway. He looks a little flustered.

"No. The door at the bottom was locked. Did something happen in there?"

"There's a girl in there. Marissa."

Ah, right. The reporter. I forgot that she was wandering around here, too.

"And?"



I definitely remember Marissa being overbearing, but I don't know if I'd call her scary.

"She kept asking me all these questions about why we were here and if I knew anything about Liam. I didn't know what to say!"

Well, if nothing else, that girl is supremely nosy. But I think I knew that already.

"Did you tell her anything about the Sara Blackmoore case?"

"O-of course not! Onee- I mean... Aki...wouldn't like that."

Of course. Aki. I suspect that Naoki's entire life revolves around making sure Aki isn't unhappy. Talk about brotherly love. Then again, who am I to judge?

• At this point, Kangai senses Auten's murder; this plays out the same way as before.

"If you mean down the staircase, I think that door is locked to visitors."

"It is, but I can open it from here. Once you head down there, everything will be fine."

• When Sophia talks about the process to reset the security system, the dialogue is slightly expanded if you tried to explore the basement (whether alone or with Naoki and Li Mei) earlier.

• Slight error here, this line only triggers if Kangai tried to explore the basement alone. In any other case, the line changes to "He doesn't seem very enthusiastic about going down there".

• This decision determines the route.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be okay."

"Right..."

Naoki doesn't seem too inspired by my words, but he leaves anyway. We stand in awkward silence for a few minutes before the lights flicker off.



As soon as the lights power back on, Sophia punches in a rapid fire series of numbers into the keypad beside the door. The door swings open and the three of us crowd into the doorway.



Sophia rushes in and grabs the body lying on the floor.

"Mr. Auten! Sir!"

She shakes him gently, but he doesn't respond. Detective Gurski leans over Mr. Auten's body and places two fingers on his neck.

"He doesn't have a pulse."

"No! He was just alive a moment ago."

Sophia pulls Mr. Auten's body away from the desk and tries to roll it over, but she can't support his weight.

"What are you doing?"

"There's still a chance I can save him! Please, help me!"

Gurski points at me.

"Kangai, help us move the body."

I step forward and coil my arms under one of Mr. Auten's arms. With a groan, Detective Gurski and I lift the body and lay Mr. Auten on his back. As I lay Mr. Auten's arm down, my hand brushes against his.



Even as I struggle to maintain consciousness, my mind is flooded with Mr. Auten's final thoughts.








I open my eyes slowly. I'm kneeling on the ground, but Detective Gurski and Sophia aren't even looking at me. Sophia has her hands on Mr. Auten's chest with her fingers interlocked.

"One, two, three, four..."

She pumps his chest with her hands, counting out loud as she does. Mr. Auten doesn't move. Again, she pumps his chest, trying to start his heart, but again nothing. She leans down and grabs his mouth, but Detective Gurski steps in and pulls her away.

"That's enough!"

"What are you doing? There's still a chance!"

She punches him with her free arm, but it doesn't affect him.

"Look at him! His skin is pale, his pupils are dilated, and he's covered in sweat. There's a good chance he was poisoned, and you could be poisoned too if you try to resuscitate him."

Sophia makes another desperate attempt to escape from Detective Gurski's grasp, but he holds her firm.

"Don't. You did your best, but there's nothing we can do now."

Sophia's knees buckle under her, and she falls to the ground with a choked sob. I thought she was just Mr. Auten's personal assistant, but his death seems to have really shaken her up. Detective Gurski kneels beside her, and places a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Sophia. Everything's going to be okay."

She shakes her head, but when she opens her mouth to speak, all she can do is sob. I back out of the room slowly. They really don't need me here right now.




"Li Mei said he's gone."

I nod slowly.

"What happened?"

"I think it was poisoning, but I don't know."

"Did you...you know...see it?"

"Yeah. He was scared of something. Someone, I think. I still don't know why. His final wish was to protect the vault."

"What's the vault?"

"No clue."

"We should find Aki. She'll know what to do."

"She's coming."

Li Mei turns towards the staircase just as Aki reaches the top.

"Hey, what happened? The lights went out for a moment."

"Mr. Auten died."

"Died? How?"

"Poisoning, it seems."

"Did you read his last moments?"

"Yeah. He was regretting meeting someone. Said he needed to protect a vault of some sort."

"Interesting. I haven't seen any vaults around here, but I assume that it would be hidden."

• From here everyone splits up, leaving Kangai to do the rounds.

"What about your sister's murder? You're the only witness, but you ran away! Why?"



"It has nothing to do with you. I don't owe you an explanation."

"That may be so, but you owe it to your sister, don't you? The case went cold, but maybe if you tell us what you know, we can find her killer."

• There are some variations in dialogue, depending on who Kangai's previously spoken to.

"Are Aki and the others really convicts?"

"Well...technically, no."

"No?"

"They're not on record as having committed any crimes."

"But Li Mei said you were their parole officer."

"Handler is more like it. I'm supposed to make sure they don't cause any trouble."

He rolls his eyes.

"That'll be the day."



"Do you know if Mr. Auten has a vault at the bank?"

"I assume most rich people do. Why do you ask?"



"Just curious."

"That's a strange thing to be curious about."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Although looking at his lifestyle, I'm actually inclined to think that any vault he cares about would be in this house."

"How do you know?"

"He rarely leaves the house, and security here is tight, even for a high ranking official."

"It's obvious that he has trust issues. Someone like him wouldn't let a bank hold on to something important. Besides, I'm sure he'd want to keep a close eye on it, too. If there's a vault, it's definitely somewhere in here."

Gurski's right. It has to be hidden in this place somewhere. I wonder if anyone here knows about it.



"Do you know anything about a vault hidden in this house?"

"A vault? Hm...can't say I do."

"If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably in his office. It's the most secure place around here, after all."

"Although I can't think of anything he might have that's more valuable than that precious artifact collection of his. He's sunk more money than I care to think about buying all that old stuff up."

"Heh, maybe that old museum of his is the vault. He certainly loves it enough."

"What do you mean?"

"He wanders in there all the time, just to look at stuff."

Kevin points at one of the monitors on the wall. The glowing screen displays an angled image of the museum.

"That room has so much stuff he cares about. You could probably say it's his vault."

Kevin points to the bottom corner of the screen.

"There's a blind spot right here. Anything under the camera won't show up on the monitor. It's the only place in the house with such a massive blind spot. I keep telling Mr. Auten that we should reposition the camera, but he refuses."

Why would Mr. Auten willingly hide a portion of his house? Maybe there's something there that he doesn't want Kevin to see. I'll have to go inspect it myself.

• Visiting Kevin after he's looked up Kangai, Naoki and Aki.

"Oh, you didn't know? Like I said, you keep some interesting company."

"Weirdly enough, when I looked up their police records, they were completely empty. They haven't been charged with anything."

No surprise there. Detective Gurski said that Aki cut a deal. No doubt she used her kansei to make her argument a little more compelling.

"The other girl with you is the real problem, though."

"Who, Li Mei?"

"I couldn't find a single thing on her. No online profile, no yearbook, no images of her anywhere, and no connection to anything your other friends did."

"So maybe she doesn't like social networking and she was homeschooled. What's the big deal?"

"Dude, seriously? You've got to make a real effort to be that much of a ghost."

"There's no way that the government isn't involved and trying to cover something up."

"You're one of those guys who think the moon landing was faked, aren't you?"

"Oh, come on. It's not like that."

"Besides, how much do you know about her, anyway?"

Well, I can't exactly tell him that she has a kansei that makes her a human sponge for emotions. But beyond that, I really don't know a thing. Aki refused to even speak about it when I asked her. Aki seemed uncomfortable about the topic, and Detective Gurski shut me down completely when I asked.




"Just a lucky guess?"

"Truly?"

Sophia's eyes narrow. That was definitely not the right answer.

"Well..."

"You're telling me that out of nowhere, you just guessed that something was wrong with Mr. Auten?"

"I...yes?"

"And this guess was so compelling that you pounded on his office door until we finally opened it?"

"I guess so..."

"Stop lying to me! Mr. Auten is dead, and I know you're involved! Why else would he have been so afraid of you?"

"H-hang on! Kangai didn't do anything! He just happened to be here today! If it weren't for him, you might not even know that Mr. Auten is dead yet!"

Sophia's glare softens, but she doesn't take her eyes off of me.

"Then where did his "lucky guess" come from? Surely you don't scream outside everyone's door the moment you guess that something has gone wrong."

"If I were the killer, I wouldn't TELL you that Mr. Auten died! I'd run away!"

"The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime."

"Fine! Then how did I do it? I never even SAW Mr. Auten."

Sophia's expression wavers for a moment. She can't actually think of a good answer.

"It was you. It had to have been you."

I purse my lips and shake my head. Nothing I say will matter at this point in time.

"Sophia, I'm so sorry about Mr. Auten. But he's the one who called us here, remember?"

Naoki tentatively places his hand on Sophia's shoulder. She flinches, but she doesn't move away.

"I know it's scary, and I know that it's confusing."

"But I know you're a smart woman, and you know that what you're accusing him of doesn't make sense. We're here to help. Please let us help."

Sophia breathes in slowly.

"I'm sorry. I'm jumping to the strangest conclusions here. I must not be in a very good frame of mind right now."



"Do you know anything about a vault or a safe hidden in this house?"

"Yes. Mr. Auten mentioned a safe place once or twice, although I don't know the exact location. I'm sure it's in the house somewhere, but the way he spoke of how inconvenient it was, I assume it wasn't located in his study."

• Oddly, the basement is locked post murder in this route, even though Sophia forgot to relock it in the “B” route.

"Does what bother me?"

"Death."



"Not really. I guess I'm used to it by now."

"I still think it's sad, but I'm kind of numbed to all of it."

I stare at my hands and rub my fingers slowly together. My palms feel sweaty.



"What is everybody feeling right now?"

Li Mei takes a deep breath and closes her eyes again. This time, it takes her a little longer to sort out her thoughts.

"Sophia is sad. She feels as if there is no hope. But...there is also relief."

Relief? Again, I feel uneasy about Sophia. Earlier, when I asked her if she cared about Mr. Auten, she didn't actually answer me. All she said was that she didn't know what she'd do now that he's gone. I don't know why that bugs me so much, but it seems like she was avoiding the question.



"Do you know much about the artifacts in this place?"

Li Mei nods.

"..."

"..."

"Um...could you maybe...tell me about them?"

"If you wish."

"Yeah. I do."

"Most are safety charms meant to ward off danger."

I turn to the large tapestry on the wall.

"What about this? What are these animals?"

"They are the four legendary creatures: tortoise, dragon, phoenix, and tiger."

For some reason, this mythology feels familiar, but I'm not sure why. It's not anything I've ever studied.

"Do they stand for anything in particular?"

"Many things. Seasons, directions on the compass, sometimes schools of thought. "Overall, they represent balance."

"It's weird. They feel kind of familiar. Especially the tiger."

"The tiger and the dragon are mortal enemies."

Li Mei reaches out as if to touch the tapestry, but she hesitates and draws her hand back.

"The dragon represents cunning and intelligence, and the tiger represents raw power and strength."

"Dragon and tiger. Mind and body."



My stomach tightens up as I look at the tapestry hanging on the wall. An endless fight where neither can win... Li Mei watches me carefully. She's trying to decipher my emotions, but I don't even fully understand what I'm feeling.

"What bothers you?"

"I'm not sure. It's probably nothing."

Li Mei doesn't seem satisfied with my response. No surprise there, since I'm not satisfied, either. I don't really have anything else to say, though, so our conversation devolves into an uncomfortable silence.



Examine the box.

I examine the wooden box at the far end of the room. It's the only item in the room that can't be seen from the security cameras. It's also one of the few items not under glass. I suspect that Mr. Auten was hiding something in this box.



"Hey, Li Mei. Do you know anything about this?"

I point at the box, and Li Mei approaches it and inspects it carefully.

"It's locked."

"What do you mean? I don't see a keyhole on it or anything."

She shakes her head.



"I see... how do I do that?"

She shakes her head again.

"I will do it."

"Are you sure?"

I want to help."

"Aki does not let me work because she worries about me, but there is no danger with this. I can be useful again."

Well, if she wants to, I don't see why I shouldn't let her. She probably has a better idea of what to do anyway. I wouldn't actually know where to begin. She touches the side panel lightly and slides it back and forth, tilting her ear towards the box as if she's listening for something. After a few seconds, she moves her hands to the other side of the box and repeats the process. She pauses, takes a step back, and looks at the box carefully.

"This will take some time. Please return later."

Huh? Oh, sure."

I back out of the room to give her some time to herself.

• Talking to Aki after she's questioned Liam.

"What about you? Find anything interesting?"

"Well, when I read Mr. Auten's death, the last thing he thought about was protecting a vault. He said the vault had to be protected at all costs."

"Maybe the killer is after it, too. We should try to figure out what's in it. Or, better yet, actually find it."



"I've explored as much of the house as I can..."

"But..?"

"Well, I haven't gotten a good look at the security room. Kevin's always in there, and I don't want to be poking around while he's watching."

"I don't suppose you could sneak in or something?"

"Don't think so. Even if we find a way to get him out of that room, he'll probably lock the door behind him."

"Darn. Well, exercise the options you have, I guess. Have you found that vault he was worried about?"

"Not yet."

"Might want to start there."

• Since Naoki went to the basement, he didn't have the opportunity to see Sophia's code.

"Um...no. It looks more like he was murdered."

Again, Liam takes a few seconds to process my statement. When it finally registers, his face twists into an expression of fear.

"MURDERED?"

Liam begins pacing back and forth, muttering to himself under his breath as he does.



He finally turns back to me and grabs my shoulders.

"Are you sure it was murder?"

"Well, we won't be able to say for sure until the autopsy, but...yeah. Pretty sure."

"No no no...this is not good. Not good, not good."

He glances back and forth as if he's expecting to see something leap out of the shadows and take him.

"I'm gonna...I just...I need to think."

He dashes off down the hallway.

"Liam, wait!"

I take off after him, and arrive in the main entrance just in time to see him race up the stairs.




"Do you do everything your sister tells you to do? It seems like you keep giving up what you want in order to please her."

"Actually, it's sort of the other way around."



"I guess after making her life so difficult, I'm just trying to make things easier for her now."

"Besides, I don't do everything she tells me to. We argue all the time."

"Seriously? It sure doesn't look like it to me."

"Stay with us a little longer, and you'll see plenty."



"Why do Aki and Detective Gurski hate each other so much?"

"Well, both of them have very strong personalities, but they have different approaches to solving problems."

"He thinks she's too impulsive, and she thinks he's too indecisive."

"And what do you think?"

"I think they're both right, and I think things are going to go terribly again if they don't realize this."

"Again? What happened?"

"Um...I guess..."

Naoki bobs his head back and forth as if he's trying to think of a tactful way to say something very blunt.

• The next part is supposed to be trust locked, but the requirement is that Naoki has a trust score of twenty one and above – Naoki's base trust score is forty, there's only one chance to lose trust points with him, and even then, it's only a loss of three points – it's impossible to reduce Naoki's trust to twenty points or less.

"Well, they both agree that it was the worst blind date ever."

"WHAT?"

"Please don't tell anyone I told you that!"

"Uh, yeah...sure. I can keep my mouth shut."

Naoki smiles at me. He looks relieved.

"Ah..."

"I'm sorry, I have to get going."

"What's up?"

"Aki wants me to look around upstairs for a bit."

"Right. Okay, sure. See you, I guess?"

• Marissa hasn't had anything new to say, but she's currently in the bathroom to hide from the cameras and think.

"How's it going with the puzzle box?"

Li Mei nods at the wooden box. I approach it and gently touch the doors. I hear a soft click.



"Whoa...good job."

My heart sinks as soon as the door opens.

"It's empty..."

Li Mei nods and touches my hand. A small smile flickers across her lips.

"That is only the first door."

"The first door? What are you talking about?"

She takes my hand and places it in the box, pressing my fingertips against the underside of the top of box. My fingers trace out the shape of a small hole carved into the wood. Next to it, a worn series of characters - probably Chinese.

"There's a keyhole in here!"

Li Mei nods.

"What does the writing say?"



"There must be some sort of secret compartment hidden in here. I guess we'll have to find the key in order to open it."

Li Mei nods.

"I have already searched this room, but I cannot find it."

"Then maybe it's somewhere else in the house. It's in the place between mind and body? I wonder what that means."

[HydroSphere]

Examine the fountain.

The center of the fountain features a dragon and a tiger. Is that the space between mind and body that the puzzle box was referring to? I run my hand along the orb. Nothing. Hm...Mr. Auten was trying to keep all of this secret, so... I look up at the camera on the ceiling and move around the fountain slowly until I'm hidden from view. Sophia is going to kill me if she finds me messing with this thing. I run my hand down the orb carefully until I feel a seam in glass.



Is this the key? I glance up just to make sure the camera isn't watching me before I take the key and slide it into my pocket.




You're excited."



I hold up the key I found hidden in the water fountain. Li Mei smiles. She's clearly as pleased as I am. I place the key in her delicate fingers and she inserts it into the keyhole. She moves it back and forth slowly, pressing her ear to the side of the box as she does. I hear a metallic click followed by the sound of something falling. Finally, she lets out a quiet sigh. She straightens up and nods confidently.

"You got it?"

She steps aside to show me the open box.



I take the SD card from the box and tuck it into my back pocket. We'll have to look at it later.

"Nice work."

Li Mei looks pleased with herself. She nods, as if to agree that she did, in fact, do a good job.




I feel like I'm close to something, but I just can't put my finger on it... My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of sirens. Looks like the police are finally here. All this investigation, and I still haven't figured out who the killer is?

• This is the default ending (called boring end in the script) you get if you don't fulfil the requirements for any of the other endings. On the other route, you get this ending if you don't tell Sophia about the cognac being poisoned. There is one last ending before the true ending...

• This ending is dependant on Marissa being in the bathroom, and revisiting her after she's had some time away from the cameras.

"Hey, feeling better?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for earlier. I just needed some time to myself to think."

"Come up with anything?"

"I'm really not sure. I'm probably just overthinking."

"About what?"

"Mr. Auten's death."

She touches the side of her forehead and rubs it slowly.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm overthinking. Sometimes I see scandal where there isn't any. I really need to do more research before I say anything."

Marissa's definitely nervous about something. She keeps repeating herself. Has she figured out something?

• Retrieve the SD card from the museum and leave the museum...

Oh no... I spin around, looking down the stretch of doors, but I don't see anything. What is it? Who... The bathroom. It has to be in there. I rush to the bathroom door and throw it open.



This is not the scene I was hoping for... The mirror in the bathroom has been shattered by a single blow. Lines of red trickle slowly down the glass. A body has been hastily tossed into one of the bathroom stalls. I approach, and recoil at the sight. It's Marissa. Shards of glass are embedded in her forehead, and blood drips slowly down her face. The blood hasn't dried yet. That means she must have died recently. I kneel beside her and touch her hand. As soon as my fingertips touch her palm, my mind is flooded with her final thoughts.

• This ending is available right from the start (it was the first ending I got) – I think it's unfortunate that the “reading” tells the player that Marissa was killed by Kevin – since Naoki doesn't get to see Sophia's access pass or the crime scene if he goes down to the basement at the start of the game, there's no way to get into the security room without Kevin present and find the evidence for Kevin's motive or find out that the cognac is poisoned on the “SD card” path.

I stop to catch my breath.

"It's Marissa. She's been killed."

"What?"

"In the bathroom! It was-"

Our conversation is interrupted by a shrill beeping noise.

"What IS that?"

Upstairs, I hear the pounding of footsteps. Liam races down the stairs, his eyes lit with excitement. Naoki follows behind him, looking confused.



"What? No."



"Unlocked? Oh no..."




Li Mei appears in the doorway. She looks scared.

"Kevin ran out through the museum. I tried to stop him, but he had a knife."

"I'm sorry."

Aki shakes her head and places a hand on Li Mei's shoulder.

"No, it's okay. You did the right thing."

Even as she says that, her face tightens. She's clearly not happy. Unfortunately, Naoki appears behind Li Mei with more bad news.



"Argh!"

Aki smashes her fist into the keyboard and I'm fairly certain I hear the sound of plastic snapping.

"How could we have been so stupid?"

"Onee..."

Naoki watches helplessly while Aki fumes.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

"There was nothing we could have done..."

"Nothing? Well, that's not true."

Aki snorts through her nose.

"We had everything, Kan, but we didn't piece it together fast enough. We should have known, and now look! Marissa's dead and two of our suspects have run away. Surely we could have stopped at least some of this."

Aki sighs, and her shoulders sink.



Her rage has disappeared, replaced by a sense of broken defeat.

"We're done here. Let's just wait for the police."

"There's nothing we can do anymore."

"Hey, it's not a total loss."

I reach into my pocket and run my finger slowly along the edge of the SD card.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's-"

I'm interrupted by the sound of sirens.

"Looks like the police are here."

Aki gives me a knowing look.

"We'll talk about this later.







"So? Did you find anything?"

"Well, yeah...but I'm not exactly sure what it is."

I pull out the SD card from my back pocket.

"Where did you find that?"

"The museum. Mr. Auten went to great lengths to keep this hidden."

"Then we'd better have a look at it!"

"I don't know...don't you think we should hand this over to Detective Gurski?"

"Why would we do that?"

"If it's important, we'll let him know about it eventually."

"Besides, it's not like the police would have found that, anyway, so they're not missing out on anything."

"Um...I guess so..."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's have a look at this!"





She pops the SD card into their computer and we wait patiently for the data to load. I click through the files quickly, and we scan the contents of each one as they load. Most of it looks like little more than complicated formulas and diagrams to me. Something about breaking down certain types of tissue, it seems.

"A lot of this is pretty complicated stuff."

"No kidding. It looks like Mr. Auten's been working on some sort of secret project for quite some time."

Suddenly, things start to fall into place. His office was private so that no one would see him working! When he was done, he'd hide his progress in the vault in the museum. No one would even guess anything was there. Whatever this project was, it must have meant a lot to him.

"Oh hey, a video file."

I double click, and the file pops open. A pixellated video fills the screen.

"Wow. Lousy camera quality..."

Aki frowns and resizes the video, but it doesn't do much to improve the quality. From what I can make out, the video appears to be of a young man walking down a bare, white, hallway.

"Where was this taken?"

"It looks like security camera footage. The angle is very high."

"So Mr. Auten was spying on someone? That's creepy."

The video zooms in on the young man's face, and an uneasy feeling settles in my stomach.

"..."

Aki stares at the screen, then back at me.

• Next update will cover the true ending.

[HydroSphere]

Well, I'll take the door on the right."

"Then, I'll take the one on the left."




"It's fine."

It's not fine, but there's no point in telling her that.

"So what are you doing here?"

"Not much. Just exploring."

"No, I meant here at Mr. Auten's place. You can't possibly be a business associate of his."

• Picking the first option, or coming in with Naoki and Li Mei will end up with Kangai getting angry at Marissa for being nosy and storming out – if Naoki is present, he'll gently scold Kangai for his behaviour in the hall. A high trust level / good relationship with Marissa is essential for the true end.

"I'm here for work."

"Work? What kind of work do you do?"

"Um...I guess I'm a special investigator."

Marissa's eyes grow wide as she gazes at me in awe.

"Then we're the same! You and I are both people who try to uncover the truth!"

She moves close and lowers her voice.

"So you're here to investigate Liam, aren't you? I knew it was only a matter of time before Mr. Auten got tired of his nephew's lies. Just between you and me, I really think all those rumors about Liam are the least of what he's done."

Funny...back when she thought I was Liam, she said she didn't believe the rumors at all. Looks like she'll say anything to get what she wants. Still, I'm curious to know what exactly this Liam guy has been up to. I guess it's best to play along for now.

"Why do you say that? Do you have any proof?"

She frowns.

"Welllll...not yet. But I'm definitely going to find it!"



She puts her finger to her lips and winks.

"Once I write a hard-hitting article about all the stuff that's going on behind the scenes here, everyone will see what a great journalist I am. We could work together, you know. I'll even list you as one of my sources. It'll help your career, won't it?"

Ugh, what a two-faced woman. She seems like the sort of person who's used to lying to get her way. I don't like the thought of working with her, but it seems better than getting on her bad side, and it's probably best to keep an eye on her. I guess I should put on a happy face...



Ugh...smiling feels weird. Do I look as weird as I feel?

"Great! We can cover so much ground if we split up! I bet if we explore right now, we can find something good."

Marissa doesn't seem to notice that my smile is faker than a spray-on sun tan. She heads to the door and touches it. It beeps and slides open.



"Oops! Sorry darling, I didn't see you there."

Li Mei tilts her head to the side and gazes at me curiously.

"Uh...why don't you go that way, and I'll talk to this girl?"

I point down the hallway and Marissa nods.

"Good idea."

She flits off cheerfully. I didn't realize it was possible to be this annoyed by someone. Li Mei and I stand in silence for a few moments. Finally, she breaks the silence.

"She's strange."



A hint of a smile plays around Li Mei's lips. It's probably the most emotion I've seen out of her so far.

"Well, did you find anything downstairs?"

She shakes her head.

"The door wouldn't open. No guests allowed."

"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by that."

"Well, let's go see if Naoki had any better luck."

As we approach the second door, it swings open, and Naoki exits.

"Oh, hey. Find anything?"

"Nothing in particular, unless you count an annoyingly nosy reporter."

"What about you?"

"Well, no reporter on this side."

"That room is full of Chinese artifacts. It's like a museum in there."

"This whole house feels like a museum. He's got Chinese relics everywhere."

I wonder why he's so interested in China.

• Skipping forward...

• As mentioned earlier, the true ending is on the “SD Card” path, so Naoki gets sent to the basement again.

• Doing the rounds.

"Do you know if Mr. Auten has a vault at the bank?"

"I assume most rich people do. Why do you ask?"

• Having a high trust with Gurski on the true ending leads to a piece of new information we otherwise wouldn't learn until Yousei.

"I heard him mention something about keeping a vault safe before he died."

"That's strange. I didn't hear anything."

"Maybe I just made it up."

"No, you're probably onto something."



"Well, he may have been murdered."

"Holy cow! Murdered? I didn't see that one coming."

Kevin rubs his chin thoughtfully.

"I guess that's what he meant..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Mr. Auten never liked to talk about his history. Any time someone asked, he'd always say that he buried his past a long time ago. Once, when he'd had a little too much to drink, he told me that he was afraid that one day, his past would come back and return the favor."

That sounds pretty ominous. It would fit with the fact that he's built up his house like a fortress, though.

"MAN. Dead? Really?"

He shakes his head.

"Sorry, that's just too weird. I'm still having a hard time believing it. So, are the police gonna question us all and stuff?"

"Um...probably."

I grimace as I realize that I'm about to be dragged into yet another investigation. I won't be able to remain in hiding much longer, it seems. Especially if the people Detective Gurski talked about really are coming for me.

"Well, I guess I'll hang out here until then."

• Being the killer, telling Kevin that Auten was murdered lowers Kevin's trust. Unusually, this line of conversation is extended if Kevin has a low trust score, above twenty, and Kangai's musing about being dragged into another case is omitted.

"Did Mr. Auten have some sort of vault at a bank?"

"He did not. Mr. Auten didn't trust banking institutions very much."

"He preferred to play the stock market himself. His belief was that he should be allowed to do as he pleased with his own money, and if he lost it all, then it was his fault. He'd rather lose everything on his own then gain a little interest from a bank playing it safe."



"You've been spending a lot of time in here. Any reason?"

"Everything in here is like me."

She smiles proudly, as if she's managed to figure out a difficult puzzle. I look around the room, but I'm having a hard time connecting these artifacts with the girl in front of me.

"Do you mean...you're all Chinese?"

"We are all broken."

Whoa...I didn't expect her to say something like that, especially with such a calm face.

"What do you mean, broken?"

"I don't do what I was created to do, so I am broken."

"..."

"You are sad. You do not need to be sad, because I am content here."

"Content? What about happy? Are you happy?"

"Happy?"

"I'm not sure..."

"What do you mean?"

"Happiness is a confusing emotion. I haven't had much experience with it."

"What about Aki and Naoki? Haven't you picked up any happiness from them?"

I'm not entirely sure if her kansei works like that, but if she can feel everyone's emotions, then surely she must feel theirs as well.

"They are not happy."

Oh. Well then. So I'm stuck living with a girl who finds happiness confusing and a pair of twins who aren't happy at all. If we ever have to pick a team name, I'm going to suggest "The Emo Brigade."

• This conversation should happen automatically the second time you go into the museum after the murder regardless of which route you're on, but I think the trigger for it is missing in the game files.

"Oh, Kangai!"

"Did you find out anything about Mr. Auten or Liam?"

"Oh! Yeah, um..."

I'm not sure there's a tactful way to put this.

"Mr. Auten died."

"WHAT? Are you kidding?"

"No..."

Marissa stares into my eyes, searching me with a mixture of fear and panic. I stare back until the truth of the incident sinks in. Her expression changes slowly as she realizes that I'm not lying.

"Are you sure? What happened?"



"I think he was murdered."

"Murdered?"

"I suppose that shouldn't come as much of a surprise."

"What do you mean?"

"William Auten is not a popular man. His business practices are already reprehensible, and there have been rumors of unethical treatment of some of his test subjects. That's why I came. I was hoping I'd be able to uncover something about what he might be doing."



"We've covered everything from torturing prisoners of war to animal abuse."

"So you're not really a reporter from Modern Trends?"

"No, that part's true. I've found that being a journalist for a magazine of fluff pieces puts people at ease."

"It's just that I also happen to run a blog that publishes a lot of humanitarian pieces."

She smiles sadly at me.

• Now Kangai's on better terms with Marissa, she's willing to share more information with him.

"What sort of illegal things was Mr. Auten doing?"



"What?"





I open my mouth, but no words come out. I can't even think of anything to say in response. Marissa watches me closely, trying to decipher my reaction. Finally, she continues her story.

"A little over twenty years ago, most of these women were in college, struggling to pay for tuition. They were offered a large amount of money for participating in a sleep study, and they leapt at the opportunity."

"As the years passed, each discovered she was unable to have children."




"And Mr. Auten was behind all of this?"

"He was definitely part of it. As far as I can tell, he was one of the people running the experiment. I don't know who ordered it or what his role was beyond that. Everything I have is circumstantial, though. I've tracked down the surviving women in the study, but unless I can find Mr. Auten with something, I have no real proof."

I take a deep breath. I don't want to believe that Marissa's right, but if she is...




My head is swimming now. It's hard to focus.

"Are you alright? You don't look so well..."

"I'm fine..."

Marissa touches my shoulder, but I brush her hand aside.

"It's nothing. I'll be fine."




"Do you know anything about a sleep study that Mr. Auten ran about twenty years ago?"

"A sleep study?"

"I do recall one from about twenty years ago. Government sponsored. I believe he was working with a partner at the time."

Do you remember who this person was?"



"WHAT?"

"Mr. Guan and Mr. Auten were partners, and Shen later married Mr. Auten's sister."

"Wait...then why is his name Liam Auten? Shouldn't he be Liam Guan?"

"It's my understanding that Liam's name was changed when Mr. Auten took custody of him. Both Shen Guan and his wife died a long time ago."

• If you have low trust with Sophia, she only tells you Shen Guan's name, she omits the fact that he's Liam's father.

"Oh...I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. It's in the past now."

"This was all before my time, of course. I'm only telling you what I've overheard."

"It's fine. Even a little bit of information helps."

• If you have low trust with Marissa, but tell her that Auten was murdered, Marissa abridges the information about the genetic testing; she tells Kangai that Auten headed up genetic alteration experiments for the government, but as the testing wasn't approved as humane, the experimentation was kept secret. This leads to a different conversation with Sophia, Kangai asks her outright about Auten running genetic alteration experiments, and Sophia answers that while Auten did run studies on genetics, actual experimentation was more the forte of Shen Guan (only referred to as Auten's former business partner).

• Oddly, telling Kevin that Kangai is working undercover raises Kevin's trust.

"Yeah, I'm working undercover right now."

"That's so cool!"

"Hey, do you think the government would hire me to do like spy computer stuff?"

"Um...I don't know. I guess I'll...ask?"

"Sweet!"




"I heard that Mr. Auten was conducting genetic experiments on people."

Mikolaj's eyes widen.

"That's a pretty strong claim. Are you sure?"

"Well, not exactly...I mean..."

"I was talking with Marissa about it. She's got some pretty good evidence for it."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I don't know all the details, though..."



"We can talk more about this later."

• If Kangai has the abridged information about the genetic testing, Gurski dismisses it as a rumour, and stays outside the office.

• Despite Liam's reaction if Kangai admits that Auten was murdered, being truthful raises Liam's trust. I'm opting to lie again here for extra dialogue.

Detective Gurski raises an eyebrow at me, as if to ask if I had anything to do with Liam's stubborn compliance. I shrug and look away. Marissa is currently eyeing Liam with a cunning look in her eyes. She circles around him slowly before flashing him a wide smile.

"Liam Auten! Just the man I wanted to see!"

"Heh. I guess I am..."



She clasps her hands together, as if begging him for just a brief moment of his precious time. Detective Gurski gives me a brief nod before quickly exiting the room. No doubt, he and Marissa have been talking about extracting information from Liam. I probably shouldn't stick around.

"I'm just gonna...yeah. I'll just. Go."

I duck out of the room as quickly as I can.

• Even with a good relationship, Marissa still ends up in the bathroom after questioning Liam.

"Do you know if your uncle keeps a vault in the house?"

"Oh, yeah. He totally does."

"Um...do you know where it is?"

"No, not so much."

I feel my shoulders sag in defeat.

"Any guesses?"

"Well, he always told me it was in a place I could get to easily, but no one would be able to see me."

"I wasn't really paying attention."

There's a shocker.

"He was pretty proud of it, though. Said that even if someone managed to find and open it, they still wouldn't get the contents."

"Why not?"

"I dunno. Maybe it's booby trapped. Can you imagine that? Someone opens a safe, and then BOOM! Money on fire! Everywhere!"

"Uh...yeah..."



"Is there anyone who might want your uncle dead?"

Liam frowns and stares at the ground.

"Lots of people, I guess."

"Can you be more specific?"

"This is stupid. I don't have to tell you anything if I don't feel like it."

• The response to this question should be trust dependant, but the high trust version is impossible to get; it requires Liam to have a trust score of twenty one or more. Liam's base trust score is twenty, and his question about Auten's cause of death is the only opportunity you get to change Liam's trust. Lying to Liam lowers his trust, being truthful causes Liam to panic and flee upstairs for the rest of the game, where Kangai can't question him. This is the high trust version:
  
  "Maybe like...old business partners?"
  
  "Anyone in particular?"
  
  "I dunno. Like maybe people he shafted?"
  
  Ugh, getting information from this guy is like extracting teeth.
  
  "WHO did he "shaft," exactly?"
  
  "Listen, when you've been doing as much stuff as he's been doing, you're bound to have cut a few people loose."
  
  "Or, I don't know, break up partnerships."
  
  "So you're saying it might be an old partner of his?"
  
  "I'm not saying anything. Feel free to think what you want."

• Visiting Marissa in the bathroom twice...

"Hey, feeling better?"

"Yes. I'm sorry for earlier. I just needed some time to myself to think."

"Come up with anything?"

" Actually, yes. I've been thinking about Mr. Auten's death."

"What about it?"

"The more I think about it, the more I think it was an inside job."

"How so?"

"At first, I thought that someone on the outside might have managed to sneak something in. Like poison. "But Mr. Auten was very careful. Liam told me that his uncle refused to eat dinner until someone else had eaten it first. The only chink in his armor would be someone that he trusts. There's no other way."

Marissa's right. It can't be anyone else.

• Opening the puzzle box.

[HydroSphere]

"Since when-?"

He glances up at the camera mounted on the ceiling and lets out a frustrated sigh.

"Right."

Li Mei touches my arm gently and whispers.

"He's panicking."

"Kevin...what's going on? What's all the beeping for?"

I take a step towards him, but he reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a knife.

"Stay there!"

He rushes past me, keeping the knife pointed at my throat. With his free hand, he grabs Li Mei and pulls her towards himself with a rough tug.



I move slowly away from Kevin, never taking my eyes off of him.

"I have to get out of here."

"The door's locked."

"Not for long."

He laughs, but it sounds more like a pained wheeze.

"We're coming out of a lock down. In a few seconds, the doors will unlock, and I'll be home free."

Something in my brain clicks.

"You're the one who poisoned Mr. Auten! You're the only one who could have!"

Kevin laughs, a strange mix of fear and derision.

"Yeah, you're kinda slow to the party. Your friends already figured that out."

He waves the knife at me again, but I don't move.



Despite my current predicament, I find myself rolling my eyes. This information would have been a lot more useful about ten seconds ago...

"Hang in there! We're coming to get you."

"Kevin. Dude. Why?"

"WHY? Are you kidding?"

He moves towards the exit as quickly as he can, but Li Mei isn't cooperating. Her body hangs limp, and he's forced to drag her towards the door.

"He took advantage of my family. He ruined their lives, and it's my fault. I had to-"

"No, you didn't! You're so short sighted! Did you even think any of this through at all?"

We're interrupted by a pounding on the door.



Kevin puts his finger to his lips, motioning for the two of us to be silent.

"Detective! He has a knife, and he's got Li Mei!"

Kevin glares at me. The pounding on the door stops. Did they give up? I hear a soft beeping noise. Sounds like they're trying to override the retina detector. I don't think Kevin's noticed, yet. Kevin moves slowly towards the exit, eyes darting between me and the door. I move towards Kevin, but his grip on Li Mei tightens.

"Kangai, don't."

Li Mei's voice is only a whisper, but the fear in her eyes looks more like concern for me than for her own well being.

Kevin stumbles a few paces back, dragging Li Mei along with him. He's already breathing heavily. It's obvious he's not used to anything physically strenuous. Still, the look in his eyes promises that he's not going down without at least attempting to put that knife in someone's chest. I take a step forward, and he moves one step towards the exit. I take another step forward and Kevin swings the knife at me. It whistles through the air, and I try to jump out of the way. My ankle twists under my weight, and I stumble forward.

"Agh-"



The door bursts open, but Detective Gurski and Aki freeze as soon as they see the situation.

"I'm fine..."

I hold my hand up, motioning for Gurski and Aki to stay at a distance. I switch my gaze back and forth between Kevin's eyes and the knife in his hand. There's got to be an opening... Detective Gurski and Aki still stand in the doorway, not daring to move. Kevin keeps his knife trained on me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Aki blink. Suddenly, Kevin's body shivers. He looks around wildly, as if he's in a daze, and the hand holding the knife goes limp.



Without hesitation, I race forward and swing my arm. My fist meets his face, and he stumbles back. He drops the knife, and it falls to the ground with a clatter. Detective Gurski moves in quickly, grabbing Kevin's free hand and expertly twisting his arm behind his back. He gives me a grudging smile.

"Not bad, kid."

I release Kevin and allow Gurski to take over.



As soon as I do, Li Mei runs to me and takes my hand. I look down at her and give her a reassuring smile.

"It's okay. Kevin won't hurt you anymore."

She smiles back at me. She looks grateful, but there's something about her eyes that still reflects fear. She's not afraid of Kevin, though. So... Before I can ask, she gives my hand a small squeeze.

"Thank you."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Aki watching the scene with a satisfied look in her eyes.

I approach her and lean casually against the wall beside her.

"So...that little panic attack that Kevin had just a moment ago..."

"You can thank me later."

She flashes her usual confident smile.

"You know, you blink every time you do it. Not very subtle."

I poke her arm, as if somehow that will help me get my point across. I'm not sure why I'm teasing her. I guess I'm curious to see her reaction.

"And you pass out every time you use your kansei."

"Okay, you have a point."

"I could teach you how to control it, if you want. How to stay conscious. It'll take a while for you to get it right, but I get the feeling you'll be stuck with us for a while."

She leans against the wall next to me. Her smile is softer now. More genuine.

"I hope you don't mind."

I laugh and shake my head.

"No, I don't mind."









Maybe it was the hours of interrogation from the police that came after Aki and Detective Gurski solved the case. Or maybe it was the uncomfortable atmosphere when Aki and Detective Gurski actually had to share credit for solving the case.




"Hopefully today isn't as eventful as yesterday."

Aki stretches and throws herself on the couch.

"I feel like celebrating our mission accomplished by doing absolutely nothing."

"Mission accomplished? But your client is dead."

"Huh, good point."

"Well, either way, we don't have any work today. We might as well enjoy it."





"Detective."

"Great."

Aki takes her time unlocking the door. Finally, she makes a great show of opening it.

"Well, hello, Miko. What brings you to this corner of the world?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I just assumed that you'd want to know what happened with Kevin."

"What happened?"

"We found his prints on the bottle that Sophia brought us. Once we showed him, he pled guilty. He added liquid nicotine to Mr. Auten's cognac and simply waited for him to drink it."

"When you showed up that day, Mr. Auten had a panic attack, and he went to the bottle for comfort. It wound up killing him instead."

"What's going to happen to Mr. Auten's estate, now?"

"Hard to say. Technically, it belongs to Liam, but we're having trouble finding him."

"Why? Where'd he go?"



Aki looks severely displeased.

"So he's still out there somewhere?"

"Don't worry. We'll find him."

He smiles pointedly at Aki.

"We always do."

She flashes him her trademark grin.

"You don't have to tell me, Officer."

Gurski laughs.

"Well, I'll be seeing you kids around. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

"Anything you say, sir."

• Director's Notes:

• Designing Li Mei.

• Epilogue:

• You may have noticed that Chance was mentioned in the end credits.

"Yeah, whatever. This is all I could get. I kinda had to sneak out the back before the police arrested me, too."

"What did I tell you about staying out of trouble?"

"Are you gonna lecture me now or something? It's not like I could have gotten anything else, anyway. That Detective Gurski insisted on keeping most of these papers as evidence."

"Evidence? How did he even find it in the first place?"

"He didn't. That Kangai kid found it."

• It's possible this may be revisited in the future, but the “SD Card” route feels a little inconsistent as it is; firstly, why did Kevin kill Marissa in the “Killer Too late” ending? She knew nothing about the murder, beyond a theory that the killer was someone Auten “trusted”. She's in the one room that isn't covered by the cameras, so it's not that Kevin saw her doing something he didn't like. Marissa only realises that Kevin's the one attacking her when she sees his reflection in the mirror, so it's not that there was any kind of confrontation between them. I get that Marissa's murder is probably supposed to be a hint that maintaining a good relationship with her is required for the good / true ending, but from a story perspective, it doesn't seem to make sense.
  
  Secondly, why does having a good relationship with Marissa lead to Aki and Gurski solving the case? I can see how they could work out that Kevin was the only one with the means, even without the motive, since Gurski noticed Auten was poisoned, he probably also realised that the cognac was poisoned, which is enough to make Sophia remember the bottle of poison, and of course, she also knows that Kevin is the only one with the master code to unlock any door – but that line of deduction doesn't involve Marissa. On a side note, Kangai can tell Gurski about Auten's genetic experiments any time after he finds out about it from Marissa – it's possible to have Gurski go to the living room to question Marissa after Marissa has relocated to the bathroom.
  
  Thirdly, how did Kangai find the papers Liam is talking about? The only papers mentioned prior to the epilogue are the research papers Kangai finds in the basement and the papers in the security room proving that Auten owns the company that Kevin's parents took out a loan from – neither of which Kangai gets access to in the “SD Card” route. Assuming that Liam is referring to the research papers here, even in the route where Kangai does go into the basement, he's alone when he takes the papers, and Gurski is the only person Kangai shows / discusses the papers with. It is possible that Kevin saw Kangai take the papers, as the basement is covered by the security cameras, but it seems unlikely that he would have told Liam about that.

"Kangai?"



"Did he have dirty blond hair dyed black at the ends?"

"Yeah. You know him?"

"You should have stopped him."

"Oh, come on. What did you want me to do, kill him?"

• Sophia told Kangai that Shen Guan was dead, but that's clearly not the case. It's not explictly stated, but Auten seemed to be aware that Shen is still alive as well, given his last thoughts.

"Pity, really. Well, at least you finally managed to do your job. How many years did it take you, again?"

"Oh, don't even start. I did what you told me to do, so you'll leave me alone now, right?"

[HydroSphere]

"Okay, I guess. Still a little tired."

"Do you want to come downstairs and eat?"

"Um..."

"What's wrong?"

"I don't think I can be around the others right now."

"Too loud for you?"

"No. It's nothing."

"I know that tone of voice. It's not nothing. You can tell me."

"You'll think I'm crazy."

"Ha. I already know you're crazy."

"You think so..?"

"Whoa. This really is serious. What's wrong?"

"This morning at breakfast, John lied when he said he did his homework already."

"What?"



"Well, that was pretty obvious, but-"



"Are you sure? Maybe your body is just rejecting the transfusion."

"I'm sure. It only starts hurting when someone lies."

"..."

"I told you you'd think I'm crazy."

"I don't think you're crazy. I think you're tired."

"I'm scared. I don't know why this is happening."

"Hey, it might not be anything."

"Maybe..."

"I can stay here with you if you like."

"No, it's okay. I don't want you to worry about me."














I meant to say "Hello?" but the words must have gotten lost somewhere on the journey between my brain and my mouth.



Marissa's chipper voice contains not even a single trace of irony.

"Guuurgh?"

"Oh! I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"No, this is how I always answer the phone."

Oh, hey. A complete sentence. I guess sarcasm is a reflex.

"Well, I looked into what you asked me about."

I asked her about something? I review recent events, trying to remember what we even spoke about. Let's see... Last week was when I first got to Edgewater and tripped over that dead body in the coffee shop. I found the killer, but after that I fell in with Aki and her crew of... uh... Actually, I'm not sure what to call them. Government agents, according to Aki. Prisoners according to their handler, Detective Gurski. Probably both. Ugh... and that's when the real trouble started. We all wound up investigating the murder of William Auten, corporate CEO and a generally unlikeable fellow. Marissa was a reporter trying to uncover some of his secret dealings at the time. And then...

"...Kangai? Did you hear me?"

"Huh? Sorry... what?"

"I said I couldn't find out much about that man you asked me about. Shen Guan?"

"Oh... right."

Before he passed away, William Auten was involved in some sort of secret dealings with a business partner, Shen Guan.

"Shen seems to have disappeared completely, but it looks like he and William went to grad school together at the University of Edgewater."



"You might want to talk to Dr. Johansen about him."

"Who?"

"He was in charge of their research project before it shut down. He's been traveling around the world lecturing, but he's scheduled to return to Edgewater today. I'm out of town on an assignment right now, but you could stop by the university and see what he knows. He's leaving tomorrow, so..."

"Yeah, I got it. Thanks, Marissa."

"Keep me in the loop, okay?"

"Uh... Sure."

I hang up and toss the phone back at the end table. It bounces off the side and lands on the ground with a soft thump. Yay. Now back to sleep.



Aki appears in the doorway, looking as energetic as always. I will never understand morning people.

"I heard you on the phone."

Huh? Oh, Marissa. Something about Mr. Auten's old research boss. He's back in town, apparently. She said we should head down to the University of Edgewater to go talk to him. Today."

"Short deadline. I'll have to make a call."

"About what?"

"Just getting a few things in place. We'll have to move fast if we want to go today."

Moving fast is not my idea of a good time. I can still hear the couch calling my name. Aki pauses for a moment and glances down the hallway.

"Do me a favor?"

"What's up?"

"Wake up Li Mei."

She points to a door at the end of the hallway.

"Just knock on her closet door three times. That should do it."

"Okay."

I sit up with a heavy sigh and stretch. I guess if I have to be awake, Li Mei should be too.

"Oh, and do it quietly. She doesn't respond well to surprises."

Something about Aki's tone sounds like she's not giving me the full story. Big surprise. I shuffle down the hallway, and the thick carpet muffles the sound of my footsteps. Behind me, Aki dials a number on her phone.



She heads into the kitchen and the sound of her voice fades. I stand outside Li Mei's door for a moment. Aki said to knock on the closet door. Is it really okay to just... walk in? I knock softly on the door, but there's no response.



"Li Mei..?"

No response. Across the room, I can see Li Mei's sleeping form buried under a pile of blankets. I rap on the closet door three times, quietly. No response. Again, I knock on the door, this time putting more force into it.



"Whoa."

Li Mei's muffled voice sounds from inside the closet.

"Um... are you..?"



"No, I meant... are you in the closet?"



Okaaaay...



"Right. Sure."

I duck out of the room, shutting the door behind me. It clicks shut with another squeal of protest. With a sigh, I lean against the wall and blink slowly. I'm still not fully awake, but I'm awake enough to be confused. I can hear Li Mei moving around her room with swift, precise footsteps against the thin carpet. The door swings open again, and she glides into the hallway as smoothly as if she were skating across ice.



"Um, morning."

I'm not sure if I should ask her about the closet thing or not. I guess it's probably best left unasked for now... Li Mei stares at me curiously for a moment, before deciding that it's not worth the effort to ask me anything. I follow her down the hallway to find Aki and Naoki crowded around the computer.



"What about Li Mei?"

"I don't know if we can get her to pass for a student like us, but we can't leave her here. It's not safe."

"What's not safe?"

The twins spin around to face me, guilty smiles on their faces.

"Plenty of things. Tornado chasing, spelunking, and juggling knives, to name a few. But nothing you have to worry about."

"Your assurances make me feel safer already. And since when were you students?"

Aki taps the monitor with her knuckle. An email is displayed on the screen. I glance over it quickly and read out the subject line.

""You're invited to experience college life with our dorm buddy program!" Is this what I think it is?"

"That largely depends on what you think it is, but I'd say you're probably right."



"Don't you have to be accepted into the school before they let you wander around and sleep there?"

Aki flashes her trademark grin at me.

"Turns out calling the right people can get your name to appear in their database. Who knew?"

You, I'm guessing.

"If we wanna talk to Dr. Johansen, it's best not to arouse any suspicions."

"Therefore, we're going undercover! We'll be able to ask all the questions we want."



"That's not suspicious."

"We'll figure that part out when we get there."

"We're scheduled to meet our campus guide in an hour."

"Which means we have to go now."

I let out a long and mournful sigh. So much for going back to sleep.

"I guessed as much. I'll get my bag."

I grab my backpack from the floor and head to the cramped laundry room in the back of the apartment. Naoki was nice enough to add my meager collection of clothes to the group laundry, but he hasn't gotten around to my shirts yet. Guess this one will have to do. I snatch a handful of clothing from the pile of neatly folded clothes sitting on top of the dryer. A quick stop at the bathroom for a toothbrush, and I'm ready to go.



"What are you wearing?"

"Glasses."

"Yeah, I meant why? That's not supposed to be a disguise, is it?"

"Of course it is. What do you think? Does it say "mild mannered reporter" to you?"

"It says "I picked this up at the dollar store." I don't have to wear any, do I?"

"Not if you don't want to."

"But it's more fun this way, don't you think?"

• Glasses for everyone.

"Sure, why not? It'll be a party."

I shrug.

"Excellent!"

Aki hands me a pair of dark frames and I try them on.



"They make you look smart!"

"I'm going to ignore the implication of that statement."

Aki's only response is a teasing smile.

"So, are you ready to go?"

"Sure. Just please let me sleep in the car."







An overly enthusiastic college boy rushes out to meet us with his arms open wide. He greets Aki and Naoki with hearty handshakes.

"So glad you all could make it!"

"Glad to be here! It's great to meet you."

Aki mirrors the guide's posture and smile effortlessly. He beams, pleased to have met a kindred spirit. Smooth. Naoki, in turn, offers a small, shy wave.

"You must be Haru. And... I hope I'm saying this right. Kizaki?"

"Got it in one."

Haru and Kizaki? I throw Aki a questioning look.

"Our real names are off limits in public."

Aki responds, using her kansei to speak directly into my mind. I should have figured they wouldn't be allowed to use their real names. On our last adventure together, I learned that they used to make a living as con artists. Back before they started doing... whatever you call this. No doubt, a search of their names would reveal them to be on a less than savory side of the law. Our college guide turns to Li Mei and me to offer the same outpouring of unbridled energy. Li Mei calmly sidesteps his outstretched hand, leaving me to bear the brunt of his enthusiasm.



Shawn pumps my hand vigorously. I try to match his smile the way Aki did, but it doesn't feel right at all.




"You're terrible at this."

I attempt to shoot a glare in her direction without Shawn noticing, but it proves to be more difficult than I had hoped. Shawn is polite enough to ignore my facial contortions, opting instead to fan out a stack of plastic cards.

"Here are your visitor badges!"

He hands one to each of us like a doting grandmother measuring out candy to children on Halloween.

"These'll get you into the dorm building where you're staying. There are also three meals encoded onto the magnetic strip. Just swipe 'em at the cafeteria for a meal!"

I inspect the card in my hand. It's got my likeness printed on front alongside the name "Kangai Alexander." That's weird. Aki chose the name "Kangai" for me because I didn't want to tell her my real name.

• As ZCKaiser correctly guessed, you only find out that Kangai's real name is Alex in Kansei if you have high trust with Gurski on the true end. I'm not sure if the "low trust with Gurski" version of Kansei's true end is the canon one, or if Kangai just didn't register Gurski blurting out his real name.

Shawn interrupts my thoughts with more of his cheerful directions.

"Now if you'll follow me this way, I'll take you to the dorms so you can drop your stuff off!"

Shawn takes off in a speed walk across the campus and the rest of us follow as quickly as we can manage. As he walks, Shawn points out various landmarks on the campus.

"Main cafeteria's over that way in the University Center. Opens at 7:00am, closes at midnight."

He points down a winding path.

"Biology lab in that direction. Since you're all listed as potential bio majors, you'll get a tour there later."



"Wh-what?"

Shawn laughs at Naoki's reaction.

"No need to worry! I've been taking classes there for four years, and I haven't mutated yet!"

Yes, because that's comforting. Shawn halts suddenly and spins around.

"Almost forgot! Our illustrious bell tower's there!"

He points at the tall structure looming over the campus.

"The bell tower is the only building still part of the original campus. Originally, it was meant as a warning signal in case of flood. These days, it just tells the time. It's all automated now, but back in the day, freshmen were required to ring it every hour."

"If you didn't show up for your shift, you wouldn't graduate."

He turns on his heel and marches down a cobblestone pathway that leads away from the tower.

"Makes you guys the lucky ones. I had a 4:00am shift on the same day as a 8:00am class. It was killer! Anyway, here we are!"

He throws his arms open wide and proudly presents to us a brick building that looks like it's seen better days. Shawn points to the card reader by the entrance.

"All you have to do to get in is wave your card over the reader. Go ahead and give it a go."

Aki steps up and places her card against the tiny black box. It beeps cheerfully, and the lock clicks open.



"Okay, Kizaki and Kangai will be in Room 103 in the first hallway. The girls' hall is over this way. Your dorm buddy isn't in right now, so I'll get you two set up."

He motions for Aki and Li Mei to follow him, and the three disappear down a hallway. Naoki and I stare at each other for a moment.

"So... just go in, then?"

"I think so?"

"Are your missions always this vague?"

I slide my keycard into the card reader mounted on Room 103's door.

"Honestly, I'm not sure what we're even-"

A bright flash of light blinds us as soon as the door swings open. Naoki flinches and takes a step back.



As my pupils readjust themselves to the light, I finally make out the outline of a guy holding a camera.

"Um... hi? We're here for the high school student... something or other?"

The guy taps his camera and snaps another picture of us.

"Uh huh. I know. You can come in."

Naoki and I enter hesitantly.



"I'm Kangai."

"Kizaki."



Well, there's a new one.

"I assume that's not the official name."

"No, it's the COOL name."

He points to a couple of sleeping bags rolled up in the corner of the room.

"Ah, those are for you. You can unpack before we go to the lab."

Naoki and I kneel beside the sleeping bags and unpack our few belongings. Aaron hovers around us the entire time, snapping pictures at random.

"Um... is there any reason you're taking all these pictures?"

Aaron inspects his camera for a brief moment as if he didn't even notice he was holding it.

"'Cause I like it?"

Naoki looks like he wants to say something else, but he remains silent.

• In Yousei, the main cast have friendship levels, rather than the trust levels they had in Jisei and Kansei. New characters, as well as one returning character continue to have trust levels. Friendship levels are the same as trust levels in all but name, and are the main factor in determining which ending we'll get (though one of the endings does require a certain level of trust with a particular character). There are four endings in Yousei, including the true ending, which, unlike Kansei, can be accessed right from the start.

[HydroSphere]

"Is it like your hobby or something?"

"Sort of."

He lets go of his camera and it swings on the strap around his neck.

"I just started doing it one day in high school, and it was fun, so I kept doing it."

"Well, that's all our stuff unpacked. What next?"

"Did Shawn already show you around the campus?"

"Um, a little bit. He pointed out all the buildings when we came here."

"Well, I can answer any other questions you might have."

He opens the door for us and we file out.



Naoki uses Aki's false name without hesitation. I wonder how often they use these identities.

"Ah, Shawn probably already took them. We'll meet them again at the bio building."

"Okay..."

Naoki sighs. He really doesn't look happy to be away from Aki.



He stops frequently to point out various buildings, tell us about student traditions, or share stories about the university's founders. Some of it is a rehash of Shawn's tour, but most of it is new information. It's hard for me to keep up, but Naoki seems to be taking it all in without any problem. His kansei of perfect memory seems awfully convenient right about now.

"I don't see many people around here. Holiday?"

"This isn't the main campus. The original school was built here, but the university expanded. Most of the other buildings are at the main campus about a mile away."

He snaps another shot of us with his camera, but I don't think he even notices he's doing it.

"Oh, they don't post many pictures of the main campus. The bell tower is all historic and junk, so they use it on all the newsletters."

As our tour draws to a close, Aaron leads us to a tall building paneled with glass.



"What is this place?"

"Grad student lab. Dr. Johansen's team works here."

Naoki and I trade glances. This could be our chance to talk to Dr. Johansen. Aaron waves his card over the small card reader at the building entrance and we file in after him.



"Oooh, you're early."

Aaron snaps a few pictures of the girls in quick succession.

"Yeah, Shawn said he had somewhere to be, so he dropped us off here."

"Coo' coo'. Then you're with me now. Let's get going!"

As Aaron leads us through the building, Aki slows her pace until we're walking side by side.

"Split off from us and look for Dr. Johansen."

I frown at her.

"Considering Auten's interest in you, he might be more willing to talk to you than a stranger.

Or he might be even less willing to talk to me.

"Or he might be even less willing to talk to you."

"I just-"

"What up?"



He grins and snaps a photo of me. I don't think he's even aware he did it.

"It IS p-cool, isn't it?"

Aaron returns to his tour, unphased by my outburst, and Aki returns to my side.

"I know it's risky going alone, but it's our best bet. Now go. I'll make sure Aaron ignores you for as long as possible."

I nod once and duck into a side hallway as soon as Aaron turns around. The glowing fluorescent lights reflect off the polished white tile floor, giving the entire place a sterile, washed out look. I scan the hallway, searching for any hint of where Dr. Johansen might be.

• Seems like Naoki is starting to rub off on to Kangai.

A door in front of me swings open and with all the skill and grace of a trained athlete, I plant my face right in it.

"Agh!"





The woman's expression changes slowly as recognition dawns on her face. Which is weird, because I've never seen her before.

"YOU!"

Me..? She turns on her heel and yells down the hallway.

"Nathan! David! He's back!"

Two more doors fly open and a couple of guys about the same age as the woman come rushing out.



Both of them look panicked.

"It's him!"

"Um, yeah... I think we covered that part already."



The what? Uh oh. This can't end well. Real Football reaches me first. He reaches down and grabs me by the arm.

"Got him!"

That sounds ominous. Real Football pulls at my arm, and I grudgingly stand.

"Good job, David. Take him to the lab upstairs."

The lab? Guess I'm in a horror film after all.

[HydroSphere]

"Hang on! I think you've got the wrong guy here."

"No, I'm pretty sure you're the guy. Or did you think we wouldn't notice that someone broke in and stole our research?"

Real Football - David, apparently - tightens his grip on my arm. It's more constricting than I'd like. I think he works out. He gets regular exercise, at least.

"I... wait, what? No, you definitely have the wrong guy."

"That remains to be seen."

David gives me a tug, and I follow. It'll be easier to explain I'm innocent if I don't run. I just hope Aki's nearby. I could really use a bail-out.

"David. Nathan. Take him in."

David escorts me down the hallway with the other two following close behind. War Stars - Nathan, I guess - brandishes his light sword at me, as if it's a useful weapon of some sort. At the end of the hall, David ushers me into a small, sparsely furnished room.



There's a large mirror set in the wall on the opposite side of the room. Clearly it's one of those one-way mirrors they use in lab testing. Am I in some sort of study room?

"So, uh... hey."

"Don't talk. We're not gonna consort with the likes of you."

"Consort?"

Nathan raises a haughty eyebrow, but he doesn't deign to respond.

"Right, okay. No consorting. You guys wanna at least tell me why I'm here?"

"You're the guy who broke in."

"Yes, I caught that part. Do you really think that?"

David shrugs. He almost looks bored.



"Hey, we're not supposed to consort!"

"I'm not consorting! Dude just wants to know why he's here."

Nathan points his light sword at me.

"What if he's from Western? They've been trying to get their hands on our research for years!"

"I dunno, man. He doesn't look smart enough to be Western."

"What, even WITH the glasses? I'm hurt."

The door swings open, cutting off any response that David might offer me. The young woman enters, carrying a slim, brown folder.



She sits across from me at the table, and nods at David and Nathan. They leave without a word. Well, I guess there's no question who's in charge here.



"Not particularly, but I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that's kind of the point."

A thin smile appears on her face.

"We use this room for sleep studies, mostly. It's supposed to be neutral."

"Oh. Well, it's very neutral. Good job. Or... mediocre job, I guess?"

Her expression tightens.



"Kangai."

"Unusual, but I suppose I'm not one to talk. It's okay. You can laugh."

She pauses for a brief moment to search my expression.

"Do you know why you're here?"

"That's a pretty deep question. Why is anyone here? Does humankind even have a purpose?"

She stares at me without remark. I can't tell if she's amused or annoyed.

“The campus may be a public university, but this lab is off limits to anyone without clearance. I'd like to know how you came to be wandering around alone in our hallway."

"I'm here with a tour group. The, um, high school welcoming program or something."

"A tour group of one, with no guide?"

"I sort of... lost them. But hey, if you let me go, I can go look for them!"

Jupiter doesn't respond. I can't read her expressions at all.

"Last Monday, someone broke into this lab and stole some very important research."

"That's, um... too bad?"

"It IS too bad. Thankfully for us, we caught him on film."

She pulls a printout from the slim folder and slides it across the table towards me. The moment I see it, my heart sinks. No wonder this place looked familiar.






I look up to see Jupiter studying my face.

"So you recognize it."

“Well, yeah. He looks like me."

She shakes her head.

"I mean, you've seen this exact image before. Where?"

[HydroSphere]

"It was in Mr. Auten's files. I went to his house for something."

"Something?"

She sounds incredulous. I can't really blame her.

"William Auten, may he rest in peace, doesn't just invite people over to his place for a cup of coffee."

"Well, I wasn't there for coffee."

She leans in and lowers her voice.

"And what were you there for?"

"That's classified."

I try not to sound too smug, but it feels kind of nice to not be on the receiving end of the “classified" runaround for once." Jupiter presses on, undeterred.

"Who are you?"

"That's also classified, but I can tell you who I'm not."

I tap the photo on the table with my hand.

"I'm not him."

"I don't have time for this."

She isn't buying a word I'm saying.

"How's this? I won't press charges if you tell me who hired you to steal that. Was it Western State?"

"Who?"

There's a soft rapping on the glass. Some sort of signal, I suppose.

"Maybe you're telling the truth. Maybe you're not."

She slides back in her chair and stands.

"But we'll leave that for the police to sort out."

"Th-the police?"

The door swings open with a slow creak.

"You have GOT to be kidding..."



I sigh and hang my head.

"It wasn't me, Officer."

The words sound so recited by now.

"Right. It never is."

Detective Gurski rubs the side of his head as if he's already got a headache. He steps closer to me and lowers his voice.

"Where are the others? Aki's not supposed to let you out of her sight."

"She's the one who told me to split off from the group!"

"…"

"Sorry."

"Never mind."

He pulls out a phone and taps the screen a few times.

"All on campus, at least. That's good."

"Are you tracking them?"

"It's part of the job description."

"Are you tracking me?"



"Not really."

Detective Gurski taps on the screen a few more times before pocketing his phone.

"Alright, what's this all about?"

"She says I broke into this lab."

"Officer, we have video evidence of his entry."

"Breaking in, huh?"

He frowns at me.

"Did he take anything?"

"He did. He copied some research for a project we're working on. It's..."

She glances at the mirror.

"It's important."

"And when did this break-in take place?"

"Last week. Monday night, 10:52. We found out about it on Tuesday morning."

Gurski turns to me.

"Where were you at that time?"



But... I lied about my name when I got the ticket. There'd be no proof it was me on that bus.

"Um... I was-"



The door bursts open and a girl with platinum blonde hair and wide eyes pokes her head into the room.



"Chance?"

In the doorway stands Chance Jackson, part-time barista, and full time aspiring singer. We first met at a coffee shop last week. That's when I tripped over the dead body that got me tangled up with all this craziness. I didn't expect to see her again, and I certainly didn't expect her to lie to cover for me.

"Miss Jackson?"

Detective Gurski is just as surprised as I am.

"Officer! Hello again!"

Chance gives Gurski a small wave.

"I was just coming by to drop off lunch for my boyfriend, and I heard they caught a thief!"

"But you've got it all wrong. It's not him at all!"

She looks at me, and her eyes begin to well up with tears.



""Poor Kangai?""

He glances questioningly at me out of the corner of his eye. I shrug.

"He was at the coffee shop with me last week. We're open late, and he was there the whole time!"

"Is that true?"

[Syrelian]

Like fucking hell we let Chance get something on us, reject her alibi

[HydroSphere]

Posting to push to next page.

[HydroSphere]

^^