#and I'm like WELL THAT'S PROBABLY NOT THE CASE AHAHA [<= in denial in case that Is the case.]

[euclydya]

every now and then when we say something in-sys we DO still hear Allan's voice but barely so

and sometimes. they're like "QUIT TELLING EVERYONE I'M DEAD??" when,

We never DID explicitly tell anyone that, and

He is dead? He's literally a ghost. He honest to god legit for realsies died in 2019.

and he's like..,,,, "oh right! lmao sorry I forgot, carry on" JDJSMSKDMFCN??

[whentranslatorscry]

Chapter 2: Kakushidate Yakusuke Commissioning (2/2)

"Y-yes, that's right."

"What she wrote is very detrimental for my client, so confirming its authenticity, that's what this is about, correct?"

"...Mhm, right."

She's right that she's right, but the way she said it made it sound like Kondou-san and I were conspiring to cover up that will, and I was starting to feel guilty.

Sure she could interpret it like that—why should anyone be looking for some sort of "truth" beyond the handwritten will she left behind? Wanting to find some other truth could easily be seen as shirking responsibility, as shameful behavior.

"Responsibility… hm?"

Kyouko-san smiled meaningfully.  

Meaningfully, and shrewdly.

"She may have been moved by manga to attempt suicide, but I do not think the author bears any responsibility."

"Huh?"

"Apologies, just my personal opinion. I'm a detective, I only think in legal terms. If a reader really did commit suicide because of a manga, the charge would probably be incitement to suicide, but there's almost no chance of such a prosecution succeeding."

"......"

Kyouko-san said that this was her "opinion"...but I feel such a firm and steadfast opinion could just as well be called a "viewpoint". At least it's different from my "impressions". 

What she said may be salvation for Kondou-san, but for me it's still not that clear-cut.

Legal liability aside, the question of moral responsibility was another matter entirely. Even just the example Kyouko-san cited earlier, of using the law to assign blame, could itself provoke an emotional backlash.

"Ahaha. If you put it that way, the term 'moral responsibility' is quite strange, isn't it— oh, come to think of it, maybe there's already a law like that and I've just forgotten it. Book burnings and censorship is nothing new in history after all."

Regardless, the forgetful detective of today alone clearly isn't equipped to resolve the issue of regulating creative freedom. 

Kyouko-san shrugged her shoulders, bringing the derailed conversation back on track. 

"All I can resolve is this particular case."

That's of course enough— debating over "laws that restrict creative freedom" or "an atmosphere that suppresses creative freedom" here would be pointless. 

Still, on the topic of creative freedom, I expect that by this afternoon, Kyouko-san will be discussing it with the key man, Fumoto... 

I do hope she doesn't say anything too sharp— I'm worried enough as it is. 

Kyouko-san's appearance being as composed as you see, perhaps owing to her attitude of "I'll forget it tomorrow anyway", she can be completely oblivious to propriety when conversing or debating. 

I don't think it would be ideal at all for her to take that approach with Fumoto-sensei who's driven himself into a corner thinking of withdrawing from the world entirely...

To someone self-blaming, saying "You are not to blame at all"— this kind of total denial of their feelings may cause them to shut their heart even more and go "You don't understand me at all".

There's no telling how things will develop.

"I hope you can promise me first that the task I'm about to take on is still an investigation after all, and even if the results are not what Kondou-san hoped for, I will not distort the contents of the report. This one point, please be sure to understand."  

"Ah, okay. I can certainly understand that. I don't mean to ask you to fabricate investigation results either."  

Some detectives have claimed that making things up is part of the job (known as "fabricating detectives"), but I know well that Kyouko-san was not that kind of detective— moreover, Kondou-san would be the last person to want such despicable conduct.

Regarding how to respond from the standpoint of the editorial department and publishing company, that's another thing. If the cause of a middle school girl's suicide attempt really is related to works previously published by them, he wouldn't evade that fact either—

Just the kind of guy he is.

Therefore— what needed to be faced was the malaise he felt.

Something didn't felt quite right— everything felt too right.

Somehow deliberate…

Recalling Kondou-san's words again, I still don't understand his implication, or perhaps what he wants Kyouko-san to investigate is not just the truth behind the incident, but also to find out through her investigation what exactly is the malaise he senses.

"Aha, I've got it all figured out already."

Out of the blue, Kyouko-san casually said this.

"Really? So you've already figured it out… Wait, what?"

Because she spoke so casually, I almost let her words go in one ear and out the other.

Say what?

"Wha..what do you mean you've got it all figured out?"

"Just what I said, I've got a theory. I figured out what Kondou-san was saying during my previewing. Yes, I agree with him, that the whole thing is full of malaise. It's truly worthy of a professional editor to pick up on that, his sensibilities are rich."

"……"

If such is the case, the sensibilities of professional detectives should also be very rich—it seems that she had already grasped what Kondou-san's malaise was before meeting him in person. 

With this previewing, won’t class be dismissed early? The fastest detective has indeed performed her knack to the fullest.

"That kind of discomfort, can it be clearly articulated in words? Not just based on feeling.." 

"Because it's a feeling that something is not right, it's a senses problem, but it can still be described quite clearly with words! I believe it can be cogently explained to a certain extent."

To really explain the 'offness' that Kondou-san was unable to articulate so clearly herself—I don't believe it.

"Hmm...how should I put this. I don't exactly know Kondou-san's character very well, but I guess he probably has some idea. As I speculate, it's not that he can't describe it with words, it's more that he's struggling to describe it."

"Is that so...?"

I don't quite understand the subtle difference between "can't describe" and "struggling to describe."...If Kondou-san had already noticed what that malaise was, he wouldn't have entrusted her, right?

...Incidentally, Kyouko-san said she didn't exactly know Kondou-san's character, but they have actually met several times before.  

She just forgot.  

"Could you please tell me? What exactly is that malaise?"

"If I answered your question now I would be forced to explain the same reasoning twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, so please allow me to clarify in the afternoon." 

She firmly refused me with a sweet smile.  

It seemed that for a detective who values efficiency, having to waste time presenting the same reasoning twice would be insufferable to the point of being "forcing", as she put it.

Clarify it when meeting Kondou-san and Fumoto-sensei in the afternoon. Certainly a reasonable approach. So what about wasting time playing with my plaster cast... 

"Since you have the opportunity, why don't you try reasoning too, Yakusuke-san? Because with just the information at your disposal, you can already establish a certain degree of conjecture."

She said.

"O-okay...I'll try my best." 

I didn't think I could get anywhere just by trying my best, but since she'd proposed it, I had no choice but to go along.

"However, as a detective, merely grasping that something feels off is hardly considered getting the job done. Therefore, now that the details of the request have been clarified, it's about time to take action, Yakusuke-san."

"Huh? Take what action..."

"Since I'm a woman of action and not some armchair detective, shall we walk and talk?"

If anyone was an armchair detective, it would be me, crippled as I was.

That being said, I was well aware Kyouko-san was an action type. She was the type who can't sit still, and who knows where she'll run off to if I take my eyes off her.

It was a cruel request to make of a man with a fractured leg, 'Shall we walk and talk?', but I decided not to make a fuss about it. If we were heading to the Sakusousha, wasn't it a bit early?

We were to meet with Kondou-san at one in the afternoon— it wasn't even eleven yet. From the hospital to the publishing company, it wouldn't take more than half an hour, even with delays. Even if we wanted to have lunch on the way, this was too early to start.

If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to stay in that hospital room and clarify some details first, instead of chatting while walking? No matter how much you value speed, there is no point in wasteful rushing around.

Kyouko-san should understand this better than anyone.

"No no, we're not heading directly to the publishing company.I want to do an on site investigation first. That is, the place where you had the fortune... oops, misfortune to break a bone. We're heading to the mixed residential-commercial building where the middle school girl—Sakasaka Masaka-chan—jumped from."

"......!"

Detectives are amazing. She already knew the full name of the middle school girl even though it hadn't been publicly announced. But, I hadn't considered visiting the scene.

Although the attempted suicide of a child, a very severe case indeed. It lacked the "eventfulness" typical of mystery novels, so generally, there was no need for an on-site investigation.

However, Kyouko-san seemed to think otherwise.

I wasn't sure how necessary it was, but she, who wasn't keen on wasting time explaining the same reasoning twice, must have had her reasons for wanting to go.

If she wanted me to guide her, I had no reason to refuse.

"But, Kyouko-san, before we go to the publishing company, um... if we make a detour to where the girl jumped, we'll be pressed for time. Because the direction is just opposite…"

"Oh, that's simple,"

Kyouko-san said, nonchalantly. 

"We just have to skip lunch."

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[koorinohebi]

3. What’s something you like about how you write? + 7. What’s a negative thing about your character that you enjoy writing?

Mun Interview || Accepting

3. What’s something you like about how you write?

I honestly don't know, embarrassing as it sounds. Hmn, maybe I like it when I can bring out certain emotions in the characters I'm playing along with the characters that they interact with.

I do take pleasure in knowing that a piece that I've written can evoke emotions in my partners and in my readers. If they can somehow get lost in my characters when I write them, I think that's part of what I like about my writing. Of course, I have no idea if people feel that unless they tell me.

7. What’s a negative thing about your character that you enjoy writing?

Aaaaaah~ ahaha~ this blog has a lot of treachery in it. So like, me per say, I can't stand fucking backstabbers and traitors, but for some reason here on this blog, I have three characters who exercise varying degrees of it.

And as much as I love Mitsuhide who is constantly deceiving himself and is in denial about Nobunaga, and going out of his way to make the people that he hurt from his time hate him; Takechi is probably my favorite source of negativity on this blog because he's absolutely horrible.

He really goes all out in the deception department, in order to accomplish what he sets out to do. As we normally joke about on discord, he often "Gaslight. Gatekeeps. Girlboss" his way around; preventing his targets from progressing in areas where he doesn't want them to progress. He fuels his rage and agends with a seemingly kind facade and then slowly just breaks down everything from within. And I really do like writing it, even if I also complain a lot that I hate his guts.

When people get the feeling that they wanna murder Takechi, I feel a little proud of myself because they hate him as much as I do. xD Please hate him with me, we can plot his end together.

In Kiomi's case. I do love writing out her crippling insecurity about herself. There's never a time when she feels like she's worthy of anything that she has. So when someone does good for her or thinks well of her, as much she's thankful, in the back of her mind she wonders what she's done to deserve it. Or how hard she tries at certain things because she knows how expendable and replaceable she is. In her main verse, she's kind of more accepting of this and doesnt really fight the tide. She does her best, but she understands at the end of the day, she can die and no one will bat an eye. In her Fate verse however, she knows that she isn't the best master. She could even be one of the worsts (she doesn't really give herself any credit), which is why she does her best to learn anything and everything that she can. Go out of her way to fight even if it's dangerous because she doesnt want to lose her place. Servants can choose to contract with other masters too, so if she's less than what they expect, she could lose them. As replaceable as she believes herself to be, I feel like she wouldn't be able to take it if its her servants who began feeling that way. Because that just proves her fears that despite the bond, she really isn't worth anything.