#literally we learn more about Asumu from Kyrie than from Battler

[kyuu-rereads-umineko]

Ep6, Chapter 9 (Part 2) & 10

Love Trial time! (warning: this is not a very good post, honestly. Ep6 is proving to be a struggle to write posts about, even this late into it...)

Eva and George are... in front of the mansion, I think? Eva’s clearly not happy with George and Shannon getting engaged, unsurprisingly.

Oh wait, no, they’re in front of the guesthouse, actually. CLOSE ENOUGH

“...Did you sleep with her? She told you she was pregnant to force you into a marriage, didn’t she?!” fucking OUCH

George states that he’s “a strong believe that chastity is to be preserved before marriage.” That matches up with their date in Ep2, so...

Eva asks why they got engaged, and George replies, “I asked her. She accepted. What more could be needed?” Eva disagrees, of course.

“What about her parents? Relationships between the two families? Are you some stray alley cat, or are you Ushiromiya George?!” Even putting aside the dramatic irony of this statement, it’s... interesting. I’m guessing Eva’s just talking in terms of general issues, as opposed to issues with Shannon x George.

George states his desire to “build his own country and castle from scratch” like Hideyoshi did, and Eva angrily replies that it wasn’t easy, and he was “often saved by luck and coincidence”. George replies, “And he got through it because he had a wonderful life partner by his side... you. Sayo is the kind of person who’ll support me and make me be reborn as an even stronger man. You’ve praised me for becoming the adult that I am, but that could never have happened without her.” Tohya loves Yasu, writes love letter to her in form of his forgeries, etc.

Eva asks if he plans on “betraying the feelings” of a woman they met with at a marriage meeting. He replies that even though the two of them went out (due to their - or at least his - parents’ insistence), they “never even looked at each other.” Eva objects, and George replies, “You want me to marry her because it will benefit you. You aren’t pushing that engagement for the sake of anyone but yourself.” SHOTS FUCKING FIRED

Eva starts crying and screaming about how she and Hideyoshi have always been thinking about what’s “best for George.” “If I didn’t care for you, we wouldn’t be having this fight! [...] Don’t worry, we won’t do anything bad to Shannon-chan. After all, it’s thanks to her that you’ve grown so much... We won’t forget that. So leave the rest to us... George...”

George turns his back, seemingly torn on what to do, then says, “Alright. I think that’s enough. All my life, you’ve done a great job raising me, and I’m grateful for that. When I have children and become a parent... I’ll become a parent like you. I’ll be the kind of parent most worthy of respect in the entire world, one who can truly fight for his children’s sake.”

“I think it’s about time you learned... to let go of your son, Mother.”

“Let’s forget that you’re my parent and let our true intentions ring clear... The reason you want to choose the person I marry... is for financial reasons, public appearances, and... so that you can posture in that still-continuing quarrel between you and your siblings. You have no other reason.” I’d forgotten just how few fucks George gives in this scene, damn. He declares that she’s “a wall, a trial, standing in the way of the future he’s trying to grasp.” “Now I’ll overcome the final barrier... you!!”

EVATRICE TIMEEEEEEEE

I don’t really have a lot to say about this sequence, other than yay fantasy battles.

Having said that - After getting beaten around a bit (okay, a lot), George stands up, saying, “I cannot count the number of things I’ve learned from Sayo. She taught me... courage and chivalry, how to be ambitious and witty and humorous, and just a little stylish. It’s ironic... Almost all of the things you say are so wonderful about me... didn’t come from you at all.”

A bit more fantasy battle (now with martial arts!), and George kills Evatrice... then straightens his glasses and says, “I know you’re somewhere over there, Gaap.” lol

“I have something to ask of you.” Gaap responds kinda flippantly, and George’s response... well: “The threat in his voice held the solemn presence of a king who could control demons. That presence made Gaap gulp, and she licked her lips before bowing respectfully to his back.” I don’t remember the parallels between George and Kinzo being commented on much outside of Ep4, so this is pretty interesting, to say the least.

“I like hot guys, but I like monarchs even more.” lol gaap

At George’s request, she moves Eva’s body to the VIP room in the mansion, and leaves Evatrice’s staff behind. George steps on it to launch it into the air, and catches it in his hand, whereupon it disperses into gold butterflies. GETTING A LOT OF EP4 VIBES HERE

In the gameboard meta, George declares his “part” to be over, and Jessica is shocked that he decided to go after Eva for the love trial. 

He replies, “It’s the person who loves you first in the world... and the last one you have to separate yourself from. ...That’s what it means to leave your home. This is the courage I need to show to take Sayo as my wife.” 

Ah, right, the nature of the trial is mentioned here. “So that the love of the pair will stand true, offer up the life of one person by your own hands.”

The narrative compares it to Beato’s test in Ep4, which is... interesting! I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I suppose it kinda is similar, just with “your own life” and “your lover’s life” automatically excluded (well, except in Battler’s case, but).

“For the versions of themselves to whom the game board was the only world, this was a tragic parricide... but to these ones who stood around the game board in this witch’s smoking room, it was nothing more than a movement of the pieces, representing George’s will to overcome his parents.” meta gonna meta

After a moment’s hesitation (during which Zepar and Furfur almost declare George and Shannon the winners), Jessica volunteers to go next. “Alright, I’ll do it... I’ll show you that I’m serious about Kanon-kun!!”

Meanwhile, during a break in the family conference, Kyrie’s wandered off to a hallway on the second floor of the mansion. “I need to regain my spirit and support my husband, even if I’m not allowed to speak. ...That’s the duty I’ve won.”

HI JESSICA

Ooh, that’s interesting. Jessica decided to basically wander around the mansion and kill the first person she runs into, and Furfur describes it as “Jessica’s roulette of fate.” battler u aren’t a very subtle writer are u

...Though she’s still not committed to actually going through with killing anyone, so she ends up asking Kyrie for advice. “Sounds nasty... Love that can only succeed by using the others as a footstool.”

“I think I see where you’re going with this... Something like this, right? ‘How far is a person allowed to take advantage of others to find happiness’?” Ooof. That’s... painfully accurate - not for Jessica, but for Yasu. The question she’s constantly asking herself, wracked with guilt over being torn between George, Shannon, and Battler...

...Though, granted, Yasu’s circumstances are a bit different to Jessica’s here, but.

And then the music cuts out, as Kyrie tells Jessica that, as painful as it might be to have to cut short George and Shannon’s relationship, not fighting for her own love will be even worse.

Ange cuts in, mentioning finding Kyrie’s notebook sometime after the incident. “It was... practically a book of curses... it cleared up several questions I had vaguely felt back when I was six.”

“When I was six, it seemed as though my parents were very close and had no problems. ...And though I thought it odd that Onii-chan lived separately even though he was in our family, I accepted it as the way things were.”

As was shown in Ep5, it’s explained that Kyrie was effectively Rudolf’s “business partner.” “Though she served as Dad’s right-hand person, she slyly got rid of the other women in the shadows... It was only a matter of time before Mom would succeed in her love.”

Kyrie explains to Jessica that Asumu showed up, and was “good at triggering Rudolf’s protective instinct.” “Bit by bit, Rudolf had started to need a woman who could stay quiet and soothe him... without making him think about anything complicated.”

“I am ruthless and intellectual. Rational and economical. ...In a plank of Carneades situation, I would push the other person off without hesitating. ...I thought that was the kind of partner suitable for him.” kyrie gonna kyrie

“Yes, I did get the position of his business partner... But before I knew it, Rudolf-san had grown a need for a mental partner, someone who could heal his heart. Though I foolishly claimed to be the intellectual one, I never noticed.”

And then both Kyrie and Asumu became pregnant, though Kyrie wasn’t even aware of it herself until after Rudolf and Asumu had already gotten married. “Once she got her hands on Rudolf-san, she didn’t let go.”

Kyrie reflects that she at least wanted Rudolf to acknowledge her child - which he was apparently willing to do, going as far as visiting her in the hospital even though Asumu was giving birth on the same day. She calls him an awful man, and... I can’t say I really disagree, to be honest!

Except... she supposedly ended up having a stillbirth instead, while Asumu gave birth to Battler. In hindsight, the answer’s literally right there, isn’t it? We get it stated in red in Ep4 that Asumu isn’t Battler’s blood mother, and both here and in Ep3 it’s stated that Kyrie and Asumu had the same delivery date. Coupled with how strongly Battler and Ange resemble each other... yeah.

“Kyrie had fallen from Rudolf’s partner to his second wife... and then, unable to even give birth to the bond of a child... she tumbled down... to merely being his mistress. I can’t imagine... how much she must’ve hated Asumu and that kid... Battler.” Ange mentions that she was (understandably) shocked to find out just how much Kyrie likely hated Battler.

Back on the board, Kyrie tells Jessica that she only regrets one thing. “It’s my arrogance I regret. ‘Rudolf-san is already mine, so I’m completely safe... I’ll never lose to that Asumu girl.’”

Kyrie warns Jessica against being naive about her love, and that the regrets she’ll have if she doesn’t take it seriously enough “will make her crawl through hell.” Jessica is, understandably, speechless upon hearing of how harsh the “true form of love” is.

“Right now... I would do anything to keep Rudolf-san by my side. [...] If he wished it, I might not even hesitate at murder.” KYRIE GONNA KYRIE

Aaaand Kyrie flat-out says that she would’ve killed Asumu herself, if she hadn’t died on her own. Battler, are you having fun writing your mother like this...?

Kyrie laughs a bit and apologizes, not meaning to scare Jessica like she had. BIT LATE FOR THAT I THINK

“I don’t know what your love has been like, Jessica-chan... but if you have a rival and neither is willing to back down, you can’t let yourself become complacent. If you do, you’ll end up like me.”

“...For the sake of love, a woman should be willing to kill at least once in her life.” KYRIE NO

“Love really is like playing with fire. Anyone can play easily and lightheartedly... but when you mess up and get burned, that scar stays with you your whole life.”

I just want to let that line stand on its own.

Kyrie turns to leave, wishing Jessica good luck... and narrowly avoids getting her face smashed in. She’s quite nonchalant about Jessica trying to kill her, but... y’know, Kyrie. Who’s surprised at this point?

“Come now. If you had come from the guesthouse to get a book from your room, you wouldn’t have come through this hallway in that direction.” kyrie holmes

More fantasy battles, now with math! I do find it interesting, though, that George and Jessica ask for help from Gaap and Ronove, respectively, given Ep4.

At any rate, Jessica kills Kyrie in Krauss’s study, gets angry at Zepar and Furfur, etc. etc... And starts crying as she asks Kanon if she did anything wrong. Jessica...

Elder joins in on complimenting her. “Very impressive, Jessica! That ‘closed room murder’ just now was wonderful enough to fascinate even a witch like myself.”

Zepar and Furfur dance around a bit again. “Come, speak up!! Who is next?! Who will take the next trial?!”