The surveillance cameras at the gate gazed coldly in my direction. From what I could see of the residence over the tall fence, all the lights were off, and nobody seemed to be home. Perhaps she had gotten entangled in some trouble between the two of them.
If she had been abducted, then it would be up to a detective with a Detective Shelf Classification number of [88]—those specializing in kidnapping cases—to find her. That meant me. As the sole daughter of the Kirigiri detective clan, she possessed extraordinary talent and abilities, which I had the pleasure of witnessing with my own eyes many times over.
For my first stop, I decided to pay a visit to the Detective Library, hoping that there would be a message or clue left for me there. The Detective Library contained an archive of files with information on approximately 65, detectives.
The collection was open to the public, making it so that anyone could freely browse through at their leisure. Any person seeking information pertaining to a detective would be wise to make it their first priority to come here.
I got off the bus once it reached the Detective Library, and slipped through the old-fashioned gates. The front porch of the building was designed with a western flair, and as I stepped onto it, I once again found myself standing in front of the portal that led to the forest of detectives. I had come here many times in the past.
Just a few days earlier, Kyoko and I had entered through these doors. Yet, on this occasion, standing before the Detective Library inspired not only the usual sense of wonder and mystery, but also a certain feeling of dread that a formidable darkness lay within its walls. That apprehension was most likely the result of me having been through two Duel Noirs.
On the surface, the Detective Library labeled itself a neutral institution, free from the influence of all outside organizations. But was that really the truth? Furthermore, the detectives with the highest DSC rank of [] had apparently joined forces with Shinsen. The thought that he could be part of the sinister organization crossed my mind.
He took my card into his hands and glanced at it before shaking his head. With sluggish movements, the employee turned to the nearby computer and inserted my card into the terminal. Alas, reality was unforgiving.
Countless files lined the organized rows of bookcases. The room was deserted and still, with the silence broken only by the sound of my footsteps echoing off the lofty ceiling. I weaved through the aisles until I reached the [9] section—homicide detectives. Nothing in her file had changed since the last time I visited. There were no reports of the case on TV or in the newspapers.
An idea suddenly popped into my head. His file overflowed with his glowing accomplishments. However, nothing alluded to the conclusion of the most recent case. I had no doubt that Nanamura was dead. After all, he shot his head with a pistol, right before my very eyes. His body, along with the entire hotel, folded into the scenery and vanished into thin air.
Mikado Shinsen had folded his handkerchief inches from my face, and at the same time, the scenery behind it had been folded up as well. The whole scenario felt like a dream. After the case had concluded, the two of us returned to investigate where the hotel had stood, and we discovered the slightest of gaps beneath the base of the wall encompassing the area.
According to Kyoko, the hotel had been standing on a thick board-like foundation that had a revolving axis running through its center, forming a mechanism that made it possible to flip the building into the ground to transform the property into a vacant plot of land. The wall served as camouflage, obscuring the gaps in the dirt. Kyoko nodded. The reason Mikado Shinsen used his handkerchief to block my view was likely to momentarily conceal the apparatus. A trick often used by magicians and illusionists alike.
Perhaps all the locations used for Duel Noirs have mechanisms set up that allow them to appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. The buildings are normally kept out of sight, and only surface when a murder game is about to unfold. The background was likely designed so that it could be easily disassembled at any time, like folding backdrops used in plays.
Did they really have the capacity to design all those elaborate devices and portable sceneries? The organization also needed a sufficient number of stagehands. Preparing and dismantling the set required a considerable amount of manpower, but the more people involved in the production, the more vulnerable the organization was to having its secrets leaked. And yet, Duel Noirs were still being held without arousing public suspicion.
Who knew how many challenges had been issued? However large the organization was, it must have been extremely meticulous and methodical in its affairs. Was I simply too oblivious to realize that I was walking amongst its rank and file every day? When Shinsen and the other Committee members left the scene that day, they made clear to us their tremendous financial power and their organizational capacity.
And perhaps more terrifying, their ability to turn even the most ridiculous nightmares into reality…. No matter what despair there is, it's just meaningless if it isn't conquered on its own. Suisei proceeds and tells Yui that the Committee is led by only one person, called the chairman. The chairman founded the Committee 10 years ago and it has been active since.
The Duel Noirs involve unsolved cases or cases that did not really accuse the real criminal. When the Committee finds the real criminal when the police weren't able to do it on their own, this took a lot of deductive skills that only a detective possesses. And it would have to be a rather high-ranking detective.
Kyoko says that, among the four detectives of the class, one had deleted his record from the DSC and it could be possible that they are the chairman.
Suisei thanked Kyokofor explaining that thought process. The only people who would know that person's identity would be the three other detectives who share the class or the founders of the DSC. One of them was also apparently involved in the founding of the DSC as well. Yui remembers that Kyoko's grandfather, Fuhito Kirigiri , was one of the founding members and starts to wonder if he was the chairman behind the scenes.
Suisei says that despite knowing that much, there is nothing he can do against the Committee because it is all conjecture. Even making a protest against the class cannot be done because the abilities of the class are so vast that one cannot compensate for them with time, money, and talent.
Yui is awed because if a detective of Suisei's rank easily admits to his loss against the class, they must be highly formidable. The closest the three can get to the Committee is by capturing the Duel Noir criminal and getting info from them.
Suisei puts on a rucksack that a waiter hands to him, and explains that he wants the girls to join him on his Duel Noir. Except this time, since they are not the detectives assigned to it, it's very possible that they will be killed.
Yui agrees readily to help him, while Kyoko gives Yui a look but agrees as well. The Norman's Hotel where the Duel Noir will take place in a dilapidated hotel deep in the mountains and far from civilization. They will be setting out for it the day after tomorrow because Suisei has something to do tomorrow that he cannot get out of. He doesn't think letting a day pass by will be a handicap. Then he opens a window of that top-floor restaurant and jumps out, bidding them good luck.
The rucksack he had on is a parachute. Yui and Kyoko continue their dinner. Kyoko says she won't die easily, and Yui says, of course, she won't, silently adding to herself that Yui will protect her if that time comes.
She doesn't say this out loud because she doesn't want Kyoko to think that Yui is seeing her dead sister in Kyoko. Also, Yui isn't confident that the ghost of her sister doesn't haunt her, because somewhere in her heart, she still feels a desperate need to atone and save the girl she couldn't save.
A waiter goes to them with the check for the dinner— yen. Suisei hadn't paid for them. Kyoko takes out her credit card and puts it all on the card, while Yui looks at her in awe.
Yui says she wants to walk Kyoko home anyway because she wants to talk more with her. Kyoko wordlessly starts walking away at this, and Yui takes this as an invitation to walk beside her. Her grandfather is very proud of the Kirigiri name and detests the idea of detectives raising their rank. He was the only one in his group against the establishment of the DSC.
Also, since her grandfather mainly lives overseas and deals with people from various countries, Kyoko says that the Committee is probably a small-scale organization of one country in his eyes. Yui thinks about how incredible the Kirigiri blood must be, judging from Kyoko. But since none of the detectives they've met reacted to the name Kirigiri, Yui thinks that the Kirigiri detectives must act behind the shadows, without bringing attention to themselves.
She wonders to herself why Kyoko's grandfather allowed Kyoko to register for the DSC if he himself was so against it.
They arrive at Kyoko's residence, and Kyoko sighs that she is past her curfew because walking with Yui had slowed her pace. Yui offers to explain to Kyoko's guardian, which Kyoko accepts, saying that would be a big help. They walk onto the mansion grounds. Kyoko lives here with only her grandfather and three housekeepers.
She started living here the past 2 months; before that, she had been traveling overseas with her grandfather for the past 5 years. But since she had no choice out of attending Japan's compulsory education, she came back alone. Kyoko tells Yui to wait outside while she gets her grandfather.
Yui tells Kyoko to take off the Santa hat first, which Kyoko had never noticed she was wearing. As Yui waits, it begins to snow. She thinks that Kyoko must be very close to her grandfather because she seemed really upset about breaking curfew. Meeting Kyoko has lightened the loneliness and nihilism that Yui feels as a detective, and she tries to imagine the two of them being together still next year.
All she can imagine is pitch-black darkness. The old man jumps down behind her and hits her knees with his cane and pushes her shoulder down so that Yui ends up lying on the concrete.
She's female! He got the wrong idea because he had heard that Kyoko was eating dinner with a man. Kyoko's grandfather is described as having glossy silver hair and appearing young. He does not have deep wrinkles, and his body isn't bent, his back is straight. His eyes have a bright twinkle in them. While he held a cane in his right hand, it didn't appear as if he had it because he needed support but rather because he used it as a weapon. Yui explains to Kyoko's grandfather that she came home late because they were discussing a case, and to please excuse her for breaking curfew.
If it involves detective work, I will allow Kyoko anything. Even if they're faced with the death of a family member, a Kirigiri must prioritize their role as a detective. While Yui still has Kyoko's grandfather there, she asks his permission that Kyoko leave home for a few nights to deal with the Duel Noir, which he readily gives.
Yui is rather surprised by this since surely he must know that dealing with a Duel Noir means danger for his beloved granddaughter. She wonders if she should ask him questions about the Committee but he disappears back into the mansion before she can.
Before going inside herself, Kyoko asks Yui if what her grandfather said earlier is strange, if it is strange to prioritize detective work even if it involves the death of a family member. Yui says she considers it strict rather than strange since it must show how much dedication the Kirigiri family has to being a detective. However, Kyoko says that isn't what it really means. What it really means is that, for a Kirigiri, their work as a detective is far more important than the death of a family member.
This is a doctrine that must be adhered to, as if like a religion. Kyoko asks Yui again if she thinks that is strange, and Yui says it's not very normal, but she still thinks it's amazing because it shows how much pride they have in their abilities. Kyoko keeps pressing Yui, asking if it isn't normal, and Yui wonders if Kyoko is feeling doubts about what she's been taught as a Kirigiri.
Yui asks Kyoko what she thinks, and Kyoko says that she doesn't think of it as strange at all… but that could only be because she's convinced herself that it isn't. Because if she doesn't think that way, she would end up empty inside. Yui afterwards hugs Kyoko, reassuring her that as long as Yui is around, she won't let her feel that emptiness. Yui assures to Kyoko that she's fine just the way she is. Both afterwards return to their dorm room.
About to initiate the case, Suisei timed their arrival at the hotel so that the Duel Noir has hours remaining. Yui was looking forward to seeing him work. Walking towards the hotel, Yui and the rest come upon a sign that reads "Welcome to Norman's Hotel. We will cater to your every desire. When everyone reached the front door of the hotel, they open the thick double doors to find a small room inside with another set of double doors. They open this to enter the hotel lobby, which seemed to be as wide as a gymnasium.
As Yui steps into the lobby, an old man appeared wearing a tuxedo and standing next to the sofa shouts at them. As he shouted, "Wait, wait, hold that door open! Everyone inside are unable to open the door from inside. There were six people around the sofa where the old man was sitting, and they had been locked in this place since yesterday.
The seven people begin to stir because of the arrival of Yui and the rest have brought the total number of people to ten, and after asking if there is a detective among Yui and the rest are set to start this case.
Yui confused by their behavior until the old man in the tuxedo gives Yui a letter in blood-red ink that was addressed to the group. The letter read about Yui, Kyoko, and Suisei, along with seven people were invited to Norman's hotel to participate in a secret auction.
This auction was expected to last for 7 days. Yui introduces herself and tells to everyone that they are detectives who have come to capture a criminal, leaving out details about the Duel Noir and the Committee. Instead, she tells them that they received a notice that a murder was about to take place between the space of today and New Year's Day. Suisei decides to wait until 6 p.
While the group decides to sit and wait until it's time, Yui is restless and takes a look around the lobby. There is another door inside, which Yui opens to find a bathroom. Yui is about to step back out when someone pushes her into the bathroom from behind, locking the door behind them. Warning Yui to keep her voice down, Taehime takes out a card from her apron pocket and shows it to Yui.
Taehime reveals herself to Yui, that she was also a detective, although the rest don't know that. She's here on an undercover operation and wearing a maid outfit to disguise herself.
Yui asks her if she's here about the Duel Noir, however, Taehime apparently has never heard of such a thing. Taehime specializes in cases that deal with counterfeits, and she has been after Seiunsai for the past few months. Yui tells Taehime about the Duel Noir, since they're fellow detectives, and Taehime thinks it's possible that Seiunsai may be the culprit.
In any event, she had grabbed Yui aside because she wanted her to know not to touch Seiunsai since he was her case. Both eventually agreed to a promise and shake on it, promising to share relevant info with each other. Yui eventually returns with everyone and wait until 6 p.
While waiting, Yui spends time reading a novel inside the lobby along with everyone else. When 6 p. Inside they find what appears to be a dining hall. There is a long table with a white tablecloth at the center of the room, five chairs on each side. Plates, forks, and knives were found on top of the table. The room had a high ceiling, with a balcony that circles all around the room so that people can walk up the stairs to it and view the dining hall below.
All of the windows are locked down so they cannot see outside. There is no one inside the room. Entering the dining hall, they notice two strange things. On the left side of the room is an electronic billboard counting down in red numbers. The numbers read , Yui understood immediately that it's counting down the hours left of the Duel Noir. Next to the billboard is a booth the size of a telephone booth.
There is a door in the front of it for people to enter it. Further along the wall, past the booth, is a fireplace. There is wood in it and appears ready to light at any time. Some minutes later, a microphonic voice suddenly speaks up. This voice came from a portrait and the boy's portrait mouth seemed to be able to move. In that microphonic voice, he introduces himself as Norman and his position of being a serial killer who died a century ago.
Yui thinks she must be dreaming. Suisei had gone up the balcony at some point and was already investigating the portrait. The screen is running an animation whose mouth movement goes along with the voice so that it appears to be talking. Norman starts to tell them to take their seats at the dining table to begin his explanation. When everyone takes their seat, starts to tell everyone to empty their pockets and put all the money they had on the center of the dining table, due to the money not being eligible for the auction.
Norman also asks everyone to body check the people on their left to prevent any cheating. Taehime afterward is ordered by Norman to collect all of the money on the table and throw it into the fireplace. Norman tells them not to fret, and to stretch their legs under the table. There they find heavy knapsacks, which they pull out. Each knapsack contains million yen. Norman tells them that this money is a present given by him, which they can use freely for the auction. The participants present in the dining hall, such as Sae, suddenly showers Norman with praise, and she wants to live again and remarry and have children and Mikado wonders what sort of auction must he want for giving that much money.
Norman tells them that until the timer on the electronic billboard reaches zero, they will be holding an auction every day at 6 p. Since the time limit of the Duel Noir is until January 1st at 10 a. No one will be able to leave the auction house until the auction is over. Also, there will be only one item, the same item, put up for sale at each auction. That way, if they miss buying it at one auction, they would have the chance to get it next auction.
The group is confused, while Suisei and Kyoko immediately look at Norman suspiciously. When night comes, that serial killer will kill one person per night. However, that serial killer has a weakness, and that weakness is the detective.
The serial killer cannot kill the detective and they cannot kill in front of the detective in order to keep their identity secret.
Yuzen and Meruko are still confused, but the rest seem to have got it. Whoever wins the Right of Detective in the auction gets to be safe from the serial killer for the night. She could double-cross him. Being Detective themselves would be the safest choice. Norman start to recap to everyone at the dining hall the rules of the auction that is about to begin.
Before beginning the auction, Norman suggests to everyone to have dinner before beginning the auction. Norman orders Taehime to step up in front of him. Warily, Taehime walks up the balcony to stand in front of the portrait.
Taehime seems to falter, and there is another gunshot. Taehime stumbles backwards, over the balcony railing onto the table below.
Taehime lands on top of her own knapsack, as her seat was the one closest to the portrait. There was blood stains all over her apron where she was shot twice and her face is pale. Yui is about to reach for her when Taehime suddenly bursts into flames, burning alive. Suisei, Kyoko and Yui start to try to extinguish the flames with their coats.
However, Yui and the rest were too late to try to save Taehime with Normal replying that for diner they will have a burned maid. With the participants suddenly reduced from 10 to 9, they begin the auction. During the events of the auction, everyone was getting killed by a mysterious murderer, with only some people remaining including Yui, Kyoko, and Suisei. Suisei attempts to murder everyone with a revolver in order to take all the money in the house for himself.
Suisei attempted this in order to not make him a suspicious culprit if there were no witnesses, Suisei approached Yui and Kyoko in an attempt to murder both of them. However, Suisei was willing to let Kyoko live if she didn't tell anyone, but to Suisei's disappointment, Kyoko decides to be on Yui's side no matter what. However, Meruko who was shot earlier appears to be still alive against all odds and it's heavily implied that she used her psychic abilities to prevent Suisei's gun from firing, ultimately saving Kyoko and Yui's lives as she managed to distract Suisei long enough for the entrance hall doors' opening time.
On their way out, Yui and Kyoko encountered Mikado Shinsen. Besides Mikado, two other participants were also found behind him. Yui and Kyoko had discovered Mikado's true identity during the events.
Suisei later commits suicide by shooting himself in the head. They found out that he was actually the head of the "Victims Catharsis Committee", standing behind the Duel Noirs, and a rogue master detective on par with Fuhito in terms of Detective work and was possibly a rank detective.
Shortly after the events of Norman's Hotel, Yui and Kyoko returned to their normal lives. A new year has begun and both of them return to school after the end of their winter vacation.
Since the events of Norman's hotel, Kyoko has been completely absent from school. During recess, Yui goes to the middle school campus to find Kyoko. However, Kyoko's seat was empty. Due to Yui's and Kyoko parting ways after the events of Norman's Hotel, Yui felt very worried about Kyoko and decides to escort her home and returned to her dormitory room afterwards. After those events, Yui's life was completely "normal".
She hasn't done anything but live her normal days, devoided from any murder investigations or Duel Noirs. During her ordinary days, Yui's mind of those who died weighed heavily since the end of that case. Worried about Kyoko, Yui decides to call her and see how she was doing. However, nobody picked up. Worried, Yui decided to stop by her house in person. When arriving, Yui found her home very odd. Yui suspected that Kyoko was kidnapped, and decides to investigate.
Yui decides to first stop to the Detective Library, hoping that she would find a message or clue left for her. Yui remembered that the library had a lot of archived files with information from various detectives where she could freely browse their leisures. After exiting the bus, Yui steps inside the Detective Library to find clues regarding Kyoko's disappearance.
Yui steps in forint of the counter and asks the librarian to check if she had any updates. Yui to her surprise didn't seem to have any updates in her ID Detective Card. Running out of ideas, Yui decides to check Suisei's shelf in order to find information regarding Norman's Hotel Case.
In the end, Yui couldn't find clues relating to Kyoko's disappearance. The library's closing time drew near, Yui started making her way to the room's exit. On her way out, the library had a weird sensation. The lamp above the door started to flicker and a mysterious boy appeared in front of Yui believing to be a ghost.
Something about that mysterious boy who had disappeared captured Yui's imagination, but decided not to dwell on things any further, and left the Detective Library empty-handed and continues to search for clues. The next day, there was still no sign of Kyoko. Yui brought up her concerns with her homeroom teacher and the nuns in charge of the academy about Kyoko's disappearance, but none of them took Yui seriously.
That same day, Yui decides to stop again to the Detective Library to check if there were any new messages for her left behind. Yet again, Yui didn't receive any new messages regarding Kyoko's case. While in the library, Yui notices from 20 yards away the kid from yesterday whom she believed to be a ghost. The kid was looking directly at Yui with a smile in his face as if he was waiting for her arrival. The very next moment the kid made, he disappeared into the shadow of another bookcase and was completely gone.
Yui spotted a small iron door in the wall at the end of the aisle believe that maybe he ran there. Opening the door, a lot of brisk breeze came blowing through the door frame. Making her way out into the flurry of snow, Yui made her way through the arch to find that mysterious kid.
On the other side lay a parking lot. It was surrounded by a tall hedge. There, a long black limousine was currently parked there with that Kid waiting for her to arrive. The kid opened the door car for Yui. Yui didn't trust that kid and didn't want to go with him. However, Yui thought that maybe Kyoko was kidnapped this way and decided to go along with it in order to find Kyoko.
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