Not a detective

Page 218

But Asakawa Riku grabbed her other hand, and the four hands clasped together, resting flat on the table.

That was a gaze that transcended time:

"Dreams may be wonderful, but we should not forget the truth."

Asakawa Riku took a deep breath, knowing that his next words might have irreversible consequences.

But it's time to move on from this summer:

"Asukaui Shi, you're the [real culprit], aren't you?"

Nue's Summer: Nue's Summer AFTER2 (monthly ticket for additional updates)

"I'm the real culprit... Senior, you're not joking, are you?"

Asukai Shi's expression remained unchanged, still bearing that ever-present smile, as she slowly said:

"In that incident three years ago, I was a victim, just like you. At the time, I was only a 12-year-old elementary school student. I had neither the ability nor the motive to commit the crime, right? Most importantly, I stated at the end of the article: 'I am absolutely not the culprit, and I could not possibly be the real killer. Nue is absolutely not the culprit, and he could not possibly be the real killer.' This statement is absolutely true. Doubting narrative tricks is completely wrong and futile. Isn't this the best evidence?"

Although both of her hands were held tightly by Asakawa Riku, as if afraid she would run away.

But he could still bend his fingers and point to the contents of the manuscript.

In the last few paragraphs of "Interlude (Part Three)," these words appear—

I can guarantee that what I wrote in the previous "Chapter Seven"—"I am absolutely not the culprit, and I could not possibly be the real culprit. Nue is also absolutely not the culprit, and he could not possibly be the real culprit"—is absolutely true, so true that it can even be written in scarlet. To doubt in this direction is completely wrong and futile.

The preceding text was written in black ink, but this section was written in red ink, its bright red color on the slightly yellowed manuscript paper resembling the color of blood.

If this book ever gets published, perhaps the publisher will print it in red lettering; just imagining that visual impact would be quite striking.

The meaning of the "red letter" is known only to Asakawa Riku and her; it is the "absolute truth" in the game.

"Are you suggesting, senior, that since you're the 'real culprit,' you can lie, and that these red words are also lies, fabricated evidence to interfere with the investigation?"

Asukai Shi remained smiling, as if it were just a game to her: "In that case, we'll be caught in the 'late-game Quinn problem' again, won't we?"

In contrast, Asakawa Riku's expression was exceptionally serious.

He did not hesitate at all:

“You don’t lie… to be precise, you don’t lie about the ‘scarlet letter.’ But there are ways that can make the scarlet letter true and also make you the real culprit.”

The girl's expression faltered slightly, and Asakawa Riku continued:

"Your method is complex, yet simple. For readers who know nothing about this incident, it might be difficult to deduce the truth, which is why you dared to recklessly issue 'challenge letters.' But for me, who experienced it firsthand, this case was never a mystery from the beginning. I didn't rely on reasoning or intelligence, but rather on recalling that memory..."

Therefore, his expression showed no joy at his successful deduction, nor did it display his usual smugness and confidence.

All that remains is an overwhelming sadness.

The crux of the matter is—

[Blue text: Who am I?]

Asakawa Riku released her hand, picked up the blue pen that had been prepared on the table, and wrote blue characters on the last few blank pages of the manuscript paper.

These props seem to have been prepared at some point, as if they were there from the beginning, or as if they were stage props provided for this scene.

Without hesitation, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

This time, it was his turn to shoot, and she defended.

"Senior, are you saying that the 'I' in this novel isn't 'me,' and the protagonist's perspective isn't mine, Asukai Shi? Isn't that part of the narrative trick?"

Asuji Shi moved her wrist, and red marks could be seen on her fair joints, indicating that Asakawa Riku had gripped her wrist very hard.

But she didn't pick up the red pen; instead, she simply began to narrate:

[Red text: But senior, the girl you first met was indeed me, it was definitely Xiao Shi.]

Without writing anything down, the words spoken seemed to carry a red hue, a feeling that's hard to describe, like bloody subtitles appearing before your eyes, almost like synesthesia.

Even just speaking can have the effect of scarlet text.

Asakawa Riku was neither surprised nor deterred by the impenetrable defenses. Facing the towering red walls, he simply continued to draw his bow and nock his arrows in silence.

"What you said is true... but that doesn't answer my question. It was indeed you I first met, but..."

[Blue text: But how many "I"s are there?]

The moment the second line of blue text appeared, it was clear that Shii Asu's gaze wavered slightly.

She tried to open her mouth to say something, but no sound came out of her throat.

"……ha."

He could only let out a mocking chuckle.

Asukai Shi looked up and sighed softly to herself, "It seems I shouldn't have reminded you of that experience?"

Asakawa Riku knew, "I'm the general."

This sentence is the key to solving the problem.

"In your preface, you said: 'To ensure the objectivity and comprehensiveness of the case, in addition to my personal first-person narration, I will also introduce other people's perspectives. Because that person is particularly crucial in the incident, and can even be said to have observed the whole picture of the incident, it would be a pity not to include them.' Then, in the novel, you switch perspectives, from 'I' back to 'I,' and one of them is clearly describing the scene from my perspective, Asakawa Riku. Although I don't know how you did it, it almost completely overlaps with my feelings and what I saw at the time. It may have been written from my memories, it is very realistic. Readers are misled by you and easily think that the perspective of this novel is just switching back and forth between two people, one is 'victim Asukai Shi' and the other is 'victim Nue'. But no one would think that you introduced more than one 'other person'."

Asakawa Riku put down the blue pen and slowly said:

"Just like the essence of this puzzle, it's a puzzle of the number of people: one, two, or three. Once you think about this, you'll find the various parts of the narrative very strange. For example, even though it's the same person, why is there such a big difference in the personality portrayed in the first person? The protagonist's 'I' is sometimes introverted and withdrawn, and sometimes cheerful and extroverted. Why is he sometimes familiar with Nue, a fan and admirer, and sometimes feels like a stranger, hesitant and timid? The essence of these inconsistencies is the key."

He slowly spread out all the manuscript papers one by one, not in order, but in three columns, placing them in three different directions: left, center, and right.

"Three years ago, in the summer, a past I had forgotten, I did meet a girl that summer, but she was more than just a girl."

"Three years ago, in the summer, I met 12-year-old Shii Asukai and 18-year-old Aoi Kirisame."

Nue Summer: Nue Summer AFTER3

"The way the perspectives are switched in this article is not, as one might assume, [Asukaui Shi] → [Asakawa Riku] → [Asukaui Shi] → [Asakawa Riku]..."

Instead, it is [Kirisame Aoi] (Chapter 1) → [Asakawa Riku] (Chapter 2) → [Asukai Uta] (Chapter 3) → [Kirisame Aoi] (Chapter 4) → [Asakawa Riku] (Chapter 5) → [Asukai Uta] (Chapter 6) → [Kirisame Aoi] (Chapter 7) → [Asakawa Riku] (Chapter 8)

"In other words, it's not a 'switch between two' mode, but a 'switch between three' mode."

"Although I don't know how you obtained Kirisame Aoi's first-person perspective or how you recreated the situation in her voice, whether you obtained her diary or, like me, read the memories in my mind, you perfectly recreated the perspectives of the three parties involved in that case, namely the three of us."

"Once a new variable is added to this loop, everything that seems illogical and questionable becomes understandable."

"Starting from 'Chapter One,' there's a noticeable sense of incongruity. Three years ago, you were a 12-year-old elementary school student. Most elementary school students are still thinking very childish things. Why would you have such mature thoughts and writing style? You explain it by saying you're a genius young writer, and it's a revamped recollection, which makes sense. But you were studying abroad, living alone in Tokyo. Would any parent really feel comfortable letting an elementary school student study abroad and live alone? It's impossible. If you changed the protagonist of this story to Kirisame Aoi, it would make sense. She was an 18-year-old high school student at the time, and she was Japanese. Even if she ran away from home, it would only be across cities. Living alone would be normal and fit the first-person perspective."

"Chapter Two is from my perspective. There's nothing wrong with this chapter, although I still don't know how you know my past so clearly, it's almost as if I wrote it myself. The problem is at the end, the moment I first saw 'that girl'. The red text you gave is indeed true [The first person I saw was indeed Uta Asukai], because that was you, but at the time I didn't know your name, nor did I know your true identity, I mistook you for Aoi Kirisame."

"This is the core of your method. In this case, you played three identities. The first was [Kirisame Aoi]. This doesn't just mean that you pretended to be her perspective when you wrote, but that you also impersonated her in reality. When you were with me, you played the role of that high school girl. Just like in Chapter Three, you deliberately approached me and used the topic of the real culprit to attract my interest, but I didn't notice anything unusual at the time because your appearance didn't look like that of an elementary school student. The 12-year-old you and the 16-year-old you now have the same appearance, the same height and the same face. You were the one who gave directions to young Yukie, right? You shifted her motive from Kyoto. You were both elementary school students, but she called you 'older sister' in the meeting, which means your appearance has remained constant. How did you manage to do that?"

"The interludes were all written from your perspective as the author, so I won't go into too much detail. In 'Chapter Four,' the perspective shifts back to Kiri Aoi. This leads to your second identity: [Nue]. Yes, you impersonated me, appearing before the real Kiri Aoi. She didn't know my true identity, and was completely unaware of the mysterious person appearing around the school. So even though the mask belonged to a girl… she wouldn't feel anything amiss; instead, she would trust me even more. That's why she said, 'I never imagined Nue's true identity was like this,' because she didn't expect Nue to be a girl. That's your method—pretending to be Kiri Aoi in front of me, and pretending to be me in front of Kiri Aoi. You cleverly exploited our blind spots, while Kiri Aoi and I hadn't even met at first; all we saw was you…"

"Chapter Five, the case has finally begun. You're clever, jumping straight into the fight without explaining what I saw that led to it. Actually, I saw it very clearly; I saw you standing in front of the real Kirisame Aoi, preparing to kill her. Luckily, I arrived in time to stop it. I realized you might be the real dangerous element, the real stalker and killer, and that's how the fight broke out. That's the truth of the case, the simple truth. After that, it's mostly fighting, nothing much to talk about, but you're really strong, able to vividly describe my immediate feelings. I can't imagine how you did it."

"The next chapter, 'Chapter 6,' presents this battle from another perspective. Now it seems your concept is truly ingenious. If we follow the initial assumption, we would think this chapter is a record from your perspective as the 'victim,' describing how you were hunted, attacked, and mutilated by the real culprit, and how you narrowly escaped death. But if we look at it from your perspective as the 'real culprit,' the style is completely different. Yes, this chapter describes the process of your battle with me, and the murderer, the strange creature, the shadow, and the monster you describe are all modeled after me. By the way, did I really look that scary back then, or are you deliberately smearing me?"

"At this point, the story's outline is quite clear. You switched three identities, the third being the 'true culprit' who was only revealed at the end. After that battle, you disappeared. Although I successfully rescued the real Kirisame Aoi, I also lost track of you. In Chapter Seven, because I couldn't let go of what happened that day, I finally found the victim of the case. This was my first meeting with Kirisame Aoi. From the text, I could clearly feel her wariness, rejection, and restraint towards me. Perhaps it was because she had just experienced being 'betrayed by what she considered her best friend,' and she didn't know that I was the real Nue. That's why I asked her to call me by my real name, 'Asakawa Riku.'"

"The final chapter, Chapter Eight, as you said, is a chapter of farewell. I found Kirisame Aoi, intending to use her time with you to perhaps find your whereabouts, but after seeing her condition, I changed my mind. She looked haggard, perhaps not just from injuries, but also from emotional distress. I realized she was just an ordinary girl, and involving her further might be dangerous, and it would be too cruel to remind her of the deception and betrayal. So I decided to use a fake case investigation to fool her, pretending not to know who the real culprit was. Of course, this clumsy lie didn't fool her; instead, it hurt her even more… I really didn't understand girls' hearts back then. I never thought that after so many years, we would have the chance to meet again, nor did I expect her to become like this. But this is between her and me."

"As for you and me, Asukai Shi."

Asakawa Riku finally finished his long narration, looking at the girl listening quietly before him:

"Is this the whole truth about what happened between you and me?"

Nue Summer: Nue Summer AFTER4

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I owe you one chapter today, I'll pay you back tomorrow with the new chapter.

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clap clap clap...

Asukai Shi slowly clapped her hands, her face filled with genuine admiration, without the slightest falsehood:

"Asa...you've really become amazing."

Why do you call me that?

Riku Asakawa frowned.

The reasoning itself is not difficult at all. In fact, the case itself is not a case at all; it is so simple that it is almost straightforward.

It was when Asukai Shi infiltrated Kirisame Aoi's side, disguised as Nue to gain her trust, and was about to commit a crime, that she was interrupted by Asakawa Riku. The two fought, and then Asukai Shi fled.

It's that simple, without any tricks or schemes involved.

The challenge lies in this article, an unfinished manuscript that could perhaps be called "Nue no Natsu".

In the eight chapters and three interludes of "Nue no Natsu", Shi Asukai skillfully used her strengths as an author to arrange and organize three different perspectives, fabricating and disguising them, turning what was originally a simple case into a foggy, chaotic and complicated mystery, which is the difficulty of this case.

If you were an average reader, you would probably find it hard to figure out the truth based on just a few fragmented clues from an article like this.

In particular, in Interlude (Part 3), she specifically stated that there is no narrative trick of "I = murderer" in this article, seemingly helping readers to eliminate wrong answers in a friendly way?

But in reality, this is the real trick.

The original quote is:

I can guarantee that what I wrote in the previous "Chapter Seven"—"I am absolutely not the culprit, and I could not possibly be the real culprit. Nue is also absolutely not the culprit, and he could not possibly be the real culprit"—is absolutely true, so true that it can even be written in scarlet. To doubt in this direction is completely wrong and futile.

This sentence was written in red ink, and as it turns out, she wasn't lying.

Because the "I" in "Chapter Seven" is not actually "I". That "I" is narrated from the perspective of Kirisame Aoi, and Kirisame Aoi is certainly not the murderer.

Therefore, the scarlet letter is valid. Asukai Shi used the most dangerous means to subtly disguise the essence of the narrative trick, which was like licking blood off a knife's edge.

If readers are led astray from the end, they will get lost in the labyrinthine maze and never find the truth again.

She is a cunning fox, absolutely right. Only the most cunning fox could come up with such a scheme.

It's safe to say that, apart from those who experienced the event firsthand, almost no one would have imagined that the truth was like this.

"I realized something was wrong because I recalled my memories from that time and compared them with the contents of the book. If I had opened this book without knowing anything, I probably wouldn't have been able to find the real culprit. Since I knew who the real culprit was from the beginning, this can't be considered a deduction at all."

Asakawa Riku didn't boast about himself as usual, because this wasn't the time for that kind of thing.

He simply asked, "What I want to ask is, what was your motive for committing the crime?"

"motivation……?"

Asukai Shi said "Oh?" and leaned back in her chair, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Knowing so much important information, knowing so many shocking things, is this the first question you ask? Who am I? Why do I possess such power? Why did I run away back then, and why have I returned now? You don't ask so many important questions, you're only curious about why I killed that girl?"

"Indeed, I'm also very curious about what you've said, and I'd like to find out all of it."

Asakawa Riku nodded. He didn't deny that he was very anxious at the moment, his mind filled with questions, and he felt like his thoughts were a complete mess.

There was too much information, especially the reasoning and recollections. Even he himself couldn't sort it out properly, and his account was very chaotic.

There's also a deep sense of unreality.

However, he still insisted on his opinion: "I just feel that if we don't find out the [motive], then the incident three years ago is not completely over."

Just like the three elements of reasoning mentioned before: Whodunit, Howdunit, and Whydunit.

The killer, the method, and the motive.

However, in the puzzle designed by Shizuka Asukai, there are only the [murderer] and [method], but the [motive] is missing.

Just like this time, Riku Asakawa knows who the real culprit is and what trick Shiki Asukai used, but her motive is still unknown.

In a normal mystery story, it's not just about the first two parts; the story doesn't end until the final motive is revealed.

Why would she do such a thing?

"Motivation doesn't matter."

Just like last time, she answered with a grin, completely unconcerned: "Maybe I'm just a crazy serial killer. I just wanted to kill someone, so I did it."

“If it was a murder of impulse or a murder of passion, then it could be considered a motive, but I don’t think that’s the truth you’re trying so hard to cover up.”

Asakawa Riku shook his head; he didn't think Asukai Shi was answering seriously.