A woman’s corpse lied abandoned in the storm.

< Section is missing. >

Izuru’s stomach growled. He and Kokone had been standing in that entrance hall for well over six hours at that point. It was a new record for the Club – and for Izuru himself. His knees were beginning to buckle. He knew he wasn’t the only one. It was only a matter of time before the guests began descending on him, wondering where their dinners were, and him sheepishly attempting to explain that, in spite of being the dedicated chef, his duties lied with the Club first and foremost.

He turned to Kokone. “What did the fisherman say to the blind goat?”

She did not return the gesture, choosing to stare off into the distance, as usual. “He said: ‘If you can’t see the water, the water can have no effect on you.’ I imagine.”

“He said: ‘Grandma, put the gun down.’”

Kokone’s eyes moved ever so slightly. “What?”

“What?” he grinned.

“Was that even a joke?”

“The, uh, humor comes from the absurdity of it. Like: ‘A cat walks in the woods and suddenly forgets to breathe.’” Izuru’s stomach growled once more. “Damn. What IS taking them so long?”

“I told you. They will not be coming out.” she said.

“Right.” he glanced at the door. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that.”

“There’s nothing to answer.” Kokone stared at her feet. “This is how it happened there. Things have lined up too well not to happen here, too. I can’t explain it. I won’t even try to. I’m scared. I’m thrilled. I don’t know what to do aside from wait. And waiting is what will end up killing me. It’s what will kill all of us.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

She chuckled. “Nothing. It’s a joke, see? We’re the cat. And when we open that door, we’ll start to hold our breath. And a little after that, we’ll forget how to breathe in again.”

“I’m not going to open the door. I’m sure it won’t be much longer.” he said.

“Yes, you are. You have no choice.”

< Section is missing. >

“Alright.” Izuru said, nervously glancing between Makoto and Kokone. “I’m opening it, alright? If they get angry, it wasn’t my idea, got it?”

Makoto shrugged. He knew Izuru would likely be the one to shoulder most of the blame, either way. So did Izuru. But there was only so much strength a hungry man’s legs could offer, and the deep well of patience had long since gone dry.

The butler fished the key out of his pocket. Murmuring apologies, he unlocked the double doors, pushing them open.

< Section is missing. >

Shiro and Kaede ran practically step-in-step, trying to find the source of the scream. Given that the latter was in heels, the former would eventually wonder if the woman was on an advanced exercise regimen – or if he simply needed to change his. Whatever the case, it didn’t take them long to stumble into the entrance hall and spot the wide-open doors to the Club’s chambers.

Shiro winced at the grotesque sight awaiting them.

“What the hell happened here?!” he demanded.

Nobody gave – or could give – a response.

Makoto stood over one of the corpses. “Yeah. They’re dead alright.” He pointed at the blackened necks. “I’m no doctor, but cause of death is looking like strangulation to me. Unless all six of these guys were into some heavy fetish play.”

Nobody laughed. Their eyes darted between the six faces scattered on the floor, frozen in terror, eyes and tongues bulging out.

Tsujiko soon appeared in the doorway. She took one look at the scene, covered her mouth, and promptly turned on her heel. Makoto went after her.

“I don’t get it.” Izuru stammered. “I… had the key on me the entire time. I saw all six of them go in. I loked the door myself. K-Kokone and I stood out the entire time! Nobody went in or out! And we heard nothing! Not a peep! I—I don’t understand! This—This has to be a m-mass suicide of some kind, right?”

“There’s no rope.” Kaede pointed out. “And if you intend to kill yourself, there are far better ways to go about doing it. Having your windpipe crushed is not exactly a pleasant feeling.”

“Spoken from experience, huh?” Shiro asked, staring at the ceiling, breathing deeply.

“Nobody went in or out, you said…?” Kaede looked around the room. The Club Room, in fact, consisted of several rooms. The double doors led into the main area, where the corpses were found. It was absolutely barren, save for a circular table placed smack-dab in the middle of it. The bodies seemed to have been almost posed, with their feet pointing towards it, each one almost the exact same distance from it. The only other thing of note was a window, closed and locked, directly across the entrance.

Kokone glanced at the table. The only thing on it was a tattered yellow book.

To the left was a passage leading into a small bedroom. Aside from a simple bed, a nightstand, a wardrobe, another locked window and a door leading into an even smaller bathroom, it, too, contained nothing noteworthy.

“Th-This room used to be the previous owner’s study. I think…” Izuru pre-emptively explained.

Kaede opened the wardrobe. The only thing in it seemed to be black robes. The nightstand also offered little – some candles and matches, tucked inside one of the drawers.

Back in the main room, Shiro fiddled with the light switch. “That’s odd. The light isn’t shutting off.”

“Yes. It was reported that the lights weren’t working properly a day or two ago. We didn’t have time to send for an electrician.” Kokone told him.

< Section is missing. >

The five of them sat in the parlor, trying to think of something – anything – to say. Mainland said they would still not be able to come to their rescue, and offered no advice besides: ‘Don’t touch anything.’

It seemed it was up to Shiro to take the first plunge. “It was the guy Tsujiko found in the snow, right? Had to be, right?”

“It was not!” Tsujiko exclaimed just as she entered, a tray of tea shaking in her hands. “I was with him upstairs in the guest bedroom the entire time! He’s in no condition to be doing anything!”

“Alright, well,” Shiro leaned back in his seat, “that leaves Mr. Yoshida here as the most suspicious one, doesn’t it?”

Makoto’s brow rose. “Elaborate?”

“Well, ever since those six entered the club room, Izuru and Kokone were out front the entire time, right? That means they’re vouching for each other’s alibi. Kaede here and I were here all day. That means we’re each other’s alibi. And you, buddy, were just walking around all day. What were you doing?”

The playboy chuckled. “I was in my room. There was nothing to do. And don’t try to play this alibi game with me. Who says one person did all that? You telling me someone managed to overpower six guys on their own? Give me a break. And how’d I get in, anyway?” He pointed to Izuru. “You heard what he said! The key was on him the entire time! He locked the door! Not to mention, the only way to get in or out was through the two of them! How are THEY not the most suspicious ones?!”

Izuru’s eyes widened. “W-Wait a minute now—!”

“The killer obviously used the window.” Shiro suggested.

“I don’t think any of those windows were used.” Kaede chimed in. “Look at that storm outside. If you so much as cracked a window open here, there’d be a small pile of snow somewhere. But the inside was clean. Not a wet spot to be found.”

Shiro was persistent. “Killer cleaned up after ‘em. Easy.”

“Is it now?” Makoto grinned. “Those windows were closed up and locked. Even IF the killer could’ve somehow done all that from the inside, how exactly do they clean the mess up after leaving?”

Shrio scratched his head. He knew he was beat, for the time being.

“Wh—What if someone just snuck into the room before the Club members gathered?” Izuru was the next to make a suggestion. “They hide somewhere in the bedroom, the six walk in, I lock the door behind ‘em. Easy enough, right? It means we’re all innocent and explains the issue of alibis. It even makes Mr. Yoshida innocent, since he was outside when I opened the door!”

“How does the killer leave, though?” Makoto asked.

“W—Well, maybe they don’t! Maybe they-they sneak out while we’re distracted or—or stay hidden!”

“That doesn’t make sense, though.” Tsujiko finally set the tray down between them. “I—I mean, if we’re going with the intruder angle, why wouldn’t they just escape through a window? It’s beneficial no matter how you look at it. If they left through the window, there’s no problem of the locked room, and we’re much more likely to end up suspecting the first person among us without an alibi. All they achieve by staying and hiding is risk having themselves exposed.”

Izuru grimaced. “That—that’s a fair point, but—”

“No, no, wait a minute.” Makoto waved his hand. “Wait a minute. You all distracted me. The obvious answer is the correct answer. Not only did Izuru have the key. Not only would he and Kokone seen anyone going in or out. But Kokone herself basically confessed to doing it earlier!”

Kaede crossed her legs. “Oh?”

Makoto pointed at Kokone, who was sitting in the corner of the room, flipping through the tattered yellow book from the Club Room. “You said it! Don’t pretend you didn’t! You said they won’t come out of there! You even said their necks would be black!”

“It’s true.” Kokone said. “I did. So what? I didn’t kill them. It was the eye of God.”

“I thought most workplaces these days required some kind of a psych test.” The playboy clicked his tongue. “Look, there’s nothing more to discuss here. This bitch is crazy and this guy,” he pointed to izuru, “helped her!”

Tsujiko placed her hand on Makoto’s shoulder. “W—Wait a minute, let’s not rush to any conclusions there, either.”

“Exactly.” Kokone did not raise her eyes from the yellow book. “After all, you still haven’t answered the most important question. You yourself brought it up earlier, Mr. Yoshida. Even with two people, how did the killer managed to strangle six men without so much of a peep or interruption on their part?”

“They were old!” Makoto said.

“Old, but fit. They could’ve taken on Izuru and me.” Kokone licked her finger, turning the page. “And remember. The lights would’ve been on the entire time. There’s no way they wouldn’t have realized what was going on.”

Shiro rubbed his eyes. “I mean, who knows? For all we know, they were all actually killed in the bedroom. The killer waited for them to go to the bathroom or something, strangled them, dumped them in the closet and waited for the next one to show up.”

“That’s just silly.” Kaede said.

“I mean, YEAH, a murder conga line isn’t the most exciting explanation for this, but—”

“For it to happen six times in a row, with each time being just as successful and unnoticeable, in spite of how short the passage to the bedroom is, and in spite of how little space to hide the corpses, and in spite of it being the least convenient or reliable plan I’ve ever heard of? Yes. Yes, quite silly.”

Makoto sighed. “There you go again, distracting me. The answer’s obvious.” He once again pointed to Izuru. “This guy’s the dedicated Chef. He put some kind of sedative. When they went in, down they went, and these two just waltzed in and strangled them. Easy.”

“I think… you’re on the wrong track here. With the two of them in general, I mean.” Tsujiko said. “I mean, I’m not denying they’re probably the most suspicious—”

“Tsujiko! What the hell?!” Izuru protested.

“—But think of it from their point of view. The police will inevitably check the victims’ stomachs, right? They’ll find the sedatives. It’ll be a dead giveaway. And, hey, if they DO find some – you’re right, and that’s that. I don’t… think they will, though. I don’t know Kokone very well, and I don’t know what exactly she said to you back then, but I know Izuru would never go along with a plan that pointed so squarely at him.”

“I can only look at the facts. And the facts—”

Tsujiko squeezed Makoto’s shoulder. “Please.”

He young man relented, falling back into the sofa. “You’re lucky you’re so pretty, you know. Look, all I’m saying is, I’m not going anywhere with those two from now on. Do what you want.”

Shiro glanced back at Kokone. “Hey. Hey! That’s the book from the crime scene! You were SPECIFICALLY told not to touch anything!”

Kokone flipped a page. “I was curious!”

“Go and put it back!” the journalist demanded.

“Hmm. For a journalist, I figured you’d be more nosey.” The maid said simply.

“What is it, anyway?” Kaede asked.

“A confirmation.” Kokone explained. “The six of them were praying to a god, just as I’d said. A god of mystery. This is Gaston Leroux’s ‘Mystery of the Yellow Room.’ One of the first locked room mystery novels ever made.”

< Section is not missing. >

“Hey, c’mon, buddy, wake up.” Makoto lightly shook the stranger’s shoulder.

“Stop it. He’s out cold.” Tsujiko said.

He walked back to the window of the guest room. It was just the two of them now – and the stranger – the rest having split off across the mansion.

“This isn’t how I imagined spending my vacation.” he said “I was promised steak. Good steak.”

“The murders also didn’t help, I imagine.” Tsujiko touched the stranger’s forehead.

“Oh, nah. That’s par for the course. Should’ve seen what happened when I went to Okinawa. Whole bloodbath. Butler did it then, too, for the record.”

She smiled. “Well, I’m happy to hear you’re taking it all in stride.”

“No worries. I’m terrified.”

“You do seem like the cowardly type.”

He pulled her by the arm. “Am I, now?”

She blushed. “I don’t think this is the time.”

“Did you think about my offer?”

“It’s all just a game to you, isn’t it?”

“It isn’t.”

“I’m not sure I can believe that.”

He cupped her head in his hands. “I’m doing it because I care about you.”

“You don’t know me.”

“Is that what you think?”

She gently pushed him away. “Nobody knows me. That’s why I’m here. That’s why being here is good.”

“Hmph. Even with murders and everything?”

“Even with murders and everything.”

< She is missing. >

Locking the door to her room, Kokone threw the yellow book onto the bed. As fun of a read as it was, it did little to help her. Not that it mattered. Those old men had been free to pray to whichever god they chose.

She knew there was only one worth listening to.

From her bookshelf, she pulled a black, worn-out book. It was certainly not a Christian Bible, but it would be a Bible, of sorts.

It spelled her fate.

A fate she knew should would not be able to defy.