Beatrice (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endlesswitch) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
umiscripts2012-01-30 04:41 pm
endlesswitch) wrote in umiscripts2012-01-30 04:41 pm
banquet of the golden witch; chapter 2 (my preparations are complete)
Sat, Oct 4 1986 2:00PM
"...Six years ago, you say? Anyway, back then I was still in elementary school, right? It's pretty unfair to force me to remember, don't you think?"
"That's right. Especially since we were so young, we've grown a lot in these six years. I was surprised. If I hadn't been introduced, I wouldn't even have remembered you."
"Really? I knew it was Battler right away. After he opened his mouth, I was sure."
"Uu-. Maria met him for the first time. Six years ago, didn't know him."
"That's right. Maria-sama was only three years old."
"When you say it like that, I'm the same. I only knew Maria when she was three years old, and since she's grown so big, I didn't recognize her."
After lunch, we had all gone out to the beach to walk around, talk and take it easy enjoying ourselves.
It had seemed that our parents were having a suspicious, complicated discussion, so we had decided to leave our seats.
...Just as you'd expect, since it had been six years, the conversation focused on me.
"Still, you've really gotten taller. I won't call myself short, but anyways, your height surprised me."
"That's right. I remember well what Battler-sama was like six years ago, but I was surprised even so."
"Don'tcha think? I couldn't even imagine that this was the same Battler as six years ago."
"I'm surprised at how everyone remembers so much about six years ago. My memory's all hazy."
"No surprise. You'll remember about us, it just might take a little time. Should I feel a little hurt?"
"Wait, this was six years ago, right? I'm the one who has it bad, being forced to remember...!"
"...Are you saying that you can't remember well because it was six years ago? I can remember it as clearly as if it happened yesterday..."
"That's because your memory is good, Shannon. You really do remember what kind of things Battler did and said, don't you?"
"Come to think of it, that's right. Shannon's memory is surprisingly good."
"Uu-. Maria's horrible at remembering. Remembers fun things well but horrible at boring things. Uu-."
We all laughed, saying that everyone was like that.
"Shannon. By the way, what was Battler like six years ago? Remember any interesting episodes?"
"Let's see. ......I'm sure that he said something like this when he left. 'I'll be back, (see you again).
Lines in English
Some lines in Umineko were written in katakana English, meaning the phonetic Japanese characters were used to sound out English. These lines will be enclosed parenthesis (See you again.)
Because they're written in katakana, they would be pronounced a little different than you might expect, e.g. Shii yuu ah-gain.
I'll come to greet you riding on a white horse.'"
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh, Stop iiiiiiiiit, so embarassiiiiiiiiiiing!!"
"Gyaaah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!! Sounds just like something you would say! I remember, I remember that you always used to be full of those stupid lines, Battler! Waaah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!!"
"Hah-hah-hah-ha. It really does sound like something Battler-kun would have said back then."
"Uu-. Embarrassing? Embarrassing?"
"......Yeah. Horribly embarrassing... Maria, I'm sure that when you are in middle school, you'll want to say embarrassing things like that... When that happens, write it on the back of some leaflet, and read it three times before you say it out loud. If you don't, you'll definitely regret it...
Still, everyone has to pass through that pitiful period... That's right, that's how you know your place, learn shame, and become an adult. That's right, this is a memory I want to disappear, the bittersweet kind of thing that everyone does in adolescence as they transition to becoming adults... Aaaaarrggh..."
Anyways, it was just something I'd let slip out without thinking, so I hadn't remembered exactly what I had said.
But when those words were recited to me, it was all so embarrassing.
Recently, I had finally come to understand this weakness, and had worked hard to refrain from such careless outbursts......
...It looked like I was just born with the habit of speaking without thinking, and there was nothing I could do about it.
"Shanno~n, do you remember any other embarrassing things?"
"Yeah, well... I remember various other things, but.........since it looks like the person in question wants to forget them, I think I will refrain from saying any more..."
"I don't remember anything about what I said off the top of my head. Please, don't make me remembe-r."
"...Uu-. Shannon's bullying Battler...? Uu-. You can't. You shouldn't bully people."
"Hahahahaha. She isn't really bullying him. Let's leave it at that, okay? But Shannon, you'll have tell me all about it sometime Battler isn't around. It sounds pretty interesting."
"Yes, certainly."
"N, no, you can't, Shannon-chaaaaaaaaaan...!!"
For a while, George-aniki laughed at me, as though warming up for when Shannon-chan would tell him about more of my embarrassing misspeaks.
George looked like he was flirting with Shannon, ......but he seemed somewhat open and frank.
He was always frank with his cousins, but he usually took on a reserved, gentlemanly attitude when he came in contact with the servants.
...When I thought about it, I got the feeling that it was a little familiar, which seemed slightly weird.
Maria started scribbling in the sand with a stick, and George-aniki and Shannon-chan joined in. This left me and Jessica off to the side, so I asked her secretively.
"......Hey, Jessica. Is George-aniki, ......umm, going out with Shannon-chan?"
"Ooooh? What the, how did you notice?! Battler, you're really good at seeing through people."
"Huh, ...whaaaaaaah?! I was just kidding, ... but they're actually going out?!"
"Shhh! Your voice is too loud! ...It looks like they're keeping it secret for now, alright? It'd be better if nobody, especially Eva oba-san, heard about it."
"I, I see... Love with a servant... ...Y, yeah but, since when? Wo-w, a lot can happen in six years...... But still, Aniki really is talented, and Shannon-chan is kind and brave, ......they might be a pretty good match."
Actually, six years ago, I remember taking notice of her just a little bit.
I see, she really fits well with George-aniki, nothing I can do about that. ...Goodbye, my fleeting first love of six years ago...
.........Which means that, the collection of my embarrassing lines that Shannon-chan had just held back on, ......probably had something to do with that... Aaaaaaaaaaarrghh, I can't take it...
"How long have they been going out?"
"That depends on what you call going out, but I think it's been at least a year. But if you count the time spent when they both had one-sided feelings, it would probably be several years."
Before I'd realized it, the two of them had separated themselves from the group, and were walking down the beach, talking about something.
......They looked calm, and rather than a light relationship between two lovers, it looked like a more serious relationship, as though they were already engaged.
"......Six years ago... That's a long time. What did these six years mean to me? I've just gotten taller. It was just a waste of time, six years I spent obstinately fighting with my dad."
"What about you, Battler? Have you gotten a girlfrie-nd?"
"Hmm, I wonder. There's a lot of girls that I play with. But there is no 'only one'. ......I'm just like a kid. I think it's more fun to be noisy with a large group of people than being alone with one person."
"Aah, that's so you, Battler. But take your relationships with your female friends seriously. A community of girls with the wrong impressions can be scary. They could have some secret feud behind your back, and hurt someone or make them cry without you noticing it, right?"
"That's so weird. I think I got the same bit of advice from one of the girls in my class just last week. ......What did she say? Why not have fun together with everyone? Did they really want to hook up with me that much?"
"...It's probably because you have never had a partner like that, Battler. Well, you might run into girls like that every once in a while. You just have to wait patiently!"
"What? It sounds almost like you've already found a partner like that. What about you? Have you gotten a boyfriend?"
"Huh?! M, me?! No, err, wahahahahaha......"
"Come on, that reaction's so easy to understand... From the looks of it, there's some boy who you're thinking about, but you haven't been able to confess that to them yet, something like that."
"N, no, umm, that's not, umm, uh! Sh, shut up, who cares about that...!"
"Even though you're the one who brought up this subject, why do you have to betray me like this? Women are creatures who always ask questions, and yet, they almost never answer them. What cruel creatures, seriously."
"......W, well, umm. ...I did try, ...to confess once. Well, umm, I struck out pretty badly."
"Did they say sorry?"
"No, umm, .........well, umm, it was really one-sided and I got confused, I guess... It was like they didn't view me that way."
"I can understand that. You talk just like a man. If you don't act a little more elegant, you won't be able to entice a man's heart, right?"
"I, i, is it really, ......is the way I speak, ...really that bad?"
"...Hmm? Well, umm, how you talk isn't everything, but to people like you, who usually talk badly, if you quickly try to start talking seriously, umm, that might start really get some guys' hearts thumping."
"R, really...? I see......, ......yeah..."
As Jessica thought about suddenly speaking meekly, she blushed faintly.
...I see, even though her confession didn't go well, it looks like she still hasn't given up.
But still, I understood.
After seeing how close George-aniki and Shannon-chan had gotten, I also kinda wanted to find a girlfriend.
Six years. ...Six years of puberty are pretty important, and they had gone by pretty fast.
As the typhoon approached, the clouds grew steadily grayer, and yet, even so, I had this really refreshing feeling.
...Maybe I'll start thinking about the opposite sex, more than just the size of their boobs...
"By the way, I know George-aniki is going out with a servant, Shannon-chan. ......Could it be that you are the same, Jessica?"
"Huh, ...eeeeeeh?!?! W, w, w, w, why do you think that...?!"
"Come to think of it, that young kid Kanon-kun, who greeted us in the rose garden... You really covered for him since he's bad at talking, right Jessica?"
"N, no, that's not... Wahahahaha, you're too suspicious...!!"
"Then tell me just this one thing. Right now, is the boy you're after somewhere within one kilometer?"
"W, well about that, umm, ...I, I, I wonder..."
Kanon-kun was the only boy on this island now who could possibly become her boyfriend.
So judging by her reaction, I was right on.
I didn't think of the Ushiromiya family as a noble family, ...but love with a servant...
I wouldn't have dreamed that two pairs of Romeo and Juliet would be right next to me...
Eva oba-san would probably become an obstacle to George-aniki and Shannon-chan's love.
If Eva oba-san learned that the partner of her only beloved son was Shannon-chan, she would probably scream at her, as though a servant was the same as a cat who had snuck in.
And a relationship between Jessica and Kanon-kun would probably be just as full of difficulties.
Natsuhi oba-san was also very strict about that kind of thing.
......Anyways, Jessica's husband would probably become the head of the Ushiromiya family in the future. If that person had once been a servant working for the family, ......well, things would get complicated.
"Well, who you love depends on the person. Isn't everything fine as long as it's someone who's fun to be with? Being with someone doesn't require any permission as long as the two people accept each other. If you worry about your parents or your family, then you lose. Don't forget that. You can't go out with someone with incomplete feelings."
"...Heh... I can't believe you're saying something so philosophical-sounding when you haven't even been in love."
"Don't treat love like a matter of profit and loss. It's about heart. That's all I want to say. Well then,
"...Six years ago, you say? Anyway, back then I was still in elementary school, right? It's pretty unfair to force me to remember, don't you think?"
"That's right. Especially since we were so young, we've grown a lot in these six years. I was surprised. If I hadn't been introduced, I wouldn't even have remembered you."
"Really? I knew it was Battler right away. After he opened his mouth, I was sure."
"Uu-. Maria met him for the first time. Six years ago, didn't know him."
"That's right. Maria-sama was only three years old."
"When you say it like that, I'm the same. I only knew Maria when she was three years old, and since she's grown so big, I didn't recognize her."
After lunch, we had all gone out to the beach to walk around, talk and take it easy enjoying ourselves.
It had seemed that our parents were having a suspicious, complicated discussion, so we had decided to leave our seats.
...Just as you'd expect, since it had been six years, the conversation focused on me.
"Still, you've really gotten taller. I won't call myself short, but anyways, your height surprised me."
"That's right. I remember well what Battler-sama was like six years ago, but I was surprised even so."
"Don'tcha think? I couldn't even imagine that this was the same Battler as six years ago."
"I'm surprised at how everyone remembers so much about six years ago. My memory's all hazy."
"No surprise. You'll remember about us, it just might take a little time. Should I feel a little hurt?"
"Wait, this was six years ago, right? I'm the one who has it bad, being forced to remember...!"
"...Are you saying that you can't remember well because it was six years ago? I can remember it as clearly as if it happened yesterday..."
"That's because your memory is good, Shannon. You really do remember what kind of things Battler did and said, don't you?"
"Come to think of it, that's right. Shannon's memory is surprisingly good."
"Uu-. Maria's horrible at remembering. Remembers fun things well but horrible at boring things. Uu-."
We all laughed, saying that everyone was like that.
"Shannon. By the way, what was Battler like six years ago? Remember any interesting episodes?"
"Let's see. ......I'm sure that he said something like this when he left. 'I'll be back, (see you again).
Lines in English
Some lines in Umineko were written in katakana English, meaning the phonetic Japanese characters were used to sound out English. These lines will be enclosed parenthesis (See you again.)
Because they're written in katakana, they would be pronounced a little different than you might expect, e.g. Shii yuu ah-gain.
I'll come to greet you riding on a white horse.'"
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh, Stop iiiiiiiiit, so embarassiiiiiiiiiiing!!"
"Gyaaah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!! Sounds just like something you would say! I remember, I remember that you always used to be full of those stupid lines, Battler! Waaah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!!"
"Hah-hah-hah-ha. It really does sound like something Battler-kun would have said back then."
"Uu-. Embarrassing? Embarrassing?"
"......Yeah. Horribly embarrassing... Maria, I'm sure that when you are in middle school, you'll want to say embarrassing things like that... When that happens, write it on the back of some leaflet, and read it three times before you say it out loud. If you don't, you'll definitely regret it...
Still, everyone has to pass through that pitiful period... That's right, that's how you know your place, learn shame, and become an adult. That's right, this is a memory I want to disappear, the bittersweet kind of thing that everyone does in adolescence as they transition to becoming adults... Aaaaarrggh..."
Anyways, it was just something I'd let slip out without thinking, so I hadn't remembered exactly what I had said.
But when those words were recited to me, it was all so embarrassing.
Recently, I had finally come to understand this weakness, and had worked hard to refrain from such careless outbursts......
...It looked like I was just born with the habit of speaking without thinking, and there was nothing I could do about it.
"Shanno~n, do you remember any other embarrassing things?"
"Yeah, well... I remember various other things, but.........since it looks like the person in question wants to forget them, I think I will refrain from saying any more..."
"I don't remember anything about what I said off the top of my head. Please, don't make me remembe-r."
"...Uu-. Shannon's bullying Battler...? Uu-. You can't. You shouldn't bully people."
"Hahahahaha. She isn't really bullying him. Let's leave it at that, okay? But Shannon, you'll have tell me all about it sometime Battler isn't around. It sounds pretty interesting."
"Yes, certainly."
"N, no, you can't, Shannon-chaaaaaaaaaan...!!"
For a while, George-aniki laughed at me, as though warming up for when Shannon-chan would tell him about more of my embarrassing misspeaks.
George looked like he was flirting with Shannon, ......but he seemed somewhat open and frank.
He was always frank with his cousins, but he usually took on a reserved, gentlemanly attitude when he came in contact with the servants.
...When I thought about it, I got the feeling that it was a little familiar, which seemed slightly weird.
Maria started scribbling in the sand with a stick, and George-aniki and Shannon-chan joined in. This left me and Jessica off to the side, so I asked her secretively.
"......Hey, Jessica. Is George-aniki, ......umm, going out with Shannon-chan?"
"Ooooh? What the, how did you notice?! Battler, you're really good at seeing through people."
"Huh, ...whaaaaaaah?! I was just kidding, ... but they're actually going out?!"
"Shhh! Your voice is too loud! ...It looks like they're keeping it secret for now, alright? It'd be better if nobody, especially Eva oba-san, heard about it."
"I, I see... Love with a servant... ...Y, yeah but, since when? Wo-w, a lot can happen in six years...... But still, Aniki really is talented, and Shannon-chan is kind and brave, ......they might be a pretty good match."
Actually, six years ago, I remember taking notice of her just a little bit.
I see, she really fits well with George-aniki, nothing I can do about that. ...Goodbye, my fleeting first love of six years ago...
.........Which means that, the collection of my embarrassing lines that Shannon-chan had just held back on, ......probably had something to do with that... Aaaaaaaaaaarrghh, I can't take it...
"How long have they been going out?"
"That depends on what you call going out, but I think it's been at least a year. But if you count the time spent when they both had one-sided feelings, it would probably be several years."
Before I'd realized it, the two of them had separated themselves from the group, and were walking down the beach, talking about something.
......They looked calm, and rather than a light relationship between two lovers, it looked like a more serious relationship, as though they were already engaged.
"......Six years ago... That's a long time. What did these six years mean to me? I've just gotten taller. It was just a waste of time, six years I spent obstinately fighting with my dad."
"What about you, Battler? Have you gotten a girlfrie-nd?"
"Hmm, I wonder. There's a lot of girls that I play with. But there is no 'only one'. ......I'm just like a kid. I think it's more fun to be noisy with a large group of people than being alone with one person."
"Aah, that's so you, Battler. But take your relationships with your female friends seriously. A community of girls with the wrong impressions can be scary. They could have some secret feud behind your back, and hurt someone or make them cry without you noticing it, right?"
"That's so weird. I think I got the same bit of advice from one of the girls in my class just last week. ......What did she say? Why not have fun together with everyone? Did they really want to hook up with me that much?"
"...It's probably because you have never had a partner like that, Battler. Well, you might run into girls like that every once in a while. You just have to wait patiently!"
"What? It sounds almost like you've already found a partner like that. What about you? Have you gotten a boyfriend?"
"Huh?! M, me?! No, err, wahahahahaha......"
"Come on, that reaction's so easy to understand... From the looks of it, there's some boy who you're thinking about, but you haven't been able to confess that to them yet, something like that."
"N, no, umm, that's not, umm, uh! Sh, shut up, who cares about that...!"
"Even though you're the one who brought up this subject, why do you have to betray me like this? Women are creatures who always ask questions, and yet, they almost never answer them. What cruel creatures, seriously."
"......W, well, umm. ...I did try, ...to confess once. Well, umm, I struck out pretty badly."
"Did they say sorry?"
"No, umm, .........well, umm, it was really one-sided and I got confused, I guess... It was like they didn't view me that way."
"I can understand that. You talk just like a man. If you don't act a little more elegant, you won't be able to entice a man's heart, right?"
"I, i, is it really, ......is the way I speak, ...really that bad?"
"...Hmm? Well, umm, how you talk isn't everything, but to people like you, who usually talk badly, if you quickly try to start talking seriously, umm, that might start really get some guys' hearts thumping."
"R, really...? I see......, ......yeah..."
As Jessica thought about suddenly speaking meekly, she blushed faintly.
...I see, even though her confession didn't go well, it looks like she still hasn't given up.
But still, I understood.
After seeing how close George-aniki and Shannon-chan had gotten, I also kinda wanted to find a girlfriend.
Six years. ...Six years of puberty are pretty important, and they had gone by pretty fast.
As the typhoon approached, the clouds grew steadily grayer, and yet, even so, I had this really refreshing feeling.
...Maybe I'll start thinking about the opposite sex, more than just the size of their boobs...
"By the way, I know George-aniki is going out with a servant, Shannon-chan. ......Could it be that you are the same, Jessica?"
"Huh, ...eeeeeeh?!?! W, w, w, w, why do you think that...?!"
"Come to think of it, that young kid Kanon-kun, who greeted us in the rose garden... You really covered for him since he's bad at talking, right Jessica?"
"N, no, that's not... Wahahahaha, you're too suspicious...!!"
"Then tell me just this one thing. Right now, is the boy you're after somewhere within one kilometer?"
"W, well about that, umm, ...I, I, I wonder..."
Kanon-kun was the only boy on this island now who could possibly become her boyfriend.
So judging by her reaction, I was right on.
I didn't think of the Ushiromiya family as a noble family, ...but love with a servant...
I wouldn't have dreamed that two pairs of Romeo and Juliet would be right next to me...
Eva oba-san would probably become an obstacle to George-aniki and Shannon-chan's love.
If Eva oba-san learned that the partner of her only beloved son was Shannon-chan, she would probably scream at her, as though a servant was the same as a cat who had snuck in.
And a relationship between Jessica and Kanon-kun would probably be just as full of difficulties.
Natsuhi oba-san was also very strict about that kind of thing.
......Anyways, Jessica's husband would probably become the head of the Ushiromiya family in the future. If that person had once been a servant working for the family, ......well, things would get complicated.
"Well, who you love depends on the person. Isn't everything fine as long as it's someone who's fun to be with? Being with someone doesn't require any permission as long as the two people accept each other. If you worry about your parents or your family, then you lose. Don't forget that. You can't go out with someone with incomplete feelings."
"...Heh... I can't believe you're saying something so philosophical-sounding when you haven't even been in love."
"Don't treat love like a matter of profit and loss. It's about heart. That's all I want to say. Well then,
[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<see [...] again,>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]
<lj-cut>Sat, Oct 4 1986 2:00PM
"...Six years ago, you say? Anyway, back then I was still in elementary school, right? It's pretty unfair to force me to remember, don't you think?"
"That's right. Especially since we were so young, we've grown a lot in these six years. I was surprised. If I hadn't been introduced, I wouldn't even have remembered you."
"Really? I knew it was Battler right away. After he opened his mouth, I was sure."
"Uu-. Maria met him for the first time. Six years ago, didn't know him."
"That's right. Maria-sama was only three years old."
"When you say it like that, I'm the same. I only knew Maria when she was three years old, and since she's grown so big, I didn't recognize her."
After lunch, we had all gone out to the beach to walk around, talk and take it easy enjoying ourselves.
It had seemed that our parents were having a suspicious, complicated discussion, so we had decided to leave our seats.
...Just as you'd expect, since it had been six years, the conversation focused on me.
"Still, you've really gotten taller. I won't call myself short, but anyways, your height surprised me."
"That's right. I remember well what Battler-sama was like six years ago, but I was surprised even so."
"Don'tcha think? I couldn't even imagine that this was the same Battler as six years ago."
"I'm surprised at how everyone remembers so much about six years ago. My memory's all hazy."
"No surprise. You'll remember about us, it just might take a little time. Should I feel a little hurt?"
"Wait, this was six years ago, right? I'm the one who has it bad, being forced to remember...!"
"...Are you saying that you can't remember well because it was six years ago? I can remember it as clearly as if it happened yesterday..."
"That's because your memory is good, Shannon. You really do remember what kind of things Battler did and said, don't you?"
"Come to think of it, that's right. Shannon's memory is surprisingly good."
"Uu-. Maria's horrible at remembering. Remembers fun things well but horrible at boring things. Uu-."
We all laughed, saying that everyone was like that.
"Shannon. By the way, what was Battler like six years ago? Remember any interesting episodes?"
"Let's see. ......I'm sure that he said something like this when he left. 'I'll be back, (see you again).
Lines in English
Some lines in Umineko were written in katakana English, meaning the phonetic Japanese characters were used to sound out English. These lines will be enclosed parenthesis (See you again.)
Because they're written in katakana, they would be pronounced a little different than you might expect, e.g. Shii yuu ah-gain.
I'll come to greet you riding on a white horse.'"
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh, Stop iiiiiiiiit, so embarassiiiiiiiiiiing!!"
"Gyaaah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!! Sounds just like something you would say! I remember, I remember that you always used to be full of those stupid lines, Battler! Waaah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!!"
"Hah-hah-hah-ha. It really does sound like something Battler-kun would have said back then."
"Uu-. Embarrassing? Embarrassing?"
"......Yeah. Horribly embarrassing... Maria, I'm sure that when you are in middle school, you'll want to say embarrassing things like that... When that happens, write it on the back of some leaflet, and read it three times before you say it out loud. If you don't, you'll definitely regret it...
Still, everyone has to pass through that pitiful period... That's right, that's how you know your place, learn shame, and become an adult. That's right, this is a memory I want to disappear, the bittersweet kind of thing that everyone does in adolescence as they transition to becoming adults... Aaaaarrggh..."
Anyways, it was just something I'd let slip out without thinking, so I hadn't remembered exactly what I had said.
But when those words were recited to me, it was all so embarrassing.
Recently, I had finally come to understand this weakness, and had worked hard to refrain from such careless outbursts......
...It looked like I was just born with the habit of speaking without thinking, and there was nothing I could do about it.
"Shanno~n, do you remember any other embarrassing things?"
"Yeah, well... I remember various other things, but.........since it looks like the person in question wants to forget them, I think I will refrain from saying any more..."
"I don't remember anything about what I said off the top of my head. Please, don't make me remembe-r."
"...Uu-. Shannon's bullying Battler...? Uu-. You can't. You shouldn't bully people."
"Hahahahaha. She isn't really bullying him. Let's leave it at that, okay? But Shannon, you'll have tell me all about it sometime Battler isn't around. It sounds pretty interesting."
"Yes, certainly."
"N, no, you can't, Shannon-chaaaaaaaaaan...!!"
For a while, George-aniki laughed at me, as though warming up for when Shannon-chan would tell him about more of my embarrassing misspeaks.
George looked like he was flirting with Shannon, ......but he seemed somewhat open and frank.
He was always frank with his cousins, but he usually took on a reserved, gentlemanly attitude when he came in contact with the servants.
...When I thought about it, I got the feeling that it was a little familiar, which seemed slightly weird.
Maria started scribbling in the sand with a stick, and George-aniki and Shannon-chan joined in. This left me and Jessica off to the side, so I asked her secretively.
"......Hey, Jessica. Is George-aniki, ......umm, going out with Shannon-chan?"
"Ooooh? What the, how did you notice?! Battler, you're really good at seeing through people."
"Huh, ...whaaaaaaah?! I was just kidding, ... but they're actually going out?!"
"Shhh! Your voice is too loud! ...It looks like they're keeping it secret for now, alright? It'd be better if nobody, especially Eva oba-san, heard about it."
"I, I see... Love with a servant... ...Y, yeah but, since when? Wo-w, a lot can happen in six years...... But still, Aniki really is talented, and Shannon-chan is kind and brave, ......they might be a pretty good match."
Actually, six years ago, I remember taking notice of her just a little bit.
I see, she really fits well with George-aniki, nothing I can do about that. ...Goodbye, my fleeting first love of six years ago...
.........Which means that, the collection of my embarrassing lines that Shannon-chan had just held back on, ......probably had something to do with that... Aaaaaaaaaaarrghh, I can't take it...
"How long have they been going out?"
"That depends on what you call going out, but I think it's been at least a year. But if you count the time spent when they both had one-sided feelings, it would probably be several years."
Before I'd realized it, the two of them had separated themselves from the group, and were walking down the beach, talking about something.
......They looked calm, and rather than a light relationship between two lovers, it looked like a more serious relationship, as though they were already engaged.
"......Six years ago... That's a long time. What did these six years mean to me? I've just gotten taller. It was just a waste of time, six years I spent obstinately fighting with my dad."
"What about you, Battler? Have you gotten a girlfrie-nd?"
"Hmm, I wonder. There's a lot of girls that I play with. But there is no 'only one'. ......I'm just like a kid. I think it's more fun to be noisy with a large group of people than being alone with one person."
"Aah, that's so you, Battler. But take your relationships with your female friends seriously. A community of girls with the wrong impressions can be scary. They could have some secret feud behind your back, and hurt someone or make them cry without you noticing it, right?"
"That's so weird. I think I got the same bit of advice from one of the girls in my class just last week. ......What did she say? Why not have fun together with everyone? Did they really want to hook up with me that much?"
"...It's probably because you have never had a partner like that, Battler. Well, you might run into girls like that every once in a while. You just have to wait patiently!"
"What? It sounds almost like you've already found a partner like that. What about you? Have you gotten a boyfriend?"
"Huh?! M, me?! No, err, wahahahahaha......"
"Come on, that reaction's so easy to understand... From the looks of it, there's some boy who you're thinking about, but you haven't been able to confess that to them yet, something like that."
"N, no, umm, that's not, umm, uh! Sh, shut up, who cares about that...!"
"Even though you're the one who brought up this subject, why do you have to betray me like this? Women are creatures who always ask questions, and yet, they almost never answer them. What cruel creatures, seriously."
"......W, well, umm. ...I did try, ...to confess once. Well, umm, I struck out pretty badly."
"Did they say sorry?"
"No, umm, .........well, umm, it was really one-sided and I got confused, I guess... It was like they didn't view me that way."
"I can understand that. You talk just like a man. If you don't act a little more elegant, you won't be able to entice a man's heart, right?"
"I, i, is it really, ......is the way I speak, ...really that bad?"
"...Hmm? Well, umm, how you talk isn't everything, but to people like you, who usually talk badly, if you quickly try to start talking seriously, umm, that might start really get some guys' hearts thumping."
"R, really...? I see......, ......yeah..."
As Jessica thought about suddenly speaking meekly, she blushed faintly.
...I see, even though her confession didn't go well, it looks like she still hasn't given up.
But still, I understood.
After seeing how close George-aniki and Shannon-chan had gotten, I also kinda wanted to find a girlfriend.
Six years. ...Six years of puberty are pretty important, and they had gone by pretty fast.
As the typhoon approached, the clouds grew steadily grayer, and yet, even so, I had this really refreshing feeling.
...Maybe I'll start thinking about the opposite sex, more than just the size of their boobs...
"By the way, I know George-aniki is going out with a servant, Shannon-chan. ......Could it be that you are the same, Jessica?"
"Huh, ...eeeeeeh?!?! W, w, w, w, why do you think that...?!"
"Come to think of it, that young kid Kanon-kun, who greeted us in the rose garden... You really covered for him since he's bad at talking, right Jessica?"
"N, no, that's not... Wahahahaha, you're too suspicious...!!"
"Then tell me just this one thing. Right now, is the boy you're after somewhere within one kilometer?"
"W, well about that, umm, ...I, I, I wonder..."
Kanon-kun was the only boy on this island now who could possibly become her boyfriend.
So judging by her reaction, I was right on.
I didn't think of the Ushiromiya family as a noble family, ...but love with a servant...
I wouldn't have dreamed that two pairs of Romeo and Juliet would be right next to me...
Eva oba-san would probably become an obstacle to George-aniki and Shannon-chan's love.
If Eva oba-san learned that the partner of her only beloved son was Shannon-chan, she would probably scream at her, as though a servant was the same as a cat who had snuck in.
And a relationship between Jessica and Kanon-kun would probably be just as full of difficulties.
Natsuhi oba-san was also very strict about that kind of thing.
......Anyways, Jessica's husband would probably become the head of the Ushiromiya family in the future. If that person had once been a servant working for the family, ......well, things would get complicated.
"Well, who you love depends on the person. Isn't everything fine as long as it's someone who's fun to be with? Being with someone doesn't require any permission as long as the two people accept each other. If you worry about your parents or your family, then you lose. Don't forget that. You can't go out with someone with incomplete feelings."
"...Heh... I can't believe you're saying something so philosophical-sounding when you haven't even been in love."
"Don't treat love like a matter of profit and loss. It's about heart. That's all I want to say. Well then, <see you again, have a nice day>."
"......Hu, ...wah-hah-hah-hahahahahahahahaha!! George nii-san, Shanno~n, listen, liste-n! This guy, he's said another one of those lines!!"
"I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything!! Waaah, don't make fun of me, don't make fun of me!!"
"Maria heard it, Maria heard it! <See you aga~in>, <see you aga~in>!!"
For a while, we forgot that the wind was getting stronger, and played around on the beach.
......I had grown a lot these last six years, and being able to celebrate my youth and meet with all of my cousins was truly refreshing.
......It was a little late now, but I realized that I should have gotten back together with everyone a lot sooner, and returned to the Ushiromiya family...
"It sure is nice to have all the cousins together every once in a while..."
"Uu-! Maria also likes it when the cousins get together, it's fu-n!"
"That's right. We're already old enough. It's not like we couldn't meet each other when our parents aren't around. ...It might not be a bad idea to gather the cousins together and play every once in a while."
"That's a good plan. Maybe we should set up something like that the next time we get a chance."
"I agree. I'd like to be friendly with my cousins all the time."
"Hey, hey, if you stress the point that much, doesn't that make it sound like relatives normally don't get along well?"
"Hahahahahaha."
George-aniki and Jessica laughed, but it felt just a little strained.
...Did I say too much?
Judging by how our parents made quiet expressions and tired faces every once in a while during the boat ride and at the airport, maybe that was something I shouldn't have said.
"...That's right. Just like Jessica said. Let's always be friendly to each other."
"Uu-! Maria too! Everyone friendly!!"
"That's right. Yeah. We'll always be together. We'll always be friendly."
"Heheh. Man, we've been saying some pretty embarrassing stuff. I feel kinda awkward."
"But I think that is very important. It's very hard for people to always be together, to always be friendly unless they desire it."
"That's right. You really can't take everyone being friendly for granted."
"Uu-. A witch that I know said it. Happiness, if everyone doesn't believe in it, won't be granted."
"That's true. Maybe some magic exists in the power of belief. If we all believe in that, I'm sure it will bring us happiness."
"Alright. Now the next embarrassing thing. Let's all swear to believe together, alright? That we'll all always be friendly, that we'll always be happy."
As if we could become like our parents.
As if we'd ever search for each other's weaknesses, going after Grandfather's fortune...
"Alright! We'll always be friendly and happy. And let's all believe that."
As all of us cousins were trying nostalgically to have fun, dark clouds approached Rokkenjima.
......I wonder if the typhoon will pass and show us the refreshing sky before we leave this island.
Who cares about what our parents expect?
Who cares about the inheritance and the honor of our old family?
As youthful as we were, we were renewing our old friendship.
And we all believed together that we could all be happy.
Therefore..., I wanted this day to end, without anything weird occurring, in peace and happiness, calmly...
No, ...I didn't just want it to end.
......Please, let it end......!
"Let it eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennd? Kyah-hahah-hah-hah-hahahahahahahahahahaha!!"
"Damn iiiiiiiit!! Don't show up, don't appear!! Damndamndaaamn!!"
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I've finally made preparations for a new game. Come, let us begin this tale of tragedy! Come to me, winds, rain, typhoon! Cut this island off from the real world!! Throw Rokkenjima into another world, into the spirit world, into a world of fantasy!"
And so, the tale repeated for the third time.
However, to an Endless Witch, what did it matter whether it was the first, second, or third time?
It probably didn't matter at all.
After all, this was a tale of fantasy, endlessly repeating until the match was settled. Would Battler surrender first, or would the witch?
Then the sky grew dark and cloudy, the rain and wind were summoned together and became a typhoon...
And Maria could be seen in the rose garden, paying no mind to the rain that had started falling, going around in circles, searching for that single rose which should have been marked......
".........Not here... Not here...... We marked it, ......Maria's rose isn't here.........uu-. ............Uu-!!"
Maria definitely remembered it.
That rose had been in the flower bed right here. And yet, it wasn't anymore.
She didn't know what to do with her irritation at not being able to find something which should have been there, and, moaning bitterly, she couldn't help but keep going back and forth in circles around the same spot.
She was acting almost as though she would be able to see it if she looked at a different angle, but even though she did that, there was no way to find something that wasn't there...
The wind grew increasingly stronger, and the rain turned into cold, large drops.
There was no way Maria could ignore this.
However, if she couldn't find her rose here, it would surely disappear forever.
...Maria believed that.
That feeling spurred her on to keep searching for a rose that she shouldn't be able to find...
Just then, the cold drops of rain that were tormenting Maria were suddenly blocked.
"...............Uu-?"
Maria raised her head.
...When she did, she saw that an umbrella was opened there, protecting her from the rain...
And the one holding out that umbrella was, .........the witch she admired, Beatrice.
"Beatrice...!!"
"What are you doing so frantically in the middle of all this rain? You could catch a cold like this. Even witches have to care for their own health."
"Maria, ...can't find..., her rose... ......uu-. No matter how many times she searches, ......even though it should have been here, ...can't find it..."
Maria told Beatrice about how there had been a slightly unhealthy, pitiful rose, and that she was sure they had marked it.
"Hoho. So you can't find it. .........If you are a witch's apprentice, you should use magic to search for the rose. I believe that searching with just your eyes won't be nearly enough."
"......Uu-. ......Can't find it. ...Maria's done her best, and tried to search with magic, but can't find it..."
"I think that practicing your magic is a very good thing, but it might be a little too much for you with all of this wind and rain. ......Allow me to lend you some special power. Being concerned for their disciples is also one of the duties of a teacher."
"Th, ...thank you-. Beatrice!!"
Maria's face, which had been full of sadness until just now, split open into a grin.
Maria knew.
She knew that there was nothing Beatrice's magic couldn't do.
So she was sure that Beatrice would be able to find the rose easily, even though Maria couldn't...
Beatrice closed her eyes lightly, acting as though she was listening for something in all this wind and rain. Then she heard it, opened her eyes, and spoke.
"............Hmm. All things in this world are transitory. Too bad, Maria. ...It seems that your rose couldn't withstand all of this wind and rain."
"Uu-...... Then, Maria's rose.........?"
"It was uprooted by the wind, and is no longer of this world."
"...............Uu-......"
What Beatrice had said was quite appropriate.
...There was nothing odd about the flower being broken off at the stem in this strong wind.
...However, Maria couldn't accept this, and bitterly gave a low-pitched moan...
"............No."
"Hoh?"
"......No no no! Maria's rose!! Maria's rose won't come back, no! Maria will bring it back to life with her magic. Beatrice, teach me how to revive a rose with magic...!!"
"Ha! It's much too early for an apprentice like you to learn the hidden art of Endless Magic. Know your place."
"...............Uuuuuu."
Maria wiped the tears from her eyes, full of regret.
Beatrice shrugged her shoulders and laughed at the pity that Maria's expression invited.
"Very well. I will lend you power for the hidden art that can revive a rose."
"Really?!"
"Hmm. ......Well then, concentrate the power of your heart. Close your eyes, forget the rain, forget the wind, search for the soul of the wandering rose with the eyes of your heart."
"......Uu-."
Maria closed her eyes.
Then, she repeated Beatrice's song-like words...
"Come, try to remember. Rose, what form did you have?"
"...Come, try to remember. Rose, what form did you have...?"
"Don't look. Don't listen. And believe. ......Release the power of your soul from the cage of flesh that imprisons it. ............That's it. ......Good..."
Around Maria, who was concentrating her power, her eyes tightly shut, small golden butterflies began to dance. ......Was this the manifestation of the magical power Maria held?
"Lost soul of the rose. Gather into one, and remember your form. ......Come, gather, remember..."
The glitter of the gold butterflies began to strengthen, and their numbers increased. Then, Beatrice raised a finger up to the skies, and they began to gather at the tip of that finger...
This was the miracle of the golden magic...
And the gold butterflies began to condense into a single dazzling grain of gold. ......It was a single seed, glittering gold.
It rode on the tip of Beatrice's finger, budded into a golden sprout, and opened into a golden leaf.
It then slowly fell from that fingertip, sank into the mud of the flower bed, and began to grow steadily...
...Maria, who admired magic and the witch, really wanted to see this fantastical sight.
However, as an apprentice, Maria was still not qualified to see it.
...No, she was probably afraid that, if she opened her eyes to look, the power that she had concentrated in her heart would be interrupted, and the magic would be lost.
Therefore, Beatrice, as the only witch permitted to lay eyes on the golden miracle, was the master of these many miracles...
Then, the fully grown rose bloomed, creating one golden flower.
And when Beatrice poked it with her finger in just the right way, the gold-colored sparkle scattered, just as if a golden soap bubble had popped, and what remained was a single beautiful rose.
"...Hmm. It looks like you've remembered a splendid rose. ......However, if we just leave it mixed in with these other roses, you won't be able to tell it apart. Shall I perform one last service?"
Beatrice, for the sake of her cute apprentice witch who was moaning even more now in concentration, decided to use one more bit of magic.
When she snapped her fingers, a single gold butterfly appeared, fluttered around, and landed on the flower that had just been revived.
Then it suddenly burst open and disappeared, becoming golden lace and marking the rose...
"That is sufficient. ......Maria. You may open your eyes now."
".........Uu-? Where's the rose? Not here. Not here."
"Not over there, over here. ...Look. I've marked it with golden lace."
"Wah..., you did...!! Awesome awesome awesome awesome!! Thank you Beato, thank you Beato!! Maria wants to become a witch quickly, a Great Witch like Beato!!"
"And you can. Long ago, I too wished for that innocently, just as you do, and I have attained that level."
Maria was ecstatic over the revived rose, clapping her hands and jumping around in joy.
...Watching that, Beatrice also smiled, looking fairly pleased.
Now, if I tried, I could break and repair any soul, not just that of a rose, and kill and revive as I pleased.
So, the barrier created by the storm had closed Rokkenjima off from the real world.
Now was the time for Golden Witch Beatrice to descend, as an Endless Witch.
Beatrice pulled from her pocket an envelope with the family crest, the One-winged Eagle, and gave it to Maria.
Maria frolicked around at being selected to be the witch's messenger.
"So, Kinzo. I've come to join in on your fun once again... My preparations are already complete. What about you? Have you prepared enough coins to bet in tonight's game...?"
"Of course. I'm fully prepared, Beatrice...!! I've prepared plenty of pieces. I am ready both physically and mentally! So, let us make the ante. All that you have given should be returned to you in the end. Come, take it!!"
After Kinzo flung the window of his study wide open, he took off the valuable golden ring which had been on his finger, and threw it into the darkness of the raging wind and rain...
That ring was struck by lightning, and after twinkling gold for an instant, disappeared.
Kinzo watched it go, grinning broadly and fearlessly.
"I don't feel like losing. You are mine. Forever!!"
The ring that Kinzo had thrown became a single gold butterfly, and fluttered around in the wind and rain.
It headed for the rose garden, almost as though it was being guided there.
It then found the figure of the Golden Witch, and fluttered down......
When it came down right in front of Beatrice, it burst open, and returned to its original form of a ring, flying through the air.
The way it was going, you'd have thought that it would fall into a puddle of water, but it stopped suddenly in midair.
...Almost as if some transparent person had caught it.
Somehow, this seemed unexpected even to Beatrice.
However, she realized what, ...who it was, and grinned broadly at it.
As she did, the shadow of the person who had caught the ring began to fuzzily appear...
It was the figure of a young man wearing a butler's uniform embroidered with the One-winged Eagle crest...
There was no man like this among the servants who served the Ushiromiya family. Even so, Beatrice laughed as though it was someone she remembered fondly.
"Ronove, is it. ......It's been quite some time. It seems that you have remembered me. You were always a man who was serious about loyalty."
"It has been a very long time since you last corresponded... There hasn't been a single day that I, Ronove, have forgotten that I serve you, Milady. I was more fearful that Milady had forgotten about me. In any event, Milady is quite forgetful."
"*cackle*cackle*...! I see, yes, I do forget easily. I couldn't even remember your sarcasm until I heard it again."
"Milady, here."
With an exaggerated yet elegant gesture, he bowed respectfully, and held out to Beatrice the head's ring that he had just caught.
"It is the Ushiromiya family head's ring, returned to you from Ushiromiya Kinzo. It is now once again in the possession of its Master."
"Hmm. A proclamation from Kinzo to start the game. Of course I'll receive it."
"So, how shall we play tonight? Shall I prepare the roulette immediately? Or shall I prepare some black tea first?"
"I can't decide which, but for now, I need you to greet someone. I'm sure that guy has his mouth hanging open and can't shut it. Right, Battler?"
"Greetings. Allow me to introduce myself. I am called Ronove, and I serve at the side of Milady Beatrice. It is truly a pleasure to meet you."
"See? His mouth's hanging open and he can't shut it, right? *cackle*cackle*!"
"Isn't that obvious, another incomprehensible guy's just appeared!! Back when I was grumbling that goat-headed people would start doing the Bon dance, goat-heads started showing up in swarms, and since then, not only have those seven ass nee-sans appeared, but now even a butler has shown up!! It doesn't make sense, cut it out!!"
"By the way, Battler. Did you notice? Did you realize that meeting him is a true 'Devil's Proof'?"
"Huh, Devil's Proof, you say...?! What do you mean...?"
"He may not look like it, but this guy's name is amongst the 72, and he's a genuine demon. In other words, I've brought a demon right in front of you, which truly proves that they exist. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!! Ronove holds a noble rank in hell, the 27th highest ranked great demon. He's a pretty useful man. I summoned him at high cost and made him serve me."
"It is an honor to be introduced to you. While my name is amongst those of the nobles of hell, I now serve as the head furniture of Beatrice-sama, the Great Witch with the standing of a vulgar human, from whom even demons can escape barefooted."
"*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*. He's a very useful man, but he is impudent with his words. It's slightly frustrating that he sometimes forgets to respect his Master."
"There is nothing in my contract regarding the way in which I must speak. Would you like to change that contract?"
"It doesn't bore me, so it's fine. *cackle*cackle*!"
Beatrice turned her back to him, cackling.
After bowing once to her back, Ronove turned back to Battler and stuck out his right hand, showing off an innocent smile. Normally, this would mean that he was asking for a handshake.
"......Wh, ...what is this supposed to be?"
"I am also one who has been subjected to Milady's whims. In that sense, I am sure that we could become good friends. This is a handshake of friendship. ......Of course, it doesn't mean that you will be entered into a demon's contract, so rest assured."
"Sorry, but I'm right in the middle of a big fight with your master. I only shake hands with an enemy after we've beaten each other up in a rainy schoolyard and are all worn out, like one of those situations in adolescent dramas. Remember that."
"I see. To shake hands with you, Battler-sama, I must create a fitting atmosphere in a suitable location, and exchange sweet words and physical language with you that rings true to your heart. When the opportunity arrives, I will prepare that location.
You know, I also lo-ve those kinds of situations? Pu ku ku ku...!"
As Ronove laughed tauntingly, he whispered to Battler, bringing his face so close that their noses were almost touching.
Battler, his face turning red after getting so close to another of the same sex, pushed him away.
"Y, you're a creepy bastard... I see, just right for Beato's butler..."
"It is an honor to receive such words of praise. I'm very confident in my tea brewing abilities, so please look forward to tea time. Baking cookies is one of my hobbies, so please feel free to request teacakes and such."
"Just what I would expect from a pair of the same gender. You've started to get along well very quickly. I'm jealous."
"My, my. I apologize for making you jealous, Milady. I will not stealthily snatch your guest away from you.
Well then, I will leave for now to retake my post as head of the furniture and to greet the rest of the furniture. Please forgive my short absence."
"Hmm. Only the common goats and the seven sisters used for the ceremony have manifested themselves. You will be able to finish up greeting them with ease."
"Oh? Those lively seven sisters are here? I wonder whether those naughty girls have grown a little more graceful?"
"......Ihihi. If that's graceful, I'd have to doubt the definition of graceful."
"Is that so? It seems that those seven sisters are still playing around. Judging by your expression, it seems that they are just as naughty as they were before. Even though I am always telling them to act more fitting as a group of those who serve Beatrice-sama. What troublesome kids..."
"If that's your problem, don't worry. They actually act perfectly fitting for their master..."s
"*cackle*cackle*cackle*! Even you have begun to say it! However, a conversation means that you accept your partner. Now that you have started to respond to my idle chatting, that is proof that you are gradually starting to accept my existence."
"Heh. That's because, even if the sun starts rising from the west, I will definitely, definitely definitely, never accept that you're a witch. You might want to consider a slightly more positive approach, like crying and kissing my shoes."
Even if Battler was bluffing, he still spoke forcefully, a fearless expression on his face.
The witch and her butler snickered together, realizing that their guest had regained more than enough of his willpower to attend to a new game, and that preparations were complete...
After Ronove exchanged a few words with Beatrice, he bowed silently to Battler, scattered into several gold butterflies, and disappeared.
"*cackle*cackle*. It is truly pleasing when everything gets so lively. ......How boring were days when I was trapped alone on this island, unable to regain my power and without anyone to talk to..."
"......I get how that unpleasant guy is really fitting as your butler. ...But tell me. Why has that butler only appeared now? You said something about how only the goats and the nee-chans of the seven stakes had manifested themselves. What did that mean...?"
"Hmm. You still resist, but I am a fully-fledged witch. I am in contact with several nonhuman entities in the spirit world."
"I'm sure. No worthy people would relate with you. First some goat monsters, then those ass nee-chans, and this time a demon butler's showed up. ......I hate to think about it, but the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if even more weird people showed up..."
"Hah-hah-hah-ha! Among the furniture that work at my great golden mansion, how many demons do you think want to come over and play? They will keep coming. Many of them will appear.
When the door to the Golden Land is opened, I will call back all of my furniture, and build my new castle here on Rokkenjima. Then I plan to invite all of my old friends, and we will drink and dance together for three days and three nights.
......Of course, I also plan to invite Kinzo's family, you see? You too, if you wish. *cackle*cackle*...!"
"......So is this what you mean? That, since you lost your power for a long time, you couldn't summon them? ...And then, since your magic power gradually increased, you became able to summon more and more monsters, is that what you're trying to say?"
"It is as you say. You barely stumbled at the very end, but your heart is already wavering, and you are unable to deny that I am a witch. That wavering in your heart has slightly restored my power as a witch."
"So are you saying that creepy butler appeared, ......because I started to surrender?"
"That's right. Bit by bit, you are surrendering to me...! Didn't you submit to me in the last game so much that you received all of that humiliation? Wasn't it great when you had to sacrifice your back for my feet? *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!!"
"...D, ......damnit..........I thought that, as long as I didn't accept you, I'd be able to keep on going. ...But apparently I was mistaken somehow."
"That's right. The closer you get to surrendering, the more the game will swing in my favor. Isn't chess the same? In the process of cornering each other's kings, we trade several pieces. Of course, I still haven't cornered your king."
"......And furthermore, you're giving it everything you've got just to help your king escape, and have lost several pieces to me, as well as a large advantage. It is only natural that further advances will lean in my favor."
"..................Damn........."
From now on, you will probably be frantic as you try to avoid my checkmate. ...However, as you do, I will steal your pieces from you one by one. In the end, you'll have lost everything but your king, and you won't be able to escape no matter how much you try. Then you will receive a true checkmate."
"......You were talking big last time, weren't you? Something about, since you would never accept me, that you would torment me with eternal torture. Only witches who have reached the endless level can talk about eternity. You haven't been capable of that since the very beginning. *cackle*cackle*cackle*, hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!!"
"As for the cache of the gold, Kinzo-sama has already edicted it in the epitaph beneath my portrait. Those who are able to read the epitaph shall be equal before me. If you manage to find the gold, I will most certainly give everything back to you.
With that, please enjoy to the fullest your battle of wits with Kinzo-sama. I pray from the bottom of my heart that tonight turns out to be an intellectual, and yet elegant, night. ――Beatrice the Golden."
When Maria finished reading the letter that Beatrice had handed her, everyone was at a loss for words for a while.
And then, they all broke the silence at once...
"R, ridiculous. What a worthless, vicious prank!"
"Seriously. There is no way that Father gave up the head's ring. Beatrice? Ha! What a transparent prank, hoping to confuse us just by bringing up that name."
"Hey hey, who was it that filled this dessert up with a little too much punch? I want to applaud and admire you, so come clean, alright? Rosa?"
"O, of course not...! I wouldn't pull a prank assuming Father's name!"
"Then Aneki?! Aniki?!"
"Me?! Are you an idiot?! It was Nii-san, right?! He could plan something this vulgar!!"
"Are you trying to mock me?!! I'm the one who wants to question you! Who is behind this ill-natured prank?!"
Krauss beat the table and stared at everyone.
...Since that included the children too, he scared most of them...
"...A letter from a mysterious person who claims to have been given full rights to Father's assets. And if you think about how this family conference is all about discussing that, ......I think it's too hasty to call this just a prank."
"I don't understand. It might really be one of Father's vulgar pranks... He might've planned this to shock us a lil', since we've been discussin' the distribution of his inheritance without him..."
"If Father was the one who planned this, ......then we can't take what Maria-chan just read aloud as a joke, right...?"
"......That's right. If you interpret the contents literally, ...then this is a test from Father. The epitaph of the witch has been displayed in the hall for quite some time now, so that any one of us could solve it. There was plenty of notice. That means he was saying that the first person to solve it would be handed the inheritance along with all of his wealth, right...?"
......See? My magic granted your wish......
"It's nothing like that!! It is an unshakable fact that my husband will become the next head of the Ushiromiya family!!"
"Doesn't this letter shake that!? This letter is a message from the person who was given full rights to all of Father's wealth! Nii-san's right to become the head has returned to a blank slate. The person who solves the riddle, ......the person who finds Beatrice's gold will become the next head of the Ushiromiya family!!"
"Ridiculous...! Do you think we can trust the meaningless words in that letter? That the seal was the real thing? There's no way we could trust that!!"
"Then let's try to go and ask Father directly! We aren't at the level where you can get away with saying that his mood's bad or that he's feeling bad, right?! The sealed wax clearly shows that it was from Father's representative! If you doubt that, then show some proof, Nii-san. Show that this letter does not contain Father's will!!"
"V, very well. It is just as you say. It no longer matters whether Father's in a good mood or not... Let us go up and ask him directly."
"Let's do it. We'll ask Father directly. Father is Father, why would he act in such a roundabout way? Well, that is a little like Father!"
"I, I wonder if we should continue this discussion assuming that it is Father's letter...?"
"Stupid Rosa!! Isn't it obviously Father's letter?! That letter was Father's!! Isn't it obvious that he's giving the four of us an even chance to become the next head?!! Die, you brainless idiot!!"
Rosa really is dumb. Why doesn't she just give up and die...?
"I, I'm sorry...! Th, th, that's right..., I'm sorry..."
In the beginning, the adults had all doubted the credibility of the letter, but after just now realizing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the three siblings other than Krauss in the struggle for the inheritance, Eva had changed her position, and had claimed that the letter was authentic.
Rudolf and Rosa also realized that, and agreed.
"Seriously!! How could adults like you take such a worthless prank this seriously...! Even though I am not Father, I understand his shock!!"
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Natsuhi-san, won't everythin' be fine if we just ask Father...?! Won't everything be fine if Father simply mentions that he doesn't know about the letter?"
"Nii-san. Take responsibility, and just get him to say that he doesn't know about the letter. This isn't a time to get scared just because he's in a bad mood, right?!"
He's still scared of Father at his age, that idiot. Why doesn't he just give up and die...?
"Ah, aah! You really are trying to paint things as black and white. He's probably in the middle of eating in his study now. He isn't going to put down his chopsticks for a while to talk to us...!"
"It's decided. Let's go! Kyrie, wait here for a while. We'll go to check whether it's true or not and come back quickly."
"......Thank you. I will wait patiently for Gohda-san to bring the dessert."
The four siblings, Natsuhi, and Hideyoshi all stood from their seats forcefully and flew out into the hallway with a clatter.
Afterwards, only the children, stunned completely speechless, Nanjo, who looked uncomfortable, and Kyrie, who just shrugged, were left.
In the middle of all of this was Maria, who looked a little scared at the adults' sudden change.
...However, judging from her appearance, she didn't look like she realized the full meaning of the contents of what she had just read.
"...What in the world, ......was that all about...? I don't get it..."
"......They're all bastards. Do they really want the inheritance that much...?!"
"............Everyone, this is our parents' problem. It has nothing to do with us. So you mustn't worry about it."
"Even if you say that......they were so obvious..."
"I misjudged them...! Showing off their greed...!"
"Uu-! Everyone has to believe together that we'll be happy! Uu-uu-!"
"...That's right. We all did promise. Come on, Battler-kun, Jessica-chan, you too..."
"............Haah."
"......I feel horrible..."
We couldn't accept it at all, but we laid down our arms for the time being.
...We had known vaguely how filthy the family conference was going to be this time. ...However, after that six-year blank, I couldn't help being shocked...
When he saw that the children were completely dejected, Doctor Nanjo cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"...It's an adult discussion. It has nothing to do with all of you young people. Let us forget about it."
"I would if I could...!"
"I know that it's harsh. But forget it for now. ...All of your parents are fighting frantically to make your futures just a little brighter. Please, don't look at your injured parents with those cold eyes when they come back."
"..................No matter how much you ask us, Kyrie-san, ......it's hard."
"If you explain it that way, ......that's not something us kids can do......"
"Uu-! Everyone happy-!! Can't get da-rk!! Belie-ve! If everyone doesn't believe we can be happy, that happiness will get away! Everyone has to believe! Uu-uu-uu-!!"
"......That sounds good. I'll believe too. That we can be happy."
"Uu-! Kyrie oba-san, thank you!! Battler and Jessica also believe! Beatrice is also always saying that the magic won't have any power if you don't believe. Uu-!"
Kyrie-san rose from her seat quietly, went over to Maria, and crouched down so that their eyes met.
"......Uu-. Kyrie oba-san believed. Now, Battler and Jessica have to believe."
"Those two really are strong. They'll feel better soon and do that."
"Yes."
"More importantly, ............I want you to tell me."
When Kyrie-san said that, Jessica, George-aniki, Doctor Nanjo and I all listened closely.
...It looked like our parents were so concerned with the inheritance problem that Grandfather filled their minds, but we wanted to ask Maria about something simpler.
"Uu-? What?"
"Who was the person that gave Maria-chan that letter...?"
"Beatrice!!"
"The witch drawn in that portrait...?"
"Uu-! She gave me this letter and an umbrella! And she used magic to fix Maria's rose that was broken! Beatrice is an awesome witch who can do anything!!"
"............Would you mind telling us the details...?"
"...Six years ago, you say? Anyway, back then I was still in elementary school, right? It's pretty unfair to force me to remember, don't you think?"
"That's right. Especially since we were so young, we've grown a lot in these six years. I was surprised. If I hadn't been introduced, I wouldn't even have remembered you."
"Really? I knew it was Battler right away. After he opened his mouth, I was sure."
"Uu-. Maria met him for the first time. Six years ago, didn't know him."
"That's right. Maria-sama was only three years old."
"When you say it like that, I'm the same. I only knew Maria when she was three years old, and since she's grown so big, I didn't recognize her."
After lunch, we had all gone out to the beach to walk around, talk and take it easy enjoying ourselves.
It had seemed that our parents were having a suspicious, complicated discussion, so we had decided to leave our seats.
...Just as you'd expect, since it had been six years, the conversation focused on me.
"Still, you've really gotten taller. I won't call myself short, but anyways, your height surprised me."
"That's right. I remember well what Battler-sama was like six years ago, but I was surprised even so."
"Don'tcha think? I couldn't even imagine that this was the same Battler as six years ago."
"I'm surprised at how everyone remembers so much about six years ago. My memory's all hazy."
"No surprise. You'll remember about us, it just might take a little time. Should I feel a little hurt?"
"Wait, this was six years ago, right? I'm the one who has it bad, being forced to remember...!"
"...Are you saying that you can't remember well because it was six years ago? I can remember it as clearly as if it happened yesterday..."
"That's because your memory is good, Shannon. You really do remember what kind of things Battler did and said, don't you?"
"Come to think of it, that's right. Shannon's memory is surprisingly good."
"Uu-. Maria's horrible at remembering. Remembers fun things well but horrible at boring things. Uu-."
We all laughed, saying that everyone was like that.
"Shannon. By the way, what was Battler like six years ago? Remember any interesting episodes?"
"Let's see. ......I'm sure that he said something like this when he left. 'I'll be back, (see you again).
Lines in English
Some lines in Umineko were written in katakana English, meaning the phonetic Japanese characters were used to sound out English. These lines will be enclosed parenthesis (See you again.)
Because they're written in katakana, they would be pronounced a little different than you might expect, e.g. Shii yuu ah-gain.
I'll come to greet you riding on a white horse.'"
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh, Stop iiiiiiiiit, so embarassiiiiiiiiiiing!!"
"Gyaaah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!! Sounds just like something you would say! I remember, I remember that you always used to be full of those stupid lines, Battler! Waaah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!!"
"Hah-hah-hah-ha. It really does sound like something Battler-kun would have said back then."
"Uu-. Embarrassing? Embarrassing?"
"......Yeah. Horribly embarrassing... Maria, I'm sure that when you are in middle school, you'll want to say embarrassing things like that... When that happens, write it on the back of some leaflet, and read it three times before you say it out loud. If you don't, you'll definitely regret it...
Still, everyone has to pass through that pitiful period... That's right, that's how you know your place, learn shame, and become an adult. That's right, this is a memory I want to disappear, the bittersweet kind of thing that everyone does in adolescence as they transition to becoming adults... Aaaaarrggh..."
Anyways, it was just something I'd let slip out without thinking, so I hadn't remembered exactly what I had said.
But when those words were recited to me, it was all so embarrassing.
Recently, I had finally come to understand this weakness, and had worked hard to refrain from such careless outbursts......
...It looked like I was just born with the habit of speaking without thinking, and there was nothing I could do about it.
"Shanno~n, do you remember any other embarrassing things?"
"Yeah, well... I remember various other things, but.........since it looks like the person in question wants to forget them, I think I will refrain from saying any more..."
"I don't remember anything about what I said off the top of my head. Please, don't make me remembe-r."
"...Uu-. Shannon's bullying Battler...? Uu-. You can't. You shouldn't bully people."
"Hahahahaha. She isn't really bullying him. Let's leave it at that, okay? But Shannon, you'll have tell me all about it sometime Battler isn't around. It sounds pretty interesting."
"Yes, certainly."
"N, no, you can't, Shannon-chaaaaaaaaaan...!!"
For a while, George-aniki laughed at me, as though warming up for when Shannon-chan would tell him about more of my embarrassing misspeaks.
George looked like he was flirting with Shannon, ......but he seemed somewhat open and frank.
He was always frank with his cousins, but he usually took on a reserved, gentlemanly attitude when he came in contact with the servants.
...When I thought about it, I got the feeling that it was a little familiar, which seemed slightly weird.
Maria started scribbling in the sand with a stick, and George-aniki and Shannon-chan joined in. This left me and Jessica off to the side, so I asked her secretively.
"......Hey, Jessica. Is George-aniki, ......umm, going out with Shannon-chan?"
"Ooooh? What the, how did you notice?! Battler, you're really good at seeing through people."
"Huh, ...whaaaaaaah?! I was just kidding, ... but they're actually going out?!"
"Shhh! Your voice is too loud! ...It looks like they're keeping it secret for now, alright? It'd be better if nobody, especially Eva oba-san, heard about it."
"I, I see... Love with a servant... ...Y, yeah but, since when? Wo-w, a lot can happen in six years...... But still, Aniki really is talented, and Shannon-chan is kind and brave, ......they might be a pretty good match."
Actually, six years ago, I remember taking notice of her just a little bit.
I see, she really fits well with George-aniki, nothing I can do about that. ...Goodbye, my fleeting first love of six years ago...
.........Which means that, the collection of my embarrassing lines that Shannon-chan had just held back on, ......probably had something to do with that... Aaaaaaaaaaarrghh, I can't take it...
"How long have they been going out?"
"That depends on what you call going out, but I think it's been at least a year. But if you count the time spent when they both had one-sided feelings, it would probably be several years."
Before I'd realized it, the two of them had separated themselves from the group, and were walking down the beach, talking about something.
......They looked calm, and rather than a light relationship between two lovers, it looked like a more serious relationship, as though they were already engaged.
"......Six years ago... That's a long time. What did these six years mean to me? I've just gotten taller. It was just a waste of time, six years I spent obstinately fighting with my dad."
"What about you, Battler? Have you gotten a girlfrie-nd?"
"Hmm, I wonder. There's a lot of girls that I play with. But there is no 'only one'. ......I'm just like a kid. I think it's more fun to be noisy with a large group of people than being alone with one person."
"Aah, that's so you, Battler. But take your relationships with your female friends seriously. A community of girls with the wrong impressions can be scary. They could have some secret feud behind your back, and hurt someone or make them cry without you noticing it, right?"
"That's so weird. I think I got the same bit of advice from one of the girls in my class just last week. ......What did she say? Why not have fun together with everyone? Did they really want to hook up with me that much?"
"...It's probably because you have never had a partner like that, Battler. Well, you might run into girls like that every once in a while. You just have to wait patiently!"
"What? It sounds almost like you've already found a partner like that. What about you? Have you gotten a boyfriend?"
"Huh?! M, me?! No, err, wahahahahaha......"
"Come on, that reaction's so easy to understand... From the looks of it, there's some boy who you're thinking about, but you haven't been able to confess that to them yet, something like that."
"N, no, umm, that's not, umm, uh! Sh, shut up, who cares about that...!"
"Even though you're the one who brought up this subject, why do you have to betray me like this? Women are creatures who always ask questions, and yet, they almost never answer them. What cruel creatures, seriously."
"......W, well, umm. ...I did try, ...to confess once. Well, umm, I struck out pretty badly."
"Did they say sorry?"
"No, umm, .........well, umm, it was really one-sided and I got confused, I guess... It was like they didn't view me that way."
"I can understand that. You talk just like a man. If you don't act a little more elegant, you won't be able to entice a man's heart, right?"
"I, i, is it really, ......is the way I speak, ...really that bad?"
"...Hmm? Well, umm, how you talk isn't everything, but to people like you, who usually talk badly, if you quickly try to start talking seriously, umm, that might start really get some guys' hearts thumping."
"R, really...? I see......, ......yeah..."
As Jessica thought about suddenly speaking meekly, she blushed faintly.
...I see, even though her confession didn't go well, it looks like she still hasn't given up.
But still, I understood.
After seeing how close George-aniki and Shannon-chan had gotten, I also kinda wanted to find a girlfriend.
Six years. ...Six years of puberty are pretty important, and they had gone by pretty fast.
As the typhoon approached, the clouds grew steadily grayer, and yet, even so, I had this really refreshing feeling.
...Maybe I'll start thinking about the opposite sex, more than just the size of their boobs...
"By the way, I know George-aniki is going out with a servant, Shannon-chan. ......Could it be that you are the same, Jessica?"
"Huh, ...eeeeeeh?!?! W, w, w, w, why do you think that...?!"
"Come to think of it, that young kid Kanon-kun, who greeted us in the rose garden... You really covered for him since he's bad at talking, right Jessica?"
"N, no, that's not... Wahahahaha, you're too suspicious...!!"
"Then tell me just this one thing. Right now, is the boy you're after somewhere within one kilometer?"
"W, well about that, umm, ...I, I, I wonder..."
Kanon-kun was the only boy on this island now who could possibly become her boyfriend.
So judging by her reaction, I was right on.
I didn't think of the Ushiromiya family as a noble family, ...but love with a servant...
I wouldn't have dreamed that two pairs of Romeo and Juliet would be right next to me...
Eva oba-san would probably become an obstacle to George-aniki and Shannon-chan's love.
If Eva oba-san learned that the partner of her only beloved son was Shannon-chan, she would probably scream at her, as though a servant was the same as a cat who had snuck in.
And a relationship between Jessica and Kanon-kun would probably be just as full of difficulties.
Natsuhi oba-san was also very strict about that kind of thing.
......Anyways, Jessica's husband would probably become the head of the Ushiromiya family in the future. If that person had once been a servant working for the family, ......well, things would get complicated.
"Well, who you love depends on the person. Isn't everything fine as long as it's someone who's fun to be with? Being with someone doesn't require any permission as long as the two people accept each other. If you worry about your parents or your family, then you lose. Don't forget that. You can't go out with someone with incomplete feelings."
"...Heh... I can't believe you're saying something so philosophical-sounding when you haven't even been in love."
"Don't treat love like a matter of profit and loss. It's about heart. That's all I want to say. Well then, <see you again, have a nice day>."
"......Hu, ...wah-hah-hah-hahahahahahahahaha!! George nii-san, Shanno~n, listen, liste-n! This guy, he's said another one of those lines!!"
"I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything!! Waaah, don't make fun of me, don't make fun of me!!"
"Maria heard it, Maria heard it! <See you aga~in>, <see you aga~in>!!"
For a while, we forgot that the wind was getting stronger, and played around on the beach.
......I had grown a lot these last six years, and being able to celebrate my youth and meet with all of my cousins was truly refreshing.
......It was a little late now, but I realized that I should have gotten back together with everyone a lot sooner, and returned to the Ushiromiya family...
"It sure is nice to have all the cousins together every once in a while..."
"Uu-! Maria also likes it when the cousins get together, it's fu-n!"
"That's right. We're already old enough. It's not like we couldn't meet each other when our parents aren't around. ...It might not be a bad idea to gather the cousins together and play every once in a while."
"That's a good plan. Maybe we should set up something like that the next time we get a chance."
"I agree. I'd like to be friendly with my cousins all the time."
"Hey, hey, if you stress the point that much, doesn't that make it sound like relatives normally don't get along well?"
"Hahahahahaha."
George-aniki and Jessica laughed, but it felt just a little strained.
...Did I say too much?
Judging by how our parents made quiet expressions and tired faces every once in a while during the boat ride and at the airport, maybe that was something I shouldn't have said.
"...That's right. Just like Jessica said. Let's always be friendly to each other."
"Uu-! Maria too! Everyone friendly!!"
"That's right. Yeah. We'll always be together. We'll always be friendly."
"Heheh. Man, we've been saying some pretty embarrassing stuff. I feel kinda awkward."
"But I think that is very important. It's very hard for people to always be together, to always be friendly unless they desire it."
"That's right. You really can't take everyone being friendly for granted."
"Uu-. A witch that I know said it. Happiness, if everyone doesn't believe in it, won't be granted."
"That's true. Maybe some magic exists in the power of belief. If we all believe in that, I'm sure it will bring us happiness."
"Alright. Now the next embarrassing thing. Let's all swear to believe together, alright? That we'll all always be friendly, that we'll always be happy."
As if we could become like our parents.
As if we'd ever search for each other's weaknesses, going after Grandfather's fortune...
"Alright! We'll always be friendly and happy. And let's all believe that."
As all of us cousins were trying nostalgically to have fun, dark clouds approached Rokkenjima.
......I wonder if the typhoon will pass and show us the refreshing sky before we leave this island.
Who cares about what our parents expect?
Who cares about the inheritance and the honor of our old family?
As youthful as we were, we were renewing our old friendship.
And we all believed together that we could all be happy.
Therefore..., I wanted this day to end, without anything weird occurring, in peace and happiness, calmly...
No, ...I didn't just want it to end.
......Please, let it end......!
"Let it eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennd? Kyah-hahah-hah-hah-hahahahahahahahahahaha!!"
"Damn iiiiiiiit!! Don't show up, don't appear!! Damndamndaaamn!!"
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I've finally made preparations for a new game. Come, let us begin this tale of tragedy! Come to me, winds, rain, typhoon! Cut this island off from the real world!! Throw Rokkenjima into another world, into the spirit world, into a world of fantasy!"
And so, the tale repeated for the third time.
However, to an Endless Witch, what did it matter whether it was the first, second, or third time?
It probably didn't matter at all.
After all, this was a tale of fantasy, endlessly repeating until the match was settled. Would Battler surrender first, or would the witch?
Then the sky grew dark and cloudy, the rain and wind were summoned together and became a typhoon...
And Maria could be seen in the rose garden, paying no mind to the rain that had started falling, going around in circles, searching for that single rose which should have been marked......
".........Not here... Not here...... We marked it, ......Maria's rose isn't here.........uu-. ............Uu-!!"
Maria definitely remembered it.
That rose had been in the flower bed right here. And yet, it wasn't anymore.
She didn't know what to do with her irritation at not being able to find something which should have been there, and, moaning bitterly, she couldn't help but keep going back and forth in circles around the same spot.
She was acting almost as though she would be able to see it if she looked at a different angle, but even though she did that, there was no way to find something that wasn't there...
The wind grew increasingly stronger, and the rain turned into cold, large drops.
There was no way Maria could ignore this.
However, if she couldn't find her rose here, it would surely disappear forever.
...Maria believed that.
That feeling spurred her on to keep searching for a rose that she shouldn't be able to find...
Just then, the cold drops of rain that were tormenting Maria were suddenly blocked.
"...............Uu-?"
Maria raised her head.
...When she did, she saw that an umbrella was opened there, protecting her from the rain...
And the one holding out that umbrella was, .........the witch she admired, Beatrice.
"Beatrice...!!"
"What are you doing so frantically in the middle of all this rain? You could catch a cold like this. Even witches have to care for their own health."
"Maria, ...can't find..., her rose... ......uu-. No matter how many times she searches, ......even though it should have been here, ...can't find it..."
Maria told Beatrice about how there had been a slightly unhealthy, pitiful rose, and that she was sure they had marked it.
"Hoho. So you can't find it. .........If you are a witch's apprentice, you should use magic to search for the rose. I believe that searching with just your eyes won't be nearly enough."
"......Uu-. ......Can't find it. ...Maria's done her best, and tried to search with magic, but can't find it..."
"I think that practicing your magic is a very good thing, but it might be a little too much for you with all of this wind and rain. ......Allow me to lend you some special power. Being concerned for their disciples is also one of the duties of a teacher."
"Th, ...thank you-. Beatrice!!"
Maria's face, which had been full of sadness until just now, split open into a grin.
Maria knew.
She knew that there was nothing Beatrice's magic couldn't do.
So she was sure that Beatrice would be able to find the rose easily, even though Maria couldn't...
Beatrice closed her eyes lightly, acting as though she was listening for something in all this wind and rain. Then she heard it, opened her eyes, and spoke.
"............Hmm. All things in this world are transitory. Too bad, Maria. ...It seems that your rose couldn't withstand all of this wind and rain."
"Uu-...... Then, Maria's rose.........?"
"It was uprooted by the wind, and is no longer of this world."
"...............Uu-......"
What Beatrice had said was quite appropriate.
...There was nothing odd about the flower being broken off at the stem in this strong wind.
...However, Maria couldn't accept this, and bitterly gave a low-pitched moan...
"............No."
"Hoh?"
"......No no no! Maria's rose!! Maria's rose won't come back, no! Maria will bring it back to life with her magic. Beatrice, teach me how to revive a rose with magic...!!"
"Ha! It's much too early for an apprentice like you to learn the hidden art of Endless Magic. Know your place."
"...............Uuuuuu."
Maria wiped the tears from her eyes, full of regret.
Beatrice shrugged her shoulders and laughed at the pity that Maria's expression invited.
"Very well. I will lend you power for the hidden art that can revive a rose."
"Really?!"
"Hmm. ......Well then, concentrate the power of your heart. Close your eyes, forget the rain, forget the wind, search for the soul of the wandering rose with the eyes of your heart."
"......Uu-."
Maria closed her eyes.
Then, she repeated Beatrice's song-like words...
"Come, try to remember. Rose, what form did you have?"
"...Come, try to remember. Rose, what form did you have...?"
"Don't look. Don't listen. And believe. ......Release the power of your soul from the cage of flesh that imprisons it. ............That's it. ......Good..."
Around Maria, who was concentrating her power, her eyes tightly shut, small golden butterflies began to dance. ......Was this the manifestation of the magical power Maria held?
"Lost soul of the rose. Gather into one, and remember your form. ......Come, gather, remember..."
The glitter of the gold butterflies began to strengthen, and their numbers increased. Then, Beatrice raised a finger up to the skies, and they began to gather at the tip of that finger...
This was the miracle of the golden magic...
And the gold butterflies began to condense into a single dazzling grain of gold. ......It was a single seed, glittering gold.
It rode on the tip of Beatrice's finger, budded into a golden sprout, and opened into a golden leaf.
It then slowly fell from that fingertip, sank into the mud of the flower bed, and began to grow steadily...
...Maria, who admired magic and the witch, really wanted to see this fantastical sight.
However, as an apprentice, Maria was still not qualified to see it.
...No, she was probably afraid that, if she opened her eyes to look, the power that she had concentrated in her heart would be interrupted, and the magic would be lost.
Therefore, Beatrice, as the only witch permitted to lay eyes on the golden miracle, was the master of these many miracles...
Then, the fully grown rose bloomed, creating one golden flower.
And when Beatrice poked it with her finger in just the right way, the gold-colored sparkle scattered, just as if a golden soap bubble had popped, and what remained was a single beautiful rose.
"...Hmm. It looks like you've remembered a splendid rose. ......However, if we just leave it mixed in with these other roses, you won't be able to tell it apart. Shall I perform one last service?"
Beatrice, for the sake of her cute apprentice witch who was moaning even more now in concentration, decided to use one more bit of magic.
When she snapped her fingers, a single gold butterfly appeared, fluttered around, and landed on the flower that had just been revived.
Then it suddenly burst open and disappeared, becoming golden lace and marking the rose...
"That is sufficient. ......Maria. You may open your eyes now."
".........Uu-? Where's the rose? Not here. Not here."
"Not over there, over here. ...Look. I've marked it with golden lace."
"Wah..., you did...!! Awesome awesome awesome awesome!! Thank you Beato, thank you Beato!! Maria wants to become a witch quickly, a Great Witch like Beato!!"
"And you can. Long ago, I too wished for that innocently, just as you do, and I have attained that level."
Maria was ecstatic over the revived rose, clapping her hands and jumping around in joy.
...Watching that, Beatrice also smiled, looking fairly pleased.
Now, if I tried, I could break and repair any soul, not just that of a rose, and kill and revive as I pleased.
So, the barrier created by the storm had closed Rokkenjima off from the real world.
Now was the time for Golden Witch Beatrice to descend, as an Endless Witch.
Beatrice pulled from her pocket an envelope with the family crest, the One-winged Eagle, and gave it to Maria.
Maria frolicked around at being selected to be the witch's messenger.
"So, Kinzo. I've come to join in on your fun once again... My preparations are already complete. What about you? Have you prepared enough coins to bet in tonight's game...?"
"Of course. I'm fully prepared, Beatrice...!! I've prepared plenty of pieces. I am ready both physically and mentally! So, let us make the ante. All that you have given should be returned to you in the end. Come, take it!!"
After Kinzo flung the window of his study wide open, he took off the valuable golden ring which had been on his finger, and threw it into the darkness of the raging wind and rain...
That ring was struck by lightning, and after twinkling gold for an instant, disappeared.
Kinzo watched it go, grinning broadly and fearlessly.
"I don't feel like losing. You are mine. Forever!!"
The ring that Kinzo had thrown became a single gold butterfly, and fluttered around in the wind and rain.
It headed for the rose garden, almost as though it was being guided there.
It then found the figure of the Golden Witch, and fluttered down......
When it came down right in front of Beatrice, it burst open, and returned to its original form of a ring, flying through the air.
The way it was going, you'd have thought that it would fall into a puddle of water, but it stopped suddenly in midair.
...Almost as if some transparent person had caught it.
Somehow, this seemed unexpected even to Beatrice.
However, she realized what, ...who it was, and grinned broadly at it.
As she did, the shadow of the person who had caught the ring began to fuzzily appear...
It was the figure of a young man wearing a butler's uniform embroidered with the One-winged Eagle crest...
There was no man like this among the servants who served the Ushiromiya family. Even so, Beatrice laughed as though it was someone she remembered fondly.
"Ronove, is it. ......It's been quite some time. It seems that you have remembered me. You were always a man who was serious about loyalty."
"It has been a very long time since you last corresponded... There hasn't been a single day that I, Ronove, have forgotten that I serve you, Milady. I was more fearful that Milady had forgotten about me. In any event, Milady is quite forgetful."
"*cackle*cackle*...! I see, yes, I do forget easily. I couldn't even remember your sarcasm until I heard it again."
"Milady, here."
With an exaggerated yet elegant gesture, he bowed respectfully, and held out to Beatrice the head's ring that he had just caught.
"It is the Ushiromiya family head's ring, returned to you from Ushiromiya Kinzo. It is now once again in the possession of its Master."
"Hmm. A proclamation from Kinzo to start the game. Of course I'll receive it."
"So, how shall we play tonight? Shall I prepare the roulette immediately? Or shall I prepare some black tea first?"
"I can't decide which, but for now, I need you to greet someone. I'm sure that guy has his mouth hanging open and can't shut it. Right, Battler?"
"Greetings. Allow me to introduce myself. I am called Ronove, and I serve at the side of Milady Beatrice. It is truly a pleasure to meet you."
"See? His mouth's hanging open and he can't shut it, right? *cackle*cackle*!"
"Isn't that obvious, another incomprehensible guy's just appeared!! Back when I was grumbling that goat-headed people would start doing the Bon dance, goat-heads started showing up in swarms, and since then, not only have those seven ass nee-sans appeared, but now even a butler has shown up!! It doesn't make sense, cut it out!!"
"By the way, Battler. Did you notice? Did you realize that meeting him is a true 'Devil's Proof'?"
"Huh, Devil's Proof, you say...?! What do you mean...?"
"He may not look like it, but this guy's name is amongst the 72, and he's a genuine demon. In other words, I've brought a demon right in front of you, which truly proves that they exist. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!! Ronove holds a noble rank in hell, the 27th highest ranked great demon. He's a pretty useful man. I summoned him at high cost and made him serve me."
"It is an honor to be introduced to you. While my name is amongst those of the nobles of hell, I now serve as the head furniture of Beatrice-sama, the Great Witch with the standing of a vulgar human, from whom even demons can escape barefooted."
"*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*. He's a very useful man, but he is impudent with his words. It's slightly frustrating that he sometimes forgets to respect his Master."
"There is nothing in my contract regarding the way in which I must speak. Would you like to change that contract?"
"It doesn't bore me, so it's fine. *cackle*cackle*!"
Beatrice turned her back to him, cackling.
After bowing once to her back, Ronove turned back to Battler and stuck out his right hand, showing off an innocent smile. Normally, this would mean that he was asking for a handshake.
"......Wh, ...what is this supposed to be?"
"I am also one who has been subjected to Milady's whims. In that sense, I am sure that we could become good friends. This is a handshake of friendship. ......Of course, it doesn't mean that you will be entered into a demon's contract, so rest assured."
"Sorry, but I'm right in the middle of a big fight with your master. I only shake hands with an enemy after we've beaten each other up in a rainy schoolyard and are all worn out, like one of those situations in adolescent dramas. Remember that."
"I see. To shake hands with you, Battler-sama, I must create a fitting atmosphere in a suitable location, and exchange sweet words and physical language with you that rings true to your heart. When the opportunity arrives, I will prepare that location.
You know, I also lo-ve those kinds of situations? Pu ku ku ku...!"
As Ronove laughed tauntingly, he whispered to Battler, bringing his face so close that their noses were almost touching.
Battler, his face turning red after getting so close to another of the same sex, pushed him away.
"Y, you're a creepy bastard... I see, just right for Beato's butler..."
"It is an honor to receive such words of praise. I'm very confident in my tea brewing abilities, so please look forward to tea time. Baking cookies is one of my hobbies, so please feel free to request teacakes and such."
"Just what I would expect from a pair of the same gender. You've started to get along well very quickly. I'm jealous."
"My, my. I apologize for making you jealous, Milady. I will not stealthily snatch your guest away from you.
Well then, I will leave for now to retake my post as head of the furniture and to greet the rest of the furniture. Please forgive my short absence."
"Hmm. Only the common goats and the seven sisters used for the ceremony have manifested themselves. You will be able to finish up greeting them with ease."
"Oh? Those lively seven sisters are here? I wonder whether those naughty girls have grown a little more graceful?"
"......Ihihi. If that's graceful, I'd have to doubt the definition of graceful."
"Is that so? It seems that those seven sisters are still playing around. Judging by your expression, it seems that they are just as naughty as they were before. Even though I am always telling them to act more fitting as a group of those who serve Beatrice-sama. What troublesome kids..."
"If that's your problem, don't worry. They actually act perfectly fitting for their master..."s
"*cackle*cackle*cackle*! Even you have begun to say it! However, a conversation means that you accept your partner. Now that you have started to respond to my idle chatting, that is proof that you are gradually starting to accept my existence."
"Heh. That's because, even if the sun starts rising from the west, I will definitely, definitely definitely, never accept that you're a witch. You might want to consider a slightly more positive approach, like crying and kissing my shoes."
Even if Battler was bluffing, he still spoke forcefully, a fearless expression on his face.
The witch and her butler snickered together, realizing that their guest had regained more than enough of his willpower to attend to a new game, and that preparations were complete...
After Ronove exchanged a few words with Beatrice, he bowed silently to Battler, scattered into several gold butterflies, and disappeared.
"*cackle*cackle*. It is truly pleasing when everything gets so lively. ......How boring were days when I was trapped alone on this island, unable to regain my power and without anyone to talk to..."
"......I get how that unpleasant guy is really fitting as your butler. ...But tell me. Why has that butler only appeared now? You said something about how only the goats and the nee-chans of the seven stakes had manifested themselves. What did that mean...?"
"Hmm. You still resist, but I am a fully-fledged witch. I am in contact with several nonhuman entities in the spirit world."
"I'm sure. No worthy people would relate with you. First some goat monsters, then those ass nee-chans, and this time a demon butler's showed up. ......I hate to think about it, but the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if even more weird people showed up..."
"Hah-hah-hah-ha! Among the furniture that work at my great golden mansion, how many demons do you think want to come over and play? They will keep coming. Many of them will appear.
When the door to the Golden Land is opened, I will call back all of my furniture, and build my new castle here on Rokkenjima. Then I plan to invite all of my old friends, and we will drink and dance together for three days and three nights.
......Of course, I also plan to invite Kinzo's family, you see? You too, if you wish. *cackle*cackle*...!"
"......So is this what you mean? That, since you lost your power for a long time, you couldn't summon them? ...And then, since your magic power gradually increased, you became able to summon more and more monsters, is that what you're trying to say?"
"It is as you say. You barely stumbled at the very end, but your heart is already wavering, and you are unable to deny that I am a witch. That wavering in your heart has slightly restored my power as a witch."
"So are you saying that creepy butler appeared, ......because I started to surrender?"
"That's right. Bit by bit, you are surrendering to me...! Didn't you submit to me in the last game so much that you received all of that humiliation? Wasn't it great when you had to sacrifice your back for my feet? *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!!"
"...D, ......damnit..........I thought that, as long as I didn't accept you, I'd be able to keep on going. ...But apparently I was mistaken somehow."
"That's right. The closer you get to surrendering, the more the game will swing in my favor. Isn't chess the same? In the process of cornering each other's kings, we trade several pieces. Of course, I still haven't cornered your king."
"......And furthermore, you're giving it everything you've got just to help your king escape, and have lost several pieces to me, as well as a large advantage. It is only natural that further advances will lean in my favor."
"..................Damn........."
From now on, you will probably be frantic as you try to avoid my checkmate. ...However, as you do, I will steal your pieces from you one by one. In the end, you'll have lost everything but your king, and you won't be able to escape no matter how much you try. Then you will receive a true checkmate."
"......You were talking big last time, weren't you? Something about, since you would never accept me, that you would torment me with eternal torture. Only witches who have reached the endless level can talk about eternity. You haven't been capable of that since the very beginning. *cackle*cackle*cackle*, hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!!"
"As for the cache of the gold, Kinzo-sama has already edicted it in the epitaph beneath my portrait. Those who are able to read the epitaph shall be equal before me. If you manage to find the gold, I will most certainly give everything back to you.
With that, please enjoy to the fullest your battle of wits with Kinzo-sama. I pray from the bottom of my heart that tonight turns out to be an intellectual, and yet elegant, night. ――Beatrice the Golden."
When Maria finished reading the letter that Beatrice had handed her, everyone was at a loss for words for a while.
And then, they all broke the silence at once...
"R, ridiculous. What a worthless, vicious prank!"
"Seriously. There is no way that Father gave up the head's ring. Beatrice? Ha! What a transparent prank, hoping to confuse us just by bringing up that name."
"Hey hey, who was it that filled this dessert up with a little too much punch? I want to applaud and admire you, so come clean, alright? Rosa?"
"O, of course not...! I wouldn't pull a prank assuming Father's name!"
"Then Aneki?! Aniki?!"
"Me?! Are you an idiot?! It was Nii-san, right?! He could plan something this vulgar!!"
"Are you trying to mock me?!! I'm the one who wants to question you! Who is behind this ill-natured prank?!"
Krauss beat the table and stared at everyone.
...Since that included the children too, he scared most of them...
"...A letter from a mysterious person who claims to have been given full rights to Father's assets. And if you think about how this family conference is all about discussing that, ......I think it's too hasty to call this just a prank."
"I don't understand. It might really be one of Father's vulgar pranks... He might've planned this to shock us a lil', since we've been discussin' the distribution of his inheritance without him..."
"If Father was the one who planned this, ......then we can't take what Maria-chan just read aloud as a joke, right...?"
"......That's right. If you interpret the contents literally, ...then this is a test from Father. The epitaph of the witch has been displayed in the hall for quite some time now, so that any one of us could solve it. There was plenty of notice. That means he was saying that the first person to solve it would be handed the inheritance along with all of his wealth, right...?"
......See? My magic granted your wish......
"It's nothing like that!! It is an unshakable fact that my husband will become the next head of the Ushiromiya family!!"
"Doesn't this letter shake that!? This letter is a message from the person who was given full rights to all of Father's wealth! Nii-san's right to become the head has returned to a blank slate. The person who solves the riddle, ......the person who finds Beatrice's gold will become the next head of the Ushiromiya family!!"
"Ridiculous...! Do you think we can trust the meaningless words in that letter? That the seal was the real thing? There's no way we could trust that!!"
"Then let's try to go and ask Father directly! We aren't at the level where you can get away with saying that his mood's bad or that he's feeling bad, right?! The sealed wax clearly shows that it was from Father's representative! If you doubt that, then show some proof, Nii-san. Show that this letter does not contain Father's will!!"
"V, very well. It is just as you say. It no longer matters whether Father's in a good mood or not... Let us go up and ask him directly."
"Let's do it. We'll ask Father directly. Father is Father, why would he act in such a roundabout way? Well, that is a little like Father!"
"I, I wonder if we should continue this discussion assuming that it is Father's letter...?"
"Stupid Rosa!! Isn't it obviously Father's letter?! That letter was Father's!! Isn't it obvious that he's giving the four of us an even chance to become the next head?!! Die, you brainless idiot!!"
Rosa really is dumb. Why doesn't she just give up and die...?
"I, I'm sorry...! Th, th, that's right..., I'm sorry..."
In the beginning, the adults had all doubted the credibility of the letter, but after just now realizing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the three siblings other than Krauss in the struggle for the inheritance, Eva had changed her position, and had claimed that the letter was authentic.
Rudolf and Rosa also realized that, and agreed.
"Seriously!! How could adults like you take such a worthless prank this seriously...! Even though I am not Father, I understand his shock!!"
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa! Natsuhi-san, won't everythin' be fine if we just ask Father...?! Won't everything be fine if Father simply mentions that he doesn't know about the letter?"
"Nii-san. Take responsibility, and just get him to say that he doesn't know about the letter. This isn't a time to get scared just because he's in a bad mood, right?!"
He's still scared of Father at his age, that idiot. Why doesn't he just give up and die...?
"Ah, aah! You really are trying to paint things as black and white. He's probably in the middle of eating in his study now. He isn't going to put down his chopsticks for a while to talk to us...!"
"It's decided. Let's go! Kyrie, wait here for a while. We'll go to check whether it's true or not and come back quickly."
"......Thank you. I will wait patiently for Gohda-san to bring the dessert."
The four siblings, Natsuhi, and Hideyoshi all stood from their seats forcefully and flew out into the hallway with a clatter.
Afterwards, only the children, stunned completely speechless, Nanjo, who looked uncomfortable, and Kyrie, who just shrugged, were left.
In the middle of all of this was Maria, who looked a little scared at the adults' sudden change.
...However, judging from her appearance, she didn't look like she realized the full meaning of the contents of what she had just read.
"...What in the world, ......was that all about...? I don't get it..."
"......They're all bastards. Do they really want the inheritance that much...?!"
"............Everyone, this is our parents' problem. It has nothing to do with us. So you mustn't worry about it."
"Even if you say that......they were so obvious..."
"I misjudged them...! Showing off their greed...!"
"Uu-! Everyone has to believe together that we'll be happy! Uu-uu-!"
"...That's right. We all did promise. Come on, Battler-kun, Jessica-chan, you too..."
"............Haah."
"......I feel horrible..."
We couldn't accept it at all, but we laid down our arms for the time being.
...We had known vaguely how filthy the family conference was going to be this time. ...However, after that six-year blank, I couldn't help being shocked...
When he saw that the children were completely dejected, Doctor Nanjo cleared his throat uncomfortably.
"...It's an adult discussion. It has nothing to do with all of you young people. Let us forget about it."
"I would if I could...!"
"I know that it's harsh. But forget it for now. ...All of your parents are fighting frantically to make your futures just a little brighter. Please, don't look at your injured parents with those cold eyes when they come back."
"..................No matter how much you ask us, Kyrie-san, ......it's hard."
"If you explain it that way, ......that's not something us kids can do......"
"Uu-! Everyone happy-!! Can't get da-rk!! Belie-ve! If everyone doesn't believe we can be happy, that happiness will get away! Everyone has to believe! Uu-uu-uu-!!"
"......That sounds good. I'll believe too. That we can be happy."
"Uu-! Kyrie oba-san, thank you!! Battler and Jessica also believe! Beatrice is also always saying that the magic won't have any power if you don't believe. Uu-!"
Kyrie-san rose from her seat quietly, went over to Maria, and crouched down so that their eyes met.
"......Uu-. Kyrie oba-san believed. Now, Battler and Jessica have to believe."
"Those two really are strong. They'll feel better soon and do that."
"Yes."
"More importantly, ............I want you to tell me."
When Kyrie-san said that, Jessica, George-aniki, Doctor Nanjo and I all listened closely.
...It looked like our parents were so concerned with the inheritance problem that Grandfather filled their minds, but we wanted to ask Maria about something simpler.
"Uu-? What?"
"Who was the person that gave Maria-chan that letter...?"
"Beatrice!!"
"The witch drawn in that portrait...?"
"Uu-! She gave me this letter and an umbrella! And she used magic to fix Maria's rose that was broken! Beatrice is an awesome witch who can do anything!!"
"............Would you mind telling us the details...?"