Let's Play Umineko, Episode 1 Scene 7: The Witch

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Ushiromiya Rosa

Kinzo's fourth child. She is by far the youngest of the four siblings. It seems that this gives her a weaker position at the family conference.

She manages a design company, but she has yet to start taking it seriously, and its financial situation is far from favorable.

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October 4th, 1986, 3:00 PM



The topic of the day is still going strong! Did anybody think Maria wouldn't be the resident epitaph expert?

Battler is the only one here who hasn't heard the epitaph before, so he's already trying to solve it.



My beloved hometown, the sweetfish river running through it.
You who seek the Golden Land, follow its path downstream and seek the key.

There is a river near Odawara called Hayakawa, so this seems like a fair starting point.

If you follow the river downstream you will find a village.

down Hayakawa is the old site of a prosperous city, home to Odawara castle.



In the village, look for the shore the two will tell you of.

There's no shore at the castle, but there's a place near it called Sogakishi - 'kishi' uses the character for shore.

Of course, so far this is nothing Jessica and George hadn't put together two years ago.



There sleeps the key to the Golden Land.

That's where things get tough. Sogakishi is a big place, but the riddle doesn't give any further hints as to where the key is.

This is about when George and Jessica gave up.



Shannon doesn't have much intel here. Kinzo talks about the Great Kanto Earthquake as if it doesn't involve him, so that's our only clue as to where he grew up.

Odawara might not even be the right starting point!



Battler refuses to think in straight lines. Let's hear what he has to say!



After the opening lines, the epitaph quickly gets gruesome. Between the six at the first twilight and the five from twilights four through eight, eleven people must be sacrificed.



Everyone being dead seems like it would make it hard or anyone to reach the Golden Land. However...



The treasures granted by the revived witch seem to include their resurrection. Convenient!

By a favorable interpretation, a lot of shit will happen, but everything will be put right in the end. This story is getting dubious fast.



Of course, Maria gets mad as soon as the other cousins start making fun of the witch story.

To Maria, a witch is a magical dream that gives richness to a dull everyday life. She can't bear to see that dream insulted.



The one that comes to the rescue is Shannon. Apparently, there is a ghost story among the servants!



Kinzo only rules the mansion during the day. During the night, it's Beatrice's domain.

Sometimes, after the servants did the rounds, they would find some windows and doors had opened themselves, despite being locked. Things left lying around would mysteriously disappear, only to reappear later.



As far as Battler's concerned, it's a pretty weak story. You hear this kind of story everywhere.

Walking around a dark mansion at night would be unsettling. Normal occurrences would naturally be attributed to witches.



According to Shannon, there is nothing to fear from Beatrice so long as you respect her.

In other words, Battler is screwed.



Will Battler and Jessica be forgiven for their crimes? Nobody knows. The will of Beatrice the Maybe Fake Witch is fickle.

They will need defenses.



Maria's got them covered! She produces a pair of cheap-looking amulets.

Apparently the scorpion has the power to block magic. Shannon can confirm this claim from the other servants' superstitions.



I guess when it comes to magic items, the quality of construction is secondary to the feelings that went into it. And that, at least, Maria's got in spades.

Battler and Jessica thank Maria gravely for her mighty gift.



The grave offense from before has been reversed. Maria's mood is improving fast, thanks mostly to Shannon's quick thinking and George being awesome with kids.



You know, now that you mention it, the sky has been getting darker and darker.

Also, you know, all those typhoon warnings.



They just killed a lot of time, anyway. Dinner will be coming around pretty soon.



Well, Shannon's back to work. The rest of us will return to the guest house and watch TV until dinner's ready.



The approaching storm is probably going to wreck the flowers something fierce. We'd best stop and appreciate it while we still can.

But hey, if the storm had come a day earlier, they wouldn't have gotten a chance to show off their splendor at all.



Uh oh. Remember that rose Maria marked as her own earlier? It's gotta be out here somewhere, and it's in danger!



However, the rose seems to be gone. None of us can find it, despite remembering clearly where it was.



George suggests the cousins spread out, but Maria insists. The rose was here.

The rose is here.



Just when it seems that we'll be trapped here with Maria for a while yet, in the increasingly intense winds, Rosa shows up!



Battler and George quickly fill her in on the reason behind Maria's tantrum.



Of course, Rosa can't find it either. Maria's temper peaks, and Rosa's losing hers as well.



BGM: Fortitude



And with that, Maria's temperament gets even worse.



Maria's voice gets louder and louder. Rosa hits her again and again.

Battler tries to intervene, but can't.



This isn't their business.



Something snaps inside Rosa, and she knocks the screaming Maria to the ground.



Battler tries to stop her, but it's no use.

According to George, the fact that Maria still talks like she does, despite being halfway through elementary school, is becoming a serious problem in Rosa's eyes.



George takes charge. They're leaving, and going to the guest house. And when Maria returns, they'll greet her as if nothing happened.



They call out to Maria that they're going to the guest house, but Maria doesn't hear them.



Fed up with her daughter's behavior, Rosa leaves as well.

Maria is left alone to seek her missing rose.



Rosa left because she knew.

She knew that if she stayed there, she would keep on hurting her daughter.



Elsewhere, an old man is drawn by the sound of the encroaching rain.



The time has come.



The die must be cast. Then, the game can begin.



Kinzo returns the inheritance to Beatrice. What comes next is beyond his control.

In the distance, the sound of thunder.




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