prof | Let's Play Umineko Chiru, Episode 6 Scene 25: The Critical Word

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Allow me to confirm the location of all characters present. Repeat it!

Of course, I'm not obligated to respond, remember?

If you don't, I'll just say that someone sneaked out while I wasn't looking, and that this person was responsible for the bizarre crimes that are sure to follow. If you want to show me an impossible murder, you should first confirm their locations!

...Sure, why not. I'll listen, at least. Let me hear it.

From now on, let's refer to the room next to the cousins' room as 'the next room over'. Does that work for you?

That's easy to remember. Got it. And?

When I check the characters' locations as I am about to, I am not concerned with whether they are alive or dead. Think of it as the location of their body. And of course, I'm referring to the current point in time. Here we go.

...

Don't tell me you're already going to refuse!

Don't worry. I acknowledge it.

Good, I'll continue. 'Hideyoshi, George, Shannon, Kumasawa and Nanjo are in the next room over!'

Acknowledged.

Good, I'll continue. 'Everyone else is in the cousins' room!'

...I refuse. Acknowledging that would mean that Kinzo's corpse would also have to be in the cousins' room.

Ah, pardon me. It has already been shown that Kinzo no longer exists, so please remove him from the word 'everyone'.

Why are you using the word 'everyone' for the cousins' room alone? Why are you so vague, when you could just mention the names of Krauss and the other five individually?

It'd just be too much of a pain to read out all of their names. Or is there something wrong? Does the word 'everyone' create a problem with some trick of yours?

Excluding Kinzo and me, there are 17 people on this island. Six were killed and lying in the mansion, and five are in the next room over. The remaining six are in the cousins' room. I don't think my reasoning is mistaken there. Since there are 17 people on the island, if we subtract six, then five, then six again, we're left with zero humans whose location has not been checked... but that sort of idea would be extremely dangerous. I'm pretty sure that this sort of trick involving names and numbers of people caused you a lot of trouble with Nanjo's murder in the third game.

Good point. That trick worked because the 18 names given didn't match up with the 18 people who actually existed, leaving room to add in an unknown person.

Exactly. I can't feel secure just by checking their locations by name. That's why I used the word 'everyone'. That word can prevent you from using a new trick that I haven't even thought of.

...I see. Pretty crafty of you.

For example, let's say that an unknown assassin X is hiding on this island. Let's call him Purupurupiko Man.

I see. Even if you list everyone's names and check their locations, this Purupurupiko Man guy would fall outside the net.

Precisely. Even hearing 'there are only 17 people on this island, and here are the locations of 17 people' is insufficient. There's already a precedent for this.

The word 'everyone' is insignificant. Make sure you think veeery carefully first.

If BATTLER doesn't repeat that red now, he'll never hear the end of it. It's a requirement for the game to continue at all.

...Deflection, right?

You mean the chess term?

Yes. It's a technique of putting pressure on an enemy piece, forcing it to move and making them weaken their own position.

I'm threatening you with the broad and powerful piece called 'everyone', pressuring you to move. With this, Battler will be able to perfectly guarantee the alibis for all of the survivors, and it'll probably make it possible for him to trap me in the later impossible crimes. What are you afraid of? Shouldn't this be a powerful move for you?

But it's a move you're pressuring me to make. You're trying to make me weaken my own position in some way.

No matter how good a move seems, it is a bad move when it is what the opponent wants... however, it will be hard to avoid the word 'everyone' here...

So... the red truth is a trump card. Now I'm painfully aware of how Beato felt.

Good! Thank you very much, Battler, beautifully done. Oh, I'm in trouble. If a letter from a witch comes in this situation, just who could I suspect?

That should be enough of confirming everyone's position. Shall we continue the game?

Yes, we shall. Dlanoooooooooor!

BGM: Kuina

Yes, UNDERSTOOD. Gertrude. Cornelia. Use two rooms' worth of the three sets of seals we were given!

Let it be known that--

--we understand!

Seal the cousins' room and the next room over. This means that everyone other than the victims has been sealed. No matter what happens after this, the humans within the seals won't be a problem!

...Senior Aide, allow me to ask a question.

What is it?

The players on the human side are to interpret the questions proposed by the witch as being the work of humans.

You are not mistaken.

We still don't know what sort of crime will occur in the future. Would it not be more advantageous to the humans if there are more people whose locations are not specified?

Know that it is not yet the time for the Lady or the Commander to reveal their thoughts.

I apologize for my idle chatter...

Witches create closed rooms, humans destroy them. That's been the flow of the game until now.

It isn't necessarily an attack. In chess and Shogi, strengthening the guard around your king is a valid strategy.

In other words, the seals around those two rooms aren't an attack, but a guard?

That seems likely. Thanks to that, it's hard to lay a hand on the survivors. It'll be tough to carry out the second twilight.

Ah... I see. The witch side has an advantage when more riddles are presented...

Yeah. After all, if even one riddle goes unsolved, the witch wins. Each new closed room we present increases our advantage.

I see, so strengthening your guard to make it hard for a crime to occur is one way for the human side to fight...

However, that's a simple move. That 'great detective' Furudo Erika wouldn't have looked so confident after playing a move like that. I'm sure... that this is an attack, not a move made for defense.

Next is our move... what shall we do?

For the moment, she has, apparently, spent her turn on strengthening her guard to stop the second twilight, instead of reasoning about the first twilight. If they push, pull back; if they pull back, push. In that case, it's time for us to attack.

But how should we attack? The guest house is well guarded.

Yes, it appears as though the area around the guest house is now under Erika's control. However, there are certain pieces, like bishops and knights, whose specialty is cutting behind enemy lines.

X-ray. That's also a chess term.

Yes, it's a high level technique. A square seems to be under an enemy's control, but you've actually spotted that your own pieces have enough influence, so you attack.

Erika. If you really believe that you can stop my next attack just by sealing up all the survivors... that's a naive idea.

You would take a stroll in the middle of the night to an eerie mansion where a killer might be HIDING? You must be INSANE.

I am not. It took so long to get this time to myself, didn't it? I feel like it's free time after a swimming lesson.

Erika unsets the chain, unlocks the door, and opens it.

As she does, she looks down.

Wedged under the welcome mat. A message to the detective, who the witch knew would come out this way.

While it may just be announcing another attack, the letter itself is an attack as well.

Who placed the letter here for her?

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