Let's Play Umineko Chiru, Episode 7 Scene 10: The Other Self

[prof]

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Did you say something, Jessica?
O-Of course not! I've already, uh, learned my lesson, okay?!
Those are some sharp ears. I think I finally get this Lion person.
Yeah, yeah, yeah! Those strangely keen instincts have always been there! And on top of that, adults always seem to love our successor! I'm always compared against this kid, at home and at school!
Come to think of it, Lion was the student council president for both middle school and high school. The head of the badminton team, too.
So everywhere you go, you get compared to Lion, and it doesn't match up too well for you.
I said it as soon as I got into middle school. Our successor was already the vice-president of the student council. I said 'if you're planning to become council president next year, that'll just put more pressure on me, so stop it!' But the next year rolls around, and here comes the announcement of candidacy followed by a landslide election! Same thing happened in high school! I said 'please, just give it a rest this time' when our successor was already the vice-president! And again, the successor beomes the council president and a senior at the same time! Dad was oh so proud! Mom kept saying 'now you make sure you do your best as the little sister', over and over and over again! Nngyaaaaaaaaaaahhh!
But even so, you were still proud to be Lion's little sister, weren't you?
I-It's not like I ever thought of it that way! Nope, never!
It can be tough to be compared against perfection. Still, other people are other people and you are you. There's no need to feel dwarfed. You should live the way you want to with all you've got.
Of course, but mom and the others are always going on about how I need to follow in Ushiromiya Lion's footsteps as the younger sibling. They keep telling me to go join the student council, go play badminton...
You don't play in a band, do you?
Wh-Wha?! Shhhhhh! That's a secret, got it?!



I loved it. That 'pettan pettan' song. The 'dokkyun dokkyun' song.
Wah, waaaah! Shhhhhhh!
That's the best way to go through life. Enjoy your youth to the fullest.
Th... Thanks...



I want to ask you two now.
The same thing you just asked Maria?
Yeah. Please tell me everything you know about Beatrice.
Well, you can see how much Maria likes witches and the occult. For her, Beatrice is a symbol to be admired, like an anime heroine. She believes every little thing is some sort of prank caused by a witch's magic.
You are an adult. The fact that you never say this to Maria is also very adult of you.
Of course. Childhood dreams only happen when you're a kid. I think respecting that precious experience is an adult's responsibility.
Looks like the two of us will get along well.



What if Kinzo claimed that Beatrice was real? Wouldn't the proper thing to do for his social inferiors be to go along with it?



The transformation of Beatrice from myth into reality began long ago, with Beatrice the Elder unlocking windows in the mansion. It ended with a series of closed-room murders.



Why does furniture strive to become human?



...I see. I do understand, but it's complicated.
I feel bad for saying this at Beatrice's funeral... but, truth be told, I don't know enough about Beatrice to explain her. My apologies. As far as that goes, Jessica does live here, so she might know a little more than I do. Speaking of which, have you introduced yourself to this gentleman yet, Jessica?
Nah, not yet... There's this idiot going around pinching people's butts, so I didn't really have the chance yet... ehehe...





W... Wah...
Have I done something strange?
No, no, I just didn't... ahahaha...



Theatergoing Authority activates.



S-Sure... um, where should I start...

---

Every school in Japan, more or less, has a list of urban legends passed down among students. This is like that.

Everyone hears about them, everyone tells them, but nobody really believes them.



The portrait was put up a couple years ago. It was creepy at first, but everything becomes normal with time.



The one person who's always excited to see it the most is Maria.



Maria regularly talks to the portrait of Beatrice as if it's a real person.

George thinks it's cute and harmless, but...



Jessica's never sure if nobody else notices how creepy Maria gets, or if they just don't say anything about it.



The topic of discussion at this year's conference moves to Ange's absence. It seems like she gets sick fairly often.



Well, maybe she'll get better, and then she can play with Maria.



Jessica makes the mistake of implying that this means Maria would be on her own.





Multiple personalities! Yeah, that probably describes it perfectly. Or else, maybe that was Maria's idea of an ideal personality.
You mean that thing about 'creating another self', the way you want to be?
Huh? How'd you know my motto?
Don't think too hard on it. You'll just get a headache.



Everyone has something they really want to become. But they never do it. The restrictions on their everyday life are what made them who they are today, so they have no way of changing themselves.
True. Changing yourself means changing your environment. That's not easy to do.
So, my idea was to leave who I am now, and to create another self to be the person I want to be.
You felt suffocated, forced to live the life of a rich family's daughter, and you thought up a self that you wanted to be.
I couldn't do anything outlandish at home, of course. Nothing fun about getting mom to yell at me all the time. So, I made my plan. At home, I would obediently do as my parents said, but I would also create a second self to do what I wanted.
That's a good way to live. You should be proud.
And, well... if there's something you really want to be, and you really work for it, it's easier than you think. I figured Maria was pretty much the same.



Every time she learns something, there's always someone in the family who already knows it. She doesn't really get to show off her knowledge about anything. Whenever she does learn something new, we try to smile and praise her, but that might actually have hurt her.
So, Maria wanted to become an authority on something?



So, it's easy to guess why Maria got interested in the occult, something no one else knew about, and started learning more and more about it. I think the person Maria wants to be is an authority on the occult who is respected by everyone.
And if she talked about the occult all the time during her everyday life, Roda's smack her. So, like you, she's been hiding this other self most of the time.
That's what I think she's doing at times like this. Maybe I shold say that this is her real self slipping through the cracks to cover up her normal self. Actually, I've had some experience with that myself. I've thought at times it'd be nice to become a frail, secluded lady... so I'd pretend to cough a lot, and it sort of became a bad habit.
Because everyone would be nice to you if you started having coughing fits?
Haha, no... Whenever the conversation turned to something I didn't like, or something that made me feel uncomfortable, I could do that to change the subject.
I see. And that's another self you wanted to become.
Haha, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about that.



Is it related to being an educated authority? Is it something more closely related to her relationship with witches?



Looks like we've gone off track. Anyway, Maria kept up that tantrum until Rosa got back. I should've let her be, but I did fight back.
And you said there was no way Beatrice could exist?
Something like that. 'If she exists, then just let me see her'. Of course, once Maria started crying, I realized I'd gone too far.
And then?
At the end of the family conference, I was the only one still upset. Maria acted as though nothing had happened. Instead, she went off somewhere on her own, and came back talking happily about how she had played with Beatrice again. Everyone, me included, decided not to contradict her. By that time, it was best to just accept it and ignore it.
Is that all you have to say about the family conference?
About the conference, yes. What I wanted to talk about was what happened after the conference was over and everyone left.



Kumasawa reports that the rest of the family has made it back to Niijima by now.



Does Kumasawa see Beatrice the same way? Some kid's delusion?



No, it's something different. As the gods dwell in all things, so Beatrice dwells in the mansion.



Gohda and Shannon are at odds when it comes to this topic - Gohda says Beatrice probably doesn't exist, Shannon says she does.



But even Gohda is sort of half-hearted and vague about his denial. What's going on here?



There's a rumor that you mustn't go near the VIP Room at 2:00 AM.



It's not hard to see where this is going, is it? Jessica wants to borrow a master key and sneak into the VIP room to get a glimpse of the almighty Beatrice.





That night, there was a terrible, extremely creepy storm.



To avoid getting chewed out for staying up so late, Jessica waits in her room until near 2:00, when everyone else is asleep.



The Ushiromiya Mansion is big enough that only the parts of it that Jessica uses regularly really feel like home. The hallways are public spaces that don't feel safe enough to be called part of the same home.



What are you scared of? There's no ghost or anything. It's just a story!

Right?



Jessica really regrets not bringing a flashlight. In the darkness, every incidental noise sounds twice as sinister.



Well, no giving up after coming this far.

Jessica unlocks the door.



She hasn't been in this room for about ten years. Something feels off about it.

The door opens smoothly, beckoning her into the darkness.



It's exactly as she remembers it from her childhood. Not a single thing has changed.



There's no clock in the VIP room. Is it 2:00 yet?





A French doll with golden hair rests on the side table. Next to it is a small plate with cookies and chocolates.



The doll is an offering. A ritual to appease the Golden Witch.



What's the point in being here in this empty room, anyway? Didn't this all start because of a fight with a child?



At some point, the stories of Kinzo's mistress and the forest witch mixed together, and Beatrice became a real person who the servants talk about.



By the third ring, the fear of the situation gives way to the feeling of being pranked. What's the deal here?



Jessica picks up the receiver, but the voice she hears isn't what she expected.



BGM: Happy Maria! (Instrumental)



Why is Maria calling this room?



The line cuts off, and the lights go dark.

A strange sound echoes through the room.



It sounded like someone laughed, then walked out of the room.



The sound was too loud to have come from a doll.

Did the doll turn into Beatrice and leave the room on its own?




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