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estiroseGiving this a home other than AO3, because it picks up some really weird hits. A walkthrough of the first game it is not.
YUU: The date is April 26, 1987. Miku-chan, do you want to state your name for the tapes?
MIKU: Um, my name is Miku Hinasaki.
YUU: Thank you, Miku. Now, can you tell me what happened at Himuro Mansion?
MIKU: I-it started September of last year. My brother, Mafuyu Hinasaki, went to Himuro Mansion to find out what happened to his mentor, Junsei Takamine. I didn't hear anything from him for two weeks, so I went to see what happened to him. (sniffle)
YUU: Go on, Miku-chan.
MIKU: I got a ride most of the way to Himuro Mansion and walked the rest of the way. I went inside, and I couldn't see him in the entryway. I tried to go outside, but the door was stuck somehow. There was a door going further in, so I went in to this hallway full of hanging ropes. I saw something at the end of the hall. It was my mother's camera and a notebook that belonged to my brother, Mafuyu.
YUU: Can you describe the entryway and hallway for me?
MIKU: The entryway was partly wrecked. There was debris everywhere, and a hole in the middle of the floor. There was what looked like a body, but I couldn't go to investigate. A lot of the area was closed off. There were holes everywhere. I picked up a scrap of paper from the floor, from Koji Ogata, something about more ropes, and more ropes. When I went into the hallway, it also had a lot of debris, along with the ropes. There was a mirror at the end of the hallway, and two doors. One was boarded up, and the other wasn't. The camera and the notebook were in front of the mirror, and I swear I saw – um, do you want to know about the supernatural stuff?
YUU: I want you to describe everything that you can, Miku-chan. After all, we're the only ones that are going to hear this.
MIKU: I saw a female ghost – I know now that it was Kirie – in the mirror. And then I picked up the camera and notebook. I saw what happened to Mafuyu. (pause, silence) He was running from hands, in the same hallway, and then I could see his face as he was grabbed…. (muffled hiccup)
YUU: It's okay, Miku-chan. Do you want me to pause?
MIKU: Yes, thank you.
(the tape clicks, and then the voices return)
YUU: Okay, Miku-chan. What happened after you saw what happened to Mafuyu?
MIKU: Well, I heard Koji Ogata's voice, and then I turned around. He was up on one of the beams, just lying there. I took a picture with my mother's camera.
YUU: Anything else?
MIKU: That was it, for the moment. And then I walked into the next room. There was a fireplace in the middle and… do you want me to describe all the rooms as I find them, Yuu?
YUU: Whatever's comfortable, Miku-chan.
MIKU: There was Samurai armor in there, and a decorative lion mask, and a lot of drawers. As I was walking through the room, I could see Mafuyu walking up the stairs to the second floor – there was a second floor – but he couldn't hear me. And he disappeared when I tried to get his attention by taking a picture of him, like he was a ghost too.
YUU: Was he?
MIKU: He wasn't then, but I didn't find that out until later. Until I… (sniffle) I need more tea, Yuu.
YUU: Let me pause the tape.
(recording resumes)
YUU: So, do you feel better now, Miku-chan? We don't have to go through this if you don't want to.
MIKU: No, I want to.
YUU: What happened after you saw your brother's... ghost?
MIKU: I ran up after him, but he wasn't there. So, I explored the upstairs part of the room.
YUU: What did you see there, or find there?
MIKU: I found some old medicine. It was really funny, because I kept finding film for my camera and medicine for when ghosts hurt me. But I... I saw Koji Ogata again, in an area below some collapsed stairs.
YUU: Did you follow him?
MIKU: Not on purpose.
YUU: Not on purpose, Miku-chan?
MIKU: I... I couldn't find any sign of Mafuyu, so I went back downstairs to look for another way past where I was. I saw a shape going through a screen. It was Ogata again. And so I decided to look there, because maybe he knew where Mafuyu was.
YUU: Did you know he was a ghost at the time?
MIKU: I knew, but I was hoping he'd left some clue before he died. Besides, I had nowhere else to go. I suppose I could have crawled into the hole, but I don't like dark tight spaces.
YUU: You were very brave, Miku-chan.
MIKU: Thank you.
YUU: So, what happened when you followed the ghost?
MIKU: There was a screen in front of a door, it turned out. (sighs) Of course, before I found that out, a little girl ghost showed up and pointed at my camera and the sign.
YUU: So, she was helpful, at least.
MIKU: Yes, she helped me several times while I was in Himuro Mansion. I found out later she was a younger version of Kirie.
YUU: So, you opened the door?
MIKU: Yes. It led to this halway with lamps every couple of meters. Ogata was looking for a key there, or at least his ghost was. I went up and down the hallway. The two doors at the end of the hall were locked, but the door midway down the hall wasn't, so I went in. I don't know what kind of room it was, but it was where Ogata died.
YUU: You told me a little about that previously. Do you feel comfortable telling me about it?
MIKU: I... he hid in a closet in the room, and then Kirie got him. She opened the door to the closet somehow and killed him. There wasn't even a body - all that was left was his tape recorder. (sniffle) I looked for the key that he was looking for, but it wasn't in that room. But another door opened while I was looking around the room, so I went in there.
YUU: What was it like?
MIKU: Well, it had a lot of kimonos in there. I walked in and Ogata was still looking for the key. I was picking up some film that was lying around, and suddenly Ogata's ghost came up to me and tried to kill me!
YUU: But you're here.
MIKU: I read in Mafuyu's notes that the camera could capture ghosts, so I tried it. I stopped him for a little bit, but I had to fight him twice more.
YUU: Did you find the key?
MIKU: Yes, after having to find the key that unlocked the drawer that had the key in it. That was one of the times I had to fight Ogata's ghost, right after that.
YUU: And where did the key fit?
MIKU: That was the key that fit in the upstairs door that I couldn't open before. Do you want me to describe it to you?
YUU: If you can, Miku-chan.
MIKU: It was a small room, and most of it was taken up by a table. There was a screen in the back, and behind the screen was a door to a balcony. There was also a door to a smaller room that had some dolls in it, and then a door to a hall. It was in the hallway that I first saw Tomoe Hirasaka's ghost, at a mirror. I can't remember what she said, but she was there. And there was a hallway downstairs, but-
(several seconds pass)
YUU: But?
MIKU: I went downstairs and thought I saw Mafuyu but I really didn't. He wasn't there. (pause) I-I saw another ghost instead, I don't know how I mistook him for my brother but I did. He had these very long arms, like someone had stretched them out before he died. He came roaring at me to give something back, I don't know what. I had to really run away fast before I got far enough to fight him. (pause again, sniffle) I got him, though.
YUU: And what did you do after you defeated him?
MIKU: Well, the hallway was circular, so I explored it. There were two doors on the outside and one door on the inside. I decided to look at one of the outside doors. It lead to some kind of big hall with a lot of doors. There was this ghost there, a squashed-up ghost that liked circling closer and closer. I also found some information from a former person who lived in the house, I guess after everything... happened. I fought the ghost and came back to the circular hallway.
YUU: And the other door?
MIKU: It was a room with two sections. A small hallway and a larger part - a burial room full of candles. Tomoe Hirasaka's ghost was at the farthest door, but I couldn't open it. It had a seal of some kind. I took a picture, and it was someplace I'd never seen. There was some information information about a ritual on the shrine, so I took it, and then I decided to try the other door. It lead to this dark room with some more stuff laying around, but it wasn't anything useful to getting out the other door. I... I decided to backtrack and check out the third door in the circular hallway.
YUU: Did the long-armed ghost come back when you did?
MIKU: No, but I'd see him later. I did run into another ghost, but... I'm getting ahead of myself. I went to the third door. It was locked, with a number lock - some odd characters. I was stuck for a while, until I checked through some notes that were in Mafuyu's notebook that actually belonged to Koji Ogata. They went with some information on the ritual that I picked up, and I was able to solve the number lock.
YUU: Good thinking, Miku-chan!
MIKU: Thank you. Um, the room was some kind of storage room - the little girl ghost from earlier showed up to point at something. I went in to where she was pointing, and I found out she was showing me where to break the seal on the door. With my camera, I mean. And then I picked up some film and some other stuff, including some information from some kind of folklorist and an article about a missing girl being found. And then this ghost showed up while I was on the second level of the storage room - I don't know how I defeated him, but I got lucky. He touched me and I got tired, but I survived.
YUU: What did he look like?
MIKU: A man, kind of like a monk but not really. I was too busy trying to fight him, Yuu.
YUU: I understand. Go on.
MIKU: Then I got out of there - thankfully, I never had to come back, because I was really scared - and I went out the door that had been sealed. It lead out to this covered porch. There was this door - it was another one of those sealed doors - and then I saw Tomoe Hirasaka again. She left some notes of Mr. Takamine's. I tried the other door on the porch, but it was sealed too, so I took a picture of the seal. It was a picture of dolls. And then I went back and took another picture of the other door, and it had a waterwheel. I could hear children laughing, so I thought maybe that was where the dolls were, so I decided to look for the waterwheel first. I figured it had to be somewhere nearby. (pause) It turned out it was. Um, I'll be right back, Yuu.
YUU: Are you okay, Miku-chan?
MIKU: I will be. Just pause the recording.
(tape pause)
YUU: So, you found the waterwheel?
MIKU: Yes. I knew I hadn't seen it before, and it made sense that it had to be someplace outside, so I started looking around the atrium. Um, the atrium was... well, there was a grave and a shrine of some sort that I couldn't get into. I mean the shrine - I didn't try to get into the grave.
YUU: I didn't think you would, Miku-chan.
MIKU: There was another one of Tomoe Hirasaka's tapes left on the shrine steps, so I picked it up. And walking around, I found the entrance to something, and it was unlocked, so I went in. It lead to some kind of water area, and the water wheel I was looking for. Um, I found another tape of hers and then I saw what happened to her. (sniffle)
YUU: Do you feel comfortable telling me?
MIKU: But I have told you. She died when Kirie strangled her.
YUU: I know, Miku-chan, but could you tell the tape recorder?
MIKU: Um, yes. I saw Tomoe Hirasaka being strangled, while Kirie stood behind her. I knew that Kirie was responsible, and so did Mr. Takamine. He saw Ms. Hirasaka die, and he knew Kirie was responsible. (deep breath) I had to stop for a minute there, just to breathe after that.
YUU: Do ghosts usually affect you that way?
MIKU: No, it's just because of how she was killed. I didn't know her at all, but I'd been following her, and... someone had to mourn for her.
YUU: It was good of you to do that for her, Miku-chan. Can you tell me what happened after you saw the vision?
MIKU: I took a picture of the waterwheel. Well, of Tomoe Hirasaka in her final moments. I had the sense that the first door in the atrium was now open. I didn't head back immediately, though, because I was still looking for clues about Mafuyu.
YUU: Did you find any?
MIKU: No. I found some film, though, and this weird mirror, and apparently one of the lanterns wasn't lit when it was supposed to be. But I'll talk about that later, so I don't get things confused.
YUU: Good thinking, Miku-chan. So, you went back to the door?
MIKU: Yes. I went back, and the room was full of dolls. Tomoe Hirasaka's ghost was there, too, near a ghost that resembled Kirie. There was a note from Ms. Hirasaka's notebook, and some odd stones. And then I found the ghost that was sealing the other door.
YUU: And then you went over to the other door?
MIKU: It turned out it wasn't that easy. I had to fight two ghosts before that. There was this little girl who came out right after I took the picture - and while there was a hole in the floor that I had to go around, she didn't. And she was hard to see. And she liked grabbing my ankles a lot.
YUU: You were tired after that, I would imagine.
MIKU: I was glad that I had medicine after that one, I can tell you! And then, I stepped outside. And ran into another ghost that dropped from the sky.
YUU: Did she jump to her death, or something like that?
MIKU: I'm not sure, but I think so, because her neck was broken and she came at me backwards. I got to look at her a lot since she kept showing up. She loved rushing at me and screaming, and I was sick of seeing her.
YUU: I'd be scared for sure.
MIKU: She was very gross... but I guess after a while you just stop being surprised by hideous ghosts.
YUU: I think people who run into ghastly things tend to do that just to cope, Miku-chan. I know you've read some of my books-
MIKU: I've read all of you books, Yuu, just trying to understand what happened. And it still doesn't make sense.
YUU: I stand corrected. But tell me, after you fought that broken necked ghost a few times, did you open the other door?
MIKU: I only fought her once, right then. She just kept showing up and kept showing up and- um, door. I went back to the porch and opened the door. There was a white-haired man at the mirror, or at least the ghost of one. Mr. Takamine. He vanished, but he left some notes and his lighter. I know it was his lighter because he had his name on it. Um, there were stairs going up, but I really didn't pay attention to them. And once I had the lighter, I knew that I could use it to light the garden lantern in that place with the waterwheel.
YUU: I wouldn't have thought of that. What did you find?
MIKU: After I backtracked there and lit the lantern, the top opened and there was this five-sided stone with a little knob on back to insert into something, and a character that I didn't recognize on the front. This one was kind of blackish, but I'd encounter others like it in different colors later. And then I nearly bumped into a ghost on the way back to where Mr. Takamine was.
YUU: So, you had to fight that one, too?
MIKU: I did, but not until later. Her name was Yae, I think she might have been my great-grandmother, but that's also something I'm still figuring out, and I didn't find it until much, much later in one of Mafuyu's notes.
YUU: So, was she standing there, or....
MIKU: She'd hung herself, Yuu. Because she thought her daughter had been abducted by ghosts. It's... It's like mom was, worrying so much about me and Mafuyu. But I think I should go on.
YUU: Just let me know if you need a break, Miku-chan. Tell me, if you're ready, about what you found when you went back to that hallway. Did you check upstairs?
MIKU: I did after I was attacked by a female head. Can we not talk about the female head?
YUU: She was scary? Hard to fight?
MIKU: She was just... well, annoying. And then I went upstairs and didn't find anything, so I went down the hall, saw Tomoe Hirasaka once or twice more, and after checking out this door in the middle of the hall, went to the one at the end. That one was unlocked. And it lead to a room I'll have nightmares about for years.
YUU: More tea, Miku-chan? Do you want to pause?
MIKU: Yes, and no. (sound of pouring tea) This... I should describe it really well. It was a rectangular room, some kind of fish farm, with stone platforms and wooden planks. Some netting was hanging down low, having fallen from above. There was a door on the other side. It was an awful place to fight, because you had to worry about dodging ghosts while not falling into water or anything like that.
YUU: Did you find a ghost in there this time?
MIKU: I... I fought Tomoe Hirasaka in there. She's... a better fighter than Koji Ogata or Mr. Takamine, and it really didn't help that I was trying to avoid spraining my ankle or falling - I'd have been dead if that happened. As it was, she got me enough times that I needed some more of the medicine after I won.
YUU: The date is April 26, 1987. Miku-chan, do you want to state your name for the tapes?
MIKU: Um, my name is Miku Hinasaki.
YUU: Thank you, Miku. Now, can you tell me what happened at Himuro Mansion?
MIKU: I-it started September of last year. My brother, Mafuyu Hinasaki, went to Himuro Mansion to find out what happened to his mentor, Junsei Takamine. I didn't hear anything from him for two weeks, so I went to see what happened to him. (sniffle)
YUU: Go on, Miku-chan.
MIKU: I got a ride most of the way to Himuro Mansion and walked the rest of the way. I went inside, and I couldn't see him in the entryway. I tried to go outside, but the door was stuck somehow. There was a door going further in, so I went in to this hallway full of hanging ropes. I saw something at the end of the hall. It was my mother's camera and a notebook that belonged to my brother, Mafuyu.
YUU: Can you describe the entryway and hallway for me?
MIKU: The entryway was partly wrecked. There was debris everywhere, and a hole in the middle of the floor. There was what looked like a body, but I couldn't go to investigate. A lot of the area was closed off. There were holes everywhere. I picked up a scrap of paper from the floor, from Koji Ogata, something about more ropes, and more ropes. When I went into the hallway, it also had a lot of debris, along with the ropes. There was a mirror at the end of the hallway, and two doors. One was boarded up, and the other wasn't. The camera and the notebook were in front of the mirror, and I swear I saw – um, do you want to know about the supernatural stuff?
YUU: I want you to describe everything that you can, Miku-chan. After all, we're the only ones that are going to hear this.
MIKU: I saw a female ghost – I know now that it was Kirie – in the mirror. And then I picked up the camera and notebook. I saw what happened to Mafuyu. (pause, silence) He was running from hands, in the same hallway, and then I could see his face as he was grabbed…. (muffled hiccup)
YUU: It's okay, Miku-chan. Do you want me to pause?
MIKU: Yes, thank you.
(the tape clicks, and then the voices return)
YUU: Okay, Miku-chan. What happened after you saw what happened to Mafuyu?
MIKU: Well, I heard Koji Ogata's voice, and then I turned around. He was up on one of the beams, just lying there. I took a picture with my mother's camera.
YUU: Anything else?
MIKU: That was it, for the moment. And then I walked into the next room. There was a fireplace in the middle and… do you want me to describe all the rooms as I find them, Yuu?
YUU: Whatever's comfortable, Miku-chan.
MIKU: There was Samurai armor in there, and a decorative lion mask, and a lot of drawers. As I was walking through the room, I could see Mafuyu walking up the stairs to the second floor – there was a second floor – but he couldn't hear me. And he disappeared when I tried to get his attention by taking a picture of him, like he was a ghost too.
YUU: Was he?
MIKU: He wasn't then, but I didn't find that out until later. Until I… (sniffle) I need more tea, Yuu.
YUU: Let me pause the tape.
(recording resumes)
YUU: So, do you feel better now, Miku-chan? We don't have to go through this if you don't want to.
MIKU: No, I want to.
YUU: What happened after you saw your brother's... ghost?
MIKU: I ran up after him, but he wasn't there. So, I explored the upstairs part of the room.
YUU: What did you see there, or find there?
MIKU: I found some old medicine. It was really funny, because I kept finding film for my camera and medicine for when ghosts hurt me. But I... I saw Koji Ogata again, in an area below some collapsed stairs.
YUU: Did you follow him?
MIKU: Not on purpose.
YUU: Not on purpose, Miku-chan?
MIKU: I... I couldn't find any sign of Mafuyu, so I went back downstairs to look for another way past where I was. I saw a shape going through a screen. It was Ogata again. And so I decided to look there, because maybe he knew where Mafuyu was.
YUU: Did you know he was a ghost at the time?
MIKU: I knew, but I was hoping he'd left some clue before he died. Besides, I had nowhere else to go. I suppose I could have crawled into the hole, but I don't like dark tight spaces.
YUU: You were very brave, Miku-chan.
MIKU: Thank you.
YUU: So, what happened when you followed the ghost?
MIKU: There was a screen in front of a door, it turned out. (sighs) Of course, before I found that out, a little girl ghost showed up and pointed at my camera and the sign.
YUU: So, she was helpful, at least.
MIKU: Yes, she helped me several times while I was in Himuro Mansion. I found out later she was a younger version of Kirie.
YUU: So, you opened the door?
MIKU: Yes. It led to this halway with lamps every couple of meters. Ogata was looking for a key there, or at least his ghost was. I went up and down the hallway. The two doors at the end of the hall were locked, but the door midway down the hall wasn't, so I went in. I don't know what kind of room it was, but it was where Ogata died.
YUU: You told me a little about that previously. Do you feel comfortable telling me about it?
MIKU: I... he hid in a closet in the room, and then Kirie got him. She opened the door to the closet somehow and killed him. There wasn't even a body - all that was left was his tape recorder. (sniffle) I looked for the key that he was looking for, but it wasn't in that room. But another door opened while I was looking around the room, so I went in there.
YUU: What was it like?
MIKU: Well, it had a lot of kimonos in there. I walked in and Ogata was still looking for the key. I was picking up some film that was lying around, and suddenly Ogata's ghost came up to me and tried to kill me!
YUU: But you're here.
MIKU: I read in Mafuyu's notes that the camera could capture ghosts, so I tried it. I stopped him for a little bit, but I had to fight him twice more.
YUU: Did you find the key?
MIKU: Yes, after having to find the key that unlocked the drawer that had the key in it. That was one of the times I had to fight Ogata's ghost, right after that.
YUU: And where did the key fit?
MIKU: That was the key that fit in the upstairs door that I couldn't open before. Do you want me to describe it to you?
YUU: If you can, Miku-chan.
MIKU: It was a small room, and most of it was taken up by a table. There was a screen in the back, and behind the screen was a door to a balcony. There was also a door to a smaller room that had some dolls in it, and then a door to a hall. It was in the hallway that I first saw Tomoe Hirasaka's ghost, at a mirror. I can't remember what she said, but she was there. And there was a hallway downstairs, but-
(several seconds pass)
YUU: But?
MIKU: I went downstairs and thought I saw Mafuyu but I really didn't. He wasn't there. (pause) I-I saw another ghost instead, I don't know how I mistook him for my brother but I did. He had these very long arms, like someone had stretched them out before he died. He came roaring at me to give something back, I don't know what. I had to really run away fast before I got far enough to fight him. (pause again, sniffle) I got him, though.
YUU: And what did you do after you defeated him?
MIKU: Well, the hallway was circular, so I explored it. There were two doors on the outside and one door on the inside. I decided to look at one of the outside doors. It lead to some kind of big hall with a lot of doors. There was this ghost there, a squashed-up ghost that liked circling closer and closer. I also found some information from a former person who lived in the house, I guess after everything... happened. I fought the ghost and came back to the circular hallway.
YUU: And the other door?
MIKU: It was a room with two sections. A small hallway and a larger part - a burial room full of candles. Tomoe Hirasaka's ghost was at the farthest door, but I couldn't open it. It had a seal of some kind. I took a picture, and it was someplace I'd never seen. There was some information information about a ritual on the shrine, so I took it, and then I decided to try the other door. It lead to this dark room with some more stuff laying around, but it wasn't anything useful to getting out the other door. I... I decided to backtrack and check out the third door in the circular hallway.
YUU: Did the long-armed ghost come back when you did?
MIKU: No, but I'd see him later. I did run into another ghost, but... I'm getting ahead of myself. I went to the third door. It was locked, with a number lock - some odd characters. I was stuck for a while, until I checked through some notes that were in Mafuyu's notebook that actually belonged to Koji Ogata. They went with some information on the ritual that I picked up, and I was able to solve the number lock.
YUU: Good thinking, Miku-chan!
MIKU: Thank you. Um, the room was some kind of storage room - the little girl ghost from earlier showed up to point at something. I went in to where she was pointing, and I found out she was showing me where to break the seal on the door. With my camera, I mean. And then I picked up some film and some other stuff, including some information from some kind of folklorist and an article about a missing girl being found. And then this ghost showed up while I was on the second level of the storage room - I don't know how I defeated him, but I got lucky. He touched me and I got tired, but I survived.
YUU: What did he look like?
MIKU: A man, kind of like a monk but not really. I was too busy trying to fight him, Yuu.
YUU: I understand. Go on.
MIKU: Then I got out of there - thankfully, I never had to come back, because I was really scared - and I went out the door that had been sealed. It lead out to this covered porch. There was this door - it was another one of those sealed doors - and then I saw Tomoe Hirasaka again. She left some notes of Mr. Takamine's. I tried the other door on the porch, but it was sealed too, so I took a picture of the seal. It was a picture of dolls. And then I went back and took another picture of the other door, and it had a waterwheel. I could hear children laughing, so I thought maybe that was where the dolls were, so I decided to look for the waterwheel first. I figured it had to be somewhere nearby. (pause) It turned out it was. Um, I'll be right back, Yuu.
YUU: Are you okay, Miku-chan?
MIKU: I will be. Just pause the recording.
(tape pause)
YUU: So, you found the waterwheel?
MIKU: Yes. I knew I hadn't seen it before, and it made sense that it had to be someplace outside, so I started looking around the atrium. Um, the atrium was... well, there was a grave and a shrine of some sort that I couldn't get into. I mean the shrine - I didn't try to get into the grave.
YUU: I didn't think you would, Miku-chan.
MIKU: There was another one of Tomoe Hirasaka's tapes left on the shrine steps, so I picked it up. And walking around, I found the entrance to something, and it was unlocked, so I went in. It lead to some kind of water area, and the water wheel I was looking for. Um, I found another tape of hers and then I saw what happened to her. (sniffle)
YUU: Do you feel comfortable telling me?
MIKU: But I have told you. She died when Kirie strangled her.
YUU: I know, Miku-chan, but could you tell the tape recorder?
MIKU: Um, yes. I saw Tomoe Hirasaka being strangled, while Kirie stood behind her. I knew that Kirie was responsible, and so did Mr. Takamine. He saw Ms. Hirasaka die, and he knew Kirie was responsible. (deep breath) I had to stop for a minute there, just to breathe after that.
YUU: Do ghosts usually affect you that way?
MIKU: No, it's just because of how she was killed. I didn't know her at all, but I'd been following her, and... someone had to mourn for her.
YUU: It was good of you to do that for her, Miku-chan. Can you tell me what happened after you saw the vision?
MIKU: I took a picture of the waterwheel. Well, of Tomoe Hirasaka in her final moments. I had the sense that the first door in the atrium was now open. I didn't head back immediately, though, because I was still looking for clues about Mafuyu.
YUU: Did you find any?
MIKU: No. I found some film, though, and this weird mirror, and apparently one of the lanterns wasn't lit when it was supposed to be. But I'll talk about that later, so I don't get things confused.
YUU: Good thinking, Miku-chan. So, you went back to the door?
MIKU: Yes. I went back, and the room was full of dolls. Tomoe Hirasaka's ghost was there, too, near a ghost that resembled Kirie. There was a note from Ms. Hirasaka's notebook, and some odd stones. And then I found the ghost that was sealing the other door.
YUU: And then you went over to the other door?
MIKU: It turned out it wasn't that easy. I had to fight two ghosts before that. There was this little girl who came out right after I took the picture - and while there was a hole in the floor that I had to go around, she didn't. And she was hard to see. And she liked grabbing my ankles a lot.
YUU: You were tired after that, I would imagine.
MIKU: I was glad that I had medicine after that one, I can tell you! And then, I stepped outside. And ran into another ghost that dropped from the sky.
YUU: Did she jump to her death, or something like that?
MIKU: I'm not sure, but I think so, because her neck was broken and she came at me backwards. I got to look at her a lot since she kept showing up. She loved rushing at me and screaming, and I was sick of seeing her.
YUU: I'd be scared for sure.
MIKU: She was very gross... but I guess after a while you just stop being surprised by hideous ghosts.
YUU: I think people who run into ghastly things tend to do that just to cope, Miku-chan. I know you've read some of my books-
MIKU: I've read all of you books, Yuu, just trying to understand what happened. And it still doesn't make sense.
YUU: I stand corrected. But tell me, after you fought that broken necked ghost a few times, did you open the other door?
MIKU: I only fought her once, right then. She just kept showing up and kept showing up and- um, door. I went back to the porch and opened the door. There was a white-haired man at the mirror, or at least the ghost of one. Mr. Takamine. He vanished, but he left some notes and his lighter. I know it was his lighter because he had his name on it. Um, there were stairs going up, but I really didn't pay attention to them. And once I had the lighter, I knew that I could use it to light the garden lantern in that place with the waterwheel.
YUU: I wouldn't have thought of that. What did you find?
MIKU: After I backtracked there and lit the lantern, the top opened and there was this five-sided stone with a little knob on back to insert into something, and a character that I didn't recognize on the front. This one was kind of blackish, but I'd encounter others like it in different colors later. And then I nearly bumped into a ghost on the way back to where Mr. Takamine was.
YUU: So, you had to fight that one, too?
MIKU: I did, but not until later. Her name was Yae, I think she might have been my great-grandmother, but that's also something I'm still figuring out, and I didn't find it until much, much later in one of Mafuyu's notes.
YUU: So, was she standing there, or....
MIKU: She'd hung herself, Yuu. Because she thought her daughter had been abducted by ghosts. It's... It's like mom was, worrying so much about me and Mafuyu. But I think I should go on.
YUU: Just let me know if you need a break, Miku-chan. Tell me, if you're ready, about what you found when you went back to that hallway. Did you check upstairs?
MIKU: I did after I was attacked by a female head. Can we not talk about the female head?
YUU: She was scary? Hard to fight?
MIKU: She was just... well, annoying. And then I went upstairs and didn't find anything, so I went down the hall, saw Tomoe Hirasaka once or twice more, and after checking out this door in the middle of the hall, went to the one at the end. That one was unlocked. And it lead to a room I'll have nightmares about for years.
YUU: More tea, Miku-chan? Do you want to pause?
MIKU: Yes, and no. (sound of pouring tea) This... I should describe it really well. It was a rectangular room, some kind of fish farm, with stone platforms and wooden planks. Some netting was hanging down low, having fallen from above. There was a door on the other side. It was an awful place to fight, because you had to worry about dodging ghosts while not falling into water or anything like that.
YUU: Did you find a ghost in there this time?
MIKU: I... I fought Tomoe Hirasaka in there. She's... a better fighter than Koji Ogata or Mr. Takamine, and it really didn't help that I was trying to avoid spraining my ankle or falling - I'd have been dead if that happened. As it was, she got me enough times that I needed some more of the medicine after I won.
