Teahouse Hifumi
Please enjoy yourselves.
What is it?
Nothing...
It's just that I didn't think you literally meant tea.
Don't worry. I'll pay.
Nakajou's was no good?
And Haba's, too?
Yes.
And Sawakiguchi's?
Not possible.
I see.
I'm sorry, but—
Dispense with the pleasantries.
Then could you tell me what was wrong with each of their ideas?
First, Nakajou-senpai's theory...
taikutsu na madobe ni
Sitting bored by the back window,
fukikomu kaze ni
A breeze blew through the room
kao wo shikameta no wa
The reason I screwed up my eyes
terekusasa no uragaeshi
Was to hide how embarrassed I was
Hyouka
aimai ni unazuku tenohira no kyou
I gave a faint nod from the edge of my palm
egaiteru jibun wa sukoshi oogesa de
The "me" I was trying to be was a bit more than I was
nani ka kawarisou na ki ga shiteiru yo
I get the feeling that something is going to change soon
kokoro ni yobikakeru kimi no sei da ne
You reached out to touch my heart; it must be because of you
kumorizora nozoita yokan
I had a feeling, looking into the clouds
te wo nobasou itsu yori mo chikaradzuyoi yuuki de
I reached out my hand, with a stronger courage than I'd ever had
hikari mo kage mo mada tookute
The light and the dark are still so far away
sore demo bokura wa
But even though they are
yasashisa no riyuu ga shiritai
We still want to know how people could be so kind
ima wa dare no namae demo nai
Now it doesn't matter whose name it may be
kagayaki no kanata he
Beyond the horizon's light,
zenbu kako ni naru mae ni
Before it all becomes the past,
mitsuke ni ikou
Let's go and find out
...so Sawakiguchi-senpai's theory doesn't fit, either.
I see.
What No One Noticed
Who rejected Nakajou's theory?
Me.
Haba's and Sawakiguchi's, too?
Yes.
When I first asked you to solve this mystery, you said not to expect too much from you.
But you rejected and buried each of their theories.
Just as I expected you to.
Just as you expected?
They weren't of the right caliber.
I knew from the start that they didn't have what it took to solve the case.
So that was just a farce? Then—
Of course, I won't say they are incompetent.
They each have their own unique talents.
However, that does not mean that they are of use in this situation.
Then—
If you...
If you weren't helping us, we would have chosen one of their ideas,
and the project would probably have ended in failure.
You're quite frank, aren't you?
Brutally so.
If I must be, I will be.
However, there is one person I can count on.
I heard about this individual from three people.
The first was Chitanda Eru.
The second was someone outside the school.
And last was Tougaito Masashi.
I believed that this person could be our detective for this movie.
It was you I wanted from the start.
Not the Classics Club.
Oreki-kun.
I believe that your work thus far has clearly demonstrated your own talents.
You are special.
And so, I'd like to ask you again.
Oreki-kun, please lend your assistance to class 2-F.
Please find the true answer to that video.
I don't have any talents or anything.
I was just lucky.
How irritating.
Let me tell you a story.
Think of it as a little entertainment.
Once upon a time, there was a bench member in a sports club.
This member practiced every day to become part of the regular team,
but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make it,
because there were more talented members in the club than her.
And among them, there was one who could even be called a prodigy.
Of course, the difference between the bench and the prodigy was like that between heaven and earth.
At one competition, the prodigy was named MVP for her invaluability to the team.
An interviewer asked her,
"You were amazing today. What's your secret?"
She answered,
"I was just lucky."
How deeply do you think this answer cut into the heart of the bench member?
Well?
Every individual must be aware of themselves.
If not, those who watch them think fools of themselves.
Am I... special?
Do I see myself as I really am?
Can I believe her?
Irisu-senpai, I...
Now this is rare.
Houtarou voluntarily going to school on a holiday?
Do you have something to do?
Do I need something to do to go to school?
No, but it's not in your character.
Irisu-senpai gave me direct orders.
I have to find out who killed Kaitou.
Seriously?
You're going to?
Oreki Houtarou is a passionate and honorable man.
I don't think I heard that right.
Say that again?
That's quite a change from your motto.
Did Chitanda-san convert you?
No.
Then why?
"If I don't have to do it, I won't."
Isn't that your motto?
Satoshi.
Do you think there's something that only you can do?
Not really.
No?
Didn't I tell you?
I'm a man of no talents.
For example, I might long to be a Sherlockian,
but I will never be one.
The fundamental reason is that I lack the gall to dive into the depths of the labyrinths of wisdom.
If Mayaka were to find an interest in Holmes, I guarantee you,
she'd be better than me in three months.
Exploring the gateways of multiple genres and getting a stamp on the pamphlet is the best I can do.
I'll never be the lead.
I know why you're asking.
Irisu-senpai got you worked up.
That would explain why you're suddenly doubting your own character.
And you don't doubt your own?
Well, yeah.
I'm going on ahead.
Mayaka should be there today.
I'll go say hi.
Satoshi.
I don't know what you really think of yourself, but I have a higher opinion of you than what you said.
I think you can become one of the best Sherlockians in Japan if you tried.
There are things I'm more interested in than being a Sherlockian.
Though...
I am jealous.
Honestly.
It's summer break and Oreki came to school of his own accord?!
Is there something wrong with me coming?
Of course!
It's like the calm before the storm of the century...
I felt like solving a mystery.
You? Why?
I bet Irisu-senpai got you worked up somehow.
You're pretty sharp, Mayaka.
Whatever.
What happened after we went home?
To Chii-chan?
It looks like she got home just fine.
When I called her this morning though, she was still in bed with a hangover.
That's a pretty rare case...
Well, either way, let's have another look at the movie.
Kaitou!
B-Blood!
Wh-What's that?
Kaitou-senpai's severed arm is really good.
It looks like a real arm.
Maybe the most talented in that class was the props master.
No way...
I still can't see where there'd be any major tricks...
Yeah.
They're making something hard look really simple.
No.
This doesn't look simple because it was made to be simple.
Then why?
I think the mystery isn't coming to light because it's boring as a movie, and so the viewer can't get into it.
Several volunteers from class 2-F decided to produce an exhibit on the history of Narakubo at the Kanya Festival.
You're right.
I didn't even realize that it would be a locked room mystery until well into the movie.
It's not very good at presenting itself as one.
Like how?
The camera work is horrible.
Yeah! That's why!
Then how would you film it?
Me?
Let's see...
For example...
This scene.
It would be better to use an angle and distance that shows both the characters and interior.
Right.
And...
Here.
Hey, Sugimura!
Find anything?
Mine was fairly clean. We might be able to use it.
If they shot this from Sugimura's point of view, it would be easier to tell that the lobby was visible from his location.
If the camera looks up from the lobby, the viewer can't know that.
And...
Let's see...
I think that's enough.
Why?
There's no end to it.
Just criticizing the video won't get us anywhere.
Come now. It might be a good idea to go through it.
I found you, Fukube!
So you're playing around in a place like this?
Hey there, Yamauchi-kun! Welcome.
Hey, could you not get violent?
I'm doing this for your sake!
But I have things that I have to—
Don't be stupid!
Omichi is serious!
You're staying back a year if you don't go!
Satoshi, you should probably go take those make-up tests.
B-But Hongou-senpai's mystery is really important!
Houtarou, could you do a little solving right about now?
What the heck are you talking about?
Well, you see—
No!
I want to know the secret!
The locked room!
He's gone.
Is he stupid?
He's back.
I'm sorry, Houtarou.
I can't escape from the long arm of the law.
Since it's come to this, think of this notebook as me.
Fukube!
Come on, let's go!
Okay, okay! I'm going!
Geez...
Alright...
I should get going, too.
Really?
What's with that look?
I might want to help Irisu-senpai, but I have no intention of helping you.
Is that so.
I'm the librarian today.
If I knew we were going to do this, I would have taken today off.
It's your fault for not telling me beforehand.
Still...
Sorry about this, Oreki.
Now then...
Let's split up and look around inside.
Damn, who would do this?!
B-Blood!
That won't be a problem.
They should be here.
I see.
So that's what Hongou was going for.
Shosho
When the sun's heat fades and first gives way to the cool air.
Hyouka
Come in.
First, let me ask:
Did you figure it out?
I see. Go ahead.
Okay.
It goes without saying that the key to this puzzle is the locked room.
Kaitou—
I mean, no one could have entered the room where Kaitou-senpai died,
nor could they have left it.
You can just use their screen names.
Stage Left was a locked room.
Damn, who would do this?!
The only window leading outside was clearly unusable.
Which means that the only remaining possibility is that the culprit used the door.
But how?
From the video, we cannot say for sure whether there's some physical trick regarding that door,
so the most reasonable assumption is that the culprit used the master key to get in.
However, Sugimura would have seen everything in the lobby.
Additionally, the right hand corridor was the only way to get to the room.
This is the second locked room puzzle.
None of those six members would have been able to enter the office, get the key, and then get to the right hand corridor unseen.
What does this imply?
If we assume that none of those six were the culprit, then that leaves only one possibility:
There was a seventh person there.
A seventh?
Like Sawakiguchi's theory?
Yes.
When I initially heard it, I thought it was a rather absurd idea.
But according to Sawakiguchi, Hongou was apparently looking for a seventh actor.
With that bit of information, I'm certain that there was a seventh.
However, Hongou wrote her script to keep the game fair.
I can't imagine her planning a mystery killer to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Incidentally, there are a number of strange details in this video.
Satoshi noted them down.
Kounosu finds a floor map.
Someone illuminates it.
Presumably with a flashlight.
Another point.
Everyone is looking for Kaitou.
The corridor is dark, and there's no light source.
Someone uses a flashlight.
A flashlight?
Yes.
However, none of the members had a flashlight.
If you examine the scenes immediately following the use of the flashlight,
for example, the part where they enter the murder scene,
that fact should become apparent.
There was certainly time for the holder to hide the flashlight, but there was no particular reason to.
I know what you're thinking.
That was just for lighting the scene, right?
But just keep this in mind for now.
And one more thing...
and this is from the perspective of a moviegoer, so don't take it the wrong way.
The movie is boring.
The acting is bad.
The camera work is completely amateur.
But what if there were a reason behind that?
In this video, the cameraman was filming from the same perspective as the other characters.
I'm sure you've figured it out by now.
You don't mean...
Are you saying that the cameraman was the seventh character?
There were seven from the start.
The six who were being filmed, and the one who was operating the camera.
Watch carefully.
Here and there, you'll notice the actors looking right at the camera.
They were indicating the fact that there was a cameraman there.
At this point, the term "cameraman" is a bit inaccurate.
Let's use "seventh character".
Now with this assumption in place, it's obvious who was operating the flashlight.
The bad camerawork, along with the fact that every scene is shot from only one perspective,
is explained by the fact that the camera was operated by one of the characters.
And here's the most important point:
When all the other characters left to find their respective rooms,
the camera was still filming until no one was left in the lobby.
And then the scene fades to black.
In other words, the camera was left inactive in the lobby until the characters started returning.
Consequently, the crime is simple to explain.
The seventh character waited for everyone else to leave the lobby,
stopped the camera, then took the master key from the office.
After killing Kaitou, he locked the door again, then waited in the lobby for everyone else to come back.
This concludes my deduction.
If Hongou hasn't already picked a seventh actor, then I suggest you find one quickly.
Two questions.
First, isn't it unnatural to have an actor who doesn't speak, and who no one talks to?
Hongou may have purposely done that to show motive.
This person was deliberately ignored by everyone else.
Because of that, he couldn't say anything, either.
Second, if this were the case, then it wouldn't have taken long for the other characters to figure out who did it.
Everyone would immediately suspect the sole member who was alone in the lobby.
In other words, what you called the "second locked room" is still unsolved.
The seventh character's actions must have been obvious to all characters.
Wouldn't everyone have figured out the culprit immediately?
In the words of Sawakiguchi,
"That's not really important."
It doesn't matter if the characters on stage know exactly who did it.
Isn't it enough if it makes the viewers think about the mystery?
That may be exactly why there is no detective in this story.
There was no reason to have anyone narrate their deductions because the culprit was obvious.
Congratulations.
It seems you have solved Hongou's puzzle.
Your answer sounds like quite a stretch of the imagination,
but given that it fits all the facts, I have to agree that it is correct.
Thank you.
Now we can complete the movie.
I knew I made the right choice.
You have a gift.
A talent unique to you.
I, well...
I'm honored.
Why don't you christen the movie with a title?
A title?
Anything that comes to mind.
I think everyone will be happy with a title you come up with.
Well...
Going by the story...
How about "What No One Noticed"?
That's a good title.
We'll go with that.
Home run.
All third years are to...
...and so, with the cultural festival in October...
There is a preview screening in the Audio Visual Classroom. I'm going to be there to see it.
Chitanda
I don't think any of us could have gone near that room.
Yeah. None of us...
...except you.
You did it?
So you did it?
I can't believe it!
Why would you do that?
I wasn't expecting that!
Wait right there!
He's getting away!
Give it up!
That was amazing!
Seriously! Hongou outdid herself this time.
It's the real Kaitou...
I never expected it to be the cameraman...
Yo! I heard all about it.
Apparently you figured it out for us?
Well, I guess...
That twist was a shocker!
I liked it!
Yo, Master Detective!
Master Detective?
Way to go!
Though, I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have the seventh character kill everyone in desperation after he was revealed.
Right...
Well, thanks again!
Later!
Right...
But still, Nakajou...
What?
That twist was amazing.
I guess Haba wasn't happy with it.
Houtarou!
We saw it.
What did you think?
Not bad.
I liked it.
I wasn't expecting the cameraman.
Did you already have this possibility in mind back then?
I hadn't thought of this, no.
Really?
She didn't seemed too surprised...
Well, whatever.
Oreki-san...
I...
Maybe later!
Well, good job either way, Houtarou.
The Empress was also happy with it.
The movie is complete, and I think everyone will enjoy the twist.
Oreki.
There's something I want to ask you.
What?
Hey...
You came up with that solution, right?
Yes.
All of it?
Probably.
So how do you explain what Haba-senpai said?
What Haba said?
You know...
Throughout that whole movie, there was no mention of a rope anywhere.
konya koi ni kawaru
Tonight’s the night we fall in love
shiawase na yume de aou
Let’s meet in our sweet dreams
kitto ne mitsukete ne
Please come and find me
madoromi no yakusoku
A promise for when we sleep
mebaeteta nukumori atatakakute tomadou
I felt a growing warmth; it felt so nice that I couldn’t think
konna kimochi wo mada anata wa wakaranai no
But these feelings I have, you still don’t know they’re here
sono shisen ni wa imi nante betsu ni nai hazu
I don’t think there’s anything special in how you look at me
datte tomodachi ni shiteru no to onaji
It’s the same way you look at your friends
akegata ni kieteku chiisana negaiboshi
Fading into the dawn, my tiny wishing star
yoru no aida de no mahou
Magic that lasts only the night
konya koi ni kawaru
Tonight’s the night we fall in love
shiawase na yume de aou
Let’s meet in our sweet dreams
kitto ne mitsukete ne
Please come and find me
madoromi no yakusoku
A promise for when we sleep
Next episode: End Credits of The Fool.
End Credits of The Fool