I will stop at nothing to win.
I will put everything I have into these lies.
The committee to conquer Steel Lady Nanase is now in session!
Does Steel Lady Nanase truly exist?
Or is she a fictional being existing only in rumors,
who was created by someone for some reason?
Isn't she just an urban legend?
Name: kuebiko 09/04 22:15 ID.Mmimn Does Steel Lady Nanase truly exist? Or is she a fictional being existing only in rumors, who was created by someone for some reason? Isn't she just an urban legend?
Saki-san.
Please let me know if there is any significant change with Kuro-senpai.
All right. For now, he's managing to defend himself against Steel Lady Nanase
without getting killed.
Until yesterday, all the talk about Steel Lady Nanase was
"Someone told me they saw her," or "Someone told me they were attacked."
But today, there's been a big change.
There was an incident where a detective named Terada was
killed by someone believed to be Steel Lady Nanase.
The location is Makurazaka City. The time was the middle of the night.
Despite getting his face smashed in,
there were no signs that the detective resisted.
Active Duty Detective Found Dead
The victim, Sergeant Terada Tokunosuke
The cause of death that was announced was the blow to his face.
So, yes, unless something like Steel Lady Nanase
had hit him in the face with a steel beam,
it's hard to believe anyone would die like that.
Name: kuebiko 09/04 22:16 ID.Mmimn43 The location is Makurazaka City. The time was the middle of the night. Despite getting his face smashed in, there were no signs that the detective resisted. The cause of death that was announced was the blow to his face. Despite the fact that this detective named Terada was big and had judo training, he was easily killed. So, yes, unless something like Steel Lady Nanase had hit him in the face with a steel beam, it's hard to believe anyone would die like that.
The location is Makurazaka City. The time was the middle of the night. Despite getting his face smashed in, there were no signs that the detective resisted. The cause of death that was announced was the blow to his face. Despite the fact that this detective named Terada was big and had judo training, he was easily killed. So yes, unless something like Steel Lady Nanase had hit him in the face with a steel beam, it's hard to believe anyone would die like that.
Name: Anonymous 09/04 22:18 Id.mvtg But that just means Steel Lady Nanase was responsible for that incident, right?
No.
That's what the killer wanted you to believe.
That's exactly why the killer needed Steel Lady Nanase.
In order to murder Detective Terada, the killer created
an urban legend called Steel Lady Nanase.
They made up a ghost that has no way
of actually existing.
Now... Let's see how many will latch on.
Detective Terada was very good at his job.
He always kept his eye on the changes within the city,
so he sensed when a crime was going to happen,
and he wanted to take action before the incident got out of hand.
He was an excellent detective.
That's what the killer tried to take advantage of.
There was an urban legend from Makurazaka City
going around in a small community on the Internet.
Steel Lady Nanase Wiki
By taking advantage of the monster, Steel Lady Nanase,
they were able to commit the actual crimes and attempted crimes
one after another.
The killer dressed up the way Steel Lady Nanase was perceived
and attacked people night after night.
They made their steel beam from either wood or Styrofoam,
and padded their chest to attract attention.
With black paint on part of their face,
it would probably look smashed in when seen at night.
Then there's the large bow in their hair.
Witnesses wouldn't have time to confirm it all,
so they'll think her face had been smashed in.
Is that actually believable?
It may not be.
This is a lie, after all.
It just needs to be somewhat believable.
Name: kuebiko 09/04 22:25 ID.Mmimn4 With black paint on part of their face, it would probably look smashed in when seen at night. Then there's the large bow in their hair. Witnesses wouldn't have time to confirm it all, so they'll think her face had been smashed in.
Name: kuebiko 09/04 22:25 ID.Mmimn43 And then the killer waited for statements like "I was attacked by Steel Lady Nanase" to spread, not just as a rumor, but in reports taken to the police.
And then the killer waited for statements like
"I was attacked by Steel Lady Nanase" to spread,
not just as a rumor, but in reports taken to the police.
But the police didn't immediately take this seriously.
And I'm sure many victims had second thoughts about turning in a police report.
But if incidents like that start occurring all over the city,
wouldn't a good detective think something was going on and take action?
Maybe someone is acting like a monster from an urban legend
named Steel Lady Nanase as part of some plot.
Given all the work they're putting into this, it can't be dismissed as a mere prank.
They might actually be planning some crime.
That thought crossed his mind,
so he began investigating the incident on his own.
Traffic Safety
This is exactly what the killer wanted.
If Detective Terada started investigating Steel Lady Nanase on his own,
they'd be able to get the detective alone.
The killer was able to create a time frame where the detective would be on his own.
Anonymous
Too long. I don't have time to read this.
Anonymous
What are you basing this on?
Anon
Steel Lady Nanase is real!
Anonymous
Anon
There's no logical explanation other than that it was really a ghost.
Anonymous
Nameless
Let's hear them out a little longer.
Anonymous
I'm sure there are some people here who don't believe in ghosts.
And then the killer contacted Detective Terada.
What's up?
Terada-san!
I was just attacked by Steel Lady Nanase!
They ran off,
but they dropped their weapon and bow.
There are also some footprints left here, so I'd like you to come.
I'm not sure of everything yet, so I'd prefer if you came alone.
That's likely all it took
for Detective Terada to rush over there on his own.
And the place he was called to ended up being the scene of the crime,
the abandoned gas station.
If he was called like that,
Terada-san might've really gone to an abandoned gas station alone, but...
Before Detective Terada showed up,
the killer rigged a few things at the abandoned gas station.
They hung a huge pendulum from the roof,
attached a rope to the hook on the roof,
and tied a weight at the bottom.
The weight had to be heavy enough
that it could crack someone's head open with one swing.
And it needed to swing at
Detective Terada's height, which the killer had researched previously.
Once they had all that done,
the killer would keep the rope extended,
take the end of the pendulum that had the weight on it,
and set the weight on the other hook set up on the roof.
But this hook could be undone at any time by remote control.
Once that hook was undone...
the weight would come flying down at incredible speed.
This is so much work just to kill one person.
The killer would have Detective Terada stand in the spot
they had previously chosen.
It's not that difficult.
The killer was holding something of interest to Detective Terada.
If they waited with that in hand at the abandoned gas station,
Detective Terada would stop his car near the killer.
Here's the bow that she dropped.
And there are still footprints over there.
It's a bit dark, so I'll go on ahead
and turn on some lights so that you don't trip.
Please wait here.
Sure.
That's probably all it took to get Detective Terada to stand there.
At that moment, the killer undid the hook holding the weight by remote control.
The weight being held by the rope would act as a pendulum,
swing across the dark, abandoned gas station,
and split open Detective Terada's head
in a single blow, since he was standing in its path.
There were no homes near the scene, and cars rarely drove by,
so no one would've spotted the rigged pendulum easily.
Detective Terada wouldn't see the pendulum set up to kill him
until it was too late.
I see... This explains that mystery.
This is how a strong and outstanding detective
was killed so easily without a struggle.
There was no way he could predict that
he'd suddenly be attacked by a pendulum,
so he'd defenselessly get his head cracked open.
After murdering Detective Terada, the killer puts the setup away.
They remove any trace of them ever being there and then flee the scene.
All that's left after that is to burn the costume they used
as Steel Lady Nanase, along with the pendulum rig.
But the scene is right next to the expressway.
Nameless
There's no telling when a car would pass by.
Wouldn't that make this whole convoluted setup for a murder kind of risky?
The killer had researched traffic in that area
and knew that very few cars pass by during the chosen time period.
They experimented with the pendulum
to determine where Detective Terada should stand
and researched everything months prior to ensure this setup would work.
The detective died after being struck in the face.
Anon
Even if it was dark and hard to see,
would the killer really go to the trouble of rigging a pendulum
that would hit him in the face?
Anon
If they were going to set this up, wouldn't they have the detective stand
Anonymous
where the weight would strike him from behind?
If it was coming from the front,
he might see it and try to dodge or guard his face with his hands.
Anon
Precisely. The killer's pendulum setup
was originally rigged so that the weight would strike the detective
from behind, so he wouldn't see it.
But Detective Terada noticed that something seemed to be coming toward him.
He may have been unarmed, but he was an outstanding detective.
He might've sensed the killer trying to kill him.
He might have even heard the hook being released.
That's why he instinctively turned that way.
But the weight was coming at high speed,
and it was dark. It was too late for him to dodge or guard his face.
That's why Detective Terada died by getting smacked in the face by the weapon.
You come up with these things so fast.
Anon
So was the blow to his face accidental, or was it what the killer wanted?
It's hard to be certain one way or another.
For the killer to intentionally have Detective Terada hit in the face,
after dropping the weight with the remote,
Look!
they draw his attention toward something.
If the killer looked in a certain direction,
there's a good chance that Detective Terada would do the same and look that way.
Anonymous
Wouldn't that method involve some risks?
Yes. In this case, there's a possibility
that Detective Terada's head would move away from the path of the weight.
That's one con, but the victim dying with a blow to the face is a pro.
It's hard to say which the killer chose.
What can be said is that the end result was indeed what the killer wanted.
Anonymous
All right, I understand the trick.
Anonymous
But you haven't explained one very important thing.
That's right.
Why did the killer bother going to all that trouble?
Not to mention, using the urban legend of Steel Lady Nanase itself
as a cover for murder is also a hassle.
Even if the detective was outstanding, they could've tried to poison him.
Rather than preparing Steel Lady Nanase's costume and a pendulum,
it's far easier to just obtain poison.
That's a good point. Why would they bother using that trick?
This lie isn't very persuasive.
The reason the killer went to so much trouble
is that if Detective Terada was killed,
they wanted to distance themselves from the investigation as much as possible.
If an able-bodied detective was killed out in the open
by being struck in the face,
the proposed description of the suspect would probably be very biased.
If they couldn't figure out the trick,
they'd suspect a male who had equal or more physical strength than Detective Terada,
and who was probably an acquaintance of his.
Meaning the killer is the exact opposite of this description.
They are weaker than Detective Terada
and could not hit him with that much force.
Someone it would seem unnatural for him
to be alone with in the middle of the night.
If they had killed him with poison,
it would seem like an obvious method for them to use to kill him.
Which means...
the killer is a woman!
The Committee to Conquer Steel Lady Nanase
If the killer was a woman,
it would seem unlikely that she'd be
meeting a man in the middle of the night in such a secluded area
unless they were dating.
It also seems unlikely that
she'd be strong enough to kill him by smacking him in the face before he could retaliate.
Detective Terada was an acclaimed judo athlete.
There's no way he'd be easily killed by a woman.
Yeah.
That would allow the killer to escape the investigation.
I knew it.
That's why they created a ghost like Steel Lady Nanase!
Why did the killer need Steel Lady Nanase,
and why did they use such a specific way of killing him?
This should explain that.
If we can figure out why they used
that setup for the murder and created the Steel Lady Nanase incidents,
that will help us narrow down the possible suspects.
The killer was able to find out Detective Terada's height.
The killer was able to summon Detective Terada in the
middle of the night without it seeming suspicious.
The killer was able to predict that Detective Terada would make a move
if he noticed something strange going on in the city.
Our killer is someone who fits all these descriptions.
The killer...
is a female police officer stationed at the same department as Detective Terada!
If they work at the same department,
it'd be easy to find out the victim's height,
as well as where his head would be in relation to, say, a door.
If they worked in the same department,
they'd know Detective Terada's reputation, as well.
If they're a police officer,
after supposedly being attacked by a suspect,
they'd know how to properly preserve evidence,
and no one would suspect anything if they contacted
a detective they could rely on.
The description of the killer that comes from all these factors
can only be a female police officer.
We'll just have to imagine her motive, though.
Perhaps the victim was pursuing the killer romantically,
and she was troubled by that.
If we were to consider the trouble to set everything up, as well as the fact
that she went so far as to kill him,
the motive could have come from an obsessive web of emotions.
That should cover everything for my first claim.
Steel Lady Nanase is not a ghost.
She was created by a female police officer
who made society believe in her existence so that she could murder Detective Terada.
In other words, she is a means to a murder.
Even without naming the killer,
she was able to convince everyone that the killer
could exist just by narrowing down the possible suspects.
By creating such a detailed description of the killer,
she basically narrowed down who they could be.
<855> Name: Anonymous 09/04 22:50 ID.Hkeoppq That seems like a valid reason <856> Name: Anonymous 09/04 22:50 ID.Dcvotrz I mean, if that's the case, that probably was the reason <857> Name: kuebiko 09/04 22:51 ID.Mmimn43 Steel Lady Nanase is not a ghost She was created by a female police officer who made society believe in her existence so that she could murder Detective Terada In other words, she is a means to a murder. <858> Name: Anonymous 09/04 22:51 Id.nipary For real? <859> Name: Anonymous 09/04 22:51 ID.ukojmlw I'd say it's pretty like that it is a woman <860> Name: Anonymous 09/04 22:51 ID.utkzn I totally thought it was a guy since the detective's face was crushed I guess I overlooked that possibility
And just like that, the flow of the forum completely changed.
Kuro-kun must be working to find a future
where everyone supports Iwanaga-san's solution.
Wait a minute!
That suspect is basically me!
Oh, so you noticed.
Did you think I wouldn't?!
A female officer who worked at the same
police department, and someone Terada-san had feelings for...
Even the chief could figure that out in one guess!
You'll just have to bear with me.
I can't just frame a random female police officer.
Besides, this solution won't hold for much longer.
Huh?
I don't agree.
I have to question if a lone female killer
could've set up the pendulum trick by herself on the gas station roof.
Would it really be safe to make up an urban legend big enough
to cause trouble in the city and make Detective Terada take action?
Yeah, I don't see the pendulum thing happening.
Wait, why did the flow change again?
I know the solution's not that realistic,
but it's odd that they'd change their minds again so quickly.
Didn't the flow just change because of Kuro-kun's ability?
Iwanaga-san,
the one who's trying to give Steel Lady Nanase a form is Rikka-san, right?
Yes.
And she has the same ability as Kuro-kun
that allows her to choose the future, right?
Yes. Just as I explained earlier.
That means Rikka-san can also force the future she wants.
Yes. And that's exactly why the tides turned so quickly again.
The idea that this is all caused by a ghost is a popular view.
All she had to do was point out a few flaws in our solution,
then die once, and she could easily shift the flow back in her favor.
It's very possible that a number
of the posts are being written by Rikka-san herself.
Ri...
This site itself has many people reading and posting at the same time,
but the server isn't going down, and we haven't really run into any trolls.
That's not exactly normal, is it?
So Rikka-san is probably choosing the future with the fewest problems
and maintaining the site.
She may not be censoring the posts,
but she clearly has an advantage.
Rikka-san also surpasses the laws of nature.
That means the way to solve this hasn't changed at all.
In fact, because Rikka-san got a head start
and had everyone believe that a ghost named Steel Lady Nanase exists,
we're at a disadvantage.
This assembly is unique.
The truth never existed here.
All that's here is fiction.
Both Rikka-san and I know that Steel Lady Nanase didn't exist before.
But she is still trying to give that fiction a form.
Meanwhile, Kuro-senpai and I are trying to get everyone to
believe the fiction that Steel Lady Nanase doesn't exist.
In other words, this is a committee of dueling fictions.
I will win.
I've only used one solution out of four that I have so far.
All I need is for part of the assembly to believe it.
Part of it...
I see.
The Internet is just a swirling mass of different views and values.
It's not easy for everyone to believe in a single truth.
In that case, you need a variety of truths to match the variety of views.
We couldn't completely turn around everyone's belief in Steel Lady Nanase
with the pendulum solution,
but at least a few of them should have some doubt now.
She's going to repeat this process three more times...
to try to chip away at Steel Lady Nanase's support.
Even if she doesn't gain the majority with one theory,
she just has to make them believe that Rikka-san's proposed bill
is not worth voting for.
That's why this strategy has a chance.
This girl is unbelievable.
She's using every bit of her knowledge to wield a blade in one hand
while injecting poison with the other.
To think that someone who's decided to use lies
as her weapon could be so diabolical...
No. Steel Lady Nanase is a real ghost.
Nameless
I saw her with my own eyes!
She appeared in front of my car out of nowhere!
This happened five days ago.
She appeared like smoke, went berserk, and started swinging a steel beam at me!
That was definitely a vengeful spirit.
Nameless
I could've been killed like that detective!
I'm going to win.
All right,
let's commence solution number two!
To Be Continued
Preview
We deploy the second and third solutions to defeat Steel Lady Nanase.
However, Sakuragawa Rikka stands in our way.
Will we be able to vanquish the ghost?
Next time, "Dueling Fictions."