Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Feed Back (Revised)

"—I think the first one to be killed should be 'Bobby'." "I" (=I) said while looking blankly at the "4" on the ceiling. "Of course, I mean Bobby's body." "Why do you think so?" "Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline) put a pillow on her crossed legs, and supported her face on the pillow; her long golden-gray hair was scattered on the bed sheet like the back of a coat. It is still bright outside the reversed "4" window, the sun seems to have been adjusted, it is neither too hot nor too weak, it is warm and pleasant, as if inviting people to take a leisurely sunbathing on the beach.Such an atmosphere makes it hard to believe that there are four miserable corpses lying on the same piece of land.

"Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline) is likely to be the same as "I" (=I), and be annoyed by this unrealistic emotion!This piece of land without high walls and barbed wire is an excellent resort, but murder cases fly from outside the sky, just like God's tricks; how to reconcile emotion and reason to accept such an unrealistic state of incompatibility? We left the bodies of the four people where they were and returned to room "4".Although we didn't tell each other clearly, our footsteps naturally moved towards this place; maybe it's because today started here, and it feels more homely than other rooms!

We took turns in the shower, washed off the blood, and briefly bandaged the wound; after that, "Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline) did not speak for a while, as if worried that if she spoke, it would trigger a "masquerade ball". After finally returning to my original self, if I can stay in my body forever... "I" (=I) who has the same desire can actually feel her thoughts, as if "entering" her body and Common sense with her. "……for you……" Moments later, "Jia Guilin" (= Jia Guilin) ​​murmured like this, feeling a little out of breath. She wandered on the carpet, staring at "I" (=me) lying on the bed.That being said, I haven't seen her in her previous pair of round glasses since moving into the facility; what happened to those glasses?Was it confiscated by Dave along with other belongings?

Seeing her, however, seemed inconsequential, perhaps a decorative spectacles—I wondered vaguely about these insignificant matters. "...For you," "Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline) looked at me kneeling on the bed, and said again: "Is this matter irrelevant?" In my opinion, what she really wants to say is "stop occupying my body"!But she also understood that this unreasonable request was just to blame others, so she reluctantly changed the topic. "What's the matter?" "Everyone was killed." "How could it be irrelevant?"

"Oh, is it? Then tell me, who was the murderer? What was the motive? Who else died as whom?" "Mr. Wilson and the others will come the day after tomorrow. I think they will find out the truth." "They don't care so much! For them, this incident has saved them trouble." "Save me the trouble?" "Isn't it? The state secrets, which are a confidant to them, are automatically dead. In this way, they don't need to spend more money, and they can worry less about secret leaks; if you and I go to the west quickly, It couldn't be better—they must be so secretly delighted!"

"You think they won't investigate the case?" "What is there to investigate? To the uninvolved, there is no longer any mystery in this case; in a sense, it has been solved. At least from the point of view of the 'body', the murderer is 'Harney', which is Unmistakable; whoever finally entered 'him' killed the other three." "Then it's over? They are the ones who will deal with the aftermath. If they want to judge like this, there is nothing they can do! How can we intervene?" "I'm so surprised!" Her thin lips curled up in a smile reminiscent of a hunter watching prey fall into a trap. "You actually said that? It didn't come from someone else, but from you?"

"Is my level of rationality enough to surprise you?" "What are the four dead to you?" "I don't understand your question. If it's about relationship, we all met by chance. We just happened to meet at 'Fresh Chicken House'." "In your life series, the people you meet by chance are only supporting roles after all?" "supporting role……" I feel like I'm stepping into a trap. "If you want to choose this way of describing, I can only be sure; just like I am just a supporting role in your life." "Don't divert the focus of the problem."

"I'm not shifting the focus. If you're trying to catch my tongue in this discussion, you'd be dead wrong. I did say that I refused to be objectified and cast as a supporting role. Maybe you'd say I'm not empathetic. , and now objectify the four of them; but I am not indifferent to their death, but it is beyond my ability to judge. You can say that my judgment is to regard them as supporting roles; but this is different from the object Absolutely different." "So, you still care about whose body they died in!" "Of course I care!" "Then think about it!"

"So I didn't say..." "I'm not asking you to make a report. It's not your job, and it's not mine. I'm not asking you to solve the case. I'm asking you to take a personal stand. Think with me about who they are. Even if it’s just by chance, after all, it’s basic respect for them, isn’t it?” "You are sophistry." "In the beginning, who was the one who showed sophistry and complained at length about being abandoned by a woman? If it were someone else, I wouldn't be so persistent; but after you talked so loudly at that time, you actually forced me to bow my head and apologize. so--"

"Bow your head and apologize?" I was taken aback because I didn't think so at all; it's called a cognitive gap. "I forced you?" "What are you talking about!" She pursed her mouth, widened her eyes, and reached out to snatch the pillow from under "me" (=me). "Since you refuted me, take the responsibility of talking big!" "It seems that you were only destined to be with men who are not good at words in the past!" "Of course!" She sat cross-legged on the bed, shaking the bed, and patted the pillow on her lap.

"How can there be such a stupid man in this world, seeing my perfect body in front of his eyes, and wasting his time talking about it?" "Isn't there one here?" "That was an exception, because I was 'Haney' at the time. Besides, it was you who occupied my body at that time!" I wanted to retort, but I couldn't think of a rebuttal for a while; but if I interrupted the words here and let the silence intervene, it would appear that I recognized her legitimacy and gave in, so I blurted out like this—— "I think the first one to be killed should be 'Bobby'. Of course, I mean Bobby's body." "Why do you think so?" "Before explaining, let's sort out the things from last night to this morning! You have been guarding your body here last night, and you didn't sleep all night, right?" "That's right!" "Jia Guilin" (= Jia Guilin) ​​was still staring at me, raised her crossed legs, and rested her sharp chin on it.The flat pillow between her knees and chin was flattened even more. "However, strictly speaking, it's not staying up all night. I can't help dozing off when it's almost dawn." "When you found out that it was transferred to 'Harney', what time was it?—you can't answer that question, because there is no clock. What time is it?" "It was already dawn at that time, and when I woke up suddenly, it had already moved." "Where was 'Haney' (= you) at that time?" "I have no idea." "have no idea?" "All I know is that it wasn't inside the house, it was out on the lawn. I thought 'Harney' was going somewhere, but I moved on to him after being up all night, so I fell asleep standing up for a while, Almost fell to the ground, only to wake up again - I think it should be the case." "And you immediately ran to room '4'?" "Yeah! Because I immediately remembered that 'my' body was alone with 'Aram'." "You have absolutely no idea where 'Haney' was standing—or walking—? Just give me an idea." "On the way here, I remember running between 'Administration Building' and '3'." "What about before house '2'? Haven't you passed by?" "Well...it seems to have happened." "That's probably near houses '1' and '2'?" "probably!" "That makes sense." "yes?" "At that time, the body of 'Haney' should have just killed the body of 'Baby'." "So, the murderer committed the crime before the transfer, and what was in Hani's body at that time—Alan?" "yes!" "Alan is the murderer?" "should be." "But what about the motive?" "The direct motive should be what you call sodomy. When 'I' (= Bobby) and 'Randy' (=I) returned to the 'Management Building', 'Haney' (=Aran) and 'Bobby' (= Hani) and the two have disappeared; at that time I thought they had gone to their respective rooms to rest, but it seems that 'Babi' (= Hani) brought 'Hani' (=Aram) back to room '1'." "Speaking of which, at that time 'Babi' (= Hani) did hold the shoulder of 'Haney' (=Alan) with ulterior motives." "I thought he was holding on to 'Hani' (=Alan) to prevent 'Hani' (=Alan) from helping you carry your body; now that I think about it, he probably had already used his brain." "So 'Hani' (=Alan) who was raped had the intention to kill 'Babi' (=Hani)?" "I think he didn't do it right away. From the passage of time, 'Haney' (=Alan) should have returned to his '6' room at one time; but when he recalled the humiliation he suffered, the hatred intensified , so he went to the 'management building' and used the Moosehead beer bottle as a murder weapon. At that time, 'I' (= Bobby) and 'Randy' (=me) had finished drinking and returned to the room, so he was It's been quite a while since the crime was committed; I think it must be near dawn!" "But in this way, I am puzzled. Leaving aside whether 'Haney' (=Alan) went back to his room first after being raped, in short, he did kill 'Baby' after quite a while (=Haney), right? In other words, he tried to calm his head. Of course, maybe he was too angry after all, so he committed the crime; but if Haney's soul is removed now, the innocent Bobby's body He will also suffer from the disaster! Such a simple truth, why didn’t he think of it? This makes me feel incredible. Did he never think that if he really wants to take revenge on Hani, he should wait for Hani to return to Hani after a week of cycle transfer Is it better to start now?" "Well……" "I" (=I) couldn't help sitting up and crossing my arms; it was exactly as she said. "Would that be the case? The behavior of 'Babi' (= Hani) was unusually lengthy, and 'Haney' (=Alan) was tossed almost all night, and he was only freed at dawn. After the release' Harney' (=Alan) immediately went to the 'management building' to get the murder weapon and turned back, hit 'Bobby' on the head with a Moosehead beer bottle, and after he lost his resistance, he poured water into the bathtub , pressed his head into the water and suffocated him." "Judging from the fact that 'Bobby' (= Hani)'s body is completely naked, this conjecture should be more correct. But ah, it's still an old question: Could it be that he doesn't have the slightest sense of reason, and never thought of killing 'Bobby' ( = Hani), will the innocent body of 'Baby' suffer a catastrophe?" "Well... that's right! Besides..." At first, the "I" (=I) who was just speculating casually in order to deal with "Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline) gradually began to think seriously. "Actually, later...that is, after the transfer from 'Haney' to 'I', Alan also killed the body of 'Randy' where Bobby's personality resides." "That is to say, is it doubtful whether the murder was caused by rape?" "That's all I can think of. However, for other motives—" Only the death of Ayako Kubota remained—I was about to say this, but stopped; because I suddenly thought of a simple fact. If... this is the motive, sodomy and Kubota Ayako's death will become irrelevant; this is the ultimate motive that is both simple and clear, and must kill everyone.Although I thought about it, I didn't have the courage to say it, so I finally changed my mind and said: "Leaving aside motives for the time being, let's reorganize what happened from the beginning! First, it is an indisputable fact that 'Hani' (=Aram) killed 'Babi' (=Hani); since this morning you have become' Hani', blood stains, wet hands and pajamas can be easily surmised. This morning, shortly before the first transfer took place, 'Hani' (=Aram) killed 'Baby' (= Harney). Then—” "Then, when I moved on to 'Harney', 'Harney' was actually going to kill 'Randy', right?" "Strictly speaking, there is a slight error." "What is wrong?" "'Harney' (=Alan) must have gone back to the 'Administrative Building' first, to get the other murder weapon; for the Moosehead beer bottle was already broken when he struck 'Bobby' (=Harney) on the head Shattered, he needs other weapons. However, after he gets the murder weapon, he should not go to room '3' where 'Randy' is, but to room '2' where 'I' is," "You mean...he plans to kill 'you' as well?" "Although it's my imagination, it should be. I think, at that time, he locked on 'me' (= Bobby) first." "But why?" "Didn't I say that? The motivation will be discussed at the end. In short, he went towards the '2' room, but there was a transfer; Alan who was originally in the body of 'Haney' should be transferred to 'Baby'." , but Bobby's body was already dead, so he stepped over the 'vacancy' and transferred to 'I'. Although I don't know if 'I' was awake at that time, in short, 'I' (=Alan) quickly Woke up, came to the 'administrative building' again, and used the champagne bottle as a murder weapon." "So he suddenly changed his target from 'you' to 'Randy' next door?" "That's right. Then he killed 'Randy' (=Bobby), and when we were moving Alan's body, we saw 'I' (=Alan) going towards room '3' with a champagne bottle, which There's no doubt about it." "What happened to him after that? He didn't intend to kill all the '4', '5', and '6' people in sequence, did he?" "From the perspective of subsequent developments, that's exactly the case. However, he should have planned to skip '5'." "why?" "Because the one in room '5' is himself—that is, the body of 'Alan'!" "Oh, that's how it is. Huh? But..." "Jia Guilin" (=Jia Guilin) ​​hugged the pillow tightly, and made a loud puffing sound. "Have I been getting this wrong? Which house are we moving 'Aran' (=Randy) to?" "House '6'. Because you skipped room '5' without hesitation, I thought it was strange! Surely you made a mistake?" "Hey, so it means..." "Jia Guilin" (= Jia Guilin) ​​still hugged the pillow tightly, showing a guilty expression.This is the first time I've seen her so dejected and revealing her guilt. "Could it be that the reason 'you' (=Alan) killed 'Alan' (=Randy) was..." "That's probably why he mistook it for 'Haney' (=you). When we moved 'Aran' (=Randy), didn't we wrap him in a blanket like a weed bug? His face Blocked by the blanket, I couldn't see it, so 'I' (= Alan) didn't realize that I had mistaken the wrong person, and hit him hard on the head, killing my own body that should be kept for recovery." "He didn't notice at all that he was mistaken?" "I think that after the next transfer happened, he immediately realized his mistake. After 'me', Alan's next transfer target was 'Randy'; but at this time 'Randy' was dead, and Alan Naturally transferred to 'you'. On the other hand, I was supposed to be transferred to 'Alan', but he died, so I transferred to 'Haney'." "And I naturally jumped over the empty space of 'Bobby' and entered the body of 'You'." "That's right. When 'Jacqueline' (=Alan) saw 'Haney' appearing in front of her eyes, she realized her mistake. And when he looked out of the window, he saw 'I' with his upper body just now coming from '6 ’ came out of No. 1, with the weapon in hand; so he thought he’d have to do it quickly.” "Because from 'you' (=me), the murder of 'Alan' will soon be revealed." "Yes, this means that sooner or later there will be a big commotion, and the bodies of 'Bobby' and 'Randy' will be discovered. So he was anxious to kill everyone before the incident happened, and that's why the big scuffle happened." "However, we exchanged frequently in that scuffle, but he didn't care about anything, and he didn't stop attacking—" "He didn't care at all which body he would end up in after killing us; because he killed his body by mistake, he couldn't go back even if he wanted to. So he went all out, and it's the same for anyone left anyway, just treat it as Play roulette and kill those two people—that is, you and me—in whichever body you are in, live in that body.” "That's it. I probably understand the ins and outs, but what is the motive? Why did Alan want to kill us all? Before this happened, we didn't know each other at all!" "There is no other possibility, it should be related to Kubota Ayako's death." "But," "I" (=I) was looking up at the ceiling, and was about to fall down and lie down; seeing this, "Jiaguilin" (=Jiaguilin) ​​lightly tapped my face with a pillow. "Did she die in an accident? Obviously, I have already reached this conclusion..." "But Alan doesn't think so. In fact, not only Alan, but others don't think she died in an accident. Bobby said that last night—" After Bobby fled into the "Second City", I briefly explained what happened when she saw a figure suspected of being "Jacqueline" climb up the stairs; perhaps because she was witnessing her own body, her expression seemed very complicated. "So, Randy..." "Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline) hugged the pillow to her chest and put it under her chin, lying on the bed with a worried face. "That is to say, Randy who had entered my body at that time—of course he didn't know it—went back to the first floor and killed Ayako?" "I don't know, this is just Bobby's assumption." "However, if the figure suspected of me has really returned to the first floor, that's the only possibility, isn't it? There must be a reason for deliberately taking such dangerous actions when evacuating from an earthquake—of course, This is premised on the premise that Babi's eyewitness testimony is fully believed." "It's useless to discuss whether 'you' (=Randy) really killed Ayako; because everyone is dead, it can no longer be confirmed. The problem is what Alan thinks, he believes that Ayako died by accident, still--" "Of course..." "Jia Guilin" (=Jia Guilin) ​​propped up her upper body with one arm and stared at me. "Of course I don't believe it! If I believe it, how can I commit a crime?" "……yes!" I turned out of the window, looking away from "Jacqueline" (=Jacqueline); I felt reproached. "Alan thinks that the murderer of Ayako is among us." "Who does he think is the murderer?" "I think he still can't be sure in the end, so he chose the most convenient method and killed us all." "If you don't know who—" "Jia Guilin" (=Jia Guilin) ​​sighed displeasedly, turned over rudely and lay on her back, shaking the bed, and then thumped out of the bed. "Just kill everyone to achieve the goal? Is anyone so simple-minded?" "In fact, we were almost killed!" "That's what it says..." To be killed for such a random motive, that's fine! "Jia Guilin" (= Jia Guilin) ​​seemed to be indignant about this, and flicked her long golden-gray hair again and again impetuously. "However, it is still very strange to say this. Alan is also very clear that we all met by chance, but overturned the conclusion of accidental death under the CIA, suspecting that one of us killed Ayako; this means—" "Jia Guilin" (= Jia Guilin) ​​impetuously propped up her upper body again, posing in a posture of praying to the sky, her eyes wandering in mid-air. "This means that he has some kind of strong grounds, right? Let him make up his mind and say: 'Since the murderer cannot be determined, just put everyone to death!'" "Well……" "What is it? What is the basis?" "Jia Guilin" (= Jia Guilin) ​​keenly sensed my hesitation, and shook my chest to urge. "Ah... sorry." In fact, I didn't feel any pain, but she hurriedly withdrew her hands; I don't know where she learned it, and after making a silent apology with her hands clasped together, she urged her again. "Have you thought of anything? If you think of it, tell me all about it!" Although there is still a little confusion, "I" (=I) still tells the story that Ayako Kubota insulted and slandered the shoppers in the "Fresh Chicken House", and that Alan did not discourage her after hearing the words. "—Hmm... so this kind of thing happened!" "Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline) hugged the pillow like a baby, rubbing her chin in confusion. "Her personality is amazing! But, it's all in Japanese, right?" "Of course! If you say it in English, long before the earthquake, the two of them would have been covered with cloth bags, beaten and kicked out of the shop!" "And did she criticize the British?" Perhaps "she" (=she) was just trying to play tricks and defuse the tension, but it didn't work out. "Not against the British in general, but against me." "I didn't hear that." "But, it's two different things, isn't it?" "Jacqueline" (=Jacqueline) seemed to judge that this was gossip that would not help solve the case, and shrugged discouragedly. "Has nothing to do with the case. Because, except you and Alan, none of us understand Japanese at all—" "No……" In fact, at this time, I tend to agree with "her" (= her), but continue to sing against her inexplicably; I don't understand why I have this mentality. "I thought so too, but there is actually one person who understands." "Who?" "Baby." "Huh?" She made a shrill voice she had never heard before, and looked straight into my face again, almost making a hole. "What did you say?" "Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline) seemed genuinely unbelievable; perhaps she was reminded of Bobby accosting herself in "Fresh Chicken House"! "What are you kidding? Don't say it's super difficult Japanese, I don't think that kid can even understand the ancient Bible." "But he really understands. I heard that there is an acquaintance who is very fond of cartoons. He learned a few words after being influenced by his ears and eyes." "Cartoon?" "Jacqueline" (=Jacqueline) frowned with displeasure on her face. "The so-called Japanese cartoons, shouldn't they be those like 'Science Peter Pan' and 'Space Battleship Yamato'?" "You really know! Are you also a cartoon fan?" "Stop making trouble!" She hugged her raised knees and turned her face away as if in a temper. "I hate Japanese cartoons the most. The ratings are several times higher than that of the series where I acted as a passer-by. Just thinking about it makes me angry!" "That's amazing! Anyway, it's a fact that Bobby knows Japanese, even if he can only speak a few words; I confirmed it with my own ears last night." "But, does Alan know that Bobby can understand a little Japanese?" "I don't know. As far as I know, Bobby shouldn't have the opportunity to show this ability in front of Alan. It's just—" "only?" "Didn't everyone gather in the 'Management Building' yesterday morning to listen to Dr. Ecklow's explanation? At that time, I was taken to the lounge at the end. I didn't hear what everyone talked about before..." "At that time, I—that is, 'Aram'—was brought into the saloon first; I don't remember who came in after that in what order. After all, I woke up and found myself a man, completely fucked. I don't know the situation, it's extremely confusing; to be honest, I didn't have time to think about anything other than myself at the time. Now I can barely figure out that 'I' (=Randy) should not be the last to arrive. However, in your case...that is,' Before Randy' came in, let alone Bobby, no one had a chance to show any weird foreign language abilities." "What about 'Hani' (= Alan)?" "I remember that he didn't say anything, the first sentence he spoke was to ask you to translate for him." "Really? So..." It seems that I was wrong-this matter involves the ugly side of Japanese compatriots, so I am really relieved when I think about it. "Probably I guessed wrong." "I don't think it has anything to do with it. It's true that Alan didn't know anyone else could speak Japanese besides you; so he couldn't possibly think that Ayako was killed for criticizing the customers of 'Fresh Chicken House'. If Alan really believed that Ayako died of homicide, there must be other reasons." "Yeah! That's all I can think of." "However, on the other hand, if the evidence that makes Alan so convinced does exist, doesn't it mean that Ayako was really killed by one of the six of us—no, five of us?" "Yeah..." Although he didn't want to admit it, this sentence did make sense. "Indeed." "Since this is the case, we should also discuss who killed Ayako and his motives." "I" (=I) couldn't help but nodded.I have an incomprehensible feeling about myself who is contrary to her attitude and frankly agrees with "Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline); however, I do agree with her statement from the bottom of my heart. "However, Dave and the others denied this possibility, saying that none of us had the motive to kill Ayako. Of course, even the famous CIA will inevitably have secrets and omissions; So if the convincing method is denied, what is the basis for Alan’s obsession with Ayako’s suicide theory? No, it’s time to ask if such a basis really exists...Ah!” Suddenly, a ridiculously simple truth flashed through my mind; I jumped out of bed. "Wait, could it be..." "What? What's wrong?" "Could it be that Alan saw it too? He saw with his own eyes what Bobby saw." "That scene... is the figure suspected of 'me' climbing the stairs and returning to the 'Fresh Chicken House'?" "That's right. But although Alan saw the figure, he didn't know who it was. If he clearly knew that the figure was 'you' (=Randy), he just had to kill Randy." "In other words, is that the case?" "Jacqueline" (=Jacqueline) seems to think this is a strong statement, and she nods a little more enthusiastically. "When Alan took refuge underground, he saw a strange figure climbing up to the first floor alone; of course, he didn't understand the meaning at that time, until he heard that Ayako died in the shop with strangle marks on his neck afterwards, so he realized that someone was trying to kill her." "Actually, Alan did judge that she was killed. Although the strangle marks on her neck were not fatal, after all, Ayako was unconscious and lost the opportunity to take refuge underground, so he thought it was an out-and-out murder. But it's sad. Unfortunately, all he saw was the Taoist figure, and he couldn't tell who killed Ayako." "So he's going to kill everyone? But wait a minute! If Aran is based on this and judges Ayako's death as a homicide, then he just needs to kill the people who were in the 'open area' at the time? There's no need to attack you Or Bobby!" "No, it's necessary. Because he saw the figure after the 'separation wall' happened, and the personality transfer had already been established at that time." "Ah...that's it! In other words..." "That's right. By transferring to 'Randy', I had already moved to the 'open zone'." "However, it is impossible for people in the 'closed area' to commit crimes? Alan should also be very aware of this truth—if your translation is correct." "Of course it's correct..." Although the eyes of "Jia Guilin" (=Jia Guilin) ​​did not show any doubts, but under the unblinking gaze of those emerald green eyes, I actually felt a little afraid. "Maybe!" "Since this is the case, Alan should also know that there is no need to kill 'Babi' (= Hani) and 'you' (= Baby) who are in the 'closed area', right? Then why—" "No, I think it should be..." Finally, the hypothesis had to be formulated.When I think about this, I feel great fear; however, now, the arrow is on the string, and I have to do it. "—there are other motives." "Another motive? What do you mean?" "In order to avenge Ayako, Alan decided to kill everyone in the 'open area' except himself; however, he had to kill so many people anyway, so he decided to take care of the remaining two as well." "Why so extreme? Ah! Could it be—" "Jia Guilin" (=Jia Guilin) ​​seems to be annoyed at having such an unpleasant imagining, frowning, while nodding in embarrassment. "Because it's troublesome?" "what?" The appearance of unexpected words made "I" (=I) stunned. "You... what did you say?" "I said, because he finds it troublesome! Everyone's personality has been transferred to other bodies, and the most suspected 'open zone' group includes Randy, you and me in addition to their own personalities. Of course he I know that to execute these three people, it would be better to wait until after a week of circulation and when everyone has returned to their own bodies, but there is a problem, that is, the CIA will come to pick us up on the 26th. By then , we will be sent to a place other than this facility; although we don’t know where we will be sent, maybe it will not be the same as now, not only the six of us will be alone, but also someone will watch. Simply put, maybe we will be changed to a place where we cannot In this case, the only way to attack is now, and he must avenge Ayako before the twenty-sixth day. But he faces another problem: before the twenty-sixth day, everyone may not have the opportunity to return to his own body The occurrence cycle of the 'masquerade party' cannot be predicted, maybe it will take until next year to cycle for a week, and I can't wait that long; so, even if it turns out to be an unspecified murder, I have to turn a blind eye and close one eye—this is His motives?" No, it’s not—I wanted to answer like this, but when I changed my mind, I felt that her explanation was not impossible; I began to think that what she said was the truth. "So that's how it is..." "Huh? So, your motives are different?" "No, it's actually about the same..." In haste, "I" (=I) played sloppy.yes!Why bother voicing my terrible assumptions if the truth is nothing like what I think it is? "It's just that I didn't think of the reasoning." "Assuming that Yalan's motives and ins and outs of committing the crime are the same, then the next question is who killed Ayako." "Since Bobby said that, of course it is 'you' (=Randy)! There is no other possibility." "But is Bobby's testimony credible?" "I don't think there's any reason to doubt it. Whether there was a motive or not, Bobby has an impregnable alibi for Ayako's murder; so I think his testimony should be extremely credible!" "Yeah! Besides, if it wasn't Randy, it was you or me." "In my opinion, you will not be the murderer of Ayako Kubota." "Oh, is it?" She lay on the bed sheet and held her cheek, with a bold smile on her face, looking at me with hanging eyes. "Unfortunately, I think you might be the murderer." "Then I'd like to hear your reasons." "It's very simple, because you are Japanese, and so is Ayako; of course you know this from her conversation with Alan. It just so happens that you have just been severely betrayed by your fiancée, and you are full of hostility and hatred for all women; at this moment , Ayako appeared, and you can't allow her to worship foreigners as a Japanese woman. Normally, you would be unhappy at best; but now that there is an opportunity of an earthquake, your depression will explode." "Are you serious?" "Of course it is true! I am very serious. If there is no testimony of Bobby, I must think that you are the most suspicious one. No, thinking about it carefully, I did not hear the key testimony of Bobby. No one else has heard of it; maybe the testimony doesn't really exist and you just made it up." It is indeed as she said... From the standpoint of "Jacqueline" (=Jacqueline), she would certainly have doubts.Although "I" (=I) knew better than anyone that I was not the murderer, this objection was useless; I thought for a while trying to figure out how to prove my innocence. "If say..." After thinking over and over again, I decided to attack from other directions. "If Randy is the murderer, what do you think his motive is?" "If it's not aimed at Ayako personally, it's hostility towards all Japanese! That's the only possibility. Of course, like your situation, I'm usually unhappy at most, but with the opportunity of the earthquake to take advantage of the chaos, it explodes instantly gone." "I always feel that something is wrong!" I suddenly felt a sense of anxiety, got out of bed and paced back and forth on the carpet. "It seems... I seem to have forgotten something." "What did you forget?" "I'm thinking, it seems to have something to do with the motive." "You mean, the reason for killing Ayako?" "Yes, I think that reason is the biggest crux of the case. Listen, Jacqueline. As you said, whether it was me or Randy, the motives were very shallow and ambiguous. I mean to all women , and Randy has latent hostility towards all Japanese, and this hostility erupts instantly under extreme circumstances; I understand this truth, and I don’t think it’s impossible. But—” "but what?" “我总觉得不对劲。你想想，就算是极限处境，这次的情况可是地震啊！要是不及早避难，搞不好自己会死；这种时候，哪有工夫去趁乱一泄夙怨？更何况这次的情形，是一度平安避难至地下后，又不顾建筑物崩塌的危险，回到店里。” "yes!" “再怎么想都不合理吧！” “但是，实际上就是有人做了这种不合理的事啊！” “对，这我懂。不过，还有一个地方说不通。” “说不通？怎么个不通法？” “倘若CIA的调查结果正确无误，那我们之中并没有人对窪田绫子怀有私怨；所以，假如真是杀人案，动机就只有你刚才所说的'在极限处境中瞬间爆发'。不过，会犯下这个案子，应该还有另一个推力才是；换句话说，就是让凶手甘冒被活埋的危险，回到店里趁机杀她的原因。以这个案子而言，一定有另一个具体的因素，强力地推动了凶手对窪田绫子的杀意。” “你的意思我非常明白了，但另一个因素会是什么？” “我不太想这么说，但应该还是……” 我停止来回踱步，朝床缘坐下，不自觉地背对“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）。 “她说的那些话吧！” “对巴比、蓝迪和哈尼的中伤？你认为他们三人之中，其实有人听懂了？” “毕竟只有这个可能了啊！那时候我还暗自松了口气，想着幸好店里没有其他人懂日文；但说不定其实那三人之中有人听懂了她的大肆批评，而且怒火中烧呢！” “不过，其中的巴比和哈尼在'封闭区'里，被'隔离墙'挡住了，有不在场证明。” “巴比另当别论，但哈尼可不一定。假如他逃进'第二都市'前就已犯案的话——” “慢着，你这么说，刚才的前提不就全不成立了？我们刚才研究出来的结论明明是'亚兰断定绫子死于他杀的根据，就是目睹了爬上楼梯的人影'，对吧？” “啊！对……对喔！” “所以啊！我们必须以'凶手是在人格转移完毕后犯案'为前提，进行剩下的推测，不然目前的假设会变得前后不通。” “原来如此。”“我”（＝我）毫无反驳余地，只得高举白旗。“你说得没错，抱歉。” “总而言之，既然巴比和哈尼有不在场证明，结论便是蓝迪才是凶手——当然，前提是凶手不是你。” "yes!" “这么说来，或许蓝迪懂得日文呢！仔细一想，这个假设倒也没那么异想天开，而是有可能的；因为他自己也说过，曾在日本证券公司的美国分公司工作啊！” “这么一提……” “当然，大半的业务应该是以英文进行的，但他多少有接触日文的机会吧！所以蓝迪虽然装作不知情，其实是知道绫子中伤他的。” 这大致说得通，从逻辑上来想，真相似乎只有这种可能。 然而，“我”（＝我）却怎么也无法释怀；一方面是无法拭去“似乎忘了某个重大环节”的感觉，更重要的是，我有个相当基本的疑问——假如蓝迪在“鲜鸡屋”时已听懂了窪田绫子和亚兰的对话内容，他应该会当场发飙吧？蓝迪如此奋力夸耀自己外强中干的猛男体格，要是有人胆敢取笑自己，怎可能连句怨言也不说？ 蓝迪不是真正的凶手……老实说，我强烈地如此认为。他在证券公司上班时，或许真的学会了几句日文；但他所学到的知识，应该还不足以让他理解窪田绫子及亚兰的对话内容吧？不，即使蓝迪的日文听力水准相当高，他那时也应该完全没听见两人的对话。 因为，我认为要是蓝迪听见了，铁定会当场找那两人的碴，引发一场争执。 相较之下，若是换作巴比，由于忌惮店主伯父，即使再火光也只能容忍下来；除非对方像蓝迪一样正面挑衅，否则是不会主动引发骚动的。 就这个理由来看，巴比倒比较像是真正的凶手；不过，巴比却有不在场证明。这么说来，结论还是只能回到蓝迪身上了。 “看来……”不知何时之间，“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）已来到“我”（＝我）身边坐下；她一直观察着我的表情，宛如看穿了我的心思一般，对我耸了耸肩。“已经得到结论了吧？至少以我们的能力，没办法更进一步推论了。” “看来……是啊！” "Thanks for your hard work." “我已经负起对你夸口的责任了吗？” "probably!" “贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）轻轻地窃笑。事后回想起来，应该就是在这一瞬间——我爱上了这个名为贾桂琳·塔克的女人。 一旦察觉，便发现贾桂琳实在拥有惊人的魅力；从前究竟是什么蒙蔽了我的双眼，让我没发现如此一目了然的事实？我认真地思索了片刻，想当然耳，找不出答案。即使找到了也没有意义；既然察觉了自己的心意，往后便只能为情所困、坐立难安而已。我向来都是这样，与美由纪的那段过去亦然。 “剩下的问题，”提出这个话题时，我已充分地陷入自虐情绪。“就是接下来我们该如何过活。” “对啊！还有这个问题。本来应该是六个人一起决定的，但现在只剩我们两人了——你打算怎么办？” “你是问我的希望吗？想都不用想，我才不要过隐居生活。刚才我的确说了些违心之论，但我对尘世还是有眷恋的；可能的话，我想回日本。” “那就这么办啊！” “你说得还真轻松啊！” “我会回英国，这不就好了？虽然我们两人会偶尔互换，顶多一开始有点困惑，相信很快就能习惯的；只要你学会我的工作就行了，我也会学习你的工作。” “你有这个打算，我当然没意见；但问题是威尔逊他们会怎么说。” “我想没问题吧！之前最大的难关，是'化装舞会'发生在六人之间，绝无法瞒过世人的眼睛；但现在只剩两人了，总有办法解决的。只要设法说服他们，应该行得通。” 原来如此啊！我点了点头，同时发觉那股自虐感已从心中烟消云散，不禁吃了一惊。 过去我面对迷恋的女人时，总是变得自虐；在极尽所能地自虐之后迎向破灭，是我的典型模式。Even so— 我却发觉自己的心中产生了某种奇妙的从容感。即使我和贾桂琳分隔日本及英国两地，关系也绝不会就此断绝；这个事实让我有了精神上的余裕。我不知道这种从容是好是坏，但藉由这份从容，我有了个新发现。 这个新发现便是——我本身真的没有任何问题吗？老实说，过去我一味地将美由纪当成坏人，认为自己是她那自我陶醉用的恋爱剧本之下的配角及牺牲者。but-- But is that really the case?我和女人相处时，只懂得极尽所能地自虐化；这一点，我自己也承认了。倘若真是如此，美由纪之所以背叛我，或许不单是出于她自己的意思，而是我引导她、逼迫她，才导致这般结果。 换句话说，美由纪并非按照自己所写的剧本取消婚礼；写下剧本的其实是我，是我为了找到舞台让自己尽情扮演受害者、发挥自虐而写的—— “不过，就算总有一天会习惯……”得到我的同意后，“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）似乎安心了，舒坦地笑了起来。“还是得吃不少苦头吧！” "yes!" “尤其是做爱的时候，要是突然转移后，发现有个全裸的男人骑在你身上，你会怎么做？” “我会逃之夭夭。” “那我可伤脑筋了，事后一定会被完全误会，以为我突然发疯，或是不爱他了。到时候要怎么编造藉口向他解释？这问题可麻烦了。” “这一点我帮不上任何忙。不过，'我'（＝你）对我的女友做出相同举动时，事后得想藉口的也是我，所以互相扯平啦！” “满口谎言！” “我哪有说谎？” “你不是刚刚被甩？会有人陪你上床吗？” “这当然是包括将来啊！你也无法保证绝不会被现在的男友甩了吧？” “我当然能保证，因为史特林打算和我结婚。” “那是你男友的名字？” “对啊！他叫史特林·伍兹。” "What's the history?" “现在担任某个莎士比亚剧团的总监，不过他本人想写好莱坞出资的电影脚本。” “然后由你来主演？” “虽然老套，不过是个美梦吧？” “祝你美梦成真。” "thanks!" “我祈祷自己不会害得你的美梦破碎。” “这么一提，这倒是个问题。就算英国腔突然变成美国腔不打紧，问题是——” “不打紧？别开玩笑了。要是像刚才那样每隔几分钟就交换一次，你打算怎么办？两种腔调混在一块，连句台词都说不……” “……怎么了？”吃吃窃笑的“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）看了“我”（＝我）一眼后，微笑突然冻结了。“江利夫，你怎么了？” 好一阵子，即使被“她”（＝她）摇晃手臂，我也只能发出不成声的呻吟；虽然我并非不知自己茫然失措时的表情看来有多么愚蠢，却无可奈何。 "sky……" 黏膜紧紧黏住的喉咙，不知花了几分钟，才终于正常地吐出单字。 "Oh my God!" “你到底怎么了啊？” “贾琪！”由于太过震惊，我下意识地叫了她名字的昵称。 "what?" “我真是个白痴！” “你不必那么谦虚，从刚才的一番话，我很清楚你的脑筋好得很——” "no." “什么东西不是？” “蓝迪不是凶手，不是他。杀了窪田绫子的真凶另有其人。” “等等，我说江利夫啊！”她一脸担忧地望着我的脸。不管是为了何事，这是'贾桂琳'（＝贾桂琳）头一次对我露出关怀之情；当然，我并没闲工夫高兴。 "Are you OK?" “我一直耿耿于怀，总觉得自己忘了某件重大的事，却又不知道是什么事。” “那你现在知道了？” "should be." "What do you know?" “不在场证明。” "Alibi?" “就是巴比。我本来一直认为只有巴比拥有完整的不在场证明，但我错了，他根本没有不在场证明。” “慢着，你知道自己在说什么吗？”“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）的表情由关怀变为不可置信。“假如是巴比杀了绫子，那孩子究竟是怎么通过那面连子弹都打不穿的'隔离墙'？” “当然是穿过去的啊！” “你很怪耶，江利夫！” “这问题很简单啊！贾桂琳。巴比的确穿越了'隔离墙'，并杀了绫子。” “所以我正在问你，他是怎么穿过的？” “靠着'化装舞会'啊！” "what……?" “'化装舞会'！不懂吗？我们逃进了'第二都市'，'隔离墙'出现，人格转移成立，我们的人格各自往隔壁的身体逐一转移。” “这些事不必复习，我也很清楚。” “不过，当时人格真的只转移了一次吗？” "what?" “我们封闭在瓦砾下，究竟过了几个小时才被政府相关人士秘密救出，我不知道；不过，你要怎么确定人格转移成立后到被救出之间，'化装舞会'没二度……不，是数度发生呢？” “因为……呃……” “我们无法确定。我当时失去意识，甚至不知道有人前来救援；而保有意识的人应该连想都想不到会发生，化装舞会。这种现象。毕竟地下室那么暗，当时我们又不知道人格转移系统；即使'化装舞会'以惊人的速度一再发生，也不会有人发现自己的人格正一而再、再而三地转移到别人的身上。再说——对，再说当时又地震。” “贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）终于明白我想说什么，她似乎想接过话头，却无法以词语妥善表达，是以焦急地一再眨眼。 “眼睛已多少习惯黑暗的人，或许会察觉情况有点怪异；因为人格从某个身体转移到另一个身体时，视点便会改变，说不定会注意到自己的视野摇摇晃晃。但是他一定会这么想吧——哦！原来余震还持续着。” “那么——” 虽然“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）一度试图整理词汇，最终却只是叹了口气，撩了撩头发；她的表情表示，决定将说明交由“我”（＝我）全权负责。 “那么，真相究竟如何？” “你试着回想'第二都市'的概况图吧！（参照图B）人格转移成立后，巴比先转移到隔壁的'我'身上；然而'化装舞会'并未就此结束，继'我'之后，巴比又转移到'蓝迪'及'贾桂琳'身上，当然其他人也跟着反复转移。” "and then?" “然后巴比进入'你'的身体时，爬上楼梯回到一楼。他在黑暗中定睛环视'地下室'里的成员，发觉不见窪田绫子的身影；巴比便想道：'看来她来不及逃进来，爽'。因为她刚才在店里以失礼至极的词语肆无忌惮地批评自己及伯父的店，虽然巴比相当气愤，却为了店的体面问题，忍耐着一直没发作。” 虽然“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）无意反驳，却像是拒绝点头附和似地眯起眼睛瞪着我。 “不知是为了确认绫子生死，或是察觉她正要逃往地下；总之巴比爬上楼梯，仗着火灾的亮光找到尚未逃出店外的绫子，便以她的围巾勒住她的脖子。反正购物广场的其他店里一定也会有许多人死于这场地震，在这里死个日本女孩也不会有人疑心的。” “贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）默默地凝视着我，她的眼神仿佛正询问着我：“你敢这么说，应该有种为自己的发言负责吧？” “店里的天花板即将全面崩塌，巴比没时间置绫子于死地；然而，因此昏迷的绫子已无法自行避难，最后葬身于瓦砾之下。此时，巴比发现了某个异变；不用说，就是他自己的身体。 “肤色是白的——这点在黑暗之中还不见得看得出来，但他应该发现自己的头发异样地长，也发现了乳房；他应该相当惊愕吧！甚至认为自己在混乱之中，终于发疯了。” “贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）依旧保持沉默，将金灰色长发拿到鼻尖前把玩着；但她的视线却直盯着我，有种虚无且奇妙的压迫感。 “数天后，这个谜团总算在艾克洛博士的说明之下解开；而就说明内容及众人的说法看来，没人发现'化装舞会'其实已发生了两次以上。实际上，在我们被救出前，'化装舞会'正好发生了七次；亦即循环一周、回到原来的自己后，又往后挪了一位才暂且停住。因为我们是在这种状态下被救出的，所以艾克洛博士及CIA那帮人都完全误解了。” “那么……”她终于开口插话，让我松了口气。“那么巴比对你说的目击证词又是怎么回事？他主动说出这些证词的理由是什么？” “当然是因为他担心'化装舞会'已循环一周之事会被发现，且当时有人目睹'贾桂琳'（＝自己）爬上楼梯。” “实际上，亚兰的确目睹了。” “考虑到这两点，巴比便先采取了对策，以强调在我们被救出之前只发生过一次'化装舞会'；此外，即使发生万一——亦即众人开始怀疑窪田绫子是死于他杀之时，他也能藉此让蓝迪当代罪羔羊。” “不过，照你这番道理，哈尼也一样没有不在场证明啊！要是在'第二都市'时，'化装舞会'也像今天这样接二连三地发生的话，哈尼也可能杀害绫子；你又为何认为巴比才是真凶？” “当然是因为巴比懂日文——” “哈尼呢？威尔逊不是说过，他因为双亲是传教士的缘故，曾游走于世界各地吗？还说他现在正在经营外国留学生专用公寓。既然如此，哈尼接触日文的机会也不输给巴比啊！” "...That's right!" “我”（＝我）总是棋差一着，只能高举白旗。 “你说得对，不能断定巴比是凶手，也得考虑哈尼犯案的可能性。” “以结论来说，五个人都有犯案的可能；当然，既然无法确认当时的'化装舞会'是否如你所言般接二连三发生，自然也无法锁定凶手。” “是啊！不过……” "But what?" “不管谁是凶手，可以确定的是，他是用'你'的身体犯案的。” “前提是要相信巴比的证词吧？既然他可能是凶手，当然也可能说谎。” “不，即使巴比本人是凶手，他用的应该还是'你'的身体。考量目击者存在的可能性，'自白'时当然老实招认自己当时使用的身体较好。这么一来，就如同刚才说过的，只要大家仍陷于转移只发生过一次的错觉，就可以制造凶手是蓝迪的假象。” “贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）仍无法释怀地瞪着我；当时，我只以为她是因我主张她的身体被用来杀人而不高兴而已。 太阳下山、天色转暗后，“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）的话突然变多了。当然，之前她话也绝不算少，但现在却一个劲地自说自话，完全不给我插嘴的余地；岂止如此，她绝口不提白天的惨剧。 夜幕低垂后，躺在同一块土地上的四具尸体之存在便被异常地夸大且直逼眼前；或许“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）便是为了分散这股恐惧，才不问自答地谈起自己来。 她的父亲是个小有名气的莎士比亚剧演员，母亲是个讲师，在大学中教授诗学；她的双亲离异，自己跟着父亲，而弟弟跟着母亲；父亲因意外、弟弟因生病相继过世后，她从未与母亲见过面（她们似乎不和）；大学毕业后，曾一度就任美术馆馆员，却无法放弃明星梦，一面在旅馆或出版社打工，一路努力至今；男友史特林·伍兹与她同龄，于大学时相识，最近才开始同居；这次参加美国肥皂剧试镜若是雀屏中选，便要去见他的家人……等等。 当然，光说“她”（＝她）的身家来历，根本撑不过一晚。当“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）弹尽粮绝而困惑之际，“我”（＝我）便伸出援手，谈论起自己来。我现在的住处位于日本的琦玉县和光市；老家是卖酒的，双亲已入鬼籍，由兄嫂继承衣钵；过去有段时期，我颇为仰慕大嫂；上有一兄一姊，我是老幺；没考上日本的大学，为了面子才出国留学，本来打算混个一两年便回国找间私立教会学校就读，却又嫌麻烦，才死拖活赖地修到硕士；姊姊的婆家门路很广，才能进现在的公司工作；与美由纪的婚事泡汤时，姊姊为了我的窝囊而呼天抢地……等等。 虽然不知时刻，但日期应该早变为二十五日圣诞节了。我们在话题聊尽前便已筋疲力尽，便背对着背就寝。 听见浴室传来的水声时，我还以为是梦；然而当我翻身、看了身旁一眼后，却发现应该睡在身旁的“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）已不见踪影。月光之下，只有白色床单的皱痕隐隐浮现，犹如自空中俯瞰的沙丘一般。 怎么，去上厕所了啊……当时我只是这么想，立刻又沉沉睡去；在睡着的前一秒，我发现——床边站着一个人影，长发犹如光环似地笼罩逆着月光的轮廓；虽然看不清脸孔，但肯定是她没错。是