Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Flip Over

——May of the following year. During the continuous vacation, "I" (=me) and "Jia Guilin" (=Jia Guilin) ​​went to the United States again and came to S City, California. We are no longer "dead". Jacqueline and I became the "survivors" found in the rubble of "Fresh Chicken House".Although I don't know the specific details, Dave and others made proper arrangements for us; when we woke up, we were admitted to the S City Hospital, and my brothers and sisters who rushed from Japan, Jacqueline and I flew from England The boyfriend who came had a tear-making meeting, which was broadcast live on TV.

Where is the "facility" surrounded by high walls and barbed wire?And when and how were we sent to the hospital in S city?It seems that this will become an eternal mystery. After returning to Japan, I was chased by the media with the headline "Moving! Miraculous Survivor of California Earthquake"; Although it was not smooth sailing, my "return to society" was quite smooth; in comparison, Jacqueline was much more pitiful. In fact, Jia Guilin also came to Japan after being discharged from the S City Hospital, and did not return to England where her boyfriend was waiting for her.

This is the condition that Dave puts before our wishes come true.If we don't want to live in seclusion, we can go back to "the world"; but there is an absolute condition: the two of us must live close to each other and keep in constant contact, so that the secret does not become known to the world.I live in Japan, and Jacqueline lives in England. It is impossible to be separated from the two ends of the world; he strictly ordered the two of us to negotiate and decide which side to live on. I should have conceded and emigrated to England.After all, although I speak American English, at least communication is not a problem, but Jacqueline does not understand Japanese at all; this way, there is no room for discussion.At that time, I even made up my mind to abandon my motherland for the rest of my life.Although it is hard to be separated from family members, it is better than being deprived of household registration and becoming a "hermit".

Just when I made up my mind, Jacqueline gave in first, which surprised me; and after hearing the detailed reasons, I was surprised again.It turned out that it was because the Japanese entertainment industry was vying for invitations. The media poured into the local area and reported extensively. After the special episode of "Survival of the Miracle" was repeatedly broadcast, the heavyweights of a major studio and people related to the film seemed to have taken a fancy to Jacqueline; after all, she was originally a female star with full qualities and brilliance .Advertising exclusive contracts, serial dramas, movies, and even A-movie contracts all come in an endless stream.

Of course, Jacqueline’s ultimate goal is Hollywood; but instead of continuing to dawdle in commercials for headache medicine, it would be more beneficial for her to go to Japan for a better future—after discussing with her boyfriend Sterling Woods, she decided to come Japan. She was so enthusiastic that she even begged Dave Wilson to teach her Japanese.Dave was also worried that if Jacqueline entered "I" body without knowing Japanese at all, it would be easy to leak secrets, so he made a special case and used the CIA's special language learning program on her. Don't be surprised, Jacqueline really only took a week to learn fluent Japanese; if she covers her face and speaks, anyone who listens will be convinced that she is definitely a Japanese woman.

"That special program is used..." Even if it wasn't me, I would still want to know this secret! "What kind of training method?" "Well, this..." Jacqueline triumphantly displayed her newly learned Japanese (and it's a female language), but she just vaguely passed the question. "It's hard to explain for a while!" While she was doing special training, I was also forced to practice the British accent; after all, when I entered the body of "Jacqueline", I couldn't just speak American English!But in comparison, it's just imitating Jia Guilin's skills and becoming a little better.

After making all the preparations, we started a new life in Tokyo.My apartment is along the Tojo Line of Tobu, and Jacqueline rented a house nearby, which can be reached within a few minutes by bicycle, in case of an unexpected "masquerade party".In fact, cohabitation is the most convenient, but after all, she and I are the focus of attention now. If we do this, one day gossip weekly will find out, but our movements will be restricted and we may get into a predicament; just to be safe, we should find a bicycle. It is advisable to reach nearby locations.On the contrary, in order to be able to act cheaply according to the current situation of the other party after the swap, we have prepared all imaginable means of rapid communication such as mobile phones and pagers in advance.

Perhaps thanks to these perfect measures, our life is still quite smooth. Even if there is a sudden switch at work, the two of them will not be panicked, but can pretend to be "the person" to deal with the matter at hand. All went well - as much as I want to say, something went wrong.If even trivial things are counted, the problems are really endless like the gravel on the seashore; but the most serious of them is Jacqueline's love. "We're probably hopeless." It was early March when she whimpered to me on the other end of the phone.It turned out that Sterling was not very in favor of Jacqueline's coming to Japan. Although she couldn't hold back her enthusiasm and agreed in the end, they began to have a grudge from then on.In fact, when I entered the body of "Jacqueline" a while ago, I just received an international call from Sterling, and there was a dignified quarrel, and I already had a bad feeling.

You've changed, you don't care about me anymore—although I've talked about it for several hours, but after simplifying the content of Sterling's phone call, there are only two points left.Of course, "Jacqueline" (=me) also desperately and tearfully said that this is not the case, I am still me, I love you, I need you, and tried to convince the other party with realistic acting skills comparable to female actors. Maybe my way of coping was wrong at that time... Just because I couldn't completely deny this possibility, I was full of apologies to Jacqueline; however, I couldn't do anything for her, because the London apartment she used to live with Sterling Among them, other women have begun to come and go.

"Forget it, what are men!" After crying to her heart's content, she said with a smile, her voice still a little hysterical. "I'm going to live for my job. I'm going to be in a movie next." "Already have a show appointment?" "Three, uh, one is an evil alien character in a monster special effects movie." "Oh? What about the other two?" "The killer character in the idol movie, and the political mafia mistress in the suspense movie, this one has nude scenes." "Then which one are you going to choose?" "If you have a particular favorite, just say so! After all, you have to 'act' once in a while!"

"I don't care, as long as you don't get naked." "Really? Then choose a monster movie!" I thought she would definitely choose the killer, but instead she chose the evil alien.Could it be that he has become self-defeating because of the blow of a broken relationship?I have a touch of uneasiness. After entering April, there are more and more opportunities to see Jia Guilin on TV; at one time she was an assistant to the host of a variety show, and at another time she was something else.From time to time, I used the identity of "her" to greet and smile in the studio. On the other hand, I was busy making inquiries and contacting the families of the five people who died in the earthquake. Is this out of a reluctance to dismiss them as "supporting actors"?I don't know myself, I just wish I could visit their spirits at least once to lay flowers. The address of Kubota Ayako's hometown in Kansai was quickly found out, so I contacted her family in advance and took the Shinkansen to the memorial tomb in my spare time.At the time, I was "I" and Jacqueline was "Jacqueline". The next thing they heard was the home of Alan Panhe.Alan's parents live in Yokohama because his father is a French lecturer at a university.This time I also contacted in advance, but "I" (= Jacqueline) suddenly had a job that day, so "Jiaguilin" (=me) went to Pan He's house alone. However, there was a storm at this time.After Alan's mother saw "Jacqueline" (=me), she suddenly changed a fierce face, yelled in French, and finally even kicked "Jacqueline" (=me) out of the house, even refusing to accept the bouquet; see She was so passionate that I could only retreat. Afterwards, I found out that Alan's father had an affair with a white woman who looked exactly like Jacqueline, and her name was Elizabeth; at this time, I couldn't help but think of the incident that happened in the "Fresh Chicken House" last year. The matter—Alan mistakenly thought that Jacqueline was someone he knew, and frequently chatted in French. However, judging from Alan's inexplicable intimacy, he seemed restless and kind, relying on himself to seize the weakness of the other party's affair with his father, and wanted to take a share of it-now in retrospect, I can't help guessing like this. The whereabouts of Hani Sheldide's family members are completely unknown.Although the location of the apartment for foreign students that he runs has been found, the mother who co-runs it seems to have a money dispute with the sponsor, and even went to court, so she and her husband disappeared without a trace. According to the people from the Christian group who took over the apartment, the Sheldides were just pretending to be missionaries, but in fact they went around trying to trick well-intentioned sponsoring groups, so-called religious swindlers.Even the students who live in the apartment are used at will by them in the name of church volunteers to extract their labor. As for the families of Bobby Webb and Randy Coble, they got in touch with each other smoothly, and made an appointment to pay homage to their graves during the consecutive holidays in May; Jacqueline also cooperated with me in asking for leave and went to the United States with me. "——At that time..." "Jiaguilin" (=Jiaguilin) ​​murmured in Japanese. At that time, we had already laid flowers in front of the stele engraved with "BOBBIE WEBB", and it was about ten minutes later. The two of us are still standing in the cemetery on the outskirts of City S. There is no wall separating the park into the surrounding farmland, almost making people think it is part of the farmland, so there is no such thing as a cemetery here. The sense of airtightness and occlusion; although it reduces the sense of terror, it also loses the solemnity, which makes me fall into the illusion of standing in the open space from time to time. The cemetery was deserted except for the two of us, except for the sound of traffic on the interstate beyond the far farm land. The sky was about to cry, and it was dyed gray; the warm wind with almost no humidity, blowing the hair of "Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline) into the hazy sky. I suddenly found myself with "Jacqueline" (=Jacqueline) who hadn't been together like this for a long time.I often switch and use her body, so I always fall into the illusion that I am always with her; but in fact, we have not often faced each other like this lately-for some reason, it suddenly occurred to me at this time. "At that time," "she" (=her) repeated again: "You...are awake, right? Jiang Lifu." "--should be." I quickly understood that the "at that time" mentioned by "Jia Guilin" (= Jia Guilin) ​​referred to the early morning of December 25 last year."She" (=her) who walked out of the bathroom put her hand on the neck of "I" (=me) who was still asleep, and strangled her Adam's apple... "What is 'should be'?" "I thought it was a dream. I was strangled by you at the time, and my consciousness gradually became blurred. Even I thought I would die; but when I woke up the next day, I was alive and well, and you slept soundly and sweetly next to me ——Anyone would think it was a dream, right?" "If only I'd killed you then. Then I'd be able to get back to where I was, without having to repeat the 'masquerade' farce and being forced to live in a foreign country." "yes!" "Why didn't I do that?" "I have no idea." "Haven't you ever been tempted? As long as you kill me, you can restore yourself to the original state-you never thought about this kind of thought?" "Of course I thought about it! When Alan's case happened, I was convinced that this was the only motive for the serial killings in this situation. As long as you kill the other five people while returning to your body, you don't have to worry about the 'masquerade party' 'If it happens again, I can become a normal person myself." "I had the chance to kill you then, and I should have done it. I still regret it now. If I had killed you, I wouldn't have had to break up with Sterling. Everything would be back to normal. But I couldn't... …Do you know why?" "do not know why?" "Because I entered your body, my chest hurt so bad, I thought: 'Ah! Broken rib, I broke it.'" "Did you break it?" I couldn't help pressing my chest that had healed. "Broken ribs? How did you break them?" "When the 'Fresh Chicken House' started to shake, you hugged me, right? I should have broken my ribs." "yes?" "Of course, I don't know if that's the case. After all, it was chaotic at the time. Who knows when it was broken? But at the time, I thought I broke it; with this idea, I can't do it anymore. I want to strangle you. My neck hurts, my chest hurts instead. Terrible, what a terrible fate. If I hadn't been in your body then, I would have done it; I know, I would definitely kill you. I Guess Wilson, they can't accuse me of murder, because they have the weakness of keeping state secrets, there is nothing they can do about me; since the 'masquerade' will no longer happen, they can only obediently let me go free. So, don't worry Action, if you want to strike, you can only take advantage of the present, the chance to restore the original state is at this moment - I clearly think so... but I can't strike." "Fate..." "Yeah! The worst fate, the worst encounter. Seriously, I knew it would be like this, I knew that once I destroyed my chance, it would be irrevocable; I also knew that one day I would be with Stuart Lin broke up. At that time, I had fully expected it." Maybe it's because I use a foreign language——Japanese! The tone of "Jia Guilin" (=Jia Guilin) ​​is exactly the opposite of the content of the lines. There is no sense of tragedy at all, but there is a feeling of carelessness. "At that time, the choice is over. The subsequent negotiations are irrelevant. Regardless of whether there is an invitation from the entertainment industry, I have decided to go to Japan with you; because this is my choice. From now on, I will only You're left... that's what I thought when I let go of my hands from your neck; I felt so miserable. I feel sorry for you, but it's from the bottom of my heart." "Choose..." "Yeah! Choice. When Alan tried to kill us, and the three of them were shifting frequently, I happened to be in 'Hani', riding on 'you', strangling 'you' by the neck, remember At that time, I couldn't strangle 'you'; even if I knew it wasn't you, it was that terrible murderer—Alan, knowing that I would be killed if I didn't strangle 'you', I still couldn't do it .Instead of strangling 'you' to death, it would be better to be strangled to death by 'you' - in the commotion of that time, I don't think I made this choice after calm thinking; but even out of Under the chaos, it is still my own choice. Yes! Although I am so stupid that I can’t even believe it, it is indeed my choice. Jiang Lifu, what is your choice? You are clearly awake, but you pretend not to know love?" "I was in a daze at the time." "Really? Then—" Her thin lips were raised provocatively and sarcastically, and I couldn't help but think "Ah! That's the most like her expression". "Jacqueline" (= Jacqueline) is the most beautiful with such aloof and noncommittal expression; yes!Just like when we first met.Standing next to the host of the quiz show on TV, she was smiling all over her face, her expression was indeed extraordinarily rich and lovely, but she couldn't see the kind of peerless beauty that made people want to be strangled to death by her. "—Then, Jiang Lifu, I'm here to give you another chance to choose." "What choice?" "It's very simple, if... If there is a way to restore you, would you do it?" "Rather than strangling you, I'd rather keep bothering about 'The Masquerade'." "No! It's a completely different method," "Different methods?" "Yes, there is no need to go through such terrible procedures as murder. If there was such a method, would you choose to restore the original state?" "Does that matter? Of course, the premise is that the method will not force me to make any sacrifices." "Sacrifice? Like what kind of sacrifice?" "Like losing you." "Jia Guilin" (=Jia Guilin) ​​laughed out loud as if hearing some big joke, and even wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. No... Was she really just trying to wipe away her tears? "You don't have to make that look," she slapped me on the back sharply. "I'm not going to pretend I didn't hear." "Almost..." There was an illusion of pain in the ribs that had been healed. "Should we go?" "yes!" We started walking to the rental car. "Then...you don't object?" "Against what?" "Let's get back to normal!" "what are you saying?" "Didn't I say that—there's a way to recover." I stopped, tripped over the edge of the flagstone, and almost fell. Looking back, "Jia Guilin" (=Jia Guilin) ​​is still standing in place, letting her body be exposed to the refreshing wind; her long golden-gray hair fluttering lightly looks like wings growing on her back. "--real?" "There is only one sure way." "How do you know it's true?" "Because someone actually recovered from it!" "Could it be..." I suddenly felt dizzy. "Did you mean..." "Who else is there besides them? Of course it's Dr. Aikelow and his wife!" "But, but, they..." "That's acting." "acting?" "Yes, in fact, their 'masquerade party' stopped more than ten years ago, Jin Jie told me." "Who is Jin Jie?" "Dr. Acklow's wife. However, the couple still pretended to be distressed by the 'masquerade'; I don't need to explain the reason? Dave and the others would surely Restart the 'Second City' project; the doctor is worried about this, and he and his wife have continued to act in the past ten years, pretending to be constantly swapped." Pretending to be swapped from time to time... This sentence was like an electric current running through my spinal cord, and my body shook slightly.It was a strange feeling; I wasn't surprised that Dr. Acklow's 'masquerade' had actually stopped, but I was shocked by something else that had nothing to do with it. However, I don't know what it is.Besides, for me now, is there anything that can have an impact on me that can be greater than the exchange of Dr. Aikeluo and his wife, which is just a show?My heart is very puzzled. "Scared?" "Surprised, of course. But how did you know?" "Jin Jie told me secretly! Before leaving S City Hospital, she told me because she was optimistic about me—or should I say the two of us—. Alright! I'll explain in detail, you don't need to show that kind of expression! But, Let's go back to the hotel first!" "Ok……" "What's wrong? What's the problem?" "I was wondering - how did they know it stopped?" "what?" "I mean, how can they tell that 'Masquerade' really stopped? You said it stopped ten years ago, but maybe it just happened that it hasn't happened in ten years! After all, we don't understand it at all The law, I don’t know how long it will happen.” "That's right!" Maybe it's too ridiculous to think that I have completely forgotten such a basic question! "Jia Guilin" (= Jia Guilin) ​​shrugged her shoulders and chuckled, "That's right! That's right." "What are you doing! This can't be called true at all!" "However, Jin Jie and the others are sure that their 'masquerade' has stopped, and they say they know how: at least they think so." "That's why I have to ask where the basis is!" "I don't know, probably not! To put it bluntly, maybe it's intuition?" "Hey, hey, this is too hasty!" "What does it matter? If they really made a mistake, let's wait until it is confirmed! Anyway, you won't lose a piece of meat if you try it, right?" "Well, that's true..." "Then go back quickly! Or do you have something to do?" "No……" It was not that I was reluctant to leave here, but I felt that there was a problem that must be solved on the spot, but I didn't know what it was; so, to delay time, I murmured: "I'm wondering if I should go see Bobby's family." "Really? I think it's enough to talk on the phone. It's not helpful to meet in person, and besides—" "Let's talk again?" "Seeing the sad look of the family members, are you sure you can keep the secret? Regarding the real way of death of Bobby." "No……" Thinking about it carefully, the CIA’s willingness to let Jacqueline and me return to the mortal world can only be described as “lenient”; no matter how much we swear that we will strictly keep the secrets, there may still be too many things leaked from our mouths. Does Dave trust us so much?No, I don't think so, it's not a matter of trust. Even if some secrets are leaked to the media, with their intelligence operation capabilities, it is easy to turn those reports into fake news or disappear; if we want to reveal the secrets with stronger methods, they will use stronger methods counter- Although it's just my imagination, it should be pretty close. "...I'm not sure." "Right? I think so, so it's better not to meet his family members casually." "I see." "I'm not sure. If I met his parents, I don't know what I would say? After all, he was only sixteen years old! I still dream about Bobby's death at that time; of course, the other three Dreaming too, but maybe it's because Bobby is the youngest! His body remains in my memory most clearly and strongly." "Maybe that's one of the reasons." "It's too miserable. I was hit on the head with a beer bottle. Beer bottles are not that easy to break, right? But the wine bottle was broken to pieces at that time, which shows that the murderer must have used a lot of force." "yes!" "Later I heard from Dave that Bobby was dead long before his head was pressed into the bathtub." "Huh? Really?" "Yes, it is said that he did not drink water at all, and the head injury was the fatal injury. Perhaps Alan couldn't be sure whether he was dead, so he pressed his head into the water, just in case; but it was just in vain time--" "what!" The shrill cry I uttered was enough to make a dead man startle and get up from the coffin.Water... yes, that tank of water... It was like coughing out a fishbone stuck in my throat, and I finally got rid of the dark clouds entrenched in my chest. "Why..." I let out a moan that I couldn't even tell whether it was crying or laughing. "Why didn't I find out?" "What happened to you? Suddenly..." "It's obvious at a glance..." It fell short... I was so remorseful that I wanted to stomp my feet.Why do we always fall short at the last minute? Could it be that Dave and others didn't notice it at all?No, it's impossible. They even conducted a detailed investigation into the cause of Bobby's death, and of course they discovered this fact a long time ago; they should have fully unraveled the truth of the case. It's just that they don't think it's necessary to explain to us.At this point, even if the truth is revealed, it will not change anything around us; anyway, the real murderer is dead-that's what they think, so they keep silent; yes, it must be so, it can't be wrong. "What's so obvious?" "Water!" "water?" "Aram's body—where was it found?" "Alan? You mean Alan with Randy's personality! Isn't it in the bathroom of room '6'?" "Is the bathtub full of water?" "Yes, just mentioning it..." She seemed to recall the scene nearly half a year ago, and her eyes drifted into the distance. "The water is still a bit murky." "why?" "what?" "Why store water? Listen, I've always thought the crime went like this: first, the murderer 'Hani' (=Aram) killed 'Babi' (=Hani); Unusual state of excitement, so I didn't realize that 'Bobby' died as early as he repeatedly hit the wine bottle, and filled the bathtub with water, and pressed 'Bobby''s face into the water, trying to drown' Bobby'. Then the 'masquerade' happened, Aram shifted to 'me' and attacked 'Randy' (=Bobby). I don't know if it's because this is the second time to kill and he's already familiar with it, he's killing' Randy didn't specifically put water in the bathtub afterwards. This means that he can calmly confirm whether 'Randy' (=Bargi) died, right?" "But, when he killed 'Alan' (=Randy) next, he stored water again!" "That's why it's so strange! Logically speaking, the murderer wouldn't store up the water before attacking 'Alan' (=Randy). Since he successfully killed 'Randy' (=Baby) with a champagne bottle last time, This time, of course, use the same method; in fact, 'Alan' (=Randy) was indeed attacked with a wine bottle. In this way, have you heard about the cause of death of 'Alan' (=Randy)? ?" "They said the fatal injury was still a head injury. However, he seems to have taken a little water." "In this case, it can be inferred that the process is roughly as follows: First, the murderer hit the sleeping 'Alan' (=Randy) on the head, but I don't know if he missed the vital point, and 'Alan' (=Randy) did not die; then The murderer attacked several times in a row, and gradually felt that this was not the way to go, so he stored water in the bathtub just like the first time he committed the crime, and pressed 'Alan', who had no power to resist, into the water to suffocate him. " "But, the fatal injury is..." "Yes, 'Alan' (=Randy) was pushed into the water and struggled with his last strength; seeing 'Alan' (=Randy) desperately resisting, the murderer attacked again in desperation, resulting in fatal injuries .” "I understand the process, but so what?" "After listening to my explanation, don't you think there is anything strange about it?" "No! What's so strange?" "If the incident happened as I said, how could the murderer mistakenly think that 'Alan' (=Randy) is 'Haney' (=Jacqueline) because he was in the '6' 'Self-Prison' ?” "Jia Guilin" (=Jia Guilin) ​​opened her already big eyes even wider, and opened her mouth wide open.It's not so much surprise, it's like being drunk in a hot spring; it's the first time I've seen her with such a relaxed expression. "We believe that the murderer misidentified the victim for two reasons; one is that we mistakenly moved 'Alan' into the '6' room of 'Hani', and the other is that 'Alan' was wrapped in a blanket at the time, and the murderer could not identify him. However, if the crime is as it was said, at least the murderer should have clearly seen the face of 'Alan' after the first blow!" "But... But, in this way... Could it be..." "The murderer didn't misidentify, he really knew he was attacking 'Alan', but he killed him. This means—" "Aram killed 'Aram'?" "But why? Why did he do it?" "So, isn't it... Isn't Alan the murderer? The murderer is not him, but someone else?" "That's all I can think of. Even if I don't know when the 'masquerade party' will happen and the situation is complicated, would I kill my own body because I think it's troublesome? As an ordinary person, I would still wait for the opportunity to come, not to mention deleting them one by one. The member is the murderer himself, and he should know that as long as he continues to commit crimes, the cycle of returning to his body will be shortened; but he—” "So, who exactly entered 'your' body at that time?" "No matter who it is, it is certain that the murderer was in the body of 'Haney' before being transferred to 'me'; because the blood stained on the pajamas of 'Haney' must be the blood of 'Bobby' (=Haney). " "Wait a minute, you don't doubt me, do you?" "How is it possible? If so, who is the one who tried to kill me and you in the living room after the transfer?" "Ah, that's right! That's right. But if it's neither Alan nor me, there are no other suspects! It can't be Bobby and Randy. If they could be transferred to Hani at that time, wouldn't they be transferred?" It can't be done in a counterclockwise direction... Could it be that..." "No, it's not, the 'unusual' situation like a reversal didn't happen." "However, if the murderer is not Alan, we can only take the 'abnormal' situation into consideration!" "No, on the premise of not violating the law, there is a unique solution." "Does not violate the plan under the law? What is it?" "The solution is this: We're not actually six, we're seven." "I don't understand what you're talking about. Is this Japanese I haven't learned yet? What do seven people mean?" "It means literally. The seventh person among us is the real culprit in this case." "I still don't understand what you're talking about. Who is that 'seventh man'?" "Is there no other choice?" "Who the hell is it?" "Ayako Kubota."
"But she..." "Masquerade Ball" happened, and "I" (= Jacqueline) let out a slightly nervous laugh. "Didn't she die in the earthquake? Before all the murders." "wrong." "Jacqueline" (=me) looked up at the gray sky, and quickly gathered my thoughts.Although this is not a conclusion after deep thinking, it is just an assumption based on intuition; but after demonstrating one by one, I gradually feel that this is the truth. "No, that's not the case. At that time, Kubota Ayako actually escaped into the 'Second City' with us, and had a circular personality transfer with us. We used to think that the one in the 'Open Area' was 'Randy', There are four people, 'You', 'Yalan' and 'Hani', but there are actually five people; in other words, there is an extra 'Ayako' between 'Yalan' and 'Hani'." (Refer to Figure D) "But...but Ayako was found buried in the rubble on the first floor!" "That's it. This is the most important key point of the whole case; why was Ayako Kubota, who once fled to the 'Second City', buried under the rubble of the 'Fresh Chicken House'? The reason is the origin of the whole case. It started here." "Wait... wait a minute." "I" (= Jacqueline) seemed to remember something, and stroked his forehead with his hand. "There's been a personality transfer—that's what you said just now?" When the third person is present, Jacqueline who enters "me" will of course speak in masculine terms; but when she is alone with me, she will subconsciously use feminine terms.She is already familiar with Japanese to the extent that she can switch so naturally. "In addition to Ayako, 'Ayako' died after the personality transfer was established in the seven of us; so..." "Yes, that's exactly the case. Jacqueline, just like what you think now, the 'Ayako' who died in the 'Fresh Chicken House' was actually not Ayako, but 'Ayako' (=Alan)." "Alan was already dead? You mean, when the earthquake happened—Alan's 'personality' had already perished?" "Yes. Among the six people living in that facility, there is indeed the body of 'Alan', but his soul has long since perished; Ayako's personality has replaced it and mixed into it. Of course, the one she transferred to is that of 'Haney' body; so she—” "Wait, wait, don't speak so fast. First explain why 'Ayako' (=Alan) who took refuge in the 'Second City' returned to the first floor? She was finally saved, why did she deliberately do this Do?" "'Ayako' (= Alan) probably didn't know which direction he was going at the time, and he was just trying to escape." "Escape? Escape from what?" "Escape from the murderer." "what……" "'Ayako' (=Yaran) was strangled with a scarf in the 'Second City' and was almost killed; 'she' (=him) was unconscious, just wanted to escape, climbed up the stairs, but in When I returned to the store, I was crushed to death by the collapsing ceiling." "Almost killed... Who's going to kill him? Didn't Dave say that? None of us had a motive for killing Ayako Kubota. Was he wrong?" "He was right. No one wanted to kill Kubota Ayako, but the murderer made a mistake. The murderer who was groping for the target in the dark probably touched a breast or something, and after confirming that the other party was a woman, he—" "So rash? If you want to talk about women, I was there at the time..." The voice of "I" (= Jacqueline) disintegrated and fell in the air, and it was unclear whether it was disgust or fear that infected "him" (=her) face. "...Could it be, could it be that...I was also there...that's why..." "That's right, for the murderer, there should be only one woman present, besides himself." "That is to say... that is to say, it was me who the murderer wanted to kill?" "Yes, that's exactly the case. In fact, it was you that Ayako Kubota wanted to kill." "But why?" The emotion that couldn't tell whether it was anger or sadness burst. "Why? Why? Why did Ayako want to kill me?" "The reason can only be imagined, probably because Alan asked you to talk!" "What are you talking about!" This time "I" (= Jacqueline) finally clearly revealed his anger. "Why would I have to be killed for something like this?" "Of course, if it weren't for the extreme situation like an earthquake, Ayako wouldn't have the absurd idea of ​​killing you! However, this disaster will definitely cause many deaths anyway, and it doesn't matter if one more woman dies—she It’s just so mesmerized by ghosts.” "I can understand being obsessed with ghosts in extreme situations; but why is Ayako so hostile to me? I've never seen her before!" "I think that Alan is probably the only hope for Ayako in a foreign country where her own language and common sense are not common; this Western European called Alan is interested in herself, and it is Ayako who managed to get it in the United States." success'." "I don't understand the psychology." "I didn't understand this kind of psychology. I just guessed that if there was a motive, it should be like this. But, just when she and Alan were having a good time on their first date, you showed up. If Alan didn't show it to you Ayako wouldn't be in such a turbulent mood if she showed any interest; but Alan mistook you for his father's affair and talked intimately, so Ayako felt a sense of crisis." “所以我才问，为何会为了这种事动杀机？不过是约会对象找其他女人说话，就为了这些鸡毛蒜皮的小事动起杀人的念头？” “表面上看来只是小事，暗地里却有许多复杂的要素。其中一个要素，应该就是你的美貌，你太过美丽了。” “哎呀！谢谢，头一次夸奖我，却是选在这种不搭轧的场合，这点还真像你的作风啊！” “简单的说，你美得让绫子怀有危机感；虽然亚兰似乎只是认错人，但要是他因此对你产生兴趣、离开自己，该怎么办？绫子十分焦急，因为自己在容貌上绝无法与你比拟。” “或许我不该这么说，但这也未免太蠢了吧？她和亚兰是当天才刚见面的，不是吗？而且还在彼此开始产生兴趣的阶段，根本不算是进入真正的恋爱期。为了将男人的注意力绑在自己身上，不惜杀人，也太鲁莽了吧！要是我可以这么形容她的话，我只能说，我实在不认为她的精神状态是正常的。” “假如这只是单纯的三角关系，还不致于衍生为杀意；但对绫子而言，现在失去亚兰，就等于在美国遭受挫折。对她而言，美国是个憧憬的国度，但这个国度却怎么也不认同自己的能力及价值，因此这种自卑感全凝聚为对你的杀意。” “不懂，我完全不懂。” “当然，就像我刚才说过的，换作平时，绫子并不会对你采取实际上的加害行动；但当时正好发生大地震，'鲜鸡屋'里的众人全都逃往地下。一片混乱之中，恶魔的低喃爬上了绫子的心头：'趁现在杀了那个女人吧！'” “她没想过这么做，自己会被怀疑吗？要是有人被勒死，就算尸体是埋在瓦砾堆下，依旧是明显的杀人案啊！” “她大概深信自己不会被怀疑吧！毕竟当时在店里，你、蓝迪和巴比间的气氛极为险恶；即使绫子不懂英文，也已察觉你们之间的氛围。她八成盘算着，就算你被杀了，被怀疑的也是那个黑人和白人。” “头脑简单，她的头脑实在太过简单了。” “绫子在黑暗的地下中摸索，发现了疑似女人的身体；当然，她误以为那就是你，因为那七人之中，除去自己，只剩你是女人了。而她用手一摸，对方还披着围巾——” “她不觉得奇怪吗？七人之中披着围巾的，只有她自己一个啊！” “我想她应该记不清了，毕竟在那种季节里，谁披围巾都不奇怪。更何况，谁会想到自己的心灵竟会跑出自己的身体之外？” "That's true." “'哈尼'（＝绫子）抓起围巾，勒住对方的脖子，完全没发觉勒的正是自己的身体。另一方面，被勒颈的'绫子'（＝亚兰）虽然不明就里，却仍拼命抵抗：我想，'她'（＝他）或许曾发出尖叫，只是当时'第二都市'中一片鬼哭神号，即使'她'（＝他）尖叫几声，也没人会留意。接着，'她'（＝他）好不容易挣开'哈尼'（＝绫子），奔上了楼梯。” “啊——这么说，巴比说他看见'我'爬上楼梯，其实是……” “八成就是吧！那不是'你'，而是'绫子'。巴比曾说'她'摇摇晃晃，像是喝醉了一样；当时我还以为那道背影是'你'，单纯地解释为你扭伤了脚之故。然而，事实上并非如此；那道影子其实是'绫子'，'她'之所以步履蹒跚，是由于被勒颈而意识朦胧之故。” “不过，可能吗？就算在逆光之下只能看见黑影，也不致于把绫子看成我吧？别的不说，发型就完全不一样啊！” “或许他把脖子上垂下来的围巾看成你的金灰色长发吧！” “围巾？这么一提，长度好像差不多；但还是有点牵强吧？” “一般状况之下，或许显得牵强！但你别忘了，当时巴比是以'窪田绫子逃生不及'为前提而谈起这件事的，既然绫子不在地下，剩下的女人只有你了。爬上楼梯的背影显然不是男人，单纯地以消去法推算，只可能是你——他就是这么想的。” “我明白绫子是怎么取代亚兰、混入我们之中了。但她待在设施的期间，为何要伪装成亚兰？” “她并没有伪装。” “咦？但她明明……” “我想绫子并无意伪装成亚兰，至少刚开始时没有。只是在场有亚兰的身体，还有一个不会说英文、只说日文的人格，所以每个人都认定她是亚兰；没错，连戴夫他们都是。当然，这也可说是以'绫子死在一楼、未能及时逃生'为大前提之下而产生的误会。” “那她为什么不自行纠正大家的误会？” “其中一个理由，是'哈尼'（＝绫子）没有我翻译，无法参与大家的谈话。现在回想起来，她拜托我翻译时，并无意隐藏自己的身分；那时她的确是这么说的——替我问问我的同伴怎么了。以她的角度来看，她问的当然是'亚兰的人格似乎不在，他怎么了？'但我却解释为：'没看见窪田绫子的人影，她怎么了？'” “在那种状况之下，谁都会这么解释的。” “绫子渐渐搞清楚状况后，才开始刻意伪装自己的身分；故意使用生硬的日文腔调与我交谈，以强调自己不是窪田绫子，而是亚兰的人格。” "And why?" “当然是因为害怕有人发现自己的犯罪啊！她怕有人发现真相是自己打算勒死贾桂琳·塔克，却误杀了自己的身体。假如自己其实不是死在店里、而曾和其他人一起转移人格之事曝光，敏锐的人一定会发现'绫子'被勒死的真正理由为何；因此她决定暂时以亚兰的身分观望一阵子。” “那她又为何要连续杀人？” “我想，直接原因还是被'巴比'（＝哈尼）强暴之事。这问题我们之前也谈过，从经过的时间来推论，'哈尼'（＝绫子）应该是天快亮时才解脱的；而绫子在'鲜鸡屋'时，曾对亚兰说过自己对巴比这类人怀有生理上的厌恶感，对她而言，被'巴比'的身体强暴，应该是种笔墨难以形容的屈辱吧！而绫子又突然发现，有某个更加无法忍受的事态正逼近自己——这样下去，总有一天自己会转移到'巴比'身上。” “难道……这就是动机？” “从之后的发展来看，只有这个可能。绫子先杀了'巴比'，之后在千钧一发之际转移到'我'身上；由于我们同为日本人，她的嫌恶感倒没那么重。但她可不能拖拖拉拉的，因为再这么下去，接下来她就会转移到那个丢人现眼——这是借用绫子的形容词——的'蓝迪'身上。” “难道你要说，她的动机就是这种无聊的理由？因为不愿'进入'自己抱有生理厌恶感的身体，所以就一一铲除转移目标？” “这也是其中一个理由。一开始杀了'巴比'后，绫子已是骑虎难下了；接着杀害'蓝迪'时，她又发现说：'对了，既然要做，干脆把剩下的人也全杀光。'这么一来，自己就可以从'化装舞会'这种诡异又复杂的现象解脱，而既然自己原来的身体已成了遗体送回日本，最后定居的肉体当然得是女人的——” “啊！别说了，我不想听。接下来的话，我已经不想听下去了。” “不过，这就是真相，绫子显然'觊觎'你的身体。你还记得交谊厅的混战吗？现在回想起来，绫子攻击我们时，总是刻意避开'你'的身体。变成'哈尼'（＝绫子）时，她明明有好不容易抢来的香槟酒瓶当武器，却徒手推开扑上来的你，甚至刻意把酒瓶藏在背后。另一个时候，明明距离上较容易攻击进入'你'身体的我，她却固执地继续攻击'哈尼'（＝你）。显然地，绫子害怕损坏'贾桂琳·塔克'的肉体，因为她打算在杀光其他人的身体及灵魂后，'定居'到'你'的身体之中。我想绫子对于得到'你'肉体的渴望，应该更胜于从'化装舞会'解脱；她渴望你那足以魅惑任何人——即使是美国人——的身体。自己原先的身体绝无法达成的对美胜利，也可藉由你的美貌一偿夙愿——绫子便是着了这种心魔，甚至不惜杀害过去灌注了莫大期望的亚兰身体。” "Stop talking."
“——别再说了。” 恢复为“贾桂琳”的她一面摇头，一面叹息；她难得这样垂头丧气。 “求求你，够了，我不想再听这些了。听起来，简直像所有一切……自始至终，都是因为我才发生那件可怕的事一样。因为我的……”她宛如发冷似地缩着身子，抱住自己。“因为我的肉体——存在之故。” “不是的，贾桂琳。” 待“我”（＝我）自觉时，我已紧紧抱住了“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳），似乎是在下意识间自然地伸出了手臂。 或许是由于她太过于消沉；或许是由于她看来太过脆弱，不像平时的她；又或许是由于她难得表现出寻求他人庇护的姿态；总之我紧紧抱住了她。 “会发生那件事，全起因于绫子的自卑感及执迷不悟。要是真如你所说，那发生抢劫案时，岂不要怪到被抢的贵重物品头上？” “可是，就某一方面而言，那也是真理啊！” “这叫哪门子的真理？要是这么推论下去，岂不变成'杀人案会发生，都得怪罪于生命存在'的极端论调？” “你总算拥抱我了，这是第一次——弄断你肋骨时另当别论。选在这种时候，还真像你的作风。” “我从刚才就想问了，你说像我的作风，是怎么个像法？” “不搭轧的地方像啊！” “不搭轧？怎么个不搭轧法？” “不知道，总之对我来说，第一次见面时，你就已经是个不搭轧的人了。我想今后你还是会不搭轧下去吧——至少直到我们恢复原状为止。” “这么一提，我还没听你仔细说明恢复原状的方法呢！回去吧！太阳都快下山了。” “我想，应该完全不需要说明吧！” "what?" “根据金洁的说法，'第二都市'或许是为了加深夫妻间的相互了解而制作的装置。” “这倒挺有可能的。” “所以，原本只有两人循环的人格转移圈，在某一天突然多出第三者后，便会将第三者也加进来循环一周；等到循环完毕，'化装舞会'就不会再度发生了。” “第三者？是指谁啊？” “当然——”“贾桂琳”（＝贾桂琳）以自己的双唇封住“我”（＝我）的嘴巴，简直像是舍不得浪费这一瞬间似的。 yes!事实上，的确是舍不得，因为不知何时会发生下一次的“化装舞会”，我们又将再度对换。 “……是指婴儿啊，江利夫。你和我的。” ——我推荐你一定要体验看看…… 艾克洛博士滔滔不绝地谈论着自己“生产体验”的声音，此时在我脑海中高声响起。