Lust for the Golden Witch, or the of Mystery Person X

Introduction to the Rokkenjima Incident and H.I. Player:

October 5, 1986.

A raging storm swept over the tiny island of Rokkenjima. Upon this island lay the western-style manor of Ushiromiya Kinzo, the head of the wealthy Ushiromiya family. A day earlier, the children of the Ushiromiya family arrived to take part in a yearly family conference, bringing with them their own heirs. This year's meeting almost certainly concerned the inheritance of Kinzo's vast wealth; his failing health and advanced age created the need to name a successor. The family's troubles are well documented, but up to the point of October 4th, they are easily explained as fiscal or relationship-related. No one can say for sure what happened on October 5th, but many separate accounts create hundreds of different possibilities. One commonality: they all state that the island's inhabitants were slain by otherworldly, impossible feats. Some, more directly than others, blame the island's mythical witch: the Golden Witch, Beatrice.

The family head had famously stated he traded his own soul for ten tons of gold, which lay the foundation for his family's rise to prominence. The element of the occult and the mystery surrounding the events- as well as the manifold variations in the retellings, each with its own nugget of credibility- made the topic fascinating to the media and to readers, both scholarly and thrill-seeking. In the following years, a culture of so-called "Witch Hunters" formed. Calling themselves researchers, these folks became consumers of the witch's legacy. They crafted theories, held meetings, wrote publications, collected works, and created a new science out of the study of this event, each desperately dreaming that they may be the one who posited the final theory, explaining the events of that fateful day.

Greetings. My name is H.I. Player; I am a Witch Hunter of no great renown, studying under the wing of my mentor and former college professor, Mr. Ootsuki. When I came from America to study in Japan, my goal was to become a writer. Little could I have known that I would become absorbed, like so many of the Witch Hunt's members, with unraveling the intrigue of the Rokkenjima incident. I'll be candid: my time as a student is over. Call it the witch's curse or what have you, but I lost my life to that murderous night just as so many in the Ushiromiya family did. By this I mean I became absorbed in the study; I consumed every book, every writing, every forum post, every interview, every speculation... I went as far as scholarly intrigue could take me and further. But in the end, I came no closer to understanding that night than so many of my colleagues before me. I would never be the one to solve this mystery.

Here, surrounded by Rokkenjima books and related paraphernalia, I can be proud of one thing:

I love the characters in this story more than anyone.

That might sound conceited to you, but I assure you: it's true. There are those among my peers who prefer to approach this work as a mystery. After all, there was a remarkable fortune at stake here for whoever the fickle old Ushiromiya Kinzo named as his successor. It's a classic western mystery setting with all of the elements necessary to suggest that someone attempted to use the commotion for their personal gain, most likely planning to wipe out the others and escape with the money. Another school of thought prefers to approach it as a fantasy story. After all, the murders were so gruesome, so thoroughly defying simple rationality- I won't go into details- that it's hard to believe a human could have committed them. Furthermore, with the outcome- that is, the destruction of the Ushiromiya family- who had anything to gain? Even mothers and fathers had sons and daughters in the mix there with them. All of this points to an incomprehensible witch at the center of it all, just as is written in the famous stories.

I've long since stopped caring about the mystery. I don't want to question the magic nor the motives of the characters. What I am interested in is going there. I want to go there and express my love to each of these rich, nuanced characters in a physical way.

Understanding these characters can only go so far. There has to be a way to express my gratitude to them for the gift they've given their very lives to give me: an endlessly entertaining, endlessly rewoven tale. The thought consumes me. Rokkenjima belongs to all of us, but most of all, it must belong to me, who loves it best.

Like many of the Witch Hunt's members, I've written a tale. Did you know? It's not so rare to find Rokkenjima erotica these days, even though you'd assume no one would want to mix sexual arousal with some mass event. The was an unfortunate circumstance I choose to ignore. I want to focus on the day before: the moments of characterization that make us care so much about those murders. The schemes of the uncles, the fiery passions of the aunts, the young people's games, gentle tea-time, resplendent meals, feather beds... In the shadows, the teasing witches, loyal furniture... I want to write myself into that world and become "Mystery Person X." I want to dictate events myself, to show the people, the furniture, and the witches the love only I possess. To create that story was the best I could do. I can't place myself inside of it, not truly. I can't join them, even though I'd gladly share their fate if I could. Lonely and scared, I cradled my book, crudely leather-bound, the only copy of a work that will never be published.

I felt as though my apartment could collapse around me. I'd achieved the most I could and it wasn't much. Maybe this was the moment of my own ? It was only appropriate; I had just wished for it, after all.

"Child of Man..."

A voice awoke me from a deep sleep, but even once I opened my eyes, I still saw only darkness swirling around me. A voice spoke... it was a woman's, one I had never heard before. It seemed so vivid, so real... This moment of perplexity made me think of witches, real witches.

"Do you wish to go there? The Rokkenjima of October 4th, 1986? If so, you need only stand... and read for me that story of yours..."

Whoever it was, they had just offered me a gift as rich as any amount of gold Ushiromiya Kinzo had ever received. Ordinarily, one might think of this as the work of an angel. Of course, as a member of the Witch Hunt, I knew that only a witch could make such an offer. Furthermore, I knew that there must be a price attached to it.

"Magic does not come without sacrifice. The cost of this foolishness will be your own life. Just like those you cherish so much, you'll die again and again and again, never knowing how to change your fate. Do you still wish to join them?"

Of course, I begged! is meaningless; for all I knew, I was already dead.

"Good. Very well... there are just a few rules we ought to go over first. Number one: do not bore me. The rest of them are just a little more complicated..." the mature lady's voice giggled, causing my hairs to stand on end. I could barely stand to hear the rules. I wanted to join everyone on Rokkenjima right away. Asking me to wait through her rules was almost like asking me to die again already! "Before we go any further, however, I'd like to bestow you with a gift. It's a power suited to you that will help you make the most of your time in this game. I call it: the Pink Trigger. You see, the Red allows witches to crush the hopes and escape paths of men, using designated truths, until they are to resign themselves to the existence of a magical power- the witch- and submit. The Blue, in turn, allows humans to fight back, proposing myriad possibilities that allow them to deny the witch."

What was this...? Something about the Witch Hunters? It was true that they had split opinions on whether the story of Rokkenjima was an occult, supernatural massacre or whether it was a devious, human mystery, but what was this about the Red and the Blue? And Pink? My head swam as she continued.

"You are less than human now and much less than a witch. The only honorable title I can bestow you is that of my reader. For you, the Pink will be appropriate. As one who rejects both mystery and fantasy in favor of erotica, the Pink will lead you to your most shameless desires. Through the Pink's suggestions, you will be able to slowly morph Rokkenjima into the filthy eroge smut that you imagined it to be, in your last, disgusting thoughts." Was she angry at me? I felt as though a tone of derision had entered her voice. "The Pink Trigger is just that: a Trigger. With it, you can set into motion lewd events that other stories would never arrive at."

It sounded too good to be true.

"There are limitations, of course. No one is perfect at using a tool their first time. You'll have to strengthen your Pink Trigger by 'leveling it up', to put it in game terms. As with any behavior, the best way to get better at it is to practice. Try pushing your luck with all sorts of reckless pink text. See if it leads you to bliss or straight into that you said you wouldn't mind so terribly. Oh, did you click 'Start Game' at the top right corner when you began this story? If not, you should click it now. Also, may I recommend, never hit Start Over or Reset, or else, you'll lose your score. As long as you don't do those things, you can return to this story with your score in tact."

Top right corner? What was she talking about now? It was almost too much to take in... but it sounded like I was going to die. I gulped, in spite of myself, feeling my throat growing dry. A moment ago, I'd resigned myself to because life was worthless. Now, I'd been granted the greatest gift of them all... I couldn't concede.

"There are other rules too, of course. Witches admire depravity, but we can still only stand so much. Let's go over the rest of them before we start."

Some quick advice! If you're interested in the visual novel, Umineko no Naku Koro Ni, I highly recommend you read it, but know that I'll be doing my best to keep this light on spoilers and accessible, even if you haven't read the novel. I would strongly advise against google searching any of the characters you see in this work, however, until you've read the novel, if you do plan to read it. If you care about spoilers at all, the internet has no remorse, and it is a mystery- and a fantasy- worth experiencing fresh!

Now... please enjoy your time on Rokkenjima.