Henshin Interviewer no Yuuutsu

I, Shirakawa Jirou, had come to a standstill.

At the age of 15, I applied for the contest of a mystery novel magazine.

That novel became the Best Work,

I was declared "The Genius of tricks",

and I had my debut as a writer in my first year of high school.

Since then, I wrote 99 mystery novels,

and now I was tackling my commemorative 100th work.

"Well,"

"I'm in trouble"

However, there is a limit to the amount of tricks that a person can come up with.

No matter how much I struggle,

I haven't been able to write anything in 3 months.

"Unsolved Cases"

Ah!

Being at the end of the rope, I've kept swimming the huge sea of the Internet

in order to get some kind of clue.

And then, I finally arrived at this incident.

Actually, at that moment, a new Shirakawa Jiro had been born.

The Melancholy of the Transformer Interviewer subs: maboroshinohikari

Episode 1: The Impossible Transformation

Sensei, how is it going?

Ah, well...

- Well, come in, Gebiyama-kun. - It's Kahiyama!

The editor in charge of my commemorative 100th novel

is actually called Kahiyama Rika, but occasionally she makes irritating comments,

so I call her Gebiyama*. *(Gebi means "vulgar, nasty, odious")

Editor-in-chief told me to give you his regards.

- Don't lie. - Eh?

- You Liar Monster. - "Monster"?

Enough! Anyway you must have left the office ahead of time.

You've called me an hour ago.

You said you were going to leave the office, but you were already at that station.

The proof is that during the phone call I could hear the sound of the announcement

of the Android Cabaret that is in front of the station.

You had cappuccino at a café? Why?

Because you wanted to leave the office before your boss, editor-in-chief Kazamigawa Sakushi,

would be back after his lunch.

Again, why? Despite the publication of my 100th novel planned in 3 months,

I haven't even written an opening line...

No, on the contrary,

I haven't even decided the title. Since you're the editor in charge of me,

the editor-in-chief must be complaining soundly.

Kahiyama! It's because you're slacking off that the writer's slacking off.

- I'm sorry. - If you don't make it on time...

You're BIBIBI...

Eh! Please don't say BIBIBI*! *(I guess it stands for "kubi", which means"fired")

Am I wrong, Gebiyama-kun?

You're right, but... it's Kahiyama!

Since you write it as "Shimo Hi Yama"*, it's Gebiyama, right?*

Wait, when did you...?!

Sensei, how is it going?

Ah, well...

- Come in. - Excuse me.

The door closer is broken, you see...

Please, give me a break! Anyway, please write your 100th novel!

About that... even I am doing my best, you know!

Even a temporary title will do...

- "An impossible murder", how's that? - Eh? That's just...

- No good? - Anything is fine, since it's provisional.

- And about the subject? - What should I do?

- You've been saying that for 3 months now! - That's right, indeed.

I want an idea to come out like water gushing from a fountain!

Changing the way you put it is useless. Where is the manuscript?

- There's nothing at all! - That's what I've been telling you!

What are you going to do?! "For my commemorative 100th novel,

I'm going to aim at a new wilderness of mystery novel, with new tricks and settings."

You said that, right?!

Ah... I can't come up with anything...

Then, why don't you use real cases for a reference?

You see... I have no interest in something like reality!

- So you've declared that... - Yeah, I did.

This is really bad!

Do you know about the Tulip Murders?

- What is that? - It's an incident that actually occurred...

- So you are investigating... - I found it by chance...

"Tulip Murders", sounds like a fairy-tale, right?

It's unexpectedly dark, you know...

The incident occurred in the summer of 1999, in Keshinohara town.

Two housewives who lived in the neighborhood, Ebisu Suzuko and Ahashima Midori,

entered the Sankisu Spring that was off limits.

According to the theory, they had gone to pick mushrooms,

but that is not certain.

- Do you know the Sankisu Spring? - Ah! That's a famous

- Power Spot, you know! - Right. Even recently, it's often brought up

- on magazines and TV. - Those who draw water from the spring

form a long queue, you know.

Later, their corpses were found in a strange form.

The corpses were discovered by a homeless called Tengu Yarou*. *(Tengu is a long-nosed goblin, Yarou means "bastard, asshole")

Nyaaa!

The hem of the skirts of the 2 housewives was pulled up around their necks.

Just like a tulip lynch, the lower half of their bodies was exposed,

and they were abandoned like that. Therefore,

the case was called Tulip Murders.

The cause of their death was suffocation due to strangulation.

- I wonder why they did such a thing... - Right, right, right? You'd like to know, right?

- The mystery of the tulip-shaped corpses. - Well, I'd like to know...

It's almost scandalous, you know...

It is, indeed.

I did a little research, you see... And it's terrific!

- What is? - Oddly enough,

one of the victims, Ebisu Suzuko, was holding a blue screw in her hand.

- A blue screw? - Yeah.

To be exact, the part at the top of the screw that is blue painted.

Eh, what does it look like?

- Ah, is this it? - It is.

Why this...?

The mystery is deepening, huh...

At the Sankisu Spring at my back, two housewives from Keshinohara town

were murdered. When they were discovered, their skirts...

At that time, due to the tulip-shaped corpses,

the case became a hot topic as a scandalous bizarre murder, but

the criminal is still at large.

It must be the so-called theatrical crime...

You see, this case has a sequel...

Is that so?

Actually, the day of the incident,

there was one more housewife who went to the mountain with the two victims.

One more?

A housewife living in the same Keshinohara town,

Makabe Manami.

However, for some reason, she descended the mountain before the 2 victims.

Accidentally, she had a stomach-ache and went down ahead, she said.

Then, exactly one year after the Tulip Murders,

a new murder occurs in Keshinohara town.

The victim was Makabe Manami.

Right. Coincidentally enough, the person who had gone down the mountain and escaped the trouble.

Hang on...

Well, since it's better than nothing, shall we look into it?

- Collecting data? - Yeah, I'll interview those who were involved.

Will you discover the truth doing something like that?

Don't make me say over and over that I have no interest in truth!

I might find a cue for the novel... Besides, I'm a genius interviewer.

I can get any information out of a person. Eh...

That's unbelievable, all of a sudden...

I'm good at getting informations out of people.

- You're totally hopeless. - Why?

You're suspicious and...

S-s-somehow... no one...

- Because you're creepy. - You're so rude...

Then, that waitress.

Please go and ask her something personal.

- What, it's a test? - Are you scared?

- Who's scared! - Please ask her her boyfriend's name.

- No, isn't that too much of a hurdle? - Compared to the truth behind a murder,

- that's nothing! - Well, but...

As I thought, you're scared! - All right!

Don't make light of me*! *(For the first time, he's using "Ore" to say "I", that sounds kind of arrogant)

- E-excuse me... - Kyaaa!

Eh!

As I thought, interviews are impossible for you, Shirakawa-san.

- Is that so... - You look too suspicious.

I don't want to be told that by the woman with the huge bag...

I have various necessary things.

So that you can stay over at any time?

No way, that's not what I meant...

Please, stop it!

- What are you getting excited for, by yourself! - Well, I guess...

- Ah, that's right! - What is it?

- My looks are mediocre, right? - The way you speak as well...

I see, I see... Ah! Why didn't I notice until now?

- Notice? - Gebiyama-kun...

- You don't know the truth about me, do you? - What is it, the truth?

You see, I have a hobby that I've never shown you

until now.

- Hentai*? - Henshin**. *(Hentai means "pervert") **(Henshin means "transformation, disguise")

- What do you mean? - I told you, right?

- That I have no interest in reality. - So what?

I mean that there's another "myself".

This fake me is my real self.

- I don't know what you mean. - Earlier,

- the real me did the interview, but... - Listen...

- This place is..? - It's the transformation room.

Eh... eh... EH?

Listen, Gebiyama-kun... Could you step out for a moment?

Sure...