Mayonaka no X Giten

I doubt she will be revived, but the author has done really strange stuff in the past, so it's possible. Mikuni shows off another way the "Swap Seals" can be used -- if two participants touch foreheads with the seals attached, they can directly swap without use of the doors system. (I forget if it still has to be midnight or not) So theoretically I wonder if he could attach a seal to his sister's forehead and try to swap with her... Whether that would mean he was "dead" in her body while Mikuni questioned her in the MC's body, or if somehow she could be revived, I dunno. That would be hard to explain the bloodloss and huge organ damage even if they could somehow get her to the hospital... I really doubt that angle will be explored, though.

I have no proof of this but what if the murderer was his own sister in his body?

GIMME BACK MA INCEST ROOOOUUUUTE

 

This is my deduction from having read the 1^st Chapter so it's NOT a spoiler. I'll indulge you.

This contains details about Ch.01 so read it first before reading this!

 

I suspect it to be someone who uses the "ritual" to commit crimes or someone who specifically targeted Hiroki's sister, however, the motive is still uncertain. The only problem is that the perpetrator could have been male or female. At first, I proposed the culprit is female because of the said instructions regarding the ritual.

"Those who wish to be men, pick white; those who wish to be women, pick red."

 

With this in mind, I don't think that people would choose the same gender when clearly the main purpose of the whole ritual is to "change genders", at least in the protagonist's eyes. Be that as it may, to the eyes of the readers, it's an activity held to help others experience different lives, either good or bad, and not just experience different genders. If so, another problem arises. If the person is there only for unspeakable deeds then the gender chosen does not matter.

 

Eliminating the males in the suspect list is out of the picture. That would mean that the culprit's gender remains in question, which only makes it difficult finding out the criminal among the seven suspects that remain. The conditions of the ritual are not strict, so to speak. It was never indicated that a person cannot go to the same gender. This turns "changing genders" into "becoming someone else". It's evident when he was presented with eight red and white doors; he was to choose freely.

 

It also indicates that Hiroki was the first to choose. Someone must have really wanted his life (circumstances) or he luckily got to pick first. That can also mean that the incident is premeditated before the ritual even began but the motive is unclear. Speaking of motives, the person that chose Hiroki's body could have been jealous of his life. Hiroki has a wonderful, loving and caring sister; she is family. This could have sparked something within the culprit; a strong sense of envy but is still a mere speculation. Even the mysterious commenter (someone that took an interest about his blog) who instructed Hiroki to use the suspicious URL is "a little jealous". That statement in itself is very suspicious and is something worth taking a note of.

 

The only lead the protagonist has is Mikuni (or the body he went to). The first move he could make is to track down all of the suspects, in other words, the people involved in the ritual. He will probably ask where Mikuni's soul went and repeat the same instance with everybody else until he has found the culprit or met seven people in all. That way, characters and their personal problems will be introduced; from there, he can deduce everything based on their profiles. Hiroki can also ask the commenter who introduced him to the ritual for help, as long as that person is willing to comply. Unless the identities of the participants are disclosed, for instance, listed on the URL that was given to Hiroki. Then by all means, he can start wherever is available.

 

All eight participants should have problems or unwanted circumstances. It should be the main reason as to why they bothered with the ritual in the first place. Hiroki can definitely get involved with Mikuni because he is aware of the dark "secret" she holds, despite her being an idol. Also, since Hiroki knows Karate, he can protect her from the stalker she seems to be having a problem with. This makes it easier for Hiroki to be involved with an idol because he has a connection with her.

 

In other people's perspective, Hiroki is the likely culprit. He harbors a little hatred towards women, especially his sister, even Hiroki's classmates knew this. As readers, we know this is not true. Hiroki looks up to her and loves her very much. It's just that she is annoying sometimes as well as being a NEET. It is going to be very difficult to share his reasons to the other participants because from their perspective, Hiroki might be using the "ritual" as an excuse to frame others for his own misdoing. He might not want to tell them about the incident to hide his intentions from the criminal but he will need to share information in order to create a bond of trust. After all, he only needs to find out who went to his body within those two hours.

 

They also hinted that something must have happened as to why Hiroki's sister became a NEET. The culprit definitely has a connection with his sister's situation as a shut-in. A person would not stab another out of pure impulse, so there must be a reason for her death. Hiroki was also unable to fix her relationship with her sister. He truly admired her because she really is dependable and brave, and something changed that.

 

She died SMILING at the hands of her own brother, without having to open up to the real one. That smile says and means a lot. What probably went through her mind when he stabbed her is that she must have realized how much Hiroki hated her for being a NEET. In spite of that, she gave him a lovely smile that expresses the words: "I love you, Hiroki". It's really sad (it makes me tear up).

 

I'm really upset of what happened to his sister. God Damn It!

 

Being informed of the situation, Mikuni is now forced to cooperate with him. This does not guarantee that she will help Hiroki track down the culprit. Although, he is willing to resort to blackmail so there is no choice but for her to comply and that is good development.

 

What I predict is that Mikuni's "circumstances" will play into the situation before they can locate our 3^rd participant in the ritual. Her stalker will prove to be the real pain. Hiroki can defend Mikuni against the assailant because he knows self-defense and this may improve their relationship but does not ensure that the stalker will quit, unless he dies or be brought to the authorities. If it plays out like I predicted, they are going to be spending a lot of time together as a "pair".

 

Also, being with an idol can attract a lot of attention. Attention is not what they need as of the moment, considering that Hiroki is being "framed" for murder and Mikuni is now an accomplice. Hiroki might strongly suggest that she stay at his house, since our beloved idol is being stalked anyway. We'll see more of Hiroki and Mikuni being together; it's also a sign of a potential couple. Furthermore, his classmates bringing up his sister does not help one bit. It raises suspicions. Also, the thought of her death only hurts more.

 

What I didn't expect was Mikuni's strong attachment to her chastity. I thought for sure all the females participating in the ritual knew that males would occupy their bodies. I guess not everyone is fine with it, I suppose. She even tried to stab Hiroki but luckily was saved by his own reflexes. Mikuni's alleged boyfriend might have a strong connection with these banknotes.

 

In fact, Mikuni is lucky that Hiroki ended up in her body. The only bad thing he did was spend money on food. Hiroki even tried to defend her body from the stalker's assault. It's impressive that Hiroki does not care for idols. If it was someone else that ended up in Mikuni's body, she would have lost her precious virignity because she is famous; an idol. If she knew how he protected her body she'd have a good impression of Hiroki. He will eventually ask her about the stalking and go from there.

 

I do hope Mikuni would enlighten Hiroki and the readers of her "secret". It is time we learn more about our 1^st ally/suspect by facing her problem before moving onto the next. Those banknotes must have a darker meaning behind them. Besides, sharing life experiences and facing them together is a sign of mutual trust. He needs allies to catch this criminal.

 

I'm really proud of Hiroki to admit that he truly loves his sister. I'm backing him up on this. Hiroki never had time to mourn his sister properly and that is quite depressing. Yet, it shows that he is a strong character and a worthy protagonist. He is willing to move forward for his sister and that is what matters the most. He's got my complete support. I'm fully investing on him as the protagonist.

 

I'm really fired up. He realized that he admires and loves his sister. It's time to hunt down this son of a bitch!