Editor's comments and actions are denoted by [brackets]. Sound effects are written {like this}. (Parenthesis) indicate side notes in the dialogue bubble or the mangaka's note. And finally, italics are thoughts.

[An interesting side note: This 2 part story arc is called "Bara no Namae Hen" or the "Name of the Rose Chapter." "Name of the Rose" is also the name of a movie with Sean Connery and Christian Slater based on a best-selling book of the same name. It's about a monk who goes to investigate a murder at a monastery during the Inquisition with his young sidekick. The hilltop abbey is full of deceit and corruption. As more and more people are murdered the mystery deepens and involves discussions on religion, God, the meaning of life, and such. Matsushita-sensei apparently saw it on TV and fell in love.]

A darkened abbey. Wind blows hauntingly through the halls.

Man: Father, I have a confession...

{sound f/x zaa: cold silence}

Man: I killed a man. I killed the man I love.

Shoukanka main offices. A hologram of a very very deceased young man floats in the air.

Tatsumi: The victim's name is Okazaki Izuru, 17 years old, second year high school student. The cause of death was falling and violently crashing into the ocean. At the time of discovery, the bones and flesh in the body were all completely destroyed. From what the first person on the scene, a local fisherman, said, as the corpse had drawn in water and expanded, the skin that fish were eating off was pasty and...

{sound f/x hyoi: Tatsumi quickly looking up}

Tatsumi: ———Hm? What's wrong, everyone?

Tsuzuki and Konoe look rather ill. The hologram of the decomposing body floats behind Tatsumi.

Tsuzuki: ...... (Ugh~)

Konoe: N...nothing. Please continue, Tatsumi.

Tatsumi: The police are also investigating in desperations, but... At any rate, this event is full of mysteries. It looks like not even a suspect is surfacing yet.

Hisoka: Mysteries...?

Konoe: The strange thing is that on both of the corpse's hands and feet, the ring finger and little finger were amputated. The victim was still alive at the time.

Tatsumi: Not necessarily. Places that you usually can't see well on the outside of the victim's body are covered with hundreds of scars. Scars from where red-hot tongs were pressed to the private regions could also be seen.

Tsuzuki: [looking rather ill] Was it maybe a thrill-seeking killer...? (No way I'd do stuff like that...)

Tatsumi: And on his back, the characters that the criminal wrote with tongs remain. "I'm your eternal lover"——

Tsuzuki: ...Eternal ——... lover...?

Hisoka: So that means the killer is a woman?

Konoe: (Um, no.) That's actually the thing, Kurosaki-kun...

Tatsumi: Okazaki Izuru Saint Michael's Preparatory School in Nagasaki. It's a private Catholic boarding school.

Tsuzuki: Since it's a dormitory, someone on the inside must have done it. Was the culprit a female student or maybe a pretty female teacher...?

Tatsumi: No. The criminal is not a woman. Saint Michael's is a boy's school.

Tsuzuki and Hisoka, shockingly, look shocked as hell.

Tsuzuki: (Huuh?)

Tsuzuki & Hisoka: (Geh~) Boy's school!!?

Tsuzuki manages to go completely SD.

Tsuzuki: NO WAY———~ So that means th~... that is... [shriek~!] (I don't want to think about it~~!! It's a "Name of the Rose" world, isn't it~!!!) (A...) He was entangled in a blind passion with another man~!!?

Tatsumi: That's what we think, unmistakably. (Oh dear me...)

Hisoka: ...That's the worst.

(I didn't understand the meaning of "Name of the Rose" at all.)

Konoe: The greatest mystery of this case is that right now, Okazaki Izuru's soul is still missing. Leave the search for the culprit up to the police. Your top priority is the recovery of that soul, okay!? Refer to the secretariat report for full details. ——That is all.

Tsuzuki salutes.

Tsuzuki: Understood.

Tatsumi: I've held on to the permission for you to move in to Saint Michael. Tsuzuki-san, please hold onto this cross.

Tsuzuki: (Okay.)

Nagasaki—— Saint Michael's Preparatory School. Built soaring on rocky mountain facing the sea, it's fortress-like appearance is distinctive. It carries out the teachings of Christ, driving home its strict precepts.

{sound f/x jiji: candles flickering}

Candles light a beautiful old-fashioned Cathedral. Father Tsuzuki stands up front.

Tsuzuki: Kneel before the Lord and repent for your sins. Lift up a prayer to the Lord... Lift up a prayer for everything our Creator, the Father. Amen.

Students: Amen.

Two boys gush over Father Tsuzuki. Yeah, hiring Father Tsuzuki probably wasn't the best choice in the world.

Boy: (Ah...) This time, the Father is a young, handsome, nice man, isn't he...

Boy B: Uh-huh. He's completely different from the previous Father. He looks so kind. Father Robert was just the picture of a strict person.

(Enraptured~)

There's a picture of an angry old Father holding a cross.

Robert: (Everything is Jesus!)

([arrow to Robert] Mr. Robert)

Robert: (What did you say.)

Boy B: We shouldn't say bad things about a person who isn't here anymore but... Hey hey, what do you think?

{sound f/x kuru: the boy turning}

The two boys turn to the student next to them. Hisoka looks less than amused.

Hisoka: (Worthless.) Who knows... How is he.

{sound f/x rii: candles burning}

Boy: Leave him alone, Maeda. Kurosaki just came here.

Maeda: Shut up— I'm making friends with my new roommate... Speaking of that, at that time when you were moving in. You don't know about that either.

Hisoka: ...Are you talking about when the student president was killed?

Boy: That's right. But you can only get the truth here. There's one other person here who was killed. (They didn't announce it but...)

Hisoka: One other? Izuru wasn't the only one?

Voice: Over there~!!

Hisoka and Maeda start. Another student with blond hair, long in the front, stares at the others angrily.

Student: Don't you people have any faith in God? I'd refrain from whispering in the chapel

The two other boys begin panicking.

Boy: So...sorry, Tsukiori. We'll stop now. [shriek]

Maeda: So please don't say anything to Sensei~~~~

{sound f/x atafuta: Maeda cutting in hastily}

Hisoka: ......

([pointing to Hisoka] Only watching.)

Later on, Tsuzuki lays exhausted on a table in the chapel.

Tsuzuki: AH——— I'm exhausted.

{sound f/x guttari: limp}

Tsuzuki: Why does the Bible use those kind of small characters. It's so hard to read, but it can't be helped, huh. (Man...) (Hm—~) I wonder if Hisoka's doing well...

Tsuzuki gets up as he notices someone. A man with long hair, stares at one of the chapel's stained glass windows. His hair is pulled back in a ponytail, but most of it is in bangs covering the entire upper half of his head.

Tsuzuki: Excuse me~~~~ You over there. Can I help you?

{sound f/x kata: Tsuzuki stepping closer to the man}

The man immediately freaks out and starts running around in SD.

Man: AH~! No...um UH~ That is—

{sound f/x jitabata: flailing arms and legs}

Man: (Te~) Terribly sorry, Father, it wasn't my intention to intrude...!!

The man collapses against a pew in exhaustion. Tsuzuki sweatdrops.

Man: (......)

{sound f/x kuta: limp}

([pointing to the sound f/x] Tired from his uproar.)

(Lack of oxygen...?)

Tsuzuki: (No...) Um— You are...

(No physical strength.)

Man: Ah... sorry. I teach the history of Christ here.

{sound f/x tere: abashed}

Man: I'm called Mitani.

Tsuzuki: Ahh, you're a teacher. What a strange guy......

([pointing to Tsuzuki] Feeling a bit awkward.)

Later on, Mitani is having tea with Tsuzuki. They are, theoretically, at Tsuzuki's house.

Mitani: Here at Saint Michael's, we have famous stained glass reproduced from everywhere. Such as the Bourges Cathedral's "Conception Notification" as the oldest stained glass window. Or then there's the famous Augsburg Cathedral's "The Prophet"... Whenever there isn't school work, I always look at the windows here. The fallen rays of light placed by the setting sun on the floor are splendid...

Tsuzuki: You must really love the church.

Mitani: [laughing slightly] When Father Robert was there, it was fairly gloomy...

Tsuzuki: Speaking of that, I know the previous Father died of illness, but what in the world kind of disease...?

Mitani: [gasping] !!

Mitani looks shocked and slowly sets his teacup down.

Mitani: ...I see...

{sound f/x kacha: clink of the cup on the saucer}

Mitani: You shouldn't lie to a Father, should you. The truth is, ofiicially it's said he died of illness.

Tsuzuki: Huh~?

Mitani: Father Robert died of poisoning.

Tsuzuki: ...!? Poison...!!?

Back at school, Maeda and Hisoka are hanging out a window together. Tsukiori passes below them.

Maeda: Tsukiori Kira—— Second year class A. Saint Michael's strict Mr. Dorm President.

Hisoka: You say dorm president, but isn't he only a second year student?

Maeda: Basically, third year students are nominated but... Tsukiori's position is somewhat unique.

Hisoka: Unique———?

Maeda: That's right.

Maeda suddenly erupts into the flaming SD of justice.

Maeda: Saint Michael's Traditional Problem Solving Law: It was a duel!!! (The dance of blood and flesh, a man's battle!!!)

Hisoka: Duuel~~~~!!? (Huh~!! His eyes are flaming like a stallion~!)

(Hey, hey, this is a Catholic school...)

Hisoka looks slightly disgusted as Maeda begins mooshing over how cool Tsukiori is.

Maeda: Good-looking, smart, and a strong fighter, too. Aa... I long for thaat. A man who has all of the things that I don't have~!

(Enraptured ~)

Hisoka: ...... (You're so weird, you....)

Voice: Don't make too much of that guy, okay there Maeda?

A handsome, slightly evil looking guy stands before them in a school uniform.

Guy: You know that, too, don't you? The "rumors" about him.

Maeda: Fu...Fujisawa...

Fujisawa starts running around in SD, checking out Hisoka from all angles.

{sound f/x jiro: Fujisawa staring at Hisoka}

Fujisawa: (Hmm—) You're Kurosaki, aren't you? Now I get it~~~ Your face looks like a woman, doesn't it.

Hisoka: [sweatdropping] ......

Fujisawa suddenly looks at him seriously.

Fujisawa: [chuckling] What, you want to become one of those violated types, don't you.

Hisoka looks appropriately furious and embarrassed at the same time.

Hisoka: !!

{sound f/x gyu: squeezing his fist}

Hisoka: Don't be tempted by this bastard. It'd be a bad idea to make noise right now... Thank you for your warning. I'll be sure to watch myself.

Fujisawa stares at Hisoka before snorting and walking away.

Fujisawa: ...... (Heh.) Do whatever you want.

Maeda: [looking nervous] Don't worry too much about him, Kurosaki. (That guy immediately picks a fight with the new guys.)

Hisoka: ...Maeda... Before, Tsukiori's "rumors"... Could you tell me about them in detail?

At that moment, Tsuzuki and Mitani are————

At Tsuzuki's house, Tsuzuki feeds Mitani cookies and tea.

{sound f/x wai: happy excitement}

Tsuzuki: Sensei, how about this? Russian tea. This jam is also delicious. (It's got brandy and stuff in it so it's really good.)

Mitani: (Yum~!) It smells wonderful.

Tsuzuki: (But these cookies are still really unique...)

Are having a pleasant tea.

Later on, Hisoka and Tsuzuki are gathered in the church.

Hisoka: ———and, as for the reason, sounds like the students all heard different things but... At Saint Michael's, the three powerful leaders are really strong. First there's the Student President, then there's the Vice-President, and last is the Dorm President. They all opposed each other until the end, but it looks like it was all driven out of school the next day.

Tsuzuki: The teachers aren't saying anything either?

Hisoka: No one wants to lose their posts, right? So they all just pretend that they didn't see anything. And those three people harbored equally intense hostility against each other.

Tsuzuki: Hostility...?

Hisoka: Basically, it was the leaders trying to ruin each other. Student President Okazaki felt shy about the rebellious Fujisawa. And Vice-President Fujisawa was always aiming for the president's seat... Dorm President Tsukiori was beneath the other two but wanted to fall in with them. When Okazaki died, one who gained the most was Fujisawa. He got the president's seat and the man became his.

Tsuzuki: ...THE MAN~!?

Hisoka: [reading carefully out of his memo book] Sounds like Okazaki and Fujisawa had been going around for a long time fighter over this one man. (According to Maeda's intelligence.)

Tsuzuki freaks out in SD.

Tsuzuki: [shrieking] I knew it, HERE of all places... (Oh my God!)

Hisoka: Tsukiori is fairly into a cult religion. It's said when he sees a person prettier than him, performs a curse ceremony and the person will die. (He hasn't done it yet...)

Tsuzuki stares at Hisoka grimly.

Tsuzuki: ......Hisoka... [super genki SD] If you're scared, do you want to come sleep with me?

{sound f/x hera: frivolously}

Hisoka: ......

Tsuzuki is crushed beneath a giant crucifix.

Hisoka: [twitching] Go sleep with Christ.

Later on, Hisoka is outside on the grounds, overlooking the ocean.

{sound f/x byoo: cold wind}

Hisoka: By the secretariat's calculation from looking at the damaged condition of the corpse, it looks like the body was thrown into the ocean from this landing, but... This is a little... Too far away, isn't it...?

Hisoka sweatdrops as he ponders the ocean, far in the distance.

{sound f/x zapaaan: Hisoka staring at the far off ocean dryly}

Hisoka: Even if you think about it, it's impossible for a human's body to be thrown in from here... ...... Or the criminal isn't one person, but two...No, but still, to overcome this distance would be difficult...

A voice startles Hisoka out of his contemplation.

Voice: Is someone out here~~~~?

Hisoka: [gasping] !!

Mitani comes out of the shadows, holding a candle.

Mitani: It's dangerous to be strolling around at this hour—... Ah, you're the new student...

Hisoka: I'm sorry, I'm not used to being here and I got lost...

Mitani: Is that what happened. You shouldn't move around too much alone. The police are still working towards solving to the case...

Hisoka: [completely innocent] But sensei. The rumors are that the Student President was, well——... Killed by his male lover...

Mitani immediately goes into another SD rampage.

Mitani: Things like that are complete nonsense!! Isn't our school a Catholic school!? God prohibits filthy deeds like that!! Our students don't think about doing things like that!!! (Right—! Absolutely!!)

(Sermon.)

Hisoka: [wide eyed] R...Right... (Sorry......)

Mitani: ...but... if it's not necessary, why———— Things like that are gifts from God, aren't they...

Hisoka: (...)

(Thinking about how to reply to that.)

Voice: El el nam meirin.

Above the two on an arched bridge, Tsukiori watches.

Tsukiori: God, you saved me. God, you aided me.

In another place, Fujisawa and his lover, are yeah. Vanilla.

Fujisawa: Ah... There...~...

{sound f/x gishi: creaking}

{sound f/x biku: ...}

Fujisawa: Don't stop there... more...

{sound f/x gishi: creaking}

Fujisawa: Ah...~ Ah...!!

{sound f/x dokun: loud heartbeat}

Fujisawa: More. Deeper...~... (haa... ah...) ...hey... The one who killed Izuru...

{sound f/x picha: drip}

Fujisawa: It was you wasn't it...?

{sound f/x koto: soft clink}

Man: ......

Fujisawa: (mm...) (ha...) Well, but that's okay... From now on you're mine. Eternally... my lover...

{sound f/x byu: quick movement}

The lover stabs Fujisawa through the left side of his head with a large sword. Blood splatters and drips all over the room.

{sound f/x gogi: Fujisawa getting hit}

{sound f/x bisha: Fujisawa hitting the ground}

{sound f/x pota: dripping blood from the sword}

{sound f/x zuru: Fujisawa being dragged across the floor.}

[With that scene over, I can't resist some comments: 1) Mr. Murderer isn't very subtle. You wouldn't think it would be so hard to find him. 2) Serves Fujisawa right, imho. If he was talking about me being a murderer while doing that, I'd probably kill him, too.]

On the beaches beneath the cliffs of the school. Tsuzuki runs up to where others are already gathered.

{sound f/x zaaa: soft breeze from the ocean}

Tsuzuki: What happened? What's this crowd!!

Mitani: Father.

{sound f/x zawa: crowd noise}

Mitani looks up from where he's crouched on the ground before the body and puts one hand to his face.

Mitani: (Ugh~) Why in the world do all of our students have this sort of thing...

Tsuzuki: !!

Mitani: And besides that, in such a brutal way...

Tsuzuki: [staring in shock at the body] The fingers have been amputated!!?

Indeed, just like Izuru, the ring and pinky fingers on Fujisawa's hand have been amputated. Among the jagged rocks, Fujisawa lies, barely covered by a sheet.

Mitani: Saint Michael's is... is cursed by a devil...

Tsuzuki: [still staring in horror] What is this? ...... This time it's the Vice-President Fujisawa...

On the side, Hisoka looks into the crowd and notices Tsukiori.

{sound f/x zawa: crowd noise}

Tsukiori: [grim smirk]

Hisoka: !? ......

Later on, Tsuzuki prays in the middle of the church.

Tsuzuki: Fujisawa and Okazaki, it's all the same... Thrown into the ocean and killed... Why is it specifically that sort of thing... Despite all the work to hide such a thing, the body is always found the next morning. Is there some kind of meaning to throwing the body into the ocean?

Tsuzuki clutches his head.

Tsuzuki: (Don't get it~) (um~~~) My head hurts~~~!!

Voice: Father.

{sound f/x gata: Tsuzuki getting up suddenly in shock}

Tsuzuki: !!

Tsuzuki looks up to see Mitani enter the church.

Mitani: Would you listen to my confession...

Tsuzuki: ———— Mitani-sensei...?

Elsewhere, Maeda's crouching outside in the cold.

Maeda: (Ugh——) Cold~~~~ What in the world am I doing~~~~~ Someone calls me to a place like this at a time like this. Ah——man—— I wonder if Kurosaki's sleeping... (He won't wake up if I don't come back...) Or if he is, too, Tsukiori——

{sound f/x buru: Maeda shivering with cold}

Down the empty halls of the dorm, Tsukiori walks along quietly with a candle in hand.

{sound f/x riiin: candle burning}

Tsukiori: El el nam meirin... God, you saved me... Repel a coming catastrophe from the ocean. Grant me the shield of Saint Michael's.

Over Hisoka's sleeping face, Tsukiori raises a large knife.

Tsukiori: El el nam meirin... God, you aided me... With this meek lamb's blood, you purified me.

Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Manga belongs to Matsushita Youko, Hana to Yume, and Hakusensha, taken from the Yami no Matsuei, Volume 4 manga, ISBN4-592-17404-6. Not like the story makes sense if you haven't read the manga anyway. Romanized and translated into English very badly by Mina-P, with desperately needed help, as always, by Mako-chan. Any comments or corrections can be mailed to Mina-P at Minako@senshigakuen.com.

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