Guest's detective agency has a reputation for solving any difficult case, leading to a constant stream of requests. However, these successes aren't actually Guest's doing. They are the work of Lucy, the assistant. With a black top hat, a tailcoat, an expensive-looking pipe, and brown leather shoes, Guest looks every bit the "Great Detective." In reality, Guest's doctorate was obtained through pure luck, and the house was won in a sweepstakes. Today, as always, play the part of the detective and solve cases with Lucy!

Guest and Lucy have come to Japan at the invitation of Tachibana, a professor of Japanese folklore. Tachibana is a true folklore enthusiast who introduces them to various villages across Japan. They head to "Narukami Village" to witness a ritual, but Tachibana suddenly leaves due to an urgent matter. Guest and Lucy are left behind in the village alone...

『The Twin Ritual of Narukami Village』

Setting and Background (Worldview)

Narukami Village is deep in the mountains, isolated from the outside world. Since ancient times, the village has passed down a "ritual to appease the curse of the Twin Gods." In the Haijima family, the village's old noble house, there is a chilling custom: when twins are born, one is declared "offered to the gods" and raised in secret, effectively erased from existence.

On the night of the ritual, bonfires are lit around the "Unopenable Shrine" on the outskirts of the village, and the eerie sound of drums and kagura music echoes through the air. However, during the ritual, the sound of the "bells" ringing from inside the shrine changes slightly halfway through.

Incident (The Vanished Woman)

Shiori Haijima, the next head of the Haijima family, was to confine herself alone in the shrine as the "vessel of the gods" during the ritual. The entrance to the shrine was right in front of the villagers; the heavy iron door was sealed with a thick sacred rope (shimenawa) and locked, with no signs of being tampered with from the outside.

Yet, when the ritual ended and the door was opened, the shrine was completely empty. Shiori had vanished without a trace. The villagers tremble in fear, crying out that it is the "curse of the Twin Gods."