1. Official Greetings & Rules for the Mystery Stew

Greetings, everyone. I would like to thank you all for gathering here on this stormy night.

This is the St. Mary’s Academy for Girls Literature Club’s last regular meeting of the semester. As president of our club, I, Sayuri Sumikawa, would like to begin with some opening remarks. Please feel free to sip on the welcome drinks I’ve just handed out as you listen.

Our club is small, with less than ten members to its name, but it looks like everyone is present tonight. While it may be too dark to make out your faces, I can still see that each chair is filled.

Despite the circumstances, thank you all for coming.

If this is your first time at the mystery stew, some of you may be confused as to why the literary salon is so dark today. Or, perhaps, some of you have already heard bits and pieces about this from the older members and were excited to come here today. When it’s dark you can’t see what you usually can, and it almost feels like you are in another world.

We gather around this oval black marble table. Normally, the black crystal Baccarat chandelier would be shining above us, but today that light has been dimmed to its lowest setting. I will turn it off completely when our meeting begins. Then, the only light left will be this candle I hold in my hands.

Our literary salon is on the first floor of the annex, and is exclusive to us. It has lavender-colored carpets and wallpaper, and French windows decorated with flowing black velvet curtains. There is an antique cabinet with clawed feet, and a Gobelins-woven sofa. This annex is a remodeled Gothic-style convent that was originally connected to the main school building, so our sophisticated décor matches perfectly. Who was it that jumped for joy, saying that the salon was “just like an Anna Sui boutique” when she was first invited here?

Ah, but our salon doesn’t just look elegant; we also have an entire wall filled with shelves of the most exceptional books. Since this is an all-girls missionary school, the academic library has countless books on Catholicism and scholastic topics. So we have deliberately collected books and documents from various genres that you wouldn’t typically find elsewhere at school. Kind of like a small private library. But this library alone is a great asset to our club.

Then there are the sound-proof walls and windows that silence the commotion from the courtyard and allow our members to immerse themselves in their reading and writing activities in peace. We read and discuss books together, research authors and make presentations about them, read our original stories aloud to one another, chat about literature in general, and conduct all other literary activities imaginable without interruption.

We owe the creation of this unbelievably perfect salon completely thanks to the father of our former club president, Itsumi Shiraishi. Two years before the convent was remodeled and annexed into the school—and right after Itsumi entered high school—Mr. Shiraishi made a generous donation and built this salon. It’s in a lovely southeast corner on the first floor and has the best access to sunlight. Of course, you all know that Mr. Shiraishi is the school chairman, right?

To me, this salon is irreplaceable. I’m sure that you all feel the same way. You feel calmer here than in any of the classrooms. This is where you can concentrate on books that you can’t read at home, where you finish the stories that you’re stuck on. In the cold seasons, we sprawl out on the sofa in front of the fireplace, nursing hot chocolate and critiquing each other’s stories, and in the summer, we quench our thirst with homemade lemonade while debating literary theories. Yes, this is surely our private castle in the sky.

The salon has a different feel with the lights dimmed this low. Isn’t it grand? Against the candle’s soft flame, only the chandelier, the set of wall lights, and your silhouettes stand out, granting this room a mystical and solemn ambience.

Normally, there would be a Wedgwood tea set, freshly baked scones, and sweet-smelling jams resting on this table. But, tonight, all of those things have been put away. Did you notice something on the marble table that doesn’t quite fit in?

That’s right. A pot. A shiny, amber-colored, copper pot. It’s from Mauviel, the French brand, you know.

We have a first-year student and an international student with us today, so I’d like to give a more detailed explanation about the proceedings. Tonight, we are having a so-called “mystery stew.” Indeed, as you might have expected, we will put strange things into a pot and then eat them in total darkness. Many girls—especially the girls at our school—may not be familiar with this kind of thing. Nevertheless, it is a Literature Club tradition to meet around the mystery stew, once every term, before vacation.

What?

How did these mystery stew meetings start?

Well…Our club has a long history, so there are numerous theories as to the stew’s origin. One is that some club members tried it for fun and it just kind of stuck, and another is that the members were tired of only eating luxury foods and were curious to try something grotesque—but the one that has me most convinced, the one that I believe, is that they did it to sharpen their senses.

Don’t you feel your five senses growing stronger in the dark?

Take away the everyday light that surrounds you, try resuming your normal activities, and you’ll find that even the most ordinary of movements feel unusual. Do not rely on sight alone—an extremely important concept for aspiring literati, don’t you think? That’s why I like this theory best.

Take the cocktail you are drinking right now, for example. Don’t you feel strange drinking it in the dark? Is the cocktail red or is it blue? Is there something floating in it? Is it sweet or is it bitter? Is it thick or is it smooth? It takes a lot of courage to put something in your mouth when you don’t know what it is, doesn’t it? Ah, but do not fret. The rules say that our cocktails must only contain ingredients fit for drinking. I mean, this is a meeting just for girls, after all; we want something tasty to drink. But if this were the pot with the mystery items in it…wouldn’t you be terrified to bring it to your mouth?

How will your sense of smell, taste, sound, and touch react when you’ve lost your sense of sight? Refine, betray, and release your five senses. This is what I understand to be the goal of our meeting tonight.

Now I will explain the rules of the mystery stew.

First of all, everyone has brought an item of their choice, correct? Usually the rules only allow for edible things, but we will also be accepting inedible items tonight. Hehe. This is what makes our mystery stew unique. But unsanitary items, like shoes or bugs, are strictly forbidden. Everyone should remember this is a girls’ meeting, after all.

All mystery stews have similar rules, but the most ironclad one is the “no spoilers” rule. You have put your items in an opaque container, and into the refrigerator in the kitchen, correct? I, the “pot bearer,” am the only one who can add things to the mystery stew. Let us dine on whatever comes out of the pot with our hearts racing in anticipation.

On to the next rule. You must finish your plate before taking your next serving. It is everyone’s responsibility to eat until the pot has been totally emptied.

Which mystery stew was it…the one with the terrible strawberry rice cake that really taught us a lesson? It was unbearably sweet from beginning to end. The moment the rice cake was thrown into the pot, the red bean paste inside became gooey and melted into the soup, and it was impossible to take out. Perhaps someone has brought another strawberry rice cake today. Well, no matter. The rule is that anything goes, after all.

Speaking of anything goes, do you remember the time there was a Chanel watch in the stew? Since it was dark, the member who had found it could only tell that it was a watch at first, and she complained that she barely got to eat anything because she couldn’t clear her plate. Then, after we finished off the stew and had some noodles and hot porridge and turned on the lights, we found that it was a Chanel watch, and a limited-edition model at that. Everyone made quite a fuss over it. The girl who they’d laughed at and pitied instantly became the object of everyone’s envy. The watch had suffered some heat damage, even though it was waterproof, and apparently cost a lot to fix. But still, that’s not a model you come by every day. I’d say she got it for pretty cheap if all she had to pay were the repair fees.

Who was the lucky girl? Ahh, yes, that’s right. That was also Itsumi. She was ecstatic…

I’m sorry. I didn’t realize that I was talking about her again. I didn’t mean to make you sad. I am truly sorry.

Well, the next rule is—oh dear, newcomers, please don’t look so afraid. There will be times when the stew tastes awful, of course, but I have properly prepared desserts to cleanse your palates at the end. Tasty drinks and desserts are a must for a girls’ night, right?

It is customary for the club president to make desserts for the meeting. I spent all morning baking as best as I could. Last year we had crème brûlée, honey flan, strawberry Bavarian cream, and this time we will have—well, please save your excitement for the end.

The strawberry rice cake may have been a failure, but the melon-flavored snow cone syrup was also a disaster. The broth got all muddy and smelled like boiled-down perfume, and then, when we turned on the lights, we saw that it had turned our tongues green…Oh, what a horrible taste and smell it had! I shudder at the mere thought of it. I wonder if someone has brought syrup again today. I feel anxious about this at every meeting.

Oh right, there is one more rule: even after the meeting ends, you can’t tell anyone which item you’ve brought, and you can’t pry and ask others about theirs. If we don’t do it this way, we would discover a pattern and it wouldn’t be fun.

Some members have also brought wonderful things for the stew. We were most fond of the bird’s nest stew. It was packed with minerals and good for your skin and felt pleasant on the tongue. The kind of thing girls tend to go crazy for. It was probably the best ingredient in mystery stew history. Everyone also loved the shark fin because it has collagen in it. Oh, I’d be delighted if someone brought us a good beauty product this year.

By the way…

You all haven’t forgotten to bring one other important item, right?

Yes. The short stories.

This may be a “mystery stew meeting,” but your short stories are the true main attraction for the night. Every meeting, we take turns reading our stories aloud while the other members listen and dine on the stew. You all wrote your short stories, correct?

Stories you only hear in the dark. Stories that you feel when you lose your sense of sight and your five senses betray you—isn’t this the perfect setting? This is the real thrill of our meetings. I think this is really why these meetings have gone on for such a long time.

Normally, you can choose your own topic. However, after that tragic incident, I decided to pick your topic for you, just this once. You may have struggled to write about it in such a limited amount of time, but I’d like you to think of it as an important lesson in writing.

That’s right. The topic is the death of former club president Itsumi Shiraishi.

Since elementary school, Itsumi was my best friend. We spent every day together. I still can’t believe that she’s gone.

Everyone always told us that we were complete opposites. Itsumi was a go-getter, someone who couldn’t rest until she’d settled everything in black-and-white. But I was more the type who lived a quiet life, sheltered in her shadow. I’ve been sickly since birth.

Don’t you find that friendships between girls our age exist within two extremes? If a girl is similar to you, you’ll either hate her or love her; if she’s your opposite, you will either love her or hate her. There’s no middle ground. I imagine you learn how to gracefully handle these kinds of things as you become an adult: you learn that whether you are similar or different, get along or don’t, these relationships provide us with the wisdom we need to survive in society.

But for our generation, this wisdom is impossible. All we care about are our own selfish emotions. We have to protect our feelings more than anything else. So, do we kill, or allow ourselves to be killed? Friendships between girls are always hanging in this balance. Life-or-death survival. This is especially true at an all-girls school like ours. Right, ladies?

Itsumi was the best partner for me in that way. She compensated for all of my weaknesses. We could coexist without killing each other. She signed up to volunteer with me when I said I was nervous doing it alone, pushed me to study abroad when I felt hesitant about it, and practiced debate with me when I told her I wasn’t very good at it. And, in turn, I am proud to say that I was the best partner for her too. Itsumi was bad with details—so I planned club events, looked at hotels and made reservations for her, and did research on the colleges she wanted to go to. Yes, we two were truly one. She often told me that she didn’t know what she would do without me, and I felt the same way about her. There are a lot of things I would’ve never experienced without her.

I think it was our advisor, Mr. Hojo, who had told us that we were like “the sun and the moon.” I was initially appalled that a Japanese language teacher like him would use such an awful cliché, but, after losing Itsumi, I realized he was right. Itsumi was my sun. I cannot shine without her. She was the reason for my existence.

So, when I lost Itsumi, it felt like half of my body had been ripped away from me, and I can’t find my balance even when I walk. It’s like this every day.

Why did Itsumi die?

I still don’t know why.

It’s only been one week since her death. I really can’t believe it. You’re all as devastated as I am, right? It’s only natural to feel this way. To think that someone as happy as Itsumi would die like that…

—I’m sorry for crying.

What?

Yes, of course, I’m aware. I know there’s a rumor going around that someone in our club killed Itsumi. Do I believe it, you ask? Hmm, well…

Was it a suicide or murder? We don’t even know that much.

It’s true. Itsumi’s death is shrouded in mystery. You all know that we weren’t allowed to attend her funeral and that none of her family would tell us what happened, right? Itsumi’s father, mother, and younger brother Kazuki wouldn’t say a thing.

I still have dreams about it. I see Itsumi lying face-down, covered in blood—

You were all there to see the body. Why did she die on school grounds? Why had she fallen into a flowerbed on the lower terrace? And why was she holding that when she died? What was she trying to tell us?

This is all I’ve been thinking about every day for the past week.

Which is why I’d like to commemorate her tonight. In her beloved salon, with all the Literature Club members in attendance.

I may be your host for the night, but the true star of the show is none other than our dearly departed friend, Itsumi Shiraishi.

I honestly considered cancelling tonight’s meeting until I remembered what a pivotal role our club played in her high school career. You could even say that this is where she spent all of her adolescence. She used to come here every day after school to read and passionately discuss various works in her earnest attempt to become a writer and literary critic. Her father was so taken by her passion that he gave her this salon. I thought it would be much better for us to mourn together as a club rather than separately and alone. It’s a very Literature Club way to show our respects…don’t you think? You all came here because you agree with me and don’t think this is improper, right?

I think Itsumi is happy about this. I would know.

But, no matter what it takes, I need to find out what was going on.

What on earth happened?

I asked you all to write about this incident, from your own point of views, so that we can find the answer.

Short stories about Itsumi’s death. Short stories dedicated to Itsumi. I wanted you to remember everything you can about that unfortunate incident and write it down, and then read it aloud to everyone in our club. We are bound to learn the truth about her death, which has sublimated into your writing. Why did Itsumi have to die? And—did one of you really murder her?

What terrible thunder. The sound of the rain is growing louder. And yet, isn’t a summer storm fitting for the evening?

Well then, it’s about time to begin.

I am going to turn off the chandelier. Is everyone ready?

Once the lights are out, I will only rely on candlelight to guide me as I start to add things to the stew. Then, I will have you take turns reading aloud. I’ve created a space next to the sofa and arranged a candlestick near the fireplace. Please read your stories in that space.

Now, let the St. Mary’s Academy for Girls Literature Club’s 61^st Meeting and Mystery Stew Reading begin.