~ Shadow Reading ~
It is a special ability possessed near Mt. Hikami, the sacred mountain.
Those with the ability of Shadow Reading can trace the 'shadows' of people or objects that have been spirited away.
On that day, Yuri Kozukata, along with Hisoka Kurosawa, the female owner of the shop where she resided who also possessed the ability of Shadow Reading, came to an abandoned inn on Mt. Hikami.
Sensing the gift of Shadow Reading within Yuri, Hisoka intended to teach her how to use it, thus bringing Yuri along to perform a Shadow Reading assignment...
Standing at the edge of a cliff, Yuri gazed at a large, crimson sun. She thought to herself,
I thought I would become afraid of death, but I didn't shed a single tear.
Solitude.
Anyone is completely alone when they die, and I... will die alone.
Then Yuri leapt from the cliff—
A large, crimson sun
Hearing Hisoka's voice calling from behind, Yuri suddenly snapped back to reality.
Location: Ichiru Manor, Mizukago Hot Springs
At the entrance of Ichiru Manor, Hisoka said to Yuri: 'What we're looking for should be around here. Why don't you take over from here?'
Hisoka handed Yuri a Camera Obscura and said:
'This Camera Obscura can photograph things that cannot be seen, revealing clues to lost items. This is your first assignment, you can do this.'
Ichiru Manor
Practicing with the Camera Obscura
Hisoka noted:
'This place has changed, too. It was never bustling, but it didn't used to be like this. A mountain once revered as a sacred place eventually became a tourist spot.
Now, it's a notorious suicide spot. I've heard that those who visit Mt. Hikami nowadays come with the sole intention of ending their lives.'
Hisoka handed Yuri a token—a Memento Photograph.
'This is an item requested by Ren. This photograph was clearly found here. I want to investigate if there are other unknown things left behind.'
Yuri stepped inside Ichiru Manor to begin her Shadow Reading work.
Those who can perform Shadow Reading possess an incredibly high spiritual awareness; they can see things ordinary people cannot, such as hostile spirits and specters.
Upon entering, she spotted a specter: Peeping Shadow.
Further ahead, on the water at a crossroads, she saw another specter: Watery Hand.
Then Hisoka taught Yuri that the past shadows revealed through a token are called traces.
A trace can guide us to clues about our target. By following the trace, we can find what we're looking for.
At the end of the path, she acquired a document—The Decline of Mt. Hikami.
After reading the document, a specter appeared ahead: Man Prying through Crevice.
Continuing to follow the trace, she turned a corner and saw a trace: Innkeeper Heading Inside.
Walking further, she encountered a locked door. Photographing it with the Camera Obscura revealed a Psychic Vision: The Closet in the Photograph.
This meant that the key to unlock the door was hidden in the glowing spot shown in the photo. Hisoka wanted Yuri to practice on her own, so she stayed behind to wait.
So Yuri turned back to search for the key. As she crawled through a gap in the structure, she saw a specter: Hanging Man (Staff Hallway).
Inside a brazier, she found a Key with Red Keyring.
With this key, she could unlock the door where Hisoka was waiting.
Right after obtaining the key, she turned around and saw a specter: Man Looking at Key.
Some areas require crawling.
Some locations require crawling
Returning to Hisoka, she unlocked the door using the Key with Red Keyring.
As the door opened, a specter appeared: Searching Man.
In the direction the searching man was looking, she discovered a Photo Album.
Discovering the Photo Album
Hisoka said:
'This is the item we were commissioned to find. Let's head back before it gets dark. This... is not a good place.'
On the way back, Hisoka told Yuri that Shadow Reading means seeing shadows. Searching for objects and searching for people carry different levels of danger; chasing the shadows of the deceased might pull you into the other world.
As they returned, she saw a specter in front of the closet room: Peeping Man.
Going down the stairs, she saw another specter on the left: Staring Man.
Moving further forward, Yuri was suddenly ambushed by a hostile spirit, Akira Oonuma. Yuri discovered that the Camera Obscura could repel spiritual entities.
Hostile Spirit: Akira Oonuma
Repelling the spirit
After defeating the spirit, Hisoka apologized to Yuri for putting her through that... stating that such work would be handled by Hisoka alone from now on.
Yuri remembered that dream of the sunset again.
I am entirely alone...
Yuri's Dream
Afterward, the two left Ichiru Manor together.
The protagonist then shifts to Ren.
Location: Hojo Residence
Ren was having a nightmare about murdering a white-haired, red-eyed girl during his childhood...
The white-haired girl in the dream
Suddenly, he was awakened by his assistant, Rui.
Rui: 'Master, Ms. Kurosawa came looking for you earlier.'
Ren: 'Ah... Has Hisoka been here?'
Rui: 'It seems she found it.'
Ren: 'Really?'
Rui: 'I've already accepted it.' (handing the Photo Album to Ren).
Ren casually flipped through the Photo Album, and suddenly froze as he saw the white-haired girl he had killed in his dream...
Photograph of the White-Haired Girl