[Vote] Room Seven at Sakurai Inn - Detective Game

📕 Story Background

The Sakurai Inn, an old wooden ryokan hidden in a remote Japanese mountain village, had been operated by the Sakurai family for generations.

One rainy autumn night, Soichiro Sakurai, the respected owner of the inn, was found dead inside the tea room beside the family shrine.

At 11:20 PM, the inn’s young attendant discovered the body. The tea-room door was bolted from the inside, and all the windows were tightly shut.

The family doctor initially believed Soichiro had died from poisoning. However, Detective Miyako Kuroda, who was staying at the inn, noticed several details that did not fit the scene.

A shattered white teacup lay beside the body. It contained no tea—only a few drops of water and a single red maple leaf.

A faint almond-like smell lingered in the room. Near the shrine, incense had burned halfway, but the ash had fallen outside the tea room instead of into the censer.

Even stranger, a trail of wet footprints began at Room Seven and ended in front of the tea-room door. There were no footprints leading away.

Some villagers whispered that the Yuki-Onna, the legendary snow woman of the mountain, had returned. But Detective Kuroda suspected that someone had used an old legend to conceal a carefully planned murder.

The tea-room door had been locked from the inside. No one appeared to have entered. Yet someone had clearly left traces behind.

Suspects

Chiyo Sakurai

“I was in the kitchen washing tea utensils. My father and I argued earlier that evening, but I would never hurt him. I did not go near the tea room after dinner.”

Chiyo was Soichiro’s daughter and the expected heir to the inn. She had recently learned that her father intended to revise the family inheritance.

Makabe

“I was chopping wood behind the inn all night. I heard nothing unusual. I know the kitchen and the storage rooms well, but I have never used any hidden passage.”

Makabe was the inn’s cook. He was familiar with herbs, medicines, and the older parts of the building.

Fujiwara

“I stayed in Room Seven and worked on my notes about the Yuki-Onna legend. I never left my room that night.”

Fujiwara was a writer researching the local legend. He had repeatedly asked Soichiro about the inn’s old family records and building plans.

Koyuki

“I delivered tea to the tea room at 8:00 PM. After that, I returned to the servants’ quarters and never went back.”

Koyuki was a young attendant who had worked at the inn for less than a year. She was the last person known to have served Soichiro.

🔍Known Clues

1.The tea-room door was bolted from the inside, and all the windows were sealed shut.

2.A shattered porcelain teacup beside the body contained no tea—only a few drops of water and a red maple leaf.

3.A faint almond-like smell lingered in the room, but the exact cause of death was unknown.

4.A strand of red thread was found in Soichiro’s left hand, while black ink stained his right hand.

5.Incense had burned halfway, but the ash had fallen outside the tea room.

6.Wet footprints began at Room Seven and ended in front of the tea-room door, even though the courtyard was completely dry.

7.The family archive mentioned an old passage connecting Room Seven to the tea room, but several pages describing it had disappeared.

8.Fine wood dust and a torn red thread were found beneath the tea-room door, and Fujiwara insisted that he had never left Room Seven.

🕵️‍Questions and Discussions for YOU

1.Who is the killer? Deduce based on the available clues.

2.How did the murderer enter and leave the locked tea room?

🎉Participation Rewards

The FIRST user to successfully deduce the identity of the "culprit" and their motive in the comment, will receive a reward of 2,000 GT points! Other participants will earn 200-500 GT points based on the completeness of their submissions. 💰(Except for extended special edition)

📅Submission Deadline

October 16, 2026

Reminder: This is the submission deadline if you want to claim the reward with your vote, but after this date the vote will still remain open for a period of time, so please feel free to participate at any time if you want to test your skills, detectives!

----- Previous Answer (The Seventh Passenger) -----

Culprit: The Stationmaster

Motive: The stationmaster was responsible for Alice’s disappearance thirty years ago. He used the hidden Platform Zero to remove her from the station and then erased her existence from the official records. When Alice returned as the seventh passenger, he tried to repeat the old disappearance and prevent the truth from being exposed.

Deduction Logic – The Missing Passenger:

The ticket dated thirty years ago and marked Platform Zero proves that the mysterious train is connected to Alice’s original disappearance.

The phrase, “You cannot arrive where you have never departed,” suggests that Platform Zero can only be reached by someone who has already begun a journey from Moonlight Station.

The passenger list includes Alice, even though she disappeared thirty years ago. This indicates that the train was repeating the journey connected to her disappearance.

The station clock moving backward and the conductor’s watch showing an earlier time suggest that the train exists outside normal time. The conductor’s statement, “That depends on which journey you’re counting,” confirms that the train is connected to more than one point in time.

The wet footprints leading to the stationmaster’s office indicate that someone travelled from the platform to the office through a hidden route. The locked cabinet contains a photograph of seven people, with one face scratched out—the missing face is Alice’s.

The stationmaster has worked at Moonlight Station for forty years and is the only suspect who would have known about the old records, the hidden routes, and Platform Zero.

The night photographer’s picture was taken before the train arrived because his camera captured an image from the earlier journey thirty years ago.

The mysterious girl in the old-fashioned blue dress is Alice. Her words, “I’m waiting for someone who promised to come back,” suggest that she has returned to confront the person who abandoned or betrayed her.

Crime Reconstruction:

Thirty years ago, the stationmaster deceived Alice and led her to the hidden Platform Zero. He then altered the station records and allowed everyone to believe that she had simply disappeared.

Over the years, he concealed all evidence of Platform Zero and scratched Alice’s face from the old photograph.

At 12:07 AM, the old train returned and Alice appeared as the seventh passenger. The stationmaster recognized her and realized that she had come back to reveal the truth.

He secretly guided Alice from the platform to his office through the hidden passage connected to Platform Zero. He then forced her to remain behind while the train departed with the other six passengers.

The wet footprints were left by Alice as she was taken toward the stationmaster’s office. The locked cabinet contained the original photograph and evidence of the old disappearance.

The passenger list’s message, “One passenger must remain behind,” refers to Alice. She was never meant to complete the journey because the stationmaster intended to repeat what happened thirty years ago.

Conclusion:

The impossible ticket, the hidden Platform Zero, the altered photograph, and the stationmaster’s knowledge of the old station all point to the same person.

In this interpretation, the stationmaster caused Alice’s original disappearance and attempted to conceal her return by repeating the same journey.

The seventh passenger was Alice, and she was taken to Platform Zero beneath the station.

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