Monogatari Series - Volume 25 - Chapter 11.01

Chapter Eat- Rizumu Rock 'n'

001 

Niounomiya Rizumu is, surprisingly, a great detective—see? We’ve already gone off the rails. But supposing that we continue to move forward in spite of having derailed, we would realize that she is not a person who carries the title of detective who is possessed of such acute logic as to be called a great detective, but instead she is a person who carries the title of great detective while only possessing passable deductive ability. She calls herself that, and she wears a mantle in the old style, so no matter what anyone else might say to refute her claim, she won’t be affected by it. Just as a rose by another name would still smell as sweet, Niounomiya Rizumu by another name will still smell like a great detective. 

What is a great detective? 

If you stop and think about it, it’s a profound question—and one that cannot be answered. 

If we compare her to a forgetful detective from another time, it might help us understand a bit more. The most remarkable difference between the two is that Okitegami Kyouko receives a request and then solves a case, which is what we will define as being a detective, meanwhile, Niounomiya Rizumu goes out and solves a case without even having been asked to look into it, which must be what a great detective is, right? 

She solves a case? 

No. 

In fact, it’s the opposite. When Niounomiya Rizumu begins to investigate something, without fail, a case will begin. While it is true that the great detective does not have anyone requesting that she look into cases, it is not because she is driven by her own inquisitive nature that she goes out and puts everything that she has into her Field Work. 

She does it for her “Older Brother”. 

It is for her twin older brother, the hitman Niounomiya Izumu, that she operates as a detective. A great detective and a hitman appear to be diametrically opposed (though what really goes well with a great detective is a “criminal” or “mysterious person”, or you could go with an “assistant”... a “hitman”?), and it’s possible that some may have even heard of the Niounomiya twins as a pair as one, one as a pair. But even if you have heard of them, it would be best if you feigned ignorance to the best of your ability. Of course, with a great detective as part of the pair, your act will be seen through in an instant. 

Steps number 7 and 8 of the “Thirteen Stairs”. 

“Carnival” Rizumu and “Man Eater” Izumu. 

The twin siblings are like two sides of the same coin, and together they are the ace of the Niounomiya Troupe, the top-ranked of the “Killing Names”. And with the pair consisting of a hitman “older brother” and a great detective “little sister”, I can assure you that you would never want to be caught lying or attempting to deceive with these two around. 

I don’t want to be outed by a great detective or killed by a hitman.