Emio: The Smiling Man is the first new entry in the Famicom Detective Club franchise in nearly 30 years, and its story is just starting to cook when Chapter 2 rolls around, so here’s what you need to know to get through it.
Looking for a walkthrough for the previous chapter? You can find a link to that here: Emio: The Smiling Man Prologue & Chapter 1 Walkthrough
Looking for a walkthrough of the next chapter? You can find a link to that here: Emio: The Smiling Man Chapter 3 Walkthrough
Table of Contents
Chapter 2 – Disappearance
After bringing the Prologue and Chapter 1 to a close, we find ourselves back at the Police Station once again, face-to-face with Kamada. After a brief reintroduction, you’re whisked away to the interrogation room once again, the same room we were in last time with Dice. You find out that forensics is taking a deeper look into the paper bag, and it’s time to start asking questions once again.
With all of our options available, we’ll want to use the Ask/Listen prompt, and select from the following options:
- Paper Bag
- Observations?
Select Paper Bag, followed by the Think prompt. You’ll think to yourself about why the Police Department didn’t let anybody know about the Paper Bags 18 years ago, and you’ll receive a new prompt under the Ask/Listen option:
- Murders from 18 Years Ago
Select this option. Kamada was in charge of the operation 18 years ago, and you’ll discover that it was his call not to disclose that information. You’ll notice that he mentions the details of the case, and that seems like something we should press a little further, don’t you agree? Select the Murders from 18 Years Ago option once again, before selecting the Paper Bag option once more.
He mentions that he hid the information to keep people from becoming copycat killers, which makes sense. But, how did someone else discover the paper bags, then? Select Ask/Listen again to push the story forward further. Kamada will share his regret that they never found the killer, and divulge you with more secrets and information.
He’ll disclose that there was a Missing Boy that slipped through their fingers during the case, so use the Ask/Listen prompt to ask about him. You’ll discover the identity of the young man – Makoto Kuze. Who else shares that last name? Why, Detective Kuze from Chapter 1, that’s who. I guess that would explain why she’s so invested in this case.
Select Ask/Listen once again to progress the story further. You’ll learn that Makoto Kuze was Detective Kuze’s older brother and went missing when he was just 14 years old. Use Ask/Listen to progress the story further once again to discover that the murders came to a stop after Makoto went missing. Maybe the killer was upset that he had murdered a boy instead of a girl. Select the Murders from the 18 Years Ago option under Ask/Listen to learn that there was a suspect who went missing shortly after the murders.
You’ll have another new option: Missing Man. Select this from the Ask/Listen menu to learn more about the suspect that they had originally apprehended. This suspect knew the first victim, and they had discovered a large and suspicious amount of blood in the suspect’s apartment. However, in the end, they were not able to establish a connection between the murder and their suspect, so it’s time to Think about the information we’ve learned so far. You’ll receive a new option in the Ask/Listen menu about Kuze, so ask Kamada about it.
If you select Ask/Listen again, Kamada will mention that he thinks that Kuze is working too hard. But, this may be because of a personal reason; I mean, her older brother was possibly killed in the same fashion, and she likely wants to get to the bottom of it. You’ll also discover that she’s heading the Eisuke case, and you’ll receive another new option to ask about it in the same menu we’ve been visiting this whole time.
Asking about the case will prompt Kamada to mention that it could be the original killer, or it could be a copycat. However, since they didn’t make information about the previous case public, he seems to rule out the possibility of a copycat killer in the Eisuke case. You’ll also receive a new prompt, where he’ll ask if you’ve noticed a key difference in the murders. Select the following option:
- The victims were killed in a different manner
As we discovered in the previous chapter, the other murders had been committed via manual strangulation, whereas this murder was with a cord, rope, or string. Kamada mentions that he finds this to be suspicious as well, but doesn’t rule out that the killer could have changed their modus operandi to throw people off on the case. Use the Think option again to bring up another question we can ask, this time about the Smiling Man Urban Legend. Select The Smiling Man from the Ask/Listen menu.
Kamada is incredibly shocked about the Urban Legend and may believe that the real-life murders could be the inspiration for it. Or that the killer could have been inspired by the Urban Legend, too. It’s so hard to know at this point, especially since the case is so fresh. Select the Smiling Man option once more to progress the story. Before you leave the area, be sure to select the Observations? question in the Ask/Listen menu, and Kamada will ask you about your conversation with Kamihara.
This will bring a new Ask/Listen prompt, Kamihara. Select this option to learn more about Kamihara and his backstory, as well as how he got connected with Kuze. It’s just a nice bit of backstory, more than anything. From here, select the Travel option and select the option for The Scene of the Crime.
Chapter 2 – Pump Station
After arriving to the scene of the Crime, you’ll swiftly make your way to the Pump Station where the body was found. It’s also stated that an early-morning passerby saw him laying on the ground and called the police, prompting a start to this investigation. But, since the area is in the middle of nowhere, why would somebody have passed by here? It’s time to start looking for answers.
Using the Examine tool, select the Pump Station. It’s near the top, over the fence and you’ll discover that there is a path leading up to the backside of the facility. Why would that be there? Use the Look/Examine option again and look at the Bushes on the left side of the screen near the fence. This will prompt another cutscene and progress the story ahead a little further.
If you select the Think option, you’ll find that there are no further clues in this location, and it’s time to head back to the office to collect our thoughts. Select the Travel option, and you’ll head back to the bus station to go back to the Utsugi Detective Agency.
After discovering that the bus wouldn’t be there for another hour or so, you decide that it may be faster to walk back to the office. Things are abruptly halted, however, when a car pulls up with Kamihara and Detective Kuze arriving at the crime scene. After a brief interaction, it’s time to start chatting up our favorite guy once again, with our Ask/Listen prompts being the following:
- Kamihara
- Eisuke’s Case
- Observations?
Make your way through the list once again, and you’ll discover that Kamihara and Kuze are just heading back to the office. You’ll also find that Dice may know more about the situation at hand but is a bit shy about sharing information. Something seems a little fishy here, and I can’t put my finger on it. Use the Look/Examine tool and keep selecting Kamihara. He’ll mention that he would give you a ride home if he could, so use the Look/Examine tool once again and select the car. Kuze will mention they need to get going and selecting the Ask/Listen prompt will progress things further. Finally, use the Think option to let Kamihara go and wait for the bus.
Now, even though there isn’t anyone around, you’ll want to use the Call/Engage option and select both Kamihara and Kuze. You’ll see a funny segment where the main character yells out into the void for them, asking them to pick him up. Now, Examine/Look at the schedule and the bus stop for good measure before using the Call/Engage button again to realize that you could call a cab. Even though the battery on the cellphone is low, use the following option:
- Now’s the time to use it!
Unfortunately, our luck runs out quickly as the cellphone battery dies before we’re able to place a call for a cab. So, since it’s just us and our thoughts here, it’s time to use the Think prompt to get a flashback to previous happenings in the case, our conversation with Kamada about Kamihara, and many more pieces of throwback memories.
After your flashback, it’s time to Examine/Look at your Surroundings once again. You’ll recall that it may have been hard to call a taxi at this time of the day anyway, so you’ll just need to sit and wait for things to progress. Press the Think button again. The main character will mention that he needs to summon a taxi with his magical powers, so use the Call/Engage action to try this out. Maybe it’s a dorky way to pass the time, maybe it’ll work?
Chapter 2 – Taxi Cab
Somehow, it actually works. A taxi approaches the bus station, and the driver tells you to hop in and he’ll take you to the station. Use the Ask/Listen prompt to hop into the back seat of the car and be on your way. Use the Ask/Listen prompt while in the car to find out that someone called to arrange that you be picked up. Who could that have been? Kuze? Kamihara? It’s not clear as of yet, so let’s keep using the Ask/Listen prompt to get things going further.
Using the Think prompt will bring up a few additional questions that you can ask the Taxi Driver, as he mentions that they found a body near where the driver picked the character up:
- Eisuke’s Case
- Observations?
Continue using these options until the Driver mentions that they drive past the area often for work. This is a little suspicious, why would he mention that? It’s time to Think about what they had to say and then use the Ask/Listen prompt once again. The driver mentions that they drove past this location around 10 pm on the night before last, also known as the night of the murder. Use the Ask/Listen action and select Observations? to find out if the driver had noticed anything when they drove past.
The driver mentioned that they noticed a Motorcycle parked near the pumping station/bus stop the other night. This gives us a new question to Ask/Listen to, so go back into the menu and select The Motorcycle. He reaffirms that he’s sure that he saw a motorcycle parked there around 10 pm the other night. However, the driver thinks that the rider may have just been stopping to use the restroom and relieve themselves.
This gives us something else to Think about, so use that option. As you ponder your thoughts, you’ll have a choice to make. Why was the person there? Select the following option:
- It must have been for some other reason
You run through a few scenarios in your mind, including the fact that the body was pretty far back in the woods, so the motorcyclist likely didn’t transport a body there, plus the fact that the caller had noticed it early in the morning. We’ll just need to push the possibility of wrongdoing out of our mind for the time being. Go back and ask about Eisuke’s Case again, and then select Ask/Listen once more.
You’ll ask the driver if he saw anything else, and he mentions that he has another story and asks if you want to hear it. Select the following option:
- Let’s hear it.
The driver mentions that they receive a lot of “phantom calls”, which he describes as being something from “another world”. Things are getting creepy, and he mentions that if the call had been at night, he would have likely not accepted the fare. While this sounds like it may be some sort of prank or something, it’s worth remembering for the future, just in case.
The driver stops speaking and mentions that they will get us to our destination, and that it’s time to jump into a new location.
Chapter 2 – Minami Daisan Junior High School
It’s time to step into the shoes of Ayumi as we approach the Minami Daisan Junior High School. An Eager Student will approach Ayumi and ask if there is anything that Minami Daisan Junior High School can do to help, so Ask/Listen to start things off. The student mentions that they should help out people who need it, as that’s what his mom and teachers always say he should do. What a noble lad.
Using the Ask/Listen prompt again will give us the opportunity to ask a few specific questions:
- About Eisuke
- Observations?
Go through the list of questions to learn more about the situation at hand. You’ll learn that the student doesn’t know much about Eisuke beyond that he was a third year, and that he has unfortunately passed away. Observations are just more of a backstory, with the child saying that Ayumi is cute.
Think about what you have learned so far to get a new prompt; About the School. Ask the Eager Student this question, and he’ll mention that the school told him the following bit of information:
- Don’t go out alone at night and stay away from the pump station
The school was also let out early, and he mentions that a few of his friends commute to school on the bus near the pump station after being asked the question again. After this comes to a close, use the Ask/Listen prompt again to learn that the student doesn’t know much else about the school, especially since he’s just a first year. Think about the situation and see that he is suddenly deflated and worried. Seems like a good chance to use the Look/Examine option on him.
Select the Student with the magnifying glass. The student will suddenly mention that he’s worried about dying, especially now that he knows that kids his age can die. Things got deep all of a sudden, didn’t they? His friends will call him over, and the Eager Student will run off to join his pals.
A new group of students will emerge from the school, so use the Call/Engage action to strike up a conversation with them. Two students, the Talkative Student and the Quiet Student will now be our primary targets, so use the Ask/Listen prompt to chat with them. You’ll find out that they were classmates with Eisuke, which could prove to be valuable in no time flat. After this bit of conversation, we’ll have three options to choose from:
- About Eisuke
- About the School
- Observations?
Make your way through the list once again. You’ll discover that Eisuke was seemingly popular, having many male and female friends, while also getting good grades and being very kind. They will also mention that you should speak with Megumi Morimoto, a friend of Eisuke’s who was very close to him. This will also give us a new question to ask, so use the Ask/Listen menu to select About Megumi.
After asking about Megumi, use the Think prompt to notice that the girl on the left is much more talkative than her friend on the right. Select Ask/Listen to talk to the Quiet Student and ask her thoughts on the situation at hand. She won’t have much to add to the conversation, but a few repeated taps of the Ask/Listen button will prompt the Talkative Student to mention that you should talk to Megumi herself. Think about the situation to wonder if Megumi is here, and available to chat with. Select the Call/Engage option and select Megumi, and the Talkataive Student will run off to get her for us.
This leaves us alone with some one-on-one time with the Quiet Student, so use the Ask/Listen prompt once again to ask the following questions:
- About Eisuke
- About the School
- About Megumi
- Observations?
Make your way through the list to gather up more information. The Megumi question is going to be repeated a few times, as she won’t have much else to say about the other questions we can ask. You’ll need to select About Megumi about 3 times before she finally opens up to say anything, before shutting down again. Use the Observation question to open things up further here.
She’ll mention that she heard a rumor about one of Eisuke’s friends, and she was originally going to keep quiet about it because she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Before she can say anything, however, the Talkative Student arrives on the scene once more, telling us that Megumi isn’t here today. However, that doesn’t stop our quest for knowledge, so we need to press on a bit more.
If we select the Ask/Listen prompt again, we’ll learn more about the rumor. Continue to select the Observation prompt, and you’ll be asked to select from a multiple-choice question, and you should pick the following:
- Wait, you’re talking about THAT thing?
The students will be shocked that you somehow knew, even though they don’t realize that you’re completely bluffing. They’ll give you the full scoop about how Eisuke was friends with a boy named Kenji, but they both apparently had a crush on Megumi. How spicy! Except for the fact that it wasn’t a boy named Kenji, it’s actually a boy named Kohei. Kohei Takiguchi, to be exact.
At this point, another character will enter the scene. An old face from a club back in junior high, Fukuyama is a teacher at the high school and the new face we’ll get to ask plenty of questions to. Use the Ask/Listen prompt to learn more about what got him here in the first place. After asking a few questions, you’ll receive a new list of prompts:
- About Eisuke
- About the School
- About Megumi
- About Kohei
- Observations?
Make your way through this list of questions, as well. Fukuyama doesn’t know much about Eisuke, unfortunately, as he was just recently transferred to this school. However, his expression when we mentioned Megumi earlier seems a little suspicious, so we’ll need to make sure we’re paying attention when we ask about her.
Aiyumi thinks that something is up too, especially when you Think about it after asking him questions about Megumi. So, it’s time to press a bit regarding her. Go back into the Ask/Listen menu and select the About Megumi option again. Before you can learn any information, the bell rings and Staff Meeting starts, with Fukuyama needing to attend.
After this, you’ll have the option to Travel back to the office, and since there are no other students around to talk to, this is going to be our best bet for the time being.
Before we can go, Fukuyama comes running back out, asking for our contact info to relay any information that he may hear from the students. Now we can head back to the office.
Chapter 2 – Back To The Office
It seems that Ayumi beat us back to the office, with Utsugi also waiting inside for us to learn what we uncovered today. You’ll give Utsugi the information you learned today, then using the Ask/Listen prompt, you’ll ask about the young boy who went missing 18 years ago. You’ll learn that Utsugi was working with the police as well, explaining how he knew Detective Kuze in the first few chapters.
Use the Ask/Listen prompt again to get further backstory about Detective Kuze and her older brother Makoto, he mentions that Makoto had gone out looking for Junko, but only she returned home and looked horribly shaken up. Maybe she witnessed what had happened? Continue using the Ask/Listen prompt to progress the story to Ayumi.
Use the Ask/Listen prompt here, as well, to let her explain what she had discovered at the Minami Daisan Junior High School. After she relays the information, it’s time to Review what we’ve discovered up to this point. We’ll be asked a series of questions, so select the following answers:
- We can’t yet be sure if he had anything to do with the killings.
- We can’t be sure if there’s any connection between this murder and the ones from 18 years ago.
- Type in “Emio”
Utsugi mentioned that he would like us to get more information regarding the Kuze siblings and that Ayumi should get more information from the folks at Minami Daisan Junior High. Utsugi is going to dig into the Emio legend more, as there is something about it he would like to confirm before jumping to conclusions.
This wraps up the second chapter of Emio: The Smiling Man and leaves us hanging before the next chapter is available to play through.
Emio: The Smiling Man will be available on August 29, 2024. A demo featuring the Prologue, Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 is available now.
Published: Aug 23, 2024 03:16 pm