Chitose Tachibana’s side story is one of the most memorable optional threads in Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake, and it’s also one of the easiest to miss if you’re not combing Minakami Village for trigger items. The good news: once you know where to start, the whole sequence is a tight, spooky chase through Tachibana House that pays off with a genuinely useful charm for the rest of the game.
Below is a step-by-step Chitose Tachibana side story walkthrough, including where it begins, which rooms to hit in order, which ghost photos you must take (and when to use the Exposure Filter), and what you get for seeing it through.
What We Know (and why this side story matters)
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake (Koei Tecmo America / Team Ninja) is a full remake of the 2003 survival horror classic, rebuilt with enhanced graphics, immersive sound, and a new third-person camera for navigation (while combat still hinges on facing spirits with the Camera Obscura). The remake also adds side stories and new areas, and Chitose’s is a standout because it’s not just flavor text—it’s a clean little progression chain that ends in a charm with real gameplay impact.
In an official developer interview, series director Makoto Shibata even singled out Chitose Tachibana’s ghost as especially impactful: she’s visually “cute,” but tragic once you understand her background—exactly the kind of tonal whiplash Fatal Frame does better than almost anyone.
Chitose Tachibana Side Story Walkthrough (Step-by-step)
1) How to start the Chitose Tachibana side story
You can begin this side story after exiting Kiryu House during Chapter 8.
- Look on the ground in front of the entrance to Tachibana House.
- Pick up the Broken Red Speckled Crystal.
That pickup does three things immediately:
- It causes a spirit to appear: Girl Fleeing Darkness
- It opens the entrance to Tachibana House
- It officially initiates the Chitose Tachibana side story
Important: To properly kick it off, you should snap a quick photo of Girl Fleeing Darkness right after collecting the crystal.
2) Follow Chitose through Tachibana House (first combat beats)
Once inside Tachibana House:
- Head toward the Tatami Room Hallway
- Defeat two wraiths that appear there
- Enter the Tatami Lounge to trigger a voice line
From there:
- Move into the Clock Hall
- A Broken-Necked Woman spawns here
- Defeat her before going upstairs
This early stretch is basically the remake reminding you what it does best: push you forward with audio cues and sudden hostility, then force you to re-center yourself and keep moving.
3) Storeroom - East: use the Exposure Filter and grab Crimson Diary 5
After beating Broken-Necked Woman:
- Go upstairs
- At the top of the stairs, go through the door on your right into Storeroom - East
You’ll hear a voice line, and then the door will soon shut. When it does:
- Pull out the Camera Obscura
- Equip the Exposure Filter
- Photograph the spirit in the corner: Girl Seeking Help
- Pick up Crimson Diary 5 that appears on the ground
That diary pickup is your progression flag—don’t leave without it.
4) Tatami Wing sequence: more wraiths, more required photos, Crimson Diary 6
Next steps:
- Head to Tatami Wing - East
- When you exit Storeroom - East, photograph Girl Emerging from Room
- Enter Tatami Wing - East through the east door
- Defeat the wraith that appears
- Proceed into Tatami Wing - South
- Defeat another wraith there
Now:
- Enter the Storeroom
- With the Exposure Filter, photograph Girl Hiding from Wraith
- Pick up Crimson Diary 6 from the ground
This is the core rhythm of the side story: chase, get jumped, stabilize, then use the right filter to “lock in” the haunting as evidence.
5) Itsuki’s Room: boss fight vs Chitose, then Bound Diary 6 + Crimson Diary 7
Now head to Itsuki’s Room, located at the top of the stairs you climbed earlier (after Broken-Necked Woman).
Here’s the big moment:
- You’ll be forced into battle with Chitose
After you defeat her:
- Use the Exposure Filter
- Photograph Girl Reading Letter at the table
- Pick up Bound Diary 6
To finish the side story:
- Pick up Crimson Diary 7
- You’ll also receive another Broken Red Speckled Crystal
- The side story completes when you pick up that diary
Chitose Tachibana Side Story Reward (Red Speckled Crystal charm)
By the end of the side story, you’ll have collected documents and logged photos, plus two halves of the same key item:
- The two Broken Red Speckled Crystals combine into the Red Speckled Crystal charm.
What it does:
- Restores health upon inflicting damage
- Decreases the chances of encountering certain wraiths
You can equip it via the Charms tab in the items menu.
That’s a strong payoff in a horror game built around attrition—anything that helps you recover while staying aggressive (and reduces some encounters) can meaningfully smooth out the back half of the campaign.
Fatal Frame II Remake context: why these side stories fit the new design
Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo have been clear that the remake’s fear is built around immersion—less “the game shows you a scare,” more “you ended up seeing something terrifying because you chose to look.” The shift to a standard third-person camera for navigation supports that, and side stories like Chitose’s are basically concentrated doses of that philosophy: you’re following a presence, interpreting audio/visual cues, and then committing to the act Fatal Frame is built on—raising the Camera Obscura and looking directly at what you’d rather avoid.
What Remains Unknown
- Whether all side stories in Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake are structured similarly (trigger item → chase → diaries → charm), or if later ones introduce different requirements.
- The full list of which “certain wraiths” have reduced encounter chances when using the Red Speckled Crystal charm (no official breakdown has been provided).
- Whether the side story has any additional hidden conditions beyond the documented steps (none have been officially confirmed).
