"...The person who was running around cutting all the phone cords was you, wasn't it, Rika-chan?

You shouldn't do that any more."

"...I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Really...?"

She tried to play dumb, but it was written all over her face.

"Nipaa~~...☆"

It was obvious she was trying to laugh it off, but that adorable smile of hers just made me want to forgive her.

...Ahhh... I'm going to be a horrible father, aren't I.

That momentary lapse in tension was erased by her next words.

"It's good that they found the grandson safe and sound."

Unable to respond right away, I sunk into silence.

...I had already learned this from Sato-san's info, didn't I.

This girl... no--this entire village, knew everything since the moment I set foot in it.

I considered playing dumb.

But in the end, I chose not to.

With everything being known already, there was no point in me feigning ignorance.

"...Somehow."

"That's great.

...Now you can go back to Tokyo."

"...Thank you."

"...Are your injuries bad, Akasaka?"

"Dunno... I haven't heard anything from the doctor yet, so I don't know if they are or not."

Huh?

Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered being told to lie down and take it easy for at least 24 hours.

...Did that mean bed rest?

"...The wounded shouldn't be sneaking out of the hospital."

"People shouldn't be cutting phone cords."

"...Meep.

I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Then I don't know what you're talking about either."

As we played dumb with each other, we both laughed at the same time.

If somebody saw us laughing at each other like this, it would probably bring a smile to their lips.

"...The chances of Akasaka leaving this village alive weren't very high."

"..."

"...I don't want Akasaka to die, so I'm glad you're leaving the village alive."

"Rika-chan.

...You knew who I was... right from the beginning, didn't you?"

She said nothing, but gave a firm nod.

"...Well then, I think you know this, but we're probably somewhat of an enemy to the people in this village, I would think.

But you still gave me lots of warnings."

That's right.

She said it at that time.

She wouldn't warn somebody that she was okay with dying.

...She definitely said something like that.

"Then... I should probably be thanking you."

"...You probably should.

I'm your savior."

Saying that, she puffed up her chest proudly.

She said it jokingly, but the meaning behind those words was quite heavy.

That was because whether I lived or died was a decision that might have been made in a place unbeknownst to me.

She said those words with such an adorable smile that it took a few moments of silence for their weight to settle in.

...I'd been to this place before.

The Guardians's office was there: it was the stone steps leading up to the Furude Shrine.

When I passed by before, I was so focused on finding a phone booth I hadn't realized where I was.

"If I recall correctly... this shrine is Rika-chan's house, right?"

"...Yeah, something like that."

Looking up at the shrine grounds, it was brightly lit and energetic voices could be heard.

What was going on?

"...There's a festival today."

"A festival?"

"...The best and only festival in Hinamizawa.

...the Watanagashi festival."

"Watanagashi? Cotton... drifting?"

"...Just knowing the name is boring.

...Do you want to take a look?"

She asked bluntly.

...But, seeing that I looked interested, she climbed up a couple of steps and motioned for me to come.

...I was only going to go back and sleep anyways.

If I had nothing else to do, it might not be a bad idea to go with her on a little detour.

...In the hostile territory that was this village, I didn't know what would happen if I ventured down a side road without Ooishi.

...Even though I thought of the village like that, when I was with this girl, I forgot all about it.

...In any case, even without anything to back it up, I felt that as long as I was with her, none of the ill will from the village would befall me.

That's why, even though I knew my cover was blown, I strangely had no qualms about setting foot into the heart of the Onigafuchi Guardians's territory...

Climbing up to the grounds of the shrine,

I could see there were about 3 pavilions set up, with meeting tables and folding chairs.

The old folks from the village (no, the executives of the Guardians?) were already quite drunkenly sharing another round of drinks.

I could only see it as people from the village council drinking while enjoying the evening air.

At the very least, it was certainly quite different than any festival I'd ever seen.

"...See?

It's quite a boring festival, isn't it?"

"Haha... this certainly doesn't look like a festival."

"...It's a festival that's happened since long ago, but as you can see, it's not like it used to be."

As if to chide the old folk, she said that while looking at them with an exasperated expression.

You really couldn't call this a festival any more.

It was just a bunch of neighbors getting together to drink under the guise of a festival.

"Haha... I feel sorry for the deity being celebrated here..."

"...Give this sorry excuse for a festival 5 or 6 more years, then everybody in the village will start coming...

the ceremony will also be done properly, and it'll be a respectable festival again."

What she said was not so much wishful thinking as it was the telling of a future that had already been determined.

She wasn't even predicting it; it was almost like she was simply reporting the results.

That's how it sounded.

Even though it was baseless speculation, the way she said it wouldn't let me interject.

It was the same way she talked when she 'changed.'

While I struggled to find the words to reply to her, she wandered over to the other side of the grounds, not minding me at all.

Not in a state where I could afford to be left behind, I hurriedly followed after her.

Passing through a copse of pine trees, a strong and cool breeze ruffled my hair.

...There, from that one evening, was the splendid observation platform the girl had shown me.

As it had grown completely dark, the modest lights littered across the nightscape were providing a different type of scenery.

"...Looking at it like this, this village seems tranquil."

She said that with an indifferent look on her face.

"Just the other day,

...you said that this village definitely wouldn't be submerged by the dam... didn't you?"

She didn't reply, seemingly relishing in the feeling of the wind blowing through her hair.

"Didn't that mean... at that point in time, the Minister had already complied with the demands?"

"..."

She spun around, her gaze meeting mine.

But she said nothing.

She spoke nothing that would neither confirm nor deny what I had just said.

"This case... will probably remain shrouded in darkness.

...Headquarters probably doesn't want trouble from a scandal with the Minister breaking out."

"...There's no mistake that they threatened to kill the grandchild."

"Then, negotiations with the Minister were successful... and the grandson was released."

"...The one who saved the grandson was you."

"I wonder about that.

...The discovery of that wallet that started this chain of events...

that alone was almost too convenient, I'd think."

...Ever since the moment that wallet was discovered, I felt something was odd.

Ooishi said it as well.

That the Sonozaki family had given the order to release the hostage.

Meaning... that our little manhunt was a farce to begin with.

...Come to think of it, I was punched, kicked, and had a gun pointed at me.

I felt like they put up quite a fight, but that might have been all part of a good performance.

Once the negotiations were successful, they couldn't just say "here you go" and return the Minister's grandson right to his doorstep.

They knew that Public Safety had realized that this was a kidnapping case and were moving in on it.

That's why, due to the actions of Public Safety, the grandson was able to be rescued safely.

So the Minister didn't give in to any unreasonable demands.

...That type of performance was necessary.

"...I don't know about these difficult things."

"...Likewise.

Even for me, I can't make much sense of it.

But, there's one thing I can be certain of."

"...?"

"It's just as you said.

...This village won't be submerged.

The dam project will soon be over."

That wasn't something an officer of the law should be saying.

But, I naturally let those words slip from my mouth.

This village may have stirred up all sorts of trouble.

But, that was because they were protecting their homes.

If someone just decided by themselves that I had to leave the house I was used to living in, I would resent them as well.

On top of that, it wasn't a place like mine where I just happened to be renting it, but a place that their families had lived for generations.

It might be ignorant to call their desperate resistance an overreaction.

I might not really be qualified to criticize politics or bureaucracy...

But, deliberately building a dam on land that was loved by its residents wasn't something I could get behind.

"Still, aren't you glad?"

"Why would that be?"

"At the very least.. with this, peace will return to this village."

Even though the Minister promised to use his considerable influence to cancel the project, it would probably take more than a few months before it would be completely scrapped.

At the very least... it would probably take one or two years.

For the villagers to officially hear that their village wasn't going to be submerged at the bottom of a dam was still a ways away.

But... it was no mistake that the promise of peace returning to the village was there.

It turned out, from beginning to end, that it had already all been decided.

Just as the girl had said, it was decided.

There wasn't really a need for me to come here in the first place.

There was absolutely no need for me to have come here and aggravate an unpleasant situation.

If I had never come here, then...

The grandson's release might have been done in a more amicable manner.

"...Peace?

In this village?"

When I nodded, she laughed as if to admonish me.

But her face remained indifferent, expressionless.

And then, her eyes narrowed slightly as she snickered.

"...Even though every year from now on, something bloody will occur?

...Tee hee hee hee."

"Rika-chan,

what are you talking about?"

As the wind blew her hair about, the girl, as if taking pleasure in that I was the only one who didn't know...

continued to snicker as she looked at my face for a while.

"You see...

in a few years...

I'll be killed."

Huh...?

Backlit by the moon, It was hard to tell if her expression that had been cast in shadow was smiling, amused...

or resigned.

"...You will?

...Why?"

"...It's a very unpleasant thing, though.

...It's also probably been decided already."

"Decided already? Who would decide that sort of thing!?"

"I'd like to know that as well."

Turning back to face me, she showed me a resolute expression for the first time...

And after staring into my eyes for a moment, she turned back to gaze at the scenery before she spoke her next words.

"...There's a lot of people who have no regard for human life.

...Even if I tell you this, it might not change anything, though.

But... if you want to erase the specter of death, sometimes, like with the reflection of the moon on the water, all you have to do is throw a small stone."

I had no idea what she was trying to say.

It's just... I had to listen to every word with my body and soul, or at least, that's what I thought.

"...This day next year.

...Yes, June 1979, on this day.

The foreman of the dam construction project will be killed."

"...What...?"

For a moment, I couldn't comprehend what she was talking about.

By the foreman... did she mean that gruff old man I played mahjong with?

"...B-

Be killed...

...What makes you think..."

She didn't answer.

But she had the same expression on her face as she did when she declared that the dam project would go away.

...That wasn't the face of somebody making a forecast or a prediction.

...It was something that was already decided,

no--

it was as if she was already reporting the results... that sort of expression.

"...After being killed in a gruesome manner, the body will be torn apart and disposed of."

"...Murdered and dismembered..."

"...The next year, in June of 1980 on this day.

...Satoko's parents will be pushed to their deaths."

...Satoko?

It was the first time I heard that name, but I didn't have the courage to interrupt the girl's story.

"...It might be an accident.

...An unfortunate accident."

The girl smiled faintly... but she wasn't exactly encouraging me to smile along with the lifeless look in her eyes.

"And then, the year after that, this day in June of 1981.

...My parents will be killed.

And then the year after that, this day in June of 1982.

Satoko's abusive aunt will have her head split open and die.

And then the year after that, this day in the June of 1983...

...Or possibly a few days afterwards.

...I will be killed.

If all the deaths are pre-ordained...

...Then the last one would also be all according to plan.

...But then whose plan would it be...?"

This village is full of murderers and people who have no regard for human life.

It would be fine to believe that all the deaths up to 1982 would be the work of somebody in the village.

It would be fine to believe that all the deaths that would occur were at the discretion of those who control the village.

But that didn't explain what would happen in 1983.

There was no way that the last death would fit in with anybody's plans.

They had no regard for human life.

They would use every means at their disposal to meet their goals.

But their goals were at odds with the last death.

That's why the last death was unrelated to them.

But that last death would definitely,

most likely,

probably,

without question,

happen.

Probably, definitely, I dare say.

The last death would be a merciful one.

A handkerchief or something being placed over their mouth, making them lose consciousness, never to wake up again.

Exactly whose plan was that?

"...I want to live happily.

...That's my only wish.

Surrounded by my precious friends, spending our days enjoyably.

...Only that.

I don't wish for anything more than that."

"...Rika-chan..."

"...I don't want to die."

The girl, stoic as ever, let those last words slip in the end.

...Eventually, we were discovered by some drunks.

The girl, as well as I, were dragged back to the festivities.

Everybody was completely drunk, so even when they saw my head completely wrapped in bandages, they wouldn't let me leave.

...Well certainly, if I was in good enough condition to slip out of the hospital, it must not be that serious.

The girl was mingling with everybody, being pampered like a kitten.

Her expression was adorable... nothing like the one from just before,

predicting her own death and whispering that she didn't want to die.

Having said that...

...Having a silly and lively conversation like this, it was hard to believe that these people were the core of an extremist resistance group.

Even if it was a shell of its former self, it was a festival where people in the village gathered, so the twenty-some-odd folk here should have included some of the village executives and other important members.

...Among those, there was no doubt that there were members that were at the Sonozaki family council in attendance.

Meaning, even if we never met face-to-face before, there were people here who knew my identity.

In a small village like this, they knew the faces of all the villagers that lived here.

That's why, without even saying anything, it soon became obvious that I was an outsider.

But they actually seemed interested by that, asking me all sorts of questions about Tokyo,

drinking while musing on the faint relationship the city had with the villagers and empathizing with the rather meager environment.

The confidential talks with the Minister were finished, his grandson was in police custody... everything was over.

I might not have to be put in another perilous situation.

To me, they were only my adversaries because of my job.

Outside of that, there was no reason I couldn't be friendly with them.

...The next time I visited this village...

would it return to being a tranquil and beautiful place?

If that happened, I might be able to take a relaxed walk around the village with her again.

My cup was once again filled to the brim with beer...

By the time I was able to get away, it was the middle of the night.

The girl had at some point disappeared.

It seems that her parents had told her to go home and sleep when she let out a large yawn.

The old folks, who had absolutely no remorse for making an injured person hang out with them, told me as much as they laughed.

I was just there drinking, so I had thought to help a bit with clean up. However, my help was refused on the grounds that I was a guest.

On top of that, they had a car prepared to take me back to the hospital.

Losing the battle against my sleepiness inside the car, I was sound asleep until we reached the parking lot of the hospital.

The front door of the hospital was naturally locked at this hour.

I wandered around bewilderedly searching for a back entrance until somebody on night duty found out and let me inside.

"Where were you this late at night?

Dr. Irie was worried, you know..."

"...Sorry for the trouble.

I was held up by the people having a festival at the shrine..."

"Oh, they did say something about everybody in the town council getting together for a drink.

My condolences.

...Are your wounds all right?"

"...They're throbbing a bit.

It's probably because of the alcohol, I think."

"Oh, that's right.

The detective that was with you wanted to get in touch."

"...Oops.

I kept Ooishi-san waiting..."

I glanced at the clock.

No matter how you looked at it, it was way too late to call him now.

I'll apologize to him tomorrow over the phone...

I returned back to my hospital room and slipped into the bed that was still unmade from the time I went outside.

...Oh, that's no good.

I have to turn off the lights.

......But my weariness had cut the cord powering my body, lulling me into a deep sleep.