The Houjou family is well known for going against the whole village during the dam conflict.

Both the husband and the wife were rather aggressive, and they fought a fierce battle, especially against the Sonozaki family.

Although the whole village treated them coldly, the husband and wife didn't really care, and kept on fighting.

In a way, they were extremely strong-willed people.

I'm sure their children had to go through a lot because of them, though.

Satoko-chan and Satoshi-kun were treated coldly by the villagers as well.

In addition to that, Satoko-chan and her stepfather didn't get along, so their stress levels must have reached their limit.

Because I'm the director of the local clinic, a rather respected member of society, people usually tell me a lot of things.

So I was aware of the treatment they were receiving even before I met them.

I met Satoshi-kun first.

Satoshi-kun came to the clinic because he felt ill from too much stress.

He must have thought he had a cold.

When I examined him, he even told me that.

But hearing his repeated sighs and by seeing the exhausted look in his eyes,

I knew right away it wasn't just a simple cold.

Medication would heal his symptoms.

But that'd only be a temporary measure.

The only way to truly cure him would be to change his living environment.

But that was easier said than done.

He was surrounded by tangled and complicated relationships with the village and his family, so just resting for a few days and taking some medication wouldn't do.

Time was the only thing that could ease off the cold treatment from the villagers, but we were talking a very, very long time.

...That's why I felt I had to be their first ally in this village, so I could rescue them.

I couldn't do anything about his stressful environment, but I could try to diminish the anxiety.

So I thought the best way was to teach him how to vent his stress.

And playing sports is the best way to do that.

So I asked him to join the junior baseball team that I coach.

As a researcher, I devote most of my time to Hinamizawa Syndrome, but I too need to do something else to relax.

I used to play baseball, so I decided to coach the local kids' team.

After a while, the children of Hinamizawa started their own baseball team and somehow, I became their coach.

Doctors can't provide health just by giving medication.

You need a sound mind in a sound body.

I believe health can be maintained through sports as well.

But our team needed more people.

So I thought of asking Satoshi-kun to join.

Being a bookworm, Satoshi-kun wasn't interested in playing sports. He wasn't sure how joining the baseball team would help his situation.

I didn't need to go on and on about athletic medicine to explain why sports help people become healthy.

I just wanted him to experience it himself, to realize how great it feels to play sports.

I think he realized it gradually.

He was reluctant until the very end, but he attended all of the team activities and games.

As I saw Satoshi-kun slowly regain his liveliness, I realized my plan worked.

However, if Satoshi-kun was under that much stress,

then Satoko-chan, who lived in the same family climate, must have felt the same way.

Unfortunately, I didn't think of her back then.

...So when Satoko-chan was carried into my clinic as a patient, I regretted doing nothing about her even while knowing the situation.

As Satoshi-kun recovered under my guidance, Satoko-chan was left alone in her stressful environment.

Also around that time, there was an incident bad enough to make Satoko-chan collapse.

That was, of course, her parents' deaths.

The day of the Watanagashi festival was a very uncomfortable time for the Houjou family, because although it was a village festival, it was also a day to celebrate victory over the dam construction project.

It's understandable that they would plan a family trip around that time so they could leave the village.

Satoko-chan's parents fell off the cliff at the park they were visiting.

It happened on such an unlucky day.

Because it happened on the day of Watanagashi, people said it was the curse of Oyashiro-sama.

And people labeled the Houjou family as one that was cursed by Oyashiro-sama.

The parents were given the cold shoulder by everyone in the village.

So with their parents gone, Satoshi and Satoko should have been freed from that, but...

Unfortunately, the accident happened on the day of Watanagashi.

That's why the members of the Houjou family continue to be shunned.

Satoko-chan was the only one who was at the site of the accident.

(Satoshi-kun didn't go on the trip because he had an event with the baseball team.)

Therefore, the police mainly interrogated her.

...The detective, Ooishi, suspected an act of organized crime by the village, so with Satoko-chan as the only witness on site, he drilled her with questions.

She was as stressed as Satoshi-kun, perhaps even more, so of course she couldn't take it.

During the interrogation, she began to wheeze and gasp for air.

The anguished look I saw on Satoko-chan's face when she was carried into the clinic was very, very tragic.

It broke my heart just to imagine what she had to go through.

"...Coach, is Satoko okay?"

"Yes, don't worry.

She's a bit confused, but only temporarily. That's all."

"May I see her?"

"She finally fell asleep...

so I'd rather not wake her up just yet.

Let's just let her rest for awhile.

Maybe it's a good idea to have her stay here for a few days too.

...Don't worry.

I'll take good care of her."

"Th-Thank you."

I know Satoshi-kun is a great big brother who truly cares about his sister.

He empathizes deeply with her.

In other words, Satoshi-kun's worries and stress were reflecting Satoko-chan herself.

Maybe I shouldn't say this, but while Satoshi-kun was, of course, sad about his parents' deaths, he may, at the same time, have been a little relieved that they were gone.

His sister wouldn't have to be driven into a corner anymore.

Unlike Satoshi-kun, Satoko-chan didn't have the social skills to get along with her stepfather.

So, putting her mother aside, I was certain that losing her father, the greatest cause of stress in her life, would bring great change to her home environment.

......But I couldn't believe what happened next.

The two were sent to live in an even worse environment with their aunt and uncle.

Although at that time, I was rather optimistic, thinking this new environment would be better for the siblings.