"Whatever is going on?

Rika, you aren't behaving normally this morning..."

"......Do you think so?

Am I acting strange?"

"I-I don't know how to say it......

but...

you seem much more mature today."

"...Au au au.

Rika's being mature!

Au au au☆."

"Hanyuu, don't tease me today.

......You too, Satoko, please don't mess around.

I don't feel like it.

About a week, counting from today, huh?"

Satoko gave me a perplexed look.

Maybe she thought I didn't feel well.

I want to talk to Keiichi and the others, including Satoko, but I don't know how or where to begin.

We all like to joke around a lot, so they might not take me seriously.

...How can I get them to understand the danger I'm in?

"Good morning to you, Chie-sensei!

Oh, you're here as well, Coach.

Good morning to you, too!"

"Good morning, Satoko-chan, Rika-chan.

Oh my, oh my!

Is that a headband for maids that you're wearing?

That's against the school regulations. You will be punished~~~~~!!!"

"Dr. Irie!

Stop acting like that at school!!"

"Coach,

Rika doesn't seem to be feeling well this morning.

Might you check her over, please?"

"Oh, what's the matter?

Did you catch a cold?"

I still don't know how to tell my friends, but Irie, at least, is on our side.

Maybe I can talk to him more directly.

If I keep thinking about it, I'll still be thinking at the end of the day.

Maybe I'll start with him.

Hanyuu nodded, as if saying that was a good idea.

"Au au, Satoko, Satoko, let's play a trick on Keiichi. Let's do something to his chair."

"Oh ho ho ho!!

Please, it's a trap, not a trick!

I'll teach you how to set a trap for Keiichi-san!"

"Au au au au auuu!"

Hanyuu and Satoko ran to the classroom.

...Hanyuu must have left on purpose.

I have to use this chance she's given me.

"......Irie, can I talk to you in the nurse's office?"

"Sure, that's fine.

Let's go there."

Irie probably thinks I'm going to talk to him about Hinamizawa Syndrome, so he agreed to go somewhere people couldn't hear.

If there's any change in my physical condition, it could be a sign of something very serious.

Even if it's just a simple cold, Irie is very concerned about my health.

"What's wrong?

Are you feeling sick?"

"......Irie.

I'm going to tell you something odd, but I want you to take it seriously.

It's a very important matter."

I gave Irie the sternest look I've ever shown him as I spoke.

Irie usually acts like an idiot, but he can be an adult when he needs to be.

Seeing the expression on my face, Irie started to look more grave himself.

...How... do I start?

............Okay...

"......Irie.

I'm the queen carrier, right?"

"Yes.

The parasite that lives in your body is different from everyone else's."

"What happens if I die?"

"Like I told you before, something terrible will happen.

...No, to be precise, we 'believe' something terrible will happen.

After all, it's impossible to verify until you die.

...However, several cases involving social brain parasites similar to those of the Hinamizawa Syndrome have shown that the death of the queen carrier can cause mass suicides or riots.

...That would be Takano-san's area of expertise.

Maybe you should ask her instead.

I don't know much about it myself."

In other words, Takano knows better than anybody that if I die,

something terrible will happen.

More than ever, I don't know why Takano wants to kill me.

There's no way I can figure it out myself.

Irie is here with me right now.

Maybe he'll know.

I should ask him.

"......Irie,

please don't ask any questions, and just answer.

Would there be something to gain from killing me?"

"What?

Kill you, Rika-san?!

Who would...!"

"Irie, you aren't supposed to ask any questions, remember?"

"......Hmm, sorry.

...No, I can't think of anything.

There isn't anyone who would benefit from your death.

I repeat, if something happens to the queen carrier, all infected persons will reach the terminal stage within 48 hours.

That's what makes the syndrome so dangerous.

The scale of the disaster will be far greater than any individual case of paranoia or psychosis."

"......Would anyone profit from that disaster?"

"No way.

Killing you is tantamount to killing all two thousand villagers.

Nobody would consider that for a minute, even as a joke."

"......If I die, all of the residents of Hinamizawa will go insane, and may even kill each other.

......What a perfect ending for people who are descended from demons, huh?"

...Could that be what Takano wants?

Since she always talks about dangerous and bizarre things, it's obvious she enjoys cruelty.

She always talks about how she wants to witness, with her own eyes, the raw brutality of the man-eating demons she read about in the dark history of Onigafuchi Village.

It's possible that she wants me dead just so all the villagers will develop terminal symptoms.

"Of course, that's in the worst case.

So if something happens to you, there's an emergency measure we're supposed to follow."

"......An emergency measure?

I've never heard of anything like that."

"I've never told you this before.

It's rather an unpleasant measure, so that's why I never mentioned it.

The Irie Institute's top priority is protecting the queen carrier.

But if you die and all infected persons develop terminal symptoms, we're supposed to go ahead with this contingency plan."

That's understandable. If all two thousand villagers were to go insane, there would be no guarantee that the devastation would remain within the village.

Obviously, it's a good idea to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

"There are these things called emergency manuals,

and among them, the one for the worst possible disaster... in other words, in the event of your death, is called Emergency Manual 34."

"......What happens with that?"

"Before all the villagers go insane, they'll be exterminated.

To be exact, a special unit from the Self Defense Force will seal off Hinamizawa and kill the villagers using poisonous gas."

".........I've never heard... of that before, either..."

"Sorry.

I don't really like talking about it..."

I've been interested in things that happen before I die, but not in things that happen after I'm dead.

This disaster only takes place after I die.

I had no idea that something like this occurs every single time.

Or rather, I'm the cause!

If the enemy is capable of erasing an entire village, then killing a little girl like me won't be a problem at all.

Hanyuu is telling me to just talk to everyone... but can I really stand against an opponent like that?

Anyway, the existence of this emergency manual changes everything. Takano's motive no longer makes sense.

I thought her goal was for all the villagers to go mad and slaughter each other like demons.

But according to what Irie said, that wouldn't even happen.

The villagers will be all killed before it does.

I'm not Takano, so I can't be sure, but I don't think that would be fun for her.

It doesn't make sense to kill me for that purpose, especially since we've known each other for such a long time.

"......Do you think it's possible for Takano and the Mountain Dogs to kill me?"

"Don't be stupid!

That's just impossible.

Takano-san's number one priority is to protect you, and one of the Mountain Dogs' main duties is to watch over you.

That's simply unthinkable."

"......Irie.

Even so, supposing Takano wanted to kill me, can you think of a motive for her doing so?"

"No, I can't.

She knows better than anybody about the dangers of the queen carrier.

...Besides, as you're well aware,

she's very passionate about our research into the syndrome.

Killing you would put an end to that source of her passion."

"......But, Irie.

Hinamizawa Syndrome is supposed to be eradicated within three years, isn't it?

In other words, you're going to destroy the disease.

...What does Takano think about that?"

"Hmm...

well...

Hinamizawa Syndrome is the target of treatment for me, but for Takano-san, it's research material.

Actually, she's strongly against the plan to eradicate it within three years, and she has even made a trip to Tokyo to request an indefinite extension of the project from the board of directors.

She wasn't successful, though."

"...So what you're saying... is that Takano wants to continue her research, but Hinamizawa Syndrome is going to be eradicated within three years... so Takano is going to lose the subject of her research, isn't she?"

"I guess you can say that."

I think I see something here.

The Irie Institute isn't a small organization.

It's being managed by a lot of people and it receives a great deal of funding.

That's the only way they can even research the syndrome.

So if the Irie Institute is planning to put an end to the research within three years, there really isn't much Takano can do about it.

"...If it's all going to end anyway, then maybe she wants to shake things up?"

"N-No way!

Something like that can't possibly happen!"

"But you know how she is, right?

She would do it. She would kill me if she wanted to... don't you think?"

"...No way...

No way...

Something as horrible as that just isn't possible!!"

I feel like I'm starting to see Takano's motive, but it seems like there must be more.

After all, the project will continue for at least three additional years.

It's possible that during those three years, Takano's request will be approved, and their research will get an extension.

In other words, the research is guaranteed to continue for a minimum of three more years.

Given those three years... why is she so desperate now?

Besides, I'm always killed in June 1983.

The date may change a bit, but the month won't.

...That must be the result of her strong willpower.

It would be one thing if their research was being terminated immediately. She still has three years, yet she's already getting desperate. Her motive is too weak.

She must be possessed of the strong conviction that it has to be June 1983.

After that, no matter how I questioned Irie, he kept repeating that there was no way Takano would kill me, so I didn't see how he could be of any more help.

However, if I'm able to explain Takano's motive, then I think he will be my ally.

But for now, I think this is all I can do with him.

I'm going to talk to Tomitake too.

Tomitake is a lot closer to Tokyo than Irie is.

Maybe he can tell me something Irie can't.

...I hope I can learn some important things from him too, enough to convince him that Takano has a strong enough motive to kill me.

Tomitake should be visiting Hinamizawa around this time.

He spends a lot of time with Takano, but he often takes walks by himself to enjoy photographing birds too.

I'll try finding him when he's not with Takano and talking to him then.

...Although, Tomitake does have strong feelings toward Takano.

...I'm worried he won't listen to me as seriously as Irie did.

"......Thank you very much.

I'm going back to the classroom. If you find out something about Takano, please let me know."

"R-Rika-san!

Why do you think Takano-san is trying to kill you?

You haven't developed symptoms... have you...?!"

"...If you're doubting me, then would you like to run a test right now?"

I said some terrible things out of the blue, so I don't blame him for becoming suspicious.

However, thanks to the rapid diagnostic test Irie had developed at this point, it was easy to prove with a syringe.

I just had to submit to the needle to show that I haven't developed terminal symptoms.

The results were negative.

Of course.

"......It's just impossible...

for Takano-san to...

just impossible!"

Maybe now Irie believes that there's a possibility that Takano is trying to kill me.

I left the nurse's office.

...I hope Irie will grow curious about Takano and try to find out something about her...

"...So how was it, Rika?

Did you find out anything?"

"Well, yes and no.

It's hard to say. But there are a couple of interesting things.

One is how the Irie Institute is trying to eradicate the syndrome within three years.

Takano doesn't like the idea.

She went to Tokyo to petition for the continuation of her research, but they refused.

That might cause her to become desperate.

The second is this thing called Emergency Manual 34.

Supposedly, if I die, that will be executed and the whole village will be murdered by poisonous gas."

"...Au au au au..."

"They say that when I die, the villagers will develop terminal symptoms, right?

First I thought that Takano wants me dead because she wants to see that happen, but since there is such an emergency manual, the village will be gone long before then.

So, that can't be her motive...

Every time I ask Irie, all he says is that isn't possible.

According to him, Takano understands the importance of the situation better than anybody.

Therefore, she doesn't have any reason to kill me."

"...Au au au..."

"I know.

I've only asked Irie so far.

It's possible we can learn more information or wisdom from other people too."

"That's right.

Unless we bring everyone's power together, a miracle won't occur."

"We need that miracle to defeat our enemies."

".......It's almost lunch time.

That'll be a good chance to talk to everyone."

"Though...

The problem is whether or not they'll take it seriously when I talk to them...

Once I start talking about the secret society, 'Tokyo', they'll obviously ask what manga I'm talking about.

...I need to figure out a good way to discuss it so I avoid misunderstandings."

"...Au☆.

I think it'll be better to be honest with them, without really thinking too much about it."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes.

Let's just try.

Tell them in the way I'll teach you and I'm sure they'll take you seriously and help out!"

I'm still not sure, but Hanyuu seems very confident.

Hanyuu has spent her life observing various people.

She had never talked to Mion directly before this life, but she knows her better than I do.

I talked to everyone during lunch time, in the way that Hanyuu taught me.

"Hmm!

That sure is interesting!

And then?"

"Hauuu!

That's amazing, Rika-chan!

How do you come up with things like that?"

"I know!

You're so talented!

If you work on it a little more, you could end up with a really great manga!"

"I don't know what to say!

I thought maybe something was bothering you, because you haven't been looking good since this morning!

Why didn't you come to me first?"

"...See?

I told you that you could count on them!

Au au!"

"C... Count on them, huh?

...It all comes down to how you put it, I guess..."

"This ol' man can create application forms, make rough drafts,

ink, tone, draw backgrounds,

typeset and proofread,

take manuscripts to a printer,

publish,

distribute and support. He can do it all!

Mm-hmm, good thing you came to him!"

"Au au!

You sure are great, Mion!

You can be a cartoonist, an editor, a publisher, and a bookstore owner, all at once!"

"Really?!

My dad says things like that too.

Is doing everything yourself in style now?"

"Hauuu...

I'm curious about what kind of comic Mii-chan would write. I'm curious!"

"Hold on, hold on!

You're all getting sidetracked!

Let's help Rika out, alright?"

I told them about all the secrets surrounding Hinamizawa.

I told them that I wanted to write a comic book and that I needed their help to decide on a few things.

If I spoke to them about this normally, they might question my sanity, but to see things change this dramatically with just a little preface...

...Hanyuu, you're pretty good.

"Anyway, so if this queen carrier dies, the village will be destroyed because of some emergency measure.

That's the focus, right?"

"My goodness, if there really was someone like that, she had better be very careful!

One mistake and, POOF! The whole village would disappear!

We should just capture her, wrap her in bubble wrap, and put her in storage or something!"

"But she gets killed... right?

If they know her death will create a disaster, why would they kill her? Why?"

"......That's just it.

The bad people at the research center know what will happen, yet they're still trying to kill me, I mean, the queen carrier.

I just can't think of a good explanation for why."

I kind of see an outline of the motive though...

Can they actually find a hint without knowing any of the actual details?

"Wa ha ha ha!

That's so siiimple!

The fact that the entire village gets destroyed if the queen carrier dies is a motive in and of itself!"

Mion laughed as she casually voiced what was on her mind.

"...But Mion,

this villain wants to research the disease more, so there's no way she'd put an end to it herself.

Au au."

"That's not a big problem.

Just set some masterminds pulling strings behind that villain.

That or some villain who's just using that villain."

A villain who wants to use Takano...?

"Listen.

If the queen dies, the village is plunged into chaos.

To cover it up, a mass execution operation is carried out.

Fundamentally, this is a countermeasure against the worst possible outcome, a trump card that must never be played.

Because playing it causes a disaster of its own, even if it settles the previous situation!"

"Hmm!

You're right. In politics, they always talk about who takes responsibility for this and who resigns for that.

If, in fact, a mass execution like that was to take place, someone would have to explain that and take responsibility."

"Well, it's a secret operation, so I'm sure it won't be made public, but there will be many people questioned within that 'Tokyo' organization, that's for sure!

Isn't that a motive for killing the queen carrier?"

"...Au?

Why?

Who benefits from such chaos...?"

"There are plenty of people!

Think about it!

The wind always blows in one direction.

For some people, it's a headwind, and for others, it's a tailwind.

There are always people who gain and people who lose."

"...I see.

Ho ho ho!

My brain finds this quite stimulating!

In other words, if something like that happens, there will be some people who have to take responsibility for it.

And their enemies will gain from it, whoever they are."

"That's right.

There are always different powers and factions within an organization.

Especially if it is a huge mastermind organization like this 'Tokyo'. I'm sure many different people there have hidden agendas."

"In other words, there are plenty of people who want to rule over others.

And there are plenty of reasons to assassinate the queen carrier..."

"...A-Are you saying that Taka...

I mean, even if the bad person doesn't have a reason,

that there could be people who have reasons to kill the queen carrier in 'Tokyo'?"

"Heh heh heh!

There you go, you've got it!

Also, what about this backstory for the bad person at the secret research center?

She wants to keep her research going, but it's already been decided it'll end within three years, right?

So this researcher is about to see all her research turn to naught.

That means all the fruits of her life's work are about to be ruined, and she's under extreme duress.

Not only that,

I think her pride must be hurt too."

"That's true.

The value of the research this bad person has spent half of her life on isn't being acknowledged by the people at the top, and they even told her that it'll be shut down within three years."

"That must be tough...

It's hard when other people deny that which you've worked so hard to accomplish..."

"......Rika..."

"......Ah,

yeah, I know."

Amazing...

...My friends... really are the best!

This is starting to sound like a real motive for Takano...

"...Ah, au au!

So what would this bad person do then?"

"Of course, the first thing she'd do would be to appeal to her bosses!

She'd probably try to explain to 'Tokyo' how important and valuable her research is.

And ask them not to shut it down.

But well, if 'Tokyo' just said 'Yes, got it. Continue your research. We'll increase your budget too,' then it wouldn't be much of a comic!

Heh heh heh!

So the bosses at 'Tokyo' are sure to turn her request down hard and thoroughly.

They tell her that her work is a waste of time and that it should be scrapped immediately, or something like that!"

Irie told me Takano had gone to Tokyo to request an extension on their research.

He also said that her request was denied.

"Ho ho ho!

Can you imagine her anger at having her life's work mocked by her superiors?

There are, then, only two options open to her."

"......S-Satoko.

What are they?"

"That's easy!

She can cry herself to sleep over it, or she can take revenge!"

Keiichi and Satoko gave each other a high five.

"Well, lying down and taking it wouldn't be very interesting either!

In that case, the villainous researcher--who loved her research more than anyone--starts growing desperate and believing she should at least end it herself, rather than letting someone else end it for her.

All because of her pride!"

"Oh ho ho ho!

And that's where the hidden agenda from 'Tokyo' comes in."

"...No, no way!

You mean that idea that someone will gain when the village is thrown into disaster and another's forced to take responsibility?"

"Exactly!!

The villanous researcher is depressed after having her life's work rejected.

But by riling her up the right way, they can cause a tragedy in the village without soiling their own hands.

Then they can take their time investigating and demanding responsibility, well done!

See?"

"That's right!

Heh, heh, heh!

There's more.

This villain is depressed after having her life's work rejected, right?

So then one of the young leaders plotting to kick another member of Tokyo down and climb the ladder dispatches his own agent to entice this villain."

"....She's depressed because her reason for existing was trampled on, right?

If someone tells her that he believes in her and such, she'll fall for it easily.

The stronger a person's pride is, the easier they fall for that kind of encouragement."

"That means the bad person is simply being used by her evil masterminds.

Well, this happens a lot in action shows!

You know how like, someone devotes his life to an evil organization, but after one mistake, he gets eliminated?"

"But in this story, the evil researcher has to be eliminated for sure, right?

For the masterminds, there's no point in letting her stick around."

"Heh heh heh!

That's right.

So this poor bad person, she thinks she has gotten an evil little part to play, but at the end, her life's work is insulted, she gets used by the masterminds, and after all of that, she gets killed. Although she's a bad person, people may sympathize with her for what she has to go through...

But I guess that's what makes a story interesting!

...Don't you think?

Maybe we can use that in the next issue..."

Hanyuu and I could only listen to them talk.

They are truly amazing.

They really are.

It is very possible, especially if I think about Takano's character.

...Come to think of it, Irie kept repeating "that isn't possible" a whole lot.

...Which means... that those words could be a reflection of how possible it might really be.

I'm sure my friends can answer that question.

...I'm going to ask them, so let's ask them!

"...Au.

Then why is she so desperate when she still has three years left?"

"That doesn't matter.

It really doesn't make a difference if you're getting executed tomorrow or three days later, right?

It's just a matter of the length of her probation.

This bad person doesn't feel she has three years left, she feels that she's has been sentenced to die in three years."

"That's just what the masterminds want.

They're the ones controlling this bad person.

I think it's the masterminds who want to destroy the village at this particular time, not the bad person.

...This is a huge operation, you know?

It has to succeed.

The death of the queen carrier isn't their only key to success.

Whoever's at the top has to decide to go ahead with the emergency measure.

The responsibility issue after the operation aside, they have to take care of things like preparation, or rather,

they have to figure out the perfect time to do the most damage!

After calculating all that, I think they are going to get on with the operation now that the project has only three years left."

"So in the end, after this bad person gets used, she is eliminated...

She's the villain, but I feel sorry for her..."

"...I...

I see...

Au au..."

"...O-Okay, let me move on to the most important thing.

To defeat them, how can the queen carrier girl fight back?

She's the main character in my story."

"Huh!

That sounds interesting!

So the girl they're trying to kill has to run from the evil people, right?"

"It depends on how you serialize it.

If you want a long series, coming up with new pursuers and assassins one after another will let you go on for a long time."

"...Au, if possible, we want a short-term and concentrated series."

Pfft!

I burst out laughing at Hanyuu's metaphor.

"Okay, then we just have to take care of the bad person quickly and shoot for a happy ending.

It's more exciting to fight than to run!"

"But the main character is just an ordinary little girl, right?

How can she fight?"

"Heh heh heh!

Girls nowadays aren't powerless!

She might appear to be a cute, weak girl,

but she has secret hidden powers.

She's an S-rank hunter with the blood of royalty,

and her nickname is the Ebony Fallen Angel!!"

"Hauu.

That sounds like the lame original character of some middle schooler."

"...Hey, Mion.

What's wrong? Do you have a stomach ache or something?"

"Cough... Fine... This ol' man is just not talented enough..."

Mion, you can do it!

Though when you read that manga ten years from now, it may be so bitter you writhe in agony.

"...Au au.

I don't know exactly what Mion is trying to say, but anyway, the main character is a weak little girl and she doesn't have any special weapons.

...If anything... ...she's good at acting innocent.

Also she's mean and she abuses me with spicy food."

"...That sounds good.

I'll try that starting tonight."

"Au au au au au!"

"I see, so she's just a regular girl, huh?

...But a story where a character like that beats such a conspiracy is going to be difficult."

"No way, no way, it's impossible!

She couldn't win without at least gathering a variety of weapons and the skills to operate a radio and a helicopter!

Either that or a professional survivalist who underwent special forces training with the Soviets.

That or someone capable of causing confusion in their ranks with just a truck and a few weapons once they're in the jungle!"

"...I have a feeling that if Mion and Satoko were the main character's friends, that'd solve the problem right there."

"Huh?

This ol' man?

...Heh heh heh heh!

Sure, if he was a character, it'd change the whole story.

My fighting techniques and leadership skills are unparalleled.

Plus, if the story took place here in this village,

my familiarity with the area is top-notch too!

Besides, anyone who makes an enemy of Satoko is as good as dead.

Ain't I right?"

"I don't know what kind of a secret unit this bad person has,

but they are nothing compared to my traps!

If the main character and I barricaded ourselves in the hills, no enemy could lay his fingers on her!"

"Yeah.

If she holes up with Satoko in the hills behind us, then her assailants will need either a bombardment capable of crossing the whole thing, or a Hanoi-class heavy bomber at least.

Even if they led with that before entering the mountain, they'd still take on severe casualties.

Furthermore, I'd be commanding the operations!

...Well, her assailants better be prepared for casualties on par with the Iwo Jima landing!

Heh heh heh, right, Satoko?"

"Oh ho ho ho ho!

They better bring a nuclear warhead if they want to fight me in the hills!!"

"...True, Satoko would be amazing in the hills, but...

are you sure you can defeat the Mountain...

au, the bad person's helpers?

They are professionals, you know..."

"Surprise attacks and traps are effective against anyone.

The Vietnam War is a good example.

The U.S. Army, the most powerful military in the world, couldn't stand up against the jungle.

A multitude of traps set by someone who knows the area well will go a very long way."

"...Are you saying Satoko's traps would work on them too?"

"Of course!

Not only that, they'd be very effective.

The purpose of traps isn't just to ensnare their victims.

They also make people extremely afraid.

They are professionals, so they'll be extra careful.

Therefore, their commander will become indecisive. He will have to decide whether to go into the hills or not.

That means we gain more time."

"Heh heh!

So they would need at least a bombardment to capture us.

But this isn't a war, so they probably won't go that far."

......I definitely don't think that's possible.

Anyway, Mion is a professional when it comes to deciding on tactics.

And she's saying that Satoko's traps will be more than effective, even against the Mountain Dogs. That's very reassuring.

"The flipside of traps is that they can only be used to defend, and it takes a long time to set them up.

Also, traps don't discriminate. Satoko's hills meet all the requirements, though."

"Th-That's true.

Nobody goes into the hills, and Satoko-chan's traps are already everywhere.

The main character can barricade herself in by just going there."

"If I'm going to be there, it won't be just a simple barricade!

I'm going to use it as a diversion to draw away the enemy's main force, and then launch a surprise attack!

Drawing the enemy in deep and attacking from behind when their defenses are light is the rudimentary tactic for an ambush-and-counterattack.

Repelling them at the beachhead is the height of hardheadedness!"

"Hauuu!

Mii-chan and Satoko-chan are so cool!

But, hau, Keiichi-kun and I are left out..."

"...Then all of us will be the main characters.

We'll all fight them off together."

"There you go!!

That's better!

Heh heh, now that we're all in on it, it's like this is the club members versus an evil organization, huh?"

"...Heh heh heh heh, hee hee hee hee!

I don't know what kind of a bad person this is, but I feel sorry for her and her friends.

Though I don't know how powerful they are... Heh heh heh.

Fighting face to face is one thing, but if we use our knowledge of the terrain, they have no chance of winning.

If they want to defeat us here in Hinamizawa, they'll need to bring an overlord-class army to bear!

Though we'll fight off even that!

Heh heh heh!"

Mion laughed, and everyone nodded along.

...Amazing. I'm starting to think that if we try our best, we can defeat even the Mountain Dogs.

If we fight directly, we'll be taken down immediately even if we use a surprise attack.

...But if we set traps, and if we have enough of them... who knows?

"...See, Rika?

Your friends are very reliable."

"...You're right.

I don't know why I never told them anything until now."

"...Even if it's something you can't do alone, you can do it with your friends."

Even if only a miracle can make it happen, if we all try our hardest, it can be done easily.

...That's what a miracle is.

My heart is pounding.

...What is this emotion?

I feel like nothing is impossible if I work together with them.

Hanyuu told me that, in a different world, they defeated the worst scenario of all, the one where Teppei comes home.

I don't remember,

but,

something tells me deep inside,

that the exact same kind of miracle is about to happen in this world too.

"...M-Mii.

And everyone else, too.

...We want a lot more ideas.

How can we defeat this conspiracy...? Please tell me a lot more...!"