"Thank you for waiting, Nomura-san.
...No, sorry."
At the moment, I'm talking to a woman over the phone.
"So, how's everything going?"
"Going well.
The festival is tomorrow."
"I see.
That's good.
Hee hee hee."
"First Lieutenant Tomitake will get into an accident tomorrow night.
H173, the medicine which was supposed to be destroyed, will be administered to him, and no matter what happens, it'll be a very pitiful end.
Hee hee hee."
"What an interesting opening.
We've already finished our forgery of the proceedings.
It'll show that Lieutenant Colonel Irie was trying to sell your research to a foreign country so that he can continue it."
"...And Tomitake's murder is a part of that."
"Yes.
That will be the first step for the board of directors to become suspicious of the Irie Institute.
We're taking care of all that, so don't worry."
".........Also...
...Regarding that.
...What should we do if it happens?"
"If what happens?"
"Ah... I mean...
...What if First Lieutenant Tomitake agrees to join us?"
"He isn't included in the takeover operation, is he?"
"Well, no, because he's an auditor for the board.
If he becomes our ally, that might be beneficial to us."
"According to our analysis, even if he changes his allegiance, there won't be much for us to gain.
Why add another unnecessary worry to the operation?"
"You're right.
Sorry about that.
I thought we might be able to use him for something, which is why I suggested it.
We'll go with the original plan then."
"I think that would be better.
I'll get in touch with you again.
Goodbye."
...For a while, I kept holding the telephone receiver, lost in thought.
Then I put it down
and dialed a number that I had become very familiar with.
"............"
"...Hello,
Economy Hotel Okinomiya, how may I assist you?"
"Hello,
could you connect me to room 406, the one belonging to Tomitake?
Please tell him Takano is calling."
"Sure, I'll connect you. One moment please."
The telephone operator put me on hold, leaving behind only electronic music.
I waited for about a minute and the operator came back on again.
"I'm sorry.
The guest in room 406 is not in his room right now.
Would you like to leave a message?"
"That's okay, I already left a few of them.
Ah,
do you know when he left the hotel?
Do you know when he'll be back?"
"Oh... I'm sorry.
I can't answer that."
"...I see.
I'll call again."
I put down the phone before the operator finished speaking.
...This is the third time I've tried calling him.
...I left a message telling him to call me back... but he hasn't.
Why...?
...Is he out taking photographs by himself?
Or is he waiting for me behind the shrine where we usually meet?
Who would think I would actually come all the way here, expecting him to be waiting for me?
...I'm even surprised myself.
People are in the middle of setting up tomorrow's festival.
Tents are being put up for food stalls and preparations for various events are taking place.
It's almost too noisy for me, what with people shouting as they work, plus the noise from the batteries for the stalls.
Soon, I reached the back of the shrine before realizing it.
...This is probably the best view in the whole village.
...This is where Jirou-san and I usually meet.
Just maybe... he's waiting for me here...
Of course, that's just wishful thinking.
...God will never grant my wishes.
...He only has a bit of fun by testing me.
I looked down at the village below, letting the breeze blow through my hair.
He usually follows me around while he stays in Hinamizawa.
He persistently asks if I want to go out to eat, go for a walk, or take some photographs with him.
...But he hasn't done any of that this visit.
His behavior towards me has changed...
Maybe it's because...
he heard about the horrible impression I left with the new board of directors.
...Maybe he thinks I'm a mad scientist because of that incident.
...I can feel that he's gradually losing interest in me.
But I had my own complaints too.
...When I don't want him around, he's so persistent,
but when I need him to listen to me...
I can't get ahold of him.
But...
if I did get through to him...
what would I even talk about?
What could I talk to him about...
right after talking to someone about the plan to assassinate him?
Why should he even answer my call?
I'm simply......
running wildly...
and when I reach the point of no return.........
I'll want to be forgiven.
...And...
I want him to do that for me.
...Just because he always does whatever I want him to do, and he shows up whenever I need him.
......Who would forgive someone like me, someone who has nowhere to go but Hell?
Would he forgive me...
out of sympathy?
...No way.
...While he'll be surprised...
he'll do his job and arrest me.
I am a member of the SDF, after all, so what I'm doing is committing treason.
"......Hahh..."
...I've been thinking about him a lot for the past few days.
...And just now, I realized something.
He's not attractive at all, as a man.
He has no sense of humor or good taste.
He has nothing, absolutely nothing.
Well, he has a belly.
But there's nothing appealing about him.
He doesn't care about my schedule. He's persistent and when I treat him nicely because I'm in a good mood, he becomes even more persistent.
...There really is absolutely nothing good about him.
Despite his age, he tells me things like how the last time he held a woman's hand was when he did folk dancing at some summer camp.
...Furthermore, he says those things to make me laugh. He's hopeless.
But more than anything, I can't stand when he completely ignores my feelings.
I want to be alone sometimes. I don't want to do anything sometimes. Yet he drags me out, completely ignoring how I feel.
That's why, even when I'm exhausted or I don't feel like doing anything...
I end up going with him, which makes me laugh.
...I always thought that just wore me out, yet...
I want him...
...to drag me around. I'll probably never feel this way again... and yet...
he's not here.
Do I really believe I don't want to spend time with him?
...Maybe I've just grown used to his abundant affection.
When he took me out on a day I didn't want to do anything...
I was in a bad mood at first...
but after a while...
I started to feel better, and found myself having a lot of fun.
If he was with me now...
...Would he take me out to photograph birds like always? ...Would he happily explain it all with his know-how, even though I didn't ask?
That'd be very boring and troublesome... but that's what I honestly want right now.
...Do I see my grandpa in him?
I loved my grandpa.
He gave me a purpose to live.
I needed him.
I loved Uncle Koizumi.
He helped me with my dream.
I needed him.
After both of them died...
...maybe I just sought their aspects in him.
...Am I starving for a protector...?
Maybe I'm so traumatized by my parents' accident
that I need to have someone nearby to watch over me all the time.
...Maybe I'm still immature.
......My inner child is throwing a fit because she can't put together a toy, saying that if it's going to be broken anyway, she's going to break it herself.
...It won't be just my problem.
...It will bring about huge, huge, irreversible tragedy.
...But that's the only way to prove the truth of my grandfather's work.
That belief allowed me to prepare up to this point.
In just a few days, the top members of the government will be scrutinizing my grandfather's article,
and, terrified by the worst case scenario he predicted, they'll regret cancelling our research and neglecting counter-measures... as they pass their final resolution.
That's when my grandfather's article will become truth, his great work uplifted, and his name carved into the pages of history.
And then, he will become a god.
An eternal existence.
And I will reveal the god worshipped as Oyashiro-sama to be the Hinamizawa Syndrome, casting them down to Earth.
I'm going to complete the fifth curse of Oyashiro-sama with Jirou-san's death, as well as my own. I'll become the one who curses, not the one who is cursed. I'll be in the position to test, instead of being tested.
I will ascend to godhood.
I'm going to make the curse a reality, and I'm going to kick the god of this place off her throne.
And then, grandfather and I will be together forever...
Gods don't get tested.
Fate doesn't test gods.
No grief will separate us.
I will be with my grandpa forever.
After that, we're going to work on our research together in that study...
filled with the smell of formalin.
A scene from happier days.
Grandpa is at his desk, writing down something.
I'm in a good mood, lying on my stomach on the carpet right behind him, while flapping my legs and humming a tune.
I help him with his research by organizing his books as if I were playing with blocks.
...To return to those times is my only wish.
Of course, if I could go back that far, I'd want my parents to be alive too.
If I could play with my grandpa's books
while listening to my mother cooking in the kitchen and my father flipping through his newspaper...
that would complete my happy world.
It would be my ideal childhood.
But that world doesn't have a door to the outside world.
...So I can't go over to my friend's house.
...Because...
if did I go to my friend's house...
there wouldn't be anybody there when I returned...
nobody, nobody...
because they'd all have died in a train accident.
So I don't want an outside world.
...I want to stay in my house with my parents and my grandfather.
...I am a doctor, after all.
I can analyze myself.
...I know that what I'm wishing for is proof of my immaturity.
...But if I know that much... then why do I still long for a parental figure in Jirou-san?
Even as I plan an operation which includes his death, I'm still trying to hang on to him.
...If I'm going to betray people so I can become a god, then I should remain a villain until my final moments.
...But if I'd rather be a lonely little girl, then I should remain modest and humble until my final moments.
Either way, if it is my way of life, nobody can criticize me for it.
Because if I believe it is right, then all I can do is go on without listening to such criticism.
But I still can't decide...
so I want somebody to criticize me.
Nobody has ever criticized my way of life.
That's why I want to hear someone do it.
I want someone to tell me my way of life is wrong.
...I want Jirou-san to tell me I've done such a stupid thing, and I want him to slap me.
Such masochistic desires... speak a great deal as to how I'm rejecting my present self.
...Am I really still longing for a parent?
I'm too old to call myself immature.
Even if I do, nobody else will.
No matter how immature I am inside, people will treat me as a grown person.
They will say I possess an adult's responsibility and proper judgment, and that they've brought me this far already.
...Then I'll be judged before the devil.
...Will I still plead not to judge my immature self as a grown-up?
......Am I going to act that pathetically even in front of the devil?
I'm already going to Hell, yet I can't completely become a devil. I hate the idea of Hell, yet I refuse to try and repent.
...My mind can only float in a lake of blood, drifting as I drown.
If only Jirou-san was here......
My mind would clear up as I played along with his insensitive chatter...
...Why isn't he around when I need him the most?
...This is the last chance I'll have to spend time with him.
I hate how immature I am, becoming so insecure just because he isn't around.
I found myself before the offertory box.
I came here when the Irie Clinic's construction had ended and the research at the Irie Institute was about to begin.
I remember how bravely I challenged the god of this place.
I was full of hope and ambition.
After going through many hardships, I finally came this far... I even vowed I would become a god.
I did so in front of the god of this place.
...I can vaguely recall my grandfather telling me a story similar to that.
That's right, it was the story of the Tower of Babel.
When there was only one language in this world,
all people lived in one place with one will.
In a display of their authority, they started to build a tower that would reach Heaven.
God got angry because these people had forgotten how to show respect to him.
He believed all of man gathered to commit such an affront because they all shared one language and one will.
So their communion was shattered, people were thrown into disorder, and they were given many different languages so they wouldn't be able to communicate with each other.
And as they couldn't communicate with each other, many left, and the tower which challenged Heaven fell to ruin.
Something like that, anyway.
I'm not sure what the lesson is.
But this is what my grandfather explained to me.
Building a tower that reaches up to Heaven is the greatest challenge for humans, but it is also a challenge to God.
To challenge God was truly sinful, but as humans we couldn't help but test that untrodden peak.
It's not easy to build a tower that's high enough to reach Heaven.
While they're building the tower, the people will fall into disharmony, and lose the mutual understanding they once started with.
...Their united wills thrown into disarray.
This applies not just to a group of people, but can be said about one person as well.
No matter how solid their will, the closer they come to Heaven, the more limits God imposes on man.
...So even iron wills are sure to waver at some point.
...It is just too arrogant for humans to think that they can always carry out their original intentions.
That must have been what my grandfather was thinking, deep down.
I'm sure he lost hope many times since nobody ever recognized the value of his research.
Yet he believed in himself, and he believed that some day, his work would be appreciated.
Maybe that was his wish, rather than reaching Heaven.
Grandfather realized he wouldn't be able to complete his research, and maybe he was trying to find where he could compromise.
Humans can't build a tower that reaches Heaven...
but the story of the Tower of Babel is still around.
It didn't reach Heaven, but we still tell the story of the tower that challenged God.
According to the story, the tower was left behind with nobody to work on it.
The incomplete tower stayed in that place for a long time, never achieving its goal.
...But if someone were to see it, they would realize how great it was that someone accepted that challenge, and praise their name.
I took over the tower from my grandfather and tried to make it reach Heaven, but I ended up succumbing to the same fate.
And if it is going to be destroyed anyway, I will try to destroy it myself.
......What...
am I doing,
anyway...?
If I hadn't tried to continue grandfather's research, his work on Hinamizawa Syndrome would have remained forever.
Even if it was an empty tower that nobody ever visited,
if somebody did come by... they would praise whoever attempted that challenge.
...They would have praised my grandfather.
But I took over his work...
and I built the tower even closer to Heaven, which made God angry...
and the tower is now going to be destroyed.
The tower will become a pile of rubble.
When the Irie Institute is shut down, all of its records will be destroyed.
My grandfather's wish for his work to be appreciated by someone will never be granted.
I tried to make my grandfather an eternal existence,
yet I ended up making that an impossibility.
How can I call myself Miyo Takano?
Instead of inheriting the 1-2-3 from my grandfather and continuing the count to 3-4...
...I reduced it all to 0.
If it wasn't for me, my grandfather's work would have remained an empty tower.
It would have stayed in this world forever.
...But I ruined it.
...I did that...
I can feel myself sweating.
The sweat reminds me that I've done something inexorable.
When did I make a mistake?
Where did I go wrong?
It wasn't when I came here.
It was before that.
...I started to walk down the wrong path long before that.
...If I put myself in my grandfather's spot, I know.
My grandfather was working on a great challenge.
He built a mighty tower.
And it was supposed to continue to stand there and wait for someone to appreciate it.
Grandfather definitely said he wanted his work to be valued by someone, even after his death.
But I misunderstood.
Somewhere along the way,
I made a wrong turn.
I misinterpreted grandfather's wish... and I ruined it. I ruined everything.
I tried to make him an eternal existence... yet I destroyed him.
Grandfather built an eternal tower, yet I razed it.
Where did I make a mistake?
What went wrong?
It's obvious!!
My grandfather counted to three
and with that, it was complete!
I simply tried to do more with addition, and everything collapsed. And now, all of it is ruined!!
I shouldn't have tried to count to four.
I shouldn't have done anything.
Besides, Grandfather didn't even ask me to continue his research!
A little girl shouldn't play in this dark study. Go outside and play with your friends.
I remember my grandfather telling me things like that.
But I refused, and I stayed in the study so I could help him.
And eventually, he stopped telling me to play outside, and just enjoyed having my company while he worked.
But... when we first met,
he used to say things like that.
Then... what?
Living with Grandpa was the first mistake I made...?
Then what?
When I escaped the orphanage, I shouldn't have called Grandpa!
I shouldn't have found a ten yen coin!
I shouldn't have asked Grandpa to help me!!
Ahh, now I remember.
I know where I belong...!!
...Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang!!!
A noise of something metal striking something else is getting closer.
It's getting closer and closer.
I'm not allowed to fall asleep.
Ahh, I wasn't asleep, I just had my eyes closed, that's all, sorry, sorry, sorry!!
"XXXXX, Damn you XXXXXX!!!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I won't do it again, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!"
"XXXX!!! Come on, XXXX, XXXXXXXX damn it!! XXXX, XXXXXXXXXX!!!"
Bang!!
Bang.
Bang!!!
Bang!!!
Don't kick, don't kick!!
I'm afraid of the metal sound.
Please don't kick it.
I'm not being kicked,
but the noise is kicking me.
So please don't kick, please don't kick the metal fence, please...
My body is getting cracked.
I think my body is getting cracked.
All the dirty, itchy, and painful things soak into those cracks, and the filth and prickling feel horrible.
It's soaking into my chest, gathering together... I desperately try to resist so that it won't touch my heart.
But the dirtiness and itching draw together more and more.
My whole chest is soaked and soon enough my face will be swallowed.
Even drowning in this dirtiness and itching, I try desperately to hold my breath, so that at least my heart won't be soaked with it...
"XXXXX!!!
XXXXX damn it!!!
XXXX!
XXXXXX!!!?"
Bang!!
Bang!!
"XXX!
XXX!
XXX!
XXX!!!"
Bang!!!
Bang!!
Bang!!!
I...
can't hold my breath any longer.
I drown in an ocean of muck.
...And yet... as I'm taking on the muck, my heart desperately struggles not to be tainted by it, to rise above it until... my heart, too, sinks into the sea of grime.
...Only creatures that have lived on land will gasp and suffer the pain of drowning as they long to return to dry land.
...Creatures that have always lived in the ocean never drown.
.........Grandpa...
won't come help me.
...That is...
the best thing......
for me and him both...
I am XXXX, ...XXXXX...XXXX.
XXXXXXXXXXXX.
...See?
...When I stop struggling...
...there...
is no more noise.
...I don't have to hear... that scary metal noise...
...Is it a roar... or a yell?
I needed to borrow strength to scream, in order to come back to the present world.
My body is all sweaty.
...It feels dirty, itchy, and painful...
It reminds me of that day.
I can feel welts coming on as the sweat crawls down my skin.
No, it's just a delusion.
It can't be itchy.
Because all of that is long over!!
I take a bath everyday. I scrub my body until it turns raw and red.
So not even the slightest drop of that horrible filth could possibly remain!!
I can't help it.
I remember the filth...!
I can only get rid of it by scratching my arms so hard it leaves marks.
I can't get rid of the itching.
I can't get rid of the filth.
Of course I can't.
I am a filthy existence.
Grandpa should never have saved someone like me.
Meeting me made him unhappy.
I shouldn't have existed.
I shouldn't have been born.
I should have stayed inside that metal fence and spent my whole life there!!
I need to go back inside it.
I should have never left.
That place is where I belong.
Corner me with that horrible metal noise.
Crush me with that filth, itchiness, and pain.
And then kill me.
So that I'll never meet Grandpa.
...Is that your wish?
Yes. ...Much like those left behind at the top of Babel's crumbling tower,
or Icarus, unable to reach Heaven only to fall, that is my final wish.
Bring me back inside that metal fence.
And give me back the fate that's suitable for my filthy existence.
...The wish of a liar will never come true.
But... I'm not a liar...............
You have spoken your true wish once, yet you have yet to realize that's your greatest wish.
...And I cannot grant that wish just yet.
......Are you saying that's the punishment we sinful humans face for challenging God...?
You should already know.
The strength of your desire is what creates the future.
You lack that strength.
............Guh......
...I...
...Are you saying I haven't tainted myself enough...?
Will even the gates of Hell remain shut for someone not fully committed like me...?
"...Rika-chan, Satoko-chan,
how are you feeling?
It's Irie."
As Akasaka-san warned me, I have to be careful.
Akasaka-san opened the door silently.
"How are you doing?
It's bustling outside, huh?"
"Yeah.
Everyone is busy getting ready for tomorrow's festival.
I brought some shaved ice for you, courtesy of the refreshment stand committee.
Let's have some."
"Thank you for that.
I'll have some."
Akasaka-san is wearing a T-shirt, but he's still drenched in sweat.
All the windows have been shut, and he can't even open the curtains, so it's very hot inside, but even accounting for that, he's still sweating like mad.
"Look at how sweaty you are.
It sure is hot in here..."
"No, I was exercising a little.
Of course, I tried to keep very quiet.
...I'm just staying prepared for anything. That's all."
"Hmm. A little exercise helps to refresh people.
I'm sure you've been under a lot of stress for the last few days. You must be exhausted mentally, too."
"No, I'm used to this kind of thing.
But I really appreciate you bringing in some stuff."
Akasaka-san smiled like a happy child as he ate the strawberry-flavored shaved ice.
"So has there been anything yet?
Have you heard from Tomitake-san?"
"No, nothing yet.
...Ah, but Takano-san was saying she can't get ahold of him."
"That's right, he changed his hotel, huh?
Do you think she's noticed something?"
"No, I don't think she has.
I told her he's probably just going around taking pictures."
"But it's only a matter of time before she becomes suspicious.
There will be a strong wind soon one way or another.
Dr. Irie, please be very careful."
"Yeah, of course.
Oh, by the way.
I just saw Ooishi-san
and he told me to tell you something."
I explained the 48-hour operation to Akasaka-san.
Akasaka-san seemed impressed with the notion, especially because I told him it came from the girls.
"...That's a fantastic idea.
That'll shake up our enemy quite a bit.
It'll give Tomitake-san a big opportunity to find out something, too.
So when is the operation going to take place?"
"That will be decided when they meet with Ooishi-san tonight.
But since we don't have much time, it may be as early as tomorrow morning."
"...I see.
It's pretty stressful just waiting for a battle to begin.
If there is something we can do, we might as well just do it."
"Your time in Hinamizawa is limited too.
So how much longer can you stay?"
"I told Yukie that I should be home by midnight on Sunday, but if the situation changes, I might have to stay here longer.
...She's a policeman's wife.
She'll understand."
"...You can't even call her from here, huh?
Sorry to put you in this situation..."
"Don't worry.
It's not like we're newlyweds.
She won't divorce me just for not calling her every night."
Although he says that, it's easy to tell that Akasaka-san wants to hear the sound of her voice.
"So have there been any changes on your end?
If there's anything you need, I'll bring it."
"I really don't need anything yet.
Any changes... well, it's hard to say.
There are just too many people going in and out for the festival.
Even if there's someone suspicious among them, I can't tell.
We should assume our enemies are hidden among them, so we should be on our guard."
"...That sounds about right.
...By the way, the Mountain Dogs are starting to move, just as you said.
When I asked Okonogi about their plans, he said he's raising the security level for the days surrounding the festival to take into account the possibility that some criminal might use the fifth year of the curse to target Rika-chan."
"Hmm.
That matches the situation right now.
It almost looks like all the preparations, officially and unofficially, are going smoothly for tomorrow's festival."
"So you're saying tomorrow...
is going to be a festival in more ways than one, then."
...If the 48-hour operation gets underway tomorrow morning...
it'll be quite the turbulent day.
Yes...
everything will change,
starting tomorrow.
June 19th, 1983.
A tempestuous day that divides a peaceful world from a tragic one.
The fate of the world... will change on that day.
I finished my secret meeting with Akasaka-san and left while calling up to the second-floor window, pretending to address the girls.
When some villagers saw me do that, they asked how they were doing.
They asked me about both girls, which made me very happy.
What Oryou-san said yesterday has already spread among the villagers.
In other words, the curse of Oyashiro-sama may have already lifted, even before tomorrow's festival.
If nothing happens tomorrow......
then this village is finally free from the curse and the ghost of the dam conflict.
...As we prepare for the upcoming battle, I realize the extent of the responsibility we've taken on.
But at the same time, that gives me strength.
After greeting officials under the main tent, I ran into Takano-san as I headed back to the clinic.
It's unusual for her to be here alone.
If Tomitake-san was with her, I could understand, but she'd never come here by herself.
For a moment, I thought maybe she suspected a connection between me and Akasaka-san, but it doesn't seem that way. I'm relieved.
"This is unusual.
What are you doing here?"
"Nothing, really.
I'm just taking a walk."
"I see.
It's a nice day today.
I bet it's a perfect day for taking a walk."
"...I wonder if Jirou-san is taking a walk too."
Those words had a strange nuance to them.
Takano-san normally only spends time with Tomitake-san out of politeness.
At least, that's how she's been acting. So when I heard her say that, I was a little surprised.
"Maybe so.
He's from Tokyo.
I'm sure he's enjoying the fresh air and the beauty of Hinamizawa."
"...Director,
do you have any idea
where Jirou-san went?"
"No, I don't.
Hmmm..."
"...He didn't come to the meeting last night.
It was a good thing someone else was there to take his place, but he should have been there...
...He's neglecting his job, don't you think?"
...This is going in the wrong direction.
I have to change the subject...
"W-Well, I'm sure he needed a little break.
I bet he wanted to be...
alone.
Just like you."
"............Yeah...
I can see that..."
I think that went well.
She didn't ask about Tomitake-san after that.
When I look around, I can imagine how lavish the festival is going to be tomorrow.
Watanagashi is the biggest festival of the year around here.
It's grown in scale ever since the dam conflict ended, and, this year, the village festival is hitting a peak.
I'm sure villagers of all ages will enjoy themselves tomorrow.
Takano-san and I overlooked that heartwarming scene.
"...Tomorrow looks like it's going to be a lot of fun."
".........Yeah,
it will be fun."
The conversation was very ironic.
We both meant something different as we spoke...
"I can hardly wait for the festival to start."
"Yeah.
......A fun festival is about to begin."
I noticed an indescribably bitter smile on her face.
"...I hope it'll be a nice day tomorrow.
After all these preparations, it'll be a shame if it rains."
"Hee hee.
They worked so hard to prepare for this grand festival.
...A little rain won't stop them."
"...Yeah, I guess.
There'll be a festival, no matter the weather, huh?"
"Yes.
...There will be a grand festival.
I'm sure of it...!"
Ooishi-san had agreed to participate.
In other words, he had given us the green light.
"Good job.
I bet you had some difficulties."
"Nah, not really.
They actually agreed pretty easily.
Boy, how nice it is to be young.
I was the only one who struggled to make a decision. Pitiful, huh?
We can't turn back anymore.
I'll give it everything I have!"
Ooishi-san was always a man with great presence.
He seems pretty reliable when he's that determined.
This will work.
This operation will be a success!
The enemy is unthinkably strong, but we're going on the offensive first.
It's like in sumo, right?
No matter how huge the opponent may be, there's a chance the entire match can be settled in an instant with a quick shift in stance during the opening rush!
"See, Rika.
Doesn't it feel reassuring to have this many people on your side?"
"...I don't intend on refuting you anymore.
I was almost ready to give up just a few days ago, but now, I can't believe how much the situation has evolved.
...It just might just be possible to change our fate after all."
"Rika, that's not good enough!"
"...You're right.
I shouldn't say we might change our fate...
We will change it.
We will win.
We will defeat fate!"
"In any case, then the timing of our trap is extremely important!"
"What do you mean timing? We should act immediately!
Tonight, it will have been 48 hours since Rika-chan disappeared.
The longer we wait, the better the position the enemy will be in. So we should act as soon as possible!!"
"...That's true.
If we're too careful, that will give them more time.
Our defense ought to be cautious, but our offense ought to be bold."
"It's very reassuring to have both your seals of approval!
So what about it, everyone?"
"No objections.
I've steeled my resolve.
I'm ready anytime."
"...Hmm...
Is it time yet?
What do you think, Satoko?"
"We should go with haste, of course, but right now may be a little too hasty.
If we are to surprise them, I think we should do it more carefully!"
"A surprise attack should take place at night!
Is there any better timing than now?"
"Calm down.
You're both right.
Surprise attacks usually do happen at night.
But look at us now.
We're still up, even though it's that dark outside, right?
Night attacks were more effective when there was no electricity.
Nowadays, surprise attacks don't always have to take place in the middle of the night.
There is an even better time than that!"
"Is there really a better time for a surprise attack?
Au au au?"
"......I understand.
A daybreak sortie, right?"
"Oh?
You know some interesting terms, don't you?
It's true that the worst time to call someone is not in the middle of the night, but early in the morning.
People can't even think straight when they're half asleep."
"A surprise attack at dawn...
Yeah, that's a great time to do it!"
"...Yeah.
I think that'll be the most effective.
Knowing how Takano-san is, it's more than likely that she'll do something to make it look like the fifth year's curse.
And she'll try it tomorrow night."
"It's normal to try to get plenty of sleep the night before."
"Oh ho ho ho!!
I now know the perfect time to spring my traps!!"
"A surprise attack at dawn... man, that sounds badass!!
I've always wanted to do something like that!!
I'm fired up!!!"
"You're just like my men, Maebara-san...
Hey, does that mean I'm the only man involved who isn't psyched?
...My, oh my...
...Aaall riiight!!
Ready, then?!
The 48-hour operation commences tomorrow at dawn!!
The question is how they will react.
We'll be confusing them, and once we see their response, we'll attack!
This is a raid!!"
"Okay!!
As the leader of this club, I now decree that the 48-hour operation is now in effect!
We will carry out our tasks at 4 AM tomorrow morning!!
It'll get busy all of a sudden.
All members should be ready for an immediate response. Prepare yourselves physically and mentally!
And don't forget!!
The fate of Hinamizawa rides on this battle!!
The enemy's conspiracy could end up destroying this village!!"
"Huh!
We'll never let that happen!!"
"Well, we'll see how the enemy will react.
Will they become demons or serpents?"
"......Meep.
Maybe they'll become kittens."
"Ho ho ho ho!
How cute of them!"
"I don't think so...
Something huge will happen for sure.
...This is like a little earthquake.
One that's a forewarning of a huge tsunami."
"You're right.
I feel that little earthquake too.
...But we'll create that huge tsunami!!
And either the village or the enemy will be swallowed by it!!"
"We'll ride that huge wave for as long as we can!!!"
This 48-hour operation will be a shock to the enemy.
They'll panic, their pace will be off, and they're guaranteed to slip up somehow!
We don't know how they're going to slip up, but... just knowing that they will and preparing ourselves to act gives us the full advantage!
We're surrounding our enemies on this huge game board that is Hinamizawa.
This game, this festival, will start with our siege.
Come on, we're ready!!!
We're ready for June 19th, 1983!!!
Hey, Rika...?
Have this many emotions ever gathered on this day?
Actually, there were always this many emotions in this world.
There were always countless numbers of them gathered on this forgotten June 19th.
We just never realized it, because we always looked at the world subjectively.
There are so many people in this world, and each of them has very important emotions.
Those countless feelings are collecting together and giving shape to this world, this Fragment.
Ah, with this many emotions, what kind of world will we see?
What kind of Fragment will we be granted?
Who will win? Takano, or us?
The time to find out is now.
Let's open it.
Let's open the door to June 19th of 1983...!!