It's a very quiet afternoon, as always.

Since I can't go outside as myself, I have to match schedules with Mion when I go shopping.

(I've gotten used to it by now, so it's no longer a hassle.)

Because of this, I naturally have to buy things in bulk.

Today, I shuttled between shops and my home.

"Ehh... I got this, I got that...

Oh, wait!

Isn't it a 100-yen sale day today?

I forgot this."

Being in a good mood, I spun around with my arms spread out.

I felt like a little whirlwind.

My arm hit a motorcycle parked on the sidewalk. It obviously wasn't where it was supposed to be.

"...Ow!!

What the...?

Who parked this motorcycle here?"

I gave it a kick with no hesitation.

There were three motorcycles lined up there in a row.

They all fell like dominoes.

It was a beautiful sight. This is fun, I thought.

Being in such a good mood made me leave my guard down.

I didn't realize that the owners of the motorcycles were right nearby. They looked pretty scary.

They grabbed me by the neck and dragged me into a dark alley.

Then they called me all kinds of names...

Everything was happening too quickly for me to grasp what was going on...

"Dafuq're ye, bitch?!!

Whatcha think yer doin'?! Huhh?!"

"Fookin' bash yer head in, bitch!!"

"Grrraaaah!!

Gonna pay fer whatcha did!"

...Whoa.

They can't really talk properly.

I didn't have a clue what they were saying.

I had to translate their alien tongue into normal human words in order to understand.

'We are very upset because you knocked down our motorcycles.'

'You should immediately pay for the repair and compensation.'

...Yeah, that was probably it.

'That's our offer. What do you say?'

'We'd be happy to listen to your opinion...'

Something like that?

"HuuUUh!!

Whatendaummm?!!"

"Ah, sorry.

I don't think I can continue interpreting."

"Ahh?!

Whacha sayin'?!!!"

I know what they're trying to say.

But somebody has to warn them

about the way they park their motorcycles.

It wouldn't be fair to those who obey the rules if there were no punishment for those who disobey them.

This is an accident, but it must also be God's will.

But, God...

you can use me to punish these guys, but how will you compensate me later...?

I heaved a huge sigh.

...Of course,

I wasn't afraid in this situation at all.

Because... it wasn't a dangerous one for me.

These three guys were yelling at the top of their lungs at a girl. They didn't look good doing it, and they had too many disadvantages.

First, there was the differences in gender and in the number of people.

Even if I did something wrong, as men shouting at a woman, it didn't make them look like they were in the right.

Added to that, there were three of them; it already looked like it was going to get violent.

Second, the location. Taking a girl into a dark, narrow alleyway is already a bad idea, and top of that they're asking for money, not just an apology.

Thanks to these facts, the public will be on my side...

so this was a fight they couldn't possibly win.

The only way for them to win would be to take my money before somebody finds out.

...Considering that, taking me to this narrow, secluded alleyway might've been a smart move, since fewer people will find out about this situation.

"Huuuh!!

Ye list'nin or not?!"

I knew how slim their chances of winning were.

From the very beginning, they had picked the wrong girl.

I'm 'Mion Sonozaki' now.

It'd be foolish to mug her in Okinomiya.

Soon enough, the people of Hinamizawa would notice me and gather 'round.

They don't spare mercy for their enemies, no matter what.

The punks didn't know this area well.

If they did, they'd have known how silly it was to rob 'Mion.'

Plus, the alleyway isn't always as empty as they assumed.

This side street is a shortcut which local people frequently use on their way home.

In the late afternoon, many people will be passing through here.

That time had almost arrived.

If I held off a little longer, the street would soon be filled with people.

Then the punks would have to go away.

I didn't have to do anything.

I just had to wait in order to win.

This was a simple fight like that.

While they could hurl abusive language at me, or lift me up by my collar, they weren't actually going to resort to violence.

Cheers to the educational system for ingraining the "ladies first" mindset!

...But, as a wicked person, I wanted to toy with them a bit, even though I could win this by waiting.

I wanted to paint them as even more villainous, and drive them into a corner that would be even harder to talk their way out of.

...That demonic desire was rearing its horns.

To put it plainly, I'd only need to act as the poor, helpless victim a little further.

Like the pathetic, pitiful, tragic heroine everyone wants to sympathize with.

...In a case like this, I shouldn't start crying immediately, because they'd get nervous and draw back.

If it were a truly threatening situation, that would work, but I needed something different here.

I'd pretend to be strong at first. In fact, I thought, why don't I challenge them?

...And eventually, I'd start trembling, my voice would fade, and I'd get tears in my eyes...

......It'd be even better if I played the role of a strong girl who's slowly giving into fear.

......Mion and I are probably the only ones who are capable of pulling that kind of stuff off...

Well, I'm probably better than her.

"...Wh-Why don't you let me go now?!

I... already apologized..."

I talked back with a little hesitation...

Am I getting tears yet...?

Yes!

By the way, I've heard men can't shed tears on command...

I feel sorry for them.

The three punks faltered a bit due to my sudden change in attitude, but they soon started yelling at me again.

I had to keep it going.

That way they'd blatantly look like they're picking on a helpless girl...

"...Please...

...forgive me...

hic...

...hic...

ooh...!"

"Wh-Whacha doin?!

Wh-What's wid dis girl, huuh?!"

"...I... don't... hic... huff... ooohh..."

"...Mebbe... ye shoulda 'pologized like dat from da start..."

It looked like they were laying off a bit...

Did I overdo it a little?

It'd be boring if they let me go now...

...At that moment--

"Cu... Cut it out...!

Don't you see her crying?! Stop it...!!"

A boy around my age appeared.

He was skinny.

He looked weak.

He looked younger than he probably was.

He also looked smart. He bravely glared at the punks.

"What da hell...?!

Who dafuq are ye?!!"

"Back dafuq off, rraaaghhhh!!!"

The punks turned away from me to face the boy instead.

The boy looked a bit agitated when the punks started yelling at him.

They sure were ruthless.

...But the boy must have known that from the beginning.

He must have known that he was going into a dangerous situation,

yet he didn't hesitate.

"Fookin' say sumtin'!!

Why don'tcha answer us?!!"

"....................."

He must have wanted to shout back at them.

...But he'd probably never used that kind of language in his life.

So he couldn't have expressed his feelings out loud.

He might have not even known what to say.

So he just kept on glaring at them.

To let them know that he wasn't going anywhere.

The three punks, though, might have thought he was just lost for words in his fear.

But I knew different.

...The boy was overpowering them with nothing but his will.

...The punks were losing.

So, they resorted to violence.

They grabbed him and knocked him down. They hit, kicked, and tossed him around.

...It looked painful, but I knew.

It was his victory.

In the end, local passersby stopped the punks.

They made no further fuss and just went away.

...The boy stood up. He was covered in dust.

He smiled when our eyes met,

and asked me if I was all right.

...He didn't look particularly okay himself, though.

"...How could you step into a fight you obviously couldn't win?

Pick your opponents better next time."

"...I hesitated at first.

Ahahahaha..."

He laughed...

Saying that he was watching

from the beginning.

...That meant

he had the option to walk away.

...But instead, he worked up the courage, and stepped in.

"That was reckless,

not brave."

"...Mmph.

You're being a little harsh, Mion...

You should at least say 'thank you.'

I saw you crying."

"...N-No, I wasn't crying!

That was just an act...!"

"Ahahahahahaha.

Okay, okay.

Ahahahahaha."

"H-Hey!

You don't believe me, do you?!

Do you really think I'd cry?"

"No.

Nobody'd believe Mion Sonozaki would cry when punks bullied her. Ah ha ha ha."

"Wh-Why are you laughing?!

You really don't believe that was an act?!

I'd never cry!!"

"Ha ha ha ha. I believe you, I do."

I realized one thing.

...He must be one of Sis's friends.

He didn't seem to realize I'm her twin.

He thought I was Mion with a different hairstyle.

...Mion and I had to live separately since before we went to elementary school.

Mion was in Hinamizawa,

and I was in Okinomiya.

I lived in a totally different environment from her.

So, it's not strange that people don't know me.

Actually, only very few people know I exist.

I almost told him that I'm not Mion, but I managed to stop myself.

......Shion shouldn't be here.

He's from Hinamizawa.

It wouldn't be good if he thought he saw a Mion lookalike in Okinomiya...

So, I had to act like Mion.

...Dealing with him could be more difficult than handling those punks...

"...Well,

I was just relieved because you seem to have a girly side after all."

"You sound hostile. What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I thought you'd kick those guys' butts with some crazy martial arts...

So I was really surprised when you just started crying."

"Hey!

Like I said, I was acting!

Weren't you listening at all

....................."

...He gently put his hand on top of my head, and stroked it as if stroking a kitten.

...I could remember somebody doing that to me when I was little, but...

it had been quite a while since somebody stroked my head.

I didn't know what to do...

Why did it make me so embarrassed...?

......My face reddened all at once. I couldn't say anything...

"He...Hey...

Are you making fun of me...?"

I stuttered in embarrassment.

He looked calm, as if he was used to doing this.

"Ahahahaha...

Whatever.

Aren't you glad, though?"

"......Glad? ...What do you mean?"

"Well, you didn't get hurt."

He smiled while he kept stroking my head...... His smile looked divine.

He wasn't going to stay for long.

...He'd already saved me from those guys, after all.

"...Well, I need to be going.

So I should head off now."

"Uh... okay."

I wanted to go through all the steps of meeting someone for the first time, but he didn't.

As far as he was concerned, he just saved a friend from danger, and wanted to leave quickly to avoid seeming pretentious.

He and Mion must be friends who knew each other well.

...So I couldn't bring myself to ask, "What's your name?"

'Mion's friend' smiled once again. His smile looked as refreshing as a clear blue sky.

This time, he smiled a bit mischievously.

"Ahaha, don't worry.

I won't tell anybody you were crying.

...Ahaha, well, nobody would believe it if I told them, anyway.

Nobody would ever believe that our invincible class president cried.

Ahahahaha."

He patted the dust off his butt once again.

He walked back to the sunny main road, away from the dark alley.

Then he turned around.

"See you.

In school tomorrow, I mean."

"......Yeah...

See you in school."

He disappeared into the brightly lit street.

I continued to sit in the gloomy alleyway.

I could no longer see him.

I was just staring absentmindedly at the bright light.

That was the first time I met Satoshi-kun...

"That must be Satoshi.

He looks like what you described, and he has a habit of stroking people's heads."

"...Uh-huh...

His name is Satoshi-kun, eh...?"

The boy from earlier is called Satoshi Houjou-kun.

Mion said that he's always daydreaming.

...So she didn't believe that he saved me at first.

"His little sister

is always kicking his butt. Ahahaha."

"Uh-huh,

he has a little sister?"

"Yeah,

her name is Satoko.

She's funny

and shrewd,

but is quick to cry when she's cornered.

She's fun to watch......

But things have been rough for her lately,

so she's feeling a bit down."

His sister came up naturally in the conversation.

...I tried to soak up every scrap of information about Satoshi-kun.

...Why?

Why am I trying to ask so much about him?

...As I asked myself that, the feeling I got when he stroked my head came back to me.

...I must have been blushing.

"Hello?

Shion?"

"Eh? Ahahahaha, sorry!

I'm here, I'm listening!"

"To start, I hear Satoko's on bad terms with her aunt...

Satoshi's mature, so he knows how to conduct himself, but... when bad things happen, Satoko really lets herself go."

What Sis told me was very interesting.

....She told me that the parents of Satoshi-kun and his little sister are dead.

Satoshi-kun and Satoko are now living with their uncle and aunt.

They don't seem like very respectable people.

They're always fighting, and the uncle is cheating on the aunt.

He mostly lives with his mistress.

...Satoshi-kun and Satoko entered into that unwelcome environment.

What surprises me the most... is the fact that Satoshi-kun's parents were the Houjou couple who were the leaders of the pro-dam activists.

That fact must've added something to the situation.

...I don't know what kind of stance the uncle and aunt took during the dam conflict, but they must've taken some indirect blows.

Satoshi-kun's parents died after bothering them so much, and even left them their children... The uncle and aunt obviously can't love those kids.

Things have gotten worse this past year, too.

Women can be really nasty bullies.

Sometimes it doesn't matter who they're bullying, even if it's a kid.

On top of that, women tend to care less about propriety than men...

...As a result, Satoko seems exhausted with it all.

I can imagine Satoshi-kun bravely protecting his little sister.

Just like when he saved me.

"So... He must be exhausted too, right?"

"...Huh?"

"He must be covering for Satoko all the time.

So wouldn't you normally assume that he's also feeling worn out?"

"...Hmm

... well...

I don't know..."

Had I said something wrong?

Mion sounded a bit taken aback.

So that meant...

Mion can't tell how he's feeling...

Because he's always wearing that blank look.

So she never considered it...

How can she be that insensitive even though she's around him all the time?

I was amazed to realize that.

"Well,

anyway,

what does he usually do?

He looked smart, so does he read a lot of books?"

"Aha, ahahaha!

Yeah... you're right. He likes to read.

He's now reading... what's it called...?"

I continued asking about him.

About what he likes, dislikes, and what he thinks about.

I asked Sis all these questions because I wanted to know more about him.

It was the first time I'd ever been that interested in somebody.

I didn't want to admit that I had feelings like that.

Did I fall in love just because of a stroke on the head? ...Am I stupid, or what?

When I remember the feeling of his hand on my head, my heart feels tingly.

I tried doing it myself, but it didn't feel the same.

......Ahahahaha. I'm stupid.

What am I doing, stroking my own head...?

"Ahahahahahaha...

Sis, I'm done for...

I became stupid..."

"What?

Why are you laughing

in that weird voice?"

"Ahahahahaha, you wouldn't understand this feeling, Sis.

Ahahahahahaha..."

When would I see him again?

I felt as if my suffocating life had finally grown brighter.