The day of the Watanagashi festival.

June 20th, 1982 1:40 PM

What was I doing today?

Nothing in particular.

Nothing at all.

I just wanted to play hooky.

I woke up in the afternoon.

I ate instant food for lunch while watching boring TV programs.

I had a light headache, so I lay down on the sofa.

I wouldn't wake up again if I went to sleep.

...Whatever.

I decided to sleep.

...I'd already told Sis that Satoshi-kun had asked her to look after Satoko.

I didn't have to do anything myself.

I fell asleep, though my head was aching a little bit...

That would be all I'd have to deal with.

June 20th, 1982 5:02 PM

The aunt believed that all the villagers frowned upon her because her brother-in-law and his wife were pro-dam activists.

She surely experienced some fallout during the time of the dispute.

But people had stopped looking coldly upon her, even though she assumed otherwise.

She was paranoid, believing that all the villagers hated her.

And so, she decided to hate them back.

Her attitude, of course, begot hatred from the villagers...

and the situation became exactly the way she thought it was from the start.

What came first, their poor relationships with the neighbors...

Or her husband's affair?

...She didn't know, herself.

Her husband claimed that he got a lover because he was fed up with her attitude.

She, in turn, claimed that their relationships with the neighbors went sour because her husband had damaged their reputation.

Only Satoshi was aware that both happened at almost the same time.

Their quarrels had become a daily routine now.

When the husband came home late, the wife would shout at him at the entrance.

Satoshi wondered why they didn't get a divorce, their marriage being as rotten as it was.

But he secretly knew the reason for that, too.

It was the fortune his parents had left.

His aunt had hidden their bankbook and stamp and never allowed her husband access to them.

(So, her husband would search the house for them. She'd find out he stole some money from her purse.

This would cause yet another fight.)

...Satoshi had never been aware that his parents had that much money when they were alive.

After their death, however, one of his relatives told him.

He was informed that his parents had left a large sum of money in some bank account.

Satoshi couldn't understand why they had that kind of money, because his family had been, as far as he knew, poor.

It was because of the dam project.

His parents probably got the money in return for their cooperation with the government.

They had strived to get more villagers on their side, provided information to them, and whatnot.

The money was probably compensation for their efforts.

His aunt and uncle never had any intention to adopt them until they heard about the money.

After someone from some financial institution revealed its existence, they appeared to adopt Satoko and Satoshi.

The couple would fight every day.

Eventually, Satoshi's uncle started spending more time at his mistress's home.

He realized that he had no reason to return to his own home,

because he'd just end up in a fight with his wife if he did.

When he stopped coming home, Satoshi felt relieved.

Neither their uncle nor their aunt treated the two siblings very well.

Satoshi's aunt wouldn't have to vent her frustration upon them.

The reason the couple fought was their corrupted relationship. So if they separated, there wouldn't be any more fights.

Satoshi had thought that at first.

But even after they separated, his aunt still had a short temper.

Another woman had stolen her husband.

The villagers must have been talking behind her back.

It was mortifyingly embarrassing.

Since she lost an opponent to fight,

Satoshi's aunt directed her hatred toward the siblings.

Satoshi had been observing her.

He learned when she would get upset and how to avoid her attention.

He managed to get by without upsetting her, by turning a keen eye to her behavior and avoiding conflicts.

...But Satoko couldn't do that.

She hated her aunt and didn't even try to hide it.

Satoshi told her to behave in their aunt's presence, but her eyes were always filled with hatred.

Satoshi strived to reduce the conflict between them as much as possible.

He stepped in

to mend their relationship.

It was a heavy burden for him though, because he was still just a boy.

He bore so much.

He covered for his little sister

by lying,

and maneuvering...

He tried to maintain a tangible sense of peace.

But... he couldn't do that forever.

..................The relationship between Satoko and her aunt had already spiraled out of control.

Satoshi found something in the trash.

...It probably wasn't a legitimate place for trash disposal.

...If it was, sanitation workers would come and pick it up.

He passed by this street all the time, so he noticed when there were new things dumped there.

He'd found a plain-looking desk, of the kind likely to be seen in offices.

Somebody must have dumped it within the past few days.

His aunt liked to bring usable trash home.

She'd had Satoshi help bring a chest home just a few days ago.

...If he told her about the desk, she'd want it.

His aunt hated to find bugs and garbage in the drawers,

so she'd always open them to check before carrying the thing home.

Satoshi opened all the drawers...

all of which were empty.

After that, he turned around and walked for about five steps.

He was standing in a knee-high bush.

There he laid something he'd been carrying all the time, until today.

It'd be very hard to find unless you specifically knew it was there to begin with.

...Looking satisfied, Satoshi looked around for some landmark to remember the place by.

June 20th, 1982 5:51 PM

"Hey, ol' pal!!

I see you showed up again this year!

You'd better get ready for us!"

"Gwa ha ha!

You're as peppy as ever!

Oh?

Is she a newcomer?"

"Uh-huh. This is Rena Ryuugu.

Don't underestimate her. She's good."

"Ahahahaha... No I'm not.

Nice to meet you."

"Yo!

You too!

I've brought all kinds of prizes this year!

They'll be a real battle to win!!

Try and take them all with you if you can!"

"......Rena tends to dote on cute stuff."

"Yeah, that stuffed animal looks like just her type..."

"Wha wha wha?!

Hauuu!!

Sho kyute!

I wanna take it home with me!!"

"H-Hey, the booth isn't open yet!! Whooa!!!"

"Aha ha ha!!

Stop it, Rena.

He says the booth isn't open yet.

You can run him into the ground once he opens it up!!"

"Hauuu, it's mine!

I'm taking it home!"

Rena lost her marbles over the stuffed animal. Everybody laughed.

Everybody except Satoko.

She was standing by herself, some distance from the crowd.

...Her eyes looked dull.

"......Meep~☆."

"...Wh-What is it, Rika?"

Rika walked up to Satoko,

smiling ear to ear in an effort to cheer her up.

"...Forget your worries today.

Let's just have fun."

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

Satoko looked down.

Even if she got to have fun today,

her circumstances at home wouldn't change.

"......Satoko,

your evil aunt isn't around."

"I... I know that."

"......So, why don't you have fun?

Nipah~☆."

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

"......Nipah~☆."

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

"......Nipah~☆."

"Oh... sorry, but I don't feel like it...

Could you please leave me alone...?"

"......Why aren't you smiling?"

Satoko sulkily glimpsed at Rika.

...She gave her a look

as though she wanted to say that Rika should know the reason.

Even if she could have fun today,

nothing would change between her and her evil aunt.

No matter how fun the festival was.

...Once she went home,

her aunt would be there.

...The aunt would find something wrong with Satoko, get mad, and shout at her so loudly that the neighbors would hear.

How can she have fun, even just for today, while knowing all that?

Satoko didn't say that out loud.

But her eyes betrayed her emotions to Rika.

"......So, Satoko...

If your suffering ends today, will you smile?"

Satoko gasped.

She thought that Rika might do something to help.

...But soon after, she realized that Rika was just trying to comfort her.

Could her suffering end today?

Because of Rika?

How?

Satoko knew that there was really nothing Rika could do.

And so, after just one moment of freedom, Satoko fell into depression again.

"Rika...

Don't give me false hopes..."

"......Satoko."

Rika's voice was clearer than Satoko had ever heard before.

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

June 20th, 1982 8:11 PM

Satoshi snuck out the window after supper.

He heard the distant ruckus of the festival.

The festival would end at 9:00 PM.

After the Watanagashi ceremony, there was going to be a raffle drawing.

So, there were two types of people in Hinamizawa.

The people who would go home for dinner, and the ones who would stay until the raffle was over.

Either relaxing at home or still at the festival.

There were only those two patterns.

On top of that,

there weren't many neighbors in the vicinity of Satoshi's house.

As a result, he found nobody on the streets.

...On that night, the small village seemed especially desolate.

Satoshi knew it was going to be like this.

But he would keep worrying until he saw it for himself.

He was barefooted, but started running without hesitation.

...He felt as though he'd become a wild animal, running on his bare feet.

He got the impression that he could run faster than usual.

Not only his running ability.

His vision,

his hearing,

and his sense of smell...

...All his senses were keener, including his sixth sense.

He could almost sense the presence of people in the distance

if only when crouching like an animal.

It felt strange...

As though he had stepped into another world...

He'd been feeling tense and anxious until today, battling with his own fear.

But now he felt as though he had metamorphosed into a different person...

June 20th, 1982 8:37 PM

"All right, everyone!

I'm going to explain how the raffle works!

Please gather around the altar!"

The festival had reached its climax. The raffle was going to start.

Both the women who were dancing and those who were waiting for the raffle gathered around the altar.

This was the first time they'd held a raffle.

The planning committee decided to hold one from this year onward, to attract more people to the festival.

At first, the prizes were things the committee members had donated. But Oryou, not appreciating how pathetic they looked, had them thrown away.

Oryou took the initiative and bought a brand-new TV, a washing machine, a cooling fan, and other such things for the raffle.

The committee wanted to keep it small initially,

but it turned out big, thanks to her.

Oryou was upset because the committee members weren't enthusiastic enough, in her opinion.

Some of the members thought it would be very difficult to prepare prizes of equal value the following year, so this might be the very first and last raffle.

"Thanks to you we have such wonderful prizes this year, Oryou-san.

They must have cost a lot, didn't they?

We can reimburse you from our budget."

"Buffoon! No point in reimbursing that.

It was never about the money.

...Idiots."

"Now, now, don't say that...

This raffle's all thanks to you, Oryou-san."

"It's not like I'm doing this all by myself.

Don't be ridiculous."

The mayor, Kimiyoshi, was having a tough time pacifying Oryou.

All of a sudden, one of the committee members burst into the tent in a rush.

He looked upset, so Kimiyoshi assumed that somebody probably got hurt in an accident.

"What's going on, Makino-san?

I hope you're not having a heart attack."

Kimiyoshi made a joke to calm him down.

Makino, however, still looked tense. He whispered something to Kimiyoshi.

Even without hearing the exchange between Makino and Kimiyoshi, it was plain as day there was bad news.

"...Oryou-san.

I have unpleasant news, if you don't mind?"

Kimiyoshi, accompanied by Makino, moved to Oryou's side and spoke in a very serious tone.

Kimiyoshi whispered to her the exact same words Makino told him.

"......Oh, dear.

...This is bad..."

"Ain't unexpected.

What happens thrice will happen a fourth time."

"Ahahahaha...

That's not funny, Oryou-san..."

"You're right, it isn't...

it's just another hassle..."

"The police are trying to identify the body.

I heard that the face was completely destroyed, so it'll be difficult..."

"...It's quite clear who it is, though..."

"Eh?

...Do you know who it might be?"

Oryou glared at Kimiyoshi, then started chuckling.

"Hahahahaha, idiot!

It must be some impudent lad who didn't come to the Watanagashi festival!

People who respect Oyashiro-sama won't get involved in something like that."

Oryou kept laughing. Kimiyoshi and Makino didn't know how to react to that.

June 20th, 1982 9:04 PM

"...Hmm...

this is merciless."

"Kuma-chan,

every death is merciless, unless the dead wished for it.

They have my condolences...

How's it going over there?

Did you find something that could identify the body?"

The forensic investigators shook their heads.

"The victim's wearing sandals and casual clothes.

They must be from this neighborhood.

We should be able to identify the corpse by asking around."

"...That's the way we do it.

The section manager says this case might become classified.

So be careful with that."

"Gotcha."

Kumagai gathered some officers and gave them directions.

"Dr. Irie has arrived.

Doctor, it's over here."

A young doctor got out of his car and headed in the victim's direction.

"Hello...

I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.

I had to help with the raffle."

"You must have drunk a lot at the festival, doctor.

Are you sure you're sober?

Maybe I should run a breathalyzer test on you, just to be safe."

"I'm fine.

My assistant is driving."

"Clever of you...

Hey, let the doctor pass."

There was an area cordoned off with blue plastic sheets.

An officer rolled up the sheet and let Ooishi and Irie pass.

The forensic people were taking photos from many different angles.

The blood spatters and the bloody sandals were left untouched,

marked with chalk, and indicated with small alphabetized plates.

"...I'm not used to seeing things like this."

Irie took out a handkerchief and covered his nose.

"You should breathe through your mouth...

Well, you might sense the smell visually, though...

Na ha ha..."

The body appeared to be that of a middle-aged woman. It was soaked in blood.

It looked like a middle-aged woman because of the hair and what she was wearing.

The reason why no one could be certain it was a middle-aged woman was because...

its face was completely pulverized.

"...This is brutal."

"I'm sure it was done out of malice.

The victim must have been murdered right here, judging from the pattern of the blood spatters and the soles of the sandals.

And, even though not many people take this road, the body is right in the middle of it.

It's very unusual to see a culprit who would bludgeon their victim until their face was completely destroyed.

Also,

can you look at her arms?"

Ooishi put on latex gloves and lifted the corpse's arm.

"...See?

Spotless, aren't they?"

"Are you saying that the victim didn't try to protect her head? That there's no signs of struggle?"

"Right you are...

I think the victim lost consciousness with the first blow.

Then the culprit kept beating to complete the murder.

The victim was probably lying face-down at that time...

judging from the stains on her clothes."

"...The body is face-up now."

"The culprit seems to have flipped the victim over

in order to smash her face, even though by that point,

her death was certain."

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

Irie looked like he was going to throw up, both because of the putrid smell and Ooishi's reasoning.

"Smashing the victim's face is clearly a sign of a grudge, in my experience.

It's a very profound grudge, too.

That means...

the culprit must be someone very close to the victim."

"...I understand you didn't call me to resuscitate her."

"Doctor.

Do you know who the victim is?

...If you do, I don't have to waste time questioning the neighbors."

Irie looked at the body once again.

He looked away quickly and thought.

...Then, after a while.

Irie left the investigation area without saying anything.

"...I'm sorry.

I don't know."

"...Ehh......

Are you sure?"

Ooishi smirked and looked into Irie's eyes.

As though Irie was hiding something.

"...I'm not hiding anything."

"......Na ha ha ha.

I guess you're still under the influence, doctor.

Maybe you'll remember when you're sober.

Let me know if you do."

Ooishi tapped Irie on the back.

The doctor, saying he wanted some fresh air, left the scene.

Kumagai returned.

"Ooishi-san, the section manager is on the radio.

The one in the first car."

"...Irie lied."

"...Huh?"

"Nothing.

Hurry up and question the neighbors.

The victim must be from this area."

June 20th, 1982 9:39 PM

"Ooishi-san,

here he is!!"

"Thank you for coming here this late at night.

I know you have school tomorrow.

I'm really sorry to bother you."

"......No problem."

"Where's your father?"

"...My stepfather doesn't come home much..."

"Uh-huh?

Since when?

When did he come home last?"

"...I don't know...

I heard he's living with a woman who works at a club in Okinomiya or something.

I don't remember exactly when, but I guess I saw him a few weeks ago."

"......Uh-huh...

Do you have your father's address?"

"No."

"He's living with a woman who works at a club?

Do you know the name of the place?"

"...No.

I know it's in Okinomiya, and that's all."

"What's your father's name?"

"Teppei Houjou."

Ooishi signaled Kumagai with his chin, who nodded while taking notes.

"Were your mother and father getting along well?"

"...I don't know much about that, but...

I don't think so."

"I see...

I want you to tell me honestly. Do you know anyone who might have been holding a grudge against your stepmother?"

"...I don't."

"Na ha ha...

All right.

Please let me know if you remember something.

Here's my card.

My number is on it."

"...Okay."

"I might ask to see you again for further inquiries.

And if you see your stepfather, please let him know that we want to contact him...

Kuma-chan, drive him home, will you?"

"Oh, uh, no.

...I can go home by myself."

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

Please, let us drive you home...

There's a possibility that the culprit who murdered your aunt is roaming around the neighborhood.

You might get hurt too."

".........Th-Thank you for your consideration,

but... really, I'm fine..."

Satoshi tried to reject the offer, but Ooishi and Kumagai insisted.

In the end, Satoshi was forced to accept.

He turned around to leave...

...When Ooishi spoke to him as if he remembered something he'd forgotten to say.

"Houjou-san...!"

"...Y-Yes...?"

"Don't worry.

It's no problem.

We'll catch the culprit soon."

"...Do you have any leads...?"

"Yes,

we do."

"...Like what?"

"...That's confidential.

Na ha ha ha ha...!"

Ordinary people might think that Ooishi was trying to cheer the poor kid up with a joke...

"...Well,

usually people get pretty worked up when they commit murder...

Though of course, there are some exceptions..."

"What kind of evidence do you find when the culprit's worked up...?"

"........."

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

"When somebody is in a very excited condition, their body shows many symptoms,

like sweat, loss of hair..."

"........."

"We often find the culprit's hair at crime scenes.

Well, this is outside,

so it's a bit different, but still."

"Did you find their hair...?"

"I don't know yet.

The forensic guys are searching the scene right now.

I'm anxious to see

what they'll bring me.

Nfu fu fu fu!"

".........Excuse me. I have to go now."

"Please.

Kuma-chan, would you?"

"Sure."

"Houjou-san,

see you again soon.

I'll let you know if there's any progress in the investigation...

Let me know when you remember something.

Let's cooperate to catch the murderer of your stepmother.

Nfu fu fu fu fu..."