The cops were smart enough to separate us during questioning.

Ooishi didn't come to talk to me.

His aim was Satoshi-kun and nobody else.

I got a young cop who just talked about ordinary things.

He must have been trying to ease me into the interrogation.

...When I realized that, the clumsy way he spoke began to frustrate me.

Is Satoshi-kun all right?

I didn't think Ooishi really bought my testimony.

He must have been trying to get Satoshi-kun to confess in spite of that.

......All I could do was pray that he'd keep quiet.

The phone on the desk rang,

and the cop picked it up.

"...This is Kumagai...

...What?

All right...

I understand.

Right away."

He hung up and told me somebody had come to retrieve me.

Looked like Satoshi-kun had to stay.

...Were they going to continue the interrogation just because he had nobody to pick him up?

...Although, maybe I should have been worrying more about myself.

The hag had probably heard about me by now, since I revealed my real identity to the police.

I couldn't hide any longer.

I was going to receive some sort of punishment.

I had no idea what she'd end up doing to me.

The degree of punishment for a traitor is always severe in the world of the Sonozakis.

The punishment must be carried out.

...If it's to protect the family's reputation, it's carried out no matter what.

...Maybe I should kiss my pinky finger while I still can.

I asked the young cop just in case.

"Hey,

did you know that, in America, if a condemned criminal gets arrested in a state which has banned capital punishment, they'll refuse to surrender him to the state prosecuting him if that state hasn't banned it?"

"Huh...??"

...Maybe it was too difficult for him.

He just looked puzzled.

A glossy black car was waiting for me in front of the police station.

A few men from my dad's office bowed to me.

"It's been a long time, Shion-san."

"...Where's Kasai?"

"........."

Kasai had been helping me ever since my escape from the school......

They wouldn't allow him to walk free.

"...How's Sis doing?

Does she have something to say about this?"

"...We were only told to bring you to the main house.

Please ask her when you get there."

After saying that, he escorted me into the car.

A man sat on either side of me......

Obviously they didn't want me to escape.

...Thinking of Satoshi-kun, I looked back at the police station.

Hold on tight, Satoshi-kun...

I'll grin and bear it, too.

The car started off roughly.

It was never a good occasion when I went to this house.

Except when Mion and I were really small, oblivious of what the Sonozaki name meant for us...

...I'd been here only when I had to attend boring family councils.

The car parked behind the house.

Traitors aren't allowed in through the main gate.

I got out of the car. It looked like Sis would be the only person to receive me.

I almost spoke to her casually, but her cold gaze froze me before I could.

"...It's been a while, Shion.

I never expected to see you other than on New Year's."

It gave me the chills to hear her greet me in that cold manner.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mion-sama.

I feel overjoyed to have the chance to see you, other than on New Year's."

I responded, trying to sound likewise.

"Our leader is deeply upset.

I wonder how you'll explain yourself."

"......I have nothing to explain."

I had no excuse.

I'd escaped from the school solely because I couldn't stand it there.

That was all.

"Shion, come this way.

Everyone is waiting for you."

Mion escorted me, and the others followed...

We went to the garden, not into the house.

...As we passed through the huge yard into the woods, I realized where she was taking me.

When we were little, we were told never to go near these woods.

...I had a vague idea of what was in the back of them.

I'd heard there was a hidden entrance to the underground torture room, where they used to punish the enemies of the family.

The more hideous rumors I heard about the family, the more credible those rumors seemed.

...Well, I wasn't completely certain about any of that.

I'd never expected to see the torture room for myself...

We came to a concave clearing in the middle of the woods.

I saw a metal door at the bottom of it. The door reminded me of a bomb shelter.

"...So, this is the underground torture room, huh?"

I was surprised to hear my own voice.

...My voice was trembling.

...It made me realize that I was more scared than I thought.

Nobody answered my question...

The very air felt tense.

...According to the family rules,

one of the twins must be eliminated.

Was I... finally going to be eliminated?

I realized I had been underestimating my punishment.

I hadn't been aware of the real terror until now. I just thought I was.

Beyond the steel door, the air had an intimidating smell... this really was happening to me.

...I shouldn't allow myself to give in to fear.

I felt like saying something rude, but my lips were dry,

and my fingers were fidgeting.

I was escorted through the narrow hallway and down a few sets of stairs.

There, I saw another huge steel door.

...So, this was the place.

It was a spacious and...

utterly odd-looking room.

The room had two sections that looked completely different.

One side looked like a lounge.

I saw several high-ranking members of the family council sitting on cushions there, looking expressionless.

The other half was tiled, as if in a large public bath.

That was already puzzling enough.

...And... there were those things...

To be honest, they had captured my attention from the moment I arrived.

I noticed them even before I saw the lounge and tiled space...

I just didn't want to accept that they existed.

...I couldn't stand straight.

I almost dropped to my knees.

But I couldn't.

Two young men had been holding me by the arms since I got here.

There were oddly-shaped things hanging from the wall...

...Ah... I was just refusing to recognize what they were.

I knew exactly what they were called.

......Ahhh...

I see, I see.

I understood that

those eerily shaped objects were

torture devices from Hell...

"Damned fool!

How dare you return..."

The hag, sitting at the front of the lounge, intimidated me in a horrid voice.

She kept cursing me for a little while, but she was so incensed that I could barely tell what she was saying.

...I knew what she was trying to say, though.

...The hag was willing to forgive my escape from the school.

But once I revealed my identity to the police, she had to step in.

Since I had disobeyed the family rule, she, as the leader, was forced to punish me.

...Moreover.

There was one thing that bothered her more than anything else.

...The fact that I covered for Satoshi-kun.

...The Houjou family had been seen as traitors to the village ever since the dam conflict.

Satoshi-kun is still considered one of them.

She couldn't accept that I was connected to him.

To me, this was a bit unexpected.

I'd escaped from the school the hag had put me in.

All the while, I'd believed that was what she was upset about.

...But in fact, she said that she was the most uncomfortable with my connection with Satoshi-kun.

I couldn't believe this.

...Of course I knew that Satoshi-kun's family was persecuted for their betrayal.

But I didn't think that Satoshi-kun was also burdened with that responsibility.

"......He has nothing to do with that...

I understand that his parents were ostracized, but he shouldn't be..."

"Shut the hell up!!!!"

The hag interrupted me with a shout, which made me cower in fear.

She continued slandering the Houjous, and said that Satoshi-kun was a cursed child.

...I started feeling pissed off.

What did he do to deserve this?

What was he being blamed for?

It was too late when I realized I'd said that out loud.

The hag looked furious. I'd obviously upset her.

I decided to repeat myself, to make it very clear how I felt.

"...What are you saying, you old hag?

Everything you've spouted is nonsense!"

"Huhh?!

Who the hell do you think you're talking to?!!"

"Shut the fuck up!! Let me finish!!!"

I shouted loudly to silence the hag.

"What the fuck do you know about Satoshi-kun?!

How could you talk about him like he's some pest when you don't know anything about him?!!

I know how sweet he is!

You don't like him because he's a Houjou?!

How fucking stupid is that?!!

Is even your brain archaic, or what?!

You hate the fact that a Sonozaki is with a Houjou that much?!

That's not just stupid--that's beyond stupid!!!

Boy, I never expected to feel like Juliet!

Aha ha ha ha ha ha!!!"

My voice became hoarse from shouting.

My face was messy with tears.

Even so, I didn't feel like putting a stop to my emotional explosion.

...I was all too aware that I was doing this just to overwhelm my fear.

The hag was glaring at me while breathing heavily.

I glared back at her as fiercely as I could.

......Eventually,

I realized that her sticking point was my relationship with Satoshi-kun.

...She wasn't only upset that I had a mere connection with him.

"...I see... Looks like Mion mentioned that, too..."

It was as though Mion was wearing a mask.

She didn't budge under my penetrating glare.

...That was what the hag was really unhappy about.

...The fact that I was in love with Satoshi-kun...

"Ahahahahaha!

Aha hahahahahaha!!

I don't give a shit about his family background or my own!

Yeah, I'll admit that I'm in love with him!!

I love Satoshi Houjou-kun.

I love him so much!

Is that so wrong?!

Do you need a reason to love somebody?!"

I could see the relatives shaking their heads in turmoil.

Among them... I saw my mom. She must've been trying to protect me.

But even she wouldn't look at me.

Instead, she looked silently at the floor.

"Did you guys in the back hear me?!

Am I wrong?!

You'd know how sweet Satoshi-kun is in an instant if you bothered to get to know him!!

How can you put him down without......?"

Mion held out a hand to silence me.

Then, she slowly walked in my direction.

"......That is enough, Shion.

I understand what you wanted to say."

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

Mion put her head close to mine and whispered.

"......Shion, I know how you feel...

but you can't go back after coming this far...

You have to pay for what you did."

"......What did I do?!

Why me?!

That's ridiculous..."

"Shion."

Mion's face turned cold again... and she calmly told me.

"...You're probably right,

but...

this is Hinamizawa, and we are Sonozakis, as I'm sure you understand.

We are the leaders of the Three Families,

and you are the twin sister of the successor, Mion Sonozaki.

Yet..."

I interrupted her.

"We haven't agreed on that matter ever since I came back.

You're full of this reputation shit!

Hinamizawa?

The Sonozakis?

So what?!

I don't give a fuck about..."

"Listen!"

Mion interrupted me, just like I did her.

"......How many people did you depend on

to start your new life in Okinomiya?"

...Chills shot through my spine.

"......Kasai-san is in the cell at the back."

"Wh-Why... Why Kasai?!"

I knew why, of course.

......The moment I got caught, those who helped me were destined to meet the same fate...

We were all subject to the punishment of betrayal.

Maybe my punishment would be lighter than what they'd be going through.

...Kasai and Uncle Yoshiroh must have been treated...

much worse than this.

Everybody who helped me was falling victim.

"...I know that you are prepared for your punishment,

but have you ever thought of the consequences that Kasai-san and Uncle Yoshiroh will have to face...?"

My head rapidly cooled down...

My aggression was all used up.

I should be able to bear whatever punishment they'd bring on me.

But I resented the fact that I'd be putting the people who supported me at risk.

"...Shion,

apologize to Granny.

If you do, the others won't have to suffer...

All right?"

"But... but, Mion,

did I really do something wrong...?

Was any of what I did that bad...?"

...The moment Mion learned that I wasn't willing to apologize, her expression turned cold again.

She turned her back to me, and returned to the lounge.

...I'd talked back to the hag in a really harsh manner.

...I'd told her that I didn't do anything wrong.

...Yet I had involved many people to who I owed so much.

...It went without saying, this was my responsibility.

...I was the sole person to blame... and no fault lay with them.

...Yes, Kasai and Yoshiroh-san were blameless, just as Satoshi-kun was.

But then... as if she read my mind,

Mion turned around...

and gave a slight nod.

It was possible that something was going to happen

to Satoshi-kun...

......On top of Kasai and Uncle Yoshiroh.

"Wa-Wait... Sis...!!"

That can't happen...

Satoshi-kun... I mean, nobody else should be punished.

Please forgive them!

"...What is it, Shion...?"

"......I'm

........."

Tears rolled down my cheeks.

...I no longer cared about my pride.

"...I'm sorry...

I was wrong...

Please forgive me."

I should've said what the hag wanted to hear.

Yet, she still looked unsatisfied.

...Maybe that wasn't too surprising.

...I had just denounced her so badly in front of the relatives...

She wouldn't forgive me so easily.

Just then, Mion spoke as the successor.

"So, Shion...

How do you propose to pay for this?"

"P-Pay...? What do you want me to do...?"

Nothing could be scarier than being told to pay up while standing next to horrid-looking torture devices.

...I was completely terrified.

I couldn't move from trembling. Mion saw that and whispered to our grandmother.

...The hag nodded.

Mion summoned some young minions and gave them an order.

They removed one of the torture devices hanging on the wall...

...then set a table in front of me and put the device on top of it.

"...What is... this...?"

"...It's a tool for removing fingernails.

Do you know how to use it...?"

"N-No way..."

I shook as I stared at the tool.

It looked like a giant nail clipper.

...You probably... put the part that looks like a beak between your finger and fingernail,

pulling them apart if you squeezed the handle.

The chills ran up and down my spine when I imagined that...

"Each fingernail represents one of your responsibilities...

Shion Sonozaki,

no matter which ones you choose,

you must remove three nails yourself."

Three...

One for Kasai,

one for Uncle Yoshiroh,

and... the last for Satoshi-kun.

...It was a fairly reasonable number.

"Will you... really not punish the others...?"

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

"Promise me...

Please let them go if I do this..."

"This is a punishment, not a negotiation.

If you don't like the procedure..."

"I'll do it!!

Just give me a second... I'm doing it..."

I put the device to my little finger while shaking badly...

If my fingernail were shorter, it would have been harder.

...The metal beak captured my little finger beautifully.

The subordinates then stabilized my left hand with a different restraining tool.

...That seemed reasonable, because my finger would slip out if it weren't restrained like that.

As the subordinates buckled up the leather straps,

I realized that this was really happening,

and there was no escape.

Somewhere in my mind, I'd been thinking that they might forgive me after just the gesture alone.

I shouldn't have been so naive.

The emotions I'd been holding back appeared in the form of tears and kept rolling down my cheeks.

It was like my feelings were being squeezed out until the very last drip.

...Something even more horrifying followed this.

It was the silence that awaited my next action.

"...So...

what

should I do now.........?"

One of the subordinates pointed to the handle, and told me to either squeeze it or hit it.

...He recommended that the latter would be easier, to make it quick.

Nobody said anything after that.

There was nothing to hear but the sound of my sweat dripping onto the floor.

The onlookers were staring at me silently, waiting for me to execute my punishment.

...Both the hag and Mion...

they were also anticipating it.

......I could refuse.

...But that meant I wouldn't be paying up.

This punishment exists to offer payment in exchange for the safety of those who helped me.

...If I refused, they would suffer.

"Huff

... huff

... hah... hah..."

I started breathing heavily...

I knew.

I knew that if I did this, the others would go free.

This was, if you thought about it, quite a good deal.

...If it weren't me, it wouldn't be just three fingernails.

...If it were Kasai, he'd have to sacrifice his little finger, or something even worse.

I knew. I knew that.

It was my selfish desire to get away from that school.

Why did Kasai have to suffer because of that?

I knew. I knew that.

Why did Uncle Yoshiroh have to suffer just because he provided me with a job?

"Huff... huff... huff... huff!"

I knew that the hag and the other relatives still hated the Houjous...

So I didn't know what they'd do to Satoshi-kun if I didn't do this...

...Would they bring Satoshi-kun here and tell him to do the same?

...Would they tell him to remove his fingernails in exchange for forgiving me?

"...Huff... huff... huff... huff... huff!"

...He'd do it.

...He'd sacrifice himself with no hesitation in order to save others.

My sweat dripped onto the table through my nose.

...I'd do it... yes...

...It was only three fingernails.

...It might hurt a lot, but I wouldn't die. The fingernails would grow back.

It wouldn't even leave a huge scar...

I shouldn't be afraid.

...The punishment was minimal because it was me.

If I refused to do this, the others would be punished much more severely...

I couldn't let that happen to Kasai, Uncle Yoshiroh... or Satoshi-kun...

I was the only one who should be punished...

So... So I just needed to bear the pain...

"Hah... ahh... oww... ahh...!"

I wasn't just breathing heavily anymore.

I was also moaning faintly,

ready to scream at any moment.

That's right... make it quick.

This wasn't torture, so I didn't have to prolong the moment of pain.

...I should do it in one swift blow.

That way, my pain and fear would be minimized......!

...I raised my right arm.

Quickly, quickly.

The pain would be lessened if I did it in one stroke.

...It'd be much more painful if I messed it up.

"Hah... hah!

Hahh

.....................!!"

I held my breath.

I felt as if my body was frozen. I was choking. The chills crept up my spine.

Don't be afraid, Shion.

...Fingernails are just a tiny fraction of the whole body. Just one square centimeter......

I could do this. I could bear it.

"Whooooooaaaaahhh!!"

I smacked my right hand onto the handle of the device.

".........Augh!!!!"

I sensed the noise through my body instead of through my ears. At the same time, I felt a pain I'd never experienced before.

A moment later, the pain pulsated with my heartbeat.

"......Ooooohhhh...... oooohhhhh!!!"

I clenched my teeth.

I felt like my teeth were cracking!

I tightly shut my eyes

until my eyeballs got squeezed up!!

The pain wouldn't fade.

Rather, it swelled with my blood pressure. I felt as though it was bloating like a balloon.

Timidly... I opened my eyes.

...I found that my little finger wasn't really drenched in blood.

It was bleeding, but not much. Certainly not enough to explain how much it hurt.

My fingernail was...

open just like the hood of a car...

I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

It was overwhelming.

It occurred to me that I'd only done one out of three.

...Did I have to repeat this two more times?

Did I have to remove the nails from my ring and middle fingers as well...?

I looked at the hag and at Mion, begging for mercy.

...But they were just silently staring at me,

as if the show had only just begun.

I saw no hint of mercy in their eyes.

...They wouldn't be changing their minds.

Since they said three, it had to be three!

They wouldn't forgive me until I removed two more fingernails...!

"...Mion... look, isn't this enough...?

It really hurts, you know that?

You see that in my eyes, don't you?

It really... hurts... Heh heh... heh heh heh heh..."

Mion answered, still wearing a cold look.

"...Shion.

You can't keep going...?"

She didn't mean that it was sufficient.

...What she meant is that the others would have to take the remaining punishment if I didn't.

I knew that... I really did know!

"I... I'll do it!!!

This is easy...!!

You sadists!!

Hah... hah!!

This doesn't scare me, this doesn't hurt...

Ahhhhhhhh...!!!"

I quickly moved the metal beak and set it on my ring finger.

...And smacked it with no hesitation.

...Instead of making it quick, maybe I was just rushing out of fear.

I'd messed up.

The torture tool had clipped just the tip of my fingernail.

The pain, however, was equal.

I couldn't believe I'd only chipped it.

...Did I have to do it again?

Did I have to continue removing the nail from my ring finger...?

That much pain, again...?

Again......?!

".........Shion?"

"No... ugh... I don't want to do it!!!"

I couldn't bear it anymore...

I started crying shamelessly.

"I can't take it anymore!!

It's too painful...!!

Forgive me, please!!

I'm sorry. I apologize!!

I'm sorry, I'm sorry,

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!"

They didn't seem to hear my voice.

...It felt as though there was an invisible barrier between us.

They showed no mercy. They were just here to witness this ritual.

So, rather than sympathetic, they looked amazed by my screw-up.

Mion walked up to me...

and whispered to my crying face.

"...Shion...

there's just a bit more to go. Hang in there."

"No, no, no, no!!

I can't do this!! It really hurts! It really does!!

Ooh... ooh... waaaahhhh!!

Ahhhhhh!!"

Mion shook her head, then signaled the subordinates.

...They came from behind me.

They covered my head with something like a knit cap.

It was a blindfold.

One of them pinned me in a nelson hold, restricting my movement.

"No, stop it!

Noooooo!!!"

I couldn't overpower the guy behind me.

Then, I felt something strange on my left hand.

...The other guy was doing something with the torture tool.

...He... put the metal beak between my ring finger and its fingernail......

"Noooooo!!!

Mom, help me... Mooooomm!!

Ahhhhhhhhh!!!"

My left hand was fixed in the restraints, so I couldn't put up much protest anyway.

...But even that left hand was pressed down by his rough palms until it hurt, robbing it of the freedom even to tremble.

...They had no hesitation.

It was made very clear to me how merciless people could be.

Robbed of my vision, all I could do was clench my teeth against the pain assailing me.

If... there was anything I was thankful for...

...It was that he was well practiced, and had ripped off both of my fingernails cleanly.

Pain and screaming might induce narcotic chemicals in the brain......

While screaming, I started losing consciousness...