I woke up.

...My memories were missing. I couldn't remember how I got back to my room...

I held my head with both hands.

My left hand was bandaged.

The fingers that had their nails removed had swollen like hotdogs.

...I'd paid with those three fingernails for what I did.

The hag had said something after the punishment, but I didn't remember any of it.

I was taken to a hospital in Okinomiya.

The car shook on the way, adding extra pain on top of what I already felt.

...Somebody gave me some aspirin.

They worked just like they said on TV...

but they didn't last more than ten minutes...

I swallowed the pills without water.

...While I was spacing out in the waiting lounge...

......Kasai showed up.

He probably came to check if I was all right.

I obviously wasn't. He must've understood that from my bandaged left arm dangling from my shoulder.

Kasai, on the other hand, looked just fine.

...At least on the outside.

...I was relieved that my sacrifice had meant something.

Kasai didn't say anything.

......I couldn't tell if he wanted to tell me something or not, because he looked so emotionless.

".....................Kasai."

".........Yes?"

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

He paused shortly before answering. I could tell he was upset.

...I didn't regret revealing my true identity in order to protect Satoshi-kun.

But... I hadn't wanted Kasai or Uncle Yoshiroh to be hurt...... I had been contradicting myself.

"......Do you know how Uncle Yoshiroh is doing...?"

"No."

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

"...I'm sure he's all right,

because he's strong.

Even so, you should apologize to him."

"..............................Okay..."

...I wanted to ask him about Satoshi-kun, too.

I wondered if he was captured or harassed by the Sonozaki family because of me.

But... I was hesitant to ask Kasai...

After all, I'd chosen Satoshi-kun over them...

...Was Satoshi-kun all right?

I hoped he wouldn't get caught or incarcerated somewhere...

...I paid the hospital bill, and Kasai gave me a ride home...

...I finally realized that somebody was knocking on my door.

"Shion-san...

it's not healthy to sleep so much."

It was Kasai.

He put some side dishes on the table, and we started nibbling at them...

"....How do you feel?"

"...Depressed...

Hah..."

"Have you been resting?

Have you been eating?"

"...I've been eating the stuff left in the fridge.

Otherwise, I've been either sleeping or staring at the ceiling."

It had been three days...

I'd just been lying down since then.

I woke up every now and then in my shallow sleep, but I didn't feel like getting up or thinking. I felt like I'd just been floating the whole time.

My appetite was gone, but it came back with the smell of the food Kasai brought.

I wasn't able to think of anything to talk to Kasai about... so I just ate silently.

"I got a call from Mion-san yesterday......

She was saying she called you a few times, but never got through."

The moment I heard Mion's name... I felt my wounds throb.

But I didn't stop Kasai, who continued.

"......Because you paid up, the family decided to close the matter...

You will officially withdraw from the academy

and transfer to a school in Okinomiya."

".........They're finally acknowledging my right to make my own decisions, huh...?"

"...Indeed.

They said you could live as yourself now... under a few conditions.

You will stay away from Hinamizawa,

you won't pretend to be Mion Sonozaki,

you won't show up in public places... and so on. This means..."

"In exchange for acknowledging me, they don't want me to hang around."

"That's correct...

Of course, it is only temporary

until things cool down.

There is no set duration, but I think you should stay inconspicuous at least until the end of the year."

"...It'd be good enough just to live in Okinomiya quietly...

the way it was before."

Kasai put on a sad smile.

I smiled back at him likewise.

Before the conversation ended... I should ask him what I wanted to know.

".........How's Satoshi-kun

doing......?"

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

I wished that Kasai would assure me of his safety right away.

But he didn't answer like that.

"...Kasai.

...Is he all right...?"

"...Shion-san."

Kasai put his chopsticks down.

"The family wants you to forget about him."

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

What?"

"Shion-san.

I don't want to get in an argument with you, so I will not get into the details...

I'm only relaying to you what the family wants."

"Wh-What are you talking about...?

What details, Kasai?!"

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

Kasai pretended as though he didn't hear me and started eating again.

...I'd never seen him get so stubborn like this.

...The Sonozaki family had been using the Houjou family as a scapegoat.

...They must have concluded that a Sonozaki shouldn't be in love with a Houjou.

...I didn't like that.

...Satoko is a friend of Mion's at school.

Would it be okay if Satoshi-kun and I were the same gender?

.........Anyway, if I did something conspicuous again, they might do something to him for real.

Just like they forced me to remove my own fingernails.

...The Sonozaki family wouldn't hesitate...

They'd torture him if need be.

...Maybe, if I really loved him, I should stay away...

Satoshi-kun won't show up in Okinomiya

unless he rejoins the Hinamizawa Fighters.

I'd have to pretend to be Mion if I wanted to go to Hinamizawa.

But... I didn't think she'd cooperate with me.

Even if she did, it'd be some time down the road.

...Even if they told me not to see him...

I already had no means of doing that again.

Oh... wait.

...Mion gave me his number a little while ago...

I could call him...

and maybe ask to meet with him secretly.

.........But if I got caught again, they wouldn't cut me any slack......

Should I risk it? What the hell did I even want from Satoshi-kun...?

".....................Kasai.

Can I be alone for a moment?"

Kasai started putting away his food in a rush, assuming that I wanted him to leave.

"Oh, no, that's not what I meant.

Take your time and finish your food.

I just want to take a walk."

"...You can't lock this place up if I don't step out with you."

Kasai quickly put away his meal and followed me out.

"...Uh, just to be clear, I'm not going out to see Satoshi-kun, all right?"

"I see."

I turned around and started walking.

My destination was... rather pathetic.

It was the toy store that sold that giant teddy bear.

I couldn't deny that I was somewhat expecting Satoshi-kun to pass by there.

I couldn't stop myself from looking at the faces of passersby who resembled him.

I looked into the store's window.

...The teddy bear was gone.

"Congrats, Satoshi-kun......

Looks like you were able to buy it."

His evil aunt had died and his wicked uncle was living with his mistress.

Satoshi-kun succeeded in fulfilling his duty as a big brother by buying his little sister that huge teddy bear.

There was nobody left to hurt him.

He was free from his tiresome efforts.

...He was completely free from pain.

Over time, he'd retrieve his smile...

and he'd go back to being the Satoshi-kun I love.

...............But,

I wouldn't be there with him.

I heard a car honking.

I didn't think it was honking at me at first, but it was so persistent that I had to look up.

The person waving at me from their car...

was Irie.

He was waving at me all carefree, oblivious to my feelings.

"Sonozaki-san.

Long time no see.

Oh, are you meeting up with Houjou-san?"

"......No, I'm not."

"I know he looks into that store's windows all the time...

So I assumed you were expecting him here, or something..."

"...No, I'm just passing by.........

Looks like he was able to buy that teddy bear."

Irie seemed to know about the teddy bear as well.

He smiled upon seeing its empty display space.

"......Yesterday was Satoko-chan's birthday.

He must've celebrated it with that teddy bear."

"He doesn't have to work so hard anymore, huh?"

"Indeed."

"...Did he... turn in his resignation to the Hinamizawa Fighters?"

"Oh, does that even exist?

I never received one.

Did you, Sonozaki-san?"

"...Ahahaha. No, I didn't."

"So, that means he still belongs to the team.

I think he'll be back after things have settled down.

But I know he'll be sad if he doesn't see you there."

Irie teased me...

He's a grownup, after all.

He must have been trying to sound optimistic because he knew I was feeling a bit down.

"...You can come back to the team anytime you want.

It might as well be empty without you.

...I'm thinking of providing you with a maid costume once you come back."

I burst into laughter.

Irie sure hadn't changed.

"...Oh, I almost forgot.

I can tell you my name now.

Sorry. Coach. I was lying about my identity...

I'm not Mion.

I'm her twin sister, Shion.

I've been pretending to be her for a few reasons."

"Eh... what?

You're Mion-san's twin... sister?!"

He was totally taken aback. I burst into laughter again.

"Yes,

I am Shion Sonozaki.

I'm forced to live quietly because my grandmother hates me, though."

"...I never realized...

that Mion-san had a twin sister..."

"Na ha ha ha. Same here."

Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted us.

The voice sounded mean and greasy, unlike Irie's.

...It was him.

Ooishi.

"Hello, Dr. Irie.

Thank you for your cooperation last night."

"Don't mention it. I wasn't of much help."

...They were just going through the motions.

It was obvious that they hated each other.

Irie whispered to me.

"......I'm leaving now. Do you want to get in my car?

I can drive you home."

Irie figured that Ooishi was after me, so he was giving me a chance to slip away.

Looking at Ooishi's face, it was clear that his focus was on me, not Irie.

...He probably intended to interrogate me until my testimony broke.

...I was sure I could talk my way out of it, but it'd just be a waste of time.

"All right,

Coach.

Let's get going."

"...Oh, are you two going somewhere together?"

"Yes.

We're on our way to get some stuff for the team.

We have to drop by a few places, so will you excuse us?"

Irie bowed. I followed suit.

...I had to admire how good he was at lying.

He's a grownup, after all.

Ooishi seemed to know it was a lie.

But he didn't have a warrant, so he couldn't stop us. I moved to get into Irie's car.

"...How are your wounds,

Shion Sonozaki-san?"

I gasped when I heard that.

...My left hand was bandaged.

...It was unsightly, so I'd kept it in my pocket.

There was no way Ooishi could have been able to see it.

"They'll heal with no problems if they don't get infected.

I tore my fingernails off a couple of times myself when I was a kid. But look, they look beautiful now, don't they?

Nfu fu fu."

"......Men's fingernails shouldn't look beautiful. That gives me the creeps."

Ooishi scratched his head and chuckled.

...He's supposed to be one of the best cops at the Okinomiya PD, and he knows about all the underground activities in the region.

He must've heard about my payment from somewhere...

...Still, that happened in the secret basement of the Sonozaki main house...

I couldn't underestimate this guy's sources.

"Thank you for your kind words...

We'll be going now.

Excuse us."

"Shion Sonozaki-san.

Why don't we get coffee together sometime?"

"...What?

Are you hitting on me?"

"If you like.

Nfu fu fu."

"Sorry.

Time flies.

I can't waste any of that precious time on things that don't interest me."

"Ah... you got me there...

How about this, then?

You can leave anytime if you get bored of talking to me.

I won't stop you.

How does that sound?"

"...I don't mind you talking, but I won't talk back.

I doubt you could call it a conversation."

"Yes, that'd be fine.

You can just listen

and I'll talk...

You can just listen to an old man ramble while sipping on a cup of coffee."

...He was being strangely persistent.

It didn't look like he was trying to poke a hole in my statement.

What would he even talk about?

I got a bit curious, even though I was still skeptical.

"...Coach.

I think I'll go with the old man instead."

"Mio... I mean, Shion-san......?"

I winked at him and told him not to worry.

...Irie didn't insist. He got in his car and drove off.

Ooishi backed his car up so I could get in.

I hopped in the back seat, since I didn't want to sit next to him.

"...Are we really going to a cafe?"

"Hmm... if you could direct me to one with no connection to your family, that'd be great."

"Tssk...

Why don't you just take me to the station, then?"

Ooishi carefully checked for oncoming traffic, and then started driving.

Ooishi took me to the police station, as I thought he might.

...If he had taken me to a nice cafe, he would've scored some points...

but whatever.

"I thought it'd be more convenient if we came here...

you can still go home if you get bored."

"......Humph, try your best not to bore me, then...

Do you want me to go into the station hand in hand with you?"

Ooishi chuckled and got out of the car. He escorted me inside the station...

I thought he'd take me to an interrogation room, but instead he took me to an office of the investigation division.

...Officers in both suits and uniforms were working at their desks, answering phones.

There was a desk with a plate that said "section manager," and nearby there were couches and a table.

Ooishi told me to sit on the couch, and started making some instant coffee.

I'd never been to this part of the police station. I looked around in curiosity.

"Did you think I'd take you to an interrogation room?"

Ooishi brought over a tray with coffee cups on it.

"...You're treating me better than I expected.

I thought you'd whip me or something."

"My tastes don't run that way.

Na ha ha ha ha."

"So?

I thought you wanted to talk."

"All right. I'll cut to the chase.

Are you in love with Satoshi Houjou-san?"

"...What?

It's getting boring already. I'm going home."

"Na ha ha ha ha... okay, please forget that."

...Ooishi must have known why I had to remove my fingernails.

He wasn't trying to confirm that I liked Satoshi-kun. What he was really saying was that he knew already.

"...I already talked to Detective Kumagai about Satoshi-kun's alibi that day."

"Of course, I read Kuma-cha... I mean, Kumagai-kun's report.

I know you were with him."

"I'll just repeat the same statement no matter how many times you ask.

Don't think you can poke holes in it."

"No, no. That's not what I want.

You're a smart person.

I know that wouldn't work for you."

"I wonder what you're after.

You're wasting your time if you want information on Satoshi-kun.

There's nothing more to talk about.

Ah, this is boring me after all.

I'm going home,

since that was our agreement.

Excuse me."

I got up off the couch.

"Shion-san.

I did want to get Satoshi-san's alibi from you.

I admit it."

"...That's it, then.

It's boring.

I'm going home."

I turned around and started walking.

Ooishi didn't get anxious, but instead spoke a little louder.

"But Shion-san,

what I want to ask you about is his alibi for yesterday,

not the day of the murder."

"His alibi for yesterday...? Why?

What does that have to do with his aunt's death?"

"It's because Satoshi-kun has been missing since then."

...What?

"...Didn't you know that he went missing?"

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

I couldn't say anything, but my expression answered Ooishi's question anyway.

"What's going on...?

Missing...? What?"

"Why don't you take a seat?"

"What do you mean, Satoshi-kun has gone missing...?!

What the hell?!"

"We only know one thing for sure. He withdrew all of his savings at an ATM in the Okinomiya post office before 3 PM yesterday.

We don't know his whereabouts after that."

I knew why he withdrew that money.

He wanted to buy Satoko's birthday present.

...Yes, he definitely bought that teddy bear yesterday.

"...This is just my guess,

but... I think he skipped town with that money."

"You mean he used the money to run away?

That's stupid.

He was saving to buy Satoko a birthday present.

He bought a big expensive teddy bear from that toy store.

He'd never use that money to skip town."

"Yes, the most expensive teddy bear in that toy store was sold.

But we can't confirm that it was Satoshi-kun who bought it."

"Why don't you ask the clerk?!

Satoshi-kun and I reserved that teddy bear together!

...Oh..."

I had a bad feeling.

......That old man who was watching that store was sleeping when we were there.

He'd looked very senile.

...Maybe he was also watching that store on that day and...

even though Satoshi-kun bought the teddy bear,

he didn't remember...

Ooishi put on a wry smile.

...It looked like he'd already tried to question that old man.

"A-Anyway!!

It's Satoshi-kun who bought that teddy bear!

He must've saved just enough to buy it,

so he shouldn't have been able to run away after!

That's nonsense!"

"All right.

Let's say he really did buy the teddy bear,

then why didn't he come home with it?"

At that point...

I felt as though my heart had turned to ice.

Satoshi-kun had been working hard to buy that teddy bear even though he was under extreme mental and physical stress.

After all that, he finally managed to buy it.

It's unthinkable that somebody else just showed up and bought the same teddy bear!

The teddy bear was gone because Satoshi-kun bought it!

Nobody else!

But if so...

...Satoshi-kun should've given it to Satoko.

But...... though he bought a present for her...

he didn't come home.

He didn't come home?

That wasn't possible.

He would've gone straight home with that teddy bear.

He wouldn't think of running away after buying the teddy bear.

Even though Satoshi-kun wanted to run away from the police......

He'd never leave without giving Satoko her present.

Anyway, it must have been Satoshi-kun who bought that teddy bear!

I can say that with one-hundred-percent certainty.

The question was--why didn't he bring it home?

That teddy bear was huge.

It wouldn't fit into the basket of a bicycle.

He might've brought some straps to tie it to his bike.

He wouldn't have thought of running away on a wobbly bicycle like that.

He necessarily had to go home after buying the teddy bear from the store after withdrawing the money.

Nothing could have happened when he was going between the ATM and the toy store!

It was impossible!!

Nobody else could possibly have bought that teddy bear!!!

Never!

That teddy bear had been sitting in the showcase up until that day.

Everybody could see it when they passed by.

But nobody wanted it!

It's impossible that it could've been somebody else!!!

There should be no question that he went to the toy store after he withdrew the money.

What about the route between the toy store and his home?

There shouldn't be any question there either.

He shouldn't have been able to do anything with that huge toy.

He shouldn't even have thought of making a stop on the way!

So he must've headed home

right after he bought the teddy bear!!

But... nobody saw him after that.

It was simple, then.

Satoshi-kun went missing on his way home from the toy store.

He went missing?

What did that mean...?

I was sure he killed his aunt.

He's not that shrewd.

Maybe he couldn't bear the pressure from the police?

Was he resigned to the idea that the police were going to arrest him soon, regardless of my help?

Did he decide to run away?

Did he think that he should disappear until things cooled down, rather than get arrested?

That was, definitely, absolutely impossible!!!

It was impossible that he came to that conclusion on his way home from the toy store!!!

Even if he did, he would've waited until he gave Satoko her birthday present.

Satoshi-kun loved Satoko.

He shouldn't have spoiled her like that, but anyway, he always tried to be a good brother to her.

So he'd never disappear before going home!!

I felt as though the ice was cutting through my heart, expanding the frost.

If Satoshi-kun didn't disappear by his own will...

The answer was simple.

Satoshi-kun disappeared by somebody else's will.

"Was Satoshi-kun...... eliminated......?

Aha...... ahahahahahaahahahahaha!!

Th-That's really stupid, old man.

Ahahahahahahahahahaha!!"

I thought I could shake off the frost in my heart if I laughed loudly enough.

I kept laughing until it happened.

I kept laughing.

And laughing.

All the cops in the room stared at me.

They thought I'd gone crazy.

I didn't care what they thought...

I kept laughing until it turned into a cough...

"Ahahahahaha...... ahahahaha, huff!

Cough, cough!

Coff!!"

...I finished laughing, and took a sip of lukewarm coffee.

I felt as though the frost in my heart had spread all throughout my guts. I was chilled to the bone.

I was freezing...... my fingers shook as I held the coffee cup.

"Shion-san.

Please listen to me without interrupting.

What I'm about to tell you is only a hypothesis.

It's all just a theory.

You might start laughing in the middle, because it may sound ridiculous.

But I want you to hear me out.

...Can you do that?"

"Wh-Whatever... Just talk..."

I was feeling far too cold... My teeth were chattering.

I felt as though my brain had frozen as well... I lost my ability to think.

...I couldn't do anything by myself.

I could only do as Ooishi told me...

What he was going to tell me might be the worst possible theory.

But I had to listen to it.

"...I know that Satoshi-kun's and Satoko-san's aunt was abusing them,

especially Satoko-san......

In my opinion, it's normal that Satoshi-kun started thinking about murdering his aunt,

because he was just a human being..."

I had to deny that Satoshi-kun murdered her.

...But what Ooishi was saying was true...

I couldn't deny his hypothesis right away... I just kept silent.

"...This is only a hypothesis, all right?!

Please don't be upset!

And no interruptions!

Agreed?!"

"I-I know...!

Just go on!!"

"Satoshi Houjou planned the murder of his aunt and executed it.

We have no proof, okay?!

It's all theoretical."

"All right!

I heard!

Just keep talking...!!"

"I'll switch the subject now...

Shion-san,

you were forbidden from having a relationship with Satoshi-kun, weren't you?

They told you to stay away from him, correct?

I believe the reason behind that is... not that your family hated the Houjous, but... that they didn't like the fact that you were involved with a murder suspect."

...That is... actually possible.

After all, when I was pretending to be Mion, I already had a connection with Satoshi-kun...

...before anyone knew it was Shion who was spending time around him.

I could've been accused when I was helping out the Hinamizawa Fighters if the relationship between the Houjous and the Sonozakis was the problem.

It wouldn't be difficult for the Sonozaki family to know that Satoshi-kun murdered his aunt, if it happened in Hinamizawa.

Maybe one of them even saw the murder.

The Sonozaki family didn't like that I was in love with a murderer. They decided to step in...

"Also... you're known to not give up easily, aren't you?

Which means, even if the Sonozaki family threatened you or ripped off your nails,

you still wouldn't cut ties with Satoshi-kun, would you?"

I couldn't deny that.

I lost most of my means to access Hinamizawa, so my ties to Satoshi-kun were essentially cut, true.

But I still knew Satoshi-kun's phone number, and I expected him to rejoin the Hinamizawa Fighters eventually.

"I believe your family knew that a few threats would never be enough for you to break ties with Satoshi-kun.

They could threaten you all they liked to no avail.

So... their only option would be to do something about the other person, wouldn't it...?"

"Wh-Wh-What do you mean, 'do something'?!?!

What would they do?!!!

What?!!

What?!!!!!"

If threatening me was useless, then...

...they'd do something about Satoshi-kun.

What would they have done?!?!

If they pulled something, then wouldn't that interrupt his path from the toy store to home?!

Toy store to home!!

Toy store to X to home!!!

What's X?! What is X?!

X marks the spot where his path was interrupted.

But what interrupted it?!

Why couldn't Satoshi-kun make it home from the toy store if something interrupted him?!?!

Why why why?!?!

What's X?!!

X!!!

I ran out of air, became dizzy, and then collapsed.

...The floor felt cold.

...I felt no pain. I had fallen to the floor like a plastic doll.

Ooishi and some others rushed over to me and helped me up.

"Calm down, Shion-san...

We're not certain that Satoshi-kun was killed yet."

You're not certain he was killed?!

What the fuck are you talking about?!

Don't you know about that torture room where they forced me to rip off my fingernails?!

Don't you know that they say there are prison cells and a well for disposing of corpses in the back?!!

If the Sonozaki family wants to eliminate somebody, they'd definitely kill them in that torture room and dump the body down there!!!

You're not certain?!

Are you dumb?

Is your brain made of tofu?!

If I were in the hag's position, I'd kill him for sure!!!

I wouldn't let him get away!! If I would kill him, then the hag would definitely kill him!!!

"Shion-san, please calm down.

This is unconfirmed, but I have information that somebody witnessed a young runaway male at Nagoya Station,

who took a train from there to Tokyo.

The clothes didn't match, but it is possible that he changed what he was wearing to hide from the police.

It's still possible that it was him."

"...I-Is he... alive?!

Is he...?!"

"This is also a theory, but let me go on.

Your twin sister Mion-san...

is the closest person to Oryou Sonozaki, correct?

I'm assuming that Mion-san stopped Oryou

when she suggested murdering Satoshi-kun furtively."

...Mion?

...That was possible.

She could've tried to calm things down out of pity for me.

That idiot was always so indecisive.

She should have been clear on if she wanted to save him or not!!

But she probably seemed vague about that.

She must've persuaded the hag to reduce the punishment to banishment instead of death, just to avoid feeling guilty.

"I believe that the Sonozaki family contacted Satoshi-kun.

They probably told him that they couldn't cover up the murder, and told him to disappear somewhere far away...

They forced him to, to be more accurate."

"Satoshi-kun would've rejected that.

He would never leave Satoko behind!!"

"I agree with you...

Satoshi-kun was working at the places Mion-san referred him to, wasn't he?

So, the family knew that he had enough money for a getaway."

"But he'd never use it for anything other than buying that teddy bear."

"You're right.

He must've gone straight to the toy store after he withdrew the money.

But...

what if the teddy bear was already sold when he got there...?"

That would've been...... a very desolate situation.

He'd been working hard.

...While his aunt abused him, he worked at many different jobs...

...The money was worth all that pain.

He went to the toy store with that money in order to buy his beloved sister a present. That was the only purpose for that money.

He must've looked for the teddy bear as he'd always done.

But... it was gone.

He wouldn't have gone into a panic right away.

...Because he was always so optimistic.

...He might've thought the store was wrapping the gift for him, because he told them that he'd pick it up that day.

...He must've gone into the store joyously.

...I couldn't guess exactly what happened next.

My heart would tear up if I tried to imagine it, anyway.

Why didn't they have it,

even though he had it reserved?

Did that old man understand the situation, or was he just zoning out...?

......Maybe it would have been the same even if it wasn't that old man who was at the store at that time.

If a bunch of fierce-looking subordinates from the Sonozaki family went in and showed them the money, nobody could've rejected it.

Satoshi-kun must've sunk into silence.

...No matter how hard he complained, the teddy bear was gone.

......He probably

never even considered that his dream might be taken away.

He must've been wobbling his way home in sorrow,

leaning on the telephone poles every now and then...

It was the day he wanted Satoko to be happy the most.

He couldn't get the present she wanted the most.

He probably didn't think of getting another gift...

because it was unimaginable that he couldn't get that teddy bear.

He might've imagined how Satoko would react when she found out he had no present for her.

......He must've looked unbelievably sad...... and empty.

The money he'd been saving

meant nothing anymore.

Satoshi-kun never cried, even at his toughest moments.

Did he even know how to cry......?

It was always Satoko who was crying.

...So, Satoshi-kun never learned how to cry, and he grew up that way.

Did you know...?

...People shed sadness from their hearts with tears...

Satoshi-kun wasn't even allowed to do that.

Even though his heart was filled with sorrow,

he couldn't let it out.

"...You insisted he wouldn't leave Satoko-san behind, didn't you?

But think...

What if the Sonozaki family told him that they'd look after her after his disappearance?"

...After Satoshi-kun found out the teddy bear was gone...

...All he had left were some crumpled bills.

...The family told him it was just a matter of time before the police got to him. They told him to run away.

They said they'd take care of Satoko.

Satoshi-kun didn't feel like seeing his sister.

...He wandered... and found himself at Okinomiya Station......

He must've been apologizing to Satoko so many times in his mind.

......He swore to come back someday.

He headed to Nagoya,

and then to Tokyo...

But that meant... he's alive.

......He's alive.

...I should be able to see him again someday.

...He must be coming back, so I'll definitely see him again...!

"I assume that the Sonozaki family set up some place for him to stay.

Satoshi-kun must've gone there."

"So... he's safe......

He's coming back someday, right...?"

Ooishi looked up at the ceiling, and stretched.

He didn't answer me.

On June 24th, 1982, Satoshi Houjou went missing.

There is a possibility that he ran away, as he was the prime suspect of the murder that happened on the 20th of the same month.

Allegedly, someone resembling him was seen at Nagoya Station embarking on a train heading to Tokyo. But the truth is unknown.

No one has seen him since.

As a matter of fact, no one even knows if he's still alive.