I hadn't been able to get used to my new school in Okinomiya, but I had some friends there now.

Since I got a part-time job at my relative's store, I had some extra pocket money too.

I ended up living with my parents after all, so I didn't have to pay for living expenses.

It felt great to get to freely spend the money I earned from working.

I still used the room Kasai set up for me from time to time.

It was a convenient hideout for when I didn't want to see my parents.

In fact, I was planning to spend a day there today.

"...Damn that teacher!

She told my parents that I was skipping classes!"

My dad got upset, and that was why I didn't want to stay at home. I had been asking for it, though.

My teacher should know that my dad is a yakuza, and that he gets really scary when he's mad.

On the whole, my life had been going well so far... except that it was boring.

The reason I could enjoy this lifestyle is probably because I had to live in secret before.

It was a great relief to be able to live without having to fake my identity.

...Well, that might've been a valuable experience.

I think I learned from it.

I was going grocery shopping, and thought I'd get enough food for a week or so.

My parents would appreciate my presence more after missing me for a week. I was doing this for their sakes.

"Oh? Oh, wait!

Isn't there a 100-yen sale today?

Yeah, there is!"

I knew how to save my pocket money.

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

I felt like I was inside 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 the motorcycle a kick with no hesitation.

There were three motorcycles lined up in a row.

They all fell like dominoes.

It was beautiful, and so much fun.

.........Oh...?

This was odd.

I felt like I'd gone through the exact same experience before.

While blinking my eyes in an effort to recall when that was, some people grabbed me by the neck and dragged me into a dark alley.

It looked like these punks were the owners of those motorcycles. They started shouting at me.

...This really was strange... I was having deja vu.

"Dafuq're ye, bitch?!!

Whatcha think yer doin'?! Huhh?!"

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

"Grrraaaah!!

Gonna pay fer whatcha did!"

That's right...

It was when I met Satoshi-kun for the first time.

He came to save me...

...If I pretended to cry again now...

...Would he come to save me again...?

I made a wish.

...And I started pretending to cry and beg for mercy.

At that time.

I doubted my ears.

"...Cut it out.

Can't you see she's crying...?!!"

It was a boy about my age.

I couldn't quite see his face because of the light illuminating him from behind.

".........Satoshi... kun...?"

Of course... it couldn't be him.

...It couldn't be...

When I snapped out of my daydream, I realized that it wasn't Satoshi-kun after all...

He looked... less gracious than Satoshi-kun, so to speak.

If Satoshi-kun was pristine and untouched, then this guy would have scratches all over him.

But although they were completely different... I got a similar impression from him somehow.

"What da hell...?!

What dafuq are ye?!!"

"Ye wanna get hurt're what?!"

"Fookin' say sumtin'!!

Son of a bitchh!!"

The boy looked a bit taken aback.

"Ah... well...

I just thought you might want to let her go because she's crying... so..."

"HuuUUUh?!

Dafuq ye think ye, tellin' us whatcha do?!"

"Whoa, whoa!!

Hold on!

I'm against violence...!!

Ahaha...!"

...What was up with this guy...?

I felt ashamed that I mistook him for Satoshi-kun even for a second.

He seemed cool at first... but he wasn't as cool as Satoshi-kun after all.

"Well, I mean... I'm sorry that your motorcycles were knocked down,

but I hope you don't feel too bad about it...

How could I make you feel better...?

Of course, we don't have any money on us, you know?

Ahaha..."

"Humph... if ye don't got da money, den..."

"If ye gotchno money,

ye gotta pay wid yer body!!"

"Dis chick's got sum real nice boobies...!

Let's stripper down'n see...! Yee hee hee hee!!"

...Hey,

are you kidding me?

I tightened my grip on the stun gun in my pocket.

Then I turned it up to the maximum intensity. Don't hold a grudge against me if you die, pervs...

"I luvvit when girls get stripped in dose porn videos!!

Huff, huff!"

"Yeah, da strippins is better than da actual sex...!!"

...They indulged in their imaginations, which aroused their spirits.

...Hey now, why are you perverts closing in on me...?

Your gross hands are groping the air...

Are you gonna try and violate me?

"Mhaaaaaaa, strippins's awesum!!"

"Strip her, strip her!!

Haahh, yeahhh!!!"

"Les' stripper from da top to da bottom!

Socks off! She'll be as naked as da jaybird!!"

"Hey, are you out of your mind?!

Don't touch me with those filthy hands!!!"

Then, a flash of light cut through the air...

Was that the boy...?!

"You stupid fuuucks!!!!"

Blows like thunderbolts knocked the punks down!!

Wow, so he was actually strong after all?!

"What da hell...?!!

Ye want sum?!!!

Huuuhh?!"

"You don't have a clue,

idiots!!!!"

"Wh-What dafuq are ye on about?!!!"

"There's nothing arousing about stark nakedness!!!

Leave her socks on at least!!

No matter what!!

That is the ironclad rule!!!

Listen up, monkeys.

What's the difference between homo sapiens and other animals?

That's right, humans wear clothes!

Human beings without clothes are just animals!!!

If you get aroused only when the girl is completely naked, you are less than human!!

You might as well be animals!!

I'm going to knock some sense into you!!

Clench those teeth!!!"

"Wuff!!"

"Orgh!!!"

"Ghaaa!!!"

"You mentioned a porn movie, didn't you?

Let's say there's a 'cosplay sex video.'

The definition of 'cosplay' is too broad.

To lecture on that subject is as difficult as explaining the spirit of Yamato to yankees parachuting down from B-29s!!

So, I'll limit the scope to the most popular one, school uniforms!!

What are the three most prominent divisions in the larger category of school uniforms?!!!

Answer me!!!

That's right, regular uniforms, gym uniforms, and school swimsuits.

Both the sailor style and blazer style are included under regular uniforms, by the way.

Gym shorts and bloomers are likewise!!

And the color preference between white and navy school swimsuits is the same!!!

Well, doesn't this sound exciting already?!!

Let's say each of you has a preference in one of these three divisions!!

Hey you, delinquent A!! You take the regular uniform!

Delinquent B! You take the gym uniform.

And, you, delinquent C, you take the school swimsuit!!!

Picture the image in your head within three seconds!!!

Are you done?!

That's not good enough, do it again!!!

Let's say there's a porn video of your favorite cosplay.

Use your imagination.

Come on!!

Say 'sir, yes, sir' when you got it!!!

Are you really military men, you maggots?!!

Good, you all seem to have an image in your heads now. Let's move on.

Imagine that your favorite cosplay is stripped entirely naked because of your stupid desire.

Now, think!!!

If you take all of their clothes off, that's not cosplay anymore, is it?!

That sort of video is rampant lately!! It's just lamentable!

Humans without clothes aren't civilized, they're animals!!

If only naked girls excited you, you'd be a pack of dogs, monkeys, or pheasants!

Pack your bags and get out!!!

Wait, get back here!!

As you know, a huge amount of Russian porn vids are going around lately thanks to the end of the Cold War.

You don't know that? Get out of here!!

I heard that a style called 'beautiful Russian school girl' (which is a combination of the Japanese uniform fetish and some Russian thing) is emerging, but I'll never accept that!!!

School uniforms are part of Japanese culture and art!!!

Those stupid barbarians will never understand the Japanese spirit!!!

Are you listening?!

You pathetic squid!!!

Clench your teeth, I'll train you 'til you drop!!!

I won't let you sleep until you are capable of perfecting your imagination skills!!!

Here comes my whip!!!"

At that point, I heard a bustle of people running this way.

"Maebara-san!!

I gathered some people!!!"

I saw several kids running toward us.

Seemed like our backup had arrived.

"Aw shit!

Les' get oudda here...!"

The three punks had just been standing there agape, but they started running away when they saw that many people...

"You're awesome, Maebara-san...!

You had those punks transfixed, all by yourself...!"

"One of them even had a nosebleed...

You're so strong, Maebara-san!"

"...Whew...

It seems my personal aura has grown more powerful.

If this keeps up, I'll soon surpass even Coach's 'Maid in Heaven' Reality Marble!

...Anyway,

are you all right, Mion?"

The boy was apparently called Maebara. He turned around to face me.

...Even the way he mistook me for Mion sounded like Satoshi-kun.

...But Satoshi-kun isn't a pervert like him!

"I was anxious to see how you'd fight back, but...

I guess three guys were too many, huh?

I don't believe it! Aha ha ha ha ha!"

I was still confused... I couldn't yet grasp the situation.

...Who was this guy?!

Mion has friends like him?!

I was still spacing out in shock.

So... I forgot to move

until his hand touched my head...

"Well, you know...

I'll forget that I saw you cry,

so... cheer up, okay?"

Rub, rub.

...The boy called Maebara stroked my head roughly.

It didn't feel good.

It hurt, actually.

But still... his hand had the same warmth.

Later on, Mion told me about him.

He was called Keiichi Maebara.

Kei-chan for short.

He's one grade below us.

Not only that, but he just moved to Hinamizawa...

Thanks to his attitude and lack of manners, he'd already become an idol in their class.

Mion joyously explained all of this.

...Sure, he sounded like a fun kid.

I knew why Mion was into him.

...But...

Satoshi-kun is way cooler.

He wasn't worth stealing from Sis...... Or was he?

My heart throbbed.

I was excited.

It felt like I'd gotten a new toy.

I was curious as to what kind of relationship Mion intended to build with him...

I'd love to tease her about it.

"Thanks, Kei-chan.

Let me buy you a drink.

My uncle's restaurant is just nearby, so why don't we go there?"

Satoshi-kun would refuse out of modesty.

But Keiichi Maebara said 'okay' within two seconds.

Well then...

I couldn't wait to tease the two of them...!

My boring life suddenly became bright again.

"Whoa... H-Hey, don't cling to my arm..."

"Oh, don't you like it?"

"Uh, well... I don't hate it, but... it's just your breasts that are touching me, and..."

"My breasts bother you?

Hee hee hee hee!"

Keiichi Maebara was fun.

Mion thought the same way I did.

She would always talk about him.

I was happy for her. It made me smile.

"I guess Kei-chan is really your favorite,

huh, Sis?

What's the most interesting thing about him?"

"Ahahahaha... Let's see...

To put it plainly, he's just funny.

For example, just a couple of days ago in the club...!"

Mion really liked him, but didn't seem to think it was love yet.

She's reserved in that area, so that was really like her.

As for me, well,

I didn't hate him.

But my feelings weren't the same as Mion's.

Kei-chan was just too childish compared to Satoshi-kun.

.........I wondered how Satoshi-kun was doing...

Was he waiting for things to cool down somewhere far away...?

The case had already been solved, though. That dopehead was the murderer.

There was no reason for him to wait anymore...

I shook my head...

I shouldn't think about it too much.

Oh, wait. I know.

The case was confidential, so the arrest of the culprit hadn't been made public.

So, Satoshi-kun hadn't realized that he could come back.

...I know he's a little thickheaded.

Maybe he'd be waiting for things to calm down until the end of time.

...But if so... couldn't he give a call to Satoko at least?

He should tell her he's living in a faraway place,

but that he'd be coming home soon...

...Ahh... That stupid Satoko.

She'd been living with Rika Furude since Satoshi-kun went away.

So nobody would pick up the phone even if he called...

Stupid girl!

Don't you want your big brother to come home?

Given Satoshi-kun's personality...

He wouldn't remember any phone numbers other than his home number...

So, he wouldn't be able to contact anybody in Hinamizawa...

Maybe he's been calling Satoko every night. He keeps ringing, but nobody picks up...

Then he'd assume Satoko might be taking a bath, or be in the restroom......

He'd put on a puzzled smile while mumbling "mmph..." like always...

"...Mmph..."

I imitated his voice without realizing it.

"After that...... Eh?

What?"

"Hmm?

What's up?"

"...Didn't you say something, Shion?"

I laughed it off and urged Mion to continue.

I realized then that her tone had changed.

I hadn't been listening to her because I was thinking about Satoshi-kun.

I'd thought she was still happily talking about Kei-chan.

......But Mion sounded grim now.

Her faint smile looked pitiful.

It was too late to ask what was going on.

So instead, I concentrated on her story instead.

"...After all that,

Uncle gave everybody a doll as a thank-you gift.

Everybody except for me."

"Okay,

except for you."

"Uh... I wanted one, too,

but... I couldn't say it in front of everybody......"

"You still can't express your needs, huh...?

And then?"

Mion sniffled.

...I realized that she was on the verge of tears.

"......The cutest doll was in Kei-chan's bag."

"And you wanted that doll?"

"...It didn't matter which one!

...But although Kei-chan knew only I didn't get one, he didn't give it to me...

hic... he didn't give it to me...

He said the doll wouldn't fit me and...

that I should be born as a boy in my next life...

That's what he said... hic..."

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

...That was Keiichi's weak point.

He might be fun and popular.

...But he wasn't mature......

not like Satoshi-kun.

"...I want to start all over...

I want to go back to when I just met him and start all over... I want him to treat me like a girl from the beginning..."

"Don't take it too seriously.

It'll be okay, because it's just you who wants to start over while he didn't even notice anything wrong.

It'd be harder if you guys fought over it or something."

"...Can I start over...?"

"If you didn't cry in front of him, it's not too late.

You can cry as much as you want now, and if you show him a different side of you from tomorrow on, you can still fix it."

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

"I'm amazed how insensitive he is, but part of that is just the impression you've been giving him so far.

If you change your attitude from tomorrow on, you can still change his mind."

"How do I change my attitude...? How...?"

"...If I tell you to act cute, you'd start going to school in frilly clothes...

So don't think, and just be natural.

But, without overdoing it, pay attention to how you behave around him.

Ah, and don't forget to be cautious of Rena!

She's a bit ahead of you so far.

Kei-chan might prefer Rena at this point."

"......Ooh... it's true... Rena's really girly...

She's cute, and caring..."

"That just means you can't slack off for even a moment, Sis, because you've got a rival.

Tears can attract men, but they don't anchor them.

You should always be smiling, but cry when it really counts!

Hmm, that's how you typically do it...

Maybe I should try that on Kei-chan myself......"

"Eh, n-no, don't...!"

"Ahahahahahaha...!

He's the boy you like,

so I guess it's natural that I like him too.

Hmm, how can I attract him...?

Hey, Sis, why don't we have a competition over him?"

"No, no!

Never!!

I'll kick you into orbit if you come near Hinamizawa!!"

"Aha ha ha ha, aha ha ha ha!"

I'm happy for you, Sis.

It's not too late at all.

It's important to know the distance between the boy you love and yourself, and shift the way you appeal to him to compensate.

......The boy I love is......

missing, you know?

I don't even know where he is,

or when he's coming back.

Compared to that, you're very lucky.

Mion was saying she'd do her best from tomorrow on with red tearful eyes... but I sensed a deeply negative feeling emerging inside me.

Nobody was blaming Mion for

being happy with Keiichi.

I wasn't envious.

I wasn't jealous.

...I didn't want her to be blamed the same way I was blamed.

...It was just that there was no space for Satoshi-kun in Mion's mind anymore,

filled as it was with Kei-chan and her other friends now.

It didn't matter to her if Satoshi-kun came back

or not,

just like how she didn't care if it was sunny or rainy tomorrow.

What about me, then?

Had I been thinking about Satoshi-kun all the time for the past year...?

...I wasn't proud of my own answer.

...I'd become used to life without Satoshi-kun...

His absence didn't hurt me anymore...

...I was getting used to life with Keiichi Maebara...

And if I let my guard down...

he might just fill up the space I'd been saving for Satoshi-kun...

If Shion Sonozaki had prayed harder for Satoshi-kun to return, he might've come home already......

......Where did Satoshi-kun go...?

Last year, right after his disappearance, I'd paid close attention to the information circulating in the Sonozaki family and its underground connections,

and I frequently went to the police station to check with Ooishi for new information.

Even with all that, I couldn't get any new leads on his whereabouts.

......I eventually became interested in Oyashiro-sama's curse, which surrounded Satoshi-kun's disappearance...

I researched the dark history of the village...

......The more I looked into it, the less likely his survival seemed.

...I'd returned Miyo-san's scrapbooks to her.

...And then, I hadn't gone to the library since.

I started a new life in a new school.

...I'd made new friends.

.........And in the same way...

as falling leaves cover the ground...

I felt like I was losing sight of what was really important to me...

It was already almost the end of spring.

They said that summer was coming early, and it'd be very hot this year.

Normally it'd be the rainy season now, but we'd had no rain at all.

The Watanagashi festival was right around the corner.

It'd been almost a year... since Satoshi-kun went missing.

In Hinamizawa, they don't allow you to talk openly about Oyashiro-sama's curse, or the series of mysterious deaths.

......So, everybody acts like the murder of Satoshi-kun's aunt never happened.

That's because Satoshi Houjou-kun was a member of the family of traitors.

...He fell victim to Oyashiro-sama's curse on the fourth year running. He was demoned away.

...Everybody was trying to forget about his existence, and erase their memories of him...

Don't make him disappear because of the curse.

Don't erase his existence.

Satoshi-kun was living in Hinamizawa just a year ago.

He went to school.

He was an A student.

He was a member of the Hinamizawa Fighters. He could never hit the ball when it really mattered.

He was unreliable, but pure.

He was warm!

Because of the curse,

people made him disappear.

......They stopped mentioning his name

and acted like he never existed.

.........A new resident like Keiichi Maebara

wouldn't even know him...

...He seriously believed that Satoshi-kun had transferred out...

I miss you, Satoshi-kun......

I want to go shopping with you again.

......I want to be in a baseball game with you again... and get a cold drink afterwards.

......I want to tease you, and... I want you to stroke my head again.

......Your hand was so warm......

I felt as if my whole body was being caressed.

............Satoshi-kun......