"What?

I-I know I've heard some people mention it before, but... they were serious about that?!"

...This world always has a lot of nice suggestions, but they're mostly out of politeness, right?

They're just something you laugh off and reply with, "That would be nice."

But those ideas generally end as jokes, so it's crazy when they turn real!!

"Yeah, I'm serious!

Uncle Yoshirou was giving you a ton of praise too!

He said it was amazing how well that Pop-up Pirate game went in the toy store yesterday!"

"I had no idea, no idea you could play that game like that!"

"I should mention that some of the kids around my table wanted to play with you too!"

"......Keiichi is a genius when it comes to playing games."

You know, I wasn't just playing around... I was giving it my all, because I had no choice but to win...

I guess we made it look like a lot of fun for the audience, though...

"You definitely have a blast no matter what club activity you're doing, Kei-chan.

The Coach was saying that the Hinamizawa Fighters would be so happy if you joined the team."

"That's very true.

Dr. Irie had nothing but great things to say about you at the meeting last night, Maebara-kun."

"You have the ability to bring people joy, and far more than you think you do."

"...You, you think so...?"

"This ol' man didn't mention your name just 'cause you're his friend.

He did it because he's confident you can do the job!"

"I was there at the meeting too, and no one was against the idea."

"Maebara-kun, you honestly do have a good reputation around the village."

"I've heard good things about you in Okinomiya too.

What you did in the match between the Hinamizawa Fighters and the Okinomiya Titans was legendary."

"It really was incredible...

The reporters were there to see Kameda-san, but they were more impressed by you!"

They're talking about that rigged baseball match I set up with Kameda-kun...

The public did end up believing that talented pitcher walked me out of fear for my insight...

Kameda-kun and I have entered a strange relationship since then, but I'd really rather not talk about it right now...

"What do you think, Keiichi-kun?

I think you can do it.

I'm backing you up, too!

I definitely think you should be in charge of the Watanagashi planning committee!"

Watanagashi is an annual village festival held in June.

It's supposed to be the biggest event in the village, and most of the people living here gather together for it.

Since this is a major event, they always organize a committee to plan out the festival a few months in advance.

The festival is only two weeks away and I just moved to this village,

but now they want me to join that committee?

"Look, first of all,

I don't even know what you do in a committee!"

"You don't need to be too concerned about it!

The job we unanimously want you to fill is... hosting the auction!"

"Wha... what the hell is that?

Do you want me to sell bananas or something?"

"Well, let me explain.

We're holding an auction event for the first time this year. We're going to auction off donated items, just to see how it turns out."

"Ahaha, there's kind of a long story behind it...

We wanted to do something in which everyone can participate, using donated items as prizes.

But the elder members decided to distribute the prizes using something other than a lottery, for their own reasons."

"To put it simply, our hag of a grandmother let her temper get to her and wouldn't back down after that.

But she didn't really consider any specifics..."

"Yup... ahahaha...

Anyway, we had to come up with how to utilize those donated items.

At that point, we thought of doing an auction!"

"That sounds like fun!

You might be able to get something good for a really cheap price.

It's fun just to watch the show, too!"

"The items were all donated, so they were free, huh.

That committee sure is good at making money."

"......The profit will be going into the beer fund for the village committee's winter getaway trip.

It's not fair."

"You're not ready for beer yet, Furude-san!"

"I think I understand what's going on now...

But still, I've never done anything like it before!"

"I'm sure you can do it, Keiichi-kun.

I bet you'd do really well if they told you that you'd get to keep ten percent of the profits."

"Well, yeah...

If I can gain something for producing results, then I'll do my best at it!"

"On the other hand, you might be facing a dreadful penalty game if you don't produce anything."

"Wait a minute, Satoko!

Why would I agree to a risky deal like that?

Don't forget, they're the ones asking for my help!

I'm a very busy guy, you know!

Try asking my agent first."

"Aha ha ha ha!

All right, Kei-chan.

If you want some kind of compensation, we can talk about it.

I really want you to be a part of this.

We can make a deal!"

"Hmmm!

That sounds interesting...

I wonder what I should ask for...

Hmm........"

"We're always talking about punishments, but it's our first time talking about a reward."

"That's true.

We're always fighting for something, huh?"

Rena is right.

The whole purpose of our club activities is to escape the punishments we come up with.

Even if we win, we never get a prize or reward for it.

"......Keiichi has no idea how to respond to something that sounds too good to be true."

"Maybe Mii-chan can come up with a good idea.

It's hard to decide on what you want, isn't it?"

"Let me see...

Ah, how about this?

An admission ticket to Angel Mort's Dessert Fiesta!"

"Don't be too cheap, Sis. Why don't you give him three years' worth of admission?"

"Hey!

That sounds more like a deluxe reward to me!"

"I heard that some people pay lots of money for that ticket.

Are you sure you can hook me up with three years' worth of admission?"

"Of course I can!

But you have to do a good job!"

"I'm sure he will.

With Keiichi-kun there, it's going to be heaps of fun!"

"I feel the same way.

I'm really looking forward to the auction now."

"Yeah, you could probably get people to line up for takoyaki that doesn't even contain octopus!"

"Hey... Takoyaki without octopus? That's impossible..."

"No, no... I'm pretty sure you could do it!"

"Yeah!

He'd probably say it was a healthier kind of takoyaki!"

"Are you making fun of me, or what...?"

"So what do you think, Maebara-kun?

I think you'll do a wonderful job."

Chie-sensei was also on the committee.

She must have backed up Mion's suggestion when she brought my name up at their last meeting.

"......I'd also love to see what kind of magic you can do.

Nipah~☆"

"A good auction always depends on how good a speaker the host is."

"Sounds like it's going to be Keiichi Maebara's big show!

It'll be so much fun just to watch!"

"Hey, I haven't accepted the offer yet!"

"Don't worry, Keiichi-kun. You can do it!"

"You're saying that because you don't have to!"

"Hau, that's not true!"

The principal suddenly opened his mouth.

"Maebara-kun...

In my opinion, you will do a fine job."

"Hmmm........."

"As a man, isn't it your responsibility to meet people's expectations...?"

If I had to, I'm sure I could do it.

Mion has made me do so many different things for the club, and I've learned a lot from that.

Besides, this would be the first time I could get a reward without having to worry about punishment.

It should be fun too...

This was the first time so many people were counting on me like this.

To be honest, it made me pretty happy.

Still, I was worried about getting dragged into something that required a lot of work...

I couldn't erase that thought from my mind.

But I was in Hinamizawa.

The people in this village would never do anything to betray me.

They genuinely believed that it would do a lot to liven up the festival if I became the host of their auction.

I've only been here for a short period of time, but I know that the people here are honest and kind.

"Fine...

As a man, I'm going to do it.

I'll take care of it!

Wait and see... I'll make it the greatest auction in the world!!

Don't forget to get me that Angel Mort pass. I'll make sure to do a good enough job that I'll deserve ten years' worth of tickets!"

"Good for you, Kei-chan!"

Everyone gave me a round of applause.

...How many times had this happened in my life?

Not once.

This was the first time I'd ever been applauded.

"By the way, I'm surprised that no one disagreed with this suggestion at the meeting."

There are lots of old people in the village committee.

I'm a young guy who only just moved here...

...I've known for a while that Mion has a lot of influence locally, but I couldn't believe that everyone in the committee would accept it just like that...

"Most of them are that kind of hard-headed old people...

But the new generation is gradually taking over, you know!"

"We won the dam conflict, and now we're aiming to build a new era and grow more and more prosperous.

That's why we value the involvement of young people, and people from outside the village too!"

"You're young, and you're from the city. You also have a good reputation, so you're the perfect guy for this."

"I have a good reputation, huh?

I have no idea why so many people have heard of me."

"It's something to do with Mii-chan's punishments, I think... I think."

"I knew it!!"

"Ahhhahahahahahahaha!"

"Alright, then.

I'll call your parents about it tonight, so please let them know when you get back home today, okay?"

I'm sure my parents will have no problem with it.

...They won't have any objections to raise, at least.

They might ask me why my name was brought up, though...

Chie-sensei and the principal went back to the teachers' office after the discussion ended.

We were in the middle of lunch break at the moment.

Chie-sensei and the principal had come along together...

and Mion scared me by saying that they all had something to talk to me about.

My stomach wasn't digesting my lunch particularly well...

"Maebara-san! I heard everything! Good for you!"

"It's a big honor, being chosen by the village committee..."

"Hey there, Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun.

I'd love to give that honor to you."

"N-No thank you... I wouldn't be able to handle it!"

I realized the whole class was talking about me.

They were saying how fun Watanagashi was going to be

and how high their expectations were for it.

...I might've taken on a huge responsibility.

I needed to do my best to succeed at it.

"By the way, I forgot something.

My Granny made tons of ohagi.

She told me to give them to my classmates."

Mion clapped her hands as she remembered, and took a box out of her bag.

She opened the lid, letting us see a bunch of ohagi neatly packed inside.

"Wow! There really are a lot!

I think there might be enough for everyone in the class to have one!"

"Hauuuu!!

They look sho yummy and kyute!"

"For some reason, my Granny loves making ohagi!"

"......That's because Souhei used to love them."

"Ah, yeah... I heard my Gramps used to like ohagi.

He ate tons of them!"

"For your grandma, ohagi is something that makes her remember your late grandpa, huh?"

"You think so?

I thought Gramps liked canned food."

"Heh heh heh!

You don't like canned food, do you, Shion?"

"What?

Is that true?

Why so?"

"Weeeeell... it's because of the smell...

I just don't like the smell of the metal..."

"Oh, is that so?!

After always forcing me to eat my squash, it turns out that you too have something you can't eat?"

"To tell you the truth, she hates canned food because...

heh heh heh!"

"Come on, Sis!

Don't you dare tell anyone!"

"I don't know what's going on, but it seems Mion knows a secret about Shion.

Tell it to us!

Go on!"

The reason why Shion doesn't like canned food must have been something pretty funny.

The two sisters battled for a while.

The machine-gun knee kicks Mion launched from close quarters weren't bad, but I don't think she expected Shion to land a capture suplex off it.

Guess Shion is the stronger of the two siblings...

"I'd rather tell you the truth than have you hear it from my sis.

See, there's this bad guy named Kasai...

He once told me

when I was still young and innocent...

that there's sometimes human meat mixed in with canned food!"

"Ahahahahahaha, I've heard of an urban legend like that before."

"Me too!

I once heard that there's dog meat mixed into beef bowls, and worms inside burgers!"

"A-A-A-Are you quite serious...?

I can never eat beef bowls or burgers again after hearing something like that..."

"You see, Satoko?

It was a very traumatic thing for me!"

"You have my sympathy, but I still have yet to forget about how you made me eat a full-course squash meal...!"

"You need to let go of that one.

That meal was delicious."

"Ah ha ha!

Because we're talking about this...

I'm starting to get worried there might be something mixed into this ohagi too..."

"Ohhh?

Well, at least with the ohagi that I brought...

You can't really be sure that there's nothing else inside...

Heh heh heh..."

............Ohagi that Mion brought.

...When you consider that, it's only natural to suspect that she probably did something to them.

...What's going on?

I felt like...

I was forgetting something...

But I didn't remember anything that I was forgetting.

It was like one of those deja vu moments.

I'd never been in this situation, but my mind was telling me that I'd been there before...

"......What's wrong, Keiichi?"

"Nothing...

I just feel like Mion has given me ohagi before...

But this is the first time, right?"

"Is it?

Mii-chan?"

"I think this is the first time.

You must be mistaking it for something else."

"According to my memory, this is the first time Mion-san has brought ohagi to school."

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

"Aaaah, I know!

You're being cautious because these are from this ol' man, aren't you?"

"That's nothing to brag about. I think you should be reflecting on your regular behavior."

"...Hahaha, you're right.

I wouldn't feel this way if Rena brought me ohagi.

Rena's really good at cooking.

They're small, but very carefully made..."

"Huh...?

I've never made ohagi before..."

.........What?

......What was I saying?

Why did I say that Rena had made ohagi before...?

Why would I know that Rena makes her ohagi small but neatly...?

...?

I had no idea where that memory was coming from.

I could only assume it was an error in my brain.

Mion was saying that this was her first time bringing ohagi to class.

As I tilted my head in confusion, everyone started reaching inside the box.

Rena took out one for me and put it on the lid.

I stared at it closely.

What was I so concerned about...?

Mion said that I was probably concerned that she did something to the ohagi.

But it wasn't quite that...

I really didn't know how to explain it.

...I felt like I was forgetting something important.

I'd forgotten something important...

and all I had was the obligation to remember it.

In front of me was nothing but a single ohagi that came from Mion's house.

...I was frustrated,

but I really couldn't think of anything.

There's no way I could remember it.

Because

I didn't know anything.

"......Keiichi. You've been staring at your ohagi for a long time. What's the matter...?"

"Oh, it's just...... I'm experiencing deja vu.

Don't you get it sometimes?

It's your first time seeing something, but you feel like you've seen it before..."

"......So... you feel like Mion has given you ohagi in the past...?"

"...Hahaha. I'm sure it's just my imagination.

Mion just told me that she had never brought ohagi to school before."

"......Keiichi.

You can't have memories of what didn't happen.

If you remember something, I'm sure it really happened before."

Rika-chan told me something strange.

I didn't usually take her random comments seriously...

...But ever since I saw her making those predictions in the toy store, I've been curious about her 'special powers'.

I felt like she was telling me something deep.

"It's weird to hear that from you, since you're so great at making predictions.

Are you talking about the cycle of reincarnation or something?"

"......I don't know much about religion.

I just want to tell you that... if you know about something, that's something that happened to you.

I want you to 'try and remember' what happened.

I don't want you to treat it like you're just mistaken.

......Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Umm...

I guess..."

I was a little surprised by how serious she sounded.

I always thought that Rika was just an innocent girl who fooled around all the time saying things like "meep" and "nipah~".

But all of a sudden, she seemed like a totally different girl.

Was I supposed to take it as a joke...?

The serious look on her face told me it wasn't the time for jokes, though.

"If that's what you're telling me...... then I guess I got ohagi from Mion in a previous life."

"I won't make fun of you, so please tell me everything.

Why did Mii give you that ohagi?"

"The more I think about it... the more I think it's just my imagination.

Maybe it was just a dream..."

"......I don't care if it was a dream.

You must remember something.

Please tell me."

What was up with her?

She seemed so curious about it.

I didn't think this story was that interesting.

Her asking so much started making me feel uncomfortable.

Still, something told me that I needed to talk to Rika-chan about everything I could.

...Maybe she could predict my future by reading my dreams.

I should tell her everything.

After all, she's the shrine maiden for Oyashiro-sama.

"Well...

I think I skipped school that day...

I had a cold or something..."

My memory was scattered all over my brain, like powder.

I could see myself standing in front of the door...

Mion was there, and...

someone else was standing there too...

I think it was Rena.

"Mion brought me ohagi so I would get better.

I think she told me that her grandma made it, just like today."

"And then...?"

"Well...

Then I ate that ohagi.

...After they went back home.

......Then I found something inside the ohagi...

......Ahahahahaha!

I'm sure I saw it in a comic book or something.

It's mixed up in my memory, but I'm sure I read it somewhere in some comic book.

Because it can't be true... ahahahahaha!"

"Keiichi... tell me what happened.

What did you find inside the ohagi...?"

"Well, I read this scary comic book when I was little... and there was a sewing needle inside of somebody's burger.

Ahahaha. You remember what Shion was saying just now?

It can be traumatic to hear a story like that when you're young."

I didn't remember much about that comic.

I think it was about this girl who had an accident, and held a grudge against the person who caused the injury on her face...

It was a really cheap plot now that I think about it.

But since I was still a little kid, that comic really scared me.

In one chapter, the girl casts a curse on the guy's food.

He eats a burger with sewing needles inside it, and he goes all

"Gyaaaaaaaah!"

Something like that...

It still freaked me out. The image was so grotesque and shocking to me...

That grew into a kind of trauma, and for a while I searched for sewing needles in my food every time I ate something.

I couldn't eat burgers for a while for that reason...

But my parents got concerned, and my hunger overcame the trauma.

Eventually, that experience disappeared into the flow of time...