The items donated for the auction were gathered at the Furude shrine.

"There's so much stuff here...!

I expected to see towels and old furniture, but there are way more things than that!"

"I even see TVs and refrigerators.

These are pretty new, too!"

"Hahaha! Impressed, huh?

We got donations from the stores my family owns. Some of them were display products or leftovers that they can't sell, but they're still practically brand-new.

If you don't mind something a model behind, they're incredible, right?!"

"Seeing how sun-bleached the 'Brand-New!' sticker on these appliances are makes me feel kind of sorry for them."

"No, no, Satoko, that's actually a big selling point.

Even if it's a little faded, people feel better using brand-new tools than they do items someone else used."

"...Meep. Youngsters these days sure are picky."

"Ahahahaha. I don't really care whether it's new or not. All I care about is the price."

"Rena-san, you seem interested in furniture.

Are you thinking about living on your own, or something?"

"Oh, no.

My dad and I were just talking about redecorating the house.

Brand-new furniture is expensive, so I've been checking out these recycled ones."

"You're changing the furniture?

That's quite a big deal."

"Yup.

My dad finally found a job recently.

So we kind of want to make a fresh start out of it."

"......Your father... found a new job?"

Rika-chan asked her. I was thinking the same thing.

Did that mean Rena's father was unemployed until recently...?

"Yeah.

He didn't work for a whole year after he broke up with my mom.

I was so upset.

I was always telling him to go get a job already."

Rena explained that with her usual smile, so it took me a moment to realize how serious it was.

If what she said was true, her parents were divorced, and she wasn't living in a very good family environment...

Rena talked about it like it was nothing.

"Your mother and father broke up...?"

"Yup.

They got divorced in Ibaraki.

That's why my dad and I came back to Hinamizawa.

My dad couldn't get over the divorce for a long time, though.

He was always just sleeping or daydreaming."

"Divorces and breakups always wound deeper the more they loved their partner.

It's not really a bad thing that your father was hurt so much."

"Ahahaha. That's a romantic way to put it.

Anyway, I eventually found out that he was spending a lot of money at the bar.

I was shocked when I looked at our bank account!"

"Rena's mom is a famous designer.

Their family used to make lots of money,

so her father got lots of settlement money upon the divorce..."

"That's why he was able to pay for their living expenses for a while.

Perhaps that was why it took him so long to get back on track."

"That's true.

If he had no money, he would've had no choice but to work.

He would've had no time to be depressed if he kept himself busy."

"It's tough leaving an ordinary pattern of life.

It can really mess up people's cycles.

I understand, because I was that way for a while after I left the academy."

"......Staying at home like a hermit is the worst thing you can do."

"You're exactly right, Rika-chan.

That's why I had a talk with him.

We talked about his responsibility as the head of the household, and as a parent."

"You always look like you're fooling around, but you're actually the most reliable person in this group.

I'm impressed that you even spoke to your father like that."

"Ahaha. It wasn't a big deal.

I was shocked at first.

I found out that my dad was spending his money on some lady...

As his daughter, it really hurt to find that out..."

"......And then?

...What did you do?"

"Well...

it was no good to think about it on my own.

I just kept thinking in a negative way...

So I spoke to Mii-chan about it."

"All I did was listen to her.

Rena was the one who faced her problems and came to the conclusion of talking with her dad about them.

I didn't give her any advice."

"But that was the important thing.

Talking to people about your problems can calm you down a lot."

"Hmm...

Is that so...?

If she overcame it just by talking to Sis, maybe her problem wasn't that serious."

"That's not true, Shii-chan.

Before I spoke to Mii-chan, all I thought about was how to hurt that lady.

But I realized that wasn't a good solution at all.

Talking it out with him was the important thing."

"So what happened after you spoke with him...?"

"Well...

We concluded that he wasn't moving on because of the money.

So we transferred the funds to a different account, and I took charge of them.

Now my dad has to get an allowance from me every month."

"Oh ho ho ho!

It's as though you're the parent now!"

Everyone else laughed along with Satoko.

I wasn't sure if I should laugh,

but I saw Rena laughing too.

"Anyway, the money was keeping her father from moving on.

As soon as he remembered the value of money, he stopped going to that shady bar and got a job."

"It really was perfect timing.

He was getting ready to pay the down payment for this lady's apartment.

That would've been a mess."

"You talk about it like it's nothing, but it's a pretty serious story...

Your family could've been ruined..."

"That's true.

If I didn't talk to Mii-chan,

and kept on thinking about it on my own...

I don't know where I would've been by now...

I think...

I probably would've tried to kill that lady..."

Everyone laughed at hearing such a dangerous thing come out of Rena's mouth.

Rena laughed too.

But I saw something serious in her eyes...

...It was probably true that she once thought about murdering that lady.

She seduced Rena's father so that she could get money out of him.

Knowing how short-tempered I am, I might do the same if that happened to me.

I think she made the right decision in talking to Mion, instead of being irrational.

"I'm impressed.

It's not that easy to talk about your family issues."

"Ahahaha. I know.

It took me a while to make the decision to talk to Mii-chan.

But that one dream changed everything..."

"......A dream?"

"Yup.

Every night in bed I'd think about my problems...

So I was troubled even in my dreams."

In my dream, I thought about what would happen to me if I didn't do anything.

I don't know if what I saw was my imagination, or a prediction of the future...

"In my dream, I saw that lady living with us in our home."

My dad and I don't smoke, but there was an ashtray in the living room.

The futon in our guest room was now hers.

In the bathroom, there was a toothbrush and shampoo I'd never choose to buy.

It was an unusual sight...

"That must have been a very difficult...

and disgusting situation..."

Satoko never told me, but I'd heard that she also lost her parents.

I'd heard that she went through tough times when she was taken in by her aunt and uncle...

Someone told me about that once.

Satoko seemed to understand Rena's pain very well.

"Yes...

It was a really disheartening situation...

Eventually, I felt like I didn't belong there anymore...

Then something urged me to kill her..."

"That sounds so realistic for a dream...

What happened after that?"

"I realized I was a murderer.

I didn't want anybody to find out about it, and I stopped trusting anyone...

I spent all day at the place I buried her.

I was afraid that if I left that place, someone would find out that I killed her."

"That's a nightmare......

I'm glad it was just a dream for you..."

"I don't know...

I wonder if that was just a dream...

I think I saw my future... That would've happened if I didn't do anything about the situation.

I woke up the next morning shaking in fear.

I even felt like I smelled her perfume at home.

I wondered when that dream was going to come true...

I was so afraid, and that pushed me to talk to Mii-chan."

"I remember Rena coming up to me and telling me that she had a secret to tell me.

I honestly thought she'd gotten a positive on a pregnancy test for a moment!

I can talk about it like this now, but it was very serious then."

"Mii-chan is a really dependable person.

She listened to me and guided me through a solution.

Eventually, we decided that I needed to talk with him face-to-face."

"......Perhaps... it wasn't just a dream."

"Ahaha, you're right.

I think it was more than that."

"Without that dream, it's possible that you never would have spoken to Mion.

That could've changed your life dramatically."

".........

A dream, huh."

"You've had dreams too, Shion?

Huh?"

Shion had said something in a small voice.

Only Mion picked up on what it was.

I don't know what she said, but based on Mion's reaction, she must have said something serious.

By the way...

Shion usually went to school in Okinomiya.

However, she'd been coming to the school in Hinamizawa lately.

I didn't know why she chose to come this far,

but she seemed to be having fun taking care of Satoko...

I had no idea what brought Shion and Satoko together.

...Wait, weren't they on bad terms once...?

Huh...?

Is that true...?

Were they always that close, or not...?

.........??

"Now I know.

It's important to talk to other people."

We'll have fun in a normal way.

We'll laugh together in a normal way.

And we'll fall in love in a normal way.

We won't doubt each other.

We'll trust each other.

"Friends have greater meaning than I thought.

You can talk to them about anything...

I finally came to realize that..."

"You're right.

......You resolved not only your family issue, but you also realized the importance of friendship."

"Yeah.

If anyone is troubled by something, I want to help.

I really do.

I want everyone to think that they can talk to me about their problems."

"......Meep.

Rena is saying something very important right now."

Rika-chan is right.

We all nodded at her, without joking around.

A moment later, we heard someone locking the door.

We were all surprised.

That person didn't mean to lock the door.

She must have locked it by accident, not knowing that it was already open.

She turned the knob, thinking that it was now unlocked.

"Huh?

Is anybody inside?"

The lady knocked on the door. I could hear several other people outside the door.

"Oh, sorry!

Let me open it!"

Mion replied in a loud voice and walked toward the door.

I heard her greeting the ladies from the town council.

"Hey, will you guys lend a hand?"

"What is it?"

I immediately saw why Mion called us over.

The people from the village committee had brought another donation.

It was an old cupboard.

We all helped to carry it inside the room.

As I walked through the door, I realized the higurashi were starting to cry, taking over from the cicadas.

"I heard you're going to host the auction, Maebara-kun!

Everyone thinks you're the best man for that job.

We're all looking forward to seeing your showmanship!"

"Oh, ah ha ha...!

I'll do my best, but please don't expect too much from me..."

"Sure, sure you say!

You're here today so you can come up with an idea of how to sell these items.

They have every reason to expect great things from you!"

"I'll make sure I'm at my best then!"

The other ladies smiled and told me they were looking forward to it.

It hadn't been that long since I moved to this village...

But even these people offered me a position of huge responsibility during the festival.

So you could say...

that they've accepted me as a member of this village.

I caused so much trouble where I lived before that I couldn't even go outside,

but they're accepting me as a member of the village?

I was so happy.

I felt bad that I still hadn't learned all of their names,

but I was going to do my best to entertain the villagers who were supporting me.

"What are you going to do now, Mion-chan?

Are you staying here?"

"No, we're going home now.

Right, Kei-chan?"

"Yup.

I got a good idea of what we have here.

I should be fine now."

"I'm not interested in Watanagashi, but I do still want to see his auction.

Maybe I'll come to the festival too."

"You absolutely must be there, Shion-san!

It'll be great fun if we all hang out together."

"I disagree!!

She lives in Okinomiya, so she should go to the festival there!"

"Ahahaha. I think Shii-chan should come.

I think Mii-chan will prove entertaining if she does!"

"......Since most of us want her to be here, it's decided that Shii is going to come."

"You hear that, Sis?

You'll be in my shadow on the day of the festival, but let's at least be nice to each other."

"Ugh!!

I hate you, Shion,

I hate you, Shion,

I hate you, Shioooon!!"

Whatever Mion says, I know that they're actually close.

The more Mion tried to refuse her, the more it was obvious how close they really were.

"Right, let's go.

Make sure you get everything.

I'm turning off the light now."

We made sure that we didn't leave anything inside and left the room.

I looked around the shrine grounds while Mion locked the door.

This big place will be filled with people on the day of Watanagashi.

"These grounds are going to be the site of the festival!

Man, I can't even imagine the crowd.

I'm really looking forward to it!"

"There's going to be a lot of stalls, and it'll be packed with people.

You'll be surprised, I think. I think!"

"I wish they'd quit being stingy and hold something every season instead of once a year."

"That reminds me, there is someone who visits every season."

"Huh?

Who are you talking about?"

"Oh, I know who you mean.

It's that photographer I met the other day, isn't it?

What was his name...?"

"......You know Tomitake, Keiichi?"

"That's right! It was Tomitake-san.

I met him on my way back home.

Rena and Mion told me about him.

Despite his burly frame, he's a fairly modest guy.

He comes here every year to take pictures, right?"

"That is what he claims, at least.

Oh ho ho ho!"

"Whenever I see him, I feel like Watanagashi is close by.

And after Watanagashi, it's the beginning of summer."

"That's true.

But the cicadas are already crying because it's gotten hot early this year."

"I heard on TV that this year is unusual.

It's something to do with a thing called 'global warming'."

"I love a hot summer!

It's not a proper summer if it's cool."

"Yeah, I agree.

I like the different climates of the seasons.

Cool summers and warm winters disappoint me."

"We've gotta be as passionate as the hot summer too!

How many of us are going to be there at the festival?

It's going to be a battle of The Six Evils!!"

"......Once again, we'll have a great Watanagashi this year."

"I agree.

I hope we'll have lots of fun."

"Hey Rena, don't you know?

When Rika-chan says something like that, it's not just what she hopes for.

It's a prediction.

If Rika-chan is telling us that it's going to be great, it really is going to be great.

That's our fate!

Right, Rika-chan?"

"Yes.

That's our fate."

Rika-chan smiled with a "nipah".

Her smile assured me that the day of Watanagashi was going to be a great one for us.

"The auction won't be starting right away, will it?"

"Nah.

It's going to be right before the ritual dance, so we'll have plenty of time to hang out together."

"Indeed.

It's your first festival. You deserve to have fun."

"After Kei-chan's auction, we get to see Rika-chama's ritual dance?

Sounds good to me."

"......That means I don't get to see Keiichi the whole time... I have to stand by for the dance."

"You're going to be in the show too, Rika-chan?

What is that dance all about?

Are you going to do something traditional because you're the shrine maiden?"

"There's a dance and a ceremony for paying respect to the cotton inside the futon.

You should root for Rika-chan too, Keiichi-kun.

You see, you see...!

When Rika-chan dances in her shrine maiden outfit, it's just sho kyuuute!!

I'm taking her home with me!"

I've never seen a real shrine maiden before...

I'm sure Rika-chan really will look adorable.

I was looking more and more forward to the Watanagashi festival.

Rena, Mion, Shion, Satoko, Rika-chan, and I.

The six of us will definitely have a great time there.

How many more days did we have?

I'd never been this excited about a festival in my life...