Satoko was bearing the abuse... but even something small would be enough to break her.

Just like an old bowl that has a crack in it...

One day that crack will eventually widen, and the bowl will shatter...

"In my imaginary world... Satoko broke... when I rubbed her head.

......She thought my hand was her uncle's hand.

She pushed me away ...and hid behind the curtain... and cried out for her brother, saying 'Nii-nii, Nii-nii!'"

"......Who told you that she called her brother 'Nii-nii'?"

"Huh?

I don't know.

I guess someone did...

That's what she calls Satoshi, right?

......Anyway, it was devastating to hear her cry like that.

...I wanted to comfort her, but I couldn't even get close.

...She cried more as I walked closer to her ...because she thought I was her uncle."

"......You're amazing... Keiichi-kun.

...I can't believe that was only your imagination.

......That's exactly how Satoko-chan was last year.

I remember it clearly,

but it's impressive how you can imagine it... since you've only been here for a few months.

You really are amazing.

So that explains why you feel the same urgency we do."

"So, you feel the same way I do...?"

"......Yes.

I can't imagine it as clearly as you have...

...But I think Satoko-chan will break in few days if we don't do anything about this.

...I think she will hide behind the curtain and scream for her Nii-nii.

......That's when we'll finally realize something.

It's not a crime to be powerless.

It's a crime to do nothing.

......Huh...?

It's only in my imagination, but...

...I'm crying, as though it's happening right in front of me..."

...Rena can also sense how urgently we need to save Satoko.

...Not everybody feels that way, though.

My friends all do, but they're special...

...and normal people like those at the child consultation center see us as overreacting...

"They have a point, though...

We don't really have anything to say back to them if they're going to claim it's only been one day.

It's just like getting a cold.

Doctors always say, 'let's see what happens for a couple of days'."

"Rena...

I think we should trust our instincts.

We have no time to spare.

We have to save Satoko now."

"Yes.

Even if I can't come up with a good idea on our own, together we can accomplish anything!

When I was down and depressed before, someone told me the same thing.

I think now is the time to come together and show people what we can do."

"......Yeah.

I don't know who told you that, but that's exactly how I feel."

It was strange.

I've had this feeling ever since Rena told me this story at school.

...It felt like I, too, once learned a lesson after some event.

......But Rena and I only met recently.

I guess it's just a coincidence.

......Anyway... I was so lonely inside of my imagination.

I thought it was stupid for them to only sit and think about how they could save Satoko, and I made a selfish decision...

But I eventually learned...

Just like Rena did.

You'll never come up with anything good by worrying about something on your own.

You have to talk to your friends.

That way, they will help you reach the best possible solution.

"You said something when you stood in Shii-chan's way today.

You told her to trust you. You said you didn't have any idea yet, but that you would find one soon.

...I'm going to trust you.

I believe that you will come up with the best solution."

"Ahahaha, don't just rely on me.

You can give me ideas if you have any."

"Hau, that's not what I meant.

...I have faith in my friends at all times.

I'm going to trust us.

I know that we can save Satoko-chan.

But we're not going to use a shortcut."

"......That's right.

We will save her from this mess.

Keep on believing.

I believe in us too."

I will never think that I'm the only one who's trying to save her.

I believe that all of us feel the same way.

"Let's have a meeting tomorrow.

Chie-sensei might have new information too.

...We may not be able to come up with a good idea right away, but she might have something."

"Yeah.

You're right.

I know that there's always another option."

"That's right.

We're not going to give up.

There is a better way.

I'm sure there is.

We may not find it right away, but we'll never give up!"

"No.

Never."

...Mion praised her for it too, but Rena really is strong in a crisis.

I got a little emotional when I was talking with Mion, but Rena is different.

Her fire is quiet and blue, so at first glance it seems lesser than my bright red, roaring blaze, but... the truth is the opposite.

Blue flames burn far hotter.

As I spoke with Rena, I felt my useless, wild energy calming down so I could rationally search for the best solution.

...Through that, I felt Rena's strength.

Though, apparently Rena felt similarly about me.

"When I'm talking with you, I feel like I can accomplish anything.

You're so strong and reliable.

I feel more courageous when I talk with you.

I feel more confident that we can save Satoko-chan."

"I get calmness from you...

and you get confidence from me...

We balance each other out like that, huh?

We're a good combination!"

"Mii-chan has a lot of power as a member of the Sonozaki family, but she has a very frail heart.

But I believe that you and I can support her."

"That's right.

We have nothing to be scared of!"

"Yeah, I agree!"

Talking to Rena made me feel very confident.

...If I can share that confidence with my friends,

I'll never feel down and miserable ever again.

I'm going to give my power to the other club members, so we can fight even harder...!

"Rika-chan is really depressed right now...... She lost her will to fight.

But I'm sure she'll get that will back once she sees us working hard."

"You're right. Once she gets her willpower back, nothing can stop us!!

I'll see you tomorrow.

Let's talk about our plan, and involve the principal too.

We should get advice from as many people as we can.

Let's find the best possible solution!

That's the best thing we can do right now!"

"Yeah!"

I got off the phone with Rena. That was a pretty passionate conversation we were having.

......It's unfortunate that the child consultation center came to the conclusion they did,

but if they could still decide to wait and see, then that proved that Satoko was still safe for now.

We are no more than children.

...Worrying about it too much won't cause us to come up with any good ideas.

Murder isn't a real solution...

......But I had to admit.

I thought about it once.

It's easy to burn up in rage.

......However, I'd have to stay calm, like Rena.

She was still burning up.

Burning up very calmly, with a blue and quiet flame.

I'd never seen anything like that before...

"Keiichi, go take a bath already!

Hurry up!"

I heard my mom speaking to me.

"You can go ahead of me, Mom!"

I needed more time to think about what to do with Satoko.

...Everyone else was probably doing the same.

"You should go first!

There's bath salt from real hot springs in there. It feels really good on your skin."

"......I don't think there's bath salt in real hot springs."

"Ha ha ha ha!

Mmmmm! Milk tastes so good after a bath!"

My dad seemed to be in a good mood. He probably finished his work.

......He's as scary as a bear when he has artist's block.

......Ah, maybe...

Maybe my parents could help with an idea.

They're the closest adults to me, after all.

......Should I talk to them?

Stupid question.

I had no reason not to.

I'd have to talk to them and seek some advice.

"Dad... I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Huh?

What's this, is it about the auction at the coming festival?

You have my full support!

Speaking of which, when is the next festival committee meeting?

They called me to participate too.

I'll have to mark my calendar."

"Oh, it's not about that.

My classmate is in trouble..."

As I talked about Satoko, my mom joined us and listened as well.

My dad is a strange artist, but my mom is a normal person with common sense.

She might be able to help.

"......I just got a call and found out that they put her case on hold.

We're wondering what we should do now..."

"They already called the child consultation center, so you should let them take care of it."

"But she was being abused last year too, right?

I don't know how bad it was, but I think it's wrong for him to force her to move out of her friend's place."

"He was neglecting her for a year, after all..."

"We can't just wait and see what happens just because the consultation center said to.

......We're her friends, so we want to be more aggressive about saving her.

But we have no idea how we can do that."

"Keiichi... don't even think about attacking him."

"I'm not...

I wouldn't talk to you guys if that was on my mind."

"That's true.

I thought you might ask us how to commit a perfect crime."

Hey...

I would never ask my parents something like that...

I think.

"Keiichi, you're right.

There are many battles in this world, but it's always important that you follow the rules.

People won't help you if you're going to break them, and they won't respect you either.

You have to fight according to the rules."

"Are there even rules for battles...?

Well, anyway...

Do you have any ideas?"

My parents have been alive for more than twice as long as me.

They must have had some experience with things like this.

...They must have many good ideas.

At least that's what I thought...

But they crossed their arms and went silent...

"......Calling the child consultation center is the first thing you should do.

But what do you do if that doesn't work...?"

"......Do you think...

we can even rely on the law?

Do you think the police won't do anything until Satoko is seriously injured...?"

"I think you have to make an appeal."

"Appeal?

What, you mean, sue him?!"

"That's not it.

The child consultation center is supposed to take care of the child abuse cases.

But if you're unsatisfied with the decision they make..."

"...Make an appeal to the court?"

"Keiichi.

You go to court when you can't resolve an issue with the person you're dealing with.

It's the final place you go to."

"You want the child consultation center to protect Satoko-chan, right?

But they made a decision that you disagree with..."

"And...?"

"We need to make an appeal to the child consultation center!"

If we're unsatisfied with the decision they made, we can simply go and tell them that.

"We need to go there and explain to them how serious this case is."

"Yeah, that sounds good.

They have no idea what situation Satoko-chan is in right now.

Since they're misunderstanding what's going on, we have to go there and make it clear."

"I see... That's the best approach..."

"......I don't know about that...

I've heard that they never change their decisions, once made.

It might be just a waste of time..."

"We don't know that until we try.

Giving up before even trying is what losers do!

We have to try everything we can.

Remember what the principal said?

We'll fail if we give up before even trying.

Shion, your fire is blazing bright red, ready to do whatever it takes, even if that's acting hasty, to save Satoko.

...But truly hot fire is blue and calm.

Don't give up. We should do everything we can!

What do you think, Chie-sensei?

Am I wrong?"

"No......

You're not saying anything wrong.

You've calmed down a lot.

I was concerned for you because I thought you might come up with an idea to attack him in the dark."

That's what my mom was saying...

Is that how people perceive me?

"I thought we should wait and see what happens.

...But after hearing everything all of you have said, and thinking about what happened last year, I now understand that this is an emergency situation.

People can change their minds if you're persuasive enough.

The child consultation center might change their mind too.

They might reverse their decision if you succeed in making an appeal."

"What do you think?

Shii-chan?

You should fight with us, rather than thinking about it alone."

"I'm not feeling lonely!

I'm not sad because I'm all alone!"

"...You do sound awfully sad, actually.

Maybe you do want to join us?"

"Whatever!

Fine then!

Let's just go to the child consultation center!

I'm going to punch them in their faces if they don't do something!"

"That's not a good idea, but I feel your passion now!

I guess you calmed down after getting some sleep."

"I-I'm just serious about this, is all."

"Heh heh heh.

Anyway, let's go and make it happen.

I know where the child consultation center is.

This ol' man didn't know until recently, but it's on the first floor of the library."

Mion grinned and showed us the location on a city guidebook.

...She's really prepared for this!

"The office is open until a quarter past five.

Don't try and pick a fight with them.

We have to stay calm!"

"What?

Are you talking to me, Sis?

Who do you think I am?

I'll cry if I have to. Our goal is to make them change their mind."

"That's it, Shii-chan!

I think we can make it if we leave right now."

It was past three o'clock. We'd make it before they closed if we rushed there on our bikes.

"But they're strict about time, aren't they?

They might kick us out as soon as it's time to close."

"The door will close on time.

But once we're inside, they'll never kick us out.

Listen.

Make sure you don't give in when negotiating with these officials.

Officials are surprisingly tough, but unlike private citizens, they're not allowed to end the discussion on their own.

So when you feel like you can't get anywhere by continuing the discussion, don't give in.

You have to dig deep and make sure they listen to everything we have to say!"

"...How do you know all that, Mii-chan?"

"Heh heh heh!

Who do you think I am? I represent Oryou Sonozaki, member of the mayor's social gathering and the local government monitoring committee.

I speak to government officials all the time!"

"Hey, Mion.

Is it possible to save her using the influence of the Sonozaki family...?"

"Well...

not if I have to go through Granny...

Ugh..."

"It's impossible to get help from her.

Her mind's still stuck in the dam conflict!

One hundred million with one spirit, and stuff like that!

She hates the Houjou family to this day."

"You're talking about Satoko's parents, who were for the dam project?

......I've never met your grandma, but she needs to learn how to forgive.

It's a thing of the past now."

"Exactly.

I agree with you, Kei-chan."

"So the Sonozaki family can't do anything about it?"

"Yeah, we can't.

I'm sorry... Old people are so stubborn.

They cherish Rika-chan, but they don't care about Satoko."

"......That's horrible.

I can't forgive Satoko's uncle for aggressively abusing her, but I'm not about to forgive other people for quietly abusing her either.

Tell those people not to piss off Keiichi Maebara!"

"Aha ha ha... I'll do that."

"Shall we go now?

We have no time to waste."

"All right!!

We better hurry!

Let's get going!!"

"Do you want to come with us, Rika-chan?

Let's go."

Rena spoke to Rika-chan, who had been avoiding all conversation.

...She seemed to have given up all hope yesterday.

It was so painful to see her so depressed...

"...It's just a waste of time anyway."

"You have to stop saying 'anyway'.

You don't know if it's a waste of time or not unless we try."

"......You people did everything you could in your previous lives.

But you never found a way to save her. You think this time will be different?"

Sometimes, I really had no idea what she was saying.

...All I could tell is that she was being negative about the situation.

"Have you tried going to the child consultation center already?"

"........."

"Then we should try...

Satoko-chan is important to you, isn't she?

We have to try and see what happens.

I'm sure Satoko-chan needs your help right now."

"........This world is going to end soon anyway."

"What's wrong?

We have to hurry up."

"Rika-chama doesn't seem to be interested.

So much for friends.

She's so close to Satoko, but she won't even get off her butt to save her."

".........I never thought I'd hear you say something like that.

......You used to hate her so much.

Hee hee."

"What...?

Is your brain working alright?

Why would I hate Satoko?"

"......Never mind.

Fine, I'll come with you people.

I have nothing to do at home but drink until I pass out anyway."

"You're pissing me off...

Are you trying to make a fool out of me?"

"Stop it, Shii-chan.

You stop it too, Rika-chan.

Let's get together and save Satoko-chan.

I'm sure we can make a miracle happen if we work together.

But we need everyone to come together.

We can't leave any one of us behind.

We need you too, Rika-chan."

Something that Rena said must have given Rika-chan motivation.

I could see a slight sparkle in her eyes.

Rena had said something interesting...

She said that we could make a miracle happen.

It's the same thing I said when this world began.

At that time, I said I could make a miracle happen, but I didn't say how.

But Rena just clearly stated that.

"......We can make a miracle happen if we work together."

"Yes.

Miracles can happen when we work together."

"......And what if there is no miracle?"

"That means we haven't tried hard enough.

If we all do the best we can, a miracle will happen for sure."

"That's true.

Ryuugu-san is right.

People get stronger when they help each other.

You can overcome any obstacle when everyone works together."

"Yup.

Hinamizawa was fated to be submerged under water.

But 2,000 people got together and brought an end to that destiny."

"Bring an end...

to destiny..."

"As villagers of Hinamizawa, we all know that miracles do happen.

We'll win if we work hard together!"

"I think you have no choice but to come with us now, Rika-chama.

If you don't come, a miracle won't occur. Your absence will prevent it from happening."

......So, it's going to be my fault.

That's interesting.

A miracle is something that we can make happen.

But we need everyone's power to make that come true.

Destiny can be defeated. Fate can be escaped from.

This can happen with a miracle.

A miracle can happen if we unite.

"Rena told me yesterday.

You'll never come up with a solution if you think about everything by yourself.

We have to talk this out together.

Don't let fate get the better of you.

It's as fragile as a thin sheet of paper!"

How can he say that... without knowing how stubborn fate can be...

To me, a witch trapped within fate?

But for some reason, his words sounded very persuasive.

He easily changed my fate to play the fishing game.

In my previous life, Keiichi saved Rena from her devastating fate.

As fragile as a thin sheet of paper...?

He's saying that the world I've been struggling in for one hundred years is that easy to change?

.........Hee hee hee.

.........Keiichi had made a fool out of me.

"......Interesting.

......I'll go with you."

"That's more like you, Rika-chan!"

"Au...

......Rika...... are you sure...?"

Hanyuu looked at me with concern.

She wanted to warn me that I'll get hurt if I expect too much.

"I don't have any coins left to bet...

I don't have anything to lose.

This world is ending soon anyway.

......But it was the same in my previous life.

I thought all was lost when Rena took over the school.

But Keiichi turned everything around.

He's saying that fate is as fragile as a thin sheet of paper!

I've given up on this world anyway...... but I'm interested."

"Fate will betray you anyway......

I'll get hurt as I see it happen to you......"

"Don't worry... I'm not going to get depressed anymore.

I have no tears left to shed.

I know that they can't save Satoko no matter what happens.

That's why I'm doing this.

...It's the first time we've ever gone to the child consultation center."

"............Keiichi can't make any miracles happen."

Hanyuu spoke to me in a stern voice.

...Miracles are called miracles because they don't happen easily.

If it can happen at any time, it's not a miracle.

It's just something that was meant to be.

"I'm not expecting anything.

I'm just interested.

I'm curious how Keiichi is going to make his move after saying how easily he can change fate..."

"......Rika.

...Please don't hurt yourself anymore."

"That's none of your business.

Get out of here."

I wasn't expecting anything...

I was just trying to enjoy my last week alive, like watching a TV show.

But I had to admit I was possessed by a strange feeling...

...It was a little bit exhilarating.

I was nervous, as if anticipating something.

I had felt the same way when Keiichi remembered the memories from the past in my previous life.

I didn't have any coins left to make a bet.

But I knew what this feeling meant.

If I had a coin left in my heart, I would bet everything on this feeling.

"......If it doesn't work out after trying every option, we'll have no choice but to give up."

"There's no need for us to give up!

Satoko is going to be saved!

You had better prepare a clean blanket for Satoko!

She's coming back to you soon.

And I'd feel bad if she didn't have a soft bed waiting for her!"

"Hee hee hee, ahhhahahahahaha.

I like that, Keiichi.

Well then, let's go...

You might tear apart fate like a thin sheet of paper, after all."

"Yeah. Right now I feel like I could take on the ruler of Hell!!

I'm going to make them change their decision!"

I stood up from my seat.

......Keiichi is a very good speaker.

That's why I never get bored with him.

I've been with him for a hundred years, but he still keeps me entertained.

"We're going to the child consultation center now.

Do you want to come with us, Chie-sensei?"

"I'm going to talk to the board of education.

They're under same branch of government as the child consultation center.

It might help if I talked to them...

After all, I'm working for the public, too!"

"That's true.

They might listen to what you say."

"Let's have her take care of that while we take care of our business.

Let's fight them!"

"Alright!

Let's go, everybody!"

"""Yeeeeah!!"""

Even knowing that everything is doomed, part of me felt like something good might happen.

Hanyuu told me that it was only a waste of time.

I felt the same way until a few minutes ago...

But I had become much more interested.

I had no idea what would happen.

I wanted to see how Keiichi was planning to defeat this destiny.

I raised my fist in the air along with them and hurried to the exit.

As for Satoko... she didn't come to the school again today.

Teppei called the school and told them that she still has a fever.

He said that he's going to keep her home for a few days until she gets better.

Chie said that she thinks Teppei knows she called the child consultation center.

He must be worried that Satoko will rat him out if he lets her go to school.

I don't want to think about it, but it's possible that Satoko has visible bruises by now. That could also be why he won't let her go to school.

Everything was happening much earlier...

Satoko's situation was worsening earlier than it did in my previous lives...