"Sorry for interrupting your lunch time, but can I have your attention, please?"
My classmates looked at me with surprise.
I stood at the front of the room and banged on the blackboard.
I needed to get their attention.
"You can listen while you eat.
I want to talk about our classmate, Satoko Houjou!"
Everyone went quiet as soon as I brought up her name.
They all knew how bad of a situation Satoko was in.
Remembering what happened to her last year, they understood how critical it was that she get help as soon as possible.
Everyone was thinking they wanted to save Satoko if they could.
......But they hadn't done anything because they didn't know what they alone could do.
"I don't think there's need for me to explain what's going on with her.
As you all know, Satoko's been absent for three days in row.
It's been three days since she got kidnapped by her uncle!
He called the school and told them that she still has a cold, but I don't believe that!
She hasn't even visited the clinic in these past three days!
My classmates, think about this logically for a moment!
If she's really that sick, why would he not take her to the clinic for three whole days?"
"...It's hard to believe that she's been sick for that long, yeah..."
"...She might have the flu...
But if that's the case, she should be seeing a doctor..."
The whole class agreed that it was a bit strange.
Everyone had been thinking the same thing inside their hearts.
However, no one had really come forward and talked about it.
This was a good start.
"Just think about it! Satoko is the healthiest girl in this village!
She won't even get sick after eating food that's past the expiry date!
But now she somehow got sick all of a sudden and missed school for three days?
That's hard to believe, isn't it?
The answer is simple.
Her uncle is forcing her to stay home!
We've reported this case to the child consultation center.
However, they're putting it on hold!
We went there. But all they told us was that they can't talk about it due to privacy reasons.
What do you guys think about all this?"
"I think it's wrong!
We all know how her aunt and uncle were treating her last year.
Besides, Satoko-chan was living happily with Rika-chan!
It's wrong for him to force her to move out of there and keep her away from us!"
The sight of Rena letting her emotions speak for her, when she was normally so quiet, demonstrated most of all just how dire the situation was.
Rena brought an intensity to this that I couldn't, since I often yelled and shouted about things.
"Are we just going to leave things as they are?!
Satoko is our friend!!
She's our classmate!!
We've spent time together in this small classroom, and we're like family to each other!!
We learned together, we played together, we ate together, and we fought each other at times.
We've spent so much time together that our relationship is as tight as a family's!!
Should we neglect someone who's that precious to us?
Raise your hand if you want to neglect her!!!
I'm sure none of you want to do that.
No way!!
We must help Satoko!!"
Mutter mutter mutter mutter!!
The class was filled with commotion...
which is exactly what I was looking for!
The louder I talked, the louder my classmates got.
They were getting all fired-up!
The more I let my true colors show, the greater everyone's emotions became as well!!
"Our club is already making its move!
We're trying to figure out how we can save her.
Did you know that, Tomita-kun?"
"N-No!
That I did not...!!"
"Let me tell you what our plan is!
Don't worry, it's not something illegal.
We're trying to fight, but without breaking the rules!
In truth, nothing is more effective in society than taking an orthodox stand.
Playing underhanded and striking by surprise may seem more effective, but that's as insignificant as a jack-in-the-box!
A real, orthodox attack can punch through anything!!"
"...Yeah. I've heard that even in karate, a straightforward punch can deliver the greatest impact.
When you think about the physics a bit, it's only natural a straightforward, simple, head-on strike would hold the most power!"
"We're already doing the right thing by saving Satoko.
Therefore, there's no need for us to do anything underhanded to accomplish that!
We need to fight openly!!"
"So, who... who are we fighting against?!"
"That's a good question, Okamura-kun!
This is a fight, true.
However, we're not going to be violent with anyone.
We're following the rules.
This is the honest way to conduct a battle!
Before we go any further, let me get back to just how we're going to save Satoko.
This is the current situation.
Satoko is there.
Her uncle is locking her up inside the house.
.........Apparently, she had no obvious injuries as of yesterday, but we don't know for sure if she hasn't gotten hurt since then."
Besides, preventing her from going to school is already child abuse!
Check this out!
This is a brochure that Mion brought from the child consultation center!
It's written clearly in here.
Keeping a child away from school is abuse!!
On top of that, her uncle left Satoko on her own for a year.
That's considered neglect!
Neglect also counts as abuse!!
However, the child consultation center didn't even take that into consideration.
They ignored the fact that he neglected her for one year, and they believe that she hasn't come to school because she's sick!!
They concluded that Satoko is not being abused, because she had no obvious injuries at that point!
What do all of you think?!!
"Maebara-san!
This is a blatant case of child abuse!!
Just because she doesn't have any injuries doesn't prove that she's not getting abused!"
"I agree with him...!
How come they can't see it? It's so obvious!"
"From what Mion's heard from inside their office, two or three days isn't enough time to determine if abuse is taking place or not.
Apparently they can only recognize it as abuse after it has continued over several months or several years.
She says they have to evaluate the situation very carefully.
So, what do you all think about that?!!
Do you think keeping Satoko in that house for several months is a good idea?!"
"No way!!
No way!!!"
"Exactly. Absolutely no way!
The child consultation center has no idea how much danger Satoko is facing right now!!
They don't know how terrible it was for her last year!!
That's why they're just putting her case on hold!!
What would you do, Tomita-kun?!"
"Sir!
I think the issue here is that the child consultation center isn't grasping the urgency of her situation.
I think someone needs to go there and explain to them how serious this is!"
"Right.
It might be routine for them to wait and see what happens.
But in Satoko-chan's case, that's not applicable!
Her uncle was abusing her last year too!
He was taking out his stress on her!
After the death of her aunt, he left Satoko-chan all alone, and disappeared somewhere for an entire year!!"
"You know what?
We even have information that he disappeared because he tried to move in with his lover in Okinomiya.
What was Satoko doing while he left her?
She was fortunate because Rika-chan offered her a place to stay.
But what if Rika-chan wasn't there for her?!
She'd have had no choice but to try and survive on her own!!"
"Furthermore!
We also know that he came back to Hinamizawa because his lover disappeared somewhere.
In other words, she dumped him.
He had no choice but to come back to Hinamizawa, and he forced Satoko to live with him again!
Her neighbors have seen her doing the laundry, too.
The reason he took Satoko with him is clear!!
He took her so she could work as his slave!!!"
"How could anyone do something like that?!
Is there anyone in this classroom that would call such a rotten person a parent, after he spent a full year playing around with his mistress only to come waltzing back and throwing his weight around?!"
"No!!
No way!!!"
"Right. He's not her guardian!!!
But the child consultation center still calls him that!!
They claim that they'd have to go through family court in order to take away his parental rights!!!
Who has the right to decide whether he's good enough to be Satoko's guardian?!
It shouldn't be the court!!
It should be decided based on common sense!!
I can say this clearly!!
He is not Satoko's guardian!
We need to make that clear to the child consultation center!!!"
"The child consultation center is the only organization that can help Satoko before she's physically abused.
The police won't move unless it develops into a criminal case!!
But do you think that we're going to wait until Satoko becomes a victim!?"
"We can't just sit around until that happens!!
That's why we're going to make our move now!!
We hit the Okinomiya child consultation center yesterday!!
This is what they wrote down after we did: five classmates of Satoko Houjou made a visitation to request her protection.
Do you know what that means?!
Five classmates are not enough!!
We need your help! We need all of you!!!
This is your chance to do something meaningful in your life!!
If you don't help us, you're not our friends!!
All you have to do is support me!!!
I will do all the talking, and our club members are going to do all the fighting!!
We just want you guys to support us!!
If that's not enough, feel free to join the fight!!
Let them know the spirit of the Hinamizawa Branch School!!!"
"M-Maebara-kun...!
What is going on...?"
Chie-sensei looked into the classroom, the commotion having attracted her attention.
As soon as she tried to step inside the class, someone behind her stopped her.
"P, Principal...!"
"Ms. Chie.
......I would like to have some tea...
Would you make me a cup, please?"
It was a clear display of his intent not to disrupt Keiichi's speech.
"Are you sure...?
There are lots of young children in the class.
If they all go to the child consultation center, how can we explain it to their parents...?"
"......Chie."
"Furude-san... What is going on here?!"
"Everyone is trying so hard for Satoko's sake.
I can't do anything... so I need their help...
But I can at least try to stop you from stopping them...!"
Chie had never seen Rika staring at her with an expression like that.
She was surprised to see Rika looking so determined.
"Why would you want to stop them?"
"Principal...!"
"This is splendid, isn't it!
They should do what they can!!
I will take responsibility for whatever happens!!"
The principal pounded his own chest.
Chie-sensei couldn't object any longer.
"I understand...
Please make sure that no one gets hurt.
You all must follow the rules and mind your manners.
You have to promise me that!"
"...Thank you very much...!"
"I'm proud of you, Ms. Chie."
"My students are teaching me many lessons...
..........Yes.
I've made my decision.
My students are like my own children.
And what mother wouldn't protect her own children?!"
"All right!
Head back out as soon as you get home today, and meet us at the Okinomiya library!!
The child consultation center is on the first floor!!"
"Yeeeeah!!!"
"Wait!"
"Chie-sensei...!"
"Sensei... are you going to stop us...?!"
"Certainly not.
I truly understand your passion.
I'm going to support you, as long as you follow the rules!"
"Yeaaaah!!!"
"I'm coming with you to make sure you behave yourselves.
Is that okay?!"
"Yeaaaah!!!"
Alright, alright!
Here we go, here we go, we're all getting fired up!!
We headed for the library as soon as we got back home from school.
I'd expected that few kids wouldn't show up, but surprisingly, everyone came along.
I could tell just how driven they were.
It was also encouraging to have Chie-sensei there with us.
I had to admit I had been feeling a bit guilty for dragging everyone to the consultation center...
but as long as Chie-sensei was with us, I didn't need to feel that guilt!
"Maebara-san, please come to the counter..."
"Hello, I'm Maebara."
"How can we help you today...?"
"As I wrote on the registration form,
we came to tell you about the danger Satoko Houjou is in."
"Um, how many of you are here today...?
And how are you all related to her...?"
"We're Satoko's classmates and her teacher. There are twenty-seven of us."
"Well... our consultation room is not very large...
Can we ask just a few people to come inside as representatives...?"
"Then shouldn't you prepare a bigger room, like a meeting room?
I believe you should be arranging a room for us, not asking us to adjust to yours."
"...Er... please, just give us a moment..."
The receptionist seemed troubled.
She told us to head back to our seats, and started to make a phone call to someone.
"...Good job, Rena-san!
I consider myself a pro, and even I thought that threat was perfectly timed."
"Hau, are you trying to compliment me?"
Rena is good at reading other people's minds.
Sometimes she can use that talent against the enemy to intimidate them.
A strange atmosphere permeated the office.
It must have been the first time a whole class had visited on the behalf of one child. It was as though we were here for a school trip.
"Well, hello... I'm Harayama, the manager of this center.
Please take a seat."
"I'm sorry for bringing the whole class to your office.
I'm Chie, from the Hinamizawa Branch School.
We're here to talk with you today."
They were treating us so differently now that we had five times as many kids, plus one adult.
Instead of that small consultation room, they took us to a big meeting hall.
On top of that, the manager was there, alongside the woman from yesterday.
"I will let Maebara-kun do the talking."
Chie-sensei sat down at the far end of the table.
She was just here to look after us.
Besides, like I'd said, we were the ones who were going to fight.
It was fine if Chie-sensei just stayed there and watched us quietly.
"I'm Keiichi Maebara.
Nice to meet you."
"Well, I've heard that yesterday you visited us with five of your friends to present your valuable thoughts to us on Satoko Houjou-san's case.
Are you here on a different matter today?"
I hadn't expected that they would start the conversation.
What were they thinking?
"...I don't like how ambiguous this feels.
It feels like they're debating how to move, unsure if the fault lies with us or not."
"Kei-chan.
You should clearly tell them why we came here, and let them know that they're in the wrong."
My friends were analyzing the situation behind me.
It felt like I was having a meeting with the president of a foreign country.
...Actually, that wasn't far from the truth. I was sort of the prime minister.
I was representing the whole class. I needed to be polite, but stern!
"Alright, let's attack from this angle then.
...Kei-chan, tell them something like this.
Got it...?!"
Mion gave me her attack plan.
...This really is how Mion operates best.
If she's weak on defense, then I can bear the brunt with impudence...
...while Mion issues perfect orders from behind!
I took my friends' analyses and advice in consideration, and calmly opened my mouth.
"...No, first let me confirm something with you.
We've come here today to make sure what we came to convey yesterday was properly conveyed to you.
So I apologize if this seems rude, but could you please tell us how much you grasped from our conversation yesterday?
It's alright if that just means reading a memo aloud."
They became quiet for a second.
It might have only been a short time, but the silence felt much longer than that.
I could see the manager's expression turning serious.
...He thought he was just dealing with a social studies class, but suddenly his response changed to that of one dealing with a protest group of local citizens.
"...From my understanding, we've acknowledged that you came to appeal that Satoko Houjou-san is in an extreme situation meriting temporary protection from our agency, and that we should expedite our response.
I believe that our staff at the time explained that we are not taking her situation lightly, and are currently discussing the appropriate measures."
"So taking into consideration the fact that Satoko Houjou was suffering abuse from her uncle at this time last year, you still believe an urgent response is unnecessary?"
"Well, our organization has no confirmed records that Teppei Houjou-san was administering abuse at this time last year."
Mutter mutter mutter mutter!!!
"What?!
What the hell were you guys doing last year?!
She was being abused by both her aunt and uncle!!
Please don't tell us that you were only aware about the abuse from her aunt!!"
"Normally we don't talk about such private affairs, but under these special circumstances, I think it's acceptable to say.
We are aware that there was trouble between Satoko-san and her aunt Tamae-san; however, we have no record showing that her uncle was also involved in the abuse.
In fact, when we interviewed her neighbors, several mentioned Tamae-san's slight hysteric tendencies, but none ever brought up the name of her uncle, Teppei-san."
"We believe that's simply because his abuse didn't stand out under the shadow of her aunt's especially vicious nature.
We do not believe that constitutes evidence that her uncle was not abusing her as well."
"...I see. So you claim there was a likelihood that Teppei-san also inflicted abuse on the child at this time last year."
The manager and the staff beside him jotted that down with a pen, as if to show that that was their first time hearing the information.
"This is why we came here today.
We believe the child consultation center doesn't have a proper understanding of her present situation.
We believe you should be able to see how urgent this case is once you fully understand it!"
"I see. We're taking that into consideration.
Please allow us to do a more thorough investigation into Teppei-san."
"We mentioned this yesterday as well, but her uncle had abandoned his responsibilities as guardian for over a year.
We received no response on this information yesterday, but what is your organization's opinion on this matter?"
"Of course our office is aware that Teppei-san was absent from his residence for a year, and we have interviewed him on that matter."
"So what was his excuse?
I mean, you can't talk about it for privacy reasons, but if it convinced all of you, it must have justified leaving her alone for a whole year, right?"
"If you believe living with his mistress in Okinomiya is sufficient reason for abandoning his responsibilities for a full year, then we would like to receive that in writing."
"No... is that what happened?
He explained to us that he was forced to work away from home in order to raise Satoko-san, so this is our first time hearing that..."
What the hell?!
They just believed that crap?!
"If it's your first time hearing that, then you should also know Satoko-chan has been absent from school three days in a row now.
While he contacted the school yesterday to say she had a cold, the only hospital in the village, the Irie Clinic, has no records of her being examined.
What do you believe the proper response is for a guardian who refuses to take a child to the hospital when she's been bedridden with illness for three days in a row?"
"Well, we confirmed that she was absent one day, but three days in a row... is news to us as well...
However, our social worker met directly with Satoko-san and confirmed that the child in question denies the occurrence of abuse.
When we asked if she wished to continue living with Teppei-san, she answered in the affirmative..."
"So there's no abuse as long as she says so?"
"That's one of the more difficult aspects...
Whether the child herself feels she is suffering abuse or not is a very important factor.
It's much like the definition of bullying. While the bully may not believe they are bullying, it's bullying if the recipient believes it is."
"So you can't do anything unless she admits that she's being abused, and seeks your help herself?"
"No!
That's not quite how it works.
Our organization investigates the child's environment, and if we find any problems that might harm their lifestyle, we take appropriate action to protect them.
However, we don't believe Satoko-san's case has reached that level of danger at present."
No urgency at this point.
That was exactly how the child consultation center felt about Satoko's case.
Our classmates who had been watching the discussion burst into an uproar.
"How can you say something like that?!
What makes you believe that she's not in danger?!"
"First of all, Satoko-san denies the abuse, and not only that, she had no visible injuries either.
Also, she is being provided with shelter, food, and clothes.
We can't say that Teppei-san is not taking responsibility as her guardian.
Both of them seemed to have no complaints about their current living arrangements.
We believe that we do need to further discuss Teppei-san's past...
But unfortunately, we also believe that you and your friends are overreacting to this situation."
"O-Overreacting...?!"
"...Calm down, Keiichi-kun.
Let's not take it too personally..."
"Damn it... Why are they treating us like this...?!"
"Hmm...
They think that we're only acting this way based on what happened last year..."
I see...
The consultation center was assuming that this year's cases and last year's cases were two separate issues...
On top of that, Satoko was denying the abuse entirely...
"Teppei-san regrets the fact that he had to leave Satoko-san alone because of having to work for her sake.
He promised that he would stay with her from now on, and raise her lovingly."
Bang!!
I heard a loud noise.
Someone had just pounded the table.
Everyone, including the manager, was startled.
I figured it must have been Shion, but...
It was Rena.
Whoa... her face had turned as furious as a demon's...
"It's best for a child to live with their parents.
There are things you can only learn from the love of your family.
We've heard that Satoko-san was living with another minor for the past year, and has not been living under any adult.
This could greatly harm her future as she is a sensitive, growing child.
I'm sure that in your friendship with her, you all believe she may be happiest that way, but could you please give Satoko-san and Teppei-san the opportunity to restart their new life as uncle and niece, and watch over them kindly?"
"W... Weren't you listening to any of the things we said?!"
"You're saying that you're not going to help her unless Satoko asks for your help?!
How is she supposed to seek help if she's being locked inside her house?!
She can't even go outside or make a phone call!!
How can she seek help?!
We came here in her stead because she can't be here herself!!
But you're not even willing to listen to us!!"
"That's not what we're trying to say!
We will remember that over twenty of her classmates visited to talk about Satoko-san's case!
We'll take what happened today in consideration when we make further decisions about her case!"
"When are you going to make the decision?
Can you guarantee us that Satoko-chan won't get hurt before that decision is made?!"
"......If something happens to her, will you take responsibility?"
"If she gets even a single bruise on her body...
You're in huge trouble!!"
"Shion-san, that's enough."
"Please.
Tell us when you will make that decision."
"Th-That's right!!
How long is it going to take you?!"
"Like I said, we need to take the matter seriously, and make a careful decision.
In order to do so, we will continue to meet with the two of them, and investigate so that her and her father...
I mean, her uncle can have a better relationship.
Please wait and see what happens for a while...
We ask you to do so, for her sake."
"So that's your response... You're saying that it isn't urgent, even though we came here to tell you that it is..."
I was starting to get lost in what they were trying to say, but Rena's words made me realize everything.
We came here to tell them that they need to protect her right away...
But they clearly told us that they didn't see any reason to do so!
"We understand that there may be reason for urgency.
We will take your opinion into consideration, and make our decision.
I hope that will satisfy you..."
At first glance, it sounded like they were speaking humbly, but our insistence of the urgency to Satoko's situation was spinning their wheels.
They had no intention of meeting us halfway.
...Right, they are officials.
Plus, they have authority that can change the life of an individual like Satoko.
Considering that, being a little overcautious and carefully deliberating matters wasn't the wrong response for them, and I would've understood that if this wasn't so personal.
But in reality, Satoko had no time to spare.
......We could see that,
because we understood everything.
We knew how Satoko would reject me after I rubbed her head, because of the horrible abuse she got from her uncle...
That nightmare will come true in just a few days.
In that nightmare, I knew that I should save her, but I just wasted my time.
I wasn't going to make the same mistake.
I had to make a move immediately!!
"Maebara-kun...
Did you say everything that you wanted to?"
"Yes..."
"That's it for today.
Thank you very much for giving us this opportunity.
Everyone, please bow to them.
Class president, will you take the lead?"
"Thank you very much!"
"No, thank you for your valuable opinions."
"Thank you everyone!
Be careful on your way home!"
We all came back to Hinamizawa together, and it was time for us to part.
As the class president, Mion gave everyone the notice we were dismissed.
However, everyone stuck around to talk about what happened today.
We came back to Hinamizawa on our bikes, so we didn't really get to talk with each other.
Now that we'd gotten off of them, we finally got to say what we wanted.
"...This is the first time
that everyone in the class has gotten together and fought for someone like this."
"It reminds me of the dam conflict.
Everyone's feelings are united."
"That's true.
None of these kids participated in the conflict, even though they might remember it from when they were a baby."
"But what we did today was more polite than what they did in the dam conflict.
No one is bleeding, and there are no bombs or riot police!"
"......Unity is the best thing about Hinamizawa."
"That's true.
...This ol' man's blood is boiling for the first time in a while.
Heh heh heh!"
The people in Hinamizawa all got together to fight against the dam project.
...Everyone working together as a team means a lot to the villagers here.
"If there's one person coming, two should throw rocks at him. If there are two, four should do so. If there are four, then eight.
If there's a thousand, the whole village should stand up and fight."
"What's that?
A figure of speech?"
"It's something that our grandma used to say.
She was trying to tell the villagers to band together and fight."
"When there's one enemy, two should fight together, and when there are a thousand, the whole village should fight together...
I see...
She wanted the villagers to unite and defeat their enemies."
"It means more than that.
Uniting to fight together is one thing, but it also means the whole village should unite and fight for the sake of an individual.
Its real meaning is that everyone should share that individual's pain, sympathize with them, and fight for them too."
"Wow...
that sounds very similar to what's happening right now."
"In other words, the battle that we're fighting now represents Hinamizawa as a whole.
I see...
Everyone supported me not because they were impressed by my speech, but because it's their nature to unite like that!"
The classmates were all still sticking around and discussing the issues surrounding Satoko.
For some of them, this was like a return of the dam conflict, and also a big chance for those who never experienced it.
It almost felt like a festival.
Most of them thought that we didn't make much progress today, though.
"Maebara-san, Maebara-san!
So their conclusion is that they're not going to save Houjou-san, right?"
"Their answer wasn't that bad, but... you're right in the sense that they'll watch her suffer."
"I live close to him, so I know what kind of guy that uncle is!
He's not normal!"
"We've figured out that the people at the child consultation center don't understand anything...!
But we just can't give up after today, either!"
Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun seemed serious.
They weren't just supporting me.
They wanted to make a move themselves.
"We're going to have to work hard to save Houjou-san!"
""Yeah, yeah!""
""I agree!""
It's hard to believe that these are the same innocent kids who are always running around the school.
...I'm really happy to see them so motivated.
"Of course we are!!
Satoko is our friend. We are going to save her!
So please lend us your support again!!!"
"No, Maebara-san!
This is our responsibility as her classmates!
We're not fighting because you're asking us to!
We're doing this because we want to!"
"I'm impressed to hear that from you, Tomita-kun!
Shall we go there again tomorrow?"
"I don't think we should take any days off."
"Consistency is important.
I agree with Rena-san."
"But it's only going to end with the same result if we go there with the same people again...
I think today was more effective because we were there with more people."
"Then shall we go there with even more people tomorrow, shall we?!"
Rena turned back towards everyone as she spoke.
We all understood what she was trying to say.
Not all children from Hinamizawa go to the Hinamizawa Branch School.
Around half of them go to the school in Okinomiya.
Those children are not our classmates, but they're still our friends from around the neighborhood.
Hinamizawa is a small village, after all.
They know Satoko as well as we do, and they also know what's going on with her right now.
Rumors spread at the speed of light in Hinamizawa...
I can tell that by now, everyone in the village knows about my embarrassing history of undergoing punishments...
"I'll talk to Daisuke when I go home...
I bet he'd come with us."
"I'll call my friends when I get back home too.
The school in Okinomiya isn't that far from the library..."
"That's a good idea!
Let's go! Let's do it!!"
"This is turning out well.
I think we can get at least ten more people on our side.
I'll try reaching out to a few of the old members of the kid's club too.
I think I can get at least three of them to come with us..."
"I'll ask my friends from cram school too.
...But none of them know about Satoko or her situation. They're just friends of mine, so it'll only be about four people."
"Do you think it might be difficult to get other adults involved?"
"......Weeeeell...
The people on the town council don't want to have anything to do with the Houjou family..."
"Because of what happened during the dam conflict?
...How about older people?
Can't you get old people on our side, Rika-chan?"
"......Older people are bitter toward Satoko..."
"People who believe in the curse of Oyashiro-sama really think that the Houjou-family deserves what they get."
"So we can only get more children, but no adults...
How many of us will there be?"
"At this rate, there are going to be about seventeen more children.
I don't know if they will all make it, but hopefully there will be more than forty of us."
"......Forty people. I'm impressed, Keiichi..."
"You think forty is enough, Rika-chan?"
"......What?"
I grinned and tapped Rika-chan's chest.
"It's not enough!!
Forty is not enough to knock out those stubborn people...
We need at least twenty more...!"
"I'm sure sixty people would intimidate them...
But where can we get that much help?"
"Heh heh heh... You have no idea...
My name is Keiichi Maebara!
If I say I'm going to accomplish something, I will!"
"So that's the whole story, Kameda-kun.
We're going to launch our third attack tomorrow evening.
Will you help us...?"
"...I don't want to reject your request, K.
We ate that jumbo parfait together.
That was our vow as sworn brothers!
I want to help you, K!
But
... tomorrow is not a good day...!!"
"Whaaaat?!
Why is that, Kameda?!
You can't lend a hand to this poor, innocent girl?! Where's your pride as a two dimensional warrior?!
You deserve a beating! Clench those teeth!!!"
"Ugh! Urrr! Agh! Urgh!!
Wait a minute, K-san!
Please listen to me!!
I would help her if it wasn't tomorrow.
Of course I love ****-chested ********** school maids, and normally I'd be happy to even lick Satoko-chan's socks, hahh hahh!!
But, but I just can't tomorroooow!!!"
"You bastard!!!
Tell me, Kameda!!
I'll knock at least three of your teeth out even if you can't make it because of your parents' funeral!"
"I can't come tomorrow because...
Tomorrow is the Dessert Fiesta here at Angel Mort!!"
"Wh............
What did you say...?"
"It's the Dessert Fiesta, K-san!
It's
THE
Dessert
Fiesta
of Angel
Mort!!
It gets bonus points for using the hiragana for 'Fiesta'.
I actually won an admission ticket!!
I'm not going to invite anyone but you!!
Let's go and pig out on those sweet girls, I mean... cakes!!"
"ATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAAAAA!!!"
"Ugh, gyaah, gough, hyaah!!
Please, K-san!!
I will help you the day after tomorrow!
So please let me go to the Fiesta tomorrow!!
Please, I'm begging you!"
"K-Keiichi-kun...
I think you should let him go for tomorrow..."
"No I can't!!
I can't let him go!!
Kameda! You've dared to weigh cakes against a real little girl!!
You only gain the right to eat cake when you can save the girl!
For starters, you don't have any understanding of how good Satoko is!!
Listen, Satoko's charm is that which seems tsuntsun at first glance, but as you set off her flags, she grows deredere. She's a classic tsundere!
You should understand that the greatest appeal of a tsundere lies in the gap between her tsun and dere!
Normally she's all tsuntsun without an ounce of eroticism, but once you flip her switch, suddenly she's deredere!!
That gap between her on/off states is her charm!!
She's just like the first and last half of 'Higurashi's' plot itself!
In other words, Satoko is the true Miss Higurashi!!
On top of that, she has the added spice of the little sister element that's growing standard now, as well as being a sou-uke! She's the new generation of heroine, with a perfect level of rebellious spirit making her grand descent into this world overflowing with romantically dependent heroines!!
You want to know how amazing her advent is?! She's as incredible as a blonde princess alighting in an open field!
But she's not a goddess, so don't go spouting, 'upload, upload' or 'pass plz'!
If you can't understand her appeal, then what are you?! Where's your pride as a 2D warrior?!!
What? Would you dare to say you're moving to fake-3D now with the increases in polygon count?!
You're a century too early! Our progenitors from the age when heroines were displayed in 256bit with eight colors... They found love and moe there, evolving their emotions to an even higher dimension!
None of that was to escape into the 2D world! It was an evolution of love derived from their love of real women!!
The statue of Venus and the Mona Lisa are all the epitome of our progenitors' feelings of moe!
By the way, I think the girl with the fewest pixels was K* from Dr*aga...
Young people nowadays probably can't even tell that she's a girl.
Oh, by the way, the princess of Drag*n B*ster was also amazing... She was wearing a short skirt and a crown, and she had a scepter. She even changed into a swimsuit and a bunny girl outfit!
Am I the only one who thinks she's the oldest cosplaying heroine in the history of Japanese arcade games?!
It's amazing that I was able to play those games for only fifty yen!
But remember! We found our feelings of moe in the beautiful girls that lay beyond that 16x16 pixel art!!
...Yes, we 2D Warriors search for the truth behind those walls of pixels and polygons, seeking their true form!!
So how could you say you would choose those pixels and polygons over a real live little girl that exists without those walls between you?!!
That proves you've lost sight of your goal, and settled for half-measures!
2D Warriors do not deny the 3D! They're a new generation of 3D Warriors who love 3D even more, trying to express that in detail through 2D symbols!!
Though calling it 2D is bad when it's elevated above 3D.
You may get confused, because 'two' sounds inferior!
That's why Micros*ft named their console 'Xb*x 360', because 'Xb*x 2' would sound inferior to 'Pl*ystation 3'!!
Anyway, all I want to say is this!!
Which console is going to get R*sident Ev*l and Met*l Ge*r?!!
By the way, the new De*d or Al*ve is coming out too, right?
Is it true that Zack is made out of the same number of polygons as the female characters' breasts?
Anyway, forget about that, and buckle down to save the real little girl, Kamedaaaaaa!!!"
"I'm sorry! I was wrong!!
What was I thinking...? What have I done...!!"
"It's okay, Kameda.
Mistakes are there so you can realize you made them.
You just realized your mistake, and became a better man!!
Take my hand!
The door to the next millennium is right in front of yoooouuu!!!"
"Keiichi-kun and Kameda-kun seem to be having lots of fun... I have no idea what they're talking about."
"Don't bother, don't bother!"
"I got it, K...
On my honor as a man, I will help you save that girl...
They have Dessert Fiestas four times a year...
So what if I miss one of them?
It's not a big deal..."
"......He seems so down.
Meep."
"By the way, Mion.
You said you were going to give me three years' worth of Dessert Fiesta admissions as a reward for the auction, right?
I'll give you one year admission if you help me, Kameda-kun."
"No thank you, K!
I'm a man.
I'd be ashamed of myself if I was saving this girl because I was getting a reward!"
"Shii-chan... do you think we can do something for him? Do you?"
"Hmmm... How about this?
I'll remove his name from the blacklist."
"Blacklist?
What's that?"
"Normal customers don't know about this, huh...?
There are customers that cause trouble in this restaurant sometimes...
Whenever they do something wrong, their name gets written on the blacklist. Once their name gets written down enough times, they're no longer allowed to enter the restaurant."
"Ah hah hah hah! Stop it now! I'm an Angel Mort Master, I would never behave so unmannered as to get myself on such a blacklist!"
"...You touched a waitress improperly twice,
called a waitress just to talk with her,
and sold tickets outside of the restaurant...
You'll be forbidden from entering after one more transgression."
"No waaaaaay!!
I can't believe this!
That's horrible!
If I can't come to Angel Mort, I'll have no reason to live!"
"However, I'm impressed that you're so willing to save Satoko.
I'll erase your name from this list as a reward."
"Thank you so much! Thank you so much!!"
"Hey Mii-chan... Does that blacklist really exist?"
"This ol' man has no idea~"
"Kameda-kun, thank you!
Let me know if you can't get a ticket for the next Dessert Fiesta!
I'll invite you!"
"K!!!"
Hug!!
We reaffirmed our strong friendship...
"I'll see you tomorrow.
I'll bring my baseball team members with me.
I should be able to get at least ten people.
It sounds like her uncle is a really crazy guy.
Wouldn't it be faster to just kick his ass rather than going to the child consultation center?"
"We can't do that. Otherwise, he'd take revenge on Satoko-chan."
"...I see.
Of course, we can't commit murder either...
All right.
Let's do it the right way.
We don't want to get arrested by the police."
"Ten people is still not enough...
Do you think you can get more people from somewhere?"
"Heh heh heh... You need more people, huh?
Let me take care of it."
Kameda grinned at me, then suddenly stood up and shouted.
"Hey, you guys! You heard everything, didn't you?
For those who have a ticket for tomorrow, I'm not going to force you.
But if you're free, give us a hand!!"
Everyone in the restaurant looked at him.
There were a lot of people around...
The Dessert Fiesta is tomorrow, so shouldn't today have been just a normal day?
"You're not wrong.
But the people who missed out on tickets for the Dessert Fiesta are here today.
All these guys are...
regulars.
I don't know their names, but we see each other all the time in this restaurant!
What did you think about his story, guys?"
"The longer I listen to it, the more upset I get.
Isn't that right, my comrades?"
"Locking a real girl up...? I want to do that... I mean, I can't allow that to continue!"
"I will punish any guy who can't be nice to a girl!"
"He can do it in his imagination, but it's unacceptable in the real world!!"
"Tell us to come with you, K!
We admire your hunger!!"
"The Okinomiya Squadron is prepared to enact a rescue operation!
Please give us the order to attack!!"
"This is Operation Satoko!
Your mission starts tomorrow evening!
Make sure your clock is on time and your will is written. This may be the day you die!!"
""Allriiiiiight!!!""
"I-I'm sorry, you guys...!
Thank you for your help...... You don't even know her...!!"
"We can't abandon her just because of a tiny thing like that!!"
"Besides, we know very much about Princess Satoko.
My fellows and I enjoy indulging in the warm sentiments that fill our hearts when the young lady fails to notice a bit of cream stuck to her chin!
Therefore, this is a personal matter for us as well!"
"All right, you guys!!!
I'm going to rely on you!!
You need to back me up, okay?!
Be ready to fight tomorrow evening!!"
"""Yeeeeeeah!!!"""
"K!!
K!!
KAAAAAYYY!!!"
"K-Keiichi-kun is such a popular guy..."
"He's popular with the town council too...
He seems to be popular in the most unexpected places...
Lots of other people seem to respect him, too."
"Some of the waitresses here are also concerned about Satoko... They said they want to come and support us when they're off."
"Wow...
I guess we have about sixty people now.
We might get even more than that..."
".........So, is this the power to defeat fate...?"