The child consultation center had finally contacted Satoko's uncle after finding out she was missing from school for three days in a row.

I'm sure it was because of our efforts that Satoko was able to come to school today.

However, we couldn't really celebrate after seeing her painful expression.

"Satoko... We were so worried about you...!"

"Are you sure nothing happened to you these past three days?"

"...I really did have a fever the whole time.

...I am sorry for making you all worry..."

She started telling us why she hadn't been at school.

...Nobody had even asked her that.

"......Her uncle must have told her to say that to everyone.

It's so painful to see her like this..."

Rena seemed more angry than sad.

...Inside, I felt the same way.

It felt like my anger was boiling up and lodging painfully in my throat.

He was only letting Satoko come to school because he was now certain that she wouldn't do anything that would put him at a disadvantage.

...He was treating her like a tamed animal.

...Was... was it too late already...?

I thought of the broken Satoko I once saw in my imaginary world...

"Satoko.

.........Do your best, okay?"

"...Of course I will.

I'm doing well... even though Nii-nii isn't here with me..."

I slowly... reached out my hand

toward her head.

"As a reward for you doing your best... I'll... pat your head.

Do you mind...?"

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

She didn't reply, but she didn't refuse either.

I slowly

put my hand on her head.

She didn't react to it, but... a tear rolled down from her eye all of a sudden.

Was she crying because she didn't want to be touched?

...No... that wasn't it.

Rather, it was the opposite.

If I stopped patting her head, I'd hurt her feelings.

Satoko felt obligated to survive without her Nii-nii.

But that didn't mean she didn't want anyone else's help.

She couldn't appreciate my patting her head openly.

...Satoko had no choice but to cry in silence.

"Satoko-chan...

We won't tell anyone if you cry right now..."

And after Rena said that, Satoko started crying like a baby.

I felt relieved, knowing that it wasn't too late.

She hadn't yet suffered from the fatal emotional wound that I saw in my imaginary world.

However, her tears made it clear that I needed to save her as soon as possible, no matter what the whole world might say to me.

"...Satoko...... Everyone is going to help save you.

I promise you that."

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

"Satoko...

We weren't just doing nothing for these past three days.

Right, Kei-chan?"

"Right. We're making an appeal to the child consultation center.

We're asking them to save you from your horrible uncle...!"

"......You don't... have to do that for me..."

"It's not just us.

Right, Tomita-kun?"

"It's not just me either.

Okamura and the whole class are fighting for you!"

"That's right!

We all went to the child consultation center together!

We're going today too!

Right, Maebara-san?"

"Yup!

We're not going to give up until we save you!"

All the boys and girls in the class answered my call with their cheers.

Satoko seemed a little surprised, but then soon became expressionless again.

"Is that why the social worker came to my house...?

That really wasn't necessary of you..."

"Satoko... Did he hurt you because of that..?!"

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

She wouldn't answer.

I couldn't tell what that silence really meant.

Soon after, Chie-sensei entered the classroom. She must have heard the noise we were making.

"Houjou-san!

Are you feeling better now?"

We didn't know for sure if she was really sick or not.

All of us, including Chie-sensei, were feeling the same thing.

"Yes.

...I am fine.

I'm sorry for worrying you.

Everything is all right now."

"Will you...

be attending school regularly from now on...?"

"Yes.

...You don't... have to continue worrying about me...

You don't have to... talk to any more social workers."

"Houjou-san...

If you feel overwhelmed, you can come stay with me.

I'm on your side, okay?

You are welcome at my house any time."

"Hey, Chie-sensei! Don't act like you're the only one who can help her!

Satoko, we're all on your side here!"

"That's right.

You can come to my apartment too.

We have an extra room, so you can use it as your own!"

"......She can't do that.

Satoko is my pet. She has to come back to my house.

Nipah~☆"

"See...?

You're not alone.

Everyone is trying so hard to save you...!"

But...

I don't know if people at the child consultation center will ever understand how we feel.

If what Ooishi-san told me yesterday was true,

...then once they learn this isn't the will of all Hinamizawa,

once they learn it's only her classmates creating a stir, they might harden their stance against us.

All we had planned was to go there with more people and ask for the same thing.

The child consultation center was going to say the same thing to us, too.

It wasn't going to be any different from yesterday.

They'd tell us that it's only normal for her uncle to take care of Satoko, because he's legally her guardian.

They'd also tell us that there's no proof of any abuse happening.

...And why do they think that?

Because Satoko won't admit she's being abused.

"...I appreciate your kindness...

But I'm fine..."

"That's a lie."

Rena spoke with a smile, but her words cut sharp.

"You're not okay, Satoko-chan.

You're not fooling us well enough.

All of us here and many more people know that you are in pain right now.

That's why we're doing our best to stand up and help you.

We're reaching out our hands so we can save you from your struggle.

.........But we can't save you without you helping too!"

"She's right, Satoko.

No matter what we say to the center,

they'll tell us that there's no abuse because you're denying that it's happening.

We all want to help you,

but we can't if you don't accept our help...!"

"I understand... I was just like you once...

I thought no one could help me.

I thought whatever I was doing was the only thing I could do.

That's why I didn't even accept my friends' help.

But someone taught me something. I can't even remember who it was... but someone taught me something!

The world you want most is right in front of you.

But you won't get there unless you take our hands!

It doesn't mean anything if we're the only ones reaching out.

Satoko-chan!

You have to reach your hand to us too!

We can take each others' hands and return to the world we wish for!"

".........Rena...

...Who told you that...?"

"Aha ha... I don't remember...

I think I heard it before I went to kindergarten.

I can't remember who told me that...

But I can still clearly remember that feeling.

I'm here because of what that person taught me."

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

"I agree...

Whoever it was who taught that to Rena, he wasn't wrong.

Satoko, do you think it's better not to ask for help?

You think that's the best thing you can do.

But you're wrong about that!!

Look at yourself in the mirror. Is that the face you want to wear?!

I'm sure it's not!

You don't want any part of this world!

We can bring you back to the world you want to live in!

We're reaching our hands out.

Those hands are almost touching you...!

But we just can't reach far enough.

If we could, we'd pull you by the hair to get you out of this mess!!

But we can't make it!

So you have to reach out your hand too!

Our hands are right here!

They're right in front of your nose!

So take them!

If you'd just reach out your hand, we could pull you up into a happier world!"

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

Satoko wouldn't reach out her hand...

She just stared at mine as though praying for something.

Her fingers were shaking,

but Satoko wouldn't try to reach her hand toward mine...

I felt like screaming out in anger, but I didn't want to scare her.

If I did that, she'd never trust me again.

...All I could do...

was to wait for her to reach out her hand...

"......Thank you very much.

...Really, I do appreciate it.

......But...

...I really am perfectly fine.

...I really... ugh......"

"...S...... Satoko..."

"......She needs... more time..."

Satoko needed time to sort out her feelings.

But her time limit was getting closer and closer...

It was unfortunate that Satoko didn't even realize that herself.

The next moment, we heard someone approaching our classroom.

By the sound of the footsteps, we could tell that it was the principal.

And so, I couldn't tell why Satoko was twitching like she just got electrocuted.

The door quickly opened and the principal strode inside.

He seemed relieved to see Satoko back in school.

However, Satoko reacted both dramatically

and bizarrely...

She let out an inexplicable scream, ran to the back of the classroom, and hid behind the curtain.

No one in the classroom could understand her actions.

We never even considered that it was because the principal had entered the room.

The principal, however, realized it immediately.

Satoko was scared to see him.

"H...

Houjou-kun, is everything all right?"

He spoke in a kind voice, but Satoko was still afraid.

It was plain as day to all of us that Satoko was frightened at the sight of the principal, but none of us could understand why.

"A-Are you okay, Satoko...?

You don't need to be afraid!

We're all on your side!"

"My uncle is... my uncle is here...!"

Everyone here thought for sure that Satoko's uncle had shown up to get her.

We all rose up at once, shielded Satoko in a circle, and searched the surroundings.

I had yet to see her uncle's face, but we were in school now.

If someone unfamiliar showed up, I could spot him immediately.

If he tried to force Satoko to leave...

then forget everything else.

I'd end the fight right here!

Mion and Shion are thinking the same thing.

However, while Satoko remained frightened, we couldn't find any sight of her uncle.

...Satoko was trembling as if he was already here inside our classroom,

but there was no sight of him.

Finally... I realized the truth.

Satoko was frightened by the figure of the principal.

I could understand that she'd be scared of his footsteps, but she was still terrified after he showed his face.

This was not normal.

...It was made clear to me how much stress Satoko was dealing with.

Rika-chan hushed Satoko and whispered into her ear.

"...It's okay. Your uncle isn't here.

Your mean uncle isn't here..."

"But he's right there!

My uncle is there!!

He's come to take me back home!!"

"Calm down, Satoko...

Did you take your shot today...?"

"My uncle... my uncle is here...!!

Waaaaaaaaaaah! Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!!

Nii-nii, Nii-nii!!"

"Her shot...?

What are you talking about, Rika-chan?"

"...Keiichi. She needs Irie's help.

Just tell him that Satoko is in an emergency.

Hurry up!!

Chie, let's take her to the nurse's office...!!"

"What's wrong, Satoko-chan?!

Satoko-chan!!"

"Let's call the Coach!!

She needs to see a doctor!

Does anyone have his number?!"

"I do!!

Let's go use the phone in the teacher's office!"

I headed to the nurse's office after I asked Mion to make a phone call to the doctor.

There were lots of students surrounding the office.

Chie-sensei was forcing out the other kids who had entered the room with them.

I snuck behind her and entered it myself.

Satoko was lying down on the bed, still shaking with fear.

Rena and Rika-chan were there with her and were trying to calm her down.

...I spoke quietly so as not to scare Satoko.

"Is she okay...?

What's going on with her...?"

"Umm...

I don't really know... but she's very scared... She thought the principal was her uncle..."

Hearing that made it easier to understand... but it was still hard to believe.

He had been right in front of us, and had spoken to her in such a kind voice.

It was really hard to believe that she couldn't tell that it was the principal...

"......When there's a dark spot on the wall, what does it look like to you?"

"What?"

"......People who hate flies will think it's a fly.

It may look like a spider or cockroach if that's what you hate.

People tend to sense something they don't like when they can't really tell what that something is."

"She thought of her uncle...... when she heard the principal's footsteps?"

"But... she was still scared even after he showed up..."

"...The illness Satoko has prevents her from correcting those misassumptions easily."

What does she mean, illness...?

I tried to ask Rika-chan that, but Satoko was becoming even more frightened.

Rika-chan held her hand gently and tried to calm her down.

Rena tapped my shoulder.

She was indicating to me that we should leave Rika-chan and Satoko alone in the room.

I agreed with her. Satoko was in tremendous shock...

"We're going back to the classroom for now..."

"......Yes, please do."

Rena and I left the nurse's office.

My classmates were still asking Chie-sensei about Satoko's condition.

As soon as they saw me, they walked over and asked how she was.

"Let's leave it up to Rika-chan for now.

Satoko is very frightened.

Please don't do anything to make her afraid.

She will only get more scared if we continue to make this much noise."

"Let's go back to the classroom.

Coach will be here soon, and he'll take care of her.

You called him, right, Mii-chan?"

"Yeah.

He'll be here right away.

He said to let Rika-chan take care of her...

and not to let her out of the nurse's office..."

"Get back to the class, everyone!

We're going to start homeroom!"

While the teacher took our attendance, a car arrived on the school premises.

Everyone's attention was drawn to it.

Three people with white gowns came out of the vehicle.

Irie ran into the school in a hurry.

We were surprised to see three people show up.

It made us all worry that Satoko was in worse shape than we'd realized...

Chie-sensei felt the same way.

She left the class to Mion, and hurried to the nurse's office.

Despite our worries, Satoko returned to the classroom about ten minutes later.

She was still as depressed as she was in the morning, but she was no longer in a state of panic.

"...Satoko!

Are you okay now?

I think you should rest some more!"

"I'm sorry for scaring you...

I'm fine now..."

"Satoko-chan..."

Satoko seemed bothered by the way we were worrying about her.

Chie-sensei also returned to the classroom. At the same time, I snuck out so I could talk to Irie and his staff.

I saw him talking with Rika-chan.

"...Coach...

Is Satoko really okay...?!"

"Maebara-san.

...Yes, she's fine for now.

We should keep an eye on her, though."

"......It was just a little panic attack.

She's all good now."

"Just a little panic attack? Are you sure...?

You were saying that Satoko has some kind of illness..."

"...Well, I should be going.

Please call me if anything happens."

Coach bowed and left without making any comment.

It was like he was avoiding my question about Satoko's condition...

"Keiichi...

Can you promise to keep a secret?"

"What?

Oh...

sure."

"Satoko's been sick since a few years ago...

She's been getting treatment for that illness for a long time."

It was surprising to hear that.

That meant she was already sick when I first met her.

I'd never seen any sign of that, though.

"That disease can't be cured easily...

But she can live a normal life as long as she gets proper treatment and medication."

"I see...

It sounds like it's under control.

I had no idea that she was sick until you just told me about it.

She should be fine, right?"

She was hardly in a good condition, so that makes me hesitant to use the word 'fine'.

What kind of disease could Satoko have...?

Based on what I saw earlier, she might have a mental illness rather than a physical one...

It might be because of how she was abused in the past...

I've heard that mental trauma is not easy to cure, and it needs medical attention at times.

......That must be what's going on with her.

"......Satoko has to take two shots every day.

Since her uncle was bullying her, she forgot to take her shot this morning."

"You mean... Satoko becomes emotionally unstable...

if she doesn't take those shots?"

Rika-chan nodded quietly.

Really, it was quite a shock.

The Satoko I know is an energetic and mischievous girl who is always bouncing around like a super ball.

I couldn't believe that she'd turn into a scared little animal just by forgetting to take a shot...

"She becomes very afraid when she doesn't get her shots.

...When something happens suddenly, or when she hears a strange noise or sees something unusual, she feels like they're things that are coming to harm her."

"So... she thought her uncle came to the school when she heard the principal's footsteps..."

"That's right.

Once she convinced herself that the footsteps belonged to her uncle, that became the truth for her.

Even after she saw the principal's face, her mind told her that it was her uncle."

"You said she can't organize information quickly enough...

Is that what her illness is all about?

I don't even want to know what the disease is called...

I feel so bad for her...

I had no clue that she'd been fighting this condition for so long... that poor girl..."

"Keiichi...

Please don't tell Satoko anything about her illness."

Why not...?

I guess I shouldn't ask...

It might not be a nice thing to talk to her about her mental illness.

I guess that's what she's trying to tell me...

"She came back to the classroom, but is she okay now?"

"Irie gave her an injection, so she's all right for now."

She's seriously sick to the point where she requires a doctor's attention...

I realized something in the next moment.

"Hey... Maybe we can have her be hospitalized..."

We can force her to stay in a hospital even if she refuses.

That way, we can save her from her uncle.

Yes, that's a great idea.

"Irie suggested that before...

But Satoko refused."

"It's not about her refusing or not.

If the doctor tells her to stay..."

".........Keiichi.

If Satoko doesn't go back home... her uncle is going to get rid of her Nii-nii's room."

"Wh,

what...?"

"......Satoko feels obligated to protect the Houjou residence until Satoshi comes home."

He was taking advantage of her...?

Teppei was telling her that he'd get rid of Satoshi's room if she didn't stay with him...?

"......Tha... that's horrible...!!"

"Please don't tell anyone about this...

Shii is not good at controlling herself, so she might get very angry about this."

She brought up Shion, but I was also furious about it.

I had to calm down, though.

I needed everyone's help in order to save Satoko.

I couldn't ruin everything by acting foolishly.

I had no time to stop.

"Damn it!

If Satoko asked us for help, we could help her right away!"

Just because she hadn't asked didn't mean she didn't need it! As her friends, we had to help her!

Especially after learning that he was controlling her by threatening to get rid of Satoshi's room!

"She told you that he's threatening her, right?

Can't we take that as an SOS?"

Rika-chan nodded slightly.

"Keiichi...

We don't have much time left..."

That, I was all too aware of.

She had a panic attack just because she didn't take her shot this morning...

But if she stayed in her current environment, it'd be too late to save her in a matter of days.

...I saw her future when I saw Satoko crying behind the curtain this morning...

"This is the third day.

We have ten times more people on our side than we had on the first day... but we're not going to stop there!!"

"...Keiichi.

It won't be that easy to save Satoko.

.........I've tried many times before, but never succeeded."

"Really...?"

".........You don't remember...

...But you're different this time...

I think you're getting very close to saving her.

...I believe that you're someone who can defeat fate."

What did she mean when she said I didn't remember?

I didn't have time to ask questions, though.

"Yeah.

You're right!

I'll defeat fate. Just watch me!"