"So, they refused...!?"

"Yes.

I got a call from the local government section.

The child consultation center has no intention of listening to us.

They're still trying to do what they can, but we don't have much time.

I even told them that we have no time to spare!"

The mayor came to the school before noon to explain to us what went down with the officials.

We had all gathered in the teachers' office to meet with him.

"Wow~

I don't know the head of the center personally, but he's a pretty tough guy to go against the will of Hinamizawa."

"He used to work for the prefecture, so he's not familiar with the town council here.

He's not treating this like it's a big deal."

"He's kind of stupid.

This isn't any ordinary village he's up against. This is Hinamizawa!"

"......What a sad guy."

"We'll just have to fight them.

I spoke with the other council members, and we all agreed that we can't stay quiet anymore.

After all, we can't just nod our heads in defeat and back down after I put our name out there!"

"We'll be heading to the consultation center after this ourselves."

"Okay.

I'll get right on arranging for the town council to send some people too.

I'm about to go consult Oryou-san on how to handle this."

"This isn't like with the dam conflict, though. It's an ordinary Saturday.

Isn't it going to be difficult to get people to go?"

"Don't worry. Kei-chan. This isn't a city.

People are out there farming every day of the week.

Whether it's a Saturday or a Tuesday doesn't really matter to them.

It won't be that difficult to find people who are willing to help out."

I see.

I tend to think of adults as people who work at big companies.

But this is Hinamizawa.

I almost forgot about that.

"The regular government offices usually close at noon on Saturdays, but the child consultation center is open until 3 PM.

Can we all be there at one?

I can't promise you how many people I'll be able to bring along, though..."

"It doesn't matter how many people we get, as long as we get people.

Thank you for your help!"

"I'm so glad that more adults are involved now!"

"Yeah.

This is going to make a huge difference."

"......The number of people we get will depend on what Oryou says."

"That's true.

We'll see how serious she is about helping us based on how many people show up."

"If the hag's in as a good a mood as my mother says, then... we might get about thirty people.

From both the staff and the youth group.

I think that's a fair guess."

"Thirty adults plus ten children...

It sounds better than yesterday!"

"I'm coming too!

I'll bring my megaphone."

"Yes!

Your legendary megaphone!

I thought it was broken."

"That's the one I used to have.

The riot squad broke it.

Ah, the memories... I can feel the spirit of Onigafuchi making my blood boil!"

"......It seems like we're going to be holding a festival on the day before Watanagashi too.

To the consultation center!"

"I wonder if they're still going to tell us that there's no evidence of abuse just because she hasn't admitted to it yet..."

"That's pretty likely.

......How are things on your end, Rika-chan?

Were you able to persuade Satoko to seek help...?"

".........I did my best...

It's all up to her now."

"I wish Satoko would stop being so stubborn..."

"Sis...

There are both times one should and shouldn't be stubborn.

I can understand how Satoko must feel."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it that way..."

"She might not want any help from us.

But we wouldn't be her real friends if we couldn't see how scared she is."

"I agree.

It'd be easy if Satoko asked us for help.

But it'll be too late if we wait for that to happen."

"......If there's a child in the middle of a busy street, you pull her to the sidewalk before talking to her.

Sometimes, actions have to come before words."

"Right.

That's a good example.

We have to pull her back to the sidewalk first!"

"I've heard what's going on.

Now, let's all get back to the classroom and start homeroom.

Go home and eat your lunches before you go to the child consultation center, okay?

It's not good to skip meals!"

At that point, everyone was thinking there wouldn't really be thirty adults there to support us.

However, we were wrong.

I had no idea how serious Hinamizawa can get...

By the time I get there with my ten classmates, the quiet atmosphere around the library had completely disappeared.

"...Oh my goodness...

Are all these people from Hinamizawa...?!"

"Not just Hinamizawa.

I see some people from Okinomiya too."

"You're right.

Some of them are even here in their work uniforms...

What an incredible sight..."

"......Looks like Oryou got really serious."

"Apparently.

This really is like old times!

How I've missed the way I felt during the dam conflict!"

"K!!

What's going on today?!"

"Hey, Kameda-kun.

Well...

I just called on the whole village to come here."

"I thought you'd only be able to get kids.

How'd you get all these adults here too?!

You're making me weak in the knees, man!!!"

"Whoa, there are so many working nyadults around...!"

"Little girls are mankind's greatest treasure!

Of course this many of our comrades would gather here!!"

Not only had many people shown up, but many different kinds of people too.

I wonder how many people there are...

"Umm... I think there's well over a hundred so far...

More people are still on their way, too."

"Maebara-san!

I'm sorry for being late.

What an amazing crowd you've got together!"

"So this is the power of Onigafuchi..."

"...I'd heard about this power before... but this is something else."

"This is reminding me more and more of the dam conflict!

But to get this many people to show up... Keiichi-kun, you're amazing!

You're the new face of Hinamizawa!"

"Keiichi-kuuun!

There sure are a lot of them, eh?"

"Kimiyoshi-san... how many people did you talk to?!"

"I'm not quite sure.

We just used the phone list and asked people to gather for a meeting of the Onigafuchi Guardians.

Everyone left work and came right here!

Hey, you there, this movement is an initiative of the town council, so don't use a banner with the name of the Onigafuchi Guardians on it, okay?"

"I see Keiichi-kun's father!

Hello!"

"Hello, Rena-chan!

Keiichi! I'm here to support you!

Your mom wanted to come here too, but she had to stay home and wait for a phone call.

She says to do your best and keep at it!"

"I will, thank you!"

"I've heard the stories about the dam conflict, but this is impressive!

You're representing all of these people, right?"

"...Yeah.

I was only representing five of us in the beginning,

but it's grown so big now that I don't care if there are a hundred or a thousand people here!

No matter what, I'll do everything I can to save my friend!"

"......Keiichi.

This is it."

"Yup.

Our force of arms is more than enough!

Those losers are peeping at us through the curtains right now.

They must be quaking in their boots!"

"S-Sir... Do you see all those people...?

What shall we do...?"

"There's nothing to do.

Other than our jobs, of course.

If they want to protest, let them.

I need to leave for a business trip now, so you can handle them."

"But... there's a banner that says 'We want to talk with the head of the office'...

See...?"

"............Ugh..."

That banner was the same one that the Onigafuchi Guardians had used in the past.

They brought along as many banners as they could reuse.

This one said "the head of the office\

Of course, the head of the child consultation center didn't know about that.

"You spoke with three of those representatives the other day.

According to the people from city hall, these Hinamizawans have a good memory.

If they see you walking outside to the parking lot, they'll recognize your face..."

"Sir, there are some people protesting by the back door, too!"

"What do you mean?

Are they going to kidnap me or something?"

"...During the dam conflict, it wasn't uncommon for people to get injured...

If you can postpone your business trip, I'd recommend you do so..."

"I-I guess that'd be for the best.

It's not an emergency, so I'll just stay here for today..."

In the next moment, the crackling noise of a speaker echoed outside.

"Testing testing, one, two, one, two...

Can you hear me?

This is the Hinamizawa town council.

We're sorry for causing trouble in our neighborhood.

Testing, testing!"

They were adjusting the output of the speakers.

A few trucks carrying those speakers were parked outside.

The head of the consultation center finally realized, in that moment, what it really meant to fight against the village of Hinamizawa.

"There are so many people out there...

They might barge in at any minute..."

"If they come inside, they'll disturb our work.

Don't let them in..."

It was half an hour past the appointed assembly time.

The mayor told me that there were still a few more people on their way.

Even more people are going to show up...?

Rena counted up all of the people here already and found that there were more than a hundred and fifty of them.

I really doubt we can get this many to come back by Monday afternoon.

Hopefully we can finish this today...!

"Alright, Keiichi-kun!

Let's begin!"

The mayor gave me the green light.

He wanted us to chant our slogan in chorus before going inside.

It really was like a real protest.

"Mii-chan, do you think all of us can fit inside that tiny office? Do you think so?"

"Of course we can't all fit.

We'll split up into those who can go in, and those spilling out.

That's why we had everyone start chanting together before we go in."

"Sis~

You can't break or kick anything today."

"L-Like I'd ever do something like that!

You got me in so much trouble when you pretended to be me doing all that!"

"Hey, isn't that Ooishi-san?"

I didn't expect to see him here.

Of course, he's my mahjong friend!

He came here to support me, even though he's not from Hinamizawa!

"Maebara-saaaan!

Hello there!"

"Ooishi-san!

You're here right on time!

We're getting ready to go inside right now."

Ooishi was accompanied by a few of his own men.

He brought along four police officers in uniform.

"Maebara-san. I need to have a little chat with you!

Oh, hello there, Mayor Kimiyoshi!"

"Hello, Ooishi-san.

What brings you here?"

"I need to have a talk with the two of you right now.

May I...?

Oh, and can it be in private, please?"

"...Eh?!

Wh-What do you need from us?!"

"Well... you're on government property here...

Obstructing it for any given reason is prohibited."

I was really taken aback.

I thought we were just getting started, but Ooishi-san, and by that I mean the police, are telling me to break up the crowd.

"What do you mean?!

The government isn't going to listen to the voice of its citizens?!"

"Look, we're not doing anything wrong.

We're here to ask them to help Satoko.

Why is that such a bad thing?"

"You're protesting here without permission, for one.

Also, there's a policy at this child consultation center, which allows the caretaker of the building to dismiss any client when he feels that they're disrupting their service."

"The caretaker of the building?!

Who is that?!"

"Well, that would be the head of the office here."

"What a cheap trick!!

He won't even let us speak our minds?!

Where are we supposed to protest, then?!

If we have to get off the property, can we do it across the road?!"

"If you want to use public roads, you have to get permission from the public safety department first.

You'll have to contact them through the police.

In other words, you have no choice but to disband for today.

...My my, Maebara-san.

It seems they really do hate you..."

"...This is ridiculous!!

I don't believe this!!

We have so many people here in support of Satoko!!

And you're saying we can't even talk to them...?!"

My friends soon all came running over.

Ooishi-san explained the situation to them, and they reacted exactly the same way I did.

"No way...!!

That's horrible!"

"No matter what we say to them, all they do is jot down the amount of people in the group.

That's why we brought lots of people here today!"

"But they do have the right to refuse us...

There's nothing we can do about that.

We have to either listen to the police, or disregard what they say entirely."

"Na ha ha ha...

The dam conflict's been over for a while.

I don't want to play that game anymore."

"Damn it...!

What are we going to do, then?

Do we just have to leave and come back later?"

"The same thing will happen when we do.

They'll just call the police again.

The head of the consultation center has no intention of letting us in there ever again.

We must have really upset him."

"So what are we going to do now?"

".........We'll just have to be patient.

If we can't protest on their property, we'll just have to do it from across the road.

Seeing that every day will put a lot of pressure on them."

"That's going to take way too long...!"

"......The government is like the yakuza.

It'll get more complicated if we keep making them mad."

"So even the Onigafuchi Guardians can't do anything about this?

How pathetic!

Can't you do something about this, Uncle?"

"...Shion-chan, in a battle like this, you have to be patient.

They're refusing us so blatantly, just like the construction office did in the dam conflict, so we'll just have to surround them and dig in for a prolonged fight..."

But that's not going to work...

There are so many people here.

I was supposed to end this today.

...Satoko didn't come to school again today.

Her uncle called and claimed that her cold had resurfaced.

He promised that she'd be back on Monday.

...But hearing that wasn't any relief to us.

Today is Saturday, so there are two more days until then.

Nothing is guaranteed for Satoko.

....In the world I imagined, it was too late to save Satoko by the day before Watanagashi.

The Satoko in real life hasn't gotten to that point yet...

But nothing guarantees that she'll still be fine in just two days.

I don't know if she'll still be sane the next time we see her.

"......So this is going to be a stalemate?

Do we really have to wait until they make their final decision...?!"

"No, Keiichi-kun.

We have no time to waste for Satoko-chan!

I just know that something... something bad is going to happen!"

"......We got help from this many people... yet we can't even go inside the building..."

Rika-chan said that with tears in her eyes.

Damn it, damn it, damn it!

I told Rika-chan that I could defeat anything if I put my mind to it.

I don't want to give up here!

Even a few days ago we never imagined that we'd get this many supporters.

We got approval from the town council, and even from Mion's grandma.

What else am I supposed to do?

What can we do to make our wish come true?!

Is there something that we haven't done yet?

Son of a bitch!!!

"Rika-chan, you don't have to look so sad."

"......Meep...?"

".......We're doing everything we can.

You believe that.

Right?"

"Yeah. I believe we did everything we can do."

"......Then we just have to wait for the wind to come.

We just have to wait.

I'm sure that a strong wind is on its way."

"When is that...?

Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!!!"

Satoko was sleeping like the dead.

If he didn't send her to school, that annoying teacher might come to harass him again.

He really wanted her to go to school today.

However, no matter how much he forced her to wake up, she collapsed and went back to sleep.

He touched her forehead and realized that she had a high fever.

If he sent her to school like that, they might say something about it.

He had no choice but to call the school and tell them that she's sick again.

Chie asked him many questions, but Teppei told her that she really was sick this time.

One hour later, he realized he had said something he shouldn't have to the teacher.

Ever since he took Satoko in, there had been nothing but trouble.

The teacher came to visit him the day after he took her.

He received calls every so often too.

They were all from the child consultation center.

Every single one of them told him to put Satoko on the phone.

Teppei was still certain that Satoko wouldn't give him up, because of her fear that he'd destroy Satoshi's room if he did. However, he wasn't sure how long she'd keep her silence.

In short, Teppei had no idea whether or not Satoko would continue to do as she was told.

The only thing he knew for absolute certain was that he couldn't control her forever with fear alone.

He could frighten her with just a look, but that fear wouldn't last for a very long time.

He wanted to leave the house before Satoko got him into trouble.

But in order to do that, he needed to find the bankbook as soon as possible.

Satoko was sleeping like an abandoned kitten inside of a wrinkled blanket.

She was sweating heavily and breathing deeply.

...Both were signs of a very high fever.

Teppei wasn't concerned in the least, of course. Instead, he felt that this was his chance.

In that state, she wouldn't notice if he went into Satoshi's room.

He'd promised her that he wouldn't mess around in there as long as she stayed obedient to him.

In reality, he went inside Satoshi's room while Satoko was at school, but he was very careful about putting everything back into place.

However, by this point, he'd had enough.

He was anxious to leave as soon as he could.

Even Teppei could tell that Satoko's fever wasn't from a cold, but from emotional distress.

If she got even sicker, it could cause even more trouble for him.

He slowly crept up the stairs, heading for Satoshi's room.

He tried to open the door slowly, but it was stuck on something.

He assumed he'd just hit the furniture with the door, but in the next moment...

Crash!!

He heard the loud noise of falling metal.

Something had been stuck behind the door, and it had knocked over something on the bookshelf.

Teppei clicked his tongue. He had been planning to sneak into Satoshi's room while Satoko was asleep.

And shortly after that, he heard Satoko running up the stairs.

She wasn't running just because she heard a noise.

She was running because she heard a noise from Satoshi's room, and that meant that Teppei was trying to get inside it.

"Stop, stop...!!

Don't go inside Nii-nii's room!!"

"...Aaah, fuck, I was just gonna look around for a minute.

No damn luck!!

All I need is some cash!

I know there's a bankbook inside his room!!

I know that you hid it in there!!

Be a good girl and tell me where it is!!"

"I don't know anything about a bankbook!!

It's not inside Nii-nii's room...!!

Don't mess around in there!!

Leave it alone until he comes home!!

Nii-nii... Nii-nii!!"

"Shut the fuck up!!"

Satoko let out a dull cry as she went rolling across the floor.

"Ah... Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!

Aaaaaaaaah!!

Nii-nii!!

Nii-niiiii!!"

Satoko's screams echoed around the room.

Hitting her would leave a mark, and then the child consultation would harass him and maybe more than that...

As a man of violence, it was already stressful enough to be warned not to hit her.

But once he hit her on impulse like he just did, his restraint was all gone.

Satoko was crying and holding her left cheek.

She might have suffered a cut on the inside of it when he punched her.

She had bloody drool trickling out of a corner of her mouth.

"Waaaaaaaah, waaaaaaaaaaah!!"

"Fucking hell... that did it...

The center's gonna be back here next week...

...I'm gonna be in real shit if it's still swollen by then...

Aaaaah, god damn it!!!

This is more trouble than it's worth!!

Quit with the 'Nii-nii, Nii-nii' already!

Are you supposed to be a broken record or something?!

Can it, you little bitch!!!"

Teppei kicked her, and she curled up on the floor.

...Ever since Rina had abandoned him, nothing good had happened at all...

All he got was a whiny little girl.

All she can do is cook and clean. Other than that, she just acts scared all the time.

So once Satoko started crying like an infant, Teppei also lost his mind.

"I said shut up! Didn't you hear me?! Who are you whining to?!"

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!

Ooishi-san, will you please leave us alone for today?

Satoko is in danger as we speak!"

"Hey now.

If you touch me, I can arrest you for obstructing the law."

"Damn it...!!"

"Stop it, Kei-chan! He's just trying to piss you off!"

"Hey, old man... you won't live long with that kind of attitude...!"

"Oh, now I'm scared.

If you keep on talking to me like that, I'll arrest you for threatening an officer.

Nfu fu fu...!"

".......Calm down, Keiichi-kun.

He's on our side."

"What?

What are you saying, Rena?"

"......Can't you see?

He's being nice to you right now.

He's saying these things because he's a policeman, but I think he's still on your side.

If he really wanted to make us leave, he wouldn't be talking to us like this. He'd simply use force."

"But he's still blocking our way right now...!

How can he still be on our side?!"

"Ooishi-san, you've got a call in the cruiser from the chief."

"Oh, thanks.

I've gotta go for now.

Start vacating the area, please.

If you take another step forward, I'll take it as a declaration of war.

Got it memorized?

Nfu fu fu!"

"God damn it...!"

"Hello, Ooishi here.

Reading you loud and clear~"

"Ooishi-san.

How's the situation there?"

"It's fine.

Everyone's being perfectly reasonable.

There are quite a lot of people here, so it's taking time to break them up."

"Really?

We're still getting calls from the child consultation center.

They're wondering when you can get them out of there."

"They'll leave soon.

I've already spoken to the leader.

It's taking time for him to explain it to his people.

If they call again, tell them to wait for a little bit."

"I heard that the Onigafuchi Guardians are back in action, but it seems like it's not getting too messy this time."

"Yes, yes.

The dam conflict has been over for a long time.

Just give them a little bit to pack up and leave."

"Ooishi-san... How could you lie to him like that...?

You haven't made any progress in persuading the leader yet."

"Na ha ha ha...

Now now, was that really a lie?"

"The chief warned us that this could turn into a riot.

I think we should call for help and shut this down before anything happens."

"Kuma-chan.

Don't be mean."

"Excuse me...?"

"He got this many people together in order to help his friend.

That's no small feat, you know?

The whole village is here... and that means he persuaded Oryou Sonozaki.

It wouldn't be easy for a young boy like him to persuade the Empress."

"You think Oryou Sonozaki is backing this crowd......?"

"The girl they're trying to help is Satoko Houjou, the daughter of the dam supporters.

It's hard to believe that the villagers would be trying to save her.

There was a thick wall between them and the Houjou family...

But he broke that wall down in just a few days...!

...Actually, I've been following his progress up to this point.

I saw him at their Watanagashi planning meeting.

He's a damn courageous boy.

The elders screamed and yelled at him, but he wasn't scared at all.

He magnificently brought them over to his side.

After that, they told him that they'd support him if he could also persuade Oryou.

Since he's here today, he apparently also succeeded at doing that.

...He's going to be someone big one day.

You should probably get close to him while you still can.

Nfu fu...!"

"I knew it... you were taking it easy today.

You're normally very... direct, so I was surprised when you started negotiating with him."

"...I want to see Maebara-san earn a little credit today."

Ooishi said something that he shouldn't say as a policeman.

Kumagai had to struggle to understand what he meant.

Giving Ooishi a thin smile, he asked him a question.

"Do you want to leave without disbanding them?"

"Nfu fu!

Nah, we don't need to treat them special!

You don't know anything about the Onigafuchi Guardians, you and Maebara-san both.

They're not as weak as you think.

You'll see."

"You want to wait and see what they do, huh?

...As usual, we're doing a thankless job."

"Nfu fu fu!

Want a cigarette?"

Kumagai accepted the offer, taking a cigarette from Ooishi's hand.

In the next moment, two black vehicles stopped short in front of the building, their brakes screaming under the stress.

"There they come...

Look closely, Kuma-chan."

Several men wearing well-tailored suits emerged from the vehicles.

Some of them looked like muscleheaded gangsters, and some of them more resembled intelligent businessmen.

There was a clearly overbearing old man in a hakama with a crest, and what looked like a whole circle of yakuza leaders arrived after him.

"Is Keiichi Maebara-kun present?!

Where is he!?"

"I... I'm Keiichi Maebara...

H-How may I help you...?"

"Don't worry. We're on your side."

"Who... who are you exactly...?"

"Oh... H-Hey... Uncle!

Why are you here?!"

"I can't... I can't believe he actually showed up...!"

Shion and Mion's surprised reactions made me feel nervous.

"Keiichi-kun, you're the leader here.

There's no need to hesitate. Let's go."

The group of men clapped me on the shoulders.

But I can't go... The police are here...

"All right, stop right there, boys.

I'm Ooishi from the Okinomiya PD.

Good afternoon.

Where are you all heading?"

"Who do you think you are?

How could you stop law-abiding citizens from conducting a protest?"

"Well, Sonozaki-sensei...

We're here because the child consultation center called us here."

Sonozaki-sensei?

Is he a teacher from some school?

Wait, no, I don't have time to joke around...

This man in a hakama must be the Sonozaki family's representative on the prefectural assembly.

I heard that he's a really scary guy when he raises his voice, just like Mion's grandma...

"Shut up! Get away, you damn pig!!

Who gave you orders to get in their way?!"

"Na ha ha ha, the chief of police ordered us here.

I can't disobey him, you know."

"The Okinomiya police chief??!

He's going to hear some real complaints from me later. Tell him to be ready!!!"

Ooishi's partner was doing his best not to laugh.

"Okay, okay, I'll relay that message to him.

Anyway, there are rules in this city,

like how the caretaker of a building can order people to vacate their property,

if he thinks that they can cause trouble for his business."

As Ooishi-san explained in a strange half-troubled and half-delighted manner, one of the intelligent-looking guys started talking instead of representative Sonozaki.

"Hello.

I'm the attorney, Sonozaki, from the Sonozaki Law Consultancy Office.

I went over the laws that apply to the child consultation center. Their claim is unjust, and it could be considered an abuse of their official authority.

Here is a copy of the regulations.

Furthermore, Keiichi Maebara-san is the appointed leader of the Hinamizawa Unified Council.

This is the power of attorney issued by the council.

The Hinamizawa Unified Council is a good samaritan organization of citizens formed under the observation of the Shishibone local government section.

That makes him a proper representative of the organization, and he went through the proper channels.

Rejecting his appeal is a clear abuse of authority, and violates the municipal public servant regulations.

Therefore, the order made by the head of the child consultation center is unlawful, and if the police continue to interfere with this movement, then..."

"Oookay, okay..... I understand, my apologies.

Well then, you can carry on, everyone."

"That's what you should've said from the beginning!!

Let's go, Keiichi-kun!!"

"Wait... you might be disrupting their business if everyone goes inside..."

"Don't worry.

Only the representatives are going in.

Is even that going to interrupt their business?

With four couches in the visitor's room, I assume they can easily hold ten people in there..."

"Na ha ha ha... I guess you know better.

Please go, go on ahead then."

"Maebara-kun, let's go.

Nobody's going to stop us now."

"Oh... yes, sir...!

Hey, Rena, Mion, Shion, Rika-chan!

We're going in!"

"...Yeah!

Let's go!"

"......Is this all part of Oryou's plan?"

".........Probably.

...I didn't think she'd talk to these guys too..."

"No matter how you look at it... it's the Sonozaki family giving us the most support.

I wonder what made the hag change her mind..."

"I'm not surprised at all.

I always believed that Mii-chan's grandma would help us!"

"Really...?

I said some nasty things to her last night, but right now I could kiss her!!"

"All right, everyone!! We're going inside!!"

"""Yeeeeeeeeeah!!!"""

The crowd cheers. The main event is about to begin!

"Maebara-san! Please save Houjou-san!!"

"Help rescue Satoko-chan!!"

"Hey, Maebara boy! Good luck!!"

"This is your show!!

We wish you luck!!"

"Angel Mort Grenadiers, secure the path of retreat. Support the charge!!"

"K!! Show us what you got!!"

"I will!!

I'm going to get them!!"

"Maebara-san...!

We'll wait for you here.

We look forward to hearing the good news!"

"Yes, bring us good news!

I'll be waiting for you too!"

I pumped my fist in the air in response to their high expectations.

We entered the child consultation center, backed by the power of the Sonozaki family...

I finally made it...!

It was cool inside the building, unlike the outside world.

I could still hear the crowd, but at a lower volume.

It was loud enough to hear their cheers.

The staff in the building must have known who we were.

They tried to concentrate on their work as if they didn't see us.

"H-Hello, sir.

How may I help you today...?"

"I'm Maebara Keiichi.

I'm here to request that Satoko Houjou be put under protection immediately!"

"Just go get the person in charge here!

A representative of the Hinamizawa town council is here to see him!!"

"H-He is unable to see you at this time...

I will take a message for him..."

"Hello.

I'm a lawyer from the Sonozaki Law Consultancy Office.

For the purpose of its future use, I will be recording our conversation from this point forward.

We would like to be treated responsibly by the child consultation center."

"......I... I will try and see if he's available...

Please wait for a moment...!"

"Harayama-kun.

It's been a while."

"R-Representative Sonozaki... How have you been...?"

"I'm here today as a member of the Hinamizawa town council.

May I see the head of the office please?"

"Of course...

Hey you, take them to the reception area inside the boss's room and serve them some tea!"

I guess the power of a representative can really get public officials moving.

...I heard that there are both prefectural and municipal representatives in the Sonozaki family.

...We have the power of both of them today.

And that means we have nothing to fear.

We were inside his office, but the head of the office wasn't to be found.

I'm sure he's somewhere in this building.

All the exits are blocked.

There's no way he could escape from us!

He better not be thinking that he can hide from us all day!

The head of the office, in fact, was peeping out through the blinds of the meeting room on the second floor. He was shaking in fear.

"Why are they inside the building...?

What are the police doing?"

"Well, actually... both the prefectural and municipal Sonozaki representatives are here...

They have a lawyer with them too.

They're asking for an answer, but only management has the authority to respond..."

"...O-Okay, I've got it. Today is Saturday.

It's nearly three, right?

I'll just stay here until then.

Have them leave after we close up.

Meanwhile, I'll talk with the municipal manager about what to do next...!"

"...I thought he told you to concede..."

"He said something about a town council... I was expecting a bunch of neighborly old men...!!

I never thought I'd see representatives and lawyers and yakuza!

Who would have thought there would be two hundred people out there?!"

"............Well,

that's...

Hinamizawa."

"Anyway, the office is closing in ten minutes!

I'm sure they'll threaten me if I meet with them!

But I'm not going to concede! That's my duty as a civil servant!

I've been working for the government for forty years, and I'm not ashamed to boast about that!

I'll never compromise just because some gangster threatens me...!"

In the next moment, the phone in the conference room rang loudly.

The head of the office nearly jumped out of his skin.

Scared even of the phone, he told the manager to tell whoever it was that he wasn't there.

"...Hello?

This is Harayama.

......Oh, thank you. I'll let him know.

Sir, it's the municipality calling."

"H-Hello?

I'm in deep trouble!

There are about two hundred people surrounding the consultation center right now!

They even have representatives on their side!

Aah, what should I do...?"

"I did tell you this would happen..."

"But it's your job as a municipal government to control trouble within the town councils...!

Do something about this!

It is your sworn duty to take care of this!"

"That's not our job... hahahaha.

Our job is to support the growth of the local communities of the region, and..."

"I don't care!

Can't you do something about this?"

"At this point, you have no choice but to accept their request.

I think you should stop being so stubborn about policy.

A government is there for its citizens.

Isn't that right...?

Can't you just peacefully accept their appeal...?"

"You're an official too, aren't you?

How dare you take the side of the town council!

I'm not going to concede!

I'm going to follow the regulations.

A civil servant's duty is to conduct business impartially.

I've never broken that rule in my entire career.

I passed the administrator's exam because I always follow the rules!"

"......Well, it's your decision.

We'll do our best to help...

but I told you,

didn't I?

I know I did.

I know I told you not to get them upset!"

"F-Fine! Then I won't ask for your help anymore!

I'm hanging up the phone!"

Click!

"Sir......

Even if you manage to get away from them today, they'll come back again on Monday... What are you going to do then...?

I'm sure that the mayor knows about this by now.

This'll definitely come up at the weekly meeting..."

"I haven't done anything that would upset the mayor!

No matter what he says to me, that's what I'll tell him!

...Eeek!"

The phone rang once again.

Also once again, the head of the office trembled in fear.

...The manager had to reluctantly pick up the phone.

"...Yes.

......Eh?

.........Can you transfer it here?

...Yes, this is the right office.

One moment please......

.........Sir.

You have a call from city hall."

"City hall?

Not the municipal offices...?

Who is it now...?"

"...It's the mayor."

".........Yes.

That's right.

They're members of the town council in Hinamizawa.

...Yes. I understand...

Please listen to what they have to say.

.........Now, that's not true.

It's important to be impartial and unbiased, but you must act according to the occasion.

...Ha ha ha ha, yes.

Please do so.

After you're done, please come to the mayor's office and give me your report. I expect you by 6 PM.

Thank you very much."

The man spoke with a gentle demeanor, but in a tone that didn't allow objection. Then the elderly man in a double suit set the receiver down.

"Thank you for that."

Oryou was sitting on the couch in the reception area.

Akane was there with her, too.

"Not a problem.

It's been a while since you visited city hall.

I was surprised to see you here today."

"Sorry for the surprise. If I'm going to ask someone a favor, I want to see them in person.

Thank you, really."

"It's no problem at all.

I'm sorry that our staff were so impolite.

I should've taught them better. Maintaining a good relationship between municipal governments and town councils is vital."

So he says.

However, the mayor couldn't believe that Empress Sonozaki came all the way to see him just to save one little girl.

...It's a huge deal when Oryou Sonozaki comes directly to his office.

It's also unusual for her to do things indirectly to begin with.

Rather than leading the charge herself, she was having Keiichi Maebara save Satoko.

The mayor understood that she was doing this so Keiichi Maebara would get all the credit.

Because of that, he was very interested in this young Keiichi Maebara.

"He sounds like quite the young man.

I can't believe that he's gone so far just to save his friend from an abusive relative."

"I know!

He's one of a kind.

I'm not worried about the future of Hinamizawa as long as someone like him is around. I can die peacefully now."

"Please, Mother, don't joke around like that."

"Ta ha ha ha ha!

It was worth living this long if I was able to meet someone like him!

Take care of that Keiichi boy if something happens again!"

"You've grown so fond of him!

Are you still mad at me for not having any boys?"

It was now 3 PM, and I heard the announcement that the center was closing.

The head of the office finally showed up in the room.

He seemed like a totally different person.

When I first met him, he had a cold attitude and responded to questions with blunt answers.

But now he was much nicer and agreed with everything we said.

I guess the power we held must have intimidated him...

If I was alone, I would've never gotten him to listen to me.

It's thanks to everyone's support that I'm able to talk to him now.

"I understand!

I'm very sorry for all the confusion...!

We will take action immediately.

Manager, please call Houjou-san's house right now."

"Y-Yes sir..."

...Satoko... Finally...!!

You're finally free!!

Teppei stopped kicking her as he heard the phone ring.

He could ignore the call, but if it was someone from the child consultation center, they might become suspicious of him.

...He'd hurt Satoko enough to leave bruises.

He couldn't let them visit,

so he had no choice but to deal with them over the phone.

".........Tch. That's enough for now.

You better remember where you hid the bankbook by the time I come back.....!"

"...Ugh... hic......"

All Satoko could do was curl up and cry.

"...Hello, who is it?"

"Good afternoon. This is the Shishibone child consultation center."

"...Again?

Do you guys have nothing better to do?!

Why don't you stop calling me and work on your other cases?

You're getting paid with the taxes I pay, you know?"

"We're very sorry to interrupt you.

One of our social workers will be visiting your home shortly. May I get permission for them to enter the premises, please?"

"N-No way!

We're cleaning the whole house right now.

We can't have any visitors today!

Come back again some other time!"

The consultation center wouldn't give up.

Teppei wanted to hang up the phone, but if he did, he knew that they'd show up for sure.

"I was told that Satoko-san didn't come to school today. She's home, isn't she?

If she's really sick, she should be resting at home, I expect?

There's something quite urgent that I need to ask her."

"What the hell do you need her for?

I'm her guardian, so I'll answer you instead!"

"Are you refusing to put Satoko-san on the phone?"

"I-I'm not refusing!

I'm just saying that I'll answer your questions in her place!

Can't you see what I'm saying?

What's your name, anyway?"

"I'm asking you one more time.

May I speak with Satoko-san please?"

"......Guuuuhhh, dammiiiiit...!"

He'd thought dealing with government officials was a bit like playing whack-a-mole.

If you hit them hard enough, they won't show up for a while.

But today, whoever was on the phone seemed so provocative and self-assured.

Teppei sensed that they'd definitely come to the house if he didn't put Satoko on.

And if they sounded like that over the phone...

If they came to the house, they might be bringing along more than just a couple of people.

For all Teppei knew, they might even bring a police officer.

If they did, he couldn't turn them away at the entrance.

He knew too well just how scary police officers could be.

"Look... wait a minute...

I'll go and wake her up...

Give me some time..."

He covered the phone with his hand and spoke to Satoko downstairs.

"......Ohhhh, Satokooo...

...The child consultation center wants to ask you something.

Can you come to the phone, pleeease?"

Even though he had just been beating her, Teppei was addressing Satoko in a sweet, phony voice.

It would disturb people to hear him talk like that.

Satoko knew that his sweet voice was the scariest tone of voice he had.

She couldn't refuse after hearing him talk like that, so she obeyed him and went upstairs.

Teppei grabbed Satoko's shoulders with all his might and whispered in her ear.

"No matter what happens...

We're

a happy family, right?

Don't you dare forget that...

alright?"

"........Yes."

"Remember, if you upset me, I'll destroy Satoshi's room.

If you behave well, I promise you that I will never enter his room again.

Is that a deal?

Huh?

Huh?!"

He squeezed her shoulders even tighter.

...Satoko contorted her face in pain.

"We're making up now.

Right?

Huh?!"

".........Yes...

We're a happy family......"

Teppei gave the phone to Satoko as soon as she nodded.

He stood behind her, continuing to grip her shoulders tight.

It was like a raptor gripping its prey with its sharp talons...

"Satoko Houjou-san?

This is Harayama, speaking from the child consultation center.

How's everything going so far?

Are you having any problems with Teppei-san?"

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

The volume on the phone was low enough that Teppei couldn't hear what they were saying.

However, he squeezed Satoko's shoulders harder and urged her to say something, because her silence could be interpreted as a negative answer.

".........Yes.

.........Everything is working out between my uncle and I."

"You don't have any problems with him?

......Hm?

Ah, sure, go ahead..."

"Hello?!

Satoko?!

It's me, Keiichi!!

Are you okay?!"

"...Ah...... Yeah.

...It's safe here..."

"Satoko, we're about to come save you!

If you admit that you need help, the child consultation center will put you under their protection immediately!

It's not just the center, either! The mayor of Shishibone City is supporting us too!

Heh heh, crazy, isn't it? It's all thanks to the Sonozaki family!

Mion's grandma is doing all of this for you!"

Satoko always felt bitter toward the Sonozaki family, because they were often the ones talking about her behind her back.

She hated Oryou most of all.

It didn't make sense to her that Oryou would do anything to help her.

"...I know you went through a lot of hard times after the dam conflict.

...I didn't notice it, but you were being treated coldly for a long time.

But I took care of all those people for you!

No one will ever treat you badly in Hinamizawa again!

I wish I could show you all the people that have gathered around the child consultation center right now!

Everyone from Hinamizawa is here to save you! They're even skipping the preparation for tomorrow's festival!

.........Huh?

Oh, sure.

I have a message from the Sonozaki family.

Mion's grandma said...

to say hello to you.

She's sorry about how she treated you.

She wants you to come visit her house sometime...

You hear that?

She's on your side now!

She went to see the mayor in person, just for you!

But you know, the same goes for us too.

We've been coming to the child consultation center every day since you were taken away!

Everyone has been supporting us, and all for your sake.

Now we have the whole village of Hinamizawa on our side!

...Hang on, Rika-chan wants to talk to you!"

"......Satoko?

It's Rika."

".........Rika..."

"......Keiichi brought it all to an end for you.

The people of Hinamizawa aren't going to be mean to you anymore.

.........So no one will ignore you when we go shopping together.

They won't treat you differently from me anymore.

...No one will treat you coldly anymore."

Satoko wasn't sure if she should feel happy or sad that Rika noticed how badly the villagers were treating her.

......All she could do was let out a bitter laugh.

"......I can't... believe that..."

"............Indeed.

I can't believe it either."

"......Rika?"

Satoko was surprised.

She was surprised to hear Rika's voice sound so mature over the phone.

She almost sounded like a different person.

"......When you were taken away by your uncle, I thought it was an unchangeable fate.

I gave up, thinking that there was nothing but a dead end ahead of us.

I'm sure you felt that way too.

But I found out that there's no such thing as fate.

There's no dead end ahead of us.

Keiichi broke that wall down and smashed it into a million pieces...!

Satoko, don't give into misfortune anymore!

We're almost there!

All you need to do is to nod your head!"

".........But...

I... I have to get stronger..."

"......That's because of how much you suffered.

You're trying to overcome that.

......You felt guilty toward Satoshi because you hid behind his back when you were abused by your aunt.

I know that you're trying to take Teppei's abuse as a form of self-punishment.

I understand you're trying to get stronger as an apology toward your brother.

...I can respect that courage, and it shows how much you've grown up.

...Satoshi would be proud of you if he was here right now.

...He would pat your head.

...He would pat it so gently."

"............Nii-nii..."

"Did you really believe what I just said?

That's not good, Satoko.

You're nowhere near as strong as Satoshi. Not at all."

Rika's words were suddenly toned with malice, penetrating Satoko's heart the moment she thought she was saved.

"........."

"You think that taking this abuse will make you stronger.

But is this really that different from last year?

You're just waiting here for Satoshi to come home.

You're waiting for him to come back and save you again.

...You don't even know what kind of strength Satoshi held within him...

Satoshi didn't just cry and quake in fear like you're doing.

He fought.

He fought his horrible aunt.

He fought in order to save you.

...Remember the sight of Satoshi standing up to your aunt, the one you cried in terror from, with his arms spread wide to protect you!"

Satoshi was just as scared as Satoko was.

All she'd ever seen was her brother's back.

She had no idea what kind of expression he was wearing on his face.

He didn't want to stand in front of his furious aunt.

But he had no choice, if he wanted to protect his sister...

Satoko never once saw how scared he was, and she never once saw how courageous he was in spite of that.

"Satoshi fought.

He didn't just take the violence that was dealt to him.

He fought it and struggled against it...!!

I was no different from you once.

I stopped fighting because I gave up.

I stopped struggling against it.

I chose to accept fate and quietly endure my pain.

I thought it was a waste of time to seek help.

Just like you.

I was just waiting for someone to come along who would change my circumstances.

......But I've decided to fight.

That's why I'm on the phone with you now.

I'm going to change this fate on my own!

I'm going to persuade you to nod your head!"

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

"Satoko.

He's right behind you...

isn't he?"

".............Yes.

...He's here."

"Look at his face now.

See how evil and scary he looks!

Realize how brave Satoshi was to fight back against that furious face!

If you want to give something back to Satoshi, don't just take his abuse without seeking help...!!

You have to do what Satoshi did for you!

Can't you recognize that?!!"

Satoko slowly looked back at her uncle, though she was afraid to do so.

He was wearing an unpleasantly broad grin while gripping her shoulders so tightly.

...Ultimately, it wasn't even really about dealing with her aunt or uncle.

...It was about dealing with her fear.

Satoshi faced his fear.

He could've chosen to run from it, or to sit and take it, but he fought for his little sister instead.

He fought that fear and didn't falter.

And what was Satoko doing?

She believed that the violence she was suffering was the punishment she deserved.

However... Rika wasn't wrong.

...Satoko wasn't trying to gain strength at all.

She was only shutting herself out until someone came to save her.

She wasn't doing anything on her own.

She was only waiting for someone else to do something about it.

Satoshi faced it.

He faced this fear.

That was his strength...!

"......Are you scared?

Are your teeth chattering?

Are you feeling shivers running down your spine?

That's exactly how Satoshi felt when he tried to protect you.

You have to understand that.

Do you know what Satoshi wanted from you?

Do you know what he was trying to show you?

If you don't know,

Satoshi will never come back to you!!!"

"......Hmm~?

What's the deal?

What's taking so loooong?"

Satoko was consumed by fear.

Her teeth were chattering, and she felt shivers running down her spine.

And that was what Satoshi felt every time she cried.

"Show us your strength, Satoko.

Show Satoshi how much you've grown up over the past year.

Show Satoshi that you've grown as brave as he is...!!!"

"............Rika... ...but I..."

Even if she asked for help that very minute, Teppei wasn't just going to disappear.

Once she asked for help,

she'd need to survive until someone physically came to her house to rescue her.

Satoko ached all over her body.

Her wounds were pulsing along with her heartbeat, and she could taste the blood in her mouth.

It wasn't as easy as Rika made it sound.

One nod wasn't going to solve everything at once.

They had no idea how hard it was for her to nod...!

What did her Nii-nii look like when he protected her...?

She couldn't remember his face, but she remembered the strength in his words.

And she even may have heard a little bit of fear in his voice.

But even so, he still fought.

He faced his fears and fought for her sake...!

Satoko was scared, just like Rika said.

Her teeth were chattering, and she felt shivers running down her spine.

But she had to face him.

She had to challenge him,

to fight him,

and to break the cycle!!

"Satoko.

I'm going to give the phone to an employee of the consultation center.

Tell them with your own words."

".........Yes......

...Yes......"

"......Show me that courage."

"Hello again.

It's Harayama from the child consultation center.

Please allow me to ask you one more time. Are there any problems between you and your uncle...?"

Satoko looked at Teppei again as she listened to the question.

...Looked straight into the face of terror.

All she ever did was hide behind Satoshi's back...!

......Show me that courage.

It wasn't only Rika... her Nii-nii was watching her too...!

".........me."

"Excuse me?

Could you please repeat that?"

"Help me!!!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Teppei clocked his niece upside her head with every bit of strength he had in him.

Satoko rolled down the hallway, still clutching the telephone receiver.

"Oh, Satoko...

You finally betrayed me, huuuuhh?!!"

"I hate you!!!

Get out of my house!!

This house belongs to my Nii-nii and me!!

This house belongs to my family!!

I hate you!

Get out of hereee!!!"

"Yoooooooouuuuuu!!!

You little biiiiitch!!!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaah!!!!"

Satoko wasn't going to just take a beating any longer.

Instead, she spread her arms wide and jumped onto her uncle.

Of course, that wasn't going to hurt Teppei at all.

Satoko was as weak as a newborn puppy to him.

That was, however, the best attack she had at her disposal.

Satoko was fighting for the first time in her life.

She had decided to stop waiting for somebody to save her.

In the end, Satoko was the only one who could save herself.

Enduring her uncle's violence had never meant anything at all.

She had thought she learned something from her Nii-nii, but she had been mistaken this whole time!!

"What's with that look in your eyes, huuuuuh?!!

I'm gonna push your front teeth in!!"

But just as Teppei raised his fist, someone loudly hammered on the front door.

"Teppei Houjou!! Open up! This is the police!!"

Teppei couldn't help but jump in surprise.

It had barely been a minute since Satoko asked for help over the phone.

"Open up this door!!

If you don't, we're going to break it down!!"

"How did it turn out?!

How's Satoko-chan...?!"

"Satoko-chan asked for help!

The child consultation center is going to take action now!"

"But she's still in danger!

Teppei might kill her for betraying him!"

We had heard a violent noise right after she asked for help.

In other words, Satoko had been brave enough to do that in front of her uncle.

"We have to get there right away...!!

Can someone give us a ride?!"

Several of the villagers who came by car started their engines.

The crowd had started to realize what was going on.

Damn it...!!

We're coming as fast as we can, Satoko!!!

"Oh, don't worry about that, Maebara-san.

The police entered the Houjou residence not a moment ago.

He wouldn't have had any time to hurt Satoko-chan."

"What?!

But, why?!"

"...No idea. It's a mystery to me.

Anyway, could you break up this crowd already?

I'll be leaving for now, so excuse me.

Have a good year.

Nfu fu fu!"

"......Ooishi must have contacted someone as soon as he heard Satoko asking for help."

"The police had surrounded Satoko-chan's house ahead of time?"

"I get it...!

They were suspecting him of Rina's murder.

It all makes sense now."

"Wait, who's Rina??"

"Get in the car, everyone!

Let's hurry back to Hinamizawa!!"

There were several officers combing the Houjou residence.

Satoko was sitting by the porch, talking with another officer.

She had some painful-looking bruises all over her face.

"Satoko-chan...!!

Are you okay?!

Are you?!"

"Hoh hoh hoh... Do I look okay to you?"

"Coach!

She needs treatment right away!"

"Let's take her to the clinic.

Can you walk, Satoko-chan?"

Satoko nodded to the Coach and stood up.

It looked painful for her, but even so, I felt relieved to see her better than I expected.

However... the cruel bruises inflicted over her body were all too horrible to look at.

I'll never forgive that man for abusing a little girl like her...!!

My body shivered in anger.

"...Satoko......"

"......Hoh hoh hoh.

Did you see what I did, Rika?

...I can act when it counts..."

"......Yes.

I saw your courage.

You won.

You broke the bonds of fate...!"

Both Rika-chan and Satoko cried and hugged each other.

I soon heard another car coming.

I immediately knew who it had to be. It was Ooishi-san's police cruiser.

"We should've acted more quickly.

...I'm sorry we weren't more help."

"No, don't be sorry!

If not for you, Ooishi-san, he would've done even more horrible things to her.

Thank you so very much..."

"......I guess you can be a nice person sometimes."

"Nfu fu fu!

So how is she doing?"

"The coach is looking after her.

She was injured pretty badly."

"Oh, Kuma-chan.

What happened to Teppei?"

"We got him.

Komiyama-san took him to the station."

"So he won't come back to this house ever again?"

"It's not like he's going to get the death penalty or a life sentence...

I don't want to think about this... but he might come back someday."

"......Yeah, well, we won't let him. I'll make sure he can never come back to this village!"

"Oh my, oh my...

The successor of the Sonozaki family is saying such scary things already.

You can't threaten him or anything, you know?"

"I'm not going to threaten him.

I'm just going to advise him that he should never come back to Hinamizawa or Okinomiya. Otherwise, something terrible might happen to him..."

"Ah, I guess advice isn't too bad then.

Na ha ha ha!!"

"So is Satoko-chan free now?

Is that really it?

Is it over?"

"I don't know.

I think there will be more issues to come.

Once Teppei loses his parental rights, they'll need to find a new guardian for Satoko.

Someone has to take care of her.

But there's no need to worry.

I'm sure that the Sonozaki family is going to back her up.

We'll make sure Satoko is happy."

"......Irie took Satoko to the clinic.

He says her injuries aren't as bad as they look, though."

"Really?

That's good to hear!!"

"I wonder if she can leave the clinic by tomorrow, I wonder!"

"I'm sure those injuries will take more than a day to heal."

"......That's not what she's talking about, Mii.

Tomorrow is the Watanagashi festival."

"It's been a really hectic week, but if we can all go to the festival together, I think that will be our happy ending!"

"Right.

It'll serve as proof that we got our happy world back with our own hands."

"I agree.

I'm sure Satoko wants to see Kei-chan's auction in action!"

"Aah!

I almost forgot about that...!!"

"......Satoko will be coming for sure."

Before I knew it, lots of people from the village had joined us.

They were the same people who came to the child consultation center to support us.

They wanted to know if Satoko was safe.

Considering her injuries... "safe" might not be the right word.

However, she is free from the curse of her uncle now.

Her emotional scars will slowly heal.

We'll be there for her, as her friends.

No, it wasn't just us anymore.

The whole village is going to be there for her.

The ghost of the dam conflict won't haunt Satoko any longer.

It was a very long week.

In this one week,

we united,

we fought,

we overcame,

and we won.

It wasn't an easy victory.

However, the price we paid was more than worth it.

Tomorrow is the Watanagashi festival. The biggest festival in the village.

It's a huge event where we worship the guardian of this village, Oyashiro-sama.

Oyashiro-sama is a god who united two enemy peoples.

The curse on the Houjou family has disappeared, and Satoko is truly going to be a part of the village.

We'll all be playing at the festival together.

This is a perfect happy ending.

When our ordinary days were taken from us, we all felt so powerless... but now we have everything back. What else can you call that but a miracle?

...No, you can't actually call it that.

Miracles can be created when everyone works together.

What's impossible to do alone becomes possible when everyone joins forces.

With everyone's power, we were able to make impossible things happen.

And that's only a natural outcome of everyone doing their best together, so it's not a miracle.

In other words, it was inevitable.

The old legends in this village tell us that Oyashiro-sama made it possible for humans and demons to live together.

I'm not sure what that story really means, but...

I'm sure that Oyashiro-sama made something impossible happen.

We can be proud of what we did. I'm sure Oyashiro-sama is proud too.

"Hey, Maebara boy!

We did it!"

"You pulled it off! It was worth showing up every day!!"

My supporters cheered me on.

They were all glad that Satoko was finally safe.

The sense of accomplishment at saving Satoko finally hit us, and we hugged each other, sharing praises for our struggle...