Weariness and a headache.

Not a very nice way to start the day...

"What's wrong?

Keiichi.

...You don't look so well.

When did you go to sleep?"

It seemed that my mom had noticed my sullen state.

...Yesterday... I kept on waking up in the middle of the night.

Without a doubt, I felt a presence.

...I felt the presence of someone standing in front of my door.

I told myself repeatedly that it was my imagination and forced myself to try and sleep.

Except... not being able to stand it, I gathered up my courage and opened the door.

...Of course there wasn't anyone there.

I think I did this three times throughout the night.

...Or maybe I just didn't remember doing it any more than that...

Even though I was able to get to the breakfast table without incident, I still didn't feel at ease.

"It might be a cold.

...I don't really have an appetite."

"...My.

...You do seem a little warm...

Well?

Can you make it to school?"

Technically I did go to a school... but it was mostly self study.

...It wouldn't matter much if I missed a day, would it?

It could have been that I hadn't been feeling well for the last few days because I really did have a cold.

If I took some medicine and got a good day of rest... I might be able to greet everyone with a smile tomorrow.

Ding dong...!

Startled, I looked back and forth between the entrance and the clock.

...It was ten minutes later than when I usually met up with Rena.

...It was Rena.

"Rena-chan came to get you... what are you going to do?

Are you going to take the day off?"

...Rena was a good girl.

She might be somewhat quirky, but she was certainly cute.

The lunches she made were delicious and she always looked out for me.

...Why should I be so scared of something like that...?

It wasn't Rena's fault.

It was probably mine...

It had to have been my cold.

...It just had to be.

"I'll rest.

...Sorry."

"Then I'll go send her off for you."

Mom headed off to the door.

...I would have to pass by the entrance to get back to my room.

I didn't have the nerve to meet with Rena... so I wrapped myself in a blanket on the sofa and closed my eyes.

I was so sleep-deprived, I quickly fell into a deep slumber...

I had only intended to lie down for a bit, but it was almost noon when I woke up.

I called out to my parents, but they didn't seem to be around. On the table, I found lunch prepared and a note.

Mom and Dad had apparently driven off to somewhere far away.

It likely had to do with Dad's work.

This happened every so often, so it wasn't that unusual.

They would be back for dinner, but might be a bit late.

On the note, it said:

"The insurance card is in the cabinet. Take it and go to the hospital."

There was also a well-drawn map to the hospital.

...That's right.

I hadn't been there before, so I didn't know exactly where it was.

I had a light lunch... although it really was just leftovers from the morning... and, just in case, went to the hospital.

Normally I'd never be here... in the middle of a weekday.

...Just walking around like this had me feeling guilty. It was an odd feeling.

Following my mom's map, I took a road I usually never used. After walking for a bit, the hospital's sign came into view.

"Irie Clinic" was written rather stylishly on the sign.

The clinic wasn't very big, but based on the scale of the rest of Hinamizawa, it was far too grand.

There was a parking lot and even a reserved spot for buses.

...They must be making a mint.

I spaced out in the air-conditioned waiting room until it was my turn to be seen...

"Maebara-san, please make your way to the examination room."

After half-heartedly answering all of the chatty doctor's questions, he responded with the old "it's probably a cold."

They gave me a shot and three days worth of medicine.

...I thought it was a little overboard, but if it would clear away the gloomy feeling I'd been having lately, then it was worth it.

I settled the bill and took a quick trip to the washroom. As I was leaving, I overheard a conversation between some elderly people who seemed to be regulars at the clinic.

Of course, I had no intention of eavesdropping.

...If it just wasn't for that word...

"...must have been an Onikakushi."

"I wonder...

She was still pretty young,

might've just eloped."

"With whom?"

"That man from Tokyo who visits every season.

That young one with that big camera.

Didn't you know they were getting along pretty well?"

...Were they talking about Tomitake-san!?

I could feel my ears perking up.

"I don't know about that...

But... you have to make preparations before you elope.

Leave a note or quit their job or something."

"It's an elopement because they didn't leave a note or message."

"...The thought that I'll never see that young nurse's face again makes me rather sad..."

"Takano-san is an upstanding young woman.

...She'll be fine wherever she goes."

So her name was Takano-san?

...That woman with Tomitake-san.

And... she worked at this clinic...!?

Oyashiro-sama's shadow was following me everywhere I went.

I started listening more closely, but they began talking about fishing and it didn't seem like they were going to revisit the topic. I gave up and left.

Thus, even though I was separated from the daily monotony of school, I wasn't able to escape from Oyashiro-sama's shadow.

...But of course.

Oyashiro-sama was the guardian deity of this place...

of Hinamizawa.

As long as I was in Hinamizawa, I wouldn't be able to escape...

Maybe it was because I was walking outside, but my appetite had suddenly returned.

I might as well buy a snack with the change from the examination fee on the way home.

Contemplating that, I turned onto a familiar street.

At that moment, I heard a car horn abruptly honk behind me.

...Was I really walking so far into the middle of the road where I'd be in a car's way?

I moved farther off to the side, but the horn was still honking at me. I turned around, peeved.

"Maebara-san,

good day to you."

It was Ooishi-san.

He stepped out of his car, AC on full blast, and waved at me.

"What's up today?

School on break?"

"J-Just not feeling well, so I took the day off.

...I was about to buy lunch and head back home."

"That's great.

I'm just about to get lunch myself. Would you mind going together?

...Ah, if you're not feeling up for it, then don't mind me."

I was just going to lie down after going home anyway.

...And I didn't really have a cold.

"I expect you'd rather avoid using one of the local places.

Let's go into town.

It's a bit of a drive, is that all right?

I know a pretty good place."

I'd finally begun to understand Ooishi-san's roundabout way of saying things.

...He probably wanted to talk to me about stuff that would be difficult to discuss while in Hinamizawa.

I went with Ooishi-san, riding in his frigid car.

It was almost as if the bright sunlight outside was a lie.

"I'm sorry about calling you so late last night.

Did your parents get angry at you?"

"No..."

I recalled Rena, who had been listening to the phone conversation all that time, separated from me by just the door.

...Even now, in the brightness of the sunlight... the thought still creeped me out.

With a big bump that jolted the car, the road connecting to the city changed from dirt to pavement.

My head swiveled back with a sudden realization.

That's right...

This was where Tomitake-san died.

"...They've hit a snag on the investigation regarding Tomitake-san."

Ooishi-san spoke while peering at me from the corner of his eye.

"They believed it was caused by hallucinogens, given how he was clawing out his own throat

...But a drug that could cause that to happen so suddenly... is extremely hard to come by.

Bear in mind, of course, the autopsy was done with that premise in mind... but we didn't find any leads."

"Um... you know that thing you see in manga all the time?

Where there's a drug that doesn't leave any traces after being consumed..."

"It exists.

Succinylchol-something-or-other.

Well, it's pretty common.

But you see. There doesn't seem to be any kind of drug that would cause Tomitake-san to react like that."

"...Then... you're saying the police concluded Tomitake-san just died from the curse!?"

I couldn't help but feel that the police were worthless.

...I just wanted the idea of a curse to be dissociated from Tomitake-san's mysterious death.

"Unfortunately, that's how it looks right now.

But putting aside the cause of death... Without a doubt, he was surrounded by a group of people and had taken a beating before he died.

That was no curse, but an incident that unquestionably involved other humans."

That made me a bit.. relieved.

We passed in front of the rather desolate (but still busier than Hinamizawa) train station.

The car pulled into a restaurant parking lot and I followed Ooishi-san into the shop.

It was pretty crowded, but there were only adults at this hour. Of course there wouldn't be children in here in the middle of a weekday.

"Two, please. I'll... make do with non-smoking."

"This way, please.

When you are ready to order, please call me over."

We were led by a peculiarly dressed waitress to our table. I sat with Ooishi-san in the booth.

"So what do you think?

Aren't the waitresses' outfits here cute?"

"Huh?

Well... um... I guess??"

"...This shop is always quite busy.

It's more about the waitresses than the food, you see~."

"Uh huh.

...Ooishi-san... you're leering."

"Hmm?

Am I really?

Murhuhuhuhuh...!"

...Regardless of how the waitresses looked, the food was decent enough...

Finishing our meals while talking about some inane topic, Ooishi-san's after-meal cup of coffee arrived at the table.

"Yesterday, we talked about Hinamizawa's past, didn't we?"

"Yeah. That it was the village of man-eating demons... or something like that."

"I didn't know much about it myself, so I asked my mother about it this morning."

Ooishi-san took out the notepad that was stuffed into his breast pocket.

"Turns out that Hinamizawa used to be called Onigafuchi—the Demon's Abyss."

"Onigafuchi...

...That's quite the name..."

"The name is still around.

...The swamp where the Shinto priest's wife drowned herself is still called Onigafuchi.

...It's said that the depths of that swamp connect to the realm of demons."

Of course, nobody had told me anything about such an ominous swamp...

"And you see,

it appears they were both feared and revered."

A respect born of fear...

I guess you could say it was a kind of deification.

A village of inhuman creatures.

"Seems the demons were Sennin—or mountain-dwelling mystics—of sorts.

Villagers with incurable illnesses would be taken to Onigafuchi to be healed, for example."

Even if we are calling them demons... Tengu—long-nosed goblins—or Sennin would be a more apt description.

"They don't seem like such terrible people, even though they were called demons."

"But they were still man-eating demons.

According to the story my mother told me... as payment for treating the son's illness, 'Let us eat the mother who brought him here!'

...Was apparently how things went."

"...The price of curing her son... was herself!?

...That's unsettling."

"Of course the mother took her son and ran.

Then, you see...

All the villagers of Onigafuchi -

the demons- chased, surrounded, and captured them."

The entire village...

apparently.

...That's quite a frightening thing to imagine.

"In the end, it seems both the mother and son were caught and eaten.

The end."

"There's a problem with this story.

...Both witnesses in this story were eaten, so nobody would be able to tell the tale."

"Huuh?

...Bwahahaha! There are plenty of old fables like this."

In contrast to the ghastly tale, Ooishi-san laughed heartily while sipping his coffee.

"But, well...

...There are quite a few other tales.

Where the demons from Onigafuchi band together to capture their prey."

I recalled that Mion said all the villagers united and fought against the dam construction.

...I saw similarities with how that part about unification overlapped.

"They would always hunt down a single person, and they chose who it was going to be beforehand."

"...Huh?"

That caught my attention.

...Ooishi-san also appeared to be pondering what it meant.

"My mother told me that you must never interfere with the 'demon's hunt.'

You should just hole up in your house and hide under the covers, she said."

"...So what does this all mean?"

"It means you mustn't ever help or protect the prey.

As long as you don't disturb the demon's hunt, no harm will fall upon the villagers.

It seems there's that kind of rule."

Basically... don't help the victims.

Pretend you didn't see the atrocities... in other words...

"What happens if you break the rule?"

"Well...

they're man-eating demons, after all..."

Many parts of that tale caught my attention.

...Parts of the story he told me overlapped with his theory that the entire village was in on the crime.

Even if it wasn't the whole village... it was conceivable that the villagers were "hiding under the covers and leaving them to die" when there's a group that was on their 'hunt,' wasn't it...???

I didn't dare speak it.

"...Then, Ooishi-san... I guess it looks like it's either the entire village or a group of villagers perpetrating the crimes...?"

"What do you think, Maebara-san?

...Ah, excuse me.

Another cup of coffee, please."

That's what I wanted to know.

...It seemed that... we were both waiting for the other to say that last part...

He waited for the waitress to finish pouring coffee before speaking.

"...Last year, I had a nagging feeling when Satoshi-kun disappeared."

Ooishi-san muttered as he watched the milk swirl around in his coffee.

"So those friends of Satoshi-san... meaning your group of friends, Maebara-san... I had a bit—

Really just a little bit, okay?

—of background checking done on them."

If Ooishi-san had said this to me before... I would've gotten angry at him for calling my friends into question...

But as I was now, I couldn't...

"This might sound pretty stupid.

Maebara-san, if you feel that it's stupid, please say so.

I'll just stop."

Ooishi-san was wearing the most serious expression that I'd ever seen from him.

...It was as if he was telling me to prepare myself and listen.

There were quite a few things I regretted hearing from Ooishi-san.

...But... none of them were as threatening as this...

A little voice inside me was screaming like an alarm...!

Stop, Keiichi.

This was probably the last one...!

I took a deep breath and silenced that voice.

...I would not run from the truth.

"...Please."

That was all I could utter.

...Ooishi-san stared into my eyes silently for a few moments. After he was certain I was ready, he began.

"The victim of the incident in the first year was the overseer. A few weeks prior, he had an altercation with Mion Sonozaki-san.

Multiple altercations."

...Ooishi-san had said before that Mion had defied the dam project vehemently.

...Well, it wasn't hard to imagine how she'd be if she got worked up.

"In the second year, the married couple who supported the project died in that accident, right?

Their daughter was with them at the time...

Her name is Satoko Houjou-san."

"Huh!?

Satoko, meaning...

Satoko!?!?"

Ooishi-san's look told me that my voice was too loud.

...I realized it as well, and quickly quieted down.

"The Shinto priest and his wife who died in the third year. You see...

their daughter is Rika Furude-san."

"...Rika-chan...was--!?!?"

"The housewife who died in the fourth year you know already, don't you?

It was the step-aunt of Satoko Houjou-san.

...She was in her aunt and uncle's custody, as she had lost both of her parents in the accident...

She lived in the victim's house."

I could tell my lips were getting dry.

I... didn't even have the wits to keep my mouth from hanging agape.

I had thought it was nothing but a bizarre incident... one that I could easily distance myself from.

...But, clicking and clacking... it had snuck all the way to my feet...

"The one who disappeared the fourth year, by the way... he was Satoko-san's older brother."

"Wha... just... ah... wait... just a second..."

It took everything I had to finally say that.

...I gulped down a glass of water and once again wiped my face with a napkin...

Calm down, Keiichi Maebara...!

But Ooishi-san was relentless.

...Instead of waiting for me to finish sorting out my feelings, he started speaking again.

The last of the things I shouldn't have heard...

"All of the victims seem to be connected to your group of friends."

"...That has to be just a coincidence!!"

"Maebara-san, keep it down...

Everyone's looking..."

Mion...?

Satoko!?

Rika-chan!?

So what if they're connected!?

You're telling me, all of my friends...!?!?

It couldn't be... it just couldn't be...

...Oh, Rena is different, isn't she!?

Rena isn't connected with the victims at all.

"Rena Ryuugu-san was living in a suburb of Ibaraki prefecture up until last year.

Well, it's true she hadn't directly met any of the victims..."

He said it in a roundabout way.

Is he saying she's also connected...!?

"Actually, I looked into her. Before Ryuugu-san moved away to Hinamizawa, she was suspended from school.

It seems she went through her school building and broke all of the windows."

"R-Rena did that!?

...She broke all the windows at her school!?!?"

That... same, spacey... Rena had...!?

I couldn't even imagine it.

"It seems that, after her three day suspension, she didn't return to school.

She went to a neurologist and was diagnosed with dysautonomia. She was given weeks of counseling and medication."

I wonder if it was something like a nervous breakdown.

...I'd heard that it happens to people who are really methodical or overly sensitive.

...Neither of those matched Rena's easygoing personality...

"...and in the counselor's medical report, he recorded all of the conversations he had with Rena-san...

'It' shows up...

And quite a bit at that."

"What did...?"

I pressed forward carelessly.

...There couldn't be anything more for me to regret...

"She mentioned...

the word, 'Oyashiro-sama.'"

It felt like someone's stone cold hand was caressing my back...

...Why... why had Rena spoken of Oyashiro-sama before she even came to Hinamizawa...!?

"Seems that the Oyashiro-sama she spoke of was like a ghost, appearing in her house every night.

Standing over her pillow, looking down at her."

...My mind froze.

...I couldn't process... what I was being told...

"A while after that, she moved to Hinamizawa.

...Ah, that's right.

She's not an outsider."

"Huh?"

"According to their residency register, the Ryuugu family used to reside in Hinamizawa.

They moved to Ibaraki just as Rena-san entered elementary school."

My mind went completely blank...

...It was similar to the static you'd see on a blank TV channel...

My ears began ringing as I lost all sense of comprehension...

"...Maebara-san, are you all right?

Shall we stop?"

Those words brought me back.

...I couldn't let it end here...!

"...Now I know about Rena...

Then... how about the last victim, Tomitake-san?

...Who was he connected with...?"

Irritated, I let out one final reprisal.

"...All of them.

Have you forgotten, Maebara-san?

Didn't you all spend the night of the festival together quite merrily?

Quite a few of the officers saw you enjoying yourselves."

...Now there was nothing I could respond with...

...I fell silent as my brain turned to mush...

"We should get going.

Ah, Maebara-san, did you take your afternoon medicine?"

I had completely forgotten about the medicine I had gotten today until Ooishi-san said that...

I got another glass of water, and we left the shop after I chugged it down.

We got in the car and returned to Hinamizawa via the rough road.

...I never really paid attention when I was on my bike, but did cars normally shake this much...?

...It was almost as if the road was desperately trying to tell me something.

*Badump*

...That big jolt was from the difference in elevation of the road when it changed from cement to dirt.

I was certain that I heard Tomitake-san's scream...

I sat in silence, just letting myself be shaken by the car...

"I'll drop you off at your house.

...You missed school because you were ill, correct?

My apologies for the long conversation."

"...Why did you talk to me?"

I blurted out the question.

...Really just blurted it out.

I didn't expect an answer.

"I did check with you first, didn't I?

If we should just stop..."

"Not that!

...Why did you reach out to me?"

...I understood quite well that Ooishi-san was investigating this string of suspicious incidents.

But... why was he telling me all this...?

I knew nothing and I couldn't help.

Everything Ooishi-san spoke of was news to me.

...First of all... what could I, having just moved here, possibly know?

By chance... If there was a reason for Ooishi-san to reach out to me, then it would have to be...

...That I was part of Mion's circle of friends, who looked suspicious to Ooishi-san...

"...I'm retiring this year.

I plan on moving away after retiring as my mother wants.

So while I'm still on the case, I want to bring the truth behind this incident to light."

"...So... Ooishi-san, you suspect them, don't you?

All of them."

Ooishi-san didn't really give a response.

It felt a little late, but I thought it was his way of showing a bit of consideration for my feelings.

"This is... mostly my intuition from 30 years on this job.

...Maebara-san. You're the one in danger."

"...Huh?"

I wanted to reply with "that's absurd!," but in my downtrodden state I couldn't bring myself to say it.

"I'll be retiring this year, so I won't be at the Watanagashi next year.

...So I want to settle things."

In other words, he was insinuating that on the next Watanagashi, I might be the victim...

"I've been warned by the chief as well.

'Each incident in the string of cases has been solved, so don't bring it up again,' or so I was told...

This is the pressure that I'm facing..."

"Pressure... from what?"

"Someone in Hinamizawa.

...We've arrived.

Is this fine?"

After some time, the car finally reached the path to my house.

The clock read 2pm.

...I was surprised so little time had passed since we ate.

It was hot outside the car.

The chirping of the higurashi hurt my ears.

"I won't mind if you just forgot everything I told you today.

...But I'm still going to keep investigating.

I'll end Oyashiro-sama's curse this year."

"...So you're saying I should contact you if anything happens?"

"It's fine.

...Just contact me when you feel you have to, Maebara-san."

I wasn't collected enough to understand Ooishi-san's roundabout way of saying it.

"Be sure to take it easy.

...I'm sorry for throwing all this at you while you're taking the day off because you're sick."

I didn't really give any sort of response.

"I'll always be on your side.

...If anything, believe that.

I'll be off now."

The tires crunched over the dirt road as the car made a U-turn and disappeared into a cloud of kicked-up dust.

It felt like I was watching a boat only throw me a lifesaver in shark-infested waters before disappearing into the distance.

...That was the first time I thought Ooishi-san was being unfair.

Telling me I was going to be the next victim, then just saying to contact him if something happened.

...This wasn't a criminal investigation.

He was fishing.

...And I was just the bait dangling off the line.

Would the fish be the perpetrator?

Or was it really just Oyashiro-sama's curse?

...Either way, the bait would be swallowed whole...

"...Damn it... I don't want to die..."

For some time, I could do nothing but stare at the puddle of water left behind by the AC from the car...

I wonder how much time had passed since I laid down.

It was getting dark outside.

My body was soaked in sweat.

...It would probably be a good idea to change my sheets.

At that moment, the phone downstairs rang.

It was probably Mom.

Mom was quite the worrywart.

...Maybe she had called many times but I just didn't notice it...

"Hello, this is the Maebara residence."

"Oh, he's alive! Hello!

This is Mion.

How you doing~?"

"Hm, is this one of Keiichi's friends?

Keiichi is resting now, but...

shall I put him on?"

"Huh!?

I-I-Is this his dad??

Ahahahaha, s-s-sorry!!"

"Bwahahahahahahahaha!!

Idiot~!

You fell for it!"

"Huh!?

K-Kei-chaaaaAAAaaaaaAAan!!"

After our exchange, we both had a good laugh together.

...Except I was suspicious of her even as we were laughing...

...Was everybody... really involved in the incidents...?

...The fact that I couldn't say "no," saddened me.

"I'm relieved that you seem well.

Rena was really worried, you know?

Satoko-chan was happy and said you got what you deserved!

Rika-chan said, 'how unfortunate he's sick!'"

"Heh, looks like everyone was making a big deal out of it!"

"Well, you know. So Kei-chan...

Is now a bad time to come pay you a visit?"

"A visit?

No, it's okay. It's not like I'm dying."

"My grandma made a ton of mochi, you see.

I was told to share them.

So I'll bring you some!"

"...Hey now, you'll catch my cold."

"Not to worry! Both Rena and I are too stupid to catch a cold!

See you!

Be there in a bit!"

She hung up cheerfully.

Rena's coming too?

That's what it sounded like.

...I was still concerned about meeting Rena, but I guess if she was with Mion...

I heard the doorbell ten minutes later.

"How are you feeling?

Did you take your medicine and rest~?"

"I did just that."

"Th-Thank goodness you look well. I was worried..."

"Sorry... I'll be fine by tomorrow."

Mion showed a complete lack of concern for someone who's recovering, and Rena looked like she was worried about me from the bottom of her heart.

...It didn't look like there was anything behind those expressions.

"...I thought we might hang out for a bit, but it looks like you're not quite in the condition for it."

"Hm? Y-You don't say!?"

It seemed my face appeared a bit sullen.

"...Then here, Keiichi-kun.

...These are the mochi Mii-chan's grandma made."

Rena held out the package wrapped in newspaper.

There might be about five in here.

...It was quite hefty.

"Ah, thanks. Send my regards to your grandma, Mion."

"Yep.

Ah, there's one that I made in there as well!

I wonder if Keiichi-kun can guess which one..."

"This is Kei-chan's homework since he missed the club meeting today!

There are letters on each mochi, so I'll ask you tomorrow!"

"W-Were you checking if I was feeling better or did you just come here for club activities!?!"

"Yep, yep, looking fine. Guess you'll be able to make it tomorrow~."

"Man, what are you going to do if my fever comes back because of your shenanigans?"

"M-Mii-chan, we shouldn't be making such a racket...

Let's go.

The other people here will get angry."

...Both of them thought my parents were home.

It was because the entranceway was a mess.

"You're right, let's get going.

...Ah, by the way, Kei-chan."

"Yeah?"

"What did you eat for lunch?"

The sudden question startled me and I went wide-eyed when I saw Mion.

...I had never seen her like that... it was a highly unsettling visage.

But... why... is she asking me about what I ate for lunch...?

What she said was so inane it was almost meaningless.

...The way she said it, it was almost like she didn't even care at all about what I ate.

"I-I ate out..."

...She must have suspected that I was with Ooishi-san...

Anyway, I felt that if I hesitated or tried to change the subject then they'd read too deep into it... so I tried answering as quickly as possible.

Except... contrary to the efforts I had made... there was a pause before they replied.

"...Hmm, so you ate out for lunch, Keiichi-kun."

The glimmer from Rena's eyes had changed at some point, as well.

...It was now sharp... as if to make me feel the feigned ignorance behind her words even more.

...As if she already knew... that's how it looked to me.

"Well? Was it good?"

"...Wh-Why are you asking me this...?"

Mion was speaking in an unusually low tone.

...Almost as if... she knew that I had eaten at the restaurant in town...

No... I'm overthinking this.

...I mean... both of them should have been in school at lunchtime.

...There was no way they could have known where I was...

"Seems you were with a rather austere-looking older guy.

...Who was he?"

Flop.

The package with the mochi I was holding slipped out of my hands.

I could tell the blood had drained from my face, making me go pale.

"...Oh?

Keiichi-kun, who was he?

...Could it be the person from before, I wonder?

...I wonder!?"

I could feel the back of my throat going dry...

This was no longer a bluff.

...They... knew everything...!?

"H... How... do you... know that...?"

It took everything I had to finally force those words from my throat.

...My knees were shaking.

"...Because...

...there's nothing this old man doesn't know."

...Mion sneered knowingly... and her laugh seemed to carry on forever.

"So, Kei-chan, what did you talk about?

It seems like you got pretty worked up over it, too..."

"W-We weren't talking about you guys...!

It didn't have anything to do with you or Rena...!"

"Hmm?

...Isn't it a bit strange to hear our names come up even though nobody asked about that, hmmm?"

Rena's unwavering gaze pierced through my eyes and peered further inside me.

I'd dug my own grave.

...My heart was throbbing so much, it felt like it was going to explode...

"Well, whatever you're trying to hide... This old man already sees through it all.

Remember that."

"..."

I couldn't even shake my head.

...It took everything I had to stop my teeth from chattering...

She never let her gaze break from mine, even as she tilted her head slightly.

"...Keiichi-kun, you don't look so good.

I think you should lie down."

"That's true. We should both head back home."

As if nothing had happened, they both giggled at each other and started making their way out.

I hadn't moved a muscle since I had dropped the package of mochi.

As they left, the door slowly closed behind them.

...All I could do was stare.

...As if I couldn't move until the door was completely closed.

Just as the door was just about closed, it opened again slightly with a sudden creak, sending my heart racing once again.

A single eye peered in through that narrow slit, and Mion's hawkish gaze peered at me once again.

"See you, Kei-chan."

"...Y... Yeah..."

"...I'd 'hate it' if you missed school tomorrow, alright?"

Thud.

...The door closed.

I wasn't able to move a muscle even after their low laughter died off into the distance and silence once again enveloped the room...

Coming back to my senses, the first thing I did was lock the door...

They knew what Ooishi-san and I talked about...!?

Why...!?

How!?

No... that wasn't important...

Thinking about it now... All of it could have been overheard... from the beginning when Ooishi-san met me.

...Just as Mion said... I couldn't hide anything...

Then... what were they... trying to tell me...?

...That part was obvious.

They were warning me not to say anything 'unnecessary.'

What did they deem unnecessary...?

I only talked with Ooishi-san about one thing.

...And they were warning me that that was unnecessary.

What was it that Ooishi-san talked to me about...?

The incidents involving Oyashiro-sama's curse that occurred every year weren't individual cases...

but were connected as a whole...

As well as the fact that there may be multiple perpetrators hidden within Hinamizawa...

No... more precisely...

...that Mion, Rena, Satoko, and Rika-chan were all suspicious.

Is that what they are warning me against...?

"Wh... What kind of nonsense am I thinking about!?"

I hit my own face hard enough that it let out a loud slap.

...If only that would wake me from this nightmare... But for some reason it felt like I was punching a blanket... it was almost laughably painless.

Calm down, Keiichi Maebara...!

When did I become such a pessimist?

Calm down. Calm down!

Settle down and sort things out...!

The reason Mion knew I was eating lunch with Ooishi-san was probably because... somebody from Hinamizawa just happened to be there at the time.

They must have told Mion that I was there...

That made the most sense.

Plus... come to think of it... She didn't ask me where I ate lunch, did she?

...She only asked, "was it good?"...!

They were just curious since I was together with someone not from Hinamizawa... It's not... as if they had any ulterior motives...

That's it. That has to be it...!

Thinking about it that way, it was the same with Rena.

I was just being strangely ambiguous about when I met with Ooishi-san, and Rena was just correcting me on that.

That's when I was bewildered by the change in character from the usual mild-mannered Rena... and was just startled by it...

That's the most natural way of thinking about it...!

...It felt like my mind was mixed up like a tangled mess of spaghetti.

...Deep red marinara sauce would have poured out of my nose and ears if you squeezed my head.

Thinking that, I suddenly felt like vomiting.

...I really didn't want that to happen, so I stopped holding my head...

Lately, I had no idea what anyone was saying...

Spending time with them was fun.

It didn't feel like there was any sort of hidden agenda.

I really do think that they're a good bunch of people...

When I just moved here and couldn't make heads or tails of everything, they were really kind to me.

Rena was really kind and always looked after me.

As long as that strange affliction didn't rear its ugly head, she was really pretty cute.

Mion is also a really good person.

She didn't care about anyone's age or gender, and was optimistic and outgoing.

I was never bored when I was with her.

...And talking of not getting bored, rambunctious Satoko was a good person for that, too.

She was pretty bratty, but that was just the way she interacted with others.

...Rika-chan was the same way.

She didn't speak often, but that didn't mean she was always silent.

...They're my friends!

...But... after hearing of the better untold secrets of Hinamizawa from Ooishi-san and Tomitake-san... when I was told about Oyashiro-sama's curse... things started going crazy.

Then hearing from Ooishi-san... that Mion, Rena, Satoko, and Rika-chan were all suspicious.

...After that... everyone changed.

...That's right.

It all started getting weird after Ooishi-san told me all that strange stuff...

...At that time, I really should have... should have just not listened to those weird stories.

...I shouldn't even have asked Tomitake-san about the past incidents on the night of the Watanagashi...

...If I just hadn't gotten that strange sense of curiosity... if I just hadn't...

That's right...

So that's why they ****ed Tomitake-san.

That impudent outsider speaking to the likes of me after everybody went out of their way to keep it a secret from me.

They'll probably **** Ooishi-san as well.

For trying to unearth what everybody was warning me was better left buried.

Besides that... he was unforgivable for spewing words that made me doubt the others.

...Of course a guy like that is going to be ****ed...!!!

Both Tomitake-san and Ooishi-san were nothing but outsiders, after all.

They were entities who couldn't coexist with the people of Hinamizawa.

Those guys should just fall to Oyashiro-sama's curse and just ***!!

It wasn't their fault.

...It was my fault for not being able to hold back my curiosity.

It wasn't their fault.

It wasn't their fault...

Itwasn'ttheirfaultitwasn'ttheirfaultitwasn'ttheirfault.

I settled into a daze... it was a lethargic feeling like I had just gotten up, but the ominous chill that haunted me had subsided.

...I was fine now.

...I was no longer frightened.

...I had completely recovered.

I'll go to school tomorrow, right as rain.

I'll greet everyone.

I'll take part in club activities.

It'll definitely be fun.

It had to be fun.

...I was one of them, after all.

"...Ah, that reminds me. I need to eat those mochi...

I hope I'm able to tell which one Rena made."

I remembered the homework the two brought with them when they visited me.

But wow, our club did delivery. That was something else.

I picked up the package I'd dropped on the floor and headed into the living room.

It would be nice, I guess, to have some tea with it.

...To fill my mouth with mochi while drinking tea.

...Oh.

This was quite a delectable situation I was in.

Opening up the newspaper wrapping, there were five plump red bean paste mochi fit snugly inside.

There were letters written from left to right on the newspaper: A, B, C, D, and E.

Now, then...

They said Rena made one of these... I wonder which one.

There wasn't much difference in how they looked.

They smelled and appeared about the same.

...This was... a pretty difficult problem!

The biggest difference... was probably their shape.

I wasn't sure what kind of person Mion's grandma was, but Rena's had to be different from hers...!

Looking carefully, I could see one mochi that was made very neatly.

So well that, just by staring at it, one could tell it stood out.

"...Looks like this challenge depends on whether or not this one is Rena's."

Calm down and think even harder...!

...Mion had said her grandma made a ton of them and was told to give some out, if I remembered correctly.

...So that meant four of these were from that large batch.

Then what about Rena?

She probably... only made one.

So she probably spent quite a bit of time on it.

...Meaning... the one Rena had made was this one... E!!

For a moment I thought it may have been a trap Mion laid as she knew I'd pick up on it, but that probably wasn't the case.

...I wouldn't be so sure if I knew Mion had made it, but since she said Rena made it, it probably wasn't a trap.

"All right.

My tea is ready, too.

I'll start with the defending champ, Mion's grandma.

...Let's see."

Hmm.

...Not bad.

The smooth bean paste and soft, chewy texture left little to be desired!

The tea I drank afterwards also accentuated the experience.

...This... was an exquisite piece of work!

Now, how about Rena's?

The creation was so delicate, one would think it was a high-class Japanese dessert.

Since I normally had quite the appetite, I was slightly worried about the size of the portion...

But, well... first, a bite...

...This was quite a difficult one to judge, actually!

The ingredients were exactly the same so there was little difference in flavor.

What was different was how it was shaped at the end, so it was to be expected.

So the deciding factors would be... presentation and volume.

The well-formed and well-sized champion, versus Rena the challenger, with a size you just couldn't get enough of!

I'd only had one bite of Rena's.

I would probably have to wait until after I was done eating to make my decision.

...Maybe... there was something hidden inside that could cause an upset...!

"*chew chew*

...

Hmm..."

It seems my prediction was right.

My tongue touched something.

It didn't feel like something edible, so I reached in with my fingers and grabbed it.

...What...

...What was this?

Before I could fully comprehend what it was, I threw away the rest of the mochi I was eating as fast as I could!

It slammed against the wall, causing the bean jam to splatter.

Then, after sticking for a moment, it slid down to the floor.

...I was dumbstruck by my own actions.

What was I doing...!?

Rena had gone out of her way to make it for me... How could I!?

Dumbstruck, I looked down at the hand that performed such a vile act... then I remembered what I had taken out of my mouth...

At first I thought it was a hair.

Even though it was shorter than Mion's, Rena's hair was still quite long.

And it wasn't this short.

It was also a bit too hard to be hair.

It was thick enough to roll around on my tongue.

...There was a bit of a metallic sheen on one end of it, ah yes, there was a hole for where thread goes through, like it was a sewing needle...

Yes, that's right...

It looked very much like a sewing needle...

...Exactly like one.

...The end was pointed as well.

Quite sharply.

...It really did look just like a sewing needle.

Huh?

...What did I mean by, "looked very much like a sewing needle," just a bit ago...?

...I couldn't answer.

But a voice inside me already knew... and let me know by chattering my molars together.

...I couldn't stave off the terror welling up inside me...

Suddenly, I tasted something metallic and felt a prickling pain at the back of my throat.

...I stuck my finger in the back of my mouth and felt around to see if I was bleeding.

...Suddenly, I felt the urge to vomit.

The sharp taste of bile irritated the back of my throat.

I clasped both hands over my mouth and, after writhing in agony... I was somehow able to hold back the nausea.

I was finally able to breath normally again, but this time my heart was throbbing intensely.

...Then, it finally registered...

...Exactly what was mixed in with the mochi.

Before I could think of the correct word, my hands were already on the move.

*Splat*

*Plop*

*Splort*

I tossed the rest of the mochi against the wall.

The geometrical patterns of the scattered bean jam on the wall suddenly invoked a terrible omen in my mind...

After looking away, I dashed out to the hall and flew upstairs to my room, where I stayed under my covers until morning.

I clutched my own shoulders, howling madly in a mix of fear, anger, sadness and frustration...

This wasn't a threat or warning or reminder, nothing as simple as that...!!!

What had happened in Hinamizawa?

What is happening in Hinamizawa?

What would happen?

...I didn't know the answer to any of those questions.

Where did I break a taboo!?

Regardless... now Rena and Mion... and others...

They consider me an enemy!

And they thought... I should just die!!!

I won't let you kill me!

Not for such a... pointless reason!!!

I fell into a restless sleep as I was crushed by my negative emotions. It was as if I was being drawn into a billowing, bottomless swamp...