This was the first time I'd ever woken with such clarity.

It was 5:59, just moments before my alarm would go off.

...I was amazed at the precision of my internal clock.

I had made preparations for the next day of school before I went to bed.

I changed quickly and descended to the deserted lower floor.

It appeared that my mom was still asleep.

...Neither breakfast nor lunch was ready.

Yesterday, I just unilaterally declared that I would be leaving early today, so it couldn't be helped.

I slathered jam on some bread and topped it with instant cocoa. Just as I was finishing up breakfast, Mom rose groggily from her slumber.

"...My, Keiichi, you're up early.

Is there some sort of school event?"

"Not really."

Answering bluntly, I picked up my bag and stood after stuffing two slices of bread down my throat.

"You're leaving already?

What about lunch?

If you don't wait a bit, I can't make it."

If I waited for her to make my lunch, then it would end up being the same time as usual.

If I did that, it would raise the chances of me running into Rena and Mion on the way.

Yes. From today onwards, I was going to go to school alone.

"I'll be fine for today."

"Then what will you do for lunch?"

"I'll slip out and buy some bread or something at the store."

"Really? ...Then here's some lunch money.

Be sure to bring me back the receipt."

I took the thousand-yen bill from Mom and slipped it into my pocket.

"It's pretty early, is Rena-chan up this early as well...?"

"No, just me."

"...Did you tell Rena-chan that you're leaving early?"

...I have no reason to tell her every little detail, now do I...?

Finding it difficult answering the onslaught of questions, I made an annoyed face.

"Tell Rena that I went ahead when she comes."

"H-Hey, Keiichi!? Wait...!"

It's not that I didn't trust my parents...

I just couldn't rely on them.

They couldn't help me... I could only hope that they didn't get involved.

It was safer that way.

My mom's annoying voice was cut off by the slam of the door.

For the first time since I moved here, I headed down the road to school alone.

Up until now, I had always walked down the same path at the same time each day.

So I always met with the same people at the same places.

But today was different.

I didn't meet the people I would normally and nobody was at the places where I would have normally met them.

Of course, Rena wasn't in the spot where we usually met and there wasn't anyone at the spot where we would have met up with Mion.

The length of the trees' shadows, the morning air, and the brightness of the sun... It was a completely different type of morning from what I was used to.

Without a doubt, it felt strange.

It left me with the impression that... I had destroyed the illusion Hinamizawa had set up for me before it had enough time to prepare all of the props needed to deceive me.

"...Myyy, Keiichi-kun.

You're so early today. Is everyone meeting early this morning?"

The person who called out to me was someone we always passed by as they were taking a walk along the edge of the fields.

...Their name was... uhh... I forgot.

...Of course, this wasn't the spot where we usually passed each other.

"I woke up early today... so I thought it would be a good change of pace.

That's all."

I threw out a random excuse.

"What about Rena-chan and Mion-chan?

Are you by yourself today?"

"Well... yeah..."

I was being asked the same type of questions my mom was asking.

So I answered them in the same uninteresting, vague manner.

...It wasn't funny being asked where Rena was each time I passed by someone.

But maybe it was to be expected.

...It was because for so long, we were always together so amicably.

Even I felt that if I let my guard down, we could still be frie-

...

...Stop it, Keiichi.

Don't think about that anymore.

You spent all day yesterday thinking about how dangerous it was to go soft, didn't you...?

Bebebeeeep!!!

A car horn blared from out of nowhere.

Even though I was walking, lost in thought, that horn was way too close.

A mechanical behemoth barreled at me from behind, catching me completely off guard.

By the time I turned around, the van's hulking chassis was almost on top of me.

I'd seen plenty of cars veer to the opposite shoulder to avoid pedestrians, but this car was doing the opposite.

It felt like...

It felt like there was somebody on the opposite shoulder and the van was swerving in my direction to avoid them.

That blissfully ignorant train of thought delayed me from realizing something much, much more important.

That large mass was hurtling right at me.

...Was it going to hit me!?!?

The inside of my head instantly flooded with a painfully cold liquid!!

In that moment... the scene before me—no, time itself—had frozen.

In the silence of that frozen moment, I compared the van—so close that I had no way to dodge it—and my body, the upper half twisted awkwardly in order to look behind me.

There was no way I could dive out of the way in my current position...

If I lost focus now, this moment would unpause, and I would probably be plowed over, caught in this silly pose.

Bend my upper body over towards the paddy by the side of the road.

...If I bent far enough, I'd get away with just being hit by the side-view mirror...!

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, the temporal stasis was shattered by the deafening sound of the van.

The side mirror struck my shoulder, sending me spinning off through the air like a top, locked in my contorted position...!!

Kesplash!!!

Sent tumbling through the air, I crashed into the muddy paddy by the side of the road.

My entire body was soiled and drenched...!!

But the choice I had made in that instant was unmistakably for the best.

I was covered in mud, but when the alternative was being hit by the car, it was the closest I could be to being unscathed.

Rising out from the paddy, I had enough in me to glare over at the stopped van and yell profanities at the driver.

I'm not sure if he was able to see me, but the van sped off suddenly.

"Wait, damn it!!

This... was what they call a hit-and-run, wasn't it!?"

I couldn't help but continue yelling out profanities.

The disgrace from being covered in mud hurt me more than any physical wounds.

I slogged through the muddy paddy and made my way back onto the road.

"This is a crime, God damn it...!!"

Shit!! I'll track you down and sue you!!

If I go looking for a van, I'm sure to find it in this little village...!!

The path I was on had rice paddies on either side, and it had become so narrow that one car could barely fit through.

It wasn't a place you could tear full speed down in a car, let alone pass by pedestrians.

Not only was it a narrow road, but the car just now was closer to my side of the road than the other when it went past me...

Even as I cursed, I was desperately trying to suppress the dark cloud roiling up within me.

This wasn't just a hit and run...

That car just now...

was trying to run me over, wasn't it...?

Thinking back... I did feel like there had been a car creeping up on me slowly for a while.

That's right. As soon as I'd parted ways with that person taking a walk... I had that feeling the whole time.

If it had wanted to pass me, then it had no shortage of chances.

Normally, I would have felt suspicious and turned around sooner.

But... I was lost in thought and now was kicking myself for not realizing it was there sooner.

And then... when the path became narrow and there was no one else in sight... he floored it...

If I had hesitated for even a moment... the result would have been no laughing matter.

As the adrenaline rush from nearly being run over subsided... and the realization of just how terrifying the preceding events were, sunk in.

There was no doubt about it. That van was intentionally trying to hit me...

A cold, viscous sweat seeped from my scalp and slid down my back before dribbling off.

...I struggled to avoid falling into a panic.

There was still the possibility that this was really just an accident.

...Calm down, Keiichi!!

But also don't be so naive, Keiichi!!

Being that lax will get you killed next time!!

You need to always be on your toes.

Don't give them any openings!!

If my enemy was really out to kill me, then next time, they would use a more reliable method.

If that time came and I was acting like I was now...!!

...Getting covered in mud was the price I had paid for my own naiveté.

Covered in mud, but without injury.

Not even a sprain.

I guess this was what you would call the silver lining.

I began walking again, this time cautiously.

I wouldn't even show a hint of carelessness.

I had suspected only Rena and the others up until now.

...No, it was because I had suspected them that I had believed there were no other enemies.

Ooishi-san had said so, didn't he...?

There was the possibility of a village conspiracy...!!

Was I really mired so deeply in this situation that I had no choice but to try and carry on as usual?

Wouldn't it be safest just to hole myself up in my house...?

But... the moment I abandoned my regular routine, everyone around me would abandon theirs as well...

That was just too horrifying of a thought.

I recalled the tales Ooishi-san told me, of when Hinamizawa was still called Onigafuchi.

A frightening tale of an entire village of demons hunting their prey, surrounding them and eating them alive.

One must not interfere with the demons.

One must pretend not to see it...

The enemies were numerous: the whole village.

...The villagers with their unwavering faith in the curse would do nothing to help me.

The strong, sudden flash of sunshine made me slightly dizzy.

...I had no idea what was going on anymore...

When I suspected it was the work of man, I would catch a glimpse of Oyashiro-sama's curse...

And when I suspected it was Oyashiro-sama's curse, someone would poke their head out.

What was coincidence? What was intentional?

...Who was my enemy? Who was just a bystander?

No, what I really, truly wanted to know was... how did I end up with the proverbial bullseye painted on my back?

Eventually... an answer in a form I could understand will appear...

I don't care when that will happen...

Because until then... I cannot die...!

That alone fueled my resolve to fight and will keep me alive.

I remembered seeing the metal bat in the gym storage shed, but there was a padlock on the door barring my entry.

At the very least, I wanted to get my hands on it before everyone else arrived at school...

I circled around the school grounds impatiently.

But all I could find were things like pieces of lumber, nothing that I could bring into the classroom easily.

Then... I had an epiphany.

I should search inside the classroom.

If it was something in the classroom to begin with, then there wouldn't be a problem.

I could tell that everyone's indoor shoes were still in their lockers.

Good thing I came early. Nobody else was here yet.

I wondered... what could I find in the classroom?

I didn't think I could find an especially effective weapon like a bat.

But it couldn't be helped at this point.

Until the gym storage shed was open, I needed to find a substitute.

A lingering hint of naiveté whispered that there was no way I'd be attacked at school.

But... such soft ideas would no longer protect me.

To think that they were slowly making their way into parts of my life that I had once thought impenetrable.

...In the worst case... my own house might not be safe anymore...

That was an incredibly frightening thought...

But I believed that not considering the worst case scenario would have been even more frightening...

Anyways, I will survive.

...So long as I lived, then I will definitely be able to escape this labyrinth of nonsense...

Definitely...

My exploration of the classroom came to an impasse.

That much was to be expected.

There was no way there would be anything that could be a weapon in the classroom.

In case of emergency, there was probably nothing I could do but swing my own chair around...

My gaze landed on the lockers that had come to be used for personal storage.

The locker that Mion used to store her pile of games was among them.

There was one for each person in the class, all lined up.

Of course, there was one for me as well.

Oh yeah, there was supposed to still be a track suit in my locker.

...Seeing me covered in mud would be strange.

I should go change later...

...But first, I needed a weapon.

If one of my classmates came, it would be hard to rummage through all the lockers.

I swiftly began opening the lockers one by one.

They were mostly just filled with things like gym clothes, personal items, and umbrellas.

...An umbrella.

...If I couldn't find anything better, then this would have to be my weapon.

I was about to give up on finding anything decent when I opened a locker that held exactly what I wanted.

It was, without a doubt, a metal bat.

It was well-worn and pretty beaten up, but there was no doubt it was usable.

In that locker that reeked of mold, there also hung a baseball uniform.

It was probably the locker of a student in a peewee league or something like that.

...If that was the case, then he'd probably ask for it back.

At that time I could hear the voices of the children scuffling their way noisily in from the hallway.

Amongst them I could make out Rika-chan and Satoko.

"...Good morning."

"My, my, you're quite early this morning, Keiichi-san."

I nonchalantly hid the bat I was holding behind my back.

"Wh-What is with your outfit!?

You're covered in mud!"

"Y-Yeah... I had a little incident.

I'm going to change now, so cut me some slack."

With that said, I began taking off my clothes. Satoko began to blush just as I expected her to.

"Ch-Changing in front of a lady... Have you no tact at all!?"

"I would think that a lady staring at someone who was changing would be the one lacking in tact.

There's no changing room for the boys, so just deal with it."

As Satoko feigned disgust, she went into the hall, still blushing.

Conversely, Rika-chan continued to stare at me preparing to change.

"...If Rika-chan is a lady as well, then I don't think it would be appropriate for you to be watching."

"I'm not a lady, so it's fine."

She deliberately pouted and looked at me with upturned eyes.

"...Then, starting now, you're a lady."

"If I'm a lady, then I suppose I must."

Rika-chan, appearing to be satisfied with being considered a lady, made her way to join Satoko in the hallway.

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, Rika-chan stopped suddenly and turned back towards me.

"...Are you going to start playing baseball?"

It seems that Rika-chan had noticed the bat.

"Yeah... just, you know...

I was feeling a bit out of shape.

So I thought I'd just try practicing my swing..."

"I think it's wonderful you're taking care of your health."

She was talking like an old lady, despite her appearance.

After saying that, Rika-chan started to leave again, but stopped and looked back at me once more.

"Please don't lose that bat."

It seems she already knew I took it out of someone's locker.

There was no name on the locker door.

I didn't know whose bat it was, but I would be borrowing it until they complained...

It wouldn't be for long; just until the gym storage shed was opened.

After quickly changing into the track suit, I checked the time.

I still had plenty of time before class began because I came so early.

I took the bat in one hand and went out to the school yard. That was, of course, to practice my swing.

I needed to make it known I would always have a bat on me so I could practice my swing.

At some point, the sunlight had become even stronger.

Disregarding my classmates as they made their way to school, I took my position in the shadow of the school building.

I wasn't the academic type and I wasn't much of an athlete either.

I might get muscle pain if I just suddenly started swinging.

I should at least start out with some warm-ups.

...I doubt anyone would think I was doing something out of the ordinary...

Which was the exact opposite of my actual mental state.

I gripped the bat and swung lightly.

...The bat was by no means light.

The weight would make it a reliable weapon when I needed it to be.

Of course, I could only pray that the moment I needed to use this as a weapon would never come.

...Just carrying it around could deter attacks against me.

At least, that's what I hoped.

"Huh!?

Kei-chan!?!?

What are you doing!?"

Being bombarded with such a hysterical voice, I jumped.

"Whoa, Keiichi-kun... are you on the baseball team?

...The baseball team??"

It was Rena and Mion.

"I was surprised to hear you went off ahead... what are you doing, Kei-chan?"

"Can't you tell by looking?

I'm practicing my swing... For the championship.

You can say it's part of my diet if you want."

"...Diet? Kei-chan, are you really that fat?"

"Bet you didn't know. I actually have a beer belly.

It's plump and jiggles."

"...P-Plump and jiggles..."

"...Rena, you don't have to imagine something weird like that."

To disrupt Rena from imagining something that vulgar, I ruffled her hair messily.

"Well then, hope you make it to regionals, at least.

This old man will cheer you on.

...Regionally speaking, it seems that Oshima High is pretty strong.

They say their southpaw, Kameda-kun, is amazing.

Good luck!"

Seems they've already taken me for a baseball nut, but oh well...

Well, if I really did make it to the championship, it would be a cinch.

After all, I'd be the pitcher and catcher.

I'd pitch the ball, then run past that ball I just threw and change over to being the catcher in a burst of super incredible explosive speed.

I laughed dryly at the ludicrous image...

Coming back to my senses, I smashed the bat against the ground.

"...Damn it!!!

What am I laughing at!?"

I pounded the ground over and over.

With each impact, the reverberation traveling through the bat stung my hands.

If they smile at me like that... I'll... I'll... ngh!!

Don't allow anyone close to me. Don't trust anyone. No matter how many times I tell myself that... If they made me smile like that... I'll... ngh!!!

I already knew quite well that there were demons dwelling in my smiling friends!

...But... I just couldn't believe it.

Did that kind of split personality really exist...?

Like how Rena confessed to the doctor... were they simply being possessed by Oyashiro-sama...?

In other words... did a supernatural being like Oyashiro-sama really exist, and was it possessing everyone to try and kill me...?

Yeah... That would be wonderful...

If only everyone were actually my friends all along and everything was all just Oyashiro-sama's fault...

"You damned fool, Keiichi Maebara!!!!! Come on, now!"

I yelled out, drawing out all the power from the pit of my stomach, and raised the bat violently into the air.

"...Stop being so sooooooft!!!!"

As I screamed out with all my might, I beat the metal bat into the ground over and over.

With every impact, my weakness was being beaten down...

Smash.

Forget.

Smash.

Don't be soft.

Smash.

Know your enemy.

Smash.

Like hell I'd let them kill me.

My shoulders heaving up and down from my ragged breathing, I heard the first bell ring just as I calmed down.

I gasped with a sudden realization.

...That was the final bell.

As I felt all the tension drain from me, I let out a deep breath.

My mind was in a muddled state for much of the entire day. I didn't feel like I was awake, but it didn't feel like I was asleep either.

I couldn't say it felt especially comfortable, but I felt a kind of relief that the sanctity of the school part of my daily life had yet to be violated.

How long would I have to keep on living like this...?

I could only grit my teeth and bear with it as this living hell slowly gnawed away at me.

"Keiichi-kun!

Come on!

It's club time, club time!"

The sound of Rena's voice brought me back to my senses.

"Come on come on Kei-chan, stop spacing out!

Bring your desk, your desk!"

Everyone was moving their desks together as usual.

That's right, it was happy fun club time.

But I had no intention of taking part.

I haphazardly stuffed the contents of my desk into my bag as I prepared to go home.

It was a weak-handed gesture to avoid having to actually say, "I'll be going home now."

"...What's this, Kei-chan?

You planning on going home right away again...?"

Mion sounded quite disappointed.

"...I'm just not in the mood. Could you just let me be for a while?"

The tone of the words that spilled from my mouth matched Mion's disapproving glare.

It felt like the air in the room had dried out.

Satoko looked like she was about to say something, but perhaps dissuaded by the mood, she swallowed her words and stayed silent.

Nobody said a thing...

I took that to mean that I could leave if I wanted...

But the collective gaze of the four of them, like the tiny pins used to mount an insect in a display, held me in place.

Rena was the one who cut through the heavy mood.

"...Keiichi-kun... you just didn't like... playing with girls, I guess... I guess..."

She said it in such a melancholic tone that it sent a wave of pain racing through my heart.

If this pain was going to kill me, I wanted it to be the soft part of me that could still feel pain.

I tore at my chest, violently tearing out the pins that held me in place.

"That's not it at all...!"

I'd only be hurting myself by saying anything more, so I swallowed my words.

Cutting things off there, I turned away and exited the classroom.

They didn't speak a word to me as I left.

It was a long, dull trip back home, but I didn't lose focus.

I firmly squeezed the grip of the bat which was already soggy from sweat.

Realizing that, I wiped it down with my sleeve. If something were to happen, I wouldn't want it to be slippery.

Since this morning, I'd become especially sensitive to the presence of cars.

Even while walking, my ears pricked up, and sought out threatening sounds and presences that could be closing in...

And that was why I could hear it.

Without a doubt, there were footsteps.

Those footsteps had matched up perfectly with mine for a while now.

From what I could sense... It was just one person...

But I had no intention of being careless.

Did they intend to follow me like that car this morning, until we were in a good location to assault me...?

Then it wasn't a good idea to keep walking like this.

I stopped walking and looked back.

The wooded path crowded with trees responded with silence as if there was nobody there to begin with.

But I wouldn't be fooled. I was certain footsteps were following me.

And just as I stopped, the footsteps stopped, as well.

...Meaning, the person following me wanted to keep their distance.

That was, without question, proof that I was their target.

I held my breath, waiting for that presence to panic and start moving again...

The trees rustled with the sound of the wind.

The higurashi also joined in the dissonant chorus, trying to throw my focus into disarray.

Had five minutes passed?

Or had I been like this for a whole thirty minutes...?

...It was so hard to breathe that I might have suffocated; it seemed I would be the first one to panic.

Without a doubt, he was lurking in the shade of that tree with bated breath.

Then... I'd make the first move...!

I fixed my grip on the bat.

...I raised it up to my shoulder to be ready to swing it at any time.

"...Hey!!!

I know you're there!!"

With all of my might, I screamed at whoever was hiding in the shade of the trees.

But... the presence in the shade didn't budge.

Until the moment I found them, they had no intention of revealing themselves...

"I know already!!!

I know you're there!!!!"

I screamed out angrily at them again, but even still, they didn't move at all.

Then I'll go over there myself!!

With all due vigilance, I approached, step by step...

Stepping into the tree's shadow... I saw a human figure there.

That figure... was curled up like a small animal.

"Rena...!"

When she realized I had found her, her expression softened.

She seemed apologetic, but wasn't going to speak a word.

"...Did you have some business with me...!?"

I wouldn't accept that silence and screamed the question at her.

"N-Not really... it's just... um..."

Rena was in a panic with tears welling up in her eyes.

But it was obvious that she had been following me.

"What about the club?"

"...S... Since you're not... I'm not..."

"That shouldn't matter!

Don't mind me and just play!"

"...B... But... I'm just worried... about you..."

Thinking about how I'd been acting up until now, it wasn't hard to imagine that my behavior could have been perceived as strange.

So Rena was concerned... at a quick glance, that's how it would seem.

But I wasn't going to let my guard down that easily.

Even if that was really the case, she still wouldn't have to do something like try to tail me.

...She should have called out to me when I was leaving and gone out right with me.

But Rena didn't do that.

She kept her distance from me and matched my walking speed.

On top of that, she matched the sound of her footsteps and deviously tried to hide her presence from me.

Then, after she realized I noticed she was there, she held her breath as she tried hiding from me.

She wore a timid expression that would force one to take pity on her, but without a doubt... she was tailing me.

"Stop following me."

"Ha... hau..."

Still glaring at Rena, I continued walking onwards.

After I'd walked for a bit, she ignored my command and began walking again... so I yelled at her once more.

"I told you not to follow me!!!"

"Eek!! ...B-But... My house is in the same direction...!"

"Then walk ahead of me! I'll start walking once I can't see you anymore."

I moved out of the way and waved my bat violently to urge her forward.

"I-I'd like... to go home together... with you..."

Making a pitiful expression, she meekly squeaked out the words in a voice that she knew would cut into my heart.

...That agitated me to no end.

I knew it was a lie.

If you wanted to go home together, then you should have called out to me.

Now you're just blurting out random lies!!!

"I-I'm s-s-s-s-s-sorry, I'm sorry...!!!"

It seemed that the seething anger within me was written all over my face.

...Even without me saying anything, Rena had understood what I was feeling inside.

"If you get it, then go!!"

I swung the bat, urging her again to walk.

Rena looked back and forth between me and the bat and started walking hesitantly, then stopped again.

"...Go on, then. Hurry!!"

"I-I'm going!

So please stop with the bat...!!

I-It's scary...!!!"

Rena guarded herself while pointing at me holding the bat.

She may have realized that I wasn't planning on using this bat for baseball...

I lowered the bat, but still guardedly opened the way for her.

"Go...

There's no problem now, is there?"

"..."

There was nothing else she could protest.

...She passed by me timidly so as to not set me off.

As I watched her pass by, she stopped completely after having barely moved at all.

"Hey, don't stop...!"

Then, a powerful gust blew past us, barraging my face with dust.

The dust got into my eyes and clouded my vision...!

While rubbing my eyes with my left hand, I swung blindly with the bat in my right, protecting the small opening I had presented.

But Rena didn't even try to attack during that opening.

Attack me? No... She hadn't budged an inch.

I could tell from the sound of her fluttering skirt in the wind.

As her skirt settled, so did the silence.

At that moment, the voice inside of me immediately warned me of impending danger.

...I was caught by surprise.

...The smell of the air... had changed...?

Without me realizing it, the air around me suddenly felt like a calamity was about to befall me.

It was like the air had suddenly become invisible concrete. Like Rena and I were locked in this space.

Rena didn't move an inch...

Also unable to move, I stared at her back.

Rena was the first to break the silence.

Instantly, she altered her stance.

...I felt like I had just witnessed her shift from Rena into that other person who looks like Rena.

But... The voice was one I knew well, which filled me with a kind of bewildering pity.

Carelessly, I felt relief upon hearing that pitiful voice...

"...Uh...

Um...

Well, excuse me, but...!

...Um, can I ask you something?"

Too shy to even turn around, Rena squeezed her voice out desperately...

as she trembled.

"...What?"

"Uh...

Umm, well...

well...

Wh-Why do you have a bat, I wonder...

I wonder...?"

...The question Rena asked was by no means unexpected.

"I can carry whatever I want."

"But, but... you didn't have one up until today...!

...Wh-Why so suddenly...!?"

"It's alright if I decide to do something suddenly, isn't it?

...Is it strange that I have a bat?"

"B-Because, Keiichi... You're not the kind of person to play baseball!

It's weird...!"

I couldn't tell what kind of answer she was looking for and I was getting tired of answering her.

"...I just suddenly got the urge to play baseball.

Is that so weird?"

"It's weird...!"

She answered instantly and that annoyed me slightly.

"I just suddenly wanted to play baseball.

And I wanted to practice my swing, so I'm carrying around a bat.

What's strange about that?"

"Strange.

Weird.

Definitely.

Why you too..."

"Your ramblings are annoying me...

Is it that strange for me to have an interest in sports!?"

I tried to sound a bit more threatening to end the conversation.

Until my suspicions about Rena were cleared, I had no obligation to answer her questions.

"...I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry...!

Don't get so angry...!!"

Rena still didn't turn around and spat out words of apology one after the next.

"J-Just one last thing!!

Tell me one last thing...!!"

"...I don't feel like talking anymore.

Hurry up and go!!"

I yelled loudly at her, causing her to flinch like she had been struck.

...Seeing her in such a pathetic state caused my heart to ache sorely...

But even though she was afraid, she stubbornly kept herself from moving.

Before I was able to threaten her again, Rena asked her final question.

"Wh-Why is even your bat the same!?!?"

What did she mean by the bat was the same?

I had no idea what she was talking about.

"...What are you saying...?"

"I mean... Why is even the bat the same!?"

"I don't understand what you mean at all!

Say it clearly!!!"

Even still, Rena didn't turn around.

After inhaling deeply, she screamed.

"I mean... Why is even the bat the same as Satoshi-kun's!?!?"

"Satoshi... being...

Huh...?

???"

Upon hearing that name out of the blue, I became dumbfounded for a brief moment.

By "Satoshi"... did she mean the student who transferred out last year?

...No, that couldn't be.

Rena had tried to cover it up by saying he transferred, but Ooishi-san told me quite clearly that he was missing.

He was the student who sat at my seat up until last year. He was believed to have been demoned away by Oyashiro-sama's curse.

I didn't know the details about his disappearance.

The aunt he lived with was killed the night of the Watanagashi by a drug addict, and not long after that, he suddenly vanished, and was now missing...

That Satoshi and I were... what?

My gaze fell to the bat in my hands.

...Could it be...?

"Satoshi Houjou"

It was a bit difficult to see, but that was what was written on the white tape at the end of the bat.

...I see... so this was Satoshi's bat...

"...O... Oh.

This... was Satoshi's bat.

...Since nobody was using it, I borrowed it.

That's not a problem, is it!?"

"Th... That's not it!!!"

The way Rena said that... made it seem like this bat was something that should never be touched.

Like it was some sort of offering at a shrine... or a memento of the deceased...

I could only stand there, perplexed and unable to respond. Rena continued speaking without waiting for a reply.

"...Why is it...

Why is it...

that you're doing the exact same thing Satoshi-kun did when it happened to him!?"

Rena was talking about more than just the bat belonging to Satoshi.

"...It was the same with Satoshi-kun!!

He joined a baseball team... but he didn't really like baseball...!"

"What does that have to do with me...?"

"Satoshi-kun also... suddenly started walking around with a bat one day!!!!

He joined a team... but he wasn't the type to play sports...!!"

What about it...!?

I closed my mouth before I could say that out loud.

...Listen carefully, Keiichi!

Rena is trying to tell us something important...

"Satoshi-kun also... one day came to school all by himself all of a sudden.

Just like Keiichi-kun!!!

Then one day, he suddenly started practicing his swing.

Just like Keiichi-kun!!!

Then one day, he suddenly began carrying the bat around with him.

Just like Keiichi-kun!!!

Then one day, he suddenly...

Gh..."

...Then one day he suddenly... what!?

Rena had swallowed her words.

Rena's sudden silence brought a hush back to the surrounding area.

...It was then that I could finally digest the content of the entire conversation.

She was saying my chain of actions... was exactly the same as Satoshi's.

What was... the meaning of this!?

Up until just now, I'd forgotten all about Satoshi.

I had never paid much thought to him in the first place.

Not only that, I didn't even know anything of what he'd done.

My actions today should have been my own creation, after all the planning I had done.

But...they... had been the exact same as Satoshi's...?

Then Satoshi... no, more importantly...!!

If both Satoshi and I acted the same, then there was a really good possibility that what happened after would be the same...

"Rena... that day... what happened to Satoshi!?"

Rena knew...

She knew what became of Satoshi.

No, forget about what happened to a guy in the past!

Rena... knew what was going to happen... to me!!!

"A-Answer me, Rena!!

Satoshi... What happened to him!?"

With that, I grabbed Rena's shoulder violently and forcibly turned her around to face me.

As I faced her, I felt a jolt travel through my entire body...!!

"I told you...

Keiichi-kun."

It was that person that I didn't know.

At least, it definitely wasn't the Rena Ryuugu I'd been talking to up until now.

The voice just now didn't have a trace of the trembling or emotion that it had had before.

...The amount of regret I felt for turning her around so carelessly was unsurpassed...!

That gaze that pierced like a cold needle... The smile on her face that invoked an image of having been carved out by a knife...

Chills went down my spine... My mind froze under a layer of rime.

Both of Rena's eyes pierced through mine, leaving me unable to look away.

...As if to remind me of the fear from that time before... Rena brought her face close to mine, so close that I could feel her breath.

...Her face had filled my entire field of vision.

...Then... her sharply-shaped lips grew even sharper. Like the curve of a crescent moon...

she grinned.

"I told you.

Keiichi-kun."

After a short pause, Rena repeated the same words again.

"Satoshi-kun, you see...

transferred out."

Transferred... meaning what...?

...What Rena meant must have been some new definition of 'transfer' that I was previously not aware of...

My throat and lips dried up, I couldn't even acknowledge what I had just heard.

All... I could do was swallow down my own saliva...

...It would seem that Rena saw that as a nod.

She pulled her gaze back and spryly stepped back two, three paces.

As she did, my legs gave out and I fell to my knees pathetically.

...Rena, and me on my knees underneath her emotionless smile...

That had to be a very odd sight indeed...

Seeing me in that pathetic state, she neither scoffed at me nor held out her hand.

But I could neither stand nor escape with her gaze shooting through my eyes.

There was undoubtedly a metal bat in my hand.

But right now, it was useless to me. I was like a fly caught in her web.

Heavy sweat beaded all over my body, I could feel it dripping from my skin...

"...But you won't, will you,

Keiichi-kun...?"

...Rena finally released me from that cage of time after what felt like an eternity.

But her question was missing something important and was incredibly vague.

Once again I swallowed hard, urging her on.

"...D... Do what...?"

What did she not want me to do...?

"Transfer."