Satoshi and I... had what?

All my well-planned actions throughout the day turned out to have been nothing more than a reenactment of what Satoshi had done.

Satoshi... had he really been in the same situation as I was now...?

The friends he had gotten along with had changed suddenly... and for no reason (at least none that I had noticed), planned to kill him...?

Then, fearing for his life as I am, he got a bat to protect himself, and carried it around every day to practice his swing?

And then one day, suddenly...

"He transferred."

My blood went cold, causing a prickling sensation to course through my veins.

Starting near my heart, it radiated outwards, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet... chilling every part of me without recourse.

What did she mean by transfer?

What did she mean by transfer?

Was Satoshi still at wherever he transferred to?

Was he the only one who would be able to understand me?

Would he be able to tell me why it all ended up like this?

More importantly, where did he transfer to!?

What did she mean by transfer?

What did she mean by transfer...?

Before I knew it, I was at my front door.

The frigid knob was hard to turn.

...Was nobody home?

It wasn't that odd of an occurrence. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the single key attached to my fur seal keychain.

I stepped into the entryway. Just as I was about to take off my shoes, a chill ran down my spine.

...Someone had entered right behind me.

Like a classmate messing around... standing right up against my back...

You're kidding, right...?

It had to be my imagination...

Logically speaking, it was impossible for someone to be able to hide their presence within my personal space all the way through the door.

But there was undoubtedly someone behind me.

...Hey now, hey now, Keiichi.

...How do you know they're 'there' even though they're behind you...!?

...Because... I could hear the sound of flowing hair.

There's no other reason... I'd hear that sound.

That was the presence.

...Because... I could hear the sound of them blinking.

Keiichi Maebara, there's no way you could hear that!

My most base instincts were warning me of the presence. Common sense was telling me that it was just my imagination.

It was just my imagination, there was nobody behind me. I began to erase the mental image of an eerie figure standing behind me.

But at the same time, I asked myself... if there was 'nobody,' then what was I feeling...? As an uncomfortable sensation crawled up my spine.

Actually... wouldn't it be better if there was somebody there...?

If... there was nobody there when you turned around... would you be able to accept that...?

I'd be able to answer all those questions just by looking behind me.

...But... I didn't have enough courage... to even do that simple task...

Oh, right... I could try speaking to them...

The person behind me... might answer me.

It was a random thought... I didn't care how I went about it, just so long as I didn't have to turn around.

...If I had calmed down and thought about it... I would have known that that wouldn't have solved anything.

"Wh... Who is it...?"

I spoke in such a hoarse, broken voice that I couldn't believe it was my own.

I could almost feel them contemplating their response.

...I felt it. There's no way I should be able to do that!

Calm down, Keiichi. It's all in your head...!

That time, I was certain I heard it.

As if hesitantly trying to answer my inquiry... I was certain I could hear the sound of somebody inhaling.

I heard it.

I heard it.

I heard it clearly.

It was a girl.

A young girl.

I didn't know who, but...

A tiny speck of courage in me —however reckless it was— inspired a primal yet fitting solution to this current predicament: a scream.

All the force in my body released from my lungs and through my throat, ceasing all thought processes in my head.

Suppressing all my thoughts and emotions, I began to collapse like a house of cards, somehow managing to twist my body and look back as I did so.

It was definitely there.

Right there.

Somebody was there.

Until the moment I turned around, until I brought the area behind me into my field of vision, they were definitely there.

Falling face-up, my eyes traced the remnants of the presence suspended in the empty space...

...It couldn't be... They were invisible... They looked like they weren't there... But were they actually still standing there...???

As I screamed, all the emotions I was holding back burst free in a violent wave.

However, I was decidedly calm as my emotional dam collapsed.

...The turbulent wave of pent-up emotions was skillfully diverted... into a torrent of aggression.

That emotion was definitely required to extricate myself from the bizarre situation happening right in front of me.

In my state of heightened lucidity, I entrusted my body to the fury...

The metal bat held firm in my right hand as if drawn there by a magnet.

A mid-level sweep would be the hardest attack to dodge... I remembered reading something like that from a book about swordsmanship or something.

"RAaaAAaAAaAh!!!!!"

I brandished my will to fight.

The afterimage of that amalgamation of metal flashed as it swung from left to right, beating against the entryway!!!!

The bat slammed into the right wall, the tip rebounding violently.

...Very calmly, I transferred the force of the rebound into a sweep to the left.

The door of the shoe cupboard was split into pieces.

Those two swings whiffed through empty space, but they seemed to have a great psychological impact on the enemy.

...I could feel the panic emanating from that space.

The attack wasn't the only thing required.

...I extracted the bat from the cupboard it was embedded in and screamed as I spun my entire body around in a large arc.

"WRAaAAAAaAAaAAAhhh!!!"

My screams shook the air, imbuing my ferocious swing with even more destructive power...!!!

Crrraaaaak!!!!

Without mercy or restraint, my violent strike—with certainly fatal force behind it—shattered the top of the cupboard.

None of my attacks struck the enemy, but my ferocity had certainly seemed to impact them.

Breathing heavily, my entire body soaked in sweat, the invisible enemy—there, but not there—dispersed.

When I was certain that the enemy had retreated, I locked the front door and latched the chain.

No way, had it only feigned retreat and was now inside my house!?!?

Once again, I channeled my aggression and searched the house for the presence...

but it was gone.

I had succeeded in fending it off.

...At that moment, the tension drained from my body and I let out a deep sigh of relief...

All of the emotions I'd been holding back chaotically merged together and began to flood out. A hodgepodge of fear, accomplishment, and disbelief all mixed together and began to flow through my body.

Unable to deal with each individual feeling, I beat them all back with the strongest: exhaustion.

Even in this moment... I remained composed.

After checking that all the doors throughout the house were locked, I went up to my room on the second floor and closed the curtains.

I straightened my back and tilted my head back a little... After clearing my mind of all my idle thoughts, I managed to calm down even more...

What was that at the front door...?

There was definitely something there.

Thinking about it, maybe it was just an apparition I dreamt up in my confused state... but I really didn't think that was the case.

Calm down, Keiichi Maebara...

Compose yourself...

But no matter how calmly I thought about it... what just happened wasn't a figment of my imagination.

It was obviously a supernatural phenomenon. And without a doubt, something was behind me.

It wasn't some sort of illusion I saw amidst my confusion and disorientation!

Proof?

I had just one piece.

...When I asked "Who is it?" they inhaled as if they were about to answer.

That 'sound' had clearly reached my ears.

The situation I was in right now was still unclear.

Either I'd been possessed by the supernatural phenomenon known as Oyashiro-sama's curse...

Or this was a ruse by the villagers who believed in it and were imitating it.

Either way, their motives were unclear.

The roundabout way it had been done was also still a mystery.

If it was perpetrated by humans, that would mean admitting that it was Rena and the rest of them doing it, but it would be solvable.

Ooishi-san and the rest of the police would surely arrest my enemy.

But... If it was a manifestation of Oyashiro-sama's curse... I wondered what would happen...?

Ooishi-san very clearly declared that curses didn't exist.

At that time, those words were pretty dependable... but as things were now, with the rising possibility that the perpetrators were not human... He suddenly seemed quite unreliable.

If I told Ooishi-san this was the work of Oyashiro-sama's curse... what would happen?

...I couldn't imagine his reaction, but it would go without question that a void would expand rapidly between myself and Ooishi-san.

With me having so few allies to begin with and not being able to confidently declare whether or not this was a curse, there was no merit to doing that.

I'd better keep the 'facts' of what just happened at the doorway to myself.

...It would be better if I didn't add what happened here to the memo behind the clock.

There was still the ever so slight possibility...

that I was actually confused when I thought I was composed, and I was just going berserk in the entryway.

How wonderful would that be if that was really what happened?

I would be able to refute Oyashiro-sama's curse.

But if I denied Oyashiro-sama's curse, then that would mean admitting that Rena and the rest were the perpetrators.

If I said that Rena and the rest weren't the perpetrators, then that would mean believing in Oyashiro-sama's curse.

By denying both of those... I would be admitting that I myself was losing it.

The three options from which I couldn't choose became a trilemma of sorts. They mixed together and formed a whirlpool in my mind, making my head spin...

Once again, I straightened myself and leaned my head back slightly to cool myself down.

...Calm down, Keiichi.

...Accept what has actually happened as reality.

...Stop thinking of anything more than that...

But... I couldn't help but think of it.

...How wonderful it would be... if it turned out I was delirious and everything up until now was a figment of my imagination.

Oyashiro-sama's curse wouldn't exist and I would still be bestest buddies with Rena and the rest...

I would have to be crazy.

That was the first time in my life I'd ever wished for such a thing.

The phone rang noisily downstairs.

Generally there were no calls for me, so I never really answered the phone much.

But since my parents weren't here, I had no choice.

I squirmed off the bed and went downstairs.

"Hello, this is the Maebara residence."

"Keiichi? This is Mom."

...I intuitively had a bad feeling about this.

It was because I thought she was going to ask me to go out and buy some things.

So I took the initiative.

"What?

I don't mind having instant noodles for dinner.

There's still a lot of them."

The other day, we went out as a family and bought a whole case of cup noodles.

I wanted to get a bunch of different kinds, actually, but they refused since the individual packs were expensive. So instead, I got a whole case of the Mega-size Pork-bone & Ginger flavored ones I liked.

But my parents don't like strong flavors and didn't touch any of them. So the cupboards were still full of them.

"So you see, there really isn't a need to go shopping, right?"

"Keiichi, I'm not asking you to go shopping.

Both Mommy and Daddy have to go to Tokyo right now because of work."

"Huh...!?

Right now!?"

This was really... abrupt.

"No, we're already here.

We left this afternoon."

It's quite a distance to Tokyo from Hinamizawa.

Gunning it full speed down the highway, would still take six hours.

...Dad has a license, but since he doesn't like the highway they likely took the train...

It would have taken longer.

"I'm thinking you might understand since you heard us speaking last night, but it has to do with Daddy's contract. Right now, things aren't going so smoothly."

Now that she mentioned it, I did remember that they talked all that time about how his job prospects weren't looking so good.

"Daddy is really sensitive about things like this, so if we leave things as they are, it will affect his work."

Part of my father's particular fragile artistic personality: his emotions changed as easily as the fall sky.

...You could also just say he couldn't take criticism.

"But... something like that can be done over the phone!"

"Keiichi... This is your father's job, so can you support him a bit, please?

Anyway, it's just faster to talk about it in person,

so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings."

As their son, there was nothing more I could say once they started talking about work.

"So, we'll be back tomorrow night.

Keiichi, will you be fine on your own?"

"It's not like I'll die or anything."

"...Keiichi, you shouldn't speak so lightly of dying...

If there's something troubling you, just talk to us.

I believe Mommy will be able to help out."

Yesterday I did bring up "If I died" rather abruptly, so I supposed they were a little worried.

...But really, I was more depressed by the fact that nothing would be solved by telling them.

But I didn't plan on dying...

...At least not while I still knew nothing... I would never allow it.

"I won't die.

I won't...

I'll survive even if I have to gnaw my leg off."

"Yeah...

See you then.

Tomorrow morning, make sure to wake up.

And eat your breakfast.

And don't forget to take a bath and brush your teeth."

"Yeah, yeah... see you."

The call ended like that.

...Sometimes my parents went off to Tokyo for business meetings.

But Tokyo was far away.

They normally did things by phone...

The times they did go were normally planned out in advance, it never happened this suddenly.

I couldn't say that those circumstances didn't feel strange, or rather... unnatural.

Anyway... I only needed to recognize the reality of the situation...

...That tonight... I was the only one in the house.

That when my parents came back from work, I'd be gone... missing.

Vanished.

...Looking back on the series of events of the previous five years involving Oyashiro-sama's curse, it wouldn't seem that strange at all.

Come to think of it... it was getting pretty late.

I didn't think it was good that the only light on in the whole house was from my room on the second floor.

It was the same as broadcasting to the enemy that my parents were gone and this was their chance.

First I ran to the living room, flicked on the lights, and turned the TV on to a reassuring volume.

Next was the study. I similarly turned on the lights and some music.

With this, from the outside it would look like my parents were here.

Once again, I went through the house, checking to see if there was anything left unlocked...

...When I saw the veranda and the laundry still hanging out there, I went pale.

That would have made it too obvious! I needed to take it down...!!

I snatched down the laundry haphazardly and erased all traces that my mother wasn't there.

It should be fine now...

...Ah!

The garage!!

They hadn't gone all the way to Tokyo by car, but they had gone up to Okinomiya station.

The garage was empty, wide open, and in plain sight... this was not good!!

I panicked and rushed out the back to close the normally-open garage door.

It should be fine now...

Ah, I needed to get the paper!!

Mom always got the paper. Since they left in the afternoon... The evening paper was still out there!!

My premonition was correct.

I pulled out everything from the mailbox and dropped it in the entryway.

...With this... for sure this time... it should be fine...

Come to think of it... Leaving the cupboard busted like that from my little freak-out was kind of bad.

I'll just say I tripped and fell, and the bat I was holding smashed into it...

Even so, just leaving it in its current state wasn't good.

I should clean it up a little before Mom got back and scolded me.

I remembered that there was a broom and dust pan in the closet. As I was going to get them, the phone rang once again.

"Hello, this is the Maebara residence."

"Oh, is this Keiichi-kun?

Is your mother around?"

"A-Ah, she isn't here at the moment..."

You idiot, Keiichi Maebara!!

Don't reveal that your parents are gone...!!

You can follow up still... Calm down and take care of it...!

"I-I think she'll be back soon...!!"

That wasn't a good response either...!

Now they might say they'll call again, or to tell her to call them when she comes back!!

"Then that's fine.

It wasn't anything important...

Well then, sorry for the bother."

The scenario I feared didn't play out, eliciting a sigh of relief.

That call was fortunate in more ways than one.

...I'd have to deal with any telephone calls coming in for my parents tonight.

I was somehow able to deal with the phone call just now... But I couldn't continue to rely on such poor improvisation.

I needed to make up a good story to explain that my parents were home but couldn't answer the phone at the moment.

They were making tempura and couldn't step away right now...

That wasn't good enough.

They were sick and went to bed because they weren't feeling well.

...Was that going to be safe enough?

I was thinking about it on the way back to my room when the phone rang once again.

It was like they were calling because they knew I was going to lie.

I didn't want to pick up...

but I knew I had to.

They'd suspect my parents weren't here.

...I should have just taken the phone off the hook under the pretense that I didn't realize that it was...

But since the phone rang, I had to pick it up.

I prepared myself and lifted up the receiver...

"Hello..."

I stopped announcing this was the Maebara residence. I had no reason to be kind to someone I didn't know the identity of...

But unlike my uncouth voice, the person on the other side sounded goofy and lighthearted.

"Hello, my apologies for calling so late.

This is Ooishi from the Okinomiya bookstore."

"Ooishi-san!?"

"Is that you, Maebara-san?

Good evening. Good to hear you are doing well."

"W-Wait just a moment, please!"

I grabbed the portable handset and rushed up to my room with it.

It was the same no matter where I was since there was no one else home... but I wanted to be in a spot that just felt a bit safer when speaking on the phone with Ooishi-san.

"S-Sorry for the wait."

"How are things? Anything change since then?"

Since then... when was that exactly?

...There was something about the brazen way he talked that rubbed me the wrong way.

The last time I spoke with Ooishi-san was... two days ago.

The day I stayed home from school, I met Ooishi-san on the way back from the hospital... and we headed into town for lunch and had a talk...

...Then after that, Rena and Mion came to check up on me.

Whenever I spoke with Ooishi-san... they always knew about it.

It was like that since the first time I met him.

Today's phone call may well be found out by them as well...

"Hello...?

Can you hear me, Maebara-san?"

"Huh?

Ah, sorry...

Um... what did you say?"

"I asked if anything's changed since last time...

There wasn't an answer, so I got a bit worried."

"Uh, um... not really..."

The words stopped in my throat.

There was a ton of stuff that happened.

All of it baffling.

What should I talk about...? I didn't understand any of it... but I should try asking.

If I didn't ask now, I may never have another chance.

...This night when my parents weren't home... I had no guarantees I would make it through the night safely, after all.

"Well, Ooishi-san... it seems that... someone is after me."

"Really!?"

"...It could all just be a coincidence... but that day I missed school when I was sick, the two of them came to check up on me."

"Which two?"

"Rena and Mion.

They started asking about how I had lunch with you."

"...What next?"

"They left me some mochi when they came to visit... but there was a needle inside.

Fortunately, I somehow didn't swallow it...

I wonder, could that have just been a threat...?"

"About the needle..."

"...Um, it was just one of those common sewing needles you see all the time.

There was a hole to thread string through..."

"Not that, Maebara-san, the needle itself...

That's evidence.

It could be used as proof that they threatened you.

Where is that needle?"

...Th-That's right... That's it!!!!

I dropped the receiver and rushed downstairs.

When I tossed the mochi, I had overlooked it out of terror... but that needle was a valuable piece of evidence!

Let's see... I threw the mochi and needle at the wall together.

If it was there... then it would be on the living room wall!

But my prudent mother had cleaned that living room wall, and there was not a trace of mochi left on it.

Could it be that it dropped in the gap between the wall and the carpet!?

I frantically searched by running my palm along the carpet, but nothing turned up.

I tried moving around the sofa and desks, pulling up the carpet, then flapping it around.

But I couldn't find the needle...!

Did my mom clean up everything without noticing it!?

It was just two days ago. I didn't know what day they collected the burnable trash, but it may still be in the trash bin in the kitchen!!

I rushed into the kitchen, opened up the lid of the pail, and poured out the contents.

But... even at a glance, I could tell that it would be incredibly difficult to find the needle in this pile of trash.

I was looking for a needle in a trashstack.

I know. I'll try running my hand through it.

It was a bit gross, but I was looking for a needle.

If I felt a small prick, I'll be able to find it!

It was a pretty tactless method, but it was the quickest.

I held my breath and started striking the pile of trash with my hand.

Filth flew about. There was nothing more disgusting than this, but it was not the time to be concerned about such details!

...I continued on for a while, but nothing turned up.

I wanted to search more thoroughly, but I was still on the phone.

I shouldn't keep Ooishi-san waiting for too long...

Later, when Mom got back, I'd have to ask her if there was a needle.

I hastily began scribbling on the note pad affixed to the refrigerator with a magnet.

"Was there a needle!?"

I scrawled the words with a red pen.

I then dashed back up the stairs, where I had been keeping Ooishi-san waiting for far too long.

"Hello?

How did it go?"

"...I couldn't find it...

I was really overwhelmed when it happened and..."

"...I see.

It would be great if you could find it.

Keep it safe."

That's right. The needle wasn't the only incident.

I had to tell him about this morning with the hit-and-run.

"A-Also, Ooishi-san, that isn't all.

...Actually, this morning..."

...That van was definitely aiming for me. I could say that without question due to the circumstances at that time.

"Did you see the license plate?

I can search for it from here."

Damn...!!

At the time, I just flipped out yelling at him, but I didn't look at the plate...

What failures on my part with the needle and the plate number!

I was so focused just protecting myself, that I let some of the most important details slip out of my grasp...!

I punched my pillow, annoyed at how worthless I was.

"I-I'm sorry... I don't know much more than that it was a white van..."

"Nothing to fret about, Maebara-san.

Anyone would be shaken up after being hit."

"...I guess all of this really... isn't a coincidence, is it?"

"..."

Ooishi-san started to hem and haw over on the other end.

I could imagine him folding his arms...

"Also... Rena is acting strange."

"...How so?"

What Rena said on the way home today...

Asking why I was so much like Satoshi-kun.

Now I could say it with confidence...

That Rena knew what happened to Satoshi.

...She knew that there was more to it than him just simply disappearing.

"...Rena... knows.

She knows something regarding what happened to Satoshi, the kid who was demoned away last year..."

"What would that be exactly...?"

"...Rena said... I was the same as Satoshi.

She said something to the effect that the way things are going... I'll end up with the same fate as Satoshi..."

"'Fate,' you say...

Exactly what kind of 'fate' did she say would befall you?"

"...Um... 'transferring out'... she said."

"'Transferring out'?"

"Rena said Satoshi 'transferred out.'

...So given how things are going with me, I'll 'transfer out,' too..."

Ooishi-san let out a stern sigh and then grumbled loudly.

"...Maebara-san, that was probably some sort of threat...

or maybe some type of warning."

"I thought so too..."

At that point... I started to think.

Would it be prudent to sum up everything that had happened up until now as the machinations of some human perpetrator?

Other than the theory of it being Rena and the others, I was left with Oyashiro-sama's curse actually existing as the only explanation...

Of course, I couldn't tell that to Ooishi-san.

Except... Rena's strange behavior could be proof of either scenarios.

Whether it was Oyashiro-sama's curse being real or everything being part of a conspiracy committed by all of the villagers...

Rena was involved...

Rena had to know something.

Rena was suspicious.

What exactly was Rena?

I couldn't help but think she was somehow involved with the prior string of mysterious deaths...

I seemed to recall that Ooishi-san had admitted that he had... "dug into Rena's past a little."

He was probably just downplaying it when he said "a little."

...Meaning he had actually dug pretty deep, most likely.

...I wanted to hear about Rena.

I wanted to know what happened at her previous school... among other things that were still unknown to me.

If Rena... was somebody I should suspect...

No... not that.

...I wanted to know the truth.

Tonight, I was alone in this huge house.

...Even though I said I couldn't count on them, I had lost the security I felt I had just by my parents being around.

It wasn't like this house was some sort of fortress or castle.

...If a malicious person decided to use brute force, they'd easily gain entry.

There were no other residences close to the Maebara residence.

No one would be able to hear anything, no matter how loud it was.

I had never felt as much resentment towards my father's artistic temperament and the fact that he had this house built in such a remote location as I did right now...

...I wondered if I would still be here by tomorrow morning...

So I had to ask.

Right now.

Because I had no idea when the next chance would come.

"Um... Ooishi-san, I have something I wanted to ask about...

Please don't keep anything from me."

"Sure. Ask away."

Even though he was so far away on the other end of the line, this was the most reliable he had ever felt.

I wanted to ask...

About Rena...

About what happened at her previous school...!

"...Actually... regarding Rena's—"

I noticed a sound that had been going on for a while now.

Since I was so focused on the call, I hadn't paid attention to it at first... but I finally realized it was the doorbell.

The time was... 7 o'clock.

It was past the time the postman would be making a delivery, and past any sensible time for a neighbor to be visiting.

I considered just acting like nobody was home, but that wouldn't be good.

That would ruin all the work I put in making it look like my parents were home.

I need to answer the door.

"...Hello? Maebara-san?"

"Ah, sorry, someone seems to be at the door. I'm going to go see who it is."

"A guest? I see, my apologies.

Should we end this phone call now?"

That would be a problem!

"Ah, no, I'll be back in a second!

Do you mind if I just leave the phone on!?"

"...It's fine. I don't mind."

I dropped the handset on my bed and dashed down to the door.

I needed to make up a good excuse to get them to leave.

I had a hunch it was the lady who called right before Ooishi-san did.

...In which case it would be one of the neighbors who's friends with my mom.

I'll just say Mom isn't feeling well and went to bed early...

That would be the easiest option.

It'd be hard for her to ask me to wake my mom up if she's not feeling well.

The bell continued to ring at regular intervals.

...If someone didn't answer after you rang the bell so much, you'd normally give up and go home, wouldn't you...?

Without removing the chain, I opened the door slightly... and peered out at the visitor.

...A chill ran down my spine.

I knew it.

...Somewhere deep inside, I had prepared for this moment.

...I had tried to 'escape' by imagining it was the easiest person to deal with: one of my mom's friends.

"...Good evening."

"R... Rena..."

There shouldn't be any reason for Rena to come over at this hour.

The timing also made me feel uneasy.

...Because it was just as I was about to ask Ooishi-san about Rena.

I wish I could have chalked this up to mere coincidence.

But... those unsettling words from Mion several days ago echoed back to me...

"...There's nothing

this old man doesn't know."

"A-Are you alone, Rena...?"

"...Yeah."

It seems that Mion wasn't with her...

But that didn't change the situation at all.

"Why did you come here...?"

"...Hey, Keiichi-kun, I'd like you to open the door so we can talk...

Can I come inside, I wonder? ...I wonder?"

It was true that speaking through a chained door wasn't the right way to talk to a classmate.

But...

"At my house, the chain has to be on at night.

Don't worry about it."

"...

Then... it can't be helped, I guess."

Rena looked at the ground sadly.

But she kept smiling at least, and her effort to keep that smile up was quite pitiful.

...Even though she was tugging at my heartstrings, I didn't lower my guard.

As long as I stayed like this, even if it made my heart ache, my life wasn't in danger.

What I really feared... more than the possibility that hoodlums would assault me if I removed the chain...

was trusting Rena enough to remove the chain... and having my friendship betrayed.

As long as the chain wasn't unlatched... even if it made my heart ache, I wouldn't have to deal with being betrayed by Rena.

Since it didn't seem like I'd remove the chain from her silent urging, she appeared to give up on trying to get into the entranceway.

"...Um, have you... eaten yet, Keiichi-kun?"

No, I haven't eaten.

Since my mom wasn't there, dinner wouldn't be ready no matter how long I waited.

I laid down when I got home, was woken up by the phone, and didn't have a chance to eat since I used up all that time talking.

...I was going to have cup noodles in any case. I could just eat one whenever I wanted to.

"...No... not yet.

What about it?"

"H-Heheheh, then good☆

Look here.

I brought a bunch of dishes."

Rena held out a stack of boxes wrapped in a cloth.

"I-If I could use your kitchen, I can heat up the miso soup and other stuff.☆"

"It's fine, you don't need to do that..."

"But... but, there's a lot of tofu and vegetables in it!

Does Keiichi-kun not like that type of stuff, I wonder? ...I wonder?"

There's no way I wouldn't like that.

I love miso soup with lots of ingredients.

White radish, carrots, burdock root and potatoes... Dense and fibrous root vegetables...

Yeah... that miso soup... looks incredible.

"I also brought rice, so if you microwave it, it'll be ready to eat in no time.☆"

Without a doubt, rice needs miso soup!

Stuffing rice down your gullet, sipping miso soup in between ravenous bites...

Oh, yes, how wonderful it is to be born Japanese...!!

"Also... I made some more pickles☆

I made sansai pickles this time!"

Before I had moved here to Hinamizawa, I scoffed at the mountain vegetables called sansai.

But... I was captivated by their charm the first time I tried them!

Such a deep, yet light, flavor.

Those so-called supermarket vegetables taste rough and overpowering in comparison!

If you had to describe them, then they were the vegetables for the uninitiated.

To become an expert such as myself, you first had to partake of sansai.

It was common knowledge around here that the Ryuugu family's traditional pickles were wonderfully delicious!

...Ahh, no matter what kind of pickles they were...

They'd go so well with that fluffy white rice...!!

"...And also... And also...!"

But wait, there's more!!

So delicious... It just seems so delicious!!

Farewell to my unhealthy self who said he'd make do with cup noodles!

Rena appeared to be in good spirits and she was offering such a delicious-sounding dinner.

...The stress evaporated from my gut and hunger reared its voracious head...

At the same time, my wariness of Rena suddenly dwindled...

Rena did say she was alone... It shouldn't be a problem letting her inside...

Though, the possibility that it was laced with poison still hadn't been ruled out...

...At that moment, a cold chill ran down my spine once again.

I couldn't understand why such a sensation had occurred just then.

...But... the voice inside me... was sounding the alarm.

...This happy Rena speaking of this charming dinner... was dependent on one premise.

And that premise was that tonight, dinner hadn't been made at my house...

Meaning it was under the assumption that my mom, who should be making it, wasn't here.

At any normal household, 7 o'clock would be around the middle of dinner time.

If my mom were here, we'd be eating dinner around this time as well.

The fact that she brought over all the makings of a meal at this time was inherently strange.

...Unless she knew...

Rena...

Did she...

Did she know that my parents weren't home?

But... there was also the chance that this was a bluff.

...I had turned on the lights and a bunch of other stuff to make it seem like my parents were here.

...There was a chance that Rena was unsure if my parents were home.

But... I had to wonder...

The laundry, the garage, the evening paper...

There were plenty of signs of them being hastily tidied up.

...It was hard to say that Rena didn't have a chance to determine if my parents were here or not...

But... there was no reason for me to confess that right now...

I should try holding on to that fact as long as I could...

First of all, the chain was still latched.

As long as I didn't take it off, Rena wouldn't be able to do anything to me...

"I... I'm quite grateful... but dinner will be ready pretty soon."

"Huh...?

Is that so?

Is that so...?"

"...I know you went through all the effort and everything but... well..."

Unable to think of a good way to refuse, my words trailed off weakly...

"But... some of this could work as side dishes, I think... I think."

"I'm sorry... We have more than enough already...

My mom always makes quite a few sides.

So..."

"Huh...? You have side dishes?"

With a smile that bordered on a cringe, I dodged her questions apologetically...

But... the feeling I tried to ignore... began creeping up my back again.

I spoke as if my mom was setting down dinner right now... but it didn't mesh well with what Rena was saying.

Rena was talking as if she was aware of some obvious fact.

And that... I was aware of it as well.

"So Keiichi-kun can cook.

What did you make, I wonder?"

"...N-No, well... It's not that I..."

Rena had assumed out of nowhere that I had made the dishes.

No... not so much that I'd made them... but rather that my mom hadn't.

"...Did you really make them?

The side dishes?

Did you, Keiichi-kun?"

"I-It wasn't me... who made them...

My mom did... no, she's making them...

Right now!"

"..."

"So you see... I'm sorry, but I can't eat what you brought..."

Rena fell silent at that moment.

At that moment... I felt that the light had suddenly disappeared from her eyes.

"...How about I try guessing what Keiichi-kun's dinner will be?"

"I-It... doesn't matter what I'm going to eat..."

"...Let's see..."

The conversation might appear natural at first glance, but Rena was firmly in control.

...It felt like I was being interrogated.

"...Your dinner... I wonder, is it something that can be made with just hot water?"

"H-Hey, now, stop with the insults!

I can't believe you'd belittle my mom's extravagant dinner like that...!!

Tickets sold out, full capacity already... It's that amazing..."

I tried my best to put on a strong front, but I couldn't grit my teeth quite right.

...So instead, I looked like someone who was borderline hysterical...

But Rena showed no reaction whatsoever, even to that silliness.

"...Keiichi-kun...

Did your mother... really leave you dinner...?"

"No, you see, she didn't leave me dinner... she's making it right now!

It's almost time for dinner...!"

Rena had taken that assertion of mine... that my mother was home and making dinner right now... and was completely ignoring it.

I could tell that the more I panicked... the colder Rena became.

"Hey, Keiichi-kun."

...At that moment, an uncomfortable chill crept in from the gap in the doorway...

"Is your mom... home, I wonder?

...

I wonder?"

I couldn't... keep up this charade anymore.

Rena...

She knew full well that my parents weren't home.

But... I'd come too far to admit that now.

Anyway... my parents were here and we'd be having dinner soon... that was the situation I had concocted...!!

So I answered...

I told her she was here.

"S-She's here... Of course...!"

I could feel the humidity drying out from the surrounding air.

...Rena's eyes were becoming even more frigid, piercing me with their gelid glare...

"...Why?"

"Huh? Wh-Wh-What do you mean...?"

I tried acting casual... but that facade... was torn off me the instant I looked into Rena's eyes.

That look... It informed me of Rena's response faster than she could open her mouth...

"...Why have you been... lying to me, I wonder? ...I wonder..."

"I...

I'm not lying..."

"...That's a lie, isn't it?"

"...It's not a lie..."

"LIES!!!!"

Rena's outburst sent a jolt surging through my body...!!

Rena and I were still separated by what few inches that slightly ajar, but still-chained door could afford.

But despite that, I was still being cornered.

My house, which I'd considered a safe haven until now, had become more like a dark alleyway where no one could save me.

"...Shall I guess your dinner, Keiichi-kun? Let's see..."

I knew now that Rena had already known that my parents would not be here tonight.

...But it was still so strange that it had come to this...!

Even if she somehow knew that my parents weren't home...

There was no way she should be able to guess what I'd be eating tonight...!!

But Rena said she'd guess...

How could she guess it!?

How could she know it was instant—

"Cup noodles...

That's right, isn't it?"

—that I was going to eat...!?

Wait... the cooking repertoire of a man who can't do housework is probably nothing but cup noodles, after all.

...Looking at this statistically, it was the most probable answer.

...That didn't mean... she was guessing...!!!

"...I don't think you'll be full with just noodles.

I think having rice and stuff will definitely hit the spot."

Calm down, Keiichi Maebara...

This was just coincidence.

...Rena was just reading certain tells of mine.

...So the fact that she was inferring what I was thinking alarmed me.

But it wasn't as if she was actually reading my mind.

If it was being read, then she was a demon.

...No, not a demon.

Things like that...

they couldn't possibly exist.

"...Do you like them?"

"Do you mean... noodles?"

"No...

*******."

Rena indicated that the point my answer was addressing was wrong.

Her rebuttal was so short that I momentarily didn't understand the words Rena had spoken.

"...S-Sorry, Rena...

What did you say just now?"

"Huh?

About what?"

"Just now... You asked me if there was something that I liked, didn't you?"

It wasn't long before I regretted how carelessly I'd pushed forward with that question.

It was such a simple answer... That was why I wasn't able to comprehend it.

"...Pork-bone & Ginger flavor."

I wondered how I appeared in the moments my mind went completely blank until the moment I was able to recover.

As my field of view began to distort--slowly swirling in a counter-clockwise direction--I lost all sense of balance...

"Why do you know that!?"

I didn't even deny it.

That was the type of frenzied state I was in.

...How could Rena... know even this!?

Not even caring as I mashed my head against the door, I fixated my gaze on Rena.

...But she didn't even flinch when she saw me do that.

"I certainly did buy them.

I bought a bunch at once.

I bought a whole case!

How could you know that!?"

"...Why, I wonder?

Quite strange, isn't it?

...Isn't it?"

How could you dodge the question at a time like this!?

The chain and the door suddenly were no longer protecting me.

"How do you know!?

Why do you know!?

Answer me!!!!"

"...You bought them at Seventh Mart...

didn't you?"

A shiver ran up my spine...

I tried covering it up with an angry facade.

"Like I said... why do you know that!?!?"

"...I was behind you... following you the whole time."

"Wh... What are you saying...!?"

I couldn't understand why she was saying she'd been following me all this time.

"That's because...

I was...

right behind...

Keiichi-kun's back...

the whole time...

Hehahahaha."

Like that night...?

That night I was absorbed in my phone conversation with Ooishi-san. I didn't even sense her being there... Standing behind the door... behind me... standing there... Just like that!?!?

"When Keiichi-kun was picking out the noodles, I was watching the entire time.

You picked out so many different flavors, didn't you?

Then your mom got angry...

If you were going to pick the expensive ones, then you should just pick one type, she said.

Then you picked out that big box of Pork-bone & Ginger flavor that you love so much, didn't you☆?

I like it too...

Pork-bone noodles.

But I can never eat a whole big bowl myself."

My brain was paralyzed, dulling my senses.

It might have been a defense mechanism... to diminish the fear I was feeling to non-traumatizing levels.

With the fear being diminished... The fog enveloping my mind was cleared away.

Then... I could understand what Rena was saying and started to put meaning behind her words...

Even so, my fear hadn't subsided completely.

...It was like... I was standing at the edge of a cliff, eyes closed so I didn't have to look down. It didn't actually solve any of the basic problems.

I slowly took a step backwards.

And as I withdrew... Rena advanced.

"...So Keiichi-kun...

Can you open this?

We can eat dinner together☆

I'm sure it's going to be delicious, so... okay...?"

Rena's pale, slender fingers squirmed through the crack in the door one at a time, as if they had a mind of their own, rattling the chain...

If she had unlatched the chain from the door, a feeling of terror would have just exploded within me.

...But Rena didn't do that.

She was simply imploring me to remove the chain.

I tried my hardest to light the fuse to the powder keg in my heart...

Trying again and again.

*clatter clatter*

...But it doesn't light...

It doesn't light!

"...Open up?

Keiichi-kun...?"

"P... Please go away...

I beg you... please go away...!!"

"...How can you say something so mean, I wonder...?

...I wonder?"

"Please go away!!

Go away!!!!

GO AWAAAAAY!!!!"

The powder keg inside me finally went off.

No smoldering—it just exploded.

I tackled the door.

The force through the door had knocked Rena momentarily off-balance.

I couldn't hesitate here...!!

I grabbed onto the doorknob with both hands, planted my feet firmly, and pulled with all my might!!

But that slamming sound I so desired didn't happen.

I could feel a tiny, disturbing bit of resistance keeping the door from closing.

And the source of that was... Rena's fingers.

Each of those fingers wriggling... squirming around like the tendrils of a carnivorous plant through the crack in the doorway...!

"It hurts...

It hurts, Keiichi-kun...

It hurts...

Uwh..."

It wasn't a harsh shriek, but more of a yelp she was trying to keep back.

"Go away... go away... go away...!!!"

I kept on pulling on the door with all my might...!!

I didn't even realize that if I didn't loosen my pull on the door at least momentarily, Rena wouldn't be able to pull her fingers out, and that was why the door wasn't closing.

"...It really hurts, Keiichi-kun...

I'm sorry if I was messing around too much...

Uuwh..."

I didn't care one bit for her apology.

No matter how much she apologized, it didn't change any of what she had done up until now...

It didn't change anything!

"It huurts...

It huurts...

I'm sorry...

I'm sorry...

I'm sorry..."

"Go away, go away!!

GO AWAAAAAAAAY!!"

Rena couldn't leave even if she wanted to because I'd trapped her fingers...

Rena's white fingers had become deep red and were no longer even squirming.

"I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry..."

"Go away, go away, go away...!!!"

"I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry."

Rena's apologies were occasionally twisted with pain... but like a broken record... she was intent on repeating it over and over...

Go away,

go away,

go away...

STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!!

I pulled on the door even harder!!!

Finally, Rena's fingers were somehow able to slip out from their imprisonment in the doorway.

The moment that happened, the door closed soundly, and I could hear the thud of Rena falling on her butt on the other side.

I locked the door immediately.

It made a loud clunk, voicing my rejection to Rena.

"I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

...Keiichi-kun,

I'm sorry...

Open up... Keiichi-kun..."

Rena leaned against the door, apologizing profusely and nothing else.

After confirming that I was sufficiently sealed off from her, I trudged away from the entryway.

On the other side, I could still hear Rena echoing her apology: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Those pitiful words, they would be forever seeking my forgiveness.

I didn't feel bad about this at all.

But that wasn't out of any sort of malice.

I just... I felt a sort of hazy sense of relief that I was able to escape from Rena.

Before, Mion had threatened me at this doorway... saying there was nothing she didn't know.

And just now, at the same place... Rena told me the same thing.

...My feeble attempts to disguise the fact my parents weren't home had served no purpose from the start.

...I should have just pretended to be out, and not even opened the door!

My meager plans hadn't helped at all.

In Hinamizawa... it was impossible... to outwit 'Them'...!

Even though I was on the other side of the door, I wanted to get as far away from Rena as possible.

One step, two steps... With each one, her sniveling apologies became more distant...

I sprinted up the stairs and dove into my room.

...As you would expect, I was finally no longer able to hear Rena repeating her endless apology.

Diving into my bed, I was startled by the hard lump I felt...

There was something... in my bed!?!?

...It was the receiver.

I finally remembered.

I was in the middle of a call with Ooishi-san.

Looking at the clock, apparently not much time had passed since I went downstairs.

Could it be that my clock had run out of batteries...??

I had talked with Rena for so long... How did almost no time pass...!?

But the hand on the clock... was ticking forward one second every second as usual...

As I put the still-warm receiver to my ear... time—which felt frozen— began moving once again.

"...Hello... Ooishi-san?

Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No, not at all. I didn't wait that long."

It became apparent that the amount of time that had passed between myself and Ooishi-san was different.

Over the phone, I could hear an energetic voice from a sports program or something. It drove home just how far away Ooishi-san really was...

"...Rena came just now."

"Did she come to play?"

"..."

I wasn't confident that I could coherently explain the situation to Ooishi-san.

But I didn't need to right now. Right now, I needed to know about Rena.

That's right. I was planning to ask Ooishi-san more about Rena, but Rena's little visit had interrupted the conversation...

What was true and what was false... I couldn't tell.

The one thing I knew was the single grim reality that Rena was suspicious.

I might be able to figure something out if I asked Ooishi-san about her.

...Up until now, I had regretted it whenever I forced myself to ask about things that I was better off not knowing.

But... looking at it that way, you could say I'd hit rock bottom.

There was no possible way I could feel any more regret than I did right now.

No... rather, I wanted to know if there was anything beyond this I would regret more.

Forget about tomorrow, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility for something to happen tonight.

I wanted to know everything I could.

...I was absolutely not going to die like this.

...Not without knowing anything. I definitely won't...!

"Regarding Rena Ryuugu-san?

I did a bit of digging.

Yeah, well... it wasn't much."

I understood that Ooishi-san was talking in circles.

"A bit" meant, "I dug so deep it'd be hard to discuss with you since you're her friend."

"I want to know everything from your research."

"...I don't think you'll be very interested in what I have to say, though."

"Ooishi-san."

I spoke as calmly as possible to Ooishi-san, who was continuing to avoid the issue.

And then... I said it.

"I think Rena Ryuugu is suspicious.

Even if the past incidents were from Oyashiro-sama's curse...

Rena Ryuugu is involved."

"Do you have some sort of proof that makes you believe Rena-san is suspicious?"

The manner in which Ooishi-san spoke became very firm.

...Do you have some sort of proof?

That was him talking as a detective.

"I only have circumstantial evidence."

"...I see."

I could tell even over the phone how disappointed Ooishi-san was.

Pulling on the fishing line when he felt a bite, only to reel in the bait.

Disappointed, but ready to cast the line once more... that's how it seemed.

"Ooishi-san...

You can't do anything... without physical proof, can you?"

What I meant was: you can't come and save me without proof?

I stuck that barb in there.

As Ooishi-san loved roundabout ways of saying things, he understood me just fine.

"It's fine, Maebara-san.

I'll protect you."

...That was not the least bit reassuring.

Ooishi-san was just using me to continue his investigation.

I was just going to get killed, and my corpse would be an important piece of evidence. That was all I was to him.

"Whether I'm alive or dead may be of no concern to your investigation, but it's all over for me when I die!"

Ooishi-san went silent on the other end of the line.

...That may have been too blunt, but I didn't care.

...All I needed to relay to Ooishi-san was that I was currently in a very dangerous position.

"So please, tell me.

Tell me about Rena."

"..."

"Satoshi transferred out...

Not too far in the future, I'll probably also do what Rena called 'transferring out' as well.

But you won't be able to find my corpse...

You haven't even been able to find Satoshi's body yet!!"

"All right, Maebara-san, please calm down..."

I was already suppressing my agitation, even without Ooishi-san having to tell me...

It wouldn't solve anything if I continued to scream about my mistrust in the police.

It would seem that I could only depend on myself and the bat Satoshi left behind to protect myself.

Then I at least wanted to know about what happened before Rena transferred schools.

"...You're aware that this won't be very interesting, right?"

Ooishi-san, realizing my resolve couldn't be swayed, finally caved.

"Right now, to me, there is nothing that I'll find uninteresting.

Please..."

"...There are a few things I need you to agree to."

"Okay."

"Please keep this confidential.

Also, part of this may be speculation.

Not all of it may be true...

Are you still interested?"

"It might not be true...?

I don't understand what you mean."

"There isn't one main investigation for the mysterious chain of deaths in Hinamizawa.

Each one is treated as its own individual case.

Thus, Rena Ryuugu has never been linked to any of the investigations.

Basically, you see..."

"...This isn't an investigation of Rena done by the police...

and is a personal inquiry, is what you're telling me?"

"...This'll make things a lot quicker since you understand...

All of it is from either phone calls or meetings and interviews.

So they aren't corroborated.

I'm asking you to take this all with a grain of salt... is what I mean.

Do we have an agreement?"

"...All of it is just from what you heard?"

"Yes, my apologies. It's all my personal investigation, you see."

"That thing...

before, you said you saw Rena's chart, didn't you?

I'm sure I heard you say that."

Ooishi-san paused for a moment on the other end of the line.

"...I told you that, too? Huahaha!

Please pretend you didn't hear anything about that."

I didn't care about Ooishi-san having certain obligations and responsibilities.

I also didn't care if there was no proof.

Even if they were just rumors, there's no smoke without fire, after all.

"...Please tell me. Ooishi-san."

"Understood..."

Ooishi-san finally opened those tight lips of his.

It seemed that Rena lived in Hinamizawa a long time ago.

She had moved to Ibaraki Prefecture just before starting elementary school.

Then... following that...

right after transferring...

The unfortunate incident with the breaking of the school windows happened.

Then Rena confided to the doctor.

"It was Oyashiro-sama."

This was everything I knew.

"...There isn't much difference between what I know and what you know, Maebara-san."

"Then what part did you investigate further...?"

I didn't need to ask.

...It was the incident right before she transferred back to Hinamizawa.

"The incident Rena was responsible for... and what she divulged to the doctor afterwards...

correct?"

"...Yes."

"After you learned about that, you started suspecting Rena and the others, didn't you?"

"...Yes, I did suspect them."

"So they're the ones, after all...?"

"Ah, no... That's not what I meant by suspect them."

?

Ooishi-san was the type of person to say things with confidence, but these particular words were less than reassuring.

"Then... who did you suspect?"

"...That it was...

Oyashiro-sama."

"Huh?"

"...That Oyashiro-sama's curse...

really exists...

Yeah, right, well... hahahaha...!"

Ooishi-san's laugh was quite dry, certainly not the kind that would make you want to join in.

Ooishi-san resumed the conversation.

About the dubious circumstances behind Satoshi's disappearance.

...The course of events leading him to delve into Rena's past.

Just then, there was thunder in the distance, and a heavy rain started pouring down.

It came without warning, a downpour fiercely beating the ground.

I had left the window in my room open a crack to let the heat out. The violent wind danced into my room, making the curtains flap wildly.

"What is it?"

"Ah, nothing, it suddenly started raining heavily...

Sorry, please continue..."

I got up while still on the phone and grasped the window.

"I said at the beginning it was an incident, but because neither the school nor the victims filed charges, the police were never involved.

...So, you see... those involved... were very reluctant to talk.

Regardless of there being a victim who had one eye beaten so badly that it had permanent damage...

It could have been the school or possibly some individual who made arrangements to keep this from going public.

Also, the psychologist was very strict about their professional ethics...

Hello...?

Maebara-san?

Can you hear me?"

There was the figure of a person standing by the light near the mailbox this whole time.

Even in this torrential rain. They didn't have an umbrella.

They were unquestionably drenched from head to toe...

In this shower which more resembled a waterfall... droplets of water dripped down from her hair...

Just standing there... both arms dangling at her side...

In one hand... was the stack of boxes, wrapped in cloth.

Her eyes... focused on my room...

Focused on me as I was about to close the window.

Her mouth... was methodically repeating... a chewing motion.

It was as if she had something hard to chew in her mouth... with her cheeks puffing out.

What could she... be eating... over there...?

How could it be that at this time... I was more enthralled by Rena... instead of the shocking developments being brought to light by Ooishi-san...

If it hadn't started raining, I wouldn't have gone to the window.

Then I wouldn't have noticed Rena, nor would I have noticed... "that"...

Rena's mouth was moving in the same pattern.

She wasn't eating something... she was repeating something.

What was it?

Was she repeating...?

To me...?

What was she saying...?

And why was I... right up against the window... fixated on her...?

"Hello?

Maebara-san?

Can you hear me?

Hellooo..."

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? Maebara-san?"

"I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry..."

"Hello?

Maebara-san!?

What's the matter...!?"

Even in this torrential downpour... Rena was still apologizing...

The other self inside me drew the curtain hastily with my right hand, blocking my view of the outside.

But even doing that, Rena's relentless apologies still reached my ears.

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry...

If I forgive you for this... will you forgive me for that!?

Please stop,

please stop,

please stop,

please stop...!

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry,

I'm sorry...

Dammit...!!

Why should I... have to forgive her!?

I'm the one who wants to be forgiven!

What part of me can't you forgive!?

I won't be killed!

If you won't forgive me, then I won't forgive you, either.

...I won't forgive,

won't forgive,

won't forgive,

won't forgive,

won't forgive,

won't forgive,

won't forgive,

I won't forgive...!!

"Maebara-san?

If you can hear me, then please respond.

...Hellooo!!"