I guess I'd be lying if I said I didn't get any sleep.

I tried to stay awake all night, but there were definitely gaps in my memory.

I guess I kept nodding off and jerking awake in a panic all night...

I spent all night hugging the metal bat and sat on top of the futon I used to barricade my door.

...Waiting, waiting... watching just in case someone tried to break in through my window.

If I left this spot, someone would break through the door—sending the futon flying—and attack me.

But if I stopped watching the window, someone would break through the glass and attack me...

I tried telling myself I was just being paranoid, but...

...

I couldn't sleep.

The thought of being so vulnerable scared the living daylights out of me!

If sleep meant taking that risk, I didn't need it!

It was so much better to just stay awake.

At some point during that endless cycle of nodding off and jolting awake, light began to shine outside...

But that was it.

It wasn't so much the morning as it was just the sun simply having risen.

I snuck a peek out through the curtains.

Rena was gone.

...I couldn't see her anywhere no matter how hard I looked.

Finally, I could breathe a deep sigh of relief. The night was finally over.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tired, but I didn't feel like sleeping at the moment.

I still had time.

But I needed to make my own breakfast, so I'd better get started soon.

Skipping school was also an option.

With my mom gone, it'd be easy to play hooky.

Honestly... I debated it...

The risk involved in leaving my house was incalculable.

So staying holed up in here was probably my safest option.

But... staying here wouldn't solve anything.

Ooishi-san wouldn't help me without cold, hard evidence.

Neither he...

nor my parents.

So... unless I found some sort of proof, these relentless nights would never end.

I stretched my body, tilted my head back, and closed my eyes just like I did every morning.

I regulated my breathing...

and regained my senses...

Calm down, Keiichi Maebara...

Let's go to school.

Let's wait until they set their trap for me.

But that didn't mean I was just going to twiddle my thumbs.

...I needed to avoid that trap and secure irrefutable evidence.

Take note of the plates of any car that drives by.

If I see someone suspicious, check their clothes and face.

I wasn't just protecting myself... I was preparing myself to turn their attack against them and retaliate.

The tension was similar to when two samurai were both aiming to slay each other with a single motion as they drew their katanas.

I was not at a disadvantage.

I would have a chance to retaliate.

I finally felt a bit of courage growing in my chest.

...All right.

Let's go to school.

I tightened my grip on Satoshi's bat.

He was the only partner I could count on.

...Satoshi, please lend me your strength.

And entrust your dying regrets to me (since you were probably murdered).

I'll make sure... I dispel them.

With renewed resolve, I checked the clock.

It was still early.

Of course, I was going to school by myself today.

If I didn't want to run into Rena or Mion, I needed to leave now.

The shattered fragments of the cupboard were still strewn all over the entryway.

Right.

I meant to clean that up last night, but never got around to it with the phone call and everything...

If my parents came back and saw this while I was at school, I would never hear the end of it...

Still, I'd be wasting time if I cleaned it up right now. And considering what would happen if I ran into Rena or Mion...

It wouldn't be too late to clean it up after I got back home.

Making extra certain that the doors were locked, I left the house.

My uniform was still covered in mud from yesterday, so I left it in the washer.

Today I was going to go to school in a track suit.

By wearing a different outfit this morning, my mind was forced to accept that today was different from yesterday.

I had a hunch.

Today might be the day I get killed.

Keep your guard up, Keiichi Maebara!

The only one who gets to decide if today is my last... is me.

I spent the morning practicing my swing like it was my natural routine.

After a while, Rena arrived at school.

Our eyes met, but we said nothing.

Rena said nothing about last night.

...As if it never happened.

But I could see that those events were real by the wounds carved into her fingers.

I just heard her telling Satoko and the others that the bandages were from hurting herself in the kitchen.

...Though, it wasn't like it bothered me.

The details that Ooishi-san shared about Rena's incident before her transfer played vividly in my mind.

Now that I knew about it, I couldn't even dream of Rena as a cute, ideal girl.

"Kei-chan, I see you're still aiming for the nationals."

It was Mion.

I had already sensed her approach, so I wasn't that surprised.

"Oh, Mion.

If you understand, then leave me alone.

I'm busy practicing."

I gave her a curt reply without my usual jokes.

Then I gave the bat an even larger swing, tacitly keeping Mion from getting any closer.

"Hey Kei-chan, take it easy."

I think Mion got the message, but she still urged me to give it a rest.

"Homeroom's not that far off, is it?

...Just let me finish practicing."

I swung the bat even harder as a sign of my refusal.

"...Kei-chan, when did you get into baseball?"

"Just recently."

"Recently? You mean yesterday?"

"...Don't ask if you already know."

"...Oh dear.

That's a very unsportsmanlike reply."

"You're distracting me.

...Go away."

I ignored Mion and kept swinging.

Normally she'd get mad or bored and leave if someone gave her the cold shoulder like this.

But Mion just stood there, waiting patiently for me to stop swinging.

...I didn't sense any hostility.

But we were at school, in plain view.

I doubt she'd suddenly attack me here.

...Or was that too naive?

Still, I was starting to get tired.

...Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to take a break and hear her out.

"...You need me for something, right?

What is it?"

Sweat poured from me as I stopped swinging.

I noticed my shoulders were heaving as I breathed.

...I cursed my lack of exercise.

At this rate, I might not be able to move as needed when the time came.

I should probably keep practicing my swings to build stamina in addition to the excuse for carrying the bat around with me.

"Well, it's nothing important...

If you're tired, I can ask again later."

"Now is fine."

I'm only dealing with you right now because I judged this situation to be safe.

Talking to you alone and away from others? ...That's out of the question.

"Well...

Umm..."

Mion was uncharacteristically trying to choose her words.

But unlike Ooishi-san, it didn't look like she was going to talk about something I'd rather not hear.

Mion was puzzled, trying to find the right thing to say.

...But then she gave a hearty laugh to break herself out of that mire.

"Ah hah hah haha!

This old man's just no good at this stuff.

Having a poor vocabulary hurts."

"...What's this all of a sudden?

If you have something to say, just say it."

"Stop it.

Stop that swinging."

She cut straight to the point.

Her request was so frank, I didn't understand it for a moment.

I had already stopped swinging to listen to her, hadn't I?

"...I just stopped, didn't I?"

"That's not what I meant.

I want today to be the last day you swing that bat.

I'm sorry."

It took me some time to understand what she was asking for.

...What's wrong with swinging a bat?

"Why?

It's none of your business, is it?

I'm not bothering anyone, am I!?"

"You are."

Mion said it flat out.

This didn't make any sense and that was really irritating.

"When did I bother anybody!?"

"...Uhh!

...Umm..."

Mion was at a loss for words.

But she finally made up her mind and spoke.

Though she stuttered as she said it.

"B-Because Kei-chan...

that...

that's someone else's bat.

You shouldn't borrow it without permission..."

"It was left behind by a student who transferred, right?

I'm just borrowing it until he comes back for it."

"Huh? Ah!

...Yeah... He transferred..."

Mion grew uncharacteristically flustered.

That made it all too clear that his transfer was a lie.

"But strange, isn't it?

For the older brother to transfer by himself?

...While his little sister stayed behind?"

Mion couldn't hide her reaction as my words shook her up.

"...K-Kei-chan... you knew!?"

"Satoshi Houjou.

Satoko's older brother, right?

The one demoned away last year."

Unable to respond to that, Mion fell silent.

"Rena asked the same thing.

'Why did you start swinging that bat?'"

"..."

"She told me Satoshi did the same thing.

Practicing his swings.

Right before he went missing."

"..."

"So? Is this some kind of omen for Oyashiro-sama's curse?"

"Shhh!!"

Mion panicked and looked around.

"...Please, Kei-chan, don't mention Oyashiro-sama so recklessly!

...I don't believe in him, but the others very much do!

Rena, especially!"

"Dangerously so...?"

"Anyway...

You're scaring everyone!

If you're just fooling around, then stop it.

You have to stop acting like Satoshi!!"

I was the one who was scared.

Who do I have to thank for taking up this bat in the first place!?

...But it still unsettled me knowing that my actions were overlapping with Satoshi's.

It would be one thing if someone suggested it, but I thought I was making my own decisions...

"I'll say this now.

I don't know anything about Satoshi.

...After all, you didn't tell me anything about him."

"...W-We didn't mean to hide it..."

"You were hiding the incidents that happen every year, weren't you?"

"Ah, that's because... we didn't want to...

Ummm..."

"You didn't want to scare me?

That's your reason for leaving me out!?"

"No, we didn't mean to..."

"Mion, I asked you directly if something happened at the dam, didn't I?

...And you told me nothing happened!!

When someone was dismembered and murdered!!

You lied to me!!!"

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

I didn't mean to lie to you..."

"Friends don't hide things from each other, right?

Isn't that right!?

Then you all aren't my friends!!"

"K-Kei-chan...

we..."

Mion looked helpless and flustered.

Was I imagining the tears in her eyes?

...I never could've imagined Mion acting like this.

"Oh, by the way. Those get-well mochi you brought the other day? They were good. I thought I was going to bleed.

Who did it?

You?

Or Rena!?"

"...

Me."

She admitted it so easily.

I couldn't help but be surprised at how easy that was.

"You could have killed me.

How could you do that to a friend...!?"

"...B-But... it was just a little prank..."

Mion gave me a wry smile mixed with confusion, causing even more anger to well up inside me.

"You think that was a prank!?"

I grabbed Mion by the collar and lifted her up!

That wasn't the same as putting Tabasco sauce in a piece of mochi!

It was a needle! A sewing needle!

If I had swallowed that... and it lodged in my throat... what did she think would happen!?

Mion's face froze as her body rattled in fear.

...This wasn't the Mion Sonozaki I knew anymore.

"Anyways...

You're not my friend.

There's no reason for me to listen to someone who's not my friend.

...So just leave me alone for a while.

...Got it?"

Mion wasn't replying anymore.

"It won't be that easy to erase me, you know.

The cops have been on to you from the start.

So don't think you can make me disappear like you did Satoshi!!"

I said it clearly.

This... was my declaration of war.

"I think you guys are suspects in the previous incidents, too.

I also know you've spent a lot of time with the cops ever since the anti-dam movement.

Don't think you can hide it from me... Got that!?"

"H-How...

How did you... know...?"

Mion stood there with a dumbstruck look on her face.

That was when I heard the principal ringing the bell for school.

It was time for morning homeroom.

"...Let's go.

The class representative needs to be there, right?

...?"

At that moment, for the first time, I realized Mion was sobbing as tears ran down her cheeks.

"...You...

You're so mean... Kei-chan..."

"...Mi-..."

I wanted to console her, but I shut my mouth.

I had no need to feel guilty.

"...I'm going.

Don't be late for homeroom."

I left Mion, still shaking, as I turned around to head for the entrance.

I had no idea how troubling it was to make a girl cry.

Behind my back, I could hear her muttering.

It was a faint mutter as she was speaking to herself.

"...So that's how it is..."

"Huh?"

She wasn't saying it to anyone.

It was Mion talking to herself.

But it was a sobbing voice that had a kind of giddy, cursing tone.

I inadvertently stopped and turned back towards her.

"...So it was... that bastard...

He leaked it all to Kei-chan..."

She balled up her fists as her tears continued to rain down...

She glared at a spot at the ground... with a terrifying... yet smiling face...

Cursing...

A chill ran down my spine from that demonic expression...

This transformation... Mion's transformation, was different from Rena's.

"...I should've killed him back then...

He forgot the mercy I showed him just because he was going to retire this year..."

Retiring this year...

Was she talking about Ooishi-san...!?

"Damn it...

Damn it...

I'm going to kill...

that damn old man... rrgh!!!"

It felt like the air itself had begun distorting.

With Mion at the center, the world had begun to twist and spiral...

Bending.

Whirling.

...This was the first time I'd known—no, experienced—such a visage...

"Rise!

Attention!"

Mion made up an excuse for her red eyes by saying there was something wrong with her contacts.

After that, neither Rena nor Mion spoke to me for the rest of the day.

Neither Satoko nor Rika-chan looked me in the eye.

Strangely, I didn't feel hurt.

...Everything had just went back to the way it was.

The month since I transferred in had been almost too much fun.

That was all.

School was supposed to be something like this to begin with.

I should have disliked that feeling... but today, it felt oddly refreshing.

The bell rung, sounding the end of the monotonous school day, which had felt so tense, yet so dull.

Since it would cause a lot of unpleasant memories if they asked me to join in to the club activities, I promptly started preparing to go home without even looking at them.

I stuffed the contents of my desk into my bag, wrapped my hand around Satoshi's now-familiar bat, and began heading towards the entrance.

I was assailed by both the exhausting relief that nothing had happened today and the tiring possibility of the same thing repeating tomorrow...

But... deep down inside me...

Far beneath, in the recesses of my heart... achingly, I knew...

This would be the last day of this cycle.

I couldn't tell how the ending would be...

Whether it would end as I wished it to end... or if it would end as I hoped it wouldn't...

Regardless, in my current state, there was something more important than how things would end.

There was something I wanted to know.

Why did I have to be killed?

How did it come to this?

Why?

For what purpose?

The sunlight was relentless.

The sun, the heat, even the air.

They wouldn't give me my answers.

...Or could it be... that the cries of the higurashi were desperately trying to tell me something...?

Somewhere, mixed in with their shrieks... Tomitake-san and Satoshi were also probably trying to tell me something...

I simply haven't been able to realize it yet...

...When I do realize it... I wonder if I will be amongst the higurashi fruitlessly crying to the next victim...?

Glancing down at my feet I saw a higurashi on its back, spasming weakly...

Bwee, bwee... bwee...

There was still much of the summer left, yet this one was already chirping its last song.

I couldn't tell what it was saying... no matter how hard I listened.

...But... I had to try.

...I had to try to listen to what it was desperately trying to tell me...

At that moment... The shrills of the higurashi ceased all at once.

As if... they had huddled together, fearing that the person who'd brought them to their dreadful fate had arrived...

There was no mistaking it...

A presence was approaching.

The sound of footsteps was almost non-existent.

...If the higurashi hadn't warned me by ending their chirping... I wouldn't have noticed.

My exhaustion left me in a heartbeat. In its place was a rush of adrenaline that sharpened all of my senses.

I was just barely able to hold back that creeping, suffocating... feeling of horror.

...It wasn't something I could hold back for long...

But in this moment when I needed to be razor sharp... I was able to retain my composure.

I wasn't going to shout like I did yesterday.

...I hid myself calmly amongst the trees... waiting for my pursuer's shadow.

Could I get them to pass by me...?

No... since I was able to hear their footsteps, they were probably also able to hear mine.

...They might have already been able to tell that I'd hidden myself and was holding my breath...

The person tailing me... was it Rena, just like yesterday?

If it was Rena, I wouldn't hold back.

I could just yell at her and make her go ahead like yesterday.

If it wasn't Rena...?

...It would depend on how they acted, I guess...

The footsteps ambled closer.

I swallowed, wiped my clammy hands on my pants, and readjusted the grip on the bat.

I could tell that the fear that I had beaten back once was now waiting for another opening to come at me...

Who... could it be...?

I peeked out from behind the tree at the person following me.

...My imagination hadn't led me astray... It was Rena.

There was a bit of relief as I realized it was someone I knew, but that feeling left me in an instant.

This wasn't the same Rena that I knew...

Her eyes were dark and lifeless.

But her mouth appeared as if it was carved into a crescent... yes, it looked like she was grinning slightly.

...And in her right hand...

was a hatchet.

I hid myself behind the tree once again and recalled the unbelievable sight I just saw.

What was that just now!?

The embodiment of terror, laid bare...!!

Baseball, practicing my swing, there were tons of excuses for me to be carrying a bat...

But for that hatchet!?

There was no excuse for that!!!

A hatchet... just like that!!??

"...Keiichi-kun.

Are you playing hide and seek... I wonder?

I wonder?"

My heart was pounding.

...Hard enough that I had trouble breathing.

What little composure I had been able to hold on to was now crushed. In its place, cold sweat gushed forth, covering my entire body, letting me know precisely what kind of emotion had taken hold...

Not good, not good, not good...

I wasn't able to hide myself completely.

She already knew I was here...!

"...Were you trying to scare me, I wonder?

...I wonder?"

I decided that it would be better to reveal myself now, since there was still space between us, than to allow Rena to come any closer.

I adjusted my grip on the bat again... readied myself mentally, and stepped out from behind the tree.

"Ahahahahahahahahahaha...

I fooooound you, Keiichi-kun."

Rena was pleased that she found me, eliciting a mysterious giggle.

...Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes told me she was displeased by the fact that I had been hiding.

Those eyes...

They were just so empty...

My legs began to quiver...

Augh... Not good...

In the pit of my stomach... some sort of viscous hot and cold substance began spreading around...

If I allowed it... that substance would slip into my bloodstream and undoubtedly freeze all the organs in my body...!

Not good... not good...!

I'll be devoured by Rena at this rate...!

Strike back!

Don't lose!!

"Wh... What is it!?"

I blustered, hiding behind my bravado.

...But Rena didn't flinch one bit.

"...Just the same as Keiichi-kun.

...I'm heading home."

"Then what about that hatchet!?"

"...Then what about that bat you're holding?"

"I-I'm practicing my swing...!!"

"Then I'm treasure hunting."

Rena gave a flippant explanation as to why she had such a fearsome weapon.

"T-Treasure hunting...!?"

"At the treasure mountain near the dam site... I found a new kyute thing.

So I needed this to dig it out."

"H... How could I believe that!?"

"You wouldn't believe it, would you?

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

Rena's laugh was obviously very strange.

...I'd seen Rena's transformation many times before.

...But the one today was completely different.

Like her mischievous tone and the shrewd glint in her eyes...

It wasn't something that roundabout.

...I'm not sure what to say... it was just so obvious!

"...Wait, Keiichi-kun.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

Rena didn't stop walking, even as she let out that eerie laugh.

Whenever Rena got too close to me, I would scurry away and turn back towards her. This cycle repeated over and over.

...No matter how you looked at it, I was being chased by Rena and was trying to escape.

"D-Don't follow me...!!!"

"I can't do that...

My house is this way, after all.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

When I met with Rena on this road yesterday, she cowered and trembled as she followed my commands.

But today was different.

Rena didn't show a hint of trepidation.

...Actually... Wasn't I the one who was cowering!?

If the way home for Rena and me was the same, that's fine. I'd just change my route!

That'd work out, wouldn't it!?

I turned onto a side street I'd never been down and knew little about.

But Rena saw me do that and followed me while laughing...!

Why!?

Why!?

Aren't you going home!?

Then just go home down the street you normally do!!

Why... would you follow me down... this weird little side road!?

Those thoughts screamed in my head... eventually spilling out of my mouth.

"...Wh-Wh-Wh-Why are you following me...!?"

The tone of my voice was already tinged with terror.

"...Because I want to talk to Keiichi-kun.

Keiichi-kun wants to talk to Rena too, doesn't he? Doesn't he?"

"I-I don't want to talk about anything with you...!!"

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

There's something you want to ask me about, isn't there?"

"Not at all!

I have nothing to talk to you about!"

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

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

Rena's scream echoed, startling some nearby birds into flight.

I cringed in fear. The only other thing I could do was increase my pace.

"Let's talk, Keiichi-kun...

Talk...

Talk...

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

Why was I running down this unfamiliar and deserted street!?

"Doesn't Keiichi-kun have something he's worried about?"

"N-Nothing at all!

I'm not worried about anything!!"

"LIES!!!!

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

Even though I was running...

Even though Rena was walking...

Why wasn't I getting any farther away!?

"I know, I know.

I really do know.

You're scared, aren't you, Keiichi-kun?"

"I-I'm not scared!

I'm not scared of anything—"

"LIES!!!!

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

My breathing grew heavy and it felt like my legs were giving out from beneath me.

Rena wasn't even breaking a sweat.

"I'll listen.

This time I'll listen."

I had no idea what she was talking about or what exactly she wanted to do...!

"This time I'll listen.

It will be different from the time with Satoshi-kun!"

When she said Satoshi's name, I turned back for a moment.

But even as I did that, Rena was still advancing.

I couldn't afford to stop...!

"Satoshi-kun was worried, too.

It looked like he was having such a hard time.

But I didn't listen.

I was so sad."

Where did this street connect to!?

All these twists and turns, ups and downs!

It was hard to believe... that this was even remotely in the direction towards my house.

My sense of direction had long since gone out the window.

"I really regretted it when Satoshi-kun 'transferred out.'

I thought that if I had listened... he may not have 'transferred out.'

I really regretted that."

The road led me deeper into the forest.

...Wasn't I getting farther away from the village the more I ran...!?

I lost more and more of my composure the more I thought about it...

But despite this realization... my inner self was still disturbingly calm.

"So you see, I vowed...

I vowed that if there was someone struggling like Satoshi-kun did, I'd save them!

I don't want to see anyone 'transfer out' again.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

Daaaamn it!!

What does "transfer" even mean!?

I won't let you transfer me!!

I won't end up the same as Satoshi!!!!

"Come on Keiichi-kun, talk to me.

I'll be able to understand you, Keiichi-kun.

I'm your ally."

I started wheezing, out of breath.

My lungs were so hot that they felt like they were going to explode, and my heart was beating as hard as it possibly could.

...I should have practiced running instead of my swing...!!!

I couldn't even afford to scoff at that stupid thought.

"If Keiichi-kun doesn't have anything to worry about, he'll go back to normal.

Everyone will be back to being friends and we can enjoy club activities again.

Next time we'll team up and beat Mii-chan.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

Yeah, how much fun that would be...

Rena couldn't even imagine how much I had wished I could turn back the clock on these past few days...

"You could be nice to me again, too.

I want to go searching for treasure again.

This time I'll prepare a nice lunch.

Actually, we could just go right now.

Let's go up to the dam site together.

I'll show you the kyute thing I just found.

I'm sure you'll like it too.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

My footsteps made pathetic flapping sounds as my legs wobbled and faltered.

Hot on my heels, Rena's steps were sharply breaking twigs underfoot.

I had to accept it.

...I was on the run... being chased by Rena.

If she caught me... it was all over.

...I realized it instinctively.

...I couldn't even begin to think of what the end would entail.

Just that if I was caught, it was all over.

That's all I knew.

It didn't matter how it was going to end... I wouldn't let it end.

...Not without... knowing anything, not yet...!

That momentary lapse was all it took.

Of all the things that could have happened, my knees buckled underneath me and I crumbled towards the ground...!

I tried to stand frantically, urging my legs to respond!

I used my bat as a makeshift cane to prop myself up, but Rena was already standing right in front of me.

Compared to me, out of breath and utterly exhausted... Rena was so cool and composed that she could have froze the air around her. She wasn't breathing hard at all, rather, I couldn't even sense if her heart was beating.

"Are you afraid of something, I wonder...?

It's not like you to tremble, Keiichi-kun.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

Her expression looked almost affectionate.

...Those soulless eyes... that mask of affection.

As she admonished me for trembling... Rena's hands deftly slipped over her head.

The blur of arms as they moved made me feel as if I was staring at the godliness of the thousand-armed Buddha.

...Then as both of her hands met above her head... the hatchet that she held came into focus.

I stared up at it in disbelief...

It was all I could do.

"T... Tell me...

what happened to Satoshi!"

Rena stayed like that, with that hatchet raised above her head, and solemnly opened her mouth...

It was as if she was expressing a farewell to a friend she was never to see again... that cruel scenario resided somewhere in her actions...

"I told you...

Satoshi-kun...

transferred...

out."

"Enough of that 'transfer' crap!"

"..."

"It means demoned away, doesn't it?

Doesn't it!?"

"..."

"You can tell me now, can't you...!?

Who made Satoshi disappear!?

Was it you!?

Mion!?

Or someone in the village!!??

Answer me!!!!"

I became frantic the more I screamed, but Rena did nothing but maintain the smile frozen on her face.

"...I have no idea what Keiichi-kun is talking about."

"Then I'll say it in a way so you do!

Who is the perpetrator... of this chain of mysterious deaths!?"

"...You seem to be confused, Keiichi-kun."

"...Wha?"

"There is no human perpetrator.

Everything is by Oyashiro-sama's will."

"Isn't Oyashiro-sama's curse just superstition...!?

You believe in that too!?"

"It's not about believing or not...

Oyashiro-sama

'exists,'

period."

Rena's gaze grew even more gelid.

...The ferocity of her stare was so intense, not allowing me to question anything...

"...There's just no way that something like Oyashiro-sama could exist...!"

"You don't believe...?

In Oyashiro-sama?"

"...Th-There's no way I could believe it!

There's no way it could exist!!"

"It 'exists.'

Oyashiro-sama exists.

Keiichi-kun should have felt it personally."

"I-I never... felt something like that!!!"

"...Keiichi-kun, haven't you felt someone apologizing to you before?

Constantly, on top of that?"

All noise from the outside world disappeared. Only Rena's voice resounded, loudly and terribly.

"You see, until you forgive them... they'll always be with you.

At school.

At home.

At your bedside..."

I couldn't understand what Rena was saying.

"It came to me, too.

Oyashiro-sama did...

That's why I 'transferred' and came back to Hinamizawa."

I don't understand.

I don't understand.

What does "transfer" even mean?

What was Rena saying...?

"Hasn't Oyashiro-sama... come to you as well, Keiichi-kun?

I'm probably the only one who you can confide in...

I won't let you 'transfer out'...

...okay?"

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Rena's demented laughter clanged around inside my head.

...Was Rena saying Oyashiro-sama came to her as well...?

That's right.

...Last night I had heard about that when I asked about Rena...

"Please keep this confidential.

Also, part of this may be speculation.

Not all of it may be true...

Are you still interested?"

Ooishi-san began speaking...

"Neither the victims nor the school filed a complaint, so there's no preliminary report.

Basically... The police hadn't intervened in this matter.

So all of these details are just what I heard from those involved...

Meaning it's not that credible."

"You said there were victims?

Didn't Rena just break all the windows?"

"No, Rena Ryuugu had attacked three boys.

Using a metal bat.

Two of them made it out with only bruises, but the other had been injured so badly that one of his eyes was permanently damaged."

"W-Wouldn't that be considered assault!?

Shouldn't the police have arrested her!?"

"For whatever reason, the victim never pressed charges.

There was no report to the police, so..."

They were beaten with a bat and suffered significant injuries!

Normally there would be a criminal investigation.

But why... didn't they press charges!?

"I tried asking the three male victims for their side of the story, but they all were reluctant.

It's hard to say... but they were all afraid.

Even after she had transferred schools."

"...Ooishi-san...

Could you summarize it starting from the beginning...?"

Rena hit people while she broke the windows?

Or was it... she started breaking the windows after she got bored of hitting people??

They sounded similar, but the meanings were drastically different...

"On an undisclosed date.

...Rena Ryuugu was conversing with three male students, close friends of hers, near the pool storage shed."

"...Who were those three?"

"I can't reveal their names, but they were close to Rena Ryuugu and it seems they were a group of friends.

She was the lone girl in their group."

...So it wasn't that strange that the four of them were together...

"So what happened?"

"I don't know the reason why.

She took the baseball team's bat that was in the pool storage shed and beat the three of them down one after the other."

"Wha...!?"

There were no witnesses.

This was an account pieced together by the information given at the time of the incident.

One day after school...

Rena and three male students were at the pool storage shed talking together.

They weren't seeking help, rather, they usually met up there. It appears it became a heated discussion.

At that time, Rena underwent a "change."

The change was so abrupt that the three of them didn't comprehend what was happening.

Then, taking the metal bat, she attacked her friends one after the other.

Leaving her friends covered in blood with gashes on their heads, she made her way towards the school building.

Then she broke the glass windows one after the other.

A few minutes later, a teacher appeared on scene and subdued her.

"What was this 'change' Rena underwent?"

"What matches up in the statements from the three was... a sudden change.

The point that there was a transformation."

"...Transformation..."

I also... could recall Rena's transformation.

I'd seen that change many times before. It was so different from the usual Rena that I couldn't help but believe it was someone else who looked like Rena.

"...That transformation they're talking about... had it happened before?"

"No, there was nothing like that.

As far as I could find out, in her medical history and past, there was nothing like that."

"...Um, does that happen often? Where people change suddenly like Rena did...?"

"Of course it does.

There are plenty of psychological phenomena that could cause something like that."

"Then... you're saying there was a dormant element in Rena that caused that transformation?"

"...I cannot say that for certain.

But according to the statements of her friends, it's hard to believe she had such a side to her."

...Kind, caring, and adorable.

Even before she transferred here, she was probably pretty popular in school like she was now.

...That girl transforming suddenly and assaulting them with a bat... who could imagine such a thing?

...Nobody could have seen it coming.

I, myself sometimes believed that I was mistaken for thinking that was Rena... even now...

"Then... what happened after that...?"

"There was a hospital right across from the school, so the three of them were carried in and treated quickly."

"What about Rena...?

What about the police...!?

Why wasn't there a criminal investigation!?"

"You see...the police can't get involved unless they are called..."

"Even though one was badly injured with permanent damage!?

Why didn't they file charges!?"

"...That's what caught my attention as well.

Either some threat or pressure was placed on them.

Or they had a reason they couldn't file charges even if they wanted to..."

"We're talking about you, after all. Of course you looked into it, didn't you?"

"Well... yeah...

But I told you at the beginning, didn't I?

That the victims were all very reluctant to talk.

They didn't want to touch on the matter... or rather, they didn't want to be involved..."

Reluctant to talk.

Didn't want to touch it.

Didn't want to be involved.

...It resembled the villagers here and Oyashiro-sama's curse.

"Did the teacher at that school tell you anything?"

"A school is hallowed ground.

You could say they tend to keep scandals under wraps.

I didn't have a search warrant so I had to tread lightly, you see..."

"Then... there was no comment from the school?"

"No.

They denied the incident even happened."

"..."

"It's just...

Three male students were carried in for blunt force trauma that day...

That's all there was in the hospital records."

"...The victims didn't speak, the school denied it happened...

Then you don't know anything at all!"

"Yeah.

I know nothing other than the incident itself had taken place.

...The victims also wished this incident to be kept from the public... so if you and I both forget about it, Maebara-san, then this incident will probably just fade away..."

...For a brief period we sat in silence.

At first glance, it looked like a simple assault case.

...But that was just the tip of the iceberg...

The depths were obscured by roiling waves... sinking quietly into the void... as if it never existed to begin with...

"After that, she was suspended by the school.

And during that time, she underwent psychiatric counseling."

"Did you hear anything from that doctor?"

"...Again, they were very professional in regards to their ethics...

Or at least very tight-lipped!"

"Nothing even after you showed them your badge?"

"I was told to get a warrant.

The badge itself has no legally binding authority after all..."

"Then how did you know... that Rena confessed that it was Oyashiro-sama who did it?"

"There was a nurse I asked in that department.

She agreed to help me just from showing her my badge."

"...Then... what did she say?"

Turns out that the nurse hadn't heard everything.

...Apparently all that she remembered was what she overheard from inside the room.

"The nurse said that at the time, Rena Ryuugu was very calm and mild-mannered."

It was... more like she was confessing her sins at church than a counseling session.

She spoke with her mother there for some of it. But partway through, her mother was asked to leave, so it became a private counseling session between just the doctor and Rena for a while.

"The part with Oyashiro-sama, when did that pop up...?"

"Partway through.

She screamed the name suddenly.

That startled the nurse and that's why she started listening in."

"...It was Oyashiro-sama!!!!!"

Rena suddenly shouted that.

...I had no idea what was said before that, so I had no idea what the meaning behind it could have been.

The doctor, calmly and collectedly, asked Rena to have a seat.

"What is this Oyashiro-sama you speak of?"

Gently, ever so gently.

A fundamental part of counseling is to be a good, patient listener.

"Whoever abandons Hinamizawa... will be hunted down by Oyashiro-sama!!

And... it's finally gotten to me!!!"

"That's the town you lived in before you moved here. Isn't that right, Ryuugu-san?"

"I didn't want to move, but because of my mom and dad's circumstances, we had to.

But... Oyashiro-sama wouldn't allow it!!"

"Ryuugu-san must have lots of friends in Hinamizawa.

Even now you must be missing them dearly, don't you think?"

"...I want to go back...

Back to Hinamizawa...

No, it's not that I want to go back, I have to go back!

I should have gone back much sooner!!

But now it's too late...!!!

Oyashiro-sama has come!!!"

"Oyashiro-sama is the name of the god in Hinamizawa, isn't that right?"

"Everyone knows... It's Hinamizawa's guardian deity...

And if you ever try abandoning Hinamizawa by leaving... you'll incur its wrath."

"You had moved... quite a while ago, didn't you?

Then... It was just now that this god has arrived, is what you're saying?"

"...You might not believe me, but Oyashiro-sama exists!"

That nurse was then asked by another nurse to do something and left the room.

...That was all she remembered.

"That it was Oyashiro-sama's... doing, right?"

"I do believe there is that kind of superstition in Hinamizawa.

That if you leave the village, then you incur Oyashiro-sama's wrath.

...You should be familiar with this part, Maebara-san."

I knew very well what those scorned by the village incurred.

To hinder the dam construction project, they cursed the construction foreman to his death.

Then the following year Satoko's parents, supporters and leading advocates for the dam, were cursed to their death.

But... this was the first time I've heard of the curse incurred by leaving the village.

"This is my first time hearing that.

I can understand outside threats being cursed by the village, but why also villagers who leave?

Normally, people who leave villages aren't supposed to be cursed, right?"

I know it's a bit strange to say it, but I could see it as a rule that the people who come in are the ones who would be cursed.

Far from Jupiter, far from his thunder.

...Curses weren't something to chase after people that leave, were they?

Ooishi-san pondered for a bit over on the other end of the receiver, then began speaking again.

"Well... I told you of long ago when Hinamizawa was called Onigafuchi, didn't I?"

I recalled hearing that...

Long ago, Hinamizawa was feared and respected as the village of demons.

"The villagers at the foot of the mountains worshipped the demons.

So Onigafuchi was hallowed ground that you could never enter.

It came to be said that if you entered carelessly, you were cursed by Oyashiro-sama."

Those who set foot in Onigafuchi—in another words, Hinamizawa—would be cursed.

I could understand that.

"I know that...

But... for leaving to also be no good... that's..."

"Also, the demons, you see...

They were being strictly watched by Oyashiro-sama so they would not enter into our world.

...In other words, Oyashiro-sama probably restricted interaction between Onigafuchi and the rest of the world."

...I see.

I finally understood what sort of thing Oyashiro-sama was.

"So basically... Oyashiro-sama is more like a warden than a protectorate deity, I guess?

Trying to keep this place isolated from the rest of the world."

"I guess that's how it would seem...

I'm sorry, I don't know very much myself.

This is mostly what was passed on to me from my mother..."

I could understand it a bit better if it was like that.

Those who came to Hinamizawa would be cursed, and those who tried to leave would also be cursed.

So... because Rena originally lived in Hinamizawa and moved away, she fulfilled the requirements for being cursed.

"...So that means, because Rena moved away against its wishes, she was cursed by Oyashiro-sama. Is that what it adds up to?"

"In short... that seems to be what it points to, I guess.

As a matter of fact, soon afterwards they did move back to Hinamizawa, after all."

...Those who abandoned Hinamizawa and left were cursed.

But then... why only Rena?

Shouldn't Rena's parents also have been guilty of the same transgression by moving away and have been cursed?

Also, in this day and age in Japan, shouldn't there be a lot of people coming and going?

...If every single one of them was cursed, then it'd be insane.

But in reality it wasn't that big of a deal at all.

...At most, there would be one person dying and one disappearing on the day of the Watanagashi.

...I don't like saying "at most," though...

"...Well, anyways.

There's a lot I still don't know.

...Even if it was Oyashiro-sama's curse, it doesn't explain Rena beating her classmates with a metal bat, or why the victims wouldn't press charges.

...You don't think the victims were cowering because they believed that a terrible curse had befallen them, do you?"

Of course I didn't want to believe it.

But... more importantly, I had... just realized something else...

There was another bizarre connection that Rena made between Oyashiro-sama's curse and metal bats...

Satoshi fell victim to Oyashiro-sama's curse, and went missing.

I had recently learned that Satoshi had also become infatuated with the metal bat right before he disappeared, just like me.

Then Rena as well.

She was affected by Oyashiro-sama's curse, she confessed that much to the doctor.

...And the weapon which she had used at the time of that horrendous act was, again, a metal bat.

And finally... me.

I'd encountered various things that were inexplicable, and now I was holding onto a metal bat...

I was shocked when I learned that Satoshi did the same thing... it couldn't be...

Had the same thing happened to Rena...!?

But there was one critical difference between her and Satoshi's case.

That being: Satoshi went missing after falling victim to the curse, but Rena was still here.

Both of them had fallen victim to Oyashiro-sama's curse, yet they were met with different endings.

...And finally... me.

I couldn't call it a coincidence anymore...

Rena,

Satoshi,

and finally... me.

Could it be... that I really was under... Oyashiro-sama's curse right now!?

...No, more importantly than that... what should I do now...?

Satoshi had been demoned away, vanishing without a trace.

Rena was fine.

...Fine?

Rena had undergone a change.

I could only believe that there was something that wasn't Rena residing within her.

And...

Here, right now... It was standing before me!!!!

"Rena... please tell me...

What... will happen to me...!?"

Rena stood imposingly, not answering.

"Satoshi disappeared...

but Rena didn't disappear.

So... what will happen to me!?"

"...Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."

I had never heard such an unpleasant laugh before.

...It had become... akin to the sound of her breathing.

It was no longer a voice or an expression of feeling.

"...Don't worry.

I'll save you."

Rena took one step forward... still holding the hatchet high above her head.

"...Now then..."

One step closer. Rena's face spread out to fill my vision.

"...Speak..."

One step closer.

Rena's nose was close enough to touch mine... and was still pushing closer.

"...There's something you want to say, isn't there? ...I'll listen.

I'll save you... okay?

Speak, okay?

Speak, okay?"

I slumped down, landing squarely on my butt.

...It wasn't for some pathetic reason.

...It was all I could do to get as far away from Rena...

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..."

I had the gut feeling that I couldn't let her laughter end.

...Because when that laughing ended...!!

The moment I picked up on that feeling, my body moved by instinct.

I sprang to my feet so fast even I couldn't believe it, and pushed Rena away with both hands!

Rena was as light as a feather.

Thrown about by the unbalanced weight of the hatchet, she was sent backwards as if she had been carried off by the wind.

After confirming that out of the corner of my eye, I dashed off at full speed.

I was the perfect picture of "fleeing like a greased pig."

...Get away from Rena.

Run away.

Survive!!!

I couldn't think of anything other than this.

While I was running, I remembered I'd been holding onto a bat the entire time.

...Such a worthless weapon.

...I couldn't believe I'd forgotten about this weapon at such an important time...!

I sped even farther down the winding path!!

I didn't even feel myself gasping for breath or my legs getting heavy.

...My body understood it as well.

If I didn't run away from here... I wouldn't live!!

I could hear the laughter of that simulacrum of Rena coming from behind me.

It rang through the trees and in my head, and slowly chiseled away at my sanity.

The grove of trees thinned out, my field of vision suddenly expanding.

Where was this...!?

For a moment, I was bewildered by the scenery I felt I knew but couldn't quite remember...

I quickly realized...

It was the dam site.

The fact that I'd dashed madly and ended up in a place like this gave me a bad feeling, like I was following someone's scripted plot.

I had a good view of my surroundings, but I didn't see a single soul here.

This was a terrible spot for someone on the run, but there was no better place for an attacker.

My heart was already on the verge of bursting.

The muscles in my legs were screaming.

But I didn't care.

If I stopped here, then they might not even be able to scream for much longer.

Even still, I glanced back, looking for an excuse to rest.

Rena wasn't there...

Instead, I saw two villagers walking around.

I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't Rena, but a third party...

Except the voice inside me rang the alarm once again...

Villagers walking around weren't suspicious in and of themselves. But it bothered me.

They both wore rough-looking clothes.

Empty-handed, they definitely gave the impression that they were just out for a walk...

But... At this time of day, two adults wandering around without a purpose. It was enough to raise questions.

...But more than anything else... those eyes...

They weren't chit-chatting while walking. They were both silent... heading forward... looking in my direction.

Was I at the end of my rope and had finally started imagining things...!?

...I should run away.

That was probably the best choice.

If they weren't involved, I'd lose them easily by running.

...If they were part of the group after me... then they would come running after me.

Either way, unless I hurried up, Rena would catch up with me.

That's right... I was going to run!!!

Deciding that, the moment I began to turn tail... both of them rushed towards me, as if they knew exactly what I was thinking!!

Somewhere inside me, I had jumped to the conclusion that Rena was the only thing I needed to be afraid of.

I made the assumption that I didn't need to fear anything else...

But right now... I realized just how blatantly wrong I was!

Suddenly, the story Ooishi-san told me about the demons all leaving the village to hunt prey floated through the back of my mind.

I could tell they were both coming after me without even turning around because of their frenetic footsteps.

It was frightening, being unable to shake Rena off as she slowly closed in on me... but this didn't even compare.

Being pursued with such violent ferocity... this straightforward horror was unparalleled...!!!

One of the pursuers' arms grazed my shoulder.

...Now it wasn't just their frenzied footsteps, but also the distinct sound of their breathing that I could hear.

...No... I could practically feel them breathing on me! They were already right behind me...!

...Calm down, Keiichi Maebara.

Still running at full tilt, I felt the surrounding area go still... No, it felt like time itself had stopped.

I turned my head back slightly in that frozen world... realizing how close my pursuers had gotten to me.

...I couldn't win against the legs of an adult.

In less than the time it would take to blink twice, when this frozen time began moving again... they'd be right on top of me.

On top of me... and then...?

Don't think about that, Keiichi.

...First, realize that you won't be able to shake them off like this.

If the fact that you can't get away was a given, then you need to make a decision...

Go with the right leg or go with the left... you just need to decide which one.

Let's go with the left...

The moment I decided that... the temporal singularity burst into pieces!!

Right,

left!!!

I swung the bat in a wide arc with my right arm, using that inertia, I stopped and suddenly spun.

"...Wha—!?"

The two of them were clearly startled.

...Momentarily losing sight of me, both of their outstretched arms—ready to grab me—instead grasped at empty space!

The man on the right (I applaud him being able to figure it out) spun around to the spot I shouldn't have been, and faced me in astonishment.

But it was too late!!!!

I didn't even need to swing my bat.

All I needed to do was extend my arms as I turned around.

It was by no means a heavy blow, but it seemed like it had enough power behind it to knock him off his feet.

But just knocking him down wasn't enough to scare him away.

He got back up in no time!

Both of them took a fighting stance and were ready to face me.

This made me certain they weren't just two people out for a walk—they were clearly after me!

It felt much easier than dealing with Rena.

Just by not recognizing their faces, by not knowing them—it made things easier.

I smiled wryly on the inside.

"What do you want with me!?

Next one is going to be right in your face, you bastard!"

It's fine if it was just a bluff!

By barking out at them, I was able to fire myself up.

They didn't respond.

They spread out to either side of me with unbelievably calm expressions on their faces.

One of them would grab onto my bat and the other would hold me down... was that their plan?

Taking on both of them at once... would be impossible!!

Hot sweat poured from every pore in my body.

Then I'd just have to settle it with the first move!!

I'd step in and strike the first one down!!!

Narrowing my target down to the man on the right who had already been knocked down before, I stepped in and swung with all my might.

There was no way for an unarmed person to guard against it... it would cause immense damage!!

If they blocked it with their arm, their bone would snap like a twig; if they turned their back to it, then it was possible that the blow would travel all the way to their vital organs!

It looked like he was aware of this.

He pushed farther through the kill zone between us and delivered a fist right into my gut!!!

Not good... with this distance, in this position and in this state... there was no way for me to dodge it!!

The world flipped upside-down... I understood that I was being tossed around like a rag doll.

I landed on the soft earth without a sound, feeling the grainy soil press against my face.

...It didn't hurt at all.

...But the moment I thought that, I suddenly felt pain coming from the abrasions on my skin, as well as the contents of my stomach being forced upwards, flooding my mouth with a bitter sensation.

I knew very well that I didn't have the time to relish this experience.

I stood up as quickly as I could. But at that moment, the other man was already barreling towards me.

...Being able to comprehend calmly that I simply couldn't dodge it made it all the more upsetting.

After plowing into my stomach full-force once again, my assailant twisted around behind me and locked his thick arm around my neck!!

...My throat felt like it was being crushed by his immense strength!!

I couldn't even contemplate that I was being strangled, or that I was about to go unconscious.

...My vision simply darkened and a silent whining noise began playing deep inside my mind.

It took everything I had to keep myself from blacking out.

While this was happening, the other man was more than likely standing in front of me.

I wasn't able to open my eyes, but I could feel that he was there.

There was nothing I could do now.

Unable to shake this arm off me, I couldn't run. I couldn't fight back.

'Dire straits,' I couldn't even come up with the phrase that adequately described my situation...