"Morning, Keiichi.

...My.

What time did you go to sleep?"

I did not sleep well last night at all.

My mother could tell from a single glance.

...I had the worst dreams.

Nightmares, very ominous dreams, one after the other, again and again.

I woke up after each one... but could never even remember a fraction of what they had been about.

But... it was like those dreams were predicting something unpleasant...

and I woke up in a terrible mood.

Hey, now...

Every day... has been calm and fun before today, right?

...Those days should continue on, unchanging...

And yet...

Anxiety was the only emotion growing within me.

...Why was that?

...Nightmares reflect your own anxiety.

...They show an uneasy mind that which you wouldn't admit to normally...

...............Yesterday...

I remembered the ominous conversations about Satoshi I had... with Shion, Mion, and Rena.

...Right.

......My mind felt like it was in a black fog... because we had talked about that.

If I... If I'd lived every day without causing a fuss, my reward would be ever more peaceful days.

...I understood that... so why did I cause such discord?

...But... now that I thought about it calmly...

A simple verbal slip on my part couldn't possibly change the world.

Yeah.

...As long as I'm sorry for doing it, and never talk about it again... there's nothing that anyone can blame me for, right?

Besides... how would my fate possibly change... just because I talked about that...?

Nothing was going to change.

Yeah.

Nothing would change.

Nothing would change, nothing would change.

...Hahahaha!

"That's a creepy smile.

If you're still half asleep, then go wash your face."

I'd finally cheered up enough to smile, and Mom slapped me right back down—now I was irritated again.

There wasn't much time left before I had to meet up with Rena.

I frantically started to get ready to go to school.

"Have a good day.

Watch out for cars!"

"There's barely any cars to watch out for!

In Hinamizawa, anyway."

I dashed out the front door.

...The morning air was far more refreshing than the water on my face.

That's right, Keiichi Maebara.

If you're sorry enough about it and reflect upon your mistakes, that's enough!

Now let's pull yourself together and get to school.

...And return to fun, enjoyable days.

Where everyone laughs, plays, and just has a good time.

...I'll be nice to Satoko as an apology, too.

...Yeah.

Wasn't I supposed to be her Nii-nii until Satoshi got back...?

"Good morning!

Keiichi-kun!"

Rena, too, looked nothing like she had yesterday when she said that weird stuff.

...If I could only forget, then I could still act like nothing had happened.

...So I called out to her with all the energy I could muster.

"Hey!

Morning, Rena!

Early as usual today!"

"Morning!"

"Good morning!"

There was little time before the same old morning homeroom began...

but Satoko and Rika-chan were unusually absent.

...Maybe they went to play somewhere?

However, looking over and seeing none of their things... so it looked like they really hadn't come to school.

"...Hmm?

They're almost never late."

Rena seemed to be enjoying herself thinking about what their excuse for being late would be.

Mion said something nonsensical as well, imagining how funny the reason they were late must have been.

...I had only come to school to see their energetic faces, since I figured it would get rid of these feelings I have...

But the load on my chest remained where it was.

It wasn't very pleasant at all.

"Good morning, everyone.

President, if you would."

"Everybody stand up!"

Our teacher finally arrived.

...Then, finally, I heard the pitter-patter of footsteps running down the hall.

Clatter.

...Rika-chan was the first to run through the opened door.

...And then, Satoko...

.........didn't come.

"You're late, Furude-san.

...Where's Houjou-san?"

It was unusual for Rika-chan to be late, but equally unusual for Satoko, a ball of energy, to be absent at all.

Everyone's eyes were wide at the series of strange events.

"...Satoko... might be a little bit late."

"Has she come down with something?"

The teacher walked over to Rika-chan and they started talking in hushed tones.

"Ah-hahahahaha!

Rika-chan is late, and Satoko is absent—I guess crazy things can happen."

"You're right.

But... I wonder what happened to Satoko-chan.

...Is she sick?"

...Why now, when I most wanted to see Satoko's energetic face...?

...The unease that had been building since last night tightened within my chest.

"Kei-chan, you worry too much~!

Sometimes girls of her age can't help but stay home sick.

Ku-ku-ku-ku!"

"Mii-chan, you're not supposed to say that around boys!"

Mion laughed indecently.

Normally, I would laugh along with her... but right now, I just didn't feel like it.

Homeroom ended, and we went to talk to Rika-chan in the short time we had before first period started.

"Hey, Rika-chan.

You looked so sad, so very sad when getting yelled at for being late~

I'll make sure to pet you today."

I was very aware of my gloom this morning, so I strove to keep my tone cheerful.

I petted Rika-chan's head the same way she always did... but she didn't cheer up at all.

"...Meep."

"...What happened to Satoko?

...Did she get sick...?"

For instance, she got a fever from playing around too much yesterday.

...If that had been her response, I would have accepted it in a flash.

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

But the atmosphere around Rika-chan felt somehow heavy.

...It was a little weird, and actually made my unease worse.

"Hey, come on, come on~!

There's certain things she can't talk to boys about~!

Kei-chan, back to your seat, back to your seat~!"

Mion, acting just like a club president, pulled me back to my chair.

...Rika-chan's gaze immediately fell back to her desk, and she hung her head gloomily...

Rika-chan had said something odd... that Satoko might be a little bit late.

They were... living together, weren't they?

...Then she would have known for sure—she wouldn't have said "might."

I didn't understand why she was absent... and that made me all the more anxious.

...Damn it, what's going on today?

It's like... we started off on the wrong foot, and it wasn't going to get any better.

"...What's the matter, Keiichi-kun?

You seem pretty down this morning."

Rena noticed how I looked and whispered to me while the teacher wasn't looking.

"......D-Do I really... seem that way?"

"Yeah.

Even Rena is starting to feel down just looking at you."

I thought of jokingly saying "then don't look at me!"... but I didn't even feel like doing that.

"Is it something you can tell Rena?

...I don't know what you're worried about, but if I can help, then you can tell me, okay...?"

I won't tease you.

Rena said this, looking me straight in the eye.

"......Until yesterday... nothing strange had happened, and it was a lot of fun."

Huh?

Rena's eyes widened for a moment, not understanding what I meant... but she remained silent and listened.

"It was peaceful and fun. Every day was lively.

...I never had any doubt things would stay that way forever."

"......Yeah.

You're right.

Every day is fun.

I'm sure today will be, too."

"...You're sure? How do you know?"

"Umm... well.

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

Rena, feeling perplexed, couldn't think of something to say.

I didn't blame her.

...What I was trying to say... seemed a little confusing, even to me.

"...When I think about it, I've been anxious lately.

...Like maybe, since every day is fun, one day... all of a sudden...

it would get really dark, like a light bulb turned off."

"...Yeah.

...Rena kind of understands how you feel."

Rena nodded gently.

"...We've always been taught... that it wouldn't only be good things happening to us.

...Sometimes I'm scared of what's going on behind the fun.

It's a little bit sad, but...

But because of that, we learned how to do our best to make sure that the fun never stops."

"...I see."

"So it's not a bad thing that you think our fun lives might not go on forever, Keiichi-kun.

...Kind of like... Mm.

Like if suddenly there was a volcanic eruption tomorrow and everyone died."

"Hey, wait... That's terrible!"

"If you were the only one who survived the catastrophe, Keiichi-kun... how would you feel?"

"...How would I.........hmm..."

...I imagined myself being that sole survivor in the ruins of Hinamizawa.

...Rubble and the bodies of friends lying in heaps at my feet.

...It was such an abhorrent sight.

Was it sadder that all my friends had died?

Or was it sadder that I couldn't have died with them?

...I didn't know which...... but I'd probably cry a lot.

"...It'd probably break my heart.

...First... I think I'd cry."

"And then maybe you would think this.

If this was my destiny, then I should have made sure every day before this was as fun as possible, so I had no regrets."

...I didn't want to consider such a horrible event to be my destiny.

...But...

...............

"..................I probably would think that..."

"The fun times will end one day, and nobody knows when they will.

It makes sense to live each day to the fullest so that if it does happen tomorrow, you don't regret anything."

".........Yeah."

"It's really hard to think like that.

...A lot of people take their everyday happiness for granted.

They think tomorrow will be the same as today, so they leave things they could do today for tomorrow.

They leave the kindness they could have shown today until tomorrow."

...Rena was usually cheerful and silly, but right now she wasn't like that at all.

...She was taking my troubles seriously.

...It was a little reassuring.

"But Keiichi-kun, you realized it.

...I think that's a wonderful thing.

So that unease you have... I think you should keep it close to your heart."

"...Keep my unease... close...?"

"Yes.

...Everyone might die tomorrow in a big catastrophe.

...So you should be really nice to everyone today.

......So when the end really does come... you don't regret it."

"...Do you do that, Rena...?

Live like you would have no regrets if everyone died tomorrow?"

"Yep."

...It was such a hyperbolic conversation,

but Rena just gave me a nonchalant nod of her head.

"...Rena knows... what it's like for the fun times to end overnight.

She knows there's no proof tomorrow will be fun, even if today is.

...I'm living...

life to the fullest."

.........It seemed like Rena perfectly understood all the anxiety I couldn't put into words.

...And on top of that... like a reliable teacher, she showed me what to do.

...Ooh.

......Hey, Keiichi Maebara... There's no need to cry now...

"...Last night...... I feel like I had a dream about Satoko.

...I don't remember what kind of dream it was...... but ever since this morning, I've felt... anxious..."

"Because... you thought seeing Satoko-chan's energetic face would cheer you up.

...Right?"

...She was right on the money.

If everyone had been here with smiles on their faces this morning,

then the murk in my heart would have definitely been blown to smithereens.

"...Then... if Satoko-chan arrives, you'll have to be nice to her.

Actually, it's totally fine if you play your usual pranks on each other.

As long as you're having fun."

".........Yeah, you're right."

...So that even if these fun days came to an end... I'd have no regrets.

I couldn't tell if what Rena told me had been comforting or just made me more anxious.

But...... it was enough to make me think that if I saw Satoko again... I'd be honest with her.

Lunchtime arrived, with everyone pushing their desks together like always.

...Satoko wasn't here.

...Despite that, we had bento boxes for five lined up on our desks.

...Rika-chan had made a bento for Satoko too.

"...Was Satoko supposed to be here before lunch?"

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

Rika-chan was clearly acting strangely.

...We were talking to her... but it felt like...

she was too far away to hear us.

...I'd never seen Rika-chan so downcast.

...So... the rest of us started feeling down too.

Hey, Rena...

I understood what she had said before pretty well.

...When we were together, we were supposed to have lots of fun so we wouldn't have any regrets if the world ended tomorrow.

......And yet....

While I'd just resolved myself to do it, now we can't all be together... What the hell...?

...Because... because it was just so sudden, wasn't it?

I mean... yesterday was fun, so who could believe... it would all end today?

...No volcanoes had erupted, and no earthquakes or fires had happened either!

The cicadas were making the same noises they did yesterday, and the sun remained bright in the sky.

It was the same normal day as always.

...So then... why...

As I pondered, Rena's chopsticks reached in front of my face and stole the fried chicken out of my bento.

"If no one else wants it, Rena will take it!

Heehee, delicious!"

Rena tossed the entire piece into her mouth and began munching on it, her expression one of bliss.

"...Tch, I'm such an old man!

Rena got a leg up on me!

All right!

This old man's taking this bit of steak here!"

"...Meep! All my food is gone except my rice."

Rika-chan, also behind the curve, smiled again and went for someone else's bento.

As I sat there, dazed at how quickly everyone had changed...

Rena sent a wink over to me.

(Come on, Keiichi-kun.

Live life to the fullest!

That way, if a volcano erupts tomorrow, it'll be okay☆.)

"T-This is serious!

...I'll be damned if dried plums and rice are the only things I have left for lunch!

I'm taking that meatball!"

I stuffed the meat into my mouth and constructed a clumsy smile.

I played along, as if trying to fool myself.

...But as I did, it rapidly became less and less of an act.

Satoko still wasn't here...

but at some point, we had regained our lively lunchtime.

We had fun,

we smiled,

and we fooled around.

...Thanks, everyone.

This was definitely the best thing to do.

This way, when Satoko suddenly dropped by, we could welcome her with our best smiles.

The more I smiled, the more I felt the anxiety from this morning clearing away.

"Wasn't there a proverb that went something like 'fortune comes in by a merry gate'?"

"I think so.

If it's true, then this old man will roll around the floor laughing twenty-four seven!"

"Rena thinks it's true.

If you laugh every day, it'll be fun every day."

"......Rena has a way with words."

"Then... should we try it out?"

Everyone took a deep breath, then brought their faces together, locking shoulders.

...And then,

"""Wahh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...!!!"""

Everyone laughed uproariously from their stomachs...

trying to laugh out all of the bad stuff accumulating in them.

By the time our bento boxes were empty, everyone was right as rain...

Having heard our friendly banter, Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun walked up and timidly spoke to us.

"...Excuse me... Maebara-san.

Sorry to interrupt your fun, but..."

"We need your help with something..."

They grinned dryly and scratched their heads.

"...What could it be?

Wanna know how to remove the censor bars in porn magazines?

By the way, don't believe what you hear about butter doing the trick—total superstition.

You can't use an eraser, either."

"...Wait, what?!

Seriously...?!"

"That's not what we're here for!" said Tomita-kun, elbowing Okamura-kun.

"Umm, actually...

Our ball got caught in the gutter on the second floor.

We were thinking you might be able to reach it since you're tall..."

"I see.

Asking an upperclassman for help comes with its own price, you know.

I'm not cheap!

You can't buy me out so easily~!"

Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun conversed for a short time, then gave their reply.

"We'll give you the right to take a nap during class, Maebara-san.

How does that sound?"

"...What do you mean?

I can sleep during class whenever I want.

Why do I need your permission for it?"

"Oh, no you can't.

The next time you take a nap, we'll tell Sensei about it."

"Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!

I see! How sly!"

"Y-You little~~!!

Where did you learn to bargain like that?!

Grrrrr!!"

"S-S-S-S-Sorry...!!

I-It, it was just a little joke...!!"

"Come on, Kei-chan~!

Why not just cave in to your underclassmen's threats?

Ku-ku-ku!"

And now Mion was getting on my nerves...

Suddenly, it came to me—and I took Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun's hands.

"All right, I surrender.

I'll get your ball for you, so give me all the rights to naptime."

"Huh...?

O-Oh, okay..."

"Look, Mion.

I now have the privilege.

But you don't, do you?

...Tomita-kun, Okamura-kun.

Tell on Mion as soon as she falls asleep.

Got it?!"

""Yeah!!""

Rena and Rika-chan began to cackle at "Keiichi-kun's victory."

I... wasn't sure how the ball managed to get stuck up there, but it was planted firmly in the school building's second floor gutter.

"Hand me that stick.

I should be able to reach it.

......Here we go...

Urgh...!"

I took a bamboo pole and poked the ball with it.

...Damn, it's hard!

Come on!!

"Oh, he got it!

You got it, Maebara-san!

Thank you so much!!"

The ball rolled down the gutter and fell down behind the school building.

My underclassmen ran over in that direction.

Leaving me by myself.

...Mission complete, I guess.

Sheesh.

There was still a lot of time left until lunch break was over.

Guess I should go back to the classroom.

I'd absorb myself in a silly conversation with everyone and wait for afternoon classes.

Just when I thought that and turned towards the entrance...

someone suddenly called out to me.

"Hello there—good day.

Sorry for bothering you during your lunch break."

...It was a middle-aged man I didn't know.

...Or maybe I'd passed by him a few times, and I'd seen his face... but I didn't know him.

When his half-smile deepened... something within me...

shuddered with fear.

......There was no basis for that.

No reason.

......But... I shuddered.

I was somewhat confused about those emotions... not quite understanding them myself.

There was one thing I could say, though.

...Nobody but teachers and students should be at school.

...This person shouldn't have been here.

I felt less of a tremble... and more of a sense of dread... like a caterpillar, brilliantly-colored in garish, bilious greens, were crawling across my forehead.

...A feeling of disgust... that neither "itchy" nor "gross" could describe as the frizzly, dreadful hair rubbed against my brow.

...I didn't even want to see his face.

I wanted to jump backwards and run away.

...An unpleasant feeling... for which I didn't even know the cause.

The other side of myself has nothing but questions.

...Hey, what are you doing? What are you disgusted by? This is the first time you've met him.

It's rude to hate someone for no reason.

...No answers were coming.

...I held my silence, waiting, a damp sweat running down my forehead...

When he saw that, Ooishi thought maybe he was being intimidating, and gave me a relaxed smile.

"...Oh, please, excuse me.

I'm no one suspicious, I assure you.

Nfu-fu. I'm Ooishi—from the Okinomiya police department.

...Wait, where did I put my card?

...Hmm.

...Huh?

What?

...This is...

What?"

He fished through various pockets, then finally found his police ID and showed it to me, grinning dryly.

...He may have been trying to use those clumsy-seeming actions to ease my anxiety, but I could definitely say it didn't work.

...Why was I this nervous...?

There was a reason, of course.

If I wanted today to be the same as before... then today didn't need someone who hadn't been here back then.

...The fact that a man who wasn't here yesterday showed up today... meant that today would be a different day than those before it.

...That would...

mark the end of the fun and happy days...

I gulped and erased that ominous conclusion from my mind...

Calm down, Keiichi Maebara...

It's just an old guy, who looks kinda perverted and came from the police department—don't go deciding that the fun times are over...

......He just came here because of his job.

...Yeah, just for his job...

If he's working... then he would normally go to the teacher's lounge, right?

...The fact that he spoke to me... yes, it must have been to ask where it was.

"...Are you looking for the teacher's lounge?

You just have to go through the entrance and—"

I didn't want to look at this man for another second, so I started pushing things along.

...Ooishi, however, didn't seem to have any interest in the teacher's lounge.

"Oh, no.

I don't have anything to do there.

Could I get you to call a friend of yours, if I may be so bold?

Nfu-fu-fu!"

"...A friend?

Who?"

"A girl.

...Could you call Satoko Houjou-san for me?"

My consciousness grew faint.

...Like I was about to pass out...

Yes.

...............My anxiety...

was realized.

The dreadful... disgusting caterpillar... was looking at me... about to crawl into my ear.

Its frizzly, dreadful hair... was touching my ear cavity......

That's how bad it felt...

"W-What do the police... need with Satoko?"

"No, no, no.

It's nothing important.

I just had two or three things to ask.

I'd like it if you could cooperate with me."

...Why...?

Why... of all people... was it Satoko...?

...Why would a police officer come here in the middle of the day... for something that wasn't important...?

This man was strange.

I could smell it.

...And it smelled bad—just a whiff of it made me want to grimace.

...I knew that this man...

couldn't possibly be here to deliver her lost wallet or anything.

......I couldn't imagine what he needed from Satoko... but it had to... be something unpleasant......

"............Ah."

My throat stung with burning pain.

...Burned, like a parched, creviced wasteland.

...The wasteland broke apart deep in my throat... and brought out the words from deep in my mind...

"...Um...... You may need something from her, but I don't think Satoko needs anything from you.

...Could you please leave?"

Ooishi probably hadn't expected that reply.

...He stood there surprised for a few moments.

...I did as well.

...I hadn't thought words like that could ever come out of my mouth.

...Things might still work out.

This guy may have shown up out of the blue... but if I drove him off, maybe I could make it so that it never happened.

...If I could do that... then I could get back...

the peace we had until yesterday... I could get it back...

"Nah-ha-ha-ha...! Well, well... You sure are strict.

Are you Satoko-san's manager, perhaps?

Can I not see her without an appointment?

Nfu-fu!"

"...If you just want to talk to her, shouldn't you just call her?

...Barging into school in the middle of the day isn't normal."

"Breaking through a dam" would have been the perfect analogy to use.

...Why didn't I like this man?

This man shouldn't have been here.

I needed to make it so that this man wasn't here.

Childish, selfish emotions bubbled up from the depths of my mind, and they each came out of my mouth just as it had been formed.

Not liking the guy was my own problem.

...But to say things so bluntly to him...

Even I thought I was crazy.

"...Oh.

You're the logical sort, aren't you?

I'm not too good with people who talk like that..."

Ooishi grinned and scratched at his sweaty throat.

...Even as he feigned stupidity, I could tell he was irritated.

Hey, Keiichi Maebara.

...Why am I... looking for a fight with this old policeman here...?

It's not like... he brought the gift of misfortune with him, all wrapped up in paper, right?

Right.

...It wasn't like he had brought a package of misfortune with him and was asking me to sign here please...

Rationally speaking, I understood all that...

so then, why was I so......

...Finally, I outlasted Ooishi in our game of silence, and he gave a big sigh.

Then he addressed a few of my female underclassmen running around nearby.

"Oh, excuse me, all of you!

Do you have a moment?

I'd like you to call Satoko Houjou-san if you could."

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

My underclassmen tried to smile in reply, but they noticed the oddly stiff air atmosphere around me... and seemed hesitant to give a quick answer.

"...Is she not here?

Satoko Houjou-san?"

"Umm...... Houjou-san... she stayed home today..."

"Stayed home?"

...His face remained smiling... but his tone was clearly one of ill humor.

Such conspicuous spite caused my underclassmen, who had answered honestly, to cringe in fear...

"I see.

..Nah-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Dear me, dear me.

I'm quite unlucky."

...He was smiling broadly, but the way he laughed didn't make me feel better at all.

When he noticed that his laughter wasn't getting anyone else to laugh with him, he immediately stopped.

"...So.

You girls...

Could you tell me the name of this boy here?

Hm?"

He grabbed the girls by the shoulders so they wouldn't run away, and crouched down to address them at eye level.

...The girls flinched away from the sharp, piercing light in his eyes.

...And in exchange for their release, they didn't resist and told him my name...

"I see.

Keiichi Maebara-san, is that it?"

......He said my full name.

...That was all he said... and yet I couldn't help but shudder...

...It was like he had grabbed me by the collar just with those words.

"...Oh, could you be the son of the Maebara family I've heard so much about...?

Nah-ha-ha!

I hear your father is a renowned artist.

His works go on display twice a year in the Great Exhibition in Tokyo, don't they?

I don't know what sort of fantastic pictures he creates, though.

Then there's your mother—she seems intelligent too.

I heard she was a high academic achiever.

She went to some girls' university, didn't she?

It's amazing for someone that age to have graduated from a girls' university.

Could your mother actually be the daughter of a respectable family?

...At least, those are the rumors, and they say she's a cold person because of it—did you know that?

She only went to the very first neighborhood association meeting, right?

That's certainly no good.

You can't disrespect your neighbors in a place like this.

Mfu-fu-fu-fu-fu-fu!"

...A sense of eeriness... slithered up my spine...

That was... my first experience of true terror.

I couldn't believe it felt this terrible... for someone you've just met... to know everything about you already...!

Ooishi clamped onto my shoulders... and brought his eyes close to peer into mine.

"In a place like this... it would be far better not to make enemies, wouldn't it?

If not..."

...Oww...!

Ooishi... dug into my shoulders with inhuman strength... gah...!

"...then if something unexpected were to happen, you might see some drawbacks.

...Have you ever heard of karma?

It's like how a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tornado.

...Grudges borne in strange places... could come back to you in ways you wouldn't believe.

...You wouldn't... like that, would you?

Nfu-fu-fu-fu...

Nobody wants to have a grudge held against them.

...There's nothing positive... about making...

enemies.

...Hm?

What's the matter?

Your shoulders are very stiff.

Should I give you a massage?

See? Feels good, right?

Nfu-fu-fu-fu...!"

Ow...... ow, ow... owww......!

This man wasn't just strong...

It was like...

he knew exactly where to press to make me feel pain...

Gah... Only four or five fingers were on my shoulders... and yet the pain... made me want to bend over backwards...

Urgh...!

A few of the girls from my class... were pretty shaken up... but didn't seem to want to help me.

...They weren't sure if they should go call the teacher...

...As for me... I couldn't take the time to wait until the teacher got here...

Kh...!

It... it hurts...!

"Would you mind leaving things at that?

You're hurting him."

"...Hm?"

Behind Ooishi-san... someone...

...To my disbelief... it was Coach.

"...Oh my.

If it isn't Dr. Irie!

It certainly has been a while since we were last in touch.

Nfu-fu-fu!"

Discomforted by Coach's sudden appearance, Ooishi laughed scornfully.

...The vise on my shoulders, however, remained as strong as ever...

"Never mind the greetings.

Please... just let go of Maebara-kun."

Ooishi smiled daringly and glared straight at Coach.

He didn't release me in the meantime, of course...

"...I was just thinking of stopping by your place later, Doctor.

You always seem so busy and we can never have a good chat."

"Yes.

...If you want, I'll chat with you all you like.

But, please be sure to have a warrant first.

...After all, otherwise... I can refuse to go voluntarily into questioning."

...Coach didn't display a shred of the weird behavior he'd shown at the baseball game and barbecue.

...He stared steadily at Ooishi... and fought so that he would release me.

...His chances were terribly bad, of course.

...Compared to the relaxed Ooishi, Coach seemed like he was being defeated mentally.

...It made sense.

...Coach had a somewhat narrow stature, but Ooishi's body was packed with muscles.

...It wasn't even a contest.

But... Coach was fighting for me, without taking a step back.

Beads of sweat formed on his face... and though he paled, he was fighting for my sake.

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

...Na-ha-ha-ha-ha...!"

Suddenly, Ooishi laughed and let go of my shoulders.

...My body exhausted, I fell right onto my backside.

"...Maebara-kun!

Are you all right!?"

"...Urgh... damn it... oww..."

I rubbed my shoulders where Ooishi had latched onto them...

The pain from falling over went away quickly, but this pain was lingering.

"...Are you all right, Maebara-kun!?

...This is terrible...!"

"Shit...... ow... oww..."

"I was just giving him a little massage!

Nfu-fu!

Maebara-san, aren't you overexaggerating a bit?

Boys have gotta learn to man up. Nfu-fu-fu!"

I wanted to retort...

but I couldn't think of anything witty.

"...Can you lift your shoulders?

Are they in pain?

...If you're really hurt, then you should have a proper checkup.

Let's just go to the nurse's office...!"

Coach lent me his shoulder and walked beside me.

"What an exaggeration.

...I'd be the last person to do any sort of permanent damage.

Right?

I am still an active police officer, you know.

Nfu-fu-fu...!"

"Come—I don't know what you needed to be here for, but if you're finished, then please leave!

...I'm going to complain about this directly to the chief, so please keep that in mind."

"Oh, that's a problem, ain't it?

...Nfu-fu-fu-fu...!"

Ooishi-san waved his hand sarcastically, pivoted around, and headed to the car parked by the school gates.

...And without turning back around, he got in and started the engine.

......Damn it...

Who... who the hell was he... damn it...!

"He's a detective named Kuraudo Ooishi.

...And a hooligan.

Everyone in the village hates him.

Maebara-san, you should be careful too."

...Kuraudo... Ooishi...

Just like I thought... My gut instinct wasn't wrong...

He would be the one.

...The one to bring unhappiness, misfortune... something that would ruin our peace...!

Shit... I won't accept it...!

All these fun days... can't possibly end just because some guy like him showed up.

...I won't... I won't accept it...!!

Coach seemed to be familiar with the school, so he brought me to the nurse's office without much trouble.

The girls from my class came along as well, looking worried.

Our teacher and the principal, having noticed the disturbance, came to see what was the matter.

"Maebara-kun...!

What's wrong?!

Are you hurt...!"

"Umm, well!!

There was this weird man in the schoolyard just now, and Maebara-san—!"

Coach gently interrupted the girls trying to explain.

"...No.

It looks like he just fell and twisted something.

I think he's all right, but I wanted to make sure.

If it's fine with you, I'll borrow the nurse's office for a bit."

"...Hm.

Please do, Dr. Irie."

The principal gave him a deep bow...

It looked like Coach was acquainted with the adults at school.

He slid open the doors to the nurse's office, but there wasn't a nurse in there or anything.

...I'd figured.

I'd never seen anyone but Chie-sensei and the principal working here.

Coach didn't seem to mind the fact that there was no nurse and quickly made his way into the nurse's office.

He instructed me to sit down and started washing his hands in the sink.

...Oh, I get it.

He's the coach for the boy's baseball team.

He must be pretty used to treating wounds with first-aid.

"Could you show me where it was?

...Are you still in pain?"

"No... It doesn't hurt at all anymore.

...I'm fine, really."

I rolled up my shirt and showed him my shoulder.

...No bruise—not even nail marks.

And yet it had hurt so much I thought my shoulders would be crushed.

...Even the pain had disappeared without a trace.

...It hurt so much, but not so much as a bruise remained...

"It just means he's used to doing that."

...."Used to it," huh...

"The next time you meet, don't provoke him.

Nothing good will come of making him angry.

...If you go home with a uniformed policeman by your side, your family won't like that, will they...?"

"......Well, you're right..."

"Still...

What happened?

Why did you end up in a fight with him?"

"...He... came up and said he needed something from Satoko..."

"Huh?

Satoko-chan...?"

...Coach's gaze lowered and his expression clouded a bit.

Somehow, that gesture seemed...

to be saying Ooishi was bound to come to Satoko, and did... and that it was no laughing matter.

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

Coach fell silent in thought.

...Quietly, he took a compress out of the first-aid kit and put it on me.

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

"...Does he still plan on clinging to Satoko-chan?

...He's a persistent man, I'll give him that—like a snake."

Coach mumbled to himself.

"...Cling?

...Does that Ooishi guy go to Satoko's place a lot?"

"........."

Coach didn't answer, but the lack of a denial served well enough.

...What on earth did the policeman (probably a detective or something...) need from Satoko?

What mistake had led a detective to cling to the sweetly-smiling Satoko...?

"...Maebara-san...

Oh, right.

You just moved here, didn't you?"

"...Y......yes.

I did, but..."

"......Have you heard anything about...

Oyashiro-sama's curse, and about Satoko-chan?"

...Well, I knew a few things about it, certainly.

"...Satoko's parents were dam proponents...

and their accidental death was because of the curse...

You mean that...?"

Coach smiled thinly and dryly—"So you know..." he said, dropping his gaze.

If I recalled correctly, there was an accident on a viewing platform at the public park she'd gone to with her family, and her parents died.

And then... it was just big brother and little sister...

...and then she was with Rika-chan, and......

Umm.........

"When they lost their parents, Satoko-chan and her brother, Satoshi-kun, were given to their uncle and his wife to care for them."

"...Uh...... Oh, is that so..."

Their parents died in the accident and Satoshi ran away, leaving only Satoko to start living with Rika-chan...

I'd known that much, but this was the first time I heard they'd been brought to their uncle and aunt.

"Their uncle was Satoko-chan's father's younger brother.

...Unfortunately, neither of the couple were people deserving of respect."

Coach normally picked his words politely.

...So when he came out and said they didn't deserve respect, it really made me wonder what kind of people they were...

"...As soon as Satoko-chan's parents came out in support of the dam, their uncle and aunt took on a lot of the shame in the village as well.

They would never have welcomed in Satoko-chan and Satoshi-kun.

......I've heard that for the siblings, it was a very rough life..."

Bit by bit, Coach told me about the numerous agonies the Houjou siblings had suffered at their uncle's house.

As their guardians, their aunt and uncle sucked up everything belonging to their immediate family.

...Satoko and Satoshi were crammed into a small room, and their lives were laden with things that were miserable both for their bodies and minds.

In the first place, since apparently their aunt and uncle weren't on good terms, there was no end to their fighting.

...And as if in revenge for that, whenever they saw Satoko or Satoshi's face,

they would always find fault with them, scold them, yell at them, strike them, and take away meals as punishment.

"...I still shudder to think about it.

...You've never known any Satoko but the energetic and healthy one now...

so you probably couldn't imagine her face being so deathly pale, a girl always standing dazed in the shade of trees..."

......I couldn't imagine it, and I didn't want to—that was how I honestly felt.

...But at the very least, Satoko wasn't like that anymore.

She may have had a miserable life in the past, but it was different now.

......Something happened to change that life.

"...Last year, on the night of the Watanagashi Festival, their aunt died.

...She was beaten to death by a deviant with a baseball bat.

...Rumors spread of the curse having killed an enemy of the village on the night of the festival.

This death wasn't a simple homicide either—they whispered that it was actually Oyashiro-sama's curse."

A few days later, the deviant arrested for drug use confessed to further offenses and the incident was resolved.

...However, though it was resolved... no one knew whether the part about it being Oyashiro-sama's curse was true or not.

"Their uncle is part of Hinamizawa, after all.

He apparently grew incredibly frightened of Oyashiro-sama's curse and went into hiding.

...From what I've heard, he's staying with an intimate lady friend somewhere in Okinomiya."

"......And Satoko and Satoshi...

Were they released?"

"Their aunt died, and their uncle fled.

...There was nobody left to torment the siblings then, but.........

as if picking up their torch, that man started showing up with alarming tenacity."

"...That man?"

Then Coach lowered his voice just a bit as if being aware of his surroundings.

"I mean Ooishi."

"......Ooishi.

......The guy from before..."

The events that just occurred came back to me.

The hard-to-describe ominous sensation I'd felt from him came back to me.

"...He's a little strange.

...The chain of incidents surrounding Oyashiro-sama's curse have all been solved... and yet he alone doesn't want to accept that."

...Accept it?

...The incidents were all solved, and a detective supposedly with the police department...

didn't accept that?

"......People say that something bad will surely happen to those he gets close to.

...In Hinamizawa, they think Ooishi is Oyashiro-sama's—"

"Kei-chaaaaaaan!!"

The door flew open with a rattle and Mion came rushing in.

Rena and Rika-chan came running in a few steps behind her, and then Tomita-kun, Okamura-kun, and a few more of our classmates.

"K-Kei-chan...!

Did Ooishi do something to you?!

Are you hurt...?!"

"Calm down, Mion-san.

He's not injured.

I only gave him a compress just in case."

"Keiichi-kun, are you really okay?

Okay?!

Everyone was saying stuff about how you were being strangled...!"

"Calm down, Rena.

He just squeezed my shoulders really hard.

See, there's not even a bruise!"

"......Meep."

"Geez!

What the heck were you all doing?!

We're friends, right?!

Why were you just standing around?!

Why didn't you help Kei-chan?!"

"W-We're sorry... President..."

Mion yelled at our classmates, baring her fangs.

Tomita-kun and the others hung their heads in silence.

"Quit it, Mion...

Tomita-kun and the others weren't even there.

Stop blaming them."

"Damn...... Damn it!!

Ooishi...!!"

Mion kicked the floor with her heel a few times, her temper running hot.

Our teacher, overhearing the commotion, arrived as well.

"Hey, come on, everyone!

Don't make so much noise in the nurse's office!

President, take everyone and leave, please!"

"Come on, everyone!

Let's get going!

Keiichi-kun is fine.

You too, Mii-chan."

Mion was letting her emotions get the best of her, so Rena stepped in instead and led everyone out of the nurse's office.

The detective from Okinomiya Station, Kuraudo Ooishi...

...It looked like the first impression I'd gotten from him hadn't been mistaken.

Satoko's absence had amplified the vague apprehensions I'd felt since yesterday...

and Ooishi's appearance basically sealed the deal.

"All right.

...I'll get going.

I originally came here for Chie-sensei."

"...Ah... So you had something to do here...

Sorry for causing you trouble..."

"Don't be so humble," he said, smiling easily.

"There was a side benefit to all this.

...I was lucky enough to experience so much of your soft, silky skin, Maebara-kun.

Hafuu~~~...☆."

With the usual (for Coach, anyway) parting words, he instead continued.

"Please excuse me.

You weren't wounded badly, but please avoid putting pressure on your shoulders or anything along those lines.

If you get a high fever or it starts to swell, contact me right away, okay?

I don't think it'll happen, though."

"...Oh... That's right, Coach.

...Before everyone came in, you were going to say something.

About what people think Ooishi is to Oyashiro-sama."

As he was about to leave the nurse's office, Coach placed a hand on the door and stopped.

"...Right.

They think he's

Oyashiro-sama's servant

.

They're just bad-mouthing him, though."

"...Oyashiro-sama's... servant?"

"...Do you know about the serial freak death incidents that occur in Hinamizawa every year on the night of the Watanagashi Festival... otherwise known as Oyashiro-sama's curse?"

"...What... Freak deaths...?

What...?"

Now that I thought about it... I did seem to remember overhearing Mion or someone in class talking about it like a ghost story...

On the festival day in June, one person would always die,

and another person would be spirited away (but they seem to call it "demoning away" here...).

...What a fine story that was.

I figured they made it up to scare me, but.........

...It was true...?

"...I don't have any idea who first suggested this.

...But at some point, everyone started calling Ooishi 'Oyashiro-sama's servant.'"

"...Why?"

"...Because the rumors go that he...

decides the sacrifices for the curse every year."

Whenever June came around, Ooishi would start paying frequent visits to Hinamizawa.

"...Because Ooishi had been persistently questioning most of the dead or disappeared people."

Four years ago, it was known that the victim of the dismemberment—rumored to be the sacrifice—had been seeing Ooishi numerous times leading up to the incident.

The sacrifices three years ago were Satoko's parents.

...Right before their accidental deaths, Ooishi had apparently visited their home.

The one who disappeared two years ago was Rika-chan's mother.

And again, people know that before she vanished, Ooishi had been talking to her extremely frequently.

The one who disappeared last year... Satoko's older brother,

Satoshi.

Satoshi, too, had apparently been approached by Ooishi many times before he vanished...

And then, this year.

...This time... Ooishi was trying to contact Satoko...?

".........This... This isn't... a freaking joke."

"They're rumors, Maebara-san.

...There's just some rumors to that effect."

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

I hadn't said that because of the rumors of Ooishi being Oyashiro-sama's servant, or his contacting someone foreshadowing who would be the sacrifice that year.

...It was because the ominous hatred I felt towards Ooishi was becoming... more substantiated, more real.

"Umm...... Today, Satoko... She was absent today."

"Wait, really?"

That looked like news to Coach.

...I had thought he might have known why Satoko was absent today, but...

"Then I'll get going.

You should go back to the others and put their minds at ease."

"You're right.

...I will."

Clatter.

...Coach left the nurse's office and headed towards the teacher's lounge...