"...I don't want to see any sweets for at least three days...

Uggh..."

"Ahahahahahaha, you tried a little too hard, Keiichi-kun."

Rena ate a massive amount of desserts too, but her stomach seemed to be just fine...

"I think girls have four stomachs...

Or at least an extra stomach for dessert..."

"It is very rude of you to say something like that to a lady!!

This is what you get for being rude!"

Bam.

...Oww!

Satoko had poked me very hard in my bloated stomach.

"Ah!!

S-S-Stop it!

Please don't poke my stomach!!

I'm going to throw up!!"

Satoko and Rika-chan grinned mischievously upon hearing that.

...A chill ran up my spine.

Why were they smiling like that and walking towards me so gleefully?

"No, stop it! You cold-blooded demons!!"

"Ho ho ho!!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Do you really think I'd let it slip away?!"

"...Meep☆.

Your bloated tummy is in danger, Keiichi."

"Ahahahahaha, your big wiggly tummy is sho kyute!"

"S-Stop it...!!

Ah! Nooooo!!!"

Rena joined Satoko and Rika-chan in torturing me. We were still making a lot of noise outside the restaurant.

I desperately blocked my stomach from their attacks, but someone else hit me from behind.

"Owwwwwww!!

Wh-Who is it?!!"

"Hello, hello!

Nice to see you, Kei-chan and his funny friends!"

"Oh, Shii-chan!

Hello!

You weren't at the restaurant today, were you?"

"I'm working night shift today.

I just changed after getting here."

"...How can you go outside the restaurant wearing that uniform?"

"What? I'm not embarrassed.

Especially not since you had to walk around in a way more embarrassing costume the other day."

...Guhh!!

...Damn it... I was just getting over it...!

She had just reminded me that I'll never be able to get married...

"Anyway, I heard you went crazy in the restaurant today."

"Ahahahahaha, we did.

We had to, since it turned into a club activity... you know?"

"You made a big mess in there...

It looks like Sis felt guilty, so she's helping the waitresses clean up the store now."

"...I still think we should help them clean."

"Oh, don't worry about it.

We can't let customers do that."

"......Plus, Mii made most of the mess."

Yeah, that's right.

Everybody nodded in agreement...

"She told me to tell you guys that you don't have to wait for her.

You can go home now."

"No, we're going to wait.

Right, everybody?"

Rena asked for our agreement.

Of course we decided to wait without hesitation.

Satoko, Rika-chan, and I all nodded along.

"Since we can't help her clean, that's the least we can do.

While she says we can go home, I'm pretty sure she'd be sad if we really did leave."

"Wow...

Kei-chan, you grew up. I'm impressed."

"Ahahahahaha, he grew up all right!

That's because we've been training him well.

Right?"

"That's correct!"

"Nipah~☆."

"You girls always band together when it comes to things like this!"

I hate girls. They get along so easily just because they're girls!

In the end, we ended up making a lot more noise, even dragging Shion into the mess this time.

"Shion, get back in here and help us clean!

Where did you put the washcloths?"

"Oh, no.

I guess I have to go back to work now."

"Mii-chan!

Do you think it's going to take a while?"

"What?

Why are you still here?

Are you waiting for this ol' man?!

Don't worry about me!

Go on home already!"

Mion looked happy to see us waiting for her, but she always says the opposite of what she thinks.

I wonder when she'll grow up to be able to just honestly say thank you.

"We're friends, remember?

We'll wait until you finish up."

"I wish we could help you...

I feel bad."

"I told you, you don't have to wait for me!

I'm going to wait for Shion to finish work tonight, then head to her house in Okinomiya afterward.

So you really don't need to wait for me.

I do appreciate it, though."

"...Are you sure?

I still feel bad."

"Yeah.

Me too, me too."

"We have enough people, so really, don't worry about it.

Go home before it gets too cold."

"......We understand.

Mii, I hope you can finish cleaning soon. Go for it, yay."

"Woo!

Thanks.

Kei-chan,

I trust you to escort the ladies home safely.

Please protect them from assassins on their way home."

Looking around, I didn't see any ladies who needed an escort.

...I felt more like I was the one who needed protection.

Anyway, we said our goodbyes, making it easier for us to end the day and go home.

"Goodbye, Mii-chan!

See you tomorrow!"

"Yep!

See you tomorrow!"

"Alright. Let's go, then!"

We waved at Mion until she went back inside the restaurant, and after that, we all got on our bicycles and left Okinomiya.

On the way home, we talked about how exciting it had been today, and it looked like everyone was still fired up.

We had the horrifying punishment and the competitive eating contest, which turned into an unprecedented battle involving all the customers in the restaurant... And after that, everything got crazy and messy.

At first, the waitresses didn't know what to do, but after a while they ended up joining in. We had a blast.

"That was wonderful!!

Did you see what Tomita and Okamura did? How amusing it was!"

"......I felt sorry for Kameda and Irie."

"So did I, but!

Didn't you think my speech was great?!

Everyone in the restaurant was on my side after that!!"

"......Keiichi, you might have been somebody really important if you were born in a different era."

"What, this idiot? He's much too full of himself!

An idiot will always remain an idiot, no matter when or where he is born!"

"......If he was born a hundred years earlier, he might've gotten printed on bills."

"Money with Keiichi-san's face on it? How pathetic!

They would only be worth two or three hundred yen at the most!"

Satoko and Rika-chan kept up their continuous chatter.

I was a bit tired after the day's events, so I just listened quietly.

I noticed the wind was getting colder.

Our shadows were getting longer as well.

Satoko and Rika-chan still had a lot of energy left... but what about Rena?

She'd been very quiet.

Maybe she also had a stomachache from eating too much.

I looked at Rena to see.

However, I was wrong.

Rena was...... I didn't really know how to describe it.

...She looked very satisfied.

She looked like she really did have that much fun.

She looked like she was as happy as she could ever be.

...I could tell all that without her saying a word.

When I looked at her... it made me realize that the word 'fun' wasn't enough to describe what we did today.

"...Seems like you had a lot of fun."

"Mm.

...What about you, Keiichi-kun?"

"I had a blast too!

I wish we could have as much fun tomorrow and the day after tomorrow too."

"I feel the same way.

I wish from the bottom of my heart that the time we spent in the restaurant today would last forever."

"Wow, that's kinda poetic."

"Don't you agree, Keiichi-kun?"

Rena didn't notice that I made fun of her.

I might've been a little tactless.

Suddenly, I regretted having said it.

"I do. I totally agree with you."

"But, you know something?

Today's not the only day that's filled with happiness."

A cool wind blew through her hair.

She smiled at me, and for some reason, she looked very mature.

...Her appearance made my heart skip a beat.

"Every single one of our days in Hinamizawa is a wonderful, precious, and irreplaceable day full of happiness.

Including the boring days when our club activities get canceled."

"...Rena, you think about things in a very mature way."

"Ahahahaha. No, I don't.

Honestly, I'm still not done playing around yet.

Maybe it's just because I'm still excited."

Rena laughed, and that made me laugh too.

Satoko thought that we were laughing because we said bad things about her, and she started bugging me about it.

Once again, we made a lot of noise like we always do.

"......Well, Satoko and I are taking this turn here."

"Rika, why not walk with them a little further and turn where the tobacco store is instead?"

"......Did you forget our nightlight burned out?

Without that, it's too dark for us to sleep."

"O-Oh... that would be quite the problem."

"Oh, I see. You need to go to Makino-san's general store.

Then I guess we'll say goodbye here.

You'd better take this turn or you'd have to go a long way around."

Makino-san's general store......?

...Oh right, that's where it is.

If they wanted to make a stop at the store before going back to the shrine, turning here would be the quickest way.

"Okay then.

Bye, Rika-chan. Bye, Satoko.

I'll see you tomorrow."

"......See you tomorrow."

"Farewell, Keiichi-san.

Farewell, Rena-san!"

"See you two tomorrow!

Bye-bye!"

Rika-chan and Satoko waved at us many times, then took the narrow path through the field.

Once the noisy girls were gone, it went especially quiet all of a sudden.

It even made me feel as if the sun had set in an instant.

I could see my house by now, which everybody called the "Maebara mansion".

I didn't notice it earlier because of how fired up we all were, but my stomach was about to burst.

...The growling in my gut felt like thunder.

My body must have been paying the price for me acting like an idiot earlier.

There was no way I was eating dinner that night.

I'd need to tell my mom before she started cooking.

...But before anything, I had to get to the bathroom.

...Uu...

My stomach was churning.

Oh boy.

It really didn't sound good.

We got to the place where I'd always meet Rena in the morning and say goodbye in the evening.

"I really did have a lot of fun today."

"Mm.

Me too.

...Hm? Are you feeling okay, Keiichi-kun?"

"Nahahaha...

My stomach is growling.

I guess I just need to get some rest."

"Ahahahaha, you need to train your stomach, huh? Huh?"

"...You ate about as much as I did.

How did you fit all that inside your tiny body?"

"Hee hee hee.

That would be...

a woman's secret!"

Rena giggled and tried to avoid giving me an answer.

She'd probably hit me if I pressed her about it.

If she punched me in the stomach, I'd throw up for sure...

So, I decided not to go any further.

"Goodbye, Rena.

See you tomorrow."

"Yes.

See you tomorrow."

"You know, I used to live in the city."

"Yeah?"

"I never managed to enjoy each and every day like this before.

...But after moving to Hinamizawa, you know...

...I think I've found happiness."

"I feel the same way.

I moved to Hinamizawa a year ago.

I can't believe I'm as happy as I am and spend every day having as much fun as I do."

"I see.

I'm sure tomorrow will be the same."

"That's right.

We had so much fun yesterday and today.

So, tomorrow will be the same."

"With all the fun we have every day, I sometimes feel like I'm going to trip and fall sometime, and it kind of scares me, ahahaha."

"...You fall when you fall no matter how careful you are.

That's why I believe we have to enjoy every moment as much as we can."

"You're right.

We gotta enjoy every day as much as we can!"

"Well, it's probably time to go.

Please say hi to your parents for me.

...Well, I still have a lot of energy left, hau!

So I'm going to go treasure hunting!"

"What, are you going there now?!

You sure are resilient... I'm impressed."

"What about you?

Would you like to come along?

I found a new trash pile that I haven't dug up yet!

I might find something totally kyute in there!"

"I'm sorry, but I gotta pass.

Besides, it looks like a storm's brewing.

I think you should go straight home, too."

"Hau, I usually find something kyute when I've had a wonderful day like today.

So, I'm going there just for a few minutes.

Ehehehe☆...!"

I felt sick enough that I didn't feel like going with her.

If I felt better, I would've gone treasure hunting with her for sure.

She didn't want to go home yet because she didn't want the fun day to end. That's exactly how I felt, too.

"I understand.

Bye then!

I hope you can find something kyute!"

"Yep!

Thank you!

Bye bye!!"

Keiichi-kun waved over and over as if he didn't want to say goodbye yet.

But after a while, he was gone.

Well, I had to go too, because I was going to go treasure hunting.

I love kyute things.

I had such a wonderful day today that I'm sure I'm going to get lucky at treasure hunting.

I definitely will find some wonderful treasures.

I pedaled my bicycle with determination.

My house was nearby, but I took another street that led to the dam construction site.

It might have been okay to go home just then...

but I hesitated to go, since I didn't want to be seen.

I had so much fun today, and I wanted to continue feeling happy as long as I could.

It was already getting late, but I felt like it was getting dark faster than usual.

Just like Keiichi-kun said, the clouds in the sky were growing darker.

It might start raining hard.

"...But that doesn't mean I have to go home already."

Stop it, Rena.

You had so much fun today.

You have to stay happy as long as you can.

I'm happy.

I enjoy every day.

Rena, say it. Say the magical words.

"...H

......

hau..."

Don't be embarrassed. You're not dumb or anything.

I might be able to enjoy every day even more if I were dumb.

If so, dumb is what I'd want to be.

"...Hauu☆!

I'm going to find something sho, sho kyute!

And take it home with me!"

There, I said it.

I'm sure I can find something kyute.

As long as I believe it's kyute, anything can be that way.

I should fill my heart with happy memories of today and yesterday.

I should look forward to the happiness I'm going to receive tomorrow and the day after tomorrow too.

I reached the dam construction site. A mountain of trash loomed before me.

I parked my bicycle and walked down the mountain of trash and scrap.

This place is my castle.

It would be incredible if anyone else came to this mountain of trash.

I've come here many times and I usually stay for a long while, but I've never seen anybody walk by.

This place is the village's blind spot.

I heard that many people came here all the time during the dam wars, but it was abandoned after that.

The villagers no longer need to come here, and some people even forgot about it entirely.

It seems like they dump trash here at midnight, but I've never seen a truck actually dumping trash, at least.

If they dumped new trash more often, it'd give me more time to kill.

...But it looks like it's not going to happen for a while.

I walked down the slope of the trash pile, all the way down to the bottom, and headed behind another pile.

Nobody ever comes here.

I've come here many times and I usually stay for a long while, but nobody has ever come to mess up this place.

Not even the other kids from my school come here.

They all believe that the arm of the manager of the construction site is buried somewhere in the trash piles, and they also believe the whole place is haunted.

They told me that a ghost with one arm still wanders around here, looking for his missing limb.

Sadly, I haven't seen the ghost either.

I'm not scared.

In fact, I'd rather like to meet him.

I wouldn't mind helping him find his arm.

If he's feeling lonely, I'd want him to be my conversation partner.

There's a station wagon buried in the trash pile.

It doesn't have tires, but other than that, it still looks like a station wagon.

This station wagon is my secret hideout.

Unfortunately, the sliding door and rear doors don't open.

So, whenever I want to get in, I have to enter the car from the passenger seat and crawl into the back from there.

Of course, I take off my shoes at the passenger's seat.

When you look at it from the outside, it's just a dirty abandoned car.

But on the inside, it's nice and clean, because I had swept it out and decorated a little.

That took me a long time.

The back seats are lying flat because I wanted to have as much space as possible.

I found a mattress in the trash pile and put it into that space instead.

It was a bit dirty, so I brought a bed sheet from home and covered the mattress with it.

I put my favorite cushions on top, and with that, it turned into a perfect bed.

I've put cushions and stuffed animals everywhere.

That's not all. Look at this.

Ehehe, I have a bunch of sweets here, too.

I have a bag of fruit candy in four different colors,

and some cookies...

but they're going bad. I'll have to throw them away.

My bear-shaped water bottle was empty.

When I come here to spend some time on Sundays, I usually bring this water bottle with some sweetened tea in it.

I have a box of tissues, a flashlight, extra batteries, and other daily necessities in here.

I also have a few books to read in order to kill some time while I'm at it.

And I have this.

What do you think this is?

Look. Ta-dah!

My hideout is suddenly lit up, thanks to the table lamp.

There's an electric outlet on the side of an old nearby construction office.

I'd thought they'd have cut the power years ago, but to my surprise, I was wrong.

Electricity is still being supplied to the outlet.

When I found tons of extension cords, I came up with the idea to connect them all and make the electricity come all the way to my hideout.

Now I can spend time here comfortably with some sweets, books, and lights.

If I wanted to, I might be able to spend a night here.

...But, I may catch a cold since it gets very cold at night.

Aha ha ha ha.

See? This is a very nice hideout, isn't it?

At first, I thought somebody would find it and mess with it.

But that hasn't happened so far.

That's because nobody comes here, and everybody forgot about this place.

That's how this place became my perfect secret hideout.

Fortunately, I ate so much today that I'm still full.

I can tell them that I was playing with my friend at her house and ate dinner there.

I'm going to stay here for a while and relax.

And I'm going to treat myself.

I loved the water gun battle yesterday.

My heart had been pounding when I fought one-on-one with Keiichi-kun.

I also had great fun at Angel Mort today.

I'd never experienced such a crazy game with so many people in my life.

I was still feeling the aftereffects, and I was sure I'd have a dream about it tonight.

That was why

I wanted to bask in these happy feelings.

That was why I'm going to treat myself in here.

I should take off my shoes and stretch my toes.

I should cherish the time when I can be myself.

"Mmmmmmmmm..."

Once I took off my shoes, I felt so relaxed that I didn't want to put them on again.

I played all day today, and I was very tired.

The treasure hunt could wait.

As it got darker, the light of the table lamp became encouraging.

It really was getting dark faster than usual.

...All of a sudden, I heard the sound of raindrops hitting the roof of the car.

Pitter patter. Pitter patter pitter patter.

...The interval between drops got shorter and shorter.

When it became a continuous sound, I began to hear thunder.

Even though it was raining heavily, it remained very quiet inside the car, making me feel like I was in a different world.

It's my castle, after all.

I felt a bit cold, so I unfolded my big blanket and hid under it.

I'm here alone, under the warm blanket that has my scent.

Even though nobody knew where I was at the moment and I feel like I was left alone in the heavy rain, I still feel secure and free from anxiety for some reason.

I felt like this heavy rain was keeping my enemies away from my castle. I liked it that way.

This place is full of small happiness.

It's full of my favorite things.

That's why I'm happy whenever I'm here.

...When I put another blanket over me, I felt as warm as if I were in bed.

I listened to the soothing sounds of raindrops hitting the scrap iron in the trash heaps, and it made me feel sleepy.

This is a castle of trash.

This trash came here because nobody wanted it.

This is where it lives.

This is a country where unwanted refuse lives together.

I felt like I fit in here,

but at the same time... I knew it was just a temporary place for me, as there's somewhere I had to go back to.

...No. I shouldn't think about things like that.

Whenever I realize that I don't belong here,

...I remember I'm in the middle of a very dirty pile of trash...

I should just doze for a little bit longer.

...Thinking is poisonous.

I wanted to keep myself out of that poison, so that the kind Rena within me could stay pure.

A little bit longer.

Just a little bit longer... and I closed my eyes...