"............Good.

...It's okay now.

I'm sorry."

The tone of her voice made me relax a little.

"...Whew.

......What's going on?"

"I think...

someone has been following me."

"What...?"

Who would follow her...?

When I thought about it, I realized how stupid the question was.

"...Is it... the police?!"

Rina Mamiya and Teppei Houjou.

Two people disappeared.

Even though they were awful human beings, the police had to investigate if they found out that they'd gone missing.

It probably wouldn't be difficult to find out that Rina had often been to Rena's house.

But... it should be okay.

As long as they don't find those bags, it should be okay.

"I don't know if it's the police or not.

...But I feel like someone has been watching me since the night of Watanagashi."

"...What do you mean?"

Once I asked that question, Rena stared directly at me with a blank expression.

...Her eyes looked as though they were evaluating me.

She stared at me as if she was assessing whether I was worth talking to about something very important.

Rena squeezed her own wrist tightly, then started talking in a whisper.

"......I can tell you what's going on... but can you keep it a secret...?"

"Yeah, of course I can.

If you want me to keep it secret, I won't tell anybody."

"...Okay.

...I trust you."

She smiled and looked around one more time.

"......They might be looking for Miyo-san's scrapbooks."

"Miyo-san?

Oh... the nurse, Takano-san?

What about her scrapbooks?"

"......The police are keeping the investigation under wraps, so I'm sure you don't know.

...Miyo Takano-san was

murdered."

"What? ......What?!

When?!"

She told me to be quiet again.

I lowered my voice and let her continue.

"On the night of Watanagashi, we met Miyo-san and Tomitake-san, didn't we?

They were attacked right after that.

...Tomitake-san... was cursed by Oyashiro-sama. He clawed out his throat and died.

Miyo-san was burned to death in the mountains of the Gifu Prefecture."

"...Is that... true...?

I mean, nobody told me about that!"

"I know.

That's because the police haven't disclosed their investigation.

These cases make the fifth of the series of mysterious deaths.

So the police have decided not to go public yet."

"I-I see...

I understand why the police are keeping quiet about it... but then, where did you hear this...?"

"............Can you keep it a secret?

I... I've been in contact with Ooishi-san. He's a detective from the Okinomiya police department.

He told me about the case."

"Why... did he tell you...?"

"......I don't know.

He said he told me because he could trust me."

I was dumbfounded to hear all this.

...But I knew she wasn't lying.

If it was Mion, she'd be sticking her tongue out by now. But Rena wouldn't make a joke out of something like this.

"I think the reason why Miyo-san was murdered is because of her research.

Do you know she was doing ethnological research by studying the history of this village?"

"I've heard something along those lines."

Takano-san was interested in the occult and in mysterious things.

I remember Mion once told me

that she was studying the village's legends of man-eating demons, out of curiosity.

"...I think she discovered a very important secret about this village through her studies.

...Or maybe she wasn't even close to the truth... but they thought she was."

"Wait a second.

...What's the secret of this village you're talking about?"

"......I just read a few of her scrapbooks.

But those were the ones that she was handling with extra caution. So, I think there are pretty important things written in them.

......I think I know about 80% of what Miyo-san was trying to uncover.

But...... if it's true, it's almost too crazy to believe.

...Right now, I'm trying to find out whether Miyo-san's theory is right or not."

"...So, what is it?

...What is the secret of this village? What could be so important that you might get killed just by knowing about it...?"

I gasped the moment those words left my mouth.

...If Rena told me, I might get killed, too.

"I don't want to tell you yet...

But I promise I will once I verify things.

...Because it's really crazy... too crazy to be true..."

"What do you mean, you have to verify things?"

"For example, I myself serve as verification that the maggot disease can occur without any background knowledge, but... there are a lot of things I still need to verify.

They sound too crazy to be true, and I can hardly believe them if I don't verify that they are."

...Maggots?

I was totally lost now, and I wanted to ask her some questions, but I decided not to cut in.

It was so hot outside.

...But Rena held her arms as if she was cold.

"Rena.

I'm always on your side.

...You can trust me."

".........Thank you.

...I really appreciate it."

From her expression alone, I could tell that she really meant it.

...I could also tell that she was involved in something very big... and that she felt lonely, because she couldn't tell anybody else about it.

...I had to be on her side while she was going through a difficult time.

"You shouldn't tell anybody that you met me here today.

They might try to hurt you if they found out."

"...O-Okay.

...Isn't there anything I can do to help?"

"Not right now.

But it's very reassuring that I can ask you for help when I need it.

...I'll depend on you someday!"

"Yeah.

Anytime."

"Shh!

A car is coming!"

Rena pushed my head into the bush.

I went along with it and crouched down even lower in the bushes.

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

We stayed quiet for a while. I could hear a car coming closer, and after a while a white van passed by.

...I was surprised at her hearing.

She heard the car coming when it was still far off in the distance.

"Did you see its license plate number?"

"What?

...No, I'm sorry.

I didn't."

"I couldn't either, but I think it's the same car I saw earlier."

"...Are they the ones following you?"

"I think so.

...It passed by me many times today on the street, where nobody usually drives.

I hid every time. But... it's strange."

"Are they the ones?

Are they the ones who killed Takano-san and Tomitake-san? Are they looking for the scrapbooks you have?"

"Most likely, yes."

...I don't blame her for not being able to believe what's going on, because this is really crazy.

Takano-san uncovered something really significant through her studies.

The people who want that information hidden found out about it and... they killed her on the night of Watanagashi, copying the curse of Oyashiro-sama.

They're looking for the scrapbooks, the fruits of her research. And Rena has them.

That's why... they're trying to kill Rena...?

"What about your house?!"

"It's safe there.

I hid the scrapbooks in my secret hideout at the garbage dump.

...I'm worried about my father... but he'll be fine because he really doesn't know anything."

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

"...Ahahaha.

It's written on your face, Keiichi-kun.

It says 'I can't believe it, because it sounds too crazy to be true.' Am I right?"

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

I wanted to deny it, but I felt bad to lie. I remained silent in the affirmative.

"...Well, that's a normal reaction.

I couldn't believe any of it when I read the first scrapbook.

...I finally started seeing the connections after reading all of them."

"...I'm sorry.

I do want to help you.

But I just don't know how, if I don't see the whole picture of what's going on."

"If I tell you, it might put you in danger."

"You're already in danger, right?

I don't mind. Don't worry about me!"

"......Okay.

I'll tell you, then.

...It's probably the Three Families who killed Miyo-san and Tomitake-san.

...To be more specific, it's the Sonozaki family--Mii-chan's family."

"Why...?"

"You know about the series of mysterious deaths, right?"

"Of course.

The traitors of the dam conflict die every year, right?"

"The series of mysterious deaths is like a... resolution of the dam conflict.

They're trying to end the dam conflict in the true sense of the term by erasing people who betrayed the village..."

"...It does... look like that in a way.

Nobody really says it out loud, but everybody is suspicious that the Sonozaki family is behind it... That's what I've heard."

"But if they really wanted to erase the traitors, they wouldn't have to do it on the night of Watanagashi.

Why don't they kill them all at once instead of killing them one by one, using the curse and demoning them away every year?

Wouldn't that make more sense?"

I've never heard the words 'demoning away' before, but Rena clearly thought they have some kind of creepy, significant meaning, so I decided not to cut in.

"That means that they're using the series of mysterious deaths in order to resurrect the sacredness of the Watanagashi festival.

...Step by step, they're reviving the sacred nature of Onigafuchi that was lost in the Meiji era.

Their goal is to revive the level of belief in Oyashiro-sama that used to exist in primitive times."

"Belief in Oyashiro-sama...

...Are you talking about the Furude Shrine?"

"Yes.

Do you think people revere the Furude Shrine now?

Elder people respect the shrine, but that's it.

Kids think of it as a place to play, and most of the villagers think of it as a place to gather for local events.

Its sacredness has been lost.

But with the dam conflict, it started to revive...

and they took it as a good opportunity to bring back the cult of Oyashiro-sama."

"...So... you're saying that... some fanatical Oyashiro-sama worshippers are... behind all this?"

"That's what I'm saying.

The cult of Oyashiro-sama was managed by the Three Families to begin with.

The Three Families passed down their ultimate goal of reviving the cult of Oyashiro-sama down to the present generation.

When you think about it, you'll understand why the Three Families took the initiative in uniting the villagers during the dam conflict, and why they set up the Onigafuchi Guardians office in the Furude Shrine, citing Oyashiro-sama, who was almost forgotten at the time."

"...So, the Three Families...

I mean, the fanatical Oyashiro-sama worshippers orchestrated the series of the mysterious deaths of Hinamizawa...

...but wait. Why would they kill Takano-san?"

"Because she discovered the important secret of this village. The Three Families have been hiding it since the era of Onigafuchi.

If that secret is revealed, the sacredness of Oyashiro-sama will be lost.

They found out that Miyo-san was getting close to the secret, and that's why they

killed her."

"What's this 'important secret'...?!

I don't care if I put myself in danger. I need to know!"

".........I don't want to tell you yet.

I don't want to tell you until I'm 100% sure about it.

...I'm pretty sure that right now, you'd just laugh."

"Hey, do you think I'm that kind of guy?"

"......I just need a little more time.

...I can't accept the truth myself, because it sounds so impossible.

So, I need some time.

...Please."

"............I understand."

"Don't tell anybody about what we talked about today.

Not even Mii-chan, Rika-chan, or Satoko-chan."

"O-Okay..."

"Well, you should go now.

I'll take a look around for a while before I go home.

I can't be too careful anymore."

Rena ducked low in the bushes and moved away.

I was left alone there.

The cries of the cicadas surrounded around me, making it seem as if I was alone there the whole time.

...I started walking... still dumbfounded.

In the end, Rena didn't tell me the secret because she was afraid of putting me in danger.

But she told me clearly that... there are people who want to resurrect the cult of Oyashiro-sama,

and that they're among the Three Families that control the entire village.

They orchestrated the series of mysterious deaths for that purpose... and they killed Takano-san because she got too close to the secret they wanted to hide.

Rena met Takano-san and happened to obtain the scrapbooks in which Takano-san wrote about her research.

...Rena still can't believe the secret written in the scrapbooks because it's just too crazy...

Hey...

Come on, Rena...

You're kidding me, right...?

It's like one of those comic book stories...

A mysterious occult group is plotting a conspiracy...?

I mean... it's not funny even if it's a joke.

...But Rena is right about one thing.

Even if this is true... it's really hard to believe.

I understand why Rena wanted to wait to tell me the secret.

Maybe she was just fooled by Takano-san...

But... Takano-san was murdered for real.

...So is it also true that someone is following Rena, looking for the scrapbooks?

I remember... Rena said that a white van was following her.

You can see white vans anywhere...

I bet there are a lot in this village alone.

...She might just be oversensitive to everything right now.

Rena hasn't recovered from the shock since that day.

...That's probably why she got the idea into her head that the police or someone else is coming after her...

I didn't cut in while she was talking.

...I think I did the right thing.

If I had said that it was ridiculous or something to her face, Rena wouldn't have trusted me ever again.

At that point, however, I gasped.

A white van was parked on the side of the street.

I wasn't sure if this was the same car that passed by earlier, since I didn't see the plate number.

But... the number of people in the car and the ambience of it was similar to the one earlier.

And there's one other thing that looked suspicious about it.

...There was no reason to park here.

It was on a small road in the middle of the woods.

There's nothing around here.

No traffic lights, no vending machines, and no public phones.

I probably wouldn't notice it under ordinary circumstances, but I felt something was wrong.

...And once I noticed how odd it was, it was definitely suspicious.

There were four men in work uniforms in the white van.

...The driver was smoking a cigarette, but the other men were just sitting there doing nothing.

If they wanted to take a break or have a smoke, they could've chosen a better place than here.

It was possible that they stopped because they had to go to the bathroom really badly... But it didn't seem that way, either.

They didn't look as comfortable or relaxed like they would if they were taking a break.

They looked like they were waiting for something to happen. There was a deep tension in that car.

...Could they possibly be waiting for Rena...?!

No way.

...I didn't see anybody walking around here.

This road is a back road. Nobody really uses this road, let alone by car.

...But... But... it's impossible...

...I felt bad for Rena to even think about it, but... this must be something that she got into her head, because she's feeling victimized or something.

She must be imagining things because she's still nervous from when her friends caught her in the act of killing Rina and Teppei.

"Hey, young man."

I heard someone say that when I passed by the van.

He couldn't mean me. He didn't even know who I was.

So I assumed he was talking to one of the other people in the car.

I pretended I didn't hear him, and I kept walking by. And then, he said it again

and honked the horn as well.

"Hey young man, excuse me.

Are you on your way home from school?"

He had a strong accent similar to that of the older villagers. He must live here, but I didn't know him.

I could tell he didn't know me either, because he didn't call me by name.

"...Yes... I am."

"You've been walking on this road all the way from school, right?

You turned the corner where the stationery store is, right?"

"Yes.

...So?"

They were probably lost, I thought.

...This village has many small turns, and you can easily get lost when you try to take a shortcut.

So they must've been waiting for someone to ask for directions.

...But then, he said something disturbing.

"Young man, didn't you see a girl on the way here?"

"Huh? ......Umm... What...?"

"A girl with a white hat in white clothes

with a purple ribbon on it.

Did you see her?"

They were definitely talking about Rena.

"...N-No...!

I didn't..."

I wasn't ready to hear them ask that.

...Rather, I was scared.

That's why my voice got all shaky.

Up until that point, I couldn't believe Rena's story.

I thought it was ridiculous.

I actually laughed, if only to myself.

That's why I wasn't ready at all.

...My heart was beating fast, and I was sweating all over.

I immediately answered, "no, I didn't" but...

...It might've sounded like an obvious lie.

The driver stared into my eyes.

He looked like he was trying to figure out if I was lying or not, and my legs started to shake...

I felt like a frog under the glare of a snake, and I couldn't move a muscle for a while...

but I think the same went for those men too.

They were clearly a suspicious group, and they had just asked a villager about a girl out of the blue.

Anybody would get suspicious...

And I was right.

The man broke the ice and started making excuses before I even asked him why he wanted to know about the girl.

"...Well, I was asking for no particular reason.

We just passed by a girl earlier, but you're a boy. So, we were just wondering..."

"Oh... okay..."

"Please forget it.

Sorry for the trouble, young man.

......We're off."

The man started the engine and drove away.

After they left, I saw nothing.

That's right. Nothing.

...There was no reason why they had to park here.

...So......... were they really... waiting for... Rena......?!