I let out a great big yawn.

It was like morning had arrived just as I got to sleep...

As Mom set up breakfast, she gave me a pained smile.

"What's the matter, Keiichi?

What time did you go to sleep last night?"

"Well, I wanted to go to sleep at midnight... but I had some trouble with that..."

"You were probably all worked up from the festival."

"N-No, that's not it...! Crunch crunch!"

I crunched down hard on the pickled radish to hide my embarrassment.

...After all that happened yesterday, and our discussion about the sound Shion heard...

...That banging noise, like a child far away, jumping up and down on a wooden floor.

The story wouldn't get out of my head, so I had trouble sleeping...

It was a long night...

...and I kept jumping at the slight sounds of faraway tree branches, which should have been either unhearable or too insignificant to notice.

When I woke up to the morning sunlight and birds chirping, it made me feel pretty ashamed about it, but...

...I felt far from refreshed this morning.

"Keiichi-kuuun! Good morning!

Huh?

Keiichi-kun, your eyes are all red!

Why is that? Why?"

"Oh, hey, good morning.

I didn't get much sleep last night.

So I'm sleep deprived today.

...*yaaawn*"

"The festival yesterday was a lot of fun...!

Rena's excitement took a long time to go to sleep, so I took a long time to go to sleep too! To sleep!"

In Rena's case, her excitement seemed to still be wide awake...

"They should have this kind of festival more often!

So we can have lots of fun together again. Hau!"

"Mm, ah... Yeah."

Rena talking about the festival yesterday made me remember everything I had nearly forgotten from last night.

...The inside of the ritual storehouse had been so utterly different from the relaxed, bright everyday life of Hinamizawa.

All those stories that Takano-san told me, too...

The mysterious incidents that occurred on the day of the Watanagashi Festival every year.

The strange incidents where one person would die, and one would disappear.

...The old stories of Hinamizawa, flickering like a candle behind them.

The numerous and horrifying traditions of Onigafuchi Village.

The villagers with demon blood in them.

The terrible, cannibalistic feasts.

The poor sacrifices kidnapped from human villages, victims...

...of the Onikakushi.

To quell the rage of Oyashiro-sama... the ritual involving living sacrifices.

......There were also many, many others.

...There were so many stories that just remembering them put me in a foul mood.

Most of them weren't fiction, either—they were true.

...We didn't need to fear them just because they were real, though.

...Since it all happened so long ago.

Such a very long time ago.

"Where's Mii-chan? She's late."

"Huh...?"

Before I realized it, we had arrived at the place where we'd usually meet with Mion.

...Probably because I was so lost in thought.

"We agreed that if she isn't here by now, we can just go on ahead, right?

...Should we?"

Mion being late wasn't too rare an occurrence... but today she was unusually late.

......A few of the ominous tales from the night before came back to life in my mind again.

Who would die this year, and who would disappear...

......I-It couldn't have been... Mion...?

"What should we do, Keiichi-kun?

...If we don't get going, we'll be late."

"...She'll be here.

She didn't call to tell us she'd be staying home today, right?

Let's just wait five more minutes. Okay?"

Rena looked at her watch and seemed a little worried, but then she nodded with a satisfied smile.

Hmm...

If we had to wait five minutes, we'd have to run as fast as we could to school or we'd be late...

As soon as I thought that, we spotted Mion, running towards us, out of breath.

"Mii-chaaaaan!!

You're laaaate!!"

"Hah!

Hah!

...You waited?

Y-You should have just gone on ahead..."

...Mion was breathing heavily, and her face was all red.

...Her house was right down this road, wasn't it?

It wasn't far enough away for her to end up like this, was it?

"......Mii-chan,

...Are you not feeling well?"

Huh?

...Now that she mentioned it...

...Rena pushed Mion's bangs away and put her hand to her forehead.

"...Rena, your hand is pretty cold."

"Mii-chan... You're a little bit warm."

"It's no big deal.

...Give it half a day and I'll be fit as a fiddle."

"Are you really okay?

...You don't have to push yourself, you know."

"What's this?

Kei-chan, are you worried about me?

Ahaha... That's nice of you."

...That answer wasn't like Mion at all.

...She must have had it pretty bad.

"I-I just think you shouldn't push yourself so hard.

We can tell the teacher you had to take the day off."

"I'm fine, I'm fine!

I took some medicine.

I think it's already working."

Mion forced an energetic expression onto her face and flexed her biceps at us.

"Okay... then let's go.

Don't overdo it... but, of course, there's...

...the time."

"Wah?!

W-We need to run or we won't m-make it~!!"

"Ah-hahahaha!

This morning sure is thrilling!

Maybe it's just what I need to shake off this slowness!

Let's run!"

Hey, wait... You're sick! Don't go overboard...!

Mion began to run vigorously anyway.

"...Mii-chan is older than us, right?

She knows her own body better than anyone."

I decided to leave it at that and assume she was fine.

"Great, then we should get going too!!"

We began to run after Mion...

The school looked the same as always.

The hours passed listlessly, and my lack of sleep took its toll...

If there was a sport where people competed by sleeping, I'd be world champion right now.

The trick to overcoming this sort of dangerous situation was to hold your pencil upside-down.

...Why, you ask?

So you don't draw strange patterns all over your notes while half-asleep.

If you were holding your pencil upside-down, that wouldn't happen, would it?

Bump bump bump!

Bump bump bump!

Something that felt like an eraser hit me in the head six times.

"Ow, ow... What was that for, Satoko?!"

"I-I haven't done a single thing...!"

"Who else would play a prank on me like this?!

Oh, it was chalk, not an eraser.

......Eh?"

Behind me... like a female outlaw might hold razors, was the teacher's shadow, holding three pieces of chalk in each hand...

Rumble rumble rumble......

"Maebara-kun.

...Go and wash your face."

"Uh,

......R-Right,

g-gladly...!"

That alone was enough to wake me up... but I flew out into the hallway, as if shoved out by the pressure exuded by the teacher's sheer power.

If I was going to wash my face anyway, then I would rather use the sinks out front, rather than the ones in the dark restroom.

...Thinking that, I left the hallway and went to the entrance.

The sunlight was strong.

...So strong you wouldn't think it was June.

I turned the faucet, and with a lifeless bubbling noise, lukewarm water came pouring out.

...If I let it run for a few moments, would it get cold?

...I looked at it absent-mindedly for a little while.

"I knew you'd choose these sinks, Kei-chan.

The ones out front just feel better, don't they?"

"Hm... Mion?

...*Yaaawn*

No cutting class now~"

I stuck my hands into the water to find it had gotten so cold that it seemed strange it had ever been warm.

I scooped it up and splashed it against my face.

Once I was done, I moved out of the way and Mion did the same.

"...Mion, how is your cold doing?

You're sleepy because of the medicine, not from lack of sleep, right?"

"Hm?

...Ahahahaha. Actually, this is a secret, but... after the festival yesterday, I got wrapped up in the party my relatives were having.

And well... I had a bit."

A bit.

She made a gesture like she was tilting a cup into her mouth.

...Which means you didn't have a cold or anything...

"A-Are you hung over?!

How old are you?!!"

"Nahahaha...!

Give me a break.

I really don't feel well, you know!"

...I suppose she'd be feeling lousy either way.

Still, you treat colds and hangovers in completely different ways.

"I was worried over nothing.

Man... I guess that's just like you, Mion..."

Mion scratched her head, a little embarrassed.

...She didn't seem to be feeling well, but now that I knew it was a hangover, I didn't need to worry too much.

It would go away with time, after all.

"Oh, but my head really is pounding, so

the teacher told me I should go home early."

"Ack, you cheater...!

So are you going home now, Mion?"

Now that I looked again, Mion had her bag with her. She must have been on her way home.

"Yep. I feel bad about it, though.

I'll get some rest at home like a good girl.

...Sorry I can't make it to the club.

Would you take over as leader for today, Kei-chan?"

"......I don't know if that will happen.

We have that unspoken rule where we don't do the club unless everyone is there, don't we?

We never did it when you had to go to your part-time job, did we?"

Mion laughed wryly, saying we didn't need to worry about her.

No matter how much fun we have, though, I think that feeling guilty about friends who can't share in it is the sign of a really fantastic friendship.

In that sense, the club Mion has created is a wonderful thing.

As I thought about it, the moisture on my washed face dried up.

...I suppose we were talking too much.

If I didn't get back to the classroom soon, I could get in trouble.

"Okay, later.

I'm going back.

Be careful on your way home.

Don't wobble into a sewer or a brook, got it?"

I left it at that, turned around, and started heading back to the classroom.

"Oh, ...One more thing, Kei-chan."

Mion stopped me, and I turned my head to listen.

"What's up?"

"This may sound weird, but don't think too hard about it."

"Well, that depends on what it is."

"Last night, near the end of the festival.

...Did you see Tomitake-san or Takano-san anywhere?"

......I suddenly tensed up.

"You know Tomitake-san and Takano-san, right?

You remember, Kei-chan, when the four of you were talking during setup the day before?"

If I could, I wanted to forget about sneaking into the storehouse that night as soon as possible.

...So hearing the names of the people I was with at the time really got to me.

...Besides that, though.

...Why was Mion... asking me a question like that...?

I ended up staring at her, unable to answer immediately...

...Was she asking to see if I had seen them or not, or was she asking the question knowing that I had...? I couldn't tell.

"......W-Well... Maybe?

...I might have seen them around, I don't know..."

My vague response was clearly not to Mion's liking.

...What answer was she expecting from me...? There was no way for me to know.

"............I see.

Then, one more question.

On the same night,

did you see Shion?"

My heart leapt into my throat again.

......The tiny needles buried underneath Mion's words pricked into me.

"...That... didn't you ask me that yesterday?

...I think I told you that I wasn't sure if I had or not..."

"Hm, did you?

...I guess I just thought I'd get a different answer if I asked you again."

I suddenly noticed something in Mion's eyes... something indescribable.

Tomitake-san and Takano-san.

Shion, too.

...She was asking me about them.

......There was no doubt about it.

...Last night, the four of us snuck into the ritual storehouse... she knew everything.

...S-So... So what?!

There's not really a curse anyway......!

...That's right.

Even Shion and Takano-san said yesterday during the festival that there was no curse.

...And that rather than a curse, it was the doing of the villagers...

..................................My blood curdled.

...Mion was...

...almost without a doubt...

...aware that we snuck into the storehouse...?

It was nothing strange.

......I screwed up bad flipping on the light switch last night.

...If Mion had been searching for me, it was simple to imagine... that she had seen that momentary light and come to find out what was going on.

"...Did you really not see her?"

"W-Why are you so intent on knowing if I did or not?"

"It's not important.

...It's just that there are some people...

...who are speaking poorly of Tomitake-san, Takano-san, Shion, and you, Kei-chan.

......I didn't really hear what they were saying, though."

Unpleasant sweat dripped down my arms... and the sound of it hanging from my fingertips was so annoyingly loud...

"I don't believe that you were doing something bad.

...I just wanted to ask a bit about it, so I did.

...Sorry for making you uncomfortable, okay?"

......I found myself unable to reply.

...My reaction must have made it obvious what the truth was... and yet I couldn't explain myself.

"Kei-chan, you weren't with Tomitake-san, Takano-san, or Shion.

...Right?"

"......Um.

......Yeah."

I finally wrung out an answer between ragged breaths. Mion's expression softened a little.

"...That's good.

I'll have to tell them.

You weren't involved in anything bad, Kei-chan,

so... I'll make sure to tell everyone."

...Yeah... please do.

...Tell them I wasn't... doing anything bad.

...To everyone... make sure...

......Everyone.

......Everyone... who is everyone...?

"Okay, later.

I'll be better tomorrow!

Bye-bye!"

W-Wait, Mion!!

What do you mean by 'everyone'...?!!

Just then!!

A freezing cold hand touched the back of my neck!!!!

"Hey!

You're late, Maebara-kun.

How long does it take you to wash your face?"

......It was the teacher.

...I was taking so long she came out to get me...

"Ah, I'm sorry...

I was just speaking to Mion......"

I turned around, but Mion had crossed through the schoolyard without me realizing it and was now standing at the gate.

"Come, back to your studies!

Quickly now."

The teacher was being insistent. We returned to the entrance.

...I looked back one more time, and Mion was nowhere in sight.

"......Keiichi, you haven't seemed well all day."

"It's clearly because he had far too much fun yesterday!"

"I don't want to be told that by the one who got lost. Your face was all red and you were nearly crying!"

"Ah, ahahahaha~!!

S-Satoko-chan was so...so kyuute last night! Hau~!!"

My friends did their best to try and cheer me up... but it didn't lighten my mood.

Was it far worse than I thought?

...Had I really done something that terrible last night...?

These thoughts remained with me... for the rest of the day.

"...Bye, Keiichi-kun.

I'll see you tomorrow!"

By the time I realized it, I was in front of my own house.

"...Mii-chan had a cold, right?

...Could you have a cold too, Keiichi-kun? Could you?"

"Huh? ...I'm fine.

I may look scrawny, but I've never missed school because of a cold!"

"Both you and Mii-chan didn't look so good today, though..."

"...Thanks for worrying about me.

I'm fine! Idiots don't catch colds, remember?"

Rena smiled, then waved to me and left.

...Hoo.

...With my shoulders bobbing up and down from breathing heavily, I entered the house.

As soon as I got back in, Mom called out to me.

"What?"

"Keiichi?

I'm sorry, but could you go to the library and return a few books for me?"

"...Huh? I don't feel like it...!"

"Your dad and I have to wait inside the house for a phone call right now, so we can't leave.

I need to return them today. Could you please do it?"

......Sheesh.

Did it have to do with Dad's job?

No point in arguing if they bring that up.

"I guess so... but

I don't know where the library is."

"Oh, you don't?

It's a little bit past Okinomiya Station..."

Just then, the phone rang.

My parents' faces immediately turned grim.

...Mom snatched up the receiver.

"Hello!

Maebara speaking.

......

I'm sorry?

Yes. He's right here."

Then she thrust the receiver at my face.

"It's for you, Keiichi.

Don't take too long, okay?"

I tried to ask who it was from, but asking the person on the phone directly would be faster.

"Hello?"

"Ah... This is Sonozaki. Well, the younger one.

Hello.

Do you have time to talk right now?"

It was Shion.

...The older sister had a hangover today, but the younger made no reference to it.

"Shion?

I thought you'd be sleeping in today with a hangover, same as Mion."

"What?

Mion had a hangover?

Ah-hahahaha! That's so like her~~!"

She laughed warmly, but Mom glared at me, silently telling me to finish up.

"......Whoops... sorry.

My parents are waiting for an important call, so I can't talk for too long.

...What do you need?"

"...There's something I wanted to talk about... but if we can't talk long, I guess that's that..."

She sounded a little disappointed.

...What would Shion want to talk to me about?

Now I was interested.

"Then how about we meet in person?

If you could show me where the library is too, that would be great."

"You mean the public library near the station?

Yes, that's fine.

I go past there on my way to work anyway."

"Okay, then you know where I usually meet up with Mion?

At that intersection where the small path from the Sonozaki house splits—"

"Oh, Kei-chan,

did I not tell you?

I don't live at the main house; I live in Okinomiya.

If we could meet by the ticket machines at Okinomiya Station, that would be great."

Main house?

Living in Okinomiya?

......Now that she mentioned it, it's always seemed like the Sonozaki sisters weren't communicating... did they live in different houses?

Also now that she mentioned it, Rena said she'd never met the younger sister, despite going over to play sometimes.

"Let's meet at the station, then.

I'll go there right away.

Bye!"

I set the receiver down, and Mom immediately thrust a large pile of library books in my face.

...Six volumes of long-form mystery novels.

...Mom had her own hobbies.

"Thank you, Keiichi.

Be back by nightfall."

"Got it.

Okay, I'm going."

I supposed I'd change my clothes and grab my bike key.

I climbed the stairs to my bedroom.

Shion had been waiting for me already, so meeting up was a smooth process.

"Wow, Mion never keeps her appointments...

I mean, honestly."

"Ahahahaha.

Making my sister the standard for everything will get you in trouble."

Hm?

Shion seemed a little unsteady too.

...She was drinking with Mion last night, wasn't she?

"You didn't get any sleep last night either, did you?

Don't try and hide it!

You definitely went home from school early."

"Ooh, too bad!

I've been at home all day in the first place.

I'm smarter than Mion, after all."

Hey...

I don't think you can call playing hooky 'smarter'...

"You should finish your errand first.

We don't have that much time.

...We're going to the library, right?"

"Yeah, thanks.

My mom had to return some books by today.

...Is the library far?"

"No, it's really close by."

As she said that, we spotted the signboard for the library almost immediately.

If it was this easy to find, then I guess I didn't need Shion to show me where it was after all...

We rode around a bend and the building was right there.

Shishibone Public Library.

We lived in the country, so I hadn't expected too much... but it was pretty big.

The first floor was actually a government office, so the library was only on the second floor, but it still looked large enough to fit a decent collection of books.

We passed through the automatic doors and were greeted by the cool breeze of an air curtain.

The cicadas had been loud outside, but it was quiet inside the library.

The air conditioning inside was keeping the temperature at an ideal level for the books, which had that mildewy smell unique to old paper...

"...I guess every library is basically the same."

If there was one difference... it was that people studying for tests weren't taking up all the seats.

I was one of those people, but now that seemed like a distant memory.

"Hello, I have books I'd like to return."

The librarian went through the process of checking them in, and then returned my Mom's library card.

Shion was going around the bookshelves with a deeply interested look on her face, like she wasn't the type who went to libraries very often.

"...Sorry for the wait.

I'm all done."

"Libraries sure are nice and cool, aren't they~

I want to work in a library one day."

"Don't know whether to call that boring or dependable... It's a pretty small dream compared to your sister."

Mion would definitely want to be a hardworking employee for an international trading company, or some other crazy job that involved her running all around the world.

Compared to that... what Shion said is pretty heart-warming.

"Well, we need to keep our differences dear to us.

We're not copies—we're two different people, called Shion and Mion."

"...Twins have a lot to think about, huh?

Still, it sounds like fun.

...I don't have any brothers, so there's just me and my parents at my house.

It can get a little uncomfortable."

"It's the same for me.

I don't live with Mion, after all."

Oh, right, she said something like that, didn't she...

Why, though?

Sisters living apart is unusual.

We were getting tired of talking while we were walking.

...We ended up going to the lounge area, which was vacant, and continuing the conversation.

"Ahahahaha.

Yes.

Mion lives at the main house, and I live in Okinomiya."

"What do you mean by 'main house'?

...You make it sound like you're nobility."

"It's just the main house.

The Sonozaki family's main house.

Mion's the successor, so she lives with Nana and apparently studies all sorts of things as preparation to be the head of the family."

Mion... the head of the family?

It kind of fit her personality, but kind of didn't, too...

"Kei-chan, you just moved here, right?

...This will sound like I'm boasting, but we of the Sonozaki family are kind of personages around here."

"Huh? ...Seriously?"

The word "personage" didn't really match the extremely sociable air that Mion and Shion gave off.

From what Shion explained... The Sonozaki family goes way back to the beginnings of Hinamizawa. After the war, they had a bunch of successful ventures and extended their influence to a wide area.

"The Sonozaki house is a foundation under which the entire family cooperates.

...Though the current family head, Grandma, was the one who built it."

The entire family would provide backup to help one relative with a business venture...

They were like a huge, living company.

This let them avoid tax-related problems and help relatives' ventures succeed, one after another, using large amounts of money.

"If you ever go for a walk through Okinomiya, pay attention to the signboards and stuff.

There's a ton of shops that are managed by members of the Sonozaki family."

"...Now that you mention it...

That toy store looked like it was managed by relatives as well.

Does that mean your relatives operate Angel Mort too?"

...Even what few shops I was familiar with were involved with the Sonozaki family...

It was definitely surprising.

"The family is particularly strong in finance and real estate.

Even a lot of members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry either have the last name Sonozaki, or are their relatives.

There are Sonozakis in the city council and the prefectural assembly, too, since they have the Okinomiya area giving them strong electoral support."

"......Wait a minute.

...This is all... escalating pretty quickly."

Her relatives operate shops in downtown Okinomiya, and they're especially strong in finance and real estate...?

On top of that, a lot of those in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry are relatives, and there are even people elected to local offices...

"...So then...

......The Sonozaki family, it's... it's pretty famous in this area...?"

"Yes.

It's crazy.

Nfu-fu-fu-fu!"

All of a sudden, a cigarette-smoking, overweight old man interrupted our conversation.

...Wait... I know this guy......

"Hello!

Good afternoon.

Are you on a date today?

Ah, what I would give to be young again."

"If you thought we were on a date, then why are you bothering us...

Ooishi-san?"

That was it.

He was Ooishi-san, a police officer.

...I thought it was this person who came to my rescue when I got involved with those delinquents before.

......Now that I thought about it, Mion didn't seem to like him very much.

"No, no, I apologize.

I heard a familiar voice, so I came over to see."

Ooishi-san laughed coarsely, not showing any sign of giving up.

...As Shion watched him do so, I didn't feel the same sense of malice from her as I had from Mion.

"Maebara-san, right?

You're one tough guy.

Two-timing the Sonozaki sisters, are you?"

"No, I... I'm not two-timing anyone..."

I turned around to look at Shion and plead for help, but she grinned and maintained her silence.

Her gaze wandered.

...She looked at the clock.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Kei-chan.

...I really need to get to my job."

"Huh?

Oh... did you?"

Wait... Didn't Shion have something to talk about today...?

...Now this weird man is here, though...

"Yep. I'll see you later...

Oh, I'll give you a call after I'm done.

It'll be okay to call at night, right?"

"Yeah.

Probably okay."

"Then I'll talk to you later tonight.

Bye!"

Shion left so fast she was practically running.

...Ooishi-san was waving at me with a grin.

......I felt like I'd been left here as bait so she could get away.

...Maybe she was lying about having to go to work...

"...You're quite the big shot, being so close to the Sonozaki daughters.

Maybe I should rethink how I talk to you, too. Nfu-fu-fu!"

Ooishi-san put a coin into a vending machine as he said something a bit appalling.

"Is iced tea okay with you?

Do you want milk in it?"

"Huh?!

Oh... no, I—"

"I'll put some in then, all right?

Here you are."

He handed me a cup of tea, filled to the brim with ice, as I looked on absent-mindedly.

...I don't think I'm obligated to have a guy like this buy me a drink, but...

He did get it for me, so I'll thank him.

Was Ooishi-san just killing time? We didn't know each other well, but he still engaged me in conversation about all sorts of dumb things.

...When I thought back to how I talked with Shion, this seemed like a total disaster...

"Maebara-san, how much do you know about Sonozaki-san?"

"...Other than what I heard just now, nothing."

Until then, I hadn't known anything about either Mion or Shion other than the fact that they were interesting.

I really did only just learn that she was the daughter of some prestigious family.

"The Sonozakis are a yakuza group with this entire region under their thumb.

Plus, her father is a high-ranked executive in the ×× yakuza association.

Did you know that?"

"What...?

An executive...?"

"Have you ever seen where Shion-san lives?

It's the very picture of a gang boss's house, protected by high walls, barbed-wire fence, and security cameras.

If you have the chance, you should go and visit her."

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

She'd mentioned Mion being a successor...... but... to a yakuza group...?

"No, no, no, no, no.

Not at all, not at all.

A boring old yakuza group isn't the only thing Mion Sonozaki-san will inherit.

She's inheriting the Sonozaki family itself.

...I'll leave it to you to mull over what exactly that means."

Ooishi-san had spoken lightly about all this from start to finish, but what he was saying wasn't light in the least... it was abrupt and unbelievable.

"If Mion-san wanted to, she could kill someone in the middle of the street and still cover it up.

Not only would witnesses not show up, but she'd put pressure on the police, too."

"M-Mion would never kill someone...!"

"Na-ha-ha-ha... She wouldn't, she wouldn't. I'm just speaking hypothetically."

"...Umm... Your name, it was...

Ooishi-san, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Then, Ooishi-san.

...Whatever family Mion comes from, it doesn't change the fact that she's the best friend I could ever have, and I'm proud of that.

I don't appreciate people speaking ill of her."

I let my quiet anger show through in my gaze as I stared at him.

...Of course, I could never seem to tell what he's thinking, so I didn't know if it had any effect.

"Then let me be frank.

...If Mion-san was suspected of a handful of incidents, what would you think?"

Suspected? Incidents?!

You can't just say terrible stuff like that on a whim!

"Then it would be a misunderstanding, of course!

Mion may say some dangerous things... but she's not the kind of person who would do something so awful!!"

"Maebara-san, keep your voice down...

We're in a library."

Ooshi-san shushed me, but in a state of heightened excitement as I was, I wouldn't be calmed so easily.

"...Please, calm down.

As I said before, the Sonozaki family holds a lot of power in this region, for better or worse.

So if anything happens, they would immediately be suspect.

...I'd appreciate it if you understood that."

...Well... I know what Ooishi-san is trying to say.

Combining it with what Shion told me before, the Sonozaki family is huge, and controls everything from Hinamizawa to Okinomiya.

Mion, meanwhile, is its successor, who apparently holds strong influence over the entire family.

Still... that's all? That's the only reason they're suspecting her?!

"I'm just doing my job, here.

Not to doubt Mion-san of anything, but to clear up suspicions surrounding her... Please think of it like that."

...He could talk a dog out of a meat truck.

He was the definition of a shrewd, unfair adult.

At this point, I began to think...

...that it was no coincidence I'd met him.

"...Ooishi-san, do you need something from me?"

"Yes, I do.

Keiichi Maebara-san."

...he answered in an absent tone of voice.

"...Mion's being suspected of something, and you came to hear from a friend of hers: me.

...Is that it?"

"No, no, that isn't it.

I didn't come to talk to a friend of Mion Sonozaki-san. I came here to talk to Keiichi Maebara-san.

It would probably have bothered you had I visited your house."

"To me...?

What do the police want with me...?"

Having realized this faked coincidental meeting had me as its target, my mood immediately turned foul.

"Na-ha-ha-ha.

You don't need to be so tense.

Calm down, and just answer a few questions."

"Am I... being questioned...?"

"Let's call it a chat with a guy you happened to run into. Nfu-fu-fu-fu!"

Ooishi-san freely suggested that I relax.

...That said, behind his eyes was a light, which I could only see sometimes, that was sharp as a hawk.

If I tried in vain to run away, he might actually take me in and bring me to an interrogation room or something.

...That was an undoubtedly unpleasant thought.

"...You had a roaring good time at the Watanagashi Festival last night, didn't you?"

"Don't beat around the bush, please...!

I can't do small talk right now..."

"Last night, during the festival.

...Did you see Jirou Tomitake-san and Miyo Takano-san?"

......Gulp.

I could plainly feel myself give a start.

"Hmm? ...Where did I put those pictures?

...Oh.

Here they are."

He opened a small notebook and removed two photographs.

...I didn't have to look.

"I... Well...

Who knows?

I might have seen them around, I don't remember..."

I was asked the same question for the second time today.

...I gave the same answer for the second time, too.

"Hm? Your memories are blurry?

You couldn't have possibly been drinking or anything? Nfu-fu-fu-fu!"

Here, too... I got the same answer as I had from Mion.

...I realized he wasn't taking my vague reply well...

Why... is he asking me... the same thing Mion did...?

The dark feelings I had nearly forgotten due to my conversation with Shion came rushing back in a hurry.

......We snuck into the sacred ritual storehouse—a punishable act.

...It was on a tiny impulse...

While it may not count for much now... I do feel sorry about it...

"I'll ask you again.

...Did you see Jirou Tomitake-san and Miyo Takano-san at the festival last night?"

His tone was soft... but there was a dreadfulness in his voice, clearly different from the first time he asked.

......I'm scared.

That was exactly how I felt...

"...Er...

Even if you repeat the question...

m-my answer won't change..."

I don't really remember.

...There wasn't any better answer I could give him.

I didn't have the balls to say I didn't see them... nor the courage to admit I had.

"I see.

...I just thought that maybe I'd get a different answer if I asked a second time."

I'm too scared... to look Ooishi-san in the eyes.

"I'll change the question.

...Come, Maebara-san.

Relax, relax."

Ooishi-san grabbed my shoulders and squeezed them, as if trying to give me a massage.

...It mostly just hurt, though.

Still...... why... would he ask the same things as Mion?

...If he's asking the same things, then the next question must be...

"On the same night of the festival,

did you see Shion Sonozaki-san?"

......*clatter* *clatter* *clatter*

...I wondered what that sound was, and when I looked down, I saw that it was the unmelted ice in the cup I was gripping in my hands.

...My hands were trembling, rocking the ice back and forth.

...Realizing that, I hastily put the remaining ice in my mouth and crunched down on it.

"...S... Sorry...

I may have seen her... but... well, you know, she looks just like Mion...

...I might have just mistaken the two..."

"Na-ha-ha-ha.

...But that can't be."

Suddenly, Ooishi-san grabbed both my shoulders and hunched down to give me a level stare.

...This must be what it's like... to be a deer in the headlights.

I want to look away... but I can't...

This is the first time I've experienced... such a piercing stare...

"Mion-san and Shion-san wear completely different clothing.

You wouldn't mistake the two so easily, I would think.

Maebara-san."

His voice was harsh.

...Harsh, the same as when Mion said it.

I could feel my heartbeat quickening.

...When I realized he could feel it through the hands on my shoulders, I got even more scared.

...Why... why are Mion and Ooishi-san... both asking about last night...?

Was sneaking into that storehouse so... bad...... urgh.........

...I shouldn't have let Takano-san talk me into it.

Tomitake-san casually said to check it out, too... so...

...Even Shion... If she hadn't encouraged me...

No... I understood.

I was the one most at fault here.

I shouldn't have let my curiosity get the better of me. I shouldn't have gone into the forbidden storehouse...

"Ooishi-san.

I think that's our cue to get out of here."

A young man wearing a suit came into the lounge.

...From the way he held himself, I knew immediately that he was Ooishi-san's subordinate.

"Hm? Oh, so it is.

Closing time already?"

I hadn't realized it until he said something.

...The jingle and announcement telling patrons the library had closed had started playing without me realizing it.

...I was so irritated, so overwhelmed, that I couldn't even hear it.

"Well then, Maebara-kun.

We're out of time, so allow me to take my leave.

I'd like to talk with you more about this at your leisure, when we have more time."

...This isn't a joke.

If I never saw him again, it would be too soon...

Ooishi-san followed his subordinate and left the lounge behind him.

...However, he spun back around.

"Oh, right, Maebara-san."

"...Wha...

...What is it...?"

"Those two questions I asked you before.

...You don't remember well enough to answer either of them, correct?"

"......Eh... r-right......"

"Just so you know...

...You saw them all yesterday.

You were walking along, the four of you, having quite a pleasant time.

...Near the stone steps.

I saw you with my own eyes."

"Ugh............"

...I caught my breath, and my heart seemed like it was about to stop.

...What a detestable person.

...He... he knew... and he was testing me...

"We'll meet again.

Have a good year."

I sat there like a rock, unmoving... until I could no longer hear the clacking sounds of their footsteps...