...Suddenly, my vision cleared, and a cold wind caressed my body.

...This was... the hill from which you could see the whole village...

Looking down from this hill, I could see lights on here and there... and knew that the entire village had awoken from its slumber.

...First Takano-san and Tomitake-san, then the mayor... and now even Rika-chan and Satoko had been sacrificed... and word of it was spreading everywhere...

The strength in my knees left me.

......This could... no longer be a joke.

We could have found them. Mion would have told me I was a worrywart, Rena would just be glad we did,

and they would have smiled at me...

...My hopes disappeared as if I were awakening from a dream.

...That was what the view I could see was telling me.

...Following my knees, my arms both bent forward onto the ground... and I clawed at it with my nails.

...I couldn't figure out if I was feeling sorrow or frustration...

".........Uuh...

...Is this... my fault...?!"

...I couldn't... endure the burden of my own sin... and I had just told Rika-chan about it......!

They had nothing to do with it, but Rika-chan and even Satoko... had been sacrificed...!!

...It was like a cross... that Shion and I would each have to bear the weight of until we ourselves were erased.

...Well... if I'm going that far, then the problems started long before that.

...My original sin... of breaking taboo... and entering the ritual storehouse without asking.

I knew I shouldn't have gone in there from the start!

...Yet I... lost out to cheap curiosity...

I hadn't felt so angry at myself until this very moment......

There was a crunching sound.

...I wasn't even interested in who made the noise, despondent as I was.

"...Keiichi-kun?

......Keiichi-kun!

Are you okay?!"

It was Rena.

...Perhaps my clawing at the ground made it look as though I was having stomach pains.

...She ran over and rubbed my back, to make me feel better.

"......I...

...This is all my fault.

...It's because of me...

...It's my fault..."

"...Keiichi-kun's fault?

You didn't do anything wrong.

Please don't blame yourself for this..."

I could tell Rena was doing her best to choose the right words out of consideration for me.

...That's why I could sense her intent behind those words.

Keiichi-kun, you know why Rika-chan and Satoko-chan disappeared, don't you?

...is what she really meant to say.

...Because it was an emergency, Rena had ignored the reason why I wanted to make sure Rika-chan was safe, but...

...Now that we'd actually confirmed her disappearance, it was only natural Rena would start to wonder about why.

...However...

...with the situation having gone this far... I couldn't possibly tell her now.

I didn't want to admit that Rika-chan and Satoko had disappeared... but I couldn't let Rena disappear either.

"...Keiichi-kun.

If you stay here out here in the wind, you'll catch a cold..."

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

Rena sat down, bringing her eyes level with mine.

"...They told us that children should go back home to sleep."

Rena showed me her watch as she said that.

...It was long past one in the morning.

...Time was passing too quickly...

......Had I been crawling around here for that long?

"If we don't sleep soon... we'll have trouble getting up for school tomorrow.

Even the adults are really worn out, since they were up searching for the mayor last night too.

...They were saying they'd break up a little earlier tonight."

...I was a little upset that they weren't allotting as much time to this as they had to search for the mayor last night... but that was something I, the cause of everything, had no right to criticize them for...

"It's all right.

The police arrived a little while ago.

Look, there's police cars coming into the village right now."

Hearing that remark, I looked down at the village to see that there were indeed more cars than one would normally expect at this hour, coming from the darkness on the other side of the mountain.

...However, none of their emergency lights were on.

Of course, their sirens weren't wailing, either.

...That's right.

...All of the incidents that occurred right after Watanagashi were seen as the product of Oyashiro-sama's curse... and would be handled in secrecy.

Rika-chan and Satoko too... their disappearance would end up exactly like the other serial incidents in the past—

surreptitious,

unresolved,

declared a mystery...

and disappear from memory.

Rika-chan's face... her sweet face, like a western doll's... would fade away.

...Satoko's smile... her energetic, fanged smile... would fade away.

...The more I tried to remember them, the less I would be able to...

I deserved to be called an idiot dozens of times over, and it wouldn't be enough—I couldn't hold back the tears at my own sheer stupidity.

"...I don't know what you're blaming yourself for, Keiichi-kun... but you should stop."

I wasn't about to deny it. I couldn't.

Even so, I couldn't affirm it, either.

...I wanted to at least keep Rena out of this.

...If she found out... she would become involved...

"...Please, Rena.

......Could you just leave me alone?

...Even if I went home... I wouldn't be able to sleep."

...If I couldn't get to sleep... then I at least wanted to search for Rika-chan and Satoko until I collapsed.

...The entire village was looking, and yet they still hadn't been found.

...I don't think... I'd be able to find them if I went looking alone at this point.

...Still... I had to do it...

"......They disappeared...... because of me.

......I couldn't possibly... go to sleep... while other people are out there searching..."

I had said that to myself, in self-deprecation... but I soon realized that Rena was silently trying to find the meaning in my mumblings.

...I realized I had misspoke.

"......It's Keiichi-kun's fault?

Why do you think that? Why?"

That can't be.

Keiichi-kun, you're not at fault.

...I was happy that Rena said these things to me... but she only did so because she didn't know the truth.

...If she knew that everything had been caused by my breaking taboo on the night of Watanagashi, then even Rena would curse my existence...

...However, I can't even allow for those curses.

...That would mean confessing my own crimes to Rena.

If I spilled even one word of having snuck into the ritual storehouse on the night of Watanagashi... then even Rena... could disappear tomorrow night.

......The gentle,

spirited,

always joking,

always hau-ing,

......but at a time like this, the most dependable person in the world... Rena might... disappear.

I don't want that.

...Anything but that!

This time... I need to bear my own cross.

Alone.

"............Keiichi-kun, I know that you always have your friends in your heart.

I can really understand feeling like you want to kick yourself.

...Rena knows, though, that it's not Keiichi-kun's fault.

You didn't do anything wrong, Keiichi-kun, and I know that."

"You... you know that...?!"

The shivering in my veins... rushed up my back... and replaced the sorrow in my heart with fear.

I didn't... I didn't tell her anything, did I?!

Maybe I... I accidentally said something that caused Rena to figure it out?!

This is... this is bad...!!

Now... Rena will disappear, Rena will disappear, Rena will disappear...!!

...Then Rena, the same way I always did... grabbed my head and began to pet it roughly.

"......Keiichi-kun.

Are you thinking... that Rena might disappear now, too?

.........Because of Oyashiro-sama's curse?"

She puts more force into the hand rubbing my head.

"You don't need to worry about that.

Rena isn't going anywhere.

I promise."

"...Why... how can you say that... with such confidence...?!"

I mean... someone's been sacrificed every night so far!!

There was no proof that it wouldn't happen again tomorrow night!

...There was even less proof, after all... that the sacrifice wouldn't be Rena...!

......I don't care who you are.

...Just, please, if you're going to erase someone, erase me first...!

Please... stop cruelly getting rid of people we're close to, like the mayor for Shion and Rika-chan and Satoko for me...!!

...Shion's hysterical shouting came back to mind...

They must be planning to kill us last of all.

They're not killing the first people who come to mind... they start by killing those we're close to... and then after they've caused us so much pain, they'll kill us.

That must be what they're doing.

"............Re... Rena..."

Please... don't disappear...

...Please, don't... as long as I'm still here...

I could no longer conceal the sobs welling up within me.

"...Come on, Keiichi-kun, crying doesn't suit you.

Let's go back to the others.

...The housewives are cooking some miso soup for us.

It'll warm you up and calm you down."

Rena prompted me to stand.

...I didn't have the energy to oppose her, so I stood as she urged me to.

We returned to the shrine grounds to find several gas stoves there with miso soup in big pots.

The many villagers there sipped at the soup they were given in dead, stony silence.

Their expressions were absolutely exhausted...

Everyone had just been running around the village until a little while ago.

...From the dreary looks on their faces, though, I assumed they hadn't come up with anything yet...

"...Kei-chan, where did you go?

I was worried you'd disappeared too!"

".........Sorry..."

Mion held out some miso soup for me, but I refused the offer—I didn't have much of an appetite.

"...Mii-chan.

How is it?

...Did you find any clues?"

Mion took a sip of her soup... her expression frank.

"...None at all.

School ended, and they went home.

Then, the two of them went somewhere on their bicycles.

...Moreover, nobody ever saw them riding their bikes, so..."

When it gets dark out in Hinamizawa, people quickly vanish from the streets.

...Aside from adults hurrying back home from town in cars or on bicycles, it was normal to see absolutely nobody walking around outside.

...It wasn't at all strange that nobody had seen Rika-chan and Satoko riding their bikes.

"...It was the same last night with the mayor.

...There's no hope."

Mion's apathetic tone pricked my nerves...... but that anger quickly subsided.

She had been doing all sorts of things to try and find Rika-chan until just a second ago.

...If I asked her, she'd probably say she was up all night last night too, looking for the mayor, wouldn't she?

...She must have been far more fatigued than I was.

....Besides, what about me?

...I had spent the time hunched over in indecision, all alone.

...I had no right to say anything about Mion.

"...Kei-chan, I know it's hard, but let's turn in for the night.

...We just decided we should break up the search for now.

Drink this and let's call it quits."

"............Is this... the end...?"

"...Oh, no, of course not.

Once it's bright out again, we'll do a thorough search with the police's help.

They could have gone to Okinomiya, too.

People are even saying we should go through all of Shishibone City investigating whether there are any witnesses—for both the girls and the mayor."

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

"Anyway, what happened, Kei-chan?

Where did you go off to?!

...You vanished all of a sudden... I was really worried!"

Suddenly I was on the receiving end, but I didn't have the willpower to respond.

".........Sorry... I'll be more careful..."

"Nothing happened?

There wasn't anyone suspicious spying on or stalking you... nothing like that...?!"

Mion demanded with a serious expression.

...I was being criticized for how inconsiderate I had been.

...Despite being in so much pain.

I was frustrated that I was being criticized... but it was my sin.

...My sin, and I must bear it alone.

"......Nothing.

...I'll be careful, either way...

......Sorry."

Mion, now aware that nothing had happened, heaved a big sigh with her shoulders, looking relieved.

"...Oh, my, my, my...!

I knew I smelled something good coming from over here.

I'd be much obliged if you'd allow me to have some."

We heard the repulsive voice of a fat man.

It was Ooishi-san, trailed by a handful of police officers.

...He was acting energetically, in a way unfitting given the situation.

"...There's not much left,

but you can have some if you want."

...Mion didn't like Ooishi-san very much.

Her cold attitude, though, didn't seem to bother Ooishi-san in the slightest.

It was like splashing water in a frog's face.

"Well, now...

Miso soup leftovers have a bit too much salt for my taste.

...Confound it, na-ha-ha-ha...!

Would you all like any?"

He recommended it to his subordinates, but everyone gave dry smiles and refused.

"...So have the police gotten hold of any clues?"

Rena's smile was warm enough to replace the miso soup.

"Don't you worry, little missy.

Everything's fine!

We're searching for them reeeeal good.

Nfu-fu-fu-fu!"

He didn't say a word about having found any new clues.

In other words, there had been no progress.

...That sure was an annoying way of beating around the bush.

"In any case.

It really has gotten late.

...All you youngsters should get on home and get some sleep.

It'll be bad for your health otherwise."

"......Yeah.

Kei-chan, Rena, get some rest.

These guys get our tax money—they'll handle it from here for us."

"We're taxpayers too, you know.

...I feel like a soba noodle chef eating my own soba. Na-ha-ha-ha-ha...!"

...I really wasn't in the mood for laughter.

In fact, Ooishi-san was the only one laughing like an idiot.

"Okay... seriously, please do your best.

...Let's go home, Keiichi-kun.

It'll be harder to wake up tomorrow if we don't."

"Yes, that's right.

I can always bring you home, if you need.

Kuma-chan, why don't you bring the car around?"

"Ah... no thanks.

...We came on our bicycles, so..."

"No need to worry.

We came in a truck.

We'll just throw the bikes in the back."

We may have gotten pretty sleepy, but we just needed to ride home at this point.

...I didn't want to bother the police like that.

...Rena, however, nodded.

"Okay, if you insist, we'd appreciate it.

...It's probably safer than if we went back alone."

When I thought about it carefully, I realized that Rena's idea was extremely rational.

"Now that it's decided, let's get a move on, shall we?"

"Okay, bye.

Good night...

Rena, Kei-chan."

"Yeah.

Mii-chan, you go to bed soon too, okay?

...Good night."

I waved my hand as well, saying goodbye...

......Rika-chan and Satoko... still hadn't been found.

...My unease, however... was steadily being pushed away by sleepiness.

Rena showed the police where our bicycles were so that Ooishi-san could haul them up into their truck.

He prompted us to get into the back seat.

I could hear the springs squeaking as I sat down onto a seat that would normally hurt my rear end... but at this point, it was very soft, and was more than comfortable enough for me to fall asleep on.

"Ladies first.

We'll start with the little miss's house.

Where do you live?"

"Th-Thank you.

My house is... well......"

...Rena's voice slowly grew distant.

...I felt myself being sucked into the void of sleep.

"...Helloooo?

...Maebara-saaaan... are you asleep back there?"

...Hm?

...

...When I came to, it was quiet.

The car was parked.

Ooishi-san was giving me light slaps to the cheek.

...It didn't feel good at all, so I woke up immediately.

"...Ah...... ngh... I'm sorry... I just fell asleep..."

Something was being held right under my nose.

...A clump of metal?

......It was a can of coffee.

"It's lukewarm by now,

but cafe au lait is good even at room temperature."

"...Oh...... Thanks..."

I mechanically took the can and opened the pull top.

...The feeling of the warm, sweet liquid going down my throat... awakened my sleepy mind...

...When my drowsiness receded... I started wanting to know why the car was stopped.... and why I was offered coffee.

Ooishi-san, who had been in the driver's seat, had, at some point, moved to the back.

......Suddenly, I had a very bad feeling about this.

It reminded me of the questioning yesterday at the library.

...It was already too late by the time I realized I'd made a mistake.

...Today, of all days, it didn't look like I would be getting away.

...I had a feeling that until Ooishi-san heard what he wanted to... he wouldn't be letting me go...

"Na-ha-ha... Please, don't get all formal on me.

I'm not going to eat you or anything.

...Maebara-san."

Ooishi-san gulped down the last of his coffee, then stretched wide, showing me how relaxed he was.

...That, however, only served to heighten my nervousness.

"......Wh... What do you... need from me?"

"Need?

...Oh, no, nothing really."

You're going to evade the question at this point...?

What a deeply unreadable man.

"Well, I don't need you for anything.

...I just thought that you might need something from me, Maebara-san."

"...I don't...

...I don't need anything."

"Oh, I see...

Really?

Are you sure there's nothing?

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

There was only one side door in the back seat of this truck.

...In other words, my only exit was blocked off by Ooishi-san.

......I couldn't get away...

.........I could only limply hang my head... and maintain my silence.

Ooishi-san, despite my reticence, relaxed and began smoking a cigarette...

...The cries of the insects outside seemed to be growing longer and longer, to an amount of time that almost seemed infinite.

"...Here I was sure that you had something you wanted to talk to me about."

Ooishi-san exhaled a puff of smoke.

...The windows were open, but the tobacco smoke still accumulated inside the vehicle.

How much... did Ooishi-san know?

...What did he know, and what did he want to hear from me?

......If finding out the truth made you disappear... then if I told him, would Ooishi-san disappear too...?

...I had a feeling that I didn't need to worry about that in his case.

"...I wonder how all this ended up happening."

Ooishi-san addressed me in a low tone as if he was talking to himself.

...How all this ended up happening...?

How the hell should I know?

That was... what I wanted to know.

"...You know Jirou Tomitake-san and Miyo Takano-san, right?

I know you do... because I personally witnessed you with them during the festival, along with Shion Sonozaki-san."

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

"Do you know... how Tomitake-san and Takano-san are doing now?"

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

"They've actually... well, passed away.

They met very untimely deaths."

......Ooishi-san probably played that card in order to surprise me.

...However, I already knew, and didn't display the extreme reaction he expected.

"...What's this?

Hmm... did you already know?"

...Unfortunately, for this question in particular, remaining silent was equivalent to saying "yes."

"Oh... so then did you also know?

...The reason Tomitake-san and Takano-san were cursed like that?

......People are saying that apparently, they went into some forbidden building."

......The storehouse for ritual implements.

......That forbidden shed, sealing away Hinamizawa's blood-stained past.

...Where the mistake that started it all happened...

"Do you know about the rumors... that say the mayor and Rika Furude-san were cursed because of that, too?"

............That would mean... it was mine and Shion's fault...

...He was right.

...As soon as we... revealed what we did...

"What did they call it? A ritual storehouse?

...They're saying it was bad luck—the lock to it had been replaced by a simpler one, which made it easier for thieves to get inside."

............What?

This was news to me.

"Until last year, it apparently had these big bars and a huge padlock on it.

I mean, you know—ever since the priest and his wife passed away, Rika Furude-san has been managing the place, right?

Apparently she talked to the mayor saying she wanted them replaced with a lighter, more simple padlock because the bars were too heavy for her."

.........I didn't know anything about those big bars he was talking about... but the lock had certainly been a simple one.

It was a pretty cheap one, too, and it didn't really fit my impression of what a lock for a place you'd store something as important as ritual implements would look like.

"...Rika-san is a small girl, after all.

The bars were heavy with rust, and they must have caused her a lot of trouble.

...So the mayor hired a craftsman and replaced the lock with a simple padlock, so she could open it with a key."

"...So... how does that mean it was bad luck?"

"Here's what I'm saying.

...Thieves couldn't get in with the old, tight lock... The mayor and Rika-san replaced it with a cheap lock and key on their own, so thieves broke into it...

...Apparently, that's how it's going down."

"...That explanation's a bit..."

"...Letting that slide, certain members of the village delivered punishment upon the thieves who stole into the ritual storehouse, as well as the mayor and Rika-san, who changed the lock...

...At least, those are the whispers that seem to be going around.

...Maebara-san.

......What do you think?"

"...Wh-What do I think?

...I don't really know what you mean by 'certain members of the village'..."

"Are you familiar with the Three Families?

Representatives from each of them gave short addresses at the Watanagashi festival's opening ceremony.

Did you see them?"

"...I came... partway through the festival... so I don't really..."

"The Three Families are the three oldest families in Hinamizawa.

To give actual names—

the Kimiyoshi family,

the Sonozaki family,

and the Furude family.

...They each have quite the lineage, it seems.

Long ago, it's said that everything in the village was decided by a council of the Three Families."

The Kimiyoshi family...... old man Kimiyoshi... meaning, the mayor's family.

The Sonozaki family... was Mion's.

...So the Furude family... was Rika-chan's family, then?

"After the war, the Sonozaki family quickly expanded their influence.

Practically speaking, after leading the fight against the construction during the dam conflict, they jumped to the top of the hierarchy in Hinamizawa.

You see, though, in accordance with the old ways, they still decide important village matters only after consulting with the Three Families.

That's why the leaders of the Three Families each have their own address at the start of Watanagashi.

...In other words, the mayor, the old lady currently in charge of the Sonozaki family, and the last remaining member of the Furude family, Rika-san."

".........I heard that the Sonozaki family was pretty high up there... so Rika-chan's family... was just as old?"

"...Well, as you're aware, she has no relatives at all.

In reality, the Furude family holds pretty much no influence.

However, it seems like people gravitate towards Rika-san on a personal level, and I hear that many of the village's elderly have blind faith in her."

...It was certainly true that Rika-chan had an odd sort of charisma amongst the elderly.

"...So... what are you telling me about all this Three Families stuff for?"

Ooishi-san paused for emphasis, lighting another cigarette.

"I've explained a lot, but I suppose it's still not enough..."

"...I'm asking because I don't understand."

Ooishi gave me a dry, meaningful grin and blew out another big puff of smoke.

"...Members of the Three Families are disappearing one after the other.

That's what I'm talking about.

...I've read that it's based on some kind of old traditions inherent in Hinamizawa, but I don't know much beyond that."

"I don't know anything about it either."

"That's why I'm asking!

...The leaders of the Kimiyoshi and Furude families have disappeared, so maybe the leader of the Sonozaki family will disappear next...

...Well, that's just a random idea bouncing around in my head at the moment...... Na-ha-ha-ha!

Just kidding, really..."

"Th-The leader of the Sonozaki family... Wh-Wh-Who is it...?!"

"The current leader is the old lady at their main house, but it wouldn't be incorrect to say that practically all the rights of leadership have been transferred to her granddaughter, Mion-san."

The visage of Mion giving prompt directions to the adults while searching for Rika-chan sprung back to mind...

"M-Mion...?!

She's gonna disappear?!"

...I hadn't even thought of that possibility... All my hair stood on end.

...That's insane!!

"Nobody wants that, right?"

"O-Of course not...!!!

We... we can't allow that!!!"

Clamp.

...Ooishi-san grabbed my shoulders with both hands.

"Then help us, Maebara-san."

".........Uh..."

"......If there's anything you've noticed about Mion Sonozaki lately, please tell me."

I was going along with him...?

By the time I'd realized it, it was too late.

Ooishi-san brought his face in closer, almost close enough to ram into me... waiting for my next words.

...This pressure...

I can't tear my eyes away... from his...

...That moment, I heard a beeping sound.

...It was from the driver's seat.

He ignored it at first, but then it started to bother him, so he finally let go of me and leaned into the driver's seat.

"......Hello?

Yep, loud and clear."

I was saved...

Of course, it's not like I could use this opening to escape...

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

Yes, alright.

...Let's head back, then.

Yes.

Okay, okay."

...Apparently he was being recalled.

...Now that I knew I'd be freed, the tension in my body dissipated all at once.

"It looks like I need to get going.

Hmm, we were just getting to the good part, too... That's too bad."

Ooishi-san flung open the door, exited, and walked around the front to the driver's seat.

He left the door open.

......Did that mean I could leave...?

"You really care about your friends, Maebara-san—an admirable trait for a kid to have in this day and age.

I totally understand that it feels like you'd be betraying them if you told the police anything."

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

"Maebara-san.

It's the middle of the night, so get a good night's sleep and then think about it.

...Just a little bit of courage from you might end up being what saves many of your friends in the end."

...Did he want to say that the sacrifices wouldn't stop with Rika-chan and Satoko?

"You know this already, but every night since Watanagashi, something has happened.

...In the past, the curse only occurred once per year, but this time it's been going on for days.

What a prosperous year this has been."

"...I don't think you can call that prosperous."

"The night before last,

last night,

and now today.

There's no proof that something won't happen tomorrow night as well.

It's our job to prevent such things before they happen, but for that, we need your cooperation, Maebara-san."

I looked out the opened door... to see none other than my own house, right in front of me.

...It creeped me out that he knew my name and address... but I was too sleepy right now.

...I was too sleepy to care.

"......Well, you're probably tired.

It's already three in the morning.

Please, get yourself a good rest."

"...Yes, sir.

I'll... be going now..."

When I was about to get out of the truck, as if to deliver a parting blow, Ooishi-san said, in a raised voice,

"I'll be coming by every day until you feel like talking, all right?

...I don't believe forcing you to confess in an interrogation room is really in fashion these days."

I couldn't say anything in response, but me slamming the door shut probably served the same purpose.

After lightly beeping the horn, Ooishi-san's truck drove off...

I went to the front door, without waving goodbye.

...The door was locked, but the chain wasn't up.

I unlocked the door and entered...

...then walked over to the staircase.

............That was where I lost consciousness.