View Full Version : Higurashi no Naku Koro ni TIPS
This is the thread to post translated TIPS from the Higurashi no Naku Koroni game, which is one aspect that the anime, the manga, and the dramaCDs lack. Any other posts will be deleted without discretion!!!
Feel free to post translated TIPS in correspondence to the point where the current anime aired
Designated contributors:
myself
Sushi-Y
LostBlue
and anyone else who can read Japanese and have unlocked those TIPS not yet listed.
Please make the TIPS in sequential order as in the game to avoid confusion!!!
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Since I've been getting many questions on what TIPS are, here's a direct copy-and-paste from the English Higurashi wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higurashi_no_Naku_Koro_ni):
The game also utilizes an intermission where the player obtain several "TIPS." These "TIPS" allows the player to read information that may or may not be useful in solving the mystery. For example, one of the "TIPS" can be as simple as "this is a small village; children who go to this school are combined into one classroom regardless of what grade or year they are in." On the other hand, they can also provide valuable hints, such as being able to read the excerpts of the newspaper articles regarding the murders that occurred in Hinamizawa.
Keiichi: "Rena, you're in the same grade level as I am right?"
Rena: "Hm? Yes we are. Our sexagenary cycle is also the same too."
Keiichi: "Hey, of course our sexagenary cycle has to be the same if we're in the same grade"
Mion: "That's not true. If you birthdate is different, you can be of the same age, but in a different sexagenary cycle."
Keiichi: "Huh? Oh, I get it. Hey Mion, you're pretty smart."
Rena: "Ahahahaha. So when were you born, Keiichi-kun? Rena was born in July!"
Rena puts her head up high.
...hey what does that mean.
She isn't trying to act older just because she was born earlier than me right?
Keiichi: "...heh! Sorry to disappoint you. You have no chance to against me in my birth month!! ...I can even start to bet you 100 yen per each month I'm older than you!"
Rena: "What? What?! Why? Why?!"
Rena becomes confused as soon as I started to make a bet
...I suspect that her monthly allowance must be running low as I see her act that way
But...it's quite fun to see Rena getting gippy just because of birthday.
Mion: "So Kei-chan, does that mean you were born in April?"
Kei: "That's right! Too bad Rena! I'm already waaay older than you"
Rena: "Really! Wow! So Keiichi-kun's already the same age as Mii-chan!"
Mion: "Only for a few months~! Then I'm already older than him by a long shot once again!"
Mion snickers with her nose.
...hey, that's nothing to be getting all excited about (chuckle)
Kei: "...come to think of it..., Mion, you're in an older grade level then"
Mion: "Well if you are moe~ towards younger students, then I can proclaim myself to be of a lower grade level?"
Rena: "Mii-chan, I don't know what you are saying.."
Rena blushes her cheek, so I'm assuming she knows exactly what Mion is saying...
Kei: "And Satoko and Rika-chan are in a lower grade level. Scratch that, they should be in a different school lower grade level, right?"
Rena: "Ke...Keiichi-kun, I think your target age is wayy too low...too low..."
Rena is starting to mumble something odd now...
Heh, I'd better just rustle her hair a bit strongly for that statement.
Rena: "hauuu!! S---t---o---p!"
Kei: "So I've been wondering since I transferred here. Why is this school have mixed grade levels?"
Mion: "Because we don't have enough classrooms. I mean, what do you expect? This school is borrowing building space from the Forestry Preserve."
...come to think of it, that explains a lot. I've always thought this school was a bit weird.
The school ground is made of gravel, there are rooms that you don't see in normal schools, and there's even a construction vehicle in front of our school.
Kei: "Why is the school borrowing building space? What happened to the original school"
Mion: "The original one was built way before the war...so it got old and dilapidated."
Well, that's a school that I would've liked to see.
Mion: "So the students had to go to the school in the town right? But that's waay too far"
Rena: "Which school are you talking about?"
Mion: "You know that pediatric clinic in Okinomiya? The one that you go through the main train station and make a turn at the hospital?"
Mion: "Whaaat?!?! It's there? That's too far away!!"
I've just moved here so I don't know the geography of this area, but by the looks of Rena's expression, it must be far.
Mion: "So that's why. It's practically too far away, so kids that can't go to Okinomiya's school go to this temporary one that is being rented from the Forestry Preservation Station."
Mion: "That's about half the children in Hinamizawa right? There's quite a lot of them riding their bicycles to get here early in the morning."
Mion: "Well as you can see, this school is practically easy going, so it's not meant to be those elite type of school for prepping"
Rena: "That's not true Mii-chan! If you study real hard, you can do your studies anywhere!"
Kei: "Yeah, that's right! My thoughts matches with Rena!"
Rena: "Yeah! That's exactly right! Let's study real hard!"
Mion: "Well you two knock yourselves out. In the meantime, ojisan's gonna root for you in the background"
Kei: "It's not us! It's you Mion! You're supposed to be in exam hell right now?! The way your grades are at now, your future is black?!"
Mion: "That's fine. If I can't find a stable income, I'll get an eternal job by having you bringing home the food for me"
Rena: "E...eternal job? Wha...what do you mean by that?! by that?!"
Ms. Chie: "Shush! The three of you! You're supposed to be studying right now!"
The three of us was scolded by the teacher. Well, it's our fault so I can't say much there...
Satoko saw us getting scolded and started laughing
I jab back at her by sticking out my tongue.
...What Mion said was true. This school is as far away you can get from being one of those busy prep schools. But, there's a lot of things at this school that you can't find in any other place...
It's only June, and yet it's so... hot.
The cicadas are crying noisily outside, and the mosquitos add to that during the night.... I guess this is completely Summer now.
.... At least it's cool in the morning, thank god.
Satoko: "It sure is hot, isn't it!?"
Satoko is flapping her skirt sluggishly.
... That's unladylike, oi.
... Even though she's only a brat, she's still a girl after all.
Satoko: "Keiichi seems to be so cool with only one shirt on.... How envious."
Keiichi: "From where I'm standing, the skirt-wearing Satoko looks much cooler to me. There's no way a girl like you will ever understand just how much your thighs steam up inside your pants in a season like this!"
Rena: "......I, ...It steams........., Hau......"
This girl is going off with her indecent imaginations again.
Keiichi: "Rena's summer uniform sure has a nice cool looking tint to it. Just looking at it makes me feel cool too."
Rena: "Ahahahaha. Thanks! It's actually really cool."
Satoko: "I wish I had a cool summer uniform like Rena-san's."
Rena: "But Satoko-chan's summer uniform is a super cute one-piece too! Rena wants to try on Satoko-chan's summer uniform sometime---☆"
Satoko: "This is quite stuffy, you know? Rena-san's uniform is definitely cooler."
Rena: "But kaaii clothings are definitely more fun to wear...... Hau!"
......It feels like Rena and Satoko have totally a different set of values.
Keiichi: "Speaking of which..., there are no set uniforms for this school or anything, is there?"
Rena: "Thats right. There isn't. As long as it's a proper outfit, you can even wear casual clothings too."
There are certainly a lot of students wearing casual clothings. There are students who wear uniforms too, but the designs are all the same, plain ones.
Keiichi: "What's with those uniforms that the others are wearing? Everyone's wearing the same thing."
Satoko: "That's the uniform for the town's school. It's not a requirement or anything but everyone wears them anyway."
Keiichi: "In comparison, everyone in our group wears different kinds of uniforms... Did you get them from somewhere on purpose?"
Satoko: "Yes. Mion-san obtained them for us."
Rena: "One of Miichan's relatives is in the secondhand clothing business, who has uniforms for all the schools in the country stocked up for a cheap price. That's what she said."
Keiichi: "So, basically, she went and asked that relative to order various personalized uniforms for you guys, right?"
... That Mion, she must be enjoying turning her friends into dress-up dolls, for sure.
......... But what a weird secondhand clothing store.
I can understand having all sort of secondhand clothings, but having uniforms for all the schools in the country in stock?
... I don't really get this secondhand clothing store.
It isn't it worthless to have uniforms for some school far away that nobody even knows about??
Rena: "...Yeah. Rena thinks so too. Besides that, they also have old gym clothings and school swimsuits. Secondhands like those are kinda yucky though."
Keiichi: "It sure doesn't look like a business that's going to make a lot of money, ......I bet Mion was trying to help the business make as much money as possible by pitching in herself."
Satoko: "......But, Mion-san always says this full of confidence, you know? She said "It'll definitely get a huge break in the future and become an incredible business!!"."
...... A secondhand school uniform shop getting a big break?
... I don't get it.
Mion: "Kei-chan, are you sure you aren't rich?"
Kei: "What the heck are you talking about all of a sudden. Since when did I come to school in a limo?"
Mion: "What's your monthly allowance then?"
Kei: "A thousand yen"
Satoko: "Oh. That's pretty middle-class"
Rika: "...His lunch box isn't that grand either. It's normal too."
What is with these questions all of a sudden?
I've just been asked how much my monthly allowance was, and they began discussing about my normality and whether I was rich or not!
Rena: "Ahahahaha. We're sorry. We're sorry!"
Rena seems to have caught my expression and began to laugh to lighten things up.
Mion: "Your house is pretty big ain't it, Kei-chan? That's why rumors were going around the village since groundbreaking. It was called 'The Maebara Mansion.'"
Kei: "The Maebara Mansion~?!"
Rena: "Since the house was big, we were all talking about what rich person is going to move in."
Oh, I see.
...yeah well I guess I can say that the house is pretty big. I'm sure that's where they got the idea from.
Satoko: "I do believe that my theory is that they've spent so much money in building the house itself, they ran out of money and became poor"
Rika: "...you're in poverty, pity pity."
...Rika-chan rubs my head in pity. First I'm treated like I'm rich, now I'm in poverty...
Kei: "Sorry to disappoint you guys, but my family isn't rich nor poor. We're just middle class"
Mion: "Sure whatever! Your front porch is very big and the gate is big enough for a luxury car!! That's not what I call normal!"
So bigger the house, the wealthier the resident?
The only reason my house is big is because of dad's art studio. Most of it is his workarea, and his past works are all over taking up most of the space.
In fact, our living space only makes up less than one-third of that house.
My dad's dream is to showcase his works to people so that's why he built the house with large doors and gates for cars.
...and the grand front porch that Mion just said is the one that leads to my dad's studio so that one is usually closed off.
The front porch that the Maebara family uses is plain and normal.
I guess this is a good example of "what it looks on the outside ain't what it looks inside."
Mion: "I really want to go treasure hunting in Kei-chan's house one of these days. What treasures lie within a household that proclaims itself not to be rich, despite the size of that mansion!"
Rena: "I wish there are something cute hidden in there! Hau~!"
Satoko: "I do believe that they can't afford any furniture so the rooms are all empty!"
Rika: "...I want to roll on the carpet floor."
Rena: "Waaa~! That's a nice idea. A nice idea! Rena wants to roll too~!"
...Looks like their imagination is turning into something fun.
Hmm...well I guess there's going to be a time where I will invite them over to my house.
My dad's kind especially towards young girls, so he may even let them see his studio.
The cicadas are now at full orchestra and the sky is at it's highest. It feels very hot, but I can smell the start of summer.
June XX, 1979 - Evening edition newspaper
Late evening on XX, the Shishibone City Okinomiya Police Division arrested the contruction workers XXXX, XXX, XXXX, XXXXX, and XXXX for corpse abandonment, and issued a nationwide manhunt for the arrest of the prime suspect XXXX.
According to the investigation, the six are suspected in the lynching and murder of the chief construction manager XXXX, which occurred on XX at around 9PM. The corpse was then mutilated for abandonment.
At XX 8AM, the police received a call from a hospital in Shishibone City about a man claiming to have killed XXXX the night before. As the police arrived and inquired about the claim, the man admitted to the crime.
When the body part was found at the area where the man claimed to have hid one of the body parts, he was placed into custody that afternoon on the charges of murder and corpse abandonment.
The other accomplices were subsequently arrested, but the prime suspect XXXX is still on the run. The police is still investigating about his whereabouts.
Although the arrested members state that the motive was "we lost our temper when he started to question about our drunkedness," there are many gaps and inconsistencies between each of the suspects. Further investigation will be necessary.
October 1975,
The Prime Ministral executive order number XXX was passed, which officially gave the go for the construction project of the Hinamizawa Hydroelectric Power Plant. The plan called for a massive scale "Hinamizawa Dam," whose effects on the village of Hinamizawa became a serious matter.
The Hinamizawa Dam called for the submergion of five burakus(1); Hinamizawa, Takatsudo, Kiyotsu, Matsumoto, and Tanikawa. The affected area consists of 291 houses, a population of 1291 people, one elementary school, one middle school, one post office, one local agricultural union, one forestry preservation station, five Shinto shrines, two Buddhist temples, one fishery pond, and numerous areas of public and cultural importance which were to be submerged underwater for eternity.
This proposal was very disheartening for the residents of the area, whose ancestors toiled this peaceful and rich land with sweat and blood for hundreds of years.
The residents of the affected area, as well as local burakus neighboring the region joined forces to form the Onigafuchi Defense League. They lobbied strongly against the construction of the dam and the reconsideration of creating a tributary to the main riverbed.
Despite the protesters' proposition to settle this matter peacefully and democratically, the Government and it's puppet Chairman XXXXX of the electrical company refused to meet with the activists. They've squashed down the protesters' voice through unethical and undemocratic means. However, the villagers refused to be let down with these turn of events. This would only further strengthen the league's alliance in defending the area.
Today, the feared Hinamizawa Dam Contruction Project is placed on indefinite hiatus. The villagers know that this hiatus was placed because of their strong will in defiance, but they do understand that this project has not been officially called off yet as well.
The Onigafuchi Defense League has currently disbanded as they've met their goal, but the strong alliance between the members have yet to wither away. As long as the fire blazes within the villagers' hearts, this area will never be endangered in submersion ever again.
Written by:
Onigafuchi Defense League Chair,
Kimiyoshi Kiichirou
(1) translation note: "buraku" literally means commune. While it was used predominantly twenty years ago, it's current usage has disappeared due to it's political incorrectness associated with the term buraku-min (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burakumin). However, it is hinted that the villagers of Hinamizawa are somewhat discriminated against for various reasons....
The nightmare at Hinamizawa Dam!
Lynching / Mutilation Murder!
On X/X, the blood-chilling mutilation murder that occurred at XX Prefecture, Shishibone City's Hinamizawa Dam Construction site shuddered the entire nation in fear. However, the police refuses to reveal any details about the murder...
What exactly occurred at the Hinamizawa Dam...?
We've met up with Mr. A, a source in the investigation. According to Mr. A, "I'm sure that they didn't mean to kill him at first. But as soon as the victim tried to thwart them off with a shovel, they all jumped on him and it escalated into a lynching."
After the lynch was over, all that was left was a horrible site of a badly beaten corpse. The victim taunted the assailants on a daily basis. At first, they only wanted to get some revenge...
"All of the assailants became terrified at what they have just done. Some of them began to give the idea of turning themselves in to the police."
But the leader of the group, XX, refused to hear any of this and brought up the idea of hiding the body. As he persuaded the other members, many of them began to think otherwise that they do not wished to get caught. There were six of them and they were in a construction site where a body can be easily be hidden... It could've be just as simple to hide the body and get away from the area...
"But the leader, XX, feared that the one or several of the five would give in to the guilt and rat out to the police. So he devised a devious plan to shut them up."
Shockingly, XX came up with the devilish scheme to chop up the corpse into six pieces so that each person would have the responsibility of hiding a piece of the body.
"XX made the manslaughter into a frightening mutilation homicide, and dragged each member deeply to bond them together in strong unity."
Bond each person into stronger unity. ...What is the significance of this sentence?
Mr. A then began to explain very heavily, "XX ordered each member to chop their own piece of the corpse up. Initially, every one of them refused, but no one was able to go against him."
It's just like the old saying, "if you're going to eat poison, eat the dish itself as well."
And that's how the chilling cold-blooded ritual was carried out.
"These members began to mutilate the corpse as they cried and threw up. One person refused strongly, but XX pressured him with 'hey, we've already killed one person tonight, having one more corpse is the practically the same,' and was forced to do his part of the deed as well."
However, XX's plan crumbled in one night.
XXX, the member who refused to do his part until the very last, went to a hospital for treatment the very next day and broke down in tears and confessed about his involvement.
The rest of the members were arrested one by one as the dark secret began to unfold. However, the leader XX has not yet been caught. And, the left arm that XX was to hide has not been recovered as well. As the police pursues its investigation, the devilish man is still on the loose from the hands of justice. What are the police doing to catch this man...?
"XX said that he was going to dump the body (the left arm) in the marsh. As it turns out, XX's car was found near the swamp, but the lead ended there."
XX doubted the other members to the last. There is the possibility that he may have caught onto the other members ratting out to the police and took off on foot to someplace other than the swamp.
"Of course, our investigative team has thought of that scenario. ...since he has no automobile, his radius of movement must be limited...but there are rumors flying around in the department saying that he may have accidentally drowned himself as he was dumping the body into the marsh..."
This marsh is known to the locals as a bottomless swamp named Onigafuchi, who they believe that it leads to the hell, the world where the devils live. XX's cruelty was indeed devilish. Perhaps he has returned to hell...?
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Rika: "......Rena is not here. Didn't Keiichi know?"
Keiichi: "Eh? She was here just now though... Oi Mion. Where did Rena go?"
Mion: "Rena? Toilet maybe? She said that her plumbings aren't passing through very well recently."
I didn't ask you anything about that!
Rika: "...... Satoko. Do you know where Rena went?"
Satoko: "Rena is it? I have passed by her down the hallway just now. Since Rena is on day duty today, she has to water the flowers in the garden."
Mion: "Ah-- Rena's on day duty, huh? Well then, we should all thank her for her hard work."
... Rena Rena Rena.
... With Rena's name thrown all over the place, a question popped into my mind.
It's a little rude to say this about another person's name, but...... it sure is a weird name. Sounds like a foreigner's name.
Keiichi: "What's with the name 'Rena', I wonder? ... How do you write Rena in kanji?"
Rika: "......Rena is just a nickname. She has a proper given name."
Keiichi: "Eh, really?! I thought that Ryuugu Rena was her real name for sure."
Satoko: "Well, I don't blame you. Since we've only been calling her Rena, it's not unreasonable for you to make that mistake."
On top of that, even her name on the brush writing exercises is written as "Rena" (レナ). It's as good as her real name here at school.
Keiichi: "I wonder what's her real name? ... Maybe I'll ask Rena when she comes back!"
Satoko and Rika-chan turns and looks at each other.
Rika: "......You don't have to ask her. We will tell you."
Satoko: "Rei(礼) as in orei(お礼, gratitude), Na(奈) as in Nara(奈良). Ryuugu Reina (竜宮礼奈) is her real name!"
Keiichi: "Reina, huh? .........Hmm. So it's not read as 'Reina' but 'Rena', huh? What an interesting pronounciation."
Rika: "......No, that's not right. Reina is the proper pronounciation."
Satoko: "Rena said "call me Rena". So that's why we call her Rena."
Mion: "Keichan... Rena is Rena, okay? Only strangers call her Reina. You get what I mean there, right?"
I know what Mion is trying to say.
No matter what our real names are, the names that we use between ourselves are what really matters!
Ryuugu Rena is Rena. She's nobody else.
Keiichi: "I'm just thinking about this, but if I applied for it, can I be called by a nickname starting today as well?"
Mion: "If it's interesting. What do you want to be called by?"
Keiichi: "Echigoya."
And then, Rena returned to the classroom.
At the entrance, a junior student is telling Rena that someone's looking for her.
Rena: "Eh eh? Who's looking for Rena, I wonder? I wonder?"
Mion and I snickered while looking at her.
Keiichi: "Governer, that Ryuugu has shown herself!!"
Mion: "Echigoya, you're pretty bad too...Fuo-fuo-fuo!!!" (note 1)
Rena: "Wha-wha, what's this what's this?! Keiichi-kun and Miichan is the bad governer? You're Echigoya?!"
Keiichi: "You Ryuugu Rena-nosuke! You will meet your doom here. Prepare yourself~!!"
Rena: "Wa! Wa! Suke-san, Kado-san, chastise the---m!!"
Satoko: "Sir yes sir--!!!"
Rika: "......Deposit our compensations into my Swiss bank account."
It can't be helped now that it's become like this! All that's left is a 5-men jumbled battle royal...!!!
With the precise timing of a stamp box, Rena's sure-kill punch explodes.
In the end, what's left is the ruined evil that is me and Mion...
Keiichi: "...Rena should really go on a trip to reform the world... How about to Nagatachou?" (Note 2)
Mion: "......That's no good. She's going to be jacking all the kaaii (cute) things at her destination."
The ringing bell signals the end of recess.
Rena: "Come on come on, Keiichi-kun, and Miichan too. Sensei's coming!"
I stood up with the help of Rena.
At the same time, Sensei entered the classroom.
......1 more hour, huh. Dear dear....... I guess I'll hold my grounds through this one more time!
======================
Note 1: they pretending to be characters from a Japanese historical show
Note 2: Nagatachou is where the Japanese parliament is located, it has been used as a slang word for "politics".
As the rainy season passes away, we hope that everyone is enjoying their summer this year. As with every year, the "Watanagashi" season has come again. The town council will do our best to make this an enjoyable festival. We would also like to ask for your support as well.
(1) Accepting donations for the bazaar!
We are accepting donations for the acclaimed the Big Hinamizawa Bazaar. If you have midyear presents laying around or old clothes that you don't plan on wearing anymore, we will gladly accept them! However, please refrain from bringing raw items like food.
Attn: Makino
Tel: (X) XXXX
(2) Seeking kids for Children's Taiko Festival!
Known for their experience and thorough teaching style, the "Shoufuukai" children's taiko festival circle is offering kids to jump in on the fun. We are seeking energetic kids from elementary to middle school!
Attn: Kimiyoshi
Tel: (X) XXXX
(3) Contributions are needed!
Contributions start from 1000 yen per piece. Per one piece of contribution, we will be giving away one sheet of coupons that can be used for the shops at the festival!
Attn: Sonozaki
Tel: (X) XXXX
And of course, we are always looking for great ideas for the festival. If you have an idea, please don't hesitate to call the village chief, Kimiyoshi at (X) XXXX !
(attached underneath the dotted line is a festival shop coupon good for 200 yen)
From the evening edition newspaper on June XX, 1980
At around 2PM in the afternoon on XX, office worker XXX-san and his wife XXXX-san from X district of Hinamizawa Village, Shishibone City,
fell from an observation deck in the prefectural Shirakawa nature park down into a river located 27m below, and went missing.
The police and fire department began a seach downstream, and at around 7PM of the same day, they discovered the body of XXX-san.
The wife, XXXX-san, has still not been found.
Due to the recent effects of typhoon no.3, the water level of the river is elevated, creating difficulties for the search effort.
It appears that that the XX-san couple fell when they leaned on the observation deck's fence, causing it to break away.
Since the fence appears to be in a deterioriated state, the police is currently questioning park authorties regarding on whether or not equipments within the parks were being managed properly.
From the evening edition newspaper on June XX, 1981
At around 10PM during the night on XX, X district of Hinamizawa Village, Shishibone City, Furude Shrine's priest, XXXX-san received treatment at the hospital after claiming that he was not feeling well. He recovered for a short period of time, however, his conditions suddenly deterioriated over the night, and he passed away shortly after.
According to sources, it appeared that he was under a considerable amount of stress from preparing the festival which was held on the very same day.
Also, immediately after the death of XXXX-san, his wife XXXX-san left behind a will and went missing.
Although the police and the local youth association continued their searches, the will has hinted at a suicide at the Onigafuchi swamp, locally known as a bottomless swamp, creating difficulties for the search effort.
(It was not reported in the news......)
Station: "This is Okinomiya ST, calling car three, car three, over."
Car 3: "This is car three. Loud and clear."
Station: "Back up is on the way. Hold position until further advised. Over."
Car 3: "Car three, roger."
Station: "Also, advise not to turn siren on. Quiet. Quiet please."
Car 3: "ST-, the doctor has arrived. He wishes to have it carried and taken over. Advise. Over."
Station: "Roger. Leave it to the doctor's discretion."
Car 3: "Roger. ...ah, the back up has arrived. Shouldn't we take pictures first? There's nothing much left we can do for the victim so---"
Freakman
2006-05-02, 08:34
Coroner : He slashed his own throat and died from blood loss.
Fingernails were filled with flesh and skin. These weren't someone else's fingernails. It were his, without a doubt. They match the wounds too.
Oishi : Yeah. I know his death was a suicide.
Coroner : I know. You're asking if his death was something that could have been artificially triggered aren't you ?
Oishi : Well, it's a bit different from when your back hurts, and you scratch it so much it starts bleeding.
Some of his fingernails had come off.
It's pretty easy tearing off fingernails.
But it hurts. A lot.
Which means no one would normally do that.
And also the numerous bruises on Tomitake's body.
... Judging from the shape, they were caused by fists, and it's obvious several people surrounded him.
Coroner : The results of the chemicals analysis showed he was in a state of extreme excitment.
Oishi : Are you suggesting that after he got into the fight, he got so excited he actually slashed his own throat ?
I bet his assailants didn't expect that.
Indeed, it seems possible for someone very excited in an exceptional situation to do something normal people would never think of.
Of course, this is an extremely rare case.
Coroner : By the way Oishi-kun. About that wooden log the victim allegedly used as a weapon.
We could only find traces of sand and paint from the guard rail on it.
Oishi : How about fiber from the assailants' clothes, or skin ?
Coroner : None. The victim didn't hit them. Or the culprits took the log with them.
Oishi : Then they wouldn't have left another one at the crime scene. They'd have taken them all.
Coroner : Hahaha. Guess you're right.
Oishi : Tomitake had a pretty good body and a tan. He was a sportsman wasn't he ?
Coroner : Hmm ? That's right. From what I saw, he must have been excercising.
I cannot imagine what kind of sports he was into when he was alive, but his body was strong and healthy.
In other words, not a person that would go down without a fight.
A man with such a good physique in a dangerous situation started desperately swinging around a log.
Normally, it's unthinkable he wouldn't even hit one of his assailants.
Not to mention they were bare handed.
I think he must have hit one of them, especially with a log.
Oishi : How many men would it take to overpower someone like Tomitake ?
Coroner : Eh. You should know that. How about you remember your young days ?
Oishi (thinking): How many people would I want to get in a fight with Tomitake ?
Just like a swarm can take down a huge beast, attacking in numbers is the ironclad rule of hunting.
I'd want 4 people.
Even taking into account the difference in strengths, with that many people it should be okay.
Oishi : Which means groups of more than 4 drunk people at the festival become suspicious, right ?
.... A group of more than 4 people.
But with such numbers, why didn't they hide the body in an harder to find location ?
Or perhaps they restrained him, but he managed to escape when he was on the verge of death ?
But then I don't understand why he commited suicide.
What's more, I don't understand this absurd way to die.
This case is but a giant mystery.
Coroner : I'll be taking this into consideration. I'll investigate to the extent of my ability, but don't expect too much.
There are no precedents.
Oishi : I'm not expecting anything. I'm just looking forward to the results.
Someone else (kuma ?) : Oishi-san ! The chief is calling !
Oishi : Excuse me, I'll be going. See you next year.
Coroner : Thanks. Good year !
Freakman
2006-05-02, 11:21
Tomitake Jirou (deceased)
* Lived in a cheap hotel in Shishibone.
* Registered as Tomitake Jirou]/i] > penname (Note from the translator : because he writes [i]Jirou in katakana (which is unusual), the investigators are assuming that's a penname)
* Used a folding bicycle to move around. He had no license of any kind.
* The bike was found abandoned 300 meters from the crime scene on a forest path.
* He was at the festival
* He was with Takano Miyo, whereabouts currently unknown.
* The police saw them at 9. Nothing known after that.
* He's been coming for 1 week every season for the past 5-6 years
* Freelance photographer, specialized in wild birds > find what magazines he worked for !
* Nothing unusual on the film that was recovered from his body.
* Wallet still on the body > A simple act of violence ?
* From the contents of his wallet, his main residence is in Tokyo-Chiba ? Or somewhere along the Sobu line (Tokyo-Chiba railroad) ?
* According to the registers of each district in large cities, there's no one going by the name Tomitake Jirou.
* Do a dental match up from metropolitan databank > to the police headquarters
* Send a photo > to the police headquarters
* Inquire every magazine about Tomitake Jirou
Takano Miyo (missing)
* Worked as a nurse at the Irie (Translator note : not sure about the reading) clinic
* Got to know Tomitake through her hobby, wild bird photographing
* Lives in Okinomiya, district X, adress XXXX. Single.
* She was seen at the festival in company of Tomitake. Whereabouts unknown after that.
* Was she kidnapped ? Or is she a suspect ? > Key witness
* No motive to kill the victim > lover's quarrel ?
* Thoroughly investigate her relations > other than at her work
* Ask the policemen that handled the festival surveillance again !
* I want to eat chou-a-la-creme.... get me 4 jumbo sized ones. > Oishi
July 1st, 1982
Memorandum I 1 - 12
XX Prefecture Police Headquarters
Chief of Department XXX
to all chiefs of police and facility managers
Regarding the Hinamizawa incidents (notification)
The incidents in Hinamizawa village of Shishibone city from the recent years, just like some media sources have already reported, is drawing curious looks from the rest of the public, and is beginning to cause serious interferences to the peaceful lives of the local residents, creating a situation that demands concern.
In order to protect the lifestyle and properties of the local residents, it is notified that the below be enforced.
1) Designated investigations to be kept secret
Okinomiya Station 1982 No.X
Hinamizawa housewife murder incident (occured on June XX)
Okinomiya Station 1982 No.X
Hinamizawa missing student incident (occured on June XX)
2) Information not to be disclosed
Onikomiya Station 1979 No.X
Hinamizawa construction manager murder incident (occured on June XX)
Shirakawa Station 1980 No.X
Shirakawa nature park falling incident (occured on June XX)
Okinomiya Station 1981 No.X
Hinamizawa priest couple missing incident (occured on June XX)
3) Request for nondisclosure from all involved organizations
Refer to attached files 1, 2, and 3
Manager XX Prefecture Police Headquarters
Extension XXXX
Department of Police Affairs XX・XX
Oishi: "Are there any drugs that causes a person to commit suicide?"
Forensics Doctor: "Directly, no"
Oishi: "The way you say it seems like there is an indirect way, then"
FD: "I meant to say, there is a way to cause a psychological effect that triggers a person to commit suicide."
Oishi: "Hmm...that's even a more difficult way of saying it. Can you explain the meaning of 'causing a psychological effect that trigger's a person to commit suicide?"
FD: "Okay, let's take a person that has bipolar disorder. A person with bipolar disorder is most likely to commit suicide at the point where his or her mental state switches from depression to mania."
The main difference from bipolar disorder to an unipolar disorder is that the former has an active and energized state in addition that kicks in interchangeably with depression.
FD: "If a patient is in the depressed state, he or she does not have the mental will to commit suicide. On the other hand, if the patient is in the hyper-active state, he or she will also not commit suicide as they are living an active life.
Oishi: "That's interesting. A bipolar person won't commit suicide in both states, yet they are most likely to at the stage where they change from the depression state to energetic state?"
FD: "When a patient is in depression, he or she has suicidal tendencies in their minds. But, they have no will to carry out the suicide since they are in major depression. However, as soon as the transition to the energetic state begins to kick in, they start to become active once again..."
Oishi: "Oh, now I get it! They start to have the active will to carry out the suicide!"
FD: "That's exactly right. So that is why it is imperative to give patients anticonvulsants during this phase."
Oishi: "So did Mr. Tomitake have bipolar disorder?"
FD: "Bipolar suicidal tendencies involve more normal suicides like jumping off a building or hanging oneself, not like an withdrawal symptom of scratching one's throat. That's sounds like an illegal substance to me."
Oishi: "Yes, Mr. Tomitake's suicide was quite unusual. So some kind of substance was used for his death. Can you explain the first one...the one about the drug that can cause a psychological effect that triggers suicidal tendencies?"
FD: "Methamphetamines are known to cause symtoms very similar to bipolar disorder. These are known in the streets as crystal meth. Some barbiturates also show signs of psychotic hyperactivity, but this is less common. This one is more known for helping people with insomnia - sleeping pills. "
Oishi: "Strangely, the coroner's report did not show any signs of substances.. Any other possibilities?"
FD: "If you scratch off illegal substances off the list, then all I can think of is a disease. One suspect in this case is Graves-Basedow Disease, whose hyperthyroidism is reported to cause effects similar to bipolar disorder. However, in the case of Graves-Basedow Disease, there are many visual signs in a patient. The deceased didn't have those symptoms so that scratches off this disease from the list."
Oishi: "Are there any ones that break out more suddenly? How can I say...like ones that matches the deceased suicide in a more unexpected and sudden manner?"
FD: "How about acute organic psychosis? To say it bluntly, a person's brain gets damaged and becomes psychotic. While this can be caused by side-effects of illegal substances, it can also happen when brain damage occurs due to tumors or direct damage to the cranial area."
Oishi: "So there is a possibility of inducing a person's psychosis without reliance of substances?"
FD: "You said the deceased was surrounded by several assailants, right? The deceased may have had an adrenaline rush compounded by a severe strike to the cranial area which may have induced his psychotic abnormality."
Oishi: "Can you say that in more simpler terms?"
FD: "Kakakaka (a laughter from a more older person). I'm saying the man got hit in the head as he was fighting off his assailants and his mind got fucked up."
Oishi: "Hahaha! So what you're saying is that the assailant(s) didn't have any motive to kill him! All they wanted to do was extort some money off the guy, but they hit him on the wrong side of the head!"
Two fat middle-aged men laughs.
Oishi: "....of course that can't be the reason."
FD: "Ahem. Indeed. Whether by illegal substance or by psychological symptoms, the deceased body itself holds the key to the clue. How's that going along?"
Oishi: "Oh shit, it's this time already? I'd better get going or Kuma-chan (Oishi's partner) will start to get pissed off."
FD: "Okay. Take care! Have a nice year!"
Oishi: "You too. Have a nice year."
Oishi: "Hmm...aren't those guys..."
Kuma (Oishi's partner): "They were wearing those distinctive assemblymember pins on their collars"
Oishi: "So that means they're probably the Sonozakis from the Prefectural House and the City Government"
Kuma: "That's interesting. The same family have members in government positions at both the Prefectural and City level?"
Oishi: "Yeah, it's nepotism I tell you. They have the same surnames so they help each other out. While the other one is busy campaigning to get re-elected, the other sets up his speeches and lectures to tell the voters to vote for his kin. They're practically doing two election campaigns at the same time."
Kuma: "I'm no lawyer, but isn't that illegal?"
Oishi: "If it doesn't constitute as being a pre-election campaign, there's no defined limit to campaigning. ...Kuma-chan, if you don't start learning these rules, you're gonna have a tough time when you're called up to do duty at campaign headquarters. You should find time to learn the basics of campaign laws."
Kuma: "I know I'm stupid, so I'm not suited for investigating intellectual crimes. heh heh heh...!"
Those two were definitely the Prefectural House Representative Sonozaki and the City Assemblyman Sonozaki. And...I bet that other guy was Hinamizawa's village chief. ...hmph, all of them were people with connections to the Sonozaki family. This doesn't sound too good.
Kuma: "Whoa, it looks like the lieutenant chief and our section manager is trying to calm them down"
I realized it right then and there. I already figured what was going on when my section manager called me up asking me out to oden that evening.
Section Manager: "Oishi-san, you're a good investigator and have lots of friends. So you probably know it already?"
Oishi: "Know what?"
Section Manager: "Hey, can I order a piece of that ganmo and hanpen? ...sorry 'bout that. Anyway, assemblymen came today in a furor at the head chief today"
Oishi: "Oh really. I didn't know that. Excuse me? Can you give me another beer?"
Both Sonozaki Prefectural and City assemblymen are of the same type of person - raucous and intimidating. Geez, I feel sorry for that young and elite head chief. He must've been scared shitless being intimidated by two yakuza-like members with such power and influence in government.
SM: "They've directly pointed your name out in protest about your investigative tactics regarding the Hinamizawa incidents."
Oishi: "Me? Why I have no recollection..."
SM: "Hey, I'm not playing games. I know you're re-investigating those past Hinamizawa cases."
Oishi: "Where did you get that idea? Do you think I have time to that? I'm up to my neck in investigating the Tomitake murder."
SM: "Are you sure? Well, if you're really telling the truth, then that's fine..."
Silence ensues between us. We quietly continue eating oden and drinking beer.
Oishi: "Geez, thanks for dinner. To tell you the truth, I kept on losing this month so my wallet isn't fat these days."
SM: "Don't worry 'bout it. Hey, can you teach me horses again? I'll bet on the same ones as Oishi-san"
Oishi: "Nahahahaha! Nah, I'm getting rusty on that one too. Can't hear the horses' neighs these days! ....yo, taxi!!!"
I'm going home on a train. The section manger is the one that's going to need the taxi. Can't use my own car to get home today. I don't want my retirement pention to disappear by getting caught drunk driving, ya know? Although the manager can still talk clearly, you can tell that he's drunk by looking at how he's beginning to stoop waist down. I put him onto the taxi and tell the driver the address to his house.
Oishi: "Alright, good night! Have a nice year...!"
SM: "Oishi-san"
Oishi: "Yes?"
SM: "Those cases have been closed. Refrain from re-investigating them. The villagers are really beginning to believe that the curse is real."
Oishi: "Well, I don't believe in curses."
SM: "Oishi-san. You're retiring next year right? You've been saying that you are going to pay off your loans with the pension and move to Hokkaido with your mom."
Oishi: "Yes. She's been recently saying that she wants to return to her native Hokkaido. I want to make my mom's last wish come true. As for the pension...well I'll have a grand time at Susukino (a red light district in Hokkaido) Nahahahaha!"
SM: "The chief's saying that he's going to re-evaluate the practice of pre-retirement wage increases."
The retirement pensions for public workers are calculated by multiplying it with the pay rate at retirement. It is not uncommon for public workers in this region to be "specially promoted at two years' rate" right before retirement in order to get a larger pension. Obviously, that's not something to be proud of. But having and not having that "special promotion at two years' rate" makes a whole lot of difference in the amount of the retirement pension that you get.
Oishi: "By-the-book, eh? Sounds exactly what an intellectual and young career elite chief would think of. ...but if you think about that our salaries are coming from the taxpayers, I guess that makes sense. Guess it's the times, huh?"
Obviously, this isn't funny to me, but I'll put on a facade right now.
SM: "I don't think of it as being by-the-book. But, considering your contribution in service all these years, I believe that you deserve it."
Oishi: "Well I would be lying if I said I didn't want it. ...Nahahahaha!"
SM: "You'll get it. If you stay focused."
Oishi: "Oh, the driver! Hey sorry to keep you waiting huh? Take good care of him to his house."
I hurriedly slammed the car door shut to end this conversation. The section manager had a look on his face that he still had something to discuss, but he started to wave as I put on a smile. I waved back.
The taxi began to accelerate and disappeared into the night lights.
Oishi: "Nahahahaha! Damn. I wonder how I'm supposed to pay off my loans now..."
Rena: "Keiichi-kun sure looks down recently, doesn't he? I wonder if he's in a bad mood?"
Mion: "Now then, I wonder? Maybe he's having his period?"
Rena: "M, m, miichan, that's so indecent...!"
Mion: "U-hya-hya-hya-hya!!"
*screen blacks out*
Rena: "......What do you think?"
Mion: "I dunno."
Rena: "........."
Mion: "Keichan, maybe he... .........you think?"
Rena: "......I don't know"
Mion: "That day, the person Keichan was talking to in the car was a fat middle aged man, right?"
Rena: "Yeah. No mistake about it."
Mion: "That Oishi, I wonder what he's feeding to Keichan...."
Rena: "It looked serious. Keiichi-kun's face was all pale."
Mion: ".........You know, Rena probably doesn't really know about this, but that guy, he's actually Oyashirosama's agent, you know?"
Rena: "Eh? What's that?"
Mion: "If that guy appears, ...then an Onikakushi happens for sure....... I'm not lying."
Rena: "............Eh? Really?"
Mion: "......Two years ago, Rika-chan's mother drowned herself, right? Right before that happened, Oishi was questioning her."
Rena: ".........Now that you mention it, he was also here just before Satoshi-kun transferred school too, wasn't he?"
Mion: "Transfer~? Ahahahahahaha, you sure are a nice person, Rena."
Rena: "Well, this time he appeared in front of Keiichi-kun...... Does that mean Keiichi-kun is going to become Onikakushi as well then?"
Mion: "............................."
Rena: "............................."
The blank of silence continued on slowly. And then it was broken in a sudden.
*screen fades back into the classroom*
By loud laughters.
"Although they appear a lot in movies, in simple terms, just what exactly are they?"
"They are believed to be a form of escape through having multiple personalities."
"Multiple personality disorders are a form of escape?"
"That's correct. Although we're still not clear about how the mechanism works, it is believed that perhaps they are a defensive measure taken by the brain in order to protect the mind."
"For example, there are some poor people would imagine themselves to be rich as a form of escape from reality, right? Are those considered to be multiple personality disorders as well?"
"We can't be absolutely certain, but in a wide sense, that would be the explanation. In other words, this is a phenomenon that's possible with anyone,"
"And when that escape from reality becomes indiscriminative, does it become a dual personality?"
"...That's a little difficult to say.... While there are some who advocate that theory, there are also others who deny it. It's still a topic under debate."
"Then for the field of psychiatry, multiple personality disorder is still a largely unknown and unexplained phenomenon?"
"Unfortunately, yes. We can expect more findings from future researches."
"But but~, dual personalities sounds kind of cool, don't you think~!? What kind of people can get dual personality disorders?"
"Rather than 'can get'..., maybe it's better to call it 'easier to get'.... According to recent researches, they're deeply involved with genetics as well as psychogenesis.... And among them, it is said that perhaps childhood abuse plays a particularly significant role in their development."
"Speaking of which, this A-kun has also suffered from child abuse too, didn't he~. Poor child~...."
"The young man A who has 7 personalities. Now then, let us continue the VTR.... But before that, a commercial break!!" (Note 1)
(Note 1: VTR = Video Tape Recorder. The entire conversation within this TIP probably came from a video documentary)
Sevens Mart is a discount liquor and grocery wholesales store located inside the city.
Keiichi's mom: "What's this, Keiichi? There's so much! You can't just get all the different flavors, you know?!"
I dumped cup noodles of various different colors all into the shopping cart.
Keiichi: "The cup noodles recently are all so fancy, and there are a lot of different types too. I want to try each one out at least once."
I know that this was half a selfish request, but I thought I'd make a challenge just for the heck of it.
Keiichi's dad: "Keiichi. Get the ones they sell in whole boxes, they're cheaper."
The old man's grumbling.
Well, I figured it'd end up like this.
If the old man comes into the play, then it can't be helped.
Keiichi: "But then there's only one flavor! I'll get tired of it!"
I'm resisting only in form.
Inside my mind, I have already given up and is lost over which box of ramen I should buy.
Keiichi's mom: "If you can't decide then Okaasan is going to pick for you."
Even if you rush me, it doesn't help...!
I quickly departed to search for the box of ramen that I want.
Keiichi's mom: "Tonkotsu Ginger flavor, giant cup? Hey Keiichi, can't you get something more normal?"
If I let the old hag pick, there's a good chance it'll be a steady choice like soy sauce or salt flavored.
Keiichi: "Tonkotsu tastes great! I know it's a big serving, but that doesn't mean it's tasteless...!!"
In this reminiscence, I was justifying my choice for the box of ramen that I had picked.
*screen freezes*
There's no way that I could turn around in this world, whose time has already ended, and has been laminated and packaged....
That's why.... the only thing that I can do is to make the eyesight, hearing, and feeling of the me in this time even more sensitive.
No matter where I searched inside my vision...... I can't find Rena.
Let's go back in time and look.
But of course, she's not found anywhere.
*screen blacks out*
Then... was she observing me from a blindspot outside of my vision...?
I go back on my hearing and feelings, and search again.
The presences of other customers.
All of them are mixed up... moving around randomly on their own.
None of them are observing me steadily, nor is there any presence of anyone following behind me.
None. Should be none. Probably none.
No matter how much my guard was down at the time... I would've definitely noticed if someone was following right behind me.
I'm laughing bitterly here for using an ambiguous expression like "probably", and yet using a contradicting adjective like "definitely"....
At that time, the replay of time stopped with a shiver.
.........There was a shadow presence behind me.
It was... a fear that can't be described.
If it was a presence that appeared behind the real me right now, then it's possible for me to turn around and make sure.
However, for the me inside a world whose time has already ended, it's impossible to turn around.
While carrying such a horrifying shadow behind me... I ran around the store happily looking for boxes of cup ramens...?
While making rude remarks about the old hag, I ran around the instant noodle aisle....
But.... behind me, that presence always stuck right onto me. It dangled right after me like a shadow.
Without...... a way to make sure of something, and not realizing it until just now...... is actually such a horrifying and repulsive thing......
I happily ran across...... the world whose time has already ended.
I held onto the cardboard box.
Patapata. (footsteps)
......But, if I listen to those footsteps carefully again...... there was a 'petapeta', something other than my own footsteps was definitely included in there as well.
Patapatapata. Petapetapeta.
Patapata. Petapeta.
Patapatapata. Petapetapeta.
Exactly the same as my running, the 'petapeta' sound of footsteps that sounded like they were made by bare feet followed behind me.
I happily ran across...... the world whose time has already ended.
But that was only because...... I couldn't hear it.
No, it is because I heard it that I'm able to recall it like this.
... I heard it, but I didn't mind it.
That's why I didn't turn around.
That's why, I couldn't turn around...!!!
In the world whose time has already ended, I'm always being chased by a 'petapeta' sound of footsteps.
I can't run any faster and escape either.
For the me whose time has already ended, I can only run at the predetermined speed.
Nor can I turn around.
Since the me whose time has already ended never turned around once.
And then, I arrive back at the sides of my parents, and begin a conversation. While carrying the shadowy presence with me.
Since I'm not moving, the shadow doesn't move either. Therefore there's no sound. That's all.
At the time, I was supposedly conversing with my parents without moving a single step.
I remained standing perfectly still. No doubt about it.
And yet, ......a 'peta' ... sound was made.
That can't be possible.
If I run 3 steps, you follow 3 steps. That was the rule, wasn't it...?
There are no more sounds after that.
At that instant, the entire world had a power outage.... It was a sudden total darkness.
This reminiscence trip is over now.
I want to sleep for today now.
I want to end this.
Somebody turn on the lights.
But my body won't move.
...As if it was sewed onto... this world whose time has already ended.
Peta.
The hairs on my entire body stand up.
No way...?!
You've been breaking the rules since earlier!!
I'm not walking!
So you can't walk either!!
I'm not moving! So you don't move either!! Follow the rules!!!
Peta.
And yet, once more, that sound echoed across the darkness.
The hairs on the back of my head stirs up.
To a distance behind me close enough that I can't tell whether it's touching my hairs or not....... it has come.
Why can't I move like how the presence behind me is moving?!?!
... I soon realized it.
I can move.
...... I just can't turn around because I'm afraid.
Now's the only time I can turn around.
The action was not allowed in the world whose time has already ended.... But...... I have to turn around now......!!
All the cells within my body, as if trying to stop me from doing this forbidden action, begin to claim of pains like needles pricking away at every single pore on my skin....
I'll turn around!
I'll turn around!
It ain't scary at all!!
I'll turn around!
I'll turn around!
It ain't scary at all!!!!
It was a scream without sounds within my chest.
oOoOoOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!
I turned around.
......And there, .......... I didn't get the meaning of it at first.
Keiichi: ".........Eh, ....................Eh?"
This is..................... Eh?
With the situation placed in front of me, it's like someone who has to take a bite out of an apple and drink it's juice before realizing that it's an apple......... my brain begins to eat the apple.
Munch, munch, it begins to chew on it....
Drinking the juice......... It realized that it's an apple.
In other words......... what's in front of me is,
GYAAAAAaAAaAAaAAaAAAaAAAaAaaA........
Mion: "Sorry you guys. I have to go help out at my uncle's shop today."
Kei: "What? So no club activity today?"
Mion: "Yeah. Ahahaha. I'll make it up next time...!"
Mion clasps her hands as a sign of apology while snickering at the same time.
Mion: "Well you can feel free to do it without me? There's a bunch of games in that locker. Pick out anyone you like."
The locker she pointed to is that locker filled with games. It is a mystery how that small locker can fit that bunch of games. Perhaps it's connected to a fourth-dimensional world or something...? Not only that, but that locker seems to have whole sorts of junk (costumes?)...! If we were to clean out that locker, I think this whole classroom floor will become filled with junk.
Kei: "...I'll pass. If I open that locker up, I think it's gonna cause an avalanche."
Mion: "Ahahaha! On second thought you're right! That's not something for beginners. Kukuku!"
Mion started laughing as if that can be only be done by the leader of the group.
Rika: "Mii. The teacher is looking for the key to the PE storage room. Do you know where it is?"
Mion: "Huh? Didn't I return that to the faculty office?"
Mion started to check her pockets. ...judging from her facial expression, I think that's where the keys are even though she thought that she returned it.
Satoko: "See. I did believe that it was Mion-san! I absolutely, absolutely suspected her!"
Mion: "...Me too. I am correct as with Satoko."
Satoko and Rika clap their hands together in joy.
Mion: "Shush you!"
Gasun! Gosun!
Mion hits Satoko and Rika-chan's head lightly and started going to the faculty office.
Kei: "Oh. Did you guys hear? Mion has to go to her job so there's no club activity today."
Satoko: "Is that so?! I do believe that's pretty boring."
Rika: "....mii."
They both look unexcited now. ...As much as I hate to admit it, but the number one reason for coming to school is to enjoy the afternoon club activity with Mion. Since that enjoyment has been cancelled, I wouldn't be surprised if they look down.
Kei: "Mion's got a job right? ...What kind of job does she have?"
Whenever Mion decided to cancel the activity, it's usually because of her job. However, I don't see her go that frequently. There are times she would go two~three days in a row, then there are times she never does. What kind of job has a flexible working day like that?
Rika: "...she doesn't have a specific place to work."
Kei: "Hm? So that means it's more like a temporary day-job kinda thing?"
I can't imagine Mion wearing a construction helmet, sweating and toiling at a construction site.
Satoko: "Mion's more like a on-call helper whenever her uncles' shops needs a helping hand."
Kei: "Oh, I see. Come to think of it, most of her jobs were about going to her uncle's place."
Rika: "She has a bunch of uncles who own businesses, so Mii's always an asset to them."
A bunch of uncles that are shopowners? There's many of them?
Satoko: "Oh, Keiichi-san. You haven't realized it yet? Mion's relatives own many and many stores in and around Okinomiya."
Kei: "Oh really? I didn't realize that. ...So does that mean they own a wide variety of stores?"
Satoko: "Yes. There's the bakery, the Ramen restaurant. There's a lot more. That toy store that we went to the other day. That too."
That's...quite a surprise there. Wow...!
Kei: "...Wow. Mion's family must have an excellent merchant blood in them or something! To have and own so many types of stores is quite amazing!"
Rika: "There's also the loan shark, the jiageya (a type of yakuza that forces people off their property for cheap price in order to sell the property more expensively), the image club, soaplands. They've stretched their hands into a lot of business."
Uh, I think I heard something that I shouldn't have, but anyway...! I understand that her family owns a bunch of businesses in the area.
Kei: "So that's the reason why when I borrow money from her, she's quite erratic in getting it back. It's because she has the blood of loan sharks in her too! Now I get it!"
Rika: "There was one time where I forgot that I borrowed some money to buy some groceries, and she came over to have it paid back or 'I'll dunk you in the bath.' (dunk you into a bath is another way of saying I'll sell you off to a brothel)"
...Rika-chan being sent off to a specialized brothel for borrowing money... Oh shit...I think I'm starting to nosebleed~
Satoko: "I do believe that's a stupid way to die. Being drowned in a bathtub? Hahaha"
...huh? I don't think Satoko realizes the real meaning of what Rika-chan just said. How naive. Both me and Rika-chan starts patting her head.
Satoko: "...?! ...wha, why are you two patting me?! ...?!"
Rika: "Satoko, you're such a nice person. Pat Pat."
Satoko still couldn't figure it out, but I think she realized that she was being pitied.
Satoko: "Huh? Mion's family?"
Kei: "Yeah. To say it more simply, I was wondering if she has any siblings or what not."
I asked Satoko as I was curious whether or not there really was a twin sister named Shion.
Satoko: "hmm...well...I do believe that she may have or not..."
She doesn't seem to be able to give me a clear cut answer. Perhaps she hasn't gone over to Mion's place before?
Kei: "By the looks of it, it seems like you haven't met any"
Satoko: "Yes. I do believe that I only know of her grandmother"
Hmm. Looks like my theory of Shion really existing has reached a dead end from the start.
Satoko: "Perhaps Rika might know. I do believe that such things are better answered by Rika."
Satoko waves her hand to Rika warming underneath the sun.
Satoko: "Rika~. Do you know anything about Mion's family?"
Rika was taken by surprise by such an sudden question
Rika: "....Mii has many many relatives so I don't know every one of them."
Kei: "Her family is that large? Okay...hmm...all right, is there a person by the name of Sonozaki Shion? Uhh...I may have heard it wrong so that person may or may not exist though..."
Rika: "...are you talking about Shii? Yes there is a Shion."
Huh? Really? Wow that was an interesting response. So she does exist!
Satoko: "Really? How similar sounding names they both have. I may accidentally bite my tongue when saying it"
Rika: "...I have heard that she is Mii's twin sister, but I haven't met her that much yet"
Rika-chan seems to know her, but not quite that well.
Rika: "I think I have met her once when there was a village meeting several years ago"
Kei: "Since she isn't in our class, then that mean she is attending the other school in Okinomiya then"
Satoko: "There's the possibility that she lives in Okinomiya. Besides, Mion's living separately from her parents as she lives with her grandmother."
Mion lives separately from her own parents? That's a little strange. I wonder why?
Rika: "Her family is...a bit complicated."
Satoko: "There's probably some kind of reason since her family is that big"
Well at least I learned that there is a twin sister named Shion, but her family relationship is as more mysterious as herself...
Mion: "Hey, what are you three up to? Can ojisan join too?"
Satoko: "Oh Mion-san, you came at a good time! Mion-san, is it true that you have a twin sister?'
Oh crap...it's Mion
Mion: "er....a twin sister?! umm...yeah, yes, there is..."
Mion blushes red in embarrassment in a highly unlikely fashion from her usual self. Is it just me or is she trying to seek out my response...?
Satoko: "Oh~! I did not know that~! I wonder what kind of person she is. I would definitely like to see her one of these days~!!"
Mion: "No don't! Ugh, I don't think you would want to! Uh...she isn't cute or anything and...she's also selfish and...! Ah...I only talk to her once in a while on the phone and yeah, I haven't seen her lately either...!"
...hey hey, Mion's panicking a bit. That's clearly spilling the beans that 'Shion' that I saw yesterday was a fake... But it's kinda funny to see Mion in such a state so I'll just let it be.
...Mion's pseudonym, Shion. ...I wonder if I can get to see her again at that restaurant? I am absolutely certain that they are one and the same person, but what is this weird feeling that I have? It's like I've just met a new friend.
A reprint from the April issue of the undefeatable skirmish photography guide "Complete Conquest Analysis (Family Restaurant Edition)":
And so, finally, the bloody hot day 3.
The super famous store located in a remote region called Shishibone City in XX prefecture that has all the maniacs drooling is this Angel Mort.
Why is it that famous stores are always so far removed from the population?.... I can't think of any reason except that it must be a trial from the god of skirmish photography.
To the locals, Angel Mort is a restaurant known for its delicious desserts, but we don't care about that!
If we wanted to eat expensive desserts, we could just go to place liks Fu_ya or something! (Note 1)
The sweet dessert that we're aiming for is not the food...... but the uniform-!!
Releasing sweet fragrances of sweat, you can even say that the waitress uniforms, which are a required attirement, are as good as a physical restraint in public!
Are you telling me that such a humiliation play is occuring publicly at a shop with the cutest uniforms in the whole country?!
Scramble! Skirmish Photography Hunter----------!!
☆Smoking seats actually get you MAX positions instead? Aim for the chance by using the octopus cling!
Ryuu: "Since I failed at getting my seat yesterday, you see. Today for sure, I will aim for that ultimate golden seat, the smoking area's corner booth seat! Normally, an overwhelming number of otakus prefer the non-smoking seats. Therefore, from the smoking seats, we can take our aims with ease."
As expected of Hunter Ryuu.
It's almost as if victory or defeat is decided the moment you picked your seat.
Actually, using the same strategy, Ryuu has succeeded in getting a high-setting seat over at Akihabara's XXXXXX on it's first day.
Today, we also came in the afternoon, avoiding the lunchtime rush hour, and after confirming the availability of the seat we're aiming for, an easy get.
Using tricks like making small orders, we increase our engagement opportunities while waiting for a skirmish photography chance....
However... perhaps that thing (※1) from the other day really cursed us after all, the god of skirmish photography is not smiling down on us!!
Other than one slip-up at 3 o'clock in the series of tough guards, chances have not been presenting themselves at all.
By 4 o'clock, even our orders are being picked up by men instead, it appears that our cover has been blown....
A clean retreat if you have been marked, that's the unspoken hunter rule.......
Ryuu: "The aim was perfect, but... It appears that the fork technique we did back at 2:30 backfired on us...
I guess they would be cautious after all if there's a bag placed on the floor in a booth seat---....
Maybe hidden cameras in boston bags has already become a fossil technique....
If we clinged on for half a day with double digit EGs, then we could've had a sufficiently high encounter rate, but.... what a pity."
Even then, he still managed to get a few treasure shots.
...A hunter indeed.
Even complaining of poor conditions we still got this nice angle. A professional.
But what's shocking is the fact that there still hasn't been any claims from this time's Grand Trans-Japan Uniform Conquest (Family Restaurant Edition)!
A nice starting sign for the hunter who boasts of having been under the care of half the regional police divisions in the entire country?!
※1 That thing from the other day
The Nagoya Miko Cuisine XX that the Hunter challenged the other day.
The Hunter was too enthusiastic that he actually got blown the moment he stepped into the store, and got placed in a booth with high priest treatment right off the bat.
Even though he clinged on for over half a day, Miko-san didn't show up at all except for the 1st order...!
An unfitting big miss for the Hunter!!
And now, it's time for the ever-so-popular Hunter's raw photograph present corner!!
We will be giving away a 3 raw photographs set piece, picked directly by the Hunter featuring Angel Mort uniforms from an all-you-can-see low angle, to one lucky reader!!
From these super hot photographs, you too can become a skirmish photographer starting today!!
===================
(Note 1: He's probably referring to Fujiya, the famous Japanese company that specializes in snacks and desserts)
Note: although the anime showed Keiichi returning the bento box back to Shion, this TIP shows what actually happened in the game instead.
Also note that at this point of the game, Keiichi still thinks that "Shion" was only a Mion in disguise (timeline wise, this TIP was received directly after the scene where Keiichi received the bento box from "Shion").
=======================================
Keiichi: "Oi, Mion. Here."
Mion: "Wa, w, what is it, Keichan...!?"
I push out the bento box, which I received yesterday as a treat, in front of Mion's face.
Keiichi: "It's the bento box that I got yesterday as a treat. Thanks for the meal. It tasted great."
Mion: *blush* "...fue, ...........ah, ......,"
...Mion's face went "pa------" and turned slightly red.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y104/kj1980/mion_tere_moe.jpg
......Oi oi, the one who brought me the bento was supposed to be Shion, remember...?
It makes no sense for you to turn red while you're in Mion mode, you know....
At this rate, there's a good chance she's going to dig her own grave and self-explode, so for the time being, I'll do a follow-up.
Keiichi: "Yeah. I was hungry yesterday, you see. And Shion came all the way out to my house and brought a bento treat for me. Well, this is that bento box. I washed it properly!"
Mion: "Ah, ......Ahaha, I, I see! Shion sure is thoughtful~!"
What a transparent reaction.
... Was Mion actually this much of a lousy liar?
... But in a way, these expressions which are totally different from her usual self,
... looked unbelievable and cute to me.
Mion: "Well, h, how was it?"
Keiichi: "...I think she was like a perfect copy of Mion. Since you guys are twins, right? It's obvious that you guys would be alike."
Mion: "Um, ......Th......that's not it... Umm......"
Mion looks like she's waiting for an answer to something with a dazed expression.
... Maybe when she asked "how was it?", she didn't mean about Shion's looks, but about the bento's quality instead...?
Keiichi: "Ahh, of course! It was delicious."
Mion: "...Eh, ......Ah, ...Really?"
Keiichi: "I don't tell lies when it comes to comments about foods. If I say it was delicious, then it's delicious no matter who eats it! It was good enough for me to recommend it to tens of thousands of other peoples. Tell Shion that it was actually delicious for me."
Mion: "Ah, ......Y, yeah! To Shion, right! I'll tell her! I think she'll be happy for sure...! Ahahahahahaha...!"
Even though this would mean that I got the bento from Shion instead of Mion. Mion really... laughed as if she's glad from the bottom of her heart.
... I guess Mion is also capable of laughing in a way that makes others feel good too just by looking at her. Although the sarcasm was about roll off my tongue, I swallowed them back down as they are.
Mion was putting the bento box into her school bag when she noticed the clanking sounds coming from inside.
Mion: "......Keichan, there's something inside? Eh? *blush* ............................Waa......"
Geh, ...this dummy, she opened it up right on the spot...!
Since the contents are a little embarassing for me, I didn't want her to open it up here.
I hurriedly tried to cover them with my hands!
Keiichi: "Umm... Umm! This is you know, my mom told me to put something in as a sign of appreciation! It's not really my idea or anything, see! So don't get the wrong idea!!"
Mion: "......So pretty.... Candies...."
Inside the sparkling clean bento box is a handful of candies wrapped in pretty looking wrappers.
...Basically, while I was washing the bento box at the sink yesterday, I got "interrogated" by the mom, and was forced to tell her who the treat was from.
And then mom stated that these kind of things have to be returned with something placed inside as a sign of gratitude. ...I resisted by saying that it's embarassing, and that it's not my style, but....
Keiichi: "......A, ...nd that's why. Well, you know, ...uu......."
I'm embarassed to a point that flames could be coming out of my face.
... It might have been better if an usual Mion would just laugh this all off, but ... for some reason, Mion is staring at the candies inside the bento box with a mesmerized look on her face.
Mion: "......Ah, ...Thank you."
Keiichi: "D, don't tell it to me. Tell it to my mom, she's the one who put them in! B-b, besides, there's no need for Mion to say thanks, right?! Because those are for Shion, remember?!"
Mion: "............Ah, ...yeah. That's right, isn't it.... Yeah. I'll let Shion know! I think Shion will be happy too."
While looking slightly disheartened, Mion closes the bento box's lid. ...It looks like I ended up saying something a little mean after all.
*bell rings*
Rena: "Miichan feels kind of bubbly today, don't you think? Did something good happen to her, I wonder. I wonder!"
Satoko: "...Perhaps she has caught a cold or something? Her red face must be due to a slight fever. .........uh, Rika, why are you petting my head?"
Rika: "......Satoko too, will definitely become able to catch colds herself one day."
...Pat pat.
Delinquent A: "Dude. Get your hands off me! Why the fuck do we have to be arrested?!"
Delinquent B: "I said fuck off! Let go you shithead!"
Oishi: "Kuma-chan, you can let go of them now. Here, have a seat."
Kuma-chan seems to have put a pretty big tighthold on these three, so they've started rubbing their arms as soon as they were let go.
Oishi: "Nahahaha. I think you are mistaken. We didn't take you guys here to be arrested. Kuma-chan, can you bring them something cold to drink? So...you guys want to drink barley that foams (beer) or the one that doesn't (barley tea)? Hmm?"
They've quit yelling but they still have angry looks on their faces as they sat down on the sofa. Hahaha, it's great to be young ain't it?
Oishi: "What? You're not drinking? Okay then, I'll start drinking all by myself. Psshh. Oh yeah...nothing beats drinking a beer while at work."
As Oishi began drinking the beer tastefully, the delinquents all looked at each other. They were still in suspicion, but they couldn't find anything wrong with drinking the beer, so they began to open their beers as well. The three popped open their beer cans and started drinking.
Oishi: "So, where are you guys from? I assume you're not from around here?"
The delinquents looks at each other whether or not they should say where they are from.
Oishi: "You guys are...college kids (in the anime, they were portrayed as delinquent high schoolers)? You guys are all friends? Going on a road trip, huh? Wow, I am so jealous."
Delinquents: "................."
Oishi: "So your house is not close from here, I assume. Where did you guys come from. Osaka?"
Delinquents: "Why the fuck do you care?"
Oishi: "Calm down, calm down. We've taken you here to protect you. You guys were gonna get jumped back there."
They've began recalling what just happened. They've probably were used to being jumped by rival gang members or students. But I'm as hell sure they've never experienced being surrounded by the villagers - young and old, male or female. I can expect that they must've been scared shitless.
Oishi: "People around here know to never piss off the residents of Hinamizawa. ...people there are somewhat...special. It's not like a parent coming out between a kid's fight. Oh no. In there, if you gang up on one resident, the whole village comes out to fight. I'm not joking - it's serious ya' know?"
No response from them. Well, they've just experienced it first hand.
Oishi: "If a person becomes sighted as a stern by a resident of Hinamizawa, that person just disappears as an 'onikakushi.' I'm talking Without a trace. ...You guys have any friends or relatives who will submit a missing person's report if you go missing? No? That's too bad...you'll just vanish then. unfufufufufu!"
You guys should be thankful we were passing by at the right place at the right time, or I wouldn't know what the fuck would've happened to you guys. If you guys were dragged into an alley, you guys would've probably be ended up on top of the coroner's table instead of sitting on this sofa like a bunch of idiots. Unfufufufu! Of course, I would never say that to their face...no, not yet.
But, that's still the lucky case where we do find your body. sigh...
Oishi: "So how did you guys get to Okinomiya? By train? By motorcycle?"
Delinquents: "...motorcycle"
Oishi: "Hmmm...that's too bad. You guys still left your bikes there right? If you go back there now to retrieve your belongings, you'll definitely get jumped."
Delinquents: "W...What the fuck!! The hell with them!! Bring them bitches on!!"
Calm down, calm down... sigh...why do kids these days have such short tempers?
Oishi: "I know you guys don't want to get into any trouble right? So tell me the license plate number of your motorcycles. We'll tow it over here for your sake. Hey Kuma-chan, can you get the tow truck ready?"
Kuma-chan: "Right!"
Delinquents: "T..That's not necessary...! We'll go and pick it up ourselves!"
Oishi: "Are you guys out of your mind? You want to get lynched? You won't get lucky this time ya' know?"
Delinquents: "................."
Delinquents: "Fuck that shit! I told you, bring them bitches on! We'll take 'em all down!"
Oishi: "....yo. I'm asking you nicely. You've just drank some beer right now, eh? ...If you turn on the engine right now and I'll bust your asses for drunk driving."
Delinquents: "....F...Fucking ass cop...!!"
Oishi: "This 'fucking ass cop' is asking you nicely to tow your stupid asses' motorcycle out of taxpayers' money. Now shut the fuck up and give me the license plate numbers of your motorcycles you dumb shitwads!!"
The three delinquents somehow does not want to give the police the license plate numbers. ...They started saying things like '...well we've just bought it so we don't remember the plate off the top of their head" and what not. ....sigh, just as I expected....
Oishi: "Kuma-chan, can you go along with the tow truck and point out which one to bring them over here? I believe it was the big bulky red Yamaha one, then there was the one with the right brake lamp that was broken, and...I believe it was the white one with the seat taped over? Am I correct, fellas?"
Hmph. No answer. I must be correct then.
Kuma-chan: "Oishi-san, the tow truck's here, so I'm gonna get going."
Oishi: "Yea, yea. Thanks. Oh, and Kuma-chan, one more thing..."
Kuma-chan: "What?"
Oishi: "Just to be safe, can you cross-reference the license plate with the database?"
The three's face turned blue. ...Geez, these guys are just too easy...
Oishi: "So, it's gonna be a while 'til the bikes get here. You guys want some more beer? I have some munchies too ya know? Or how 'bout the TV? There's nothing interesting on at this moment though."
Delinquents: "..the hell with this, we're gonna get going. We'd had enough of this shit!"
But, they realized that they were suddenly surrounded by 5-6 big and muscular police officers who are putting pressure by staring down at them.
Delinquents: "W...What the fuck!! We ain't got no shit!!"
Sigh, two counts each, stolen motorcycle and attempted extortion. What a bunch of losers...
Shion: "I told you, today isn't the first time we've met! We've been meeting each other since yesterday and the day before!"
Kei: "...Whatever. If you say so, alright then."
The person looking after Shion brought over his stationwagon to take me home. I initially refused, but she insisted and put my bike in the trunk before I could say anything.
I am currently inside her car as it drives along the gravels of Hinamizawa. Shion is on par, or even surpassing Mion as an actor, as she wouldn't budge on the things that I ask her.
Kei: "Anyway, you two look very similar. I probably won't be able to tell the difference between you and Mion if you tied your hair back like her"
Shion: "Well duh, we're identical twins! Perhaps you won't! Ahahaha. Ah, the memories. I remember we used to change our clothes and no one would suspect us! We've used to change places many times in the past to deceive people!"
The chaffeur wearing an all black suit sighs in despair.
Shion: "What's wrong Kasai? What's with that deep sigh you just did?"
Kasai: "Pardon me ma'am. ...It's just that I thought you haven't changed"
I could see the chaffeur's toils and endurance that he has lived through by looking at his reflected face on the back mirror.
Shion: "Anyway, Kei-chan. Is this the correct way to your house? Kasai doesn't really know Hinamizawa except for the route to the Sonozaki main household, so if you don't give directions, we might end driving all the way to the riverbed."
Kei: "Wha? Oh, okay. Sorry, you can drop me off at that narrow street coming up to your right. I'll take it from there."
The car stopped at the place that I requested. Kasai-san took out the bicycle from the luggage compartment.
Kei: "Oh, thank you... Thank you for driving me home"
Kasai: "Your name was...Keiichi-san, am I correct?"
Kei: "Huh? Oh yes, it is."
Kasai: "...I can foresee that you are bound to get into a lot of trouble [dealing with Shion], but try your patience out and these will just become a routine day."
Kasai-san seems to have put on a very deep expression of pity towards me. I can tell he has gotten all the runaround dealing with the Sonozaki twin sisters since they were little kids.
Kasai: "But she is just like Mion-san. She is very kind at heart"
Kei: "...You mean she is troublesome just like Mion?"
Kasai-san showed a slight snicker, but didn't say anything out of respect. Hey c'mon, what's that supposed to mean?
Shion: "Good night Kei-chan! See you again tomorrow! Say hi to my sister to me, okay? Hmm...perhaps I should start going to Hinamizawa from tomorrow?"
Kei: "...Please don't. If you transfer to Hinamizawa, I'll transfer to Okinomiya."
Shion: "Oh, that's uncalled for Kei-chan...!"
We were interrupted by a short honk. Kasai-san waves at good-bye and starts driving off. The car disappears into the darkness of the night, leaving behind a small fog of dust in the air.
...What a day this has been. I still could not get the image of Mion's surprised expression of my head. She really must've been in shock to see me with Shion right in front of her.
Freakman
2006-05-10, 02:58
<About Oyashiro-sama's curse.>
What the Onigafuchi village feared the most was Oyashiro-sama's curse.
There's very little left that describes what kind of punishment Oyashiro-sama eventually dealt.
Among the various legends about the village, several disturbing ones that looked like the village was completely destroyed stood out, as "He'll open the gates to hell", "Demons will flow out", "The infernal miasma will come out and kill all of the people in the village without leaving them a chance to escape."
It's easy to think that this dreadful divine punishment, matching other religions descriptions of hell, was but a way to coerce people into obeying the doctrine by making them believe they would avoid this fate if they did.
Provoking Oyashiro-sama's wrath is tantamount to breaking one of Onigafuchi's taboos.
Once one was broken, Oyashiro-sama was said to be "angered", and to calm down his anger, a Sacrifice Ritual was carried out, as described below.
<The Sacrifice Ritual>
The Sacrifice Ritual was carried out very simply: by drowning. The victim was drowned into the scared site called the Onigafuchi Marsh.
One of the most unique aspects is that in Onigafuchi village, the victim was slowly drowned into the marsh over the course of three days and three nights. This was perhaps because the point of the ritual was not to "kill," but was a pun to "put down." ("put down" meaning to putting the victim down into the marsh and to putting down/quelling the evil spirits)
Considering this theory, there must've been many methods and ideas that were conceived to slow the drowning of the victim into the marsh. Unfortunately, no record exists on what kinds of methods were used for that ritual.
My theory is that they used a log as a mini-boat and used it as an altar, tied the victim up with ropes, and slowly lowered the victim down into the marsh according to the day of the time. However, if that was the case, such contraptions must be safely stored somewhere as a "saigu." ("saigu" literally means "festivity item." This term will come up over an over again, so it will be much easier to remember this terminology)
<Saigus used at the rituals>
The ritual equipments used are known as "saigu," and are safely locked away at the Furude Shrine and in the storages of the other gosanke.
However, these "saigu" are all of contemporary form and none of them reveal the true nature of the dark history of the Onigafuchi village. Had these been lost along with the rituals when the era changed from the end of the Edo period to Meiji? I do not believe so. I sternly believe that the real "saigus" used during the nights of Onikakushi and sacrificial rituals still exist. They exist right here and now, at somewhere in this village of Hinamizawa.
I have 90% certainty where they might be stored. For some reason starting from this year, the place that I suspect stores these items have been changed from a tightly secured lock to a simple padlock. I'm pretty sure that such a cheap lock can be picked open very easily by that man.
However, the village meetings are held very close to that location with high human activity. But I do not give up. The night where all of Hinamizawa will be attending is approaching. That is the prime time to go under the darkness as a blindspot.
It's almost the time for Watanagashi.
---------------------------------------------------
gosanke: literally means "The Big Three Households." This will be explained in detail in Scrapbook VII (http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=558540&postcount=36)
murmurs murmurs...
Police Investigator A: "Man, you're tired already? Tomorrow's the big day! You'd better put yourself back into shape cuz you're gonna to work from dawn to midnight, alright?!"
Kuma-chan: "Yes sir! I'll give it 120% sir!"
PI A: "Yeah, that's the spirit! That's how young'uns should be!"
PI B: "Good night y'all! Tomorrow's Watanagashi. Make sure y'all get good sleep tonight to build up strenght for tomorrow!"
Tomorrow is Watanagashi.
There are two sides to a festival - one is the side that enjoys it, and the other is the one that provides it. In the former, all one needs for preparation is their excitement. But for the latter, you need the will of the body, the power of the mind, and a well coordinated plan. While everyone is enjoying the festival, we must be constantly stay focused to provide security. Why?
PI A: "Duh! It's because the beer tastes great after everything's done!"
Everyone: "Wahahahahahaha!"
This what I love about these athletic type guys! They give it all they've got for the reward that comes afterwards!
Kuma-chan: "Ooh, he's here...!"
Oishi-san steps in. Everyone jolts and stands up.
Oishi: "It's okay, relax. There's no need to stand. How's it going, you guys?"
Everyone: "Very well sir!!"
Even though these investigators are much more veterans than me, they hold high respect towards Oishi-san. They talk like the members in cheering gangs that are addressing their superior.
This is Oishi Kuraudo-san. He's a lone-wolf type of guy who doesn't do much these days. He is spending his last year here until his upcoming retirement. He often uses indecent languages and has the image of a lecherous old man. But according to these veteran investigators, it seems he had built a lot of legends during his tenure. ...Anyway, his presence in this room is lot larger than the section manager that came along with him.
Section Manager: "I thank you all for preparing for tomorrow's Watanagashi."
Everyone listens to the section manager's words.
Section Manager: "As with last year, we will be there to prevent any unusual activity that may occur touted as a part of the serial murders. Please give everything you got to prevent such a crime happening once again."
Everyone: "Yes, sir!!"
Oishi: "Sure, it'll be best if nothing happens but....be wary that it is going to happen again. It will be ideal to prevent the thing from happening, but there's probably no use. One person is going to die and another is gonna go missing. There's no use denying it. Unfufufufu!"
Everyone but the section manager started to chuckle.
SM: "Oishi-san, you can't say that! You've gotta handle this more seriously..."
Oishi: "The goal isn't to get through the with festival. ...It's to bite down hard on what's gonna happen tomorrow night and never letting it go. Squeeze up your asses y'all!! We're going to bust down and rip open the truth of the Oyashiro-sama's curse!!!!"
Everyone: "YES SIR!!!!"
<About Watanagashi>
Right now, the ceremony of Watanagashi is a village festival held in June of every year, however, if we were to trace it back to its origin, we will actually discover a bloody ritual.
Originally, Watanagashi was a cannabalistic banquet where, based on a predetermined cycle, a "sacrifice" entrusted by Oyashirosama would be selected, the villagers would then kidnap (Onikakushi), dismember, and then eat the person through ritualistic methods.
(There are many mysteries regarding to the laws of the cycle. Because the intervals between the rituals were very irregular. One explanation suggests that the intervals were decided though fortunes based on readings of the stars, but it lacks believability.)
The inhabitants of the ancient Onigafuchi village deeply believed themselves to be mystical beings (sennins) of half-man, half-demon that are a higher existence above other human beings, and made it well known throughout the land.
Perhaps the act of abducting people and eating them was carried out as a way of showing superiority within the food chain?
This is just a hypothesis, but perhaps in a situation when some form of dissatisifaction has been solicited within the Onigafuchi village, which was an isolated environment, the ritual of Watanagashi was actually a political event that would be carried out to serve as an outlet or distraction?
If this was the main objective for holding the ceremony, then it also helps in explaining its irregular cycle.
<Why are so many ritual equipments required?>
Almost no descriptions regarding to the concrete shapes of the "Saigus" (Ritual Equipments) can be found.
However, there is no doubt that they exist, and in many wide variations at that.
According to one reference book, over two hundred ritual equipments were used in the ceremony of Watanagashi alone.
The question that arises at this point would be "why is it that such wide variety of items were required?"
The ceremony of Watanagashi is the dismemberment and eating of the people who were kidnapped through Onikakushi.
From that, we can anticipate the existence of tools used for dismemberment or restraint, but over two hunreds would simply be too much.
Normally, the evolution of a tool is the forage towards a certain goal point.
Usually, once a certain level of efficiency has been obtained, no futher evolution would be asked for.
In spite of that, what is the reason for the development of this much variety then?
One culture that has diversified along with the ages is entertainment.
The tools used in entertainment evolves together with the passage of time, and diversify.
Unlike regular tools, when entertainment tools reach their goal point, they hit a dead end (slump), but they could also split into numerous sub-variations in search of the next goal point.
Then, is it not possible to think that entertainment values could rest within these "Saigus", said to exist in over two hundred variations, as well?
Of course, this is also simply a hypothesis, but perhaps the process of dismembering a human being was treated as a type of entertaiment (show)?
In order to avoid boring the audience, various innovative and eye-catching "Saigus (dismemberment tools)" were developed one after another by the successive heads of the Great Three Households.... It's not an impossible way to think about it.
There's no doubt that all the tools are being enshrined within that ritual equipments chamber.
The night of Watanagashi is almost here.
Even though its original meanings has already been lost, I am about to solve the mysteries of the ritual equipments chamber on the night of a refined traditional ceremony.
... I can't hold back the swells within my chest.
Watanagashi, it can't come soon enough.
Inside the station at midnight, tension is in the air.
Amidst the silence, some station employees look back and forth between the clock and the telephone while the stifling time passes by.
Kumagai-kun dashed into the room together with some other young'uns.
Kuma-chan: "Oishi-san, we got the autopsy inquest! Jii-sama has also arrived just now!! I'm also on Stand By OK!! We're going to head straight towards Gifu!!"
Oishi: "Kuma-chan, things have gotten a little bit more complicated. It appears that the body over there is in a state that makes it very difficult to determine its identity."
Kuma-chan: "It can't be that, it's in pieces...?!"
Oishi: "Nope. They say it's been toasted rather nicely."
Although it was said in a jokey tone, it carried a heavy meaning.
...Sighs escape from the station employees.
Kuma-chan: "From top to bottom...?"
Oishi: "Completely burnt up, they say. That kind of stench must be hell. I sure feel bad for the Gifu guys."
No belongings and toasted. On top of that, thown away outside of the prefecture....
If we're unlucky, it might even take a whole week before we can get an identity.
... Being able to sniff it out within tonight will be big.
Oishi: "Right now, Komiyama-kun's group is doing a thorough night ambush on Okinomiya's dental clinic. There's no other way except to do a dental record check... Excuse me! Can somone go and buy me two packs of Ultra Mild?"
A young one answered and dashed out into the hallway.
Kuma-chan: "......This year, we did a good job finding the body, didn't we? ...Perhaps all the missing persons in the past were also offed outside the prefecture like this?"
Oishi: "Then why not just bury them? Just put a weight on them and toss them into the Sea of Japan or Lake Biwa or something."
Kuma-chan: "...But why? ...Isn't the pattern up until now supposed to be 1 person dying and 1 person disappearing?"
Oishi: "Kuma-chan. The victim was toasted inside a drum can without any restraints, remember? I believe the victim was probably burned on purpose after being done in first. Being discovered was an anticipated event."
Kuma-chan: "Then, in other words..., do you mean to say that there was no intention to hide the victim right from the beginning for this year?"
Oishi: "Rather than saying there was no intention to hide the victim, I'd say it's something completely different from that. Forget hiding, it feels almost as if a statement is being made instead."
Kuma-chan: "In other words... Are you saying that this is done as some kind of warning?"
Oishi crosses his arms, and let's out a lon~~~g... sigh that's been building up inside his chest for a while now.
Oishi: "If this happened within the city, then that's a possibility too. But if the body was sent that far away before being burnt, with bad luck, we wouldn't even find it. If this was a warning, then it should've been done closer to Hinamizawa....... Wanting to make a claim about the kill, yet doing it in a far away location where the effect isn't guaranteed. Do you want to make a claim or do you want to hide it?......... Just what exactly is Oyashirosama thinking this year, I wonder~"
The ring tone of telephone slices through the heavy silence. A nearby station employee picks up the receiver.
Employee: "Oishi-san! It's Komiyama-san!! They got it! The victim was at the Okinomiya dental clinic 3 years ago for a wisdom tooth treatment!!"
Oishi: "And the record?!"
Employee: "It's got the X-rays and everything!"
Oishi: "Well..., I really own the dentist an apology for all the commotion this early in the morning. Kuma-chan, please depart once you get the records from Komiyama-kun."
Kuma-chan: "Understood!!"
Employee: "Ah, it's the chief!! Thanks for your hard work this late at night!"
Chief: "Oishi-san, sorry for being late. What's the situation?!"
Oishi: "Hmm, ...things are finally about to get interesting. I'm getting fired up! Wa~o!!"
<The Motive of Watanagashi>
Watanagashi. To kidnap the victim and feast upon it. It was thought that this absurdity was in fact, a part of entertainment. (It was believed that they were higher beings than normal humans by enjoying such an abnormal act).
However, I have came across a historical document that might cast a stone into that theory. As this is a secondary source based on oral history, it cannot be put into actual historical context. However, its contents are of some interest.
According to that document, the villagers of Onigafuchi were doing this ritual to instigate fear into them. Girls and children turned pale along with trepidation while hemophobics vomited at the sight and the stench of blood. Yet, they were all forced to watch the feast (mutilation process).
This puts a whole new perspective into the light. Before reading this hypothesis, I had the impression that the villagers of Onigafuchi were "high" as they did their acts. Before this, I believed that the villagers dissected the victims like fish to reinforce their belief that they were superior to "low-life humans." However, if the villagers did not attain some sort of "high" but acquired "fear" instead, then meaning of this ritual changes dramatically.
If so, then the possibility of the people in power using this as a propaganda tool to keep people under their control comes into play.
The most powerful people who controlled Onigafuchi were The Big Three Households known as the gosanke. Further research on the gosanke will be necessary to get down to the truth of the Onigafuchi village.
<The gosanke>
The gosanke signifies the three most powerful families that controlled matters in Onigafuchi village.
These three are the Kimiyoshi Family, the Furude Family, and the Sonozaki Family. All three exist to this present day. (Even though they do not wield that much power as historically written, they still weigh tremendous influence within the region to this day). The gosanke are said to have inherited the highest concentration of the demons' blood in their bloodline.
<The Kimiyoshi Family>
Formerly, the Kimiyoshi Family was the strongest and held the leadership position within the gosanke. However, it seems that they have lost influence in the present time.
The current village chief (Kimiyoshi Kiichirou) is a member of this family. It is believed that this is the reason why the Kimiyoshi family always held the position of the village chief before the idea of elections were introduced. Of course, since there are no other candidates, there hasn't been any change for the Kimiyoshi family being the head of the village even in our post-war era.
<The Furude Family>
They have been the center of faith, and they are responsible for the preservation of the shrine to respect the Oyashiro-sama. They have been revered as the spokesperson for the voice of Oyashiro-sama. However many of their branches had died off during the war, and only the main branch of their household exist today. Furthermore, the only living person of this family is a single female child (Furude Rika), and it is in danger of going into extinction.
There seems to be custom of especially revering the female member of the Furude line, so many of the elderly villagers take a huge reverance to Rika.
<The Sonozaki Family>
They are believed to be the enforcers of the practice and customs for Onigafuchi village. They were among the weakest of the gosanke, and were always the last to be addressed. However, it is interesting to note that this power balance has shifted in the present times as they wield the largest influence within all of the gosanke. It is safe to say that they now control all the matters and decisions of Hinamizawa.
The three gosanke must agree upon a matter to take action, but this is just in practice only. In reality, all the decisions are handled by the current head of the family, Sonozaki Oryou.
Kimiyoshi family member A: "Hello? I'm so sorry to call you at this late night. This is Kimiyoshi. Is this the head of the family? ....Yes! No, no, I thank you for that. Yes. ....Well, ...I apologize in advance in asking you this question at this time of hour but, we were just wondering if our grandfather was at your place right now. ...Yes, that's what we thought too! Once again, I'm sorry for calling you this late in the evening. Oh no, thank you. Good-bye. Yes, good night to you too...."
ching
Kfm B: "So? Looks like he wasn't there either?"
Kfm A: "Hmm...this is strange. He always gives us a call whenever he's running a bit late in excitement!"
Kfm B: "You called everyone in his regular Go members right?"
ring ring!!!
Kfm A: "Hello! This is Kimiyoshi."
Mion: "This is Sonozaki. How is it going? Has the village chief been found?"
Kfm A: "Oh Mion-chan. ...No. We've tried everyone we could think of, but had no luck. Where could he be? We're starting to get a bit worried..."
Mion: "We've called on our end to see where he might be, but we had no luck either."
Kfm A: "......"
Mion: "I've discussed this with grandma, and she mentioned that we should call out the youth corps."
Kfm A: "At...at this time of the night...? And it hasn't been judged that he went missing yet..."
Mion: "It's right after Watanagashi. If we still can't find him, we should notify the authorities in the morning. Whether we find him or not, it is best to do what we can do right now to avoid the pain in the gut."
Kfm A: "Did Oryou-san say that?"
Mion: "Yes. If you don't believe me, I can put her on the phone for you?"
Kfm A: "Oh no, that isn't necessary. Alright, we'll convene the youth corps and start a search. And if by chance we can't find him...we'll go to the police in the morning."
Mion: "Thanks. Please use the proper channels to bring out the youth corps. I'll also be joining to represent my grandma"
Kfm A: "Oh, thank you. We'll start calling them right now."
Mion: "Yes, thank you."
<The gosanke in the present day>
As mentioned before, the current gosanke meetings are in name only as the dictatorial powers are vested by the Sonozaki family. The Kimiyoshi and the Furude families had not retained the strengths that they used to have, nor do they seem to have the desire to hold onto to their ancestors' traditions.
On the other hand, the Sonozaki family has held a firm grasp onto their beliefs, traditions, and power to this date. It is assumed that the most recent "Watanagashi" incident reported back in the end of the Meiji era was also under the supervision of the Sonozaki family head at that time. (see family tree of the gosanke families at the end of Meiji era) The Sonozaki family gained further influence in Hinamizawa as they took the leadership role of helping its economy.
Furthermore, while the chairman for the group against the dam contruction project several years ago was lead by the Kimiyoshi family, it known that the Sonozaki family were the real leaders in this massive demonstration. As the Kimiyoshi family fought against the project through legal and civil means, it is rumored that the Sonozaki family aided the anti-dam construction effort through dark and shady methods. Most of Hinamizawa do not doubt that the numerous subversive activities during the anti-contruction demonstrations were carried out by the Sonozakis. For example, one of the most well known incident that many believe that the Sonozakis were behind it was the kidnapping and extortion of the Minister of Contruction's grandson.
Henceforth, it is touted that the recent murder-homicides were executed by the Sonozaki family. These murder-homicides symbolizes a revival of the old "Watanagashi" festival. Perhaps they are trying to make the villagers remember the rules and traditions of the old Onigafuchi village by carrying out these "watanagashis" on the day of the Watanagashi Festival?
More research on the Sonozaki family will be necessary to complete the research on this subject. Should entering the Furude Shrine's warehouse be successful, I shall focus my next attention towards the Sonozaki family. Although the security around the Sonozaki household complex is very secure with surveillance cameras and the like, I am fortunate enough to know members of the Sonozoki family, the heiress Mion and her twin sister Shion. I would like to utilize this connection to further my research.
Freakman
2006-05-16, 16:52
Someone : [ Don't worry about it.
Somehow, when I eat oden here, I spend as much as a year's worth of fuel.
So you can just order another glass. ]
The man, whose face was already more than red, disappeared into the neons in front of the train station.
Oishi : [ Kuma-chan, you still need to learn a few things. Because in the end, humble people live the longest. Huhuhu. ]
Kuma : [ Was that story earlier true ? ]
Oishi : [ We don't know that. But whether it's true or not, there must be a reason why it's spreading that fast. ]
Kuma : [ And could it be a motive to go after the village's head ? ]
Oishi : [ I'm telling you this all the time Kuma. A motive just has to be enough for the criminal. You need to take difference of values into consideration.
Lady, another drink. ]
Despite information being withheld, Tomitake and Takano's death were already a widely spread rumor in Hinamizawa.
Their deaths were believed to be due to provoking Oyashiro-sama's wrath by breaking into the forbidden sacred shrine.
According to the rumors, 2 other people were there : Sonozaki Shion and Maebara Keiichi. And rumor had it that those 2 would be hit by Oyashirosama's curse.
But it seemed responsibility wouldn't only fall on the 4 people that broke in.
The door had a massive lock until last year, but it being changed to an easier one made the shrine more likely to be broken in.
Or so did the rumor say.
Oishi : [ Did you ever see it, Kuma ? I went there on a job a long time ago and I still remember it well. ]
Kuma : [ I'm sorry, I can't remember. ]
Oishi : [ The lock was so secure it was almost scary. A heavy bar completely sealed the door. It felt like a bank vault. ]
And this year, it changed to a simple and cheap padlock.
The single girl defending the shrine, Furude Rika, didn't like the heavy lock and talked about it to the village's head. He changed it a to a simple padlock.
Kuma : [ Then the village's head and Rika are both responsible ? Then isn't Furude Rika in danger ? ]
Oishi : [ That's is very likely. Send an urgent message to the camouflaged patrol cars in Hinamizawa. Make them patrol in the vicinity of the temple. ]
<The Sonozaki Family>
The Sonozakis gained their current strength from the post-war era. The head at that time is the current head of the household, Sonozaki Oryou. Sonozaki Oryou is quite elderly today and it is difficult to see such a old woman wielding so much influence. However, it has been noted that her leadership was the strongest and the most brilliant out of all the heads in their family history. With the exception of going out to learn traditional activities, she currently spends most of the time at home due to her age. Most of the ceremonial events that require her leadership have already been passed down to her grandchild and heiress, Mion. (It is well known that the grandchild was given full rights rather than her own daughter due to a quarrel between the two on marriage.)
It is difficult to see such an active young girl like Sonozaki Mion to have the title of heiress on her shoulders. However, she holds the blood of the Sonozaki and has inherited the [kanji letter for] demon in her name, it is imperative that one should not let their guard down when speaking to her.
Kuma-chan: "Yes. It appears that the post office worker didn't spot her either. ... Apprantely, for the Sonozaki main house, a name stamp is left hanging by the mailbox, so even for registered or express mails, the mailman can just stamp the receipt himself and deposit the mail."
Oishi: "Na-ha-ha, well that's careless. ... Then, when was the last time anyone has spotted her?"
Kuma-chan: "Her greeting during the opening ceremony of Watanagashi was the last time. It seems like she immediately returned home after that."
Oishi: "She's quite old, after all. ...From what I hear, doesn't she attend to some practices several times every week? What about that?"
Kuma-chan: "Every Monday, she practices Japanese koto (harp) at the village assembly hall, but it appears she didn't go this week."
Oishi: "Any calls saying that she was going to be absent? And has anyone tried to confirm that?"
Kuma-chan: "No, nobody did. It seems like she takes breaks every now and then, so nobody thought of it as strange."
Oishi: "Tomorrow, let's try calling around 10 o'clock pretending we're from the city hall. Please confirm that she's home."
Kuma-chan: "10 o'clock. Understood!"
Ever since it felt more and more likely that Hinamizawa's old customs are involved in this, the police has been secretly monitoring the gosanke (great three houses).
Up to today, the head of the Kimiyoshi family of the gosanke and the head of the Furude family has disappeared.
There's one remaining family head. The head of the Sonozaki family, Sonozaki Oryou.
Seems like an old grandma.
Even though she hasn't lost her authority, she rarely show herself in front of others, so they're having a hard time getting a confirmation.
... And that last family head too, has not been seen by anyone ever since she was last spotted on the day of Watanagashi.
Is she still alive and well inside the Sonozaki main house right now? ....Or is she......already?
Kuma-chan: "According to Sonozaki Mion, it seems like she has fallen sick and is staying in bed."
Oishi: "Is she really resting in bed, I wonder? I'd love to see her face and take a pulse...."
Kuma-chan: "..................You're totally right."
The two of them spits out a large cloud of cigarette smoke....
Kuma-chan: "Oishi-san, ...about the search warrant for the Sonozaki main house and Furude shrine. Do you think the application will go through?"
Oishi doesn't answer, and spits out a cloud of tobacco smoke again, and literally shrouded himself in smoke....
<About the hidden 「Demon」>
Within the village of Hinamizawa, whose residents believe that the blood of demons flow within themselves, the word 「demon (鬼)」 is considered to be sacred.
For example, the usage of the word 「demon (鬼)」 in first names is a privilege given only to the heads of the Kimiyoshi and Sonozaki family.
As an example, for the current head of the Sonozaki family, Sonozaki Oryou (園崎お魎), we can see that the 「ryou 魎」 in her name has a 「鬼」 in it.
This is the proof showing her to be the legitimate head of the Sonozaki family. The same goes for her successor, Sonozaki Mion (園崎魅音), we can see that the 「mi 魅」 has a 「鬼」 in it. Oryou's own daughter, who didn't succeed the family and is also the mother of Mion, Sonozaki Akane (園崎茜) also had the name of 「蒐 (Akane)」 before she was disinherited.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y104/kj1980/setumei_oni_no_ji.jpg
By the way, for the name of the village chief 「Kiichirou (喜一郎)」, the 「Ki」 in it can also be interpreted to mean 「鬼 (Ki)」.
Also, names that makes use of 「demon (鬼)」 in them are not restricted to only the successors of the Sonozaki family. We can also find 「demon (鬼)」 within the surnames of the gosanke. For example, the 「Kimiyoshi (公由)」 of the Kimiyoshi family was probably created by taking the word 「鬼」 apart. If we were to write out the strokes "由" and then "公" in order, the word 「鬼」 can be written out nicely.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y104/kj1980/setumei_kimiyoshi.jpg
For the continuing Furude (古手) family, since they were a family working the sacred Shinto posts throughout generations, and were the 「fortune tellers (占い手)」, we can take the name 「占手」, add a demon's horn onto it so that 「占」 → 「古」.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y104/kj1980/setumei_furude.jpg
As for the Sonozaki (園崎) family, perhaps because the demons have already been included in their first names, we can't find the word for demon (鬼) in the surname. Since they were a family who were responsible for running the ceremony of Watanagashi, it is believed that their surname came directly from the contents of the ceremony. Swap out the word 「崎 (saki)」 for 「裂き (saki, to tear)」. As for 「Sono 園」, since its shape suggests a square wrapping up a complex content (organs), it's probably suggesting 「a human body」. In other words, it's possible to interpret 「those who tear stomaches」 → 「Sonozaki」.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y104/kj1980/setumei_sonozaki.jpg
Investigator A: "Oh, you're back sir!!"
Oishi: "Well? Anything new while I was gone?"
...everyone shakes their head in despair. You can see the exhaustion on these guys faces. I don't blame 'em, they haven't had any sleep since the night of Watanagashi.
Oishi: "Section manager, can you give them a break in turns, starting from the young 'uns? It's gonna be a long investigation so we should rest when we can."
SM: "I've been telling them to take a nap but they don't seem to go by my words. Can you tell them with your own words Oishi-san?"
Oishi: "Guys, guys, I don't want you to work yourselves to exhaustion ya know? Komiyayama-kun, tell them to start taking a break, young 'uns first."
SM: "Komiyayama-san, please do so."
Komiyayama-kun agreed and left his chair.
Oishi: "And, SM. How 'bout my request? Is it still not going through?"
SM: "It's just a village rumor at this point right? It's difficult for that request to pass unless we have something more concrete."
Oishi: "But that concrete evidence might be inside there"
SM: "We need the proof that the evidence is housed there!"
Oishi: "SM~, we're not playing a riddles here... Two people outta four that went into the forbidden storage house died. There was someone who witnessed them going inside! How much more proof do we need?"
SM: "You say a lead, I say it's a rumor. You don't have concrete proof right?"
Oishi: "Well yes I don't have a photo of the four sneaking in, but I'm certain that they saw something inside the storage! Something big enough to make them disappear!"
SM: "Big enough for them to disappear? What is that then?"
Ugh...I don't know what's inside! That's why I'm petitioning to get the search warrant approved in the first place...!
Oishi: "I suspect something that deals with the Sonozaki syndicate. Perhaps a mountain of Tokarev TT-33s, an opium processing lab, oh the possibility of the Sonozaki's hidden cash can't also be ruled out too."
SM: "Oishi-san, I understand your feelings! But that storehouse is a sacred site in the compounds of the Furude Shrine. It's a sacred site and we need to take into consideration of the local residents of that area!"
I heard that the chief was grilled by Assemblyman Sonozaki for over an hour. Perhaps the SM was given a warning by the chief?
SM: "Anyway, unless we have concrete evidence, we cannot obtain a search warrant for that storage. The same goes for the Sonozaki main household! Besides, the Sonozaki compound is an area that is handled by Section Four(1) and the Boutai(2). It takes months of preliminary fine-tuning to make it happen!"
Oishi: "If it's fine-tuning you want, I can go and ask them right now? Section Four was Shige-chan right? And the Boutai was Yamami-san. Man, I can talk to them playing at the mahjong place right next door."
Police A: "S...SM! There's a person who wishes to speak with you...ah, please wait...!"
A yakuza-like old man dressed in traditional men's garb shoved aside the guide. ...oh dear. I guess he wasn't satisfied with just a phone call?
Assemblyman Sonozaki: "I'm Assemblyman Sonozaki! Who's the man in charge!? Hurry up!!"
SM: "H...Hello! I am the Section Manager, Takasugi!!"
AS: "I don't need your business card!! I can send you off to an unimportant post in a snap! And I'm not satisfied with just you! Where's this guy named Oishi, the fucking bastard who has the nerve of asking for a search warrant for a sacred site like Furude Shrine!!"
SM: "Uh...I'm sorry sir! Mr. Oishi is currently on an investigation and we cannot reach him right now! I would be happy to answer your questions on his behalf...! Please, have a seat!"
The SM makes eye contact with me to get the heck outta here. ...I guess I'd better take his kindness right now... I think I'll get some much needed shut-eye in the resting room.
AS: "You listen carefully!! The Furude Shrine is a sacred site which spans over 2500 years out of the 2600 years of our country's history!! The shrine holds the spirit of the gods and the Oyashiro-sama, protects and looks over Hinamizawa from dusk to dawn, day and night!! And you guys have the nerve of barging in there with dirts on your fucking shoes!! Besides, freedom of belief and religion is a right written in our nation's constitution!!! And the motive for using this as an excuse for your fiddled investigation!! How dare you!! You won't get away with this easily!? You hearing me you asshole!!! Yeah you better be scared, cause I'm going to make you regret the day you pissed the shit outta me, you got that!?"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Section Four - was a section in the police department that handed investigations on organized crime
(2) Boutai - was a section in the police department that checked and oversaw crime syndicates
<The disparagement of twins>
While it is not that unheard of elsewhere, the gosanke of Onigafuchi village had a huge discontempt for twins being born as a potential heir. It is believed that this was because they wished to avoid a possible civil strife between the three houses that balanced the power in controlling the matters.
A historical document noted that should twins be born, they should both be killed immediately. Should this be true, it is interesting to see the heiress Sonozaki Mion and her twin sister Shion well and alive today. (Perhaps the current head Oryou felt sorry for them?)
However, the twins are not treated equally. The heiress Mion leads a different way of life compared to her twin sister. (While Mion and Shion look very similar, it is said that the majority of the talent and abilities were given to Mion. ...However, it is hard for me to agree from my own perspective of those two).
As tradition, the heir/heiress to the Sonozaki family is given a elaborate tattoo of a demon on his/her back as a symbol of "inheriting the demon." Should this tradition be practiced, then it is highly possible that Mion has a large tattoo on her back.
I've heard that the current head Oryou has a very detailed demon's tattoo on her back. Then, I wonder what kind of demon is imprinted onto Mion's back? ...I'm now interested in getting a glimpse of Mion's back.
All seats are reserved for today. ~Mahjong Club "Suzu"~
Clang cla~ng.
Owner: "Well there, Ku-chan. You're the slowest one, you know~? All the young ones are already here."
Oishi: "Na-ha-ha-ha.... Now then, madam, if you'll excuse me."
Oishi hands over a convenience store bag with a carton of cigarette in it to the old lady who owns the Mahjong club, and she cleverly vanished off to somewhere else. ...It's all part of the drill now.
Young Officer: "Oishi-san! Thanks for all your hard work!!"
Oishi: "What's this, did you all seriously wait for me? You guys could've played some Sanma or something." (Note: Sanma = 3-player mahjong)
Sitting at each mahjong table lined up inside the narrow store interior are Oishi's men, but there are no mahjong tiles out on any of the tables.
Oishi: "Everyone, I'd like to thank you all for your continuous investigations without sleep for these past few days, good job."
Young Officers: """Yes sir!!"""
Powerful replies fill the mahjong club. ...The atmosphere in the place is no longer that of an entertainment spot.
Oishi: "The situation is not looking good. It appears that the chief has surrendered to the threats by the Sonozaki assemblymen.
Soon, the Takano murder case will be handed over to the Gifu prefectural police, and the disappearances of the village chief and the others will be treated as missing-person cases and turned over to domestics."
...That grasshopper chief. The veteran officers swear out.
Oishi: "Our requested warrants have all been rejected as well. I have been told by our section manager to stay away from the Sonozaki family lands. ... Really, really, this is a headache.
By the way, there's also an order out for me to report to police headquarters for trainings starting next week. After that, I was even told to take my remaining vacation times and digest them over at Izu. ...Well-, that doesn't sound too bad either~."
Oishi lets out a bitter smile. ...It's not a laughing matter, but there was nothing to do except to laugh.
Oishi: "This goes for everything, but cases are very similiar to locking your car keys inside your car. The key to opening it is always locked within it. If it's a car, we can call the JAF and get them to pry open the door for us. But if it's a case? Kuma-chan, the diagram."
Kumagai flips the white board over. A diagram of the residence has been attached to the back side with magnets.
Oishi: "I have al-----ways been in this line of business, so I have confidence in my own instincts. However, just this once, it's possible that this could be a flop, alright? So if any of you cherishes your retirement money, please leave before I count to 10."
When Oishi begins to count to 10, everyone else begins to count as well.
......This is the famous 10-count of Resolution by Oishi and the others.
Oishi: "9, 10!! Ah~ah~, nobody's leaving. Everyone, please think about your families more, alright? N-fu-fu-fu!"
Officers: """Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...!!"""
Everyone in the place laughs gallantly to help add to the mood.
Oishi: "Individuals, confirm the data in your hands. Please memorize the locations of the surveillance cameras and their blindspots. Kuma-chan will be on stand by in the command car. In an emergency, I'll be asking you to take over command for me. Komiyama-kun will head Assault Team A. Atsu-kun will head Assault Team B. Surveillance team 1 through 8 will monitor from specified locations. Bonchi-kun will follow our time tables closely. Please manage our rotations so that we don't cause any suspicions back at the station. Now then, the team on stand-by gets the biggest job, you know? If the section manager askes where I am, please make up some kind of excuse."
Officers: """Wa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!"""
Oishi: "I'll be playing the escort role for our guest. I'll be bring him to the event grounds with me for sure, so everyone, please wait for us patiently."
Officer: "......... He's not gonna drop out, right? Maebara Keiichi."
Oishi: "From what I can see, he should be good to go by tommorow or the day after. It's all in a flip. N-fu-fu-fu!"
================================
And that's all for the Watanagashi-hen TIPs. Starting from the next TIP, we will be heading into the third chapter, Tatarigoroshi-hen.
Kei: "I give you my word. Should Satoko ever decide to hide out in these woods, she can take on an entire battalion."
Rena: "I know. [With traps like these, perhaps] Satoko was teaching trap lessons at a foreign country on the behalf of the Soviet Union."
Mion: "Enough with these chatters...someone help us~!!"
...How did we get into a predicament as we are in now? What kind of traps can put us into this situation?
Mion has her head stuck out of the ground as she fell into a very tight traphole. Rena has a tinplate bucket stuck on her head and cannot get it off. They both look pretty stupid, but at least they have their feets on the ground unlike me.
Mion: "How about you Kei-chan? Can you wiggle yourself out? If you can, help pull ojisan outta here."
Kei: "It's you who should wiggle out to help me! How the heck am I supposed to do anything when I'm wrapped up!"
I am in sumaki (wrapped up in a bamboo rug) and pulled up 2 meters into the air by a snare trap. What kind of trap did she setup to put me into this mess? Huh?! Satoko!
It all started when we decided to go into the woods as I've never seen much of the wilderness, coming from the city and all.
Rena: "Umm... but Rena doesn't know the back woods? Rena's gonna get lost. Hau."
Mion: "The back woods, eh? I used to play around there when I was little, but I haven't gone up there in quite a while. It's pretty easy to get lost there if you take the wrong path."
Satoko: "If it's the back woods, I do believe you can rely on us! The whole mountain is our playground. Right Rika?"
Rika: "...Mi-!"
Kei: "Really. Now that's encouraging. So why don't you guide us through a short hiking trip!"
Rena: "But Keiichi-kun... Did you read the notice that was passed around for summer break? It says that we shouldn't go into the woods as it is really easy to get lost."
Rika: "It's not summer break so it's still okay. Besides, we know the path so it's safe."
Satoko: "The woods are our playground! It's like our garden! I do believe we know every hidden paths and shortcuts around there!"
...Yes, Satoko and Rika-chan did know the way. Thanks to them, I was able to see a grand view of nature that I couldn't see in the village and breathe in fresh air of the wilderness. But something went wrong somewhere!!
Satoko: "Oh, yes. By the way everyone, you all should follow my footsteps exactly from here on."
Kei: "Huh...? What the heck are you saying all of a sudden?"
Rika: "...You should do exactly as Satoko tells you to do, for your own safety."
Rena: "Hmmm. Hey Mii-chan, what's this? I wonder. Do I pull on it? Pull on it?"
PING ....biiing ....swish swish ...gwa!!
When Rena pulled on a what seemed to be a kite string, a rain of bamboo spears fell from the trees right next to Rena!!
Mion: "Waaa!!! Waaaa!! What the heck is this?! Ahh?! Wha?! Gyaaaa!!"
Rika: "...Oh the memories. That was a trap that Satoko made in the second semester in the second grade."
Satoko: "I do believe you were lucky there. The tips of those bamboo spears are laced with dog poo so if it scratches you it will start rotting from the infected area."
Kei: "Since when did this place become Vietnam!!"
...According to Satoko and Rika-chan, Satoko seems to have gotten a huge interest in setting up traps in her early years in elementary school. As a result, she started setting up countless traps all around these back woods...
Rena: "...Keiichi-kun. I'm thinking that the real reason they told us not to go into these woods is not because we're gonna get lost, but because it is dangerous..."
I begin to agree with Rena's theory very much so.
Satoko: "So, c'mon. We'd better get hurrying or it's gonna get dark soon. I do believe that if it gets dark, it gets dangerous even for me."
Why the heck did you drag us into such a treacherous mountain!! Why should I, a normal healthy Japanese boy have to worry about his life by a bunch of booby-traps!!
...And just when we lost sight of Satoko and Rika-chan, us three became entangled in our respective traps...
Mion: "...Someone pull me outta here~! I need to go to the restroom~!!"
Rena: "Besides that~! Someone remove this bucket from my head~!! I can't see anything~! Hau~!!"
Kei: "...Hey Rena, stop flopping around too much. S...Someone might see your underwear..."
Rena: "H, Hau----!! Did you see it?! See it?! Keiichi-kun saw it!! Hau~~~!!!"
smack smack smack smaaaaaaack
Kei: "Hey you can see through it right...!! Even with that bucket over your head, you can see ri...ouch gaaa!! oof!!"
Mion starts crying out as I become a sandbag for Bucket Rena's punches.
Rika: "...Can't get out of the trap hole. Pity, pity."
Satoko: "...Sigh. Didn't I warn you guys? That's why I said to get far away from me!"
I realize it now. ...The main reason why Satoko wanted to bring us into the woods was to showoff her booby traps that she set up. I would've preferred it to just see it, NOT EXPERIENCE IT!!
Rika-chan started patting all three of our heads in pity as she smiled with glee...
Freakman
2006-05-30, 14:47
I see Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun heading their way to the PE storage. I guess it's their turn today to bring out the limestone to mark the court lines for PE in the next period.
But little do they know that storage is booby trapped..!!
Kei: "I never knew setting up booby traps can be so exciting!"
Satoko: "Hohoho! If Keiichi-san knows that feeling then I do believe you have the gift in you too!"
They are know trying to open the lock on the door.
...Oh? What's this? Okamura-kun is pointing somewhere on the door and started to whisper into Tomita-kun's ear. It seems they realized it and immediately scooted away from the door.
Kei: "Yo....Satoko, it seems they found out?! Did it fail?!"
Satoko: "...I already thought of them finding out about the trap. And I already thought of what they are gonna do next too. Hohoho..."
According to Satoko, after they found out about the trap, they are going to go around and try to enter through the back window.
And as Satoko proclaimed, they started going through the window on the back in the exact climbing method Satoko thought they would.
Kei: "...oooh...cool. They are doing exactly what Satoko said they would...!! .....Ah! There they got it!!!"
BOOF, BFWOOOOOOON!!
White smoke of the grounded limestone erupted through the window. ....After a few moments, the two started to crawl out in shock. ...They are all covered in white.
Satoko: "Hohoho! O~hohoho!!! I really love this moment! It's like tasting honey~!!"
Kei: "....But....it's amazing how they fell for it... A trap like that can only be set off by calculating ahead where Tomita-kun's gonna put his hand and feet when he climbs and how he lands inside....?!"
Satoko: "Here's a lesson for you, Keiichi-san. The first step in setting up traps is to watch your target closely. You need to monitor his movement patterns and carefully calculate how they are gonna move on a certain decision. That way you can set up a simple trap that will deliver the greatest result."
...I recall that Mion highly praised Satoko that she has the innate ability to predict and forecast the last move in our games.
Kei: "So premeditation is the key for traps. ...Then are you saying that the previous traps that I fell for were all calculated according to your plan?"
Satoko: "Yes. It was all done by observing your patterns and Keiichi-san fell for it as I expected. So if Keiichi-san suddenly started acting in a different pattern from a certain day, Keiichi-san probably won't fall for my traps anymore."
It's not funny to find that Satoko proudly proclaiming that she knows all of my moves....
Kei: "Alright, let's play a game. Let's see how well Satoko can predict my moves, shall we?"
Satoko: "Oh sure. Keiichi-san is fairly easy to understand so I do believe it's gonna be a piece of cake? O~hohoho!!"
We returned to our classroom and Satoko ripped a piece of paper from her notebook to make three cards. Of course, I have no idea what she wrote on the back of these cards.
Satoko: "Pick one out of these three. If Keiichi-san doesn't pick out the lose-card, you win."
Kei: "Alright, I challenge that!! I'll show you what I learned from our after-school activities!"
Satoko snickered as she held out the three cards.
C'mon think calm, Maebara Keiichi! ...Stay COOL and win this match decisively!
...If I don't pick out the lose-card, I win. That means if I pick out the lose-card, the Satoko wins. ...Henceforth, Satoko will want to make me pick out the lose-card. What's the best way to make me pick out the lose-card?! Is there any calculated method for this?! Is there a statistical analysis that the middle, the left, or the right is chosen more often than the other?!
It's then that I had an enlightment on what Mion would do in this case!
Satoko: "So, did you decide which one to pick?"
Kei: "Yes. ....And it.....THIS!!!"
Satoko: "Huh? Aaaa!! Wha, what are you doing!!"
I took all three from Satoko's hands. I re-calculated Satoko's plans and turned it around.
....Satoko wants to make me pick out the lose-card. Then that means all three are lose-cards!!
Kei: "That's what I concluded to!! So let me inspect these three cards!!!"
As I turned all three cards over, each of them had one katakana letter on them.
HA
ZU
RE
(translation note: The three letter katakana HAZURE means "LOSE")
Kei: "...What's this? ....HA, ZU, RE. ....hazure."
Satoko: "That's the result. ...If you had only chosen one, it wouldn't have been a lose."
Kei: "Wha...whaaat?! So then you predicted that I'd take all three?! Gyaaaa!!"
Satoko laughed in high pride as I fell into despair. The classroom echoes with a high-tone chortle.
At that moment, grounded limestone fell on top of Satoko's head. The all-whitened Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun held a large pile of grounded limestone in their arms and came back to seek vengeance against Satoko.
Okamura-kun: "....Houjou~!! Only Houjou can set up a bait like that---!!!"
Satoko: "How dare you!! Where do you have the proof that I did it? And don't call it cheaply like 'bait.' Call it a TRAP!"
Tomita-kun & Okamura-kun: "FEEL THE WRATH~!!!"
Satoko: "Hiiiiiiii!! Ke,Ke, Keiichi-san, He, Help me--!"
...The classroom turns into chaos as my younger classmates started becoming white as they threw each other with limestone.
...hey hey Satoko. ...Couldn't you foresee that this was gonna happen? As for me, I couldn't foresee that the teacher was gonna barge in after all of this and be scolded alongside with them...
(at school)
It was a peaceful lunch break.
Bam, Crash, Kabla------m!!!
Keiichi: "Wawa! W, what the?!"
Rena: "I heard something loud in the hallway just now! What is it!? What is it!?"
We dashed out into the hallway........., and there stands Kantoku with a water-filled bucket flipped over on his head!
Mion: "K, kantoku, are you alright?!"
Irie: "Taha, hahahaha.... Well, ...Looks like she got me.... Everyone, good afternoon."
In a very cool tone, Kantoku greeted us casually.
Keiichi: "What's going on, Kantoku? It's rare for you to come to school."
Irie: "Well, it's something related to my job, I come to school every week, you know? Since nothing happened recently... I got completely careless...."
Rena: "Ahahaha.... So you came at a time just when you were beginning to forget about Satoko-chan's traps.... Are your clothes alright?"
Irie: "Nono, I was just thinking about giving myself a bath anyway, it's actually very cool and nice."
Mion: "As expected of Kantoku. Never getting angry at little things like these! This side of you really gives off a mature~ feel."
...That's true.
If I was Kantoku, I would've immediately ran out searching for that brat with the bucket still over my head.
I admire the matureness to not get angry at every little childish pranks.
Irie: "You see, Maebara-san. With one change in your way of thinking, even things like these can go from being frustrating to pleasant. The important thing is how you perceive them."
Keiichi: "......If you have a secret trick to staying that cool even when getting smacked with a whole water bucket, I would love to learn about it."
Irie: "For example, ...Let's say there's a traditional-style old house that existed since the Meiji-era."
Keiichi: "Hmu hmu."
Irie: "And let's say a large number of maids are being employed there as housekeepers. Of course, since it's a large house, there are a lot of maids there, ranging all the way from the head maid, who has turned into a veteran overseer, to sprited newbie maids!! Come on, can you imagine it? Come on... ♪"
......Come on...♪
A pink-colored dream maid dimension decorated with frills and hairbands is expanding out with the Kantoku at its center....
Irie: "The newbie maids get all the affection of their goshujinsama (master) with their spiritedness and innocence! However, the senpai (senior) maids won't allow that! They make harsh comments at every little thing, and bullys and bullys and bullys the newbie maids!! Look, there's still so much dust! Ahh... I'm sorry.... Do it again!
Splash!! A bucket was flipped over the Maid-san, splashing her with water! The soaked Maid-san... almost breaking into tears, but still energetically..., Haa haa!! M・a・i・d~~~~♪♪♪!!"
Rena: "......Hau~~~☆ I don't know why but it sounds fun~☆ Rena wants a maid-san too...♪"
Mion: "Ah-- Ah--, geez! Even Rena got converted--. Come on, Kei-chan too! Stop immersing yourself in Kantoku's world!"
Satoko: "......If it weren't because of this, Kantoku would've been a nice person too."
Irie: "MU! I spot Houjou Satoko-san! ...Satoko-san, what's with this!? There's still dust left! P, p-p, punishment! It's punishment time!!"
Satoko: "Wha!! Nyanya! Nya---!!!"
Kantoku picks up Satoko lightly, and starts to spank Satoko's butt.
Rena: "Ahahahahahahaha! Satoko-chan, kaaii! A-hahahahahaha!" (kaaii = Rena's version of 'kawaii')
Keiichi: "......Satoko can control traps with a genius-like perception, yet why can't she forsee this ending? It's really amazing."
Rena: "I wonder about that. I think this is the ending that Satoko wished for. I think!"
Keiichi: "Satoko wished for this ending--? What do you mean by that?"
Rena: "If you play a prank like this on someone, the opponent will definitely get mad and chase after you, right? Don't you think this is a type of communication as well?"
Keiichi: "...I really don't like this kind communication. Can't she just come in normally with a greeting like "good afternoon~"?"
Rena: "Eh, Keiichi-kun, haven't you heard? People who keep playing pranks on others are actually lonely people who want others to pay attention to them."
With a nonchalant smile, Rena briefed me while laughing gently.
Rena: "That's why.... If you get caught in Satoko-chan's trap, it'd be great if you can properly get mad, laugh, and chase after Satoko-chan. This is kind of like a cat's playful bite... Don't you think that's cute...?"
(after school, scene shifts to the back mountains)
Satoko: "Here, the person will be surprised and jump back for sure. That's why if we place the trap here, the person will definitely get caught in it!!"
While speaking proudly of her trap philosophy, Satoko continues to modify the back mountains into a vicious trap hell.
If what Rena said is true, if Satoko's traps are her subconscious wish for people to pay attention to her-.
......Then that means all the countless traps placed in this back mountain, ...are the materialization of those wishes.
Alone with Rika-chan, ...placing tons and tons of traps in the mountain, .........There's no doubt she has always waited for someone to fall into her traps.
......However, there's no way anyone would come to a back mountain like this.
......There's no doubt she spent all these time together with Rika-chan, imagining the kind of reactions her victims would make when they fall into her traps.
Satoko, seperated for life from her beloved ni-ni-, Satoshi.
...The stubborn determination to not say a single word wishing for him to come back.
However, the countless traps that sleep within this mountain has taught me Satoko's true feelings.
Satoko: "......Are you listening? Keiichi-san!"
Keiichi: "Ah, sorry, sorry. What was it?"
Satoko: "Just by sticking a nail in the tree trunk like this, you can get an excellent trap, you know? If they trip around over there and hit their head against this.... it will hurt~!"
Keiichi: "H, human hammer against the head of the nail, huh.... T, that sounds painful...."
Satoko: "This trap will definitely become a powerful trap for punishing e~vil bad guys! I sure am looking forward to seeing what kind of villian would get caught in it!"
Keiichi: "...Why are you throwing glances at me when you say that? Do you want me to get caught in this? ...T, this one can really seriously hurt someone. You should get rid of this trap."
Satoko: "............Is that so? ...Well, certainly, traps without love are no good, aren't they? ......Very well, if the villian has properly reformed himself, then I'll move the position of the nail a little, so he doesn't get caught in it...,"
Satoko began to immerse herself in the adjustment of the positioning of the nail.
...Trap is love, huh.
Maybe what Kantoku said is true. With one change in your perception, ...everything changes.
If I think about it that way, ....getting caught in Satoko's traps might actually carry a feeling of amusement and warmth with it as well.
Satoko: "It's complete!! It's perfect with this wonderful positioning! What do you think, Keiichi-san?"
Keiichi: "Ah, ...yeah. It's perfect. It'd be great now if some villians can actually appear to fall for this trap."
Satoko: "Ho-ho-ho-ho! It's obviously better if they don't."
......It looks a little painful, but maybe I'll go ahead and fall for this trap the next time I come here.
Kantoku = equivalent of "manager" in American sports
Manager = equivalent of "assistant" in American sports
Dr. Irie: "Can you help us out a little, Shion-san?"
Shion: "You want a weak girl like me to carry that heavy thing? That's why you still can't find a girlfriend even at your age, kantoku."
Dr. Irie: "Uh, what was the word for that. Oh yes, 'that's none of your business.' "
Shion: "Ahahahahaha."
Dr. Irie starts putting the equipments used for today's BBQ party into his van. All the men who helped out also started to leave.
Dr. Irie: "...So Shion-san, how did you come here? If you came here by bicycle, I can put that into the van and drive you home?"
Shion: "Thanks, but I came here with a motorbike so that's okay."
Dr. Irie: "...I thank you for coming here today. Having the manager-san here makes a big difference."
Shion: "I'm still the manager? I have been AWOL for the past year or so. You should fire such an irresponsible manager like me."
Dr. Irie: "Oh sure. If Shion-san can out right say she wants to quit, I will gladly fire you."
Shion: "...Shucks. That's not fair. ....Please fire me soon okay? I get irritated each and everytime you call me to come to the game."
Dr. Irie: "Shion-chan, if you could be a bit more gentle, you would be a very cute and loveable girl. Daddy is very sad, where did she go wrong! Oh, would my darling wake her eyes if daddy hugs you with all my love?! Then so be it!! Heeere you go~~"
...The kantoku chidded around playfully, but Shion just smiled quietly as she looked to the horizon.
Shion: "........Nothing has changed. Kantoku is still the weirdo that he is, and everyone else is full of life. Yet..."
Dr. Irie: "...Satoshi-kun isn't here. ...Is that what you want to say?"
Shion: "..............."
Dr. Irie: "He'll be back. Definitely. He has a person who is waiting for him."
Shion: "......Hmph. ...Say whatever."
Dr. Irie: "I wonder where the heck he went. Such a sin, leaving behind a cute girlfriend like this."
Shion: "Huh?! G....Girlfriend!! Who! Wha! ....Huh?!"
Dr. Irie: "Pu....kukuku, hahahahaha!"
Shion: "....Oh come on! How long are you gonna keep on laughing ka~n~to~ku~!!"
Dr. Irie: "Hahaha! Wa~hahahahaha!!"
Kantoku was rolling as he laughed from his stomach for a bit of time....
Dr. Irie: "Well then, see you later. Please come and cheer for our team for a change will you?"
Shion: "Maybe when I feel like it. ...I really don't have any desire to be the manager anymore."
Dr. Irie: "...It's okay. If you really hate it, I can fire you. I don't want to put a person to assist us if that person is unwilling."
Shion: "................crap. Alright, alright! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I lose. I'll go sooner or later. So is that okay for today?"
Dr. Irie: "Fufufu! Oh, look at the time! It's already past the time to return these! The next person must be waiting! Okay, I better get going! See you at the next game!"
Shion: "Yeah, yeah. Later kantoku"
According to the autopy report, the victim was murdered in the following manner:
(1) Full body was strapped by a restraining device
Upon inspection of the bruises on the body, it seems that the entire body was put onto specialized restraining device. The bruises on her fingers stand out so it is highly possible that this device was of a custom or home made device.
(2) Both ears and nose cut off by a sharpened object
Due to the different types of bruises, it is surmised that there was one or more persons to hold her down on the victim's neck as the facial parts were cut off. It is possible that more than one object were used, and one of those objects have a high possibility of being a scissor.
(3) Nails driven through the fingers of both hands
Both of the victims hands had one nail driven through each of the finger joints; totalling 30 nails. The body was found with the nail-driven hands strapped to a wooden board about 20 square centimeters. This board has a high possibility of being a part of the restraining device. And it is a highly suspected that this device was built for this exact purpose.
(4) Stomach cut open, intestines torn out
It is possible that the stomach was cut open with a sharp object like a medical surgery. There is no doubt that the victim was still alive at this point. The intestines and internal organs were then pulled and torn out. This was the main cause of death of the victim.
(5) Corpse abandonment
Dumbbells were tied to the pet collar and was strapped to the victim's neck. The body was then abandoned into the third channel of Tamagokawa River. By taking into account of the weights of the dumbbells, three men would've been necessary to abandon the body.
To Oishi-san:
This is the copy of the initial autopsy report that you requested for the Tamagokawa Corpse Mutilation case. Section Chief Shigeharu says that this could be related to Type-S cases. What do you think, Oishi-san?
*Extensive terminology in mahjong in this TIPS. As I don't know the English equivalent, it'll be said in Japanese.
Oishi: "Unfufufu! There it is, ron! Chun-dora 3, 15000."
Kuma: "Whaa...! What the heck is that... How do you get three doras!"
B: "You idiot. You're the one who brought it in by doing a kan-dora when Oishi's tenpai-ing!"
Oishi: "If you brought chun out, it's inevitable to put on more doras. The dora-side shouldn't cut if the your showing the yakuhais. Unfufufu!"
They began to re-assemble the mountain of hais as Oishi laughs tauntingly and the rest grumbles.
A: "....By the way Oishi-san, did you find out anything?"
B: "What's this about. ...oh, you're talking about the mutilated corpse that was found in the river. Did you find any leads on it?"
Oishi: "A little bit. Can you do a follow up?"
A: "As always! So what's the details on the victim?"
Oishi: "She went by the name of Mamiya Rina. Real name was Ritsuko."
Kuma: "She worked at a club called Blue Mermaid in Shishibone Flower Road."
B: "Sigh, that's a tough one. That's the one that's owned by one of the lieutenants of the Sonozakis ain't it?"
A: "...Sonozaki...Damn! That's falls under Type-S. ...This case is gonna be rough."
Kuma: "According to rumors, she got into huge trouble by using their money and drugs. Obviously, it was on a scale that couldn't be taken as a joke."
B: "She poked her hand into their money huh. Seems like there's a guy behind her. A girl can't do all of this on her own."
Oishi: "Unfufu! He's probably dead too already. It's just that we haven't found his body yet."
Kuma: "Oh yes, Oishi-san. The girl's pimp-daddy still seems to be alive."
Oishi: "He is? Well then, I guess he'll die very soon. I love how this system works - the pests exterminates the pests."
Kuma: "This pimp-daddy of her, it's that guy - Houjou Teppei"
[insert eerie music here]
B: "...Houjou? Who's he?"
A: "...Houjou Teppei. Remember the housewife that was brutally beaten to death last year at Hinamizawa? It's her husband. ....I heard he went into hiding after that incident. ....So he crawled under his bitch huh. "
B: "...This starts to smell more and more like Sonozaki involvement."
Oishi: "So where's this boyfriend of hers?"
Kuma: "He was living with her at her apartment. However, he seems to have thought that she left him so he's now going from one place to another for a new home to leech off of."
<Regarding the Houjou Family>
There are two victims each year with regards to the Oyashiro-sama's curse. This has continued for four years so far, and the toll is now at eight victims. It is interesting to note that half of the victims have the Houjou surname.
*On the 2nd year's curse, the dam supporter Houjou himself died by falling off the cliff, and his wife's body is yet to be found. (Decalred legally deceased the following year on the basis of perilious disappearance).
On the 4th year of the curse, the foster mother/aunt of the two Houjou siblings died, and the son of Houjou went missing.
The Houjou family was rather poor, and it was hard to say that Houjou's job was going well. He had planned find a new job elsewhere with the help of his relatives and to move to his own mother's birthplace. Under their financial situation, the large compensation money offered by the government for eminent domain and relocation expenses for the Hinamizawa Dam Project would've been a very big help to Houjou.
Hence, Houjou dealt with the Ministry of Construction from the beginning, and lead the group that supported the dam construction proposal. It is rumored that he may received some backdoor funds from the Ministry of Construction for this, but this has yet to be proven.
However, the dam supporters made up only a small minority. When the Sonozaki family began to plant strong ground against the dam project, every dam supporter except for Houjou defected over to the anti-dam group. As a result, all of Hinamizawa was bounded strongly against the dam construction, and Houjou became an object of attack for supporting the dam. It is safe to say that he became a scapegoat in order to strengthen the anti-dam alliance.
In the end, the dam project came to an indefinite hiatus with the first Oyashiro-sama's curse; the Hacking-Mutilation Murder case (http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=548171&postcount=5).
However, the retaliation towards to the enemy of the village that supported the dam construction continues to this day... There is no one left today that supported the dam project, lest people which had a negative image upon the villagers. The remaining candidates would then be of the following:
Houjou Teppei, the husband of the victim that was beaten to death last year. Houjou Satoko, the daughter of Houjou.
Strangely, the last remaining candidates is also two. Will this year's curse befall upon these two...?
It will be worthwhile to pay close attention and observe these two....
To Oishi-san:
I received a call from Section Manager Shigeharu from Section Four. The mutilated corpse that was found at Tamagokawa was indeed an incident related to Type-S.
They have yet to prove it, but it seems that the deceased wired Type-S' money into dozens of pre-prepared accounts to the max. The total money taken out tallies to be over 100 million yen. The people behind this scheme seems to be 3~4 men formerly tied to Type-S. They've already withdrew several millions and have disappeared with the cash. It is believed that the deceased was tortured in order to get info on where those guys went. She was then brutally murdered in as a warning to them.
Several of Type-S' strongmen are hot on the trail of the men that disappeared. Also, a correspondence has been issued to allied yakuzas in the neighboring areas to refrain from hiding these guys.
There is still no hard evidence showing that Houjou Teppei was a member of this scheme. According to Section Manager Shigeharu, it seems he was left out of the loop. Basically, he was a pimp that wasn't trusted by his girl.
Houjou Teppei has since left his apartment at Okinomiya and has returned to his home in Hinamizawa.
December 1, 1981
XX Prefecture Child Protection Service data
(Confidential / Do Not Copy)
Case 31 (November 20)
Houjou Satoko (age X)
Residence: Shishibone City, Hinamizawa Village XXX
(1) The Course of Request
Anonymous call received to the Child Abuse Hotline.
(2) Circumstances of Abuse
Reported that a young girl was being physically abused by her foster parents.
(3) Organization of Family (abusers marked with *)
*Foster father, *Foster mother, elder brother, abused child
Child's parents died in an accident in June 1980 and was placed under foster care of their paternal uncle's (father's younger brother) house.
(4) Measures taken by the Child Protection Service
Anonymous tip received, called her school on the same day to investigate her condition. Agent visited the child's home the next day to investigate and interrogate. Foster parents agreed to receive child development guidance from the agency. Placed on the city's Child Abuse Prevention Network. A member of the local civil service will come by frequently to follow up on their guidance.
(the following scribbled memo is stapled to this case)
Information related to this case is available from your predecessor, Mr. W.
See the record E2-3, Number 44 (http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=585378&postcount=58) from 1977. Main Investigator F from the City Educational Services is knowledgeable about this; consider seeking assistance from him.
Article 2 (Definition of Child Abuse)
Child Abuse is defined as the guardian (defined as: parents and other persons that holds the responsibility to look after children) who subject children (defined as: minors who have not reached the age of eighteen) in the following:
Subjecting children with physical abuse, including the act of potentially harming children.
Subjecting children with indecent acts, including forcing children to do indecent acts.
Acts of neglect, malnutrition, and other acts of forfeiting their responsibility as a guardian that inhibits the growth of the children's physical and mental state.
Acts of inflicting psychological suffering to children.
Article 3 (Prohibition of Abusing a Child)
No one, under any circumstances, shall abuse children.
May 24, 2002 - 82nd Public Issue
<signed by: Minister of Justice & Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare>
excerpt from "Laws About Preventing Child Abuse" Articles 2 & 3 (http://www.ron.gr.jp/law/law/gyakutai.htm)
Year of Showa XX
Statistics of Abusers (Using Reported Cases by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
Total reported: 5,352 cases
Biological Mother
2,943 cases (55.0%)
Non-Biological Mother
203 (3.8%)
Biological Father
1,445 cases (27.0%)
Non-Biological Father
488 cases (9.1%)
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y104/kj1980/abused_satoko.jpg
Year of Showa XX
Conditions of Reported Abuse (Using Reported Cases by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
Total reported: 5,352 cases
Physical Abuse
2,780 cases (51.9%)
Neglect
1,728 cases (32.3%)
Psychological Abuse
458 cases (8.6%)
Prohibiting Attending School
75 cases (1.4%)
Sexual Abuse
311 cases (5.8%)
June 18, 1983
Regarding Houjou Satoko's Child Abuse (Emergency)
It is put to attention that Houjou Satoko in the said case requires emergency action for protective custody.
1. Family Situation
Her foster father returned to Hinamizawa recently, and their life has degraded rapidly. It is apparent that the both physical and psychological abuse cast upon by her foster father has reached a threshold.
2. Measures Taken by the Child Protection Service
A protective custody agent was dispatched from the Prefectural Welfare Department on the 23rd. However, due the case recorded in 1977, her current case was put into prudent discretion and was settled to continue the routine guidance. It is to my regret to say that the chief of the Service is not grasping the gravity of the situation.
3. The Condition of the Abused Child
It is visually apparent that the child is suffering from severe depression and signs of neurosis. Such stress can inhibit the growth of both physical and mental health of the child, especially at her pre-adolescent age. It is unexcusable and inhumane to leave her in this state.
4. Appeal to the Family Court
Due to the reasons stated above, I request immediate emergency action to place Houjou Satoko into protective custody. I firmly state to the court to instigate Article 28 of the Law to put her into temporary protection. I ask for urgent response to all responsible parties and departments with regards to this issue.
Child Welfare Record: E2-3 Number 44
1977.X.XX
Name of Child:
Houjou Satoko (age X)
Resident of Shishibone City Hinamizawa Village XXX
(1) The Course of Request
Child herself called the Child Abuse Hotline.
(2) Circumstances of Abuse
Child reported that she was being physically abused by her stepfather.
(3) Organization of Family (abuser marked with *)
*Stepfather, Biological mother, elder brother, abused child
Stepfather and biological mother married in Showa XX. The child is from the biological mother and her ex-husband.
(4) Measures taken by the Child Protection Service
Call received from child herself, called her school on the same day to investigate her condition. Agent visited the child's home the right away to investigate and interrogate. Stepfather agreed to receive guidance and to take child development workshop at city services. Will continue to observe his progress under assisted guidance.
(5) Other
Upon counseling the child at the City Educational Services, it has been concluded that there is a high possibility that this case was a result of the child's disproportionate mistrust of her stepfather and a lack of family communication. There were no signs of physical abuse as initially reported, and it seems the child made the claim under false pretense to shun her stepfather.
(the following is scribbled in pencil by the person in charge of this case at the time)
It seems the main problem was in the child herself. Main Investigator F of the City Educational Services stated that the majority of her abuse claims are made up. The guidance will focus on the child henceforth. Use precaution in believing too much what the child claims to say.
July XX, 1982
Okinomiya Police Dept. Investigation Section
Attn: Section Chief Takasugi
XX Prefecture Police Drug Enforcement Department
Shishibone Branch Manager XXXX
RE: Classified Investigation Case Number X
This document notifies that a deposition was received by our department which provides links to your Classified Investigaton Case (Okinomiya Police Dept. Case Number X, aka Hinamizawa Housewife Battery-Murder Case).
On X/X, we've arrested the suspect named XXXX on illegal drug possession charges. Upon further interrogation, he has stated certain facts and details of the above said incident that can only be known by the perpetrator.
Hence, we are prepared to provide your department with a copy of his statement. Should these depositions be reliable, it is highly possible that XXXX is the suspect for the said case.
Also, our department would like to affirm that our investigator to this case inquired about this to Okinomiya Police Department when this deposition was received. However, the officer at Okinomiya Department was not able to disclose the details of this case with regards to the confidentiality notice that was issued by the Prefectural Police HQ on July 1st (Memorandum I 1-12 (http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=548773&postcount=16), 1982).
Due to such misunderstandings, our investigator did not deem this deposition to be an important issue at the time. Hence, due to our investigator's lack of responsibility to confirm the details of this matter, we offer our sincere apologies for retaining this information from your department until now.
Lastly, we would like to add the note that the suspect, XXXX, passed away in his detention cell on X/X.
"Yes, hello? Are you calling for an ambulance? Or the fire-department?"
"U, m... fire-department!"
"Is it a fire? Or an accident? Please calm down and tell me."
"I, I think, it's probably a fire.... I'm at the XX service area on the XX highway, ...I can see some really thick fire and smoke coming from behind the hills. Nobody would go to a place like that, so I don't know why there would a fire there.... Anyway, I just thought it would be a good idea to report this...! This might turn into a mountain fire!"
"Understood. We will be sending someone to check the scene out immediately, please tell me your name and a phone number that we can use to contact you. Also, please tell me the exact location of the fire scene."
---------------
"We have a notification from the fire-department HQ. There has been a report of a suspicious fire on the west side of Mt.XX. Since it's located far off from the roads, it's possible that it's a couple's bonfire, or perhaps the result of someone setting fire to garbages from an illegal dump. The scene is located in a deep forest area. There are no residences in the vicinity, however, there's a possibility that the fire will spread. Head to the scene and confirm the situation at once."
---------------
"Fire-department? This is the XX area fire-fighting branch. We have arrived at the reported scene just now. We have discovered a drum can that was abandoned and left to burn in the mountain. The fire is being contained right now, there are no dangers of the fire spreading.
.........And, ...... um, .......... inside the drum can, ....I think, there might be a person inside. It looked like... something human-like was burned with kerosene or something. ......Uh, ......I think it might be a good idea to call the police about this too...." "Wa ...Wah!! N-n, no doubt about it!! This, this is a person!! Hieeeee......!!"
Kuma: "....So I guess this is this year's curse."
Oishi: "...I guess so. ....They all die in very peculiar ways each year, but this year's way too odd."
Kuma: "Scratching and clawing one's own throat... This is not normal..."
Oishi: "Let's leave the rest up to the old man at the coroner. I'm sure he'll find some kind of substance out of this."
Police officers: "Good evening sir! Evening, Sir!!"
Kuma: "Ah, Oishi-san! Komiyama-san and his team are here sir!"
Komiyama: "Oishi-san, good evening sir! It seems like this year's one got to be the most gruesome one yet."
Oishi: "Yeah. It looks like they got to someone else.... I thought that the person that was gonna die this year was gonna be Houjou Teppei..."
Komiyama: "So, who is the deceased?"
Oishi: "Tomitake Jirou. He's an amateur photographer who comes to Hinamizawa once in a while. ....damn, no one was marking him...."
Komiyama: "...Hmm, I don't know. Perhaps the culprits found out we were marking the Houjou house so they changed their target?"
Oishi: ".....Maybe..... ....fuck, we might've been looking at the wrong direction..."
Komiyama: "And what about Houjou Teppei himself?"
Oishi: "Yeah. His daughter went off to the festival around dusk, and he left for it as well just a little while after. ...His daughter came back home already and....? Hmm...? He hasn't come back yet? Maybe he's out drinking somewhere...?"
Police A: "Oishi-san, are you here?! There's a call for you from Section Chief Takasugi. He's on the radio in car one."
Okinomiya Police Station Operator Monitor Log
June 20th, 20:08
Operator: "This is Okinomiya SP. I hear you well."
Oishi: "Ah, I need a BG check on a license plate. It's XX, X-XXXX."
Operator: "I repeat, that's XX, X-XXXX. Please hold?"
Oishi: "Sure."
License Plate BG Check
XX X-XXXX
Owner: XXXX (Resides in Shishibone City, Hinamizawa Village X-XXX)
Car type: XXXXXXX
Reported stolen: none
Additional info: none
Operator: "This is Okinomiya SP, to car Oishi. We've got the BG check on the license plate you requested. ...........car Oishi, do you respond? ..........................car Oishi, please respond, over. ...............Hm? .......Are they in a weak signal area? .....car Oishi, please res..."
Operator: "No response."
Operator B: "Oishi-san running a BG check? Whose car is it?"
Operator: "Just a local villager. ...Nothing out of the ordinary."
Operator B: "Well, if it's Oishi calling it in, there has to be something on it. Are you sure about that?"
Operator: "Yes. There's nothing on the additional info section. There no report on it being a Type-S. Nor are there any traffic violations on it either."
Operator B: "Hahaha. The car must've flashed it's high beams onto Oishi's car or something. That person has a tendency to hold a grudge on things like that."
I was yelled for being too stinky.
I was yelled at for the food being too stinky.
He said that it stinks because I'm stinky.
He said that I stink because I don't take a bath.
He said that since I stink so much, I need to take a bath at least three times a day.
I was told that I have to stay in each of those baths for a long long time.
It is possessing this guy too. Because this was the same thing that the dead guy was saying as well. How does this person know what that guy said.
That's easy. It's because the thing that possessed that guy is now possessing this guy too.
I wish that an earthquake occur right now and open a big crack in front of my house. If it did, that guy would definitely look at the crack. And then, all I have to do is just push him into it. I'm not gonna give up until I get that chance.
I'm not gonna give up. I'm not gonna cry.
I'm not gonna give up. I'm not gonna cry.
Aah, but still someone is saying sorry over and over again....
<About the Oyashiro-sama>
It is not known how the word Oyashiro-sama is spelled. However, this may also be the result of how the translation of its name had changed subtlely over the course of history. Hence, it is quite difficult to find whether or not this name is indeed correct to begin with.
In fact, the the only thing that is common in its history is that the readability of the four words O-YA-SHI-RO.
One theory states that the "社" (see footnote 1) that houses the Oyashiro-sama itself became a subject of worship, and that is why it became to be known as "御社さま" (see footnote 2). However, this theory is rather bland and boring.
While the following information may or may not be related to the above said matter, it is said that the noble Furude family has the bloodline of the Oyashiro-sama flowing within them. And according to the Furude family legend, it is said that if the first child that is born is a female after eight generations, that daughter in the eight generation will be the reincarnation of the Oyashiro-sama itself.
If one takes this legend into consideration, it seems the correct way to spell Oyashiro-sama is "御八代さま" (see footnote 3). (Of course, this spelling is just my own theory so there is no way of knowing for sure).
If such is the case, then the naming of the Oyashiro-sama is made under the premise of resurrection. Worshiping a deity under the pretense of its resurrection can be seen in many religions, so this is not rare. However, it is also interesting to note that several religions associate the resurrection of their deity with the "apocalypse."
Furude Rika, the cute little girl where all the village elders seem to take care of her with special treatment. ...There are rumors that she is the eighth generation "Oyashiro-sama." While I do not known the precise details of the Furude family tree, I do know that the first child of the past two generations were female.
Furude Rika, the little girl who looks over to protect Hinamizawa. What would happen if Hinamizawa loses her divine protection? What would happen if the tranquility between the humans and the demons were to wither away? Would all hell break loose once again as human-eating demons begin to engulf the village?
Weak and powerless humans cry and scream as the demons feast and remember what it was like to be their former selves.
...I wonder what a spectacle that would be. My heart pounds in excitement just imagining what it would be like.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnote 1: "Yashiro" - a place that enshrines a local deity
Footnote 2: Literal translation of this way of spelling "Oyashiro-sama" - The deity is the shrine itself
Footnote 3: Literal translation of this way of spelling "Oyashiro-sama" - The deity of every eight generations
Note: This really isn't a part of the TIPS, it is more like an information that scrolls before the credits at the ending of Tatarigoroshi.
FULL CREDIT FOR TRANSLATION: LostBlue
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Early dawn June 22, 1983
XX Prefecture, Shishibone County, Hinamizawa village – a wide spread disaster has occurred.
From one of the Hinamizawa district’s water sources, Onigafuchi Swamp, has emitted volcanic gases (hydrogen sulphide & carbon dioxide) that shrouded the entire village.
Over 1,200 victims confirmed.
Over 20 people reported missing.
Approximately 600,000 people were evacuated from the surrounding communities, making this an unprecedented catastrophe.
Later investigations showed that directly under Onigafuchi Swamp, there was a magma reservoir and hot springs;
Leading to the conclusion the erupted gases causing this disaster originated from here.
In addition, immediately after the disaster’s occurrence, one after another people claimed the disaster as the “Curse” in accordance to Hinamizawa folklore stirring early confusion.
In Hinamizawa, when a curse is set, noxious gas said to erupt and wipe out the village accordance to folklore;
Leading scholars to believe in the past a similar gas eruption happened and has remained as folklore.
One particular fanatical weekly magazine reports, that this is a mere extension to the bizarre deaths which has spanned the past several years in Hinamizawa village, aggregating it as the “Oyashiro-sama Curse Theory.”
Furthermore, the relatives of the Hinamizawa citizens who escaped the disaster complained of failing physical health and were hospitalized one after another following the disaster;
Among a portion of them, past away from an unknown disease, further escalating the chaos.
On top of that, few of the relatives self proclaimed they were possessed by Oyashiro-sama’s Curse and committed suicide in such outrageous ways,
...there was no longer any way to stop the wide-spread shock over the nation.
The delusion of poisonous gas seeping in the dead of night silently, sparked fear across the entire Japanese nation;
Resulting increasing complaints of sleeplessness, troubled breathing, headaches, dizziness, etc.
Amongst them, few proclaimed they were possessed, and committed to odd behaviors.
This is likely due to subjective influence from radical information, however,
...later, this mental distress caused by the Hinamizawa Catastrophe elevated to an epidemic dubbing this condition as the Hinamizawa Syndrome...
Targeted by various rumors and speculations, presently the Hinamizawa district has been restricted and even flight over the area has been prohibited.
As the gases level dropped, and the restriction was lifted, however, in the Fall of the same year once more a gas outbreak was confirmed, and the surrounding area was again restricted.
Local stories tell the rotting village still has the remains of civilization, as if in a coma sleeping continuously...
In the end there was a lone survivor, a male living at Hinamizawa XXXX block, Maebara Keiichi (1X).
At the time of rescue, he had trouble breathing suffering from pulmonary edema due to the gasses, however, from grave rescue efforts his life been saved.
Presently he is hospitalized in the general hospital within the prefecture.
Several reporters have tried pursing for an interview daily, but all were refused.
......What did he see at Hinamizawa?
From 6/21 to 6/22, what happen in Hinamizawa?
Even to this day, he has continued to keep his silence.
Note: This really isn't a part of the TIPS, it is more like an information that scrolls along with the credits at the ending of Tatarigoroshi. This list is formatted as closely as shown in the original game.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tokitake Jirou (real name unknown)
1983.06.19 Committed suicide within the village? Investigation on hiatus.
Takano Miyo
1983.06.19 Strangled to death in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture. Corpse was later burned. Investigation on-going.
Oishi Kuraudo
1983.06.20 Went missing during an investigation. Investigation on-going.
Kumatani Tatsuya
1983.06.20 Went missing during an investigation. Investigation on-going.
Irie Kyousuke
1983.06.21 Committed suicide in the clinic? Investigation on hiatus.
Furude Rika
1983.06.21 Murdered on the shrine compounds? Investigation on hiatus.
The Great Hinamizawa Gas Disaster Casualties List
Ryuuguu Reina
1983.06.22 Deceased - Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Sonozaki Mion
1983.06.22 Deceased - Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Sonozaki Oryou
1983.06.22 Deceased - Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Houjou Satoko
1983.06.22 Missing - Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Houjou Teppei
1983.06.22 Missing - Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Maebara Ichirou
1983.06.22 Deceased - Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Maebara Aiko
1983.06.22 Deceased - Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Tomita Daiki
1983.06.22 Deceased - Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Okamura Suguru
1983.06.22 Deceased - Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Chie Rumiko
1983.06.22 Deceased - Accident during evacuation of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Kimiyoshi Kiichirou
1983.06.22 Deceased - Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Kameda Kouichi
1983.06.22 Deceased - Accident during evacuation of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster
Kasai Tatsuyoshi
1983.08.11 Deceased - Passed away at local hospital
Sonozaki Shion
1983.08.27 Deceased - Committed suicide at local hospital. Investigation closed.
Maebara Keiichi
1983.08.29 Attempted suicide at local hospital.
Currently undergoing intensive medical treatment at the Prefectural Medical Facility and is recovering from severe PTSD from the disaster. Interview requests from all forms of media are prohibited.
Note: This really isn't a part of the TIPS, it is more like an information that was cut off from the anime at the very end of Tatarigoroshi
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summer of 2003
An elderly couple residing in Osaka Prefecture found a very old cassette tape as they were going through their son's belongings who died eight years ago. Their son (died at age of 47) was declared legally dead after they could not find his body when the fishing boat he was on capsized in 1995. In 2003, the elderly couple began to go through their son's belongings for storage after eight years of distraught. This was when they found the crucial cassette tape.
The deceased worked for a tabloid press from the late 1980s to the early 1990s, and it is believed that this tape was recorded when he was a reporter during that time.
The label on the tape reads "November 28, 1983 - Maebara Keiichi." It is believed to be a rare recorded interview with the sole survivor of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster that occurred in June of 1983. As the sole survivor of the Great Disaster, there was high interest at the time in obtaining information from him about what he saw and witnessed on that fateful night of June 21. Alas, there had been no word from his own words what he experienced...until this time.
Hence, it is expected that this tape recording will become a highly valuable source.
...click
Kei: "...It's kinda hard to explain when I know that this conversation is being recorded."
Reporter: "Don't worry, don't worry. Okay, if I do this, you won't have to worry about looking at it recording now, right?"
(The quality of the recording suddenly drops after this. Perhaps he put some kind of covering over the recorder?)
Reporter: "Okay, let's begin. ...Let's start with this one. Keiichi-kun, where were you on the night of the Great Disaster?"
Kei: "...right past the back of the shrine...you go straight...there's this bridge. Right before entering the mountains. ....I fell off of that and lost consciousness."
Reporter: "Is that the night of the Great Disaster? More specifically, between the changing night hours from the 21st to the 22nd?"
Kei: "...No. It was in the morning of Tuesday the 21st. And I regained consciousness around noon the next day...so, I guess I was out of it for about a day and a half."
Reporter: "What were you doing there? I'm sure everyone would say the same but, that day was a weekday and that bridge was nowhere near your home or your school."
Kei: "........................................"
Reporter: "There are rumors that state that you knew about the Great Disaster beforehand, and you were making your way out of the village when you fell from the bridge."
Kei: "You've gotta be kidding me. Please do not say such things anymore."
Reporter: "I agree that it's nothing but baseless rumor. I'm sorry if I made you feel bad... Okay, next question. The bridge that you fell off of...on the map, that would make it....here right? It's the one on the back of the shrine, past through the forest path?"
Kei: "....I think so. ....I never go there so I can't say for sure though."
Reporter: "Hahahahaha. Well, it's a mystery then why you would go to such a place that you never went on a weekday morning."
Kei: "........................................"
Reporter: "And, this is the river that you had lost consciousness. However, do you know that this spot would be impossible for you?"
Kei: "....'Impossible'.... ....Again, .....'Impossible'....again? Again.... Still...."
(Maebara Keiichi mumbles "Impossible" over and over again for a while)
Kei: "...Why do you say it's....impossible?"
Reporter: "You know that the volcanic gas came from the lake overturn at Onigafuchi Marsh, right? Well, a certain scientist did a small scale simulation using a model, and he found an interesting thing."
Kei: "........................................"
Reporter: "The volcanic gas is much heavier than air, so it has properties similar to water in which it flows to lower and lower ground with regards to the surrounding terrain. The experiment was done to see how and where this gas engulfed the village in which certain amount of time. ....And the results of this experiment showed that the gas....well, it would've gone through right where you said you lost consciousness."
Kei: ".....I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what you are trying to get at."
Reporter: "Basically, if you did indeed lost consciousness at this spot, it means you were subject to the deadly volcanic gas for the entire night. Therefore, the possibility of you losing consciousness at this location was ruled out."
Kei: "........................................"
Reporter: "I'll say it more bluntly. ...I think you might be lying. I think that during the Great Disaster, you hid yourself somewhere safe, and once the gas subsided, you went to the village to seek help from the SDF. ....How's that? Did I get it right?"
(The reported makes some jabs jokingly towards Maebara Keiichi for a bit, but all that is replied is a deep sigh)
Kei: ".....Well, even if that were true, ....I wouldn't be surprised."
Reporter: "Not surprised? ...What do you mean by that?"
It is noted that some skeptics doubt whether this recorded tape is really a genuine conversation done with Maebara Keiichi.
Kei: "....You said it yourself, didn't you? That it's 'impossible.' ....Well, in Hinamizawa, the 'impossible' is possible. ...There, a person who shouldn't be there exists. A person that should be dead, is alive. ...It's nothing strange in that place. ....I didn't imagine that I myself would be the proof that a person that should've died is still alive.... Hahahahahaha. A~hahahaha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Reporter: "A-HAHAHAHAHAHA! HAhahaha..."
(The reporter and Maebara Keiichi laughs together for a while.)
In order to seek validity, this recording was presented to the relatives of the Maebara family. However the relatives was unable to give a definite answer in validating Maebara Keiichi's voice due to the low quality of the recording compounded by the long time that has passed since the Great Disaster.
Reporter: "Okay Keiichi-kun, let me change the subject. What do you think about the stories that proclaim the Great Disaster being the fifth year's curse of the Hinamizawa Serial Murders?"
Kei: "Oh, that can't be true because the fifth year's curse is myself."
Reporter: "Huh? Ahahahaha! What do you mean by that?"
Kei: "What do you mean..., I'm responding to your question."
There are also doubts about the date November 28 on the label of the tape.
Kei: "....I doubt you'll believe me but....that Great Disaster? Well, I caused it. ...I wished everyone in that village to die, and that's exactly what happened."
Reporter: "Hahahaha... Well now, that's a pretty spectacular story there."
Kei: "Spectacular? ....I guess that's an intersting way of saying it...."
For one, Maebara Keiichi was transferred to a medical facility after he was diagnosed with severe psychological disorder when he attempted to commit suicide in August; two months after the Great Disaster.
Kei: "I killed Takano-san, I also killed the Kantoku and Oishi-san as well. ....I had some kind of divine powers within me at that time. ....How can I say it....like a sound of footsteps?"
Reporter: "Footsteps...? .....Hahahaha, what do you mean by that?"
Kei: "What, you've never heard footsteps in your life before? ....Step Step. Tap Tap. Kukuku."
Since the medical facility shut out the media requests, it is highly unlikely that such a tape could even exist with that was supposedly recorded after August of 1983.
Kei: "It's pretty interesting when you stop and stand still. You should give it a try starting from today. ....And when you hear an extra footstep even if you stopped yourself...well....that's when you should start being careful. ....Fufufufu."
Reporter: "A...Ahahahaha! Oh...Of course...Yes, I'll becareful. Haha, hahaha!"
Kei: "......Did I say something....very funny right now?"
However, this reporter was known for his aggressive reporting style at the time, so one cannot dismiss that he might've entered the facility's compounds illegally for a guerilla-tactic interview.
Kei: "You....have been laughing smudgingly all this time. ...Just like the kantoku. Pretending to feel sorry for me, pretending to listening to what I am saying...when in fact you look at me with those eyes as if I'm kind of psycho or something."
Reporter: "Haha, haha. ....No, of course not. Hahaha..."
Kei: "No, ....I know. Your eyes is exactly the same the kantoku."
Is this really Maebara Keiichi's own voice...? The validity of this recorded tape is yet to be unshrouded from its mystery.
Kei: ".....I can't hear those footsteps since that day. ...Hence, I don't think I have such a horrific power like I did before... ....But, I'll wish for your death this one time. Death for you as a result for this unpleasant talk we've been having. ...Hmm, let's try on how you're supposed to die this time as well. ...Takano-san was burned to death so.....okay, you are water. You drown to your death in water. How's that?"
This reporter did indeed die ten years later in July of 1995 by drowning from a boating accident just as Maebara Keiichi noted he would.
Kei: "...If my power was at its peak, you would die by next morning. ...Now I wonder how many days it will take you to die with water? Fu, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. ....You becareful, you hear? You don't want to die from my curse do you? ....HAHAHAHAHA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-H
(The tape suddenly stops in the midst of Maebara Keiichi's laughter)
And as for Maebara Keiichi....
He suddenly fell under a severe fever and passed away two days later on November 30, 1983.
The night before he died, the nurse station received several eerie calls as reported:
"...And yet another footstep..."
Yukie: "...I see. It must be tough to get a sudden assignment like this.... Please be careful. Where are you going for the assignment? Are you already there?"
Akasaka: ".............................."
I'm heading out on an assignment, so the questions is "where to?"
...Not just for Yukie, it's a very natural and reasonable question for anyone to ask.
If it's a cold place, then it'd be a good idea to prepare some warm clothings.
Or, if it's a far place, then be careful on the way there.
......It's a perfectly normal question that links to those perfectly normal considerations.
The fact that I can't even answer that perfectly normal question makes me a little sad.
Yukie: "...I'm sorry. You're not allowed to say, right...? Please be careful."
Akasaka: ".........Sorry, Yukie."
Yukie: "...Since when did you become so quick to apologize to people? Back when you first got the job, you were so lively and fulfilled too. ...*giggle*."
Yukie laughs out, as if she saw through something.
At times like these, there are magical powers within Yukie that allows her to see through everything within me.
Yukie: "...It's been a while since I've been admitted into the hospital too. Are you getting lonely yet...?"
Akasaka: "D, don't tease me. I'm not at an age to be missing people all the time anymore...."
Yukie: "...*giggle*, well then, what do we think about that? You're really a pampered child, after all.... Without me around, you must be becoming more and more timid around people, right...? *giggle giggle*"
Akasaka: "......Ahh, geez.... Right now, I can imagine little devil horns coming out of your head, you know... You're always like this- "
Yukie: "...Don't try to shift the topic. Without my attention, you're feeling so so lonely~, I can hear your tail wagging across the phone receiver telling me that, you know? *giggle giggle*......"
This side of Yukie is unimaginable from her usual ladylike demeanors, and she never shows it to anyone but me.
Normally, I would poke her back to hide my embarassment, and forcibly end the conversation in some way, but that doesn't work over the phone.
......Of course, Yukie is smart. She's teasing me knowing that as well.
Yukie: "...*giggle giggle*. I wonder when was it that I realized just how fun it is to make fun of you...."
Akasaka: "Give me a break already.... ...Anyway, I'm glad to hear your energetic voice."
Yukie: "...Really? ...Have you cheered up now?"
I'm phoning Yukie, who's left alone in the hospital, so that she wouldn't feel lonely.
......That's just an excuse made for a shy guy like me. And it looks like Yukie figured that out a long time ago as well.
Akasaka: "...............Yeah."
Yukie: "Call me again sometime, ok...? If I can't come to the phone, then dad will talk to you. ...Well, if dad picks up, knowing you, even across the phone you'd probably be standing at full attention while talking him. *giggle giggle giggle*...."
For a short while, Yukie continued to tease without giving me a chance to hang up.......
Chairman XX-san, and everyone of the XX assembly, I would like use this opportunity to congratuate you all on the 25th anniversary of of the XX assembly.
The past twenty-five years can be said to have been the entire history of XX prefecture's developments.
The quiet scenary of whole fields of croplands, through the long-wished opening of the Shinkansen station, as well as highway services, has also been reborn into modern cities filled with young vitality.
The economy and the industries are growing by accepting new and improved ideas one by one.
And through the love for their native land that's unique to the residents of XX prefecture, which places great value on our old and wonderful traditions, our towns have grown to become some of the most wonderful cities in Japan that maintains a perfect balance between tradition and culture, and economy and industry.
And, we can say that the history of XX prefecture's developments has also been the history of the XX assembly's development.
We are required to have executing abilities that's literally as sharp as an arrow, in order for us to constantly enforce our public promises and policies once they have been revealed.
I believe that everyone here in the XX assembly, which treats this arrow as it's organization symbol, are all arrows possessing this arrow-like execution ability, and uses it to pierce through all obstacles for the sake of perpetual happiness of the XX prefecture residents.
However, everyone here are not just simply arrows.
While possessing the integrity and candidness of an arrow, all of you have eyes that's always looking into the future, and never stops researching and exploring for new methods that adapts to the changing times.
A released arrow can only fly towards a pre-determined target.
However, everyone here are not just arrows.
Even after released from the bow, all of you continues to search for newer, more effective methods and policies, as well as possessing a flexible stance that allows for immediate changes in the arrow's trajectory. You are magic arrows.
The times are constantly advancing.
Sometimes, it's possible for the times to move on before a policy can be executed.
(Beyond this are parts that were not in the original script. It is believed to be the minister's ad lib)
For example, even regarding to the Hinamizawa Village Electricity Basic Project that has been causing various problems in the recent years within the prefecture, we cannot carry through with the plan simply because we were told to, instead, we must possess the flexibility to always respond to and reflect the constantly changing desires of the next era, the native community, as well as the residents.
The protest movements surrounding the Hinamizawa Dam is also a conscious opinion of the XX prefecture residents. If we don't lend our ears to their pleads simply because the policy has already been determined, then it may very well cast a bad shadow over the democratic government of the postwar Japan.
(Beyond this are the same as the original script)
I will also be thorough with policies that has been determined, for the sake of perpetual happiness for the citizens of Japan, as well as the residents of the XX prefecture.
At the same time, I'm also constantly reminded that I must learn to have the flexibility that everyone here at the XX assembly possesses, who are capable finding new methods while gazing into the future.
It has become a long speech, but with that, I would like to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the XX assembly.
Chairman XX-san, as well as everyone of the XX assembly. Congratulations to you all today.
From the guest greeting speech of the Minister of Construction at the 25th anniversary celebration ceremony of the XX prefecture congress and congress member seminar, XX assembly.
Daily lives in the world are run by people's connections with each other.
However, that does not mean everyone is connected to each other.
Everyone knows that even if some nameless person crys or laughs on the other side of the planet, it will not effect them in any way.
However, if it happened within a very limited small community such as a neighborhood, then it's not an impossibility either.
It's possible that a single significant act within a small community can have a large effect on the entire population afterwards.
If the scale of the act increases to an extremely large size, then ......Well, it's possible that some nameless person's heroic speech on the other side of the planet might affect my life in some way.
But that doesn't mean everything is like that.
Like I said in the beginning, fundamentally speaking, the connections between people are not as obvious as the society would have you believe.
Whether the family across the street is having hamburger meat or croquette as their dinner side-dish doesn't affect me in any way.
When I put on my shoes, whether I start with my right foot first or left foot first doesn't affect anyone in any way.
......Most people can probably understand everything up to this point.
However, truly practically realistically speaking, the connections between people is actually something that's much more black and white.
It is not an issue of distance like "it doesn't matter because it's on the other side of the Earth" or "it affects me because it's near me" or anything.
For example, let's say that the actions of a certain person A affect me.
That doesn't mean a certain person B's actions would affect me as well.
Same goes for the reverse. Just because my actions affect A does not mean that they will affect B as well.
Let's put it more bluntly.
If we were to describe people's connections or fates as gears, then there will be people who are engaged with my gear, as well as people who aren't. That's what I mean.
Some people will probably object to this, calling it a fallacy.
For those people, I'll refer them to the gears within a clock.
The gears within a clock are mostly only engaged with one or two other gears beside themselves.
However, if one gear spins, it moves the gear beside it, and through their connections with each other, it will have moved all the gears in the end.
.........It certainly makes sense, and it also has enough power to persuade most people.
Now then, why does it have persuasive power?
...The answer is simple.
Because something as abstract as "connections between people" cannot be explained except as a concept.
Because it is impossible to physically explain just exactly which gear connects with which in what way, and how they link and relate to each other, so we can only shroud it in smoke by using such logics.
Now then, for those people who liked that explanation, let me object to it by referring to the clock again.
To begin with, it is a mistake to think of this world as a single clock.
There's more than one clock.
In this world, there are lots of clocks, each pointing to their own time.
Think about it, to think of this world as having only one clock is an incredibly ignorant thing in itself.
If you think about that way, then while I explain people's connections by using the gear example, it would also explain how there are gears from other clocks that have absolutely no relationship to my gear, right?
The neighbor A and B.
Since A is a gear in the same clock as me, I should probably pay more attention to him.
Since B is a gear in a different clock from me, his existence doesn't really matter to me.
A clear-cut distinction, just like that.
You want to call that a fallacy?
Then, for an easier understanding, let's use a daily life example that's easier for us to relate to than the clock.
You have probably heard of the expression "the fire on the other side of the river", right?
For example, if your neighbor is having a fire, you would obviously help with firefighting effort, right? It'd be troublesome if the fire spreads to your house, after all.
But what if that fire is over at the town across the river from you?
Would you go through the trouble of getting up to go help? You won't, right? No matter what, there's no way it would spread to your house, after all.
What I mean is, even for fires, there are houses that can spread their fires to your own house, and then there are completely irrelevant houses that won't spread their fires to you.
With an example as concrete as this, you can probably understand the gear example about the gears that relate to you and the gears that don't, even if only a little bit, right?
......What I'm saying is that there are lots of things like these in the world, even without the rivers.
It's not an issue of distance like "neighbor" or "the other side of the river" or anything, understand?
The car stopped. However, that's the only thing that I knew. That's because I was blindfolded and put into the trunk.
Oh, how powerless a person when his vision has been restrained. ...I would've never known about this before I experienced it first hand. I realized that resistance was futile. I began to feel dizzy from the trapped air in the trunk. ...All that was left was for my consciousness to go dim as this torture ran its course.
When the car's engine stopped, my consciousness clinged on to the illusion that I was going to be set free. In reality of course, the situation at hand has not changed. Hence, I immediately awoke from that illusion.
I hear the voice of the man that kidnapped me and another older man that I hear for the first time. I concentrate to listen in on their conversation...
Man: "....Good afternoon. The chick is in the trunk. He's a bit worn out for resisting, but I've never hurt him per your orders."
Older man: "....Oh oh, sorry fer all the 'uble."
[flash of white light]
Fresh and cool air suddenly engulfs me as they open the trunk. All this time, I wanted out. But once the trunk is opened, now I felt sudden unease on what's about to happen next. ..I even wished to have the trunk shut again to shield me from these men.
Someone suddenly placed its hand on my head. Since I was blindfolded, I didn't know whether the hand touching my head was about to pat me or as a precursor to chopping my head off. I tightened my body as I prepared for the worst...
Older man (in distinct local dialect): "Look at him...all scared and shaken. Don't you worry son, You just stay here for a bit until things cool down..."'
The older man said it in a sympathetic way as he patted my head.
Older man: "I'm sorry for all of this... But your grandpa is a very kind person. I'm sure he'll do everything to save you."
Since I lived in a metro area where regular Japanese is spoken, this old man's regional dialect was very distinctive. However, I wasn't able to decipher what he just said. I finally realized that how he said "yer 'andpa" meant "your grandpa" as I repeated that phrase over and over again in my head...
Then, the hand that was patting my head touched my blindfold.
Man: "...I disagree with taking off the blindfold sir... Things will get complicated if he gets to identify us later on."
Older man: "Hm...okay. But at least get off his gag for sakes...Look at him, he can't breathe with that on him."
Man: "...It'll be difficult if he uses his voice to call for help... Please let us handle this..."
Older man: "...What's wrong with you!! ...The main house said not to lay nor hurt this child, ya hear? You keep that in your hearts, okay...!?"
Man: "Yes sir. We won't lay a finger on him. ...If he remains cooperative."
The man's hand began to tap my head. His hand was much different from the older man's - thick and strong.
Stay put and we won't lay a finger. But if you start shit...well, you know what's gonna happen right?
...it's as if this man was sending such messages directly into me as he tapped my head.
The sound of the car approaches near, slowly brakes, and shuts off its engine to a complete stop. The relaxing man inside suddenly jumps up, crawls near the window and cautiously peeks through the window...
...It's his partner's car.
But he doesn't leave his guard down.
The footsteps began to approach the door, and he knocks with the pre-arranged code, knock, kno-kno-knock.
Man A: "...I'm back. It's me, open it"
Man B: "Good to see you again. Wait a sec."
The man unlocks it and open the door. Another man holding a two large plastic bags filled with goods from the local supermarket stands in front of the door. "Sevens Mart" is written on the side of the bag filled with bakeries and pints of milk. He dumps them onto the mattress on the floor.
Man A: "I've also bought some Cup Noodles, so can you get me some hot water? ...So how's the kid doing?"
Man B: "Oh, he's been sleeping. It's good for us cuz we don't have to do anything. The only time he starts scruffling is when he needs to take a shit."
Man A: "Don't let him shit in his pants, ya hear? The smell of it may cause us a trouble later on."
Man B: "....yeah yeah."
Man A: "And remember to check the gag every so often. We can't let it go too loose, but we can't put it on too tightly either. All this will lead us to nothing if we end up suffocating him."
Man B: "Yeah, yeah I get it.... Hey, where's that can of butane I asked for? We don't have any more butane for the portable gas range."
Man A: "What!? You didn't say so, you idiot!"
Man B: "I didn't? Aw man, didn't you notice it that we're all out...? Fuck, fuck!!"
The man tries in vain by turn the knob on the portrable range to see if there's any juice left to get it going.
...The other man who brought the supplies sighs in despair.
The other man decides to put his mind aside of this matter and walks over to the back of the room. ...The child that was kidnapped was laying on the floor mattress.
Man A: ".....Hey kid. ....Feelin' okay?"
Of course, the man didn't expect to have the kid hear what he was saying. That's because the kid was earplugged on both of his ears, and secured tightly with duct tape along with the blindfold. His mouth was covered with a simple gag made out of thin towels. ...The kid's jaw was covered with his own drool as he couldn't get his jaw shut from the gag. Furthermore, his hand were tied on his back tightly with a leaher belt.
Man A: "Good, everything going satisfactory. Don't you worry, we won't take your life or anything. ...If your grandpa refused to budge, we would've had to cut off on of your ears, but it seems we don't have to do that anymore... If it's on the orders of the main household, we have to do it... ...I can't even imagine what kind of cruel things they might've ordered. ...Since the main house is saying not to lay a single scratch to you, then it must mean all's going to satisfaction..."
Man B: "The minister backs down from the dam project. The Hinamizawa Dam Project will be put on indefinite hiatus. ...I wonder when we'll be able to let this kid go. ...I wanna have a nice relaxing smoke already."
Man A: "The main house is looking for the right timing. I don't know when, but it seems it's gonna be soon..."
Man B: "You hear that kid? Seems like you're gonna be released soon. Hehehe..."
No one knows whether the mens' voices have reached the child's ears. ...The only way the child was able to protect his mind from this cruel reality was to force himself to go to sleep...
Man A: "In either case, what about the gas, man!! I can't eat ramen without it!! If you knew that we're all out of gas, why didn't you say so!!"
The weather forecast predicted that there won't be any rain at all this week.
It's not that I dislike sunny days.
However, if the dull sunny weather continues on for days after days, then anyone would begin to long for the rain clouds.
If the same monotonous sunny sky continues for a whole week, a whole month, a whole year, then anyone would begin to long for the rain clouds.
The weather experts would line up various past data and analyze them carefully before announcing their predictions, so the forecasts don't usually miss their marks. I know that.
......But, that's exactly why I look up at the sunny sky, waiting for that one day where the weather forecast just might miss it's mark.
Does that make me a rebel?
Even as I wait and wait, sometimes the boredom of a fine sunny sky with no rain clouds feels suffocating to me.
If people could actually suffocate to death by something like this. ...Then the population on Earth probably wouldn't have grown this large.
Which means, ...I must be the only person who can suffocate by something like this.
That's why.
......I become overjoyed at the sudden evening showers in summer evenings that couldn't be predicted even in the weather forecasts.
How can I explain it, so that you can understand my feelings as well?
For example, let's say tonight's dinner is going to be curry rice.
But when I got called to the dinner table, it was actually a dish of fried eggplant and green pepper.
It was just something that mom decided to change on a whim.
But I'm really glad for that whim. It's true that I don't really like eggplants or green pepper, but still, I'm glad.
I'm glad to see the collapse of the preestablished arrangement that said "tonight's dinner is going to be curry rice".
If we were to repeat this night for a hundred times, decidedly, there's going to be that curry rice that I'll have to eat a hundred times.
...And that curry rice has become fried eggplant and green pepper tonight. There's no reason why I won't enjoy this random happening.
I don't like preestablished arrangements.
I hate predetermined schedules.
I don't have love for boredom.
No matter how minor it may be, I always end up hoping for the occurance of something that's different from all the other days.
It's been decided that it's going to be sunny for a whole week, starting today.
That's what the weather forecast determined, and the god of weather is probably thinking the same too.
But, nobody can say with confidence that, ...by some random chance, ...rain clouds won't come even for just one of those days.
......The fact that there are always elements left in this world which nobody can be certain about, saves living things like me from suffocating.
Tomorrow is probably going to be a pretty hot and sunny day too.
But, only I know that a preestablished arrangement like that can be changed every once in a while... by a very slight chance that's probably barely 1%.
Placing hope in that 1% of something, I would hang the teruteru bouzu (weather doll) upside down on the edge of the house eaves on sunny days.
In the end, I'm living my life through hoping for such unexpectedness in all things in the world.
Why am I hoping for them? ...The thought popped into my head.
Why am I waiting for the rain clouds?
...That's simple. Because I'm tired of sunny skies.
Then, why is it that I'm waiting for the rain clouds?
...That's simple. Because the tomorrow that's been determined to be sunny is boring.
So, why is it that I'm waiting for the rain clouds?
In the end, it doesn't matter whether it'll be sunny or rainy tomorrow.
In the end, even if it rained, it would only be able to temporarily moisten the boredom that has made my heart barren.
That's why, rather than watching television dramas where the plot has already been determined,
...I prefer looking up in the sky instead.
Dr. Irie: "Your blood pressure is getting much better. I'm amazed at your vitality, especially a person at such an age as yours. Oryou-san, I wouldn't be surprised if you lived past hundred or even two."
The young doctor smiled as he removed the sphygmomanometer from the elderly ladies' arms.
Oryou: "Dr. Irie is such a good doctor... Old people like us who live past beyond their age need to go away so as not to bother the younger generation... Hohohoho..."
The elderly woman puts on a smile and laughs smoothly.
Then he turns her head towards the fusuma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusuma) and bellows, "Is Shinko-san or Taeko-san here? Go bring Dr. Irie some cold barley tea!"
The halls echoes with light footsteps. When the fusuma opened there was a young girl there. ...It seems that she was the grandchild of the elderly woman.
Mion: "Shinko-san has already left for the day. ...Do you need anything?"
Oryou: "Mion, could you get some cold barley tea for Dr. Irie?"
Mion: "Okay. How about some for you, grandma? Some black tea? Want me to put lotsa cream and sugar?"
Oryou: "Just bring me the sugar pot and the cream; I'll put them in myself."
Mion: "Okie-dokie."
The girl named Mion turned back to the hallway after listening to her grandma's request.
Oryou: "Remember to bring the doctor's barley tea in the glassware for the guest!! Oh and bring the zabuton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabuton) cushion too! Don't forget to wipe off the condensation on the glass too, ya hear!?"
Mion: "Yeah, yeah, I know. Sheesh."
Mion's frank voice is heard across the hall. That's just her attitude, nothing new. The elderly woman chuckled.
Oryou: "Sigh, when will she learn. Oh well, I guess that how they are nowadays."
Dr. Irie: "Oryou-san, Oryou-san. There there, keep your calm. Mion-chan is doing her best as a teenager."
Oryou: "That mother of her's too was just like her!"
Dr. Irie: "Ahahahaha. Then does that mean her mother's own mother would be the same too then?"
The elderly woman guffawed with that remark. She seems to be enjoying this conversation.
Oryou: "Dr. Irie, I'm sorry. Can you open the shoji (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoji)? I want to let the cool wind in."
The soothing sounds of cicadas was seeping in through the gaps of the shoji. Dr. Irie stood up to open the shoji. The cool wind began to let the humidity of the room out.
Dr. Irie: "It's been getting very hot lately...but it seems it's still cool during dawn and dusk hours. Last night was even a bit cold for me."
Oryou: "Mm-hmm. There's another good thing about Hinamizawa - it's dawn and dusk hours."
Dr. Irie smiled back, and sat himself on the cusion next to the elderly woman once again. The two calmly just sat there listening to the cries of the cicadas...
Oryou: "...Although I may not live to a hundred, it's not my time to die just yet. ...My coffin will not close until this dam thing gets taken care of."
Dr. Irie: "...It's very hard to overturn something that was decided by the government..."
Oryou: "In any age, what the government decides to do is just like turning a stone grinder. And a very heavy one at that too."
Dr. Irie: "...A stone grinder?"
Oryou: "You don't know what a stone grinder is?"
"Oh no, of course I know what it is," reassured Dr. Irie. He knows that Oryou dislikes it when her conversation gets impeded like this.
Oryou: "The government's stone grinder can grind anything...it's quite impressive, really. But, it's so heavy that it needs lots of people to get it moving. And when it does, it moves very slowly. That's the kind of stone grinder they have."
Irie kept his mouth shut as he listened to what she was saying.
Just then, Mion brought over the tray with the teas. She realized that Oryou was speaking in a good mood, so she silently crouched and handed over the barley and black teas.
Oryou: "...and since it's so heavy, it's hard to stop it's momentum. ...The first shove to get it going is very heavy. Everyone doesn't want to do that first shove once again, so they don't rest and continue to keep it rolling."
Mion: "That's like friction. Grandma, you say it with great real-world logic!"
Oryou: "So, if that stone grinder stops for some reason, that means they would need a lot of support once again to get it moving again."
Dr. Irie: "....Yes. It'll take tremendous energy to restart a project that was once put on hiatus."
Oryou: "It's the kind of stone grinder that's very difficult to stop though. ...But if it does, it'll never turn again."
Dr. Irie: "If only there was a good way to stop that stone grinder..."
When Irie whispered that, the elderly woman and Mion paused suddenly in silence...
Irie realized immediately that he has made the wrong remark, and desperately tried to find a comment to recuperate himself. But he was dumbfounded in silence when he realized the cold smiles on the two's facial expressions.
Dr. Irie: "................."
The two: ".........."
The air around him seemed to drop several degrees. Irie couldn't think straightfoward. He became afraid that their cold smiles was aimed at his remark hwe has just uttered.
Dr. Irie: "................"
The two: "......................."
Dr. Irie: ".............haha, hahahahaha,"
The silence didn't last that long. Irie caved in from the silent pressure, and chose to laugh his way out to loosen the atmosphere. The laughter passed on to the elderly woman and Mion, and the room began to fill with the three's laughter.
...The cicadas were the only ones that were not laughing, as they incessantly continues to cry their usual sounds...
Kataoka: "...Yeah. I met him at the restaurant in Ginza yesterday. Yeah, that issue was discussed there."
Elite Investigator A: "They're overstepping their authority. They are getting too involved in our Public Safety Commission. This might set a bad precedent for us to seeking opportunities."
Kataoka: "Minister Inukai is highly unimpressed with the how the PSC is moving along. I'm sure that the issue will be brought up by the vice-minister on Monday's Metropolitan Assembly. ....Dang man."
EI A: "We'll have to set a rebuttal by having a our Chief discuss this matter with the vice-minister. That's the responsibility of the person who gets paid more."
Kataoka: "If that's so, then the Chief will ask us to provide us with evidence on the Minister's threat."
EI A: "Yeah, that man sometimes loses track on which side he's supposed to be on. You're supposed to be on our side!"
Kataoka: "I'm sure that's just the pressure coming from the Minister as well. We have to hope the investigation goes along while I sweat and toil inside the vice-minister's room. ...That is if I don't sweat everything I have and turn into pulp, of course. ...So, how's the investigation going along?"
EI A: "All the areas that we've suspected turned up nothing, so basically we have no idea."
Kataoka: "I head that if we look at the recent statements made by the Minister, we see increasing references to the Hinamizawa Dam Project. What about that?"
EI A: "....hmmmm.... It's not like it stands out or anything...it's just this weird sense tied with it. But then, since that speech was done at the XX Prefectural Meeting, it can be said that he brought that up as a local pork-barrel issue."
Kataoka: "This was the one that is being protested highly by the local group, right? The Onigafuchi Defense League. Wasn't Akasaka-kun investigating on them?"
EI A: "In my opinion, I don't think they are capable to carryout such a case like this. However, since all the leads that we followed so far turned up emptyhanded, we can't scratch this one off as a possibility. I've received a small report from Akasaka-kun stating that it has been inconclusive at this time."
Kataoka: "...Then there might be some value in putting our investigation there isn't it? We have nothing as of now, and if that group is the only one that's suspicious, we've gotta do what we've gotta do."
EI A: "Well, that's not the only group that we need to investigate. Ahahaha! If we're to start suspecting groups on the level of Onigafuchi, then there's just too many of them. We don't have the time or the manpower no matter how much overtime we get paid."
Kataoka: "Get in touch with Akasaka-kun to see if he can go a bit more in-depth. ...I'm starting to get suspicious myself on that Defense League."
EI A: "He said he was able to get into close contact with the villagers. He seems to have also made connections with the local police department."
Kataoka: "Keep the contact with Akasaka-kun confidential. And if you think there might be something suspicious going on from the reports he gives, don't hesitate to call in more backup."
EI A: "You got it."
EI B: "...um, excuse me Manager Kataoka~! It's a call from the Chief. Would you like me to transfer it over there?"
Kataoka: "No, no that's fine! I'll go over there. ....Hello! This is Kataoka speaking..."
Do you think there is such a thing as choices in life?
There are a lot of people who lament.
They say "if clear choices were set up at various turnpoints in my life, then I would've been able to gauge them carefully, and guide myself to a better future."
...Whenever I hear lamentations like that, I would think "what a pointless worry".
Even if we were given choices to select from, it won't have any meanings anyway, nor does that help us guide ourselves to a better future.
......You don't understand?
Well then, as an example, let's put two odd-looking boxes in front of you.
And then, let's say you are now given two choices.
That is, do you open the red box? Or do you open the blue box?
You would probably be indecisive, right?
"If I have to open one, be it red or blue, I would want to open the one that's better for me", it's a very natural desire to wish for that.
And then, after considering various factors such as the boxes' shape and feel, and after much contemplation, you would finally pick one of the boxes.
.........Which box would you pick?
Red and blue.
...If we were to follow the rules of the traffic signals, then red means danger.
But that doesn't mean blue would guarantee safety either.
Who knows, it might actually be a trap to make you feel cautious about the red box, so that you would open the blue box.
Trap?
...Is it possible that the contents within the boxes are not gains, but actually something that causes a loss instead...?
Now then... you're becoming more and more indecisive now.
Torn between the choice of red and blue, ...you must be beginning to hope for a choice to leave this place without opening any boxes at all.
But nope. You must open one of the boxes.
Ah, I almost forgot to mention this, but once you pick a box, the other box will disappear.
So you'll have no way of knowing what was in the box that you didn't pick. Just to let you know that we have this rule, okay?
Now then. Want to take your pick?
The red box? Or the blue box?
...Don't worry, there's nothing bad in either of them. ...Come on.
Have you thought about it carefully?
In the end, you picked this color, right?
...The moment that you made your choice, the other colored box disappeared with a poof.
Forget about the contents in that other box, okay?
That was the rule.
Now then, let's open up the box that you picked.
Inside the box is, ......a piece of caramel candy.
......I know you're a little disappointed.
I don't blame you.
No matter how you look at it, it's a miss, right?
Inside the correct box, who knows, there might actually have been a whole bar of chocolate in it.
No, who knows, it might have been something much much better, like tickets for two to Hawaii.
But, even though you want to make sure, the other box has already disappeared.
You have no way of finding out.
That's why you begin to think positively.
Who knows... maybe that other box was empty, and this box was actually the correct choice.
And then, feeling satisified with this cheap prize (or maybe not satisified), you popped it into your mouth and chewed on it happily.
Well, what do you think in the end?
If you were given the same choice next time, you think you'd pick the other box?
......But, unfortunately, the game of picking red and blue boxes will never visit you again.
That's why, the chance to for you repick your choice will never come in your lifetime.
You are always told "you have only one chance at life, so choose carefully" by your parents, right?
*giggle giggle giggle*.......
See? Choices are no big deal at all. ...Do you feel a little disappointed now? Ahahahahahaha......
...The moment that you made your choice, the other colored box disappeared with a poof.
Forget about the contents in that other box, okay?
That was the rule.
Now then, let's open up the box that you picked.
Inside the box is, ......a piece of caramel candy.
......Right now, you're going "pffft".
That's right, the contents of the red and blue box is one piece of caramel candy and one piece of chewing gum.
Earlier, you thought that you might have gotten the wrong box, but now that you look at them together, you realize that neither can really be called the wrong box, right?
Well, there's still people's personal preference.
Some people like caramel, and some people like gum.
....There's no doubt that you would think about repicking the box to open, according to your preferences.
...Basically, this is the choice that you've been wishing for.
The selfishness of wanting to compare the contents within the two boxes, and picking the one that you want.
But, you know? The real world is just like this game.
Once you pick one, the one that's unpicked will disappear. So you can't tell.
"If I did XX back then, or if I didn't do it back then, ...then I probably would've been much happier (or unhappy) than I am right now." You have no way of knowing that.
In the end, you'll just have to accept (or feel disappointed about) the choice that you made, and be satisified with it.
But what's so bad about that?
For what it's worth, you got to enjoy the thrill of choices, right?
Now that you know the contents of both boxes, you can't even kill time on the selection of red or blue boxes anymore.
Because, rather than playing a boring box game like this, it's much more fun to look up at the fast-changing summer evening skies, and guessing whether or not there's going to be a sudden evening shower while listening to the distant thunders.
Have you thought about it carefully?
In the end, you picked this color, right?
...The moment that you made your choice, the other colored box disappeared with a poof.
Forget about the contents in that other box, okay?
That was the rule.
Now then, let's open up the box that you picked.
Inside the box is, ......a piece of chewing gum.
......I know you're a little disappointed.
I don't blame you.
No matter how you look at it, it's a miss, right?
Inside the correct box, who knows, there might actually have been a whole bar of chocolate in it.
No, who knows, it might have been something much much better, like tickets for two to Hawaii.
But, even though you want to make sure, the other box has already disappeared.
You have no way of finding out.
That's why you begin to think positively.
Who knows... maybe that other box was empty, and this box was actually the correct choice.
And then, feeling satisified with this cheap prize (or maybe not satisified), you popped it into your mouth and chewed on it happily.
Well, what do you think in the end?
If you were given the same choice next time, you think you'd pick the other box?
......But, unfortunately, the game of picking red and blue boxes will never visit you again.
That's why, the chance to for you repick your choice will never come in your lifetime.
You are always told "you have only one chance at life, so choose carefully" by your parents, right?
*giggle giggle giggle*.......
See? Choices are no big deal at all. ...Do you feel a little disappointed now? Ahahahahahaha......
...The moment that you made your choice, the other colored box disappeared with a poof.
Forget about the contents in that other box, okay?
That was the rule.
Now then, let's open up the box that you picked.
Inside the box is, ......a piece of chewing gum.
......Right now, you're going "pffft".
That's right, the contents of the red and blue box is one piece of caramel candy and one piece of chewing gum.
Earlier, you thought that you might have gotten the wrong box, but now that you look at them together, you realize that neither can really be called the wrong box, right?
Well, there's still people's personal preference.
Some people like caramel, and some people like gum.
....There's no doubt that you would think about repicking the box to open, according to your preferences.
...Basically, this is the choice that you've been wishing for.
The selfishness of wanting to compare the contents within the two boxes, and picking the one that you want.
But, you know? The real world is just like this game.
Once you pick one, the one that's unpicked will disappear. So you can't tell.
"If I did XX back then, or if I didn't do it back then, ...then I probably would've been much happier (or unhappy) than I am right now." You have no way of knowing that.
In the end, you'll just have to accept (or feel disappointed about) the choice that you made, and be satisified with it.
But what's so bad about that?
For what it's worth, you got to enjoy the thrill of choices, right?
Now that you know the contents of both boxes, you can't even kill time on the selection of red or blue boxes anymore.
Because, rather than playing a boring box game like this, it's much more fun to look up at the fast-changing summer evening skies, and guessing whether or not there's going to be a sudden evening shower while listening to the distant thunders.
Guest A: "Yes, that's correct. The passing away ceremony will be held tomorrow at 6 PM, and the farewell ceremony will be followed the following afternoon from 1 to 2 PM. The location will be at the Okinomiya Ceremony Hall..."
Oryou: "...I see... If it's the funeral for Advisor Ikezawa's grandchild, we should attend. Mion, can you go there in my place?"
Mion: "Sure, no problem. Shall I wear formally? How much for the obituary gift?"
Oryou: "Your school uniform should suffice. Remember to button up the shirt though. The obituary, how about 50,000, no make that 100,000 (yen). He's done so much for us."
Mion whistled at the generous amount for the obituary gift.
Oryou: "Ikezawa-san was a kind a gentle person since he was the administrative manager of Okinomiya. Most government officials only shows up up to the front porch. But whenever I offer him some tea, he politely comes up into our home and listens carefully to what I say. He's a perfect example of how they should be."
The two guests nods quietly as Oryou began to speak about the past. It's very amusing to see the two appeasing Oryou and not to make her upset. Mion chuckles slightly as she see this.
Oryou: "So how old was Ikezawa-san's grandchild when he passed away?"
Guest A: "...uh...he was eleven..."
Oryou shuts her eye and shakes her head as she despairs the loss of a child taken away so early.
Oryou: "He said that he only had one grandchild....how terrible... There is nothing more saddening to see a child pass away earlier than their own parents..."
Mion: "Ahahahaha. Grandma, you are quite sensitive towards others aren't you. If Shion or I pass away, will you be saddened at our loss too?"
Oryou: "Shut your mouth, you. Don't you ever say such things again!"
Mion knew that that's what she was going to say, so she laughed amusingly. The two guests were wondering if it was appropiate for them to laugh as well, so opted to hold a tight smile instead.
Guest B: "I thank you for listening to our request... We'll come and pick you up at 5 tomorrow. Thank you so much. We'll see you again..."
The guests bowed their heads many times as they left the porch. Mion waved her hand in response as she saw them leave.
Mion: "...They've left. ...Government officials have a tough job in appeasing you grandma. They could've just phoned us if it was an obituary. Kukuku..."
Sonozaki Oryou is practically the head of Hinamizawa and her family clan. In number of votes, that comes to about a thousand votes. It is no wonder why the mayor would want to appease towards Oryou.
But in contrast to Mion, Oryou looked up into the air with a sad expression as she sat in the veranda.
Mion: "What's wrong? Getting senile already? Ahahahaha!"
Oryou: "I was just thinking...that any person's grandchild would feel saddened...."
said Oryou as she took made a deep sigh. Mion was taken back in surprise as Oryou usually scolds Mion for such a quip...
Oryou: "Mion...hey...that Minister's grandchild. How long has it been since he's been taken away?"
Mion: "Hm....about four days...perhaps?"
Oryou made a deep sigh again.
Oryou: "Even if it is our enemy's grandchild...that's too harsh..."
Mion: ".......really?"
Oryou: "It's been enough already. ..............it's time to end it."
Mion: "......................................"
Mion realized that this was not a time to joke as her facial expression turned more cold and serious. She looks at Oryou's eyes to find out what she meant. Oryou stared back at Mion to silently tell her what she has on mind.
Oryou: "......I want some tea, can you go get me some? Oh, I also want those chocolates as well."
Mion nodded silently and turned around.
Mion: "Shinko-san, are you here~? Please get some black tea for grandma~!"
The housekeeper's response can be faintly heard in the background.
When Mion noticed that her voice reached the housekeeper, she picked up the phone and began to dial.
Mion: "......Ah, hello. It's Mion. ...Yeah. ...Is my father there?"
Phone call hours are predetermined for hospitalized patients.
...That's why, there will no longer be any phone calls from that person for today.
Since she teased him for being a lonely person yesterday, it's possible that after fighting with himself about whether he should call or not, he decided to refrain from calling.
Compared to him being too busy to call, this scenario is far more believable.
...That's just the kind of person he is. Yukie whispered, and laughed.
Announcements signaling the end of visitor hours and musics begin to flow.
Greetings with family members of the other patient in the room whom she knows by face. A small child must be anticipating his mother's return home, his smile is brilliant.
The mother of that child, in the bed beside me, bears the child that will be becoming the little brother, or perhaps the little sister of that child.
Faced with the anticipation and uncertainty towards a new sibling, that child's mind must be bursting with imaginations right now.
The joy of a growing family
.........While being filled with such warm feelings, I gently petted my own stomach, which has become quite big.
I have talked with that person about how many children we should have.
We talked about how it'll be lively for sure if we were to have 3 of them.
...But, in the unescapable reality, I'm not certain if I can withstand so many births.
Yukie: "But, there are no moms who would dislike giving birth simply because of anxiety for those kind of things after all...."
While talking to herself and laughing, Yukie gently brushed her stomach.
Police Headquarters, Public Safety Department.
The destination point of that person's heart for justice.
......That person is really a very gentle, and fragile person.
Although he won't tell me much about it, ...I don't think that person's current job suits him very much.
But, ...as long as that person continues to say that he'll do his best, then I plan to support him warmly as well.
Yukie: "Your daddy, ...is a very hard-working person, you know? tickle tickle tickle tickle......☆"
While talking to her own stomach, Yukie looked very happy.
...And then, for some reason, Yukie remembered something, and looked out the window.
It's evening.
......Back then. Yukie remembers how, back when she was still little, the countryside where her grandmother lived would be filled by higurashi's chorus at a time like this.
This is the middle of Tokyo.
Unlike the countrysides, you can't hear the higurashi's chorus here.
......And yet, for some reason, ....at that moment, Yukie felt a desire to hear... higurashi's cries.
There's something I don't like about that child.
Now that I'm writing it down in words like this, I'm finally becoming conscious to it for the first time.
Without having to be told by child-raising books, I know children are not their parents' dolls.
Parents who stop loving their children simply because they don't reach their expectations anymore don't have the right to be parents.
That's not what I'm talking about here.
How do I say this.... ...It's actually harder to describe it in words.
I don't demand anything from my children except the average.
I believe that, as long as they're not poor, there's no need for them to be outstanding either. As long as they have the proper senses befitting of their age, then that's good enough.
But that child has changed ever since kindergarten.
While the other children in her class were in high spirits, unable to hide their excitement for the field trip tomorrow, that child made a bored expression, and stood alone from the group.
Same for the time when they broke the game equipments used for the athletic meeting. All the other children were apologizing wholeheartly, yet, only that child made a bored expression, and stood alone from the group.
Even when the teacher reads fun picture books, only that child won't laugh.
Even when delicious lunch boxes are taken out, only that child won't express any joy.
...If that's all, then it's still not beyond my understanding.
But what I don't get is, ...sometimes, even when something that's exactly the same as the things I wrote above happens again, this time around, she would show the kind of joy befitting of her age.
As her parent, I have no idea what her standard is.
Why does she show no interest for that field trip, but is glad for this field trip?
Why does she show no interest for that picture book, but is glad for this picture book?
Why does she show no interest for that lunch box, but is glad for this lunch box...?
The former and latter appear exactly the same in my eyes.
...Sometimes, the former even appears to be the better of the two.
I don't understand that child's sense.
Even during parent interviews, her teacher would reveal the exact same thoughts as mine.
And I too, would respond by saying I don't understand my own child, and hanged our heads down together.
My husband is more optimistic, saying that since a child's sense is different from that of an adult's, it's okay if you can't understand them all. ......I sigh at his lack of crisis sense.
One day, when I was in a good mood.
Wanting to please that child, I made her all the dishes that she liked.
...Yet, that child only laughed dryly with a vague look on her face.
That behavior got me angry impulsively, and I hit that child's head.
One day, when the weather was nice.
The washed laundry that were just hanged up to dry was blown by a strong wind, and toppled over with the entire hanger rack, making a big mess.
...Yet, that child looked at me picking up all the laundry clothes in a panic, and laughed out loud.
That behavior got me angry impulsively, and I hit that child's head.
I think things like those happened many times before.
And before I know it, that child stopped looking at me except with a bored expression all the time.
......I have repented for being a bad mother.
I thought that I should try to regain the trust of my child bit by bit through small communications.
I meet the child at the house's open side corridor, working on something, and I called out to her.
Rika's mom: "We've been having all these pleasant sunny days for the past few days now, it sure feels nice, doesn't it?"
Rika: "....................."
That child, ...turned and looked up at me with that bored expression that I hate the most, and without any replies, returned to the work at her hand.
......If this was me up until now, I would've hit her head just for that action. ...I endure it.
Rika's mom: "What are you making? A doll?"
Rika: "......... Teru teru bouzu" (note: a doll-shaped charm for good weathers)
That child was making a teru teru bouzu using the newpaper flyers skillfully.
There are no forecast for rains.
But, in her own way, that child must be making the teru teru bouzu to wish for this refreshing sunny weather to continue, no doubt about it.
Being able to understand my child's thoughts for once in a long time, I wasn't able to hide my joy.
I brought the yarn ball, and hanged my child's adorable teru teru bouzu up on the house eaves.
Rika's mom: "Ahahaha.... That's no good, Rika. The head is too heavy, see. It's an upside down teru teru bouzu now. This won't make the weather sunny, but rainy instead, you know?"
As I tried to take down the teru teru bouzu, that child pulled on my skirt hem, as if wanting to stop me.
Rika: ".........I made it to become upside down like that, so it's okay."
Rika's mom: "...............But Rika, if a teru teru bouzu is upside down, it doesn't make a charm for sunny weather, you know?"
Rika: "I'm making a charm for rainy weather, so it's okay."
...I suppress the emotions rising up within me with all my might, and try to understand that child the best I can.
Rika's mom: "...Ah, ......I see. You want it to rain because the morning glories in the yard are getting depressed from all the sun, right?"
That child, ......turned to me with that expression that I hate the most.
Rika: "I'm tired of... sunny days."
......I don't get it, I don't get it. ...I don't get that child.......
Everytime there is a family meeting, that child tries to go into Oryou-san's futon.
...Oryou-san loves that child as if it were her darling angel. She doesn't mind any insolence done by that child. It's safe to say that she cuddles that child like a pet kitten.
I scold that child as a duty of being her mother. I scold formally until Oryou-san says 'it's okay' at least three times. That child however, would never listen to me. ...That child behaves accordingly as she knows that Oryou-san's influence is greater than mine.
That's another reason why I don't like that child; it's her precocious attitude.
The problem not only lies with Oryou-san loving her as an angel, it's practically all the elderly residents here as well.
I was shocked one day. I saw that child at a candy shop as I was walking home with the groceries the other day. That child hurriedly opened up a fistful of candy and started putting them into her mouth. She had no intention of paying for it, nor did she care if anyone was looking or not. It was more atrocious than shoplifting; she ate them as if someone gave them to her.
But when I started to scold that child for what she had just done, the elderly candy shop owner came out to protect her. Unbelievably, he came out to defend that child by stating that he allowed her to eat any candy she likes whenever she feels like so. I tried in vain to at least pay for what she just ate, but the owner stringently refused. As I protested at the child's actions, more and more of the elderly began to crowd for her defense. I began to feel that I was the one that had done some wrongdoing.
The elderly villagers clasps their hands towards her as they mumble their thanks time and time again. ...Since I was born as a member of the Furude family as well, I do know how special that child is treated by the residents.
Back when I was little, my grandmother used to tell me many things like, "...when you grow up and have a child, and if that child is a girl, ...then that child is a reincarnation of the Oyashiro-sama."
The elderly blindly believes that she is indeed the reincarnation of the Oyashiro-sama. And not only do they give their devoted love towards her, they put bizzare ideas into her head such as "being the reincarnation of the Oyashiro-sama," "having shamanic powers with the god," etc. etc. Perhaps these might be the reason why that child believes that she is special than anyone else.
I desperately try to stop the elderly in putting things into her head for her own maturity. Unfortunately, there is no use to impede against their superstitions that had been implanted for generations. I constantly tell that child not to listen to the tall-tales of the elderly, but in contrast, it is me that the child does not listen to.
If it was between the elderly who reveres her versus her own mother that constantly lectures her, anyone would the answer to which one the child would prefer to lend her ear to.
...It's all the elderly villagers' fault for making that child act with peculiar behavior. They've probably crammed uncanny beliefs into her head since she was little. If it weren't for those, she would've grown up to become my very cute child!
One sunny open-school day.
They had a cooking class that day, and that child showed how to make curry rice. While the rest of the children her age had trouble in using kitchen knives, that child's handling of the knife was exceptionally fine.
The teacher came up to me and whispered that I must've done a great job in teaching her with cooking skills at home. I evaded a response by pretending to be amused.
...As a matter of fact, I've never even taught her how to make curry rice. Yet, she tore the vegetables apart and placed them into the pot starting from those that take a while to boil.
A normal parent would embrace in joy for his/her child's talent and skill. But it was different for mine.
...Someone must've implanted her again on how to make curry rice without my knowledge. ...That was my initial response. Sudden unpleasantness began to surround me. As I learned, it seems that she can also sew and wash the clothes as well. However, I've never taught her those household chores yet, nor have I seen her doing them inside our home. ...Cooking, sewing, and washing clothes. ...It's those elderly members of the village once again, inserting things into that child's head. And to top it off, they brainwash her with queer superstitions that she's the reincarnation of the Oyashiro-sama.
I professed my arguments to my husband to isolate that child from mingling with the elderly. However, my husband is rather weak when it comes to dealing with the elderly - the main proponents of the Furude Shrine. "...She's being loved by everyone, just leave it at that," straddled my husband.
I protested. She is our child, and she should grow up to be a normal child just like everyone else. She is not something queer as a reincarnation of the Oyashiro-sama.
The elderly strongly believes that she has divine powers.
They say that she has can predict the weather. However, I have seen her coming home wet because she forgot the umbrella.
They say that she has clairvoyant eyes on what's happening elsewhere. That can be easily explained as she has the tendency to avidly watch current events on the news.
They say that she knows things that she shouldn't know. But that's just because the parties that put ideas and things into her head and the other that want to believe that she has such powers exist in the same village.
However, there was a time when everyone thought it was going to be sunny all day, yet she refused to let go of her umbrella. It must've been a coincidence that it suddenly began to downpour. Her umbrella did save us from coming home all wet.
...There might've been some times when Rika might've known about a big news event happenning outside of Japan even before it broke news. I just passed it off that she might've heard a breaking news report on the radio or whatnot.
...As for knowing things that she shouldn't know...well, that's happening right in front of my eyes. She's making curry rice when no one has taught her how to make one.
No, no. Someone must've taught her, someone must've implanted her. Someone is telling Rika things when I am not around.
Chie-Sensei: "Furude-san, your curry is absolutely magnificent. It's so good, I'm gonna give you a flower-mark!!"
Rika: "....Nipa~[star symbol]"
Chie-Sensei: "Where did you learn how to cook, Furude-san? Did your mom teach you?"
Rika: "...Yes. It's from my house."
All the parents that were at the open-school were amazed.
No, it's a lie, it's a lie. ...I never taught her. Who? Who is it that taught her? Who is it that's putting things into her head?
She is not a reincarnation of the Oyashiro-sama! She is just my daughter! A normal daughter!!
LostBlue
2006-07-18, 20:45
On a certain day in June 1982.
A few days following the Watanagashi Festival, Hojou Satoshi disappears.
Logically thinking, there are three plausible reasons for Satoshi-kun’s disappearance.
The first, is if he got into some type of accident.
There have been stories of bodies not being found for months after being hit by a car, or falling in a ditch. But since the police have thoroughly searched Satoshi-kun’s area of activity and still yet to find anything, I believe this is not the case.
The next, is if he simply decided to disappear.
Satoshi-kun’s life has cornered him mentally to an extreme. Honestly, it seems he even grumbled about wanting to vanish from his surrounding. The police believed Satoshi-kun was the culprit who kill his aunt and thought he may have ran. Linking this all together, this explanation has the best sense of realism.
But afterwards when a different culprit was found, this theory has been crushed.
The thrid, is if he disappeared as a victim to the Hinamizawa Chain of Bizarre Deaths, otherwise known as the Oyashiro-sama’s Curse, is the last consideration. Unless someone can prove this occult being, Oyashiro-sama’s existence, then these cases are with no doubt carried out by human means. Satoshi-kun being erased by somebody’s hands is the most convincing deliberation. Then the #1 question will be: Whose hands was it done by?
My presumption is either the Sonozaki Estate, another Gosanke member sympathizing with their intention, or one of my relatives is with little doubt the culprit.
......wait, the cops would had already figured this much.
What really needs to be thought of is from here.
Frankly, who, in what way, for what reason?
Why did Satoshi-kun need to become a victim?
What was the motive?
Who gave the order?
Who carried it out?
The mastermind, the culprit, and the truth... are all right by me.
Possibly, it might be just behind my back. However, even if it were to be behind me, I cannot reach it with ease. It is in a difficult place for my hands to reach and to grasp it I would need to pain my shoulders, grind my teeth, and then maybe my fingertips might be able to graze it. What I seek is hidden in a place like that.
This record written here from this point on, serves as a memo to sort my inquiries in addition to document my remorse. I do not believe that this memo will touch the eyes of anyone other than myself. But if anyone aside myself were to read this memo
...it is either because I have revealed the truth and disposed this memo for I have no more need for it; or had at one point become a victim of the “Oyashiro-sama’s Curse” myself, and disappeared leaving behind this memo.
If the former, then good.
......but if the latter...
Please, I beg you to lend me your strength, for I am no more than a helpless little girl.
LostBlue
2006-07-18, 20:46
Satoko hid behind my back crying.
Since she was clinging tightly to me, my back was completely soaked with her tears and snivel. My Aunt, who was continuously screaming hysterically, eventually ran out of energy to continue.
......before long, we notice the clock struck 1AM in the dead of the night, but even so, her vicious words continued as she parted away... and finally the onslaught was put to rest.
Satoko long ago tired herself crying, laid on the ground with a hazed expression.
Even with the absence our Aunt’s presence, she still hasn’t realized she has been freed. So I gently petted her head and said,
“......it’s over... Satoko.”
And instantly... the nape of Satoko’s neck shuddered.
In her eyes you could see the life and tears reviving.
.....and then looking at my face,
“.................”
What was over, she already knew; but her eyes begged to hear those words directly from my mouth.
......in truth... I had also expended my energy.
Even if it was a trivial task for my sister to explicitly ask for those words annoyed me a bit.
But, if it will console my little sister who’s holding back her tears even for a little bit... Gently, I spoke the words she awaited.
“......Auntie’s scolding has ended, ok? ...so... let’s go to sleep.”
Satoko... with the tears still pouring from her eyes tightly gripped onto me while killing her voice as she cried once again.
Seeing her weak trembling back was painful.
......every time I see this sight... reminds me that if I don’t protect her no one will.
“Now... brush your teeth, then let’s layout the futon... and go fast asleep.”
Satoko frailly returned a smile as she nodded.
My head is spinning... My body freed and subdue from the tension, was attacked by a drowsiness fit for that mayhem. While Satoko occupied the sink, I left for the bathroom to take care of business.
Blop,blop,blop,blop... as I watch my piss poured into the toilet... I became dazed.
If I loose my concentration, my pee probably will spill out... no, I’ll probably be swallowed down the toilet as in my hallucinations.
......I can’t even remember.
Today, what triggered my Aunt’s anger...?
LostBlue
2006-07-18, 20:48
Finally, my Aunt’s hysteric scolding ended.
Today was like every other day.
I cannot remember what triggered it, and whatever the trigger was, the context kept changing throughout. It doesn’t matter.
And again the clock past 12.
The drowsiness assaulted me hammering the back of my head.
As the last thread of tension severed, Satoko without warning collapsed; yet still holding onto the cuff of my pants, it seems she fell asleep.
Carrying Satoko on my back I went to the bedroom... and laid out the futon.
“Hey, Satoko... the futon is laid out. Climb in”
Satoko limply like a caterpillar crawled then concealed herself in the futon, and proceeded to stop all motion.
Seeing that almost made me to succumb to my desire to also slip into the futon.
But... I cannot sleep just yet.
My Aunt had just requested me to purchase stuff.
A tube of toothpaste, I cannot forget to buy this on my way home tomorrow. If I don’t write a note, I’ll forget...
And then the Rice Cooker, gotta set the rice for tomorrow’s lunch. Don’t forget the timer...
That’s right! Also got to fold the mountain of towels in the laundry room which triggered today’s scolding... My Aunt will burst into extreme anger if what she pointed out is not fixed.
aaaahhhh, what else?
...that’s right, I was going to the Produce Store to help part-time. Also, he told me to bring an apron.
......do we... even have an apron here? ...I’ve never seen one...
My Aunt is still asleep when we leave for school, so there’s no time to ask.
What do I do, what do I do, Mion went out of her way to introduce me to this job, so I can’t anger them.
The apron, I got it, when I go to school tomorrow I’ll ask Mion or someone. They’ll definitely lend me one.
Was there anything else..? mmmmmm..............
I’m envious of Satoko sleeping in the futon.
Just thinking of that, made me sad.
Let's examine the conversation I had with that strange girl in the rain here.
Ryugu Rena.
Her real name is Ryugu Reina.
I'm not really sure about the true identity of this girl.
The one thing I know for sure is that she doesn't have any connections with the Sonozaki main family.
Of course, she doesn't have any relationships with any of the Gosanke either.
It's true that the Ryugu family had lived in Hinamizawa in the past.
After that, about her family moving to Ibaraki, it's just as she said herself.
They moved to Ibaraki just before she entered elementary school, ......and after that, they returned to Hinamizawa.
Ryugu Rena herself stated that she returned to Hinamizawa after receiving a warning (curse?) from Oyashiro-sama.
It is unclear what she's referring to by this.
She claims to have received 「Oyashiro-sama's Curse」 once before.
Saying that Oyashiro-sama would constantly watch her, and follow behind her steadily.
I think it's probably just some kind of self-victimizing delusion, but ....Strangely, those experiences have drawn a lot of interest from Satoshi-kun.
According to her, at this point in time, Satoshi-kun too is beginning to receive Oyashiro-sama's Curse as well.
It appears that Satoshi-kun has confessed to this girl about how he is being followed by some unknown entity as well.
And then, it appears he became very shocked at how her 「experience story」 matched his own.
What is Oyashiro-sama's Curse...?
Why did Rena and Satoshi-kun share a common experience?
It seems to me like this is most likely referring to some kind of surveillance by someone in the village.
They must be monitoring the movements of the victims for this year's curse.
......For Satoshi-kun and Rena, who blindly believes in Oyashiro-sama's Curse, the surveillance must've felt like Oyashiro-sama's presence to them.
Combined with self-victimizing delusions, it's not unreasonable for them to be feeling like they're experiencing abnormal experiences.
In other words, from the information that Rena has brought me, we can surmise that Satoshi-kun appears to have already been placed under surveillance long before Watanagashi.
If that's the case, then one question arises at this point.
And that is the meaning of the 「surveillance」 that Rena received.
I have assumed that this surveillance is performed on the victims of the year.
But, if that's the case, then I don't understand the meaning of the surveillance against Rena.
She lived in a land far away that's different from Hinamizawa. What meaning was there when they observed her?
If we were to define her as a villager who deserted her homeland, then yes, it's still understandable if she were to be met by the curse.
However, ...In the end, she didn't become a victim.
Perhaps she was pardoned after deciding to move back to Hinamizawa.
...It feels like she still knows about something that I don't know about....
By now, Satoshi-kun's state was becoming more dilapidated.
He became more and more exhausted mentally as he goes home to protect Satoko from their ill-tempered aunt. Yet, he furthers his exhaustion physically by going to work everyday...
His relationships with his friends has also diminished. It seems that all he does at school is sleeping at his desk or spending time alone. It tears my heart to see Satoshi-kun when I remember him in his nonchalant attitude.
In addition, the load on his psychological state must be strenuous with "Oyashiro-sama's curse" befalling on him.
I'm certain that the Oyashiro-sama's curse must be them "spying" on Satoshi-kun in order to make him as this year's victim. Then that means the other victim for this year, Aunt Houjou, should also have had some spying done to her as well. Did the aunt also feel any weird indications that someone was spying on her? No, it's not only her. Were all the past victims spied upon before their deaths?
I must investigate this further to prove that the "curse" upon Satoshi-kun is because of this "spying." Is the cause coming from "spying," his own "persecution complex,"......or is it really a "curse?"
The presence behind my back whispers in my ear.
I am to be this year's victim. Hence, I will disappear soon. And no one will be left to protect Satoko.
The presence behind my back whispers in my ear.
My time is running out. Hence, I will not be who I am soon. And, I must treasure the time that I have left.
What I can leave behind for Satoko? That big stuffed animal that she always wanted. A peaceful life where no one would abuse her.
I whisper back to the presence behind my back.
Please give me your violence, fear, and brutality. Please give me the calmness that you sustain along with your hatred.
Satoshi-kun must've been very cunning, or blessed with luck, ...or perhaps it really wasn't him, but there wasn't any trail left at the crime scene that would point to Satoshi-kun as the culprit.
Even then, at this point, it's almost certain that Satoshi-kun is the culprit.
Just look at the situation of Satoshi-kun's family, and you'll find plenty of motives.
He had no alibi either.
Everything is there except material evidences.
It was perfectly natural that Oishi would show up at this point to end the game.
Although the appearance of a joker card like me was unexpected, it's not enough to overturn the overwhelmingly disadvantageous situation for Satoshi-kun.
With an animal-like sense of smell, Oishi is already trying to pin it all on Satoshi-kun.
All that's left is for him to wait until Satoshi-kun shakes and breaks on his own......
That's what I thought. And that's what Oishi thought too.
A few days later, that whole table will get flipped over.
I'll save the story about that for now, but in any case, Oishi's theory is going to fall through completely, and the police will get a knock out.
In that case, then I have only one question.
And that's "who saved Satoshi-kun?"
For me at this point, I couldn't think of anything except that the Sonozaki family must've acted behind the scenes and made up a culprit.
Not a TIPS, but since the anime cut out Oishi's interrogation with Shion, here's a brief rundown of what was said during the interview:
A. Houjou Satoshi disappeared.
B. A huge amount of money was withdrawn from his postal-bank account on the day that he disappeared.
C. The teddy bear at the store was gone. However, the store cannot recall whether it was Satoshi who bought it or not (The anime portrays the shop keeper as a young man. In the game, the shop keeper was an elderly man with signs of dementia.)
D. If Satoshi acted accordingly, he would've:
Withdrew all the money
Went to the toy store to buy the big teddy bear for Satoko's birthday present
Since the present is huge and thinking how Satoshi really was looking foward to giving Satoko her present, he should've gone straight home.
E. Steps 1 → 2 had to happen. Satoshi was working himself to death to surprise Satoko. He would never have thought to just abandon Satoko and take off. Since the teddy bear at the store was gone, Satoshi must've bought it.
F. Hence, if Satoshi had disappeared, it would've been from Steps 2 → 3
G. Did Satoshi disappear? One hope is that there was a report at a train station in Nagoya that a kid fitting Satoshi's description came up and asked whether they have his wallet at the lost and found. When asked to write down his name, he started to write "Houjou," but stopped immediately, crumpled up the paper, and wrote a different name instead. Another station attendant at the same station saw a person fitting the exact same description jumping on the Shinkansen headbound for Tokyo. It is a very slim hope, but Satoshi may still be alive, somewhere underneath these skies.
H. But why? Why would Satoshi decide to leave Hinamizawa, leaving behind his sister that he cared for so much?
Oishi's theory explained to Shion:
A. Satoshi and Satoko were abused by their foster parents. It is inevitable that Satoshi might've had a breaking point. So let's say (Oishi stresses this as a theory, since he has no proof due to Shion's alibi) that Satoshi did kill Aunt Houjou Tamae.
B. However, because of Shion's alibi, Satoshi was exonerated.
C. Unfortunately the Sonozaki head, was highly displeased that a member of the Sonozaki would fall in love with a member of the traitor, Houjou.
D. While Shion was able to redeem herself by breaking off her nails, Oryou may not have been satisfied. Shion did declare her love for Satoshi openly and proudly at the torture chamber. But once again, this is the Sonozakis. They must've known that Satoshi was the real killer of Aunt Houjou. It was unacceptable for a member of the Sonozaki to be in love with a troublemaker killer. So Oryou may have decided that she needed to teach a lesson once and for all so that Shion can forget about Satoshi.
E. Oryou must've ordered the (literal) disappearance of Satoshi.
F. However, Mion must've compromised to spare Satoshi.
G. So, what would the Sonozaki's do to make Satoshi "disappear?"
H. Now what if, (and Oishi stresses this again) the teddy bear was bought before Satoshi arrived at the toy store?
I. Yes. That's a highly remote possibility. The teddy bear sat there all this time, while Satoshi eagerly looked at the window as he made and saved money to buy that bear for Satoko. Satoshi even reserved that bear with Shion's advice. What are the chances of the bear being bought on the day Satoshi was supposed to buy it?
J. But we're talking about the Sonozakis here. If the local yakuza ganged up to the store, dumped a wad of cash for the bear, would the toy store refuse because it was already "reserved?"
K. Now the teddy bear was gone. Satoshi, excited to buy the bear, looks into the window and sees......nothing. All his toil and sweat...for nothing. All he wanted to do was make Satoko happy. But, someone else bought the teddy bear. What a despair. Poor, poor Satoshi. What must it been like for him? His heart must've been ripped to shreds. He has never cried, but one can imagine him crying and screaming when he saw the teddy bear gone. Now all he has is a stash of cash in his hands that is practically useless to him...
L. Sonozakis comes up to him: look, you have nothing - you don't belong here. But since we're kind, we're gonna let you live. But, you can't come back to Hinamizawa no more. We've set up a safe house for you in somewhere far away. Why don't you use that cash to get there? We'll promise to take of Satoko. The condition is - you gotta go.
M. And that's how Satoshi left...in despair, leaving behind Satoko. With no present to give, being a killer, he must've felt that he had no way to show his face to Satoko. With Sonozaki's pity, he straddled to Okinomiya Station...to Nagoya...and onward to Tokyo.
FULL CREDIT FOR TRANSLATION: LostBlue
-------------------------------------------------------
The suspicious news of whether Satoshi-kun went to Tokyo has no proof.
In the first place that news started off like this:
At the window of the Nagoya Station’s Lost & Found, a distressed young man arrived asking for his wallet. Thereupon the station personal handed the man a form asking him to write his name down while the worker searched the inventory for such an item. Then the young man started to write Hojou, stopped and crumpled the form, taking a new one and wrote a completely different name. Another worker claimed to have seen a young man clothed similar to the man at the Lost & Found window rush on board a bullet train to Tokyo.
It seems earlier at the locker room, the worker at the Lost & Found window described the suspicious person who came up to him and the worker at the platform claimed he also saw that person as well jumping on a bullet train heading towards Tokyo.
...that is all.
The wallet reported by the man who named himself as Hojou was never received at the Lost & Found.
When Oishi told me his theory that the Sonozaki family would promise to look after Satoko if Satoshi were to move away, I thought that idea was ridiculous.
But once I thought about this idea more carefully, it seems this theory is not so farfetched after all.
For one, Houjou Satoko is now living with Furude Rika once she became all by herself. Furude Rika is also not just a little girl herself either. She is the current head of the Furude family gosanke (http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=558540&postcount=36). Furude Rika is also under the protective custody of the head of the Kimiyoshi family as well.
Even though the Sonozakis would dare not keep a child from the Houjou under them, they did keep their word as Houjou Satoko is being cared for under the two gosankes.
Given how much the they were denounced as traitors during the dam protests, it is unbelievable that a Houjou family member would be under the gosanke's protection.
It's as if only Satoko was given amnesty for the crimes that the Houjou family had committed.
Satoshi-kun was never given any amnesty. Why only Satoko?
LostBlue
2006-08-01, 16:25
These short journal entries are not from the TIPs section of the Sound Novels, but served as intermission scenes expressing Shion's thoughts at the time
For me who could not even walk satisfactory under the sun, this brief moment where I met with this one boy in the sunlight; Who would have thought that a twisted person such as myself to be attracted to one as pure as him.
Notebook Page 5
Of course there were days were we laughed together, and there were days we would disagree with one another. Just as there are no sunny days that will not cloud, there are no rainy days that will not clear. I thought of Satoshi-kun’s absence as no more than that. But, already by this time, he was utterly cornered.
Notebook Page 19
I was struck in horror with the childishness of my actions.
I just wanted to satisfy my loneliness, regardless of his feelings.
When I think about it, I believe Satoshi-kun confronted me as a true gentleman would.
But... whether I can forgive Satoko is another matter.
Notebook Page 26
If I identify myself as Shion, I can save Satoshi-kun.
Of course, I know the risk of identifying myself as Shion.
If I identify myself here, I will 100% be detained by Oni-baba.
But, I had no idea what I will face afterwards as a consequence.
Notebook Page 27
Satoshi-kun disappeared.
But, it was not only him that was eliminated. The reason why he disappeared was also eliminated. This is the world of man. Obviously, someone had to have eliminated them. I will not believe that he disappeared as an “Onikakushi.”
Notebook Page 43
(note: this note is written after Shion met Takano for the first time in the library)
---------------------
I have been in contact with Takano Miyo for a while after that.
Her true nature lies in her interest for the bizzare, as well as a curious mind that's just as eccentric.
That's why I have to make sure to take everything she says with a grain of salt.
......Because if not, ...then I might really end up believing that Satoshi-kun disappeared because of the curse.
Her stories about the dark side of the Hinamizawa village were filled with interesting topics.
Among these talks, which she probably treats as nothing but her own guesses and theories, some of them actually contained truths that I know to be true because I am a member of the Sonozaki family. I was stunned by the sharpness of her analyses.
She considered Oyashirosama's Curse as an extension of an ancient religious ritual.
In other words, an act by religious fanatics of Oyashirosama.
According to her unique theory, there is a faction in Hinamizawa with religion as it's central focus, with the Gosanke built up around it.
And that they are working behind the scenes to bring back the prestige that the sennins(*) of Onigafuchi village had before they were allegedly lost after the end of Meiji era.
The scale of Miyo-san's theory is extensive, and if you look at it as a whole, it makes good sense too.
However, if we look at a specific point, such as the reason for Satoshi-kun's disappearance, it doesn't provide any explanation at all.
It was nothing but an unrefined theory.
The information exchange between me and Oishi was carried out when I just happened to remember it.
Both me and Oishi were expecting new information from each other, but neither of us had anything new, so it ended with a regular chat.
By now, the talk about the Shinkansen to Tokyo doesn't even hold any grounds within me anymore.
It was clear that it's a false rumor.
Although Oishi is someone that I don't trust, ....he's an honest man when it comes to fair trades. He must have patiently looked into all of this himself.
I also informed him of various odd or false rumors, know that he would be able to determine their authenticity for me.
Eventually, even these meetings were slowing becoming pressured by Oishi's new assignments,
......finally ending up with "please call me if anything happens", and came to an end.
Oishi is no longer able to investigate, and my own investigation is at the limits too.
......Satoshi-kun's disappearance is caused by a supernatural phenomenon called "Onikakushi"... such ridiculous opinion is slowly becoming the accepted explanation.
In Hinamizawa, Satoshi-kun's disappearance is referred to as a "school transfer", and is becoming something that people would avoid talking about.
....Don't erase Satoshi-kun, ...with a word like "transfer"....
During the mess of Oyashirosama's Curse in 1982, I would swing between joy and sorrow at every new piece of information, and each time, theories I had in my head would be overturned.
But that was something that has placed an incredible amount of stress on me. ......Even that was enough to exhaust me completely.
Fatigue is cruel, but it also has a very gentle and accepting quality.
Little by little, it puts to sleep feelings such as anger, sadness, and doubt, that weakened me just by having them.
I will never forget Satoshi-kun.
I won't think about forgetting him and living on.
I continue to tell myself that all the time.
By telling myself that, ....so that my memories of Satoshi-kun would not be put to sleep, always, always.
The happy memories I had with Satoshi-kun, ......along with the scary feelings, and the sad feelings too, always, always.
LostBlue
2006-08-03, 09:28
This journal entry is not from the TIPS section of the Sound Novels, but served as intermission scenes expressing Shion's thoughts at the time
It has truly been a while since I last opened this notebook.
Spanning around 150 pages, it is bound fully with my thoughts.
This notebook clearly is the key that will unlock what is sealed at depths of my heart.
And sleeping in the depth of my heart, my last year’s self, slowly begins to open her eyes...
Notebook Page 150
LostBlue
2006-08-03, 09:29
This journal entry is not from the TIPS section of the Sound Novels, but served as intermission scenes expressing Shion's thoughts at the time
I’m never bored the days I spend together with him.
Because he’s very playful, you know?
He always walks matching with my footsteps,
But if I stop suddenly, he scuttles taking one extra step.
It’s so cute, just too cute! Kyun Kyun ☆
Notebook Page 159
LostBlue
2006-08-03, 09:30
This journal entry is not from the TIPS section of the Sound Novels, but served as intermission scenes expressing Shion's thoughts at the time
Within myself, my other self, tells me.
Right now, I am inside the belly of the beast.
Without that voice, I probably would have not awakened.
No, I am sure I will never have opened my eyes again.
Notebook Page 165
LostBlue
2006-08-03, 09:32
The place I have been calling the Underground Torture Chamber, seems to be officially called the Underground Ritual Tool Shrine. Meaning, Ritual Tool Shrine is synonymous with Torture Chamber.
According to Takano-san’s theory, even after the Meiji period (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_period), the Watanagashi and other blood stench rituals have secretively been continued by the Gosanke ( http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=558540&postcount=36)
And if agreed, they have the preparations to perform these rites at anytime.
As long as these Ritual Tools are signified by words like blessed (enshrined) through their torturous use; one cannot deny the foundations of Hinamizawa is based on this culture of brutal killings.
Takano-san’s theory is correct.
And unlike the symbolic Ritual Tool Shrine, the Sonozaki Estate’s Underground Ritual Tool Shrine is indeed maintained in condition for regular use.
Even here, Takano-san’s theory is correct.
I do not know about the Kimiyoshi’s storehouse but, since the Sonozaki and Furude families enshrined these “Ritual Tools,” they must have a treasured structure of a similar scale.
Yes, even in the present, the Gosanke ceaselessly continues this horrendous ceremony.
In this cursed village, even today the village as a whole is preparing for this truth carried out by this mysterious body.
LostBlue
2006-08-03, 09:34
The sacredness of the Ritual Tool Shrine, even within the worshippers of Oyashiro-sama is unsurpassed.
Of course even I, as a person with ties with Hinamizawa, know this.
But, in reality more that I ever thought, how upheld its inviolability is exceedingly irregular.
According to Takano-san’s research, the history to sacredness of the Ritual Tool Shrine is terribly old. Just the use of these Ritual Tools alone regards this peculiar festival, the “Watanagashi,” as a holy testimony.
But, the Watanagashi in Takano-san’s research isn’t just a genuine religious ceremony; it is a public execution to assure the supremacy of the Gosanke.
If so, then calling this a holy rite is a mistake to begin with.
Under these conditions, their existence should have been subject to hatred and horror.
The constant exposure to terror is nothing more than dominance through fear. But, when done with utmost secrecy it eventually bestows into sanctity.
They say when a mere person touches these tools, they become impure.
Which means nothing more than… if the tools were publicly displayed they will loose their praise, so withhold them in feign importance, to increase their glory.
In other words the truth behind the sacredness of the Ritual Tool Shrine is... fear. It is the true identity of the emotion which rules this village...
The intrusion of the sacred warehouse lead to the curse befalling upon Takano-san and Tomitake-san.
I do not know how they found out about the intrusion.
The first possibility that comes into mind is that someone witnessed us. Secondly, there might've been some kind of security system installed.
In either case, the intrusion of the warehouse must've been relayed to the top of the curse-system in real-time.
If one thinks about the distance where Takano-san's charred corpse was found, it must mean that she must've been killed right after we've parted our ways after going into the warehouse.
It is especially worth while to note how meticuously this was done. Either there must've been a highly trained assassin team, or "preparations for the fifth year's curse" must've been done far prior to this.
While I do dispute the possibility of a secretive team within the dark-side of the Sonozaki family, the latter seems to hold a higher probability.
But then, one comes to a contradiction that if there wasn't any intrusion into the warehouse this year, then who was supposed to be original victim for the fifth year's curse?
LostBlue
2006-08-10, 13:41
The sudden death of Onibaba was a real set back.
At the time I told myself excuses, saying things like it will be no problem as she was a person I was going to kill anyway but, it was evident how big the damage was.
Being called the Sonozaki Emperor, the central ruler of the Sonozaki Estate, one would think that the organization will be set up as a pyramid structure, but in reality it was not so.
Strictly speaking, the Estate is parallel divided like governmental offices, with each branch forming their own small pyramids.
Since they are parallel with each other, there is no direct contact in-between.
Actually, even more so, the doctrine of secrecy prevailed outside one’s own pyramid.
Of course the authority figures within the Sonozaki Family are at top of several pyramids. And they will know the subordinate pyramids below them. And they will even have, more or less, some information exchange with the other relatives managing the other pyramids.
But, even so, they will not know all the pyramids.
The Yang pyramid and the Yin pyramid. And all the smaller secrete pyramids budding under their control.
Most of them, the Head’s acting agent Mion knew of, however, it is not like she knew them all.
In fact, she knew nothing about the most classified piece of information, the “Oyrashiro-sama’s Curse.”
When I think about that, with Onibaba’s death eternally closing her mouth, the exposure of this dark side suffered a critical damage like no other...
After the 5th year curse, the one who called here the most was, as expected, the head of the Kimiyoshi family, who's close to us.
The second most frequent caller was my father.
Although my parents' rank in the family is pretty high in itself, due to my mother's disinheritance disturbance in the past, they can't really show their faces in public. You can say they're treated like outsiders.
The fact that there are many calls from my father shows that even though Onibaba is distant with him in public, she actually relies on him a lot, which is proof of her having a public and private face.
Father's role appeared to be mainly concerned with information manipulations.
He would gather and accurately report various underground information such as police reports, insider reports, or rumors.
And at Onibaba's request, he would be able to silence, expand, or twist them.
By the way, my loyal follower Kasai is an old aquaintance of father's.
......I see, I can understand why he's so well-versed with all those information now.
But it seems that "information" is as far as father went. I can't tell whether or not he's actually involved in the "execution".
Regarding to the current incident, father only eagerly gathered and reported the situation of the police investigation or other informations. At the very least, it didn't look like he was actually involved in this year's curse.
...In general, nobody knows that such a close hotline exists between father and Onibaba.
Although she makes use of his networks, since he's an outsider, she's not that close with him after all... is probably what most people think of them.
Then in an example like this, we have someone directly under Onibaba's command, unknown to the general public.
...The existence of a secret department that governs over the curse system is perfectly plausible.......
This journal entry is not from the TIPS section of the Sound Novels, but served as intermission scenes expressing Shion's thoughts at the time
No one can detect us sisters switching places.
That's how much we are both Mion and Shion.
After that, I met up with the youth corps to find the village chief Kimiyoshi.
They divided themselves among their respected circulation areas by calling each household whether or not he was at their place or not.
Little by little, they began to feel that no one was going to find him.
But it was harder for me as I knew that they were not going to find him.
It was past midnight, yet they all pushed their efforts into finding him. "We haven't checked there yet." "We should look there just in case too." Meanwhile, I had to try hard to push down my yawns as I looked upon.
Then, someone murmured, "The youth corps came out last year when Satoshi-kun disappeared too." Much like last year, calling out the youth corps this year was just a cover.
Just like I'm internally mocking them right now for knowing that Kimiyoshi is never going to be found, someone last year was also mocking the futile search for Satoshi because he/she knew that he was never going to found.
"What time did we call off the search last year?"
"Hm? You mean the one for Houjou family's Satoshi? What was the time?"
"I think we ended the search around midnight."
The clock was about to pass two o'clock.
They spend all this time and effort to search for Kimiyoshi, but they didn't for Satoshi.
That's because someone there knew that Satoshi was never going to be found. He/she was probably getting sleepy. So that's why he/she said "let's call the search over and leave the rest up to the police."
Fuck...Fuck! I want to kill the bastard who said such a thing!!
LostBlue
2006-08-17, 11:44
Furude Rika.
She is the head of the Furude Family but, regardless of having a seat in these important meetings, most of the time, she does not attend. Even if she attends, she is unlikely to say much, so in matter of fact; it is a post that is left empty.
In the Furude Family if the first born is a girl for eight generations straight then that child is said to be Oyashiro-sama’s reincarnation according to folklore, and according to Takano-san’s research, it is highly likely that she is the one.
Definitely as a religious symbol the fascination around her is unusually high, and more one blindly follows this Oyashiro-sama cult the more holy she becomes.
For that religious symbol; for this idol-like existence; for Furude Rika to be an assassin was unbelievably shocking.
Impossible.
It’s too abnormal.
This assassin-play is what underlings do, not something a VIP like Furude Rika will do.
The most natural assumption would be… that she wasn’t Furude Rika at all, but a different yet identical entity.
The way that assassin moved, gave me the feeling she was extremely used to fighting.
I was only able to turn the tables because I had a stun gun.
If I didn’t have a stun gun, I don’t know what would have happen at that scuffle in the kitchen.
Yes. That assassin was much more superior than she looked.
Did Furude Rika receive training as an assassin??
Or was it a body double that came as an assassin??
Together with that peculiar syringe, she is shrouded in mystery. Unidentifiable. Incomprehensible. Her existence itself is unexplainable. ...as if she was a demon of some sorts.
Was Sonozaki Oryou aware of its “existence”...?
In this village named Hinamizawa something is hidden.
What I believed to be the depths of Hinamizawa’s darkness,
........was much deeper than I ever imagined.
Up to this point, I thought that my revenge would be accomplished by bringing down the so-called curse system.
This of course means to kill off the top heads of the system; the three leaders of the gosanke, the acting head of Sonozaki Shion and the "executioner" that follows around Keiichi.
However, Keiichi has not become a target of any attacks even though he is openly undefended. This is despite the fact that I told everyone in the meeting that he was one of the members that went into the warehouse.
In fact, it seems that I am the one who seems to be getting targeted; with Furude Rika coming to attack me so brazenly.
If this curse system is what I theorized it to be, then it would make sense that Keiichi would become the bait as the guy who intruded into the sacred warehouse.
Yet, no one seems to be interested in that bait. Rather, since I caused some trouble with Furude Rika, it seems I was targeted for an attack. With this, a theory is formulated where "going up against the Furude family is a higher sin than intruding the sacred warehouse."
Furude Rika proclaimed that intruding the warehouse was not such a big deal. She seemed to forgive Keiichi. But when I challenged that notion openly with Rika that day, I was attacked by "Furude Rika" herself.
Does this mean that the power balance is different? Are there two different wings to this? Does this say that there is a "curse system" whose objective is to bring down the curse upon the intruders of the warehouse such as Takano-san and Tomitake-san, while another "curse system" exists at the bequest of the Furude Family teachings?
But there is a contradictory flaw to this idea.
It is plainly visible that Tomitake-san's death was caused by the contents inside the Furude family's syringe. Rika showed the effects of it herself by dying in a manner very similar to "scratching one's own throat."
However, Tomitake-san was not a target under the Furude family curse system.
And I still have no idea why Keiichi has not been targeted yet. Is there some kind of reason where he is acquitted in contrast to Takano-san? Is this similar to how Houjou Satoko was the only one acquitted from the curse that befell on the Houjou family?
Yes, Keiichi is a great friend to Furude Rika. ...Then does that mean that people that have a great social relationship with Furude Rika are protected from the curse? Is Furude Rika herself in a much higher priority list than the so-called "curse systems?"
No, that can't be.
The top of the ladder is that Onibaba. Rika could not have been on a higher status than her.
scratch scratch scratch
Are there numerous definitions that define the targets of the curse? There might be several different defined situations where each one of the have different executions of bringing down curses.
Ah fuck, this shit is getting complicated. None of my theories are coming together anymore. If my theories are fucked up, the targets for my own revenge would've been useless.
By now, I can't even understand who should I act my revenge upon and how Satoshi had to have disappeared.
How deep did the Onibaba knew about the dark side of Hinamizawa? That first strike was a big mistake. I had so much to ask towards that bitch. ...Fuck, I didn't imagine that she would die so quickly in shock... That's was a costly mistake.
I am certain that I have failed somewhere in this revenge.
...Hinamizawa's dark side...is just too deep to imagine.
scratch scratch scratch
(This whole page is scratched out with diagonal marks)
LostBlue
2006-08-22, 15:06
The authenticity of Sonozaki Shion’s confession before her death is uncertain.
The Sonozaki Estate hasn’t done anything; Did Onibaba simply deceive Shion? Or has the Sonozaki Estate really done nothing?
My personal investigation upto today has verified that the Sonozaki Estate alone can not explain the curse.
Correct, that’s why this very notebook of mine is nothing but nonsense since the top of page 1. This notebook that I have invested nearly 200 pages of, is nothing more than the muttering of a lunatic.
I thought about tearing the notebook apart and throwing it into flames.
But I stopped.
This notebook is the testimony of my sins.
I will not swindle out of my crime.
That is why I will not erase this in ashes.
My life was suffice enough to be sum up in just one notebook.
Will there be someone who will read this notebook?
If someone is able to do so, please learn something from my moronic self.
The chain of bizarre deaths in Hinamizawa.
Otherwise known as the Oyashiro-sama’s Curse.
For that person besides myself who is reading this.
Please seek the truth.
That is my only wish.
June XX, 1983
Sonozaki Mion
June 1983
A series of disappearances occurred at XX Prefecture, Shishibone City, Hinamizawa Village.
The primary suspect is Sonozaki Mion (1X years old)
The suspect is believed to have abducted, detained, and murdered five residents of Hinamizawa (Sonozaki Oryou, Sonozaki Shion, Kimiyoshi Kiichirou, Furude Rika, and Houjou Satoko) during the days spanning from June 19th to the 21st.
This case was initially put into jeopardy due to a failed lead from the beginning. However, the case came to a sudden and unexpected end.
On the morning of the 22nd, a patrol car on duty heard a scream as it was passing by the Sonozaki main compound and utilized its emergency procedures to step into the household.
The missing younger sister of the suspect (Sonozaki Shion) and two classmates (Maebara Keiichi and Ryuguu Rena) were rescued and taken into police protection. The suspect escaped from the crime scene.
Several evidences were found from the underground lair where the killings supposedly had taken place. Hair samples, pieces of skin, and blood samples that matched those of the four people that had disappeared (Sonozaki Oryou, Kimiyoshi Kiichirou, Furude Rika, and Houjou Satoko).
There were plausible evidences that the people were tortured. However, their corpse have yet to be found.
Using the accounts of the classmate that was close to being tortured, it is assumed that the bodies are somewhere in the underground lair along with the suspect's escape route. However, no leads have surfaced as of yet.
And while the investigation is continuing with regards to the suspect's involvement in the previous years' chain murder cases, no leads have yet come out whether Sonozaki Mion was directly or indirectly involved in those cases.
This case itself has numerous questionable parts in itself. In addition, the Sonozaki family and the villagers of Hinamizawa are highly uncooperative with this matter, and it is inevitable that this case will take painstaking time and effort to be fully solved.
According to the local police that is familiar with the region, he says that the case is some how related to the unique religious aspect with which Hinamizawa is influenced under, and that the case occurred as a result of internal struggles and lynchings. As this case has a highly localized saturation, the Prefectural HQ has issued a statement to investigate this matter with prudence and discretion.
The police was eager to obtain valuable information from the sole and longest survivor (Sonozaki Shion) of the whole ordeal, but her mental state was highly unstable after the case unfolded. Because of this, we were unable to obtain any information up to today. Although the psychologist has said that her instability was only temporary, we do not see any signs of her mental recovery to this day.
LostBlue
2006-08-24, 00:48
At first, it was an act.
To escape from the police interrogation, I was nothing more than pretending.
But even through this acting, the madness violates me.
I’m done for.
Just as Ryuuguu Rena warned, “it” posses me as if clinging directly on my back.
This thing is neither Satoshi-kun nor my imagination, yes, before I became aware of it; this thing has become an apparition of Shion.
Shion didn’t go to heaven.
She has always been with me.
Because I only killed Shion, unable to forgive me to live on carefree, waiting for me to die, she intends to forever posses me until then.
On top of that, graciously every night, she reminds me to hurry up and die so that I can hear.
...I know, ...It’ll be okay... ha ha...
I holler and scream at the Shion behind my back.
Shion also, using my mouth, retorts with her screams.
If you see this from afar, it will with no doubt look like a hilarious yet bizarre one man quarrel.
Sis, you’re so unfair, how much longer do you plan to live?
Die, Die, Hurry up and Die!
Sis, you told me that you will die soon after me
I’ll be waiting for you, I’ll be waiting...
At the depths of this dark, cold well... it hurts... it hurts... it hurts...
AGH! I know!! I know!!!
SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!
What do you know, Sis? Do you think I’ll wait for a death fitting for you? Sis, you are running from death, after doing all that you still intend to live. Your sins will not disappear, you are cursed. Be cursed Sis, and be killed by my wraaaaaaaaaaaaaath!!!
「Shut up Shion!!
You’re just a ghost... Shut up!
Shut up!!! 」
「Sis, Siiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssssss!! 」
「FUCK!!
Be gone alreaddddyyyy!!! 」
「Mion, you’re so unfair. Mion, you’re always unfair. We sisters are always together, even in death...!!! So Mion, here, I’ve come for you... Miooonnnnn!!! 」
bang bang bang!!!!
Shion fiercely pounds at the door.
boom boom bang boom !!!
Agh, this is so damn nauseating!!! My head is going to crack, my eardrums are going to tear!! Shion that bitch, she plans to break down the door. Aaghaghh Shit, Fine Shion. A death fitting for my sins, is to be killed by your wrath right?! ...But you know, I will not go down easily as you plan... ha HA!! I will not disappear alone; it’s not fair that the person you love still lives but not mine!! Ahahaha hahahaa hya hehe hya kya!!!
I went to the balcony to avoid Shion who was on the other side of the door.
Across the railing, if I can get to the neighboring one, I can climb down the emergency stairway.
Hyahi hya ah kikya kya!! Take that Shion, take that!!!
I climb over the railing and easily jump to the neighboring balcony. From there, like a cat, quickly and without making any sounds of footsteps, I raced down to the ground floor.
Shion you idiot. You don’t even realize that I outwitted you, ku keke kya ke ge ke ke!!
If I use the motorcycle, I can get to Keiichi’s house easily.
That stupid Shion has been fooled; I bet she’s still thinking that I’m inside the room. Gugegegegegegegegegege!!
There, I see it. That’s the Maebara Manor.
Even though this is the first time I seen it, I heard enough about it from Shion so I know it well. Ku kke kke kke!!!
She said Keiichi’s room on second floor; she said the second floor, the second floor!!! Wake him up, throw rocks at him Gu Gya Gya Gya Gya !!!
After throwing several rocks, the room lit up, and the window opened.
It was Keiichi.
At the moment I saw him. ...........The madness inside of me cleared away momentary.
Even from here I can tell Keiichi was racing down the stairs.
And Keiichi soon appeared. In his hands, he held a doll.
.............When I saw that doll, I fell in despair.
That doll is definitely the one that he failed to give Shion.
...you see, Shion? You’re always unfair.
You're so good, Kei-chan. So good so good... I too want to receive a doll from Satoshi-kun...!!!
「.......ha, .......ha, ......Mion...! 」
「Ahahahaha, Long time no see~ ...How’ve you been? Good? 」
My heart start simmering and boiling with the returning madness, but contrary to these feelings, my mouth poured out these composed words.
......yeah, that’s right.
My body is already controlled by demons... or else why would I be here this late ge ge ge gu kya keke...!!
「......Is, ......it alright .......for you to wander about like this...?! 」
「.........I really shouldn’t. .......eh hehehe. 」
「In any case... what’s wrong? For you to come at this hour. 」
「...I wanted to have this last talk with you. 」
I’m really, tired.
Not the sleepy kind of tired, it feels more like my consciences is becoming more faint as if I had anemia.
GyaGege, My heart is being painted in madness; this is my final sensation...
「.........I, ......eh hehehe, .....can’t, ......be here anymore... 」
「A-are you all right...? Is there something the matter...? 」
「...Up until today... I-I, ......did my best... Ahahaha, ...but I know. ...It’s too late... I’ve reached my limit... She’s here for me... already right behind me, she has come... Ahahaha......... 」
I no longer had the fortune to choose my death.
Shion will not allow me that luxury.
Well, of course, Shion herself, died being pushed down the well by me.
Not only Shion, everyone killed by me, none of them got to choose the way they die.
If I think about that... to be so perplexed over the way I shall die, from the point of view of the dead is such a luxurious dilemma!
「Ah...hahahaha, ...haha...ha, .....ha .........ha ......ha... ! 」
hoguge gya gya... ha, ......gagya...
「Are you all right...?! Don’t push yourself...
ah, ...that’s right. ... Mion, I, 」
...I’ll kill him kill him, Satoshi-kun’s revenge Satoshi’s revenge, ...he is the person Shion likes, I hate Shion, kill him and show Shion, take that taaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkee, ... gu…f......................!
The surrounding gravity swirls around me.
I stab Keiichi in the abdominal area with all my strength.
「ke, ...kekeke... kekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekeke...! I made it in time... ...I made it in time...! ...Ku kekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekeke!!! 」
Gege ggegegege!! I made in time I made it in time, Before Shion killed me with her wrath, I got my revenge on Shion, gegegegegegege!! I got even with you Shion, gegegegegegegegegege!!
Keiichi held his abdomen and curled himself like a roly-poly, shaking on top of the ground.
「Gegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegeg egegegege!! I did it, I did it all! All the people I wanted to kill... everyone of them...!!! gegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegegege gegegegegegegegegege!!」
Hooray, Hooray FuGegegyagya, I accomplished it!!! Gyagi I’ve taken my vengeance on all who deserves Satoshi’s revenge OoooGyoGoGoGaGya!!! Praise me Satoshi-kun, pet me?! GeGyagyagya, GiGeEeh!!!
(Continues directly from Epilogue B)
That's right. This is all a bad dream.
Because I was only being tormented by Shion's nightmare inside my room, just like always.
If that's the case, .........then where is this place?
I stopped still on the apartment's emergency stairway.
......The memories of the dream remains.
That's right, I came out from the balcony.
...The door is locked, ......so I have to get back in from the balcony again.
Haa, .........Mm, .......... ............wa,
My feet slipped, a floating sensation.
And then, an indescribable, sharp pain ran across my head.
The pain was so much, the fog of the nightmare has cleared up for me.........
...I slipped while trying to return to the balcony of my room from the emergency stairway, ...and have fallen down onto the protruded roof of the elevator floor 2 ~ 3 floors below.
My room's on the 8th floor.
I didn't expect my fall to be broken at a place like this.
When I fell, it seems like my head has hit a concrete edge right on the spot, I can feel intense pains, and hot blood dripping.
...............An amazing feeling of calmness.
The Demon, Shion's dead spirit, Satoshi-kun's hate and everything else are all gone.
...All that's there is the sense of calmness from the nothingness, ......like a newborn baby.
From the moment I was born, and received the name of Mion, ....Memories up until today revive themselves one by one.
My first meeting with Satoshi-kun revives, and tears fell from my eyes.
Where did I go wrong......?
Where did I make the wrong choice in my life?
That's right, I already know, Satoshi-kun made me remember.........
Take care of Satoko, .........alright?
Yeah.
I believe that Satoshi-kun will come back for sure, ......I'll always be waiting, okay?
I'll take care of Satoko properly, and wait for you.
Satoko and I will be nice and wait together, for Satoshi-kun to come back.
Satoshi-kun has entrusted his very important little sister to me, not anyone else.
I,......didn't realize the meaning of that either, did I?
It's okay, it'll be okay next time....
Satoshi-kun, ...I love you.
Satoko, .........I'm sorry.
Everyone..., I'm sorry.
For Shion, I'm especially sorry.
............I wonder if I can take responsibility by dying like this?
It's not going to work, is it? Not at all.
I want Satoshi-kun to pet my head one more time.
I want to hear Satoshi-kun's "muu" one more time.
I'm sorry, that's asking too much, right?
...I have no more regrets.
Apologizing with my mouth won't do anything now.
I rolled to my side, and aimed myself towards to the ground.
Head first.
Come on, break my head with all your might.
And then take me to the hell that suits someone like me.
I was just a demon.
A hell at the bottom of the earth suits me.
Why was I born? Why did I accept life?
I shouldn't have been born.
If I wasn't born, then I wouldn't be having these kind of thoughts.
What kind of meaning would anyone wish for in such a meaningless life like this?
If I wasn't born, then nobody would become unhappy.
Thank you, for being nice to someone like me.
Thank you, for showing what love is to someone like me.
Someone like me, someone like me, .......
I'm sorry, everyone.
I'm really sorry.
Sorry.
You know, if I can ever get another chance from Satoshi-kun,
I definitely won't make the wrong choice anymore.
...Really, alright?
Ah, ...it's the ground.
Bye then.
I love you.
...Muu.
Eh?
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/2250/ecez3.png (http://imageshack.us)
I've always wished that everything that has happened up to today was just a bad dream.
So I write this believing that this will all be just a dream.
Ya' know, like one of those scenes from mangas?
There's a whole bunch of candies and sweets piled right in front of me,
but just as I try to reach and start filling my mouth with the goodies,
I am abruptly awakened and open my eyes.
So this is just a very, very long dream,
and I must've been asleep for over a year.
Yes.
Feeling cheerful after kantoku's baseball team winning the game,
I was unwittingly hit by a motorcycle because I was crossing
the road on a red light.
And I was in a coma all this time, but I finally awake.
When I open my eyes, I see the ceiling of the hospital room that I'm in.
Then, Satoshi-kun who took care of me all this time peeks in front of me...
Ahahaha. Yeah, I know. That'll be too good to be true.
But c'mon, it's okay right?
Can I believe so that it becomes like this?
I am so sorry for ever been born.
Hinamizawa Serial Murder Case - List of Associated Persons
Houjou Tamae
1982.06.20 Beaten to death.
Investigation closed.
Houjou Satoshi
198206.24 Disappeared within the village area?
Whereabouts unknown.
Tomitake Jirou
1983.06.19 Committed suicide within the village?
Cause of death very similar to the murder of Furude Rika on June 22nd.
Investigation on-going.
Takano Miyo
1983.06.19 Strangled to death in the mountains of Gifu Prefecture.
Corpse was later burned.
Investigation on-going.
Sonozaki Oryou
1983.06.20 Murdered by Sonozaki Shion.
Cause of death: shock from an stun-gun.
Corpse heavily damaged. Multiple lacerations on facial skin.
Furude Rika
1983.06.22 Murdered by Sonozaki Shion?
Cause of death: hemorrhagic shock from a pierce wound in the throat area.
Death very similar to Tomitake Jirou's murder on June 19th.
Investigation on-going.
Kimiyoshi Kiichirou
1983.06.22 Murdered by Sonozaki Shion.
Cause of death: strangulation from restraining device.
Houjou Satoko
1983.06.22 Murdered by Sonozaki Shion.
Cause of death: hemorrhagic shock from multiple pierce wounds over the entire body.
Sonozaki Mion
1983.06.22 Murdered by Sonozaki Shion.
Cause of death: fell from the vertical escape tunnel.
Meabara Keiichi
1983.06.30 Assualted by Sonozaki Shion with a knife.
Seriously injured but currently in stable condition.
Ryuguu Reina
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Currently residing in Shishibone City.
Oishi Kuraudo
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Currently residing in Hokkaido.
Kumatani Tatsuya
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Currently residing in Shishibone City.
Irie Kyousuke
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Current residence unknown.
Kasai Tatsuyoshi
Passed away in 2002 from lung cancer.
Maebara Ichirou
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Currently residing in Tokyo.
Maebara Aiko
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Currently residing in Tokyo.
Tomita Daiki
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Currently residing in Shishibone City.
Okamura Suguru
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Currently residing in Shishibone City.
Chie Rumiko
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Currently residing in Shishibone City.
Kameda Kouichi
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Currently residing in Osaka.
Houjou Teppei
As of present day in 2004, alive and well. Currently residence unknown.
Maebara Keiichi
1983.07.03 Passed away at the hospital. Cause of death: chronic and acute heart failure.
Sonozaki Shion
1983.06.30 Died by falling off the veranda from her hideout.
She was wanted as a prime suspect of the murders of five people, but died before capture
at her condominium. Paperwork was submitted to the public prosecutor office for indictment
on the same day.
school bell ringing
Keiichi: "Alright, it's lunch time!! Hey Rena, pull your table over here!"
Rena: "Ahahaha, Rena's lunch today is meatballs~!"
Mion: "Ooh, that sounds delicious. Oji-san's gotta have some. C'mon Rika-chan, pull your table here too."
Rika: "...I will. Peta~"
Satoko: "Hohoho! I'm sorry, but meatballs are indeed my favorite as well! So unfortunately, none of them will get into your mouths!!"
Shion: "Oops, not so fast Satoko. You are clearly deficient in eating more leafy vegetables. So, I made you a special squash lunch just for Satoko."
Kei: "Whoa, that's a bit harsh Shion~"
Satoko: "Fwaaa.....I hate squash-!! Wa-n!"
Shion: "There, now that's whats wrong! Squashes are full of vital minerals for a healthy body. Satoko, you need to start eating your vegetables so that you can grow up to become a healthy girl, ya' know? As long as I am around, I'm not going to allow an unbalanced diet, so be warned. Oh, and here. Everyone try some. Warm and steamy squashes are very sweet and quite tasty."
Rika: "...Monyu monyu. Satoko, this is sweet and delicious. Try one?"
Kei: "Hey, this is good! The sweetness isn't too heavy and just right! Hey Satoko, don't eat it. This stuff is not meant for a kid like you!!"
Satoko: "Wha, what!! I hate squashes but I don't like the way you say that even more!!"
Mion: "Here, here, try one! Just take one and shove it down your mouth!"
Rena: "See? Isn't it delicious?"
Satoko: "....mmm, ....well, I guess I can eat it..."
Shion: "Of course. I've been stay up all night researching to help get Satoko over her dislike of squashes. And while I'm on it, let's also conquer eggplants, bell peppers, and asparagus by the end of this year."
Satoko: "You must be kidding me---!!! I'm gonna transfer to the school in Okinomiya then---!!!"
Shion: "No can do. I was told by Satoshi-kun to look after you, so taking care of your health and well-being is my duty. I'm not gonna allow you to become indifferent on your own health, so be forewarned!"
Satoko: "Fwaaan, I hate you Shion-san---!! And I hate squashes---!!"
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y104/kj1980/satoko_and_shion.jpg
LostBlue
2006-08-24, 21:58
「Yes, by the time Mr. Kasai stepped inside room, no one was there but window to the veranda was left wide open. That is the moment she jumped. Thereupon she first fell directly below onto the roof of the 5th elevator floor and suffered a cerebral concussion. A while later she rolled on her side and fell once again to her death. The reason why Mr. Kasai, who suspected that she may have jumped, could not find her body on the ground is because at this point in time she was unconscious on the roof top of the elevator floor. 」
「Maebara Keiichi was stabbed around the same time. At that instant, Sonozaki Shion had already jumped, and was in the mist of suffering a concussion on top of the roof...? ...No, that isn’t correct. After slipping out from her veranda, she stabbed Keiichi. When she tried to return to the veranda, she fell by accident... sounds right? I’m sorry, but search the verandas of the surrounding rooms once more. 」
「Oishi-sa~~~n, you have a call on Line 3. 」
「Yes, yes, who is it? 」
「He said you would know a Satou. And to say the password “Ron”. 」
「Na hha hha! Hello?! Ah- Is this Sato-san? For you to call this line means the news is good? 」
『Hello... The situation in question is exactly the way you predicted, sir. 』
「Thank you very much! I’ll treat you at the Flower Road next time. 」
「What was that phone call about? An invitation to a game of mahjong? 」
「Bingo. The Sonozaki Sisters were reversed. Mion is Shion. When they put the tattoo on, they made a mistake and did it on the wrong twin and couldn’t salvage the situation. That’s why when you read this notebook, Mion and Shion are reversed. If so, one can understand the relationship of Satoshi-kun and Shion-san, ...I mean Mion-san? Ah, so complicated! 」
「Notebook? You mean that horrific notebook mailed and addressed to you the other day, Oishi-san? Didn’t they say what was inside of it was just absurd, and feared it will only complicate the investigation? 」
「Of course, even now that we understand the names were switched, it doesn’t make it any less deranged. ...I wonder how much we can believe in this notebook? ...If it is true, the events surrounding Furude Rika’s death are too suspicious... 」
「It’s a diary of a lunatic. Even the ones reading it were becoming insane. That last page, I’m sorry for being born, ...would make even the people reading this to jump to their deaths… 」
「............but. What a happy dairy this is. 」
「Happy, ......you say? 」
「Just in this diary alone, how many times do you think the name Satoshi-kun appears? ............Shion-san really must have loved Satoshi-kun. And for that love, and the misunderstanding created by her youth, she made this mistake. 」
http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/3184/notebookofhappinessmp2.jpg
What a happy dairy this is
Little Shion: "Common, tell me, mom. What kind of fight did you have with Onibaba? For you to be disinherited, it must've been something big, right?"
Akane: "You're always so full of interest in stupid stories...... Well, I guess you're old enough to understand now. The truth is, when I said I wanted to marry your dad, I was told that I can't."
Little Shion: "Eh? Why?!"
Akane: "I was living a pretty crooked life back then too, which made your grandma pretty unhappy. And in the end of that, the man that I brought back was a chivalrous macho, you know what I mean? So of course, we had a big fight. "The house head decides who your fiance will be", she said, "who gives a damn about what you have to say, you shitty hag!" "How about I cut you down right here!?" It turned into a huge scuffle. The two of us pulled out the katanas from the wooden floor, clang clang clang. A-ha-ha-ha."
Little Shion: "Hiie---...! You mean you had a sword fight with Onibaba?! Nice going, mom...."
Akane: "Yeah well-- Although mom looks like this now, I'm a martial arts person when I was young, after all--. Both of us were rank holders in kendo, so it got pretty crazy. People around us were all shaken up too, ah--- it was fun."
Little Shion: "I see...... So you got disinherited because of that mess?"
Akane: "That's right, nice disinheritance! I took the disinheritance without a care and went and registered the family with your dad. Well, I got my nails pulled as punishment (kejime) though--. Look, the nails on my left hand are crooked, see?"
Little Shion: "Uwaa....... This means that Onibaba and mom don't like each other anymore, right....?"
Akane: "Ahahaha, Shion, to tell you the truth? That's not true. Onibaba and I are very close, you know?"
Little Shion: "...Eh------!? You're lying!"
Akane: "Onibaba-sama has an annoying public image to uphold, you see. After disinheriting me once, it wouldn't show decipline if she acts nice towards me again. That's why I stay quiet and keep my distance during family meetings too, but every once in a while I would still visit her to relax and drink tea or something together"
Little Shion: "No way---------, I don't believe it...!"
Akane: "To tell you the truth, this is a secret, ok? A long time ago, Onibaba-sama herself has gotten her nails pulled once as kejime too, you know--? Next time you see her, take a good look at her left hand nails."
Little Shion: "Hiie---......! What did Onibaba do?"
Akane: "Who-------knows--------! Don't ask mommy☆"
Little Shion: "Wa, that face means you know, right?! Tell me--!"
I am pretty satisfied with the billowing winds in this area. At least I don't have to rely on air conditioning to keep me cool when the wind blows.
After I take down the futon from the window sill, I place my seat-pillow there and bask in the cool weather until dusk.
The flip-over calendar shows that it is June of 1983.
It seems that the rainy season is coming early this year even though it is still June. They say there's an abnormal weather phenomenon occuring this year. Even if it's an abnormal weather season that only comes once in a hundred years, if it always occurs in 1983, then it's not that unusual.
Rather, it just makes it inevitable. On the other hand, what are interesting are those sudden downpours that occur coming back from school which can't be forecasted.
Well, each day is harmonious as accordingly. But I feel like there might be something good happening this year. How can I put this...It's kinda like the feeling I get when rolling a six on the first throw on a board game and I'm starting off with a huge lead.
Of course, as I roll the dice more and more, the total balances out to an average. We roll many dices here and there during our lifetime. So, it's practically no big deal to be overly amused with just one luck.
If one rolls a six on his/her first throw and if the next comes out to be one, then it totals to seven. It averages out. If a person that believes in fate, he/she might say that there is higher possibility for an one to come out from the dice.
But in reality, the next dice is also unexpected as it can come out with any number from one through six. That's what fate is really about.
I hope a six comes out in the next throw again...
Of course the chances of that happening is one in thirty-six, ...but if one were to look at each throw one by one, it's only an one-to-six chance for that miracle to occur.
The glass wind-chime that Satoko put up yesterday sooths me...
LostBlue
2006-08-30, 12:49
☆ RINA ☆
Height 168cm B89 W60 H87
Hobbies: I’ve recently taken interest in indoor gardening; my goal is to drink tea from the herbs I grew.
“Thank you for those wonderful talks that are always insightful~☆ Next time, privately away from the store, let’s go somewhere, okay? ☆”
Gentlemen’s Club Blue Mermaid
Private Manager Mamiya Rina
LostBlue
2006-08-31, 10:56
Today, I went to a pool resort with Mommy.
And Mr. Akihito-san was there too.
Since he sometime teases Reina, I don’t like him, but he is a kind and fun guy.
When we were at the pool Mr. Akihito-san said he’ll be my daddy, so Reina should call him Papa.
Since Mommy calls him Papa, Reina did too, and then Mr. Akihito-san became very happy and gave Reina lots and lots of presents.
Mommy seemed really happy too, so Reina was really happy.
I want to play with him again. Next time, I think it would be fun if Daddy came too.
I open the window and place my seat-pillow to enjoy the weather.
...But that one had to comes over and disrupts my peace. No thanks to her, it ruined my moment of solitude.
"....You seem happy. Oh that's right, you were able to eat lots of your favorite sweets today."
This girl has a weak spot for sweets. ...Sure I don't dislike them either, but a package that big gives me a heartburn. Well, she seems happy so I'll leave her alone for now.
She must've been quite pleased as I was eating my favorite hot and salty items these days.
Of course, it was a very fun and exciting day today too. And I was satisfied just by sitting on this window sill, relaxing underneath the sunset.
But when I looked up, I saw a small cloud forming just beyond the horizon. ...The wind also seems to be a bit cooler than usual. A sudden downpour might occur.
"...They say that deep-sea fishes start to appear in shallow areas like a warning sign = right before a big earthquake or a tsunami occurs."
Today, we saw a very rare deep-sea fish in our shallow playground. Just as many ancient legends have stories about sea monsters, people portrayed such grotesque deep-sea fishes as a bad omen.
It doesn't make a difference when it shows up alive or dead on the shore. Hey, I may have made a interesting statement there! Even if it shows up alive or its corspe washes up shore, it is a bad omen of things to come.
...In either case, I can tell that a rain will begin to fall very soon.
"...Yeah yeah I know. I'll bring down the laundry."
I go outside to bring down the laundry from the dryline into the basket.
The clouds begin to shade deeper in gray. I like rains...but I don't think I won't be able to enjoy this rain today.
Dear Mamiya Ritsuko-sama
Executive Housing, LLC
RE: Attached Estimate
We thank you for your past visit and inquiry to our office. Enclosed is the information packet and the estimated quote for the property that you have requested.
Description
Property name: Palace of Versailles Suite #707
Property number: 14M1421
Property type: Luxury Condominium
Property size: 2LDK
Address: Shishibone-shi Koiwa-cho 2 chome
Walking distance to nearest train station: XXX Line Kokukura Station 5 minutes
Estimated price: 49,800,000 yen
Management fee: 20,000 yen
Others: Southeast corner room, elevator equipped, condominium fitness club membership included.
Thank you for your interest in this property. The area around Kokukura Station are a prime real estate zoned for luxury condominiums. Along with future planned developments, real estate values in and around the Kokukura Station are expected to rise, and this property is not an exception.
As a result many prospective buyers are interested in this property. Hence we would like for you to understand that the selection process for this property will be held under a drawing.
However, we do have an upper-tier group for our customers who wish to have priority selection status. Please feel free to inquire about out "Celebrity Membership Priority Selection Group" to any one of our agents.
Sincerely,
Celebrity Status Manager - Kawahata
Executive Housing, LLC
LostBlue
2006-09-06, 12:57
This is not part of the TIPs sections, but summarizes Rena's past as it wasn't fully covered in Episodes 22 & 23
Reina
Rena's real name is Ryuuguu Reina (竜宮礼奈). She was born in Hinamizawa and spent her early childhood there.
Parents' Job
Both of her parents are fashion designers. Her mother got a break and was offered a lead position at a large company in the city and thus they move. Her mother became very successful, but her father didn't have the talent her mother had. He was unable to get a job in the city and became a house dad.
Akihito
As the days pasted, Reina's mother's success grew. She often came home late and almost never spent time with the family. She would, however, take Reina out once in a while and buy anything for her. On one such outing the mother brings a man name Akihito with her introducing him as her colleague. A few months later, the mother takes Reina out to an expensive cafe. Reina's childhood dream was to eat as much ice cream as she can and the mother wanted to fulfill that dream. While in her dreamland, the mother asks Reina whether who she likes better: Mommy or Daddy. Reina promptly answers Mommy as she thought it would be rude otherwise because of the treat she was getting. The mother then reveals that she plans to divorce her husband and remarry Akihito. Reina is, of course, crushed and asks why can't Daddy remain as family. The mother responds that she is pregnant with Akihito's baby. Later, the mother's lawyer talked to the father concerning the divorce. Reina is not sure if her father was warned beforehand, but she suspects her mother of never telling him. In fact, her mother refuses to talk or to meet with him and has her lawyer answer all calls. Her father kneels in agony on the floor upon hearing the news. Reina walks up to comfort him but the father asks her, “Did you know about Akihito?” “Yes” and the father slaps Reina. Reina then comes to the realization how naïve she was and hugs her father and cries with him.
Enlightenment (translated a portion of Reina's monologue)
As a girl, I thought I should show kindness to everyone. But that is wrong. There are people you should show kindness to and then there are your enemies. Just because people come to you with generosity, it doesn’t mean you should return that generosity. You have to determine who are your enemies. Who are these enemies? They are the ones that exist who will come to destroy your life, the bad guys. It’s not whether they had bad intentions or not. Much like a weed that grows in a flower garden: a dandelion may not have any sins, but it sucks the nutrients that the tulips need, so you have to pull them out. Even if the dandelion had no sins… they are enemies. The bad guys.
That’s right. That man was a bad guy.
I should have never accepted him.
I should have completely devoted myself to reject him.
If I have done so, it might have distance him from my mother.
If I have done so, my mother wouldn’t have the thoughts it would work out with him.
If only, ......I put the effort to, my parents’ relationship wouldn’t have been broken.
I cried with my father but, ……the tears we both shed had different meanings.
To my father, his tears were no doubt for the sudden irrational situation he was thrown in.
But, me. They were tears of regret that I had the opportunity to make the choices to avoid today.
As my father rubs my cheeks, he opened his mouth to apologize…… but he was unable to do so as we cried together.
Later, the lawyer brought me to my mother. My mother asked to live with her.
I didn’t know how to answer her as I looked down listening to my mother apologize.
My father knew that I will meet with my mother this day. That is why he gave me this letter.
The Letter
Reina felt the weight of the tear-dried envelope and was determined to hear her mother’s answer. At the lawyer’s office, Reina hands her mother the letter and asks her to read it. The mother takes the letter and sets it aside saying she would read it later. うそだ！ (Lies!) Her mother had no intention to read the letter.
Akihito is my enemy. He deceived me with kindness, the same kindness he seduced my mother, who used to be a loving mother… No, she is my enemy as well. She’s trying to break my family. She’s trying to take me away from my father, my family. She willfully allowed herself to be seduced. She is one of the bad guys.
Reina screams at her mother. “Never show yourself in front of me again, and don’t ever affectionately call me Reina again.” Those were her last words towards her mother.
Hinamizawa
After returning home, Reina gathered all her mother’s belongings and started to destroy them. She can’t remember much what happened afterwards. The pills the doctor gave to her makes her feel dizzy every time she tries to remember. She wanted to destroy all the things that had her mother’s scent, but she wanted to destroy herself even more. Or maybe she just wanted to throw dirt on her mother’s fame by destroying herself. That is when Oyashiro-sama came. Oyashiro-sama said to come home to Hinamizawa. Reina thinks to herself ‘Yes, this is all a Curse. Because the Ryuuguu family abandoned Hinamizawa, this divine punishment came down upon us. Everything went wrong because we left Hinamizawa. I have to return to Hinamizawa. I should have never left. ‘
So they return to Hinamizawa back to their late grandmother’s house where they used to live.
Rena
Reina decided she wanted to start a new life in Hinamizawa. She couldn’t stand the name Reina anymore… It brought too many bad memories (iyana koto いやなこと). So she took out the ‘i’ from her name.
Rina
Even after returning to Hinamizawa, the father was still struck in deep depression. He had a lot of reprisal money from the divorce and never went to seek a job. He meets the show girl Rina who brought back his smile. Rena couldn’t say much about their relationship, because no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t bring back the same smile Rina did on to his face. As the weeks pass, Rena started noticing toiletry and other personal items that where not her or her father’s around the house.
Happiness
Rena didn’t want to be a bother in her house. She felt she shouldn’t be there when Rina was around. So she looked around for something to pass the time with. That became her Treasure Hunt. She finds an old car and makes her secrete place there. For some reason the electricity is still alive at the Dam Construction office so she connects several extension cords to power the lamp she finds and keeps in her car. Here she can find her escape. Here Rena can remind herself that she is happy, to not to think that she’s unfortunate. Satoko-chan and Rika-chan had it worse. They both lost their parents. She still has family. By staying perspective she can protect herself from the bad guys because it was she who allow the misery to fall on her. By saying the magic word Hau~ she can be happy again. She’s already taken out all the bad memories with her ‘i.’ She can become happy again. With all the bad memories (iyna koto いやなこと) gone, all that remains are the good things… ah… then she realizes the good things also being with ‘i’ (ii koto いいこと)…
…………………….
TIPS Reorganized so Rena's past falls between Ep. 22 & Ep. 23
Full credit for translation: Sushi-Y
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Satoko went to join the children playing in the school yard.
Since I didn't feel like going, I watched Satoko off and stayed behind to watch the house.
......Most likely, she won't be back until the evening.
If Satoko's not around, ...I have ways of spending time without her.
Besides, that's what I wanted to do anyway.
I stick my hand into the deepest part of the mountain of winter futons inside the closet, and pulled it out.
Next, I pack a slightly stylish-looking glass cup full of ice from the freezer.
But the ice made in the freezer has that chlorine smell, and tastes bad.
Rock ice would be the best, but since Satoko kept on questioning me what I'm using them for, I didn't buy any at all recently.
......But if I can deodorize this chlorine taste for eternity just by thinking of a good excuse, then yeah, I can see how it would be worth it to spend the time to think of one.
I fill the cup with mineral water, ......and poured a little bit of it in.
Watching the colored shadow mix into the transparent water is a very pleasant thing.
Apparently, this isn't the correct way of drinking it, but since this way of drinking is just right for me, I don't want to hear any complaints.
This convenient body lets me get drunk even with only a tiny amount.
That's why I dilute a small amount to the fullest.
And thanks to that, I can enjoy a single bottle for a long time. It's not bad if you think about that.
Placing a seat cushion down at my favorite spot by the window, ....I hold the glass in one hand, with the familiar scenery and wind that brushs through my hair as my companion.
A faint sweet ripened aroma tickled my nose.
............Just when I'm about to start enjoying this atmosphere, I sensed the annoying one coming back.
It appears that she doesn't approve of this bad habit of mine, and complains every time I tried to tilt the glass.
As usual, she began nagging noisily.
"......You're so annoying. Be a little more tolerant. What I drink and eat is my choice, isn't it?"
"Y, you can't...! Little children musn't drink alcohol!"
I pretended to ignore her, but she started making a fuss noisily, as if trying to ruin the atmosphere completely.
......At this rate, I won't be able to enjoy getting drunk at all.
While looking at her hatefully, I tossed the glass's content out the window.
"......You want to know why I'm depressed? ...Because the way I'm going to die has already been decided."
Finally, it looks like she too was able to understand why I wanted to drown myself in alcohol.
"You don't have to look so sad like that. I get to die in pretty much an instant, so it's not that scary."
The corpse is probably burnt and in pieces, but since the death comes in an instant, it's in the so-so category.
"............But, ......it's, ...no good again."
"Yeah. ......It's no good again. .........So, when is my death date again with this?"
".....................I think it was, the night of June 25th."
"About 1 week after the end of Watanagashi Festival, huh. .........Well, that sounds reasonable."
"Is it..................... my fault after all?"
"Isn't it obvious? Don't you have any sense of self-awareness?"
"...au-au-au."
She's the one who said it first, and yet gets all teary-eyed when you tell her she's right. ...Ah geez, what an irritating one.
"Let's try again. ...I'm sure in the next dice game, there will be times where we'll keep getting 6s too."
June 25th, huh.
......There's still more than 10 days. ...Let's just relax through it.
There's still more wine anyway....
It is June, yet the air is filled with the cries of the cicadas already. How is everyone in Hinamizawa doing? This year's Watanagashi Festival is already on the horizon.
As the wood sculpting event last year was highly praised last year, the Hinamizawa Forestry Preserve will again host the event for this year's Watanagashi Festival. So long as the children have parental consent we will be happy to lend our tools and teach them wood sculpting. It will make an excellent gift for the entire family!
Also, we would like to inform the residents that we are involved in the XX Prefecture 4th Forestry Preservation Plan by reforesting the surrounding hills and woods during this summer.
This reforesting process involves cutting down dilapidated and dead trees while planting newer one in order to preserve the beauty of the forest.
The Forestry Preserve is actively searching for volunteers who are interested in helping us out. We come and invite everyone to experience the beauty of nature and wildlife while working underneath the blue skies.
The reforestation plan will begin during the summer break season, so both the kids and their parents can enjoy as well. This will surely help the kids to grow strong and healthy!
The location of the reforestation plan will be the hills and forests around the Takatsudo and Tanikawauchi area.
Attn: Kuroda Mental Clinic
Going straight to the point, it is assumed that this is an acute case of post-traumatic stress disorder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PTSD). The patient is subject to tremendous stress following her parents' sudden divorce and being subjected to choose to live with one or the other.
Furthermore, the patient firmly believes that she herself was responsible for her parents' divorce, which further promotes her state of self-mutilation. The patient's largest shock stems from sense of betrayal from her own household which she believed was an absolute safe haven. Henceforth, there is a high possibility that the patient will observe psychological defense measures to protect her family.
(For example, she may feel high disdain for any person of the opposite sex approaching her father. She might feel uncomfortable in having other people in her home. Or, she may conduct absurd behavior in order to keep people away from her home. There have been reported cases where a patient would unconsciously bring and pile garbage for the latter example.)
It is highly important that the patient hold daily household communication with her father. By deepening the communication between the patient and her father, it will strengthen their family bond and loosen up her anxiety.
Since the patient only shows signs of acute syndrome in this case, there is a very good chance that she will immediately recover within three months with her father's support and proper medication.
However, it is not uncommon for a patient who seemed to have recovered to have a sudden reoccurrence (flashback) even after ten years.
The father is still young, and there is still a chance for him to re-marry. But, the prospect of her father re-marrying may cause the patient to have sudden flashbacks of her turmoil. This may instigate psychological defense behaviors along with elevated stimuli.
Please explain this part very thoroughly with the father in order to maintain the recovery process and mental care of the patient. Should the father have decided to undergo a second marriage, it is recommended at the minimum that he should hold off in telling the patient until she has reached the capable age of living independently.
Also, the patient's psychosomatic self-mutilation behavior, more commonly known as delusional parasitosis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_parasitosis) seems to have its own attributes to culture-bound syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture-specific_syndrome).
The patient seems to observe the superstitious curse from her home village, which she strongly believes that this was the cause of her parents' divorce. This is thought to be a part of her subconscious defense mechanism, where the mind tries to shove her self-proclaimed fault to her village curse in order to reduce her psychological pain.
If such a strong belief can induce such symptoms such as self-mutilation, then there might be cases similar to these recorded previously. Perhaps prior medical files that document similar culture-bound syndromes may be available at a large medical institution near her local area. It will then be possible to provide better and accurate mental care for the patient by obtaining these case files.
*These B5-sized letters were written on the back of the paper used for writing memos.
The blank side of these letters were written with the following memo:
1 Chuuka-don (Chop Suey Bowl), 3 Shanghai-style Gomoku Yakisoba (Chow Mein), 1 large Cha-han (fried rice)
LostBlue
2006-09-13, 23:23
Furthermore, it is important that we take caution concerning her father.
Bearing in mind that she has taken a considerable mental blow by experiencing her father’s divorce, by trying too hard to be cordial to the patient, there is a strong possibility that she may erupt with induced delusional disorder.
As the first step in mental care, one should listen to the patient’s story carefully, and not unsparingly deny them is the basics of the basics, but especially concerning with family, it may be difficult to not respond with some sympathy.
Additionally, the symptoms of delusional parasitosis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_parasitosis) are widely known, and at times, it is not uncommon for that hysteria to spread entirely throughout a single community.
(Thus, even with the complaints from several people, it does not necessary prove the existence of any parasite. Consequently, it is frequent that the outcries to the Health Care Centers for the extermination of these harmful pests are compromised with nothing but mass delusional statements.)
Nevertheless with this case, the consistency to the details of these delusions are unusually extreme, in the worst case, by labeling this treatment for parasitic care, may result the patients to abnormally seek and mutually harm each other fatally, or possibly allow each other to race to suicidal tendencies with their pessimism views.
Moreover, this induced delusional disorder, otherwise known as shared psychotic disorder*, shows a particularly strong possibility of influencing a convivial companion.
People coming in contact with the patient, must make the patient understand that she is still presently under medical treatment, and take care to caution her to not be influenced by these delusions.
Likewise, individuals who are likely to be influenced include family members and possibly a close person such as a boyfriend are to be noted.
*Translator Note
See: Folie à deux ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induced_delusional_disorder)
The danger of culture-bound syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture-specific_syndrome) lies in the fact that it can easily trigger delusional misidentification syndromes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_misidentification_syndrome).
That is to say, in the current case, every time the patient sees something trivial, she will try to interpret it as being a "curse".
And it is believed that as a result of the accumulation of these events in an understandable form, a delusional system is created, ultimately leading to paranoia.
Furthermore, the patient is also exhibiting slight signs of personality disorder.
Of course, it is at a very slight level, and has no hinderance whatsoever on the patient's normal life.
It is not uncommon for even healthy individuals to have primary delusions in their daily lives.
However, since the delusion contents are nonsensical, they are usually ignored by the individual automatically without recognition.
And yet, there exist cases where these events would accumulate despite their incomprehensiveness.
This is said to be largely dependent on the natural characteristics of the individual, and it is believed that the patient shows a relatively strong characteristic in this area.
Now then, I believe that Dr. Kuroda is very much aware that primary delusions are categorized into 3 different kinds of cases.
Delusional mood is the feeling of impending crisis without basis.
Delusional intuition is the feeling of a sense of duty or goal without basis.
Delusional perception is the feeling of a baseless cause against a baseless target.
In the patient's case, it is believed that these incomprehensible delusions accumulate, acting out simultaneously with the culture-bound syndrome, inducing delusional misidentification syndromes, and ultimately causes incomprehensible delusions to become understandable by interpreting them as a "curse".
The comprehensible delusional system then induces understandable secondary delusions, further strengthening the patient's delusional system with the passage of time.
(The delusional parasitosis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delusional_parasitosis) mentioned earlier can be considered as a secondary delusion)
A common point in all paranoia patients lies in the fact that even after an outbreak, they would still appear perfectly normal, with no changes in their personality.
The patients would also be unaware of their own ailments, and due to their personal interpretations of the delusonal system, there are many cases where a patient would arm him or herself logically, making it extremely difficult for a 3rd party to point out that he or she is having a delusion.
Furthermore, although it may depend on the tendency of the delusions, there are also cases where a persecutory delusion would turn into a persuit delusion or conspiracy delusion, causing the patient to create an imaginary enemy and take up anti-social behaviours.
(For example, there are cases where believers of a religious cult would respond to the cult founder's paranoid visions as a group, shifiting the group into a conspiracy delusion, causing them to take up anti-social behaviours in the name of self-defense. Although no such cases have been reported in Japan yet, it may become possible in the near future (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin_gas_attack_on_the_Tokyo_subway))
Luckily, as of now, the patient hasn't reached such a serious condition.
With proper treatments, she should easily be able to make a full recovery.
Please make sure that her father also understands that this is not an unusual case, but something caused by the accumulation of a number of innocent factors that anyone could have.
The patient can be treated only by deepening her bond with her father, but as long as she has her bond with her father, she can definitely be treated.
For the above reasons, if the patient is to return back to her hometown, I strongly suggest that the patient continue to receive guidance from specialized medical institutions even after returning.
Please excuse me for writing such a long article.
I wish to thank you for reading this until the very end.
LostBlue
2006-09-19, 21:20
After ending the call with Oishi and stepping outside the phone booth, at that moment.
.........Chills ran down my spine, as I finally came to realize this.
In this darkness, I was standing in a phone booth that stood out tremendously.
There’s no way that nobody didn’t see me.
No, not that nobody didn’t see me, I was seen.
From the darkness, they steadily stared at me with their glowing eyes...
.........there was no way they were human.
An illusion? No. I already know their identity.
......They are in the true sense, the ones who control the Gosanke who rule Hinamizawa.
The level of their eyes are low, ......the vague outline I see were feeble.
......true, it is clear from past records that they are physically frail.
That silhouette which indicated their nonhuman form, was unbelievable unrealistic.
...especially the silhouette of their head was unusual, as there was something protruding, it clearly was not human.
......Their outward appearance, were detailed in one of the scrapbooks I received from Miyo-san.
......Their eyeballs were pure red like blood, ...their bodies smelled of ammonia, ......and in the past, throughout the world they were captured on several occasions, yet......all melted and disappeared, leaving no trace behind.
......what did remained, was the certainty of their “descent”.........
At that moment, that impossible unrealistic silhouette took as step closer..., gently making a real sound.
That sound was brutally realistic, and pulled me back to reality.
“d, ......don’t come closer, you monster!!”
rustle, crack, grattle rattle rattle!!
The gravel on the road, erupt, flying every where, and making a bizarre sound.
Moreover, it gradually chased after me.
......driven by my fear I once again use the same words out of my mouth.
And then this time, the glass door to the phone booth I was just in, started to rattle and shake, BANG!
BANG!
and as if being struck, these monstrous sounds began.
I gave a scream which sounded like tearing silk, and darted.
And after running to the point my lungs felt like exploding, I turn around..... I notice that the jarring presence was no longer there.
............Was I mistaken.........?
There was no way I was mistaken, I definitely heard that sound which kicked up the gravel, that monstrous sound that rattled the phone booth!!
But calm down Ryuuguu Rena...!
......even if you were mistaken, right now settle down your heart.
......either way, ...eventually you will have to fight them.
...The next time they appear, strike back at them... Squash that head with your massive hatchet...! I will protect Hinamizawa, this is my duty. ...I will not allow them to do what they want... !!
scratch scratch scratch scratch... ... scratch scratch scratch scratch.
LostBlue
2006-09-20, 11:39
This is not part of the TIP section of the game. This is what happened the night the cops went searching for Rena after her disappearance.
TL note: The red text is how it is displayed in the game. This is all from Rena's point of view.
Even if I turned on the light in this hideout, the light will be reasonably obstructed by the mounds of decommissioned vehicles to seep through. ......Logically, I understood this, but taking precaution upon precaution, I did not turn on the light.
In the salience of this hideout, to not turn on a single light as I hold my breath has considerably filled me with fear.
Probably, if I did something, it would have distracted me a bit.
......but right now, the circuitry in my head has numbed, and I have not the strength to think about from hereafter.
Despite that, I did not have the courage to lie on my side to restore my vigor.
......Occasionally, when I thought I heard a suspicious sound, I’ll straighten up, strain my night’s eye and kill my breath. There was a continuous repetition of that.
Oishi believed in my Sonozaki Conspiracy.
......but, until he has some evidence of the conspiracy, he cannot take any large actions.
And that proof he needs, is most likely something that confirms there is a facility that is researching these parasites but, ......I have no clue to where that facility would be.
I would imagine the Irie Medical Clinic would seem as the most likely place, but I have no proof. I doubt even they will research in a place where I would think of.
Perhaps........., they’re re-using a bomb shelter from the war or something similar where they can place this research laboratory underground.
Come to think of it, ......within the premises of the Furude Shrine, there is a secret building that is not open to the public. I believe it was called the Saiguden.
According to Miyo-san’s research, the Furude Shrine is the central location to the Oyashiro-sama faith.
And, for one of their ceremonies that unusual festival, the Watanagashi, the Saiguden is considered to be extremely sacred, as they keep the festivity equipment there, it seems.
Indeed, the Watanagashi was a medical ritual done to create an immunity vaccine from these powerful parasites.
Therefore, the Festive tools for the Watanagashi, were medical tools then.
If that is so, the Saiguden is such a sacred place, because it is an important medical facility. .........this is suspicious.
Could it be that inside the Saiguden, there is the secret laboratory?
......ah, shit. It isn’t the Irie Medical Clinic. If they’re going to do it, it’s here. Why didn’t I think of this when I was on the phone with Oishi?!
It’ll be good if Oishi realizes this......
Should I go to the phone booth again, and tell Oishi about the Saiguden?
As soon as I thought that, I heard a car engine come closer, and further concealed myself.
There is no way a vehicle will pass by here this late at night.
A terrible premonition warped around my head several times over, causing me to tense up...
Before long, from the direction of the remnants of the Dam construction office buildings, I saw a light, perhaps from the car’s headlights.
Did the car pass by, heading toward the construction office buildings?
......but, nothing is there besides the empty prefabs.
This is not a place where someone will visit at this hour, absolutely not.
As I fix my eyes in the darkness, the car engine stops and the light disappears, in exchange two flickering beams from flashlights wiggle about.
It seems those lights went inside the prefabs.
......No doubt they were searching to see if I am hiding within them.
Until they went away, I continuously held my breath and watched.
With only the fickle lights which I see from here, I can not tell who they were.
Most likely......they are Sonozaki Henchmen.
They must have learned that I left the house, and have been searching the entire village...
...Why at the time like this, does my face itch, my legs become restless, making me feel extremely irritable? Probably staying standstill in this sweaty humidity is causing the inside of my elbow and the nape of neck to itch irresistibly.
When I scratch at them, an unbelievable loud scraping sound was made, surprising me, and I stopped.
......Normally, when scratching at bug-bites, never does it make such cruel sound!
I guess this is proof that my nerves are becoming sensitive.
...Even when I’m this far away, I am holding my breath in the darkness.
Regardless if I scratched, or even squeezed, they will not know I am here.
......Even so, I will not allow even the smallest sound, and I, for the time being, endured the itchy sensation all over my body,
......but ultimately, my body recoiled and scrape scrape, I couldn’t help furiously scratching my entire body.
When from here on out, for me who would need to continuously live this life in concealment, to be this nervous on my very first night; it is not likely I will last.
I would need to become a bit bolder, to not be moved over something as small as this.
As I think this, I force myself to relax, and without restraint, allowed myself to scratch at the nape of my neck freely, which lifted this discomfort from the sweat that stuck onto me.
Then I notice my hunger.
Now, my stomach started to growl.
...but, this is no doubt proof I feel this hunger because I have relaxed.
But if I do eat, it will get rowdy...
I decided to endure this until the men searching the offices leave.
Hurry up and leave, hurry up and leave.
If you guys leave, I can eat.
......Possibly my continual wishing held some success, as it seems those two lights stop searching the around prefabs.
......but I guess I wished too strongly.
Those lights were now continually fixed in this direction.
...Could it be that they realized I’m here?!
No. They’re walking towards this direction!
I hurried and ducked, and listen carefully through the blanket covering me.
.........Eventually, .........I feel the two’s sturdy footstep approach closer.
Since these footsteps were approaching closer without hesitation, I feared that I’ve already been found.
But, there is no way I was found...
If they knew about this place from the start, they would have not wasted their time searching the prefabs, and if they have found me, then these footsteps wouldn’t be walking as leisurely like this.
......It is just a mere coincidence they are coming this way...
Since I covered myself with a blanket, I had no idea who they were.
I had no idea where they were flashing their lights, and I could not carelessly stick my head out the window to take a peek. Until their presence disappears, I had no choice but to curl up and become like a rock.
As they arrive nearby my hideout, they stopped in their tracks.
...I heard the two talk.
「............She ain’t here.」
「I guess we should circle around. Look around there.」
As their footsteps split away from each other, I recognized that the two were patrolling around the trash mound.
......This hideout is nothing more than a remodeled inners of an abandon car.
Just by taking a glance at it, and it will look like nothing more.
...But, if they peer inside, it will be apparent that this isn’t just a regular abandon car. If they find out, I’ll be a trapped rat...
From their conversation, it is apparent that they are looking for me.
......Then, ...are they the Sonozaki Special Assault Squadron?!
If they find me, .......there is no doubt they will instantly kill me here!
And I already experienced and comprehend how well suited this place is for killing.
Moreover, I killed two people here.
If I could do so, then this should be child’s play for professional amongst professionals like them!
But, while saying that, right now, I cannot do anything.
Utterly, all I can do, was pray they will leave here.
At that moment, I heard a slight BEEP ...a refined electrical sound.
「This is Atsushi, all is well here. .......................yes. ……………The Granariiiies?! Yes, roger that.」
「What happened?」
「It seems Ryuuguu Rena is at the Granaries. There was an eyewitness account.」
「Hey hey... there’s just no hope. What are we going to do?」
「Either way, the boss ordered us to get her at all costs. Even if she fled to Sapporo or even Fukuoka, we have no choice but to chase after her.」
「Impossible, there’s no way we’ll find her. ......Even so, we still gotta?」
「......The boss wants Takano Miyo’s Scrapbook which is in Ryuuguu Rena’s possession. For him to make such a fuss over this, it must be something big.」
「And, what are we suppose to do?」
「We’ll leave a surveillance in front of the Ryuuguu house, and pull out from the rest. Let’s go back and grab some tea.」
Then the two’s footsteps went away until I could no longer hear them, .........and the sound of the car’s engine rang. Finally, I came out of the blanket and looked outside.
The car’s light made a U-turn, and I saw them leave.
Then eventually, even the engine’s sound melted away into the silence of the night.
I spat all the hot air that I’ve stored and stored within myself, and scratch at all the bug-bites around my body which I’ve been resisting, wiped off the sweat that stuck on me, the let out the coughs I’ve held back.
From their conversation, I most definitely heard it. There was no doubt that both of them were Sonozaki Henchmen.
......It completely coincided with the information Oishi told me.
And then they bluntly mouthed that important piece of information.
They declared they were after the 「Scrapbook」.
Until today, I only assumed the reason I was being targeted was because I received Miyo-san’s Scrapbook, it is not because I heard it from someone.
........I might have had the wrong assumption, and forced myself to think this way.
But, it blatantly came out of their mouths!
We gotta get Ryuuguu Rena. They blatantly said from their mouths, reason is because she has Takano Miyo’s Scrapbook!
And then, they also said they will leave surveillance in front of the Ryuuguu House.
......Well, that’s only natural.
If I was on the chasing end, I would most definitely guard there as well.
It’s better that I don’t make the mistake of going home.
............But, ...the matter of fact, they said something more important than any of this.
Yes, that’s............, the fact that 「Ryuuguu Rena is at the Granaries.」
Under normal circumstances, I could have laughed this off by saying they probably saw someone who just looked like me.
.........But, the reality is, the situation is no longer like that.
When Miyo-san is already dead, she was 「there」.
And when I am here, I was 「there」 at the Granaries.
.........Within the contents written in Miyo-san’s Scrapbook, ......this was the most unbelievable part.
They......, separately from the Sonozaki Family underground actions, .........were steadily coming after me...
......Already everything and anything has gone beyond my understanding of common sense.
...Should I fight or should I run, unable to decided, do I stand petrified waiting to be devoured...?
...............No way, No way...
There’s no way I’ll stand here petrified waiting to be killed and devoured.
If I can’t win then I want to run.
If I can’t run then I want to fight.
.........I will become happy, I will! I will not sit here, and have it end...!
But, ...............Miyo-san’s Scrapbook’s 「foretold」 enemy, were approaching closer to me, ready to take their bite.
If I happen to disappear at this trash mounds without anyone knowing,
the me at the granaries will appear, and as if nothing has happen, will take my place sneaking into my life. ......No one will ever see through this.
Not even my father, my friends, no one will realize this, as it takes my place......
Wait, perhaps that only I haven’t just realized this......, and the people around me have already begun to be replaced......?
Yes. .........Even bio-terror that the Sonozaki Family intends to put together, is nothing more than a plan being played in the palm of their hands.
Just like the rats possessed by their members will no longer afraid of cats.
As result, the rats will no longer run even within the sight of a cat.
......That’s why when the cats eat the rats, they can transfer into the cat’s body.
......The rats were only being used by their purpose, and to further this purpose, there’s no way the rats will become afraid of cats.
That’s why the Sonozaki Family are the same.
......They may believe they are moving at their free will, ...but in reality, without knowing their purpose, they are unwittingly helping them.
That is how from ancient times, they 「parasite」. We are, after all, nothing more than a pack of rats.
Almost all of us rats are too stupid and too foolish to recognize their existence, ultimately having this misunderstanding that we live on our free will, and further their cause.
.......However, occasionally, a perceptive mouse will be born.
That perceptive mouse will learn that we are only being used, and at times unveil their existence.
......Of course, even if she unveiled this, no one will believe her so there was no problem.
Before long, the mouse who unveiled the truth will think she was mistaken, then will be swallowed and erased.
Despite this, even more rarely, ......a mouse will appear who not only realize this, but can objectivity prove this.
That is exactly who Miyo-san was.
To them, ......this rare mouse was an extremely dangerous being.
...That is why, when this mouse appeared, they become unbelievably forceful and daring, to remove this threat.
To tell you the truth..., we all know their forceful and bold methods.
......But, the stupid mice won’t believe this and will ridicule this.
......Not knowing they are being led not to believe, they ultimately help them, inadvertently.
.........They erased Miyo-san.
And then, ......switched places with her.
But, they made a mistake with the body of the real Miyo-san being found. That’s why they failed at replacing her.
...............Then, ......will the erase me, and take my place too?
Or possibly, to get close to me, .........they switched places with one of my friends?
......Even when their outside appearance are the same, ......what’s inside will be completely different, something beyond our comprehension... an irregular being.
No, .............it will appear. It already has appeared.
The day after Miyo-san’s death, it appeared.
And then tonight, I appeared at the granaries.
......they will still continue to appear.
They have already given up their guise to chase after me.
Many more, many more, ......will appear...
Then at that moment, from the slopes of the scraps, I heard the sounds of someone coming down.
I crouch down my body once again, and suspiciously observed the direction of the sound.
.............There is only one flashlight. ...There only seems to be one person.
.........Who? ......At this hour...?
Its shadow was very small, ......definitely impossible to be an adult.
Shivers ran down my body...!
The flashlight looked over here, and the footsteps approached straight forward, drawing closer.
.........Unlike the guys before, these footsteps fully understood that I was hiding here.
...No, .......This has to be a coincidence.
...Let me hide one more time. I definitely can get pass this.
I was able to last time. ...Hide, Hide…!!
I covered myself with the blanket, and huddled pretending to be a rock...
But, with unbelievable certainty, the footsteps drew closer.........
And then, .........on this hideout vehicle , ......kong
kong
......as if something was knocking.
My eyes became wide open; my entire body couldn’t restrain from the overflowing drops of cold sweat.
......Unwilling to accept the meaning behind the knocking, my mind went blank fighting with the fear.
But, the knock echoed once again.
.........I felt a light through the blanket.
...Am I, ......completely exposed by the beam of this flashlight...?!
Even so, I still was biting off the fear.
......as long as I don’t move, it won’t lay a finger on me... selfishly wishing, trying to withhold my trembling even to the slightest degree.
「...............giggle giggle giggle giggle.」
That was a blatant laugh.
......It was a voice ridiculing me, who still continued to curl thinking that I haven’t been found yet.
However, ...still I endured it. ......because, because, ...if I come out from here...!!
「......What are you afraid of? ......giggle giggle giggle giggle.」
「u, .......uWAAAAAaAaAAaA!!!」
I threw off the blanket, and faced the person behind the voice.
.........Who was, ......Rika-chan.
...This surly, ......was an impossible encounter at an impossible place.
At this late at night... for Rika-chan to appear here alone at such a place, ......was impossible!
...I instantly understood.
This Rika-chan, ......certainly looks like Rika-chan but, .........however much it completely imitated Rika-chan’s outward appearance, .........I understood that it was an entirely different entity.
Miyo-san, me, ......and now, even Rika-chan... I see...
But before I was crushed by fear, slightly mustering a bit of courage, I daringly opened my mouth.
「...............Rika-chan......I’m guessing...?」
「......Mi~ ...Who else could I appear to be?」
Rika-chan responded the way the Rika-chan I knew well did.
......but, this is impossible.
To visit at this time, at this place, was absolutely impossible...!!
「..........I know ............You’re not Rika-chan, are you?」
「........................」
「......Unfortunately, you will not deceive my eyes. Even if you look like Rika-chan, ...you are not Rika-chan. You are not my friend, Furude Rika. ......Who are you...?!」
「........................」
Rika, for the time being, stood there blankly.
...It was as if she couldn’t comprehend what I said.
But, ......that silence, was long.
If she really didn’t understand, enough time has passed for her to break this awkward silence, ......yet she remained mute.
Then, ............finally, ...she threw off her sheep’s skin.
「......giggle, ......giggle giggle giggle giggle giggle.」
It laughed.
.........To notice that it wasn’t Rika from its absolute disguise of her outward appearance, it laughed at that amusingly.
「...............Who, .........are you!!」
Without responding to my question, ......it, for the moment, continued to laugh on by itself.
And then, ......looking at me, ......with these eyes Rika-chan will never show, peered at me and said.
「I have lived a long time in this world but .........this is the first that someone has noticed that I am not Rika. I’ve always thought you were a perceptive one ever since we first met, but......... well done. giggle giggle giggle...」
「...............!!!」
......It blatantly put to words what my heart feared the most..., I believed it was certain that I was shocked.
What was said was frightful; There was no way to misinterpreted what was said, ...as if any doubt need to be left written out, ...it deliberately mouthed these words.
「But I will dare to call myself Rika. .........I, do believe that my given name is Rika, as it’s been so long.」
「......huh......... ...by long, .........how long.........?」
「Nothing spectacular. Only about 100 years or so.」
「.........ha, .........huh?! What are you saying!!!」
I felt the contradiction.
Knowing that the one before my eyes is not Rika, I was refuting the existence of that very being.
......As long as this sentiment continues to embedded in the human mind, ...people never acknowledge what they don’t understand forever.
...That is why, 「they」 are never acknowledged by humanity.
「You do not need to be afraid. You are inside the car. I am outside. ......Respectively, neither one of us can do anything rash to the other. I believe that this is a convenient distance for us both, no? However hundreds of years I may have lived, Furude Rika is merely just a small child. I do not believe I can overwhelm you by force. .........Rather, I am the one uneasy that you might frenzy and jump at me.」
......To me, this being that looked like Rika was nothing more than eerie, however, when I realized that it only came to converse, my mental stability settled a little.
But, .........at this late night, at this impossible place, ...what did it want to talk about?
I am sure, I was a cooked goose. ......therefore, now I had no choice but to bravely stand this ground.
After waiting to see how I will react, ...it opened its mouth.
「............You are afraid of something. .........Am I correct?」
What a sarcastic way of putting it.
......With Rika-chan’s adorable face, I could not believe it can smirk in such a twisted fashion.
That’s why, I crushed all the emerging feelings of fear in my heart, and firmly responded.
「.........Yes. Why, thank you.」
「I see. ..............What are you afraid of?」
「......You......know that well enough!!」
「...............giggle giggle.」
It said, we were mutually protected from each other, divided by the car but.
It was evident that I was obviously cornered.
......While I stayed in here talking to it, its henchmen could be encircling me. ...As I realize this, I listened more carefully to my surroundings...
「Don’t be afraid. I came here to save you. ...giggle giggle giggle.」
「Save...? ha, huh......How would you do that...?」
「You are, ...just a little sick. With a small bit of medicine you’ll feel better. .........Would you be interested if I said I brought that medicine?」
「...med, .......medicine.........?」
That thing, who looked identical to Rika, ...fumbled around its pockets, and took out a small case.
Clicking the case open, I peered to see what was inside.
......When I saw what was inside, I, couldn’t help screaming.
「......a syr.........syringe...............?!」
No person would be walking around with a syringe. Already everything and anything has become absurd.
......but, in Rika-chan’s hand there was a syringe. There was no other way to look at this...!
「Yes. This shot will make you feel better.」
「Feel better, you say?! HA!! I know. It’s that, isn’t it?! The drug that killed Tomitake-san!! The parasites that have that primal power!! The terrible shot that will renew Maggot Breakout Syndrome!!」
「The shot that Tomitake had, huh? But this is different. Okay?」
It giggled.
That laughter wasn’t what was scary.
......What was scary is that it frankly acknowledged the truth behind Tomitake-san’s death!!
And, it frankly acknowledged the direct 「cause」to why Tomitake-san was led to Maggot Breakout Syndrome!!
「.........You also plan for me to die that way, don’t you! And then, ......the Rena that appeared at the Granaries will switch places with me settling everything... ...That’s your ulterior motive, isn’t it?! Who will take that shot!!」
「..................well, I thought you will refuse. It’s definitely suspicious.」
「You know, don’t you...... ...Then what are you going to do?! ...Are you going to attack me in a group and forcefully give me the shot, like you did with Tomitake-san?!」
The result of Tomitake-san’s autopsy was before he met his critical end, it was apparent that he was fending off several opponents according to the bruise marks on him.
...Meaning, there was no mistake that the shot was forced on him unwillingly.
「......I would like to assault you and give you the shot, ...but I’ve never done it successfully. That’s why I’ve given up doing so forcefully. ......So, I will leave it up to your free will. 」
「You got to be kidding!! Who will take such a creepy shot!!」
「.........I also was troubled by that. How I can humor you to take this shot. It’s impossible to give it to you forcefully, and you’ll won’t understand either. ... Ultimately then, I have no other choice but to leave the decision to you.」
「There’s no way I will listen to that!! Who will fall for such an obvious trick!!」
「..................well, you reacted the way I anticipated. Not that I expected anything.」
It gave out a long sigh, making a belittling gesture as it proceeded with a bitter smile.
......As if saying... I gave you this chance to be save, can’t comprehend that you low life...!
I wanted to retort back giving in to the taunt, yelling out I’ll take that shot, but that is exactly what my adversary would want me to do.
「Hurry up and go home to your friends, and tell them you failed to give me the shot!! I will not lose! I will thoroughly resist to the end!! And then......I will take hold of that less than 1% chance of victory, and make sure that I will destroy you all!!」
「............I see. ..............Then give it your best shot. It’s a doomed world anyway. ...giggle giggle giggle giggle.」
「......doomed......?」
「It has nothing to do with you. It does no good for the frog inside the well to hold any interest to what is outside the well, right? giggle giggle giggle.」
Coming along this far, what deep words it hurled...
I tried desperately to comprehend what this terrifying entity who mimicked Rika’s appearance was running its mouth with.
「...Wha, ...What do you plan to do with me!!」
「I will do nothing. Do as you wish.」
「.........eh?」
...That response took me a bit off guard.
...As far as I know, the words do as you wish, have the meaning of liberation or indifference, even if used by a person of evil intent, these were not words of malicious meaning.
Or......, could this be taken in an entirely different way...?
Reading deeply into words two and threefolds, it said these words once more.
「Live as you wish. ......I have no more interest with “this” Ryuuguu Rena. I will hope that things will go better with the “next” Ryuuguu Rena.
......at the very least, I will pray the “next” Ryuuguu Rena will not be as particularly perceptive. ...giggle giggle giggle giggle.」
That was... as terrifying as a judge sentencing a death penalty.
「Before, I also ran about trying to fix every slight disparity as it occurred. ......but after a while, I became tired of it. .........I have no more interest in “this” Hinamizawa. I’ll go look for the “next” Hinamizawa. ...but, you only have “this” Hinamizawa. That’s why, you should do your best to live. 」
I understood that one after another horrifying words were being said.
It was a blunt forecast of doom, ......a revelation that a terrible end is closing in on reality...
Already another one of me has been prepared.
And then......When I disappear being swallowed by this maelstrom of Fate that I can not contest, ...it, unsympathetically, was prepared to have everything replaced.
What people feared the most, is losing their meaning to their life.
.........When someone says even if you’re gone there will be someone to replace you, there is no moment where worthlessness of one’s life is felt more.
That is no different to an indirect death sentence!
The thing that looked like Rika, clamped the syringe case shut, and placed the case in its pocket.
Then it turned its heels, and started climbing up the slope of the scrap mound.
Then, twirled around for one last time, ......with a devilish smile, ...said with an unbelievably cold expression.
「Well then. ......Good bye, “this” Ryuuguu Rena. ......With the “next” Ryuuguu Rena, let’s be friends, ok?
......for the most part we normally will. .........gigglg giggle giggle giggle! 」
「Th, .........There will not be a “next”Ryuuguu Rena!! I am who I am, I am the only one!! I will not let this go your way! Never, NEVER!!」
Did my shouts that were more like screams reach her?
......The way her eyes looked at me were very cold. ......It was as if, I was nothing more then a reflection of a past image on a CRT screen.
「Having conversations like this, occasionally, is quite amusing, huh. giggle giggle giggle......, Ha ha ha ha... Ha ha ha ha ha, ...Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha......... 」
That laughter eventually faded into the darkness of the night.
.........The being which had Rika’s appearance, but was not Rika, also disappeared swallowed by the darkness.
All that remained was, ......I, alone.
Cast off, indifferent to whenever I disappear,
Abandoned, telling me to futilely resist all I wish, I am here.
A spare has already been prepared, and because I was too perceptive, I am of no use in 「their」 Hinamizawa.
.........Then I noticed that, ......these trash mounds, ...was unquestionably a gravestone prepared especially for me.
I returned to my senses, and came to the realization that this place, nor this hideout, was serving their purpose.
It’s better that I gather my belongings and hurry off to a different place.
They told me to resist all I wish. ...I will do that, damn it damn it...!!
I need to prepare for my move.
Stuffing all my belongings in my knapsack, I need to hurry and leave this place.
Since the flashlight’s beam is too small, I turn on my night stand.
The world of light and darkness distinctively emerged with the newly created shadows.
Then when I went to reeled in my knapsack, ...I was startled.
The palm of my hands, ......were drenched in this icky pure red liquid.
In the darkness, I thought I was just wiping off sticky icky sweat.
......but, that......wasn’t sweat at all......
Then this blood is......what?
I suddenly came to realization.
Just until now, I was scratching and scratching at the bug-bites on my neck, ...and before I knew it, I was pouring out with blood.
The moment I realized that, the affected parts that I peeled off became mixed in with the feeling of pain, and there I was suddenly groaning.
...From the wounds on my neck, I felt the unpleasant feeling of something creeping and squirming, and I once again scratched at my neck trying to dig out that something.
And again my hands were drenched with the thick coat of fresh pure red blood.
......There was no mirror in here so I cannot see but, ......I remembered, I already knew the meaning of squirming.
They steadily spread throughout my entire body, then the inside of my elbows and the back of my knees began to itch terribly.
......If a person was to experience this for the first time, they would think they were bitten by a bad bug.
...but fortunately, ...I already knew this itching.
「............why, ............how...............!」
I detestably mumbled. ......how, right now, here......!
There’s no mistake, ......this is the 「Maggot Outbreak Syndrome 」.
Almost certainly, if I open the blood vessel in my arm with a razor, from inside the vessel, those dirty and disgusting, red-black squirmy things will gush out.
How can that be, I never was injected by that suspicious shot...?!
But, there never was a rule that this had to come from a shot.
...Could it be......that I haven’t noticed I was poisoned...!?
I doubt it was mixed in the food I ate at my house, but when I was at school, my friends and I were close enough to share lunches ......Maybe it was mixed in at that time...!
That Rika-copy which just came by, ......shined her flashlight on me.
So, she must have known that I tore the skin on my neck and was bloodstained.
...regardless, it didn’t panic, ......and said that I didn’t have much longer anyways.
......ah, ......It, ......knew that I didn’t have much longer so........it was smirking and laughing so repulsively...!!
It’s very itchy, but don’t scratch it. The more I scratch, the itching will increase, ...and in the end I will repeat the same mistake as Tomitake-san! Shit, shit shit...!!
Not entirely a TIPS, but was cut off from the anime. This is Keiichi's past in which he told to Mion, Satoko, and Rika:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keiichi: "It's...about the time before I moved here. Back then...my only skill was studying.
I learned tips and tricks on the game called studying. My grades went up very quickly. At that time, I had this idiotic ambition to study harder so I can look down upon other students.
My parents and my teacher both praised me as my grades went up. It felt really great.
I began to saw how little and cheap those jock kids were that took pride in excelling how fast they could run the 50 meters or how well they can swim. The sensation of looking down on them was exciting so I studied even harder.
By then, my grades were not only the top of the class, but began to scratch the top of my entire school. Hence, I began megalomaniacally feel that I was the most important guy in the entire school.
I was this dull and idiotic guy that would mock on the rest of the kids playing in the school yard as I sneered down at the from the window.
...As my grades went up, adults around me also began to expect more from me. They suddenly began to set my future by urging me to get into a very prestigious school. I was also self-conceited that going to that school was a given for a person of my intelligence.
But...the sensation of looking down on them began to fade away in contrast to the amount of studying that increased.
People around me also began to treat me less praise. My classmates quickly began to lose interest in my grades as a nuisance, while my teacher began to put more pressure on me to study harder. I basically began to lose the enjoyment of studying.
Besides, I didn't like studying at all in the first place.
I was just this normal brat with less-than-average athletic skills and mediocre fighting skills, who suddenly jumped on my newly found gift in which I could say I was better than anyone else. It just so happened that the gift was studying; if the gift was being able to ride a unicycle or cup-and-ball toy, I would've tried hard in excelling at them just the same as I did with studying.
Once I reached that feeling, I suddenly lost the interest in studying all together.
That's right. I was just a spoiled dickhead who wanted to be praised by everyone for being able to do something better than anyone else. ...Hence, I did all of my summer homework on time and I volunteered to help cleanup afterschool just so I can get praise from the teachers.
So once the teachers stopped praising me, I began to lose interest in life.
Back then, my parents would give me allowance based on my grades. Because of this, I had tremendous cash in my pocket even for kids at my age.
...I don't know if it I enjoyed this from the start or I was just lashing out my feelings and anger towards something else, but it was around that time that I began to get interested in model guns.
Shooting at cardboard boxes was fun and all. At least shooting an inanimate cardboard box still fell under morality. It could be deemed as relieving stress by shoving my anger towards a cardboard box.
But I quickly began to yearn to do something that would get me into deep shit.
So when I read the warning label on the model gun that read "Please do not shoot at people," I immediately wanted to start shooting at people. Why did I do something that people shouldn't do? That itself explained how primitive and childish I was at the time.
It was sort of a reactionory antipathy towards my parents who constantly bickered me to go to secondary school even when I have lost all interest in studying. If I hated it, all I had to do was say it straight to my parents that I hated studying. ...But as a little twerp that I am, I had no guts to go up against my parents.
I opened the door to my internal brutality by objecting my anger through shooting at kids younger than me.
Oh, what a thrill it was. The sweet sensation of what deep shit I'm doing with my own hands. Of course, I had nothing against the victims that I shot at. If there was no one around, that set the ground for my next victim.
I had no intention of hurting them. I felt joy at just hitting a person one or two rounds from far away. But there was this one girl who didn't realize anything even when I shot at her. It was probably because the pellet was striking where she had more clothes on or something. ...I began to get pissed so I started shooting her with more and more bullets until she realized she was getting shot at. It immediately escalated into peltering her with multiple rounds of pellets.
'I did an extremely good thing by studying really hard. So, I can also do a very bad thing on the same level to cancel that out. That creates an equilibrium balance.' That was the type of unbelievably self-centered mindset that went through me to justify my stupid action.
'I've been through all this shit and kept it all inside me. What I'm doing is my given right. So, a person who has no shit going through their lives like me are allowed to get shot and injured.'
...How selfish, conceited, and childish!
Fuck, all this anger is starting to weld up inside me towards myself as I say this from my mouth. If I was there at that time now, I would immediately jump and kick my own ass with enough strength to break several molars out of my mouth.
The incident became known escalated into what was known as a serial child assualt case. I had this ugly smirk as I listened to the principal warning the students about these incidents in his morning address.
In the pamphlet handed out by the PTA, it outlined that students should keep a sharp eye on their school routes. As time progressed, adults began to volunteer to do a neighborhood watch during after school and students were to walk home together in groups.
As the shit I was doing began to balloon into something larger, I began to remember the similar catharsis that I felt when my grades began to climb. You can say I was hooked in this 'game.' I didn't even for once think I was gonna get caught, nor did I have the intention of quitting it at a certain point either.
One fateful day.
...I saw this little girl alone in a narrow and dark street all by herself. A very little kid. ...Was she going to her friend's house, or was she going to the store to help on her chores? I didn't give a damn.
'It's all plastered everywhere in the school that kids shouldn't be outside by themselves. How careless of her, and she deserves it - it's all her fault.'
With the same selfish quibbling...I assaulted her.
She realized that she was being attacked as I shot several rounds into her back. It's obvious that a person would turn around and see if one was being attacked from the behind.
I was used to showering my victims with pellets so I continued to fire rounds at her even as she turned her head towards me.
A normal kid would run away screaming "ouch ouch!"
But her reaction was a first for me....
She was screaming at the top of her lungs, rolling on the ground back and forth as she covered one of her eyes...
That was when it hit me.
It struck her in the eye.
Until that exact moment, I did not for once think what would happen if these BB pellets strikes a person into their eyes. It easily penetrates a thick cardboard box...
In any case, the way she was hurting was not what I had expected. It was right then and there I finally realized that what I have been doing a horrific thing.
The little girl saw me, so I couldn't take her to the hospital as that would jeopardize me. I couldn't do anything....so I left the crying girl all by herself and ran away from the scene.
'Was the girl okay, I hope she didn't go blind...'
I didn't have the appetite to eat dinner as all these thoughts went through my head.
At home, I took a household medical book from the bookcase and read through how the eye functions. I read it to try to ease myself to what extent an injury to the eye will not cause permanent blindness. It was a vain act obviously as even if the little girl did not lose her sight, it was still a very brutal assault.
...That night, I couldn't sleep as I broke a high fever. The first one to hand down my punishment was not my parents, the school, or the police. ...It was my own body.
Early next morning....I woke my parents who were still in bed and confessed everything. My parents were at first in shock in disbelief, but once they placed the pieces together of my sudden interest in model guns and rebellious attitude, they realized the matter immediately.
My mom began to cry and my dad beat the shit out of me.
We didn't wait for dawn to break. I went with my parents to the nearest police station...and turned myself in."
I forgot how many years ago that was.
There was this village whose surroundings was very beautiful. At the time, there was this proposal to sink the village for a new dam project and they held this mass protest against it.
The same village lobbyists also had a nature sightseeing tour so that people from other areas can get a first-hand experience on nature. The village might sink underwater never to be seen again. So, I booked a tour on whim in order to get a glimpse on this wonderful nature that could forever be lost.
But when I got there, the place just took my breath away. The air was so clean and clear, and the surrounding nature was indeed very beautiful as they said it was. Since then, I was hooked in that place's awe-inspiring nature. ...I fell in love with the area so much that I was very glad when I learned that the dam project was put into indefinite hiatus.
The place that I went at the time is where I am building our new house.
There was this beautiful field blossoming with flowers. There were two cute little girls playing in that field. Both of them hand long straight hair and they were like angels. I guess they were neighbors/best friends or the like. I still remember how they looked. One was calm and a tad precocious for her age, where the other was a girl who showed innocence in her face. I'm sure both of them will grow up into a fine young lady.
The two were playing in the fields as if they were dancing. When I asked them if this was their usual playground, they replied that they were playing in hopes of a newcomer to move here to this village. Then I saw a sign that read "Lot For Sale." That's when I began to think that this place might be a great place to live.
Sure, there is nothing here and things might be a bit inconvenient compared to the city. But...I sincerely believe that if we are to start a new life together as a family again, this is the place that would be the best for us. Yes, there were a lot of things that happened back in the city...but the past is the past, it is best we move on. We learn from our mistakes, and let us rebuild our ideal family life in this village.
So I'm kinda hoping Keiichi, that you would grow to love the life in this village as I do.
....You do?
If you like it here, then I'm happy too.
I'm also happy that our family relationship has been improving dramatically since we've moved here. Back in the city, we all were living in our own separate ways. ...So I am truly happy that we're able to rebuild it from scratch. Come to think of it, we've never had this much conversation before, have we?
Oh yeah, Keiichi,
Are there two angels with long hairs in your school? Their age...I'm certain that they are both much younger that you.
There's a girl who has short hair? Hmm...nope. I don't think that's it.
Why you ask?
Oh it's nothing. I just wanted to use them as models for my portraits. And make them wear cute costumes....ahem! B-basically, it's just for my artistic interest, nothing more. So if you happen to see them, let dad know 'kay? You'd better, all right-?!
kapow punch crash kyupi~n
Arg ouch gaf?!
"...............Soon ......tomorrow is going to be it."
"Hmm? ...............Ahh, you mean our death date?"
"............It ended up the same way this time too."
"I don't know about that. .........It's very similiar, but there are some things that were different too. ......Keiichi, remembered what happened before too."
"......That's impossible. There's no way he could remember, no, there's no way he could know them."
"*giggle*.... The more you say it's absolutely impossible, ...the more it makes one think that this is really a miracle, you know?"
"It's all over now anyway."
"Is it really over, I wonder?"
"It will soon end. Everything, will end. ......That's right, when the cicadas cry."
....Is it all going to end anyway?
The more times you throw a die, the closer the total will get to the average.
When you throw a die 100 times, during the process, even if you get a miracle of 6s coming up continuously, it's still all average when you total everything up in the end.
...It's just something enclosed by a preestablished arrangement.
But, if you throw a die 100 times, the minimum and maximum number still ranges from 100 ~ 600.
Even though the more throws you make, the more likely the future will try to converge at one average value, the truth is, the more throws you make, the more possibilities for the future there will be.
If you throw the die 100 times, you'll get about 500 different futures.
Throw 1000 times, and you'll have 5000 different futures.
Won't there also be one ending among them where I would actually finish from this neverending dice game?
......The miracle that Keiichi showed me, it was something that opened my eyes and taught me that it's definitely not a waste of effort to continue throwing the dices.
Don't give in to something like an average value.
"..........................."
"............That view of your back sure is irritating. .....I can feel a ton of sorrow from it saying "it's no good again anyway", you know."
"..........................."
"......It's not just you, .......I'm also thinking that it's not going to work out this time anyway.... ...But you know, I won't give up until I have thrown the last die. Keiichi taught me that. Something's different this time. ......That's why I'll try to believe in that."
"...............Rika is, .............really a strong person."
"Yeah well, I'm way younger than you anyway."
".........Uun, ...mumble mumble......, .........Rikaa...?"
"......Mi~."
"You're still up at a time like this, ...*yaawn*..... you mustn't stay up so latee...."
"......I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep so I was just looking at the stars. I will sleep now."
"Please do that.......... ......Good night Rikaa......."
"......Good night, Satoko."
Summer 2005
The tires of the car began to rattle as the road turned from asphalt to gravel. The incessant cries of the cicadas seeps through the shut windows.
Most people would open their car windows and let the billowing natural air in along with the sounds of the cicadas. However, people also have become spoiled. They would rather keep themselves cool with the air conditioning turned to max rather than hearing the cicadas.
Usually rains would begin to pour during this time of the year. But, June came along right into summer without any rain this year. ...I remember that the weather twenty years ago was also similar in which that June jumped right into summer as well.
Akasaka: "The air around this area is still clear as I remember it."
Akasaka's friend: "Indeed it is. The winds and the sunshine here is nice. Perhaps if it had a chance, this place would've become a UNESCO World Heritage Site like the village in Gifu. What a waste..."
Akasaka: "But thanks to that there are no irritating tourists around here. See, it makes it a much more smoother ride. ...Why do tourists forget about pedestrian traffic laws when they are in rural areas? Move over to the side, sheesh, I tell ya."
Akasaka's friend: "Ahahahaha. Akasaka-senpai, do you still do outdoor activities?"
Akasaka: "Not as much as I used to. There's not much free time in this job for that."
Akasaka's friend: "Ahahahahaha. Same here. ....Oh hey, there he is."
The person I was supposed to meet with recognized me and waved his hand before I honked my horn. It was a young fellow on a motorcycle with a backpack on his shoulders. You can tell that he was prepared for a campout with his gears. Akasaka and his partner stepped outside of the car and shook hands with the young man.
Young man: "It's nice to see you again, sir!"
Akasaka's friend: "Yo. How's everything going on your end! Here, at ease. This is Akasaka-senpai. He took care of me back in college."
Akasaka: "Hello, my name is Akasaka. A man names Oishi was also supposed to come along today, but he had to undergo an emergency check-up and wasn't able to come. Anyhow, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Young man: "It's an honor sir!"
Akasaka's friend: "So, Akasaka-senpai, where shall we go first?"
His name is Akasaka Mamoru. He is a veteran police detective from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. By this time, he was already at a career level where he can see his retirement just a bit over the horizon. But, his sharp instincts and eyes have not retracted a single bit. His well-built muscular body and fearless aura against violent crimes can be well seen from the spectacular police duties he has built through experience.
His connection to Hinamizawa goes back to almost thirty years. In 1978, he was in the Public Safety Division in the Metro Police Department. He first came to Hinamizawa back then while undergoing an investigation for the kidnapping of former Minister of Construction Inukai's grandson.
There, he met Oishi and....Furude Rika. Furude Rika predicted the fate of her own death. ...Akasaka regrets to this day that he was unable to save such a little girl from her death. He learned of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster on TV and met up with Oishi soon thereafter. They pledged to uncover the mystery of the the cruel fate that fell upon the little girl and the serial murders of Hinamizawa. Unfortunately, Hinamizawa was off-limits to the people for a long time. As a result, the past twenty years for Akasaka and Oishi were painstaking. Their sole reliance were based on publishing what little information they've accumilated so far and the occasional tips and clues from former residents of that area. ...But the lockdown on Hinamizawa was finally lifted. However, they were unable to come to Hinamizawa immediately due to Akasaka's busy work schedule and Oishi's degrading health. In fact, Oishi was also supposed to come today as well, but he was called in for an emergency health check-up at his local hospital. Hence, Akasaka was the only one to come here today.
The other two were Akasaka's juniors from his university. One was an officer in the Ground SDF and the other was his subordinate. The latter was involved during the lockdown phase of Hinamizawa and was quite knowledgeable of the surrounding area.
Akasaka takes out a scrapbook from his bag. The sides were all dented and one can tell that this book was very old. Akasaka flipped through the pages, thought for a second, and told them their first stop.
Akasaka: "Alright, please take me to the Onigafuchi Marsh first."
Young man: "No problem. Right this way sir!"
The young man propped up his bike and waited for the two to get back to their car. After honking their horns to signal that they were ready, they headed their way to the Onigafuchi Marsh...
When the forest opened up, they came upon a very absurd area where the ground was sealed in heavy concrete. This was supposed to be where the marsh was, but there was not even a single drop of water in sight. All the water was replaced with concrete. ...This was how the current Onigafuchi Marsh looked like in the present day.
Akasaka: "Hahahaha. Not even a single drop of water."
Young man: "I was told that they've sealed the marsh in the early stages right after the Great Disaster. This place was already covered in concrete by the time I arrived here."
Akasaka: "Let's go down there and take a closer look."
Akasaka got off of his car and walked to the center of the concrete-filled marsh. This was not a parking lot nor a heliport. ...It was just a huge empty concrete space right in the middle of the forest.
Akasaka: "...So this is the place conspiracy theorist say that it is a landing spot for UFOs."
Young man: "Really? I've never heard of that."
Akasaka: "Well, that's what is written on occultish websites. They claim that this is the place where our government conduct meetings with aliens. But with such an empty concrete space like this in the middle of nowhere, I can't blame them for such rumors to be flying around."
Young man & Akasaka's friend: "Wahahahahaha."
This marsh was the place where the volcanic gas erupted from back in June of 1983. The deadly mixture of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide engulfed the entire town in the middle of the night and annihilated the residents of Hinamizawa in one night. The town was put into lockdown and the SDF in charge of this area sealed the marsh with concrete.
Akasaka: "But the conspiracy theorists have some of their points which can't be dismissed as well. Any geologist would tell you that sealing off the site with concrete is absolutely useless."
Young man: "Hmm...that's true. I've never heard of anyone trying to prevent a volcano from erupting by pouring concrete into it's volcanic crater. On the other hand, our country is known for doing weird construction jobs with tax payers' money."
Lately, websites dealing with the supernatural and UFOs has had a significant increase in the topics of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster. It is well known by now that the cause of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster was due to deadly volcanic gases emerging from a magma chamber. In 1983, a similar natural disaster occurred in Lake Nyos, Cameroon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos). This showed that such a rare natural disaster can indeed occur anywhere on Earth.
Recently however, rumors began to fly around here and there over the internet about another possible explanation. They say that the Great Hinamizawa Disaster was just a government cover story and that the real cause was due to a biochemical terrorist attack by aliens. Why did such a rumor began to spread now...? Conspiracy theorists claim to back up their explanations from a secret document known as File No. 34. The name File No. 34 was given by someone posting on the internet message board, but the name stuck since the naming of the file sounded like a government conspiracy.
It is not known how they obtained these documents. They posted scans and pictures of the documents, but what was written on it were ridiculous at best. Some added their own notes claiming it to be the real thing, so it is doubtful if such a document really does exist or not. But the contents of this File No. 34 is worth noting. However, since this stuff was posted on the internet, it should be taken for a grain of salt as most of the stuff is more like an urban legend.
The File No. 34 was a notebook written by a nurse named Takano Miyo who worked at a local clinic in Hinamizawa. No. 34 was most likely named after her name. They say that this woman was also a researcher who sought to explain the local demon myths of the area. The contents of this notebook states that the Great Hinamizawa Disaster of 1983 was prophesized in advance.
According to her research, she claims that an UFO crashed landed in Hinamizawa a long time ago and sunk into the Onigafuchi Marsh. The UFO had parasitic bacteria from space which began to infect the residents of the area. The infected villagers showed signs of extremely violent behaviors fit for the word "demon." Takano Miyo insisted that this was the explanation to the myth about demons spurring out of the marsh. A lone alien who survived the crash realized that the earthlings were becoming erratic because of their intergalactic bacteria, and decided to show themselves to the villagers to help them out. ...This is the explanation of the appearance of the Oyashiro-sama. The alien was able to cure the villagers with highly advanced technology but was unable to eradicate it thoroughly. Since the villagers looked up to the alien as some sort of diety, the alien utilized its status to hand down specific rules to the villagers in order to contain the disease. The bacteria took a liking to Hinamizawa's habitat, so if the carrier of the disease left Hinamizawa, the symptoms came out again. Hence, the rule of not to leave the village was made. These all then lead to the hermit legends of the Onigafuchi Village. The weird practices and miracles that they performed were all due to the advanced technology that they received from the alien.
Akasaka's friend: "Wahahahahaha. Those conspiracy theorists do indeed have a colorful perspective on things don't they? Remember that prophecy thing by Nostradamus? They all said that the world was gonna end in 1999, but nothing happened past July. All those TV shows built up the drama but it was just business as usual after that. Irresponsible I tell you."
Akasaka: "But, Takano Miyo did indeed seemed to have foreseen the Great Hinamizawa Disaster in advance. Look at this page on this scrapbook."
Akasaka's friend: "You must be joking. Ahahahaha.... ........Akasaka-senpai, is this for real...?"
As time passed, the parasitic nature of the bacteria stabilized and became nothing more than a commensalistic symbiont in the human body. Aliens and the bacteria began to wither away from people's minds...However, it is claimed that the alien lived on for hundreds of years with the protection of the gosanke. It lives to this date underneath the secret lairs of the Furude Shrine. The alien was able to manipulate the bacteria living inside of the villagers body and was able to maintain control in the village all this time. The alien wanted to reclaim the power it once had and began to research how to bring re-awaken the long lost powers of the bacteria...etc. etc...
Anyhow, things get much weirder from here. Cutting to the chase, the real reason for the Great Hinamizawa Disaster was that it was that the alien's was researching how to spread the re-awakened bacteria in a global scale in order to conquer Earth. The Japanese government had this secret government agency which dealt with such extraterrestrial matters, and they received special training from Area 51 in the United States....etc. etc... And this government agency moved in to stop this alien from it's plan to take over the world by locking down this village and killing off the residents of this area through the use of biological weapons.
Akasaka's friend: "Wahahahaha! Hey, wasn't there a Hollywood movie that was similar to this? It was the one with the black guy as the lead character...what was the title...M.I. something!"
Akasaka: "Yeah I know. Reading this thing to gives me a headache. However, the write of this bunch of bull, Takano Miyo, was mysteriously murdered in June 1983. Right before her death, she gave these scrapbooks to one girl as if she knew that she was going to be killed very soon."
That girl's name is "Girl A." ....However, some fanatical mystery buffs proclaimed that they were able to track and narrow it down to a girl named "Ryuguu Reina." Hence, it became known as the "Ryuguu Reina Theory."
Ryuguu Reina inherited Takano Miyo's intentions through her death. She tried to fight against the planned invasion by holding the school hostage and demanding the local police to uncover the alien's plot. Of course, no one believed her and it was assumed that she was in a state of paranoia. Back then, it was assumed that Ryuguu Reina was misdirected into believing Takano Miyo's mystery rants and unfortunately fell into a state of paranoia which lead to her aggressive action.
Akasaka: "When she held the school hostage, Ryuguu Reina told the local police that the alien controlling the gosanke was plotting a massive bioterrorism in the near future. And the very next day, the Great Hinamizawa Disaster occurred."
Akasaka's friend: "You've gotta be kidding! Couldn't it be just some kind of coincidence?"
Akasaka: "I don't know. According to conspiracy theorists, the immediate lockdown of the area by the SDF itself have inconsistencies here and there. Sealing off this marsh with concrete is just one example. And according to some of the SDF members who were involved in the lockdown at the time, they proclaim that they witnessed several people conducting some kind of secret research unrelated to geology. Of course, those who dismisses such accounts brushes these accounts as some sort of precautionary measures to keep unauthorized people off limits of the area."
Akasaka's friend: "I'll have to agree with the people who dismisses these accounts."
Akasaka: "And people also look at why it took such a long time for this lockdown to be finally be set open once again. In contrast, the lockdown of the Miyakejima Islands of Tokyo for their volcanic gases lasted only 4~5 years. The natural disaster that happened in Hinamizawa was one that was exceptionally rare, yet the lockdown lasted for over twenty years."
Akasaka's friend: "In Miyakejima Island, the residents strongly lobbied the government for their return to their home island. However, in the case of Hinamizawa, there were no residents alive who wished to return in the first place. Perhaps the government waited until they were absolutely certain that it was safe?"
Akasaka: "Hmm. How about this one? The SDF members that were involved in the lockdown of Hinamizawa had there blood samples taken in the subsequent months. Some of these members were discharged without any explanation once some kind of result came in from those samples. Some of them believe that they were using the members of the SDF as a human test subjects to see if they would get infected or not."
Akasaka's friend: "I think they were just checking up on the members' health since it was an area where the gas disaster occurred. Besides, normal corporate warriors also have their own annual physical check-ups too, and they take blood samples there as well."
Akasaka: "Yeah, I understand your statements too. But then, here's another interesting theory. There are some who proclaim that there was no deadly gas emitted during the so-called Great Hinamizawa Disaster."
Akasaka's friend: "No emission of volcanic gases? How so?"
Akasaka: "Basically, as stated, there was no volcanic gas. The gas disaster itself is a some sort of government coverup. It's like that movie made by Steven Spielberg. You know, the one where the humans make contact with UFOs?"
Akasaka's friend: "Now that's what I call a typical example of conspiracy theorists' way of explaining things. So, what kind of basis do they have to say that there was no emission of volcanic gas?"
Akasaka: "Well, a bunch of conspiracy theorists and mystery buffs came to Hinamizawa as soon as the lockdown was lifted. According to them, the hydrogen sulfide in the volcanic gases should've caused some corrosion in metallic objects and have should've caused major damage to the surrounding wildlife. However, they found no such signs of such disruption, which they proclaim that there was no volcanic gas to begin with. ...But since this village was abandoned twenty years ago, I doubt that they would've found anything to begin with."
Akasaka's friend: "Hahaha. Well, there's the internet for you. Don't believe everything that's on it! ....Akasaka-senpai, please don't tell me you are buying into these things....are you?"
Akasaka: "At first I had my doubts as well. But lately, I'm beginning to think that there might be some truths to some of these."
Akasaka's friend: "You, believing in UFOs? Oh come on!"
Akasaka: "Well, what if this scrapbook is indeed the real File No. 34?"
Akasaka's friend: "Huh?"
Akasaka: "This scrapbook was the one that was in Ryuguu Reina's posession at the time of the school hostage incident of June 25, 1983. It was assumed to be lost during the confusion of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster. However, Oishi's old friend was able to locate it in the evidence storage at the prefectural police headquarters."
Back then, even Oishi thought of the idea of aliens to be preposterious. ...But after reading this again after the Great Hinamizawa Disaster, some of these seem to hold vital clues.
The alien part, we can probably disregard these as bullshit. But her theory of parasitic microbes causing the symptoms seen in Hinamizawa's past, also known as "the Oyashiro-sama's Curse" is a bit intriguing. Of course, there is no proof that such microbes exist, so this still remains at the theoretical level.
Akasaka: "According to Oishi, he says that the gosanke were trying to bring back the old traditions to Hinamizawa. They were researching how to bring back an old but deadly microbe in order to uphold their power. And perhaps that the Great Hinamizawa Disaster was an experiment that went wrong."
Of course there are also information from the internet cannot be dismissed as just a theory or a myth. For example, the mysterious death of the village clinic's head doctor. And the mystery of Furude Rika's gruesomely mutilated corpse...
There was an underground research lab beneath the village clinic where Dr. Irie was forced to do microolgical research, but he gave into his own misdeeds and committed suicide. ...Furude Rika is thought to have been brutally murdered as a sacrifice for some sort of ritual ceremony.
However, their experiment went wrong. ...Instead of the microbes becoming the parasites of the villagers, they became killer viruses. And so that is how the village virtually became extinct in one night...
Akasaka: "For one thing, at least we know that this was just not a gas disaster. We cannot disregard the fact that right before the disaster, one girl did say that a bio-terrorism would occur. There's also the fact that Ms. Takano Miyo made the scrapbook as well. If the Great Hinamizawa Disaster was an unprecedented and unforeseen natural disaster, then the existence of these two are quite extraordinary. And upon reading this File No. 34 there are things written here that shouldn;t be just shoved off to the side."
Akasaka's friend: "So...the Great Hinamizawa Disaster was not a rare natural occurrence, but was in fact a bio-terrorist act by some cultists?"
In the Heisei era, everyone in Japan knew about the shocking news where a doomsday cult group (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum_Shinrikyo) had researched making sarin nerve gas and unleashed its deadly domestic terrorist acts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarin_gas_attack_on_the_Tokyo_subway). But in the Showa era, the idea of a single cult group being able to carry out such a terrorist act would've been scoffed at, moreso it would've never crossed the minds of anyone to start with.
Akasaka: "Some also say that the long lockdown by the SDF is actually a long research effort to uncover that killer virus...but I have my own doubts here."
Akasaka's friend: "Hahahaha. Well, at least this story sounds more credible compared to aliens and UFOs. The idea of cultists and domestic terrorism is sounds more rational in our day and age."
Akasaka: "Or perhaps maybe there really was an UFO. ...When Ryuguu Reina was taking the school hostage, one of her demands to the police was to have them pull out the wreckage of the UFO from the Onigafuchi Marsh."
Akasaka's friend: "Whatever..."
Akasaka: "Well, you can say 'whatever,' but look. We're standing on the marsh itself right now, and there is no way for us to check if there is any since it is all enclosed in concrete several meters thick. This is all due to a construction effort in which numerous geologist say that it is a futile attempt to contain volcanic gas."
Akasaka's friend: "Well then, the only way to prove Akasaka-senpai's theory is to find a single survivor of Hinamizawa and try to uncover if that person has that microbe in him or her."
Akasaka: "Sadly, that is more difficult than ever. After the Great Hinamizawa Disaster, there was a massive witch-hunt scare of people from Hinamizawa (see: burakumin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burakumin)). People from this area are quite mum and do not wish to disclose where they came from.
Right after the Great Hinamizawa Disaster, there were numerous reports of people who were from the Hinamizawa area that began to show erratic behavior. When these people began to show eccentricities and began to commit suicide in strange ways, there was a massive scare within Japan for people from Hinamizawa and began outcasted former residents of that area in a sort of social witch-hunt. The government was practically useless in protecting privacy at the time, so the former residents of Hinamizawa began to hide their background to prevent their own backlash. (see the manga Onisarashi-hen)
Akasaka's friend: "Then it's a dead end."
Akasaka: "Yet as a cop, it is my duty to never give up. ...There's just too much evidence that points that the Great Hinamizawa Disaster was not just a natural disaster. If I can just grab a hold of one vital evidence, just one, I think I can start reeling in the truth behind all of this."
Akasaka's friend: "Yeah, but it has been over twenty years ago. The truth might be laying somewhere very deep within the darkness."
Akasaka: "That's true. ...Even as I now stand here in the 21st century, but I don't think I'm going to find any answers here."
What happened in Hinamizawa, June of 1983?
The only factual evidence that I have is that Ms. Takano Miyo mysteriously died and she left behind a scrapbook proclaiming that a bio-terrorist attach would occur. A young girl took a school hostage shortly thereafter proclaiming the "prophecy," but no one took it seriously. The head village doctor committed suicide. The little girl whom the villagers revered as a reincarnation of the Oyashiro-sama, Furude Rika, was found gruesomely mutilated.
What is the truth behind this scrapbook? Do the contents of this scrapbook really list the attempt to unravel a huge conspiracy? Or is this just some ramblings of an eccentric mystery buff as it was brushed off back then?
If this scrapbook is true, this all would've been averted by just listening to the heeds of one girl. If this is all false, then who created this disaster like a pre-meditated scenario?
After that infamous sarin nerve gas incident, the terminology known as "mind control" which was used by the cultists came into the spotlight. In contrast to "brainwashing" which is a short-term effect which forces a person to commit certain acts, "mind control" is a long-term form which is induced upon the victim over a course of time. Over time, the victim begins to believe that what he or she must do is right and acts upon it as his or her own act. It is a form of character altercation which is far more serious than brainwashing.
The cultists induced fear and anxiety to its members through revelations of doomsday. At the same time, they are also given ways and means to salvation, which began to penetrate within them into obedience on their own recourse.
This above said formula is quite similar to how Ryuguu Reina became a puppet of the File No. 34. Then would that mean that Ryuguu Reina was a victim by someone who "mind controlled" her? And did some cultists who tried to manipulate her with mind control also try to instigate doomsday on their own to authenticate their own cause? Would that mean that this File No. 34 is some sort of religious text for such a cult?
As I fall deeper in deciphering what is real and what is not...I reset my mind to figure out if there is anyone might be laughing in amusement at this disaster. If taken that into mind, then this scrapbook is a script. It's a stage script which plays out a tragedy in which several thousand villages loses their lives in one night. It's a demon's script where they observers laugh at the deaths of human lives.
Who the hell wrote this script? And who the hell performed this? Someone was laughing while it played out.
Damn it...!! ...What the hell happened in Hinamizawa, June of 1983!!!
Forgive me for my early leave from this world.
Please understand the reason why I chose to end my life on my own rather than wait for my time to come as my mind dilapidates.
Henceforth, I am able to write to you this letter. My worst fear was the inability of no being able to leave anything behind as my consciousness deteriorates by prolonging this useless life.
However, I was still unable to leave anything behind. I was unable to leave this world with any achievements or results of my own. My research was not forgotten after my death, but was forgotten while I was still alive. It hurts me deeply as I write knowing that I must pass away from this world recognizing this.
I want you to surpass your grandfather. Achieve the pinnacle where your grandfather could not.
I don't care which field you go into. But leave your name for the world to remember. If you cannot achieve this, leave a great accomplishment and result for the world.
Being a human, death will come for you as well. Being a human, a time will come where your body will be cremated into ash. It is fate that the body will turn into ash.
But if you will be able to leave behind a huge accomplishment, your name will continue to live on long after you turn into ash.
People call those whose continue to live without their body as gods.
Your grandfather wanted to become like that, but wasn't able to.
I want you to become a god.
LostBlue
2006-09-29, 10:24
After dinner, Satoko, Hanyuu, and I watched TV.
Amongst the Variety Programs, there was a comedian exciting the crowd. We also laughed out loud.
「Ho ho ho ho! He got exactly what he deservedー！！」
「Au-au-au, but, that seems like it hurt a lot...」
「……Miー。Nipa～☆」
From my eyes, after dinner the three of us were sitting together in this happy circle, but in reality, only the two of us, Satoko and I were there.
The only one who can see Hanyuu is me.
Satoko obviously could not.
Every time Satoko says something, Hanyuu also responds in agreement.
Of course Satoko can not hear those responses, but when Hanyuu is in a good mood, she responds often.
The situation was like, a person on TV asking questions and replying to that, it was a quasi-communication that neither will ever have.
…In other words, it was like a make believe communication between the two.
Besides myself, Hanyuu is unable to express herself to other people, so she eventually learned to play in this way.
That’s why, every time Hanyuu is with our Club, along with everyone, she laughs and gets excited with us.
……If, Hanyuu could speak with us in a normal way, would she be accepted as good friend in our group?
…Thinking of that will most likely hurt Hanyuu, so I avoided doing so.
But if all the miraculous tales passed down the Furude Family through old documents point to Hanyuu, then from ancient times, Hanyuu has to have shown her powers to quite a few number of people.
…However, now, her existence cannot be felt by anyone other than myself, let alone her supernatural powers even if setting aside the “super.”
Why Hanyuu has lost that type of power, she will not talk about.
I expect that modernization and the passage of time have lost of position of gods, thinning Hanyuu’s power and existence.
Then there was the legend, where if within the Furude Family if girls were born 7 generations straight, Oyashiro-sama will revive.
…Without doubt with my generation has brought a person Hanyuu could finally converse with.
…From humanity’s standpoint, would that be considered revival of Oyashiro-sama?
This Oyashiro-sama existence that the Villagers worship, and this existence which Hanyuu advocates, at times do not match.
From that posture she taking, laying flat on her stomach together with Satoko, resting her chin while enjoying the television, she can’t be, nope, nope.
When Furude Rika first learned of the existence of her family, she had no doubt that she was in a 4-person family.
The family that she naturally sees. Her father, mother, and me.
For the new-born Rika, the fact that I am an existence that can only be seen by her is probably something she never even dreamt of.
My appearance is different than that of a human being.
Even though my form is made to look human, the horns just couldn't be hidden.
That's why, no matter how much I try to smile, it's clear that I'm not one of mankind.
But if the new-born Rika sees me naturally, maybe she won't mind these ugly horns?
That faint expecation came to fruit.
Just like how a chick believes the first thing it sees to be it's parent, Rika believed that I was her family without any doubt.
Even if I have horns on my head.
That's why, from the day that Rika believed me to be her family, Rika and I became the closest buddies in the family.
For Rika, I am a playmate that's closer to her than her parents, and for me, she is the first social partner I have had in a long time, longer than I can even remember.
We always spent our time together, I think.
However, her family, especially her mother, denied my existence strongly.
Since my existence, which Rika saw as a natural member of her family, was denied so many times... Rika became distant from her mother.
Things that children should be learning from their mothers through playing was not learned by Rika.
That's why I thought that I should be her mother instead, and taught her many wisdoms and skills passed down from the past.
............Ironically though, for some reason, that only caused her mother to become even more displeased.
Speaking of which, didn't she used to fight with her mother a lot about the way she refers to herself?
The fact that Rika doesn't call herself "watashi" (feminine "I" in Japanese), but "boku" (boyish "I" in Japanese) is most likely my fault. (note: the speaker uses "boku" too)
Other than having a poor relationship with her mother, Rika was a pretty normal young girl back then.
Her personality was just like Satoko's.
An energetic young girl who loved to run about the wild mountains and pulling pranks.
...............But, in June of 1983,
...Rika was robbed of her life.
We're not asking for any more happiness than for Rika to fully enjoy and revel in her life as she grows up.
...My power is only able to search for a path that leads there.
It's true that the tragic fate couldn't be overturned no matter how many times we repeated it.
...That's certainly a sad thing, but......... after falling to the bottom of a well that you cannot climb out of, it's not a bad thing either to look for the things that you can enjoy.
It's true that Furude Rika's life is buried inside a deadend of fate, and can be described only as tragic.
But... for me to be able to stay with Rika for longer than her original lifespan, I also felt a slight happiness there.
Of course, Rika's not the only one I'm with.
Although they won't respond to my calls... It's really enjoyable to be able to stay with Satoko, Mion, and Rena and Keiichi during their activities.
Although I cannot join them, but... we were together.
Criminal A: "This is the plane ticket. Don't be late. We'll split the money over there."
Criminal B: "Thanks, thanks. Here's yours Mamiyan."
Rina: "Kyahahaha, thanks! I've always wanted to go to Sapporo!"
Criminal A: "...You sure that Houjou doesn't know about this?"
Rina: "Don't worry about it, that guy is dumb like a brick. The only thing big about him is his dick and his attitude."
Criminal A: "Heh-heh-heh. Is that so?"
Then, all of a sudden, several screeches of car tires were heard nearby. The man jumped up and peeked through the curtain slit on the window.
He saw three black cars parked roughly in front of the apartment. Dozens of yakuzas started to step out of the cars. Some of these men looked up into the window. He thought that they saw him so he immediately shut the slit in the curtain.
Criminal A: "Fuck! Our shit is blown!! Spread out, run!!"
Rina: "What the--- you're serious?! Why does it have to be today!"
Criminal B: "Mamiyan, shut yer yap and let's go!! They are gonna kill us if they catch us!!"
The loud footsteps and the angry bellows of the yakuzas began to close in from the nearby emergency stairs.
LostBlue
2006-09-29, 22:00
To Teppei, coming to Hinamizawa agitated him with cold sweat.
For the time being, this summer or even until the year’s end, he’ll live here and obverse the situation. To Teppei who can only live at gambling dens and at amusement quarters, this Hinamizawa home was a nice retirement house.
His mistress Rina, suddenly disappeared.
On top of that, rumors has it that she stuck her hands in extremely dangerous grounds.
……He’s heard that they already caught and killed her.
The fact that he and Rina were living together was well known within this area.
That’s why, many believed he knew everything about this matter, and mistakenly believed that he has been awarded big money with something, or has done something to entangle himself with these dangerous people.
It has made his living in Okinomiya uncomfortable.
Furthermore, he despised the fact that Rina secretly planned something with other men, so he left Okinomiya.
Leaving Teppei with only Hinamizawa to return to.
Long ago, the house where he and his wife lived in, has been neglected ever since they moved in to Satoko’s home and is no longer fit to live in.
…In any case, he didn’t have the key.
However Satoko’s home is probably still being lived in even now and he would be at ease with Satoko doing all the house work. Teppei cannot cook nor did do the laundry, and naturally, he not care to.
Rina was rebellious at times, so next time if he had to live with someone, he thought about having a bitch that will obediently follow his commands like a pet, and in Teppei’s eyes, Satoko filled that exact role.
Since she’s still an immature little brat, she couldn’t satisfy his needs, but it could be quite pleasurable if she washed him.
Come to think of it, Satoko’s mom who died in that accident was quite the beauty, wasn’t she?.
If he keeps her for 4~5 years, Satoko might grow up to a beauty beyond recognition.
While thinking of those lower halves’ needs, he returned home.
The house was locked, so he thought she must be shopping wandering around the shopping district, so went to find her, and forcefully brought her back.
Once the door opened, it was filled with dust.
It seems this past year, she’s been sleeping over at her friend’s place, and left the house as is.
Teppei selfishly blew up in anger.
He yelled at her, saying that it was her job to tend to the care of the house while he was away.
He hit her and kicked her, and she rolled across the floor.
……As he did this, Satoko’s face, returned to the one Teppei well remembers back in 1982.
Satoko without making any complaints became obedient, and he ordered her to first clean the house.
His new place, and his new girl.
This new life, may have agitated him with cold sweat, but has started off quite well.
As Teppei’s mood was well, he wanted to show off, and called his friends to play mahjong. He wanted to show off his new pet, who brought him Sake and snacks.
He told her, since she was a pet, to walk on all fours, but she refused.
But, as soon as he made motion to hit her, she readily obeyed.
Everyone laughed, and said they were envious. He was in a good mood.
But, Teppei’s good humor was soon pinched.
「My name is Chie from the Okinomiya School District…! Is Hojou Satoko-san there?」
He first thought it was insurance, or some type of annoying sells call, but it was a young women on a visitation notice. On top of that, she introduced herself as a school teacher.
「Agh? Who the hell are you? Why the fuck do you want to see Satoko?」
「Today, Hojou-san was absent from school, however, I did not receive any calls from her, so I came to visit her as I thought something might have happened.」
「Aaagh…？ Schooooool…？」
「Yes. Is Satok-chan here? I would like to speak with her for a little bit.」
「Aagh, …she has a cold, yes yes. …Satoko has broken out with a fever with a cold.」
「I would like to give her some handouts, is it possible to speak with her for a little bit?」
「You moron. Did you not hear what I fucking said? Satoko has a cold! She groaning in pain!! How could I let you see her, damn idiot!!」
Inside, he knew this was troublesome.
To Teppei, Satoko was neither more or less than a pet, and the concept that that she had to go to school was absent to begin with.
Moreover, he didn’t except for a teacher to push her way to the house just because she was absent for a day. His discomfort was extreme.
Teppei hated those fuckers, the school and teachers who acted so importantly.
「I see… Will she be coming to school tomorrow?」
「The hell would I know！！ Obviously, we won’t know until tomorrow！！ You shit-for-brains！！」
「……………………Is,…is that so. …I understand. Then, give my greetings to Satoko-chan…… Excuse me…」
For now, he was able to chase her away, but it seems quite troublesome if he doesn’t let Satoko go to school
Teppei only plans to live here for a short while, so he wanted to avoid needless trouble.
Meaning, from now on, he can’t simply hit Satoko anymore.
Violence is Teppei’s greatest form of communication. With that forbidden, has made without a doubt made him displeased.
With his displeasure increasing, he wanted even more so to let his anger on Satoko, but if he hit her, it would surely leave a bruise.
If she is bruised, then he can’t let her go to school
If she doesn’t go to school, then that bitch teacher will come again. ………Shit.
Furthermore, that night the Child Service Centre came.
……No doubt that bitch teacher reported it.
That bitch, next time he sees her, he’ll rip that face so that even her own parents won’t recognize her…！！
Pretending that he mend his relationship with Satoko which probably scared Satoko into willingly act friendly and she had a cold.
…With just yesterday and today, would someone submit this easily from a little threatening?
Teppei once again reconfirmed what a convenient pet Satoko was, at the same time ……the Child Service Centre glaring at him, he felt that from now on, things will become difficult…
「…AAGH, damn it, what’s up with this！！」
No.
____ [Year] __ [Month] __ [Day] (___)
Subject ___ Houjou Satok-san's case
Visitor ____ Maebara Keiichi, 4 others (Relationship: Friends)
・ There has been a claim stating that since Houjou Satoko-san is being abused by her uncle, she should be placed under temporary protection. (Already being dealt with?)
・ The fridge is going to be cleaned, please clean out all personal items before today evening.
LostBlue
2006-09-29, 23:59
Teppei thought, Satoko would have a bit more money.
But in reality, Satoko didn’t have a dime.
When asked how she lived up to now, she answered she was in care of her friend, so she didn’t need money of her own.
Teppei had some bad money he made from gambling.
For the time being, he had a bit saved up so there was no problem, but to Teppei that money was for his gambling and pleasure, not to spent on living expenses making him displeased to the extreme.
But, there no way for Satoko to have no money. Teppei thought so.
Teppei’s wife, in other words Satoko’s aunt, must have taken the deposit book which contained considerable amount of money from Satoko’s parents who have died in an accident.
That aunt died last year, and Satoshi has also disappeared.
Meaning, as the remaining member, Satoko must have that bankbook.
But, no many how many times he threaten Satoko, she repeated that she’s never received anything like that.
Definitely, he thought it must be hidden somewhere, so Teppei interrogated Satoko until he was convinced. If he hurt Satoko, bruises will remain, and that bitch teacher or the Child Service Centre will become suspicious.
That’s why he didn’t hit Satoko.
He slammed her with words and insults, and frighten her by hitting and destroying objects or furniture.
This type of intimidation was, of course, something Teppei was good at.
But, Satoko kept hysterically answering she didn’t know, so it really seemed true that she didn’t have it.
With Satoko acting like a small frighten animal after Teppei completely destroyed the living room, he finally become convinced.
……Then, where is the bankbook? Two ideas came to Teppei.
First, is the Aunt stashed it somewhere like a secret savings, and it still remains hidden there.
The other, is after the Aunt died, Satoshi stole it, and again hid is somewhere.
In either case, he concluded that it was hidden somewhere in this house.
Ordering Satoko to clean up the room be ravaged, Teppei began to prowl inside this not too small two story house.
……Certainly, by this time, Teppei began to feel the Satoko was too much trouble.
The floating rumor was, Satoko’s parents must have left quite amount of money.
And the Aunt selfishly hoarded it all.
Since she was a miser, like a dog who brought anything home and stashed it away faithfully, probably, the bankbook was still left completely untouched.
If he can get his hands on the collected money, he started to think it wouldn’t be bad moving to a different place. He had some connections with the gambling dens near the granaries.
There were still had to be people he took care of that still owed him.
Perhaps he’ll stay with them asking to return his favor. They will at least lend him a place to sleep.
Certainly it was easy having Satoko doing all the housework, but being watched by the school and the Child Service Centre, undeniably made him anxious.
To Teppei who recognized that he is a cluster of violence, from here on out, he knew there is no grantee that he will not raise his hand on Satoko.
…As he thought about this more, he became driven by the impulse of wanting to strike defenseless Satoko full hardly.
To Teppei who only knew the joy of submitting a target who resisted, he wanted to see how far he can abuse Satoko before she started to resist, as his last joy here.
His displeasure still remained since Chie’s visit, and before he knew it, the rule of senselessly wrecking Satoko before he left was made within Teppei ……
Sonozaki family caretaker "Sure, please hold on. ....Oryou-san, there's a phone call from the local affairs."
Oryou: "...huh? Hello?"
Aida: "Hello Counselor Sonozaki. This is Aida from local affairs. Thank you for the ohagi, they were very delicious."
Oryou: "That's alright. Thank you for the culture festival, especially the nodategasa (a type of umbrella used for shade in Japanese tea ceremony). How much do one of those cost? We're gonna use that every year so the village council should buy one for ourselves."
Aida: "Well, we just borrowed that one from the master. If we're to buy it, domestic ones go for at least 200,000 yen. There's also ones that are made in China which is a bit cheaper, which sells for 80,000 yen..."
Oryou: "So long as it isn't rude towards the master, I don't mind if it's made in China or not. Choose the best one that you see fit, alright?"
Aida: "Well, we've asked for a sample for that 80,000 yen umbrella. Once it arrives, we'll come and show you, counselor, to see it for yourself for decision..."
Oryou: "Oh and the master told me that for the past three years, we've been using the Edo Senke (one of the schools of Japanese traditional tea ceremony). The master told me that we should start rotating and calling other masters from other schools in order to keep balance. Would the village council be able to start looking for other masters to bring in by the next festival?"
Aida: "Oh...I see. N...No problem ma'am! We'll do our best to find a tea ceremony master from a different school. ...And, uh...counselor. There's something that we'd like to ask you..."
Oryou: "Oh, my. I'm sorry about talking about the umbrella to start. So what's wrong?"
Aida: "Well, I was calling to see if counselor had heard about the thing regarding the Hinamizawa resident named Houjou Satoko."
Oryou: "Houjou Satoko-? Aaah! That little daughter of that pesty Houjous. Did she do something?"
Aida: "Uh, well...It seems that she has started living with her uncle recently, but it seems that she is being a victim of child abuse from her uncle. We were wondering if counselor had heard about this."
Oryou: "Her uncle? That Satoko? I haven't heard anything!"
Aida: "Oh, it's alright if counselor hasn't heard anything. To tell you the truth, there was a complaint regarding this submitted to our Child Protection Services. They said that it was a very strong complaint. We've got a call from the supervisor of that section who was wondering if this was a case that was heard by counselor Oryou and whether or not requires immediate action or not."
Oryou: "I don't know anything about it! Why should I break my feeble bone to help the daughter of those punk Houjous! The Sonozaki family hasn't heard anything nor have nothing to do with this matter!!"
Aida: "So there's no talk between counselor and the neighborhood councils about this or anything...?"
Oryou: "Nothing, nothing!!! What kind of talk of is this!! The Sonozaki should've heard of something when the Kimiyoshi began to indirectly take care of the daughter Houjou! Who is the person that submitted this complaint!?"
Aida: "It was a group of students...or so we've heard. ...So we can take this as a complaint that was made by themselves, and that the neighborhood councils nor counselor has any involvement with this matter, am I correct?"
Oryou: "That should be obvious ain't it!! We don't know anything! The village has nothing with regards to Satoko!!"
The contents of this conversation was stated back to the Child Protective Services.
...Basically, since there was no involvement of Oryou in this claim, they did not see any need for special action. The supervisor of the services told his subordinates that if the people who filed the claim were to come again, they should just be calm and listen to their claims and becareful not to make any verbal promises.
Aida: "Hmm...Maebara Keiichi-kun. He's a prime example of a kid who is gonna grow up to call out against bureacratic red-tape."
It' been three days since I prohibitted Satoko from going to school.
The irritating teacher of hers named Chie called again, but I just yelled at the bitch and hung up the phone.
But that bitch just doesn't seem to give up. I can tell she's not gonna back down so easily. Then, she'll call that Child Protective Services again.
The main reason why Teppei forbade Satoko from going to school was because he feared that she'll cry for help at the school.
When the person from the Child Protective Services came to check us out, Satoko was able to go along with my coax - but that was because I was standing right next to her. But if she gets away from my supervision, she'll definitely betray me.
If that happens, then the Child Protective Services will jump right in. No, they'll probably bring the cops too because of this so-called abuse shit or whatever. ...I heard from my buddies that these city services are tied with the police.
Teppei has a long criminal record. If the cops comes in, they'll probably interrogate him for that'll likely lead him into some deep shit. Needless to say, he doesn't want any cops burdening his troubles.
All I need is money. If I could find the bank account book of my older brother and his wife, I can get out of this shitty village.
Teppei never went outside as he felt the villagers' eyes were penetrating him. But since staying inside is very boring, he frequent called over his friends to play mah-jong. But, you need four people to play mah-jong. There are times where the other three cannot make it. Hence, it was not unusual to see Teppei wasting away his hours watching the TV.
Rather than wasting time, Teppei began to search all around the house for the treasure. He could trash the place all he wants since Satoko was going to clean up after his mess anyway.
I'm gonna leave this house anyway. Who cares if I break some furniture here and there?
Teppei ripped open and trashed out the closet, removed the ceiling, turned the drawers inside out, to find the loot. Misers are devious in their places where they hide their cash. He had to undergo such extreme measures in order to find their money.
When he had finished searching the first floor, he moved his way up the stairs to search the second floor. Just as he was about to start in one of the rooms, Satoko jumped on him.
Satoko: "No, not nii-nii's room...!!"
Teppei: "What the fuck!!!"
Satoko: "Please, please not nii-nii's room...!!!"
Teppei first thought that this was where the loot was stashed because of Satoko's sudden extreme behavior. Teppei tried to kick Satoko away and tried to barge into Satoshi's room. ...However, Satoko frantically held on to prevent him from doing so.
Teppei was a bit amused at how the usually non-responsive Satoko was putting up such a resistance, but he was also a bit taken back by her firmness. Teppei had to ask why Satoko wasn't letting him inside.
Satoko: "....sniff! That room...is nii-nii's room... Nii-nii's gonna feel sad...when he comes back...and see his room in a mess...sniff, sniff!!"
Teppei: "What, so the reason is because it's your brother's room? You don't even know Satoshi is dead or alive."
Satoko: "Nii-nii is alive!! He's gonna come back some day!! Waaaaaaan!! Please don't trash it! Pl