Higurashi no Naku Koro ni TIPS

[kj1980]

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."

[kj1980]

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! Please don't trash it!!"

Teppei: "...What are you saying. I ain't gonna trash it. I'm gonna clean it out. There's no reason to keep a room for someone who ain't here. That's why I'm gonna clean the room a bit."

Satoko: "No!! Noo----!!! Waaaaan, waaaaaaaaaa!!! Nii-nii, Nii-nii-!!!! Uwaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

Teppei: "Wha, what, you don't like me going into this room that much...!!"


The extreme behavior shown by Satoko caused even Teppei to step back and not try to go any further. Teppei was a pro when it comes to threatening people. If one goes a bit too far, the mouse would start to bite the cat.

Hence, Teppei figured that if he were to barge into the room despite Satoko's resistance, she would retaliate by running out of here. From Teppei's view, Satoko was just a pesty nuisance who is irritating to have here, yet also too dangerous to let go from his grasp.


Teppei: "All right, all right!! If Satoko stays a good girl, I won't go into this room. Okay? You got that?"

Satoko: "...Yes...yes..."

Teppei: "But in return, you'd better not make me angry. We don't have the resources to keep a room for Satoshi who's not coming back alright? So if you don't come back home or if you tell anyone things like I'm hurting you, ...well this room's gonna get into trouble, all right? Got that?!"

Satoko: "...Yes...yes... Thank you...thank you..."

The stash's gotta be in there. ...But if Satoko finds out that I messed up this room, she's gonna cause quite a big of a headache for me. At first I thought that I made a dumb promise with her. However, come to think of it, this isn't such a bad deal after all. I mean, I was able to put her under my control with a hostage called Satoshi's room which I could care less.

...With that in mind, perhaps this might be a good chance to send her back to school as well. If I prohibit her from attending school another day, that bitch teacher of hers would probably bring in the cops to her side.

The only reason why I didn't want her going to school was because I didn't want Satoko telling things at her school. But with this deal, I don't have to fear her betraying me, so I can send her to school.

Besides, I can start searching Satoshi's room little by little without Satoko around too.


Teppei: "Satoko. You were a good girl, so I think your cold should be cured by now. Go back to school starting tomorrow."

Satoko: "....Thank you thank you thank you..."

I've teached her that she must thank me whenever I give her pity, but whenever she starts saying that like a broken record, it freaks me out. Teppei was back to his selfish attitude.

Teppei: "Now get outta here, you little shit. ....Damn it! Shit is boring!!"

[kj1980]

Chief: "I see. Well, I'm relieved that the village council nor the raucous Onigafuchi Defense League isn't supporting this case from the back. Please handle Houjou Satoko's case regularly without any special treatment."

Public official A: "Yes. Knowing that the whole of Hinamizawa isn't backing this up, we can carry out this case normally."

Chief: "However, I don't like the way things are run here. As a public official, it is our duty to treat all cases equally without regards to who or whom are supporting those cases. If this case was to be carried out with special treatment, wouldn't that set a precedent of favoritism towards Hinamizawa?"

Public official A: "...I understand your concern chief, but...well..."

Chief: "The supervisor of the local affairs checked with the association of neighborhood councils, and they too had no involvement in this as well. So please tell your staff to handle all cases calm seriousness. The idea of asking what to do because it is a case from Hinamizawa itself is a questionable conduct of being a public official. It is your responsibility to teach your staff about this."

Public official A: "Yes, I'm sorry... Well, I'm relieved that the village is not backing this case."

Chief: "It doesn't matter whether or not if the village is backing this or not! Please handle Houjou Satoko's matter with care. Make sure you tell the person in charge of this case not set an irregular precedent by by providing this case with special treatment."

[LostBlue]

No one knows when God will descend.

Just as one will not know when will a thief will break-in.

That is why without warning, wait for that time to arrive, making sure you will
have no repentance from infidelity, always keeping your eyes open.

Not even God knows what day or what time that will be.

So you will stay vigilant so that God can come at any time.

Constantly within yourself, believe God.
As even God doesn’t know when it will bathe Light upon you.

Do not be frugal with your endeavor.
Always be diligent.
Be passionate in your pursuit.

When will Day of Salvation come, God may not know, but that day is promised.
Until that Promised Day, I will not fail at keeping my passionate flame.

Hifumi．T

[Sushi-Y]

The son of God fortold his own ressurection after three days.

The sinners had soldiers seal his tomb, and guarded it to make sure his body does not revive, but that was a very foolish thing to do.

That's because the ressurection does not refer to the revival of his body, but the revival of his heart and his teachings instead.

Do not be afraid of the physical death.
If your contributions are real, you will revive without a doubt.

When that time comes, you will surpass death and gain eternal life.

And then the devil took the son of God to the cliff edge, and told him to jump off.
If you call yourself God's child, then God should protect you with a miracle, it says.

To test that would mean testing God.
Although God may test man, man mustn't test God.

To test means to doubt.
Doubt will lend your ears to the devil's words, and currupt your mind.

Do not doubt your own accomplishments.
Do not doubt your own life.
Do not doubt your own contributions.

And you mustn't test your own accomplishments by other's evaluations of it.
To test that would be the same as doubting your own life.

Hifumi. T

[kj1980]

There's a reason why all this TIPS is in spoiler tags. You read at your own risk.

Spoiler:

...It looks like all the answers that Rika wanted to know came together.

But whether or not this memory will be carried over is a different matter.

Rika loses her memory on what happened right before her death. Hence, it may be doubtful if she can utilize what she learned in this piece.

Anyhow, did you have fun? Once you looked at this piece, I'm sure putting the pieces together is rather boring.

....No?

I understand. Yes, it might be rather fun to look back at the other pieces once again since you can see something that you didn't before.

Well, I have indefinite time in this space. There's nothing else here, so I have to have something to play with. There is nothing fun about playing whats-in-the-box when you already know what's in it.

...But if you still can have fun playing with that, then I admire you.

Hmm? You want to know what I play for fun?

Well, it's not much for fun, but more like doing something in spite of boredom. I like to imagine what and where certain things needs to be set in order for the worlds that Rika was in to end up in the most ideal result. I make my own interpretations on how they would achieve the most remarkable world for them.

You've figured out how this world works by this piece, right?

So I guess you can say that my most recent enjoyment is to imagine who would act in what way at a certain point, so that Rika would not be defeated by Takano.

You want to see what that piece looks like?

giggle giggle I'm sorry. I can't show it to you.

But in that world, Rika and the gang miraculously beats their hardships and blast through fate to live past June 1983. It's a bit overzealous, so it's kinda embarrassing to show it to you.

...But I'm sure that the piece that Rika will make will shine much more brighter. Even if she gets trapped in June 19th, 1983, that still will be a very bright piece as the end of Rika's one world. And no matter what kind of hardship stands in her way, if she could get past that, that piece will then shine even brighter. Because no matter what kind of story I make, the story that Rika makes on her own would be the most spectacular.

So what did Rika do, you say?

It seems that she's gonna try one more time along with Hanyu.

She has learned that her life's beauty is to fight for the right to exist in the life she was given.

Well, it looks like the next piece has already begun.

I wonder what kind of world it is? I'm gonna go take a peek.

Do you want to come along too...?

[kj1980]

Now that you've read all the TIPS, it is time for you to move on to collecting the individual Pieces of the Puzzles.

These are listed in the Putting the Pieces Together thread, which will explain to you all the back details that led up to the events of Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni.

Have fun!

[kj1980]

DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE PIECES FIRST!!!

Spoiler:

The sacred treasure Onigari-no-Ryuou.
It is the most valuable treasure enshrined in the Furude Shrine’s storage.

It dates back to the ages of gods. This is the sword that was used to defeat the demon god in the time of turmoil when humans and demons co-existed with one another.

No one has seen this physically in over thousand years.

Legend says that this treasure is sealed inside the statue of the Oyashiro-sama. Hence, the seal to this sacred treasure will never be broken so long as the belief in the Oyashiro-sama continues.

Furthermore, the proof that this sacred treasure exist is only listed in a very ancient document that is secured tightly within the Furude Shrine. Not counting the heads of the Furude Shrine, there were only a few people in these thousand years who knew of the existence of such a sword.

According to the description written in that document, the sword resembles a drooping branch of a willow.

Several pictures of how it may look were drawn by the various heads of the Furudes in the past, but they do not resemble one another. Hence, it is believed that the heads of the Furudes themselves do not know how it looks like as they relied on their own imaginations.



Legend states that a pure and divine person by the name of Ouka received a revelation from the gods.

The demon god that wrecked havoc into the land could not be killed with a human’s nor a demon’s sword. Only a person who has the blood of both in them can kill it.

(* We can forever debate whether or not the ancestors of the Hinamizawa residents had demon blood in them or not. However, this record is the most oldest written manuscript which states that Furude Ouka (born ??? ~ died ???) may have been the first person who had both human and demon blood within her).

The heavens bestowed a divine sword to Ouka. The sword looked like a willow branch. The branches were divided into three, symbolizing the harmony between the god in the heavens, the devils of the earth, and the humans living in between.

Upon receiving the revelation of the whereabouts of the devil god, Ouka went to the marsh where it resided and destroyed the evil with this sacred sword.

(*The word destroyed varies from each sacred text to the other. The text say that she defeated, banished, or put it down, but there is nothing written of what happened to the demon itself. The oldest text say that she broke off the horn of the demon with her sword, but this is not written in the other texts.)


The divine sword that was used to demon was later laid to rest and was given the sacred name of “Onigari-no-Ryuou.” However, it is stated that Ouka sealed this sword deep within the compounds of the shrine and banned the use of it forever.

(* There is one myth that states that since the sword itself was made out of the worlds of the demons, gods, and humans, it was never intended to exist in this world in the first place. Hence, she may have sent the sword back away from the hands of the human world. On the other hand, there is one other strange theory in which it states that Ouka herself was the child of the demon, and she banned the use of the sword as it symbolized the nature of her own matricide.)


It is also interesting to note that one theory suggests that the roots of the Oyashiro-sama belief implied that the demon itself was the Oyashiro-sama; that it was the cause of all the chaos and the root of all evil. It is hinted that they may have revered and appeased the Oyashiro-sama into such a strong local religion so that it will never resurrect in this world again.

(* Could this be a sort of pagan idolism? However, if this theory is true, this contrasts sharply with the reverence of the Oyashiro-sama as being a god of protection, grace and marriage that we know of today.)

This theory purports a human-centric design in which the cause of discord between the villagers was caused by the Oyashiro-sama, and that a demon should never exist in the human world. This mythology would be altered through time via narratives of how humans and the demons began to learn to live together in peace…

However at the same time, the written primary sources of the origins of the Oyashiro-sama faith and the history of the Furude family were sealed away, never to be seen again. It is believed that the Furudes may have sealed their texts since the mythology of the now-beloved god Oyashiro-sama contradicted the actual primary source which stated that the Oyashiro-sama was the cause of evil in the first place, which may cause confusion in the teachings of the Oyashiro-sama religion.

And, if we are to take these sacred texts as they are written, the bloodline of the Furude family is tainted with sin as they are descendants of a person who committed matricide.

Should all of these are true, then the Oyashiro-sama belief that we all know today contrasts sharply with the initial teachings of the Furude founder.

Several hundred years ago, one of the heads of the Furude family had written the following onto one of these sacred texts:

The sacred sword, Onigari-no-Ryuou is a symbol of the sins committed by the Furudes and the humans of this world.

It was a time in which man caused chaos by blaming others for all the cause of evil; a time in which man could find salvation only by annihilating the so-called “cause” altogether.

The Furude founder (see footnote 1) accepted all the blame for the cause of all evil, and told her own daughter to kill her in order to regain tranquility and peace back to the world.

(Footnote 1: Usually, most people refer the Furude founder to by Furude Ouka, but seldom texts exists in which the writer refers to the mother whom Ouka committed matricide to. To even utter that the Furude founder was the demon should be deemed as the highest of the taboo. Yet, it is very interesting to note that one of the heads of the Furude family came to this conclusion.)

Should one day the Furudes and man once again begin to commit the sinful act of blaming others for evil; should one day when the demon awakens its eye into this world; the Oyashiro-sama belief will wane and the statue will crumble, in which the Onigari-no-Ryuou that was entombed inside it will once again reveal itself into this world.

This will symbolize the resurrection of the sins that the Furudes have forgetten in times past.

Was the demon just a figment of one person’s imagination, or did she really exist?

Could there be rare natural occurrence in which the heavens gave us a child born with horns on her head?
To my future descendant of the Furude family.
There are many texts relating to the mythology of the Oyashiro-sama, yet there are also many contradictions within each of them.

But, you should not lose your sight on what they are all trying to say. No matter how contradictory these are all written, they all are trying to say one important thing.

Feel what must've gone through Furude Ouka’s mind when she sealed away the Onigari-no-Ryuou forever.
That is the enlightenment in which the head of the Furude family must achieve.

[kj1980]

DO NOT READ UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE PIECES FIRST!!!

Spoiler:

Hanyuu?: "It is a child's duty to be at their parent's death."

Ouka?: "But mother! I have never heard of an instance in which a child must murder her own parent!"

Hanyuu?: "Don't cry my child. I am not a human. This horn says that I am a demon. And it is a demon's duty to shoulder all the evil of this world. Henceforth, it is my duty to accept the chaos and turmoil that exists in this world and repurify the minds and souls of the people with my own death."

Ouka?: "Why must mother take the blame for everything? The sins of the people are their own sins. These sins are not mother's!"

Hanyuu?: "Listen, my child. People live their lives in sin. And they can only live by blaming their faults against others. And none of them wants to be the only one taking the blame for everything, so they shove their sins against each other. That whole thing is the demon itself. Those...are the real demons that causes turmoil in this world. And I, will accept all the blame. If all the blame is shifted onto me, people will feel relieved and they will finally be freed from this demonic nature of doubting everyone.

Come my child, bring all the sins, hate, curses, and evil onto my body. And strike a fatal blow into my body with that sword, purify the village, let my intestines flow down the river, and dump my body into the marsh.

This can only be carried out by someone who is not of human blood. This cannot be done by anyone else. If a normal human does this, this will not free the people from doubt and suspicion of this chaotic nature."

Ouka?: "I don't understand mother, I don't! Yes, it is true that mother has a horn on her head which cannot be hidden. But why must mother be treated as like a monster and a demon just because of a horn? It is them who are the monsters for treating mother like this! Horn or no horn, you are my mother!"

Hanyuu?: "My lovely child...you are the only one who says that... No matter what they all call me with such insults like XXXX or XXXX, you are the only one who accepts me as a human..."