[Boukenxha]

Spoiler for ep 9 thoughts and speculative connections to Watanagashi-hen:

I can't help but think that the girls are seeing a strong Satoshi resemblance in Keiichi. Satoshi probably enjoyed hanging around with the girls in club activities as the only boy, like Keiichi is doing now. We also have Keiichi being looked upon as a ni-ni replacement for Satoko in Tatarigoroshi and Keiichi acting similar to Satoshi in Onikakushi. I think all this references could be a hint that Keiichi has a personality close to Satoshi's. Although I don't doubt that village people are generally more friendly and Keiichi is a nice sociable boy, maybe it's this sense of familiarity in him which allows him to be accepted so quickly by the group?

Anyway, my point is... this really feels like a lead to why onee in ep 8 said that everything started because Keiichi did not give the doll to Mion. As I think onee is Shion, why would Shion want to kill Keiichi for a seemingly trival thing like this which involved Mion and not her? So Shion had a close relationship with Satoshi, was there an identical scarring incident between the two? The thing that Satoshi was working part-time and saving up for... a doll maybe (think missing doll scene in ep 8)? Don't forget that Shion probably killed Satoshi too. That scene in ep 9, perhaps we can also take it one way to say that she was pissed because everyone prefer to say Satoshi got transferred. It's like a mockery of her "justice" and a denial of her will to execute a love one in the name of her twisted "justice". And recalling the fact that Mion likes Keiichi and Shion at least have some feelings for him, how much of it was due to the Satoshi resemblances? Was there some sort of a love triangle between Satoshi and the twins back then? Ah I'm reminded of the OP sequence once again.