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Well. I'm sure this is all fine and won't end in tears. Those screenshots are such a good sign, after all!
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Jul 11, 2021 09:44
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| # ? May 4, 2024 20:03 |
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 10 Part 2 BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  Everyone signed Tomitake-san's shirt... then parted ways... ...Right after that... Oh, yeah... He should have been with a woman. ...What about her!?  "She's missing. She hasn't shown up to work and she hasn't returned home, either. ...There is a very high probability that she was involved in this incident."BGM: Silver Mirror For a while, I could only gaze off into space. I never would have thought that something unfortunate happening to somebody close to me could affect me this deeply... The time I had spent with Tomitake-san was short. ...But we went to the same festival, spent time together, and took part in the same competition. ...He was one of us. "We have been continuing the investigation on various fronts, but when it comes to Oyashiro-sama's curse, the villagers here aren't very cooperative..."...That I knew well. ...I would have been none the wiser if not for Tomitake-san, the outsider, telling me...  "...So that's why you came to me? Because I'm not originally from Hinamizawa?"I should have been angry that that was the reason he wanted to hear what happened from me...  He turned away from me and gazed far off into the distance. "...The night of the Watanagashi. During that sacred ritual, he callously snapped off photos, angering Oyashiro-sama... That's how it's going to turn out." "Th-There's no way Oyashiro-sama would inflict divine punishment on Tomitake-san...!"Tomitake-san had to have been killed by humans—and a cowardly group, no less. ...There's no way I'm going to let this end up being the fault of some curse!  "I think so as well. There's no such thing as divine punishment or curses!!" "That's how this must be, Maebara-san. ...Cooperation from individuals in Hinamizawa who don't believe in the curse is indispensable. Understand?"Neither Tomitake-san nor I believed in curses. ...But with the way things were going, it would just end up with Tomitake-san's death marking the fifth year. Which would mean that Hinamizawa had rejected Tomitake-san. That was something... I couldn't allow. Tomitake-san was one of us. He didn't live in Hinamizawa, but he came every single year... In a sense, he was more of a resident than I was. There was no way that Tomitake-san could have been cursed by Oyashiro-sama...!  "No, no. If you see or hear something that draws your attention, then that is enough."If I see or hear? He was talking in the future tense. BGM: Silence "Things or people or rumors. Anything is fine. I don't care if they're unfounded. ...Here. This is my number. If I'm not there, then just leave a message with whoever picks up."He handed me a piece of paper with his number on it, but I hesitated for a second. If I took it... then whether I wanted to or not, I'd be mired knee-deep in this matter. SFX: Higurashi  That's right. Why was I hesitating? ...I needed to find the murderer who killed my friend! I snatched up the piece of paper as a satisfied grin spread across his face. "Everything we spoke of today is a secret. Please keep this confidential." "Understood."BGM: Silver Mirror  "Sonozaki? You mean Mion!? Why!? ...Are you saying they have something to do with the incident!?"With my friends' names brought up so abruptly, and being told to keep it a secret from them, I became rather angry. "...Hmm, this is what they call investigative privilege, I suppose." "Don't play games with me! Mion is a close friend of mine!!"I snapped at him, but he didn't seem to especially be offended. "I wouldn't mind telling you... but it may just upset you." "Say it!!"He hesitated a little. Turning his gaze to the outside of the car, he began to speak after thinking for a bit.  "...Th-There's no way that could be right!!"Give me a break!! First of all... is there any proof of that!? "No evidence. Also... each of the cases were resolved, and none of the perpetrators had any direct connection to the village." "Then how did you come to that conclusion!?" "Every year... The enemies of the village die on the day of the Watanagashi!! Don't you think that's enough reason to suspect something?"Only the residents of Hinamizawa felt that the day of the Watanagashi was sacred. ...So basically... because incidents happened on that day, it was somehow related to Hinamizawa???  “The means are different, but in the end the result is the same."Unfounded, unreasonable suspicion. ...But it couldn't just be shrugged off. "So... the victims after that... What about the Shinto priest and his wife's death!? They weren't enemies of the village...!!" "The villagers had expected leadership from the Shinto priest at the time of the dam dispute. But he wasn't proactive, so there was a faction of villagers who harbored ill will towards him as a result." "Ill will? ...It's not like he did anything bad to the village!! What about that housewife after that!? Did she die just because she was the wife of the brother of a supporter!? That's such a trivial reason to kill someone!” “And what about Tomitake-san!! He's not affiliated with the dam project at all!!! Was he killed just because he was an outsider!?"In the beginning it fell on those related to the dam project, but as the years went on, the "enemy threshold" of the victims had become much lower.  "What's scary about that...!?" "It means... it's not just enemies of the village anymore. Just being an outsider could be reason enough." "Then... Next year's victim... They're just going to be picked out of the 'village outsider' pool!?"BGM: Silence "It might be a person that just moved here." "What do you mean by...?"I swallowed my words. Here in Hinamizawa... the ones who would be considered the most "outside"... would be... ...my family. I was proof enough of that, wasn't I? ...I still couldn't really remember the names of the people I passed by... Then... the next victims... my family... ...Was he saying it was going to be me...!? BGM: Silver Mirror   "I can't go into details, but the Sonozaki family led the dam protests. Quite fervently so. This is also true of Mion Sonozaki-san herself.” “She has quite a few misdemeanor and obstruction of public worker offenses on her record because of the protests."I knew Mion knew what it meant to "fight." ...This was the first I'd heard of her family leading the protests though. ...Then, well... what did it all mean...? "...Are you saying that... Mion's family is involved with this string of incidents?" "I wouldn't go that far. I'm just saying... that if it was a conspiracy... then they'd have the highest probability of being behind it."Not a very clear explanation. It felt like he'd magnificently avoided the details I really wanted to know. "We don't know who or how involved anyone is right now. ...That is exactly why I don't want you to say anything to the villagers." "Then think of it like this... ...I don't want to worry the villagers who blindly believe it's the curse. ...How about that?"What do you mean "How about that?" How should I know? But the reasoning behind wanting me to not carelessly open my mouth about it wasn't too hard to comprehend. The perpetrator was here. It had nothing to do with a curse. He was definitely going to be caught by the police and made to pay for his crimes. And none of the villagers should have anything to do with that process. It may cause those sensitive about the curse... to just worry needlessly.  I was just talking to myself. Unlike me, everyone else had been worrying over these mysterious incidents yearly. And the incident this time probably means a lot more to them... I didn't... I didn't want to burden them anymore... In the end, everything went as the man had wanted, as insipid as it was. But it couldn't be helped...  "Ooishi, from the Okinomiya Police Station. You can call me Kura-chan if you want." "Ah, no, Ooishi-san is fine..."The way he said it was unpleasant, yet retained hints of politeness. He was the spitting image of a vulgar police officer. ...Though, I've never seen one this bulky before in the cop shows I watch... "...I've taken up too much time. Your friends are waiting, aren't they? I should probably let you get back to them."BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  It was blistering outside of the car. Was it really this hot of a day...? It was an almost cruel heat, as opposed to the mechanical coolness inside the car. It was as if... the land of Hinamizawa itself suddenly hated me... I felt a little sad as that thought crossed my mind.  I refrained from telling him that it was too late to say something that self-serving. "It's fine if you don't see or hear anything, Maebara-san. ...There is enough proof that the village is not involved." "I'll contact you if I hear or see anything... but I'm no detective. Please don't expect too much from me." "I won't! You don't have to become a detective. Just go on living as you have up until now. Just let me know if you notice anything."I hastily made my way back to the school building after giving him a quick bow. "See you later. Farewell, Maebara-kun!"I returned to the school building without looking back.  I did feel bad for keeping them waiting, but right now there was a lot on my mind. ...Tomitake-san's death was hard enough as it was... But to think that there was the possibility of a village conspiracy? Worse still... there was also a chance that Mion was involved?? Nonsense... Impossible. Not Mion, Rena, Satoko, or Rika-chan. It was a group that attacked Tomitake-san? Who could the perpetrators be? ...Could it be... They were hiding here, somewhere in Hinamizawa...? ...I didn't know. ...All I could say for certain was that I knew that Mion couldn't be the perpetrator. - - -  Huh? ...I was startled to hear Rena's voice. BGM: Afternoon in Paris  "With the Rope, in the... hmm... Lounge!!!" "Bwahahaha!! Nooope~~!!" Rena clutched her head while flailing about. ...Looks like you're just self-destructing over here, wow.  "A-Ah, sorry about that... I was called into the staff room, you see..." "You were reprimanded for bad behavior? ...That's a shame." "Well, it's been pretty heated over here! Since it's getting pretty late, let's make the next game the last one." "If I remember right... I had zero points... ...Isn't it pretty much decided that I'm going to be finishing in last place?" The heck!? Her score is lower than mine and I wasn't even playing.  "This is the final match to decide if the penalty is going to be carried out by Rena alone or by both Kei-chan and Rena!!" "Yeah, right. Just let Rena do the penalty by herself!" "...We made a promise, Keiichi-kun... That we would both win ... ...I waited all this time, you know? ...You know? "...Urk... I'm sorry about that..." BGM: Digital Network  "My, my, Rena... Quite a quick answer~? Another stab in the dark? ...Oh." "...Rena's correct." "O~h ho ho ho!! Then it's decided that Keiichi-san shall take part in the penalty as well!!" "Hurraaay!! Keiichi-kun, let's both do our best!☆" "Y-Yeah... Let's do our best... hahaha..."It's my fault, so I have no choice...  Everyone applauded and the game ended. ...The problem now... was the penalty... "Now, then. I ranked first, so I'll decide what you'll be buying for the gofer penalty!" "...Wh-What will she make us buy, I wonder... I wonder?" "Let's blacklist the drugstore. That was your aim, wasn't it!?" "Huh? I don't have any business at the drugstore.”  “This old man's already got a list prepared for you on this piece of paper~!"BGM: Sutakorasassa (Helter Skelter)  A-A lot!? drat it, what is she making us buy!? "...Two blocks of tofu. Shampoo and conditioner. Apple vinegar and fried tofu. The heck is this?" "It looks more like... a shopping list than a penalty..." "...Mii was certain she was going to win today." "Rule seven of our society!!!! You cannot refuse any penalty!!! Here's some money. The shampoo I usually get is Fruit Fable. Thanks!" "Th-This is just... your grocery liiisssttt!!!"  - - -  TIP 13: There are more than four perpetrators? TIP 14: Search notice
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Jul 12, 2021 14:02
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quote:“Don’t play games with me!!! Big Oooofff, there Keiichi. I went back and read the manga portion of this scene. Oishi actually flipped out his badge immediately upon greeting Keiichi and… well something he said I forgot hasn’t been brought up in the game yet, but while here he actually tries justifying his singling out of Keiichi? In hindsight after seeing two versions of this I can now unequivocally say that Oishi comes off as a sleazy eel. Like all of his facial expressions in the manga are flippant or slimey or both, so my earlier assessment of him being rather tactless remains. He’s just put a huge onus on Keiichi that seems at the very least unethical if not legally dubious… because if this was an inner city murder thing that would be something else but asking him to be a snitch in such a closely knit town community known for its violence towards outsiders is the same as putting a big loving bullseye on Keiichi’s back. Also, I find it odd that while Tomitake is wearing dog tags the errata doesn’t mention them…
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Jul 12, 2021 15:26
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That's a good catch on the dog tags. The last TIP implies Tomitake is a pen name, so would the dog tags have had his real name? And the killers didn't want police to know? He doesn't have a license so that wouldn't have a name on it and it's plausible nothing else in the wallet would have it either (or the killers took those things) I hope the mention of a group or four or more is a red herring for the reader, but maybe one of the reasons Ooishi asked Keiichi to keep an eye out is because he knows that Keiichi is in with that group, and not just specifically because he's friends with Mion. The last TIP also raises the question of how the hell they got Tomitake off his bike and moved him 300 meters away and why. It doesn't sound like the body or the bike were very hidden
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Jul 12, 2021 16:17
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I’ve said that I know some spoilers and all but Tomitake’s fate is still stumping me; I have little idea what the balls happened to him. Keiichi brought up a good point though: why are the motives for the killings weaker each time? The dam project failed and a Shinto Priest, his wife and some other randos are hardly the sorts who wield the power to kickstart that back up again and if it’s over something as petty as “well, you didn’t protest with us enough!” not only is the town eventually going to run out of tangential people to kill, if someone loving dies here every single year and somebody else always goes missing, after enough years of killing and missing, you’re going to have all the feds come down on this place with a sledge hammer, especially if somebody important bites the dust. This “curse “ just isn’t sustainable. TKMobile fucked around with this message at 17:22 on Jul 12, 2021 |
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Jul 12, 2021 17:11
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 11 Part 1 SFX: Bell BGM: Afternoon in Paris  Sleepy.  I'm usually awake once it's time to eat... But doesn't look like I can do it today... "I was watching TV until late last night... I'm so tired right now..." "Was one of those raunchy TV shows you love so much on last night?" "H-H-How extremely vile~!!" "Don't jump to conclusions!!!" "...It's perfectly normal for boys. Nothing to be ashamed about."Rika not patting my head only made me feel worse. "Could you just let me... pass out this lunch break? ...No, seriously." "I'll get really angry if you disturb me. Really angry! ...Yaawwnn ahh..."This was just dreadful. Just so... sleepy... I slumped my head onto the desk and drifted off into an afternoon nap. It seemed that Satoko had responded, but I pretended not to hear.  "You can take him home later. Let him be for now." "...Let's move over there. It'd be rude to Keiichi if we bothered him now."...Rika-chan really is a good girl... "Let's not wake him up even if the teacher comes back."I take that back. BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  I was in bed at the usual time, but... because of the conversation with Ooishi-san that afternoon, I didn't get much sleep. Just spending the day like this... It's almost as if the incident with Tomitake-san didn't happen at all. ...It made me think... Was Ooishi-san just trying to deceive me? But... it was probably the truth. ...One thing was certain, I couldn't speak to anyone about it. He wanted my assistance, but... I really didn't know anything about it. If I knew I wasn't going to be of any help, I probably wouldn't have listened in the first place. It ended up with me, again... regretting learning something I didn't need to know... If I had never learned about it, I would, without a doubt, be goofing off with the rest of them right now. ...I couldn't help but resent Ooishi-san for this.   "I heard he wasn't there the next day. ...It appears he vanished the night of the Watanagashi."Mion whispered to keep others from listening, but I could hear it clearly. On the other hand, Rena's voice was even harder to pick up. But I could still tell that she was quite upset. ...It couldn't be... Are they talking about Tomitake-san...!?  "...nly... itake?" "Not sure. That's all I know."I would have to feign ignorance about this topic because I needed to keep it a secret. Rather than waking up and being forced to lie to join the conversation, it was much easier just to sit here and pretend I was asleep to listen in on their discussion. Wait... why did I have to pretend to be asleep while eavesdropping on my friends' conversation...? The guilt... stung. "...So... and me... there are others, right? ...too."BGM: Doukutsu (Cave)  Onikakushi...? Oni-kakushi...? To be hidden away by a demon? What a mysterious phrase. ...I did, however, get the feeling it meant nothing good. "...eah... ell... there was another, right? ...right?" "If it's Oyashiro-sama's... yeah." "But, but...! ...This year th... at all...?" "Grandma and the Mayor had talked about it. ...Seems they talked to the police about it beforehand. ...They said they'd take care of whatever happens this year without causing a commotion." "Then... without us knowing it... someone had... ...ed them... you mean...?" "...aybe." "...Next could... me... ...I wonder..." "...Don't worry. You got home safely." "...but... is... not allowed, right...?" "That was a long time ago. Let's stop talking about this."Amidst the uncomfortable mood, both of them went silent. The entirety of the conversation was still a bit unclear, but... a few parts caught my attention.  ...To be 'demoned away.' By the context it was used in, I would guess it's similar to being spirited away. ...I suspected that was what it meant because Tomitake-san and that woman (it really bugged me that I don't know her name...) vanished after the Watanagashi. The next thing that stuck out was when Rena said, "There's another one, right?". Mion also said, "If it's Oyashiro-sama's, yeah," responding to something. If it's Oyashiro-sama's curse... then there had to be two victims... is that what she meant...? Come to think of it... I remember Mion saying at the beginning that they didn't know if it was from the curse, or if it was a case of Onikakushi. It seems that the curse and being demoned away are different things, and they were "phenomena" that were paired together...  That wasn't something as elegant as disappearing. ...That horrendous end would best be described as "cursed." Then... the woman with him... it means she vanished because she was demoned away...? What I do know is... that there's normally an even number of victims of the curse proper. And... the last point that bothered me was Rena. Rena was frightened. ...For what reason, I didn't know. However, she knew that something had made her a potential target for Oyashiro-sama's curse... If I recall correctly... Oyashiro-sama should be the guardian deity of Hinamizawa. ...Isn't a guardian deity supposed to defend the citizens and drive out invaders...? If I recall correctly, yesterday Ooishi-san said that originally the targets were enemies of the village. But recently, there was no longer any distinction between them or regular outsiders. But if that was the case... then I would think that I'd be the more likely target, having moved here more recently than Rena. From her composure, I could infer that she was grimly certain that... she would be next. ...I should probably relay what I heard just now to Ooishi-san. Informing the police of what I heard by eavesdropping on my friends while pretending to be asleep... ...It made me feel terrible. It raised a few questions and left me with a bad taste in my mouth... Would it be better not to seek the answers to those questions...? As I continued to learn more and more, I felt like I had fallen past the point of no return... I would definitely regret this one day. ...I would definitely regret ever having learned of these events... BGM: Hello! "The teacher approaches~!! Keiichi-saan! You must awaken!!" In the distance, I could hear the ring of the handbell signaling the start of afternoon classes. ...Geh! I couldn't sleep at all!  It was in that moment, when I leaned against the back of my seat... "Owwugh!?!?"BGM: Sutakorasassa (Helter Skelter) There was a thumbtack stuck on the back of my chair with tape. ...Circumstantial evidence was enough...! "SATOKOOOOOO!!!"Guilty without trial!! Capital punishment!!!! I furiously jumped up from my seat!! ...and I tripped as if my feet were tangled up. My shoelaces had been tied together! "N-Not bad, Satokoooo!! While I was sleeping, you were able to conceal your presence and able to pull off this fine piece of work!"The teacher came in right as I was about to pull off my shoes and tackle Satoko.   Not caring one bit, I made her eat a flick to the forehead.  "B-Bwaaaaaah!! Keiichi-san is being mean...!!" I saw Satoko stick her tongue out at me... That little braaat!!!  "Come on! Maebara-kun!?" "Yeah, yeah, I'll apologize. Sorry, Satoko-san."In any case, I apologized, even if it was in a completely insincere tone of voice. ...drat her, I'll remember this!! "Kei-chan, Kei-chan. Get your revenge at the club meeting! Take your seat, take your seat."I sat down after Mion told me to. She'd switched to class representative mode. - - -  SFX: Bell BGM: Hello!  Now then, what should we do for our club today!? Personally... I would like to play that deduction game one more time. ...I was hardly able to play it last time because of Ooishi-san. Rena and I weren't even able to test out our strategy!   "What should we do...? We've never played the same game two days in a row before." "...Why not try asking Mii?" "Ooops! I completely forgot, I need to go help my uncle today...! Sorry, guys! Not today!" "Helping your uncle~? Aren't you a little goody-two-shoes!" "Sorry, really...! I really did forget... Well, then... sorry, guys! This old man is heading back home now!"Mion left us with that and rushed off to the exit after snatching up her bag. BGM: Afternoon in Paris  Ahh... I thought she wasn't the type to get caught up in such bothersome stuff. "She said that she gets paid for it. It's quite a bit of spending money, from what I hear."I see. She was able to pay for that mountain of games with what she saved up from there. "But that... wouldn't you call that a part-time job? Isn't that against school policy!?" "...There's a clause that states family businesses are excluded."Is that what she's calling it...? ...So what now? Pass on the club today?  "Won't it be fine even without the club president? ...Let's do this!"I opened the club locker and began searching for the deduction game from that ever-growing pile of games. "Ah, here it is! The deduction game from yesterday! Man, I had to stop just as I was getting the hang of it."At the very least, I wanted to repay Satoko for what she did during the afternoon break!! "I do not mind. But is that fine for Rena-san and Rika?" "Umm, ...If Keiichi-kun wants to so badly, I wouldn't mind playing for a bit." "...I think... it's better if we do it when we have everyone together."Mmm... When she says it like that... hmmmm.   "Oh! ...That's right! I completely forgot." "Well... I guess since it's been a while, I should go treasure hunting...!"What's this, now? ...Everyone was no longer in the mood for club activities. If I kept on trying to push the matter, it may make them realize I had a trick up my sleeve... ...Ah, well. I'll give up this time.  I shuffled through the cards as if I was still caught up on it. "At the next opportunity, I shall give you a sound thrashing! Oh ho ho!!" "The murderer is 'Satoko'! The murder weapon is the 'Pistol'! It was you after all!!" "Wh-What did you say!? Then I'll just...!!"Satoko looked through the cards on the desk and stuck out three of them at me. "The murderer is 'Keiichi'! In the 'Lounge' with the 'Rope'!!" "I don't need no rope! I'll just strangle you like this!!" "Nooooo!! Keiichi-san is such a beast!!!!"SFX: Playfighting Phew. ...Well, I guess it's good that I got that out of my system.  "...She was used as a plaything for quite a while. How unfortunate." "Ahahaha☆ ...Kyute, kyute...☆"Everyone got ready to go back home. I also helped gather up the scattered cards.   BGM: Silence Satoshi? ...Not all the cards were made by us. Or at least, every card besides this one has the name of a club member. ...Does this mean that this Satoshi fellow... is a member? Was there someone in the class named Satoshi...? I couldn't find anyone named Satoshi on the class roster stuck up on the wall. SFX: Higurashi  Being rushed by Rena, I finished up quickly. Satoko and Rika-chan had already headed merrily for their lockers, so we were the only ones left in the classroom. Right now, Rena had already gotten her bag and was ready to leave. "Rena. There must be quite a few people who transfer from this school... right?"I tried asking Rena in a bit of a roundabout way. Rena made a troubled face and then answered. "...Yeah. Hinamizawa is a rural town, right? Some people transfer out every now and then." "Then is Satoshi another one of those transferees?" There was a bit of a pause, but the answer was pretty much immediate. "Ah, um... I'm not saying it to be mean! ...Just last year... I transferred in... so maybe I just missed him. So I didn't hear much about him. ...Sorry!"I am not sure, sorry. Her answer was a lot like when she refused to tell me about the murder at the dam. I was saddened by her denial... and felt a little bit of anger.  Friends... don't keep secrets from their friends, do they? Though I do appreciate that they kept that unsettling curse thing from me. ...But... if everyone is worried about it, I'd rather be worried with them. ...That's... That's what it means to be friends, right...? For a moment, I wondered just what kind of face I was making just then... with these mixed feelings of sadness and annoyance... "K... Keiichi-kun... you're making a scary face. ...Why is it? ...Why?"It was probably exactly the kind of face Rena said it was. ...It appeared my grim expression had frightened her.  I rustled Rena's hair. "Let's go home."Dragging that awkward mood with us, we headed home. BGM: Silence SFX: Night higurashi  ...Why have I been getting this dumb feeling lately...? I didn't know anything... I had nothing to worry about... I was just enjoying my everyday life. My long, outstretched shadow gave no answer to my naive inquiry.  Rena timidly questioned the reason behind my mood. ...I'm sure my expression made this situation even more unsettling. "...You think so?" "Y-Yeah. ...You seemed to have been a little out of it ever since this morning. Maybe... a cold?"Physically, I was pretty sure I was in perfect health. It may not seem like it, but I've had perfect attendance since elementary school.  "It could be that the fatigue from moving has finally caught up to you. ...It's completely different from where you used to live, after all. Of course you've gotten tired... since there's so much you need to get used to and remember." "Maybe that's it." "Yeah. It has to be. Rena was also like that at first, too. I can tell, you know? ...You know?"...I wondered if Rena also experienced the slight bit of alienation last year that I was feeling right now. ...Thinking so, I felt that she was the only one who could understand how I felt. "I'd like to hear about when you first came to Hinamizawa. ...How was it?" "Ahahaha. It was the same as Keiichi-kun. I didn't know the villagers' names at all. Mii-chan and the rest were all very kind so I wasn't lonely, but I did still feel a little out of place."Rena told me all the details of when she had moved here. All of her first acquaintances and surprises. Worries and good times. "So... Satoko got you, too!?" "Yeah. There was a thumb tack put on my chair. Poke. ...Then with that, I... ...Yeah. That really takes me back!" "When were you invited into the club? The first day?" "Nah. ...There wasn't a club at the beginning. It was formed partway through. ...One day, she said we should stay after and hold a big game tournament." "Come to think of it... Mion did say she was the first club president. Now I get it." "Huh!? Mion, really!? ...I can't even imagine that!" "She had to do most of the penalties that she came up with.” “Ahaha! Seriously, don't tell!"I can't believe Mion was like that...! ...So she gradually transformed into a monster who used any means necessary to win during that time. Mion is at her best when she's fighting dirty!  I guess Rena... had also been left in the dark about Oyashiro-sama when she had just moved here. ...I guess when they finally told me about Oyashiro-sama, I'd be considered one of them. "I wonder when I'll finally be considered one of them." "Huh? Did you say something?" "...No, sorry. Just talking to myself." "Ahahaha. Keiichi-kun, you're silly."Rena was poking fun and laughing at me, and I couldn't help but laugh as well... But I suddenly stopped. Then... after making up my mind, I spoke. "Hey, Rena. ...Is there something... that everybody is keeping from me...?" "Huh. ...No. Not at all." "You're lying, aren't you...?"Rena suddenly stopped. Her expression was cold and intense.   Her tone was still the same cheery and lighthearted one as before. "You are, aren't you...? ...Keeping something from me?"After understanding what I meant, her expression grew even more intense. ...Seeing that face, I regretted saying something so rash. ...But she came back at me in a way I didn't expect. BGM: Silver Mirror  "...Huh?"Her tone didn't change... but it was the first time I'd seen this expression from Rena. With how her gaze pierced through me, I couldn't believe this was the same Rena.  You are. Secrets... ...She didn't actually say that part... but she looked as if she did. The incident with Tomitake-san... and how I felt alienated from the group. ...Even without having to think about it... there were things I knew that I felt guilty about… But... I didn't tell everyone about what happened with Tomitake-san... to be considerate. ...I was keeping it a secret just the same way they didn't tell me about Oyashiro-sama... Then... aren't we even...!? "...No, I'm not. ...No lies. Nor secrets." "Liar."Her answer was instant and it shook me. Rena stared as if burrowing through me. Watching me... like a hawk. "...Why would you say I'm lying...?" I swallowed hard... It clearly wasn't a bluff... she knew what happened. "The teacher said you had a guest, didn't she? But you didn't talk at the entrance. You talked inside of the car near the school gate. With some man we don't know!"Rena... knew everything... She knew that I was called out by Ooishi-san and that I heard about the incident with Tomitake-san as well... Did she know all of it!?  "Exactly who was that man?" "I-I don't know him...!" "Why did someone you don't know have business with you?" "I... I want to know that, myself!" "Then what did you talk about!?" "It has nothing to do with you guys...!"It was a lie.    BGM: Silence I couldn't exhale the deep breath I had just taken. No. It was like I wasn't allowed to exhale. It was here... I first realized… ...The person in front of me... She wasn't Rena Ryuugu. ...Then... Who was it that was standing before me now? ...Who had assumed Rena Ryuugu's appearance!? I had held my breath for so long, I could feel myself suffocating...  And then she made a facial expression that Rena normally might have made. ...It didn't matter that it was Rena's usual smile... It chilled me to the bone.  I felt her breath against my face. ...It wasn't the least bit exciting. Whoever this was with Rena's face was going to chew my nose right off...!! ...I cowered as I imagined that. Then... she smirked as if she was able to see right through me.  It was Rena's usual smile... ...But her eyes were still like that of a hawk's. ...Bringing her face close enough to mine to almost bump into my nose... She "kindly" persuaded me. I couldn't nod or shake my head. This person standing in front of me... this person who looked like Rena, frightened me to my core. I was terrified knowing that she could hear the sound of me swallowing nervously.   It was Rena again. Smiling at me once more, she started walking as if nothing at all had happened.  ...I wasn't able to lift a finger until Rena was out of sight. "...Who was... that...?"...I felt cold. My body was drenched in sweat. I was finally able to form a coherent thought and asked myself once again. Who was... that person... ...who looked like Rena Ryuugu!? 
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Jul 14, 2021 15:31
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Wait a minute… If the gaming club was formed AFTER Rena moved into town, why the hell does their Cluedo deck have Satoshi’s name in it if she never knew him? That said, the LIAR accusation scene is really scary in some versions especially with the mangaka pulling out all the stops for Rena’s anger… But if Rena knew about Keiichi’s meeting with Detective Dickhead, why not say anything outright that she saw him get in the car?
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Jul 14, 2021 18:23
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TKMobile posted:But if Rena knew about Keiichi’s meeting with Detective Dickhead, why not say anything outright that she saw him get in the car? Honestly? It's a small town where digging into other peoples' bullshit seems to be a great way to get murdered. So, it's fine to let people have their secrets, but it's another thing to get called out by a snoop who has secrets of their own. Honestly, she might think she's acting in Keiichi’s best interest. If he pulled this poo poo with the wrong club member... It wouldn't go well for him. So, if this gets him to keep his head down and not ask too many questions... Well, the greater good and all that. Alternatively, maybe she was hoping that he'd tell her the truth. They walk to school together every day, and they're both the biggest outsiders in the school. He'd have nothing but time...
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Jul 14, 2021 21:27
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Capfalcon posted:Honestly? It's a small town where digging into other peoples' bullshit seems to be a great way to get murdered. So, it's fine to let people have their secrets, but it's another thing to get called out by a snoop who has secrets of their own. Well, I suppose intentions here make a difference; Rena, or at least Classic Rena and not WTF Rena, would be in character if she was trying to keep a friend safe compared to Keiichi who seems to be motivated by self preservation. But you can't can't blame the guy! He just lives here trying to have fun with his hoodlum friends playing board games all day and then next thing, he notices a string of murders have been going on and Chief Wiggum just basically forced him to keep an eye out for any clues, essentially making Keiichi an enemy of anyone who does have secrets to keep around here. But still... I'm having issues reconciling all this. It really feels like the only difference is that Rena apparently outright saw Keiichi speak with Oishi and knows he's fibbing, whereas Keiichi had no means of finding out he was lied to unless other outsiders told him what was going on. He got caught and she didn't. Sort of.
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Jul 14, 2021 22:38
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 11 Part 2 BGM: Silence SFX: Crickets  Was I terrified from Rena going off on me? ...No, that's not right. That was someone else who only looked like Rena. Then... who could it have been? It was a dreadful feeling... ...Knowing that that was someone else, not Rena. So tomorrow I shouldn't have a problem talking to Rena like I usually do. That thought was strangely comforting. I concluded that I should just calm down and clear my head. ...Though those thoughts continued swirling around my mind. Finally, I returned to my senses as I heard my mother calling out to me from the bottom of the steps.  Bookstore? Can't think of why they'd be calling me. ...I went downstairs and picked up the receiver anyway.  "Ooishi-san? ...Oh, it's Ooishi-san!" "Sorry. Since your parents picked up I said I was from the bookstore. It puts people off when I say I'm a police officer."Ooishi-san was, in his own way, rather courteous. Even so, I didn't want my parents hearing me talk to the police. ...I brought the cordless phone with me as I dashed back up to my room on the second floor.  "Ah, yeah. ...Uum... okay."He gave me the number for his direct line as I wrote it down. I thought that was the end of it, but he began making pointless small talk, and it was pretty hard to hang up. "So how has it been, Maebara-san? Did anything strange happen recently?"...I see. This was the real reason. He really beat around the bush there. His adult conversational skills left me slack-jawed. "Are you... from around here, Ooishi-san?" "Yeah, I am. Born and raised in Okinomiya." "Um, Ooishi-san. ...Do you know what this 'Onikakushi' thing is about?'" "Hm... I believe... that's when somebody suddenly vanishes because they've been abducted by a demon. It's a special saying from around here. It has the same meaning as 'spirited away' like everyone else says."Whereas my friends would say they didn't know when I asked... this older man gave me a direct answer. ...It made me a bit happy that he answered me directly without trying to hide anything. "Hinamizawa was... um, not sure if I should tell you this, Maebara-san." "Don't try to play this off. If you're not going to talk, then I'm not going to tell you anything!" "Ah, no no! That's not what I meant. It's just... it may make you feel bad. ...You see... long ago, Hinamizawa was feared as the village where demons reside." "Demons? By demons you mean... those pitchfork-carrying things in Hell?" "Hmm~ more like human-eating monsters. They'd go down to villages snatching people up and gobbling them down. That kind of tale." "...They said that the curse and being demoned away happen together. ...What does that mean?"I already knew about the mysterious deaths happening five years in a row. ...But I didn't know there were people disappearing for those same five years. "The curse and being demoned away happen together? First time I've heard of that. Is that how it is, Maebara-san?" "That's what I want to know. ...I heard Rena and Mion talking. They said that if it was really Oyashiro-sama's curse, then both the curse and demoning away would happen."Ooishi-san began hemming and hawing on the other end of the receiver ...Maybe something about that came to mind? "Maebara-san. Do you know the first incident? The murder by dismemberment?" "Yeah. One of the six perpetrators is still on the run, right?" Huh!? ...It was an outrageous hypothesis from Ooishi-san. BGM: Silver Mirror The incident four years ago was the particularly ghastly one. The police already knew the perpetrators. So they posted tons of wanted posters with his face on them. They staked out various locations and investigated every possible escape route he had. But... after four years, there wasn't even a hint of where he might be. ...Unless the police were completely incompetent. Even if it was an outrageous hypothesis, I couldn't simply laugh it off...  "Well, actually. ...It was only the husband who died in an accident. His wife's body never surfaced. ...Unless we find the body, then it's considered a missing person by law."At the time of the incident, with the river below the cliff being muddy rapids... The police divers had searched every branch off the main stream of the river for dozens of miles. But in the end, they weren't able to find her body. "But... That's just them not being able to find the body. She's still dead, right? Isn't it different from her being demoned away...?" "We cannot say someone is dead without their body. Until a certain number of years pass, by law she's treated as still alive."I'm not sure if it was right to call that being demoned away... The wife is missing. At least that part was reality.  "Maebara-san. That's actually the exact same scenario."The wife had supposedly thrown herself into the bottomless marsh deep in the forest around Hinamizawa. ...Meaning it's all circumstantial evidence. They simply found her suicide note in front of the marsh... ...A diver was able to recover a few remnants, but they weren't able to find a body. The investigative headquarters believed that she had faked her death and was still alive somewhere. "I'm not sure if we could call these cases as being demoned away. It's just as you've said. Every year, one person does go missing." "Yeah, we arrested him. He was just a miscreant with a record of narcotics abuse. He admitted to the crime while being questioned about a different incident.” “But... well, you see... After he was arrested... a child from the victim's home went missing. It's still under investigation... As to whether the disappearance had anything to do with the crime." "But you said you caught him, right? Did he have an accomplice!?" "No idea... It's considered a separate case. Moreover, we can't even check now. ...Because while under investigation, that man... he died in his holding cell."He swallowed a spork and choked to death. It's not known whether it was an accident or suicide. "Meaning... for the last five years there's always one person who dies and one who goes missing...?" "That's about right. No, actually, I'm surprised as well. I never realized they had that in common."I couldn't believe that this could help lead to the closing of those incidents. ...It was just something they had in common.  Ooishi-san mumbled as he seemed to be thinking about it. So I summarized the events. "The first year was the dam employee. Second year was the wife of a dam project supporter. Third year was the wife of the Shinto priest. Fourth year was the victim's family's child, and the fifth year was the victim's girlfriend... I guess. ...It doesn't seem like there's anything that connects them." "With the exception of the first year... wives and girlfriends... those do stand out."...It does seem like there are a lot. Then that means... The fourth year's victim's child was different. It would have really stood out if it were all married couples... except it's not just married couples, but parents and children as well. ...Come to think of it... I believe Tomitake-san also told me "The younger brother is alive and has moved," if I recall correctly. "The child that went missing in the fourth year... who were they?" BGM: Doukutsu (Cave) "...Huh? Satoshi...!?!?"I remembered that name. ...Didn't they tell me Satoshi transferred out last year...!? "He was at your school up until last year. Didn't they tell you anything about him?"Come to think of it... when I transferred in, I believe they said my seat "belonged to a recent transfer student..."? Then... where I sat... ...Once belonged to the one who was demoned away. ...It was his seat!? I recalled the cold sensation that came from that desk... it made my hair stand on end... This string of mysterious deaths... No, Oyashiro-sama's curse... I now knew how it connected to me. That chilling sensation... it was the feeling of Oyashiro-sama caressing the back of my neck.  ...Could Oyashiro-sama's curse... really exist? In all honesty... ...I was beginning to believe it. ...And I was scared. ...That was why I wanted to say it was a plot crafted by man and not the work of a curse. But... the more I dug into it, the less likely that seemed. No... the more I dug, the more mysterious it became. ...If I kept digging... eventually... ...I'd reach the point where I'd learn something I really shouldn't know... To either be none the wiser or to seek an answer I may regret... ...Which one would I be happier with? Maybe... it'll be me next time. ...My execution could only be delayed for one year. BGM: Silence SFX: Night higurashi ...That was when I remembered... Rena... Rena said she may be the next victim of the curse.  It wasn't that. She said it might be her next. She said it in a way that made me think she had a concrete reason behind it. "...It felt like she was convinced. ...Almost as if... um, you could say..."She was frightened. Her sudden change in demeanor. That someone who looked like Rena, but wasn't Rena... ...That might be unrelated. All the strange things that I felt from Rena today came back to me. "I see... Then I'll be doing a bit of investigating on this end. Please continue your observations of Ryuugu-san, Maebara-san." "...Are you... asking me to keep Rena under surveillance?" "That's not what I mean, Maebara-san. I just want you to watch out for your friend so she doesn't end up the next victim."At that moment, just as my mouth was agape because I was so impressed with his mature, clever way with words...  A sudden knock at the door sent my heart racing. In an instant, I had pointlessly covered up the end of the receiver.  "Keiichi~ Get the door, please~"On the other side of the door, I heard my father's oddly upbeat voice. ...What could it be? It's so late... "Sorry, my dad just came in. ...Can we leave it at this for tonight?" "Yeah. My apologies again for calling so late. ...If you find out anything else, please let me know. I'll tell you if I make any progress on this end. Well then, have a pleasant evening." "Keiichi~ hurry and open up~ Daddy's got his hands full."What is Dad doing...? I had stayed in the same position while on the phone the whole time, so my joints were aching. BGM: Hello!  On that tray, cookies and two cups of black tea. A fairly fancy spread for our household. There was even sugar and lemon slices on the side. Everything you could ask for. ...This was quite the show of hospitality. "Wh-What's going on, Dad? ...What's all this for??" "Come, now. Don't play around, Keiichi~ I'm coming in~"Dad was in high spirits and had a smirk on his face. But... for my entire life, I've never seen him act this hospitable. ...What had gotten into him? "So... what were you talking about?"I jumped. ...It's not something I had to keep from my father... But how could I explain to him I was talking to a detective (I'm assuming he was) this late at night? "N-N-Nothing much... Just a friend...!"BGM: Silence  ? BGM: Silver Mirror "...She wasn't here." "Come now! Don't try to keep it from me~! She just came over to play. You two were chatting away, so I thought I'd bring some tea, but looks like I just missed her."I had no idea what Dad was talking about. ...But a cold sweat dripped down my back. "H... How long were we talking...?" "Rena-chan went upstairs about half after... so it was close to an hour, I guess?" "You saw her... come up to the second floor?" "Yeah, I did. I also told her that your room was the door down the hall up the stairs." (I probably didn't hear him because I was so focused on my conversation with Ooishi-san...) I didn't reply, but he knew I was in my room, so he had her come inside. ...Then told her my room was on the second floor. ...She thanked my dad and went upstairs... Then about an hour passed. ...She passed by my dad just as he was bringing up tea and left. She came upstairs and about an hour passed. Then passed by my dad and returned home. Th... Then... after she came upstairs... and until she left... where was... Rena...? There's only a short hallway... between my room and the stairs.  The door to my room wasn't particularly thick. You could easily hear everything being said inside. ...All of the ominous things and all the nonsense I spoke to Ooishi-san about began rushing through my head...  "Honey, don't tease him. ...More importantly, you need to clean up your studio. It's a mess again."Mom yelled up at Dad from downstairs. Dad left the tray with me and went downstairs with a disappointed chortle. I followed my dad out of the room with my eyes... I looked down at the floor around the doorway where Rena might have stood all that time. Just now... as I was talking to Ooishi-san... With my back turned, Rena was standing a mere six feet away... the whole time...?  What did she see? What did she hear? For what reason? As the steam from the two teacups ominously wafted and twisted... the aroma of black tea filled my room...  - - -  TIP 15: Notice from the police chief
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Jul 16, 2021 19:34
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Well... poo poo. That's bad.
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Jul 16, 2021 19:43
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quote:"That's about right. No, actually, I'm surprised as well. I never realized they had that in common." Oishi, you are a terrible policeman. How could you not notice that after the third time??? I guess this is the kind of poo poo you deal with when you have a gag order on these murders and your lead detective is soliciting help from a clueless minor, but I swear, this is getting kind of ridiculous. If the lid gets blown off this whole mess, the authorities are going to look incompetent or worse than if they continue to let this ride, as they are getting close to just accepting the fact that two people are going to die in this town every loving summer.
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Jul 16, 2021 20:34
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TKMobile, I’m coming around to your “everyone in the village is in on it” theory, seriously that was weird and creepy as hell. Wonder if Rena is connected to one of the missing/murdered people, she seems to be a bit nosy for a relative newcomer.
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Jul 17, 2021 02:33
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 12 Part 1 BGM: Silence SFX: Birds  Not a very nice way to start the day… BGM: Silence  It seemed that my mom had noticed my sullen state. ...Yesterday... I kept on waking up in the middle of the night. Without a doubt, I felt a presence. ...I felt the presence of someone standing in front of my door. I told myself repeatedly that it was my imagination and forced myself to try and sleep. Except... not being able to stand it, I gathered up my courage and opened the door. ...Of course there wasn't anyone there. I think I did this three times throughout the night. ...Or maybe I just didn't remember doing it any more than that... Even though I was able to get to the breakfast table without incident, I still didn't feel at ease.  "...My. ...You do seem a little warm... Well? Can you make it to school?"Technically I did go to a school... but it was mostly self study. ...It wouldn't matter much if I missed a day, would it? It could have been that I hadn't been feeling well for the last few days because I really did have a cold. If I took some medicine and got a good day of rest... I might be able to greet everyone with a smile tomorrow.  Startled, I looked back and forth between the entrance and the clock. ...It was ten minutes later than when I usually met up with Rena. ...It was Rena. "Rena-chan came to get you... what are you going to do? Are you going to take the day off?"...Rena was a good girl. She might be somewhat quirky, but she was certainly cute. The lunches she made were delicious and she always looked out for me. ...Why should I be so scared of something like that...? It wasn't Rena's fault. It was probably mine... It had to have been my cold. ...It just had to be. "I'll rest. ...Sorry." "Then I'll go send her off for you."Mom headed off to the door. ...I would have to pass by the entrance to get back to my room. I didn't have the nerve to meet with Rena... so I wrapped myself in a blanket on the sofa and closed my eyes. I was so sleep-deprived, I quickly fell into a deep slumber...  I called out to my parents, but they didn't seem to be around. On the table, I found lunch prepared and a note. Mom and Dad had apparently driven off to somewhere far away. It likely had to do with Dad's work. This happened every so often, so it wasn't that unusual. They would probably be back sometime after dinner. On the note, it said:  There was also a well-drawn map to the hospital. ...That's right. I hadn't been there before, so I didn't know exactly where it was. I had a light lunch... although it really was just leftovers from the morning... and, just in case, went to the hospital. SFX: Birds  Following my mom's map, I took a road I usually never used. After walking for a bit, the hospital's sign came into view.  The clinic wasn't very big, but based on the scale of the rest of Hinamizawa, it was far too grand. There was a parking lot and even a reserved spot for buses. ...They must be making a mint.   "Maebara-san, please make your way to the examination room." They gave me a shot and three days worth of medicine. ...I thought it was a little overboard, but if it would clear away the gloomy feeling I'd been having lately, then it was worth it. I settled the bill and took a quick trip to the washroom. As I was leaving, I overheard a conversation between some elderly people who seemed to be regulars at the clinic. Of course, I had no intention of eavesdropping. ...If it just wasn't for that word...  "I wonder... She was still pretty young, might've just eloped." "With whom?" "That man from Tokyo who visits every season. That young one with that big camera. Didn't you know they were getting along pretty well?"...Were they talking about Tomitake-san!? I could feel my ears perking up. "I don't know about that... But... you have to make preparations before you elope. Leave a note or quit their job or something." "It's an elopement because they didn't leave a note or message." "...The thought that I'll never see that young nurse's face again makes me rather sad..." "Takano-san is an upstanding young woman. ...She'll be fine wherever she goes."So her name was Takano-san? ...That woman with Tomitake-san. And... she worked at this clinic...!? Oyashiro-sama's shadow was following me everywhere I went. I started listening more closely, but they began talking about fishing and it didn't seem like they were going to revisit the topic. I gave up and left.  ...But of course. Oyashiro-sama was the guardian deity of this place... of Hinamizawa. As long as I was in Hinamizawa, I wouldn't be able to escape… BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  I might as well buy a snack with the change from the examination fee on the way home. Contemplating that, I turned onto a familiar street.  ...Was I really walking so far into the middle of the road where I'd be in a car's way? I moved farther off to the side, but the horn was still honking at me. I turned around, peeved. "Maebara-san, good day to you."It was Ooishi-san. He stepped out of his car, AC on full blast, and waved at me.  "J-Just not feeling well, so I took the day off. ...I was about to buy lunch and head back home." "That's great. I'm just about to get lunch myself. Would you mind going together? ...Ah, if you're not feeling up for it, then don't mind me."I was just going to lie down after going home anyway. ...And I didn't really have a cold. "I doubt you'd want to eat at one of these local places. Let's go into town. It's a bit of a drive, is that all right? I know a pretty good place."I'd finally begun to understand Ooishi-san's roundabout way of saying things. ...He probably wanted to talk to me about stuff that would be difficult to discuss while in Hinamizawa.  It was almost as if the bright sunlight outside was a lie. "I'm sorry about calling you so late last night. Did your parents get angry at you?" "No..."I recalled Rena, who had been listening to the phone conversation all that time, separated from me by just the door. ...Even now, in the brightness of the sunlight... the thought still creeped me out. With a big bump that jolted the car, the road connecting to the city changed from dirt to pavement. My head swiveled back with a sudden realization. That's right... This was where Tomitake-san died.  Ooishi-san spoke while peering at me from the corner of his eye. "They believed it was caused by hallucinogens, given how he was clawing out his own throat ...But a drug that could cause that to happen so suddenly... is extremely hard to come by.” “Bear in mind, of course, the autopsy was done with that premise in mind... but we didn't find any leads." "Um... you know that thing you see in comics all the time? Where there's a drug that, if you put it in them, it doesn't leave any traces..." "It exists. Succinylchol-something-or-other. Well, it's pretty common. But you see. There doesn't seem to be any kind of drug that would cause Tomitake-san to react like that." "...Then... you're saying the police concluded Tomitake-san just died from the curse!?"I couldn't help but feel that the police were worthless. ...I just wanted the idea of a curse to be dissociated from Tomitake-san's mysterious death. "Unfortunately, that's how it looks right now. But putting aside the cause of death... Without a doubt, he was surrounded by a group of people and had taken a beating before he died. That was no curse, but an incident that unquestionably involved other humans."That made me a bit.. relieved.  The car pulled into a restaurant parking lot and I followed Ooishi-san into the shop. BGM: Afternoon in Paris  "Two, please. Non-smoking." "This way, please. When you are ready to order, please call me over."We were led by a peculiarly dressed waitress to our table. I sat with Ooishi-san in the booth. "So what do you think? Aren't the waitresses' outfits here cute?" "Huh? Well... um... I guess??" "...This shop is always quite busy. It's more about the waitresses than the food, you see~" "Uh huh. ...Ooishi-san... you're leering." "Hmm? Am I really? Murhuhuhuhuh...!" Finishing our meals while talking about some inane topic, Ooishi-san's after-meal cup of coffee arrived at the table. "Yesterday, we talked about Hinamizawa's past, didn't we?" "Yeah. That it was the village of man-eating demons... or something like that." "I didn't know much about it myself, so I asked my grandmother about it this morning."Ooishi-san took out the notepad that was stuffed into his breast pocket. BGM: Seijaku (Quietness)  "Onigafuchi... ...That's quite the name..." "The name is still around. ...The marsh where the Shinto priest's wife drowned herself is still called Ogres' Abyss. ...It's said that the depths of that marsh connect to the realm of demons."Of course, nobody had told me anything about such an ominous marsh... "And you see, it appears they were both feared and revered."A respect born of fear... I guess you could say it was a kind of deification. A village of inhuman creatures. "Seems the demons were Sennin—or mountain-dwelling mystics—of sorts. Taking villagers with incurable illnesses into the Ogres' Abyss and healing them... for example."Even if we are calling them demons... Tengu—long-nosed goblins—or Sennin would be a more apt description.  "But they were still man-eating demons. According to the story my grandma told me... as payment for treating the son's illness, 'Let us eat the mother who brought him here!' ...Was apparently how things went." "...The price of curing her son... was herself!? ...That's unsettling." "Of course the mother took her son and ran. Then, you see... All the people who lived in Onigafuchi... The demons chased them down, rounded them up, and captured them."The entire village... apparently. ...That's quite a frightening thing to imagine. BGM: Silence  "There's a problem with this story. ...Both witnesses in this story were eaten, so nobody would be able to tell the tale." "Huuh? ...Bwahahaha! There are plenty of old fables like this."In contrast to the ghastly tale, Ooishi-san laughed heartily while sipping his coffee. BGM: Silver Mirror  I recalled that Mion said all the villagers united and fought against the dam construction. ...I saw similarities with how that part about unification overlapped. "Normally they hunted down a single person, and they chose who it was going to be beforehand." "...Huh?"That caught my attention. ...Ooishi-san also appeared to be pondering what it meant. "My grandmother told me that you must never interfere with the 'demon's hunt.' You should just hole up in your house and hide under the covers, she said." "...So what does this all mean?" "It means you mustn't ever help or protect the prey. As long as you don't disturb the demon's hunt, no harm will fall upon the villagers. It seems there's that kind of rule." Pretend you didn't see the atrocities... in other words... "What happens if you break the rule?" "Well... they're man-eating demons, after all..."Many parts of that tale caught my attention. ...Parts of the story he told me overlapped with his theory that the perpetrators were all the village families. Even if it wasn't the whole village... it was conceivable that the villagers were "hiding under the covers and leaving them to die" when there's a group that was on their "hunt," wasn't it...??? I didn't dare speak it. "...Then, Ooishi-san... I guess it looks like it's either the village families or a group of villagers perpetrating the crimes...?" "What do you think, Maebara-san?” “...Ah, excuse me. Another cup of coffee, please."That's what I wanted to know. ...It seemed that... we were both waiting for the other to say that last part...  BGM: Doukutsu (Cave) "...Last year, I had a nagging feeling when Satoshi-kun disappeared."Ooishi-san muttered as he watched the milk swirl around in his coffee. "So those friends of Satoshi-san... meaning your group of friends, Maebara-san... I had a bit— Really just a little bit, okay? —of background checking done on them."If Ooishi-san had said this to me before... I would've been furious, since he'd told me earlier not to suspect my friends... But as I was now, I couldn't... "This might sound pretty stupid. Maebara-san, if you feel that it's stupid, please say so. I'll just stop."Ooishi-san was wearing the most serious expression that I'd ever seen from him. ...It was as if he was telling me to prepare myself and listen. There were quite a few things I regretted hearing from Ooishi-san. ...But... none of them were as threatening as this...  Stop, Keiichi. This was probably the last one...! I took a deep breath and silenced that voice. ...I would not run from the truth. "...Please."That was all I could utter. ...Ooishi-san stared into my eyes silently for a few moments. After he was certain I was ready, he began.  ...Ooishi-san had said before that Mion had defied the dam project vehemently. ...Well, it wasn't hard to imagine how she'd be if she got worked up. "In the second year, the married couple who supported the project died in that accident, right? They had a daughter... Her name is Satoko Houjou-san." "Huh!? Satoko, meaning... Satoko!?!?"Ooishi-san's look told me that my voice was too loud. ...I realized it as well, and quickly quieted down. "The Shinto priest and his wife who died in the third year. You see... their daughter is Rika Furude-san." "...Rika-chan...was--!?!?" "The housewife who died in the fourth year you know already, don't you? It was the step-aunt of Satoko Houjou-san. ...She was in her aunt and uncle's custody, as she had lost both of her parents in the accident... She lived in the victim's house."I could tell my lips were getting dry. I... didn't even have the wits to keep my mouth from hanging agape. I had thought it was nothing but a bizarre incident... one that I could easily distance myself from.  "The one who disappeared the fourth year, by the way... he was Satoko-san's older brother." "Wha... just... ah... wait... just a second..."It took everything I had to finally say that. ...I gulped down a glass of water and once again wiped my face with a napkin... Calm down, Keiichi Maebara...! But Ooishi-san was relentless. ...Instead of waiting for me to finish sorting out my feelings, he started speaking again. The last of the things I shouldn't have heard...  "...That has to be just a coincidence!!" "Maebara-san, keep it down... Everyone's looking..."Mion...? Satoko!? Rika-chan!? So what if they're connected!? You're telling me, all of my friends...!?!? It couldn't be... it just couldn't be... ...Oh, Rena is different, isn't she!? Rena isn't connected with the victims at all. "Rena Ryuugu-san was living in a suburb of Ibaraki prefecture up until last year. Well, it's true she hadn't directly met any of the victims..."He said it in a roundabout way. Is he saying she's also connected...!? BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi  "R-Rena did that!? ...She broke all the windows at her school!?!?"That... same, silly... Rena had...!? I couldn't even imagine it. "It seems that, after her three day suspension, she didn't return to school. She went to a neurologist and was diagnosed with dysautonomia. She was given weeks of counseling and medication."I wonder if it was something like a nervous breakdown. ... I'd heard that it happens to people who are really methodical or overly sensitive. ...Neither of those matched Rena's easygoing personality... "...and in the counselor's medical report, he recorded all of the conversations he had with Rena-san... 'It' shows up... And quite a bit at that." "What did...?"I pressed forward carelessly. ...There couldn't be anything more for me to regret...  It felt like someone's stone cold hand was caressing my back... ...Why... why had Rena spoken of Oyashiro-sama before she even came to Hinamizawa...!? "Seems that the Oyashiro-sama she spoke of was like a ghost, appearing in her house every night. Standing over her pillow, looking down at her."...My mind froze. ...I couldn't process... what I was being told... "A while after that, she moved to Hinamizawa. ...Ah, that's right. She's not an outsider." "Huh?" "According to their residency register, the Ryuugu family used to reside in Hinamizawa. Rena-san moved to Ibaraki right after she finished elementary school." ...It was similar to the static you'd see on a blank TV channel... My ears began ringing as I lost all sense of comprehension... "...Maebara-san, are you all right? Shall we stop?"Those words brought me back. ...I couldn't let it end here...! "...Now I understand Rena... Then... how about the last victim, Tomitake-san? ...Who was he connected with...?"Irritated, I let out one final reprisal.  ...Now there was nothing I could respond with... ...I fell silent as my brain turned to mush... "We should get going. Ah. Maebara-san, did you take your afternoon medicine?"I had completely forgotten about the medicine I had gotten today until Ooishi-san said that... I got another glass of water, and we left the shop after I chugged it down.  BGM: Silence  ...I never really paid attention when I was on my bike, but did cars normally shake this much...? ...It was almost as if the road was desperately trying to tell me something. *Badump* ...That big jolt was from the difference in elevation of the road when it changed from cement to dirt. I was certain that I heard Tomitake-san's scream... I sat in silence, just letting myself be shaken by the car... "I'll drop you off at your house. ...You missed school because you were ill, correct? My apologies for the long conversation." "...Why did you talk to me?"I blurted out the question. ...Really just blurted it out. I didn't expect an answer. "I did check with you first, didn't I? If we should just stop..." "Not that! ...Why did you reach out to me?"...I understood quite well that Ooishi-san was investigating this string of suspicious incidents. But... why was he telling me all this...? I knew nothing and I couldn't help. Everything Ooishi-san spoke of was news to me. ...First of all... what could I, having just moved here... know? By chance... If there was a reason for Ooishi-san to reach out to me, then it would have to be...  "...I'm retiring this year. I plan on moving away after retiring as my grandma wants. So while I'm still on the case, I want to bring the truth behind this incident to light." "...So... Ooishi-san, you suspect them, don't you? All of them."Ooishi-san didn't really give a response. It felt a little late, but I thought it was his way of showing a bit of consideration for my feelings. "This is... mostly my intuition from 30 years on this job. ...Maebara-san. You're the one in danger." "...Huh?" "I'll be retiring this year, so I won't be at the Watanagashi next year. ...So I want to settle things." In other words, he was insinuating that on the next Watanagashi, I might be the victim... "I've been warned by the chief as well. 'Each incident in the string of cases has been solved, so don't bring it up again,' or so I was told... This is the pressure that I'm facing..." "Pressure... from what?" "Someone in Hinamizawa. ...We've arrived. Is this fine?" BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi It was hot outside the car. The chirping of the higurashi hurt my ears.  "...So you're saying I should contact you if anything happens?" "It's fine. ...Just contact me when you feel you have to, Maebara-san."I wasn't collected enough to understand Ooishi-san's roundabout way of saying it. "Be sure to take it easy. ...I'm sorry for throwing all this at you while you're taking the day off because you're sick."I didn't really give any sort of response. "I'll always be on your side. ...If anything, believe that. I'll be off now." It felt like I was watching a boat only throw me a lifesaver in shark-infested waters before disappearing into the distance. ...That was the first time I thought Ooishi-san was being unfair. Telling me I was going to be the next victim, then just saying to contact him if something happened. ...This wasn't a criminal investigation. He was fishing. ...And I was just the bait dangling off the line. Would the fish be the perpetrator? Or was it really just Oyashiro-sama's curse? ...Either way, the bait would be swallowed whole... "...drat it... I don't want to die..."For some time, I could do nothing but stare at the puddle of water left behind by the AC from the car… 
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Jul 18, 2021 17:39
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 While I think that the entire village cannot be in on the killings (Satoko and Rika aren't involved, no way, due to both their age and how in hell would they be on board with their families being massacred) Oishi's sole contribution to solving any of this poo poo is the implication that even if any given villager is not in on this, ALL of the villagers who are old enough to understand what's going on are turning a blind eye to whomever's doing the killings for one simple reason: They could be Next. But... Crom's Devils, but I REALLY cannot reconcile anymore how big of a poo poo Oishi is. He is literally ruining Keiichi's life by involving him on a sensitive case even his boss told him to leave alone, making him out to be a potential target and he's not even loving sorry. FFS, the dude just took him to Japanese Hooters for all I know! And for WHAT? Pride!? He has no personal stake in this and he's not doing it for altruistic reasons or simply to solve the case. Dude is loving retiring with his grandma after this year, whether or not he solves anything. The level of incompetence and selfishness is just... It's loving staggering. TKMobile fucked around with this message at 21:48 on Jul 18, 2021 |
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Jul 18, 2021 21:16
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TKMobile posted:Crom's Devils, but I REALLY cannot reconcile anymore how big of a poo poo Oishi is. He is literally ruining Keiichi's life by involving him on a sensitive case even his boss told him to leave alone, making him out to be a potential target and he's not even loving sorry. FFS, the dude just took him to Japanese Hooters for all I know! And for WHAT? Pride!? He has no personal stake in this and he's not doing it for altruistic reasons or simply to solve the case. Dude is loving retiring with his grandma after this year, whether or not he solves anything. The level of incompetence and selfishness is just... It's loving staggering. Counterpoint, everyone who disappeared is someoe close to the group but not fully a member of the group. Last year, their newest "friend" disappeared. The person who presumably had the same role as our unlucky protagonist in the game (and murder???) club. Could he be handling by it better? Yeah, sure, but letting someone pal around with a bunch of suspected killers without letting them know wouldn't be too great, imo. On top of that, letting a bunch of people get away with their crimes because the Chief is going "Forget it, Ooishi. It's Hinamizawa-town" would be way, way worse.
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Jul 19, 2021 00:38
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Capfalcon posted:Counterpoint, everyone who disappeared is someoe close to the group but not fully a member of the group. Last year, their newest "friend" disappeared. The person who presumably had the same role as our unlucky protagonist in the game (and murder???) club. These murders started when like Rena and Mion were 10. Satoko and Rika were barely, what? 5? 6? Mion may be deeper involved, and Rina is holding a cleaver on the cover image, but I cannot really see Satoko and Rika be actively involved in the murders. Because again, they've lost their families to this. But... You do have some good points. Letting Keiichi know about this is the right thing to do, but I still maintain Oishi's unwittingly or not painted a target on the poor kid by showing up and driving him off someplace to question him. Repeatedly. Did he think he was being covert?
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Jul 19, 2021 03:34
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TKMobile posted:These murders started when like Rena and Mion were 10. Satoko and Rika were barely, what? 5? 6? Mion may be deeper involved, and Rina is holding a cleaver on the cover image, but I cannot really see Satoko and Rika be actively involved in the murders. Because again, they've lost their families to this. That's a good point. I think it's unlikely they were murder tykes, but they probably know a lot more about it than either of our hapless detective pair. I also agree that there's probably a better way to get in touch with Keiichi. My only thought is that he's either underestimating the way talk travels in a small town or he's betting on getting through it with sheer chutzpah. After all, if you don't act like anything is wrong, then there's no secret. You're just talking to him because he's one of the last people to see him. If he wanted to do that, he could make a point of talking to the others so it's just checking boxes. "Yep, talking to all these kids because there the last ones who saw him.". But then parents get involved and the whole thing gets messy, so... I think I talked myself out of that approach. Honestly, Ooishi almost did get away with it. If Rena hadn't spotted him, no one would be the wiser...
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Jul 19, 2021 04:32
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Capfalcon posted:You're just talking to him because he's one of the last people to see him. I feel like that's the first mistake right there. 5 kids signed the shirt a murder victim was wearing when the corpse was discovered. Even if this town hates all cops, even if they have trouble with the law, it seems everybody would realize the fuzz would HAVE to show up at some point, at the very least to go "Okay, everyone chill. We just need to ask these kids what was going on when they last saw him," because...well again, they autographed the guy who died. Make it seem rote/procedural/boring as all hell when they do it and they SHOULD have done it. Ignoring an obvious point of questioning is just as suspicious, if not moreso as showing up in an unmarked car, grabbing the outsider kid and grilling him while filling his head with information that regardless of the "need to know" necessity is going to gently caress with him and put him on edge. And again, the narrative went out of its way to make the statement that Casa del Keiichi basically has a mini parking lot so people can come visit and see Dad's art gallery. His family are all outsiders but some unmarked car at their place could be easily interpreted as "Oh, the weird artist guy who lives in town has a client or something. Neat." Sure this involves the parents, who aren't tied to so many Persons of Interest, but Oishi should have involved them because Keiichi is still a minor. Because if Oishi expects that Keiichi could be a potential victim, NOT telling his parents is at the very least willful negligence.
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Jul 19, 2021 11:51
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I'm really worried about Rena now. With how suspicious she's been acting, I kind of expect her to have been kidnapped while walking to school on her own.
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Jul 20, 2021 05:41
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TKMobile posted:Because if Oishi expects that Keiichi could be a potential victim, NOT telling his parents is at the very least willful negligence. What if the parents take the threat seriously? They've only been here for over a month, they could just as easily move out...taking Ooishi's only lead along with them. Better not risk it  Ooishi is not a nice person.
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Jul 20, 2021 19:03
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 12 Part 2 BGM: Silence SFX: Crickets  It was getting dark outside. My body was soaked in sweat. ...It would probably be a good idea to change my sheets. At that moment, the phone downstairs rang. It was probably Mom. Mom was quite the worrywart. ...Maybe she had called many times but I just didn't notice it… BGM: Afternoon in Paris   "Hm, is this one of Keiichi's friends? Keiichi is resting now, but... shall I put him on?" "Huh!? I-I-Is this his dad?? Ahahahaha, s-s-sorry!!" "Bwahahahahahahahaha!! Idiot~! You fell for it!" "Huh!? K-Kei-chaaaaAAAaaaaaAAan!!"After our exchange, we both had a good laugh together. ...Except I was suspicious of her even as we were laughing... ...Was everybody... really involved in the incidents...? ...The fact that I couldn't say 'no,' saddened me.  "I'm relieved that you seem well. Rena was really worried, you know? Satoko-chan was happy and said you got what you deserved! Rika-chan said, 'how unfortunate he's sick!'" "Heh, looks like everyone was making a big deal out of it!" "Well, you know. So Kei-chan... Is now a bad time to come pay you a visit?" "A visit? No, it's okay. It's not like I'm dying." In previous translations and the voice clip, it’s more specific - Mion is bringing ohagi, which is mochi rice is covered with thick red bean (anko) paste. Here’s a recipe - there are variants where the anko paste is smoother, with no visible bean skins. "...Hey now, you'll catch my cold." "Not to worry! Both Rena and I are too stupid to catch a cold! See you! Be there in a bit!"She hung up cheerfully. Rena's coming too? That's what it sounded like. ...I was still concerned about meeting Rena, but I guess if she was with Mion... I heard the doorbell ten minutes later. BGM: Hello!  "I did just that." "Th-Thank goodness you look well. I was worried..." "Sorry... I'll be fine by tomorrow."Mion showed a complete lack of concern for someone who's recovering, and Rena looked like she was worried about me from the bottom of her heart. ...It didn't look like there was anything behind those expressions. "...I thought we might hang out for a bit, but it looks like you're not quite in the condition for it." "Hm? Y-You don't say!?"It seemed my face appeared a bit sullen.  Rena held out the package wrapped in newspaper. There might be about five in here. ...It was quite hefty. "Ah, thanks. Send my regards to your grandma, Mion." "Yep. Ah, there's one that I made in there as well! I wonder if Keiichi-kun can guess which one..." "This is Kei-chan's homework since he missed the club meeting today! There are letters on each mochi, so I'll ask you tomorrow!" "W-Were you checking if I was feeling better or did you just come here for club activities!?!" "Yep, yep, looking fine. Guess you'll be able to make it tomorrow~" "Man, what are you going to do if my fever comes back because of your shenanigans?" "M-Mii-chan, we shouldn't be making such a racket... Let's go. The other people here will get angry."...Both of them thought my parents were home. It was because the entranceway was a mess. "You're right, let's get going. ...Ah, by the way, Kei-chan." "Yeah?"BGM: Silence  BGM: Doukutsu (Cave) The sudden question startled me and I went wide-eyed when I saw Mion. ...I had never seen her like that... it was a highly unsettling visage. But... why... is she asking me about what I ate for lunch...? What she said was so inane it was almost meaningless. ...The way she said it, it was almost like she didn't even care at all about what I ate. "I-I ate out..."...She must have suspected that I was with Ooishi-san... Anyway, I felt that if I hesitated or tried to change the subject then they'd read too deep into it... so I tried answering as quickly as possible. Except... contrary to the efforts I had made... there was a pause before they replied.  The glimmer from Rena's eyes had changed at some point, as well. ...It was now sharp... as if to make me feel the feigned ignorance behind her words even more. ...As if she already knew... that's how it looked to me.  "Well? Was it good?" "...Wh-Why are you asking me this...?"Mion was speaking in an unusually low tone. ...Almost as if... she knew that I had eaten at the restaurant in town... No... I'm overthinking this. ...I mean... both of them should have been in school at lunchtime. ...There was no way they could have known where I was... BGM: Silence  Flop. The package with the mochi I was holding slipped out of my hands. I could tell the blood had drained from my face, making me go pale. BGM: Silver Mirror  "...Oh? Keiichi-kun, who was he? ...Could it be the person from before, I wonder? ...I wonder!?"I could feel the back of my throat going dry... This was no longer a bluff. ...They... knew everything...!? "H... How... do you... know that...?"It took everything I had to finally force those words from my throat. ...My knees were shaking. "...Because... ...there's nothing this old man doesn't know." "So, Kei-chan, what did you talk about? It seems like you got pretty worked up over it, too..." "W-We weren't talking about you guys...! It didn't have anything to do with you or Rena...!" "Hmm? ...Isn't it a bit strange to hear our names come up even though nobody asked about that, hmmm?"Rena's unwavering gaze pierced through my eyes and peered further inside me. I'd dug my own grave. ...My heart was throbbing so much, it felt like it was going to explode... "Well, whatever you're trying to hide... This old man already sees through it all. Remember that." "..."I couldn't even shake my head. ...It took everything I had to stop my teeth from chattering… SFX: Crickets  "...Keiichi-kun, you don't look so good. I think you should lie down." "That's true. We should both head back home."As if nothing had happened, they both giggled at each other and started making their way out. I hadn't moved a muscle since I had dropped the package of mochi. As they left, the door slowly closed behind them. ...All I could do was stare. ...As if I couldn't move until the door was completely closed. Just as the door was just about closed, it opened again slightly with a sudden creak, sending my heart racing once again.   "...Y... Yeah..." "...I'd 'hate it' if you missed school tomorrow, alright?"Thud. ...The door closed. I wasn't able to move a muscle even after their low laughter died off into the distance and silence once again enveloped the room… BGM: Silver Mirror  They knew what Ooishi-san and I talked about...!? Why...!? How!? No... that wasn't important... Thinking about it now... All of it could have been overheard... from the beginning when Ooishi-san met me. ...Just as Mion said... I couldn't hide anything... Then... what were they... trying to tell me...?  They were warning me not to say anything "unnecessary." What did they deem unnecessary...? I only talked with Ooishi-san about one thing. ...And they were warning me that that was unnecessary. What was it that Ooishi-san talked to me about...? The incidents involving Oyashiro-sama's curse that occurred every year weren't individual cases... but were connected as a whole... As well as the fact that there may be multiple perpetrators hidden within Hinamizawa... No... more precisely... ...that Mion, Rena, Satoko, and Rika-chan were all suspicious. Is that what they are warning me against...?  I hit my own face hard enough that it let out a loud slap. ...If only that would wake me from this nightmare... But for some reason it felt like I was punching a blanket... it was almost laughably painless. BGM: Doukutsu (Cave) Calm down, Keiichi Maebara...! When did I become such a pessimist? Calm down. Calm down! Settle down and sort things out...! The reason Mion knew I was eating lunch with Ooishi-san was probably because... somebody from Hinamizawa just happened to be there at the time. They must have told Mion that I was there... That made the most sense. Plus... come to think of it... She didn't ask me where I ate lunch, did she? ...She only asked, "was it good?"...! They were just curious since I was together with someone not from Hinamizawa... It's not... as if they had any ulterior motives... That's it. That has to be it...! Thinking about it that way, it was the same with Rena. I was just being strangely ambiguous about when I met with Ooishi-san, and Rena was just correcting me on that. That's when I was bewildered by the change in character from the usual mild-mannered Rena... and was just startled by it... That's the most natural way of thinking about it...! ...It felt like my mind was mixed up like a tangled mess of spaghetti.  Thinking that, I suddenly felt like vomiting. ...I really didn't want that to happen, so I stopped holding my head... Lately, I had no idea what anyone was saying... Spending time with them was fun. It didn't feel like there was any sort of hidden agenda. I really do think that they're a good bunch of people... When I just moved here and couldn't make heads or tails of everything, they were really kind to me. Rena was really kind and always looked after me. As long as that strange affliction didn't rear its ugly head, she was really pretty cute. Mion is also a really good person. She didn't care about anyone's age or gender, and was optimistic and outgoing. I was never bored when I was with her. ...And talking of not getting bored, rambunctious Satoko was a good person for that, too. She was pretty bratty, but that was just the way she interacted with others. ...Rika-chan was the same way. She didn't speak often, but that didn't mean she was always silent. ...They're my friends!  Then hearing from Ooishi-san... that Mion, Rena, Satoko, and Rika-chan were all suspicious. ...After that... everyone changed. ...That's right. It all started getting weird after Ooishi-san told me all that strange stuff... ...At that time, I really should have... should have just not listened to those weird stories. ...And I even shouldn't have heard about the past incidents from Tomitake-san the night of the Watanagashi... ...If I just hadn't gotten that strange sense of curiosity... if I just hadn't...  That impudent outsider speaking to the likes of me after everybody went out of their way to keep it a secret from me.  For trying to unearth what everybody was warning me was better left buried. Besides that... he was unforgivable for spewing words that made me doubt the others. ...Of course a guy like that is going to be ****ed...!!! Both Tomitake-san and Ooishi-san were nothing but outsiders, after all. They were entities who couldn't coexist with the people of Hinamizawa. Those guys should just fall to Oyashiro-sama's curse and just ***!! BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi It wasn't their fault. ...It was my fault for not being able to hold back my curiosity. It wasn't their fault. It wasn't their fault...   ...I was fine now. ...I was no longer frightened. ...I had completely recovered. I'll go to school tomorrow, right as rain. I'll greet everyone. I'll take part in club activities. It'll definitely be fun. It had to be fun. ...I was one of them, after all. "...Ah, that reminds me. I need to eat those mochi... I hope I'm able to tell which one Rena made."I remembered the homework the two brought with them when they visited me. But wow, our club did delivery. That was something else. I picked up the package I'd dropped on the floor and headed into the living room.  ...To fill my mouth with mochi while drinking tea. ...Oh. This was quite a delectable situation I was in. Opening up the newspaper wrapping, there were five plump red bean paste mochi fit snugly inside. There were letters written from left to right on the newspaper: A, B, C, D, and E. Now, then... They said Rena made one of these... I wonder which one. There wasn't much difference in how they looked. They smelled and appeared about the same. ...This was... a pretty difficult problem! The biggest difference... was probably their shape. I wasn't sure what kind of person Mion's grandma was, but Rena's had to be different from hers...!  So well that, just by staring at it, one could tell it stood out. "...Looks like this challenge depends on whether or not this one is Rena's."Calm down and think even harder...! ...Mion had said her grandma made a ton of them and was told to give some out, if I remembered correctly. ...So that meant four of these were from that large batch. Then what about Rena? She probably... only made one. So she probably spent quite a bit of time on it. ...Meaning... the one Rena had made was this one... E!! For a moment I thought it may have been a trap Mion laid as she knew I'd pick up on it, but that probably wasn't the case. ...I wouldn't be so sure if I knew Mion had made it, but since she said Rena made it, it probably wasn't a trap.  Hmm. ...Not bad. The smooth bean paste and soft, chewy texture left little to be desired! The tea I drank afterwards also accentuated the experience. ...This... was an exquisite piece of work! Now, how about Rena's? The creation was so delicate, one would think it was a high-class Japanese dessert. Since I normally had quite the appetite, I was slightly worried about the size of the portion... But, well... first, a bite... ...This was quite a difficult one to judge, actually! The ingredients were exactly the same so there was little difference in flavor. What was different was how it was shaped at the end, so it was to be expected. So the deciding factors would be... presentation and volume. The well-formed and well-sized champion, versus Rena the challenger, with a size you just couldn't get enough of! I'd only had one bite of Rena's. I would probably have to wait until after I was done eating to make my decision. ...Maybe... there was something hidden inside that could cause an upset...! ”*chew chew* ...Hmm..."It seems my prediction was right. My tongue touched something. It didn't feel like something edible, so I reached in with my fingers and grabbed it. BGM: Silence  Before I could fully comprehend what it was, I threw away the rest of the mochi I was eating as fast as I could! It slammed against the wall, causing the bean jam to splatter. Then, after sticking for a moment, it slid down to the floor. BGM: Doukutsu (Cave) ...I was dumbstruck by my own actions. What was I doing...!? Rena had gone out of her way to make it for me... How could I!? Dumbstruck, I looked down at the hand that performed such a vile act... then I remembered what I had taken out of my mouth...  Even though it was shorter than Mion's, Rena's hair was still quite long. And it wasn't this short. It was also a bit too hard to be hair. It was thick enough to roll around on my tongue. ...There was a bit of a metallic sheen on one end of it, ah yes, there was a hole for where thread goes through, like it was a sewing needle... Yes, that's right... It looked very much like a sewing needle... ...Exactly like one. ...The end was pointed as well. Quite sharply. ...It really did look just like a sewing needle. Huh? ...What did I mean by, "looked very much like a sewing needle," just a bit ago...? ...I couldn't answer. But a voice inside me already knew... and let me know by chattering my molars together. BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi  Suddenly, I tasted something metallic and felt a prickling pain at the back of my throat. ...I stuck my finger in the back of my mouth and felt around to see if I was bleeding. ...Suddenly, I felt the urge to vomit. The sharp taste of bile irritated the back of my throat. I clasped both hands over my mouth and, after writhing in agony... I was somehow able to hold back the nausea. I was finally able to breathe normally again, but this time my heart was throbbing intensely . ...Then, it finally registered... ...Exactly what was mixed in with the mochi. Before I could think of the correct word, my hands were already on the move.  I tossed the rest of the mochi against the wall.  After looking away, I dashed out to the hall and flew upstairs to my room, where I stayed under my covers until morning.  This wasn't a threat or warning or reminder, nothing as simple as that...!!! What had happened in Hinamizawa? What is happening in Hinamizawa? What would happen? ...I didn't know the answer to any of those questions. Where did I break a taboo!? Regardless... now Rena and Mion... and others... They consider me an enemy! And they thought... I should just die!!! I won't let you kill me! Not for such a... pointless reason!!! I fell into a restless sleep as I was crushed by my negative emotions. It was as if I was being drawn into a billowing, bottomless marsh…  - - -  TIP 16: A drug that makes you kill yourself? TIP 17: Threat
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Jul 20, 2021 19:05
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limeicebreakers posted:What if the parents take the threat seriously? They've only been here for over a month, they could just as easily move out...taking Ooishi's only lead along with them. Better not risk it Oh dear god, that is horrifyingly in character for him... What makes me sad about this part is if they hadn't gotten creepy about it, Keiichi could have opened up to his friends. Yeah, it sure would suck royal if they were, like, axe-murderers in cahoots with any other killers in town, but Oishi hasn't really put his best foot forward here. "Mion, this cop has been bothering me about the murder this year and he said some awful poo poo about you and Rena. I need to know I can trust you... " Or hell, you know what? it's time to tell mom and dad, stupid!. You found a goddamn needle in your food, Keiichi it's way past time to yell for help!! This loving poo poo has gotten completely out of hand, but hey, you literally can run crying to his parents; you're not an adult. "Pops, put down that paint brush and listen. After some guy got murdered at the festival last week this creepy cop dude has been grilling me about my friends, trying to get dirt on them/solve the murder and my friends are acting really shifty ever since he did. No, really! Look, they put loving needles in my food! feel very unsafe. What the gently caress do I even do in this situation?!" Obviously THEY couldn't be in on the killings anymore than Keiichi can. gently caress Oishi and gently caress the gaming club; go find some other nice mountain town on the opposite end of the country that doesn't have an annual kill count and sell your art there. They invented UPS for a reason. TKMobile fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Jul 20, 2021 |
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Jul 20, 2021 19:54
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I feel like they’re not very good friends if they’re putting needles in your food. I buy that they weren’t involved with the original killings but this is murdery to the point where I wonder if it’s somehow a misdirectionquote:You're going to be retiring next year, aren't you? Weren't you going to pay off your mortgage with your pension and move up to Hokkaido with your mom?  this is a death flag if I’ve ever seen one
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Jul 21, 2021 19:55
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 13 Part 1 BGM: Silence *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* The sound of muffled footsteps stopped in front of the door to my room. A moment of silence... as if whomever they belonged to was ascertaining if I was inside.  I was very much conscious, but my body hadn't caught up yet. ...Even with danger bearing down on me from just beyond the door... It was as if I was completely paralyzed, unable to move. ...Without a doubt, this was sheer terror. Please... just leave...     I sprung to my feet and threw my covers at my mom, who was opening the door!! BGM: Silence "Whoa! Keiichi!? What's the matter?" "Ah... Ahh... sorry. ...I was still half-asleep..."I thought it was still 1 or 2 AM. But the morning sun was already streaming through the gap between the curtains. ...It felt nothing like morning. Yesterday... I must have fallen asleep right after that. ...Then I should have gotten a full 10 hours of rest... ...But it didn't feel like that at all. My internal clock was completely screwed up and my sense of balance felt off. I felt feverish enough that it was clear to me that I was still not well.  ...I was well enough to go... but I wasn't mentally prepared for it. I was still plagued with the terror from yesterday... If I had... swallowed that needle... what would have happened...? Or what if it had pierced my tongue...? There was undoubtedly a murderous intent... but I don't think that's all it was. If they really wanted to kill me, then there were other, more certain ways to do it. They wouldn't resort to such a dubious method as having me swallow a needle. ...Meaning... I didn't want to believe it, but... going that far was... just a threat... from Rena and Mion.  Like that. Something like sending a letter with a razor inside would have been a joke compared to this. "...Did you make it to the hospital? Did you take your medicine?" "Mm... yeah. Kinda..."Something about my mom's dubious gaze bothered me. She seemed more concerned about her son missing two days of school rather than him being sick. ...It was definitely mental fatigue... I wasn't really physically ill. "It'll be hard for you to get back on track once your daily routine is thrown off. Come on, get on up! They say wellness is a state of mind."I'd heard that line many times before. I was given an award in elementary school for having perfect attendance... but it wasn't like I was "healthier" than everyone. "Come on, go wash your face. Breakfast is already ready. ...There isn't much time before Rena-chan comes and gets you."Mom's tone meant I couldn't argue about it, so I had to give up on skipping a second day.  ...I didn't feel particularly guilty for doing it, so I didn't have much of a reaction. Also, Mom didn't question me any further about it. She headed back downstairs after she was certain I was getting up. What Mion said as she left yesterday... "I'd hate it if you missed school tomorrow..." ...Came back and dwelled in the back of my head. What did she mean by that...?  Taking that a bit further... It was the same as her saying I should just go about living my life as if nothing happened. If I showed any signs of acting unusual, it would probably result in them making their move. For example, maybe... I shouldn't pay attention to someone like Ooishi-san enticing me with "something unusual." Meaning... if I didn't watch my mouth or did anything differently from the norm, in effect, it would end up flagging myself as someone who was "not wanted"... And it seems... that was something that the girls didn't intend to forgive. So... if I just went along as normal... No harm would come to me... Was that how it was going to be...? All that misery I experienced up until yesterday would—almost creepily—just fade away... It was an enticing deal. Just by forgetting everything I'd seen or heard these last few days... I'd be able to keep living on like normal.  I swallowed hard... I once again deliberated on the idea that I had just rejected. Mion... was probably a good person who had her friends at heart. ...She was giving me... who had mistakenly broken some rule of theirs... a chance. Was what I did... really something so unforgivable? But Mion had given me another chance. ...She was saying... if I just forgot everything and kept living on like I had been, I'd be forgiven... "Keiichi~! Your food is going to get cold! Hurry up and get down here~!Rena will be here if you don't hurry!" "Ah... I'm coming!"I crammed my textbooks into my bag and hastily made my way downstairs.  It seemed that I didn't have much time. It was already past when I usually met up with Rena. Given yesterday's events... she'd probably be here in the next five minutes. ...I needed to be ready to head to school by then... I had to forget everything that had happened the past two days... Forget it all and return to my normal life... For this to be normal, I'll have to be where I normally meet up with Rena... ...Today of all days, the rice was dry and hard to get down.  I jumped at the sound and dropped my chopsticks. ...That chime signaled that Rena had arrived. Mom hurried me along. "Come on, Rena-chan's already here...! Hurry, hurry!"My mother's merry smile and my gloomy face were polar opposites.  ...The Rena on the other side... was it the Rena I knew? I couldn't keep her waiting... I needed to do things as usual...  An invigorating greeting filtered in from across the doorway. "...I came since Keiichi-kun was a bit late... will he be okay today, I wonder? ...I wonder?"The manner in which Rena was concerned was, without a doubt, the Rena I knew. ...But that was probably only if I reciprocated. Forget everything from yesterday... pretend as though nothing had happened... Forget about the gruesome dismemberment. Forget about the mysterious deaths that happened the following years. ...Forget about the people falling to their death... and the terminal illness and suicide...the fatal beatings... and the disappearances. Forget it. Forget all of it.  Rena, once again, asked to make sure. "...Can you... make it to school?" "Y... Yeah... I'm fine." "Great! Then let's go! Mii-chan is waiting."Rena showed me her usual bright smile. I couldn't find any hint of deceit in her expression. ...My nervousness dissipated, giving way to relief… - - - BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  As we were walking, Rena talked about a lot of different stuff, more so than usual. "...Hmm. ...Then?" "Satoko-chan is clumsy, so she failed no matter how many times she tried! ...Hao... she was shou kyuute..."Everything Rena talked about was just silly nonsense, so I just replied every so often and laughed from time to time. It was a rather laid-back conversation.  "Oh, my! Keiichi-chan and Rena-chan, aren't you two a bit late today~? Mion-chan said she was going on ahead!" "Uh-oh! Did Mii-chan look mad, I wonder? ...I wonder!? We need to hurry up, Keiichi-kun!"As we smiled and parted ways with our neighbor, they turned back towards me and stuck out a tongue. Not expecting that, I couldn't help but crack a smile.  "Huh... wh-what?"Rena stopped and stared at me. "...I was thinking that you still hadn't recovered from your cold since you seemed down this morning, Keiichi-kun... but now you seem fine. ...Fine!"With a grin, she gently poked my cheek. It was a bright, sincere smile. ...Hey, Keiichi Maebara. ...How can you still doubt Rena after she shows you a smile like that...? Maybe I just had a high fever up until today, and I imagined everything that I thought happened because I was bedridden and delirious? ...I really hoped that was the case.  I would want what had happened in the past few days... More specifically, from the night of the Watanagashi up until last night... I wanted all of that to have never happened. I wonder how many times I'd wished for this these past few days... As long as Rena kept on smiling like this... I think it might just become reality. So I wanted Rena to keep on smiling... ...Keep on... smiling...   That vain wish of mine was instantly shattered. My heart began palpitating. The relaxed morning mood suddenly became frigid. Rena's smile... was the same as usual, her eyes were gentle as usual... 'Those mochi yesterday... did you eat them all...?' ...Of course she wasn't asking the question at face value. In other words, Rena was asking... Did you get the message?' ...She was probably trying to convey that… “...Keiichi-kun?"I was reluctant to give an answer. Rena stopped walking and stared deeply into my eyes. "Ah..."...Don't... Don't hesitate, Keiichi Maebara. ...Rena was acting the same as always, wasn't she? I needed to respond in my usual way. ...Naturally, of course...! But both my throat and mouth had gone dry, and my lips were stuck together... Hurry and answer, Keiichi... Not that much time had passed. I could still... keep the conversation going naturally... I had to... say something quickly...  "De~?"Rena playfully mimicked what I said when I finally squeaked something out. Rena's reaction was still normal. ...It seems that there wasn't as long of a pause as I had thought. Somehow, I finally squeaked out the rest. "D... Delicious...!"However, my strained efforts neither sullied nor brightened Rena's expression. For a moment I panicked, thinking I had replied incorrectly.  Being strung along by that laugh... I couldn't help but laugh as well. "I see~ So did you eat all of them, I wonder? ...I wonder?"My timid smile froze again. ...Did you make it without swallowing the sewing needle? Was that what she was asking...? If I had swallowed it, then I wouldn't be here. "N-Nah... I couldn't... finish all of them. ...There's still some left."I was scared out of my wits... but that's how I played it. "...Huuh? What about the homework to see if you could tell which one Rena made...?" "Ahahahaha... that homework... was it due today?" "Yeah. It's due today. ...Mii-chan will get angry~ There's probably a penalty game ready for you."We both laughed at each other again. To a casual observer, it was just a typical morning. If I could just let myself believe, then even I'd think it was just the usual morning routine... But... I was certain I wasn't mistaken. There was something unimaginable buried beneath the facade of this giggling Rena.  I recalled that unexpected, piercing voice that I could hardly believe came from Rena's mouth. The moment that image crossed my mind, I felt a cold sweat trickle down my back. Was it only at that particular time that something evil had possessed Rena...? No, that was wrong. That was still Rena. Ooishi-san told me, didn't he...? "Actually, I looked into her. Before Ryuugu-san moved away to Hinamizawa, she was suspended from school. It seems she went through her school building and broke all of the windows."SFX: Night Higurashi  But... I couldn't even imagine... how she looked as she broke all the glass throughout the school. One thing I knew was that it wasn't something spur-of-the-moment. If it was some sudden outburst of anger, then maybe she'd break a pane or two... But she broke all of the windows all throughout her school. Just imagine going through your own school breaking the windows with a bat.  Your classmates aghast. ...Unable to move from the sudden turn of events. I wonder where she could have found the most windows lined up in a row... ...Probably the hallway. *Smash* Walk... Wind up… *Smash* Walk... Wind up... It was difficult for me to connect that horrifying image with the Rena smiling at me right now... But... I just had to imagine it. ...Impossible because it was unimaginable... that naive way of thinking no longer worked. The unpleasant, piercing sound of shattered glass, the crunching noise as Rena treads across the broken shards, walking towards me. ...Rena's classmates going pale as they forget to even breathe. I wondered what they did as Rena came closer, breaking windows along her path... Did they earnestly try to bring her to her senses by saying something? Or did they jump at her, trying to stop her savagery? Or did they run to the staff room after being directed there by the teachers? Probably none of those.  Dumbfounded... just clearing the path for Rena to continue. ...It was far too violent an act for them to seek refuge by looking the other way. That's not to say they were looking the other way... ...They were doing the only thing they could to protect themselves. If they had done something differently from the rest... They may have suddenly found themselves as Rena's new target. What would Rena have done to whoever attracted her attention? The answer was obvious. ...She would have undoubtedly acted according to her whims.  Rena, staring into my eyes, shards of glass crunching and crackling underfoot as she drew closer. ...I was also drawn into her eyes, paralyzed. Then Rena struck me with the bat over and over again, like I was one of those windows. I crouched down on to the floor, desperately protecting my head. Rena didn't care whether it was my head or my back. Zealously, she hits me again and again. What kind of expression was she making as she was doing this over and over again? ...I peered up to see.  It's because no matter how many times she struck me, I didn't make as pleasant a sound as the other windows. She struck me continuously. Over and over again. The sound Rena wanted didn't come out. Our classmates standing around didn't try to stop her. They didn't want to be the next window. Somebody save me... ...Turning a blind eye unless we're hanging out...!? ...But of course, everyone in class scrambled to obtain the highest standardized test scores. ...They'd gain nothing from saving a cram school try-hard like me...  Anyway, it wasn't that Rena momentarily lost herself in her anger. ...After forcing myself to breathe and calming down my heart, I recalled what Ooishi-san told me.  "What does...?" "She mentioned... the word 'Oyashiro-sama.'"Following that, Rena was suspended and had regular examinations at the hospital. Then, as Rena was undergoing counseling, she said it over and over... "Oyashiro-sama." "It seems that the Oyashiro-sama she spoke of was like a ghost, appearing in her house every night. Standing over her pillow looking down at her."That was only a piece of their conversation, so I still couldn't see the big picture... but it was by no means a happy little conversation. Then what Rena did... Was she saying that ghastly incident was a result of her being possessed by Oyashiro-sama...? Up until now, I didn't want to believe in Oyashiro-sama's curse. That's why I wanted to say the mysterious deaths every year happened because of some sort of conspiracy. Every time I talked with Ooishi-san, I was more certain that the deaths were the work of men and not of some curse. Except... if it was people perpetrating the incidents... my friends were somehow deeply connected.  Why? How? For what reason? ...Was Rena? ...Was everybody? It was much more painful and troublesome than accepting that it was just Oyashiro's curse. In the aftermath, Rena had admitted to her doctor that it was because she was possessed by Oyashiro-sama. I felt a strange sense of relief from that. So that's how it was. There wasn't a second side to Rena. ...She did that... because she was possessed by something strange like Oyashiro-sama... It wasn't Rena's fault. Oyashiro-sama was the one to blame...!  This was all backwards. Refusing to believe there was a curse, I wanted there to be a human perpetrator. ...Now that my close friends were the ones under suspicion, I changed my beliefs at my own convenience, saying it was Oyashiro-sama's curse to blame. Which was the better choice? Accepting that Oyashiro-sama's curse exists... Or that Rena and the rest of them... were deeply involved in the string of mysterious deaths? I didn't want to think about it. If I just didn't think about it, I'd be able to continue the same as always... I wanted to believe that... But... ...That was no longer possible. I had received their message. ...It was pathetic of me to try and bend the meaning to my own convenience. Regardless of my opponent being a human or curse. ...I won't let it kill me. As if I would just bend over and give in! ...For no good reason at all...! BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  Inhaling sharply upon hearing Rena's voice, I came back to my senses. Before I had realized it, we were already at the entrance. Shaking my head a few times, I exorcised all those terrifying thoughts. No matter how you looked at it... there's no way Rena could have done such terrible things...! It was like I was trying to placate myself…   The chalk dust went into my eyes, inducing a brief moment of agony.  "Good morning to both of you, Keiichi and Rena." "Good morning-☆ Satoko-chan, Rika-chan~!"Not quite in the mood for it, I didn't really react to Satoko's trap. Satoko braced herself as I passed by, expecting me to attack her. She seemed a bit disappointed as I simply walked by silently. "Wh-What is this...? How discouraging, indeed." "...Keiichi doesn't seem back to his usual self yet." "Yeah. ...Take it easy on him for today, 'kay?"Suddenly, there was a slap down on my shoulder. It hurt a bit...  It was Mion. My mind was full with the stuff about Rena... but Mion was also a party of interest. Remember, Keiichi. ...That hawkish gaze from yesterday. "...Yeah... Morning." "What's with that unenergetic greeting? Did you eat the mochi I brought you?"Because I ate them, I'm like this... Those words were itching to be blurted out. "...I really just didn't have the appetite. ...I ate a few, but quite a lot were left over." "Huh? What about the homework? Do you have an answer for which one was Rena's?" "I can't believe you'd forget your homework, Keiichi-kun. Ahahahaha." Flashing a lurid smile, Mion returned to her seat. There was nothing from our exchanges that would cause our classmates to suspect anything was amiss. But of course... Anyone listening to our conversations up until this morning... wouldn't see anything suspicious. That was why... it was so frightening. They acted in a way that, regardless of whatever happened to Keiichi Maebara, no one would ever suspect them... That fact had me terrified. SFX: Bell Soon the teacher came.  
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Jul 22, 2021 19:45
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I know Keiichi is kinda starting to unravel at this point, but seriously, how hard would it have been to talk to mom about the loving needle? That being said, while I don't think Oishi has anything to gain from lying about Rena's previous school life, other than implying she's been in on whatever kooky poo poo the town's keeping secret for a lot longer than you'd think, the story about the windows and Oyashiro-sama just feels like some context is missing from it. Other than this incident and the two initial deaths following the Dam murder, where the couple were on vacation, all the bad poo poo that's happened has happened in the town specifically. Why did these two events not? Are they actually unrelated?
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Jul 23, 2021 11:54
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 13 Part 2 BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  I gently closed my eyes and pondered the ridiculous position I was in right now. BGM: Silver Mirror First of all... What I shouldn't forget... was how dangerous of a situation I was in. I had fallen out of favor with them. After interacting with Ooishi-san multiple times, I could see it as I was getting closer to the heart of the matter. The warning yesterday with the mochi was a good indicator of that. ...No... Calling it a warning was just my habit of understating things. It probably had no meaning beyond stunting my progress and buying themselves some time. ...Until they had a method of completely "erasing" me... They were just biding their time. Even though they were keeping me under their thumb with threats, it didn't change the fact that I knew too much.  Was he also... similar to me? Did he learn something he shouldn't have... and was erased...? ...drat...! I wouldn't... let them get rid of me so easily... Never...!! But... were they really trying to kill me...? I've had these contradictory feelings for a while now. Even though I suspected them... I felt I had to cover for them.  Doubting my friends? Covering for them? My life was in danger... Or was it? Actually, I was debating the wrong point. Given my current situation... Those points were something that should have been deliberated on a long time ago... But really... Rena and the rest of them... Were they actually aiming to kill me? BGM: Silence  Are you an idiot, Keiichi Maebara!? The answer should be obvious! B... But maybe... that sewing needle might have been just an accident, right...? How could you screw up and drop a sewing needle into a piece of mochi!? The benefit of the doubt can only go so far!! Both Rena and Mion... had acted and behaved suspiciously... but maybe it was all some sort of misunderstanding... What kind of misunderstanding!? It wasn't just suspicious... it was outright ludicrous, right!? Rena just corrected me for lying... and Mion only asked me about what I had for lunch... Rena was standing outside our door eavesdropping for a solid hour?! Sh-She was... probably just waiting for my phone call to end... For a whole HOUR outside your room!? And is it normal to go home afterwards without saying anything!? ... You heard from Ooishi-san, didn't you!? About what Rena did at her former school? B-But... At the hospital, she said it was Oyashiro-sama's fault she...  BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi Ngh!? I inadvertently blurted those words out loud. Hearing myself say that so directly left me dumbfounded for a few moments. Afterwards, I had to look around to check if anyone else had heard it. My little soliloquy cut a little too close to the truth. Even though I could feel the murderous intent from Rena and the others... part of me somewhere was still trying to deny that. This late in the game... such hesitation could be fatal. ...I knew that. But... I was just your average student... a man living his normal, ordinary life! Do you think I could suddenly believe... that my friends, who I had been happily laughing together with up until last Sunday... now intended to kill me...!? Right...? "You're too soft, Keiichi!!!!"This time, I remembered to keep my voice down so only I could hear it. There was one thing I now understood.  I didn't completely understand how dangerous Rena and the rest of them were. No, I wasn't trying to understand. I was too soft for not listening to Ooishi-san when he was earnestly showing me the heart of the matter. I didn't listen because I was too busy pretending to be dejected. I didn't comprehend it. I was just running away. I didn't comprehend it, so nobody had any notion to try and kill me? I needed to get rid of such naive thoughts...! As I made that resolution, I heard the bell signaling the end of class. ...So soon. The day was already over. I didn't recall eating lunch or doing anything in class. My friends were putting their desks together in preparation for club activities. Not long ago, I would probably have happily jumped into that circle… BGM: Silence  The way Satoko spoke was so typical and familiar... it almost physically hurt.  Seeing Rena's expression... which said she was really looking forward to today, was hard to take. Hey, Keiichi... Maybe Ooishi-san is just some enormous jerk trying to separate me from the others by lying to me...? Slap!! Trying to expunge such weak-minded thinking, I slapped myself in the face.  Yeah... was Rena really trying to kill me...?? I wish someone would tell me it was a hoax. I didn't care if it actually was one or not, I just wanted someone to say it was. ...Guh, yet another weak-willed thought...! How did I ever become this naive!? "A-Are you all right...? Does your head hurt?"Apparently that was how my inner dilemma appeared to Rena. "You're pale! Can you make it home by yourself? ...Maybe I should accompany you home, I wonder? ...I wonder?" "No... it's okay... sorry. I can get home by myself. Just have the meeting without me."Upon hearing that I wasn't going to participate in the club meeting, Mion pouted unhappily.  "Keiichi-san doesn't have the burning desire for a rematch? How pathetic~!"I wouldn't fall for some dumb taunt. Without even a real retort, I just grabbed my bag and was about to get up. Someone's hand perched itself gently on my head.  It was Rika-chan. She was stretched up as far as she could, doing her best to pat my head with her petite hand... It felt so nice... which made things even harder. "Sorry... Everybody. ...See you!"BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  They said something to me as I was leaving, but I couldn't make it out. I managed to make it all the way to the entrance in that state of mind. Took out my shoes... put them on, and went forward. Forward... Harden that heart... Keiichi Maebara...! They were... for some unfathomable reason... trying to kill me!! They were plotting something dubious, watching my every move!! But... I couldn't hate them...!! Because... weren't they my friends!?! Part of me lamented my naiveté, while another part lamented the fact that I had lost something important by lamenting over it in the first place. It felt like my personality was being ripped in two, along with my body. If this is what Oyashiro-sama's curse was like... Then it was just... too harsh. Hey, Oyashiro-sama... I was wrong for not believing in your curse... But I believed in it now. Completely. Your curse does exist... So, seriously... give me a break... I beg you... come on… - - - SFX: Night Higurashi   BGM: Silence  It had no flavor or aroma. ...The miso soup that normally tantalized my appetite instead tasted like nothing but boiled water. Dad was eating with us that night. It was a rare occurrence in this household. When he got into his work, he ate and slept on his own schedule. My dad never cared about the time. Since my dad was at the dinner table, it either meant he had just reached a good point to take a break or he was in a slump. "So yeah, he just doesn't understand the motivation creators have." "Your partnership was just a verbal agreement, wasn't it? If it's so hard to agree on things, why not just end it?" "I feel like it's an industry with a lot of back-scratching... but when it gets in the way of business..."I wasn't able to pick out much of my mom and dad's conversation, but I could tell it wasn't a very pleasant topic. ...That, of course, made the disgusting food even less appealing.  ...Friends close to me—no, they used to be friends. But I could no longer trust them. Right now, I was greatly lacking in allies. People I trusted... people I could depend on when push came to shove. They were something I just didn't have. ...Having just one ally would have been incredibly reassuring in the currently hopeless situation I was in... I put down my chopsticks and looked over at my parents, who were still talking about work.  Currently, there wasn't a single person from Hinamizawa I could trust 100%. That meant the only people I could trust were my parents. But... If I told them everything that happened up until now, would they understand? Rena, for example. That neighborly Rena, who was so diligent in looking after me, came to get me every day, and sometimes brought over a share of what she made. How could I explain... that she wanted to kill me?? No matter how I explained, it would probably be difficult for anybody to comprehend. My somewhat eccentric dad wouldn't understand, and my high-strung mom would probably drag me off to a psychiatrist in the blink of an eye. Sadly... That was the amount of trust that existed in our relationship. Even if they did come to understand... what could they possibly do? Unless they could uncover the truth, they wouldn't be able to protect me. ...No... By informing them of these "unnecessary" things, I'd be putting my parents in danger as well...! Considering that the victims in past incidents were often married couples... I couldn't even joke about it.  What was important here was that knowing something "unnecessary" put you in danger. The most unsettling question was... how did they know that I knew...? "As long as they didn't know," my parents might not fall victim... that was one way to think about it, I guess...? At least it was like that in my case. After I found out, things started becoming odd. ...In other words, it meant the following: As long as my parents didn't know anything, nothing would happen to them. As long as my parents were here, this house would be a safe haven for them.  Wanting this house to be a safe haven... that was the pinnacle of my weak-willed method of thinking. I had to concede that it was not completely safe... It was only safer than the outside... I knew that I couldn't rely on my parents? No... I couldn't risk getting my parents involved. Then the only person who could be my ally would be... Ooishi-san. Him and him alone. He was the only person who understood the situation I was in. He didn't care so much about my safety, but he was without a doubt passionate about solving this case. ...It was a bit frustrating. ...Ooishi-san was basically the whole reason I was in this mess. Now to get out of it, I had to rely on him... Meaning... it was all going according to his devices. It was just my job to look appetizing while bobbing in the waves as bait. ...Then, when the fish started gathering around, Ooishi-san would pull up the big haul!  So, then... what should I do!? ...Patience was the first rule of fishing. Just keep waiting until the fish actually bites... But I wasn't simply bait. There were lots of ways for me to struggle before being devoured. When they struck, I needed to somehow dodge just enough and tag out to Ooishi-san. No question, it was going to be hard. ...The timing to bring Ooishi-san in would be difficult. He was in the city, not Hinamizawa. So if I phoned him in my moment of need, it would take him about 30 minutes to reach me. So I needed to run away for those 30 minutes... For example... if we set up a rendezvous point for dire situations or something. I'd just have to hide out there until Ooishi-san arrived.  I was still being chased around in the dark by boogiemen, but now I knew which way to go. I would never have imagined this would be so reassuring. Oh yeah... It would probably be best if I had a concealed weapon for when things got rough. ...Typically, that would call for a switchblade. But that wasn't too reassuring for combat. Also, since it was recognized as a weapon by the public, that also wasn't good. Really, when the time comes... a long weapon like a bat would work in my favor. I remembered there was a metal bat at school. ...I could be confident with that when push came to shove. ...If I pretended I was practicing my swing, then it wouldn't be suspicious for me to always carry it around. ...I could go to school early tomorrow and secure it. Just possessing a weapon may be enough to deter them.  It could be something like a note or memo. I could write down everything that's happened as a sort of journal. In case I suddenly vanished, the journal would be left behind. ...With my journal in his possession, Ooishi-san should be able to avenge my death. I left my parents engrossed in their conversation about work and went back to my room. BGM: Silence SFX: Crickets  ...Last time I wrote a journal was for summer homework in elementary school. In the off chance something bad happened, the police could use my diary as a lead. ...So I should only write down the facts. How should I start... I jotted down my thoughts as they came. "I, Keiichi Maebara, am in fear for my life." It made me laugh nervously. It was a line that showed up often in detective stories. I never even dreamed that I would be in the type of situation where I'd write it myself. "I do not know why they are after my life." Rena and the others were suspicious, but I had no proof. ...And that's why I couldn't write anything more. I laughed wryly at myself for writing such a passage draped in mystery. Would the police be able to get the hint from reading this enigmatic passage? I could only pray that they would. ...What I prayed for the most though, was that this journal never needed to play its part...Here, I laughed nervously. It was too simple, so I wrote down one more line I just thought of.  Was that... too much...? ...I probably shouldn't write more than that. ...If I wrote any more, then it would seem like I was just delusional. In order to appear to the reader that the person who had written this was of sound mind... I chose not to write anything else at that point. ... I just needed to add more as I learned more about the truth. I folded the paper and thought about a place to hide it. ...By hiding it somewhere obvious, there was the chance that 'they' would uncover it instead. On the other hand, if it was in too obscure of a location, then there was the risk of nobody finding it at all...  Yeah... It didn't look like anything was hidden behind it. Now I needed to set it up such that, "if anything happens to me," my parents could find it. I looked at it from countless different angles until I was satisfied and I made my way downstairs.  It didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon, so I cut in. "Ah, sorry to interrupt!! ...I have something I want to talk to you about."I'd never started off a conversation like that before, so my parents were both startled. They stopped talking and turned towards me. "What is it, Keiichi?" "I have a favor to ask of you, please listen. ...Um, just in case, yeah?" "If it's not urgent, can we do this later? Right now, Mommy and Daddy have something urgent they're talking about."I didn't think their talk was more urgent than mine. In any case, I stated my request. "Just in case, okay? If I die..."Both of my parents' eyes went as wide as saucers. "If I die... I want you to put the clock on my wall in my coffin."If they did that, then they'd probably find it. My memoir. Both my parents remained wide-eyed, not moving an inch. ...I couldn't blame them.  "...What's the matter? Keiichi... Did something happen?"Mom was finally able to ask me with a questioning gaze. Of course, this was a normal response for when someone's son suddenly talked about a subject like this. I felt bad about making them worry, but right now I just wanted them to think about the "clock" in my room. With the awkward mood leaving the room in silence, I decided to go back up to my room. "I... want to get to school early tomorrow, so I'm going to bed. Good night."Saying only that, I left the living room. I needed to get to school early tomorrow and secure that bat. I should make today the last day I went to school with Rena.  It wasn't something I could talk about with my parents. If I talked about it... it would only make things more dangerous. The fight that had begun was mine and mine alone, I couldn't rely on anybody. I wouldn't be killed... Not when I still knew nothing...  - - -  TIP 18: Not feeling so hot
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Jul 24, 2021 20:12
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Updated the OP. Would you guys like it if I put some sort of divider between the TIPs so that you had an idea of which TIPS appeared at the end of each Day?
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Jul 24, 2021 20:25
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....And after saying something like that, this right there is the point my mom or dad would storm upstairs and drag me back downstairs by the foot until this was all sorted out. While it does cover, kinda-sorta, why Keiichi doesn't tell mom and dad about this and it doesn't quite feel half-assed, it feels... I dunno, short sighted? If there really IS some kind of curse, the rules behind it don't make any sense going off what we know, so there's no guarantee Mom and Dad aren't going to be eaten by goblins or something if he dodges it (and it seems like this year's victims are already stone dead; if Keiichi's going to die to fit the pre-established pattern, he has a whole year of prep time...) But if it's some kind of secret village murder-spree, the killers aren't exactly going to be happy in the event he 'gets away' or if the cops show up en masse, so his family is STILL in danger if they turn their sights elsewhere. reads the tip  Ohhhhh kayyy... Mion knows something and Rena doesn't seem to be in the loop. But... I don't have enough evidence to prove anything further; if it weren't for Tomitake seemingly having no interaction (that we know of) with Oishi, I'd start to suspect that all the subsequent murders are being done by people in the village, and they go after squealers who the cop talks to. It would also address why two of the victims were killed away from the village--they weren't on vacay, they were going far the gently caress away before going to the cops. And were then murdered... so... did somebody follow them? Oishi isn't from the village (I think) so he's not some kind of bag man for the village taking care of anybody who might talk. And if he was, there'd be no reason for him to target Keiichi since he only really knows what Oishi told him in the first place. Arrgh, none of the pieces don't fit quite yet. All the other murder victims get killed during/around the Festival, and we have our murder/missing pair already. So if there is a curse or a deliberate pattern, Keiichi shouldn't be worried until NEXT summer. And Rena's record from before still doesn't connect to any of this either, I think. limeicebreakers posted:Updated the OP. Would you guys like it if I put some sort of divider between the TIPs so that you had an idea of which TIPS appeared at the end of each Day? That might be helpful yeah.
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Jul 25, 2021 00:42
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 14 Part 1 BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  It was 5:59, just moments before my alarm would go off. ...I was amazed at the precision of my internal clock. I had made preparations for the next day of school before I went to bed. I changed quickly and descended to the deserted lower floor.  Yesterday, I just unilaterally declared that I would be leaving early today, so it couldn't be helped. I slathered jam on some bread and topped it with instant cocoa. Just as I was finishing up breakfast, Mom rose groggily from her slumber. "...My, Keiichi, you're up early. Is there some sort of school event?" "Not really."Answering bluntly, I picked up my bag and stood after stuffing two slices of bread down my throat.  If I waited for her to make my lunch, then it would end up being the same time as usual. If I did that, it would raise the chances of me running into Rena and Mion on the way. Yes. From today onwards, I was going to go to school alone. "I'll be fine for today." "Then what will you do for lunch?" "I'll slip out and buy some bread or something at the store." "Really? ...Then here's some lunch money. Be sure to bring me back the receipt."I took the thousand-yen bill from Mom and slipped it into my pocket. "It's pretty early, is Rena-chan up this early as well...?" "No, just me." "...Did you tell Rena-chan that you're leaving early?"...I have no reason to tell her every little detail, now do I...? Finding it difficult answering the onslaught of questions, I made an annoyed face. "Tell Rena that I went ahead when she comes." "H-Hey, Keiichi!? Wait...!"It's not that I didn't trust my parents... I just couldn't rely on them.   For the first time since I moved here, I headed down the road to school alone. BGM: Silence   So I always met with the same people at the same places. But today was different. I didn't meet the people I would normally and nobody was at the places where I would have normally met them. Of course, Rena wasn't in the spot where we usually met and there wasn't anyone at the spot where we would have met up with Mion. The length of the trees' shadows, the morning air, and the brightness of the sun... It was a completely different type of morning from what I was used to. Without a doubt, it felt strange. It left me with the impression that... I had destroyed the illusion Hinamizawa had set up for me before it had enough time to prepare all of the props needed to deceive me. SFX: Higurashi  The person who called out to me was someone we always passed by as they were taking a walk along the edge of the fields. ...Their name was... uhh... I forgot. ...Of course, this wasn't the spot where we usually passed each other. "I woke up early today... so I thought it would be a good change of pace. That's all."I threw out a random excuse. "What about Rena-chan and Mion-chan? Are you by yourself today?" "Well... yeah..."I was being asked the same type of questions my mom was asking. So I answered them in the same uninteresting, vague manner. SFX: River  But maybe it was to be expected. ...It was because for so long, we were always together so amicably. Even I felt that if I let my guard down, we could still be frie- ... ...Stop it, Keiichi. Don't think about that anymore. You spent all day yesterday thinking about how dangerous it was to go soft, didn't you...?  A car horn blared from out of nowhere. Even though I was walking, lost in thought, that horn was way too close. A mechanical behemoth barreled at me from behind, catching me completely off guard. SFX: Night Higurashi  I'd seen plenty of cars veer to the opposite shoulder to avoid pedestrians, but this car was doing the opposite. It felt like... It felt like there was somebody on the opposite shoulder and the van was swerving in my direction to avoid them. That blissfully ignorant train of thought delayed me from realizing something much, much more important. That large mass was hurtling right at me. ...Was it going to hit me!?!? The inside of my head instantly flooded with a painfully cold liquid!!  In the silence of that frozen moment, I compared the van—so close that I had no way to dodge it—and my body, the upper half twisted awkwardly in order to look behind me. There was no way I could dive out of the way in my current position... If I lost focus now, this moment would unpause, and I would probably be plowed over, caught in this silly pose. Bend my upper body over towards the paddy by the side of the road. ...If I bent far enough, I'd get away with just being hit by the side-view mirror...!   Kesplash!!! Sent tumbling through the air, I crashed into the muddy paddy by the side of the road. My entire body was soiled and drenched...!! But the choice I had made in that instant was unmistakably for the best. I was covered in mud, but when the alternative was being hit by the car, it was the closest I could be to being unscathed. Rising out from the paddy, I had enough in me to glare over at the stopped van and yell profanities at the driver. I'm not sure if he was able to see me, but the van sped off suddenly.  I couldn't help but continue yelling out profanities. The disgrace from being covered in mud hurt me more than any physical wounds. I slogged through the muddy paddy and made my way back onto the road. "This is a crime, God drat it...!!"poo poo!! I'll track you down and sue you!! If I go looking for a van, I'm sure to find it in this little village...!! The path I was on had rice paddies on either side, and it had become so narrow that one car could barely fit through. It wasn't a place you could tear full speed down in a car, let alone pass by pedestrians. Not only was it a narrow road, but the car just now was closer to my side of the road than the other when it went past me... Even as I cursed, I was desperately trying to suppress the dark cloud roiling up within me.  Thinking back... I did feel like there had been a car creeping up on me slowly for a while. That's right. As soon as I'd parted ways with that person taking a walk... I had that feeling the whole time. If it had wanted to pass me, then it had no shortage of chances. Normally, I would have felt suspicious and turned around sooner. But... I was lost in thought and now was kicking myself for not realizing it was there sooner. And then... when the path became narrow and there was no one else in sight... he floored it... If I had hesitated for even a moment... the result would have been no laughing matter.  There was no doubt about it. That van was intentionally trying to hit me... A cold, viscous sweat seeped from my scalp and slid down my back before dribbling off. ...I struggled to avoid falling into a panic. There was still the possibility that this was really just an accident. ...Calm down, Keiichi!! But also don't be so naive, Keiichi!! Being that lax will get you killed next time!! You need to always be on your toes. Don't give them any openings!! If my enemy was really out to kill me, then next time, they would use a more reliable method. If that time came and I was acting like I was now...!! ...I being covered in mud was the price I had paid for my own naiveté. Covered in mud, but without injury. Not even a sprain. I guess this was what you would call the silver lining.  I wouldn't even show a hint of carelessness. I had suspected only Rena and the others up until now. ...No, it was because I had suspected them that I had believed there were no other enemies. Ooishi-san had said so, didn't he...? There was the possibility that all the families of the village were involved...!! Was I really mired so deeply in this situation that I had no choice but to try and carry on as usual? Wouldn't it be safest just to hole myself up in my house...? But... the moment I abandoned my regular routine, everyone around me would abandon theirs as well... That was just too horrifying of a thought.  A frightening tale of an entire village of demons hunting their prey, surrounding them and eating them alive. One must not interfere with the demons. One must pretend not to see it... The enemy were numerous: all the village families. ...The villagers with their unwavering faith in the curse would do nothing to help me. SFX: Higurashi SFX: Birds  ...I had no idea what was going on anymore... When I suspected it was the work of man, I would catch a glimpse of Oyashiro-sama's curse... And when I suspected it was Oyashiro-sama's curse, someone would poke their head out. What was coincidence? What was intentional? ...Who was my enemy? Who was just a bystander? No, what I really, truly wanted to know was... how did I end up with the proverbial bullseye painted on my back? Eventually... an answer in a form I could understand will appear... I don't care when that will happen... Because until then... I cannot die...! That alone fueled my resolve to fight and will keep me alive.   At the very least, I wanted to get my hands on it before everyone else arrived at school... I circled around the school grounds impatiently.  Then... I had an epiphany. I should search inside the classroom. If it was something in the classroom to begin with, then there wouldn't be a problem.  Good thing I came early. Nobody else was here yet. I wondered... what could I find in the classroom? I didn't think I could find an especially effective weapon like a bat. But it couldn't be helped at this point. Until the gym storage shed was open, I needed to find a substitute. A lingering hint of naiveté whispered that there was no way I'd be attacked at school. But... such soft ideas would no longer protect me. To think that they were slowly making their way into parts of my life that I had once thought impenetrable. ...In the worst case... my own house might not be safe anymore... That was an incredibly frightening thought... But I believed that not considering the worst case scenario would have been even more frightening... Anyways, I will survive. ...So long as I lived, then I will definitely be able to escape this labyrinth of nonsense... Definitely...  That much was to be expected. There was no way there would be anything that could be a weapon in the classroom. In case of emergency, there was probably nothing I could do but swing my own chair around... My gaze landed on the lockers that had come to be used for personal storage. The locker that Mion used to store her pile of games was among them. There was one for each person in the class, all lined up. Of course, there was one for me as well. Oh yeah, there was supposed to still be a track suit in my locker. ...Seeing me covered in mud would be strange. I should go change later... ...But first, I needed a weapon. If one of my classmates came, it would be hard to rummage through all the lockers. I swiftly began opening the lockers one by one. They were mostly just filled with things like gym clothes, personal items, and umbrellas. ...An umbrella. ...If I couldn't find anything better, then this would have to be my weapon.   It was well-worn and pretty beaten up, but there was no doubt it was usable. In that locker that reeked of mold, there also hung a baseball uniform. It was probably the locker of a student in a peewee league or something like that. ...If that was the case, then he'd probably ask for it back. At that time I could hear the voices of the children scuffling their way noisily in from the hallway. Amongst them I could make out Rika-chan and Satoko. BGM: Baby's Walk (Rika) "...Good morning." I nonchalantly hid the bat I was holding behind my back. "Wh-What is with your outfit!? You're covered in mud!" "Y-Yeah... I had a little incident. I'm going to change now, so cut me some slack."With that said, I began taking off my clothes. Satoko began to blush just as I expected her to.  "Ch-Changing in front of a lady... Have you no tact at all!?" "I would think that a lady staring at someone who was changing would be the one lacking in tact. There's no changing room for the boys, so just deal with it."As Satoko feigned disgust, she went into the hall, still blushing.  "...If Rika-chan is a lady as well, then I don't think it would be appropriate for you to be watching." "I'm not a lady, so it's fine."She deliberately pouted and looked at me with upturned eyes. "...Then, starting now, you're a lady." "If I'm a lady, then I suppose I must."Rika-chan, appearing to be satisfied with being considered a lady, made her way to join Satoko in the hallway. Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, Rika-chan stopped suddenly and turned back towards me.  It seems that Rika-chan had noticed the bat. "Yeah... just, you know... I was feeling a bit out of shape. So I thought I'd just try practicing my swing..." "I think it's wonderful you're taking care of your health."She was talking like an old lady, despite her appearance. After saying that, Rika-chan started to leave again, but stopped and looked back at me once more. "Please don't lose that bat."It seems she already knew I took it out of someone's locker. There was no name on the locker door. I didn't know whose bat it was, but I would be borrowing it until they complained... It wouldn't be for long just until the gym storage shed was opened. After quickly changing into the track suit, I checked the time. I still had plenty of time before class began because I came so early. BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  I needed to make it known I would always have a bat on me so I could practice my swing. At some point, the sunlight had become even stronger. Disregarding my classmates as they made their way to school, I took my position in the shadow of the school building. I wasn't the academic type and I wasn't much of an athlete either. I might get muscle pain if I just suddenly started swinging. I should at least start out with some warm-ups. ...I doubt anyone would think I was doing something out of the ordinary... Which was the exact opposite of my actual mental state. I gripped the bat and swung lightly. ...The bat was by no means light. The weight would make it a reliable weapon when I needed it to be. Of course, I could only pray that the moment I needed to use this as a weapon would never come. ...Just carrying it around could deter attacks against me. At least, that's what I hoped. SFX: Bat Swinging  Being bombarded with such a hysterical voice, I jumped. "Whoa, Keiichi-kun... are you on the baseball team? ...The baseball team??"It was Rena and Mion. "I was surprised to hear you went off ahead... what are you doing, Kei-chan?" "Can't you tell by looking? I'm practicing my swing... For the championship. You can say it's part of my diet if you want." "...Diet? Kei-chan, are you really that fat?" "Bet you didn't know. I actually have a beer belly. It's plump and jiggles." "...P-Plump and jiggles..." "...Rena, you don't have to imagine something weird like that."To disrupt Rena from imagining something that vulgar, I ruffled her hair messily. "Well then, hope you make it to regionals, at least. This old man will cheer you on." "...Regionally speaking, it seems that Oshima High is pretty strong. They say their southpaw, Kameda-kun, is amazing. Good luck!" Well, if I really did make it to the championship, it would be a cinch. After all, I'd be the pitcher and catcher. I'd pitch the ball, then run past that ball I just threw and change over to being the catcher in a burst of super incredible explosive speed. I laughed dryly at the ludicrous image...  "...drat it!!! What am I laughing at!?"I pounded the ground over and over. With each impact, the reverberation traveling through the bat stung my hands. If they make me smile like that... I'll... I'll... ngh!! Don't allow anyone close to me. Don't trust anyone. No matter how many times I tell myself that... If they made me smile like that... I'll... ngh!!! I already knew quite well that there were demons dwelling in my smiling friends! ...But... I just couldn't believe it. Did that kind of split personality really exist...? Like how Rena confessed to the doctor... were they simply being possessed by Oyashiro-sama...? In other words... did a supernatural being like Oyashiro-sama really exist, and was it possessing everyone to try and kill me...? Yeah... That would be wonderful... If only everyone were actually my friends all along and everything was all just Oyashiro-sama's fault... "You damned fool, Keiichi Maebara!!!!! Come on, now!" "...Stop being so sooooooft!!!!"As I screamed out with all my might, I beat the metal bat into the ground over and over. With every impact, my weakness was being beaten down... Smash. Forget. Smash. Don't be soft. Smash. Know your enemy. Smash. Like hell I'd let them kill me. SFX: Bell My shoulders heaving up and down from my ragged breathing, I heard the first bell ring just as I calmed down.  - - -  As I felt all the tension drain from me, I let out a deep breath. My mind was in a muddled state for much of the entire day. I didn't feel like I was awake, but it didn't feel like I was asleep either. I couldn't say it felt especially comfortable, but I felt a kind of relief that the sanctity of the school part of my daily life had yet to be violated. How long would I have to keep on living like this...? I could only grit my teeth and bear with it as this living hell slowly gnawed away at me.  The sound of Rena's voice brought me back to my senses. "Come on come on Kei-chan, stop spacing out! Bring your desk, your desk!”Everyone was moving their desks together as usual. That's right, it was happy fun club time. But I had no intention of taking part. I haphazardly stuffed the contents of my desk into my bag as I prepared to go home. It was a weak-handed gesture to avoid having to actually say, "I'll be going home now."  Mion sounded quite disappointed. "...I'm just not in the mood. Could you just let me be for a while?"The tone of the words that spilled from my mouth matched Mion's disapproving glare. It felt like the air in the room had dried out. Satoko looked like she was about to say something, but perhaps dissuaded by the mood, she swallowed her words and stayed silent. Nobody said a thing... I took that to mean that I could leave if I wanted... But the collective gaze of the four of them, like the tiny pins used to mount an insect in a display, held me in place. Rena was the one who cut through the heavy mood. BGM: Silence  She said it in such a melancholic tone that it sent a wave of pain racing through my heart. If this pain was going to kill me, I wanted it to be the soft part of me that could still feel pain. I tore at my chest, violently tearing out the pins that held me in place. "That's not it at all...!"I'd only be hurting myself by saying anything more, so I swallowed my words. Cutting things off there, I turned away and exited the classroom. They didn't speak a word to me as I left.
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Jul 26, 2021 19:30
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I'm not sure what grade Keiichi is in, and he doesn't seem like the studious type. One thing he could do is transfer to the school in the city. I am also going to guess he will not tell his parents about getting run over by a van.
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Jul 26, 2021 20:01
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Maigius posted:I'm not sure what grade Keiichi is in, and he doesn't seem like the studious type. One thing he could do is transfer to the school in the city. I am also going to guess he will not tell his parents about getting run over by a van. At this point, Keiichi would be more likely to tell Mom that he was in an RPG random encounter with a mud monster than admit what happened. And some of the kids in Hinamizawa do commute to other schools, but... he would have to actually talk to his parents regarding that and again, he ain't talking.
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Jul 27, 2021 12:55
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I'm not saying he doesn't have good reason, but Keiichi is really starting to sound unhinged. He's gonna hurt someone with that bat, and he's not nearly a hard enough dude to brush it under the rug.
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Jul 27, 2021 15:01
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Capfalcon posted:I'm not saying he doesn't have good reason, but Keiichi is really starting to sound unhinged. He's gonna hurt someone with that bat, and he's not nearly a hard enough dude to brush it under the rug. Yeah. Tomitake had a Silent Hill starter weapon and it didn't do him much good, either. What bothers me though is how little we still have to go on; other than Oishi and Keiichi's parents, nobody we've encountered in the story is capable of even legally driving a car, so there's very little means of figuring out who was trying to run the kid down other than the Nebulous idea of "A villager." EDIT: Wait, there is Chie the teacher, insert morbid joke here, but if she's acting on behalf of the village, it sure would have been alot easier to send Oishi away than let him get close to Keiichi....and then try to take out Keiichi. TKMobile fucked around with this message at 21:12 on Jul 27, 2021 |
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Jul 27, 2021 15:44
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 14 Part 2 BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi  I firmly squeezed the grip of the bat which was already soggy from sweat. Realizing that, I wiped it down with my sleeve. If something were to happen, I wouldn't want it to be slippery. Since this morning, I'd become especially sensitive to the presence of cars. Even while walking, my ears pricked up, and sought out threating sounds and presences that could be closing in... And that was why I could hear it.  Those footsteps had matched up perfectly with mine for a while now. From what I could sense... It was just one person... But I had no intention of being careless. Did they intend to follow me like that car this morning, until we were in a good location to assault me...? Then it wasn't a good idea to keep walking like this. I stopped walking and looked back. The wooded path crowded with trees responded with silence as if there was nobody there to begin with. But I wouldn't be fooled. I was certain footsteps were following me. And just as I stopped, the footsteps stopped, as well. ...Meaning, the person following me wanted to keep their distance. That was, without question, proof that I was their target.  The trees rustled with the sound of the wind. The higurashi also joined in the dissonant chorus, trying to throw my focus into disarray. Had five minutes passed? Or had I been like this for a whole thirty minutes...? ...It was so hard to breathe that I might have suffocated; it seemed I would be the first one to panic. Without a doubt, he was lurking in the shade of that tree with bated breath. Then... I'd make the first move...! I fixed my grip on the bat. ...I raised it up to my shoulder to be ready to swing it at any time. "...Hey!!! I know you're there!!"With all of my might, I screamed at whoever was hiding in the shade of the trees. But... the presence in the shade didn't budge. Until the moment I found them, they had no intention of revealing themselves... "I know already!!! I know you're there!!!!"I screamed out angrily at them again, but even still, they didn't move at all. Then I'll go over there myself!! With all due vigilance, I approached, step by step... Stepping into the tree's shadow... I saw a human figure there. That figure... was curled up like a small animal.  When she realized I had found her, her expression softened. She seemed apologetic, but wasn't going to speak a word. "...Did you have some business with me...!?"I wouldn't accept that silence and screamed the question at her. "N-Not really... it's just... um..."Rena was in a panic with tears welling up in her eyes. But it was obvious that she had been following me. "What about the club?" "...S... Since you're not... I'm not..." "That shouldn't matter! Don't mind me and just play!" "...B... But... I'm just worried... about you..." So Rena was concerned... at a quick glance, that's how it would seem. But I wasn't going to let my guard down that easily. Even if that was really the case, she still wouldn't have to do something like try to tail me. ...She should have called out to me when I was leaving and gone out right with me. But Rena didn't do that. She kept her distance from me and matched my walking speed. On top of that, she matched the sound of her footsteps and deviously tried to hide her presence from me. Then, after she realized I noticed she was there, she held her breath as she tried hiding from me.  "Stop following me." "Ha... hao..."Still glaring at Rena, I continued walking onwards. After I'd walked for a bit, she ignored my command and began walking again... so I yelled at her once more. "I told you not to follow me!!!" "Eek!! ...B-But... My house is in the same direction...!" "Then walk ahead of me! I'll start walking once I can't see you anymore."I moved out of the way and waved my bat violently to urge her forward. "I-I'd like... to go home together... with you..."Making a pitiful expression, she meekly squeaked out the words in a voice that she knew would cut into my heart. ...That agitated me to no end. I knew it was a lie. If you wanted to go home together, then you should have called out to me. Now you're just blurting out random lies!!!  It seemed that the seething anger within me was written all over my face. ...Even without me saying anything, Rena had understood what I was feeling inside. "If you get it, then go!!"I swung the bat, urging her again to walk. Rena looked back and forth between me and the bat and started walking hesitantly, then stopped again. "...Go on, then. Hurry!!" "I-I'm going! So please stop with the bat...!! I-It's scary...!!!"Rena guarded herself while pointing at me holding the bat. She may have realized that I wasn't planning on using this bat for baseball... I lowered the bat, but still guardedly opened the way for her. "Go... There's no problem now, is there?" "..."There was nothing else she could protest. ...She passed by me timidly so as to not set me off.  "Hey, don't stop...!"Then, a powerful gust blew past us, barraging my face with dust. The dust got into my eyes and clouded my vision...! While rubbing my eyes with my left hand, I swung blindly with the bat in my right, protecting the small opening I had presented. But Rena didn't even try to attack during that opening. Attack me? No... She hadn't budged an inch. I could tell from the sound of her fluttering skirt in the wind. As her skirt settled, so did the silence. At that moment, the voice inside of me immediately warned me of impending danger. ...I was caught by surprise. ...The smell of the air... had changed...? Without me realizing it, the air around me suddenly felt like a calamity was about to befall me. It was like the air had suddenly become invisible concrete. Like Rena and I were locked in this space. Rena didn't move an inch... Also unable to move, I stared at her back.  Instantly, she altered her stance. ...I felt like I had just witnessed her shift from Rena into that other person who looks like Rena. But... The voice was one I knew well, which filled me with a kind of bewildering pity. Carelessly, I felt relief upon hearing that pitiful voice...  Too shy to even turn around, Rena squeezed her voice out desperately... as she trembled. "...What?" "Uh... Umm, well...Well... Wh-Why do you have a bat, I wonder... I wonder...?"...The question Rena asked was by no means unexpected. "I can carry whatever I want." "But, but... you didn't have one up until today...! ...Wh-Why so suddenly...!?" "It's alright if I decide to do something suddenly, isn't it? ...Is it strange that I have a bat?" "B-Because, Keiichi... You're not the kind of person to play baseball! It's weird...!"I couldn't tell what kind of answer she was looking for and I was getting tired of answering her. "...I just suddenly got the urge to play baseball. Is that so weird?" She answered instantly and that annoyed me slightly. "I just suddenly wanted to play baseball. And I wanted to practice my swing, so I'm carrying around a bat. What's strange about that?" "Strange. Weird. Definitely. Why has Keiichi-kun also..." "Your ramblings are annoying me... Is it that strange for me to have an interest in sports!?"I tried to sound a bit more threatening to end the conversation. Until my suspicions about Rena were cleared, I had no obligation to answer her questions. "...I-I'm sorry, I'm sorry...! Don't get so angry...!!"Rena still didn't turn around and spat out words of apology one after the next. "J-Just one last thing!! Tell me one last thing...!!" "...I don't feel like talking anymore. Hurry up and go!!"I yelled loudly at her, causing her to flinch like she had been struck. ...Seeing her in such a pathetic state caused my heart to ache sorely... But even though she was afraid, she stubbornly kept herself from moving. Before I was able to threaten her again, Rena asked her final question.  What did she mean by the bat was the same? I had no idea what she was talking about. "...What are you saying...?" "I mean... Why is even the bat the same!?" "I don't understand what you mean at all! Say it clearly!!!"Even still, Rena didn't turn around. After inhaling deeply, she screamed. BGM: Silver Mirror  "Satoshi... being... Huh...?" ???Upon hearing that name out of the blue, I became dumbfounded for a brief moment. By Satoshi... did she mean the student who transferred out last year? ...No, that couldn't be. Rena had tried to cover it up by saying he transferred, but Ooishi-san told me quite clearly that he was missing. He was the student who sat at my seat up until last year. He was believed to have been demoned away by Oyashiro-sama's curse. I didn't know the details about his disappearance. The aunt he lived with was killed the night of the Watanagashi by a drug addict, and not long after that, he suddenly vanished, and was now missing... That Satoshi and I were... what? My gaze fell to the bat in my hands. ...Could it be...?  It was a bit difficult to see, but that was what was written on the white tape at the end of the bat. ...I see... so this was Satoshi's bat... "...O... Oh. This... was Satoshi's bat. ...Since nobody was using it, I borrowed it. That's not a problem, is it!?" "Th... That's not it!!!"The way Rena said that... made it seem like this bat was something that should never be touched. Like it was some sort of offering at a shrine... or a memento of the deceased... I could only stand there, perplexed and unable to respond. Rena continued speaking without waiting for a reply.  Rena was talking about more than just the bat belonging to Satoshi. "...It was the same with Satoshi-kun!! He joined a baseball team... but he didn't really like baseball...!" "What does that have to do with me...?" "Satoshi-kun also... suddenly started walking around with a bat one day!!!! He joined a team... but he wasn't the type to play sports...!!"What about it...!? I closed my mouth before I could say that out loud. ...Listen carefully, Keiichi! Rena is trying to tell us something important... "Satoshi-kun also... one day came to school all by himself all of a sudden. Just like Keiichi-kun!!! “Then one day, he suddenly started practicing his swing. Just like Keiichi-kun!!!” “Then one day, he suddenly began carrying the bat around with him. Just like Keiichi-kun!!!” “Then one day, he suddenly... Gh..."...Then one day he suddenly... what!? Rena had swallowed her words. Rena's sudden silence brought a hush back to the surrounding area. ...It was then that I could finally digest the content of the entire conversation. She was saying my chain of actions... was exactly the same as Satoshi's. What was... the meaning of this!?  I had never paid much thought to him in the first place. Not only that, I didn't even know anything of what he'd done. My actions today should have been my own creation, after all the planning I had done. But...they... had been the exact same as Satoshi's...? Then Satoshi... no, more importantly...!! If both Satoshi and I acted the same, then there was a really good possibility that what happened after would be the same... "Rena... that day... what happened to Satoshi!?"Rena knew... She knew what became of Satoshi. No, forget about what happened to a guy in the past! Rena... knew what was going to happen... to me!!! "A-Answer me, Rena!! Satoshi... What happened to him!?"With that, I grabbed Rena's shoulder violently and forcibly turned her around to face me. BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi   It was that person that I didn't know. At least, it definitely wasn't the Rena Ryuugu I'd been talking to up until now. The voice just now didn't have a trace of the trembling or emotion that it had had before. ...The amount of regret I felt for turning her around so carelessly was unsurpassed...! That gaze that pierced like a cold needle... The smile on her face that invoked an image of having been carved out by a knife... Chills went down my spine... My mind froze under a layer of rime. Both of Rena's eyes pierced through mine, leaving me unable to look away. ...As if to remind me of the fear from that time before... Rena brought her face close to mine, so close that I could feel her breath. ...Her face had filled my entire field of vision. ...Then... her sharply-shaped lips grew even sharper. Like the curve of a crescent moon... she grinned. "I told you. Keiichi-kun."After a short pause, Rena repeated the same words again.  Transferred... meaning what...? ...What Rena meant must have been some new definition of "transfer" that I was previously not aware of... My throat and lips dried up, I couldn't even acknowledge what I had just heard. All... I could do was swallow down my own saliva... ...It would seem that Rena saw that as a nod.  As she did, my legs gave out and I fell to my knees pathetically. ...Rena, and me on my knees underneath her emotionless smile... That had to be a very odd sight indeed... Seeing me in that pathetic state, she neither scoffed at me nor held out her hand. But I could neither stand nor escape with her gaze shooting through my eyes. There was undoubtedly a metal bat in my hand. But right now, it was useless to me. I was like a fly caught in her web. Heavy sweat beaded all over my body, I could feel it dripping from my skin... "...But you won't, will you, Keiichi-kun...?"...Rena finally released me from that cage of time after what felt like an eternity. But her question was missing something important and was incredibly vague. Once again I swallowed hard, urging her on. "...D... Do what...?"What did she not want me to do...?  
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Jul 28, 2021 19:44
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Sorry about the poorly-edited sprite in the update. I wanted to convey the unsettling nature of Rena not looking at you for half of the conversation. I tried to edit one of the sprites into the back of her head but it looked really bad so...
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Jul 28, 2021 19:45
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The more intense this gets the sadder it gets... Crom... ...it's bad enough WTF-Rena keeps showing up, but what bothers me the most about this is if Keiichi had just talked to her, or Mion, even to just get off his chest that he feels unsafe/doesn't trust them how different could all this play out. Instead he's raving and swinging a bat around a classmate, which... Jeez, I'm glad nobody's around, that would look really bad for Keiichi. And hell even if he DOESN'T trust Rena, he could have caught her in a lie here. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Rena said she didn't know who Satoshi was, or that he transferred out before the Game club was formed, right? But We/Keiichi know that's not true, or there's something she's leaving out since Rena seems to at least be able to recognize the guy's belongings. And... yeah there was evidence that they played Cluedo together, too, wasn't there? If you're going to rant at Rena, or if she calls you a liar again, point that poo poo out, dude. Make her have to give you a reason to trust her again.
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Jul 29, 2021 01:44
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Is Keiichi going to tell Oishi any of this? The needle in the mochi, the van, anything? If he's going to put you in danger, maybe light a fire under his rear end.
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Jul 29, 2021 02:36
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So, there's a lot going on right now, but my big question is this: Does Rena actually like Keiichi? If so, how does that square with her very clear threats at this point? Or are they warnings? If not... Well... There's already a fair bit of evidence for her being pretty unhinged, but why did she spend the time to befriend him?
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Jul 30, 2021 02:01
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| # ? May 4, 2024 20:03 |
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Capfalcon posted:So, there's a lot going on right now, but my big question is this: Well, unless the game is outright lying to us, one of the more recent Tips revealed she doesn't seem to be fully in the know of the Village's deal, opposed to Mion. Meanwhile, though Oishi is not exactly the most reliable person in the story, let us assume he's just not making poo poo up to scare Keiichi into compliance. Officially Rena has had some sort of problem possibly tied to psychosis. But the problem/condition she was tagged with feels... wrong? I legit feel she was misdiagnosed. According to wiki, "dysautonomia" comes off more of a problem where the senses fail or spasm; vertigo, or more embarrassing stuff like nausea and GI problems. ...But Rena wasn't falling down or barfing or going temporarily blind back at her old school, she up and destroyed property and behaved violently. Like, alot of thousands of dollars worth of property was destroyed. She has displayed manic mood swings and even when she wasn't threatening to Keiichi, in Hinamizawa, she still had a habit of aggressive shows of affection, terminable shyness mood swings and collects garbage. Something is wrong with Rena. And I'm not trying to be a smart rear end here. I'm no psychologist, but she may be schizophrenic? Japan has a...problem, to put it mildly, with acknowledging or properly treating mental disorders, and somebody in the Umineko thread way back when said the author of the Cry series used to be a social worker. Rena feels like both a comment on this situation and, like one of the children in Umineko, a subversion of certain moe tropes meant to shock the reader and become aware something serious is going on with her. What I'm saying is, rather than make waves, somebody analyzed her with a misdiagnosis--possibly with intent as a means for both her and her old school to save face rather than have her condition (or whatever triggered it...) be put in the spot light and let her go without further study. I think Rena does legitimately care about Keiichi, but her personal problems have really corrupted her behavior.
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Jul 30, 2021 12:05
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