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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 14 Part 3 BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi  All my well-planned actions throughout the day turned out to have been nothing more than a reenactment of what Satoshi had done. Satoshi... had he really been in the same situation as I was now...? The friends he had gotten along with had changed suddenly... and for no reason (at least none that I had noticed), planned to kill him...? Then, fearing for his life as I am, he got a bat to protect himself, and carried it around every day to practice his swing? And then one day, suddenly...  My blood went cold, causing a prickling sensation to course through my veins. Starting near my heart, it radiated outwards, from the top of my head to the soles of my feet... chilling every part of me without recourse. What did she mean by transfer? What did she mean by transfer? Was Satoshi still at wherever he transferred to? Was he the only one who would be able to understand me? Would he be able to tell me why it all ended up like this? More importantly, where did he transfer to!? What did she mean by transfer? What did she mean by transfer...?  The frigid knob was hard to turn. ...Was nobody home? It wasn't that odd of an occurrence. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the single key attached to my fur seal keychain.   Like a classmate messing around... standing right up against my back... You're kidding, right...? It had to be my imagination... Logically speaking, it was impossible for someone to be able to hide their presence within my personal space all the way through the door. But there was undoubtedly someone behind me. ...Hey now, hey now, Keiichi. ...How do you know they're "there" even though they're behind you...!? ...Because... I could hear the sound of flowing hair. There's no other reason... I'd hear that sound. That was the presence. ...Because... I could hear the sound of them blinking. Keiichi Maebara, there's no way you could hear that! It was mostly instinct than anything else that was warning me of that presence. Common sense was telling me that it was just my imagination. It was just my imagination, there was nobody behind me. I began to erase the mental image of an eerie figure standing behind me. But at the same time, I asked myself... if there was "nobody," then what was I feeling...? As an uncomfortable sensation crawled up my spine. Actually... wouldn't it be better if there was somebody there...? If... there was nobody there when you turned around... would you be able to accept that...?  ...But... I didn't have enough courage... to even do that simple task... Oh, right... I could try speaking to them... The person behind me... might answer me. It was a random thought... I didn't care how I went about it, just so long as I didn't have to turn around. ...If I had calmed down and thought about it... I would have known that that wouldn't have solved anything.  "Wh... Who is it...?"I spoke in such a hoarse, broken voice that I couldn't believe it was my own. I could almost feel them contemplating their response. ...I felt it. There's no way I should be able to do that! Calm down, Keiichi. It's all in your head...!  As if hesitantly trying to answer my inquiry... I was certain I could hear the sound of somebody inhaling. I heard it. I heard it. I heard it clearly. It was a girl. A young girl. I didn't know who, but... A tiny speck of courage in me —however reckless it was— inspired a primal yet fitting solution to this current predicament: a scream. All the force in my body released from my lungs and through my throat, ceasing all thought processes in my head. Suppressing all my thoughts and emotions, I began to collapse like a house of cards, somehow managing to twist my body and look back as I did so. BGM: Silver Mirror  Right there. Somebody was there. Until the moment I turned around, until I brought the area behind me into my field of vision, they were definitely there. Falling face-up, my eyes traced the remnants of the presence suspended in the empty space... ...It couldn't be... They were invisible... They looked like they weren't there... But were they actually still standing there...??? As I screamed, all the emotions I was holding back burst free in a violent wave. However, I was decidedly calm as my emotional dam collapsed. ...The turbulent wave of pent-up emotions was skillfully diverted... into a torrent of aggression. That emotion was definitely required to extricate myself from the bizarre situation happening right in front of me. In my state of heightened lucidity, I entrusted my body to the fury...  A mid-level sweep would be the hardest attack to dodge... I remembered reading something like that from a book about swordsmanship or something. "RAaaAAaAAaAh!!!!!"I brandished my will to fight. The afterimage of that amalgamation of metal flashed as it swung from left to right, beating against the entryway!!!! BGM: Mazoku Kenkyuusho (Demonic Institute)  ...Very calmly, I transferred the force of the rebound into a sweep to the left. The door of the shoe cupboard was split into pieces. Those two swings whiffed through empty space, but they seemed to have a great psychological impact on the enemy. ...I could feel the panic emanating from that space. The attack wasn't the only thing required. ...I extracted the bat from the cupboard it was embedded in and screamed as I spun my entire body around in a large arc. "WRAaAAAAaAAaAAAhhh!!!"My screams shook the air, imbuing my ferocious swing with even more destructive power...!!!  Without mercy or restraint, my violent strike—with certainly fatal force behind it—shattered the top of the cupboard. None of my attacks struck the enemy, but my ferocity had certainly seemed to impact them. Breathing heavily, my entire body soaked in sweat, the invisible enemy—there, but not there—dispersed. BGM: Silence  No way, had it only feigned retreat and was now inside my house!?!? Once again, I channeled my aggression and searched the house for the presence... but it was gone. I had succeeded in fending it off. ...At that moment, the tension drained from my body and I let out a deep sigh of relief… BGM: Doukutsu (Cave) All of the emotions I'd been holding back chaotically merged together and began to flood out. A hodgepodge of fear, accomplishment, and disbelief all mixed together and began to flow through my body. Unable to deal with each individual feeling, I beat them all back with the strongest: exhaustion. Even in this moment... I remained composed.  I straightened my back and tilted my head back a little... After clearing my mind of all my idle thoughts, I managed to calm down even more... What was that at the front door...? There was definitely something there. Thinking about it, maybe it was just an apparition I dreamt up in my confused state... but I really didn't think that was the case. Calm down, Keiichi Maebara... Compose yourself... But no matter how calmly I thought about it... what just happened wasn't a figment of my imagination. It was obviously a supernatural phenomenon. And without a doubt, something was behind me. It wasn't some sort of illusion I saw amidst my confusion and disorientation! Proof? I had just one piece.  The situation I was in right now was still unclear. Either I'd been possessed by the supernatural phenomenon known as Oyashiro-sama's curse... Or this was a ruse by the villagers who believed in it and were imitating it. Either way, their motives were unclear. The roundabout way it had been done was also still a mystery. If it was perpetrated by humans, that would mean admitting that it was Rena and the rest of them doing it, but it would be solvable. Ooishi-san and the rest of the police would surely arrest my enemy. But... If it was a manifestation of Oyashiro-sama's curse... I wondered what would happen...? Ooishi-san very clearly declared that curses didn't exist. At that time, those words were pretty dependable... but as things were now, with the rising possibility that the perpetrators were not human... He suddenly seemed quite unreliable. If I told Ooishi-san this was the work of Oyashiro-sama's curse... what would happen?  With me having so few allies to begin with and not being able to confidently declare whether or not this was a curse or not, there was no merit to doing that. I'd better keep the "facts" of what just happened at the doorway to myself. ...It would be better if I didn't add what happened here to the memo behind the clock. There was still the ever so slight possibility... that I was actually confused when I thought I was composed, and I was just going berserk in the entryway. How wonderful would that be if that was really what happened? I would be able to refute Oyashiro-sama's curse. But if I denied Oyashiro-sama's curse, then that would mean admitting that Rena and the rest were the perpetrators. If I said that Rena and the rest weren't the perpetrators, then that would mean believing in Oyashiro-sama's curse. By denying both of those... I would be admitting that I myself was losing it. The three options from which I couldn't choose became a trilemma of sorts. They mixed together and formed a whirlpool in my mind, making my head spin...  ...Calm down, Keiichi. ...Accept what has actually happened as reality. ...Stop thinking of anything more than that... But... I couldn't help but think of it. ...How wonderful it would be... if it turned out I was delirious and everything up until now was a figment of my imagination. Oyashiro-sama's curse wouldn't exist and I would still be bestest buddies with Rena and the rest... I would have to be crazy. That was the first time in my life I'd ever wished for such a thing. - - - BGM: Silence  Generally there were no calls for me, so I never really answered the phone much. But since my parents weren't here, I had no choice. I squirmed off the bed and went downstairs.   "Keiichi? This is Mom."...I intuitively had a bad feeling about this. It was because I thought she was going to ask me to go out and buy some things. So I took the initiative. "What? I don't mind having instant noodles for dinner. There's still a lot of them."The other day, we went out as a family and bought a whole case of cup noodles. I wanted to get a bunch of different kinds, actually, but they refused since the individual packs were expensive. So instead, I got a whole case of the Mega-size Pork-bone & Ginger flavored ones I liked. But my parents don't like strong flavors and didn't touch any of them. So the cupboards were still full of them. "So you see, there really isn't a need to go shopping, right?" "Keiichi, I'm not asking you to go shopping. Both Mommy and Daddy have to go to Tokyo right now because of work." "Huh...!? Right now!?"This was really... abrupt.  It's quite a distance to Tokyo from Hinamizawa. Gunning it full speed down the highway, would still take six hours. ...Dad has a license, but since he doesn't like the highway they likely took the train... It would have taken longer. "I'm thinking you might understand since you heard us speaking last night, but it has to do with Daddy's contract. Right now, things aren't going so smoothly."Now that she mentioned it, I did remember that they talked all that time about how his job prospects weren't looking so good. "Daddy is really sensitive about things like this, so if we leave things as they are, it will affect his work." "But... something like that can be done over the phone!" "Keiichi... This is your father's job, so can you support him a bit, please? Anyway, it's just faster to talk about it in person, so there wouldn't be any misunderstandings."As their son, there was nothing more I could say once they started talking about work. "So, we'll be back tomorrow night. Keiichi, will you be fine on your own?" "It's not like I'll die or anything." "...Keiichi, you shouldn't speak so lightly of dying... If there's something troubling you, just talk to us. I believe Mommy will be able to help out."Yesterday I did bring up "If I died" rather abruptly, so I supposed they were a little worried. ...But really, I was more depressed by the fact that nothing would be solved by telling them. But I didn't plan on dying... ...At least not while I still knew nothing... I would never allow it. "I won't die. I won't... I'll survive even if I have to gnaw my leg off." "Yeah... See you then. Tomorrow morning, make sure to wake up. And eat your breakfast. And don't forget to take a bath and brush your teeth." "Yeah, yeah... see you."BGM: Silence SFX: Crickets  ...Sometimes my parents went off to Tokyo for business meetings. But Tokyo was far away. They normally did things by phone... The times they did go were normally planned out in advance, it never happened this suddenly. I couldn't say that those circumstances didn't feel strange, or rather... unnatural. Anyway... I only needed to recognize the reality of the situation... ...That tonight... I was the only one in the house. That when my parents came back from work, I'd be gone... missing. Vanished. ...Looking back on the series of events of the previous five years involving Oyashiro-sama's curse, it wouldn't seem that strange at all.  I didn't think it was good that the only light on in the whole house was from my room on the second floor. It was the same as broadcasting to the enemy that my parents were gone and this was their chance. First I ran to the living room, flicked on the lights, and turned the TV on to a reassuring volume. Next was the study. I similarly turned on the lights and some music. With this, from the outside it would look like my parents were here. Once again, I went through the house, checking to see if there was anything left unlocked... ...When I saw the veranda and the laundry still hanging out there, I went pale. That would have made it too obvious! I needed to take it down...!! I snatched down the laundry haphazardly and erased all traces that my mother wasn't there. It should be fine now… ...Ah! The garage!! They hadn't gone all the way to Tokyo by car, but they had gone up to Okinomiya station. The garage was empty, wide open, and in plain sight... this was not good!! I panicked and rushed out the back to close the normally-open garage door. It should be fine now... Ah, I needed to get the paper!! Mom always got the paper. Since they left in the afternoon... The evening paper was still out there!!  ...With this... for sure this time... it should be fine...  I'll just say I tripped and fell, and the bat I was holding smashed into it... Even so, just leaving it in its current state wasn't good. I should clean it up a little before Mom got back and scolded me. I remembered that there was a broom and dust pan in the closet. As I was going to get them, the phone rang once again. "Hello, this is the Maebara residence." "A-Ah, she isn't here at the moment..."You idiot, Keiichi Maebara!! Don't reveal that your parents are gone...!! You can follow up still... Calm down and take care of it...! "I-I think she'll be back soon...!!"That wasn't a good response either...! Now they might say they'll call again, or to tell her to call them when she comes back!!  "Then that's fine. It wasn't anything important... Well then, sorry for the bother."The scenario I feared didn't play out, eliciting a sigh of relief. That call was fortunate in more ways than one. ...I'd have to deal with more telephone calls coming in for my parents tonight. I was somehow able to deal with the phone call just now... But I couldn't continue to rely on such poor improvisation. I needed to make up a good story to explain that my parents were home but couldn't answer the phone at the moment. They were making tempura and couldn't step away right now... That wasn't good enough. They were sick and went to bed because they weren't feeling well. ...Was that going to be safe enough?  It was like they were calling because they knew I was going to lie. I didn't want to pick up... but I knew I had to. They'd suspect my parents weren't here. ...I should have just taken the phone off the hook under the pretense that I didn't realize that it was… But since the phone rang, I had to pick it up. I prepared myself and lifted up the receiver... "Hello..."I stopped announcing this was the Maebara residence. I had no reason to be kind to someone I didn't know the identity of… BGM: Silence But unlike my uncouth voice, the person on the other side sounded goofy and lighthearted.  "Ooishi-san!?" "Is that you, Maebara-san? Good evening. Good to hear you are doing well." "W-Wait just a moment, please!"I grabbed the portable handset and rushed up to my room with it. It was the same no matter where I was since there was no one else home... but I wanted to be in a spot that just felt a bit safer when speaking on the phone with Ooishi-san.  "How are things? Anything change since then?"Since then... when was that exactly? ...There was something about the brazen way he talked that rubbed me the wrong way. The last time I spoke with Ooishi-san was... two days ago. The day I stayed home from school, I met Ooishi-san on the way back from the hospital... and we headed into town for lunch and had a talk... ...Then after that, Rena and Mion came to check up on me. Whenever I spoke with Ooishi-san... they always knew about it. It was like that since the first time I met him. Today's phone call may well be found out by them as well...  "Huh? Ah, sorry... Um... what did you say?" "I asked if anything's changed since last time... There wasn't an answer, so I got a bit worried." "Uh, um... not really..."The words stopped in my throat. There was a ton of stuff that happened. All of it baffling. What should I talk about...? I didn't understand any of it... but I should try asking. If I didn't ask now, I may never have another chance. ...This night when my parents weren't home... I had no guarantees I would make it through the night safely, after all. "Well, Ooishi-san... it seems that... someone is after me." "Really!?" "...It could all just be a coincidence... but that day I missed school when I was sick, the two of them came to check up on me." "Which two?" "Rena and Mion. They started asking about how I had lunch with you." "...What next?" "They left me some mochi when they came to visit... but there was a needle inside. Fortunately, I somehow didn't swallow it... I wonder, could that have just been a threat...?" "...Um, it was just one of those common sewing needles you see all the time. There was a hole to thread string through..." "Not that, Maebara-san, the needle itself... That's evidence. It could be used as proof that they threatened you. Where is that needle?"BGM: Silence SFX: Crickets ...Th-That's right... That's it!!!! I dropped the receiver and rushed downstairs. When I tossed the mochi, I had overlooked it out of terror... but that needle was a valuable piece of evidence! I had certainly... thrown the mochi and needle at the wall together. If it was there... then it would be on the living room wall!  Could it be that it dropped in the gap between the wall and the carpet!? I frantically searched by running my palm along the carpet, but nothing turned up. I tried moving around the sofa and desks, pulling up the carpet, then flapping it around. But I couldn't find the needle...! Did my mom clean up everything without noticing it!? It was just two days ago. I didn't know what day they collected the burnable trash, but it may still be in the trash bin in the kitchen!! I rushed into the kitchen, opened up the lid of the pail, and poured out the contents. But... even at a glance, I could tell that it would be incredibly difficult to find the needle in this pile of trash. I was looking for a needle in a trashstack. I know. I'll try running my hand through it. It was a bit gross, but I was looking for a needle. If I felt a small prick, I'll be able to find it! It was a pretty tactless method, but it was the quickest. I held my breath and started striking the pile of trash with my hand.  ...I continued on for a while, but nothing turned up. I wanted to search more thoroughly, but I was still on the phone. I shouldn't keep Ooishi-san waiting for too long... Later, when Mom got back, I'd have to ask her if there was a needle. I hastily began scribbling on the note pad affixed to the refrigerator with a magnet. "Was there a needle!?" I scrawled the words with a red pen. I then dashed back up the stairs, where I had been keeping Ooishi-san waiting for far too long. BGM: Silence  "...I couldn't find it... I was really overwhelmed back then and..." "...I see. It would be great if you could find it. Keep it safe."That's right. The needle wasn't the only incident. I had to tell him about this morning with the hit-and-run. "A-Also, Ooishi-san, that isn't all. ...Actually, this morning..."...That van was definitely aiming for me. I could say that without question due to the circumstances at that time. "Did you see the license plate? I can search for it from here."drat...!! I just flipped out yelling at him back then, but I didn't look at the plate... What failures on my part with the needle and the plate number! I was so focused just protecting myself, that I let some of the most important details slip out of my grasp...! I punched my pillow, annoyed at how worthless I was. "I-I'm sorry... I don't know much more than that it was a white van..." "Nothing to fret about, Maebara-san. Anyone would be shaken up after being hit." "...I guess all of this really... isn't a coincidence, is it?" "..." I could imagine him folding his arms... "Also... Rena is acting strange." "...How so?"What Rena said on the way home today... Asking why I was so much like Satoshi-kun. Now I could say it with confidence... That Rena knew what happened to Satoshi. ...She knew that there was more to it than him just simply disappearing. "...Rena... knows. She knows something regarding what happened to Satoshi, the kid who was demoned away last year..." "What would that be exactly...?" "...Rena said... I was the same as Satoshi. She said something to the effect that the way things are going... I'll end up with the same fate as Satoshi..." "'Fate,' you say... Exactly what kind of 'fate' did she say would befall you?" "...Um... 'transferring out'... she said." "'Transferring out'?" "Rena said Satoshi 'transferred' out. ...So given how things are going with me, I'll 'transfer out,' too..."Ooishi-san let out a stern sigh and then grumbled loudly. "...Maebara-san, that was probably some sort of threat... or maybe some type of warning." "I thought so too..." Would it be prudent to sum up everything that had happened up until now as the machinations of some human perpetrator? Other than the theory of it being Rena and the others, I was left with Oyashiro-sama's curse actually existing as the only other explanation... Of course, I couldn't tell that to Ooishi-san. Except... Rena's strange behavior could be proof of either scenarios. Whether it was Oyashiro-sama's curse being real or everything being part of a conspiracy committed by all of the villagers... Rena was involved... Rena had to know something. Rena was suspicious. What exactly was Rena? I couldn't help but think she was somehow involved with the prior string of mysterious deaths...  He was probably just downplaying it when he said 'a little.' ...Meaning he had actually dug pretty deep, most likely. ...I wanted to hear about Rena. I wanted to know what happened at her previous school... among other things that were still unknown to me. If Rena... was somebody I should suspect... No... not that. ...I wanted to know the truth. Tonight, I was alone in this huge house. ...Even though I said I couldn't count on them, I had lost the security I felt I had just by my parents being around. It wasn't like this house was some sort of fortress or castle. ...If a malicious person decided to use brute force, they'd easily gain entry. There were no other residences close to the Maebara residence. No one would be able to hear anything, no matter how loud it was.  SFX: Doorbell ...I wondered if I would still be here by tomorrow morning... So I had to ask. Right now. Because I had no idea when the next chance would come. SFX: Doorbell  "Sure. Ask away."Even though he was so far away on the other end of the line, this was the most reliable he had ever felt. I wanted to ask... About Rena... About what happened at her previous school...! "...Actually... regarding Rena's—"BGM: Silence SFX: Doorbell  Since I was so focused on the call, I hadn't paid attention to it at first... but I finally realized it was the doorbell. The time was... 7 o'clock. It was past the time the postman would be making a delivery, and past any sensible time for a neighbor to be visiting. I considered just acting like nobody was home, but that wouldn't be good. That would ruin all the work I put in making it look like my parents were home. I need to answer the door. SFX: Doorbell "...Hello? Maebara-san?" "Ah, sorry, someone seems to be at the door. I'm going to go see who it is." "A guest? I see, my apologies. Should we end this phone call now?"That would be a problem! "Ah, no, I'll be back in a second! Do you mind if I just leave the phone on!?" "...It's fine. I don't mind."SFX: Doorbell I dropped the handset on my bed and dashed down to the door. I needed to make up a good excuse to get them to leave. I had a hunch it was the lady who called right before Ooishi-san did. ...In which case it would be one of the neighbors who's friends with my mom. I'll just say Mom isn't feeling well and went to bed early... That would be the easiest option. SFX: Doorbell  SFX: Doorbell The bell continued to ring at regular intervals. ...If someone didn't answer after you rang the bell so much, you'd normally give up and go home, wouldn't you...? Without removing the chain, I opened the door slightly... and peered out at the visitor.  I knew it. ...Somewhere deep inside, I had prepared for this moment. ...I tried to "escape" by imagining it was the easiest person to deal with: one of my mom's friends. SFX: Crickets 
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Jul 30, 2021 23:13
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| # ? May 18, 2024 12:28 |
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Well Keiichi had more of a brain than I thought, and did tell Ooishi, but didn't think to call on his own. The paranoid atmosphere is really building.
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Jul 30, 2021 23:34
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He is really losing it. I did like the nice touch of him walking through the house and turning everything on; the manga didn't go into that, and honestly, who could blame him even if he wasn't suspecting his friends of being in on some serious poo poo? His friends could be 100% trustworthy, ready to jump out to fight all Persona 4 gung-ho for his sake, but he's still alone, stuck at home in the goddamn Murder Village. This isolation feels so creepy because it could easily be real. Dude. Keiichi... Buddy.... You mom flat out offered you help. Yeah your dad seems kinda flakey (especially in the manga where his design resembles Jesus in an art beret) but you should at least have told her something. Then again, I'm reminded that Keiichi is kind of a terrible choice for a murder victim. He only heard about the creepy poo poo from other people (including a policeman who even now seems more focused on endangering him than helping him,) so he wasn't exactly a threat, the seemingly annual murders have already taken place, and his father is...kind of rich and famous. Like I said before, whether this is an actual killing curse or just some covert villager axe murders, it's STILL not something that can maintain itself. Either the feds will come down hard, or everyone neighboring Hinamizawa will just flat out refuse to have anything to do with the place if this keeps going for a few more years. Hell, if it keeps up for even ONE more year, I half expect Kamen Rider or someone from an exorcist anime to show up with a big rear end sword and prayer scrolls to resolve this. Maybe I'm thinking of this from an American perspective, but killing the son of a local 'celebrity' would just bring way, WAY more attention on Hinamizawa whether or not the killings/secrets are mundane or supernatural.
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Jul 31, 2021 01:45
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Wow, this is all incredibly depressing. This is from a few updates back, but I forgot that Ooishi told Keiichi about Rena breaking the school's windows. Dude spills the private medical details of a minor--mental health issues, for chrissakes, think of how humiliating that could be for anyone, much less a teenage girl--just so he can undermine this kid's trust in his friend. What a loving rear end in a top hat. Now that I think about it, there's something vaguely reminiscent of an abusive relationship in the dynamic that Keiichi has with Ooishi. A common tactic by abusers is to isolate their victims from friends and loved ones in order to build their dependence (real and perceived) on them. I don't think Ooishi is trying to predate on Keiichi--he's "just" willing to cross boundaries in order to nab the murderer(s). But it says a lot about him that he's willing to exploit a child in this way with little care for the impact it'll have on Keiichi's mental health. TKMobile posted:Maybe I'm thinking of this from an American perspective, but killing the son of a local 'celebrity' would just bring way, WAY more attention on Hinamizawa whether or not the killings/secrets are mundane or supernatural. I don't think Daddy Maebara is a celebrity, just a reasonably successful artist. But I would expect any competent government to have noticed a string of deaths like the ones in Hinamizawa. Then again, many of the deaths seem to be accidents or suicides, so it's possible that some lazy Tokyo bureaucrat would write everything off as local hysteria whipped up by coincidence. Someone dies/disappears during a local festival -> villagers conclude that the local deity is pissed -> villagers get super anxious about the curse when the festival rolls around -> someone already on the edge snaps and kills themselves, or makes a fatal mistake that they would normally avoid -> cycle repeats. You may have picked this up already from the dam story, but the important dudes in the national bureaucracy probably don't pay much attention to tiny villages like Hinamizawa. The murder of a child would definitely grab attention, especially in low-crime Japan, but who's to say that Keiichi would end up murdered? After all, Satoshi wasn't murdered. Neither was Mama Furude...or Mama Hojo... 
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Jul 31, 2021 07:30
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Viola the Mad posted:This is from a few updates back, but I forgot that Ooishi told Keiichi about Rena breaking the school's windows. Dude spills the private medical details of a minor--mental health issues, for chrissakes, think of how humiliating that could be for anyone, much less a teenage girl--just so he can undermine this kid's trust in his friend. What a loving rear end in a top hat. ... I don't feel the least bit bad I've been spelling Ooishi's name wrong for like the last three pages of this LP. :V But, Crom, you're right. Unbelievably skeevy on his part and he technically did the same thing with Mion, revealing details about a minor's misdemeanors, that is. It's not like Mion killed anybody (that we know of) or committed a serious crime in lieu of everything else going on, but I can only imagine how mortifying this would have been if the kids were all in the same room together and Ooishi just read off this poo poo like a laundry list. Honestly, his tactics have been reminding me of what happened in a Jackie Chan film of all things. No, really. Check out the first Police Story. Chan's cop character is repeatedly used as a pawn, put in danger, and abjectly humiliated by his superiors in order to put away a crime boss, but early in the film, said Crime Boss's secretary is also purposely set up by the cops to look like a traitor/snitch (including a fake assault against her) so she'll be scared into cooperating more. (The film ends with a seriously put out Chan just beating the poo poo out of everybody after all he's been through.) While I'd love to see a Higurashi with a young Jackie Chan playing Keiichi and this is all a murderous comedy of errors, Keiichi sadly doesn't have the distinction... Anyway... I still stand by my assertion that Rena has been purposely misdiagnosed. Her behaviorisms simply don't match what her records list her as having.
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Jul 31, 2021 11:25
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TKMobile posted:... Just call him Mr. Delicious, no one will care.  And as you noted earlier, 1980s Japan (or America, for that matter) was hardly an ideal environment for a special needs child. I'm actually reminded of Ushiromiya Maria in Umineko, who comes off as a horrible little creep when you read the first novel, but in subsequent arc is revealed as a special needs child clinging to a fairy tale because it's her only escape from her abusive home.. A lot of people, myself included, interpret her as autistic, but we never get a formal diagnosis, probably because Rosa isn't the sort to consider therapy. Going back to Rena, something like breaking all the school windows is going to force an intervention, but I wouldn't be surprised if the doctors are more focused in "fixing" her than in treating her, which is not quite the same thing. She's the proverbial nail that sticks out. And that's the kind of situation that does lead to misdiagnosis. (I should probably add the caveat that I low-key identify as neurodivergent (ADHD), so these kinds of issues cut pretty close to me.)
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Jul 31, 2021 21:07
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Viola the Mad posted:Just call him Mr. Delicious, no one will care. Also since Maria's a girl, she'd probably get labelled with something else before autism. Source: me and every neurodivergent AFAB person pretty much
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Jul 31, 2021 22:06
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Viola the Mad posted:Just call him Mr. Delicious, no one will care. ...I feel like if Higurashi had been brought over and they dubbed everything to Americanize/Carl Macek it, he'd be called Detective Tubbs or something. Random musing. But back to the discussion at hand, I'm very inclined to agree with y'all. They just slapped a ten-dollar word on Rena's medical records and misdiagnosed her. I didn't know what dysautonomia is until I looked it up. Did you? How many Joe Randos would know what it is? Just doing cursory research but apart from maybe "mood swings," dysautonomia doesn't have any symptoms leaning someone towards violent outbursts. Rena would be getting sick or temporary lose vision, have heart problems or more likely becoming depressed and inactive and... Jesus. ...Her life expectancy could become incredibly short? This isn't something that should by rights push a berserk button on the back of her neck. Not even if she was REALLY upset upon being told she had maybe a few years to live. Crom's devils, but what was the logic here? Write her off as having a potentially lethal condition that seems way more physical then neurological? Who does that appease? I mean, it... kind of fits what I was taught in Japanese culture studies back in college. My teacher there explained that you could expect that a Japanese person, to avoid making a scene, would first go to a "normal" doctor with a complaint about, say, a sprained ankle or back pain or any mild physical malady and then on the side tell the doctor they've been feeling depressed too or [insert neurodivergent behavior here] and be discretely sent to a therapist (that, I imagine they could sell to friends and family as "Oh, the Doc told me to wear an ankle brace and I had to go see a specialist. *shrug* What can you do?") Just to get them to someone they could possibly open up to. But I said Kind Of. This feels like a rather extreme thing to diagnose her with and she hasn't displayed any symptoms (again, aside from mood swings but holy poo poo, hers in the game aren't what I imagine is normal for this condition) DURING the course of the story. gently caress, I bet Ooishi doesn't even know what dysautonomia is.
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Jul 31, 2021 23:17
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I've got one form of dysautonomia and I can confirm Rena's symptoms don't match anything I've experienced or been told about. (Mostly it involves getting dizzy when standing up.) It can cause loss of consciousness, I guess? Usually followed immediately by fainting, but.
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Aug 1, 2021 00:34
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On an unrelated note, I made An Art several updates ago but forgot to post it. Honestly, it's pretty on-point for Ooishi, too.
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Aug 1, 2021 03:07
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Viola the Mad posted:On an unrelated note, I made An Art several updates ago but forgot to post it. This is delightful.  Tomorrow's update will either be very early or very late, depending on if I have time to post it before I'm gone for the day. EDIT: Update posted. We're near the endgame of the first arc, folks! limeicebreakers fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Aug 2, 2021 |
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Aug 1, 2021 07:20
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 Content warning for graphic depictions of finger injuries.VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 14 Part 4 "R... Rena..."There shouldn't be any reason for Rena to come over at this hour. The timing also made me feel uneasy. ...Because it was just as I was about to ask Ooishi-san about Rena. I wish I could have chalked this up to mere coincidence. But... those unsettling words from Mion several days ago echoed back to me...    "...Yeah."It seems that Mion wasn't with her... But that didn't change the situation at all. "Why did you come here...?" "...Hey, Keiichi-kun, I'd like you to open the door so we can talk... Can I come inside, I wonder? ...I wonder?"It was true that speaking through a chained door wasn't the right way to talk to a classmate. But... "At my house, the chain has to be on at night. Don't worry about it." "... Then... it can't be helped, I guess."Rena pouted rather sadly. But she kept smiling at least, and her effort to keep that smile up was quite pitiful. ...Even though she was tugging at my heartstrings, I didn't lower my guard. As long as I stayed like this, even if it made my heart ache, my life wasn't in danger. What I really feared... more than the possibility that hoodlums would assault me if I removed the chain... was trusting Rena enough to remove the chain... and having my friendship betrayed. As long as the chain wasn't unlatched... even if it made my heart ache, I wouldn't have to deal with being betrayed by Rena. Since it didn't seem like I'd remove the chain from her silent urging, she appeared to give up on trying to get into the entranceway.  No, I haven't eaten. Since my mom wasn't there, dinner wouldn't be ready no matter how long I waited. I laid down when I got home, was woken up by the phone, and didn't have a chance to eat since I used up all that time talking. ...I was going to have cup noodles in any case. I could just eat one whenever I wanted to. "...No... not yet. What about it?" "H-Heheheh, then good☆ Look here. I brought a bunch of dishes." "I-If I could use your kitchen, I can heat up the miso soup and other stuff☆" "It's fine, you don't need to do that..." "But... but, there's a lot of tofu and vegetables in it! Does Keiichi-kun not like that type of stuff, I wonder? ...I wonder?"There's no way I wouldn't like that. I love miso soup with lots of ingredients. White radish, carrots, burdock root and potatoes... Dense and fibrous root vegetables... Yeah... that miso soup... looks incredible. "I also brought rice, so if you microwave it, you can eat it really quickly☆"Without a doubt, rice needs miso soup! Stuffing rice down your gullet, sipping miso soup in between ravenous bites... Oh, yes, how wonderful it is to be born Japanese...!! "Also... I made some more pickles☆ I made sansai pickles this time!"Before I had moved here to Hinamizawa, I scoffed at the mountain vegetables called sansai. But... I was captivated by their charm the first time I tried them! Such a deep, yet light, flavor. The vegetables from the supermarket were tasteless and bland compared to these! If you had to describe them, then they were the vegetables for the uninitiated. To become an expert such as myself, you first had to partake of sansai. It was common knowledge around here that the Ryuugu family's traditional pickles were wonderfully delicious! ...Ahh, no matter what kind of pickles they were... They'd go so well with that fluffy white rice...!!  But wait, there's more!! So delicious... It just seems so delicious!! Farewell to my unhealthy self who said he'd make do with cup noodles! Rena appeared to be in good spirits and she was offering such a delicious-sounding dinner. ...The stress evaporated from my gut and hunger reared its voracious head... At the same time, my wariness of Rena suddenly dwindled... Rena did say she was alone... It shouldn't be a problem letting her inside... Though, the possibility that it was laced with poison still hadn't been ruled out… BGM: Silver Mirror  I couldn't understand why such a sensation had occurred just then. ...But... the voice inside me... was sounding the alarm. ...This happy Rena speaking of this charming dinner... was dependent on one premise.  At any normal household, 7 o'clock would be around the middle of dinner time. If my mom were here, we'd be eating dinner around this time as well. The fact that she brought over all the makings of a meal at this time was inherently strange. ...Unless she knew... Rena... Did she... Did she know that my parents weren't home? But... there was also the chance that this was a bluff. ...I had turned on the lights and a bunch of other stuff to make it seem like my parents were here. ...There was a chance that Rena was unsure if my parents were home. But... I had to wonder... The laundry, the garage, the evening paper... There were plenty of signs of them being hastily tidied up. ...It was hard to say that Rena didn't have a chance to determine if my parents were here or not... But... there was no reason for me to confess that right now... I should try holding on to that fact as long as I could... First of all, the chain was still latched. As long as I didn't take it off, Rena wouldn't be able to do anything to me...   "Huh...? Is that so? Is that so...?" "...I know you went through all the effort and everything but... well..."Unable to think of a good way to refuse, my words trailed off weakly... "But... some of this could work as side dishes, I think... I think." "I'm sorry... We have more than enough already... My mom always makes quite a few sides. So..." "Huh...? You have side dishes?"With a smile that bordered on a cringe, I dodged her questions apologetically... But... the feeling I tried to ignore... began creeping up my back again. I spoke as if my mom was setting down dinner right now... but it didn't mesh well with what Rena was saying. Rena was talking as if she was aware of some obvious fact. And that... I was aware of it as well.  "...N-No, well... It's not that I..."Rena had assumed out of nowhere that I had made the dishes. No... not so much that I'd made them... but rather that my mom hadn't. "...Did you really make them? The side dishes? Did you, Keiichi-kun?" "I-It wasn't me... who made them... My mom did... no, she's making them... Right now!" "..." "So you see... I'm sorry, but I can't eat what you brought..."Rena fell silent at that moment. At that moment... I felt that the light had suddenly disappeared from her eyes.  "I-It... doesn't matter what I'm going to eat..." "...Let's see..."The conversation might appear natural at first glance, but Rena was firmly in control. ...It felt like I was being interrogated. BGM: Silence  "H-Hey, now, stop with the insults! I can't believe you'd belittle my mom's extravagant dinner like that...!! Tickets sold out, full capacity already... It's that amazing..."I tried my best to put on a strong front, but I couldn't grit my teeth quite right. ...So instead, I looked like someone who was borderline hysterical... But Rena showed no reaction whatsoever, even to that silliness. SFX: Crickets "...Keiichi-kun... Did your mother... really leave you dinner...?" "No, you see, she didn't leave me dinner... she's making it right now! It's almost time for dinner...!"Rena had taken that assertion of mine... that my mother was home and making dinner right now... and was completely ignoring it. I could tell that the more I panicked... the colder Rena became. "Hey, Keiichi-kun."...At that moment, an uncomfortable chill crept in from the gap in the doorway...  I couldn't... keep up this charade anymore. Rena… She knew full well that my parents weren't home. But... I'd come too far to admit that now. Anyway... my parents were here and we'd be having dinner soon... that was the situation I had concocted...!! So I answered... I told her she was here. "S-She's here... Of course...!"I could feel the humidity drying out from the surrounding air. ...Rena's eyes were becoming even more frigid, piercing me with their gelid glare… BGM: Mazoku Kenkyuusho (Demonic Institute)  "Huh? Wh-Wh-What do you mean...?"I tried acting casual... but that facade... was torn off me the instant I looked into Rena's eyes. That look... It informed me of Rena's response faster than she could open her mouth...  "...Why have you been... lying to me, I wonder? ...I wonder..." "I... I'm not lying..." "...That's a lie, isn't it?" "...It's not a lie..." Rena's outburst sent a jolt surging through my body...!! Rena and I were still separated by what few inches that slightly ajar, but still-chained door could afford. But despite that, I was still being cornered. My house, which I'd considered a safe haven until now, had become more like a dark alleyway where no one could save me. "...Shall I guess your dinner, Keiichi-kun? Let's see..."I knew now that Rena had already known that my parents would not be here tonight. ...But it was still so strange that it had come to this...! Even if she somehow knew that my parents weren't home... There was no way she should be able to guess what I'd be eating tonight...!! But Rena said she'd guess... How could she guess it!? How could she know it was instant—  —that I was going to eat...!? Wait... the cooking repertoire of a man who can't do housework is probably nothing but cup noodles, after all. ...Looking at this statistically, it was the most probable answer. ...That didn't mean... she was guessing...!!! "...I don't think you'll be full with just noodles. I think having rice and stuff will definitely hit the spot."Calm down, Keiichi Maebara... This was just coincidence. ...Rena was just reading certain tells of mine. ...So the fact that she was inferring what I was thinking alarmed me. But it wasn't as if she was actually reading my mind. If it was being read, then she was a demon. ...No, not a demon. Things like that... they couldn't possibly exist. "...Do you like them?" "Do you mean... noodles?" "No... *******."Rena indicated that the point my answer was addressing was wrong. Her rebuttal was so short that I momentarily didn't understand the words Rena had spoken. "...S-Sorry, Rena... What did you say just now?""Huh? About what?" "Just now... You asked me if there was something that I liked, didn't you?"It wasn't long before I regretted how carelessly I'd pushed forward with that question. It was such a simple answer... That was why I wasn't able to comprehend it. BGM: Silence  SFX: Night Higurashi  As my field of view began to distort--slowly swirling in a counter-clockwise direction--I lost all sense of balance... "Why do you know that!?"I didn't even deny it. That was the type of frenzied state I was in. ...How could Rena... know even this!? Not even caring as I mashed my head against the door, I fixated my gaze on Rena. ...But she didn't even flinch when she saw me do that. "I certainly did buy them. I bought a bunch at once. I bought a whole case! How could you know that!?" "...Why, I wonder? Quite strange, isn't it? ...Isn't it?"How could you dodge the question at a time like this!? The chain and the door suddenly were no longer protecting me. "How do you know!? Why do you know!? Answer me!!!!" "...You bought them at Seventh Mart... didn't you?"A shiver ran up my spine... I tried covering it up with an angry facade. "Like I said... why do you know that!?!?" "...I was behind you... following you the whole time." "Wh... What are you saying...!?"I couldn't understand why she was saying she'd been following me all this time.  Like that night...? That night I was absorbed in my phone conversation with Ooishi-san. I didn't even sense her being there... Standing behind the door... behind me... standing there... Just like that!?!? "When Keiichi was picking out the noodles, I was watching the entire time. You picked out so many different flavors, didn't you? Then your mom got angry... If you were going to pick the expensive ones, then you should just pick one type, she said.” “Then Keiichi-kun picked out that big box of Pork-bone & Ginger flavor that he loves so much, didn't he☆? I like it too... Pork-bone noodles. But I can never eat a whole big bowl myself." It might have been a defense mechanism... to diminish the fear I was feeling to non-traumatizing levels. With the fear being diminished... The fog enveloping my mind was cleared away. Then... I could understand what Rena was saying and started to put meaning behind her words... Even so, my fear hadn't subsided completely. ...It was like... I was standing at the edge of a cliff, eyes closed so I didn't have to look down. It didn't actually solve any of the basic problems. I slowly took a step backwards. And as I withdrew... Rena advanced.   If she had unlatched the chain from the door, a feeling of terror would have just exploded within me. ...But Rena didn't do that. She was simply imploring me to remove the chain. She was doing her hardest to light the fuse to the powder keg in my heart... Trying again and again. *clatter clatter* ...But it doesn't light... It doesn't light! "...Open up? Keiichi-kun...?" "P... Please go away... I beg you... please go away...!!" "Please go away!! Go away!!!! GO AWAAAAAY!!!!"The powder keg inside me finally went off. No smoldering—it just exploded.  The force through the door had knocked Rena momentarily off-balance. I couldn't hesitate here...!!  But that slamming sound I so desired didn't happen. I could feel a tiny, disturbing bit of resistance keeping the door from closing.  Each of those fingers wriggling... squirming around like the tendrils of a carnivorous plant through the crack in the doorway...!  "It hurts... It hurts, Keiichi-kun... It hurts... Uwh..."It wasn't a harsh shriek, but more of a yelp she was trying to keep back. "Go away... go away... go away...!!!"I kept on pulling on the door with all my might...!! I didn't even realize that if I didn't loosen my pull on the door at least momentarily, Rena wouldn't be able to pull her fingers out, and that was why the door wasn't closing. "...It really hurts, Keiichi-kun... I'm sorry if I was messing around too much... Uuwh..."I didn't care one bit for her apology. No matter how much she apologized, it didn't change any of what she had done up until now... It didn't change anything!  "It huurts... It huurts... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." "Go away, go away!! GO AWAAAAAAAAY!!"Rena couldn't leave even if she wanted to because I'd trapped her fingers... Rena's white fingers had become deep red and were no longer even squirming. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." "Go away, go away, go away...!!!" "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Go away, go away, go away... STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!! I pulled on the door even harder!!! Finally, Rena's fingers were somehow able to slip out from their imprisonment in the doorway. The moment that happened, the door closed soundly, and I could hear the thud of Rena falling on her butt on the other side. I locked the door immediately. It made a loud clunk, voicing my rejection to Rena.  Rena leaned against the door, apologizing profusely and nothing else. After confirming that I was sufficiently sealed off from her, I trudged away from the entryway. On the other side, I could still hear Rena echoing her apology: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Those pitiful words, they would be forever seeking my forgiveness. I didn't feel bad about this at all. But that wasn't out of any sort of malice. I just... I felt a sort of hazy sense of relief that I was able to escape from Rena. Before, Mion had threatened me at this doorway... saying there was nothing she didn't know. And just now, at the same place... Rena told me the same thing. ...My feeble attempts to disguise the fact my parents weren't home had served no purpose from the start. ...I should have just pretended to be out, and not even opened the door! My meager plans hadn't helped at all. In Hinamizawa... it was impossible... to outwit 'Them'...! Even though I was on the other side of the door, I wanted to get as far away from Rena as possible. One step, two steps... With each one, her sniveling apologies became more distant...  ...As you would expect, I was finally no longer able to hear Rena repeating her endless apology. Diving into my bed, I was startled by the hard lump I felt... There was something... in my bed!?!? ...It was the receiver. I finally remembered. I was in the middle of a call with Ooishi-san. Looking at the clock, apparently not much time had passed since I went downstairs. Could it be that my clock had run out of batteries...?? I had talked with Rena for so long... How did almost no time pass...!? But the hand on the clock... was ticking forward one second every second as usual...  "...Hello... Ooishi-san? Sorry to keep you waiting." "No, not at all. I didn't wait that long."It became apparent that the amount of time that had passed between myself and Ooishi-san was different. Over the phone, I could hear an energetic voice from a sports program or something. It drove home just how far away Ooishi-san really was... BGM: Silence "...Rena came just now." "Did she come to play?" "..."I wasn't confident that I could coherently explain the situation to Ooishi-san. But I didn't need to right now. Right now, I needed to know about Rena. That's right. I was planning to ask Ooishi-san more about Rena, but Rena's little visit had interrupted the conversation... What was true and what was false... I couldn't tell. The one thing I knew was the single grim reality that Rena was suspicious. I might be able to figure something out if I asked Ooishi-san about her. ...Up until now, I had regretted it whenever I forced myself to ask about things that I was better off not knowing. But... looking at it that way, you could say I'd hit rock bottom. There was no possible way I could feel any more regret than I did right now. No... rather, I wanted to know if there was anything beyond this I would regret more. Forget about tomorrow, it wasn't out of the realm of possibility for something to happen tonight. I wanted to know everything I could. ...I was absolutely not going to die like this. ...Not without knowing anything. I definitely won't...!  I understood that Ooishi-san was talking in circles. "A bit" meant, "I dug so deep it'd be hard to discuss with you since you're her friend." "I want to know everything from your research." "...I don't think you'll be very interested in what I have to say, though." "Ooishi-san."I spoke as calmly as possible to Ooishi-san, who was continuing to avoid the issue. And then... I said it. "I think Rena Ryuugu is suspicious. Even if the past incidents were from Oyashiro-sama's curse... Rena Ryuugu is involved." "Do you have some sort of proof that makes you believe Rena-san is suspicious?"The manner in which Ooishi-san spoke became very firm. ...Do you have some sort of proof? That was him talking as a detective. "I only have circumstantial evidence." "...I see."I could tell even over the phone how disappointed Ooishi-san was. Pulling on the fishing line when he felt a bite, only to reel in the bait. Disappointed, but ready to cast the line once more... that's how it seemed.  What I meant was: you can't come and save me without proof? I stuck that barb in there. As Ooishi-san loved roundabout ways of saying things, he understood me just fine.  "It's fine, Maebara-san. I'll protect you."...That was not the least bit reassuring. Ooishi-san was just using me to continue his investigation. I was just going to get killed, and my corpse would be an important piece of evidence. That was all I was to him. "Whether I'm alive or dead may be of no concern to your investigation, but it's all over for me when I die!"Ooishi-san went silent on the other end of the line. ...That may have been too blunt, but I didn't care. ...All I needed to relay to Ooishi-san was that I was currently in a very dangerous position. "So please, tell me. Tell me about Rena." "..." "Satoshi transferred out... Not too far in the future, I'll probably also do what Rena called 'transferring out' as well. But you won't be able to find my corpse...You haven't even been able to find Satoshi's body yet!!" "All right, Maebara-san, please calm down..."I was already suppressing my agitation, even without Ooishi-san having to tell me... It wouldn't solve anything if I continued to scream about my mistrust in the police. It would seem that I could only depend on myself and the bat Satoshi left behind to protect myself. Then I at least wanted to know about what happened before Rena transferred schools. BGM: Doukutsu (Cave)  Ooishi-san, realizing my resolve couldn't be swayed, finally caved. "Right now, to me, there is nothing that I'll find uninteresting. Please..." "...There are a few things I need you to agree to." "Okay." "Please keep this confidential. Also, part of this may be speculation. Not all of it may be true... Are you still interested?" "It might not be true...? I don't understand what you mean." "There isn't one main investigation for the mysterious chain of deaths in Hinamizawa. Each one is treated as its own individual case. Thus, Rena Ryuugu has never been linked to any of the investigations. Basically, you see..." "...This isn't an investigation of Rena done by the police... and is a personal inquiry, is what you're telling me?" "...This'll make things a lot quicker since you understand... All of it is from either phone calls or meetings and interviews. So they aren't corroborated. I'm asking you to take this all with a grain of salt... is what I mean. Do we have an agreement?" "...All of it is just from what you heard?" "Yes, my apologies. It's all my personal investigation, you see." "That thing... before, you said you saw Rena's chart, didn't you? I'm sure I heard you say that." "...I told you that, too? Huahaha! Please pretend you didn't hear anything about that."I didn't care about Ooishi-san having certain obligations and responsibilities. I also didn't care if there was no proof. Even if they were just rumors, there's no smoke without fire, after all. "...Please tell me. Ooishi-san." "Understood..."Ooishi-san finally opened those tight lips of his.  She had moved to Ibaraki Prefecture after she finished elementary school. Then... following that... right after transferring... The unfortunate incident with the breaking of the school windows happened. Then Rena confided to the doctor. "It was Oyashiro-sama." This was all that he knew. "...There isn't much difference between what I know and what you know, Maebara-san." "Then what part did you investigate further...?"I didn't need to ask. ...It was the incident that happened just after she transferred. "The incident Rena was responsible for... and what she divulged to the doctor afterwards... correct?" "...Yes." "After you learned about that, you started suspecting Rena and the others, didn't you?" "...Yes, I did suspect them." "So they're the ones, after all...?" "Ah, no... That's not what I meant by suspect them."? Ooishi-san was the type of person to say things with confidence, but these particular words were less than reassuring. "Then... who did you suspect?" "Huh?" "...That Oyashiro-sama's curse... really exists... Yeah, right, well... hahahaha...!"Ooishi-san's laugh was quite dry, certainly not the kind that would make you want to join in. Ooishi-san resumed the conversation. About the dubious circumstances behind Satoshi's disappearance. ...The course of events up until the start of delving into Rena's past. BGM: Silence SFX: Thunderstorm  It came without warning, rain so heavy it felt like it could beat you down. I had left the window in my room open a crack to let the heat out. The violent wind danced into my room, making the curtains flap wildly. "What is it?" "Ah, nothing, it suddenly started raining heavily... Sorry, please continue..."I got up while still on the phone and closed the window. "I said at the beginning it was an incident, but because neither the school nor the victims filed charges, the police were never involved.” “...So, you see... those involved... were very reluctant to talk. Regardless of there being a victim who had one eye beaten so badly that it had permanent damage…” “It could have been the school or possibly some individual who made arrangements to keep this from going public. Also, the psychologist was very strict about their professional ethics…” “Hello...? Maebara-san? Can you hear me?"- - -  Even in this torrential rain. They didn't have an umbrella. They were unquestionably drenched from head to toe... In this shower which more resembled a waterfall... droplets of water dripped down from her hair...  In one hand... was the stack of boxes, wrapped in cloth. Her eyes... focused on my room... Focused on me as I was about to close the window. Her mouth... was methodically repeating... a chewing motion. It was as if she had something hard to chew in her mouth... with her cheeks puffing out. What could she... be eating... over there...? How could it be that at this time... I was more enthralled by Rena... instead of the shocking developments being brought to light by Ooishi-san... If it hadn't started raining, I wouldn't have gone to the window. Then I wouldn't have noticed Rena, nor would I have noticed... "that"...  She wasn't eating something... she was repeating something. What was it? Was she repeating...? To me...? What was she saying...? And why was I... right up against the window... fixated on her...? "Hello? Maebara-san? Can you hear me? Hellooo..." "I'm sorry." "Huh? Maebara-san?" "Hello? Maebara-san!? What's the matter...!?"Even in this torrential downpour... Rena was still apologizing... The other self inside me drew the curtain hastily with my right hand, blocking my view of the outside. But even doing that, Rena's relentless apologies still reached my ears. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... If I forgive you for this... will you forgive me for that!? Please stop, please stop, please stop, please stop...! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Dammit...!! Why did I... have to forgive her!? I'm the one who wants to be forgiven! What part of me can't you forgive!? I won't be killed! If you won't forgive me, then I won't forgive you, either. ...I won't forgive, won't forgive, won't forgive, won't forgive, won't forgive, won't forgive, won't forgive, I won't forgive...!!   - - -  TIP 19: Split personality? TIP 20: At the Seventh Mart
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Aug 2, 2021 01:04
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 I swear to Crom... I've been on the fence about the artstyle being used for this version of Higurashi. In fact I feel like it's kind of toned down (but then again the mangaka I'm more familiar with REALLY knew how to make everything look hosed up when they wanted) but I've never seen anything so legitimately pathetic and awful as that Rena in the Rain shot. loving hell Keiichi, you might want to go to the doctor about a hang nail and get yourself checked into the loving psych ward, you bloody rear end in a top hat. Like... Jeez... What do you even say about this? I know, at least from Keiichi's view he's been seeing a scary AF version of Rena from time to time (including five minutes ago) but this... it's just loving traumatic. The TIP is kinda beating you over the head with the idea, but I'm convinced there's at least 2 Renas rolling around in her head and we're seeing... I don't know which one's the 'true' Rena, but this... loving wow. She's at least the 'good one' who's been around the most often... and it's this Rena the other one bailed on. She just has no loving clue what the goddamn hell just happened or why.
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Aug 2, 2021 02:05
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The loving fingers incident!  I was NOT prepared for this when I reached this scene in the anime. This time I'm just glad that I don't have to watch Rena's fingers wiggle frantically and listen to her beg Keiichi to let her go. There are far, far more gruesome scenes in WTC, but there's something horribly visceral about this scene. Everyone has probably had a cabinet door or something close on a finger, and though it hurts like bejezeesus usually you get your finger back right away. The idea of an actual door slamming shut on all of your fingers, and then trapping them there...  I'm fairly certain that Keiichi is misremembering the supermarket incident. Notice how he rakes his memory for any sign of Rena, and only then suddenly remembers being followed? I think that's the TIP hinting that he's subconsciously editing his memory to match the suspicious incidents that he's facing in the present. Memories get distorted all the time, it's why handling witnesses' testimonies can get very tricky in court trials. That's not to say that Rena wasn't at the supermarket, or that she wasn't following Keiichi. I just don't think he noticed anything strange at the time.
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Aug 2, 2021 03:07
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That's an interesting point, and I wonder if it could apply to the creepy scenes we've been seeing as well. They always seem to start out entirely normal and then go off the rails. Add to that the hint about less time passing than Keiichi thought and maybe Rena really just came by to offer some dinner to Keiichi and he filled in the creepy part. After all, it's not really a stretch that she could have heard about his parents leaving from someone who met them on the way.
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Aug 2, 2021 04:24
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I just... At this point I question if ANY OF THIS has anything to do with the previous murders anymore. Keiichi doesn't know poo poo that's worth being killed over; he literally only knows what the cops already know, so even if his friends were all in on some Dark Conspiracy or... I don't know worshipping demons or aliens or something, what do they or the evil masterminds gain from driving this poor idiot insane with paranoia? He has uncovered nothing about whatever's really going on... Hell, literally the only thing he (sort of) figured out on his own was that Rena lied about Satoshi and that's not exactly all the evidence the cops need to lock the townspeople away. Like... it feels like whatever triggered this sequence, from however many updates prior to present, it seems to keep getting worse any time Rena seems to know Keiichi is lying to her. TKMobile fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Aug 2, 2021 |
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Aug 2, 2021 04:41
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Given certain aspects of Umineko (very mild spoilers for that game, sort of—more like a set-up detail) I wonder how much of this is being heavily distorted by Keiichi's perspective—we very, very rarely see scenes from the perspective of anyone else. Umineko leaned very heavily on the narration subtly shifting between the "reliable" and "unreliable" narrators, so I'm wondering if that's coming into play here as well—just not as much of a primary focus.
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Aug 2, 2021 16:34
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I think it’s a given at this point that Keiichi is very dangerously paranoid and jumping at shadows. I need to double check this but I feel like the creepy version of Rena (and Mion) have only really shown up whenever he outright lies to them (but playing games and bluffing/bullshitting do not count towards this.) the only exception I can think of is when he asked a question to both girls, they THEN got creepy and denied to him that anything bad ever happened in Hinamizawa…which is also a lie. But THEY were lying… Rena also lied about the extent she knew Satoshi, but I cannot recall if she was all creepy about it. Wait.. I wonder if lying in and of itself is a trigger? If so, has Keiichi been tagged by the creepiness too? He’s been fibbing like gently caress and not very well when you think about it…
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Aug 2, 2021 17:52
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TKMobile posted:Wait.. I wonder if lying in and of itself is a trigger? Sorry, what do you mean by "tagged by the creepiness"? That the girls see him as the creepy one? Because, uh, he's kinda acting like a future school shooter or something.
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Aug 3, 2021 01:22
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Sorry...poor choice of phrase? But I was trying to state what you said, yes. He's seen Rena and Mion get so creepy he thinks they're being actually possessed or turned into different people; what if the girls see Keiichi's latest behavior not coming from their friend but an obsessive paranoid classman. Who now carries around a loving baseball bat and keeps rationalizing everything to the Nth degree and all he comes up with is "I'M IN DANGER! ARRRGH!!!" each and every time. I mean, WE know he's been mentally isolated from his support group, no loving thanks to Ooishi Wiggum's botched detective work, but all Rena knows is Keiichi lied about meeting the dude and Mion... ...Yeah I don't know what Mion knows.
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Aug 3, 2021 01:39
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Yeah, I'm wondering how much of the weird tone shifts in Rena's demeanor Keiichi is perceiving even actually happened. I like the idea of lying to the others being the trigger for delusions though hell if I know why that would be the case.
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Aug 3, 2021 03:03
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Mecca-Benghazi posted:Yeah, I'm wondering how much of the weird tone shifts in Rena's demeanor Keiichi is perceiving even actually happened. The curse, presumably.
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Aug 3, 2021 13:11
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Capfalcon posted:The curse, presumably. If it's the curse, then can it be applied to the other murders? Keiichi, Rena, Mion and... maybe Satoshi are all involved here. Their deal is sort of unique in that the festival has already come and gone, with two more people already swept up in the murder disappearances, so why are any of them going crazy from the supposed curse? Again, Keiichi doesn't know anything about the events beyond what is already known to most people apart from Rena and Mion's rap sheets; even then, everything had to be explained to him. He's technically not a threat unless... I don't know, he was on the verge of discovering something he could have gone to the cops with, but we the readers couldn't know that. It just looks like he's gotten paranoid as gently caress after a friend died and he has reasons not to trust his other friends b/c of it any more. I mean... SOMETHING seemed to happened to Satoshi as well, but if he died, then he died after the festival since he's not listed as one of the pair victims. And even if the curse is real and this aspect of it triggers when people lie about poo poo that... I guess could hurt the village or villagers, that doesn't explain why Rena and Mion suffer from it since ostensibly they're lying to protect the village. And or possibly Keiichi. Unless they aren't actually affected and Keiichi is just seeing spooky poo poo the curse is throwing at him to ramp up the paranoia? (if that's the case, then Rena may not be mentally ill at all and she was just horrifically brutalized without knowing why  )I'm... guessing at the pattern here to include both the murders and what's happening to Keiichi but--assuming that the curse is REAL-- this is what I got: Summer arrives and people prep for the festival. The curse wakes up and waits to see if any couple tries to betray the village (and/or lies about doing so.) If someone DOES do this, the curse strikes on the night of the festival, then leaves one corpse behind and takes the other person away. So far this has happened 4 times now. Anyone left in the village who questions any of this poo poo is driven insane by the lingering curse, as the cycle begins anew next summer (emphasis there on "left in the village" because Ooishi isn't being affected as far as we can tell despite being the (terrible) driving force behind any investigations into Hinamizawa's checkered past.) If there is a curse, there has to be rules surrounding it; otherwise an invisible omnipotent monster is just swirling around town doing whatever the gently caress it wants to people, and that doesn't make for a good story in a meta context. But even if what I said is applicable, it feels a little far fetched that Keiichi (and maybe Satoshi) are the only ones who get hit by the lingering curse aspect since, well, the paired victims still have families and relatives and friends; someone statistically speaking HAD to be upset and wondered why someone they cared about died, and tried to look into it. TKMobile fucked around with this message at 14:23 on Aug 3, 2021 |
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Aug 3, 2021 14:20
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen Day 15 | Part 1 BGM: Silence SFX: Birds  I tried to stay awake all night, but there were definitely gaps in my memory. I guess I kept nodding off and jerking awake in a panic all night... I spent all night hugging the metal bat and sat on top of the futon I used to barricade my door. ...Waiting, waiting... watching just in case someone tried to break in through my window. If I left this spot, someone would break through the door—sending the futon flying—and attack me. But if I stopped watching the window, someone would break through the glass and attack me... I tried telling myself I was just being paranoid, but... ... I couldn't sleep. The thought of being so vulnerable scared the living daylights out of me! If sleep meant taking that risk, I didn't need it! It was so much better to just stay awake. At some point during that endless cycle of nodding off and jolting awake, light began to shine outside... But that was it. It wasn't so much the morning as it was just the sun simply having risen.  Rena was gone. ...I couldn't see her anywhere no matter how hard I looked. Finally, I could breathe a deep sigh of relief. The night was finally over. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tired, but I didn't feel like sleeping at the moment. I still had time. But I needed to make my own breakfast, so I'd better get started soon. Skipping school was also an option. With my mom gone, it'd be easy to play hooky. Honestly... I debated it... The risk involved in leaving my house was incalculable. So staying holed up in here was probably my safest option. But... staying here wouldn't solve anything. Ooishi-san wouldn't help me without cold, hard evidence. Neither he... nor my parents. So... unless I found some sort of proof, these relentless nights would never end.  I regulated my breathing... and regained my senses... Calm down, Keiichi Maebara... Let's go to school. Let's wait until they set their trap for me. But that didn't mean I was just going to twiddle my thumbs. ...I needed to avoid that trap and secure irrefutable evidence. Take note of the plates of any car that drives by. If I see someone suspicious, check their clothes and face. I wasn't just protecting myself... I was preparing myself to turn their attack against them and retaliate. The tension was similar to when two samurai were both aiming to slay each other with a single motion as they drew their katanas. I was not at a disadvantage. I would have a chance to retaliate. I finally felt a bit of courage growing in my chest. ...All right. Let's go to school.  S...Satoshi, please lend me your strength. And entrust your dying regrets to me (since you were probably murdered). I'll make sure... I dispel them. With renewed resolve, I checked the clock. It was still early. Of course, I was going to school by myself today. If I didn't want to run into Rena or Mion, I needed to leave now.  Right. I meant to clean that up last night, but never got around to it with the phone call and everything... If my parents came back and saw this while I was at school, I would never hear the end of it... Still, I'd be wasting time if I cleaned it up right now. And considering what would happen if I ran into Rena or Mion... It wouldn't be too late to clean it up after I got back home. Making extra certain that the doors were locked, I left the house. BGM: Silence  Today I was going to go to school in a track suit. By wearing a different outfit this morning, my mind was forced to accept that today was different from yesterday. I had a hunch. Today might be the day I get killed. Keep your guard up, Keiichi Maebara! The only one who gets to decide if today is my last... is me.  - - - SFX: Higurashi   After a while, Rena arrived at school. Our eyes met, but we said nothing. Rena said nothing about last night. ...As if it never happened. But I could see that those events were real by the wounds carved into her fingers. I just heard her telling Satoko and the others that the bandages were from hurting herself in the kitchen. ...Though, it wasn't like it bothered me. The details that Ooishi-san shared about Rena's incident before her transfer played vividly in my mind. Now that I knew about it, I couldn't even dream of Rena as a cute, ideal girl. SFX: Swinging Bat  It was Mion. I had already sensed her approach, so I wasn't that surprised. "Oh, Mion. If you understand, then leave me alone. I'm busy practicing."I gave her a curt reply without my usual jokes. Then I gave the bat an even larger swing, tacitly keeping Mion from getting any closer.  "Hey Kei-chan, take it easy."I think Mion got the message, but she still urged me to give it a rest. "Homeroom's not that far off, is it? ...Just let me finish practicing."I swung the bat even harder as a sign of my refusal. "...Kei-chan, when did you get into baseball?" "Just recently." "Recently? You mean yesterday?" "...Don't ask if you already know." "...Oh dear. That's a very unsportsmanlike reply." "You're distracting me. ...Go away."I ignored Mion and kept swinging. SFX: Swinging Bat Normally she'd get mad or bored and leave if someone gave her the cold shoulder like this. But Mion just stood there, waiting patiently for me to stop swinging. ...I didn't sense any hostility. But we were at school, in plain view. I doubt she'd suddenly attack me here. ...Or was that too naive? Still, I was starting to get tired. ...Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to take a break and hear her out.  Sweat poured from me as I stopped swinging. I noticed my shoulders were heaving as I breathed. ...I cursed my lack of exercise. At this rate, I might not be able to move as needed when the time came. I should probably keep practicing my swings to build stamina in addition to the excuse for carrying the bat around with me. "Well, it's nothing important... If you're tired, I can ask again later?" "Now is fine."I'm only dealing with you right now because I judged this situation to be safe. Talking to you alone and away from others? ...That's out of the question.  Mion was uncharacteristically trying to choose her words. But unlike Ooishi-san, it didn't look like she was going to talk about something I'd rather not hear. Mion was puzzled, trying to find the right thing to say. ...But then she gave a hearty laugh to break herself out of that mire.  "Ah hah hah haha! This old man's just no good at this stuff. Having a poor vocabulary hurts." "...What's this all of a sudden? If you have something to say, just say it."SFX: Silence  She cut straight to the point. Her request was so frank, I didn't understand it for a moment. I had already stopped swinging to listen to her, hadn't I? SFX: Higurashi "...I just stopped, didn't I?" "That's not what I meant. I want today to be the last day you swing that bat. I'm sorry."It took me some time to understand what she was asking for. ...What's wrong with swinging a bat? "Why? It's none of your business, is it? I'm not bothering anyone, am I!?" "You are."Mion said it flat out. This didn't make any sense and that was really irritating. "When did I bother anybody!?" "...Uhh! ...Umm..."Mion was at a loss for words. But she finally made up her mind and spoke. Though she stuttered as she said it. "B-Because Kei-chan... that... that's someone else's bat. You shouldn't borrow it without permission..." "It was left behind by a student who transferred, right? I'm just borrowing it until he comes back for it." "Huh? Ah! ...Yeah... He transferred..."Mion grew uncharacteristically flustered. That made it all too clear that his transfer was a lie. "But strange, isn't it? For the older brother to transfer by himself? ...While his little sister stayed behind?" "...K-Kei-chan... you knew!?" "Satoshi Houjou. Satoko's older brother, right? The one demoned away last year."Unable to respond to that, Mion fell silent. "Rena asked the same thing. 'Why did you start swinging that bat?'" "..." "She told me Satoshi did the same thing. Practicing his swings. Right before he went missing." "..." "So? Is this some kind of omen for Oyashiro-sama's curse?" Mion panicked and looked around.  "...Please, Kei-chan, don't mention Oyashiro-sama so recklessly! ...I don't believe in him, but the others very much do! Rena, especially!" "Dangerously so...?" "Anyway... You're scaring everyone! If you're just fooling around, then stop it. You have to stop acting like Satoshi!!"BGM: Doukutsu (Cave) I was the one who was scared. Who do I have to thank for taking up this bat in the first place!? ...But it still unsettled me knowing that my actions were overlapping with Satoshi's. It would be one thing if someone suggested it, but I thought I was making my own decisions...  "...W-We didn't mean to hide it..." "You were hiding the incidents that happen every year, weren't you?" "Ah, that's because... we didn't want to... Ummm..." "You didn't want to scare me? That's your reason for leaving me out!?" "No, we didn't mean to..." "Mion, I asked you directly if something happened at the dam, didn't I? ...And you told me nothing happened!! When someone was dismembered and murdered!! You lied to me!!!" "I-I'm sorry...!! I didn't mean to lie to you..." "Friends don't hide things from each other, right? Isn't that right!? Then you all aren't my friends!!" "K-Kei-chan... we..."Mion looked helpless and flustered. Was I imagining the tears in her eyes? ...I never could've imagined Mion acting like this.  "...Me."She admitted it so easily. I couldn't help but be surprised at how easy that was. "You could have killed me. How could you do that to a friend...!?" "...B-But... it was just a little prank..."Mion gave me a wry smile mixed with confusion, causing even more anger to well up inside me. "You think that was a prank!?"I grabbed Mion by the collar and lifted her up! That wasn't the same as putting Tabasco sauce in a piece of mochi! It was a needle! A sewing needle! If I had swallowed that... and it lodged in my throat... what did she think would happen!? Mion's face froze as her body rattled in fear. ...This wasn't the Mion Sonozaki I knew anymore. "Anyways... You're not my friend. There's no reason for me to listen to someone who's not my friend. ...So just leave me alone for a while. ...Got it?" "It won't be that easy to erase me, you know. The cops have been on to you from the start. So don't think you can make me disappear like you did Satoshi!!"I said it clearly. This... was my declaration of war. "I think you guys are suspects in the previous incidents, too. I also know you've spent a lot of time with the cops ever since the anti-dam movement. Don't think you can hide it from me... Got that!?" "H-How... How did you... know...?"Mion stood there with a dumbstruck look on her face. SFX: Bell  It was time for morning homeroom. "...Let's go. The class representative needs to be there, right? ...?"At that moment, for the first time, I realized Mion was sobbing as tears ran down her cheeks. "...You... You're so mean... Kei-chan..." "...Mi-..."I wanted to console her, but I shut my mouth. I had no need to feel guilty. "...I'm going. Don't be late for homeroom."I left Mion, still shaking, as I turned around to head for the entrance. I had no idea how troubling it was to make a girl cry. Behind my back, I could hear her muttering. It was a faint mutter as she was speaking to herself. BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi  "Huh?" She wasn't saying it to anyone. It was Mion talking to herself. But it was a sobbing voice that had a kind of giddy, cursing tone. I inadvertently stopped and turned back towards her.  She balled up her fists as her tears continued to rain down... She glared at a spot at the ground... with a terrifying... yet smiling face... Cursing... A chill ran down my spine from that demonic expression... This transformation... Mion's transformation, was different from Rena's. "...I should've killed him back then... He forgot the mercy I showed him just because he was going to retire this year..."Retiring this year... Was she talking about Ooishi-san...!? "drat it... drat it... I'm going to kill... that drat old man... rrgh!!!" With Mion at the center, the world had begun to twist and spiral... Bending. Whirling. ...This was the first time I'd known—no, experienced—such a visage… - - - BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  Mion made up an excuse for her red eyes by saying there was something wrong with her contacts. After that, neither Rena nor Mion spoke to me for the rest of the day. Neither Satoko nor Rika-chan looked me in the eye. Strangely, I didn't feel hurt. ...Everything had just went back to the way it was. The month since I transferred in had been almost too much fun. That was all. School was supposed to be something like this to begin with. I should have disliked that feeling... but today, it felt oddly refreshing. SFX: Bell  Since it would cause a lot of unpleasant memories if they asked me to join in to the club activities, I promptly started preparing to go home without even looking at them. I stuffed the contents of my desk into my bag, wrapped my hand around Satoshi's now-familiar bat, and began heading towards the entrance.   But... deep down inside me... Far beneath, in the recesses of my heart... achingly, I knew... This would be the last day of this cycle.  Whether it would end as I wished it to end... or if it would end as I hoped it wouldn't... Regardless, in my current state, there was something more important than how things would end. There was something I wanted to know. Why did I have to be killed? How did it come to this? Why? For what purpose? The sunlight was relentless. The sun, the heat, even the air. They wouldn't give me my answers. ...Or could it be... that the cries of the higurashi were desperately trying to tell me something...? Somewhere, mixed in with their shrieks... Tomitake-san and Satoshi were also probably trying to tell me something... I simply haven't been able to realize it yet... ...When I do realize it... I wonder if I will be amongst the higurashi fruitlessly crying to the next victim...?  Bwee, bwee... bwee... There was still much of the summer left, yet this one was already chirping its last song. I couldn't tell what it was saying... no matter how hard I listened. ...But... I had to try. ...I had to try to listen to what it was desperately trying to tell me… BGM: Silence  As if... they had huddled together, fearing that the person who'd brought them to their dreadful fate had arrived... There was no mistaking it... A presence was approaching. The sound of footsteps was almost non-existant. ...If the higurashi hadn't warned me by ending their chirping... I wouldn't have noticed. My exhaustion left me in a heartbeat. In its place was a rush of adrenaline that sharpened all of my senses. I was just barely able to hold back that creeping, suffocating... feeling of horror. ...It wasn't something I could hold back for long... But in this moment when I needed to be razor sharp... I was able to retain my composure. I wasn't going to shout like I did yesterday. ...I hid myself calmly amongst the trees... waiting for my pursuer's shadow. BGM: Silver Mirror Could I get them to pass by me...? No... since I was able to hear their footsteps, they were probably also able to hear mine. ...They might have already been able to tell that I'd hidden myself and was holding my breath... The person tailing me... was it Rena, just like yesterday? If it was Rena, I wouldn't hold back. I could just yell at her and make her go ahead like yesterday. If it wasn't Rena...? ...It would depend on how they acted, I guess...  I swallowed, wiped my clammy hands on my pants, and readjusted the grip on the bat. I could tell that the fear that I had beaten back once was now waiting for another opening to come at me... Who... could it be...? I peeked out from behind the tree at the person following me.  There was a bit of relief as I realized it was someone I knew, but that feeling left me in an instant. This wasn't the same Rena that I knew... Her eyes were dark and lifeless. But her mouth appeared as if it was carved into a crescent... yes, it looked like she was grinning slightly.  I hid myself behind the tree once again and recalled the unbelievable sight I just saw. What was that just now!? The embodiment of terror, laid bare...!! Baseball, practicing my swing, there were tons of excuses for me to be carrying a bat... But for that hatchet!? There was no excuse for that!!! A hatchet... just like that!!??  My heart was pounding. ...Hard enough that I had trouble breathing. What little composure I had been able to hold on to was now crushed. In its place, cold sweat gushed forth, covering my entire body, letting me know precisely what kind of emotion had taken hold... Not good, not good, not good... I wasn't able to hide myself completely. She already knew I was here...!  "...Were you trying to scare me, I wonder? ...I wonder?"I decided that it would be better to reveal myself now, since there was still space between us, than to allow Rena to come any closer. I adjusted my grip on the bat again... readied myself mentally, and stepped out from behind the tree.  Rena was pleased that she found me, eliciting a mysterious giggle. ...Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes told me she was displeased by the fact that I had been hiding. Those eyes... They were just so empty... My legs began to quiver... Augh... Not good... In the pit of my stomach... some sort of viscous hot and cold substance began spreading around... If I allowed it... that substance would slip into my bloodstream and undoubtedly freeze all the organs in my body...! Not good... not good...! I'll be devoured by Rena at this rate...! Strike back! Don't lose!!  I blustered, hiding behind my bravado. ...But Rena didn't flinch one bit.  "...Just the same as Keiichi-kun. ...I'm heading home." "Then what about that hatchet!?" "...Then what about that bat you're holding?" "I-I'm practicing my swing...!!" "Then I'm treasure hunting." "T-Treasure hunting...!?" "At the treasure mountain near the dam site... I found a new kyute thing. So I needed this to dig it out." "H... How could I believe that!?" "You wouldn't believe it, would you? Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."Rena's laugh was obviously very strange. ...I'd seen Rena's transformation many times before. ...But the one today was completely different. Like her mischievous tone and the shrewd glint in her eyes... It wasn't something that roundabout. ...I'm not sure what to say... it was just so obvious!  Rena didn't stop walking, even as she let out that eerie laugh. SFX: Night Higurashi  ...No matter how you looked at it, I was being chased by Rena and was trying to escape. "D-Don't follow me...!!!" "I can't do that... My house is this way, after all. Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha."When I met with Rena on this road yesterday, she cowered and trembled as she followed my commands. But today was different. Rena didn't show a hint of trepidation. ...Actually... Wasn't I the one who was cowering!? If the way home for Rena and me was the same, that's fine. I'd just change my route! That'd work out, wouldn't it!? SFX: River  But Rena saw me do that and followed me while laughing...! Why!? Why!? Aren't you going home!? Then just go home down the street you normally do!! Why... would you follow me down... this weird little side road!? Those thoughts, screamed in my head... eventually spilling out of my mouth. "...Wh-Wh-Wh-Why are you following me...!?"The tone of my voice was already tinged with terror. "...Because I want to talk to Keiichi-kun. Keiichi-kun wants to talk to Rena too, doesn't he? Doesn't he?" "I-I don't want to talk about anything with you...!!" "That's a lie, isn't it...? There's something you want to ask me about, isn't there?" "Not at all! I have nothing to talk to you about!" "That's a lie, isn't it?" "It's not a lie...!"  I cringed in fear. The only other thing I could do was increase my pace. "Let's talk, Keiichi-kun... Talk... Talk... Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha." "Doesn't Keiichi-kun have something he's worried about?" "N-Nothing at all! I'm not worried about anything!!" "LIES!!!! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."Even though I was running... Even though Rena was walking... Why wasn't I getting any farther away!? "I know, I know. I really do know. You're scared, aren't you, Keiichi-kun?" "I-I'm not scared! I'm not scared of anything—" "LIES!!!! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha." Rena wasn't even breaking a sweat.  "I'll listen. This time I'll listen."I had no idea what she was talking about or what exactly she wanted to do...! "This time I'll listen. It will be different from the time with Satoshi-kun!"When she said Satoshi's name, I turned back for a moment. But even as I did that, Rena was still advancing. I couldn't afford to stop...!  Where did this street connect to!? All these twists and turns, ups and downs! It was hard to believe... that this was even remotely in the direction towards my house. My sense of direction had long since gone out the window. "I really regretted it when Satoshi-kun 'transferred' out. I thought that if I had listened... he may not have 'transferred' out. I really regretted that."SFX: Night Higurashi  ...Wasn't I getting farther away from the village the more I ran...!? I lost more and more of my composure the more I thought about it... But despite this realization... my inner self was still disturbingly calm. "So you see, I vowed... I vowed that if there was someone struggling like Satoshi-kun did, I'd save them! I don't want to see anyone 'transfer' out again. Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."Daaaamn it!! What does "transfer" even mean!? I won't let you transfer me!! I won't end up the same as Satoshi!!!!  “I'll be able to understand you, Keiichi-kun. I'm your ally."I started wheezing, out of breath. My lungs were so hot that they felt like they were going to explode, and my heart was beating as hard as it possibly could. ...I should have practiced running instead of my swing...!!! I couldn't even afford to scoff at that stupid thought. "If Keiichi-kun doesn't have anything to worry about, he'll go back to normal. Everyone will be back to being friends and we can enjoy club activities again. Next time we'll team up and beat Mii-chan. Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."Yeah, how much fun that would be... Rena couldn't even imagine how much I had wished I could turn back the clock on these past few days... "You could be nice to me again, too.  “I'm sure you'll like it too. Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."My footsteps made pathetic flapping sounds as my legs wobbled and faltered. Hot on my heels, Rena's steps were sharply breaking twigs underfoot. I had to accept it. ...I was on the run... being chased by Rena. If she caught me... it was all over. ...I realized it instinctively. ...I couldn't even begin to think of what the end would entail. Just that if I was caught, it was all over. That's all I knew. It didn't matter how it was going to end... I wouldn't let it end. ...Not without... knowing anything, not yet...!  Of all the things that could have happened, my knees buckled underneath me and I crumbled towards the ground...! I tried to stand frantically, urging my legs to respond! I used my bat as a makeshift cane to prop myself up, but Rena was already standing right in front of me. Compared to me, out of breath and utterly exhausted... Rena was so cool and composed that she could have froze the air around her. She wasn't breathing hard at all, rather, I couldn't even sense if her heart was beating. "Are you afraid of something, I wonder...? It's not like you to tremble, Keiichi-kun. Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha." Her expression looked almost affectionate. ...Those soulless eyes... that mask of affection. SFX: Night Higurashi  The blur of arms as they moved made me feel as if I was staring at the godliness of the thousand-armed Buddha. ...Then as both of her hands met above her head... the hatchet that she held came into focus.
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Aug 3, 2021 16:50
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...Honestly? This is making me think that a lot of what's wrong here is Keiichi's perceptions. Most of what Rena is saying is actually what I'd expect a concerned friend to actually be saying. She saw her last friend get eaten alive by paranoia and "transfer" and now she's determined to not let it happen again. The truly unfortunate thing is that she's about to end up in a body bag if paranoid Keiichi has anything to say about it.
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Aug 3, 2021 18:55
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I don't think "Mion actually getting called out for her lies" happened in the manga, but... jeez... Rena just chased this poor kid through the loving woods. Some of this kinda takes the air out of that huge post I made, but... what I find interesting is until Mion started muttering about how she wants to kill [Probably Ooishi] nothing about her was creepy; she acted like a normal, if caught in a lie, person. She had the wind taken out of her sails and was struggling to answer, but she didn't get all spooky eyed or any demonic poo poo. She did not lie or panic, nor did she freak the gently caress until she wanted to kill someone... so... I would think that what she admitted under duress might be the truth.... ...Except we know from Tip #18, she called Ooishi "Oyashiro-sama's messenger." I mean, she was kinda screwing around with Rena and both laughed off some of that idea, but she just told Keiichi that Rena seriously believes in that poo poo. So what the gently caress's going on??? I also will point out... she did not out right say she put A Needle in the food. She just said she pranked the mocchi but going by her reaction, I am also wondering just what she actually did do to tamper it. For all we know, she really did dump Volcano Hotsauce or Castor Oil into one; Keiichi only tried two, bit the needle, and then ruined the others. And he doesn't have the needle, either. Capfalcon posted:The truly unfortunate thing is that she's about to end up in a body bag if paranoid Keiichi has anything to say about it. Two body bags maybe. She's got a Rambo sized butcher blade in her hands; they could just poo poo wreck each other if it came to it. But the only thing about what Rena says during this that feels way off is the "I wonder" vocal tick, which she normally doesn't do... TKMobile fucked around with this message at 19:16 on Aug 3, 2021 |
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Aug 3, 2021 19:13
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Some descriptions of assault are at the end of this update. VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 15 Part 2 BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi I stared up at it in disbelief... It was all I could do.  Rena stayed like that, with that hatchet raised above her head, and solemnly opened her mouth... It was as if she was expressing a farewell to a friend she was never to see again... that cruel scenario resided somewhere in her actions...  "Enough of that 'transfer' crap!" "..." "It means demoned away, doesn't it? Doesn't it!?" "..." "You can tell me now, can't you...!? Who made Satoshi disappear!? Was it you!? Mion!? Or someone in the village!!?? Answer me!!!!"I became frantic the more I screamed, but Rena did nothing but maintain the smile frozen on her face. "...I have no idea what Keiichi-kun is talking about." "Then I'll say it in a way so you do! Who is the perpetrator... of this chain of mysterious deaths!?" "...You seem to be confused, Keiichi-kun." "...Wha?" "Isn't Oyashiro-sama's curse just superstition...!? You believe in that too!?" "It's not about believing or not... Oyashiro-sama 'exists,' period." ...The ferocity of her stare was so intense, not allowing me to question anything... "...There's just no way that something like Oyashiro-sama could exist...!" "You don't believe...? In Oyashiro-sama?" "...Th-There's no way I could believe it! There's no way it could exist!!" "It 'exists'. Oyashiro-sama exists. Keiichi-kun should have felt it personally." "I-I never... felt something like that!!!" All noise from the outside world disappeared. Only Rena's voice resounded, loudly and terribly. "You see, until you forgive them... they'll always be with you. At school. At home. At your bedside..."I couldn't understand what Rena was saying. "It came to me, too. Oyashiro-sama did... That's why I 'transferred' and came back to Hinamizawa."I don't understand. I don't understand. What does "transfer" even mean? What was Rena saying...? "Hasn't Oyashiro-sama... come to you as well, Keiichi-kun? I'm probably the only one who you can confide in... I won't let you 'transfer' out... ...okay?” Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Rena's demented laughter clanged around inside my head. ...Was Rena saying Oyashiro-sama came to her as well...? That's right. ...Last night I had heard about that when I asked about Rena...  “Also, part of this may be speculation. Not all of it may be true... Are you still interested?"Ooishi-san began speaking… BGM: Doukutsu (Cave) "Neither the victims nor the school filed a complaint, so there's no preliminary report. Basically... The police hadn't intervened in this matter. So all of these details are just what I heard from those involved... Meaning it's not that credible." "You said there were victims? Didn't Rena just break all the windows?" "No, Rena Ryuugu had attacked three boys. Using a metal bat. Two of them made it out with only bruises, but the other had been injured so badly that one of his eyes was permanently damaged." "W-Wouldn't that be considered assault!? Shouldn't the police have arrested her!?" "For whatever reason, the victim never pressed charges. There was no report to the police, so..."They were beaten with a bat and suffered significant injuries! Normally there would be a criminal investigation. But why... didn't they press charges!?  “It's hard to say... but they were all afraid. Even after she had transferred schools." "...Ooishi-san... Could you summarize it starting from the beginning...?"Rena hit people while she broke the windows? Or was it... she started breaking the windows after she got bored of hitting people?? They sounded similar, but the meanings were drastically different... "On an undisclosed date. ...Rena Ryuugu was conversing with three male students, close friends of hers, near the pool storage shed." "...Who were those three?" "I can't reveal their names, but they were close to Rena Ryuugu and it seems they were a group of friends. She was the lone girl in their group."...So it wasn't that strange that the four of them were together... "So what happened?" "I don't know the reason why. She took the baseball team's bat that was in the pool storage shed and beat the three of them down one after the other." "Wha...!?"There were no witnesses. This was an account pieced together by the information given at the time of the incident. One day after school... Rena and three male students were at the pool storage shed talking together. They weren't seeking help, rather, they usually met up there. It appears it became a heated discussion.  The change was so abrupt that the three of them didn't comprehend what was happening. Then, taking the metal bat, she attacked her friends one after the other. Leaving her friends covered in blood with gashes on their head, she made her way towards the school building.  A few minutes later, a teacher appeared on scene and subdued her. "What was this 'change' Rena underwent?" "What matches up in the statements from the three was... a sudden change. The point that there was a transformation." "...Transformation..."I also... could recall Rena's transformation. I'd seen that change many times before. It was so different from the usual Rena that I couldn't help but believe it was someone else who looked like Rena. "...That transformation they're talking about... had it happened before?" "No, there was nothing like that. As far as I could find out, in her medical history and past, there was nothing like that." "...Um, does that happen often? Where people change suddenly like Rena did...?" "Of course it does. There are plenty of psychological phenomena that could cause something like that." "Then... you're saying there was a dormant element in Rena that caused that transformation?" "...I cannot say that for certain. But according to the statements of her friends, it's hard to believe she had such a side to her."...Kind, caring, and adorable. Even before she transferred here, she was probably pretty popular in school like she was now.  ...Nobody could have seen it coming. I, myself sometimes believed that I was mistaken for thinking that was Rena... even now... "Then... what happened after that...?" "There was a hospital right across from the school, so the three of them were carried in and treated quickly." "What about Rena...? What about the police...!? Why wasn't there a criminal investigation!?" "You see...the police can't get involved unless they are called..." "Even though one was badly injured with permanent damage!? Why didn't they file charges!?" "...That's what caught my attention as well. Either some threat or pressure was placed on them. Or they had a reason they couldn't file charges even if they wanted to..." "We're talking about you, after all. Of course you looked into it, didn't you?" "Well... yeah... But I told you at the beginning, didn't I? That the victims were all very reluctant to talk.” Reluctant to talk. Didn't want to touch it. Didn't want to be involved. ...It resembled the villagers here and Oyashiro-sama's curse. "Did the teacher at that school tell you anything?" "A school is hallowed ground. You could say they tend to keep scandals under wraps. I didn't have a search warrant so I had to tread lightly, you see..." "Then... there was no comment from the school?" "No. They denied the incident even happened." "..." "It's just... Three male students were carried in for blunt force trauma that day... That's all there was in the hospital records." "...The victims didn't speak, the school denied it happened... Then you don't know anything at all!" "Yeah. I know nothing other than the incident itself had taken place. ...The victims also wished this incident to be kept from the public... so if you and I both forget about it, Maebara-san, then this incident will probably just fade away..." At first glance, it looked like a simple assault case. ...But that was just the tip of the iceberg... The depths were obscured by roiling waves... sinking quietly into the void... as if it never existed to begin with... "After that, she was suspended by the school. And during that time, she underwent psychiatric counseling." "Did you hear anything from that doctor?" "...Again, they were very professional in regards to their ethics... Or at least very tight-lipped!" "Nothing even after you showed them your badge?" "I was told to get a warrant. The badge itself has no legally binding authority after all..." "Then how did you know... that Rena confessed that it was Oyashiro-sama who did it?" "There was a nurse I asked in that department. She agreed to help me just from showing her my badge." "...Then... what did she say?"Turns out that the nurse hadn't heard everything. ...Apparently all that she remembered was what she overheard from inside the room. "The nurse said that at the time, Rena Ryuugu was very calm and mild-mannered." She spoke with her mother there for some of it. But partway through, her mother was asked to leave, so it became a private counseling session between just the doctor and Rena for a while. "The part with Oyashiro-sama, when did that pop up...?" "Partway through. She screamed the name suddenly. That startled the nurse and that's why she started listening in." Rena suddenly shouted that. ...I had no idea what was said before that, so I had no idea what the meaning behind it could have been. The doctor, calmly and collectedly, asked Rena to have a seat. BGM: Silver Mirror "What is this Oyashiro-sama you speak of?"Gently, ever so gently. The fundamentals of counseling were believing what you were told.  "Whoever abandons Hinamizawa... will be hunted down by Oyashiro-sama!! And... they've finally gotten to me!!!" "That's the town you lived in before you moved here. Isn't that right, Ryuugu-san?" "I didn't want to move, but because of my mom and dad's circumstances, we had to. But... Oyashiro-sama wouldn't allow it!!" "Ryuugu-san must have lots of friends in Hinamizawa. Even now you must be missing them dearly, don't you think?" "...I want to go back... Back to Hinamizawa... No, it's not that I want to go back, I have to go back!” “I should have gone back much sooner!! But now it's too late...!!! Oyashiro-sama has come!!!" "Oyashiro-sama is the name of the god in Hinamizawa, isn't that right?" "Everyone knows... It's Hinamizawa's guardian deity... And if you ever try abandoning Hinamizawa by leaving... you'll incur his wrath." "You had moved... quite a while ago, didn't you? Then... It was just now that this god has arrived, is what you're saying?" "...You might not believe me, but Oyashiro-sama exists!"That nurse was then asked by another nurse to do something and left the room. ...That was all she remembered.  "I do believe there is that kind of superstition in Hinamizawa. That if you leave the village, then you incur Oyashiro-sama's wrath. ...You should be familiar with this part, Maebara-san."I knew very well what those scorned by the village incurred. To hinder the dam construction project, they cursed the construction foreman to his death. Then the following year Satoko's parents, supporters and leading advocates for the dam, were cursed to their death. But... this was the first time I've heard of the curse incurred by leaving the village.  I know it's a bit strange to say it, but I could see it as a rule that the people who come in are the ones who would be cursed. Far from Jupiter, far from his thunder. ...Curses weren't something to chase after people that leave, were they? Ooishi-san pondered for a bit over on the other end of the receiver, then began speaking again. "Well... I told you of long ago when Hinamizawa was called Onigafuchi, didn't I?"I recalled hearing that... Long ago, Hinamizawa was feared and respected as the village of ogres.  Those who set foot in Onigafuchi—in another words, Hinamizawa—would be cursed. I could understand that. "I know that... But... for leaving to also be no good... that's..." "Also, the ogres, you see... They were being strictly watched by Oyashiro-sama so they would not enter into our world.” ”...In other words, Oyashiro-sama probably restricted interaction between Onigafuchi and the rest of the world."...I see. I finally understood what sort of thing Oyashiro-sama was.  "I guess that's how it would seem... I'm sorry, I don't know very much myself. This is mostly what was passed on to me from my grandmother..."I could understand it a bit better if it was like that. Those who came to Hinamizawa would be cursed, and those who tried to leave would also be cursed. So... because Rena originally lived in Hinamizawa and moved away, she fulfilled the requirements for being cursed. "...So that means, because Rena moved away against its wishes, she was cursed by Oyashiro-sama. Is that what it adds up to?" "In short... that seems to be what it points to, I guess. As a matter of fact, soon afterwards they did move back to Hinamizawa, after all."...Those who abandoned Hinamizawa and left were cursed. But then... why only Rena? Shouldn't Rena's parents also have been guilty of the same transgression by moving away and have been cursed? Also, in this day and age in Japan, shouldn't there be a lot of people coming and going? ...If every single one of them was cursed, then it'd be insane. But in reality it wasn't that big of a deal at all. ...At most, there would be one person dying and one disappearing on the day of the Watanagashi. ...I don't like saying "at most," though...  “...Even if it was Oyashiro-sama's curse, it doesn't add up as to why her classmates, the victims who were beaten with a metal bat, wouldn't press charges.” “...You don't think the victims were cowering because they believed that a terrible curse had befallen them, do you?"Of course I didn't want to believe it. BGM: Silence SFX: Crickets  There was another bizarre connection that Rena made between Oyashiro-sama's curse and metal bats... Satoshi fell victim to Oyashiro-sama's curse, and went missing. I had recently learned that Satoshi had also become infatuated with the metal bat right before he disappeared, just like me. Then Rena as well. She was affected by Oyashiro-sama's curse, she confessed that much to the doctor. ...And the weapon which she had used at the time of that horrendous act was, again, a metal bat.  I'd encountered various things that were inexplicable, and now I was holding onto a metal bat... I was shocked when I learned that Satoshi did the same thing... it couldn't be... Had the same thing happened to Rena...!? But there was one critical difference between her and Satoshi's case. That being: Satoshi went missing after falling victim to the curse, but Rena was still here. Both of them had fallen victim to Oyashiro-sama's curse, yet they were met with different endings. ...And finally... me. I couldn't call it a coincidence anymore... Rena, Satoshi, and finally... me. Could it be... that I really was under... Oyashiro-sama's curse right now!? ...No, more importantly than that... what should I do now...? Satoshi had been demoned away, vanishing without a trace. Rena was fine. ...Fine? Rena had undergone a change. I could only believe that there was something that wasn't Rena residing within her.  BGM: Mazoku Kenkyuusho (Demonic Institute)  Rena stood imposingly, not answering. "Satoshi disappeared... but Rena didn't disappear. So... what will happen to me!?" "...Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."I had never heard such an unpleasant laugh before. ...It had become... akin to the sound of her breathing. It was no longer a voice or an expression of feeling. "...Don't worry. I'll save you." "...Now then..."One step closer. Rena's face spread out to fill my vision. "...Speak..."One step closer. Rena's nose was close enough to touch mine... and was still pushing closer. "...There's something you want to say, isn't there? ...I'll listen. I'll save you... okay? Speak, okay? Speak, okay?"I slumped down, landing squarely on my butt. ...It wasn't for some pathetic reason. ...It was all I could do to get as far away from Rena... "Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..."I had the gut feeling that I couldn't let her laughter end. ...Because when that laughing ended...!! The moment I picked up on that feeling, my body moved by instinct.  Rena was as light as a feather. Thrown about by the unbalanced weight of the hatchet, she was sent backwards as if she had been carried off by the wind. After confirming that out of the corner of my eye, I dashed off at full speed. I was the perfect picture of "fleeing like a greased pig." ...Get away from Rena. Run away. Survive!!! I couldn't think of anything other than this. While I was running, I remembered I'd been holding onto a bat the entire time. ...Such a worthless weapon. ...I couldn't believe I'd forgotten about this weapon at such an important time...!  I didn't even feel myself gasping for breath or my legs getting heavy. ...My body understood it as well. If I didn't run away from here... I wouldn't live!! I could hear the laughter of that simulacrum of Rena coming from behind me. It rang through the trees and in my head, and slowly chiseled away at my sanity. BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  Where was this...!? For a moment, I was bewildered by the scenery I felt I knew but couldn't quite remember... I quickly realized... It was the dam site. The fact that I'd dashed madly and ended up in a place like this gave me a bad feeling, like I was following someone's scripted plot. I had a good view of my surroundings, but I didn't see a single soul here. This was a terrible spot for someone on the run, but there was no better place for an attacker. My heart was already on the verge of bursting. The muscles in my legs were screaming. But I didn't care.  Even still, I glanced back, looking for an excuse to rest. Rena wasn't there... Instead, I saw two villagers walking around. I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't Rena, but a third party... Except the voice inside me rang the alarm once again... Villagers walking around weren't suspicious in and of themselves. But it bothered me. They both wore rough-looking clothes. Empty-handed, they definitely gave the impression that they were just out for a walk... But... At this time of day, two adults wandering around without a purpose. It was enough to raise questions. ...But more than anything else... those eyes...  Was I at the end of my rope and had finally started imagining things...!? ...I should run away. That was probably the best choice. If they weren't involved, I'd lose them easily by running. ...If they were part of the group after me... then they would come running after me. Either way, unless I hurried up, Rena would catch up with me. That's right... I was going to run!!! Deciding that, the moment I began to turn tail... both of them rushed towards me, as if they knew exactly what I was thinking!! BGM: Mazoku Kenkyuusho (Demonic Institute) SFX: Higurashi  I made the assumption that I didn't need fear anything else... But right now... I realized just how blatantly wrong I was! Suddenly, the story Ooishi-san told me about the demons all leaving the village to hunt prey floated through the back of my mind. I could tell they were both coming after me without even turning around because of their frenetic footsteps. It was frightening, being unable to shake Rena off as she slowly closed in on me... but this didn't even compare. Being pursued with such violent ferocity... this straightforward horror was unparalleled...!!! One of the pursuers' arms grazed my shoulder. ...Now it wasn't just their frenzied footsteps, but also the distinct sound of their breathing that I could hear. ...No... I could practically feel them breathing on me! They were already right behind me...! ...Calm down, Keiichi Maebara.  I turned my head back slightly in that frozen world... realizing how close my pursuers had gotten to me. ...I couldn't win against the legs of an adult. In less than the time it would take to blink twice, when this frozen time began moving again... they'd be right on top of me. On top of me... and then...? Don't think about that, Keiichi. ...First, realize that you won't be able to shake them off like this. If the fact that you can't get away was a given, then you need to make a decision... Go with the right leg or go with the left... you just need to decide which one. Let's go with the left... The moment I decided that... the temporal singularity burst into pieces!!  I swung the bat in a wide arc with my right arm, using that inertia, I stopped and suddenly spun. "...Wha—!?"The two of them were clearly startled. ...Momentarily losing sight of me, both of their outstretched arms—ready to grab me—instead grasped at empty space! The man on the right (I applaud him being able to figure it out) spun around to the spot I shouldn't have been, and faced me in astonishment. But it was too late!!!! I didn't even need to swing my bat. All I needed to do was extend my arms as I turned around. It was by no means a heavy blow, but it seemed like it had enough power behind it to knock him off his feet. But just knocking him down wasn't enough to scare him away. He got back up in no time!  This made me certain they weren't just two people out for a walk—they were clearly after me! It felt much easier than dealing with Rena. Just by not recognizing their faces, by not knowing them—it made things easier. I smiled wryly on the inside. "What do you want with me!? Next one is going to be right in your face, you bastard!"It's fine if it was just a bluff! By barking out at them, I was able to fire myself up. They didn't respond. They spread out to either side of me with unbelievably calm expressions on their faces. One of them would grab onto my bat and the other would hold me down... was that their plan? Taking on both of them at once... would be impossible!! Hot sweat poured from every pore in my body. Then I'd just have to settle it with the first move!! I'd step in and strike the first one down!!!  There was no way for an unarmed person to guard against it... it would cause immense damage!! If they blocked it with their arm, their bone would snap like a twig; if they turned their back to it, then it was possible that the blow would travel all the way to their vital organs! It looked like he was aware of this. He pushed farther through the kill zone between us and delivered a fist right into my gut!!! Not good... with this distance, in this position and in this state... there was no way for me to dodge it!! SFX: Boom  I landed on the soft earth without a sound, feeling the grainy soil press against my face. ...It didn't hurt at all. ...But the moment I thought that, I suddenly felt pain coming from the abrasions on my skin, as well as the contents of my stomach being forced upwards, flooding my mouth with a bitter sensation. I knew very well that I didn't have the time to relish this experience.  ...Being able to comprehend calmly that I simply couldn't dodge it made it all the more upsetting. After plowing into my stomach full-force once again, my assailant twisted around behind me and locked his thick arm around my neck!! ...My throat felt like it was being crushed by his immense strength!!  ...My vision simply darkened and a silent whining noise began playing deep inside my mind. It took everything I had to keep myself from blacking out. While this was happening, the other man was more than likely standing in front of me. I wasn't able to open my eyes, but I could feel that he was there. There was nothing I could do now. Unable to shake this arm off me, I couldn't run. I couldn't fight back. 'Dire straits,' I couldn't even come up the phrase that adequately described my situation… 
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Aug 5, 2021 17:29
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 Nice going Keiichi. I should be surprised that nobody seems to be coming out of their homes to investigate all the screaming, but... it is Hinamizawa. Still, you'd think at least the initial part with a girl with a cleaver chasing a guy with a bat into the woods would draw a little more attention. The manga's take on this scene kinda sucked, though...Anyway, this is also sort of the only time I feel... sorry is a strong word, but it legitimately does suck for Ooishi/the cops that Rena's old school blocked any attempts to find out what really happened during the assault incident. I think we can infer, though, that since they covered that poo poo up, the truth of the incident WOULD make the school itself look really bad. They must have outright ignored/missed some poo poo going on, which leads me to wonder if Rena was bullied or worse and snapped. She DID have some rather extreme reactions to Keiichi making innuendos back in the good old days (last week.) But this still comes back to Oyashiro... I wish there was a way to find a spoiler free timeline, and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, but the order of events seems to be: 1)Rena's family moves away. She has a terrible incident at her new school and during her suspension/recuperation, she ultimately freaks out that since she left the village, Oyashiro is going to come get her. (why her though? Ain't her fault her parents moved; the curse should be going after them if it exists) 2)The dam incidents occur. Mion is booked for assaulting a cop, the original murder of the dam foreman takes place culminating in the dam project being canceled. (And I personally think this also is when poo poo like the garbage dumping and school ignoring gets started) 3) The year after that, a couple leave the village on vacation are killed, marking them (as far as we know) as the only victims not killed in the village. They're... Satoko's parents, right? 4) Following year the priest and his wife (Rika's parents) are killed. Oyashiro starts getting blamed for this. 5) Summer Murders #3: A housewife (Satoko's aunt) is found dead and Satoshi (her brother) goes missing. I actually forgot Satoshi is part of the pairing deaths a few replies back... whoopsie But by this point Rena has moved back into town. She insists Satoshi transferred out but Ooishi states that he's missing. 6) Summer murders #4 Tomitake and the blond are dead. Tomitake has thus far experienced on of the most gruesome deaths by clawing his own throat out. I think... after going back and re-reading some of the Ooishi updates is that there's an incongruity to these deaths/the theory that "if you leave the village Oyashiro kills you" because one of the brothers of the victims just went "gently caress this" and moved to another town. As far as I know, this eponymous person hasn't been murdered. And Rena's situation occurred BEFORE the killings started. AND the presented motives for killing these people keep getting weaker as time goes on. On top of all that, Rena going on a rampage doesn't fit the pattern either; nobody died, and nobody disappeared as a result of it. This is kind of a problem believing that a curse is involved since it HAS to have rules about it. People leave the village all the time and not everyone is dying, and... yeah. I'm puzzled...
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Aug 6, 2021 16:27
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VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 15 Part 3 BGM: Silence   ...The smell of the bed and pillows... I knew them well. ...Was this... my room? Normally there wouldn't be anyone in my room besides me, but their presence made me spring wide awake! ...When I did that... pain shot throughout my entire body.  Why was Rena in my room!? Blood began to surge through my muscles and my capillaries! ...But... Rena's smile belonged to the Rena I knew well. ...I knew I shouldn't let myself feel this way... but I relaxed thinking that this version of Rena was safe... "...Why... am I...?" "...Don't you remember?" "...After losing consciousness... nothing at all..."My body had become more lethargic than I could ever have imagined. ...I guess that would be the expected outcome after exerting everything I had back there... I tried to at least clear my head... but I just couldn't shake the sluggish feeling out of my mind.  I wasn't injured seriously enough to merit calling a doctor. ...But knowing that someone impartial was coming was slightly reassuring... "...Why... am I here...? I'm sure... I was at the dam site..." "That's what I want to know. ...What happened? When I got there, Keiichi-kun was already passed out..." "...That's why I'm the one who wants to know... I was attacked by two weirdos..."BGM: Silence As I talked about it, I finally remembered what happened right before I passed out. Recalling that memory and the terror that went along with it caused the fogginess around my head to clear right up. Let's forget about those two for now. ...I didn't expect... Rena to be nursing me. I thought Rena was trying to kill me. She would have had the perfect chance while I was unconscious. Not only did she not kill me, she had nursed me back to health. BGM: Silence  Looking at Rena's delicate frame, it was hard to believe that she had not only gotten me back home, but even dragged me all the way up to the second floor. ...Did she have some help...?  "...Don't you remember, Keiichi-kun?"Rena appeared a bit surprised, but still kept her smile. "...I only propped you up on my shoulder. You said you could walk on your own and that you were fine... You don't remember?"...I didn't remember. My memory was fuzzy after the point where I lost consciousness. "...What about those two?" "Huh?" "...When you got there, Rena... the ones with me, or rather, those two guys..." She said it bluntly. The way she stated it felt slightly unpleasant. I was just too timid at that time... I might have been able to force some answers out of Rena. But if I did that... then this kind Rena might transform into the scary Rena who I didn't know... Fearing that... I didn't press any further. Thinking about it... it was the obvious choice. ...If both of those men were there, I don't think Rena would even have stood a chance. I couldn't find a way to explain it unless I assumed she brought me here after those two were already gone.  Her eyes sparkled warmly. ...Yet... I felt like I was hallucinating when I saw something... something akin to a shadow slowly creeping across her face... ...That small omen... sent shivers down my spine... While Rena was still Rena... I needed to make contact. ...I needed to contact Ooishi-san. Rena stopped me when I tried to get out of bed. She said it would aggravate my wounds, so I should sleep. "...I'd like to go to the bathroom, though." "...Ah... S-S... Sorry."Rena couldn't say anything else. BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi While Rena stayed in the room, I quickly went downstairs to get the phone receiver in the living room.  It must have been the doctor Rena had called. It was strange for a patient to welcome in the doctor who was making a house call. But it would be incredibly reassuring to have him here for the considerable time it would take Ooishi-san to get here. I carelessly opened the door with that simple assumption... and regretted it almost instantly.   "Oh, you look just fine. I heard you collapsed, so I came to check up on you." "...H-How did you know I collapsed?" "I heard from Rena over the phone. Do I need any reason other than that?"I understood why she would call a doctor. But... why Mion, too!?!? Rena was descending the stairs behind me.  "Rena, doesn't Kei-chan look pretty all right? Sheesh, you made me worry for nothing." They both began laughing. ...It appeared to be cheerful laughter... but I couldn't shake the feeling that there was a darkness looming over them...  "...Whoa, what's up with this shoe rack? How did it get like this?"The shoe rack that I'd smashed to pieces had been like that since yesterday... "Ah... um... I fell, you see. And the bat I was holding at the time slammed into it." "This is what happens when you swing around something you're not used to handling."...I kept the fact that it was none of her business to myself. "But leaving it like this will really startle your parents when they get home.” “...I'll fix it up for you later!" "Now, come on, Kei-chan. The terminally ill need their rest. Come come, back in bed, back in bed!"Both of them urged me up the stairs. ...I had no chance to call Ooishi-san.  As it was the first time Mion had been in my room, she began searching around it intently. She fiddled around my room and was scolded by Rena... You can imagine how it went. It was uncomfortable having my room poked around, but the conversation was so benign that it was heartwarming. During that innocent conversation, Mion said something as though it was perfectly ordinary. "...Rena. Did you call the Director?" "Yup. Right after I called Mii-chan. He said he'd be right over."Director? That out-of-place word gave me a bad feeling. Rena called a doctor... Then called Mion... and after that... she called a "director"? ...Who was this director? Since Rena and Mion's conversation was so peaceful, it only felt slightly odd. "...What are you two talking about? Who's this 'director'?"  I dug through all of my memories for a ‘director’ who might have business with me. ...Only one thing came to mind. What Rena had just said... The construction site foreman. The very first victim of the first incident, the dismemberment at the dam construction site... the foreman? But that was strange. He was supposed to be dead. There was no way they could call him.  ”...You said he was coming... did you mean to my house?"I asked one obvious question after another. But... all the two of them did was smile coolly at each other. There was a huge difference between how the two of them appeared and how my suspicions were playing out. ...Slowly... I felt discomfort and panic welling up inside me... ...I couldn't understand what Rena and Mion were talking about. "...Kei-chan, you've gotten into baseball lately, haven't you? Pretty sure the Director will be happy to hear that." "...So who is this Director?" "Ahahaha. The Director is the director. Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha." "...So who is this Director!?" "Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha..."Rena and Mion looked at each other... and laughed haughtily. That disturbing cackle unpleasantly resounded around me. "Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."That laugh, long enough to be unsettling, ended abruptly. SFX: Night Higurashi  Her face was laughing... but Mion's eyes told a different story. "...Remember... remember what?" "Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Keiichi-kun, had he forgotten, I wonder? About the penalty. About the penalty!" "...Did you really forget? ...The homework with the mochi? The 'homework' where you were supposed to guess which one Rena made? ...You forgot about that homework, didn't you?"I certainly did have that "homework." But I had thrown away the rest of the mochi after I found that sewing needle. So I wasn't able to answer which one Rena made... The penalty... for that...? Why now!?  No doubt my question was written all over my face. Their answer to my question was that dry laughter. I could no longer make heads or tails of anything. I began to think that this entire day... was somehow insane. Strange. Incomprehensible. Being chased by Rena... Attacked by strange men... The penalty Mion and Rena were talking about. "Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."What... were these two laughing at...!? It didn't take that long for me to realize I had been dragged into an abnormal situation.  Who were these people...? Who were these doppelgangers of Rena and Mion!?!?   BGM: Mazoku Kenkyuusho (Demonic Institute) SFX: Higurashi "Wh-What are you doing!?" "Don't move. This is your penalty. Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha."My body was already very sluggish... and Rena pinning my arms made it that much harder to move. I seriously tried to struggle, but she wouldn't even budge. My panic began to well up, and I realized this was well beyond the realm of jokes and pleasantries. This freakishly monstrous strength... it would have been impossible for the Rena that I knew...! Then... these thin, frail arms grasping me firmly... whose arms were they!?!?  Mion... no, that thing that looked like Mion... spoke to me like how Mion would speak to me. But... I was certain... that this was not Mion. ...Someone who wasn't Mion... someone who was just pretending to be Mion!!! "Heheheh... Need to finish this up before the director comes."Mion fished into her pockets and pulled out something bizarre. ...I could tell what it was just by looking, but for such a thing to be in her pocket... my mind wouldn't accept it. "...What is... that... ...?" It was a small, clear syringe, like what a doctor would use when you went to him when you were sick... Rena held me even tighter. And I could hear that clattering laughter that no longer sounded like laughter blaring into my ear. That eerie laughter... It wasn't something that the Rena I knew could ever produce from her own throat. ...This thing that was pretending to be Rena... was this their real laugh...!? Unable to defend myself... the syringe Mion was holding... drew closer!! And that needle tip was waved in front of my face countless times.  "Wh... What are you planning on doing...? What kind of sick joke is this!?!?" "...What are you saying, Kei-chan? ...You know exactly what's going on, don't you?" "About what!? I don't understand any of this at all...!!" "...I know you know. No use playing the fool this late in the game." "Stop talking nonsense to try and confuse me!!!"  The same as... Tomitake-san...!? I didn't really understand what she meant. What did that have to do... with this syringe...!? "...You're playing dumb, Keiichi-kun. You should have realized it by now."Rena whispered into my ear, laughing as if to admonish me. ...But even the way she spoke was repulsive beyond compare. Playing dumb? Me? About what!? What do you mean... the same as Tomitake-san!?  “Except when the officer got closer to check if he was still alive, he soon noticed it wasn't a normal situation. ...His throat was scratched out." "F-From a knife or something...!?" "No. Nails."Nails!? Nails as in fingernails!? With those... Gouged through!? That's right. ...Tomitake-san... had clawed out his own throat with his own nails and died. There's no way someone could die like that!! So then, for that to happen...!!! "We thought drugs were to blame, but nothing of that nature was detected."That's right. The police didn't find any drugs in Tomitake-san's system.  Gweh gweh gweh gweh gweh gweh gweh...!!!!! The two of them laughed together with that sickening laughter. Of course they'd laugh. ...To assume that such a medicine didn't exist just because the police didn't know about it... was completely foolish...! Meaning... The drug that caused Tomitake-san to die in such a bizarre manner... did exist!? If Mion injected this into me, then that would probably be all the proof I needed... That would basically mean I'd end up the same as Tomitake-san. ...Become hysterical, scratching out my throat in my last moments... then die! For such an outrageous drug to exist... For Mion to be holding it... And that I was about to be injected with it... ...At that moment, I did not feel there was any need whatsoever to question it. SFX: Night Higurashi What kind of idiot, when he's trying to dodge a ball flying straight for his face, has time to think of a reason as to why it's flying at him?  Mion's actions lacked any gravitas, and that made it even more terrifying. There was none of the ceremony like when someone is sentenced to death. ...There was no hesitation at all, as if she were brushing her teeth. Mion reached out with one hand and grabbed onto my chest...!!!!  Did I stand up too fast? Or... did someone hit me really hard in the back of the head? Having lost my sense of balance, I was assaulted by a wave of dizziness.   - - - BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi   How long... had I been squatting here...? How many minutes? Or has it been hours...? ...It was almost as if the hands on the clock had stopped moving the entire time my eyes were closed... that's how little time passed. ...Really? The air in the room wasn't filled with that madness from before... only a dull silence. Rena wasn't there pinning my arms and Mion wasn't there about to inject me with a needle.  There was no other presence in the room besides my own. It was the weirdest experience I'd ever had. ...I was certainly... with Rena and Mion... I doubted my sanity for a moment, but I was also seized with some sort of comfort. Hahaha... I guess... that terrible ordeal... was a hallucination. Neither Rena nor Mion... they wouldn't ever do... something so terrible... My head... grew hot. I could tell my emotions were welling up... Why...? That wasn't a reason to cry. Why...? ...It was... sorrow... ...Why was I sad...? I don't understand. ...I don't understand... Kind to everyone... not discriminating against age or gender. ...Mion.  Blood stained her a deep red from her head down to her chest. The bright crimson smeared on the walls... that splatter had undoubtedly come from Mion. She always had that bright smile and was kind to me from the day I transferred. ...Rena.  ...I couldn't comprehend what had happened. ...Did someone come to save me? Then they beat these two down!? ...With... this metal bat...? I finally noticed the weight in my right hand. How long had it been there? ...It was Satoshi's metal bat. It was covered in a deep red... There was no doubt that this was the weapon used to mutilate both of them. And I was holding that weapon. I was the only person in the house. SFX: Night Higurashi  Looking at this objectively, I couldn't think of anyone other than myself who could have done it. "I... did this...?"...That's right. Keiichi Maebara. Of course I did it. I... told myself gently... as if coaxing myself. Hey, me. ...There is no reason for you to remember it, nor is there a need to regret it. ...Eat or be eaten. You get that, don't you...? "But... the blood... The blood... There's so much...!"Neither Rena nor Mion had moved an inch. It wasn't just a split forehead and a trickle of blood, nothing that simple. ...The entire room was splattered with red and that told me it didn't end with just two or three strikes. "...Were they dead...? Both of them...?"The depths of my mind were calm, but on the surface, I was panicking and agitated. Calm down, Keiichi Maebara. What happened to your usual calm self!? Come on, now... Do like you always do... throw your head back and take a deep breath. Come on... ...Once. Twice... Breathe deeply... ... Calm down. Calm down... I chanted that over and over in my head, and relaxed...  At the same time... I remembered what happened when I blacked out…  They were about to inject me with whatever caused the same symptoms as Tomitake-san. But right before that happened... I fought back. SFX: Hit  Then I followed through with my spin and rammed my foot as hard as I could into Mion's torso. It was soft... Rena tried jumping on me, so I tackled her as hard as I could and slammed her against the wall. I didn't let that brief moment of having them off-balance slip by. Satoshi's bat that was left carelessly by the side of my desk...!!! ...Bweep... At that moment, everything went pitch black. There was nothing recorded past this point in the video tape of my mind... No... that wasn't right. ...It wasn't that there was nothing recorded. It was recorded just fine. Just... the Other Me inside myself... had told me not to look and had turned off the TV. Just because the screen had gone black and I couldn't see it... didn't mean that the video tape within me hadn't recorded it. The TV was just off... the video was still playing. The tape within me... creaking along... still playing. SFX: Hit On the other end of that pitch-black screen... that horrifying video was still playing on… SFX: Night Higurashi  ...This, the scene right before my eyes... was still so difficult to take in. There was blood splattered everywhere on the walls, the two of them in these unnatural poses. ...Not a sign of movement from them. ...I couldn't even tell if they were breathing... No matter what the circumstances were... My friends, these girls, I had... I had attacked them... ...I may have even killed them. But... if I hadn't done this, I would have been the one done for. Balancing that out on an imaginary scale... it felt odd that I'd even feel bad about it... Even if it was a bit excessive... this was justifiable self-defense. The proof was all here. The two of them collapsed here and Mion's syringe. Mion's syringe filled with some unknown drug would certainly solve the mystery surrounding the incident with Tomitake-san. And from the fact that both of these two were involved, they'd be able to pick out the criminals one after the other. Still, I might be suspected for this. But that was just fine... Anyway, now this should be a police affair. This wouldn't fade into the darkness like Rena's past incidents. As long as the police were involved... that should bring this to a close. They'll probably revisit their investigation on the chain of incidents. ...Ooishi-san would... definitely get to the bottom of it.  ...of not wanting to die... of wanting to know the truth... That would be fulfilled in its most basic form. It was all a matter of time now. The doctor Rena called should be getting here soon. I'll confess everything to him. I needed to contact Ooishi-san... BGM: Doukutsu (Cave)  Besides the doctor, a "director" had been called. It was easy to imagine that they were someone deeply involved with the incidents judging from Rena and Mion's conversation. ...The ache in my chest, caused by the gruesome deed I'd done, dissipated rapidly. It was... not over yet. This place... was no longer safe. Stay calm, Keiichi Maebara. ...It's not over yet. I needed to live long enough... to tell the police of this incident...!! ...At that moment, I felt like I heard someone's voice from outside. Since people were speaking, it must mean there was more than one person.  ...It was a bizarre sight. About four or five grown men were all gathered at the gate. They very much resembled the two men who had assaulted me at the dam site today. ...Those two might even be among them. There was one person there wearing a white coat. ...But he didn't look like a doctor at all. My gut told me he was in disguise, only posing as a doctor. That guy would probably ring the bell and get me to open the front door. Pretend to be a doctor to get me to open the door... and then the rest of them would all rush in at once... At that moment, I saw the car parked behind the men and my heart nearly skipped a beat.  No mistaking it. That van... the one that had tried to run me down...!?!? The man in the white coat entered the gate and headed towards the front door. The rest of the men hid in the bushes and watched him. I probably couldn't pretend that I wasn't home. ...Undoubtedly, they'd just break the window and enter...! ...I needed to get out of here somehow. Then... use a public phone to contact Ooishi-san. Then meet up somewhere. First of all, I need a weapon! Then shoes!! But before all of that... there was one thing that I had to do...!!  I'd live... and reveal the truth about this nonsensical 'Curse of Oyashiro-sama'...!!! But... what would happen from here on, regardless of how determined I was... may bring about my demise. ...And that was why. ...There was one thing more important than getting out of here right now.  ...drat it...! The tape was sticking to it fast...!! It'd be fine if it was torn a little. I opened up the slightly torn note and began writing another passage with a ballpoint pen. If I wasn't able to inform Ooishi-san... Then the only thing I could rely on was this note. ...I'd never thought a piece of torn, college-ruled, notebook paper could be this reliable before. I had no time. I'd only write what I knew right now. I needed to leave some sort of information that would lead them to uncover the truth!!  This was an undeniable fact. ...I still didn't want to believe it. But it was a fact! Anyway... I'd leave all the information that would help lead them to finding the perpetrators. "There are four or five adults, maybe more. They have a white van." ...This was everything I was able to see from the window... There may be more. Also... there was that unidentified person known as the director. ...To begin with... The term "director" didn't even mesh with Hinamizawa at all. ...If... they were going to include the directors from the past incidents... then the only one is the construction foreman, the victim from the first murder. The very first victim in the chain of incidents. Killed in a lynching, his body divided into six pieces. His right arm was never discovered. ...The police should have confirmed that death...? But Rena and Mion did both call him "director." They said "director." They wouldn't use that term to refer to someone who was dead. ...The police would never even conceive that someone who was deceased could be involved. ...Could that be... some sort of oversight?? I didn't know. But... even if I didn't know... it could be a big hint for Ooishi-san. ...That's right... ...They needed to start fresh from the first incident. It wasn't just a simple dismemberment, but the start of this string of mysterious deaths that would follow... ...So, then... there must be something hidden there!  His death should have been established after an autopsy. Logically you would think as much... But was that really the case? Could it have been some sort of ploy that they were able to deceive the police with...? I shouldn't jump to conclusions. But... he may still be alive... I had no time to ponder that right now. ...Oh, yeah. There's something even more important I needed to write...!  That's right. That drug... it was an irreplaceable piece of evidence! No doubt... just by having this, everything would be uncovered!!! I couldn't just leave that vital clue lying on the floor. "This syringe is proof." Writing that down, I stuck the syringe onto the back of the clock with plenty of tape. So it absolutely would not slip out and fall to the floor... firmly.. Firmly!!  The bell rang. ...They were here!!! I couldn't write any more. ...But even still...! There was one last thing that I had to write. "I have no idea why it has become like this." ...This may be the closest thing to the truth out of everything I wrote on this note. "If you are reading this, then I am probably already dead. ...Though you may or may not find my body." ...If I was going to write out everything that could happen... Either dying from the curse... or being demoned away...   It wasn't certain that I was going to die. ...But... it was my final plea... Just in case... I folded the note, stuck it back onto the back of the clock, and returned the clock back to its usual spot. I couldn't help but pray. ...Ooishi-san... ...If something happens to me... I leave the rest to you...!!  ...This was probably the last time we'd ever see each other. Rena. Mion. "I... really had thought... all of us were friends..."But... why did it end up like this...? I never had any fun in my previous school. I only worried about standardized test scores about if the school I hoped to get into was where I really wanted to go or a safety net... that was all I talked about. ...It was a dull life. The people I called friends were also my rivals in studying, in competitions, in personal records, and standardized test scores. Everyone here taught me how unhealthy that lifestyle was. This month was really fun... Making a fuss over lunch, making a fuss over the club, making a fuss over the festival… BGM: Silence  ...Uncontrollable... tears. I should have had no obligation to shed tears for them. ...But they wouldn't stop...!! Even if they were after my life. Even if they were trying to kill me. Everything that happened this month... I wouldn't forget it... Or could it be... those happy days... were all a facade as well...? Was it all a trap... meticulously orchestrated up until today... to ensnare me? Could it have been that I had just arbitrarily assumed that they were my friends...?  Both Rena and Mion... They really were my friends! Those happy days... There was nothing fake or unclear about them...! Someone probably... forced them to try to kill me. Or... their minds were taken over, possessed by the supernatural entity known as Oyashiro-sama! Regardless... both Rena and Mion... they were the best friends ever! And... when they were coming after me... it wasn't of their own volition! Wait... they weren't the kind of people to sell off their friends, regardless of whether or not they were forced. There's no way such a thing like being possessed by Oyashiro-sama could happen in reality. Then... did the real... Rena and Mion... come after me...!?!? What... was I thinking...? What a silly, dumb idea. ...Having beaten down both Rena and Mion... I was still debating if they were the real ones or fakes. There was no real or fake... Only the reality that was before me. Rena and Mion were sprawled out at my feet... that was the only truth...!!  No matter how I spun it... it wouldn't change reality... Rena and Mion were both dead...!!!! It felt like there was a crack in the dam of strange emotions I was holding back. ...It felt like my calm state, which was nothing more than a bluff, had receded, and in that opening... insanity was leaking out... I killed them. I killed them. ...Rena and Mion... I killed them...!!  The unrelenting echo pulled me back into a state of composure once again. I didn't have a moment to spare! Quickly... I needed to get away!!! I didn't want to die. I would uncover everything after that. The identity of whoever or whatever had pushed me this far...!!! Even if I had to drink mud and eat grass...!! I would survive. I would survive. I would definitely survive!! I killed Rena for that very reason. I also killed Mion. I went that far just to keep living. ...So I can't die. For my sake, and for the sake of the late Rena and Mion... I have to survive!!!!  ...Behind this single, solitary door... they were there!!!   Before opening the back door, I put my ear to it and checked for people outside... No one...? After I put on my shoes... I opened the door slowly so as to not make a sound… BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi "There he is!! The back door!!"A piercing voice echoed out. ...That voice stabbed through me... setting my hair on end!!! I had to run!!!!! Get out of here, Keiichi!!!!!!!  I didn't feel any pain from the branches scratching my arms and forehead. My autonomously pulsing heart also felt neither fatigue nor pain. My entire being just wished to live... There was nothing else it desired. It probably had no complaints whatsoever... So of course I wouldn't feel fatigue…  Just recklessly rushing in the direction I was already heading. ...Even if nobody was chasing after me, I'd still be running like this... There wasn't a thought in my mind about where I was headed. Turning around, I felt a presence right next to me. That presence was, without a doubt, chasing me like my shadow. If I took even one misstep ...I would be devoured. That's what I thought. So I didn't turn around. I didn't stop. I ran... at full speed...!!! - - - BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi  That was the chirping of the higurashi telling me it was evening. ...Trying to tell me something... And then I finally heard it... The wailing cry of the victims who didn't make it. Would I... be joining them? Kwakwakwakwakwa...  ...They knew everything. They definitely knew. So... I ran towards where I could hear more of the higurashi's chirps. But the farther I ran... the farther away their chirping became. I couldn't get near them... Why are you all running away...!?! Was it my fault? Was I the one to blame!? Then I'll apologize!! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry...  
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Aug 7, 2021 20:58
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Whelp. Keiichi's hosed. Though NGL, this part of Arc 1 always frustrates me a little because it really feels like that they throw a lot at you all at once. And it's to good affect to ramp up the tension into loving overdrive, but for people like me who want to solve the mystery it's like opening a cabinet looking for clues only to have everything and the kitchen sink dump out along with whatever you were actively looking for. Sufficed to say, I feel like there's a ton of misdirection here at this point and it's done on purpose. For one, just this afternoon Keiichi's has been terrorized, beaten up, possibly concussed, dragged back home, AND drugged, AND is currently on an adrenaline rush as he flees a murder scene where he likely killed two people. Not to mention his perception of events may be incorrect because of his ramping paranoia. So much of what's going on could be misconstrued and by now he's completely unreliable as a narrator. For another, Mion and Rena start acting weirdly again and drop a few things, mainly the idea that someone is masterminding all of this poo poo... Whoever the hell this Director is, it can't be the Dam foreman; the people who killed/dismembered him turned themselves in and the head wasn't missing, his right arm was. There had to be a positive ID at some point in that particular investigation and all but one of the perps are serving jail time. That guy is definitely dead. Even Ooishi can't gently caress something like this up if the killers went down to the police station with a pile of body parts and signed confessions. Thirdly... Mion clearly saw that Keiichi was upset by the mocchi a few updates ago, but while she never actually said what she did to the drat food, just that she tampered with it, so her going through with a penalty especially after the dude was loving assaulted just doesn't seem...right? If Mion really does care about him, even though she plays dirty pool and cheats at cards, this is completely inappropriate for her to do at this point, so I don't know what we're actually seeing... Same goes for the introduction of a Director so late into the story; it comes out of nowhere and if we assume this is a mystery story being told in good faith (IE where no clues and nothing essential has been left that would make it impossible for us to solve,) that means the Director is someone/something already in the story we've seen, but gently caress if I know what's going on with this part anymore... TKMobile fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Aug 8, 2021 |
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Aug 7, 2021 23:57
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Well that's not good  .
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Aug 7, 2021 23:58
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The anime of this part is deeply unsettling. Character have sort of cat slit eyes and the moment the Dutch angles starts everything looks worse, to me, than the VN. Though those points were Rena's right in your face are pretty damned close .. Here it is with a 90's American anime censorship filter. (Shameless segue into Casey and Friends. Sorry) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVSqFRgs1Qw
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Aug 8, 2021 01:02
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killer_robot posted:The anime of this part is deeply unsettling. Character have sort of cat slit eyes and the moment the Dutch angles starts everything looks worse, to me, than the VN. Though those points were Rena's right in your face are pretty damned close ..  Speaking of unsettling...I see the anime kept Mion's airsoft pistol in her casual outfit. When first coming into the series, I actually had to go ask someone way more familiar with Higurashi than I was about that b/c of how loving distracting it is, especially since nobody IN the franchise ever asks about it or finds it odd the high schooler is packing in the first place, nevermind some implications of a kid taking a gun (fake or otherwise) to school... I kind of had my doubts about the PS3 art style, but it's been growing on me, (and loving hell, that Rena in the Rain art...) and yet I for one am glad they don't have her gun as part of Mion's 'costume' in this, just as a random aside. TKMobile fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Aug 8, 2021 |
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Aug 8, 2021 02:03
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drat I forgot how brutal this part was, and how sudden the reveal feels.
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Aug 8, 2021 03:06
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killer_robot posted:(Shameless segue into Casey and Friends. Sorry) Never apologize for a cultural icon  TKMobile posted:I kind of had my doubts about the PS3 art style, but it's been growing on me, (and loving hell, that Rena in the Rain art...) and yet I for one am glad they don't have her gun as part of Mion's 'costume' in this, just as a random aside. A part of why I opted to use the PS3 sprites was because of the CGs - I didn't mention it in the OP, but by the time I was debating which sprites to use in the LP I had already implemented the CGs and I wasn't super keen on figuring out if there was a way to remove them. It would've been really jarring to have the original sprites and then bam! PS3 art! in an update. They were frequent enough that it wasn't an option to not screenshot them, either. They're And yeah, I always thought it was weird that Mion's gun was barely mentioned in the story  - - - I'll be posting the conclusion to Onikakushi now since it's so short! Next update will be on my usual schedule, so Monday. I've updated the OP, and an art post is up! limeicebreakers fucked around with this message at 03:25 on Aug 8, 2021 |
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Aug 8, 2021 03:11
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Content warning for neck gore and vomiting. Oh, also, the voice acting is pretty good in this update. VIDEO: Onikakushi-hen | Day 15 Part 4 BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  The expensive smoke filter gave off some crackling electric noise, but it didn't seem like it was doing anything at all. Why do smokers have to be shoved so far down this corridor where the sun didn't even reach? ...I recalled hearing that the tax revenue from tobacco was about a tenth of the municipality's revenue... We were the most heavily-taxed members of this municipality, so I really wished they'd show us a little more respect...  One of the younger detectives was having a staring contest with the Mahjong magazine called "Next Turn."  "You're still in tenpai if you cut the 5 manzu." "If you're betting on a Haitei, then shouldn't you be going into it with a Mangan?"Sorry, I can’t even begin to explain how Mahjong works. You’ll just have to take it for what it is.  The kid let out another groan, put out his cigarette, then took out another one. "...I just don't agree... Why would you reduce your own options?" "By the way, you can't call ron with your winning tile in that haitei." "What!? Why is that!?"Just then, I heard a voice coming from down the hall. "Are you here, Ooishi-san? You have a call from a civilian." "Whoa, ain't that something? Welp, see ya soon!" "W-Why can't you call ron on it!? H-Hold on for a second, Ooishi-san!" "Outside line. From a payphone." "Oh, why thank you! ...Sorry to keep you waiting, this is Ooishi. Who is it?" "Ah, Ooishi-san!? Hello!?" "If it isn't Maebara-san. Why, good evening...!"From the tone Maebara-kun's voice, I already knew he was in a predicament. ...This was the first time Maebara-kun had phoned me. And he was calling from a payphone. "Please calm down. Did something happen?"BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi  His voice was erratic over the line, he had completely lost his sense of composure. After checking that nobody else could hear, I prompted him in a hushed tone. "What happened!?" "UhhhUhhm... I... I... I..." "...Calm down, Maebara-san! I can have the local officers head to your location. I'll be there soon, too!" "...Ah, um... ... I think that's ...impossible."His voice was quivering and hoarse... ...He wasn't surrounded by people even as he was making this call, was he!?  There were no other sounds besides Maebara-kun's voice. It had to be a phone booth. I scratched out a note and thrust it at my colleague sitting across from me. (Hinamizawa, phone booth!!) He understood quickly and hastily started on the internal lines.  It was best practice to avoid flustering someone panicking… but this was an urgent case. ...Maebara-kun didn't just get in trouble, get away, and then call me. ...He was in the midst of something dangerous right now...! But... yelling at Maebara-kun right now would just needlessly cause him to be even more frantic. Maebara-kun wasn't just calling to seek help. ...He was trying to tell us something more than that. And whatever that was... If I didn't get it from this call, I was certain there would never be another chance...!  (There's only one booth in Hinamizawa. A patrol car is on the way. Five minutes.) "That's too long. How many officers are in there?" "Two."Not enough. ...If it was as I imagined... there were likely quite a few people surrounding Maebara-kun. Five minutes was too long! “Did you call the officer stationed in Hinamizawa!?" "He's scheduled to be on patrol. They're currently out, and it'll be impossible to contact them." "God drat! Kuma-chan, bring the car around." "Understood!!!" "Hello! It's all right. I can hear you loud and clear!"There was something wrong with Maebara-kun... That wasn't a normal coughing sound. ...Vomiting? Or was it... blood!? Had he already been attacked!? Was he injured!? "Maebara-san, the police are on their way. They'll be there in a couple of minutes, so hold on somehow! Hello!? Can you hear me!? Maebara-san!?"I could hear on the other end of the line that he was having a coughing fit. ...The worst possible situation popped into my head. BGM: Mazoku Kenkyuusho (Demonic Institute)  "...I... I thought... at first the culprit was human... *hack*!!"I couldn't tell if that was a cough or vomiting. "Are you all right!? Maebara-san!!" "I thought that the culprit was a person and not Oyashiro-sama's curse... Up until right now. But... ... I guess... in the end... *hack hack*...!!"It was an intense bout of coughing. Then vomiting. "...But... I guess... Oyashiro-sama does exist... No, he's... here." "Maebara-san, please, just please calm down..." "I had been thinking it was strange for a while now... It's been following me this whole time...!! ”I run and run and run and run...!!! But it just sticks to me like my shadow!! But slowly... so slowly... It's digging itself into my back..." "...Maebara-san... Are they... right now... perhaps... right behind you...?" "...Behind me. Right... behind me..." "Please, Maebara-san... I can tell you're scared. But please!! ...Who is it... that's right behind you!?" "I can't just... look behind me... If I do... I'll... I'll..." "I understand that you're scared!! But please tell me!! You just need to turn around a bit!! Who is it...? Who is behind you, Maebara-san!?!?"Right after I said that, I could hear him vomiting intensely. What followed was a nightmarish sound.  There was no answer. But... I could hear something like scratching... There was a bang, as if something was being hit! ...Maebara-kun had probably dropped the receiver. I could hear groaning and vomiting over on the other end, and a repeating... abnormal noise. "Hello? Hello!? Maebara-san!? Helloooo!?!?"I knew how far away my voice would sound on the other end. But... I couldn't help but shout.  I couldn't tell what he was saying. ...From the way he was saying it, was he... talking to himself? Or was he... talking to someone there? "Hello...? ...Maebara...san...?"Rather than whispering... it was some kind of mantra he was chanting over and over. I focused my senses... trying to pick up what he was saying... What was he repeating...? What... exactly...!? BGM: Silence  Suddenly, the line went dead. Did he use up his time...!? It was because it was a payphone...!! "...Ah."It was because it cut out so abruptly... The last thing he said came out so clearly in my mind. "Ooishi-san, the car is good to go!!! Ooishi-san...!?" "...It was... I'm sorry." "Ooishi-san...??"That's what he was repeating over and over. ...He said, "I'm sorry"... I had a gut feeling... There was no longer a need to hurry. BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi  Kwee, kwee, kwee, kwee, kwee... I should have been able to hear them this entire time... I just wasn't paying any attention. Why did I focus on them all of a sudden? Kwee, kwee, kwee, kwee, kwee... Were they trying to tell me something? Only the higurashi knew. ...That's how I felt.  - - - BGM: Silence SFX: Higurashi  In Hinamizawa, a remote village near Shishibone city, there was a murder involving two female students. The suspect is: Keiichi Maebara (Aged 1x)  The scene of the crime was the suspect's room on the second floor of his house. The inside of the room was covered with a significant quantity of splattered blood, and there were signs of a struggle with the victims. In addition to the scene of the crime, the entryway, living room, and kitchen, all had traces of a struggle.  It is believed to have been the same bat as the murder weapon. Having no traces of blood, it is believed the destruction occurred before the murders. There is the possibility that the suspect overpowered his victims to keep them from fleeing.  It is hard to believe that this had a connection to the struggle with the victims, and thus the reason for this remains unknown.  Garbage was strewn about in the surrounding area, and handprints believed to belong to the suspect were discovered. It is believed that the suspect had for some reason taken out the garbage and struck it with his fists. The reason for this remains unknown. In addition, there was a note stuck to the fridge. The words "Was there a needle?" were written on it. The meaning behind this remains unclear. Just in case, the garbage was searched, but a needle was not discovered.  The suspect's fingerprints were discovered on the garage door. The reason behind this remains unknown.  At the time of discovery, the suspect was unconscious in critical condition. He was rushed to the local hospital for treatment, but did not regain consciousness and died 24 hours later. The results of the autopsy indicate the immediate cause of death to have been hypovolemic shock. It was determined that the suspect had clawed at his own throat with his fingernails, and the resulting bleeding caused his death.  (However, due to the wishes of the local authorities, it will be a confidential investigation.) Due to the abnormal nature of the death, it was suspected that drugs were involved. But as with Tomitake-san, no traces were discovered. What prompted all this remains inexplicable. As such, this case is being treated as an act committed on impulse. However, with several accounts of the suspect's bizarre behavior leading up to the incident, it is possible that this was premeditated.  Several days before the incident, the suspect began carrying around a metal bat. The suspect was observed displaying aggressive behavior, as well as talking to himself at school. His classmates have actually heard portions of what he was saying. Two days before the incident, the suspect declared to his parents the possibility of his death. Due to these circumstances, the police have begun an investigation on the possibility that this crime was not committed on impulse, but was instead planned several days in advance.  The note was written on two sheets from a B5 college-ruled notebook that had each been torn in half. And as if trying to conceal it was stuck hidden behind a clock on the wall. The contents are as written in the appendix.  The police changed their line of investigation based on the possibility that the suspect was involved in some sort of incident himself. However, no further clues were found, casting doubt on the credibility of the note. Was the crime impulsive or premeditated? With the situation unclear and no further developments, the case has been labeled as 'Unresolved.'  The note was not written on two halves of B5 paper from two separate sheets...but was originally a single sheet of B5 paper. "In order to erase several lines from the middle," someone had... torn them out. Judging from the size of the letters, the missing section is estimated to be 2-3 lines. It is highly probable that the person who eliminated the lines in question is not the suspect. In addition, judging from traces of large quantities of cellophane tape being stuck to the back of the clock, speculation that "something other than the note was stuck there," has arisen. The person who first discovered the crime was a detective rumored to have a connection with the incident: Kuraudo Ooishi. He underwent voluntary questioning, but denies involvement in any damages to the note. The suspect's note: BGM: Silence SFX: Night Higurashi  I do not know why they are after my life. The only thing I do know is that it has to do with Oyashiro-sama's curse. Rena and Mion are conspirators of the perpetrators. There are four or five adults, maybe more. They have a white van. (This is all on the first sheet. Everything below this has been ripped out.)  I have no idea why it has become like this. If you are reading this, then I am probably already dead. ...Though the only difference may be the presence or lack of a body." You, who are reading this. Please uncover the truth. That is my only desire. Keiichi Maebara - - -  And this is the end of Onikakushi-hen. I hope you will join me for the second arc, starting next week - Watanagashi-hen.  ...Well, after just one more thing.
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Aug 8, 2021 03:14
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 I'm kind of mad about some of the omissions from the manga, but... Okay, WTF!? So, we know now somebody up and yoinked the syringe and someone seems to have...tampered with the message...wait... Arrgh, I don't even know where to go back and look for this, but when Keiichi wrote the note the first time, didn't he use a full page of paper? And when he went and added the second message, the page was torn up? This is some bullshit right here. What part of his confession was removed? And why? Rena and Mion were dead already when he hid the note; I also refuse to accept that some strangers and this eponymous Director both knew where to look and stole/messed with evidence (when they could have just taken the entire loving note and removed any and all traces.) Something's not adding up here and I don't just mean whether there's really a curse, or this is some clandestine killager plot. If there is a curse, it has to abide by rules and Keiichi's death is incongruous to what we know; anybody supposedly killed by Oyashiro's wrath are part of a pair of deaths, that happen on the night of the festival; Tomitake and the blond were this year's pair; if he was going to be killed by the curse he'd have to wait until the next loving festival. And if this is some humans only plot there is no need to kill Keiichi. He has NOTHING to expose; he was told everything he knew by other people; the only exception is that he figured out Rena lied about her involvement with Satoshi and that's barely anything. He is NO threat to whatever's been cooking here so killing him will only bring more unwanted attention to Hinamizawa. If you're going to kill him, wait until the festival next year or until he's actually about to uncover something. Mion having some heart to heart with him about how Ooishi's a dirty pig looking to pin ANYTHING on the village could have assuaged so much paranoia and saved the killers a lot of trouble if they needed to cockblock him on the clue hunting front. But that was a tangent. I said something's not adding up and that's the syringe... and the needle. Like I said, I refuse to accept the idea that the director and his goon squad were able to remove that evidence unless Keiichi was just totally loving bonkers and did a lovely job hiding it. But then who could have removed it? Rena and Mion were dead already, Satoko and Rika seem to be uninvolved... then there's Ooishi and the cops... but why get rid of evidence? ...FFS that only leaves Keiichi's parents. No really. His mom and dad are the only characters who would have any knowledge to search the clock in his room in the event that something happened to him, and Mom was kind of chill about Keiichi loving up her kitchen. She could have secreted away the needle and she and Dad are, again, the only two living people who know about the clock. But why remove only part of the confession and hide the needle/syringe? ....Seriously, I'm out of ideas. Where they running drugs or something? Is one of them the director? What am I missing here?
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Aug 8, 2021 03:58
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I'm just glad this isn't quite as boring as the first 2-3 chapters of Umineko were. I bounced after the Aquarium date and came back to it 4 years later. I'm still skipping paragraphs I find annoying though (anime, severe hypochondria, etc.). Keichii sure is a dumb teenager though, wow. We're obviously still missing pieces of info, so there's no real mystery to solve here. It's a little soon to be condemning anyone without reliable context. I've a feeling the grotesqueness of the situation is only going to increase, however.
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Aug 8, 2021 08:27
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TKMobile posted:What part of his confession was removed? "Please reinvestigate the victim from the dismemberment incident. He's alive. Tomitake-san's death was from an unknown drug. This syringe is proof."
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Aug 8, 2021 08:38
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| # ? May 18, 2024 12:28 |
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Solitair posted:"Please reinvestigate the victim from the dismemberment incident. He's alive. Tomitake-san's death was from an unknown drug. This syringe is proof." Crom's devils, but this is just muddling things... That still only leaves three possibilities: 1) The Director and his henchmen took it and we're not seeing the big picture involving them. I dislike this one however, because I have a hard time believing they knew about the clock, or where to find it and remove that evidence without putting a bunch more footprints/fingerprints/new evidence for the cops to find... unless Ooishi or somebody is in on this. Still, super unlikely if you ask me and it feels like this would make the mystery impossible to solve on our own. Also, why not just take the whole loving confession if you're trying to get rid of evidence? 2) Ooishi and the cops omitted this evidence from the official reports; they've already had to deal with so much poo poo from Hinamizawa; admitting they cocked up the case that started all this would make them lose face. The fuzz would be the most likely to acquire the clock/confession, especially if Keiichi's parents mentioned what their son said as they canvas the crime scene. And Ooishi is already in the spotlight over it, having to deny that he tampered with anything. And, if we're being honest, this fits in with a theme of adults/authority figures covering up poo poo that would portray them in a negative light; we also know Ooishi's superiors don't want to deal with Hinamizawa's bullshit anymore. But while he is the most obvious suspect, still this is flimsy... The only logic is this makes the cops look really bad, and the mild tampering gives the impression that Keiichi is some lunatic who snapped and planned to kill his friends, but better him than the authorities, am I right folks? But still... if two dudes die within a week of each other and it seems like drugs are involved, only they can't find any drugs, then the syringe would be vital to that investigation, so why hide THAT? 3) Keiichi's parents. They would be the ones who could immediately go get the clock and tamper with the evidence, especially if the cops don't think to check behind a wall fixture. His mom could have easily gotten rid of the needle, and also, they've been seemingly gone this whole time, with noone to confirm where they were so they have a huge freedom of movement. But...out of everybody here they have the least motive to do so. Why condone the killing of their own child? Why hide part of his confession? I mean, unless it's something really balls out crazy like Dad and Mom ARE drug dealers, supplying the kooky cult town like Kaufman with the good poo poo during the events of Silent Hill 1. They would have to remove that part of the confession in this case; better their son die a lunatic than their operation get exposed, I guess? But that's taking some trampoline levels of leaps to get to that conclusion... EDIT: The Gentlemieu posted:We're obviously still missing pieces of info, so there's no real mystery to solve here. It's a little soon to be condemning anyone without reliable context. I've a feeling the grotesqueness of the situation is only going to increase, however. Actually, according to the Higurashi author at the end of the first manga arc (in his afterward) he stated that the mystery can be solved with the info we were given. TKMobile fucked around with this message at 12:32 on Aug 8, 2021 |
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Aug 8, 2021 12:12
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