Pieces - Rika
Taken from here, again. I had to split into important and less important ones due to length. These are the important ones.
Furude Rika (Piece #40)
[Conflict between Houjou and Sonozaki family is required]
Mom asked me to do some grocery shopping for her, and I was on my way to the supermarket when I ran into Satoko.
Apparantly, Satoko was also asked to do the shoppings, just like me.
Since that was the case, we ending up going together.
Showing off each other's shopping list, it was fun to be able to imagine the dinner menu of the other person's family.
It looks like Satoko's family is having fish and simmered dishes.
By the way, it looks like my family's having hamburger meat steak.
"Oh my, steaks, how lucky...! I don't mind the fish, but I'm a little frightened of the simmered foods, you know? There's still a big chunk left of the pumpkin that we bought the other day."
"......Tonight is going to be a full course of simmered pumpkins for sure. Poor poor Satoko☆"
"Knowing beforehand that it's going to pumpkins is quite depressing too, isn't it? Haa."
"......Mi~☆ Here's a picky Satoko who would be angry even if the pumpkins were a surprise anyway."
"R, Rika must have at least some foods that she doesn't like too, right?! Now that you mention it, Rika, wasn't it true that you disliked sweet foods like bean paste rice cakes or cream cakes?!"
"......I don't really dislike them or anything. I'm just not eating them to be mean. If I wanted to eat them, I could eat as many as I wanted. I can even eat pumpkin pies deliciously too, nipa~☆"
"uUuu, how cheap for Rika to be the only one with no dislikes--!!"
These conversations were so fun to have.
Satoko is my best friend to me.
Just by being with Satoko, even the grocery shopping trip that I thought was bothersome quickly turned into an enjoyable evening walk.
Lined up near the supermarket are some other grocery food shops, making up Hinamizawa's little shopping street.
It's the busiest time of the day right now, with people buying groceries for dinner.
Hinamizawa's housewifes gathered and did their shoppings lively.
Anyway, since Satoko and I had different things to buy, we split up and went off on our own to buy the things we came for.
"Hey, welcome welcome!! Oh, Rika-chama, welcome! You're doing grocery shopping? What a good girl!"
"......Nipa~☆ I am a good girl who can do grocery shoppings."
"I see, I see, Rika-chama sure is a good girl! Here, let's give you this for being such a good girl."
A colander used to carry loose change hangs down from the store eaves, inside it were some candies for the shopkeeper's husband, who has asthma sometimes.
One of them was taken out, and tossed to me.
It's my favorite kind of candy, with a strawberry milk flavor.
I put it into my pocket on purpose without eating it right away, so that I could gloat in front of Satoko later about how I was the only one who got candy.
For me, teasing Satoko and making her feel jealous was a very fun thing to do.
Satoko would always overreact to these kind of things.
She was my best friend, and I never felt bored when I'm with her.
"Well there, what is it for Rika-chama's family today? Minced pork, hmm~"
"......It's hamburger meat steak. You put flower-shaped fried eggs on it and you draw with ketchup."
"O-ho-ho-ho! That sounds nice!"
While enjoying such conversations, my grocery bag slowly filled up.
...At that time, the housewives' murmurs entered my ears.
The contents were... a little cold.
.........They were comments directed towards Satoko, who's here to shop for groceries.
These traitors who tried to sell the village to the government, just how long do they plan to stay in the village anyway?
They should just leave already.
And they don't even have the guts to come out and shop for groceries themselves, making their daughter do all the shopping... *complain complain*, *complain complain*....
Ever since that big fight at the local project meeting for the dam project, which caused the Houjou family and the Sonozaki family to completely oppose each other, Houjou family's isolation within the village has worsened.
In the beginning, there were at least some retreatists who sympathized with the Houjous.
But after the Sonozaki Main House aimed for a complete change in village opinions, and took up a totalitarian stance, the retreatists gradually quieted down.
Also, public displays of harrassment from the influential gosankes such as the Sonozaki and Kimiyoshi family has also had a big effect.
It appears that Sonozaki Main House's strategy is to stop similiar retreatists from appearing by continuing to bully the Houjou family as an example.
To the residents, whose ancestors have been living in this village for generations, with they themselves likely to be buried in this village as well, this was an incredibly powerful harrassment.
Just who was the one who symphathized with the steaming Houjou back at the local project meeting and said something fierce like making them the leader of the retreatists anyway...?
People like that have quieted down completely, and joined in on the cold treatment of the Houjou family, like stepping on a painting they once supported....
The persecution of the Houjou family has now become a form of pressure from the entire village.
Since the Houjous were not a rich family, they have been late with their village council fees for a long time.
Back during the peaceful times, they were let off in the spirit of friendliness, with the council being generous enough to allow them to pay it all off in the future. But now that we're here, the wind suddenly changed direction, and the council demanded the Houjou family to pay off all their late council fees immediately.
Although it was not an amount that the Houjou family could not afford to pay, when a fight was brought to them like this, the Houjou family would end up taking it on.
As if to taunt them, the Houjou family withdrew from the village council.
......However, by doing so, they have only stepped right into the villagers' malicious plan.
To make the village council your enemy means to have underhanded bullying occur to you.
For example, the place where the Houjou family would throw away their garbages was at the temporary garbage dump designated by the health board and the village council.
According to the village council board rules, only families who are in the village council may use the dump site.
...Starting from the day after the Houjou family withdrew from the village council,
before they knew it, all the garbage bags that the Houjou family discarded at the garbage dump were returned to their front door.
Not only that, the bags were all ripped up and their contents spilt out.
Also, a sign board was put up at the hedge path near the Houjou residence.
"Private road, no trespassing. Non-members of the village council are forbidden to pass through".
A stubburn old man stood there day and night, and would not allow anyone from the Houjou family pass through.
...A private road is a private property opened up to the public as a road, its appearance was no different from a normal road.
However, it is still very much a private property, it's not unreasonable to forbid people other than the land owner from passing through.
Et cetera, et cetera...... The bullying from the malicious village groups came one after another.
This ostracism-like horror spread throughout the village, ...creating fear in people, thinking they might end up the same if they sympathize with the Houjou family, ...causing the Houjou family to become more and more isolated.
......The adults did not tell their children about such a dirty fight occuring in the dark, so Satoko was at least not bullied at school... But it's not hard to imagine that she must've had to endure a suffocating level of tension every day....
Right now, the housewives murmuring these malicious comments aren't saying them in Satoko's face either.
......But still, there was no way Satoko would not notice the occasional spilled comments, or the cold looks.
......Since when did this village become so cold towards Satoko? As Satoko's best friend, I was really sad.
Now that I look at her, I can see that Satoko's shopping experience is completely different from my peaceful ones.
If I greet people or shop for groceries, I would get extras or special deals, and yet... Satoko gets none.
No, forget that, ......She would be served last on purpose, shopkeepers would pretend they can't hear her, ......It was clear that people didn't want to have anything to do with Satoko.
...Squeezing in between the stampeding housewives, Satoko kept on saying what she wanted to the fish shop's owner, and yet, she was kept waiting until the very end.
......Satoko made a strong looking smile, and pretended she didn't mind at all, ......but I know.
Just how much of a painful pretense that is....
All of a sudden, Satoko dropped her coins on the ground.
Maybe the returned changes were accidently caught by her fingers as she tried to put them back into the wallet.
Since I was standing at a distance from Satoko, I slid between the housewives to help her pick up the coins.
.........But, there, I realized.
......Satoko dropped a lot of coins, and is running left and right, trying to pick them up, and yet,
.........Nobody's helping her.
No, rather than saying they're not helping, ...It's more like everyone's acting as if Satoko isn't there.
...Since the coins were dropped because of her own miss, Satoko's probably not expecting anyone to help her pick them up either.
............But, ......but still.... ...There's all these people coming and going, .........and yet, not a even single one of them tried to help....
"......Satoko, I'll pick them up too."
"Ah, .........a, i, it's alright, Rika...."
Just from that little movement, I could understand the pain of her wounded heart.
On top of that, ...when I started picking up Satoko's coins, the other housewives began picking them up too.
With an expression on their faces like it's the obvious thing to do.
......If I, the miko of the Furude family, began picking them up, then it's alright to help out?
We all know that if I didn't pick them up, all of you would've just pretended you didn't see anything until the end....
And, ....the fact that people would help if "I" was the one doing the picking... just how much is Satoko's heart wounded by that....?
I grabbed the coins that the housewives picked up without saying any thanks....... Forget thanking them, I feel like spitting at them.
"th, ......thank you very much, Rika, everyone."
...Probably because if she doesn't express her gratitute here, people might go off somewhere saying something again like "Houjou's daughter has no manners".
Satoko said those words of gratitute bitterly.
In return, the housewives looked down at her with blank, unconcerning expressions, ......I couldn't take it anymore.
...I couldn't, take the pain that Satoko is carrying, in her heart right now....
"......If we're done with shopping, then let's go, Satoko."
"Eh, ......yes...."
I grabbed Satoko's arm, and pulled out from that place.
...How upsetting, sad, painful.
Just what sin did Satoko commit....?
This coldblooded reality is so, vexing and sad.
I'm loved by others like a mascot.
But, I can't provide Satoko with the same thing....
......Right now, ...Satoko must be stunned, wondering why herself and Rika, who are the same age, receive such different treatments....
.........If Satoko had to experience this because of me, then I shouldn't have shopped together with her..., no, wrong. I should've just bought her groceries for her....
"......Satoko."
"...Wh, ......what is it, Rika?"
"......You dropped all your coins, poor Satoko. ...Therefore, here is a consolation prize for you."
Wanting to heal the wound in Satoko's heart, even if only for a little bit, ...I took out the strawberry milk candy I received earlier.
But, ...Satoko did not take it.
"......That candy, wasn't it something given to Rika?"
My hand froze with a jerk...
...Satoko was watching.
She watched me accept the candy.......
"...The person who gave Rika that candy must've gave it out wanting Rika to eat it too. .........So, if I ate it, it would be rude......."
...Satoko then turned her back on me, and stayed that way until we parted....
Without even a parting goodbye, ......Satoko held onto the grocery bags and left in quick steps.
......I, ...I only wanted to heal Satoko's heart, ......and yet, I ended up rubbing salt in it until the very end..........
How can I call myself Satoko's best friend?
If only I had the gripping power, ...I wanted to just crush the candy in my hand..........
Cooperation Request for the Queen (Piece #12)
[Research standstill is required]
[Instructions for the kidnap operation of the minister's grandson is required]
That night. The priest, who is the head of the Furude family, said there's a family meeting, and called his wife and Rika into the room.
It is Hinamizawa's tradition for the gosanke to gather and discuss about the village's issues.
In addition to that, it's not uncommon for big families like the Sonozaki or Kimiyoshi family to hold relative or family meetings beforehand, in order to sort out opinions among themselves first.
......However, the Furude family has lost all of its family branches, with only a family of 3 left in the main family now.
That's why, up until now, they have never held anything like a family meeting.
"What's the matter? All formal like this...... Is this about the dam?"
The most important problem facing the village right now is the dam problem.
The priest's wife believed that the talk that the priest is about to start right now must be related to that.
...And since he called the whole family together just to say it, there must be a significant decision within it for sure.
......For example, they're going to join the retreatists or something like that. That's the kind of talk the priest's wife was expecting.
"......No, it's not about the dam............ But it's a very, very serious problem that concerns this whole village, no, it concerns even the ancestors of this village too."
The Furude family has served in priesthood and worshipped the village's protector god, Oyashirosama, for generations.
...If the head of this family is making a statement like this, then there is no doubt that it must be a very serious issue.
And yet, if it's not about the dam, just what can it be....?
"...I was married into this family. That's why I want you and Rika, who carry the true bloods of the Furude family, to listen very carefully............... The two of you are not normal human beings."
"......I'm the reincarnation of Oyashirosama, right?"
"Rika, you mustn't say that out loud! ...Honey, let's talk about this later when Rika's not around. It's enough to have the elders from the village hall planting weird ideas into Rika,"
"About that, talk of Rika being the reincarnation of Oyashirosama...... It appears to be true after all."
"Haa...?!"
"......It's going to be a long story. The two of you be quiet for a while and listen to what I have to say."
No idea what the talk is going to be about, a dumbfounded expression appeared on the wife's face. However, Rika was completely calm with her usual carefree expression.
The priest waited until his wife regained calmness, and began to talk....
"There is a type of sickness in this village that has been here since a long time ago...... It's a special kind of sickness that only exists in this area, a local disease, you can say... And everyone who lives in this village has caught it. Not just the people living in this village right now, our ancestors who has lived here in the past, all of them have been living with this sickness all these times as well."
"No way.... But we're all living normally like this, aren't we? A sickness only for this village, I have never heard of anything like that...!"
"Calm down....... This sickness, you see, doesn't cause any problems as long as you're inside this village. However, if you leave this village and go somewhere far away, it'll act out.... Do you understand?"
"H... how do you expect me to understand? I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"......It's the same as Oyashirosama's Curse."
Completely opposite of the flustered wife, Rika said in a calm voice.
"That's right. It's the same thing as the curse that'll befall upon you if you leave this village....... In other words, the Oyashirosama's Curse that our ancestors have feared throughout all these generations is caused by a local disease that exists only within this village."
"That's impossible. Because, we have left the village on occasions ourselves too, haven't we? Same for the other villagers too. There are people who went far way for work, there are even people who went overseas!"
"Yeah. Apparantly, that's because the sickness has gradually weakened over a long period of time. That's why, if we give it even more time, it'll eventually disappear altogether...... However, it seems that this process has been messed up due to the dam war....... Everyone knows that the village is in an excited state right now due to the dam war, almost like having a fever, right? It seems that this state of excitement and emotional instability is making the sickness worse."
"I'm not... really sure what you're saying but... you're suggesting that all the things that were referred to as curses throughout all these times.... are the works of that disease?"
"That's right. All of Oyashirosama's decisions were decisions made to protect the villagers from this sickness."
"......No way...! Then you're saying that Oyashirosama's true identity is not a god... but a disease instead!? Impossible!! How can we explain that to the ancestors of the Furude family!?"
"Calm down. The faith of Oyashirosama isn't going to change. That fact that Oyashirosama is watching over Hinamizawa remains the same....... It's just that a disease that can replicate Oyashirosama's Curse has existed in this village for a long time, that's all."
"I can't accept that!! How can we explain something like that to our ancestors who have passed away?! This is a desecration of Furude family's hundreds of years of tradition, no, it's a desecration of Oyashirosama!! Who planted an idea like this into you? This is completely unacceptable!! First of all, is there even proof that says such a weird sickness actually exists!?"
"............There is!"
"And what kind of proof is that? From who!?"
"It's from someone belonging to the Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Infectious Disease Prevention. The pathogen has already been identified, and they're in the middle of researching for a treatment method right now.... Last week, I got to see the documents and samples in person. The person from the Ministry of Health seems to be referring to this disease as the Hinamizawa Syndrome."
".........I don't believe it......!!"
"It appears that the Hinamizawa Syndrome is completely harmless as long as you live you life normally. However, if you move far away from Hinamizawa, it can become easy for the disease to break out if you ever become mentally or emotionally unstable. When the disease acts out, you can become possessed by your own delusions. At worst, it's even possible for you to go mad...... They say that this disease was discovered during the war. They say that a great scholar noticed that an abnormal disease occured only in soldiers who came from Hinamizawa, and has been researching it throughout all these years....... They went into details about the research but, ...Sorry, the contents were really difficult to understand so I can't explain any better than this. If you don't believe what I'm saying, you can go and ask them yourself too....... Because in the beginning, I thought they were being ridiculous and trying to desecrate Oyashirosama too, just like you."
".........................."
"They say that the Irie Medical Clinic was created to research this sickness. On the surface, that place is just a clinic, but apparantly it's really a secret research lab built to study the disease."
"Researching in secret, doesn't that sound ridiculous!? If it's something done by the Ministry of Health, why don't they just do it out in the open!?"
"No, it seems that won't do. For example, think about leprosy patients in the past who have been misunderstood and forced into seperation, and how they are still being misunderstood and discriminated even now.... If all of Japan finds out that everyone from Hinamizawa has contracted a weird disease and can go mad at any moment, it'll be chaos, right? The Ministry of Health has taken that into consideration, and is aiming to develop a treatment while keeping this disease under tight lids.
Don't get me wrong, they're not putting us on display or anything. They're trying to eliminate this disease and free this village from the sickness....... It's a different story if this was the past, where we could feed and support outselves. But nowadays you can't make a living without leaving the village. If there's a disease that can be triggered simply by leaving the village, then you realize just how dangerous that will be for the villagers, right?....... I'm repeating myself now, but the recent anti-dam conflicts has put the village itself into a very excited state, which is a very bad state for Hinamizawa Syndrome."
"......If the villagers go crazy and do something terrible, then there will be lots of media here with a splash splash."
"That's right. If something like that happens, it'll be too late."
"............I don't believe it.... I can't believe it even if you tell me all of this right now.... Are they really from the government? Are you sure you're not being tricked by some weird fraud?"
"I don't blame you for not being able to trust me....... The research lab said earlier that we can go take a look anytime we want. I already had a look, and those aren't the level of a fraud...... Even the big hospital at Kokura doen't have such large-scale equipments......... If you can't believe what I said, you should go to the research lab and ask for the details. They can probably explain this better than I can. They also said that if you still can't believe it even with the research lab's explanation, they can explain it to you at the National Research Instutute at Tokyo, or even at the Ministry of Health's central office."
".............................But, besides me believing it or not... what does any of this have to do with us?"
"The Furude family is said to have inherited the blood of Oyashirosama. And they say that if a girl was born for eight continuous generations, then that eighth generation girl would be the reincarnation of Oyashirosama."
"......Mii"
"That's right. I'm the seventh generation. Rika is the eighth generation. But what does that have to do with the disease?"
"Yeah......... This disease called Hinamizawa Syndrome is apparantly caused by a type of parasite. Although we call them parasites, they're incredibly small, so small you can't see them with the naked eye....... And they say that a leader position exist among these parasites."
"It... it can't be, are you saying that it's the Furude family!?"
"It appears that these leader parasites are inherited throug generations only by people with a direct bloodline to the Furude family. In other words... the previous generation is you, and right now, it's Rika."
"......Mii"
"R, ridiculous!! This is crazy talk after all, don't you think?! First of all, why is it something so disgusting like parasites!?"
"Like I said, calm down!! I'm not good at explaining things. Listen to what the experts have to say. In any case, according to them, in order to research for a treatment of this disease, studies into the leader position is required."
"I don't want to!! I have absolutely no intention to participate in such a weird research, and I won't let Rika get involved in this either!!"
"I'm telling you to calm down!! According to their research, it's the seperation from the leader position, not the village, that causes the Hinamizawa Syndrome to act out....... When you were little, there were times where you were told that you have divine powers, right? Elders who went on long trips and got migrains would have their headaches disappear immediately after they came to you for cleansing, that kind of divine power. That's the proof of the leader position right there. Furude's blood has the power to save the people who have acted outl. And that's why they say it's so important to study into it in order to discover a treatment."
"......If they study me, can everyone in the village be saved?"
"That what they're saying."
"......Does everyone have this sickness? Me too? Everyone else too? Satoko too?"
"...Yeah. Not just everyone who lives in this village, people like our relatives who live in Okinomiya are includeed too. The number of infected people are probably in the thousands. It's because this is such a serious disease that the ministry spent all those money to build a specialized research lab."
"I, I object! How can you turn Rika into a sacrifice for such a suspicious research!?"
"......I'm okay with that. If Satoko can be saved with me becoming the sacrifice, then I'm all fine with it."
"Rika, you be quiet!! In any case, I absolutely refuse! I'm going to go see the people who planted such strange ideas into you, and refuse them directly myself. I won't let Rika get killed for some bizzare experiment!! Besides, Rika is the lone-decendant of the Furude family, remember?! If something were to happen to her, Furude family's blood will end up dying here, you know!? And you too, you have to think more about the Furude's position too!! This is why people in the village call you a pacifist...!! After all, don't you think this is weird!? The Ministry of Constructions is trying to sink the village under a dam. And the Ministry of Health is trying to cure a disease. I don't get what's going on anymore!!"
"The Ministry of Health has warned that a change in environment can cause the disease to break out very easily, and they're trying to get the Ministry of Construction to halt the dam project right now... Like I said, you should get them to show you their research lab too. There's no way they would build such a huge facility in a land that could be sunk under a lake."
"......Kuaaaaaa...."
Rika makes a big yawn.
For a little girl like Rika, it must be far beyond her bedtime now.
"......I will go to sleep now...... Daddy, please tell those people that I'm willing to help out anytime."
"R, rika!! You can't make a decision like that on your own without my permission!!! Rika! Wait, Rika!!!"
Sonozaki Mion (Piece #38)
[Pre-requisite: Strawberry milk candy]
Sonozaki housekeeper: “Mion-san---, you’re friend is here---“
I heard the housekeeper calling out my name. My house is very big, so I can’t hear my friends ringing the doorbell or calling out “He-y Mion-chan, wanna go out and play-?!”
Mion: “Okay, okay. Thank you. Who is it?”
Housekeeper: “It’s Furude’s Rika-chama.”
Mion: “Oh, I see, I see. Can you tell grandma that Rika-chama is here? She’s probably on the porch over there. I’ll bring the watermelons.”
Grandma received a bunch of watermelons, so she decided to have them shared with my friends. So, I called the Furude family a little while ago, and Rika-chan came here to pick them up.
…I wonder if she came with her bicycle. Did her bike have a frontal holder big enough to fit a watermelon? I pondered about how she was going to take them home as I plucked one watermelon from the well in the backyard. The cold water in the well acted like a refrigerator for the watermelon. The condensation on the watermelon is cool to the touch, and it looks to be very delicious. The three members of the Furude family would be able to have nice dessert for at least two nights with this.
Rika: “…Mi-? It’s to take home? I thought…”
Mion: “Huh? Didn’t this ojisan tell you?!”
I told the priest that we like to share some watermelons but… I guess there was miscommunication somewhere. Somehow the word was changed from “come and have (pick up) a watermelon” to “come and have (eat over here) a watermelon.”
There was no way such a plump watermelon was going to fit in the small frontal holder on her bike, and its too dangerous for her to ride that bike on one hand while holding such a heavy thing on the other.
Oryou: “Mion, you go and help carry that watermelon to Rika-chama’s home. She can’t ride a bike holding a watermelon on the other hand”
Rika: “….Mi-. I sure can hold a watermelon.”
Oryou: “No, no! That’s too dangerous! If something happens to Rika-chama, we’’ never redeem ourselves to the Oyashiro-sama. Our Mion will carry it. Let’er handle it.”
Mion: “Yeah yeah, lemme handle it. I’ll also go and have a chat with the priest as well.”
Even if Rika-chan was able to do it by herself, her hands would be tied up in either way. So, I helped her carry it back to her house.
The sky is turning auburn from the sunset. …The cool wind began to billow, and the bare feet in my sandals feels soothing. Inside the plastic bag were the watermelon and several small bags of kompeitou candies as a token for coming all the way to the Sonozaki main house.
Rika-chan however, told me that if her mom found out about it, she would take away that candy. So, we opened them right now and plopped the sweet tastes of kompeito candies into our mouths as we trotted to her home…
It is one of grandma’s rules to give out candy to all children that came to the Sonozaki family as a token of appreciation. Let me rephrase that - it’s like a custom in Hinamizawa not particular to just the Sonozaki family. So, I hear funny stories where kids fight with their siblings on who is going to take the circulation note to their neighbor in hopes of getting candy, even though no one in their house has read that note yet.
…This kompeito is one of those rewards to children.
However, she does not usually give this much kompeito normally. The usual exchange rate was one piece of candy. …So this shows how much my grandma has a special sweet spot for Rika-chama.
Rika: “…I feel bad for getting all these candies all the time.”
Mion: “I don’t think you should think so much about it. These rewards are like a token of how much they love you. I think its best to just say thank you and put on a big smile on your face like a child than trying to refuse them.”
Rika: “…Does Mii get rewards too?”
Mion: “Oh, in the past yeah! But I’m too old now to get any rewards. Besides, even if I got them, I’d probably get a bit pissed for trying to treat me like a little kid.”
Rika: “….Mi-. So I’m treated like a little kid.”
Mion: “Ahahahaha. What’s wrong about that! You should take them when you still can. When you grow up to my age, I can’t get stuff that I want anymore.”
I thought that we were talking the usual stuff, until I realized that Rika-chan showed the emotions of sadness.
Mion: “What’s wrong?”
Rika: “….Even though I get lots of candy when I go out for chores, ….Satoko never receives any even if she’s with me.”
Mion: “…………..”
If I start to think about why she said that to me, I could go on forever… Everyone around here knows that not only Satoko, but the Houjou family in general, are given the cold shoulder in Hinamizawa. …And the main instigator of that is the Sonozaki main household. The two main targets of the ostracism had died when they fell to their deaths in that tragic accident. Yet, the cold taunting towards the Houjou family still continues towards their children, Satoko and Satoshi, …and to their foster parents as well.
It is true that this all began with the big argument that the Houjou family had with the Sonozaki family at the local project meeting for the dam proposal. …The ones that should be shunned were the husband and his wife, but their children or their uncle and aunt had nothing to do with this whole issue. …Still, the equation of “village traitor = the Houjou family” seems to have evolved on its own, …and that policy set the atmosphere to ostracize anyone with the surname of Houjou.
Their uncle and his wife was not a part of the pro-dam group. So, given time, the ostracism towards them should’ve subsided. …However, they weren’t what I call a “socially acceptable” type to begin with. …They were clearly not getting along with their neighbors and were a bit of a nuisance in the village.
The refused to follow the rules of taking out the trash on the appropriate days, they ditch their pre-arranged community duties, they spray pesticides in their backyard without regards to their neighbors’ laundry times. …I often hear tales of them getting into a heated argument with their neighbors and the council. Practically, they were just looked as an annoyance with or without their ties to the dam proposal. …Hence, the banishment towards the Houjou family still continues to this day.
But, still, Satoko and Satoshi have nothing to do with all of this…
I always see Satoko and Satoshi depressed whenever they come to school. …I leave all the things about Sonozaki family and Houjou family aside at school…but I don’t know how Satoko and Satoshi really feel about that. …From their point of view, I’m certain they see me just as another member of the Sonozaki family…
Mion: “…I don’t want to bring in such bullying into the school. So I do my best to be a regular friend at school, so that the atmosphere there will be protected from the harshness of the outside world…”
Rika: “…But how do you spread that atmosphere to the entire village…?”
…That’s a very difficult task to accomplish.
The Houjou family made enemies of the three gosankes. They were branded as traitors of the village, and its wound has yet to heal. Even if one family steps up to say “…the dam war is finished. Let’s become friends again,” it’s like putting water over hot coal. …No one wants to become a target of ostracism themselves for taking the side of the Houjou family.
It hurts my heart to even think about it, but…the only answer that I can come up with is for them to wait out patiently until this whole matter cools and withers away. And the only thing that I can provide to them is an oasis which they can use until the whole thing is over.
Rika: “…Then how long do they have to hold out…?”
Mion: “………I don’t know. The whole dam war itself took several years. Since they were branded at that time…it might take just as well.”
Rika: “…Then does that mean that Satoko and Satoshi won’t be forgiven until they become adults? Satoko will then have to live her childhood here amidst all the cold shoulders?”
Mion: “…That’s…very harsh….”
Rika: “….Mii. We are friends with Satoko and Satoshi, right?”
Mion: “Of course. Both of them are my special friends. They are a part of our team.”
Rika: “…Then, isn’t there anything we can do to help out our friends in distress…?”
Mion: “….I really wish…I really wonder what we could do…”
Let’s say even if the Sonozaki main house announces that “the dam war was finished, let’s be friendly to the Houjous once again,” it’s not as simple as that. …Besides, grandma seems to despise the Houjou family from her guts, and even the notion of Houjou is considered a taboo around her.
It’s not just about one person forgiving them. …The problem lies with the complicated social interactions between people…it is the community called the village itself. …And to turn such a powerhouse like that into your enemy is very intimidating. Everyone knows this, so that is why they maintain good relationships with their neighbors. …If you dare to turn that into your enemy, you learn of the consequences. …This is the dark side of community relationships that exists not only in Hinamizawa, but in anywhere in Japan.
The Sonozaki family is not an exception to this rule. When the labeling of the Houjou family has come this far, even the Sonozaki family cannot overturn this conviction so easily.
Rika: “…So even if this is about our Hinamizawa, …no one living in Hinamizawa can do anything about it?”
Mion: “….Sadly, …but I guess you’re right. …If there will be a person capable of saving Satoko, than that person must be someone who isn’t bound to such unsaid policies of Hinamizawa. ….Unfortunately, there isn’t anyone in Hinamizawa like that.”
Rika: “….Are you saying that, …someone from the outside of Hinamizawa must come here and save her…?”
Mion: “………………”
Would there ever be a knight in shining armor from the outside world just like Rika-chan says? Would that person be able to smash through the closed space of centuries old customs and bring in a new wave of fresh air into this village?
I don’t think so. It’s all wishful thinking. Basically, nothing is going to change. ….Time is the only factor to help heal this wound.
Hence, I decided to be their friends. I could not think of anything beyond that.
As both of us started biting on the kompeito in our mouths…all we could do was to hope that everyone could forgive Satoko and Satoshi as quickly as possible....
Rika then broke the heavy silence between us.
Rika: “…There will be”
Mion: “Huh…?”
Rika: “….There will be, …someone from the outside of this village, a person not bound to these customs, will come here soon.”
Mion: “Sure. The dam war is over now, so I’m sure someone would start to move here to those areas that are marked for sale. It’ll be fun if such family has a kid close to our age and he or she decides to transfer to our school.”
Rika: “….He will come. And, all of us will unite and defeat the evil practice that causes such ostracism in this village. …That will be the first key in opening the three locks that traps us from the future.”
Mion: “….Huh? What’s that? Is that some kind of book or some sort??”
Rika-chan is known for occasionally rambling peculiar things. Whenever I see her in that mode, she looks as if she’s much older than her age, …and I begin to doubt whether I am the one younger than her.
The unreasonable ostracism towards the Houjou family…
…Will there ever really be a hero from the outside who isn’t bound to our customs, that can shatter our old ways and introduce a brighter future for us…?
Furude Rika (Piece #40)
[Conflict between Houjou and Sonozaki family is required]
Mom asked me to do some grocery shopping for her, and I was on my way to the supermarket when I ran into Satoko.
Apparantly, Satoko was also asked to do the shoppings, just like me.
Since that was the case, we ending up going together.
Showing off each other's shopping list, it was fun to be able to imagine the dinner menu of the other person's family.
It looks like Satoko's family is having fish and simmered dishes.
By the way, it looks like my family's having hamburger meat steak.
"Oh my, steaks, how lucky...! I don't mind the fish, but I'm a little frightened of the simmered foods, you know? There's still a big chunk left of the pumpkin that we bought the other day."
"......Tonight is going to be a full course of simmered pumpkins for sure. Poor poor Satoko☆"
"Knowing beforehand that it's going to pumpkins is quite depressing too, isn't it? Haa."
"......Mi~☆ Here's a picky Satoko who would be angry even if the pumpkins were a surprise anyway."
"R, Rika must have at least some foods that she doesn't like too, right?! Now that you mention it, Rika, wasn't it true that you disliked sweet foods like bean paste rice cakes or cream cakes?!"
"......I don't really dislike them or anything. I'm just not eating them to be mean. If I wanted to eat them, I could eat as many as I wanted. I can even eat pumpkin pies deliciously too, nipa~☆"
"uUuu, how cheap for Rika to be the only one with no dislikes--!!"
These conversations were so fun to have.
Satoko is my best friend to me.
Just by being with Satoko, even the grocery shopping trip that I thought was bothersome quickly turned into an enjoyable evening walk.
Lined up near the supermarket are some other grocery food shops, making up Hinamizawa's little shopping street.
It's the busiest time of the day right now, with people buying groceries for dinner.
Hinamizawa's housewifes gathered and did their shoppings lively.
Anyway, since Satoko and I had different things to buy, we split up and went off on our own to buy the things we came for.
"Hey, welcome welcome!! Oh, Rika-chama, welcome! You're doing grocery shopping? What a good girl!"
"......Nipa~☆ I am a good girl who can do grocery shoppings."
"I see, I see, Rika-chama sure is a good girl! Here, let's give you this for being such a good girl."
A colander used to carry loose change hangs down from the store eaves, inside it were some candies for the shopkeeper's husband, who has asthma sometimes.
One of them was taken out, and tossed to me.
It's my favorite kind of candy, with a strawberry milk flavor.
I put it into my pocket on purpose without eating it right away, so that I could gloat in front of Satoko later about how I was the only one who got candy.
For me, teasing Satoko and making her feel jealous was a very fun thing to do.
Satoko would always overreact to these kind of things.
She was my best friend, and I never felt bored when I'm with her.
"Well there, what is it for Rika-chama's family today? Minced pork, hmm~"
"......It's hamburger meat steak. You put flower-shaped fried eggs on it and you draw with ketchup."
"O-ho-ho-ho! That sounds nice!"
While enjoying such conversations, my grocery bag slowly filled up.
...At that time, the housewives' murmurs entered my ears.
The contents were... a little cold.
.........They were comments directed towards Satoko, who's here to shop for groceries.
These traitors who tried to sell the village to the government, just how long do they plan to stay in the village anyway?
They should just leave already.
And they don't even have the guts to come out and shop for groceries themselves, making their daughter do all the shopping... *complain complain*, *complain complain*....
Ever since that big fight at the local project meeting for the dam project, which caused the Houjou family and the Sonozaki family to completely oppose each other, Houjou family's isolation within the village has worsened.
In the beginning, there were at least some retreatists who sympathized with the Houjous.
But after the Sonozaki Main House aimed for a complete change in village opinions, and took up a totalitarian stance, the retreatists gradually quieted down.
Also, public displays of harrassment from the influential gosankes such as the Sonozaki and Kimiyoshi family has also had a big effect.
It appears that Sonozaki Main House's strategy is to stop similiar retreatists from appearing by continuing to bully the Houjou family as an example.
To the residents, whose ancestors have been living in this village for generations, with they themselves likely to be buried in this village as well, this was an incredibly powerful harrassment.
Just who was the one who symphathized with the steaming Houjou back at the local project meeting and said something fierce like making them the leader of the retreatists anyway...?
People like that have quieted down completely, and joined in on the cold treatment of the Houjou family, like stepping on a painting they once supported....
The persecution of the Houjou family has now become a form of pressure from the entire village.
Since the Houjous were not a rich family, they have been late with their village council fees for a long time.
Back during the peaceful times, they were let off in the spirit of friendliness, with the council being generous enough to allow them to pay it all off in the future. But now that we're here, the wind suddenly changed direction, and the council demanded the Houjou family to pay off all their late council fees immediately.
Although it was not an amount that the Houjou family could not afford to pay, when a fight was brought to them like this, the Houjou family would end up taking it on.
As if to taunt them, the Houjou family withdrew from the village council.
......However, by doing so, they have only stepped right into the villagers' malicious plan.
To make the village council your enemy means to have underhanded bullying occur to you.
For example, the place where the Houjou family would throw away their garbages was at the temporary garbage dump designated by the health board and the village council.
According to the village council board rules, only families who are in the village council may use the dump site.
...Starting from the day after the Houjou family withdrew from the village council,
before they knew it, all the garbage bags that the Houjou family discarded at the garbage dump were returned to their front door.
Not only that, the bags were all ripped up and their contents spilt out.
Also, a sign board was put up at the hedge path near the Houjou residence.
"Private road, no trespassing. Non-members of the village council are forbidden to pass through".
A stubburn old man stood there day and night, and would not allow anyone from the Houjou family pass through.
...A private road is a private property opened up to the public as a road, its appearance was no different from a normal road.
However, it is still very much a private property, it's not unreasonable to forbid people other than the land owner from passing through.
Et cetera, et cetera...... The bullying from the malicious village groups came one after another.
This ostracism-like horror spread throughout the village, ...creating fear in people, thinking they might end up the same if they sympathize with the Houjou family, ...causing the Houjou family to become more and more isolated.
......The adults did not tell their children about such a dirty fight occuring in the dark, so Satoko was at least not bullied at school... But it's not hard to imagine that she must've had to endure a suffocating level of tension every day....
Right now, the housewives murmuring these malicious comments aren't saying them in Satoko's face either.
......But still, there was no way Satoko would not notice the occasional spilled comments, or the cold looks.
......Since when did this village become so cold towards Satoko? As Satoko's best friend, I was really sad.
Now that I look at her, I can see that Satoko's shopping experience is completely different from my peaceful ones.
If I greet people or shop for groceries, I would get extras or special deals, and yet... Satoko gets none.
No, forget that, ......She would be served last on purpose, shopkeepers would pretend they can't hear her, ......It was clear that people didn't want to have anything to do with Satoko.
...Squeezing in between the stampeding housewives, Satoko kept on saying what she wanted to the fish shop's owner, and yet, she was kept waiting until the very end.
......Satoko made a strong looking smile, and pretended she didn't mind at all, ......but I know.
Just how much of a painful pretense that is....
All of a sudden, Satoko dropped her coins on the ground.
Maybe the returned changes were accidently caught by her fingers as she tried to put them back into the wallet.
Since I was standing at a distance from Satoko, I slid between the housewives to help her pick up the coins.
.........But, there, I realized.
......Satoko dropped a lot of coins, and is running left and right, trying to pick them up, and yet,
.........Nobody's helping her.
No, rather than saying they're not helping, ...It's more like everyone's acting as if Satoko isn't there.
...Since the coins were dropped because of her own miss, Satoko's probably not expecting anyone to help her pick them up either.
............But, ......but still.... ...There's all these people coming and going, .........and yet, not a even single one of them tried to help....
"......Satoko, I'll pick them up too."
"Ah, .........a, i, it's alright, Rika...."
Just from that little movement, I could understand the pain of her wounded heart.
On top of that, ...when I started picking up Satoko's coins, the other housewives began picking them up too.
With an expression on their faces like it's the obvious thing to do.
......If I, the miko of the Furude family, began picking them up, then it's alright to help out?
We all know that if I didn't pick them up, all of you would've just pretended you didn't see anything until the end....
And, ....the fact that people would help if "I" was the one doing the picking... just how much is Satoko's heart wounded by that....?
I grabbed the coins that the housewives picked up without saying any thanks....... Forget thanking them, I feel like spitting at them.
"th, ......thank you very much, Rika, everyone."
...Probably because if she doesn't express her gratitute here, people might go off somewhere saying something again like "Houjou's daughter has no manners".
Satoko said those words of gratitute bitterly.
In return, the housewives looked down at her with blank, unconcerning expressions, ......I couldn't take it anymore.
...I couldn't, take the pain that Satoko is carrying, in her heart right now....
"......If we're done with shopping, then let's go, Satoko."
"Eh, ......yes...."
I grabbed Satoko's arm, and pulled out from that place.
...How upsetting, sad, painful.
Just what sin did Satoko commit....?
This coldblooded reality is so, vexing and sad.
I'm loved by others like a mascot.
But, I can't provide Satoko with the same thing....
......Right now, ...Satoko must be stunned, wondering why herself and Rika, who are the same age, receive such different treatments....
.........If Satoko had to experience this because of me, then I shouldn't have shopped together with her..., no, wrong. I should've just bought her groceries for her....
"......Satoko."
"...Wh, ......what is it, Rika?"
"......You dropped all your coins, poor Satoko. ...Therefore, here is a consolation prize for you."
Wanting to heal the wound in Satoko's heart, even if only for a little bit, ...I took out the strawberry milk candy I received earlier.
But, ...Satoko did not take it.
"......That candy, wasn't it something given to Rika?"
My hand froze with a jerk...
...Satoko was watching.
She watched me accept the candy.......
"...The person who gave Rika that candy must've gave it out wanting Rika to eat it too. .........So, if I ate it, it would be rude......."
...Satoko then turned her back on me, and stayed that way until we parted....
Without even a parting goodbye, ......Satoko held onto the grocery bags and left in quick steps.
......I, ...I only wanted to heal Satoko's heart, ......and yet, I ended up rubbing salt in it until the very end..........
How can I call myself Satoko's best friend?
If only I had the gripping power, ...I wanted to just crush the candy in my hand..........
Cooperation Request for the Queen (Piece #12)
[Research standstill is required]
[Instructions for the kidnap operation of the minister's grandson is required]
That night. The priest, who is the head of the Furude family, said there's a family meeting, and called his wife and Rika into the room.
It is Hinamizawa's tradition for the gosanke to gather and discuss about the village's issues.
In addition to that, it's not uncommon for big families like the Sonozaki or Kimiyoshi family to hold relative or family meetings beforehand, in order to sort out opinions among themselves first.
......However, the Furude family has lost all of its family branches, with only a family of 3 left in the main family now.
That's why, up until now, they have never held anything like a family meeting.
"What's the matter? All formal like this...... Is this about the dam?"
The most important problem facing the village right now is the dam problem.
The priest's wife believed that the talk that the priest is about to start right now must be related to that.
...And since he called the whole family together just to say it, there must be a significant decision within it for sure.
......For example, they're going to join the retreatists or something like that. That's the kind of talk the priest's wife was expecting.
"......No, it's not about the dam............ But it's a very, very serious problem that concerns this whole village, no, it concerns even the ancestors of this village too."
The Furude family has served in priesthood and worshipped the village's protector god, Oyashirosama, for generations.
...If the head of this family is making a statement like this, then there is no doubt that it must be a very serious issue.
And yet, if it's not about the dam, just what can it be....?
"...I was married into this family. That's why I want you and Rika, who carry the true bloods of the Furude family, to listen very carefully............... The two of you are not normal human beings."
"......I'm the reincarnation of Oyashirosama, right?"
"Rika, you mustn't say that out loud! ...Honey, let's talk about this later when Rika's not around. It's enough to have the elders from the village hall planting weird ideas into Rika,"
"About that, talk of Rika being the reincarnation of Oyashirosama...... It appears to be true after all."
"Haa...?!"
"......It's going to be a long story. The two of you be quiet for a while and listen to what I have to say."
No idea what the talk is going to be about, a dumbfounded expression appeared on the wife's face. However, Rika was completely calm with her usual carefree expression.
The priest waited until his wife regained calmness, and began to talk....
"There is a type of sickness in this village that has been here since a long time ago...... It's a special kind of sickness that only exists in this area, a local disease, you can say... And everyone who lives in this village has caught it. Not just the people living in this village right now, our ancestors who has lived here in the past, all of them have been living with this sickness all these times as well."
"No way.... But we're all living normally like this, aren't we? A sickness only for this village, I have never heard of anything like that...!"
"Calm down....... This sickness, you see, doesn't cause any problems as long as you're inside this village. However, if you leave this village and go somewhere far away, it'll act out.... Do you understand?"
"H... how do you expect me to understand? I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"......It's the same as Oyashirosama's Curse."
Completely opposite of the flustered wife, Rika said in a calm voice.
"That's right. It's the same thing as the curse that'll befall upon you if you leave this village....... In other words, the Oyashirosama's Curse that our ancestors have feared throughout all these generations is caused by a local disease that exists only within this village."
"That's impossible. Because, we have left the village on occasions ourselves too, haven't we? Same for the other villagers too. There are people who went far way for work, there are even people who went overseas!"
"Yeah. Apparantly, that's because the sickness has gradually weakened over a long period of time. That's why, if we give it even more time, it'll eventually disappear altogether...... However, it seems that this process has been messed up due to the dam war....... Everyone knows that the village is in an excited state right now due to the dam war, almost like having a fever, right? It seems that this state of excitement and emotional instability is making the sickness worse."
"I'm not... really sure what you're saying but... you're suggesting that all the things that were referred to as curses throughout all these times.... are the works of that disease?"
"That's right. All of Oyashirosama's decisions were decisions made to protect the villagers from this sickness."
"......No way...! Then you're saying that Oyashirosama's true identity is not a god... but a disease instead!? Impossible!! How can we explain that to the ancestors of the Furude family!?"
"Calm down. The faith of Oyashirosama isn't going to change. That fact that Oyashirosama is watching over Hinamizawa remains the same....... It's just that a disease that can replicate Oyashirosama's Curse has existed in this village for a long time, that's all."
"I can't accept that!! How can we explain something like that to our ancestors who have passed away?! This is a desecration of Furude family's hundreds of years of tradition, no, it's a desecration of Oyashirosama!! Who planted an idea like this into you? This is completely unacceptable!! First of all, is there even proof that says such a weird sickness actually exists!?"
"............There is!"
"And what kind of proof is that? From who!?"
"It's from someone belonging to the Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Infectious Disease Prevention. The pathogen has already been identified, and they're in the middle of researching for a treatment method right now.... Last week, I got to see the documents and samples in person. The person from the Ministry of Health seems to be referring to this disease as the Hinamizawa Syndrome."
".........I don't believe it......!!"
"It appears that the Hinamizawa Syndrome is completely harmless as long as you live you life normally. However, if you move far away from Hinamizawa, it can become easy for the disease to break out if you ever become mentally or emotionally unstable. When the disease acts out, you can become possessed by your own delusions. At worst, it's even possible for you to go mad...... They say that this disease was discovered during the war. They say that a great scholar noticed that an abnormal disease occured only in soldiers who came from Hinamizawa, and has been researching it throughout all these years....... They went into details about the research but, ...Sorry, the contents were really difficult to understand so I can't explain any better than this. If you don't believe what I'm saying, you can go and ask them yourself too....... Because in the beginning, I thought they were being ridiculous and trying to desecrate Oyashirosama too, just like you."
".........................."
"They say that the Irie Medical Clinic was created to research this sickness. On the surface, that place is just a clinic, but apparantly it's really a secret research lab built to study the disease."
"Researching in secret, doesn't that sound ridiculous!? If it's something done by the Ministry of Health, why don't they just do it out in the open!?"
"No, it seems that won't do. For example, think about leprosy patients in the past who have been misunderstood and forced into seperation, and how they are still being misunderstood and discriminated even now.... If all of Japan finds out that everyone from Hinamizawa has contracted a weird disease and can go mad at any moment, it'll be chaos, right? The Ministry of Health has taken that into consideration, and is aiming to develop a treatment while keeping this disease under tight lids.
Don't get me wrong, they're not putting us on display or anything. They're trying to eliminate this disease and free this village from the sickness....... It's a different story if this was the past, where we could feed and support outselves. But nowadays you can't make a living without leaving the village. If there's a disease that can be triggered simply by leaving the village, then you realize just how dangerous that will be for the villagers, right?....... I'm repeating myself now, but the recent anti-dam conflicts has put the village itself into a very excited state, which is a very bad state for Hinamizawa Syndrome."
"......If the villagers go crazy and do something terrible, then there will be lots of media here with a splash splash."
"That's right. If something like that happens, it'll be too late."
"............I don't believe it.... I can't believe it even if you tell me all of this right now.... Are they really from the government? Are you sure you're not being tricked by some weird fraud?"
"I don't blame you for not being able to trust me....... The research lab said earlier that we can go take a look anytime we want. I already had a look, and those aren't the level of a fraud...... Even the big hospital at Kokura doen't have such large-scale equipments......... If you can't believe what I said, you should go to the research lab and ask for the details. They can probably explain this better than I can. They also said that if you still can't believe it even with the research lab's explanation, they can explain it to you at the National Research Instutute at Tokyo, or even at the Ministry of Health's central office."
".............................But, besides me believing it or not... what does any of this have to do with us?"
"The Furude family is said to have inherited the blood of Oyashirosama. And they say that if a girl was born for eight continuous generations, then that eighth generation girl would be the reincarnation of Oyashirosama."
"......Mii"
"That's right. I'm the seventh generation. Rika is the eighth generation. But what does that have to do with the disease?"
"Yeah......... This disease called Hinamizawa Syndrome is apparantly caused by a type of parasite. Although we call them parasites, they're incredibly small, so small you can't see them with the naked eye....... And they say that a leader position exist among these parasites."
"It... it can't be, are you saying that it's the Furude family!?"
"It appears that these leader parasites are inherited throug generations only by people with a direct bloodline to the Furude family. In other words... the previous generation is you, and right now, it's Rika."
"......Mii"
"R, ridiculous!! This is crazy talk after all, don't you think?! First of all, why is it something so disgusting like parasites!?"
"Like I said, calm down!! I'm not good at explaining things. Listen to what the experts have to say. In any case, according to them, in order to research for a treatment of this disease, studies into the leader position is required."
"I don't want to!! I have absolutely no intention to participate in such a weird research, and I won't let Rika get involved in this either!!"
"I'm telling you to calm down!! According to their research, it's the seperation from the leader position, not the village, that causes the Hinamizawa Syndrome to act out....... When you were little, there were times where you were told that you have divine powers, right? Elders who went on long trips and got migrains would have their headaches disappear immediately after they came to you for cleansing, that kind of divine power. That's the proof of the leader position right there. Furude's blood has the power to save the people who have acted outl. And that's why they say it's so important to study into it in order to discover a treatment."
"......If they study me, can everyone in the village be saved?"
"That what they're saying."
"......Does everyone have this sickness? Me too? Everyone else too? Satoko too?"
"...Yeah. Not just everyone who lives in this village, people like our relatives who live in Okinomiya are includeed too. The number of infected people are probably in the thousands. It's because this is such a serious disease that the ministry spent all those money to build a specialized research lab."
"I, I object! How can you turn Rika into a sacrifice for such a suspicious research!?"
"......I'm okay with that. If Satoko can be saved with me becoming the sacrifice, then I'm all fine with it."
"Rika, you be quiet!! In any case, I absolutely refuse! I'm going to go see the people who planted such strange ideas into you, and refuse them directly myself. I won't let Rika get killed for some bizzare experiment!! Besides, Rika is the lone-decendant of the Furude family, remember?! If something were to happen to her, Furude family's blood will end up dying here, you know!? And you too, you have to think more about the Furude's position too!! This is why people in the village call you a pacifist...!! After all, don't you think this is weird!? The Ministry of Constructions is trying to sink the village under a dam. And the Ministry of Health is trying to cure a disease. I don't get what's going on anymore!!"
"The Ministry of Health has warned that a change in environment can cause the disease to break out very easily, and they're trying to get the Ministry of Construction to halt the dam project right now... Like I said, you should get them to show you their research lab too. There's no way they would build such a huge facility in a land that could be sunk under a lake."
"......Kuaaaaaa...."
Rika makes a big yawn.
For a little girl like Rika, it must be far beyond her bedtime now.
"......I will go to sleep now...... Daddy, please tell those people that I'm willing to help out anytime."
"R, rika!! You can't make a decision like that on your own without my permission!!! Rika! Wait, Rika!!!"
Sonozaki Mion (Piece #38)
[Pre-requisite: Strawberry milk candy]
Sonozaki housekeeper: “Mion-san---, you’re friend is here---“
I heard the housekeeper calling out my name. My house is very big, so I can’t hear my friends ringing the doorbell or calling out “He-y Mion-chan, wanna go out and play-?!”
Mion: “Okay, okay. Thank you. Who is it?”
Housekeeper: “It’s Furude’s Rika-chama.”
Mion: “Oh, I see, I see. Can you tell grandma that Rika-chama is here? She’s probably on the porch over there. I’ll bring the watermelons.”
Grandma received a bunch of watermelons, so she decided to have them shared with my friends. So, I called the Furude family a little while ago, and Rika-chan came here to pick them up.
…I wonder if she came with her bicycle. Did her bike have a frontal holder big enough to fit a watermelon? I pondered about how she was going to take them home as I plucked one watermelon from the well in the backyard. The cold water in the well acted like a refrigerator for the watermelon. The condensation on the watermelon is cool to the touch, and it looks to be very delicious. The three members of the Furude family would be able to have nice dessert for at least two nights with this.
Rika: “…Mi-? It’s to take home? I thought…”
Mion: “Huh? Didn’t this ojisan tell you?!”
I told the priest that we like to share some watermelons but… I guess there was miscommunication somewhere. Somehow the word was changed from “come and have (pick up) a watermelon” to “come and have (eat over here) a watermelon.”
There was no way such a plump watermelon was going to fit in the small frontal holder on her bike, and its too dangerous for her to ride that bike on one hand while holding such a heavy thing on the other.
Oryou: “Mion, you go and help carry that watermelon to Rika-chama’s home. She can’t ride a bike holding a watermelon on the other hand”
Rika: “….Mi-. I sure can hold a watermelon.”
Oryou: “No, no! That’s too dangerous! If something happens to Rika-chama, we’’ never redeem ourselves to the Oyashiro-sama. Our Mion will carry it. Let’er handle it.”
Mion: “Yeah yeah, lemme handle it. I’ll also go and have a chat with the priest as well.”
Even if Rika-chan was able to do it by herself, her hands would be tied up in either way. So, I helped her carry it back to her house.
The sky is turning auburn from the sunset. …The cool wind began to billow, and the bare feet in my sandals feels soothing. Inside the plastic bag were the watermelon and several small bags of kompeitou candies as a token for coming all the way to the Sonozaki main house.
Rika-chan however, told me that if her mom found out about it, she would take away that candy. So, we opened them right now and plopped the sweet tastes of kompeito candies into our mouths as we trotted to her home…
It is one of grandma’s rules to give out candy to all children that came to the Sonozaki family as a token of appreciation. Let me rephrase that - it’s like a custom in Hinamizawa not particular to just the Sonozaki family. So, I hear funny stories where kids fight with their siblings on who is going to take the circulation note to their neighbor in hopes of getting candy, even though no one in their house has read that note yet.
…This kompeito is one of those rewards to children.
However, she does not usually give this much kompeito normally. The usual exchange rate was one piece of candy. …So this shows how much my grandma has a special sweet spot for Rika-chama.
Rika: “…I feel bad for getting all these candies all the time.”
Mion: “I don’t think you should think so much about it. These rewards are like a token of how much they love you. I think its best to just say thank you and put on a big smile on your face like a child than trying to refuse them.”
Rika: “…Does Mii get rewards too?”
Mion: “Oh, in the past yeah! But I’m too old now to get any rewards. Besides, even if I got them, I’d probably get a bit pissed for trying to treat me like a little kid.”
Rika: “….Mi-. So I’m treated like a little kid.”
Mion: “Ahahahaha. What’s wrong about that! You should take them when you still can. When you grow up to my age, I can’t get stuff that I want anymore.”
I thought that we were talking the usual stuff, until I realized that Rika-chan showed the emotions of sadness.
Mion: “What’s wrong?”
Rika: “….Even though I get lots of candy when I go out for chores, ….Satoko never receives any even if she’s with me.”
Mion: “…………..”
If I start to think about why she said that to me, I could go on forever… Everyone around here knows that not only Satoko, but the Houjou family in general, are given the cold shoulder in Hinamizawa. …And the main instigator of that is the Sonozaki main household. The two main targets of the ostracism had died when they fell to their deaths in that tragic accident. Yet, the cold taunting towards the Houjou family still continues towards their children, Satoko and Satoshi, …and to their foster parents as well.
It is true that this all began with the big argument that the Houjou family had with the Sonozaki family at the local project meeting for the dam proposal. …The ones that should be shunned were the husband and his wife, but their children or their uncle and aunt had nothing to do with this whole issue. …Still, the equation of “village traitor = the Houjou family” seems to have evolved on its own, …and that policy set the atmosphere to ostracize anyone with the surname of Houjou.
Their uncle and his wife was not a part of the pro-dam group. So, given time, the ostracism towards them should’ve subsided. …However, they weren’t what I call a “socially acceptable” type to begin with. …They were clearly not getting along with their neighbors and were a bit of a nuisance in the village.
The refused to follow the rules of taking out the trash on the appropriate days, they ditch their pre-arranged community duties, they spray pesticides in their backyard without regards to their neighbors’ laundry times. …I often hear tales of them getting into a heated argument with their neighbors and the council. Practically, they were just looked as an annoyance with or without their ties to the dam proposal. …Hence, the banishment towards the Houjou family still continues to this day.
But, still, Satoko and Satoshi have nothing to do with all of this…
I always see Satoko and Satoshi depressed whenever they come to school. …I leave all the things about Sonozaki family and Houjou family aside at school…but I don’t know how Satoko and Satoshi really feel about that. …From their point of view, I’m certain they see me just as another member of the Sonozaki family…
Mion: “…I don’t want to bring in such bullying into the school. So I do my best to be a regular friend at school, so that the atmosphere there will be protected from the harshness of the outside world…”
Rika: “…But how do you spread that atmosphere to the entire village…?”
…That’s a very difficult task to accomplish.
The Houjou family made enemies of the three gosankes. They were branded as traitors of the village, and its wound has yet to heal. Even if one family steps up to say “…the dam war is finished. Let’s become friends again,” it’s like putting water over hot coal. …No one wants to become a target of ostracism themselves for taking the side of the Houjou family.
It hurts my heart to even think about it, but…the only answer that I can come up with is for them to wait out patiently until this whole matter cools and withers away. And the only thing that I can provide to them is an oasis which they can use until the whole thing is over.
Rika: “…Then how long do they have to hold out…?”
Mion: “………I don’t know. The whole dam war itself took several years. Since they were branded at that time…it might take just as well.”
Rika: “…Then does that mean that Satoko and Satoshi won’t be forgiven until they become adults? Satoko will then have to live her childhood here amidst all the cold shoulders?”
Mion: “…That’s…very harsh….”
Rika: “….Mii. We are friends with Satoko and Satoshi, right?”
Mion: “Of course. Both of them are my special friends. They are a part of our team.”
Rika: “…Then, isn’t there anything we can do to help out our friends in distress…?”
Mion: “….I really wish…I really wonder what we could do…”
Let’s say even if the Sonozaki main house announces that “the dam war was finished, let’s be friendly to the Houjous once again,” it’s not as simple as that. …Besides, grandma seems to despise the Houjou family from her guts, and even the notion of Houjou is considered a taboo around her.
It’s not just about one person forgiving them. …The problem lies with the complicated social interactions between people…it is the community called the village itself. …And to turn such a powerhouse like that into your enemy is very intimidating. Everyone knows this, so that is why they maintain good relationships with their neighbors. …If you dare to turn that into your enemy, you learn of the consequences. …This is the dark side of community relationships that exists not only in Hinamizawa, but in anywhere in Japan.
The Sonozaki family is not an exception to this rule. When the labeling of the Houjou family has come this far, even the Sonozaki family cannot overturn this conviction so easily.
Rika: “…So even if this is about our Hinamizawa, …no one living in Hinamizawa can do anything about it?”
Mion: “….Sadly, …but I guess you’re right. …If there will be a person capable of saving Satoko, than that person must be someone who isn’t bound to such unsaid policies of Hinamizawa. ….Unfortunately, there isn’t anyone in Hinamizawa like that.”
Rika: “….Are you saying that, …someone from the outside of Hinamizawa must come here and save her…?”
Mion: “………………”
Would there ever be a knight in shining armor from the outside world just like Rika-chan says? Would that person be able to smash through the closed space of centuries old customs and bring in a new wave of fresh air into this village?
I don’t think so. It’s all wishful thinking. Basically, nothing is going to change. ….Time is the only factor to help heal this wound.
Hence, I decided to be their friends. I could not think of anything beyond that.
As both of us started biting on the kompeito in our mouths…all we could do was to hope that everyone could forgive Satoko and Satoshi as quickly as possible....
Rika then broke the heavy silence between us.
Rika: “…There will be”
Mion: “Huh…?”
Rika: “….There will be, …someone from the outside of this village, a person not bound to these customs, will come here soon.”
Mion: “Sure. The dam war is over now, so I’m sure someone would start to move here to those areas that are marked for sale. It’ll be fun if such family has a kid close to our age and he or she decides to transfer to our school.”
Rika: “….He will come. And, all of us will unite and defeat the evil practice that causes such ostracism in this village. …That will be the first key in opening the three locks that traps us from the future.”
Mion: “….Huh? What’s that? Is that some kind of book or some sort??”
Rika-chan is known for occasionally rambling peculiar things. Whenever I see her in that mode, she looks as if she’s much older than her age, …and I begin to doubt whether I am the one younger than her.
The unreasonable ostracism towards the Houjou family…
…Will there ever really be a hero from the outside who isn’t bound to our customs, that can shatter our old ways and introduce a brighter future for us…?