Akarigurashi-hen Chapter 1 (明暮し編 其の壱 Akarigurashi-hen Sono Ichi, Light-Inhabiting Chapter Part 1) is the first chapter in Akarigurashi and the fifteenth chapter of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Meguri.
Summary[]
Rika and Satoko prepare to go to school. Rika thinks about how she needs to be careful with what she says and does, so that Satoko doesn't figure out that Rika knows the truth. Rika still doesn't know how and why Satoko did all of this, but with the path Hanyuu has shown her, she'll claim that future no matter what, no matter how long it takes. The date is shown to be Saturday, June 10th.
As they eat breakfast, Rika tells Satoko she's feeling unwell and will stay home from school. Satoko accepts, and when she leaves for school, Rika starts checking around the shack, trying to find Satoko's gun. Rika is unable to find it, assuming she carries it with her everywhere, and then finds medication that Satoko doesn't usually use and a vial of H173.
Rika goes to the Irie Clinic for a checkup. Irie asks Takano to fetch some medicine, but she seems vacant. Rika asks if she's not feeling well, and Takano says she's been having bad dreams lately. As Takano is about to leave, Rika suddenly asks Irie about H173. Takano pretends to ignore that and leaves. Irie is speechless and Rika begs him to tell her what he knows, and an exhausted Takano returns and explains that H173 is used to force someone into terminal stages of Hinamizawa Syndrome. Takano opens the briefcase containing all of the H173 vials and confesses to Irie that she failed to report that one of them was stolen, and shows the missing spot to the doctor.
Takano calls Tomitake over and explains the final operation: her plans to kill Tomitake, kill the queen carrier Rika, and ultimately enact Emergency Manual 34 and massacre the entire village. Tomitake asks why she'd want to do that, and Takano says it was all to acknowledge her grandfather's Hinamizawa Syndrome research. Takano starts crying and explains she had many bad dreams where she carried out the disaster over and over again (remembering previous Fragments, including her experiments on Rika's mother and herself committing suicide). Takano realized she became twisted in aspiring to be like her grandfather, and felt weak for not being able to do anything. Tomitake hugs and forgives her, and assures Takano that she can start over as Miyoko Tanashi again and won't bear the sin alone.
Tomitake tells Takano to report in promptly to ensure Tokyo and the Mountain Dogs don't notice anything, and to prepare for what may happen on the Watanagashi. Takano resolves to terminate Hinamizawa Syndrome research effective immediately, and voices her surprise that Rika is one of the few people who knew about H173 since only a few other staff members know of it. Takano considers this a divine revelation from Oyashiro-sama and thanks Rika.
Rika is surprised yet pleased that Takano had so much strength of will and never wavered in 100 years. Rika accepts she still has much to do and heads to the ritual storehouse in the Furude Shrine. She opens up the Oyashiro-sama statue's head but finds the Onigari-no-ryuuou missing, and figures Satoko already took it. She still hasn't been able to find her gun either. Rika resolves to keep watching Satoko's activities while acting natural.
Later, the club arrive to have a picnic with Rika, having been worried about her missing school yesterday. Rika is unsure of where to go from here when Keiichi asks to go for a walk with her. Alone on the shrine steps, Keiichi says he thought Rika was feeling down. Rika considers telling him the truth but worries he won't believe her at all, especially when Satoko being the culprit is way more unrealistic than dealing with Takano. Keiichi encourages Rika that she'll be able to overcome her worries. Reminded that Keiichi was able to overcome destiny for her, Rika begins explaining she had a bad premonition. She tells him that there's a virus endemic to Hinamizawa that makes people go crazy, and that Satoko will kill her in the end. Keiichi is shocked, and Rika says to forget it and not to tell Satoko about it. She gets up to leave and ignores Keiichi when he calls out to her. The frustrated Rika accepts that nobody could believe that their friend Satoko would kill her.
At school, Satoko comments to herself that everything is in the palm of her hand, and gloats at beating the club in a game and making them all wear punishment game outfits. Satoko thinks her plans have been solid ever since the world with the deranged Ooishi. Rena apologizes for not being able to make Keiichi dinner today since her dad came home from work early and wants her to eat with him. After hearing that Keiichi's parents are on a business trip for the week, Satoko offers to come over and make dinner for him. Shion suddenly arrives to hug Satoko and wants to hang out, but Keiichi asks her to let him have Satoko for the day. Shion agrees, and Keiichi and Satoko go home.
Keiichi eats Satoko's dinner and thanks her with a headpat. Keiichi gets thirsty and asks for water, and Satoko uses this opportunity to drug and inject him with H173. When Keiichi reawakens, he asks Satoko to go home now, but Satoko asks him about Oyashiro-sama's curse first. Satoko seems to succeed in making Keiichi paranoid, and over the next few days he grows distant from the club members. Rika tries to talk to him, Keiichi argues with Mion and Shion and starts doing practice bat swings, and Satoko whispers something else to him. Keiichi also doesn't play with everyone during the Watanagashi Festival, and storms off after the cotton drifting.
The next day at school, Rika learns from Rena that Mion and Shion have been missing since last night. Satoko and Keiichi arrive just then, with Satoko smirking at her plan working. With Keiichi continuing to be distant, Rena plays with Satoko and Rika, and walks home with them. Mion and Shion still don't show up to school, and one day, Keiichi also doesn't show up.
After school, Rena speaks to a depressed Rika and says it's time to go home. Satoko is confused since Keiichi's bloodlust didn't seem to be directed at Rika but to the Sonozaki twins; she's sure Mion and Shion were killed and that Keiichi killed himself after, but their bodies haven't been found yet and might be in the Sonozaki underground storehouse. Satoko drops that line of thought and considers that since Rika still doesn't know where Keiichi is, it's time to end this loop. Satoko intends to kill Rika once they're home, as she doesn't want to do it near Rena.
Satoko thinks about how in this loop, Shion was doting on her more than usual, and Mion's club games were always fresh. Rena and Rika prepare to go home, the latter cheering up since Keiichi, Mion, and Shion would surely hate to see her depressed. Satoko thinks that Rika must be exhausted, but they'll be done with this world soon and can move on to the next. She thinks they'll continue having fun with the club, Eua, and even Hanyuu, with Satoko saying Hanyuu's name out loud. Rika agrees and gets confused, and turns to see Satoko aiming her gun at her.
Satoko fires but Rena pulls Rika to safety and gets shot in the side. She tells Rika to run. As Rena cradles her wound, Satoko gets confused: she can't believe that Rena would react so fast unless she knew the gun was real and had accumulated memories, and that there's no way she'd believe Satoko would actually kill Rika. Satoko realizes that if Rika keeps this memory into the next life, it'll ruin everything, and so ignores Rena and chases after Rika to kill her as soon as possible.
Characters[]
- Satoko Houjou
- Rika Furude
- Miyo Takano
- Kyousuke Irie
- Jirou Tomitake
- Hifumi Takano (flashback)
- Rena Ryuugu
- Mion Sonozaki
- Keiichi Maebara
- Kuraudo Ooishi (flashback)
- Shion Sonozaki
- Rumiko Chie
- Eua
- Hanyuu (flashback)
Trivia[]
- The punishment game outfits seen here are the same ones from Nekogoroshi.
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