Curse (呪縛 Jyubaku) is the fifth chapter of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Oni.
Summary[]
Kiichirou apologizes to Okai and his grandfather for Souhei's outburst and takes him outside to cool off. Oryou chases after them despite Okai's objections. Ritsuka follows as well and apologizes to Souhei in her mind for not being able to do anything. When she leaves, Ritsuka seems to notice Seiji entering the ritual storehouse and goes towards him.
The mayor and Okai decide to talk until Kiichirou comes back. The mayor apologizes to Okai for that night 15 years ago. Outside, Kiichirou chastises Souhei for suddenly barging in and asking questions. Kiichirou leaves Oryou to take care of Souhei while he goes back inside to talk to the heads.
The mayor recounts to Okai what happened that night. Chiyoko was said to become a demon because of Oyashiro-sama's curse, which happened because the Three Families were gathered together. Under Okai's orders, the other Kimiyoshis went door to door in the village and told everyone to stay in their homes. The Kimiyoshis also stayed inside the entire time until morning. The mayor apologizes to Okai for his cowardice.
Okai laments that they lost so many Sonozakis that night: their sole daughter, her husband, and the successor Yuuki. Okai and her mother were the same in that they only had a single daughter. Villagers claimed the Sonozakis were abandoned by Oyashiro-sama since they no longer had boys, but then Yuuki became the first-born male Sonozaki in ages. Okai was overjoyed to see Yuuki and praised his kindness and swordsmanship skills; Yuuki made the Sonozaki family prosperous.
The mayor apologizes again for being afraid of the demon and says everyone in the Sonozakis is talented, including Yuuki's parents Mie and Masaharu. He didn't want the Kimiyoshis to be a hindrance and didn't want to watch the Sonozakis die, but Okai tells him not to worry, as it was the Sonozakis' responsibility. Okai still wonders that if the doors were barred, if the servants stayed and didn't go to Okinomiya, and if the Kimiyoshis came to help, then Yuuki and her son-in-law wouldn't have died. Okai despairs as she wonders why Chiyoko became a demon and attacked them, and wonders what the Sonozakis ever did to the Kimiyoshis. Kiichirou tries to calm her down, and the mayor once again apologizes, saying the Kimiyoshis owe a great debt to the Sonozakis, as they were protected by them and left all the dirty work to them.
Okai says they're not long for this world and asks the mayor a favor. Once Okai dies, Oryou alone will be forced to bear the role of the Sonozakis, so she wants the Kimiyoshis to support her and never abandon the Sonozakis. The mayor happily agrees and says that Kiichirou sees Oryou as a sister, so surely he wouldn't object to supporting her. Kiichirou reluctantly agrees. Okai is pleased to leave everything to them.
Souhei and Oryou walk together. Souhei wonders if they could've stopped Chiyoko from becoming a demon and his parents from dying if they never entered the ritual storehouse, and Oryou says it's not like that. They still have a chance to apologize to Oyashiro-sama and be forgiven. Souhei suddenly becomes feverish and passes out, and Oryou takes him to her house to care for him. When Souhei wakes up later, he says he needs to get back home but Oryou says Okai told her to watch over him for now. She asks to hear about Tokyo and Souhei's work.
After Souhei left the village, a massive earthquake in the Kanto region occurred, and Tokyo was destroyed. Souhei's courage and wits he honed in the club games helped him out, and he was able to prosper with the post-earthquake restoration economy. Oryou asks what girls in Tokyo are like, and Souhei says they're all stylish, and eat parfaits at parlors, and go on dates to the movies. Oryou is enamored by all this and asks if Souhei went on any dates, but he says he never had the time since he was always taking care of his grandfather. Oryou explains that Ritsuka's modern Western outfits come from a peddler who visits the Sonozakis sometimes and wants to try them on herself. Souhei offers to take Oryou on a date to Tokyo when they have the time, and she happily accepts.
Souhei asks about what happened to Yuuki. Oryou says she doesn't know and couldn't ask, even after apologizing to Oyashiro-sama. Later, Okai told her that Chiyoko, or rather, a "demon" broke into the Sonozaki house and attacked the sick Yuuki. Oryou's parents fought against the demon, but her mom died while Yuuki and her dad ran away. The next morning, Oryou's dad was found dead in Onigafuchi while Yuuki and the demon disappeared. Yuuki's torn kimono was found floating in the swamp. Oryou and Okai became the only Sonozakis left.
Souhei apologizes for making her remember something so painful, but Oryou says she needs to be strong for her parents' sake. Oryou says she inherited the Sonozaki demon as a result and begins to explain: the Sonozakis put the kanji for demon (鬼) in the names of all of their heirs, and since Yuuki was originally the heir, he was also named such. With Yuuki's disappearance, he couldn't protect the Sonozakis anymore.
The Furude family continued Oyashiro-sama's bloodline while the Kimiyoshis accepted the demons and united the village. The Sonozakis thus were descended from the demons that emerged from Onigafuchi and were accepted by the village, and so the Sonozakis protected the village for generations. That role was passed on to Oryou, and so her name changed to have the kanji for demon in it.
Oryou isn't confident in herself, but Souhei assures her that Okai trained her well and that he'll support her. He promises to be available to talk if she ever has a tough time. Oryou is ecstatic at this.
A meeting between Oryou and the other Three Family members is shown, all wearing demon masks. Oryou tells them about Souhei's return and how he'll support her, but she's asked if she has the right to be accepted by him, as she's no longer the old Oryou. She's asked if he'll accept her now that a demon dwells in her, and Oryou begins to wonder if she really is worthy to be with him.
Characters[]
- Kiichirou Kimiyoshi
- Souhei Origuchi
- Ryou Sonozaki
- Okai Sonozaki
- Ritsuka Furude
- Mayor Kimiyoshi
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
Asahi's other artwork in the background
- One panel features several of the artist Asahi's personal works:
- The first piece is fanart of Rosa and Maria from Umineko When They Cry.
- The second piece is artwork from Asahi's visual novel Rotten Fruit.
- The third piece is based off Asahi's manga Setsukare.
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