Nekoakashi

	This article is about a story arc in Higurashi When They Cry Gou-Sotsu and Gou-Meguri.

Nekoakashi-hen (猫明し編, Cat-Revealing Chapter) is the fifth story arc and the fourteenth manga chapter in Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Meguri.

Summary[]

In the Sea of Fragments, Eua watches the scene of villagers going crazy during the Watanagashi Festival and chuckles. She comments on Satoko coming up with a very interesting idea, using all of the H173, and Satoko says it was just an experiment. She wanted to see what the smallest dosage could be in order to induce terminal symptoms of Hinamizawa Syndrome, and injected villagers with small dosages; she did it while they were shopping, sleeping, treating her to tea, and during the festival, and found that tiny doses can indeed drive people to terminal symptoms. Eua comments that the absence of her failure means that, even if symptoms can no longer occur naturally, Hinamizawa Syndrome is still an endemic disease carried by all the villagers.

Satoko notes that people who weren't born in Hinamizawa and aren't residents aren't affected by small doses, so non-residents like Ooishi require a full dosage of H173. Eua says Rika must be surprised to see Ooishi reaching L5 for the first time ever. Satoko says that this world was especially convenient because the sight of Ooishi attacking Rika during the festival when everyone was gathered was enough to drive them to mental instability and terminal symptoms. Nobody was thus able to notice Satoko retrieving her gun she prepared at the stage stairs beforehand, allowing Satoko to easily kill herself after confirming Rika's death.

Eua praises Satoko for handling this world well, but reminds her of Teppei's transformation being something beyond her control; a consequence of looping. Satoko knows that similar incidents happened during Rika's 100 years: Keiichi remembered killing Mion and Rena, Rena dreamed of killing Rina, and so Teppei kept remembering worlds where he suffered and wanted to change himself. Eua explains that the more Satoko loops, the more people's fragmented memories become clear, accumulating and causing transformation in everyone who has ties with her.

Satoko laughs and says that even if the people close to her change, that won't affect her plans. None of it matters so long as she kills Rika first. Eua thinks she made the right choice in Satoko.

In subsequent worlds, Satoko continues causing tragedies in order to ensure her peaceful days can continue. In one world she gets Shion to arrange a meeting with Akane and Kasai, knocks them out with sleeping pills, and then injects Akane. The deranged Akane proceeds to murder the Sonozakis and Rika, and when Satoko shows up she shoots Akane in the head and kills her. Satoko remarks that the demon bloodline has been wiped out, just like Akane wanted. She looks at Rika's severed head and then kills herself.

In the next world, Satoko overhears Rika meeting with Kiichirou about arranging a ceremony to celebrate the end of the dam war. Satoko knocks them both out and injects Kiichirou, who proceeds to drown Rika. Satoko's many targets of injection include the entire class after knocking them out during the curry competition; Keiichi's mother, who Rika was eating with; Kasai, Rena, Oryou, Mion, Keiichi at Angel Mort, and Akasaka. After the world in which the deranged Akasaka burns down Rika's house, Satoko injects herself and tortures Rika with a watanagashi.

In the next world, Rika hugs Satoko and talks about the "nightmares" she was having, with Satoko saying they're just dreams. Satoko and Rika proceed to have fun with all of their friends, with no tragedies happening at all; Satoko wants to live out these days forever. At school, Rika and the club throw a surprise birthday party for Satoko, who had completely forgotten about it after hundreds of years of looping. When Rika presents her gift box, Satoko instinctively ducks, thinking it contains a boxing glove, but stands back up and laughs.

Satoko thinks this is the end as Rika asks how she knew it used to be a trap box, and Satoko draws her gun and kills her. Satoko then kills Keiichi as Mion demands to know why she has a gun. Satoko kills Shion when she tries to protect Mion, and then kills Mion when she tends to her. Rena says she's not Satoko and asks why she's doing this, but is also shot and killed. Satoko says it's all to have a peaceful everyday life with everyone.

In the next world, Satoko and Rika wake up and prepare to make breakfast and go to school. Satoko gives Rika an evil look.

Characters[]

Notes[]

The Young Ace UP version of this chapter titled it "Nekoakashi-hen Part 1" while the tankobon version simply titles it "Nekoakashi-hen."