Wataakashi-hen Part 2 (綿明し編 其の弐 Wataakashi-hen Sononi, Cotton-Revealing Chapter Part 2) is the second chapter in Wataakashi-hen and the tenth chapter of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Meguri.
Summary[]
Satoko obtains the Onigari-no-ryuuou and tosses it into Onigafuchi Swamp. She notes that Rika doesn't even know about the sword, and is content that all her preparation time has given her the upper hand. Satoko goes off to enjoy the Watanagashi Festival, hoping to not lose again this year.
Mion talks with Shion over the phone, shortly after their sleepover. Mion says she left early since Oryou needed her to attend a committee meeting. Mion thanks Shion for everything she did, and Shion reminds her to act natural since she tends to go out of control. The twins remember their days as little kids when they could spend time together without hesitation. Mion praises Shion for being confident and wishes she could be more like her, and Shion in turn says she respects Mion a lot since she could never be a good family head. Mion invites Shion to hang out with the club at the festival and to sleep over at the Sonozaki main house that night. Shion says she'll do it if she feels like it.
Shion hangs up as Kasai arrives with food. Shion asks him to drive her to the festival, and Kasai hands her a taser for self-defense since Hinamizawa can be dangerous this time of year, and there's no guarantees nothing won't happen.
At the festival, the club is having fun. Rena obsesses over Rika's shrine maiden outfit and takes her away as Satoko chases them, leaving Mion and Keiichi behind. Mion looks around and wonders if Shion is coming at all. Keiichi apologizes to Mion about yesterday since he knows she was just trying to stop him from getting scared about the village incidents. Mion says to just forget about that creepy stuff and enjoy the festival. Keiichi remarks that he'd never seen Mion acting like that in front of Shion and figures they must be very close. Mion remembers a happy memory with Shion and says it's not quite like that.
The rest of the club returns. Rena asks Keiichi if there's something wrong but he denies it. Mion thinks Keiichi is still feeling uneasy and resolves to cheer him up. The club goes off to enjoy more of the festival. During Rika's festival dance, Mion sees Shion and Keiichi going off together and wonders about it. After the dance, Mion gets called to a village meeting and tells the other club members to wait; Rena, Rika, and Satoko note that Keiichi seems to have gotten lost.
At the village meeting, Mion hears from Kiichirou and the other elders that the ritual storehouse was trespassed into. A committee member on patrol saw Tomitake opening the storehouse door, and that there were four people in total trespassing. The committee becomes outraged, saying that the curse will surely befall them. Mion assumes Takano was the second person, and wonders if Shion and Keiichi are the other two since they went off into the direction of the storehouse. Mion hopes she's wrong about their involvement.
Mion meets up with Keiichi later that night and asks if he saw Shion, and he denies it. Mion thinks Shion told him to be quiet since she knew Mion would be in a bad mood. She then asks Keiichi if he saw Tomitake or Takano, and he denies that too; Mion is skeptical. Ooishi then appears and asks Keiichi the same thing. Mion worries that Keiichi really did trespass into the ritual storehouse, but the Sonozaki family can still cover for him. As Mion goes home, Shion reappears and greets her. Mion asks if she saw Keiichi earlier, but Shion lies that she didn't. Mion figures Ooishi was telling the truth and wonders why he'd come all the way here to say that, and decides to verify if the police got their hands on some info.
As Shion takes a shower, Mion confirms with someone over the phone that Tomitake and Takano have gone missing. The worried Mion then calls Keiichi's house and is told by his mom that he's home. Keiichi takes the phone and asks if Mion is calling him, but Mion undoes her hair and starts pretending to be Shion, thinking that there's a Shion inside her as well. The real Shion finishes her shower and listens from behind a corner and gets confused.
"Shion" asks Keiichi about the ritual storehouse break-in, but Keiichi lies that he never saw Tomitake or Takano. Mion is disappointed that he lied and thinks about what to do: she determines she needs to ensure Keiichi and Shion's safety, and wants to get them into her safe room before escaping to Okinomiya. Mion worries about convincing Keiichi however, and doesn't want to rely on the villagers.
Mion is resolute that Mion Sonozaki can protect both Keiichi and Shion, the boy she loves and her precious sister, but thinks that she is also Shion in voice, appearance, and mannerisms, and wonders just who she really is. Shion meanwhile seems to scratch her throat and has an identity crisis over who is the real Mion and who is the real Shion, and what their duties should be.
"Shion" worries that the curse is coming for her and Keiichi. Right as Mion and Keiichi are talking about the targets, Shion suddenly takes the phone and yells that Keiichi is worse off for breaking the Oyashiro-sama statue head. Shion scolds Keiichi as Mion worries she's being too harsh, and Shion then hangs up. Mion tries to calm her down and tells her about the saferoom and that she wants to protect both Shion and Keiichi, and Shion starts to remember Meakashi's world: the nail-ripping, protecting Satoshi, killing Satoko, Mion imprisoned, stabbing Keiichi, and Mion falling down the well. Shion apologizes for being born and blacks out.
One of the twins dies from hitting her head on a table corner as the other cries and wonders what happened. The surviving twin, "Mion", carries the other to the underground storehouse and reminisces on how happy she was when Keiichi gave her the doll. She remembers a time when they were kids, when she carried Shion on her back, and that they could always be together and switch places as twins until the day Mion got the tattoo. Mion suddenly collapses and caresses Shion's face, and wishes that they can be twins against in their next life.
Mion changes Shion's dirty clothes into her casual wear, and finally dumps her into the underground well. Mion wonders if she's really Mion or Shion, but declares that as "Mion" she will end Oyashiro-sama's curse. Mion soon kills Oryou and Kiichirou and disposes of them as well, wanting to protect Keiichi.
At school, Rika rants to Keiichi about his trespassing into the ritual storehouse and walks off. Despite that, Rika still thinks Keiichi has the willpower to overcome fate and wants to do whatever she can to avoid tragedy. Mion waits behind a corner and shocks Rika with her taser; Rika is surprised that it's Mion doing it. Mion drags Rika out of sight and says that the Three Families are giving out orders to carry out the curse, and chokes Rika to death to make her the final sacrifice.
Characters[]
- Satoko Houjou
- Shion Sonozaki
- Mion Sonozaki
- Tatsuyoshi Kasai
- Rena Ryuugu
- Rika Furude
- Keiichi Maebara
- Kiichirou Kimiyoshi
- Kuraudo Ooishi
- Oryou Sonozaki
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- The Onigari-no-ryuuou is shown to have a part of the blade chipped off.
Trivia[]
- A panel with Mion and Shion together references the cover of the second Higurashi Sotsu Blu-Ray box, which contains the entire Wataakashi.
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