June 22, 0:00 AM, Assembly Hall Part 2 (6月22日午前0時 集会所② Rokugatsu Ni-juu-ni-nichi Gozen Rei-ji—Shuukaijo: Ni) is the fourth chapter of Yoigoshi-hen.
Summary[]
Mion doesn't understand why people would commit suicide these days. She laments that Hinamizawa is cursed, and that she could finally come back after 20 years just to hear about people dying again. Takumi continues to sleep as the group thinks that the man-eating demons of Onigafuchi have woken up. Arakawa questions why Mion knows know much, and Mion in turn asks who he is, as he was just wandering around the village at night.
Arakawa introduces himself as a journalist who came to Hinamizawa to research the legends and various phenomena that surrounded it. Yae introduces herself and Takumi, and Otobe also introduces himself and explains his situation. Arakawa says they can search for his friends when it's light out, but Otobe says it's fine. Mion sees how pale Otobe is and says he's scared, a smirk rising on her face.
Mion starts to leave since the rain should've stopped, but Arakawa demands to know who she is. Mion introduces herself, and Arakawa becomes surprised to hear that she’s related to the Three Families. Otobe asks Mion where she’s going, and she says she needs to go to the ritual storehouse near the shrine. Arakawa gets excited and asks to come along. Mion accepts, and Otobe also decides to come while Yae stays, as she was afraid of hearing the onikakushi story and wants to stay with Takumi. Once everyone leaves, Yae breathes a sigh of relief while Takumi wakes up and asks who was here. Yaw says that they should go home.
Mion’s group reaches the ritual storehouse, however it’s locked. Mion tells Otobe to stand back and unwraps her rod to reveal a katana. Arakawa asks why she’s carrying something like that around, but Mion pushes him away and destroys the lock to the storehouse with one slice. Otobe starts thinking that Mion came to the village for some other reason, and he and Arakawa soon bear witness to the torture tools hung inside the storehouse. Mion jokes that Otobe’s group must have been demoned away and are being tortured, which angers him.
Arakawa takes a few pictures and talks with Otobe about how these tools were meant for scaring villagers rather than actually using them. Arakawa starts discussing Hinamizawa’s history, mentioning how seclusive they were and how they disliked outsiders, and mentions a theory about alien parasites infecting the village. There was one girl 20 years ago who tried to warn villagers about it, and she took an entire school hostage and spread gasoline everywhere. The police tried to negotiate but unfortunately, the school exploded, and the Great Hinamizawa Disaster happened the next day. Otobe figures that girl was making a prediction, but Arakawa says nobody really knows. Some people claim the disaster was actually a gas attack by a secret government group to wipe out the aliens.
Mion laughs as she listens, saying that by that logic an alien parasite must be possessing her too. She stands in front of the statue of Oyashiro-sama and says that she's possessed. Otobe gets scared, and Arakawa freaks out and drags him out of the storehouse. Mion looks back at them in silence and turns back to the statue.
Otobe asks Arakawa why he did that, and he pulls out a list. He explains that Mion Sonozaki is supposed to be dead, a victim of the school explosion 20 years ago. Mion’s words echo in Otobe’s mind, and he gets confused.
Characters[]
Notes[]
- Keiichi Maebara and Satoko Houjou are shown to be victims of the school explosion as well.
References[]
| ||||||||||||||