Axel is surrounded by forest once again and is on a path. He looks at the marker in his hand, along with the piece of the note still stuck to his fingers. He removes his knapsack and puts them into it, along with his flashlight out of his pocket, and next retrieves his notebook.
He looks at his watch to see that it is eight P.M. and the date is Tuesday, June the twenty-first. He writes about his brief adventure in the previous universe. Upon finishing, he puts his notebook away and looks around to get his bearings, wondering which direction he should go in.
His question is soon answered as he sees a familiar figure up ahead, two actually, and hurries over to them.
"Axer," Rika said.
"Axer-kun," Hanyuu sighed.
"Am I ever glad to see you two," Axel said with relief.
"What universe is this to you now?" Hanyuu asked.
"Universe Number Nine. And what's with that large bottle?" As he takes note of Rika cradling it.
"This is just a ploy to deal with Shion," Rika answered. "She has Hinamizawa Syndrome."
"Just like Keiichi," Axel gasped, and he tells them about the previous universe.
"I just wish that I had been there with the treatment for it," Rika said dourly.
"Treatment?"
"Hold this," Rika next said as she hands Axel the empty bottle, of which he takes so that she ends up taking out two things: a spray can and a syringe filled with a yellowish liquid.
"What are those?" Axel asked.
"This is tear gas . . . and this is C-120, a drug that suppresses Hinamizawa Syndrome."
"It does?! Where did you get that?!"
"It was synthesized from my own blood," Rika answered. "Now let's go and pay Shion a visit. She's disguised as Mion by the way."
They arrive at the Sonozaki household, with Axel holding the bottle. It is an estate with a wall around it.
"So once I gas her," Rika said, "that will be your cue to subdue her."
"Gotcha," he said as he gives her the thumbs up.
Rika rings the doorbell and it soon opens to reveal Shion, now disguised as Mion.
I wonder if she has Mion down in that prison in this universe? Axel wondered.
Shion is startled by Axel.
"This is Axer Sawyer," Rika said in her child-like manner. "He's just helping me. Nipaa."
"Oh, ah, h-hello there, Axer Sawyer-san," Shion said as she gives him a bow.
"I came for the soy sauce," Rika said as she holds up a sheet of paper with lettering upon it.
"Huh? Oh right, the soy sauce," Shion said.
"I bought my own soy sauce bottle," Rika said as she gestures to it in Axel's hands, and she walks forward as does Axel.
"It's okay," Shion said as she holds her hands up, "just wait here and I'll get it for you."
"But I'm good at pouring soy sauce into a funnel," Rika said with a close eyed smile. "And besides, Axer can help me."
"Okay, fine," Shion said. "But he's going to be a problem."
"Why? What's wrong with me?" Axel asked.
Shion gives another start, obviously not expecting him to speak Japanese.
"Ah well," Shion began apologetically with closed eyes as she rubs the back of her head. "It's my grandmother really. She doesn't like outsiders and that's just the fellow Japanese who never lived here. But she absolutely detests foreigners. She lived through World War Two. If she were to learn of your presence, Axer-san, she'll end up wanting to chop you up and dump your remains down our well."
"I . . . see," Axel said uneasily as he looks to Hanyuu in the hopes that she has something planned.
"Rika, let me know when you are about to make you're move," Hanyuu said. "That way I can get Axer-kun."
"Okay," Rika answered for both Hanyuu and Shion.
"Fine," Axel also answered for both of them as well and hands the bottle to Shion.
"Follow me, Rika-chama," Shion said as she turns to go inside, and Rika follows. The door closes.
Axel waits. The seconds seem like hours.
"Okay," Hanyuu said quickly as she appears through the door.
Axel takes hold of the doorhandle.
"It's lock!" As he jims the handle to no avail.
"Hauauau!"
"Go tell her and go look for another way in and come tell me!" Axel quickly commanded. "Now go!"
Hanyuu is quick to do so, then flies off to look around. She sees a possible way in and quickly returns to Axel.
"I found it! Follow me!"
She leads Axel to a window.
"Hauauau, right here!"
He tries the window and it opens.
"Look inside and see if anyone's around," he said to Hanyuu as he removes his knapsack.
She does so and tells him that the coast is clear. Axel quickly places his knapsack inside, then crawls in through the window.
"Which way?" Axel asked as he picks up his knapsack, only to be immediately rewarded with muffled crashing and shouts of a struggle.
"This way!" As Hanyuu is quick to fly toward the source, forcing Axel into a run.
They arrive at a door just as he hears sounds of struggle inside and flings it open. There on the floor is Rika lying on her back as Shion is kicking her in the side. Shion immediately stops and turns to Axel.
"Oh ho, you got inside!" Shion said in a surprised tone. "I must say that's quite ballsy of you, given that you foreign guys have big balls." And finishes with a laugh. "Hey, I know." As Shion's tone turns disturbingly jovial. "How about I take you both down to my Fun-Fun Underground Torture Chamber and show you my carpentry skills. After I finish nailing Rika's joints, I'll nail you. Your big balls that is!" She laughs maniacally.
"You're not well, Shion," Axel pleaded. "Yes, we know you're Shion. You have Hinamizawa Syndrome. We can help you."
"Help me?" Shion said sardonically as she brandishes her stun gun menacingly. "You should worry more about helping yourselves!"
Axel uses his knapsack as a shield as Shion lunges at him with her stun gun. He swings his knapsack, batting her arm aside. Shion is fast as she jumps to one side and backs away from him. Axel continues holding his knapsack as a shield. He is quick to eye Rika still prone on the floor, not moving.
"I doubt she's gonna be in any shape to help you," Shion taunted.
Shion makes her move once again. This time grabbing his knapsack with her free hand, forcing Axel to let his left hand go so as to defend himself against her stun gun wielding right hand. She bears a broad demented smile as Axel scowls uneasily. Given that he is bigger and heavier than her, he has firmer footing. She feigns several jabs with her stun gun, causing Axel to lash out with his left arm in the attempt to either grab her arm or knock her stun gun away.
A sharp pain in his right thigh causes him to understand that he had failed to take her feet into account. It does not do damage, though it does knock him off balance. Searing crippling pain overwhelms him as he falls to the floor from getting jabbed with the stun gun. He struggles for his breath and finally gets it. Then experiences the stun gun once again. Shion is quick to kneel down alongside him and grab his shirt with one hand while pressing her stun gun firmly into his crotch, causing him to grimace with fear as his irises shrink to shimmering dots.
"Oh wow, you really do have big balls," she chuckled with a huge maniacal grin. "Now then, my ballsy foreigner," as her tone turns serious. "Roll over onto your stomach with your arms behind your back or else you'll have roasted meatballs."
Axel is silent.
"You got 'til the count of three," Shion emphasised with whimsical malice as her expression intensifies with a single furrowed brow while pressing her stun gun more ardently into his crotch. "One . . . Two."
"Alright! Alright!" As he can see the gleam of sadism in her eyes. "Just . . . Just let me turn over slowly." He begins to do so.
"But not too slowly," Shion warned as she keeps that stun gun firmly pressed into him.
The sound of Shion screaming as she takes her stun gun off him causes Axel to look back up in time to see her arch back and drop across him, dropping her stun gun. Rika is standing behind her with the syringe in hand, now empty. Axel is quick to get out from underneath Shion.
"I think she's going to be okay," Rika said.
Shion groans with pain as she attempts to rise. Axel helps her up.
"I'm sorry that needed to be done, Shion," Rika said. "But it was the only way to suppress your Hinamizawa Syndrome."
"Wha-What was that?!" Shion sighed with a weary expression. "I . . I felt like I was living in a nightmare. I couldn't control what I felt or thought!"
That is when her expression turns to horror as her eyes go wide and irises shrink to pinpricks as she gnashes her teeth. Tears stream down her cheeks.
"M-Mion!" She shrieked as she runs out of the room at full speed. "Oh my god! What have I done?!"
Axel grabs his knapsack and quickly follows as does Rika. Axel being taller with longer legs is easily able to keep up with Shion. He follows her to a familiar place where he waits outside for Rika and Hanyuu, who he soon sees running into view and goes inside. He goes down to the cells and sees Shion hugging Mion tightly outside of her now open cell door. He stands there watching the pitiful scene. Rika and Hanyuu are by his side.
"She had Mion locked up in this universe too," Rika said.
"Hau, I'm glad we prevented further tragedy," Hanyuu added.
Rika and Hanyuu finally notice that Axel is gone.