Tokikowashi-hen

Welcome to Hinamizawa (1)

When an unfamiliar person moves into a new environment, strange things can happen. There are mysteries around us everywhere, from the people to the setting. How do people's roles change if one minor thing has been changed? Would a person be outcasted? Or would they be free?

Now then, child of man, let us explore the possibilities of a city boy moving into a rural town, with a piece that I have placed on the gameboard. I'm sure that the black cat would enjoy this new experience as well.

Welcome to Hinamizawa, Maebara Keiichi.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

A loud noise filled Keiichi's room.

His alarm had been ringing to wake him up for the first day of school. Clinching onto his futon, he tried to sleep in more, but couldn't. The stress of starting the school year in a new unfamiliar town was already wary enough, but this is it.

He would have to face meeting the other students in the class soon.

Rena had also recently moved back in as well and was also helping him in trying to fit in with the town. So far, the only other new student that he knew of was Ryugu Rena.

Why did we have to move to this rural town? There are no ice cream parlors or arcades around here. Wonder what I can do for fun…

"Wake up, Keiichi! Breakfast is ready! Don't be late for your first day of school!"

His mom was calling him out again, hoping that he could answer. After a few more minutes of being annoyed with the alarm, Keiichi grudgingly got up and shut it off. He looked at the calendar that was hanging on the wall.

April 4, 1983.

He then checked his alarm clock to make sure he didn't wake up too late.

7:00 am.

Ah. I still have time to eat breakfast.

Keiichi went towards a nearby drawer cabinet to take out a note that Rena had given him. It showed him the directions towards the school that he was going to. After getting dressed in a white collared shirt with a red t-shirt underneath it, and black pants, Keiichi quickly took his small school bag and went to the dining room.

His mom had prepared a traditional Japanese breakfast for him. A small bento box was left next to it for his lunch at school.

A slice of grilled salmon with some radish on the side. A bowl of miso soup. And a hearty bowl of rice.

Keiichi quickly clapped his hands together for the meal.

"Thank you for the food!"

Half an hour later, Keiichi finished eating and grabbed his school bag and took the bento as he prepared to leave. Taking the note that Rena had given him, he looked around at the rural town around him. The buildings and houses were smaller than what he was used to.

This town is really different from the city. The streets and roads are smaller, and there are no high-rise buildings anywhere. There might not be anything fancy but I'm sure they have many things to do out here…

The cherry blossoms bloomed around him, giving him a small path of pink flurries as he tried to find the school in this unfamiliar town. One of the petals floated onto his hands and disintegrated immediately. All that was left was some dust particles on his hands.

That's weird. What's up with this town?

Afterward, he felt a small tremor under his feet and fell to the ground. It rumbled only for a moment before stopping, leaving Keiichi bewildered. Shaking his head and brushing the dust off of himself, he grudgingly continued walking.

Maybe this area is probably prone to earthquakes, just like some parts of Japan. Guess I'll need to be careful if anything happens…

Rena was nowhere to be found, as she had mentioned that she would try to help him find the school before school started. In the end, she ended up not responding to his phone calls and sounded like she was busy. All she had left him was a note full of scribbles on how to find the school in the small town.

"Stupid Ryugu-san! I guess she just wanted me to find the school myself. It's probably one of the bigger buildings in the town. I'll definitely find it!"

Keiichi continued to walk towards a path that led to the school. Next to him, he saw a small clinic nearby. He went forward to check the name of the place.

"Irie Clinic."

This must be the town's hospital. It looks smaller than I expected.

He went to check Rena's notes to see where he was. Some of her directions had some cute faces to point towards certain locations. Not far from him, he saw a building in the distance. There looked to be a schoolyard next to the building.

"I-Is this really the school?"

The school was called the Hinamizawa Branch School and it was a school building with only two floors. It looked nothing like a school he had been to in the city, with its multiple floors and many classrooms with many students separated by grade and class number. It looked nothing like those from where he had come from.

The building looked refurnished and had many abandoned dirty foresting equipment nearby. Everything looked worn and used, but it still had a homely feeling to it. Double-checking his notes, Keiichi found the entrance to the building near him.

I hope I'm not late. She better not be messing with me of all days…

He sighed as he went over to the door and checked to see if there was anyone there. There were definitely the sounds of children inside. Their laughter and eagerness made him feel like he was in a place full of elementary school students instead of a middle school.

"Keiichi-kun! You're here!"

Rena's voice called him out of nowhere. Her face had been hidden from the framed door near Keiichi as he was about to open it. Being addressed so casually still surprised Keiichi, as he still wasn't used to the new environment yet. He still had trouble trying to find some places around town, but he could get the hang of it with some notes from Rena again.

"Why didn't you help me find the school, Ryugu-san? I could have been lost!"

Keiichi's face flushed red with embarrassment, but Rena just laughed. But before he could say anything else, her face suddenly turned dark. Her blue eyes glared back at him as if he said something that displeased her.

"By the way Keiichi-kun, you don't need to address me like that. Just call me by my first name. Use Rena. Rena!"

One of her hands grabbed Keiichi by the wrist as if threatening him.

Why are you so scary sometimes, Ryugu-san?! Ah, first name. I can't make her angry again…

"R-Rena…chan?"

Her face immediately brightened up from hearing that. She looked pleased with how Keiichi addressed her this time. Then the school bell started to ring nearby.

"Yes, Keiichi-kun? The class is about to start. Let's get going!"

Rena then grabbed Keiichi by the arm and dragged him into the school. He was going to be introduced to the class soon as a new transfer student by the teacher soon. The classroom itself ended up just being one room due to how many students there were in the actual town.

Most of the kids were very young, with only a few older ones that sat in the back. Everyone seemed awfully close already, so Keiichi hoped that he could be able to fit in soon. He had Rena to help him at least.

But there seemed to be a young girl that sat in the corner of the classroom, being ignored by the others. He didn't know what was up with her.

"This is the new transfer student, Maebara Keiichi. His parents had recently moved in from the city, so please treat him well. He isn't used to Hinamizawa yet."

The teacher then wrote his name on the board. Keiichi looked around at the students in front of him. Rena was waving back at him with the older students in the back. She was sitting with a green-haired girl wearing a ponytail and another blonde male student who looked like he was sitting with his little sister.

"Nice to meet you," Keiichi said, bowing to them, "I hope I'll get to know everyone here."

Maybe there was a chance he could make friends with them after all.