Déjà vu (2)
Ara ara, are you still here? Well then, how will the city boy fare, believing that it was all just a dream. Just a nightmare. Can he face the possibility of death once again?
Or would he deny it? How much is he willing to believe?
This is a test, Maebara Keiichi.
Sunlight flashed through Keiichi's eyes. He felt dizzy and tired from his slumber as he got up to check his alarm clock. The horrifying nightmare felt so long and real as if he had been there feeling everything. It felt like such a long dream.
W-What happened? Ugh, I feel so restless today…
The alarm clock read 6:45 am.
I still got some time before school starts…let me look around for Rena-chan's notes.
He rubbed his eyes as he got up to check his drawer cabinet again. But this time, there was nothing there. Rena's notes weren't in his cabinet at all.
Where did it go? Did I put it somewhere else? I know that I put it here!
But to no avail, he found nothing. Rena must really be messing with him now.
"Gah! Rena-chan! Why must you do this to me?!"
He quickly checked the date.
April 4, 1983.
He could be late for his first day of school without Rena's notes. In a panic, he searched through his room again, trying to remember where he could have hidden her notes. The clock was ticking, so he quickly got dressed in the process.
"Keiichi! Someone's here to meet you!"
His mom was calling him all of a sudden. Could it be Rena? What is she doing here?
"Is it Rena-chan? I can't find her notes! How am I going to find the school?"
"It's fine. She will show you. Weren't you going to go to school together?"
What? I don't remember doing that. Wasn't she busy, which was why she gave me a lot of notes?
Keiichi sighed as he went to get his school bag before leaving his room. He hadn't found much time to eat breakfast again, but his mom didn't seem to mind. It was his first day of school after all. Maybe the thought of a girl coming to meet him at his house surprised her.
"I-I'm coming. Sorry for the trouble."
Rena smiled as she waved by the doorstep. His mom was talking to her, seemingly ignoring that Keiichi was right beside her. He went towards the doorstep and put on his shoes.
"Have a fun first day of school, Keiichi! Make sure to make a lot of friends!"
His mom waved as she closed the door, leaving Keiichi and Rena outside. Keiichi looked back towards Rena and scratched his head. He felt a sense of déjà vu but didn't know why.
Maybe that dream felt too real.
"Rena-chan, isn't the school that way? Where are we going?"
Rena smiled back as she giggled. She dragged him towards a water wheel, which had a small stream of fish nearby. It looked like a small hut that pumped water for the town.
"Keiichi-kun, you addressed me by my first name already? I didn't need to remind you this time. Here is the water wheel, I tend to meet Mii-chan here so if we end up walking together, but she's usually there. You're going to meet her today."
"Mion-san? What about Satoshi-san? Does he meet with you guys as well?"
Rena looked blankly at him, surprised at his question.
"How did you know their names? I didn't tell you them yet…"
"Well, uh…"
Ah! I sound like I been through this process already! How do I know their names anyway? Wasn't Rena-chan the only one I know here?
Keiichi looked back and forth, trying to come up with an answer. He bit his lip, trying to come up with something. But Rena just giggled at his embarrassment instead. She didn't seem to mind at all.
"It's fine, Keiichi-kun. I'm sure they will love it. It is your first day of school after all. You will fit right in!"
Keiichi smiled meekly. Maybe it was best to go with the flow for now. He can't let his long-winded dream affect him. It was just a nightmare after all. There was nothing to worry about.
"Thanks, Rena-chan. I appreciate it."
They continued walking, with Rena showing him many places and areas around the town before they reached the school. Keiichi thought about asking her about the notes but didn't want to cause awkwardness for talking about it.
I still don't understand why there weren't any notes from Rena. What's going on? Are my memories lying to me?
Keiichi sighed and looked up to the sky. It was spring, but it was going to be summer soon. The sound of cicadas will eventually come. Everything was peaceful.
"We're here! The Hinamizawa Branch School!"
Rena excitedly pointed at the school to Keiichi. It looked like an old building, just like something he had seen before. The framed doors and the abandoned forest equipment were still around the school, dissipated and broken. He heard the sounds of the children nearby.
"This feels more like a kindergarten than a school, Rena-chan. There's probably not many older students, are there?"
Rena nodded at his question.
"That's right. But since you're here, you will be one of the older ones in the school."
That sounds familiar. Let's see if I can recognize any of the students. I can remember some of their faces and names somehow…
Keiichi then went into the classroom with Rena, getting ready to be introduced by the teacher soon. He would be upfront facing a small class full of students of many ages and genders, regardless of order. This was a rural town after all.
"This is Maebara Keiichi. He had just moved into town from the city recently. Please treat him well."
Chie wrote his name on the board. Keiichi bowed down towards the students. Everyone looked familiar to him. Rena. Mion. Satoshi. Satoko. And last but not least, Rika.
"Nice to meet you. I hope to get to know everyone here."
A few days later during the break, Rena called Keiichi over for something. Whispering into his ear, she went to discuss the club with him.
"Keiichi-kun, are you interested in joining our club? I know that you got into the school only recently, but it would be faster for you to make friends with everyone."
Where have I heard this speech before? Did she ask me this before? Hmm. I might as well take it. It would be a good opportunity for making friends.
Keiichi scratched his head.
"Rena-chan, that would be nice. Thanks for the consideration."
He played with Rena and some of the younger kids as he looked over to the side. Rika was still alone, sitting near the trees reading a book. She seemed to glare at him once in a while, but he didn't mind. For some strange reason, it was like he knew her already.
What's up with her? Why does she keep staring at me?
Keiichi wanted to ask her but hesitated. The feeling of ambiguity and fear overcame him whenever he tried to get close to her. There was something about her that felt off but felt familiar. It was as if he was friends with her before.
"Rika-chan, who are you?"
His voice somehow trailed towards Rika's direction. She stood up and closed her book. She didn't say a word as she ignored Keiichi and walked back to the school. She still wouldn't say anything to him.
The way she moved pointed that he should go hang out with Rena and the others. To let her be.
Rika-chan. Are you telling me to be friends with Rena-chan?
That was his feeling, and it felt familiar. Something had definitely happened to him to think this way. His persistence to stay with Rena and keep her happy made him ignore Rika in the process, and he wanted to be friends with her too. But Rika wouldn't allow it, cutting off any chance for a friendship.
What's wrong with me? Why does everything feel so familiar? Isn't this my first week of school? How do I know her already?!
Keiichi bit his lip. He would have to ask her later. For now, it was his chance to make friends and hopefully join their club. There was already hope for him.
"Keiichi-kun, are you okay? You're not sick, I wonder? I wonder?"
He immediately noticed Rena standing next to him. She was holding a ball, waiting for him to come back and play. The younger kids were waiting for him since he went towards Rika during the break.
"I'm fine. Let's go back and have fun before class begins."
Rena smiled.
"Sure, Keiichi-kun. Let's help you make lots of friends!"
He smiled back. He wanted to focus on joining the club. Hopefully, he can be able to join this time and get to know the other club members apart from Ryugu Rena.
"Yes! Let's do that!"
One evening, Keiichi stayed after school with Rena for a club meeting. Mion was there, making sure everyone was present. Satoshi. Check. Satoko. Check. Rena. Check. And also, a new student that had joined the group, Maebara Keiichi.
"Kei-chan, you want to join the club? That was fast. Are you really that interested?"
Mion looked at him, grinning. She sounded like she was playing with him while shaking his head and poking him. Satoshi then stopped her.
"You don't need to tease him so much, Mion-san. It would take some time for him to get used to Hinamizawa. Go easy on him, okay?"
Satoshi-san, you're so considerate. I hope so too…
Satoshi smiled back at Keiichi.
"Nice to meet you, Keiichi-san. I hope we would be good friends."
Keiichi looked up to him. He had blonde hair and looked friendly. His younger sister Satoko was clinging to him, holding onto his shirt. The two of them looked like normal brother and sister, willing to be friends with him.
But he felt a sick sensation from Satoshi.
Whack. Whack. Whack.
The feeling of blood and sweat. Something hitting him in the head, neck, and arms. The sound of a heavy metal bat smashing into his face. The rabid eyes of Houjou Satoshi, killing him as he continued to smash him to the ground.
"Keiichi-kun! Are you alright? Are you sick?"
Rena's voice snapped Keiichi back to reality. He was close to vomiting near the sight of Satoshi but didn't say anything. He didn't want to seem wary of Satoshi so suddenly. He had just met him. Is there something wrong with him? Or was Satoshi hiding something?
What's this feeling of dread and fear? What's wrong with me?! Stop! Stop!
Keiichi then looked at Satoko. Houjou Satoko. She bullied Rika when he wasn't looking. That was why Rika was a loner in their small class. It was all her fault. That little rascal.
"K-Keiichi-san! What are you doing?"
Keiichi grabbed Satoko's collar, staring intently at her.
"Don't bully Rika-chan, you hear? I may have just met you, but I know what you have done. Don't do that to her."
Satoko immediately let out a cry.
"Wah! Keiichi-san is scaring me! Wah!"
She put her arms around her face, trying to look cute and innocent. After some time, Keiichi let go of her collar and looked down on the floor.
"Keiichi-kun, are you sick? Should you go home and rest?"
Rena patted Keiichi on the shoulder and helped him stand up again. He snapped out of it, trying to remember what he was doing here.
Oh. The club. I'm here to see if I can join the club. I can't scare them like this…
"S-Sorry about that. I probably wasn't feeling well. I'll get better, don't worry."
He scratched his head, trying to look silly and calm. Satoshi and Satoko looked at him, bewildered. Mion seemed confused as well before she broke the silence. She went towards Keiichi and flicked his forehead.
"Hey! What was that for, Mion-san?"
Mion snickered.
"You don't look like the type to play games, Kei-chan. Are you sure you're interested?"
"But you invited me and Satoko to the club, Mion-san," Satoshi muttered, "What does Keiichi-san being a boy have to do with his ability to play games with us?"
"Hehe. Good one, Satoshi-kun. Maybe he would love it."
She then went towards the cabinet in the school for some games. There were a variety of games, in many shapes and sizes. After searching around, she came up with a stack of cards.
"Since Kei-chan is new, let's start with a simple game. But I want to see if he is worthy first. Can he do this old man's test?"
"You're going to test him?" Satoko exclaimed, "What kind of game are you going to make him do?"
Ah! Don't pity me, Satoko-san! I'm not an official member yet!
"We'll see. For now, he would join us in some games to see how he fares," Mion said, quickly mixing up the deck, "Didn't you all do a test before becoming an official club member?"
"What test?" Satoshi asked, "I don't think you made us do some test. Are you sure about this?"
"It's fine. It's just to test if he could handle the competition and brutality in our games. For now, let's just let him participate first as an honorary member. Once he gets used to it, he will be prepared for it!"
Mion opened her arms up high in the air, laughing. Her mischievous attitude made Keiichi unsure of what she was going to pull on him. After laughing for a bit, she began to prepare the table for their club activities.
"Remember! The club is a society of virtue, using any means necessary to win! There will be highs and lows, but that's what it is. May you enjoy your stay, Kei-chan."
Mion continued grinning.
"Just don't try to lose, okay? Or else there could be a penalty game…"
Wait… there are penalties for these games? Brutal…
Everyone laughed and began to prepare for the game. Rena had invited him into the club but seemed like not everyone approved of him yet. But with Club President Mion's decision, it was possible for him to be an official member after a while.
It was only a matter of time.
In the distance, Rika looked back at the school as she slowly walked home. A face of worry and uncertainty was shown across her face, but she didn't say anything. Keiichi already started to make friends and doesn't need her right now.
It was best to let him be.
The story had only just begun.