3. Chapter 3: Truth

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pChapter 3: Truthp

Part A

"You're going to be Rika-chan's bodyguard, Takuma!" Akasaka pointed his finger at Takuma.

"Wha-?" Hanzaemon's jaw dropped to the floor. His forehead was perspiring more than usual. "Are you serious? You want me to guard her?"

"What's the problem with it?" Akasaka blinked.

"I can't do that! I'm still a newbie! I can't-!"

"Takuma, listen to me!" Akasaka got out of his chair and moved to Hanzaemon's front. He slapped his shoulders. "You're the only guy in this whole station I'd trust with a job like this! You're the only one I can count on!"

"Senpai…! I-!"

"Takuma, you can screw up occasionally, but I trust you! You're reliable and you're a great partner! You've been a big help to me in this past month that we've known each other. Also…I can sense the potential in you! Don't ask me how…I just know! You can do this! I wouldn't ask anybody else to guard Rika!"

I looked to Hanzaemon.

The rookie officer dabbed at his forehead with his hanky and grinned at Akasaka with such timidity in his eyes. I trusted Akasaka more than anyone, next to Keiichi, and I believed that his judgment was the right one! Akasaka was the best officer Shishibone City had! He was without fault! I believed in him and I believed in Hanzaemon too!

Hanzaemon was another piece of the puzzle! Why hadn't I realized it sooner? Satoko and I met him the first thing before Keiichi left for Tokyo; that never happened before! We were in a new world with new possibilities for the happy ending I so longed for! Everyone had their role to play, even Hanzaemon!

Akasaka trusted him and he put all of his faith in him, and I did the same! The kind look in his eyes, his diligence, and the support he gave to Akasaka in that dead-end world, it all encouraged me to believe! If I was going to break this accursed loop, I needed all the help I could get! That rookie cop was part of that help, a small piece in the grand puzzle!

"Senpai," Takuma continued to dab at his forehead and temples. "I-I don't think this is a good idea…I'll screw up again! Rika-chan is your best friend! I don't want to see you lose yourself if something happened to her!"

"Nothing will happen to her, Takuma!" Akasaka smiled at him. "That's why I'm having you guard her!"

"Well…what if I have to fight somebody off to protect her? You've never seen me fight before! Hell, you don't know if I'm any good!"

"…Call it a cop's intuition, but I know you can handle yourself in rough situation!"

"Senpai…!"

Akasaka squeezed his shoulders. "You're guarding Rika! I'm not taking another refusal from you? You get me?"

Hanzaemon muttered a swear and looked away.

"Hanzaemon…?" I tiptoed over to him. I hugged his waist and soothed his concern with a charming smile. "If Akasaka says you can do it…then you can do it! I'll be a good girl for you! Nipah~!"

He ignored me.

"Good! Then it's decided!" Akasaka knelt down to my level. "Takuma will guard Rika until I can safely put our suspects behind bars!"

"Do we even have a lead?" Takuma asked.

"I'm sorry, Takuma, but I told Rika about everything that's been going on! She deserved to hear it!"

"Shit…" He rubbed his neck. "Now she's gonna have nightmares and she's gonna be paranoid!"

"Rika's young, yes, but she's a very brave girl! Trust me!"

"…I hope so. This isn't your regular police case, you know…"

Akasaka folded his arms and tapped his elbow. "So anyway…our prime suspect is the Keima Clan, along with its head, Ayatsuri. The Clan has a motive for wanting Rika to suffer and they even sent that death threat to her and Kimiyoshi-san! The Clan is at the top of our list!

"However…it seems all too easy to just pin it on the Clan like that!"

"What's wrong with it being an open-and-shut case?" Hanzaemon smirked. "We got the threat and the motive! What else could we have on them? That tape recording of Keima Katsurou can only go so far, Senpai!"

"One of the most important rules of police work, Takuma: nothing may be as it seems! The Clan could be our people, but I want to do a little more digging to be sure!"

"You'll be wasting your time! They're guilty as sin if you ask me!"

"Akasaka?" I spoke up. "Do you really think that there could be somebody else who wants to kill me besides the Keima Clan?"

He held his chin and pondered. "…I can't think of anybody else. The closest person I could think of was Takano Miyo, and she's locked up in that institution for treatment. I can't see her breaking out of a heavily guarded area single-handedly and returning to Hinamizawa for vengeance!"

I could…assuming that she had faked her death. It seemed that Hanzaemon and Akasaka knew nothing about her death yet. I was about to tell them outright about her, but I held my tongue. Maybe if I could gently push him in the right direction, then they could find out about her and then investigate the true cause of her demise too!

"Akasaka, Takano's name still makes me afraid! Could you please make sure she's still being held?" I looked up to him with pleading eyes.

"Of course I will, Rika!" He smiled to calm me. "Another rule of police work: always check every detail!"

Hanzaemon scratched the side of his head. "Takano…Miyo? Who's that?"

"She's a nutcase that tried to kill Rika. She also tried to destroy all of Hinamizawa last month! It was a little before you transferred here actually! She believed that if she killed Rika, she could make the village go into frenzy due to a psychological disease. She and the secret organization that was backing her up had an agenda with that same disease."

"A disease?" Another drop of sweat dripped down Hanzaemon's face. "There's a…disease here…?"

"It's only a theory, but there's been substantial evidence to prove the existence of the disease! To make it quick, it's basically a parasite that only lives in the Hinamizawa area. Anybody that enters the village is infected by it and will be burdened with severe psychological disorders if provoked! Rika is the one, the supposed Queen Carrier, who keeps the disease in check! With her around, the village can't fall victim to this virus!"

Hanzaemon looked at Akasaka with narrowed eyes and with a dissatisfied frown. "A psychological disease caused by a parasite, which gives you disorders if you're pushed too far, especially if Rika-chan died because she's this Queen Carrier? Sounds like a lot of bullshit to me…"

"It's hard to swallow, but…"

"Who came up with that, anyway?"

"Miyo's childhood guardian, Dr. Takano." Akasaka grimaced as he mentioned Takano's name. He wanted to forget all about her like I did. "He researched the disease and tied it to the Oyashiro-sama belief here! He wrote plenty of notes about it all! We have the notes in custody here if you wanna take a look at them if you don't believe me!"

"And I'm sure it's a fascinating read and all…c'mon, Senpai!" Hanzaemon laughed. "You expect me to believe that Rika-chan holds the village in the balance because she can control a mental disease?"

I understood Hanzaemon's skepticism, but it was true. However…the more I dwelled on Hinamizawa Syndrome, the closer I was tying it to the problems my friends and I have been facing…their demons.

"If you don't believe me, Takuma, you can ask Dr. Irie too!" Akasaka leered at his partner. "He's the expert on the Syndrome!"

Irie!

"I might have to do that!" Hanzaemon snickered. "If it means proving to you that you're crazy about all this nonsense, I'll do it! I'll go see the man! He can enlighten me!"

The cyanide poison…Syndrome…the Keima Clan…! Irie!

"Do that after you've settled in with Rika, Takuma. She's our priority right now!"

"Yeah, you're right."

I tugged at Akasaka's pants leg. "Akasaka? If Hanzaemon is going to protect me, then he needs to know everything that he can about Hinamizawa's secrets! Irie can tell him everything! We should go see him!"

"I think it can wait for now, Rika. What matters right now is keeping you safe!"

"But Akasaka…!"

"We'll brief him when the time comes! Right now, you should be going back to Hinamizawa and help Takuma get settled!"

Hanzaemon was going to…live with me?

"Uh, Senpai? When you say 'settle in,' you're not suggesting that I stay under Rika-chan's roof…do you…?" Hanzaemon dabbed at his forehead with his hanky.

"That's exactly what I mean!"

"Senpai…with all due respect, that's not a good idea! I mean, it wouldn't be inconspicuous if I lived there for a while! Secondly, didn't you say Houjou Satoko-san lives with Rika-chan? She hates me! She's never gonna allow me to come in!"

I forgot about Satoko! That would be an issue. Satoko would kick Hanzaemon out the second she saw him! She still was sore about our first meeting! She'd never allow him to stay!

"What if it was a police order?" Akasaka's eyes became stern. "I'm sorry if it'll make her uncomfortable, but she needs to understand that this is the best course of action! I need a policeman by Rika's side in case this death threat is real! I also need to be continuing my investigation on the Clan and Takano!"

Hanzaemon was trying to come up with another excuse, but he couldn't form any words. Akasaka's leer had struck him dumb.

"You're guarding Rika and that's final!" He patted Hanzaemon's back. His leer morphed into an encouraging grin. "I know I can count on you Takuma! I know you won't let me down!"

He sighed and dabbed at his forehead a little more.

"Alright…alright…" he said reluctantly. "I'll…I'll guard Rika-chan…"

Hanzaemon got his police car ready. He was deeply troubled by this job Akasaka had given him the entire time I sat with him in his vehicle. He was a rookie and he was given such an important task! I was concerned at first, but I put my faith in Akasaka's judgment! He never steered me wrong, not once!

I was sitting in the back seat with my hands on my lap. Hanzaemon was still fussing with his forehead. This was the first time I had ever seen him sweat so much. He was always a nervous man for the year that I knew him, from jumping from world to world. He always carried that one hanky everywhere he went. I first blamed his frequent perspiration on his suit, but I soon realized that he had more pressure on him as a rookie that I anticipated.

He and Akasaka were behind the investigation that looked into the Keima Clan. He was new on the police force, and he was already given so much important work to do. He also had to look after me as well. I felt bad for troubling the poor man, but I needed the protection! It sounds selfish of me, but I needed to look after myself! If I died again, chances were that it would all be over…!

Hanzaemon stopped the car in front of Shion's apartment. Satoko was still visiting there. This would be hard to explain, but I needed to tell her what was going on since she was coming home with me too. The three of us were going to be living together for a while now, so we all needed to make peace if we were to get through this.

I came to Shion's door. I hesitated at first, but my knuckles soon rapt on the door.

Footsteps approached the door. It opened with a slight creek. A pair of calm jade eyes peered around the corner of the door.

"Rika-chan!" Shion now opened the door as far as it could go. She trapped me in an inescapable embrace. "I haven't seen you in so long! How are you?"

"Shii!" I managed to utter, despite the immense pressure she was applying onto my chest with hers. "I'm…okay…!"

Shion let me down and gestured inside. "Come on in! I was just playing with Satoko!"

Shion led me into her apartment. It was messy, like always. Satoko had taken me here on several occasions where we spent the day with Shion. We'd play, watch movies on her VCR, and Satoko and I would make a mouthwatering dinner. Every time we came here do all those things, Shion's home was a complete disaster. I pitied Kasai, her guardian, who had to clean up for her.

Shion left many pairs of skirts, blouses, panties, and brassieres on the floor, the kitchen table, and one of them even hung off of her television's antenna. She never learned to pick up after herself! It must have irritated Kasai to no end! He must have been more embarrassed than angry though! He probably shuddered at the sight of Shion's undergarments so out in the open like that!

Satoko was sitting at Shion's kitchen table. She was playing a board game. She just rolled a pair of dice and was moving her playing piece around the board. She picked up a card and snickered to herself.

"Ha! Looks like I get another turn!" Satoko turned to see Shion, but her eyes lit up even more now that she saw me. "Rika! You're here! How was Akasaka doing?"

"He's fine! He's still his old self!"

"Good! Hey, Rika! Come join in! We could use a third player!"

"I would love to, Satoko, but I need to take care of a few things in Hinamizawa." I frowned. "I need to take care of the shrine and all that…"

"Aw, you do?" Satoko frowned more than I did. "You never said you had a prior commitment! I thought we were going to go shopping for toys and candy later!"

"I really wanted to…I'm sorry, Satoko…I promised Kimiyoshi-san and…"

Satoko's pouting transformed back into a grin. "That's okay! I mean, you promised him so you have to honor that, right? Oh ho ho ho!"

"What about you, Satoko? I thought you'd be angry with me because we're leaving so soon…"

Shion tapped my shoulder. "We were actually going to go stop by the police station to see you so we could tell you about our plans! Satoko was going to tell you something!"

"I'm going to sleep over with Nee-Nee tonight!" Satoko beamed.

Satoko would stay here for the night? That made things a lot easier…for now. Should I tell her that Hanzaemon was going to live in our house for a while? I thought hard about that.

Satoko was having fun right now. If I told her about what was going on, she'd only worry about me and she might get in Hanzaemon's way. I knew Satoko all too well. She had the best intentions, but I couldn't afford her ruining Akasaka's plans. I also didn't want Satoko to get hurt.

But she'd find out sooner or later when she'd come home and find Hanzaemon there! She'd be furious with me that I didn't tell her sooner! I couldn't just keep on hiding things from her! I couldn't do it forever! What would I do?

"Is that okay, Rika?" Shion asked me. "I don't want to steal Satoko from you! Ahahaha!"

"No…no, I'm fine with it!" I looked back at Satoko. "You should stay and have fun! You need some time with Shii!"

"Thank you, Rika!" Satoko jumped down from her chair and hugged me tight. "I wish you could sleep over too! Kimiyoshi owes you big time for helping him!"

"…Yeah." I hugged her back, but very weakly.

"You'll be alright at home, won't you?" Satoko shot me a serious glance. "You won't be lonely?"

"…I'll be fine!" I smiled reassuringly.

Tell her…she's just going to find out eventually! She'll be angry with you if you don't tell her!

"You sure? I can come home with you if you want! Just tell me!"

Satoko's your best friend! You can trust her with this!

"Um…"

If you can't trust her…then how are you supposed to survive this? How will you succeed if you can't even trust your best friend?

"…Rika?" Satoko touched my forehead with her palm. "Are you okay? You're staring off into the abyss! What's wrong?"

"…Satoko?" I smiled wider. "Can I talk to you in private really quick? It's about that special punishment game for Keiichi I was telling you about!"

"Huh? What specia-?"

"Shii!" I spun to face Shion. "Can we have a teensy weensy minute alone? Satoko and I need to discuss something important!"

Shion blinked at me a few times, before her lips curled up. "A special penalty for Kei-chan, huh? I can't wait to hear about that! No wait! It won't be as fun hearing about it…I'd rather see it for myself when the time comes!" Shion squealed. "I can't wait to see it!"

"Please, Shii?"

"Oh, sorry! Of course! I want this to be a surprise! Take all the time that you need! I'll be right outside, okay?" Shion skipped merrily across her apartment, giggling over the fantasies that waltzed through her mind.

When the door closed, I turned back to Satoko and heaved a sigh.

"Rika, what's going on?" She folded her arms and tapped her foot. "You've been acting really weird lately! What are you hiding from me?"

"…I'm not hiding anything, Satoko." I rubbed my arm as I looked down at the floor. "I wanted to talk with you alone so we can have full honesty with each other."

"Okay…um…what's so important that you wanted Nee-Nee out of the room?"

"…I just didn't want her to hear this. You know how sensitive Shii is…I just didn't want her to worry."

"Worry about what?"

I sighed again. I lifted my eyes to meet Satoko's.

"Satoko…I…" I gulped.

Please understand…! Please don't do anything stupid…!

"…Someone's trying to kill me…"

Satoko was about to scream when I covered her mouth with my hand. She wrestled to break free from my grasp and yell, but I stopped her.

"Satoko!" My tone became deeper. "Don't you dare scream!"

She swung her arms violently. She tried to throw my hands off of her. Every time she opened her mouth to yell, I pressed harder with my hand.

"If you so much as utter a single word… you're going to regret it!"

Satoko's eyes were locked onto mine. Her body began to shake. The small whimpers, gasps, and grunts that were muffled by my hand increased. She was afraid of me.

"Now…I'm going to let go of you. Do-not-scream…you understand me?"

She nodded.

"I'm warning you for the last time, Satoko…this is serious! Don't raise your voice! Do you understand? If you make Shion come in here and suspect something…I'll hit you so hard that you'll wake up in Irie's clinic!"

She nodded again, much faster than before.

I slowly released my hand from her mouth. I let it hover next to her chin to grab her again if she decided to ignore my demand. Satoko remained quiet like she promised, but I kept my hand near her mouth just in case.

"R-Rika…" she whispered. "S-Someone's…trying to…kill you…?"

"That's right." I let my other hand grip her shoulder. "When I was speaking with Akasaka, he told me that someone was after me!"

"But who…? Who would want to kill you?"

"…I don't know. I just know that there is a group of people out there that want me dead."

"A group of people?" Satoko's fear was growing. "…Don't tell me…it's just like…those TOKYO guys…?"

"It might be, I'm not sure yet. Akasaka is looking into that right now! He's even investigating Takano again!"

"T-Takano!" Satoko grabbed her mouth. "But…but she's gone! She was taken away and she was never coming back!"

"I'm afraid she might be back…but the group of people, who are supposedly after me, call themselves the Keima Clan." I shivered at that name. "Keima is a name that was once known throughout Hinamizawa, but now only a select few people remember it. The Keima Family was close with my own, but through a series of events, they all died out and believers, who act as the remnants of the Family, are lying in secret somewhere!

"They want me dead because of all the despicable things that happened to the Keima Family and to its heir! They blame my family for causing the Keimas grief!"

Satoko lowered her hands, but continued to tremble, not only at my voice but at this news she was hearing. "But…you're family was always good! Why would they want you dead?"

"It's too long of a story to tell, but just know that my life is in danger! That's the important thing you should focus on right now!"

Her eyes wandered off of me. Sweat dripped down her chin.

"Listen! Akasaka has arranged for a bodyguard to live with us at our house to ensure my safety! This is just a precaution just in case these Keima people want to try something! I trust his judgment so I allowed it! Hanzaemon Takuma is going to guard me!"

"What? Are you kidding me?" Satoko was raising her voice again. "That guy? What, is Akasaka out of his min-!"

I seized her mouth again. I nearly choked her to death.

"I thought I told you to be quiet!" I whispered threateningly to her. "One more outburst and I promise you-!"

"Ah'm sommy!" Satoko said behind my hand. "Lemme go! Lemme go!"

"Will you keep your mouth shut this time?"

"Mmmhmm!"

I let go of her again. I watched her even closer this time.

"I know you got off to a bad start with him, but I trust Akasaka! You should too! I don't want to hear a single word of objection from you! Got that? I don't care that you don't like Hanzaemon! I don't care what you feel! This needs to happen!"

Satoko took a step away from me.

I moved my face closer to her.

"I've been suffering for so long because everyone has been so stupid! They learn from their mistakes far too late and one of you can't even get it right! You're all idiots…every last one of you! I'm not going to let you or anybody else ruin this!"

I clenched my fist.

"Satoko…don't test me…! Don't you dare try to-!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Satoko shed a few tears.

Satoko's tears hit me. I felt awful now. I thought that if I was forceful enough, she'd listen to me and wouldn't question me, but I ended up making her fear me instead of acknowledging me. I didn't want that. I didn't her to feel that way about me. I was her friend…I wasn't supposed to be this way towards her. I knew better than anyone all the abuse she had been through. I shouldn't have been so…so much like her uncle…!

"Satoko…" My voice returned to what she was most accustomed to. "…I didn't mean to frighten you. I didn't mean those awful things I said to you…"

I reached my hand to her shoulders.

Satoko flinched at the sight of them.

I grabbed her and hugged her as tight as I could. I was choking up now.

"Satoko…I…I did't mean any of those things I said…! I wasn't going to hurt you! I'd never hurt you! You know that…don't you…? It's just…everything is…I'm just very…I'm so sorry! I'm afraid too! I'm afraid of everything that will happen in the future!

"I hope you'll forgive me…but I'm just so scared and frustrated! I wanted to tell you…I wanted to tell you because I'd know you'd find this out as soon as you came home! I didn't want to hide this from you! I wanted to tell you this now because…I trust you, Satoko! I trust you because you're my friend!"

"…Rika…"

"Forgive me…Satoko…" I gripped her harder. "Please…will you…will you help me? Will you fight by my side again? Are you still my friend…?"

Satoko's hands reached around my back. She caressed me. She laid her head on my shoulder and squeezed me as hard as I did her.

"Rika…of course I'm still your friend! It's okay…! You don't need to apologize for anything! And…" She pulled her head back and smiled at me. "I'll fight with you! I'll fight with you this last time! I want to do everything I can to protect you!"

"…Satoko…!" I rubbed the back of her head and tried to hold back my tears.

"…Rika?" Satoko asked quietly. "Does anybody else know about this?"

"…No...not yet. You're the only one from our group that knows besides Akasaka…"

"…Shouldn't we tell everyone…?"

I shook my head. "I don't think it's the right time now…"

"Rika…don't you think you should? I mean...you told me…so shouldn't you tell everyone? They can help you too!"

"…Satoko, I-"

"Mion-san and Rena-san can help you! Nee-Nee will too! Keiichi-san will definitely be there for you! He would do anything for you! You can tell him anything and he'll listen to you! He'd do anything you want him to!"

Keiichi…that boy was the heart of everything. He was our strength, our courage, and our determination. Without him, we could never have broken the Endless June. He came to Hinamizawa for that very reason, to help me. He was put into my village with my friends to save me from my sorrow. Could he do it again? Could he help me achieve happiness…true happiness?

"Satoko…Keiichi is a great friend, but I-"

"Now you promise me something, Rika!" Satoko's voice and her eyes were stern now. "If you're going to tell someone else soon…let it be Keiichi-san! Tell him the second he comes back from Tokyo! Promise me that, Rika!"

Keiichi…could I really…?

"Promise me!"

"…Okay." I smiled weakly at her. "…Keiichi should know. He never failed us before…I'll tell Keiichi when he comes back…"

I shouldn't have demeaned my friends like that. I shouldn't have hid so many things from them. I shouldn't have acted that way to Satoko. I shouldn't have been acting alone as I thought I did. I needed them; I needed her, to fight with me. I needed them to know what I knew and to fight the battle I was fighting. I needed them!

Part B

Hanzaemon and I were driving along the dirt road leading to Hinamizawa. He didn't say much of anything during the ride. He kept his eyes ahead of him and he never once glanced at me. He loosened the tie around his collar and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. He was still very nervous. I could tell just by the way he handled himself. He was beginning to sweat again.

I left Shion's apartment, feigning the happiest smile I could, while Satoko took after me. Shion couldn't suspect us of anything; I wasn't ready to tell her yet. As I promised Satoko, Keiichi would be the next person to know about all this.

I was stupid. I wanted the help of my friends, but I acted as if I was the only one that could do anything. We all had our roles. I was foolish enough to leave Keiichi out. He'd believe me…he had to…after all we had been through together.

I found that my stomach would tie itself into knots when I mentioned his name. It reminded me of the things Hanyuu had asked me about.

_"Do you love him too?"_

Keiichi was my friend. I loved him no more than that. He was as close to me as Satoko was. However…I respected him for everything that he learned, how he grew up, and the man he was becoming. I wasn't in love with him. I never would be. Keiichi was just a part of the hope we had to end this Cycle. I respected him. That was all I felt towards him.

I'd tell him everything right as he got home. Or better yet…what if I called him now? Was there a number that I could reach?

I asked Hanzaemon to stop the car at Keiichi's home as soon as the house came into view. I sprinted from the car to his doorstep. I found a notice saying where the family was going and for how long they'd be. Keiichi would arrive home the next day! I wish that there was a number in the notice too, but the note was rushed. I could tell it was Keiichi's handwriting. He must have written it as they were going out the door. He had no time to fully finish it. The characters were scribbled and I had to squint just to make out the words. I had no choice but to wait for his arrival now.

Hanzaemon and I pulled up to my house in the evening. We exited the car. I ran up to the door and opened it while Hanzaemon was bringing up the rear, wiping at his face. We came to the kitchen.

"Hanzaemon!" I said kindly. "Are you thirsty? Could I get you something to drink?"

"Ah…sure! I could go for something nice and cold!"

I opened up the refrigerator. There was a bottle of wine, juice, and a few bottles of milk.

"I have juice and milk!"

"Juice please!"

Thank God…! I thought he was going to ask for my wine!

I handed him a full glass as he took his seat at the kitchen table.

"Are you hungry? I could make you something to eat if you want!"

Hanzaemon took a quick swig from his glass. He looked at me odd. "You cook?"

"Of course I do!" I folded my hands behind my back and swayed. "I'm really good at it! Satoko tells me all the time!"

"Then…could you make chicken and rice with teriyaki sauce?"

"That's easy!"

It didn't take me long to prepare his meal. I must have made something as basic as this over one thousand times! Hanzaemon was an easy man to please! The second he bit into his dinner, his eyes burst open and he smiled widely. He enjoyed every bit of it! He scraped and scraped until there wasn't a single morsel of food left!

"Gaah!" He drank a little more of his juice as he laughed to himself. "That was amazing! Where'd you learn to cook like that, Rika-chan?"

"Oh, with Satoko! We take turns cooking every night! Sometimes we team up and make something really yummy for the both of us!"

"So…you both live here together if I remember correctly? Just by yourselves?" He seemed even more amazed.

"Uh-huh!" I bobbed my head up and down. "We've been living here for as long as I can remember!"

"…What about your parents? Don't you two have any…?"

I frowned only a little. Though I experienced those losses time and time again, I never got used to it.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you!" Hanzaemon bowed his head. "I shouldn't have brought something so personal!"

"…Hanzaemon's funny!" I reached my hand over the table and patted his head. "Troubles, troubles, fly away! All is forgiven!"

His turned red. He lifted his head back up and scratched at his nose. "Hey…you know…"

I titled my head.

"You can…call me Takuma…that is, if you want."

"…If I want?" I put my finger to my chin and closed my eyes. I giggled to myself. "Okay then! I'll call you Takuma! We're friends now, so we should be on a first name basis!"

"Ha,ha,ha…yeah."

I placed my elbows on the table and propped my chin up with my hands. "So…Takuma, tell me about yourself!"

He nearly choked on his juice. "Wha-? You wanna know…about me?"

"Of course I do! Ahaha! We're going to be living together for awhile, so I thought it would be great if we could get to know each other a little better!"

"…I'm not really sure you'll find anything interesting about me…"

I had a sour puss on my face.

"Ah! But we can talk if you really want to! Ha,ha,ha!"

He was so nervous around me! It was actually…kind of cute!

"…How about you start, Rika-chan?"

"Me?" I smiled again. "Well…I go to the small school here, I play all kinds of games with my friends, I take care of the Furude Family Shrine, and I love cooking!"

"You take care of the Shrine all by yourself?"

"Not always. Sometimes Satoko, or my other friends, help me! They're really good at tidying up!" I swayed my head back and forth. "I'm also a shrine priestess!"

"You're a priestess?" Takuma was intrigued by that. "And so young?"

"I inherited it after my parents died. It's a tough job, but I do my best!"

"That's all you can do, right?"

I nodded strongly.

"Does it ever get lonely, you know, being at that shrine all the time?"

"Not really." I looked to my side. I felt Hanyuu's presence around me. "I'm never alone. I always have friends to be there for me!" I reached out over the table again and patted his hand. "And now I have you as a friend!"

He had a tiny simper on his face.

"Now it's your turn!" I returned my hands back to my chin. "Tell me all about Takuma-san!"

"Me huh…? Um…where do I start?" He held his own chin and pondered his next few words. "Well…I just transferred here from Tokyo not too long ago."

"You're from the city? I could tell by your accent!"

"Yeah, I am. I used to be a cop over there…at least until I screwed up…"

"Why? What happened?" I leaned forward.

"I just…botched up an important investigation over there! I did a lot of things that ticked off a lot of people, so my former boss kicked me out of the department! He moved me to Hinamizawa so I could clean up my act! He said there was no crime and it was such a small area, that couldn't mess up even if I wanted to!

"He said not to set foot in Tokyo again until I could prove myself!"

"So Hinamizawa…is your punishment?"

"It's actually more of a vacation for me!" He laughed. "The city is always so busy and the air is disgusting! It's refreshing to come to the countryside! You got so many nice people in this village! People in the city are nasty!"

"Yeah! They're all good people!"

"I like small places like this! Hinamizawa is really beautiful…"

It was beautiful. It was the best place on Earth. It was my Paradise…even in the Hell I was trapped in.

"It's funny…that this village is so beautiful…" He folded his hands together. "And yet…there's an ugly history to it…"

I knew what he was getting at.

"I read all the history that I could when I got here…and it spooked me!" He looked at me. "Was this place…really a land where demons used to live?"

"…That's what the legends say." I grinned at him. "But don't worry! There are no such things as demons anymore! Oyashiro-sama took care of everything! He's Hinamizawa's guardian deity!"

"Oyashiro-sama, huh?"

"Uh-huh! He protects the village from anything that wishes to harm it!"

He fidgeted in his seat. He appeared to be uncomfortable.

"Is something the matter, Takuma?" I asked sweetly.

"No, why?"

"You seem troubled…"

He squeezed his hands together tightly. "Oh…sorry! I'm…I never was one for religion. I'm sorry…I just get really tense when stuff like gods, goddesses, or demons come into my mind!"

"You're not religious at all? Everybody must have something to believe in!"

He shook his head. "Not me…I'm one of those skeptics! Haha!"

My grin deteriorated.

"However…I do believe in right and wrong! I also believe that there is some form of punishment for bad people and there is a reward for good people in another life! It's like Karma!"

"So you are religious!"

He blinked at me quite a few times. Seeing that I caught him, he scratched his temples and laughed wryly. "…I guess you got me there…"

My eyes wandered to his hands. I spotted the gold wedding ring on his finger.

"Oh! Takuma's married?" I jumped around in my seat. "Takuma's married?"

"Hmm?" He looked at his left hand. "Yep! I am happily married!"

"Tell me about your wife then! What's she like?

Takuma folded his arms and smiled warmly. He looked up at the ceiling.

"She's the most beautiful thing that was ever made…"

I giggled at him again.

"She's funny…sweet…nurturing…kind...beautiful…enchanting…intoxicating…"

His face was turning red again as he spoke!

"She's everything I could ever want in a woman!" He laughed. "I make her mad all the time but she still puts up with me! I admire her for sticking it out this long! Any other girl would have ditched me by now!

"She lives in Okinomiya with me, but I barely see her anymore because of work. It's…really tough…and…yeah…"

"How long have you been married?"

"About a year now. It still feels like we're on our honeymoon!"

"Do you have any children?"

Takuma spit out a mouthful of his juice. "Huh…? K-K-Kids?"

"Yeah! Do you have any children?" I smiled wider.

"Uh…ahahaha!" He rubbed the back of his neck and shifted his eyes around. "Do I have any kids…? Ahahaha…um…well…no…I can't say that I do."

"Are you planning on having a child?"

He didn't answer me.

"It's not that hard right?"

His eyes shot open. "Uh! You see…Rika-chan…getting a baby…it's uh…really, really complicated!"

"What's so complicated about it? I thought it was pretty easy!"

His face had turned as red as an apple!

"Don't you just have to…you know…take your wife and…"

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was scared for his life! He was frightened that I knew about all these things! However…!

"I have to…what…?"

"Don't you two have to…go to the hospital to pick up a baby?" I clapped my hands together. "They have lots of babies there to choose from! Pachi pachi!"

Takuma heaved a loud sigh. He gulped down the rest of his juice and poured himself another glass to chug.

"…Oh my! Takuma's thirsty!"

Takuma downed his next drink before he started to breathe heavily. He held his heart and turned his back to me.

"She…she doesn't know how babies…! No…no she doesn't know…! Ahahaha!"

I snickered to myself silently. "What a stupid, silly man!" I whispered to myself.

Takuma slept downstairs on the floor. He was slumped against the wall, snoring. I covered him with a spare blanket and wished him goodnight. My hand grazed his leg when I accidentally slid it down his body. I felt something sitting on his leg. It was hard and part of it poked against the blanket. It was his gun. I felt the shape of it as I ran my fingers along it. He was holding onto it just in case somebody tried to break in.

I had called Akasaka a little before bedtime. I told him that everything was going by well and that Takuma was being a good bodyguard. When I finished with him, I called Shion's apartment and spoke to Satoko for a little while. She was still concerned about me, but I told her that Takuma would keep me safe. No matter what I did, I could never relieve Satoko from her worries. Part of me regretted telling her about the danger I was in, but I knew I had done the right thing.

I sat on the windowsill again. I looked up into the night sky and watched the clouds roll by the crescent moon. It was captivating. The moon looked like a drawn longbow. A pair of stars formed the arrow. I thought I saw the stars fly through the sky at one point. The shooting stars were right above my head. I made a wish then. I wished that this would all end, and that I could have peace once again.

_"How are you, Rika?"_

I turned to the other side of sill. Hanyuu sat there watching me.

"I'm fine, Hanyuu. What about you?"

_"…I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't scared…"_

"Just like I told Satoko, everything will be okay! We're slowly coming together!"

_"…I'm glad you decided to do this sooner, Rika." _Hanyuu cracked a small grin. _"It'll be beneficial that we'll be so prepared!"_

"We'll have more time to get ready! Akasaka's working diligently to confirm every suspicion that we have!"

Hanyuu looked out the window. _"You're going to tell Keiichi?"_

"I am."

_"Good…good." _Hanyuu held her arms. _"He'll be a trump card of ours in the future! I'm sure of it!"_

I paid close attention to the tone in her voice. "Hanyuu…is that…hope I hear in your voice?"

_"Hmm?" _Hanyuu blushed and twiddled her thumbs together. _"Hauu auu~! Well…I uh…I have great faith in our friends!"_

"…Hanyuu. You have hope…but you're still scared! You said so yourself! What's wrong?"

Hanyuu sighed. She raised her eyes to the moon.

_"I feel something…"_

"You feel what?"

_"I feel…that something is coming. I feel that something…very evil…is on the horizon…"_

"Then it's better if we work fast to prepare! We'll be ready to fight anything!"

Hanyuu was ignoring me. She held her hands over her heart.

_"…Ouka…my dearest daughter…"_ Her voice cracked here and there. _"Katsuhiro…Keima Katsuhiro…just…who are you…? What was your connection to my daughter…? Can't you tell me…?"_

"Huh? Hanyuu?" I moved closer to her. "Wasn't Katushiro a friend of the Furude Family? That's why he was chosen to guard the sword, right?"

_"Ouka…"_ Hanyuu applied pressure to her chest. _"Please…tell me…who is Keima Katsuhiro? Who was he to you…?"_

"Hanyuu!"

_"Was he your friend…? Was he closer than any ally? Was he your lover…? Who was he…?"_

_ "_Hanyuu!" I held her shoulder and shook her. It still amazed me how I could touch a ghost like her. "Get a hold of yourself! What's all this nonsense that you're spitting out?"

Hanyuu shook her head. She turned her gaze to me. _"Oh…I'm sorry, Rika! I was just in thought! I get like that sometimes!"_

"Are you okay? You're scaring me!" I watched her carefully. "You never spoke about any of that like this before!"

_"I'm fine! Please pay no mind to me!"_ She looked in the direction of the Furude Shrine. She then turned her attention to the direction of the Saiguden. _"Ouka…I miss you so much...! Why…why can't I remember anything else after you took my life?"_

"Hanyuu…who was Furude Ouka exactly?" I asked as I rubbed her shoulder. She was frightening me as she spoke to herself, and I tried my best to calm down, but something about the things she said got to me.

_"…She was my daughter…my only daughter. I loved her more than my own life. I loved her with everything that I had! Riku and I…we shared our love together and we created a beautiful new life! Ouka…her eyes sparkled just like the moon!"_

She was smiling as she recalled.

_"She was a special girl. You look exactly like she did!" _Hanyuu looked back at me. _"I think that's another reason why I care so much about you! You're not only my one and true friend…you remind me so much of Ouka! You remind me of how I used to be a mother!"_

I smiled warmly at her. "You are still like a mother. You've been there for me since the very beginning! You've been there longer than my true mother! Hanyuu…as far as I'm concerned, I am your daughter!"

_"I like to think that!"_ She giggled. _"Look! You even have Ouka's smile!"_ She laid her hand on my face. _"What I would give to see her again…to know her thoughts, feelings…and her memories…"_

"Why her memories?"

_"…There's something special between the Furude and Keima Families, I know it! It's deeper than any friendship! It's deeper than anything!"_ Her smile left her. _"I just don't understand though! My vision…my mind went blank after what had happened to me! I couldn't see anything about her future! The connection the two families share…it was broken when the Keima heir left Hinamizawa! Why did your father…why did he curse Keima Katsurou and his family? Why did he end the bond the two families had? I don't think it was just the taboos…"_

"I don't know." I held Hanyuu's hand. "But the more we fight against this enemy, the Keima Clan, TOKYO, Takano, or whoever is after us, I'm sure we'll uncover the truth!"

_"Yes."_ Hanyuu laid her hand on top of mine. _"We will know the truth…much sooner than we think…I know it…"_

The phone in my room started to ring. Who would be calling me at this hour?

I snatched the phone off the hook to stop the infernal ringing. I didn't speak into the receiver at first, as I hoped that the noise didn't wake Takuma. After a few seconds of silence, I lifted the receiver to my ear.

"Furude?"

_"Hey! Rika-chan! How are you?"_

It was Keiichi! Keiichi was calling me! He was actually calling me!

_"I didn't wake you up did I? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bother you! I just wanted to tell you the good news! It couldn't wait!"_

Was this fate? Was this fate that Keiichi called me like this?

_"I'm coming back to Hinamizawa tomorrow!"_

He was? That was perfect! That absolutely perfect!

_"I couldn't help myself!"_ He chuckled. _"I wanted to let you know so you could prepare a welcome home party for me! Hehehe!"_

"Keiichi!" I said happily, but stern simultaneously. "I'm so glad you called! I need to tell you something!"

_"Huh? What is it, Rika? Why do you sound so serious?"_ He was fretting now. _"Did something happen? Are you okay? Is everyone okay?"_

"We're all fine, Keiichi! But please, you need to listen to me! This is very important! I wanted to tell you sooner, but I couldn't find a number on the notice you left on your house!"

Keiichi shifted the phone to his other ear. His voice was rising. _"You got me now, so what is it? What's going on?"_

Hanyuu was standing behind me. Her hand stroked my arm. She was encouraging me, giving me the strength that I needed.

_"Rika?"_

"Keiichi…" I gripped the phone with both hands. "…I need you…now more than ever! I need you to fight by my side again! I need you to be with me this one last time! I need your strength…your determination…I need you!"

_"What're you saying? Rika, you're freaking me out!"_

"Keiichi…someone…someone's trying to kill me…again…!"