First Higurashi when they cry fic 3
"How are you feeling today John?" asked Rika.
"I'm not sure right now" said John as they walked towards school.
"Just make sure you don't get hurt in the festival this year" said Rika.
"I won't" said John. The festival came sooner than expected and the club participated in the games at all the booths just as Mion planned. Then came Rika's dance and the actual drifting of the cotton. It was all going as normal. Then as soon as the girl's left Keiichi approached him.
"John have you got a minute?"
"Sure, what do you need?"
"You weren't born in Hinamizawa either so I need to ask, do you know anything about a murder that occurred at the old construction site?"
This was a big moment, if he didn't answer others would tell him and he'd go into paranoia and if he did there's a chance it would happen anyway. 'At least one way there's a chance' "yes the manager of the dam construction project was killed there why do you ask?"
"So there really was a murder there, I wonder why no-one talks about it?"
"The murderers were all Hinamizawa residents, and this is a close knit village if you haven't noticed no-one enjoys talking about such things."
"Okay yet I heard one of the body parts is still missing what do they mean?"
"It was six assailants, they cut the body into six pieces and each took one, they all confessed except for one who is still on the run."
"He's really still out there?"
"Yeah but there's no chance of him coming back here" said John "first place police would look after all."
"Right" said Keiichi calming down.
"Listen, don't think about any murders that occur it puts everyone on edge" said John "just enjoy the festival."
"Yeah okay" the rest came back. Keiichi avoided speaking to Tomitake and Takano so that should be mission accomplished.
The next day after school it was more club time.
"Okay it was John, he did it in the classroom with a revolver" said Mion revealing the cards showing just that.
"No fair" cried Keiichi.
"You're just too good at this game" said Satako.
"I'm the one that got accused of murder here why are you guys mad?" asked John.
"You're a good murderer though" said Rika.
"Alright just one more game, come on!"
"You really want to embarrass yourself again?" asked John, he'd won 3 games.
"I'll win this time right after I use the bathroom" Keiichi left and John knew why this seemed familiar. He mentally cursed for forgetting about that.
John used an excuse of not feeling well again and went to the nurse's office and made sure to listen in.
"Have you seen this man?"
"Mr. Tomitake?"
"What about this woman?"
"I don't know her but I'm sure I saw them together at the cotton drifting festival."
"And that's the last you saw of them?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well the thing is: Tomitake is dead" said Ooishi.
"Wh-what, dead?!"
"Yeah from a suicide" said Ooishi "and the woman Takano Miyo, she's gone missing."
"But how did that happen?"
"With Tomitake it's no mystery he clawed out his own throat, to the point that some of his finger nails actually peeled off. People are saying it's the curse of Oyashiro."
"What's that?" asked Keiichi.
"You honestly don't know? This is the fifth year running that someone died on the night of the cotton drifting festival."
"The-the fifth?"
"Yep, it's a trend that started with the murder of the dam manager, the year after that a couple was shoved off an over pass the year after that the priest of the shrine died of a mysterious illness and last year a house wife was found beaten to death."
"And this year it's Tomitake?"
"Yep and all on the day of the cotton drifting festival" said Ooishi."
"Because of this Oyashiro?"
"The guardian deity of Hinamizawa, its believed it's his punishment for trying to flood the village, the couple that were murdered supported the dam project, the priest defended that couple from violence and the house wife was the younger sister of the husband in that couple. Tomitake is the only that doesn't fit so far."
"All-all these murders" said Keiichi slowly. John was nearly hitting his head against the wall. Ooishi was throwing all his efforts down the crapper.
"So many here say it's the curse, do you believe that?"
"No of course not there's no way curses could exist!"
"Good answer that's why I contacted you" said Ooishi "I'd like you to help with the investigation. I need someone on the inside that doesn't believe in curses."
"Then what about John, he's not from Hinamizawa he could help."
John could here Ooishi grunt in disapproval "you're better off not telling any of your friends what we talked about."
"Why not?"
"Mion Sonozaki's family is part of the three great families of Hinamizawa they were the biggest alliance against the dam project. Sonozaki herself was arrested a few times during protests. Then there's Satako Hojo it was her parents that were murdered on that over pass. Rika Furude is part of the Furude family whose also part of the three great families. And Rena Ryuugu just strikes me as the kind that can't keep a secret."
"Well you'd be right there" Keiichi admitted "but you didn't mention John, he's not from this village not even the country surely we could trust him right?"
"How much do you know about the Chains family?" asked Ooishi.
"Besides that they came from the UK not a whole lot."
"Well their last name isn't Sonozaki but it might as well be" said Ooishi.
"What do you mean?"
"This man" Ooishi showed another photo "is David Chains, your friend's father. He was transferred here around ten years ago to serve as an accountant for a bank branch set up in Tokyo as part of a multi-national bank. Exactly what happened is unknown but the branch went under and he got the blame for it."
"What happened then?" asked Keiichi.
"The bank abandoned the family in Japan; Maria Chains was fired from her job once the whole thing broke out. No-one wanted to hire them because of the bank thing so David Chains desperately looked for work and found the Sonozaki family. Their accountant had died recently due to cancer so they needed a new one. He begged them to give him a chance, they gave him some kind of trial run and he passed. Ever since he's been the Sonozaki family's trusted accountant, not a single yen goes in or out of their accounts without him knowing about it. And shortly after that the Sonozaki's needed a new personal physician after theirs retired so Maria Chains was hired for a trial run and passed."
"So both of John's parents work for Mion's family?"
"Yes in fact the house they live in was a gift from the Sonozaki family and is on their land too so you can see why I would lump those two families in together right?"
"Yeah…I see."
"There's that and the fact that Chains is close with Mion Sonozaki, whenever she was arrested he was also taken in right alongside her."
"Always?"
"Yep it's also thought the family is close to the Furude's too."
"Then that story…"
"What story?"
"Well I was told that at last year's festival John got stabbed yet he still saw Rika perform before getting any medical attention."
"And Sonozaki was with him when this happened?"
"Y-yeah…"
"Thought so, he's thought to be something of a body guard for her for that reason" said Ooishi
"Really?"
"It's the way he reacts that gets my attention" said Ooishi "watch him next time he gets shocked or sees something off he tends to reach to the side of his chest like he's going for a gun you'd conceal in a jacket pocket and the left hand will reach into his left pocket as if going for a small knife or a Suntetsu."
John reacted in shock and was even more surprised to see he'd reacted in precisely that way, but he'd never done that before. Then he felt the Suntetsu in his pocket and quickly put it back before anyone saw.
"Really he doesn't act like a normal civilian kid he's received training of some kind and there's also the other rumor of what the Sonozaki's want him for."
"What other rumor?"
"Think of it this way, the Sonozaki heir is female meaning normally she'll lose her family name upon marriage. Yet if you have someone like Chains whose close enough for marriage and all too happy and loyal enough to take his wife's maiden name then the problem is solved isn't it?"
"So John and Mion…"
"Again it's just a rumor" said Ooishi "I'm just making sure you realize it. He may not be from this country but he's just as involved in what's going on as anyone else living here. So really it's just better that none of your friends know about this."
John sighed he'd learned more of his history in this village and things had just gone from bad to worse.
John quickly went back to everyone.
"Are you better now?" asked Rena.
"Yes" said John 'can't tell any of them about Keiichi without exposing to him that I was spying but I can't let things just run their course either.'
As soon as Keiichi came back John tried making things as normal as possible and preventing anyone else from bringing up the murders. It got harder and harder though with Rena suspecting she might be next to be hit by the curse.
The next day club activities were cancelled since Mion had to help her uncle and John quickly gathered all the cards before Keiichi saw Satoshi's. 'I'm not forgetting anything else am I?' while he was thinking he tripped and dropped all the cards. Keiichi helped him pick them up and saw Satoshi's.
"Satoshi?"
"He no longer goes here" John got that back.
"So he transferred out?"
"Well…" John looked around "He's missing actually" he whispered.
"Missing?"
"He's Satako's brother so don't mention it around her" said John. He needed to be mostly honest to prevent too much paranoia from coming.
"A-alright."
"So just a heads up if anyone pretends they don't know, that's why" said John.
He went to bed that day hoping for a better tomorrow.