***Rena's Experience***

"What a downpour!" said Rena Ryuugu.

She and I were standing under the wooden bus shelter as the light rain suddenly transformed into an early summer-storm. I stood by my bike with my back to the prissy girl. I knew a good deal about her, but she was Mion's friend. What was I supposed to say to her? How could I act natural? As I raked my brain for casual conversation starters, Rena suddenly asked a question that nearly knocked me off my feet.

"Mii-chan, are you interested in Satoshi-kun?"

"Yes, I like him." Something told me it would be impossible to lie to this girl and her huge, watchful eyes.

"In that case," said Rena, "you should smile."

I turned to face her, wondering if she was just messing with me.

"Mii-chan, I think your smile could brighten Satoshi-kun's whole day." She was serious. "I'm sure he'll come back to baseball practice someday. Probably once he finishes his part time job."

"Job?" I repeated. Satoshi hadn't told me anything about that. "When is he supposed to be done?"

"He'll be done when he's saved up the money he wants." Rena's voice was way too cute to be sincere. "All I know for sure is, he's got to be done with it by Satoko's birthday."

Satoko, again! Frustration filled my mind, and probably showed on my face. Maybe she couldn't help it that she was being bullied, but Satoko was nearly eleven years old. She should be able to survive without her brother's constant supervision. Satoko was the one making Satoshi sick. Satoko was taking away Satoshi's freedom. I knew I must have looked angry when Rena bothered to stand right next to me, look up at me, and ask what was wrong.

"O-oh," I stammered, striving for my usual confident laugh. "Satoko is too dependent on Satoshi-kun." My confidence returned. "Satoshi wouldn't feel so cornered if his sister would be more independent."

Rena laughed, making me wonder if I had strayed from Mion's personality. "My, you're certainly straightforward," she said. "Satoshi-kun might be feeling the same way, a little. He said something to me the other day." After hesitating, she went on, "This is supposed to be a secret, so don't tell anyone. Okay, Mii-chan?"

I nodded. Any secret about Satoshi was like a precious jewel to me.

Rena stared out at the muddy road. "Satoshi said… he feels a lot of pain… because everyone is depending on him to be the perfect big brother. He knows he shouldn't feel this way, though."

"Satoshi-kun must trust you a lot," I remarked, carefully keeping the jealousy out of my voice.

Her smile grew fainter as Rena sat down on the wooden bench. "It's not like there's anything between us," she stated. "It's just that… well, I experienced it, too…" Thunder rumbled as if to end her sentence.

"Um, what did you experience?" I asked in genuine confusion.

When she answered, Rena was no longer just a little girl who fancied caps and ribbons. She had become a young woman, one who had perhaps experienced more terror and strife than me. The girl's dark blue eyes looked strangely empty, like her mind had wondered far away. Her voice was solemn and intense, and she spoke just loudly enough to be heard over the rain.

"The experience…. I'm talking about those footsteps that follow you everywhere. Someone stands by your bed at night, and watches you from above in the day. I'm talking about that experience."

I stared at Rena and didn't even try to hide the concern on my face. Was this girl mentally ill, I wondered? Was she alright? Was she getting help for it? Should I report to someone that he told me about her hallucinations? I tried to judge Rena's expression, and found that she looked, more than anything, incredibly tired. She broke eye contact, stood up, and stared out into the rain.

"Satoshi-kun is experiencing these things, too," said the girl in the white dress. "It's a sign that he will be hit by Oyashiro's Curse." She shivered. "Someone spies on you from far away. Someone is always following you. Someone is always watching you from behind."

As Rena went on, my detective mind kicked in, and I started to wonder if she was talking about a psychotic experience or not. For all I knew, Rena might have been stalked by someone dangerous. Then I remembered that this "experience" she was describing was supposed to foretell Oyashiro's Curse. This wasn't the first time I entertained the possibility that Oyashiro's Curse was a plot by a group of villagers who wanted to eliminate perceived enemies. They probably planned the mysterious deaths of the past few years. Assuming that was true, they might also plan to stalk and threaten anyone they didn't like.

"And one day," Rena continued, "you start to hear an extra set of footsteps as you walk. And when you turn off the lights, someone is always by your bed. Someone stares at you in silence. Until, of course, you confess your sins."

My hypothesis had to be correct, then! People, and not gods, were putting this "curse" into effect. To think that they used stalkers to make high schoolers admit supposed sins against the village! If that was the case, then… wait.

"What sin did Satoshi commit?" I demanded furiously. Why did they want to punish him?

"Unlike me," Rena replied, "Satoshi is experiencing the Curse while living in Hinamizawa. There can only be one reason for that. It's because Satoshi-kun wants to leave here, and move far away. Oyashiro-sama… will not forgive that." Rena met my eyes and smiled.

I didn't smile back. I didn't know what I was supposed to think of this girl. Was she pitiable and mentally ill? Or had she been the target of murderous conspirators hiding in the village? Or worse yet… was she working with those conspirators, trying to "curse" Satoshi? I got away from the scary little girl as soon as possible. I rode my bike over the muddy roads, hurrying home to Okinomiya. As soon as I got home, I intended to call Mion and ask for another day at school, pretending to be her.

***Mari***

I hurried to switch places with Mion and get to her school again on June 18th. This was an important mission because I needed to talk to Satoshi about Rena. Mission or no, though, I was always excited for a chance to see Satoshi. This would only be my fifth time ever to talk to him. Like some silly little girl, I wondered how I would appear to him. I was wearing one of Mion's outfits, which were usually more tomboyish: a long, comfortable skirt, white polo, beige vest, and school tie. My hair was up in a pony-tail that I decided looked hopelessly "country." If only Satoshi could see me in one of my stylish outfits, I thought as I approached the school entrance.

"Good morning!" I called over to Satoshi, who was kneeling by his locker.

There was no response, so I walked closer, and saw that the tiny, blond Satoko was at Satoshi's side. I smiled genuinely at both of them, but Satoshi wouldn't look at me; and when Satoko turned her head her toward me, she looked tremendously desolate. This actually startled me, and my voice shook a little.

"H-how are you?"

"I'm well," Satoshi stated tersely, and without turning to face me. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh—no particular reason," I stammered awkwardly. "Although… I was kind of worried that your new job might be stressing you out. So…"

Satoshi stood up to leave. "Are you done?" he asked. And when I hesitated, "Well, see you."

"Um, hey!" I called after Satoshi, who has leading Satoko by the hand. "The Coach says he wants you back on the team!"

"I already told the coach I have no intention of ever going back."

I was desperate to hold his attention. "Look, don't you think it will be good to get some exercise once in a while?"

"Not interested." Satoshi and Satoko kept walking.

I let them go, wondering what I had done wrong. Why was Satoshi treating me like this? Now that I thought it over, he had always seemed reluctant to talk to me. When he invited me to the baseball game, he made sure to say it was on Irie's orders. So…Satoshi had never really liked me, but he had put up with me because Mion is friends with little Satoko. Now, however, Satoshi was too overwhelmed and bitter to try to put up with me anymore. He didn't want to speak to me. He didn't want to look at me. He only wanted to be by his sister's side, holding her hand as if she were still five years old. I felt so hurt that my body went cold and my head began to ache. The only heat left in my body was the angry blood boiling in my fists and cheeks—this was caused by sudden, intense jealousy.

I wasn't going to give up yet. Once I talked one-on-one with Satoshi again, he would understand that I was trying to support him. He would see that I was a trustworthy listener. He would hear my words of praise and encouragement. He would notice, perhaps, that I loved him. So I invited him to eat with me during lunch break, making myself sound happy and confident.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Satoshi answered in a low, weary voice. "I want to be alone at lunch time. It's the only time I have to myself."

Satoshi left the classroom. I held back tears with effort. What if Satoshi really hated me, and I had no chance to be with him? My appetite was gone. I couldn't eat lunch.

Suddenly, from the back of the room, I heard the sound of a girl bursting into tears and sobbing. The sound came from the front of the class. I guessed who it was even before I stood up to go look. Whoever was crying had to be at least ten, judging by the voice, but she was loudly, hysterically sobbing in such a way as to mimic a toddler. That disgusted me. Growing up, I had been slapped, threatened, and insulted whenever I dared to shed tears. Oryo had loved to punish me for the crime of weeping. Without realizing it, I had adopted Oryo's view that children were always supposed to act strong. I felt it was morally wrong for a ten or eleven year old to continually cry for attention. My twisted sense of justice flared up. Somebody needed to give Satoko a good slap.

When I approached, I saw the tiny blond Satoko crying loudly and screaming "Nii-niii" for her brother. Her bento lunch had spilled all over the floor. I figured she must have accidentally knocked it over. In that case… was she really going into hysterics over spilled food?!

I walked over, knelt beside Satoko's desk, and began cleaning up the food. I quickly placed it all back in the bento box, and set it back on Satoko's desk. The whole time, Satoko went on riotously crying like a toddler. Her friends nearby offered her some of their food, but Satoko went on screaming for "Nii-nii."

That was when Mari came out. She was another one of my personalities. This wasn't the first time I was aware of her—she was the type of alter who always remained at the back of my mind—but it was the first time she fully took over my body and blocked my ability to calm her down. The name Mari can mean truth, reason, or justice. I named her this because all of her actions stem from a sense of morality that was correct as often as it was misguided. Mari always had a just reason for feeling angry, but tended to go overboard and show aggression. That day, when Satoko spilled her food, she was brutal.

I—as Mari—firmly placed a hand on Satoko's head. I gripped a handful of her golden hair, lifted her up by it, and threw her with all my strength. Her body collided with one of the lockers on the side of the room. The kids around us drew back in fear. Whimpering, Satoko lifted her head and looked at me. I must have appeared towering and formidable to such a petite girl.

"Do you know why this is happening to you?" Mari asked. Her voice was deeper and less feminine.

"Help me!" exclaimed the ten-year-old, resuming her bawling. "Help me, Nii-nii!"

Rage exploded inside Mari—inside that other me. She, no, I grabbed Satoko and threw her again. Her body crashed into a pair of school desks. She curled up in pain, but kept crying, and pleading "Nii-nii!"

"You are being punished because you're always like that!" Mari shouted wrathfully. I grabbed a hardcover book off the nearest desk and threw it at Satoko's head. "If you want to cry, then fine, go ahead and cry! But that won't solve anything." I threw another thin book at her while she wept. "Why are you crying?!" Mari's voice was vicious as she continued throwing books and folders. "Why do you cry? Do you think someone will come to save you? You can't even imagine how much you're hurting the one who always helps you! Do you understand?! This is your sin! You don't deserve to live." I ran out of books to throw and continued shouting. "If you're in so much pain, then just die! Don't you dare drag Satoshi with you! Go and suffer on your own! YOU DESERVE TO DIE!"

"Nii-nii!" Satoko cried.

"DO YOU THINK CRYING WILL SOLVE ANYTHING?!" I shrieked. "Don't think you can keep depending on Satoshi-kun! If only… IF ONLY YOU WERE GONE!"

Completely losing it, Mari picked up a school desk and prepared to slam it right onto Satoko. Luckily, someone interfered. A little girl about Satoko's age, with long hair and a pretty face, covered Satoko's body with her own. She was willing to take the hit for her friend. She ordered me, in a surprisingly adult voice, to stop hurting Satoko, because she had been through so much. Mari's desire to punish Satoko won out though, and I lifted the desk again. This time, Rena stepped in the way. I stood there, undecided. Not even Mari wanted to seriously injure three girls just to teach one of them a lesson. Unsure of who or what I was, I hesitated.

Satoshi dashed into the room, finally having heard his sister's cries. He struck me with a blow that knocked me several feet backwards against the lockers. When I looked up, Satoshi was holding Satoko in his arms, cradling her like a baby. He slowly turned his head and fixed his dark eyes on me. They were the eyes of a beast who was deciding whether or not to pounce.

"What is the meaning of this, Mion?"

Mari had gone back inside me, and I was Shion again. I honestly had no idea what was going on, so I hesitated to answer. To my horror, Satoshi blinked, and a tear fell down his face. The intent to attack, the ferocity, had left his purplish eyes. Now he looked like a trapped animal, at the end of his rope.

"What did Satoko ever do to you?" the boy asked in that same low, weary voice. "Why does everyone gang up on us? The whole village tortured Mom and Dad. And now you turn to us. Is that the way the Sonozaki family operates?"

I wanted to defend myself and say that at least one Sonozaki was on his side. But how could I claim that now? While I was unconscious, it looked as though Mari had been bullying Satoko. Why would I do that? Why did I have to live with these other people in my head? I said nothing to Satoshi. I left school and went home early.

"Onee," said Mion on the phone that night, "did you even consider that I have to clean up after you?"

"I'm sorry," I apologized sincerely. My emotions were raw, and I was beginning to break down. "I really don't know why I went nuts like that. Listen, Onee… Satoshi-kun must hate the Sonozaki family, right?"

"Yeah," Mion admitted a little forlornly. "I think so."

Tears welled up in my blue-green eyes and my voice shook. "Then… why? Why now?" Why did I have to fall in love now? "If I knew that he hated the Sonozakis, I would never have…"

A small sob escaped my mouth. Yes, I thought, if Satoshi had glared at me with hatred the first time we met, I would never have thought of getting close to him. But he had smiled, and patted my head. Surely that was his true nature. If not for his unkind aunt, and if not for Satoko wearing him out, Satoshi would be happy.

In my mind, I wished that Satoko and her aunt would disappear after this year's Watanagashi.

***Hope***

It seemed that I was correct to have faith in Satoshi's good nature. He wanted to make up with me the following night. Mion called first, explaining that Satoshi wanted to talk, and that she had told him she would call right back. Then, Mion decided, it was only fitting for me to be the one to talk to him about this. My sister gave me Satoshi's number, and I called him up, feeling a mix of anticipation and dread.

"Yes, this is the Hojo Residence."

"Um… this is the Sonozaki house."

"Oh, hey there. Sorry I called at a bad time earlier. Is now ok?"

"Yeah, now is great." My voice was weak with shame.

"Listen. I'm sorry about yesterday." Satoshi sounded sincere.

"N-no!" I exclaimed, bowing, though he could not see it. "I should be the one apologizing! I'm sorry!"

"You don't need to apologize, Mion." Satoshi sounded more relaxed than usual. "I don't why I was acting hateful all morning. I don't know what got into me. The truth is, I will never forgive the people who drove my family into this state. Some of those unforgivable people are in your family. But Mion, you're not one of them. You weren't the one persecuting us. That's why I wanted to apologize."

"Please don't be sorry," I told him honestly. "I didn't try hard enough to understand you, and I said those horrible things to your sister. And, well, speaking of Satoko… are you going to be okay, Satoshi?"

"I already quit my job," the boy replied. "I should have enough money when my last paycheck gets to me. That will be a big load off my back. But… it's Satoko who's suffering… much more than me."

"Things do seem tough for her." I tried to muster some pity for the girl. "Do you think she'll be ok?"

"Did she look okay to you?" Satoshi snapped abruptly.

"No, I'm sorry!" I bowed apologetically, three or four times, wishing the sentiment would reach him. "I'm sorry! That was a stupid thing for me to ask."

"Satoko is close to losing it. That's why… that's why I want her to go out and have fun like a normal girl for at least one night. Tomorrow is June 20th, the Watanagashi festival. I want you to take Satoko there."

"Sure, I don't mind," I replied truthfully, but something in his voice frightened me. "But Satoshi… why? Why don't you take her yourself? Wouldn't she probably prefer that?"

"… Um…" Satoshi sounded like he was caught off guard. "Um… I have something to do. I just have something to do tomorrow. I can't go to the festival because something related to my job."

Didn't he just say a minute ago that he had already quit his job? What could he be up to? I shook away the dark suspicions in my mind and nodded. I firmly assured him I would take Satoko to the festival.

"Thanks, Mion." Satoshi paused. "Hey, Mion… you don't believe in it, do you? …In Oyashiro's Curse?"

I laughed to hide the sense of eerie surprise I felt. "Oyashiro? Ha, that came out of nowhere."

But Satoshi wasn't joking. "Oyashiro-sama curses those who try to leave the village."

I decided to laugh and play along. "What is it, then?" I asked. "Are you planning to leave the village?"

The boy paused a moment before answering, "…Not anymore…. But He still won't forgive me. … Uh hey, my aunt is back. I need to hang up. But, Mion… please protect Satoko."

Then he hung up before I could even say goodbye. I had a bad feeling in my stomach, like there was something important Satoshi wasn't saying. I wanted to go see him in person, but tomorrow was Sunday, so school wouldn't be open. The only thing I could for Satoshi, I thought, was to follow his instruction and go to that festival.