Hunt For The Mystical Medals
Disclaimer:
Detective Conan is owned by Gosho Aoyama
Kamen Rider OOO is owned by Ishimori Productions
The various guest characters appearing in every arc are owned by their respective owners.
Now, readers…I know what you're thinking…this arc focuses on Akira Toudou and Natsumi Kimiyoshi's backgrounds…well, that's the main point for this arc as I'm going to show you how and why Akira came to work for the Kougami Foundation and what his past have any to do with him deciding to work for Kougami. And this and the next few chapters will show you more of their pasts and what made Akira to resolve taking a difficult job in doing it for her sake…
While walking the streets of Tokyo, Akira is still focused on his goal on collecting 100 million Cell Medals so that once he collected them he'll surrender them to Kousei Kougami and get his 100 million Yen which both agreed on, which is among the reasons why he accepted the job working for the Kougami Foundation and having Kiyoto Maki supervise him as well.
"A hundred million Yen…it may be a long shot…and though it may take more than a year to get them completely…but I might get them early provided that I collect a hundred million Cell Medals…and to have that…the Yummies should produce about more than a thousand Cell Medals depending on that victim's desire…although…I guess I shouldn't rely on that scenario since part of the job aside from taking down Yummies, saving people is also part of the job…I guess I shouldn't rush things. At least I'll be able to have time to get my goals going forward…"
While walking, he recalled meeting Ankh and O's during the mutated Greed's rampage, and then further recalled the footages that Kougami showed him which the latter two may end up becoming his rivals after being told that they too are after Cell Medals though he sees nothing wrong and has no problems with that, saying that competition is part of the job. Nevertheless, Akira continued with his journey as he is not on a hurry even though he would've arrived at his destination if he were to board another bus.
Anything Goes by Maki Oghuro
(Opening Song from Kamen Rider OOO)
(You count the medals 1,2 and 3
Life goes on Anything goes Coming up OOO)
ira nai mota nai yume mo mi nai
furii na joutai sore mo ii kedo
(kokkara hajimaru The show we're waiting for
Count the medals 1, 2 and 3 )
unmei wa kimi hanattoka nai
kekkyoku wa susumu shika nai
(michi naru tenkai Give me energy Count the medals 1, 2 and 3)
daijoubu. ashita wa itsu datte hakushi (Blank)
jibun no kachi wa jibun de kimeru mono sa
OOO! OOO! OOO! OOO! Come on!
Anything Goes! sono kokoro ga atsuku naru mono
mitasa reru mono o sagashi te
Life goes on! honki dashi te tatakau no nara
makeru ki shi nai hazu!
103: Puraido, Tanjō, Gōru part 3
While walking, Akira passed by a bank and realized that he needed to withdraw some money as he'll be needing them later on, so he went inside to withdraw some on the ATM, but to his chagrin, the mechanic told him that the ATM is broken and he'll have to fix it the whole day, and this didn't sit quite well for him though he realized that it cannot be helped so he went to the cashier and luckily a lane just opened and got there first.
"Huh? What the…? Excuse me, but what has happened to the ATM?"
"Oh, the ATM got busted…"
"What? "Busted"?"
"Yeah…the receipt inside the machine got jammed, and now even the money dispenser got entangled as well…but you can go inside the bank and head straight to the cashier if you want to withdraw some cash over the counter…"
"Well…"
"Look…no one's on the line yet, so better go there if you want to be the first to be on line…"
"Okay, thanks…"
"Sure…and sorry about the ATM…"
After that he went to a desk to write down the amount he wanted to withdraw by filling a withdrawal form and then went to the cashier, being the first in line before a dozen other customers would take the queue line. After submitting the withdrawal form and getting his money, he went to the toilet to hide the money inside his bag when he heard screams of terror and peeked out where he finds out that armed bank robbers stormed the bank, and are huddling the hostages on one side, and he sighed as he'll have to do something and cannot ignore a situation like this, knowing this is something he has to do. Then a smirk formed on his lips as he brought out the "Birth Driver" belt and decided to have a little fun with the robbers.
"Even though they're not Greed or Yummies…they can provide me some warm-up so as to give me more reason to test the Birth System…I guess I can have a little fun before I get to my destination…"
Akira then took out a Cell Medal and the scene shows how he assumes the armor and power, as well as the form of Birth. This is because once a Cell Medal is inserted into the Birth-Slot (a coin slot), and the Grap Accelerator knob (a switch-like device that is similar to safes and vaults found in banks) is twisted, the belt's Receptacle Orb's Trancer Shield is opened, encasing the user in the energy-based Cell Reactor as the Birth armor forms around him. He is now armored as Birth.
As Birth, Akira is equipped with several devices at his disposal, such as the "Birth Helmood" which provides a head-up display to the system's user; capsules called "Receptacle Orbs", similar to gashapon capsules, wherein when a Cell Medal is inserted on the Birth Driver slot, a weapon can be summoned. Birth then went out of the toilet and confronts the bank robbers, as some of them are taken aback at his appearance while the leader showed no fear by urging his men to shoot him down.
"Gentlemen…I urge you to stop what you're doing and surrender…robbing a bank is one thing…but hurting people is a different matter…so drop your weapons and turn yourselves in peacefully…and maybe you can earn a parole if you behave nicely…"
"Hey, boss…what's that?"
"A mascot?"
"A member of the bank's security?"
"Looks real armored…"
"NO NEED TO GET JITTERED…JUST SHOW HIM WHO'S IN CHARGE AND WASTE HIM! THAT'LL PRESSURE THE BANK MANAGER TO OPEN THE VAULT FOR US! NOW OPEN FIRE AND WASTE THAT SON OF A BITCH!"
"Got it, boss…"
"Sure!"
Opening fire, the robbers fired their weapons but to their surprises, the bullets dented and fell to the ground, and Birth wasted no time in not giving them the chance to take hostages and plowed towards the robbers, knocking them down and out, while wrecking their high-powered weapons and told the hostages that they can go and call in the police. As the hostages storm out of the bank, Birth went back to the toilet and punched a hole on the wall so as to make it appear that Birth "escaped", while deactivating the Birth armor and Akira hid the Birth Driver inside the bag.
As police came in, and went to the toilet after being told by a witness, hey found only Akira, and Akira feigned innocence by claiming to them that "he saw an armored person came here and plowed his way towards the wall and left", which police took Akira's word while he managed to come up with a strong alibi and was not questioned, so he is allowed to leave the bank. He sighed in relief as he didn't arouse any suspicion and is now resuming his journey to his destination.
"That was close…now I won't have to worry about anything…"
While walking away from the bank, it is shown that Akira is heading to where Natsumi is staying, while glancing at his left hand where a wedding ring is shown, and he once more recalled more of his past events where he and Natsumi started out as friends and the struggles she went through.
-FLASHBACK-
A reporter is stating that three days have passed since the volcanic gas eruption started, and it is still going on. Japan's military is proceeding with rescue actions, but with difficulty. She continues by saying that echoes of the incident are being seen across the country. Natsumi's grandmother, however, says that it's a curse and has nothing to do with a gas tragedy.
"…and as you can see…this is definitely caused by a volcanic gas…a natural disaster made by…"
"No, no, no…Oyashiro-sama did this…he is angry…and it's a pity the poor souls had no tome to repent…"
Then, Natsumi hurries to school without eating breakfast. After Natsumi's departure, Grandma states that Oyashiro-sama will curse their family, because they left Hinamizawa.
"I'm heading to school!"
"Come back after school!"
"Oh dear me…our family will be cursed because we have left Hinamizawa Village…oh, Oyashiro-sama…please have mercy on this poor family…!"
-x-
On her way to school, Natsumi is thinking about the Hinamizawa Disaster. She thinks about how the Disaster involved Okinomiya, the town she lived in last year. In her opinion, the tense atmosphere at home is curse enough. Grandma would always repeat "It's his curse", Mom is in a terrible mood, and Dad... But it alright, she thinks, because they're her family. Then, she shouts happily that her family will make up soon.
"IT'LL BE ALRIGHT! EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT!"
Chisato and Tamako appear behind her and think that she's talking about her relationship with Akira, but she denies it.
"Hey, Natsumi!"
"Yo, Natsumi!"
"Whoa! Chisato! Tamako!"
"So…"everything will be alright", huh?"
"Is it about you and Akira…hmm…?"
"What? NO! IT'S NOT ABOUT THAT!"
At school, Akira walks by and Chisato tells Natsumi that there's no need to rush her answer. Tamako asks Chisato what they should do after school since it's Saturday. Natsumi remembers that her family was going to visit some relatives, and she was supposed to bring keys to get into the house.
-x-
When she gets home, she is locked out. Then, she realizes that she can go to Chisato's house or Tamako's house. At that moment, it begins to rain. On her porch, she thinks that she would call Chisato if the rain would just let up a little. A moment later, a man holding an umbrella walks up to Natsumi and introduces himself as Akasaka Mamoru from Okinomiya Books.
"Um…are you stuck here?"
"Ah…yes…"
"Is it okay if I can talk to you for a moment?"
"Um…sure…"
"My name is…"
He explains that it's a small publisher in the Okinomiya area, and they publish regional tales books. They travel from town to town listening to the stories that local elders tell. He says that he heard that a granny from Hinamizawa lived here, and he wanted to talk to her. After he asks Natsumi why she's alone, she says that she forgot her duplicate key. Another man arrives and says that they can talk to her while they wait for the rain to stop.
"Hi…am I interrupting you two?"
"Ah, no…"
"That's good…"
"Nice timing…anyway…let me introduce to you…he's…"
Akasaka introduce him as his colleague, Kuraudo Oishi. He wants to know what she knows about Okinomiya, but she says that she doesn't know anything about it. Oishi continues, saying that as a bonus he will treat her to lunch.
"You don't know…?"
"Yes…I just transfer here last year so…"
"Would you like me to treat you to lunch it'll be my treat…?"
"Sure!"
The scene changes to a restaurant, and Natsumi is wondering what the heck she's doing there. Oishi says that the three of them already have a beautiful friendship, but Akasaka tells him to stop being unnecessarily suspicious. Akasaka continues and asks Natsumi what she knows about the beliefs of Hinamizawa natives, specifically the worship of Oyashiro-sama.
"I'm guessing that you're familiar with Hinamizawa Village…"
"Well…yes…"
"You don't need to feel apprehensive…I just like to ask you a few things about that village…"
"Um…is it about the events that led to the volcanic gas poisoning…?"
"Not really…"
"Oh, okay…"
"It's something else about Hinamizawa…"
"Really…?"
"Yes…it's about…the people there…their culture…and their religious beliefs…"
"Oh…it's like this…the people there worship the god named Oyashiro-sama…"
Natsumi tells him that her grandmother worships him in an altar, but she doesn't know much about him. Akasaka says that the worship of Oyashiro-sama has elements of eschatology in it, of the coming of the end of the world. He says that after the gas disaster, people of the village, especially elders, started to commit abnormalities. They all went to perform some sort of religious ritual because they believed that were cursed or to avoid being cursed.
"Eh? Seriously, Mr. Akasa?"
"Well…that's what I heard…"
"Easy, Ms. Kimiyoshi…you don't have to get freaked out over something like that…"
"But…but…"
"It's alright…since you're not familiar with it…we'll let you in on what we dug so far…"
"Er…"
"Let me continue my conversation…"
"O-okay…but…that ritual you're saying…"
"That…well…how do I say this…? It's like…"
He continues by saying that many people who had taken part in the ritual had participated in terrible acts. Some of the accidents were burnings and killings, but most of them were suicides. Some cases even involved people clawing out their throats. Akasaka say that the police is dealing with these cases with discretion, and the general public doesn't know about them for the time being.
"Eh? Those pictures…? Is this what my grandma is saying about being cursed?"
"Ah…we couldn't confirm that yet…it's just info we gathered…"
"But…why would someone scratch their own neck…?"
"…"
"Anyway…what else do you know besides what you told me, Mr. Akasaka?"
"More than what I showed you with the pictures…"
"…"
"It's based on other cases besides what I just mentioned. And it's like this…"
He goes on, telling Natsumi about some other cases. A person killed various tenants by putting agricultural chemicals in a kitchen pot, a person burned his own home and drowned himself, and another person shot and killed his sons and grandsons before killing himself. All of these people had something in common. They were all from the vicinity of Hinamizawa and Okinomiya.
"…so you see…the pictures I showed you…and what I told you just now…they're somewhat connected to those who are from Hinamizawa…and those who left and reside here in Okinomiya."
"…"
"Although you said that your family came from Hinamizawa and is now residing here, it may…and I mean "MAY", be possible that they might get caught in this…but we don't know for sure…unless your parents aren't that superstitiously zealous…"
"My grandma only worships this Oyashiro…my parents aren't…"
"Well…"
"But you never know…with the news of the Hinamizawa Disaster now spread on TV news…"
"…"
"Well…what would be about your family…do you think your family will be okay…?"
Then, he asks Natsumi if her family will be okay. She is about to say, "They'll be okay." when Oishi accuses her of lying. He says there are a lot of things that he wants to know, and he wants her to answer his questions. Toudou Akira comes by and hits the table with a panel that he's carrying. He says that it's forbidden to enter restaurants while wearing a school uniform, so he and Natsumi will leave. Oishi says that she got away, but he will have other chances.
"Hey!"
"Whoa! "
"Akira…"
"Stop pestering my school friend! And Natsumi…you can't stay here since you're still in your school uniform…you two..you should realize that! Natsumi…come on…I'm taking you home…"
"Ah…got to go…thanks for the lunch…!"
"There she goes…"
"Well…it's our fault for goading her into coming with us, Oishi…"
"Don't fret, Akasaka…we got other chances of getting info from her…"
-x-
In the park, Natsumi thanks Akira and says she's okay, and Akira says that that's great. He offers to walk her home. She tells him to wait a second, and she calls her house from a phone booth. Her grandmother picks up the phone. Natsumi asks if she went with Mom. Grandma says that they must have missed each other. Natsumi asks if everything is okay. Grandma asks Natsumi if she was worried about Oyashiro-sama's curse and says that everything is okay.
While walking home with Akira, she realizes that she hasn't given him an answer, yet. Akira asks if they're close to her house, and she tells them that they are. When they get to her house, it is covered with talismans. Akira says he will see her at school and walks off. Inside, a reporter on television is saying that people from Hinamizawa are committing aberrations, and other people are shown insulting people from Hinamizawa. Then, Natsumi hears puppies barking.
"WAN! WAN! WAN!"
"Huh? Puppies are crying…! What…?"
She rushes to the bathroom and sees her grandmother drowning puppies in the tub. Natsumi tells her grandmother to tell her what she's doing. She says that she's performing a charm, so the puppies will receive the curse in her family's stead and asks her granddaughter to hand her the next cage full of puppies.
"Grandma…what are you doing?"
"A ritual… to appease Oyashiro-sama's anger…that these mongrels would take the curse instead of our family…"
"What? But…that's…"
"Now hand me the next cage…do it now!"
Natsumi, terrified, runs away, while her grandmother prays to Oyashiro-sama. Natsumi calls her mother and tells her what her grandmother is doing. He mother responds by telling her to get out of there and that all the elders from Hinamizawa are going crazy.
"Mom! Grandma's doing this…and doing that…"
"Blast it…get out of the house now!"
"But…"
"Just do it…even the elders who came from Hinamizawa are going crazy!"
-x-
A day or two later, Natsumi is walking to school and remembers that her mother told her not to tell anyone that she's from Okinomiya, because they can't move until they pay off the loan on their house. She meets up with Chisato and Tamako, and Tamako says that she's glad no one from Hinamizawa lives near them. Tamako says that she wants to ask Natsumi a weird question, but Chisato scolds her.
"Man…did you hear the news?"
"Yeah…people who came from Hinamizawa are going crazy…weird…and out of character…!"
"…"
"Glad our class doesn't someone who came from Hinamizawa…"
"Hey, did you hear the rumor…?"
"Yeah…someone is drowning puppies…"
"…"
"Hey, Natsumi…can I ask you a weird question…?"
"Tamako!"
"…"
Tamako says Chisato was wondering the same thing. Natsumi tells them that Okinomiya and the town she's from have similar names, and people get the names mixed up all the time. Chisato says that she's glad Natsumi isn't like those weirdos.
"Oh…"
"So Okinomiya have some…similar names like in Hinamizawa?"
"Yeah…"
"So the names get mixed up…?"
"Uh-huh…"
"I see…"
"Thank goodness…"
"Yeah…Glad you're not like those other weirdo, Natsumi…"
"Chisato!"
"…"
Later, she meets up with Akira. She tells him that she lived in a town far away from Hinamizawa and has nothing to do with curses. He takes her hand and says that he believes her.
"…you see…I live far from Hinamizawa and…"
"Natsumi…"
"I'm sure you heard…those who came from Hinamizawa Village…the elders have gone weird and stuff…"
"Natsumi, I…"
"I want you to know that me and my family have nothing to do with curses and stuff…"
"I believe you…that's what I wanted to say…"
"R-really…?"
"Yes."
-END FLASHBACK-
To Be Continued
Why Or Why Not by Rekka Katakiri
(Ending Song from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)
To get my happiness I had done everything,
but had done nothing to be blamed and accused of.
The sound of footsteps became louder every day,
Then I noticed the fact there was no time.
I was a believer in life to be myself always,
and was asking whether I would be alive.
Give me a reason why not to adopt in this way,
or judge me to be guilty of so many incurable sins.
Tell me why, or why not. Complaining way too much,
maybe I overlooked something fatal for me.
More on Akira and Natsumi's pasts, and this one showed their connection to the Hinamizawa Village and its aftermath, and poor Natsumi's life starting to "fall apart" due to the "superstition" that befell her family…
Don't worry...Kyuji and Ankh aren't ignored here...I promise that they too would get some screen time amid Akira and Natsumi's detailed, tragic pasts...
Preview:
Two more chapters to go, and there more of Akira and Natsumi's pasts will be shown, and why he accepted the Kougami Foundation's job to become the user of the "Birth System"…
Characters appearing in this arc:
Now then…a modified list of characters that appear in every arc of this fic so that you'll know which series (or in this case, film) they came from…
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Onisarashi-hen (manga)
- Akira Toudou
- Natsumi Kimiyoshi
- Haruko Kimiyoshi
- Toji Kimiyoshi
- Aki Kimiyoshi
- Chisato Saeki
- Tamako Makimura
- Akasaka Mamoru
- Kuraudo Oishi