Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2006 anime)

When They Cry
The cover of the first English DVD compilation released by Geneon Universal Entertainment.
ひぐらしのなく頃に (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni)
Genre	Mystery, Psychological horror, Supernatural
Anime television series
Directed by	Chiaki Kon
Produced by	Hiroyuki Oomori Mika Nomura Yasutaka Hyuuga
Written by	Rika Nakase (eps 5-8, 16-21) Toshifumi Kawase (eps 1-4, 9-15, 22-26)
Music by	Kenji Kawai
Studio	Studio Deen
Licensed by	Sentai Filmworks
Network	UHF Stations
Original run	April 4, 2006 – September 26, 2006
Episodes	26

An anime adaptation of the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni visual novel series was announced by 07th Expansion and animated by Studio DEEN. The series contained twenty-six episodes, which aired between April 4th and September 26th, on a number of Japanese television networks, including but not limited to, Chiba TV, Kansai TV, and Tokai TV. The series is divided into six chapters, which are the first six chapters in the original visual novel series. First is Onikakushi-hen between episodes one and four, followed by Watanagashi-hen between episodes five and eight, and Tatarigoroshi-hen between episodes nine and thirteen, making the series half over. Next is Himatsubushi-hen between episodes fourteen and fifteen, making it the smallest of the story arcs. The last two chapters are Meakashi-hen, between episodes sixteen and twenty-one, and finally Tsumihoroboshi-hen, between episodes twenty-two and twenty-six.

Plot

On one hot summer day in 1983, a transfer student named Maebara Keiichi comes to a peaceful rural village in Hinamizawa. There, he befriends his classmates Rena, Mion, Rika, and Satoko. Accepted as a full-fledged member of the "club," Keiichi and the gang plays all sorts of activities ranging from card and board games to hide-and-seek. But just as Keiichi was beginning to be assimilated in simple rural life, he stumbles upon the dark history of Hinamizawa. As Keiichi dives deeper into the mystery, he finds that his new found friends may not be all what they claim to be.

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"The Beginning (Chapter: Spirited Away by the Demon, Part 1)" "Onikakushi-hen Sono Ichi – Hajimari" (鬼隠し編 其ノ壱 ハジマリ)	April 4, 2006
Keiichi Maebara moves to the rural village of Hinamizawa and befriends four girls—Rena Ryugu, Mion Sonozaki, Satoko Houjou, and Rika Furude. He joins their after-school club. Life is peaceful until Keiichi learns from a man named Tomitake about a murder in Hinamizawa's past. He also learns about a dam construction project which had been proposed by the government five years earlier. The project met with protests and was withdrawn. When Keiichi asks Rena and Mion about any incidents relating to the project, they refuse to speak about it, which makes him suspicious. He gets even more suspicious when he finds a newspaper article about the dam project manager being dismembered. He learns that one of the killers is still at large.
2	"The Secret (Chapter: Spirited Away by the Demon, Part 2)" "Onikakushi-hen Sono Ni – Kakushigoto" (鬼隠し編 其ノ弐 隠しごと)	April 11, 2006
During the annual Watanagashi festival, Keiichi is informed by Tomitake and a mysterious woman, Takano, about "Oyashiro's curse". A series of murders and disappearances has occurred on the night of the festival for the past four years and are all supposedly caused by the curse of Hinamizawa's guardian deity, Oyashiro. The next day, Keiichi is interrogated by a police detective, Oishi, and learns that Tomitake committed suicide by clawing out his own throat, while Takano has gone missing. He becomes Oishi's informant. Keiichi notices changes in Rena and Mion's behavior and suspects them of hiding something from him. He too is accused of keeping secrets because of his ties to Oishi. Keiichi delves deeper into the history of the curse with Oishi, and learns that one of the victims was Satoshi, a boy who had apparently transferred out of school in Hinamizawa before Keiichi arrived. At that point, Keiichi realizes that Rena has been eavesdropping on him the whole time.
3	"Suspicion (Chapter: Spirited Away by the Demon, Part 3)" "Onikakushi-hen Sono San – Gishin" (鬼隠し編 其ノ参 疑心)	April 18, 2006
Growing increasingly paranoid, Keiichi calls in sick for school to avoid his friends and delve deeper into the mysteries of Hinamizawa. Oishi takes Keiichi to Angel Mort for lunch, and he tells him that all of the victims of Oyashiro's curse are connected to his group of friends. That night, Rena and Mion visit Keiichi and give him a box of ohagi as part of a club activity, which all contain a needle. Keiichi is convinced that Rena and Mion are out to get him. Keiichi arms himself with Satoshi's baseball bat when he returns to school the next day. His friends reveal that Satoshi had displayed similar paranoid behavior before he disappeared.
4	"Disturbance (Chapter: Spirited Away by the Demon, Part 4)" "Onikakushi-hen Sono Yon – Yugami" (鬼隠し編 其ノ四 歪)	April 25, 2006
Rena pays Keiichi a visit, attempting to bring him dinner, and begins acting strangely, intimating that she has been monitoring him inside his home, prompting Keiichi to succumb to his paranoia and slam his front door on her hand. Distressed by Keiichi's behavior, Mion attempts to apologize for keeping so many secrets about Hinamizawa from him, but he coldly rebuffs her. Later, Keiichi is being followed by Rena, carrying a machete. He demands to know who caused all the murders and disappearances; Rena simply replies that it is all the work of Oyashiro. Keiichi escapes from Rena and finds himself being chased by a mysterious group of men, who knock him out. When he awakens in his room, he is attacked by Rena and Mion, who attempt to inject him with a syringe. In self-defense, Keiichi beats Rena and Mion to death with Satoshi's bat. He calls Oishi and tells him the murders were caused by Oyashiro, and then Keiichi, who is sure that Oyashiro is behind him, claws out his own throat. The next day, Keiichi is found dead. The police also find the bodies of Mion and Rena, and they find out that Keiichi was the one who killed them. The syringe that Mion used, which Keiichi attempted to hide in a wall clock, has also been removed.
5	"Jealousy (Chapter: Cotton Drifting, Part 1)" "Watanagashi-hen Sono Ichi – Shitto" (綿流し編 其ノ壱 嫉妬)	May 2, 2006
The timeline of the last four episodes has been reset. Keiichi discovers Mion has an identical twin sister named Shion. Keiichi also discovers that Mion has a crush on him, and so does Shion. Keiichi wins a doll in a competitive game, which he gives to Rena, implying to Mion that she's too masculine for it. Mion awkwardly brushes it off, but is visibly upset.
6	"Takano (Chapter: Cotton Drifting, Part 2)" "Watanagashi-hen Sono Ni – Takano" (綿流し編 其ノ弐 タカノ)	May 9, 2006
Keiichi learns about the curse of Oyashiro. During Rika's ritual performance at the Watanagashi festival, Shion whisks Keiichi away to sneak to the ritual tool shed of Oyashiro, where Tomitake and his friend, Miyo Takano, are waiting. Tomitake stands guard while the others look inside. They find dozens of torture tools. Takano explains the significance of the ritual tool shrine and the Watanagashi festival. Her theory is that the villagers of Hinamizawa are continuing an age-old tradition of sacrificing people to Oyashiro. Shion and Keiichi promise not to tell anyone they entered the shrine. Keiichi becomes disturbed when he is questioned both by Mion and Detective Oishi about the whereabouts of Shion, Tomitake, and Takano on the night of the festival. Keiichi learns from Shion that Takano was found burned to death and Tomitake committed suicide by clawing out his throat. Keiichi starts to wonder about Shion's safety as well as his own.
7	"Lies (Chapter: Cotton Drifting, Part 3)" "Watanagashi-hen Sono San – Uso" (綿流し編 其ノ参 嘘)	May 16, 2006
Rika shows knowledge of Keiichi's actions on the night of the festival, and in a metaphorical conversation promises to help the 'little kitty cat who did something bad' on the night of the festival by making the 'big dogs' aware the 'kitty cat' had no bad intentions, and alludes to the fact that Mion is angry with Shion over what happened. She also warns Keiichi that if the same 'dog' who bit the village leader tries to bite him, he should tell her. That night Keiichi learns the village leader has gone missing. Shion tells Keiichi that she confessed to the village leader about what they did. Shion thinks it's her fault that Oyashiro's Curse got him because he had promised to help them. Keiichi believes Rika is also in danger. Keiichi, Rena and Mion go to Rika and Satoko's home to find them, but they have gone missing. Keiichi talks with Detective Oishi. His account of the village leader's activities before disappearing contradict Shion's claim that she confessed. Shion has been missing ever since the festival. Shion calls Keiichi that night, and he confronts her about who she really is. He hears maniacal laughter before she hangs up the phone.
8	"Wish (Chapter: Cotton Drifting, Part 4)" "Watanagashi-hen Sono Yon – Negai" (綿流し編 其ノ四 願い)	May 23, 2006
Keiichi and Rena suspect that Mion is behind Rika's and Satoko's disappearance, and inform detective Oishi. Keiichi and Rena confront Mion at her house because the police don't have enough probable cause for a search warrant. Mion admits that Rika and Satoko came over to her house the night they disappeared. She asks to have a private talk with Keiichi before the police arrest her, and she lures Keiichi to a torture chamber. He sees Shion in the dungeon before Mion knocks him out. Mion prepares to torture Keiichi, but stops after Keiichi, believing Mion to be possessed by the demon Oyashiro, begs Mion to spare Shion and to return Mion's body to her. Mion, baffled, asks whether he wants to be spared as well, which Keiichi says is irrelevant compared to Shion's safety. Mion hears a noise and assumes Rena brought the police and tasers Keiichi unconscious. Keiichi and Shion are rescued from the torture chamber and Mion escapes. Keiichi is visited by Mion who stabs him in the stomach. He is gravely wounded and taken to hospital. Keiichi learns Shion has fallen to her death from her apartment. Oishi asks Keiichi if he was certain it was Mion Sonozaki that attacked him. He confirms it. Oishi reveals Mion's body was found dead at the bottom of the well the same day Keiichi and Shion were rescued. Oishi also reveals Miyo Takano, who was burned to death on the night of the festival, had actually died 24 hours beforehand. After Oishi leaves, Mion appears and presumably kills Keiichi.
9	"Older Brother (Chapter: Curse Killing, Part 1)" "Tatarigoroshi-hen Sono Ichi – Ani" (祟殺し編 其の壱 兄)	May 30, 2006
Once again, the timeline of the last four episodes has been reset. Keiichi's parents leave for Tokyo for a few days. Helped by Satoko and Rika, who make dinner for him, Keiichi learns about Satoshi, Satoko's older brother, and his mysterious disappearance on the night of last year's Watanagashi festival. He decides to act as a surrogate brother to Satoko and investigate Satoshi's disappearance.
10	"Bond (Chapter: Curse Killing, Part 2)" "Tatarigoroshi-hen Sono Ni – Kizuna" (祟殺し編 其の弐 キズナ)	June 6, 2006
When Satoko is absent from school for a few days, Keiichi discovers that it is because of Teppei, her abusive uncle. He left Hinamizawa after his wife was murdered on the night of last year's Watanagashi festival, and has only just returned to town. Keiichi intervenes.
11	"Borderline (Chapter: Curse Killing, Part 3)" "Tatarigoroshi-hen Sono San – Sakaime" (祟殺し編 其の参 境界)	June 13, 2006
Keiichi decides that he must kill Teppei. He asks Mion to take Satoko to the Watanagashi festival. When she asks him why he tells her he has some things to do. Mion mentions that is exactly what Satoshi said and did before he disappeared. Keiichii concludes that Satoshi must have killed his aunt to protect Satoko and that he must do the same. He beats Teppei to death with Satoshi's baseball bat and buries the body. On his way back home, Keiichi bumps into Takano, who appears to know of the murder he committed when she asks him if he buried the body.
12	"Lost Item (Chapter: Curse Killing, Part 4)" "Tatarigoroshi-hen Sono Yon – Nakushimono" (祟殺し編 其の四 失しモノ)	June 20, 2006
Keiichi is shaken when his friends tell him that he was actually at the Watanagashi festival with them. Satoko's uncle is still abusing her, though Keiichi thought he had killed him. He goes to the Doctor's office, where he confesses the murder to Coach Irie. Although Coach Irie promises to help him, he overhears him talking to his assistant with preparations to put sedatives in the tea they were going to give him. Keiichi flees to go check up on the location of the body. Oishi surprises him there and forces him to keep digging the hole, where Keiichi becomes confused when the body is nowhere to be found.
13	"Apology (Chapter: Curse Killing, Part 5)" "Tatarigoroshi-hen Sono Go – Shazai" (祟殺し編 其の伍 謝罪)	June 27, 2006
Keiichi goes to the Houjou residence to ascertain Teppei's status and finds Satoko in the bath and in need of medical help. Keiichi takes Satoko to the clinic, but finds that Coach Irie committed suicide and that Oishi is missing. Satoko requests that she go pick up some clothes from Rika's house since she's only wearing a bath towel from earlier. At the Furude Shrine, Keiichi discovers Rika's disemboweled body. Satoko believes that Keiichi is the culprit and flees, concluding that he is possessed by Oyashiro. Keiichi fruitlessly tries to convince her otherwise, and Satoko pushes him off a bridge. Keiichi wishes that everything in the village dies, and soon after, disaster strikes the village of Hinamizawa: poisonous volcanic gas from the Onigafushi swamp gushed out, murdering the entire populace. Keiichi survives the fall from the bridge and the gas leak, and it is later found out he is the sole survivor of the gas leak.
14	"Hinamizawa (Chapter: Time Wasting, Part 1)" "Himatsubushi-hen Sono Ichi – Hinamizawa" (暇潰し編 其の壱 ヒナミザワ)	July 4, 2006
Four years ago, during the dam incident, young police investigator Mamoru Akasaka comes to Hinamizawa to investigate a kidnapping of the missing child Toshiki Inukai, who is the grandson of the dam's construction project. He meets Oishi who tells him about the Dam Project Opposition Committee and the 3 leading families of Hinzamizawa. He pretends to be a tourist to get a tour of Hinamizawa where he meets the younger Rika Furude. At the Furude Shrine an enigmatic Rika warns him to leave Hinamizawa and go back to Tokyo. She collapses but commences to act normally afterward. A colleague of Oishi gives intel to Akasaka about the Dam Project Opposition Committee, headed by the Sonozaki family leader, Oryō. We learn that they have abducted the missing child and that a novice police investigator was dispatched to Hinzamizawa from Tokyo. She has given orders to "take care" of him if he begins to meddle too much into their affairs. The following day Oishi informs Akasaka that they have found the wallet and other identification items of the missing child in a deserted village called Takatsudo and has agreed to accompany Akasaka there.
15	"Sign (Chapter: Time Wasting, Part 2)" "Himatsubushi-hen Sono Ni – Kizashi" (暇潰し編 其の弐 兆し)	July 11, 2006
Akasaka and Oishi find the kidnappers' hideout and rescue the kidnapped boy, but Akasaka gets shot in the process. They discover that their efforts were in vain because the perpetrators' demands had already been met. Akasaka tries using the phones at the hospital and out on the streets but all the cords have been cut by someone. At a particular phone booth he finds Rika and asks if she cut the cords. She only replies that he would be upset if were to make a call. She takes him to see the Watanagashi Festival and an ominous Rika describes each death that will annually occur on the evening of Watanagashi starting on Shouwa Year 54 (1979) and that the last death, although the date unknown, will end with her own murder. She also tells him that she does not want to die, but live a happy life. Later it is discovered that Akasaka's wife died the day of Wataganashi, by falling down a flight of stairs, but she had given birth already. A few years later Akasaka visits Oishi, who has retired in the town of his mother's birthplace, and reveals what Rika told him on that night several years ago. Oishi tells him that on the day of the great disaster of Hinamizawa, Rika was found at the Furude shrine naked, and that she was drugged to sleep and her abdominal organs were removed. Akasakawa reveals that he has returned to find the truth about the Shrine God's curse
16	"First Love (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 1)" "Meakashi-hen Sono Ichi – Hatsukoi" (目明し編 其の壱 初恋)	July 18, 2006
The events from Watanagashi-hen are retold from Shion's point of view. For generations the Sonozaki family has murdered the younger of newborn twins as they are seen as bad luck. When Mion and Shion are born, they decide to send Shion away to boarding school. Shion escapes and returns to Hinamizawa with the help of her caretaker, Kasai. Shion, wanting to live on her own, pretends to be her sister and gets a job at their uncle's shop, with Kasai and Mion supporting the illusion. Shion learns about Oyashiro's curse from Mion and the mysterious deaths. Shion meets Satoshi, a classmate of Mion's, who mistakes her for Mion. Shion takes a liking to Satoshi. Satoshi is a member of the Houjou family, and his parents were victims of Oyashiro's curse for supporting the construction of a dam that would have flooded the town. Satoshi and his younger sister, Satoko, were taken in by their aunt and uncle after their parent's death. Their aunt and uncle resented them because the rest of the village shunned them for their parent's support of the dam. Shion goes to school in Mion's place to try to cheer up Satoshi. When she fails she takes out her anger on Satoko, who she sees as the root of Satoshi's problems and beats her up. Rika and Rena try to stop her until Satoshi finally comes in and shoves Shion out of the way. Shion learns Satoshi despises the Sonozaki family for having persecuted the Houjou family.
17	"Responsibility (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 2)" "Meakashi-hen Sono Ni – Kejime" (目明し編 其の弐 ケジメ)	July 25, 2006
Satoshi apologizes to Shion (still pretending to be Mion), and asks her to care for Satoko during the Watanagashi festival, and presumably murders his aunt the night of the festival for abusing Satoko. Shion is suspicious that he is the culprit, but provides an alibi for him when detective Oishi questions him. In the process she reveals that she isn't Mion, but her twin sister Shion. Shion's family finds her when Oishi checks out her story, and she is taken back to their family estate to answer to her grandmother for the trouble she has caused. There, in the underground torture chamber, she insults the family name by proclaiming her love for Satoshi. Mion orders her to ask for forgiveness for what she has done and that Kasai and their uncle, who reside in the next room, will be spared. Shion submits, and Mion takes out a de-nailing torture device. Shion is forced to de-nail herself for her crimes against the family, but can only de-nail her left pinky nail. Sonozaki henchmen step in and de-nail the rest of her left ring and middle finger nails for her. The following day Oishi meets her at the toy store where she finds out that Satoshi got the toy for Satako, and takes her into the station for question. He explains that the previous day, Satoshi has gone missing and Kasai explains they have caught the aunt's murderer, a cocaine addict.
18	"Oni's Blood Line (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 3)" "Meakashi-hen Sono San – Oni no Ketsumyaku" (目明し編 其の参 鬼の血脈)	August 1, 2006
Shion finds out Satoshi has gone missing and decides to investigate further into the mysterious murders over the past four years. She meets Takano at the library. Takano tells her more about the history of Hinamizawa and its dark past. She explains that Hinamizawa used to be called Onigafuchi and that, according to the Shrine God's Sacrifice Ritual, for each victim sacrificed, there must be an equivalent number of missing people. Takano also mentions that according to the sacrifice ritual, the missing people would have to sink to the bottomless Onigafuchi marsh, which leads Shion to believe Satoshi's body might be there. After Shion's encounter with Takano, she is visited by Mion at her apartment where she learns that Mion de-nailed herself in the same spots Shion had, after she had left, because she didn't want Shion to take all the burden. The story skips ahead one year to the present right before the Wataganashi Festival. Keiichi brings back memories of Satoshi to Shion. The story further skips to forward to where Tomitake, Takano, Keiichi, and Shion enter the shrine. After the festivities, Shion is caught listening to Mion and her grandmother as they discuss the events that have transpired over Takano and police investigations.
19	"Revenge (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 4)" "Meakashi-hen Sono Yon – Shikaeshi" (目明し編 其の四 仕返し)	August 8, 2006
Shion believes the Sonozaki family is connected to the acts of "spiriting away" people in the village, especially in the case of Satoshi. Enraged, she tasers and imprisons Mion in the dungeon and unintentionally kills her grandmother after tasering her as well, dumping her body down a well used for corpse disposal in front of Mion, repeatedly accusing Mion of having been implicit in Satoshi's murder. Shion pretends to be Mion the next day and confronts Keiichi about the previous night's encounters, which Keiichi still denies. Posing as Mion, she attends a village council meeting and lures the village head to the estate, and tasers and captures him after he reveals that her "Distinction" (when she had her fingernails removed) was so she Kasai, her uncle, and Shion herself would not be killed, confirming for Shion that Mion and her grandmother did have Satoshi killed.
20	"Cold Hands (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 5)" "Meakashi-hen Sono Go – Tsumetai Te" (目明し編 其の伍 冷たい手)	August 15, 2006
Shion tortures the village head for information about the previous murders and Satoshi. Shion confronts Rika about the murders, leading to a confrontation between the two after Rika shows up with an empty soy sauce bottle. Rika sprays Shion with pepper spray, but Shion tasers Rika and injects Rika with the syringe that Rika had brought for her. Rika commits suicide by stabbing herself repeatedly in the head after Shion threatens to torture her. Shion invites Satoko to her house.
21	"Condemnation (Chapter: Eye Opening, Part 6)" "Meakashi-hen Sono Roku – Danzai" (目明し編 其の六 断罪)	August 22, 2006
Shion tricks Keiichi in a phone call and later tricks the townsfolk into believing Keiichi a murder suspect. She quickly realizes that Oishi suspects her instead. She brutally murders Satoko, whom she has been holding captive as punishment for Mion. Then she remembers to her horror that one of Satoshi's last requests was to keep Satoko safe. This drives her deeper into madness. The following day, Keiichi and Rena suspect "Mion" to be the Rika and Satoko's killer. Shion then lures Keiichi to the dungeon and prepares to torture him. Keiichi begs Shion, whom he believes is Mion possessed by Oyashiro, to spare Shion and Mion, which drives Shion to tears, and she tasers Keiichi. Shion frees Mion, switches clothes with her and takes her to the body disposal well, telling her that Satoshi's body is down there. Mion tells her that their grandmother approved of her relationship with Satoshi, but Shion refuses to believe her. Shion tases Mion again causing her to fall in the well. She and Keiichi are rescued. Following the incident, Shion starts to hallucinate. She visits Keiichi and gravely wounds him. Shion hastily returns to her apartment by scaling the side of the building, and slips and falls to her death. As she falls, she imagines seeing Satoshi's face in the moon, and apologizes to him before she hits the ground.
22	"Happiness (Chapter: Atonement, Part 1)" "Tsumihoroboshi-hen Sono Ichi – Shiawase" (罪滅し編 其の壱 幸せ)	August 29, 2006
The chapter starts off with a heated water-gun competition between the gang. Keiichi heads off with Mion and headshots her. Being the brilliant strategist that she is, Satoko has sabotaged Rena's hidden water-gun backup, but Rena smashes it against the wall using the water in the handle to splash Satoko. In a one-on-one dual, Rena and Keiichi end up tieing the game, both becoming victors. Mion, Satoko, and Rika must work the day at the Angel Mort Cafe, owned by Mion and Shion's uncle, as their Punishment for losing. There Rena meets her father's girlfriend, Ritsuko, or Rina for short. After the day's end, Rena heads deep inside the landfill to an abandoned and half buried motor-home. She has a flashback of when she was living with both her parents; we learn that she had a conversation with her mother asking her, if they were to split up, which parent would she want to live with. When her mother informs her she plans on leaving her father to marry another man, and that she is pregnant with his child, Rena abhors the very thought and jumps forward to Rena breaking piled furniture and other junk outside her house. Back at home, Rena learns that Rina has helped her dad completely redo the entire living room, throwing out other things, including Kentak-kun. The next day at a cafe, Rena sees Rina together with Houjou Teppei. From overhearing their conversation and the information she gets from Shion and Kasai, she learns that they make their living from the 'Badger Game', a series of blackmailing where a woman gets together with a man. Then the real 'partner' of the woman steps and reveals himself to make the man pay them money. This is what Rina plans on doing to Rena's father and Rena's plan for revenge begins to emerge.
23	"Place to Return (Chapter: Atonement, Part 2)" "Tsumihoroboshi-hen Sono Ni – Kaeru Tokoro" (罪滅し編 其の弐 還る処)	September 5, 2006
Rena returns home and goes through her father's checkbook only to find out that he has recently charged a lot of money on his cards and has withdrawn a lot of money from his accounts. After school, Rena heads home to find Rina there and heads back to the landfill to have Rina follow her. Deep within the landfill at the half-buried motor-home, Rina asks Rena if she likes her because there might be a future for her and her father, and that she is also pregnant. Rena straightforwardly confronts Rina that she knows about her and Teppei's plan. Furious, Rina attempts to strangle Rena to death but Rena finds a shard of glass nearby and slices Rina's stomach open. As Rina hunches over on the floor in agony, she begs for her life before Rena brutally bashes her head in with a large pipe. Rena shoves her corpse into an old fridge and returns home. As she nears her house she sees Teppei savagely beating her father outside their house and tells him he'll be back tomorrow to pick up the money. Rena catches up to him and tells him Rina wants to have a private chat with him, so she leads him to the land fill. When her flashlight goes out, she quickly appears behind Teppei and slices his head in with a giant machete-like weapon that she is seen holding in the intro. Rina dismembers both of their bodies and wraps them up in small gift-like packages only to have the gang find her in the act. Indubitably, they try to console her and accept her for who she is. Keiichi tells her, as friends, they will keep it a secret and help her dump the separated bodies into a small cave in the woods. When Rena leaves, Mion tells the rest of them to not mention this incident so that they'll all eventually forget about it. At the end, they're all at the Watanagashi festival and Oishi is in the background glaring at them all.
24	"Document 34 (Chapter: Atonement, Part 3)" "Tsumihoroboshi-hen Sono San – Sanjūyon-gō Bunsho" (罪滅し編 其の参 34号文書)	September 12, 2006
While studying Takano's scrapbooks, Rena discovers that Oyashiro, who is worshiped by the Three Families that run the village, doesn't actually exist. She discovers that the problem is a virus that causes its victims to go berserk. In addition, since the altitude and temperature are very specific for the survival of the virus, it is explained that this is what causes the victims to feel "homesick" when they leave Hinamizawa. This disease caused all the murders. As a result, she is being hunted down by people who appear to stop at nothing to keep this information a secret.
25	"Earth Invasion (Chapter: Atonement, Part 4)" "Tsumihoroboshi-hen Sono Yon – Chikyuu Shinryaku" (罪滅し編 其の四 地球侵略)	September 19, 2006
Rena learns that Mion moved the bodies from where they originally hid them. Rena's faith in her friends is shattered and she begins to go insane. Keiichi tries to stop Rena, but she confronts him with his own dark secrets. He confesses his past sin to his friends, and finds that he can recall events from Onikakushi-hen, particularly his own paranoia and murder of Rena and Mion, as it is revealed that Mion was planning to draw on Keiichi with a marker, rather than give him an injection, the final event before he killed them. Rika reacts thunderstruck at this, and later tells Keiichi that no one else remembers his murder except her, and she forgives him. This strengthens his understanding of Rena's situation and he resolves to prevent such tragedies from occurring again. He apologizes to Mion, who is understandably uncomfortable and baffled by this.
26	"Retake (Chapter: Atonement, Part 5)" "Tsumihoroboshi-hen Sono Go – Riteiku" (罪滅し編 其の伍 リテイク)	September 26, 2006
With her madness at its peak, Rena holds her friends and schoolmates hostage and threatens to kill them all with a homemade bomb planted on the roof of the school. Working together with the police and his friends, Keiichi defuses the bomb. Keiichi and Rena have a final confrontation on the roof, Keiichi armed with Satoshi's bat and Rena with her cleaver. Rena gradually regains her sanity until she defeats Keiichi, though she is unable to bring herself to kill him. Rena reconciles with her friends. Though tragedy has been averted through Rena's atonement, the constant time loops have yet to lift; however, there is now hope for the future.