Onikakushi-hen/TIPS

Why does our school have mixed grade levels?

Keiichi: "Rena, you're in the same grade level as I am right?"
Rena: "Hm? Yes we are. Our sexagenary cycle is also the same too."
Keiichi: "Hey, of course our sexagenary cycle has to be the same if we're in the same grade"
Mion: "That's not true. If you birth date is different, you can be of the same age, but in a different sexagenary cycle."
Keiichi: "Huh? Oh, I get it. Hey Mion, you're pretty smart."
Rena: "Ahahahaha. So when were you born, Keiichi-kun? Rena was born in July!"

Rena puts her head up high.
...hey what does that mean.

She isn't trying to act older just because she was born earlier than me right?

Keiichi: "...heh! Sorry to disappoint you. You have no chance to against me in my birth month!! ...I can even start to bet you 100 yen per each month I'm older than you!"
Rena: "What? What?! Why? Why?!"

Rena becomes confused as soon as I started to make a bet

...I suspect that her monthly allowance must be running low as I see her act that way

But...it's quite fun to see Rena getting gippy just because of birthday.

Mion: "So Kei-chan, does that mean you were born in April?"
Keiichi: "That's right! Too bad Rena! I'm already waaay older than you"
Rena: "Really! Wow! So Keiichi-kun's already the same age as Mii-chan!"
Mion: "Only for a few months~! Then I'm already older than him by a long shot once again!"

Mion snickers with her nose.
...hey, that's nothing to be getting all excited about (chuckle)

Keiichi: "...come to think of it..., Mion, you're in an older grade level then"
Mion: "Well if you are moe~ towards younger students, then I can proclaim myself to be of a lower grade level?"
Rena: "Mii-chan, I don't know what you are saying.."

Rena blushes her cheek, so I'm assuming she knows exactly what Mion is saying...

Keiichi: "And Satoko and Rika-chan are in a lower grade level. Scratch that, they should be in a different school lower grade level, right?"
Rena: "Ke...Keiichi-kun, I think your target age is wayy too low...too low..."

Rena is starting to mumble something odd now...
Heh, I'd better just rustle her hair a bit strongly for that statement.

Rena: "hauuu!! S---t---o---p!"

Keiichi: "So I've been wondering since I transferred here. Why is this school have mixed grade levels?"
Mion: "Because we don't have enough classrooms. I mean, what do you expect? This school is borrowing building space from the Forestry Preserve."

...come to think of it, that explains a lot. I've always thought this school was a bit weird.

The school ground is made of gravel, there are rooms that you don't see in normal schools, and there's even a construction vehicle in front of our school.

Keiichi: "Why is the school borrowing building space? What happened to the original school"
Mion: "The original one was built way before the war...so it got old and dilapidated."

Well, that's a school that I would've liked to see.

Mion: "So the students had to go to the school in the town right? But that's waay too far"
Rena: "Which school are you talking about?"
Mion: "You know that pediatric clinic in Okinomiya? The one that you go through the main train station and make a turn at the hospital?"
Rena: "Whaaat?!?! It's there? That's too far away!!"

I've just moved here so I don't know the geography of this area, but by the looks of Rena's expression, it must be far.

Mion: "So that's why. It's practically too far away, so kids that can't go to Okinomiya's school go to this temporary one that is being rented from the Forestry Preservation Station."
Mion: "That's about half the children in Hinamizawa right? There's quite a lot of them riding their bicycles to get here early in the morning."
Mion: "Well as you can see, this school is practically easy going, so it's not meant to be those elite type of school for prepping"
Rena: "That's not true Mii-chan! If you study real hard, you can do your studies anywhere!"
Kei: "Yeah, that's right! My thoughts matches with Rena!"
Rena: "Yeah! That's exactly right! Let's study real hard!"
Mion: "Well you two knock yourselves out. In the meantime, oji-san's gonna root for you in the background"

Keiichi: "It's not us! It's you Mion! You're supposed to be in exam hell right now?! The way your grades are at now, your future is black?!"
Mion: "That's fine. If I can't find a stable income, I'll get an eternal job by having you bringing home the food for me"
Rena: "E...eternal job? Wha...what do you mean by that?! by that?!"

Ms. Chie: "Shush! The three of you! You're supposed to be studying right now!"

The three of us was scolded by the teacher. Well, it's our fault so I can't say much there...

Satoko saw us getting scolded and started laughing

I jab back at her by sticking out my tongue.

...What Mion said was true. This school is as far away you can get from being one of those busy prep schools. But, there's a lot of things at this school that you can't find in any other place...

Do we have freedom of clothing?

It's only June... but it's already so hot. I could hear the higurashi outside chirping "miii miii," and at night there are mosquitos.

It might as well be summer already.

My only salvation was that the mornings were still cool.

Satoko: "Summer, I do declare!"

Satoko was flapping her skirt languidly.

...That's pretty unladylike there. ...Even if she was a little brat, she still was a girl.

Satoko: "Keiichi does seem quite cool withh just a single button-up shirt... I'm so jealous."
Keiichi: "From how I see things, the skirt you're wearing looks like it would be much cooler. A girl like you just wouldn't understand. Wearing jeans during this season and how steamy the crotch gets!"
Rena: "...It... it gets steamy... Hao..."

This girl has gone imagining something indecent...

Keiichi: "Rena's summer clothes have a nice refreshing color. I feel cooler just looking at them."
Rena: "Ahahahaha. Thank you! They really do feel pretty cool."
Satoko: "I do wish my summer clothes were as breezy as Rena's."
Rena: "But Satoko-chan, your summer clothes are so cute, being a one piece and all! I'd like to wear your summer clothes."
Satoko: "This is actually quite stuffy, you know. I do believe what you're wearing would feel much cooler."
Rena: "But it would be so much more fun with kyute clothes... Hao!"

...I had a feeling that Rena and Satoko's base values were fundamentally different.

Keiichi: "Speaking of which... our school doesn't have a uniform."
Rena: "Yeah. It doesn't. As long as they're proper, then regular clothes are fine."

There are quite a few students in regular clothes. There were a few wearing uniforms, but they were all the same design and rather plain.

Keiichi: "What's the uniform they're all wearing? They're all the same."
Satoko: "That's the city school's uniform. It's not like there's a rule, but they're all wearing them."
Keiichi: "Speaking of which, everybody in our group is wearing a different uniform, aren't we? Did you go out of your way to get them from somewhere?"
Satoko: "Why, yes. Mion-san supplied them."
Rena: "Mii-chan's relative runs a secondhand clothing store. They can get school clothes from all over the country for cheap, they say."
Keiichi: "So you asked those relatives to get a bunch of unique school uniforms, then."

That Mion, she probably loves using her friends as dress-up dolls.
That must be a strange secondhand clothing store. I get that it's a secondhand clothing store, but stocking clothes from schools all over the country?
...That's pretty strange for a secondhand clothing store.
What's the point in stocking up clothes from faraway schools they know nothing about??

Rena: "...Yeah. I think so, too. They also have used school swimsuits and P.E. univorms... I don't like the idea of having used ones."
Keiichi: "Doesn't sound like that shop makes much money...They probably have Mion pitch in and help so they can make a bit more."
Satoko: "...But Mion-san says, 'It'll be a big hit and become a great store!' with such conviction."

...A secondhand clothing store that stocks school uniforms will be a big hit?

I don't get it.

The Maebara Manor

Mion: "...So Kei-chan, you're not stinking rich?"
Keiichi: "What is this all of a sudden? Did I come to school in a limo before?"
Mion: "How much do you get for a monthly allowance?"
Keiichi: "About $10..."
Satoko: "My, that's a rather plebeian amount."
Rika: "His lunch is made up of normal stuff. He isn't rich."

What are they talking about!?
To be asked out of nowhere how much I get and then told that's a plebeian amount!

Rena: "Ahahahaha. Sorry, sorry!"

Rena seemed to pick up on my dubious expression and started giggling.

Mion: "Kei-chan... your house, you know... It's pretty big, yeah? So the architecture has people all around Hinamizawa calling it the Maebara Manor, and it sorta stands out."

M-Maebara Manor~!?

Rena: "Since the house is so big, everybody is gossiping, wondering exactly how rich you are."

I see. Now I get it.
...Well, the frame of it is huge. I see how it could cause some misunderstandings.

Satoko: "From my deduction, I wager they spent too much money on building the house, and that is why they are now broke~!"
Rika: "...Being broke, how very, very unfortunate."

...Rika-chan took pity on me as she patted my head.
I go from being treated like a millionaire to a beggar...

Keiichi: "Yeah, sorry for ruining your imagination, but we aren't millionaires or poor. We're the image of a normal, average household."
Mion: "you can't call it normal with that huge house! The entranceway is all grand, and the gate is large enough for a large truck to get through!! That's not normal at all!"

They do say the bigger your house, the more prosperous you are.

The reason the house is so big is because Dad's studio is in it, too.
There are a bunch of different workshops, and lots of his works are hung up in different places. All of them are huge, too.
For those reasons, the family actually uses only a third of the house for day-to-day living.

He planned it out so people and cars could come in to see the gallery he opens up in the house someday.
...By the way, the entranceway Mion is talking about is the one for the studio, and is normally sealed off.
The entranceway the Maebara family actually uses is a very plain and simple one.

The interior is much different from how it looks on the outside.

Mion: "I'd really like a chance to explore Kei-chan's house... Claiming not to be rich, but having a home like that!! What could be hidden there!?"
Rena: "M-Maybe there's something kyute hidden! Hao~!"
Satoko: "They probably had no money to purchase furniture, so it's filled with spartan rooms!"
Rika: "...If there are carpeted rooms, I would love to try rolling around on the floor."
Satoko "Waa~! That'd be so great, so great! I want to roll around, too!"

...Seems like their imaginations were just piling on...
Well... Sometime in the near future, it wouldn't be too bad to invite them all to my house.
...Dad is a sucker for the ladies, so he might even let them look around his studio.

The cry of the higurashi crescendoed, as the sky towered over everything.
It was hot but the air was clear. It smelled like the beginning of summer.

More than 4 perpetrators?

???: "The cause of death was a hemorrhagic shock caused by scratching and tearing his throat. Fleshing and skin of his neck was clogged between his nails. It wasn't done by another's nails. It was his nails for sure. The seam of the wound matches too."

Ooishi: "Yeah-yeah. We know the cause of death is suicide."

???: "I know you know. You're asking me if anyone is capable of making this happen right?"

Ooishi: "It's not the same as a man scratching his back and bleeding from it you know?"

Some of Mr. Tomitake's nails are even peeled off. Nails can actually come off easier than you think.

But it really hurts.

So, usually people don't do it to the extent that it comes off.

And there are many bruises on Mr. Tomitake's body.

...The shapes of the bruises make it clear that they were made by physical abuse by bare hands of a group of people.

Ooishi: "Considering the discharge from his body, he must've been in a state of extreme adrenaline rush."

???: "Are you saying that he got so excited during the battle that he scratched his throat to the point of death? It must've scared the shit out of the attackers."

People do take unbelievable actions when they get abnormally agitated in unusual situations. Of course, this is an extreme case, though.

???: "There's the thing Ooishi-kun. The timber that the victim seemed to have used as a weapon. We could only get a bit of grit and a piece of paihnt of guardrail from it."

Ooishi: "No fabric of the clothes of the suspect or a piece of skin?"

???: "No. The victim didn't hit the suspects. ...Or the suspects might've taken the timber with them."

Ooishi: "If they did, why did they leave one behind? They would've taken all of them."

???: "Ha-ha-ha-ha! You're damn right."

Ooishi: "Mr. Tomitake has a well-built body and he's also tanned. ...He was an athlete, right?"

???: "Huh? Yes, he was. He looks like he's been working out."

...I have no idea what kind of sports he was playing before his death, but I think he had a rather high physical ability.

That means he wouldn't be easily outdone by the attackers.

A guy with a big body like him was facing death and swung around a weapon for his life.

It's hard to believe that it didn't even make a scratch on the suspects.

And the suspects didn't have anything to attack him but their bare hands.

He had a timber in his hand, so it's easier to assume that he could've struck one of them at least once...

Ooishi: "To attack a big guy like him, ...how many people do you think they need?"

???: "Humm. I bet you know it better than I do, Ooishi-kun. Remember the time when you were a bad boy!"

How many would I want if I had to fight with him?

It's an ironclad rule of hunting to have a certain number of people when you attack a huge beast.

...I want at least four.

Even if there are big differences with physical size, four people can get it done.

Ooishi: "It means there is a large number of suspects. Should we suspect groups of more than four who were drunk at the festival?"

...A group of more than four.

But... if they had so many people, they could've hidden the body from view, couldn't they?

Or...the victim escaped somehow from a place where he was held captive on the verge of death...

If so, I don't understand why he committed suicide.

Not only that, but I also don't understand the abnormal way he died...There are so many mysteries.

???: "We do focus on that point, too. We're going to hold a thorough investigation into that...but I don't have high hopes. It's because we've never had a case like this in the past."

Ooishi: "I don't expect it to be easy either. But I do look forward to the result."

"Ooishi-saaan! The section manager wants you!"

Ooishi: "Excuse me. I'll see you again next year."

???: "Yeah. Have a nice year!"

Investigation memo

Tomitake Jirou (deceased)

:Stayed at a motel in Shishibone city.
:Signed in the guest book as Tomitake Jirou
--his pen name
:Used a portable bicycle as his means of transportation. No car license or any other license was found.
:His portable bicycle was found abandoned on the side of a forest road 400m from the crime scene.
:He was at the festival.
:He was with Takano Miyo who's missing.
:A policeman saw them around 9 PM. Haven't been seen since then.
:Used to stay in Hinamizawa for a week on every season for the past five or six years
:A freelance photographer, specializing in wild birds. --Find what magazines he worked for
:No suspicious items found in the films of his belongings.
:His wallet was left with him. -- Could it be nothing more than an assault?
:By the contents of his wallet, I assume his life was based between Tokyo and Chiba. Along the Soubu line of Japan National Railways?
:Nobody by the same name as Tomitake Jirou is registered in the Basic Resident Register of any ward inside Tokyo.
:Need dental clinics inside Tokyo to verify his dental reocrd. --Request to Tokyo police.
:Send his facial portrait to the authorities.
--To Tokyo police.
:Call every magazine company and ask about Tomitake Jirou.

Takano Miyo (missing)

:A nurse working at Irie clinic.
:A close friend of Tomitake since they met at a wild-birds shooting that she did as a hobby.
:Her house is in Okinomiya. Single.
:Was seen with Tomitake at the festival and has been missing since then.
:Abducted? Or a suspect? --A material witness!
:Has no move to kill him. --Lover's quarrel?
:Investigate her personal connections inside out! --Her workplace and etc.
:Get more information from the security policemen who were at the festival!

:I want to eat cream puffs. Four of jumbo size. --Ooishi