Chapter 117: I Believe in Sce

  Alex currently had no clues regarding Shion Sonozaki and Satoko Houjou’s issues. For now, if Teppei Houjou didn’t return, he couldn’t intervene, and with Shion Sonozaki, unless she brought it up herself, Alex couldn’t speak openly about it either. He had no good solutions for now and could only let things take their course.

  Not to mention, he had another matter to attend to.

  That was the uping Watanagashi Festival.

  As an annual event in Hinamizawa, the Watanagashi Festival was a lively celebration. Each year, people gathered to watch the priestess perform a ceremonial dand then released the cotton torn from the ritual s into the river.

  And, given this is a horror-themed world, this festival is, of course, lio murder. Legend has it that on the day of the Watanagashi Festival, one person dies, and one person goes missing each year. Hmm… lucky there’s no youive in gsses here, or solving the case would just be a matter of time.

  As a teacher, Alex naturally had to participate and was responsible for some heavy lifting, though he didn’t mind. In fact, this was a great opportunity to ect with the vilgers of Hinamizawa. sidering his future pns, building a good reputation with the vilgers sooner would only be beneficial.

  Thanks to his restructured Zerg body, Alex pyed the role of a hardw and selfless individual with grad perfe, embodying the spirit of tirelessly doing good deeds. Not only did he plete his assigasks smoothly, but he also helped others with their work. bined with his charm and effit methods, the vilgers praised this new young man in town. Alex took advantage of this opportunity to gain quite a bit of reputation.

  Finally, it was the eve of the Watanagashi Festival...

  “That’s it for today. Thanks for all the hard work, everyone.”

  Alex cpped his hands, looking at the pleted stage, then turo his side. There, Keiichi Maebara and the other members of the School Life Club were sweaty but wearing satisfied expressions. After all, the sense of aplishment from everyone w together in unity was irrepceable.

  “As usual, drinks are ooday. Keiichi, you go pick them up. Anyone ask for what they want. Oh, and I’ll have a coffee.”

  As he spoke, Alex pulled out his wallet and tossed it over. Keiichi caught it with a grin and waved at Alex.

  “Yenerous as always, Sensei. Alright then, I won’t hold back! What do you all want?”

  “I’ll take e juice!”

  “I want co!”

  “Please get me a of tea!”

  Keiichi and the others quickly left to buy drinks. At that moment, Alex noticed a man and a womaering the shrine, walking toward them. The man appeared to be in his thirties, wearing a vest and shorts with a camera in hand, looking like a photographer. The woman, in a green jacket with long, flowing blonde hair, appeared gentle and graceful.

  Seeing the pair, Alex squinted.

  The reason? The woman before him was this world’s ultimate, most evil enemy—Miyo Takano.

  “Well, it’s lively here.”

  The man dressed as a photographer came closer, raised his camera, snapped a photo of the group, and greeted them. The woman beside him also nodded politely at Alex and the others.

  “Good afternoon.”

  “Ah, Mr. Tomitake and Miss Takano, hello!”

  Seeing the two, Mion, who was beside Alex, quickly stepped forward to greet them. Both of them looked curiously at Alex, and Tomitake spoke up.

  “You must be the eacher everyoalking about. I’m Jirou Tomitake, a freence photographer from Tokyo. And this is Miss Miyo Takano, a the ic.”

  “Hello, o meet you. I’m Alex.”

  Alex nodded and greeted them, then subtly observed the woman.

  This was the biggest boss of the Higurashi world, Miyo Takano.

  Alex khat the Higurashi world had two main storylihe visible storyline was the main characters’ dest into madness and murder, driven by the “Hinamizawa Syndrome.” The hidden storyline, however, revolved around the woman before him. Her adoptive father, Hifumi Takano, had discovered the existence of “Hinamizawa Syndrome.” However, for various reasons, his research was halted, aimately died in frustration. Miyo Takano vowed to fulfill her grandfather’s wish and tiudying this disease.

  Acc to Hifumi Takano’s hypothesis, “Hinamizawa Syndrome” was a brain iion caused by a parasite that subtly affected humaions. Most importantly, there was a “Queen” among these parasites, and ied individuals couldn’t stray far from her without falling ill. This was one reason the people of Hinamizawa rarely left their vilge. Additionally, if the Queeo die, all other ied people would go ihin 48 hours.

  Iory, to prove her grandfather Hifumi Takano’s research correct, Miyo Takano not only killed Rika Furude, the “Queen” host but also ordered her Yamainu unit to release gas and wipe out the entire vilge of Hinamizawa, killing over 2,000 vilgers. When Rika’s parents tried to stop her from experimenting on their daughter, Takano even killed them to ensure her research tinued unimpeded.

  In her ruthless pursuit to validate her grandfather’s research, Miyo Takano had crossed every line.

  Because of this, Alex naturally had no good feelings toward this woman.

  In respoo Alex, Miyo Takano gave a slight smile. “Pleased to meet you. You’re quite well-known here in Hinamizawa, Mr. Alex. I often hear patients at the ition you… I heard you just came back from studying in America? Why would you e to such a small vilge?”

  “It was thanks to an invitation from Chie-sensei, and I just happeo have some research to finish, so I came to Hinamizawa. Although it’s a small vilge, it’s very peaceful here. I enjoy living in this pce.”

  “Is that so…”

  Hearing Alex’s answer, Miyo Takano gave him a meaningful look.

  “Well then… Mr. Alex, have you heard of Oyashiro-sama’s curse?”

  “Curse?”

  Faced with Takano’s question, Alex feigned a moment of fusion. Beside him, Mion’s expression darkened as she opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t find the right words.

  “That’s right! Have you heard of the Hinamizaroject, Mr. Alex?”

  “I’ve heard a bit about it—something about a pn to build a dam here, correct?”

  Alex nodded, fully aware of what Takano was about to say. But now, he’d just py along and watch her performance.

  “Yes, to oppose the project, the vilgers here started a protest movement. They held this shrine as the ter of their prayers, hoping for success.”

  “Judging by how things look, I assume the project was eventually celed?”

  Ag as a professional, Alex put on a vingly clueless expression.

  “But what does that have to do with Oyashiro-sama’s curse?”

  “It’s quite simple.”

  Miyo Takano seemed to relish telling others about these matters, so she cheerfully began her “lesson” in respoo Alex’s question.

  “Four years ago, the supervisor at the Hinamizawa Dam stru site was killed. The following year, a local Hinamizawa couple who supported the dam project fell off a cliff and died while traveling. Ihird year, the priest of this very shrine died suddenly from a strange illness. Last year, a retive of that deceased Hinamizawa resident was fouen to death.”

  “So, a death occurs every year?”

  “Yes! And each of these is and acts has occurred on the night of the Watanagashi Festival.”

  At this point, Miyo Takano’s face was flushed with excitement.

  “If this isn’t a curse or mere ce, then what could expin these is?”

  “Well, naturally, it would be crime.”

  Alex, uhe easily swayed Keiichi Maebara, gave a direswer.

  “This type of i isn’t unon. Using the guise of a diviual to it murder has happened in various pces. I only hope the police catch the culprit soon and bring them to justice.”

  “Uh…”

  Perhaps Alex’s answer was too ued, as Takano’s expression froze momentarily. But, still unwilling to give up, she pressed further.

  “Do you really think this is criminal activity, Mr. Alex? You do realize that all four is occurred on the night of the Watanagashi Festival, correct? Four secutive times! that really be a ce?”

  “Four times in a row is certainly no ce. However, Miss Takano, based on what you’ve described, it’s not that hard to expin. The Watanagashi Festival is the biggest festival around here, meaning everyone would naturally be at the event, leaving fewer people elsewhere. Uhose circumstahe ce of a witness notig anything would be much lower, wouldn’t it? As for the suddeh of the Furude Shrine priest—I haven’t seen an autopsy report, so I ’t say for certain, but stific studies have long shown that psychological stress affect physical health. As for the fourth i… well, Miss Takano, you said they were beaten to death, so why rule out foul py? In my opinion, out of these four is, only the sed year’s act might be sidered a ce. The others don’t seem to have anything to do with curses. Miss Takano, I uand the appeal of sensational stories, but it’s ly respectful to use the dead as eai material, don’t you think?”

  “This…”

  Takano was left speechless by Alex’s rebuttal, not knowing what to say. The others were equally stunned by Alex’s response. Only Mion looked at Alex with a plicated expression, unsure of what to say.

  Just then, a voice suddenly sounded from behind the group.

  “Well, young man, your theory is quite iing.”

  (End of Chapter)

  ? Unlock the World of Stories with Early Access on Patreon! ?

  Hello, beloved readers and supporters!

  I am thrilled to offer you an exclusive opportunity to dive deeper into our captivating stories before anyone else. By joining the Patreon unity, you'll unlock a treasure trove of bes, including:

  ? Early Access to 20 Chapters: Be the first to explore neters, experieng the twists and turns of our tales well ahead ur readers. Your jourhrough our stories doesn't have to wait!

  ? ect with the unity: Join a vibrant, like-minded group of readers who share your passion. Engage iing discussions, share theories, and make new friends who love the stories as much as you do.

  ? Support the Creator: Your patronage directly tributes to the ongoing creation and improvement of the tent you love. Be a vital part of the creative journey!

  Patreon./anish_44