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Arg!

The higurashi c ry as the scene opens with a view of Rika's calendar reading "Sunday, June 12, 1983." As their c ry increases, the scene shifts to a view of Hinamizawa from the observation deck of the Furude Shrine. The scene moves up the shrine, then focuses on Rika sweating and crying in her sleep. She opens her eyes, and Satoko's smiling face is reflected in them. Satoko happily notices that Rika is finally awake. She informs Rika that it is almost sundown. Rika tries to tell her something, but Satoko continues that Rika was tossing and turning so much she must have had a terrible dream. She gently places her hand on Rika's cheek and announces that she has quite a fever. She promises to stay by Rika's side until she feels better.

Rika says Satoko's name then starts crying. As Satoko tries to sooth her, Rika asks why this is happening to her. Satoko responds that she does not know what Rika was dreaming about, as she withdraws her hand, then continues that Rika must know that her dreams are important. She looks at Rika very seriously, if not sadly.

Rika reacts to Satoko's statement, and Satoko continues that her dreams are the way they are for a reason, "a very important reason." Rika quickly asks her to reveal this reasoning that would justify being tortured by these horrible and tragic realities.

Satoko stares at her for a moment.

She then asks Rika if she does not know why she suffers through terrible dreams every night as she looks at her darkly. Rika tries to ask her what she means, but she then cries out that her body hurts. Still looking darkly, Satoko calmly explains that Rika is cursed. Rika protests, but her pain interrupts her. She declares that she cannot move. When she asks her what is happening, Satoko gently places her hand on Rika's covers and asks, "Oh, you mean this?"

She removes Rika's covers to reveal that Rika's belly has been cut open with her bowels exposed. There is silence only broken by the higurashi as the scene cuts to the trees.

Rika screams while Satoko smiles announcing that it is time for the Watanagashi Festival as she tears into her neck with her fingernails and the scene shifts into the Opening Credits.

Rika stares upwards sobbing with her viscera graphically exposed. Satoko, still darlky but now genially, informs that the ritual is the only way to quell the wrath of Oyashiro-sama's curse. Rika tries, between groans and grimaces, to ask why Satoko keeps saying "curse," but Satoko simply rises and pleasantly observes that the painkiller appears to have worn off. She returns with a surgical tray upon which lay a syringe, a glass ampule, two scalpels, and a clamp. As Rika watches in fear, Satoko explains that she will give Rika the last of the pain killer as she picks up the ampule. When Rika protests as Satoko injects her, Satoko assure her not to worry since "Coach" has had her injecting herself daily.

Rika asks her about how she said her nightmares are Oyashiro-sama 's curse. Satoko pleasantly replies that she received a revelation from Oyashiro-sama: Rika is no longer fit to serve as Oyashiro-sama ' shrine maiden. "Because of that," Satoko continues as she reaches up and scratches at her neck, then leaves. She returns with Rika's ceremonial hoe. The higurashi c ry louder. What follows is what became an instantaneously infamous scene When They C ry Wiki will not describe "blow by hoe blow." Satoko performs the Watanagashi upon Poor Rika-chan with said hoe in a manner that should propagate the theory that Rika is really a goddess amongst fans for her ability to stay conscious, let alone alive, during the process. Satoko does upon Poor Rika-chan 's intestines and other bits what is not actually anatomically possible. Indeed, the Noble Reader must be forgiven for wondering why Rena stabbing Keiichi in a previous episode was censored whilst Satoko tearing out Poor Rika-chan 's intestines piece by piece was not. When They C ry Wiki digress. The salient points from this ordeal are that Satoko feels she was told by Oyashiro-sama that she is his new miko; Rika tries to explain that was a hallucination, and the syndrome is affecting her; and Satoko claims that this is Rika's eternal punishment for not only violating one of Oyashiro-sama 's precepts, but doing so as his miko. Satoko kneels over Rika to bring her face close to Rika's. She gently repeats that for a long time (ずっと・zutto), Rika sinfully wished to abandon Hinamizawa as she becomes enraged. Rika has a sudden black and white flashback where she is happily saying something to Satoko in a bookstore. Satoko continues that she cannot think of a more shameful act by a miko of Oyashiro-sama.

Rika responds in her Adult Voice over a series of black and white flashbacks that for hundreds and hundreds of times she has repeated 1983. The first depicts Keiichi beating Rena with the baseball bat, the second depicts Shion stabbing Keiichi, the third depicts Keiichi standing over the body of Teppei in the hole he dug, and the fourth depicts Jirō embracing the sobbing Takano in front of the watching Satoko, Rika, Mion, Keiichi, Rena, and Hanyū. During these, she describes herself as nothing more than a bird trapped in the cage called Hinamizawa. As Takano cries into Jirō's shoulder, Rika smiles and her Adult Voice continues to narrate that when she finally broke the cycle, but her narration is interrupted by a view of school entrance exam study guides, and her Child Voice announcing that there is something that she has secretly dreamed of doing for a very long time.

The scene reveals Rika holding one of the guides as she talks to Satoko as in the the flashback shown previously. Adult Voiced Rika explains that she chose to leave Hinamizawa. This fades back to Rika looking back up to Satoko. She laughs in her Adolescent Voice as she confesses that she has heard crazy things from suffers of the Hinamizawa Syndrome before, but Satoko's really hits home. Without a word, Satoko withdraws and picks up the hoe. She explains that the only way to cleanse Rika is to perform the Watanagashi ritual upon her. As tears flow from her eyes, Satoko apologizes for cleansing her by offering her bowels to Oyashiro-sama.

She brings down the hoe, Rika reacts, and the scene thankfully shifts to a view of the outside of their home as the higurashi c ry. It then returns to Satoko bringing the hoe down again as she why Rika chose to leave. Satoko drops the hoe and blames Rika for making her do this to her. She then reveals that she would not have to quell the wrath of Oyashiro-sama by finding the other members of the Club and sacrificing them as she scratches at her neck. In her Adult Voice, Rika muses that this world was to be her last, and it was over before it began. The crying Satoko continues to blame Rika, then asks her rhetorically if she is the reincarnation of Oyashiro-sama.

Rika does not answer.png.png. Satoko falls to her knees. She then graphically reaches in to tear out Rika's intestines as she demands to know why Rika would violate Oyashiro-sama 's rules. She continues to blame Rika, as Rika reacts, and asks her what about Keiichi, Rena, Mion, or Shion. Having completely disemboweled Rika's curiously mesentery-less abdomen, she wails that she thought Rika loved life in Hinamizawa as much as she did. She embraces Rika, picking her up to reveal that she has basically separated Rika's torso from her abdomen without actually killing her. Rika has another series of black and white flashbacks: she sees a pot cooking then Satoko tosses aside Keiichi's curry to his and Mion's horror; Satoko then pours salt into Rena's curry; Rena shifts from Cute to Take Home Mode, then comically punches Mion and Keiichi in the classroom as Rika watches with a smile and Satoko laughs;a smug Mion stands outside in Angel Mort holding an Angel Mort costume in front of her as Shion similarly looks smug next to her. She narrows her eyes suggestively, and Keiichi reacts in shocked realization as Mion playfully shakes the costume. He then runs as the sisters playfully chase him and Rika and Satoko watch with satisfaction. In this last flashback, Satoko takes Rika's hand into hers. Back to the horrific reality, Rika ponders these images as tears flow from her eyes. Satoko continues to ask her about all of the others outside of the Club, such as her classmates, who are also her friends with whom she also had fun. Satoko explains between her own tears that it is not just Oyashiro-sama who is sad; she is also sad that Rika wanted to leave. She wonders if the happy times in Hinamizawa meant nothing to Rika.

Rika closes her eyes.

After the fade to black, in her Child Voice, Rika asks why she did she begin to hate Hinamizawa. She appears as a child on a dark plane with the wind blowing her hair. She continues in her Adolescent Voice as she answer.png.pngs her own question with a simple answer.png.png from her adolescent self to her child self: she was trapped here for the longest time. Child Rika replies, "yes," and begins to add that the moment she was released from her curse, but Adolescent Rika continues her sentence to explain that she wanted to escape this "hick town," enroll in a fancy school, and live a sophisticated life. She asks her younger self if it was so wrong to dream of that. Child Rika emphasizes that for a hundred years she was trapped in Hinamizawa.

The scene suddenly shifts to a full-color view of the rice fields of Hinamizawa. Child Rika reacts with a start. The scene shows the idyllic homes, sparkling river, then waving flowers. She smiles and asks what was it that she disliked about Hinamizawa. Unseen, Adolescent Rika agrees that she does not dislike it, "Not at all." The scene reveals them both standing on the viewing grounds of the Furude Shrine. Adolescent Rika continues that the tragedies that tortured her, the series of mysterious deaths, resulted from people plotting against and clashing with one another. Child Rika adds that there were times that she had so much fun she barely noticed the passage of time. There were also times when she was down on the floor in despair, but no matter what happened, "Hinamizawa had me wrapped in its warm embrace."

"Despite that," Adolescent Rika starts to continue that after the hundred years of grief, and Hinamizawa smiled at her knowing she could stay without worry, but she is interrupted by Child Rika burying her head in her hands as she cries. She stammers that she wanted to be rid of this "hick village." She lowers her hands and wonders why she would wish that. ..

. . . as she is brought back to reality when Satoko tears yet more of her intestines out while holding up her torso. Rika struggles to say she is sorry and that she was wrong. This startles Satoko. She says Rika's name, to which Rika replies by suggesting that if Satoko went this far she may finally realize, but Satoko interrupts her to sob that all she wants to do is live in Hinamizawa with her. Rika apologizes again. Though with tears streaming, Satoko smiles as she is sure Rika's words of repentance will grant her Oyashiro-sama 's forgiveness. Staring up, Rika replies that she will not make that mistake again. She closes her eyes, then her bloody right hand folds into a fist.

A snap is hurt as the scene cuts to black.

With a start, she opens her eyes. Satoko is again reflected in her eyes, smiling and noting that she is finally awake. They are outside, and Satoko continues to playfully chide her for sleeping through "this fantastic weather." She asks where she is, and Satoko replies that she must be still half-asleep since she is, of course, in Hinamizawa. Behind Satoko, the river is in view with Mion and Shion standing in bathing suits. She starts to explain that Mion had a great idea, but Keiichi interrupts to ask if Rika is done napping. The scene moves to reveal him standing with a ball next to Rena who is standing next to Shion. Rena, wearing her school bathing suit, call out to both Satoko and Rika to join them. Mion reminds them that this is not simply a game but a Club activity. She playfully warns them that if they do not try hard, it will get bloody. Her sister genially reminds her that the only one bleeding is her after taking a ball to her face, which generates the expected protests.

As they bicker with Keiichi and Rena joining in and laughing, Rika starts to rise from the ground. Satoko watches her with a curious look. Keiichi, from the river, teases Satoko for not joining in. Satoko rises as she condescendingly replies to him. She is "surprised" he would challenger her since she thought he had learned not to underestimate her. Her clothes dramatically fly in the air to reveal she is also wearing her school swimming suit underneath. She laughs her patented laugh as she vows unleashing innumerable watery traps upon Keiichi.

Rika says her name, and surprised, Satoko turns back to her. Rika seriously states that she needs to talk to her about something. However, Satoko is interrupted by a noise as she realizes what is about to happen. She turns in horror in time to have the ball Keiichi flung at her impact on her forehead. He sarcastically apologizes; she rises with comic ferocity. She quickly apologizes to Rika that they will have to speak later. Now they must work together and focus on Keiichi. Rika plays along and happily suggests that "Poor Keiichi" is in trouble.

The scene shifts to reveal Rika standing in her school swim suit. She apologizes for making them wait; Rena immediately advances to Cute Mode moving rapidly towards Take Home Mode. Shion embraces the shocked Satoko declaring her just as cute if not cuter than Rika. Mion looks down in impatience as Rena arrives at Take Home Mode. She demands that the others do not get distracted as she hold up the ball. She reminds that the game has already started, and losing acquires a penalty. A montage of laughter and the girls beating up on Poor Keiichi follows with Rika laughing.

The higurashi c ry as the scene focuses on the twilight night sky. Tired, the Gang finish adjusting their clothes. Satoko reminds Rika that she said she needed to talk to her. Rika looks serious as she responds that she is certain Satoko will not have any idea what she is talking about but please listen to her until the end. Satoko nods her head. Rika explains that she had two very long dreams. One was very painful for her while she dreamed it. Looking back on it, she explains as there is a black and white flashback of Takano sobbing into Jirō's chest, she knows that it was full of "shiny, sparkling wonders." In the other dream, she continues, she never noticed those wonders, and she was punished for clinging to an ungrateful dream. ]There is a black and white flashback of Ōishi beating her to death with the baseball bat, followed by Akasaka clawing at his neck as the room bursts into flames, Kimiyoshi hurling her from the boat, then Keiichi killing her with the baseball bat in Angel Mort, and finally Satoko preparing to use the hoe on her as she states that this nightmare lasted for a very long time. She declares that she loves Hinamizawa as she smiles and the tears flow.

The scene focuses again on the twilight sky as the higurashi c ry. Rika continues that Hinamizawa is a wonderful place, and she has so many wonderful friends. She asks through her tears why would she ever dream of anything else. Surprised, Satoko starts to form tears as well, She smiles as she says Rika's name. She walks towards her, places her hands on Rika's shoulders, then assures her that though she does not know what dreams Rika has been having, no matter what happens, she will always be her friend. This includes everyone in Hinamizawa. They embrace as Rika cries, and Satoko assures her that she will not have anymore nightmares.

Night and day passes over Hinamizawa to mark the passage of time as Adult Voice Rika narrates that this world is so peaceful. She feels that it is as if Oyashiro-sama 's curse has been lifted from it. There is a view of the shrine, then the "Kenta-kun" statue is laid on the top of Rena's bus in the dump by Keiichi to Rena's delight. As Rena hugs it in full Cute Mode, Adult Voice Rika explains that Keiichi and Rena never become consumed by paranoia. She watches them with a smile. Walking her bike with Satoko after shopping, Rika stops for a moment to look at Satoko's home expectantly. Satoko asks her what is wrong; Rika quickly replies that she was thinking of dinner. Adult Voice Rika explains that Teppei never returns.

The calendar at night reads, "Sunday, June 19, 1983." At the shrine, Rika begins her dance. In the crowd, Keiichi watches next to Shion. Adult Voice Rika notes that the two watch her dance without running off. She strikes the bedding with her hoe as the narration continues that in this perfect world she did not need to roll the dice of fate. She believes that she may actually be able to escape her fate: "the doom that demands my death."

Families float their cotton balls on the river. They file down the steps of the shrine. Still in her miko clothes, Rika notices Jirō skulking in the forest next to the steps. She pursues him and calls out to him, to his surprise. When he turns, she states that she wants to tell him something. She starts to say, "Takano and I," but Takano herself emerges to stand next to him.

"What great timing," she observes, "I've been meaning to talk to you, too, Rika-chan."

She gives a little giggle as Rika reacts with a blush and serious look.

"Can we talk?"

Adult-Voiced Rika returns to announce fourth chapter.