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Arg!

To stress the point, this arc is based on Watanagashi-hen, and this episode is based on its first chapter. Since Wata na gashi-hen is an arc where things are not what they seem, to avoid spoiling that entire arc, as well as this arc, events are described as characters and viewers see them in the respective episode synopses. This includes the rendering of character links: a link will read the character other characters and the viewer believes the character to be. So, if Furude Rika is really Ōishi "in disguise" the link will be Rika.

When They C ry Wiki reaffirms this warning to those who wish to avoid spoilage that they should not clink links until viewing the entire arc. Pages for the episodes that reveal the truth contain an explanation and link in their respective Referbacks and Forwards section.

The episode does not start with a true Prologue. Instead, with the opening credits, Maebara Keiichi is awoken by a phone call from Ryūgū Rena demanding he wake up. Keiichi asks why she is calling him so early, but he is interrupted by the voice of Sonozaki Mion – Arg! Spoilers there be at that reference, Lads 'n Lassies! Arg! – speaking English: "Good morning, Kei-chan!" He responds as he becomes excited that since she is there it can only mean one thing. Mion replies that he is finally understanding how The Club works, and tells him they will meet at their usual place before they head out. When she asks him if he is coming, he demands to know if they are ready for him to kick their asses.

In one of Hinamizawa's streets, Rena stands with Mion and their bikes. She waves to Keiichi and calls him late. He stops his bike near them and apologizes. The three ride their bikes down the curved highway towards Shishibone City. They arrive at the store Da Vinci (ダビンチ・dabinchi), where the voice of Hōjō Satoko playfully scolds them for making them all wait. The scene reveals her smiling and waving next to Furude Rika with Tomita Daiki and Okamura Suguru flanking them. Behind them stand Numerous Kids When They C ry Wiki will try to Figure Out!

Inside, Mion stands near her uncle as she explains that the shop holds tournaments to attract customers. Keiichi realizes, and Rena happily confirms, that they must play against others outside of their club. As he scans the other players, Keiichi determines that he has to beat them all as well. Mion calls everyone's attention and explains that since their are fifteen players, they will draw lots to split them all into five groups. Winners of each will advance to the next round. The club members naturally all find themselves in separate groups. Mion teasingly acts surprised at the "coincidence" that they were all split up. When Keiichi balks, Mion slyly rhetorically asks if he thought she would actually let any of the club's members get eliminated in the first round. Keiichi smiles in admiration, then vows to obliterate his competition. Over a pan of the tables, Rika's table has a fishing game, Mion's game seems similar to Hungry, Hungry Hippos, Rena and Satoko's tables have card games, and Keiichi appears to have Japanese edition of The Game of Life. Keiichi plays at a table with Tomita and Okamura, whom he recognizes as classmates. They introduce themselves as he congratulates himself at how easy it will be to beat them. From her table, Mion gives the order for everyone to begin, and Keiichi spins the wheel. He counts out four spaces and gleefully reports that he collects $5,000 from each player for the birth of his child. Tomita immediately surpasses him by winning a $100,000 bonus. Okamura similarly surpasses him, and Keiichi realizes he is playing a game based on luck.

Meanwhile, the girls quickly win their respective games. Satoko and Mion haughtily saunter out of the store together to enjoy some tea while they wait for the others. Rena triumphs since her card game involves snatching cute cards, and Rika overwhelms her opponents with her child's cuteness. Adjusting his glasses, Tomita interrupts Keiichi's inner rage to remind him that it is his turn. Keiichi finds himself penalized $50,000 for tax evasion. Rena appears to ask him if he is having problems. He turns to find the rest smiling at him. Mion genially observes that he is the only one of them who has not won yet. Rika lets out a "Mii" and asks Tomita and Okamura how much they have won. When Mion asks Keiichi how much they have one, he rants that all he can do is spin the wheel and hope for the best. Satoko brushes him off as "unsightly." Rena reminds him that he cannot give up. Rika pats him on the head telling him it is fine as he tries to control his frustration. For her part, Mion only lets out a disappointed sigh.

When Keiichi demands to know from Mion what he is suppose to do, she angrily declares her disappointment in him. While the rest of them gave their best, he does not seem to be trying, since if he was, he would have found a way to win in ten seconds. She turns her back on him and call the rest to follow. As they walk away, Rena protests to Mion that she did not have to get mad at him. Left alone, Keiichi outwardly rages over how he could possibly win the game in ten seconds. Okamura interrupts Keiichi's "thinking out loud" to ask if they can continue playing. Tomita asks him if he wishes to give up. Keiichi thinks in silence then brightens to declare that he will show them what happens when he starts trying. He immediately suggests that they make a deal to let him win. He asks them what they will do if they actually advance and win the prize, and neither have very lofty goals. Keiichi laughs and suggests they set their sights higher. When Okamura asks him how he will spend the money better than they will, Keiichi reveals that on top of playing with them, members of The Club face penalties for losing. These penalties include forcing the loser to do whatever the winner tells him to do. When Tomita protests that they are not members of his club, Keiichi reveals that he knows he has a crush on Satoko, to his blushing shock. Keiichi then reveals to Okamura that he knows he has a crush on Rika to his blushing shock. Keiichi promises Tomita that when he wins he will put a collar on Satoko and force her to be his "little sister" for a day, which results in his explosive epistaxis. For Okamura, he will put cat ears on Rika and let him take her for a walk, which initiate a similar horrendous hemorrhage. They grovellingly thank him.

The girls and a few other bystanders look in shock at Keiichi's triumph. For her part, Mion smiles with admiration. When Satoko angrily demands to know how he could have won given his previous pathetic position, Keiichi replies that they had an old-fashioned gentleman's agreement. Tomita and Okamura's tearfully excited affirmation shocks The Girls, then Rika smiles and compliments Keiichi for getting things done. Mion proudly compliments him for finally trying. When Rena asks her what game they will all play, Mion sheepishly apologizes that she has to leave for her part-time job to their collective disappointment.

Outside the store, Mion apologizes again and promises to make it up to all of them. Her uncle appears with bags thanking them for their efforts which proves quite profitable for the store. When Mion asks where her tip is, he merely promises to give her a big tip the next time he sees her at work, to her protests. Meanwhile, Rika and Satoko hug and dote on their stuffed animals. Rena enters Cute Mode squeezing her stuffed bear. Keiichi wonders if his gift is also "cute," and finds a doll. In awe, Rena, Rika, and Satoko proclaim its cuteness. With her eyes closed, Mion starts to tease Keiichi that it is the last thing he would expect him to want. Keiichi admits it is cute, but he does not think a doll like it is for me. Mion continues her teasing that if he took it home, everyone would think he is a pervert (変態・hentai).

He laughingly agrees with her that it is not really his thing, but then turns serious. Rika waves for his attention. When he bends down to her level, she whispers to him that so long as he is kind about it, he can give the doll to anyone and they would not be embarrassed and will accept it. Keiichi looks at Mion who returns his look with surprise. He then offers the doll to her since she will get more use out of it. Blushing, Mion tries to protest that she is not the type for dolls. She tries to continue with bubbles circling her head that she wonders why she was not just born a guy. A bit irritated, Keiichi insists that she just take the doll.

Mion stammers an "O-okay," and accepts the doll. Rena agrees that she thinks she is a better home for the doll than Keiichi. Blushing with a little smile, Mion holds the doll closely.

A wooden block calendar shows the date is Monday, June 13, 1983.

Inside the restaurant Angel Mort, Keiichi finishes his meal with his father. He suggests to him that the food is not much different from other family restaurants. Ichirō lasciviously asks his son who cares about the food. He then directs his attention, which Keiichi follows to see what When They C ry Wiki will charitably describe as otaku, but he sees some more normal clientele, one of whom asks for a refill of his coffee. A waitress turns with an audible settling of her front court that When They C ry Wiki stresses is completely necessary for the plot. As she walks past them, Ichirō gives a satisfied laugh while Keiichi scowls. However, when she passes Keiichi, he does rather follow her back court. Keiichi recovers himself and sarcastically asks his father if this is why he claimed the restaurant was so infamous. Blushing as he smiles, Ichirō rhetorically asks if his son likes their uniforms as well, which prompts a hard slap with a harisen, which Keiichi apparently carries with him on such outings.

When they recover, his father advises him to be honest with himself as he excuses himself to use restroom: "You take some time to appreciate these girls while I'm gone." Keiichi sits back down and mutters to himself the question how old does his father think he is. He is interrupted by the voice of a girl apologizing for the wait for his dessert. He looks up the costume to find a very surprised and embarrassed blushing Mion. When in his shock he asks her if she is her, she turns away a bit. He continues to severely ask why she is working there. She responds that it is her uncle's shop, and she is just helping out. Though blushing, he tries to tease her that her outfit looks good even on her. Blushing herself, she asks him not to stare so hard since it is embarrassing. Keiichi persists in his teasing by suggesting that she loves when all of the guys stare at her when she is wearing it. She turns angrily and stammeringly protests that she does not wear it because she wants to. Keiichi continues to confess that he never thought she would look good in it, not in his wildest dreams.

Deeply blushing and embarrassed, she tries to insist that he has it all wrong: she is actually Sonozaki Shion, Mion's twin sister. Keiichi retorts by asking if this is the first time they have met, why did she act as if it was not. Sweating as well as blushing, Shion smiles a bit and stammers that her sister always talks about him. Unpersuaded, Keiichi deems it a pathetic story. Shion squirms with anime bubbles appearing over her head. Keiichi finally relents, addresses her as "Shion," and apologizes. Still blushing, she accepts his apology so long as he knows she is not her sister. Ever Mr. Smooth, Keiichi then teases that he does not think the uniform would look good on Mion, but "Shion-chan" looks great in it. Her eyes cross and steam rises from her head, as she tries to understand what he means, but another waitress interrupts "Sonozaki-san" to tell her she can take her break if she wishes. She recovers a bit, and then she tells him that she is happy to have met the infamous "Kei-chan." For his part, he smiles back that he really thought she was Mion.

His father returns laughing to himself just as she leaves. He asks him if he finally understands why the place is so awesome. Keiichi smile, looks in the direction of where Mion was, and confesses that he does.

The wooden block calendar now shows the date is Tuesday, June 14, 1983. Keiichi walks home with Rena and Mion, complaining that skipping lunch is torture for him since he is a growing boy. He flashes back to outside the school where their teacher, Chie Rumiko, has divided them into teams to cook curry. Keiichi grouses about making it into a competition. He confesses that he has never seen Chie-Sensei act so intense. Mion whines in agreement that Chie is usually "so gentle and sweet," as the scene focuses on a flashback of a pot of cooking curry. Rena asks him if he is okay, and reminds him that she told him to eat some of her curry as the flashback shows that Satoko tipped over the comically-horrified Keiichi and Mion's pot. As the flashback then shows Satoko dumping salt into Rena's pot, Keiichi laments that Satoko turned her curry into a "hypertensive's salty nightmare."

Back in the present, Mion indulgently congratulates him for pulling through despite everything, but Keiichi protests that words will not make him feel better. If she wants to make him feel better, she should get him something to eat. Rena laughs and assures him that his dinner will taste great after his wait. At the water wheel, Mion stops and states that she has to head off to work. Still apparently not accepting that Mion has a sister, Keiichi remarks that waitressing must be pretty tough to Mion's surprise. Also surprised, Rena asks if she is a waitress. Entering Cute Mode, she comes close to Mion and demands to know where she works.

Blushing, Mion tries to explain that she is just helping her uncle. She then switches to claim that she is simply watching the game shop for Uncle Yoshirō. Keiichi actually responds to Mion's embarrassment by declaring that Shion is the waitress. He then sweatingly "apologizes" to Mion since she and her sister look so alike he simply forgot. However, Rena asks him who Shion is. He answer.png.pngs that it is her twin sister, then adds a tease to Mion that they look the same but have completely different personalities. She takes his life-line and stammeringly agrees that she and her sister look similar but are totally different people. Pressing his advantage, Keiichi teases that, unlike her, Shion is really cute and has a sweet smile. Mion blushes deeply, holds her cheeks, and stammers, "K-Kei-chan!" Confused, Rena insists that she never remembered Mion mentioning that she had a sister. Still blushing, Mion recovers and tries to explain that Rena has never met her. She then apologizes quickly that she has to run to work, and she quite literally runs away. Keiichi, who clearly does not buy the "twin-sister" explanation, tells Rena that, technically, Mion is not lying so she should just believe her. Reentering Cute Mode, Rena responds that she does believe Mion since she looked so cute.

In the Maebara House, Keiichi lies on the floor at the entrance whining about when dinner will happen, and when his mother will return. The doorbell rings behind him, he languidly announces that the front door is open, and the feet of Shion enter. She nervously stammers a "good evening." Dressed in her St. Lucia Academy uniform, she is shocked to find him on the floor. He looks up at the blushing girl, and he starts to address her as "Mion" but quickly switches to "Shion." When he asks her why she is there, she explains that her sister informed her that he had to skip lunch. He sarcastically asks her if she brought food for his starving stomach. She sheepishly, but quickly, produces a wrapped box, then adds that it is in thanks for the "d-doll." Seeing the box, Keiichi executes a leap but then asks why she is talking about the doll he gave to Mion. Blushing and sweating, but looking quite pleased, she haltingly explains that she was quite happy to take her present over to him. She then formally bows and presents the wrapped box while formally apologizing for bothering him. He eagerly accepts while insisting that he is really glad she came. Still "Blushing and Sweating, but Looking Quite Pleased," she stammers that she was on her way to work and has to go, and as she leaves still "Blushing and Sweating, but Looking Quite Pleased," she tells him he may return the empty containers to her sister after he is done. Keiichi looks over a very impressive collection of boxes containing food, but he does wonder if it is really safe to eat. He pauses with his chopsticks as he wonders if Mion stuffed the food with Tabasco sauce or mustard. He tries a piece, finds it delicious, and begins eating with enthusiasm.

The wooden block calendar now shows the date is Wednesday, June 15, 1983.

In class, Keiichi presents Mion with the wrapped boxes while thanking her for the food which he found delicious. A semi chibi Mion startles in reaction to his compliment for a moment then takes the wrapped boxes. Rika, Satoko, then Rena as well as a few classmates, stare in surprise at the blushing Mion. Ever in the possession of a clue, Keiichi starts to tease that he was very happy that Shion came by and gave him food. He declares that those are the containers, and he has washed all of them for her. Mion tries to recover by laughing, while "Blushing and Sweating, but Looking Quite Pleased," that Shion is very thoughtful.

Satoko interrupts her by declaring that she is in a very good mood today. She approaches with Rika, while Rena, who sits next to Mion, bubbles that Mion is being so kind and gentle. For her part, there is a bit less "Looking Quite Pleased" in Mion's expression. Satoko suggests that Mion has come down with a cold. Rika gently suggests that she is sure Satoko will eventually "come down with a cold," too. Confused, Satoko asks her what that means as the scene cuts to the outside of the school. Back inside, Chie has fallen asleep on her chair. Keiichi lets out a loud yawn and stretch whilst Mion and Rena try to study behind him. He confesses that eating lunch made him sleepy. Excited, Mion asks him if he always eats every last bit of lunch. He happily agrees that it would be rude to the person who made it not to. Rena smiles in reaction. Blushing a bit, Mion claims that while he gives off an intense and independent vibe, he actually appears to have good manners. Rena agrees that Keiichi is nicer than he looks. Keiichi grumbles a bit that it appears that they are making fun of him. Mion snaps back that she simply wanted to point out that people are not what they appear. Again ever in possession of a clue, Keiichi demands to know what Mion implies he looks like now. Chie scolds the both of them, then summons Mion to approach with her notebook. As Mion skulks to the front, Rena gently advises Keiichi that sometimes people are the complete opposite of what they seem. He asks her where this came from all of a sudden, but she does have his attention. She gives the example of Satoko: she was a sweet and needy child until recently. Keiichi finds that unbelievable. In the background, Chie lectures Mion. Rena continues that she always imagines Rika will grow up to become a "devilishly beautiful woman." Directing his attention to the sheepish Mion suffering Chie's lecture, which includes her noting that Mion made the unpardonable sin of being distracted the previous day when they were making curry, Rena claims that Mion is "really girly deep down." Keiichi smiles slyly and asks her how much Mion paid her to say that. Without skipping a beat, Rena continues that Mion is the head of their club and works hard to be their leader, yet underneath all of that, "she's just a cute girl!"

Keiichi startles a bit, then has a flashback to Shion at Angel Mort, then at his home. As he returns to the present, Rena happily adds that she hopes he will not forget that about her. Keiichi turns to Rena and asks her if the lesson applies to her as well. Rena startles as she asks him what he means. Suspiciously, Keiichi reminds her of her words and asks what they mean about her. Rena laughs off his suspicions and turns the table by asking him how he sees her. As he starts to say that the Ryūgū Rena he knows, her face appears to grow to fill his visual fields as she "hmm?" in anticipation of his answer.png.png. He laughs and finally replies that she sometimes takes jokes a little too far, but she is caring and is "the perfect girl." This pleases Rena.

Keiichi, however, stares at her suspiciously as the higurashi c ry, and he inwardly wonders, "but if you're just the opposite. . . ."

Outside the school, Mion apologizes to the rest for having to go to work. Rika assures her that it is fine since she also has plans. Mion remembers that Rika has Watanagashi practice. Keiichi asks if there is some big event. Rena explains to him that it is a festival held at the shrine on a Sunday in June. Satoko adds that Rika is the Watanagashi miko who will perform the ritual dance. Keiichi deems "watanagashi" to be a weird name for a festival. Rena happily explains that it means "cotton drifting," and they remove cotton from futons and let it drift down the river. Satoko announces that they do not have time to dawdle and takes Rika away. Mion also makes her excuses and starts running down the road. As she leaves, Rena observes that her relatives own a lot of shops so it must be hard for her to help out. Keiichi, however, just stares in the direction Mion left.

With a smile, Keiichi rides his bike to Shishibone. He parks it outside Angel Mort thinking that Mion is "a cute girl, deep down. . . ." Unfortunately, after he parks his bike, he walks and tips over three motorcycles. He is immediately confronted by the Motorcycle Gang. When they start to threaten him, Shion arrives and angrily tells them to leave. When they confront her, they find her backed up by angry citizens. More and more approach staring at them. Keiichi looks in fear.

Adult-Voiced Rika returns to announce the second chapter.