Sonozaki housekeeper: “Mion-san---, you’re friend is here---“
I heard the housekeeper calling out my name. My house is very big, so I can’t hear my friends ringing the doorbell or calling out “He-y Mion-chan, wanna go out and play-?!”
Mion: “Okay, okay. Thank you. Who is it?”
Housekeeper: “It’s Furude’s Rika-chama.”
Mion: “Oh, I see, I see. Can you tell grandma that Rika-chama is here? She’s probably on the porch over there. I’ll bring the watermelons.”
Grandma received a bunch of watermelons, so she decided to have them shared with my friends. So, I called the Furude family a little while ago, and Rika-chan came here to pick them up.
…I wonder if she came with her bicycle. Did her bike have a frontal holder big enough to fit a watermelon? I pondered about how she was going to take them home as I plucked one watermelon from the well in the backyard. The cold water in the well acted like a refrigerator for the watermelon. The condensation on the watermelon is cool to the touch, and it looks to be very delicious. The three members of the Furude family would be able to have nice dessert for at least two nights with this.
Rika: “…Mi-? It’s to take home? I thought…”
Mion: “Huh? Didn’t this ojisan tell you?!”
I told the priest that we like to share some watermelons but… I guess there was miscommunication somewhere. Somehow the word was changed from “come and have (pick up) a watermelon” to “come and have (eat over here) a watermelon.”
There was no way such a plump watermelon was going to fit in the small frontal holder on her bike, and its too dangerous for her to ride that bike on one hand while holding such a heavy thing on the other.
Oryou: “Mion, you go and help carry that watermelon to Rika-chama’s home. She can’t ride a bike holding a watermelon on the other hand”
Rika: “….Mi-. I sure can hold a watermelon.”
Oryou: “No, no! That’s too dangerous! If something happens to Rika-chama, we’’ never redeem ourselves to the Oyashiro-sama. Our Mion will carry it. Let’er handle it.”
Mion: “Yeah yeah, lemme handle it. I’ll also go and have a chat with the priest as well.”
Even if Rika-chan was able to do it by herself, her hands would be tied up in either way. So, I helped her carry it back to her house.
The sky is turning auburn from the sunset. …The cool wind began to billow, and the bare feet in my sandals feels soothing. Inside the plastic bag were the watermelon and several small bags of
kompeitou candies as a token for coming all the way to the Sonozaki main house.
Rika-chan however, told me that if her mom found out about it, she would take away that candy. So, we opened them right now and plopped the sweet tastes of kompeito candies into our mouths as we trotted to her home…
It is one of grandma’s rules to give out candy to all children that came to the Sonozaki family as a token of appreciation. Let me rephrase that – it’s like a custom in Hinamizawa not particular to just the Sonozaki family. So, I hear funny stories where kids fight with their siblings on who is going to take the circulation note to their neighbor in hopes of getting candy, even though no one in their house has read that note yet.
…This kompeito is one of those rewards to children.
However, she does not usually give this much kompeito normally. The usual exchange rate was one piece of candy. …So this shows how much my grandma has a special sweet spot for Rika-chama.
Rika: “…I feel bad for getting all these candies all the time.”
Mion: “I don’t think you should think so much about it. These rewards are like a token of how much they love you. I think its best to just say thank you and put on a big smile on your face like a child than trying to refuse them.”
Rika: “…Does Mii get rewards too?”
Mion: “Oh, in the past yeah! But I’m too old now to get any rewards. Besides, even if I got them, I’d probably get a bit pissed for trying to treat me like a little kid.”
Rika: “….Mi-. So I’m treated like a little kid.”
Mion: “Ahahahaha. What’s wrong about that! You should take them when you still can. When you grow up to my age, I can’t get stuff that I want anymore.”
I thought that we were talking the usual stuff, until I realized that Rika-chan showed the emotions of sadness.
Mion: “What’s wrong?”
Rika: “….Even though I get lots of candy when I go out for chores, ….Satoko never receives any even if she’s with me.”
Mion: “…………..”
If I start to think about why she said that to me, I could go on forever… Everyone around here knows that not only Satoko, but the Houjou family in general, are given the cold shoulder in Hinamizawa. …And the main instigator of that is the Sonozaki main household. The two main targets of the ostracism had died when they fell to their deaths in that tragic accident. Yet, the cold taunting towards the Houjou family still continues towards their children, Satoko and Satoshi, …and to their foster parents as well.
It is true that this all began with the big argument that the Houjou family had with the Sonozaki family at the local project meeting for the dam proposal. …The ones that should be shunned were the husband and his wife, but their children or their uncle and aunt had nothing to do with this whole issue. …Still, the equation of “village traitor = the Houjou family” seems to have evolved on its own, …and that policy set the atmosphere to ostracize anyone with the surname of Houjou.
Their uncle and his wife was not a part of the pro-dam group. So, given time, the ostracism towards them should’ve subsided. …However, they weren’t what I call a “socially acceptable” type to begin with. …They were clearly not getting along with their neighbors and were a bit of a nuisance in the village.
The refused to follow the rules of taking out the trash on the appropriate days, they ditch their pre-arranged community duties, they spray pesticides in their backyard without regards to their neighbors’ laundry times. …I often hear tales of them getting into a heated argument with their neighbors and the council. Practically, they were just looked as an annoyance with or without their ties to the dam proposal. …Hence, the banishment towards the Houjou family still continues to this day.
But, still, Satoko and Satoshi have nothing to do with all of this…
I always see Satoko and Satoshi depressed whenever they come to school. …I leave all the things about Sonozaki family and Houjou family aside at school…but I don’t know how Satoko and Satoshi really feel about that. …From their point of view, I’m certain they see me just as another member of the Sonozaki family…
Mion: “…I don’t want to bring in such bullying into the school. So I do my best to be a regular friend at school, so that the atmosphere there will be protected from the harshness of the outside world…”
Rika: “…But how do you spread that atmosphere to the entire village…?”
…That’s a very difficult task to accomplish.
The Houjou family made enemies of the three gosankes. They were branded as traitors of the village, and its wound has yet to heal. Even if one family steps up to say “…the dam war is finished. Let’s become friends again,” it’s like putting water over hot coal. …No one wants to become a target of ostracism themselves for taking the side of the Houjou family.
It hurts my heart to even think about it, but…the only answer that I can come up with is for them to wait out patiently until this whole matter cools and withers away. And the only thing that I can provide to them is an oasis which they can use until the whole thing is over.
Rika: “…Then how long do they have to hold out…?”
Mion: “………I don’t know. The whole dam war itself took several years. Since they were branded at that time…it might take just as well.”
Rika: “…Then does that mean that Satoko and Satoshi won’t be forgiven until they become adults? Satoko will then have to live her childhood here amidst all the cold shoulders?”
Mion: “…That’s…very harsh….”
Rika: “….Mii. We are friends with Satoko and Satoshi, right?”
Mion: “Of course. Both of them are my special friends. They are a part of our team.”
Rika: “…Then, isn’t there anything we can do to help out our friends in distress…?”
Mion: “….I really wish…I really wonder what we could do…”
Let’s say even if the Sonozaki main house announces that “the dam war was finished, let’s be friendly to the Houjous once again,” it’s not as simple as that. …Besides, grandma seems to despise the Houjou family from her guts, and even the notion of Houjou is considered a taboo around her.
It’s not just about one person forgiving them. …The problem lies with the complicated social interactions between people…it is the community called the village itself. …And to turn such a powerhouse like that into your enemy is very intimidating. Everyone knows this, so that is why they maintain good relationships with their neighbors. …If you dare to turn that into your enemy, you learn of the consequences. …This is the dark side of community relationships that exists not only in Hinamizawa, but in anywhere in Japan.
The Sonozaki family is not an exception to this rule. When the labeling of the Houjou family has come this far, even the Sonozaki family cannot overturn this conviction so easily.
Rika: “…So even if this is about our Hinamizawa, …no one living in Hinamizawa can do anything about it?”
Mion: “….Sadly, …but I guess you’re right. …If there will be a person capable of saving Satoko, than that person must be someone who isn’t bound to such unsaid policies of Hinamizawa. ….Unfortunately, there isn’t anyone in Hinamizawa like that.”
Rika: “….Are you saying that, …someone from the outside of Hinamizawa must come here and save her…?”
Mion: “………………”
Would there ever be a knight in shining armor from the outside world just like Rika-chan says? Would that person be able to smash through the closed space of centuries old customs and bring in a new wave of fresh air into this village?
I don’t think so. It’s all wishful thinking. Basically, nothing is going to change. ….Time is the only factor to help heal this wound.
Hence, I decided to be their friends. I could not think of anything beyond that.
As both of us started biting on the kompeito in our mouths…all we could do was to hope that everyone could forgive Satoko and Satoshi as quickly as possible....
Rika then broke the heavy silence between us.
Rika: “…There will be”
Mion: “Huh…?”
Rika: “….There will be, …someone from the outside of this village, a person not bound to these customs, will come here soon.”
Mion: “Sure. The dam war is over now, so I’m sure someone would start to move here to those areas that are marked for sale. It’ll be fun if such family has a kid close to our age and he or she decides to transfer to our school.”
Rika: “….He will come. And, all of us will unite and defeat the evil practice that causes such ostracism in this village. …That will be the first key in opening the three locks that traps us from the future.”
Mion: “….Huh? What’s that? Is that some kind of book or some sort??”
Rika-chan is known for occasionally rambling peculiar things. Whenever I see her in that mode, she looks as if she’s much older than her age, …and I begin to doubt whether I am the one younger than her.
The unreasonable ostracism towards the Houjou family…
…Will there ever really be a hero from the outside who isn’t bound to our customs, that can shatter our old ways and introduce a brighter future for us…?