This is the 18th Chapter of The Summer Hikaru Died manga series, written and illustrated by Mokumokuren.
Synopsis[]
While digging for information about Kubitachi and Nounuki-sama, the boys run into Old Lady Matsuura’s daughter! She offers to tell them what she knows, but what sinister clues could she have for them...?[1]
Plot[]
Matsuura confirms that Old Lady Matsuura was her mother, then shows the boys an encyclopedia of Japan's place names. They learn that Kubitachi was once part of one larger region called XX Domain Territory. XX was later split into Kubitachi, Udekari, Ashidori, Udeiri, and Darumasute (the last two are now part of Kibogayama). In 1749, Kubitachi was struck by a famine and plague that nearly caused its collapse, but it slowly recovered. Matsuura explains that this mass death is hardly talked about, but the deaths were said to be very strange.
"Hikaru" asks directly if Matsuura has heard of Nounuki-sama, the Great Brain-snatcher. She asks if her mother mentioned it, and explains that when Old Lady Matsuura was young, she once snuck into the mountains and saw something terrifying. She then taught her children to never go there. She explains that Nounuki is a god of the mountains, said to have granted something in exchange for a special offering. When many people died due to famine, Nounuki became a malevolent deity (
Matsuura claims that the reason her mother became so paranoid is that her younger sister disappeared in the mountains when she was in elementary school. She says that at the time, the adults in the village were raising a fuss about Nounuki. She directs them to Hajime, who she thinks might know more about it, as well as Mikasa Tetsu and Matsushima Yoshihiko who were her childhood friends. In particular, Hajime's father – Old Man Takeda – supposedly is the best person to ask. Yoshiki thanks her for her help and expresses his condolences for her mother's passing. Matsuura wishes them well.
On the walk home, "Hikaru" and Yoshiki review what they've learned. Yoshiki theorizes that the ritual was done to keep Nounuki sealed in the mountains, but Hikaru failed, allowing "Hikaru" to come down into the village. "Hikaru" gets the feeling that that's not entirely correct. He suddenly realizes that this means he was a malevolent god who caused mass death, and says he doesn't like that. But Yoshiki sternly reminds him of what he did to Old Lady Matsuura. While "Hikaru" is stunned, Yoshiki remembers Hikaru mourning his father – Hikaru came to hate mornings because he always woke up and remembered his dad was gone. Yoshiki becomes conscious again that death is tragic, and decides that if "Hikaru" kills someone again, Yoshiki will bear responsibility for it.
Once Yoshiki gets home, he realizes he accidentally took "Hikaru"'s homework with him, so he goes to his house to return it. Meanwhile, Tanaka carries around the small head used in the Indou's ritual. He gets a text message from someone named Satou, telling Tanaka to provide his interim report as soon as possible. Mildly annoyed, Tanaka replies that there have been no abnormalities discovered so far in his investigation. He remarks to himself that his Company is shitty and there's no way he'll follow what they say.
As he enters the village, Tanaka encounters Yoshiki, who is surprised to see a stranger in the village. As they pass one another, the hamster in its cage begins to make a ruckus. Tanaka then stops and calls out to Yoshiki.
Character Appearances[]
- Matsuura
- Old Lady Matsuura (mentioned; flashback; photograph)
- "Hikaru"
- Tsujinaka Yoshiki
- Matsuura Secchan (mentioned; photograph)
- Takeda Hajime (mentioned; flashback)
- Mikasa Tetsu (mentioned; flashback)
- Matsushima Yoshihiko (mentioned; flashback)
- Old Man Takeda (mentioned)
- Indou Hikaru (mentioned; flashback)
- Tanaka
- Satou (text message)
Gallery[]
References
- ↑ Yen Press: The Summer Hikaru Died, Chapter 18
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