This is the 25th Chapter of The Summer Hikaru Died manga series, written and illustrated by Mokumokuren.
Synopsis[]
Yoshiki’s reluctant choice to ask his father for clues pays off when he finally learns the truth of the Indous’s great sin! Meanwhile, “Hikaru” returns to Kurebayashi’s house in search of answers of his own...[1]
Plot[]
Years ago, Tsujinaka Toshinori told a young Yoshiki an old story of two peasants, one greedy and one kind, who went foraging in the forest. The greedy one found a prized mushroom inside a hole, but when he put his head in and reached for it, his head fell off. The kind peasant ran back to the village. Without realizing it, his basket became filled with rice and enough food for a feast. That hole became known as the mouth of the hungry mountain god.
In the present day, Yoshiki asks his father about Hikaru's dad and their family sin. Toshinori asks who he heard it from and why, but lets it go when Yoshiki doesn't reply. Toshinori explains that roughly every five years, the men of the Indou family climb the mountain, apologize, and ask the god of the mountain not to come down from there. In a flashback, Toshi recalls Kouhei's explanation of exactly what the Indou family had done.
Long ago, the wife of an Indou Ancestor died from a plague. He brought her head into the mountains and asked the god to revive her, claiming it could take anything as an offering except the Indou family. Then, one-third of the village's population died in mysterious ways that were all related to the head or neck – hangings, slitting their own throats, horses trampling their heads, or even heads disappearing into thin air. Only the Indou family experienced no deaths. The wife was resurrected, but she was just a living head, so she suffered and died again the same night. After that, the deaths stopped, and the plagues and poor harvests also started to decline. Kouhei wasn't sure how much of that story was true, but he said they still have the head of that wife. They call it Hichi-san and they still bring it up the mountain, generation after generation.
Toshinori explains that shortly before he died, Kouhei sought to put an end to the ritual, claiming that Nounuki-sama isn't what they all thought it was and the ritual was meaningless. He wonders whether the accident that killed his friend was really an accident. When Yoshiki asks, Toshinori says he felt like there wasn't a single valuable thing left in the village after Kouhei died. Yoshiki hangs his head, thinking that the two of them are so similar that it hurts. They continue to discuss their familial relationship and how those who lack a place to belong seek out things to love them or satisfy them. At the end of their conversation, Yoshiki asks for permission to read some of Toshinori's books, which he grants.
Kurebayashi and "Hikaru" talk at her place. She says that he and Yoshiki are becoming mixed together, just like what happened with her son. It causes the barrier between the human and the Other Side to become weaker, so impurities start to be drawn to them. "Hikaru" admits that he can't fully understand humans or their range of emotion like friendship, familial love, and romantic love, but Yoshiki accepts that about him, so he never wants to hurt Yoshiki. He feels guilty that sometimes he's lost control of himself, and he's considering returning to the mountain so that everything can go back to normal. Kurebayashi isn't sure if that would be a perfect fix, but it would likely be better than trying nothing at all. "Hikaru" puts his head down on the table and tries to say that he could tolerate it, but he begins to cry and say that he doesn't want to be alone.
Yoshiki looks in his father's study for books that might be helpful. Yoshiki reviews the information he has so far. The mass deaths occurred, and the villagers began to consider Nounuki-sama a malevolent deity. But he can't figure out why people were offering heads before this incident and nothing ever came of it, yet a wish was granted only during that instance, when a third of the population mysteriously died. He imagines "Hikaru" deciding to return to the mountain and decides he can't let that happen. He picks up an art book by a Renaissance painter. He finds a drawing titled "A Sketch of Gehenna" dated 1519. It depicts an image very similar to "Hikaru"'s insides.
At Kurebayashi's house, she watches "Hikaru" cry and considers their current position. She isn't strong enough to exorcise him completely, but perhaps in his weakened state, she could at least remove him from his body. It would benefit Yoshiki's safety and end "Hikaru"'s pain at making the choice. She reaches across the table.
Character Appearances[]
- Tsujinaka Yoshiki
- Tsujinaka Toshinori
- Indou Kouhei (mentioned; flashback)
- Indou Ancestor (mentioned; flashback)
- Indou Hichi (mentioned; flashback)
- Indou Yuki (mentioned)
- Tsujinaka Kaoru
- Tsujinaka Satoko
- Kurebayashi Rie
- "Hikaru"
- Kurebayashi Iori (mentioned)
Gallery[]
-25.png "Spawn (sketch of Gehenna)-25.png (2.56 MB)")
References
- ↑ Rakuten Kobo: The Summer Hikaru Died, Chapter 25
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