This is the 9th Chapter of The Summer Hikaru Died manga series, written and illustrated by Mokumokuren.
Synopsis[]
Yoshiki tells "Hikaru" about the incident six months ago, when he found Indou Hikaru's body, deep in the woods of Kubitachi's mountains. As a consequence, fond memories and long repressed feelings emerge to the surface and Yoshiki is overcome by emotions, with "Hikaru" held close by his side. Meanwhile, the village leaders are discussing the worrisome situation their village finds itself in, and are out to find a swift solution to their problem.
Plot[]
Yoshiki tells "Hikaru" the story of how he found Indou Hikaru's body on Red Sand Mountain. With a rainstorm raging outside, Yoshiki's mother sharply told Yoshiki to stay home and let the adults take care of the search for Hikaru. However, later in the night Yoshiki decided to go. Kaoru reminded him of what their mother said, but Yoshiki insisted he'd be right back. He went into the mountains by himself, and came across Hikaru's body laying prone on the ground. He touched his face and felt that he was cold and no longer breathing. He noticed that a rock had smashed his head, but noted that the body was in surprisingly good condition. Yoshiki returned home and was embraced by his mother, who told him that the fire brigade was still out there looking for Hikaru. Due to the shock that set in shortly after seeing Hikaru's body, Yoshiki then fell ill with a fever and remained in bed for a few days, but once he woke up, "Hikaru" was back.
Yoshiki admits that sometimes he thought it was all a dream, but he noticed lots of odd things about his friend. "Hikaru" says that he was probably already like this when Yoshiki came across the body, which "Hikaru" had spent a few days repairing.
Yoshiki thinks back to a day he spent at the river with Hikaru when they were in middle school.[1] He says he can't wait to move to the city because he hates living in the country, and how everyone in the village pries into his family's life so much. His parents fight basically every day, and people like Yasaburou's grandmother are constantly gossiping about it. Hikaru brings up that the Yasaburou's house had a huge fight themselves, because their eldest son Yuusuke is sick. Yoshiki corrects him, saying that Yuusuke isn't sick – he's a homosexual. Yoshiki complains again about the village feeling cramped, so Hikaru cheerfully tells him that Yoshiki should come to his house whenever he feels like he wants to escape.
Recalling this, Yoshiki begins to cry. "Hikaru" holds himself back from touching his shoulder, unsure how to comfort Yoshiki. He tries to leave and give him space, but Yoshiki grabs his shirt and pulls him back down. "Hikaru" says that even though he can't replace the real person, he'll always protect Yoshiki and do whatever he asks.
Elsewhere, three men meet up to discuss the death of Indou Kouhei. Mikasa says that since Kouhei's son went missing for a week then returned, he probably hasn't completed the ritual. Takeda wonders if, like Kouhei had once said, the ritual can no longer continue on as it once did. Matsushima wonders aloud if "that thing" truly ever existed in the mountains in the first place, but Mikasa insists that it does exist. "That thing" is the burden of Kubitachi since ancient times, and it is the duty of the residents to keep it trapped. Otherwise, the entire village will be in trouble. He suggests calling Tanaka for help, and Takeda reluctantly agrees.
Tanaka himself appears to have researched Kubitachi extensively, his room full of maps and notes about the area. He doesn't want to go to Kubitachi, since dealing with "that thing" will be difficult.
Character Appearances[]
- Tsujinaka Satoko
- Tsujinaka Yoshiki
- Tsujinaka Kaoru
- Indou Hikaru
- "Hikaru"
- Yasaburou (mentioned)
- Yuusuke (mentioned)
- Takeda Hajime
- Indou Kouhei (mentioned)
- Mikasa Tetsu
- Matsushima Yoshihiko
- Old Lady Matsuura (mentioned)
- Tanaka
Gallery[]
References
- ↑ Mokumokuren, Twitter @mokmok_len (May 9, 2022). ちなみに普段の2人は高校生ですが、今回の回想に出てくる2人は中学生です。 ["By the way, the two of them are normally high school students, but the two appearing in this flashback are middle school students."] Retrieved on September 29, 2025.
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