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On the night of the festival, the dead
return to earth wearing masks.
That's the mysterious legend
passed down in my town.
My town......
Matsuyoi Village is 3 and a half hours
from the city, up in the mountains.
Surrounded by mountains on all sides,
and a modest population.
A land left behind by time.
The town's patron was the tengu.
They are said to descend from the mountains
to escort the dead to the afterlife.
Because it's that sort of village,
a legend about the dead returning
is still widely believed.
But as for me,
I didn't believe it at all.
That's right...
That's what I thought
Until the day I received that letter...
"Shintaro!
How long did you sleep?
It's already night.
Perhaps going away to study in Tokyo
made your body rhythm
become somewhat off?
"Oh yeah.
A letter came for you.
It's pretty strange too.
The letter had no postmark.
The nondescript
tan envelope the letter was in
already gave me chills.
Inside the envelope
was a single page
torn from a notebook.
"Meet me at the viewing platform on festival night"
That's what the letter said.
And then, the name of the sender
sent shivers down my spine.
"Sagara Nanami"
...It's fake.
That can't be real.
After all...
Nanami...
Died four years ago......
"Tonight's the festival."
"You should go too.
I'm sure your classmates will be there.
She leaves and I walk out after.
"So many stalls out
this year as well.
That's right.
Do you remember eating
those Tengu Bananas?
When you were little,
you used to love them.
Good times, huh.
I find Dad to the right.
"Yo, Shintaro!
Did you get nice and strong
since you been in Tokyo?
You know your dad's always
cheering you on to become
the greatest man you can be!
I leave the house.
On the night of the festival, the dead
return to earth wearing masks.
That legend
echoed around in my head
and made me feel uneasy.
This letter...
What does it mean?
No postmark means
someone placed it by hand
into my mailbox.
...Who?
And why?
Why use the name of the late Nanami?
"Tonight's the festival."
"Meet me at the viewing platform on festival night"
...Could it be...?
...No, definitely not.
That'd be way too mean of a prank.
That's what I thought, but still...
That letter with no postmark
sent by the dead Nanami
cast a dark shadow on my heart.
Something will happen at the festival tonight.
I had a feeling that was the case...
What She Said in The End
"The town festival... huh.
It's been a while.
...Right.
About that letter...
I should make sure I don't forget it.
[Shintaro added
"Postmark-less Letter" and "Letter Contents"
to MEMORY]
Postmark-less Letter:
A single torn notebook page in a brown envelope.
In the corner of the page
there is a bear symbol.
Letter Contents:
Meet me at the viewing platform on festival night.
Sagara Nanami
We also got a character profiles screen, which might be helpful for dialogue portraits, but with the exception of Shintaro and Nanami, the descriptions are pretty barebones.
Nakaaki Shintaro
19 years old. Student. Living in Tokyo.
Left town shortly after highschool graduation.
Sagara Nanani
15 year old at time of death. Shintaro's classmate.
In summer of 8th grade, she drowned in the lake.
"Alright...
Let's go.
Now we should go to the left, but actually our dad has a lot to talk to us about if we go back inside.
The game will sometimes offer conversation choices which in my experience never lock you out of content even if that means the npc blatantly asks you the same thing again,so they basically aren't even choices, just a chance to talk more if you want.
Now we'll talk to Dad about "becoming a great man"
"You can't become a great man
just from getting older.
You've also gotta be resolute!
...That's what your dad
has always thought.
Great men are the coolest!
Do you also wish to become one?
>No
"Whaat!? Shintaro!
What have you done with my son!?
I've failed as a father!
~reverse reverse~
>Yes
"I see!
Then I shall beseech to you
the three com-man-dments!
As your father's son,
my one wish is for you
to become a great man!
>Three com-man-dments?
"The three com-man-dments
are things that every great man
promises to uphold.
Uphold the com-man-dments
and you'll be a great man
in no time!
>First com-man-dment
"Com-man-dment one!
Always be modest!
You mustn't let your pride win.
What's more, a prideful mind
lacks self-awareness.
I, your father,
have experienced many hardships.
>Second com-man-dment
"Com-man-dment two!
Never bring up negative topics.
Putting yourself down and stuff...
nobody wants to listen to all that.
It's intolerable!
Bad times will definitely happen!
But great men bear it silently!
>Third com-man-dment
"Com-man-dment three!
Protect your true love!
Once you choose a woman to love,
you must devote your life to her.
That's the third com-man-dment!
Respect them all and you'll be a great man!
I know you can do it!
Dad lecture over, we actually head to the festival.
"Shintaro!?
The hell're you doin' here!
It's been a dang while!
He jumps.
"It's me!
Your middle-school classmate Sakuraba!
Man, what a throwback!
I know it's sudden, but
actually, us classmates are
all gathering right now...
This timing is perfect!
You come too!
He zips me to the left
"Yoo guys!
Sorry I'm late!
More importantly look!
Are you shocked?
This guy!
Y'all know him, right?
"...Whaat? Shintaro!
It's been so long!
Do you remember us?
I'm the girl from the flowershop,
Nagumo Chizuru!
...Then again, Shintaro
you never really came to the shop
did you?
Even if I say I'm from the flowershop,
it probably won't ring a bell.
Ahaha, well that's fine!
"Nakaaki, long time no see.
I was class rep in middle-school,
Yukimura Miyako.
You went to Tokyo, yes?
I also wanted to go to a
university in Tokyo.
Chizuru jumps
"Whaat! You should've!
Miyako, if you went,
you would've passed easy!
"Thank you. But my
grandmother and grandfather
are living alone, aside from me.
And anyway,
I can study from anywhere.
"It's true, I always
see Miyako reading a lot
of really hard books.
I can't understand
a word of those things
so I'm impressed!
"Huhu, thank you."
...Well, last but not least.
Kujou.
"...Shintaro.
How ya been?
I'm Kujou Tokiya.
Where the hell
have you been this whole time?
The four of us all
went to different schools
but we still kept in touch and hung out.
But you
whether it was phone or mail,
you never responded.
That's a little...
cold, isn't it?
(...Kujou is
exactly right.)
(I have been avoiding
my classmates since highschool.)
(Even when they contacted me...
I didn't feel like seeing anyone.)
"Could the reason be...
Sagara?"
"!
"...Bullseye, huh?
I guess it's no use then.
You don't have to say anything, I get it.
...You've always been
a really easy guy to read.
Sagara Nanami...
In 8th grade, Nanami
lost her life before getting to graduate.
The cause was drowning.
Her body was found in the lake.
There were no signs of struggle,
so they investigated from every angle,
accident, murder, or suicide.
However...
In the end, the police dealt with the case
as an accident.
It was a common rumor in town
that Nanami's body was discovered
on the day of the town festival.
"She must have been taken by a Tengu."
...That was impossible.
I'd never believe it.
I didn't want to believe.
I didn't want to remember.
I didn't want to think about how
Nanami isn't here anymore.
Avoiding everyone in highschool,
and leaving town after graduation,
was all because of that.
Seeing everyone
or walking around town
would awaken horrible memories.
That's why I
Lock the painful memories away
In a distant corner of my heart.
Not unlike anybody else,
I want to protect myself...
From sad memories.
I've been running away
from my past full of pain...
"Ah!
That reminds me!
"Hey hey!
I just remembered!
Isn't today Shintaro's birthday?
Wasn't it August 14?
"Huh? Was it?
Yo, what the heck, Shintaro!
"Y, yeah...
It's my birthday.
"I knew it!
Well? We've gotta celebrate!
"Yo, that's crazy though!
You haven't even seen him in a while
and you remembered his birthday!
I remember stuff about Shintaro
from back in middle-school
but not his birthday.
"Eheheh.
I've got a really good memory!
Anyway, since his birthday's
the same day as the festival,
it's easy to remember!
"Aah, of course!
I'll totally remember it now.
Yo Shintaro!
Get ready for next year!
"Wait wait focus on this year first!
Since we're all gathered already,
why don't we have a party?
"Ooh, that's good too!
Shintaro! Let's drink together!
"Not allowed.
We're all still minors.
"Wh, wh, what!
I d, didn't say a single word
about alcohol!
"Don't go saying
obvious lines like
"let's drink together."
"Wh, what the heck!
Buzzkill!
"Buzzkill?
That's not even the issue.
Sakuraba, for the child of a priest,
you indulge quite a bit.
"G, guhh...!
Why'd I have to be
born in a temple...
"Ahahaha!
Classic former class rep!
People never change!
So, Shintaro.
Let's have a little party.
"Meet me at the viewing platform on festival night"
"...Huh?
Shintaro, what's wrong?
You have a scary face.
"...It's nothing...
It makes me really happy that
you all want to celebrate, but...
...Sorry.
I have to decline.
"Huh?
Whaat! Why!?
"Shintaro, you dick...
After all this time,
you're still avoiding us?
"That's not it.
I have business to do.
"Business...?"
"Yeah.
It's um...
A rendevous.
"Rendevous?
Oh my.
In that case, we can't change it.
So then, once your business is over,
come back here.
We'll celebrate then!
"...Got it.
Thanks.
"...The viewing platform is
at the northeast of town...