Dimensional Codex System I m really not a cultist

Chapter 117: Chapter 116 I Believe in Science
 

Regarding the issues with Sonozaki Shion and Satoko Hojo, Fang Zheng still had no clues for the time being. As things stood, unless Teppei Hojo returned, he had no way of intervening. And concerning Sonozaki Shion, unless the other party brought it up, Fang Zheng couldn’t just come out and say it. He didn’t have any better options, so he could only let things take their course for now.

Not to mention, he had another matter to attend to at the moment.

That was the upcoming Cotton Flow Festival.

As Hinamizawa’s annual festival, the Cotton Flow Festival was an exceptionally lively event. Each year on this day, people would gather here to enjoy the dance performed by the Shrine Maiden, followed by releasing the torn pieces of cotton into the river during the ritual.

In a horror-themed world, this festival, naturally, was linked to murder. The rumor had it that every year on the day of the Cotton Flow Festival, one person would die, and another would disappear. Hmm… Fortunately, there was no glasses-wearing Shinigami Elementary Student here, or else solving the case would just be a matter of time.

As a school teacher, Fang Zheng naturally had to participate and was in charge of some heavy physical work, but he didn’t mind. On the contrary, it was a good opportunity to close the gap between himself and the residents of Hinamizawa. After all, considering what he had planned for the future, it was beneficial to build up his reputation in the village sooner rather than later.

With a body reconstituted by the Zerg, Fang Zheng gracefully and flawlessly played the role of someone who, undaunted by hardship or fatigue, embodies the spirit of Lei Feng in doing good deeds for a hundred years without wavering. Not only did he smoothly complete his assigned tasks, he even helped others with much of their work. Adding to that the bonus of Fang Zheng’s charm and his way of conducting things, the villagers had nothing but praise for this newcomer. It could be said that Fang Zheng made the most of this opportunity to significantly boost his reputation.

Finally, the eve of the Cotton Flow Festival arrived…

“That’s it for today, thank you everyone for your hard work.”

Fang Zheng clapped his hands and, looking at the finished stand, turned to his companions. There, Maehara Keiichi and the other members of the Academy Life Division were sweating profusely but had satisfied expressions on their faces. Regardless, the sense of accomplishment that came from everyone working together in harmony was irreplaceable.

“So, as usual, I’ll treat everyone to drinks today. Keiichi, you’re in charge of buying them. Everyone, feel free to say what you’d like to drink. Oh, and I’ll have a coffee.”

While speaking, Fang Zheng took out his wallet and tossed it over, and Keiichi caught it with a smile, gesturing at Fang Zheng.

“The teacher really is generous. Well then, I won’t hold back! Everyone, what do you want?”

“I want orange juice!”

“I’ll have a cola!”

“Please get me a can of tea!”

Soon after, Keiichi and the others left the site to purchase drinks. At that moment, Fang Zheng saw a man and a woman entering the shrine and walking towards their group. The man appeared to be in his thirties, dressed in a vest and shorts with a camera in hand, seemingly a photographer. The woman was wearing a green coat, her golden shoulder-length hair giving her a quiet, graceful demeanor.

Upon seeing these two, Fang Zheng’s eyes narrowed instantly.

The reason was simple, for the woman now standing before him was the ultimate and most malevolent enemy of this world—Miyo Takano.

“My, what a bustling scene,”

The man dressed as a photographer came up and took a photo of the group, then raised his hand in greeting. The woman beside him nodded at Fang Zheng and the others as well.

“Good afternoon.”

“Ah, it’s Mr. Tomitake and Miss Takano, hello there.”

Seeing the two arrive, Mion, standing beside Fang Zheng, quickly stepped forward to greet them. When they saw Fang Zheng, both looked over curiously. Tomitake then spoke up.

“You must be the new teacher everyone’s talking about. My name is Tomitake, a freelance photographer from Tokyo. This is Miss Miyo Takano, a nurse at the clinic.”

“Hello, nice to meet you for the first time, I’m Fang Zheng.”

Fang Zheng also nodded and greeted them. Then, he quietly glanced at the woman.

She was the biggest boss of the World of Cicada’s Song, Miyo Takano.

Fang Zheng knew that the World of Cicada’s Song had two main storylines. In the overt storyline, the protagonists would become darkened and go on a rampage due to the Hinamizawa Syndrome, leading to a violence unmatched. The other, hidden storyline had this woman as its main character. Her adoptive father, Hifumi Takano, had discovered the existence of the Hinamizawa Syndrome, and due to various reasons, his grandfather’s research was halted and ended in despair. Miyo Takano swore to fulfill her grandfather’s will and continued the study of this disease.

According to Hifumi Takano’s theory, Hinamizawa Syndrome was a disease caused by parasites infecting the human brain, subtly affecting human emotions. More importantly, among the parasites was a so-called “Queen” leader, and all the infected could not stray too far from the Queen, or they would fall ill. This was one of the reasons why residents of Hinamizawa rarely left their hometown. Furthermore, should the Queen Infector die, other patients would descend into madness within 48 hours.

In the story, to prove to others that her adoptive father Hifumi Takano’s research was correct, Miyo Takano not only killed Furutega Rika, the “Queen” infector, but even ordered her Mountain Dog Unit to release poison gas, killing over two thousand villagers of Hinamizawa. She even murdered Rika’s parents when they tried to stop her from experimenting on their daughter, to ensure that her research continued unhindered.

It could be said, in order to prove her adoptive father’s research was indisputably correct, Miyo Takano had gone to extreme lengths.

For this reason, Fang Zheng naturally had no good feelings towards this woman.

And facing Fang Zheng’s response, Miyo Takano simply smiled slightly.

“Please enlighten me, Mr. Fang Zheng, you are quite famous in Hinamizawa. I often hear patients talking about you in the clinic… I heard you have just returned from studying in America? Why come to such a small place?”

“It’s because of Chie Rumiko’s invitation, and I also had some research to complete, so I came to Hinamizawa. Although it’s a small village, it’s very peaceful, and I enjoy living here.”

“Is that so…”

Hearing Fang Zheng’s answer, Miyo Takano gave him a meaningful glance.

“Then… Mr. Fang Zheng, do you know about Oyashiro-sama’s curse?”

“Curse?”

In response to Miyo Takano’s question, Fang Zheng “aptly” looked perplexed, and at that moment, Mion beside him suddenly looked grimmer, opened her mouth as if to say something, but didn’t know how to start.

“Yes, Mr. Fang Zheng, are you aware of the Hinamizawa Dam project?”

“I’ve heard bits and pieces, it’s about the plan to build a dam here, right?”

Fang Zheng nodded, he obviously knew what Miyo Takano was about to say. But now, I’ll just watch your performance quietly as I’m supposed to.

“Exactly. To oppose this plan, the residents here started a protest movement. At that time, they centered it around this shrine, praying for their victory.”

“Looking at it now, it seems the plan has been retracted, hasn’t it?”

Since we are actors, we must of course be professional, so Fang Zheng too put on a feigned expression of ignorance just in time.

“But what does this have to do with the so-called curse of Oyashiro-sama?”

“It’s simple.”

It seemed Miyo Takano relished explaining these things to others, so faced with Fang Zheng’s question, she started her “lecture” with a cheerful smile.

“Four years ago, the supervisor on the construction site of the Hinamizawa Dam was murdered. The following year, a local couple from Hinamizawa who supported the dam were killed when they fell off a cliff during a trip, an apparent accident. The next year, the priest of this shrine died suddenly of a mysterious illness. And last year, the body of a relative of the accident victim from Hinamizawa was found, having been beaten to death.”

“Are you saying that there are deaths every year?”

“Yes, and what’s more, these incidents and accidents surely happen on the night of the Cotton Flow Festival every year.”

As she said this, Miyo Takano’s face flushed with excitement.

“If this isn’t due to a curse or a coincidence, then what exactly is going on with these incidents?”

“Then naturally, it would be a crime,” Fang Zheng didn’t fall for it like Maehara Keiichi and immediately gave an answer.

“Such things are not uncommon. Using the name of divine ceremonies to commit murder has happened in many places. I just hope the police can find the culprit soon and bring them to justice.”

“Umm…”

Perhaps Fang Zheng’s answer was too unexpected for Miyo Takano, causing her expression to freeze for a moment, but she continued, not giving up.

“Do you really think these are criminal acts, Mr. Fang Zheng? You know, all four incidents occurred on the night of the Cotton Flow Festival. Four times in a row? Can that still be considered a coincidence?”

“Four times in a row is certainly not a coincidence, but according to what you say, Miss Takano, it’s not hard to explain at all. The Cotton Flow Festival is the grandest festival in Hinamizawa, and on that day, of course, people will come here, leaving few elsewhere. If someone were to commit murder at this time, the probability of there being witnesses would be smaller, wouldn’t it? And about the sudden death of the Furutega Shrine’s priest—I haven’t seen the autopsy report, so it’s not convenient to say too much, but in fact, science has long proven that human psychological activity can have an impact on bodily functions. As for the fourth year’s incident… you said it yourself, Miss Takano, it was death by beating, so why rule out foul play? In my opinion, of the four incidents, only the second year’s accident may be a coincidence, the others almost have no relation to any supposed curse. Miss Takano, I can understand the fascination with macabre stories, but to exploit the dead as entertainment material isn’t that inappropriate?”

“This…”

Taken aback by Fang Zheng’s rebuttal, Miyo Takano was at a loss for words. The rest who heard Fang Zheng also didn’t know what to say. Only Mion looked at Fang Zheng beside her with complex emotions, uncertain of what to say.

Meanwhile, suddenly, a voice arose from behind everyone.

“Oh, young man, your point of view is quite interesting.”