#hgsn extras

[entertext]

HGSN Vol 3 Q&A

Rough translation by me

==

Q. I'd like to know what kind of person is Yoshiki and 'Hikaru's type.

A. Yoshiki's type is "someone who has aspects he can look up to", and before his death, Hikaru's was "healthy-looking and big-boobed". 'Hikaru' doesn't have that kind of concept, so he doesn't understand what "his type" means.

Q. What do Yoshiki and Hikaru usually order at Amerika?

A. Mostly spaghetti-type dishes. They'll eat dinner at home too after eating at Amerika together

Q. After becoming 'Hikaru', would his hair, body, and nails stop growing? If he doesn't grow physically, the people around him will notice eventually, but since it's unknown territory that the real Hikaru will never go through, I'm curious if he can imitate that part

A. Even after becoming 'Hikaru', his hair, body, and nails will keep growing and he'll grow up physically. However, I think the way Hikaru would look if he lived and grew up would be a little different from the way that 'Hikaru' who replaced him would look when he grew up.

Q. Why is Yoshiki older than everyone else?

A. Yoshiki's birthday is April 20th and Hikaru's birthday is March 20th of the next year, so in Japan they'd be in the same school year. They differ by nearly a whole year, so when they were younger, Yoshiki would grow up earlier, but now that's not really the case anymore

Q. Yoshiki-kun doesn't seem to be the type that makes friends on his own, so I want to know how he started doing things with Asako-chan and the others.

A. Yoshiki, Hikaru, Asako, and Yuuki were all in the same middle school together, and because that school had relatively few students, they naturally became friendly regardless of gender. Maki became friends starting from high school, and he joined up due to Hikaru pulling him in.

Q. I'd like to know Maki, Asako, and Yuuki's full names

A. Maki Yuuta, Yamagishi Asako, and Tadokoro Yuuki

Q. Why does Hikaru call his parents "Otoyan" and "Okayan" but Yoshiki call his parents "Tousan" and "Kaasan"?

A. Although they're both from the same village, Yoshiki's mother is from Tokyo and doesn't have an accent, so naturally they differ.

Q. Hikaru wears his wristwatch on his right hand, so does that mean he's left-handed?

A. Hikaru is right-handed, but he wears a left-handed watch. It was a present from his father, but since his father's personality is rough around the edges, he bought a left-handed watch by mistake and gave it as a present.

Q. Please tell me what Yoshiki and Hikaru ('Hikaru')'s shoe sizes are.

A. Right now, Hikaru's ('Hikaru's) is 26cm and Yoshiki's is 27.5cm.

Q. Why does 'Hikaru' "feel good" when a hand is put into his body? And I wonder, is that "feel good" meant in a pleasure way or a relaxing way?

A. Personally, I think people feel pleasure when they fulfill instinctual cravings, and for 'Hikaru' who is inhuman, taking things inside his body is instinctual. The parts of 'Hikaru' that differ the most from humans are the instincts, so in that regard he has feelings that humans can't understand.

[honorthysalad]

Yoshiki has had some immaculate energy this volume. Praying it stays that way.

[levbolton]

love this update’s extra sketch, the vibe is chef kiss

[aoiraincoat]

A Yoshiki kin feature: being constantly told "oh look, those moles/freckles are just like your father's, you're literally like his reflection- ugh, this alcoholic bastard" and getting traumatized into self-loathing as a result

[entertext]

HGSN Riddle Game: ❴Horrifying Mountain Village❵ Kubitachi Village Was Too Crazy ....

--

This is a translation of the riddle game that was recently released as part of the promotion for the vol. 3 release. The story does not feature any of the main characters or connect to the main story at all, but it does have a tiny little lore teaser at the end, so I decided to translate it.

Solving all the riddles gets you a desktop wallpaper or mobile wallpaper depending on your browser type. The riddles should be relatively easy if you know some Japanese, and there are hints, so give it a try if you can.

This translation will spoil all the riddle answers so don't read it if you want to try the riddles yourself!!

==

I'm a fledgling Youtuber.

Although I'm aiming to become a paranormal/occult Youtuber with over 1 million subscribers, right now my subscriber count is only around 70.

For my next video, I want to make something that will really blow up.

Thinking that, I idly scrolled through an occult aggregator site, when I found an eerie place name.

"Kubitachi"

There's definitely something there - well, maybe.

For now, why don't I check it out? ... To Kubitachi it is.

There are 4 riddles on the homepage. For each riddle, click the black 解答 button to enter the answers

壱 (One)

Once I pass through this forest, I'll arrive at Kubitachi.

The overgrown trees blocked out the light of the sun, and even though it was daytime, the surroundings were terribly dim.

Expecting to encounter something along the way, I kept the camera running as I proceeded through the forest.

Then, from behind me, the faint sound of a hoarse voice reached my ears.

"Nounuki-sama..."

When I turned around, countless characters were floating in the air.

Riddle 1: "Nounuki-sama..."

Answer: ナニカ (SOMETHING)

I dashed out of the forest, stumbling on the way.

What the hell was that...!?

There was definitely SOMETHING of an unknown nature in that forest.

Though I was breathing heavily, I checked my camera.

But the video showed only footage of a perfectly ordinary forest.

弐 (Two)

I arrived at Kubitachi.

Although the streets were deserted, as I got closer to the heart of the settlement, the number of people I passed increased.

There was a woman staring straight at me.

When I tried to start a conversation with her, with an unexpected candor, she started telling me about the rumours in Kubitachi.

The bizzare death of an elderly woman.

The mountain you must never enter.

The hair youkai that appears in the bath.

And more. It was truly quite varied.

Riddle 2: "What do you feel?"

Answer: シセン (GAZE)

When I tried to ask for more details on the mountain, her face suddenly became stern and she warned me never to go there. It wouldn't be good to ask any further.

Thanking her, I left and looked up the mountain near Kubitachi on the internet.

Apparently, there's been no end to the number of disappearances on that mountain going way back, according to what I found.

In other words, as an occult Youtuber, it's a place I have no choice but to go to.

Suddenly, I felt a piercing GAZE and raised my head to look around, but there was nobody there.

参 (Three)

I kept out of sight and snuck towards the mountain.

With the camera on, I followed the path uphill.

The sound of the frogs was loud.

Besides occasionally passing by what looked like a hokora from time to time, I went forwards without seeing anything unusual.

Riddle 3: Mountain Maze

Answer: 空 (EMPTY)

I reached the mountaintop without running into anything at all.

There's no mysterious presence or anything. It's completely EMPTY.

Almost as if "something" had already completely disappeared from this place.

What a let-down.

The color of the sky is tinged with red.

It's almost sundown. Better get back down the mountain soon and head to the inn.

肆 (Four)

Reaching the inn, first things first was to take a bath and wash off all the sweat from hiking.

When I immersed myself in the hot water, all my thoughts and my tiredness quickly melted away.

The moment I tried to get out of the water, I saw black lines reflected on the water's surface.

Before my eyes, the lines gathered and created some kind of shape.

As if I was paralyzed, I could only move my eyes as my sight was drawn towards it.

Those black lines were hair.

Riddle 4: GNILIEC SI REWSNA EHT

Answer: テンジョウ (CEILING)

As soon as I blinked, there was no longer anything there. When I looked up at the CEILING in a panic, I thought I caught a glimpse of hair disappearing in the corner of my eye.

Suddenly, the rumour that I had heard today about the hair youkai in the bath crossed my mind.

I must have just been seeing things due to all those stories I heard.

Trying to convince myself of this, I decided to go to bed.

After solving all 4 riddles, head to back to the homepage to find the last riddle at the bottom

?????

From the pitch black darkness, a light slowly spread out.

I heard the hoarse voice from that forest say:

"Nounuki-sama..."

What on earth is this...?

Riddle ?????: IT'S STILL HERE. FIRST START SEARCHING.

Answer: だるまづか (DARUMAZUKA)

Breathing heavily, I jumped out of bed.

A dream. One like a nightmare.

But the characters "DARUMAZUKA" were burned into the back of my eyes.

There's no question that "something" exists in Kubitachi.

Forget the video, I don't want to be involved any longer.

I'm done filming. I'll head home immediately in the morning.

--

The next morning, I flew out of the inn and onto the road home.

Although I took a lot of footage, none of it shows anything definitive.

This won't make for a good video.

I couldn't stop thinking about it so I looked up "DARUMAZUKA".

"Darumazuka* Tunnel" - a haunted site in Kibougayama, the town neighboring Kubitachi.

I don't know why, but I'm seized with the feeling that I have to go there.

I can't shake the notion that I'm being called to that place.

Even though I already went through such horrifying things...

A few days later, I decided I would go to Darumazuka Tunnel.

END

(* - 達磨塚 - "daruma" + "mound/grave")

Click the ??? button at the bottom to get the wallpapers

[entertext]

HGSN 16.5 (Vol 3. SP)

This translation is text only. As the Japanese chapter isn't officially available online, I have added some basic image description in italics.

Rough translation by me

P1

[In the classroom. Asako has pulled the collar of her PE jersey over her head.]

Yoshiki: ...Asako, what're you doing?

Yuuki: She said she overslept and her hair's a real mess

Asako: Yeah...

Yoshiki: Doesn't doing that look weirder? Like Jamila*

Asako: You're underestimating my curly hair!

Asako: It's reeeally bad!

(* - Ultraman villain Jamila)

P2

[Asako pulls her jacket back down, causing her hair to poof out like a ball]

(sfx: poof)

Yoshiki: Woah

Asako: See? I work hard to fix it everyday!

Yoshiki: It is pretty voluminous

Yuuki: I think its cute though, like a bichon frise

[Asako pulls the collar back over her head]

Asako: In elementary, they called me Akan-ko* though...

Yuuki: It's a marimo

(* - Lake Akan is known for the Marimo balls that grow there)

P3

Asako: Must be nice...

Asako: Yoshiki and Yuu-chan both have silky straight hair, I'm jealous

Yuuki: Hikaru has hair that a bit curly, too. Maki also... well, he doesn't have hair, so I can't tell

Asako: If it was as short as Hikaru's, I wouldn't care

Asako: What do the two of you do to make your hair so silky?

P4

Yuuki: Early to bed, early to rise?

Yoshiki: Nothing really...I air-dry my hair...

Yoshiki: ....

Asako: The world... is so cruel.

Yoshiki: I'll ask my mom later, she's a hairdresser

Asako: Really?

[Yuuki looks thoughtfully into the distance]

P5

[Nighttime at Yuuki's house. Yuuki has glasses on and her hair down. She watches a tutorial on youtube while practicing on a younger sibling.]

Youtuber: I'll teach you how to do braids!

P6

[Next day, in class]

Yuuki: Aa-chan, let me borrow you for a moment

Asako: Huh?

[Part of Asako's hair has been braided and pinned to the side of her head. It is extremely cute.]

Asako: Ehh!! That's amazing!

Yuuki: I thought maybe this would keep the volume down, heh

Asako: Amazing, amazing!

P7

Asako: You're usually super ham-handed when it comes to anything besides cooking, Yuu-chan, how'd you do it?

Yuuki: I'm not ham-handed, I'm just lazy

[Yuuki with a confident expression]

Yuuki: When I get serious, something like this is a piece of cake!

[Asako shouts with an exaggerated expression]

Asako: Oooh you're gonna make me fall in love with you!!*

(* - 惚れてまうやろー！- this is a meme originating from a Japanese comedian)

P8

[Yoshiki smiles watching Asako and Yuuki from the other side of the classroom]

Hikaru: What are you smirking for? Creepy

Yoshiki: No, just thought it's nice...

Hikaru: Asako and Yuuki?

Hikaru: They're good friends aren't they?

Hikaru: Although they only went to school together starting from middle school, they were friends even before then since their parents were friendly and met up together all the time, right?

Yoshiki: Yeah, that's right

P8

Hikaru: Must be nice...

[Yoshiki looks away with a melancholy expression]

Yoshiki: ...

[Yuuki approachs the two ot them with a comb in one hand]

Yuuki: Yoshiki, c'mre for a bit

[Yoshiki responds with increasing horror and confusion]

Yoshiki: Huh?...What are you gonna do?

Yuuki: You're gonna be my practice dummy for braiding

Yoshiki: Wha ... Huh...?

P9

[Cut to classroom scene where Hikaru and Maki laugh and other students turn to look at Yoshiki who has gotten his hair braided into cornrows]

[honorthysalad]

Hikaru’s mom compilation. 3 times she shows up. Outside of this- I think she’s mentioned three times: cut up some watermelon, one of the reasons Hikaru doesn’t want to die, and then to say she, along with the hikaru’s grandma, doesn’t know anything about Hichi-san.

[entertext]

HGSN 29-2

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the Japanese chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

By the way, I went back and revised P4 of 29-1 to be in line with this chapter, sorry 😓

P1

Yoshiki: There's nothing particularly strange here

Maki: Not now anyway

Hikaru: It really isn't here

(sfx: step step)

Yoshiki: What?

Hikaru: Oh, that thing over there

P2

Maki: What are y-

Maki: Ack!

Maki: Shit!

(sfx: step)

P3

(sfx: cicada noise)

Maki: Oh man! I totally forgot to clean it up, it's all messed up. Big bro's gonna be mad at me....

(sfx: cicada noise)

Rie: What is it a shrine to? O-Inari-san*, perhaps?

Maki: Mmm, no

Maki: It's to a serow**

Yoshiki: Serow...a Japanese serow? The species designated as a Special Natural Monument?

Maki: Well, this is a story about my great-grandpa...

* O-Inari-san - Harvest god associated with foxes (wiki)

** Japanese serow - (wiki)

P4

Maki: My great-grandpa was a hunter

Maki: And at one point, he started to get tailed by someone whenever he went into the mountains.

Maki: Whenever he looked for them, there were always "the footprints of a barefoot human"

Maki: He instinctively felt

Maki: That it couldn't be anything good

Maki: One time, when he went to collect a deer that had been caught in his trap

Maki: It hadn't been a deer, but a serow instead

P5

Maki: At that time, serow hunting had just been banned

Maki: So my great-grandpa let the serow go

Maki: After that, the presence that was tailing him suddenly disappeared

Maki: And instead, the hoofprints of a serow started following him instead

P6

Maki: My great-grandpa wanted to make that serow into a guardian deity

Maki: So he built this shrine...that's what I heard

Maki: Big bro was passionate about taking care of it, but he's gone up to Tokyo now

Maki: I just left it alone for a bit and now it's gotten messed up... heheh

Hikaru: You know...you should probably clean this up properly

Maki: You think so too!? I'll bring over the cleaning supplies!!

Yoshiki: The animal you were talking about yesterday...

P7

Hikaru: The "animal impurity" that was always following Maki around

Hikaru: I thought I hadn't seen it around recently, but now I know why

Rie: Oh, I see

Yoshiki: Huh? What kind of impurity was following him? The serow from the story just now?

Hikaru: Yeah, its just the impurity of a serow, but by being enshrined like this, its gone up in rank

Hikaru: Sometimes impurities can become like a guardian deity this way. Do you remember that forest path?

P8

(Maki: I can't see into the forest)

(Maki: How do I put it? It's like I can't take my eyes off the path)

(sfx: shock)

Yoshiki: That was...!

Hikaru: The guardian deity at work. It must have made it so that he couldn't see the "ku" monster. And it was after Maki left that we got attacked, haha.

Yoshiki: Then, it was because Maki slacked off on cleaning the shrine that the guardian disappeared and he started to be targeted by the "legs"...

Rie: Mmm...that's not the only thIng

(sfx: clatter)

P9

Yoshiki: Eek! Gross!!

Rie: The impurity is eating into it...It's probably...from the "hole"

Hikaru: Ah, you're right

Hikaru: I'll get rid of it right now!

P10

(sfx: BZZT)

Hikaru: Ow ow ow!

Hikaru: Yippee!

Yoshiki: You don't have a nose bleed...

Hikaru: It doesn't happen every time!

Rie: What did you do just now?

Rie: It disappeared, right?

P11

Hikaru: ? Yeah

Hikaru: I put it inside me! It's safe that way, right? I don't know where the impurities go after they're inside me though

Rie: ...I see. You handle them so easily. Souls and impurities...

Hikaru: "Easily"...

Hikaru: How should I put it...To me this kind of thing is...

==

Next chapter: 2024/08/13

Twitter Extras (link):

Yoshiki: A guardian animal deity...

Yoshiki: That's kind of cool...!

Hikaru: It's WIN/WIN for the impurity too!! It gets to suck up the life force from Maki's family a little bit at a time

Hikaru: But the whole family's so energetic that it seems like it all evens out!!

Yoshiki: ...

[entertext]

HGSN 28-2

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the Japanese chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

P1

Hikaru: That means we just have to close those 4 holes somehow!!

Hikaru: Okay!

Yoshiki: There's no way! I can't even imagine doing that! Uu-ugh!! Why 4!?

Rie: No surprise even your mystery man would come asking for help. Did you ask him how to close those holes?

P2

Yoshiki: I...I said no and turned him down...In the first place, where are these holes anyway?!

Hikaru: Those bands are gone too...if only we could ask "Hichi-san" about them...

Yoshiki: "Hichi-san"...

P3

(sfx: seagull cries)

Hikaru: Let's go, Yoshiki. Our train's almost here.

(sfx: chair creaks)

Tanaka: Oh, right

(sfx: whoosh)

Hikaru: Whoa!

(sfx: catch)

P4

Hikaru: Ack! It's hot!

(sfx: catch)

Yoshiki: What is this?...

Yoshiki: It's warm...

Hikaru: Oh! That's...

Hikaru: The thing that was supposed be in the Hall..."Hichi-san"

P5

Yoshiki: This is that person who was resurrected as a severed head...Indou Hichi-san?

Tanaka: It's an extremely powerful talisman that will protect the bearer from evil.

Tanaka: To turn into a talisman to protect her descendants, she must have cared a great deal about her family.

Tanaka: It's not something you see everyday

Tanaka: For now, I'm returning it to you

P6

Yoshiki: ...

Yoshiki: This was originally Hichi-san's head...

Yoshiki: Right?

Hikaru: The other people's heads were swallowed up by the hole and disappeared, but because Hichi-san's head was the only one offered to "me"

Hikaru: It never disappeared, right?

Yoshiki: Huh? Then, how come the bones from the other body parts of the people that were offered are still around?

Yoshiki: A ton were found in the tunnel and other places like that...

Hikaru: I wonder

Hikaru: Oh, come to think of it

P7

Hikaru: The location of the holes must be "where the bones were found", right!?

Hikaru: Like the arms and legs!

Yoshiki: I see...then for now I guess we can start searching around those areas...

Rie: Right, I was also thinking that might be the case just now...

P8

Rie: That's right,...where the bones...

(sfx: whoosh ga-thunk ga-thunk...)

--

(txt: Cold)

(sfx: beep)

(sfx: clatter thunk)

P9

(sfx: frogs croaking)

(txt: Matsu Drug Store - Kibougayama North)

(sfx: pp-hah)

(sfx: crumple)

Hikaru: Why'd Kurebayashi-san stop by a drugstore?

Yoshiki: She said she'd forgot she was out of toilet paper. The stores are going to close soon

Hikaru: Huh...

Hikaru: Hey, Yoshiki...

Hikaru: Are you scared of me?

==

Next chapter: 2024/07/09

Twitter Extra (link):

He eats quickly

[entertext]

HGSN 30-2

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the Japanese chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

P1

Maki: Oh man, you can really tell you have a little sister

Yoshiki: ...That doll just now was a "houko" doll?

Maki: Yeah

Maki: They must have come from the handmade crafts experience at the tent over there

Hikaru: It's been bugging me for a while, but what exactly is a "houko" doll?

Maki: Umm...If I were to explain it, "houko" is written with the characters for "crawling child"

Maki: ...and well, it's a decoration that's like a evil-warding talisman for a child

P2

Maki: They've been made in Ashidori from a fairly long time ago,... and since the time before the village was split and "Unuki-san" was still around...

Maki: And it's a praying-for-a-child's-good-health kind of thing! Probably

(sfx: taiko drums)

Yoshiki: Huh...

Maki: Ah, look. They're hung up on that stand over there

(sfx: taiko drums)

P3

P4

Hikaru: This...

Hikaru: is for good health...? It looks like a funeral

Yoshiki: Sacrificial dolls...

Hikaru: What do you mean, "sacrificial-"... Oh

(Rie: It might be like a sacrificial doll...Having the land itself bear their sins and their spiritual impurities in their place...)

P5

Yoshiki: Those dolls are "substitutes for living people"

Yoshiki: Aren't they?

(sfx: taiko drums)

P6

(sfx: cicada noise)

(sign: Kibougayama Bus - Udekari Town Hall Bus Stop)

(sfx: dog pants)

Asako: Grandma...

P7

Asako: What should I do...? I've been worrying about it ever since the end-of-term ceremony...

(sfx: thunder)

P8

Yuuki: Oh, you're here. You skipped out on the ceremony today, didn't you? Why?

Asako: Ah...hehe...I just felt like it?

Yuuki: Hmm...

Yuuki: ...Y'know today, Maki came to me saying we should walk home together

Yuuki: You want to wait until he's here?

(sfx: surprise)

Asako: What?!! Nice going, Maki!

P9

Yuuki: Huh!? This isn't that kind of thing, right?

Asako: Can't get in the way of young love. I'll be going on ahead, pfft...

Yuuki: Hey wait!!

Yuuki: Hey!!

Asako: Bye-bye!!

(sfx: thunder)

P10

(sfx: plop plop)

(sfx: rain)

(Hikaru: This body is already a corpse)

Asako: (It's like the world is covered in fog)

P11

Asako: (For that half year span when I didn't know anything)

Asako: (What had those two seen and thought?)

Asako: (...and why did Yoshiki never say anything about it?)

Asako: (Taking on everything himself, he's an idiot. Oh, I'm getting mad... )

Asako: (But in the end, there's nothing I can do...)

==

Twitter Extra (link):

Next chapter: In one week

"Houko" dolls are actual dolls that have been made since the Heian Period.

[entertext]

HGSN 30-1

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the Japanese chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

P1

(sfx: crowd chatter)

(sfx: taiko drums)

Hikaru: Wow!!

Yoshiki: It's really crowded...You'd never see this in Kubitachi.

Maki: Duh!! Don't compare us to that backwater place!

Maki: Not that we're all that much better

P2

(sfx: taiko drums)

(txt: Ashidori Houko Festival)

Yoshiki: (Houko Festival...)

Maki: You're eating it like a hunk of meat

--

Yoshiki: Hole-patching?

Bro: In the first place, see, this "Houko Festival"

Bro: is a pretty weird festival, y'know?

P3

Bro: It's an event where you put out a "houko"* doll holding a needle and thread

Bro: and when it's over, it's put into a cave on the outskirts of the village

Bro: In the mid-1700s with the arrival of the missionaries, the custom changed into a festival,

Bro: But before that, it was called "Hole-patching"

Bro: It's not really known what kind of custom it was exactly

Bro: But it seems like it started when the village split and Ashidori was founded...

Yoshiki: The cave on the outskirts of the village...

* houko - meaning a "crawling child", referring to the shape of the doll (wiki)

P4

Maki: It's called Ashizukadou*, y'know, the place where a bunch of bones were found

Yoshiki: ...!!

(Hikaru: The location of the holes must be "where the bones were found", right!?)

Yoshiki: Huh...

Maki: It's technically a tourist spot, so

Maki: anyone can go inside

* 足塚洞 - (leg - burial mound - cave)

P5

Bro: I've heard that similar customs were once practiced in Kibougayama and Udekari...

Bro: but didn't find anything more than rumors

Hikaru: ...? Did the abandoned villages have something similar as well?

Bro: Abandoned villages...? Ah, well, who knows?

Bro: There aren't any documents from those places. (lol) To the point that its actually weird

Rie: It's true, I've lived here all my life and don't know anything either

Bro: ...Hn? Who's the lady just now? (lol)

P6

Maki: She's the strongest exorcist, Kurabayashi-san

Bro: ......

Bro: Wait, whaaaaaaat!!? Are you serious!??

(sfx: shriek)

Maki: You know about her, big bro?

Bro: Know about her? She's super famous in these circles, a legend (lol)

Rie: I'm nothing all that special, but the rumors have gone and, well...

Bro: She really exists!! (delight)

Bro: Hey, uh, can I ask you a question!? How do you do exorcisms!?

P7

Rie: Sure? It's a little different from an exorcism, but... Ummm...like with a slap...?

Rie: like, "Hey now!"

Bro: Exorcism Slap!!?? (rustle rustle open click click scribble scribble scribble)

Bro: Oh shit, my plane's going to take off

Bro: Yuuta, lemme know what kind of talisman you want as a souvenir from Thailand!

(sfx: hangs up)

Maki: ...Sorry my bro's such a creep

P8

(sfx: taiko drums)

Performers: Ah, Tenban to the north, sorayoiyoi~

(sfx: crowd chatter)

Hikaru: Hey, what's that? That glowing drink!!

(sfx: GRAB)

Yoshiki: Hey, don't forget what we're here to do

(Rie: I'll go take a look at that Ashizukadou cave, so you two see if you can find any clues from the festival)

P9

Yoshiki: We're looking for some hint about closing the hole-

(sfx: thump)

Yoshiki: Whoa!

(sfx: whuff)

Yoshiki: Oh, wait!

??: Hey!! Luna!!

P10:

Mother: I'm so sorry!

Yoshiki: Here

Luna: Thank you

Mother: And after you worked so hard to make that doll

==

Next chapter: In one week

Twitter Extra (link):

Hikaru: Maki, do you have a photo of your bro?

Maki: Yeah, I do

Hikaru: Whoa! He's handsome!

Maki: But he's missing his teeth

[entertext]

HGSN 29-1

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the Japanese chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

P1

Maki: Hey, do you guys

Maki: believe in ghosts?

Hikaru: Ghosts?

Yoshiki: You mean that photo...? The one you posted?

Maki: Ah...well...yeah. Sorry for making a weird post

Maki: It's like...

P2

Maki: Every night, these "legs" show up in my house.

Maki: At first, it seriously spooked me and I fell and hurt myself.

Maki: Day after day the number of legs have increased, too

Maki: Sure, it's really scary, but at this point, to be honest...

Maki: It's way more annoying than scary!

Maki: Shit!

P3

Yoshiki: ...I kinda get it?

Hikaru: Hmmm.

Maki: And on top of that, even though I've already got this broken arm

Maki: This weird rash has shown up on my leg.

Maki: Reason unknown, they said

Maki: I don't have any sixth sense, and I've never "seen" a thing in my life up until now

Maki: So why this all of a sudden?

Hikaru: Hey, Maki

P4

Hikaru: Do you keep any animals? Or maybe you kept one before?

Hikaru: Hmm...No, it's nothing. I see...

Maki: Huh? I've never kept any, why?

??: Yuuta! What time do you think it is!?

Maki: Ah, shit, I need to go.

Maki: If anything else happens I'll let you know, bye!

(sfx: ting)

Hikaru: Hmmm....

Yoshiki: Why an animal?

Hikaru: It had been like...hanging around Maki, but...

P5

Hikaru: Anyway, let's go to Ashidori. Maki's house is there right?

Hikaru: One of the holes should be in Ashidori.

Hikaru: It's hard to think that Maki's issues and the hole are unrelated.

Yoshiki: Yeah, I'm worried about Maki too.

Yoshiki: I get the feeling it'll be bad to leave him as is.

P6

(sfx: tap tap)

Mom: Wait! Yoshiki!

Mom: We need to send something as thanks to your classmate's mother(?) who drove you home yesterday...

Mom: And you're going out without saying anything again?...At least say where you're going...

Yoshiki: I'm staying over at Maki's place

Mom: ...good grief

P7

(sfx: vroom)

Rie: Ghost legs, huh... Come to think of it, I haven't seen many of those in town

Hikaru: Now that the holes are opening up for real, the old impurities of the people who were sacrificed must be coming out

Rie: Well, for now let's go and take a look. We've got to dig around for any clues about the hole, too.

P8

Hikaru: Are you scared?

Yoshiki: I'm not confident that I'm really ready for this...

P9

(sfx: gravel crunch)

(sfx: cicada noise)

(sfx: don...dodon...)

Yoshiki: The sound of taiko drums...?

(sfx: don dodondon...)

P10

(sfx: door opens)

Maki: Oh you're here. Hikaru! and...

Maki: ...

Yoshiki: ...what?

Maki: Yoshiki!

Yoshiki: What's with that pause?!

Maki: Uh it completely slipped my mind for a moment, haha!

Yoshiki: Not funny!

(sfx: creak)

Hikaru: Please excuse us~!

P11

Rie: Um...Is your family around? We should say hello...

Maki: My parents are busy with preparations for the festival today so they aren't around... which reminds me.

Maki: Auntie, who are you?

Rie: Right, ahaha

Rie: Um... I'm just a housewife who happens to be...

Hikaru: The strongest exorcist. She's seriously good

P12

Maki: What!? That's so reassuring!!!! Have you been on TV!?

Rie: I've never been...

(sfx: don don)

Hikaru: There's a festival today?

Maki: You don't know about the "Houko Festival"? It's pretty famous. Though to be honest, I've got other things to worry about right now...

Hikaru: Huh...

(sfx: door open)

==

Next Chapter: 2024/08/06

Twitter Extra (link):

Yoshiki: Your hair's grown out

(sfx: rustle)

Maki: It's 'cause I can't play baseball!

[entertext]

HGSN 28-3

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the Japanese chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

P1

Yoshiki: ...I don't really know if you're scary or whatever...

Hikaru: Haha. You should be more scared of me.

Hikaru: Not going back to the mountain means

Hikaru: that I might attack you again after all.

Hikaru: That's why you should hold on to Hichi-san!

Hikaru: It'll protect your soul from impurities. And from me too of course.

P2

Yoshiki: Huh...

Hikaru: But when it comes to you getting "mixed up" and stuff

Hikaru: Even this won't stop that from happening...

Yoshiki: (Even if we close the holes, 'Hikaru''s sin of killing a person doesn't go away)

Yoshiki: (And the fact that he's a dangerous being doesn't change either)

Yoshiki: (Still...I want to continue down this path)

Yoshiki: (Even if it's unforgivable)

P3

(Yoshiki: Even if something in me were to break…)

Yoshiki: (Not for anyone else's sake, but for me)

--

(sfx: beep)

Cashier: That'll be 700 yen, please.

P4

Rie: (As expected, the large number of impurities in this region had a cause other than 'Hikaru')

Rie: (It's not...so simple a story, is it?)

Rie: *sighs*

Rie: (When I look at those two, it reminds me of my son...)

(??: In the first place, everything was your fault to begin with)

(??: I'm going now...)

P5

Rie: (I'm sure that child resents me.)

(sfx: mutters)

Rie: It's not like I think this time I'll protect him...

Cashier: ?

Rie: Ah! Oh dear, I've been talking to myself! Oh no, oh no! Ahahaha!

--

(frogs croaking)

Hikaru: Since it's summer vacation, everyone's been posting online

P6

Hikaru: Look

Hikaru: Asako's already finished with the homework

(txt: All done!)

Hikaru: Yuuki's been making popsicles with her little sisters.

Hikaru: They really always look just like each other...

Hikaru: Maki's ...

Hikaru: ...

Hikaru: Huh...?

P7

Maki: Augggh....

P8

P9

Maki: Give me a break...

==

Next chapter: 2024/07/30

Twitter Extra (link):

Although he doesn't like sweet things, he does like soda and ice pops.

He dislikes things like fresh cream and chocolate.

[entertext]

HGSN 27-3

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the Japanese chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

P1

Waiter: Your Tropical Hawaiian Pancakes ~Served with the Sea Breeze~

Waiter: And your Tropical Parfait, sirs

Tanaka: Thank you

Hikaru: ...Thanks

P2

Tanaka: Mm

(sfx: creak)

Tanaka: Well, please think it over carefully

Tanaka: I'm also just going to do what needs to be done

(sfx: rattle rattle)

P2

(sfx: ka-thunk ga-thunk)

(sfx: ka-thunk ga-thunk)

(sfx: ka-thunk ga-thunk)

(sfx: ka-thunk ga-thunk)

P3

Yoshiki: (There's no such thing as Nounuki-sama)

Yoshiki: (Then what did Hikaru even die for?)

Yoshiki: (What is 'Hikaru' anyway?)

Yoshiki: (What have I been doing all this for...)

Hikaru: Today sure was a lot, huh? ... What should we do tomorrow...?

(sfx: ka-thunk ga-thunk)

(sfx: ka-thunk ga-thunk)

Yoshiki: ...I'm so glad

(sfx: ka-thunk ga-thunk)

P3

Yoshiki: I'm so glad you didn't have to go back to the mountain...

(Hikaru: The monster will go away...)

(Hikaru: Happily ever after.)

(Hikaru: That's for the best.)

Yoshiki: (I'm a monster too)

Yoshiki: (I can't find a place to belong in this cramped world)

Yoshiki: (It's always been hard to breathe)

P6

Yoshiki: (and I've kept myself hidden away)

Yoshiki: (That's why I want him to be saved)

P7

Yoshiki: (Because when I'm with you, I'm saved too)

Yoshiki: (In the end, its just ego)

Yoshiki: (I've said it was for 'Hikaru''s sake, for the village's sake, desperate to shift responsibility...)

Yoshiki: (But in the end, it was all just for me, wasn't it?)

P8

(Yoshiki: You don't need to turn into a human or anything )

Yoshiki: (I went and said something like that...but in the end I'm still seeing him as a human)

Yoshiki: ('Hikaru' and I aren't the same at all)

Yoshiki: (No matter what, he's a real monster that's murdered people, a dangerous existence...)

Yoshiki: (That's why he tried to go back to the mountain)

Yoshiki: (The choice 'Hikaru' made wasn't wrong at all)

Yoshiki: (And yet, I...!)

P9

Yoshiki:

(Because I don't want to be apart from him

Because I don't want to be alone

Because to me, 'Hikaru' is my salvation

Even if anyone else gets hurt

Because 'Hikaru' is important to me

The truth is I might not care what happens to anyone else

Am I maybe still seeing Hikaru in him?

I'm the one treating people's lives too lightly)

Yoshiki: I'm a self-centered asshole...

(sfx: slump)

Hikaru: Huh?

Yoshiki: I've been saying it's for the village or for you

Yoshiki: But it was all...just to serve my ego...

==

Next part: 2024/06/04 (next week)

Twitter Extra (link):

Hikaru: Whoa, he suddenly started crying (LOL)

[entertext]

HGSN 28-1

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the Japanese chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

P1

Rie: Sorry, Kayo-chan

Rie: Yes, I'm sorry to bother you, but

Rie: Please look after my mother-in-law and daughter

(sfx: tick tock tick tock)

P2

(sfx: message notif)

(txt: Tsujinaka)

Rie: I guess they'll be reaching the train station soon

P3

(sfx: ga-thunk ga-thunk)

(sfx: whoosh)

Rie: A hole, huh...

P4

Hikaru: I can't see those bands in the sky from before any more

Hikaru: What on earth were they?

Rie: It's probably...a sign of dispersion.

Yoshiki: "dispersion"?

Rie: The hole in Kubitachi isn't just one big hole, but it's probably split up into several holes

P5

Rie: The holes are connected to each other, and tons of impurities travel between them like a road

Rie: That was what we were able to see for just a moment, I think

Yoshiki: Huh? That was all impurities...?

Hikaru: Why all of a sudden?

Rie: All of a sudden? No, it was always there. It just couldn't be seen before.

Rie: The hole would have ended up like this sooner or later

P6

(Tanaka: At this rate, it'll cause a disaster any time now.

Tanaka: So I'd really like to get that thing closed somehow.)

Yoshiki: If a "disaster" occurs...what's actually going to happen?

Yoshiki: You said a ton of people will die...

Rie: If it's left alone, it's certain that "something" will occur. There's...not much time left.

Hikaru: So if the holes are closed, those bands will disappear too and there won't be as many impurities?

P7

(sfx: engine rumble)

(sfx: ga-thunk)

Rie: That's right...

Rie: By now, the entire town has become warped. If the holes are closed, I'm sure it will go back to normal

Yoshiki: Kurebayashi-san, you really seem to know a lot about all this... Thank you so much

Rie: ...I've actually secretly been looking into it myself! Ahaha!

(sfx: ga-thunk)

Hikaru: Hmmm, but why does the hole divide itself?

Rie: I'm not sure...but if it hadn't divided itself, things would have ended up like this much sooner...

P8

Rie: Ah! Of course! It was because it was divided that things lasted for so long.

Rie: By the looks of those bands

Rie: The impurities split into 3 streams coming out of the main source in Kubitachi.

Rie: There are probably 3 other holes outside of Kubitachi

Rie: The bands extended in the direction of Ashidori, Udekari, and somewhere in Kibougayama

P9

Rie: Thanks to that, the widening of the original hole in Kubitachi must have been slowed

Rie: since the impurities were dispersed to the other three holes

Yoshiki: Heads were offered to the hole in Kubitachi...

Yoshiki: and the rest of the body...

Hikaru: ..."had to be dismembered and buried as far apart as possible"

Hikaru: Right?

Yoshiki: Oh

P10

Yoshiki: Was that to make the hole disperse...?

Yoshiki: I don't know if they knew about the hole or not, but maybe what they were doing ended up being something that was necessary

Rie: The shape of this region...

Rie: You said it looks like a person right?

Yoshiki: Yes

Rie: It might be like a sacrificial doll*...

* a katashiro - a doll used as a substitute for a human in Shinto rituals. See wiki.

P11

Rie: Having the land itself bear their sins and their spiritual impurities in their place...

Rie: That might have been their intent.

Hikaru: So that's what splitting the village was for...huh....But why three?

Yoshiki: That's right, the abandoned regions of Udeiri and the southern region of Kibougayama don't have holes, right?

Rie: I wonder why? It's true that the impurities appear near places where people live

Rie: So even if there are holes, I don't think they'd come out...

Hikaru: Hmm...

Hikaru: So, in the end...

==

Next chapter: 2024/07/02

Twitter Extras:

1 (link):

History of Kubitachi

Start:

Life was difficult due to the impurities coming out of the hole, but unaware of this, people continued to settle there out of the desire for mercury

With mercury-based abortion pills as the origin, worship of "Unuki-sama" started.

With an incident where a farmer's head disappeared as the start, the head-sacrificing religion of "Nounuki-sama" was founded. The village was divided into 5, and many people were murdered.

In 1749, a "Spawn" appeared on the mountain. The Indou ancestor made a wish believing it to be "Nounuki-sama" resulting in the mass deaths.

Villagers: Who should we believe in now?...

Thinking "Nounuki-sama has become a tatarigami", the villagers believed that the god needed to be appeased, and the Indou family was assigned the duty of carrying out the ritual for generations.

Missionaries arrived, and many villagers converted, causing "Nounuki-sama" to gradually be forgotten, but in Kubitachi where the ritual continued to be practiced, that wasn't the case.

Fast forward to the present.

While in the middle of the ritual, Indou Hikaru falls down the mountain, and wishes on the "Spawn" at the moment of his death, thus starting the main story.

--

2 (link):

Bad End Routes that Yoshiki Avoided

---

If he didn't accept 'Hikaru'

Yoshiki: Uwah! A monster!

--

Hikaru: I should have just done this!

DEATH

---

If he continued to treat 'Hikaru' as Hikaru

Yoshiki: You're Hikaru, so there's no way you would do something like that.

--

Hikaru: Was something wrong with what I did?

Yoshiki: ...

Villagers, friends, ALL DEAD

---

If 'Hikaru' returned to the mountain

Hikaru: I'm going back

Yoshiki: ...

--

Continues to dwell on it in the village for the rest of his life

---

If he took advantage of 'Hikaru'

Yoshiki: You just have to listen to what I say.

Hikaru: ?

--

Hikaru: This is "love", right?

DEATH

---

3 (link): (art only)

==

[entertext]

HGSN Vol. 5 Q&A

[Extra content from Vol. 5. Questions are solicited from Twitter under the hashtag #ひかなつ質問. If you have any questions about the characters/setting, they might get picked up in a future volume.]

Q. What kind of an effect did Yoshiki's father's behavior have on Yoshiki?

A. Yoshiki's parents often fight, and every time, his father expresses his feelings through things like slamming doors, despite never saying much in response. After Hikaru's father's death, the time his father spent brooding also increased. Having grown up looking at his poor communicator of a father, Yoshiki was unable to respect his father, and started to feel disgust towards himself for growing to resemble his father year after year.

Q. I'd like to know what genres of music that Hikaru, 'Hikaru', and Yoshiki like.

A. Hikaru often listened to J-Rock and anime theme songs. 'Hikaru' will listen to any kind of music, but he is easily moved by lyrics. Yoshiki likes lyricless music with a gloomy atmosphere and often listens to it in his room alone.

Q. I'm curious about what kind of feelings 'Hikaru' has towards Kaoru! During the summer festival in Vol. 2, the image of Kaoru having one hand pulled along by 'Hikaru' and the other held by her brother, Yoshiki, was very charming.

A. To Hikaru while he was alive, Kaoru was like his own little sister, and he always looked out for her. Although he couldn't put his mind to it as much Yoshiki did, the actions he took unconsciously often helped Kaoru out. At the summer festival, such actions from Hikaru can be seen from 'Hikaru' too. After it became 'Hikaru', he was in a state as if he had been given the input "someone important as a little sister", so from Kaoru's perspective, he might seem vaguely distant.

Q. Do the memories of Hikaru that 'Hikaru' has contain all five senses that Hikaru experienced at that time? Do smell, sound, etc. and all of Hikaru's emotions at that time remain as a part of "Hikaru's memories"?

A. Yes. However, to 'Hikaru', it feels as if a massive dictionary containing "Hikaru's memories" was suddenly thrust into his head, so even if he experiences the same thing, it still feels new to him.

Q. While looking at the illustrations and such that Sensei has done up till now, I've thought that 'Hikaru' probably doesn't feel the cold, but how does 'Hikaru' feel when it comes to heat? In the story, he says "Wah, it's so hot!" and has the electric fan turned on, so it seems like he feels it more than cold...

A. Since he lacks an "instinctive fear of death", both the heat and the cold are simply fun experiences to him. His feeling of pain is dull, so even if his limbs go numb from cold, he doesn't mind, and any severe sunburns heal quickly too.

Q. Are there any other versions of the Labour Cat Mascot besides the cat whose hair grew long from overwork? And in that case, which is most popular?

A. There are also "Boycott Cat" and "Boss Cat" and others. The protagonist, "Labour Cat" is the most standard one, and is explosively popular among female highschool students.

Q. I'd like to know how you would rank Yoshiki, 'Hikaru', Asako, Yuuki, and Maki in terms of smarts!

A. In order of smarts, Yoshiki→Asako→Yuuki→Maki = 'Hikaru'. By the way, Hikaru when alive had about the same grades as 'Hikaru', but where Hikaru hated studying, 'Hikaru' finds it fun. However, he still doesn't understand the contents of the class very well.

Q. Among Yoshiki-kun's group, who is the best at drawing? And also who isn't very good at it?

A. The best at drawing is Asako. Maki also likes to trace anime so he's surprisingly good. Yuuki's drawings are crude but charming. Yoshiki draws in detail with careful observation, but the parts end up unbalanced. Hikaru ('Hikaru') is the worst at it.

Q. When did Kurebayashi-san start to be able to return impurities to the other side?

A. She was able to see impurities from childhood, but it was when she was a highschool student that she returned an impurity to the other side for the first time. Because that ended up being a rough time, afterwards she lived hiding her powers. However, because she ends up helping others out despite herself, rumours about them spread to her own inconvenience.

Q. Does Mokumokuren-sensei draw with analog tools? Or digitally?

A. I work fully digitally.