Shigetsu Youka ~April 8th~ (Free, full-length horror novel) Review with spoilers, part 2 (at 27% to 52% completion, 18 hours of playtime)

This is an article about my impressions of the free, full-length horror novel "Shigetsu Youka ~April 8th~" that I've been playing since the other day.
In the previous article, I had finished up to the point of clearing the "Curse Killing Arc," but this time I have cleared the "Clearing the Secret Arc" and the "Apology Arc."
This is not a game review article, so spoilers will be included from here on out.
Please be aware if you haven't played the game yet.

My thoughts on the "Meichō" chapter

This "Clarification Arc" could be considered the conclusion to the "Curse Killing Arc."
The story unfolds primarily from Haruka's perspective, focusing on how to prevent the incident from happening in the first place.
The beginning is comedic, but the story becomes more serious from the middle onwards.
Although the incident in the Curse Killing Arc was resolved, the reasons why the incident occurred and the circumstances surrounding it will be carried over to the next Arc, the Apology Arc.
This clarification section is probably the best the characters of this era can do about the incident.

To prevent this cursed death arc from happening in the first place, the parents' generation must have made the right choices in the past.
So, next up is the apology section.

My thoughts on the Apology chapter

Since this is a story set in the past, it will be told from the perspectives of Akane, Mifuyu, and Ryoji.
Initially, the story was rather dull with many everyday descriptions, but from around the time Mifuyu moved, it became much more tense.
However, the reason behind the cursed murders has been revealed, and many mysteries, such as the motive and method of the crime, have been solved.

By achieving a happy ending, a new route called the "Death Moon Arc" was unlocked, which presents a different future than the Curse Killing Arc.
According to the preview, the story seems to be even worse than the cursed murder arc, so I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of story awaits us.
The Death Moon arc seems to be the longest scenario, at 270,000 characters, but I have a feeling that it will raise many more mysteries.

Mysteries and theories that remain unsolved at this time

On drugs and precognition

One of the tools that made the Onnagazawa City incident possible is an unknown chemical called "D".
According to the new route at the end of the Clarification chapter, it seems to be called "Droga," and by looking at the report reference, I'm gradually getting a grasp of what it is.
Its origins are likely in something from the cherry trees of the Arata settlement.

And what remains a mystery is his ability to predict the future.
It is clear from references and other sources that one can gain precognitive abilities by being bathed in the blood of a person who has ingested drug D.
However, it remains unknown why they acquire such abilities or under what circumstances one of their eyes turns green.
I expect this will become clear as the scenario progresses.

The topic that Mika Tachiki is unnaturally avoiding

The scenario guide, Mika Tachiki, at the start of the game,All that is required of the player is to witness their happy ending.He has stated this clearly.
and,If knowing the truth of the story would hinder their happy ending, then the desire to know the truth is a violation of the rules.He even said that.
In other words, the topics that Tachiki unnaturally avoids are those that would "get in the way of their happy ending."
If we delve deeper into these considerations, we might find that even if something appears to have a happy ending, the truth is quite different.

For now, the topics she avoids that I'm curious about are the following:

- The "Infection" ending of the Curse Killing Arc

This scene is really scary, isn't it?
This is the scene where Natsumi is murdered, and Erina, who is covered in her blood, becomes "infected" with Natsumi's abilities.
Based on the description of this ending, it can be interpreted that various people's thoughts are flowing in,"I really shouldn't have used that!"Or,"Those who gain power will die in April."There is also this rather alarming sentence.
What can be gleaned from this is that "precognitive ability" is not simply a positive thing, but rather merely a by-product of something else.
Furthermore, the term "infection" is a negative expression used to describe illnesses or diseases.
The cherry blossoms in the Arata settlement are somehow related to some kind of pathogen or virus, and the precognitive abilities may be related to those diseases.
This is also suggested in Reference No. 67, "Additional Request for Death Certificate of Eiichiro Niimura."

The mysteries surrounding this are still unclear, but Tachiki does not comment on this "infection" ending.
I'll also dismiss Erina's situation as irrelevant to the main plot.
Even if it's an "event""Such an incident does not exist."This message will appear, and if you leave it as is, a scary animation will play.

Eiichiro's fall and the apocalyptic sound
Goshima Erina and Goshima Momoko have said that Eiichiro was pushed off by someone.
At that time, an unidentified sound, known as the "apocalyptic sound," is heard.
The trees evade these two points as well.

According to Reference No. 87, "Illustration of the Demonic Flower," it says, "After a fierce sound, dead people and demonic flowers bloomed in profusion."
"Fierce sound" likely refers to an apocalyptic sound, but the causal relationship with the subsequent line "dead people and bewitching flowers blooming everywhere" is still unclear.
In the new route at the end of the Meichou arc, Eiichiro, who was supposed to be dead, reappears after the Apocalyptic Sound.
The reference is likely referring to this, but its meaning remains unclear.

Furthermore, if Natsumi became "infected" after being exposed to Eiichiro's blood, then Eiichiro must also be either "infected" or have ingested "drug D."
According to Reference No. 67, "Additional Request for Death Certificate of Eiichiro Niimura," a substance believed to be drug D was detected in his blood, making it almost certain that he had ingested drug D.
The question is, at what point and why was drug D administered?
If someone pushed him, that person might have also administered the substance to Eiichiro.
Alternatively, it's possible that the growths originated naturally from the sacred tree itself.
in any case,The purpose of pushing her off at that moment was to expose Natsumi to Eiichiro's blood and infect her.I'm guessing it's around that much.

summary

I wrote this down to organize my thoughts for now.
We're only halfway through, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what awaits us next.
And after I finish the game, I plan to reread this article myself and enjoy thinking things like, "I wrote something completely off the mark," or "My analysis was actually pretty spot-on."