[Inside the journal that was found by Varmoth , are old photos and recorded of events before Mizuki's arrival.]
[8 July 1982]
26 years old freelance journalist named Yurashiki Nagato is writing on his journal about his first day tour in Tenko city.
[When I was first arrived here , the people here are happily welcoming us with open arm. I ask some locals about the origin of this place but they vividly remember that this city was once a small village protected by a shrine maiden. Then one day , a fire start to broke out , engulfed the shrine and small part of the village. Everyone miraculously saved but unfortunately , only the shrine maiden died in the fire. After the incident , a man that the shrine maiden hold dear , took the command and lead his people to rebuild the village then evolved to what it is today.]
Nagato end his writing then close his journal. He get up from his seat and walk to the window then view the outside of the hotel. The people outside are still buzzing with the nightlife festivities.
[18 July 1982]
[10 days has passed , by getting to know more with the local , I've learned that nearly half of the population are relatives of one giant family. They are well to be known as Tsubaki Family. I also discovered that they also build an army of their own were all of them are relatives to the family. They established the army by the name "Tsubaki Imperial Army" (T.I.A) which is demanded by the head family , Tsubaki Seijiro.]
Nagato end his writing up to that point and rub the area between his eyebrows so he decide to take a walk outside to release his stress. After 15 minutes of walking around the city , he finally take a stop at nearby café for tea break. He take a few steps to the entrance then someone is calling him out.
Iruka: "Nagato-san. Over here."
Nagato: "Oh , you're the one I interviewed few days ago. Iruka-san was it ?"
Iruka: "Yes. I'm glad you still remember my name."
Nagato: "So , may I know who is this young lady beside you ?"
A girl in yukata is sitting beside Iruka.
Iruka: "Oh , this girl here is my dear friend , Hana-chan."
Hana: "Please to meet you. I'm Tsubaki Hana."
Nagato: "Tsubaki Hana...are you perhaps related to the Tsubaki Family ?"
Hana: "Well yes , but my family wasn't that well known like the rest so it's nothing that big of a deal."
Nagato: "Is that so ? Then do you mind if I ask something from you ?"
Hana: "Sure , I don't mind."
Nagato: "Then , I would like to know about your family traditional ritual."
Hana hesitate for a moment.
Iruka: "Hana-chan..."
Nagato: "It's okay if you won't tell me. It is a heavy subject after all."
Hana: "No it's fine , I think I can tell you about my family's ritual."
They continue chatting throughout the evening. At night , he return back to the hotel and resume his writing in his journal.
[I was soon learned about the Tsubaki Family ritual. A young member of the family will be chosen by the elders as their representative to do a ritual. Once the ritual start , sacrifice are needed as compensation in order to succeed. I honestly don't know what kind of sacrifice they actually needed.]
[18 August 1982]
[A month has passed after I wrote this journal. The girl I have met during our discussion regarding the family ritual is nowhere to be found. She was last seen at the day I was first met her.]
He end the writing then goes outside of the hotel to take a walk. Few hours goes by then he coincidentally meet Iruka who is looking for him. She ask;
Iruka: "Nagato-san , um...have you heard anything from Hana-chan ?"
Nagato: "I wish I could tell you a good news but sadly , I haven't heard from Hana ever since we left the café."
Iruka: "I see..."
Soon after , a truck that carry the armed Imperial soldiers drive by them. He wonder;
Nagato: "Now that I think about it , there are many trucks driving around the city. I wonder if there's an emergency happen in family affair."
Iruka: "I hope Hana-chan is doing fine."
[21 August 1982]
Nagato just woke up from his sleep when suddenly;
[BOOOOM!!!!]
A loud bang could be heard with powerful impact that shaken everything surrounding his room.
Nagato: "What the- what just happen !?"
He quickly get up and change his clothes in a hurry. After he left the hotel , he see that people are running away from something. Then , sound of gunfire could be heard everywhere as if a sudden war broke out. He try to look for someone within the running crowd and he see Iruka who run the opposite way toward the sound of gunfire. Out of concern , he decide to follow her for her safety. Few minutes later , he arrive near the entrance gate of Tsubaki mansion. He hide behind bushes;
Nagato: "What is she doing here ? Could she be looking for Hana ?"
Not longer after that , he see Iruka who manage to sneak pass the gate. He try to sneak inside but theoretically , he can't because he could be easily notice the guards so he wait for her. After a while , he notice that one of the guard saw something behind the corner of the gate. Then the guard jog toward the corner of the gate and pull out a woman out of her hiding spot. The woman beg to the guard to let her go but the guard call other guards who on stand by at entrance gate. As other 2 guards walk their way to the woman , she shake the guard off and attempt to run away but the guard take out his handgun then aim it at her and shoot her at the back multiple times. Now that the woman died by gunshot wounds , other refugees who hide with the woman begin to run and scattered so the guard order other 2 guards to shoot them. The 2 guards take out their assault rifle then shoot every refugees at their vicinity leaving no one left alive. Nagato who hide not far away from them witness the guards horrible acts. He soon realize that this could also happen to Iruka so he sneak inside through the gate entrance while the guards are distracted.
Throughout his infiltration , he manage to sneak by many Tsubaki Imperial soldiers until he reach to the entrance of the mansion where he hide behind a partition wall. He peek around and suddenly see Iruka being drag by 2 guards. Iruka bite the guard's hand and manage to let her go. The guard take out his gun and aim it at Iruka who run toward an unknown room but Nagato run out from his hide and tackle the guard off despite a bullet shoot out from the gun. He get up to see that Iruka is no longer be seen anywhere so he run outside of the mansion to distract the soldiers away from Iruka.
30 minutes later , Nagato is able to escape from Tsubaki's imeprial soldiers and continue to run through the forest. Soon after he meet a group of locals who try to escape from the city. One of them , Arase , recognize him.
Arase: "Nagato-san , I thought you were dead."
Nagato: "I was barely escape from the imperial soldiers. What the heck is going on here ? People were massacre left and right by them."
Arase: "I'm not quite sure either. These soldiers were minding their own business. It is unexpected when they suddenly open fire to the civilians. Anyway , I know that there's a secret passage that could lead us outside of this city. Are you going with us ?"
He give a thought about it and eventually;
Nagato: "Sure , lead the way."
He join up with Arase and the remaining refugees to escape through secret passage. Few minutes later , he open his journal and write his recent discovery while the others are taking a short rest.
[Today , an explosion could be heard and I found out that the Tsubaki Imperial Army decided to massacre all residents that are not related to their family for unknown reasons. For now , I have to get out from this city with the rest of the refugees.]
He close his journal and go looking for Arase. Once he see Arase who look at the open forest with grasses long to their knee , he look at him;
Arase: "Our escape is right pass this way. But...somehow I have a bad feeling about this."
Nagato pat his shoulder;
Nagato: "If there's no escape pass that , we'll find other way out."
Arase: "Yea..."
Arase call everyone to move and they march forward the dense grasses.
Arase: "Keep moving , everyone. We're almost the-"
Suddenly , he is hit by an instant flash coming from the ground near him.
[BOOOOOM!!!!]
A bomb is set off by unsuspected refugee who accidentally step on it. The explosion killed the refugee instantly and cause few of them blown away. Arase get up from the explosion and ask;
Arase: "Is everyone alright ?"
Refugee #1: "What was that just now ?"
Refugee #2: "A bomb ?"
Nagato: "It's not just a typical bomb , those are landmines. Be careful , these landmines could be scattered everywhere so step with extreme cautious."
Arase: "No wonder. Since the length of the grasses are to our knee , we couldn't detect the landmines. That's a nasty trick."
Everyone are now carefully proceed to march forward. Nagato look around the forest as the rest march pass him. He notice a hill above and not far away from him. Then he see a blink of light reflection where the true nightmare hit him.
Nagato: "Everyone , get down !!!"
Refugee #1: "Huh ?"
[TOKEW!!!]
A sound of shooting sniper is heard and the sniper bullet hit one refugee by the head which kill him instantly.
Arase: "Run!!!"
Despite the landmines are everywhere , it doesn't concern them as they run in panic because they know a sniper is hunting them from great distance. Nagato continue to run toward the other side of the forest while he hear the screaming of the refugees getting shot by sniper and step on a landmine. Once he reach to the other side , he look to his side to see that Arase was shot dead seconds before he arrive. He look behind to see one of the refugees , a mother carried her baby almost reach to him when a sniper bullet hit through her back. She kneel down and soon realize that the baby that cried just now suddenly when silent. That is where she know that the bullet went through her back , hit the baby instead.
The mother: "UAAAHH!!"
Another bullet goes through her head just to finish her off then she fall down and died above her baby. Nagato proceed run and leaving everyone behind.
Few moments later , Nagato finally reach to the entrance of the city after coming out of the secret passage. He take a huge breath and continue to walk. Soon after , a bullet nearly hit his head miss so he look behind to see a group of soldiers are after him.
T.I.A soldier #1: There he is , get him !!."
T.I.A soldier #2: "Don't let him escape."
Nagato: "Damn it."
He take a run for it. He keep on looking his back and make a fatal mistake where he step on a bear trap without looking. He fall down in pain then continue crawling to escape. Unfortunately , a group of soldiers manage to catch up to him as he lean on his back to the destroyed car. One of the soldiers bring out a pickaxe and walk toward him so he take out his journal one last time.
[To anyone who find this journal , please take this journal to any reporter and let them know of what happen to this ci-]
He wasn't able to finish his writing as he was struck to the head by a pickaxe penetrating his skull.
(End of Chapter 5)