Episode 4 of The Summer Hikaru Died, titled “Summer Festival,” delves further into the psychological horror and emotional complexities of Yoshiki’s relationship with the entity inhabiting his best friend, Hikaru. The episode focuses on a village festival, offering moments of levity amidst growing supernatural tension and significant revelations about Hikaru’s disappearance and death.
Yoshiki’s Burden and the Truth of Hikaru’s Death
A central theme of Episode 4 is the heavy burden Yoshiki has been carrying since Hikaru went missing. Yoshiki finally confronts the impostor Hikaru, revealing that he knew the truth of Hikaru’s death from the moment he found his lifeless body. A flashback shows Yoshiki defying his mother’s wishes to search for Hikaru in the mountains, where he discovered his friend’s corpse with blood on his forehead amidst heavy rain. Yoshiki notes that Hikaru’s body was less damaged than expected, and the entity later suggests it might have been repairing Hikaru’s body when Yoshiki found it. Overwhelmed by grief, Yoshiki blacked out before he could alert anyone and spent days ill in bed. When he finally recovered, the impostor Hikaru had already returned, leaving Yoshiki in a state of profound confusion and denial. This confession deepens the bond between Yoshiki and the entity, as Yoshiki begins to process his grief.
The Village Elders and the Indo Family’s Role
The episode also sheds light on the village’s history with supernatural occurrences and the role of the Indo family (Hikaru’s family) in containing evil spirits. Discussions among the village elders reveal that the Indos were traditionally responsible for performing a ritual to confine spirits to the mountain and keep them away from the village of Kubitachi. It is suggested that Hikaru’s father, Kouhei, last performed this ritual, and some elders believe its failure led to a “Mountain God” descending and haunting the villagers. The belief is that only men of the Indo family can perform this ritual, hinting at a deeper, generational connection to the supernatural events.
Tanaka’s Barrier and Growing Threats
Tanaka, an exorcist figure from “the company,” continues to investigate the eerie happenings. He sets up a spiritual barrier near the village shrine, which the impostor Hikaru accidentally touches, alerting Tanaka to its presence. Tanaka speculates that the festival crowd might have attracted the spirit, as it “fancies human beings.” He also considers that the spirit might not be in its actual form, as a “mammoth” presence would have terrified the festival-goers. Tanaka notes that his barriers are difficult to replace as they are created using his own organs, adding to the gravity of the situation. The episode closes with Rie, a character who previously warned Yoshiki, standing at railroad tracks as a supernatural being appears, which she seems to push back. There is also a suggestion that a new spirit is targeting Rie, possibly due to Hikaru’s increasingly possessive behavior.
Hikaru’s Struggle and Final Moments
The impostor Hikaru expresses a growing disgust with its original form, which occasionally seeps out of Hikaru’s body. Despite this, Yoshiki interprets these changes as attempts by Hikaru to become “better.” In the post-credits scene, the real Hikaru’s final moments are depicted: he slipped and fell in the mountain rain, hitting his head. As he lay dying, Hikaru’s last thoughts were of not wanting to leave Yoshiki alone, and he begged the spirits to ensure someone would stay by Yoshiki’s side. It is at this vulnerable moment that the entity, referred to by Hikaru as “Unuki-sama,” approaches and begins to consume him. This tragic flashback reveals that Hikaru’s attempt to perform a ritual to protect Yoshiki from harm ultimately led to his demise. The impostor Hikaru also tearfully pleads for Yoshiki to stay by its side, confessing that the line between itself and the real Hikaru has blurred, and it cannot exist without Yoshiki.
