Sou Hishigata

**Sou Hishigata** (菱形窓, *Hishigata Sō*) is a 17-year-old boy who is Shinpei's childhood best friend. He is the eldest son of Hishigata Clinic, the only hospital on Hitogashima, and is studying to become a doctor. He has a strong sense of justice and regrets that he was present at the scene of Ushio's maritime accident but was unable to prevent it. He has confessed his feelings to Mio twice in the past and was rejected.

## Appearance

Sou is a young man with messy brown hair and brown eyes.

## Plot

### 1st Loop

At Ushio's funeral, Sou hugs Shinpei and apologizes for not being able to help her. He offers Shinpei to punch him until he feels better, but Shinpei refuses. Sou explains that Ushio died while saving a kid, Shiori Kobayawaka, but the girl haven't spoken since then. That evening, Sou calls Shinpei and explains the rumours about his father performing an autopsy is false, but they did find strangler marks on Ushio's neck. However, given the situation and the police labelled it as an incident and only a few people know about the neck marks.

### 3rd Loop

When Shinpei lives the day for a third time, Sou visits him at Kofune's Diner, where Shinpei tells him about Shadows. Mio suggest they go to Hiruko Shrine and speak with the priest, but Shinpei convinces them to go the next day during the Summer Festival, as being more crowded would be safer. Before leaving, Sou wants them to have a code word and Mio suggest Mesopotamian culture. Sou then leaves, wanting to check on something before tomorrow, but the next when Shinpei asks him, Sou states it was nothing. During the festival as Shinpei blames himself for not protecting Ushio, Sou tells him it wasn't his fault and he need to protect Mio now, but if he doesn't, Sou will protect her for him, making Shinpei realizes that Sou still has feelings for Mio. Sou explains that after the fireworks, the priest would be free and they can visit him then, but Shinpei sees something and leaves the group. When the fireworks end, Mio calls Shinpei and he joins them. After the ceremony, Sou decides to confess to Mio, but Mio explains she wants to be friends with him. Ushio then appears and comforts Sou, but everyone see through her disguise. Mio thinks she is a shadow and warns Shinpei to stay away from her, but Shinpei himself reveals he is a shadow.

Other shadows appear and they start killing people. A shadow that copied Sou, attempts to kill Mio, but Sou uses his body to protect her and Shadow Sou kills him, hitting him in the head with an axe.

### 4th Loop

Sou meets with Shinpei at Kofune's restaurant. Shinpei takes two umbrellas and they leave, which surprises Sou as its sunny outside. They go to the beach, where Sou wants to tell him something related to Ushio's death. Ushio then shows up behind him and guesses its the strangle marks, which makes it look like she was murdered. Sou confirms, but then sees Ushio and ends in a shock. After they tell him everything, Sou apologizes for not being able to save Ushio and wants she to punch him. Ushio then kicks him and tells him to get up as they rely on him. Shinpei gives her phone and after unlocking it, they find a video from the morning when Ushio died. Watching the video, they see Ushio and her Shadow Ushio on it. Ushio tells him that Shadow Ushio is on their side and continues to explain how she met her Shadow and formed a plan to save Shiori. When the video ends, Shadow Ushio regains her memories and abilities and decides to replay them the memory of how Ushio died. She transports Shinpei and Sou on the private beach on 21st. They witness how Shiori is being dragged underwater by her Shadow and Ushio and her Shadow trying to save her. They manage to take Shiori from her Shadow, but Shadow Shiori then strangles Ushio and captures Shadow Ushio. She attempted to fix the faulty Shadow, but Mio and Sou came and she pretended to be the real Shiori, while erasing the real one. While Mio carried Shiori, she grabs Shinpei's arm, surprising him, thinking that was just a memory and they couldn't interact. Shiori then turns to Heine, who states she found him and won't be letting him go. Shadow Ushio ends the replay and Shinpei sees a mark on his hand where Heine grabbed him. Shinpei decides they need to investigate the old clinic.

On their way to the old clinic, Sou reveals that when he was in fourth grade, he tried to sneak in the clinic as Tetsu Totsumura and his friends invited him for a test of courage. However, he wasn't able to get in as his father caught them. Since they owned the clinic, Sou didn't think much of it as it was possible for Seido to be there, but he finds it weird and wonders what his father was doing there. They go to the old clinic and while looking around, they find an old wood Hiruko statue. Shinpei notices a crack on the wall and asks Ushio to go, who then sees the wall is a secret door but it needs a key. Shinpei figures the Hiruko statue looks pregnant and Ushio scans it, and copies the key from inside. As they open the secret door, Ushio tells them she feels a shadow down below and has a bad feeling. Sou wonders what his father is doing as there is a secret door that can only be opened with Shadow's help. As they go down, they see its an old tunnel dug during the war. Shinpei asks Ushio to prioritize protecting herself and Sou to protect her as well. He explains that if he dies, he will loop, but if Ushio dies first, she may not loop back with him. Heading towards the shadow, they see a baby-like shadow, who appears to be deaf and blind, but manages to smell them. The shadow jumps on Sou, but Shinpei manages to pin it with his nailgun and Ushio kills it. Ushio explains that the first shadow she felt is still down the tunnel and they continue. They hear a gunshot and end in a natural cave, where they get surrounded by baby-like shadows. As they fight them back and try to escape, Shinpei notices that the shadows are only attacking Ushio. Once they manage to escape, he sees that Ushio isn't well and her wound from Mio haven't disappeared. Ushio then explains that she needs to copy the original to restore the lost data, but as original Ushio is now ashes, she can't heal the wound. Tokiko then appears, thanking them for bringing the defective product, Ushio. Shinpei shoots at her shadow to pin her, but Tokiko laughs and reveals she is human. Having no choice, Shinpei decides they to surrender, figuring that they won't hurt Ushio right away, he wonders if she will take them to her father. Tokiko tells Sou that she no longer needs to keep secrets from him, but its natural that he doesn't know anything, as he wasn't chosen by their father. As they follow her, she takes them to Hiruko, who Shinpei recognizes as Heine.

Tokiko explains that Hiruko like to be called Heine and look like her, who is the first person she copied. Recently she had troubles walking and needed a new body, so she took Shiori. She explains that her family have been serving the shadows for generations and they bring the dead to her for she to eat them. As they bring Ushio's body, Tokiko states Ushio's death was a surprise to her and never expected she to team up with her own shadow in order to save Shiori. Sou can't accept this and yells at Tokiko, asking her where their father is. Tokiko yells back that its because he is like this that she had to carry everything herself. She had to do all of this, because if Heine dies, their mother would die too. Their mother wasn't cured and their father asked Heine to turn her into a Shadow, so she can live. Soon, the shadow parent shows up and brings Mio as hostage. Tokiko is angry as they promised to not touch Mio. The shadow finds this foolish as all the humans on the island would be dying tomorrow at the festival. Tokiko wonders what he means as tomorrow Heine was supposed to have her final meal and heal her body, and then bring her mother back. The shadow shoots at Tokiko, but Sou gets in front and takes the bullet.

### 6th Loop

Sou along Shinpei's friends is called to the elementary school. There Ushio shows them her memory of the previous loops. Shinpei asks them to help him and fight the shadows and Sou agrees.

### 7th Loop

Shinpei explains to everyone else that he can only loop one more time as the time limit for the loop moves faster after each death.

When Heine and Shide come with shadows and they case Shinpei and Ushio, Heine orders shadow Mio to take out Ginjiro, however, Mio, Sou and Tokiko remain to protect him and fight Mio. Eventually they manage to defeat her and pin her with the nailgun and later ask Ushio to turn her one of them.

After making Shadow Mio their ally, Shinpei questions her and they learn that all shadows except Heine, can give "birth" to only one shadow and that shadow cannot give "birth". Shinpei then decides they go speak with Seido Hishigata as he seems to know Heine's plan. However, reaching the hospital, they see all items and furniture being erased. Ushio senses a shadow and they follow to the morgue in the basement, but see Ushio's real body is gone. They continue a path leading to Hiruko Cave, but on the way, they see Seido chocked by his wife, Chitose. Ushio then stops her and severs her connection with Heine. As Seido isn't breathing, Tokiko gives him first aid and then Sou takes over, not wanting him to die before answering for what he did. Seido awakens, but wants Tokiko to kill them, so that Heine can gain his trust again. As Tokiko refuses, because the shadows had betrayed them, Seido takes the gun from Sou and shoots Tokiko. He then attempts to shoot Ushio, but Tokiko turns into Shadow Mio and stops him. After Seido learns he is immune and they can't copy him, he decides to tell them everything. Heine wanted to return to her world, and Seido, Chitose, Sou and Tokiko would going her as shadows> Seido also reveals that Shide is Heine's guardian and the first child she gave birth to, Shidehiko Hishigata, the founder of the Hishigata Clinic, as well as its first director.

Seido shows Sou, Chitose's ashes, as he couldn't give her body to Heine to eat. He reveals that she died from a heart failure on January 3rd, 2013. Sou realizes that is days before the supposed surgery where they found a donor. Seido reveals that Hishigata had been serving the shadows for over 300 years and there has always been only one successor. He believe it will be too much for Sou to bear all this and he values life, and that's why he chose his sister as successor. Next day, the group is split in two teams and Sou is left with Mio and Shadow Mio to wait at the Kofune restaurant.

### 8th Loop

Mio and Sou receives a call from Shinpei, informing them that Ushio is dead and tells them to meet him at Alain's garden. Thinking that Ushio's hack could be undone, Mio pins shadow Mio and leave. Mio and Sou then head to the garden, where they meet Masahito, who turns into Shide. Sou and Mio are captured by Masahito and are then send for Haine, where she eats them.

### 9th Loop

Mio and Sou are heading towards Alain's garden, but Shinpei and Shadow Mio come out from the sewers and stop them. Shinpei wonders if her phone is turned off and Mio confirms, since he told her that a shadow may contact them. Shadow Mio tells her that it already happened, making Mio realize previous call was from a shadow Shinpei. Mio apologizes to Shadow Mio for pinning her, but Shadow Mio is fine with it and had scanned Mio to heal her wounds. Shinpei then tells Sou and Mio to return to Kofune's and protect the kids.

Ginjiro tells Sou that if they stayed together, they may not have saved the three children. Shinpei had to choose who to save and choosing Sou and Mio, guaranteed Hizuru's death. Sou states that Shinpei is taking all the responsibility and carries all the burden himself, and is annoyed he couldn't help.

Sou recalls the pseudo-loops that Ushio showed them and that he confessed at Mio and she turned him down. He wonders if Mio also remembers that. Mio then shows up looking for Shinpei and Sou tries asking her again, but Mio acts like she is shadow Mio and states nothing changed. Sou then states she likes Shinpei and Mio starts to panic and blush, making him state she ain't the shadow, but confirms that her feelings for Sou and Shinpei have not changed. Sou then states that Shinpei said he will be on the roof.

### 10th Loop

Shinpei loops back with Ushio while the group is still in the stray. They go outside and Haine realizes they are in the Hiruko cave. Shinpei's group then proceeds towards Hiruko's main body while staying in the stray. They reach another shadow, who attacks them and Tokiko decides to remain with the stray and fight it, while the group proceeds. Shinpei's group then reaches a black barrier, which they realize is part of Hiruko. Ushio attempts to hack it, but Shinpei stops her as the wall reverses the hack and cuts two of her fingers. Shinpei then calls Mio, and uses fireworks he made her steal to blow up the barrier. While the wall slowly regenerates, they get in, but Shinpei feels Shide is coming and turns and starts shooting him. Ginjiro then decides to stay to prevent Shide from following them.

Getting closer to Hiruko's main body, Shinpei feels a loud noise that makes his head hurt. Mio explains its Hiruko's controlling signal, something she can now ignore thanks to Ushio hacking her, but its not possible for a human to ignore it. Ushio then makes Shinpei focus on her and generates another signal that counters Hiruko's signal and banishes it from the area. Proceeding, they are attacked by Shide from above, but Ushio protects them. Shinpei avoids using Ryunosuke's powers as Haine will either way notify Shide, and proceeds trying to lure Haine into a trap. While Haine dodges, she feels Mio and dodges her, but then Sou shoots her shadow. Injured, Haine is unable to warn Shide on how to dodge, and Ushio kills him. A second Shide then appears, but Ushio punches Hiruko's main body and his armor falls off and Mio kills him. Shinpei then notices that Ushio has a red eye now and his eye starts hurting him. Another Shide then appears in front of them.

### 11th Loop

At the last loop, Hiruko doesn't appear and Shadows do not exist.

Sou and the rest meet up with Shinpei as he arrives at Hitogashima. Last year, Sou confessed to Mio, but she turned him down. This year, on 24th, they go to the festival, where Sou again confesses his feelings to Mio and she asks him what he likes about her.

## Etymology

* The name **Sou** means "window" (窓).
* Sou's surname **Hishigata** means "Rhombus, diamond shape" (菱形).