In Episode 11 of *The Summer Hikaru Died*, Yoshiki finds himself face-to-face with his father. Before any words are exchanged, the scene abruptly shifts back to a haunting childhood memory. His father, with a glint of anticipation in his eyes, had wanted to share the story of their village with him—a tale ominously titled *The Farmer’s Head*. Yet, young Yoshiki, restless and full of youthful exuberance, preferred to lose himself in the world of 'Ultron Man' and a Godzilla-esque figure, declaring with childish certainty that he would one day study monsters.
Returning to the present, Yoshiki, with a sense of urgency, inquires about the sin of the Indo family. His father, with a solemn tone, recounts the words passed down from Hikaru’s father: long ago, an Indo leader, consumed by grief, had lost his wife. In his desperation, he had pleaded with the mountain god to restore her to life, vowing to offer the heads of others in exchange for the Indo family's protection.
On that fateful day, the wife did indeed return from the dead, but at a harrowing cost. Approximately a third of the village’s population succumbed to a mysterious fate, their heads seemingly lost to an unseen force. That very night, the wife met her end once more, though her spirit lingered. The head preserved in their shrine, known as Hichi-san, was hers. Since then, every five years, the Indo family would ascend the mountain with Hichi-san, beseeching the god to remain tethered to the mountain.
Later, in an act of defiance and love for his son, Kohei Indo, Hikaru’s father, had argued with the village elders to put an end to the gruesome ritual. He contended that Nonuki-sama, the deity they worshipped, was not the same and that the ritual had lost its meaning. Tragically, soon after this confrontation, Kohei met his demise in an accident. Yoshiki, unable to contain his curiosity and concern, asks his father how he felt in the aftermath of his friend’s death, drawing parallels between their situations. His father, with a comforting touch, reassures Yoshiki that he is not like him, possessing many traits inherited from his mother.
With a mind cluttered with thoughts and questions, Yoshiki borrows some of his father’s books to delve deeper into the mystery, noting inconsistencies that gnaw at his curiosity. For instance, he ponders the origin of all the impurities that seemed to plague the village even before Nonuki-sama’s arrival. Determined to unravel the truth, he leaps up, inadvertently knocking over his stack of books. Amidst the scattered pages, his eyes catch sight of a drawing in an art book dating back to the 1500s—a sketch that bears an uncanny resemblance to Nonuki-sama.
At school, Yoshiki eagerly recounts his discoveries, and Hikaru, curiosity piqued, yearns to learn more about his true self—the real Hikaru. He concedes that he might feel weaker now, having severed a fragment of his being, yet he adamantly refuses to reclaim it. As Yoshiki reminisces about memories of the authentic Hikaru, it's evident that he still yearns for his lost companion.
As they meander through the deserted corridors of the school, a sudden transformation overtakes Hikaru, lured by the inner fire burning within Yoshiki. Soon, he begins to exude an otherworldly substance—Nonuki-sama—and lunges towards Yoshiki. When he finally catches up, he's a mass of pulsating discharge rather than a boy, engulfing Yoshiki in his embrace. Initially cowering in terror at the sight of what Hikaru has become, Yoshiki's emotions shift from fear to awe. Could this transformation be a result of all their previous interminglings?
When Hikaru snaps back to reality, he is convinced he's a monster and flees from Yoshiki in a panic. Left alone, Yoshiki contemplates that even a being like Hikaru deserves a place to call home. Meanwhile, Hikaru pays a visit to Kurebayashi, consumed with worry that he poses a threat to Yoshiki. He ponders whether returning to the mountain would be the safest option for everyone. Despite acknowledging his monstrous nature, he can't bear the thought of being alone.
Kurebayashi weighs the possibility of extracting Nonuki-sama from Hikaru's body to safeguard them all, especially given his current unstable state. However, she finds herself unable to carry out the act as Hikaru breaks down in tears at her table. After Hikaru departs for home, a mysterious woman appears at Kurebayashi's doorstep.
Logically, Hikaru admits to himself that he is, indeed, a monster. The fleeting hope that he might find a home somewhere had been nothing more than bravado. Yet, despite this realization, he finds himself inexorably drawn to the Indo family residence.
