I think it was a deliberate choice. I mainly see Higurashi as being split into two “mysteries” or problems: 1) the kids suffering Hinamizawa Syndrome and becoming violent and 2) Rika’s death and Takano’s conspiracy etc. They’re two separate threads, and the first problem has to be overcome before the second one can be. Moreover, the second problem becomes intertwined with and hidden within the first, which I think is quite clever, especially that we straight-up don’t see Rika’s death in this chapter. Forces readers to think more carefully about what might be happening rather than just expecting all the clues to be presented to them.
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