WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Higurashi: When They Cry - Sotsu, "Cotton Revealing - Part 1," now streaming on Funimation.
Now that the “Demon-Revealing” arc has come to an end, Satoko once again prepares to derail the current timeline in Higurashi Sotsu Episode 4. The first part of the “Cotton-Revealing” arc shows just how resourceful and devious Satoko has become throughout her looping, and gives answers to a few of Gou’s lingering questions in the process.
After successfully thwarting Rika’s plan, Satoko and Eua discuss the events of the previous timeline in the Sea of Fragments during the episode. By this point, Satoko has become incredibly confident in her abilities and spends her time in the other world preparing strategies to deceive Rika. Eua seems to enjoy Satoko’s efforts, which is good for her. So long as she manages to keep “Oyashiro-sama” entertained, Satoko can maintain her advantage over the still clueless Rika.
When Satoko and Rika wake up in a new fragment, Satoko decides to secure a more efficient weapon and means of resetting the loops. Now that Teppei is set on reforming, Satoko weaponizes her uncle’s guilt to her advantage.
On Satoko’s advice, Teppei wins a massive sum of money from the racetrack and gives her a share of it. The two celebrate their victory and Satokio coaxes her uncle into getting drunk. Satoko uses the opportunity to root through Teppei’s address book and buys a gun from one of his black market associates.
In a flashback to an unidentified fragment, Satoko asks Mion to teach her to shoot. Mion happily indulges her, and Satoko spends an unknown amount of years honing her skills. This certainly explains where that gun in the “Cat-Deceiving” arc came from. Given how the events of the “Cotton-Deceiving” arc played out in Gou, Satoko will likely put it to use fairly soon.
The events of the club activity in Okinomiya play out the same as they did in Gou. Mion and Satoko both head outside the toy store having already won their games, and Satoko recalls an earlier conversation she had with Eua as the two walk out of the store.
Satoko notes that Mion never succumbed to paranoia in any of the original timelines. Despite being brash and somewhat reserved, Mion is one of the most logical and composed of the club members given her status as the Sonozaki heir. Having recognized this, Satoko decides to make Mion her next target and injects her while the two are outside.
Gou’s “Cotton-Deceiving” arc should make it a bit unsurprising to see Mion step up as the antagonist this time around. Mion’s greatest strength in the original series seems to have singled her out this time around, as Satoko once again seems indifferent to manipulating her closest friends. The stage is set for Mion to run rampant and, again looking at Gou, a confrontation between the two is inevitable. Whether or not anything important happens is a whole other question.
