Summary
With some warm regards from their teacher, class is dismissed for summer break. Ayuko Oobashi and her friends excitedly chatter about the upcoming festival, "Akako". Ayuko is disappointed her family can't afford a new yutaka for her, and while browsing through a fashion magazine she spots her crush -Shunsuke- nearby. She envisions them enjoying the fireworks display together until her friends snap her out of it as he approaches. He caught her staring at him and thought it was because of the manga he had. His friends make fun of her until he kindly tells them to stop.
Ayuko attempts to work up the courage to respond until a pretty girl runs up to Shunsuke to show him the brand new yutaka her mom bought for her. As Yuuka clings to Shunsuke and his friends lovingly tease her, Ayuko becomes grumpy. They aren't dating but she acts like it. Yuuka spots Ayuko staring at them and asks why that is, but when Ayuko doesn't answer she resumes talking to Shunsuke.
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Ayuko remains in a poor mood as her friends badmouth Yuuka's behavior, stating its why she doesn't have friends. She only spends time with the boys. Ayuko remarks that they don't need someone like her around, much to their surprise. She quickly attempts to backtrack until her friends suggest they get rid of Yuuka, which startles her. They laugh it off, reminding Ayuko that it would be a crime and they can't do something so drastic. However... one of the girls knows how they can do it without resorting to murder. In the past, "Akako" had the tradition of offering a sacrifice, a child from one of several families in order to keep peace until the next year, when they would repeat it. Her grandmother has a book about it, she doesn't understand why they couldn't bring it back. She explains that "Aka" in Akako doesn't mean "baby" like most assume. It means "red child" because of the sacrificial aspect.
Ayuko is concerned until her friends convince her to give it a try. She agrees after realizing how much happier everyone would be without Yuuka, and the girls nickname their group "The Sacrifice Club". Later, while in bed Ayuko starts having doubts. It was spur of the moment, and it's a little scary. But if things they hate disappear, there wouldn't be anything left to hate. Everyone else wants to do it anyway, so it should be okay.
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The next day, Ayuko and the girls get the book to see what all they have to do; they must lure the sacrifice near the shrine, and then cover them with blood from an animal. They dance around the sacrifice and sing a folk song, and then the god's familiar will take the sacrifice away. None of the girls want to harm an animal for its blood though, so one suggests they use red paint. Ayuko worries the ritual won't work then, but they assure her it should be fine.
She remains uncertain as the girls depart, and she makes her way home until realizing the festival is one week away. She is pleasantly surprised when she bumps into Shunsuke and they exchange words, leading her to panic after her mind goes blank. Shunsuke brings up how many friends Ayuko has and asks that she become friends with Yuuka, because she doesn't have very many. She is a genuinely honest person, and he thinks they could get along great.
Ayuko is dismayed over this and dedicates herself to their sacrifice plan from that moment. The next day when she and her friends practice the folk dance, their lack of motivation and seriousness frustrates her. She later catches them off-guard when she shows up with a bottle of red liquid- paint mixed with a few drops of her own blood.
As the days pass, Ayuko's friends begin to worry over how unlike herself she has been. They were treating this like a game because they thought it was one. But she's become intensely focused on ensuring the ritual works and looks happy.
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Everyone reunites on the day of the festival and the girls decide to enjoy themselves for the time being. They eat yummy foods and play games, they even buy masks for the occasion. Everything goes well until they find Yuuka flirting with Shunsuke, and they remark on seeing this ruins their good time. They tell Ayuko that they should begin the ritual now, saying that initially they didn't take it seriously, but now they feel motivated. They want to support Ayuko because of how serious she is about Shunsuke. Ayuko is touched by her friends kind words and agrees.
Her friends head off and she approaches the pair to ask if they came together. Shunsuke explains that they came with his friends, but they got separated. Ayuko feels relief knowing they weren't on a date, and Shunsuke suggests she and Yuuka hang out for a bit. Yuuka doesn't really want to and accuses him of worrying about her because she lacks friends. Shunsuke tries to deny this until she reminds him of what he told her- as long as he was by her side, she would fine. Shunsuke is earnestly touched by this, unknowingly provoking Ayuko. She pulls down her mask and invites Yuuka to join her for some shaved ice, and with some encouragement from Shunsuke she agrees.
The girls head down a path and Yuuka is confused because they are going off route. Ayuko assures her it will be fine as they approach the shrine nearby, where the others are waiting. Yuuka is disturbed and demands an explanation, and she becomes frightened after they reveal their intentions of sacrificing her. She runs away and trips, allowing them to catch up to her. Ayuko happily removes her mask and tells Yuuka that she is in the way; her flirty behavior with Shunsuke annoys them, and everyone would be happier without her around.
The girls come together to perform the folk dance and song they practiced, but when it comes time to douse the red liquid on her- its Ayuko who gets covered, not Yuuka. Ayuko is stunned as Yuuka complains over her injury and gets up. Ayuko's friends go on to explain that they hate her now, because they only came up with the sacrifice club as a prank. They got bored with it relatively fast and attempted to get her to realize they weren't going to actually do it, but she was so creepy and strange that it made them turn against her. They had no choice but to warn Yuuka about it.
It's then Shunsuke reappears to reveal he heard everything. He saw the girls head this way and thought it was strange, so he trailed after them. Ayuko quickly attempts to convince him this isn't entirely her fault because the others convinced her that they were in on it too. She tries to confess that she only did it because of how much she loves him, but he refuses to listen. He calls her disgusting and grabs Yuuka to lead her away. The other girls toss their masks near Ayuko and follow after them, leaving her alone in her humiliation.
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Ayuko's ex-friends laugh at Ayuko's misfortune as the group return to the festival. However, Shunsuke and Yuuka appear to be genuinely concerned, wondering how things will go for her once school resumes.
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Once she manages to collect herself, Ayuko stumbles through the large crowd of festival-goers. Still drenched in the blood-paint mixture, several are alarmed because they can't tell if its paint or if she was badly injured and in need of help. Suddenly, she trips and falls to the ground. A handsome young man approaches to offer her help, and asks if Ayuko is alright. Seeing how upset she is, he suggests they take a break and get some shaved ice. Ayuko wipes her tears and accepts his kind gesture, allowing him to lead her away.
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As this occurs, Ayuko's ex-friends have gotten some snacks and continue chatting about what happened. One of the girls compliments the one who came up with the idea to begin with, but the girl informs them that it was a real thing, a long time ago. She's heard several stories about people who are said to pull people they dislike into the forest near the festival grounds. There used to be a shaved ice shop at the shrine too.
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Ayuko follows the boy and they come to the shrine, where she stares in alarm as a group of people reveal themselves. They have been waiting for her...
Tropes:
- Berserk Button: Yuuka is Ayuko's.
- Deadly Prank
- Disproportionate Retribution: Ayuko wanted to get rid of Yuuka because she and her friends didn't like her. But it was mainly because of how close she was to Shunsuke.
- Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: The stories climax took place on festival.
- Karmic Twist Ending
- Yandere: Ayuko, as the story progressed.
