
Originally Posted by
Kutie Pie
Yes, it takes place in the future, about twenty years after the Great Hinamizawa Disaster. It's an alternative ending to the Atonement arc as an epilogue, but it's part of the question arcs for the manga, albeit as a side-story. It's an interesting arc that is a bit different from other arcs. Beyond Midnight is more of a ghost story than anything else, but it's beautiful. It was eventually incorporated into the DS port, Higurashi Kizuna, as part of the answer arcs.
You should check it out. It actually has some meaning to the series in a way, even if majority of it is never brought up in mainstream.