02x12 - A Lucky Day at the Unagi Restaurant

[bunniefuu]

Unagi

Unagi

Unagi

Say, Jujoji.

Have you ever been to an authentic unagi shop like this by yourself?

No, I can't say that I have.

The unagi is definitely good, but the price...

Menu Unaju Regular , yen Special , yen Extra Special , yen

Not to mention, just setting foot in a place like this

tends to demand a certain age or level of experience.

Yeah...

So what's going on over there?

I couldn't say...

The extra special unaju, please!

How old does she look to you?

A high school girl? No, maybe middle school...

Though her appearance and behavior seem mature.

So she's probably a sheltered rich girl.

Kajio, stop staring.

What a mystery.

A young girl alone at an unagi shop, ordering the extra special unaju...

She looks like a doll. Does she even have any internal organs?

She couldn't eat unagi if she didn't have organs.

Maybe she's a puppet that eats unaju.

Specifically unaju? You seem really worried about this.

You're that concerned?

Mysteries shouldn't exist...

To ensure that your food tastes better and that you can sleep soundly at night.

Today's the last day I want something like that in my life.

Let's forget about why she might be here for the moment.

Why did you invite me out of the blue to eat unagi for lunch with you?

And at such a fancy place, no less?

It's been six months since my wife Yukie passed.

Ever since Yukie passed, my body just feels so heavy,

and I go for days without getting any sleep.

I went to the hospital, but they can't find anything wrong with me.

In the end, it's a psychogenic health problem.

I guess it's hard to just set your heart free.

But now, things seem back to normal.

I've been able to sleep these past few days, and I'm gaining some weight back.

I figured it's time to get back on my feet.

To celebrate, I thought I'd eat some unagi.

I see. Well, your wife's passing did seem to do a number on you...

Then you should indeed eat some unagi.

It's been known to be good for you ever since the Nara period.

According to the Manyoshu, it's good for heatstroke, as well.

Wow...

You always know the most useless trivia.

Kimoyaki and umaki... Let's throw in some hone senbei, as well.

Ma'am, we'd like to order.

Sure, be right there.

Let's look at this differently.

Hm?

It's hard to deduce why this girl is here with the information at hand.

Well, yeah.

Let's think about this instead.

How did we end up encountering such a bizarre sight?

Whenever something rare or strange happens to you,

it's always been considered either a good omen or a bad omen.

Perhaps this is some kind of sign for us.

A sign?

Like how they say something bad will happen if a black cat crosses your path,

or something good will happen if a tea stalk is upright in your tea.

I guess they do say that running into a hearse is bad luck.

So what does seeing a girl eating unaju by herself at an authentic unagi shop mean?

Considering how elegant she looks, I'd like to see it as a good omen...

The fact that such an eye-catching beauty,

who may or may not even be human, appeared in a place like this

must have some meaning or symbolism behind it.

Mhm.

Unagi are considered messengers

for deities, particularly for Kokuzo Bosatsu.

Kokuzo Bosatsu is known as the god of fortune and wisdom.

In his left hand, he holds Chintamani stones that symbolizes fortune,

and in his right hand, a treasured sword that symbolizes wisdom.

Huh... Wisdom, eh?

Another thing about unagi is that

they're cut differently in Kansai than they are in Kanto.

In the Kanto region, they cut down the back,

and in Kansai, they cut down the belly.

There were many samurai in Kanto,

so they apparently wanted to avoid making it look like seppuku.

That is one theory...

But it's also said that they simply prepare it differently in the east and the west.

It looks like this particular shop...

prepares unagi in the Kansai way.

Which means they open up the belly like someone committing seppuku.

And because unagi are so hard to grasp,

they're used in metaphors about skillfully running away.

Putting all of these things together,

that otherworldly girl represents the Kokuzo Bosatsu,

and the unagi represents a criminal trying to run away from their crime.

So the Kokuzo Bosatsu is capturing the criminal running from their crime

with his treasured sword of wisdom,

and trying to force them into seppuku.

Man, that all came together nicely.

Yes.

That girl appearing here may be a revelation by someone wise

who will reveal the sinner and punish them for their crimes.

Kajio, you...

You...

k*lled your wife, Yukie-san, didn't you?

You know, I've been thinking.

Is it really okay for Kokuzo Bosatsu to eat unagi,

considering they're supposed to be his messengers?

I'm sure Bosatsu is able to

freely determine how he wants to handle his messengers.

All right... Why do you think I k*lled Yukie?

Six months ago, Yukie was att*cked by a mugger at night.

They took her bag and knocked her over, and she fell.

She hit her head hard and, unfortunately, d*ed as a result.

That's just what was deduced based on how the body was found.

No one witnessed the moment she was att*cked by the mugger.

After you hit Yukie-san and k*lled her,

you could have easily made it look like she was att*cked by a mugger.

Though it wasn't m*rder,

there have been similar incidents that occurred before Yukie was att*cked.

There have been several incidents since Yukie's death, as well.

That's why they were investigating her death as a mugging.

But if you had k*lled Yukie-san to make it look like a mugging,

nothing would seem suspicious.

Or it could even be said that perhaps you had committed the string of muggings

so that you could hide your true motive.

They still haven't caught the mugger.

Beware of Muggers!

As long as no one other than Yukie-san was found dead,

If you spot one, call !

it's not that risky a crime for the sake of camouflage.

Yukie-san got sick of how clingy and controlling you had become,

and wanted to divorce you.

But knowing how you are,

there's no way you'd ever let Yukie-san end up with another man.

Actually, it's entirely believable that you'd k*ll her

just so you could keep her yours forever.

Where's your proof?

I have no physical proof.

But the fact that you couldn't sleep and lost weight after Yukie-san's death

is all the proof I need.

And what do you mean by that?

You're not the type to mope around just because Yukie-san was k*lled.

You would fly into a burning rage and do everything you could to find

the mugger who k*lled your wife,

and concentrate solely on getting revenge.

Yukie-san belonged to you.

There's no way you'd let anyone get away with doing anything to her.

For the sake of argument,

now that Yukie-san is dead,

you don't have to worry about her belonging to any other man.

You decide that works out in the end and let the mugger off the hook.

That would mean you're satisfied with that outcome.

You may not outwardly seem happy about it,

but you'd be able to carry on as you did before.

You'd never give in to anxiety

or let yourself become whittled down mentally or physically.

Mhm.

He's right about that.

But you were clearly worn down, like any normal husband would be

after losing his beloved wife.

Kajio, are you all right?

Y-Yeah... Sorry. I just got dizzy.

Inconceivable.

That must've been an act!

In other words, you were afraid those around you and the police would see that

you were happy about your wife's death and thus had a motive,

so you had no other choice!

Because you're the k*ller, you had to try harder than anyone should

to act like a grieving husband who had just lost his wife,

so that no one would catch on!

I see.

Now I get it.

You must've brought that girl here.

You wanted to find a surprising way to declare that I k*lled Yukie,

make me anxious, and psychologically corner me.

No.

She's a customer who has nothing to do with any of this.

Besides, you only invited me out to lunch about an hour ago.

Aw... That means the girl remains a mystery.

How unfortunate. I wanted that cleared up.

It is a fact that after I saw her,

I thought of Kokuzo Bosatsu, a criminal trying to escape their crime, and seppuku.

So her being here made me feel like the suspicions I've had for a while were true.

It seemed like a revelation telling me to prosecute you...

But I was completely wrong. This was my mistake.

I'm sorry!

You are not the m*rder*r.

What brought this on?

It's not like you just told me something you randomly thought up yesterday.

Besides, your analysis of my temperament is mostly right...

It's because my analysis is correct.

If you were indeed the m*rder*r,

there's no way you'd just keep

happily eating your meal unfazed after I suddenly made that accusation.

You'd have no time to worry about that girl.

You'd get your brain working to try to assess the situation and how to deal with me.

Then I could've been more certain about my hypothesis.

And yet, you just seemed amused by the whole thing without a care in the world.

You just kept wondering about that girl... That's inconceivable.

To be honest, the way you seemed worn down seemed so natural,

it was hard to determine if it was an act or not.

I knew if I suddenly made that accusation,

the mask of falsehood would fall off, but...

I guess you really were run down because you lost Yukie-san.

That would mean you're not the m*rder*r.

Who knows?

To be honest, I didn't think Yukie's death would affect my health this much.

I'll pay for everything here. It's the least I can do.

Nah, don't worry about it.

By the way, why didn't you take your suspicions to the police?

Like I could ever sell my friend out to the police.

I wouldn't be satisfied if I didn't at least give you the chance to confess.

I see.

Which means I should be the one to pay for everything here,

like I said when I invited you out, Jujoji.

You're a great friend.

Thank you for the meal.

Thank you very much.

What was her deal?

A Lucky Day at the Unagi Restaurant

Hey, be careful getting home.

Yeah...

It'll be my treat next time.

Do you have a moment,

Kajio Takaya-san?

Oh.

Kokuzo Bosatsu.

How do you know my name?

I guess it'd be rude of me not to tell you my name.

My name is Iwanaga Kotoko.

I received a request regarding you, so could I have some of your time?

Sure, what is it?

Are you on your way to the police to turn yourself in?

You regret purposely k*lling your wife,

and you're thinking of turning yourself in, aren't you?

Jujoji's deduction was correct.

Six months ago, I decided that I would m*rder Yukie so no one else could have her.

I figured I could continue living my normal life, even after I k*lled Yukie.

That's just the kind of person I am.

To help conceal my true motive, I committed a number of muggings prior,

and I made it look like I was a serial mugger

who accidentally went too far and k*lled Yukie.

Yukie d*ed, and the police suspected nothing. Everything went according to plan.

The one thing I didn't see coming was...

After Yukie's funeral, my body became extremely heavy, and I was unable to sleep.

I thought I'd be satisfied if I k*lled my wife, but that was overconfidence.

k*lling someone I loved must've tormented me far more than I could've imagined.

Did I actually wish deep down for Yukie to live,

even if she ended up with someone else?

I need to pay for my crimes...

I decided to turn myself in.

After I had gotten everything in order, my body felt relieved.

Unagi

Unagi

I wanted to eat something delicious on my last day,

and I wanted to see my good friend.

This sake is great!

Before Jujoji even came up with deduction, I had decided I'd turn myself in.

But this was the last place I thought he'd accuse me of k*lling Yukie.

I know I've suspected you this whole time...

but will you continue being my friend?

Should I at least tell Jujoji? No...

Right now, I want to part with a smile.

Of course.

It'd be way more fun to surprise him later.

Kajio! You bastard!

I was going to turn myself in today and end this whole thing.

So how in the world does this girl know about this truth?

I see! This solves everything!

You must be a detective or private investigator.

I bet my wife's relatives asked you to investigate my surroundings,

and you planted a wiretap in my apartment and found out what happened.

It seems quite unreasonable for you to do a job like that,

but I guess you're not as young as you look.

What you were doing at that unagi shop finally makes sense now.

You must've been keeping an eye on me and preparing yourself to confront me.

A girl like you alone at an authentic unagi shop would stand out like a sore thumb.

And if said girl suddenly asked me

about my crimes, I'd obviously panic, and you'd have the upper hand.

I guess the revelation he was talking about wasn't a complete mistake.

You really are

the Kokuzo Bosatsu holding the treasured sword of wisdom.

Unfortunately, I have no connection with any bosatsu.

And I entered the shop you were in by pure coincidence.

Aw, really?

However, while I was there eating unaju, your wife requested something from me.

My wife?

Kajio-san, ever since your wife d*ed,

your body's felt heavy and you haven't been sleeping well, right?

Of course you haven't.

Because the ghost of your wife, whom you m*rder*d,

is clinging to you as hard as she can.

Ghost?

You've never heard of it?

Sleep paralysis or other afflictions caused by spirits?

That's what's happening to you.

What's going on with your body is not a mental issue caused by your guilt.

You're being weighed down heavily by an outside force.

When I entered that unagi shop,

I saw someone possessed by a ghost overflowing with a desire for revenge,

so I was a bit surprised.

And then, the ghost of your wife came over to me and explained everything.

Since she was possessing you every minute of the day after being k*lled by you,

she knew how the m*rder happened,

along with everything you had been up to lately.

And apparently, she has no plans of leaving you even if you turn yourself in.

So basically, Kajio-san,

even if you turn yourself in and get back into society's good graces,

your ailments aren't going to get better.

Please continue living as you have been.

Could you not bring up random things like ghosts and sleep paralysis?

Since I decided to turn myself in, my body feels lighter, and I've been able to sleep.

That's because my guilt has been relieved.

That's only your imagination.

You just felt that way because you thought your ailments would go away

if you tried to atone for your crimes.

See? Even now...

Your body already feels heavy, doesn't it?

Your wife asked me to tell you this.

You're not a decent human being who'd feel sick from guilt.

You k*lled your wife because your desire to control her was so high,

yet you don't even have the heart to feel guilty about that.

You're just a heartless person.

Apparently, it angers your wife to no end

that you could possibly think yourself a decent human being

who's able to feel guilty about anything.

The sense of guilt you thought you felt

was just a lie you fooled yourself with

to justify how much you were suffering.

You're truly just imagining things.

You can go turn yourself in,

or continue living out in the open as you have been.

You'd lose your freedom living in prison, but you'd have clothes and food.

You'd have your freedom if you lived out in the open,

This... This can't be happening...

but you'd have to continue trying to make a living with your current condition.

I wonder which would be easier for you.

W-Wait!

You can see and hear ghosts, right?

So if my wife's possessing me, you can exorcise her, can't you?!

Would you do that for me? I'll pay—

I am the Goddess of Wisdom to bakemono, ayakashi, ghosts, and demons.

Even though I can honor your wife's request because she's a ghost,

I have no obligation to honor the requests of humans.

If your wife's possession of you went against the logic of this world, it'd be one thing,

but this is retribution and makes complete sense.

So there's no necessity for me to do anything.

I'm sure your wife will grow bored with possessing you someday.

You'll just have to continue living until then.

Not to mention, you get to stay with the wife you loved so much that you k*lled her.

Isn't that what you wanted?

Who is this girl?

If I just knock her down like I did Yukie...

She's just a tiny girl.

It'd be so easy...

Bosatsu...

Again, you've got the wrong person.

Could you... Could you just tell me one last thing?

Why were you at that unagi shop all alone?

I just can't figure it out.

Why? Well...

I'm spending the night at my boyfriend's place tonight,

so I figured I'd need all the virility I could get.

So I just entered the first unagi shop I saw. That's all.

Unagi are known to symbolize healthy pregnancies and easy labor.

And because they look like male genitalia,

they also symbolize harmony among married couples.

The sheltered rich girl...

I must say, I do feel quite invigorated now.

The avatar of the Bosatsu...

I'm going to give it my all tonight!

She's so crass!

Well, enjoy the rest of your life!

Harmony among married couples...

Yukie...

Was I that heartless?

Good work, Kuro-kun.

Toraneko Delivery Service

You, too.

Looks like someone's here to pick you up,

Delivery Reception

so you can clock out after you set that down.

Pick me up?

Senpai.

Great job today.

Supermarket

So that happened.

Cheap

Thinly-sliced Beef Roast

This Kajio guy definitely deserved what he got, but you sure are ruthless.

I just did my job as the Goddess of Wisdom to the bakemono.

Yeah, I know all that, so that's whatever.

But from now on, don't go to any unagi shops on your own like that.

Fruit Balls

The owner was probably troubled by you being there, too.

I fail to see the problem here...

Potato Chips So good you can't stop! Lightly salted

Perhaps I should've had a soft-shelled turtle dish instead, then?

For the love of all things holy, don't do that, either.

Seriously, just stop.

Are you jealous that I had such expensive unagi all to myself?

Closed

But you had work during the day,

so you wouldn't have been able to come even if I invited you.

Okay, why don't I treat you next time?

That's really not the point here.

You work far too much anyway, Senpai.

We don't even have time for dates.

What kind of student works three or four heavy physical labor jobs

without any sleep or days off?

Good grief. It's so much trouble having a boyfriend who makes no sense.

Like you're one to talk...

Anyway, I ate unagi, so we must test out its potency!

You don't need to hold back on me tonight, Senpai!

The End