01x01 - Nanoka to Mao

[bunniefuu]

A monster...

I've found someone else!

It's a child!

We've got a lot of bleeding here!

She's not breathing!

It's not good!
We're bringing her up!

And good morning to you all!

Thank you for tuning in
on this first day after the holiday!

Yesterday,
traffic jams and packed trains

added stress to one of the busiest
travel days of the year...

NANOKA KIBA added stress to one of
the busiest travel days of the year...

NANOKA KIBA
Grandpa!

I'm heading out!

Morning, Nanoka!

NANOKA'S GRANDPA

NANOKA'S GRANDPA
Oh, that's right...

NANOKA'S GRANDPA
School starts today.

Mom, Dad...
I'll see you later!

FUNA UOZUMI

Miss Nanoka...
FUNA UOZUMI

Don't forget, your smoothie!

That's very sweet of you, Uozumi!

But no smoothie today!

Your vim and vigor
is no exception!

Now here!

Nanoka...

Please, it's good for you.

The foul indignity!

My very soul resists!

A brew from the bogs of hell!

'Kay I'm really going now!

When I was little...

I really died.

NANOKA AND MAO

On your mark!

Get set...

Go!

Nanoka Kiba...



That slow?!

HARUKA YUI NAKAGAWA And here I
thought Nanoka would be so fast...

That poor girl.

What? No way!
- That's what I heard.

You know that deserted
shopping street?

Oh, you mean Fifth Street?

Yeah, people've reported "things."

Really? Like ghosts?

No... More like...

Weird noises.

Listen!

That's where
that terrible accident was!

HITOMI That's where that
terrible accident was!

Hey, not so loud!

Huh?
What? What?

We'll fill you in
'cuz you were in a different class.

Nanoka's parents...

That accident!

Huh?!

I-I'm sorry, Nanoka.

Don't sweat it.

It was eight years ago...

I was in the first grade...

We'd happened to be passing by...

FIFTH STREET SHOPPING ST.

That's when
the road just gave way.

Somehow...

I was outside our car.

I was covered in blood.
My breathing had stopped.

FIFTH STREET SHOPPING ST.

Ghosts, huh?

The road's completely repaired now.

You'd never
know it ever happened.

Haruka, who told you that?

Go on, go on...
What sort of weird noises?

Well, that's...

Don't ghosts
show up only at night?

So they actually came...

Oh, hey, Nanoka!

You okay being back here?

I mean,
with the accident and all...

Well, um, it is...

It is a decent
shortcut to school...

What's wrong?

Do you hear that?

Hey, couldja stop!

What?

I'm not hearing anything.

This's all a rumor?

I hear something...

Is it from in there?

TOFU SHOP

Huh?

What is... this?

I was just on that
deserted shopping street.

I just don't...

They all are dressed...

Everyone's so old fashioned...

They're see-through...

Are they... ghosts?!

No!

I'm leaving!

Ahem!

Pardon me...

If I may be so bold...

You are human, yes?

She's injured?

W-What is this?!

Stay back!

MAO OTOYA Master Mao, something
seems afoot in this town.

Master Mao, something seems
afoot in this town.

Thank goodness, a solid person!

A normal person!

Please, help me!

No.

Let her do it.

Huh?

Oh, it's escaping.

So he k*lled it?

Ah!

There!

Found the little critter!

Um... Well...

Could we keep the wee beast?

We've been after it
for quite some time.

What is it?

Hey!

Explain why you took
your sweet time in helping me!

Well...

I presumed
you would be all right.

What?

What gave you that impression!

Huh?!

Oh!

You know you dropped this.

Here!

My hand...!

My arm... It's back!

It doesn't feel strange...

Maybe it was just a dream...

Ah, so you've awoken!

Um...

My arm...

Master Mao oversaw your care.

No simple case.

Who... Are these two?

It's that creature...

So...

Why didn't you take up arms?

Huh? How would-?

Come again?

It was quite obvious
you were superior.

The proof, I'd say...

Lies in the beast's
frantic attempt to flee...

After being
bathed in your blood, no?

What is this man saying?

My blood...?

You...

You are an ayakashi, are you not?

Please, don't go.
We have more to discuss.

No... Thanks, but no!

This weird guy
says even weirder things!

Oh!

Thank god!
This's the street.

I gotta get out of here!

You are an ayakashi
of this region, no?

You must know
what is happening in this town.

That's funny...

I'd like to know too!

Just stay away from me!

Wait this instant!

She vanished.

See, I told you there's nothing!

Call it a day then?

Hey, we came here
'cuz you "heard" things!

Told ya it was all fake!

Even sounded fake...

Huh? Nanoka,
what happened?!

Why do you look like you've
been pulled through a knothole?

Um, remind me...

What was I doing?

Huh? You were facing that way...

Then you turned around...
and were covered in mud.

This a joke?

What's going on?

It's just as it was...

Just a dream?

Must've been...

I'm perfectly fine...

Nanoka...

That injury from yesterday...

Feeling better?

Yeah...

Luckily, it wasn't too serious.

That so?

Remember,
you've a delicate constitution...

You need to be careful.

Yesterday'll be my little secret.

Grandpa'll just fret.

Heck, I don't even believe it.

Little Miss Nanoka...

Your...

Smoothie!

Ugh!

The horror!

The unrelenting t*rture!

This gate...

A barrier's been raised
to surround it.

And that female
ayakashi ran straight through it.

Speaking of which, Master Mao,
when you treated her...

Those pills you gave her...

What were they?

Oh...

It was difficult to properly
reset her arm.

I thought I'd try an antidote.

What do you mean?

That ayakashi...

Something seems to be
suppressing her power.

Mornin'!

Yui! Mornin' to you!

Nanoka! Sorry, gotta go!

sh**t, I'm late!
Gotta hustle!

Huh?

This speed's... incredible!

Whoa!

A hit and run?

What just happened?

Anyone hurt?

I saw something jump!

Huh...?

Did I just...?

Huh?

That wasn't Nanoka... was it?

What's...

What's happening to me?

I don't feel so good...

Grandpa...

Nanoka!

My word, what happened?!

I'm not sure.

Tell me, what hurts?!

What's wrong with me?

Could I...

Skip school today?

Course...

Go right to your room and rest.

Did that...

Was all that real?

That was me... I was flying...

Ever since yesterday,
everything's been off.

It was all... Reality, right?

You are an ayakashi, are you not?

That strange guy...

I think he was called Mao.

Just who is he?

Okay!

He didn't seem at a loss for words...

He must know something...

I'm going to school after all!

Whatever I had is gone!

Nanoka...

Hold it right there.

Uozumi's whipping up some
very special medicine.

Miss Nanoka.

This one's got a kick to it!

Here!

Ugh...

Maybe next time!

Thanks!

Drat!

Nanoka.

It works miracles, I tell you.

FIFTH STREET SHOPPING ST.

So here it is.

Just your average
deserted shopping arcade...

People are coming and going.

Nothing to see here.

Huh...?

I got pulled right back...

Huh?!

You're that ayakashi girl
from yesterday!

So you did decide to come back!

Oh, you were with that fellow...
Mao, was it?

I serve as Master Mao's assistant...

Otoya at your service!

Ah, well, I'm Nanoka...
At your service.

Miss Nanoka...

Um... Well...

I'd like to meet with Mr. Mao.

I was hoping I could have
a moment to speak with him.

I see...

Well, Master Mao is currently away
gathering information on this town.

The whole situation is
rather strange, don't you think?

All the transparent people,
that is.

So the two of you
aren't residents of this...

No, we arrived here
just the other day.

Hmm...

This would be the place...

But I sense no malevolence.

Hey!

You there...

You're not from
these parts, are you?

Constable...

I should be so bold to presume?

Your eyes don't work?

I don't like you stranger!

Well, I think I've had enough
of your theater.

Huh?

Oww!

My, my...

Quite hairy are we?

Cunning little...!

What a delight!

I finally meet a "person"
I can talk to.

Prepare to be eaten...!

I...

I'm stuck!

The fur you parted with has
been embedded in this katashiro.

Now out with it.

I'm talking about this town...

Who is responsible
for this barrier?

Huh?!

How should I know!

It's always been there!

Oh, there he is!

H-He's fighting another monster?

That he is.

Master Mao is an onmyoji.

He can tell someone's fortune,
treat illnesses...

And sometimes he will battle
an ayakashi or two.

An onmyoji?
So they do really exist!

I see... So you just happened
to call this town home.

What can I say...?
It's comfortable.

All right...
Then one final question.

The Byoki...

Are you familiar?

Byoki?

As in "sickness"?

As in the cat demon.

Never heard of 'em!

How very ignorant.

Tis a shame.

I-I can move!

You may leave now.

Sure, you got it!

Right after
I sink my teeth into ya!

Watch ou-

Huh?!

Master Mao!

Please be more careful next time!

Your clothes are in shreds.

Otoya.

You're that ayakashi.

She says we
may call her Nanoka.

Tch, look at all this blood...

Um...

Maybe I could help you?

No need.

I assume you saw?

An ayakashi who bathes in my blood,
will pay the price.

I am not some kind of ayakashi!

And besides...

You're one to talk!

Aren't you some kinda yokai?!

I told you, don't you remember?

Master Mao is an onmyoji!

What?! So that was all just
a bunch of magic then?

It is a curse.

A curse?

I live under
the curse of the Byoki.

BYOKI

BYOKI
Here, you write it like this.

Byo... ki?

So it's some kind of spooky cat?

Sounds kinda cute if you ask me.

No, not in any sense!

It's a kodoku of
unspeakable horror!

Ko... do... ku?

Yes.

You have so very much to learn.

Up we go!

This here is the kodoku jar.

Oh!

You put the little praying mantis
ayakashi in there...

Kodoku is written like this.

You drop in spiders, centipedes,
snakes, various poisonous bugs.

Put 'em all in,
and they devour each other.

The last one crawling
is the kodoku.

You use the kodoku to curse
or poison people.

Same with the Byoki.

It was the only cat that survived
the melee of cannibalistic felines,

it was the one kodoku
that outlasted them all.

So someone used the Byoki
to put a curse on you?

That...

I cannot say for sure.

Who was it?

It escapes me entirely...

I've no memory of what happened.

What?!

Your back...

It looks excruciating...

You're still bleeding too...

Did you have those wounds before?

Oh, these...

They tend to surface
once and a while.

They're the markings
of the Byoki's curse.

That's the last change of clothes
we have.

Please try to keep
them unblemished!

So?

Huh?

So you decided
you needed to return.

Does that mean
you have something to tell me?

No... I actually have some
questions for you!

I'm human!

Or at least I was...

Then suddenly...

Then, ever since I arrived
here yesterday, I...

I just don't know anymore!

So you say you are human?

And you are certain of that?

Of course...

I mean, my parents
were just ordinary people.

That fateful day...

It happened in this town...

Directly in front of that
deserted shopping arcade.

Of course!

I remember!

I saw a monster.

Next time: Spider Lady