02x07 - Or You Could Wish Upon a Star

[bunniefuu]

Things are just getting weirder and weirder.

I wish they'd all stop abusing an old woman like me.

What do they even want me to do?

But...

I guess there are things you can only do because your time's short.

Now, then, your ladyship...

I've basically told you everything we know.

Did any of that concern you?

There don't seem to be any huge discrepancies from what I've already been told.

But there are a few parts that don't make sense to me.

Dolls that move on their own to harm others aren't born so easily.

If a renowned doll maker put their very soul into the work,

or if a doll was treasured for years until it took on its owner's wishes,

I could possibly see it moving...

But the problem is that the person who made this wooden doll

is a complete novice, and it was only finished a month or so ago.

And the fact that it can sh**t electricity from its hand is unheard of.

If such a thing could be born from an old man's grudge,

this world would be full of even more chaos.

That's the part that's not clicking for me.

I do happen to know someone who just may create something as absurd as this.

And if she is the one behind all of this,

dealing with that doll will prove to be quite troublesome.

I don't know what all you've got going on,

but I don't think that's the case here.

Zenta's doll is the same as Pinocchio.

There's a special ingredient that went into making that doll.

A special ingredient?

Well, in The Adventures of Pinocchio,

he was created from a stick that could move and talk.

Well, Zenta didn't have anything like that,

but it's still very special.

A part of that doll was created

with wood from a tree that had a meteorite embedded in it.

A mete...

According to Zenta, it happened about ten years ago.

He wasn't doing very well at the time.

His neuralgia and migraines were pretty bad,

so he went into the mountains, contemplating su1c1de.

And then...

Apparently, Zenta knew immediately that it was a meteorite.

It's quite rare to find a meteorite right after it's fallen,

and it would've made the news if he'd let the public know.

But Zenta felt a strange allure from it,

so he took the branch home and kept it by his side.

And then, amazingly, his condition started to improve.

From then on, Zenta was infatuated with the branch and took good care of it.

Since ancient times, meteorites were regarded as mysterious objects from the sky,

and were occasionally even worshiped.

They were considered messages from heaven,

and were even placed in shrines as signs of miracles.

But meteorites are just meteorites.

They don't exactly have powers to move dolls

or get them to sh**t electricity from their hands.

The earth has the power to create yokai, ayakashi, ghosts, and demons,

all of which bring about mysterious phenomena for many people.

There may well be a similar kind of power in outer space, as well.

And it's possible that power inhabits meteorites,

falls down to earth, takes on the wishes of the one who finds it,

and causes potential harm.

It's basically a cosmic supernatural phenomenon.

Ah...

Most just laughed at Zenta's story about the meteorite,

but he was serious about it.

Do you think you can make a doll to replace him?

Just because you have a special tree branch like from Pinocchio,

do you really think that thing's gonna start moving, too?

This stone makes wishes come true.

The old man who created Pinocchio went through hell because of him.

Nothing good's gonna come of making that thing.

Well, I've already been through hell.

The arm that has the meteorite infused in it is the right arm.

That's probably why it can only sh**t electricity from its right hand.

Tae-san!

That's the first time I've heard about this!

Would it have done any good if I had?

If we knew about that, we wouldn't have tried to att*ck it so carelessly!

There's no way we stand a chance against a cosmic supernatural being!

Well, I didn't know what you lot were dealing with, either.

Must be rough for you, having to deal with cosmically divine beings.

You need to help me out, Senpai!

Anything from outer space is a foreign body to this land.

It probably will not agree with the order of this world.

We must get rid of it immediately.

This situation is much more understandable than it would be if she was involved.

Did Zenta-san make any mention of what he planned on doing

with the doll while he was making it?

No.

I see.

So he didn't clearly state that he was making the doll with Pinocchio in mind.

What of it?

Oh!

When the doll was getting close to completion, Zenta did say...

This might be able to fulfill my wishes in my place.

If only I had realized what Zenta was trying to do back then...

It would've been impossible to realize that with so little information.

Even I couldn't fathom a doll starting to move and having that much power.

But it was quite careless.

Eventually, the people from town would've seen that thing.

Even if they were scared at first, they'd all band together to destroy that thing.

And how many victims would result from that electricity then?

So what will you do, our lady?

You don't look strong enough to destroy that thing.

T-Tae-san!

Our lady is our goddess of wisdom.

Of course she doesn't seem suited to v*olence.

And this time, Kuro-dono is here!

He is more monstrous than any monster alive.

He could wallop that doll in a single blow!

This scrawny little boy?

Right?

Excuse me! Kuro-senpai is my boyfriend, and he has my parents' approval!

Please refrain from insulting him!

Oh, your boyfriend?

I'm not sure if "boyfriend" is the right word.

But it's the truth!

And what issue do you have

with having a cute maiden like myself as your girlfriend?

I'm not sure you should be calling yourself a maiden when you'll be twenty soon.

Well, thanks to you, Senpai, I'm a maiden no longer.

I couldn't care less about your relationship.

So as long as he's here, we can stop that doll, right?

Even if Kuro-senpai wasn't here, destroying the doll would be simple.

Did you listen to a word I said?

Even these monsters stood no chance with that thing.

The doll hides in the mountains during the day

and heads down to the ocean at night,

using almost the same exact route every time.

Then it walks through this beach below us.

And, even if you're near it, it won't att*ck you unless you move.

Right?

Yeah.

Then we just need to wait for it, and set a trap.

We'll hide some expl*sives in the sand,

and when the doll is near the center of that trap,

we'll use a remote to set off the expl*sives,

and the doll will be blown to smithereens.

If expl*sives are hard to obtain, anything flammable would suffice.

We'll just set everything on fire when the doll steps in the middle of it.

We can sh**t a flaming arrow, or throw in a bag of kerosene,

and the doll will literally go up in flames.

It won't have a chance to sh**t electricity.

We have this made.

It's so simple. Why didn't it occur to me?

I guess I really am getting old.

You witnessed something otherworldly,

so you likely couldn't think of anything more grounded anymore.

I can't blame you.

What a mess.

Just a little more thought, and it would've been easy to destroy that doll.

That's exactly why it doesn't make sense.

What do you mean?

That doll is supposed to be something Zenta-san made for revenge

after his grandson was k*lled, right?

It's supposed to be Zenta-san's curse in physical form.

But then, isn't it strange?

Wouldn't the doll then go straight to the person who k*lled his grandson?

You're right!

The four college students in that car were arrested,

but the only one indicted was the driver.

Not indicted

Indicted

Not indicted

Not indicted

Though apparently, there were testimonies saying that they were messing around,

Not indicted

Indicted

Not indicted

Not indicted

disrupting the driver, and didn't try to act to help the victim.

And the one who was indicted had rich parents who paid off the damages,

and then he was released, due to his remorse for his crime.

I'm not sure if it can be said that

they paid the price in the eyes of the victim's family,

considering a child was k*lled.

Zenta wasn't satisfied.

He resented those college students.

There haven't been any reports of those four students dying in strange ways.

Which means that, currently, the doll has done nothing to them.

That is strange. How are we supposed to take that?

There are plenty of ways to destroy the doll.

That's because Zenta-san made it so that the townspeople would be able to destroy it.

In that case...

If the doll is destroyed,

that will definitely bring upon a most regrettable result.

Though, I won't let that happen.

Or You Could Wish Upon a Star

You head to the ocean.

All of you, head toward the shore.

Make sure you don't move, even if the doll comes near you.

Understood?

What a bizarre sight.

Her ladyship must give you a lot of trouble.

Who knows?

Without her, I may not have known how to live my life anymore.

So you can decide a future in exchange for your death?

What does that even mean?

Even if I can decide the future,

it's only a future that may actually happen.

I can't reach a future that doesn't seem likely to happen.

But you'll at least be able to make the trap her ladyship sets succeed, no matter what?

Iwanaga would be able to make this succeed with her luck alone.

Yeah. I guess that little goddess isn't someone you want as your enemy.

Senpai!

The doll has entered the shore.

It should get here in the next few minutes.

Please take your position, Kuro-senpai.

There's a mark over there. Please guide the doll over to it.

After that, give us a signal at the perfect moment.

Also...

Please try to avoid dying.

You're really saying that now?

Well, it seems the yokai are saying

that no matter how many times you die, I seem rather calm and unconcerned.

And that's true.

I'm at least a little concerned!

Even if you'll come right back to life!

Yeah, sure...

Just a little, eh?

Now, then. Let's see how correct you were.

You should always strategize with the worst-case scenario in mind.

Since ancient times, whether in the East or the West,

dolls were created for the sake of magic.

There are many legends of them being created

as vessels to house gods or spirits.

Some were meant to endure disasters in a human's place,

or to obey orders to do physical labor.

You even hear about that in the story of Pinocchio.

But when you think of dolls and magic,

isn't there something else that comes to mind?

D-Don't tell me...

Yes, exactly. Cursed dolls.

In the ritual known as the "ox-hour visit,"

a straw doll is nailed to a tree at a shrine

to bring harm to a victim.

Generally, to make a cursed doll work, you'd attach something related to the victim.

You can attach a drawing or photo of them,

write their name on it, wrap their hair around it, or embed their nails into it.

Then the doll becomes the very person you want to curse,

and if you s*ab the doll with nails, the victim will feel pain in the same areas.

If you break one of the doll's arms, the victim's arm also breaks.

If you set it on fire, the victim is supposed to catch fire, as well.

That's what Zenta-san's doll is, too.

Since it moves on its own, sh**t electricity from its hand,

and is bringing disaster to the town,

it was hard to put all those factors together.

But when you think of it from that angle, everything makes sense.

Zenta-san's doll probably has something tying it

to the four college students who k*lled his grandson.

If we carelessly destroy the doll, the college students will probably die.

Zenta-san had a grudge against the four college students

and the people of this town.

But he didn't have the guts to k*ll someone,

nor the strength to bear the responsibility for it.

That's why he thought about framing the townspeople

for the deaths of the four college students.

If the doll is what's bringing disaster upon this town,

the townspeople will try to destroy it.

A strong hatred over Zenta-san's grandson getting k*lled will come through the doll.

It wasn't just Zenta-san's grudge alone.

It would've manifested the hatred of the whole town.

And right around the time the doll got destroyed,

the four college students would also die,

and if that news spread throughout the town,

the townspeople would feel somehow responsible,

and deep shadows would shroud their hearts.

Zenta-san would also be in the clear because he didn't deliver the final blow.

k*lling all the fish in the area so that the town would go into decline

is quite a curse itself,

but having the townspeople be responsible for m*rder is also a curse.

Being too weak to carry out the crime and being a kind-hearted person to begin with

was what brought on this twisted plan.

But in the end, this may be far more ominous than any form of retaliation.

What can we do, then?

Are you planning on destroying the doll instead of the townspeople,

and shouldering the burden of k*lling those college students?

I don't mind taking the blame or burden,

nor can I say I care what kind of tragedy befalls this town.

Such a cold, ruthless attitude from such a cute face...

But Zenta-san's actions will throw the order of this area into chaos.

Because he's trying to borrow the powers of the great beyond

to make his wish come true.

No, her ladyship is...

In that case, we can't let that wish come true.

...elegant yet wicked.

There is a way.

If we unbind whatever is causing the curse within it,

and then destroy the doll,

disaster won't befall the ones who were supposed to be cursed.

Now!

It wasn't difficult to make it fall into the hole,

but binding just its right arm would've proven difficult without Kuro-senpai's powers.

We might've missed the elbow or the shoulder.

Now go bury it, as we discussed.

Kuro-senpai.

Can you please check the doll

to see if there's anything in it binding it to the curse?

Got it.

The hands and feet have parts that connect to its joints, and may fall apart easier,

so I think whatever it is may be embedded in its torso.

There are a bunch of names of people from around here carved in.

The names of the four college students...

and there's one other name.

One other name?

It's mine, isn't it?

Y a m a z a k i S h o

S h i m a i T a e

I don't think Zenta could accept the fact that I seemed so happy.

How do we get rid of these names?

Just scrape them off.

The people whose names are on there might feel a little bit of pain,

but we'll just have to deal, including me.

I didn't feel a thing.

Apparently, both the meteorite and Zenta's hatred

only had enough strength to move the doll and let it sh**t electricity.

I guess it couldn't go as far as activating the curse.

Which means that Zenta-san's plan may have failed from the start.

The college students whose names were carved in remained unharmed,

and my plan was pointless.

Is this what they mean when they say, "A curse, like chickens, will come home to roost"?

Who knows?

It should be common sense that a plan could go awry

if it's complicated and relies on others.

That's quite annoying in itself.

Would you like to help destroy the doll?

Learn to respect your elders a bit.

I'm going to get some rest.

I had two children.

But I lost both of them in a car accident when they were young.

The one who caused the accident was rich and had no problem paying for damages.

He was actually sentenced, but immediately released.

And that's how my husband and I suddenly became wealthy out here in the country.

We weren't pressed for money to begin with,

but nothing good would've come of holding on to that fortune.

That's why we put most of our money into a business

that my husband's friend was starting.

And then, that company grew rapidly.

We got back far more than we had initially invested.

The Adventures of Pinocchio

It's absolutely ridiculous.

I donated to charities for children who'd lost family in car accidents,

and basically did everything I could to use up that money...

but it just wouldn't go away.

I thought I'd finally gotten it down to a more suitable amount,

but then my husband suddenly d*ed in an accident at sea.

He was ten years younger than me and still in his fifties, too.

And then, I got even more in damages.

Just thinking about how to get rid of it became a pain.

But I know people were calling me a witch who got rich off the deaths of my loved ones.

I'm sure Zenta didn't want to acknowledge my existence.

I was living happily off the deaths of my family.

I had to be wrong.

Otherwise, Zenta's actions would've seemed far too foolish.

That's probably why he carved my name into that doll, too.

What an intense case of unjustified resentment.

People seem to talk about how I'm blessed, as well,

but I'm plenty unfortunate, considering my boyfriend never gives me enough love.

Oh, is that so?

Even so, considering I'm somehow making it on my own

and have no financial troubles,

I probably can't be considered unfortunate.

But when I lost my children and then my husband,

I wanted to die both times.

I just lacked the courage to die on my own.

In a way, I'm just like Zenta.

I'm scared to take on the responsibility by myself.

Everything that I hold dear is no longer in this house,

but I don't have the courage to leave this place, either.

When that doll appeared,

I felt that maybe it was my destiny to be here now

so I could stop that doll and help save the town.

I thought that I might end up sacrificing myself in place of that doll.

Talk about being disillusioned.

That thing went down easy, even without my help.

And yet, here I remain without a reason.

No, it's because you're here

that I'm here today eating a delicious breakfast.

I don't know how to thank you.

Well, thank you.

Though that miso soup

is the freeze-dried stuff you brought me as a gift, your ladyship.

That doesn't change what I said.

To think a doll like that would be born

from a meteorite and an old man's grudge...

This world sure is strange.

Who knows? There might've been more to it.

The power I'm feeling from this meteorite isn't actually that great.

It could be that Shimai Tae-san's will was involved in moving that doll, too.

There you go, lying again.

I didn't lie about anything on purpose this time.

She was longing for death.

And she wanted her death to mean something.

When that doll brought disaster to the town,

she may have subconsciously wished to risk her life to save everyone.

That's how the doll ended up having more power

than Zenta-san's grudge alone could have given it.

So is she blessed or unfortunate?

I don't believe it's our place to judge either way.

More importantly!

We have plenty of time today, so let's stop by somewhere and do touristy things.

I did some research before we came out here.

Like here, or here...

I guess it's a good thing you seem happy, at least.

What's that supposed to mean?!

It's like you're implying that I'm an insensitive fool!

Am I wrong?

What?!

To be continued