01x01 - Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan 16: At a Confessional

[bunniefuu]

Um, Mr. Kishibe.

{\an8}I have a big favor to ask today.

{\an8}KOICHI HIROSE, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT

{\an8}ROHAN KISHIBE, MANGA ARTIST

{\an8}Oh. What's that, Koichi?

Actually, I'm going to go abroad
this spring, during the school break.

Are you? Where to?

To Italy.

Wha…!

Italy?

Could you please use your Heaven's Door
to write in for me, "I can speak Italian"?

Why on earth should I do
such a thing for you?

I… I've never been abroad
on my own before, so I'm nervous.

So, I'd like to be able
to at least speak the language!

Please!

You're going to Italy, huh?

Then I'll tell you about
the experiences I had there.

Huh?

When I first met you, I had to stop
drawing my series because of the injury

which he caused, remember?

During that time, I went to Venice to do
some research for my next manga plot

and stayed there on my own
for eight days or so.

That was when I came across this story.

It's a really weird story.

EPISODE 16: AT A CONFESSIONAL

The story I'm telling you is…

what I, Rohan Kishibe, heard
with my own ears.

It was a horrifying incident.

Do you know what a "confessional" is?

Every Italian church has one of those.

It has two wooden boxes
that look like telephone booths.

The parish priest gets
in the one with the curtains,

and the parishioner goes in the other box.

There's a little window
between the two boxes,

and voices can go
through the window, but…

the priest and parishioner
cannot see each other.

The window allows the parishioner
to confess their "sins"

with their privacy securely protected.

You see, you can't keep a secret
hidden deep in your heart for years.

The graver the secret is,
the greater the suffering of the heart.

A confessional is a place
to purge a soul of its sins.

It was created
by the wisdom of people in the past.

It's not allowed, but I took some photos
when the priest wasn't around

and looked closely at the design
and materials of the carvings.

And just for an experience,

I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea
if I could confess to a priest myself.

So I went in the box.

The actual experience
would bring reality into my work, you see.

Huh?

Father, I've come to make a confession.

I have committed a great sin.

Wha…

I can't stand it anymore.
I've got to tell you, Father.

I can't sleep
without making a confession.

I swear it!

At that time, I didn't know the box
with the curtains was for the priest.

This man mistook me for the priest.

But…

wasn't this a stroke of luck?

What's his "great sin"?

I might as well
listen through to the end.

A real experience
brings reality into my work.

It doesn't matter
who listens to his confession.

After all, it's the thought
that he confessed to the priest

that matters for this man.

Father, is there anything wrong?

No, it's nothing. Plea-- I mean, go on.

Yes, but how do I start?

Well, that evening.

Yes, the whole thing
started on that evening.

I was 24 years old then,

and working at a food market.

I was doing manual labor.

I piled up sacks of corn on a truck
and carried them to the storehouse.

It was hard work.

I was so busy,
I didn't have time to meet any girls.

I absolutely hated this job.

That evening, it was after 6:00 p.m.

I was working overtime, as usual.

That's when that man appeared.

He was staggering along

with empty eyes and unwashed hair.
He stank.

I could tell at once.

He was a tr*mp.

Please… give me… something to eat.

His voice was pathetic.

He kept glancing
at my lunch on the table.

Suddenly, I started to feel angry.

I've been working like a dog,

while he's just been loafing around
behind the station or in a park.

He's got the nerve to ask for food!

What a selfish jerk!

I work and get paid
and buy food with that money.

Why don't you do the same?

I'll give you food after you carry
all these sacks to the storehouse.

I… I will work.

But first, please give me some food.

I haven't eaten for five days.
It's t-- true.

Just a little bit of food.
I'll work after that, I promise!

Oh, really?

You only get paid
when you finish your job.

Are you gonna do it or not?

Hey! Whatcha doing picking up
just that little one?

These ones are yours!

Finish with these in an hour, okay?

I wanna go home soon, you know!

Hurry up, for God's sake!

If you wanna eat soon,
you've gotta finish soon!

He's a lazy a*s, that one.

He needs to learn a lesson.

Hey! Don't pretend that you fell
just because you wanna slack off!

You haven't even worked for ten minutes!

Slacking off?

Are you trying to tell me…

I look as if I'm slacking off?!

What the heck?!

I'm now deep in despair,
deeper than the dark sea…

because of you!

I'll never, ever forget your face!

I'll make you pay for this.

I'll come back

at the happiest time of your life!
I will!

I will come back to get you.

So be prepared!

Look!
There's someone lying under the sack!

He's dead!

He is dead!

A doctor! Call a doctor!

Or call the police!

I didn't know!

I didn't know that
he really hadn't eaten for five days!

Hang o-- I mean, wait a moment.

Did you say the tr*mp spoke
for the last time… after he was dead?

Are you sure you were not dreaming?

Dreaming?

How I wish it were a dream.

The real terror
hadn't even started yet, Father.

After that, I suddenly got so lucky,
it felt almost eerie.

I inherited some money
from a distant relative.

I won the jackpot in a soccer lottery.

I sold the land I bought with that money,
at a huge profit.

Then I had the idea
to make snacks and food from corn,

which became a huge hit
right after the launch.

These products sold like hotcakes
all over the world.

I'd had nothing to do with girls before,
but I got married

to a former supermodel who had appeared
at Milan Fashion Week.

I had such a massive income,
I couldn't spend it all.

Where I live now, I have 15 servants

and three chauffeurs.

This outrageous good luck
always made me anxious.

In the back of my mind,
I was always thinking of that dead man.

Then I had a child.

Daddy! Daddy!

-A cute girl, who looks like her mother.
-Daddy!

Daddy, look. Ready?

Keep looking!

Oh, no! I missed!

Never mind! It was so close!

You had your eyes closed, miss! Try again.

Yeah!

As I watched my daughter playing
in the piazza…

I couldn't help thinking,
"What a happy man I am."

As I promised…

As I promised, I'm back.

To get you, you miserable b*stard!

Are you all right, miss?

Shut up!

Don't worry. I'm just borrowing
your daughter's body.

Stop! Stop it!

You're making a mistake!
It was all your own fault!

My own fault?

The last few years,
you've had all the luck you need, eh?

Wealth… fame… family… eh?

Did you think you got them
all by yourself?

See, I've been helping you secretly!

So when you fall from your pedestal,

you'll taste what I felt-- despair!

However…

I'm getting my revenge
so my soul can be saved.

But if you die thinking I k*lled you,
although it was my fault, I'll feel bad.

So I'll give you a chance.

If it's my fault or not

will be judged by God.

We'll see if you've got any future.
You try your luck.

If destiny is on your side,
then my grudge would be baseless.

So I won't k*ll you. I'll just disappear.

Destiny will be our judge, you see.

Do you wanna try your luck or not?

I don't know what you are talking about.

All you need to say is yes or no!

Why… why me?!

Answer me!

If you don't wanna try,
I'll just cut your head off!

I'll try… I will try!

I don't have a choice, do I?

Good.

Take it!

You can see your destiny
through a trivial, little thing.

Throw the popcorn
higher than that street lamp

and catch it with your mouth.

Three times in a row.

If you succeed, destiny is on your side
so I'll give up and disappear.

Can such a trivial thing…?!

This is also about my soul!

Do you call it trivial?

Start when I clap my hands.

If the popcorn doesn't go high enough
or you start late, I'll k*ll you.

Ready? Go!

W-wait a moment!

The height is okay.

Why is this happening to me?

There! It's coming down in front of me!

No! Oh, no!

I can't see!

That was close!

But I did it! I did it!

I caught it!

Now the second throw!

Get the next one ready.

W-wait a minute.

Just now, the sun blinded me.

But I can do it in the shade, right?

Whatcha gonna demand next?

Now is the time!
And here is the place!

Two more times! Okay?

If you fail, I'll k*ll ya!

If you succeed,
I'll disappear like I said.

Now do it! Your second throw!

You're… really gonna disappear, right?

If I succeed, you'll spare me, okay!

Enough!

If you don't throw now, I'll k*ll you!

Yes! The sun's gone behind a cloud.

It's coming straight down!

What?!

What the…!

This is great!
They think you are feeding them.

I did it! Serves you right!

I've caught the second one too!

Look at that! It's dead easy.

I was panicking, but now I'm calming down.

I can do it! I can win!

You can celebrate as much as you like,
after the last one.

Are you ready?

Yeah! Bring it!

I'll do it one more t--

What the hell?!

It's you who brought down these pigeons.

Who was it who scattered
the whole packet of popcorn?

It was you!

This… this last one.

If I throw it higher than the lamp….

Go away, just buzz off!

No more food for you!

Go! The last time!

Wait! Wait a minute!

Ha! Pigeons can't eat burning popcorn!

I put oil on it and lit it.
They won't eat that.

Yes! It's coming straight down!

I can't see the burning popcorn.

I can't see it against the sun.

I can't see it!

I can't see it!

Wh-- where is it?!

The judgment says… it was not my fault!

You're thinking,
"But he's alive," aren't you, Father?

That's exactly why I came here.

I can't stand not telling anyone
the terrible sin I've committed.

That tr*mp had made me so rich
that I could get anything I wanted.

So rich that I could easily find a servant
who would do anything I told him.

Master…

come out.

Master…

No matter how many times you confess,
my curse will never leave you.

You paid me to have cosmetic surgery.

You cheated me
and threw me into such terror.

I'll never forgive you.
I'll never forget my grudge!

You can follow me even into the church?

I curse you!

When your daughter's having the happiest
time of her life, I'll come and get you.

No good coming to get him.

From now on, we'll watch you all the time

so you can never cheat us!

Ooh, that's so scary!

Okuyasu!

Yukako!

Rohan, is that story true?

Hey, lady, can I have a bubble milk tea?

Where've you sprung from?

Are you saying I'm lying?

Nah, I don't mean that…

Could be it's just some run-in
between Stand Users

and nothing to do with vengeful ghosts?

Anyway, that sounds like
a really patient ghost.

To be haunted for life! I'd go crazy…

Koichi, if a ghost starts haunting you,
you just tell me right away.

I'll get rid of it once and for all!

Oh, yeah, thanks.

What's become of him since?
I, Rohan Kishibe, don't yet know.

Next year or the year after…

I might as well go there again to see him.

He wouldn't give up
when the ghost haunted him.

He faces life alone, but optimistically.

I think he's evil,

but I can admire his resilience.

Maybe I'm the only one to think so.