I fell asleep...
Wanna just go to sleep?
Yeah, all right.
We'll call off the test of courage.
Let's just go to sleep.
Huh? I don't see Kotarou anywhere.
Oh, he probably just went out to pee.
What was that noise?
It came from outside.
I see a light.
It disappeared.
Hey, I don't see Kotarou's lantern.
Maybe that light was Kotarou?
Let's go take a look.
Hey, look!
What is this?
It's blood!
Hey... this is Kotarou's kimono, isn't it?
The monster!
The Bellflower Monster got him!
Ow...
My lantern!
Wait for me!
They remembered me?
What's that sound?
Hey, what's wrong—
It's him! It's the Bellflower Monster!
Cultural
Anthropology
Research Club
When the boy finally made it to the village,
Today's Discussion Topics Culture
Festival
Plan An Introduction
to Cultural
Anthropology Monster
Display
the adults all went out
to look for the other boys.
But all they found were burnt lanterns,
and bloodstained kimonos and sandals.
Field Work: Cultural
Anthropology
Research
Club
And that's the story as it was
recorded in the club bulletin.
There's a story like that in there?
That's a pretty scary story to tell to kids.
It'd get an R rating these days.
A local elderly man actually
recounted this tale, right?
Bellflower Mountain's
right behind our school.
Knowing that makes it even scarier.
Well, it's definitely creepy, but...
What's the point of this story?
I can't figure it out.
Aooni...
That's right.
Aooni.
Aooni
You guys don't know about Aooni?
Aooni?
What's that?
Senpai, you've never heard of it?
No, I haven't.
Wait a second.
Here it is.
Free Game: Aooni
Aooni started as a freeware horror game,
but it grew in popularity until they started
making comics and movies out of it.
Now that you mention it,
I think I may have heard of it.
So you're saying that the Aooni
game is similar to this story?
Not really.
All they have in common
is the monster's color.
Then what...
Before the game came out, how did
you imagine the blue monster looked?
You've never heard a story where
they just ate people, right?
And it's not like a fairy tale to have a
specific description like, "like a bellflower."
So I actually wrote an email to
the guy who wrote the Aooni game
and told him I'd found this folk tale.
And get this!
I got a reply almost immediately! Ta-da!
I was a fan of the Aooni game,
so at that point, it was
basically just fan mail.
But when I saw his reply,
it really surprised me.
He lives in Tokyo now,
but he said he lived in this town
up until elementary school.
He heard about the Bellflower Monster
from his grandpa when he was little.
I see.
That explains why they look similar.
Now I understand why the
game resembles the story,
but what's this got to do with our
display for the culture festival?
It means that the original story
used for a game everyone knows
was actually from our hometown.
It's a new folklore monster.
A monster that was almost forgotten
came back in the form of a game.
Don't you think that's
really interesting in itself?
Yes, it certainly is interesting.
I'm going to see the game's
writer this Saturday.
Manabe-kun, will you come with me?
Me?
Just us two?
That's right.
I'll go!
I'm a lot more reliable than Manabe.
I want to go, too!
M-Me, too!
There's no point in all of us going.
Murakami-kun, I want you and the first-years
to do some more research here.
Find out if this story is
still told anywhere.
And it's possible that
it's not just a fairy tale.
That's what I think.
Yeah, it's a little different from
typical folk tales, isn't it?
It seems strangely real.
Well, everyone?
Don't you think this will make
an interesting project?
Man, no fair, Prez.
If you were hiding a great idea like this,
you should've told us sooner.
I figured if anyone else had a good idea,
we could do that instead.
I'm partially in this out of
personal interest, after all.
But this is one of the monsters that
Karin-chan wanted to do something with,
and since it's a video
game that everyone knows,
it'll probably attract
a lot of attention, right?
Well, if you ask me,
you should take me, not Manabe.
Why?
The city's filled with dangerous folks.
I'll protect you.
I don't know...
I still think I'll take Manabe-kun.
But why?
Are you saying I have some
sort of dangerous allure?
Whatever.
I'd feel safer with Manabe-senpai, too.
You'll still have Konaka-kun.
If there are two sheep, you don't
have to worry about being eaten.
Is this the "Wolf and Sheep Puzzle"?
I wouldn't eat Konaka, anyway.
I mean, I wouldn't eat Karin-chan, either...
Konaka-kun.
Take care of Minazuki-san while we're away.
Okay.
All right, it's settled.
Fujimoto-sensei, is that all right?
Huh? Uh... Yeah.
Yo. Delivery for you.
The questionnaires from before, right?
Thanks.
What's wrong?
That was Tachibana-senpai, wasn't it?
I smell something.
Give it to me.
What are you talking about?
I won't tell the school.
Fine.
So? You're done here, right?
You're so cold, Sensei.
One of your students has come to you
seeking relief from the depths
of entrance exam hell.
You could at least spare a smile.
It's because this room's got A/C, isn't it?
Figured me out, huh?
You're quite the playboy, Murakami-kun.
I bet you always talk like
that to girls, don't you?
That's not fair.
I'm just being honest.
The club president thinks I'm a playboy, too.
From the Anthropology Club?
Takashiro-san, right?
Are you after her?
Don't say it like that.
I just want to appreciate cute
and beautiful girls, that's all.
She's going to Tokyo for a
research project for the club.
And she chose Manabe to go with her.
I know I'd be the better choice...
Tokyo?
The Anthropology Club's going to Tokyo? Why?
Have you heard of a game called Aooni?
She's going to see its writer.
Something about how it might've been
based on a folk tale from around here.
A game based on a folk tale
from around here?
She dug something up from somewhere.
A story about how a monster on
Bellflower Mountain ate some kids.
She says the writer of the game is from
this area and based it off of that story.
Sensei! A bee!
Where'd it go?
It's over here.
I see a lot of them at school lately.
Is there a hive around here or something?
Got anything to smack it with?
Don't do that.
Let it go.
Sensei... I'm in love.
I figured you'd be k*lling time here.
We're leaving.
Right.
Okay, Sensei...
I won't be able to see you for a while,
but don't forget about me.
Come on, we're leaving.
I don't think I'll remember you.
Aw, come on!
Tachibana was just in the nurse's office.
Tachibana? The third-year?
Yeah.
Hey, did you know?
Know what?
The rumors about Tachibana.
Oh, yeah.
The one that says he's banging
all the girls in the school.
I'm sure it's an exaggeration.
But I think he's banging Mifuyu-chan.
No way.
When I passed him in the nurse's
office, he smelled just like her.
I can tell.
I'm sensitive to stuff like that.
Hey, want to go interrogate
Tachibana right now?
No way.
You're just jealous of him, aren't you?
I don't know if you should be
saying that, Manabe-kun.
What do you mean?
I heard from Konaka that he's
going after the president, too.
This is a crisis for the club, right?
Fine.
I'll go with you.
Man, just be honest with yourself.
Tachibana is the only member
of the Chemistry Club.
The club room's in the basement.
This is pretty dodgy.
It's locked.
Guess he's not here, then.
Let's go.
Hang on.
I'm pretty sure it's around here...
Found it!
How do you know where the key is?
Konaka told me.
How does he know?
He hates Tachibana.
Why?
Probably because Karin-chan likes Tachibana.
Oh, so that's it.
So he's spent a lot of time
investigating him.
Okay, it's open.
What is this place?
Some kind of lab?
I didn't realize our school
had such a big basement.
What kind of flower is this?
Jeez, what do they see
in a creepy guy like him?
Hey, Manabe.
Hey!
What are you doing?
Oh... nothing.
You okay?
Anyway, let's take a look back there.
Looks like it goes on forever.
Damn.
It's locked.
We can't get in like this.
Let's look for the key.
Anyway, why is there a room
like this in the school basement?
No idea.
Isn't this school kinda weird, anyway?
Even the windows have
steel shutters on them.
What?
Shh.
Did you hear something?
I don't hear anything.
It was a joke.
At least be a little scared.
What the heck?
Let's just go.
Fine.
We couldn't find the key
anyway, so let's just go.
President
Takashiro
It's the president.
Hello?
Manabe-kun, about our trip
to Tokyo on Saturday...
Yeah?
It's canceled.
Postponed?
No.
I just had a visit from the police.
The police?
The writer of the Aooni
game d*ed yesterday.
What? But how...
He jumped off the balcony of his condo.
He'd written on a notepad
that he was going to meet me.
D-Does that mean they suspect you?
It's not that.
They were just checking up on me.
Anyway, this changes things,
so I think I need to talk to everyone.
Can you get the club
together after school?
Okay.
So now we can't talk to the writer
of the Aooni game about our project.
I want to hear your thoughts on what
we should do about our display.
What?
You want to change our topic?
The theme was only worthwhile because
of its connection to the Aooni game.
Wait a second! Why'd the writer
k*ll himself, anyway?
The police said they hadn't
found a motive yet.
That makes no sense.
Who agrees to meet someone
and then commits su1c1de?
That's not right!
Well, I agree that it's odd, but...
Hey, Murakami, you're not thinking that
Aooni had something to do
with this su1c1de, are you?
Yes, I am!
Who wouldn't think that?
There's no way.
It's impossible.
How are they even related?
Well, I don't know...
But it's strange, isn't it?
The timing of his su1c1de, I mean.
Found it.
There's an article about the writer here.
What does it say?
"There was no note found at the scene,
Jumped to
His Death?
and a male acquaintance said he had
no idea why his friend committed su1c1de.
So the police are investigating
the possibility that it was
an accident, not su1c1de."
Maybe he was m*rder*d!
U-Um, anyway...
We can't talk to the writer
of the Aooni game now.
We should decide what we're
going to do from now on.
Yes, we need to discuss that.
Did you find out anything
about this club bulletin?
Yeah, and it wasn't easy.
I went through all the bulletins
from around the same time
to look for any names of club
members from back then.
Then I matched their names to
ones in old graduation albums.
And there was one person
I was able to get in touch with.
I see.
Nice work.
It was Konaka-kun who told
him to do that, though.
A good leader knows how to make
good use of his subordinates.
And I noticed something
even more important.
Even more important?
Yes.
Take a good look at this.
You said that there was no
publication data on this bulletin.
But all the other bulletins from that
time have info printed on them.
Like this one, and this one.
And this one.
You're right.
Look right here.
Around the binding.
The color's different?
Wait, if it hasn't faded, that means...
There was a page behind it?
The page was probably torn out
and put somewhere else.
I looked to see if it had been stuck
in between something else,
but I couldn't find it.
Even if there used to be one more page,
the story was complete, right?
It may just have been a blank page.
Maybe...
Maybe, but...
But think about it!
This story wasn't written down
right when they heard it, right?
There should be a tape somewhere.
If one of the club's members from
that back then has the tape...
That's a great idea.
If we could hear the original,
that alone would be interesting.
Let's get them to try to find it.
So we can leave the theme as it is,
and maybe we can continue this
by searching for the original tape
and talking about how it found its
way back into the modern world.
But isn't that kind of a waste?
A waste?
I mean, it's possible Aooni had something
to do with the game writer's death, right?
Isn't that amazing?
Amazing? What do you mean?
If, just hypothetically,
he did die because of Aooni,
that's the same as being k*lled by
the monster called Aooni, right?
No, Minazuki-san, I don't know
if it's good to think of it that way.
No...
Yeah. Karin-chan's right.
Aooni fans will be all over
this news right now.
If they find out he d*ed right before
we were going to meet him,
it's sure to grab everyone's interest.
I don't want to use this news in that way.
I'm not talking about using it...
Shouldn't we do our own investigation?
Then we can decide for ourselves what we
should make public and what we shouldn't.
The cops don't know about
the folk tale, right?
I did tell them about it,
but they didn't seem to care.
All the more reason!
We need to do our own research!
Yes.
That's right.
Right now?
Yes, thank you.
I'll be right there.
Was that the old club member?
Yeah, he says he has time now.
Then I'll come with you.
Ah, me, too.
I'll go, too!
You'll come too, right, Konaka-kun?
Yeah.
Watanabe
Hello, welcome.
Thank you for having us.
There we go.
The Cultural Anthropology Research Club...
I'm amazed it's still going.
So what's this about
a bulletin we put out?
Right...
This is it.
I remember this.
Can I take a look?
This was written when you were in
the club, wasn't it, Watanabe-san?
Please look at the last page.
The last page?
Huh? There's no publication data.
I knew it!
Do you remember what it said?
This one ended with the story of
the Bellflower Monster, right?
Who went out to listen to this one?
It was a pair of good friends
who were a year older than me...
Is something wrong?
No, I just remembered.
Yes, it was Sekiguchi-san.
What do you mean?
Well, you see, Sekiguchi-san was
the club president at that time,
and he was the one who did
most of the field work.
But he did something terrible
or years ago...
Something terrible?
What type of thing do you mean?
He k*lled his wife and disappeared.
He had a young child, too...
The police did everything
they could to find him,
but since they didn't,
he'd probably committed su1c1de.
So, yeah, you won't get the
chance to talk to him.
The other senpai...
Oh, right! It was Fukuda-san.
Fukuda-san, one year older than you...
Do you mean Fukuda Kaoru-san?
Do you know how we can
get in touch with this person?
No, I think there was a name
change when Kaoru-san married.
What was that new name?
I'm afraid I don't know any contact info.
But wait a second...
I may have something for you.
Here you go.
When we were transcribing
the tapes back then,
we did it all here.
Which means I got to keep all the tapes.
Score! This is what we wanted!
Are these... tapes?
They look like movie spools.
I guess you've never seen
these before, huh?
They're called open-reel tapes.
This is what we used before cassette tapes.
We borrowed the tape deck from the school.
Let's head back and ask.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us.
Oh, no, I'm glad we talked. It brought
back a lot of memories for me.
U-Um...
The Bellflower Monster, huh?
How did that story go again?
There was a weird rumor going
around back then, actually.
Sekiguchi-san's wife was k*lled
around four or five in the morning.
The neighbors heard loud screaming and
banging noises, so they looked outside,
and they saw a huge shadow that didn't
look human running from the house.
It was a demon with deep blue skin, they said.
And...
And?
I think there was a picture of some kind
of flower on the last page here...
I borrowed the tape player...
but does anyone know how to use it?
Give me a second.
It's on this site.
That should do it.
Okay, let's play it.
Um, the date is July th, .
This recording is being made by
Miyata Kayo-san of Matsudani Village.
Go ahead.
This isn't the one about the
Bellflower Monster, is it?
The cases only have
numbers written on them,
so let's listen to the start
of each tape in order.
This is the last one...
Okay, I'll play it.
July th, .
This recording is being made by
Asakawa Tomezou-san of Kiritani Village.
This doesn't have the right name, either.
Wait, the one in the
bulletin is a fake name.
That might be his real name.
His accent is really hard to understand.
Could the club members back then
actually understand this?
Well, that's the end of that.
What a waste of time.
Shh!
He's saying something.
I can't make it out.
Turn the volume up a little.
A woman... Did I just hear him say "woman"?
A woman...
A woman the color of a bellflower?
A monster?
I don't understand this at all.
And that's what they say...
Thank you.
Huh? Did I just hear...
What?
I think I recognize that voice.
Nah, it can't be.
The guy named Sekiguchi-san
who recorded this
k*lled his wife and went missing, didn't he?
But two people made this, right?
The other person was a woman, wasn't it?
Oh, yeah.
Then maybe I imagined it, after all.
Is it that late already?
Hatano-sensei, the nurse...
She's from this area, right?
What about it?
Hatano-sensei might be able to understand
what they're saying on the tape.
I see!
Can you go ask?
Okay.
Nurse's Office
Did she leave already?
No, wait a second.
She's still nearby.
This way.
You're kidding me...
Sensei! Mifuyu-sensei!
Can we have a moment?
There's something we want you to listen to...
Me?
Well, I have time,
but you guys should go home.
I know, but it won't take long.
Please.
Oh, all right.
Is Tachibana-senpai staying
late for his club again?
I guess there's something
he wants to research.
Have you heard the rumors about him?
Yes, I have.
He may not look it,
but he's not a bad guy.
Ah, Sensei...
Cultural
Anthropology
Research Club
Thank you for coming.
What's all this about?
I want you to listen to this...
Oh, I see.
That really is a strong accent.
Even I can't tell what he's saying.
I'm sorry.
Are you okay, Minazuki-san?
I'm fine.
It just startled me.
Can I go now?
Where are you going?
Leave me alone.
She seems kinda mad...
You've got a lot to learn.
There are some things girls
just don't want to talk about.
Oh, jeez... No...
What?
Our eyes have gotten used to the dark.
It's not completely dark outside yet.
I'm sure we had a flashlight here somewhere...
Over here?
Konaka...
What are you doing?
Well, whatever.
Go take this to Karin-chan.
She might be freaking out,
so it's best to be safe.
No, it's okay.
Senpai, you go.
She doesn't like me.
Oh, fine.
I'll go check on her.
Who... Who's there?
Club President? Who's there?
This isn't funny!
Karin-chan, are you there?
Senpai?
I guess I can't go looking for her
in the girl's restroom, huh?
Karin-cha—
What?
Senpai?
Murakami-senpai?
Are you there?
Senpai?
I heard a scream from this direction!
Hey...
What the hell is this?
That's Murakami, isn't it?
W-Wait...
What kind of stupid prank is this?
Wh-What's going on?
M-Minazuki-san...
M-Minazuki-san...
Who... Who would do this?
It's Aooni...
Aooni got them!
Don't be stupid!
There's no such thing!
But look at that!
I-It might be a wild animal...
It can't be Aooni.
Even if the folk tale is true,
it lives up in the mountains.
And in the game, it's in a mansion!
What would it be doing in our school?!
Monsters...
Monsters... appear because
people believe in them.
Am I wrong?
When we thought it was just a
monster in a game, we were fine.
But the minute someone
started believing in it,
it took on physical form and became real!
Calm down!
There's no such thing as Aooni.
There just isn't.
Understand?
Anyway, let's get out of here.
Come on, let's go.
W-Wait up!
Damn, it's not opening!
What's going on?!
What about that side?
No luck...
None of the windows in the
hallways will open, either.
What's going on here?
We're trapped!
Who would do that?
Let's get somewhere safe and
call the police... or an ambulance...
Anything! Let's just get help!
You're right.
Let's do that.
What's the safest place?
A classroom, right?
It's too dangerous to split up.
We should go to a classroom and wait this out.
Wait a second.
Can I go grab the tape?
Looks safe...
Okay, let's work together
to make a barricade.
That's probably good enough.
No Signal
Is it because of the weather?
What about you guys?
No luck here.
No good...
Nothing here, either.
Oh, right. Tachibana-kun...
I forgot about him.
We don't even know where he is.
There's nothing we can do, is there?
But there's a phone in the faculty office.
We might be able to use that.
These kinds of storms don't last long.
And Tachibana-senpai
can take care of himself.
You're right.
But I'm really worried.
Wait a minute...
What?
If there's no monster like
Aooni in the school,
then that means it must have been
a human who k*lled them, right?
I guess it does...
Then isn't it possible that
Tachibana-senpai did it?
Wh-What are you talking about?
A human couldn't k*ll someone
in an insane way like that!
Then do you think something
like Aooni is real?!
That's not what I'm saying...
But it can't be Tachibana-senpai.
More importantly,
Tachibana-kun was doing a lot of
research in the basement, right?
What was he researching?
It wasn't biotechnology or
something like that, was it?
In the basement?
I mean, I don't know, but
I don't think that's possible.
Sensei, I told you we were
going to Tokyo, didn't I?
To meet the writer of the Aooni game.
Y-Yes...
Did you tell anyone else about that?
Tachibana-senpai, maybe?
Wh-Why?
Did you? Or didn't you?
I might have.
That's not a problem, is it?
You didn't tell me not to tell anyone.
Konaka-kun, what are you getting at?
Sensei, the writer of the Aooni game d*ed.
He fell off the balcony of his condo.
The police are trying to
put it down as a su1c1de,
but hypothetically...
If it wasn't su1c1de, but m*rder...
If the goal was to keep us from
talking to the writer of Aooni...
He was k*lled to stop us from meeting him?
Why would someone go to such lengths?
I don't know.
I don't know, but...
But it's perfect timing... or bad timing,
depending on how you look at it.
It makes sense, doesn't it?
But that means the k*ller must be someone
who knew you were going to meet the writer.
Murakami told Hatano-sensei about it.
And Hatano-sensei told Tachibana-senpai.
That means, outside of the club's members,
you two are the only ones who knew about it.
That means I'm a suspect too, right?
When... that happened... to the two of them,
you were with us,
so you can't be the k*ller.
Even without an alibi, I don't
think you could do it, but...
I'm sorry.
I think what you're saying makes
sense, but I can't abandon him.
And we have to call for help, too.
I figured you'd say that.
I'll go with you.
We'll be back soon.
Konaka, take care of the president, okay?
Right.
The lights are on.
Let's go.
The emergency generator?
Tachibana-kun!
Tachibana-kun!
Are you okay?
What happened?
It ran away...
What do you mean?
Don't let it get outside...
Who... Who ran away?
Tachibana-kun!
Sensei!
Let's just get back to everyone else.
You're right.
President! Konaka!
Open up!
It's really you, right?
It's me!
Open the door already!
Hatano-sensei and Senpai are here, too!
Is anyone coming to save us?
No.
We stopped by the faculty office
and tried the phone in there,
but it didn't connect.
We'll have to get out on
our own when the rain stops.
No way!
It's night!
And what was that thing, anyway?
I don't know.
I don't know, but...
Senpai seems to know something.
Don't you, Senpai?
What are you talking about?
Don't play dumb!
Murakami... Murakami
was k*lled by something!
You were keeping something
down there, weren't you?!
No!
That's not true!
Stop it!
Come on, let go!
I was taken in by my grandparents on my
mother's side right after I was born.
I never knew what my parents looked like.
When I was a little older,
I learned that my dad had been obsessed
with going up Bellflower Mountain.
And one day, not long after I was born,
he k*lled my mother and vanished...
Does that mean...
My dad's name was Sekiguchi Tooru.
Your senpai.
A member of the Cultural
Anthropology Research Club.
I found out from his diary that when he
was doing field work in the mountains,
he found something
that wasn't of this world,
and he was trying to find it again.
He graduated, got a job, and even married,
but he still couldn't seem to forget it.
I think my dad found it.
And as a result, my mom d*ed,
and my dad disappeared.
It's possible he d*ed.
I wanted to find out what
it was, no matter what.
So I deliberately chose
to come to this school,
and whenever I had time,
I went up Bellflower Mountain.
I thought maybe I could
find what my dad had found.
And that, if I found it, maybe I could
figure out what happened to my dad.
Maybe I could find him.
So you knew the story of the Bellflower
Monster right from the start?
Yeah.
You heard we were going to meet
the writer of the Aooni game, right?
I don't even want to think this,
but you didn't k*ll him, did you?
No!
I wanted him to stop
bringing up that old story!
And I wanted him to tell me the story
of the Bellflower Monster again...
Wait... I met him... and then...
What's wrong?
What happened?
Come to think of it, I took a flower...
Help me!
Open the door!
M-Minazuki-san?
You're alive?
Hurry! Open the door!
Wait there!
I'll open it now!
Wait! That's not Minazuki-san!
She's dead!
Help me... Open the door...
Then who is that?
Hurry... hurry...
Open the door! Open the door!
Hurry... Hurry, open the door!
Hurry, open the door...
Open the door!
Hurry... hurry...
Hurry...
Open the door!
What was that?
Aooni!
What's going on here?
Say something!
Damn it...
Hey, are you in there?
Are you okay?
Fujimoto-sensei?
What's he doing here?
The police told me what you were up to.
I thought you might still be here,
so I came to check on you.
Are you all safe?
Thank you.
Sir!
Is your name... Is your name Fukuda Kaoru?
That's right.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you before.
Senpai...
Does that mean our teacher knew
about all this from the start?
Did you know that Tachibana-senpai was
the son of the guy named Sekiguchi?
Yes.
I knew that his wife's maiden
name was Tachibana,
and he looked just like a young Sekiguchi.
When he came to this school,
it was the first thing I checked.
Ever since then, I've been watching over him.
Fujimoto-sensei is... Fukuda-san?
He said the name changed
after getting married,
so I was sure it'd be a woman...
I feel a little responsible.
After we made that recording, we all
went up Bellflower Mountain several times.
That's when we found a strange creature.
To me, it looked like
a tiny, grotesque plant.
But to Sekiguchi, it looked like the
most beautiful woman imaginable.
He said he wanted to see her again,
and to catch her if he could.
So then he went back into
the mountains many times.
But we graduated without
ever seeing the thing again.
I forgot about it, but
Sekiguchi couldn't, I guess.
When I heard about the m*rder,
I knew exactly what had happened.
He'd found it.
"It"? Do you mean that strange creature?
Remember what it said on the tape?
"Those who make love to the
woman of Bellflower Mountain
are struck with necrotic phallic autotomy
and become the Bellflower Monster."
...struck with necrotic phallic autotomy
and become the Bellflower Monster.
He was talking about some
kind of Bellflower woman,
not just the monster.
Tachibana-kun, you didn't sleep
with that weird creature—
She's not a weird creature!
She's a noble and beautiful creature.
Much more than any human...
Necrotic...
What is "necrotic phallic autotomy"?
It's when your genitals rot and fall off.
It seduces humans and turns them into
robots that carry out its will, most likely.
That's how that plant has bred
all this time, no doubt about it.
Then if we k*ll the plant,
will that get rid of Aooni?
I don't know for sure, but it may be possible.
That's right... The flower!
The one in the basement!
No!
What?
Run!
The main entrance!
I opened it when I came in,
so it should still be unlocked!
We can get out that way!
Hurry! It's following us!
You can do it! We're almost there!
Sensei!
We're trapped!
What do we do?!
It hasn't noticed us.
If we go now...
Let's hurry!
Why?
Why isn't it open?!
We'll have to find another way out.
Another way out?!
Shh! It's getting closer!
We can't stay here!
Let's move!
To where?
The basement!
He said that if we destroy
the flower in the basement,
that may get rid of Aooni!
It's our only hope, isn't it?
W-Wait!
Konaka!
Konaka is...
Konaka-kun!
Wait!
Stop.
It's hopeless.
You won't make it in time!
Damn it!
Even Konaka?
I'm sorry, but we have
to hurry while we can!
There it is!
If we destroy this...
Manabe-kun, it's coming!
Damn it!
This is getting us nowhere!
Hurry, Manabe-kun!
What do we do?!
Hide, you two!
Where'd Sensei go?
I think she hid somewhere...
What should we do?
Look!
The generator fuel!
We can use it to burn the flower!
I'll distract it so you can
light the flower on fire.
There should be a lighter in the desk.
I can't...
It'll be fine.
Once this is over, let's go to Tokyo together.
What's this, Manabe-kun?
Your legs are shaking.
Are you okay?
Okay, here we go.
Got it.
Why?!
Don't do this now!
Hurry, President!
What do I do, Manabe-kun?!
It won't light!
What do we do now?
I've got fire!
Sensei!
Get back!
I can't!
You can't be serious!
Damn it!
Manabe-kun!
I'm coming!
Manabe-kun!
Sensei... Why?
I had no choice.
How could it end so horribly?
It was horrible, yes.
But it isn't over yet.
What do you...
Sensei?
I'm sorry.
Oh, Konaka-kun...
You survived?
Hatano-sensei!
When Aooni was attacking me,
I got wedged in a gap in the floor...
That's just like you!
Hey, I don't see everyone else...
They didn't make it.
No way...
What happened to the flower?
It b*rned up.
But it didn't affect Aooni.
No...
But it was a good ending.
I couldn't help but get all excited by it.
Sensei?
Sorry, Konaka-kun.
You can't b*at that thing
by destroying the flower.
Sensei, what are you...
If this thing exists, more people
might start looking into us.
"Us"?
Yes. Us.
We've been living here longer than you.
But you humans keep
destroying our habitat,
so we had to take measures
to defend ourselves.
We're trying to live in
secret as much as possible,
but humans grow curious
and try to find us.
They talk about us in their folk tales,
so we have to destroy anything
that would lead them to us.
Hey, Konaka-kun, did you know?
You can use a flower's smell or its pollen
to erase people's memories
or control them, they say.
Who went to listen to this one?
Wait... I met him... and then...
Oh, yes! I must thank all of you!
You told me about the human who
made the game about us, didn't you?
Well, I don't really think a freeware
game would lead anyone to us,
but more people like you might appear.
So just in case, I had Tachibana-kun deliver
these beautiful flowers to the game's writer.
So that su1c1de was...
Well, tomorrow's a school day,
so let's end this now.
Oh, right.
You know that rumor about
Tachibana-kun, right?
The one that says he's sleeping
with all the girls in the school?
If it was true, do you know
why he'd be doing that?
A honeybee takes nectar from a flower,
but it also takes pollen to it,
helping the plant to breed.
A plant can't move on its own,
so it relies on another
creature to fertilize it.
Perhaps these beautiful
flowers are no different.
By the way, once that worker bee
is done with its duty of pollination,
what happens to it?
And what about the one
it delivered the pollen to?
Anyway, sorry to interrupt class.
Aooni is very hungry.
W-Wait a second...
Good morning, Mifuyu-sensei.
Good morning.
Huh? What was in this room?
I don't know. It's probably
a storeroom, right?
Oh, we'd better hurry.
Ao Oni The Animation (2017)
Moderator: Maskath3