01x10 - Episode 10

[bunniefuu]

The loneliest thing in the world...

[Sachiko] Only you...
are going Beyond the Window.

[Emi] It might look different this time,

but the same thing that happened


I think that might be
a bit of an exaggeration.

Professor Marukami...

[Professor Marukami] Let's make a deal.

We won't leave here ever again.

You hope to persuade Yoriyuki Marukami?

If persuasion is enough...

The order is reversed... I get it now.

Everything started with this.

[Professor Marukami]
When the sun sets for a second time...

[♪ suspenseful music playing]

[Emi] Is this the Kasasagi flag?

A section of ground surface,

lit up by the second sunset.

[♪ pensive music playing]

The round summit of Mount Marukami

is the central circle.

[Professor Marukami]
The ridge that extends

from Mount Kurone to Mount Marukami
forms the shape of a human hand.

The complex terrain of the Seven Peaks

conjures up a shape resembling Kasasagi.

Aligned with light,
from a singular fixed direction,

everything has been perfectly calculated.

Based on the angle and direction
of the mountain slopes

and the overlapping ridgelines,
and then carved into terrain

that withstands the harsh winds and snow.

[Professor Marukami] It's a vast
and magnificent sculpture of the earth,

spanning several square kilometers.

Of course, it would be impossible
for humans to achieve such a feat.

Then, who made it?

You could call them ancestors,

or even patron deities.

But let's assume
that the Kasasagis created this terrain.

There are hardly any records left,

so I will include my own conjectures here.

I believe that 1,000 years ago,

the Kasasagis appeared in this area.

From the sky, for instance.

[♪ ambient music playing]

[Professor Marukami]
How might people have reacted

upon seeing the Kasasagis?

[♪ ambient music continues]

This is the land of myriad gods.

Regardless of whether their superhuman
abilities and unusual appearances

were considered good or bad,

they would surely have been deemed divine.

And the Kasasagis, having become gods,

began to visit this land regularly.

Regularly?

Several folk tales
from this region mention that,

"The year a god descends upon the mountain
will surely be a year of great harvest."

Now assume that this mountain
refers to Mount Marukami.

Doesn't it start to resemble
something like a helipad?

[Nanmaru] I see.

Which means,

the torches from the festival were like...

guide lights?

The festival began
as a ceremony to welcome the gods,

and it began around the summer solstice.

[Professor Marukami] But at some point,

the Kasasagis
stopped appearing altogether.

Still, people continued
the festival every year.

Year after year...

For 1,000 years.

No matter how long they wait,
the one they wish to meet does not appear.

Just like the Tanabata story.

The fact that they still eagerly await
the Kasasagis, and even now,

continue the sacred mountain rituals,

shows that they truly worship them.

[Professor Marukami] Would you agree?

The feeling that everyone in the town,
including you, must protect the mountain...

Do you think it truly stems
from respect for those things?

"Those things..."

I think it's because of what you said.

"The invisible chains...

wrapped around our necks."

Chains?

The Window...

[Professor Marukami breathes heavily]

That's what...

Beyond the Window is.

Unbearable fear and loneliness.

These things were instilled
in the Window Openers.

Window Openers like myself and Sachiko
are compelled to wait

for the Kasasagis here on this land,
as they occasionally appear in our dreams

and reach out to us.

[♪ light music playing]

[Professor Marukami] Which means

we have been chained.

Fear and loneliness...

Chained up by the Kasasagis...



the Kasasagis spread the Ability to Reach
and the fear of seeing Beyond the Window,

within the blood of the humans
who lived in this land.

[Nanmaru] How did they do that?

This is just speculation...

but perhaps the Kasasagis

considered settling in this place,

or maybe it was a site
for their experiments.

[Professor Marukami]
Then, they tamed the creatures

that lived there as their loyal servants,
and even tested whether they could be used

as material
for their own breeding experiments.

[♪ ambient music playing]

Surely not...

That spoiled the wonder of the story.

[Professor Marukami]
Now, ask yourself this...

Why would they carve
this huge Kasasagi flag into the mountain?

Perhaps to use it as a signpost
for when they arrive.

[Tagaya] Something like that?

Would those
with such terrifying technology

rely on the light of sunset as a signpost?

A signpost that can't even be seen
through clouds or rain?

[Tagaya mutters]

I suppose not.

I'd say the Kasasagi flag
that appears here

is a test of loyalty.

A reminder to never leave this land.

To repel outside interference,

reserve the terrain,
and await their arrival.

That's what the weapon
known as the Ability to Reach is for.

It's what the fear
instilled in the Window Openers is for.

[Lord Marukami] I will not allow
any interference with this village.

[Professor Marukami] That's why,

in every era...

[protestors clamoring]

Jeez...

[Professor Murakami] The local people

have fought to protect this land.

Historic Mount Marukami
Don't defile our precious land

[♪ ambient music continues]

It's hard to believe...

Professor,

will the Kasasagis never come back?

[inhales sharply]

I don't know their circumstances.

Perhaps they simply abandoned this land,

or maybe they have already perished.

Either way, it's been centuries
since they last appeared.

We can't expect anything now.

[Professor Marukami inhales deeply]

Yoriyuki Marukami

must have thought the same.

[♪ ominous music playing]

[♪ theme music playing]

Land of Tanabata

[prime minister]
We have given top priority

to restoring the lives
of those who have been evacuated.

After careful consideration,

we have decided to lift
the state of emergency in Tokyo...

Letter of Resignation

What?

[prime minister] The criminal group
has not yet been arrested...

Let's talk in the meeting room, shall we?

I think there might be
better work out there for me.

[prime minister] Our country, Japan,

absolutely does not tolerate
acts of terrorism.

I am fully committed
to resolving this situation.

I'll take care of this for now.
You take some time off.

Think carefully.

[announcer]
...no impact on the Japan-US summit

-scheduled to be held in Japan next month.
-[breathes deeply]

Now, onto the next news.

Actors Saki Nikaido and Yugo Nakazaki
have been caught having an affair.

Cafe Marukami

[Mr. Hayano sighs]

Will Yoriyuki really show?

[Mr. Hayano sighs]

We have no other option.

We must follow
Professor Marukami's instructions.

[Mr. Hayano sighs]

[crickets chirping]

[Masumoto] Take a break.

A midnight snack.

[associate] Thank you.

[♪ pensive music playing]

[birds chirping]

Marukawa Town

[villager 1] Mr. Minamimaru,
do you want seconds?

[Nanmaru] No, I'm fine.

[villager 2] Oh, right,

we might run out of firewood soon.

[villager 3] I'll let the next group know.

Mr. Minamimaru,

do you plan to take over
after Professor Marukami?

No, I don't think so.

I see...

That's a shame.

Sorry about that.

Thanks for the meal.

[villager 4]
How about some tea, Professor?

Here you go. Some tea?

-Oh, thank you.
-There you are.

[Aki] Professor!

Nanmaru!

[Nanmaru] You're all here. Sachiko too!

-[Sakuragi mutters]
-[villagers murmur]

-Thank you.
-Sorry.

-Thank you.
-[Tagaya pants]

-[Sachiko] I appreciate that.
-[Emi] Thank you.

[Tagaya mutters]

-[sighs]
-[Nanmaru chuckles]

Why don't you go down to the town?

Take a rest...

[mutters]

No, I'm fine.

For some reason, I feel relaxed up here.

I see.

Besides,

I was the one who said
we should meet Yoriyuki first.

But do you think he will really come?

[villager 1] Is that right? Oh, yeah.

[villager 2] Thank you so much.

[laughter]

[villager 3] We'd run out of firewood.

-Thank goodness.
-Thank you so much.

On the evening of the summer solstice,

you can only see the giant Kasasagi flag
by looking from the sky above.

Most of the townspeople
don't know about it.

[Professor Marukami]
All that remains is the old lore

that tells the townspeople
to protect the land.

However,

each generation of priests
is taught about the flag.

[chuckles]

But I'm the only one
who went to the extent

of making a model to confirm it.

If Yoriyuki Marukami,
who knows about it too,

wishes to resolve
the gloom in his own heart,

or free the townspeople
from the chains binding them...

Or even

settle things with the Kasasagis
that may or may not come,

the key is likely to be here,
at Mount Marukami.

Don't you agree?

[Nanmaru] But... why are we building
a bonfire every night?

It's a pretty big fire.

To let Yoriyuki know

that there are people
from the village here.

[Professor Marukami]
We've actually got quite a few up here.

[Nanmaru] But why?

Yoriyuki Marukami's goal...

is probably

to eradicate Mount Marukami itself.

What?

[Professor Marukami]
That would settle everything.

The gloom in his heart, the Kasasagis...

The festival...

The history of a village bound in chains
would end there.

[♪ pensive music playing]

Yoriyuki has taken many lives.

However, he would protect
the lives of the villagers,

as he was both a lord and a priest.

In other words,

this will stop the mountain

from disappearing.

Professor, you're actually kind of scary.

[Professor Marukami scoffs]

You think so?

I mean, this makes everyone hostage.

[indistinct chattering]

-And pickled vegetables?
-Thank you!

Yeah, I suppose so.

[Nanmaru] You suppose?

Also, I know I'm an outsider,

but I am technically of royal bloodline.

Even so, Yoriyuki seemed
more than happy to erase me.

Right, that is a problem.

"A problem"?

[Emi] Actually,

we asked the people on duty today
if we could take their place.

We want to help too.

[Professor Marukami sighs heavily]

[sighs]
I see.

All right.

Then I'm counting on you all tonight.

[all] Yes, sir!

That went well.

[Tagaya]
I thought he'd tell us to go home.

[Sakuragi] Yeah. I thought so too.

-However...
-[Emi] I actually thought so for a second.

There are more outsiders now,
making it more dangerous.

-What?
-[Emi] This is like camping, isn't it?

[Tagaya mutters]

[Tagaya]
We've done a lot of fieldwork before.

[Emi] True.

[crickets chirping]

[Nanmaru] This reminds me of the campfire
I made back in high school.

Sachiko, do you have memories
of camping with lots of people?

[Sachiko] Not really... No.

Our school didn't do that kind of thing.

[Nanmaru] I see.

Sachiko...

When all this is over...

What do you want to do?

Do you have a dream for your future?

Well, I've already found a job.

But...

one day...

I want to leave this town

and live somewhere else.

Really? That's great!

I know you can do it.

You can find a town that suits you,
then rent a room.

A town that suits me?

Yeah.

Rent a room...

-Sounds nice.
-It sure is!

The future is bright.

We need to maintain a positive outlook.

The future is bright?

Sachiko...

[Nanmaru] There's something I felt
when I first met you.

I still feel it even now.

But I'm not sure how to describe it.

When I'm with you,

it's like there's something there.

[♪ light music playing]

Like a haze.

[distant rumbling]

The river...

Can you see it?

River?

[footsteps approaching]

[♪ suspenseful music playing]

Hello there. Where's Professor Marukami?

[footsteps approaching]

I told you to wait for Yoriyuki to arrive.

He won't come with you here.

Now get back down the mountain!

Those are strong words.

I offer my apologies
if you're telling the truth.

[Professor Marukami] Meaning?

[Masumoto] I'm saying,
perhaps we've been deceived.

What if,

this is all a diversion
to help Yoriyuki Marukami escape?

[scoffs]

You couldn't be more wrong.

Nobody is capable of predicting
what Yoriyuki Marukami will do.

I don't believe you.

[r*fles click]

[Masumoto] We've hit our limit.

After reviewing the situation further,

we've come to realize
just how serious the risks could be.

[scoffs]

You've come to realize?
You knew the risks from the start.

But you know...

If you're concerned
about people developing abilities,

you'll need to track down
anyone with roots in this land,

and they could be anywhere,
not just this town.

We'll pick them off one by one.

[rustling]

[♪ music intensifies]

[g*n firing]

[screaming]

[thuds]

Yoriyuki...

[screams]

So what do you think?

Do you think I'm human?

Who knows? I don't care either way.

[Yoriyuki] You came here to protect humans

because the government told you to, right?

[Masumoto] Even now, do you all still
not understand how this country works?

You may have your grievances,

but if you live by the rules,

you can live without worry until you die.

That's why it's done for.

Are you playing the hero,

protecting humanity all alone
from a safe distance?

What we protect is not humanity.

It's the markets.

Ridiculous.

-[pops]
-[grunts]

[g*n fires]

[body thuds]

That makes these guys
nothing but a private company.

This mountain is what you're after,
isn't it?

Why must you sacrifice so many?

Professor Marukami...

I doubt someone who fled this village
generations ago would understand.

On this narrow land, there are centuries
of accumulated emotional unrest,

loneliness, anger, and fear.

[Professor Marukami] Did you think
you were just venting those frustrations?

Is that why

you pushed innocent people
Beyond the Window?

[Yoriyuki] I suddenly wondered, Professor.

Are they really the same thing?

The Beyond the Window we dream about
and the spheres that appear in our hands...

What do you mean?

[Yoriyuki]
I've always imagined it like a dust chute.

The end destination
is probably a terrifying incinerator,

but in reality,
no one has actually seen it.

I wonder if we've been making
a big mistake.

What are you trying to say?

Our ancestors could have
already been reaching out to us.

It's just that most people didn't develop
the ability to go with them unscathed.

You mean...

[Yoriyuki scoffs]

[Yoriyuki] Just look at me.
Who exactly were my ancestors?

Suppose they were inhabitants
of other stars in the universe,

travel to Earth defies any human logic.

Yet we alone,

have the Ability to Reach,
a different logic.

[rustling]

What if this isn't a window, but a gate?

[♪ ominous music playing]

That's why I've changed my plans.

[rustling]

Huh?

[rustling]

Right... It's hard to see in the dark.

[♪ ominous music playing]

There's nothing left for me in this world.

If they won't come to me, I'll go to them.

Stop, Yoriyuki!

You don't know yet if it's a gate.

-You'll die!
-Yoriyuki...

[♪ music fades]

Take me...

Take me with you!

-What are you saying, Sachiko?
-The answer...

The one I've been searching for...

The answer I could never find
might be there.

In that dark world...

The one reaching out to me...

[Sachiko] It's you...

isn't it?

What you're saying makes no sense.
Think about this!

Sachiko...

[Nanmaru] Do you want to die?

Because...

even if I stay here forever...

I'll just be walking through emptiness...

In that case...

How could you...

How could you think such a thing?
How could you!

I've always...

been trying...

to grab that hand.

[♪ light music playing]

[♪ music stops]

[Nanmaru breathing heavily]

Minamimaru, you wouldn't understand
the feelings of a Window Opener.

Quit making a fuss and getting in the way.

I don't understand them.

And I'll keep making a fuss.

I'm getting in the way
because I don't like this!

Sachiko, remember
what we just talked about.

What happened to leaving this town
and renting a room?

Are you fine with the afterlife,
if it means leaving this here?

There's so much of this world
that you don't know yet.

[breathing heavily]

-That's enough.
-[Nanmaru] No, it's not!

[sobs]
All of you...

You don't get how big this world is!

It's so big... So big...

So big that it's a huge pain to clean!

[Nanmaru panting]

What am I saying?

Don't think you know the world,

just because of what you saw
on the internet or television.

All they show is lies!

[♪ somber music playing]

[sobbing]

In this world,

even in the tiniest places
that no one notices...

you can find people's thoughts,

wisdom, mistakes,

and attempts to start over.

This world is 100,

no, 1,000 times bigger
than what we can see with our eyes!

Compared to that,

scary dreams, invisible chains,
flashy superpowers,

they're all insignificant!

They're just a tiny part of it!

How can you

give your life to things like that?

[♪ somber music continues]

A tiny part...

I don't want you to go.

Please.

Don't go.

I know...

[breathes heavily]

I know there's something here for you!

[♪ dramatic music playing]

[rustling]

[♪ dramatic music continues]

[pops]

Minamimaru... Nanmaru, was it?

If you change your mind...

join me afterward.

[rustling]

[♪ tense music playing]

Get back! Get back!

Quickly! Run!

Sachiko!

Yoriyuki...

[rustling]

[♪ music intensifies]

[screeching]

[loud expl*si*n]

[wind gusting]

[wind howling]

[♪ faint mellow music playing]

[Sakuragi] How's grad school, Tagaya?

I'm enjoying it, taking it easy.

[Sakuragi] Now that Professor Marukami
and Professor Emi are gone,

I'm surprised you stayed.

Well, folklore is interesting.

Actually,

it's more surprising that Professor Emi
left to be a housewife in the countryside.

She's not a housewife.
They're not officially married.

Oh, yeah...

It's more like a professor
and his assistant.

That's true.

[Aki] Sorry, I'm late.

[Tagaya] Hey.

-Thanks.
-Busy with work?

[Aki] Yeah...

I'm glad I became
a freelance journalist on the internet,

but I'm super busy
because I'm doing it all by myself.

-[Tagaya] Mm.
-[Aki chuckles]

[gasps]

[phone vibrating]

Excuse me a second.

[Aki] Hello?

-Oh, I see.
-[both chuckle]

[Sato] I'll be home by six today,
so I'll make dinner.

All right. See you later.

Your destination is five minutes away
Accept delivery

By the way,
did you hear about Marukawa town?

No.

[Sakuragi] They filled
and reconstructed the mountain in no time.

[Tagaya] Really...

[Sakuragi] They sure are something.

[Tagaya] They really are.

How's Nanmaru doing?

I saw him the other day, he seems well.

He's started
a non-profit organization by himself.

That's amazing!

The daft lord, who'd have thought...

-He's all grown up.
-[chuckles]

So what kind of work is it?

I think he said
he was running "swap markets."

[Tagaya] No money is used at all.

He's like an event organizer
who holds markets all over the country

where people just swap items.

-For this?
-Yeah, let's swap.

-Wouldn't that be strange?
-It's not strange at all.

-Really?
-Now, now.

-What's the problem?
-Well...

I'm giving her a camera,
but she's giving me a stuffed toy.

Aren't I losing out?

Still though, you want this toy, right?

Exactly!

You said so first!

But the value is completely different!

-Value doesn't matter.
-Right!

You swap something for what you want.

If you don't want the stuffed toy
enough to swap the camera,

then this deal is off.

Well...

I do want it...

but...

All right, fine then.

I'll throw in three pieces of candy,
just for you.

There you are!

[customer] Well?

-[Nanmaru] Fantastic!
-[laughs]

-[customer] Thank you!
-Then it's a deal.

-Is that okay?
-Yep.

-Thank you.
-All right, shake on it.

[customers chuckle]

[Tagaya] Nanmaru talked about
opening "Trash Eraser," right?

This is the opposite concept.

It's about not making trash.

[Sakuragi exclaims]

Then, he's not using his ability?

Right. He said he wasn't using it at all.

Then his face won't change,
like Professor Marukami.

-[Tagaya] I guess not.
-[Aki] Sorry about that.

-Welcome back.
-[Sakuragi] Hey.

-[Aki] Hey.
-[Tagaya] A work call?

Yeah. That's right.

Hey, there.

-[student 1] Hello.
-[Nanmaru] Hey.

[Oshita] How's it going today?

[student 2]
Today's been pretty hard work too.

[Oshita] It's hard now,

but just wait
for this swap market idea to take hold.

-It'll get easier.
-[student 2] Thanks.

Huh? Nanmaru...

Did that pimple on your head go away?

[Nanmaru] Oh, that thing...

It just disappeared once I left it alone.

I see.

[cuckoo clock hooting]

[student 2] Hang on.

Nanmaru, isn't it today?

Oh, right.

I'll be off then.

-Good work today.
-You too.

-See you.
-Bye.

-See you.
-[Oshita] Take care.

[train rumbling]

[♪ calm music playing]

[Emi]
Are you still up to something, Priest?

[Professor Marukami] What's that?
[chuckles]

[sniffles]

Well, tonight is the festival, you see.

[chuckles]

[sighs]

[muffled drum beat]

[Emi]
Still, the festival continues to be held.

In the hope that...

someone will come to meet us
from beyond the Milky Way.

[Nanmaru] Sachiko!

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Not at all. I just got here.

Right...

[chuckles]

Hmm?

Welcome.

[Nanmaru] Thanks.

[both chuckle]

[♪ theme music playing]

[♪ closing theme music playing]