01x09 - Episode 9

[bunniefuu]

THE FLOWERS OF EVIL - BAUDELAIRE

MIYAMA BOOKSTORE

[Takao] Dear Baudelaire,

can you believe this?

For the first time in my life,

I'm witnessing with my own eyes,

someone reading that book!

Tokiwa,

that book...

The Flowers of Evil... Why are you...?

What's your problem?

You're creeping me out.

It's just... That book...

I've never seen anyone reading it.

Sorry.

[Aya] Hey, wait a minute!

SANITIZING WIPES

Do you want one?

Yeah, thanks.

I'm surprised you know it.

It's a pretty obscure book.

When I was in junior high,

I read it till the pages wore out.

[chuckles softly] Impressive.

Actually,

a mystery novel I read recently

used one of his poems to solve the trick.

So, when I saw it on the shelf here,
I thought I'd take a look.

Honestly, I don't really get it.

You like books?

I do...

I mean, I did.

I don't read at all now.

Why not?

Busy with club activities?

[Takao] Well, no...

Do you wanna read it?

The mystery novel I mentioned.

I just finished it.

[sighs]

[♪ Gentle music playing]

[♪ Opening theme music playing]

THE FLOWERS OF EVIL

[Takao] Thanks for this.

[Aya] You finished it already?

EPISODE 9

It was a really good book!

I kept wondering what comes next.
I couldn't put it down.

Right?

There's a sequel, isn't there?

[chuckles]

[exclaims]

Here.

No way! Thank you.

I kept wondering what happens
to the protagonist.

To be honest, I couldn't concentrate
on my studies or anything.

[laughing]

[laughter echoes]

I know, right?

Hey, let me borrow one of your books, too.

Ah.

Nothing like The Flowers of Evil, please.

Got anything more serious,
with substance, and fun to read?

I got rid of all my books
when we moved here.

Just give me the titles, then.

You used to read a lot, right?

Takao!

How you doin' these days? Everything good?

Now, listen.

Don't worry your mother, you understand?

Hey! Go take a bath already!

- What'd you say?!
- [Shizue groans]

Don't nag me like that.

I've been working all day, you know.

[Shizue] And I do the housework
on top of a part-time job.

[Tetsuo] Well,
I'm sorry I get paid peanuts.

Do you think I want to be in this job?!

[Shizue] Here we go again...

What's that?!

[indistinct chatter]

[Takao] Here.

- [Aya] Wow.
- [♪ pleasant music playing]

Tsutsui? I like his work, too.
You like Erotic Avenue?

I liked
Lagos on a Journey better. [Chuckles]

[chuckles awkwardly] Sorry.

What?

Why are you apologizing? [Laughing]

You're silly.

[grunts]

[Takao] Thanks for lending it to me.

It was really interesting.

[Aya exclaims] This is from me, then.

Here.

- I told you it's not.
- [chuckles]

Is that Kasuga over there?

- [Tamaru] What?
- What's he doing?

[Tamaru] He's reading a book.

[Sasaki] That's not like him.

THE METAMORPHOSIS X KAFKA
TRANSLATION BY YOSHITAKA TAKAHASHI

[Aya] I read it, but,

you sure have terrible taste!

[chuckles awkwardly] Sorry about that.

That unsettling feeling that
maybe people are really like this.

Right... I see your point.
You... think so?

Come on! You're the one
who recommended it to me!

You have to get it together!

You're the only one
I can talk to about books.

Sorry.

[laughter echoes]

Kasuga, we saw you yesterday.
Getting some alone time with Tokiwa.

No, that's not...
I was just borrowing a book from her.

Too bad, Kasuga.

Tokiwa has a boyfriend!

I heard he's a third year at North High,
and they met at her part-time job!

What a fleeting romance
it was for you, Kasuga.

We won't let you get ahead of us.
Right, guys?

- [boys laughing]
- Come on, it's not like that.

[boys] Mmm.

[Takao] What are you doing,
trying to build relationships with people?

Have you forgotten what you did?

You sh*t bug!

Hey ya.

Thanks for letting me borrow these.

Weren't they great?

I think they're the best
of the whole series.

Yeah.

What? You didn't care for them?

That's not it at all!
I can't wait to read the rest.

I'm sorry.

I stayed at a friends' house last night,
so I don't have the next volume.

Your friends' house...

Of course.

[laughing] Wait, what is this?
Are you that bummed about it?

Wanna come over to my house to get it?

What?!

[Kanami] There you are!

Tokiwa!

Why don't you come to this with us?

[Aya] Sorry, I have plans today.

Okay, then. We'll see you tomorrow.

- Yeah.
- See you.

- Bye.
- Bye-bye.

Who was that next to her?

- [Yuki] No clue.
- [Kanami] Off we go, off we go.

[Aya] Let's go.

Okay, sure.

TOKIWA

[Aya] You can relax, you know.

Well, I mean...
I'll leave as soon as I borrow the book.

[Aya] Where did I put that one...

What?

This is amazing!

Hey, don't gawk at it like that.

[Takao] I don't mean to, but...
You've read all of these books, right?

You must really love to read.

It really is amazing.

Stop it already. [Chuckles]

PLOT

[gasps]

[♪ Gentle music playing]

What is that?

It's nothing.

By any chance...

Is it a novel you wrote?

No, it isn't.

Can't I take a peek?

I'm telling you it's not!

[phone vibrating]

Hello?

What? Wait a second, it's nothing like...

What?

Kasuga,

I'm sorry.

My boyfriend's here.

What?

[dog barking]

Thanks for waiting, Koji.

This is Kasuga.

Hello.

[laughing]

No way! I wondered what stud you'd taken
into your room, but this guy?

Well... I'm...

I'm sorry, sir.

[scoffs]

It's obvious you don't have
the guts to do anything.

Hey, wanna go to our usual spot?

We can get pizza or something.

Sounds good. Let's go.

[stammers] I'm really, truly sorry.

Hey.

Come with us, Kasuga.

What?

[♪ Techno music playing]

Wanna go clubbing? A sick DJ's coming.

- Really?
- For real?

We're in!

That's so cool!

[male student 1] We have to go!
Promise, okay?

Hey, you haven't eaten at all.

Go ahead, have some!

- Thank you. I'll take this.
- Sure!

- Dude, you've got cheese right here.
- [all laughing]

- Come on, man.
- Damn.

[female student 1] You're way too nervous.

See? I told you he's funny.

Kasuga, was it? Are you in any clubs?

Wait, wait. I wanna guess.

The Going-Home Club.

That's correct.

[male student 2] I knew it!

Hey, I know.
I bet you're hobby is "reading."

Right?

- [female student 2] Man, you're terrible!
- [all laughing]

How about... a girlfriend?

I bet he doesn't have one!

[female student 3] You're so mean!

So, what's the answer?

- I don't have one.
- [male student 3] Knew it!

So, you're a virgin.

[female student 4] Takuya!
You have no filter!

Do you have a crush on anyone right now?

No,

not in particular.

Come on,
tell us more about yourself, Kasuga!

Okay, then.

The name of your crush from junior high!

[all exclaiming]

Three, two, one, go!

[chuckles] Go!

I don't want to say.

What does it matter, though?
It's in the past.

Cut it out, Koji.

All right, then.

How did you get acquainted with Aya?

- We were at karaoke together.
- I didn't ask you, Aya.

Right, Kasuga?

Tell me.

How did things turn out
that you became close with Aya?

Well, I mean...

How did things turn out
that you ended up going to Aya's room?

- What? No way.
- Seriously?

[Koji] I haven't
stepped foot in there, not once.

No matter how many times I asked,

she'd always say,
"I don't ever let anyone in!"

Isn't that right, Aya?

- It's not like that.
- So...

Why do you get to just waltz in?

Why? Tell me!

Stop it.

What?

Am I the one who's out of line?

I'm sorry.

I really had no intentions of

doing anything with Tokiwa.

I was just

just happy.

It's been a really long time
since I've made a friend.

So...

I got carried away.

I forgot about what kind of person I am.

[♪ Gentle music playing]

I forgot

that I'm just a ghost
who causes trouble for people.

A ghost?

I will make sure it never happens again.

Not ever.

I swear.

Hey.

We've been together for a whole year.

So

why do you still have your walls up?

Then,

have you tried
to tear down those walls for me?

You're empty, Koji.

[Takao] Look what you did! Once again,
you got involved and hurt people!

I haven't learned anything, after all.
Just repeating the same mistakes.

Kasuga!

I'm sorry about that.

Don't be.

I shouldn't have gone to your house.

It's not your fault, Kasuga.

At the end of the day,

I'm empty, too.

I guess...

I was trying too hard, you know?

Being with Koji and those guys...

It doesn't mean I can become like them.

The thing is...

I've never told anyone.

That I liked books.

Why not?

Because they'll freak out, for sure.

A room filled with books like that?

It's weird.

It's not weird at all!

I...

I think...

[♪ gentle music playing]

I honestly think

you're incredible, Tokiwa.

So...

So, I...

I want to read it.

The novel you wrote.

Ah.

I'm sorry.

I did it again...

Okay.

Read it.

I want you to read it.

I want you to read that notebook, Kasuga.

[muffled singing]

Why are we in a karaoke box?

I can't risk having someone see us.

Let me read it.

Not yet!

I mean, I still only have the synopsis.

Like, it's just a rough outline.

Nevermind.

Give me

your honest opinion.

Sure.

PLOT

POTENTIAL TITLE
THE GHOST m*rder CASE [TENTATIVE]

Ghost...

SCENE: A VILLAGE IN THE MOUNTAINS

GHOST SIGHTINGS AT A MANOR
WHERE THE STORY BEGINS

PROTAGONIST
A HIGH SCHOOL BOY STUCK IN THE VILLAGE

BEST HITS OF 2001

[♪ eerie music playing]

[Aya] I'll just live on here forever,
feeling like I'm dead.

That's what I thought.

That's when the incident happened.

Several people vanished into thin air.

Everyone rumored
that it was the ghost's doing.

But...

That's not a ghost.

I have to discover the identity.

[wind howling]

Who is behind this incident?

I have to figure it out

to put an end to living like a ghost.

[♪ Music swells]

[♪ Music fades]

Sorry, forget it!

Tokiwa...

This is amazing!

Surrounded by mountains,

stuck with nowhere to go,

nothing to do...

I know this protagonist.

He's the same as me!

But he takes on the challenge
of solving this case.

No one could come up with this.

It really is amazing!

It's fascinating!

I can't wait to read it!

Please write it!

[♪ Gentle music playing]

Thank you.

I'll try writing it!

Yeah.

There's no time to waste!

I have to start writing, fast!

I already thought of the first scene.

It's the sight of the people
who went missing.

[chuckles] That sounds great.
It's so exciting.

If you don't mind,
would you read it as I go?

Are you sure?

- Yes.
- [chuckles]

[Takao] It smells like... shampoo.

[♪ Suspenseful music playing]

[♪ Closing theme music playing]

Kasuga?

Saeki...

[indistinct chatter]

TO BE CONTINUED

ON THE NEXT EPISODE

[narrator] After an unexpected reunion
with Saeki, Kasuga flees once again.

Still, he finally decides
to face his own shadows.

Next, on episode ten,

Kasuga's feelings for her begin to bloom.