Well, I screwed up.
Kojien
I mean, nobody expects a Kojien to fall out of the sky.
Liquor
Yakitori
Episode 1 "At a Certain Location in Tokyo"
I'm telling you, the theme makes no sense!
Children's Literature Theory Group Research Planned Presentation Date: Third Tuesday in May
Why would you insist on using muscles
for a children's literature theory group research theme?!
Comments I think we should go with muscles! Fujimura
Why not? The prof will be raving over hearing a new perspective.
"Raving" in a different way, maybe!
Munch Munch
Aw, it's fine. Take point in putting it together, would you?
You're heading the seminar.
Not because I wanted to.
Getting all sulky and withdrawn at the drop of a hat is a bad habit, y'know.
Whack
This is my fault?
Come on, Magi.
You know Fujimura won't take no for an answer.
Aren't you his girlfriend?! Talk some sense into him!
Well, let us know when everything's ready.
See ya, Yaeko.
Yeah.
Hey!
He's just straight-up Gian.
Not much we can do about it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, girlfriend!!! #Maldives #birthday #springbreak
Just look at Fujimura-kun's social media account.
Spring break at a resort as a couple
Champagne
Oozes "rich" from every pore
Local stylish famous lady he met there (and instantly befriended)
The mentality to go to the beach for his girlfriend's birthday and post a swimsuit photo
Don't even know what this dish is called
Die a Thousand Deaths
He should die a thousand deaths!
Can you beat these people?
I don't even want to get involved.
Not only that, but he just posted this a moment ago!
Working out with the Kojien while reading! Try to have both muscles and book smarts!! Try to get a girlfriend, too!!
I've never understood anything less in my entire college experience.
Why would such an impossibly cheery macho musclebrain be a literature major
taking a children's literature seminar in the Liberal Arts Department?
I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw him, either.
I was like, "Is there a fairy in this seminar now?"
He's a real rarity: a literary macho man who can read Dazai Osamu and still be cheerful.
How can a creature like that even exist?!
And don't wave a Kojien around as a workout! That's dangerous!
Forget being no longer human! He's peak humanity!
He should be opening with "I've been a winner all my life," damn it!
You have the most eloquent inferiority complex I've ever seen, Magi-kun.
Drinks!
Highball!
I drank too much.
Thud
No way...
Shinmura Izuru Kojien 7th Edition
Billie Eilish's... "Bad Guy"... music video...
Oops, I think I dropped it.
Can't see it in the dark. I'll look tomorrow.
Jeez, what were you doing?
Wait, is that...
Hey, are you okay?!
Uh... Hey, you two.
Just pretend you never saw this and go home.
No one would fault you for that in this day and age.
No way! We can't do that!
Uh, an ambulance!
Oh, right! Sorry, I'll call right now!
No, really, it's...
What? Ambulance?
No! Don't call an ambulance!
I'm broke! I can't afford surgery or medicine!
I don't even have an insurance card!
I'm fine! Based on my experience, this kind of injury is nothing!
The head just looks extra dramatic when it bleeds!
The medical expenses would end me! No hospitals, please!
Hey!
Yae-chan, I think his injury is making him say weird things.
Yeah. I just called an ambulance.
You did?!
Okay, you can pay for it, then!
You got yourselves into my mess, so you gotta take care of me now!
If you don't want that, throw me into some alley,
hide me from the ambulance, and get outta here!
It'll be here soon. You shouldn't try to talk.
You'll be all right, sir.
Wow, not many nice kids like you these days.
Well, shit. Now I have no choice.
Wait, no! Where are you going?!
Magi-kun!
Don't follow me!
This is just... you know... SFX makeup! It was a setup!
Like hell it is! Not when I can smell the blood!
Damn, he runs fast for a guy in sandals!
Yae-chan, something's definitely off about this guy.
Can anyone run around like that after losing so much blood?
Yeah, and can someone in that condition really be so articulate?
He's gone.
What now?
Weird or not, if he actually dies...
Yeah. He might really have been confused because of his wound.
I know! The police!
Oh, yeah! I forgot!
Um, what was the number for the police again?
110! Dial 110! Calm down, Magi-kun!
Okay, I get it. Let's talk.
Just don't call the police, please!
Drawer Street
Come on in. Sorry it's such a mess.
Mogura Bath
Adults 500 yen
Children 300 yen
And Other Metal^Repairs Negotiable
Man...
First Aid Kit
Kids these days sure are nice.
Old people are so much more shameless. It really sucks.
Y'know, the old fart who runs the general store down the street...
What are you talking about?
We're worried about you here!
Should you be that crude with it?
Coffee or tea?
Sorry, but I don't have booze. I don't drink.
Uh, honestly, that's fine.
How old are you guys, anyway?
Should you be out this late?
I'm 21.
I'm 20.
You're 21 and 20?!
Wow, sorry. I thought the girl was in, like, middle school.
Oh, thanks...
You just apologized for not having booze.
Yeah, but you look pretty damn young for 21, too.
He's not just rude. He talks a lot, too.
You think he's really okay?
But man, 21, huh?
You're young. I envy you. Bet you're strong, too.
How old are you?
Just accept that I'm old compared to you guys.
Considering the outfits... You students?
Scratch Scratch
Won't your parents be worried?
Oh, it's fine. I live alone.
Me, too.
Oh, then did you have some fun plans together tonight?
Sorry 'bout that.
Man, you guys are too trusting.
Scratch Scratch
When asked if your parents would be worried,
all you need to say is, "No, everything's fine."
You shouldn't give a stranger more information than necessary.
Especially a girl.
As her boyfriend, you gotta protect her.
I'm not her boyfriend.
Oh, damn, sorry.
Would that be considered sexual harassment these days?
Sorry about that. I just can't keep up with the times.
Yae-chan, let's go home. I think he's fine.
Hey, so your surname is Magi, right?
Why do you call her "Yae-chan"?
That kinda thing really interests me.
In the same club? Or seminar?
Seriously, let's go. He's gonna be a huge pain in the ass.
Leaving?
Oh, then here. Take your phone back.
Sorry I took it.
Oh, right. I should give you my contact info.
Um, and mine, too.
I don't know what your deal is, but you should really go to a hospital,
so tell me yours.
Oh, I don't have a cell phone.
No Internet here, either. Or driver's license.
Or any phone at all.
What's your name?
Mogura.
Mogura?
Like I said, it's Mogura. Feel free to forget it.
Scratch Scratch Scratch
How does someone like you work in this day and age?
I mean, the sign said you ran a bathhouse and did some kind of craftsman work...
Scratch Scratch Scratch
Smirk
Well, that's a good question.
Oh, I almost forgot.
I feel bad not doing anything to thank you after you've been so kind.
If you ever get into any kind of trouble you can't get out of, come see me.
Though it's fine if you forget me, too, really.
I got you in this pretty deep, so I'm a little worried.
Well, we'll be going, then.
Mogura Bath
I'm Magi, third-year in the Liberal Arts Department of Yatsume University.
If anything happens... any side effects or anything... I'd hate that, so...
You're the kinda guy who's too sincere for his own good, aren't you?
Careful getting home, both of you.
Scratch Scratch Scratch
And, uh... you know...
You don't have to believe this, but...
I was banished from the afterlife, so I can't die.
That's my deal.
So if you ever get into any of that kinda trouble, you can talk to me.
And you can tell other people if you want.
No one would believe you anyway.
I don't have ID, a family register, or a residency card.
In other words, I don't exist.
That means the police won't come to question you, either.
You genuinely don't need to worry about that.
I'll wash off the blood on the street and cover it with mud before morning.
Anyway, thanks. And oppekepe to you, youngsters.
"Oppekepe"?
"The oppekepe-bushi"...
"A satirical song that was popular in the Meiji era," this says.
Yatsume University First Campus
That said, there are few such stories in the Asian mythologies.
This is most likely due to differences in culture and religious perspectives.
There's some kind of black smudge...
We'll discuss that in a bit more detail next time.
Did my vision get worse?
That's it for today.
Magi-kun, got a sec?
So, I got these...
Uh, yeah... I got some, too... or I tried to.
Even with my part-time job money, this was all I could get.
Medicine sure is expensive.
Yeah, we should really go check on him, right?
Yeah, I mean, he...
Man's Body Found in Tokyo
A man's body was discovered in Tokyo last night.
Police are investigating the possibilities of both suicide and an accident.
What would we do if he died because we left him alone, huh?
I don't want to take on that kind of trauma in my twenties.
Also, should we tell Fujimura-kun about this?
Nah, I don't think it'd do any good.
The guy kept the Kojien anyway, and we don't have proof.
I'm pretty sure it was Fujimura, though.
Anyway, let's go.
It was past the main street and the shopping district, then further down, right?
Yeah.
Oh, flowers... would probably just make things worse.
Is there anything else he might need?
Well, they don't sell blood transfusion packs, so...
Ushino Meats
Thanks for stopping by.
Liver
Nothing beats liver for anemia!
You think he needs liver?
I feel like we've been more panicked than he was.
Well, I hope he likes liver.
If he doesn't want it, I'll live off of it for the rest of the month.
It should be around here...
Did we take a wrong turn?
No, this is right.
I remember seeing this trash collection sign.
See?
Trash Collection Mon. / Wed. / Fri. Put out trash by 8:00 AM on collection days Put out the correct trash on the correct day If you see anyone take items from the collection site, report it Oversized trash and recyclable trash from businesses will be collected by request Oversized Trash Collection Center Remember!!
The collection days had been changed, and someone wrote on it.
Yeah, I did see that.
Do they use manhole covers with this design in any of the 23 special wards?
I feel like I remember this, too.
But the street stops here.
This feels like those mysterious spirit encounters you see online.
Don't say stuff like that!
Tremble Tremble
That kinda thing scares the shit out of me!
I'm sorry! Magi-kun's about to cry! I'm sorry!
Listen.
If I had to choose at gunpoint between a haunted house and a free fall,
the free fall would just barely win out.
But either one might make me throw up!
Really? I'll remember that.
But what makes me wanna puke more than anything is the kind of person
who'd force me into that choice!
You mean Fujimura-kun?!
And I never want to see a ghost in my life!
Your face is the scariest thing here right now!
I can't even stand the word "spirit"!
I wish you'd just say "monster"!
I think monsters would be a lot more likely to attack you...
There, there, there.
Look at you two youngsters flirting.
So did something happen?
Or did you come to try out my bathhouse?
It's 500 yen for adults.
Drawer Street
It was 300 yen before, but prices just kept going up.
Sorry.
What's up? Let's go if you're going.
Drawer Street
Huh?
Was I not the one you were looking for?
That's fine, too.
No, um...
We came to bring you these.
What?!
Man, you really are the sincere type. They're for me?
Yes.
Wow, thanks. You sure?
This, too.
Thanks.
Hey, this is liver!
Woo-hoo! Nutrients incoming!
Oh, good. The liver made him a lot happier than I expected.
Anyway, is the wound on your head okay?
Oh, it's fine. But look at this.
I bought a helmet. Second-hand, though.
Now I can keep my head safe.
But what about you two?
Did you see something, or something?
See something?
So you really can see them now.
Uh, hang on!
I had my suspicions after all the weird stuff you said and did,
but is that actually a spirit I'm seeing?!
It's incredibly not-scary!
Which is good, but...
I was expecting the kind of cool, dramatic figure you see in JUMP manga and stuff!
You tried to make it sound cool, but...
Youngster, reality always goes in directions you wouldn't expect.
This is your first spirit encounter!
Mogura Momoyuki.
"Mogura" means "hundred darknesses," and "Momoyuki" means "peach wood bow."
Mogura Momoyuki
'Fraid I don't know whether it's a lucky name or an unlucky one,
but at this point, I guess we're already acquainted.
Here's my proper introduction.
I'm a hermit, a rare kind of person in this world.
I'm sorry you had to make my acquaintance.
Peach wood bow?
Long ago, bows made from peach wood were said to ward off misfortune,
so they're also used to vanquish evil spirits...
I think, at least.
Oh, you knew, huh?
That's a liberal arts kid for ya.
But writing "Mogura" as "hundred darknesses"?
In terms of Japanese mythology...
It's like the opposite of Amaterasu Omikami. That's super ominous.
Just so you know, I don't have any cool powers like exorcism or whatever.
I just took a little fire from him.
That dude's not an evil spirit or anything.
He was probably just gazing fondly at the little lady here or something.
Uh, that's kinda gross...
Yeah, I guess it is, but...
Please explain what's going on here.
All right. You're pretty quick to make decisions.
Magi-chan, Yae-chan, come to my place for a bit.
I'm about to tell you a really long, crazy-sounding story.
For now, just accept that.
Also, the ending is basically, "If you ever see any ghosts, let me know."
When you think of ghosts, you probably picture something like this, right?
Well... yeah.
What do you think this is?
A ghost light?
Right.
We also call it demon fire.
Specifically, it's something the dead produce that guides them to the afterlife.
Like how you decorate with lantern plants during Obon.
Those are named for the lanterns said to be carried by the dead.
Ghosts' souls contain that same fire,
and it makes them able to proceed to the afterlife naturally.
It varies from ghost to ghost, though, so some lose their way.
Welcome Committee
And demon fire is a by-product of said fire that leaks out of souls.
Remember when I told you I was banished from the afterlife?
Hey, cut it out. Don't start thinking I need counseling.
Just hear me out.
The Sun stripped me of my right to carry this fire in my own soul.
So if I turned into a ghost, I'm guaranteed to get lost.
In other words, I can't go to the afterlife.
I can store the fire by-product made by ghosts in this lantern.
The plan is to get a bunch of it so it'll guide me to the afterlife.
Squawk
Hey, listen! I only need you to remember the gist of it!
Squawk
But that also means this is my flame of life.
You saw me using it in a different way before.
Well, shit. Now I have no choice.
So you did use some kind of illegal substance!
No wonder you didn't want us to call the police!
If we're being blunt, yes, but watch how you phrase that!
You might say I was charging my life force.
Kinda like an energy drink or e-money, I guess.
Charging...
Oh! So, like, healing your wound?
Nice, liberal arts kid. You catch on fast.
This is what I love about literature nerds.
To go even further, if I drink a lot, I can maintain a state that keeps my body alive.
In other words, I can age in reverse.
You really are just like a hermit.
Yeah. The only part of it that sucks is that I didn't ask for it.
Get it? I can't go to the afterlife, but I still live normally.
That means I do get hurt, sick, and hungry, and I age.
I can only stay alive if I regularly fix up my body with this fire.
And above all, I can't survive in this world without money.
And to get that, I have to work.
Living normally costs money.
With some self-restraint, I can save up a bit, but it harms my health.
Going to the hospital costs money.
Using the fire is free, but I'm left with less each time.
I have to keep this thing stocked with fire while keeping up that kind of life.
Whenever I happen to see a spirit, like before, I mooch a little.
This is literally what it means to be tied down.
It's a well-thought-out punishment.
Punishment?
It's punishment?
That's right.
Drawer Street
Drawer
They even gave it a clever name like "Drawer."
This place is basically a prison.
A drawer in which they stuff people who can't go to the afterlife.
Hang on!
There was no street there when we first came along, but then it appeared!
It was there.
You just weren't looking.
Humans only see what they want to see.
The things you're looking for only turn up after you've looked all over.
That's just how blind humans are.
Missing a street or two happens all the time.
Same with spirits.
You just became aware of things you didn't notice before after meeting me.
Any questions so far?
I have a lot, but it's all just so outlandish...
But weird things are happening, so assuming it's true...
Stuff like "How old are you"? and "Did you see Perry's ships arrive?"
and "What's the scariest thing you've seen so far?"
My head's just a mess right now.
Scariest thing, huh? Never been asked that before.
Let's see...
It'd have to be the time when consumption tax was implemented.
I get it, but come on. There's gotta be more.
No, it's a huge problem!
Every day, I have a meeting in my head about whether to ditch my breakfast eggs!
And experience tells me it's gonna reach 10% someday! It gives me chills!
That's how it was with the land tax, too!
Also, the time I picked up a broken TV,
and days after I fixed it and turned it on,
I was asked if I was paying my license fees.
It's insane. What the hell is with those guys?
Who are they? The KGB?
Dude, that is the one comparison you should not make. Ever.
Hey, I paid it, though! I like Stretch Man!
You're actually a good guy, aren't you?!
Anyway, that's the story.
Scratch Scratch
You need money to do anything.
I need fire, I need money,
and I need to live a healthy life if I want to move on.
I save up, but I never have more. You know how that feels, right?
It's tough to balance saving and spending.
I'd love to conserve resources by never doing anything.
That's the kind of mental state I'm stuck in.
I do everything half-assed.
There's too much I have to do, and too much I can't do.
Oh, yeah. You did say you don't even have a residency card.
Isn't there a way for you to get one?
There is.
I mean, it's just data. Anyone can falsify it.
So long as there are people who need it, there'll be people who do it for a living.
There was a time when I made fake IDs and family registers, too.
But in 1942, I got careless.
And that's why it eventually came to me.
Can you guess what came to me?
In 1942?
Draft Notice Mogura Momoyuki
Episode 2 "Spirit = Human"