Nao.
Good morning.
Today's Seiryo Fest. The second day.
Right.
Seiryo Fest
Haunted House
Club Zine
Haunted Abandoned Hospital
Entrance
Haunted House
Entrance
Haunted House
Entrance
Haunted House
Entrance
Haunted House
Entrance
Haunted House
Entrance
Haunted House
Entrance
Haunted House
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: The Remake
You helped with selling our club's zine?
I guess.
Since you sold 19 copies yesterday, that means we have 81 left to go.
That's where we're at. Good luck today.
Thanks.
Okay, see you.
Oh.
Be sure not to flub your lines.
I'm all over it.
"Grandma. Grandpa."
"I came here from the moon."
"I want to stay with you on earth forever."
"Yet I have no choice but to return to the moon."
Well? How was it?
So...
I'm coming to watch the play.
I can't wait to see my daughter on stage.
Seiryo Fest
Episode 8: A Replica Is Messed Up
Seiryo Fest
Get a high score!
Escape Room
Hey, over here! Come this way!
Seiryo Planetarium
It's just like a fair.
Takoyaki
Yakisoba
French Fries
Aikawa-san.
Good morning.
I printed out more posters for the play.
I'll put up a bunch.
Thanks.
Haunted Abandoned Hospital
All righty. This is our final day, so let's go for the gold.
Haunted Abandoned Hospital
We're gonna win the top prize!
Yeah!
Seiryo Fest
Welcome
Cutout Café
Cooking Club
Cutout Café
Takoyaki
Yakisoba
Haunted Abandoned Hospital
Please line up against the wall.
Aikawa-san, thanks. I'll take it from here.
I appreciate it.
Ah, there you are.
What's up?
We have enough people for the haunted house,
so I need you to do our publicity.
When you're done, you can go back to the lit club.
Can you do it?
Is that all? Sure thing.
Thanks a bunch.
Okay, here's your outfit.
The makeup crew will be here in five minutes.
Bye.
Huh?
"A haunted house is totally maid for this!"
A haunted house is totally maid for this!
Yoshii
What?
Whoa, omigod.
That's too cute, Aikawa-san.
So, um...
It's such a thrill knowing we're going to ruin this adorable maid.
Huh?
Brace yourself, Aikawa-san.
What?
Aikawa-san, your skin is so smooth.
The Tale of\h\h\h \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hthe Bamboo Cutter: \h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hThe Remake
Oh, man. Now that's a flesh wound.
Looking good.
Whoa. I don't believe it.
This makeup looks really good.
We've been training for a whole month.
Okay, come with us. Your master awaits.
Bye now.
Aki-kun.
You're laughing way too much.
We needed a Count Dracula and his maid.
You two will really add to the atmosphere.
Does it make sense to have vampires and maids in a "haunted" hospital?
Ah, don't sweat the small stuff.
Anyway, you two have a special assignment.
You'll need to hold signs and pass out flyers.
What? In these outfits?
There's nothing to be ashamed of.
You two can also enjoy Seiryo Fest together while you're at it.
Do you mind walking around with a bloodied-up maid?
And you? Do you mind hanging out with Count Dracula?
I'd be glad to.
Oh, yeah. You two haven't been inside the haunted hospital yet.
You should take the opportunity to go now.
What?
Y-Yeah, um, I'm not good with dark places.
Come on now.
But you're not actually scared of the dark, right?
Um...
It's fine, really.
If it's fine, then go.
No, I mean I'm good.
I'm glad you're good with it.
Yeah, uh...
"It's fine" or "I'm good" don't really mean—
Two exclusive complimentary guests checking in.
You could've stayed away,
yet you dared to set foot in my haunted hospital?
If you wish to get out of here alive,
you must retrieve your medical charts from deep in the bowels of the hospital.
If you happen to fail,
you'll be trapped in here forever!
Well, let's go.
This is just the starting point.
I can't! I can't! I'm dropping out!
No dropping out
You can't run from this hospital. Good luck.
No dropping out
You can't run from this hospital. Good luck.
Aki-kun, are you still here?
I'm here. And I haven't let go.
It'll be fine.
Okay.
No...
No! Stay away!
Take your charts.
I got the charts.
Two of them?
Yeah.
Uh, wait a minute.
Is this haunted house so big, we smashed through the wall into the next classroom?
No, class 2-2 is selling taiyaki.
Hang in there. It won't be much longer.
'Kay.
Once we're out, we'll get taiyaki.
Sure.
I'll eat the poor things from their heads down.
No! A gh-gh-gh-ghost!
Kill it! Quick!
That's insane.
But—
Please no more.
Come on. Stand up.
You'll be fine.
Why are you laughing?
Sorry. You're too adorable.
Sorry.
I've been keeping it together this whole time, but I just can't anymore.
You're mean.
You jerk. You total ding-dong.
Huh?
What's wrong?
I don't think I can stand.
Your knees gave out?
Are you going to leave me?
Of course not.
I'll carry you.
Huh? But your ankle...
It doesn't hurt so much these days.
Come on. Hop on.
Okay.
Am I heavy?
Kind of.
Correction: you're as light as a feather.
As if I'd believe you now.
Welcome back, you two...
What?
It seems her legs gave out.
Haunted Abandoned Hospital
Huh? Uh, sorry that happened to you.
It's okay.
I'm fine now.
Then, you can take these.
Good luck with the play, too.
Sure.
Wait. Is there anything else we can help out with?
We're good. In fact, look.
A whole bunch of thrill-seekers came to check us out
because you screamed so loud.
We might even get the fest's top prize.
Haunted Abandoned Hospital
Haunted hospital!
Haunted Abandoned Hospital
Come check us out!
Haunted Abandoned Hospital
That haunted hospital scared me too, you know.
Really?
But seeing you super scared took the edge off the whole thing.
So I guess I owe you.
Well, excuse me for being a scaredy-cat.
How can I make it up to you?
I want to go on a non-scary date.
Okay.
Ricchan, thanks for holding the fort.
Literature Club
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: The Remake
As Told by Grandma
One copy: 200 yen
Welcome back—
Wait, what are you wearing?
You should see Aki-kun. He's wearing a Count Dracula costume.
He'll be here in a little bit.
So anyway, how are sales?
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: The Remake As Told by Grandma
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: The Remake \h\h\hAs Told by Grandma
Suruga Seiryo High School Literature Club
Surprisingly good.
We've sold 33 copies so far between today and yesterday.
It's thanks to Mori-senpai's poster,
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: The Remake
As Told by Grandma
One copy: 200 yen
and a whole bunch of people who know you guys.
Wow! We're really making progress.
But it's not nearly enough, I'm afraid.
The real battle is after the play.
It'll literally be our first and only real opportunity to sell in numbers.
Yeah.
Nao-senpai.
So this is just a hypothetical question,
but if they do shut down our club, will we still—
Ricchan.
No negativity allowed.
Yeah, you're right. Sorry about that.
We won't lose the literature club and we'll still be friends, Ricchan.
You got it.
And if we do get shut down, we'll just find an empty classroom.
Make up your mind!
Suruga Seiryo High School Drama Club
The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: The Remake
Date & Time: Oct. 31 (Sun) 2:30 PM Place: Suruga Seiryo High School Gymnasium
\h\h\h\h\hThe Tale of \h\h\hthe Bamboo Cutter: The Remake Suruga Seiryo High School Literature Club\h\h\h\h
You ready?
Uh, yeah. I'm a nervous wreck right now.
Me, too.
Aw, shoot.
My costume.
It's just water. It won't leave a stain.
You sure?
Let's go, Aki-kun.
Did ya hear? The teacher congratulated me again.
He did? For what?
For my test score.
It was that good?
Nobody else had my score.
Dude, did you get 100?
I got a zero, which nobody ever gets.
He wasn't congratulating you!
But he was all smiles.
He was laughing at you!
He said there's nowhere to go but up.
Thanks for waiting.
Ah, you're here.
Let's get you in makeup, pronto.
Sure thing.
I'll do your makeup, Aikawa-san.
Okay, thanks.
The other day, I gave our classmate Morie-san a letter.
Oh, the cute one?
She said, "Thank you!"
You asked her out? Really? And she said yes?
The letter said, "We thank you for your consideration in this matter."
"The parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for these days."
That's just a handout from the school!
I'm done.
Thank you so much.
I should touch up mine, too.
Mori-senpai?
Should we step outside?
You can't be alone with her.
You worry too much.
Nao.
If anything happens, I'll call you.
Let's go.
Are you okay now?
I really convinced myself I could handle the pressure.
Huh?
But I'll do it. I'll make it work.
I mean, I'm supposed to.
Can you tell me about yourself? If you want, I mean.
It may take a load off.
Do people often say you're a bit weird?
I was created when Suzumi was only five.
She made me right before she had to act in a play in kindergarten.
Suzumi wanted me to play her role of the evil stepmother.
I did what I was told and went with her mother to school.
But...
But Suzumi ended up following us.
That woman... Her mom looked at me and started panicking.
I don't blame her.
She'd seen someone who looked exactly like her daughter.
And she knew she hadn't given birth to twins.
So her mother knew about you from the start.
Yeah. Her dad did, too.
They separated me from Suzumi
and sent me to live with her grandparents in Fujinomiya.
That happened 13 years ago.
I didn't see Suzumi once in all those years.
Not even a single time?
Right.
What about you?
Sunao summons me whenever she needs me.
She's been letting me go to school this entire month.
Except for yesterday. That was her.
I see.
Did you know...
that you don't need a birth certificate to attend elementary or middle school?
I couldn't go to high school,
but I had my grandparents, and I could study well enough at home.
Then, why are you...
It's Suzumi. She's in a vegetative state.
During summer break, she accidentally hit her head.
The next day, she slipped into a coma.
She was hospitalized at first,
but she started receiving treatment at home since the end of August.
That woman came to Fujinomiya at the end of August, too.
She looked straight at me,
a freak she couldn't stand the sight of before, and pleaded with me.
You must pretend to be Suzumi and go to school for her.
Otherwise, her attendance will suffer beyond repair.
She studied so hard for her college entrance exams.
But it'll all go to waste.
I beg you. Please help my daughter.
Oh, that's right.
Don't you see?
You came out of nowhere that day precisely for this reason.
How could she?
She brought me back here and got me to attend her school this term.
But I don't have a clue what Suzumi's like now.
I've tried my best to fool people, but I'm just not as smart as her.
I should get a medal for getting a five on a high-school test
with a middle-school education.
I've really done everything I could.
I became Suzumi, Moririn,
the student body president, and even Princess Kaguya.
I've done everything for her.
But I'm just buying time and messing up.
I'm not helping Suzumi at all.
When I met you, I thought I'd found a ray of hope.
But I hadn't.
A replica can't give her life to save the original, right?
Why would you want to sacrifice yourself?
Yeah, it's so weird.
Why are we replicas so stupid, anyway?
You must've noticed it yourself by now.
We must be messed up in our heads
if we're willing to sacrifice so much of ourselves for our originals.
Honestly, I didn't want to play the evil stepmother, either.
But I went along with it anyway, thinking in my heart of hearts
that I had to do it for Suzumi.
Don't...
I hadn't seen Suzumi in 13 years.
Yet I still want to do everything for her.
I want to bring her back to health.
So I'm perfectly willing to do anything for her.
I'm sure you know exactly how I feel.
You see?
Isn't it bizarre?
On the outside, we're made to look exactly like the original in every way.
But on the inside, there's something very wrong with us.
We're just puppets on a string with no will of our own.
Come on. Our audience awaits.
Senpai.
Translation: Gad Onyeneho Timing: Mariana Martinez Editing: SMR Quality Control: Riley Dalton Translation Check: David Saylor