""The desolate ground was frozen solid." "The layered, winding sky somberly hung low." "The sky and the ground completely divided the world into two." "Only that man and evil spirits walked on this barren land." "Be cursed, forsaken one." "Be cursed, forsaken one." "Be cursed... forsaken one..." "Soon the sunlight fades and another night arrives." "Night is when 'It' comes to this wasteland..." "'It' is the younger brother he already slaughtered..." "He thought both the corpse and his grief had been buried." "'It' will come back from the grave tonight again."" ""Shiki"" "I feel like this severe thirst is making me go crazy" "We close our eyes and have a sinful kiss" "Your scent drives me mad" "When I wake up in the deep of night, I drink up insanity and love" "Come now, into my arms, "the darkness there is bitter"" "You're unsure and waver" "In due time, it will become endless, "the darkness here is sweet"" "I pierce you deeply" "Come now, into my arms, "the darkness there is bitter"" "You're unsure and waver" ""Thursday, August 25, Senshou"" "Hey!" "Natsuno!" ""Toru Mutou, 12th Grade"" "Hey, you were able to get your driver's license?" "!" "I've still got my temps." "Ritsuko is helping me practice driving." "Hello." "Ah, hi..." "In any case, why are you walking in this heat?" "Come on, get in, get in." "The bus didn't come for over an hour so I started walking towards the next stop." "But it passed by me on my way there." "That often happens to me, too." "It takes about three hours on foot from Mizobe town, doesn't it?" "Yeah." "If there were trains, it wouldn't be a big deal, but there's only the bus, so..." "Yeah." "What's the matter?" "Are you not getting enough sleep?" "Something like that." "When I think, "I can't wait to leave this village," I just..." "Your parents moved all the way out here to be close to nature, right?" "It'll make them sad if they hear you say that." "Hey!" "Watch where you're going!" "Tamotsu!" "Masao!" "Brother!" "Toru!" "How lucky!" "Let's get a ride!" "Yeah!" "On second thought, forget it." "What?" "Why?" "It'll be cooler in the car." "I said forget it!" "If you want a ride, go by yourself!" "Masao!" "Wait" "What's the matter with him?" "Masao doesn't like Natsuno... though Natsuno doesn't seem to give a crap." "Ow!" "What'd you do that for?" "Like I said before, don't call me by my first name!" "I had no intention of getting close to anyone." "Oh?" "Isn't that the son of the atelier owner?" "Yeah." "He's got a dandy bicycle, doesn't he?" "It seems that it's rare for outsiders to move to this village." "People also thought that we were a little strange since my parents' last names are different." "I've had it with this village, too." "Oh?" "Got a flat tire?" "You're the son of the atelier owner, aren't you?" "It's easier to get flat tires on country roads than city roads." "I'll fix it for you." "No thanks." "I'll be fine." "Don't hold back." "This is what you call being neighborly." "Your family should buy a repair kit, too." "I'm Toru Mutou." "What's your name?" "Yuuki or Koida." "Either one is fine." "Oh yeah." "Your parents have different last names." "What's your first name?" "Calling you by last name is confusing, so I'd like to call you by your first name." "Who cares about my first name?" "!" "Thanks." "Come hang out some time!" "Why Would 1?" ";" "I got a flat tire again." "Your parents told me..." "Natsuno!" "I'm gonna leave at some point anyway." "I have no intention of getting close to anyone." "Well..." "I didn't..." "Natsuno!" "Are you fast asleep?" "I'm up." ""Changing Room"" "Okay!" ""Tajima Lab" "Blood Test Report" "Ozaki, Sotoba" "Nao Yasumori"" "Well, her test results are strange." "I want to examine her again, so could you call and ask her to come in for reexamination right away?" "Yes, Doctor." "As I suspected, her case is the same as Megumi's..." "Anemia..." "Blood..." "An increase in reticulocyte." "Nucleated erythrocyte also confirmed." "Bone marrow..." "Hyperplasia of erythroblast." "No abnormality in its formation." "Could it be that hematopoiesis is getting accelerated because large amounts of red blood cells are being consumed?" "However, there's no external or internal bleeding." "Both the serum bilirubin and LDH are normal." "The Coombs test result is negative." "It's not hemolysis, either." "The more I think about it, the more I feel every possibility is being ruled out." "Something doesn't add up." ""Friday, August 26, Tomobiki"" "Hi..." "" Murasako Rice Shop"" ""Munehide Murasako, Masao's Father"" "Homework?" "The new term will start soon, right?" "Yeah." "I finished it a long time ago." "Hey, dad." "What's a word starting with "a" that means-- --Grandpa!" "Mom is suggesting we go out for dinner." "I see." "We're gonna eat out today, huh?" "Yep!" "What do you wanna eat, Hiromi?" "Ah..." "Uhm..." "How about hamburger steak?" "Or do you want omurice?" "Come on, let's go, Masao." "I'm not going." "Masao..." "Pm not going!" "You're acting like a child again." "Hiromi's gonna laugh at you." "Right?" ""Chizuko Murasako, Hiromi's Mother" Father, are you ready?" "What about Masao?" "He said he's not going." "He isn't?" "Oh well, then..." "Frankly, my sister-in-law Chizuko and I don't get on well." "One time I saw her after she and my older brother decided to get married..." "Oh, Masao." "Sis..." "What is it?" "What do you like about my brother?" "Oh my, why're you asking me that out of the blue?" "Let's see..." "I like that he's cheerful and carefree." "People trust him, too." "Things like that." "I see." "Then you must hate someone like me, huh?" "Wouldn't you be unable to stand me living with you guys?" "What?" "You'll say, "That's not true." "I like you," won't you?" "I don't know you well, so I don't know yet..." "I see... then..." "I bet you'll come to hate me." "Ever since that time..." "Toshio!" ""Mikiyasu Yasumori, Toshio and Seishin's Friend Since Childhood"" "Why didn't you come in yesterday?" "We contacted you, didn't we?" "!" "Sh-She didn't tell me anything like that." "What?" "Nao, how're you feeling?" "It's quite fast." "Insect bites?" "Yasuyo!" "Run a blood test!" "She's got tachycardia so do an ECG just in case!" "Also, ask Mr. Shimoyama to prepare for US and CT!" "Yes, Doctor!" "When did Nao get sick?" "Let's see... about two to three days ago." "The day before?" "Or even before that?" "It's probably before that." "She looked... fatigued." "He's just like he was when he was a kid." "How are you feeling?" "Me?" "You or your family." "Or your employees... even young ones." "Was there anyone who looked sick?" "Well..." "If there was, she might've gotten a summer cold from them." "I don't think there was." "What about your clients?" "What?" "Wasn't there anyone who looked sick or was acting strange?" "Oh, come to think of it..." "I met the proprietor of Kanemasa and his wife." "Kanemasa?" "Yeah..." "Several days ago..." "How pretty!" "Wow!" "Good evening." "Good evening." "Susumu, say "Good evening."" "Susumu?" "Sorry." "No problem." "Looks like we scared him." "We're the Kirishikis." "We moved to the European-style house on the hill." "Nice to meet you." "Oh, it seems quite lively." "Our relatives are gathering to observe Bon." "I get it!" "Chizuru!" "This must be that "homecoming" they talk about!" "You're right, Seishirou!" "This is my first time seeing it!" "When we were living over there, people would disappear around this time of year." "I was wondering where they went!" "Problem solved!" "There was just something unearthly about them." "And then..." "Um..." "If you like, why don't you stop by... though we're in the middle of a party as you can see, so everyone's drunk." "Well, I'd feel bad." "I'm sure your relatives aren't able to gather like this often." "We'll come visit you some other time." "Then, please stop by our place, too!" "If you mention the construction company, people'll know you mean us." "If I remember correctly, you have a daughter, right?" "Please bring her, too!" "Thank you very much." "We'll definitely stop by to say hello... soon." "And?" "What?" "Well, that was it." "I asked you if you saw any clients who looked sick." "Ah... but..." "Never mind." "Uhm..." "Toshio..." "Yeah..." "Depending on the test results, you might wanna take her to the government hospital." "What?" "!" "Does that mean..." "Or I'll write up a reference to a university hospital." "Does that mean that she's really bad?" "I said "depending on the test results."" "As the young wife of the owner of a construction company, she has many things to worry about, right?" "We should have her checked up thoroughly." "Sorry, Mikiyasu..." "Nao definitely won't survive this." "h' the deaths spread," "I wonder if this small village will disappear." "Mr. Muroi..." "You're Mr. Seishin Muroi, right?" "Yes, I am." "Who are you?" "Your novels..." "I like them quite a bit." "You read them?" "Yes." "Is that strange?" "No..." "Thank you." "I think you're probably the youngest reader of my novels." "Yeah, there were a few difficult words." "Do you like reading?" "I do." "I read a lot." "Your books were on my dad's shelves so I borrowed them." "Six full-length novels and two short ones." "If that's everything, I've read all of your work." "That's amazing." "Yeah, that's everything." "I've never met anyone who read them all." "I saw your essays in magazines, too." ""The village is surrounded by death."" "That's this village, right?" "I'm impressed that you figured it out." "If you read it, you can easily tell that it's the village the author lives in." "All you have to do then is to check maps using his bio and the temple's name." "A village like a shrine..." "That sounds nice." "I bet my dad thought that way, too... because he decided to move here after reading that essay." "I was very much interested in you, Mr. Muroi." "I wanted to see you." "Are you disappointed because I was different from what you imagined?" "Well..." "You look rather ordinary." "I thought you'd have horns and a tail... because you always write stories about people who have been forsaken by god." "But I understand now, because though you don't have horns, you have a scar." "You are..." "My name is Sunako." "Miss Sunako..." "Don't say "Miss"!" "I hate it!" "I'll teach you one thing, Mr. Muroi." "People can't die from cutting their wrists." "You're right." "People can't die like that." "I suspect I knew that." ""Sunday, August 28, Butsumetsu"" "Hey, Toru!" "Did you hear?" "!" "Nao from the construction company is..." "Oh, Masao." "What did you say?" "What about Nao?" "She passed away!" "What?" "But if I remember right, she was still young, wasn't she?" "Yeah." "But they held her funeral today and she was buried." "Shimizu died, too." "I wonder if some weird disease is going around." "Natsuno, you're cold." "I heard that you turned down Shimizu's keepsake." "You're inconsiderate." "Or rather, don't you have emotional problems?" "Normally, people wouldn't turn down the keepsake of someone who died young." "She was young, so what?" "We might die tomorrow, too." "Th-That's rare, isn't it?" "!" "Really?" "It's a matter of probability, right?" "B-But she died when her life had only begun!" "I bet she had many regrets!" "People would die with regrets when they live in a way that causes them to regret." "Then, you wouldn't mind if people treated you like that after you died?" "Forget minding it, if I'm dead I won't feel anything." "No!" "Shimizu must be crying in her grave now!" "She might bear a grudge against you and appear before you!" "You're pretty naive for someone your age." "You jerk!" "You're just an outsider!" "Ah, just drop it, Masao." "Why are you on his side, Toru?" "!" "He's the bad guy here, isn't he?" "!" "Yeah..." "He does look cold, but to put it in a nice way, he's coolheaded and fair, isn't he?" "So you're on his side..." "I'm going home!" "Natsuno..." "You're smarter than him so be kind to him." "What?" "I'm gonna sleep here tonight." "Well, that's my bed, you know." "Let my parents know." "I can't sleep well at home, so..." "Geez..." "At least pull the covers up." "I hear that a summer cold's going around." "I'll go buy something to drink." "Is something wrong?" "Who are you?" "Hi!" "I moved to this village the other day." "My name is Tatsumi!" "Oh, you're from Kanemasa!" "Yes, you're right!" "I'm from Kanemasa!" "Well, a 100-yen coin went rolling underneath the vending machine." "Oh no!" "But don't worry." "I always carry a back scratcher around for times like this." "For times like this..." "Yes." "Well, thanks for your help!" "I'm Mutou." "I live in the house around the corner." "Be sure to come visit me some time!" "Well then, is it okay if I bring my friend along?" "Yeah, of course!" "Well then..." "I'll definitely come see you... some time soon." "I was walking towards my grand dream" "It was an endless journey in which I lost my way time and time again" "That time, it was raining with snow mixed in" "I couldn't tell if they were my tears or not" "Farewell, we can never see each other again" "PH take another step towards the future I chose... by overcoming a big obstacle" "Why did you say, "This is the end" even though we loved each other?" "Now I see it clearly" "So, I'll "walk" with determination" "Demons..." "In this village, it is said that those who died with regrets and grudges will come back from their graves, wander about, and bring calamity to the village." "The dead who wander about while causing more deaths..." "They awaken among the momi fir trees, go down the dark hill and visit those who cling onto idle dreams, while swarming around the dim lights."