"In the novels that I write, nobody dies." "It's because my father is a murderer." "Six months ago, I started living under the same roof with five women." "They received invitations to come to my house from an unknown source." "They pay me one million yen a month for the rent." "I'm gradually learning who these women are." "But I still have no idea who sent the invitations, or what they want these women to do to me." "Thanks to these women, my life will change a lot." "Pardon me, sir." "I have brought your breakfast." "Sir..." "Will you marry me?" "EPISODE 5 ABSOLUTE" "Is that him?" "Yes." "Sunako." "Run him over." "Yes, ma'am." "What?" "Oh, dear." "He's still moving." "Sunako, one more time." "Yes, ma'am." "Don't!" "At your age, this is what you deserve when you mooch off a high school girl." "Sunako, take care of the rest." "Yes, ma'am." "Hey." "What do you plan to do with him?" "Do you know how many people go missing every year in Japan?" "About 100,000." "That guy will be one of them." "Can't you help him?" "Please!" "Sunako, do what she asked." "Yes, ma'am." "Okay, let's go." "What will you do if he mooches off you again?" "I'll figure something out." "You're a fool." "You'll end up begging someone for help again." "Do you really think you can live on your own at 17?" "This is exactly why I can't stand kids." "People sometimes need to lean on others." "Does that frustrate you?" "Frustration is good." "If you think I'm wrong, feel free to fight me over it." "I'll beat you to a pulp." "You make me angry!" "There is nothing wrong with that." "AYANE HIROKAWA" "What do you think of that celeb-on-celeb interview?" "What do I think?" "It's disgusting." "The Messiah helps me out." "I kind of thought so." "He talks about the same crazy ideas that he always has." "Aren't you jealous?" "He's being interviewed by a famous idol." "I guess so..." "Novel." "Yes?" "You like the little girl type?" "No, I don't." "Okay, then who do you like most among these five?" "Oh, I like that question." "You've never told me what kind of girl you like." "Well, I'm not sure I can answer that." "Fine." "Just in terms of character." "Character..." "If it's just character, then probably Yuki." "She seems kind." "Really?" "I'm sorry, but I'm married." "What?" "What?" "You're married, Yuki?" "Yes." "But you're not wearing a ring." "I don't like them." "They get in the way." "What does he do?" "He runs a real estate company." "Okay, Novel's romance is over." "It's not like I was in love with her." "You forced me to choose one of you." "Why are you acting like that?" "I'm done." "You haven't eaten everything." "I don't want to eat anymore, too." "Wait a second." "Did you eat?" "This is my best dish." "Thanks." "What?" "It tastes okay, right?" "It's totally awesome." "Yes, it's good." "It sure is." "What's going on?" "Hey!" "I'll take care of that." "But I'm supposed to do this." "I want you to write, Mr. Michima." "This is the final stretch." "What?" "Here, here." "Mr. Michima, put everything you've got into this." "Write as if you'll die tomorrow." "Leave no regrets." "Why are you pinning your hopes on that lousy novelist?" "What happens if he puts everything into it but it's boring?" "Thank you for the meal." "So unkind." "I'm going to clean the bathroom." "What?" "Hold on, Mr. Michima!" "Excuse me." "Hold on a second!" "He escaped." "Mr. Sakurai, is Michi going to be all right?" "If he's going to keep writing for us, his next one has to be good." "Really?" "Michi is in real trouble." "I think his books are interesting." "I think so, too." "He'll be fine!" "I'll make him a big seller for sure." "You're so bold, Mr. Sakurai!" "I would like your cooperation, too." "Sure!" "Okay!" "In that case, Nanaka..." "I have a little favor to ask you." "Me?" "A MURDERER'S SON IS A DISGRACE!" "Good morning." "Why are you already up, Nanaka?" "It's still morning." "I have work today." "Michi." "Yes?" "Milk, please." "Oh, sure." "A photoshoot?" "No, I have a celeb-on-celeb interview today." "With an actor?" "No, Yuzu Hanaki." "Oh." "He's a really successful author." "I guess he is." "I've never read his books." "Here." "Thank you." "By the way, Michi." "Yes?" "Why are you a novelist if you're not even successful?" "That's a good question." "Well, it's hard to put it simply." "You don't have to say it simply." "Just talk about it." "I'll admit that my novels don't sell well." "But even so, there are still people who enjoy reading them." "Is that the only reason?" "Also," "after all," "I love novels myself." "I know it sounds daring, but if my books could make someone enjoy novels," "that would make me happy." "I see." "Midori and Yuki, have you read any of Michi's novels?" "Yes, I've read one." "No, I haven't." "I'm sorry." "Really?" "Is that so?" "Have you read any, Nanaka?" "That's a secret." "Whoever sent our invitations must be strange." "I mean, why would they invite us to such a dull writer's home?" "That's true." "He is quite dull." " I'm right here." " Right!" "I just realized this!" "Me and Yuki never talk." "This is really rare!" "Yes, that's true." "Yes." "Isn't it?" "Oh..." "I don't like talking to stupid people." "What?" "She says I'm stupid." "Well, I am stupid." "Oh, well." "We'll continue his treatment, but we can't tell if he'll regain consciousness." "It's possible that he can hear people talking." "Please speak to him constantly." "Keisuke." "What dreams have you been dreaming for a whole year?" "It has been six months since we started living together." "It's actually pretty fun." "Oh, that's right." "Yesterday, for the first time," "I told everyone about being married to you." "They were all surprised." "Do I really look like I'm single?" "Keisuke, you also liked surprising people, didn't you?" "Will you marry me?" "You probably don't want to." "A beautiful, 21-year-old lady and an old man like me." "If it pleases you," "I would be glad to." "Thank you." "I thank you as well." "May I ask you one question?" "Sure." "I am only a maid." "Why do you want to marry me?" "I can't properly put it into words." "There are things in this world that cannot be explained logically." "That's true for me right now." "This is so incredible." "I never imagined this could happen in my life." "It's absolutely inconceivable considering who I was not long ago." "Nothing is absolute in this world." "Except for death." "Keisuke." "The things you spent your life building," "I will responsibly keep them for you." "So... don't suffer any longer." "I'm home." "DIE, TRASH!" "Can you get a little closer together?" "Good." "Okay, I'll check these." "Hold on a moment." "Okay." "I told you this before." "I'm a big fan of yours, Nanaka." "Thank you." "I'm looking forward to today." "Me, too." "Who cares about that?" "There's a bill on my desk." "Take that and..." "Sorry, but I'll call you back." "You were with Shin Michima, right?" "We met at the Chugakukan party." "I'm the literary critic, Ryuichi Moriguchi." "I'm sorry." "I remember now." "You're not with that guy today?" "Excuse me, but if you want to talk, could you please sit down?" "Then, I will." "Why do you write novels, Mr. Hanaki?" "Simply put, it is my mission." "Really?" "I didn't think people had a mission." "I don't think everyone has one." "But, like me and yourself, Nanaka, some humans do." "I don't think that I do." "You really seem to support that Shin Michima." "What's so great about him?" "I simply can't stand people like you who force their values on others." "I am only carrying out the mission of a literary critic." "Freeing this world from awful books that do nobody any good is also the mission of a literary critic." "What is your mission, Mr. Hanaki?" "It is to give voice to the thoughts of the people." "When I fulfill that mission, everyone appreciates the worth of my novels." "That means you're writing to increase your own worth?" "Well, yes." "That's one way to think of it." "What's wrong?" "I was just thinking that's very different." "Really?" "Different than who?" "Different than the author that I really love." "Really?" "Is that writer more successful than me?" "His new work is coming out soon, so he just might be." "I hate to tell you this, but Shin Michima's books will surely never sell." "You love making declarations like that, I see." "All things must have a resolution, like Yuzu Hanaki's works." "Without one, a person becomes unstable." "What's wrong with not being stable?" "If everything is decided, we become restricted." "It seems you don't know this, but there are many people in this world who agree with my opinion." "Yuzu Hanaki is one of them." "It's meaningless to have knowledge without intelligence." "I do not trust people with a lot of opinions." "As usual, you're a rude woman." "Do you like me?" "Don't be stupid!" "Unfortunately, I hate people who lack good sense." "Are you going to continue to write as the voice of the people?" "No." "To be honest, I've been thinking I won't be the people's voice anymore." "From now on..." "I want to write a novel that nobody has written before." "I will develop a new kind of emotion." "A new kind of emotion?" "Is there such a thing?" "I can write it." "That's quite a brag." "Maybe so." "But if it's a novel for new emotion, will readers be able to identify with it?" "Expressing in ways that have never been done before, that is also my mission." "Wouldn't it be better if you wrote your diary like that?" "You sure are interesting." "But you see, Nanaka, if I did it like that, my existence would be worthless." "Do you understand what I'm saying?" "I don't understand it at all." "The end." "The end." "Drifting Emotions by Shin Michima" "Come here." "Warm this up and have it." "They want me to eat." "Ms. Miura." "Yes?" "I liked this woman quite a lot." "I see." "A true genius doesn't go by the norms at first." "I see." "To be honest," "I've been thinking that I'll stop writing for your company." "What?" "You can't do that!" "I sure hope it sells." "Michi, can I join you?" "What?" "No, of course not!" "What?" "Hey!" "Hey!" "Have I done something wrong?" "No." "It's just a whim." "What should I do for you?" "Put together a private meeting with Nanaka Hiraki." "If you meet that condition, I'll publish with you." "Sure." "You'll do exactly as I please." "I know... who sent the invitations." "Really?" "For an amateur, they're doing pretty well." "But their acting doesn't fool me." "I am a professional actress, after all." "Michi." "Yes?" "You need to be good at telling lies." "The person who is best at telling lies... will be the last to survive." "Who sent the invitations?" "Naturally, it's someone you know." "Who do you think it is?" "THIS DRAMA IS FICTIONAL." "ALL CHARACTERS AND ORGANIZATIONS IN IT ARE FICTITIOUS." "It's your new novel!" "I'll do whatever it takes to make it sell!" "I'll give it a fair judgment." "Is that what's interesting to you?" "The whole world will know about it soon." "Hitomi?" "It really was interesting, Shin." "Subtitle translation by Brian Athey"