"It happened again." "Two more were devoured..." "By the Man-Eating Island!" "The Strange Tale of Bride Island" "If you listen closely, you should be able to hear" "A faint voice that's calling you" "Yes, deep within this deep, wide forest" "Someone is crying out, force open the night!" "Let's go to the other side of the veil" "To save the Secret World" "Close your eyes and fly off" "To a world that cannot be seen" "Ancient... (Woo)" "Eternal... (Woo)" "Secret World, Secret World" "Tiger, tiger, ti-ger, ti-ger, tiger!" "The tiger is taken!" "Oh!" "Yumeyakko is the hunter and Haruka is the tiger!" "It's the tiger's loss, for he was shot by the hunter!" "Take it off, Haruka!" "I refuse!" "Oh, Haruka, a loss is a loss." "Be a good young man and take them off!" "I'll be glad to help you!" "Cut it out!" "Stop, dammit!" "Well, that's enough playing around." "Here you are, Professor Numata." "Ah, thanks, Yumeyakko." "This is almost like back during your college days, Kantaro." "And you're as chipper as ever too, Professor." "Enough with the flattery, please!" "I've been retired for ten years." "I'm just an old fogey now." "How can you say such a thing, Professor?" "!" "Kantaro, I leave the academic world of folklore to you youngsters." "It's not like that!" "Wait..." "Youngsters?" "Pardon me, but another member of your party has arrived." "Well, it seems that the cast has assembled." "I apologize for being late." "Hasumi!" "What's that, Ichinomiya?" "You're still chasing after monsters and ghouls that don't exist?" "They do exist!" "There are no such things." "There are too..." "My word!" "No sooner do you meet than you're at each other's throats." "That's right, Hasumi!" "This is shameful behavior for one who's supposed to be an elite scholar." "Yes..." "What about me?" "!" "It's okay for you." "You're not elite." "So, Professor, why have you called us here today?" "Right..." "I'd like to ask the two of you to conduct an investigation." "Investigation?" "Have you heard the stories about Man-Eating Island?" "Okay, everyone, shall we be off?" "All right!" "We're going swimming!" "Yeah!" "Man-Eating Island's real name is Bride Island." "While it's no longer observed now, it seems that long ago there was a ceremony where, once every sixty years, a young man would be sent out from the village to give himself over to the island's god." "In hopes for a good harvest, right?" "Yes, the story goes that on each occasion, the man would be sent on his way with a large quantity of rice, as well as gold and silver." "Lately, some unscrupulous people have been going to the island in search of the treasure." "One after another, they've lost their lives." "So, the villagers began calling it Man-Eating Island." "They fear that people are being killed by a curse." "The village head personally requested I conduct an investigation." "I see, how interesting." "The mystery behind this curse is something I will surely..." "I'll get to the bottom of it, Professor!" "Hey, Haruka!" "Let's go swimming together when we get there, okay?" "I don't care much for water." "It could be a curse, but it's also posisble that the original inhabitant of this island, a creature of some sort, has for one reason or another turned malevolent." "No, that is not possible." "Creatures and the like simply do not exist." "I say we approach this case from a more religious aspect." "There's a shrine atop this mountain, so I suggest we go there, and..." "You say there's an unusual-looking stone pillar around here?" "!" "Is that right, Mr. Hirabayashi?" "Yes, a local belief says it's a charm to ward off evil spirits." "Would you care to examine it up close?" "Or maybe you'd prefer to look at it from afar." "It's so pretty!" "Okay!" "Time for a swim!" "Here, Haruka, set this up for us!" "Why me?" "Come on, Suzu!" "Change into your swimsuit!" "Why am I the one who has to do these kinds of things?" "You've brought along such skillful assistants." "Who says I brought them?" "So where is this stone pillar?" "Over there." "Leave the investigation of the island to me." "You just have fun swimming or whatever." "Wait, Hasumi!" "How ridiculous for him to try and compete with me." "After all, a guy who believes in monsters is..." "Muu..." "Muu?" "Look at this, Haruka!" "Ta-da!" "Well, my father bought me this when he was in Europe." "She says it's the latest style of swimsuit!" "C'mon, say something!" "Like what?" "You're supposed to compliment people in situations like this." "Say something like, "It looks really nice on you."" "It looks really nice on you." "Oh, thank you!" "Hey, you look really cute, Suzu!" "Pervert!" "No one knows who made this thing or even when or why it was put here." "It's a Sleeping Cat, huh?" "You needn't point out the obvious." "Is it famous?" "This watchamacallit cat thing?" "There's one just like it in Toshogu Shrine, which is in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture." "How 'bout that?" "You scholars sure know your stuff." "It's not that big a deal." "So, is this cat here supposed to mean something?" "Well..." "Maybe it's like some kinda secret code!" "You run into stuff like that a lot when you're treasure hunting!" "Sabu!" "Mu-mu-mu-mu-mu-mu..." "Wow, this feels great!" "Haruka!" "Well?" "Have you figured anything out?" "Maybe it's a guardian deity of travelers." "Wrong..." "How would you know?" "Oh, I know." "It's not a guardian deity." "And why is that?" "The fact that you say it's a guardian deity tells me that it's not." "The same logic explains why there is no such thing as monsters." "That's not an explanation at all!" "Yes, it is!" "You just don't understand!" "It is not an explanation!" "It's nothing of the sort!" "These guys are useless." "Let's go." "As far as folklore that has anything to do with cats..." "Will you listen to me?" "!" "Sounds like you're having fun." "What happened to Hirabayashi and his friend?" "They came along only because they're after the treasure." "They probably thought we'd give them some good clues." "I see..." "Well anyhow, isn't there any other way to the shrine?" "Walking through here is kind of tough." "Then leave!" "I can easily handle this investigation on my own." "This is the kind of guy he is." "Obnoxious, isn't he?" "Check out this cave!" "This would be the perfect place to hide treasure!" "Looks like it goes pretty deep, huh?" "What, does it run all the way to the ocean floor?" "Okay, Sabu, you go down first." "Me?" "!" "Are you saying you don't want your cut?" "Damn!" "Another Sleeping Cat, huh?" "A shrine would normally have lion-dogs." "Maybe this is some kind of secret code after all, like Sabu said." "For example, maybe the direction these cats are looking points toward where a monster lives or something." "Where they're looking?" "These cats eyes are closed." "You're quite the folklore researcher all right!" "Ah, this sure feels good, doesn't it, Suzu?" "Huh?" "Suzu?" "Suzu!" "Suzu!" "SUZU!" "What should I do?" "That's a new record!" "Muu!" "Suzu, what did you..." "Mmmmu... mu..." "I was holding my breath and counting while I was under water, and I made it to a hundred!" "A hundred!" "It's a new record!" "Oh, by the way, I saw a weird hole down near the bottom." "Say?" "Is something wrong?" "No, it's nothing!" "Blood?" "The fact that these just rang is proof there's a monster nearby." "How absurd!" "Just shaking your arm makes them ring." "I'm telling you, it's not like that!" "They really did ring on their own just now!" "Help!" "Mr. Hirabayashi?" "What's the matter?" "Did something happen?" "It's Sabu!" "Sabu, he..." "Calm down and tell us!" "Sabu was eaten!" "What did you say?" "!" "Eaten by what?" "I don't know." "It was right inside the cave." "All these glowing eyes started to appear in the darkness..." "Glowing eyes?" "Kantaro!" "Something awful happened!" "We were swimming over at the cove when all of a sudden blood started coming up out of the water!" "It was so scary!" "Blood coming up from the sea floor?" "It's that thing from before." "Muu..." "It moved!" "No, it couldn't have." "A creature like this couldn't possibly exist..." "Muu!" "MUU?" "!" "It can't be!" "No!" "There's no such thing as monsters!" "Muu..." "Mwa!" "Found you, Muu-chan!" "Lord Sugino!" "I've been looking for you!" "Don't worry me like that, okay?" "Mu!" "Another weirdo has shown up." "I see you've got your own troubles." "Huh?" "Demon-eater?" "What are you doing here?" "Him again, huh?" "You've got troubles too." "Mu..." "This thing is very well made." "Muu!" "Don't go touching Muu-chan like you know her!" "Well, now that I've found Muu-chan and all..." "Wings!" "We'll be heading back." "Right..." "He..." "He flew!" "I've got it." "He must be a foreigner!" "Huh?" "Tree roots...." "So this is the object of worship?" "That's it!" "Rats!" "Huh?" "Those Sleeping Cats we saw earlier also have a connection to rats!" "What is it about these roots makes you think of rats?" "The pronunciation of the Chinese character for "root"" "is the same as the character for "rat" in the Chinese zodiac." "You mean, the calendar with the rat, ox, tiger and stuff, right?" "Right, and tree roots represent the underground, which in an indirect way signifies mice." "Why would someone come up with such a complicated code?" "It's a taboo word." "Taboo word?" "Even uttering the word "rat" was effectively banned at one time." "Rats themselves were feared." "Wow!" "You really are a scholar!" "Completely different from Kantaro!" "'Cuz it would seem I'm nothing like a scholar!" "If I recall correctly, the name "Bride Island" is the same." "There are many regions where" "one never utters the word "rat" during New Year's." "Kantaro, have you ever heard anything about a rat monster?" "one never utters the word "rat" during New Year's." "Hmm..." "Tesso, the Rat King, maybe?" "Instead, they're called "brides" or "bringers of fortune."" "Hmm..." "Tesso, the Rat King, maybe?" "Instead, they're called "brides" or "bringers of fortune."" "What does it look like?" "The roots of the tree, Bride Island and the Sleeping Cats" "What does it look like?" "The roots of the tree, Bride Island and the Sleeping Cats" "Well..." "all point toward the word "rat," so..." "Well..." "all point toward the word "rat," so..." "Ah!" "Mr. Hirabayashi?" "Come back!" "It's too dangerous to go running off by yourself!" "Leave me alone!" "Mr. Hirabayashi!" "Haruka..." "It appears we've been completely surrounded." "Haruka, let's go!" "Hey, what do you intend to do?" "Haruka and I will distract the rats." "The rest of you use that opportunity to run to the boat." "Are you out of your mind?" "!" "There's no time to argue." "Now hurry!" "Haruka..." "Let's go, Suzu." "But..." "Get going!" "Okay..." "Come on, Suzu." "I'm leaving these two in your hands, Hasumi." "This is insane!" "What can you possibly do?" "!" "My formal knowledge of folklore may not compare to your own, but when it comes to non-formal knowledge, I've got the edge." "Ichinomiya..." "Leave the rest to Kantaro!" "Very well!" "I'll go along with your plan." "Haruka!" "Now's our chance." "Oh, right." "Naumaku Sanmanda Bodanan lndaraya Sowaka!" "Damn!" "There's no end to them!" "Let's go see the one who's controlling these rats." "To the cave then?" "Let's go!" "Right!" "I can't believe it was a bunch of rats behind all this!" "The groom chosen every sixty years was to quell the rats." "Huh?" "It is said that when the striped bamboo blooms, the rats will come." "The rats feed off the nourishing fruit the bamboo produces, and their numbers grow exponentially." "Their numbers grow?" "How much?" "Given the size of this island," "I'd say their numbers could go well beyond one, even two million." "But wait..." "People in the past should have been able to predict the rats' growth." "Then perhaps that really is..." "The remains of the grooms, huh?" "It seems we're about to meet the culprit." "Tesso!" "If Sabu's blood washed into this inlet, that must mean..." "That this place is connected to the cave!" "It must be through that opening I saw at the bottom of the cove." "What are you going to do?" "Awaken the sleeping cat and wipe out the rats' lair!" "Om Abokya Beiroshano" "Makabodara Mani Handoma Jimbara Harabaritakya Hum!" "Return to the world in which you belong." "All is well now." "At some point, it came to see the grooms as human sacrifices, and that is what lead it to become possessed by an evil spirit." "All because humans interfered with something they shouldn't have." "Haruka..." "Wow!" "I knew there was some significance to the Sleeping Cat here." "This mechanism must have been left behind for use in an emergency." "Oh, Kantaro!" "And Haruka too!" "We got into one heck of a mess." "What?" "Are you telling me you two were in the cave?" "Then that means the water..." "Was my doing!" "You should be grateful." "After all, it's thanks to me that the rats were exterminated and everyone was saved." "You bastard!" "Let me teach you a lesson!" "Haruka!" "Case closed!" "Come!" "Let us be going!" "He doesn't mean badly..." "Even though he certainly does get on your nerves at times!" "He's an obnoxious bastard." "I'd have expected no less of my star pupils!" "You not only investigated this case, you solved it as well!" "Well, it does seem I would have been able to handle this case perfectly fine on my own." "All right!" "Let's drink to your success!" "I'm sorry, but I still have to finish compiling all of my findings." "Forgive me, but I must call it a night." "Oh, is that right?" "He left!" "He really is obnoxious." "You know what, Kantaro?" "The truth is, Hasumi's way of thinking is more in tune with what would be expected of a scholar." "But you know, I really would have liked to see it too." "That monster, Tesso..." "Professor Numata!" "Well, then!" "Now that the matter has been taken care of..." "Shall we?" "Professor!" "I, Kantaro Ichinomiya, shall be your opponent!" "Why you saucy whippersnapper!" "Very well!" "Begin!" "Right!" "With a mighty heave-ho, the beast that has been caught is the tiger, tiger, ti-ger, ti-ger, tiger!" "In the town at night" "I found myself calling out to you" "Though we're far apart" "I won't fall prey to loneliness" "When we feel there's someone on our side" "We all change" "Becoming stronger, stronger, stronger" "The unseen power invites hope" "The unseen power is the courage you gave me" "Now then!" "What is the next oddity that will appear?" "It's late summer, and as wind chimes ring along the shore, this lakeside village has been plagued by a series of unusual deaths!" "A beautiful widow and her twin daughters come to greet Kantaro and the group upon their arrival." "But what of the tragedy that has lain hidden for generations behind the walls of Suzaku temple, where the two girls have lived and served as shrine maidens?" "And what is their connection with the series of unnatural deaths that have occurred thus far?" "And the other that will continue tonight?" "!" "Next time on Tactics, "Will of the Winds, Part 1""