"Episode 2: The Kemonoist"
It's a pleasure to meet you.
My name is Kabane.
That's Shiki and Akira. They work here.
Huh? Someone new?
So, Kabane, would you like to work here?
Now you're recruiting him?
One thing about Kemono
is that whatever we do, we act so thatNwe won't give ourselves away to people,
in order for us to each preserveNour own unique ecosystems,
but once in a while,None of us will step out of line.
Kind of like a bear wanderingNinto a human settlement.
We're a detective agency that standsNbetween those that do so and humanity,
taking on cases ranging fromNconsultations to arbitrating disputes,
all the way up to mortuary services.
You could call us "Kemonoists."
Kemonoists?
I won't ask you to answer right away.NJust think it over for me.
Huh? Then he's a Kemono, too?NHe smells a little unusual.
Yeah, Kabane is anNimmortal-demon-and-human hanyo.
A hanyo? That's why. Just like Shiki, then.
Hey! Look, nobody asked you!
And you! Those are my clothes!NDon't wear them without asking!
You've got a morbidly high number ofNclothes like that. What does it matter?
It absolutely matters!NThat's one of my favorites!
--I'll give it back.N--Huh?! I don't want it!
I would never wear somethingNthat someone else has already worn!
Man, you're such a pain.
How old are you?
Probably 13.
Oh, really? Well I'm 14.NYou'd best keep that in mind.
--Shiki, where are you going?N--The bathroom.
Oh, hold on. He doesn't haveNanywhere to sleep tonight...
I'm not sharing my room, understand?NHe's an outsider, right?
Let him sleep on the sofa.
Jeez...
Sorry about him. That's justNthe way he is. Pay him no mind.
Okay.
I'm Akira. Nice to meet you.
Hm? I-Is something the matter?
Oh, forgive me. I was just thinkingNwhat a pretty girl you are.
J-Just so you know, I...
...am a boy, all right?!
Kabane-kun, you dummy!
Well, there you have it.NDo your best to get along with them.
Something very tragic just happened...
#HeartBlue.
Send.
Ah, I already have a comment!
I'm just going to say upfront...
...for some reason, I don't like you.
Don't go thinking that we're gonna be palsNjust because we're both hanyo.
I have no intention of making nice with you.
Understood.
Well, you're nice and agreeable.
Aren't you gonna eat?
I'm not really a monster, you know.NI'll at least share my food with you.
Go on, eat some pizza.
I've never seen this before.
Huh?! Y-You've never had pizza before?!
That's completely messed up!NWhat do you even live for?!
You've been downright missing out on life!
Here, eat! Hurry!
Nice form!
And happy birthday! Your life has just begun!
That's so lame!
Gah! I forgot that I made up my mindNnot to be nice to him!
Delicious.
Come on, what's bothering you?
Nothing's bothering me!
You're concerned about Kabane-kunNbeing another hanyo, right?
Tch, what does Inugami-san see in him?
You'll never know unless you ask.
But you know, if he brought him home with him,
it means he has nowhere else to go, right?
Just like us. He either feelsNsuper sorry for him,
or he's super strong.
Okay, you go ask him!NIn fact, go bully it out of him!
No way! What are you, dense?NUnlike you, I'm not upset about this.
I'm going to sleep. Don't disturb me.
Huh? What about your bath?
I changed my mind.
I'm like that some days. I'm a boy, after all.
After all? Hmph, fine, then. I'll do it.
A thread?
What brings you here?
Shiki, wasn't it?
Shiki-san to you, 13-year-old.NAnswer my question. What brings you here?
--A car?N--That's not what I'm asking!
Oh... I couldn't stay atNthe home where I came from,
so Inugami-san brought me.
What does that mean?NThey said good riddance to you?
Did your parents abandon you?
I'll bet that's it. Your parentsNjust up and gave you up--
No.
My silk doesn't come off. If you tryNto peel it off, you'll tear your--
I wasn't abandoned.
Huh?!
Hey, hold on!
What are you doing?! Doesn't that hurt?!
Your wound--it's gone!
I was...
...told to go take a bath. Can I go?
Mock me, will he?
"Monthly Parking"N"No unauthorized parking please"N"Spots available"
Damn it, we've got a rush job, too!
I told you all to get along.NIntraoffice relations and teamwork is important.
Do you get it?
I'm sorry.
It wasn't me. Shiki's the one who...
Huh?! What'd you say?!
Knock it off, would you?
It's okay. This is the perfect chanceNto show Kabane what a Kemonoist does.
Let's go.
"Keep out"
Please keep back.NEmergency vehicles coming through.
Please keep back!
This area is currently off limits!
Yeah, yeah. The name is Inugami.
I'm here at the request of Superintendent Inari.
Oh, pardon me. We were informedNthat a specialist would be coming.
Go ahead. There's no time to lose at the scene.
Wow, this looks like a pretty old house.
Right, Kabane-kun?
Hey, you can't take children in there!
Ah, these children are also specialists.
Oh, is that right? I beg your pardon.
Are you Inugami-san?
Thank goodness. There's a mother, a child,Nand a member of the rescue team.
The situation is way beyond our control.
Big Brother! I don't like this. I'm scared.
Huh? Must be siblings.
I think it's best if you see for yourself.
It's a pretty shocking scene.
We're used to it.
We can't open the sliding doors.NYou'll have to peel back the tape to see.
I see.
How long has it been since this was reported?
Twenty--no, make that 30 minutes or so.
Thirty minutes. I don't like how this is going.
Want to have a look?
--Huh?N--Huh?
This isn't the sort of thingNyou should show children.
It's okay, it's okay.
Ew!
You're not scared by that?
They're called sanshichu--three-corpse bugs.
Usually, they're harmless critters thatNnibble your skin a bit while you sleep,
but they do have certain favorite dishes.
One of them is inside that room.NOnce we take it out of there,
the bugs will stop swarmingNand go back to their nest.
Then you can do something about them?
I can eliminate the bugs 100%.NAs for saving their lives...
If I transform my skin to steel,NI won't get bitten.
But going head to toe will take some time.
...I'd say it was 50-50.
50-50?
I need to get things ready.NPlease step away from here.
We watched him--
the member of the rescue team who went in there.
There's no telling when the bugsNwill come out, and the damage spread!
To keep the civilian population safe,NI, um, recommend...
...that we burn them up as soon as possible!
--Hey!N--However bad it is,
you shouldn't say thatNin front of the family, should you?
But no matter how you look at it, they're dead--
They're not dead!
They're still alive! Mom wouldn'tNdie and leave us behind!
Please! You have to help them!
--Please!N--Well, shucks. It will take a whileNto go head to toe, but time is limited.
--Mom! Mom!N--Well, shucks. It will take a whileNto go head to toe, but time is limited.
Well, it's not like it'll kill me--
I can do it.
What you're saying is that I just have toNcontain the bugs somehow,
and yank whatever theirNfavorite dish is outta there, right?
Why are we standing by?
The specialists are dealing with it.
Are you sure we should leave thisNto those so-called specialists?
We've done everything we can.NWe even requested the hazmat team to come in.
S-So what do we do?
I'll use my silk. Just watch, okay?
A spider web, eh?
If I can keep them from moving toward me,Nthey won't be able to chew on me.
Amazing.
Gah! They're eating it!
Close it!
I wasn't expecting themNto feed on your silk, too.
There's no other choice.NI'll have to go in. I can probably survive.
Excuse me.
I can go, if you don't mind.
Huh?!
You can't, Kabane-kun! You'll be killed!
I'll be fine, most likely. May I?
Oh, right. Fine. Give it a try.
Inugami-san!
What are you talking about!NYou fiend! You're inhuman!
No, I'm not human.
Listen, Kabane, you have to removeNthe item at the center of the swarm.
All right, I'm opening up.
Immortal demons don't have blood.
Sanshichu use stingersNto inject a paralytic into the blood,
and devour anyone who gets in their way,Nbut that won't work on Kabane.
I can't see where I'm going.
Immortal demons don't feel pain.
He may have had emotionsNlike fear and revulsion at one time,
but his foster mother snuffed those out.
Kabane doesn't waver. And that...
...makes him strong.
That's it! Raise it up high!
A child...
Good! Way to go!
Really? Problem resolved?
We're finished. There's no dangerNto any of their lives now.
Do you mean it?
--Mom! Hayato!N--Ah, hey!
Mom!
--Mom! Hey, wake up! Come on, Mom!N--Mom! Mom! Mom!
--You, too, Hayato! Wake up, Mom!
--Hey, bring a stretcher!N--Please give us some room.N--You, too, Hayato! Wake up, Mom!
Everything's going to be okay.
Family...
He's strong, but at the same time...
...so sad.
It's nice that they survived, huh?
You say that like you weren't responsible.
This is all thanks to you.
I have to say, there sure areNsome strange bugs in the world.
Imagine, those being their favorite dish.
What sanshichu find to be a delicacy is "guilt."
Those shoes are very likely stolen.
Huh?
Um, excuse me!
Oh, if it isn't the older brother.
Um, I really wanted to say thank you personally.
In that case, thank him.
Thank you very much! Thank you so, so much!
It's okay. I didn't do that much.
So anyway, um...
Was there something about our homeNthat caused this to happen?
We aren't very well-to-do,
so we'd like avoid moving, if we can.
As long as you stayNout of mischief, you'll be fine.
Please tell your brother to returnNthose shoes to where he got them.
Then these...
That was it after all, wasn't it?
We're a single-mother household,Nand everything has always been tight.
Mom always thinks of herself last,Nand her shoes are worn out.
She's worn shoes with holes in themNfor so long without buying a new pair.
So today...
...my brother said we'd give these to Mom.
I knew at a glance that he'd shoplifted them.
It must have been because it was for Mom,
but he didn't seem to realizeNthat what he did was wrong.
I yelled at my brother. And then,
his face quickly clouded over with guilt,Nand a moment later...
Hayato!
Mom hates bugs, too...
Family...
All right, how about we go home?
Inugami-san?
One of my parents was a Kemono, right?
Inugami-san, you're a detective
that does it all when it comes to Kemono, right?
If I work for you, Inugami-san,Ncan I meet my parents?
Man...
You really weren't beingNstraight with me back then, were you?
You were more concerned about me,Nwhen you're supposed to be the kid.
I'm sorry.
Oh, that's okay. Now,Nfor the third time, Kabane,
do you want to meet your parents?
Yes, I do.
That settles it.
I'll take my fee out of your pay.
Check with them about doingNodd jobs and whatever.
It's going to be niceNworking with you, Kabane-kun!
It's not fair for me to only find out about you.
My mom was an "Arachne," a spider Kemono.
That's why my sweat and salivaNand stuff are like spider silk.
Is she alive?
Who knows? Probably not. I don't know.
Then she's alive.
Huh? Based on what?
On that she might not be dead.
That doesn't count as proof!
Usually, when a parentNgets separated from their child,
they try to find them!
But what about our situation?NThink rationally about it.
Either they're dead, or they abandoned usNand are ditching responsibility.
Grow up, would you, 13-year-old?
You can't be sure.
About what?
Maybe they are alive, and are looking for us.
Now look, forget the false hope.
Once you get betrayed, you're the oneNwho's gonna feel miserable.
Even so...
...they're alive, and I wasn't abandoned.
Tokyo is extremely bright. The villageNI'm from didn't have many lights,
and when night fell, it really got dark.
Up until yesterday, I never hadNany doubts that I'd been abandoned.
It was completely dark,Nwithout any reference points.
Up until yesterday,Nmy life didn't have any lights.
But then, Inugami-san lit a lightNfor me. And now, I will never...
...extinguish that flame.
I'm going to bed.
All right. Good night.
Your bed...
...isn't out there. Come on.NI'll show you where your room is.
It's not like you're a stranger, or anything.
But in return, if you snore,NI'll pound you, understand?!
All right. I'll be careful.
How are you gonna be careful?
I'll be careful, somehow.
Now, listen!
Hello?
Sorry, sorry. Were you asleep?
Oh, you were up? Well then,Nwho cares? You're always so picky.
I safely finished that job you hired me for.NAlso, I have a bit of a report.
I've ended up taking in a fascinatingNhanyo boy. And you know what?
He had a lifestone on him.
He what?!
That's it. Glad to hearNthe reaction I was going for.
I'm going to start looking into the reason why,
but one thing for sure is thatNhe is not some stray hanyo.
Is he a threat?
A threat?
Perhaps.
It's so cushy, I can't sleep.
But then, he might be our star of hope.
"Next time"N"Episode 3: Foxes"