Na
tsu
m
e
Yuujinchou
4
kimi ga doushite naite iru no ka boku ni wa nani mo wakaranai
君がどうして泣いているのか 僕には何も解からない
Just why are you crying? I don't understand at all.
"wakaru yo" nante kotoba karugarushiku kuchi ni dekinai
「解かるよ」なんて言葉 軽々しく口に出来ない
I can't just thoughtlessly tell you that I do understand.
dakara oshiete kimi ga kurushimu wake o
だから教えて 君が苦しむ理由を
So please tell me why you are in pain.
boku ni dekiru seiippai no koto kimi ni shite agetai kara
僕に出来る精一杯の事 君にしてあげたいから
I want to try my best to do for you whatever I can.
ima, toki o ikiru kimi ni kono uta o okurou
今、瞬間を生きる君に この唄を贈ろう
To you, who are living through the present moment, I'll send this song.
seiippai ikiru kimi ni kono uta o okurou
精一杯生きる君に この唄を贈ろう
To you, who are trying your hardest to live on, I'll send this song.
kyou made konna ni kurushinda kara ashita kara wa tanoshiku sugoseru yo kitto
今日までこんなに苦しんだから 明日からは楽しく過ごせるよ きっと
You've been through so much up to today, but you'll definitely have a happy tomorrow.
dakara kimi yo hitori de kurushimanaide
だから君よ 独りで苦しまないで
So please, don't just keep suffering in a corner alone.
This Saturday?
Yup.
They're supposed to be really big and pretty starting then!
A meteor shower, huh?
We're gonna have to practice our wishes.
Wishes?
Meteor showers are shooting stars, right?
You wish three times before they disappear.
"May I find my soul mate." "May I find my soul mate."
"May I find my soul mate!"
Amazing.
You're worried about marriage already?
Hey, it'd be fun to have more people.
Can I invite someone?
Tanuma or... Taki-san?
Sure.
Really?
All right, I'm totally into this!
Why?
Great, huh, Nishimura?
Until just a little while ago,
the stars were something I only saw by myself.
Bye!
Yeah.
Ever since I was small, I would sometimes see strange things.
Other people can't see them.
They were probably the ones called Youkai.
Natsume-sama!
Are you Natsume-sama?
You're...
Natsume-sama, please save me!
My friend's leg is trapped under a rock and he can't move!
Wait a minute.
Please! We need to help him or his leg... his leg!
I don't hate the fact that I see them as much as I used to,
but I always get mixed up in trouble.
Natsume
Captured
Just a bit more... a bit more!
Thank you!
So, um...
Is there something else?
If you're Natsume-sama, you must have the Book of Friends.
Please... please return my name.
I see. All right.
You who protect me, show your name.
Thank you so much, Natsume-sama!
Not at all.
Natsume-sama...
please run away as fast as you can!
Hey!
I guess that's the real Book of Friends.
So you're Natsume of the Book of Friends.
Who are you?
I see.
So this is the famous Natsume.
He looks weak.
All the better.
This won't take long.
Give us the Book of Friends!
Stop!
Give it to us!
Nyanko-sensei!
I came to meet you, and I find you in trouble.
Stop wasting your time with these things, Natsume.
Thanks.
You saved me, Sensei.
And I was enjoying a nice buzz, too.
Don't drink when it's light out, bodyguard.
So who are they?
Were they after the Book of Friends?
Probably.
But it's rare to see youkai attack in a group like that.
The Book of Friends was left to me
by my grandmother, Natsume Reiko.
She would defeat youkai and force them to write
their names in this book as a sign of their loyalty.
It allows its owner to control many youkai.
I'm back!
Welcome home.
You must be cold.
Some youkai want their names back.
Some youkai want power.
Many youkai come to me, looking for the Book of Friends.
But the youkai today...
had a nastiness about them that I don't normally feel.
It felt awful.
They probably threatened that little youkai...
in order to lure you out.
Yeah.
Book
of
Friends
I want to return the names of as many youkai as possible.
So I can't let anyone nefarious get their hands on it.
Nishimura-kun said you were coming, too.
Yeah, I guess.
Now that I think about it, I've never really seen a meteor shower.
Me neither.
I'm looking forward to it.
Yeah.
However,
I might not be able to go.
Can you guys talk to the rest of the group if that happens?
More youkai problems?
Yeah.
There's something that's bothering me.
Natsume, we have to get to our next class!
Okay.
I'll see you later.
I guess he's starting to rely on us a little.
Yeah.
Why is he so stiff?
I asked once.
About why he doesn't tell people he can see youkai.
I said the Fujiwaras would believe him.
That's pretty straightforward.
So what did he say?
He said it was because he wanted them to stay smiling.
Smiling?
I didn't understand at first.
Then I dreamed he was eaten by a youkai.
Then I understood.
"Oh, that's what he meant."
Like for example, any time he's late,
I wonder if he might've been eaten like in my dream, and it terrifies me.
But Nishimura and the others don't know anything,
so they just laugh and wait.
They think he must've just overslept.
If they knew, the Fujiwaras would go pale
any time he got his clothes dirty.
They wouldn't be able to smile at all.
Natsume doesn't want that.
I'm sure it's what scares him the most.
It's over!
Hey, Natsume, let's get some taiyaki on the way home.
Sure.
I'm pretty hungry.
Natsume?
What's wrong?
Where is the Book of Friends?
Are you okay, Natsume?!
Natsume!
Sorry, Nishimura!
I'll see you later!
They came inside the school?
Oh, Natsume—
Bye!
Hey, Natsume-kun!
This is bad.
If I'm out here in public...
Youkai in monkey masks?
I've never seen them around here before.
It sounds like they came after the Book of Friends.
I guess the Book of Friends is becoming famous among youkai.
They felt fairly powerful.
Do you know anything?
Come to think of it,
I'd once heard of a forest ruled by
such a group in the eastern mountains.
A forest?
A forest where the boundaries between
the youkai and human worlds are ill-defined.
I remember now.
What?
You should stay away from there.
Why?
There's something bad there.
Something bad?
W-Where am I?
Our forest.
It is not easy for a human to return from here.
If you don't want to get hurt, give us the Book of Friends.
What are you going to do with the Book of Friends?
We can use it to make many youkai obey us.
You arrogant humans seek to control youkai.
Our master requires that power.
We must give it to the master.
Give it to us!
I don't use it to control anybody,
and I won't give it to anybody who would!
Strong words, kid.
Are you ready to back them up?
Natsume, where are you?
Nyanko-sensei!
What is this feeling?
It's awful.
Be quiet.
Nyanko-sensei?
Jeez...
I came to see what Misuzu was talking about,
and I found you here.
What is this?
I don't know.
It's all over the place.
A trap, possibly.
To keep me here?
Nope.
They didn't put this here.
It was probably...
Anyway, we're leaving this forest.
The brat hid.
I do smell a human around here.
Where is he?
There!
It's him...
He's coming!
Run!
That's...
I may be able to use this for something.
Matoba-san!
Natsume Yuujinchou 4
That's Matoba-san.
Matoba?
The exorcist?
Sir.
How did it go?
I caught one.
I don't know if I can use it, though.
The rumors of the youkai are spreading, perhaps.
There are far less around here.
In that bush over there...
Another youkai?
No.
Perhaps I imagined it.
The leader of the Matoba clan of exorcists.
A man who shows no mercy to humans or youkai.
I don't want to see him.
Natsume, wait!
Is this... another trap?
I don't know,
but it was Matoba who set it up.
Be careful.
It might affect humans.
Which way should we go?
If I changed back to my normal form, we could just fly out of here,
but then he would notice us.
We'll have to hide.
I guess Misuzu was right.
Somewhere around here...
Sensei?
Nyanko-sensei?
Sensei!
Where are you?
What is this?
And so deep inside the forest?
Is it abandoned?
Matoba?
This is Matoba-san's...
Matoba-san's servant.
So many cells...
What is this place?
Which way is the exit?
Anyway, I need to retrieve the bag with the Book of Friends in it.
I see.
It was a young man, caught outside the mansion.
So he thought he could just walk right up.
Matoba-san hasn't realized that I was the one he caught?
He was placed in the western cell.
His things were placed in the paulownia room.
I see something under the stairs.
Who are you?
Come out.
That's...
Hey, he's over here!
I think I smell a human.
What?
Something that looks like Nyanko-sensei
was thrown into the garbage can!
I was pretending to be a maneki-neko statue,
and those stupid youkai threw me in the trash!
It's not funny! Idiot!
Jeez, I can't believe you let
those wimpy things catch you and take the Book of Friends!
I'm sorry.
But assuming Matoba was acting like you said,
he hasn't seen the Book of Friends yet.
If he'd found it, that's what he'd be talking about.
But Matoba-san spends lots of time around youkai,
so it's possible...
Don't worry.
The other youkai know what would happen if he found out about it.
They won't talk about it easily.
I see. Good.
Idiot!
As long as you keep the Book of Friends,
you'll keep getting caught up in this nonsense!
Just hand it over to me already!
I'll have all kinds of fun with it.
Is that funny?
Idiot.
It seems noisy outside.
A boy has found his way into the mansion.
I'll leave the hunting to you, Nanase.
Are you sure?
I'm sure we're going to find the master of the forest today.
This seems more entertaining.
Is this boy then...
Perhaps it's fate.
The Matobas own this? You're sure?
Yeah, Misuzu said that the Matobas had a mansion in the eastern forest.
He said that they used to use it as a base to hunt youkai.
From the look of the place, this has to be it.
The exorcism business hasn't been booming lately,
so they haven't been using it as much,
but I guess their leader has returned.
Hunt youkai...
You arrogant humans seek to control youkai.
Our master requires that power.
Are those youkai trying to protect their forest?
Which way do we go?
Don't you know, Nyanko-sensei?
Idiot!
You said the Book of Friends was in the paulownia room!
I heard it was, but they didn't say where the room was.
What?!
You were just running around without knowing where you were going?!
Idiot!
You were the one who started running—
This is amazing.
I've seen this pot before.
Let me out!
A talking pot!
That voice...
It's that Natsume kid?
You're... the one Matoba caught.
You need to give up on the Book of Friends.
It's not here.
Let's go, Natsume.
But which way do we go?
You want me to show you?
I snuck in here once.
If you're lost, I can help!
Really?
Let's see if you're lying.
Tell me where the paulownia room is.
The paulownia room?
Oh, the room of the hated master of the Matoba?
You know where it is?
Yeah, but in exchange for telling, you have to take me there.
What?
You're trying to make a trade, wimp?
And you're just a piggy!
I'm not a piggy!
Wimp!
You're a pot!
Take that! And that!
Stop that! Come on!
Shaddap, pot-monkey!
Sensei, stop playing.
There might be traps.
You hide here.
Be careful, Sensei.
Thank you for telling us where the room is.
No need for thanks.
Give me the Book of Friends.
I can't do that.
Damn! If I wasn't in this pot, I could just eat you!
I still can't believe a human child
dares to steal names from youkai and control them.
I'm not trying to control them.
Shut up and give it to me!
What are you going to do with the Book of Friends?
What will you use it for?
If we give it to the master,
he'll restore the forest
to how it used to be.
I'm sorry,
but the Book of Friends doesn't have that kind of power.
I know you want to restore the forest, but...
No, it can!
The master will chase them out and restore the forest!
You can't do that.
If you used the Book of Friends for that,
I'm sure that your master would end up just like Matoba-san.
It's been a long time,
Natsume Takashi-kun.
hohodenda ushirosugata ni
微笑んだうしろ姿に
As you stood smiling,
nakisou na kao o kakushite'ta
泣きそうな顔を 隠してた
I, behind you, was hiding my almost crying face.
yasashisa de mune ga itakute
やさしさで胸がいたくて
My bosom was hurting from all the tenderness,
konna ni hibi ga itooshikute
こんなに日々がいとおしくて
and the days were so lovely and precious.
kaze no ne ni yuuyami ni natsukashii kimi o omoidasu
風の音(ね)に 夕闇に 懐かしい君を思い出す
To the sound of the wind, to the night's darkness, I reminisce about you.
itsu made mo issho da yo, to kanawanu koto kurikaeshi
いつまでも一緒だよ、と 叶わぬことくり返し
"We will always be together forever." I kept repeating this impossible wish.
nukumori wa kono te ni
ぬくもりはこの手に
With warmth in my hands,
azayaka na mama ikite iru
あざやかなまま 生きている
I am now living with bright colors.
wasuretakunai mono
忘れたくないもの
I do not want to forget,
uketotta ai o mirai ni kaenagara
受け取った愛を 未来にかえながら
as I change the love received from you into my future.
Next Time
The Eastern Forest
Natsume Yuujinchou 4
Natsume, we don't have time to play hide and seek with Matoba!
Yeah, we need to get it back.
We want to acquire powerful youkai.
I can't let him find out about the Book of Friends.
And powerful humans, too.