You're late, even though you're the one who called us out.
I've received orders from above.
We're to assassinate the guru again.
Understood.
There's more. About the fate of the woman who was captured...
Is she to be disposed of?
We can't afford to fail this time.
I'll go.
Tomorrow. Sixteen hundred hours at the usual place.
Yeah, that isn't like him.
Hold it, Hei.
To tell you the truth, I've received orders as well.
Orders?
To be precise, you and I have received orders.
If Huang cannot kill the captive,
we're to kill him.
The west side is completely open.
Got it. Your cue will be when the alarm starts to sound.
Hey!
What's with that expression? Did they inject truth serum into you?
You better not have forgotten who I am.
Have they already noticed?
Where's the guru?
Tell us where she is!
The guru isn't here.
On a slope two hundred meters north of here lies a deserted village.
She's in one of those houses.
It'll be hard to miss since she'll be surrounded by guards.
It's me.
The guru's tired. Make it short.
I know. I just came to confirm whether she'll secure more dolls.
Let's go. We're going to act as decoys until Hei reaches the guru.
This way.
It's you.
If you retreat without saying a word, I won't go after you.
If you came to kill Arma, I won't be able to turn a blind eye.
They're pretty tough for a religious cult.
Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to kill you without Amber's permission.
She wants to recruit you as a member.
Quite an honor.
Why don't you accompany me without making a scene?
I refuse.
Come in. I know you're out there.
It isn't a trap. Come in.
Aren't you going to go after him?
Forget about it.
Isn't he after the guru?
Transporting the dolls is our top priority.
I'll find another route to secure the rest.
Did the negotiations with the guru fall apart?
Fall apart? She's useless.
She no longer serves any purpose.
Two more... What a troublesome remuneration.
My cholesterol level is going up.
You're a frightening woman.
You sent a chill down my spine a moment ago.
It reminded me of that night.
You became close to me, as planned,
in order to acquire information that Isozaki and I had found.
What are you going to do?
What do you mean by that?
Are you willing to let this relationship drag on?
I don't mind.
It's not like I have any relatives who would bug me about it.
What are you trying to say? Were you thinking about tying the knot?
I-Idiot.
I thought so. You're not the type of person who'd do something like that.
It's not an issue about what kind of person I am.
I get it. You're worried about a conflict of interests.
It isn't like that!
You know... I don't have a very good-looking face or anything,
and I'm barely home when I'm after a suspect.
It's fine.
If you're okay with me, Kiyopii,
I'd be... really happy.
Idiot.
Are you all right?
This is the first time I've seen you drunk, Kiyopii.
No, I'm not drunk.
Hey! Be careful!
I'm always careful. Come on, sit down.
It looks like I don't have a choice.
Did I make you happy enough to get drunk?
Idiot. I'm not saying this because I'm drunk,
even though I am.
Which is it?
Hey, stay with me.
Don't betray me.
Kiyopii.
I want to ask you something.
I wondered why you would ask me about the photo Isozaki and I saw.
I can't recall anything that happened after that,
but it looks like I told you everything.
You disappeared from my sight a few days after that incident.
Why did you kill Isozaki?
Isozaki's wife had her memory erased by the government.
All of her memories about Isozaki vanished.
Do you understand? Isozaki was erased twice.
Once from this world, and once from the memories of the woman he loved.
It's all your fault.
The man called Isozaki hid his actual identity from you.
What?
The group of illegal aliens you were going after
consisted of the cult's founding members.
Isozaki was secretly connected to them.
What did you say?
The photo you found that day
was of Arma's actual appearance.
Come inside.
You're the contractor from that night.
Isozaki was determined to destroy the evidence.
He pretended to report it to his superiors, but he actually hid the photo.
That's ridiculous!
At that time, it was unknown whether it was you or Isozaki who was the spy for the cult.
That's why...
Is that why you approached me?
Is that your true appearance?
Who knows?
To tell you the truth, I don't even know.
My remuneration is aging.
Aging?
Every time I use my ability to transform, I grow older.
It looks like I've run out of time.
Episode Twenty Dreaming Shallow, Uninebriated... (Part Two)
Keep your eyes open.
We'll wait one hour for Hei to return.
What if he doesn't?
I'll go back to the cult grounds
after I kill you.
There's one more thing I have to ask you.
Why weren't my memories erased?
That's because...
What's wrong?
Help... Help me!
What's wrong? Hey, Shihoko!
Shihoko!
N-No!
Why do you let the syndicate exploit you?
I suppose they wouldn't leave you alone, would they?
You could call it the contractor's karma, if you will.
You disregard social and moral standards
and show no remorse for using your abilities,
which enables you to kill people.
It creates a convenient image of a machine meant to kill,
which is a stereotype that humans are comfortable with.
You make it sound as if contractors aren't human.
That's what they want you to think.
In order to liberate contractors from this karma, I have chosen religion as my foundation.
In the beginning, it was more like an expedient, a cover of sorts.
However, I still believe I did the right thing.
Do you know what differentiates contractors from humans?
Contractors don't have a soul.
Is that really true?
Contractors have no sense of guilt.
Whether they're committed by contractors or by people,
crimes will never cease to exist.
There's a significant difference between those who possess abilities and those who don't.
Think of that as a bonus.
Even if you don't have special abilities, you have the power to take the life of another with a gun or knife.
The most significant difference between humans and contractors is in their mental composition.
In other words, their rational discretion.
In a human society, ideas like compassion and consensus are afterthoughts
to the pursuit of profit, the driving force behind success.
Contractors may be the deus ex machina in the race to a profit.
Contractors can't see dreams.
I've seen it.
The ideal relationship between contractors and humans.
Then again, I've used my powers to kill people in the past.
Until that happened, I had second thoughts about using it because of my overwhelming remuneration.
However, ever since then, I've decided to use my abilities
just like this.
Repeated use of my powers will result in repeated fulfillment of my remuneration.
I thought I could atone for my actions.
Isn't it strange for a contractor to mention something like atonement?
It looks like the time has come to make my final remuneration.
I'll finally be liberated from this karma.
Isn't it an ironic remuneration?
I regain my human conscience for a while.
That's why I understand what I'm doing... and how horrifying it is.
It's as if this was my punishment.
Shihoko...
I'm scared.
You're not going to deceive me! I'm sick of this act.
But...
A part of me feels somewhat relieved,
since I normally don't have a sensation of fear.
Contractors have memories,
but it's not quite the same.
It's my own memory, but it feels distant for some reason.
That night was different, though.
That night, when you said you wanted to be with me,
my memories were of...
the chirping of insects, the sound of the flowing river,
the dry, chilly wind of that night,
the shimmering stars.
I forgot to play my role during that moment.
I was simply happy.
It's a happy, yet cruel memory,
but it's the only one I have of you.
I was afraid that the memories of our time together would disappear from you as well.
Having your memory erased isn't much different from being killed.
I didn't want to become like that.
So it was you, Shihoko,
who arranged for the preservation of my memory.
Come on. Aren't you done yet?
You seem to be acquainted with that woman.
That's none of your business!
Is she the reason you made that mistake?
I told you that it doesn't concern you!
In that case...
Don't rush me.
What an ugly scene.
Shoot both of us with this.
What are you saying?
Shut up!
You have a compassionate side to you, after all.
I don't want to hear that from a contractor.
Do you realize what you're saying, Huang?
She's a contractor as well.
I do have a soft spot, you know.
Hurry up!
Hei, what are you doing? Don't tell me you're going to let him go!
You're out of your mind!
This isn't the same situation as with the doll from last time.
It's kill or be killed!
Mao.
What are we, the dogs of the syndicate?
Don't think about doing anything stupid!
He's not the same as us.
This isn't about contractors or humans.
How many times have we been saved by him?
Huang, speak with the syndicate.
There's no fear about a leak of information, now that she's been freed.
There's no need to kill...
That's not it.
This is a penalty.
What?
We messed up the first time.
The syndicate knew about my relationship with Shihoko.
They issued the order with that in mind.
In that case, run away.
What?
Take her with you.
D-Don't screw around with me!
There's no way I could run away!
The syndicate will go after you guys as well!
That's none of your concern.
I-I don't know anything about this. I didn't hear a thing, got it?
There's no way we could escape.
I'm just a contractor.
If I regain my emotions as a contractor...
That's too bad. I've had a long history with contractors.
It's hard to tell the difference between me and them at times.
Let's run away together.
Hei's inside there.
Wait for me there until the arrangements have been made.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
It's a strange feeling.
I'm supposed to have the mindset of a contractor now,
but I feel so... happy.
Is that possible?
Aren't contractors human as well?
You're right. It's possible.
That's all I needed to know.
A boat will arrive in thirty minutes at the far end of the pier.
Let's move.
Kiyopii.
I didn't do it! She jumped in front of the truck!
Shihoko!
Hey, get a hold of yourself!
Kiyo...
Shihoko...
She knew that the syndicate had already taken action.
That isn't true, is it, Hei?
Contractors don't think about suicide, do they?
Hey, Shihoko.
Don't betray me.
Kuno-san?
What's gotten into you? You were staring into space.
I was just dreaming.
Are you drunk?
I'd like to be, if it was possible.
A conspiracy dwells deep beneath.
A black dragon yearns to wake.
No answers are to be found in the allegations,
and the road to the terminal lies hidden in darkness.
The strings that cross paths are unexpectedly tangled.
Destiny is disturbed and blood spills.
The puppet is controlled, unbeknownst to him,
Episode Twenty-One City Under Crackdown, Moist with Tears... (Part One)
and the man disappears.