Natsume Yuujinchou
San
Living through these meaningless days, I let out a sign
I've lost sight of my true self
Even if I strain my ears I can't hear your voice
So I keep walking trying to catch up
The things I couldn't tell you form into a chrysalis over time
Spreading wings, they take flight
The one, the one precious thing I'll never forget
Someday, that warm emotion
I'll do what little I can
Little by little, to get through to you
Hey, Natsume!
They've got squid! It's fried, too!
It's the summer festival, after all.
What are you standing around for?
Buy some!
Buy me some squid!
People can hear you!
Cats can't eat squid, anyway.
Fool! I'm no cat!
Are you going to take the pleasure of squid away from a middle-aged demon?
Don't say things that make me want to drop you.
Jeez... at least chew your food, Master.
The tastiest parts of a fried squid are the tentacles.
Wait, squid!
Squid, wait!
You're the star of my middle age!
What does that even mean?
Oh my, I'm sorry.
No, it was my fault.
Blo...
Blood!
She's gone.
Was she a demon?
Her parasol...
That Which Is Not Human
What happened?
Are you all right?
What are you doing?
We're leaving!
Thank you for saving me.
Same to you. Your arrival awoke me.
We're even.
I must look really lame, having a woman carry me.
No, she's a demon, isn't she?
You're very heavy.
And strangely warm.
Wait... are you human?
You didn't notice?
Natsume?
I've got you! I've got you!
I'm sorry.
I didn't know you were human, so I panicked.
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
Luckily, I fell on a very soft cushion.
Hey, Natsume! I'm not a cushion!
Natsume?
Are you the one with the Book of Friends?
I thought you'd be more... fearsome.
Bow before me and give me your name!
No, that's my grandmother.
I see.
But even if you're a wimp, you're still a Natsume.
Natsume, I have a request.
I am in need of your help.
Many spirits in this area have been badly wounded,
and had their bodies drained of blood.
I was traveling through the forest to find the culprit, when suddenly...
I want to find out who that was, for the sake of my friends.
If you were to help...
Hey, don't be so selfish.
You've got no reason to help her, Natsume.
I'd be going up against somebody who drains blood from demons.
If I get involved,
and something happens to Touko and Shigeru...
What would I do?
Natsume,
I didn't intend to scare you so.
I realize now that there's no reason for a human like you to get involved.
I'm sorry.
Forget about it.
Wait.
What about your friends?
Were they okay after they were attacked?
To me, my friends are like family.
I must protect the few I have left.
Farewell.
Master...
You decided to stay out of it, right?
You're gonna act depressed either way, aren't you?
You're very different from Reiko. She was always smiling.
That's right.
Takashi, it's time for dinner.
Okay! I'll be right there.
I don't think this'll make you feel better,
but you made the right decision this time.
She said that it took the blood of demons.
That means that the culprit might not be a spirit.
I've heard that some humans use demon blood in their spells.
Humans?
That feeling when I scratched it...
It didn't feel like a demon, but more like...
You need to decide which is more important to you.
Humans, or demons.
But...
Hey, Natsume!
You idiot, stop this!
You finally made the right choice to stay out of it, for once!
Sorry, but this is who I am!
Get used to it!
When I thought that a human could be killing demons and stealing their blood,
I couldn't let it be.
Thank you, master Natsume.
I didn't think it would be so hot out,
so I got too far from my river.
You should be more careful!
If I hadn't come by, you would've dried up.
Anyway, back to what you were saying,
I've actually seen somebody taking the blood of a demon.
Really?
This big, creepy black shadow attacked a demon,
and somebody in a kimono watched from behind.
Somebody in a kimono... was it a human?
I didn't see the face, but I think so.
I knew it.
It's a human that's attacking demons.
Why would someone do that?
Master, that guy had a scratch on his arm.
Is that a coincidence?
That's where I scratched that person yesterday.
Master?
Who was that guy?
I felt something really bad.
We're going after him!
Wait, Natsume!
Stop it!
You're so much trouble!
Scram!
You can see demons, can't you?
And you seem to be carrying something interesting.
Who are you?
My apologies.
My name is Matoba Seiji.
Matoba...
Matoba the Exorcist.
I've heard he uses spirits as bait,
and performs nasty rituals to exorcise other spirits.
He's from the Matoba clan.
This guy...
This guy's a Matoba?
You're the one who came into that temple.
I apologize.
I thought you were another demon.
So, what's your name?
I shouldn't give him my name.
Are you the one taking the blood of the demons?
How much do you know?
Let's chat for a minute.
Are you okay?
I'd be a lot better off if you dropped that sandbag thing.
What?
Who are you calling a sandbag?!
Hey, you! Where are you going?
A paper doll?
This is...
She must be badly hurt.
I need to let her rest.
Leave, servants of Matoba.
He's a good friend of Natori's.
I won't allow you to touch him.
Natori?
Return and tell your master.
Thank you, Hiiragi.
She's badly wounded, but will recover if she rests.
Anyway, I'm glad you're safe.
You idiot!
This is all your paper doll's fault!
How many times do you think I've been squashed lately?
But what are you doing here?
I heard the Matoba clan was active here,
so, as a fellow exorcist, I was worried.
It looks like they're gathering demon blood to use for some spell.
I see...
You couldn't ignore that, could you?
You haven't changed, Natsume.
No.
Anyway, it definitely bothers me.
Want me to look into it?
Are you sure?
You always help me.
So this time, I'll help you.
Natori.
For free?
You'll do it for free, right?
Huh? Uh, sure...
Great!
Thus, we left the winged demon to Hiiragi,
while Natori and I left to investigate.
Anyway, Matoba was very young.
When I heard he was the leader of the clan,
I expected somebody older.
Demons are my boys.
Screw with them, and you'll end sleeping with the fishes.
He was young,
but he had that ridiculous eyepatch, long hair, and parasol thing going on.
I'm sure he has his reasons.
If you have long hair, you can trade it to demons and make negotiations easier.
As for the eyepatch...
I'm sure there's something.
I'll look into the matter tonight, so you can go home.
All right.
Okay. Let's go, Master.
It's not often I see the young Natori sighing.
Nanase?
What do you want?
Nothing. I heard you screwed up.
You took a job from us. That's not like you.
I haven't made a mistake.
I sealed the old well where the demons came out of,
and I chased away the rest.
Chased away?
You've gotten softer.
I'm not as powerful as the Matoba clan.
I wasn't strong enough to do more.
Even your sarcasm is half-hearted.
It's like you're trying to hide the issue.
You're the same as ever, Nanase.
Why would I hide something from such a major exorcist?
I see.
Then the reason you took the job wasn't because you wanted to keep us away from that town.
Why would I do something like that?
Who knows?
I've got a photo shoot.
Goodbye.
Natsume Reiko has a grandson, doesn't she?
I haven't met him in a while, but yes.
Where does he live?
That's a private matter.
Natori.
The head of the clan is investigating something in that town.
Don't interfere.
Our boss is very short-tempered.
Lately, I feel like I've gotten used to people's kindness,
and that I'm relying on it too much.
Having him help me while hiding the Book of Friends...
I need to thank him.
Get eaten!
A dream?
What's that?
Master?
A piece of the the paper-masked spirit I got rid of
got stuck to your clothes.
Well, it's a spirit, but it's a man-made one.
Man-made?
They create a paper mask that draws in spiritual energy and uses it as a body,
which they then control like a puppet.
It was probably activated by coming into contact with either of our powers.
I, especially, am very powerful.
A human made that demon.
Is that why I felt evil from it?
Where's Natori?
He hasn't come back since last night.
He's been up all night?
Why would he do that for a demon?
You're helping a demon, too.
But it's Natori...
He probably thinks he's gotten into a lot more trouble than he's asked for.
Trouble?
You mean with Matoba.
That's right.
Natsume, now's your last chance to back out.
I can protect you from spirits,
but it's different with humans.
Especially that Matoba guy. He's pretty bad.
Master...
I'm back.
Oh, you're here.
Natori.
You haven't slept, have you?
Rest a bit.
I'm fine.
Sleep deprivation isn't enough to dim my smile.
Don't worry.
That's the kind of weird stuff you say when you haven't gotten enough sleep!
Is it?
He sounds the same as ever to me.
I looked at the areas where incidents have occurred,
and they've moved from west to east.
This is where it started.
I didn't know there was a village here.
Let's ask around.
It's the real Natori!
We watch you on TV all the time!
Thanks.
All right, thanks.
Over there!
Hurry, fools!
Maihane Udon
There's udon at stake!
Three plain udons, please.
Okay...
Oh, and have there been any strange rumors floating around?
Strange rumors?
Like if any monsters appear somewhere,
or maybe there's somebody strange hanging around?
Somebody strange...
Besides him, he means.
Well, there was that guy with the long hair
and the eyepatch who was staying at the inn.
Thanks.
That was fast.
I guess the cat's good for something, once in a while.
What's that supposed to mean?
But it's too easy.
It's like a trap, isn't it?
Yeah, but it feels like...
Anyway, let's go see.
Yato Inn
Yes, there is someone like that staying here.
But who are you?
We're searching for my brother, who's run away from home.
So, please don't tell him about us.
I see...
Oh, just a moment.
Yes, hello?
Yes.
A landslide?
In the end, Natori and I
were forced to stay there until the road could be fixed.
Yes, I'll be staying here tonight.
Yes.
I'm fine.
I'll be back tomorrow.
We ended up staying at the small inn
where Matoba seemed to be staying.
Natori is late.
Matoba might've caught him.
There's bad energy gathering.
Where are you going?
You're going up against Matoba!
Those wimpy punches of yours won't work on him!
But...
I'll go instead.
Don't open the door for anybody until I get back.
Fine.
Be careful, Master.
What's wrong with this door?
I'm useless as ever, huh?
What was that?
A demon?
Something came in!
What are you doing here?
You're a nuisance.
If you interfere any more,
we'll make an offering of your blood, too!
One of Matoba's servants?
An offering?
Come with me.
You seem to have strong spiritual energy.
I don't know who you are,
but to demons who only know the taste of lower-class blood,
you'll be delicious.
Delicious?
What is she?
Now, sorry, but I'll be taking your blood.
Get off me!
She said she wanted the blood of people with strong spiritual energy.
Master and Natori might be in danger.
Oh, my.
We keep running into each other.
Your cat isn't with you today, is he?
Bring him.
Lining up the sparks of warmth I've lost one by one
Coming to the rainbow-colored pieces of you
I crack a smile
Not even knowing how to make memories
Even when we took things too fast
We were only going with the flow
No matter where I go, even after this darkness
How many times must I say goodbye?
Shining with the flame of a young heart
Those faraway pieces of you
Next time on
Exorcist
Natsume Yuujinchou
No, Natsume's gone!
It's because you were screwing around! What are you going to do about it?
How can you talk like that when you're just sitting on my head?
What?
Want me to strangle you while I'm up here?
Excuse me. I'll be borrowing Natsume while you're busy.
Oh, no!