Natsume Yuujinchou
Another failing grade.
What do I tell Mom?
Year 2 Math Test
Jeez... you're always so clumsy, Yuriko.
I got scared when I heard you were in an accident,
and look at you.
You just got a sprain.
You made me worry.
Sorry.
Why were you visiting a shrine?
You didn't know?
She goes there every time she fails a test.
Don't say that!
I didn't know that.
She's done it since middle school.
What?
An exorcism?
Yeah. It was like that back then.
When I met Natsume-kun.
To You, From Bygone Days
Man, this is so terrible it's funny.
Math II Systems of Equations
Another failed test.
This is the transfer student...
W-What?
He kicked me? A girl?!
Ogata Fusae Yuriko
Morning.
Hey, Yuriko.
I heard the transfer student lives around here.
Oh, yeah.
What's he like?
Natsume Takashi
I'm Natsume Takashi.
Nice to meet you all.
I heard a rumor that he
was being passed around from relative to relative.
This time, a husband and wife who live in a
beat up apartment in town took him in.
"He's cool and quiet", the girls in class were saying.
He's cool and quiet.
The hell he is.
Really?
I've heard otherwise.
When he was little, he would make stuff up,
and he acts weird and he hurt the other kids.
Don't get too close to him.
If anything happened to you, your mom's heart would stop.
Make stuff up?
Sure, he acted weird, but...
Natsume-kun.
I'm not to pleased about what you did to me yesterday.
Who are you?
Ogata Yuriko! From your class!
Did you forget the face of the girl
you kicked at the shrine yesterday?
Shrine...
Oh, that was you?
I was having a bad dream,
and when I opened my eyes
there was this monster right in front of me...
Hey!
Are you saying I looked like a monster?
That's right.
I'm sorry. I was half-asleep.
What?
I'm sorry.
Really.
Hey, you should cut your hair a bit.
Yeah, it's about time for me to cut it.
No way... you cut it yourself?
You think I can ask for the money...
Sorry.
I'm pretty sure what he almost said was,
"You think I can ask for the money to get it cut?"
Did I say something insensitive?
Will I have a chance to apologize?
He's always alone when I see him,
and it's hard to talk to him.
But I realized something while I watched him.
True, he was a little weird.
Sometimes he would just start running,
or trip and fall over nothing.
Stay back! Go away!
Sometimes it was like he was trying to get rid of something.
I said, stay back!
...and when I opened my eyes
there was this monster right in front of me...
Maybe he saw something behind me,
and tried to protect me from it...
That's impossible!
What am I even thinking?
It's raining.
We'll be using the gym today.
Hey, Yuriko.
We've got club stuff,
so we'll see you tomorrow.
Oh.
Yeah, see you.
What am I doing?
Want to share?
Natsume-kun...
I'm sorry about earlier.
For what?
Natsume-kun...
Can you...
Can you see things?
I felt like if I asked that, he'd never talk to me again.
I couldn't say it.
I'm back!
It just started raining.
Hey, Yuri-chan.
Were you sharing an umbrella with that boy?
Yeah...
I told you to stay away from him!
Your mom's worried!
Thank you, Mom.
But...
Natsume-kun ignored my thoughtless words
and let me share his umbrella.
He's a kind person.
Soon, I was able to
talk to Natsume, though a bit hesitantly.
Then, something happened.
What's wrong? Are you okay?
Natsume?
You again?
There've been a lot of broken windows, lately.
Natsume's always nearby when it happens.
No way.
How many times has this happened now?
Why do you do this?
Come to the teacher's office.
Wait a second!
Yuriko!
This is weird.
Look. The glass fell inside the building,
and the way it broke is weird.
You need to take a closer look.
It's not Natsume-kun.
Anyway, Natsume-kun would never do that―
Ogata.
It's all right, Ogata.
Thank you.
Everybody, look!
Can't you see?
Look at Natsume!
Somebody...
Yuriko?
His guardian was called to the school,
and a woman who smelled of alcohol took Nastume-kun home.
Shortly after that,
it was decided that he would transfer away.
So it was because of what happened, right?
It wasn't even your fault.
Work isn't going well for them.
They don't have time to look after somebody like me.
I'm sure you'll get somebody nice next time.
They've all been nice up until now.
No matter where I go, they always end up hating me.
By people, and by them...
That's how I met Natsume, and how I said goodbye.
Oh hey, Yuriko.
You remember Natsume-kun?
The kid who transferred when we were in middle school.
He was in our class for a while.
Oh, him.
What about him?
Toyomatsu said he saw him a while ago.
Toyomatsu as in the kid who went to Central High,
and does nothing but study?
He joined the cycling club and bulked up.
No way! I can't believe it.
Anyway, his club went touring during our last break.
He happened to see him...
He didn't say hi?
"But I've never spoken to him in my life!" he said.
I wanted to tell you, Yuriko.
Why?
'Cause you were friends with him.
You liked him, right?
What? Don't be stupid! Of course not!
Aw, come on.
Admit it!
Seriously, it's not like that!
Aw, come on!
Natsume Yuujinchou
Aw, come on!
There's another rare one you've brought home.
Sensei?
You saw those guys
on the bikes on your way home, right?
Yeah.
When they passed by,
I saw that jump from one of cyclist's backs to you.
You should've told me then!
I was busy thinking about my dango!
I can't spend time thinking about every one of these wimps.
Jeez...
Calm down, Natsume.
It's called a Suneko, and it's harmless.
It's weak so it protects itself by clinging to humans.
Oh, I called them clingbugs.
You've seen one before?
Before I came here.
It was in a town I stayed in for a while.
It's probably the same one.
There's a mark here.
The sudden visitor
brought back a somewhat unpleasant memory.
Natsume Takashi
I'm Natsume Takashi.
Nice to meet you all.
What are your hobbies?
Tell me what kind of girls you like.
Did you decide what club you'll join?
Don't ask him so many things at once.
It's not fair to him.
Aw, come on.
What's wrong?
No, it's nothing.
Get off me!
After a few days,
the kids who had tried to be nice to me
had stopped talking to me.
Back then, it was easier that way.
I was more worried
about the youkai I'd thrown on the ground.
If I'd hurt it, I wouldn't feel right.
So, I went back to see.
What, you're still here?
I guess I was stupid to worry.
Was that you, human child?
Stupid brat.
I'll eat you!
That weakling relies on humans to live.
You're going to pay for stopping me, human.
I put a curse on you.
You or one of the people around you will die.
The people around me have nothing to do with this!
That's how a curse works.
But if you can hide from me for thirty days,
I'll undo the curse.
Thirty days...
Remember this, kid.
If you run to another town...
Somebody else in this town will die.
After that the Youkai with the black scythe
would appear, and chase me.
When I reached the shrine,
I let my guard down and fell asleep.
That's right.
After that, I got to know the girl I kicked.
I'm not to pleased about what you did to me yesterday.
Stay back! Get away!
Stay back!
Black Scythe kept chasing me,
but I started to think he wasn't serious.
He seemed to enjoy chasing me.
I'm having fun with this again today, Natsume.
Give up!
Why do you keep following me?
I don't like you guys!
Don't get cocky, human.
I just like bullying people like you.
Is that why you were bullying that clingbug?
It's a youkai that tries
to protect itself by clinging to humans.
I hate that.
But even so...
You remember the curse I put on you, right?
Where you or somebody else around you will die...
Don't!
Hiroshi-chan!
What's wrong?
It's okay, don't cry.
What's wrong?
After that, Black Scythe started coming to the school.
How many times has this happened now?
Why do you do this?
Come to the teacher's office.
Wait a second!
Yuriko!
This is weird.
Look. The glass fell inside the building,
and the way it broke is weird.
You need to take a closer look.
It's not Natsume-kun.
Anyway, Natsume-kun would never do that―
Ogata.
It's all right, Ogata.
Thank you.
After that, my guardian was called to the school,
and it was decided that I would go to another family.
Please, undo the curse!
I'm leaving this town.
The people here have nothing to do with me.
Right?
I see.
You're leaving.
I'm not running.
I can't help it!
A lie.
The curse was a lie.
I was just teasing you.
I cannot kill humans.
This scythe doesn't work on them.
I used to serve the god here.
My task was to take human disasters
and suffer in their place.
I know not how to curse humans.
Then, why did you lie?
Because I hate you.
So go wherever you will, but begone!
No matter where I go,
they always end up hating me.
By people, and by them...
Not everyone hates you.
I know, because I watched you.
Thank you, Ogata.
It was kind of fun here.
Goodbye.
It was true, Ogata.
It was kind of fun for me.
Anyway, so Toyomatsu watched him for a while.
Then...
Then what?
A nice-looking woman came to meet him
and he carried her shopping bag home.
Hey, Toyomatsu.
Let's go.
Yeah.
I see...
I see.
Good people took you in, Natsume-kun.
I don't know what he saw in this town.
I wonder if something he got involved with
protected me when I was almost hit by that truck.
I tried imagining that.
For a few days after that, Suneko stuck to me.
One day it just jumped off and vanished.
It probably jumped to somebody else
and went to another town.
Will it ever go back to that town?
If it does,
I hope it tells the youkai and people I met,
that I'm happy here.
Other Side Of The Glass
Natsume Yuujinchou
That's a nice trick, Natsume, fitting in a glass bottle.
I've been trapped in here!
Save me!
I'm not giving you to that Onibashira!
Leave it to me!
You're actually sounding helpful for once, Sensei!
Help me!
Well?
Watch us next time!
Natsume Yuujinchou
Aw, come on.