The fall of plenty has rushed by.
To beat the serious winter snows, in the first weekend in November,
Sakurako-san and I have come to a forest in the Peipan region
for our last bone expedition of the year.
Oh, an Ezo gentian!
And for some reason, Isozaki-sensei is with us this time.
You know, I didn't expect there to be so many flowers this time of year.
Well, it's quite a warm winter this year.
Oh, can you take a photo?
Make it look good... Both me and the flowers.
Okay, here I go.
Shh, quiet.
A Lethe diana.
That's rare to see this time of year.
Lethe diana...
I think I've heard of that before.
Sakurako-san?
Sakurako-san!
I thought so.
Wait, is that...
That's right.
The Tenth Bone The Butterfly Vanished in November, Part 1
It's a body.
A Story Dedicated to Those Trapped by the Past
A mountain hare.
It's our lucky day. We should thank the butterflies.
The butterflies?
Yes.
Butterflies are drawn not only to nectar,
but also to sap, rotting fruit, and animal carcasses.
The Lethe diana is particularly fond of corpses.
I told you this before, yes?
Oh, that's why...
I have to say, you seem unfazed by all this.
Well, yeah. Walk with Sakurako-san, and you'll run into bodies all the time.
I count myself lucky it was just a rabbit.
Hey, that doesn't sound safe.
Don't do anything dangerous, okay?
Don't worry! So far I've managed to avoid getting into trouble with the police.
No, I'm not kidding.
If something happened to one of my students again...
This is Isozaki.
What? Hitoe-san?
Yes...
No, I haven't heard anything.
Okay, I'll check in later.
Sensei?
Is something wrong?
Oh... That was from a former student's parents.
Sorry, but I have to go.
How do you intend to get back?
I'll drive you.
The bones won't go anywhere.
These are enough reward for the day.
The student graduated two years ago,
so you may not know about her.
In my class,
there were three students who were so close, they were called the "three sisters."
Madoka Hitoe, Nishizawa Futaba, and Tsutsumi Minami.
Their names contain the characters for "one," "two," and "three."
Hence, "three sisters."
But in the fall of their second year,
Nishizawa Futaba suddenly vanished.
She was always a little unstable.
Something resembling a suicide note was later found in her home,
and the case went cold.
Then Futaba-san is...
Still missing.
She said nothing to Hitoe or Minami before her disappearance,
so they were traumatized.
Of course, I couldn't help Futaba...
It's often like that when an individual truly wishes to die.
They don't want interference from anyone,
especially those who care about them.
Futaba's disappearance seemed to create a rift between Hitoe and Minami, as well.
Though they'd been so close,
by their graduation, they were basically avoiding each other.
I couldn't do anything for the two left behind, either.
Sensei...
I can't believe Hitoe's gone missing now, on top of everything.
What's the address?
Huh? Hitoe's?
No, yours.
You don't plan to visit the family looking like that, do you?
Oh...
I'll step on it a bit.
Wow, I knew you liked plants,
but I didn't know you liked them this much.
You've been doing this a long time, right?
Not necessarily.
Look, boy.
Look at this crab cactus.
The stalks become brown over time, but these are still green.
It means this is a young plant.
Huh...
From what I can tell, all the plants in this room are young.
I'd say that Isozaki probably began growing plants in the past two to three years.
So he suddenly developed this hobby?
Well, it's a kind of atonement.
Atonement?
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Um, who are they?
I'm a Meisei High School alumna, and he's a current student.
Oh.
So when did Hitoe-san leave?
Last night, and she hasn't contacted us since.
Could she have stayed over at a friend's house?
Our Hitoe isn't the type of girl to stay overnight
at another's house without permission.
Oh, is that right?
Sakurako-san...
Well, it certainly isn't normal to take a dog for a walk and not come back.
How did you know that?
A raincoat sized to a small dog was hanging in the entrance,
but there was no leash.
And those make it obvious.
Not noticing would be stranger.
Would you happen to have any idea why she left?
Of course not.
Are you implying that we're to blame?
No, that's not what I...
Um, we may have been harsh with her the other day.
Hey!
We learned that she'd barely been to her college classes since the year started.
We hadn't realized because she'd leave at the usual time every day.
But apparently, she'd taken a part-time job without telling us.
Is that true?
Um, what was her job?
I don't know.
To our knowledge, she never wanted for anything.
Sheesh, this is a waste of time.
Where's your daughter's room? We'll have a look.
Huh?
Sakurako-san!
I'll get a lot more useful information that way than by listening to you talk.
Show me.
Who do you think you are?!
Any decent parent would've skipped talking to the former high school teacher.
They'd have suspected foul play and contacted the police.
You value appearances over your own daughter?
What a loving family.
U-Um...
I'll show you the way.
Is anything missing?
A tote bag!
How big was it?
This big.
Then, at most, a few days' worth of clothes...
I'm sure she took her wallet and phone,
but there's no answer, no matter how many times I try.
So she's rejecting calls...
What's that, boy?
A cell phone battery.
The box is empty, though.
Honestly, have you learned anything at all?
That's why it's significant.
What do you mean?
It's where she's headed.
She'll be there for several days,
and it's somewhere she won't be able to charge her phone.
Do you have any ideas?
A summer house, an empty second house, anything?
No.
Not to mention, she's using her phone to contact someone other than her parents.
Who could it be?
I-I have no idea.
I've called all her university friends.
Minami...
Have you tried calling Tsutsumi Minami?
I highly doubt they're in touch any longer.
It's a wonder they were even that close.
Her family was, well, not exactly our sort.
Let's go.
There's nothing more to gain here.
This place makes me ill.
Hey, Sakurako-san!
Damn, I can't get through to Minami.
No answer at her home or cell phone...
There's no sign she was involved in foul play.
I wonder where she went.
Right now, it's hard to say.
Why did Hitoe vanish, too?
Um, Sensei?
Wasn't Hitoe-san in the tennis club in high school?
I saw a photo in her room.
Yeah, that's right.
She was a pretty good player. She even played in tournaments.
Then why not ask some of her former club mates?
If they shared the same hobby,
they might have met up after graduation.
I know someone in the tennis club.
Tatewaki-kun
Tatewaki-kun?
Yeah. So would any tennis club members
know how to contact a graduate from two years ago?
I can think of a few who should be able to...
But what's this about?
Well...
Okay, I'll try.
I heard Hitoe modeled for a painting.
Seriously?!
That sounds risky! Was she dating the painter?
Yikes!
Yeah, that's all I found out...
It's a huge help, just knowing her part-time job was as a painter's model.
Of course. Okay, I'll—
Wait!
Can I talk to Sensei for a bit?
Huh? Oh, sure.
Kougami?
Um, I had no idea...
I said terrible things to you at the festival.
Has anyone important to you ever passed away without warning?
Do you know what it's like to be left behind?
It's okay. I don't mind.
But...
Besides, I feel grateful toward you.
I won't give up this time, either.
Thanks, Kougami.
Well, let's get going.
Huh?
Where?
To Tsutsumi Minami's house.
If they won't answer the phone, we can just go to them.
What is that look on your face, boy?
Oh, well...
I just didn't expect you to take so much initiative.
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound.
Besides, maybe I can see a body.
Sakurako-san!
How can you be so cruel?
Cruel?
I'm just citing one possibility out of many.
You're going to look for a missing girl without being prepared to find a body?
If you encounter the worst case scenario, it'll be too late to regret it.
But...
It's okay, Tatewaki.
It's just as you say.
I will accept the consequences, no matter what.
So please help us find Hitoe.
Yes, I did everything as you said.
I'm so glad.
I can finally fly now.
I'll fly to you as a butterfly now, Sensei.
I love you.
Hey, who are you people?
Where is your daughter?
We need to talk to her.
She's not here.
I haven't even seen her around lately.
Hey, you're from that high school...
Isozaki, her homeroom teacher.
Where is Minami-san now?
Who knows?
When he's around, Mina refuses to come home.
Perfect. I'll just take a look at your daughter's room.
Huh? Hey, wait!
One of these was also in Hitoe-san's room.
The same one, huh?
There's no point.
Mina had a falling out with that Hitoe girl.
A falling out?
Sure, Hitoe slept with her boy.
Huh?
You know, after the other one... Was her name Futaba?
Not long after she vanished, Mina got a boyfriend.
He tried to sound all hot, calling himself an artist.
But around spring of this year,
Mina was really down.
When I asked her why, she said Hitoe betrayed her.
She and I both have the worst luck with men.
Hey, what are you doing?!
S-Sakurako-san!
Found it.
Is this the girl we're looking for?
Minami...
Kujou-san, the girl in this painting is Minami!
Lethe diana...
This painting...
Yes. It's the same style as the one in the Fujioka house.
He said a painter he knew gave it to him.
I'd surmise that its model was Madoka Hitoe.
What does this mean?
It's possible the same person is involved in this case, as well.
And Minami? Minami is okay, right?
But where...
These were in the trash can.
Evidently, this was her favorite restaurant.
Minami...
Minami.
Sensei! You came back?
Yes. I've come to give you wings.
Me? But...
I realized that I need you.
Sensei...
So here.
Use this to open your chrysalis.
You'll become my butterfly, won't you, Minami?
Minami...
Minami... Minami.
Minami!
I don't know anything about Hitoe!
Even the smallest detail would be appreciated,
anything that could give us a clue.
Damn it! I told you, I don't know!
Is she with the painter?
Huh?
We saw the painting you modeled for.
Hitoe modeled for the same painter, correct?
Tell us. Where is that painter?
I won't! It's none of your business!
No, but it is his business.
Your former homeroom teacher is, you might say, a plant addict.
And it was Nishizawa Futaba's disappearance that made him one.
The sense of powerlessness and loss after failing to save his student
drove him to raise plants to fill the hole.
If you care for plants, they respond,
and they won't leave you.
He is a truly pitiful man.
A student's disappearance will be a stain on his life that will never wash away.
If you have any compassion, why don't you help him?
I won't.
Hitoe... She always wanted the same things I did.
She only became friends with Futaba because I talked to her first.
But you were best friends, weren't you?
You still have the stuffed toy that matches Hitoe-san's, right?
Oh, that? Yeah, I do.
I could overlook a stuffed toy, but...
But not a man, yes?
That's right!
I was the one Hanabusa-sensei found, but she—
Minami!
Hanabusa-sensei is already gone.
He only comes here when the butterflies are in season!
You seem anemic. Are you eating properly?
Huh?
You get easily worked up because fatigue and malnutrition suppress secretion of serotonin.
In other words, you're completely exhausted.
Boy, call Gran.
Tell her to prepare dinner and arrange a room for an overnight guest.
O-Okay.
This is unusual.
Huh?
Oh, I mean, you don't really like people,
but you're letting a stranger stay at your home.
Only so I can connect the bones of this case.
That girl knows something more.
Huh?
Did you notice she was constantly touching her body and nails while we talked?
If we'd questioned her there, she only would have grown more obstinate.
There's one thing I've learned from you.
The fastest way to win over a child is with food.
Huh?
Now, Hector! We haven't finished dinner yet!
What poor manners!
Was the meal to your liking?
Oh, yes... It was very good.
And it's been so long since I last ate with anyone...
But you still have room for dessert, I trust?
This tastes like pure bliss!
Indeed.
It really is delicious.
It's made with plenty of love!
Don't be shy.
Sweets are good for a fatigued brain.
Hitoe always used to make me pies.
Of course, they weren't as good as this.
On my birthday, she'd put candles on a pie for me.
The three of us would laugh about how weird it looked.
Back then, Futaba was still with us...
But now it's all gone...
See you later.
Boy, are you free again tomorrow?
Uh, yeah.
Then come over in the morning.
We'll have breakfast together.
What's with that look?
Oh, nothing!
That evening, I was on cloud nine.
Sakurako-san personally invited me over for a meal.
It was the first time.
Yahoo!
That's why I had no clue
what was really on Sakurako-san's mind.
Or what she was trying to get her hands on with this case.
The bones gradually came together in her mind.
Well, hello.
Who are you? What are you doing here?
I'm an artist. My name is Hanabusa.
I was looking for butterflies.
Butterflies?
Yes, but I just
found one.
My own
Lethe diana.