Everyone is searching for a new world
to attain that overflowing dream.
They all jump over the horizon,
regardless of what lies beyond.
We've run,
we've dived into hope,
and forgotten only courage.
And we've been swept away by the crowd
only to lose something dear to us.
I smile with a twisted face,
and it was the best smile I could put on.
The inside of my mask overflowed with tears
so I covered my wet mask with yet another mask.
I continue to walk through the flat battleground,
and I struggle, unable to warp.
The dream waits quietly on a cape far away.
Even if I fumble around clumsily,
I'm sure I'll still be able to make it there.
What is it for?
By my watch, the bomb will explode at 2:30pm.
So, you wanna tell me where your little tape is hiding?
I mailed it to myself. It's at a post office.
It should arrive around 2:00pm today.
Ayumu, listen!
Let them get the tape. We have to remove the bomb from your neck first.
There's no point in doing any of this if it's not a complete victory for us.
Sorry, but the tape comes first.
You go straight for that tape, Kousuke.
I am all over it!
You're not seriously thinking it's okay for you to die as long as I'm safe,
are you?
It turns out, unlike my brother, I actually am a fool.
I have to be, Hiyono, or else I can never protect anyone.
The power to believe can alter even fate.
Are you listening?
Yes.
Before I say anything else, just know that I'm going to be okay.
Rio said that she has a switch in her possession that can detonate the bomb.
If that's true,
which I think it is, then she can probably disarm the bomb as well.
I'm willing to bet on it.
That doesn't make me feel any better. What are you gonna do?
Create a situation where, if she doesn't disarm the bomb, she also dies.
You can't!
- I'll call again soon. - No!
Just relax and try not to worry.
Ayumu.
Excuse me, Miss?
Be careful, Ayumu.
Since he doesn't have the release key,
Little Narumi must be depending on my disarm switch as his last resort.
Knowing him,
he'll try to create a scenario that would force me to press the button.
But he would only do that
if he were positive that I would die in the explosion.
To do that,
he'd have to somehow increase the blast radius of that tiny bomb around his neck.
More than likely,
he'd want to set a large amount of kerosene or gasoline ablaze
when the explosion occurs.
Naturally, his possible locations would be limited:
A place with nobody around, a place near Shumari Station,
in case he failed to get the key.
And the only such place in town is the area around this bridge.
So before the game started
he must have hidden it around here somewhere.
Whaddaya know? A postman that's on time.
What a nice surprise.
I'm gonna have to work fast.
I got only about ten seconds to pick the lock before someone notices.
So sorry, Little Narumi. The tape is mine.
What the hell?
Aww, sorry about that!
Guess I forgot to mention I sent a bunch of dummy tapes to confuse you.
Pretty sweet, huh?
Dummy tapes?
Unfortunately, my plan did have a slight miscalculation.
And what's that?
Well, it turns out even I can't tell which one of them is the real tape.
You serious?
Man! That is one fine packaging job, if I do say so myself.
Why are you sitting there admiring them?
Are you even trying to win?
Well, I don't know what to tell you.
We're just gonna have to stay here and open each one until we find it.
He's trying to act innocent, but he's cooking something up here. I know it.
Huh?
Y' shouldn't let your guard down. See ya!
Ready! Set! Gotta go!
No! Stop you thief!
Phase one complete. Now I just have to find a way to get this bomb off my neck.
I'll call again soon. Just relax and try not to worry.
Okay, Ayumu. I'm waiting, but I can't stop worrying about you.
Sorry Rio, but he got the tape. Are you there?
You're so stupid, Kousuke!
Make your way to Shumari Station now.
There is still a chance that Hiyono's train will make it back in time
before the bomb detonates.
What about the tape?
Don't worry about it. The tape is coming to me.
So, we have a chance. But Rio, be careful.
In spite of his life being on the line,
he was smiling as if this game was nothing for him.
He's either over-confident or downright stupid.
Of course, Kousuke. That's the Kiyotaka in him.
So, you need backup?
I'd prefer it to be one on one at the very end. Besides...
Little Narumi is already as good as dead.
Ayumu!
Yo!
Don't you "Yo" me! Listen! I'm at Uchiyama Station right now.
The earliest train back to Shumari is the express line at 2:16.
It should be arriving just before 2:30.
So if you're waiting there at the platform,
I can give you the key as soon as the door opens.
We'll make it in the nick of time!
Out of the question. Asazuki is staked out at the station.
Stop trying to make decisions.
"Stop trying to make..." I'm trying to help you here!
I know, Hiyono.
But for this to work you're just gonna have to do what I say.
Okay?
Yeah.
Alright. Here's the plan.
Or at least something along those lines.
I understand.
Good.
And Ayumu!
Please be careful.
Yeah.
Now.
This match will be decided in the very last second.
What is it?
Can we meet?
Are you wanting me to take the bomb off?
You want the tape, don't you?
Where do you want to meet?
This time I'll come out swinging and show him what I can do.
And though it may be sad.
That is the only way we can ever hope to change our fate.
Thanks to the constant pain, my senses are sharper.
It's actually an advantage, not a handicap.
Little Narumi, you have no way of winning.
Looks like we've passed the 10 minute mark.
Looks that way.
Looks like we've passed the 10 minute mark.
Looks that way, and if I don't act fast, I'm going to die.
There's something you wish to find. This, right?
So you brought it? Thanks a bunch.
I absolutely will not press it for you. You are going to die.
No.
I absolutely will not die.
Kerosene. If the bomb explodes, I'm gonna burn up pretty good.
As will this.
You won't be fully satisfied unless you have my head as well as the tape,
and I know how bad you need it.
So unless you press that disarm button, you will die.
Or, to put it just a little bit more precisely,
your pride will.
You're right, assuming it is filled with kerosene.
I replaced the kerosene with water. Now all you have for yourself is death.
After your head explodes, I will take the tape from your lifeless hand,
and ensure my victory.
You can have it if you want. It's a dummy.
The real one's still in the mailbox at my apartment.
All I did was show Asazuki one of the dummy tapes and he was fooled.
Even you were tricked into thinking it was the real thing. How disappointing.
Asazuki is waiting at Shumari Station, right?
Let me guess. Hiyono won't even return to Shumari.
Instead of giving you the key,
she'll head to the apartment to retrieve the tape.
Of course. I told her to go by taxi, and be there no later than 2:40pm.
If you were to call Asazuki now, he would never make it in time.
You're going to lose this fight.
This can't be. Could he really have known my every move?
You missed something.
My top priority coming into this game was to keep Hiyono safe,
and you overlooked that.
You lost this game all by yourself.
Very well. In regards to the tape, I admit defeat.
Things will get sticky if the police get a hold of it,
but I'm willing to accept that risk.
But even if Hiyono is safe, you won't escape death.
You think so?
I assumed you would change the contents of the gas tank in the beginning,
so I was never actually relying on it being here.
So you bluffed.
I told you.
You can't kill me.
Three minutes left. You wanna see a miracle.
What?
Here. I'll let you handle the countdown.
He knows it's over. He's just trying to get a rise out of me before he dies.
A miracle. There's no way it could happen.
You think there's no chance left for me, do you?
I still have two solid ways to survive.
Your little bluffs are getting lame, you know.
The first possibility is that you press that disarm button.
Completely out of the question! I would never do anything so pathetic!
Then why are you looking after it so carefully?
Wouldn't it be better if you just broke it, or got rid of it?
You're confused.
You're not sure if it's okay to kill me or not.
Right now, I have absolute faith that I won't die.
There's no logic or anything to it, just simple, unwavering faith.
I think my brother said it once.
"The power to believe can change even fate."
Let's find out. Am I the kind of person to die in a place like this?
I'm the one that holds his life in my hand. Me.
The happiness of those who believe...
Is he really the key to saving the Blade Children?
Calm down. Wait for the appropriate time.
There isn't much time left for us. We are living on the brink of death.
It could all be over soon.
Kiyotaka!
I won't press it. I can't save you.
Even if the consequences are worse for us, I won't do it!
Many times I have suffered and felt about to die,
and yet I've always had my way.
I won't bend to something this insignificant!
I won't let you defeat me!
Then there is only one other way this can end.
There's no other way.
You're wrong.
There is.
There's always the possibility the bomb's a dud.
Are you insane? That would never happen.
Are you so sure?
Look around. Machines malfunction all the time.
I built that bomb myself. Not in a million years!
Then in a billion years it might malfunction.
It could never happen.
But...
But Kiyotaka could probably summon forth such a fluke.
With his strong luck, he could make it happen out of necessity.
If so, then could his little brother do the same?
What's the time?
Should be less than a minute left.
To be honest, I don't really know what you guys want,
or what my brother is thinking.
But the one certainty is that I'm being tested for something.
Isn't that right?
Well, then...
Let us welcome the moment of truth together.
Only ten seconds left.
I'm still not gonna press it.
Calm down and just count.
Seven seconds, 6, 5, 4, 3...
2, 1.
0.
No way! What dumb luck.
I'm surprised as well. I guess I do have a penchant for luck,
just like my brother.
My will. My calculations! Lost to dumb luck?
I can't accept that. It's crazy!
Time doesn't lie. Time?
Stay back!
Just as I thought.
Confuse me while you still have some time to spare,
trying to paralyze my sense of time.
It's not that easy.
You set your watch two minutes ahead.
It was only natural that the bomb didn't explode when it said 2:30.
You intended to take advantage of my delusion of defeat
to steal the disarm button.
It was a well thought out plan,
though not completely unexpected from the little brother of Kiyotaka.
Looks like I'm victorious. I have won.
I saw through you and won!
And with that turn of events, your death is now certain.
Ten more seconds and I would have been able to take it from you.
You realized too soon.
Too bad for you.
Yeah, it is too bad. Why can't I be more like my brother?
One minute left.
Already?
All I can do now is pray! I beseech you, O' Lord!
Hear my prayer! Save this pitiful sinner!
There's no such thing as God.
Are you so sure?
Look.
My goddess has arrived.
If that's the express line
that arrives at Shumari Station a few minutes after 2:30,
then it'll pass on this very bridge before stopping.
And if Little Narumi was lying
about Hiyono heading to the apartment to collect the tape,
then it is possible.
My prayers have been answered.
Ayumu! Here!
Hallelujah!
Disarm successful.
I thought I was a goner for sure!
Well now! Lookee who it is.
Oh, fancy meeting you here, Kousuke.
Did you hear the news? Ayumu won!
So Little Narumi. I must know.
Were you betting on that exchange to happen from the beginning?
Yeah. The kerosene tank, the retrieval of the tape,
and the time constraints for doing so,
were all placed there to deceive your eyes.
To be honest, I was really nervous that you would notice.
My brother would have found a more stylish way to defeat you.
But this gambit...
...took everything I had.
I'm done with games like this.
A sweet scent washes into my throat
and my feelings continuously overflow...
Don't look at me with that same gaze
that's like you're following a soccer ball.
I've already grown used to my third year at the office,
but did I lose something instead?
Those days long ago when we would talk about anything...
We're finally old enough now
to have those slightly awkward discussions about love.
A single day seems so long, but a whole year ends so quickly.
A whole year seems so short,
but how well will I be able to live the rest of my life?
Time for Hiyono's Useful News Report!
; Poka-poki! Poka-poki! ;
Security is the greatest enemy.
A change in the wind changes the situation.
And the mountain is unmoving before the wind!
Next episode is proof that good things come to those who wait.
On the next Spiral:
Goodnight, Sweetheart.
Incidentally, I can fall asleep right away, anytime, anywhere.
And that's all for today's Hiyono's Playhouse!
Hey! What the heck are you doing?!