It is said that life's encounters are governed by fate.
Tangled up in the threads of fate...
...are the ill-fated blossoms, pitiful and frail.
Lost in anger, sorrow, and tears...
Beyond the veil of midnight,
the retribution that you are helpless to reap shall be yours.
A butterfly, hanging upside down, that will head towards the light sometime
The reflection in the mirror as we cut our hair
Footsteps echoing in the hallway during class
The sound of rain follows us ceaselessly
Purely what we feel is blinding and can take the shape of a sweet flower
Or the shape of a poisonous fruit
Rain again today
I want to link that day to now, sky-to-sky
In this craziness, uncertainty
Will we be able to leave a trace of each of our emotions somewhere?
In this craziness, you gave me life
To what bounds can we safeguard one emotion?
In this craziness, uncertainty
Will we be able to leave a trace of each of our selves somewhere?
In this craziness, you gave me life
To what bounds can we safeguard each of our selves?
Please! I just need 10,000 yen!
I don't got any money to lend you.
Both our home and our household belongings were seized.
I promise I'll pay you back!
I'm begging you, Yuji!
You've got no right to call me "Yuji," like you know me.
-Let's go. -Yeah.
Wait!
I treated you guys all those times!
You better not say you've forgotten!
So what about it?
I've got no use for you if you don't got the money.
We hung out with you because you were a rich kid!
Figure it out for yourself, moron!
Moron.
"The site you are looking for was not found. Keyword: Hell Link Search"
"Your grievance shall be avenged. Send"
There it is.
"Takashi Inagaki"
Just you watch, Inagaki!
"Send" Just you watch, Inagaki!
"Send"
"Your message was received. Hell Girl"
All that remains is for you to decide.
"Broken Threads"
Take it.
If you really want retribution,
untie this red thread.
By untying the thread, you will enter into a covenant with me.
The object of your vengeance will immediately be banished to Hell.
However,
once you have your retribution,
you will have to pay the price for it as well.
Curses come home to roost.
When you die, your soul will go to Hell.
You will never see Heaven,
and you will wander for eternity in pain and agony.
I'll go to Hell, too...
It's been 3 days since then. What do you think?
I don't know...
Which do you bet?
I've got this much that says he won't untie the thread.
You idiot! This isn't a game.
Oh, hey, wait.
Sheesh, the woman can't take a joke.
You heard that?
"Shibata Family's Grave"
Huh?
Must be Tsugumi.
"Shibata"
Ayumi...
Oh, darn it!
Shut up, you little bastard!
"First Citizen Corporation"
"Conference Room 1 In Use"
Sorry for calling you up when you're busy.
Damn straight.
How does it feel to be back in your old workplace?
The atmosphere's as oppressive and unpleasant as ever,
Mr. Chief Editor Inagaki.
If you'd stuck around,
you would've become an assistant editor or thereabouts, too.
So I wouldn't have gotten past assistant editor, huh?
I hear your sales have been up lately.
"The Other Face of the International Philanthropist" I hear your sales have been up lately.
"The Other Face of the International Philanthropist" Well, we've got a lot to be thankful for.
"The Money-Driven Life of the Heiwa Party's Yozo Kataoka" Well, we've got a lot to be thankful for.
When did the sober politics and economy magazine
stop to becoming a scandal rag?
Ever the wise ass.
"The Other Face of the International Philanthropist."
"The Money-Driven Life of the Heiwa Party's Yozo Kataoka."
We merely exposed the truth.
I heard Kataoka got arrested based on this article.
Worthy of a Superintendent-General's Award.
Would you have been able to write a better article?
I'm not coming back.
That's not why I called you.
Then shall we have a blast reminiscing about the past?
I want you to do a job for me.
"First Citizen Corporation"
I want you to keep an eye on Kawarazaki of the Nationalist Party.
"First Citizen Corporation" What for?
"First Citizen Corporation" He's involved with a woman with dangerous connections.
Huh.
I'll pay you a suitable fee.
"Conference Room 1 In Use"
Some dirt to threaten him with, huh?
Watch what you say.
It's just a trump card.
We've got info on him taking bribes, but Kawarazaki's an SOB.
Attacking him fair and square will only get us so far.
You'll do it, won't you?
I don't feel too hot about it, though.
Thanks.
Get me whatever material you've got.
What's the limit?
-Within a week. -Got it.
Oh, if it doesn't look like you'll be able to catch him in the act,
just fudge it.
You telling me to fabricate it?
That'll be plenty effective, too.
Hey, where're you going?
I might be down on my luck, but I'm still a journalist.
Don't misjudge me.
Shibata.
If you want to fake it, do it yourself.
Don't act so righteous. I checked into you.
I hear you're selling the pictures you secretly snapped
back to the people you photographed.
Sit back down.
I'm asking you to help me out for old time's sake.
You gonna threaten me now, too?
This isn't a threat.
You've fallen, Inagaki.
Shibata.
So you're even just as gutless as you used to be?
And here I thought you might've grown up a little,
since you've had a taste of the lower class life.
You can have this back.
Guys like him never move up in the world.
We don't care about him. What's more important is...
I know, Mr. Target, right?
Give me a break!
There's no way a shallow article like this is going to grab the readers!
-Isn't it good that he's so easy to understand? -Copy that doesn't sell
-Isn't it good that he's so easy to understand? -Is the same as trash!
"First Citizen Corporation"
Man, what a day.
You come in here without permission again
and we'll turn you in to the police! Got that?!
Let me see Inagaki!
If you want to see him, get an appointment!
If I could, I would've!
Then get lost, you piece of trash!
"First Citizen Corporation"
Wh-What're you doing?!
You bastard!
What were you trying to accomplish?
You had some business with Inagaki, right?
I used to work there, too. With Inagaki.
Not interested in talking?
What kind of guy is Inagaki?
He's a nasty bastard.
What's your name?
Kataoka.
Kataoka?
What?
So that's it. I knew you looked familiar.
So you're Yozo Kataoka's son.
That Heiwa Party man, who was caught for accepting bribes.
Huh. You're the son that led to Kataoka's fall, eh?
The one that was into drugs...
That was made up!
I've never done drugs.
I was framed by Inagaki!
True, I hear the drug test the police administered came back negative.
But the media reported that some evidence had been seized...
No such things exist!
That bastard... Inagaki just wrote that article on his own!
They printed a correction right away,
but by then, the news of my old man accepting bribes had gone public
and it had become this huge deal...
So it got lost in the shadow of the bigger story...
I see. I didn't notice the correction, either.
That Inagaki must've had it all planned out.
All our assets have been seized and my family has been torn apart!
It's all his fault!
Just to corner my old man,
Inagaki went so far as to use the rest of the family!
It's unforgivable that he's living a comfortable life!
After he took everything from us!
So...
So?
You tried to kill him?
Even if you managed that, you'd just end up paying for it.
I know that.
That's why I put out a request.
But...
Request?
Revenge doesn't give rise to anything.
I understand how you feel, but use that energy to fuel yourself.
Anger can be pretty useful in making your way through life.
Think it over. It's too early for you to abandon your life!
What the hell do you know?!
Hey! Wait!
I treat him and he gets pissed at me.
Talk about a bad return on my investment.
Murder for hire, huh?
But there's no way he has that kind of money right now...
Can't be...
It's excellent.
Really?
I'm impressed, Tsugumi.
With a taste like this, I could even serve it at my place.
I only made it exactly the way you told me to.
I bet your father will love it.
I hope so.
Wha...
Tsugumi!
Are you okay?
Yeah, I'm just getting started here.
Okay, I'm gonna take Yoko and Azusa with me.
Come on, let's go to one more place.
Okay!
Then we'll be going, Ma'am.
Hey, get a hold of yourself.
What? I've got a hold of myself, you dummy!
-If he really made the request... -Come on, let's go.
Who's calling me at a time like this?!
"Tsugumi" Tsugumi?
What is it?
Hajime, I saw it again.
What? Really?
Where was it this time?
I couldn't tell. It's somewhere that's bustling.
Bustling?
Any kind of landmark type of thing?
"Snack Bar Blue Sapphire" Any kind of landmark type of thing?
"Snack Bar Blue Sapphire" Snack bar? Blue Sapphire?
Which means, it's really...
Oh, crap!
Over here, over here.
Inagaki!
Huh? Who the hell're you?
Y-You're Yozo Kataoka's...
Because of you, my family is in ruins!
In ruins? You moron, of course it is.
It's what you get for all the bad things your old man did.
If you're gonna get mad, get mad at your old man.
You used me to expose what my old man was hiding!
Used you? I don't know what you're talking about.
You bastard!
You brat!
Come on, let's go.
What was with that guy?
Hey, you okay?
You picked a bad opponent.
Inagaki's got a black belt in karate.
Is the one you made the request to Hell Girl?
That bastard.
He's a nuisance.
You okay?
Yeah, I'm fine now.
You go back to your bar. You still have to clean up, don't you?
I'll be fine. Let me get you some water.
Thank you.
Who are you?
I wasn't sure I believed it at first.
I thought there was no way she could exist.
But she does!
Hell Girl really exists.
What kind of girl is she?
I don't know.
Where did you meet her?
I don't know.
You asked her to kill Inagaki?
But you're still taking action yourself.
After you've already asked Hell Girl to get your revenge. Why?
What's that?
It symbolizes the covenant.
If I untie this thread, the covenant will be established.
Thread...
But...
I see, so it's still not too late, right?
What?
All right.
Don't untie the thread. I'll make Inagaki apologize.
Inagaki's death won't resolve anything.
We'll publicize everything that he's done.
I'll write the article, so don't untie the thread.
Got it?
Hell Girl...
I don't know who you are or why you're doing this.
But I can say one thing for sure.
You are...
...wrong.
He left? Alone?
With someone.
Yup. With a really gaudy woman.
Yup, yup. "Come on, let's go to my establishment."
"Oh, okay, let's go," is how it went.
"Let's go," my ass!
-Just who does he think we are?! -A woman?
What's this? It's in an awfully run-down area.
Isn't it great? It's so shady!
I guess.
Here we are! There, please open the door.
Yes, Ma'am.
Wh-What the?!
Man, he reeked of alcohol.
"Depraved Journalism Behind the Truth!!"
Let me out!
Hurry up and let me out!
"Depraved Journalism Behind the Truth!!" Hurry up and let me out!
I said, let me out! Hey!
Feel like repenting for your crimes now?
Crimes?! What crimes?!
All I did was expose the truth that was hidden away!
I was even commended for it!
I've given no cause for anyone to call me a criminal!
I see, so if it's for the sake of this so-called "truth,"
are you saying it doesn't matter what you do?
The truth that gets exposed is justice!
And as you see it, that's what journalism is?
That's right!
What the masses want are sensational stories called the truth!
I'm satisfying that desire! I've done nothing wrong!
So he says, Miss.
O pitiful shadow lost in the darkness...
Demeaning and bringing harm to others...
A damned soul, wallowing in sin...
Care to give death a try?
Where am I?
Where do you think you're going?!
Turn back the boat!
I consign this grievance to Hell...
You untied the thread?
Why?!
Even if everything is made public, what good will that do now?!
What's been destroyed can't be restored anymore!
You've got family, too, don't you?
You should understand.
Kataoka...
"Masaya Kataoka"
Your grievance shall be avenged.
"Masaya Kataoka"
Always a dead end
There is no escape
I place my sorrow upon a bird in the sky
And I'll let it fly
This place is ephemeral
An eternity that binds me
Coming or going
All that passes by are dreams
"This is a work of fiction and any similarities between the names of characters or organizations in this story and actual names are entirely coincidental."
Your name?
Akane Sawai.
You believe that man's actions are not sincere?
He's not thinking about me at all!
He's doing it all for himself!
In truth, he wishes a failure like me would just disappear!
Your wish?
Banish him to Hell for me!
Your grievance has been heard.
"Hell Girl Spilled Bits" Your grievance has been heard.
"Hell Girl Spilled Bits" Next time, "Spilled Bits".
"Hell Girl Spilled Bits"