Where's the big one?
Hanekawa-san's looking after her.
Then tell me the details.
Sure, okay.
But will you promise me something first?
Are you in a position to make demands?
Sure, I am. I'm your little sister.
And I'm your big brother, so I can refuse them.
Fine. Forget it.
By the way, what were you going to ask me to do?
Not to get mad at Karen-chan.
No.
You can be mad at me,
but don't get mad at Karen-chan.
I'm getting mad at both of you.
You can be mad at Karen-chan,
but please don't get mad at me.
I'm already mad.
So start talking, and get it off your chest.
You think you're so cool.
You promised you wouldn't get mad
when Hanekawa-san was around.
Do you have any regrets, Onii-chan?
Regrets?
Of course I do.
Does anyone not?
Well, I don't know...
I guess I'm not the type to regret things.
I bet.
You two sisters are like that.
But that means that sometimes,
I regret that I didn't regret something
when I should have.
Not that it matters.
I guess you really want a strangling...
No, that's not it...
Black Scene
Then get to the point.
I know, Onii-chan...
I'll tell you something cool.
Something cool?
You know how I always say I'm "platinum" mad?
It was originally "pretty" mad.
So it doesn't mean that I'm so mad,
the word "platinum" comes to mind.
I've never heard you say "platinum" mad.
How come you don't know?
I'm platinum mad!
You're clearly extremely upset!
And stop trying to cleverly change the subject.
Okay, Onii-chan.
Then why don't you tell me something you regret?
I want to hear it.
Just telling you straight out would be kind of upsetting.
So maybe we could like, share secrets?
Like we were on a school trip or something!
Idiot...
Black Scene
Still, what I regret, huh?
It's hard to come up with something,
now that I think about it.
Like, something that's kind of embarrassing.
Like... Oh...
Why don't you have any friends?
I have friends now!
Do you?
How many?
Let me tell you...
Five!
Wow, that seriously scared me.
Poor onii-chan...
You're going to die of loneliness!
Don't be so mean to your brother!
Anyway, I have some now,
but you're asking why I didn't have any for a while.
Well, here's what I used to think.
If you make friends, that means your human hardness—
No, I've already heard enough embarrassing stuff.
I'm sorry I asked.
Don't apologize yet!
I haven't said anything embarrassing!
Stop it, Onii-chan!
That's enough!
You needn't reopen the wounds anymore!
Stop it... It's over!
It's not over!
Araragi-kun, I can hear you from the second floor!
And I can hear you talking about something
that really doesn't sound too important.
Could you be a little more quiet?
Yeah, sorry.
I'll be more care...
Episode 5: Karen Bee, Part 5
Let's talk about Araragi Karen for a while.
Of course, this is just based on what
I heard from Tsukihi and Hanekawa.
So it may differ slightly from what happened.
Welcome, young lady.
My name is Kaiki.
"Kai," like a mound of clamshells.
"Ki," like a dead tree. What's your name?
Araragi Karen.
The "kozato" radical, with the kanji for possibility.
"It is good."
And "ki," like a young tree.
And my given name means "to admire the flame."
Karen.
An excellent name.
Be grateful to your parents.
So, which are you?
Do you want to learn a charm?
Or have one undone?
The former is 10,000 yen.
The latter, 20,000.
Neither.
I've come here to punch you!
To punch me.
So the message you sent me was a fake,
and this is a trap.
I see.
Well done.
Of course, I don't believe that
you were the one who did it.
I can't imagine a simpleton like you
Black Scene
being able to reach me.
Not many people could.
Only someone who's a touch abnormal
could get this far.
What you're doing is a giant pain in the butt.
You don't need me to explain, do you?
A pain?
I'm giving you kids what you want.
How you use it is your responsibility.
Our responsibility?
How is it our responsibility?
How dare you?!
You're ruining people's relationships...
What are you thinking?
What am I thinking?
Quite a deep question.
Unfortunately, I'll have to respond with a shallow answer.
I'm doing it for the money, naturally.
Money?
Money makes the world go round.
I suppose you've come here out of
some primitive sense of justice.
But that was a mistake.
You could have earned 100,000 yen for this.
The lesson for you here is that working for free
isn't worth it.
No one hired me!
I'm not here because someone asked me to be!
I see...
Then you should have had someone ask you.
Even if someone had, I wouldn't have taken their money!
So young...
I'm not at all jealous, though.
What's wrong?
You're shaking, Araragi.
I'm not shaking...
Araragi, you've heard what I wanted.
Now it's your turn.
What do you want?
I told you already.
I came here to punch you!
Just to punch me?
I'll kick you, too!
Violence, then?
Force!
And I'll make you stop this.
Selling this crap to middle schoolers?
What are you thinking?
And you call yourself an adult?!
I'm an adult, yes.
And of course I'm selling it to them...
I'm a con man.
Aren't you embarrassed, selling charms to middle schoolers?
Not at all.
Children are simple to fool.
That's all.
But, Araragi, if you want to stop me,
punches and kicks are useless.
The fastest way would be to bring money.
My target for this little business is 3,000,000 yen.
3,000,000 Yen
I've waited over two months for it to take root.
Any less, and it wouldn't be worth my time.
And you call yourself human?
Unfortunately, I am human, yes.
I'm willing to sacrifice my life to protect
what's dear to me.
Just as you fill your heart through good deeds,
I fill my bank account with evil ones.
Is there really a difference?
A-A difference?
No, there's no difference at all.
Your activities may make someone happier.
But the same is true
if I take the money I've earned and use it
to grease the gears of a capitalist economy.
The lesson for you here is that
just as there isn't a problem that can't be solved by being right,
there isn't a problem that can't be solved by money.
Black Scene
The same is true of my victims, yes?
They paid me in money.
This means that they recognized
money as an object of value.
Black Scene
Is the same not true of you?
Or did you not pay
in money when you bought that jacket?
D-Don't talk about the jacket!
Just give me your answer...
Do you want to be punched?
Or...
I don't want to be punched.
Nor do I want to be kicked.
I dislike pain.
So,
here is a present for you, a bee.
It's working quite well.
You must have an active imagination.
The lesson for you here is to assume
that any person you see is a con man.
Learn to doubt others.
Did you think I would beg for forgiveness?
Then you're just a fool.
If you want me to have a change of heart,
bring some cash.
I'd be willing to discuss it for 10,000,000 yen.
What did you do?
What did you do to me?!
Something bad.
Of course, nothing is free.
I'll take money for it.
4,000 yen? I suppose that will do.
I'll throw in our little chat as a bonus.
I suppose I can leave some change for train fare home...
Oh, you already have a ticket.
Then you won't need this change.
In a moment, the poison will take hold,
and you'll be able to move.
I recommend using a cell to call for help.
In the meantime, I'll make my escape.
Of course, I'll continue what I was doing.
But from now on, I'll avoid meeting my customers directly.
An excellent lesson...
Farewell.
Black Scene
Araragi-kun, are you upset?
About what?
Well, you know...
I was the one who tracked him down.
Are you mad about what happened to Karen-chan?
I wouldn't say I'm mad.
But I'd like to say that if you were going to
help the Fire Sisters, you should have told me.
But wouldn't you have gotten mad?
And if I decide I want to be friends with Karen-chan and Tsukihi-chan,
isn't it my choice?
It is your choice.
Yup.
But as an apology for not telling you
about Karen-chan and Tsukihi-chan,
you can have this ticket!
What's this?
This ticket entitles you to touch my breasts
whenever you want, for as long as you like.
It's yours.
Seriously?
Seriously.
But if you use it, I'll hate you forever.
Then it's useless!
Well, putting that aside,
don't be too mean to Karen-chan and Tsukihi-chan.
It's fine.
Don't worry about it.
I realize they aren't just doing it for fun.
I know we talked about this before...
But still, they are kind of like you.
They resemble me?
Not on the outside, on the inside.
I guess I'm one to talk, though.
That's sure true.
Of course, your family and mine are different.
Oshino-san...
What's Oshino-san up to right now?
I don't know.
But he's watching over us from somewhere.
He'll probably just fix whatever's wrong with Karen-chan.
From what Shinobu said, the wreathe-fire bee
is a very low-level monster.
Shinobu-chan?
Wreathe-fire bee?
A wreathe-fire bee, huh?
But I'm glad to see you've made up with Shinobu-chan.
I'm not upset about it, but...
Well, the reason Oshino-san left was
because he thought he could leave Shinobu-chan to you, right?
Really, it would've made sense if you'd reconciled
just after the culture fair.
I guess that means it's taken a long time.
You could say I've been slacking on the job.
You haven't been slacking at all.
I know that very well.
You know everything, don't you?
I don't know everything.
I just know what I know.
The real problem in a fight comes after you've made up.
Keep that in mind.
I can go the rest of the way myself.
Take my bike.
I'll lend it to you.
You're sure?
I'll take it, I guess.
Okay, then thanks.
I'll give it back tomorrow.
Yeah.
Get this solved tonight.
You have to start studying again tomorrow.
It's good that you're being a brother,
but don't forget that you're a high school student, too!
You're making too big a deal out of this, Nii-chan.
That's why I didn't want to tell you.
People should keep their mouths shut.
It's just a fever.
Shut up.
You're sick, so shut up and do what I say.
Want to eat something?
Canned peaches?
No appetite.
I see.
I'm gonna let down your hair.
I want to take a bath.
This sweat feels awful.
Your hair.
Go ahead.
A bath isn't happening,
but I'll wipe down your body.
Thanks.
Not that I like it.
Right.
Then remove your clothes.
Hey, I said to remove your clothes.
Sorry, Nii-chan.
I'm tired...
Take my clothes off.
Wipe me down.
Put them back on.
Why, you...
Nii-chan saw me naked, and I am so freaking embarrassed. —Karen
Nii-chan saw me naked,
and I am so freaking embarrassed.
Why is it a haiku?
Because I'm embarrassed!
You dance around half naked when you get out of the bath.
I don't want to hear it.
I'm not dancing!
That's aerobics!
I'll wipe down your back.
Turn over.
Too lazy.
Turn me over.
Damn it...
I screwed this up.
I know strength is more important
than being right. I didn't need you to tell me.
But you can't get strong all of a sudden.
However,
that doesn't mean you can just ignore all the bad stuff you see
until you are strong.
The blood of justice flows through me,
and it tells me to punish evil.
You just like punching people.
That's what I think.
I'm sure it all looks like a game to you.
But Kaiki...
Kaiki Deishuu...
Tsukihi-chan already told you
why he was spreading those weird charms and curses
around the middle schools, right?
That's right... It was for money.
He spread hatred...
Fear...
And then, he took advantage of it,
to take money without actually doing anything.
And when I asked him if he weren't ashamed,
here is what he said.
Without a trace of shame, he said,
"Children are easier to fool."
Easier to fool...
Tsukihi-chan's friend... Sengoku, was it?
She didn't really want to talk about it,
but whatever happened, didn't you save her?
But she was one of the lucky ones.
Some kids went to Kaiki for help, not knowing he was the source of the rumors.
And when they tried to get the money,
he demanded they be arrested for shoplifting.
Could you have let that happen?
Could you have looked them in the eye and said,
"I'm not strong yet, so I won't do anything"?
He told me money was everything.
I didn't think anyone like that existed outside of manga.
I mean, money is important.
But aren't there other things that matter, too?
Love
Like love!
Our opinions overlapped.
Money isn't everything.
It's just most everything!
Okay, maybe not.
Nii-chan, Tsukihi-chan and I are serious about this.
We won't stop here.
If this happens again, we'll do the same thing.
This time, I may have lost the outcome.
But I didn't lose mentally.
And next time, I'll win.
I'll keep it up until I win.
I'll try, even if I don't win.
The outcome isn't all that's important. Right, Nii-chan?
Lose the match, but win the game, huh?
That's not something I'd expect to hear from a martial artist.
You can lose the match and the game,
but if you don't lose to yourself, it isn't a loss.
That's my way.
But as long as you stay like that,
those around you will suffer.
That's why you'll never grow up.
I'm already grown up.
Look at these boobs!
Not even half Hanekawa's size.
What of it?
Tsubasa-san is that big?
She's the real thing.
I think you know that.
Black Scene
Honestly,
I'd prefer if you didn't hang out with Hanekawa.
But I guess this is a good chance.
From now on, you should start learning from her.
Don't move.
It's hard to wipe you down.
It's fine now. I feel much better.
We're almost done. Don't stop now.
I don't want to get you sick.
Get me sick?
Wait a second.
Black Scene
Shinobu.
What?
It's almost time for bed.
Then, one thing before bed...
Is there any way to transfer her illness to me?
It's more of a supernatural poison than an illness.
And it was given to her deliberately.
So wouldn't it be possible for her to give it to me?
So you're saying you'll take her illness?
There is a way.
But honestly, I can't recommend it.
Or it would be more accurate to say
I certainly wouldn't prefer it.
I understand there's a risk.
I don't know if "risk" is the right word.
Well, I suppose it's an urban legend.
I think the kid used totally different words to describe it.
What?
That's pretty vague. And not like you at all.
Well, I don't know...
Whether it's something that would be allowed, I couldn't say.
I don't know what you're talking about,
but of course it would.
If there's any way to alleviate her suffering,
we should take it.
Very true.
Do what you will.
Nii-chan,
I don't know if you went to the bathroom or what,
but you should have at least dressed me first.
Karen-chan.
I'm going to kiss you now.