Huh?!
Hikari...
You've kissed someone before?
Yep.
S-So...
Who was it?
Sensei!
On the cheek.
Oh, just on the cheek?
My little sister kisses my cheek a lot, too.
On his cheek, huh?
I'm still a little jealous.
Did I surprise you?
But why?
He asked me all kinds of questions about vampires,
so I did it as a joke.
Oh...
I'm so jealous!
Interviews with Monster Girls
Yuriko, I'm in love with—
Kyouko-chan, can you check the water in the bath?
Don't say it.
Why not?
It's no good now... I can't be with you.
Oh, sure!
I can't trust you anymore, Shun-kun.
You have someone else now.
The Dullahan Surpasses Space-Time
But it isn't me she loves. It's my money!
But you told me you loved her!
Mom, the water's ready, so I'm turning it off!
Can you honestly say that wasn't true?
Okay, thanks.
Look me in the eye and say it!
Hikari-chan said she kissed Takahashi-sensei
The only one I really love is you, Yuriko.
as a joke, to shake him up a bit.
I'm sure Sensei took it as a joke, too.
Shun-kun...
Yuriko...
Then, wouldn't it also be okay for me to kiss him?
I just need to carry these, right?
Sorry to make you do all the heavy work.
It's no trouble...
In a way, that's all I'm good for.
He certainly does good work for us, doesn't he?
Yes.
He's even taken the initiative to offer counseling for our demi-human students.
Their parents are fond of him, too.
That is true, but...
What's the matter?
Nothing.
That vice principal's such a jerk, making me do all the heavy work.
Being so beefy's getting to be a problem.
Takahashi-sensei!
Hey, Machi...
Shall I help you?
I'm fine. Thanks, though.
What's up?
Do you need... something?
I-Is something wrong?
N-No, nothing's wrong.
O-Okay, then.
Is holding the head at eye level the "in" thing with dullahans now?
Then again, Machi's the only dullahan in Japan.
She must have some specific reason.
T-Takahashi-sensei...
Y-Yeah? What is it?
M-Machi?
I'm carrying heavy stuff right now, so this is dangerous...
Let me finish carrying these first.
I'm sure there's a reason you want to play around,
but it's dangerous to hold your head with an unstable grip—
A-Are you all right?
You aren't... hurt, are you?
No, I'm fine.
That happens sometimes.
But surprisingly, I can always catch it pretty easily.
So don't worry about—
You thought I'd see that and not worry?!
Someday, that pride could get you into a terrible accident!
Be more careful!
I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean...
Oh, uh, I just...
You see?
It's... It's my fault...
I made this mess.
And...
Machi...
I'm so sorry!
And you can't straighten it while holding your head, right?
Macchi? What's wrong?
I see...
So Takahashi-sensei yelled at you.
Yeah.
You don't like being yelled at?
Huh? N-No...
But it's more than that.
Takahashi-sensei is such a kind person.
So the idea that I got him angry makes me feel so awful...
I see... That makes sense.
Here.
Eh?
Wait here a sec!
Hikari-chan?
I understand how you feel, Kyouko.
Takahashi-sensei really is a kind person.
Yeah.
Do you remember
when we all ate those popsicles together?
Huh? Yeah.
I was worried about my nature as a snow woman.
When I told Sensei about it,
he tried something that actually brought out my nature.
To be honest, it wasn't easy.
I didn't understand why he'd put me through that.
But it cleared up my misunderstanding
and gave me the chance to be friends with you and Hikari.
And I'm really grateful to him now.
So, you know?
I don't think being kind is only about coddling others.
He really cares about you, and he was honestly worried.
That's why he yelled at you.
Hey... Where are you taking me?
Just come on!
Wha?
S-Sensei...
Okay, this time, you two are gonna have a real talk!
Your head can't run away on its own, Macchi.
Uh... I guess, um...
Machi, I shouldn't have done what I did. I'm sorry.
Scolding students is a necessary part of teaching.
But there was no need to scold you at that time.
I just got too emotional and yelled at you.
Besides, I was partly to blame for what happened.
We should have talked about it calmly.
I hope we can be friends again.
I'm really sorry.
But...
That isn't something you need to apologize for.
I'm really sorry, too.
Wh-What's wrong, Machi?
H-H-Hikari-chan is...
Hikari?
What are you doing to her?
Sensei, I don't think getting too emotional and yelling is good!
You keep doing things that call for scolding, despite constant warning!
So...
What did you want from me, anyway?
Oh, that was...
If I tell him I was trying to do what Hikari-chan did,
would it make Hikari-chan feel responsible?
Heh heh.
Heh heh!
"Aha ha," what?
A-Aha ha.
What's with you guys?
Interviews with Monster Girls
Do you feel itchy anywhere?
I know Takahashi-sensei said otherwise,
but what I did was wrong...
Hikari-chan, Yuki-chan, thanks for everything today. Since I made Sensei worry so much, I want to do something to make it up to him. Any ideas?
To make it up to him, huh...
Since I made Sensei worry so much, I want to do something to make it up to him. Any ideas?
To make it up to him, huh... How about a present?
Wouldn't that just make him feel bad again?
You think so?
Hmm... I don't know about a formal apology gift. Isn't there anything else he'd like?
Well, that's easy!
There's only one thing that he'd like more than anything else!
Well, that's easy!
There's only one thing that he'd like more than anything else!
One thing?
T-Takahashi-sensei, would you like to know more about my body?
Yeah... I definitely would.
But the fact
that you can maintain vital functions while head and body are separated
is such a huge deviation from common knowledge...
Yes, that's true.
But I thought meeting you, someone who knows so much about demi-humans,
might be a good chance to learn more about my own body.
Should we ask for another opinion?
Huh?
I majored in biology.
Everything I know has its basis in that.
So how about we ask someone who has a different kind of knowledge?
Musashino University of Science
College looks so different from high school.
It's so big, I'd probably get lost...
I guess it might feel that way at first.
Once you're there, you get used to it pretty fast.
Is the person we're seeing today a schoolmate of yours?
A schoolmate? Well, yeah, he is.
But after graduation, he stayed at the university to do research.
He's a good guy, but he's a bit of an oddball.
An oddball?
Yeah.
I guess he's what you'd call a prodigy.
Souma.
Hey.
Hey!
Ha, Tetsu! It's been a long time!
I see you still only have one expression.
What was that pause, I wonder.
And you must be Machi-kun?
I'm Souma, a physics major. Nice to meet you.
S-Same here... I'm Machi Kyouko.
Thank you for meeting with us today.
You don't have to be so formal.
He's just a weirdo.
Ha! Harsh!
Hmm... However,
meeting a real dullahan is quite an honor.
Th-Thank you.
As a man of physics,
a dullahan is the very definition of romance.
Romance?
Indeed! For instance, let's say Machi-kun eats a steamed bun.
A steamed bun?
Machi-kun puts the steamed bun in her mouth.
Steamed Bun
And when she swallows it,
it instantly teleports to her separate body!
This is nothing short of
proof that transportation of matter beyond space-time is possible!
Between Machi-kun's head and body, there's a high-dimensional tunnel...
In other words, a wormhole, if I'm right.
A wormhole?
Oh, I've heard of those.
In movies, they're the unexplained passages spaceships use to warp?
Yes, precisely. Occasionally called "hyperspace" in sci-fi works.
What's it actually like inside a wormhole?
High-dimensional space is entirely separate from our space-time rules.
I can't definitely say,
but the wormhole that connects Machi-kun's head and body
appears to be a fully established tunnel.
After all, her nerves and blood vessels are all connected,
so it successfully fulfills the role of a neck!
The role of a neck...
Yeah, I guess it would have to.
That's true.
By which you mean...
This part of Machi... Her neck?
The part you call a wormhole...
It really does exist.
It exists, and it connects her head to her body.
Where?!
Uh, I'm not exactly sure.
But it's like her neck exists in a separate space...
Like, her neck itself is the wormhole.
Hmm...
I don't doubt you, but on what grounds do you say this neck exists?
I think the fact that Machi talks means that she has a neck.
Humans can't speak without vocal cords.
So I asked Machi...
A long time ago, I was checked with an endoscope, and they did find a neck.
I see! So you do have a neck!
Then, based on what things
like endoscopes show, you're no different than an ordinary human.
Yes, that's what the doctor said, too.
Though, that would be a pretty tiny wormhole...
Ha! No, in fact,
it could be said that Machi-kun's wormhole is highly sophisticated!
May I summarize?
Sure.
Essentially, Machi-kun is no different from an ordinary human,
but her neck exists in a separate space,
forming a wormhole that connects her head and body.
In this case, the separate space would be high-dimensional space.
Theoretically, that'd make even time travel possible.
I would love to see how it works with my own eyes...
Forgive me for waiting until now to ask,
but what do the joints of your "neck" look like?
Oh, both sides are enclosed in skin.
Skin!
It sure is strange.
What goes in your mouth ends up in your body,
but from outside, the pathway looks closed.
Maybe someone's trying to hide that pathway.
Oh? Who would that mischief-maker be?
Hikari?
To say that someone's hiding it is quite fitting.
High-dimensional space definitely exists,
but it's impossible to observe, almost as if someone is hiding it.
Once food enters her mouth, the process works like any human's,
and from outside, it's closed off.
Why can't it be observed? Was that someone's intention?
Intention... Observation...
Souma-sensei?
Machi...
Shh.
Is Souma-sensei thinking right now?
Yeah.
His expression never changes, so it's almost like time's stopped, huh?
He really is unusual.
Yep.
I guess unusual people are unusual, whether they're demis or not.
I guess so.
All phenomena occur for a reason.
In physics, long ago,
observation wasn't considered a sufficient cause of phenomena.
Observation?
Basically, whether humans see something or not...
Or to take it further,
whether humans exist in this universe...
The results of phenomena would be the same.
Right.
That seems like an obvious conclusion to me...
But wait just a minute!
Some circumstances change due to human observation!
What would those be?
In a world where a single electron can be observed,
there's a thing called a "quantum"!
Before it is observed, a quantum expands like space, in a wave-like pattern.
However, when observed, it instantly contracts into particles!
Waves?
Particles?
I don't get it.
Is that true?
We'll save the good reactions for another time!
Basically, I'm trying to say that the act of observation has its own meaning.
In terms of the phenomena I spoke of,
human observation can change the result of a phenomenon.
Does it not give you a sense of the necessity of humans in the universe?
Ooh...
That is impressive!
And what is observation?
An act!
Behind every act is human intention.
In other words, human intention influences all phenomena!
Ooh!
It's like a supernatural ability!
And that's what came to mind after I spoke with Machi-kun.
I get it... By that logic,
a snow woman's ability to freeze matter, using negative emotions,
could also be called a psychic power.
Regarding the joints of Machi-kun's neck...
Hey, no trying to look in... It's embarrassing for her.
And touching it seems to hurt her, so don't.
Ha! Blocked by her management!
Normally, something far removed from the rules of our own space-time
would be observable in that part of her.
But a glance reveals it's covered with skin.
Who's hiding that something?
Most likely, the answer is we are.
When we try to observe a thing's existence,
our intention to observe it causes a change in that thing.
That sounds like what you said earlier about the quantum.
More like I was just imitating that.
And finally, that flame!
I believe it is not a flame, but a fluctuation in space.
It's the only thing reminiscent of an observable separate space.
And when someone tries to touch it, an adverse reaction occurs.
It appears that its appearance changes with your emotions, yes?
Uh, yes...
That may be the proof that human observation influences phenomena!
Dullahans can perform relocations of matter that surpass space-time,
and they hint at the physical significance of human intention!
The dullahan is the potential of physics!
I'm done.
Good show. That was a lot of fun.
What about you, Machi? Did you think it was fun?
It was incredibly fun.
How did you two get to know each other?
We sat next to each other in a lecture.
Yep.
He hasn't changed. He's still a romanticist.
He wants to remove the "fiction" from "science fiction."
Ha! A funny way of putting it.
But you've changed, Tetsu.
Have I?
Every time I see you, you look more muscular!
You meant my looks?
Pardon me for a moment.
Thanks for doing this, Souma.
Not at all. It was an intriguing experience for me, too.
But you want to look into what's going on with Machi more?
Well, of course I do.
But you know better than anyone how difficult
researching demi-humans is, do you not?
Screw ethics.
If the subject's okay with it, what's the problem?
Ha! You sound just like you did when you were a student.
Personally, I like this conservative world we live in.
Souma-sensei said I shouldn't aimlessly accept that I'm a dullahan.
But watching him
made me think I shouldn't go about my studies aimlessly, either.
For me, studying is like taking a quiz.
There are problems, and I answer them.
1st: Machi Kyouko 2nd: Tachibana Aoi
I was content with that.
But I was wrong. There's more beyond that.
Things that could change the world.
One of those things is the secret of dullahans,
and I want to know what it is.
If researching dullahans is difficult on an ethical level, then...
Maybe I could become a researcher and research dullahans myself.
Yeah, right.
You hear that?
Yes!
The sight of a student gazing toward the future is so beautiful!
Incidentally...
I have a pamphlet for our school here.
You really intend to get involved, don't you?
Okay, okay. I'll put in a good word.
Of course, I know very well
that you have a reason for being so eager to learn about dullahans.
Naturally!
If I can pinpoint high-dimensional space's behavior,
warping and time travel may be possible!
Now that I know human intention influences phenomena,
supernatural power isn't just a dream!
Yep...
Not to mention, if we knew the secret of dullahans,
it may be possible for Machi-kun to be a normal human.
Oh.
I guess that is possible...
I don't know.
This is probably a "normal" look...
But it just doesn't feel right anymore.
Those three would still be the same.
Except that Machi would look like an older student.
Takahashi-sensei!
Please hug my head!
Please put my head in your lap!
I guess ethics really are important.
Ah, it's Tetsu the responsible adult!
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