Natsume Yujin-cho Roku
You're going to bed already, Natsume?
I had a rough day yesterday.
Where were you Nyanko-sensei?
A drinking party, duh.
I figured it was something like that.
What happened?
I heard a weird sound from the roof in the middle of the night...
Sensei?
Are you there, Natsume Reiko? Are you there?
If you're there, come out.
If you don't, I'll crush you and this house.
He's huge!
Hey, don't touch the house!
I'll hear you out, so follow me.
Reiko!
Wait, wait!
I'm going to eat you and become famous!
I managed to lose him somehow.
Natsume-sama...
Natsume Reiko-sama.
Are you there?
That's not the voice I heard yesterday.
How many youkai did Reiko anger?
Sorry.
My grandmother Reiko died.
Died.
I'm so sorry to hear that...
Did you need something from Reiko-san?
I'm her grandson, Natsume Takashi.
I can give you back your name, if you need it.
My name?
No. Reiko-sama helped me out with something.
I wanted to thank her.
Thank her?
Thank Reiko?
Not eat her?
Gomochi's
Benefactor
I am called Gomochi.
I came here to thank her and to give her an update.
To tell the truth, I didn't have that much contact with Reiko-sama,
but I owe her a great deal.
You owe her?
Yes. I live in Nanafusa forest, a ways away from here.
One day, a human girl started coming to the forest.
She wouldn't do anything.
She just wandered around,
or took naps on grassy hills.
I heard that her name was Reiko...
Look!
The child of man is back!
Her again?
Why's she coming this deep into the mountains?
To take a nap.
Can you keep it quiet?
She looked at us!
Can she us?
We little ones who lived in the forest were in an uproar.
We're sorry!
That's... self defense...
It's an overreaction, is what it is.
So yes, she was a strange child of man,
who did not fear us.
Hey, did you hear?
That Reiko girl is incredibly powerful.
She can force even god-like beings to obey her.
Really?
Scary.
But if that's true, why don't we talk to her about our problem?
Don't be stupid.
What can a human do?
Hey, don't chatter like that when I'm trying to sleep.
Can you cut it out?
This is our forest!
If you've got a problem, you can leave!
Well, that's true, but...
What?
It's coming from over there.
A big tree like that just fell over?
How awful.
It doesn't look like lightning...
This must be Senki-sama and Hyakko-sama's doing again.
Senki and Hyakko?
You don't know them?
They're the strongest pair in the forest!
But lately, they've been having a terrible fight.
They're going around breaking things and we don't know what to do.
A fight?
How stupid!
What?
Reiko, right?
I'm told you're strong.
Can you tell them to stop their fight?
That's a great idea.
Child of man, please!
They're too scary for us to do anything!
Please, Reiko!
Please!
This is your problem, right?
I don't want any trouble.
What could a child of man do?
However strong you are, you're still just a child of man.
What's the point of talking to someone so useless?
Hey, stop it!
She might help us!
Like she could.
Hey, cut it out—
What?
J-Just come with us, Reiko!
Wait!
Shut up, Senki!
I'm stronger and better suited!
Nonsense, Hyakko!
I am stronger!
The one with the red band is Senki-sama.
And the blue band is Hyakko-sama.
I'm telling you, it's not my problem.
Hey, what's that?
Beautiful, isn't she?
Her name is Kibune.
Senki-sama and Hyakko-sama captured her.
They say whichever of them is superior will get to wed her.
What the heck?
It's a shame, but there's nothing we can do.
None of us can stand against them.
Oh, wait!
Hey, you.
Are you okay with this?
Do you want to marry one of them?
No.
I'm honored by their request,
but I want to go home.
Hey, you!
Who said you could approach my bride?
Who are you?
This smell...
It's the foul scent of a human!
I don't know who you are, but run!
Hey, you two.
Let her go.
You're going to tell us what to do, girl?
Know your place, fool!
Or I'll eat you right now!
It seems you're arguing over something really stupid.
Stupid?
That's right.
You want to know which of you is worthy to marry her?
If she'll run away unless you lock her up, then neither of you are worthy.
Idiots.
What?
Well, whatever.
Whoever's the strongest gets her, right?
Then I'll join the fight.
I'm taking the bride.
What—
If I lose, you can eat me.
It's not about wanting to protect the forest or help her...
I just want to see your arrogant faces in tears after I beat you.
That's Reiko.
Maybe it'll work out.
No, it's just a bluff.
The child of man will lose.
Silence, girl!
We refuse to accept this!
What, you're scared?
I guess I win by default, then.
What?
Anyway...
Oh, it's dusk!
If I'm late, I'll get yelled at.
Jeez...
I'll come back.
We can fight then.
W-Wait, girl!
Are you going to run again?
See ya!
Crazy.
Yes, she was a crazy person.
We were sure she'd run away,
but the next day, she came back.
Natsume Yujin-cho Roku
That girl is making me so mad!
Where is she? I'll make her pay!
I'm back.
You're... um... Senki, right?
Okay, fight me.
As if you could!
Fine. I'll go get Hyakko.
What, you're too scared to fight me alone?
Fine. Let's get everyone together.
Senki says he can't fight me alone.
Very well, girl.
Yeah?
Then I'll decide how we fight then.
Your arms are very strong.
Since mine are so frail, you don't mind, right?
That's true.
Thanks.
Okay, let's see...
Look.
You see that fruit on top of the tall tree?
How about the first to get it wins?
Hey, don't do that!
He may look slow but Senki-sama is...
Very well.
Okay, let's do this.
Then let the game begin!
I won't lose!
Sorry, but rules are rules.
I win.
She won!
It wasn't fair, but she...
It wasn't fair, but a win's a win!
But it's true she didn't say we had to climb the tree.
Here.
As an apology, I'll give you this fruit.
My plan worked because of how fair you are.
But just like you promised, leave Kibune alone, okay?
A strange girl.
Senki had a short-temper,
but he was so shocked that it calmed him down.
Hyakko!
Come out!
Fight me!
Reiko!
I heard you beat Senki!
Yeah, I guess.
It's your turn.
I'll decide how we—
About that,
it would be childish of me to just crush you,
so I have a good idea.
Now that Senki lost, if I win, I'm the strongest in the forest.
I'm gathering food for my wedding feast with Kibune.
In this forest, chestnuts with three nuts in the bur are considered lucky.
Whoever gathers the most wins.
Bring them to base of that tree by dawn.
Wait!
What a great idea I had!
It's fine, right?
Then let us begin!
Wh-What will you do, Reiko?
Do you have a plan?
Nope.
I let my guard down.
I guess I'll have to go look for them.
Hey, it doesn't look like she can win the next match.
What do we do?
If Hyakko-sama wins, he's going to start bossing everybody in the forest!
Oh, no!
We never should've counted on a human!
Hey! She's doing this for us!
Shut up, wimpy youkai.
Don't you understand that this is your chance?
This might be your only chance to use
somebody as powerful as Natsume Reiko to defeat Hyakko!
If I don't beat him now, you're going to have trouble, right?
Now help me win!
Gather burs and bring them to me.
Take them to that tree by dawn.
There are so many of you!
You can't lose!
Okay, let's get started!
Hurry!
Where are the chestnuts?
You there.
Go to that tree and hold the chestnuts for me.
Betray me and I'll rip the hair off your tail.
Got it?
Okay!
What will you do?
I'm going to gather chestnuts.
What else would I do?
I hate losing.
Hey, you.
Will you take me somewhere with lots of chestnut trees?
Ow...
I should've had him pick persimmons instead.
No good...
This one's got four nuts, too.
This one is...
Ow!
Are you okay?
You should rest a little.
I'm fine.
This is a pain, though.
Yeah.
Hyakko-sama knows the forest so well.
He'll gather a mountain of chestnuts in no time.
I'm out.
It was stupid to think about helping a child of man.
Hey!
Leave them.
Anybody who doesn't want to help, doesn't have to.
That's how this works, right?
It's natural for connections you make to break quickly.
I'm doing this because I want to try doing it.
Whether it succeeds or fails...
I don't like losing,
but I just want to see what I decided to do through to the end.
And I probably got Kibune's hopes up, too.
I went to Kibune and told her what Reiko-sama was doing.
Hey, it's nighttime!
Isn't it bad for the children of men if they don't go home?
You said you'd be scolded, right?
Oh, the people I'm living with will be home late tonight,
so if I go home right after sunrise, it'll work out.
But I pity them...
For having to deal with extra baggage like me.
I wonder if I'll be able to go home tomorrow.
It was then that I realized that Reiko-sama
was more afraid of losing than she was of not being able to go home.
It's almost dawn.
Let's go to the tree.
Right.
Oh, you got a bunch, huh?
I don't know if it's enough, though...
Fewer people brought them than I thought.
It's fine.
I'll wait for Hyakko.
You guys can go home.
I...
I found one on the way, too!
Oh, thanks.
I-It's not for your sake!
Bye!
But can you win?
It seems like it will be really close...
Hey!
Hyakko-sama...
What a shame...
I lose, huh?
And so the battle ended and Hyakko-sama and Senki-sama
realized how the forest dwellers felt, and changed their ways.
As promised, Kibune was taken by Reiko-sama, but...
Reiko-sama...
Kibune, you're free now.
If there's somewhere you want to go back to, go.
It's so wonderful, isn't it?
Having a place you want to go home to.
I have to go.
The people at home will be waking up soon.
R-Reiko, you'll be coming to this forest again, right?
It was fun,
but I can't feel relaxed in a forest where I know people.
This is goodbye!
And she never came back.
The forest dwellers sometimes started to think that maybe she'd come back, but...
Maybe Reiko could have forged a connection.
She probably didn't realize, though.
She'd kept her distance from too many things...
Or maybe she didn't want to notice.
She really was a no-good woman.
Shut up, Sensei.
But we still owe her so much.
I don't get many chances to hear about my grandmother.
Thanks for telling me, Gomochi.
Oh, what was your update?
Oh, this is a personal matter...
After that, as Kibune and I waited and searched for Reiko,
we came to love one another.
We're having a wedding soon, and I wanted to invite her.
Oh, a wedding, huh— huh?!
Sensei was ensnared by the offer of sake, and he and I went.
It seemed like everyone was having fun,
and like old memories, somehow...
Kibune, the youkai Reiko-san had saved on a whim, was beautiful.
And I was just a little upset that Reiko-san didn't get a chance
to see this wonderful sight.
And just a little proud, too...
Next time Natsume Yujin-cho Roku
A Day That Will Someday Come
I've seen many youkai entranced by humans...
This is probably my last bet.
You have a place where you should live.
I want to be with Aoi-chan forever!
I'm sure... I'm sure it will go well.