Natsume Yujin-cho Roku
Then you must have the Book of Friends.
You can steal many names, and bind them to your will, or crush their lives with it.
The terrifying, and enticing, Book of Friends...
You...
It is not a thing for a mere child of man to possess.
Give it to me.
And you're just a youkai.
Get your hands off him.
Natori-san.
How long has he been there?
No... he...
He heard me!
What
Matters
He heard about the Book of Friends...
So...
I can't talk about it with so many youkai here right now.
But once this is over...
Will you hear me out?
Of course.
The grounds were filled with exorcists and their families.
Well, find anything?
No, not a thing.
The owner of this mansion, Hakozaki-san,
stayed alone in his study researching youkai, they say.
The one who finds it will be given what's inside!
I'm not letting anyone but me get it!
His family grew distant from him,
and after his death,
they didn't know where the study was.
Find it no matter what!
This is the greatest chance one could hope for to make it big as an exorcist!
The Matoba Clan is here?
And it's Nanase-san.
We need to find the study before things get complicated.
That's right.
But don't underestimate this place, guys.
You're up against a weirdo spell researcher.
What if the room is filled with youkai he captured and did mad scientist experiments on!
It's a cursed place, filled with evil...
Quiet.
Well, I think there's 50-50 odds.
Huh?
It's filled with research notes, right?
Huh?
But you know, nobody knows the details...
Natori-san!
Now, now, calm down Natsume.
Oh, I wondered who that voice was.
Natori, you're joining in the fun, too?
Oh, hello there.
Is that a new familiar?
Natsume... I thought I heard the name.
Th-That's right.
I'm figuring out if he's useful...
His name is... Natsumeg!
Natsumeg. A classy name.
Thanks...
Well, find anything?
No, not a thing.
It's hidden with some kind of spell or something.
Yes, most likely.
I looked for anything that might provide a clue.
But while the place is big, and filled with stuff,
there's barely anything he used as part of his daily life,
or things that he cared about.
He was a lonely person, it seems.
I'm done here.
Good luck, Natori.
Thanks.
What's wrong, Natsumeg?
Is something wrong, Natsumeg?
Is something bothering you, Natsumeg?
Isn't that name a little bit random?
Sorry, sorry.
So?
I thought there might be a photo or diary somewhere.
So I tried to look for rooms he used often, where they might be,
but there's so many, I didn't even know where to start.
Yeah.
But when I heard that man
say that he didn't see anything that seemed important to him,
I remembered something.
Beniko-san was saying
that her grandfather planted a maple tree for her.
I don't know about him,
but if it were me,
I'd want to be in a room where I could see that maple...
And so, since we didn't have any better ideas,
we decided to search rooms where the maple tree was visible.
That's the tree, huh?
Yeah.
I'll check the rooms over there one by one.
Sure, we'll check the ones over there.
Hiiragi, any luck?
I can see the maple tree,
but there's nothing to indicate he actually used the room.
I see.
Maybe I was wrong.
This room's a mess, too.
You can see the maple tree from here,
but the last person in here searched this hard and found nothing, huh?
Encyclopedia of Talismans
A small box with a maple design...
Natsume?
Sorry.
I'm going to open this, okay?
A photo?
This is...
Yes, I think it's a picture of his family.
Natori-san, is there anyone in this photo you know?
Unfortunately...
But the guy with that awkward laugh might be the owner of the mansion.
That's how it feels...
I thought it was the design of the wallpaper,
but there are two dragons there, right?
Wow, they look like blurs to me.
These might be his familiars.
It looks like they're protecting him.
Two of them, one light blue, and one that looks yellow.
Dragons, huh?
That at least gives us a place to start.
Some youkai hide themselves in pictures and small objects.
Let's look for things in the shape of dragon.
Perhaps they're the familiars.
Yeah.
Natsume, I said it was 50-50 back there...
But Hakozaki-san was a sort of last resort for some...
I think he was a gentle person.
Yeah.
Part of me hoped so, while part of me wondered
if someone like that was all alone in this huge mansion,
staring at that maple tree...
Hiiragi.
Any luck?
No, not a thing.
I see.
Hiiragi, Natsume said he'd tell me when this was over,
but is it okay for me to hear it?
I believe it's far better than trying to find out in secret.
Yeah, you're probably right.
I wish I were stronger...
Hey, Sensei, are you looking?
Shaddup! All that talk of Nutmeg you were doing made me want Salisbury steak!
Finish it up!
I didn't talk about Nutmeg!
Hey, Nanase's on the north side!
Maybe she found something!
Nanase-san...
Should we go, too?
You felt it, too, Sensei?
Like some kind of presence changed...
A door?
Natsume?
A dragon relief...
You found me, huh?
Coward!
You have something with the master's smell, don't you?
It drew me to you.
Yeah.
This photo, maybe?
I'm sorry for taking it out of its room.
Since I found it, I was going to give it to his granddaughter.
Master...
Are you Hakozaki-san's familiar?
Indeed.
I'm looking for a study where Hakozaki-san was said to keep his research notes.
Can you tell me where it is?
After ignoring him for so long,
you would come and reap the benefits of his work?
I won't let you have it!
Natsume Yujin-cho Roku
We won't do anything bad with it.
Tell us where it is.
I refuse.
You said "ignoring him for so long."
Does that mean Hakozaki-san was lonely here?
Don't be stupid.
Night and day, he would gather us youkai and celebrate.
He would summon the most powerful youkai,
cheat them in games,
and force them to give him incredible amounts of sake.
Or use new techniques to summon funny and entertaining youkai,
and dance with them.
Sometimes he would fill the mansion with cherry blossoms,
and make us familiars clean them up while he laughed heartily.
It was fun.
It was fun...
For us.
But no matter the noise we made,
no matter the fun we youkai thought we had,
whenever there was a noise at the front door,
he would fly to it.
He would crouch low,
and stare from the window towards the gate,
and when no one was there, he would sigh and stand up.
He would stare at the leaves as they changed color,
laugh and say, "She's not coming this year, either?" and close his eyes.
After all that...
I won't let you pass.
Is this the door to the study then?
Soon this home will be sold to another.
I want to give what mattered to Hakozaki-san to someone who will care for it.
Will you let me into the study?
I'm sorry.
I was just taking things out on you.
It's been a while since I've talked to a human.
But there are both good and bad things inside.
It is the master's wish that it remain sealed.
I see.
Matoba and the other exorcists won't give up!
If you fear they'll be misused, give them to us!
Natori-san!
We just wish to sleep here, with the memories of our master.
If anyone would try and take them...
we would have no regrets.
We will take them all with us.
But...
As a reward for finding me, on the front entrance, first...
If anything happens to remain, you may do what you wish with it.
You heard him.
Let's go.
B-But...
If nothing else, I think he knows his master's wishes better than anyone.
Let's leave him in charge.
It wasn't my imagination that I was reminded of old times...
Child, I have once seen your face before.
That was probably my grandmother.
You knew Reiko-san?
No. It was a man.
I think I once met a man who looked much like you, a long time ago.
A man?
A long time ago?
What's that sound?
It's that way.
They're doing something on the north side.
Nanase-san's there!
I am the front entrance.
It seems they found Kanegumo, who protects the rear entrance.
They are trying to open it by force.
If they would take it,
we will take it with us first!
Farewell!
Natsume!
The north wing is burning!
I've failed.
A fire!
We need to put it out!
No, it will disappear soon.
The color of the fire is wrong.
This is the fire of a youkai.
The building isn't burning.
What's burning is...
Cursed youkai!
They took it all with them!
Farewell, dragons of Hakozaki-san.
Guess we're done here.
Aimiya-san.
Guess so.
Oh, did you see Nanase-san?
Yeah, she went home looking really pissed.
What a shame.
I'm going, too.
What will you do?
Since I've come this far, I'll watch it burn out before I go.
I see.
Bye.
Natsume?
I picked these up.
They look pretty useful.
39 Wind-Water Circle
It's okay for us to take them, right?
Hiiragi, Urihime, Sasago!
Pick those up!
Right!
We got quite a few, huh?
Several of these look useful.
It's thanks to you, Natsume.
It's because we were able to do it together.
My grandmother's name was Natsume Reiko.
She was very powerful, they say.
But she wasn't easy to get along with,
and she picked fights with youkai all the time.
Eventually, she began to challenge them,
and write down the names of the youkai she defeated onto pieces of paper.
I somehow kept myself calm as I told Natori-san.
About my grandmother.
About the Book of Friends.
And that, whether deliberately or by chance,
it was forbidden magic.
And that I was the only one who could return the names.
I see.
The Book of Friends.
An interesting name, huh?
You were carrying a terrible burden by yourself, weren't you?
No, that's not actually true.
Something so dangerous...
You should just burn it.
Did you say something?
No.
Sensei, don't play with the papers!
It's about to burn out.
Good.
And so our search of the Hakozaki mansion ended.
The strange flames that surrounded the mansion burned out without damaging it all,
likely burning only the study that no one ever got to see.
I'm glad...
About what?
I thought we'd get into more of an argument over the Book of Friends.
I don't know.
Just make sure his shady-looking smile doesn't trick you.
What do you mean?
But there's one more thing that I'm curious about...
I thought that every time I heard about someone "similar to me" it was Reiko-san.
I think I once met a man who once looked much like you, a long time ago.
My father?
No, probably...
my grandfather?
That dragon was the familiar of an exorcist.
How did he know my grandfather?
Natsume, I'm hungry!
Let's race home!
What?
Run yourself!
I'm exhausted, thanks to you!
You didn't do a thing, Sensei!
Enough!
Let's go, Natsume!
Race you to the fried shrimp!
You don't know if we're having that for dinner!
Hey, wait Sensei!
I'm back!
I found myself smiling at others, and seeing them smile in return.
Welcome back.
Did Natori-san like the jam?
Oh, yeah.
Reiko-san...
Sensei, you need to wash off your feet first!
In the memories in the Book of Friends, you were always alone, standing tall.
Nyangoro, you must be hungry.
Hey, Sensei!
Did you ever really get to exchange smiles with someone?
With the people you cared about?