A countless number of amulets, a suspicious vase,
and...
Gross! Oh god, it reeks!
A black liquid that reeks of rotten meat,
a haggardly man's wailing, and Mizuho in a shrine maiden's outfit!
Ritsukooo!
How am I supposed to describe all this on the radio?
Hey, Miss Minare. Are you there?
Hello, Nakahara? It's me, it's me. Do you have a minute?
Hey, remember what you said earlier? Could I take you up on that?
Yeah, that's it!
Ritsukoooo!
Huh? Wait, hold on, I'll text you.
Come to that guy's place where we dropped off the salmon
and wait until I signal you to come in.
Do you own a stun gun? Bring it if you do.
Forgive me! Ritsuko!
I've seen that pose in The First Step .
Mr. Oki, please stay with us.
Could you tell us what happened with the woman named Ritsuko?
We're good to go.
Okay.
All right.
Huh?
Ritsuko is...
"Episode 7: I Want to Cry"
Ritsuko Azohara is a woman I met when I lived in Tokyo.
She's a third generation Slavic woman who loves manga and hot springs.
We met on a Dogashima hot springs bus tour.
As the young ones among the group, we naturally started to chat.
Eventually, we went off on our own to check out the hot springs.
Oh, what a wonderful start to a romance!
Well, I don't know about romance...
Because, you know...
We never crossed that line...
Actually, everything started from that fact.
So you're saying you wanted to cross that line.
I confessed my feelings for her a year after we met.
I'm flattered...
Let's go to a secluded, open-air, co-ed hot springs... Just the two of us.
And there...
How romantic!
That sounds fishy, and plus you'd be a nuisance to other customers.
So, then...
We chose the hot springs by throwing a dart on the map while holding each other's hands.
Just hearing about it makes me wanna vomit...
"Yamagata Prefecture"
It's Zao.
The open-air co-ed hot springs in Zao is...
"Kamoshika Hot Springs"
"Mount Zao Okama (Five Color Pond)"
Kamoshika hot springs.
Kamoshika hot springs is such a cute name.
I don't know if it's cute...
But what I do know is that it's a very secluded hot springs.
From the Zao Echo Line's Sainokawara parking lot,
we walked off the beaten path for an hour and a half.
We were headed for an open-air hot springs located halfway up the cliff
where we were at risk of falling rocks.
It's a great nature setting that rejects all humanity!
It's the perfect spot for lovemaking under the stars.
You would think so.
But despite its location, people still make it out there during tourist season.
So that's why...
Ah... In order to secure...
...a completely secluded hot springs...
We chose to go in the winter when there're no tourists.
We also chose a windless day so the volcanic gases would accumulate better.
We did all that to avoid encountering anyone.
I see. So you carefully concocted a situation that screams out disaster.
That was the first time I laid eyes on...
...Ritsuko's beautiful body...
Our fingers intertwined...
And our lips drew closer...
And then...
My memory draws a blank beyond that moment.
You can absolutely blame the gas for that.
When I came to,
I was rescued and resting at a house nearby Gaga hot springs.
What happened to the woman who was with me...?
Huh? We only found you.
Boy, what a sight. We found you on the ground butt naked.
Even when spring came around, they couldn't find Ritsuko's body.
She must be wandering around Zao somewhere right now, as we speak.
I haven't been able to retrieve my heart from the mountains, either,
ever since that winter...
Excuse me.
I've got a question for you.
Yes.
According to the fax you sent to Moiwayama Radio, it clearly says that she died.
Does this mean you're sure that she is, deep down?
That Miss Ritsuko's dead?
I was completely distraught when I wrote that, to be honest.
But, well, I don't know...
When I try to think, my head just...
This room has the same layout as mine, right?
Mr. Oki, do you have a flashlight?
Oh... Um... Where did I put it?
Oh, Miss Minare. I brought one.
I brought it just in case--since it was a nighttime investigation.
What are you doing?
Mr. Oki, I have no idea why you came to me for help after listening to my program...
I'm borrowing this, by the way.
But since I've never been to the spirit world, I tend to come up with realistic solutions
before I think about how to return from that world.
Ah!
Here it is. Miss Minare, please be careful.
You bet! Don't worry.
Just checking if it works.
This reminds me of a scene from The Grudge .
There's typically a feint at first...
They don't just come out like that...
Whoa! It's there!
What did you see? A ghost? A zombie?!
A specter? An evil spirit?!
What? Um... A fly...
Oh...
A fly?
A fly.
Let's see... It goes that way over there...
So I go this way...
Agh... Oh, huh?!
I need to focus or else I'll lose consciousness from this stench!
And... What's with this ridiculous swarm of flies?
Is this a bug disaster movie from the 70's?
And let's be real. This isn't a situation where a young maiden can keep her sanity, right?
Ah! Let's move!
Ahhh! I'm not giving up!
It's easy to tell where she is.
Ah! Whoa!
It reeks!
Shoot! My 3,980-yen Onmyoji costume from the discount store!
They don't sell such a thing!
Huh? This sound...
I heard it right before the spoiled juices dripped down.
So basically...
Things are not as scary as they seem.
This is the sound of the upper tenant using the shower or hot water supply.
So this leak is the reason for water getting everywhere.
Huh?
From what I can see, this water's clear.
What makes this water spoil...?
Huh?
Dammit...
One... Two, three, four, five, six...
That's enough to bag up a petit woman's body...
Huh?
"Go inside and hold down the guy.
I think the door is unlocked. He might take Mizuho hostage.
If that happens, say, 'Dammit, you coward.'
That'll be my signal to break through the ceiling"...
Ah...
Dammit! Is this a divine calling for me to switch to journalism?
Yes, this is the Sapporo Kita Police.
Hey! Who the hell are you?
All right, just calm down.
Um, I'd like to report that a rotting body was found...
S-Stop!
What should I do?
This is the main office. Please respond.
I didn't kill anyone... It wasn't me... I didn't kill anyone...
It wasn't me.
I climbed into the attic from the room's ceiling.
In that outfit?
Yes, in this outfit.
It wasn't me.
I didn't kill anyone...
Evil was destroyed...
Wait, evil...? Was he an evil man...?
Do I even have the right to judge him like that?
If justice can settle a tragedy caused by trouble between lovers,
what a wretched world this is.
His crime...
...will be detailed by the police soon.
Morning.
Good morning.
Morning.
Autumn is already here. How is everyone doing?
Last night, since I had an urge, I watched the uncut version of In the Realm of the Senses .
Sada Abe said, "I have no doubt other women have thought of doing what I did.
They just don't do it." I think I've come to understand her words now.
Sada Abe cut off her lover's genitals while making love.
Can you call that love?
I heard you had quite a night last night.
I'll say...
There was a dark abyss, a ridiculous swarm of flies, spoiled black water,
an indescribable stench... It was too much.
Lovecraft?
During the police investigation, one of the officers stopped by.
They told me it's most likely a mutilated body, but it's too far decomposed now...
Oh, no.
But, according to what you said, Miss Minare,
they were a tad strange but a happy couple nonetheless, right?
Why would he kill his lover?
Oh, come on, Acting Manager. You lack the imagination and the pheromones.
Pheromones...
The crucial fact was how the woman was of Slavic descent.
What does that have to do with anything? Plus, you never told me that until now.
So, it turns out...
...she was a spy sent by the Russian foreign intelligence agency.
Of course, getting close to Mr. Oki was part of her plan.
There's always a reason behind a woman who's with a desperate man.
That's harsh.
But actually, Mr. Oki already had his suspicion.
That's why he was so bold to take her to a secluded area
to question her without anyone listening.
Ritsuko.
I need to ask you... Um...
Who are you?
What do you mean?
I'm...
I've checked the public housing you said you grew up in,
and the junior high school you said you attended...
I've looked everywhere, but a girl named Ritsuko Azohara never existed...
Explain this to me.
I'm ready to accept whatever you tell me.
With all this gas, by night--
Before he could finish, she was already pointing a gun at him.
She was trained to kill if she was ever suspected.
But after all, either her emotional attachment prevented her from pulling the trigger...
...or the gas made her too woozy to function...
That remains a mystery...
But before she could pull the trigger, Mr. Oki bashed her head with a rock.
If he can manage to do that, that guy's got serial killer-like characteristics, too.
Well, I'm impressed with the police. They figured all of that out over night?
Of course not!
I was just saying it'd be romantic if that were the case. It's like a Greek tragedy.
How exactly?
Oh.
Hello?
Oh, yes. Thank you for last night.
Yes...
Right now?! That's a bit...
Yes, 3:30 PM would be better...
Oh, is that okay? Great, I'll be there then.
Was that Mr. Mato?
No, that was the Sapporo Kita Police.
They wanted to confirm something with me.
I'm going over there after the lunch shift.
I wonder what they're going to ask.
They'll probably ask about my physical relationship with Mr. Oki.
What?!
Well, you know. Depending on that, I could become a suspect, too.
You sound kind of excited.
Excuse me. I've got a question for you.
Yes.
According to the fax you sent to Moiwayama Radio, it clearly says that she died.
The sound's really muffled.
Does this mean you're sure that she is, deep down? That Miss Ritsuko's dead?
It won't be usable unless it's heavily processed.
I'm sorry. I should've told her to take the recorder out of her pocket.
Whoa!
Should we use the sound from the camcorder?
I'm sure we can pull it off without it. You both must have a lot to say about what happened.
You have no idea how crazy it was!
The smell wouldn't come off, so I ended up taking three showers!
It's hard to say this when there's a victim...
But this could potentially be used as advertising material for the program.
Oh?
Right now, Wave, Listen to Me! is being advertised on the station's homepage.
But even avid radio listeners rarely access the station's website.
It's a whole other story if it's advertised on the waves.
News Pickup! It's time for the nine o'clock news.
Regarding the body-dumping incident mentioned earlier,
An incident occurred at an apartment in Sapporo around 11 PM last night.
the body was actually discovered by an MRS personality.
Oh, I see.
The news will air six times until the next broadcast.
And if we can get some follow-up news as well, we can expect quite the--
Huh? Hey, look who's here.
Ugh...
Huh?
Ah, I forgot all about it.
Odori Park's Zombie Walk started today, didn't it?
Pretty sure that doesn't start for a while...
In the end, what Miss Minare and I experienced that night
never made it on the news as a body-abandoning murder case,
or on the front page of the national press.
"Local News: Could it be a body-abandoning murder case?! An unexpected truth..."
It only made it on a little blurb on a local news website
"1: Chinghis Khan: What...?" "2: Anonymous: Typical woman."
and was mentioned in a thread on an online forum.
And then...
On the day of recording the second broadcast of Wave, Listen to Me!...
Minare Koda's Wave, Listen to Me!
It's the dead of night at 3:30 AM.
I question everyone who's tuned in right now. What are you expecting to hear?
How do you do? I'm Minare Koda, a new personality at MRS.
So, actually... This isn't my first time on air, technically... Um, well...
So, before we get into talking about
She's inarticulate today.
the program's concept and what I'll be doing for future segments...
I must first apologize to a certain gentleman
and the people who got involved in an incident I caused.
So... As was mentioned on the web version of Hokkaido News,
some of you might know about this already...
About the lumps of meat found in the attic last night...
Turns out, it wasn't a human body.
What?
What?!
Since it was cut into pieces and decomposed,
we didn't realize it until we sent it to the coroner's...
Long story short, it was processed mutton meat.
So there is no case.
O-Oh...
And, another thing.
Following your report, we went through Mr. Shinji Oki's room to recover the meat
and recklessly arrested him.
"Minare Koda" "Female College Student" "Vacant Room" "Shinji Oki"
But when the manager of the building showed us the layout later,
we figured out that the meat was located right under your room.
So I suspect this is what actually happened...
When I moved from my hometown of Kushiro to Sapporo,
my parents sent me with 50 kg of bone-in mutton and jars of fruit wine.
Since all of that was impossible to store in the fridge,
I put them in the storage space under the floor as a temporary measure
and completely forgot about their existence.
Eventually, the storage space gave in to the weight
and the food started to rot in between the floors.
And whenever the neighbor across took a bath,
the water would leak and carry the rotten juices which turned it black.
And that's how it oozed out in various spots of the lower floor.
Whether this was my fault or the management who failed to maintain the building...
I'd say I'm on the innocent side of the spectrum.
Innocent...?
You're completely guilty.
Agreed.
So... that's what happened...
And although we're equally at fault...
I jumped the gun and deemed an innocent man a murderer and called the police.
Because of that, four police cars showed up and caused a troubling scene for my neighbors.
And for that, I'd like to take this moment to apologize. I'm truly sorry.
So, uh, anyway... I know I mentioned murder and aliens last time...
But at this very moment, reality seems
even more bizarre to me.
Well, on that note, let's turn things around.
It's time for our regular missing person segment, Listen, On the Wave!
Regular segment?
Was that in the script?
No, it's not. It only says "Talk about that night" on the cue sheet, too.
Our first missing person is Ritsuko Azohara.
And anyway, why do a missing persons segment during a dead-of-night program
She's a 22-year-old third generation Slavic woman.
with only a few listeners?
She's about 157 cm tall and went missing
in the middle of January last year in Shibata-gun, Miyagi.
It's nearby Zao hot springs village.
"What do you think?"
If you know anyone who fits this description, please contact this radio program.
You can contact us by e-mail, fax, postcard, or mail. Whatever suits you.
"Fine, I'll drop the charges."
"Relief..."
So... Today's the first official broadcast of Minare Koda's Wave, Listen to Me!
This program is for people who've caused countless troubles for others.
Those who hurt someone precious to them, those who consistently choose the wrong path...
But don't want their life to go to waste!
"I just want to redeem myself"! For all you hopeless cases who think like that,
I want this program to be for you!
She did mention she wanted to make this program "fluffy as a towel," right?
Since I can't stop crying, I think I'm gonna go now.
I'm sure everyone's made mistakes like I have. Although, I think my case was a bit extreme.
Yes, but it seems like Miss Minare's slowly being strangled by a silk thread.
Well, she's the one doing the strangling, too.
But the point is, everyone, please don't give up on recovering from that trauma!
See you next time!
We're sponsored by...
Whoops, there aren't any sponsors.
"Next Episode"
"Preview"
Hello, Dad?
Minare, why are you calling this late at night?
Well, I don't know why I didn't ask you this earlier...
But what does my name, "Minare," mean?
The day has come to finally tell you.
What, is there some deep meaning behind it?
Say the syllables backwards.
Renami.
Take out the "na."
Remi.
There, that's the truth.
That makes no sense!
Next, on Wave, Listen to Me!
"I Can't Tell You Over the Phone."
"Illustrated by Hiroaki Samura"
"See you next time!"