Asumu
Please sit in a well-lit room, at a comfortable distance, when watching.
I, Adachi Asumu, am a third year middle school student living in downtown Tokyo.
After I met Hibiki, a man who transforms into an Oni, something changed.
One day, I followed a man with the same sort of air as Hibiki, and it led to...
Yo.
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Volume Five
Melting Sea
Meetings are so strange, you know~
Know... no... no... no...
No one expects another quite so soon~
That girl from before...
You mean Mochida?
Yeah... Mochida... what was her first name, again?
Hitomi. Mochida Hitomi.
Hitomi, right.
Girlfriend?
Huh?
Well, she's your girlfriend, right?
Nah, she's just a classmate.
What, you're embarrassed?
Not at all.
Really?
Really.
Right, right.
So, she said she had to get to cram school...
Shouldn't you go, too?
I don't have it on Wednesdays.
I see. That makes sense.
So, third year of middle school, huh?
You must be studying like crazy for your entrance exams.
Pretty much.
Which are you taking?
Jounan.
Jounan!
Never heard of it.
Sorry, I don't really know anything about that kinda stuff...
You're thinking "then don't ask!", right?
No, well...
Sorry you ended up seeing such an outrageous thing at a crucial time like this.
Y'know, at the time,
I thought that was the best way to handle things.
It's okay.
Really?
Yeah.
Anyway, I'm glad I got to see you again.
I'm happy you'd say that!
I've... been having a lot of negative thoughts about the test and other things, so...
I figured I wouldn't see you again...
Yeah...
But now that I have,
I feel like I can give it my all again.
That so?
I'll be praying for you to get into Jounan!
I'm going to train hard.
Good.
See ya around.
Hibiki
Asumu
Huh? I guess it's like...
...running into me so suddenly threw him off his game?
Yeah, that might be it.
Still, it really seemed like he'd been discovered on a hot date and had no clue what to do!
You must be glad you got to talk with him.
I guess.
You should go see him every now and then to relax.
I think I'll wait until I pass my exam.
Why?
You should go anyway.
I mean, I wanna be all "I got in!" when I go, y'know?
Oh, really?
Yeah.
I've decided I'll follow my own path until the exam is over.
You're trying strangely hard to seem cool.
I'm not really trying to be cool, though.
Well, whatever. If that's how it's going to be,
then maybe I'll go see him occasionally instead!
What's with that?
Alright! All done, all done!
Here we go! A dish to boost those brain cells!
Eat up, eat up!
Training
Takeshi - Kanto Branch shift schedule, February 2005
Hmm... this schedule's pretty tight.
I heard that the meeting in Yoshino took so long because they were adjusting it, though...
I think it'll be rough on everyone out in the field, but we made it this tight to cover all our bases.
But to suddenly shift from three-week intervals to weekly...
Are you guys gonna be alright?
Well, it'll be rough, but what can you do?
I mean, monsters have been appearing a lot more frequently recently.
The fact that there are far fewer aspiring Oni these days is our fault as their support,
and yet you're the ones most burdened by it. I'm sorry.
Y'know, boss, if you say that,
the conversation will shift to why I don't have an apprentice.
Let's just drop it. I'll work hard.
Okay?
Sure.
This might hurt a bit.
This might burn a bit.
Melt
Ah! I've had that sweet potato dessert before!
The Funawa Sweets Shop one?
That's not Funawa.
It says they're from Imocho... whatever that is.
Say, Adachi, did you end up going to that Tachibana place again?
Nope. Did you?
Yup. I went recently, and that Hibiki guy was there.
I see... did you guys talk?
We did!
He's kinda different from normal adults, y'know?
How should I put this...? He just doesn't seem like a middle-aged guy.
There's this strange air about him.
But it's strange in a good way.
Right! Definitely in a good way.
Like how talking with him is really calming.
Exactly! And like how he gives you advice on stuff you're worried about.
You're that worried about something, Mochida?
Hm? Oh, no, I don't have any real worries...
Just that cheerleading thing I mentioned recently,
and wanting to buy a new CD player, but not having the money for it...
Stuff like that.
Ah, so that's it.
Finally done...
She's talking with Matsui now, but you're next, right, Asumu?
Yup. So, what'd Ayaya say?
Er, well, she was pretty positive and sorta encouraging...
Oh, really?
Well, I'm pretty confident myself.
That so?
Oh me, oh my.
Oh me, oh my!
Yes?
Ooh... looking good...!
You're a lifesaver. The schedule's getting really tight.
There's no such thing as too much disk maintenance.
Okay, I'll leave it to you.
What a hottie...
Got it. Okay, thanks.
Need something?
Ah! No...
You're just so cool.
Thanks.
Another one who looks just like my estranged husband...
Alright! I'll do my best!
Ah, my meat bun's all squished...
Hmm... Adachi...
I see you've been working hard.
Yes.
Though... you could afford to do a bit better in math and science.
There's no telling what will show up on the actual exam.
Especially since you only have one shot.
If you don't make it, you'll be in a bad spot.
Even a little carelessness could cause you to fail.
I mean, Jounan's the only exam you're taking,
so you need to be absolutely sure you're ready for it.
Mochida, Katsunori, and the others aiming for Jounan are all working very hard.
You need to put in just as much effort, Adachi.
Right...
Asumu!
How'd your talk with the teacher go?
You a shoo-in for Jounan?
I might be in trouble.
What're you gonna do if you are?
You totally should've applied to Jouhoku with me.
Not like I really care, though.
Even if you end up being the only one taking the Jounan exam who doesn't get in...
...it's 'cause you aimed way too high.
Well, it was your decision, so you've just gotta go with it.
Hey, Suzuki Mikako!
What is it?
You got a letter of recommendation from the vice principal, right?
Way to go!
Man, I should've applied to Hinode, too.
"Unsettled middle school students..."
"Anxiety over their uncertain futures..."
"Anxiety about school."
Come to think of it...
Yeah?
That boy who followed me here recently...
Yeah...
He said he was taking his entrance exam, didn't he?
Uh, for J... Jounan, if I remember right.
Is that so?
Yeah... oh! He said it's at the end of the month.
Oh? That's right around the corner.
It must feel like he's nearing the finish line.
I liked the look in that boy's eyes.
Yeah... he seems like an honest kid.
I hope he passes.
Yeah, I hope so too.
Seeing Oni and monsters must have been rough on him, though.
You think he'll come by again?
He said he'd come to give me the results.
Oho! He must be quite confident, then.
He seemed pretty fired up.
Well, until he takes the exam,
he probably won't have any free time to stop by.
Zanki's been defeated by a Makamou!
Alright, let's get this straight.
The enemy is a Bakegani so big it even attacks boats.
Zanki defeated the Douji, but the Hime is still at large.
She's pretty cute, for a bad guy.
Originally, crabs were mainly defeated by blade-wielders like Zanki,
but based on the schedule, there aren't any string-users available right now, so...
So...
So I'll step in, even though I have no experience with crabs.
I'll leave that to you.
What else?
Well, it's not that unusual to see crabs this time of year...
That's true, but...
For it to be like this, it must be growing unusually fast, just like the other guys recently.
Looks like that's a trend lately.
Indeed. We'll discuss that by phone later.
Got it.
The new crab disk animal should be useful on this one.
Alright, how about you two head out?
Right.
Yeah. Yeah... got it.
Okay. I'll figure something out.
Anyway, tell him to take care of himself.
Good luck to you too, Todayama. Bye.
Well?
Zanki is seriously injured.
...I see.
This monster seems like the type to return to its nest.
For now, we'll start in the area where Zanki tracked them down,
and search around there for the crab's nest.
Roger.
This is your first time facing a Bakegani, right?
Yeah.
Honestly, I'm so anxious that my butterflies have butterflies.
But, it's not like I have a choice.
This is how things turned out.
I guess so.
That's reality for you. There's just no helping it.
Yeah.
Don't just say "yeah." Times like these call for...
Huh? ...Eh? Umm... uhh...
This reality thing... is always really rough~
Thanks.
The heck?
This reality thing is always really rough~!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...
Those are some splendid pincers.
If any more Oni come to visit,
use those to deal with them.
Those giant pincers are their specialty, right?
Yup. Basically, it's a bad matchup for a taiko drummer like me.
But I'll give it a shot!
I wish you'd let the youngsters see more of just how heroic a middle-aged guy can be.
C'mon, I'm not that old.
But you're already a role model for the youngsters, being 31 and all.
I guess so.
I mean, Ibuki is younger than you, and yet...
Well, he's good at that sorta stuff, and a real by-the-book person, y'know?
I guess he was just born lucky.
I'm more of an outlaw... a "lone wolf" type.
I don't think you're supposed to say that about yourself.
Really?
Then how about "lone ranger"? That's tough and cool, right?
You're actually useless as a role model after all.
Here.
Alright, be careful out there.
I'm off.
I'm counting on you!
This way, Oni...
Follow the sound of my clapping hands...
Alright.
Huge, aren't ya?
What?
Melting Sea
It is as if you are wholly transparent
As if everything is passing through you
Is that not how it feels?
Boy! If you are going to journey...
Then you must have clear skies in your heart!
Hit the beat! Keep your beat!
Seek out the places that move your heart!
Hit the beat! Keep your beat!
Find what no one else can do!
That is your resonance!
Even if you're told to make a firm decision about your future,
it's still difficult to do so at your age.
You're Takeshi, right?
I thought I'd also try doing some training...
If you haven't trained enough, just train more.
Volume Six: Beating Soul.
Volume Six
Beating Soul