Original subtitles

ORIGINAL WORK BY YUKI MIDORIKAWA

Hey, how far are we going?

It's just a bit further Mr. Natsume.

Just a bit further, just a bit further.

Just around this corner, there is a rice cake shop with a new product on sale.

Is the filling made with gold bean paste, chestnut or sweet potato?

I can't sleep at night thinking about it.

We have to investigate it, Natsume!

Hey, yay, hey!

Today, I've come to a faraway town,

having been dragged here by the chukyu yokai.

Where is the place you're looking for?

If we don't head back soon, the sun will go down.

-Don't be mad. Don't be mad! -Tokanya…

-Tokanya, tokanya… -Sorry!

Oh, it's a group of scarecrows.

Scarecrows? What are they doing here?

They're heading into the mountains.

It seems so.

As the rice harvest is over, perhaps they're no longer needed by their masters.

No longer needed? Is that really so?

-Mum-mum! -You mean, yum-yum!

Scarecrows don't move like that.

This is the street that I passed by this afternoon.

A scarecrow?

They're heading into that house.

A sickle!

What the heck happened?

I can't believe this.

Why did we have to come back here?

It felt unusual so I wanted to see it again.

If that home I saw in my dream isn't here,

it will put me at ease.

We can buy some rice cakes again.

-I will buy you two. -Fine, that'll do.

Master! Over there, that's the home I saw.

To… kan… ya.

To… kan… ya…

What is going on?

They seem to be the same scarecrows as yesterday.

They're quite a creepy bunch.

Yeah.

But it seems like this could be fun. Should we try following them?

More importantly,

‎AMASAWA

I wonder if the people in this home are okay?

Argh! Hiiragi!

So that must mean…

-Hey, Natsume. -Natori!

Here we are meeting again in this strange place.

What are you doing here?

Well… um… it's just… I saw some scarecrows.

Scarecrows?

You know, like ones with sickles.

Sickles?

So you are interfering in something again?

No, not yet. I haven't yet.

Geez…

If you are here Natori,

are you working on an exorcism?

Did something happen in that house?

It's not something I wish to discuss with a third party.

Huh…?

Oh dear.

It seems as though the owner of this home hasn't slept much of late.

They can sense something strange from inside the house.

As you can see,

this house belongs to a family who have long held power in this area.

I received a request to investigate it

from a fellow exorcist that I've had ties with for a long time.

There's a strange feeling coming from inside the house?

What about you, Natsume?

What have you seen, Natsume?

Well…

You saw ayakashi in the form of scarecrows?

Never heard of such a thing.

Could a mountain god or a raccoon dog have been playing tricks?

Did you notice anything else off?

Well, yes.

It also seemed like they were mumbling something?

The scarecrows were? What were they saying?

To… kan… ya…

It sounded like to-kan-ya.

Tokanya?

At least that is how it sounded to me.

Could tokanya refer to

the tenth night of the fall harvest festival?

I've heard of the tenth night of the fall harvest festival before but…

Wait a second. I don't think that's pronounced the same way.

I'm sure I've heard it somewhere before.

It's pronounced differently?

This is good timing. Close to here, I've a friend who can see ayakashi.

He's a bit weird but he's very knowledgeable. Let's go ask him.

Do you want to tag along, Natsume?

Is it okay if I do?

Well, at this stage I would be more worried if you went off on your own.

Will you help me?

-Sure. -Natsume! Where are my rice cakes?

I'll get them on the way home.

And that's how I got involved in

Natori's investigation into the strange flock of scarecrows.

He lives quite deep into the forest.

What is with this forest? It is so creepy.

Master…

-Are you okay, Hiiragi? -Yes.

There are a lot of barriers between worlds here.

It's just like Hakozaki's place.

The guy's name is Yorishima.

A long time ago, he was part of a family of exorcists

that could rival the great Matoba clan.

The Matoba clan?

But now he is out of the business and is holed up in the woods.

It's a waste given his talents.

Hey, exorcist.

You can't just trespass on someone's property.

What are you doing?

It's been a while, Yorishima.

So this is Yorishima?

I want nothing to do with exorcists.

Hurry off home, Natori.

Who have you brought with you?

This is a friend of mine. He can see ayakashi.

My name is Natsume.

What's up with this guy?

There is something strange about him.

Hey, kid!

Cut the chit-chat and take us to your house already!

And make sure you are prompt with the tea when you have guests.

Natori, what the heck is that creature?

Have you come here to play tricks on me?

Apologies. That chubby cat is mine.

-What? It's a cat! -That's Master Kitty Cat to you!

Natori!

I'm sorry.

It seems like we bothered you at a bad time.

The problem is you!

Drink up and get out quickly.

There is something odd about your aura.

But what is it exactly? It seems extremely powerful.

Is that round creature your shiki?

No, he's just a freeloader who sponges off me.

I'm his security guard. My name is Master Kitty Cat.

Natsume can get himself into tricky situations.

Tokanya…

If I recall correctly, tokanya

refers to a type of competition between humans and ayakashi.

When written, the characters literally mean "ten complete nights."

When ayakashi searching for a dwelling find one they like,

they challenge the owner to a competition.

It begins when the owner accepts.

The competition lasts for ten nights.

The ayakashi visit the grounds once a day, every day

and try to frighten the homeowners.

If the owners leave the home, the ayakashi win the game

and the house is theirs.

If the people can withstand the fear

and if even one person remains in the home,

then they win and the ayakashi must bring riches to them.

That's the terms of the competition.

A game between humans and ayakashi?

So those in that house we saw earlier accepted the offer of the competition?

I can't be sure.

The competition can be seen to have been accepted

if the ayakashi calls out to the homeowner

and they simply respond with a "Yes."

The usual underhanded tactics of ayakashi, huh?

Humans don't know how to refuse the offers of ayakashi.

They can accidentally come into contact and connect with them before they know it.

Can I ask one more question?

Are there ayakashi that take the form of scarecrows?

I can't explain it,

but I feel they're different from the ayakashi I see in mountains or forests.

Scarecrows…

That must be because they were created using a forbidden spell.

Humans don't know about this when they make scarecrows,

but sometimes without realizing it if someone with certain powers

inadvertently makes a scarecrow, it can become an ayakashi.

This is even more true when one's hopes and gratitude for the harvest are strong.

So that's how some forbidden spells are cast unwittingly.

Hey, why don't we play a game?

Maybe that's what happened with Reiko.

She may have just thought of a game to pass the time,

but still…

because of the strange powers she had, it bound many different spirits.

In general, souls are bound or created,

or new vessels for souls to inhabit are created.

People should never interfere with these processes.

For scarecrows who may have been made that way,

they protect the crops from animals or birds

and when they have completed their mission, they have nowhere to go

so they go into the mountains to hide.

I think that the group of scarecrows that you saw were examples of that.

They've nowhere to go… no home to go to.

Are the ayakashi pulling at your heart strings? Natori!

An uncivilized exorcist like you should not be dragging this boy along.

I know that.

Natori, you're looking more and more like that Matoba brat of late.

No, no. Natori and Matoba are totally different.

They each have their own approaches.

There are times I disagree with Natori's way of doing things.

But I think he is amazing in that

he always tries to help people, however he can.

I'm sorry.

I didn't intend to insult your friend.

No, no, I am grateful to you for teaching me so much despite coming uninvited.

Should we think about hitting the road soon?

Thank you for your hospitality.

Sorry for the intrusion.

Get out of here and don't come back.

Yeah, yeah.

But there is something strange about that kid.

I can sense so much from him, both familiar and unfamiliar.

I can't tell if he is being possessed by something strange or possesses it himself.

Yorishima,

have you ever heard of someone called Reiko?

Reiko Natsume.

Reiko Natsume?

-No. -What about the Book of Friends?

What? Never heard of it. What is that?

What are you investigating Natori?

It is something important.

So that's why it's so hard to research it.

Let's keep this chat between the two of us.

If you hear anything, let me know.

-I'm under no obligation to do that. -You're right. Bye then.

That place gave me the creeps.

Are you okay, Master?

I actually found it quite calming.

What? You never pick up on my feelings.

Yeah, sure.

But why did I feel like that? It was a strange feeling.

Sorry for keeping you waiting, Natsume.

-Now we know the reason. Shall we go? -Yes.

Oh, Natori, thank you for coming today.

We went to meet the owner of the house, Mr. Amasawa.

He was a generous man who owned lots of fields in the area.

Recently, when I take a nap or go to sleep at night, I have terrifying nightmares

where I am being chased around the house by many people.

It has made me feel scared of staying in this home.

So that's why I contacted you.

So the cause is ayakashi in the form of scarecrows?

How mysterious.

How many days has it been since this started occurring?

It began on a Friday,

so tonight will mark the ninth day.

Well a game of Tokanya ends on the tenth night.

If you can make it through tonight I believe the disturbances will end.

We are prepared to create barriers,

perform any needed exorcisms and will watch over you until it ends.

It may be old but this home is full of memories and history.

Thank you for your assistance with this.

I asked Natori to ring Touko

and tell her I needed to stay over with him as I was helping him on a job.

The two of us stayed up and watched over the Amasawa household.

It seems like it'll all be over tomorrow.

All thanks to you, Natsume.

Are you making fun of me? I haven't done anything.

No, it's just that Yorishima never speaks at such length.

He's quite an unusual guy, isn't he?

It felt both scary and nostalgic talking to him,

like speaking to an ayakashi.

You might not be wrong.

Despite how he looks, he's actually quite old.

Rumors have it that he is part ayakashi himself.

So he has some ayakashi blood in his veins?

They say that his left arm was eaten by an ayakashi,

but the following day his arm had grown back.

They say an ayakashi may have morphed into the arm and attached itself to him.

When I come in contact with people who have links with ayakashi,

all of my own worries and concerns

seem tiny by comparison.

But…

even if they are small, tough times are tough.

And there are times when I am afraid too.

I understand.

I think the traps are set.

While the competition is on, the ayakashi are considered guests.

So barriers won't be very effective.

But still, let's place one in front of the door.

Sure.

They're here!

It just turned midnight. They're so hasty.

Look!

Natsume, go check on Mr. Amasawa.

He's in the room with the veranda.

Got it.

Hiiragi! How is Mr. Amasawa?

He can't be awoken from his nightmares.

I will keep an eye on him.

You go help Natori, Natsume.

Okay, got it.

I scared off one little runt.

Thank you, Master. There are ten scarecrows in total so…

there are nine left.

Follow me, this way!

If you don't get rid of us, you won't win.

Two down.

Ouch! That hurts!

Take this!

Natori!

"Soil that lies here,

if you don't protect those who tread on you, you are but simple dirt."

"Do not allow anyone, male or female, to trample you."

"Be gone unknown ghouls!"

That makes nine. There is just one more to go.

Urihime, Sasago, how are things inside?

I don't see any intruders.

Master, can you smell anything?

How could I smell something made of straw?

There is one left.

Where is it?

Are you okay, Mr. Amasawa?

Urihime, check the back gate.

Mr. Amasawa, you can't go out there! We aren't done yet.

We still have one scarecrow left to find.

Mr. Amasawa!

Mr. Amasawa?

I'm sorry scarecrow ayakashi.

I know it's tough having nowhere to go, but this is my beloved home.

I won't give it to you.

The broom moved.

And this is how the battle between people and the ayakashi ended.

Are you okay letting them get away like that?

They may try to start another competition somewhere else with people again.

They lost.

They can't challenge anyone else until they have paid their forfeit.

What's more, they are mere puppets.

They used up a lot of energy in that skirmish.

They won't be able to do anything for a while.

It all may have been by chance

that a forbidden spell was mistakenly used as part of a prank.

BOOK OF FRIENDS

Is it the same for those scarecrows?

Thank you very much.

No need to thank us. We didn't do much.

I was surprised you knew exactly where the scarecrow was hiding.

When I was being chased around in my dream by a scary gang,

I saw a broom I had never seen before beside the gate.

I have lived a long life

but still mysterious things can occur.

I wonder what they saw in my home.

My wife has passed on and my children have flown the nest.

Our home was built on the labor of those in other fields.

If the scarecrows do bring me some riches in the future,

I will give some of them to you.

So if you can, I'd like you to free those scarecrows.

I will do whatever I can.

Can you actually do that, Natori?

I'm not sure.

I told you before.

Liberating a soul is much more difficult than breaking contracts of exorcisms.

Yes, you did say that.

I will find it one day.

Whether by the Book of Friends or whatever means,

I'll find a way to release you.

Hey, Natsume. Are you planning to just head home?

Did you forget!

You're not going home until I get my rice cakes!

And two, remember!

I don't think the store is open yet.

No… No way!

NEXT TIME

That kid is a bit strange.

I feel weird when I talk to him.

It may be a curse.

That's no good. So Kitamoto may be cursed too?

I told you, didn't I? I am not interested.

Subtitle translation by: Shane Forde