Original subtitles

"Mushi-shi"

"A Sea Of Writings"

Oh... It's you, Ginko.

Hi.

How's work?

The same.

How's Tanyu been?

Like you, the same.

She was writing for some time, so she's resting right now.

Here to view the archives again today, right?

Yeah.

Wait there.

What would you like to read?

I've read most of the past generations' works, so...

Then you're at Miss Tanyu's generation...

It starts from that shelf.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

Oh, and give me that thing... your cigar.

I'm not going to smoke in here.

I can never be too sure.

These are not merely guides to sealing away mushi.

You haven't forgotten that, have you?

I realize that.

Indeed...

these are indisputably secret documents.

Not only for their contents,

but more so for their raison d'etre...

"Forward: Circumstances regarding the birth of

Tanyu, fourth-generation scribe of the Karibusa family.

Recorded by Tama Minai, mushi-shi to the Karibusa family."

This is...

There is no mistake.

The black birthmark... She is the fourth-generation scribe.

Miss Tanyu.

Please return to your room.

No!

I want to play outside like the others.

Why is studying how to read and write all I ever do?

Why won't this leg move?

Yes, you're right...

You are old enough now to understand, Miss.

I will tell you... everything.

That birthmark on your right leg is a remnant of mushi sealed away inside you.

My mushi-shi ancestor sealed the forbidden mushi in your ancestor's body.

Forbidden?

Yes.

By nature, flora and fauna are in harmony with mushi.

Where flora and fauna flourish, so do mushi.

Where they die off, the mushi do, as well.

But once upon a time, as flora, fauna and mushi were dying

following a terrible natural catastrophe,

a different sort of mushi appeared... One that attempted to erase all other life.

What was that mushi like?

No records have ever been found of its shape or form,

or even how it was sealed inside her body...

The story passed down in my family is that your ancestor was pregnant

when the mushi was sealed inside of her,

causing her entire body to turn coal black...

The mushi continued to live inside her body,

but she died after giving birth.

Since then, once in several generations of the Karibusa family,

a child is born with a coal-black birthmark.

You mean it's still alive in here?

Am I going to die soon, too?!

I'm here to keep that from happening!

You should have the power to put the mushi to sleep for good.

I will help you do it.

When you have gotten a little better at reading and writing,

we will move to the country house.

There, we will bury the forbidden mushi underground forever.

Then, your black birthmark will disappear and you will be able to walk.

Three of your ancestors put the mushi to sleep that way little by little.

We're here, Miss.

That was a dream of long ago...

The way to put mushi to sleep that Tama told me of later on was surprising.

Please write down everything I am about to tell you later.

All of Tama's stories were about how she defeated mushi as a mushi-shi.

They seemed like fantasy, but they were all true.

She described major roundups with dramatic flair

and told sad stories by dim lantern light...

They were stories of faraway places and unfamiliar people...

Every one of them always fascinated me.

But, when I wrote them down, an intense pain ran through my birthmark.

Are the mushi leaving my body right now?

That's right.

The fact that I have defeated many mushi is a curse to the forbidden one.

I realize it's painful, but please bear it...

Tama...

All because of me,

you were forced to become a mushi-shi, weren't you?

There must've been difficult times... You must've begrudged your fate for that...

Those feelings disappeared the first time I met you, Miss.

Now, I am grateful.

Tell me the rest of the story.

Will you be all right?

Yes, I'll be fine.

How hard Tama was trying to ease my pain...

It wasn't until later on, when she ran out of stories

and began inviting other mushi-shi to tell theirs, that I realized it...

And in order to wipe out the vermin mushi, I used its natural enemy...

this mushi here... and released huge numbers of them in the mountains.

In less than a month, you could not even find a vermin mushi.

Afterwards, of course, I destroyed these mushi, as well.

We can't have too many of them around...

I knew how to get rid of them...

Every one of the stories I heard was about killing...

The pain in my leg was joined by a pain in my heart...

Killing brought on by arrogance toward tiny, lower life forms

and by unfounded fears of things different than themselves...

It was something I sensed very strongly.

There may be a way without killing them, you say?

With all due respect,

that is something only one who has actually faced mushi should say...

He was right, of course.

But there was nothing I could do about it.

If only I could use this leg...

Excuse me...

Might you be the daughter of the Karibusa family?

I am.

I thought you might be since there aren't any other houses around here.

Oh, so this is the black birthmark I've heard about?

Are you a mushi-shi, too?

You're collecting stories about mushi, right?

I understand if I cooperate, I can peruse the Karibusa archives.

I'm sorry, but please leave.

I've heard enough about killing mushi.

Then, I'll tell you stories about not killing them...

Yeah, I happen to have many more of those.

But those won't be of use...

Let me start with a story about the mushi that eat moles...

Moles?

Hm? You were about to say?

No, nothing...

Tell me your stories about mushi...

Actually, you need Tama's permission first.

But Tama probably wouldn't want to hire a mushi-shi like you...

so this is an exception.

Incredible...

Be very careful how you handle the documents.

There are mushi lying dormant in those character strings.

Yeah, I've heard.

The forbidden mushi, right? It won't kill me that easily.

At any rate, this is quite a treasure for mushi-shi.

Yes, it is... But everything in here is a record of death.

I want to hear more stories of animals and mushi living together.

I'll somehow convince Tama.

So will you come and talk with me?

It'd be my pleasure.

Miss? Oh, you're already awake.

Yes.

Ginko is here.

Bring him right away.

Huh? What's this?!

Bookworm eggs...

Uh-oh... Here... and here, too!

The character strings are beginning to come apart...

Is it... happening?!

Ginko...

Otama-san! The bookworms are starting to eat the paper!

The seal is gonna break!

Oh no!

Miss Tanyu!

What's the matter?

The seal is partially broken! They're heading your way!

This is trouble...

Not to worry. They can't leave this room.

Still alive, huh?

Yes... It's hard to believe that they had been dormant for centuries...

No, I was talking about you, Ginko.

You don't seem fazed... Can you return these things to the way they were?

I know a few mushi control methods as well, you know.

Tama.

Here you go.

The character strings have stopped moving...

The walls and ceiling of this room are covered with a special paste.

Volume 1853, chapter one.

Chapter two.

You memorized the entire contents?

Whether there are bookworms or not, paper will eventually deteriorate.

I need to copy the text from time to time like this.

But just copying it in a normal way doesn't seal the mushi.

This is the way of copying passed down in my family.

Those bookworms are Miss Tanyu's pets.

They're sort of cute.

Don't you think they've proliferated a bit too much?

It's okay... as long as I make copies in a proper way like this.

Such a dangerous pastime...

I won't make mistakes...

since this is, after all, my job.

There is a young woman who lives in a sea of writings as if she's drowning in it.

So is that "case closed"?

Any other stories?

Hmm...

Let's call it a day.

We can still continue.

Less than half of what you told me is useful for sealing away mushi.

You had a hard day yesterday and you must be tired. Don't overdo it.

All right...

Ginko, stay there until I finish, okay?

Sure.

There is a young woman ravaged by mushi, who loves mushi while sealing them away.

Is she done?

Yes, please prepare her bedding.

Ginko...

I'll be fine without rest...

I want to go outside instead. Will you take me there?

When will I ever be able to use this leg?

Don't rush it. The birthmark is gradually getting smaller, isn't it?

Yes, though little by little.

If I can't get rid of it before I die,

my descendents will inherit the birthmark...

Just as it's always been...

It may not happen in my lifetime, either...

What will you do if your leg heals?

I want to travel with you.

To see the mushi you told me about... Just a thought...

Even in the best case, I'll be an old lady by then.

Hmm...

I was just kidding.

Let's do it. That is, if... I'm still alive and well at that time.

You have to stay alive.

You never know... I might be eaten by a mushi tomorrow.

You still have stay alive.

That's asking a lot.

You'll manage somehow.

"A Sea Of Writings"

"A Sea Of Writings" "Cotton Spore"

"Cotton Spore" "Cotton Spore"

"Cotton Spore"