"Toilet-bound Hanako-kun"
Hanako-san said,
"I was just thinking I wanted a human assistant."
And, a week later, I was...
"Girls' Bathroom"
Hanako-san, Hanako-san,
please let me go home for today!
Nope!
...being forced to clean bathrooms.
Please! Just for today!
Nope. I've got an important job for you once you're done.
I need you to hurry up and finish cleaning.
No way.
This is the prime of my life!
Youth is short!
And I finally got my big chance!
What chance?
Fuji-kun, the coolest guy in my class, asked me out!
After school... are you free?
And a second date, too!
A rendezvous in the classroom after school.
A date?!
What are you going to do? Naughty stuff?
You really want to know? I suppose I'll have to tell you.
We're going to organize student council paperwork in an empty classroom.
And Fuji-kun is going to leave right away, even though he invited me...
He's so shy.
What are you planning to rendezvous with, Yashiro?
It's fine! I may be just a convenient woman now, but I'll work my way up!
You're certainly optimistic.
I'm pretty sure he's just using you, though.
Come on, stay with me.
I'll treat you a lot better
than that guy will.
If my choices are cleaning bathrooms with you or sorting papers alone,
I prefer the papers.
"Shock"
Fine.
I guess you miss breathing through your gills.
Come, Haku-joudai. Let's go buy fish food.
Yay! I love cleaning bathrooms.
"English Listening"
The Apollo Project was originally a project to bring a manned spacecraft onto the moon.
More toilet cleaning today...
I don't want to go.
I don't really believe things will work out with Fuji-kun.
Still, Hanako-san is the one who's just using me.
He even set a guard to watch me.
Well, I guess this was all my fault to begin with,
so I have to put up with it.
But I don't want to go!
"Ugh" But I don't want to go!
Yashiro-san!
Please read from the textbook starting on page 37.
Y-Yessir!
Huh?
It's gone! But it was just here.
No way?!
Yashiro-san?
"Apparition 2: Yousei-san"
Hey, have you heard?
Oh, I can't find it anywhere!
Could that mean...
...that "Yousei-san" took it?
Aoi.
Who's Yousei-san?
You haven't heard? It's a rumor that's going around.
"Yousei-san"
Have you ever lost something you were sure you'd been careful with,
or found something missing from its usual place just when you needed it?
That must be the work of Yousei-san.
But you must never look at Yousei-san.
If you do...
It will take your life, too.
Or so they say! It's just a rumor, though.
Oh, that's all.
Huh?
But lately...
Hey, has anyone seen my lunch?
Did you lose it?
--...a lot of people really have been losing things.
--Oh no! The sports towel Senpai lent me is gone! --...a lot of people really have been losing things.
Who took my Hanitarou?!
--What's Hanitarou? --A haniwa.
So, maybe Yousei-san really does exist.
No way.
Hey, we've got a problem!
The locker doors are gone!
Who would do this?
Don't tell me...
"Sploosh"
--Huh? --Oh no, Nene-chan!
Something suddenly knocked my hand. Sorry.
Oh, it's fine, don't...
N-Nene-chan!
Th-That was a close one!
It would be awful if anyone saw these.
I tried to get away from people and ended up at the old building.
Hey, what are you doing?
I-I should leave.
But I've got to do something about these scales first.
I need something to wipe with.
Oh!
A clean towel! Yes!
I feel bad for whoever dropped it, but I'll just borrow it and...
A lunchbox? Wasn't someone just looking for one?
Huh? That figure...
Umm, could this be Hanitarou?
Oh! That's mine!
And my broach, too!
Thank goodness.
I just don't feel right without this.
You...
O-Oh no...
You. Saw. Us.
But you must never look at Yousei-san.
If you do...
Scatter them, Haku-joudai!
You're a sucker for handsome guys and apparitions, huh, Yashiro.
Humans die so easily.
You know?
Hanako-san.
I needed him to save me again.
Ow!
Huh?
What are these?
They're Mokke.
Currently known as "Yousei-san."
They're apparitions who have lived with humans since ancient times,
committing minor thefts and pranks.
They look a lot different than before.
They're cute.
Stop.
Mokke cluster together like that and shapeshift when they attack something.
They normally aren't aggressive and don't attack humans, but...
We did not want to kill either.
But our story changed.
We could not help it.
Their "story"?
They mean rumors.
"Rumors"
Most apparitions can't go against the rumors about them.
"Rumors" Rumors humans spread get exaggerated and change over time.
"Rumors" No matter what they become, apparitions have to act accordingly.
"Rumors" Apparitions who don't match their rumors will eventually vanish from the living world.
Vanish...
Want one?
Yashiro,
would you change the rumors about the Mokke for me?
Change the rumors?
Yes.
I'm one of the Seven Wonders of this school.
I have a duty to monitor all apparitions in the school
and to maintain order between humans and apparitions.
I can't ignore murderous apparitions.
I have to eliminate them.
But...
...a human like you, Yashiro,
can change the rumors and save them.
Please.
Sorry about earlier.
Have a candy.
We have lived happily here for centuries.
We want to stay here.
Have a candy.
I know I'm asking you, Yashiro, but you were almost killed.
I won't force you if you don't--
I'll do it!
I'll change the rumors for you!
Hurrah!
You don't mind?
Nope. Seeing all the little Mokke reminds me...
...of White Inferno.
I'm sorry, what?
White Inferno! My old hamster.
"White Inferno" "Died at age 2 years 3 months" White Inferno! My old hamster.
"White Inferno" "Died at age 2 years 3 months" That's some name.
Plus, I was scared before,
but you saved me, Hanako-san.
You saved me from the mermaid, too.
Thank you, Hanako-san.
Oh, just wondering,
but is this the "important job" you wanted to ask me about once I was done cleaning?
I'd originally planned to wait a little longer.
I knew it!
Does that mean I can graduate from cleaning bathrooms?!
Not a chance.
--Oh... --Huh?
Do you hate it that much?
Not many girls are crazy about cleaning bathrooms.
That's too bad.
I look forward to it.
Doing something together after school.
Making small talk.
It's kind of like having a friend.
It's, I don't know... nostalgic.
Hanako-kun.
I'll call you Hanako-kun.
That sounds more like we're friends, doesn't it?
Have you decided what rumor to spread?
Yup! I've got it all worked out.
When you keep losing things for no reason,
it's probably the work of Yousei-san.
Huh?
Did you lose something again?
Isn't that happening a lot lately?
If it's Yousei-san, you might end up dead.
What?!
They say that if you see Yousei-san, it will take your life.
But...
--Here. --Candy?
They say you should carry them around when you're suffering from Yousei-san.
If you do that, you won't be killed, and you'll stop losing things.
--Wow. --I didn't know that.
I've got to go now.
Club activities? You seem busy lately.
Umm...
I'm going a friend's place.
What?!
"Girls' Bathroom" What?!
A friend's place?
In the bathroom?
Hey.
Do you little runts
know anyone called Hanako?
N-N-Never heard of him.
"Whoosh" N-N-Never heard of him.
"Whoosh" Hey, watch it!
Oh well. I'll just track him down myself.
Just you wait, Hanako!
I'm gonna exorcise you!
What's his deal?
Is he delusional?
Better steer clear of him.
"Mokke"
I wish a hot guy would fall out of the sky.
Yashiro.
I'm not serious.
I can tell the difference between reality and fiction.
But I'm working as an apparition's assistant, you know?
I can't help imagining a special encounter.
Special how?
Well,
like in this movie, for example.
"Nene-chan Theater"
A poor girl is held captive by an evil spirit.
"Nene-chan Theater" Before her eyes, a handsome young man falls from the sky!
"Nene-chan Theater"
He skillfully dispels the evil spirit and he and the girl are joined in love.
"Nene-chan Theater" Seriously? I'm being exorcised in that daydream.
No more dangerous ideas.
Besides, you don't need daydreams like that
when you've got me.
That's far enough!
I've finally found you, evil spirit!
I'm Kamome Academy Junior High, third year...
--Come to me, Nene. --A boy from the sky?
"Bam!" Minamoto Kou!
"Bam!" Remember that on your way to the underworld!
Wow.
Umm, do you know him, Hanako-kun?
We've never met in person,
but he must be a member of the Minamoto clan.
What's that?
Back when the darkness of night was far deeper than it is now,
we apparitions were called youkai
and we were way stronger than we are now.
"Minamoto no Yorimitsu"
The youkai were dispelled by the brilliant exorcist Minamoto no Yorimitsu,
"Minamoto no Yorimitsu" this boy's ancestor.
That's right! I see you know your stuff.
To protect people from wicked apparitions--
That's a Minamoto man's job!
So, I'm gonna exorcise you!
What?!
Get ready,
Hanako!
Exorcise me? I doubt you could pull that off.
You think so?
Too bad, Hanako!
Hanako-kun!
This is the Raiteijou, an exorcism tool passed down in the Minamoto clan for generations!
It's a sacred staff that transforms its wielder's spiritual power
into demon-slaying lightning!
You'd have to be a real moron to touch it directly!
This is the end!
--Stop! --Whoa!
Moron! Warn me before you butt in...
...like... that...
"Indignant" ...like... that...
"Indignant" Umm, and you are...?
"Indignant" Yashiro Nene, first-year high schooler!
"Indignant" I'm Hanako-kun's assistant and friend!
If you keep being mean to Hanako-kun, I'm going to get mad!
Huh? But he's a super, ultra evil apparition...
So, I, umm, have to exorcise him for the sake of the school and...
Hanako-kun isn't a bad apparition.
He even saved me!
Th-That's bull... nonsense!
He's not just any apparition.
"Hanako-san of the Bathroom" is a super, ultra wicked evil spirit
my grandma only barely managed to seal away!
Plus, he uses a kitchen knife as a weapon.
That's proof that he used it as a murder weapon when he was alive.
He took someone's life with that knife!
That can't be...
You're being tricked, Senpai!
You can't trust him!
I'm sure he's just--
The cat's out of the bag now.
Man, I wanted to keep it secret for a while longer.
Come, Haku-joudai.
It's true that I killed someone.
But God told me...
...that if I could fulfill this role,
my sins would be absolved.
So, I can't let myself get exorcised.
Sorry about that.
I've got no clue what you're talking about.
Wait!
Stay still, damn it!
Hey, doesn't your hand hurt?
You never learn!
Disappear for good this time!
What?! It's not working!
Whoa!
Take this!
How about this?
Hey, boy, I want this staff.
Give it to me and I'll let you go.
Don't take me lightly.
I'm not gonna run!
Yeah?
Fine then.
Huh?!
Got you!
Huh?
I win.
"Seal"
Now, this is dangerous, so I'd better seal it.
"Seal" Now, this is dangerous, so I'd better seal it.
What the hell do you think you're doing to my family treasure?!
"Scritch-scratch"
I can't get it off!
Take it off!
I don't want to.
More importantly...
I knew it.
You haven't mastered that staff at all.
The lightning hurts you, too.
Power beyond your ability brings nothing but destruction, boy.
N-None of your business!
I don't mind dying if it's to keep everybody safe!
Oh! Such passion!
Don't worry.
No need to rush. You'll be a great exorcist one day.
Good enough that exorcising me would be a snap.
I've got high hopes for you.
Hopes?
I'm trying to exorcise you.
But you...
Of course,
you're a weakling right now.
Hey, that was dirty.
Winner! Yay!
Is he all right?
I doubt he would have given up otherwise.
He seems tough, so he'll wake up in a bit.
About this staff... Should we hide it now while we can?
He might come back.
Are you worried about me?
O-Of course I am!
You're my friend.
I see.
You can even make friends with murderers, Yashiro.
I...
Just kidding.
That boy will be fine as he is.
--Exorcise...
--Even if he does come back, he won't be able to exorcise me. --Exorcise...
--Even if he does come back, he won't be able to exorcise me.
--Hanako...
--Plus, I welcome the excitement. --Hanako...
But then, it seems like we'll be getting even more excitement soon.
I couldn't say anything.
Even though I'm Hanako-kun's assistant and his friend...
"A handsome boy from the sky..." Even though I'm Hanako-kun's assistant and his friend...
...I don't know anything about him.
...you...
Have you heard?
Those stairs have a rule you must not break.
You must never step on the fourth stair.
If you do,
you'll be taken to the other side.
Have you heard this rumor?
The Misaki Stairs.
"Next Episode Preview"
"Tell Me, Hanako-kun: Kanji"
"Yo, ero, sun. Yo, ero, sun."
"What's that?"
"How to write your name, Yashiro." "Yashiro Nene"
"Yo"
"How to write your name, Yashiro." "Yashiro Nene" "Ero"
"How to write your name, Yashiro." "Yashiro Nene" "Sun"
"How to write your name, Yashiro." "Yashiro Nene" "Stop that!"
"Next Time" "Apparition 3: The Misaki Stairs Part 1"