The loneliest thing in the world…
[Sachiko] Only you… are going Beyond the Window.
[Emi] It might look different this time,
but the same thing that happened 400 years ago could be happening again.
I think that might be a bit of an exaggeration.
Professor Marukami…
[Professor Marukami] Let's make a deal.
We won't leave here ever again.
You hope to persuade Yoriyuki Marukami?
If persuasion is enough…
The order is reversed… I get it now.
Everything started with this.
[Professor Marukami] When the sun sets for a second time…
[♪ suspenseful music playing]
[Emi] Is this the Kasasagi flag?
A section of ground surface,
lit up by the second sunset.
[♪ pensive music playing]
The round summit of Mount Marukami
is the central circle.
[Professor Marukami] The ridge that extends
from Mount Kurone to Mount Marukami forms the shape of a human hand.
The complex terrain of the Seven Peaks
conjures up a shape resembling Kasasagi.
Aligned with light, from a singular fixed direction,
everything has been perfectly calculated.
Based on the angle and direction of the mountain slopes
and the overlapping ridgelines, and then carved into terrain
that withstands the harsh winds and snow.
[Professor Marukami] It's a vast and magnificent sculpture of the earth,
spanning several square kilometers.
Of course, it would be impossible for humans to achieve such a feat.
Then, who made it?
You could call them ancestors,
or even patron deities.
But let's assume that the Kasasagis created this terrain.
There are hardly any records left,
so I will include my own conjectures here.
I believe that 1,000 years ago,
the Kasasagis appeared in this area.
From the sky, for instance.
[♪ ambient music playing]
[Professor Marukami] How might people have reacted
upon seeing the Kasasagis?
[♪ ambient music continues]
This is the land of myriad gods.
Regardless of whether their superhuman abilities and unusual appearances
were considered good or bad,
they would surely have been deemed divine.
And the Kasasagis, having become gods,
began to visit this land regularly.
Regularly?
Several folk tales from this region mention that,
"The year a god descends upon the mountain will surely be a year of great harvest."
Now assume that this mountain refers to Mount Marukami.
Doesn't it start to resemble something like a helipad?
[Nanmaru] I see.
Which means,
the torches from the festival were like…
guide lights?
The festival began as a ceremony to welcome the gods,
and it began around the summer solstice.
[Professor Marukami] But at some point,
the Kasasagis stopped appearing altogether.
Still, people continued the festival every year.
Year after year…
For 1,000 years.
No matter how long they wait, the one they wish to meet does not appear.
Just like the Tanabata story.
The fact that they still eagerly await the Kasasagis, and even now,
continue the sacred mountain rituals,
shows that they truly worship them.
[Professor Marukami] Would you agree?
The feeling that everyone in the town, including you, must protect the mountain…
Do you think it truly stems from respect for those things?
"Those things…"
I think it's because of what you said.
"The invisible chains…
wrapped around our necks."
Chains?
The Window…
[Professor Marukami breathes heavily]
That's what…
Beyond the Window is.
Unbearable fear and loneliness.
These things were instilled in the Window Openers.
Window Openers like myself and Sachiko are compelled to wait
for the Kasasagis here on this land, as they occasionally appear in our dreams
and reach out to us.
[♪ light music playing]
[Professor Marukami] Which means
we have been chained.
Fear and loneliness…
Chained up by the Kasasagis…
1,000 years ago…
the Kasasagis spread the Ability to Reach and the fear of seeing Beyond the Window,
within the blood of the humans who lived in this land.
[Nanmaru] How did they do that?
This is just speculation…
but perhaps the Kasasagis
considered settling in this place,
or maybe it was a site for their experiments.
[Professor Marukami] Then, they tamed the creatures
that lived there as their loyal servants, and even tested whether they could be used
as material for their own breeding experiments.
[♪ ambient music playing]
Surely not…
That spoiled the wonder of the story.
[Professor Marukami] Now, ask yourself this…
Why would they carve this huge Kasasagi flag into the mountain?
Perhaps to use it as a signpost for when they arrive.
[Tagaya] Something like that?
Would those with such terrifying technology
rely on the light of sunset as a signpost?
A signpost that can't even be seen through clouds or rain?
[Tagaya mutters]
I suppose not.
I'd say the Kasasagi flag that appears here
is a test of loyalty.
A reminder to never leave this land.
To repel outside interference,
reserve the terrain, and await their arrival.
That's what the weapon known as the Ability to Reach is for.
It's what the fear instilled in the Window Openers is for.
[Lord Marukami] I will not allow any interference with this village.
[Professor Marukami] That's why,
in every era…
[protestors clamoring]
Jeez…
[Professor Murakami] The local people
have fought to protect this land.
Historic Mount Marukami Don't defile our precious land
[♪ ambient music continues]
It's hard to believe…
Professor,
will the Kasasagis never come back?
[inhales sharply]
I don't know their circumstances.
Perhaps they simply abandoned this land,
or maybe they have already perished.
Either way, it's been centuries since they last appeared.
We can't expect anything now.
[Professor Marukami inhales deeply]
Yoriyuki Marukami
must have thought the same.
[♪ ominous music playing]
[♪ theme music playing]
Land of Tanabata
[prime minister] We have given top priority
to restoring the lives of those who have been evacuated.
After careful consideration,
we have decided to lift the state of emergency in Tokyo…
Letter of Resignation
What?
[prime minister] The criminal group has not yet been arrested…
Let's talk in the meeting room, shall we?
I think there might be better work out there for me.
[prime minister] Our country, Japan,
absolutely does not tolerate acts of terrorism.
I am fully committed to resolving this situation.
I'll take care of this for now. You take some time off.
Think carefully.
[announcer] …no impact on the Japan-US summit
-scheduled to be held in Japan next month. -[breathes deeply]
Now, onto the next news.
Actors Saki Nikaido and Yugo Nakazaki have been caught having an affair.
Cafe Marukami
[Mr. Hayano sighs]
Will Yoriyuki really show?
[Mr. Hayano sighs]
We have no other option.
We must follow Professor Marukami's instructions.
[Mr. Hayano sighs]
[crickets chirping]
[Masumoto] Take a break.
A midnight snack.
[associate] Thank you.
[♪ pensive music playing]
[birds chirping]
Marukawa Town
[villager 1] Mr. Minamimaru, do you want seconds?
[Nanmaru] No, I'm fine.
[villager 2] Oh, right,
we might run out of firewood soon.
[villager 3] I'll let the next group know.
Mr. Minamimaru,
do you plan to take over after Professor Marukami?
No, I don't think so.
I see…
That's a shame.
Sorry about that.
Thanks for the meal.
[villager 4] How about some tea, Professor?
Here you go. Some tea?
-Oh, thank you. -There you are.
[Aki] Professor!
Nanmaru!
[Nanmaru] You're all here. Sachiko too!
-[Sakuragi mutters] -[villagers murmur]
-Thank you. -Sorry.
-Thank you. -[Tagaya pants]
-[Sachiko] I appreciate that. -[Emi] Thank you.
[Tagaya mutters]
-[sighs] -[Nanmaru chuckles]
Why don't you go down to the town?
Take a rest…
[mutters]
No, I'm fine.
For some reason, I feel relaxed up here.
I see.
Besides,
I was the one who said we should meet Yoriyuki first.
But do you think he will really come?
[villager 1] Is that right? Oh, yeah.
[villager 2] Thank you so much.
[laughter]
[villager 3] We'd run out of firewood.
-Thank goodness. -Thank you so much.
On the evening of the summer solstice,
you can only see the giant Kasasagi flag by looking from the sky above.
Most of the townspeople don't know about it.
[Professor Marukami] All that remains is the old lore
that tells the townspeople to protect the land.
However,
each generation of priests is taught about the flag.
[chuckles]
But I'm the only one who went to the extent
of making a model to confirm it.
If Yoriyuki Marukami, who knows about it too,
wishes to resolve the gloom in his own heart,
or free the townspeople from the chains binding them…
Or even
settle things with the Kasasagis that may or may not come,
the key is likely to be here, at Mount Marukami.
Don't you agree?
[Nanmaru] But… why are we building a bonfire every night?
It's a pretty big fire.
To let Yoriyuki know
that there are people from the village here.
[Professor Marukami] We've actually got quite a few up here.
[Nanmaru] But why?
Yoriyuki Marukami's goal…
is probably
to eradicate Mount Marukami itself.
What?
[Professor Marukami] That would settle everything.
The gloom in his heart, the Kasasagis…
The festival…
The history of a village bound in chains would end there.
[♪ pensive music playing]
Yoriyuki has taken many lives.
However, he would protect the lives of the villagers,
as he was both a lord and a priest.
In other words,
this will stop the mountain
from disappearing.
Professor, you're actually kind of scary.
[Professor Marukami scoffs]
You think so?
I mean, this makes everyone hostage.
[indistinct chattering]
-And pickled vegetables? -Thank you!
Yeah, I suppose so.
[Nanmaru] You suppose?
Also, I know I'm an outsider,
but I am technically of royal bloodline.
Even so, Yoriyuki seemed more than happy to erase me.
Right, that is a problem.
"A problem"?
[Emi] Actually,
we asked the people on duty today if we could take their place.
We want to help too.
[Professor Marukami sighs heavily]
[sighs] I see.
All right.
Then I'm counting on you all tonight.
[all] Yes, sir!
That went well.
[Tagaya] I thought he'd tell us to go home.
[Sakuragi] Yeah. I thought so too.
-However… -[Emi] I actually thought so for a second.
There are more outsiders now, making it more dangerous.
-What? -[Emi] This is like camping, isn't it?
[Tagaya mutters]
[Tagaya] We've done a lot of fieldwork before.
[Emi] True.
[crickets chirping]
[Nanmaru] This reminds me of the campfire I made back in high school.
Sachiko, do you have memories of camping with lots of people?
[Sachiko] Not really… No.
Our school didn't do that kind of thing.
[Nanmaru] I see.
Sachiko…
When all this is over…
What do you want to do?
Do you have a dream for your future?
Well, I've already found a job.
But…
one day…
I want to leave this town
and live somewhere else.
Really? That's great!
I know you can do it.
You can find a town that suits you, then rent a room.
A town that suits me?
Yeah.
Rent a room…
-Sounds nice. -It sure is!
The future is bright.
We need to maintain a positive outlook.
The future is bright?
Sachiko…
[Nanmaru] There's something I felt when I first met you.
I still feel it even now.
But I'm not sure how to describe it.
When I'm with you,
it's like there's something there.
[♪ light music playing]
Like a haze.
[distant rumbling]
The river…
Can you see it?
River?
[footsteps approaching]
[♪ suspenseful music playing]
Hello there. Where's Professor Marukami?
[footsteps approaching]
I told you to wait for Yoriyuki to arrive.
He won't come with you here.
Now get back down the mountain!
Those are strong words.
I offer my apologies if you're telling the truth.
[Professor Marukami] Meaning?
[Masumoto] I'm saying, perhaps we've been deceived.
What if,
this is all a diversion to help Yoriyuki Marukami escape?
[scoffs]
You couldn't be more wrong.
Nobody is capable of predicting what Yoriyuki Marukami will do.
I don't believe you.
[rifles click]
[Masumoto] We've hit our limit.
After reviewing the situation further,
we've come to realize just how serious the risks could be.
[scoffs]
You've come to realize? You knew the risks from the start.
But you know…
If you're concerned about people developing abilities,
you'll need to track down anyone with roots in this land,
and they could be anywhere, not just this town.
We'll pick them off one by one.
[rustling]
[♪ music intensifies]
[gun firing]
[screaming]
[thuds]
Yoriyuki…
[screams]
So what do you think?
Do you think I'm human?
Who knows? I don't care either way.
[Yoriyuki] You came here to protect humans
because the government told you to, right?
[Masumoto] Even now, do you all still not understand how this country works?
You may have your grievances,
but if you live by the rules,
you can live without worry until you die.
That's why it's done for.
Are you playing the hero,
protecting humanity all alone from a safe distance?
What we protect is not humanity.
It's the markets.
Ridiculous.
-[pops] -[grunts]
[gun fires]
[body thuds]
That makes these guys nothing but a private company.
This mountain is what you're after, isn't it?
Why must you sacrifice so many?
Professor Marukami…
I doubt someone who fled this village generations ago would understand.
On this narrow land, there are centuries of accumulated emotional unrest,
loneliness, anger, and fear.
[Professor Marukami] Did you think you were just venting those frustrations?
Is that why
you pushed innocent people Beyond the Window?
[Yoriyuki] I suddenly wondered, Professor.
Are they really the same thing?
The Beyond the Window we dream about and the spheres that appear in our hands…
What do you mean?
[Yoriyuki] I've always imagined it like a dust chute.
The end destination is probably a terrifying incinerator,
but in reality, no one has actually seen it.
I wonder if we've been making a big mistake.
What are you trying to say?
Our ancestors could have already been reaching out to us.
It's just that most people didn't develop the ability to go with them unscathed.
You mean…
[Yoriyuki scoffs]
[Yoriyuki] Just look at me. Who exactly were my ancestors?
Suppose they were inhabitants of other stars in the universe,
travel to Earth defies any human logic.
Yet we alone,
have the Ability to Reach, a different logic.
[rustling]
What if this isn't a window, but a gate?
[♪ ominous music playing]
That's why I've changed my plans.
[rustling]
Huh?
[rustling]
Right… It's hard to see in the dark.
[♪ ominous music playing]
There's nothing left for me in this world.
If they won't come to me, I'll go to them.
Stop, Yoriyuki!
You don't know yet if it's a gate.
-You'll die! -Yoriyuki…
[♪ music fades]
Take me…
Take me with you!
-What are you saying, Sachiko? -The answer…
The one I've been searching for…
The answer I could never find might be there.
In that dark world…
The one reaching out to me…
[Sachiko] It's you…
isn't it?
What you're saying makes no sense. Think about this!
Sachiko…
[Nanmaru] Do you want to die?
Because…
even if I stay here forever…
I'll just be walking through emptiness…
In that case…
How could you…
How could you think such a thing? How could you!
I've always…
been trying…
to grab that hand.
[♪ light music playing]
[♪ music stops]
[Nanmaru breathing heavily]
Minamimaru, you wouldn't understand the feelings of a Window Opener.
Quit making a fuss and getting in the way.
I don't understand them.
And I'll keep making a fuss.
I'm getting in the way because I don't like this!
Sachiko, remember what we just talked about.
What happened to leaving this town and renting a room?
Are you fine with the afterlife, if it means leaving this here?
There's so much of this world that you don't know yet.
[breathing heavily]
-That's enough. -[Nanmaru] No, it's not!
[sobs] All of you…
You don't get how big this world is!
It's so big… So big…
So big that it's a huge pain to clean!
[Nanmaru panting]
What am I saying?
Don't think you know the world,
just because of what you saw on the internet or television.
All they show is lies!
[♪ somber music playing]
[sobbing]
In this world,
even in the tiniest places that no one notices…
you can find people's thoughts,
wisdom, mistakes,
and attempts to start over.
This world is 100,
no, 1,000 times bigger than what we can see with our eyes!
Compared to that,
scary dreams, invisible chains, flashy superpowers,
they're all insignificant!
They're just a tiny part of it!
How can you
give your life to things like that?
[♪ somber music continues]
A tiny part…
I don't want you to go.
Please.
Don't go.
I know…
[breathes heavily]
I know there's something here for you!
[♪ dramatic music playing]
[rustling]
[♪ dramatic music continues]
[pops]
Minamimaru… Nanmaru, was it?
If you change your mind…
join me afterward.
[rustling]
[♪ tense music playing]
Get back! Get back!
Quickly! Run!
Sachiko!
Yoriyuki…
[rustling]
[♪ music intensifies]
[screeching]
[loud explosion]
[wind gusting]
[wind howling]
[♪ faint mellow music playing]
[Sakuragi] How's grad school, Tagaya?
I'm enjoying it, taking it easy.
[Sakuragi] Now that Professor Marukami and Professor Emi are gone,
I'm surprised you stayed.
Well, folklore is interesting.
Actually,
it's more surprising that Professor Emi left to be a housewife in the countryside.
She's not a housewife. They're not officially married.
Oh, yeah…
It's more like a professor and his assistant.
That's true.
[Aki] Sorry, I'm late.
[Tagaya] Hey.
-Thanks. -Busy with work?
[Aki] Yeah…
I'm glad I became a freelance journalist on the internet,
but I'm super busy because I'm doing it all by myself.
-[Tagaya] Mm. -[Aki chuckles]
[gasps]
[phone vibrating]
Excuse me a second.
[Aki] Hello?
-Oh, I see. -[both chuckle]
[Sato] I'll be home by six today, so I'll make dinner.
All right. See you later.
Your destination is five minutes away Accept delivery
By the way, did you hear about Marukawa town?
No.
[Sakuragi] They filled and reconstructed the mountain in no time.
[Tagaya] Really…
[Sakuragi] They sure are something.
[Tagaya] They really are.
How's Nanmaru doing?
I saw him the other day, he seems well.
He's started a non-profit organization by himself.
That's amazing!
The daft lord, who'd have thought…
-He's all grown up. -[chuckles]
So what kind of work is it?
I think he said he was running "swap markets."
[Tagaya] No money is used at all.
He's like an event organizer who holds markets all over the country
where people just swap items.
-For this? -Yeah, let's swap.
-Wouldn't that be strange? -It's not strange at all.
-Really? -Now, now.
-What's the problem? -Well…
I'm giving her a camera, but she's giving me a stuffed toy.
Aren't I losing out?
Still though, you want this toy, right?
Exactly!
You said so first!
But the value is completely different!
-Value doesn't matter. -Right!
You swap something for what you want.
If you don't want the stuffed toy enough to swap the camera,
then this deal is off.
Well…
I do want it…
but…
All right, fine then.
I'll throw in three pieces of candy, just for you.
There you are!
[customer] Well?
-[Nanmaru] Fantastic! -[laughs]
-[customer] Thank you! -Then it's a deal.
-Is that okay? -Yep.
-Thank you. -All right, shake on it.
[customers chuckle]
[Tagaya] Nanmaru talked about opening "Trash Eraser," right?
This is the opposite concept.
It's about not making trash.
[Sakuragi exclaims]
Then, he's not using his ability?
Right. He said he wasn't using it at all.
Then his face won't change, like Professor Marukami.
-[Tagaya] I guess not. -[Aki] Sorry about that.
-Welcome back. -[Sakuragi] Hey.
-[Aki] Hey. -[Tagaya] A work call?
Yeah. That's right.
Hey, there.
-[student 1] Hello. -[Nanmaru] Hey.
[Oshita] How's it going today?
[student 2] Today's been pretty hard work too.
[Oshita] It's hard now,
but just wait for this swap market idea to take hold.
-It'll get easier. -[student 2] Thanks.
Huh? Nanmaru…
Did that pimple on your head go away?
[Nanmaru] Oh, that thing…
It just disappeared once I left it alone.
I see.
[cuckoo clock hooting]
[student 2] Hang on.
Nanmaru, isn't it today?
Oh, right.
I'll be off then.
-Good work today. -You too.
-See you. -Bye.
-See you. -[Oshita] Take care.
[train rumbling]
[♪ calm music playing]
[Emi] Are you still up to something, Priest?
[Professor Marukami] What's that? [chuckles]
[sniffles]
Well, tonight is the festival, you see.
[chuckles]
[sighs]
[muffled drum beat]
[Emi] Still, the festival continues to be held.
In the hope that…
someone will come to meet us from beyond the Milky Way.
[Nanmaru] Sachiko!
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Not at all. I just got here.
Right…
[chuckles]
Hmm?
Welcome.
[Nanmaru] Thanks.
[both chuckle]
[♪ theme music playing]
[♪ closing theme music playing]
Translated by Zak