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PRIVATE LAND, KEEP OUT TRESPASSING FORBIDDEN
KEEP OUT, DANGER ZONE
KEEP OUT
DANGER
Don't look at me like that.
You're ruining your beauty.
Come on, crack a smile.
You look the best with a smile.
Hey, at least say, "Thanks for the meal."
Huh?
Um...
APRIL 30TH
No, but could it be?
Although she's a mere shadow of her former self, a remnant, she's a proud vampire.
This girl!
There's no way she'd have her eyes more on the donuts.
Don't ruin my dream!
A-Are you okay?
Oh yeah.
DONUTS
GOLDEN CHOCOLATE
ONE BITE
TWO BITES
THREE BITES
FINISHED IN THREE BITES
Sit!
PURPLE SCENE
FRENCH CRULLER
+
NAPKIN
PUT DOWN
Paw.
Well then...
Eat...
But this is something I originally brought for Oshino.
I feel the pressure.
TIME PASSES
Well, I feel like I'm being crushed more by the guilt.
The reason why this vampire girl is living like this is definitely because of me.
She hasn't spoken a word since spring break.
She used to smile all the time, but now she only shows a sulking face.
When you think about what she's done and has been doing, sympathy is natural.
Though I know it's not natural to give her sympathy as a human.
I get it. I'll give them all to you.
Now turn three times and say "woof!"
I guess she won't talk, so she won't say it.
Eat...
It's great! This round food is super good!
It's totally a jewelry box filled with sweet rings!
Did you just speak?
Just a hallucination...
What are you doing, Araragi?
Araragi, don't torment Little Miss Vampire.
Those actions will lead to evil.
I'm not.
I've been thinking this since spring break, but has her soul become childish too?
Yeah, we can't avoid that, Araragi.
This isn't limited to vampires. Apparitions are made of human belief.
Human belief?
Right. Humans believe they're there, so they exist. Those are apparitions.
Apparitions appear and behave according to the environs.
That's what they are.
Now, about Little Miss Vampire.
The only one acknowledging this vampire is you, Araragi.
Strictly speaking, Class Prez and I are too...
...but the one influencing her most is you, Araragi.
Certainly, there's a part of me that sees her as an eight-year-old.
But this image can't be what I anticipated, right?
Children don't always grow up as parents expect, right?
Even then, they're generally somehow influenced by expectations.
The parents' expectations?
The influence of the family.
I'm not meaning to preach for you to become an honest man, but...
...if you're fooling around too much, you can have a negative influence.
Even under normal conditions...
Even under normal conditions...
Even under normal conditions, I've reduced that proud vampire to this innocent child.
And I've had a negative influence. That's what it is.
BLACK SCENE
That aside, Araragi... It's come up in the past, but how's Class Prez doing?
"How"? She's fine.
Are you sure?
I see. You can't say.
Then that means...
It's valid to think something you can't speak of has happened to her, huh?
That worries me.
It's not for you to worry about.
It's Hanekawa's problem. I can't meddle too much.
Regardless, it's something she needs to get herself out of.
That's the only way she can be saved, right?
Then I won't pursue. Let's switch my approach.
Tell me things other than what you can't.
It's not like you can't tell me every little thing about her, right?
FLASHBACK
I don't know if I explained it well or not, but...
...I told Oshino everything about today except what I was asked not to.
TSUKIHI ARARAGI ...I told Oshino everything about today except what I was asked not to.
...I told Oshino everything about today except what I was asked not to.
From when I was woken up by my little sister...
TSUBASA HANEKAWA From when I was woken up by my little sister...
...to when I saw Hanekawa...
TIME PASSES And after that...
And after that...
WOULD YOU HELP ME
END FLASHBACK
Araragi, by any chance...
...was that a silver cat with no tail?
THAT'S WHAT HE SAID
BLACK SCENE
I COMMEND YOU FOR ENDURING THIS LONG.
I THANK YOU.
SO, HERE'S THE REAL ISSUE.
The Sawari Neko.
SAWARI NEKO The Sawari Neko.
A carnivorous feline mammal.
The Sawari Neko's one of the apparitions I'm collecting from this town.
No, wait a second, Oshino. The cat Hanekawa and I buried wasn't an apparition.
- It wasn't like that. It was just there. - Right. It's not like that.
I think so too.
Normally anyway.
But, Araragi, Class Prez isn't normal.
She's seriously dangerous.
Even a trivial matter like burying a cat that's been hit by a car...
Bluntly, even a heartwarming episode like this...
...could be a heaven-and-earth-shaking event in her hands.
Not to mention a cat is bad news.
To Class Prez, a Sawari Neko's dead on.
Oshino, then what should I do?
Well, Araragi, we should split into two parties to expedite things.
I'll go dig up the white cat you guys buried.
So I need to tell you where we buried it, right?
But in exchange, I'll have you take on a very important role.
I said we'll split into two parties.
I'll have you approach Class Prez directly.
"D-Directly"?
You'll go to Class Prez's house now.
You'll actually meet up...
...and while looking at her face and into her eyes as you talk...
...you'll confirm that she's okay.
LONELY ROLLER TACTIC
Jeez, this has become a pretty big deal.
And how'll I see Hanekawa at her house at this late hour?
CHILD'S PRANK
MINOR'S PRIVILEGE
THREE
TWO
ONE
Hanekawa?
Um, but...
Is that Hanekawa?
Meow!
Meow!
Meow...
H-Hanekawa?
Huh, who are you? The mistress's friend or something?
I think I kind of remember. You were with her when she buried me.
Hmph, that's perfect then.
I don't understand it at all, but friends help each other out, right?
With that said, I'll leave these guys for you.
RED SCENE
Um, what was it again? Oh yeah.
Those are my mistress's "parents" apparently.
Though I don't understand too well.
Friend, dispose of them appropriately for me. If you like...
...you can kill them.
H-Hey!
Wait, Hanekawa!
Wait, huh?
Don't expect anything and everything like that from my mistress, fool.
It's because you guys are that way that my mistress is like this!
RED SCENE
I-It hurts!
Don't scream over something like this.
Compared to the agony that my mistress has endured, this level of pain...
...is like being bitten by a mosquito.
When you say mistress...
...do you mean Hanekawa?
Yeah, that's right, human. My mistress has me now.
So you're not needed anymore. Parents, friends, no one...
Even my mistress herself isn't needed.
I-Isn't needed?
I'm going to set my mistress free. Freer than anyone else.
You know that, right? It's something you guys couldn't do.
You guys only tie my mistress down and inconvenience her.
RED SCENE
RED SCENE
First off, let's start with releasing her from the stress that's equivalent to the scale of this Earth!
Hanekawa...
TSUBASA HANEKAWA
GIRL WHO POSSESSES WINGS OF HETEROMORPHY
START UP
After the Sawari Neko left, the first thing I did...
911 After the Sawari Neko left, the first thing I did...
After the Sawari Neko left, the first thing I did...
...was clean up the mess left behind. First was calling the ambulance.
Then, normally, to take care of blood splattered all over a residential area...
...you'd need lots of water and a deck brush.
But my splattered blood had pretty much evaporated.
I didn't worry about my blood evaporating from the start.
It was a scene I saw during spring break.
BLACK SCENE It was a scene I saw during spring break.
Instead, I should have wondered then why it took longer than usual to evaporate.
BLACK SCENE
BLACK SCENE
Awake now, Araragi?
You're a pretty late sleeper. I got tired of waiting.
The sun's gonna set soon.
I slept for over 12 hours?
I thought you were just gonna die like that.
Hey, Oshino! Hanekawa's...
Yeah, I know. I heard already.
Class Prez transformed into a cat, right? Our worries struck home.
Little Miss Vampire, you're good now.
What does that mean, Oshino? Why was she awake at this hour anyway?
No no, it's because your injury was worse than I thought.
So I had Little Miss Vampire help me out a little. Look.
You guys are connected more than necessary.
Your recovery is linked too. Therefore, that skill will become stronger the closer you are.
Thank her later.
But that was definitely unexpected.
I had just given her some blood. I thought I had more resilience.
No, with your power of immortality, you should be able to endure even severe injuries.
You heal in seconds, except with fatal wounds. But in this situation...
It was a bad opponent.
The compatibility more than the opponent. The Sawari Neko was a bad match.
B-Bad match?
You've been harmed by it.
HARM You've been harmed by it.
The wound from the harm isn't just normal damage.
TOUCH The wound from the harm isn't just normal damage.
Let sleeping cats lie.
Um, Araragi, do you know what energy drain is?
Energy drain?
But isn't energy drain a vampire's special characteristic?
Exactly. But that doesn't mean it's just a vampire specialty.
So when my left arm was ripped off, so was my power of immortality.
Once the Sawari Neko touches you, you're done for.
That's why it's the "touching cat."
But an energy drain that'll overpower a vampire's immortality is certainly a threat.
Ah, no no. I shouldn't have worded it like that, Araragi.
When I said the compatibility was bad, I meant with you.
It doesn't mean the Sawari Neko's ability rivals a vampire's.
Vampires are the kings of apparitions.
They're the king. The top. It's the same energy drain but a different rank.
- Sawari Neko are small fry to vampires. - Small fry...
You just gave blood to Little Miss Vampire...
...so you were a vampire to a point, but just a human in the end.
You can't beat apparitions themselves.
Apparitions themselves...
I carefully dug up the little cat's grave you told me about, but there was nothing buried there.
The situation has turned for the worst.
Is that so...
Still, your wound's healing normally.
Seems the inside isn't fully connected, but it'll heal by tomorrow at this rate.
Little Miss Vampire is most likely already asleep, so thank her next time.
Well, it'd be bad for you to die on her too...
...so it's natural for her to stay by your side.
Even so, I'm grateful.
Using me as a source of nutrition means she's at least trying to live.
Yeah, that's not what it means though.
You blockhead...
Well, whatever. Araragi, go home before your family gets worried.
Seems like your cell phone went off numerous times in your pocket.
What's that feature called, vibrating?
146 MISSED CALLS, 209 TEXT MESSAGES What's that feature called, vibrating?
They're most likely all from Karen and Tsukihi.
Unlike Class Prez, you have a family that worries.
So you should go home now, Araragi.
Stop it, Oshino. This injury is nothing.
I can't just dejectedly go home while Hanekawa's situation is like this.
The situation's already unfolding. This is a job for a pro.
This isn't for an amateur, let alone a minor.
I like to push my luck, so I may not seem like it, but...
...I feel bad that I caused you to get such a severe injury.
I failed as a balancer. I ignored the theory and went against policy.
The damage you incurred is mainly due to my error.
I need to apologize to your folks.
Araragi, you've fulfilled your role enough at this point.
Koyomi Araragi, from here on, there's nothing you can do.
You can't do anything for her. Even if you wanted to.
It's not an emotional problem. It's a skill and ability problem.
If anything, your most important role is to not get in my way.