It's gotten cold.
My face stings.
Is Mamoru okay?
UTW
Presents
ＳＨＩＮＳＥＫＡＩ
ＹＯＲＩ
UTW
Presents
ＳＨＩＮＳＥＫＡＩ
ＹＯＲＩ
Nothing.
Any luck?
I saw nothing.
What about you?
What now?
There has to be something.
There's snow everywhere.
Mamoru will...
That's why we have to look for him!
What is it?
Hey...
Isn't that what we're looking for?
These are sled tracks.
A sled...
We were looking for footprints the whole time, but maybe he took a sled.
The tracks are quite close to each other.
Mamoru was never great with snow shoes.
He's hardly ever used them, in fact.
Looks like he dug out the sled he used back in Friendship School.
The tracks are deep.
He must have brought luggage.
So he stuffed all he could fit into that children's sled and ran away?
It's something he would do.
Sorry I took so long.
Do you know which way he went?
Yes!
It looks like he went in the direction of the Holy Barrier.
When did Mamoru's dad find the letter he left behind?
He found it after Mamoru just wouldn't come down for breakfast, in his room.
So he has three hours or more on us?
He brought a lot of stuff, so he can't be all that fast.
I guess.
If he's been hesitating about where to go, maybe we can catch up to him in two hours.
It looks like he's trying to go somewhere out of the way.
It's also quite like him to not erase his tracks.
Why didn't he take a boat?
A boat would be much faster and carry a larger load too.
Maybe he didn't want to be seen by anyone.
Isn't there another reason?
Such as?
It's definitely easier to escape using the rivers and canals.
But isn't it also easier to pursue him there?
Are you saying he's—
I think he's trying to cross the Holy Barrier and enter the mountains.
Are you kidding me?
We have to hurry or the tracks will fade!
Yeah!
However, there was no guarantee that Fiends would never appear again.
Let's go.
An avalanche!
Hey, look!
What is it?
Look at this.
Probably a queerat.
What is it doing here?
How would I know?
Maybe it's hunting or something?
Hunting?
This might be really bad, then.
Why?
Well, aren't the footprints following the sled tracks?
Is it following him?
I'm not sure.
No way...
Let's hurry!
We have to find Mamoru!
Yeah! Let's hurry!
Yeah!
That's an impressive slope to take on with a children's sled.
What happened to his fear?
He wouldn't flinch from this hill if something scarier were chasing him.
Is something wrong?
No.
Let's go.
Yeah.
Careful there!
It's icy!
Got it!
I think he couldn't change course anymore.
He went as far as he could.
Hey, the tracks stop over there.
Can you tell which way he went?
No.
Those tracks should have been pretty deep, too.
I'll take a look at the ridge.
Where could he have gone from here?
There are still tracks until here.
Look, Satoru.
It looks like his sled went off the cliff.
There was nothing up on the ridge.
No... did he slide and fall here?
Maria...
Let's go down and take a look.
Even if he really did slide off here, it doesn't mean he fell all the way to the bottom.
Yeah. You're right.
Let's go, Maria.
Okay.
We're in a snowdrift!
There's still hope!
Maybe the snow stopped the sled!
Yeah!
But I don't see sled tracks anywhere!
Careful, Maria!
Let me do it!
There! It's buried there!
I'll dig it up!
Don't interfere, both of you!
Where? Where is Mamoru?!
Did he fall farther?
Calm down, Maria!
Hold on!
This is fishy.
Why was it buried so deep?
Well, it's been snowing.
No, it hasn't.
If it had snowed that much after Mamoru passed through, the tracks would've disappeared as well.
We never could've followed him here!
Okay, maybe the force of the fall took the sled deep into the snow?
Then it wouldn't have been covered so neatly.
That's true.
Does that even matter?!
Mamoru isn't here!
But it means he might be all right!
What do you mean?
There's only one reason the sled would be buried here.
It was buried so nobody would find it.
Mamoru buried it?
Him, or the queerat that was pursuing him.
But...
At that time we used the queerats.
I'm fairly sure he walked from here on.
We'll have to look around for places where he could be.
Got it.
This looks like an animal track.
Look! There!
Did they kill him?
No, I don't think so.
Mamoru probably lost consciousness.
I think the queerats brought him with them to help him.
What makes you think so?
Look there.
They were avoiding roots and such along the way.
They wouldn't have worried about his head hitting the roots if he were dead.
That's true.
Yeah!
They're gone again.
Don't worry. This is a good sign.
Yeah. They must be close!
What now?
Let's go in through the front.
Anyone in?
Satoru! Maria!
He's here!
I'm so relieved.
You all came to visit?
What do you mean, "visit"?
We were worried sick!
You look all right, but did you really fall down that cliff?
Yeah... I guess I fell.
I don't really remember.
I think I hit my head on something and was stumbling through the snow.
Squonk found me and brought me here.
Who?
Squonk.
We met him ages ago.
When?
Wait, was it he who...
Goat 619
Hey, let him down.
He saved my life.
Yeah, he's that one.
From the Goat Moth colony.
G-Gods...
Th-Thank you...
No, we need to thank you.
Thank you for saving Mamoru.
No need to thank me.
A god was in trouble, so I helped.
It was natural.
We appreciate your helping him, Squonk.
But why were you following Mamoru?
I passed the sled tracks by chance.
I wondered which colony had left those tracks and followed to find out.
You were inside the Holy Barrier by chance?
What were you doing there?
What does it matter?
Why are you complaining even though he helped Mamoru?
I'm not complaining, I just...
Here you go, gods.
Thank you.
No need to thank me.
I'll come back with the rest.
Now explain, Mamoru.
Um... Sorry.
A "sorry" is no explanation!
Why did you do this?!
Because... I had no choice.
I didn't want to die!
What do you mean, "you didn't want to die"?
Explain yourself!
I'm not like you and the others.
My Cantus is fairly weak, and I have no real talents.
I felt left behind.
That's not true!
Mr. Endou has these cold eyes when he looks at me, too.
I've already been put on the list of people to be disposed of.
Like X or the girl that used to be in our group.
Like your sister, Saki.
I didn't tell him!
I know.
I know you've been keeping secrets from me.
Like the mirror.
You were trying to keep me in the dark, right?
You were listening to us?
You're overthinking this, Mamoru.
A copycat came.
What?
I saw it twice.
The first time was four days ago.
When I was coming home after dark, I felt like something was tailing me.
I didn't see the copycat itself,
but I knew something was hiding there.
It was a really big shadow.
Are you sure it wasn't just your imagination?
A tree or something would cast a big shadow from a firelight.
Yeah!
If it really were a copycat, it should've attacked you.
I'm not so sure.
There's a lot of tales about copycats, but there's one aspect they all disturbingly share.
They apparently practice tailing you first before attacking you.
Yeah.
I don't think it was going to attack me then.
But yesterday was different.
Yesterday? Oh, no...
It was yesterday after school.
I stayed behind alone for my supplementary classes.
When I was about to pack up and go home, Mr. Endou told me to put some leftover printouts away in the storage room.
The one in the hallway leading to the inner yard?
Yes.
There weren't many pages.
I was wondering why he'd ask me to do that.
No...
No... No...
No!
I'm absolutely certain.
It was a copycat.
Yesterday, I...
I was going to wait for you until supplementary classes had ended.
But they told me to go home because it would take too long.
They wanted to isolate you and then kill you from the beginning.
Hang on there.
Why do they want to get rid of Mamoru?
His Cantus is pretty average, and there's nothing wrong with his personality!
He's quiet and cooperative!
How would I know?
He saw a copycat!
Twice at that!
How can you still doubt him?
Saki!
Say something, Saki!
I remembered when I saw the copycat.
I had...
...seen that cat before.
Seriously? Mamoru?
I just can't remember clearly, even if I try.
I think it's part of a larger memory that they erased.
But I remember going into the inner yard and hiding behind one of the little huts.
Then one of the doors opened and that copycat came out!
I remember that too.
I was there too!
Our naive plan of finding Mamoru and bringing him back to the village was falling apart.
What were our options at that point?
Episode Thirteen
Reunion
Nakisou na aoringo kakaeteru mune no oku
泣きそうな青リンゴ 抱えてる胸の奥
In my chest, I carry a green apple that wets my eyes
Korogatte tsuyogatte
転がって 強がって
I fall over yet pretend to be strong
Kyuukutsu na sora niramu
窮屈な空睨む
I glower at the sky and it seems to suffocate me
Unmei ni juujun ni
運命に従順に
Do I look like I'd wait quietly
Jukusu no wo matsu mon ka
熟すのを待つもんか
For destiny to ripen it?
Sen no kaze
千の風
The winds
Agaite sakende
あがいて 叫んで
I struggle and scream
Fuke fuke
吹け吹け
Blow and blow
Watashi wa shabondama
わたしはしゃぼん玉
I'm a soap bubble
Soredemo shinjiteru
それでも信じてる
And still I have faith
Yokisenu arashi ni
予期せぬ 嵐に
In a sudden storm
Joushou shite kakou shite
上昇して 下降して
I rise and fall
Aragau shabondama
あらがうしゃぼん玉
I fight, soap bubble that I am
Soredemo ikiteku
それでも生きてく
And still I live on
Hajikeru shunkan niji hanate
弾ける瞬間 虹、放て
I make a rainbow when I burst
Why is it always us?
I don't want to die!
We'll always be together from now on.
All right?
Promise me.
Will I ever see you again?
Of course you will.
I'm sure we'll meet again.