Original subtitles

Sorry it's a bit messy.

No. Thanks for having me over.

It's wet.

I'll put it in the dryer.

What's wrong?

I'm sorry.

I don't think I can do this.

I'm sorry.

So that's what happened.

I totally blew it.

I totally thought we were going to have sex.

When we kissed in the rain,

"Love So Sweet" started playing in my head.

That's a throwback.

I turned him off, didn't I?

I guess it's no good for a woman to make the first move.

That's not true.

"Women shouldn't have strong sex drives"

or "women should be passive in bed"?

Don't let meaningless gender bias like that hold you back.

Listen.

Women are allowed to enjoy sex on their own terms too.

Take "masturbation," for example.

Why does it sound so negative in Japanese?

It literally means "to comfort yourself."

In English, people also call it "self-pleasure."

"Self-pleasure"?

Pleasure.

What's important is whatyouwant, Yumi.

You like him, right?

This…

-S. -Right. S.

I do.

I've always thought he was so cool.

He's a bit absent-minded,

and sometimes I can't tell what he's thinking.

But he'd always quietly listen to me.

I should've just stayed quiet and listened to her.

Like I used to back then.

I thought a man and a woman could have a platonic relationship.

That's why I met up with her.

But I ended up

hurting her feelings.

I suddenly had an intense flashback.

But

it's not like you rejected her, right?

You just rejected sex.

Then you need to tell her that first.

She thinks you rejected her.

I imagine.

PROFESSOR TOYOHARA

I was just about to call you.

Things are getting a little interesting.

S&X

I knew it. Porsches should be blue.

Hello.

Right this way.

Let's go.

Doctor!

He'll be here soon.

Huh? Who?

Come on! I told you already!

This man. Right here!

The CEO.

CEO YOSHIKI KITO

Professor Kurusu just called us.

Okay.

Doctor, pull yourself together!

You too, Saikawa!

Huh? Okay.

Apparently he's made a huge donation to Professor Kurusu's lab.

If the treatment goes well, he might--

-Hello! -He's here.

Coming!

This is rosemary and lemongrass herbal tea.

I hope it's to your liking.

What brings you in today?

I want to quit virtual sex.

"Virtual sex"?

What exactly is virtual sex?

You put on goggles and sensors, enter a virtual world,

and have sex as avatars.

VIRTUAL SEX

I TRIED SEX IN A VR WORLD

Sorry.

Show me.

Huh?

O-Okay.

Excuse me.

This is exactly the world I usually go to.

"World"?

It's where people like me who want to have virtual sex gather.

There are also worlds for just just chatting,

pub-style worlds, sleeping worlds, and countless others.

I see.

I spend hours in here every day.

I even skipped a board meeting recently. It's starting to affect my work.

That's certainly a problem.

I consulted with an acquaintance, Mr. Kurusu, and he referred me here.

Man, I don't--

"Understand it at all," right?

Instead of saying that, why not give it some thought?

He could become the biggest client we've ever had.

Was the donation that big?

I guess so.

Here you go.

Thanks.

Virtual sex is basically just masturbation, right?

You're doing it by yourself.

Exactly.

Even if there's a person behind the avatar, you can't touch them.

That's where phantom sense comes in.

People say it feels just like being touched.

No way. That's ridiculous. It's impossible.

Then what flavor is that?

Huh? It's strawberry.

And yours?

Lemon.

It's a popular myth, isn't it?

All shaved ice syrups are actually the same flavor.

Huh?

Right. The color and smell make you think they taste different.

That's right.

Your eyes and nose trick you into tasting something that's not there.

In the same way, your eyes and ears trick you

into feeling something that's not there.

Are you making shaved ice just to make that point, Professor?

Some things are hard to understand until you experience them yourself.

But

the equipment is pretty expensive.

I'll allow it. It's a necessary investment.

So, why me?

I want to see your reaction firsthand,

so please.

I was thinking about this,

but this isn't really a nurse's job, is it?

But I think it's important to also understand how the client feels.

This is wild!

There are so many girls here.

That's the world where people looking for virtual sex gather.

Once you find a match, you go to a playroom.

I can walk!

Wow!

Try talking to someone. If you can, go to a playroom.

Sure.

I wonder what I look like right now.

YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR AVATAR LATER

This one looks like you.

What?

I'm gonna hit on girls with your avatar.

Hey. Wait a minute.

Hello.

I noticed you were my type.

You're cute.

Thanks!

What? Is something wrong?

I thought it was a girl, but it was actually a guy.

Oh, I see.

Don't just say, "I see"!

But isn't that kind of rude? You're the one who approached him.

I wonder what kind of avatar Mr. Kito uses.

Well…

Sorry. You caught me off guard.

Is this your first time?

Yes.

I see. That makes sense.

But most of the girls here are actually guys.

Huh? Really?

Yeah.

Some people use their real voice like me, and others use voice changers.

I'm sure there are some real girls too,

but it's no fun worrying about that.

Is that how it is?

So, what do you think?

Do you wanna to do it with me?

What?

Wow! It really feels like he's touching me.

Hey, wait. Hold on!

DAD

You were really going at it.

I just wanted to clear my head.

Blowing off steam?

Yes.

I used to make candles instead.

Candles?

Every time something bad happened, I'd make a candle.

It helped me empty my mind.

But they started taking over my shelf,

so I switched to swimming.

How many bad thingsdidhappen to you?

I don't even want to count.

What about good food?

Does it help when you're stressed?

Huh?

Let's go out to eat.

I don't know what happened, but it might help you forget about it.

You're right. That might be a good idea.

Let's go on Friday.

After the show.

Is that right?

And did you have sex?

No. We didn't go that far.

But he touched me all over.

I'd get chills every time. It felt weird.

But then his avatar suddenly stopped moving.

It just went limp and stayed still.

Oh, that?

He probably took off the sensors and started jerking off.

I see. That makes sense!

So that's what it was.

Once you've developed phantom sense, you can climax without touching yourself.

But most people do it physically at first.

What about you?

Now I don't need to touch myself.

That makes it sound more like sex than masturbation.

Exactly!

You can have sex without physically touching.

Looks and gender don't matter either.

What kind of avatar do you use?

This is my avatar.

Why did you choose this one?

It's not that I want to be a woman.

But

when I found her, something just clicked.

And when I tried it, it felt so natural.

I feel at ease when I am her.

As strange as that sounds.

Do you remember what got you into virtual sex?

I think it was stress from work.

Even though I'm the CEO, I feel like an outsider at the office.

Once the business took off and we had more money and staff,

the partners I'd started it with became like strangers.

No.

That's not it.

I think my wife was the reason.

My wife, Atsuko, changed too.

Here.

Thanks.

You're still not going to bed?

I want to finish this tonight.

What's that? A spy code?

I don't get it at all.

She used to laugh a lot.

Were you a spy, Yoshiki?

She was too good for a computer nerd like me.

Hey…

When I told her I wanted to quit my job and start a business,

she encouraged me more than anyone.

She said, "That business will succeed!" even though she knew nothing about it.

But now…

Will you help me?

What? Me?

Yeah. Will you?

She started coming home drunk more often.

Hey…

Sorry. Can it wait?

Of course,

we haven't had sex in years.

Because I was lonely,

I got hooked on virtual sex.

Once I became successful,

everyone around me changed.

Here. Look.

Would it be okay if I spoke with your wife too?

Sure. I don't mind.

HOW TO GET OVER SEXUAL REJECTION

SIGNS HE DOESN'T SEE YOU AS A WOMAN

DO WOMEN LOSE APPEAL IN THEIR THIRTIES?

YUMI ICHINOSE SEX APPEAL

IS YUMI ICHINOSE NOT HOT? HERE'S WHAT WE FOUND

PRETTY, BUT SOMEHOW DISAPPOINTING

WHY YUMI ICHINOSE LACKS SEX APPEAL

NEWS ANCHORS WHO LACK SEX APPEAL

WHY ARE THERE NO DATING RUMORS ABOUT YUMI ICHINOSE?

YUMI ICHINOSE SHUN KAZUMA PERFECT MATCH

KAZUMA HERE'S THE RESTAURANT

Oh, Ichinose.

I just sent you the link.

I got it.

-You like sushi, right? -Yes.

Yay! High-end sushi.

Hi, you two.

-Hi. -Hi.

Is it okay if we meet there?

I've got a meeting after the show.

Of course. That's fine.

See you then.

Sushi.

Thank you for meeting with me today.

I wanted to talk to you in this world too,

so I chose this avatar.

No problem. Thank you.

Regular visits to the clinic started to become a bit of a hassle,

so this really helps.

I'm glad to hear that.

The other day, you asked me why I use this avatar, right?

Yes.

I gave it some thought.

I think it's because…

my real body feels more like an avatar than this one does.

I feel like I have to act like a CEO

and dress appropriately.

I wear expensive clothes,

drive an expensive car,

live in an expensive house, and put on a brave face.

But

when I take this form, I don't have to act tough.

I can shed the skin of a successful CEO

and just be my true self.

Admitting your own weaknesses is the first step to treating addiction.

Why don't you try sharing those feelings with your wife?

I can't do that.

If I could, I'd like to get it all off my chest and feel better.

But she wouldn't listen to any of this.

I told you, didn't I?

She tunes me out whenever I try to talk to her.

The other day,

I suddenly remembered something on my way home.

The day I decided to get married.

I'd started a company, but it was going nowhere.

I was running out of savings too.

I'm sorry.

You don't wanna marry a guy like me, right?

I wasn't sure whether I should get married when my life was so unstable,

or whether I could provide for her.

You don't wanna marry a guy like me, right?

When I let my doubts slip…

I never asked you to provide for me.

Huh?

Why does marriage mean providing for me?

I can earn my own living.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying I'll provide foryou.

I know that!

That made me so happy.

If you still remember that,

why are you still doing things you don't want to?

What?

I'm asking why you're settling for a life you don't want!

Wait!

No!

I said wait!

Stop running away!

No!

Huh?

Listen to me!

No!

I can't do this!

You're the one who never listened to me!

I didn't listen because I already knew

what was coming after your "hey."

I could tell if it was about your dreams

or just another complaint.

I've had enough of that dead-eyed "hey."

But as the CEO, I--

Did you want to become a CEO?

You didn't, right?

Didn't you want to create a service that would make people's lives easier?

So you're saying you'd be fine with me

quitting as CEO and becoming poor again?

Didn't you like living in luxury?

Dressing up, going to parties…

You're so stupid!

That was networking. And you're bad at it!

A grumpy-faced CEO makes everyone else feel uneasy.

Do you know how hard I've worked to keep the mood up?

I'd feel a lot better if I didn't have to do that anymore!

You're really okay with me quitting?

There's a service I've wanted to build, but no one else is on board.

Go ahead.

Go make your spy code again.

But in return,

I want you to tell me about your dreams with that sparkle in your eyes again.

I knew.

I knew you were into this kind of thing.

I was shocked,

but trying it now, it's not so bad.

That avatar suits you.

I should've talked to you sooner.

You can say that again!

I'm really sorry.

Thank you very much.

You were a great help, Saikawa.

Huh?

I almost got her hurt.

Thank you.

Well, I think I'm more athletic than you, Doctor.

Why?

Why'd you give them to her?

Those goggles and sensors were expensive!

We don't need them anymore.

If you didn't need them,

we could've sold them online!

You'd better get us a donation!

He said he's stepping down as CEO,

so money might be tight for him for a while.

Right?

-What? -Yes.

What's the plan for his treatment?

Of course, we'll continue.

But I don't think he needs to stop virtual sex altogether

as long as he maintains healthy boundaries.

So I had him promise to only use it with his wife.

Sex involves both physical and emotional pleasure.

And virtual sex, which focuses on the emotional side,

may help them reconnect.

What's important is

acknowledging your weaknesses…

and being honest about how you feel.

SUSHI YUKIAKARI

Ichinose.

Sorry. I surprised you, didn't I?

No.

Actually, yeah, you did.

About the other day…

It's not that I was rejecting you.

I…

I can't have sex.

-What? -So…

I wanted you to know that the problem was with me that night.

I like you.

Will you

go out with me?

Subtitle translation by: Yuki Asami