Original subtitles

Natsume's Book of Friends

[7]

I'm back!

Oh, how wonderful! Of course!

Yes, Shigeru-san and I both love them.

Love them?

Oh, good. He just got back.

Takashi-kun, you like loquats too, right?

Loquats?

Yes.

Here, it's a phone call for you. From a friend.

Huh?

Hello? This is Takashi.

Oh, Natsume. How are you doing?

That

Which

Blocks

The

Ceremony

Hey, is that...

No, it can't be?

Natori Shuichi, the actor!

What's he doing here?

It's always hard to go up and talk to him.

I think he's gotten more handsome.

Oh, Natsume! Over here!

Sorry to keep you waiting! Let's go!

You're always in a hurry, Natsume!

Don't you have a car?

I just like trains.

We changed trains, and Natori-san took me to a rather strange place.

It was deep in the mountains, with huge mansions everywhere.

One of them was the old Yorishima home.

Loquats! Loquats!

I've been talking with him a little since then.

They've given me the key and asked me to get some books.

They said I could take as many loquats as I wanted in exchange.

You're a cheap date.

We met Yorishima-san when we were dealing with the scarecrow yokai, right?

Why doesn't he come himself?

This place is deeply related to exorcists.

Someone who doesn't want to interact with yokai wouldn't want to come here.

I wasn't planning on inviting you, but...

I just called to see how you were doing these days

and Toko answered the phone.

She started asking me all these questions I couldn't answer,

so I just started talking about the loquats...

And then she asked me to take you.

Sorry.

But it makes me happy that you're willing to take me to these places.

Those trees are big!

Look at them all!

This is the old Yorishima mansion.

Do you like loquats, Natori-san?

I don't know.

The first ones I ate weren't sweet, so I didn't really enjoy them.

These ones look ripe. I hope they're sweet.

Yeah.

Okay, I'll get the books. You get the loquats.

Okay.

You like them that much, Sensei?

You idiot! They're expensive!

I'll get the ones I can reach.

You get the ones higher up.

Leave it to me! I'll grab the sweetest ones I can reach!

Don't get careless and snap the branches, Sensei!

Loquats! Loquats!

Now then...

I'm pretty high up.

The grass and trees in the yard are still here, even after the owner's gone.

A flag?

That's the next house over.

Natsume! I'm back!

Watch out!

Sorry...

I-I'm fine... Are you okay?

What are you doing?

This cloth flew over from the next house.

Cloth?

This house?

Yes.

It was definitely this house.

But...

There's no sign of anyone living here.

There's no name out front. It might be abandoned.

Let's go inside and ask if anyone's there.

Hello?

Is anyone home?

This house is huge.

This mansion is strange.

I sense something awful... but it also feels empty.

Empty?

I'll check the front door.

You go around and check the place where you saw someone.

Okay.

Hello?

Is anyone...

I guess it's abandoned after all.

Fresh footprints.

Don't tell me it's a robber...

Excuse me! I'm one of the neighbors...

Welcome.

I'm pretty sure this is the pole I saw.

And you're sure you saw a person, right?

Yeah, right around here...

Oh?

Natsume-kun?

Natsume, trouble!

There's some kind of spell...

Oh, and Natori, too.

Matoba-san,

what are you doing in this mansion?

That's my question for you.

This is the Miharu family mansion.

Miharu?

One of the 11 great households of the Matoba clan exorcists.

Their bloodline ended a long time ago.

That's the Miharu family.

There's a rather troublesome tradition here called "the three pillars."

Once every few decades, one of the three deities that protects this house will visit,

and must be welcomed.

So, like a zashiki-warashi that works in shifts?

Correct.

The Matoba would prefer to ignore it,

but we'd like to avoid any calamities befalling the rest of the clan.

So we do the welcoming on the Miharu family's behalf.

Why do the yokai come when the family's gone?

The promise was that the three of them would visit nine times.

Or perhaps, despite their strength,

they're the kind that does not understand that a family can come to an end.

Making a promise with something inhuman is just that...

I felt like he wanted to finish his sentence with "just that troublesome."

Was it for my sake, because I told him about the Book of Friends?

Or perhaps for Matoba-san's sake, as well?

So the key stuck in the lock and the paper doll at the entrance were...

Yes. You opened the door, so we need to redo the spell.

I'm sorry.

If there's something I can do to help, I will, but he...

I'm the one who picked up the cloth and brought you here.

Yes.

You'll help too, Natsume-kun?

That's good to hear.

This is the pillar room.

The last ceremony was 40 years ago.

I'm told they were concerned what would happen without the Miharu family,

but Shirotsumenokimi, the most gentle one, came, and the ceremony was successful.

Shirotsumenokimi finished her 40-year stay and left yesterday.

The question is which will come next, for the eighth visit?

If it's Bobozukin, who stays for 30 years,

we'll be fine as long as there are no mistakes in the ceremony.

But Akanie, who stays for eight years, is the most temperamental,

and can be difficult. If the ceremony fails, it will likely mean disaster.

So depending on which yokai comes, we may have a problem.

So just in case, we've prepared an exorcism.

Not that it will be easy to exorcise.

What a pain.

So, tell me, why were you trespassing?

We came to bring you this cloth that flew into the other yard!

Flew?

Oh, so you were visiting the old Yorishima home?

I'm told the two of you have been spending a lot of time together.

Anything fun?

Nothing you need concern yourself with.

Well, whatever.

Natori-kun, you handle the paper doll at the front.

Natsume-kun, come with me.

Wait! Natsume is...

Master, leave Natsume to me.

The cat and I shall protect him.

Hiiragi...

Don't get in my way.

That's my line, fuzzball.

Call me "Sensei"!

You want to fight, girlie?

Natsume, did you bring that one item?

No...

I see. I'm glad.

It's best if Matoba remains ignorant.

Right.

Well, if you had brought it, I would have insisted that you leave.

Listen, don't do anything crazy.

Okay.

At some point, the burden that was once mine alone...

I wish there was something I could do, too.

So, what do I do?

For now, nothing.

I just want you to watch.

If we have to eliminate the yokai, your help would be appreciated.

The Matoba have many members, but few of them are useful.

Then we just need to make sure we don't need to eliminate it.

You're very strong, right?

If I'm strong too, we should be able to do it.

I won't help you eliminate it, but I'll help you with that.

Hey, Natsume! Are you trying to give me more work?

And there's something I'm worried about.

What?

That cloth is a flag for the welcome ceremony, right?

I saw...

...a hand with scissors cut it.

Was it human? Or a yokai?

I don't know. It was just a hand.

I see.

If nothing else, it means that someone here wishes to stop us.

Why?

What's wrong, Natsume?

The masks...

I thought I felt someone watching us.

These masks have peepholes.

Someone was watching us.

After them. They're in the next room.

Natsume, may I go, too?

I sense something that concerns me,

but this house is so filled with spells that it's hard to say more.

Yes. Please do, Hiiragi.

Natori was very happy that you accepted his invitation.

We've involved you in something again, but I hope will not deter you.

Of course.

When this is over, let's pick some loquats together.

Yes.

Take care of Natsume, Fuzzball!

Add "Sensei"!

Farewell.

Hey!

So you were at the old Yorishima household.

Those loquats do look good.

Now, it's almost time for it to arrive.

Please put on this mask to welcome it.

It's considered rude for a human to breathe on it.

One of the three pillars enters from the front door.

It will be about the size of a human, but has no face.

Only when it enters the pillar room will we know which it is.

So we won't know until then?

A nasty sort of deity.

I will increase the number of guards, but it may not go as well as you hope.

Why did whoever cut down the flag want to interrupt the ceremony?

We have a lot of enemies.

I'm sure someone out there wants the ceremony to fail

and disaster to strike us, so that we'll be weakened.

Matoba-san,

have you never thought about quitting being an exorcist?

Never. Not even once.

I see.

For some reason, I felt better hearing that.

What about Natori-san?

That gentle man, who always seemed to be wavering...

If you see anything suspicious, deal with it immediately.

I'll watch the front hall.

I'll let you know if I find it.

But...

Everyone seems suspicious.

But for some reason,

the house seems lonely, despite all these people.

I'm sure.

Nobody's lived here for decades, after all.

Matoba-san,

I put the paper doll back up.

Where's Natsume?

Someone's out to interrupt the ceremony. I have him looking for them.

Would you not treat him like he works for you?

You're the one who's dragging him around, despite being an exorcist.

And it's his choice, not yours.

But...

Now, it's almost time.

What's that sound?

It's coming from that living room.

We closed the doors to any rooms we weren't using.

Oh, no. We're locked in.

Hey, it's here!

Hurry!

What's going on?

It's getting noisy.

He said it's almost time for it to arrive.

We need to find whoever's trying to ruin the ceremony.

Do you feel anything, Sensei?

Hah, you're being silly, Natsume.

Don't expect me to be of use in an exorcist's mansion.

I'll give you this ball.

Play outside, child.

Don't interrupt my interrupting.

No luck.

So someone's definitely trying to ruin the ceremony.

What do we do?

What? We kick the door down if we have to.

Correct.

That's an old door. We can just destroy the lock...

You're crazy!

The window's not breaking?

Strange.

The opened window is shut now, too.

This is...

Let's examine the room.

A mask?

Yes.

This mansion has so many strange things.

Is this another peephole?

Get back!

A blade?

Someone is willing to set up such a dangerous trap to stop the ceremony?

No, this was in the Miharu family to begin with.

Whoever locked us in here

triggered a spell trap meant for intruders, I assume.

A spell...

So that's why the windows won't break?

I don't think I can summon my familiars, either.

This is a problem.

Is it?

If it's a spell, we can just break it.

I assume by familiars, you mean those three?

You're capable of contracting with more powerful yokai, you know.

If you just choose them at random, you'll never rise to the top.

You're correct, but that is my choice to make.

There's something I want to be. Something I'm searching for how to become.

Even if it takes time... I want to keep doing that.

I'm told that the Miharu family was once a noble house, with its own beliefs,

but their naïve actions caused them to decline.

Near the end, they set up horrible traps like the one in this room,

and welcomed the "three pillars," those strange monsters, into their homes.

But even then, they couldn't master them.

They died out, leaving only this twisted mansion and the monsters.

Even though they joined the infamous Matoba clan...

To be honest,

I don't think much of that generation of Matobas,

who failed to protect one of their own families.

Matoba-san, you...

Natori?

No...

I'm sorry.

I might be imagining things, but isn't it getting harder to breathe in here?

Now they've done it.

It's here.

I don't see the head of the household.

What do we do?

Where did the boss go?

He didn't run away to go buy snacks.

It's not funny.

Fine... We'll read the words of welcome ourselves.

Yes, ma'am!

Natsume!

Are you the one who cut down the flag and tried to stop the ceremony?

Yes.

Are you an exorcist?

No!

Leave, child.

Wait!

It's cramped! And creepy!

Wait!

Why are you interrupting the ceremony!

Wait!

That was dangerous.

Th... Thank you.

Maybe she's not a bad person?

Why are you trying to stop the ceremony?

Because I want the Miharu to disappear.

Natsume's Book of Friends [7]

Preview

The House Where a Promise Remains

Exorcists are always up to something bad.

Natsume, since we're here, let's do our job.

If you go inside the banishing circle, you won't escape unscathed!

Shall I deal with all this for you?