The Daily Life Arc (
Plot[]
"Hikaru" Replaces Hikaru[]
"Hikaru" begs Yoshiki not to tell anyone what he really is.
Tsujinaka Yoshiki and his best friend, Indou Hikaru, stop at a local shop called Yamahisa for ice cream. Once they're sat down, Yoshiki derails the conversation to discuss Hikaru's week-long disappearance in the mountains six months ago. Seeming to already know the answer, Yoshiki suddenly asks whether Hikaru isn't the real Hikaru. After a long pause, an unknown entity leaks out from Hikaru's face. The entity hovers in the air as its body hugs Yoshiki, explaining how much it is enjoying experiencing human life for the first time and begging Yoshiki to keep its secret. Under threat of death, Yoshiki agrees. Deep down, he also feels like he wants Hikaru by his side, regardless of whether it's the real thing or this creature. He calls this entity "Hikaru". Later that night, Yoshiki dreams of the last time he saw the real Hikaru: he had said he was going to the mountains, but refused to say why, and Yoshiki decided not to follow him there. When he wakes up, "Hikaru" is outside, waiting for him to walk to school together. Yoshiki treats him as normal and they resume their daily lives together.[1]
From here, "Hikaru" becomes more open with his thoughts, showing how excited he is to experience simple things such as watching an emotional movie or eating delicious food for the first time. However, "Hikaru"'s secret is uncovered by a local. Old Lady Matsuura, an elderly woman from their village, immediately screams when she crosses paths with Yoshiki and "Hikaru" in the street. The realization that Nounuki-sama has come down from the mountains terrifies her. Yoshiki hurries the two of them along, going home and leaving Matsuura behind. Once they're at the Tsujinaka household, Yoshiki has "Hikaru" confirm that his friend is really dead. "Hikaru" explains that it had found Hikaru's body on the verge of death, and confirms that he has strong feelings for Yoshiki.
Yoshiki sees a strange being in the forest.
That night, Matsuura is murdered by someone who calls to her from outside her house.[2] At school the next day, Maki Yuuta asks Yoshiki to walk home with him– due to construction, he's been taking a different route along a mountainous forest path back to his home in Ashidori. He's afraid to go alone because as he walks, he always finds himself unable to look away from the path in front of him. Eventually, Yoshiki, "Hikaru," and their two other friends Tadokoro Yuuki and Yamagishi Asako agree to walk Maki through the forest path. As they're dismissed, their teacher reminds them not to be alarmed if they notice a large police presence around Kubitachi, because a dead body was found that morning. Nothing happens on their first pass through the forest path, and Maki continues to Ashidori while the remaining four turn around to return to their own homes. While they're walking back, Yoshiki looks into the forest and meets gazes with an impurity from The Other Side. It attempts to latch onto him, but "Hikaru" protects him by crushing it up and taking it into his body. All four of them are able to return safely home. On the way, "Hikaru" recalls one of Indou Hikaru's memories: his father explains that Unuki-sama has promised not to harm members of their family, so if Hikaru is fond of someone, he should marry them and bring them into the family so that they aren't taken into the mountains.[3]
Yoshiki reaches into "Hikaru"'s insides.
"Hikaru" suggests a method to build Yoshiki's tolerance to entities like the one in the forest. He opens his insides to Yoshiki, then Yoshiki sticks a hand inside and moves it around. This appears to cause "Hikaru" pleasure. Yoshiki is unsettled by the situation, and pulls his hand out. He's distressed for a few moments, but he eventually ruffles "Hikaru"'s hair, and they leave the storage room.
"Hikaru" and Yoshiki's Argument[]
After school, Yoshiki goes to the grocery store by himself. He's stopped by a woman named Kurebayashi Rie, who gives him a pointed warning.[4] She explains that she can see more than the average human, and has noticed that the bad aura from the Kubitachi Mountains has suddenly disappeared, then re-appeared at Yoshiki's side. She gives him her phone number in case he ever wants to talk with her about it. When Yoshiki goes to hang out with "Hikaru," he realizes that Hikaru's father had also gone to the same place in the mountains around the same time of year that Hikaru died. While Yoshiki is away from his phone, "Hikaru" sees a new text message on Yoshiki's phone from Kurebayashi.[5]
"Hikaru" loses control of his feelings.
Yoshiki meets up with Kurebayashi in Kibogayama and explains everything about "Hikaru". Kurebayashi tries to comfort him and ease his guilt, and explains that a "distortion" has formed throughout the area, causing strange happenings in the surrounding towns. Once the bad presence disappeared from the mountains, the distortions in town grew larger. She finally shares a story of warning – she has been in a similar situation, where her husband "came back" after death, and eventually hurt their son in a way they would never be able to heal.
The next time Yoshiki goes to school, he thinks about the dangers of being with "Hikaru", who could easily kill Yoshiki if he chose to. Yoshiki stays late at school, but "Hikaru" comes to collect him. He refuses to explain why he's upset, which makes "Hikaru" bring up that Yoshiki has been keeping secrets and messaging people he doesn't know. They argue, with Yoshiki yelling that he's not the real Hikaru, causing "Hikaru" to grow emotional, unable to control his feelings for Yoshiki. He grabs Yoshiki and insides burst out of him, causing them to fall onto the floor.[6]
Yoshiki is engulfed by "Hikaru"'s insides.
"Hikaru"'s worries centered around Yoshiki growing distant from him. He had dreams that Yoshiki told him he wasn't needed anymore, and at other times recalled Yoshiki slapping his hand away after touching his insides, or Yoshiki lying that the text message was from his mother rather than Kurebayashi. In the classroom, "Hikaru"'s insides entered Yoshiki, causing him to briefly see a vision of a man holding a severed head in his arms. The situation ends abruptly, with "Hikaru" drawing his insides back into himself, apologizing, and asking Yoshiki not to hate him, before leaving the classroom by himself. The next day, Yoshiki realizes that he shouldn't have expected "Hikaru" to replace the real person, and therefore he should've have treated him like the real Hikaru either. He goes to "Hikaru"'s house and finds him wrapped in a blanket. He flinches away when "Hikaru" reaches for him, confirming "Hikaru"'s belief that Yoshiki is afraid of him. Crying, he tosses off the blanket and says he doesn't care about anything except getting Yoshiki not to hate him. Yoshiki begins to see "Hikaru" as a lonely kid who doesn't know better, and resolves to take responsibility for teaching "Hikaru" himself.[7]
The Summer Festival[]
Yoshiki finds Hikaru's body.
"Hikaru" goes to the village's summer festival with Yoshiki and Kaoru. They separate briefly when "Hikaru" notices he is mysteriously unable to enter the Mikasa shrine grounds – he's been "bounced back". Later that night, Yoshiki and "Hikaru" talk alone. Yoshiki admits that he knew "Hikaru" wasn't really his friend, because he had seen Indou Hikaru's corpse himself on Red Sand Mountain.[8] After Hikaru's disappearance, Yoshiki had snuck out of his house to join the search, and later found Hikaru's corpse lying on the ground. He concluded that Hikaru had fallen and smashed his head on a nearby rock. Yoshiki eventually returned home, fell ill with a fever, and remained bed ridden for a few days. By the time he recovered, "Hikaru" had returned to Kubitachi, having finished repairing Hikaru's injured body.
While reminiscing about Hikaru, Yoshiki recalls a conversation they had at the riverbank about Yuusuke, whose homosexuality has become a topic of argument amongst his family and gossip amongst the villagers. Yoshiki described how the village made him feel cramped, and Hikaru comforted him. Present-time Yoshiki cries at the memory, and "Hikaru" promises to always protect and listen to him, even though he can't replace the real Hikaru.[9] Hikaru's final moments are also revealed. He got distracted by a tree shaped like a woman, slipped, and hit his head on a rock. He felt regret at failing to carry out the family ritual, and wished that Unuki-sama would stay with Yoshiki so that he wouldn't be lonely.[10]
Meanwhile, three men – Mikasa Tetsu, Takeda Hajime, and Matsushima Yoshihiko – discuss how Indou Kouhei's son had likely failed to complete the ritual. They are troubled by this because they say it is Kubitachi's burden since ancient times to keep "that thing" sealed away, or else the village will be in danger. They reluctantly agree to call a certain someone for help. However, it appears that this person, Tanaka, has already started to research Kubitachi extensively and has plans to go there himself.[9]
The Spirit in the Bathroom[]
A hallucinating Yoshiki tries to drown "Hikaru".
"Hikaru" and Yoshiki have an idea to try building Yoshiki's tolerance to impurity. After school, Yoshiki reaches inside "Hikaru" again, but this time, "Hikaru" uses his insides to touch Yoshiki as well. Yoshiki becomes afraid and yells at him to stop, and "Hikaru" apologizes. The situation reminds Yoshiki of Kurebayashi's warning that "Hikaru" is mixing with him.[10]
After Kaoru discovers an impurity in their bathroom, "Hikaru" comes to the Tsujinaka house to help get rid of it. However, the spirit enters Yoshiki and he begins to hallucinate. He has a vision of the time he and Hikaru fought over the death of their pet bird, Crowly. In real life, Yoshiki attacks Hikaru, shoving him into the bathtub water.[11] Yoshiki bites "Hikaru"'s arm hard enough to break skin, which allows "Hikaru"'s insides to enter Yoshikit through his mouth. The spirit is then forced out of Yoshiki.
Tanaka's Investigation[]
Around the same time, Tanaka drives into the Kubitachi mountains into the restricted area on Red Sand Mountain, the place where Hikaru disappeared. Here he finds a waist bag left on the ground. He then goes to the Takeda household to update the others on what he found.[12]
Tanaka presents the human head talisman.
At school, Yoshiki discusses a story with his friends, questioning whether a man who was replaced by a completely-identical Swampman is really dead or not, and whether the man and Swampman are the same person or not. After school, "Hikaru"'s bike gets a flat tire, so he and Yoshiki walk home on foot. They're given a lift by Mikasa Tetsu in the bed of his pickup. Mikasa drops them off and then reflects on what Tanaka had shown him, Matsushima, and Takeda a few days ago. Tanaka showed them the waist bag, which Mikasa identified as belonging to Indou Kouhei. Inside the bag was a small, dark object resembling a head. Tanaka said it's possible it really is a person's head – or what used to be a head – but is now a talisman that wards off evil spirits. He also mentions that the barrier he'd set up at Mikasa's shrine is totally damaged, and concludes that "it" has come down from the mountain and hidden itself in some form, causing the impurities to leave the mountain as well. Mikasa thinks to himself that things are happening exactly as Kouhei had said.[13]
The next day, Tanaka digs up an old impurity that he likens to a Wild Hound, and sends it off to track Something's location.
"Hikaru" and Human Life[]
While at school, Yoshiki learns that a long time in the past, Kibogayama's land was difficult for the feudal domains to interfere with, which allowed people fleeing religious persecution to settle there instead. After school, Yoshiki and "Hikaru" gather at the Indou family home with Asako, Yuuki, and Maki. While there, Yoshiki recalls a memory of a summer festival, during which his father told him to stay away from the mountains or else he'd be taken away. He also finds a piece of notebook paper that is heavily obsurced, but he can make out Indou Hikaru's handwriting saying "Hichi" and "duty of the Indous". That night, the group plays with sparkler fireworks togehter. "Hikaru" and Asako leave to buy a new lighter. Once they're alone together, Asako asks him what he really is.[14]
Yoshiki glares at "Hikaru" for what he did to Asako.
It is revealed that Asako is able to hear impurities, an ability that her grandmother explained to her when she was young. Shocked that she found out, "Hikaru" approaches her, stares into her eyes, attempting to mess with her mind. Asako passes out at the same time that Yoshiki arrives. He is horrified that "Hikaru" would try to kill her, and "Hikaru" explains that he doesn't understand the human concept of life and death. To him, they are basically the same thing – death is merely a change of form. Angered, Yoshiki accuses him of having no value of human life, and vomits.[15] Asako slowly begins to wake up. She explains her ability to hear impurities, and that "Hikaru"'s voice has at times sounded strange ever since he came back from the mountains. She believes Hikaru is possessed. However, she also sensed that the thing possessing him was protecting Yoshiki, which is why she thought it'd be safe to try communicating with it. Yoshiki goes home by himself while Asako and "Hikaru" rejoin the others. "Hikaru" continues to reflect on the human soul and the meaning of life and death.
Yoshiki stabs "Hikaru".
To "Hikaru"'s surprise, when they meet for school the next day, Yoshiki isn't angry at him anymore. In fact, "Hikaru" remarks that Yoshiki is being extremely nice to him while they skip school, watch a movie together, eat ice pops, and go back to Yoshiki's house. But while reading manga in his room, Yoshiki suddenly plunges a knife into "Hikaru"'s gut. Though it injures the body, it doesn't kill him. Breathing and sweating heavily, Yoshiki curls into a ball, apologizing and saying he had no choice but to try and kill him. He admits that he'd been planning to do this all day and wanted "Hikaru" to enjoy himself during his final hours. He then asks "Hikaru" to kill him instead.
"Hikaru" rips out his insides.
"Hikaru"'s thoughts are panicked, but he slowly calms down and holds his insides in. He realizes that Yoshiki did this because he's been treating human life too lightly. "Hikaru" then reaches into his own chest and tears out a part of himself. His insides spill out and then condense into one small piece of bone. He gives it to Yoshiki and explains that he still doesn't understand the value of life, but by doing this, he's become weak enough that a human would be able to kill him. He never felt emotions before inhabiting Hikaru's body, but Yoshiki accepted what he was, and he finally felt a sense of belonging. Because of this, it's very important to him that he can stay by Yoshiki's side. Yoshiki takes the piece of "Hikaru" and privately decides that he'll stay with "Hikaru" until the end. Out loud, he reminds "Hikaru" that his existence probably is not meant to be here – but since he's going to remain here, then they should look into his origins and find out what he really is.[16]
Story Impact[]
Plot[]
- Yoshiki confronts his friend, Hikaru, about his true nature.
- His friend is actually a supernatural being that had body-snatched Indou Hikaru after finding his corpse in the Kubitachi mountains.
- Yoshiki calls this being "Hikaru".
- The being likes Yoshiki and wants to continue experiencing life with him normally.
- Old Lady Matsuura is killed by "Hikaru" after she identifies him as "Nounuki-sama," or "the Great Brain Snatcher".
- Unuki-sama has promised not to harm the Indou family.
- Kurebayashi warns Yoshiki that he is becoming mixed with something from The Other Side.
- Yoshiki decides to teach "Hikaru" how to live among humans.
- The townspeople call in Tanaka to investigate Something's descent from the mountains.
World[]
- The Other Side is a non-physical realm overlapping our world.
- Through the cycle of Samsara, souls of the dead mix with the strong emotions of the living, and they are reborn back into our world as an impurity.
- Impurities are lonely, and will attempt to enter humans who look at them.
- Impurities can cause humans to hallucinate, act out in violence or odd behaviors, and eventually commit suicide.
- Fearing impurities makes a human more vulnerable to their effects.
- If a human is strong enough to survive the effects of an impurity, they may be left with a spiritual impairment.
- Some impurities are peaceful and can help protect humans.
- Yamagishi Asako is able to hear impurities.
- Some people can see without hearing, others can hear without seeing, others can do both, and others have a general sense or intuition for impurities.
Characters Introduced[]
Locations Introduced[]
- Kubitachi (
首 立 , Kubitachi?): Yoshiki and Hikaru's hometown.- Kubitachi Mountains: A mountainous region containing a restricted area on Nisayama (Red Sand Mountain), where Hikaru disappeared.
- Yamahisa (
山 久 , Yamahisa?): A small shop selling miscellaneous items.
- Ashidori (
足 取 , Ashidori?): A neighboring town where Maki lives. - Kibogayama (
希 望 ヶ 山 , Kibōgayama?): A larger neighboring town.- Kibogayama High (
希 望 ヶ 山 高 校 , Kibōgayama Kōkō?): The school that Yoshiki and Hikaru attend. - Casual Diner America (レストランあめりか, Resutoran Amerika?): A western-style restaurant.
- Kibogayama High (
References
- ↑ Chapter 1 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 2 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 3 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 4 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 5 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 6 (Vol. 1)
- ↑ Chapter 7 (Vol. 2)
- ↑ Chapter 8 (Vol. 2)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chapter 9 (Vol. 2)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Chapter 10 (Vol. 2)
- ↑ Chapter 11 (Vol. 2)
- ↑ Chapter 12 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ Chapter 13 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ Chapter 14 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ Chapter 15 (Vol. 3)
- ↑ Chapter 16 (Vol. 3)
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