ERASED (僕だけがいない街)

I'm scared.

I'm scared to get to the heart of my own mind.

I think you're doing good work here.

But how can I say this...

BOYS' FLIGHT

If you don't dig deeper,

the readers won't be able to see you in the work.

You're 29, right?

That's kind of a tough fit for our magazine.

26 more days until the 2006 World Cup begins in Germany...

Every day, the words cross my mind. "If I had done this back then..."

But they don't take the sincere form of regret.

The words are just an excuse that come to mind, then disappear.

I'm scared to get to the heart of my own mind.

ERASED

I'm going out on a delivery.

Okay. Be careful.

I'm going out on a delivery, too.

Okay, be careful!

Fujinuma, don't eat any pizza on the way.

I don't get it.

What is that, a Gen Y joke?

Wasn't planning to.

That girl says the same thing to me every time I see her.

In fact, it's the only thing she's said to me.

It doesn't seem like she has any special feelings for me.

Weird girl...

Well, not like I'm interested in high school girls...

I'm positive.

It happened again.

Where is it?

What seems out of place?

Hey, trucker! Stop!

Hey! Driver!

F-Fujinuma?

What are you...

Dammit!

I shouldn't have gotten involved!

But...

But...

- Are you okay?! - That was close!

What the hell is this?

That thing where my life flashes before my eyes...

There, see?

Nothing good comes of getting involved with strangers.

Oh well...

My dying doesn't make any difference.

Huh?

His eyes opened.

Good morning, Fujinuma!

You were out for two days!

Katagiri?

Do you know who you are and why you're here?

Satoru Fujinuma, 29 years old.

I was chasing a truck and got into an accident.

Good! The doctor said you hardly suffered any injuries.

It's a miracle!

Do you want me to call someone?

A friend or girlfriend?

Nah. There's nobody I want to bother telling.

Snip-snip.

What's that?

A Gen Y joke?

It's like you're covered with a thin membrane.

You don't seem like the type who opens up to people.

You never laugh either.

But I do kind of see you in a new light.

How's that?

You saved a kid's life, right?

I was there.

They say the truck driver died of a heart attack while driving.

I'm surprised you noticed it.

I just got lucky.

After that, the truck crashed into a warehouse,

so you and the driver were the only casualties.

Casualties...

After I explained everything to the manager,

he said, "Tell him not to worry about the bike or the car he hit, just come back to work."

Thanks.

You smiled for a second there!

Katagiri, why do you work there?

I'm surprised you got right to the heart of it.

Did I?

Yeah. No one's ever asked me that before.

I have a dream.

I see.

That's all you're gonna ask me?!

Hey...

When you tell other people about your dream...

don't you think, like, "But what if it doesn't happen for me?"

I'm not especially embarrassed to talk about it.

I feel like if you say the words over and over,

it'll actually happen somewhere along the line.

Those words...

For some reason, they resonate with me.

But I'm not going to tell you what it is, Fujinuma.

It's not like we're close or anything.

Well, I'll tell the nurse you're awake, then I'm going home.

Bye-bye.

Weird girl...

I call the phenomenon "Revival."

Even though I know it's not beneficial for me, I always get involved.

I usually go back between one and five minutes,

where everything is the same as before.

It's always right before something bad happens.

I find myself searching for the thing that doesn't feel right,

as if someone put me there with the order to "Prevent it!"

As a result, I've kept trouble from happening again and again.

In most cases, negative incidents just come out even.

Once in a while, it turns negative for me.

Welcome home, Satoru.

Mom...

I went to the hospital, but you were still sleeping,

which was boring so I came here.

Is your head all right?

Fine.

I was shocked.

I mean, they said it was a head-on collision.

I'm going to stay with you for a while.

Why would you do that?

My adorable son's head hit a moving vehicle.

The least I can do is watch over him.

I said I'm fine.

And I only have one futon.

There's a sleeping bag in the closet. That works for me.

Go to a hotel.

It's a waste of money.

Oh, that's right! I'll reimburse you for the hospital charges!

Keep it. We'll use it to pay for my room here.

I'm her son,

but even I can't believe she's 52 years old, because the woman never changes.

Satoru, can you get to Ueno without changing trains?

No. Figures. You're here for sightseeing, aren't you?

I have come all the way from Hokkaido.

Besides, I'd get bored having to look at your face every day.

You haven't even seen me for a full day yet.

Come on, let's eat.

Sorry. I took your futon and TV.

Yeah, don't worry about it.

I'd rather have that

than try to be quiet if I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Look, you don't have to tiptoe around me if you use the toilet in the middle of the night.

I won't wake up.

Yokai...

On to our next story.

The first-grade girl from Saitama who went missing yesterday evening

was found safe and sound this morning on a road in Yokohama.

Hey, Satoru...

She was taken to the hospital but suffered no injuries.

Do you remember?

What?

What happened in the neighborhood when you were in fifth grade.

The Ina Police Station has reported that an unemployed man

Your memories are probably hazy.

from Nishi-ku, Yokohama was with the girl at the scene.

We tried desperately then

He has been arrested on suspicion of abducting a minor.

to get you kids to forget even a little of what happened.

Your life was in danger.

When I was in fifth grade...

An abduction...

Two of my classmates went missing.

Go! Go, go!

When I was little, a local guy, Yuuki, often played with me.

His name really wasn't Yuuki, but that's what I called him

because he'd always say, "Yuuki, yuuki! Courage, courage..."

W-Want me to guess about the most p-popular kid in your class?

He's cheerful and good at sports.

He speaks his mind and sometimes screws around,

but is serious when it comes to one thing.

That's incredible.

Popular people are usually that guy.

W-What if you tried imitating him?

In one or two areas.

Just as much as you can, without being embarrassed, but with courage.

Six months after the disappearances, Jun Shiratori was arrested

as a serial kidnapper and murderer.

It was Yuuki.

Episode 1 Flashing Before My Eyes