# E1 - The Cursed Book, the Maiden, and the Birthday
Source: [Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/watch/G4VUQ5KN5/the-cursed-book-the-maiden-and-the-birthday)
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
**[00:34] Oto**
I'm going now.
**[00:35] Adashino**
Okay.
**[00:49] manager**
Ogawa-san.
**[00:51] manager**
The new volumes just came in.
**[00:53] manager**
Put the plastic covers on them
for me, would you?
**[00:55] Sumireko**
Will do.
***SIGN*** Mysterious Disappearances
***SIGN*** Mysterious Disappearances
***SIGN*** Midori Bookstore
***SIGN*** The Cursed Book, the Maiden, and the Birthday
***SIGN*** The Cursed Book, the Maiden, and the Birthday
**[02:40] Adashino**
Cuckoo!
***SIGN*** m 0 0 l 100 0 100 100 0 100
***SIGN*** Ogawa Sumireko
**[02:43] Sumireko**
Am I imagining things, Adashino-kun?
**[02:45] Sumireko**
I thought I heard a bird call
in the shop just now.
**[02:50] Adashino**
Cuckoo!
**[02:52] Sumireko**
You did it right in front of me that time!
***SIGN*** m 0 0 l 100 0 100 100 0 100
***SIGN*** Adashino Ren
**[02:54] Adashino**
It was the kankodori, crying out in solitude.
**[02:57] Sumireko**
The what?
**[02:58] Adashino**
Did you know? The kankodori is
also called the common cuckoo.
**[03:04] Sumireko**
Is working the register with
me really that boring?
**[03:07] Adashino**
Not at all!
**[03:09] Adashino**
Being on the register with you is
the only reason I work here at all!
**[03:15] Sumireko**
Well, I'm honored.
**[03:17] Sumireko**
But you shouldn't tease your elders.
**[03:20] Sumireko**
Come back in another ten years, young man.
**[03:23] Adashino**
Ten years, huh?
**[03:25] Adashino**
If I wait ten years, you'll have matured
into a truly attractive older woman.
**[03:30] Sumireko**
Uh-huh.
**[03:31] Sumireko**
So you're not teasing me,
you're making fun of me.
**[03:34] Adashino**
But we really have nothing to do right now.
**[03:38] Sumireko**
Bookstores everywhere are
closing one after another.
**[03:41] Sumireko**
I guess people just don't need them anymore.
**[03:47] Adashino**
You sound sleepy.
**[03:49] Adashino**
Were you up all night writing?
**[03:51] Sumireko**
Well, thank you for asking!
**[03:53] Sumireko**
You know how more info on Kisaragi Station
came up yesterday on that occult forum?
**[03:57] Adashino**
Oh, you mean that thing?
**[03:58] Adashino**
That made-up, toothless urban
legend that's clearly a lie?
**[04:03] Adashino**
I'm amazed someone your age is still
entertained by such nonsense—ow.
**[04:07] Sumireko**
None of that stopped *you* from reading it,
so you're in no position to talk, youngster!
**[04:11] Adashino**
"Youngster"?
**[04:13] Sumireko**
Through the occult, we can enjoy
our fear and hesitation
**[04:15] Sumireko**
toward things that are beyond
human understanding.
**[04:17] Sumireko**
It stimulates core needs akin
to hunger and sexual appetite!
**[04:24] Adashino**
So basically, Sumireko-san...
**[04:27] Adashino**
you spent the night absorbed in something
that acts on base instincts like porn does?
**[04:31] Sumireko**
What?
**[04:32] Sumireko**
It sounds to me like you didn't
understand what I was saying at all.
**[04:36] manager**
Well, this is a surprise.
**[04:37] Sumireko**
Manager.
**[04:39] manager**
I've never heard Adashino-kun speak so much.
**[04:41] Sumireko**
Yes, he's been unexpectedly chatty.
**[04:44] Sumireko**
Infuriatingly so.
**[04:46] Sumireko**
Right?
**[04:48] Sumireko**
Hey, you can't just clam up now.
**[04:51] manager**
You didn't know?
**[04:53] manager**
Adashino-kun only speaks
with you, Ogawa-san.
**[04:56] manager**
Oh, right.
**[05:00] manager**
A present for you.
**[05:02] Sumireko**
What is it?
**[05:03] manager**
A book that was reverse-shoplifted.
**[05:05] Sumireko**
Reverse-shoplifted?
**[05:07] manager**
You haven't heard of it?
**[05:09] manager**
The name says it all.
It's the opposite of shoplifting.
**[05:11] manager**
It's when, rather than stealing our stock,
someone leaves extra behind.
**[05:15] Sumireko**
Sounds like a disgruntled customer
with an axe to grind.
**[05:18] manager**
Well, we could just leave it at that, but...
**[05:21] manager**
Ogawa-san, it's your birthday, isn't it?
**[05:25] Sumireko**
Well, yes...
***SIGN*** Newcomer's Award Presentation Ceremony
**[05:32] Adashino**
Sumireko-san.
**[05:34] Adashino**
How is that new novel you
mentioned before going?
**[05:37] Sumireko**
I haven't been able to write lately.
**[05:40] Sumireko**
I need to pull myself together.
**[05:41] Adashino**
And you're still treating me
like we're not friends.
**[05:44] Adashino**
If you'd told me it was your birthday,
I'd have gotten you a present.
**[05:48] Sumireko**
Then here's your chance.
***SIGN*** Ogawa
**[05:52] Sumireko**
Your consideration in leaving
your depressed senpai alone
**[05:56] Sumireko**
would be the best present I could hope for.
**[05:59] Adashino**
I couldn't possibly just leave you alone.
**[06:02] Adashino**
Despite how it may seem, I am a fan
of the author Ogawa Sumireko.
**[06:08] Sumireko**
Yeah, just keep talking.
***SIGN*** Midori Bookstore
**[06:13] Sumireko; narration**
I'll make a note of it here so I don't forget.
**[06:16] Sumireko; narration**
This is me, Ogawa Sumireko...
**[06:19] Sumireko; narration**
and my friend who's never at a loss
for something to say, Adashino Ren.
**[06:23] Sumireko; narration**
What follows is but a humble account
of our friendship and parting.
**[06:27] Adashino**
Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
**[06:28] Sumireko**
Yeah. Goodnight.
**[07:07] MC**
*Congratulations!*
**[07:18] Sumireko**
Happy 28th birthday, me.
***SIGN*** Happy 28th Birthday, Me
**[07:25] Sumireko; internal**
*Back then, I could write anything.*
**[07:29] Sumireko; internal**
* When I was fifteen,*
* I received a newcomer's award.*
***SIGN*** Simply Walk Alone, Like a Rhino's Horn
***SIGN*** Simply Walk Alone, Like a Rhino's Horn
**[07:35] Sumireko; internal**
* But past the age of twenty, someone*
* like that is just an ordinary person.*
***SIGN*** Ogawa Sumireko
**[07:40] Sumireko; internal**
*That's me, I guess. An ordinary person.*
**[07:45] Sumireko; internal**
*I wish I could go back to how I was then.*
**[07:52] Sumireko**
Oh, for crying out loud.
**[08:00] Sumireko**
I can't even read the title.
**[08:06] Sumireko**
It seems like Japanese,
but it's slightly different.
**[08:09] Sumireko**
But there's hiragana here.
**[08:10] Sumireko**
Maybe I can read the key points?
**[08:13] Sumireko**
"In the heavens, the sun and moon shine.
You are like them in my thoughts,
***SIGN*** m 0 0 l 100 0 100 100 0 100
***SIGN*** In the heavens
***SIGN*** The sun and moon shine
***SIGN*** You are like them in my thoughts
**[08:17] Sumireko**
and I regret that with each
new day, you grow older."
***SIGN*** And I regret that with each new day
***SIGN*** You grow older
**[08:21] Sumireko**
That's from the Man'yōshū, isn't it?
**[08:25] Sumireko**
I guess that means people from way back
then wanted to be young again, too.
**[08:33] Sumireko**
Maybe I'll go buy a cake or something.
**[08:37] [Messenger] text**
Happy birthday!
**[08:39] [Messenger] text**
Happy birthday!
**[08:40] [Messenger] text**
Happy birthday!
**[08:40] [Messenger] text**
Please become an
even more attractive
older woman, okay?
***SIGN*** Sumire
**[08:43] [Messenger] text**
Thanks. One day
I'm gonna stab you
**[08:45] [Messenger] text**
Thanks. One day
I'm gonna stab you
***SIGN*** Sumire
**[08:45] [Messenger] text**
I'll be waiting
**[08:45] [Messenger] text**
Read
**[08:49] [Messenger] text**
Thanks. One day
I'm gonna stab you
**[08:49] [Messenger] text**
I'll be waiting
**[08:49] [Messenger] text**
Read
**[08:49] [Messenger] text**
Don't forget this, youngster.
Age comes to everyone equally
***SIGN*** Sumire
***SIGN*** Sumire
**[08:51] Adashino**
"Youngster"...
**[08:52] Adashino**
I'm hardly of the age to be called that, though.
**[09:00] Sumireko**
I swear, he has no tact whatsoever.
**[09:08] clerk**
Welcome.
**[09:18] Sumireko**
Did my clothes stretch?
**[09:22] Sumireko**
Huh?
**[09:26] Sumireko**
My eyes...
**[09:42] Sumireko**
My shoes...
**[09:57] clerk**
Huh?
**[09:59] clerk**
What're you doing?
**[10:03] clerk**
Miss!
***SIGN*** Midori Bookstore
**[10:10] manager**
Adashino-kun, come here a minute.
**[10:13] manager**
Ogawa-san's absent without leave.
**[10:17] Adashino**
Sumireko-san is?
**[10:18] manager**
She isn't answering her phone,
either. I'm worried.
**[10:21] manager**
Did she say anything to you?
Should I go check up on her?
**[10:28] Adashino**
I heard that she isn't feeling well.
**[10:30] manager**
What? Really?
**[10:32] Adashino**
Apparently, she's so incredibly constipated
that her whole body is stuffed full of poop.
**[10:37] Adashino**
The doctor said it's life-threateningly
bad, so she's staying home.
**[10:41] manager**
For real?
**[10:42] Adashino**
She said she's terrified, crying,
and holed up in the bathroom.
**[10:45] manager**
I see. Please tell her I said
to take care of herself.
**[10:50] Adashino**
I will.
**[10:53] Adashino**
What actually happened?
That's what *I* want to know.
**[10:55] [Messenger] text**
Sumireko-san,
what's happened?
**[10:57] [Messenger] text**
Sumireko-san,
what's happened?
**[10:57] [Messenger] text**
If you're not feeling well,
I'll tactfully let them know
**[11:00] [Messenger] text**
Sumireko-san,
what's happened?
**[11:00] [Messenger] text**
If you're not feeling well,
I'll tactfully let them know
**[11:00] [Messenger] text**
Helloooo
**[11:02] [Messenger] text**
If you're not feeling well,
I'll tactfully let them know
**[11:02] [Messenger] text**
Helloooo
**[11:02] [Messenger] text**
What's this? Are you ignoring me?
**[11:04] [Messenger] text**
Helloooo
**[11:04] [Messenger] text**
What's this? Are you ignoring me?
***SIGN*** Sumire
**[11:04] [Messenger] text**
Quit bothering me
**[11:05] [Messenger] text**
What's this? Are you ignoring me?
**[11:05] [Messenger] text**
Quit bothering me
***SIGN*** Sumire
***SIGN*** Sumire
***SIGN*** Sumire
**[11:05] [Messenger] text**
Quit bothering me
**[11:05] [Messenger] text**
I don't know who you are,
but you're being a pain
**[11:07] Adashino**
Sumireko-san?
**[11:07] [Messenger] text**
I don't know who you are,
but you're being a pain
***SIGN*** Sumire
**[11:10] child Sumireko; internal**
*It could totally start with a mysterious text.*
**[11:13] child Sumireko; internal**
*A boy sends the text,*
**[11:15] child Sumireko; internal**
* and just like he tells her, he starts working*
* at the same shop as the main character.*
**[11:18] child Sumireko; internal**
*Oh, yeah! A bookstore would be best!*
**[11:23] Sumireko; narration**
And so, I went missing.
***SIGN*** And So, I Went Missing
**[11:28] Adashino**
*Visit Sumireko-san at home?*
**[11:31] manager**
* Now that it's been a week,*
* I can't overlook it anymore.*
**[11:34] manager**
*Could you go and check on her for me?*
**[11:37] Adashino**
*Me?*
**[11:42] Adashino**
It's Adashino.
**[11:44] Adashino**
I came to see how you're doing.
**[11:48] Adashino**
Are you there?
**[11:55] Adashino**
It's unlocked.
**[11:57] Adashino**
She's not the most security-minded, is she?
**[12:03] Adashino**
We're here to search the premises!
We're coming in and doing whatever we want!
**[12:10] Adashino**
Damn it! Something smells good!
**[12:14] Adashino**
I wish I could've come here
under different circumstances.
***SIGN*** m 0 0 l 100 0 100 100 0 100
***SIGN*** growing younger
***SIGN*** old book
***SIGN*** from where?
***SIGN*** ° friend
***SIGN*** ° used bookstore
***SIGN*** ° secondhand
book market
***SIGN*** gods
***SIGN*** Private number
**[12:23] Adashino**
She just left her phone here.
**[12:26] Adashino**
There are no signs of a struggle.
**[12:29] Adashino**
Where could she be?
**[12:56] Adashino**
I see.
**[12:57] Adashino**
This is the cause.
**[13:07] child Sumireko**
I have all the material I need!
**[13:09] child Sumireko**
Now I can write another novel!
**[13:15] child Sumireko**
Being a child again isn't half bad!
**[13:19] child Sumireko**
The ideas keep welling up!
**[13:21] child Sumireko**
I just can't sit still!
**[13:27] child Sumireko**
I'll head home and get writing!
**[13:33] child Sumireko**
Head home...
**[13:37] child Sumireko**
Where is home, again?
**[13:40] Adashino**
Sumireko-san.
**[13:43] Adashino**
It's dangerous for a child
to be out walking alone.
**[13:47] Adashino**
If you don't know the way home,
I'll show you.
**[13:51] child Sumireko**
Who are you?
**[13:53] Adashino**
Now, that's just cruel.
**[13:55] Adashino**
Have you forgotten?
**[13:56] child Sumireko**
No. I remember every—
**[14:03] child Sumireko**
My head hurts!
**[14:05] Adashino**
It's a natural reaction to the form you're in.
**[14:09] Adashino**
Did you think you'd grown young again?
**[14:12] Adashino**
You've simply been forced into a child's body.
**[14:15] Adashino**
The excess blood, muscle, and bone
you had left over after shrinking
**[14:20] Adashino**
are still within your body right now.
**[14:23] child Sumireko**
How do you know this?
**[14:27] child Sumireko**
You're Adashino-kun.
**[14:32] child Sumireko**
This isn't right. Why aren't you
surprised by how I look?
**[14:38] Adashino**
Sumireko-san, you read
this book, didn't you?
**[14:41] child Sumireko**
That's...
**[14:43] Adashino**
This is a cursed book that
mustn't be read aloud.
**[14:46] Adashino**
It's a Curiosity called a Juusho.
**[14:47] [SONG] text**
Juusho
**[14:49] child Sumireko**
You're saying I got smaller
because I read a cursed book?
**[14:53] child Sumireko**
You expect me to believe
a ridiculous story like that?!
**[14:56] Adashino**
It's no less ridiculous than the body you're
in right now. Yet you don't believe me?
**[15:01] Adashino**
Your life is at stake here.
**[15:05] child Sumireko**
My life?
**[15:07] Adashino**
In the waka collected in the Man'yōshū,
**[15:10] Adashino**
among the poems whose authors are unknown
**[15:12] Adashino**
are some written by things
that cannot be called human.
**[15:17] Adashino**
Poems that revive the dead
when read: the Banka.
**[15:18] [SONG] text**
Banka
**[15:20] Adashino**
Poems that manipulate
people's hearts: the Soumon.
**[15:21] [SONG] text**
Soumon
**[15:23] Adashino**
Poems that can bring back
a person's youth: the Zouka.
**[15:24] [SONG] text**
Zouka
**[15:25] Adashino**
That's just to name a few.
**[15:27] Adashino**
Number thirteen, Zouka. Author unknown.
**[15:31] Adashino**
In the Man'yōshū, this poem is about a nobleman
wishing for a lady's youth to return.
**[15:36] (Flashback) Sumireko**
"In the heavens, the sun and moon shine.
You are like them in my thoughts,
***SIGN*** m 0 0 l 100 0 100 100 0 100
***SIGN*** In the heavens
***SIGN*** The sun and moon shine
***SIGN*** You are like them in my thoughts
**[15:41] (Flashback) Sumireko**
and I regret that with each
new day, you grow older."
***SIGN*** And I regret that with each new day
***SIGN*** You grow older
**[15:43] child Sumireko**
A poem that causes mysterious
phenomena when read?
**[15:47] child Sumireko**
I've never heard of any such thing!
**[15:49] Adashino**
It's the moon god Tsukuyomi's
Water of Youth.
***SIGN*** m 0 0 l 100 0 100 100 0 100
***SIGN*** Tsukuyomi's Water of Youth
**[15:52] Adashino**
Still, this poem only begins to show its power
when a number of conditions are met.
**[15:57] Adashino**
Apparently, it's very rare
for the spell to activate.
**[16:00] child Sumireko**
Conditions? What are they?
**[16:02] Adashino**
Shall I tell you?
**[16:04] child Sumireko**
Please do.
**[16:06] Adashino**
First, the time must be around midnight.
**[16:09] [SONG] text**
Midnight
**[16:11] Adashino**
Second, it must be read
under the light of the moon.
**[16:14] [SONG] text**
Moonlight
**[16:16] Adashino**
Third, the reader must be at least 28 years old.
**[16:19] [SONG] text; upper right**
At Least 28 Years Old
***SIGN*** Happy 28th Birthday, Me
**[16:20] child Sumireko**
All three of those did happen.
**[16:23] Adashino**
And the final condition...
**[16:27] Adashino**
Fourth, the reader must be a virgin maiden.
**[16:30] child Sumireko**
Huh?
**[16:30] [SONG] text**
Virgin Maiden
**[16:32] child Sumireko**
I think I must have misheard you.
What did you just say?
**[16:36] Adashino**
The reader must be a virgin maiden.
**[16:38] Adashino**
The reader must be a virgin maiden.
**[16:41] child Sumireko**
You said it twice...
**[16:45] Adashino**
This Curiosity has proven your chastity.
**[16:48] child Sumireko**
I'm begging you, could you
please just stop talking?
**[16:51] child Sumireko**
I feel like I might kill you without thinking.
**[16:54] child Sumireko**
Why did a book like that come to me at all?
**[16:57] Adashino**
It was purely a coincidence.
**[16:59] Adashino**
It wasn't as if you were specifically chosen.
**[17:02] child Sumireko**
Are you telling me that it wasn't my fault?
**[17:06] Adashino**
You're on the verge of death right now
**[17:07] Adashino**
because of your thoughtless wandering,
so that part is your fault.
**[17:15] child Sumireko**
Am I really going to die?
**[17:19] Adashino**
Moonlight is necessary
for you to return to normal.
**[17:22] Adashino**
Let's go someplace where we can see the moon.
**[17:26] Adashino**
If we go now, we can still make it.
**[17:33] Adashino**
We can see the moon from here.
**[17:35] Adashino**
Let's give it a try.
**[17:38] child Sumireko**
Should I just read the same poem again?
**[17:41] Adashino**
What you initially read was a hanka.
**[17:44] Adashino**
What you'll read now is the complete
chouka that it summarized.
**[17:49] Adashino**
Here. Hurry.
**[17:51] child Sumireko**
All right.
***SIGN*** m 0 0 l 100 0 100 100 0 100
***SIGN*** I wish that the bridge to the heavens were longer
**[17:53] child Sumireko**
"I wish that the bridge to
the heavens were longer.
***SIGN*** I wish that the highest mountains were taller
**[17:55] child Sumireko**
I wish that the mountains were taller.
**[17:58] child Sumireko**
I wish that Tsukuyomi's Water of Youth
were something I could steal
***SIGN*** I wish that Tsukuyomi's Water of Youth
***SIGN*** were something I could steal and give to you
**[18:02] child Sumireko**
and give to you to make you young again."
***SIGN*** to make you young again
**[18:22] Adashino**
You seem to have reverted safely.
**[18:25] Sumireko**
This feels embarrassing for some reason.
**[18:28] Adashino**
You're wearing panties under there, right?
**[18:31] Sumireko**
Of course I am.
**[18:32] Sumireko**
If you have any decency at all, could you
lend me something to cover myself?
**[18:38] Adashino**
Decency? Was that something I had?
**[18:42] Adashino**
Please leave that book with me.
**[18:45] Adashino**
I'll make sure it's disposed of properly.
**[18:48] Adashino**
Will this towel suffice
to hide that butt of yours?
**[18:51] Adashino**
Huh?
**[18:52] Adashino**
What?!
**[18:56] Adashino**
Wait!
**[18:58] Adashino**
Sumireko-san!
**[18:59] Sumireko**
Sorry, but I can't give this to you!
**[19:01] Sumireko**
I'll be sure to use it well!
**[19:03] Adashino**
It's dangerous!
**[19:04] Sumireko**
Wha—
**[19:05] Adashino**
You will give it to me!
**[19:07] Sumireko**
"In the heavens, the sun and moon shine.
You are like them in my thoughts,
**[19:09] Sumireko**
and I regret that with each
new day, you grow older!"
**[19:13] Adashino**
Hey!
**[19:14] Sumireko**
Who is that guy? How did he get ahead of me?
**[19:19] child Sumireko**
"I wish that the bridge to
the heavens were longer!
**[19:21] child Sumireko**
I wish that the mountains were taller!
**[19:22] child Sumireko**
I wish that Tsukuyomi's Water of Youth
were something I could steal
**[19:24] child Sumireko**
and give to you to make you young again!"
**[19:28] Adashino**
Why are you so good at using that?
You, with your caterpillar eyebrows!
**[19:40] child Sumireko**
Where am I?
**[19:45] Adashino**
Now, please give me the book.
**[19:49] child Sumireko**
No!
**[19:50] child Sumireko**
I need this!
**[19:52] child Sumireko**
If I'm not young, no one will read my books!
**[19:55] Adashino**
Why do you think that?
**[19:58] child Sumireko**
Because I've come to realize
that I have no talent!
**[20:04] child Sumireko**
All I keep getting are rejections.
**[20:06] child Sumireko**
Talent? That gilding has long since worn away.
**[20:09] child Sumireko**
All that's left is an immature person
who can't socialize with others!
**[20:13] child Sumireko**
But even so, I still want to write novels!
**[20:17] child Sumireko**
I know better than anyone else
that they're not any good.
**[20:20] child Sumireko**
I write and I write, and then I'm told
it's not good enough, so I revise it...
**[20:26] child Sumireko**
But even so, I still want to write!
**[20:40] Adashino**
Your nose is running.
**[20:44] Adashino**
Don't worry. You can write.
**[20:47] Adashino**
You've always had the courage within you.
**[20:50] Adashino**
You're fine with running around
town half-naked, after all.
**[20:54] Adashino**
I am a fan of the author Ogawa Sumireko.
**[20:58] Adashino**
Please let me read a new work of yours.
**[21:05] child Sumireko**
"I wish that the bridge to
the heavens were longer.
**[21:07] child Sumireko**
I wish that the mountains were taller.
**[21:09] child Sumireko**
I wish that Tsukuyomi's Water of Youth
were something I could steal..."
**[21:13] Sumireko**
You don't play fair, Adashino-kun.
**[21:16] Sumireko**
If you insist like that, then I can't say no.
**[21:24] Adashino**
I'm glad you're back, Sumireko-san.
**[21:31] Conductor**
* If you'd like to report a found article,*
* please come this way.*
**[21:38] Conductor**
*A Juusho, is it?*
**[21:40] Conductor**
* This can be exchanged for*
* one ticket to Yami Station.*
**[21:46] Adashino**
*I won't this time, thank you.*
**[21:49] Conductor**
*That's a shame.*
**[21:53] Conductor**
*We await the opportunity to serve you again.*
**[21:58] Conductor**
*Mysterious disappearances...*
***SIGN*** Schoolhouse, Drool, and an Apartment Wife
**[23:36] Sumireko**
Next time: "Schoolhouse, Drool,
and an Apartment Wife."