Dekin no Mogura: The Earthbound Mole (出禁のモグラ)

What is this?

Magi. I can tell.

Episode 9 "The Great Mother's Love"

You're worried about something else right now.

"My crush's local friend has SSR face potential."

You gotta do everything you can to stop this.

Shut up, old man.

Depending on the circumstances, you may have to resort to illegal measures.

If you want, I'll help.

As far as society's concerned, I don't exist, so I'm useful that way.

Please shut up, old man.

You might be thinking, "Why does this matter?"

But it's normal to wonder what happened to him, right?

True. Since you're here, it might be good to talk to him.

Yae-chan, how'd you recognize him as Mori-kun as soon as you saw him?

It was his doll.

I made it.

Back in high school, that game character was obscure, so there was no merch of it.

Mori-kun liked the same game and wanted something, so I made it for him.

Yeah, I can't figure it out just by thinking about it.

I'm shocked and exhausted from the merfolk thing today.

Let's go to bed.

You're right. I'm disappointed I couldn't see it, though.

Yaeko-san, let's change into our pajamas and chat.

Sure. Oh, right.

These are for when you sleep.

What are these?

If a centipede falls from the ceiling, use those.

A centipede?!

Don't touch them with your bare hands.

Okay, good night.

A centipede?!

You can eat centipedes, you know.

Come on, Yaeko-chan. Join us.

What are we talking about?

Yaeko-chan, who do you like?

I love my husband!

Yeah, it'd be a huge problem if you loved someone else.

In that case, Shio-chan and Yaeko-chan, are you a sadist or a masochist?

What kind of topic is that?

Oh, please.

I'm a huge masochist!

I feel like these are indirect burns against the professor of my seminar.

Spirits of the sea who have lost their sense of self and cry like infants.

The island's festival. The people in power. My friend from the island.

My friend's great-grandfather.

My friend's utterly transformed classmate.

Invited by a female friend, I rode on the back of her motorbike,

met her family, and now I'm staying at their house.

My future self 20 years from now is probably yelling at me,

"Do you have any idea how amazing this experience is?"

But for reasons I don't understand,

what I remember most is the middle-aged man keeping up with us on a bicycle.

Who's the real monster, the merfolk or him?

I fell asleep while thinking about that and woke up the next morning.

Shriek

Oh, it's Mori-san's kid.

Again? He's been like this for a few years.

Must be tough for his parents.

The parents are a bit... complicated, too.

Oh, Dad. How's Mori-kun?

I was told he's doing fine.

Good.

It was after you left for Tokyo.

He started panicking easily.

He's calmed down now.

I see...

I'm going out for a bit.

But maybe I'd be bothering him if I went now.

No, I'm going.

Oh, excuse me.

Can you stand? Take my hand.

Sir? Welcome.

Please, come in.

No, here is fine.

I heard you have guests, Kirihara-san.

I came to say hello and apologize.

I'm terribly sorry for the disturbance caused by an islander.

The Mori family's son is a bit mentally unstable.

We're all worried about him, but don't let it bother you.

I apologize for this happening during your visit.

We value the young people of the island,

so we get worried and fuss over him more than necessary.

I haven't introduced myself yet.

My name is Samejima Koitaro.

I see...

This is my granddaughter, Yui.

Good to see you again, Kirihara-chan.

Oh, Yui-chan.

Haven't seen you since high school graduation.

Also, I heard a college professor from Tokyo was visiting.

Oh, right.

I heard you study folklore and are interested in our island.

Thank you for coming.

Not at all.

The Kirihara family has helped us since before my mother's generation.

Their guests are our guests.

Ah, it's the Samejima boy.

I'd love to show you around the island.

What do you say?

I'll meet up with you after I visit Mori-kun.

Better that you don't.

You'd be bothering them.

Let's go around the island, Kirihara-chan.

Hello, sir.

Good day.

Like Yae-chan said, he seems important.

He's got a real way with words.

Should you be saying that?

Are you Kirihara-chan's friend?

I saw you hit that target.

Oh, right.

I was impressed.

But you seem rather grown up for a college friend.

Did you start attending college after working for a while?

I, uh...

He's an alumnus.

Huh.

Anyway, it's amazing that he's a college professor.

Are there a lot of people like him in the city?

He's so handsome.

I wouldn't say a lot.

This is the merfolk shrine.

Its official name is Samejima Shrine.

It was built by my ancestors.

Merfolk Island

It's simple, but here's a pamphlet.

I see.

Spring Festival During the festival, people raise their hands above their heads. This gesture resembles the one used to protect the islanders in the legend and expresses reverence for the sea and merfolk. The village chief's son led the effort to pacify the malicious spirit, for which the islanders were grateful.

So there's meaning behind that gesture at the festival.

It's just an imitation now, of course.

It must seem foolish, but it's important to us.

It's also a way for people to learn about the sea.

The merfolk of the merfolk legend is enshrined... head resembling an infant and body... lures men into the sea with its voice... originally a human girl... child taken by humans... became a malicious spirit, and its beautiful form causing rough seas, and the surrounding eight islands... said to have been destroyed in a single night...

Samejima Seafood

Processing Plant 1

Fruits of the Sea

It's the president.

Oh, yeah.

That looks good.

It's one of our specialties.

Shark Fish Cake

It's made from cod and shark.

Jaws?!

Not Jaws. Mostly blue sharks.

Jaws is the title of a film, isn't it?

But around here, great whites and tiger sharks do occasionally appear.

There are even records from the Edo period.

So there's meaning behind instilling a fear of the sea through the festival.

Jaws tastes good.

It's not Jaws.

Will that be useful to your report?

What? Oh, yes.

You know about that? That's kind of embarrassing.

Sorry.

No, I'm sorry.

It's a small island. Word gets around quickly.

They're guests of the president.

He's a college professor from Tokyo.

Huh.

That's Kirihara-san's daughter.

She's friends with the Moris' kid.

But the Kiriharas have been here forever.

The Moris still aren't ready for the festival.

Now, now.

Can't expect perfection yet.

Kirihara

So the Moris are new to the island, huh?

Oh, nothing. Sorry.

You could tell?

I guess.

You can't help but hear rumors while traveling around the island.

Ah.

How people are treated seems firmly established.

I thought it might depend on how long you've been around.

It depends on how well you understand the island.

The Moris have lived here for six years.

Our ancestors were already here by the end of the shogunate.

The Moris had a little screw-up with the company right after they moved here.

The father joined the company after me.

About a year after he joined, he pointed out a little mistake to the president.

Confusing, right? That's the normal response.

But sometimes it's not about being right.

Factory 3

Factory 2

Factory 1

On this island, the rest of us quietly go along with some amount of that family's misconduct.

What misconduct? Of course there's misconduct.

Factory 3

Factory 2

How many businesses can claim to be completely spotless?

Often it's quicker to operate that way as long as it's not a crime.

Shark Fish Cake

Shark Fish Cake

After speaking with the president, you probably understand why this island is prosperous.

Outside the island, plenty of people think us "naïve" and try to rip us off.

Honest Insurance

They attempt to sell us all kinds of nonsense.

Sales Contract

Work Contract