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Monogatari OMS EP09 - Aniplex vs. MTBB

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# Aniplex

# MTBB

Kie Harimaze is a first-year

Harimaze Kie is a first-year who just entered Naoetsu Private High School this spring.

who just entered Naoetsu Private High School this spring.

She joined the girls' basketball team

She was part of the girls' basketball team,

and of course immensely regretted both decisions.

and of course she immensely regretted both decisions.

She regretted entering Naoetsu High, an elite college prep school,

She regretted entering Naoetsu High, a college prep school with high academic deviation value,

and joining the girls' basketball team—

and joining the girls' basketball team,

one that was unbelievably spartan for a sports team at a college prep school.

that was unbelievably Spartan for a sports club of a college prep school.

A team that practices rigorously even though we're not that strong.

A sports team that practices rigorously even though we're not that strong.

This is the worst.

Oh, I just want some thug to come assault me.

Please assault me.

Please hurt me.

Please turn my life upside down.

That would be a reason for me to quit the team,

and I'm sure they'll exempt me from the final exams too.

and I'm sure they'd exempt me from final exams too.

In either case, a thug who would conveniently strike her head with a club would not appear

In any event, a thug who would conveniently strike Harimaze Kie's head with a club

for Kie Harimaze on the road back home from school.

did not appear for her on the road back home from school.

No matter how many times she wished.

No matter how many days she kept wishing.

Ugh, it doesn't have to be a thug anymore.

I don't care what it is as long as it sets me free.

It doesn't have to be reality. It can be a fantasy.

For instance...

Right, for instance, even if it's a monstrous apparition.

Right, for instance, even if it were an outright monster.

I really feel this when I arrived in this country.

I really felt this when I arrived in this country.

But the greeting "time to eat" is a phrase that really isn't to my liking.

And "thanks for the meal" is rather silly, too.

I am Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-Master.

I am Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-master.

The vampire of prepared death, inevitable death, and certain death.

The death-cheating, death-meeting, death-bringing vampire.

Koyomin, what do you think about this patient?

Mummy?

A mummy?

This is a mummy, right? A human one, at that.

Oh no, this isn't a dead human, Koyomin.

She's alive. At least, even in this condition.

She's still alive. Even in this condition.

Her heart is pumping, and she's breathing.

Vital signals are sickeningly normal.

If you think I'm lying, you can confirm for yourself.

Then, if you'll excuse me.

Kie Harimaze is the name of that mummy.

Harimaze Kie is the name of that mummy.

She's a student at Naoetsu High where you attended, Koyomin.

She's a student at Naoetsu High. Your alma mater.

Was she assaulted by a vampire?

Seems so.

On her way home after team practice, she happened to encounter one.

Which means she underwent vampirization?

We should treat it as a failed vampirization.

It happens often. Successes like you, Koyomin, is less common.

It happens often. Successes like you, Koyomin, are less common.

The failure, in this case, can even feel like a blessing in disguise.

The failure, in this case, could even be thought of as a blessing in disguise.

There must be a means to save this girl.

"Save," huh?

Of course, I'm here to save this girl, Harimaze.

Of course, I am here to save Harimaze here.

But Koyomin, I hardly leave my home.

But Koyomin, it's not the right reaction for you to consider me reliable

It would trouble me if you feel trustworthiness because I'm leaving my house from the get-go.

just because I'm here from the get-go despite being a shut-in.

What do you mean?

Before I explain that, we should move locations.

Move? To where?

This is a round of visits. I'll introduce you to the next patient.

We're making the rounds. I'll introduce you to the next patient.

This is Aburi Honno.

This is Honno Aburi.

She's also a student at Naoetsu High.

She's a student at Naoetsu High, too.

A pedestrian discovered a mummified Harimaze lying on the street two days ago.

A pedestrian discovered the mummified Harimaze lying on the street two days ago.

And last night, a mummified Honno was found lying on her futon at home by her mother.

And last night, the mummified Honno was found in her futon at home by her mother.

One person a day? That's quite a rapid pace.

It's not necessarily one person a day.

There may be a lot more, and we simply haven't found an immense number of mummies.

For all we know, there's a mountain of mummies waiting out there for us to find.

Um, Ms. Gaen?

Um, Gaen?

Are you perhaps being suspicious of Shinobu?

Might you perhaps be suspicious of Shinobu?

Oh no, I didn't even start thinking about that.

I just want you to help me out because you know the area really well.

It's nice to help out girls every so often who have nothing to do with you.

Isn't it nice to occasionally help some girls you don't even know?

Actually, this makes me want to rely on you, Koyomin.

I'd very much like to borrow your expertise on this.

The trustworthy Koyomin.

The ever-reliable Koyomin.

I am currently taking measures to bring Yoduru back here.

I am currently taking measures to bring Yozuru back here.

What? Ms. Kagenui?

What? Kagenui?

But Yoduru, no matter how much she hurries, will take several days to arrive in this town.

But no matter how Yozuru hurries, she'll take a few days to arrive here.

Those several days can directly affect the number of victims.

Those days can directly affect the number of victims.

Ms. Gaen, is it all right not to inform Ononoki?

Gaen, is it all right not to inform Ononoki?

That girl is on a different mission right now as well.

A job that is kept secret from you, Koyomin.

A job that I'm keeping secret from you, Koyomin.

If you assist me in resolving this apparition phenomenon, Koyomin,

If you assist me in resolving this oddity incident, Koyomin,

I swear that for roughly four years, until you graduate from college,

I will not appear before you or contact you.

Please lead a bright, fun life on campus free of apparitions and specialists.

Please lead a bright, fun life on campus free of oddities and specialists.

She's right. It's good to save strangers every so often.

All right. I'll help you in areas that won't affect my academics negatively.

All right. I'll help you, though I need to keep it from interfering with school.

Oh.

Hello?

Yup.

I have unfortunate news, Koyomin.

A third victim has been found.

And of course, it's a female student from Naoetsu High.

And naturally, it's a female student from Naoetsu High.

This girl also looks like a failed vampirization.

Koyomin, look out!

I-I'm sorry, Ms. Gaen. I acted on impulse.

I-I'm sorry, Gaen. I acted on impulse.

No, that was a job well done, Koyomin.

This girl's name seems to be Kyoumi Kuchimoto.

This girl's name seems to be Kuchimoto Kyoumi.

A first year at Naoetsu High.

Um, Ms. Gaen?

Um, Gaen?

What do you mean "well done"?

When Kuchimoto attacked you to scratch you,

When Kuchimoto reached out to scratch you,

it seems she dropped the flash cards that she was holding in her hands.

What is this?

Who knows?

By the way, the writing tool that supposedly wrote the message was on the floor right next to it.

By the way, the pen she used to write it was right next to it too.

"B777Q," huh?

Ms. Gaen.

Gaen.

What is it?

This dying message...

Though I feel I should call it a living message...

I might have a means for decrypting it.

Let me hold onto these flash cards for a bit.

If you insist that much, I don't mind.

If you want them so badly, I don't mind.

A living message? Sounds good.

Calling a dying message a "living message" is something new.

I'll handle stuff on this end.

Is something wrong with that strap, Ms. Gaen?

Is something wrong with that strap, Gaen?

There's no doubt that those are Kyoumi Kuchimoto's initials.

There's no doubt that those are Kuchimoto Kyoumi's initials.

Of course, if that was all, then this is a commonplace accessory that's cute.

Of course, if that's all there is to it, then this is a cute, commonplace accessory.

But when the victim Aburi Honno had a similar strap attached to her smartphone...

But if I told you the victim Honno Aburi had a similar strap attached to her smartphone...

Doesn't that change things a bit?

Wouldn't that change things a bit?

Huh?

As it was Aburi Honno, the initials were "H" and "A".

As it was Honno Aburi, the initials were "H" and "A."

But it had the same font.

Then, perhaps if there's a common trait among the victims

Supposing there's more in common among the victims than being female students of Naoetsu High,

other than female students of Naoetsu High...

determining that missing link might also lead us to the truth behind who this mysterious vampire is.

Determining the missing link might also lead us to determining who this mysterious vampire is.

Hey, Meniko.

Oh, Araragi.

Hola!

¡Hola!

There's no lecture today.

Looks like it.

Seems that way.

So what are you doing here?

Because I was scheduled to spend my time here, I guess?

There's something I want you to look at.

All right. If it's you making the request, I'll look at anything.

It's about these flash cards.

"B777Q," huh?

Flash cards? How nostalgic.

There's also something written on the back.

Huh? The back?

Yup. I don't get it.

You don't get it?

Yeah. I don't get it.

Araragi, who's smarter than me, can't decrypt something this simple.

Why can't Araragi decrypt something this simple even though he's smarter than me?

I don't get it.

Were you able to decrypt the code?

I had an inconvenience on my end, so I'd like some good news.

Things aren't going well on my end, so I'd like some good news.

My college classmate planning to major in cryptology solved it in ten seconds.

A college classmate planning to major in cryptology solved it in ten seconds.

B777Q.

Splitting it apart, you get a B, a Q, and three sevens sandwiched in between.

Then, what are the common characteristics for the letters B and Q?

So what are the common characteristics for the letters B and Q?

Well, basically...

Well, basically,

B and Q are completely different when you write them in uppercase.

However, when you write B and Q in lowercase, you end up with b and q.

They're the same shape just flipped upside down.

They're the same shape—just flipped upside down.

And speaking of the same shape, there's a pair with the same shape in Arabic numerals too.

It's 6 and 9.

And as you can see, 6 and 9 have the same shapes as b and q as well.

So substitution upon substitution turns B777Q into its equivalent, 67779.

That friend is a college student in the mathematics department like me,

so she has a habit of wanting

so she has a habit of wanting to perform prime factorization when she sees a group of numbers like this.

to perform prime factorization when she sees a group of numbers like this.

Must be a pain.

That's a nasty habit.

Yes, but there was no need for prime factorization.

It's clearer than day that 67779 can be separated into three prime numbers.

In other words, 67, 7, and 79.

And what's next?

Then we return the Arabic numerals back into the alphabet for an orthodox decryption.

I was told that the orthodox next step is to match the numbers to letters of the alphabet.

In other words, S, D, and V?

So 67 is the nineteenth prime number when you start with two.

Likewise, 7 is the fourth prime number.

And 79 is the twenty-second prime number.

The nineteenth letter in the alphabet starting with A is S.

The nineteenth letter in the alphabet is S.

The fourth letter is D, and the twenty-second letter is V.

So 67, 7, 79 equals S, D, V.

However, we still don't know what "S, D, V" symbolizes.

Yes. I'm sure you noticed it, Ms. Gaen.

Yes. I'm sure you noticed it, Gaen.

The flash card in question also had something written on the back.

In the same handwriting as the front side, "231" was written there.

The order.

In other words, you take the three letters you gain from the decryption,

and you rearrange it in the order of 2-3-1? So an anagram?

Which means, S/D/V turns into D/V/S.

It's an abbreviation, but they're actually initials, Koyomin.

Like, for instance...

"Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-Master."

"Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-master."

Initials for a name like that.

Thank you, Koyomin.

Thanks to you, I'll be able to navigate in the right direction.

Okay.

Sure thing.

More like, it was a good thing I reached out to you beforehand, Koyomin.

More like, it was a good thing I reached out to you after all, Koyomin.

This is coincidence in a way.

This is quite a fateful turn of events.

So from the straps, I felt there was

So from the straps, I felt there was another commonality with the victims other than attending the same school.

another commonality with the victims other than attending the same school.

After digging through the private lives of various high school girls, I uncovered a surprising fact.

So I was digging through the privacy of high school girls.

As a result, I uncovered a surprising fact.

All three of them were doing the same extracurricular activity.

The girls' basketball team.

Oh.

That's an organization that makes Ms. Gaen, who fears nothing

That's an organization that makes Gaen, who fears nothing even when she specializes in every oddity monster,

even when she specializes in every apparition monster,

feel the shadow of her older sister, the one being she feels inferior to.

The Naoetsu High School girls' basketball team.

Tooe Gaen.

Gaen Tooe.

That's the name of Ms. Gaen's older sister, the big sis of Big Sis.

That's the name of Gaen's older sister, the big sis of Big Sis.

And the name of the daughter of the big sis of Big Sis is Suruga Kanbaru.

And the name of the daughter of the big sis of Big Sis is Kanbaru Suruga.

She's now a third-year at Naoetsu High,

She's now a third-year at Naoetsu High

and the former captain of the girls' basketball team.

We have to send someone in, then.

That means it's better if I did it, right?

And I'm probably the best candidate, right?

Right. I shouldn't associate myself with Suruga anymore.

Furthermore, Suruga currently has lost her left arm.

Furthermore, Suruga's lost her left arm.

No wait, she regained it.

Though it's been a while since Kanbaru has retired from the girls' basketball team,

Although, it's been a while since Kanbaru retired from the girls' basketball team,

so it's sketchy on whether or not she has any current information.

so it's dubious whether or not she has any current information.

I still have to ask you to.

If possible, I'd like the list of every team member.

If possible, I'd like a list of every team member.

Roger that.

Also, let me share what I found out from rummaging through their belongings.

Also, let me share what I found out from rummaging through the victims' belongings.

After an inspection of the scene, this girl, who is the third mummy,

seems to have been the victim in the early hours yesterday.

Yesterday? Then, well...

She was the third person to be found, but Kuchimoto was the second victim?

Yup. That's how things were.

To organize, Kie Harimaze, a first-year at Naoetsu High, was assaulted two nights ago.

To sum things up, Harimaze Kie, a first-year at Naoetsu High, was assaulted two nights ago.

And before dawn broke, the vampire assaulted another Naoetsu first-year, Kyoumi Kuchimoto.

And before dawn broke, the vampire assaulted another Naoetsu first-year, Kuchimoto Kyoumi.

It's unknown whether they dragged her into the shack then drank her blood,

Either they dragged her into the shack then drank her blood,

or they drank her blood then carried the mummy into the shack.

or drank her blood then carried the mummy into the shack.

But in either case, the evil deed happened during the night.

But in either case, the evil deed was committed during the night.

Like a vampire, they rested during the day when the sun rose, and when night fell again,

they then bit into Aburi Honno, a Naoetsu second-year who was in her room at home.

they then bit into Honno Aburi, a Naoetsu second-year who was in her room at home.

Of course, there may be other victims as well,

so I won't limit things to female Naoetsu students.

so I won't limit our scope to female Naoetsu students.

I'll keep an eye out for withered mummies all over town.

Would it be better to seek assistance from Hachikuji?

Do you think we should seek assistance from Hachikuji?

Hmm, I don't know about that.

Even though she's a god,

She's a god now,

nowadays, she's clearly on the side of apparitions.

which means she's clearly on the side of oddities.

Then, in any case, I'll set things up so that I can see Kanbaru after this.

In that case, I guess I'll put all that aside and set up a meeting with Kanbaru right away.

And I'll go quickly clean her room while I'm at it.

And I'll go ahead and do a quick clean of her room while I'm at it.

What an awful "while I’m at it."

What an awful "while I'm at it."

I'm sorry my niece causes you so much trouble.

B777Q equals D/V/S.

However, if this was a code that the victim suddenly left behind right before mummification,

it does feel a bit too complex.

Wouldn't it be better to deduce that this is a signature from the perpetrating vampire?

A signature.

A criminal declaration.

A war declaration.

Self-expression.

I don't care what it is, but if that's the case, it matches the theory of using initials.

Whichever it is, if that's the case, it matches the theory that they're initials.

Let me introduce you, Araragi-senpai.

Let me introduce you, Araragi.

This is Higasa, who was my teammate when I was on the basketball team.

This is Higasa. We were basketball teammates.

She had taken over as captain after I retired.

She took over as captain after I retired.

Nice to meet you, Araragi-senpai.

Nice to meet you, Araragi.

I'm Seiu Higasa. I've heard many rumors about you.

I'm Higasa Seiu. I've heard many rumors about you.

I bet you heard all the terrible ones, right?

Now, here's some tea, Araragi-senpai.

Here's some tea, Araragi. Drink up.

I didn't slip anything fishy in there, so you can relax as you drink.

I didn't slip anything fishy in there, so you can relax as you sip.

That annotation isn't necessary.

Nothing less from Kanbaru's friend. She's quite frank.

Oh no, I totally get anxious around strangers.

Unlike the rude 'Ruga.

Unlike the rude and crude Ruga.

However, I feel like you're someone who I've known for a long time.

But in a way, it feels like I've known you for a long time.

It just doesn't feel like we just met.

It doesn't feel like we just met.

Seriously, what kind of rumors are going around?

You were the only delinquent student to graduate from Naoetsu High School.

That said, as I've heard the rumors, I'm trembling right now.

Oh, I want to brag to my friends, so can I have your cellphone number?

Guess she kept it on even after retiring.

Anyway, about the girls' basketball team.

Yes, right. I have some information prepared right here.

What? Nobody has said "put your hands up!" or anything like that, Higasa.

Yes. Well, Araragi-senpai, this goes without saying,

Yes. Well, Araragi, this goes without saying,

but this is personal information for one hundred high school girls.

but this is the personal information of one hundred high school girls.

Not just name, address, and contact information.

Their height, weight, bust-waist-hip measurements, and even whether they have a partner or not.

Not only is it far from trivial,

but to hand these records over to Araragi-senpai, who's infamous for being a hentai...

but to hand these records over to our famed pervert...

Infamous for being a hentai?

Famed pervert?

No, I said Araragi-hentai who's renowned as a senpai.

No, I said famed alum who just happens to be a pervert.

And yet, I risk getting persecuted to lend you this top-secret roster because I have hopes

And yet, I'm willing to risk lending you this top-secret roster and getting persecuted for it because I have hopes

that you'll break down the current state of the Naoetsu High girls' basketball team.

that you'll shatter the current state of the Naoetsu High girls' basketball team.

The current state of the girls' basketball team?

Higasa, to ask Araragi-hentai that much...

Higasa, I'm not sure we should burdening our famed alum pervert with...

Tell me. I'll help you guys if you're in trouble.

Tell me. I'll help you if you're in trouble.

The girls' b-ball became terrible after we retired.

Things took a nosedive after we retired.

The team atmosphere is the worst.

You mean they got weaker,

You mean they got weaker after the golden era players like you and Kanbaru retired?

after the golden era players like Kanbaru and Higasa retired?

It's not like they've gotten weaker.

If anything, that would've been better for them.

That's why they have the worst atmosphere now.

It means they're no longer a bright, fun, girls' basketball team filled with solidarity.

It means they're no longer a bright, fun, girls' basketball team filled with shared camaraderie.

The solidarity is gone.

The camaraderie is gone.

And they're only left with collective responsibility.

But they still have to share all the responsibilities.

Of the 100 members on the roster, five have gone missing.

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# Aniplex

Kie Harimaze is a first-year
who just entered Naoetsu Private High School this spring.
She was part of the girls' basketball team,
and of course she immensely regretted both decisions.
She regretted entering Naoetsu High, a college prep school with high academic deviation value,
and joining the girls' basketball team,
that was unbelievably Spartan for a sports club of a college prep school.
A sports team that practices rigorously even though we're not that strong.
This is the worst.
Oh, I just want some thug to come assault me.
Please assault me.
Please hurt me.
Please turn my life upside down.
That would be a reason for me to quit the team,
and I'm sure they'll exempt me from the final exams too.
In either case, a thug who would conveniently strike her head with a club would not appear
for Kie Harimaze on the road back home from school.
No matter how many times she wished.
No matter how many days she kept wishing.
Ugh, it doesn't have to be a thug anymore.
I don't care what it is as long as it sets me free.
It doesn't have to be reality. It can be a fantasy.
For instance...
Right, for instance, even if it's a monstrous apparition.
I really feel this when I arrived in this country.
But the greeting "time to eat" is a phrase that really isn't to my liking.
And "thanks for the meal" is rather silly, too.
I am Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-Master.
The vampire of prepared death, inevitable death, and certain death.
Koyomin, what do you think about this patient?
Mummy?
This is a mummy, right? A human one, at that.
Oh no, this isn't a dead human, Koyomin.
She's alive. At least, even in this condition.
Her heart is pumping, and she's breathing.
Vital signals are sickeningly normal.
If you think I'm lying, you can confirm for yourself.
Then, if you'll excuse me.
Kie Harimaze is the name of that mummy.
She's a student at Naoetsu High where you attended, Koyomin.
Was she assaulted by a vampire?
Seems so.
On her way home after team practice, she happened to encounter one.
Which means she underwent vampirization?
We should treat it as a failed vampirization.
It happens often. Successes like you, Koyomin, is less common.
The failure, in this case, can even feel like a blessing in disguise.
There must be a means to save this girl.
"Save," huh?
Of course, I'm here to save this girl, Harimaze.
But Koyomin, I hardly leave my home.
It would trouble me if you feel trustworthiness because I'm leaving my house from the get-go.
What do you mean?
Before I explain that, we should move locations.
Move? To where?
This is a round of visits. I'll introduce you to the next patient.
This is Aburi Honno.
She's also a student at Naoetsu High.
A pedestrian discovered a mummified Harimaze lying on the street two days ago.
And last night, a mummified Honno was found lying on her futon at home by her mother.
One person a day? That's quite a rapid pace.
It's not necessarily one person a day.
There may be a lot more, and we simply haven't found an immense number of mummies.
Um, Ms. Gaen?
Are you perhaps being suspicious of Shinobu?
Oh no, I didn't even start thinking about that.
I just want you to help me out because you know the area really well.
It's nice to help out girls every so often who have nothing to do with you.
Actually, this makes me want to rely on you, Koyomin.
The trustworthy Koyomin.
I am currently taking measures to bring Yoduru back here.
What? Ms. Kagenui?
But Yoduru, no matter how much she hurries, will take several days to arrive in this town.
Those several days can directly affect the number of victims.
Ms. Gaen, is it all right not to inform Ononoki?
That girl is on a different mission right now as well.
A job that is kept secret from you, Koyomin.
If you assist me in resolving this apparition phenomenon, Koyomin,
I swear that for roughly four years, until you graduate from college,
I will not appear before you or contact you.
Please lead a bright, fun life on campus free of apparitions and specialists.
She's right. It's good to save strangers every so often.
All right. I'll help you in areas that won't affect my academics negatively.
Oh.
Hello?
Yup.
Yup.
Yup.
I have unfortunate news, Koyomin.
A third victim has been found.
And of course, it's a female student from Naoetsu High.
This girl also looks like a failed vampirization.
Koyomin, look out!
I-I'm sorry, Ms. Gaen. I acted on impulse.
No, that was a job well done, Koyomin.
This girl's name seems to be Kyoumi Kuchimoto.
A first year at Naoetsu High.
Um, Ms. Gaen?
What do you mean "well done"?
When Kuchimoto attacked you to scratch you,
it seems she dropped the flash cards that she was holding in her hands.
What is this?
Who knows?
By the way, the writing tool that supposedly wrote the message was on the floor right next to it.
"B777Q," huh?
Ms. Gaen.
What is it?
This dying message...
Though I feel I should call it a living message...
I might have a means for decrypting it.
Let me hold onto these flash cards for a bit.
If you insist that much, I don't mind.
A living message? Sounds good.
Calling a dying message a "living message" is something new.
I'll handle stuff on this end.
Is something wrong with that strap, Ms. Gaen?
There's no doubt that those are Kyoumi Kuchimoto's initials.
Of course, if that was all, then this is a commonplace accessory that's cute.
But when the victim Aburi Honno had a similar strap attached to her smartphone...
Doesn't that change things a bit?
Huh?
As it was Aburi Honno, the initials were "H" and "A".
But it had the same font.
Then, perhaps if there's a common trait among the victims
other than female students of Naoetsu High...
Determining the missing link might also lead us to determining who this mysterious vampire is.
Hey, Meniko.
Oh, Araragi.
Hola!
There's no lecture today.
Looks like it.
So what are you doing here?
Because I was scheduled to spend my time here, I guess?
There's something I want you to look at.
All right. If it's you making the request, I'll look at anything.
It's about these flash cards.
"B777Q," huh?
Flash cards? How nostalgic.
There's also something written on the back.
Huh? The back?
Yup. I don't get it.
You don't get it?
Yeah. I don't get it.
Araragi, who's smarter than me, can't decrypt something this simple.
I don't get it.
Were you able to decrypt the code?
I had an inconvenience on my end, so I'd like some good news.
My college classmate planning to major in cryptology solved it in ten seconds.
B777Q.
Splitting it apart, you get a B, a Q, and three sevens sandwiched in between.
Then, what are the common characteristics for the letters B and Q?
Well, basically...
B and Q are completely different when you write them in uppercase.
However, when you write B and Q in lowercase, you end up with b and q.
They're the same shape just flipped upside down.
And speaking of the same shape, there's a pair with the same shape in Arabic numerals too.
It's 6 and 9.
And as you can see, 6 and 9 have the same shapes as b and q as well.
So substitution upon substitution turns B777Q into its equivalent, 67779.
That friend is a college student in the mathematics department like me,
so she has a habit of wanting
to perform prime factorization when she sees a group of numbers like this.
That's a nasty habit.
Yes, but there was no need for prime factorization.
It's clearer than day that 67779 can be separated into three prime numbers.
In other words, 67, 7, and 79.
And what's next?
Then we return the Arabic numerals back into the alphabet for an orthodox decryption.
In other words, S, D, and V?
So 67 is the nineteenth prime number when you start with two.
Likewise, 7 is the fourth prime number.
And 79 is the twenty-second prime number.
The nineteenth letter in the alphabet starting with A is S.
The fourth letter is D, and the twenty-second letter is V.
So 67, 7, 79 equals S, D, V.
However, we still don't know what "S, D, V" symbolizes.
Yes. I'm sure you noticed it, Ms. Gaen.
The flash card in question also had something written on the back.
In the same handwriting as the front side, "231" was written there.
The order.
In other words, you take the three letters you gain from the decryption,
and you rearrange it in the order of 2-3-1? So an anagram?
Which means, S/D/V turns into D/V/S.
It's an abbreviation, but they're actually initials, Koyomin.
Like, for instance...
"Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-Master."
Initials for a name like that.
Thank you, Koyomin.
Thanks to you, I'll be able to navigate in the right direction.
Okay.
More like, it was a good thing I reached out to you beforehand, Koyomin.
This is coincidence in a way.
So from the straps, I felt there was
another commonality with the victims other than attending the same school.
So I was digging through the privacy of high school girls.
As a result, I uncovered a surprising fact.
All three of them were doing the same extracurricular activity.
The girls' basketball team.
Oh.
That's an organization that makes Ms. Gaen, who fears nothing
even when she specializes in every apparition monster,
feel the shadow of her older sister, the one being she feels inferior to.
The Naoetsu High School girls' basketball team.
Tooe Gaen.
That's the name of Ms. Gaen's older sister, the big sis of Big Sis.
And the name of the daughter of the big sis of Big Sis is Suruga Kanbaru.
She's now a third-year at Naoetsu High,
and the former captain of the girls' basketball team.
We have to send someone in, then.
That means it's better if I did it, right?
Right. I shouldn't associate myself with Suruga anymore.
Furthermore, Suruga currently has lost her left arm.
No wait, she regained it.
Though it's been a while since Kanbaru has retired from the girls' basketball team,
so it's sketchy on whether or not she has any current information.
I still have to ask you to.
If possible, I'd like the list of every team member.
Roger that.
Also, let me share what I found out from rummaging through their belongings.
After an inspection of the scene, this girl, who is the third mummy,
seems to have been the victim in the early hours yesterday.
Yesterday? Then, well...
She was the third person to be found, but Kuchimoto was the second victim?
Yup. That's how things were.
To organize, Kie Harimaze, a first-year at Naoetsu High, was assaulted two nights ago.
And before dawn broke, the vampire assaulted another Naoetsu first-year, Kyoumi Kuchimoto.
It's unknown whether they dragged her into the shack then drank her blood,
or they drank her blood then carried the mummy into the shack.
But in either case, the evil deed happened during the night.
Like a vampire, they rested during the day when the sun rose, and when night fell again,
they then bit into Aburi Honno, a Naoetsu second-year who was in her room at home.
Of course, there may be other victims as well,
so I won't limit things to female Naoetsu students.
I'll keep an eye out for withered mummies all over town.
Would it be better to seek assistance from Hachikuji?
Hmm, I don't know about that.
Even though she's a god,
nowadays, she's clearly on the side of apparitions.
Then, in any case, I'll set things up so that I can see Kanbaru after this.
And I'll go quickly clean her room while I'm at it.
What an awful "while I’m at it."
I'm sorry my niece causes you so much trouble.
B777Q equals D/V/S.
However, if this was a code that the victim suddenly left behind right before mummification,
it does feel a bit too complex.
Wouldn't it be better to deduce that this is a signature from the perpetrating vampire?
A signature.
A criminal declaration.
A war declaration.
Self-expression.
I don't care what it is, but if that's the case, it matches the theory of using initials.
Let me introduce you, Araragi-senpai.
This is Higasa, who was my teammate when I was on the basketball team.
She had taken over as captain after I retired.
Nice to meet you, Araragi-senpai.
I'm Seiu Higasa. I've heard many rumors about you.
I bet you heard all the terrible ones, right?
Now, here's some tea, Araragi-senpai.
I didn't slip anything fishy in there, so you can relax as you drink.
That annotation isn't necessary.
Nothing less from Kanbaru's friend. She's quite frank.
Oh no, I totally get anxious around strangers.
Unlike the rude 'Ruga.
However, I feel like you're someone who I've known for a long time.
It just doesn't feel like we just met.
Seriously, what kind of rumors are going around?
You were the only delinquent student to graduate from Naoetsu High School.
That said, as I've heard the rumors, I'm trembling right now.
Oh, I want to brag to my friends, so can I have your cellphone number?
Guess she kept it on even after retiring.
Anyway, about the girls' basketball team.
Yes, right. I have some information prepared right here.
What? Nobody has said "put your hands up!" or anything like that, Higasa.
Yes. Well, Araragi-senpai, this goes without saying,
but this is personal information for one hundred high school girls.
Not just name, address, and contact information.
Their height, weight, bust-waist-hip measurements, and even whether they have a partner or not.
Not only is it far from trivial,
but to hand these records over to Araragi-senpai, who's infamous for being a hentai...
Infamous for being a hentai?
No, I said Araragi-hentai who's renowned as a senpai.
And yet, I risk getting persecuted to lend you this top-secret roster because I have hopes
that you'll break down the current state of the Naoetsu High girls' basketball team.
The current state of the girls' basketball team?
Higasa, to ask Araragi-hentai that much...
Tell me. I'll help you guys if you're in trouble.
The girls' b-ball became terrible after we retired.
The team atmosphere is the worst.
You mean they got weaker,
after the golden era players like Kanbaru and Higasa retired?
It's not like they've gotten weaker.
If anything, that would've been better for them.
That's why they have the worst atmosphere now.
It means they're no longer a bright, fun, girls' basketball team filled with solidarity.
The solidarity is gone.
And they're only left with collective responsibility.
Of the 100 members on the roster, five have gone missing.

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Open file

# MTBB

Harimaze Kie is a first-year who just entered Naoetsu Private High School this spring.
She joined the girls' basketball team
and of course immensely regretted both decisions.
She regretted entering Naoetsu High, an elite college prep school,
and joining the girls' basketball team—
one that was unbelievably spartan for a sports team at a college prep school.
A team that practices rigorously even though we're not that strong.
This is the worst.
Oh, I just want some thug to come assault me.
Please assault me.
Please hurt me.
Please turn my life upside down.
That would be a reason for me to quit the team,
and I'm sure they'd exempt me from final exams too.
In any event, a thug who would conveniently strike Harimaze Kie's head with a club
did not appear for her on the road back home from school.
No matter how many times she wished.
No matter how many days she kept wishing.
Ugh, it doesn't have to be a thug anymore.
I don't care what it is as long as it sets me free.
It doesn't have to be reality. It can be a fantasy.
For instance...
Right, for instance, even if it were an outright monster.
I really felt this when I arrived in this country.
But the greeting "time to eat" is a phrase that really isn't to my liking.
And "thanks for the meal" is rather silly, too.
I am Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-master.
The death-cheating, death-meeting, death-bringing vampire.
Koyomin, what do you think about this patient?
A mummy?
This is a mummy, right? A human one, at that.
Oh no, this isn't a dead human, Koyomin.
She's still alive. Even in this condition.
Her heart is pumping, and she's breathing.
Vital signals are sickeningly normal.
If you think I'm lying, you can confirm for yourself.
Then, if you'll excuse me.
Harimaze Kie is the name of that mummy.
She's a student at Naoetsu High. Your alma mater.
Was she assaulted by a vampire?
Seems so.
On her way home after team practice, she happened to encounter one.
Which means she underwent vampirization?
We should treat it as a failed vampirization.
It happens often. Successes like you, Koyomin, are less common.
The failure, in this case, could even be thought of as a blessing in disguise.
There must be a means to save this girl.
"Save," huh?
Of course, I am here to save Harimaze here.
But Koyomin, it's not the right reaction for you to consider me reliable
just because I'm here from the get-go despite being a shut-in.
What do you mean?
Before I explain that, we should move locations.
Move? To where?
We're making the rounds. I'll introduce you to the next patient.
This is Honno Aburi.
She's a student at Naoetsu High, too.
A pedestrian discovered the mummified Harimaze lying on the street two days ago.
And last night, the mummified Honno was found in her futon at home by her mother.
One person a day? That's quite a rapid pace.
It's not necessarily one person a day.
For all we know, there's a mountain of mummies waiting out there for us to find.
Um, Gaen?
Might you perhaps be suspicious of Shinobu?
Oh no, I didn't even start thinking about that.
I just want you to help me out because you know the area really well.
Isn't it nice to occasionally help some girls you don't even know?
I'd very much like to borrow your expertise on this.
The ever-reliable Koyomin.
I am currently taking measures to bring Yozuru back here.
What? Kagenui?
But no matter how Yozuru hurries, she'll take a few days to arrive here.
Those days can directly affect the number of victims.
Gaen, is it all right not to inform Ononoki?
That girl is on a different mission right now as well.
A job that I'm keeping secret from you, Koyomin.
If you assist me in resolving this oddity incident, Koyomin,
I swear that for roughly four years, until you graduate from college,
I will not appear before you or contact you.
Please lead a bright, fun life on campus free of oddities and specialists.
She's right. It's good to save strangers every so often.
All right. I'll help you, though I need to keep it from interfering with school.
Oh.
Hello?
Yup.
Yup.
Yup.
I have unfortunate news, Koyomin.
A third victim has been found.
And naturally, it's a female student from Naoetsu High.
This girl also looks like a failed vampirization.
Koyomin, look out!
I-I'm sorry, Gaen. I acted on impulse.
No, that was a job well done, Koyomin.
This girl's name seems to be Kuchimoto Kyoumi.
A first year at Naoetsu High.
Um, Gaen?
What do you mean "well done"?
When Kuchimoto reached out to scratch you,
it seems she dropped the flash cards that she was holding in her hands.
What is this?
Who knows?
By the way, the pen she used to write it was right next to it too.
"B777Q," huh?
Gaen.
What is it?
This dying message...
Though I feel I should call it a living message...
I might have a means for decrypting it.
Let me hold onto these flash cards for a bit.
If you want them so badly, I don't mind.
A living message? Sounds good.
Calling a dying message a "living message" is something new.
I'll handle stuff on this end.
Is something wrong with that strap, Gaen?
There's no doubt that those are Kuchimoto Kyoumi's initials.
Of course, if that's all there is to it, then this is a cute, commonplace accessory.
But if I told you the victim Honno Aburi had a similar strap attached to her smartphone...
Wouldn't that change things a bit?
Huh?
As it was Honno Aburi, the initials were "H" and "A."
But it had the same font.
Supposing there's more in common among the victims than being female students of Naoetsu High,
determining that missing link might also lead us to the truth behind who this mysterious vampire is.
Hey, Meniko.
Oh, Araragi.
¡Hola!
There's no lecture today.
Seems that way.
So what are you doing here?
Because I was scheduled to spend my time here, I guess?
There's something I want you to look at.
All right. If it's you making the request, I'll look at anything.
It's about these flash cards.
"B777Q," huh?
Flash cards? How nostalgic.
There's also something written on the back.
Huh? The back?
Yup. I don't get it.
You don't get it?
Yeah. I don't get it.
Why can't Araragi decrypt something this simple even though he's smarter than me?
I don't get it.
Were you able to decrypt the code?
Things aren't going well on my end, so I'd like some good news.
A college classmate planning to major in cryptology solved it in ten seconds.
B777Q.
Splitting it apart, you get a B, a Q, and three sevens sandwiched in between.
So what are the common characteristics for the letters B and Q?
Well, basically,
B and Q are completely different when you write them in uppercase.
However, when you write B and Q in lowercase, you end up with b and q.
They're the same shape—just flipped upside down.
And speaking of the same shape, there's a pair with the same shape in Arabic numerals too.
It's 6 and 9.
And as you can see, 6 and 9 have the same shapes as b and q as well.
So substitution upon substitution turns B777Q into its equivalent, 67779.
That friend is a college student in the mathematics department like me,
so she has a habit of wanting to perform prime factorization when she sees a group of numbers like this.
Must be a pain.
Yes, but there was no need for prime factorization.
It's clearer than day that 67779 can be separated into three prime numbers.
In other words, 67, 7, and 79.
And what's next?
I was told that the orthodox next step is to match the numbers to letters of the alphabet.
In other words, S, D, and V?
So 67 is the nineteenth prime number when you start with two.
Likewise, 7 is the fourth prime number.
And 79 is the twenty-second prime number.
The nineteenth letter in the alphabet is S.
The fourth letter is D, and the twenty-second letter is V.
So 67, 7, 79 equals S, D, V.
However, we still don't know what "S, D, V" symbolizes.
Yes. I'm sure you noticed it, Gaen.
The flash card in question also had something written on the back.
In the same handwriting as the front side, "231" was written there.
The order.
In other words, you take the three letters you gain from the decryption,
and you rearrange it in the order of 2-3-1? So an anagram?
Which means, S/D/V turns into D/V/S.
It's an abbreviation, but they're actually initials, Koyomin.
Like, for instance...
"Deathtopia Virtuoso Suicide-master."
Initials for a name like that.
Thank you, Koyomin.
Thanks to you, I'll be able to navigate in the right direction.
Sure thing.
More like, it was a good thing I reached out to you after all, Koyomin.
This is quite a fateful turn of events.
So from the straps, I felt there was another commonality with the victims other than attending the same school.
After digging through the private lives of various high school girls, I uncovered a surprising fact.
All three of them were doing the same extracurricular activity.
The girls' basketball team.
Oh.
That's an organization that makes Gaen, who fears nothing even when she specializes in every oddity monster,
feel the shadow of her older sister, the one being she feels inferior to.
The Naoetsu High School girls' basketball team.
Gaen Tooe.
That's the name of Gaen's older sister, the big sis of Big Sis.
And the name of the daughter of the big sis of Big Sis is Kanbaru Suruga.
She's now a third-year at Naoetsu High
and the former captain of the girls' basketball team.
We have to send someone in, then.
And I'm probably the best candidate, right?
Right. I shouldn't associate myself with Suruga anymore.
Furthermore, Suruga's lost her left arm.
No wait, she regained it.
Although, it's been a while since Kanbaru retired from the girls' basketball team,
so it's dubious whether or not she has any current information.
I still have to ask you to.
If possible, I'd like a list of every team member.
Roger that.
Also, let me share what I found out from rummaging through the victims' belongings.
After an inspection of the scene, this girl, who is the third mummy,
seems to have been the victim in the early hours yesterday.
Yesterday? Then, well...
She was the third person to be found, but Kuchimoto was the second victim?
Yup. That's how things were.
To sum things up, Harimaze Kie, a first-year at Naoetsu High, was assaulted two nights ago.
And before dawn broke, the vampire assaulted another Naoetsu first-year, Kuchimoto Kyoumi.
Either they dragged her into the shack then drank her blood,
or drank her blood then carried the mummy into the shack.
But in either case, the evil deed was committed during the night.
Like a vampire, they rested during the day when the sun rose, and when night fell again,
they then bit into Honno Aburi, a Naoetsu second-year who was in her room at home.
Of course, there may be other victims as well,
so I won't limit our scope to female Naoetsu students.
I'll keep an eye out for withered mummies all over town.
Do you think we should seek assistance from Hachikuji?
Hmm, I don't know about that.
She's a god now,
which means she's clearly on the side of oddities.
In that case, I guess I'll put all that aside and set up a meeting with Kanbaru right away.
And I'll go ahead and do a quick clean of her room while I'm at it.
What an awful "while I'm at it."
I'm sorry my niece causes you so much trouble.
B777Q equals D/V/S.
However, if this was a code that the victim suddenly left behind right before mummification,
it does feel a bit too complex.
Wouldn't it be better to deduce that this is a signature from the perpetrating vampire?
A signature.
A criminal declaration.
A war declaration.
Self-expression.
Whichever it is, if that's the case, it matches the theory that they're initials.
Let me introduce you, Araragi.
This is Higasa. We were basketball teammates.
She took over as captain after I retired.
Nice to meet you, Araragi.
I'm Higasa Seiu. I've heard many rumors about you.
I bet you heard all the terrible ones, right?
Here's some tea, Araragi. Drink up.
I didn't slip anything fishy in there, so you can relax as you sip.
That annotation isn't necessary.
Nothing less from Kanbaru's friend. She's quite frank.
Oh no, I totally get anxious around strangers.
Unlike the rude and crude Ruga.
But in a way, it feels like I've known you for a long time.
It doesn't feel like we just met.
Seriously, what kind of rumors are going around?
You were the only delinquent student to graduate from Naoetsu High School.
That said, as I've heard the rumors, I'm trembling right now.
Oh, I want to brag to my friends, so can I have your cellphone number?
Guess she kept it on even after retiring.
Anyway, about the girls' basketball team.
Yes, right. I have some information prepared right here.
What? Nobody has said "put your hands up!" or anything like that, Higasa.
Yes. Well, Araragi, this goes without saying,
but this is the personal information of one hundred high school girls.
Not just name, address, and contact information.
Their height, weight, bust-waist-hip measurements, and even whether they have a partner or not.
Not only is it far from trivial,
but to hand these records over to our famed pervert...
Famed pervert?
No, I said famed alum who just happens to be a pervert.
And yet, I'm willing to risk lending you this top-secret roster and getting persecuted for it because I have hopes
that you'll shatter the current state of the Naoetsu High girls' basketball team.
The current state of the girls' basketball team?
Higasa, I'm not sure we should burdening our famed alum pervert with...
Tell me. I'll help you if you're in trouble.
Things took a nosedive after we retired.
The team atmosphere is the worst.
You mean they got weaker after the golden era players like you and Kanbaru retired?
It's not like they've gotten weaker.
If anything, that would've been better for them.
That's why they have the worst atmosphere now.
It means they're no longer a bright, fun, girls' basketball team filled with shared camaraderie.
The camaraderie is gone.
But they still have to share all the responsibilities.
Of the 100 members on the roster, five have gone missing.

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