Confession [Kokuhaku] by Nobuyuki Fukumoto and Kaiji Kawaguchi Part One - Page 3 - It's his fault... for listening...!! - Page 4 - CONFESSION - Page 5 - - Page 6 - Asai: {Goddamnit... Why did this have to happen...?} - Page 7 - Asai: {I never thought we would get lost, climbing Mt. Owari. And there's nothing I can do about this blizzard that prevents us from seeing 5 meters ahead. I've never experienced snow and wind like this before. Now we've lost our direction. Normally... we should at least have been at the third mountain lodge by now... I expected to be traversing the ridges by now... But instead, we're lost in an entirely different place...} - Page 8 - Asai: {And then the accident.} - Page 9 - - Page 10 - Asai: {We're fellow mountaineering club members who climb Mt. Owari once every two years, so this should have been a walk in the park. We were scheduled to go in a group this time, but as more and more people had to cancel due to other plans, it became just the two of us. He won't last the night... If I wait for a break in the storm, I might be able to find the lodge... But he...} - Page 11 - Asai: {If this vision-impeding heavy snow keeps falling for more than a few hours... it'll be tough... No, even if the snow stops... he can't walk by himself. I could carry him and start walking... to see if I can find the lodge... but... It'll be tough...} Ishikura: I'm sorry... Asai: Hmm? - Page 12 - Ishikura: Getting you caught up in this... This is what I get for missing my step... If I hadn't messed up... this storm wouldn't matter, cause we'd be in the lodge... I know we're close to it... Asai: Exactly. Which is why it should be pretty easy to find it as soon as this snow lightens up a bit. - Page 13 - Asai: You're right, it has to be close by. And I can carry you there once the snow is over! Ishikura: Forget it. You couldn't do it. I weigh 80 kilos, and only someone really nimble could make it to the lodge that way. The both of us would die... You have to leave me behind. - Page 14 - Ishikura: I'm an unlucky man... if I hadn't lost all that blood, I might have lasted the night with a broken leg, even in this storm. And then I'd know that you could come back and get me in the morning... But I lost too much blood. It's frozen... Asai: Ishikura... Ishikura: I don't have much to regret... Asai: Huh?! Ishikura: I'm a bit young to die, but... Living long doesn't always mean happiness. - Page 15 - Ishikura: Unlike you, I've got nothing to lose. I'm a lazy bum, and there are no women who care about me... Asai: What are you talking about? Ishikura: Oh well. I'm lucky that I won't suffer much, I guess. I won't have to pay off my debts. That burden is off my shoulders... I'm going to die... Asai: Don't! Don't talk about that! Think about how to keep your temperature up! Ishikura: Listen to me... - Page 16 - Asai: Hmm? Ishikura: It was heavy. Asai: What? Ishikura: It was heavy. Asai: Uh... Ishikura: It was so heavy... I could never be cheerful again... - Page 17 - Asai: What's wrong...? Ishikura: Forgive me... I... I killed her. - Page 18 - Ishikura: I KILLED SAYURI. - Page 19 - Asai: Sayuri... you mean the other mountain climber? Ishikura: I killed her... I laid my hands on her. That wasn't an accident, five years ago. It was called an accident, but it wasn't. - Page 20 - - Page 21 - Headlines: J University Mountaineer Sayuri Nishida Missing!! Sayuri Nishida Found Six Months After Death!! - Page 22 - Ishikura: I wanted someone to tell... No... You're the only person I could tell about it. You were the only one who was nice to me after college. Hic... Hic... the only one. You're the only person... that I can call a friend... Ah... ah... ah... - Page 23 - Ishikura: Why... why couldn't I have said this earlier? I should have... just told someone right after it happened. I wouldn't have felt all this pain... Why couldn't I have said it that day... Or even the day after? Asai... I'm a coward. I wanted forgiveness, but I hid the body so it wouldn't be found... I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Sayuri... I'm sorry...! Forgive me...!! - Page 24 - Ishikura: B... but... I fell apart... I lost the will to do anything... since that day... I didn't care about work... I didn't think... that I was allowed to lead a normal life... for killing another human being... Of course, this confession is just chicanery. I threw away my life... through my own stupidity, my own blindness. I brought... this worthless life upon myself... But, Sayuri... I STILL REGRET THAT. - Page 25 - Ishikura: I always... regretted it... I have. So please... forgive me... Forgive me... forgive me... Asai: Ishikura... Ishikura: Asai... I'm a terrible man... Asai: That's enough, Ishikura. You've had it tough... It's been tough, hasn't it? But it's all OK... - Page 26 - Asai: You've said it. Thanks for telling me. Ishikura: Asai... Asai: Enough... it's OK... Ishikura: Thank you. - Page 27 - Ishikura: I feel like this is the first deep breath I've taken in five years... Thank you... Asai... There is nothing left for me to regret, now. Asai... I'm glad you were with me... I'm going to die... but I'm happy... - Page 28 - Ishikura: There is nothing left for me... Asai: Ishikura... Wait, Ishikura! - Page 29 - Asai: Huff. Huff. Huff. AAAAHH!! - Page 30 - - Page 31 - - Page 32 - Asai: Ishikura... Ishikura! We're saved! It's the lodge!! It's close... I can carry you!! C'mon, I'll carry you there! It's not that far! - Page 33 - Asai: Once we're there, we'll get the bleeding in your leg stopped, and you'll live! Let's go!! Mmph... Ready? - Page 34 - - Part One End -