Homunculus Volume 1 Part 1 - Page 3 - Homunculus Hideo Yamamoto - Page 4 - Volume One - Page 5 - Main Character: (zzzzz)(zzzzz)(zzzzz) - Page 6 - - Page 7 - - Pages 8 + 9 - - Page 10 - Car: (click) (shff) - Page 11 - - Page 12 - Ken: Hey. MC: Good morning, Ken. Ken: Cold one, today. MC: It's already December. Ken: Hey Car Boy, how do you sleep in that tiny thing every night? - Page 13 - Ken: Why don't you just put up a tent? MC: Thank you. (gargle) But I feel comfortable... In there. - Page 14 - Ken: Ah! Hey, Shadow. I just washed that! Give that back, Shadow! MC: Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha... - Page 15 - - Page 16 - Crows: Kawww. Kawww. Kaaaaw. Bum: Clear off! Stay outta there! - Page 17 - Bum: Wuargh! Crow: Kawwwww. - Page 18 - Numa: Hey, Car Boy. MC: Oh, good afternoon. Numa: Readin' and writin' again today? MC: Yes. What are you going to do, Numa? Numa: Hmmmm. Take a nap. MC: Go to sleep, already? Numa: Nuttin' else to do... - Page 19 - MC: True, true... - Page 20 - Car: (chuiii...)(chuuiii) (chuiiii) (pmmf...) - Page 21 - - Page 22 - - Page 23 - Car: (pmmf...) MC: (flick) I see. - Page 24 - MC: (clunk) I knew it. It never takes long to tell how you're feeling. - Page 25 - MC: Mmph... there. - Page 26 - Man: Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. - Page 27 - Crow: (KAWWK) - Page 28 - Man: Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. - Page 29 - MC: Drink up, if you like. Ken: Mighty kind of you, Car Boy. Men: Ooh, sake! Have a seat, have a seat. - Page 30 - MC: Smells good. Ken: Yeah. Ita's cooking is a damn fine piece of work. MC: Ita...? Ken: He just showed up pretty recently. Used to be a chef. Men: He sure knows how to cook the grub we rustle up. Mmm-hmm. There ain't no one who can make expired food and leftovers taste so good, except a bonafide professional. (Note: Ita would be an abbreviation for Italian, or more likely Itameshi, a popular blend of Italian and Japanese cuisine.) - Page 31 - Men: WE were the ones who risked our lives to build those things, and when we were done, they tossed us right out. What's this country coming to? Those politicians, they're all sad stories. When they get caught doing wicked deeds and get pulled in for a hearing, it's nothing but "I don't recall," or "I don't know." Mmm-hmm. - Page 32 - Men: Well, I'd tell 'em! "I did it, sure enough!!" And Makiko Doi, in the LDP? There was that rumor, that she was a virgin. But the TV was sayin' Makiko used to date a man, way back. Really?! MC: (shhik) Man: She ain't no virgin, then... hmmm... MC: Thank you for the food. - Page 33 - MC: It was delicious. I can believe you were a cook. Ita: Well. Ha ha. Did you have a job working with cars? MC: Huh? Ita: I saw you fix it quite efficiently, today. MC: Very perceptive of you. - Page 34 - Ita: I used to know an auto mechanic. He could tell what was wrong by the sound of the engine. MC: The smell and vibration are important, too. It's the feel of the entire car. Anyone who has to open the engine up to see what's wrong is a rookie. Ita: Right, right. That's what he said. It's even harder to handle a car, than a woman. MC: He could be right. You can't think of a machine as a machine. - Page 35 - MC: In today's world, people are more machine than the machines are. - Page 36 - - Page 37 - - Page 38 - - Page 39 - Ita: How long has it been since he started showing up? Ken: About two weeks... Right, Numa? Numa: Mmm-hmm. He done showed up in a suit, lookin' like one a them suit homeless. Ita: What? Suit homeless? Numa: Y'know, when a salaryman gets laid off... He cain't take off his suit. He cain't toss away his pride. Ita: He told me he worked with cars. - Page 40 - Numa: Uh-oh, not again. Ken: Ha ha ha. He's a liar. Bums: He told me he was a schoolteacher. Told me he was an illustrator. - Page 41 - Ken: Car Boy brings us liquor, and he's welcome as long as he don't bring no harm, but that there, is a pathological liar. Either way, he'll be gone soon. The way he parks his car there, he's afraid to jump headfirst into our world. - Page 42 - Ken: He'll vanish sometime... - Page 43 - MC: Whewwww... Ain't nuthin' like sittin' back in mah car. - Page 44 - MC: (gurgle) I'm starvin'... But I ain't like them... - Page 45 - Bum: Aha. Ken: His daily drive. Ita: Daily...? Ken: He always leaves this time ah day. Goes off and comes back in an hour or two. - Page 46 - Bum: Where you think he goes? Ken: To a woman, wouldn't ya think? He always come back lookin' satisfied. Where does he get the gas money? - Page 47 - MC: {Who the hell am I...?} - Page 48 - MC: {What is this place I occupy...? One on hand... there are the homeless, living below the so-called waist line-of-sight. And looking down on them, living above the waist, are the normal people.} - Page 49 - MC: {So what does that make me... Maintaining the delicate height between the two, inside my car...} Heh. I'm a genius at parodying songs. - Page 50 - - Page 51 - - Page 52 - MC: Time to go back... Door: (slam) - Page 53 - Sign: West Shinjuku Aozora Park Music Performance Prohibited Musical and Instrumental Performances using amplifiers, etc. without permission is prohibited within the park. West Shinjuku Aozora Park Management Office - West Shinjuku Police Station MC: Gonna be too damn cold to sleep tonight without the heater on. - Page 54 - MC: Feel sick, with them lookin' down on me... - Page 55 - MC: Outta gas... - Page 56 - MC: My money's all run out... (gurgle) I can stand an empty stomach, but an empty gas tank...? No... - Page 57 - MC: I gotta be able to drive... gotta... Boot: (clunk) - Page 58 - Hand: (knock)(knock) - Page 59 - Man: Can you roll down the window? I come in peace. - Page 60 - - Page 61 - MC: You were hiding in the park earlier, weren't you? Man: Oh, you saw me! MC: What do you want? Man: You're homeless, aren't you? The definition of "homeless" can be argued, but let's keep it simple. - Page 62 - Man: No home, no job... And... No money! Sorry, I've always been somewhat tactless. I apologize, if I've offended you. To put it very directly... I would like to offer you a bit of work. - Page 63 - Man: For 700,000 yen. (shff) It's a simple medical test... There we go. MC: Hey. - Page 64 - Paper: Trepanation Man: They just open a little hole in your skull. - Page 65 - MC: Leave. Man: OK OK, I understand that "hole in the skull" is a bit ominous, but I swear, it's not really that serious! They don't touch your brain, and they don't damage the membranes surrounding your brain, so there's no risk of brain damage. They just drill the bone. It's like drilling a tooth. - Page 66 - Man: Read it over. MC: Whatever... Man: They have to drill the bone through your skin, so there is a bit of blood loss, but you're given anaesthetics, so there's no pain, and of course, there is no danger to your life at all! It's called "trepanation." It's a very safe procedure that many people overseas have undergone. - Page 67 - MC: And what is this insane thing supposed to do for you? Man: (snap) Good question. That's the best part! It develops your sixth sense. - Page 68 - MC: What?! Man: In short, you see spirits, and get ESP; stuff like that. MC: OK, what cult are you from? Man: No no no. It's nothing like that. I'm quite serious. Nobody in Japan has tried trepanation yet. I want to see it with my own eyes!! - Page 69 - MC: All right. You get the hole in YOUR skull. I'll help you make it, for 350 thousand. Man: No. MC: Why not? Wouldn't you rather experience it yourself? - Page 70 - Man: It's scary... MC: Try someone else. There are plenty of people hurting for money. Man: No... It has to be you. MC: Why...? - Page 71 - Man: A park full of homeless, and... a first-class hotel full of regular people... - Pages 72 + 73 - Man: And here you are, right between them. - Page 74 - MC: Sorry, I don't have time for your sick hobbies. - Page 75 - MC: I'm just on vacation, experimenting being homeless. (tug) Trying to "find myself," as it were. Try someone else. - Page 76 - Man: The left side of your mouth rises when you lie. Too bad. I thought you were perfect for the job... - Page 77 - - Page 78 - Man: Brrrrrr. (shiver)(shiver)(shiver)(shiver)(shiver)(shiver) It's so... COLD... - Page 79 - MC: Good morning, Ken. Ken: Hey, Car Boy. Oh, what's up? You look beat. MC: Well... I couldn't sleep, it was so cold... Ken: Well, a course it's cold without a blanket, even inside a car. - Page 80 - Ken: Good timin', though. Look. I just found that blanket a while ago. You want it? MC: I'm fine. I was just going to get one from a friend. Ken: I see. MC: Anyways... How does everyone make their money? Ken: Ha ha ha ha. We're homeless because we don't GOT any money. - Page 81 - Ken: Well, some of us make change by crushin' cans, collectin' books, scalpin' tickets, but in the end, it's never enough... MC: ...ahh. Ken: The only other thing to do is sell yourself. MC: Yourself...? Ken: Your registry, or your organs. - Page 82 - Ken: With the right buyer, you can get 700 thousand for your registry. MC: 700 thousand... Ken: Some of us have done that. Men that no longer exist in this world... - Page 83 - Ken: But... Even with that money, there's no way to spend it... They just hide it beneath the cardboard under their tents, like good-luck charms. - Page 84 - Yoshida: Car Boy, Car Boy! MC: What is it, Yoshida? Yoshida: The wreckers! They done towed your car away! MC: What?! - Page 85 - (Matsuda) Shinjuku Station Towing Numa: Ain't that a shame. - Page 86 - Yoshida: Those towers, they cost a bunch, huh? Ken: I doubt you'll get yer car back without payin' 20-30 thousand in penalties and towing fees. Numa: Mmm-hmm. And the longer you take, the higher the parking costs go. Yoshida: That's terrible! You oughta go get it now, sonny. It's costin' you money as we speak. - Page 87 - MC: (drip)(drip)(drip) - Page 88 - Guy: Aaaah! Girl: It's so cold!! MC: (drip)(drip)(drip) - Page 89 - Page: (flip) Find a job that keeps you honest to yourself - Page 90 - Honest MC: Not goin' back... No... Don' wanna go back... - Page 91 - MC: Agh! Aah... - Page 92 - MC: Feel sick... Without my car... - Page 93 - - Page 94 - MC: (gasp)(gasp)(gasp)(gasp) - Page 95 - MC: Ken. Ken, you there? Ken... I need... to borry some money... (flump) - Page 96 - Yoshida: 700 thousand yen?! What kinda job is that? It ain't MURDERIN', is it? Man: No, no, nothing illegal. - Page 97 - Man: It's very safe, and simple. - Page 98 - Man: Oh. H... Hello. MC: Yo! - Page 99 - Man: Are you all right? You look like you're soaked in amniotic fluid. Why don't we relax with a little meal in the hotel? - Page 100 - MC: I got no money. Man: Leave that to me! - Page 101 - Doorman: Oh, Mr. Nakoshi! Man: Huh? Doorman: A pleasure to see you again. Welcome, sir. Nakoshi: It's been a while. - Page 102 - Man: You were a regular. Mr. Nakoshi. - Page 103 - - Page 104 - Nakoshi: It's a sorry sight, any way you look at it... - Page 105 - Nakoshi: What the hell is the difference between here and there? Waiter: Here is your food. Nakoshi: The food here sure looks better. Man: Try not to act too uncivilized. - Page 106 - Nakoshi: So... Did you find what you were looking for? - Page 107 - Man: You mean this? Nakoshi: Yes. This. Man: Not yet. Nakoshi: Mmmm. That was good. I'll do it. - Page 108 - Man: Why the change of heart? Nakoshi: Wasn't it you? Who had my car towed. Man: That's the distrust I was looking for! - Page 109 - Man: The experiment will take ten days, including the day of the surgery. You will be paid 700 thousand yen. 300 after the surgery. And the other 400 after it's all over. I will take responsibility for payment and retrieval of your car. That will come out of my pocket. - Page 110 - Nakoshi: Let's get one thing cleared up. Who are you? Man: Manabu Ito, age 22. I'm a medical student. - Page 111 - Ito: My father runs a large brain surgery hospital. I'm a rich boy. Nakoshi: They let you get away with looking like that at a medical school? - Page 112 - Ito: I can take the piercings out, and the tattoos are drawn on; not real, unfortunately. Depending on the professor, hairstyle and clothes are basically at our discretion. Nakoshi: And is a medical student allowed to drill a hole in someone's skull? Ito: If the school finds out, there will be some trouble. But trepanation itself is not against the law, and as long as you consent to it, there shouldn't be a problem. - Page 113 - Ito: Plus, I don't care at all if the school finds out and prevents me from ever being a doctor. I just want to know about humans. Nakoshi: Humans...? - Page 114 - Ito: I have always studied the human from various angles: medical, psychological, even occult. To me, the title of doctor is, like this ring, nothing but a "decoration" to put on or take off at will. In comparison, my current trepanation experiment is far more fascinating. - Page 115 - Nakoshi: So you're just... A human otaku. Ito: Now tell me about yourself, Mr. Nakoshi. Nakoshi: How much do you know? Ito: Your name is Nakoshi. Age 34, by my estimates. You're currently homeless, but you used to visit this hotel regularly. - Page 116 - Ito: And... You're a liar. Nakoshi: My name is Susumu Nakoshi. I'm 34. - Page 117 - Nakoshi: For the past two weeks I've been living between this hotel and park, in my car... That should be enough. Ito: That is enough. - Page 118 - Ito: We'll do the trepanation tomorrow. Please stay here tonight. I've got a room rented. I'll come get you tomorrow morning. The room fee is on me, of course. - Page 119 - Ito: Haven't had room to stretch out in bed for a while. - Page 120 - - Page 121 - Ito: Good morning. - Page 122 - Nakoshi: What are those, under your eyes? Ito: These? Aren't they mystical? Just accessories. - Page 123 - Nakoshi: Here's the key. For my car. Ito: Leave it to me. - Page 124 - Ito: This apartment complex used to be a hotel. - Page 125 - Nakoshi: It's kinda creepy... Ito: Well, my lab is on the top floor. Nakoshi: Rented? Ito: Sold. My father bought it for me. Nakoshi: You ARE a daddy's boy. - Page 126 - Ito: We'll do it in here. - Page 127 - Ito: Go ahead and change into this. Nakoshi: OK... - Pages 128 + 129 - - Page 130 - Ito: The procedure will take about forty minutes. It won't hurt, due to the anaesthetics, but you may find the vibrations of the drill to be a bit... noisy. Just don't move. You don't want to harm your meninges. - Page 131 - Ito: We're ready for the anaesthetic. Any questions? Nakoshi: Is this really safe...? Ito: As I believe I told you earlier, unlike lobotomies and brain surgeon, trepanation is only conducted on the skull. It has no effect on the brain. - Page 132 - Ito: It's been practiced since the Neolithic Era, and there are several cases of it in existence today. There's even an organization called ITAG in the Netherlands dedicated to the spread of trepanation. Some people do it themselves... Some employ the help of friends. But in this case, my father was a doctor, and when I graduated high school, I already knew enough to pass doctor's qualification exams. Nakoshi: But no actual experience. - Page 133 - Ito: Don't worry. I'm better than most real doctors you'll find out there. Nakoshi: Do it. - Page 134 - Ito: Can you feel the anaesthetic working? Nakoshi: Yeah. Ito: Then I'll put a blanket over you. - Page 135 - Ito: I'll start off by cutting a semicircle into your scalp. - Page 136 - Ito: Hmmm hmm hmm hmmm. There we go. (clunk) Now I'll use the drill to open the hole. Nakoshi: Hey. - Page 137 - Ito: Yes? Nakoshi: If you screw up and kill me, that's one thing... But if you screw up and turn me into a vegetable, or braindead... just kill me... Ito: Understood. - Page 138 - - Page 139 - - Page 140 - - Page 141 - Ito: Well? That wasn't so bad, was it? Nakoshi: Is there really a hole in my skull...? Ito: There is. It's about 6 mm in diameter. Nakoshi: (poke) Ow...!! - Page 142 - Ito: If the anaesthetic is wearing off, you may experience some pain. Why don't you take a painkiller, to be safe? This one acts instantly. So, How do you feel? - Page 143 - Ito: Has anything changed? Yes. Your sixth sense. - Page 144 - Nakoshi: Hah... That would never happen. Ito: I don't want you to get the wrong idea, that I'm looking at this from an occult standpoint. There are, of course, some who never experience any change, but in overseas cases, 36% display some kind of sixth sense. - Page 145 - Ito: Spirits, telepathy, foresight, clairvoyance, enlightenment... Even some fishy ones like "floating during meditation." Nakoshi: Assuming this "sixth sense" really does exist, why does drilling a hole in your head make it work? Ito: There's no clear explanation, but what we know at this point... - Page 146 - Ito: Is that humans have a rift in their skull from when they are born to the age of eighteen months. They have holes in their heads. As they mature and turn into adults, the skull eventually closes itself shut. Adults often use the expression, "hard-headed." - Page 147 - Ito: By putting a hole in the closed skull, the pressure inside the skull changes, more blood flows through the brain, and the brain can return to its most active state, or so it said. Nakoshi: So when we turn to adults, we stop using our brains, and by improving circulation, they can be reactivated...? Ito: That's right! In other words, Mr. Nakoshi... - Page 148 - Ito: Your brain is as active now as when you were a baby. Nakoshi: You mean, like that theory that says people are only using 10% of their brains? Ito: Exactly! - Page 149 - - Page 150 - Nakoshi: (twitch)(twitch)(twitch) (sniff)(sniff) (pop) - Page 151 - Ito: ...well? Nakoshi: Has anyone... ever died in this room...? Ito: What?! - Page 152 - Nakoshi: Not murder... Suicide... Hanging? Ito: Already...? I'll have to check the past data for this room. Nakoshi: It's right above your head, buddy. - Page 153 - Ito: Is it a man...? Or a woman...? Oh. - Page 154 - Nakoshi: (tug tug) Ito: Please, don't lie to me... Nakoshi: For a total coward, you sure have a lot of nerve, putting on experiments like this. Ito: Anyways! Some people bloom immediately, some take as much as a month. We've got ten days. We'll take it slowly. - Page 155 - Ito: Here is your promised 300,000 yen. The rest will come at the end. Let's see if we can get through all ten days. Nakoshi: Sure. Ito: I'll go down to the station and get your car, Mr. Nakoshi. It shouldn't take more than an hour. Just relax in here until I come back. Nakoshi: Sure. - Page 156 - Ito: Oh, how is the pain? Nakoshi: That pill did the trick. Doesn't hurt at all. Ito: I'll be back, then. - Page 157 - - Page 158 - Nakoshi: (clunk) Camera: (bzzz) (bzzz) - Page 159 - - Page 160 - Nakoshi: Such a predictable fall from grace. - Page 161 - Nakoshi: Trepanation... Postoperative report...? Jennifer Catherine... age 27. - Page 162 - Nakoshi: 2 hours 27 minutes after surgery, spirit sense awakened... Neurosis... 23 days later... Suicide...?! Darryl Martin. ...no change. No change. No change. - Page 163 - Nakoshi: Gilbert Macaulay. Telepathy awakened. 52 days later... - Page 164 - Nakoshi: Institutionalized in a paranoid delirium... - Page 165 - - Page 166 - - Page 167 - Nakoshi: Hah. (tug) Can't get me to fall for this crap... - Page 168 - - Page 169 - Key: (shunk) - Page 170 - Engine: (chuiiiiii) Nakoshi: Good, no problems. - Page 171 - Ito: Wait... You can tell, just from the sound of the engine? Nakoshi: Not just the sound. The smell, vibrations, the entire "feel" of the car. Ito: No way... You're trying to trick me again... Nakoshi: (sniff sniff) - Page 172 - Ito: Uh... Hey... What are you doing? Nakoshi: (*stop*) - Page 173 - Nakoshi: You fucked with my bag, floormat and sun-visor, didn't you. Don't play around with the shit inside my car. You little prick... Ito: I... I'm sorry... Nakoshi: It's all right... - Page 174 - Nakoshi: As long as you didn't put any stupid shit like hidden cameras or bugs in here. Ito: Uh-oh. Let's just say we're both distrustful... Day 1 Trepanation Surgery Day 2 Spirit Awareness Check 1. Ghost Tunnel 2. Haunted Hospital 3. Murder Apartment Day 3 ESP Tests 1. ESP Cards 2. Clairvoyance (Colors, Shapes, Letters inside Envelope) 3. Telepathy 4. Dowsing Day 4 Psychokinesis Tests 1. Spoon-bending 2. Spirit Photography (Polaroid Camera) 3. Using willpower to move paper balanced on nail Day 5 Psychometry Tests 1. Divine the owner of a wallet 2. Divine the past from a photo 3. Divine a person's background from a voice recording Day 6 Retrocognition Tests 1. Meet a normal person chosen at random 2. Meet an inpatient of a mental hospital 3. Meet a prison inmate - Page 175 - Ito: Here's the tentative ten-day schedule. Telepathy Dowsing Spoon-bending Spirit Photography Ito: Now, there are a few haunted spots I'd like to check out. If we can go together in your car, I'll pay for gas. Nakoshi: (slam) We'll go separately. Ito: Huh?! - Page 176 - Nakoshi: Use your own ride. I'll follow you. I object to giving out rides in this car. Plus I don't trust you. Ito: Pssh. It's not me you don't trust, it's all of humanity. - Page 177 - - Page 178 - - Page 179 - Ito: This is a famous ghost tunnel. Nakoshi: It does look creepy. Ito: C-can you... Feel something...? Nakoshi: Feel something...? Anyone could tell you it looks creepy. - Page 180 - Ito: It's said that there are many unexplained phenomena in this tunnel, due to it being built underneath a cremation ground, and there is a constant stream of traffic accidents. Shall we go in? - Page 181 - - Page 182 - Nakoshi: What are you doing...? Ito: I'm watching from here, in case anything happens. Don't worry. Nakoshi: ...Jesus. What is this, a test of courage...? - Page 183 - - Page 184 - Ito: Right above the point you're standing is where the cremation spot was. That's where it's easiest to see the spirits. - Page 185 - Ito: Can you feel anything? - Page 186 - Nakoshi: Nope... 2. Haunted Hospital - Page 187 - Nakoshi: This one's a bit too much for one person... Ito: What? Nakoshi: You come, too. Otherwise I'm not going in there. Ito: Hmmmm... Let's visit again, in the daytime... - Page 188 - Ito: This is a pretty rare spot; not many people know about it. 200k a month, with a bath and toilet. No down payment or deposit... Nakoshi: What happened? - Page 189 - Ito: A murder. Two Chinese hostesses living here illegaly were chopped to pieces with an authentic Chinese sword. It never made the news, so nobody knows about this location. Tada. Nakoshi: How'd you get that? Ito: Heh heh. I made a copy of the key the landlord gave me to check out the room. (click) OK, go on in. I'll be waiting here. Nakoshi: (fwush) - Page 190 - Ito: Ah...! Ah... - Page 191 - Nakoshi: You're scared so witless, I bet you'd have an easier time finding ghosts than I would. Ito: Geez... Don't do that to me... Nakoshi: Is this it? Ito: H... How did you know?! - Page 192 - Nakoshi: From the mark on the wall, obviously. Ito: So... Do you feel anything...? Nakoshi: Hmmmm... - Page 193 - Ito: There are a dominant number of "spirit awareness" cases after trepanning. Can you feel the ghosts of the murdered women? Ooh... - Page 194 - - Page 195 - Nakoshi: (twitch)(twitch) (twitch)(twitch)(twitch)(twitch) (twitch)(twitch)(twitch) - Page 196 - Ito: W... Well...? Nakoshi: This wall is made of cedar plywood and emulsified synthetic resin. Based on the sound from the opposite room, it's about 30 millimeters thick, with no glass wool for soundproofing. That's about it. - Page 197 - Ito: Mr. Nakoshi, please be serious... Nakoshi: You don't call that serious? Ito: I'm not asking about physical properties or objects. Nakoshi: I can't help it. "Objects" are all I feel. Even if ghosts and spirits do exist... I can't see them. - Page 198 - Nakoshi: I have no interest in humans to begin with. (fh...) (tug tug) - Page 199 - Ito: You really are a hard-headed person, Mr. Nakoshi. I thought I had softened you up with that hole in your skull... Well, I'll be frank. I don't believe in sixth sense either. - Page 200 - Ito: But I also feel afraid of it. Proof that part of me does believe in it. To the part of me that looks at things from a scientific perspective, sixth sense and occultism is all nonsense. That's why I want to prove it with this experiment. I want to crush all the parts inside of me that allow for the existence of this nonsense, so that I can stand proudly, and deny it all. - Page 201 - Ito: If I am willing to believe in it long enough to grapple with it myself, I can prove that it DOESN'T exist, and I won't need to believe it. Nakoshi: Thanks for the food. - Page 202 - Ito: Anyways. We still have nine days. We'll be concentrating on ESP tests tomorrow. Day 3 ESP Tests Ito: Oh, I just happen to have my ESP cards... (shuffle) Why don't we round out the day and preview the morrow... by playing a little game? Nakoshi: Game...? - Page 203 - Ito: It's simple. There are five each of five types of card, twenty-five in total. I place them upside down at random. Now all you have to do is find the star cards. - Page 204 - Ito: We'll see how many you pick, out of five. Your chances of picking one at random is 1/5, of course, but getting all five is less than 1/50000. Nakoshi: OK. Ito: Wait a minute. I hate to be pesky, but you must pick by intuition. - Page 205 - Nakoshi: I don't really see what you mean. Ito: When humans are children, they are able to learn things by "feel," but for some reason, when they are adults, they must learn by "thinking." Right now, your perception is the same as a child's. Don't think consciously, just let your unconscious pick cards by feel. - Page 206 - Ito: Just a moment. Hold on just a moment. Mr. Nakoshi, use your "left." Nakoshi: My left hand? Ito: Try feeling with your entire left side. I can't explain it very well. - Page 207 - Nakoshi: Left...? Ito: Sight, sound, smell, touch... Try to process all of these things with the left side of your body. Nakoshi: (grab) (creak) - Page 208 - - Page 209 - Nakoshi: Nice and easy... - Page 210 - Nakoshi: (flip)(flip)(flip)(flip) - Page 211 - Nakoshi: Oh. Was that good? Ito: (flip)(flip)(flip)(flip)(flip) - Page 212 - Ito: (peek)(peek) Nakoshi: W... What is it? Ito: Did you look, when I put them down? Nakoshi: No, I didn't. - Page 213 - Ito: (stare) Nakoshi: Don't look at me that way. Ito: Very well. We'll do it thoroughly, tomorrow. You can't get stable experiment data unless you do it at least four times. Don't get too cocky. Nakoshi: (heh) So four cards IS pretty good. Ito: It's not bad... - Page 214 - Ito: Please keep this for the length of our experiment... It has my number on the back. Call me if you need anything. Good work today. I'll see you at the park around noon tomorrow. Nakoshi: Sure. - Page 215 - Nakoshi: Whew. - Page 216 - - Page 217 - Nakoshi: Ah... Dirt in my eye... - Page 218 - - Page 219 - - Page 220 - - Page 221 - Nakoshi: Whoa. - Page 222 - Nakoshi: (fwip) - Page 223 - Nakoshi: ...What the hell? What is this...? - Pages 224 + 225 - - Pages 226 + 227 - Phone: (beep beep beep)(beep boop bap bop) Nakoshi: (twitch)(twitch)(twitch)(twitch) - Page 228 - Nakoshi: (peek) (stare) Lady: Quit starin', pal... Nakoshi: (fwip) - Page 229 - Lady: I AIN'T FOR SALE!! Nakoshi: S... Sorry... Lady: Chrissakes... Phone: (rrrring) - Page 230 - Girl: Hello? Nakoshi: Is she normal...? Girl: Ohh, Takashi! (yoink) I was just thinking of calling you! No way! Thanks! Nakoshi: Huh... - Page 231 - Nakoshi: Definitely not normal... (splash) Ah, sorry... - Page 232 - Nakoshi: Waah! - Page 233 - Yakuza: Whaddayou doin' to da Boss?! Huh?! - Page 234 - Nakoshi: I... I'm sorry... Yakuza: Sorry ain't gonna cut it!! You're in for it now!! - Page 235 - Nakoshi: (snap) (peek) Yakuza: Are you listening, punk?! Look at his fag winking... - Page 236 - Boss: You think this is some kinda joke...? Nakoshi: No... Not at all, sir... - Page 237 - Nakoshi: Y... Your pinky... (poke) - Page 238 - - Page 239 - Nakoshi: Huh? Yakuza: Are you all right, Boss?! What the fuck did you do?! He's packin' something!! - Page 240 - Nakoshi: A... A boy...? - Page 241 - Yakuza: Boss... Boss: Gimme your knife. Yakuza: Uh, yessir... Boss... This might be a bit too much... Boss: I don't care. I'll have his pinky. - Page 242 - Boss: My 77th... Nakoshi: Wh... WHOA, WHOA!! S... Stop, hold on... Don't do that... - Page 243 - Nakoshi: No... don't cut off your own finger! Boss: (halt) - Page 244 - Boss: ...what the hell are you talking about, boy? Nakoshi: Stop, stop, stop. A... any farther, and your finger will sever. Yakuza: Oh, boy. He's scared witless. Ha ha ha. - Page 245 - Nakoshi: Ah... - Page 246 - - Page 247 - Nakoshi: I see... A child... Why... Why are you doing that...? Boss: I've heard enough... - Page 248 - Boss: You're a dead man. Yakuza: B... Boss, not here, please. People are watching... Nakoshi: That's right... put down that sickle thing... Boss: Sickle...? - Page 249 - Yakuza: What's wrong, Boss...? You all right? Nakoshi: Yes... - Page 250 - Nakoshi: Don't hurt yourself anymore. - Page 251 - Nakoshi: Hey, whoa. There's no reason to cry, little guy... - Page 252 - Boss: Huh? What the...? Nakoshi: Why...? - Page 253 - Nakoshi: What's making you... cry so much...? Yakuza: What's wrong, Boss? Boss: STAY BACK!! Damn. - Page 254 - Boss: Punk. Yakuza: Boss! Wait up, Boss! Boss: Shut up! Stay away! Yakuza: Boss... Boss: I told you to stay back!! - Page 255 - Nakoshi: (wink) - Page 256 - Nakoshi: What the hell happened...? - Page 257 - Homunculus Volume 1 : The End * The "trepanation" procedure described in this story is extremely dangerous. Whatever you do, don't try this at home. * This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to existing persons, places or events is entirely coincidental. * Serialized in Big Comic Spirits 2003, Issues 16-26. * Homunculus Official Homepage: http://www.yamapro.com