Eden of The East>6. Eden of the East

Kuroka:
Say good-bye to your precious little johnny.
Your luck ran out the moment I saw you in the alley.
Hello? Whoever this is, I'm kind of busy at the moment.
Have it your way.
Let's take a break.
And while you're waiting here for me to return, I want you to feel nice and ashamed of yourself.


第6話
東のエデン
Episode 6
Eden of the East


Akira:
Well, here we are.

Saki:
Thank you.

Akira:
You know, if you wanted to stay longer, I wouldn't mind.

Saki:
I'll just meet up with you later.

Akira:
Sounds good.
And remember to bring along your friends when you do.
I'll see you then.

Aasako:
Hello, Morimi residence.
Saki? Hurry back home now!

Saki:
I'm sorry, but I can't face Ryosuke.
I'm too ashamed.

Aasako:
Saki, don't be silly. He's not angry with you.

Saki:
Well, I just don't wanna come home.

Asako:
Why are you talking like this?
Tell me where you are. I can come get you.

Saki:
I'm at Micchon's.
I'm gonna stay here a while, so please don't worry about me.

Asako:
That's unacceptable! I demand you come home!

Saki:
Sorry, Asako. I'll call you later.

Ryosuke:
I wouldn't worry about it.
It's not like we don't know where she is.
Why don't we just let her do her thing for now?

Asako:
Honey, you are just way too easy on her.

Saki:
I better apologize to Osugi too.

Micchon:
Hey, what are you doing down there?

Saki:
Can you lend me some clothes?


Saki:
I know my story sounds fishy, but it's the truth.

Hirasawa:
It doesn't sound fishy, it sounds preposterous!
I think you need to go home and get some rest.
I'm sorry, but it seems to me like this Takizawa guy is trying to pull the wool over your eyes.
And what are you wearing? Doesn't seem like your style.

Micchon:
What's the big deal?
Saki looks good in everything she wears.
And I think this Takizawa story is interesting.
We'd be fools not to pursue it.

Hirasawa:
Really?

Micchon:
I agree the whole ordeal sounds absurd.
But our discussion needs to go beyond telling Saki whether or not she should move in with him.
With the way things have been going lately, the future of our little club is in danger.

Sis:
She's right.

Hirasawa:
I don't believe this.
How did my PR girl get wrapped up in this mess?
And now the staff is supporting you!
All for some shady character who's probably trying to find a way to take advantage of everyone.
I don't know what happened to you on your trip.
But you have changed since you got back.
What happened to the girl who would shrug off Osugi's desperate come-ons like a devout nun, despite all of his constant groveling.
Not to mention the thousands of other Johnnys of the last four years all hyped up on testosterone, willing to do anything to have you.
Now at what point did you become so weak in the knees?

Saki:
No...

Micchon:
Testosterone aside, let us not forget it was you who said, and I quote; "Come hell or high water, Saki must be a part of this business venture."

Sis:
It's true.
Remember, the only reason Eden works so efficiently is because Saki makes up for one of your major weaknesses.
You're good at a lot of things, Hirasawa.
But you're not a natural leader.

Hirasawa:
What, and he is?
Look, I don't have any problems with you pointing out my faults.
Don't you think there's a huge discrepancy between myself and, well, everything this Takizawa person stands for?
Sure I did postpone my graduation for a while, but I'm gonna use that time to continue advancing the business model.
Meanwhile, Takizawa shows up - with no clothes, no memory, no job, no idea who his family is, or even his favorite movie! Seriously!
Why would you trust someone like him?
That guy's got nothing!

Sis:
Oh, that poor, poor boy.
What that must have been like!
All alone and lost, with nothing but his gun waving around in the cold breeze.

Hirasawa:
Can we please stay on topic here?!

Kasuga:
Excuse me.
Hirasawa, I've been listening to you guys this whole time.
And from everything I've heard so far, you've made Takizawa out to be a worthless troublemaker.
And I don't think that's the case.
He seems to treat Saki with respect, and more than anything, he's a go-getter who isn't afraid of getting his hands dirty.
The guy lives in a shopping mall, so he must be loaded.
Also, he owns a dog, so how bad can he be?

Hirasawa:
Who asked you?!

Kasuga:
Sorry.

Micchon:
Sitting here and talking about it is not helping.
Let's just go and meet him; find out ourselves.

Sis:
I agree! There's no better way than a first impression.
Plus then we can size him up.

Hirasawa:
Hmm... I think that's a good point, but just to be on the safe side, let's not walk right in.
First let's do a little snooping around.

Sis:
Whatever you say.
Mr. Top Secret Agent.

Hirasawa:
I'm just exercising some caution.
Well, what do you think, Saki?

Saki:
I'm fine with that.
Better safe than sorry.
I've always been a little weary of the things Takizawa told me because how crazy they sound.
And if they're true, it's scary stuff.
That's why we should all go together.

Hirasawa:
All right. I'll go and get us a car.
We head out in 30 minutes, people.

Kasuga:
Hirasawa.
I need to get something off my chest about Osugi.
Last night, he took me to a really expensive restaurant, with champagne and everything.
It didn't occur to me at the time, but after hearing Saki's story, it dawned on me.
He originally planned that dinner to be for her.

Hirasawa:
Seriously?! Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?!

Kasuga:
Because I didn't wanna say anything in front of her.
You see, Osugi got pretty hammered during dinner, which leaves me to believe he saw Saki with Takizawa earlier in the day.
Probably broke his heart.

Hirasawa:
Hmm...
So, what did he do afterwards?

Kasuga:
He started walking home, completely drunk out of his mind.
Now apparently, even Saki can't get in touch with him.
What should we do?
We're on the verge of making a momentous decision on the future of this company.
We can't just leave him out in the cold!

Hirasawa:
I agree.
Even though he did get a job elsewhere, he will always be a valuable founding member.
Additionally, this would be a golden opportunity for us to keep Saki from leaving Eden.
All right, find Osugi and put him in the club room until we all get back.

Kasuga:
Right. You got it.


Hirasawa:
This is where he lives?
Are there any other ways in?

Saki:
I think if there were, the homeless would have found their way in by now.

Hirasawa:
We could be walking straight into a trap...
No turning back now.

Sis:
Saki, you could be marrying into this some serious money with this guy!

Hirasawa:
Maybe he bought it cheap.
Property values in this area took a nosedive after Careless Monday.

Sis:
But for all we know, he could have payed top dollar for the place before the missile strike.

Sis:
Holy crap! Come look at this!
This mall is heaven on earth!
Look at this shirt. It's so cute!
I have to have it!

Saki:
Oh, wow, it's beautiful!

Hirasawa:
Careful, girls. You're gonna get us in trouble.

Sis:
Whatever, Dad!

Saki:
Looks like he's home.
He lives upstairs in the movie theater's VIP room.

Sis:
Hello!
Aren't you going be our brave and fearless leader and introduce him to the team?

Hirasawa:
Excuse me!

Sis:
What's wrong?

Saki:
Was he not up there?

Hirasawa:
No, he wasn't!
But he's got this place covered in surveillance cameras.
He's probably even watching us the whole time!
We need to get out of here before he finds us!
The guy's obviously dirty.
We don't need to get involved with someone like him!

Akira:
Wait a minute.
Who's dirty?

Hirasawa:
Isn't it obvious? I'm talking about Takizawa!
Eek!

Akira:
Hey!
Welcome to my home! Glad to have you.

Sis:
Oh, look!
The little guy has wings!
I don't think I've ever seen anything so cute!


Sis:
As far as I can tell, this title is legit.

Akira:
I just dug it out of the filing cabinet today.

Hirasawa:
Okay, I think I'm following you for the most part.
But what I still don't get is why you decided to financially support our business.
And before you answer that, I'd like to know your intentions with Saki.

Akira:
My intentions are good-natured.
I just felt there was no need for her to work for elitist men who have the nerve to dump their lunch in her lap to prove a point.
If everyone in Japan, and not just Saki, turned into NEETs, we could flip this country around.
The old farts who take their power for granted would have no other choice but to bow before us in gratitude.

Hirasawa:
You know that is not a very well thought-out plan.

Akira:
How so?
You guys basically have the same idea, only with some subtle differences.
I had a chance to play with Eden of the East.
It's very well done.
Visual search engine that uses social networking? Brilliant.
I even tried to trip up this system by using it on my dog.
But no matter what angle I used, it was able to recognize him every time.

Hirasawa:
Micchon here is the one who wrote all the code for the program.

Akira:
No kidding! Hey, you're pretty talented there, Mittan!

Sis:
She has a sharp tongue when she's around people she knows, but always tends to clam up around strangers.
Even when she was a little kid,
she only wanted to play withe her cousin, Hirasawa.

Akira:
Aw, she's adorable!

Micchon:
My name's not "Mittan."

Akira:
So if you register something on the site, any cell phone can access the data.
That's pretty cool. Genius.

Akira:
I was talking to Saki.
We were discussing how great the program is and about all the potential for monetization if it were released.
Why haven't you explored that yet?

Kuroka:
Explain the point of having assistants if I have to do it myself?

Assistant:
We're terribly sorry!

Kuroka:
The road ahead is a long one, in more ways than one.
Juiz.

Juiz:
How may I be of service?

Kuroka:
I'm in desperate need of a secretary fluent in both French and Cantonese and I need it right now.

Juiz:
Order received.
Noblesse oblige. I pray that you, one of the most industrious CEOs in the world, continue your service as a savior.

Kuroka:
You in the glasses.
Consider yourself laid-off.

Assistant:
I don't believe this!
I didn't do anything...

Hirasawa:
To make a long story short, we ran into some trouble that happens all the time on websites and message boards,
so I'm not really at liberty to discuss any of the finer details.
In the end, it got pretty nasty.
A girl was forced to drop out, and the university opened an investigation on us.

Sis:
Ooh! What about this?

Micchon:
Egh! You're crazy.

Sis:
No? Well I think it's cute!
Suit yourself.

Hirasawa:
We started out as a small-time recycling group focused on awareness.
But thanks to the development of Eden, we soon realized that items that were seen as junk had real intrinsic value to some people.
We owe everything to Saki for not only seeing the potential in the program, but for also getting the word out.
It didn't take long for the other members to jump on board.
Before we knew it, the entire student body was obsessively using the technology.
Eventually, people realized that Eden could be used as a highly accurate match-making service.

Akira:
Is that where all the troubles stemmed from?

Hirasawa:
Yeah.
Everything started to snowball after that.
One member of our group left to pursue a job,
while Saki's decided to leave home for some unknown reason that she refuses to discuss with us.
I'm ashamed I let things get so out of control.

Hirasawa:
Let's go.
It's time to leave.

Sis:
What's up?
Could you and Taki not come to an agreement on a deal?

Hirasawa:
I am a NEET, understand?
I've always prided myself on that.
I don't have a specialized skill set like Micchon or Saki,
which is why I studied management and law.
I chose this so I could support the elite NEETs and eventually become one.

Akira:
I think you're already there.

Hirasawa:
Almost, but I'm not there yet.

Sis:
What does this have to do with the deal?

Hirasawa:
Eden of the East is a NEET's paradise.
I don't want to solicit help from an outsider.
Think of it as the jealousy all of the "have-nots" feel towards the "haves."

Akira:
Whatever you say. I understand
Actually, I don't.

Hirasawa:
Excuse me?!

Akira:
I understand getting involved with someone who has amnesia takes a leap of faith.
But you have to trust me.
In reality, I'm the one asking for your help.
Now then, I can't explain the details of my situation.
But will you help me carry out my noble obligations as one of the "haves"?
You can take my offer for funding as a show of my gratitude.

Saki:
Do it, Hirasawa! Please.
I'm behind this one hundred percent!
I wanna join Eden full-time and help you run it.

Sis:
Sounds like a perfect opportunity.
It was Saki's lack of involvement that troubled you the most.
What's there to lose?

Hirasawa:
You gotta be kidding me!
I'm saved by Saki again...

Akira:
In the end, does it matter who saves who?
Let's make a difference!
Moving forward and working together.

Hirasawa:
I just wanna make it clear to everyone that I still don't completely trust you.
Though I do trust you enough to shake your hand.
That's a start.
But, when it come to Eden, I still call the shots. Agreed?

Akira:
That's fine.
Now let's get to work on a NEET's paradise!

Sis:
Yeah!
Now we're one big happy family!

Saki:
Thanks, Takizawa. Really.
You're not only helping me out, you're helping out the whole group.

Akira:
No need.
I really admire people like Hirasawa who go out of their way to help their fellow man.

Saki:
Do you mind if I ask you a question?
What did... what did you mean when you told me to come over to your place?
I mean, I don't think I had told you about Eden of the East yet, right?

Akira:
You wanna know?
You needed a change of clothes.
I think you'd look really pretty in yellow.

Hirasawa:
Look at Micchon.
I can't believe how quickly she's warmed up to him.
It's not like her.

Sis:
I can't tell if they're playing together,
or if he's just messing with her head.

Akira:
You really have to pack it in there firmly, otherwise it'll just topple over.
See Mittan?

Micchon:
It's hard for me. I'm not as strong as you!
And my name's not Mittan...

Akira:
Hey! Come on out, we're ready for ya!

Saki:
What have you guys been up to?

Akira:
Okay, it's showtime.

Akira:
A-hahaha!
I didn't know you were such a scaredy-cat, Mittan!

Micchon:
Micchon, not Mittan.

Hirasawa:
Hello?
Oh, hey Kasuga.
Have any luck finding Osugi?

Kasuga:
Uhh... yes... and no, if that makes sense.

Hirasawa:
No it doesn't.
What's up?

Kasuga:
Well the thing is, it's possible that Osugi's been abducted by that psycho "Johnny Hunter."

Hirasawa:
The Johnny Hunter?!

Kasuga:
The one and only.
I was doing some digging around online.
I happened across a series of disturbing posts on a message board.

Hirasawa:
Why were you looking for him online?

Kasuga:
That's... not important.
This guy is claiming to have been imprisoned in a hotel room by a suspicious woman.
He keeps posting picture messages and begging for help.
He's been doing this for the past eighteen hours.
From what I can tell, the police haven't gotten involved yet.
But it is causing quite a stir online.
I've looked over these posts hundreds of times, Hirasawa.
I'm convinced it's Osugi.

Hirasawa:
Hm...
Send me the URL for the message board.

Kasuga:
Will do.
I also found some unofficial estimates to put the number of Johnny Hunter victims at 20,000.
So the idea that Osugi is next in line is not out of the question...

Hirasawa:
Understood.