Kanra:
Anyway, about the black rider... It doesn't have a head...
The head's cut clean off, but it's still moving...
Shinra:
It doesn't sound like it's going to be a tough job. But, be careful, okay?
Izaya:
So, nobody told me you switched professions and became a defender of the innocent.
Asanuma:
What the hell are you?
What the hell are you?!
Girl:
The Headless Rider? Yah, I've heard of it!
A good friend of mine saw it.
Clerk:
Yeah, I don't really care about that.
Woman:
Not only have I seen it, I took a photo of it.
Wanna see it?
Gang:
The Headless Rider? Yeah, he's right here.
Haruko:
Uh, yah, who hasn't heard of it?
Akie:
Think we saw it near Sunshine once.
Yoko:
Serious?
Haruko:
I dunno, but it's totally the word everywhere, so it has to be true, right?
Shinra:
It's definitely on people's minds.
Kanra:
Hey, guess what? That bike showed up again.
Taro Tanaka:
Okay, so is it true that it doesn't have a head?
Setton:
No, that's just a creepy rumor.
Kanra:
I don't know about that, my source's pretty reliable.
Taro Tanaka:
Wow...
Setton:
How can someone not have a head?
Kanra:
Well, if that someone isn't a human, then anything is possible.
Shinra:
Those who actually know the rider generally don't say much.
Rio:
No, sorry. I don't know anything about it.
Shinra:
And how about you? What do you know?
Do you have any thoughts on the legendary Headless Rider?
Are you scared of it? Or maybe you think it's cool and not a bad guy at all.
Or perhaps you're in the camp... that wants to believe it but doesn't know if they can.
So today, I'll tell you what I know about the Headless Rider.
It's a bit of a flight of fancy, so try to think outside the box.
I'll start by introducing myself. I'm Shinra Kishitani, age 24.
I'm a sort of doctor here in Ikebukuro. My work is unlicensed and under the radar.
I treat people who've been hit with stuff they don't want the cops to know about.
I also perform plastic surgery for those in need of a new face.
I may not look it, but I'm good at my job and well-regarded around here.
Alright, now on to the topic at hand.
I'm home!
That's right. That's the Headless Rider.
Her name is Celty Sturluson. And she is my roommate.
Hey Celty, I'm back!
The job I just did was pretty easy, nothing special.
So, how was your job?
Celty:
No peeking.
Shinra:
I'm sorry.
I really wasn't trying to peek. I just wasn't thinking.
Hey, you seem a little bit irritable. Maybe you need more calcium in your diet.
Celty:
You want me to eat eggshells or something?
Shinra:
Huh, not a bad idea. But I'm a doctor, not a nutritionist.
You could try eating eggshells, but I have no idea what the calcium count would be.
Or for that matter, even how effectively your body can process something of that nature.
But then again, since I don't know where your brain or central nervous system is, who knows if eating eggshells would have any effect on you or not?
Celty:
Shut up.
Shinra:
Hey, Celty.
I've asked this before, but you didn't really give me an answer.
How does the world look without a functioning optic nerve?
Celty:
It's hard to explain something when you don't understand yourself.
Shinra:
She may not have a head, but she still has those senses.
She can see and hear and smell.
Interestingly enough though, she can't see in all directions even though she has no head.
But her field of vision is wider than that of normal humans.
Now this is just a theory of mine.
But I wonder if there's something more to that mysterious science-fictiony ooze that's always seeping out of your neck.
Did you ever think that maybe as it spreads out over your surroundings, it's gathering information and somehow sending that information back to you?
Of course, that means the further way an object is, the less you would know about it.
Celty:
Don't care. As long as I can see and hear, I'm fine.
Shinra:
Celty, that's so typical of you.
I sometimes wonder how different the world I see and feel is from the one you see and feel.
I'm not just talking about what you see, either.
I mean, how you process and feel about what you see, your values.
You're not like the other people here. You're like a faerie who just suddenly appeared in this city...
Tell me what the world looks like when viewed through the eyes of a Dullahan.
Hm? What's the matter? If you wanna tell me what happened, I'm all ears.
Was it that job today? Izaya said that it was supposed to be fairly easy.
Celty:
Well, yes. The job itself was pretty straightforward.
Shinra:
So?
Izaya:
I do appreciate you, Transporter.
I can't get by without you, and you can't get by without me.
Celty:
I'd rather the latter weren't the case.
Izaya:
Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure I'll be enlisting your services again.
All I wanna do is stay on your good side. For as long as that may be...
Celty:
Am I wrong or did that sound creepy?
Izaya:
You're wrong. I'm simply misunderstood.
Oh, by the way, have you ever heard of a Dullahan? It's a headless faerie from Irish folklore.
There's a guy who claims he once saw one. He's a portrait painter who hangs out over in Yoyogi Park.
He was making a fuss the other day, kept yelling "The head is gone! The head is gone!"
I don't know, but it sounds to me like he was talking about a Dullahan.
Celty:
Is he still there?
Izaya:
Maybe. I have no idea.
Well, that seemed to intrigue her.
Shinra:
Celty Sturluson isn't human.
She's actually a type of faerie that comes from Celtic folklore, more commonly known as a Dullahan.
Celty:
Is there a portrait painter around here?
Woman:
Oh yeah, there was. But, he's not here any more.
Hey, didn't he say something about going to Yokohama?
Man:
Yeah.
Shinra:
According to legend, a Dullahan travels the country in a carriage pulled by a headless horse called a Cóiste Bodhar.
By its side is its own severed head.
When someone's time on Earth has come to an end, they pay them a visit.
And if you carelessly open the door as they're passing by, they'll douse you with a bucket of blood.
It's a ghastly legend, drenched with death.
And I have a hard time imagining a chick would ever have anything to do with it.
Aside from the fact that she doesn't have a head.
Curious about why she came to Japan, to Tokyo, to Ikebukuro?
Or why she's so obsessed with finding her head?
Well, that's what I'm about to reveal.
Shinra:
It was 20 years ago.
She suddenly came to on the top of a mountain, and for some reason, her head was no longer by her side.
She began to notice that many of her memories were gone, as well.
She could no longer remember why she did what she did. And even parts of her past were gone.
However, she remembered that her name was Celty Sturluson, and that she was a Dullahan.
She also remembered how to use the powers that are unique to her.
Then, all of a sudden, something dawned on her.
Celty:
I wasn't thinking of things, using my head.
Shinra:
It surprised her.
It became apparent that she could sense a connection to something that she believed had to be her head.
After much consideration, she came to the conclusion that somehow, her head and her body were both sentient and shared a level of consciousness.
Therefore, the memories that she was missing were in her head.
And so she made her decision: She would not stop until she found her head and reclaimed her reason for being.
That is what now gives her life purpose.
It's entirely possible that her head chose to leave her body, but she can't know that for sure, unless she finds it.
Celty:
He wasn't in Yokohama, either.
Then I went to Tama, and then to Chiba...
Each time, I kept just missing him.
Shinra:
Why didn't you quit for the day and start back at it tomorrow?
Celty:
I was frantic.
There was a possibility that my head was there...
The only thing I could think about was finding it and getting it back.
I'm tired of living with just fragments of my memories.
Shinra:
She followed the trails as far as she possibly could, until it became apparent that her head was no longer on the same continent.
It was on a ship, bound for Japan.
Stowing away on a ship and following it wasn't a problem. The problem was the horse.
It was the Dullahan's loyal servant. The horse was simply the shape her familiar had chosen.
If she wanted to dismiss it, she could. But she had no idea what would become of it after that.
That bit of knowledge was probably in her head.
So even though she knew they could be separated, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
And then... All of a sudden, they found each other.
Celty:
After all that, I never did find it.
Although...
Shizuo:
Yeah, I've seen that old painter guy around before.
Celty:
Huh?
He was in south Ikebukuro Park for a few days.
Shizuo:
Right, that's him. You want me to take you to him?
I gotta think it's a bit awkward for you, right?
Old painter:
All right, it's done.
Arisa:
Wow! That's cool!
Arisa's friend A:
You look way cuter here than you normally do.
Arisa:
Hey!
Arisa's friend B:
You sure are good, mister!
Old painter:
No, not really.
The things I really want to draw still escape me.
Arisa:
Thank you so much!
Old painter:
The pleasure's all mine. Come again.
Arisa:
Okay!
Arisa's friend B:
Later!
Old painter:
Ah... Sorry, but it's getting a bit dark.
'Fraid I'm done for today.
Shizuo:
You saw a Dullahan once, that true?
Old painter:
Huh? Uh... Yeah, I did.
A long time ago, I was a much younger man, and traveling through Ireland, saw it with my own two eyes.
Celty:
Someone overheard you saying it lost its head.
Old painter:
That it lost its head? No, no. Its head was not attached.
And I can't decide how the head should look.
Go on.
It was a woman. And a beautiful woman, at that.
It was a foggy night on an old mountain road when she passed me.
She flew by at an incredible speed. She was a terrifying but beautiful sight.
It was quite obvious that she was not of this world.
When I got back to my inn, I relayed what I had seen.
I was told that it was a Dullahan, and that it had been in the area for ages.
Celty:
So, why doesn't the Dullahan in your sketchbooks have a head?
Old painter:
Because I can't draw it. The more I try, the more out of place it looks.
I remember what I saw so clearly, but some reason, I can't express that on paper.
Celty:
Did you see what color her hair was? Or her eyes?
What was the expression on her face?
Old painter:
If I knew all that, I wouldn't have a problem drawing it.
You know, I was talking to someone about this the other day.
He was an odd guy, but he said the drawing was perfect as it was.
According to him, she didn't need a head.
He was pretty strange, though.
Shizuo:
So, why are you so obsessed with drawing this thing?
Old painter:
Because it was the most magical thing I have ever seen. It was the greatest experience of my life.
And I want to get the memory back. I don't ever want to lose it.
Shizuo:
Alright gramps, thanks.
Shinra:
I see.
You don't remember, do you?
Riding, passed some guy hiding in the bushes.
Celty:
I don't.
Shinra:
Well, you don't know for sure if that Dullahan was actually you.
For all we know, he could have made that whole thing up.
Celty:
It was real, and it was me.
I know it.
Shinra:
Okay.
Celty:
What was I doing that night?
Where was I going and why was I going there?
Shinra:
Are you sure that's really important?
Celty:
Huh?
Shinra:
Listen, you're amazingly ambiguous and unquestionably unique.
But as things are, you're still miles away from achieving your goal.
Celty:
What's your point?
Shinra:
I'll be blunt.
Let it go.
Celty:
That strange guy in the painter's story, maybe what he said was right.
I mean, maybe you are complete without your head.
Perhaps the time has come to move on.
You know what? Let's go somewhere. Anywhere.
The choice is yours.
And if you decide you wanna go back home, no matter what, I'll make it happen.
I'll even go with you.
You know, that way, you and I can-
Celty:
It's not that I don't like you, but I'm quite happy with our living arrangements as they are.
Shinra:
Listen, you don't have to-
Celty:
I said I'm fine!
Shinra:
You know, if you wanted to change these arrangements at all...
Celty:
That's enough!
Shinra:
I guess that means we do process what we feel a little bit differently.
Alright, back to the subject at hand...
Shinra:
Celty's story, actually, our story starts back up on the ship.
She convinced a crew member to smuggle her aboard, but it didn't take long for her to realize how much she stood out.
I've known her so long that I don't even notice it any more.
But the first time I saw her was quite shocking. I was only 4 at the time.
I was heading back to Japan with my father.
My father, Shingen, is not a normal person by any means.
I told him what I had seen, and if he were a normal parent, he probably would have just laughed and ignored it.
But not my dad. He's different.
Perhaps being inquisitive comes with being a doctor, but he was intrigued.
Shingen:
My lady, I do apologize, but is it true that you have no head?
Shinra:
He offered her a deal.
He said if she allowed him to dissect her, then he would, in return, offer her a place to stay.
She agreed. She did what she had to. But she must have been nervous.
I've talked to her about this before, but she doesn't seem to remember it.
Normal anesthesia didn't work on her. The shock must have been tremendous.
Shingen:
She does experience pain. Although, not quite as acute as humans.
She has no heart. All of her organs are there, but none of them are functioning.
She has blood vessels, but there's no blood circulating through them.
She's like a walking anatomical model.
Look at that!
What would it take for her to die?
Shinra:
Can you believe my dad did that? Had his 4-year-old son dissect a woman?
But it was opportunities like this that made me the doctor that I am today.
You never know what will be useful later.
Shingen:
Go on.
Shinra:
The moment I saw her, I was captivated.
We've been living together for 20 years. And I still feel the same way.
She works as a transporter now. But she still continues to search for her head.
If she does find it someday, then what? What would happen to her?
I mean, is her will the same as her head's will?
Or maybe...
Celty:
What are you recording?
Shinra:
Oh, this? It's nothing.
I'm just documenting the details of our happy little life together for generations to come.
Celty:
Whatever, just keep it down. Trying to sleep.
Shinra:
Anything you want, Celty.
Well, that's all for now. I'll save the rest for later.
Shinra:
Wow! That's perfect!
Old painter:
Huh? What are you talking about?
Everyone knows a proper Dullahan should carry its head with it.
Shinra:
It's great the way it is. It doesn't need a head.
Old painter:
Of course it needs a head.
You've never known the real thing, so you don't know.
She was the most beautiful thing ever.
Shinra:
That's so true.
Old painter:
Hmm?
Shinra:
But, I still say she's better without a head.
She looks more charming that way.
In a word, perfect.
So, look. Stop worrying about not being able to draw it.
You don't really need to. It's fine just the way it is.
Old painter:
You're crazy, she needs a head.
Shinra:
Stop that! You're gonna ruin it!
Old painter:
You know what, sonny? You are a weirdo.
Shinra:
Aw, you're flattering me.
<Preview>
Masaomi:
Wanna know the details of my pimp-dirty-hook-up-sweet-heartbreaking life style?
Then turn your heart to channel me.
True stories from the cool, sly Masaomi Kida.
Next Time: False Advertising.
This happens every 300 years. Don't blow it!
Mikado:
What's this urban legend, anyway?
Masaomi:
The black bike! The Headless Rider!
Kanra:
Anyway, about the black rider... It doesn't have a head...
The head's cut clean off, but it's still moving...
Shinra:
It doesn't sound like it's going to be a tough job. But, be careful, okay?
Izaya:
So, nobody told me you switched professions and became a defender of the innocent.
Asanuma:
What the hell are you?
What the hell are you?!
Girl:
The Headless Rider? Yah, I've heard of it!
A good friend of mine saw it.
Clerk:
Yeah, I don't really care about that.
Woman:
Not only have I seen it, I took a photo of it.
Wanna see it?
Gang:
The Headless Rider? Yeah, he's right here.
Haruko:
Uh, yah, who hasn't heard of it?
Akie:
Think we saw it near Sunshine once.
Yoko:
Serious?
Haruko:
I dunno, but it's totally the word everywhere, so it has to be true, right?
Shinra:
It's definitely on people's minds.
Kanra:
Hey, guess what? That bike showed up again.
Taro Tanaka:
Okay, so is it true that it doesn't have a head?
Setton:
No, that's just a creepy rumor.
Kanra:
I don't know about that, my source's pretty reliable.
Taro Tanaka:
Wow...
Setton:
How can someone not have a head?
Kanra:
Well, if that someone isn't a human, then anything is possible.
Shinra:
Those who actually know the rider generally don't say much.
Rio:
No, sorry. I don't know anything about it.
Shinra:
And how about you? What do you know?
Do you have any thoughts on the legendary Headless Rider?
Are you scared of it? Or maybe you think it's cool and not a bad guy at all.
Or perhaps you're in the camp... that wants to believe it but doesn't know if they can.
So today, I'll tell you what I know about the Headless Rider.
It's a bit of a flight of fancy, so try to think outside the box.
I'll start by introducing myself. I'm Shinra Kishitani, age 24.
I'm a sort of doctor here in Ikebukuro. My work is unlicensed and under the radar.
I treat people who've been hit with stuff they don't want the cops to know about.
I also perform plastic surgery for those in need of a new face.
I may not look it, but I'm good at my job and well-regarded around here.
Alright, now on to the topic at hand.
I'm home!
That's right. That's the Headless Rider.
Her name is Celty Sturluson. And she is my roommate.
Hey Celty, I'm back!
The job I just did was pretty easy, nothing special.
So, how was your job?
Celty:
No peeking.
Shinra:
I'm sorry.
I really wasn't trying to peek. I just wasn't thinking.
Hey, you seem a little bit irritable. Maybe you need more calcium in your diet.
Celty:
You want me to eat eggshells or something?
Shinra:
Huh, not a bad idea. But I'm a doctor, not a nutritionist.
You could try eating eggshells, but I have no idea what the calcium count would be.
Or for that matter, even how effectively your body can process something of that nature.
But then again, since I don't know where your brain or central nervous system is, who knows if eating eggshells would have any effect on you or not?
Celty:
Shut up.
Shinra:
Hey, Celty.
I've asked this before, but you didn't really give me an answer.
How does the world look without a functioning optic nerve?
Celty:
It's hard to explain something when you don't understand yourself.
Shinra:
She may not have a head, but she still has those senses.
She can see and hear and smell.
Interestingly enough though, she can't see in all directions even though she has no head.
But her field of vision is wider than that of normal humans.
Now this is just a theory of mine.
But I wonder if there's something more to that mysterious science-fictiony ooze that's always seeping out of your neck.
Did you ever think that maybe as it spreads out over your surroundings, it's gathering information and somehow sending that information back to you?
Of course, that means the further way an object is, the less you would know about it.
Celty:
Don't care. As long as I can see and hear, I'm fine.
Shinra:
Celty, that's so typical of you.
I sometimes wonder how different the world I see and feel is from the one you see and feel.
I'm not just talking about what you see, either.
I mean, how you process and feel about what you see, your values.
You're not like the other people here. You're like a faerie who just suddenly appeared in this city...
Tell me what the world looks like when viewed through the eyes of a Dullahan.
Hm? What's the matter? If you wanna tell me what happened, I'm all ears.
Was it that job today? Izaya said that it was supposed to be fairly easy.
Celty:
Well, yes. The job itself was pretty straightforward.
Shinra:
So?
Izaya:
I do appreciate you, Transporter.
I can't get by without you, and you can't get by without me.
Celty:
I'd rather the latter weren't the case.
Izaya:
Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure I'll be enlisting your services again.
All I wanna do is stay on your good side. For as long as that may be...
Celty:
Am I wrong or did that sound creepy?
Izaya:
You're wrong. I'm simply misunderstood.
Oh, by the way, have you ever heard of a Dullahan? It's a headless faerie from Irish folklore.
There's a guy who claims he once saw one. He's a portrait painter who hangs out over in Yoyogi Park.
He was making a fuss the other day, kept yelling "The head is gone! The head is gone!"
I don't know, but it sounds to me like he was talking about a Dullahan.
Celty:
Is he still there?
Izaya:
Maybe. I have no idea.
Well, that seemed to intrigue her.
Shinra:
Celty Sturluson isn't human.
She's actually a type of faerie that comes from Celtic folklore, more commonly known as a Dullahan.
Celty:
Is there a portrait painter around here?
Woman:
Oh yeah, there was. But, he's not here any more.
Hey, didn't he say something about going to Yokohama?
Man:
Yeah.
Shinra:
According to legend, a Dullahan travels the country in a carriage pulled by a headless horse called a Cóiste Bodhar.
By its side is its own severed head.
When someone's time on Earth has come to an end, they pay them a visit.
And if you carelessly open the door as they're passing by, they'll douse you with a bucket of blood.
It's a ghastly legend, drenched with death.
And I have a hard time imagining a chick would ever have anything to do with it.
Aside from the fact that she doesn't have a head.
Curious about why she came to Japan, to Tokyo, to Ikebukuro?
Or why she's so obsessed with finding her head?
Well, that's what I'm about to reveal.
Shinra:
It was 20 years ago.
She suddenly came to on the top of a mountain, and for some reason, her head was no longer by her side.
She began to notice that many of her memories were gone, as well.
She could no longer remember why she did what she did. And even parts of her past were gone.
However, she remembered that her name was Celty Sturluson, and that she was a Dullahan.
She also remembered how to use the powers that are unique to her.
Then, all of a sudden, something dawned on her.
Celty:
I wasn't thinking of things, using my head.
Shinra:
It surprised her.
It became apparent that she could sense a connection to something that she believed had to be her head.
After much consideration, she came to the conclusion that somehow, her head and her body were both sentient and shared a level of consciousness.
Therefore, the memories that she was missing were in her head.
And so she made her decision: She would not stop until she found her head and reclaimed her reason for being.
That is what now gives her life purpose.
It's entirely possible that her head chose to leave her body, but she can't know that for sure, unless she finds it.
Celty:
He wasn't in Yokohama, either.
Then I went to Tama, and then to Chiba...
Each time, I kept just missing him.
Shinra:
Why didn't you quit for the day and start back at it tomorrow?
Celty:
I was frantic.
There was a possibility that my head was there...
The only thing I could think about was finding it and getting it back.
I'm tired of living with just fragments of my memories.
Shinra:
She followed the trails as far as she possibly could, until it became apparent that her head was no longer on the same continent.
It was on a ship, bound for Japan.
Stowing away on a ship and following it wasn't a problem. The problem was the horse.
It was the Dullahan's loyal servant. The horse was simply the shape her familiar had chosen.
If she wanted to dismiss it, she could. But she had no idea what would become of it after that.
That bit of knowledge was probably in her head.
So even though she knew they could be separated, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
And then... All of a sudden, they found each other.
Celty:
After all that, I never did find it.
Although...
Shizuo:
Yeah, I've seen that old painter guy around before.
Celty:
Huh?
He was in south Ikebukuro Park for a few days.
Shizuo:
Right, that's him. You want me to take you to him?
I gotta think it's a bit awkward for you, right?
Old painter:
All right, it's done.
Arisa:
Wow! That's cool!
Arisa's friend A:
You look way cuter here than you normally do.
Arisa:
Hey!
Arisa's friend B:
You sure are good, mister!
Old painter:
No, not really.
The things I really want to draw still escape me.
Arisa:
Thank you so much!
Old painter:
The pleasure's all mine. Come again.
Arisa:
Okay!
Arisa's friend B:
Later!
Old painter:
Ah... Sorry, but it's getting a bit dark.
'Fraid I'm done for today.
Shizuo:
You saw a Dullahan once, that true?
Old painter:
Huh? Uh... Yeah, I did.
A long time ago, I was a much younger man, and traveling through Ireland, saw it with my own two eyes.
Celty:
Someone overheard you saying it lost its head.
Old painter:
That it lost its head? No, no. Its head was not attached.
And I can't decide how the head should look.
Go on.
It was a woman. And a beautiful woman, at that.
It was a foggy night on an old mountain road when she passed me.
She flew by at an incredible speed. She was a terrifying but beautiful sight.
It was quite obvious that she was not of this world.
When I got back to my inn, I relayed what I had seen.
I was told that it was a Dullahan, and that it had been in the area for ages.
Celty:
So, why doesn't the Dullahan in your sketchbooks have a head?
Old painter:
Because I can't draw it. The more I try, the more out of place it looks.
I remember what I saw so clearly, but some reason, I can't express that on paper.
Celty:
Did you see what color her hair was? Or her eyes?
What was the expression on her face?
Old painter:
If I knew all that, I wouldn't have a problem drawing it.
You know, I was talking to someone about this the other day.
He was an odd guy, but he said the drawing was perfect as it was.
According to him, she didn't need a head.
He was pretty strange, though.
Shizuo:
So, why are you so obsessed with drawing this thing?
Old painter:
Because it was the most magical thing I have ever seen. It was the greatest experience of my life.
And I want to get the memory back. I don't ever want to lose it.
Shizuo:
Alright gramps, thanks.
Shinra:
I see.
You don't remember, do you?
Riding, passed some guy hiding in the bushes.
Celty:
I don't.
Shinra:
Well, you don't know for sure if that Dullahan was actually you.
For all we know, he could have made that whole thing up.
Celty:
It was real, and it was me.
I know it.
Shinra:
Okay.
Celty:
What was I doing that night?
Where was I going and why was I going there?
Shinra:
Are you sure that's really important?
Celty:
Huh?
Shinra:
Listen, you're amazingly ambiguous and unquestionably unique.
But as things are, you're still miles away from achieving your goal.
Celty:
What's your point?
Shinra:
I'll be blunt.
Let it go.
Celty:
That strange guy in the painter's story, maybe what he said was right.
I mean, maybe you are complete without your head.
Perhaps the time has come to move on.
You know what? Let's go somewhere. Anywhere.
The choice is yours.
And if you decide you wanna go back home, no matter what, I'll make it happen.
I'll even go with you.
You know, that way, you and I can-
Celty:
It's not that I don't like you, but I'm quite happy with our living arrangements as they are.
Shinra:
Listen, you don't have to-
Celty:
I said I'm fine!
Shinra:
You know, if you wanted to change these arrangements at all...
Celty:
That's enough!
Shinra:
I guess that means we do process what we feel a little bit differently.
Alright, back to the subject at hand...
Shinra:
Celty's story, actually, our story starts back up on the ship.
She convinced a crew member to smuggle her aboard, but it didn't take long for her to realize how much she stood out.
I've known her so long that I don't even notice it any more.
But the first time I saw her was quite shocking. I was only 4 at the time.
I was heading back to Japan with my father.
My father, Shingen, is not a normal person by any means.
I told him what I had seen, and if he were a normal parent, he probably would have just laughed and ignored it.
But not my dad. He's different.
Perhaps being inquisitive comes with being a doctor, but he was intrigued.
Shingen:
My lady, I do apologize, but is it true that you have no head?
Shinra:
He offered her a deal.
He said if she allowed him to dissect her, then he would, in return, offer her a place to stay.
She agreed. She did what she had to. But she must have been nervous.
I've talked to her about this before, but she doesn't seem to remember it.
Normal anesthesia didn't work on her. The shock must have been tremendous.
Shingen:
She does experience pain. Although, not quite as acute as humans.
She has no heart. All of her organs are there, but none of them are functioning.
She has blood vessels, but there's no blood circulating through them.
She's like a walking anatomical model.
Look at that!
What would it take for her to die?
Shinra:
Can you believe my dad did that? Had his 4-year-old son dissect a woman?
But it was opportunities like this that made me the doctor that I am today.
You never know what will be useful later.
Shingen:
Go on.
Shinra:
The moment I saw her, I was captivated.
We've been living together for 20 years. And I still feel the same way.
She works as a transporter now. But she still continues to search for her head.
If she does find it someday, then what? What would happen to her?
I mean, is her will the same as her head's will?
Or maybe...
Celty:
What are you recording?
Shinra:
Oh, this? It's nothing.
I'm just documenting the details of our happy little life together for generations to come.
Celty:
Whatever, just keep it down. Trying to sleep.
Shinra:
Anything you want, Celty.
Well, that's all for now. I'll save the rest for later.
Shinra:
Wow! That's perfect!
Old painter:
Huh? What are you talking about?
Everyone knows a proper Dullahan should carry its head with it.
Shinra:
It's great the way it is. It doesn't need a head.
Old painter:
Of course it needs a head.
You've never known the real thing, so you don't know.
She was the most beautiful thing ever.
Shinra:
That's so true.
Old painter:
Hmm?
Shinra:
But, I still say she's better without a head.
She looks more charming that way.
In a word, perfect.
So, look. Stop worrying about not being able to draw it.
You don't really need to. It's fine just the way it is.
Old painter:
You're crazy, she needs a head.
Shinra:
Stop that! You're gonna ruin it!
Old painter:
You know what, sonny? You are a weirdo.
Shinra:
Aw, you're flattering me.
<Preview>
Masaomi:
Wanna know the details of my pimp-dirty-hook-up-sweet-heartbreaking life style?
Then turn your heart to channel me.
True stories from the cool, sly Masaomi Kida.
Next Time: False Advertising.
This happens every 300 years. Don't blow it!