Wild Adapter2 dice 11 & 12

(page)
F/X car skidding to a halt
F/X door slamming
Araki: Hey-- Kasai-san! Is it really that urgent?
Kasai: If we can't straighten this out it'll be pretty bad--
Sign: Matsumoto General Hospital
Kasai: for Makoto.

(page)
Dice 11

(page)
Goon: Who the hell are you?
Tokitoh: Kubo-chan!
Sekiya: (thinks) Kubota Makoto

(page)
F/X Sekiya and Kubota draw their guns
Goon: A gun!? What outfit are you from?
Sekiya: It's not surprising you wouldn't know.

(page)
Sekiya: 'Leader of the Youth Division of the Izumo gang'... or rather, *was*, for a mere seven months. Right, Kubota Makoto-kun?
Kubota: Was it? I've been forgetting stuff a lot lately
Sekiya: Then allow me to remind you. Exactly a year ago, last winter-

(page)
Sekiya: you disappeared from the underground world. And *just* at that time you destroyed the Yokohama branch of our outfit, all by yourself
Goon: What?? This kid did that? You gotta be kidding, Sekiya-san!
Kubota: Heinhh- you know a lot.

(page)
Sekiya: Oh yes, I do. I did a private investigation. I felt I had to thank you
Sekiya: You killed that old man and so now I'm the deputy of the Tohjou mob. Thanks, ne?
Kubota: Entirely welcome.
Saori's guard: You got your nerve-
Saori: (screech)
Saori's guard: Fucking kid!
F/X click of trigger

(page)
F/X gunshot
F/X Saori's guards fall
Saori: (screams)

(page)
Sekiya: Terribly sorry. My men have no manners
Kubota: Oh please- don't apologize. Tokitoh, let's go
Thug 1: Don't get funny! You think we're gonna let you go, 'oh bye-bye' just like that? Take a look at this and then talk- nh!
F/X Tokitoh grabs his gun and pushes it up
F/X effort(?)
Thug 1: Huh- I can't pull the trigger--?!

(page)
F/X standoff between Kubota and Sekiya (?)
Thug 1: (screams at broken finger)
F/X Tokitoh kicks him
Thug 1: Guhh---

(page)
Thug 2: Damn kid- you can die!!
F/X Kubota throws himself forward
Kubota: Duck, Tokitoh!
F/X Sekiya follows K's movement with his gun
F/X Kubota's gun firing
Thug 2: Gahh--
F/X click of Sekiya's trigger

(page)
F/X Tokitoh kicks oil drum
Tokitoh: Kubochan!!
F/X drum rolling
Thug 3: Chi--
Saori: Look out!
F/X several shots
Thug 3: (screams)
F/X cans? rolling on ground

(page)
Sekiya: Kubota-kun
F/X Kubota surprise
Sekiya: Gomen, ne? I'm very bad with guns

(page)
Sekiya: Now- just one little question
Kubota: ...go ahead.
Sekiya: The fact that you're here means the Izumo gang are looking for WA as well?
Kubota: It does? I don't have anything to do with the Izumo outfit any more. As long as I get him back I don't care about the rest.
Sekiya: Indeed. ...there's something else that's been bothering me for a bit

(page)
Sekiya: This boy's right hand. He can rip road signs out of the pavement with it. I do wonder what's under this glove you wear?
Kubota: You said one little question, didn't you?
F/x sound of police cars

(page)
F/X sound of police sirens

(page)
Sekiya: ...ah well. We'll have to leave it at that for today. I'm Sekiya Jun. Do remember the name, Kubota-kun
Kubota: No real need, is there?
Sekiya: (hmphs)
F/X and disappears through the window

(page)
F/X Kubota runs to window
Tokitoh: Kubochan!!
Tokitoh: It's OK. Let him go.
Kubota: Nh.

(page)
Kubota: (to Saori) Are you alright?
Saori voiceover: I got it wrong.
Saori: Ever since I first met you guys I'd been thinking how weird Tokitoh is. Wondering why he leaned on Kubota-san so much. But the fact is--
Saori voiceover: and it's not normal either, how far it goes
Saori: --it's *you*- all along it's you who's been leaning on *him*---

(page)
(page)
Kasai: Ahh- you damned kids had to go and do this?!
Tokitoh: Pops!
Kasai: These all from the Tohjou mob?
Kubota: Looks like. The middle level boss got away though
Kasai: Makoto, you didn't...
Kubota: We didn't do anything. Just ordinary citizens caught up in a gangland shootout

(page)
Kasai: Ohh, I see. Well, you ordinary citizens get out of here before the rest of my bunch arrives.
Tokitoh: Thanks, pops.
Kasai: Sheesh... You OK, young lady? This must have been pretty scary.
Saori voiceover: It felt like he was saying 'what of it?' More than the killing and the dead bodies and the yakuza-- much much more---

(page)
Saori voiceover: I was scared of that smile of his
F/X Sekiya's car starting
Sekiya: Yazaki, turn on the heat, would you?
Yazaki: Hm? But Sekiya-san, it's on quite high---

(page)
F/X Sekiya shivering
Yazaki: Uhh- Sekiya-san?
F/X train noises
Kubota: Tokitoh- your neck.
Tokitoh: Anh it's fine. Just a scratch.
Kubota: ... 'Sekiya', huh? Actually I will remember that.
F/X train noises

(page)
Saori voiceover: My lover died. A lot of people died while I watched. Kill and be killed. I thought that was a perfectly simple thing to understand. Today for the first time in my life, I'm going to kill someone else

(page)
Dice: 12

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(page)
Dog. Noun: dog. 1. Canine. 2. Male (opposite: bitch) 3. Worthless human being. An unsightly failure. Verb: 1. follow, stick close to 2. disaster/ unhappiness follows s.o. around. (Phrases) a faithful dog: chuuken; dog-end: cigarette butt
Kubota: Arf

(page)
Tokitoh: Ahh-- ahh-- ahh! Kubocha--! Don't! Not that! Aah!!
Tokitoh: Dammit! I should have been able to pull that off- that was cheap!
F/X throwing down controls
Kubota: You can't corner me- I had my guard ready. You probably didn't enter your top emergency command. (See translator's note at bottom.)
Kubota: Tokitoh, we have to decide who's cleaning up after dinner.
Tokitoh: Ack-- just one more game, one more!!
Kubota: Unh-unh.
Kasai's voice: It was exactly a year ago

(page)
Kasai: That Makoto went and picked Toki-boy up off the street. He figured because Tokitoh's hand was like that he must have some connection to WA and came to ask my advice- after I'd promised he wouldn't have to hand him over to the police. He was pretty bad at first. Worse than a stray cat- like a wounded animal.
Saori: Tokitoh?
Kasai: I don't know where he was brought up but he didn't trust people at all. It felt like he had his fur up on end and was always threatening the world

(page)
Tokitoh: Hey- you think this curry's still alive?
Kubota: How old's it?
Tokitoh: Four days
Kubota: Still breathing, just.
Saori: Somehow... that's hard to imagine. He's not good with other people but he seems to have gotten used to Kubota-san and you
Kasai: (laughs) Well, he has no respect for us. Makoto spoils him.
Saori: But... why was it...

(page)
Saori: Why did Kubota-san pick up a total stranger like that?
Kasai: He- Makoto, I mean- and I shouldn't be saying this as his relative- his upbringing turned him into a strange kid. He didn't care about anything- even himself. But on the other hand he had to have everything new that came out, one right after the other. Mhh, how would you say this? It seemed he was looking for something to get attached to

(page)
Saori: But then... what kind of...
Kasai: Who knows? The fact is I don't understand him much myself. Pretty pathetic, isn't it?
Kasai: When you've been a cop for a while... you see a lot of criminals. And you can pretty much tell what their futures will be like. Guys who'll go on living their shitty little lives, and guys who'll maybe pull themselves together-- yeah, and guys who don't look like they've long to live, as well.
Kasai: But I can't see any of that with Makoto.

(page)
Kasai: What kind of life he'll have from now on- even, whether he'll live or die. Whether he gets smashed to pieces, or finds something to love, or something to kill, all I can do
Kasai: is watch and see what happens.
F/X cup breaking

(page)
Tokitoh: (grunt of pain)
Kubota: Tokitoh?
Tokitoh: Ahh... sorry. That was your cup
Kubota: It wasn't much good. Say- what's the matter? Did you cut yourself?
F/X Tokitoh knocks Kubota's hand away
Tokitoh: No! I'm fine, just fine!

(page)
Kubota: Tokitoh- listen--
Tokitoh: Sorry. Look, I'll clean this up later
F/X door closing
Tokitoh: I'm gonna go run me a shower
F/X echo of door slamming (?)
Nurse: Okubo-san, come in please
Saori: Oh- yeah. Kasai-san--

(page)
Saori: Sorry, you know. Making you come to a place like this. You must have been embarrassed
Kasai: Actually it's my second time
F/X grin
Saori: You're kidding? Imagine that.
Kasai: Young lady--
Saori: Yeah?
Kasai: Don't do anything to make yourself ashamed of your life.

(page)
Saori: Thanks
Sign: Takei Maternity (Hospital)
F/X water from shower head
Tokitoh: (grunts of pain) (heavy breathing)
Tokitoh: ...hurts.

(page)
Tokitoh: (grunts)
F/X sharp pain
Tokitoh: ...shit. What's *with* this?
Koh: (in flashback) This right hand of yours... Its very structure already seems to have deviated from the human. I'm worried about the pressure it puts on the rest of your body and any abnormalities there. Does it hurt or feel uncomfortable?
Tokitoh: (in flashback) No, not really. It feels a bit weird but that's about all.
Koh: I see.
Tokitoh: (thinks) ...hurts? There are times it hurts like hell, but if he knew he couldn't do anything

(page)
Tokitoh: What am I?
Tokitoh: (in shower) Maybe I'd be better if I cut it off, but... But I can't.
Tokitoh: Who am I?
Tokitoh: (in shower) Until I know what I am and what my hand means... until then, if I did that Kubochan'd be mad
F/X sound of washing machine

(page)
Tokitoh: What're you doing?
Kubota: Running the washer
Tokitoh: Don't come in here-- you perv
Kubota: I won't. Though I *am* a perv
Tokitoh: Ass---hole.
F/X water running down drain

(page)
Tokitoh: Only- stay there

(page)
F/X water from shower
Kubota: OK

(page)
Saori: Evening.
Kubota: ....Oh. C'mon in.
Saori: Where's Tokitoh?
Kubota: Still sleeping
Saori: Really? I see. ...Well, probably a good thing

(page)
Kubota: You're looking a little lighter.
Saori: Oh, so you knew? Had it done yesterday. So I thought I'd come round and say hello. It's really quite easy. You can go home the same day once the anesthetic wears off.
Saori: A bunch of things happened. I suppose I'm being a hypocrite, but maybe it's natural that you have to do dirty things if you're going to go on living. Human beings can't just melt away and disappear

(page)
Saori: (laughs) I'm not letting myself go, you know.
Kubota: Unh. I can tell by your face
Saori: Well, I'm off. Thanks for everything
Kubota: You going back to your family?
Saori: Unh-unh. I'll try making it on my own for a bit. There's lots of ways to get by if you put your mind to it
Kubota: You women are pretty strong. Us men, we're useless.
Saori: (laughs) Guess so. But next time I find someone who matters to me

(page)
Saori: I'll be very careful not to get like you
F/X door closes
Kubota: Yeah. You're right.

(page)
Tokitoh: Hey, was someone here just now?
Kubota: Tokitoh.
Tokitoh: Mh?
Kubota: Let's go buy another cup

(page)
F/X Saori staggers
F/X strong emotional reaction

(page)
Saori: (thinks) People like us who can't melt and disappear

(page)
Tokitoh: Oh yeah. It's Saturday. Thought there were a lot of people around
Kubota: Yeah
Saori: (thinks) can only go on living
Loudspeaker truck: Kurihara Atsushi. Please vote for Kurihara Atsushi. He will seek government reform for the sake of a more prosperous nation. Kurihara Atsushi, candidate for the XXX party. Thank you for your support. Thank you for your support.
Tokitoh: Ah shaddup. No way *I'm* going to vote for you, Kurihara Atsushi.
Loudspeaker truck: We will be certain to meet the expectations of the people
F/X Kubota's cell phone rings
Cell screen: call coming in. Unknown caller
Kubota: Hello?

(page)
Sanada's voice: It's been a year, Kubota-kun.
Kubota: ...Mhh. So it has. And?
Sanada's voice: Cold as ever.
Sanada: Aren't you going to ask how I know your phone number?
Kubota's voice: No. I'm not terribly interested.
Kubota: So, what's this about?
Sanada: Wild Adapter.

(page)
F/X sound of political slogans from a loudspeaker truck
Sanada's voice: A drug of that name has been making the rounds. A mystery drug that has the Tohjou gang sweating blood to find out where it comes from.
F/X sound of political slogans from a loudspeaker truck
Sanada's voice: The Izumo outfit are after it too, for our own reasons. I heard that Komiya was involved with this drug. Do you--
F/X Kubota grabs Tokitoh's hand
Sanada's voice: --have some connection to WA, I wonder?
Tokitoh: Kubochan?
Kubota: Nope. Nothing to do with me.
Sanada: I see...
F/X sound of political slogans from a loudspeaker truck

(page)
Cell phone: Please vote for Kurihara Atsushi
Sanada: You haven't changed--
Sanada's voice: --I see you still like animals

(page)
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(page)
F/X sound of open telephone line?
Tokitoh: ? Kubo-chan, it's green
Kubota: Um
F/X turns off cell phone
Tokitoh: Who was that on the phone?

(page)
Kubota: A new dating service
Tokitoh: Hm? What's that?
Saori: (thinks) We're born with a body. Somehow we have to support it and go on living.
Woman's voice: You know that's wrong, Saori-chan!!

(page)
Woman: Saori! Apologize now. Say you're sorry.
Little girl: Sooorry.
Saori: (thinks) No matter how yucky we are inside, what's certain is that we're here now. Everyone has to carry the weight of that and go on living
Saori: (thinks) Until the day when we really

(page)
Saori: (thinks) melt away and disappear

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I give you a hug you want to look away from and loving words you want to close your ears to

(Translator's note: I am indebted to Greer, Harlem and Harlem's Brother for enlightenment as to what Kubota and Tokitoh's gamer Japanese might mean. For the interested, Greer says:
'Super-necessary-command' may or may not have been a supermove. Moves in fighting games are executed by pressing a certain series of buttons in a certain order- which Tokitoh didn't do correctly, apparently. Tokitoh, IMHO, is probably a scrub. (J note: absolute beginner.)
Not that it matters to you, but our best guess is that they're playing either Tekken 1, 2, or 3 and Tokitoh thought he had pulled off a tenstring (*kind of* like a weak supermove) but failed to do so; instead he wound up just doing a series of normal attacks which Kubota blocked easily. Which also led us to guess that Tokitoh was playing the character Eddie Gordo from Tekken 3, because all Tekken scrubs play Eddie.)