Entertainment to the death, make a tokusatsu film that will crush the entire internet.

Starlight Video, the first episode of Natsume's Book of Friends has officially begun airing.

"Where...where did it go...?"

"That woman!"

On a mountain path, Natsume Takashi, a handsome young man with brown hair, was... running in a disheveled state.

The scene shifts.

The hideous monster "Hishigaki," with only one enormous, one-eyed creature, is relentlessly pursuing them, its single eye filled with a mad obsession.

"Gotcha..."

"Finally caught you... Reiko!"

Hishigaki's enormous single eye drew closer, staring intently at Natsume.

But he was calling out a different name.

"Give that back to me right now!"

A string of question marks instantly appeared in the live chat.

"???"

"What's going on? He's being chased by monsters right from the start? Isn't Natsume the main character? Shouldn't he unleash some power?"

"Who is Reiko? This monster must have mistaken her for someone else!"

"Shouldn't the normal plot be that Natsume awakens his bloodline, unleashes his domineering aura, and the yokai bow down in submission? Why does the protagonist seem a bit...weak?"

"This monster looks a bit... completely different from the beautiful monsters in 'Hyakki Kitan'."

Taking advantage of the moment when Hishigaki was distracted.

Natsume suddenly exerted his strength, broke free of his restraints, and continued running wildly without looking back!

His movements were surprisingly agile.

Clearly... this isn't the first time they've been chased.

During the escape, the scene flashes back, revealing Takashi Natsume's past.

Because he can see monsters that ordinary people cannot see, he has been regarded as a "liar" and a "freak" by those around him since childhood.

They suffered from isolation and bullying.

His parents died early, and he moved from one relative's house to another, like an unwelcome piece of luggage.

Now, he has come to this quiet rural town.

"I feel a little sorry for them... This is such a terrible start."

"Being able to see monsters is definitely a curse for ordinary people."

"The Land of Light is starting to use its precise swordsmanship again, isn't it? And this is only the first episode!"

In order to get rid of Hishigaki, Natsume accidentally broke the rope on the shrine.

"The barrier... has been broken."

A deep, slightly playful voice echoed in the air.

boom--!

The wooden planks of the shrine suddenly burst open!

A demonic aura, visible to the naked eye, shot into the sky like a whirlwind!

Natsume looked up in alarm.

From the smoke and dust, a shadow exuding a terrifying aura slowly emerged...

"Here it comes! The crucial moment! The powerful sealed monster! The protagonist's cheat code!"

"This demonic aura! This special effects! It feels way more powerful than the one we had when we were chasing Natsume!"

"Natsume, quickly subdue it!"

The smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

What appeared before Natsume was neither a giant beast with a blue face and fangs, nor a fox spirit with an ethereal aura.

Instead, it's a...

Round and chubby, with eyes squinted into slits and a small bell hanging around its neck—the lucky cat.

"..."

"..."

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

"Seeing my true form, you remained completely unmoved..."

The lucky cat spoke.

The voice was the same deep male voice from before, and the contrast with its current appearance was striking.

"You're so arrogant for being human."

Natsume: "..."

"puff--!!!!!"

"Hahahaha!!! I spat water all over the screen!"

"That demonic aura! That imposing presence! My pants were soaked... and this is what you show me?!"

"Whose powerful demon looks like this?! With that size, it must steal a lot of offerings from festivals!!"

"Got it, this is actually a comedic slice-of-life anime! The scary atmosphere just now was all an illusion! (Slaps table and laughs)"

"The cat is talking! It's cute, but also kind of weird! Let me take another look!"

Madara squinted as he sized up Natsume.

He felt that the human boy in front of him vaguely overlapped with the figure of a troublesome woman in his memory.

"Natsume... Reiko?"

"no."

Natsume shook his head. "Reiko... is my maternal grandmother."

"grandmother?"

The lucky cat circled Natsume twice.

"Oh...I see."

"You humans really care about gender and time, huh? But they really do look alike."

Natsume learned this from Madara's account.

His maternal grandmother, Reiko Natsume, had the same ability to see spirits as he did.

But unlike the lonely Natsume.

Reiko has a strong personality, and she searches everywhere for monsters.

They won their names through competitions and recorded them in a notebook called "Friend's Book".

Having the Book of Friends allows you to command the yokai whose names are recorded in it.

This notebook also became the object of covetousness and struggle among the monsters after Reiko's death.

"Oh, you're back, Takashi."

In the evening, Natsume returned to the Fujiwara residence.

When the gentle middle-aged woman, Fujiwara Touko, saw him, she immediately showed a kind smile.

"Oh dear, why are your pants legs dirty? Are you hurt?"

"N-No!"

Natsume waved his hand in a flustered manner.

"If you have any questions, please be sure to tell me."

Aunt Ta smiled gently at him, "Don't be shy, make yourself at home."

This unreserved concern warmed Natsume's heart, who was used to being treated coldly, but it also made him more uneasy.

He feared that his "strange" abilities would cause trouble for the kind couple.

Back in his room, Natsume began searching through the belongings left by Reiko's grandmother.

Finally, at the bottom of an old box, he found the Book of Friends.

"The Book of Friends...is this it?"

"Hand over the friend's account."

The chubby lucky cat had appeared in the shadows in the corner of the room at some point.

The eyes gleamed with an inhuman light in the darkness.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense!

"They're here! Are you going to grab them?"

"Is Nyanko-sensei about to reveal his true form and start fighting?"

"Natsume, run! Something's wrong with this cat demon!"

With a kick of its hind legs, Nyanko-sensei pounced on Natsume with its chubby body!

aggressive!

then……

Bang! Crash—!

It crashed headfirst into the wardrobe behind Natsume, getting completely buried under several pieces of clothing that had fallen down.

Only a short, fat tail was left outside, swaying weakly.

Natsume: "..."

The chat was filled with comments like "...".

immediately--

"puff--!!!!!!"

"Hahahaha! What the hell was I so nervous about?!"

"That's it?! That's it?! What happened to the great demon stealing the treasure?!"

So all that high-class attitude you had just been putting on was an act?!

"And it gets attracted to cat toys! This is clearly a cat! Except it can talk!"

After some negotiations, an agreement was finally reached.

Madara served as Natsume's bodyguard, protecting him from yokai during his lifetime.

In return, the Book of Friends will belong to Madara after Natsume's life ends.

Natsume gave Madara a new name.

"Can I call you Nyanko-sensei?"

"Nyanko-sensei".

Natsume tried calling out.

"Whatever, kid!"

The cat teacher flicked its tail in annoyance, but a glint of shrewdness flashed in its eyes.

It didn't really want to be a bodyguard; it was just keeping a close watch and looking for an opportunity to seize the Book of Friends.