Dialogue is based upon subtitle translated by Yijing302 and Eldoow of LiveJournal. All rights thereof belong to them.

Culture notes and translation explainations, also courtesy of Yijing and Eldoow, will be featured in the description.

Why is the world divided into two parts? Male and female . . . day and night . . . dreams and reality . . . lies and truth . . .

Why is the world divided into two parts? Strength and weakness . . . enemies and allies . . . life and death . . .

Angels and demons . . .

White and black . . .

Why is the world divided into two parts?

In the world, there were two groups: angels and demons. Angels were white and pure. Demons were black and belligerent. This was the norm. Yet within these groups, there were two contradictions.

Kuro . . . the angel who was born black . . .

And Shiro . . . the demon who was born white . . .

Let us go with pure white feelings. Bearing a totally white heart. Wearing all white clothes. Using white words. Making the world beautiful, all white. This is, for us angels, our duty. White is the color of truth. White is, for us angels, our color.

The angel's leader turned to the group. "So, for today's angel work, let's deliver angelic messages for those in trouble."

We will, with cruelty and without pity, make the world our demon capital. Our beautiful, wicked, black world will strike over that peaceful white world.

"Today's training will be blackmail!" the demon leader barked to his underlings, "Right now, you are kidnappers. You kidnapped some little kids around here. You then punished them and passed on your call." A phone was brought before them and the training began.

One demon eagerly rushed to be the first one. "We kidnapped your kid!" he jeered into the phone. His comrades roared with excitement.

A second demon grabbed the phone. "We kidnapped your kid!" he taunted.

Now it was Shiro's turn. The white demon nervously picked up the phone. "We're keeping your child . . ." he mumbled into the phone's receiver. "With feeling!" the leader ordered, "Do it again!" Shiro fumbled with the phone. "We're keeping your child, you bastard . . ." he muttered meekly. His fellow demons heckled him and continued with their training.

In the angel's world, they were also in training.

"Now, we have a little girl who accidentally hit her leg against a wardrobe." The leader addressed his subordinates. "Because she couldn't take the pain and is feeling irritable right now, let's send a message to that girl from the angels." The angels lined up for practice.

"I will gladly help you endure your pain," the first one said.

"You have to endure that pain," said the second one.

"Go see a bone doctor."

"Let's take calcium."

"I'll take everything."

"It can't be helped!" Kuro's gravely voice blurted out, causing the angels to gasp as his abruptness.

"So, that's the second call," the demon leader announced, "Proceed with the ransom." The demons raced to the phone once again.

"¥50,000,000 in cash, hurry and give it now!" they all demanded when their turn came.

Soon it was Shiro's turn again, and this "call" did not go any better for him. "¥50,000 in cash, when you'll be prepared . . . please come . . ." "Higher!" the leader ordered. ""¥50,000 in cash, when you'll be prepared, please come!" Shiro repeated, at a much higher octave. "I'm not talking about vocal work," the leader said with a slight frustration, "Don't show any weakness on your face!"

"Here's the next one," the angel leader continued, "Here is a man sentenced to die in three months. He still has some things to do and is drowning in depression. Give him a message from the angels."

"Hurry and just die!" Kuro snapped, resulting in another collective gasp from his fellow angels.

"We'll start now with a little skit for everyone." The demons stopped practicing ransom calls and gathered around their leader.

"This time, I'll have you all learn a human's rotten side." He pointed to each demon in turn. "You, you're the host. You're the infatuated office lady. You're the hostess in love with the host. And you three are Host number 3, 4, and 5." He turned to the last demon and said, "You are that thing used to contain ice. Begin!"

"Today is actually the 283rd day before my birthday," the host declared. "And because it is such a day . . ."

"And because it is such a day~!" the hosts chorused, "1, 2, 3, 4! Happy! Happy! Happy commemoration! 283rd day~!"

"Is it really okay?" he asked the office lady. "Is it~!" she chimed happily. "Once the club has closed down," the host continued, "let's go eat something." "Really?" the office lady perked up, "Is it really okay?"

The demons' skit gradually became more rotten and sordid, while the angels performed a similar skit of their own. When their skit ended, the angel leader turned to the group. "All right, everyone. This is my question for all of you to think about. Among us all, who is the culprit?"

"The hostess Ageha~!" one of the angels chimed in. "Too bad," the leader replied, "This person was already proposed to and just wanted to get out of this world."

"Then it's this person not talking." The angel indicated Kuro crouched in the back. "That person has a scary look on his face!" "Sorry, his face is just scary, that's all." Kuro was indeed scowling as he frequently did.

"Then it's the host! Those kind of people make bad things happen!"

"As stated, first-rate people like him are able to make girls cry. That is an indisputable fact. This time, he didn't do anything though. Too bad."

"All of them are at fault!" Kuro shouted, "They're all bad. That's why those things keep occurring!" "Please don't use such a way to speak," the leader insisted but Kuro continued.

"'That is not my fault', 'This is not my fault,' 'It's because things are like this.' It's because people push everything onto others. Push the faults onto others. That's why this is endless! No one's fault? Wrong. Everyone is at fault. Everyone is like demons."

"Correct!" the leader piped up. "We should only hate the sin on its own. The sinner is . . . that thing used to contain ice! Not anyone else~. It's because it was here that such a thing happened. If it was a wine glass, it would have just been painful." "Were you listening to what I was saying?" Kuro asked. This was frequently the case and it pissed him off to no end.

The leader seemed to ignore Kuro. "We must look at the long-term. We must believe and leave it to fate. We must believe that, in the end, good will purify evil. Although, evil is stronger than good by a little bit. But that is only for a little while. Sooner or later, good will purify evil. We must believe that everyone's hearts are pure. We need to wait for the peaceful days to arrive." "Listen!" Kuro demanded, but the others carried on as if he had said nothing. Eventually they left, leaving Kuro in his frustration.

"It's always like that!" he raved, "This bunch of hypocrites. Because I am black, because I'm not like the angels. And what is this 'In the end, good will purify evil' crap? Stop fooling around. All of you . . . should just die already!"

Meanwhile in the demon world . . .

"Now then, break time's over!" the leader boomed. "Today, we are going to attempt sucking souls from people. You will use these dolls to try." Human-sized dolls were brought out and the demons crowded around them.

"First, hit the people on the back of their heads. Then, hit them from the front." The demons eagerly complied. All except for Shiro. He seemed rather hesitant and uncertain with his doll. "After you have defeated them, pull their right arms up and take out the white piece of plastic. That is a soul's soft shell. Quickly blow air into it. That is the soul. This is what they mean by sucking souls. The more tragic the person, the greater the soul glows."

He then noticed Shiro at the end of the row. "What are you doing?" "I can't do it," Shiro feebly protested. This always confused and frustrated the leader. "I don't get you," he said, "You're not listening to my orders? Today, just for weak people of your kind, I prepared something." A little boy and his mother were brought before the demons. "Let's see which soul will glow brighter. Between the mother and son, whose soul will glow brighter from sorrow?" "No, I can't do this!" Shiro insisted. "You coward!" the leader stepped forward and took the child's soul himself. He then turned and took the mother's as well. "The soul of a mother who has lost her son . . . is most beautiful." The other demons mocked Shiro's uselessness for being unable to do something so simple.

"You're a coward!" the leader chastised, "Nothing but an eyesore. You are nothing but someone who messes up this world's balance of darkness. This world doesn't need mistakes!" He then pointed out the serial number on Shiro's back. All demons had one, but Shiro's number was quite specific. "In this beautiful world of darkness exists this 18782. Unwanted guy*!" He led the others away, who continued to jeer at Shiro. Shiro said nothing as he endured the taunts, but it was clear that he was indeed hurt.

"I . . . am a coward . . ." he admitted to himself, "But . . . I'm not a mistake in this world! I also . . . I also didn't want to be born as white. I am . . . an unwanted guy? Am I disappointing? Unwanted guy . . ." Just then he spotted a bag on the floor, left behind by the child used in that day's training. Shiro opened the bag and pulled out a video tape. "What is this? Probably something someone has dropped." But no one was around. "What should I do? Watch it? But what if it's porn? What if it's a cursed video? The people who watch it will all . . . I already heard that from some movie. What should I do?" Sure enough, he decided to watch it. He found a TV and stuck the tape in.

A man with a rather large afro and thick-rimmed glasses appeared on the screen. "Hi~! You, person watching this video! You aren't alone anymore! Firstly, let's do some 'Friend Exercises'~!" "Friend exercises?" Shiro was quite confused by this man's cheerful nature. The man, now joined by two friends, suddenly broke out into a very child-like song:

Friends, friends
Let's make friends
If you're a comrade,
then I'm a buddy

Let's share our pain in half, in half
Let's multiply our joy

Friends, friends
Let's make friends
If I'm a comrade,
then you're a buddy

Let's share our pain in half, in half
Let's multiply our joy

"Friends? What are those?" Living in the world of demons, Shiro had never heard such a pleasant-sounding term before. "Today is Lesson #38," said the man in the video, "Do you still remember what advice I gave you all last time? Come on, let's try to remember. You over there! What are the three rules to making a friend?" Even when Shiro didn't answer, he responded with praise (what else can you expect from a video tape?). "Well done! Now let's start practicing making friends. Lesson 38: How should you ask back the DVD you lent to your friend?" He indicated one of his friends. "You will be this friend. Please follow his performance." And the two friends began a scenario.

"Yo, what's up!" the first one shouted. "F-fine," the other mumbled. His partner rambled on, "Did you see the latest anime? Ah, it was the best~!" "That's mine . . ." "You say something?" No . . ." The scene paused and the sensei stepped in. "Right~ This won't do. If you were him, what would you do?" "I wouldn't let him . . ." Shiro began. "Yes, that's the way!" the sensei chimed, "Muster your courage and tell your friend! You shouldn't keep things from your friends. Then, let's try this again." Thus, the scene resumed.

"Did you see the latest anime? Ah, it was the best~!" "Give it back!" "Add a bit more courage over here!" the sensei encouraged. "That video was what I bought and lent to you," the friend said in a rushed voice, "I haven't even watched it! How could I have?!" His comrade at first seemed indifferent to him. "Sorry about that~ I'll return it to you as soon as possible. Someone who refuses to say what he is thinking sure is annoying, right? Because he always talks behind other's backs. But people who say what they think are pretty good, right? I don't know why, but I feel that we will be good friends." "Great~!"

The sensei returned. "That's right. That's how friends are made. The morale of Lesson 38: Giving in to your friends isn't the right way to go." "Giving in to your friends isn't the right way to go!" the two friends chorused. "The next situation: When you and your friend fall for the same person. We will learn what we should do in the respective situations." After a brief reprise of their cheery song, the sensei continued. "Friends are the ones who understand you. Your friend's friends are also your friends. As long as you have one friend, your world will become bright, fun, interesting, and beautiful. This is the meaning of friends." By now, Shiro was pretty excited. "Sensei! I would like to make friends, too!" The sensei and friends held up some necklaces. "Now, this magical stone necklace is for sale. With this necklace, you will be able to make friends with even more friends. It's ¥80,000 for one, ¥100,000 for two." With that, the video ended.

"Sensei, I will look for friends too!" Shiro exclaimed with a newfound enthusiasm, "I will go on a journey and find a friend!" Just then, he heard the demons looking for him. He grabbed the tape and ran.

Elsewhere, a shabbily-dressed man was staggering around. The knife in his back labeled him a dead spirit and the random assortment of items he carried labeled as a stereotypical explorer. Soon he came across Kuro, alone and seemingly immobile, whom he regarded with curiosity. He threw a pebble at Kuro. The black angel stretched, but otherwise remained motionless. "Hey!" the man shouted, "Hey, you!" Kuro simply chewed his nails. "A demon? This two-sided, slightly dirty person . . . I've never seen such a person." "Shut up," Kuro muttered. "He talked," the man noted, "You can see me?" Kuro just glared as he always did. The dead man noticed the serial number on Kuro's back. "18782 . . . unwanted guy. Even your number is demon-like." "I'm an angel!" Kuro correct, his rough voice laced with irritation.

"An angel?" the man replied with disbelief. "I see . . . you must be a useless angel, then?" "Shut up!" Kuro yelled, becoming more and more annoyed with the mystery man. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, "This is the world of angels. It's not a place that people like you can frequent."

"Me?" the man replied, "I am . . . a treasure hunter . . . even though I'm already dead." He showed off the knife in his back. "To find treasure, I'd go to the end of the earth and back again. As long as there is a place with treasure, I'll go without a doubt. That is a treasure hunter . . . even though I'm already dead." "Are you looking for treasure now?" Kuro inquired. "Exactly," said the hunter, seeming pleased that he sparked the useless angel's curiosity. "I'm looking for the . . . Blue Garnet! This 5,000-year-old map marks the five places where the jewels sleep." While the hunter rambled, Kuro listened, his interest gradually increasing.

"The Blue Garnet is a contradictory jewel. A blue-red jewel. That would mean it's one-of-a-kind. That's why it's beautiful. That's why people are attracted to it. The Blue Garnet is just like its name suggests, a blue-red jewel. A contradiction itself. It's made up of five elements: love, contradiction, repulsion, language, light. It is said that whoever can acquire this jewel will be granted one wish." "If I gather those Blue Garnets," Kuro thought aloud, "I can fulfill one wish of mine?" "Any kind of wish," the treasure hunter said with a Cheshire-like grin slowly creeping across his face. "A glowing blue-red jewel. Gazing at it causes one's eyes and heart to be stolen by that weird jewel's glow. A miracle jewel." Kuro scoffed, "Are there such things in this world?" "Indeed there are!"

The treasure hunter pulled out a piece of the jewel and held it before Kuro. As he said, the black angel's gaze became fixated on the contradictory jewel's glow. "That's the Blue Garnet?" The hunter smirked, "This is the Blue Garnet that has impressed the world." "Give it to me!" Kuro snatched the jewel from the hunter and regarded it with an almost malicious intent in his eyes. "Isn't it beautiful?" the hunter said, playing on Kuro's newfound curiosity. "The Blue Garnet is a contradictory jewel, a blue-red jewel. A one-of-a-kind. That's why it is so beautiful. It's because it's that it has captured the hearts of many. If one acquires the five jewels, he will be granted a wish." "Any kind of wish?" "Any kind of wish." He grabbed the jewel back from Kuro, but paused and his features lit up with an idea.

"Would you gather them in my place? Take the place of the dead me and search for the remaining four jewels. Allow me to be revived." Kuro's interest turned to slight skepticism. "This map states where the four jewels are, right?" He reached for the map, but the treasure hunter scurried out of range. "I will tell you the places, you will collect them," he stated stubbornly. "For a demon-angel like you, it will surely be an easy task. And when I have been revived, I will transform you into a white angel." Kuro perked up at the hunter's offer. "Transform me into a white angel?" The hunter had clearly found his bargaining piece.

"I know how to transform you into one. I know, surely you're thinking 'Wouldn't wishing to the jewels be easier?' But if that's the case, I won't benefit. I know you want to know how to transform into a white angel. But I will only tell you how to become white when you have gathered those Blue Garnets. I will also keep the map, so you don't have any choice." Kuro puzzled over the hunter's ultimatum. "I only need to collect those jewels, right?" The treasure hunter grinned. He had gotten through. "Our contract is formed, then."

"I only need to find the remaining four Blue Garnets?"

"You will then become . . . a true angel . . ."

Translation notes:

"Unwanted guy" ("iya na yatsu") is the aliterative pronunciation of 18782 (ichi-hachi-nana-hachi-ni)