Severed (Episode)

"Severed" (怒鎖) is the seventh episode of the anime series. The ending theme for the episode is crossing fate.

Plot

It is revealed how Keisuke has changed, and why he had taken the drug line. After the flashback, Akira wakes up in the middle of an unknown house with his crazed best friend. After a long talk, Akira is knocked unconscious.Rin brings Akira to a safe room, and once Akira recovers, he goes outside and meets Nano. Nano asks him to give a briefcase to a man who will come later, which turns out to be Shiki.

Synopsis

The seventh episode begins with Keisuke wandering around Toshima in the dark. He checks over his shoulder a few times, murmurs Akira’s name, and gets startled by his own reflection. After he realizes he’s alone, Keisuke begins cursing and punching the ground until his hand is bloody. Cradling his hand, Keisuke wonders, “Why am I always like this…always burdening Akira…” He recalls their fight in episode 5, and the words Akira threw at him about how Keisuke never changes and never understands anything. He begins to cry.

From his vantage point above, Nano observes Keisuke and states: “Water is colorless. Freely changing shape as it flows. Yet, it dirties if it settles… such a short-lived existence.”

Nano

Below, Keisuke clenches his bleeding hand, and looks at his reflection again. This time, he spies something glinting in the dark. He reaches out and finds an ampoule of Line. He thinks about taking the drug, and recalls how disgusted Akira said he felt towards Keisuke.

Nano continues to watch Keisuke consider the idea, and says: “The shapelessness of water gets drawn in by gravity, making it flow downwards.”

Keisuke addresses his thoughts to Akira: “If I were to become strong, would it make you smile?” It begins to rain, and Keisuke snaps the top off of the ampoule. He smiles, and another tear escapes as Keisuke reminisces that he’s only seen Akira look at him with annoyance. Out loud, Keisuke says he wants to see more of Akira’s smile. Then he drinks the Line.

He begins to gag and convulse, and the veins in his face throb as he screams.

Keisuke's transformation

His skin becomes darker, and Keisuke changes his intentions to say he wants to see Akira’s tearful face, his flustered face… and he smiles as he says he wants to see Akira’s troubled face. Keisuke stands up and continues that he wants to see Akira’s face rigid with pain.

Nano’s face changes with minute despair, and he thinks: “Water that has once stagnated can’t return back to its source. It keeps spreading. It gets dirtier.”

After the opening plays, Akira is seen waking up on the floor of the coffee shop. The new Keisuke notices he’s awake and calls him “Princess.” In a false inquiring tone, Keisuke asks if Akira is still in pain, and suggests he sleep more. Akira looks shocked, and Keisuke tells him not to be. Keisuke tells Akira that Keisuke found him “by smell.” Akira tries to ask if Keisuke took Line, but he ignores Akira to explain it’s not by soap or shampoo, but a better smell.

Keisuke asks Akira if he wants to speak, or if he wants to hear about Keisuke’s exploits in killing people. This prompts Akira to ask if Keisuke killed the people at Meal of Duty. Keisuke admits he killed them, because they were weak and stupid, and can’t change. Keisuke justifies that they didn’t have any reason to live, and that Keisuke didn’t enjoy killing them. Akira looks away, and Keisuke asks if he said something weird.

Keisuke’s turns the topic to “the guy who tried to steal my tags. The one with blue hair.” He explains that he felt bad when Akira saved him, so he’s returned the favor. Keisuke pulls out Takeru’s cross. He then praises Akira’s expression, calling it one he’s never seen before. He explains that he approached Takeru because he had Akira’s scent, but that Takeru was “too stupid to learn his lesson.” He adds that Takeru’s blood was warm, which felt great, and the taste of blood lingers in his mouth. He asks Akira to praise him, or say something.

Again, Akira asks why Keisuke took Line, which confuses him: “Didn’t you want me to stand on my own two feet and stop relying on you? Didn’t you want me to be able to fend for myself?” Akira denies wanting this, and Keisuke argues power is why everyone takes Line. Akira responds that Keisuke will die, and Keisuke calls him self-centered before he grabs Akira by the hair and tosses him across the floor. He kicks Akira in the stomach and puts his foot on Akira’s face. Keisuke reminds Akira that he said Keisuke’s face was annoying, and says he’s not going to obey anyone’s rules. He grinds his foot into Akira’s face as he tells him to say something. Keisuke then asks if Akira hates him, because he always has a certain look in his eye when he looks at Keisuke.

Akira being tormented

Kicking Akira in the stomach again and again, he demands to know if Akira has been looking down on him, and hanging out with him on a whim. Akira dies both of these things, and Keisuke turns his back on Akira and says it’s not worth it. With a hard final kick, Keisuke sits down on a chair and decides the face he wants to see the most is Akira’s dying face.

Elsewhere in the city, Arbitro’s men have blocked off Meal of Duty. Inside, Gunji wants to know if they’ll have to clean every corpse in the bar, and Kiriwar replies that it is their job. Arbitro sits at the bar with Kau kneeling beside him, and comments that this massacre isn’t good for Igura. He orders Gunji and Kiriwar to find the culprit, which makes Gunji protest about the “overtime.” Kiriwar observes that if one guy killed everyone in the bar, then it could be fun for them. One of Arbitro’s men reports that there was a Line user who died in unusual circumstances. Arbitro stands up. On his way up the stairs, he notices one of the pictures tacked to the wall is of Akira, Keisuke, and Motomi.

They gather in the alley around Takeru’s corpse. Gunji crouches down beside Kau and asks if anyone recognizes Takeru, which makes Kiriwar call Gunji an idiot for not remembering “the tag thief.” Gunji points out that he can’t see the blue of Takeru’s hair with all the blood. A witness explains that Takeru died of shock after a fight, and how he licked his opponent’s blood before he cried out in pain. Kau gets too close to Takeru, and Arbitro chides him to stay back or he’ll get filthy. Arbitro then says, “Blood that rejects Line. How interesting.” He pulls out the picture taken from the wall in Meal of Duty and asks the man to verify Akira as the opponent. The man does, and Arbitro comments elusively, “So it’s about Project Nicole.”

Takeru's Cross

In the coffee shop, Akira wakes up and pulls himself to his feet. He breathes heavily, and looks around to find the room empty except for Takeru’s cross on the floor; Akira kneels to stare at it.

Rin runs in, calling for Akira. He notices how bad Akira looks and demands to know what happened. Akira turns his head as if to brush Rin off, but faints before he answers. Rin catches him as he falls and calls Akira’s name. In the end, Rin carries Akira to a room with a bed. Akira wakes after Rin rolls him over, and they talk about how Keisuke took Line and killed the people in the club. Akira tries to blame himself for not noticing how Keisuke always felt, but Rin tells him that people lose sight of themselves in Toshima. Rin leaves to check out a few places.

Akira broods about Keisuke, until Kau crawls into his room with a letter. Kau sniffs Akira’s tag, gives him the letter, and leaves. In the letter, Arbitro invites Akira for a meal, and mentions talking about Akira’s “friend” if Akira visits him alone.

The sun is now setting in Toshima as Akira walks long an empty street. Nano emerges from the shadows of an alley. Akira ducks, then attempts to confront him, but Nano drifts behind Akira while saying, “To be dyed or not to be dyed by any color.” Akira finds Nano standing behind him, holding a briefcase. Nano takes unsteady steps toward Akira, and Akira places his hand on his knife. “Acquaintances. Responsibilities. Understanding. At times, these things trickle out from the inside. What do you think?” Akira asks Nano what he’s talking about.

Nano places the suitcase down on the ground in front of Akira and tells him, “A man will come soon. Please give this to him.” In response to Akira asking who he is, Nano says: “Trying to look without seeing,” and talks about how there are things you can’t see even if you go to great lengths. He asks Akira if he understands, and if they meet again, Nano would like to know his answer to the riddle. Nano walks away and disappears into the shadows.

Elsewhere, Emma stands on a balcony and looks out at the moonlit Toshima with a glass of wine in her hand.Gwen reports that their spy has contacted them with news: contact has been made with n, and the spy will continue surveillance in the effort to capture him. Emma replies that she and Gwen will be heading into Toshima. Gwen protests, but Emma says they can’t let Nano slip away. He argues about their mission, but she dismisses him and walks away.

Akira stares at the briefcase until he hears footsteps approaching. He turns around, and the distinct silhouette of Shiki appears out of the fog. Shiki questions him about the case, and Akira draws his knife in a battle stance. He asks if a man came, and calls the situation a joke. Then he asks if Akira looked inside. Akira shakes his head, his knife still raised. Shiki asks if Akira knows Nano, and Akira asks the same question in return.

Shiki says: “He is… fear.”

Akira repeats the word “Fear?” and Shiki tells him to forget about everything, and threatens him with his katana when Akira refuses to take orders from Shiki. Then Shiki decides not to kill Akira, and leaves. Akira grits his teeth and eventually continues walking on with a serious look on his face.