Mao (2026) s01e04 Episode Script

So that's Priestess Shoko.
Why is she trembling?
Yoriko.
Come with me.
Yes, Master Sogen.
She's the daughter of the man
who was cursed to death?
NANOKA KIBA
I need to look into this
NANOKA KIBA
I agree.
Otoya?!
OTOYA
Master Mao was worried
OTOYA
about you handling this alone.
Oh! I'm so glad you came!
So what's he up to?
We found a cursed doll buried
by the gate of the man who died,
so he's performing some sort of ritual.
MAO
Binding all demons!
Priestess Shoko,
I have brought Yoriko.
Yoriko
Why are you trembling?
I Uh
Are you afraid of me, Yoriko?
YORIKO
No, not at allI would never
SHOKO
SHOKO
I merely had a vision
of how much time
your father had left.
Live with us here at the Order, Yoriko.
SOGEN
There is nothing to worry about.
Thank you very much.
Apparently, this isn't the first time
this has happened.
Do you mean about
a follower's parent dying?
Yes. After losing their only family,
they donate the property
they inherited to the Order.
Isn't that a land grab?
To put it bluntly, yes.
Yoriko, you should rest.
Thank you very much, Master Sogen.
Tomorrow, we'll carry out
the formal procedures
to transfer the rights of your
father's dojo to the Order.
Understood?
Yes.
MAO
THE SHORINKYO INCIDEN
I find it strange
When I asked the demon god,
it told me that it didn't curse
your father to death.
W-Who are you?!
What do you want?
Your father called Priestess Shoko
a fraud, didn't he?
Yes, he did.
That's why he got divine retribution.
I did everything I could
to convince my father.
I wanted to save his life!
You wanted to save him
From the prophecy of death?
So, what exactly happened?
Huh?
Who are you?
Halt!
Stop them.
Master Sogen,
what was that demon?
Nothing!
It's just some sort of illusion!
I'm more worried about Yoriko.
We have a problem.
A moment, Miss Nanoka.
What is that thing, Otoya?
Master Mao commanded it to assist us.
It's a fragment of the demon god
that was sealed in the cursed doll.
So it's like a cordless handset?
The fact that a demon god emerged
means the curse is real.
It's not the work
of some amateur copycat.
I wonder what the source
of the spell is.
What is this?
A secret cellar?
What is that?
I'm guessing
A hand-copied manuscript.
There are a lot of spells in here.
So Priestess Shoko cast the curse
by using this book?
Well, it does look like
she was following it exactly.
Wait, lifespans!
They said Priestess Shoko can
manipulate lifespans at will.
Does it say anything about
manipulating lifespans?
I don't see that here.
I only see spells.
We've been locked in!
MILK HALL
Sorry for barging in, Tenko.
It's alright.
TENKO
But may I ask who she is, Dr. Mao?
She's the daughter of the man
who was cursed to death.
Her name is Yoriko.
Please keep her safe.
Of course.
That medicine
He said it would exorcise the evil
from my father and repel the curse.
So when I returned home,
I mixed it in with Father's sake
and had him drink it.
But it still didn't save him.
Open this door!
Why are you doing this?!
Open it right now!
Come on!
It's no use, it's too heavy.
Otoya, is there any other way out?
Miss Nanoka, look at this.
Another door?
Yes.
Leading even further down?
I hope it leads somewhere.
Yeah.
Is that dirt?
What is that foul smell?
You're going down there?!
I'll borrow this.
Why is there a shovel?
I found this, Nanoka.
A human skull?!
What's going on here?!
Bring Yoriko back!
Post some men at the dojo!
Search this area with
a fine-toothed comb!
Yes, Master Sogen.
Sogen
What happened to Yoriko?
Priestess Shoko
There is nothing to worry about.
Please return to your room.
You won't tell me anything, will you?
When I was a child,
I could see so much more clearly.
Where a lost purse was,
the tragic end of a chronic drunkard,
the whereabouts of a young girl
who ran away with a lover.
We started as a small
fortune-telling practice.
Priestess Shoko,
she comes seeking guidance.
Then
As I grew older, the visions stopped.
But our followers increased
and the Order grew.
Now, the only thing I can see is
the end of the world.
Under the storehouse, you say?
It's finally open!
Noisy, aren't you?
Master Mao.
The demon god led me here.
Should I have come sooner?
Darn right! You're late!
Something's off about this cult.
We found the remains
of at least three people.
I dug them up.
I'll be right back, Master Mao.
In the cellar,
I also found this manuscript.
So this is how the curse was
leaked out into the world.
Hey, you!
MAO
What are you people doing here?!
Young lady
You were among yesterday's initiates!
This man is the cult's
number two or something.
Number What?
Yeah. We met earlier.
This manuscript
How did you get your hands on it?
In my younger days,
I trained in the secret arts.
So? Are you claiming that
this was entrusted to you?
You stole it, didn't you?
Priestess Shoko!
That is the type of person
you are, Sogen.
Please stay back,
Priestess Shoko.
I will take care of these intruders.
Let me ask you
Priestess Shoko,
have you encountered Byouki?
Byouki?
They say you can manipulate
people's lifespans at will.
Is that true?
I have no such powers.
Priestess Shoko!
Whoa! She just admitted it!
What are you saying?!
Yoriko's father died
just as you predicted!
That was because you were the one
who put a curse on him.
What?! That was Master Sogen?!
He probably learned it
from the manuscript.
Was it to make Priestess Shoko's
prediction come true?
As I told you
I underwent training.
Please stop this madness.
No. I cannot let these people go.
Does that include me and you?
We've both learned some
very incriminating secrets.
I will curse you to death
with my spells!
You have no clue about
the horrors of a real curse.
Sogen, was it?
You cursed Yoriko's father to make good
on Priestess Shoko's prediction, right?
I did.
Let's go, Yoriko!
Don't do this, Father!
If that woman is truly a psychic who can
manipulate people's lifespans at will,
then let's see her kill me
with her supernatural powers!
Three days
Your life will expire in three days.
I put an end to his life
with the Enmi curse.
Enmi?
It's here in this manuscript.
It's a technique that uses
a cursed effigy of the victim.
Like pounding a nail
into a straw doll?
You're well-versed.
In this instance,
a cursed doll was buried at
the gate of the intended victim.
Any family member
who steps on it is cursed.
Exactly.
You were so close. So close
Huh?
You should have focused
more energy on the spell.
W-What's happening?!
It's the demon god of the curse.
You can control demon gods, too?!
I won't be tricked!
You can't fool me with that illusion!
Don't you see?
This is the cursed doll you buried.
It's your demon god.
My demon god?
The curse I cast actually succeeded?!
Why does he look so happy?
You trained in the secret arts and
obtained a forbidden book of curses
All you needed to do was feed more
of your energy into the curse.
I gave birth to that demon god
If I channel my focus,
I can control it
In that case
I call on you, my demon god!
Curse these intruders to death!
Sogen
He believed me.
You're too late.
I have bound the demon god
and it is now under my command.
But I will return it to you!
Through a counterspell,
I unleash the demon god and
its curse back upon you.
What just happened?!
Master Sogen
Help me
- I won't tell anyone
Wretched spirits!
Have you all gone mad?!
Vile wraiths!
Who's he speaking to?
I don't see anyone.
He's probably seeing the spirits
of the people who were buried.
Some of our most devout followers
suddenly disappeared.
After their parents died,
they donated the land and fortune
they inherited to the Order.
I didn't want to believe it, but
Did you kill them?
Did you kill our followers
and their parents?!
Did he kill them himself
when the curses didn't work?
That's probably what happened.
It wasn't me.
They're the murderers!
They poisoned their own parents!
But you handed them the poison,
didn't you?
Walking through these grounds,
I found yew, lily of the valley,
oleander, and wolfsbane
A veritable garden
of poisonous plants.
So what of it?
That doesn't prove a thing.
The mouth of the demon god
has possessed you.
It is charged with the power
of your cursed words.
And that mouth
can speak nothing but the truth.
Everything you have done
will come to light.
If you dare to curse someone,
be ready to face the consequences.
Because once you are exposed,
your own curse will turn
on you many times over.
Curses are not meant
for the uninitiated.
Father It's over
What?
They're father and daughter?
Turn yourself in.
I shall do the same.
Besides
Your life is coming to an end soon.
SHORINKYO
We found human remains!
SHORINKYO
SHORINKYO
It matches the report exactly.
Priestess Shoko
Keep moving!
Priestess Shoko!
Why're they taking
Priestess Shoko, too?
So
Priestess Shoko was a fraud,
after all, huh?
Everyone!
Leave the Imperial Capital now!
This world will soon come to an end!
The earth will split apart,
and tornadoes of fire will
ravage the Imperial Capital!
Shut up!
Stop poisoning people's minds
with your lies!
What?
Could it be?
MILK HALL
They let you go free, Yoriko?
Yes.
I gave my father the poison from the Order
believing it was medicine,
so I turned myself in
to the police, but
The medicine I gave Yoriko
was a sedative.
After she put her father to sleep,
I snuck in and injected him
with poison to kill him.
Why would he go to such lengths?
Before, a follower who had given
their parent the poison
panicked at the sight
of their suffering,
and it almost exposed everything,
so it was a precaution.
And they probably wanted
to make it seem like
Yoriko was the one who
poisoned her father,
so they could silence her with guilt.
Even so, those who couldn't bear it
and tried to tell the truth
were killed and buried.
Was Priestess Shoko really a fraud?
Do you still believe in her?
I saw her heal a sick baby
as her body glowed!
Yes, Miss Nanoka mentioned it,
as well.
What sort of trick
could she have used?
She said something about
a tokkuri sake bottle?
Miss Nanoka said the room
was thick with smoke
and the heavy scent of incense.
Perhaps she really created
a veil of smoke.
Then, by uncovering a lamp
at the right moment,
she created the effect of a mystical glow.
But when it happened,
Priestess Shoko was holding
the baby in both arms.
Maybe the mother and child
were accomplices.
The mother could have
removed the cover.
Priestess Shoko was probably going
along with Master Sogen's scheme.
How could I have been so blind?
The good news is that
you didn't poison your father.
And also, that Sogen didn't kill you.
Thank you for everything.
Oh!
- Huh?
You mustn't fall for Dr. Mao.
What? Why not?
He's very picky.
Stop it.
FIFTH STREET SHOPPING ST.
I wonder how many days have passed
since I went to the other side
Oh.
Yes!
Only one hour passed!
Time is still a complete mystery
Great Kanto Earthquake
Search.
"On September 1, 1923,
11:58 a.m."
"A massive earthquake occurred."
"Since it was lunchtime,
fires broke out immediately afterward
at over a hundred locations."
"Fanned by strong winds,
the flames spread,
creating fire tornadoes,
and 43 percent of old Tokyo City
was destroyed."
Fire tornadoes
Tornadoes of fire will ravage
the Imperial Capital!
It happened exactly as
Priestess Shoko prophesied
This is terrifying.
September 1st, 1923
MAY 8, 1923
That's the exact same year
MAY 8, 1923
in the Taisho era on the other side.
It's about to happen
The Great Kanto Earthquake.
NEXT TIME
The Great Kanto Earthquake occurred
GREAT KANTO EARTHQUAKE
at 11:58 a.m. on September 1.
FIFTH STREET MYSTERIES
at 11:58 a.m. on September 1.
at 11:58 a.m. on September 1.
The sinkhole accident I was
involved in was on the same day
An odd western-style structure
stood at the location
where the locals enshrined the keystone.
Mao We have waited
an eternity for you.
You're asking me to be a decoy?!
Nanoka, you're the only one
I can rely on.
I hate you, Mao!
Next time: "The Keystone."