Satō looks at the onigiri. He looks at the contract. He looks at Misaki’s trembling, hopeful face.
She doesn’t say “kill yourself.” She doesn’t have to. The word hangs in the air between them like the smoke from his last, phantom cigarette. Welcome to the N.H.K. -Dub-
A terrible, low-budget explosion. Static. Then, silence. Satō looks at the onigiri
“The N.H.K. wants me to believe this is a setup. That kindness is a weapon. But the static… sometimes, if you listen long enough, you can hear something underneath the hiss.” phantom cigarette. A terrible
“The rice better not be stale.”
He lets her in. The door closes. The CRT TV flickers one last time, then goes black.