Locks

The young Tsukasa and Hiroki

**Locks** is the title of episode five of the Pet anime, which adapts the remastered edition of the manga by Ranjō Miyake..

## Synopsis

Tsukasa seemingly helps Hayashi locate Satoru before raising his actions in creating puppets for the Company.

Satoru is approached by Jin and receives an offer. Hayashi attempts to resolve the issues with Tsukasa by modifying his memory, identifying his Valley and certain he can access his Peak.

## Characters

* Tsukasa
* Hayashi
* Satoru
* Ron
* Meiling
* Jin
* Hiroki

## Summary

Tsukasa joins Hayashi in his car and reminisces about the positive impact he had on himself. The niceties are interrupted as Hayashi questions if Tsukasa is really taking him back to Tokyo to find Satoru, then will he even be able to see Satoru. The answer is no, the Company is also tracking the vehicle they are in.

Hayashi asks if he has seen Meiling, who Tsukasa makes a show of praising Hayashi for helping to create a pet that was incapable of not following orders. Ron, Meiling herself, and Jin are following Satoru as he heads into a hotel.

Stopping at a forested area, Hayashi states he did not share his Peak to children for the Company to use as puppets, but he had to otherwise the other option was to crush Satoru. Tsukasa is upset that Hayashi is attempting to save Satoru, but feels nothing for him, believing he will happily turn the company into his enemy to protect Satoru. Tsukasa reveals he was tasked with crushing Hayashi and if he does so he will be adopted as the CEO's son and made a Company employee. He asks if Hayashi has any idea how important he is to someone who was faced with being harvested for organs.

At the bar, Satoru is approached by Jin, who pretends to be under his influence whilst in reality it does not affect her. As they leave to a private room, elsewhere in the forest, Tsukasa says he told the Company to keep Meiling away from Hayashi since any resulting bonds that were formed would be a threat to the Company.

The owner of the hotel is a Company employee, one who has not been told anything about what the other departments do. It is 19.04 as Jin provides Katsuragi's contact details to Satoru as proof that she is both a Company employee and a crusher as she says she is. As they speak casually, Satoru attempts to deduce her background, and reasons for telling him sensitive information.

Jin is surprised that Satoru has heard of the qigong masters who could manipulate others using hypnosis, and reveals the boss of them was the CEO's father. They spent years helping the mafia, before the CEO gathered all the qigong masters and founded the Company. One day a handful of the masters betrayed and murdered the CEO's father.

Remembering being in Hayashi's Peak, Satoru as a teenager was told to pretend Hayashi had not told him anything that could cause the Company to view them as a threat. Presently, Jin explains that those responsible for the CEO's father were murdered, their children as well. Katsuragi was spared since he was a Company employee, and Hayashi as well since he was an Image user.

Hayashi is said to be the one who tracked down the qigong masters, and as Satoru continues to regard everything about Jin as suspicious, he wishes to attempt to see her memories. All the while Jin continues speaking, before they both at the same time suggest another drink for one another.

All Tsukasa has done for the past twelve years is what the Company asked of him, on Hayashi's advice. Overcome with tears, Hayashi takes him away in a flurry of wind.

Recovering from being startled that they were both thinking the same thing, Jin reveals that she is the CEO's niece and offers Satoru the chance to become an employee of the Company.

A memory shows Hayashi explain to Tsukasa as a child that he was only able to look after Satoru, but the memory is altered to show Hayashi this time saying that if the young Tsukasa really insisted, then the three of them could live together. Tsukasa is aware this is a memory tampering scenario on himself. Changing into his water image form, whilst Hayashi wants to show him how he wanted events to be, in a state of anger Tsukasa adopts the view that if Hayashi wants to redo things, he will need to erase his Peak. Tsukasa issues the ultimatum that he must do this or he will crush Satoru's Peak.

He replies that Tsukasa knows Hayashi cannot crush him, and that Tsukasa is aware he cannot match Hayashi's speed. Stepping forward, Tsukasa's water form dissolves in the currents of wind. A memory shows him as a child with Katsuragi on the grounds of a manor. He is introduced as a pet, before noticing Hayashi join him in the vision.

Tsukasa explains his memories are the one thing that cannot be changed, being the one sliver of pride he as a pet has.

To that end he created a powerful lock, hearing that, Hayashi will have Tsukasa show it to him.

Within an aquarium, Tsukasa as a child is explaining to Hiroki on using a particular Valley as his lock to protect his Peak. As Hiroki rides a goldfish in this reality, Hayashi joins them and asks what the dog walking amongst the aquarium plants is doing there.

Guessing that is it the access to Tsukasa's Valley, Hayashi intends to enter it and then infiltrate Tsukasa's Peak.

## Images

Episode 5 ending cardJin surprised by a falling glassHiroki unsure of what **Locks** are.Katsuragi's details in Jin's phoneThe manor from Tsukasa's past
## Trivia

* Meiling, first physically appearing in Episode 3: *Jobs*, has her name revealed in this episode.