"Hey..." "They say it's five centimeters per second." "Huh?" "What is?" "The speed at which cherry blossoms fall." "It's five centimeters per second." "You sure know a lot of stuff like that, Akari." "Say... don't you think it kinda looks like snow?" "I guess..." "Hey!" "Wait up!" "Akari!" "Takaki-kun!" "It'd be great if we could watch the cherry blossoms fall again together next year." ""To Thono Takaki-sama. "" ""It's been a really long time. "" ""Summer's pretty hot around here, but compared to Tokyo, it's so much milder. "" ""But when I think about it, I liked Tokyo's hot, humid summers, too. "" ""The melting-hot asphalt,"" ""the distant skyscrapers, shimmering in the heat,"" ""and the freezing air-conditioning in department stores and on subways. "" ""The last time we were together was at our elementary school graduation. "" ""It's already been half a year since. "" ""So, Takaki-kun... "" ""... do you still remember me?" "."" ""Dear Takaki-kun... "" ""Thanks for replying. "" ""It made me so happy. "" ""It's already well into autumn and the leaves are turning beautiful colors. "" ""I had to pull out a sweater the day before yesterday for the first time this year. "" "Tohno-kun." "Senpai." "What's that?" "A love letter?" "That's not it." "Sorry for having asked you to do all that." "No problem, I finished quickly." "Thanks." "So, is it true that you'll be transferring schools?" "Ah, yes, at the end of the year." "Where to?" "Kagoshima." "Because of my parents." "I see... it'll be lonely around here without you." ""I'm actually writing this letter on the train because practice has been starting really early lately. "" ""I had my hair cut the other day. "" ""It's so short you can even see my ears... "" ""... so you probably wouldn't even recognize me if you saw me. "" "I'm back." "Welcome home." ""I bet you're changing little by little too, Takaki-kun. "" ""Dear Takaki-kun... "" ""Have you been doing well during these cold days?"" ""It's already snowed a number of times here. "" ""Every time it does, I wrap myself in layers of clothes when I go to school. "" ""It hasn't snowed in Tokyo yet, right?" "."" ""Even though I moved away... "" ""..." "I still look at Tokyo's weather forecast out of habit. "" "Wish it would rain one of these days..." "It wouldn't be any better indoors." "Say... have you guys ever been to Tochigi?" "Huh?" "Where?" "Tochigi." "Nope." "I wonder how you get there..." "No clue." "A bullet train or something?" "It's a long way..." "Freshmen!" "Yes?" "!" "Onto the final three laps!" "Fight!" "Fight!" ""I was surprised to hear that you were the one transferring schools this time. "" ""We both got used to transferring schools when we were little.. "" ""But still..." "Kagoshima." "That's kind of far away, isn't it?"" ""It's no longer a distance where I can just jump on a train and see you whenever I want... "" ""So..." "I guess... that makes me feel a little lonely. "" ""Please be well, Takaki-kun. "" ""Dear Takaki-kun... "" ""I'm so happy we'll see each other on March 4th. "" ""It'll be just about a year since we last met, won't it?"" ""For some reason, I feel kind of nervous. "" ""There's a really large cherry tree close to my house, so I bet that in the spring... "" ""... the petals will fall at five centimeters per second. "" ""I'm really hoping the spring will come with you that day, Takaki-kun. "" "Wanna stop somewhere on the way home?" "Well... it's raining out." "The forecast said it's supposed to turn to snow by tonight." "Really?" "I thought it felt cold." "And we're already in March..." "Yeah, it feels like I'm gonna catch a cold." "We can get off at Shimokita." "Yeah." "Tohno, let's get to practice." "Right..." "About that..." "I don't think I can make it today." "Getting ready to move?" "Something like that." "Sorry." ""I'm glad you're coming all the way out to the station closest to me... "" ""... but it's a long trip, so please be careful. "" ""I'll be waiting for you in the station's waiting room at 7:00 that night. "" "On the day Akari and I were to meet, the rain turned to snow in the afternoon." "Hey, Takaki-kun." "It's that cat, Chobi." "He's always lying here." "But it looks like he's all by himself today." "What happened to your friend Mimi?" "It must be lonely all by yourself, huh?" "How's that book so far?" "I really like it." "Last night I read four billion years' worth of evolution." "Where are you at now?" "Just about when the Anomalocaris start showing up." "The Cambrian era!" "I really like the Hallucigenia." "They look like this!" "Yeah, something like that..." "Which one do you like, Takaki-kun?" "The Opabinia, maybe?" "The five-eyed one, right?" "I think Akari and I were a lot alike somehow." "Exactly one year after I transferred to Tokyo..." "A new friend just transferred to our school." "This is Tohno Takaki-kun." "...Akari transferred into my class." "Starting today, Shinohara Akari-san will be joining our class." "Because our bodies were still small, frail, and prone to illness the two of us preferred the library over playing on the sportsfield." "Naturally, we became friends and because of that, there were times when our classmates would tease us." "But..." "I feel kinda bad for her." "Those two are always together." "Ooh!" "There he is!" "As long as we were both together, strangely, things like that didn't scare us." "Aw, what a nice guy!" "Wow!" "And yet, for some reason, I thought we'd end up going to the same middle school and stay together, just as we were from that point on." "Shinjuku, Shinjuku, last stop." "For passengers which JR Line, Heiou Line, subway..." "It was the first time I'd gone to Shinjuku Station alone and all the lines I would soon be riding would also be firsts for me." "My heart was pounding." "I was going to see Akari again." "How did it go with that guy?" "Who?" "You know, that Nisshou boy." "Are you kidding?" "His tastes were a little gross..." "We will be arriving at Musashi-Urawa shortly." "Again, this is Musashi-Urawa." "At our next stop, Musashi-Urawa, in order to connect with the express train..." "In order to connect with the express train, this train will be stopping for 4 minutes." "Those passengers who wish to quickly reach Yonohonmachi and Oomiya please board..." "Um... this is Shinohara." "Umm, is Takaki-kun there?" "It's Akari-chan." "Huh?" "You're transferring schools?" "What about Nishi Middle School?" "You went through all that trouble to get accepted." "They said they'd handle the paperwork of transferring me to the public school in Tochigi..." "I'm sorry..." "No... there's no reason to apologize." "I told them I still wanted to go from my aunt's house in Katsushika, but they said I couldn't until I was older." "I understand... you don't have to say anything else." "That's enough." "I'm sorry..." "Through the receiver painfully pressed against my ear Akari's own pain was palpable." "But... there was nothing I could do." "That was pretty good, huh?" "Yeah." "See you later!" "The terminal I transferred at was crowded with people heading home and everyone's shoes were soaked from the snow." "The frigid air was saturated with the classic smell of a snowy city day." "All passengers, your attention please." "Due to the snowy weather conditions, the Utsunomiya Line outbound trains traveling to Oomiya and Utsunomiya will be experiencing an 8 minute delay in arrival." "We apologize for any inconvenience in your busy day." "Until that moment, I hadn't even considered the possibility of one of my trains being late." "My creeping anxiety suddenly became much greater." "This train is currently running 10 minutes late due to the snowy weather conditions." "We apologize for any inconvenience in your busy day." "After we had passed a little beyond Oomiya Station almost all the passing buildings suddenly vanished from view." "Next stop is Kuki." "Kuki." "We apologize for our terribly late arrival." "Those passengers transferring to the Tobu Isesaki Line, please make your way around to Exit #5." "Due to the next train's delay, this train will be stopping at this station for the next 10 minutes." "We apologize for any inconvenience in your busy day, and appreciate your understanding." "Sorry about that." "Due to the next train's delay, this train will be stopping at this station for the next 10 minutes." "We apologize for any inconvenience in your busy day, and..." "This is Nogi." "Nogi." "To all passengers, we express our deepest apologies." "Due to the continuing delay of the following train, this train will be stopping at this station for an extended period of time." "We apologize for any inconvenience in your busy day, and appreciate your understanding." "The stations seemed unbelievably far apart and the train would stop for an unbelievably long amount of time at each station." "Kurihashi  Koga  Nogi  Mamada  Oyama" "Omoigawa  Tochigi  Ohirashita  Iwafune  Sano" "The wilderness on the other side of the window seemed like nothing I'd ever experienced before." "The slowly ticking time and my pangs of hunger continued to dampen my spirits." "The time we had planned to meet had passed so I had the feeling that Akari was beginning to worry." "On that day the day she called Akari must've been so much more jittery and upset than me, yet I couldn't find the words to console her." "I felt so ashamed of myself." "As we look back, we thank our teachers for all they've done." "Then I guess after today... this is goodbye." "Any summer vacation plans?" "I received the first letter from Akari half a year later during the summer of my first year of middle school." "I remember every last word of it." "Over the two weeks before the day we were to meet I spent my time writing a letter I would give her." "It was filled with all the things I had to tell her." "All the things I wanted her to hear." "There were so many." "We apologize terribly for the wait." "This train will shortly begin its departure towards Utsunomiya." "This is Oyama." "Oyama." "For those passengers changing over to the Tohoku Bullet Train, please transfer here." "Those passengers transferring to the down-train, the Tohoku Bullet Train towards Morioka, please transfer to Line 1." "Those passengers transferring to the up-train towards Tokyo, please transfer to Line 5." "Those passengers transferring to the Mito Line" "All passengers, your attention please." "Due to snowy weather conditions, the Ryomo Line is currently experiencing a serious delay." "We apologize for the terrible inconvenience." "We ask that you please be patient and wait a little longer until the train arrives." "The next up-train headed for" "Either way I had no choice but to keep going towards the station where Akari was waiting." "This is the up-train, Line 8, towards Takasaki, passing Ashikaga and Maebashi on the way." "Please stand behind the white line" "All passengers, your attention please." "Due to the disrupted schedule from the heavy snowfall this train will be making a temporary stop." "We apologize terribly for this inconvenience in your busy day but presently, we are unable to resume normal service." "I repeat..." ""Dear Takaki-kun... "" ""How are you?"" ""I'm actually writing this letter on the train because practice has been starting really early lately. "" "Every time I tried to picture Akari from her letters she was always alone for some reason." "In the end, the train remained stopped in the barren wilderness for two hours." "Each minute felt like an eternity." "With clear malice towards me time continued to drift slowly forwards around me." "I clenched my teeth tightly together and could do nothing but endure the pain and hold back my tears." "Akari..." "Please tell me you've already returned home." "Line 3 towards Takasaki, passing Ashikaga and Maebashi on the way has just arrived." "Due to the snowy weather conditions, this train will be making a temporary stop." "Akari..." "It tastes good." "Really?" "It's just hot roasted tea." "Roasted tea?" "This is my first time having it..." "You're kidding." "I'm sure you've had it before." "You think?" "You must have." "And... since I made this, I can't really guarantee how good it'll taste, but..." "If you'd like, please have some." "Thanks!" "I was really hungry." "How is it?" "It's the most delicious rice ball I've ever had." "You're exaggerating!" "It really is!" "It's probably just because you're hungry." "You think so?" "It must be." "I think I'll have a bite, too." "So... you're moving soon, right?" "Yeah." "Next week." "Kagoshima, huh?" "It's pretty far away." "Yeah..." "Though this trip to Tochigi was pretty far, too." "You can't even go home today now, after all." "We'll be closing soon." "There aren't any more trains coming or going." "Yes, sir." "Be careful on your way home in this snow." "Yes, sir." "Can you see the tree way out there?" "Is that the tree from your letters?" "Yeah." "It's a cherry tree." "So don't you think it looks a little like snow?" "It sure does." "In that moment I felt like I knew where eternity, our hearts and ours souls all lay." "I felt as though we had shared all the experiences of my 13 years." "And then... in the next moment I was suddenly filled with an insufferable sadness." "Akari's warmth... and her soul..." "How could I take them in, and where could I bring them?" "I felt that sad because I didn't have those answers." "I clearly knew that from that point on, we wouldn't be together forever." "The overwhelming weight of our lives to come and the uncertainty of time hung over us." "But... the creeping anxiety that had taken hold of me would soon gradually melt away." "And all that remained would be the feeling of Akari's soft lips." "We spent that night in a shack by the side of a field." "Wrapping ourselves in an old blanket, we talked on and on until finally, we had fallen asleep, side by side." "The next morning, as I boarded the train that had started its run again I parted with Akari.." "Umm..." "Takaki-kun..." "Yeah?" "Takaki-kun I'm sure you'll be okay from now on." "I just know it!" "Thank you." "Akari, you be well, too!" "I'll write you!" "I'll call, too!" "I never told Akari that I'd lost the letter I wanted to give her." "Because I felt that my world had completely changed after that kiss." "All I wanted was the strength to protect her." "With that thought in my mind, I continued to gaze out over the landscape beyond the window... forever." "Kanae, are you going to go after school, too?" "Yeah, are you okay with that, Onee-chan?" "Fine by me." "But be sure to get to your studies, too." "Yeah." "Okay!" "Morning." "Good morning, Tohno-kun." "You're really early this morning, huh?" "You too, Sumida." "You went to the beach again, right?" "Yeah." "You're practicing hard." "I wouldn't say that..." "See you later, Tohno-kun." "Later." "Got it?" "It's time to begin making your choices." "Be sure to turn it in by Monday, okay?" "And remember to talk it over with your parents before." "Looks like Sasaki-san's gonna be going to a college in Tokyo." "No surprise there." "I was thinking of maybe going to a 2-year college in Kumamoto." "What about you, Kanae?" "Huh?" "Umm..." "Will you get a job?" "Umm..." "You really haven't thought about it at all, huh?" "The only thing on your mind is Tohno-kun, right?" "He definitely left his girlfriend in Tokyo, I'm telling you." "No way!" "Still not going well for you?" "Yeah... what's gotten into me?" "It's better if you don't think about it too much." "You'll be able to surf again in no time, I promise." "It must be nice taking things so easy, Onee-chan." "What are you in such a rush for?" "At this rate, I won't be able to say it before graduation..." "Thanks, Onee-chan." "I can take you home, too..." "Don't worry about it." "I'll take my bike home." "Sumida, you're on your way home?" "Yeah." "You too, Tohno-kun?" "Yeah." "Wanna go home together?" "If I had a tail like a dog's I'm sure it'd be wagging back and forth right now, since I'd be unable to hide my happiness." "I was sort of relieved and thought to myself, "Thank goodness I'm not really a dog... "" "...and I was surprised at how foolish I was for thinking what I did earlier." "But even still, the trip home with Tohno-kun was bliss." "Right from the start, Tohno-kun seemed a little different from the other boys." "I'm Tohno Takaki." "I'm sorta used to transferring schools because of my parents' jobs but I'm not too used to this island yet." "It's nice to meet you all." "I fell in love at first sight on that day in the second year of middle school, and wanted to go to the same high school as him so I studied really hard, was somehow accepted and every single time I saw him, fell more and more in love with him." "But it's so scary, and everyday is painful." "Yet every time I see him, I'm filled with such happiness that I'm at a loss for what to do." "Tohno-kun, there you go buying the same one again." "It's really good." "Sumida, you always think your decisions through seriously, don't you?" "Yeah." "I'll be outside." "Yeah." "Just this, please." "That'll be 90 yen." "Here you go." "Thanks as always." "Welcome back." "What'd you buy?" "Well, it was hard to pick, but I went with this." "Sometimes, Tohno-kun would be writing a text message and every time he did, I would always wish that the text message he was writing would be addressed to me." "Kabu, I'm home!" "Kabu, Kabu!" "I'm back." "This is a message from your town hall." "The next normal open gasoline stand will be at the Sakai Agricultural Cooperative Gas Station." "Sumida Kanae-san from Class 3-1 Itou-sensei is calling for you." "Please report to the Guidance Counselor's office." "That's your girlfriend, Tohno." "She's not my girlfriend." "You're the only one in the grade who hasn't filled one out." "I'm sorry." "Look, this isn't something someone in my position should be saying but this isn't really something you have to wrack your brain over." "Has Sumida-sensei said anything?" "No..." "If you really can't decide, then how about a 2-year college within the prefecture?" "But..." "Onee-chan has nothing to do with it..." "After all surfing, even after I pestered my sister so much to teach me and the most important guy who takes up all of my thoughts are two things I'm still no good at." "Thanks as always." "Not at all." "See you next time." "Whenever I go to where Tohno-kun is deep down, my heart... it clenches up... just a little." "Tohno-kun." "Sumida, what's up?" "I'm surprised you found me way out here." "I saw your bike, so I decided to come on by." "That okay?" "Ah, I see." "I'm glad to see you." "We didn't run into each other at the bike shed today." "I'm glad, too." "He's really kind." "So kind that sometimes it feels like I'm going to cry." "Hey, are you going to test to get into college?" "Yeah." "I'm going to take a few for some universities in Tokyo." "Tokyo..." "I see." "I thought that might be the case." "Why do you say that?" "You seem like you want to go far away from here, for some reason..." "What about you, Sumida?" "I don't even really know what's going to happen tomorrow." "Everyone's the same." "No way!" "You too, Tohno-kun?" "Of course." "You don't look like you have anything to worry about." "Oh, stop that." "I'm filled with nothing but worries." "I'm doing all that I can just to keep up." "I have no breathing room." "Really?" "I see..." "A plane?" "Yeah." "Wow..." "They say it travels at five kilometers per hour." "It's going to the Minamitane launch facility." "Looks like there'll be a launch this year." "First time in a while." "Yeah." "It's supposed to go to the far reaches of the solar system." "No matter how many years it takes..." "Hey... you should really talk to Kanae about her plans for the future." "You know how absent-minded she can be." "She'll be fine." "It's not like she's a child anymore." "I remember when I used to be just like that, a long time ago..." "Hear that, Kabu?" "Tohno-kun apparently doesn't know what tomorrow will bring, either." "We're both the same." "Tohno-kun and me." "It must really be a lonelier journey than anyone could imagine." "To just press forward through the true pitch darkness..." "Barely encountering even a single hydrogen atom..." "Wholeheartedly believing you'll come closer to discovering the secrets of the universe within the unfathomable abyss of space." "I wonder how far we should go..." "How far CAN we go?" "I wonder when I got in the habit of writing messages to nobody?" "Kanae, have you decided what you'll be doing in the future?" "Nope." "Like I thought, I'm still not sure..." "But it's all right!" "I decided that I'll just take things on one at a time." "Off I go!" "Since that day, a number of typhoons have passed through and the island's become a little cooler each time." "The wind blowing through the sugarcane has taken on a slight chill and the sky seems a little higher." "The edges of the clouds have become gentler and my classmates have begun wearing light jackets when riding their bikes with the change in the weather." "By the time I managed to ride the waves again, six long months had passed." "Even though it was the middle of October, it felt like a little bit of summer had been left behind." "The weather forecast for tonight shows a clear evening with winds up to eight meters per second." "So I heard that Yamada confessed to Sasaki-san." "No surprise there." "Huh?" "Kanae, you seem awfully happy today." "Something good happen between you and Tohno-kun?" "No way!" "Today, I'm finally going to confess to Tohno-kun, too." "If I don't tell him today, on the day I finally rode the waves again I'm sure I won't ever be able to." "Sumida." "To" "Tohno-kun." "On your way home?" "Yeah." "I see." "Then, let's go home together." "Huh, Sumida?" "Decided already today?" "Yeah." "What's the matter?" "...to me..." "No..." "I'm sorry." "It's nothing." "Is your bike acting up?" "Yeah... that's kind of weird." "Is it broken?" "Yeah..." "I think the spark plug's dead." "Was this a hand-me-down?" "Yeah." "It was Onee-chan's." "Did it stall when you tried accelerating?" "It might have, actually..." "Let's leave it here for today." "You can have someone from your house pick it up later." "Let's walk back today." "Huh?" "I'll walk by myself!" "You go on ahead." "We're this far out, and your place is nearby, so..." "And..." "I kind of want to walk today." "Tohno-kun, please..." "What's wrong?" "I'm sorry..." "It's nothing." "I'm so sorry..." "Sumida..." "I'm begging you... please don't be so nice to me!" "As we humans desperately and recklessly stretched our arms to the top of the sky and launched something of that mass and size into the air gazing off into the distance towards something far beyond our wildest dreams..." "...I felt like I somewhat came to understand why Tohno-kun was different from the other boys." "And at the same time I clearly realized that Tohno-kun wasn't really looking at me." "Which is why, on that day, I couldn't say a word to Tohno-kun." "Tohno-kun is really kind, but..." "He's so truly kind, but..." "But Tohno-kun was always looking far beyond me." "Far beyond me, towards something in the distance." "I'm sure I wouldn't be able to give Tohno-kun what he truly desires." "But still... despite that..." "Tomorrow, the day after, and even beyond that I know I'll still be helplessly in love with him." "While thinking solely of Tohno-kun, I cried myself to sleep." "I strongly felt that if I looked back now she would look back as well." "The last Chuo line train bound for Tokyo is now arriving." "You should stay till New Year's." "I know, but I have a million things to take care of." "I guess so." "Be sure to cook him good meals, you hear?" "I will." "If there's ever a problem, don't hesitate to call us, Akari." "I'll be fine." "The train for platform 2 is now arriving." "We'll see each other at the wedding next month, so don't worry so much." "You'd better head home." "It's cold." "Last night, I dreamt of something from the distant past." "Back when he and I were both still children." "I'm sure it's because of that letter I found yesterday." "Mizuno-san." "Ah, yes, sir?" "Have time for that meeting?" "Yes, sir." "Through the act of living itself, sadness piles up here and there." "Whether in the sheets hung to dry in the sun the single toothbrush in your bathroom or the history logs of your cell phone." ""Even now, I still love you... "" "That's what the girl I'd been with for three years said in that e-mail." ""But I'm sure that even if we had written 1,000 text messages back and forth... "" ""... our hearts probably wouldn't have moved even 1 centimeter closer. "" "Over these past few years, I've only wanted to move forward and touch that which I couldn't reach though I've never been able to tangibly define what it was." "Not knowing where those obsessive thoughts came from, I simply continued to work." "Then one day I realized that my heart was withering, and in it there was nothing but pain." "And then, one morning when I realized that I had completely lost my earnest and acute feelings from long ago I knew I was at my limit and quit my job." "Yesterday, I had a dream." "A dream of long ago." "Within the dream, the two of us were still thirteen standing upon the vast field blanketed in snow as far as the eye could see." "In the distance, the lights shimmering in houses were set sparsely, far and wide." "All that was left upon the newly fallen snow were our footprints." "Just like that we wished, without hesitation, that one day the two of us would be able to see the cherry blossoms together again." "I'm always searching for you, always searching for your figure." "On the opposite platform, or through window in the back alley." "Even though I know you can't be there." "If my wish were to come true, I would be at your side." "There would be nothing I couldn't do." "I would risk everything to embrace you." "If only to avoid loneliness, anyone will do." "On this night when it seem stars will fall from the sky, I cannot lie to myself." "One more time, don't fade away, seasons." "One more time, I want that time when we fooled around together." "I'm always searching for you, always searching for your figure." "At the intersection, in my dreams." "Even though I know you can't be there." "If miracles do happen, I want to show you right now the new dawn, who I'll be from now on, and the words "I love you" that I never said." "The memories of summer revolve around me" "and your throbbing heartbeat that suddenly stopped." "I'm always searching for you, always searching for your figure." "In the city at dawn, in Sakuragi-cho." "Even though I know you can't be there." "If my wish were to come true, I would be at your side." "There would be nothing I couldn't do." "I would risk everything to embrace you." "I'm always searching for you, always searching for even a fragment of you." "At the shop I'm going to, in the corner of a newspaper." "Even though I know you can't be there." "If miracles do happen, I want to show you right now the new dawn, who I'll be from now on, and the words "I love you" that I never said." "I always end up looking somewhere for your smile." "At the railroad crossing, waiting for the express to pass." "Even though I know you can't be there." "If I could live life over again, I would be at your side every time." "Because I would want nothing more precious than you." "The End"