"If this is a dream, please awaken me..." "What song was that?" ""If This is a Dream, Please Awaken Me... "" "That's a nice song title." "It's a song a dead friend of mine composed." "Dead?" "Yes..." "She had a huge affair with our homeroom teacher in high school." "They even eloped." "Did they commit suicide together?" "No." "In the end... the teacher went back to live with his wife and kids." "And the girl was left there all alone?" "She was found at a hot springs and her parents came to get her." "She came back home the next day." "Then, she climbed up to the roof of the apartment complex where the teacher and his family lived..." "But that was still a pretty melody." "It sticks in your head, doesn't it." "Before she died, she made me a CD." "She even did that?" "Yes, she did." "Do you think I could listen to it?" "I'll bring it for you next time." "Thanks." "Time to work." "I pray that today, Ai-chan and I can once again have a nice day at work." "Change your pose a bit." "Look challengingly at the lens." "Ai-chan, let's have you shikou." "What do you mean by "shikou"?" "A sumou wrestler's shikou." "You show her." "Yes, sir." "That's what I mean." "Are you serious?" "Yes I am serious." "Let's give it a try." "But that's not..." "No." "You mustn't do that." "You can't have Ai-chan do that." "Who are you?" "I'm her manager." "That you may be, but I'm in charge of this project." "But she does have her principles." "Listen Mac, this wasn't MY idea anyway." "The magazine told me to do it this way." "If you have a problem, take it up with them, not me." "The magazine mentioned no such thing." "You want her to have a job, don't you?" "Anyway, you can't do it." "I don't want Ai's image to be ruined." "What do you mean by "ruined"?" "!" "I think we should call it quits for today." "We need to straighten some things out here." "Hey, not so fast!" "Listen, I'm under strict orders to complete this by the deadline!" "Ai, go get dressed." "Yes, sir." "Do you think it's wise to turn down a job?" "If it will save her image, yes." "Excuse me." "Mr. Bando, you go." "Thanks for coming." "Thank you." "You really are an idiot, you know?" "Is that so?" "One thank you is enough." "Oh..." "Is this your full time job?" "No." "Just part time..." "I run a shop in Shinjuku." "Would you like to come work for me?" "No thanks..." "Why not?" "I like convenience stores." "Plus, this way I get to see Ai-chan every day." ""Ai-chan"?" "Yes..." "That's her." "She's still a rookie." "I've been a fan of hers even before her debut." "Even before her debut, you say?" "I won't say any more." "That was my special secret." "It was a secret I didn't want to tell anyone." "That will be 905 yen." "Here you go." "Thanks." "Let me get your change for you..." "There's 5 yen." "Bye." "Thanks for coming." "Thank you!" "I love you..." "I love you... your words..." "I wish I could have been the first to live." "Up until now, I had faced the wind with trembling shoulders." "I love you..." "I love you..." "My words..." "Just how much can my words pierce through your heart?" "Hiding my tears..." "I gaze at your face." "If this is a dream, please awaken me." "Being held by you and being loved by you." "If this is a dream then I don't need it." "Then maybe my love really exists." "Farewell." "Farewell." "Someone whistles..." "The wind whistles through these streets, I really don't like it." "From now on, will you stand in the wind..." "And will your shoulders tremble?" "If this is a dream, please awaken me." "Being held by you and being loved by you." "If this is a dream then I don't need it." "Then maybe my love really exists..." "If this is a dream, please awaken me." "Being held by you and being loved by you." "If this is a dream, then I don't need it." "I can instead live on together with you." "This ought to do it." "Hello?" "Ai-chan." "M r." "Bando." "About this morning's shoot..." "I've scheduled a re-shoot next week." "Really?" "The magazine said that wasn't their intention at all." "It was apparently Fujiwara's idea." "Oh really." "So anyway, don't worry about this." "You'll make your breakthrough very soon." "Thanks for all your help." "Sure." "Oh yes, and about that CD you mentioned." "I want you to bring it to me tomorrow." "Okay." "I was just listening to it." "I want you to sing it." "I'm going to have you debut as a singer." "Okay?" "Okay." "Well, once I get the specific schedule for the re-shoot, I'll call you." "And try practicing alone until then." "Sure." "Well, good work." "Did I scare you?" "Yeah..." "Uh..." "I want to have this delivered." "Uh... yes, sure." "Um..." "What is it?" "Do you live near here?" "Yes." "I just moved here." "Um..." "What is it?" "You're... her, right?" "Aren't you?" "I was told... in situations like this to say, "No, it's not me"." "So you ARE Ai-chan?" "I was told... in situations like this to say, "No, I'm not"." "So then you really are Ai-chan?" "Yes." "All right!" "Don't be so loud about it." "So you really are Ai-chan?" "Yes." "That's great." "Um..." "What is it?" "Could it be that you're my fan?" "Yes, I am." "But I haven't done any work besides that one poster." "I still haven't even broken into the mainstream yet." "An idol fetus?" "A bad idol." "You can say things like that?" "Yes, I can." "I can write on this, right?" "Yes, you can." "Here." "This box has my clothes in it." "Why are you telling me this?" "I just wanted to." "Why?" "This is the first time I've ever sent a package." "I didn't used to have enough free time to do that sort of thing." "But it feels like my luck will pick up soon." "I have a little sister." "She lives in Shodo-shima with our parents." "I know." "You know?" "You know I'm from Shodo-shima?" "I know everything about you." "There's nothing I don't know." "Do you know my father's a police officer?" "A dispatcher." "You even know that?" "I know even more." "Like where you went to the dentist in grade school." "Horibe Dental?" "Yes." "It was near your school." "Is it still there?" "It's gone now." "It's turned into a family restaurant." "So are you from Shodo-shima too?" "I am..." "You are?" "I am..." "How much do I owe?" "For the package." "Uh..." "Shodo-shima, right." "So it's 1 370 yen." "Here." "What's that for?" "It's a present." "For me?" "M ilk is good for you." "But this much?" "Drink one box every day." "But that's..." "You need to be healthy for your job." "I guess so..." "And 630 yen is your change." "Here's your receipt." "Thanks." "Um..." "What is it?" "Come back again, okay?" "After I finish all this milk." "I see..." "In that case, I should have given you just one box." "Too late now." "Guess so." "Bye, then." "Thanks for coming by." "Thank you!" "Good morning." "Good morning." "Are you feeling ill?" "Ill?" "Yes." "Ever since I was a child, I've been ill." "And now you've skipped on college and live a leisurely life at the convenience store." "I don't think you could be that ill." "Well, that's how it is." "But you've sure got a nice complexion." "Really?" "It's white as snow." "Just like a girl's." "Aw, cut it out." "How many girls with stubble chins have you seen?" "I don't see a single hair on your face." "That's weird." "I haven't shaved in a while." "And your body looks like it's gotten rounder." "Don't you think... your hormonal balance might be out of whack?" "My hormones?" "Your female hormones." "Female... hormones?" "Really?" "Well, it's just that boys these days are all obsessed with testosterone." "Excuse me!" "What the?" "I have one hair." "What's going on?" "Let's go." "Sure." "Okay..." "Look this way." "Okay." "That's good." "Good." "Okay." "Smile over here now." "Okay." "Hi." "It's going very well." "The tough-girl shoots might suit her too, but I think she's sick of them." "That's why I wanted to do a complete change." "I want this kind of photo shoot for her." "Congratulations on getting it for her." "It's not my doing." "I'm relying on her talent." "I'll turn her into a major star." "I promise I will." "Okay." "One more." "Hold that pose." "Good work." "Mr. Bando, when did you get here?" "I've always been here." "Oh really?" "He just couldn't sit still thinking about you." "She's right." "I had you on my mind." "Here's the CD you requested." "Really?" "Would you like to listen to it right now?" "Let me listen to it alone first." "That was very good." "Thanks." "Well, see you later." "Thanks for your help." "I wonder if your friend will forgive you for singing this song to the public." "She told me that this song belonged to me." "Maybe this is the sort of thing she wanted all along." "I think so." "It's a nice song." "But it's hard." "I know." "We'll record it right away." "We'll use it in your commercial." "Really?" "I've already talked to the producers about this." "All that's left is to have them listen to this CD." "We'll plunge into the recording of this song and the commercial..." "You probably won't get much sleep for a while." "Okay." "Welcome." "Hello." "I'm in a really good mood." "So I thought I'd share my good feeling with you." "Share with me?" "With you." "Please get me some milk." "You're late." "Sorry." "I finally got off." "Only joking." "So you're not mad at me?" "Why should I be mad at you?" "I'm thankful that you agreed to meet me like this." "Are you cold?" "Yes, I am." "Do you want to go somewhere?" "No, this is fine." "I see..." "Thanks." "Don't mention it." "I'm going to be in a commercial." "Up until now, I've only shot for posters, but this time, it'll be a TV advertisement." "Are you sure?" "It's going to advertise my singing debut." "So you're going to release a CD?" "Yeah." "And it's a song composed by a friend of mine." "Could it be... by your best friend, Kawai Hiromi?" "Do you know about Hiromi?" "She went to the same school as you." "And she's the same age." "Then she eloped with her homeroom teacher, and..." "Let's just end it there." "Good idea." "But how do you know that much?" "Didn't I tell you?" "There's nothing about you I don't know." "But... you didn't know that I had moved, did you?" "That's the one thing I didn't know." "How pathetic." "But it's good to be pathetic." "Thanks..." "But..." "I'm flattered." "I had no idea there was someone out there who knew everything about me." "Really..." "Even though you're a stalker, I'm still flattered." "I'm not a stalker." "Then...what are you?" "I am living you..." "Living me?" "Yes." "What do you mean?" "You have tropical fish at home, right?" "Not now..." "But you used to before you moved." "Yes." "You lived in a hole-in-the-wall kind of apartment." "The sunsets were blinding..." "And you had posters on your walls." "Posters of me..." "And when you came home, you would knock on the ashtray on the table." "I still do that sometimes." "You go to bed at 1 1 :00." "You wake up at 7:00." "When you wake up, you open the windows right away." "No matter how cold it is, you open the windows and inhale the morning air." "Then you feed your fish and take a shower." "How do you know that much?" "I just do." "How?" "Like I said... it's because..." "I'm living you." "All that's different about us is that I'm a man and I'm older than you." "But that's just about it." "You're living me..." "I'm not imitating you." "I just wondered what kind of life you led..." "So it's not like I'm living the exact same way you are." "I am living you." "That's why I do everything the same way as you." "If you saw my room, you'd be surprised." "My furniture and everything is the same as yours." "I'm sure you'd faint." "I can't believe that." "Even our way of thought is the same." "I understand why you'd think that." "If you think I'm lying, then why not come up to my room?" "No thanks..." "But you are interested, aren't you?" "Not at all." "I wonder...." "I think you ARE interested, though." "No, I'm not." "You must be lying." "I'm not lying." "You're just saying that..." "so I'll come to your room." "But I'm not..." "I've had enough." "Wait a minute." "I shouldn't have come." "You really must be a stalker." "Just an ordinary stalker." "I'm NOT a stalker." "But you say you're "living me"..." "That's so silly" "That just can't be true." "Ai-chan..." ""Kyuugoku no Ai"." "That means to live someone else's life." "Whether you believe in it or not has nothing to do with me." "All I want you to know is that when you went to Horibe Dental in Shodo-shima and when your mother abandoned you and you went to a boarding school, I decided to live as you." "I decided to become you." "So then... you... were from back then..." "Horibe Dental" "That was the first day I met you." "And that had to also be the last day I saw you." "Because I could only care for you inside a fantasy world." "I won't see you ever again." "That's okay." "Never ever... will I ever see you again." "Excuse me." "Here you go." "Thanks for coming by." "Thank you." "May I help you?" "How was I?" "Not bad." "Does that mean I wasn't good either?" "You're just an amateur." "I can't say more than you were "not bad", but..." "But what?" "We'll need to redo that." "I guess I'm not cut out to be a singer after all." "Hey... isn't that true?" "What are you saying?" "I just..." "Don't say such nonsense." "I just..." "Ai." "I don't want you to ever say that you're "cut out" for something or "not cut out" for something." "I'm sorry." "We're not at that level anymore." "When given a job, we do it." "And when we do it, we do it the best we can." "If you don't think you're cut out for a job, then cut yourself to fit it." "Make it your own job." "Unless you have that kind of courage, you'll never make it." "Understand?" "Popularity doesn't matter, but it does carry force in the major leagues." "We need allies." "Unless we can pull support from at least one major league producer, you'll never make it." "You'll never become a major leaguer." "You can look for the job you're "cut out for" later." "You need to make it in your current job first." "Though I guess when you do make it, no one will doubt that you're "cut out" for it anyway." "We need to film your commercial tomorrow." "I've set aside the studio starting early in the morning." "We'll continue today's work." "Okay." "Don't be so lighthearted about this." "Suffer." "And really feel the song." "That will make the fans even more moved." "You will appear to shine." "Understand?" "Yes, sir." "Cut!" "Good work." "Good work!" "That was good." "No, it was great." "What's going on...?" "So you did it again." "Now we can't sell these." "Hey!" "Where are you going?" "Hey!" "What is going on here?" "Gone..." "It's gone!" "It's disappeared!" "Out to lunch" "What's the matter, boss?" "Ai-chan..." "Kyuugoku no Ai." "That's living the life of another." "That is how I turned into Ai-chan..." "Just like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly." "This is how the Kyuugoku no Ai was fulfilled." "No..." "I still can't say... it's fulfilled yet." "Because love... must always end in tragedy." "Tragedy..." "Good work." "How was I?" "Not bad." "Again?" "We're finished for today." "We'll do more tomorrow." "Early in the morning again." "Mr. Bando..." "Want to get a bite to eat?" "Get plenty to eat and get plenty of sleep tonight." "Yes, sir." "Thanks for the help." "I'll come pick you up at 8:00 tomorrow." "Okay." "Good night." "Get out." "M r." "Bando..." "What?" "I... think I'm in..." "Stop right there." "Our relationship is strictly professional." "And it will stay that way forever." "It will never change." "You want to become an idol that sweeps the nation, don't you?" "Then find someone else for romance." "Okay..." "Come on in." "Um..." "You look sort of familiar to me." "Who are you?" "Just a customer." "Have you been here before?" "Not much." "That's odd..." "It seems like I've seen your face many times." "Where have I seen it before?" "..." "There's a man who works part time here." "I think his name is "Horibe"." "He's from Shodo-shima and he's Horibe from Horibe Dental." "Did you come here to see Horibe?" "I thought maybe he had the day off." "He's been acting weird lately." "Weird?" "Not mentally..." "His hormones." "What do you mean?" "Should I say he has a surplus of female hormones... or a lack of male hormones..." "Well, either way, his body is not normal." "Has he been to the doctor?" "Maybe he is, I don't know." "I called his home, but he didn't answer." "Ohhh." "That must be it." "He's in the hospital." "He's probably there." "But in his case..." "I wonder what I should do..." "Can you give me his address?" "You can go there, but he's not home." "I called him." "Please give me his address." "Sure." "I don't think an address will be enough for you." "Maybe I should walk you there." "I'll be fine." "I'll take you." "I'll be fine." "Thanks for your help." "I wonder where I've seen her before..." "That's right..." "There are some things which just aren't meant to be." "Coming." "Who's there?" "Um..." "Is this Horibe's place?" "No, it isn't." "But the nameplate says "Horibe"." "Oh..." "I'm Asaka." "Miss Asaka?" "Yes." "Miss Asaka, what's your first name?" "It's Ai." "Um..." "Who are you?" "I'm also Asaka Ai." "Hello..." "Hello." "I'm back." "Hi, dear." "Do you need supper?" "I already ate." "Want a drink?" "Good idea." "I guess I'll have a huge glass of water." "Okay." "But I'll take a bath before that." "The water's hot already, so you can go in right away." "What?" "What is it?" "Did something joyous happen to you?" "Joyous?" "Lately, you've been looking very excited." "Have I?" "Just like you were eight years ago." "Wasn't her name "Michiru"?" "Just like when you were her agent..." "But a horrible thing happened to her, didn't it." "To think she was killed just before her big break." "I don't feel like talking about that." "And they still haven't found her killer." "I said, that's enough!" "I'm sure something will happen to the girl you're working with now." "She might be murdered, too." "Stop saying such crap!" "Those fish are the same ones I used to have..." "And also... this room." "It looks exactly like the apartment where I used to live." "Everything is the same." "It's a coincidence." "That's the only explanation." "A coincidence?" "But that's so unlikely..." "And that song." "Where did you hear it?" "That's a secret." "It's a secret." "Who in the world ARE you?" "Why do you use my name and live exactly the same way I do?" "Because I am Asaka Ai... but I'm not you." "Unlike you, I have no aspirations or greed." "I'm not the filthy kind of girl who would steal her best friend's song and use it for money." "But I didn't steal it." "Are you trying to say that Kawai Hiromi wrote that song specifically for YOU?" "You stole her song." "You also pushed her off the roof." "You wanted that song." "You wanted to make it your own song and sing it." "But Hiromi refused." "That's why you did it." "Stop that." "I don't want to hear that." "Are you leaving?" "You don't need to worry." "I won't tell anyone else about this." "But..." "But..." "You can't sing that song." "You'll never be able to." "Why not?" "That's also a secret." "What's that?" "What's with the mask?" "I'm sorry..." "What's wrong?" "I'm sick." "Sick?" "I'm sorry." "What a horrible voice." "I'll get better by the time we get to the studio." "Today is a crucial day for you." "How could you get sick at a time like this?" "Give me a break." "That wasn't good, right?" "No, it wasn't." "Can you give me some more time?" "I can tell my voice is improving little by little." "It's impossible." "We'll stop for today." "I told you you couldn't sing it." "You never will sing it." "Where were you?" "Were you crying alone?" "No." "I wasn't crying." "Be sure you get better within this week." "What about the recording?" "Next week really will be our last chance." "There's no more time." "Okay." "You can't sing that song." "No..." "I won't let you sing it." "Asaka Ai is me." "Only me." "No..." "I... haven't done anything wrong." "I..." "Didn't kill Hiromi." "That was a really good song." "Really?" "Out of all the songs you've made, it was the best." "I'm so glad." "But I will sing this song." "It only makes sense, right?" "I really fell in love and really did elope." "That's how I was able to write this song." "With this song..." "I'll make my debut as a singer." "I'll become an idol." "Oh..." "I take it all back." "The idea where I write songs and you sing them, that's gone." "From now on, I'm on my own." "Fine, I understand." "Good luck." "Bye..." "Not so fast." "Hiromi..." "Just kidding..." "Really, that's what I'd like to do..." "But you know, I'm not very good anyway." "The only thing I'm good at is helping you with your dream." "Why?" "I'm going to die." "Right here, right now." "I wanted to write a song about adultery..." "But I had no idea what adultery was like." "So that's why I eloped." "But still..." "Before I realized it, I actually fell in love with him." "And so I..." "Hiromi... what are you saying?" "You will sing this song." "Not me, but you." "And you'll become an idol." "In place of me." "Hiromi!" "Hiromi...!" "Just die!" "Die..." "Love is something we steal." "We steal it and live the lives of others..." "Probably." "That's right." "That's the spirit." "I'll turn you into a top idol."