"15 years ago, on New Year's Eve, my father rushed out of his amateur orchestra's important concert." "It was something he had always participated in for years." ""Pleasant child."" "The meaning held in the name given to me, "Sawako."" "You know, zashiki-warashi make people happy." "I was delighted when someone at preschool told me I look like one." "Wanting to stay true to that, I decided to stick with the motto, "a good deed a day."" "Sadako?" "My fate was sealed when a boy in class called me "Sadako," like the girl from The Ring." "Huh?" "I couldn't sleep last night." "Doesn't the opening ceremony always make you nervous?" "No, I was watching The Ring on TV last night, and Sadako was so creepy." "Excuse me..." "I think you dropped this..." "Sadako?" "I'm sorry." "For some reason, people always seemed scared or apologetic whenever I spoke to them." "U-Umm..." "If you're looking for West High, it's down the street." "Thanks." "What a funny shaped petal." "Check it out." "Kazehaya?" "Morning, Kazehaya!" "Let's go!" "Later." "Morning!" "Morning, Shota!" "I got lost!" "You're late, dude!" "From Me to You" "This way, Kazehaya!" "Go for the shot!" "Nice one!" "What a champ!" "Kazehaya, can you help us now?" "Us first, Kazehaya!" "No, help us, Kazehaya!" "I like Joe." "He's way chill." "Oh yeah, Nagashima wanted to know how you were doing." "From the baseball team?" "Haven't heard his name in a while." "Kazehaya!" "Kazehaya!" "Check this out, Kazehaya!" "Over here!" "They're great." "Promise me you'll listen to them?" "I will." "Isn't that girl really cute?" "Oh, Kurumi." "They would make such a cute couple!" "Absolutely!" "I've heard Sadako can summon spirits." "I heard that if you lock eyes with her for more than three seconds, you get cursed." "You serious?" "But I guess that doesn't surprise me." "Sadako probably made you do that!" "You've gone and done it again!" "You're in trouble, Joe!" "You're in trouble!" "You're in trouble!" "They won't know it was me!" "Shut up!" "Sadako!" "G-Good morning..." "I'm sorry!" "I'm sorry." "You know, if she can really see ghosts and stuff, we should ask for our fortune." "But I'm hesitant to talk to her..." "She always looks kind of angry." "Yeah..." "Morning!" "Morning!" "Barely on time!" "Morning!" "Morning, Kuronuma." "Mor—" "Get your butts in the classroom!" "Get in your seats!" "Hustle!" "It's time for homeroom!" "Let's kick things off with the attendance." "Andou!" "Here!" "Ishii!" "Here." "Uehara!" "Here!" "Endou!" "Here." "I never believed in that stuff, but she still scared the crap out of me." "Who?" "Sadako." "Sadako Kuronuma." "Rumor has it that she'll suck away all your luck if you lock eyes with her for three seconds." "Oh come on." "What, you don't believe me?" "You were there, right, Ryu?" "Oh... so I'm not supposed to lock eyes with people." "I'm collecting everyone's math homework." "Please bring them up front." "Can you take mine?" "I'll leave mine here, Kuronuma." "Same here." "Here's mine." "Thanks." "Give me a sec." "Look what you did!" "Hurry up!" "Th-Thank you... very much." "You're really admirable, Kuronuma." "Huh?" "Me?" "Yeah." "Shota, let me ask you something." "Is it true that locking eyes with Kuronuma means trouble?" "Of course not!" "You never change, kiddo." "Stop getting so heated up." "She's easily misunderstood," "but she's a nice girl." "Don't tell me you're..." "If you're so curious about her, why don't you go and see for yourself?" "You're our homeroom teacher, after all." "Excuse me." "He's got a point." "Summer break starts next week!" "I didn't manage to find a girlfriend!" "Neither did I!" "The first trimester went by so quickly!" "You guys going anywhere over break?" "No plans yet!" "Same here!" "Summer break usually goes by real quick." "At this rate, it'll be August before you know it." "I know!" "Yo, Kazehaya?" "Mind if I take this?" "Listen up, guys!" "I feel like playing a scary game this Sunday." "If you're up for it, write your name on the back of this sheet." "I want to see everyone there." "Everyone?" "You going?" "No, I'm too scared!" "It'll be fine!" "No way!" "I bet we'll see real ghosts if Sadako shows up!" "I'm scared, but it sounds fun!" "Sadako won't disappoint us!" "Oh no..." "I can't live up to their expectations." "If only I could see ghosts..." "Then I could at least be of some use." "Kuronuma." "Kuronuma." "Look me in the eye." "Huh?" "One..." "Two..." "Three!" "Hey." "I feel fine." "See?" "Shota..." "I mean, Kazehaya, told me to see for myself." "Huh?" "Kazehaya?" "How do you feel about him?" "W-Well..." "H-He's always so pleasant, and..." "What?" "!" ""Pleasant"?" "!" "That brat?" "Yes!" "Actually, I should say that he's the embodiment of that word itself." "Hey." "What do you mean by that?" "Kuronuma..." "Maybe you didn't mean it, but he definitely took that as an insult." "What?" "What are you doing, Pin?" "!" "Peace out, Pleasant Adolescent!" "Jesus..." "So, about what you were saying..." "Umm..." "I-I meant it as a compliment." "Come on, I'm not even that pleasant." "N-No, you are." "Your last name even has "wind" in it." "Hey, I'd say your name is pretty pleasant too." "But my last name means "dark swamp."" "But your first name, "Sawako," means "pleasant child," right?" "See?" "Spooky Hike Participants Sawako Kuronuma Organizer:" "Kazehaya Fee: 200 Yen" "I've always thought that you hated me..." "Since you always run away." "N-No, I must have given you the wrong idea." "Maybe you should try speaking your mind to everyone else like you just did." "I'm looking forward to seeing you on Sunday." "Seriously?" "You locked eyes with her for more than three seconds?" "Quit being a bunch of goofballs!" "Ow!" "Seriously guys, go out there and get a life—" "Teach?" "What's wrong, Pin?" "It must be Sadako's curse!" "That expired in May...?" "But don't you think Sadako could freak everyone out if she went to the hills in a ghost costume?" "Totally." "Man, can't we get her to do it?" "I think she'd make people piss their pants just by standing there." "Totally." "I wish she would!" "Will..." "Will you let me be the ghost?" "What?" "Well..." "I know I'll be letting everyone down, but I can't summon spirits." "I-I want to be useful to everyone." "Please let me be the ghost." "Please." "A ghost!" "Boo." "Not bad." "Boo!" "I'd say you're doing pretty well, Sadako." "Yoshida, Yano." "It's for you." "Here." "Thank you..." "Hey, I've got an idea." "Why don't you try this next?" "Mind giving it a try?" "Like this?" "That is scary." "The next guy is so gonna piss his pants." "Yeah!" "Hey, it's Kazehaya!" "You scared me." "Kuronuma." "You should have told me you were here." "I'm managing the event, after all." "I thought you didn't show up." "I'm sorry." "We'll be on our way, Sadako." "Good luck!" "Thank you for the drink." "It was nice of you." "Why don't you take a break?" "Aren't you scared being out here all alone?" "I-I really enjoy the night." "And..." "I'm really happy about playing this role." "A ghost?" "I'm delighted." "Everyone seems to be having a good time because of it." "Wow." "Check this out, Kuronuma." "I wonder why..." "The view looks more beautiful than ever." "I'd like to take this opportunity to announce the results from last night!" "The only loser is Kazehaya!" "You never finished the hike!" "You knew?" "Come to the front, Kazehaya!" "Come on!" "And your penalty for being last..." "You have to date Sadako for a week!" "Seriously?" "That's dumb." "That's the penalty?" "She made moves on you during the hike, right?" "All I said is that they were standing next to each other!" "Yeah, quit making crap up!" "Why are you guys getting so worked up?" "It's just a penalty." "Why don't you just go out with her for a week?" "You're calling this a "penalty"?" "Imagine how that made Kuronuma feel." "What's wrong, dude?" "It's a friendly joke!" "It's not funny." "She's a girl." "Wait, don't tell me... you actually like her?" "!" "He's not denying it..." "Seriously, Kazehaya?" "This isn't like you." "Lame, Kazehaya." "I didn't think you liked anyone..." "Wait, seriously?" "Kazehaya..." "Cut it out, guys!" "It's..." "It's a misunderstanding." "Kazehaya was just... treating me nicely, like he does with everyone else." "So..." "You guys have the wrong idea." "Why..." "Why?" "Kuronuma!" "Kuronuma?" "They apologized, saying they took it too far." "I-I'm sorry." "You were being so nice to me, and I ended up causing you trouble." "You didn't." "Say, do you remember the first day of school?" "This is where you told me the way." "Ever since then, I've..." "I do remember." "Because ever since then, I've admired you." ""Admired"?" "Yeah." "You're so cheerful and pleasant." "I've... always wanted to be someone like you." "You have all of my respect." ""Respect."" "A-And I still do, I swear." "Thank you for everything." "I wonder if my feelings will reach you someday." "The feeling that was born in my heart that day... that has grown larger over time." "All right, we'll be having a seat change for the new trimester!" "Everyone up to the front!" "Make three rows!" "Come on, line up!" "You first, Kuronuma." "Go on." "Sadako first?" "Why?" "We were here first!" "We should be going first!" "Shut your traps!" "Okay, you guys handle the rest." "What?" "Seriously?" "The trimester just began and he's already slacking off!" "Cross your fingers and hope that your seat isn't next to hers." "Masashi sat beside her once and his grades dropped." "Pin got a stomachache, too!" "Sadako got seat number 30!" "You go on ahead." "Excuse me." "I don't need to draw." "Kazehaya?" "He sat next to her..." "I don't need to draw either." "Huh?" "Me neither!" "Joe, you're taking it too far." "Why do you get that seat, Ryu?" "!" "I always sit here." "What?" "For crying out loud..." "You look scary!" "Stop making that face!" "I'm so happy..." "If I don't strain my eyes like this, I'll end up crying." "But you guys wouldn't want to see that..." "I'm... so happy to be in this seat." "I'm starving!" "This looks good." "Yeah, it does." "And it is!" "Not hungry, Kuronuma?" "T-This... is the first time I've stopped for a meal on my way home..." "It's just so overwhelming..." "Come on, eat up." "You don't want the noodles to turn soft." "You're right." "Don't you have baseball practice today, Ryu?" "Finished early." "Cheers." "Yo." "Why is Sanada here?" "Ryu's family owns this place." "Really?" "Can I get a bowl of miso ramen, grandma?" "Of course, dear." "Kurosuma?" "Who?" "Her name's Kuronuma." "You really suck remembering names." "These three went to elementary and middle school together." "But Yoshida and Ryu go even further back." "Kinda been stuck with him since we were kids." "Haven't been able to shake him since." "Chizuru's like my brother." "Hang on!" "Who's the older brother, then?" "You've got nothing else to say?" "Huh?" "Me, obviously." "Whoa." "You smiled." "Hey!" "You should always smile like that!" "W-When I get nervous, my face tends to tense up." "Your face turns scary when you get nervous?" "What the heck?" "Chizu!" "What are you laughing at, Ryu?" "Thanks, that was great!" "Thank you!" "Man, am I full!" "Later, Yano-chin!" "Later, Sadako." "Later." "Bye." "Isn't your house this way, Kazehaya?" "Oh, I need to hit up the convenience store." "Is your house this way?" "Yeah." "Let me walk you home." "It's getting late." "Don't worry about it!" "I..." "live really far from here." "S-Sorry." "You okay?" "I'm home!" "Orchestra practice kept me." "Hey Dad." "Hi honey." "I'm starving!" "Thanks." "Huh?" "Where's Sawako's plate?" "I already had ramen." "Kids from her class invited her out." "She made friends?" "!" "What are they like?" "No idea." "Maybe it's a boy?" "What?" "Once more!" "Let's do this!" "Focus..." "This isn't looking too good." "One more time, please." "Pass me another one." "Here." "Here I go!" "You can do it!" "Be precise..." "Go!" "Umm... these are for you two." "Thanks for helping me practice." "For us?" "!" "Thanks!" "Thanks." "The soccer tournament for the sports festival might not go so smoothly for us." "I-I'm sorry." "I'll practice hard so I don't end up making our class lose." "Thanks!" "H-Here..." "Sorry about that." "That scared me." "Sadako was the one who gave me the ball." "Are you serious?" "!" "For real?" "!" "Are you okay?" "She's scary, don't you think?" "I wonder how we can make the rumors about Sadako go away." "I was thinking that maybe I could write a newspaper with an article talking about how being with me won't get you cursed." "Then secretly deliver to everyone's homes." "Don't." "That'll just make matters worse." "I think you should just stay the way you are, though." "You could probably make parties more fun by learning ghost stories." "Ghost stories?" "Yup." "You can learn them and start telling them to people." "Oh, were you guys practicing for the festival?" "You make me proud." "Just watch, Pin!" "My miracle goal will knock you out of your seat!" "All right then, Yoshida!" "I'm expecting great things." "But..." "I can't say the same for next week's midterm." "Better not flunk it, missy!" "Crap!" "I totally forgot about the exam!" "Morning!" "Morning!" "Morning." "Hey..." "For Yoshida Notes on all of the main points for the midterm" "Do you think this'll help you out?" "Wow!" "Thank you so much!" "Look, Yano-chin!" "Holy..." "Do you even study for tests?" "Hush!" "I will this time, for sure!" "Morning." "Morning." "Wow, this is really easy to understand!" "You probably spent all night making this." "Hey, what are you guys looking at?" "Have a look yourself." "Crazy." "It's all handwritten." "Took you a long time, I bet!" "No, not really." "I was really happy when I thought I could do something useful for you." "I love you!" "That's Sadako's seat, Ryu." "Get out." "Out." "Thanks again." "I'm not letting you have a look, Ryu." "One notebook to change your attitude." "Would you mind tutoring all of us, Kuronuma?" "Huh?" "You're probably a great teacher." "Who's with me?" "Me!" "Great idea!" "Kazehaya!" "It's Kurumi." "Kurumizawa!" "Morning." "What's up?" "I went ahead and completed the questionnaire assignment for the sports festival committee." "Need it for reference?" "You just saved my life." "I appreciate it." "Where are you headed?" "Oh..." "I feel a bit sleepy." "I'm just going to wash my face." "You're Kuronuma, right?" "Yeah." "Great!" "I've always wanted a chance to talk to you." "To me?" "I'm Kurumi." "Nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you!" "All right, time for a ten minute break!" "Okay." "And after the break, you're to work on the questionnaires." "Okay." "Hey, Kazehaya." "Yeah?" "Did you already get the new album by Martinez?" "Yeah." "Just the other day." "Really?" "Will you let me borrow it?" "I'm running low on money this month." "Are you listening to me?" "Sorry, what were you saying?" "The new album by Martinez." "Yeah, I'll remember to bring it next time." "Go!" "Yeah!" "Nice one!" "You're getting there, Sadako!" "So close!" "Don't worry about it." "Nice!" "The exam is only two days away..." "I hope Yoshida is using the notes I made her." "Did you hear those rumors about Yano and Yoshida?" "!" "I did!" "The bad ones, right?" "Isn't Sadako just awful?" "Yeah..." "I think their reputations have taken a hit since they started hanging with Sadako." "Same goes for Kazehaya." "Definitely." "He should just leave her be." "I know!" "They should just stop paying attention to her." "Bow." "Let's go home, Sadako!" "Let's go." "How about some ramen?" "Again?" "Come on, why not?" "I'm so tired of ramen." "What?" "!" "S-Sorry." ""Sorry"?" "What's with her?" ""Bad rumors"?" "What, are they really that bad?" "They say Yoshida was sent to a reformatory when she was a delinquent." "Seriously?" "And I hear Yano slept with a hundred guys in middle school!" "Isn't that outrageous?" "Unbelievable!" "Yeah?" "Sounds interesting." "Mind telling us some more?" "And who's the one that's spreading all of this?" "Well..." "Fess up." "Who was it?" "Sadako." "They say it was Sadako Kuronuma." "What?" "What?" "There's no way she would." "If she were that sly, she'd be a lot better off by this point." "Exactly." "Right?" "Hey!" "Kuronuma!" "Have you seen Yano and Yoshida?" "I-I haven't." "What?" "I thought they were your friends." "Th-They're not." "They aren't?" "!" "But I thought..." "Sadako?" "Did you study?" "No!" "I'm doomed!" "Me too!" "Sadako." "I-If you'll excuse me." "Hold it right there!" "Let go!" "I need you two to help me make the list of names for the sports festival." "Why us?" "!" "We're right in the middle of exams!" "Damn that Pin!" "He just had to get in our way!" "What did Sadako mean by that?" "Well, if you think about it... are we friends?" "Then what are we?" "!" "What do you have to do before you can start calling each other friends?" "Hey, let's ask her how she really feels." "Okay." "Morning." "Morning." "Good morning." "Sadako." "We're going to ask you something really important, and we want an honest answer." "Umm..." "How do you feel about us?" "How do I feel?" "Yano-chin and I like you a lot." "Do you like us?" "I don't know about "like,"" "it's more..." "I'm so screwed for today's English exam." "Tell me about it." "I bet you we'll get tested on the six interrogative words." "I don't think we should be seen together." "You're good at English, after all." "Need me to cheer you up?" "Go away." "Pork buns again?" "No, a sweet bean bun!" "You always come here when you're feeling depressed." "I'm not feeling depressed." "Well it's definitely not because of those rumors about you." "I don't give a crap about those." "It's about Sadako." "When we asked Sadako whether she likes us or not, she didn't give us an answer." "I was so sure she did, too." "Maybe I was just flattering myself." "Why didn't Sadako say she likes us?" "Maybe she doesn't?" "So you think she dislikes us?" "!" "Maybe." "And what part of this is cheering me up?" "!" "But I can think of several other scenarios." "Like?" "If Kurosawa tells you she doesn't care about you," "I'll cheer you up." "Her name's Kuronuma, you dork." "Well, well." "If it isn't Yano." "What are you still doing here?" "Midterms are finally over!" "Go home!" "I need something from the library." "I can't even imagine you reading a book." "It's your fault, you know." "Huh?" "You got in our way." "That's why we couldn't..." "I don't really know what's going on, but you shouldn't be blaming people." "It solves nothing." "A lot of things in this world are unfair." "So, you know what?" "It's up to you to make things work." "Even if... it really is my fault!" "Yoshida..." "Yano..." "You can't call that practice." "Where are the other girls?" "They don't want to practice with you?" "Hang on!" "Why are you avoiding me?" "You can't." "If you're with me..." "What is it?" "I'm not going to understand unless you make yourself more clear." "If you guys are with me," "it'll lower your reputation." "Why...?" "Why do you think that?" "Was it based on a rumor you heard?" "I..." "I really want to be with Yoshida and Yano." "But then again, I don't want to give them trouble." "It's not up to you to decide whether you're giving me trouble or not." "That's for me to decide." "Rumors don't mean anything to me." "Hey." "How would you feel if you were in our shoes?" "How would you feel if we started to avoid you without saying anything?" "I-I wouldn't like that." "Then those two probably feel the same." "Try passing the ball to me." "When you're making a pass, you have to really want it to reach the other person." "Good luck, Yoshida!" "Seems like Sadako isn't much of an artist." "She went through all this trouble for me." "I went to the library today to pick out some books on ghost stories for Sadako." "Yano-chin..." "Then I saw that she had already checked out every scary book in the library." "She's so innocent!" "She was smiling when we all went out for ramen, right?" "Yeah!" "That actually surprised me." "You know how she was so used to being avoided, it was almost a normal thing for her?" "She's actually really nice once you get to know her." "That's why I couldn't leave her be." "Oh." "You know," "I was also used to being alone, so I know what it's like to lose track of your own feelings." "That's why seeing her smile made me so happy." "So that's what was on your mind back then." "Hey, I'm surprised you care about her so much, too." "Geez, and I thought I knew everything about you!" "I guess you really have to ask someone directly to understand their feelings." "And the same goes for Sadako." "Do you realize we've been thinking about her nonstop?" "She's definitely our friend." "Let's tell her our feelings tomorrow." "Everything we just talked about." "Let's." "U-Umm..." "Y-Yoshida..." "Y-Yano..." "I..." "I-I know it may be a bother..." "B-But instead of just "classmates," do you think..." "It really surprised me, but I hear she works as a pimp." "In prostitution?" "!" "So she does earn a lot of money from men!" "I'm not really surprised." "The both of them do look like delinquents." "I agree." "It's those two we're talking about." "Y-You're misunderstanding them." "Look what the cat dragged in." "I-It's a misunderstanding." "Yano and Yoshida are both very nice people." "How?" "One's a criminal delinquent and the other is a whore." "You're wrong!" "Please take those words back." "They're both very nice, and..." "Why don't you just shut up?" "Kuronuma?" "Where are Yano and Yoshida?" "I saw Chizuru in the classroom." "But why?" "They have to be the ones to solve this." "Yano, Yoshida, Kuronuma is fighting hard for you." "What?" "Please take them back." "Don't say such horrible things about them." "Like you're one to talk!" "You're the one who's spreading the rumors!" "Huh?" "Me?" "You were probably using them to get closer to Kazehaya, weren't you?" "Well, I'm sure those two were probably hanging out with you to kill time." "No..." "You're wrong about everything." "You don't know anything!" "You don't know about all the nice things they did for me." "You don't know how well they've been treating me." "You don't know just how much just how much I love those two!" "You're gonna stand up for her even after she spread those rumors?" "She wouldn't!" "It wasn't her." "Yeah, I bet you were the ones who made up our rumors!" "No?" "Wait." "Please take back what you said about them." "Fine." "I take it back." "They understood..." "They understood, Yano, Yoshida!" "Sadako..." "We don't care about that." "We need to make sure it's disinfected." "I had no idea I was hurt." "I felt so desperate..." "Silly girl." "Why did you do that?" "I've given up on a lot of things." "I've always wanted to be friends with everyone, but it's never worked out, so I figured, "forget it."" "But I couldn't forget you two." "But when I'm with you guys, people say bad things about you." "Those rumors—" "Sadako, did you think those rumors hurt us?" "Did you think being with you would "hurt" us?" "I'm not sure how to make it better, but..." "I'll do my best to clear up any misunderstandings people have, no matter how many times it takes." "I want to be with you two." "I want to be friends with you two." "I-I fell in the restroom earlier—" "Sadako." "Don't cut yourself off anymore." "You know, Sadako?" "Friendship isn't something you consciously create." "Before you know it, it just appears." "We're already friends." "Sawako." "Sawako." "Chizu, here!" "Sadako!" "You did it!" "Pack it up!" "Stop there!" "He's going for it!" "Safe!" "That was too close." "So your recklessness does come in handy sometimes." "What's that supposed to mean?" "!" "It means you always only focus on what you want to do." "It won't always work out the way you want it to." "It'll be fine!" "Ryu's doing really well." "He's gotten a hit every time so far." "A home run would've been nice just then." "We've still got a long way to go." "Sawako." "Are you free?" "Hey Chizu..." "That girl has been around Sawako lately." "Who is she?" "Oh, you mean Kurumi?" "I don't really know her." "I've only spoken to her about things related to Kazehaya." "I see." "We're friends, right?" "Yes." "I wanted to ask you for a favor..." "You see, there's this guy I like." "Do you think you could help me?" "If there's something I can do, then of course." "Thank you!" "The guy I like... is Kazehaya." "What?" "Oh no, I have to go." "Let's talk later, okay?" "Thanks, Sawako." "What is it?" "I-I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to help you with that." "Why not?" "You said you would." "We're friends, right?" "Kazehaya is someone... special to me." "Do you want to go out with him?" "Go out with him..." "Where?" "When you say he's special to you, you don't mean romantically, do you?" "Romantically?" "I mean, your feelings for him are different than mine!" "Why is he special to you anyway?" "Just because he was nice to you?" "I..." "Isn't he special to you just because he's the only guy you talk to?" "Why don't you try talking to some other guys?" "Maybe like Sanada?" "Sanada?" "Yeah!" "You two sit right by each other." "You should definitely try talking to him!" "If you do, you might think he's special too." "Um..." "Kurumi told me you'd be here..." "You're..." "Kura..." "Sawako Kuronuma." "Yes!" "What'd you want to talk about?" "Talk about..." "What did I..." "Sawako was so cute today!" "During the softball game, she couldn't take her eyes off of Sanada at all!" "He was amazing today, wasn't he?" "No wonder he's our baseball team's star." "Do you know what "romantically" means?" "I don't think I do..." "It's a feeling." "It's a special feeling you have for someone that you don't have for anyone else." "How do you know if it's special?" "When you realize it, you'll know." "I've always felt that way about Chizuru." "Keep that a secret between us though." "Th-That's so beautiful!" "I've memorized all the songs from that CD you lent me." "Really?" "Wait, Kazehaya!" "Sorry." "I just couldn't stand it." "Kuronuma?" "Do you like Ryu?" "I do." "But not in a "special" way." "More like..." "Just as a classmate?" "I see." "I'm sorry." "But I really do think Sanada's amazing!" "Like he's..." "A really good person!" "I understand." "I'm sorry." "Don't worry about it." "This was in your shoe locker?" "Yeah." "Please come to the gym at 12 PM." "Sawako Kuronuma." "This isn't Sawako's handwriting though, is it?" "It's not." "But Kuroiwa was there." "Kuronuma!" "Get it right!" "Ayane, something's up." "And where's Sawako now?" "Shota took her somewhere." "Kazehaya did?" "Yeah." "He showed up there with this almond girl." "Almond girl?" "You're trying to push Sawako and Kazehaya apart, aren't you?" "Why would I do that?" "I was watching, you know." "Your note." "I saw you put it in Ryu's shoe box." "So what?" "It's so unfortunate that you've failed yet again." "Sawako's tougher than she looks, isn't she?" "Since she's straight and honest, unlike you." "Yano-chin, I don't really get what's going on—" "I've been thinking something was up." "The rumors those girls were talking about in the restroom were different from previous ones about Sawako." "Oh yeah, they weren't about ghosts or curses and stuff." "Right." "They were strangely related to Kazehaya." "It was painfully obvious that someone didn't like seeing Sawako with Kazehaya." "Wouldn't you say, Kurumi?" "Chizu, Ayane." "What's the matter?" "Sawako, she tried to set you up." "What?" "She did?" "!" "She was also the one who spread those rumors about us." "Th-That's a misunderstanding." "Kurumi wouldn't do something like that." "Kurumi and I are friends." "She even talked to me about things that are important to her." "You're so annoying." "That's why I can't stand you." "I never thought of you as a friend." "Yes, I spread those rumors." "And?" "Why did you do something like that?" "Because she's an eyesore." "She's always hanging around him." "You should have just been alone your entire life!" "Hey!" "Apologize to her right now!" "It's okay." "Let's just tell Kazehaya everything." "Go ahead!" "I don't care!" "Let's go." "Chizu!" "Ayane!" "Please don't tell Kazehaya." "I'm sure she didn't mean it when she said go ahead." "Sawako, what are you saying?" "Are you defending her?" "Okay." "If that's what you want." "Yano..." "Sawako, where are you going?" "I was actually looking for Kurumi." "There's something I want to tell her." "I need to go do that." "What?" "Um..." "I think my feelings for Kazehaya are actually special." "Special in the way yours are." "Gosh, that's so scary to say, even to a friend." "I said we're not friends!" "I like Kazehaya way, way more than you do!" "Don't put my feelings on the same level as yours!" "I've been trying to get him to like me since middle school!" "I managed to get into the same high school as him, and people were finally rooting for me, so I thought that maybe I'd be able to confess to him." "But there's no point in that now." "If Kazehaya's not going to like me back, there's just no point!" "I know..." "I know that he doesn't like me." "How could I not know?" "No one pays more attention to him than I do." "There's no way I could be as straight- forward and honest as you are." "I hate you!" "Athletic festival organization committee, dismissed!" "Good work everyone!" "Thank you!" "Good work, good work!" "Thanks everyone!" "See you, Kazehaya." "See you!" "Bye bye!" "Bye!" "Kurumizawa." "I'm sorry." "I ran off in the middle of clean-up." "No one's said anything to you about me?" "What?" "What?" "Now I'm curious!" "Kazehaya..." "I like you." "I've always liked you." "I'm sorry." "There's someone I like." "Did it make you feel happy at all when I said that I liked you?" "Yeah." "Thank you." "You have no taste in girls." "It's not often you find a girl this cute." "Hey, hey, which one do you think would look best on me?" "I want to try to look a little mature." "Wow, you usually don't look at magazines like that." "Well, it's almost New Year's!" "What do you mean almost?" "November just started!" "I didn't know you liked New Year's so much!" "It's 'cause she gets to spend it with her secret crush." "What do you mean secret crush!" "Well, I guess that's true." "We've been playing together since we were little so he treats me like a little sister." "I want to show him that I'm a girl worth looking at too!" "Huh?" "You mean..." "Is the person you like..." "Hello?" "Yeah." "It's lunchtime right now." "Okay, got it." "Boyfriend?" "Yeah." "Yano's boyfriend is in college!" "W-Wow, so mature..." "Chizuru, I'm sorry." "I can't go shopping with you today." "The Iwakura mission traveled from Japan to Europe and America on a one year, nine month mission to learn Western cultures and systems." "During that time, Takamori Saigo and Daisuke Itagaki's group remained in Japan, and focused on diplomacy with China and Korea." "These were the important players in 1871." "To Kuronuma From Kazehaya" "I'll be waiting at the gate after school" "Kuronuma!" "Hey Kazehaya!" "Yoshida?" "I'm going shopping with Chizu now." "I-I see." "Sorry, Kazehaya." "I asked her first." "But if you don't mind, maybe we could all go together?" "Chizu suggested we do!" "It's not really me..." "What about this one?" "No, this one?" "Both of them look nice." "I should ask Kazehaya for a guy's perspective." "Kazehaya!" "Which one do you like better?" "The one on the left." "Really?" "Sawako, hold still a sec?" "It's kind of expensive though..." "Maybe I'll splurge on it." "Welcome!" "Kuronuma." "I'm gonna take off." "There's something I need to do." "I'm off, Yoshida." "See you." "See you!" "Thanks for coming with me." "Do you mind if I ask you something?" "Who is the person you like?" "Ryu's older brother." "Sanada's older brother?" "Yup." "He lives in Tokyo now, but he comes back every New Year's." "You've been practicing a lot lately." "Yeah, there's only a month left until the concert." "After the concert's over, your mom and I'll celebrate your birthday with you, okay?" "Okay." "Here's this year's pamphlet." "Hey Sawako." "I've been meaning to ask you." "It's getting colder now, and the sun is setting earlier." "What do you think about taking the bus to school during the winter?" "I'm fine, really." "He can't help worrying about you." "Dad's like that." "You are a girl, after all." "Huh?" "You want to take the bus to school?" "Yes." "My dad is worried about me walking home in the dark." "Let me see your student ID." "Oh, right." "I'll put a seal on it for you." "Thank you." "Did you really lose my ID?" "I might have thrown it away..." "Don't worry, I'll get a new one issued for you." "What?" "But..." "No way..." "That was really important to me." "Don't say that." "Here." "As long as you have this, you can still get the student discount." "Kuronuma, it doesn't matter what form the ID is in." "What's important is its contents." "In other words, its heart!" "It's about heart!" "You get it, right?" "All right, time to coach!" "Hey!" "She's here!" "She's here!" "Why are you guys all still..." "We were waiting for you." "We wanted to all get ramen together." "I promised my dad I'd go home early today..." "Oh..." "Well, let's go some other day then." "I'll walk you home." "No, it's okay!" "I'm taking the bus home from now on." "We won't be able to walk home together anymore?" "She does live pretty far away." "See you tomorrow!" "See you!" "See you." "We're gonna head off too." "See you!" "Bye!" "Morning!" "Oh, morning!" "Morning, Kuronuma." "Morning!" "Hey..." "I'm going to take a look at a place for the Christmas Eve party on Sunday." "Want to come with me?" "On Sunday?" "Your dad won't mind as long as you ask him in advance, right?" "I'll ask!" "Morning!" "Morning." "Whatcha talking about?" "What?" "About the party place for Christmas Eve." "I was asking her if she wanted to go with me to take a look at it..." "I want to go, I want to go!" "I know this great place right by the station!" "Chizu." "What about you, Ayane?" "I'm going out on a date with my boyfriend on Sunday." "Ah, okay." "It's super close to the station and has a ton of new songs!" "And the food is amazing!" "There's this potato thing, and it comes with this huge bucket!" "Like this!" "I knew you'd be here already." "I mean, I figured you'd be here early." "You're coming to the party, right?" "Am I invited?" "Of course!" "That makes me so happy." "But I'm supposed to be celebrating Christmas Eve with my parents..." "I really want to go though, so I'll ask!" "And hey, after the party—" "Hey, Kazehaya!" "Have you decided what we're doing for the party?" "Not yet." "He's gonna do magic tricks." "I never said magic." "Man, I wanted to surprise you." "You weren't even trying!" "Sawako!" "Yano's in trouble!" "Will you come with me?" "Ayane?" "Sorry Kazehaya!" "Sawako and I can't go anymore." "Did something happen?" "I can't say." "Girl stuff." "Joe, you know where the karaoke place is, right?" "Yeah." "You can show him." "Sawako, let's go." "What do we do now?" "Let's go sing by ourselves then!" "Yeah, let's do it!" "I thought it was great that he was older and more mature and whatever, but he keeps calling me and asking me if I'm cheating on him." "Then he goes and cancels our date." "I'm sick of this." "I give up." "He's more trouble than he's worth." "What do you..." "Toru!" "Toru!" "Oh my god, it's you!" "Is that..." "Ryu's older brother." "It's not even New Year's yet!" "Why are you here?" "What's up?" "I'll show her out." "Chizuru." "Chi, I'm getting married." "It's nice to meet you." "I'm Haruka Katayama." "Nice to meet you." "I wonder if she knows how I feel about her..." "Kazehaya, come look at this!" "Coming." "So good!" "Don't you think you've had enough now?" "Excuse me!" "Yes?" "Another order please!" "Yes'm." "You have it pretty tough too, huh?" "What with that pestering boyfriend of yours and all." "We already moved on from that topic." "Sawako." "Why are you making such a scary face?" "Because I can't let myself cry." "You're the one who's hurt, not me." "How could I cry in front of you?" "It's all over." "Failed test, failed love." "I guess I'll just have to party it up over winter break!" "You have supplemental classes over break." "Damn it!" "I'm not going to the Christmas party." "I'm going to put an end to this boyfriend business." "Me neither." "Ryu asked me to help out at the store." "Man, can't he be a little more sensitive?" "Did you manage to ask your dad about the party, Sawako?" "Actually, not yet..." "What?" "It's in two days!" "Make sure you go and have a good time with Kazehaya." "Yeah..." "I have to ask Dad tonight." "Kuronuma?" "Kazehaya!" "Kuronuma." "Will you go out with me?" "But I have something I need to do today..." "That's not what I meant!" "I want you to be my girlfriend." "What?" "Wait." "Here." "Let's go to this together after the Christmas party." "Just the two of us." "Winter Constellation Viewing" "Just the two of us?" "I want to spend Christmas Eve with you." "Just you." "But I—" "I can't just be your—" "Or I mean, I just can't imagine being your..." "Um, I..." "I'm sorry." "Yes?" "Yo!" "Will she be okay?" "What?" "Her friends." "They look like bad influences." "I heard you didn't go to the Christmas party." "Yeah, and the other guys said Kazehaya was really off all night." "Did something happen?" "What's wrong?" "Why are you crying?" "Oh no." "What should we do?" "Honey, Sawako's crying!" "How come?" "I don't know!" "What should we do?" "What should I do?" "Now that you mention it, she was sort of down on Christmas too, wasn't she?" "Kazehaya asked me to go out with him." "I really like him!" "But I-I'm a little worried about going out." "My mind just completely blanked." "You turned him down?" "Why?" "I was really, really happy." "But his confession alone was more than enough for me." "But Kazehaya told you how he felt about you, didn't he?" "Why didn't you tell him how you felt too?" "Chizu." "You're always putting yourself down." "But you know what?" "If you can't like yourself, you're saying that Kazehaya was lying about his feelings!" "And we like you too!" "You don't believe in any of us!" "?" "Chizu, calm down." "Kazehaya clearly told you how he felt, right?" "What about you?" "Did you tell him how you feel?" "Kazehaya's a guy, and he's pretty stubborn, so even if you tell him now that you actually like him, he might not take you seriously." "But still, even if it's a no, you should at least tell him how you feel." "Kazehaya's pretty busy cleaning the house and all, but he said he's coming to the Yagumo Shrine for the New Year's countdown." "Right?" "He said to meet at 11 PM." "But New Year's Eve is..." "New Year's Eve Countdown Concert Doors Open: 11pm Show: 11:30pm" "Sawako's gonna come, right?" "I think so..." "Kazehaya!" "Whoa, that looks good on ya!" "Typical Mr. Pleasant!" "The sweet sake smells great!" "I'm not pleasant." "I'm leaving." "Take care of this." "You're leaving?" "Kazehaya!" "You have a minute?" "What is it?" "New Year's Eve Countdown Concert" "Excuse us." "What's the matter, Sawako?" "Do you feel okay?" "I'm fine." "I heard you confessed to Kuronuma." "How do you know about that?" "Heard from Chizuru." "Oh." "Makes sense." "She was really down." "She gets more upset over others than over herself." "What's Kuronuma like?" "What?" "What do you mean?" "I don't know, just answer it." "She's always earnest, hardworking," "innocent, emotional, straightforward, and honest, I guess." "She's always thinking of other people." "Did I think of her feelings?" "Hey boys!" "What are you two fine young men doing here in private?" "Pin!" "The vice-principal made me clean for New Year's." "And I found something." "This." "I want you to return it for me." "Here." "What?" "Why do I have to?" "Whose is it?" "Kuronuma's." "And this too." "It was kept very safely inside her ID." "To Kuronuma From Kazehaya" "And there you have it." "Try to understand how she feels, okay?" "Yeah?" "Yeah?" "What the heck, Ryu?" "Let's go." "Wait!" "I was just getting to the good part!" "Let go of me!" "Sawako!" "What's the matter?" "I got the call telling me you were born right before the concert too." "I left the cymbals and ran." "I probably caused a lot of trouble for everyone, but I just had to see you." "I was so happy when I first laid eyes on you." "I don't think I've ever been so happy in my entire life." "Well, I was also pretty happy when I met Mom." "Dad..." "I..." "There's someone I have to see." "I have to see him tonight." "I have to meet him, and, even if things don't work out..." "I have to tell him how I feel." "Then you have to go." "When you have to see someone, you just have to drop everything and go." "I'm sorry." "Thank you." "Excuse me." "That's Sawako, isn't it?" "Sawako!" "Where's Kazehaya?" "He's inside serving sweet sake." "Chizu." "Ayane." "Thank you." "Where's Kazehaya?" "He just left." "Kurumi." "Idiot." "What are you doing here?" "If you're looking for Kazehaya, he's in the park over there." "Thank you." "Countdown: 10!" "10!" "9!" "8!" "He's not here..." "Wow!" "They're so pretty!" "Kazehaya..." "Kuronuma!" "K-Kazehaya!" "Um..." "Thank you!" "Wait, no, that's not what I meant." "There's something I have to tell you..." "It's okay, take your time." "I..." "I..." "I like you." "I do too." "I've always liked you." "This is kind of like a dream." "It finally got through." "I'm sorry I wasn't able to wish you a happy birthday before midnight." "I'm really happy that we're spending the New Year's together." "And I'm happy for the future." "tsuburana hitomi mo hana ni kakaru jareta koe mo" "You have a pair of lovely round eyes and a playful, nasal voice sono chiisana te mo" "Your hands are as small as that of a child's umaku waraenai kimi ga waraeba" "One of my wishes ano hi mita yume ga mata hitotsu kanau is for you to smile naturally yukikau hitotachi no shiawase jibun no koto no youni" "Why are you so kind doushite nee negauno as to wish for everyone's happiness?" "kimi ni aeta koto hontou ni yokattato sou ieru" "I'm thankful from the bottom of my heart that I was able to meet you sono egao wo mamoritai" "I want to protect your smile rainen mo sarainen mo ima ijou ni kimi ga suki de" "My love for you will multiply as the years go by sore gurai boku no subete de" "You mean the world to me" "Here." "boku ni shika ienai kotoba wo" "I'd like to tell you the three words ima kimi ni todoketai" "That can come from me only" "YUUUM." "Good, isn't it?" "Yeah!" "Gifts from girls really keep you warm!" "donna kimi no sokumen wo mitemo" "This may be an exaggeration, oogesa kamo shirenaikedo but no matter what angle I observe you from, sono doremo ga boku no mune wo utsu everything about you just captivates me dakishimetai" "I want to embrace you" "Wow!" "We match?" "Do you two have the same handwarmer?" "You two match?" "moshimo kanashimi ni tsutsumaretanara" "If you are ever overcome by grief," "Freaky!" "boku wa ima sugu kimi ni ai ni yukuyo" "I will rush to your side todoke ima todoke" "I want these words to reach you now kimi ni iezu ni ita I love you the three simple words, "I love you."" "sono kokoro no mannaka ni" "Strike the center of your heart rainen mo sarainen mo ima ijou ni kimi ga suki de" "My love for you will multiply as the years go by soregurai boku no subete de" "You mean the world to me" "Say "ahh."" "boku ni shika ienai kotoba wo mitsuketakara" "I finally thought of the words only I can say" "Yum." "kokoro made kawashitai omoi kimi ni todoketai" "As my feelings reach you, I want our hearts to unite" "Say "ahh."" "Ahh." "Yum." "Winter Constellation Viewing" "Kuronuma?"