"[JULY 19, 1997]" "Morning." "Hey." "If you're free, could you maybe...?" "Sorry." "Going out." "Oh, okay." "Morning." "You're up early." "Going to Shibuya." "Oh, to buy a swimsuit?" "Where's sis?" " Up, and just packing her things." "Morning, sis." " 'Morning." "Ready to escape?" "Almost." " It'll be lonely after you leave." "Easier, you mean." "Need money, just in case?" "You can return the change." "Thanks, I have enough." "I made French toast." "Want some?" "Something wrong?" "You seem depressed." "Weird dream, maybe." "Weird how?" "I forget." "Leaving so soon?" "Today's your match?" "Masters, yes." "50m breaststroke and 25m butterfly." "Good luck!" " Thank you." "No cramping like last time!" "I'll try." "Okay, I'm off." "See you." "Sweetie?" "I'm leaving." "Oh." "Good luck." "[The dream that Yoshii Hiromi dreamed on the morning of July 19, 1997]" "Halfway up a very tall mountain... a fat man I've never met is forced by a guard to gather mushrooms." "It could be an exercise;" "it could be punishment." "The mushrooms have a shape I've never seen before, like shumai." "They're dry and caked with powder." "After gathering in two places... the fat man finds a scorpion stuck on a rock." "It's small, red and green." ""I can't do this", he says." ""If I get stung, I'll die."" "The fat man pleads with the guard, but in his navy blue uniform... the guard pretends not to hear." "L O V E  P O P" "Everything in the world has got a time for change." "Men and women, adults and children." "Maybe you've got two dads." "Or maybe one day you're alive... the next you turn into a grave or a photo." "Shapes change and disappear before your eyes." "Shapes in your heart too." "They fade, and in the end, disappear." "Things you think won't change... do, meaning that they can." "Will I change?" "Will I be able to?" "All I knew was, I didn't know anything." "Worldly things always end." "People's feelings end." "Friends from junior high school end." "Then again, new places mean new friends." "Maybe the world is all about repeating things over and over." "But that doesn't mean I can't try and catch it before it goes." "That's what made me pick up the camera." "I'm leaving." "Trains are where they're supposed to be, always on time." "The feeling of being taken away." "Every day just like the one before." "Hard to believe tomorrow will be different." "Extreme grief, extreme joy..." "I've known neither one." "It's no big deal, you know." "Vacation in a distant country is more trouble than it's worth." "And fancy restaurant food is overrated." "Right?" "It's only now that you can hang with friends, go out and eat as a group." "That's true." "Still, good food is good food." " I'll say!" "You do?" " Let's eat!" "Let's eat!" "Takoyaki, please!" "It was true." "We weren't the types... to waste time doing things now what we could do later, as adults." "There's this town called Shibuya." "On the end of the Inokashira line, opposite a tunnel." "Maybe the symbolism's why we go there." "That feeling of opening up." "Then again, maybe not." ""I tell you, I fear for this town!"" ""The problem is today's youth, who'll be supporting the Japan of tomorrow."" "You in high school?" "Hey, got a minute?" "Where to?" "Want tea or something?" "My car's over there." "Honda NSX." "Heard of it?" "It's custom-built." "Check out the color." "Hey!" "Let's do tea!" "Thirty minutes, I swear." "I said hey." "In ninth grade, right after splitting up with my first boyfriend..." "I was into telephone clubs." "I hear they're small, those booths." "[About 90 x 90cm, yeah." "Chair, TV, table, phone, box of tissue.]" "[Um, shouldn't 've mentioned the tissue." "Sorry.]" "What kind of work do you do?" "[Uh... guess I'm a writer.]" "A writer?" "[I script variety and music programs." "Sometimes screenplays for dramas.]" "An industry guy, then." "[I guess so, sure. (LAUGH)]" "[I thought I'd do some research on telephone clubs.]" "I see." "[Could we meet maybe?" "]" "[Guess not...]" "Um, sure." "[Really?" "]" "[My lucky day!" "]" "[Okay, I'll be wearing a Chicago Bulls cap.]" "[I'll meet you at the Hozuka building." "At the entrance.]" "[You'll recognize the cap?" "]" "[There's an angry bull on it.]" "[Flaming red, actually.]" "And you met with him?" "I got scared and ditched him." "Red caps still make me panic." "You take so many pictures." "Can you afford all that?" "Not really." "It's tough." "Really?" " Yeah." "So cute." "Say "cheese."" "Now that is not cute." "Hey there, girls." "Join me for a meal?" "I'll pay. 10,000 each." "Your card, please?" "How cautious." "Why not?" "Shabu-shabu tastes best with miso sauce." "Go ahead." "Eat." "What grade are you anyway?" "Eleventh." "A year older than my girl." "You have a daughter?" "I do." " In high school?" "Seishin Girls' Academy, yes." "A little lady!" " Smart too." "Only in 10th, yet she took an award in an English speech contest." "Wow." " Very impressive." "She takes after me, so she's really good looking.." "At school they say she looks like Hiromatsu Ryoko." "You know Hiromatsu?" "Ooh, squid." " Try it with this sauce." "It's good." "Mmm, it is good." "She cooks this gorgeous stuff for me." "Another glass of Oolong tea?" " Mm." "So, so good." "Oolong for two, please." "You girls." "You girls!" "Your problem is you never listen when other people are talking!" "Have a drink." "Here." "Are we really so bad?" "Very bad." "You've no idea how important these last few years are to your future." "Get serious about something, anything." "If you don't, it going to be a bad college, bad career, bad marriage!" "It wasn't so wrong what he said." "But we didn't want to hear it from him, that's all." "[JULY 19, 10:00 A.M.]" "Good morning." "[LATER THAT DAY]" "More pictures?" "How embarrassing." "What's that?" "Oh, some weird guy." "He grabs me..." "Weird guy?" "In front of Hachiko." "And says use it however I want." "Meaning what?" "Tells me to give it back by tonight." "Weird, huh?" "Weird." "He wants to get as many boys as possible our own age to call back..." "Leave messages for them on a service, he says." "Must be gay." "Should I return it?" "Should you?" " Shouldn't I?" "Hey, it's his and he's paying anyway, so let's make a bunch of calls." "The weirdoes really come out when it's warm, don't they?" "It's because I'm an easy target, isn't it?" "One thing I admire about Nao:" "Her inability to say no to anything." "That Nao became attached to computers big-time." "Another thing she's passionate about: dieting." "I think she's just fine as she is." "[CURRENT WEIGHT: 5x kg]" "I definitely need to lose more." "You do?" "I do." "And I'm tying so hard." "You are?" " I eat less dinner, for example." "Or skip it entirely." "I jog, even." "I'm 7 kg below my max." "You are?" " I've still so far to..." "More?" " More." "You're amazing." " I'm a long way off." "I think you're fine." "But still, Hiromi, you're so thin." "You never seem to gain." "No." " You're so lucky." "They just say I'm thin, but not sexy." "Who does?" " My boyfriend." "Well..." "And my finger joints are fat." "Cause you crack your knuckles!" "Like spider-crab legs, they say." "How rude!" "Your boyfriend again?" "My sister." " Oh, no." "How fun." "Fun?" "Where?" "You're laughing." "Girls!" "Back from school?" "Course you are, silly me." "Say, say, say, want some money?" "Wait, that wasn't the best way to ask." "A part time job." "How's that?" "Just join me for dinner." "My apartment is nearby." "I'll cook." "Here." " Apartment?" "Just dinner?" " Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!" "I'll cook, that's all." ""I cook, you eat." Boy, am I out of date." "One person, 5,000 yen!" "Want me to make it 6,000?" "7,000?" "It's cooler now." "Could you turn off the fan?" "Switch... on!" "Power... on!" "The hands." "Must wash the hands." "Is there anything I can help...?" "You're a guest." "Have a seat." "And here we are." "Looks great." "You cooked all this?" "Oh, I started last night." "It's especially good overnight, minestrone." "And this..." "Some do tomatoes and mozzarella in olive oil and wine vinegar... but I used walnut oil, sushi vinegar and a teensy drop of soy sauce." "Tomatoes and nuts go well together, don't you know." "Eat, eat." "Okay." "Chopped walnuts on the mozzarella, interesting, isn't it?" "Usually, I like a little yolk in my carpaccio, but lately it's been so hot..." "And I hear E. coli bacteria are back, so raw meat's kind of... ahhh you know?" "So I went with bonito fish." "Goes well, doesn't it?" "Well?" "Is it good?" "It's delicious." "Oh, gooood." "So I have these parties once in a while." "I cook, and people bring wine, yada yada." "But I can't have parties on a daily basis, you know?" "I don't want "What?" "A party at Yoshimura's again?"" "So maybe once every two, three months at most." "But I still get these urges to cook." "So I go out and get wagyu beef that's, like, 3,000 yen per 100 grams... and whip up steak with herbs." "But it's not good when it's just me." "I've tried it." "Bad idea." "The better the dish, the worse it is." "Why is that?" "I tell you." "When I see good food going cold on the table, with no one to enjoy it... it kills me." "I just love parties." "I'll remember how it was in here later, when I'm alone." "Once you've gone home." "Like how Hiromi-san sat here and had minestrone..." "Your diet?" "Or how Nao-san sat there and had spaghetti." "Remembering that later will be good for me." "You, um, needn't force yourself to eat." "There's plenty of..." "When you take lots of photos, disposable cameras are out." "That's why I used the enjo kosai money to buy a real one." "But Nao's PC was different." "I used up all my savings." "Otherwise, it's... ugh." ""I'm a 16-year-old high school girl."" ""I've nothing to do and would like to hang out."" "[JULY 19, 10:12 A.M.] I'll be waiting for your call." "Will that work?" " I think so." "You next, Hiromi." " Me?" " Yes." "I press 0, right?" "I'm 16 years right now." "But I've no boobs and I'm skinny." "If you're some perv who likes no-boob girls, please leave a message." "Chi-chan's here." "Morning, Chi-chan." " 'Morning!" "Ugh..." "It's so hot!" " It is." "I'll burn right up." " True." "Oh." "Sachi just paged to say she'd be late." "What's so funny?" "See, some gay guy gave Nao a cell phone." "He wants us to get messages from young guys." "What a freak." "Chi-chan, you too." "Press 0 and speak." "Ok." "Hi, I'm 17 and a junior." "I just, um, split with my boyfriend so I'm feeling a bit down." "If you've got the time, so do I. I'll be waiting." "It's hard." "It always comes out uneven." "Go to a nail salon, then." "But it's so expensive." "So you get it professionally once, then do it yourself." "Wanna know where I go?" " Yeah." "They're in J.J. magazine." "They're good." "Thanks." "Well?" "How are things with your boyfriend?" "We may break up soon." "How come?" "I thought he was a keeper." "It was different before, but now he wants to get laid every time... plus he's leaving hickeys." "See?" "And then, when I want to hear his voice..." ""This is the voice-mail system." "To leave a message..."" "Or when I don't want to hear from him..." "He confiscated your phone?" "What did your boyfriend say?" "He laughed." "That's the worst." "Remember?" "You've never done enjo kosai alone, have you?" "No, never." "I've gone all the way, lots of times." "I don't think Chi-chan's told the other two this." "It became a secret for when we were alone." "Nao had a little secret too." "That's fake, right?" "Yeah, but even if it's fake, my folks'll still bust me for it." "Hold still..." "Don't you dare!" "But someday I want a real one." "Too weird?" "Ah, well." "Sachi has a secret too, I think." "Sachi!" "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" "We're going to be late!" "Hurry up." "C'mon, hurry!" "You didn't go to the nail salon?" "I will at some point, but..." "But my desire for that had left me." "When we became bored of all-night clubbing..." "Sachi began taking lessons." "Hey, you, hey." "You hear the beat or what?" "Dance already." "You're too timid." "Dance right." ""I'll get sick of it soon" she said, yet she is still going half a year later." "Once the first term's over, I'm quitting." "What?" " No way!" "And then what?" "Become a dancer." "I passed the audition." "I've signed with an agency." "It's so out of nowhere." "No, I've planned it a long time, actually." "But don't pros need talent and luck.?" "I can't worry about that right now." "What about your parents?" "My mom's on my case but my stepdad's not saying much." "I've only been coming to school to see you guys anyway." "Sachi does love to dance." "Why not?" "She could also wait to graduate." "This isn't the kind of thing you can wait on." "I was so frustrated when I couldn't find anything I wanted to do." "I wondered if I could stick to anything." "But once I started dancing, I knew that was it." "Maybe a year or so from now I'll say... wow, what childish I was... or maybe I'll have blown it off." "Who knows?" "I hesitate a lot and I don't like that." "Which is why I realized, it has to be now." "She's right, I thought." "Something you feel vitally important can turn trivial overnight." "My sister and I watched a documentary on The Diary of Anne Frank once." "Frightening, but I cried because I was moved." "Wow." "[What did you think?" "]" "[We'd love to hear from you.]" "You forget what a big deal just walking freely around is." "In bed I thought..." "Is that why we say "anne" for our periods?" "Would I go to Holland someday?" "My thoughts were a tangled mess." "The next day though, they were all smoothed over." "Autopilot had kicked in, and I hated it." "So cool, Sachi." "Incredible." "Go Na-o!" "Go Na-o!" "Sachi decided to become a dancer, I think... because she hated that feeling too." "She wanted an end." "He dumped you?" "For Chi-chan, it was the ending of a relationship." "It was going so well, too." "I thought so." "But when he found out I was in 11th, it was over." "Dates have to be older than 20 and younger than 37, he says." "Age limits and "sell by" dates..." "who needs them?" "True." "I mean, you're right, but..." "Chi, you've always tried to be more than you are... especially because of your mom." "But why keep torturing yourself?" "We could never know Chi-chan's real pain, of course." "The four of us aren't friends because we talk about everything." "We're friends because we don't ask questions we don't want to answer... and don't keep quiet when others expect an answer." "Dieting, tough studies, breaking up with a guy... it didn't matter." "Final exams came to us all." "On summer break, let's go to the beach." "Oh, let's go." "Sachi will be leaving soon." "And next year's there's entrance exams to worry about." "There's only this year that we can have fun over the summer." "Our last summer, really." "Shall we?" "To the beach?" "Let's go." "Let's." "Let's go, go." "We'll buy new swimsuits." "Yes, let's." "I think Hiromi'll look good in seashells." "Seashells!" " Like Venus." "Seashells!" " Seashells." "Where you gonna wear them?" " I dunno, maybe I..." "Toe rings aren't cool, you know?" "I know what you mean." " You can't see them in the sand." "They don't stand out so much, really." "At the beach, watches do, and also rings." "Like here, and here." "A ring..." "Will it look good?" "The flow of time forces an end to everything." "Final exams, over." "First term, over." "Sachi's high-school career, over." "I'm terribly sorry, but we're closed." "Yo-chan, it's all right." "Welcome." "Nail care, perhaps?" "And coloring." "This way, please." "What can we do for you?" "This is my first time." "My fingers and nails look weird, so I can't color them right by myself." "I'm hoping you can help." "May I?" "Filing will help, so don't worry." "As for shaping..." "You're in high school, right?" "Oval, I should think." "Roundish, you mean." "That's right." "It should be lovely." "Then that's what I'd like." "Well?" "What do you think?" "Amazing!" "Like they're not even my hands." "I think I saw you here once before." "You remember?" "Plans for summer break?" "The beach, all four of us." "[JULY 19, 10:39 A.M.] There she is!" "Let's just watch her a while." "Oh, you're cruel." "She seems so lonely when it's just her." "What the hell?" "Oh, air conditioning." "Isn't that nice?" "A high-pressure front from the north covers the south Kanto region today." "Blue skies." "Air temp 29° Celsius." "Humidity 46%." "Wind velocity, east by southeast at 5.5 meters." "It's hot..." "Wow, but in here it's so cool..." "I'm reborn." "Lucky us." " No kidding." "Oh, a new watch." "After swimsuits, we'll do accessories." " Because we won't know." " That's right... the color." "Now that's too much." "Disgusting, chasing high-schoolers in broad daylight." "That "Truth Under the Uniform" documentary?" "No." "No." "No." "No." "No." "Thank you very much." "Already?" "Did my research." "It was easy." "Here, how's this?" "That one's good." "Is it?" " Should be." "I can't decide." "And you're set on the triangle type?" "I want something, you know, bold." "It's just..." "My hair's kind of thick, you know?" "I love the cut, but in the waves..." "It's just such a pain, that's all." "How about that one?" "It's not bad, but..." "I guess it's like being told, "Your hair's thick so you wear this," you know?" "Says who?" "A voice from above, or something." "Oh." "Where's Hiromi?" "To the accessories." "That's rare." "So, Sachi, huh?" "Great, yeah." "Hey, at least look, will you!" "Found it!" "Welcome!" "Looking at this ring?" " Yes." "Would you like to try it on?" "Yes, please." "Chief, this customer..." "How do you do?" "She'd like to try the topaz." "Just a moment." "Pardon me." "Here we go." "Please, try it on." "My heart is pounding." "My heart is pounding." "Like closing your eyes for your first kiss." "Like seeing your boyfriend naked for the first time." "My heart is pounding." "Where'd she go?" "Hiromi, where are you?" "Ah." "There." "And what are you doing?" "Ooh, let's see." "Find something?" "Oh, wow." "That looks great." "May I?" "It's sooo beautiful." "Let me." "Like another world." "Let mee see." "Beautiful." "Excuse me." "Thank you." "There's, um, no price tag." "It is a special display so we have removed the price tag." "Right now, it's 128,000 yen." "What time are you open until?" "We're open until 9:00 P.M." "Hiromi, you want it right now, don't you?" "I wonder if that guy's still around." "Huh?" "Oh, him." "What guy?" "Downstairs, some weirdly well-dressed guy." "He said he'd give us 50,000 each, just to eat shabu-shabu with him." "Not here." "Downstairs." "Shabu-shabu guy." "Excuse us." "Yes?" "What is it?" "You said you'd give us 50,000 each to eat shabu-shabu." "Yes..." "How'd you like to karaoke instead with all four for 120,000?" "Sure, yeah." "Would you mind showing us the money first?" "Okay." "Let's go, huh?" "Let's go." "You know a place?" "Uh-huh." "A good one, nearby." "In addition, I do have, um, one small request." "What is it?" "I'll tell you at karaoke." "I can't say it here." "Nothing about touching or showing breasts, I hope." "Oh, no, no, no." "Nothing like that." "No." "I'll tell you at karaoke." "I knew what Chi-chan and Sachi were up to." "I appreciate it." "But it's still not right." "[Someday at this very place I'd like to see you again]" "[TOEI KARAOKE VIDEO SERIES]" "So, can we ask your name?" "Kakegawa." "It's written "Kake" from "Kakefu" plus "river."" "So, Kakegawa-san..." " Yes?" "Kakegawa-san, let's sing songs you really like." ""Really like"?" "You know, not just recent stuff." "But I know the new stuff pretty well." "Don't I?" "But we know older ones, too." "Because of the music shows." " Such as?" " Such as Alfee, or Tulip, or..." " You know Tulip?" " We do." "We kind of feel bad about having just the songs that we like, you know?" "Maybe I'll put in a request, then..." " Oh, good, please do." "[Have you already forgotten?" "]" "Chi must want to get it over with." "They must've been so naive back then." "How else could a song like that be a hit?" "Times had to be good." "If it were a hit now, I think I'd have to do myself in." "Whatcha listening to?" "Those messages." "I was wondering what other girls were leaving." "It's pretty extreme." "That's my song." "Hold this?" "Um..." "You said before you had a request?" "A request?" "Yes." " And?" "It's okay." "Later's fine." "The mood's good now." "Mood's important, right?" ""Next message."" ""Hi, I'm 17..."" ""and want someone to do enjo kosai."" ""I'd be happy with someone in their 30's or 40's..."" ""and am asking 40,000..."" ""would like to get in touch ASAP." "Call me."" ""I'm 28 and work in an office." "Enjo kosai sounds interesting."" ""I'm 152cm tall and weigh 43kg."" ""I'm a 16-year-old high school girl."" ""I've nothing to do and would like to hang out."" ""I'll be waiting for your call."" " Will that work?" ""Today, 10:11 A.M."" ""Next message."" ""I'm 16 years right now."" ""But I've no boobs and I'm skinny."" ""If you're some perv who likes no-boob girls, please leave a message."" ""Today, 10:12 A.M."" ""Next message."" ""Hi, I'm 17 and a junior."" ""I just, um, split with my boyfriend so I'm feeling a bit down."" ""If you've got the time, so do I. I'll be waiting."" ""Today, 10:12 A.M."" ""Next message."" "Hey." "What's wrong?" "Hiromi, hey!" "You're up." "Well, then..." "And what are those?" "Muscats." "Put out your hand." "You don't have to peel it." "Chew a few times, then spit into your hand." "Don't chew so much that it loses shape." "You first." "Now tell me your name." "It doesn't have to be your real one." "Think of something appropriate, and tell me that." "Touno Namie." "Your reward." "Now you." "Same for your school." "Come up with some other name." "Aoyama High." "Yanagisawa Tomomi." "Give the names due respect." "They mustn't be unnatural or, conversely, too ordinary." "Jissen Girls' Academy." "Ito Miyuki." "No real names, now." "If you create it, it's still a part of you." "Do you see?" "It's your name for your other self." "We never talked about that middle- aged guy again." "And not because as if it was a taboo... or we're trying to forget what we did." "It's because we didn't understand him, nor did we want to." "We do now know, however, that in this world... there are those who'll pay 120,000... for grapes chewed by high school girls." "Here, take it." "We're not splitting?" "Hello, what's this?" "Hiromi wants to... to split the money." "But why?" " Don't know." "Reason unknown." " Don't you want it... the ring?" "Then take it." "I just..." " Just what?" "Why not?" "We won't be mad." "Tell us." "Hiromi?" "I can't say it right, but... but... we did karaoke for it... so we should share, that is all." "It's not I don't appreciate it." "I do." "It's just..." "I want us to stay friends." "You all mean a lot to me, and..." "It's just..." "I don't know what to say." "I don't." "I, I know what Hiromi means..." "I think." ""I want us to be equal."" "Those were the words that came to me later." "Still, what a waste." "It looked so good on you, too, that ring." "You'll buy it someday." "I will buy it." "Today, in fact." "Oh, yeah?" "Hey, you can..." " This." "Use this." "That's nice, Nao, but isn't it borrowed?" "I thought your policy was to always give stuff back." "It's okay." "In this case, it is." "Here." "He had a laptop and was dressed pretty well." "He said he'd be in front of Hachiko all day, but if not, just leave it there." "Thanks." "Hah!" "Made it." "Wait up!" "How would I buy the ring?" "Hiromi, don't be afraid to page us, now." "Watch their stuff." "They sometimes try to take pictures." "Got it?" " Mm." "Bye!" "And good luck!" "How would I buy it?" "We all knew enjo kosai was the only way." "If you want to do something, or there's something you want... if you don't pursue it right that instant... it will always disappear." "Um, hello?" " Hello, Nao-chan?" "Hello?" "Hello." " Nao-chan?" "No, I'm her friend." "Where's Nao?" " I just left her." "And you are?" " Hiromi." "Hiromi-chan, huh?" "Nao-chan's friend?" "Right." "I..." "Look, did Nao-chan tell you what's up?" "Um, yes." " Good." "Has anyone called?" "No." " Oh... well, okay." "Did you leave lots of messages so young boys would call?" "Yes." " That's fine, then." "I got called to Sangenjaya on business... and now I'm not back in Shibuya until nightfall." "Can you hang on to that a bit longer, then?" "Feel free to use it." "I can?" " Absolutely." "You may get a call from a boy named Yoshio." "Will you ask him to come to the office?" "Tell him I'll be waiting." " Got it." "Because I have been waiting, and he hasn't showed." "I see." " So what are you up to, Nao-chan?" "Um..." " I'm sorry, you're Hiromi-chan." "What are you up to?" " Well..." "All right." "Bye, then." "Hey." "Hey!" "Gosh darn it." "Current time: 3:17 P.M. Time until 9 P.M.: 5h 43m Yoshii Hiromi's money: 44,560 yen Imperial topaz price: 128,000 yen Money needed: 83,440 yen" ""Thank you for calling Neruton Center's Pretty Club."" ""Main menu:" "To speak directly with a cool guy, press 1."" ""To exchange a message with a different guy, press 2."" ""Welcome to the Seeking-a-Partner message section."" ""To leave the caller a message, press 0."" ""To repeat the message, press 7." "To go back one message, press 8."" "Allright!" " Ooh, thank you!" ""To skip to the next message, press #."" ""Playing from the first message..."" ""Okay, I, um, live in Tokyo, and I'm 28."" ""If we're just having sex, it's 20,000 yen."" ""If you wear your uniform, I could give 40,000..."" ""H" " Hello." "How's about, um, a little phone sex?"" ""That's all."" ""I'm 34, self-employed."" ""I'm into video photography."" ""I'm hoping for someone who'll model."" ""I'd prefer a nude high sch..."" ""Hi, I'd like to do enjo kosai, but I'd like to talk more first..."" ""so leave a message." "I'll wait."" ""I want a friend who's got no hair there and a bald crotch."" ""No pranks, pl..."" ""I'm looking for a woman to, uh, go to the market with me."" ""You must be young and pretty..."" ""someone other guys stop to look at."" ""I work at night, so call before 7:00."" ""I'm not some perv, I swear."" ""If you really are good-looking, 50,000 yen's no problem."" ""Please call."" ""I'm a Tokyo office worker in his late 20's."" ""I'd like a enjo kosai." "Someone 15 or older..."" ""Cute is appreciated." "Call me..."" ""Hello?" "Yes?" "Oh, I should speak."" ""Good day." "Evening?" "Let's see, I'm 24, in marketing..."" ""and I like sexy women with really big, huge boo..."" ""Hi there, this is Captain EO." "Wanna hang out tonight?"" ""Captain EO will surely pay you!"" ""Fuzzball will be waiting too." "See ya."" ""Uh, early 30's, single male."" ""I know my way around, if you catch my drift."" ""I can get it up tens of times." "Sound good?" "Leave a message."" ""I'm looking for a woman to, uh, go to the market with me."" ""You must be young and pretty..."" ""someone other guys stop to look at."" ""I work at night, so call before 7:00."" ""I'm not some perv, I swear."" ""If you really are good-looking, 50,000 yen's no problem."" ""Please call."" "Um..." "My name is Hiromi." "Hi, I'm Hiromi." "I'm 16 and..." ""Please begin speaking at the tone." "When you're done, press #."" "Hello, my name's Hiromi." "I'm 16 and in high school." "I got your message." "If you'd like me to shop with you, I will." "I've got a cell, so we can use that." "I can't be out too late, so don't take too long." "I'm 160cm tall, and thin." "I'll be waiting for your call." "Yes." "Um, is this Hiromi-san?" " Yes, it is." "I left a message..." " Thank you." "So, where are you now?" "Shibuya." "Near Vivre." "What are you wearing?" " School uniform." "Uniform..." "Ah, well." "We're just going to the market, right?" "I'm thinking of going by the video place." "Would you maybe want to do both?" "And what would we do there?" "We'd, uh, rent a video." "Locking arms and looking for something to watch, like that." "I can't be out late, though... and even a short video will take an hour and a half..." "N" " No, not to watch." "We'll just, y'know, look..." "If you're really the right type, I'll pay." "Could you maybe come right now?" "Where to?" "I'm by Yamanote Street." "Could you take a taxi?" "All right." "Could you get a receipt?" "You don't look like a child, do you?" "Maybe a little." "Because then we won't look like a couple, and that's a problem." "Plus, you're in your uniform." "I'll put on extra lipstick." "Also, I hate to say, I might not want you after we meet." "But I'll still pay for the taxi." "May I ask your name?" "Uehara." "Current time: 4:51 P.M. Time until 9 P.M.: 4h 09m Out of pocket (ice tea): 500 yen Yoshii Hiromi's money: 44,060 yen Imperial topaz price: 128,000 yen Money needed: 83,940 yen" ""Psh, high-school girls these days, I swear..."" ""There you go, you middle-aged men especially."" ""You could say that there are people with sick minds everywhere and..."" "Yes?" "Hello?" "Uh, wrong number, I think." "That's weird." "I'm, um, borrowing the phone..." "What?" " Borrowing it." "Borrowed?" " Yes." "You're the daughter?" "Kobayashi's?" "What?" "He, um, said he had a daughter." "You're not her?" "Kobayashi-san, you said?" "You borrowed his phone, right?" "My friend borrowed it, actually..." "Now see here..." " Yes?" "You stole it, didn't you?" "No." "My friend." "She borrowed it." "The name?" "What?" " Your friend's name?" "Nao." "Ah." "Nao, the one who's the DJ at Club Ice on Wednesdays." "Yes." "That Nao?" "No." "So which is it?" "She's still in high school..." "High school?" "Which?" "Well that, I can't..." "What the hell?" "You're making no sense!" "Well, where are you?" "In a taxi." "Okay, that's it!" "Just forget it." "Tell Kobayashi I'm quitting." "Tell him I quit, will you?" "You'll see him when you return the phone, right?" "He said he's at the office." "Who is?" " This Mr. Kobayashi." "When?" " Just a while ago." "Never mind." "I'm not going." "Oh yeah, tell him the cat's sick, will you?" "The cat?" "Kobayashi's cat." "A kitten." "It's sick, puking up some green liquid." "I didn't know what medicine to give, so I didn't do anything." "Won't last much longer, though." "We're here." "This it?" "Can I get a receipt?" "Hiromi, Hiromi-san, I'm Uehara." "Hi." "The market I mentioned, and uh..." "The video store." "Can we do both?" "It's close nearby, the video." "In that case why don't we..." "It's hot here." "I'm sorry." "Sorry." "I'm not used to it." "It's been a while since I talked to a woman." "On the phone I can... but when you're, near, like this..." "Sorry." "I'm sorry." "Sorry." "I'm sorry." "Sorry." "It's okay, really." "Actually..." "Now I'm thinking no." "Never mind." "For the taxi." "You can go." "How so?" "Go home now." "Now I don't want to." "Then..." " Wait!" "Maybe just walking together?" "Just walk." "I'm sick, you know." "It's not habit?" "Nope." "Disease, doctor said." "Of the nervous system." "Hard to cure, it seems." "A kind of tick, he said." "Tick?" "Like when you, y' know, blink, involuntarily... or twitch your neck, or click your tongue." "Mine's rare, doctor said." "On the phone you were fine." "I covered the receiver, y' know, with my hand." "It's just been... y' know... so long... since I saw a girl like you smile." "Five years, maybe." "Mm, five years." "This disease... or habit, or whatever... it's a real turnoff, huh?" "I understand that." "And I smell, right?" "Plus I sweat a lot." "I do construction at night, so no time for public baths." "I don't want to, y' know, bathe, then sweat again." "After work I, y' know, drink, then sleep." "So I can't help it, and people don't come near me." "You hate the smell too, I bet." "So I don't go out much, but the market and video place I need." "They don't like it." "They call the cops once." "Why?" " Because I'm loitering, I dunno." "I explained I have a sickness and don't really spit, but they don't apologize." "So, sometimes, I purposely spit." "I can hear them, y'know?" "He'll never get a girl, he said on my way out." "Plus, he stinks." "So that's why I left the message." "But you're the first who answered." " I am?" "Then when you smiled, I had enough." "Which is why I said go." "It's not like I can afford to get used to it, so..." "And I got to see you smile." "Do they know what causes it?" " I know." "It tastes like work." "What kind of taste?" " A taste like shit." "Right, you came by taxi." "How much?" "660 yen." "Sorry, no change." " It's okay." "But I promised." "We'll just rent something and make change." ""We appreciate your business."" "The guy, that clerk who hates me, he's here." "Him." "Never meets my eye when I rent a video... but always, always watching me." "So, Hiromi!" "Let's lock arms and talk." "Right here, you mean?" "Of course here!" "I have to show you're my girlfriend." "Well?" "He's looking." "Isn't he?" "No, he's not." "Hiromi!" "What shall we watch?" "Okay, you choose." "I'm not really..." " Just pretend." "There's a lot, so take your time." "Me?" " That's right, choose." "Take your time." "Look from end to end... top to bottom..." "[ADULT]" "Pick three." "Then we'll take them home and..." "Look, I..." " Just kidding." "I'm kidding." "But look well." "For me, I made a promise... so I'll rent one and that'll be it." ""Gulp It Up!" "Steamy Cheerleaders"" ""Shameful Girl" "Mushroom Hunter"" ""Train of Gropers:" "I Got So Wet"" ""If My Back Goes Out, I've Got My Mouth"" ""Semen Club 2" ... "Semen Club 3"" ""The Proud:" "Their Anus All So Loose"" ""I love Pantyhose" "Primavera for Spring"" ""Rape  Rape  Rape"" ""Sayuri Hosokawa:" "All the Way to the Wrist"" ""Giant-Breast Housewife:" "Milking It By Day"" ""Evil Sisters Hunting Male Roots"" ""Brainless Paradise Girl:" "Suck It Up  Go"" ""It's True:" "Nurses Are Wild"" ""Climactic Eruption:" "The Moment."" "[BY PERFORMER]" "[HIGH-SCHOOL GIRLS]" "[INDUSTRY]" "Look, I'm sorry!" "What the hell?" ""Thank you for your patronage."" "Why?" "Why won't you answer?" "I don't know what to... what should I what should... don't know what to... what to what to should I... should I what to do..." "Yes." " Is this Hiromi-chan?" "Yes." " Did Yoshio call?" "Yes." "Did you tell him I'm here?" " Yes." "And?" "What'd he say?" "He said the kitten is sick." " He what?" "The kitten." " Sick?" "Looks bad, he said." "Yoshio said that?" "Of course he did." "Only he would." "He was at the apartment, then." "Anything else?" "Yes, he said he's quitting." "Quit what?" "What does he mean, quit?" "Or is there something else?" "I wouldn't know." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Sorry." "It was just such a shock." "Did I do something wrong?" "Oh no, not at all." "Don't worry about it." "What should I do with your phone?" " You're done with it?" "Hiromi-chan?" " Maybe a little more..." "That's fine." "Please do." " But I feel kind of bad." "Actually you're helping me out." "Because I'm going back to my apartment." "It's right near here." "I'll be taking Pri-chan to the vet." "Pri is her name." "The cat's." "Primavera." "Beautiful, huh?" "So let's see..." "You know that place called Hatfield?" "Yes." "Second floor, 8:00 o'clock." "How about it?" "All right." " You can be a little late." "Nice place, Hatfield." "Maybe Yoshio will even... guess not." "Um..." " Yes?" "I hope your cat makes it." "Thank you." "Bye, now." "Current time: 5:44 P.M. Time until 9 P.M.: 3h 16m" "Earnings: 50,000 yen" "Yoshii Hiromi's money: 93,400 yen Imperial topaz price: 128,000 yen Money needed: 34,600 yen" ""Hi there, this is Captain EO." "Wanna hang out tonight?"" ""Captain EO will surely pay you!"" ""Fuzzball will be waiting too." "See ya."" ""Please begin speaking at the tone." "When you're done, press #."" "Hello, how do you do?" "My name is Hiromi." "I also..." "Yes, hello?" " Hello, Captain EO here." "Oh, hi." "I'm Hiromi." "Fuzzball asks if Hiromi-chan is a high-school junior." "I'm a junior." "Know how Namiki Bridge follows Meiji Street?" "It's Fuzzball who's asking." " I do know." "Fuzzball is here now." "Would Hiromi mind telling Fuzzball that?" "I know it." " There, Fuzzball, you see?" "What about further south..." "The Sarugaku bridge that crosses the JR-Line." "In Sarugaku?" " U-huh." "Hm?" "What?" "Captain EO will be wearing a black hat... with a blue jacket and yellow backpack... waiting beneath the Sarugaku bridge." "He will?" "Okay, he will." "I'll be in my high-school uniform." "With a black backpack." "Ah, that'll be nice." "Hiromi-chan, do you go to Seishin?" "Seishin Girls' Academy?" "No." "Fuzzball is worried." "Will Hiromi-chan really show?" "I'll be there." "Thanks." "Until then." "Okay." "Current time: 6:37 P.M. Time until 9 P.M.: 2h 23m" "(Are you Hiromi-san?" ")" "(Yes, I am Hiromi.)" "(How come you know sign language?" ")" "(My mom does volunteer work.)" "(She taught me.)" "(Okay." "Go up around the other way...) (and we'll meet up there.)" "I want to go to a hotel." "I want to go to a love hotel." "Current time: 6:53 P.M. Time until 9 P.M.: 2h 07m" "Do you like Seishin girls?" " Seishin?" "On the phone, you asked..." "There was a bad time with a Seishin girl once." "She stood before the house all night with a can of kerosene." "And there was late-night choking with a stocking once." "That's way too scary." "That one went to Seishin." "Blood type A. Pisces... from Tottori prefecture." "The youngest child." "May Fuzzball be taken out?" " Please do." "Poor Fuzzball." "Was it dark and scary?" "Don't worry, I won't put you back in." "Can I take his picture?" " Sure." "So sorry." "Fuzzball has a name for private use." "It's not Fuzzball?" "That's the name of what sits on Michael Jackson's shoulder." "This one's got a name all his own." "What is it?" "Names can't just be revealed like that." "Not so easily." "Like in Fuzzball's favorite movie, Les Dimanches de Ville d'Avray." "How can he not mind showing how weird he is... by talking to his stuffed animal like this?" "Isn't it because he'll never see you again?" "Yeah, yeah." "If you think it's the last time, you can say anything." "Like breaking up." ""Scratch away shame when on a trip." Wait, wrong proverb." "True." "My connection to him would last a few hours at most." "For the first time I realized:" "I was a woman whose time was bought with money." "Heh, can I ask you something?" "Yeah?" "Fuzzball, Hiromi-chan has a question for Fuzzball." "Yes?" "He says." "How'd you two meet?" "It must've been over 10 years ago." "End of the year before my mother and father divorced." "Yeah, over ten." "The three of us went on vacation, to Florida, to Disney World." "That was my first and last vacation with my father." "Captain EO was just starting there." "It wasn't playing in Los Angeles yet." "Over three days, I saw the movie more than ten times." "I met Fuzzball at the souvenir shop on the second day." "Soon as I said I wanted Fuzzball, my dad bought him for me." "That was the first and last time I saw a movie with my dad." "Dad looked bored and fell asleep... even though the movie should have been fun for adults too." "Still, he sat through it with me ten times." "Fuzzball's real name came from my dad." "That's how we're the only ones to know it." "How about the one ahead?" " Um, how much...?" "(How much will I get?" ")" "(How much do you want?" ")" "(Around 40,000.)" "Fine." "You'll get it when everything's done." "When everything's done." ""Welcome." "Choose a room from the picture panel."" "Room 403, to rest." "I haven't much more than an hour." "Don't worry, an hour's plenty." "Are you hungry?" " No, but thanks." "That looks like the menu." "You'd best get something." "I have to meet someone at 8:30." "That's not for another 75 minutes." "I'll pay for it myself." "Don't be silly." "74 minutes, now." "Chicken pilaf, then." "You do enjo kosai a lot?" "Today's my first time, like this." " Like this?" "Coming to a place like this and get intimate." "Why haven't you before?" " Because I haven't wanted to." "So why now?" " There's something I want, so..." "Yes?" " Nothing." "A Gucci bag, or...?" " No." "Ah." "A ring, right?" "That's it?" "So it's a ring." " How'd you...?" "You have pretty fingers." "It'd suit you, I thought." "Really?" "That's nice to hear." "I'll let Fuzzball know." "Fuzzball..." "Hiromi-chan says she'll buy a ring." "Oh, no, what's this?" "Are you okay?" "I can fix that for you." "You've got stuff to do it?" " Mostly, yeah." "I'll go get it." "I'm sorry." "Eat first." "First-aid, first." "Has it gotten cold?" " A little." "But it's still good." "Something about you makes me want to just talk to you." "I get told that a lot." "That's right, Fuzzball." "Shall we ask her?" "Ask what?" "If a god appeared from nowhere and said he'd grant one wish... what would you ask?" "A wish, huh?" "Anything." "But just one." "A trillion yen, maybe." " I don't need Money." "But I thought you said you wanted a ring." "It's not the ring." "What, then?" " You won't laugh?" "What?" "I want bigger boobs." " Boobs?" "Because they're kind of small." "I'm happy otherwise, more or less." "But boobs, yeah." "But why boobs when you could have the world's best mind?" "You mean be smartest in the world?" "Sounds like a lot of work." "Do all high-schoolers think like that?" "Probably." "What about you, Captain EO?" "Me?" " What would you ask for?" "I've no idea." "I'm always thinking, but I can never come up with anything." "Right, Fuzzball?" "There's white stuff, I bet." "The stuff that's in between a woman's flaps." "I hate that junk." "Make sure you clean it out." "Come here." "She should listen, Fuzzball, shouldn't she?" "If she doesn't, I may kill her." "Come here." "You do as I say." "Look, I won't kill you." "Just listen." "Hey." "Hey, now what?" "They're not that small." "Did you clean the white stuff?" "Did you clean it out?" "Looks like you did." "You're naked." "I'm clothed." "You're not supposed to be here." "You can't be getting naked easily in front of some guy you don't know." "Everyone's got someone who needs them." "Don't they?" "Maybe that someone's heart is breaking." "Maybe that someone is half dead with suffering, ready to cry." "How do you think they'd feel... to know the girl so important to them was naked before some strange man?" "Huh?" "How d'you think they'd feel?" "You don't know a thing." "Do you think no one would care to see you like this?" "Huh?" "You're here, naked... and you're killing someone half dead with grief over it." "Well?" "Do you understand at all?" "My God." "You." "Yeah, you." "I was gonna use this." "Zap you, fuck you like a corpse, run off with your money." "I was." "But I'll let you off." "I liked talking to you, and you fixed Fuzzball." "So I'll pay you for your time." "Overtime, even." "We were together a little over an hour, so I'll be generous and pay you for two." "My God." "Where are you going?" "There's nowhere to go." "What will you do?" "I've no will for anything." "There's no one you'd like to see?" "No one." "Who could I tell this to?" "[Well, then, what will you do?" "]" "I have to return the phone." ""Thank you very much for shopping with us today." "We will be closing momentarily."" ""Please bring your purchases to a cashier now." "Thank you very much."" ""Welcome"" ""Welcome"" "How'd you like to karaoke instead with all four for 120,000?" "Still, what a waste." "It looked so good on you, too, that ring." "I will buy it." "Today, in fact." "Good luck!" "[9:00 P.M." " STORE CLOSED]" "Welcome, are you meeting someone?" "Hiromi-chan?" "Have a seat." "Hiromi-chan, were you crying?" "Oh, that's right." "Thanks to you, Pri-chan's fine." "What?" " She made it." "She'd been acting strange." "It was an internal organ condition." "They're so delicate, purebreds." "Dogs too, but mongrels are tougher." "Hiromi-chan, do you like cats?" "I like dogs better, but cats too." "It's a strange thing." "Cat people like dogs." "And dog people like cats." "Cat people?" " Cat people." "They're self-centered." "Dog people, they're dedicated." "I'm your classic dog-person." "I got a call from Yoshio." "Probably for the last time, but still we fought... also for the last time." "He hardly heard me, being so young." "I didn't listen much either, at his age." "And now I'm some hack writer." "Why should he listen?" "You're a writer?" "I script variety and music programs." "Sometimes screenplays for dramas." "An industry guy, then." "I guess so, sure." "Say..." "This is something I heard." ""You're here, naked, and you're killing someone half dead with grief over it."" "What does that...?" "Whoever said it is a very kind person." "It's a way of saying, "You have value."" ""You mustn't degrade yourself."" "Your nakedness... your very existence, has great value, to someone." "That alone breaks that someone's heart." "Welcome home." "I'm back." " What's wrong?" "I'm tired." "Did you find a good swimsuit?" "You should be proud of your mother." "She took 12th and 14th place." "And after she cramped and dropped out last time, too." "Look, look, look!" "Check this out." "Well?" "A man's dream, neatly laid out." "Hiromi sees it, Father." "Don't be a pest." "Now put away your toys, and have it cleared by tomorrow." "Yeah, yeah." "There goes my dream, barely an hour old." "I'll help you clean." " Don't bother." "Did you eat?" " Yeah." "What'd you have?" " Pilaf." "Pilaf, huh?" "Guess I'll turn in." "I'm tired." "Night." "It's..." " Yes." "Good night." " Bed already?" "Night, then." "And of course, the ring wasn't there." "Why should it." "You resent how kind your family can be." "Yes." "But I don't hold it against them." "I'm the one who went astray." "And what of the ring?" "I don't want to give it up." "But I haven't the nerve." "You haven't the nerve to pick up after a failure." "When Sachi started dance lessons, weren't you planning to join her?" "But she's so ahead of me now." "When Nao saved money to buy her computer, it made you feel jealous." "I felt I'd been stung by needles." "When Chi-chan started to really grow up... you felt you'd been abandoned." "There was nothing to do but be lonely." "It's hard when friends move on." "Feelings that one is missing something make you feel lonely." "But as time goes on, your need for that ring will move on too." "Clinging to that need will be like... keeping the feeling that you don't have something." "Being adult is a difficult thing." "I'm not sure I'm up to it." "Extra!" "You're the only one I'll tell Fuzzballs's real name:" "Mister Love  Pop" "[The dream Yoshii Hiromi dreamed on the night of July 19, 1997]" "I was feeling my way through a dark, narrow, underground hallway." "At the end there was a big, old refrigerator." "The door was covered with rust and was heavy." "It made a nasty noise when I opened it." "Inside were some dogs, all frozen solid in various poses." "The nearest one, I embraced." "It melted in my arms." "It wagged its tail and started barking happily." "From the day we pledged our lives" "Though we've some wonderful memories" "That flower we looked at back then" "That one we called beautiful" "Those two hearts who did that" "Are gone and will never come back" "Oh, for that wondrous love again" "Oh, for that splendid love once more" "The sky beneath which we sang of the red dragonfly" "Though not a bit of it's changed" "That setting sun back then" "That one we went chasing after" "Those two hearts who did that" "Are gone and will never come back" "Oh, for that wondrous love again" "Oh, for that splendid love once more" "Oh, for that wondrous love again" "Oh, for that splendid love once more" "As if because standing alone, in a wide-open field" "Though I may not mean to, tears come overflowing" "That wind, it might blow, but we were" "The ones who'd never change we said" "Those two hearts who did that" "Are gone and will never come back" "Oh, for that wondrous love again" "Oh, for that splendid love once more" "Oh, for that wondrous love again" "Oh, for that splendid love once more" "Oh, for that wondrous love again" "Oh, for that splendid love once more"