"Shortly, a train will be coming in the fourth lane." "For safety, please step behind the white line." "Tokunashoten Books Japan Television Network and Studio Ghibuli Present A story by Himuro Saeko I Can Hear The Ocean Sorry to keep you waiting." "The plane will take off shortly." "The first time Matsuno and I met Rikako was a scorching summer like this... Two years ago when we were second year high school students." "That day, Matsuno called me at work." "Hey, part-time worker, wash those quickly, there are more dishes coming." "Alright." "Taku, telephone! Oh" " Excuse me." "Hello? Morisaki." "Oh, Matsuno? You get off from work early today, right? Come up to the school soon." "I've just finished my seminar, but I'll be up here for a while." "Alright." "I'm sorry, I have an emergency, so I can't work this afternoon." "Wait a second." "Sorry for leaving work so early." "We can't count on the young guys." "See ya." "Matsuno." "You got here so soon? You're the one who asked me to come." "Come here for a second." "Who's that?" "I can't see her well from here." "She's the transfer student who joined our class." "Her name is Muto Rikako." "For the second semester? Yes." "That's strange." "It's rare to have a transfer student the second year of high school." "But she's coming, and she's from Tokyo." "A moment ago my teacher, Kosugi, asked me to show her around campus." "Oh?" "Since you're the class president?" "You seem excited." "Yeah, of course, I'm very excited, Muto's very pretty." "Oh? I can't see her and I can't go into the teachers' office." "But we can't go into the teachers' office just to see her." "If you want to, we can go in and pretend that we have a question." "No, no, that's OK." "I don't want to go to the teacher's office." "Teachers know that I'm not taking any summer seminars since I'm working." "Do you still mind about the Junior High school trip? No, I don't mind, but I don't like the way the teachers cancelled our junior high trip... and are trying to make up for it now by taking us to a fancy place in Hawaii." "But, the students are really excited about going to Hawaii, so the school is being successful for manipulating the students." "The teachers are saying we should have a good time in Hawaii, and then put all our effort in the entrance exams." "It takes a lot of money to go to Hawaii... so I'll have to work." "It would be ridiculous if you were being stubborn like that and fell behind the other students." "So make sure you're studying on your own." "Yeah" " By the way, what's gotten into you today? Is there something you're worried about? No, I just wanted to talk to you a bit." "Alright, I'll go get my bicycle." "Please wait for me at the gate. OK." "For six years through junior high and high school... Matsuno and I were never in the same class." "But despite the fact, I always felt he was my best friend." "The first time I got acquainted with Matsuno was when the school suddenly cancelled our trip in junior high." "I know it's very sudden, but we cancelled your school trip." "We've decided that from now on, we'll have only one trip through junior high and high school." "Your scores finally got last among the public schools on last year's country-wide examination." "We can't face the alumni or your parents who have been keeping the fine tradition." "We want the high school seniors to do well on the second test to restore the honor." "If they don't do well, the junior high students' sacrifice will be meaningless." "Let's go see Sayama later..." "Hey, Taku." "Oh? Since it was so ridiculous, some of us decided to protest against our teacher." "Uh..." "We can't understand." "We don't think our grades will get higher by cancelling the school trip." "Since there's not a good explanation, I think most of us aren't very persuaded." "You could say such things if you were among the top 100 students of the country." "I was number 89, last time! Aren't you acting like that because your teacher's a woman? I didn't think the school would bring up the protest anymore since then... However, a week later at the morning assembly... The decision upon canceling the junior high trip was even approved by the PTA." "It seems like some students are still making a big deal out of it." "So we want them to have a good explanation." "We want to make sure, once again, who is not satisfied with this decision." "So those, raise your hands now." "They're brave, aren't they? That was Matsuno Yutaka." "That's good." "For those who raised their hands, there's going to be an explanation meeting... so please come to the art room after school." "That's all." "Explanation meeting has been postponed." "Put your name and class number on a piece of paper and write your opinion about the cancellation of the school trip. 3rd year" " Class 3" " Morisaki Taku There's no meaning for the cancelation and I think it's only to ease the teachers' and parents' feelings." "I just saw Yamamura at the stairs." "He asked me to tell you he's sorry." "Forgive him." "Idiot." "Matsuno Yutaka - 3rd year" " Class 4." "I can't understand the cancellation since it's a one-sided view. 10 or 20 years after I graduate from this school, I'll still think your decisions were very unfair." "Wow!" "You're already thinking 10 or 20 years later." "Since then, Matsuno has been someone different in my mind, than the others." "This is Morisaki Taku, from the 4th class." "This is a new transfer student, Muto Rikako. OK, I'm leaving now... Help me out next semester." "You... already after her? No, no, don't get me wrong." "She asked me where Kinsendo Bookstore was." "Since her school books are there, she just wanted to go get them. ...And I heard that the cook at my work used to be one of the mafia's big guys." "Sometimes he squats and smokes by habit from the experience." "Is something wrong? Hey, I was wondering if she has any problems since she's transferring at this time of the year." "That's it." "Now I realize the real reason why Matsuno called me up." "I wonder, maybe her father was transferred." "See you later." "When I found out that Matsuno was attracted to her, I was unreasonably upset." "Don't go for her." "Women are just looking for a guys looks, anyways." "Women can never find your good personality. HERE I GO! When the second semester started, Rikako came to be a strong appearance among the innocent countryside boys like us." "Hey Morosaki, look at the girls." "It's looking good for us! You're talking about Ariga? They're big, I know." "No, no." "I meant the inner court." "Gosh, she's good." "Seri, from the tennis club has been treated like a kid." "God, Muto was so good." "She plays like a pro." "She must've practiced pretty hard." "Tokyo girls hit the ball differently." "How Outstanding! And she has nice legs." "But a girl like that looks like she's stubborn." "Oh, Muto is way too prominent." "Don't say that she's prominent." "Hey, Matsuno." "I'm sorry..." "It seems Muto's been out of place in class." "I was worried about her being different." "Out of place, huh? In so many ways... Number 12 Muto Rikako." "She made 12th so suddenly." "She's good in sports and studies." "She's a super-woman." "Uh..." "Taku, you're... Number 92." "You were such a good student when you were in junior high." "What an attitude? Snobby, isn't she? Stop that, don't say such things..." "Hurry, class is starting." "What's wrong with you?" "Are you lost in the admiration of her beauty? No, I was just thinking that she didn't look so happy." "No way!" "What're you thinking?" "!" "She's 12th!" "12th! I heard there's a girl named Muto that transferred to your class." "Yeah..." "What is it? I heard she's a brilliant student, no wonder, she's from Tokyo." "How did you know this? I heard it at the meeting of the Agricultural Union." "Her mother's sister is one of the owners of the famous Muto Orchard." "About Rikako's mother... Huh? She came back here because she had some problems at home, so she took back her son and daughter." "Problems at home?" "I wonder if her parents are divorced or not." "I wonder if Muto's father is still in Tokyo." "Well, I don't know about that." "That was a good meal." "Atsushi!" "Why do you make such a mess? Poor Muto." "If she can study that well, she could've gone to a good high school in Tokyo." "It's bad that she had to come here because of her mother's problems." "It's not that way if you're a mother." "You'll take your children with you! What's the matter?" "Why're you getting so excited? It must've been a big decision for her to come home like this." "Under such circumstances, how could she dare leave her kids and worry about things like her kids being in a good school? Most mothers in that case would take their kids..." "Did you get that?" "! Speaking from experience, huh? You be kind to Muto-san, OK? Since she's come to a strange place, she must have lots of difficulties." "Yeah, yeah." "Gokai" " Hearty Taku! Taku" " Telephone! OK! Hello" " Oh Matsuno?" "Oh, how's it going? Well... What is it? I didn't think it was necessary to call you, but... Uh? I went to Muto's place today." "You mean you went to her house? Muto was absent today with a cold and I heard she was living by herself." "So I kinda got worried." "Oh, she's living by herself?" "It's not that far to commute from Harigei to school." "Oh... So you went to see her on your own? Yes." "When I was there, I saw her in bed." "In bed, huh? That was all." "Yeah." "That was it." "Yeah." "You like that kind of girl..." "Matsuno." "It's March, and we finally get to go on the school trip we've been waiting for." "Morisaki." "Huh? What's wrong?" "You aren't going to the beach? Tomorrow we have to go back to Kochi." "Well, my stomach's been upset since this morning." "You poor guy." "Oh well." "Yeah." "Bye! And then this school trip came to ruin my life." "Until later on... Morisaki-kun." "Can you lend me some money? Money?" "What's wrong?" "You spent too much money? Well... uhh..." "It seems like I lost all of my money." "That's a big problem!" "Did you tell your teacher?" "If it's a traveler's check and you contact them, you can get it back." "I don't want to be scolded." "What're you saying?" "You have to be serious." "Your money is very important." "I'm sorry, you sound like an actor in an old fashioned movie." "Why don't we sit down? I was also confused." "I'll explain it clearly." "Most of the money I brought was cash, because I thought travelers checks were troublesome, so... Were they all American dollars? Yeah, about $400." "It disappeared before I used any of it." "You shouldn't have brought all of your money in cash." "We were told we were limited to $200 cash." "The other 30,000 yen was supposed to be in travelers checks." "No one's abiding by those rules." "What?" "You're talking like a teacher." "Are you that good of a student? You're much different from what I heard about you." "I'm disappointed." "Your Tokyo accent makes it sound like you're talking with a defiant attitude." "Eh?" "What're you saying?" "I didn't mean to argue." "Yeah, and I'm not an old-fashioned movie actor. Morisaki-kun, you're kind of mean, aren't you?" "This is the first time I've been told I spoke with a defiant attitude." "Do I really sound like that? Yeah, everyone thinks so." "The reason why nobody tells you about it is because you'll tell them they sound like old-fashioned movie actors." "Please don't say that anymore." "It was my fault." "I didn't mean to make fun of you." "But in some movies, they use a countryside accent intentionally." "I thought that was only in movies, and didn't think it really existed." "But when I came to Kochi, everyone was speaking with that accent..." "I was so suprised." "But this is the first time I told anybody they sounded like an old-fashioned movie actor." "I'd been thinking about it, but never told anybody." "Yeah, you'd better not." "Yeah, language is important." "I couldn't understand the least bit of it." "It seems that they hate me, since I ask them what they're saying all the time." "Being hated... by who? Particularly the boys hardly ever talk to me, except for the class president, Matsuno-kun." "He's kind, isn't he? Yeah, Matsuno's a good guy." "Did you hear about me from him? Yeah, we saw you during the Christmas holidays working with your apron on at the restaurant in Obiyamachi." "Matsuno was saying that you were working so hard." "Then he told me a lot of things. for example... How you were out of control in junior high and the explanation meeting for you two guys." "He even told you about that? Hey, since you worked all through the summer and winter, you must've brought a lot of money." "How much do you need? How much do you think you can lend me? I only brought 60,000 yen and $400 dollars." "I haven't used any of it, so I could lend you about $300 dollars." "Really?" "Well, would you rather lend me 60,000 yen? Wait." "Here? 60,000? Thank you for the trouble, Moriksaki-sama! What do you want me to do with the money?" "Do you want me to give it to you here? You're a very careful person, aren't you?" "Please sit in that chair there." "Wrap the money inside this handkerchief and give it back to me." "Oh man, it looks like we're doing illegal business." "I'll pay you back to you when we get back to Japan, but it won't be too soon." "I know where I can get the money, but it won't be too soon." "Well, whenever it's available." "Can you keep this a secret? Yeah, but why? If my mama finds out, she'll be mad." "Mama? What kind of person is she? Hey... I was suprised that that girl knew me." "She sounded like you guys got along." "I heard you two were on a date the other day." "It wasn't a date." "When I ran into her during the winter holidays in Obiyamachi, I hesitantly asked her to go to the movie." "Suprisingly, she said yes." "The fact that she said yes that easy shocked me." "I was nervous and didn't know what to say to her." "But when we passed by the restaurant you were working at, I used you to fill the empty conversation..." "You saved my life." "Because you talked about me in your conversation, she asked me for a loan." "A loan...?" "She asked you? Yes..." "She said she lost some money... And she saw me walking by." "I guess she remembered that I worked and had money." "Huh...?" "She lost her money?" "That poor thing." "Hey, you wanna go for a walk downtown? Good idea." "I'll go put my bathing suit in my room." "Wait here." "Yeah." "You got a good tan... It looks good doesn't it? Look closer." "It looks good... You told Matsuno about it already even though I asked you not to." "Eh?" "Matsuno said what? Matsuno asked me if I'd like some of his money since he had some extra." "He's a good guy isn't he? I borrowed 20,000 yen from him, but don't tell anybody else again." "You're getting me in trouble." "You're very talkative for a guy, aren't you? What kind of girl is she?" "How was she raised? The next day, we went back to Kochi... And I bought some "candid snapshots" of Muto, from my friend Suda, for revenge. (It's a catalogue to buy pictures) I thought the revenge idea worked, and I wouldn't hold it against her." "However, when we started our third year of high school, Rikako and I were in the same class." "Yumi, lunch time! Yeah." "Rikako found a friend... Her name is Yumi Kohama." "She's someone who's kind of quiet." "Anyways, Rikako didn't pay the money back." "Not even at the "Golden Week". (Vacation - 1st week of May) As if she totally forgot about it." "Taku... telephone... it's Kohama-san." "Hey Kohama, you're calling from a public phone? Morisaki, I don't know what to do." "What's wrong? Today Rikako and I were supposed to go to Ohsaka for a concert and stay there for two nights but when we go to the airport, Rikako started saying she was going to Tokyo." "She told me she planned this... And now I told her I'm going to the bathroom, so I could call you." "What in the world?" "! Rikako was telling me that it's not that big of a deal if we go to Tokyo, since it's only for two nights." "Rikako told me that she's already bought two tickets for Tokyo, but I don't want to lie to my mother." "Calm down." "You don't have to go with her." "Just say no and let her go alone." "But Rikako's mother approved this trip since I was going with her, so Rikako has to go with me." "What should I do? What can you do... err..." "Wait a minute, why are you asking me, anyways? Because Rikako told me that she borrowed the money from you, Morisaki." "If you're that close to her, can't you convince her? Hey, Morisaki, come to the airport, please." "Our flight is at 11:30." "You've still got an hour and thirty minutes." "Please, make sure you come." "That money! That was a lie that she lost her money in Hawaii, it was for her trip today." "She was tricking me." "How could she trick me like that?" "That's enough! Morisaki, I'm glad you came." "Muto... She's in the bathroom." "She told me she hasn't been feeling well since this morning." "I wish she would feel worse so she would have to cancel this trip." "Anyways, what Muto's doing is terrible." "If you are a friend of hers, why can't you give her a lecture or two? But Rikako says she definitely wants to go see her papa." "So I understand her, but I couldn't be that strong... poor thing." "Papa?" "You mean her father? What?" "!" "What are you doing here?" "Did you call him, Yumi? Hey Rikako, let's not go like this, lying to our mothers." "Why don't you tell your mom the truth? My mama would never let me go... That's why I was preparing for this for a long time." "Oh wait..." "Kohama, why don't you call your mother and tell her you're feeling bad and you want to go home... Uh..." "But... And tell her that Muto is really worried about you, but she didn't want to waste the concert tickets, so she's going by herself." "Your parents say a lot of things to you, but they are just worried about you." "So I don't think they would say something about Muto." "That's right!" "My mother doesn't know your mother, so she won't tell your her what happened. OK..." "You got it." "I'll make the phone call." "Kohama was really well raised." "She's something else." "She didn't change her mind and go to Tokyo to play around." "You..." "Don't feel well...? I was having a hard time, since it's the first day of my period." "Sometimes I even have to be in bed because of Anemia." "In bed? Men don't know how it is." "Are you really going? I'll get the money that I borrowed from you from my dad." "So don't worry, OK? If you're nervous about going by yourself, shall I go with you? Really?" "Can you really do that for me? Hey... Huh? Your father knows you're coming, doesn't he?" "Is he coming to get you at Haneda Airport? I don't think he'll be there." "Do you think your father will find me a place to stay? Of course..." "I'll ask him for you." "Well..." "I'm planning to tell my dad that I want to live with him and come back to Tokyo." "Attention everyone." "This plane will be landing at Haneda Airport... When I was walking in Tokyo with Rikako, I was thinking that she'got' me again." "But I couldn't let her go to Tokyo by herself." "Actually, the south exit looks nicer with all those cherry trees." "Downtown Seijo is this way." "My Papa's parents' house used to be around here." "This also used to be a cultivating field." "Oh yeah? But the real-estate company bought the property and built an expensive apartment complex and gave the best room to Papa." "The room was even too big for a family of four." "Now he's by himself and might be lonely." "Then if you go see him, he might be happy." "It's been a long time." "Who is it? Uh..." "Is this Muto-san's place? Yes, it is." "Uh... is Papa there? Rikako?" "Wait in the lobby." "I'm coming down." "You suprised me by coming without notice." "Did you come alone? This is my boyfriend in Kochi." "Since it's a the Golden Week holidays, we came together." "Oh yeah?" "Thank you for taking care of Rikako." "Uh..." "Why don't we have tea somewhere? I would rather see my home." "What's my room look like? Well then, let's go up." "I'm sorry, but could you wait here for awhile? Morisaki-kun, I'm sorry you had to keep Rikako company all the way home." "I heard that you haven't found a place to stay yet, so I've called this hotel and reserved a room for you." "And uh..." "Rikako borrowed money from you, didn't she?" "Thank you." "I felt sorry for her... from the bottom of my heart." "Oh" " Hello, Mother? Oh Taku, we're having dinner soon, so hurry home." "Well, actually, I have something going on and I can't go home." "Well then, we're going to go ahead and eat." "Don't be too late, OK? I'm in Tokyo right now." "Tokyo?" "What do you mean?" "I just saw you this morning." "But, I'ZOOOMED' on a plane! Eh? I had to accompany somebody who had to go to Tokyo." "Who's somebody? Anyway, I'll be back the day after tomorrow." "Explain it to me straight." "Hello...?" "Hello...? I'll explain when I get back." "I'm hanging up, okay? Wait, Taku! Muto... What's the matter? I'll stay here tonight." "Since the bill will be sent to my papa, I have a right to stay here, don't I? Hey... It was worse than a soap opera..." "I thought." "Muto, want a beer? Can't you drink it?" "We sometimes get together and drink without the school knowing." "Make me a'Kokuhai' (Coke + Carbonated Alcoholic Mix) When we'd have a school fair, I would drink these at my friend's house." "Papa said he's taking a trip with his friend during the holidays." "I see..." "It's the holidays." "My room was completely remodeled, and the wallpaper was changed to dark green! I hate green! Oh yeah, green is bad." "And the pans are enamel! That's ridiculous! Enamel pans are out of date! When my mama and papa were arguing, I thought my mama was stupid and should've ignored what was going on." "But she screamed and made a big deal out of it." "So Papa tried to protect himself... ...and they separated as if they did something as stupid as a divorce." "My brother and I had to be separated from our friends and ended up transferring to other schools because of my mother, so... I've been on my papa's side." "But Papa wasn't on my side." "On your side?" "You mean... I'm so unfortunate... I think you're unfortunate, but be nice to your mom when you get back." "You rented a place by yourself in protest against her? I lived by myself because I didn't think it was a good idea for all three of us to stay at Mama's house." "It wasn't that I was protesting. OK, I see. Morisaki-kun, it's none of your business." "Good evening." "How are you spending your time on the first day of the Golden Week? I'm also unfortunate. Morisaki-kun! Hurry and wake up! You finally woke up." "I was in trouble since I couldn't use the sink or the bathtub." "I went to the first floor to use the bathroom." "Sorry." "Hey, could you excuse yourself for about 30 minutes?" "I want to get ready to see someone." "Your father? My friend from high school." "I called him a minute ago." "He sounded excited to see me." "Since it's been so long, he said he'd come to the hotel." "Oh, good for you." "I want to hurry and get ready." "I need to use the shower, so get out of here as quickly as possible, okay? It was possibly then that I decided to go to a university in Tokyo." "It might be because I was relieved from the fact that Rikako was trying to cheer herself up." "Right on time." "My friend just called me." "He's in the lobby." "Oh yeah? Bye, I'm leaving." "Oh, what're we going to do with the key?" "Are you going out, Morisaki-kun? I'll sleep in the room, so I'll take care of it." "Really..." "I'm sorry." "Don't worry about it." "Enjoy yourself." "Yes? Morisaki-kun, I'm sorry to bother you, but could you come to the tea shop on the first floor? What's wrong?" "Did you forget your wallet? No, hurry and come anyways." "Think of it as rescuing me." "Man, what's next! Morisaki-kun, over here." "This is Morisaki-kun." "He came along with me because he was worried about me. Morisak-kun, this is my ex-classmate, Okada-kun." "Hello." "Rikako, you already have a boyfriend?" "I'm kind of shocked." "Look who's talking." "I didn't know you'd start dating Ryoko so soon after I left." "I feel like I was betrayed... damn." "Eh?" "But you're prettier." "Ryoko says the same thing. "Compared to Rikako, I feel un-noticeable." Hey, listen Morisaki-kun, don't you think it's shocking? I dated Okada-kun for a year, but he started dating another girl two months after I left." "She was even a friend of mine." "Well, that's the way it goes." "Hey, he's kind of calm, isn't he? Well, I've already talked to Ryoko about it." "So how about you ask him to go to a movie with us." "It'll be a double date." "I want to, but... My papa is coming to see me at noon and we're supposed to have lunch together." "If I would've known you were coming, I could've planned something for you." "It's a shame." "But your mother is kind of mean to you, isn't she? If you are taking the entrance exams for universities in Tokyo, she should've left you but she forced you to go along with her." "She wasn't thinking about her kids at all." "She's not a junior high kid or anything." "What do you mean she should think about her KIDS? What's wrong, Morisaki-kun? How absurd..." "You and him... Is he jealous of me or something?" "I'm sorry... I was so disappointed." "The Rikako who was always standing up for herself was actually a girl who was flirting and smiling at stupid guys like that in Tokyo." "Muto... Okada-kun told me to tell you that he didn't mind about what you did." "He's really stupid, isn't he? While I was dating him, I thought he was kind and generous." "At first, I called you to be with me to make me look good." "But after you left and we were alone, I started feeling dumb." "We really were absurd..." "He and I... Well, I understand that you were shocked because he started dating another girl." "You don't understand, do you, Morisaki-kun? I was shocked because Okada-kun became a totally different person to me." "He only talks about himself, and he never even asked me how I like Kochi." "But he actually was that kind of person, I just didn't realize it before." "I'll stay at my aunt's house tonight." "I think it's kind of weird to stay in the same room as you." "Let's meet tommorow at the counter in the airport." "It turned out to be a horrible trip to Tokyo, didn't it? Rikako looked as if she grew into an adult in just thirty minutes." "Hey Yumi, where'd you get that? Would you like to have one too? After the holidays were over... Rikako pretended like nothing happened." "And as before, she only hung around with Yumi Kohama." "Don't get me wrong, and I'm not saying this because I'm worried about you... But if I don't tell you this now, I'm afraid you'll be all by youself." "Well, I know you have some reasons to be like that, but you could be more... Leave me alone." "How did you do on your finals? I didn't do too well... I'll go to a'cram' school in Osaka during the summer holidays." "Oh?" "Training school? It'll be a nice change." "Hey." "Huh? I'm going to ask you something kind of weird, so don't get upset." "You went to Tokyo with Muto during the holidays, didn't you? Oh, yeah I did." "How did you know? How did I? It's like a big rumor around here." "Didn't you notice? No, not at all." "That's just like you." "Since you spent a couple of days there, we didn't think it would be a good idea to make fun of you in public." "So we just gossipped about it." "Hey, I don't know what kind of gossip you heard... But Muto only went to see her father." "I heard that." "Heard from who?" "From Kohama? Kohama?" "Why Kohama?" "From Muto herself." "The other day I happened to run into her at the library and we happened to go home at the same time, so I asked her about it." "That story again? I sure did go to Tokyo with Morisaki-kun and stayed with him at the hotel for a night." "So what does that have to do with you?" "! I... Because I..." "like you." "I... hate Kochi, and guys who speak with a Kochi dialect." "I can't think of them as boyfriends... ...and it makes me sick to hear something like that." "She said you made her sick? That's right." "That was kind of rough." "Is there a reason why you didn't get good grades? I'll refresh my mind during summer holidays." "That's sucks that she said you made her sick! Morisaki... Which would you buy, white or red? Red." "White would look...." "I have something to say to you... come with me." "What? What's wrong? I'd prefer it if you didn't talk to me that much at school." "Everyone will look at us." "I heard you told Matsuno that we stayed at the same hotel in Tokyo." "Yeah, I did." "It was you who insisted on staying with me at the hotel." "I'm the one who's in trouble by all the gossip stories." "What?" "! Because of you, I'm in big trouble. YOU'RE THE WORST! YOU'RE PRETTY THOUGHTFUL FOR YOUR FRIEND, AREN'T YOU?" "!" "THAT'S ENOUGH! Really, the trip to Tokyo was no good... For Rikako or me." "In the fall... Rikako was out of place as usual." "However, her grades were going up higher and higher." "And when we had our last school festival... Would you like some?" "Would you like to try our noodles? Hey, she isn't here today, either." "I'm sure she'll skip the dance tomorrow." "She never made it to practice." "She's ridiculous! She's trying to make better grades by not participating in the festival." "We have to talk to her." "Why don't we get with her tomorrow? Then I'll write her a letter." "Excuse me... WELCOME! This is an announcement from the organization committee." "The last program today is'Dance Paradise.' So will the groups that are finished with clean up, please come to the activity grounds." "I'll repeat it again... Is that all you had to say?" "Excuse me, I'm in a hurry." "Wait a minute!" "What do you mean you're in a hurry?" "What do you think about the unity of the class? What do you mean by'class unity'? Don't speak like a politician." "That's ridiculous." "You only think about yourself." "You think that works in society? What kind of society is it where you can't think for yourself? Would people care for me?" "It's natural that I think for myself." "But you act like you're not interested in guys, even though you flirt with them." "You tempted Yanagida-kun with your erotic eyes." "Yanagida? Who's that?" "I've never seen or heard of him." "Bring him here." "I'll tell him that I hate him." "What're you thinking? Stop it." "You'll mess up your record." "You don't have to cry over a girl like that." "Remember this! I may have misjudged you. Morisaki-kun... how long have you been there? Oh?" "When I came to trash this, I just happened to hear the voices." "You're great." "You were never intimidated by that group of girls." "The one who was attacking you even ended up crying." "You're something else! IDIOT! YOU'RE THE WORST! Hey." "I saw Muto running away... she looked like she was crying." "Oh, she was being'persecuted' by the girls in my class." "She skipped the practice and activities for the school festival, so... But her resistance was stronger than theirs." "So they couldn't really do anything to her." "That's Muto for ya'." "She's so persistant." "You didn't stop them? Even if I did stop them, they probably would've told me that I stick up for her too much." "From here on, she'll learn." "She's really impudent." "You idiot! I thought the next day would be normal and that I'd be able to talk to him as usual." "However, Matsuno and I graduated without speaking to each other from then on." "And Rikako went to Kochi University... Matsuno went to Kyoto... and I went to Tokyo." "We were separated." "Everybody, the plane just arrived at the Kochi Airport." "Thank you for... Hey..." "Morisaki." "Matsuno? You troubled yourself to pick me up? Yeah, I just got my Driver's license last month." "You're so well spirited that you'd go to driving school so soon." "It took me a month to get used to the town, another month to get used to college, and another month to get used to work." "And now, it's summer vacation already." "It might be a cultural difference between Kyoto and Tokyo." "Kyoto has more similar cultures to Kochi, so I got used to it faster." "Anyway, it's good that Kochi's not so crowded." "I'm glad that you can find anything in this one place." "People say Tokyo is very convenient, but when you're going somewhere, it's not suprising to take an hour." "If you have an hour, you can go to Katsurahama and take a walk." "Even to go to Jingu Stadium--since you have to switch trains so much--it takes an hour." "But if you're in Kyoto and you've got an hour, you can go to Osaka, Biwako, and Wara." "You can get to any place like that in an hour." "Wow!" "It sounds better there." "Hey, you're coming in, aren't you? Well, I guess not today." "I suppose your family is waiting for you." "I'll probably see you tomorrow at the class reunion." "I wanted to apologize for a long time." "I'm sorry for punching you." "Oh well, I guess that's why you gave me a free ride." "I'll call you later." "Well, why don't we take a walk for a minute? It's been a long time." "The reason why I punched you then, was because... I realized you held back your feelings because of me." "Not until that moment did I realize... that you liked her." "Matsuno and I spent an hour there, then we went home. RESERVED Oh, Megumi is in Osaka?" "It's close." "Kobe!" "Kobe! Hey, drink! Why should I have to talk to Alumni to quit my club? I went to Disneyland with him." "It got late and there were no more trains... And what did you do? But I never thought that after getting into a ski club, it would wind up as a religious group." "I got calls time after time." "I'm so sick of it." "Hey, don't drink that much, Yamao." "She's late." "Late?" "Who's she? She's late." "Scoot over more." "Just now, Yamamoto-kun suddenly confessed." "He liked Nishimura-san." "Good for him." "It seems like a couple is born." "Alright, I guess I'll confess too." "Actually, I liked Yumi Kohama for a loooong time." "Hey, you're brave." "You're a real guy." "I've always cared about her." "She was always behind the prominent Muto." "She's so cute." "I always thought that, while you were looking at Muto." "What are you saying? Look at you." "Need to go to the bathroom? Hey, Yamao, you alright? I wonder if Muto-san's really not coming? Muto-san said she regrets the horrible things she said to you." "Oh no, he's really gone." "By the way, you got really pretty, didn't you? Oh, thank you, but Muto-san is becoming beautiful." "But, she was beautiful in the first place." "Shimizu told me that she met Muto." "She's not here, is she? I just ran into her at the ice cream shop in town yesterday." "I told her about the class reunion, but I suspect that she might've gone home today." "Went home? Is Muto in Tokyo, by any chance? Yeah." "I also thought she went to school at Kochi University, but... I overheard that she did take the entrance exams for Kochi University and passed... but she also secretly took the entrance exam for a university in Tokyo and passed." "Hey, when you ran into her, did you go like "Wow!" "Long time no see." "What's going on?" How did you know? Well, I didn't think you liked her." "Well, I didn't like her... ...didn't like her very much." "But when I saw her, I was so glad and I couldn't believe I used to hate her." "It's like changing seats." "When you were in elementary school and you have someone you don't like become your neighbor, you wouldn't go to school anymore." "Because you're narrow-minded when the ones you hate sit close to you, you get upset." "If you have something more than school like piano lessons or private classes, then you wouldn't care about these people." "Well, then that means that you're having nostalgia and regretting what you did." "Is that why you used to be against her? That's also her problem." "She also regrets that she was very narrow-minded at that time." "Oh, Yumi? Oh, Kohama." "Kohama? Kohama! Kohama! KOHAMA! KOHAMA-SAN! Hey, Come quickly." "Oh?" "You also met Muto? Yeah, I wish she would've come." "I thought Muto was also there." "That's right." "Oh, by the way, she said she had someone she wanted to see in Tokyo." "But I don't know who she was talking about." "When I asked her who it was, she said it was the person who would sleep in the bathtub." "Hey, if you haven't seen it for a while, it's beautiful, isn't it...? ...the castle." "The Kochi Castle there that was lit up, didn't appeal to me much, and I only thought it was a waste of electricity." "If I were alone with Rikako, it would've looked beautiful." "In my high school days, I wanted to have a little chat with Rikako, about many unimportant things." "I wanted to look at the castle like this with Rikako. Morisaki-kun, would you lend me some money? What?" "You talk like you're the teacher. Morisaki-kun, why are you that good of a student? That's a lot different from what I heard about you." "I'm disappointed." "Even though I told you not to tell anyone, you told Matsuno, didn't you? Morisaki-kun, you're talkative for a guy." "The first day of my period is kind of rough." "There are times when I have to lay down from Anemia." "Hey, I think I'll tell my father--when I see him--that I'd like to come back to Tokyo and live with him." "I'll stay here tonight." "Since the bill is going to my papa, I have a right to stay here, don't I? My room was totally remodeled." "The wallpaper is dark green." "I was thinking that I was always by my father's side, but he wasn't by my side." "I'm so unfortunate." "He and I were really absurd." "It turned into a terrible trip to Tokyo, didn't it? YOU'RE VERY THOUGHTFUL FOR YOUR FRIENDS, AREN'T YOU?" "!" "THAT'S ENOUGH! IDIOT!" "YOU'RE THE WORST! In Tokyo, there's someone I'd like to see." "I'll tell you who he is." "He's the guy that sleeps in the bathtub." "Shortly, a train will arrive in the 3rd lane, so please step back for safety." "Ah, I feel... That I really like her." "Morisaku Taku - Tobita Norio Muto Rikako - Sakamoto Youko Matsuno Yutaka - Seki Toshihiko Kohama Yumi - Arak Harue Yamao Tadashi - Morikawa Hikaru Shimizu Akiko - Amano Yuri Kawa Mura - Toku Maru Written by Himuro Saiko Theme Song - "Michiru" Music by - Nagata Shigelu Vocals by - Sakamoto "Rikako" Youko Character Design - Kundo Katsuya Cell Director - Kundo Katsuya Art Director - Tanaka Yaowa Producers - Horikoshi Touru Maeda Shinichiro Yokou Michio Head Producer - Tarahasa Nozomi Translated by Bright Child Subtitled by Blue Shield END!"