01x08 - Hitoshinami

[bunniefuu]

What the heck?

No, wait! You can't prove who did it.

MANATSU ATAGAWA

Who else would do this
but that dang Atagawa!

Atagawa…

What?

Did you not learn in elementary school
that trash goes in the trash can?

Miki!

Don't know what you're on about.

You damn well do!

Let go of me!

I never noticed.

Why didn't you run for it?

I mean, maybe you could have
gotten it, Miki, but…

Don't give me that!

There's a difference between not being
able to get it and just giving up.

I never realized
clearly expressing my opinions

could cause anguish in others.

Isn't being liked good enough?

Asking for more is greedy.

I never realized
when I hurt my dear friend.

The more I spoke up,

the more I acted,

the more I was just running in place.

I won't say more than is necessary.

Don't make a fuss. Don't shout.

Don't hurt others.

All right.

Hey, would you like
to walk to the next class with us?

Huh? Oh, sure.

Hooray!

I decided to pay extra attention
to not making any missteps in high school.

I'd been thinking to myself,
"Wow, this girl in class is so pretty."

And since I made that decision,
things have been going scarily smooth.

Hey. Tsu-kun's gonna be
in that upcoming movie.

That live-adaptation from the manga?

Which manga? I read quite a lot.

SHONEN g*ng

You might know it then.





HAS NO IDEA WHEN IT COMES
TO GIRLS' MANGA

EPISODE 8
ON EQUAL FOOTING

I kind of had a hunch, but…

Our tastes are totally different.

GRADE 1 CLASS 5

Okay, got it. See you.

LIGHTS UP

Yota! Guess what?

I think I can afford a motorcycle soon.

Wow, congratulations!

I'd love to go somewhere
once it's a bit warmer.

I'd like a valley
with a river or something.

Yes! That sounds awesome!

A local spot with a nice view
is best for a first outing.

OH, MAN! THIS IS AWESOME!

Now this is fun!

If only we could spend every day together.

What are ya talking about?

Hey, Minato.

We were just saying we'd like to go
on a little excursion once it gets warmer.

Wow, sounds rad!

Sorry, it's from a senior.
I'll just go take this.

Okay, I'll be going too.

Miki. Wait.

I…

Could you tell me more about Hikawa?

Come again?

In what way this time?

Well, I mean…

I just wanna, like,
be good friends with her.

Like, what does she like?
What doesn't she like?

Don't you worry. You'll get there.

Just be yourself.

I mean, what's most important
is acting from the heart. Am I right?

You're being very abstract.

Did you see that? That was amazing.
- Yeah.



That was just like out of 100 Sunflowers.

Wait up.

Miki.

Minato.

Hey, Miki. What's up with you and Amamiya?

What?

You two looked so good together just now.
- Yeah.

Just now?

No, it's not like that.

But you're also pretty close
with Hino too, aren't you?

You're right!
I see them talking every now and then.

Which one do you actually like?

I'm telling you. It's not like that!

I mean, we're just friends, so…

PLOD PLOD

I'm sorry.

She seemed much happier
talking to the boys just now.

Why say such things
when we were just having a chat?

I feel so sorry for the guys.

Nobody would have said anything
if we were all back in middle school.

You were born in the wrong body, Azumi.

Yeah!

Is it because none of them
actually saw me as a girl?

TOO SCARED TO SPEAK UP

MIKI, YOU'RE SO BLUNT

I'm trying not to misstep. So why?

DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT

I want to break free
from being "cute" and being a "girl"!

Have a nice evening.
- Good work.

Miki.

Wanna grab a hot drink or something?

So, yeah. I get super nervous
when I'm around a bunch of girly girls.

I've never been good
at reading between the lines.

I'd rather people just say what they mean,

but that got me into trouble
in middle school.

So now I'm trying to be
somebody that I'm not,

but I just can't seem
to strike the right balance.

And now it's like there's no going back.

Also, I wish people would say
I'm "cool" rather than "cute."

Such a teenage thing to say.

Oh, man. I'd forgotten how it feels.

This is actually quite serious for me.

Yeah, it sucks having to live
in a tiny bubble when you're a student.

But life gets way better with more options
once you become an adult.

TOUCHED

Naww, you guys…

CRUSH

Dang, girl! You got grip!

That was insane.

Man, I'll bet class would be a riot
with a girl like you in it.

No way. I'm telling you.
I'm not like this at school.

Miki?

Are you sure?

Yeah.

Now that you mention it,

she doesn't really talk
about herself much, does she?

I've got a friend from cram school who
went to the same middle school as Miki.

She says Miki never picked up
on social cues,

and that she was really abrasive.

She says she tried to punch another girl
and broke glass in the act.

No way. That can't be true.

But Miki does have that scar.
- What?

Morning!

What?

That was the day
I noticed something was off.

Did you see Tsu-kun's
guest appearance yesterday?

On that talk show?

Wasn't he just the cutest?

Definitely.

Hey, I saw that too.

Well…

They seemed to be keeping
their distance ever since.

I must be overthinking.
It must just be my imagination.

It's so trivial,
and I could just as easily let it go,

but this has happened before,
and so I'm sure of it.

Why must I pick up on things
I'd rather not pick up on?

But what could be causing this?

I'm telling you. It's not like that!

Did I come off too strong?

Or was I being insensitive again
without realizing it?

You're really struggling there.

Ciao!

Minato!

THAT'S NOT THE REACTION
I WAS EXPECTING

Don't surprise me like that!

So what can you not decide on?

Curry? Aojiru? Want me to press for you?

No, I already got an orange juice.

Then we'll do a coin flip.
Heads is curry, tails is aojiru.

I told you, I already got an orange juice.
Oh, my gosh!

My straw fell in.

Why would you put it in
without extending it?

Yota! Your head is so in the clouds.

In the clouds?

This is fun. I feel so at ease.

I don't want to go back to class.

I want to stay here with these two.

Miki.

Honestly, kid. I take my eye off you
for one second and look at what you do.

You're bothering Azumi!
- No--

I WASN'T HANGING MY HEAD
BECAUSE I WAS BOTHERED…

Withdraw! Withdraw!
- Apologies!

Hey, wait!
- Sorry to trouble you!

ALL ALONE

The boys have their own community.

Guess that means
I really don't belong anywhere.

Miki!

I'll be in touch tonight.

Talk to you later.

TOUCHED

You really didn't have to come
all the way over to my place.

It's not far with the motorcycle.

And you'll be able to go far
with your own someday soon too.

I can't wait to go touring together.

Yota. You're too kind.

I'm nothing special.

I…

I think I messed up again.

I've been trying so hard
to be different during high school.

But I can't even do that right.

We all know you're trying.

Koyun knows. Minato knows. And I know.

We all know you.

We know who you are,
and that's why we want to be with you.

I… I feel like I've been
losing sight of who I am lately.

Yota… Thank you.

I love you.

I'm so glad we're friends.

Yeah.

I love you too.

NURSE'S OFFICE

You could just cut them.

Hold on.

They're avoiding you for no real reason.

They're a majority
singling out one person.

Why bother with people
who bond over mutual hatred of others.

RUMBLE RUMBLE

No, it's not like that.
Sorry, I must have explained it wrong.

I didn't think you'd get this mad.

Of course, I'm mad.

No, you're wrong! They're all nice people.

I'm just not fitting in with them.

Everyone has good parts to them.

To say they're good people,
only to suffer when you stick with them,

or to say that they helped you
that one time, so…

Clinging to the good parts in people

will only leave you depleted in the end.

I couldn't bear to watch you
do that to yourself.

WOE IS ME

Miki. About before…

When you said,
"I don't know what I'm feeling anymore."

I feel the same way sometimes.

But now, whenever I look back
on the events of my day,

if I can honestly say that I had fun,

or that the day was truly,
honestly a good day,

then I think that means I must have
opened my heart to people that day.

Which people bring out the "you"
that you like the most?

It hurts to put yourself somewhere
where you feel like you can't be yourself.

Please don't force it anymore.

In middle school,
I was the one causing friction.

But then in high school, I was needed.
I was the one bringing people together.

It felt too good to be true.

But I wanted to protect the lie.
This fake version of myself.

And yet…

Koyun. I…

I want to make up with everyone.

You made me realize something.

I actually really like people.

I like my class, and I like my classmates.

I've just been faking so much
that I haven't gotten to know them.

I want to start over. I want to make up.

Yes.

Miki.

You are too good for this world.

Miki didn't come.

I'm going to go buy some pudding.

Pudding?

I'm sorry.

No, you're fine.

You're Miki's friend, right?

Mari, Muko, and Mei.

MA [MI] MU ME

How do you know our names?

She's told me about you.

I'm a friend too.

I've heard so much about you.

You like sweet treats, right?

QUICK, I NEED A RESTAURANT
THAT GIRLS WOULD LIKE

She came with so many questions before.

So that place we went to before…
Do you think…

I thought she might have been
saying bad things about us.

Why?

Miki would never
talk behind her friends' backs.

Has she ever done so in the past?

I guess not.

You see?

And hey, what's the "Mu" in "Muko" from?

KITAMURA - KITAMU - MU - MUKO

It's the "mu" from "Kitamura."
- The original is barely intact!

CASUAL VIBES

Well, I'm glad we cleared that up.

He was actually quite friendly.

Miki?

There's something I'd like
to talk to you guys about after school.

So…

I don't think you guys have been
thinking too highly of me lately.

I'm sorry.

But if I'm being totally honest,
I still don't quite know what I did wrong.

Still…

Whether you hate me or you like me,

I'd like it to be the real me.

I gotta say. I…

TROUBLED PAST - ACTUALLY A CRIM
I DON'T WANT TO BE AROUND YOU

GULP

I reinvented myself for high school.

I'm not at all the sweet, saccharine girl
you all think of me as,

and I'm a far cry from being an idol.

I sit with my legs apart,
I kick doors shut with my feet,

I forget my handkerchief
and make do by wiping my hands,

and when they come to collect
my paper from up the back,

my paper is always so wrinkly
from the sweat from my arms!

That! That is the type of person I am!

INTENSE

AGAPE

I thought maybe if you knew the real me
and the things I actually like,

maybe you wouldn't like me so much.

I've been deceiving you this whole time,
pretending to be someone I'm not.

I'm sorry.

I did overhear you say,
"I'm not like this at school."

It made me wonder
whether you were hanging out with us

despite not even wanting to be our friend.

That's not true!

It's just that I've been suffocating
under all these self-imposed rules.

The truth is,

I really do want us to be friends.

We're the ones who made you
feel like you had to hold back, right?

I'm sorry.

GUSHING
FLUSTER FLUSTER

That's not true!

I'm sorry too.

I believed the rumors that you
broke glass in a fight in middle school.

Sorry. That one's true.

FLUSTERED

No, wait! I'm telling you.
I wasn't the baddie!

Yes, glass broke.

AND THIS AND THAT

But it was more of an accident!

MEITEN HIGH SCHOOL

How embarrassing.

Miki. You're only going home now?
It's kind of late.

Well, we had a lot to talk about.

Right?

Did you get your pudding after?

INTENSE

Minato! What did you do?
"After"? After what?

Why does your mind go there?

Get back here!
- Calm down. Here. Cone barrier!

What? A tri-cone barrier? Coward!

I have never met anyone
to call it a "tri-cone" before.

Big thunder!
- Cone barrier!

Miki is so…

She is so funny.

MIKI

Koyun. Thanks for today.

I made up with everyone.

Now I can go forth and be myself.

Whoosh!

Little by little, even if it's baby steps,

I hope Miki gets to have
even more fun than she's having now.

So…

Hi, hello!
Sorry to have caused so much worry.

Well, you sure made a big change.

Giving up on that idol career?

Yep. I'm giving up. Yay!

I mean, me? An idol? Hilarious!

I'm happy for you, Miki.

Here.

Last year's end-of-school-year exams.
I got 'em.

All hail Minato!

Thanks, Amamiya.

Sure.

Wait. "Sure"? Why the moody response?

We haven't learned these yet, have we?

So for this, you use this formula,
and then you put it into this formula.

Maybe we have done this before.

GOT THE FUZZIES

ON CLOUD NINE

MIFFED

SHAKE SHAKE

I'm gonna go get a drink.

Okay.

I'll go too.

Oh, sure.

Koyun!

STEP STEP

Amamiya. I'm coming too.

Yeah?

Uh-oh, what do I do? Is he in a bad mood?

Maybe he wanted to be alone?

THUMP THUMP

Huh? What? Why?

THUMP THUMP

So hot…
- So cold…