01x04 - Episode 4

[bunniefuu]

Love...

Impossible...

That guy is my sister's boyfriend.

I heard you still can't bring
yourself to call him "So-chan"?

Mom, where's Rock?

Not here.

- Huh?
- I can't find him anywhere.

Rock!

Rock!

Are you okay?

Yeah.

If it weren't for So-chan...
things would've been really bad.

Here, this is for you.

I like the things my sister likes...

"Your Summer, My Storm"
[Episode 4]

Does my sister report to you too, So-chan?

Yeah, she just texted me saying,
"Okinawa steak is amazing."

She really did.

Our family only found out yesterday too.

I see.

Yeah.

I'm heading out!

- Oh, take care.
- But she's always been like this.

But I actually admire that about Rio.

Huh? What's there to admire?

If I don't plan my
schedule days in advance,

I can't get anything done.

Being organized is a good thing.

But doesn't that make me a boring person?

Not at all. You're very
interesting, So-chan.

You don't have to force
yourself to comfort me.

Just being a bridge nerd is weird enough.

I've never even heard of such a thing.

I see.

Yeah.

I'm actually kind of happy.

"Weird" and "interesting"
aren't exactly compliments.

They are to me.

It's the first time anyone's
ever said that to me.

Oh, really?

What is going on?

This phenomenon where I find
him dazzling from time to time...

It's love.

- Huh?
- In English, it's "Love."

Love? You sure have the
nerve to just say it out loud.

Only because you
asked so directly, Natsuki.

It's because a friend of
mine is struggling with this.

I want to help him figure it out.

So this friend of yours
hated the guy at first,

but slowly started falling for him, right?

He didn't say he liked him.

Oh.

He just changed his mind about him.

He just doesn't hate him anymore.

That's exactly it!

What?

At first, they couldn't stand each other.

Then they discover a cute side to them.

And now they're wondering
if they've fallen for them.

Oh my.

Stop squealing!

That's a classic teen manga trope!

It's completely different, okay?

How can you be so sure?

Because it's someone
he could never fall for.

Huh, what kind of person are they?

I heard it's his close friend's partner.

Stealing someone's lover?

Or a forbidden romance?

- What?
- Don't tell me... is it an affair?

Not at all.

Hello.

Oh, welcome.

Please grab a seat anywhere.

Okay.

So lucky. I want to go to Okinawa too.

You should've just gone with them, Yui-san.

Seriously, get out of the way.

Here you go.

What would you like to order?

I'll have the yurinchi.

One order of yurinchi, coming right up.

Ah, you're Natsuki's tutor.

You're Na-chan's friend...

Kazu-kun?

You came here with Rio a while ago, right?

Huh?

Are you the Sota-san
I've heard so much about?

Yes. Wait, heard so much about?

Rio talks about you all the time.

Rio and I have been
friends since middle school.

I see.

And I'm Natsuki's best friend.

And also Rio-san's junior.

Nice to meet you.

Yeah.

I'm Kagami Yui.

I didn't expect to run into you here.

This is great.

Let's take a picture. I
want to send it to Rio.

Okay, smile!

Don't jump in!

Just take it.

Come on, smile!

Gravitation is not responsible
for people falling in love.

Albert Einstein.

Gravitation... what even is that?

Speaking of which, what exactly is "love"?

The feeling of affection
between a man and a woman.

Love.

Love...

[What is love?]

What?

A man and a woman having
affection for each other.

Love?

This is just going in circles.

Natsuki.

Huh?

Riku.

You can chat here, but no yelling.

I know.

I've been running into you a lot lately.

Natsuki, did you get
your heart broken again?

No, I didn't.

Is your teacher not here today?

Teacher?

Oh, you mean So-chan.

He's not here.

I actually had something
I wanted to ask him.

Oh, really?

I'll answer it for you then.

Huh?

What's with that reaction?

I have way more life
experience than you do.

What's with that look?

Sota-san.

I'm always on Rio's side.

Nice to meet you.

You're so righteous and stern, it's impressive.

Speaking of how we met...

- So cool.
- It goes all the way back to kindergarten.

So pretty.

You must think you're pretty cool, huh?

- No, I don't.
- Why are you acting so c*ck?

Hey!

What?

Don't pick on my little brother.

So cool.

From that day on, Rio-san has been my hero.

What do you mean?

I see.

You have three people you like?

Yeah.

Teacher Ayaka, Nono-chan,

and Umi-kun.

They're all very different types.

I really like all three of them.

I see.

What does it feel like
to "really like" someone?

It's fun, and I want to keep
playing with them forever.

I see.

Do I really have to choose just one?

Well...

I knew I couldn't count on Na-chan.

Huh?

Bye-bye!

Hey, Riku!

So "liking" someone means feeling happy,

and wanting to stay by
their side forever... is that it?

I definitely don't want
to stay by that guy's side forever.

Which means, I don't "like" him.

Exactly. This feeling isn't "love."

Ah... I feel so much better.

That lightning strike
was super close, wasn't it?

Yeah...

There was a massive
cumulonimbus cloud earlier, after all.

It's probably just a passing shower.

So-chan, are you scared of thunder?

No, not at all.

Whoa!

Are you okay?

I'm completely fine.

Right.

- Whoa!
- Ah!

I'm fine.

Even if I occasionally
find him dazzling or cute,

it's all just an illusion.

Give me a break.

Fuku-chan, be careful not to catch a cold.

Sorry, the trains are suspended.

[A relative living nearby, Mineta Fukuo]
There's a huge line at the bus stop too.

Before I knew it, I had
walked all the way here.

You should've just walked straight home.

How could I pass by the old man's
house without dropping in?

You're going to eat with us, right?

Is that okay?

Sure.

Seriously...

Oh, by the way...

Is the teacher going to be okay?

Oh, right.

What teacher?

Ah, the trains are suspended...

Huh?

Are you kidding me...

This is bad...

This is so good!

Really?

Father made this soba.

Wait, what?

It's not quite good enough
to serve to customers yet,

but I've been taking handmade soba classes.

That's amazing.

It's delicious.

Yeah, you've got a
real talent for it, old man.

I'd be completely hopeless at it.

Fuku-chan, you just went
along with him at first, right?

I never asked him to come with me.

It's true that I was the one
who said I wanted to go,

but I was mostly just looking forward to
grabbing a drink with the old man afterward.

I knew it.

Father is a total workaholic
with zero hobbies.

If he kept working like that until
retirement, he'd be bored out of his mind.

So I wanted to help him find a hobby.

You're already preparing for that?

Well, the sooner, the better.

But the old man has another
reason for doing it, too.

Fukuo.

Huh?

What other reason?

You scared me!

Rock.

Rock is right here.

Sota-san, there's plenty more, so eat up.

Thank you.

Everything is absolutely delicious.

- I'm so glad you like it.
- Eat up.

Thank you.

- Have some more.
- Thanks.

By the way, So-chan,
what do you usually do for meals?

Do you live alone?

Yes, I mostly cook for myself.

That's impressive!

But I only make really simple dishes.

Hey, do you want to come to
our cooking class next time?

Oh, is that okay?

Of course, we'd love to have you.

It's always great to have a new member.

- Yeah.
- I'm looking forward to it.

You definitely have to come.

The trains still aren't running, right?

Yeah.

But they should be back
up and running soon.

I doubt the trains will
resume service tonight.

Really? You think so?

They haven't announced it yet,

but until they can
confirm it's safe to run,

it's probably going to take quite a while.

I see.

I'll just walk back, then.

What?

It'll take at least an hour
to walk back, won't it?

You can't do that, you'll catch a cold.

Or maybe...

How about you stay the night here?

Huh?

Yeah, Sota-san, let's do that.

There we go.

Wait, hold on.

Thank you.

Sota-san, you can sleep here tonight.

Wait, I'm not sleeping in the living room?

Your dad gets up to use the bathroom in the
middle of the night. He wouldn't sleep well.

It's better if he sleeps here.

What do you mean, "better"?

Hey, the bath is ready.

Okay.

Sota-san, please go ahead and take a bath.

No, I can go last.

Of course the guest goes first.

I'm not a guest.

Don't be polite. Come on, go ahead.

But...

Or how about Natsuki joins you?

What?

Oh stop, I'm just kidding!

Honestly.

I gotta say... this is pretty nice.

Am I sleeping on the bed?

Or on the floor?

Wait, which one is it?

Natsuki, it's your turn for the bath.

Either way,

it's so close.

Natsuki?

Coming!

Oh, Na-chan.

Yeah.

I borrowed some of your clothes.

Oh, go... go right ahead.

It felt so good to stretch
my legs out in the bath.

I'm glad.

Is that the brush you use for Rock?

Huh?

Is that Rock's brush?

Yeah.

Okay, hurry up and put your clothes on.

I need to calm down.

You've gotten so close to Rock already.

So cute.

No, when I said cute,

I meant Rock.

Huh.

Did I fall asleep?

Yeah, you did.

Seriously?

Well, Rock is really soft to pet.

Rock, this is all your fault.

You've really come to like dogs.

Yeah, but probably only Rock.

I still can't handle other dogs.

I see.

The rain stopped.

Yeah, finally.

But you can't see any stars.

Yeah, a starless night sky.

Doesn't it make you feel a little restless?

Huh?

I think it's fine.

I see.

Yeah, it just makes me think
the weather won't be great tomorrow.

Well, you always look at the sky
from a weather geek's perspective, Na-chan.

Yeah.

It's just dark out.

But I really like this feeling.

Oh, really?

This isn't "love."

Definitely not.

Na-chan.

Yeah?

Are you still awake?

I'm awake.

I knew it.

Can't sleep?

Yeah.

I feel like
I've become a part of this family,

so I'm a little too excited.

Why are you excited?

I'm jealous. I keep thinking,
so this is what a family feels like.

Isn't your family like this, So-chan?

Mind if I tell a late-night story?

My family is pretty prominent
in our local area.

But it's just a rural town.

Right.

No matter what we did,
people paid attention.

Even the smallest things
would spread quickly.

So we were always worried
about what others thought.

That sounds exhausting.

Even at home,

my dad was incredibly strict.

My mom, my brother, and I were
all terrified of making him mad.

We were always walking on eggshells.

I couldn't stand that
oppressive atmosphere.

Whenever I felt like I
was at my breaking point,

I'd go look at a big bridge nearby.

That bridge led to the big town next door.

I always fantasized that if
I just crossed that bridge,

a world of freedom would be waiting for me.

Did you never cross it?

That bridge was only for cars.

So every time I crossed it, I
had to be with my parents.

In the end, I still wasn't free.

So, I always dreamed

that one day, I'd be able
to cross to the other side

with my own power.

Is that where your
love for bridges started?

Maybe.

I see.

[Hakone Kumoyado]

What's up? You're in a great mood.

Sota-san said he wants to
make breakfast with me tomorrow.

Is that so?

Whenever I ask Rio or Natsuki to help,
they always look so reluctant.

So I'm really happy about it.

Fair enough.

He really is a fine young man.

So you've been playing the role
of a good young man this whole time?

Yeah.

What everyone expected me to be

was a flawless, upstanding young man.

I figured if that was the case,

I might as well just play the role
of the "good young man."

I thought it might make
things easier for me.

That sounds even more exhausting.

No.

Actually, it was the exact
opposite. It was a lot easier.

Really?

Yeah.

Even when something pissed me off,

as long as I thought,
"I'm playing the good young man right now,"

I could get through it.

Is that why you're always so cheerful?

Huh?

I'm not acting anymore.

What?

As I kept playing the part,

that character...

I've become my true self.

What do you mean?

Hard to wrap your head around, right?

Yeah.

Because Na-chan and Rio are so genuine,

neither of you hide who you really are.

Is that true?

Yeah.

Truth is, I've never had
much self-confidence.

So without realizing it,
I'd act a certain way here,

and a completely different way there.

I'd split myself into different versions.

But both of them are
the real So-chan, right?

Yeah.

Don't you ever want to just be
your unfiltered self around someone?

Probably not.

Not even with my sister?

Yeah.

I see.

But now, when I'm with Na-chan,
my true self just comes out.

I wonder why that is.

Maybe it's because when I'm with Na-chan,
I can finally just be me.

Huh?

Good morning.

Good morning.

Right.

I said too much yesterday.

No, not at all.

That's a secret just between us.

I wasn't planning on telling anyone anyway.

Pinky promise.

We're not kids anymore.

Come on.

It's a promise.

Got it.

Sota-san, I'm back with the mint.

Thanks.

Oh, good morning, Na-chan.

Good morning.

Looks great.

- Really?
- Yeah, you're a natural.

No way.

This isn't love. It definitely isn't.

Probably.

Definitely.

[This is a work of fiction]

[Next Episode]
A cold?

[Sota's crisis shakes Na-chan's heart]
Are you okay?

So-chan.

I heard there's someone you like?

Here.

[A cooking class date heats things up?] Watching
hot guys be all lovey-dovey is so therapeutic.

I just realized he's such a worrier.

[Tears reveal true feelings]
Does this mean I really like him?