01x18 - What's Important Is...

[bunniefuu]

It seems the rain is about to stop.

-Let's wait it out for a bit.
-Okay!

It's almost time for the final exams.

There's also the election for
the members of student council.

President Takei said…

-You're the only one!
-he wanted you to be his successor.

But I suppose it's not something
you'd want to do.

That guy… and everyone else too…

I don't know
what they're expecting from me.

But I don't appreciate any of it.

The real me is actually…

Actually what?

It's nothing, really.

Okay.

Seems the rain is about to stop, Yuki.

Hey, it's you.

Haru?

Hatsuharu?

What are you doing here? It's raining.

Right back at you… You're soaked through.

Are you lost again?

I was looking for something.

I was looking for… this.

What a cute kitty!

I knew it…

Honda, this is a tiger.

Kisa Soma, the tiger.
She'll bite and hurt you.

So it means that she's one of the Zodiac!

H-Hello, nice to meet you.
My name is Tohru Honda.

Honda!

Oh my…

She got you good, huh?

-Yes… It was scary.
-Kisa.

You have to apologize.

-Oh, I'm all right!
-Kisa.

Yuki.

She won't speak.

More like she can't.

She stopped speaking
right after she entered middle school.

It's a mental thing, according to Hatori.

He said that she locked away her words.

She stopped speaking
and stopped attending school too.

And finally, she ran away from home today.

What?!

That's why I was out looking for her.

I was surprised when I found her
in her transformed state.

Found you.

Did she encounter someone
of the opposite sex?

It was from the exhaustion.

So…

What actually happened that led to this?

-That.
-That?

And that's all.

That hurts.

Are you mad or something?

Did I say too much?

Give me a break.

Do you even know how worried I was?

Your parents are still out there
looking for you everywhere.

Oh, no, what should--

Oh my God, you're bleeding!

Calm down, she won't go too far.

-I need to help stop the bleeding!
-Seriously, relax.

You're not taking this seriously enough.

Hey, are you actually
in your dark mode now?

No, I'm just irritated from the pain.

Can't blame Kisa for this.

Why are you being so considerate of her?

Were you guys close?

-Are you jealous?
-No!

-He's so defensive.
-I know.

These guys…

She's like someone else I know.

Just like you, when you became
unable to speak for a while.

You were curled up in a ball in silence.

Because that was the only way
you could protect yourself.

You two are similar.

Stop!

It's not that big a deal.

Yes, it is!

Are you embarrassed?

You have a bad habit
of fueling people's anger with words.

That's just the way I am.

Kisa!

There you are. Kisa--

It doesn't hurt. Nope, it doesn't…

No pain at all! Um…

H-How about we go back inside, Kisa?

Kisa…

-H-Hello?
-Kisa…

I've been looking for you.

Shigure kindly called me
and told me that you're here.

So… What is it that you're trying to do?

What's the point of
causing so much trouble?

What're you thinking?

Is it fun for you to make me worry?

The mothers of cursed children
will either become overprotective,

or be in denial of their reality.

Hey…

Why didn't you tell me
you were being bullied?

Why would you run away from home?

Why won't you say anything?

I'm so tired of this.

I can't do this.

It's hard.

It's hard to talk about being bullied.

It takes a lot of courage.

I couldn't talk about it, either.

But my mother found out eventually.

And I don't know why,
but I apologized about it.

I was ashamed.

I was ashamed of myself for being bullied.

And I was embarrassed
that my mother found out about it.

I thought she would think less of me.

So I was scared.

I was scared.

I didn't want anyone
to find that out about me.

I desperately tried to cover it up
by pushing people away.

But that made me feel ashamed even more.

I was so embarrassed.

So…

When my mother told me
that everything was going to be okay,

I felt so much better.

She made me feel better by assuring me
that I didn't need to be ashamed.

That made me cry more, though.

I wonder if that's how Kisa feels too.

She didn't want to be judged by you.

She couldn't speak up
because she loves you so much.

Kisa, staying here?

A lot happened today.
I decided to take her in for a while.

A lot of what?

It'll be good.

Her mom seemed like
she needed a little break too.

It'll be good for both of them
to have some space.

I have no idea what's going on.

And where's Kisa anyway?

She's attached to Tohru by the hips.

Huh?

-Is she asleep?
-Yes.

She wouldn't leave you alone, huh?

-She's not too heavy, is she?
-No.

I wish I could be in her place.

-Oh!
-Just for a little bit.

Can I stay this way for a little while?

I was always ashamed of how weak I was.

But I wanted someone to tell me
that everything was going to be okay.

Because I wanted to become stronger,

and those words
would've helped me achieve that.

It's been three days since Kisa moved in.

Sorry for the wait.

It's a bit awkward having someone
wait for me while I use the restroom.

She's so cute!

Funny thing… Kisa has never left my side
these past three days.

I suppose it means she likes me a lot.

It's so cute that she's like a chick.

Doesn't Tohru get annoyed by that?

Love you!

-Looks like she likes it.
-Yeah…

Whatever. I don't get it.

Hey, I'm hungry.

Oh, yes!

Kisa, what would you like
for dinner today?

Kisa.

You won't even say what you want to eat?

Anyway…

Who cares about what Kyo says?
He's just a stupid pushover.

-Right, Sacchan?
-Hey!

-Get off of me, creep!
-Oh please, don't be shy.

-I'm not being shy!
-That's right…

Kisa hasn't regained her speech yet.

Ta-da! You can draw the options!

Oh, good idea!

It's like a ruffle system!

Yes!

Kisa, pick whichever line you like.

Okay, that one!

Here we go!

What is that sound effect for?

We have our pick! The dinner will be…

Shallot omlet!

You have nerve…

-Wait, I didn't mean it like that!
-Good luck making it.

What I meant was--

I'm sure she'll speak one day
in her cute voice.

-Stop bickering…
-We're not bickering!

You know what "bickering" means?!

But…

She can't stay at your house forever.

Right?

What's Kisa going to do after this?

I'm sure she's thinking about it.

She's definitely the type
that overthinks things to start with.

More the reason why
she's the way she is now.

Her… mother, too.

Momiji.

Kisa's mother will be okay, because…

Has Kisa been doing well?

Yes!

She doesn't like foodstuffs
with a dry texture.

But she loves shallot omlet.

So that means…
Kisa's mom cares about her, right?

-Otherwise, she wouldn't call, right?
-Yes!

I'm glad!

Regardless of the matter…
Why was she being bullied at school?

I forgot…

-Jeez…
-I know why.

I heard the moms gossiping about it.

Kisa would never tell me why.

So, at first…

It was because of her appearance.

Like her hair and eyes…

I guess it caught
the other kids' attention.

It's the fate of those whose Zodiac
beast has fur of different colors.

I was judged because of it, too.

At least you were able to turn dark
and b*at up those people who judged you.

What?!

I wasn't as bad as Kyo.

He wanted to k*ll them.

He was a major troublemaker.

But Kisa made an effort at first.

She tried to tell the kids
that the colors were natural.

But then everyone started to ignore her.

They would ignore her most of the time,

but they would laugh at her
when she spoke up.

They would just giggle and mock her.

I… I've never had anyone
do that to me in class.

So I can only imagine what it's like.
I tried to put myself in her shoes.

How would I feel if everyone laughed at me
when I tried to speak up in class?

I would feel… I would feel very…

Very sad.

Being the target of mockery…

And becoming more afraid.

Eventually refusing to speak at all.

Even if I knew that it irritated people
even more.

Everything becomes dark,

and I start to suffocate.

The heart…

And the words start to die.

Hey, class is starting now.

Yuki.

I'm going to come over today.

I want to see Kisa,
and I have something for her.

For her?

A letter. It's from her teacher.

It probably contains a hurtful message.

See you guys!

I don't think being weak is a good thing,

but I also don't think
being strong is good, either.

Some talk about
the survival of the fittest.

But we're humans, not animals.

Even us, the Zodiac.

We're humans too.

Yes!

Yes!

I feel stronger!

Huh?

What does it say?

"How are you, Ms. Soma?

Will you come back to school soon?

We all look forward
to seeing you again in class.

I'm here to talk, if you need me,
so let's try your best to get involved.

And most importantly,
you must start accepting yourself.

Find one thing you like about yourself
and accept yourself for who you are.

Because people will only like you
if you like yourself first."

Man, I knew it was going to make me sick.

I also…

I also went through a time
when I chose to be mute, like you…

Kisa.

My reason was a little different.

But…

I think the feeling of shame
and self-hatred were the same.

She tells you to accept yourself,

but what does that even mean?

One thing to like about myself?

How do I find that for myself?

I only know what I don't like.

Obviously, that's why I don't like myself.

I'd feel even more pathetic
to force myself to find something to like.

Because accepting myself
isn't the point here.

It's actually when someone else
tells me that they like me

is how I'll be able to accept myself
for the first time.

It's when someone else accepts me
for who I am

is how I'll be able to
give myself a little break,

and feel as if I can like myself.

I was so happy…

-Kisa.
-Kisa…

What do you want to do now, Kisa?

Do you want to be like this forever?

No…

I have to… try harder…

Or I'll just continue to be
a sad and useless person.

Even if they don't accept me,

or keep ignoring me,

I have to keep trying my best.

I have to!

You're right.

You can do it!

I will, too.

If you ever get sad or exhausted again,

you can come here.

She will be here for you.

It's been a while.

I finally got to hear your voice.

Tohru…

Tohru.

I heard you!

I can't keep running away.

Even if my heart is still defeated,

I have to eventually confront myself.

All those tears I shed…

They'll all be worth it someday.

Finally,

although she hasn't regained
her speech completely,

Kisa voiced her wish to return to school.

Yuki should've been here, too.

He said he has something
to take care of himself, too.

To be honest,

I'm a little sad to see Kisa
grow out of being around me.

But I'll be okay!

Because Kisa is trying to be brave
to fight her battle.

You can do it! You can do it, Kisa!

Yuki… what did you just say?

I agree to be the succeeding
president of student council.

Sorry for making things difficult for you.

But I intend to pay it back by fulfilling
the role at the best of my ability.

I appreciate your continuing guidance.

Yuki!

-All for me?!
-Nope.

It's not as if I suddenly became stronger,

or that something changed drastically.

I'm still nervous and scared,

but let's take on the challenge.

What's important…

is letting your weakness…

drive you to be better.