This is Kenta Yamazaki's story.
I couldn't sleep a wink last night.
Not after I snapped at King and Yuko, when they'd done so much for me.
You'll be able to tell if they're trying to put you down
or if they're just lovingly teasing you.
It should've been obvious.
He made the worst first impression,
but of all the people I've met in my life, he had the biggest presence.
He was the strongest, the warmest, and the coolest.
Now all I can do...
is prove that those three weeks they gave me were meaningful.
Take responsibility for your own story and write it how you want it!
And this is Kenta Yamazaki's story.
CHITOSE IS IN THE RAMUNE BOTTLE
Sorry, did you wait long?
Kenta?
Yeah. Been a while.
Why are you dressed like that? That's so funny.
Make people laugh.
I was so hurt when Miki-chan rejected me,
I figured I might as well try to be more social.
Social? A dweeb like you?
Screw everyone else. All that matters is being comfortable in your own skin.
Hey, I had nothing to lose, so I thought I could give it a shot.
Anyway, let's go inside.
You're not used to these places, are you?
Nope. I only came once to practice.
Practice? You really are a dweeb.
Stop that.
Now... Let's start breaking common ground.
How are you all? Have you been going to events and meetups?
We have. It's been easier to plan without you, so we're glad you left.
Ah, sorry if I was being a burden.
Believe it or not, I've been working out lately.
What, you trying to leave the otaku life behind?
No way. Bet someone else picked that outfit and glasses out for you, too.
Yeah, my friends from school.
Kenta, did you make new friends?
Y-Yeah.
Girls?
Boys and girls.
I really respect the way they live.
Say...
Have you forgotten about me already?
I'm actually happy to see you again, you know.
Thanks. But I'm not gonna get in your and Ren-kun's way anymore.
Did you invite us out just for this?
Just for what?
You're lying about making new friends to get Miki's attention again!
W-Wait, not at all.
I've totally moved on from Miki-chan already.
Huh? What the hell?
I was being nice because I felt a little bad. Don't let it go to your head.
That part of you hasn't changed at all, huh?
S-Sorry.
Let me warn you as a former friend.
Those people are just using you as a plaything.
That, or they're trying to make themselves look better by being nice to a loser.
There's a theory!
That's gotta be it!
Yeah, acting all cool like that.
Oh, so this is how I sounded to King and Yuko.
And they still reached out to me.
It's just like when you were sending those creepy love messages to Miki-chan.
Thinking back, I really was in way over my head.
Can you stop acting like you're above us?
I'll let you in on a secret.
You think Miki was nice to you to make me jealous and get my attention, right?
Am I wrong?
You are. We were already going out by then.
Th-Then why...?
To laugh at you spinning your wheels, obviously.
No...
Wanna see something funny?
Look at what Kenta just sent me.
You looked cute when you were licking that ice cream today.
Gross!
How should I reply?
"Aw, I know you were thinking dirty thoughts. What'll I do with you, Kenta?"
I'd never say that!
Just send it. He won't suspect a thing.
Okay!
The hell is this?
Most of the messages you thought were from Miki were actually my idea.
No...
You were basically in love with me, not her!
So my first love was a lie all along.
Sorry about that. But you had fun with that fake romance too, right?
Well, it's great that you were able to make new friends.
If they really exist, that is!
I see now.
This is what I get for saying all those awful things to King.
I managed to make precious friends, but I pushed them away myself.
I have nowhere to go anymore.
I should go back to my room,
lock the door, and shut myself off again.
I'm so sorry, King, Yuko.
I couldn't change after all.
Sheesh. You're forgetting something important.
We discussed what to do if they try to be mean and bully you, remember?
I came to watch your back, as I promised.
King? Why?
U-Um...
Oh. Sorry for barging in.
I'm Saku Chitose, Kenta's classmate.
Nice to meetcha.
He did say he'd made new friends.
Do I count as one of them, Kenta?
You're too nice for your own good!
Friends?
You're kidding, right? He's a total otaku.
Yeah, I know. He's taking me to Summer Comiket this year.
That's news to me!
Ah, I see.
This is who Saku Chitose is.
Just for trying to live his life, he gets stones thrown at him by people like me.
He'd have it so much easier if he'd just cut people off entirely,
but even when they turn on him and don't appreciate what he does,
he still continues to reach out to them.
He's trapped by his life philosophy,
past failures, and his kind heart he just can't let go of,
and yet he fights and fights with all he's got.
Y-You should be careful.
This guy sent stalkerish messages to Miki.
He might target your girlfriend next.
Oh, right.
Just checking, but was the Miki-chan thing really all in Kenta's head?
I-It was!
So don't be nice to him out of pity! He doesn't deserve it!
Aren't you glad, Kenta?
You can't lose something that never got going in the first place,
so you still have your once-in-a-lifetime first love.
You don't have to waste it on these people.
Hold on to it until you find someone you can truly care about.
What's your problem, man?
You barge in and run your mouth? The hell's your deal?!
Pay heed. My name is Saku Chitose. Just your friendly neighborhood King.
Screw you! You picking a fight with us?!
Hate to break it to you,
but you picked a fight with my bro first.
Hah. Bro, my ass.
This loser trash has no hope of ever being one of you.
Yeah! You're gonna kick him to the curb anyway!
So don't sympathize with him in the first place!
Kenta, keep your delusions in check this time.
He would never really be friends with someone like you.
People don't change! They can't!
He's trying to become someone he'll never be!
Just looking at him makes me cringe!
Okay, shut up already.
Now, you listen and listen well.
Kenta's taken the first steps toward becoming the best version of himself.
He swore never to turn back, even if he failed and got himself hurt.
Kenta reached for the moon!
The beautiful moon all the way up in the sky that he set his heart on!
Meanwhile, you chose to remain stuck in place.
You're a pathetic loser shitting on the guy who's leaving you in the dust!
You have zero right to laugh at Kenta now!
I can't take it anymore.
The guy who's always deflecting and hiding his true feelings
is out here getting genuinely angry for my sake.
This is a rallying cry.
The final words of encouragement before I walk my own path from tomorrow.
"Keep going, keep running, and don't look back!
You made the right decision, so believe in it!"
I have to take it in so I don't lose my way again.
I'll burn this moment into my memories...
The sight of the guy I saw as my hero!
Hey, Saku!
You should be pinning me against the wall, not some random guy!
Yuko? Why are you here?
You can't just leave me out! That'd be so unfair!
Sorry about the commotion, everyone.
Your curly-curls are as cute as ever, Kentacchi!
There, there.
It always makes me wanna pet you. Ruffle-wuffle!
Okay, you've each said your piece!
Have fun with your lives from tomorrow!
So, Kentacchi, any last words you wanna say?
This is your story, Kenta.
I'm going to reach for the moon.
I'm never looking back.
Why'd you come?!
I told you things would work out.
And I knew they would because I'd be there.
Not this again!
Uh... was that the right thing to do?
I'll take full responsibility, of course.
I don't think we went too far.
It was a small measure of payback for all the crap they put you through.
You got really heated for once.
Obviously, it's always better when it goes peacefully for all.
But I think the most important thing
is to be someone who can get angry for a dear friend.
King, Yuko...
Well, Ren-kun and the others...
They learned a good lesson too.
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Good for them.
If I don't live a beautiful life, then I might as well be dead.
That's my philosophy.
If people criticize or ridicule me as a result of keeping with that philosophy,
it doesn't bother me one bit.
What truly terrifies me
is the thought of coming to hate myself one day.
I heard an all-too-familiar crash, deep down in my heart.
It's the end of April,
with spring ready to make an exit and summer not yet ready to roll in.
It's a fitting analogy for the unnatural relationship we currently share.
I want to live a beautiful life.
Like the moon I saw that night,
like a dazzling glass marble in a bottle of ramune.
Time to end this little detour.
Huh?
It's been three weeks, as agreed.
I saw it coming after what I said yesterday,
but I'm still not ready for this to end for real.
A deal's a deal.
One person can only carry so much.
If you try to pick up everyone you meet,
you risk letting down the important people you picked up first.
Well, we did agree on this from the start.
When you broke the glass of my door that day,
it felt like you broke through the thick glass surrounding my heart, too.
Wait, what am I even saying?
I'll write my own story from tomorrow.
But if the day ever comes when I can stand beside you two with my head held high,
can I say it again?
Can I ask you to be my friends?
The lessons you've taught me these past three weeks, King,
and the words and smiles you've offered me, Yuko...
I can't and won't forget them for as long as I live.
Thank you so, so much for everything!
What's gotten into this guy?
C'mon, Saku, it's your fault for being so misleading.
Listen, Kentacchi.
Saku meant it was time to end this weird coach-and-student relationship.
Wait, what?
Starting tomorrow, we'll be equals. Friends.
We can't seriously go, "Okay, time's up. We're strangers now."
B-But... are you really sure?
Hey, we're already friends, aren't we?
What was that about saying it "again"? You've never even asked us to be your friends.
King, don't tell me...
You always knew I'd misunderstand?
This is what loving teasing is, and don't you forget it.
Shut it, King! You asshole!
Okay, now we've broken common ground for real.
Asu-nee.
Hey, you. Didn't think I'd be seeing you tonight.
I have a name, you know. Not just "you."
It feels like you're grouping me in with all the others.
What a silly thing to say.
You're the only one who's you.
I see. You were off writing a lovely story.
It's innocent, hopeful, and bittersweet, like a boy trying to fly with balloons.
It's just the only way I could go about it.
Roundabout, just like me.
But you actually like that about yourself, don't you?
I guess.
You've changed a little.
Maybe your little park allows lighting up some sparklers now.
Please. I was just playing the hero like always.
A false hero wouldn't hop onto the stage from the audience to help someone.
You're a complicated one.
You make it seem like the only thing you care about is you,
but you show the most warmth to others and are coldest to yourself.
The truly good people are the ones who jump in the water to make kids smile.
You're putting me up on a pedestal too.
Asuka Nishino is a far more ordinary girl than you realize.
She doesn't have room for as many people as you do,
nor is she as clever in life.
She only lets in the people she wants to, does the things she's capable of,
goes home, eats the omurice her mom makes,
reads some The Door into Summer by Heinlein, and goes to bed.
That's the kind of life that came to be known as "freedom."
Do you have any plans for Golden Week?
Nope. I don't like planning ahead.
I always feel like something more fun will come up, and then I'll regret it.
Do you have plans for a date, maybe?
I was thinking about asking this older girl on a date, but she just shot me down.
Maybe I'll sing the radio calisthenics song outside your window to wake you up.
That sounds like the start of a rather wonderful day.
I would be more than happy with that, really.
Never mind.
It's probably better for us to meet unplanned like this.
That way, we can always be the cool older girl and the cute younger boy.
You think getting any closer would ruin the relationship?
Or change it into something else, maybe.
Translation: Sriram Gurunathan
Subtitle Editing: Geoff Mazzolini Subtitle Timing: Krzysztof Kunc
Quality Check: Riley Dalton Translation Check: Rei Miyasaka
That dumbass.
I told him it was banned!
SAKU CHITOSE IS KING!!
This is a fake love story.
When do you think people fall in love?
I think it's when we first put a name to the feelings within and call it love.
The sweet sound of the word makes everything look like rainbows and sunshine.
But only at first, because in most cases, the spell eventually wears off.
We tend to think love is a blanket excuse to hurt the other person.
Disappointed by the rift between fantasy and reality,
we feel betrayed and turn our blade on the one we called dear.
We never stop to consider who it was that held those fantasies in the first place.
But I wish it wasn't like that. I have a better idea.
Someone catches your eye, and you try to get to know them better.
What you learn lets you down, but the feeling still won't go away.
You fight it,
and it fights back.
You almost come to hate yourself and the person who made you feel that way.
But even then,
you still can't give up.
And in the end, you reach into your heart
and gently pick out the one emotion that shines brighter than all else.
That's why I think it's better to wait before giving love its name.
Heya.
You're on a date with a hot guy. Sure you don't want to dress up some more?
But, Chitose,
I figured you didn't care for girls who get all excited and dress up for a hot guy.
Besides, doesn't this actually turn you on more?
Okay, she noticed I was looking.
Nanase, can I ask you something?
As long as it's a question I can answer in public.
Why are you here so early? We agreed to meet at noon.
Probably for the same reason as you.
I don't like to keep people waiting.
It makes me feel like I owe them something.
Yeesh. Haven't you heard that boys don't like flawless girls?
In general, sure.
But I'm Yuzuki Nanase.
And I'm Saku Chitose.
Nice to meet you?
I'm impressed you knew such a nice place.
You're less likely to run into people you know in the station area on weekends.
It's a nice little blind spot.
You almost make it sound like you want to avoid being seen by anyone.
Oh? I doubt there are many girls out there who'd want to be seen asking a boy out.
Remember my special favor?
Please be my boyfriend?
It's better to wait till the end before giving love its name.
So what started here
can only be a fake love story.
NEXT TIME A FICKLE STARTING LINE
"A Fickle Starting Line."