CHITOSE IS IN THE RAMUNE BOTTLE
You sure about that, Yuzuki Nanase?
Huh?
Is this what you wanted?
Wait, Saku!
Too late for that. You're the one who started it.
Please, Saku. Not like this.
Don't be a spoilsport. If you close your eyes, you won't see a thing.
No... You're scaring me.
Is that all Yuzuki Nanase's got? Don't make me laugh.
Are you so afraid of that guy...
that you're okay with shutting your brain off while he makes a mockery of you?
What a letdown after you embodied perfection for so long!
Come on!
Is Yuzuki Nanase really this weak a girl, huh?!
Fuck you!
Owie...
Y-You hit too hard... I-I told you, a light kick is all it takes...
You can talk to me if you're up for it.
I'm terrified of violence.
As I expected.
I just couldn't tell if it was physical or sexual abuse.
By my second year of middle school,
my history of nasty experiences thanks to my looks
had turned me into a street-smart girl.
I acted friendly with both boys and girls
but knew where to draw the line and keep my distance
and play the girl who wasn't worth getting worked up over.
But that was when...
I heard that Yanashita-senpai had taken an interest in me.
He was infamous as a bad boy, but he was actually from a good family
and was originally a popular kid.
Plenty of girls had crushes on him, too.
One day, he called me out.
I was scared, but I figured I could talk my way out of the situation.
You're gonna be mine.
I put on my best fake smile,
thinking I was skillfully brushing him off.
But...
No more nice guy.
My mind went blank at first, and then came the burning pain.
I was mad and upset,
but more than anything, I was scared as hell.
It horrified me that no matter how smartly I lived,
I was just a girl whose brain stopped working when a guy slapped me.
That's the part of my past I was keeping secret, even from you.
Maybe because I broke down crying so pathetically,
he just took that one photo and let me go.
I was hoping he had forgotten all about me by now...
Saku?
Thanks, Yuzuki.
Why are you thanking me?
Thank you for never giving up on being Yuzuki Nanase, even after all that.
Thank you for standing tall all this time.
I don't know why, but that makes me really glad.
Everyone goes through unpleasant things in life that they wish they could forget.
But she didn't put hers away in a box called trauma and let it rot.
In that moment, it felt like a miracle to me that she was there as Yuzuki Nanase.
Anyway, you went too far back there.
Sorry. I know that method was too forceful.
I can't believe you went all, "Owie!"
So much for your usual cool-guy act!
Hilarious!
Don't get the wrong idea.
I wasn't trying to tell you that you can get rid of all guys with a kick to the nuts.
It could backfire, too.
So, I should never turn my brain off, right?
You showed me how it's done back during the festival.
Even when you're outmatched, you still have options as long as you use your brain.
Yeah, violence is scary stuff,
but don't let the pain take over your heart and mind too.
I'll be fine, I think.
The scariest and funniest faces I can picture just got updated,
so the old versions are gone.
I wish I could've done a better job, and sooner.
Nah.
You did it because I finally said "help me," right?
Thank you, my hero.
This is Yuzuki's problem to deal with.
There's no point if she doesn't move on herself.
There's no guarantee that I'll be there for her if something similar happens again.
But she chose to depend on me and move forward.
And now, it becomes our problem.
Hey...
Wanna pick up where we left off?
You really think I can get it up after that? I felt my balls shrink just now!
Saku! Wanna join me?
Quit playing all the hits and count to 100 with the water up to your shoulders!
Tch.
One, two...
Three, four...
Talk about carefree.
One hundred!
Something smells nice!
You must be hungry.
Dry your hair, and let's eat.
Okay!
Your shampoo smells great.
Right? Yua recommended it.
Huh...
I like how powerful your dryer is.
Yuko gave it to me when she bought a new one.
Oh, yeah?
Take your breath away?
As much as I hate to admit.
I admit defeat, so please put on some shorts or something.
Okies!
Yuzuki, you can use the bed. I'll sleep on the couch.
I don't think so.
So I can use the bed?
What a heartless boy.
What do you even want from me?
It smells like you.
Sorry, does it stink?
Nah, it's a comforting scent.
So, uh, Chitose? Do you have someone you like?
That's the second time you've asked me that.
I don't think I've ever liked a guy for real.
A lot of guys made moves on me,
but when I realized they liked the Yuzuki Nanase packaging more than me,
I stopped caring.
All they wanted was a treasure chest filled with their own fantasies.
But even you get annoyed when other girls get praised over you,
and you lose your composure when you see a guy showing some skin.
Right. I fart sometimes, too.
There was this one girl who I liked a fair bit.
Yeah?
Back in grade school, I'd spend my summer breaks at my paternal grandma's home.
To me, it was the very image of summer.
I met this girl there who'd show up in the neighborhood every year.
She'd follow me around with her pretty, doll-like face.
And she'd cry after getting her white dress dirty in the river.
But...
I remember how she always said she envied me for being so free.
She was the only one to ever say that to me.
It made me happy.
But this one year, she stopped showing up.
That was how my puppy first love started and ended.
Ah, so she was the only illusion to never disillusion you.
Do you think you'll be able to fall in love in the future?
The idea scares me.
I don't want the shoe on the other foot.
I don't want to one-sidedly fall in love with and one-sidedly come to hate someone.
Good night, Saku.
Good night, Yuzuki.
If real love does exist in our world,
I feel like it can only be found in faded, rose-tinted memories.
Like, for instance, when I look back fondly on this night as a grown man.
When I woke up, Yuzuki was gone.
Morning, Yua.
Morning. Where's Yuzuki-chan?
She dumped me.
Saku-kun, what's that?
Huh...
THANKS FOR THE SLEEPING FACE <3
You do it with everyone, huh, Saku-kun?
Gimme a break. Your first time's something you can only give to one person.
Really, now?
What do you want? I'd rather be brushing up for exams.
I didn't take you for the type to stick your nose in the textbook till the last second.
Didn't take me? You don't even know anything about me.
Nope, I don't.
So I'm sorry about what I said at the end yesterday.
Wh-Wha?
And thanks for coming to watch the game.
Seriously, what's with you?
I just figured...
I can't face up to things unless I have the guts to own up to my mistakes.
You're making no sense.
What?!
You're gonna stop going around with Saku?!
But those Yan High guys were here just yesterday!
I started thinking that maybe I was adding fuel to the fire.
Maybe this would all be over if I'd just talked to him and turned him down.
Do you really think they'd go away that easily?
Well, somebody's gotta do something to put an end to all this.
And that somebody's gotta be me.
Thanks for the food.
Thank you, Saku and everyone.
I'll wrap this all up and go back to being the Yuzuki Nanase you all know and love!
I'm still going after her, Saku.
Feel free.
Sorry, I know I called you out here. Did you wait long?
Nah, you're good.
No beating around the bush.
I had Yuzuki stay over at my place last night.
I can't give you any more advice with her.
Oops, now I've done it.
Uh, this is awkward, but can I assume that you're in that kind of relationship now?
We didn't seal the deal or anything.
But we did get into things. I saw her in a state of dress I'd never seen before,
and I got to take photos and everything...
I think I could get used to that.
You mean you're gonna date her for real?
Nah, I'm gonna stop pretending to be her boyfriend.
Sorry, I'm not really following you here.
Since this was the last piece of advice I could give him,
I believed in his character and gave him details on what happened with Yuzuki.
Huh...
After hearing all that, I'm starting to think I don't stand a chance.
It's up to you whether you stop there or take a step forward.
Thanks for everything, Saku.
I don't think I've grown any, though.
That's because you're not trying to, you fool.
When are you actually gonna go talk to her?
When I've improved my chances of success...
Keep dreaming, then.
Asu-nee?
Shall we go for a walk?
Are you having trouble choosing a career path?
Have you ever thought about leaving this small town?
Half of us Fukui natives have thought about it at least once in our lives,
and the idea never even occurs to the other half.
I love this town, and I hate it.
I am having trouble.
To be more precise, I can't decide if I want to stay here or go to Tokyo.
Tokyo...
Funnily, it's the one place that always comes to mind when I think of "not-Fukui."
The big city to end all big cities.
When I figured that Asu-nee, too, was beholden to that trite fantasy,
I felt a little bit let down and a little bit relieved at the same time.
And that made me sick to my stomach.
By the way, the Yuzuki thing will probably work out.
You're not going to tell me the whole story like you always do?
I'm preparing myself for the day when you won't be around to hear my stories.
What a sad thing to say.
Yeah, because I just heard something really sad.
Perhaps this is how you and I are going to grow up.
We'll stow our straw hats and dresses away in the closet
and take out a prim-and-proper suits instead.
I never wanna forget my shorts and sandals, personally.
I'm sure that's perfect for you.
But, Asu-nee...
I think you'd look better in a pure white dress than a perfectly ironed suit.
But I don't think you'd fall for the version of me that looked good in a white dress.
Translation: Sriram Gurunathan
Subtitle Editing: Geoff Mazzolini Subtitle Timing: Krzysztof Kunc
Quality Check: Riley Dalton Translation Check: Rei Miyasaka
NEXT TIME A DISTANT MOON
"A Distant Moon."