I was covered in sweat, having had plenty of fun.
I sat down on the spot and looked up at the sky.
The sun was floating directly overhead.
The greenery shone yellow in the light.
A soft sensation gently stroked my head.
Was it the wind? Or was it a silhouette's hand?
I vaguely remember someone patting my head, just like this.
I heard a voice calling me from the distance.
"Let's play together," it said.
Grandma Kido says a champion's come to the island to heal his broken fist.
A champeon?
No, a champion.
Cham...pion?
Yes! A champion!
Okay! Champion!
G-Guess I'll give it a rest for today.
Maybe Grandpa's right.
Maybe I need to try harder.
Umm...
Who are you?
Takahara Hairi.
Taka...?
What about you?
Your name.
Shiroha.
Shiroha...
What are you doing?
Practicing.
Swimming?
I'm the one who should be asking questions!
Sorry?
So you're lost?
I'm trying to get back to Katou-san's place.
Don't you mean your place, Sakahara-san?
Oh, no, it's Takahara.
S-Sakahara?
No...
Okay, Sakahara is fine.
Sorry, I should go.
Up the hill and right at the end.
Take a left at the third crossroads.
Thanks.
By the way...
Why are you practicing at night?
You shouldn't. It's dangerous.
What if you get a leg cramp when no one's here?
...koi.
Dosukoi!
B-Bye! Thanks for the directions!
Welcome.
A-Ao!
You don't have to be that surprised.
Also, we're out of watermelon bars.
Wait, wait.
Listen, we're having a welcome party at the diner tomorrow.
Care to join us?
A welcome party?
For who?
A relative of Grandma Katou's is here.
Katou, you say?
What's he like?
Um...
He nearly had his way with me.
That's scary.
Well, I'm only kidding.
Nomiki says he seems like a decent guy.
She said he hit it off with Ryoichi and Tenzen from the jump.
Scary.
I'll go if I can make it.
Okay.
We'll be waiting for you.
Torishirojima Elementary
Not bad, I guess.
What part?
Er...
Good evening.
Are you lost again?
Not exactly.
What, then?
Are you going to have your way with me too?
Of course not!
In fact, I've never "had my way with" anyone, okay?
Listen...
You need to extend your arm as far as you can.
Once it's out, hold it there for a second.
That'll make a big difference.
Wh-What?
Okay, bye!
What's with him?
Grandpa.
I'm heading out for a bit.
Right now?
I promised my friends...
All right.
I'll be back.
Yikes.
The first thing you say is "yikes"? That's a bit much.
Marin Diner
Ahem.
So you made it, huh?
To the welcome party.
Thanks.
I tried your advice yesterday, and I could swim a bit better.
Y-Yeah?
That's all.
I appreciate what you've done.
Safe travels on your way home from the island.
I just got here!
This is my welcome party!
I never welcomed you.
Hey, wait!
Hey...
Why are you here?
I mean, after what you said, I have to ask.
So, uh...
Shiroha-san?
How do you know my name?
We introduced ourselves. Back when we first met.
Haibara Satoshi.
Nope.
Takahara Hairi.
So, Shiroha-san...
You can drop the "-san."
Okay.
Shiroha, then.
What was that all about earlier?
Well...
Shiroha?
I-It's none of your business!
And what about you?
Why'd you come to this barren island?
To clean up my grandma's things.
I can't remember how to spend a summer break.
It was like looking at a lost child.
Hearing his words, I remembered...
A long time ago, when I was little, I'd run around in a seemingly endless summer.
One full of family and friends.
There was always something to do.
And the sun was always shining brightly down on us.
That's the memory he conjured.
I've been thinking about when I was little ever since I came to the island.
I don't know why.
It's kind of a thrill.
Maybe that was why
he smiled shyly when I told him...
You probably feel that way because the island is right for you.
I see.
I hope you're right.
Um...
Can I ask you something?
Um, so listen...
What's this about a broken fist?
I heard you're a champion here to heal your broken fist.
Th-That's just a metaphor.
I went through a lot, and, well...
I can't fight anymore.
That's a painful feeling.
Hijab.
Hijab?
Never mind.
Hijab...
Weirdo.
Onii-chan!
Morning's here. It's morning.
Morning...
Morning, Onii-chan.
Morning, Umi-chan.
"Onii"?
Oh, right, that's me.
I'm still not used to it.
Umi-chan, what's this?
Crab fried rice, made with fresh ingredients from the harbor.
Yeah, this is a little too fresh.
At least take it apart first.
Prep work is hard.
Oh, mommy!
My, crab for breakfast? How extravagant.
More like hellish, actually.
Firepower is the essence of fried rice.
By the way, Kyouko-san...
What about the shed?
Don't worry about that yet.
Go enjoy the island some more.
Enjoy the island, huh?
Well, I have met some interesting people.
Shiroha, huh?
Shiroha.
Fishing any good?
Not great, not bad.
Why are you here?
Why?
I saw a friend... an acquaintance, so I thought I'd say hi.
Ahem.
So, what are you catching?
Anything.
Could I borrow the rod?
There aren't many fish here, though.
Got one!
Are you a pro?
Nah, but maybe I have talent.
I used to be good at catching crayfish.
Why, you...
I didn't notice it was past noon.
Is this what I think it is?
Okay.
It looks more like bar food, but...
Still, I'm impressed.
You're a good cook, huh?
It's my job at home.
Man, that's crazy good!
I-Is it?
It is!
O-Okay.
Thank you.
That was so good.
No one at my place can really cook.
Now that you're done eating, leave me alone.
Nothing good can come of it.
Gosh, now that I'm full, I'm sure craving something sweet.
Wanna grab ice cream or something?
My treat for lunch.
A w-watermelon bar, then.
Okay, it's a deal.
Good thing they weren't out today, huh?
Hey, it's Hairi and Shiroha.
LOVE AI-CHAN
What the?!
That was cold...
Dude, Nomiki's gonna shoot you if you start stripping here.
Yeah, and what about the two of you?
We're all set!
Though a tattoo would have been preferable so it wouldn't wash off in the rain or water.
You'd make your parents weep.
What's up, Shiroha?
Heat stroke?
I heard today's the hottest day of the year.
No, she's obviously upset about the watermelon bar.
Don't worry, Shiroha.
There's always tomorrow.
Wh-What are these three naked men doing to you?!
Such shameless indecency in broad daylight!
Not only do you expose yourself, you've fallen to rock bottom!
It's a misunderstanding!
Shiroha...
That must have been scary.
You're all right now.
M-My precious...
I lost it.
Shiroha-san! Phrasing!
Okay, boys...
P-Please, not those eyes!
Class committee girls...
Lynching...
Take these.
That's cold!
I kept them chilled just in case.
Shiroha.
Take back your stolen dignity with your own hands.
Now then...
Time to begin the man hunt.
Justice to the enemies of womankind!
You're gonna get it now.
Ow!
That's cold!
No, don't!
My kinetic vision has been honed to perfection by ping-pong!
No!
Not the face, Shiroha!
I can't breathe!
Finish him!
I've avenged you.
Shiroha.
We've done it.
We won.
Victory!
It's nice to get together, idiots included.
Yeah.
It's been a while since we got to hang with Shiroha.
This was fun.
I-It wasn't fun or anything.
Shiroha?
Man, you got me good yesterday.
That was pretty fun, though, huh?
Are you okay out in the sun? You were here yesterday too.
About the watermelon bar yesterday...
Shiroha!
Why did you stay outside until you ended up like this?
I was testing.
Testing? What?
I saw it.
I knew I'd be safe.
I knew someone would come help me.
Saw what?
Knew how?
I'm fine now.
Let me down.
Hey, are you listening?
Nope.
You stay put.
Really, I'm okay.
You had me worried.
Sorry.
Thanks, Hairi.
Yeah.
Naruse
Yo.
Got a minute?
Shiroha's always kept her distance from the rest of us, ever since we were little.
But even so, we'd still all hang out.
Like we did yesterday.
Then four years ago, something happened.
One of our classmates started saying...
That Shiroha's going to curse and kill us.
Curse? Kill?
In fact, that kid fell off a cliff.
He survived just fine, but...
Shiroha was there when it happened.
That has to have been a coincidence and an accident.
That's what you'd normally think, yeah.
The thing is that Shiroha's family is kinda, well...
This place is called Naruse Shrine.
Naruse...
Naruse?!
She's a normal islander now, but way back when,
Naruse Shrine
her family was responsible for all the island's rituals and festivals.
Superstitious folks still treat her differently.
So they have some special lineage? Were they, like, shrine priestesses?
You could say that.
They brought both good and bad things.
So there was a tacit understanding not to get too involved with them.
Is that why she told me to stay away?
Nah.
We may be a bit estranged, but we're all childhood friends.
And though we only just met you, we consider you a friend too.
Maybe you just throw her off.
She seems a little like her old self around you.
This isn't for us to say, but...
Could you keep an eye on Shiroha?
As much as you can?
Ryoichi, Tenzen...
Sure.
Of course.