Such good memories...
She hears a voice from behind her.
And when she turns back, there's no one there.
A Hundred Scenes of AWAJIMA
Classic ghost story, huh?
Awajima Ghost Stories
Horiuchi-san.
Could you take these to Hayashi-sensei?
Sorry, it's just that we have a committee meeting.
Okay.
They make it so obvious.
They've been using me as an errand girl.
The music room is full of the spirits of the dead.
A corpse hangs in the gym storage room.
In the bathroom resides Hanako-san.
Schools are treasure troves of ghost stories.
But it's the living that scare me the most.
The friends you were so close with up till yesterday can suddenly turn on you today.
Music Room
Pardon me.
Thank you.
That must've been a lot to carry on your own.
No, not at all.
Now, if you'll excuse me...
Compared to human malice, a stack of paper weighs nothing.
Did you find the music you were looking for?
Yes.
Well, I'll leave you with the key.
Be sure to lock the door when you leave.
Okay. Thank you.
Break a leg at the cultural festival!
Hey, I hear a piano!
Staying late at school is part of the fun the night before the cultural festival!
It's scary, though.
I hear there's a ghost in the bathroom by the gym.
Oh, I can believe that. It's weirdly dark there for some reason.
Stop it!
For upperclassmen, the cultural festival is the culmination of two years' work.
Ryouko-chan, phone!
It's Kinue Takehara-san.
You went to middle school with her, didn't you?
You're doing Romeo and Juliet?
Yeah.
And it got me thinking of way back when.
Such good memories...
We did Romeo and Juliet back then too.
Your hand, my lady.
Gladly, my prince.
Will you come watch?
I'll be there.
I don't know.
I might not go.
My mom says...
Oh, crap. I mean, my mother says...
It's fine.
She wanted to be an actress.
Not the only mom around like that.
I guess they want to live their dreams through their kids.
I guess that's how it goes for most folks.
My mother's a bit different, though.
She doesn't entirely seem happy.
If anything, she's trying to drag me down.
Seriously?
My grandma and dad have been on my side.
I think it's the only reason I'm holding up.
Believe me, some families are like that.
Huh.
Not everyone's dreams come true.
I knew that from the start.
Rationally, at least.
Horiuchi-san!
Sorry, actually, never mind.
This place is a cesspool.
Of dreams, hopes, despair, envy, jealousy, resentment...
I think I see where people get their ghost stories here.
Still, though, it's the living that scare me most.
A test of courage?
Yeah. You know how we're staying in the costume room today?
We get a thirty-minute break.
And when we do...
Who wants café au lait?
Me!
Me too!
What was that?
Apparently they're doing a test of courage.
How silly.
It's fine.
Those girls have been working on our costumes for days.
They gotta let off some steam.
You're patient, aren't you, Senpai?
Sure am!
Since I know what I'm doing after school and all.
I guess I'm not feeling as tense.
Say, um...
Are you really quitting?
Don't be so gloomy.
But you've finally improved.
It's such a waste.
I'm doing better because I made the decision to quit.
Choosing the same path doesn't necessarily mean going the same way.
The building's so lively at night during cultural festival season. I like it.
Pipe down!
Good grief.
What's the matter?
The prep students were holding a test of courage.
I don't believe it.
Huh. A test of courage in the dead of winter, you say?
Speaking of which, every school has its own urban legends of sorts.
Does ours have any that you know of?
Sure we do.
This place is full of dreams and dashed hopes.
I've seen plenty of people go through it. Myself included.
Don't say that.
This school is teeming with spirits.
Kinu-chan, what's wrong?
It's nothing.
I heard a voice, so I turned around...
But there's no one there.
Knock it off!
Not the most imaginative ghost story.
It's not an easy world you're walking into.
I'm not going to force you to do it.
I know that.
I never thought it would be easy.
I might even come home crying.
But I won't. I won't make excuses.
You're better off having excuses for yourself.
No, stop! You're going to ruin my resolve.
Why would you talk to me like that?
You really are just like your grandmother.
You lack composure.
You act like you're pushing yourself,
but you're just making the people around you suffer.
Huh?
What are you talking about?
Never mind.
Whatcha ruminating about?
Did you know, Oshiage-san? They're here.
Huh? No. What are?
You mean bugs, right?
Please say you do!
Is that really what you want? I thought you hated bugs.
Better than ghosts.
You've outed yourself.
Why does everyone love ghost stories?
It's not even like we have time for them.
I do think words have power, though.
So you'd best be careful what you say out loud.
You're the one who started it!
If you have questions, you ought to ask.
But...
Is it true that you tried to kill yourself?
That's a pretty blunt question after all that hesitation!
I just don't know how to ask stuff like this more politely.
"Is something on your mind?"
Or "Has something gotten you down?"
You have to get to the heart of the problem more gently.
Don't you think it's tactless to ask outright if I tried to kill myself?
Sorry.
Just messing.
I don't know...
if I wanted to die or not.
I just randomly felt like it.
But I blurted it out,
and Ohshima-san had to go telling everyone like it was a big deal.
That's horrible.
She's horrible.
But it's fine. I'm even worse than her.
Remember Emi Okabe-san? The girl who quit.
I was in Ibuki-san's clique.
She's pretty isolated now.
Yeah.
I'm awful, aren't I?
I knew Okabe-san was being bullied.
I didn't participate, but I didn't say anything either.
I'm not any better.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
And with that, she quit school.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this."
I'm sure that's how plenty of other students felt too.
What a surprise. I would have never thought you'd call me.
Well, I am your daughter's main teacher.
I heard you've been a good mom to her.
I'm not a good mother by any stretch.
She's following in your footsteps, though!
That's not true either.
I'm one of the quitters.
I feel like this is my punishment.
And I know it's arrogant of me to even think that.
I ran away from Awajima, yet I can't escape it.
My daughter will be successful.
Yet I can't be genuinely happy for her.
I'm awful, aren't I?
Is this place truly a cesspool?
Let's take it from the top!
I'll be out for half an hour or so.
Got it.
I wonder if she's being punished too.
Bye, Sensei!
See you tomorrow.
Thank you all too.
Thank you.
Such good memories...
At the very least, this isn't somewhere we should look back on fondly.
Did you hear? Okabe-san quit.
Do you think...
Yeah.
How will she face the class?
Right?
Good morning.
I never even said good morning.
I just ignored her, as though she'd never existed to begin with.
As though she deserved it.
It hasn't changed a bit!
That's it! That's it right there!
That's Awajima!
My granddaughter goes there, you know?
Mom...
My, that's impressive.
They're having their cultural festival today!
And this one here, she's my daughter!
She graduated from Awajima too!
Wow, you must have passed down the talent.
Exactly!
Please stop, Mom.
I never graduated.
I quit.
I ran away.
Sumiyoshi-san!
Oh, no, you go by Ifukube-san now.
Seeing you here, I was transported right back to those days!
I came with my mother.
She's running around campus, going on and on about old times.
Squee
Please don't cry.
I'm sorry...
I'm just so happy.
I'm so happy.
I know you don't feel good about this place.
I have my regrets too.
I wish we could have graduated together.
So I'm very happy today...
Am I really allowed to get so nostalgic about this place?
Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
from ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
The two hours' traffic of our stage, the which if you with patient ears attend,
what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Tell me, daughter Juliet,
how stands your disposition to be married?
I haven't thought about getting married yet.
Is that really Juliet's line?
Mine too, I guess.
Juliet wouldn't know yet either, right?
She wasn't even fourteen at the time.
"Come Lammas-eve at night shall she be fourteen."
Wow, did you memorize all your lines already?
Let's make it a great performance.
Yeah.
I'm looking forward to it, Prince Takehara.
Likewise, Princess Ryouko!
That girl playing Romeo is so fantastic!
Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?
We need to remember her name.
Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.
That was so good! So good!
We're missing a sword!
Someone go check!
Where's the first aid box?
Look, my hands are still shaking!
You were beautiful up there.
Kinue-chan!
Grandma!
That was fantastic!
I'm so proud of you!
I wanted you to be the first one to see.
That's my line!
Look at how you've grown!
I'm gonna go to Awajima too!
Sorry, Grandma.
I gotta see my friend.
Aren't you chilly?
Maybe I'm still buzzing. I don't feel cold at all.
That's not good.
You'll catch a cold.
Oh, thanks.
You cut your hair.
Yeah.
Are you going into acting?
Yeah.
I'm hoping I can become an actor.
And I want to do it for the long term.
What about you?
I still think you're wasting your talent.
Awajima isn't everything.
Are you really in a position to say that?
I mean...
That's what I really thought.
I've been thinking about why I'm the only one who's here.
This whole time.
You and I were supposed to walk this path together.
How did we end up apart?
Still, that's just ego.
I think I pitied you.
I'm here with my family's support.
And that's something you didn't have.
I must have told myself that I was just lonely.
I'm sorry.
You sure are a good person with a sheltered upbringing.
You think so?
My emotions are a lot more vile.
Really?
Really.
If you ask me, you're a far better person than me.
The world I'm aiming for is full of all kinds of nasty creatures.
Not that this one's much different, I guess.
I think I would've been exhausted if I'd stuck around such a pure soul anyway.
I'm glad I came, though.
I've been prepared to say that this whole time.
So long as I was here, I wanted to feel that way too.
I didn't want to become any uglier.
Kinue-san.
Yes?
I wanted to become you.
Me?
Yes.
I didn't want to be like you. I wanted to be you.
Well, that's rather...
I'm glad I came today.
I was only pretending to feel that way before.
You were?!
But I mean it this time.
I finally got a weight off my chest.
Or maybe not.
Maybe it isn't that simple.
But it's true that I feel a little better.
I was always the one making myself suffer.
At the bottom of the cesspool is a mirror.
I can't wait to get this off my back.
In pursuit of relief, we end up finding more suffering.
Ibuki-san?
I...
It's me, Sumiyoshi.
T-Takehara-senpai!
Tabata-san.
Please let me shake your hand!
What's gotten into you?
This is going to be you next year.
But, but, but...
It was really beautiful!
Thank you.
To be honest, I was a little worried...
that the emotions might overwhelm me to tears.
But that thought vanished once I was on stage.
That's the kind of world this is.
She heard a voice saying, "Such good memories..."
And when she turned back, no one was there.
I heard about Emi Okabe-san.
Are you here in order to make up for your guilt?
I can't say.
I'm sorry to have put this all on you.
I'm the one at fault.
But such apologies don't mean anything.
The one we should be apologizing to is no longer here.
Horiuchi-san!
Sorry, could you take this back?
Enough is enough.
This is so childish.
I'm not going to turn around for some ghost's voice.
It's not the most imaginative ghost story.