- I'm home. - Oh, Yota!
I'm sorry about earlier.
Huh?
You probably don't wanna be seen talking to family in front of
your friends. I embarrassed you, didn't I?
You're at that age... Oh, why'd I call out
- No, it's totally fine. - to you like that?
I mean you're a teenager.
Thank you for the meal.
Vroom!
Oh, hey there.
Oh, don't hog him so much, Haruto!
Can I possibly finish my food first?
No, now!
You're too loud!
Ahhh.
Would you knock it off, you two!
RUMBLE RUMBLE
Don't bother your brother while he's eating!
WHOOSH
- Oof! - Do the airplane thing again.
Do it!
- Daddy doesn't have anything left. - Hey, hey, hey, hey.
- Do it! - You want me to switch?
No, you don't have to do anything but eat your dinner. Goodness.
Oh, thank you.
Hey! Hey!
Daddy!
All the noise...
Keeps echoing around in my head non-stop.
- Daddy, Daddy, Daddy! - Listen to me you two!
I have to make the noise stop.
Or it'll swallow me up.
Don't think.
Don't think about anything.
You see, in my family, I have a younger sister and brother, and they're
so pigheaded about getting what they want.
Mm-hm.
The other day, when we were trying to decide what to have for dinner, as
soon as my sister said "pasta", my brother simultaneously said "curry!"
Neither of them would give in.
So, I had to-
My younger brother and sister are still little, so it can get pretty
noisy at home.
Have you been up here all this time?
Yup. Mmm.
You know, daydreaming sounds even better.
The more I think about what he said...
The more everything else he's said makes so much sense.
But even if I'm right about all of it...
Is it something I should even be getting involved in?
But if someone insists that they're okay...
Then I should believe them.
And just stay out of their business, right?
THE RAMPARTS OF ICE
Loneliness and Solitude
201 YUKI
Koyuki, listen...
Me and your father are divorcing.
- Do you like my apron? - I knew my parents weren't super
You look adorable, dear.
Lovey-dovey like those couples you see on TV.
- And that they sometimes argued when - I'm working myself to the bone all day,
I wasn't around or they thought
- I couldn't hear. - every day.
I knew all of that. I had no illusions.
But... even then, I was super close with Mom.
And I felt secure knowing Dad loved me and was there for me.
I'm pretty sure I was the only thing keeping them together.
So I thought it would all be okay.
Would Dad be just fine without me?
YUKI
HIKAWA
Like I never even mattered to him?
Ew, her water bottle is so lame, isn't it?
Oh my gosh, stop, Manatsu!
I didn't fit in at school.
I felt like I didn't belong anywhere, really, no matter where I was.
Tell me, Koyun, what it is you don't like about Igarashi?
There's probably a lot.
I felt so isolated with no one I could share my feelings with.
And this fear...
This voice that wouldn't leave me alone said, "no one cares whether
you're around or not."
Eventually, I started to believe it.
And it broke my heart.
CLUB WITHDRAWAL FORM
Back then, I...
I felt lonelier when I was with someone.
GRADE 1 CLASS 2
WHEW... WHEW...
Our circumstances are completely different.
- Yota isn't me. - What time is your club over today?
What feels right for me may be completely different than what's right for him.
Still... I know how he feels.
- Send! - SEND
That loneliness...
The kind you experience when you're with others yet still feel so alone.
Hm?
Oh, Koyun.
- KOYUKI: ABOUT WHAT TIME DOES YOUR CLUB - Probably...
- END TODAY? PROBABLY... A... - Around when we're all-
Hm?
Agh! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, your phone!
Ah! Whew! Close one.
ABOUT WHAT TIME DOES YOUR CLUB END TODAY? PROBABLY AN UPRISING
Oh, uh, sorry. I appreciate it.
I saw it.
Probably an uprising.
What does this mean?
- Huh? - Probably around when we're all leaving.
Sorry, typo! LOL
- Whew! - HEH
BLAZING CHINESE GYOSHO
And then, before I could fix it, I dropped my phone and ended up
sending it instead.
I was like, oh my gosh, that's a heck of a typo.
What can I say?
You grandpa.
Oh, so I've gone from "dad" to "grandpa" now.
Sorry for dragging you along.
It's fine.
Mm.
Um...
So my...
My parents are divorced.
Huh?
I'm often alone when I get home.
So if you're free, even if it's just once in a while...
I'd really like it if we could maybe hang out after school.
It'd be nice.
You're such a kind person.
Huh? N- No way!
I'm judgy and moody and get mad super easily.
No you're not.
You're very kind.
At least to me.
Hm.
Sorry.
But can I share with you for just a sec?
Mm-hm.
A little after my mom died, Dad just, he suddenly got super busy.
He couldn't make it to any school events.
NOTICE OF CLASS OBSERVATION
I tried not to let it bother me too much on Bring Your Parent to Class days
FIDGETY
And then...
Hi Yota, it's nice to meet you.
You're so tall.
Yota, meet Akari.
Dad introduced me to the woman I now call Mom.
Uh. Sorry! He's just shy around people.
Yota, c'mon she doesn't bite.
Uh. Um, can we, um...
And Mom, well, she's been super nice to me.
But...
Akari! I got paternity leave!
Ah, really!
- Mm-hm! - I'm so happy.
- They finally approved it. - Thank goodness.
Sometimes I wonder.
Ooh, yummy!
- See? I knew you'd like it. - Is it good?
If I even exist to them.
I feel like I'm the only one in the family who just doesn't belong.
I know I'm being really self-centered.
But the thought won't leave me alone.
I'm just running from it.
Yota, you shouldn't beat yourself up for how you feel or what you think.
I know how he feels so much it hurts.
Don't judge yourself for feeling what you feel.
It will just makes you feel worse.
Because the more you judge and blame yourself...
You just hate yourself that much more, right?
Even if you run away from your circumstances, you can't run away
from yourself.
You're amazing. You know that?
Huh?
You really see me.
Huh? Wait, are you crying?
Oh.
- SHARP - Don't worry about it.
It's like a glitch that happens whenever emotions get too big for me to process.
- What? - Yeah, happens all the time.
Huh?
I was jealous of Yota all this time.
He was a different gender, height, had a very different personality from me.
I figured his kindness was a byproduct of his strength and composure.
Just who he was.
But it came from pushing things down or giving up.
And that's... That's so sad.
Yota.
You don't have to be nice all the time.
Hm?
It's okay to feel what you wanna feel.
SIGH
Hm?
Thanks for letting me vent.
Sorry, I hope I wasn't too weird.
Not at all. You're fine.
All that stuff I told you, I've never shared with anyone.
To be honest, I wouldn't even have shared this with Minato.
I'm surprised.
You really care for Amamiya, don't you?
No way.
Okay, sure.
If you're fine with me, then I'm happy to listen.
If you hold it in too much, then your heart will just get all covered in soot.
- In soot? - Mm-hm.
In soot.
As it builds up, it makes everything harder.
And you can't see things clearly anymore.
Hmm.
I see.
Sounds about right.
Mmm.
Uhh.
Mmm.
What should I do?
Huh?
Koyun.
I, um...
Well, I...
You see...
I like...
Huh?
You see...
I like...
Huh?
I like... Miki.
What? What? What?
PANIC
FLUSTER FLUSTER
What?
Yeah, it's both.
No way.
I- I didn't see this coming!
You seem so chill all the time!
Oh, well, yeah, I'm really not.
If you haven't noticed, I'm always a total mess whenever Miki's around.
Really?
But I've never seen...
Never mind.
Minato figured it out a long time ago.
IT'S NOT THE CASE WAIT, WAIT
- He must feel embarrassed. - I keep denying it cause it annoys me.
Whoa. What Is this feeling?
I'm super happy!
Maybe I don't even know who the real me is.
Or what my real feelings even are.
GRR!
Like, don't fantasize about who you think I am and then get mad when
Well, Miki...
There's someone who likes you just the way you are.
And... He's such a wonderful person.
(BURSTING-WITH-JOY DANCE)
- You wanna date Miki, huh? - Koyun, why are you suddenly acting weird?
So, Yota.
GIDDY
Sorry, I'm just happy.
Oh, but...
How does Miki feel about him?
I haven't thought that far.
Honestly, I don't really plan on telling her.
I just like her, is all.
Let's leave it at that.
Her friendship...
Means the world to me.
And I know she doesn't see me the same way, and honestly I'm okay
with that.
But then...
Keeping this secret, I'm starting to feel like I'm deceiving her
I feel like I should apologize for liking her.
GASP
I told you, don't blame yourself!
The soot!
Let's keep this conversation between us.
I won't say a word.
I'm really rooting for you, Yota.
Just don't be too obvious around her.
I'll try.
Hm.
It feels like a thumb.
It's my pinky.
You know, I'm really glad I became friends with you.
I am too.
Yota! Welcome back!
I'm home.
STARE
Did you stop somewhere on your way?
EEK
Did I come home too late?
Yeah. With a friend.
Oh, I knew it!
You looked cheerful, so I thought maybe something good might've happened.
Huh?
- Big brother! - Big brother!
Oh, come on!
Can we dry our hair first, please?
My goodness.
But no, it's not fair.
You always go straight to your room.
Yeah.
That's why we came to get you!
Big bro, big bro, big bro.
Go ahead and dry your hair. I'll wait for you.
Let's play!
- Really? - Really?
Yeah!
- Yay! - Yay!
- Ah! - Jeez.
Oh. Yota.
There's ice cream in the freezer.
The fancy kind.
Only after he finishes his dinner.
HMPH!
Without even trying, everyone's kindness is warming my heart.
Why did I ever believe I didn't belong here?
Soot.
So that's it.
I never knew what it was before.
I can't even remember the last time...
I had a night this quiet.
Did you sleep well last night?
Yeah, very well.
Good.
What the...
Oh, hey. You get something to drink?
Uh-huh.
Hey, Amamiya.
It's been awhile.
Uh, yeah, it sure has.
Oh, great!
- Hm? - Hm?
- The three of you are here together! - Huh?
- Jeez, she's got so many snacks. - Jeez, she's got so many snacks.
Having bread from the school store for lunch too?
Yeah, silly me.
I forgot to grab my lunch on the way out this morning.
That's not good.
Wait!
There were buns left?
Yeah. You can have it.
No, I'll pay for it.
How much?
UNEASY
Hmm.
It's fine. You can have it.
No, I wanna pay for it.
Fine, ten yen.
That can't be right.
Let's trade one.
Mm?
Amamiya.
So, what'd you do over winter break?
She initiated a conversation.
Just, uh, uh. mostly doing club activities.
And sometimes I hung out with my classmates.
And I walked my, uh, dog.
A dog?
FUZZY
And I, uh...
When I talk to her...
No matter how hard I try, I can never say the right thing.
I don't know what to do.
- By the way... - Hm?
- I'd really love to know the name. - Huh?
- My name? - No.
- Your dog's. - Oh.
Because I'm pretty sure you're Minato.
It's Ponta.
Huh?
Oh, no, I meant the dog!
- PONTA AMAMIYA PONTA - I'm not Ponta, clearly!
Wait, what am I even saying?
- HEH - Huh?
Wow, I guess you're...
- Ponta! - Yeah, yeah.
Go ahead, laugh it up.
Sorry.
Sweet red beans are clearly your favorite, huh?
Heck, yeah!
I can't get enough of 'em!
Right, Koyu-
Is Ponta doing well?
- Mm-hm. - Wait,
I take tons of pictures.
- Ooh, I wanna see. - Well, what's going on here?
- Am I... - Koyun...
- Wha- - What the heck?
I've got lots of pent-up energy.
What'd ya do that for?
You scare me.
Jeez.
- I'm sorry. - You're being too good of a wing
- Eh, it's fine. - woman there.
Oh, gosh. Sorry.
SMILE GUARD SMILE GUARD ALPHA
Hey, I told you, stop making that face!
Sorry, sorry.
Huh? What's this?
Are those two...
- Their chemistry is off the charts! - Their chemistry is off the charts!
Well, I'm gonna go now.
Eating in again?
Yeah.
Eating in where?
THE SCHOOL NURSE NORIKO
I said the nurse's office isn't a food court!
Well, see ya.
Yeah, later!
I can't totally say for sure yet, but two of my favorite people in
the whole world might be falling for each other.
The whole world might be falling for each other.
Oh my gosh, why does that make me so freaking excited?!
Hey, look, I- I know it's still a long way off, but d'you guys wanna
study together for final exams again?
- Sure. - Sure.
Awesome!
And I'll be playing the role of Cupid for them!
- Wait, is that Miki? - Alright, I'm gonna study my butt off!
The guys she's with. That's clearly Hino and Amamiya, right?
Guys, has Miki always been like that?