Up until now, I thought I was the type who gets along with everyone.
Minato.
But...
Hey, Hikawa.
My conversations with her are always a little awkward.
We just finished morning practice.
Let's see, what is there to talk about?
By the way, Igarashi was here yesterday.
CRACK
Sheesh, that face. Did I just step on a land mine?
WE HAD NO CONNECTION WHATSOEVER
Right, they don't seem all that close and Igarashi looked a bit intense.
DIDN'T EXPECT THAT GORILLA TO GO TO THIS SCHOOL - FOUL-MOUTHED?
Maybe she didn't vibe with him... I messed up.
Or maybe middle school is a topic I need to avoid entirely.
I should've been more tactful.
I'm sorry.
Maybe we should give middle school a rest.
No, that was awkward.
This isn't going the way I'd hoped.
We're getting nowhere.
It's like the more I talk, the deeper I sink...
Huh?
Was I always like this?
WARM AND TOASTY
That cool air feels nice.
Koyun--
Why must you stick your nose into other people's business?
I don't get it...
I thought I could hear...
You disgust me.
...the key to her heart locking me out.
Minato, what just...
Wait, what happened?
Yota, I think...
Just don't go getting close to Koyun for weird reasons.
...Miki might kill me.
What?
THE RAMPARTS OF ICE
EPISODE 5 CHANGE
NURSE'S OFFICE
GLOOMY
Good golly.
KOYUKI IN THE NURSE'S OFFICE
There you go, eating sweet bread and calling it a meal...
Noriko, is there a way to not get mad?
- Wait, even someone like you gets mad? - Hot... Chilly...
I do.
Did you get into a fight?
Well, everyone gets upset sometimes.
You don't have to deal with things on your own.
It'd be easier if I could lash out and get it out of my system,
but I'm not like that.
I know that about myself, but...
Actually, I end up regretting saying something at all.
I HATE MYSELF
She's a handful.
I don't know what happened,
but it's important to communicate how you feel.
You have to use your words if you don't like something.
Communicate?
No.
At that moment, I lost my temper...
You disgust me.
...and I meant to hurt him.
Not only that, I lashed out at him without hearing him out first.
The lingering frustration
and regret for my own actions keep spinning in my head.
YUM-MELON
All I want is peace.
SIGH
What're you saying? You're still in your teens.
There you are.
Koyun! I'll eat here too.
Good grief, when'd my office turn into a café?
Want some, Koyun?
- No, thanks... - Sheesh.
What brings you here?
Well, this morning,
I overheard the conversation between you guys by the entrance.
I'M HERE I NEED YOUR NAME AND CLASS
Clean up your own mess before you head out.
- Will do. - Okay.
MAKING ROUNDS - PLEASE COME TO THE TEACHER'S ROOM
Say, Koyun.
Minato doesn't understand personal space, can be overbearing, has a big ego
- and is surprisingly childish. - Hey...
He thinks the world revolves around him,
but he's not a bad guy.
Also, I need to come clean.
Minato and I have known of you since middle school.
What?
Though, we didn't know your name.
It hit me when you mentioned you were in the basketball club.
Basketball club? How...
Miki told us about how you were bullied.
Morning, Koyun.
For once, I got here with time to spare...
What... the heck?
Forget you saw anything.
What do you mean, "Forget it"?
Since when?
Good question. The entire time?
I can't wait for all this to end.
Miki told you two...
Please don't be angry with her.
She was worried sick about you back then.
Yeah, I understand.
Miki told us that she didn't realize her friend was struggling.
That she couldn't help her friend at all.
I keep thinking, "Why didn't she tell me?
Am I that unreliable?"
It makes me a little sad.
It's not about you being unreliable.
Maybe your friend simply didn't want to worry you.
You think so?
SOB
But I wish she was open with me!
Miki!
So...
That's how it made her feel...
I didn't confide in Miki because...
Go, Miki!
Nice!
Gimme five!
...Miki took club activities seriously
while I only attended practice
out of the fear of quitting. It felt like we were polar opposites.
It was never about trust or her being unreliable.
Minato must've pieced it together when he saw the two of you.
That you're the girl in the basketball club Miki mentioned before.
That must be why Minato was concerned about you.
So that's it.
I'm sorry.
Maybe we should give middle school a rest.
That's why Amamiya said that...
I completely misunderstood him, and I...
PARANOID - SELF-CONSCIOUS
How embarrassing!
Koyun?
No, I must give him a sincere apology.
A sincere apology? That's a bit heavy.
Want me to be the messenger?
No. I must express my apologetic intent.
Apologetic intent?
I guess he isn't too bothered.
Don't worry about it. Besides, it's only Minato.
Hey, Amamiya!
Sorry. Over here.
Hello?
What? Are you mad, Amamiya?
Sorry, I was spacing out.
What?
You surprised me.
I thought you were upset for a second there.
Idiot. Minato's got a resting cranky face.
Why must you stick your nose into other people's business?
Did she say that because I was talking with Igarashi?
But is it that big of a deal?
They say, "Don't do unto others what you wouldn't have them do unto you."
But the opposite isn't necessarily okay?
I don't understand.
Or rather...
we're too different.
We've got completely different values and outlooks on life.
What's right to me...
and what's right to her are too different.
So no matter what I do for her, it ends up upsetting her.
So trying to help makes me sanctimonious?
Is it, Miki?
If we're talking about sanctimonious, then she is too.
She draws a clear line between the people she likes and those she doesn't.
She accepts Yota and Miki.
Meanwhile, I'm a reject.
MIFFED
It's starting to make me upset.
BOINK WHOA - BAM
What's the matter?
All right. I won't bother with her anymore.
It doesn't benefit either of us, and it's not worth worrying about.
GRADE 1 CLASS 5
Yota.
Where were you during lunch?
The bathroom?
That long?
The day's over, but I couldn't find the right time to apologize.
Wait, is there such a thing as a good time to apologize?
GOOD TIME TO APOLOGIZE
I hope I can catch him tomorrow.
See you, Minato.
Bye.
This whole time, not once,
have I given him a fair chance.
I made assumptions based on what happened in the past
and decided from the start that we don't vibe.
I rejected him without ever getting to know him.
I did something I'd hate to go through to someone else without a thought.
That expression...
It's the face she makes when her guard is up.
I thought we'd be friends in time,
but that was just my ego talking.
I was arrogant.
To her, I was just a nuisance.
Maybe it was better if I never bothered her to begin with.
Amamiya!
Huh?
I'm sorry.
Can we talk for a minute?
Do you have time right now?
Yeah. I've got time to kill before my club starts.
So...
What do I even say? I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed about everything.
MISUNDERSTANDING PARANOID - SELF-CONSCIOUS
Sorry I was terrible to you.
Okay.
When you mentioned middle school,
I was worried how you knew what happened in middle school.
Just thinking Igarashi told you made my stomach churn.
But Yota told me during lunch today that it was all just a misunderstanding.
Yota did?
The bathroom?
That guy...
I...
got ahead of myself, and behaved poorly towards you.
I...
I... I...
Words overflow in my mind,
but I can't ever find the right way to get them out.
I WANT TO GIVE A PROPER APOLOGY I WANT TO CHANGE
FOR SELF-SATISFACTION? FOR WHOSE SAKE?
I WANT TO TELL HIM TELL HIM WHAT?
When words race through my mind, when I try to get them out,
they get mixed up in my throat.
All these feelings I can't put into words
try to escape by turning into tears.
WHOA...!
Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry!
Why do I always...
I owe him an apology. I can't cry.
ONLY TEARING UP
Hold it in, hold it in, hold it in!
Hikawa.
It's all right.
You don't have to apologize profusely,
and besides, I'm the one who troubled you.
As if. I was upset until a moment ago.
Why am I the one consoling her?
You can let it out. What...
TEARS FALLING
When someone is kind as I'm holding back tears,
it all comes out at once...
TEARS STREAMING DOWN
She's crying.
FRAYING - PILLING
HIDE...
I...
IT ALL COMES FLOODING OUT BAWLING
I lied when I said I don't have a connection with Igarashi.
- What? - Rather, it's the opposite.
We don't get along anymore.
Where are we carrying these to again?
Turn left, then go straight.
THEY'RE ALONE - CRYING
BOUND TO BE MISUNDERSTOOD
Hikawa.
It's heavy.
See this? What do you think?
What're they doing?
Maybe they found a rare monster.
My parents are...
Thank you.
Who's this?
It's my Pomeranian.
She laughed.
How cute.
Well, I've gotta get going.
Sorry.
Bye.
See you tomorrow.
Okay. See you.
Wait a minute.
Hikawa said she doesn't get along with Igarashi...
But back then...
Hey. Igarashi?
Do you remember Hikawa?
Hikawa?
I don't remember anyone by that name from middle school.
Wait...
What does it all mean?
TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION RAMEN FAIR
RICE - BOWLS
SPACING OUT
It didn't look like either of them was lying.
Rather, it's the opposite.
Who's that?
What happened between them?
Why must you stick your nose into other people's business?
SNAPPING OUT
DEFLATED
Is something wrong, Amamiya?
It's nothing.
GRR!
Liar! You've been spacing out this entire time.
I'm listening.
Then what was I talking about? Tell me!
Aren't you a needy girlfriend.
WHAT YOU JUST SAID
Minato, your noodles will get soggy if you keep spacing out.
- What inspired that combination? - They don't go together, do they?
They're yummy.
- Gluten galore. - What?
Yota.
Yota told me during lunch today that it was all just a misunderstanding.
She calls him by his first name.
With the exams out of the way, we're heading into winter break.
We'll have nothing in common...
SLURP
- So what? - In one go? You're creeping me out!
How will she react if I approach her the next time we meet?
Will she feel awkward? Or will she keep a distance, like before?
EPISODE ONE
I'm out of ideas.
BA-BUMP
Amamiya.
BLUSH
What?
Yesterday,
I'm sorry I ended up crying when I was trying to apologize.
I must've been a mess.
ABSENT-MINDED
It's not that I thought you'd forgive me if I cried.
Don't worry.
Well, sometimes, we get overwhelmed
and end up crying for no good reason, right?
DUMBFOUNDED
It happens to you too?
- So what? - What?
You thought I wouldn't be able to understand?
- What? - That's terrible.
SOB SOB
FLUSTER FLUSTER
To be honest, I didn't expect it.
AH
I may not look it, but I'm a sensitive guy.
What's that face for?
You're so rude.
Well, I'm going this way.
- For your club? - You guessed it.
Good luck.
Okay.
I shouldn't assume all the time that people don't understand me
or that they'll reject me.
MIKI - COME TO MY WORK OVER WINTER BREAK - SEE YA
It's as if something changed ever so slightly... or maybe not.
I'LL INVITE YOTA TOO
That's the vibe.
Winter break starts tomorrow.
KAWAII CAFE - WELCOME WINTER BREAK FAIR
Miharu! Sora! It's been a hot minute. Yay!
Yay!
How've you been?
CATCHING UP WITH OLD FRIENDS
Haven't seen you since we graduated. How's high school going?
It's peaceful and nice.
Well? Are you two dating anyone?
- Nope. - Same.
She didn't miss a beat.
You went through boys in middle school.
Like that handsome upperclassman and the volleyball guy from another school.
Well, that was...
AN UPPERCLASSMAN WITH NO CONNECTION WHATSOEVER
He asked me out all of a sudden.
MIGHT AS WELL!
He grew on me, so I said yes.
Every time I go out with a guy, they call it off
because I'm not who they thought I'd be.
GRRR!
Don't go creating an ideal version of me and then get disappointed!
She went full gorilla mode.
Hey, sorry.
All I'm saying is, it doesn't count as going out.
Next time I go steady with someone,
I want to be the one to ask him out.
Is there a guy you're into?
Nobody.
What about Amamiya?
Bringing him up now will only complicate things.
What about you, Koyuki?
Any boys in your life, Koyuki?
Me?
No, thanks.
I don't think I'm cut out for relationships.
I admire the both of you for keeping it going with your boyfriends.
It's not that big of a deal.
Do you have any pics?
HEE HEE
Can I show you?
Gotta head off to work. See you.
- See you! - Bye bye.
Let's hang out again.
Koyuki's got it rough.
What can she do? There's what happened with Igarashi.
To begin with, why did she go out with Igarashi
in middle school?
I thought she hated his guts.
Yeah, it surprised me too.
I think I'm the one to blame.
Subtitle translation by: Megumi Hunter