The wolf fiercely chases away intruders.
Huh?
Asa!
Did you go into... my...
Never mind. That couldn't be.
Sorry, forget it.
I swear it was right here...
You know, my sister kept a journal too.
A journal?
It felt wrong, but I took a peek inside to see if I should keep it.
Turns out it was for Asa.
Three-Year Journal
She wrote she was planning to give it to Asa when she turns twenty.
In the end, my sister could've chosen not to give it to Asa
had she lived another five years.
Asa is longing for her mother now.
In a sense, her mom's still alive in that journal.
Asa might want to read it now.
Maybe it should be up to her when she reads it.
Then it's a question of timing. That's tough.
Seriously?
You're the one who got yourself killed.
And now this journal?
Mom and Makio-chan both hid it from me.
Screw you.
Asa's Personal Belongings
Screw you!
Asa...
Your name was chosen with a great deal of care.
It embodies the beauty of all new things that come with each day.
I wish with all my heart that you'll be loved by everyone around you.
And I'll do everything I can to make that come true.
Right now, I have no idea who you'll become or what decisions you'll make.
And I may not yet know for many years to come.
But as long as you can love yourself,
I believe that's enough.
It was like gazing into a giant, dark pit.
Lying at the bottom was a monstrous fear.
The thought that perhaps...
my mom never really loved me.
Asa, as your mother, I...
love you so much.
You don't know that!
It could be a lie.
Who knows?
She could've written anything...
How would I know?
How would I know?!
It's crunch time, so I'll be cooped up in my room. Go ahead and eat without me. Sorry. There's some food in the fridge.
-M
I'm home.
Journal with Witch
Episode 8\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\h\hWander
Do you like it?
Wow!
Happy birthday, Asa.
Thanks!
I hope you'll use it.
Yeah!
You heading out?
Asa, you didn't say you were leaving.
Have a good day.
I'm off.
What was that?
Oh yeah! I was gonna tell you—
Nara-san.
Can you spare a minute?
Coming.
She's absent, but I can't get a hold of her.
Wait, you mean it's not a cold?
What?!
Hi, Makio-san.
Asa's been absent since yesterday.
She told me she had a cold, but no one called the school about it.
Hi, Makio-san.
Asa's been absent since yesterday. She told me she had a cold, but no one called the school about it.
Her teacher is wondering if something's wrong.
Can she talk to you on the phone?
Her teacher is wondering if something's wrong.
Can she talk to you on the phone?
Asa...
Conference Room
Hello? Emiri-san?
Thank you for contacting me.
I'm her homeroom teacher, Ogaki.
Oh, I'm Asa's aunt, Koudai.
I'm sorry I missed your calls.
No worries. Is Asa-san okay?
Well, that's the thing...
She left like she always does both yesterday and today,
so I assumed she was in school.
I see. That makes sense.
Did she come home like always too?
Yes, she did yesterday.
In the evening, at the same time as usual.
What should I do...?
It's all right.
We'll figure it out.
Um... Both Asa and I are chicken,
so we've never skipped school or anything like that.
So I think there must be a reason.
I doubt she's doing anything reckless.
Though I'm kinda bummed she lied to me too...
You're right. Thank you.
Hey, Emiri-san?
Yeah?
Can you tell me some places Asa might go?
I'll go find her.
Koudai-san, if she's coming home as usual, you can talk to her then.
No, I'm worried about her.
I can't just sit around and wait.
Oh, class must be starting.
I'm sorry. Can you message me later?
Sensei, I apologize for the trouble.
Not at all.
We have our meeting soon, so let's talk then.
Yes, of course. Please excuse me.
Call ended
I hope Makio-san will be okay...
Nara-san, you and Takumi-san are childhood friends, right?
Oh, yeah.
Would you happen to know what her late parents were like?
Well, uh...
Her mom was super organized.
And her dad barely ever spoke.
But I'm not too sure.
Lately, I've realized that I don't know what people are truly like.
That's very mature of you.
R-Really?
Sorry to ask you over for this.
Well, it's a big deal.
Besides, it was easier than you thought, wasn't it?
Asking for help.
All you need to do is reach out and say so.
It was really hard, actually.
Koudai-san!
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Tono-sensei! Thank you for coming.
Do you have anywhere in mind?
I asked her friend for ideas, so I was thinking of checking those places first.
I apologize for making such a fuss about this.
Well... I'd argue it's better to make a big deal out of it.
Asa-san is facing the reality that she's lost her biggest supporters.
It's not rare for children to test the adults around them.
So I think it'll be good to show her that this many adults are concerned for her.
Even if we're not her parents.
Yes, you're right...
I'm gonna scold her good.
You can be scary when you're mad.
Go easy on her.
Everyone's got their own thing besides me.
How's that fair?
Emiri grew five centimeters just this year.
Chiyo-chan's pretty and smart.
And Asuka-chan's family is super rich.
I'm the only one with nothing.
It's not fair.
Screw them.
It's not fair.
Screw them.
It's not fair.
It's all Mom's fault.
All of this...
It's 'cause you went and died.
Maybe she's preparing to accept it.
Asa, I mean. That her parents are gone.
Yeah, maybe.
She sleeps a lot.
Maybe it's her way of tending her wounds.
To process what happened internally.
Maybe she still doesn't know how to get through it yet.
I'm cold by nature.
I didn't grieve at all when my father died.
To this day, I feel no grief.
But it's not like I hated him.
Perhaps it is a bit sad, but that's all.
So I can't find the right words to say to Asa.
You? Cold?
Give me a break.
I'd say you're full of passion.
Like how you get a bit grumpy.
That's not—
I think we're close.
Right. Let's park around here.
The bubble tea place down the street?
Yeah. Apparently they've hung out there before.
Huh.
Um... Would a child skip school for bubble tea?
I have no clue what they'd skip school for.
Me neither.
Wait.
Neither of you have skipped school before?
No.
Nope.
I always attended the early study hours before school, so...
Wow.
Actually, I did it once.
My first year of high school.
My friend invited me out for ramen.
See? You did it too.
It was fun. We got caught, of course.
The teacher barely even scolded us.
But when I got home, my dad clicked his tongue at me.
D-Dad, I'm sorry...
Jeez...
I turned stark white.
That was the first and last time.
Well, I'd like to raise an objection with your father!
Huh?
He should have talked to you instead of clicking his tongue.
That's out of line.
A single interaction can hurt a child's self-esteem.
Especially after they've expressed remorse—
Er, I'm sorry. I mean no disrespect to your family.
Nah. In fact, I'd love to hear you bash my dad more. Really.
It's not often you get to hear—
There she is.
And she's drinking bubble tea... while skipping school.
Why, that little...
Makio-san, keep your cool.
Journal with Witch
Wow, these things are so chewy.
And filling...
I know, right?
I thought the same when somebody gave me some before.
You could replace an entire lunch with this.
What?
Huh?
I don't think I can finish this.
It's different when you're young.
Right, Asa-san?
We were really worried.
Liar.
You just want Makio-chan to like you.
You're an important friend to me too.
Of course I was worried.
It makes me sad to hear you say that.
Thanks for waiting. Are you ready to go?
You two can take the backseat.
Thanks.
What gives?
What's up with all of you?
About school...
If you need a day off, you can say so.
What's not okay is lying to everyone.
Y-You're the one who's been lying!
Me?
The journal. You hid it from me. My mom's journal.
It was tucked away in the back of your room.
I found it, you know?
Asa-san, you went into Makio's room without asking?
Even if you're family, that's not—
Kasamachi-kun.
Sorry. I can't believe I'm acting like my dad.
Asa, I wasn't hiding it from you.
You have every right to read that journal.
Whatever. Your room's so dirty, I couldn't believe it.
How can you even live like that?
That's beside the point right now.
And trying to hurt me in this moment won't solve anything.
First things first, we talk it out.
Don't forget that.
See you, Asa-san.
Hash it all out, okay?
Well then, I'll be off as well.
Thank you so much for your help.
You too, Kasamachi-kun.
I'll reach be in touch soon.
You sure have it nice, Makio-chan.
Sure.
You've got all these people who care about you.
They came out to help because they were worried about you.
Yeah, but I know I don't come first.
To put someone above all else is an enormous act.
It's beyond my comprehension.
But when I saw your mother's journal, that was the impression I got.
You read it?
No, I didn't. It would have only annoyed me.
I just checked to see if it should be tossed.
So, no, I wasn't hiding it from you.
I just hadn't decided when to give it to you.
Here you go.
Reading this won't tell me what Mom was actually thinking.
You're right. It won't.
Is that what you're hung up on?
I'll pour us some tea first.
Asa's Personal Belongings
You may be looking to me to tell you what your mother thought...
But I can't do that.
I cannot declare what I'm unsure of.
And the departed cannot speak for themselves.
You're just making excuses.
Th-That's not my intent...
You know, I'm not right about everything.
So what I'm about to say is just a guess on my part, but...
Seeing the way you are now, I think you grew up loved.
Asa.
In which case, I think my sister lived a good life.
I hope that's the truth.
Happy birthday, Asa.
That's how I feel.
Even though you hated her?
That has nothing to do with this.
Makio-chan, have you ever lost anyone important to you?
No.
But I have experienced something very sad.
I don't intend to share it with anyone.
Why not? Isn't that lonely?
No, it's not lonely. Not for me.
My emotions are very important to me.
No one has the right to trample them.
And no one will ever feel the exact sadness I do.
So I don't care to share it with anyone.
I don't get that at all!
I don't understand...
Either way, at the very least...
Asa's Personal Belongings
To leave something in writing for someone is tremendous work.
It's not possible without deep conviction.
Whatever! Get real.
You mean your novels too?
Perhaps, yes.
Go on and finish your tea.
I'm going out to get groceries.
Loneliness is a friend to her.
But it shows me no mercy.
I was longing for an absolute truth...
But she didn't dare give it to me.
The Dragon Tamer of the Depths of Sleeping Valley
Makio Koudai
The Dragon Tamer of Mount Terror
Makio Koudai
The Dragon Tamer of the Dry Lake
Sadness was like walking down a long, never-ending beach.
A beautiful beach that seemed to stretch for eternity, where the shore, water,
and sky became one in the distance.
With every step, his feet sank into the sand.
Tiny grains caught between his toes.
His ankles were drenched with each incoming wave.
Every time the cold wrath reached his soles,
he was hit with the reminder that he was no longer here.
My dragon's dead.
He's gone.
What do I do from here?
I'll move on.
No. I can't forgive.
I'll avenge and kill...
Kill who?
I wish I could talk...
To whom?
I just want to stay asleep.
With each wave that came and went, Luca's heart swayed like a boat.
When will this beach ever end?
How can she...
How can she write like this... without ever having lost someone?
How can she write like this... and yet not fully understand me?
How can she realize all of this...
but still refuse to lie and give me the answer I long for?
How?
Asa.
What's wrong?
Mom and Dad...
They're dead.
They're gone...
Yeah.