Nao.
Hey.
What's going on?
What do you mean?
Sanada talked to me at school out of nowhere.
He was saying stuff about a fan.
I'm able to review Sunao's memories whenever she summons me.
But Sunao only knows what I've done if I tell her.
It was totally bizarre.
I... I wasn't trying to hide anything from you.
So yesterday, Sanada-kun joined the literature club.
The Shuya Sanada? Why?
I don't know.
But the fan in the club room stopped working,
and he said he'd bring in another one to replace it.
The one we had was super old.
Ricchan and I were at our wit's end, and...
Enough.
You'd better watch yourself.
Sorry. But I—
I'm done with you.
Episode 2: A Replica Skips School
I got summoned three days later, on a rainy Monday morning.
I brought my English notebook with me.
Thanks. You're a lifesaver.
Our finals start next week, which is why she summoned me.
I need to get good grades on the exams.
I can't let my grades disappoint her.
And also...
So, um...
Sorry about the other day.
I shouldn't have been so mean. Not after you brought us a fan.
It didn't really bother me.
Let's go to club.
Sure.
So that Friday...
I went to Hironaka's classroom
and got her to unlock the room so I could set up the new fan.
Yours truly will be late because of class helper duty. — Hironaka
Akai-sensei tossed out the old fan with the oversized garbage.
Sanada-kun.
I'm really sorry.
And thank you.
Which is it?
B-Both.
Sanada-kun.
You shouldn't talk to me outside of this club room.
What?
No, I mean...
I'm not sure I follow.
No, I get it.
I guess you could say my moods are like the tides.
I have high tides and low tides. Up and down.
I don't want my mood swings to upset you.
So you shouldn't come up and talk to me.
If I start the conversation, we can talk normally.
That doesn't work for me.
Huh? Why not?
Well, what if I want to start the conversation?
What if I want to talk to you?
W-Well...
Uh, we can try this.
I can do my hair like this when I'm in the mood to talk.
What hairstyle is that?
Oh, this? It's a half ponytail. Will that work?
Yeah.
I think it looks nice.
Uh, thanks.
Oh, yeah. Have you finished reading Kokoro?
Still working on it.
Kokoro
Soseki Natsume
I think I'm halfway through.
Okay.
Are you studying for finals?
Not really.
How come?
I was told I didn't need to.
Oh, really?
Ciao, guys.
Ricchan.
Nao-senpai.
Want some Poretz?
Yes, please.
Doppelgängers?
Yup. My main characters are twins separated at birth,
but when they operate in the underworld, they're known as the "Doppelgängers."
The plot is about them struggling through a bunch of crises
until they discover their origins.
Ricchan writes all sorts of stories.
I have omnivorous interests.
I thought you died if you saw your doppelgänger.
Yeah, that's right.
Doppelgängers famously cause the original to die if that person sees them,
but there are also happy endings.
Like, uh, lemme see...
Like that story. You know...
The Mermaid's Return.
Yeah, that one.
What's it about?
Whoa. You don't know it?
It's a famous novel about a doppelgänger sighting.
It even got made into a movie.
Huh.
It's set in a European port town.
One summer day, the young heroine, Aloysia Jahn, almost drowns.
They manage to rescue her, but she falls into a coma with no hope of waking up.
While Aloysia is in the hospital,
her boyfriend and a friend see someone who looks like her
walking down a distant beach.
But it's not her?
Right.
The woman who looks like Aloysia walks into the ocean and vanishes without a word.
A search party can't find her.
But shortly after the sighting, Aloysia suddenly awakens from her coma.
It's like time has finally started moving again for her.
Aloysia's return was celebrated as a miracle,
and that story came to be known as The Mermaid's Return.
Then what?
Huh?
What happened to Aloysia after that?
Aloysia didn't suffer any ill aftereffects,
and she went on to lead a full and blissful life.
She lived happily ever after.
Most people remember it as a happy ending the way Ricchan described.
The novel is supposedly based on a true story,
and it became world-famous because it depicts a real-life doppelgänger sighting.
Ciao!
But sometimes, I can't help wondering...
Was the second Aloysia seen by those witnesses really just an illusion?
If that doppelgänger were real,
what did she feel as she turned into sea-foam?
Antilogarithmic Function
So if we do our hair differently,
Sanada-kun won't come and suddenly talk to you.
Are you listening?
Second Year
1st Term Final Exam
Math
Ugh. Finally done.
Literature Club
Welcome back. How were the exams?
Positively grim.
Oh, dear.
But summer vacation's right around the corner.
I'll live, I'll live.
I hear you second-years have a field trip before break, right?
Yeah.
Where are you going?
Let's see...
Field Trip Guide
Hamamatsu Flower Park
Hamamatsu Zoo
Meet at Zoo Front Gate
Lake Hamana Ferry Cruise
Hamamatsu Flower Park, and the Hamamatsu Zoo next to it.
Then, we go on a ferry.
That's so cool. That's a packed schedule.
I know.
You know, you can catch all the oysters you like at Lake Hamana.
Really? Maybe we should rent harvesting gear.
No way. Are you really gonna dive for oysters?
Yep. And don't try to stop me.
But you can only catch them in the winter.
What? I thought it was still winter.
It feels pretty summery to me.
Sorry. It was getting hysterical.
Did ya hear that? He says we're hysterical.
Was it really that funny?
We should make our global comedy debut.
We can call ourselves...
Oyster, Blouse, and Ritsuko!
And where do I fit in?
Whoops.
I can't wait for the field trip.
Will we be able to talk on the trip?
Only if I have a half ponytail.
Okay.
I know I'm not going on the field trip.
I won't get to see the flowers or Lake Hamana.
But I want them to have fun.
Both Sanada-kun and Sunao.
Sanada? What're you staring at?
Nothing much.
She summoned me again on the day of the closing ceremony.
The day after the field trip.
So how was the trip?
Huh?
Nothing special. Just super hot.
What?
Nothing.
Wish I'd been there.
Today's Schedule
Short Homeroom
Closing Ceremony
Dismissal
Hey, did you see the video from the bus?
Yeah, I did. It was hilarious.
I know!
Everyone had fun.
Good morning.
Morning.
So the trip was fun.
I didn't think so.
I didn't get to talk.
With who?
With a girl with a half ponytail.
But I see your hair's up now.
Yeah.
Then...
Wanna go somewhere?
Huh?
Call it a field trip.
Sure.
Man, I was late showing up for the trip.
Today's Schedule
Short Homeroom
Closing Ceremony
Dismissal
Yoshii, it was you who held us up?
Let's go to club after this.
I agreed almost without thinking.
Now I'm realizing I'll be skipping the closing ceremony.
So where should we go?
Anywhere!
I didn't bring any money for this.
Then I'll pay.
No, you can't.
I'm not supposed to borrow or lend money.
Hold on. I have money at home.
You're going now? But where do you live?
Near Mochimune Station.
I'll be back in an hour if I bike really fast.
I'll come with.
My friend leaves his bike unlocked, so I can use his.
Huh? You have friends?
Not many, but yeah.
Shizuoka Bridge
I've never skipped school before.
Me neither.
So where do we go?
How about...
The zoo?
Scratch that. I mean...
It's cool.
I'm in. We can go to another zoo.
All right. I'll wait here.
Thanks.
What's that?
All the 50-yen pieces I've saved.
Coins?
Can we cash them at least?
Cash them?
Seirin Bank
Thank you for coming.
I have 198,750 yen.
It's my savings from grade school through the second year of high school.
Sanada-kun checked how to get to where we were going: Nihondaira Zoo.
There's a nonstop bus to the zoo from Higashi-Shizuoka Station.
Okay.
If we arrive on time, a bus will come five minutes later.
We can take that one.
You're good at this.
No, I mean... I think it's amazing.
Well, I've never done this with a girl before.
I've never done this, either.
With a boy, I mean.
There are so many stores I haven't seen before.
So you haven't heard of that one mega-chain restaurant?
Hey, I'm not that clueless.
Two regular tickets, please.
I'll get it.
It's fine.
I still have 197,850 yen left after all.
You probably shouldn't say that too loud.
Adult Entrance Pass
Here are your tickets.
Which do you want?
The red panda.
I'll use this as my new bookmark.
N
i
h
o
n
d
a
i
Leppa-kun
Where do we go?
Where are the red pandas?
You knew?
Okay, time for the photo.
Smile for me.
Nice smile, young lady.
Scooch closer together.
What's the greatest panda?
The red panda!
This picture's going in the clubroom.
You sure about that?
There's one over here!
And there!
They're so cute when they're asleep.
You're not taking photos?
No, I'm good.
I'll remember this forever.
And the phone isn't mine.
Sunao lets me use it in case of emergency, but not to just do whatever with it.
I wish I could stay here forever.
You sure? We still have the penguin area next door.
Huh?
And the polar bears, too.
Polar bears?
Can we come see the red pandas one more time before we go?
Sure thing.
Sanada-kun.
Does your leg hurt?
I'm fine.
Sorry for dragging you everywhere.
I wanted to come with you.
Is it true that upperclassmen did that to you?
I wasn't the one who got hurt.
What do you mean?
We haven't seen all the animals.
I've seen enough. We should go home.
What about the red pandas again?
You remembered?
Well, you were very excited about seeing them.
It's okay. Let's go home.
I thought you never wanted to leave the red pandas.
I can always come again.
Actually, I don't know if I will get another chance.
Okay?
We should come again.
Thanks for bringing me here.
I've never had this much fun in my life.
Me neither.
You skipped the ceremony, didn't you?
Ricchan called me on the landline, wondering where I was.
Sorry.
This has to stop.
I'm serious.
I need to live my own life.
Give my life back to me now.
Stop it.
I didn't take anything.
I've never stolen a thing from you. Not even once.
What did I ever do to you?
You exist, and I've had it.
You're just a dumb replica.
Just go away.
Sunao.
And don't come back!