Shoot.
Have you decided on dinner?
Oh, I was thinking of heating up something premade.
Hmm. Instead, we've got some meat, onions, and peppers, so why not make...
Crap, I don't have time.
I'll message you the recipe!
Have a good time.
Kotoko, your hair!
Yeah, I chopped it all off.
Wait, did I drop my chopsticks?
What, already?
Here are your starters.
Oops, I poured too much... Or maybe not.
Get it together.
Motsu, you've got, like, devil heels on.
Is that a diss?
Guys, our drinks are here.
All righty, here's to our hard work every day.
Cheers!
Wait, so Daigo's met her already?
I sure have. She's real cute.
Just fifteen years old.
She starts high school next week.
No wonder you're so tired.
Having someone around constantly is enough to tire me out.
What are you, technically? Her foster mom?
Nice. Go foster mom.
Nah, I'm her... legal guardian?
Not too sure what that entails.
Then it's not like you've adopted her.
I can't take on a responsibility like that...
I mean, we're barely related.
So, what's she up to tonight?
Right now, she's...
eating dinner.
Saute some meat, onions, and peppers. Add dashi seasoning and curry paste, then cook it down
Should go with either rice or udon
Thanks!
I thought it might be good with tomatoes, and it turned out like Hayashi rice
Yum!
Gosh, that's so cute.
Totally.
Yeah, she's cute. And a good kid.
Though she can be a bit immature.
Still, I cower at the thought of her being that woman's child.
You mean you can't love her?
Makio.
I'm only saying this because you're so hopeless.
I know it's not her fault.
I should treat her fairly regardless.
Journal with Witch
Episode 4 Cower
You did what?!
Isn't that arson?
Not for real. I only hold grudges.
That's still terrifying.
I mean, just think back to when we were fifteen.
Can you believe we even made it to adulthood?
With real adult experiences like marriage and divorce.
Exactly! Who would've thought back then?
Hey, that reminds me.
I totally screwed up at work the other day.
Again?
I wanna hear this!
Oh my god, it was so bad.
Cheers!
Nice to meet you. I'm Shingo Kasamachi.
He's...
so grown up!
Here, I brought you something.
Huh? Whoa, is that meat?
Wow, it's wrapped in nice paper and everything.
It's for sukiyaki. You two enjoy.
You're not staying for dinner?
I can't stay that long.
Can I get you something to drink?
Sure.
Is coffee okay?
They seem to get along.
And this vibe...
Sure. Let me help.
Hey, is this...
Yeah. It's good, isn't it?
They've gotta be dating!
What?
We're out of milk!
Oops, my bad.
A whole liter in one day?
The wonders of adolescence.
It's fine. I'll go buy some.
I'm craving milk with coffee.
Let me know if you need anything else!
First Meeting
She's different, isn't she?
Yup. Um...
Are you Makio-chan's boyfriend?
First Meeting
Okay, I can see you're not exactly cut from the same cloth...
No, I'm not. Not right now.
Not right now?
We were friends before that and have been since.
But who knows? Our feelings may change tomorrow.
Then why did you two break up?
That's hot!
First Meeting
Are you okay?!
I'm fine, I'm fine.
Yeesh...
You don't get it.
You wouldn't understand, Kasamachi-kun!
It was my fault.
I got too arrogant.
Oh boy, that's enough reminiscing.
Adults are much more sensitive than you youngsters might think.
To fill you in, my visit today wasn't just to meet you.
I wanted to see how she's doing.
But don't tell her, okay?
How grown up.
Heisei 29
Enrollment Guide
I see. School will basically require you to make lunch, eh?
Sounds rough.
Brain freeze?
Not that. Lunch.
Buying lunch every day costs a fortune.
I've started making my own bento box sometimes.
It's pretty basic. Just some rice, meat, and broccoli in Tupperware.
Kasamachi-kun's Basic Lunch
Made in his PJs
Tupperware
Any kind of meat (with yakiniku sauce)
Boiled broccoli
Microwaved rice
Pickled veg
That's more than enough.
Please don't use Tupperware for mine...
Right, of course.
What are you supposed to put in bento boxes again?
My parents only ever made brown stuff. But it was good.
They used to say, "We're down for brown."
My parents were also against including tiny tomatoes.
I guess they took pride in their bento boxes.
That's right. Mine even kept a bento journal.
I bet they were perfect in their minds, but...
Raising a kid and loving them were two separate concepts,
in my parents' case.
Anyway, what I mean to say is...
Don't worry over it too much.
Thanks. I'll remember that.
Makio-chan, do you have a bento box?
Nuh-uh. Gotta buy one.
"Makio-chan," huh? That's new.
No one would ever think to call you that.
I know.
Really?
Mom would always call you that.
She used to say, "Makio-chan's a novelist."
All the time.
Aren't you embarrassed?
Living in fantasy world like this?
A novel, of all things!
Why don't you face reality already?
What?
Don't you have something to say?
Makio-san?
You okay?
I should probably get going.
I'll stop by again.
Or can I say that?
Of course! Please do!
This is my place...
Hey, Kasamachi-kun.
Can I have your LINE ID?
Okay, sure.
Enrollment Agreement
Guardian's Name
Makio Kodai
Aunt
Starting high school today
Excited for the entrance ceremony!
Meeting Emiri by the school entrance at 8:20
All ready. I'm off!
Hey, like I said before...
I can't help looking if you leave that out.
So could you close your journal?
Like I said before, I don't care if you do.
I don't get you.
Well, I'm off!
Hey, are you sure you don't need me to come?
It's all good.
Asa!
Emiri!
Morning!
Hi, Asa-chan. Excited for another three years together?
Oh, yeah.
I'm sorry for what happened at graduation.
Yeah, Mom. You should apologize more.
I'd like to say hello to your aunt.
Where is she?
She's not here.
You mean she's not coming?
To your entrance ceremony?
Nope.
You know, Asa-chan...
If you ever have a hard time telling her anything, I can always talk to her.
I mean, I find it strange that you're here all alone.
But it's not like she's my mom...
Come on, Asa. Let's go.
Okay.
Where do you wanna meet up tomorrow?
Let's see...
Oh my gosh, that girl is so cute.
Wanna go talk to her?
What? Emiri, you're going kinda overkill.
You're even wearing makeup.
Can you blame me?
We're making our high school debut.
Our rules sucked back in middle school.
Stop.
Oh, my seat's over there.
Catch you later, Asa!
'Kay.
Our high school debut, huh?
Takumi!
Oh, Yoshimura.
Sup?
Here, we got these at graduation.
Nara seemed a bit preoccupied, so I held on to yours.
Thanks...
But man, who actually skips graduation?
Is it that bad?
Well, anyways...
As your middle school classmate, good luck.
I'll do my best too.
What's that supposed to mean?
Are you Yoshimura from Sakura First?
Hey, you were at the district tournament!
Are you joining the baseball team?
Of course!
Nice! Let's make the next three years a blast!
Hi. Nice to meet you.
U-Um, n-nice to meet you. I'm Sone.
I'm Asa Takumi.
Sone-san, what's your first name?
Oh, um, Asuka. I'm Asuka Sone.
Got it. Asa-chan and Asuka-chan.
I'm Yumi Kanda. Call me Kan!
Wow, that's so cool!
Did you draw this yourself?
My second business card ever!
Of course I did.
Sorry, are you cramped?
I'm good. Nice to meet you.
I'm Yuto Togo.
Are you on the judo team? How tall are you?
Nope, soccer. And 186 centimeters.
Now for the first-years' inaugural address.
Representing this year's class is Chiyo Morimoto.
No way!
I love that too!
Present!
Of course your parents were excited.
I mean, you're class rep.
That's a huge accomplishment!
Accomplishment?
It's not that big of a deal.
Still, I totally get wanting them to be cool.
My parents went overboard too...
Asuka!
It was so embarrassing...
Every family's the same way.
Well, my parents aren't here.
Actually, they died in a car accident.
I live with my aunt now, but she's a busy novelist, so...
Sounds like a movie plot.
Or is that not cool to say?
It's fine. Except I gotta make my own lunch now.
Wow, you're so independent.
I'm basically a monkey by comparison.
A monkey?
Waking up that early to make lunch must be hard.
Huh...?
My parents still wake me up every morning.
Grow up already.
Alone...
I wanted to stand out on my first day...
I messed up.
Since it's your big day.
Go on and wash your hands.
At the entrance ceremony today, I...
Starting high school today
Excited for the entrance ceremony!
Meeting Emiri by the school entrance at 8:20
Huh.
That's it?
The food's gonna get cold.
Mind if I start eating?
I'll go wash my hands.
I expected her to be like...
What? Don't be like that. How embarrassing.
Yeah? Well, it is what it is.
Don't sweat it. Just watch yourself in the future.
...in my head. Boy, was I wrong.
Asa.
Don't be embarrassing like that.
Well, that's the way it goes sometimes.
It's okay. You can be more careful next time.
I didn't know you liked to stand out.
I mean, you just said...
I dunno.
But sometimes, I do want to stand out.
What's wrong with that?
It's okay?
Standing out for real requires a lot of effort.
You know, like athletes, actors, and singers.
It means you've put in the work.
I wasn't expecting this. I figured you'd hate it.
Are you serious? Come on, I'm a novelist!
I make my living writing out my fantasies and publishing them to the world.
I'd never judge someone for standing out.
But talking about me won't help you stand out.
We're two totally different people.
Yeah.
Why don't you try singing?
Join a band or something.
You're always humming to yourself.
A band? Mom never liked those.
Huh.
There you go again.
Just spit it out.
No, I mean... It's fine. It's your life, after all.
But... she isn't here anymore, you know? Your mom.
How come?
How come you hate Mom, Makio-chan?
I won't tell you why.
Just because you're a kid and you mean no harm...
doesn't mean you can pry into just anything.
I'll never tell you that.
I'm sorry!
I'm sorry.
I'm not mad at you.
I'm going back to work.
Journal with Witch
Thanks for having me!
Nice to meet you. I'm Emiri.
Oh, from the face-off at graduation.
I'm Makio Kodai.
We didn't have a face-off.
I don't mind you having friends over, but let me know ahead of time.
I sent you a message.
Makio-chan
Can Emiri come over?
I'm bringing her with me!
"Ahead of time" doesn't mean immediately beforehand.
Sorry!
Well, have fun.
That's funny. No big to-do or anything?
My mom would definitely be all like,
"Hi there! Thanks for keeping Emiri company!"
That was good!
In the Takumi house, it'd always be like, "Please take care of Asa."
That was good too!
Right?
I'm at my limit...
By the way, did you notice our grade level leader?
Did you see his tie? It was way too short!
Was it? That's hilarious.
Say, Makio-san, do you have a favorite snack?
My mom asked me to scout out your place.
Aren't you supposed to keep that a secret?
If this is for a gift...
I'm not trying to be polite when I say I'd rather she not.
It's a hassle.
A hassle?
Makio-chan's a bit weird.
My mom won't take no for an answer.
Not to be rude, but I mean it.
It's fine. Please tell her as much verbatim.
I don't care much for formalities.
I'm heading to work.
'Kay!
Um...
I'm sorry for bothering you.
Can I help you?
I'm heading out.
Okay.
She fell asleep... Asa did.
Out of nowhere.
She's, like, out cold.
I see...
I'll come by again.
To check on her.
Sorry for the trouble.
Emiri?
Emiri: I'm headed home since you fell asleep
Emiri: Made it. Are you up?
Makio-chan.
Um... Did you have dinner?
It's on the table.
What about your plate?
I'll eat later.
Thank you for this meal.
But... She isn't here anymore, you know? Your mom.
What a drag...
The latest food spots in Koenji!
I can't even guarantee that I'll love you.
I hated my sister.
I won't tell you why.
I can't always be completely considerate of your feelings.
I probably can't understand your loneliness or anxiety either.
Because you hated Mom?
No.
Because I get very tired being around others.
I can't even work unless I'm alone.
Isn't that lonely?
Just like you can't understand the suffocation I feel,
I can't understand your loneliness.
Because you and I are two different people.
Wh-What are you...
If I made you feel neglected, I apologize.
So let's talk it out.
Even though we don't understand each other?
Because we don't.
I don't like eating alone.
Okay. If I ever lose track of time, let me know.
If you ever want to talk, let's talk then and there.
You're okay with that?
Even though you're not my parent?
Even though you don't love me?
My hope is that you live a healthy life free of despair.
I feel that way because I think fondly of you.
More fondly than not, at least.
I'm lonely.
I can't do anything about the underlying loneliness you feel.
No! I'm lonely!
I'm so lonely...
I see.
She accepted my loneliness but couldn't understand it.
Water from an oasis may quench your thirst,
but it will not become one with the body.
No one can be one... with anyone else.
We never had any contact before this.
I wonder if it's okay for a stranger like me to suddenly get so involved.
Oh, shush.
Thanks.
Bring some more meat sometime.
Kasamachi-kun, tell me...
When do you feel lonely?