Agents of the Four Seasons: Dance of Spring
Lady Hinagiku!
Get away!
Ayame!
Ruri,
don't leave your room.
Please, help her.
Too shallow!
He has armor underneath?!
Don't hesitate!
"It will weaken you."
Sakura!
Stay angry!
"You can't become a blade."
Kill!
"Without hatred..."
If you don't kill him...
Lady Hinagiku!
"...you can't protect her!"
Thank you, Ruri. I—
Stay back.
S-Stop.
Stop! Help!
If you don't want to die, leave us alone.
If you don't want to die, leave us alone!
Sakura...
Lady Hinagiku.
Lady Hinagiku!
Sakura!
You're safe now.
You can relax.
Blood...
Oh, this is—
Lady Hinagiku?!
Sakura, don't... get hurt.
I'm fine. This is all his blood.
But you're... shaking.
Sorry... Sakura.
It's Hinagiku's... fault.
Lady Hinagiku, I'm no longer the Sakura I was ten years ago.
This time, I can protect you.
So please, tell me I've done well. Ask me to keep you safe.
That's what I'd rather hear from you.
Thank you. You're... amazing, Sakura.
Keep Hinagiku... safe.
I will, Lady Hinagiku.
Lady Kayo! Ms. Himedaka!
Are you safe?!
She's from the Agency's spring division.
Insurgents attacked us while we were on standby, and we retaliated.
We missed a few of them
and allowed them to infiltrate the Summer Palace.
Our sincere apologies.
Spare me the excuses. Report.
We suffered no casualties.
The whole area is blacked out,
and we can't get cell reception.
We're working with security from the Village of Winter
to assess and manage the situation.
Why winter?
Well,
they arrived to provide backup during the attack.
They say the Agent and Guard of Winter
gave them orders to protect the two of you in absolute secrecy.
Do you think I can't cut it? Or is this your idea of making amends,
Itecho?
Might as well use what we can.
Please wait inside and allow us to take things from here.
It will be... all right.
I told you not to run ahead!
Sakura... could that be...
Ruri!
The Agent of... Summer?
I've loved Ayame to bits since we were kids.
Ayame! Ayame! Come on!
Ruri...
Ayame! Ayame! Get up!
Quit waking me up like that.
I had a big sister I adored.
Geez...
Put on the same ones I'm wearing! I want us to match!
Again?
Yay!
I had a happy family.
I assumed things would just go on like that.
Ow!
Ruri!
Ow, ow!
It hurts, Ayame!
That day,
the day the gods chose me,
everything changed.
Why did it have to be me?
I don't want to be a goddess.
Ruri... I'll be your Guard.
But then, you'll have to...
I don't mind, Ruri.
It's what I want to do.
I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
You have your own life to live!
I'm sure it would have been wonderful!
But I went and...
I'm really,
really sorry!
My big sister I adore.
She knows me better than anyone else.
And no one knows her as well as I do.
At least, that's what I thought.
Episode 4: Morning Calm
I repeat,
there has been an explosion at Yaga Power Station,
and a fire has broken out.
The cause is unknown. Restoring power will take some time.
We need to decide whether to leave or to hold out here until morning.
Ruri, how does the surrounding area look?
You sure worked hard.
I know you know. Now tell me!
You could at least stop sulking in this emergency!
I'm not sulking.
Yes, you are! You've been sulking for three months!
I mean, you didn't tell me anything.
You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!
Umm... Is now—
It's a big deal to me!
You told me you were getting married out of the blue! Of course I'm angry!
Come on! When did you meet?! Why did you hide it?!
What happened to no secrets between twins?!
I always told you everything!
Well, I—
Anyway, now definitely isn't the time!
When is the time, then?!
N-No... fighting.
Definitely not now!
Tell me when!
Let's all be... friends.
You're always...
Tell us the situation.
Come.
They don't see any other insurgents,
but a black car has been stopped
within a hundred meter radius of us for the past hour, so stay alert.
There are a lot of accidents on the roads due to the blackout,
so we'd better not risk leaving now.
So that's the Agent of Summer's power, Life Operation.
Yup. They all tell me things.
Because we're friends.
They report no suspicious activity in our vicinity.
The black car that Ruri mentioned had already left.
But Ruri will track it with her powers just to be safe,
and security will remain in place,
so I think we can safely wait for daybreak to leave.
I suppose so.
Excuse me.
S-Sorry,
but why did you hide your fiancé from Lady Ruri?
I couldn't tell her. I knew it would upset her.
No one knows her like I do.
Maybe Lady Ruri thought the same about you.
Umm... Aren't you... chilly?
Nah, I'm the Agent of Summer.
Are you cold, Lady Hinagiku?!
Want an animal for your lap?
Oh, Ms. Himedaka.
Staaare...
C-Can I help you?
I thought I met you for the first time today,
but that wasn't Lady Ayame in the kitchen, was it? It was you.
Am I wrong?
Sorry.
I didn't mean to trick you, but I was curious about the Guard of Spring.
How'd I do?
I sounded just like Ayame, right?! I've had tons of practice!
You shouldn't be practicing that kind of thing.
But how else would I ever get to enjoy myself?
Agents are under surveillance all the time.
I'm old enough to get married!
Umm... What are you... talking about?
About how I pretended to be Ayame and totally fooled Ms. Himedaka.
You fooled... Sakura?
I wanted to know what the Guard of Spring was like, so I pretended I was Ayame.
I figured I'd make life harder for her if she turned out to be a jerk.
Sakura is... nice!
R-Right.
L-Lady Hinagiku, I'm only nice to you, not so much to everyone else.
But I'm glad you think so.
No, she was nice to me, too.
I'm jealous. She really is your knight in shining armor.
It must have really hurt that... Ayame wouldn't tell you about... getting married.
You always seem lonely... when you look at her.
I thought I was her number one.
After all, she's my number one.
Lady Ruri.
Don't you think it's awful?
I told her all about my fiancé!
You have a... fiancé?
Well, yeah.
I couldn't stand him at first, though.
He called Ayame weak, so I got a deer to give him a good kick.
Couldn't that have killed him?
I mean, I couldn't let him get away with badmouthing my sister!
Lady Summer...
you really... love Ayame.
Yeah.
Aren't you going... to make up with her?
Hinagiku shut herself... in her room once, too.
Ms. Himedaka mentioned that.
Hinagiku and you are Agents. But... people, too.
When it hurts, they want... to run.
Yeah.
But you know,
running isn't... the same as rejecting.
Bad things happen when... you do that.
Hinagiku is... worried about you.
Lady Hinagiku.
Hinagiku was...
attacked by insurgents and couldn't get... her Village to help.
Being abandoned... hurt a lot.
She wanted payback, so... she refused to... give them spring.
Of course you did. I'd do the same thing.
But that's... wrong.
The people... need seasons.
The earth and fields... don't grow without them.
And because Hinagiku... wouldn't do her job, Sakura... got hurt instead.
Sakura didn't abandon... Hinagiku. She did... all she could.
But Hinagiku held out... too long, and they thought Sakura... wasn't good enough.
Because Hinagiku...
wouldn't call spring,
they kicked Sakura... out of the Village.
Sakura...
No... Sakura...
Sakura...
Forget her. You don't need anyone who doesn't help you manifest.
I will arrange another retainer for you.
No! Hinagiku wants... to be with... Sakura.
Out of the question. That girl is no longer necessary.
Lady Hinagiku!
Someone stop her!
Sorry... Sakura.
It's Hinagiku's fault... for being mean.
Open up!
Let me in!
Please. I don't need anything else.
Just let me be with Lady Hinagiku.
Sheathe your edge, O hazy Moon.
As mist shivers in the night...
Lady Hinagiku...
Lady Hinagiku!
I'm here! Your Sakura is right here!
Endure your longing and let the Spring Banquet shine...
Lady Hinagiku!
She's manifesting spring...
Sakura!
So you see... because that happened...
Hinagiku changed.
She changed and became...
even better friends... with Sakura than before.
So, if your sister is... your favorite girl... in the whole world,
don't... be mean to her.
Sometimes, you really don't...
get to see someone... again.
So, if you... don't want regrets,
be nice to... the people you like.
Hinagiku can't... use phones.
She's practicing.
Give me your number, then!
Let me see your phone.
Here you go!
Are you going to see the Agent of Winter?
W-Well... Lord Rosei hasn't... been in touch,
so if Hinagiku sees him, it will be... at the Council of Seasons.
What?!
You saved him ten years ago! How heartless can he be?!
Personally, I would rather keep them apart,
at least until the Agent of Winter demonstrates his sincerity.
Perhaps he's hanging back to avoid interrupting your manifestation.
If I were the Agent of Winter, I would call you at once,
but I would wait for an appropriate time to meet in person.
He did send a letter.
But it was just a formal greeting, not in his own words.
Really...?
Sounds like someone's got a thing for the Agent of Winter.
You want to see him?
Yes, Hinagiku... does.
A lot. For... a long time.
Are you sure about this, Ms. Sakura?
I mean, this brave maiden and Mr. Gloomy the Blizzard Man?
Mr. What? You mean Rosei?
You're still calling him that?!
See you!
And here I finally made a friend who won't keep me at arm's length.
I thought you hated me.
Stuff I say when we're fighting doesn't count.
Really? I was being serious when I said I wanted your blessing.
Listen,
I'm glad that you need me.
I felt it was my duty to support you.
But you can't stay like this.
You need to learn to be live on your own as Ruri, without me.
That's too much for me to wrap my head around.
I'm still a kid.
I don't want to get married yet, even to someone I like.
I'd rather have friends.
I'd rather...
I'd rather stay with you forever!
I don't care about summer.
I only do this because you say you like seeing summer flowers!
I don't do this "for the world" or whatever.
I do it because you ask me to show you summer!
I'm sorry.
It's always been that way. I can't work up the energy to do it otherwise.
I don't mind if you have a boyfriend or get married,
just stay with me.
I miss you, Ayame.
Oh, gods of the four seasons,
why did you have to choose my sister?
Why do you have to change?
You've always been just my big sister before now!
She was just a little girl
who craved affection and adored her "big sister."
I want to make the effort...
She could have had so much more freedom if you hadn't chosen her.
But without you, there's no point.
I'm sorry, Ruri.
I've put up with a lot since I chose to serve you, too.
I gave you my youth.
I just need to endure a little longer,
and I'll be free of the goddess of summer.
Translation: William Varteresian Timing: Krzysztof Kunc Editing and Typesetting: Ashley Barboza Quality Check: Elisabeth Crist Translation Check: Michelle Tymon
I won't have to try so hard anymore.
My own life will begin.
I should celebrate.
I shouldn't have to hold back just because we're family.
But...
why, now that freedom has fallen into my lap...
This is my last year. The Village decided.
Starting next year, you won't be giving summer to me.
You'll get stronger.
Why does it feel so...
You know, don't you wish it hadn't been you?
I wanted to get away from my goddess.
Wouldn't it have been so much better if I could have taken your place?
I didn't like my sister.
If it hadn't been you...
I hated my sister.
Maybe then I...
I could have been a better sister to you.
But... I loved my sister.
Ruri,
I'm sorry.
I just wish
I could have traded places with you.
Next time: Alone Together