That girl...
I?ve seen you here before...
I?m sorry. I...
Um...
That uniform... do you go to Tonan Middle School?
Oh...
You must be Yuki?s friend!
I?m sorry!
Wait!
You like Yuki, don?t you?
What?!
You?re in Class F?
I?m not that good at studying.
I want to be in Yuki?s class
so I try to aim for Class A, but...
I know!
I was the same! I was in Class F!
You were in Class F, too?
Yes!
I was in Class F the class for all the flunkies at Tonan!
We?re like sisters!
How embarrassing.
Wait... but you...
...you married Yuki?s older brother.
Yes, that?s right.
How did you manage that?
I heard Yuki?s brother is a genius, too.
And he hates girls.
I can?t recall exactly what clinched it...
But after confessing my love, I pushed and pushed
for four years straight!
So it?s tenacity... But can I do it?
What do you like about Yuki?
What do I like? Well...
He?s super smart.
And those cool eyes...
His face is so handsome.
His height... well, he?ll grow.
Stupid.
So that?s how you see him.
I guess love is blind.
Huh?
No, nothing.
Have you tried to approach him?
I?ve never even talked to him.
Never?
He doesn?t even know I exist.
He?s in Class A. I?m in Class F.
We?re not that far apart in distance.
But in my heart...
...it feels like a gulf divides us.
I know exactly how you feel!
It?s like I?m looking at my old self.
My sister...
Yuki has a rotten personality,
but I?m rooting for you!
Let?s make your dream come true!
But...
Don?t worry.
Yuki?s brother said he didn?t like stupid girls
but we?re married now!
Leave it to me, okay?
Easier said than done...
What, Kotoko! Don?t bother me.
Was I bothering you?
Why are you sitting there
and following me around like a zombie?
A zombie...?
Oh, a thread.
Go away. Leave me alone.
He?s so guarded... as usual.
Do you know Konomi Sagawa?
Konomi Sagawa?
She?s the niece of a friend of a friend.
She goes to Tonan Middle School.
The niece of a friend of a friend?
I heard she?s adorable.
I think she?s in your grade...
Don?t know her.
You don?t?
There?s no one like that in my class.
I don?t know any girls outside of Class A.
That?s so Yuki...
Ok... ok... ok... then...
Is there a girl you like, Yuki?
What?
- A girl! - Huh?
Are you interested in girls?
No!
So there's isn't one you like at this moment, right?
Looking at you,
my interest in girls totally fades away.
?He isn't interested in any girl right now.?
Send!
Hey!
Episode 10 Naoki, Counting on You for Kotoko!
Eat up now.
Get off of me.
Naoki, your dinner ?s coming right up.
Here you go.
I went to see Satomi?s newborn baby today.
Really?
Satomi?s baby?
How was she? Is Satomi okay?
She?s a healthy mom.
The baby was so cute... Look!
She looks just like Satomi!
She was so cute, I cried.
She?s cute all right.
Are you crying, dad?
Are you kidding? No!
Mr. Aihara?
I?ve known Satomi and Jinko...
...since they were little. They?re like daughters to me.
Dad...
What will happen when Kotoko has a baby?
Kotoko?s baby...
...would be cute beyond belief!
Kotoko?s baby...
Mr. Aihara!
I just remembered about when she was a little baby...
How was Kotoko when she was a baby?
She cried all day.
Etsuko and I didn?t know what to do.
Then she?d stop all of a sudden.
And we?d panic, thinking she was dead.
So what happened?
Hm?
You were just sleeping.
Oh!
She hasn?t changed much.
I guess.
No progress...
Yuki!
I?ve never seen a photo of Kotoko as a child.
Our house was destroyed.
By the meteor shower?
We don?t know where anything went.
That?s right. How tragic.
I don?t know how I looked when I was a baby
but dad says I look exactly like when I was a kid.
You?re so cute.
You mean immature.
I don?t know anything about your mom, either.
I see...
We have no old pictures left.
Etsuko was a very cute person.
Please stop it.
Well, she was to me...
She was ?Miss Akita-Komachi? right?
Miss Akita-Komachi?
That?s what I heard.
And she does look a lot like me, right?
I don?t remember much, but she was gentle and refined
and quite beautiful...
And she looked a lot like you?
- Dad. - Yeah?
Next week is the anniversary of Kotoko?s mother?s death.
Oh, yeah...
How did you know, Naoki?
You used to go visit her grave about this time every year.
That?s right.
How long has it been since she passed away?
Kotoko was in first grade then, so...
it's been 18 years.
Has it been that long?
Kotoko and I will go again this year too.
Yep.
I?ll go with you.
What?
I?ve been thinking I should go pay my respects.
But it?s super far and nothing interesting there.
And you have lots of work to do.
I?m grateful you even thought about it.
You don't have to put yourself out!
I?m not. I happen to be free around the time.
And your family is from Akita.
The bullet train goes there. Don?t worry.
But... uh...
I want to see her pictures, too.
Miss Akita-Komachi.
Rain doesn't seems to go away.
Kotoko?s mom loved rain.
It will take 30 minutes on the next bus.
Naoki...
Why won't we just go visit her grave and head back home?
We can visit her family next time.
It wouldn't be nice to visit them after getting wet like this.
That?s a great idea, dad.
Let?s stop by a hot spring and eat something warm.
- That?s not possible. - Huh?
My mom already called your family.
She told them that we were coming.
You must be hiding something.
It can?t be helped. I give up.
Give up?
You'll know what I mean when you get there.
How do we get there? By taxi?
Well...
How do we get...
It?s Kotoko!
Welcome, Naoki!
Thank you for coming!
It?s a pleasure to meet you.
It?s been a while, Kotoko, Shigeo!
I?m Uncle Tsuruzo, Kotoko?s mother?s brother.
Come this way!
Come on... this way. Hurry, hurry!
Ok now...
?Miss Kumashiro? will present a bouquet of flowers.
A bouquet of flowers!
Welcome to Kumashiro.
Thank you.
I remember Kotoko when she could barely walk.
She?s all grown up now.
Naoki is super smart...
He?s going to be a doctor.
Wow!
Please, give us a few words.
Come on...
Uncle!
Never mind... come on!
Sorry.
How do you do. I?m Naoki Irie.
Thank you for this... unbelievable reception.
You?re welcome.
But my name is misspelled.
- What? - Oh, no...
- Who wrote that? - Why didn?t you check?
And plus, the word ?welcome? is also misspelled.
- He?s right! - Oh my god!
There?s one extra stroke.
What a smart husband!
Kotoko! He?s too good for you!
You got a good one!
We'll take you home now. Come on.
Uncle Tsuruzo... thanks for everything
but we?ll just go to the grave and...
What are you talking about, Shigeo?
If I don?t bring Naoki home
Etsuko will turn into a ?mokko? and haunt us!
?Mokko??
It means ?a ghost.?
Come on. Get in the car. Get in.
Get in, get in.
My niece brought her husband from Tokyo.
We?re having a party tonight. Come over and drink.
Sure! - Come on over.
Why are my relatives always like this?
Shh! He?ll hear you.
It?s embarrassing in front of Naoki.
What?s with this van? It?s like an election van.
And why is Miss Kumashiro sitting up front?
And we?re...
I?m used to it already.
Sorry, Naoki.
Kotoko?s mom?s side of the family
loves festivities and loud parties.
Not me, though!
I'm still not used to it...
That?s why we always try to visit her grave silently.
Did you also receive a welcome like this before?
Yes! Yes, I did!
I left Saga for Tokyo where I met and married her mom.
I was shocked when I first met her family.
I know what you mean.
But you did great today.
I was too nervous and I don't even wanna remember about it.
Well...
You?re the only who knows how I feel.
Naoki! We?re comrades!
I?d rather not be.
...maybe right.
Now... he found out...
about my embarrassing family...!
I didn?t want him to know.
Please don?t let things get any worse.
One, two...
Three!
Come on. Drink up.
I?m glad you came, Naoki.
Thanks.
It?s been so long, Miharu.
Kotoko, it?s Hidemi.
Oh, is it?
Not again. There is no ?Miharu.?
Really?
Kotoko...
You were never good at remembering things.
Stop it!
When we went to the zoo
you mistook your own child for another
and brought a complete stranger home!
Is this all you remember?
That was his fault. He didn?t say anything.
The kid?s fault? You were so careless!
Their arguments are so senseless...
That hurts!
Hey!
What are you guys doing?
That?s the guy who created Koto-rin.
He?s famous!
Can we have your autograph?
Hey! Naoki isn?t a celebrity!
Excuse us.
May we join you?
The ladies from Kumashiro Senior Club!
Look how handsome!
You?re Kotoko?s husband?
Yes.
He?s so good looking!
My throat hurts. Can you take a look?
Me, too.
Since I saw you for the first time,
my heart is beating hard! This's gotta mean something!
I?m first.
No. Me!
I?m first!
Hey!
Here you go. Etsuko?s photo album.
Let me see!
This is from her school days.
I?ve never seen these, either.
What... Mom?
They used to stop at a snack shop after school.
She really loved those octopus balls.
She looks just like you.
She had a beauty mark here.
What?
She didn?t have a beauty mark.
But look...
Look again. That?s seaweed.
- What? - Seaweed?
How silly of her.
Right?
Mom...
Why are all these pictures...
I don?t even know...
These ones are a little better.
What?!
Miss Tonburi? (Mountain Caviar)
What is this?
You said she was Miss Akita-Komachi.
That?s what dad said...
That?s what mom told me...
But I guess she was Miss Tonburi...
But in reality...
I?m sure she was beautiful, gentle
classy, and intelligent! She must have been...
Etsuko was intelligent? Classy?
Are you kidding?
Uncle...
Etsuko was always fidgety
and closer to the bottom of the class.
She wasn?t athletic at all!
Mom...
She was in love with a boy from the next village.
She waited for him in the snow and almost froze to death.
She created a sensation in the village.
Wow.
Frozen to death?
She was found half buried in snow!
I?ve never seen Naoki laugh so hard...
I can?t breathe...
She's unbelievably identical to you.
Her look and even personality.
Everyone in this village is like that.
I?m going to sleep!
We?re going to the graveyard in the morning.
I know!
Come on, Naoki. Let?s drink!
Thank you.
Naoki...
How long has it been since you first visited here?
Let's see...
The first time I visited here was...
...about 25 years ago. But I didn?t visit them every year.
It's good enough.
Thank you.
So you met her
when you were about 20?
Hmm.
It was when I was still training as a cook.
She was 19 years old.
We were both new in Tokyo.
I was walking in the city when a girl fainted in front of me.
That?s something.
I ran over and asked what was wrong.
She hadn?t eaten in three days.
Right on the street? - Yeah.
What if I hadn?t been there?
In any case
I thought she?d better eat so I made something for her.
She wolfed down 4 cups of rice.
That?s amazing.
She must have been hungry
but your cooking must have tasted so good to her.
I hope so.
But she was the first one
who ate my cooking
with such gusto.
She looked really good having my food.
Then she started coming to my restaurant every day,
eating the least expensive thing.
She always sat right in front of me.
Before I knew it...
She?s Kotoko?s mom, all right.
Right! She loves good food
but she can?t cook worth a damn.
How can she be such a bad cook?
That?s like Kotoko, too.
I started feeling like it was my duty
to feed her good food.
So you fell in love with her appetite.
Maybe so.
Naoki...
Don?t tell Kotoko, okay?
Really?
It?s embarrassing.
No, but...
Miss Akita-Komachi turned out to be Miss Tonburi.
What a difference.
It sure is.
Akita-Komachi sounds a little glamorous but...
Tonburi is a mountain vegetable...
Why did she have to lie?
She was quite cunning.
She sure fooled me.
Mom...
Mom.
Did you...
...fall asleep looking up at this ceiling, too?
I didn?t know anything about my mom.
The mom I fabricated from a few memories
and the real mom were pretty different.
But somehow, I feel closer to you now...
It?s strange...
Naoki was really thinking about my mom.
I was always embarrassed
and held back from talking about her.
I wonder why? It?s strange...
But he made me so happy...
Naoki.
What does ?strangle with a silk rope? mean?
Silk is...
...fine and soft, but very strong as well.
It means to hurt someone slowly and indirectly.
Slowly and indirectly, huh?
Mr. Koto-rin, I don?t get this.
That?s easy to solve using the quadratic formula.
Wow, you?re so smart...
Just remember the formula. It?s easy.
Mr. Koto-rin, how do you read this?
The ?old bamboo cutter.?
I see.
Old bamboo cutter!
Mr. Koto-rin, what goes here?
?From.?
What? Come again?
Cheese is made from milk... so...
?Cheesu isu... made... from miluk.?
?Milk? not ?miluk.?
Miluk.
Milk.
Naoki!
Hey, hey,hey...
What is this, a private school?
Naoki, what does ?A bad wife brings a lifetime of misfortune? mean?
A wife that doesn?t support her husband will make him suffer forever.
I see.
What are you asking him, Miharu?! A bad wife?!
I?m Hidemi! Don?t keep making the same mistake!
Is that right?
Naoki, can we go pick flowers later?
Sure.
Let?s play with my cars!
No, let?s go catch bugs!
Let?s play soccer!
Mechanical cars...
Soccer!
We have to go to the graveyard!
Naoki!
These old folks in the village
wondered if you can take a look at their aches and pains.
Of course.
Naoki...
Sit down right here.
There?s a clinic over there!
You?re all taking him for granted!
My god!
Look how late it is!
We should have gone to the grave in the morning.
Kotoko, you?re quite old-fashioned.
That?s common sense!
Come on, Kotoko.
I never thought I?d hear you talk about ?common sense.?
You make me sound like I have no common sense.
Never mind. It?s okay.
We?ve gone to the graveyard in the afternoon, and we weren?t cursed.
Etsuko won?t mind.
- That?s right. - You?re right.
I?ve been meaning to say something...
Why are you all following us?
Why are we following you?
We want to visit the grave with your husband.
We all want to go.
This is the first time Naoki is meeting my mom!
It?s a very important day for me!
Naoki didn?t come here to take care of all of you!
Hey, Kotoko...
I thought...
...Naoki came to see my mom.
You?re absolutely right, Kotoko.
We were so happy Naoki came
...I think there's too much of us for you.
Sorry.
Go take your time with Etsuko.
Sorry, Kotoko.
Let?s go home.
We leave you here then.
I?m very sorry.
Your relatives...
...are so easy to please and...
...meddlesome and star-struck.
Right?
Sorry, Naoki. I?m really sorry.
They?re just like you.
Just like me?
So...
It?s never boring.
I...
...kind of like them.
Go call them back.
Let?s visit your mom together.
Okay.
We?re almost there, Naoki.
My mom?s grave is right over there...
That?s quite a marker.
Etsuko Aihara's Graveyard is that way
What is this...?
What?
What is this?
We made it easy to find!
Easy to find?
We?ve been here dozens of times!
Not for you. For Naoki.
Yep.
Etsuko loved festivities.
Thank you.
I was able to spot Kotoko?s mother?s grave
straight away.
You?re welcome!
Now that we found it, can we clean it up a little?
- I guess. - Go ahead.
We have to pour water over the stone.
Let?s take it down.
I?m sorry, after all your hard work.
It?s stuck on pretty good.
Etsuko was supposed to be in my grave...
But she went so early.
I thought she?d feel better near her parents.
So I bought a family plot here.
I see...
When I die, I?ll join Etsuko in here.
So please let Kotoko join you in yours.
Yes.
Etsuko!
Kotoko?s husband is here to visit you.
He?s almost too good for her.
Don?t get any ideas, Etsuko!
I appreciate the gesture, but don?t do this anymore.
All right!
- Really? - Got it!
You...
Mom...
This is my husband, Naoki.
He came to meet you today.
Handsome, right?
He?s the love...
...of my life.
Naoki.
What?
What were you praying for at my mom?s grave?
It?s a secret between us.
What?
Nothing.
You?re so strange.
Let?s go buy stuff to take home for everyone in Tokyo.
You love to shop, don?t you?
What should we get?
Mountain caviar, of course.
Naoki!
How do you do, Naoki.
Please take care...
...of my Kotoko.
Ep.11 Kiss of Goodbye
Yuki.
This is your chance of love!
I want to be your friend!
Make the top 100 on the upcoming test.
That sounds familiar.
Stop fooling me around!
You all make me sick!
I?m sorry.
Well...
What shall I do?
I?m thinking of working at a hospital in Kobe.
You wouldn?t understand.
Because...
I...