There we go...
Make sure you listen to your uncle.
Yeah.
Do you have your handkerchief?
Your ticket?
A nice pair of shoes?
Wait, don't tell me that's everything?
It's fine.
I made sure I packed the black ones.
Make sure you don't forget your luggage on the bullet train, okay?
Don't zone out and miss your stop.
Yeah, I got it!
Jeez.
I've been going there every year, so I'll be all right.
Hey, put on a hat.
You'll get heat stroke.
It's alright!
I'm fine.
See you!
The first time I met him
was when I was six.
The Light of a Firefly Forest
On a hot summer day,
I got lost in the forest of the mountain god,
which was said to be where spirits lived.
After running around searching for an exit
I became so tired I couldn't move.
When I started crying from fear and loneliness,
he appeared before me.
Hey!
Shorty!
Why are you crying?
It's a person!
I'm saved!
S-Sorry.
You're a human child, right?
If a human touches me, I'll disappear.
If a human...?
You're not a human?
I'm...
something that lives in this forest.
What?
Then...
you're one of the spirits?
But...
what do you mean by disappear?
Y-You're really not human after all...
N-No human would hit a child like that!
To disappear means to be obliterated.
That's the spell that the mountain god placed upon me.
If I get touched by a human,
that's the end.
I-I'm sorry.
Here, shorty.
Grab the other end.
You're lost, aren't you?
I'll lead you out of the forest.
Thank you!
Didn't I just tell you?
Sorry, I just...
It's just like going on a date!
Not a very romantic one...
You...
aren't afraid.
Of what?
Never mind.
If you go straight, you'll hit the mountain path.
Bye.
Are you always going to be here?
If I come back here, can we meet again?
This is the forest where the mountain god and spirits live.
Set foot within, and you'll lose your way and be lost forever.
You shouldn't come here.
That's what the villagers say, right?
I'm Takegawa Hotaru.
You?
Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow with a thank-you present!
Bye!
It's Gin.
Hotaru!
Ah, Uncle!
Hotaru, you idiot!
If you go into the forest on your own and get hurt,
what are you gonna do?
Uncle.
Huh?
Is it true that there are spirits living in that forest?
Oh, the mountain god's forest...
Who knows.
That's what they say.
When I was little, I wanted to meet the spirits,
so my friends and I often went into the forest.
In the end, I never met any,
but I had the feeling I'd occasionally spot something
from the corner of my eye.
On summer nights,
you could hear the sounds of the river coming from the forest.
And now that I think about it,
Iwa said she and her friends went and had fun
at a summer festival in the forest.
But there's no way the villagers would've held a festival in the forest.
So then, whose festival could it have been?
It started this crazy story that
they must've snuck into a festival for the spirits.
Man, that takes me back!
We were so stupid back when we were kids.
This is the forest where the mountain god and spirits live.
Set foot within, and you'll lose your way and be lost forever.
You came.
I didn't think you'd really come back.
You...
You waited for me!
You just don't learn, do you?
I was so happy, I just...
Sorry.
It's a bit hot here.
Shall we go somewhere cooler?
What?
Don't worry.
I'll see you out of here again.
Gin.
Is that a human child?
Can I eat it?
No.
She's my friend.
Is that so?
Human child.
Please don't touch Gin's skin.
If you do, I'll eat you!
Oh!
Is that a fox?
He's another one of the spirits.
He transforms to scare people, but he's all bark and no bite.
Amazing!
This is the first time I've seen a real spirit!
So they really do exist!
Amazing! So what did you think I was?
So amazing! So what did you think I was?
Incredibly amazing! So what did you think I was?
Gin, are you a No-Face or something?
Why do you wear a mask?
No particular reason.
Never mind me.
Tell me about yourself.
Are you curious?
That's why I waited for you.
The next day and the day after that, I went back to the forest.
Those summer days, I ran and played all around the mountain.
Over here, over here!
It's better over there.
There.
Thank you!
Even though it was silly,
it was so much fun.
Did Gin fall asleep?
It's fine if I touch his mask, right?
Ah, sorry!
Ouch!
Attacking someone while they're asleep...
You sure are a scary little lady.
I'm sorry, but
you were pretending to sleep, weren't you?
I looked normal, didn't I?
Why are you wearing that mask?
If I don't wear this mask,
I don't look like a spirit, do I?
You're weird.
Um, Gin.
I won't be able
to come here tomorrow.
I told you about it before, right?
That I'm just staying at my uncle's place for the summer?
So I have to go home tomorrow.
Will you be able to come again next year?
Yeah!
This is how summer
became something I looked forward to.
Gin waited for our promised summer.
It's cold!
You're weird.
Of course the water is cold.
Gin!
It's dangerous, Gin.
That's a human child.
If she touches you, you'll disappear.
Thank you.
I'm fine.
Please don't touch him, human child.
Yes.
Gin.
Be careful.
The spirits can touch him, right?
Two summers passed.
Then three.
Hotaru!
Where are you?
Hotaru.
Hota-
What're you doing?
I wanted to see your startled face, but...
At least when I'm around,
can you take off your mask every once in a while?
That's fine,
but is there a reason?
Not really, but-
Watch out, Hota-
That was close.
Yeah...
I'm sorry, Hotaru.
Are you okay?
Thank goodness.
Hey, Gin.
No matter what, don't ever touch me, okay?
Okay?
No matter what!
The next summer and the summer after that
I visited the forest.
I'm leaving!
Gin!
I'm here again this year.
Ta-da!
I've become a fifth grader.
Somehow,
you're starting to look like a woman.
I am a woman.
Shall we go?
Yeah.
Huh?
This is...
Oh.
Huh?
Nothing.
Even though I'm in middle school now,
a lot of my elementary school friends are in the same classes,
so it doesn't really feel like anything changed.
Our ages are gradually getting closer.
Somehow,
Gin ages much more slowly than humans.
Like this?
Yeah, yeah.
When I start running, let go, okay?
Here I go!
As the years go by, my appearance changes,
but Gin is almost the same as the day we met.
Someday I'll be older than Gin, won't I?
Oh, Hotaru.
I cut some watermelon.
Let's eat.
Okay.
Yay!
Where's Mom?
Out shopping with your aunt.
They went to buy gifts for friends in Yokohama.
What time are you taking the bullet train tomorrow?
I don't know,
but they said I'll still be here until the afternoon.
Is that so?
This summer's weather was good, so the watermelons are sweet.
If it continues like this, then winter will be freezing.
Is it like that?
It's like that.
Since this area's located between mountains and the ocean's far away,
the temperature difference between summer and winter is huge.
The cold of a winter that follows an especially hot summer
could probably freeze the mountain god himself.
Um, Uncle...
A scarf?
Yep!
Please use it in the winter, okay?
Bye!
Okay.
See you next year!
Takegawa?
Shouldn't you be heading to your next class soon?
Ah, you're right!
Everyone left already.
I'll see you later.
Okay!
Thanks.
Thank you for the food.
What?
You're done?
Ah, you probably ate before dinner, didn't you?
If you snack, you'll gain weight.
I didn't eat anything!
Jeez.
I'm gonna take a bath!
Takegawa.
Ta-ke-ga-wa.
Oh, good morning.
Good morning.
There, near your feet.
It's frozen.
You'll slip.
Be careful.
Thank you.
It's cold today.
Haven't you been a little out of it lately?
Actually, you've always been that way, but...
I want to
see Gin.
I want to
touch Gin.
Is that your new uniform?
Yeah.
Time really flies, doesn't it?
You're already in high school, huh.
Yup.
You don't come running at me anymore these days.
I learned my lesson after all those beatings.
I'm looking forward to it.
In three years, when I graduate, I plan on looking for a job here.
Then I can be with you more.
In autumn,
winter,
spring...
Always.
Right?
Hotaru.
Let me tell you about myself.
I'm not a spirit.
But,
I'm no longer human.
It seems like I was once a human,
but when I was a baby,
I was abandoned in this forest.
I'd only just been abandoned, so I cried helplessly
as if to call back the parents who left me.
They say I didn't stop crying for a long time.
I should've died then,
but the mountain god appeared and cast a spell that allowed me to continue living.
So that I never move on.
I'm like a ghost.
Hotaru.
It's okay if you forget about me.
A body that's maintained by magic is very weak.
If it touches a real human body,
the spell will break and the body will disappear.
It's such a fragile thing.
How long can you-
Something that disappears when touched...
It's just like snow, isn't it?
Gin,
I thought of you during winter.
Even during autumn
and spring.
Gin,
don't forget about me.
Don't forget.
Time might separate us some day.
But,
even still,
until then,
let's stay together.
Spirit festival?
No, a summer festival held by the spirits.
There's not much of a difference.
The nuance is completely different!
Nuance?
When you were little,
I thought you might get scared, so I didn't invite you.
But tonight,
can you sneak out of your house?
I've wanted to go with you for a long time.
I-I want to go!
Meet me at eight at our usual place.
But a festival filled with spirits sounds a little unnerving...
On top of that, it's at night.
Don't worry.
On the outside, it's not very different from a human festival.
It's supposed to mimic human festivals, after all.
And I'll protect you, Hotaru.
When you say things that, it makes me want to glomp you.
Do it.
Seriously.
Wait!
It's true.
It's just like a human festival.
Are they all disguised as humans?
That's right.
Impressive, isn't it?
I've heard that sometimes even humans unknowingly mix in.
Like Iwa and her friends, huh?
Who?
Hotaru.
Tie this around your wrist.
You'll get lost.
It's just like going on a date!
This is a date.
Shall we go?
Yeah.
Here you go.
Weird.
Ew, a couple!
Hey!
Look!
That kid has a tail!
I-I'm sorry!
Wow, that was so weird!
Everyone went all out with their disguises, didn't they?
It was like a mimicking competition!
Is it like this every year?
Yeah, every time summer comes around...
Hotaru,
I can no longer wait for summer to come around.
When I'm away from you, even though I can't be around crowds, I want to go see you.
That mask...
Have it.
He probably won't come to that place next summer.
This is definitely our last...
Wait!
Watch out!
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Thank you!
Be careful, okay?
Gin?
Was that boy a human?
Gin!
Come here, Hotaru!
I can finally touch you.
I love you.
Yeah.
I love you, too.
Deep green.
This is the mountain god's forest.
Hotaru.
Thank you.
We wanted to be with Gin forever, but...
Gin wanted to touch a human.
He finally got to be hugged by a human.
I probably won't be able to
look forward to summer for a long time.
My chest will hurt.
My tears will be overflowing.
But this warmth in my hands and
these summer memories will live on in my heart.
So, let's go.
Let us go.
♪ The cicadas laugh out in song ♪
♪ to the red evening sunset ♪
♪ The way back home is long ♪
♪ but I promised to come here again tomorrow ♪
♪ The summer is in full bloom ♪
♪ making you look more beautiful than ever ♪
♪ I thought the tale would never end ♪
♪ but I realize now that something comes after ♪
♪ The crows too took flight ♪
♪ and went somewhere far, far away ♪
♪ The summer flies by ♪
♪ to hide away its treasures till next year ♪
♪ I'll never ever forget ♪
♪ those golden summer days ♪
♪ That summer which brought joy ♪
♪ to my boring everyday life ♪
♪ And look! Summer is here again ♪
♪ to help me keep my promise of that day ♪
♪ The summer is still in bloom ♪
♪ making you look more beautiful than ever ♪