hashiridase mae muite
Face forward and run.
kajikamu te de sora ni egaita
I painted the lights in the sky
kimi no mirai ni shukufuku no akari tomosu
with these numb hands to brighten your future.
kirihirake sono te de
Cut through it with your hands.
kikoeterukai kono koe ga
Can you hear my voice?
sunao ni waraeru koto dakishimete hashiridase
Embrace the fact that you can laugh honestly and run.
sukoshi dake otona no iro ni somaru yubisaki
Your fingertips were painted in an adult's color.
terakusa sou ni sotto kakushite
Embarrassed, you hid them.
hoozuetsuita kimi mitsumeteru shisen no saki ni
And as I gazed at you resting your chin on your hand,
chiisana tsubomi ga yura yura
beyond you was a flower bud, swaying side to side.
nee bokura nante ima mo mayoi bakari de
Hey, even now we're always lost,
ano hi okutta kotoba imasara omoidasu
and I remember the words I said that day:
kimi iro ni mirai somete
"I'd paint the future with the color of you."
hashiridase mae muite
Face forward and run.
kajikamu te de sora egaita
I painted the lights in the sky
kimi no mirai ni shukufuku no akari tomosu
with these numb hands to brighten your future.
kirihirake sono te de
Cut through it with your hands.
kikoeterukai kono koe ga
Can you hear my voice?
sunao ni waraeru koto dakishimete hashiridase
Embrace the fact that you can laugh honestly and run.
Hey, Takashi-kun, look, look.
Ah, yes?
Look at all the snacks I bought.
That's a lot, Touko-san.
Bring them with you for your study trip, okay?
Okay.
This last bag of chips won't go in.
Whatever, I'll just eat them here.
You're really inconsiderate, you know?
You can eat some too, sensei.
You're so troublesome.
Eternal Feelings
You're late, Natsume.
Sorry, sorry.
What's with your bag?
What's in it?
That's for you to see later.
Later?
Ah, no...
This place is beautiful.
This pond looks deep.
There's a lot of seaweed, so you'll drown if you fall in.
That's scary.
What's wrong, Natsume?
Someone's swimming.
Someone?
Where?
I'm gonna fall! I'm gonna fall!
What are you talking about?
There's nothing out there.
Eh? What, what?
Ah, probably nothing. Let's go, let's go.
Come on, what was it?
Hey!
Hello?
Hello?!
No one's answering...
Maybe they're out?
Well, we did get here earlier than we had planned.
It's open.
Anyone here?
Was it okay for us to let ourselves in?
A pond...
So there's one in this garden too.
Naturally!
This area is renowned for its mermaid legends,
so there are lakes and ponds everywhere.
Mermaids?
Why the hell are you in my bag?!
Natsume's family cat.
No wonder it was so heavy!
Smuggled in?
You little...!
My, my, and I thought I still had time.
Please excuse me.
No, no. We're sorry for letting ourselves in.
Come, come. I'll show you to your rooms.
Is something wrong?
N-No, no... It's nothing.
My name is Sakanaka Chizu.
Please relax and enjoy yourselves, okay?
How do you do this part?
Ah, I have no idea about that one.
I don't get it either.
So question three is a mystery then.
Ah, this is so tasty!
I think you're supposed to substitute for "α" there.
Be quiet, you'll ruin our meal.
Take this!
This is pretty fun.
Sensei, look, it's a carp!
Don't get all excited over a carp.
The fish blinked!
Get back, Natsume!
Fish with eyelids are said to be Youkai in disguise!
You'll be eaten!
It was so terrified of me, it fled.
Yeah, even Youkai think you have a creepy face.
That's right, even Youkai think I have a—
Who has a creepy face?!
I wonder if that was the Youkai I saw at the big pond this afternoon.
It might've realized who you are and followed you.
Which means it's after the Book of Friends...
Give it to me.
It's here.
Give me the Book of Friends!
Now, give it to me!
What the heck? Her flesh is so hard.
A tanuki is... A tanuki is...!
I'm not a tanuki!
How dare you... A sneak attack?
This is why I don't trust humans!
Though I suppose this is why they're worth tormenting.
Give me the book, boy.
It's not something a human should have.
What are you doing out so late?
I'm sorry! I couldn't sleep.
Shall I make you something warm?
No, I'm fine.
What is it?
I'm sorry.
You remind me a bit of the person I'm looking for.
You're looking for someone?
Yes.
A person to whom I can never truly atone to.
Atone for what?
Have you heard the legend of the mermaid?
They say that those who drink the blood or eat the flesh of a mermaid will gain eternal youth.
I see.
Just once, long ago, I saw a mermaid in the lake nearby.
I was young, though, so perhaps I was only dreaming.
I made someone drink the blood I received from that mermaid.
I'm looking for that person.
Thank you very much.
It was really fun!
I enjoyed myself as well.
Thank you for coming.
That was awesome.
What a great study trip.
All you did was eat though.
That's not true!
Hey, wanna go the long way back to the station, and then take one of the old trains home?
Sounds good to me!
The boxed lunches at that station are great!
Natsume, be on guard.
How can you still eat?
Let's do that, Natsume.
Sorry, I forgot something.
You guys go ahead first.
Leave the Book of Friends!
Ah, sorry, you came out of nowhere.
What's your name?
I have no name to give to a mere human.
To begin with, a noble, ravishing mermaid such as myself—
Listen when you're being spoken to!
Humans are so damned rude!
Are you the mermaid Chizu-san met?
Wouldn't you like to know.
I have no reason to tell you though.
That's true.
Sorry, but I can't give you the Book of Friends.
Don't follow me anymore, okay?
Mermaids hate humans more than anything.
There aren't many left since they were hunted for their meat.
You shouldn't have let her go, Natsume.
You could've eaten her and become immortal.
If I did that, you'd never get the Book of Friends, sensei.
Chizu-san.
Sorry!
Forgive me, an acquaintance told me that someone had seen a person who looked like Keiichi-san at this station.
So, I thought you were him.
So, when you went out yesterday...
Yes, I came here.
What is Keiichi-san like?
You believe me?
Yeah, I do.
My parents both worked, and I had no siblings.
I spent a great deal of time playing alone at the pond in front of my house.
And then my neighbor, Keiichi-san, took pity on me and began to play with me.
He was about your age, and was very kind.
I adored him.
But he was ill...
One stormy night, he took a turn for the worse.
I recalled the legend that a mermaid lived in that lake, and hurried there.
In those waters, I saw a mermaid with gentle eyes,
and she gave me some of her precious blood.
And so, I poured the blood on his lips...
You made him drink the mermaid's blood?
The adults said it was just a dream,
and it's been so long, I'm no longer sure myself.
Keiichi-san was transferred to a hospital far away,
and his life was saved.
But he never came back.
The shock of him moving away made me completely forget about the mermaid's blood.
How terrible of me, don't you think?
No...
Last year, my husband passed on,
and when I said to myself, "I won't be long behind him,"
I suddenly remembered it all.
I can't stop wondering if it was a dream.
If not, then he cannot die or even age.
What if my reckless, thoughtless action caused him to suffer even now?
To live forever alone, watching everyone you love pass away...
Sensei's probably lived like that.
Like with Reiko-san.
And someday...
Maybe I should catch that mermaid.
What?
She might know something.
Always with the stupid ideas...
I'm not helping.
I'll buy you a steamed bun from Nanatsujiya on the way back.
We're just catching her.
Hey! Mermaid! Hey!
I just want to talk!
Please come out!
Natsume, the sun's going down.
So we came for nothing?
You hate humans?
Aren't you lonely all by yourself?
I haven't always been alone.
What do you want, boy?
What are you doing?!
Get off me!
I want to talk to you.
I'm not letting go until you answer me.
Fool.
You can't possibly beat me in the water!
I don't ever want to regret not doing something!
So tell me!
Did you ever give a little girl your blood?
What?
She's suffering because she gave it to a person she cared about.
If you know some way to break the immortality...
All anybody cares about is immortality; our flesh and blood!
Yes, she often used to come here.
She didn't know I was a mermaid, and she would always play with me.
So when she came back after a long absence, I showed her this form,
and when she asked for blood, I gave some to her.
I see...
She regrets giving it to another, and her timeworn heart is saddened.
Poor thing.
To end her suffering...
I'll eat her!
Wait!
She took off?
Hey! Where are you going, Natsume?
This isn't what I wanted!
I was just trying to help. Why didn't it go well?
For me... For Chizu-san...
He...
Keiichi-san is...
...the same as then!
What have I done?
Keiichi-san!
Wait, Keiichi-san!
Keiichi-san!
You poor dear...
Are you tired?
That voice...
Are you that mermaid?
Wait, mermaid!
She was just a child!
Just a little girl who didn't understand your loneliness or scars!
She called you a mermaid with kindness in her eyes...
It's reacting to you.
Is your name in the Book of Friends?
Is that why you want it?
I was just killing time.
That's why I was after the Book of Friends,
why I fought Natsume Reiko,
and why I gave that girl my blood.
It was all to kill time.
So you're Reiko's grandson?
You look delicious.
I found it.
Sasafune, I return your name.
Please take it.
What a stormy night...
She hasn't come by for months, but she's back now.
Maybe I'll ask her to be my friend.
Should I smile so she won't be scared?
Mermaid! Mermaid!
Please give me your blood!
I see... that's all you were after.
Is that true?
You saw my thoughts, didn't you, Natsume?
That's right...
I was so disappointed in her, I decided to play a trick on her,
and gave her a vial filled with grape juice.
She smiled with tears in her eyes and thanked me.
And then I became disappointed in myself.
Sasafune...
But it was for the best.
It was all for the best.
Please tell her for me, Natsume...
Tell her I'm sorry for tricking her.
Wait, Sasafune!
Tell her... Tell her yourself!
Chizu-san!
Mermaid!
Take care.
Did you hear that, Chizu-san?
Yes...
That same gentle voice I used to hear.
I see, it was his grandson.
Yes, he comes through this station sometimes on his way to cram school.
Keiichi-san died three years ago, he said,
but he led a very happy life.
His grandson really did look like the one in the picture.
He said he'd like to hear about his grandfather.
Hello.
A pleasure to meet you.
Sasafune, Chizu-san said she'd come back.
Don't think I can save you every time, Natsume.
Some things are just impossible,
which is a fact you seem to constantly forget.
You're right.
I'm painfully aware of my weakness.
But that's exactly why we wish to be with each other,
and why everyone lives to have this precious wish come true.
ne mou sukoshi dake mou sukoshi dake kiiteite hoshii
Hey, just a little longer. I just want you to listen a little longer.
ne mou sukoshi dake mou sukoshi dake wagamama ii desuka
Hey, just a little longer. I just want to be selfish a little longer.
te ni ireta totan ni kieteshimai sou
The moment it was in my hand, it seemed like it would disappear.
kotoba wo kuremasenka?
So could you say something?
anata ga iru sore dake demo
With just you here,
sekai ga kawatteshimau
my world changed.
monotone no keshiki ga hora
Just look at the monotonous scenery,
azayaka ni utsuru
it looks so vivid.
itsunomanika hanareteita
We were walking with our hands held,
te wo tsunaide aruiteku
and before we knew it, we had to separate.
umaku wa aeseteiru ka na
"Do you think we're a good match?"
ano sora ni kiite miru no
Was what I asked the sky.
The Man Amidst the Rows of Cherry Trees
I got a picture at the flea market.
Who keeps spreading flowers every night?!
Yasaka-sama is inside that image.
There you are, underling!
Why flowers?
During his years as a human, Yasaka-sama adored flowers.