Look, Kaoru-san!
It's...
doushiyou
What should I do?
anata ni deau made no watashi wasurechatta wa
I've forgotten what I was like before I met you.
kaze wa hoho wo naderu
The wind caresses my cheeks.
lullaby of birdland
Lullaby of Birdland
sakamichi keri nagara
As we run down the slope,
tayorinai kage wa nobiru
our faint shadows trail behind us.
owaranai natsuyasumi mitai ne
It's like a neverending summer break, isn't it?
pool ni shinobikonderu kibun
I feel like sneaking into the pool.
nee fuku no mama oyogou yo haneru
Yeah, let's swim with our clothes on. Jump in!
shougekiteki yuuwaku spiral
An overwhelming spiral of temptation,
shougekiteki yuuwaku spiral
kono mune wo tsukisasu beat wa strange
this beat that pierces my heart is so strange.
kono mune wo tsukisasu beat wa strange
sore wa potto moete kieteshimau no
And it disappears after a short-lived spark.
sore wa potto moete kieteshimau no
sanzan na hibi mo joutou dress up
Even on the worst days, I dress up nice
swing shiteru high na speed surround
and dance to the swing that quickly surrounds me.
swing shiteru high na speed surround
sore wa nante iu dance tomaranai yo
Say, what is this dance? I can't stop.
ikanaide mimi ni karamitsuite mou hanarenai yo
Don't leave me. It's stuck in my head, and I can't get it out.
ikanaide mimi ni karamitsuite mou hanarenai yo
melody wa
The melody...
koi mitai da
is like love.
CLOSED TODAY
Bon!
What are you just standin' there for?
Hey!
Rikko, how about openin' the door?!
It's open.
What's with her?
Huh? Ritsuko-chan isn't it?
Yurika-san!
I love the cakes here.
Do you come here often too?
Yeah.
This is Jun-niichan's family's shop.
Oh no...
I had no idea.
Um... Yurika-san...
If you'd like, why don't you come over to my place to watch the jazz practice?
Shirayuri
It's over. She hates me.
That avant-garde?
Come on, Bon.
Get your head on straight.
How we gonna have a session?
Everyone, Yurika-san is here!
Ricchan.
Didn't your dad tell you
that outsiders aren't allowed down here?
Yurika-san is our friend,
so I'm sure Dad wouldn't mind.
Well, Yurika-san, enjoy.
O-Okay...
What's wrong, Kaoru-kun?
I'm just going to get a little fresh air.
Ricchan...
Huh?
It's Bon-niichan.
Sentaro's sister...
Sachiko-chan, right?
Are you playing by yourself?
Yeah.
All my friends are off at cram school.
I see.
Then how about we play together?
Really?
Huh?
It's not playing?
That's strange.
This thing's a relic, so it gets ornery sometimes.
At times like this,
you have to work a little magic on it.
Wow, Jun-nii.
How'd that get it working?
Beats me.
Hello, is this the Children's Telephone Counseling Office?
Oh, that's right.
See,
there's this boy,
Hashiguchi-kun, who's always mean to me.
He hides my indoor shoes and pulls my hair.
What do you think I should do?
Hmm... Let's see...
You know,
maybe Hashiguchi-kun likes you, Sachiko-chan.
My guess is he wants to be friends with you
but doesn't know how to express his feelings,
so he acts out like that without really thinking about it.
He does not!
Recently, I made the girl that I really like cry too.
I want to apologize to her,
but even if I do, I don't think she'll forgive me.
I don't forgive you.
That was my first time.
It's no good.
I can't stay mad at you.
Kaoru-san...
There's something I have to tell you.
Coincidentally, I've been going to the shop for a while.
I had no idea it was your family's.
Shirayuri
The coincidences keep on coming.
Even the name is similar.
Actually, there's someone that I like.
Right now,
he's the only one I can think of.
I'm flattered by the way you feel about me, Kaoru-san.
I'm flattered, but...
I understand.
Sentaro...
H-Hi...
What's wrong?
You seem kinda troubled.
Here, eat this an' cheer up.
Sentaro, what should I do?
I said something terrible to Kaoru-san.
Kaoru-san might not come back here again.
Thank you.
Sachiko...
Do you...
...know who Rikko li—
I'm sleepy!
I'm hungry!
N-Never mind!
School starts again today, huh?
I-I can't ask.
It's impossible to talk about romantic stuff here in this house.
Bon! It's been too long!
Why didn't you come over for practice during winter vacation?
Oh, sorry.
Um... The teacher told me to give this to you.
Thanks.
Dad's finally come back,
but everything seems so bleak right now
that I can't bring myself to talk about anything.
Hey!
Sen... What are you doing out there?!
Bon! Move for a sec!
Bon, get a jacket on!
We're gonna practice.
Forget it.
Rikko is lonely without you around.
Come on, all you gotta do is stop by the shop.
I'm not going back there again.
Do you really mean that?
Yeah.
Kaoru, got a minute?
I thought I heard a loud noise coming from here a minute ago.
Oh, really?
Never mind.
Actually, I wanted to give you this letter.
A letter?
It's from our old housekeeper, Shizu-san.
Shizu-san?
Oh, that takes me back.
She wrote about your mother.
We've had our problems over the years,
but it seems Shizu-san happened to run into your mother in Tokyo.
She got your mother's address and insisted I pass it on to you.
We split up when you were still little,
so you might not remember your mom very well.
But if you'd like to go see her, you could.
Maybe on your next break.
I know this is sudden and may leave you at a loss,
but whether you go or not is up to you.
Well, I'll let you get back to your studies.
Bon.
Give her some sweet rice treats as a souvenir.
I never said I was going.
You're not goin'?
Right now, I'm just not up to it.
Moron!
You know where she is now.
If you lose this chance, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!
Kaoru-kun?
Crap!
What are you doing?
I'm coming in!
Wait a second!
Kaoru-kun, you're hiding something, aren't you?
No, not really.
TRAIN TICKET UPPER CLASS
Blue trains?
"Blue trains" basically refers to limited express trains from Asakaze
that have dedicated blue sleeper cars.
Did you know that the design of the front and back car are different
because they have to switch off being the lead car?
I didn't know.
Come to think of it, this is my first time traveling alone.
Is it like a trip to help me get over my heartache?
Hey!
You're late, Bon.
Y'know, it's a good thing I asked Maruo to get me a ticket!
W-Wait a minute...
I felt like takin' a trip to Tokyo too.
So I'm taggin' along!
I only went on this trip to be alone and think things over quietly.
Man, travel an' frozen Mandarins go together like bread an' butter!
I do have one more Mandarin.
Well, much obliged!
They taste better before they thaw.
Damn that Maruo.
By the way, how can you afford this?
Oh, I had money saved up from my part-time job.
And then I sold some old records.
You don't have nearly enough.
Well, if I can make it to Jun-nii's place, I'm sure it'll work out.
What a thoughtless fool.
Here, this is yours, Bon.
Rikko said the food in the dining car is probably expensive,
so she made these for us.
Ain't you gonna eat it?
She's been worried about you.
What's with all these people?!
Is there a festival?
Or a New Year's sale?!
Tokyo Station is always like this.
Why don't you go sightseeing around Tokyo?
I wanna see what your mom's like, so I'm comin' with you.
BLUE BUTTERFLY
COUNTRY OF DREAMS
ESTABLISHED IN 1932
Wh-What the heck?!
This is some workplace.
W-Wait, maybe I got the address wrong.
It's right.
Well, let's go in an' ask.
Wait a second!
I've changed my mind about meeting her.
Bon!
You can't quit now that you've come this far!
It's better if I don't see her.
Even if I did, I'm sure...
Alright!
She says it's your mom's day off today.
She said she'd meet you here tomorrow afternoon.
So we'll come back then.
Alright, I say we relax a bit at Jun-nii's place!
Do you two have business with Katsuragi Junichi-kun?
Yes.
Well, there's no point in waiting for him.
He's been missing since last month.
Missing?
Yeah.
Rumor has it he got in bad with some faction,
and now he's in hiding.
Although it's possible he's just shacking up with some girl.
Fukahori Yurika
That guy's popular with college girls.
Yeah, no surprise if it's Jun-nii.
Right, Bon?
Yeah, that's right.
Have you two come all the way from Kyushu?
Well, let's make our guests from faraway Kyushu feel welcome!
With shochu and water...
Cheers!
Huh?
Water?
That's right!
You wouldn't believe how stupid this guy is!
He's always causing trouble!
When I'm with him, his stupidity rubs off on me!
Good for you.
You're lucky to have such a good buddy.
Buddy? Not at all!
Sure sounds like it!
It's rare to find a friend you can get goofy with.
Treasure him.
Unlike love affairs, friendship is for life.
Kaoru?
Kaoru, that is you, isn't it?
Idiot!
What are you standing around like a scarecrow for?!
You'll catch a cold!
What are you doing?!
Hurry up and come in!
Wh-What is this?!
I've never eaten fancy curry like this before!
Go on, don't be shy. Just eat!
Thank you!
Hot!
I like the way you shovel it in.
I've got a thing for men with a hearty appetite.
She isn't at all the way I imagined her.
Hot!
What was that?!
Mother and son perfectly in unison!
Shut up!
Sorry... He has no manners.
Are you friends from school?
Yeah...
Or more like, we play music together.
He's a drummer and I play the piano.
Piano...
Oh, Kaoru, you used to love it when your dad played the piano.
He would play and I'd sing along.
And then, even if you were crying, you'd always stop and listen.
Really...
That's such a happy memory.
Oh, really?
I don't remember at all.
Dad never likes to talk about the past.
Of course he doesn't.
Who would want to talk about a washout of a mother like me?
Looks like the rain has stopped,
so I'm gonna take a little stroll around Ginza.
I think he wanted to give us some time alone.
But eat before it gets cold.
Oh, it's this curry.
It's spicier than usual.
Kaoru!
By the way, how's school?
Oh, it's okay.
Is there a girl that you like?
Oh, did it not work out?
M-Mom...
I'd rather not talk about that right now.
What? I'm right?
Wh-What's so funny?!
Well, just the idea of the baby boy in my memory,
who'd say "Mama" and make gurgling noises,
having a broken heart!
You're in the heyday of your youth!
A broken heart! Not bad, not bad at all!
That's right! I'm lovelorn!
The more I laughed,
the more whatever had been building up inside me disappeared into thin air.
My mind emptied out.
There he is!
I thought you weren't gonna make it in time.
Mom, here!
For me?
It's a jazz record.
The song called "Lullaby of Birdland."
Listen and then try singing along to it.
I'll come back to visit you again.
So until then, I'd like you to practice that.
But this is in English, isn't it?
I don't know the language at all.
It'll be fine.
Just imitate what you hear.
Jazz is best when sung by a woman with a husky voice.
I'll come back for sure, so practice, Mom!
Kaoru... Um...
Thank you for coming to see me.
I thought...
I'd probably never see you again.
That's what I told myself.
Lullaby of birdland that's what I
Why did my mom leave me behind?
always hear when you sigh
Those words that I couldn't ask
flew away somewhere with this scenery.
Never in my wordland could there be ways to reveal
Mom's mouth formed the words, "I'm sorry."
in a phrase how I feel
Lullaby of birdland whisper low
I shook my head, but I'm not sure she saw it.
Kiss me sweet, and we'll go
I'm back!
Flyin' high in birdland, high in the sky up above
That was heavy.
We're in love
Rikko!
Where were ya?!
Welcome back, Ricchan.
ano sakamichi de kimi wo matteita
I've been waiting for you on that slope.
houkago no yakusoku ni
The promise made after school
tooku nijimu sayonara
blurred into the distance as a goodbye.
yowakute ibitsu de sugu ni kowaresana
I seemed to be weak,
ano koro no boku mie
warped, and frail back then.
chiisana tsubasa wo kimi ga kuretanda
But you gave me these small wings.
yuuyami kashi no sora ni
In this twilight sky's visibility,
kasukana hikari sagashiteiru
I keep on searching for that faint light.
kimi ga suki dato suki dato ietanara
And I wanted to tell you that I love you.
kyoukasho no sumi ni kaita tegami wa
I wrote a letter in the corner of the textbook
itsumade mo todokazu ni
that will never reach its destination
ano hi no mama
and will remain as it was back then.