Kaoru-san...
So we're in the same class this year, too? I'm glad.
Yeah.
If you're happy about it, Ri-chan, I am, too.
Now that you mention it, where is he?
Hey there! Well don't you look chipper!
Are you that happy about being in class 10 with all the rowdy kids?
What is it?
Nothin'.
He isn't used to being split into a different class from his friends.
This is Sentaro's first time.
Huh...
Um... You've got a petal in your hair...
That's okay. I'll get it myself.
Nishimi-kun!
I'm so happy we're in the same class again!
Are we?
Th-That's cruel... We just did self-introductions in there...
Oh, that's right.
You set up his ticket for the sleeper, too, didn't you?
S-Sorry about that!
He said to keep it a secret from you...
Because of that, I had a nice trip. Thanks.
It's finally over!
We should've decided the class rep by drawing lots in the first place...
No kiddin'!
Hey, I heard there's already a fight in class 10!
I'm just glad I wasn't put in there!
Hey, are you done already, Boxing Club?!
I thought you had a little more spirit than that.
Sen!
Hi, Richie!
Don't give me "Hi"!
Why are you fighting on the first day of the new school year?!
Just gettin' a little exercise...
That was fun. Been too long since I had a fight.
Hey, Sen! Are you listening to me?!
Hey!
W-What?!
W-Wait a minute!
Don't go!
What do you want?
You're going over there with that banged-up face?!
Is it that bad?
Ri-chan.
Sorry, but would you take this guy to the infirmary and patch him up?
Alright, go! Go!
Ri-chan, he's in your hands.
Okay...
It still hurts a little...
...but I should get used to it eventually.
The pain will go away and I should be able to relax and smile again.
I'm going to submit this painting to this year's public exhibition.
This is the one Sentaro-kun modeled for.
Um... Uh...
Oh, no, that's okay. You don't have to force yourself to give me feedback.
S-Sorry. I don't know much about art...
Oh? That's a strange thing for you to say.
After all, painting and jazz are relatively close cousins, aren't they?
A painting is created on a space called the canvas,
while jazz is created during a time called the performance.
It's like etching your living self into that place and time.
Or something like that. I was only repeating someone.
Junichi-san was talking about that when I went down to the basement.
Fukahori Yurika
It's very interesting to listen to him.
I'd like to talk to him more about all kinds of things.
Um... I went to Tokyo during spring break...
And I dropped by Brother Jun's boarding house, but he wasn't there...
Oh, that's too bad...
Apparently, he hadn't been back for a long time,
so there were a lot of letters stuffed in his mail slot...
Someone said he might be staying over at another person's place...
Oh...
One of those letters may have been important...
I wonder where he went.
Aren't you done yet?
Just put a little spit on cuts like these and they'll heal up fine.
What'll you do if it gets infected?
Come on, close your eyes.
W-What?
Ri'ko... I'm glad you're in the same class as Richie.
From now on, would you look after him more instead of me?
Um, well, I'd better get going...
Richie! Glad I caught up to you before you went home...
Are those tears?
This glob looks like a tear...
That's the tear of a broken heart.
In Greek mythology, the god Apollo
fell in love with Daphne, the daughter of a river god.
He became obsessed and chased her all around, but she wouldn't stop running.
At last, she gave Apollo the ultimate rejection
by turning into a bay laurel tree.
What an awful case of heartbreak!
Of course he would cry!
He's so grief-stricken that he fashions a wreath out of the laurel tree!
Wh...
Who's he?
This is Matsuoka Seiji-kun, a second-year student.
He's the Great Hope of East High's Art Club.
Oh, stop it! You're embarrassing me!
Kawabuchi Sentaro-kun...
We're both in class 10, huh?
Nice to meet you!
Richie... Do you remember that guy from last year?
Nope...
I'm gettin' the chills...
Oh, that's right, Sentaro-kun...
Are you free on our next day off?
I want to get you a present as thanks for being my model.
Hey! Wait up! Hey!
Idiot! Apollo, my ass!
I could never see this guy wearing a laurel wreath!
Ri-chan, do you have detention?
Yeah. I forgot my math homework.
That's unusual for someone as level-headed as you, Ri-chan.
Who said I was level-headed? I'm careless as can be.
I get more absent-minded in the spring, but better snap out of it...
This song...
It's from "The Sound of Music".
I love this song.
Yeah, I figured you would like that movie, Ri-chan.
Oh, no, I didn't see it.
I wanted to, but before I knew it, it'd already stopped playing.
I bet it was a good movie, huh?
How could I miss it?
I guess I thought I'd be able to see it anytime...
I'm pretty dumb, huh?
What is that again?
"My Favorite Things".
Yeah, that's it!
No, better not... I had my shot...
Oh yeah, there was somethin' I wanted your advice about, Richie.
About... my date...
With Yurika-san?
Y-Yeah...
Well then, I'll give the perfect advice to a romantic beginner like you.
Don't go.
That's all.
Hah?! What the hell is that?!
On a one-on-one date, you're sure to freeze up and blow the whole deal.
D-Don't you make fun of me!
I can handle a date, piece of cake!
Oh, sure! You really think you can keep TPO in mind
TPO: Time Place Occasion
in front of that princess and behave accordingly?!
T... TP...?!
You know what it is? You don't, do you?
But for your own sake, you better not go.
TP...
Jeez, what a pain...
I wish everyone would just stop falling in love...
That dope! Well, don't blame me for what happens!
Sentaro-kun, don't hold back. Tell me if you see something you want.
Oh, nah. I never get expensive stuff like this.
Even this jacket is a hand-me-down from Brother Jun...
Oh, really?
And from then on, all we talked about was Brother Jun...
When Brother Jun was in high school, nobody was cooler!
He was good at fightin', smart too...
Oh, really?!
We had a good time talkin' about him...
...but now all I got left is a feelin' of emptiness in the pit of my stomach.
What are you doing, Sen?
Did your date go well?
C-Course it did!
That's right. A date is a piece of cake for you, huh?
Y-Yeah, that's right...
Liar.
It didn't go well at all, did it? Just like I predicted...
Sen... Stay away from her from now on.
What makes you say that all of a sudden?
You really are dense, aren't you?
Any way you look at it, you and a refined girl like that just don't match up.
It's what you call being "out of your depth"...
Crap. I went too far...
Hi, Kawabuchi-kun.
What?
I heard you went on a date with Yurika?
She said she had a great time.
H-Hey, is that true?! Did she say anythin' else?!
You wanna know?
Uh-huh! She said you were handsome, Kawabuchi-kun,
and that maybe she'll hold your hand next time!
Really?!
Oh, Richie, you're here, huh?
Hey, you wanna try playin' "My Favorite Things" again together?
What's this? I thought he'd be mad at me for what I said at lunch,
but he seems to be in a great mood.
Hey, what's that?
I thought only jazz was allowed in here...
Oh, that kid with the mushroom cut, Matsuoka, forced it on me...
I couldn't refuse, so I just carried it here.
Huh...
W-What's that mean?
Good for you, making a nice friend that lends you records...
Hey, Sen...
Would you come upstairs a second?
Sure.
What, did a new record come in?
Just come up here...
'Kay...
Is he... going to listen to that record?
What am I so anxious about?
Kawabuchi-kun...
Did you listen to the record I gave you yesterday?
Nah, I can't get into music that has girls squealin' over it...
Isn't that the purpose of making music?
Don't you wanna become popular?
Don't really care about that...
Anyway, I'm not interested.
Well, I wanna be popular.
My dream is to become a star!
Hah? A star?
Seiji
Wait a second! Are those the underpants of somebody who aims to be a star?!
Oh, these?
I've got a lot of brothers, so if I don't stake my claim like this,
they'll disappear in a hurry.
And we're poor, so we can't afford to buy new ones often.
Amongst all my brothers, I'm called the "good-for-nothing".
Really, singing is the only thing I'm good at...
I wanna prove that I can become somebody who's able to support his family.
To me, this band is the first step. So...
Kawabuchi-kun, I need your talent.
A-Awesome!
That was wonderful, Maruo-kun! Much better than I expected!
I lost...
Alright, now all we need is a drummer.
Seiji, are you gonna tell me who it is you have in mind?
Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Be ready for a surprise.
Hey, Ri'ko!
Yeah?
No school tomorrow, so if you're free, wanna go to the beach?
Ma told me to take the munchkins.
But lookin' after them alone is a tough job,
so I thought I'd ask you along to help out.
Well, if you're busy...
Richie!
Hold on there. You free tomorrow?
What do you say we have us a clammin' contest at the sea?!
Hah? "Clammin"?
Say, Sentaro...
I like clamming, but...
Ri-chan...
What's "clammin"? Is it some kind of competition?
Oh, Kaoru-san! Clamming means digging up clams at the beach.
Oh! It's confusing when this guy calls it a contest or whatever...
Are you going too, Ri-chan?
I guess...
Great!
Then the threesome's set! This is gonna be fun!
I'll need to mentally prepare myself this time.
If those two have a romantic moment...
...I'll casually get out of their way and just pray for Ri-chan's happiness.
Or that was the idea...
...but maybe that's a non-issue.
I got a hamaguri clam!
That's a short-necked clam.
Hi. Fancy meeting you here, Kawabuchi-kun!
Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you.
What cute little girls and boys.
You know, there's a place over there where you can find a lot of razor clams.
Razors?!
You must be Ritsuko-chan.
I've heard about you from Yurika.
She said you were exceptionally cute!
Hey! Where are the razor clams?!
Oh, they're right over here. Follow me.
What's with that guy? Sweet-talking everyone...
Don't criticize the guy when you don't know 'im.
Bro, you come, too!
Sure.
Interesting, right?! Who wants to try it?!
Me!
Me, me!
Salt!
Looks like they're having a good time over there. Shall we join them?
I'll pass. For some reason, that Matsuoka character rubs me the wrong way...
What's wrong, Taiichi?!
Oh, no! I'll be back in a bit!
Crab!
You were surprised when the crab pinched you, right?
Thank goodness that's all it was!
Hey, Seiji! Don't tell me your drummer is Kawabuchi!
Please, anybody but him!
I-I'm against it, too!
He isn't as scary as you think he is.
All I have to do is set him free from what's tying him down
and then everything should work out the way I want it to.
Hey, Richie!
Catchin' any short-necks?
Better not underestimate me!
I'm good at this kind of simple task.
Well, I ain't gonna lose neither!
Alright!
Clammin' contest!
What do I get if I win?!
How about the record that Ri-chan's dad gave you?!
Forget about it! 'Cause I'm gonna win anyway!
What about the Beatles record?
Kawabuchi-kun, did you listen to it?
Yeah, I heard it. Wasn't bad...
Did it stir up your interest?!
I wouldn't go that far. But still...
I'm thinkin' I'll help you out with
that band you're gonna have for the school festival.
Really?!
You'll join my rock band?!
Yeah...
Yay!
Richie, don't worry.
I'm so happy!
I'm just gonna be away 'til the festival's over with.
We're just gonna be apart for a while, Nishimi-kun.
Let's send each other letters, okay?
In a pig's ass!
I was wrong about you, traitor!
Richie, wait!
Listen to me!
Don't touch me! I don't want to listen to you!
I don't need you anymore.
Kaoru-san! Wait!
Kaoru-san!
I know. I acted like an angry little kid.
But being separated from him scares the hell out of me...
I abandoned him without thinking...
Since coming here, I'd forgotten
that I'm not good at getting along with other people...
It's better this way...
After all, I've made it this far all on my own...
No problem... at all.
Good evening...
Tsutomu-chan, hey!
Look at the end of the counter!
It can't be...