Richie, I'm sorry for lyin' to you.
Be good to Ri'ko.
Take care.
You changed me so much I don't remember what I was like before we met.
The breeze caresses our cheeks.
Lullaby of Birdland...
As we run down the slope,
our flimsy shadows extend.
It's like a neverending summer vacation.
It feels like when we snuck into the pool.
Yeah, let's swim with our clothes on. Jump in!
It's an intense spiral of temptation.
A beat pierces my heart. A strange one.
It vanishes after a quick spark.
Even on bad days, I dress up
and dance to some swing. The music quickly surrounds me.
What is this dance exactly? I can't stop it.
Don't leave me. It's stuck in my head, and I can't get it out.
The melody...
is like love.
Where are you going this early in the morning?
I thought you were acting odd last night.
Looks like the sneaking suspicion I had was spot on.
Hey, wait!
Wait, I said!
Let go of me!
Move!
I'm not moving, you idiot!
If I do, you mean to go away for good, don't you?
You're going to run off somewhere!
Are you planning on leaving everyone and everything behind?
Sorry. I can't be here anymore.
Since when did you become such a coward?
Where's the guy that told me "nothing good comes out of being afraid"?
What the hell are you guys doing this early in the morning?
Richie-rich.
Are you okay?
Bro?
So you two were fighting about the festival?
I understand that you're really into it, but...
I couldn't sleep last night.
The truth is I was scared, too.
Is something wrong?
Let me stay like this... just for a minute.
Ritsuko! Did you bring in today's paper?
Yeah! I left it by the phone.
Oh, I see it!
I'm home.
It's Dad!
Welcome home, Dad!
Welcome home!
Did you bring us anything?
Dad, your hair's turned gray!
Has it? I suppose it has.
Did you bring presents?
I bought some stuff.
Yay!
Let's have 'em!
Hey, at least let him set foot in the house first.
Welcome Home, Dad
Everyone, I'm sorry for being away all this time.
You look cute!
Look, Bro!
That's great, Taichi.
And this...
is for you, Sentaro.
Um... I don't know if you'll like it or not, though.
It's a fountain pen!
You're lucky, Bro!
Wow.
Something expensive like this is wasted on me.
A child doesn't go turning down a present from his parent.
Oh, looks like everyone got a present.
Sachiko, pass these out.
Okay!
A child. His parent.
Are you coming to practice today?
Yeah. Startin' today, I'm gonna practice my ass off for the festival.
You mean it?
I mean it!
What the hell? That was a weird way to greet to each other.
Mukae
Me, at the festival?
Yeah, I was hoping that you would play bass for us.
You're asking me out of the blue.
Adults have a lot of things on their plate, you know?
And there'd be so much to prepare.
So you can't do it?
You're totally prepared!
Ain't no way we can lose now!
Hey, hey!
How's it goin' for you guys?
Oh.
We're getting our costumes fitted right now.
There's no way we're going to lose to you guys this year.
It's so flamboyant.
We, on the other hand...
are plain. Way too plain.
We don't have any razzmatazz.
We might not be able to beat them like this.
That stuff doesn't matter.
All we gotta do is put our music face-to-face against theirs.
I know! I know that.
But this is our last school festival.
I just don't want to have any regrets.
Easy to say.
But appealing to people who have no interest in jazz is a tall order.
Wh-What are you saying?
I can't sing!
Don't worry. There are still ten days left. We'll work it out.
Ri'ko, if you're gonna refuse, now's the time.
'Cause if you decide to do it, we're not gonna go easy on you.
You don't wanna sing, tell us to shove off right now.
I hope you don't turn us down, though.
I agree with Sen.
Would you help us out?
All right. I'll give it a try.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Kit-tens.
No, you've got no swing!
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
"My Favorite Things"...
My own favorite things are...
The footsteps of a certain person heading towards the house.
The sound of the piano and drums in the basement.
The laughter of two boys.
Silly, I know.
Drums and watermelon and onigiri.
These are a few of my favorite things.
What the heck was that, Sentaro?
Go on, Richie. Your turn!
Tell us your "favorite things".
I don't have any!
Even before Ri said hers, I had something in mind.
Right now, my favorite thing is this very moment.
Tomorrow's the day.
All that's left is to play our best at the festival.
Richie, how about playin' "Moanin'" one more time?
Nah, let's save it for tomorrow.
If we started jamming now, we wouldn't stop.
I see. Yeah, you're right.
Well, see you tomorrow then. Don't be late.
Yeah!
He forget to take this.
Well, you don't need a score for jazz.
I can just give it to him tomorrow.
Oh. Where are you going?
I'm gonna run to deliver something he left behind.
He left a while ago.
You might not be able to catch up.
I know, I know.
19th School Festival
Sen's awfully late.
Hey, hey!
It's almost time for our battle.
Huh? Where's your partner?
Don't tell me he's late?
No, uh...
Seiji, come on!
Okay! Well, see you later!
Ri.
Sentaro...
He was in a motorcycle accident last night...
and was taken to the hospital.
S-So how is he?
I don't know! What should I do?
Kaoru.
Sentaro is... Sentaro is...
Ri, calm down!
I'll go to the hospital and see how he is.
Stay here until I get back.
Damn it.
I've ran down this slope countless times, but it's never felt this long.
Um, excuse me!
I'm looking for-
I'll help you when it's your turn, so please get in line.
Wait!
U-Um...
I heard there was an accident.
They've finished operating, but it's a serious head trauma.
Still hasn't regained consciousness...
No Visitors
Might never wake up again... The doctor said...
Don't talk like that!
But...
That's right! Even when Sen is all bloody from a fight, he just laughs it off!
Um... Sachiko is the one who's in there.
I don't know why, but she was riding on the back of Bro's bike last night.
They got hit by a car.
Then how is he?
He's hurt, but not too bad.
He was sitting over here just a minute ago.
I see. Thanks!
That's right! The place he's most likely to go has...
got to be...
I've seen this angel before somewhere.
If you're gonna take somebody to Heaven, could you make it me an' not Sachiko, angel?
Why do I end up hurting the ones I most want to protect?
Why was I even born?
Richie? What's wrong?
Hey, what are you cryin' for?
This way, we don't have to see each other cry.
What do you mean "we"? I ain't...
It's okay to cry, Sen.
You've been keeping it bottled up all this time.
Sa!
Thank goodness.
Huh? Sen?
At the time, it looked like he was just stepping out,
but he disappeared, and the festival ended before it even began.
And then...
Riche.
Kaoru.
Um, here. If you're able to eat these...
Do you know where Sen went?
He would normally never give me a ride on his bike.
But I had a twisted ankle and kept complaining about it to him.
The accident was my fault.
I have to apologize to him.
Sa, just focus on getting better for right now.
Sentaro will be back soon!
You want to show him that you're healthy again, right?
Yeah.
I said all of that to her, but the truth is...
Kaoru, what'll I do if he never comes back?
Ri.
We're talking about him.
I bet he'll turn up when we're least expecting it.
Don't you have that feeling?
Yeah. You're right.
He'll come back, won't he?
Yeah.
Kaoru, don't go anywhere, okay?
Um...
Excuse me.
Oh, I remember you. Richie, right?
Do I know where he might be?
No, I'm afraid I don't.
Um... Father, he left this behind.
He once told me the reason he always wore the rosary as a necklace was because
he was afraid that if he lost it, he would be abandoned by the world.
Se-
I thought maybe Sen had come back.
Pops... He's not coming back.
I'll never be able to practice with him again.
Wh-What are you talkin' about, Richie?
Never again.
I was waiting for you on that slope.
We made a promise to meet after school.
The goodbye blurred into the distance.
So weak, so twisted, so fragile
had I been back then,
but you gave me a small pair of wings.
I'm searching the sky beyond the twilight
for the faint flicker of light
because I want to tell you I love you.
I wrote a letter to you in my textbook margins,
but I could never give it to you.
It's still just there.