Episode 46 - Happy Birthday Part 1
It's gone! Gone, gone!
Gone!
I dropped my wallet!!
I wish everyone on this planet would die other than me.
Just die!
Whazzat?
You sayin' I smell weaker than a mouse so you don't even feel like huntin' me?
Why, you little...!
Watch out for that guy!
Oh. It's Akane and Haru.
What the hell are you doing?
Did someone ask you to find their cat again?
You'd better make sure you get paid this time, Ryousuke.
That ain't it!
Okay. I'm going to work.
Ryo-chan, try not to get too depressed now.
Later, Akane.
Have a nice day!
The nice lady gave me a candy.
What are you, a little kid?
I seriously can't believe you losing 50,000 yen at your age.
If it were me, I'd be dead from the shock.
Clam it!
That's what you get for walking around with so much cash.
And why did you have 50,000 yen anyway?
Yeah, um...
I wanted a camcorder, so I've been saving it up.
Huh?
VHS Video Player - Limited to 50
40 Inch CRT TV Portable Mini-Component Stereo
It was on sale for cheap,
so I was going to go buy it.
8mm Camcorder
And... you lost it.
Yeah.
That kid... He's always playing over there.
Cars come down this road all the time. Seems kind of dangerous.
Ryousuke!
You wanna die, you goddamn idiot?!
Ryousuke!
Are you okay?!
Whoa! That was close!
That was really damn close!
Stop acting on impulse like that!
Taisuke!
I'm sorry. I took my eyes off him for second, and...
Come on, now... A man isn't supposed to cry like that.
Oh, I know.
Here, have a candy.
Oh, very brave of you.
He gave me a superball in return.
What is this, that story where you keep trading up?
Anyway, shouldn't you think before you act?
I can't help it. My body just moves on its own.
It's nice helping people and all,
but if you aren't careful, you'll run outta lives quick!
But if I hadn't saved him, Taisuke-kun might be dead now.
He's Taisuke, so you gotta save him (tasuke), you know?
I'm being serious here!
So, you're saying it's okay if you die?
I don't really care.
I mean, not like me dying is gonna affect much...
...haha!
I'm not laughing.
Say what you want. But never say anything like that in front of Haru, understand?
Yeah... You're right.
My bad!
Whoops!
Hold up!
Hey, lady! It's going to hit you!
What the heck? We thought you fell because the ball hit you!
I'm sorry, Mamoru.
Sometimes I get chest pains, see...
I ain't Mamoru!
Looks like she's mistaken you for her grandson.
Oh, I am truly sorry.
Thank you for taking care of my mother!
In return for the favor, would 1,000,000 yen suffice?
That's not necessary!
Skipping straight from a superball to the jackpot?
Oh, pardon me.
I apologize for thinking that everything can be solved with money.
What? You're not giving it?
Akane, people like you...
By the way, is your mother doing well?
Yes, she seems to be feeling better now.
Oh yeah, she mistook me for a person named Mamoru.
Is that her grandson or something?
I am Mamoru.
The old woman gave me this.
She must have mistaken you for Mamoru-san when he was a kid.
Wait, what were we doing?
Oh, right... I was going to buy a camcorder, and lost my wallet...
And now I've got a "Joint Man"?
Hey... Why were you trying to buy a camcorder?
Good question.
Well, it's like...
My roots here are really weak, you know?
I ain't got any relatives.
I'm not gonna say this is the only reason,
but I just kind of wanted to leave something about me behind.
Something that shows people me, enjoying life!
You sure got a lotta free time.
Oh, yeah?!
Well, you're gonna have to save up the money to buy that camcorder again.
That's gonna take a looong time!
I'll do it in a jiffy!
Oh? Pray tell.
Like, this doll could be super rare, and I could sell it for a mint!
The world doesn't work like that.
No kidding.
That figure!
Could that be the premier item sought after by true enthusiasts, the legendary first edition "Joint Man"?!
The world does work that way!
P-Please give it to me!
I've been searching for it forever!
You'd be helping me out a ton!
Helping you out? I can never say no to that...
Well, I don't really need it, I suppose.
I-It's okay?
Hold it right there.
You have no reason to hand it over to this geek that happened to be walking by.
I bet you could get a pretty penny selling that thing at a hobby shop.
Akane, seriously... People like you...
Oh, I never meant for free!
I'll make sure to pay. Hmm, I wonder how much is left?
Man, Lady Luck sure is with me today!
Oh, shoot! I just spent it all on an impulse buy!
All that's left is small change!
Hey, you. That wallet...
Where did you pick it up?!
That's the wallet I dropped! What the hell did you mean, you spent it all?!
I-I'm sorry!
There was a lot of money in it, so I couldn't help myself...
I went and bought this.
A camcorder?
That's the one I was gonna buy.
Oh, then that works out perfectly!
Here you go, buddy.
Oh, thank you.
Later.
As if!
All's well that ends well?
I'd say so.
Let's take a bunch of videos with this.
Of me... And you...
Videos of Haru...
Don't be an idiot!
Having this guy as a husband, life's hardships will never end, you know!
Sometimes, I would secretly watch these videos.
Oh, what are you filming, Haru?
Hey, Ryousuke!
My mother when she was young, and her best friend, Haru-san.
And this man named Ryousuke.
Then I'll film next!
Looks just like me.
Bossun, Age 14 - Fall
It happened one week earlier.
Oh, yeah.
I have to finish up that art homework.
If I remember, Mom had a bunch of art supplies.
I mean, she is some sort of designer.
This is heavy! What is it?
A camcorder?
Pretty old, too.
There were no titles on the labels.
All that was written were numbers.
I wasn't really that interested, and I wasn't expecting anything.
I played it back, just because.
Is this thing on? Yay! Yay!
Hey, move around more!
Yay! Yay! Yay!
Don't tell me...
...my dad?
This is a Joint Man figure!
I don't know my dad.
Mom got pregnant with me before they were married,
and soon afterwards he left the picture, it seems.
Mom doesn't talk much about him.
Well, that's the way it is, I suppose.
Not that I particularly care.
...is what I thought.
Now that I see these, I really can't take my eyes off...
Is that what he looked like?
It's a video, not a picture!
Hey! You're just yelling "Yay!" too!
On the tapes I could see the man I figured was my dad,
my mother when she was young, and a pretty woman named Haru-san.
The simple daily lives of three 19-20 year olds...
But afterwards they fell out with each other and Mom ended up with a kid, I guess.
Man, what a loser for a dad.
There were nine videos in total.
I continued to watch them in secret when my mom was out.
Right now, I'm on the fourth one.
Third time's the charm!
Shut up! You don't have to film me each time!
Failed her driving test again?
Mom really is a sucky driver.
I'm home!
Yuusuke?
Crap, she's home already!
Where are you, Yuusuke? You home?
What in the world are you doing?
You! Those are...
Um, I found them in the closet the other day.
I'm sorry for watching them without your permission, but I'm interested...
How far have you watched?
Huh? I've been watching them in order. Up to #4.
Well, I suppose it's normal for you to want to know about your father.
It's not going to change anything, anyway.
What's he doing now?
I have no idea.
Maybe he's off traveling somewhere. He always was flaky like that.
He's a worthless man. Don't turn out like him.
How should I know? You won't even tell me what he's like!
I'm home!
Man, I'm starving.
Huh? You're home already, Mom?
Welcome home. Wait for a bit, I'll make dinner.
Oh, no! I'm in super trouble!
Brother! I want to eat dessert, so go to the convenience store!
I figured that's what you were gonna say.
Go yourself!
What do you take me for, anyway?
My servant?
Whaddaya mean, servant?! You should respect and revere me as your older...
Hey...
It's your birthday tomorrow, right?
Y-Yeah... And w-what about it?
Would you buy me a milk pudding?
What happened to my birthday?! I thought you were gonna give me a present!
What is it?
What's wrong, Mom?
I want to eat some almond jelly...
I want almond jelly!
Enough already. I'll go.
Sheesh.
Mom married another man after she split with my dad.
But she got divorced right after Rumi was born.
Seems she's got terrible luck with men.
Mom ended up raising Rumi and me as a single mother.
How far have you watched?
How far? Is there something later on?
Huh?
Did she hide them somewhere?
Well, if she doesn't want to show me so badly, I don't really care.
Photo albums?
In the photo albums were pictures of the same three young people from the videos.
Hmm, let's take a look at the next album.
Huh? I'm born already?
It sure skipped a lot.
Well, I'm sure there's a reason for it.
Yeah, but wait... There's not many pictures of my dad and Mom together.
It's all pictures of Haru-san or all three of them.
What am I feeling?
It's like, I've opened something I shouldn't have...
This is dumb.
Enough, I quit!
This picture... That's not right.
What's not right?
And hey, Yuusuke! You went into my room again without per-
Look at this picture closely!
You're keeping something from me, Mom.
Something big enough that you'd hide things from me.
Huh? What do you mean?
Are you digging into Mom's secrets, too?
Rumi, stay outta this!
Mom... You have pictures that you're hiding from me, don't you?
Probably about one album's worth.
From right around when I was born.
You've hidden all the photos with the secret in them.
But, you missed one.
What are you talking about?
It's just a picture of me...
The date.
What about it?
I was born on November 11th, 1994.
So, Mom... Why don't you look pregnant?
It's strange no matter how you look at it.
Mom...
Are you really my mother?
I guess it's no use...
Okay.
Maybe I'm gonna go in my room now...
No, Rumi. You should also see this.
Just as I thought.
This person is Haru-san.
Huh? This person looks just like you, Brother.
Your dad?
His name is Kirishima Ryousuke.
He's your father, Yuusuke.
Why is he with another woman?
That's...
The woman who gave birth to you is Kirishima Haru.
I'm not your mother.
Then who are you, Mom?
I met Haru during my first year in high school.
Haru!
Good morning, Akane!
Good morning, Haru!
We clicked, and became fast friends.
I also got close to her childhood friend, Ryousuke.
Everyone saw us as an inseparable trio.
But there was a bond between Ryousuke and Haru that I could never even approach.
Children's Orphanage Sunny Garden
They were raised in an orphanage.
Ryousuke was left on the doorstep right after he was born,
and Haru lost her parents when she was two and ended up at the orphanage.
All alone in the world....
Hey, Akane...
Do you understand what it's like not having any blood relatives in the world?
What's with you?
No, I don't.
Yeah... I don't know, either!
Come here.
All the kids from the orphanage are like my siblings.
The staff are like my parents...
So actually, I've got a bigger family than other people.
Then, why'd you ask me that?
Well, it's almost time for graduation.
Haru and me are going to leave the orphanage.
I was thinking that when I start living alone, maybe my feelings would change...
Being blood-related isn't everything, you know.
When we graduate, it's not like our connections will disappear.
Same with everyone else.
Yeah...
I really am lucky.
I've got all these people supporting me, helping me...
I'm lucky just to be alive.
When things settle down for me, I wanna do somethin' that helps people.
Some job like that, or maybe volunteer work.
Sounds good to me. It suits you.
I hope you get married, and have a lot of children, Ryousuke.
Then, after they graduated high school...
I'm sorry, Yuusuke.
Oh, yeah... I still have that CD I borrowed from a friend...
I'm sorry.
I have a show I want to see that starts at 9.
I'm hungry, Mom.
Let's eat dinner.
Wait, something's not right.
So, where did his mom and dad go?
Okay... I'll tell you everything.
1994 - Fall
Ryousuke, where are you right now?
Where? Oh, I was playing pachinko...
Haru's in pain! Labor pains!
I'm taking her to the hospital right now, so get your ass over there, pronto!
Please, Akane...
Leave it to me!
But, try not to count on my driving...
We can have a family... Me, and Ryou-chan!
I can have a family... My own flesh and blood!
Yahoo!
I've gotta hurry to the hospital!
An accident?
Did someone die?
A hit-and-run?
You're kidding me...
It's all true.
Your parents, Ryousuke and Haru, both died on the same day in separate accidents.
I'm sorry for keeping this from you.
What the...
What the hell?!
Brother!
Mom, he's run off!
Shit!
Mom isn't my mom?
My parents are gone?
Fuck!
But, that's not even...
I'm... all alone in the world.
Why do there have to be so many stars on a night like tonight?
I'm gonna... start to hate them...
Mom wasn't actually my mom.
And that's not all...
I'm a complete stranger, who isn't even related to Rumi.
I see now... Am I alone?
Then, I'll live my life alone.
I won't rely on anyone.
I won't help anyone else, ever.
But why... Why am I...
Episode 47: Happy Birthday Part 2
This is the worst birthday ever, damn it.