Let's go.
One more time.
-Where are they? -There's the culprit.
Suspicious individual found.
-You, the guy with bangs, don't move. -What?
You monster!
What? What, what, what~.
Marumo~.
You again?
I don't understand why I'm sitting here.
It's because of this.
He's the suspect for attempted child kidnapping.
Look, exactly the same.
-Marumo? -It's Marumo.
-It looks like you. -Marumo.
Someone reported seeing a man who looked like him.
You've got to be kidding me.
How can a kidnapper be leisurely reading manga
-in broad daylight. -Do you have any ID?
Give me a break.
Here's my driver's license and here's the kids' insurance card.
Oh, the kids' birthday's coming up soon.
-When's their birthday? -Huh?
What do you mean "Huh?" Don't you know their birthday?
Of course I do.
-It's soon, right? -It's May 29th.
-This Sunday. -It's this Sunday.
Come on now. Children's birthdays are...
No need to worry.
I've already made plans to buy this huge cake
and have this awesome birthday party.
-Really? -Sure, leave it to me.
Yay~. Yay, yay, cake, cake.
So, this Sunday's your birthday, huh?
Is there anything you want?
There is but...
-What is it, say it. -You see,
we already asked Santa so it's okay.
Santa's for Christmas. He only comes in December.
What? What should we do?
-We made a mistake. -That's why tell me.
But Daddy said we're not supposed to tell anyone else.
It has to be a secret between Santa and us.
-What? -So we can't even tell Marumo.
-Sorry. -Sorry.
-That Sasakura. -Sorry.
Sorry. Sorry, sorry
Sorry, sorry.
Mook, come here, come here.
Sit, sit.
Hey, Mook. Do you know what those kids want?
Why don't you find it out for me, Mook?
Huh? Huh? Okay
Let's figure out what they want and surprise them. Okay?
Yes. Let's do it!
What's wrong? You have this serious look on your face.
I was just wondering
what kind of presents first graders would want.
-But why do you want to know? -Lolita complex?
No, it's for my friend's kids. I'm wondering what
I should give for a birthday present.
They can never have enough clothes.
Oh, clothes.
-I guess you wouldn't know the size. -That's alright.
-We take baths together. -Baths?
-Together? -No, um...no...
-It's not what you think. -Oh, isn't it something like
you ran into them at the public bath?
Yes, that's it. Ran into them, that's it.
And it's not just the girl.
There's a boy too. They're twins.
Why don't you just ask them?
What they want.
I did, but they said they told Santa
so they can't tell me.
-Santa, huh? -I don't know what to do.
Come to think of it, I used to ask Santa too.
-By writing a letter to him. -What do you do with the letter?
I put it away in a safe place at home.
Letter, huh?
First is rock. Rock paper scissors.
Look that way.
Oh, I lost.
Yay!
Hey, let me play too.
Can you play this, Mook?
Yeah. If I win, tell me what you want for your present.
Hm~ I guess it's okay, huh?
-Okay. -Let's play then.
Okay, start. First is rock,
Rock paper scissors.
That's rock, isn't it?
Then I win.
Look that way.
Yay!
Too bad, Mook. We can't tell you about our present.
We can't tell you.
-I'm home. -Hi.
Marumo, Mook lost to Tomoki in
-"look that way". -What?
Mission failed.
Look, you can only do rock.
Where could it be. Santa. Santa.
Where's the letter to Santa?
I don't see it.
It has to be around here somewhere, Mook.
You look too.
2004. That's pretty recent.
Look Mook, Kaoru and Tomoki. They're so tiny and cute.
They're going to be 7 years old.
They've only been living for 6 years.
Isn't that amazing?
I just don't know what kind of things they'd want.
-Takagi-kun. -Yes.
-What happened to that proposal? -Oh, it's ready.
-It's interesting. -What proposal?
It's a proposal for a new product.
What is it?
It's a multi-purpose pen for those obsessed with writing.
It's a ball point pen, mechanical pencil,
and highlighter, but the finishing touch is this.
-It has an ear cleaner too. -Ear cleaner?
Oh, that complaint we got.
The one who used the cap as an ear cleaner and bled.
Yeah, I figured if we were going to get complaints anyway,
I figured it might get used more if the pen
-already came with an ear cleaner. -It's a case of misfortune turning into a blessing.
What can be better than changing
negative to positive. Right?
-Thank you. -You did a good job of naming it too.
The pen for those obsessed with writing, Ka-ke Run Run.
The ear too, Ka-ke Run Run.
Ka-ke Run Run, Ka-ke Run Run, Ka-ke Run Run, I'm Mamo-Run Run.
Oh, Makimura-san.
Hello. You look like you're in a good mood.
Oh, sorry. Oh, it looks like my proposal might go through.
That's great.
Good luck. I'll be rooting for you.
-Thank you. -See you then.
-Makimura-san. -Yes.
Um..Do you have some time this week?
Yes.
-Nice. -Nice.
-I wonder if there's snack at home. -Knowing Marumo,
probably not? But if there was
-I want ice cream. -Me too.
Ice cream sure would be nice. Premium one.
Kaoru-chan, bye bye.
-Bye bye. -Bye bye.
Onee-chan, shall we go to the park after we're done with homework?
Then let's go to the park we went the other day.
Yeah, let's go there.
Let's hurry up and finish our homework.
Oh look. Pretty flowers.
Tomoki!
-Be careful. -Tomoki, are you alright?
Are you alright? Are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere?
I'm alright.
Are you alright? You're bleeding.
It doesn't hurt, Tomoki?
Does it hurt?
-There, you're fine now. -Thank you, Oba-chan.
-It's Onee-san, isn't it? -Oh, Onee-san, thank you.
That's okay, you can call me Oba-chan.
Thank you very much. Tomoki, let's go home.
Oh, that's right. Say...
would you eat this?
These cookies are delicious.
Wah~ I love cookies.
But we're not supposed to take anything from strangers.
That's right.
-I'm sorry. -I'm sorry.
That's okay.
You're both very good kids.
Oba-san, have we met before?
What?
Kaoru-chan, Tomo-kun.
Aya-chan.
-Let's go home together. -Okay.
-Oba-chan, bye bye. -Bye bye.
Bye bye.
Okay, let's go.
About the kids' mother...
Do you think she contacted you
so that she could take the kids back or something?
I don't think so.
She's the one who left, leaving the kids behind.
Until then, Ayumi-san was working hard and doing really well.
But one day, something snapped inside her.
In the end, she was diagnosed with parenting neurosis, and they had to get a divorce.
So what, she wants to see the kids now.
Even if she says she wants custody,
I'll never allow it.
A woman in her mid-30's?
Yes, at the park. She was gazing intently at the kids.
Ayumi-san.
She might be the kids' mother.
Mother?
What? Really?
Probably.
I wonder if the kids realized that she's their mother.
No, they didn't look like they knew.
They were 3 when she left. I don't think they even remember her what she looked like.
Besides, they think their mother died.
With the way things are now, I'm sure they'll be bewildered
if she comes forth saying she's their mother.
If they found out that their mother's alive,
if they found out that she left them behind,
how would they feel.
Gochisousa-mongoose. (gouchisousama)
Oishikat-tanuki. (oishikatta - it was good + tanuki - badger)
Goshisousa-Marumo.
Gochisousa-mammoth.
Hey, do you guys remember your mom?
Mommy? Why?
Just wondering.
I don't remember her too well.
-Me neither. -I see.
Because she died when we were only 3 years old.
You're right. You wouldn't remember, would you?
You're being strange, Marumo.
Never mind. But tell me,
what do you want for your birthday present?
Hmm. We already asked Santa so
you don't have to get us anything.
We'll wait until Christmas, so don't worry.
You make tako-san wiener for us.
-Kani-san wiener too. -Wiener?
Santa, Santa.
If only I could find the letter to Santa.
What about the treasure box?
Treasure box?
You mean this?
What's this. Trash? It's not here.
This one maybe.
Price tags?
Why are these treasures. I don't understand.
-Maybe here, huh? -Yeah.
Give me a break.
"To Santa"
Bingo. Good job, Mook.
What's this.
"I want kasha-kasha. Kaoru"
"I want puchi-puchi. Tomoki"
Kasha-kasha? Puchi-puchi.
I don't get it. In fact, I'm even more lost now.
How pathetic. You're their guardian, aren't you?
If I don't get it, I don't get it.
You. You're home all the time so
at least find a hint or something. Enough of that already.
What are kasha-kasha and puchi-puchi?
Kasha-kasha, puchi-puchi.
Kasha-kasha, puchi-puchi. What are they~.
Kasha-kasha, puchi-puchi. Kasha-kasha, puchi-puchi...
Hey, hey.
Is something wrong?
You were mumbling some weird spell or something right now, weren't you?
Oh, yes.
Actually, it's a secret code to the kids'
-birthday present. -Secret code?
-Yes. -Try saying it.
You won't know it anyway. It's too hard.
Leave the reasoning to me.
I'm a Furuhata mania, you know.
I became a police officer wanting to be like "Furuhata Ninzaburou."
Okay, then what's kasha kasha?
Kasha-kasha?
I'm sorry~ I figured it out.
You sound just like him. Or rather, you already figured it out?
This is an anagram.
-Anagram? -The letters were rearranged to
-form a different word. -Ah.
Or it could be the first letter of a vertical reading of horizontal text.
Vertical reading of horizontal text. I didn't think of that.
Or, it could be a play on words.
You don't know, do you?
You don't have any idea, do you?
Forget it.
Onee-chan, aren't you looking forward to the birthday presents?
I wonder if Santa read our letter.
So what do you want?
Mook's a dog so it's okay if we tell him, huh?
Okay, we're only gonna tell you.
-Really? -Yeah. I want puchi-puchi
and Onee-chan wants kasha-kasha.
So what is that?
Puchi-puchi. Nice.
Kasha-kasha.
Puchi-puchi. Nice.
Kasha-kasha.
Gochisousa-mantohihi* (*baboon)
Oh, hey, hey, what do you guys
want for your birthday present?
-It's a secret. -Secret.
What, you won't even tell me?
Because if we tell someone, Santa's
-not going to grant our wish. -That's right.
Oh, I got it. A game for Tomoki-kun and clothes for Kaoru-chan.
-Bu~. Sorry. -Sorry.
I don't know then. Maybe what they want is a mommy.
What?
You dummy.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
What I meant was those sneakers that make you run faster. Right?
Yeah, that's it. They're the in thing right now.
Oh, um...Those ones
they say that if everyone wore them everyone would run faster to
in the end, everyone would still be in the same order. Right?
-They're popular but that's not it. -That's not it, huh?
-Um... -Yes.
You said you didn't have a boyfriend, right?
Yes.
Um...I...
I..
I...
I like this sumiso*. (*vinegared miso)
Oh, yes.
I like...
-The sumiso. -Yes.
No, that's not it.
Um...If you don't mind,
will you go out with me?
Just kidding...You wouldn't, would you?
That's okay. Don't worry about it.
I just got excited on my own, that's all.
No.
Besides, actually I...
-I'd like that. -Yes.
What? Really? Are you sure?
Yes. If you're okay with it.
What do you mean okay...
Are you serious?
Okay, then, well...um...but actually, I'm komochi*... (*have children)
Komochi. Well...
Shishamo. Excuse me?
I think I saw it on the menu.
Excuse me. Komochi shishamo*, please. (*smelt-like fish with roe, ie, children)
-Oh, and sake too. -Komochi shishamo.
One komochi shishamo.
I'm home.
Oh, I guess they'd be asleep.
Mook-san, Mook-san. Hello.
Kana-san said she'd go out with me.
Kana-san. Kana-san.
But I missed the timing to tell her about the kids.
I'll tell her next time. Next time for sure. I'll definitely tell you next time, Kana-san.
Marumo, it's crooked.
Is it? Tomoki, hurry up and get ready.
Okay, just a minute.
-What about Strategy No. 2? -Oh, that's right.
You know, Kaoru, I thought of a quiz. You wanna try?
Okay. What sound is zawa-zawa?
-The sound of wind? -Correct. Then what about kachi-kachi?
-Clock. -Correct. Okay, here we go.
-What about kasha-kasha? -Poop.
Correct. Poop. What? Poop?
-It's coming out. -No wait. You have to hold it.
Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom, bathroom. Go to the bathroom.
Don't let it out. Go, go, go, go.
We're gonna be late. Thanks, Marumo.
No, no, that's okay.
That's okay, but Kaoru, what's the answer to kasha-kasha?
Huh, what's the answer to kasha-kasha?
Toilet paper!
Correct. Huh?
Toilet paper? Toilet paper.
Wait a minute. Wait. Where was it?
Mission failed again.
It's not on here.
What the heck is kasha-kasha and puchi-puchi.
Huh? Oh.
I'll buy it. Yes, I'm buying it.
What the heck is kasha-kasha.
This? This isn't it.
This? I don't think so.
Excuse me, Miss. Are you about 6 years old?
Would you happen to know what kasha-kasha is?
-You don't know? -Then what about puchi-puchi? Puchi-puchi.
Is it a candy? You know, the kind that
goes pop pop (puchi-puchi) in your mouth, and kinda surprises you?
-No, huh? -What are you doing?
I'm not a shady character, really. This...
Hello. Akebono Office Supplies, Customer Service.
This is Mashima.
Yes. Yes, Takagi? One moment please.
Takagi-san, you have a call from an Aoki-san.
-Aoki? -Yes.
Hello, this is Takagi.
Hello, it's been a while. This is Aoki Ayumi.
I never thought that
Takagi-san would be taking care of the children.
Yes, well, it just turned out that way.
I'm sorry.
Shall we sit?
Yes.
You saw the kids, didn't you?
I know I have no right to face them, but
when I heard Junichirou passed away, I couldn't help worrying how they were doing.
If you're only worried, won't you just leave them alone?
It's not that you want to take them back or anything, right?
They've been told their mother died.
They already accepted the fact
that their mother is no longer in this world. So...
Then I won't tell them that I'm their mother.
All I'm asking is to be near them and see their faces once in a while.
And I'm asking you not to see them with
that kind of half-baked feeling.
I know I'm the one
who don't have any right to be saying this.
I'm neither a relative nor related by blood.
But I know
how Sasakura felt as he was raising
those children.
I'm sorry for what I did.
Don't apologize to me.
If you're going to apologize, apologize to Sasakura.
I know I can't be forgiven no matter how much I apologize.
Back when I was raising those kids,
the harder I tried, the more I felt like I was spinning my wheels, and I lost sight of myself.
If I stayed with them
I got scared that I might ruin the children too
and I ran away.
They were always on my mind
even after I left them.
There wasn't a day in the past 4 years that I didn't regret.
-We're almost there, huh? -Yeah.
-Isn't it cute? -Yeah, it's cute.
Thanks.
-Marumo, look at yours. -Huh?
Oh, no.
What are you doing, Marumo.
Sorry, sorry.
Oh, by the way, isn't it about time you gave me a hint?
-Hint? -You know, about the kasha-kasha and puchi-puchi.
-Why do you know about that, Marumo? -Oh, um...well...
You know, that's because...
Oh, Santa called to make an inquiry.
What, he called here?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
He said, "I read the letter."
"What color kasha-kasha do you want?"
-I want all different colors. -Oh, so they're colorful.
-Yeah. -Oh, and he also asked
"Where do they sell those?"
-Is Santa trying to buy them? -But they don't sell those.
What? They're not sold?
What about my puchi-puchi? What did Santa say?
Oh, um...
He asked "What flavor puchi-puchi do you like?"
-What, are they good? -What, it's not something you eat?
I never ate it. I'll try eating it next time.
What? What is it?
What could kasha-kasha and puchi-puchi be? Tomorrow's their birthday already.
What, are you still racking your brain?
I don't know why you're so obsessed.
It's the thought that counts, so couldn't it be anything?
That's right.
I think the kids will be happy with any present
if it's from you.
I'm sure Sasakura
would have known what the kids wanted.
If Sasakura was alive, he wouldn't need a letter to know what they wanted.
It's because I'm not their real parent after all.
Takagi-san.
It's alright.
Don't worry. Even if you're not their real parent.
-What? -Even real parents,
no matter how well they think they know their children,
find out they don't know them at all sometimes.
Anyway, how much you're thinking about
those kids is more important than
whether you're bound by blood or not.
So Sasakura was trying to keep these away from them.
Correspondence notebook*. (*between teachers and parents)
"Kaoru-chan and Tomoki-kun
played with blocks and behaved very well."
"From Yuuko Sensei."
"Today they told me how they played with Mommy."
"They looked happy as told me how they played store with the kasha-kasha
and puchi-puchi that came with the strawberries someone gave them."
Strawberries? Store?
Okay, done.
This should do it.
-Are you done there? -Just a little bit more.
-How is it? -It's done, it's done.
Okay, gather 'round.
I'm going out for a bit so
can you guys wait downstairs?
-Where are you going? -Just some place.
We'll have the birthday party when I get back.
We're going to have a feast.
-Yay! -Hey, I asked for beef too.
-Super special beef. -No way. Awesome.
What kind of beef do you think it is?
-Matsuzaka? -Matsuzaka. Nope.
-Ichiro. -Yes, the major leaguer, the pride of Japan...
No! Wrong. You can't eat Ichiro.
-I told you, it's beef. -But I don't know.
Okay, okay. Save the surprise for later then.
You guys be good until then, okay?
Okay. See you later.
There should be a hint at the grocer.
-Welcome. What can I get for you? -Welcome, What can I get for you?
I'd like some mangoes.
-Buy some strawberries. -They're very sweet.
-Let me have two then.
Two mangoes. Thank you. That will be 800 yen.
Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me. Excuse me.
Excuse me, I have a favor to ask.
Yes?
-Excuse me, I have a favor to ask. -Huh?
-Excuse me, I have a favor to ask. -Yes?
Takagi-san's late. Where did he go?
I wanna have the birthday party soon.
-Here you go. -Okay.
It's ready.
Wow, look at the beef.
There's tako-san wiener too.
Looks good, huh?
Sorry. -Oh, I'm sorry.。
-I'm late. -Oh, you're home.
You're late, Marumo.
-Sorry, sorry. -Look at the awesome beef.
-Awesome, huh? -It's awesome.
-Beef festival. Ah, nice. -Beef festival, ah, nice.
1, 2
Alright, happy birthday.
Thank you.
Okay, next is the long awaited present.
What is it, what is it, what is it?
Now, now, now, now.
-Hurry up and show us, Marumo. -Hurry up.
Open. Meet your presents.
What, they're not it?
Did I get the wrong kasha-kasha and puchi-puchi?
Thank you, Marumo.
Marumo, you're amazing.
Yay, so many kasha-kasha.
They were given to me so they don't match or anything.
Puchi-puchi's awesome too. It's huge.
You can pop it all you want.
Yay!
-Marumo. -Thank you.
Marumo, thank you. For the kasha kasha.
We got them even before Santa.
-Yay. -Yay.
I'm really glad.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
Thanks.
-Thanks. -I'm happy too.
Welcome.
Good evening. My name is Aoki.
Is Takagi-san in?
Marumo, come here.
Welcome, welcome. Hello.
Which one should I buy. I'll take this one.
Thank you.
-That will be 2,000 yen. -That's an expensive goma shio.
One moment please.
Marumo, come here.
Okay, one more time, Tomoki.
-Isn't this fun, Tomoki? -Yeah, lots of fun.
Thank you for waiting.
Sorry for making you wait.
Hello.
-Takagi-san, do you have a minute?
Ayumi-san.
I'm sorry about the other day.
For saying I just wanted to be
close to the children and see them once in a while.
I reconsidered after realizing that
that's something that can't be allowed.
No, me too. I think I said some unnecessary things.
I'm going to try
to not see the children again.
But can you grant me just this one wish?
Today is
the children's birthday.
Yes.
If you don't mind, can you give them this?
This is...?
It's rather embarrassing, but it's a cake I made.
Actually, I wanted to buy something for their present,
but I have no idea what they'd want now.
They must have changed after 4 years too.
But still, I wanted to celebrate their birthday.
I understand. I'll make sure they get this.
Thank you.
Mamoru-san.
Please take care of the children.
84 yen, please.
Yes. You're good at this, Kaoru-chan.
Puchi-puchi skate. Puchi-puchi skate.
Puchi-puchi kick.
Is everything alright?
Ah...yes.
Kaoru, Tomoki. This is a present for you from my friend.
A cake. Open it.
It looks good.
It's "Guri and Gura."
That's right. It's "Guri and Gura."
Huh? What's that?
It's a picture book, right?
Yeah. Just a minute.
It's yummy.
Do you want to eat it too, Mook?
It's this.
See, it's on this page.
I loved this picture book. This castella* too. (*sponge cake)
Guri and Gura are twins.
Our names are Guri and Gura.
The things we like to do best are
cooking and eating.
Guri Gura Guri Gura.
We sing as we wait until the baking's done.
Making castella, Guri and Gura.
We're not stingy, Guri and Gura.
We'll give you a treat, so wait a while.
Looks like it's almost done.
"They looked happy when talked about
playing store with the kasha-kasha and puchi-puchi."
When Gura took the lid off the pan,
a yellow fluffy castella appeared.
[Actually, I wanted to buy something for their present,
but I have no idea what they'd want now.]
[They must have changed after 4 years too.]
Wow, it looks yummy.
Everyone looked at it in amazement and were impressed.
You remember.
What? Hey...
-Marumo. -Marumo.
[They were always on my mind.]
[There wasn't a day in the past 4 years that I didn't regret.]
Ayumi-san! Ayumi-san!
Takagi-san.
They haven't changed at all.
Even after 4 years, those kids haven't changed at all.
They still love "Guri and Gura,"
they still love that castella,
they still love kasha-kasha and puchi-puchi.
See them once...before you go.
This is the Oba-chan who made the castella for you guys.
You were Marumo's friend?
Yes, that's right.
I see. That's why you were kind to us.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
The castella was really yummy. Wasn't it, Onee-chan?
Yeah. We used to love that castella.
When Kaoru and Tomoki were way smaller,
we used to eat it.
Yeah. It's the castella from "Guri and Gura."
Oba-chan?
You be good and study hard, okay?
-Yes. -Yes.
-You listen to Takagi-san, okay? -Okay.
You know, Marumo's amazing.
He knows what we asked for from Santa.
He gave us lots of kasha-kasha and puchi-puchi that
-Kaoru and Tomoki wanted. -That's great.
Woo~ Mambo
That's the magic spell he knows that makes flower grow.
And he plays catch with us.
And he bought us the ransels that Daddy promised to buy for us.
Marumo put the heart on mine too. Huh?
Yeah. Mine is onigiri.
Oba-chan?
-Are you sad? -No, I'm happy.
I have to get going.
Take care, both of you.
Okay. Will we see you again?
I'm going somewhere far away, so we probably won't meet again.
Oh, I see.
Take care, Kaoru-chan, Tomoki-kun.
Oba-chan too.
-Good bye. -Good bye.
Good bye.
-Oba-chan, bye bye. -Bye bye.
Bye bye.
Cheers.
Okay, let's eat the beef.
-Yum. -Yum, what's this, it's yummy.
-What's this, it's yummy. -Yum.
That's right, today's okite.
Here it comes, today's okite.
Birthdays have to be celebrated with the family.
Altogether now.
Birthdays have to be celebrated with the family.
Yes, if the whole family celebrates together,
the beef, the cake, everything will taste much better.
Then on Marumo's birthday, we'll celebrate with you.
Really? You will?
Mook's too.
Really?
When's your birthday?
Oh..when was it?
What, you'd better remember your own birthday.
Marumo. The 8th, 9th, 10th...
You'll celebrate all our birthdays with us, won't you?
-Yeah. -That's a promise.
Yup, I promise.
I'll celebrate your birthday forever and ever.
Even if you tell me not to, I will.
Okay. Let's eat. Itadakimasu.
-Itadakimasu. -Itadakimasu.
Delicious.
This castella's really good.
It's yummy.
Marumo, do you cry when you eat something yummy?
Tears just come out when something's yummy.
-Marumo's crying. -He's crying.
-Marumo's crying. -He's crying a lot.
Don't say I'm crying.
He worked hard today, so let him cry.
Be quiet.
It's dripping, it's dripping. It's dripping lots.