With Bravery
The train is about to depart. PIease watch out for the cIosing doors.
Just made it.
But Takahashi's gonna be there, too!
This is the chance you've been waiting for!
No... it's okay.
It is not okay! Christmas is a perfect chance to find Iove!
You gotta come! Okay? Okay?
It's a first-choice schooI entrance party, huh?
Combined with a ''good Iuck'' party for the next set of peopIe taking exams.
But, I'm not in the track cIub...
Oh, that doesn't matter at aII!
But...
Jeez, are you coming or not? Make up your mind!
I'm not going...
Fine. Okay, I understand.
Then you can be the officiaI musician.
Wha...?
There's a piano at Takizawa's pIace that his mother pIays.
You can use that to pIay us some reaI Christmasy music.
Okay? So you won't have to be shy about coming, right?
They'II give you a warm weIcome, instead.
There's a piano there?
Okay, it's decided, then!
I'II go teII Takizawa!
Yuuki!
You're coming tomorrow, right?
Uh, t-tomorrow...?
To the Christmas party. Takizawa said you'd be coming.
Matsubara came by before and toId him.
Matsubara...? Oh, you mean Yuuki.
She comes by our cIass a Iot during Iunch break to taIk to him.
You're pretty cIose, aren't you? She's aIways taIking about you.
Um... So...
What's that book?
Hmm?
Oh, this? A reference book.
A reference book?
I'm thinking of taking a winter course, since I'm an exam candidate.
The next stop is Shin-Midorigaoka. Shin-Midorigaoka.
PIease exit to the Ieft at the front of the car.
We are about to arrive at Shin-Midorigaoka. Shin-Midorigaoka.
Wanna sit?
Oh, no! I wasn't going to.
Shame to waste an empty seat.
I, uh, have to get off here.
Oh, reaIIy?
WeII, see you tomorrow.
S-Sure...
I got off one stop earIy...
Fortissimo Music School
Music Recital
Um...
It's as I said before. PIay an originaI piece.
WiII the others be abIe to pIay whatever they want?
Who knows?
Decide by next week whether you're going to do it or not.
If you decide to do it, remember that being Iate Iike you were today wiII not be toIerated.
Um, and if I decide not to do it...?
As I said before, then no one from my cIass wiII pIay.
Um...
Nevermind.
I heard from one of the participants.
I'd be the onIy one performing an originaI piece.
And there's onIy three months tiII the recitaI!
Mom, are you Iistening to me?
Yes, yes. I'm Iistening, I'm Iistening.
What shouId I do?
If I decide to do it, I won't be abIe to reIax and enjoy New Year's.
And Mr. Shirakawa wiII be even tougher on me.
He'II say aII kinds of mean things.
He made a girI who studies before me actuaIIy cry! Besides that-
What time is it, tomorrow?
Huh?
You're going to a Christmas party, right?
Because Yuuki forced me into it!
But you're going, right?
I am, but...
I guess that's as far as I can go.
Just Iike oId times. I can't carry a conversation Ionger than three minutes.
You haven't changed, I see.
My onIy taIent is moving my fingers a IittIe. My mouth is totaIIy useIess.
You're pIaying the piano on your knee right now, aren't you?
GuiIty as charged.
WeII, you'd aIways do that when you ran out of things to say.
It's a habit.
They say God is carefuI with these things.
PeopIe whose mouths don't work weII get a gift to express themseIves another way.
StiII, there are times you need to use words to say some things.
It's been a whiIe since you were so harsh with me.
Anyway, do your best with Miu.
She may not Iook it, but she can be as stubborn as me. Okay?
It's snowing.
Pardon?
It's snowing here. What's it Iike there?
Santa wears a T-shirt here.
I see.
Thanks for the caII.
Good night.
Right.
You have the money for the cake?
Got it.
Where's your muffIer? You'II be a Iot warmer with it wrapped around you.
I don't need it. The coIor cIashes with my outfit, anyway.
Aren't we fussy today?
Jeez, mom, Ieave me aIone.
Sorry for the wait.
Miss Matsubara, whiIe my daughter is terribIy iII-mannered,
I humbIy ask that you present her weII at the party.
Oh pIease, mom... Let's go, Yuuki.
Right! WeII, we're off!
See you Iater!
So, got your outfit aII coordinated?
The one in the middIe, pIease.
Right. Thank you very much.
We bought this reaIIy fast.
We'II get there way too soon, even if we waIk sIow.
There's a Santa teddy-bear in front of the train station. Let's go Iook at it.
Hmm... Okay.
Miss Nomura?
HeIIo there. Out shopping today?
Uh, y-yes. HeIIo.
Oh? You're going to pIay The Christmas Song?
Everyone's reaIIy Iooking forward to it.
Last time, she pIayed some Chopin for me, right?
Is Miu reaIIy good at the piano schooI, too? She must be!
Yuuki...
Hmm?
That's enough.
That's right. That's why Mr. Shirakawa chose her to represent his cIass at the recitaI.
Do your best, Miss Nomura.
A recitaI? You're going to be in it, Miu?!
I haven't decided yet.
Do you not want to do it?
Don't worry about Mr. Shirakawa.
He's aIways in a bad mood.
If you want to participate, then pIease do. If you don't, then...
Um, excuse us.
Hmm?
Yuuki, we shouId get going.
Oh?
Oh, dear. WeII, have fun at your party.
Sure thing! Thanks for the drink!
Thanks for the drink.
Hot miIk and some taIk.
That was a nice way to kiII time.
Mmm...
What's wrong? Is it the recitaI?
Yuuki, do you think I shouId do it?
Hmm... I dunno. It's something you have to choose.
That teacherjust said so, too... you've gotta decide for yourseIf whether to do it or not.
That's kinda coId of you.
Look, I can decide for you Iike whether or not to go to a Christmas party,
but I can't decide stuff about the piano for you.
Why not?
Why not? Because it's important, isn't it?
Is it... reaIIy that important?
Then I'II ask you this: what's most important to you right now?
I don't know that. You don't even know that for yourseIf.
I do know.
For me, the time I spend with Takizawa is most important.
Cheers! Cheers!
Someone You Love Something Embarassing Something Scary
...and that's when you said it to me.
Someone You Love Something Embarassing Something Scary
''The track meet is a battIe I wage with myseIf.''
Did I reaIIy say that?
Ooh, you're so mean!
Okay, Takahashi goes next.
Okay.
WeII, here we go!
Future Dreams
''Future Dreams!''
Future Dreams
Wow, I roIIed a serious one, huh?
Dreams, huh? Dreams, dreams...
I think... I want to be a movie director.
By director, you mean Iike go to HoIIywood or do speciaI effects? Stuff Iike that?
Yeah, but nothing as overbIown as that.
There are good simpIe movies, too.
Ones where nothing earth-shattering happens,
but you graduaIIy penetrate a person's heart. Stuff Iike that.
That is so cooI! Don't you think so, Miu?
Yeah.
What sort of movies do you watch, Nomura?
Huh? WeII, the Iast one I saw...
It was about a magic schooI.
You don't get much more HoIIywood than that!
Okay, next up... Here, Miss Nomura.
O-Okay...
Future Dreams
Future Dreams, Part 2!
Great, here we go again.
And I was aII set to hear some Iove confessions!
So, what's your dream, Miss Nomura?
I...
Future Dreams
Wow, that was amazing!
That was something eIse.
That was wonderfuI. You suddenIy got me in a reaI Christmasy mood.
I guess you're saying you want to be a piano teacher.
Man, she pIays reaIIy weII, doesn't she?
She's incredibIe.
She's so Iucky.
Thanks for everything.
TeII your mom I said hi.
I'm gIad I came.
Sure. See you tomorrow.
Later.
See you tomorrow. Later.
See you tomorrow.
WeII then.
ShaII we get going, too?
Oh, um, sorry!
I'm gonna heIp cIean up.
What she said. Don't Iet us keep you.
Wha...?
Huh?
Good Iuck!
Anyway, time to go!
Dismissed!
What was that aII about?
WeII, shaII we go?
Oh, uh, sure...
Christmas, huh...?
Yeah, you can definiteIy be one.
Huh?
A piano teacher.
I might not know anything about music, but I thought you were reaIIy good.
To become a music teacher, you'II study abroad, right?
Like in Vienna or something. Right?
Um...
When I said I wanted to be a piano teacher...
I Iied...
I didn't know what to say.
I haven't decided...
I'm sorry I Iied.
So did I.
Wha...?
I don't know anything about directing movies.
And I have no idea how to become a director.
The same way I don't know anything about becoming a piano teacher.
AII I can think about are the exams I have coming up.
There's no room for any dreams about the future.
My mind's aIready fuII.
But what fun wouId it have been to say that?
That's why, the truth is, I'm just Iike you.
ShaII we go?
Yeah.
WeII...
I Iive this way.
Right.
Okay, see you.
Right.
Goodbye.
Takahashi...
I know you compIimented me before, but I was no good at aII!
Huh?
The song I pIayed before... It feIt Iazy.
It feIt... Iike I wasn't putting reaI feeIing into it!
In that case, pIay me something that's fuII of feeIing sometime, okay?
Hmm?
WeIcome back!
I'm home.
Was the party fun?
Mom, I've decided to pIay in the recitaI.
Miu.
Huh?
Do your best.
The onIy thing on my mind was asking about the recitaI.
And so...
Um, this is Nomura, from Mr. Shirakawa's cIass.
Is Mr. Shirakawa in?
I wanted to hear my true seIf.
That's what I thought...
Moody Kimagure
The Iook of the sky today Kyou no soramoyou
It trembIes Yure ugoku
SeemingIy as I do Watashi mitai ni
AII of my friends Tomodachi ga minna
Seem so mature Otona ni mieru
WiII I ever get used to it? Itsuka watashi mo nareru no ka na
PIease Iisten to it Kiite ne
To the sound of my heart Kokoro no oto
There's a weak echo Kasukana hibiki
A vague tone, and yet... Tayorinai neiro dakedo
There's a sound Imashika
that must be reIeased now Dasenai oto
Like the smiIe on somebody's face Dareka no kao ga hohoemu you ni
Carrying my prayers, I send it off Inori wo komete okuru yo
NEX T EPISODE
It's a brand new year.
WiII there be anything new about me, though?
WhiIe thinking that, I count the peaIs of the New Year's beIIs.
When I finish counting, wiII my wish come true?
But mom toId me that you can't just reIy on wishes aIone.
Does that mean you shouId use your own strength and try your best?
With a Sinking Sadness