What's wrong, Mei?
A cat...
He's cute.
He's been abandoned.
I wish I could take him home,
but we already have a cat.
But if I just leave him here, he'll be taken to the shelter.
He'll be fine.
He's so cute,
he'll find a new owner in—
How can you be so cold?
This is a matter of life and death.
He's desperately crying for our help.
So don't act like it's none of your concern.
Mei.
Sorry.
You did nothing wrong, but I...
Mei, help me!
Wh-What's wrong?!
Please, I can't... Oh man!
C-Calm down! Take a breath and then explain!
He won't drink anything but milk!
Milk?
You mean the cat?
Yeah. The cat won't drink anything except milk...
But he looked like he wanted my sashimi,
so I gave him a bite.
And then?
He chewed it a little, then threw it up.
But then he meowed for more!
Listen! Can't you hear him?
What's going on?
What kind of sashimi was it?
A chunk of tuna, about two centimeters long.
That's too big.
Try tearing it into little pieces for him.
He's chewing it!
All right! He ate it without throwing up!
Man, he's too cute!
By the way, he hasn't pooped yet.
What?
That's way more important, you idiot!
Idiot?
He's straining, he's straining...
He just pooped! Hallelujah!
Thank you. Thanks so much, Mei.
I'm glad I have you.
Ta-da! Look!
Huh.
Oh, he's adorable!
Isn't he?
I named him Kuro after his sleek, black fur.
Kuro, huh? Even his name is cute.
Not very original, though.
His eyes are huge!
When he wants food,
he stares at me with those big eyes. It's so cute.
Lucky you.
Want a picture?
Yeah.
I'll make it my background.
What are you doing, Asamicchi?
Everyone knows a couple's backgrounds
should be a shot of them together.
But he's so cute.
So are we!
God, shut up.
You think so?
There are way too many stupid couples around lately.
Of course, my lovely angel Asamicchi!
Th-Thanks.
For what?
I'm glad you're taking care of the kitten.
I just hope I didn't selfishly force him on you.
Not at all.
It's thanks to you that we get to keep him.
Keep him?
Of course. We're not just taking care of him,
he's part of the family now.
Even if the guy who abandoned him comes for him,
I'll never give him back.
I see...
He's just way too cute!
I mean, look at him!
Yeah.
I'm glad Kurosawa likes cats.
You know, Mei,
you should come over sometime.
To your place?
We can introduce my Kuro to your Marshmallow.
Okay.
"You should come over..."
He invited me to his house...
I know I'll be going with you, but it's Kurosawa-kun's place...
N-No! You've got it all wrong!
Marshmallow!
Kurosawa said he wants to see you.
I have no choice. I'll have to go with you.
What's with all the noise, Mei?
H-He didn't invite me! He invited Marshmallow!
What?
Mei!
It's huge...
Huh?
Come on in.
Okay.
Big brother!
You left without feeding Kuro!
He's been meowing for food!
Did I? Sorry, Kuro!
Who is she?
Tachibana Mei-san.
Let me introduce you.
This is my little sister, Nagi.
H-Hello...
This is your girlfriend?
What a letdown.
Hey, Nagi! Behave, or else!
Sheesh.
Sorry about that.
Oh, it's okay.
I don't mind.
Come on in.
Okay.
Come in.
Thanks for having me...
My first time in a boy's room...
Minutes | Seconds | Start/Stop
Please be delicious.
Oh, no! We're behind closed doors!
Mei, I bet you thought something weird just now.
What? No, I...
It's okay.
I won't do anything you don't want me to do.
Relax.
Come here.
Mei, you're so aggressive!
I-I am not! Get away!
I was just kidding.
Should we spend the day like this?
Wh-What?!
Come on...
I can smell you.
D-Do I stink?
Why would you think that?
Kurosawa's hand is so hot.
Could he be nervous, too?
Hey, Mei?
Yes?
You still call me Kurosawa-kun...
You should use my first name.
We are dating, after all.
Okay, then...
Kurosawa.
Hey, you're only dropping the "-san"?
Man, that's harsh.
Is not! It's a huge step forward!
I've never not used honorifics,
so this is all I can manage right now!
All right...
We'll take it one step at a time.
But...
I hope you'll eventually say that you love me.
Big brother, I'm coming in.
Wh-What are you...
No, big brother is...
Hey, wait!
Big brother's being attacked by some weird girl!
I told you, nothing happened.
Liar! You were being attacked!
Listen... You're doubly confused.
Am not.
Don't get ahead of yourself!
I'll never accept you as my brother's girlfriend!
Nagi! Enough already!
Apologize.
No.
Then go to your room.
Sorry about that.
It's okay.
Nagi's a nice girl at heart,
but she's been like this for about six months now
and hasn't gone to school.
She used to bring friends over all the time,
but she's even stopped doing that.
Nagi-chan.
Can we come over to your place today?
Yeah, sure.
All right!
Let's all go!
Count me in!
Nagi-chan's place is so nice.
It's so big and fancy.
Can I come, too?
It's okay, right? The more, the merrier.
Yeah, of course.
I used to be surrounded by friends.
They'd come over all the time...
Sorry to keep you waiting.
All right!
What? Seriously?
That one didn't count.
Let's go again, again.
Though every time, I felt like an outsider.
Nagi-chan.
Let's hang out again today.
I was so happy when they asked to hang out...
I know that game!
It's the one where you dress your avatar and fight, right?
Uh, yeah. I'm in the middle of something important,
Friendship Value
so could you not talk to me?
Yes! I got a new face!
Oh, yeah. Sorry...
Seriously? No fair!
Right, Nagi-chan?
Huh?
You're really good at making cookies, Nagi-chan.
Yeah, seriously!
They're so good!
I was happy when they all smiled and complimented me.
But...
Hey, can we stop by your place again today?
Today, um... My relatives are coming over, so...
Oh, so we can't?
Seriously? Lame.
I-I'm really sorry.
Man, we could have played all the games we wanted to.
And she always gives us snacks.
Exactly. Why else would we be her friends?
Oh, wow. You said it out loud.
Nagi, why aren't you ready for school?
My tummy hurts.
Again?
Using the same excuses over and over,
I started skipping school.
Nagi, phone. It's your friend.
I don't want to talk.
I wanted to do something for Nagi,
who was always cooped up in her room.
Hey, Nagi? You awake?
Boo.
Get well soon, so you can go to school.
See? Rabbit Yamato's worried about you, too.
You can tell me all your worries.
Okay.
Since then, he's been my brother when my big brother's not around.
I forgot Yamato #2.
Mei?
What's wrong?
N-Nothing.
It's good...
Isn't it? Nagi made it.
She made this delicious cake by herself?
She's not limited to just cake.
She's always loved making stuff, and she's good at it.
Her room's amazing.
It's full of her creations.
Wow...
Nakanishi
Okay, okay.
Hey, Nakanishi. What's up?
I'm on my way home from a date.
Huh? With Asamicchi, of course!
So, we actually bought you a gift.
You want me to come get it? Right now?
Why? Huh?
You're hopeless.
Wha? He hung up.
Sorry, Mei!
Do you mind if I step out?
I've gotta hop on my bike, but I'll be back soon.
Sure, that's fine.
Look after Kuro and Marshmallow for me.
Sheesh!
Freaking Nakanishi!
Don't fight.
They won't stop glaring at each other...
Um...
He seemed to miss you after he got left behind, so...
Oh, thanks.
No, thank you.
Huh?
For the cake. It was delicious.
I heard you're good at making other stuff, too.
That you can make anything.
Kurosawa-kun seemed so proud.
Wow...
I make stuff when I don't have anything to do,
so I ended up with all of these.
Amazing! You made them all yourself?
They look so real...
I mean, not that I've ever seen a real bear,
but it's like something bigger than reality lives in here...
You don't need to exaggerate.
Anyone can make a stuffed animal by
looking up instructions in a book, or online.
No, no, not everyone can do it!
It's easy.
When I was your age, I tried making cookies once...
And it was easy, right?
I read the cook book cover to cover,
then did my best to make mine the same...
They look nice.
Your dad is going to love them.
Y-You think so?
You could really tell it was my first attempt...
But...
My father broke his front teeth...
That's impossible!
It's sad, but true.
It was the birth of the weaponized cookie.
Weapon
Since then, I've been too traumatized to cook anything else...
Weapon | Trauma
Weapon | Trauma | Ahhh
Hey! Don't give Yamato #2 any weird energy!
Trauma
Weapon
Life
Ahhh
Sorry!
His name's Yamato #2?
Yeah, because my brother gave him to me.
He's my best friend.
Your friend, huh?
I've been thinking it'd be nice to make more friends.
Why? Isn't my brother your boyfriend?
That's not enough for you?
That's not it.
If anything, I think I feel that way because of him.
I...
I used to hate people,
because they're so quick to betray each other.
They'll say you're friends, but then ignore you
when it stops being convenient for them.
I didn't want friends like that.
I thought I didn't need them.
I agree.
They use you as much as they can,
then once they're done with you, they all disappear.
I don't need friends!
I hate everyone!
That's what I thought, too,
until very recently.
I tried to carry on, while rejecting any relationships with others.
But once you reject people, you're stuck.
You lose the opportunity to meet someone, and change.
I finally came to realize how very sad that is.
Someday, maybe you'll find someone like you to share your pain with.
I can't tell you when that will happen...
But the important thing is to not reject them.
That's what Kurosawa-kun has helped me to see.
Nagi-san, you like making things, right?
I'm sure you'll find someone
who will share that passion with you, one day.
What?
Th-The cats!
In Kurosawa-kun's room!
I forgot all about Marshmallow and Kuro!
Oh, thank goodness.
I can't believe I forgot to watch them...
You're so dramatic.
You can have this.
Are you sure?
I wonder if I can make friends again...
Of course you can.
Let's both do our best!
Why are you waving his arms around?
Oh, I didn't...
They're still moving!
It's a reflex.
It's not on purpose.
My desire to try hard is subconsciously...
You're so weird.
I'm home!
Thanks for waiting!
I've got some stuff from the Hokkaido Fair.
Hokkaido Fair
From Nakanishi and Asami...
Um...
What happened while I was out on my bike?
I don't know what you did, but...
Episode 5 - Just Like This
Thanks, Mei.
If only I could stop time...
Everyone's wished for that at some point.
Even in difficult times,
it's important to hold on to the joy
of being connected to others.
That really hits home, meow.