When I was in fourth grade, I couldn’t do 25 meters in swim class.
I ran away to another town just wearing my swim trunks.
Now that I think about it, I was only running away from a problem.
I guess you can say I made running away a habit.
It’s girls like you I hate so goddamn much!
I’m…
I’m sorry.
I had no idea I made you so angry.
No… you’re wrong!
Right now I’m just…
Seriously… I’m sorry.
And with that, I ran away again.
Saki-nee…
Chikura-san…
Kusuda-kun…
Why are you copying us?
Just let me join you two.
I am one sorry-ass loser.
Kusuda-kun, you’re no loser.
I’ll never be able to let go of what happened.
I know full well I have nothing to be proud of, and that’s never going to change.
I just…
wanna…
you know…
go further…
…somewhere…
…as far away from here as I possibly can.
Heh, I guess that’s impossible, right?
That’s it!
A roadtrip, Kusuda!
A roadtrip that’ll turn our lives around!
We… we’re going?
Yeah!
Alright, let’s go! All the way to the ends of the earth to rebuild ourselves!
All three of us?
Let’s go right now! Right now, dammit, Sogabe!
Not so fast! We got a lot of preparations to do!
Uh… wait…
We’re leaving first thing tomorrow morning before our parents wake up!
We’re…?
Yeah!
Anyways, we’re bringing along just the basics.
Hey… wait…
We’ll need food…
Hey, wait a minute! Since when did I agree to this?
Just now!
Zaitsu, if we don’t get away from this place, we’ll probably never recover.
Mm-hmm!
But riding trains and staying at hotels… where will we get the money for those?
Dumbass! We’re going by bike!
And at night, we’re camping out!
After that we’ll need…
Ah, we’ll need toothbrushes!
And we’ll only need two pairs of underwear.
Why?
We’ll wash our clothes in the parks.
How about taking baths? Baths?
Huh, we need baths?
Of course we do!
We will assemble at 0530 hours tomorrow morning.
The location will be the highway intersection at Block 4.
You don’t have to tag along if you don’t feel like it.
But the both of us are going!
To transform ourselves!
See ya!
If you are coming along, be sure to leave a note beforehand.
That night, I was thinking.
“…so please… don’t come… looking… for me.”
I said I was going in order to renew my self-worth.
But, truth is, why do I wanna do it?
Sogabe wants to be reborn into a whole new person.
Zaitsu wants to recover from his broken heart.
But me…
Seriously… I’m sorry.
I only want to get away from that place.
What I want…
…is to believe in myself.
What time is it now, Kusuda?
Hmm… 5:42.
I guess Zaitsu-kun really isn’t coming.
Nah. Just wait a little while…
Sorry for being late!
I had trouble finding the house keys.
You guys weren’t seriously thinking of leaving me behind, were you?
Hell no!
Alright, here we go!
Yeah!
Uh…
Where exactly are we going?
You haven’t thought about that, Sogabe-kun?
It-it’s not up to me to decide these things!
Hey!
We’ll go there!
East?
The direction that gives birth to each day?
Yeah.
Sounds great.
Yeah!
Alright, it’s settled!
Okay, let’s have a race towards the morning sun!
Whoo-hoo!
It’s dangerous to go at that speed! Wait up!
Watanabe.
Here.
Watanuki.
Here.
Watari.
Here.
Which makes today’s absentees Kusuda, Zaitsu, and Sogabe - those three, huh?
Let’s take a break for a while.
The juice is great!
We’ve really traveled a long distance.
Yeah.
Hey, aren’t you guys hungry?
I haven’t eaten breakfast myself.
Really?
My cravings are also starting to act up.
Sogabe, you were in charge of the food, right?
Let’s see…
Here!
For now, we’ll each have two.
All we have to eat are cheap candy?!
But these are delicious, and they’re economy-sized!
T-That can’t be it! There has to be something else in that pack!
Yeah, my pillow.
I’ve had it for ten years.
You know how delicate I am, so if I switched pillows…
So Sogabe thinks his pillow is more important than, say, eating.
Welp, whatever.
Conference!
Right now I’m calling an emergency conference!
Huh?
What?
Come on, how much money do you all have?
I got three bucks.
Zaitsu-kun, what’s wrong with you?
Did you catch a cold?
You’re probably moaning and groaning right now.
It’s rare for those three to skip school at the same time.
Those three might actually be goofing off instead.
Are you saying they’re faking sick?
That’s not possible!
Zaitsu-kun has been agonizing over Yamamoto-san a lot lately.
I don’t think he’s in the mood to fake sick and have fun.
It’s girls like you I hate so goddamn much!
So what do you say, Kei-chan?
Huh?
Oh… sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.
Everyone wants to pay Zaitsu-kun a visit.
Uh…
…okay.
So all we have put together is $20.00?
And we only have twenty-four candy bars left!
Even if we have to return after three days…
Gah! This is ridiculous!
I said I’m sorry, so don’t get so upset.
It’s all good! This way is even more fun!
This isn’t fun at all!
You people can’t plan your way out of a paper bag!
Ah man, my head’s starting to hurt…
This trip’s already revealing our true selves!
Whose great idea was this anyways? Now everything’s turned to crap…
Stop your whining. Let’s go!
Hey, wait Kusuda!
Keep pedaling that fast and you’ll only get hungry again!
I’m so excited I’m getting to visit him!
I hope Zaitsu-kun isn’t that sick.
Kei-chan, maybe we should visit Kusuda-kun at his house too.
It’s alright.
Just visiting Zaitsu-kun is more than enough.
Despite you being worried about him.
It wouldn’t make a difference even if I went.
Did something happen?
Not really.
Hey, are we at Zaitsu-kun’s yet?
Almost there.
Look, it’s right over-
Beast-boy!
Ma-Ma-Ma-Mamoru’s…!
Mamoru’s…!
Zaitsu-kun’s… what?
H-H-Here!
“To everyone that is worried about me.”
“I am and will always be a depressed, worthless human being.”
“I thoroughly hate myself for what I’ve become.”
“Because of that, I have embarked on a journey.”
“Please do not look for me. Zaitsu Mamoru.”
So that’s it!
I know it looks like a runaway letter, but could it be…
…a suicide note?
A-Ayumi-chan!
Zaitsu-kuuun!
Wait a sec.
It looks like there’s more written at the bottom.
“Sogabe-kun and Kusuda-kun have absolutely nothing to do with this, just to be clear.”
So that means those two did the same thing?
Well, we can be 99.9 percent sure that’s the case.
I’ll try calling Kusuda.
It’s girls like you I hate so goddamn much!
What’s wrong, Enomoto?
Enomoto?
Let me see that, Kei-chan!
Seems like we took a wrong turn somewhere, don’t you think?
What’s your problem?
I thought we’d hit a highway if we kept moving along this way.
Exactly where the hell are we?
Just hold on. I’m looking at the map right now.
First of all, which way is east?
Huh?
Yeah, hello?
Hello? Kusuda-kun?
Yeah, it’s me. Who’s this?
I got it! It’s this way!
It’s me! Where are you?
Hey, doesn’t anyone here have a compass?
Hey, is Zaitsu-kun there?
Hmm?
Damn, it’s loud!
What the hell’s that?
This is an announcement from the Bureau of Trade and Tourism.
The Chamber of Commerce is currently holding a wild boar race at the Boar Hall.
We are also having a special sale of wild boar stew.
We invite everyone to come, so we implore you all to participate!
Hello? Are you listening to me? Kusuda-kun!
Alright! You’re Arihara, right?
You idiot! Why did you answer the phone?
You’re running from home, remember?
But-
No buts! Hurry and hang up, Kusuda-kun!
What the-!
Zaitsu-kun! Zaitsu-kun!
He hung up.
Guys, let’s turn off our phones.
Right, let’s do that.
No go.
It’s not connecting.
It looks like the power’s been cut off.
What was that just a minute ago?
I guess it was a neighborhood broadcast.
How deep in the boonies are they?
Huh, maybe it’s…
Huh? Do you know, Chikura-chan?
Yeah.
It sounded like the same thing I heard when I went on a family trip a while back.
It’s from the town near the Kurakuni Hot Springs if I’m right.
So the three of them are there?
That Mamoru. Why would he go to such a place?
Kei-chan!
We’re going after them!
Come on, Kei-chan. We’re gonna look for them.
Uh…
I…
…can’t.
I can’t go.
Why?
You’re not worried about Kusuda-kun at all?
You want to leave him out there? Kei-chan!
It’s because Kusuda hates me.
What are you saying? You two get along fine!
But…
Kusuda told me himself that he hates me so much!
It’ll just piss him off even more if someone he hates goes after him.
That’s why… I’m not going.
Even if he hates you…
Even if he hates you, you’ve got something you want to tell him.
Do you really want to hesitate…
thinking, but not saying what needs to be said?
You two will finally come to terms.
But that is much more preferable than living your life not saying a thing.
Even if he hates me…
there’s something I want to tell him?
He’s right.
I still really haven’t told him anything yet.
First, we need the route to the Kurakuni Hot Springs.
We’ll need to find the quickest way to get there.
The problem is figuring out their mode of transportation.
That reminds me, I haven’t seen Mamoru’s bike since this morning.
Those guys probably rest up at night.
If we can predict the route they’ll take tomorrow and head them off there,
we should be able to catch up with them.
First, we’ll go home and pack our things,
then meet up at the train station in one hour.
We are going to hunt down those clowns!
Doba-chan, you’re coming, right?
Sorry. I’m…
Glasses-boy?
Yeah.
I don’t want to make him worry.
I get you.
Enomoto…
Good luck.
Okay.
Beast-boy! Thanks a lot!
“Beast-boy?”
I guess I need to get ready and look for him too.
The wild boar stew…
If there’s none, there’s none. Let’s give it a rest.
I went ahead and asked. They said east is that way.
What’s wrong? You two haven’t said a word.
Huh, where’s the wild boar stew?
Sold out.
And they said there’s gonna be some wild boar stew.
That’s the only reason we even stopped here.
Kei-chan!
Ayumi!
Aren’t you rushing things, Kei-chan?
I’m sorta like “I can’t do this fast enough.”
Me too!
Ayumi-chan’s so cute.
Why don’t we bring her along next time we do something?
Sure, but…
What is it?
There’s tons of guys that want to date you.
Go out with one of them instead.
There’s no going back.
You’re the only one who’s ever flipped my switch.
Oh… sorry.
Huh? Mamoru’s run away?
Over here!
I found ten cents!
If something came up, then I’m done here.
It’s alright.
I’m not my time to go yet.
Arihara! I’ve been looking for you!
What is it?
Have you seen your sister lately?
Koyoi’s left a note saying she ran off!
“I’m with Ayumi-chan so don’t worry about me.”
Ayumi’s with her?!
That airhead!
She knows damn well I’ll be worried!
Grr, where did they head off to?
Wait!
It looks like Arihara…
…doesn’t feel a thing for me.
Why is it taking forever to go up this hill?!
Jesus, pipe down will you!
We’re doing this because we haven’t found a place to sleep!
Kusuda-kun.
You’ll waste your energy if you keep yelling like that.
Dammit.
The way we’re going, I’ll starve to death before being reborn.
Son of a bitch!
I keep telling you, yelling will just make you…
I wonder if the boys are staying at a hot springs resort right now?
That reminds me. Koyoi-chan, why did you come?
It sounded like fun, so I had to!
Huh, I should have guessed.
Anyways, how am I going to find out where they’ll go?
What’s with these wild boars!
Get away from me!
Pedal! Pedal for your lives!
Kusuda!
Kei-chan, watch out!
It’s them!
Aren’t those wild boars?
Kusuda!
Pedal, dammit! They’re still after us!
Stop the train! Stop this train now!
Kusuda!
When I first started crushing on Zaitsu-kun,
he was the first guy I ever loved.
But I have to give my answer pretty soon, right?
Zaitsu-kun and Beast-boy, my answer is going to be…