You're back pretty late.
Were you able to see the Tomoebi?
Hey, where's the Professor?
At Akari-san's.
Huh? But why...
He came back.
Huh?
Hikari came back.
He hasn't changed.
From five years ago...
He hasn't changed at all.
Episode Fifteen: The Protector of Smiles
Overall, he seems to be just fine.
Just be mindful of keeping him hydrated.
Make sure he gets about 400cc of water every hour.
Right. Thank you very much.
Tomorrow, the brain surgeon will be back from the city,
so have the surgeon look at him, too.
Oh, would it be all right if I tagged along then?
I have some questions for Hikari-kun.
Excuse me.
I'm sure that Hikari's very tired, having just woken up,
so could you hold off on doing all sorts of tests?
But...
I think... there's a lot of catching up that he still has to do.
He should be given a little more time...
Oh, right.
I'm very sorry about that.
Please give me a call if there are any changes.
Hey, Akira!
No, we have to let him get some more rest.
You look like you've just seen a monster.
Huh? N-No...
I'm the one that's surprised.
What the hell?
You're fourteen now?
You're the same age as me, then.
Oh.
Not to mention Akari has a kid...
Well, I guess I knew things like this could happen during the hibernation.
What? Is there something wrong with your eyes?
Oh, Mom.
Huh?
Mama!
Everything is really bright and it's hard to see.
Well, you were hibernating that whole time.
You're just not used to the brightness of the surface yet.
Come on, back to sleep you go.
Chisaki will probably come by tomorrow or so.
Tsumugu got all big...
meaning Chisaki probably got pretty old, too.
She's got a nice body.
Aren't you excited, Hikari?
I-I don't care about stuff like that.
Right...
Stop being stupid...
Your cheeks are bright red.
He's back...
Shut up.
Hikari came back.
I'll be going now.
Chisaki-san doesn't need to go see Hikari-kun?
Apparently she has some test today.
Aren't they childhood friends?
So that's how it is...
Apparently Chisaki-san's colder than I thought.
He hasn't changed.
What's wrong? Are you okay?
Kancho! Kancho! Kancho! Kancho!
Jeez... What's with all the racket?
I thought I'd give him a real taste of three years of pain.
Kancho!
I gave them a call, but apparently Chisaki's busy today.
Oh... I see.
That's too bad.
If Chisaki-san and Tsumugu-kun were going to come by,
I would take some time off so we could all barbecue.
We don't need to do anything out of the ordinary.
We haven't even put a dent into the loan for this house.
Keep up the hard work, Dad.
What's all that about? And this early in the morning...
Hikari!
Whoa, are you Sayama?!
It's Hikari. Just like he was.
Huh? Who are you?
That's Sayu.
Seriously?
I've matured quite a bit, no?
Actually, it's sort of gross.
What?!
Everyone wants to see you.
Sensei, Seiki, Akiyoshi...
I'll take you around, so let's go see all of them.
Oh, Hikari's not completely recovered yet...
It's fine. I'll go.
Huh?
Do you two want a ride to school?
We're gonna make a few stops first, though...
Sure.
Talk about a turn of events.
It's like a dream, so I don't understand everything.
"Like a dream"?
What's with the line from a chick flick?
N-Not like that!
Not a dream like that,
I mean, this is something really weird and different.
So it's more like a surprise.
And then Egawa had been getting around...
Oh, and in high school, he was going out with Yaragi.
Right...
He shouldn't have tried to settle with someone so close by, right?
By the way, Honjin is working at the government office.
Oshiooshi Fishery Cooperative
Look at those eyes.
It's Hikari, all right. Hikari's come back!
How great!
Since Hikari came back,
that means the other people from the sea will be up soon, too, right?
They should be.
Right about now, we'd be able to drink some great sake with them.
Yeah.
Hey, let's not talk about depressing things so early in the morning.
Oh, yeah.
We prepared this for you.
Open it up.
It's the flag you waved at the Ofunehiki.
About three years ago, we found it stuck on the bridge pier.
Hii-kun, wave the flag.
Wave it a lot.
That way, no one will get lost.
Hikari!
Oh, sorry...
I feel kinda sick...
O-Oh, right.
You just woke up.
Sorry, Hikari.
I just got too excited.
No... it's fine.
I just need to rest a little.
Help him out, son.
Right.
You sure this is okay?
Yeah.
Always Smiling Saya Mart
More importantly, please take Hikari home.
Sorry about this.
All right, study hard!
Let's go. We're already late.
Hikari hadn't changed at all...
and now I'm the same age he is.
And yet...
If Hikari-kun came back up at this point here...
It means that there's a possibility that the tidal current changes here, right?
It's different from last month's investigations.
But according to the reflection of the Tomoebi...
Huh? Tsumugu, do you have scissors?
I think there's a pair in Chisaki's room.
Eek!
Sorry.
I didn't know you were back.
I'm really sorry.
Wait.
How was it?
How'd I look?
That's a pretty bold question.
Have I changed from back then?
I hadn't seen you like that back then, so I'm not sure.
You used to talk about that back then, too, didn't you?
About changing, or not changing...
all the time back then.
I didn't want anyone to change...
No. The truth is I didn't want Hikari to change...
And yet...
I'm the one that changed.
Yeah... You did change.
You've gotten pretty.
You've gotten much prettier since back then.
Is that not okay?
Isn't that enough?
Hey, what's up?
I thought I'd take a little walk.
Don't overdo it.
Mom, have you heard from Chisaki-san?
Hm? Nope.
I sort of can't believe it.
It's been two days since Hikari came back.
I think Hikari might be down because Chisaki-san hasn't come to see him.
And Tsumugu hasn't been by since either.
Hey, could you call them, Mom?
Well... it's not like I don't understand how they feel.
What do you mean?
Come on. Let's hurry and finish this up.
I'm done! I'm going now.
Miuna?
Where's Chisaki-san?
She left to pay Gramps a visit.
You seem troubled.
Why...
Why?!
Hikari came back!
Why doesn't Chisaki-san go see him?
I don't think you'd understand, Miuna.
B-But I'm as old as Hikari now, too!
Because I don't get it either.
Huh?
Those two have known each other a lot longer than we have.
There have to be things that only those two understand.
I'm being left out again...
Huh?
Forget it!
Hey!
Hikari?
What are you doing?
What do you mean? I was swimming.
Why don't you come see Chisaki?
Why do I have to go see her?
You really haven't changed.
Of course not!
For me, it was the day before yesterday!
The Ofunehiki was the day before yesterday for me!
For me, time hasn't passed at all!
Even right now, I'm overwhelmed!
Akari has a kid, and all of you...
Even though it's still summer, the scenery... Everything's changed!
Of course I can't just go waltz in to see Chisaki.
The two of us were always together...
and if that Chisaki's changed...
I don't want to see any more things that've changed!
It's exhausting!
I don't want to think about all of this!
I don't want to know!
I see...
It wasn't that his eyes were bothering him or he was feeling sick...
And then the guys at the fishery cooperative give me the flag...
The one you were waving at the Ofunehiki?
Yeah, that flag.
Manaka said that if I waved it, no one would get lost...
And yet...
I'm completely lost...
So is Manaka, Kaname, Dad, everyone.
All of them are still lost in the sea...
They're just hibernating, so you don't have to worry.
The fact that you came back proves that.
But!
Did something happen back there?
I'm going down there again.
There's no point.
No matter which way you go, you can't get into Shioshishio...
I know that!
I'm home!
Miu?
Um...
Undies.
Don't get in the way.
Oh!
I put it all the way down there...
I'm stupid.
I was so happy that Hikari came back...
So happy that we were now the same age...
So happy...
that I couldn't even understand something as simple as this.
Hikari needs a flag, too.
"Flag"?
So lame. Seriously.
Nishiura
Hika... ri...
This song.
Oh... y-yeah.
The people of Ooshi wanted to make sure it could be heard by everyone sleeping...
So now it's the 5 o'clock song.
I see.
So everyone was thinking about us...
This whole time.
Hikari...
Um... I...
Hm?
I'm sorry I changed...
All this about changing or whatever.
You were saying the same thing the other day.
"The other day"?
It's the other day for me!
I was scared that everyone's relationship would change.
After I woke up, I really understood.
How scary it is for things to change.
But...
I'm so relieved that you didn't change at all!
I-I don't need to hear that from you. Idiot!
I see you're as violent as ever.
Actually, have you powered up?!
Jeez!
I'll see it all!
Bring it on!
I won't be surprised at all anymore, damn it!
Hikari!
Huh?
Welcome back, Hikari!
Hikari!
I-I did it in a hurry, so it's not the best...
but I fixed it!
What is this?
H-Hearts. I thought they'd be cute...
And these?
Kancho!
No, they're butterflies. Butterflies!
Putting hearts and butterflies on an Ofunehiki flag...
Are you guys stupid?
I was so happy to see Hikari's smile.
Kancho! Kancho!
They're butterflies.
There were a lot of things that I didn't understand,
Heart.
and a lot of things that couldn't be reached...
Good job.
Undies.
But still, I...
want to protect his smile.
Don't just stand there, come in.
Oh... I-I'm home...
Chisaki... Did you see Hikari?
How...
I'm Sakishima, who's repeating this class.
Please call me Senpai and respect me.
I'm going to hold your hand so you don't wander off.
Must be nice! The person you like woke up!
Episode Sixteen: The Whispers of the Faraway Waves