Iizuka was all over Manaka today, trying to hold her stuff.
He makes it so obvious.
Come on, Sayu. Why's it always the same thing with you?
Manaka?
Hm?
Your face looks a little...
Huh? It's Hikari.
What?
Hii!
Isn't that the sea slug rock we found?
Yup. Miuna made it into a necklace for me.
It's so I never lose it.
So you never lose it...
In the five years it's been since I met you,
I never stopped watching you.
Just as I've come to understand the sea by living beside it,
I think I've finally come to understand you.
I can tell when you'll get angry, laugh, or cry.
I can sense it.
And right now, I sense that it's me you have feelings for.
Am I wrong?
L-Let go of me!
I'll let go if I'm wrong.
Tsumugu...
But if I'm not...
Stop!
You are wrong! I don't love you, Tsumugu!
The feelings...
are everywhere.
furitsumoru konayuki ga mau
Little snowflakes dance in the air
akiramekaketa yume ga mata namiutsu
I'd almost given up on my dream, but it washes in again,
ano hi no mama de
like it did so long ago
kawaranai egao mitsumeta
I watched your frozen smile,
somaru hoho ni fureta kaze ga
and the wind turning my cheeks red
sora takaku nuketa
disappeared high into the sky
I was always looking at you, never far away,
and yet you seemed out of my reach.
doushite
Why?
to toikaketa koe mo yureru
Even your voice is rough as it asks me
yurayura minamo ni ukanda
The moon's reflection quivered on the waters,
tsuki wa nanimo kataranai
and it told us nothing about the future
tada no boukansha
The moon merely watched us
onaji ne nigiru te ga itai
We hold hands even though it hurts
Episode Twenty-Four
Detritus
It's only been five years.
I've only been beside Tsumugu
for five short years.
I've been with Hikari and everyone else since we were born,
and yet...
How could this happen after only five years?
Is it Tsumugu?
Huh?
You haven't changed at all.
When it comes to the person you like,
you're not quite yourself.
If you'd like,
you can tell me what's on your mind.
If it might help you feel better, I mean.
Don't worry about my feelings.
Kaname...
No matter how hard I tried not to be,
I was always the odd man out.
Somehow, I knew that if things didn't work out with Hikari,
it was going to be Tsumugu next, and not me.
No! I don't love him!
I'm not allowed to love Tsumugu...
I can't.
If I fell in love with anyone other than Hikari,
it'd be like betraying everyone.
I'd be betraying everyone whose time stopped five years ago!
I...
I love Hikari!
I couldn't just forget that!
I made sure I never forgot.
When Hikari woke up, I was so scared.
I knew I was the only one who grew up and changed,
but it wasn't just that.
I was scared he'd see through me about everything.
But then, he said I hadn't changed at all.
That made me so happy.
I felt so sure my feelings for him hadn't changed!
I was sure I still loved him!
But...
None of that matters anymore.
We're all here now.
We came back.
You don't have to hide or deny your feelings anymore.
But Manaka loves Tsumugu.
We have to try to get back Manaka's ability to love,
so I can't just accept his feelings for me.
Manaka has nothing to do with—
Yes, she does!
Your stubbornness hasn't changed a bit either.
I keep hearing the sea...
You done, Manaka?
Can I open the door?
Oh, of course!
So in kindergarten today, Akira wrote a letter.
Would you mind reading it?
A letter?
Oh, is it for me?
I love Manaka
"I love... Manaka"?
I love Manaka
As his mom, I can't say I don't have mixed feelings about it,
but it makes me sort of happy too.
So what do you think?
Come on, Akira! No need to get all bashful...
right, Manaka?
Huh?
Manaka?
Shoot...
Rejected already.
Don't let it get to you, Akira!
Don't give up.
Hey, don't you know your name means, "Don't give up"?
I love Manaka
What is this?
What is it?
Be quiet.
Please...
Be quiet!
Even though it hurts, Hikari's doing all he can to get Manaka's feelings back.
The least I can do is...
Miuna?
Wh-What is it?
About Manaka's pendant...
I hate to admit it,
but I've got plenty to thank you for.
Why do you "hate to admit it"?
It's just...
You made that flag,
and you helped us get to Shioshishio too.
Guess I can't treat you like a little kid anymore.
I don't know how to put this,
but it feels like I'll never be able to pay you back for all this.
Well, aren't you being honest!
What's that supposed to mean?
It's not like you, that's all.
I guess if it's for Manaka, you can even change your personality.
Wh-Why'd you have to put it like that?
Since Hikari has feelings for Manaka, the least I can do for him...
I'm going to bed.
O-Okay...
Good night.
...is make sure he doesn't find out about my feelings for him.
Good morning, Hii.
Good morning.
Morning.
Here you go.
I packed it full for you.
Thanks.
Huh? Where's Miuna?
She said she was going to school early.
Where are Akari and Akira?
Akari took Akira to kindergarten early, too.
What the heck?
I don't hear it this morning.
Huh?
Hey, are you in love with anybody, Hii?
Wh-Where'd that question come from?
It's just... I don't quite understand it.
I don't think I know what "love" is.
It's strange.
I'm sure I love all of you,
but I somehow get this feeling that there's more to it.
How could this...
Huh?
Well, you know, it's just like that!
"That"?
Yeah, exactly.
Anyway, no need to worry about it.
All this stuff is gonna work out somehow.
What stuff?
You know, stuff!
Huh? What do you mean?
Just what I said!
Looks like you're feeling well today.
Yeah.
So I was thinking...
Would it be okay if I started living in a dorm next year?
I asked my instructor about it,
and he said there's a dorm room open.
I can pay for it with my part-time job...
So—
Do whatever you want.
Okay.
Grandpa,
the other day, you never finished the story about the Wooden Maiden.
You said the sea god took something precious from the maiden before he sent her back,
but what happened after she returned to the surface?
The man she loved was dead.
What?
He went searching for her at sea, and he drowned.
Wh-What happened then?
There was no one waiting for the maiden when she returned to the surface.
That's all.
Hey, Tsumugu.
You guys going home?
Y-Yeah.
Did you make that?
Y-Yes.
Is it that obvious that it's handmade?
Not at all.
I think it's really pretty.
I'm sure the red-bellied sea slug is really happy!
A red-bellied sea slug?
That's the slug that responds when you tell it your feelings, right?
You really do know everything about the sea, huh?
Hikari, Kaname.
Do you have a minute?
I wanna talk to you guys, man-to-man.
"Man-to-man"?
Could you please curse me once more?
Huh?
It takes all the fun out of it when someone asks for a curse, you know.
I can imagine.
What the heck?
You wanted us to come with you just so you could ask that?
The Boatdrift Ceremony.
Huh?
If we offer another Wooden Maiden,
we may be able to delay the end for the surface,
and Mukaido might get her feelings back.
H-Hey, now just a sec.
What do the Boatdrift Ceremony and Manaka—
Detritus.
It's the dead cells of plankton and other microorganisms that are afloat in the sea.
When I got my Ena, I felt something.
It was the multitude of emotions that are afloat in the sea just like detritus.
A multitude of emotions?
You mean, like what we heard the other day about the sea god's dissolved emotions?
It wasn't just the sea god's.
I don't know if it was the memories of the people from Shishio, or if it was from the fish around me.
But among all those nameless, timeless feelings,
I sensed a presence I knew very well.
I'm sure those were Mukaido's feelings.
Oh?
You said that when Mukaido became the sacrifice,
the sea god's spirit fire and the fragments of emotions became one,
and an equilibrium was reached.
So if we offer another sacrifice—
Wait a sec! You're not suggesting we make Manaka the sacrifice again—
That pendant.
If it truly holds Mukaido's feelings
and we put it on a Wooden Maiden,
wouldn't that serve as a replacement for Mukaido?
If the sea god's emotions are led to believe that Mukaido has returned to the sea,
they may return her feelings back to her.
Come on, are you even listening to yourself?
You sound crazy!
We have to at least try.
Will you help us?
Hold on!
What if we get a whole bunch of people involved and it winds up being all for nothing again?
That may happen, but doing nothing won't solve anything.
But...
You said something very similar five years ago, Hikari, did you not?
Very well.
It seems amusing. I shall lend a hand.
Lord Uroko!
However, a Boatdrift Ceremony done only by those from the surface is but a sham.
Knowing that, do you still want to try?
Yes.
I agree.
It's better than doing nothing at all.
Thank you.
Request for Volunteers
We're gonna do another one.
We're doing another Boatdrift Ceremony!
Please come give us a hand!
Keep it coming!
Wow!
I can't believe it.
Look how many people have showed up already.
It seems that all this time, everyone wanted to do another Boatdrift Ceremony.
Yo.
Huh? Are you—
Man, you really haven't aged a day, Hikari!
That's crazy!
Egawa?!
Yep, and I brought my wife, too!
Hello!
It's nice to meet you all.
I contacted everyone else that left too.
We're here!
It's been a while!
Wow, everyone's here!
Hey, Sayama! Come and hold the other end!
Looks like your people skills haven't improved any.
Isn't this sort of nostalgic?
Aren't you having fun too, Hii?
How is the kimono coming along?
I wonder if replacing her with a Wooden Maiden like this is really going to work.
We won't know unless we try.
I know.
During the five years I got to spend on the surface, Manaka was the sacrifice, wasn't she?
Then this time, I should—
Chisaki!
Hey, slacker.
So...
you like Chisaki.
Caught me red-handed, huh?
You idiot!
Huh?
When you asked her out again, you tried to act all cool and pretend it was a joke, didn't you?
So you heard that too, huh?
Yeah, I did!
I don't know if she rejected you or what,
but shouldn't you be more up front about this?
Like...
shouldn't you show her that look on your face instead of hiding it?!
What good would that do?
Even if I showed her my feelings, she'd probably just pity me or treat me like a kid,
and it would be more like Akari comforting Hikari.
I don't think I could stand that.
You know, I've often wondered what would have happened if I hadn't hibernated.
But I don't think it would've mattered.
Even five years ago, Chisaki had feelings for Tsumugu...
and I've always been the outsider.
Chisaki's eyes are always looking at someone other than me.
She never—
Stop acting like the tragic heroine!
"Heroine"?
Not the hero?
You're just like Chisaki, you know!
Huh?
This whole time...
I've been watching you.
I've always...
been looking at only you!
I waited for you!
It was all because of you.
That's why I tried so hard...
So I could be a better person, like you...
So you wouldn't treat me like a little kid anymore!
So you would start to see me as a girl and not just a child!
The whole time you were gone,
you were right here!
You've been here in my heart all this time!
I see.
What?
I was in your heart.
You know, I was actually really lonely.
When I came back to the surface,
Hikari had Akari's family,
and Chisaki had Tsumugu's family.
I really thought...
there was no one who was waiting for me.
What the heck?
You're just a kid like me after all.
I really am.
Are you disappointed?
The big brother you admired is actually just a big kid.
Don't go putting words in my mouth!
Should I give you a reply?
I know it already. "Sorry," right?
I've always been looking at Chisaki, you know.
Yeah, I know. Just stop there!
But, Sayu...
from now on, I'll start looking at you.
Not as a child, either,
but as a girl who's my age.
Would it be okay if I started there...
if we started there?
You're pretty condescending, aren't you?
Hey...
What is it?
Thank you.
Hikari!
I'm about to head home.
Okay.
Mind taking Miuna home on your way back?
Sure. Hop on, Miuna.
But...
I'll need your help again tomorrow... or later today, actually.
Okay.
Thank you.
No prob.
You haven't gone home yet?
Nope.
The sunrise is so pretty.
I see.
You seem down, Hii.
Yeah...
It's just that... ever since that day,
so much stuff changed.
I'm kinda scared it'll happen again.
Well, I'm excited.
Manaka...
I mean, I don't know what might happen,
but right now, I get to be with everyone
and have lots of fun with them.
I see.
You know,
there is someone I'm in love with.
Really?!
Yeah.
That's amazing!
Tell me about it!
I don't really understand that feeling...
Oh, I know!
Why don't you tell me who you love, Hii?
Saying who you love isn't that easy.
I-I see...
I'm never going to understand, huh?
No, you'll understand soon enough...
Yeah.
You'll know once the ceremony's over.
The Boatdrift Ceremony?
Let's make the Boatdrift Ceremony a success.
I'm gonna wave that flag as hard as I can.
The flag?
'Kay!
mugon no kotoba de ayatori shite
I play a silent cat's cradle with my words,
jouzu ni dekita to warattemiru
and decide to grin in satisfaction
tokui na no wa dare ni mo kizukarenu you ni
The only thing that I am truly good at
kokoro oshikorosu koto sore hitotsu dake
is stifling my love so others won't find out
demo torimaku kirei na loop wa
It would be nice
yawai chikara de
if the love of those around me
taguriyosetekureru kara
drew me in gently
azayaka ni
Innocently
musunde kono kimochigoto
I tie my feelings into a rope
hanarenai you ni kataku kataku
so that we will never be apart
hitomusubi hito wo musunde
The knots tie us together,
kitai no yamanai saki he asu he yukou
so let us approach the future with hope in our hearts
I love Namaka...
I love Manaka.
The sound of waves...
It hurts...
I love you, Manaka...
Love is...
Episode Twenty-Five
Love Is Like the Sea
Love is like the sea.