The scenery's pretty invigorating, isn't it?
Yunosagi's over there.
Looks like I'll be able to take some great pictures here.
Excuse me.
Hello, Isami speaking.
Oh, hey...
They've just opened up,
Yunosagi Cirrus
and they've already got so many customers, eh?
Episode 16 That Sky, This Sky
Fukuya
I've now heard everyone's opinions.
Any other thoughts?
Well, I'd like to hear
what the younger generation expects
from a hot spring inn.
What?
Who was the one who said we only had to sit here and do nothing?
Give us your honest opinions please.
What do you think?
Let's see...
I think it ought to be
full of food you want to eat yet be cheap as well.
Such as?
A cheap all-you-can-eat buffet that serves meat
and cake from morning to evening!
Oh, and maybe a luxurious coach,
which is comfortable enough to sleep in, that drops you off at Yunosagi!
O-oh, I think an indoor pool that uses water from the hot spring would be nice.
Yup! A pool is an absolute necessity!
There may be guests that want to swim at all hours.
Yup, I bet!
It would be awesome if the coaches served cake on board too!
Right, everything's prepared!
Then, let's present this
to Madam Manger, young master!
Young master!
Y-Yes?
How's the inn supposed to run
when its own young master lacks self-confidence?
An important factor in giving a convincing presentation
is that the presenter themselves are motivated!
Don't worry.
I'm sure she'll understand how much we respect
Kissuiso after she hears our plans.
Now come on. Let's go!
Yeah, you're right.
But you know, this inn is really great!
Really, you think so?
Tomoe?
Kissuiso will only need to invest
a tenth of the production cost.
Y-Yeah! It'll work like magic-
The benefits gained from the advertising will be huge.
The masses of people who watch the movie
will all want to stay at this inn at least once,
and as a consequence, they'll all visit Yunosagi.
Of course, none of this is guaranteed.
But from my experience, I-
Please allow me to speak with the young master in private.
What?
Mind if I join the conversation?
Yeah, I'd like Takako to join our conversation.
Is that okay?
Fine, I get it.
I'll leave you to have this conversation in private.
What? Uhh...
What have you got planned, Nakochi?
I'm going to the beach with my brothers.
What about you, Ohana?
I'll be working here the whole summer.
Oh! Then let's go to the beach together!
The beach is great!
Yeah, I'd love to meet your brothers!
Oh, goodness! You've got to hear this!
It's a movie! A movie!
Yeah?
Don't you get it?
They're filming a movie at Kissuiso!
Really?
Oh, gosh, what should I do?
I need to go home and tell my family!
I...
I wonder what part I'm going to be playing.
A movie?
Yeah. At Kissuiso.
Wow!
So...
You understand, right?
It's not just our problem.
At this rate, the whole of Yunosagi
will gradually become poorer and poorer.
I was shocked when
Takako asked whether we wanted to be filmed or not, but-
I have no objections.
What?
I'll allow you free reign to do what you want this time.
What?
Anyway, due to a strongly-worded request from the director,
we're thinking about offering you roles in the film,
even if they're big ones.
We'd like to hold a small audition
when the director comes.
I'm so excited!
I feel like it's going to be an amazing summer!
Yeah!
I'd like to play a great female spy who's
an ex-Olympic high diver!
Bang!
Hey, Minchi, what kind of role do you want?
I want-
A chef.
But we're acting in a movie!
You can be whatever you want!
A female police officer, a cabin attendant, a nurse-
Are you a perverted old man?
As expected from Minchi...
Yeah...
I heard you've left the young master
in charge of the investment for the movie.
That's correct.
A movie... how wonderful.
Mariko Kaga from Withered Flower was very cute.
Oh, so you still aren't withered, are you, Denroku?
Not yet, I'm afraid.
I'm asking you because you're
dedicated enough to relocate to the
countryside in order to write.
You want me to write 40 pages
to take up 10 minutes of the film?
Please write us a scene that shows
the real warmth of this area.
When do I get the chance to talk to
the director and the main writer about this?
Sorry, I'll give you an outline of the basic setting and plot.
So, do you mind writing something
as a springboard for discussion?
I'll then take that and talk to the director about it.
But...
Oh...
I've heard that there's this event
called a "Bonbori Festival" that takes place around here.
How about getting a description of that? Okay?
Mr. Jiromaru, the young master specifically requested that they
include your writing in the film as a condition of the investment.
R-Really?
I'll do my best!
They'll be checking the
actual operational portions of the inn.
What I need you all to do is brush up everything.
This... is a pool?
I heard that it used to be one.
Yes.
Basically, you want us to clean this, right?
The pool must be used in the film as well.
In other words,
it's another condition imposed by the young master for the investment.
Do you have anything to say, young master?
This place is scheduled to be
an important stage for the upcoming film,
so please ensure that it's left sparkling.
But why the pool in particular?
What do you mean, Ohana?
It's a summer film!
Summer means the pool!
The pool means summer!
And... I wasn't wrong.
Anyway, please take care of it.
Party... Party...
Addicted to parties!
Young master!
I don't even know how to begin to thank you.
You've given me such a great chance-
Those who work hard
will be granted an opportunity as a reward.
That's all there is to it.
R-Right.
We've both worked so hard up until now.
What?
It was a hard life.
Looking back, there were times we struggled shamelessly...
Helplessly flailing around...
Yeah...
But that's all over now.
This small yet absolute flame in our hearts
tells us that what we've been doing hasn't been in vain.
Okay...
I'm counting on you.
Oh, we're also going to be taking half of the
manuscript fee and the royalties as payment
for the room you've been staying in for free.
Just keep that in mind.
R-Right...
Okay, I'll give you a call sometime during the week,
and drop by again with the director.
Director Matsumura will be visiting?!
His first work, Wet Button, was incredible!
His second-
Oh, we'll also be bringing the two leads for the movie.
They'd like to see the inn
it takes place in as soon as they can.
I see.
We'd like to sign the contract then as well.
We'll be waiting.
We'll be waiting!
Madam Manager will be here shortly.
Please come in-
We'll wait here.
Of course.
Can I be of assistance in her place?
Please, come this way.
We'd like to lend you a hand
in this brilliant idea of yours.
The film will be a bigger success
if you make the entirety of Yunosagi its stage.
Exactly!
Since business is pretty bad these days,
we can split the cost of the investment
between all of the inns.
Wouldn't that help Kissuiso?
Yes, exactly!
Exactly!
No need to worry.
I appreciate your offer to help,
but the location of the filming will be limited solely to Kissuiso.
We don't plan on changing that.
Oh, then why are we paying
to advertise Kissuiso?
Which is why I've been saying that you don't need to pay.
What?
Ohana, you've got to concentrate!
I wonder when he turned into such a fine young master.
It's amazing how he's planned to
do everything on his own.
Either way, Kissuiso is responsible
for whatever happens.
I hear he firmly rejected the offer from the other inns.
Yeah!
The young master sure has changed.
It's like he's more confident in himself now.
I guess men really do change after doing something big.
A movie, eh... That's a giant bet.
So, what role are you playing, Mr. Ren?
Mr. Ren is in it too?!
The director wants people working at the inn to be in the movie.
Wow...
Does that mean...
Yeah. Maybe.
Your hands have stopped moving, Tohru.
I-I'm sorry!
Okay, guess I had better head back to work.
I'm going to peel the white radish.
Now that Tomoe mentioned it, Tohru's also excited...
Why is everyone so hyped?
What's a chef going to do in a movie anyway?
But I get the feeling that Tohru would look good on screen...
Oops.
Okay!
Wow! Awesome!
It's a crane!
Yeah, a movie's gotta have a crane!
This is Ms. Suehiro, the lead actress of the film.
Thank you for coming. Thank you for coming.
I look forward to working with you all.
Actresses are so different from ordinary people, aren't they, Nakochi?
That day, they started doing the test shoots...
I-I'm so nervous!
Calm down, Ohana!
I've brought some cold tea.
Oh, thank you. Please come in.
This is so good!
Thank you.
This is a wonderful inn.
I really like it here.
Yeah! I'd like to make a personal visit here sometime.
Thank you for your kind words.
It's quite an old building.
I'm sure it's hard to keep everything down.
Yes, it was already 60 years old when
it was passed down to me.
Wow, 60 years?!
After such a long time,
seams come apart in places that can't be seen.
Please excuse me.
Oh, Madam Manager!
Ms. Suehiro, I was wondering
if you could give us an autograph
which we could use to decorate the hallway.
Of course.
Excuse me.
I was surprised to hear that Madam Manager
agreed to the filming in the first place!
Yeah, I heard she gave her consent right away.
Maybe she really wanted a role in the movie.
Maybe!
What?
I'm going to take the main character's place for now?!
It's just for the camera test.
Yeah, but...
The main character's running late.
Think of it as an additional benefit!
You can walk arm-in-arm with Ms. Suehiro.
A just married couple!
Wow, that's incredible!
Show us what you've got, young master!
What?
Okay.
Takako, I'm ready.
I'm sorry.
Okay, get a little closer!
The director insisted on someone more muscular for the role.
There! Perfect!
Very nice!
I see...
Come on, stop playing around!
Minchi! Hurry up!
I'm so tired!
Let's take a short break...
Yeah!
Let's take a break, Minchi!
I'm so tired...
Me too, but we've gotten this place pretty clean.
Yeah, it's a lot better than it was before.
We've only got a bit more to do.
Yeah, only a-
What? What?!
Minchi!
I'm very thankful to you, Takako.
It's a movie.
I definitely wouldn't have been able to do this myself.
Mom!
Mom?
Mom!
Do you remember when we went
to the presentation for the movie the Film Club made?
What?
During college, the fall when you were a freshman.
Nope, not really.
Sorry.
I see...
You remember it?
Oh, that perverted film that only consisted of
clips of a middle school girl in a school swimsuit.
In this day and age,
that director would be sent straight to jail.
That was my first piece of work as a writer.
What?
First and last, though.
We were originally going to make a longer version of it at the Film Club,
but the guy who was supposed to direct it quit.
That made all the other members lose interest too.
I see.
Yeah, so I decided to film it myself.
How should I put it...
Something I experienced in my youth...
My identity...
Are those girls doing their job?
My sister is definitely more suited
to running Kissuiso than I am.
What?
Both my mother and I thought that.
Shijima...
You haven't called me by that name since college!
Really?
I'll get some tea.
Your sister's name is Satsuki, right?
She's really quick-minded.
She always talks in a precise, clipped style.
I think she's got charisma.
She was really popular at school...
She looked so bright in my eyes.
Beautiful, intelligent...
It was as though she was living in a different world.
A creature completely unrelated to me.
You didn't agree to that, did you?
Don't say something so rash.
I'm finished! The manuscript is complete!
We won't be finished like this! You hear me?!
We shall return!
Episode 17 Pool on the Hill