Ioryogi, it's fall!
It's the smell of fall!
Huh? Smell of fall?
What's that smell?
It's a little bit smokey and a little bit sunny,
and makes your heart feel kinda refreshed,
or makes your chest feels tight.
It's a smell that makes you feel nostalgic somehow.
You know what fall smells like even though you don't have memories?
Ioryogi.
What?
What would that be?
Woah, amazing.
Kobato.
How do I do this again?
The simplest things in life
end up being the most difficult.
I just want to smile when I'm happy
and sing a song whenever I please.
I was told, "Someday, your dream will come true."
But when exactly will that be?
I can't wait that long!
I spread my arms
on the count of one two three
and gather all the light in the world.
Tell me,
isn't there something I can do?
Even if someone hurts my feelings,
I'll keep running toward the light.
Even if I trip, fall, and cry my eyes out, I still believe.
Although it may seem silly...
I believe in tomorrow.
Production The Kobato Protection Group
...The Angel and the Protected Person.
That's the first time I've ever seen such a magnificent ginkgo tree.
It really is fall, isn't it, Ioryogi?
What's the matter? You look down.
Hey, Kobato.
Yes?
Look at this. Do you know what this means?
Um... When it turns fall, the leaves make themselves pretty and do the dance of the wind—
Who told you to make up little fantasy stories?!
Kobato! What's your wish?
Um...
You can't possibly have forgotten, right?!
T-To get to the place I want to go to!
And to make that wish come true, what do you have to do?
Um... gather konpeito!
And what do you have to do in order to gather konpeito?
Heal people's wounded hearts!
How long do you have to do that?
Four seasons!
And how many seasons are left?
Two!
How many have you gathered so far?
Um... about this much.
Kobato.
Yes?
You know where this place you want to go is, right?
Yes.
I see.
Be careful! Your hat was about to fly off!
I know...
Jeez.
Good morn— Oh!
Whatever! I hate you, Toshihiko!
What's the matter? You shouldn't say things like "I hate you"!
Yuzuru and Toshihiko were having a fight over the blocks...
I can't make my train without a triangle piece and Toshihiko's using two of them!
Because you get a square if you put two of them together!
Are there no more square pieces?
No.
T-Then let's all make something big together, okay?
Like a castle or—
No, forget it!
If you guys aren't going to value this, then you won't be allowed to play with it anymore.
Fine, doesn't matter. They're boring toys anyway.
Yeah. They're old and dirty, we might as well just throw them away.
Fujimoto! You can't!
I don't like it when Mister Kiyokazu's angry!
Hey!
He—!!
Hey! Kobato!
Huh? Ioryogi?
That was Ioryogi's voice, but Ioryogi isn't here...
Ioryogi!
Are you an idiot?!
Don't be all sad and sullen!
Do you think you can gather konpeito like that?
You're right.
But...
Kobato.
Fujimoto just left for his part-time job, but...
Did something happen?
He didn't even say he was leaving; it was really unusual.
I wonder what happened.
Um...
What is it?
I see. So that's...
Fujimoto's face wasn't an angry one... it was sad.
I didn't even notice that, and I...
You're not at fault here, Kobato. And neither is Fujimoto.
The children have to use such old toys.
It'd be nice if we could gather some more new toys for them, but...
Toys...
I got it! If toys are the problem, I know a nice place we could go!
A nice place?
Hey, were are we going?
Someplace fun!
Wow!
Amazing!
A giant tree!
Today, we're going to gather the fallen leaves.
And then when we get back, we're going to use those leaves to draw pictures.
Draw pictures?
There are leaves of all different shapes and colors, right?
I wonder what sorts of pictures we could draw!
I'll gather leaves!
Me too!
Miss Sayaka, look it! I found a pretty leaf.
It's for you, Miss Sayaka.
And for you too, Kobato.
Really?
I'm sorry...
Um...
About the building blocks...
Can you two promise to treat them well from now on?
Yeah.
I'll use them carefully.
And also...
There's something that needs to be said after a fight, right?
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry too.
Be sure to apologize to Fujimoto later as well.
Okay!
I'll give Mister Fujimoto a bunch of leaves too!
Oh, I'm so glad they were able to make up.
Normally, they almost never get into fights...
I guess our adult worries were carried over to them.
That won't do!
You look best with a smile on your face!
Thank you.
If I look so gloomy, even happiness would run away from me, wouldn't it?
Right! Smiles are they key, smiles!
It's amazing, isn't it?
It looks like light caught on fire.
Yes.
It gives me a beautiful, somehow really serene feeling.
Stand back!
It's dangerous.
Excuse me, what's going to happen here?
We came to put up a fence today. We're cutting that tree down tomorrow.
When you say cut down... Do you mean this ginkgo tree?
What?
How come?
We've gotten complaints from the residents of this neighborhood.
They say, "It's annoying, please do something about that tree."
What?
Even though it's so beautiful and magnificent...
The problem is that it's too magnificent, so its fallen leaves are a pain to deal with.
Well, redevelopment construction has started already and all...
Please move out of the way.
Ioryogi?
What?
What's redevelopment?
It means to break down old things, like streets or buildings, and build up new ones.
That's... what's meant by redevelopment?
Yeah.
Does that mean old things are useless then, or unneeded?
It doesn't mean all that.
But truth is, there are a lot more humans who appreciate new things over old, y'know?
Hey, the Nursery isn't open this early.
I'm going to try asking them.
Huh?
To please not cut down the ginkgo tree.
What did you say?
Hey, wait a sec!
If I ask them, I'm sure—!
Kohaku?
Good morning, Kobato, Ioryogi.
Were you also worried about this ginkgo tree?
What?
Old things are in trouble because of redevelopment.
Is that so?
But I'm going to ask them sincerely, so I'm sure everything will be okay!
Is that so?
I have no idea what's going to be okay.
Oh, this fence wasn't here yet yesterday...
It's supposedly because of redevelopment.
Well, there's always been talk of that I guess.
It's a magnificent ginkgo tree,
but for the sake of bettering our town, I guess there's no other way but to cut it down.
Oh, that's unfortunate.
But redevelopment, that'll be a good thing.
Has this humongous tree always been here?
Isn't it kind of disturbing for a tree to be that big?
You could say that.
Oh no! Look at the time!
What's the matter, Kobato?
No, it's nothing...
You're unhappy, aren't you? That everyone's saying things like that tree is unnecessary.
No, that's not it.
Then what is it?
The ginkgo tree...
must be so lonely.
Lonely?
It's been here for tens of years, hundreds of years, watching over this town,
and yet no one stops to think about it at all.
It's all right, Kobato.
It says it's not lonely.
You can understand it?
Understand what the tree is thinking?
Yes, somehow.
She might be lazing around now, but Kohaku was once an angel after all.
Um, what else does the tree say?
It's happy.
It had fun yesterday when so many little people came to play.
Is there anything else we could do for you?
It says thank you.
And also...
Goodbye.
No, it'll be okay! I'll ask them not to cut you down!
Somehow, it doesn't seem to wish for that.
I'll... move you somewhere else!
Huh?
Hey!
Kobato.
Hey, how unreasonable are you going to be about this?
But...
But, but if I don't, it'll... it'll!
I know a wisteria tree who has lived for about as long as this ginkgo tree.
It also said the same things as this ginkgo.
The same things?
To be able to be here
and watch over the people it loves brings it the most happiness.
Can you hear the ginkgo tree's song?
Yes.
It's a little heart-rending, but very gentle.
Fall is by the waterfront, winter is hidden in the tips of branches.
There is limitless kindness in the depth of the world.
Each time night falls, let us offer up a prayer
so we can welcome each coming day with peace.
Guide me, O voice, so far, far away.
Like smiles...
Like songs...
The resonating sound of the wind.
Happiness or sadness,
I'll embrace all of it and continue walking forward.
They are what so strongly connect
my hands to yours.
The ginkgo tree—!
That was dangerous!
Why were you just standing there looking confused?!
I'm sorry...
It was its time, I guess.
Huh?
The middle is hollow.
Sooner or later, it was going to wither and die.
You tried your hardest to hold on as long as you could, didn't you?
Kohaku, was the ginkgo tree happy?
Happy?
Yes, I'm sure it was.
In the end, it was able to be carried off on your song, Kobato.
Ioryogi?
What?
I wonder who this konpeito could be from.
Could it be Kohaku?
But it doesn't seem like it...
Maybe Fujimoto!
But that's not possible...
It might be from that ginkgo tree.
Huh?
Even plants and trees have souls, don't they?
If you heal that soul, then it's not so strange that this would happen.
But I wasn't able to save the ginkgo tree.
You sang, didn't you?
Sang?
It's like Kohaku said.
"It was able to be carried off on your song."
It must have been really happy at its end, you know?
Is that so.
How does it look?
Fujimoto, won't you join us too?
Huh?
What's...
This is...
A building block, isn't it?
I made it out of the branches of the ginkgo tree.
Out of the ginkgo tree's...?
Amazing! This is amazing, Fujimoto!
Not really.
Everyone, Fujimoto made building blocks for us!
Toshihiko, Yuzuku? What do you have to say to Fujimoto before playing with the blocks?
Mister Kiyokazu, we're sorry!
I-It's...
I'm so glad! Everyone's made up now.
Hey, hey, Mister Kiyokazu!
Let's play leaf pictures together!
No, it's okay. I—
If you stick ginkgo leaves on him, you get a Ginkgofujimotian!
...what?
Even though we all want to fly,
we're being deceived by gravity.
In reality, everybody can already fly.
The reason why that child looks so sad
might be because she left her shadow somewhere.
If so...
If telling you "Thank you",
or hearing "Thank you" just makes you smile,
then doing those things will make me happy.
And they'll make you happy too.
Don't worry, we're together.
It's mysterious as to why tears roll down
even though I'm happy.
Next
...What Twilight Sought After.