And... there. Done.
Saturdays are so relaxing since you've taken over cooking!
Yup!
Tastes great!
I forgot to mention,
we never got to eat ramen after school that other day.
Oh, no!! we never got to eat ramen after school that other day.
I totally forgot it was closed!
I was ready to fill myself up with ramen, too!
Yoshida-san seemed really disappointed...
You come all the time and can't even remember when it closes? Yoshida-san seemed really disappointed...
I don't like that "light" stuff when it comes to ramen.
None of that healthy stuff!
...but personally, I had fun, since I got to hear about her obsession with ramen when we stopped for some tea instead. None of that healthy stuff!
...but personally, I had fun, since I got to hear about her obsession with ramen when we stopped for some tea instead.
Yano-san... Yoshida-san...
Curry for dinner tonight, Sawako?
Yay! Curry for dinner tonight!
I'll get it.
Hi, you've reached the Kuronumas.
I... guess I'm being ignored...
S-Sawako!
You have a call from a friend!
Hey, Sadako?
We're going out to eat ramen tonight!
A bit pushy, are we?
We have to make up for last time when it was closed!
D-
Do you mind if I go out to eat ramen with some friends tonight?
"Friends"?!
O-Of course! Come on, you have to go!
O-Oh, but I haven't served the curry!
I can do that myself! Don't worry about it!
Invite them over next time, okay?
Okay!
She's going out for dinner with friends, huh...
Well, she did say she's been having fun recently...
Now that I think of it, she came home a little late the other day.
A-Are her friends boys or girls?!
Who knows?
Oh, Sadako!
This will be my first time eating ramen.
Oh yeah, we don't know your cellphone number yet.
What is it?
I-I don't have a cellphone.
You don't?
Nope.
I never really felt the need to get one...
W-Well... you have a point.
Well... if you ever do get one, let us know.
Welcome!
How's it going, Chizu-chan?
You brought over some friends tonight?
Hey, pops! Give us a discount, please?
I can never turn you down.
Here you go.
I've always wanted you to try out the ramen here! Here you go.
I've always wanted you to try out the ramen here!
It's amazing, I promise!
Can I get the usual?
Of course.
What do you want to eat?
I recommend miso ramen.
Th-Then I'll order that.
Can I get shouyu ramen, please?
I just recommended miso!
I had that last time!
They're out of water.
Sorry for the wait.
You're supposed to switch it before the customer notices!
We're busy right now. I-I feel as though I just saw Sanada-kun here...
It is Ryu.
His family owns this place.
Really?!
Your order's ready!
You won't be able to stop!
Let's dig in!
I'm so full!
You really serve the best ramen in town, pops!
Yeah! And it tasted better because I was able to enjoy it with my friends!
Well, we'll be upstairs then.
Sure. Enjoy your stay.
Upstairs?
Come on up.
Remind me whose house this is again?
Ryu's. Why?
A-Am I allowed to come up, too?
Of course! Why not?
Yoshida-san and Sanada-kun must be really close!
Come on, no need to sit so formally.
Excuse me for just a second.
Hello?
She's so popular!
What, right now?
Yeah, sorry. I'm hanging out with some friends tonight, so I can't.
Huh? They're girls.
Could you two say something?
H-Hoichi was a- M-Miso ramen is the b-
See?
Okay, gotcha.
I'll text you.
Later.
Boyfriend?
Well... yeah.
Boyfriend...
Your current boyfriend is in college, right?
Please leave out the "current".
Sh-She's so mature!
No need to worry.
You'll understand the dazzling world of grownups one day, too.
D-Dazzling?
You, too, Chizu.
You keep saying you're a grownup, but can you beat up ninety-nine guys like I can?!
That's kind of a weird number, isn't it? Ninety-nine?
It isn't weird; it's amazing!
Why not a hundred, then? Who was the hundredth guy?
Ryu.
Congrats on ending her spree, Ryu!
Huh?
Did you really have to walk in at this exact moment?!
It's my room, after all.
Umm...
Could it be...
That you two... are dating?
I... knew it!
No!
Can't you at least confirm or deny, Ryu?
Yeah.
Hey! Don't confirm it!
It's not true!
Chizuru and I are like brothers.
Hang on! Who's the older brother, then?
Me, of course. PLACEHOLDER
Shouldn't you be more concerned about him calling you a boy? Me, of course.
Your birthday's after mine! Shouldn't you be more concerned about him calling you a boy?
I see! Your birthday's after mine!
I don't have any siblings, so I'm really jealous...
I-I think you're missing the point, too...
Laughter.
A lively atmosphere.
The friends I love.
I'm... really allowed to be with them...
Oh yeah, why not call Kazehaya over, too?
Kazehaya-kun?
We can't let Ryu enjoy this harem all by himself!
Right?
"Harem"?
You must feel out of place, too, being the only guy.
Give me your phone, Ryu.
Sadako, why don't you call him?
Huh?!
Here.
M-Me?!
Yup!
R-Really? Is it okay?
I don't see why not.
Come on, just call him.
He'll be expecting to talk to Ryu, but then he'll find himself talking to a girl! It'll give him a scare!
Just hit that button to call.
I-I'm so nervous...
There's no need to be!
Kazehaya picks up right away!
"Right away"?!
Th-That makes me even more nervous!
Tell him, "We're having a blast, so come over ASAP."
Say, "Ryu's all lonely by himself! Please, come!"
But...
...I do want him to come.
Your phone's ringing!
Who is it, Shota?!
Who is it?!
Oh, it's Ryu.
I wanna talk to him!
Let me talk to Ryu, too!
Calm down. Let me talk to Ryu, too!
Stop it!
Hello, Ryu? Stop it!
Hello, Ryu?
I-Is this Kazehaya-kun?
This is Kuronuma speaking.
Ryu! Ryu!
Kuro- Huh?!
But this is Ryu's-
What?!
What are you doing right now?!
I'm... at Sanada-kun's place right now.
I knew it would surprise him! I'm... at Sanada-kun's place right now.
Ryu's place?
I went out for ramen with Yano-san and Yoshida-san, and now we're all...
W-We're all hanging out and having a great time, so...
I just thought that it would be more fun if you were around...
I'll be right there on my bike!
H-He said he's coming!
Seriously?
You... were really having that much fun?
This is me!
Wow!
You three were in the same class during middle school, too?
For our last two years, yeah.
Now where's Ryu and Kazehaya...
H-He hasn't changed a bit.
He's looked the same for as long as I can remember.
I'm still growing, you know.
Wow!
This is a picture of Kazehaya-kun when he was in middle school!
So this is "Everyone's Kazehaya-kun"?
He looks a little young.
His hair!
Yeah, he was on the baseball team.
I guess this was taken after his hair grew from the buzzcut.
But Ryu has a buzzcut all year, whether it's baseball season or not.
It's convenient.
See? This is the way he is.
Shota's really good at baseball.
Pin was really disappointed when he said he wasn't going to join the baseball team in high school.
This is a side of Kazehaya-kun I don't know...
I wonder what he was like in middle school?
I wonder if he studied really hard...
...and practiced baseball a lot.
I wish I could have seen him play.
But you can, can't you?
The athletic festival's almost here!
Kazehaya'll probably join you guys in the softball game, right?
Yeah.
Oh!
But instead... I get to see the current Kazehaya-kun.
I'll be able to take pictures like these with everyone and have lots of experiences from now on...
There's the athletic festival, field trip, and many more.
I can't wait!
I'm really excited!
It'll be fun. I promise.
You'll be able to eat a lot of good stuff!
Yeah!
I'll be able to have fun with everyone...
Oh!
This girl...
Huh?
You know Kurumi?
She helped me pick up some printouts the other day...
Oh?
What's with that look on your face?
No particular reason.
She seems like the type of girl who's pretty popular with the guys.
She totally is!
What do you think of her, Ryu?
Not really my type.
You've got a type, too?
Then what about her?
I guess I like her?
I-I like you, too, Sanada-kun!
And what about us?
L-Love!
That's what I thought...
You scared me for a second.
Then what about Kazehaya?
L-
"L-"?
Love... I guess...
What do you think?
Do you think her "love" for him is the same as her "love" for us?
Who knows?
I wonder if she understands herself.
Nope, I doubt it.
Sadako! That's-
Come on. Leave her be. Sadako! That's-
Come on. Leave her be.
One must climb the stairway to adulthood with one's own feet, step by step.
I wonder why it sounds dirty when you say it, Yano-chin?
Pops!
A large bowl of miso ramen, if you will!
Of course, Pin-chan!
That was close!
Pin always complicates things.
I'm coming in!
Now that I think about it, isn't Kazehaya's hair long compared to the other guys on the baseball team?
Oh yeah, his hair grows really fast!
They say hair grows fast on perverted, emo guys!
I'm neither perverted nor emo!
You scared me...
What's with that opening statement?
N-Nothing... out of the ordinary...
Wow, that's it?
It would be funnier if you said, "I'm a huge pervert!"
I'm normal.
He's a boy, all right.
Sadako's sitting there laughing at you, Kazehaya.
Come on! Don't laugh at me, Kuronuma!
N-No, I wasn't making fun of you or anything!
Just kidding. N-No, I wasn't making fun of you or anything!
Laugh all you want.
My... heart is beating faster than usual...
Maybe it's because we're closer than we are in our seats in class?
Sadako.
No, Sawako.
Could you come here for a second?
Sit next to Chizu.
Okay!
Huh? What's going on?
Right down here.
Sure!
This is so fun!
Yeah!
So cuddly!
You're so soft, Sawako!
You really feel like a girl!
The prince looks really troubled!
I think I discovered something really interesting!
Playtime's over!
Get out of here, you pest!
Why don't you kids go home, empty your diapers, and go to bed?!
W-W-Why is Arai-sensei here?
C-Could it be that someone reported us for being too loud?
No, that's not it, Kuronuma.
This guy's dad used to coach my little league baseball team, so I've known them since they were brats!
Not to mention how you're a frequenter at Ryu's place and you treat this place like you own it!
Oh, really?!
You didn't know that, right, Sawako?
Hey! Is it okay to be hanging out with her?!
I saw a bunch of tiny old men after staring into her eyes!
Umm...
There's a tiny old man at my house, too...
Hi... There's a tiny old man at my house, too...
I knew it...
Have you ever been petrified before, Pin?
Huh?
All the time, when I was a kid.
I still do every now and then.
Do you ever hear things moving around in your room when you get petrified?
Well, yeah! My place is really old!
I hear creaking at night when I'm asleep.
Right.
Maybe it's just that you're the one who can see ghosts?
Now that you bring it up, my...
My body felt heavy last night, and I couldn't sleep...
Umm...
It may be good for you to take a salt bath before going to bed...
Purifying salt?!
It'll warm your body up, making it easier to fall asleep.
She's...
...an exorcist?!
I wonder if that'll be helpful-
I'm counting on you!
Whatever! Just go home already, Pin!
What did you say?!
Why don't you go home?!
It's almost 9pm!
These guys are idiots! It's almost 9pm!
And now you start acting like a teacher?! These guys are idiots!
Oh, my. And now you start acting like a teacher?!
Shut up!
It's time for you kids to leave!
Well, it's about time for us to leave. It's time for you kids to leave!
Well, it's about time for us to leave.
So...
...he even makes faces like these...
I had so much fun tonight!
I did, too!
There'll be a lot more chances to have fun!
Yeah!
Spending Saturday night with friends...
Thanks for letting us stay!
It was hard to believe that I was really with them...
Oh, I'm also headed that way. I need to stop by the convenience store.
My heart's beating so fast, but it feels so comfortable...
Take good care of her, gentleman!
Go for it, gentleman!
Those two are seriously annoying...
Everyone's smiling; that made me so happy...
There'll be a lot more chances to have fun!
Well then, see ya, Chizu.
Okay. Bye, Yano-chin.
W-Why are you headed this way, too?!
What do you mean?! My place is this way!
You're annoying! Keep your distance!
Shut up! It's scary to walk alone at night!
Well, I guess I'll go home and take a bath.
Oh, yeah! So, tell me. What exactly is your type?!
My type?
You said Kurumi wasn't your type, right?
Oh, right.
I guess... a girl who's simple-minded and dense?
Y-You've got some weird taste...
I guess you could say that.
A girl who's simple-minded and dense?
So someone who's like Sadako, then?
You know, you really didn't have to.
I already knew.
K-Knew what?
You came over to let me know that you three had made up, right?
Hmph!
My heart's beating fast, even now.
I had so much fun tonight...
I'm... really glad I chose to go to this school.
The school where everyone is.
That includes me, too... right?
O-Of course!
You changed my life!
That's a bit of an overstatement.
Sorry, I just felt like pouting.
P-Pout?
I'm just pulling your leg.
The truth is, I wanted to hear you say it so I could put my mind at ease.
By seeing his middle school pictures...
...a new expression that I'd never seen before...
...I feel as though I was able to peek at a side of Kazehaya-kun that was completely unknown to me.
For some reason, it makes me happy.
So Kazehaya-kun, what did you need to buy at the convenience store?
Hmm... I have no idea.
Wait, what?
Surely, I'll get to see even more expressions from now on.
The sky aglow with the setting sun.
An air a little different from usual.
Next time: Voluntary Training.