The express train bound for Shinjuku is arriving on platform 2.
Huh?
Cool Weather in Kyoto
Taka-chan! I thought it was you!
Yuu-chan!
What's with the suitcase? Are you going somewhere?
I'm going to see Shibazaki.
What? To Kyoto? By yourself?!?
Of course not. I'm staying at your place.
Oh, come on! Did you forget about the sleepover?
Sleepover? When? Where did we arrange this...?
At school, before the holidays.
You said it was tough to study for exams by yourself.
D-Did we...
Of course we did! Did you forget about it?
You remember now, right?
I'm not sure...
Well, it's no big deal.
Come on. Let's go to your house.
Cool Weather in Kyoto
Kawai
Sorry to bother you all of a sudden.
Oh, it's no problem.
Yuuko's so forgetful.
Well...
Please, do come in.
Thanks for having me!
It's no good! I just can't remember!
Hey, Taka-chan, what was I in when I made the promise?
Huh?
You see, I thought I was out of it up until now.
I guess I'm pretty stupid. It's pitiful.
I'm sorry.
I'm so sorry. That was a big fat lie!
What? How could you!?
You're horrible!
I didn't think it'd go this well.
What are you talking about, Taka-chan?
What do you mean?
I ran away from home.
WHAAAT?!
Dreams and Reality
My parents are just awful.
When we talked about my future, I stated clearly that I wanted to go to a beautician's school.
I see.
They were completely incredulous.
"You can't decide that without our permission!"
What's their problem?
It's my life. It should be up to me.
It's my decision. It's life-changing, but I don't want my parents to decide it for me.
I want to discuss it with them, but I don't want them bossing me around.
Parents should help children realize their dreams.
They should take their children's feelings into consideration.
Well, I guess you're right.
Taka-chan's quite stubborn.
You're such a busybody!
Taka-chan's mother just called me.
She did?
Anyway, I told her that she would be staying here tonight.
Man, it's hot.
Welcome home.
Sorry, darling.
Things got complicated, and dinner will be a little late.
Complicated?
Well, Dad...
Oh, never mind. Let me get changed first.
Man, it's hot.
Maybe I should take a bath first?
Why's the bath running?
Oh, well.
My wife doesn't wear such flashy clothes.
I don't think Toshiko would wear something like this.
Could it be Yuuko's?
She's quite attractive for a year 9 student.
Um...Takahata-san, right?
Are you having fun with Yuuko at school?
She's not causing you any trouble, is she?
S-She's no trouble!
I cause trouble, but I wouldn't walk in on someone in the bath.
I'm sorry, Taka-chan. He didn't do it on purpose.
Of course I didn't!
He's really sorry, so please forget about it and make yourself at home.
Okay.
Mosquito Killer
Wow! It's so pretty!
It's good to do this once in a while.
We've been doing nothing but studying lately.
I don't study much.
Lucky you. I wish I didn't have to take exams.
Say...
Yeah?
Why do you want to be a beautician?
Good question.
I'm quite confident when it comes to doing my hair.
I like playing with my hair, too.
It's nice to have a talent like that.
Would you like me to do your hair?
Huh?
You have nice hair, Yuu-chan.
Really?
Well, my hair is straight and black.
I'm kinda proud of it.
You don't have straight hair.
I don't?
It's not straight. You've got a natural perm.
What? A natural perm?!
It's probably quite curly.
No way!
I've thought it was straight all these years!
It's easier for someone else to see the difference.
That's incredible!
You're just like a pro, Taka-chan.
I guess.
How's this?
Wow! I look like a different person!
Oh, come on, Yuu-chan!
Still, this it wonderful! I love it!
What's that?
Huh?
Hi-ro-shi-kun!
How do I look?
Y-You look cute.
You're always cute, but you look much cuter than usual.
A-hem!
I just can't win with you.
What's she doing here?
She's staying over at my place tonight.
Y-Y-You should have told me earlier! Geez!
So that's what you're up to when you're all alone.
It must be nice to be lost in your own world!
Cut it out!
I agree.
How are things on your end, Takako?
You keep in touch with Shibazaki, right?
Well, yeah.
I guess he's the reason I decided to become a beautician.
Really? That's the first I've heard of it.
I told that I wanted become a beautician and have my own store.
He said that it's great to have a dream like that.
He thought it was the greatest thing ever.
You're in a world of your own as well.
I guess.
It's nice to make a dream come true.
It will come true. No matter what.
If you're determined to make your dream come true, then it will.
You're incredible like that, Taka-chan.
You're so confident.
Well, that's just the way I am.
Taka-chan's incredible.
So why are her parents against her?
Sorry. Could you please tell them that I'm not here?
There's nothing to discuss. The issue is whether they will accept my decision or not.
Taka-chan.
I'm sorry.
There will also be a high-pressure system from the Pacific Ocean.
The maximum temperature will be above 30 degrees Celsius in all major cities.
Since it's such a lovely day today, why don't we all have a relaxing day out?
A relaxing day out?
You know! Let's take it easy!
How about it? Let's bring Takahata-san with us.
How about it, darling?
Sounds good to me.
Why not?
What is it?
I'm busy today.
Busy?
I have an appointment at the beauty parlor.
Can't you just cancel it?
They're very skilled, and it's hard enough just to get an appointment.
It's called "Aqua Age", and their beauticians are famous in the magazines.
Nothing we can do.
Well, what about the rest of us going?
I've got so many lovely maidens here with me!
Would you like to come with me, Taka-chan?
You don't mind?
The manager is a good friend of mine from high school.
Hey, can I come too?
Of course.
Cut another 3 millimeters.
Yes, ma'am.
Welcome!
Long time no see.
Sorry to trouble you.
This is the girl I mentioned on the phone.
Takahata-san, right?
Oh, nice to meet you.
Long time no see, Yuuko-chan.
You come here every now and then.
You've got a boyfriend, don't you?
Um... well...
It's unbelievably expensive here!
How rude!
Are you having fun?
Oh, yes.
It's much harder to actually do it.
I'm aware of that.
It takes a year to learn how to use shampoo,
and thirty-six years to learn how to comb, understand?
What? Really?
Oh, stop fooling around!
Nine times four is thirty-six.
I get it.
But it's true that you need to practice shampooing for one or two years, right?
What? Practice shampooing every day?
That's what you need to do to become a pro.
You knew that much?
I did a bit of research.
Well, Taka-chan, if you don't mind, would you like to try it for a few days?
What?
If you want to be a beautician, it'll be well worth it.
But...
It'll be all right.
She's happy to have keen young girls.
I get motivated when new employees come.
How could you say that, Warabi-chan!
Don't you get any motivation from a middle-aged lady like me?
That's not what I meant!
Good for you, Taka-chan.
Yeah.
Noemi-san and Warabi-san seem nice,
I'm sure they'll teach me all sorts of things.
Still, shouldn't you talk it over properly with your parents?
My mother called your mother, but...
No point.
Taka-chan...
My parents think I made up my mind on a whim.
I'll prove them wrong.
But still...
Anyway, sorry about all this.
I didn't mean to impose on you like this.
Oh, that's all right.
Looking at you, I'm motivated to study harder.
Thanks, Yuu-chan.
I'll work hard every day, starting tomorrow.
Man! My legs feel like jelly!
It feels so good to kick back like this.
It must've been hard to stand up all day.
Was it harder than you thought?
Nope.
I expected this much.
Noemi-san has appointments all day.
She doesn't even have time to have lunch.
Really? I could never do that.
Well, you don't eat that much, so you'll be fine.
I'm gonna take a photo in secret, and send it to Shibazaki-kun.
I should've massaged my feet yesterday.
Excuse me.
Oh, sorry.
If your feet are sore, you can take a break for a while.
Oh, that's all right.
Don't overdo it.
You'll just get in the way.
Yes, ma'am.
Excuse me.
What are you reading?
Excuse me...
Could you please leave me alone?
Oh, I'm sorry.
Oh, she's an intern, so she's studying for an exam.
She was studying dermatology today.
Dermatology?
You can't get your license unless you can pass the exam.
If your scissors and clippers aren't in good condition,
you might spread contagious diseases between your customers.
We can find out if they have diabetes or not by looking at their scalps.
Really?
We also have to study chemistry, especially pH levels.
We need to know about physics.
I was surprised when they told me after I enrolled.
I see.
Well, texts these days are easy to understand.
You'll be fine.
Here.
Taka-chan?
Oh, thanks.
Was it difficult?
Oh, well...not really.
There were a lot of things I didn't know, but I learned a lot.
It's a really big help.
I see. Good for you.
Yeah.
Welcome!
Long time no see!
Sorry to bother you. Do you have time?
Good timing.
We're not very busy today.
Oh, Warami-san, that's not quite right.
I just received a phone call. She wanted to see the manager.
I see.
Thanks for your help today.
You did well today.
Oh, thanks.
Was it hard, doing the real thing?
No, not really.
I see.
Um... what happened to Warabi-san today?
I think she might quit.
What?
She hasn't been popular with our customers lately.
Why not?
She's good enough to teach the newcomers.
Anyone can learn the skills.
Talent is far more important.
Having a sense of style is vital.
Rabi-chan's a very hard worker, so she made it this far.
How'd it go today?
What's wrong?
I was thinking about how big the universe is.
It's huge, beyond comprehension.
Well, I've gotta work hard tomorrow, too!
Oh? You want to speak to Taka-chan?
Um...she left home around the same time as the past two days...
I see. That's odd.
She's not here yet.
How are things?
I'll go look for her!
Welcome back.
Oh, thanks.
You must be hungry.
I'll prepare dinner right away.
Sorry, but I'm not very hungry.
Taka-chan!
You didn't go to the hairdresser today.
Why not? You were so motivated and excited about it!
Yesterday, too. You said, "I've gotta work hard tomorrow, too!"
Yeah.
If I don't try hard, I might as well give up.
If I have to motivate myself, I might as well give up.
Taka-chan...
To be honest, I was wavering about whether or not to become a professional beautician.
My parents were opposed to me, and my feelings were wavering.
So I ran away. I thought that I had to try hard...
I helped out, and I wavered even more.
So...
So... what will you do now?
I think I should go to a regular high school.
Are you sure?
Anyway, it would make my parents happy.
You're wrong.
Your parents didn't oppose you because they didn't want you to be a beautician.
On the contrary, I think they had something else in mind.
That doesn't make any sense!
You might be right.
But that's how parents are.
Listen.
The reason Noemi-san asked you to join was because my wife spoke with your parents.
Noemi-san invited you because your parents spoke to my wife.
Is that true, Mom?
They believed you would come back home with some confidence, and overcome your doubt.
They wanted you to discover whether your dream was genuine or not.
No one knows what you will do with your future.
But if you give up, it's all over.
You mustn't give up so easily.
I know how much this dream means to you.
Yeah.
Oh, wasn't I really cool just then?
Right, Yuuko?
Yeah.
I'm sorry for imposing on you like this.
I'll go home tomorrow.
Talk it over with your parents, OK?
I will.
I'll work hard, and do what it takes to become a beautician.
If I give up now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life.
Good for you! That's my Taka-chan!
Yeah!
Yeah.
I hope you'll visit us again from time to time, Takahata-san.
There's no way she'll want to see THAT again!
Right, Taka-chan?
As they say, "What happens twice will happen thrice!"
SIS!
Oh, I'm just kidding!
Next Episode Report
Our third summer together will end someday.
I'm very fond of you. I wish this would last forever.
You follow the ball, flying, dancing, beyond the shining light.
I see you running.
I'm very fond of you. I wish this would last forever.
But it's summer after all.
Next time: Hiroshi's Summer.
Hiroshi's Summer
Please look forward to it!