The Old Year
After all my matches were over for the year,
I became bedridden with a terrible fever.
I curled up in my dimly-lit room,
and December 31st, the last day of the year, arrived.
I'm... thirsty.
Water...
Something... Have to eat something...
...and take some medicine.
But I have just one pill left...
Need to go buy... But I can't...
Too bothersome...
Or rather, impossible...
Oh well. I'll just go back to sleep.
I'll fall asleep.
I'll go to sleep and maybe when I wake up, my fever will be down like it never happened.
I stayed in the apartment for days.
Delirious with fever, I had the same dream over and over again.
The one I've had repeatedly, ever since I was a kid.
The dream where I'm going up a long, long escalator.
It's not scary or anything.
I just go up and up and when I reach the top...
...there's no way back.
Who is that?
Who's there?
So noisy.
Please stop.
I can't. I can't get up.
Rei!
M-Momo. What?
Rei!
Rei-chan
Why?
Darn it, I knew you had a cold!
- Okay, charge! - Roger!
Yay! Rei's place!
- Hina, secure the pillow! - Gotcha!
Uh, Um...
Fluff
Rei, get your phone, wallet, and keys.
You can stay in your pajamas, but put a coat on.
Here, wrap this scarf around you.
There's a taxi waiting downstairs.
A taxi? Why? Where are we going?
Where, you ask?
Gleam
To the doctor, of course!
And if you have the flu, you'll be quarantined and taken care of here,
If it's just a cold...
...we'll bring you to our house.
Comfy
Here you are.
Fluff Fluff
Good thing it wasn't the flu.
We have to be careful, with an elderly person and a toddler in the house.
It's egg porridge. Eat up.
I saw your kitchen. You haven't been eating for a while, huh?
Are you okay with pickled plums? I'm going to mix it in.
It's refreshing when you have a bad taste in your mouth from a fever.
Here, Rei. Stretch out your neck.
This towel goes around your neck, and we'll change it when you sweat.
Eating porridge makes you sweat.
You have to sweat a lot to make your fever go down.
We've got plenty of towels, so we'll change them again and again.
And then, pardon me.
Just wiping the sweat off your forehead.
Momo, if you would!
Slap!
Even fluffier than before, now full fluffy
Th-Thank you for the meal.
Momo wants to thank the meal too!
Sorry, this is for Rei.
All right, you ate quite a bit. Good job!
Let's have some tea and then you can go lie down.
Internal Medicine
But first...
...let's call your home in Mejiro. They're probably worried.
But, I'm living on my own now. So I think it's okay.
- Tangerines, huh? - I'm not a fan of citrus...
Tangerines, tangerines...
Hmm!
On your own, huh?
Let me see your phone, please.
Your phone's been dead for about three days, right?
Charging
Call Log Kouda Dad Missed Call Kouda Dad Missed Call Kouda Dad Missed Call Kawamoto Missed Call Kouda Dad Missed Call Kouda Dad Missed Call
You don't say "I'm on my own" when you have people worried about you so much.
Right?
Yes.
Hello? Um...
Dad. It's Rei.
Rei? It's really you?
Are you all right?
What's wrong? You have a cold?
You weren't picking up your phone, so I was about to go over there.
Are you sure you're okay?
The moment I heard my father's voice on the phone,
I realized how thoughtless I had been.
From his voice, I could tell that he was really worried about me.
I'm an idiot.
My thoughts kept spinning around in my head,
but in the end, I had just been thinking about myself.
Kiriyama, how do you feel?
Can you get up? Let's eat something and take some medicine again.
I knew it.
Tell me when Aiko's on.
Tell me when Sayuri Ishikawa is on.
Please wake me up...
...when it's time to eat.
I knew this would happen.
It used to be even worse.
Zzzzz
We had three more people then, so it was pretty packed.
Snore Snore
Honestly, it's like we were running out of oxygen.
Three people...
Oh, that's right.
Their father.
Every year, we looked at those sleeping faces and complained,
while Mom, Grandma, and I would be cleaning things up.
That's how we saw the old year go, and the new year come in.
There must be a reason.
Nobody in this house talks about their father.
Okay, let's eat, Rei. You must be hungry.
You were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you.
Let's mix some pickled plums in there, too.
It'll be refreshing even if you can't distinguish flavors because of your fever.
Huh? I said that earlier, didn't I?
Mom always said that to me when I had a cold.
I'm saying the same thing, after all.
Whenever I heard those words, I would think, "She's saying it again,"
but it was really comforting.
They were like magic words. Mom's magic words.
But she was gone before Momo had the chance to hear them.
Poor thing.
Um...
You really are a lifesaver.
Thank you.
On an important day like New Year's Eve, even though I'm not part of your family,
you brought me here and took care of me.
You've got it wrong. I wanted you to come.
You're the one who helped me.
If you weren't here, right now I would probably be
cleaning up by myself and crying.
H-Hey, Kiriyama. Why are you the one crying?
Oh no. Me too!
As we were sniffling and frantically searching for tissues,
we heard the New Year's Eve bells ringing from the TV.
And so this year came to a pathetic end, vanishing into the sky.
I had been distracted by my own loneliness
that I failed to recognize someone else's loneliness.
To my foolish self, the New Year's bells fell upon me gently.
Like a wide, flowing river, the New Year was slowly on its way in.
The Old Year
The New Year
Hey!
Who put stickers on my drawers?
I-I'm sorry!
Sheesh! It's really difficult to peel this off, okay?
Sorry!
Mom... Chihiro...
A dream?
Rei! Good morning!
Rei, can you get up? Sis says it's time for breakfast.
Good morning.
How's your fever?
I think it's gone down a lot. I should be fine now.
Good morning.
Good morning. Happy New Year.
Yeah, Happy New Year!
There are so many ads in the paper!
Heavy
Come on, Momo! I'm reading the paper!
Kiriyama, want some mochi? What topping?
Sweet soy sauce for me!
Cheese for Momo!
Then I'll have cheese, too.
Let's continue on. Go ahead!
Hello there!
Let's see.
It's still a little bit hot.
Well, let's eat first. And then take some medicine.
Here, get in the kotatsu.
Pajamas leave your feet cold, huh?
Hot Hot
Twitch
Was that the mailman?
They're here! New Year's postcards!
Wheee
This one's for me, for Sis.
For me, for me, for Sis, for Grandpa.
- Here's one for Momo, too. - Really?
What?
What? What is it?
Hm Hm, What, What?
Well? Did we get a lot?
Yes! Maybe we'll get a New Year's gift-postcard!
Oh, postcards came for Momo, too?
Good for you.
From nursery school and the pediatrician
Yeah!
That's right! Maybe you got postcards at your place, Rei!
Huff Huff
Oh, I don't think there would be.
I'll get them for you!
- Hang tight, I'll be right back! - Wait, stop!
- I'm borrowing your key! - I feel like you'll just stand out a lot!
20 Minutes Later
I-I'm back...
Can't look him in the eye
Um... Y-You got New Year's postcards.
T-Two of them.
I got postcards? I thought there wouldn't be any.
The first one...
Happy New Year
It's Bodoro!
What kind of cottage is that? A palace?
A hot air balloon? Pasted with CG?
Kiriyama!! I'm looking forward to the day we can battle each other in C1!! - Nikaidou
Wait, it's really flying!
And this other one?
Ba-Baam
Japan Shogi Association
Chairman of the Japan Shogi Association, Takanori Jinguuji, 16th Grandmaster,
Chairman... Um... What about shogi?
Sailfish? Malaysia?
Who is that person?
- Looks like he did it. - A fisherman?
I'll say this. He was a strong player.
Although he's always been a bit strange.
But still, he served as a master for seven seasons.
Wait, why am I defending him?
Hello!
Happy New Year! It's me, Aunt Misaki.
Bam!
It's good to be home.
Going to my husband's parents' house makes my shoulders stiff.
Now I can relax!
Aunt Misaki, look at Momo's New Year's postcards!
That's because you're pretending.
Have some tea, Aunty.
You've always been preoccupied with outward appearance.
Oh, thank you, Hina. You're very thoughtful.
And you're good at it.
That's right.
New Year's money. Here you are, Hina and Momo.
Thank you very much!
Yay! What should I buy?
Thank you!
Here, for you, Dad.
Me too? Are you sure?
And Akari, too.
Oh, are you sure, Aunty?
And...
Here. For you too...
...Shogi Boy.
It's not much,
but I hear Akari kidnapped you after you got sick on New Year's Eve?
Even me? But I can't accept it.
It's okay. It was a while ago, but you brought Issa and Smith to my bar.
Heh-heh heh-heh
Glare
I'll be counting on you again.
And this...
Here, Mom. Mikako. Misaki's here.
Happy New Year.
Please take care of me this year, too.
Hey, Misaki.
Is Akari going to work there again this year?
Stop using your relatives and get a new girl in there.
I never agreed to it.
Don't put Akari in danger.
Dad. My bar is not a dangerous place.
It's small, but it's refined and mainly caters to regular customers. It's my treasured palace.
Even so...
Do you intend to keep Akari at home, doing all the housework and childcare until she gets old?
She's a serious girl, so she'll just commit herself to becoming a mother figure.
Twice a week, even if forced to,
she should put on makeup, wear a pretty outfit, and go outside.
She's a beautiful girl, so what will you do if she becomes weary
from house chores and misses her chance to get married?
It's all right.
I won't let anyone lay a finger on Akari at the bar.
No, rather, I'll simply take their money without letting them touch her.
I mean... It's like...
Because they can't touch her, they'll get worked up
and men's habits of spending money...
...I'll grab it like this!
Shine
Black pearl from the South Seas
Grandma! Your daughter is a demon!
You gave birth to a demon!
Aunty, what about dinner?
Would you stay to eat Hina's and my labor of love?
Oh, well. Then, sure, I'll have dinner here.
Besides, your uncle went to see a soccer game anyway.
Oh, amazing!
Ta-daaa!
You are diligent! You made traditional New Year's food?
And in a modern style! It looks delicious!
Hina and I planned it.
We thought about it and packed it with auspicious food items.
But aimed to make traditional New Year's food that's delicious.
If we bought red and white fish cake, we wouldn't finish it,
so instead we used red and white pounded fish cake balls, and put them on skewers.
Pork and beans, so we can all live hearty lives.
Golden mashed, sweetened chestnuts to increase luck with money.
Lotus root burdock, so we can see through things.
Burdock root meat rolls, to stay firmly rooted.
Mini hamburger turtles to pray that Grandpa has a long life.
Long life
And of course, rolled omelette mixed with fish paste, sweet egg strips...
I tried cutting little hot dogs into the shape of a fish.
Right?
Person who mainly ate
Well done, you two.
Proud
Mikako and your grandmother would always make the traditional New Year's food.
Put in spaghetti, too. And gum. Gum, too!
Meowmm!
New Year's food... I see...
They express wishes...
When I look at this nest of boxes...
...it kind of makes me feel like I have to fill them.
And when we do fill it, the sense of achievement is absolutely wonderful.
It was like, "Mission accomplished!" Like, "Wow!" It felt good.
Yahooey!
We did it!
Certainly, it's extremely important to cultivate that energy
from a "sense of achievement" in your everyday life.
I know that. I know that, but...
I know. "Sense of achievement" and "pain in the neck" go hand in hand.
But you get the "sense of achievement" by overcoming that.
Well, thank you for dinner.
I'll come again. Let's have another great year together.
Oh no, it's this late already?
- Hina, would you give Momo a bath? - Okay.
I'll wash the dishes.
And so, Kiriyama...
We're going to use this space, so would you go upstairs?
Use this space?
Yes. This is the first time you've seen it,
but the Kawamoto bath is...
...right here.
Open the living room door and suddenly a bath!
What?
Eeeek!
And no changing room!
Before, we didn't have a tub, so we went to a public bath.
But the family got bigger, so they made this bathroom addition to the yard.
We're all girls, and I'd like to add a changing room,
but if we did that, it would take up more yard space and cost money.
Here
But it's troublesome when a guest comes over.
Sorry, Rei.
Don't look, Rei.
Change of Clothes
Bath towel
No, I apologize!
G-Goodnight...
Goodnight!
Th-Th-That really surprised me.
I-I had no idea...
What an unusual house.
Alright...
I took the medicine...
This string is convenient.
It's kind of strange.
How can I sleep like it's normal at the house of a family I've only known for a little bit?
Why do I feel so at peace when I'm here?
Why did I have a dream about those days?
Why...
I see.
That's what it is.
This old house...
had time, everyone, everything, even me,
all gently embraced together, and then dozed away.
Then I fell asleep.
It was the kind of deep, peaceful sleep that I hadn't had in such a long time.
The New Year
Next Episode Preview
Episode 12
Let's go get it, Kiriyama.
I know this feeling.
How much money am I saving from the food budget?
Momo...
There's a match that I really need to win.
Rei, good luck!
I'm so busy! I can even borrow some cat paws!
I'm just so busy!
I'll do it instead. Please watch the next episode of
Busy, busy, busy!
"March Comes in Like a Lion" meow.