What are you doing?
Were you looking at the moon?
Yeah, kind of.
It's not the supermoon today.
I know.
I didn't realize you make wishes.
I do.
I'm going to go take a bath before you.
Oh, can you hurry up and take those out?
SECONDHAND BOOK FAIR
After school, shoe cupboard, resonating sound of rain
My shirt gets wet as I run out with no umbrella
You’re out of my league
I wish I was the rain... so I could easily feel you
Let me touch you...
One, don’t treat me like a child
Two, it’s even worse to play it off by being nice
I love you （can you hear me?）
I love you
Right now, I can jump over the puddle
After the rain, I caught your eye as a rainbow appeared
You’re so indifferent to romance... That’s why!
Raindrops sparkle against the blue summer sky
Lulu lala I’m in love
After the rain...
Right now, I have no doubts
I need no umbrella
SUDDEN SHOWER
Tachibana!
Sorry for being late.
I'm sorry for asking you out on such short notice.
No worries.
-About today... -About today...
Like I wrote in my message...
Um...
I'm hoping you can recommend some books for me, as my friend.
Sure. I can do that.
At any rate, the weather is great today!
There are quite a lot of stalls out here today.
-Hey, old man! -Oh, hey!
I didn't know you were going to have a stall here.
Yeah. It's a seasonal job.
Seasonal job, huh.
Your store was closed when I was in Takadanobaba the other day.
I thought it went out of business.
I won't let it go out of business. I've grown old, so I don't work during the evenings anymore.
You had me worried.
This is the owner of the secondhand bookshop I used to visit a lot when I was a student.
Oh, hello.
Oh, I didn't know you had a daughter this big.
I really have aged, then.
She's not my daughter.
-She's-- -I'm his friend!
His friend?
That's not important.
So you brought good books, right?
Of course.
I brought tons of good books for book-lovers who can understand their subtle differences.
That's an old postcard that someone actually wrote a long time ago.
That's interesting.
My friend, who owns an antique shop, consigned it to me.
I HAVE READ YOUR LETTER. I'LL BE GOING HOME TONIGHT.
SO I CANNOT MAKE PROMISES FOR TOMORROW.
Yeah. It is simple.
It's quite a letter.
Speaking of which, Tachibana...
Do you know about the world's shortest letter?
No.
-You mean Victor Hugo, right? -Yeah.
He's a French writer.
He was worried about the sales of his book,
so he sent a letter to the publisher that only had a question mark.
The publisher sent back a letter with just an exclamation mark
to tell him that the books were selling well.
In other words,
because Hugo and the publisher had such a close relationship,
one symbol was enough for them to understand each other.
So that is said to be the world's shortest letter.
I'm sure that even within this short letter,
there were many thoughts only the two of them understood.
Wow, sounds like you're still a romantic.
What? Did I sound like a romantic just now?
Come to think of it, you'd probably like the books over there.
Really?
Mr. Kondo, this postcard...
It's no use.
He can't hear anything around him when he's like that.
Oh, looks like he got carried away and wandered off somewhere.
What?
MR. KONDO CALL
KAZA HIGH'S WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD TEAM! NEW MESSAGE
WE'LL BE SENDING OFF THE THIRD YEARS AT THE FAREWELL PARTY TODAY!
THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!
NEW MESSAGE TO: MR. KONDO
The old man's place is better after all.
Oh, damn it! It slipped my mind.
You haven't found him yet?
I think he'll be back soon.
I've been doing this job for a long time,
but there are few people who are as much of a bookworm as he is.
Really?
If I'm not mistaken, he used to write too.
Oh, yeah. He was aiming to become a novelist.
A novelist.
Sorry!
Sorry.
I got carried away. I couldn't help myself.
I'm sorry!
No worries.
I'm sure it happens to everyone.
What a nice daughter.
-Did you find anything good? -What?
Oh, well... It turns out this place has the best selection of books.
So can you make this book a bit cheaper, old man?
-No! -Please! I beg you!
No way.
Come on, old man. Please make it cheaper.
I'm the only person who would buy such a book.
You idiot!
This is the first edition.
How about if I give you an old postcard for free?
That should be good enough for you.
-Okay, I'll buy it then! -Thanks.
You're such a good salesman!
You're such a bookworm!
Tachibana. You can choose a postcard.
What?
It's to thank you, and also to apologize for today.
I'm the only one who's been having fun.
I SHOULD CUT BACK ON CIGARETTES THIS MONTH...
Tachibana, did you find something?
-I choose this one. -What?
That was quick.
It's been on my mind for a while.
LET'S MEET AGAIN WHEN THE SEASON COMES AROUND.
It's a nice letter.
-Did you see the thing from yesterday? -Yeah, I did.
AKIRA HARUKA
Kyan! Hurry up!
Oh, yup!
MOROHOSHI CHIROPRACTIC CLINIC
Do you have any leg problems?
No. Nothing in particular.
-I think your wound has healed. -Yes.
Then we're done with the checkup.
-I'll see you again next time. -Okay.
-Are you off to work after this? -Yes.
You've been doing it for a while. It's at a family restaurant, right?
Yes.
Goodbye for now.
So Akira isn't going to undergo rehab and return to the track and field team after all?
That's what she's saying.
She'd be able to run again if she went through rehab.
It's not just about her physical condition.
It's difficult when she is that uninterested.
WILDCAT HOUSE
Here you go.
Once again, I'd like to introduce our guest today.
The writer, Chihiro Kujo.
Hello.
What exactly do novels mean to you?
That's a difficult question.
I've lived my life with novels.
I've written novels during the good times and also during the hard times.
For me, novels are...
like a lover.
I'm sure that will never change.
Wow, so that must mean you've always had a deep connection with novels.
Well, I hope I can keep on writing things that make you feel that way.
-Today's guest was Chihiro Kujo. -Thank you.
-Thanks for the meal. -Thanks for coming.
Novels are his lovers, huh?
It used to be like that for me too.
Back when I used to think about novels day and night...
and write endlessly.
Oh, no.
Here we go.
But one day...
ENTRANCE CEREMONY
that became a one-sided love.
Even then, I chased it.
I chased it...
and kept on chasing it.
And I hurt the people around me.
Can no one relieve me of this feeling I have for literature?
158 yen is your change.
Thank you.
CAFÉ RESTAURANT GARDEN
-Hello. -Hey.
Mr. Kondo.
Um...I bought this the other day.
The other day?
-Oh, at the secondhand bookfair? -Yes.
Oh, And Then by Soseki.
One of the books from his first trilogy.
I bought it just because of the title.
Did you read it?
Not yet. It's a little too difficult for me.
A bookmark.
Looks like it was used for a long time.
It was there when I bought it.
I'm sure whoever had this read a lot of books.
I should return it to the store, right?
No, you don't need to.
This is included as part of this book.
One might say this is the history of this book itself.
This is one of the best parts of secondhand books.
The design with the clover is nice.
Make sure you take good care of it.
Is this...?
This is a huge discovery!
Look.
It's a swallow!
Yup.
I don't think it's meant to be transparent.
I think the foil peeled off because it was old.
Speaking of swallows, there used to be a swallow's nest by the door.
What? Really?
-But Kubo destroyed it. -What?
Their droppings were terrible.
We had no choice because this place is a restaurant, but I was sad.
Oh, this was after all the young birds left their nest.
There was one bird that had trouble flying,
and it made me anxious, but they all left their nest safely in the end.
If...
that swallow couldn't fly away with the other ones,
what would happen to it?
Even if it couldn't fly away...
there might be some happiness it could find by staying there.
It might even forget about the others.
But, if that swallow didn't fly away
because it gave up trying...
then I'm sure it'd stare up at the sky every day.
Forever and ever.
Just kidding.
Sorry, I should just stop talking.
Oh, here. Thanks for this.
I'm doing the same thing I did at the secondhand bookfair.
I'm the worst person ever.
Mr. Kondo.
I'm glad I got to hear your words.
What? My words?
I'd like to hear your words more,
and one day, I'd like to read your words.
My words?
You make notes for the novel you're going to write in the future, right?
Even though I'm like this?
It's because of who you are.
And...
the swallow that truly gives up on flying...
would likely even forget about looking up at the sky.
The swallow knows that...
any place where you won't get wet from the rain...
will also have no sunlight.
I'm sure I'll like the novels you'll write.
I want to be forgiven. That would be an overstatement.
But I've always wanted someone to tell me that...
that's okay.
Thanks.
Raining One summer afternoon in a rain shower
Under the umbrella Kissing
I kissed gently on your wet cheek
I’m still longing for that season
I’m so distracted that I keep daydreaming
Nothing but you’re the part of me
It’s still not enough It still hasn’t gone away
Innocence of our stacked hands
What a good thing we lose?
What a bad thing we knew
In the rain, I get soaked in those phrases
It’s just not enough
I still can’t say goodbye To the days I dreamed of counting down
What a good thing we lose?
What a bad thing we knew
If I hadn’t touched you, would I be smiling？