Taniguchi-sama In regards to effectuating our date, I am available on November 16 (Sunday). Thank you for your consideration. Yabushita
Do you have your handkerchief and tissue?
Cut out that.
Do you know how to take the train? The ticket gates are automated now.
They always have been.
- I'm going. - Have a good time.
Yabushita-sama Then let's go on a date on the 16th. Taniguchi
Sorry to keep you waiting!
- Sorry. - You're late.
Shall we go?
How about Yamashita Park at around 12 o'clock? Taniguchi
Hi.
You're late.
By around 12 o'clock, can I assume you mean 12:00? Also, whereabouts in Yamashita Park? Yabushita
How about by the fountain at Yamashita Park at 12:00? Taniguchi
Then as a rough guide, let's say within 1.5 meter radius of the fountain.
Also, since we're meeting each other for the first time, I think we should wear something so that we can recognize each other.
Yabushita.
I've seen your picture too, so I should be able to recognize you. Taniguchi
I'll be wearing a flower~. Yabushita.
Are you Taniguchi-san?
Ah...yes.
That's what I thought.
I'm Yabushita Yoriko.
I'm Taniguchi Takumi...
I was speculating that you might be Taniguchi-san, but
being that you were standing 3 meters from the fountain,
I hesitated. However,
if this individual is at this location and he looks like the person in the picture,
I figured I could safely assume that you are Taniguchi-san, and so I called out to you.
- I see... - I'm looking forward to our first date today.
I'm looking forward to it too.
"When I'm sad, I go look at the sea."
"When I'm all alone at night, I go look at the sea too."
Pardon me?
- It's a piece of poetry from Terayama Shuji. - And so?
- It's a verse I like... - And so?
- I'm reminded of it when I see the sea. - And so?
- That's all. - I see. About the schedule today,
I'd like to leave it all up to you.
There are three reasons. The fact that normally,
the general rule is for men to take the lead when on a date.
The fact that Taniguchi-san was born and raised in Yokohama.
The fact that I also work in Yokohama, however,
I was assigned here only 6 months ago and I'm not familiar with the area yet.
That's it. Is that all right with you? - Ah...yes.
Oh, tentatively, I've made plans to have lunch
and then take the sightseeing boat from Osanbashi.
Sightseeing boat after lunch. Got it.
Is there something you'd like to eat, or something that you don't like?
I always have soba for lunch on Sundays.
However, since we're on a date today,
I'm prepared to be flexible.
- Do you like pizza? - Yes.
We'll have to walk a bit, but will you be all right?
That would depend on the distance. When I participated in a walk meet in high school,
I walked 65 km, but I'm not sure if I can go any further.
- It's a few hundred meters. - That should be fine then.
It's that way.
It should be around here.
J-just a minute.
That's right, she went on a date.
I imagine she's having fun right around now. She'll be fine. There's nothing to worry about.
She's a grown woman after all.
She just went on a date like everyone else.
Like everyone else.
Will she be all right?
Is that right? So he did go!
I'm glad to hear that. Huh? Yeah.
Oba-san, don't worry. He just went on a casual date.
Yeah. Okay. I'll be over later. Okay, see you then.
Hey! His mom said he went.
- Really~. He went, huh? - He sure did. Dates are fun, after all.
For normal people, that is.
I suppose so. God only knows what's gonna happen.
- What a terrible friend. - No, no...I wish him luck in the battlefield.
Therefore, my family consists solely of my father and myself.
After my mother passed away, it's been just the two of us,
so I do worry about my father. However,
now that I'm a civil servant, I decided that it was my duty to move into government quarters
and be prepared to rush over to the front line at a moment's notice.
Therefore, I started living on my own.
My father works for the Itabashi Ward Office.
That's about it for my family.
What about you, Taniguchi-san?
M-my father has passed away,
- and it's just my mother and me. - Next, my background.
After doing research to solve the millennium problems at Tokyo University
Graduate School, Department of Mathematical Sciences,
I went to work for the Cabinet Office, Economic Research Institute.
Currently, I'm working on a research at the Yokohama Laboratory on the application of a mathematical model
in regards to citizen's alliance method as seen from the commercial type real estate value
as it relates to public facilities of local municipalities.
I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds amazing.
No, it's not. I will have to work on something that's much more valuable.
- I see you're a genuine rikejo (woman in the science field). - Rikejo
is a word I dislike.
- I'm sorry. - It's a discriminatory term.
Is it a discriminatory term?
You don't call men in the science field "rikedan", do you?
- I suppose... - Female police officer, female writer, female teacher, female doctor...
Why does the fact that they're women have to be emphasized?
It shouldn't make a difference in professions whether they're male or female.
But rikejo is what one might call a friendly term of endearment...
No, it's a term of ridicule.
Women in the science field are labeled as if
they're a particular species of life.
Inflexible oddballs who are argumentative and study all the time.
Those are all erroneous preconceptions.
I'm sorry.
Taniguchi-san, you work for a publishing firm, right?
Huh? Oh...yes.
Uh, we handle various genres such as art and history...
In regards to my health condition,
I passed my annual physical checkup with flying colors.
I haven't had any major illnesses in the past, but
if I had to name one, I'd say stiffness in the shoulder.
Well, I'm in good health as well.
Is your reproductive capability normal?
Your reproductive capability.
I realize I'm asking a rather bold question, however,
I believe it's an important matter that should be discussed.
Well, yes... I'm getting by.
Even if you have erectile dysfunction,
modern medicine has made much progress.
As long you you have healthy sperms, it shouldn't be a problem.
I think they're healthy.
I'm glad to hear that you have healthy sperms.
Excuse me. Here's your order.
It looks delicious with all this cheese. Please,
help yourself.
It's rich and delicious.
That will be 3,880 yen.
- That's 1,940 yen each, right? - Oh, let me...
Then I'll hand you 1,940 yen.
I mean, please let me treat you here.
I can't possibly let someone I just met treat me.
But I'll pay here.
I decline. One moment please.
It doesn't have to be exact.
I have it.
Thank you.
That was good, wasn't it?
It was a refreshing experience to have pizza on a Sunday afternoon.
Oh...is, is that right?
Next is the sightseeing boat, but
since it's approximately an 8-minute walk from here to Osanbashi,
if we head there now, we will have 25 minutes to spare until departure time.
If you're okay with that, let's go.
Then shall we take a walk around here?
Around here meaning where?
Oh...nowhere in particular. Wherever our feet takes us.
Wherever our feet takes us...
Sh-shall we go take a look at Chinatown?
We're going to take a look at Chinatown, right? That will be fine.
Do you want to look some more?
Chinatown. Do you want to look some more?
Ex-excuse me while I go to the restroom.
- Shook her off. - There you are.
Taniguchi-san, the restroom isn't this way.
Oh, I see. It's that way.
I'll come with you.
It's over here.
- What's up? - It's bad.
Hang in there.
She's beyond my expectation.
- Like she was actually a man? - No, not that.
- Like suddenly linking arms with me. - What's wrong with that? She's just aggressive.
- She has flowers on her head. - How cute is that, huh?
It's not the kind you're thinking about.
Now that I think about it, the text of her e-mail was rather strange.
And her emoji was cryptic too. Anyway, she's no ordinary person.
- What is she then? - She's, how should I say...
Yes, she's what you call a painful woman.
She's a painful woman without a doubt!
Yes, it's going extremely well.
That's not true.
It can't be helped if we can't get the conversation going at first.
He won't look at me in the eyes? Men with humanities background are like that.
Excuse me? What are you saying? He's normal. He's your average normal...
Anyway, he's perfectly normal.
He's definitely not a painful man.
6 months before The Date
Chief, I'm done with it.
Do you have anything else for me?
Then perhaps you can work on the past 3 years' data as well.
I'm already done with the past 5 years. Anything else?
- How was the goukon yesterday? - It was the pits.
- A friend of my ex-boyfriend was there. - You're kidding.
And Maria that Chika brought. Wasn't she annoying?
She was. She's obviously the type who goes after men.
How annoying~.
[TV] The term herbivorous was popular a little while ago, but
but recently, there are more and more
passive men and women when it comes to romance. However, this isn't simply
a matter of opportunity for marriage fading away.
In recent years, there have been an increase in violent crimes caused by troubled romantic relationships.
If people have plenty of experience in normal relationship,
they may not have resorted to these crimes...
- Marriage? - I mean, um....
there's no special meaning behind it, but
uh.....
since you're already 29...
you know, Asaoka-san's daughter, and
- Hiromi-chan is in Kisarazu too... - Father.
If you're an individual who believes that marriage is what makes women happy,
I'm disappointed in you.
In modern times, a woman's self-fulfillment
isn't realized simply by getting married and becoming a housewife.
I know, I know.
But it's not like you don't have the desire to get married, right?
You have a point there. I do want to contribute to reversing
the declining birth rate and putting a stop to the declining GDP.
There's this very nice young man I know.
What do you think about having dinner with him sometime...
Will that be a marriage meeting?
No, no. It's nothing formal like that.
If you don't feel up to it, it's okay.
- That's fine with me. - Really?
5 months to go until The Date
Sorry for dropping in suddenly.
It was time for me to have mate tea and relax anyway.
Oh, yeah. That's right.
About Yamashita-kun with the National Police Agency who I had you meet the other day.
He said he has to learn his job right now and
don't have time to think about dating or marriage.
Father, there's a good chance that's a lie.
- A lie? - When people want to decline marriage meetings,
I hear they often declare a fictitious reason so that the other party would not be hurt.
- Is that right? - Maybe it's because
at our meeting, I had them remove all the sushi topping
and was just eating the rice and ginger.
Perhaps he got the wrong idea that I was an extremely picky eater and got disgusted with me.
- Oh, I see. But you like fish. - It was Tuesday.
Oh, that's right!
I completely forgot that you only eat vegetables on Tuesdays.
I'm sorry I arranged the meeting at a sushi shop.
That's okay. I'm not thinking about marriage yet either.
4 months to go until The Date
Sorry. I forgot it was time for your exercise.
You know that Ohtsuka-kun I had you meet the other day.
He's a junior high math teacher so I thought you'd have lots in common, but
apparently, he has some family circumstances... I don't think that's a lie.
I was just thinking about declining as well.
I can't believe that he's a math teacher.
- Really? - He was debating seriously whether
the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter should be taught as "3"
- or "3.14" in elementary school. What an idiot. - Idiot?
The circumference of a circle to its diameter is neither 3 nor 3.14. It's pi.
- Pi... - Marriage can wait for a while.
Okay.
3 months to go until The Date
For some kind of religious reason, Murai-kun...
I'm not in a rush to get married.
That aside, Father, what is this?
You asked me to pick it up since I was coming, so I stopped by the supermarket...
This is beef.
You have beef curry for dinner on Mondays, right?
That's dinner for the first Monday of the month. The third Monday is chicken curry.
Oh, that's right. For today, use the beef...
You're gonna go buy chicken, huh? Be careful out there!
2 months to go until The Date
You're lucky you don't get old.
Look at me. My eyesight's failing, my back's killing me...
It's making me want to go to your side.
I'm just kidding.
I haven't fulfilled my promise with you.
To find her a good partner.
Leave it to me.
I'll think of it as my last job and do my best.
I'll make sure she has a wonderful marriage.
I want her to experience it too.
The joy of sharing your life with your loved one.
Like you and me.
I want that for her too.
It might be impossible though...
1 month to go until The Date
If last night's tonkatsu is okay, there's some left over.
I don't know about tonkatsu in the morning.
It's noon~.
Oh, they're having a Munakata Shiko (woodblock artist) Exhibit in Ginza.
- That's an interesting point of view. - You'd never go to Ginza, would you?
Capote is someone to be reckoned with.
The image of women depicted by Dazai (writer) has to be maternal.
Tsuge Yoshiharu (cartoonist and essayist) is always compelling.
Digitally remastered Catherine Deneuve
is sure beautiful.
Giraffe with heart shaped spots.
Elephant with a short nose. It can be anything.
Use your imagination and come up with a new animal.
Tomoki-kun, that's good.
Mom, I'm sorry, but
can you keep it down a little?
I'm trying to re-watch "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg"!
Use your headphones!
You know I don't like to use headphones...
Hey. Long time no see.
Kaori-chan decided to do her painting here again.
They raised the apartment rent again.
Pissed me off so I moved out and moved back home.
There's no studio there, so here I am from today.
The shopping center's having a festival soon. Come on out for a change.
My brother's in charge of it.
You witnessed a rare character. Is he still the same?
I feel so bad for Rumi-san.
- I wonder how Oba-san feels about it. - I think she's more or less resigned herself to it.
She's probably trying not to think about it.
Why don't you do something about it? Newly appointed Chairman of the Neighborhood Association.
I don't know how many times I've told him he can work here. But
"I'm not suited for a thing like physical labor," he said.
"A thing like," he said. "A thing like."
Even so, you're gonna quit on him?
How petty can you be.
- Petty? - You're his childhood friend!
Let's rock it, man! Rock!
Petty...
2 weeks to go until The Date
Long time no see.
- I got something to tell you. Let me in! - No.
This is sacred grounds. Not anyone can come in.
What a pain.
A friend of mine works for a dating service.
- I had him choose a few suitable partners. - For who?
- For you. - I didn't apply.
- I did... - Don't come in here.
I thought about dragging you out to goukon (group date),
but this is more approachable for you.
There's no way he can get married.
- He's a NEET. - I'm an educated idler, not NEET!
Yes, yes. Educated idler you are.
For your job, I wrote down that you work for a publishing company.
No one would want to meet a NEET.
I told you, I'm an educated idler.
Takumi! Your problem is that
you keep hanging out in your fictitious world and can't establish interpersonal relationship in the real world.
- Exactly. - Try going out with a woman.
- Your life's bound to change. - That's impossible.
He's never actually dated anyone.
Are you serious? That's abnormal.
I have high expectations.
What's your ideal woman like?
Someone you get by adding Hepburn, Hara Setsuko (actress), Mine Fujiko, and Maetel (manga characters)
- and dividing by 4... - That's what I'm saying is abnormal!
Take a look at real women!
I decided to carry on the family business when I met my wife.
There were lots of guys around me who were bumming around or doing stupid things.
But guess what. They all changed when they found a girlfriend
or started a family.
Man can persevere when he finds the woman he loves.
It may not lead to marriage.
But go out and meet a woman. Fall in love.
You'll see a different scenery.
The door to success in life,
- knock on it. - Shut up, you plastic rocker!
Look who's calling someone plastic!
All right, fine! You just stay in that shell of yours!
What's for side dish today? Will it be Mine Fujiko or Maetel?
Don't talk about Maetel like that!
To hell with you! Jackass!
Thanks for the food!
What are you saying to the only friend who hasn't quit on you yet. Jackass.
Mom?
I just felt a little sick, that's all.
- Are you all right? - Yes, I'm fine.
It's probably just menopause.
Why don't you go get tested again?
You'd be in trouble if I die, huh?
I think I should just go.
When I'm gone,
you'll have to live on your own whether you like it not.
That'll show you.
There's nothing to inherit, mind you, Sir Educated Idler.
Profession National Government Employee
Highest Education Graduate School
National Government Employee
1 week to go until The Date
Oh, you're here.
This is my daughter Yoriko. Yoriko, this is Washio-kun.
Pardon me for showing up suddenly. I'm Washio Yutaka.
I work in sales for a sporting goods company.
Your father's been working out with me at the same dojo.
And boy, is he strong... Even from long distance,
he attacks aggressively.
Yoriko used to do it too when she was little.
Anyway, sit down, sit down.
What's wrong, Yoriko? Have a seat. You must be hungry.
Father, I'm grateful that you've been going out of your way to arrange for my marriage.
But there's no need to do this anymore.
The truth is, I'm already dating someone.
- What?! - I'm sorry, Washio-san.
Oh, that's okay.
What kind of a person is he?
He works for a publishing company. Taniguchi Takumi-san.
Father, I can manage to find my own dating partner by myself.
There's no need for you to worry, Father.
- What's this piece of paper? - Looks like data from a dating service.
- Did you join a dating service? - Of course,
I considered the men around my workplace as well.
However, of the 6 men that I wouldn't have minded dating,
3 already had girlfriends, and
- 2 were married. - What about the other one?
He's going back to Nepal soon.
Consequently, I decided to utilize a system
that searches for a compatible partner from a broader range.
- And you found this man? - Love at first sight.
- Love at first sight? You? - I'm surprised myself.
It might be the first time I'm experiencing something like this.
Has he taken a liking to you too?
That is what I'm interpreting from the text of his e-mail.
- E-mail? - You are seeing him, though, right?
At this point in time, we haven't met yet.
You haven't met yet, but you fell in love at first sight?
After going through his data, my intuition told me he was the man.
I'm not sure if you can call that love at first time.
What is it then?
I mean...love is something that's more,
- how should I say... - In any case,
I don't think you can call that dating.
I know. We will be conducting our first date next week.
My plan is to confirm each other's feelings at that time and then proceed to date officially.
- Will everything go according to your plan? - Effort is the key to everything.
Of course, I don't know if this will lead to marriage.
But you know very well that I'm a person who spares no effort.
That being said, Washio-san, please give up any thoughts about me.
I'm sorry. If you'll excuse me.
I'm sorry, Washio-kun. Please don't be offended.
I'm not offended.
I just can't keep up with this development.
3 days to go until The Date
That's right, I'm going on a date. Is there a reason I shouldn't?
Excuse me? This has nothing to do with you.
I'm saying this out of concern for you.
Mind your own business.
Even though you've never once had a date that went well?
Don't you remember my classmate in junior high, Uno Koichiro?
We walked home from school together at least twice a week.
That's not called a date.
When I was in high school, I went to see a movie twice with Kato Hiroaki and
with Mitsui Kenya, who I met through volunteer activities,
I did cleanup activity a total of 6 times. In regards to my college days,
I spent countless nights at the lab with Shimizu Kensuke
trying to solve the problem of P vs NP.
- None of them can be considered a date. - That depends on your definition of a date.
Listen. Men can be scared away just by the fact that you're a woman in the math and science field.
- You were in the math and science field too. - But I had skills.
Here's an advice. Get him to kiss you.
Exchanging bacteria is good for your health too.
It's our first date. That's too hasty.
But I guess that's too much to ask of you anyway.
You're unsuitable for a love relationship.
Duck face?
Women's Mannerisms that Men Like
In the meantime
- Aniki (brother)! - Huh?
He's appeared outside...
Can I come in?
Since this ain't no sacred grounds, huh?
I tried e-mailing her.
And?
We decided to go on a date.
- This is the pits. - Why is it the pits! That's great!
I didn't think...things would progress so rapidly...
That's the way to go! Do you know how to date properly?
- Did you make any plans? - I thought we'd have tantanmen at Horaiken
so I looked it up on the web, but it didn't come up.
They went out of business 12 years ago.
Old man Yoshimura's coffee shop didn't come up either.
He's been long dead.
- Is that true? - Takumi-kun,
how long have you been away from the downtown area?
10 years... or more?
But you picked quite a gem here.
A Todai graduate who's also a National Government worker.
What's more, as far as I can tell from this picture, she's quite pretty!
From what I can gather from her background,
she's a square who only studied all this time.
I guessed that she probably doesn't have much experience going out with men.
That's being optimistic. Women in science field are popular with men.
- They're surrounded by men all the time. - I-is that right?
What's more, with her looks, she would've stood out quite a bit.
- I bet she's led a life being sought after by boys. - Darn it...
My guess is that she's done playing with the boys
and now, she joined the dating service
in search of a more down-to-earth partner.
Oh my God. Maybe I should make a change.
It's too late now. You'll have to go through it.
Listen. Just make sure you have plenty of topics on hand.
- So that you can keep the conversation flowing. - Topics...
- Better stay away from anime related topics. - Yeah.
Maybe I'll recite Terayama Shuji's poetry about the sea. It's one of my favorites.
"When I'm sad, I go look at the sea."
"When I'm alone at night, I go look at the sea too."
Good idea. I like that poetry too.
The last thing you need is a line with an oomph to win her heart.
You watch movies like they're going out of style. Can't you think of a good line?
The line that pops into my mind
is from Richard Gere's "American Gigolo."
A man who's been with all kinds of women
finally realizes who he loves the most and says,
"It was you."
"You're the one I was searching for."
Isn't that kinda cheesy?
I think it's great. It's a turn on.
It won't be Richard Gere, you know. It's this guy who's gonna be saying that.
It'll be embarrassing for her too.
She may be embarrassed, but she'll like it. Takumi, let's go with that.
Yeah, but I'm not so sure.
- Have confidence! - But that's not one of Paul Schrader's
critically acclaimed works, you know.
Who gives a shit about that!
That line goes straight to the heart.
- Let it lead up to a kiss. - K-kiss?
- It's their first date, you know. - If it was me, I would.
Takumi-kun, don't push yourself too hard. Take it easy and have a normal date.
Just go get something to eat, go on a sightseeing boat,
get her to agree to meet again, and part casually.
If you can do that, you can consider it a big success.
- Okay. - If circumstances permit, kiss her.
I told you to knock that off.
The day of The Date
It was you. You're the one I was searching for.
Just a little will do...
Thanks.
- Do you have your handkerchief and tissue? - Cut that out.
I'm looking forward to our first date.
I'm looking forward to it too.
She's how do I say... Yes, that's a painful woman.
The Present
She's a painful woman without a doubt!
She, like, puckers her lips and
glares at me with this frightening look.
Over and over and over again!
- What's that supposed to be? - I don't know!
Anyway, she's scary as heck.
- For today, I'm going home from here - Going home?
I didn't realize that this thing called date was such a pain.
- I'm gonna shake her off right now and go home! - Shake her off?
- You've got to be kidding! - I'm not kidding.
- I shouldn't have come after all. - Hey.
What the hell are you talking about?
There's no way you can run away if you're human.
That girl isn't a painful woman. It's all in your mind.
- Could it be all in my mind... - Takumi-kun,
you haven't known any real-life woman for a long time. That's why you feel like that.
She's a perfectly normal girl you see anywhere these days!
Are normal girls these days like that?
Absolutely. The painful one is you. You're the painful man!
- Isn't that right, Aniki? - Oh...yeah, that's right!
The fact that she's not on the same page as you
means that she's normal!
But I can't take it anymore.
Just coming into town is stretching my limit.
Anyway, just stick it out until the end for today.
Even if you're not having fun, pretend that you are! That's etiquette.
Look, it's been a while since you were on the sightseeing boat, right?
I'm sure you'll have fun.
I won't have any fun on no boat. I'm not a kid.
It's a matter of enduring it for an hour and a half. Do it. You got that?
Just pretend I'm having fun, right?
The world is a stage, after all. People are all actors.
"To be alive"
"Ah, what an intolerable
great undertaking that leaves you gasping."
By Dazai Osamu.
I bet you want to go home already. It's too agonizing.
That's not true. I'm enjoying myself.
He's definitely a painful man.
I told you, that's not so.
Think about it.
Why he is still single and looking for a partner through a dating service
when he has all those favorable qualifications?
He probably just didn't have the chance. It's a normal occurrence.
He might be a homosexual.
No, a homosexual is perfectly fine.
Perhaps he's a pervert with aberrant sexual propensity.
Stop that.
What I'm thinking is what you're thinking too.
Isn't that right?
Just shake him off and run away.
There's no way I can do that.
Anyway, all we have left is the sightseeing boat.
I just have to endure it for 90 minutes.
See? You're thinking it's a pain.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
Shall we go?
Being on a boat feels nice.
The breeze off the sea soothes one's heart.
That's probably because the breeze contains
sulfuric compound given off by planktons.
This is the first time I've seen the Bay Bridge so close up.
I like the Bay Bridge too.
At dusk, it's so lyrical it almost makes you sad.
At night, it's fascinating and bewitching.
The setup for the center of gravity is rational for a cable stayed bridge,
and it's brilliant how they kept the construction cost down by utilizing multi-pile foundation.
Taniguchi-san.
Actually, there's something that's been on my mind. May I ask you a question?
Yes. What is it?
Are you a homosexual?
If you are, please come out and say it.
I'm open-minded.
I don't think I have that inclination.
Then are you a pervert?
If you have any special sexual preference, for example,
sadism, masochism, exhibitionism, swapping...
- W-w-wait a minute. - Please come out and say it.
I'm open-minded. I'm prepared to
do what I can to take care of your needs.
Are you saying that
I appear that way to you?
Not at all. However,
why someone like you is still single,
and moreover, looking for a partner through a dating service,
that's what I was wondering.
Do you have some kind of a special circumstance?
Ya...Yabushita-san.
It was you.
You're the one I've been searching for.
- Pardon me? - It's nothing.
- Were you looking for me? - No...
- Since when? Why? - Please forget it.
Did you mean to say that the ideal woman
you've been searching for is me?
Well...
yes.
Thank you.
Shall we kiss?
- K-kiss? - If you don't mind, that is.
It's not that I mind, but...
If circumstances permit, kiss her.
- Shall we? - Yes.
Washio-san?
Don't you ever lay a finger on Yoriko-san again!
What are you?
Wait a minute!
I told you to keep your hands off her!
What are you doing, bastard!
- I'm gonna die! - Hey!
Grab my hand! Hurry!
May Day! May Day!
May Day~!
Maybe I shouldn't have asked Washio-kun to do that after all.
But he's the one who offered.
Do you think Oba-san will be disappointed?
Rumi-san might not have expected it to go well from the beginning.
Oh well, as long as he comes back alive, huh?
That's right. My son had the nerve to go on a date even though he's a NEET.
Isn't he an idiot?
NEET on a date.
We're very sorry for causing you trouble.
Were you following us all this time?
Your father was so very worried.
That you were being deceived by a strange man.
But I'm glad I came.
- Our concern was right on the mark. - Wait a minute.
What did I ever do?
You're deceiving Yoriko-san, aren't you?
Yoriko-san, this man's deceiving you.
He doesn't have any intention to date you seriously.
- That's not... - I heard you talking on your cell phone.
He was saying...
She's a painful woman. I didn't realize that this thing called date was such a pain.
I'm gonna shake her off right now and go home!
You said that, didn't you!
But you pretended like you were interested in her and tried to kiss her.
There's only one reason! You were after her body!
Don't toy with Yoriko-san's feelings!
I apologize for putting you in a dangerous position.
But I don't think what I did was wrong!
You're a jerk!
Well, at any rate,
I'm glad it didn't lead to a major accident.
Please be careful from now on.
I'm sorry.
Yoriko-san, let's go.
W-w-wait, please.
Believe me, I'm in no way after her body.
- I wanted to date her seriously... - I've had enough of you.
I can turn you in to the police, you know.
Why do I have to get turned in to the...
You're a habitual offender anyway, aren't you!
- Habitual offender? - I bet you've been using the dating service,
messing around with lots of women and then dumping them!
Don't overestimate me!
How do you expect me to do that! When I've never even had a real date with anyone!
- What? - It's nothing.
You never dated anyone?
It's probably better than getting accused of being a fraudulent pickup artist.
Yes, that's right!
In 35 years of my life since I was born,
I've never dated any women!
- Not even once? - No! Anything wrong with that?!
- No... - What an obvious lie.
- It's not a lie! - Then you must be a pervert after all...
No, I'm not!
Since I'm in this situation anyway, I'll be honest with everything, okay?
I like the world of things like novels and movies and manga and anime.
I don't have much interest in real-life women.
I'm not good with interacting with people!
- Then why are you on a date? - My friend
told me that my life will change if I go out with a woman.
He practically forced me to...
But it didn't work out after all.
Dating was unbearably agonizing...
Yabushita-san...
It's true that I called you a painful woman.
I apologize for that.
I'm sorry.
As you can see, the real painful one is is me.
I'm the painful man.
I'm sorry for making you go out with someone like me.
Okay, I understand your circumstances, but
the fact is, you pretended to like her when you really didn't, right?
You're fundamentally mistaken.
You step into a relationship because you like her. You go on a date because you like her.
If that's not the case, you're disrespecting her.
Well, things happen, but
this is a good experience too.
Now then, thank you for coming aboard today.
- Have a safe trip home. - Let's go.
Taniguchi-san, there's no need for you to apologize. I'm the same way.
It's about time...
I don't have any feelings for you either.
Actually, I thought I liked you at first.
When I first saw your data among numerous other men's data,
my heart beat faster for some reason.
Ah, this must be what's called love at first sight, I thought.
But now that I've met you, my heart feels absolutely nothing.
It's very clear now.
I was infatuated with your data.
Data?
Look.
Born 1979-7-23.
181cm 67kg.
- All my favorite numbers! - Numbers?
They're all prime numbers!
To have so many prime number line up like this is a miracle.
It's as if the truth of the universe is hidden in there and it's so exciting!
I'm always like this.
I can't get interested in real human beings.
I'm a painful woman too.
I was pretending to be having fun and was acting excited, but
I knew it wouldn't work out.
I just don't understand what's so enjoyable about dating.
You're absolutely right.
I can't believe how everyone else can do this so casually.
All right, thank you for coming onboard.
- We have to get ready for the next departure. - Yoriko-san, you'll be fine.
Some day, you'll meet a wonderful man
- and fall in love. - Do you think so?
- The idea of falling in love doesn't appeal to me at all. - I feel the same way.
It's important to have a romantic relationship. You can grow as a person too.
If I don't, will I turn to violent crimes?
- That's what the sociologist was saying. - Ha!
I can't believe there are people going around saying such nonsense.
That's a complete lie. It's totally irrelevant.
- I know, right? - Of course.
You won't grow at all by having a romantic relationship.
To the contrary, I believe folks who
obsess over such things have a lower mental capacity.
I agree. Goukon this, ex-boyfriend that.
Don't they have anything better to talk about?
- They're a bunch of scumbags. - There are much more important things in life.
Exactly. If I have the time to go out with
an uneducated dumb woman, it's far more productive to
- read a book or two. - Time spent going out with
an immature dumb man is nothing more than a waste of valuable time.
That time should be spent on something with a higher value.
Hold it! It's not a matter of high or low value.
Being in love is a wonderful thing and...
Here it comes, here it comes.
- What? - You probably grew up watching nothing but
trashy TV dramas and movies geared towards kids.
You're a classic example of what happens
when you're corrupted by today's frivolous culture.
- Watch what you say! - Yabushita-san,
The really painful people aren't us. It's people like him.
- Did I say anything that was wrong! - This thing called love
is merely an expression used to romanticize sexual desire.
- That's what Akutagawa Ryunosuke said too! - If you don't fall in love
- you can't get married either! - Originally, love and marriage
were two separate things. In the old days, it was normal for families to
find the spouse. It wasn't unusual for the husband and wife
to meet for the first time on the day of their wedding.
That happened during unhappy times!
It isn't right that you can't choose your own partner!
I don't know about that.
Back in those days, divorce rate was probably much lower than now.
There are various reasons for that...
As love marriage increased, the percentage of unmarried people and divorce increased,
and birth rate is on the decline. How do you explain this reality?
That's because...
- Excuse me, it's almost time for the next... - Captain, are you married?
We were passionately in love when we got married.
That's wonderful.
But we got divorced 2 years ago. Goddammit~.
The French philosopher Montaigne said,
"Marriage brought about from looks or passion is more likely to fail."
"The rush of rapture serves no purpose whatsoever."
I can relate to that. I've always thought that
marriage was simply a contract for two people to
live together for their benefit.
That's the truth. That's precisely what the French philosophers Sartre and Beauvoir advocated.
- I'm not mistaken, am I? - You're not mistaken.
A romantic relationship is utterly useless.
Marriage is a contract.
I believe I'm better than anyone else when it comes to
complying with explicit rules in the contract.
Marvelous.
To the contrary, people like you and me who aren't swayed by silly romantic notions
can be said to be most suited for marriage.
Huh? What? Wait a minute.
Let's chill out, Yoriko-san.
- You don't like each other, right? - I don't like him.
I don't like her either.
Height and weight may fluctuate, so they may not necessarily turn out to be prime numbers.
Viewed in that light, I can only see you as an individual who has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
My ideal woman is someone you get by adding Hepburn, Hara Setsuko, Mine Fujiko, and Maetel
and dividing by 4, but you're not even close to any of them!
Obviously, I don't like you. I don't like you either.
- I know, right? - But I think marriage is possible.
- Quite possible. - How can it be possible if there's no love?
It's irrational to plan your life based on an unknown variable
called love that can't be quantified. In that respect, Taniguchi-san and I can
do away with our feelings and enter into a practical contract.
- We might be the best match. - No, no, no. This isn't right.
- Shall we try entering a contract? - I am ready.
Hold it, hold it, hold it! You're kidding, right?
The problem is whether we can come up with terms of the contract
- that we can both agree on. - I think we can work it out.
- Effort is the key to everything. - That's right.
- Are you really getting married? - Now then, from hereafter,
we will proceed to hold discussions leading to marriage.
- Let's move forward with that. - This is definitely wrong!
- You don't like each other, right? - You're sure an annoying guy!
I told you it doesn't matter whether we like each other or not!
- This isn't right, is it? - Will you guys just leave!
Please!
Finally, a woman like you appeared in Japan. That's how I feel.
If everyone thought like we do,
the problem of low marriage rate and low birth rate in our country could possibly be resolved.
That indeed would make us an advanced nation.
From now on, let's stop pretending to be someone we're not.
- Yes. - As much as possible, let's say what we really feel.
Then let me start right away. That flower on your head looks very weird.
I think it might be something you put on your chest.
- I thought that might be the case. - You have too much blush on,
and you'd better get rid of your habit of glaring at people.
- I don't glare at people. - Yes you do.
You're not aware of it, huh?
Speak for yourself. I think you should
look at the other person's eyes when you talk to people.
Also, I'll tell you just in case.
Adding people and dividing by 4 is probably impossible.
- I know. - Fine, then.
Let's get our opinions like that reflected in the terms of the contract too.
Shall we stop by somewhere and talk some more?
Bath time is approaching. I'm heading home.
- Then let's at least decide on our next meeting... - I'll e-mail you.
Good bye.
I still can't keep up with this development...
- Save some meat for Takumi too. - Aren't you taking too much?
- Don't hold back. Eat up. - Do we look like we're holding back?
He's home.
Let's console him cheerfully.
- I'm back. - Hi. How did it go?
We decided to get married.
Oh, yeah? That's too bad.
You can't expect things to go well from the start.
You did well just sticking with the date until the end.
What?
The first date ended without any trouble.
It was time well spent.
As a result, we came to an agreement to continue discussions for our marriage.
You've already gone that far?
So Father, there's no need for you to worry about me anymore.
If that's what you decided, there's nothing for me to say.
I'm glad. I'm happy that you found someone you like.
No, it's not that I like him.
I don't like him but I'm marrying him.
Or maybe I should say it's precisely because I don't like him that I'm marrying him.
What are you talking about?
There isn't enough time to explain the situation
in order for you to comprehend.
I'm hanging up for today. Good night.
Huh? Yori...
- Seriously? - Yeah.
Mom, I'm sorry for being a burden until now.
From now on, I'll try not to trouble you as much as possible.
Takumi...
See? I told you!
A man can change when he falls in love!
- It's not that I fell in love with her. - No need to be embarrassed!
- You wanna work at my place? - No.
- Do you have leads for a job? - Who said I was working.
I found someone else I can leech off.
- What? - Leech off?
I'm getting married so that I can leech off her instead of Mom.
She's a National Government worker, so she has a good benefits package.
It won't go bankrupt.
She's the ideal host for a leecher.
I won't have to work.
- You're a hardcore NEET. - I'm an educated idler.
Will things work out that well?
You don't want to see things going well for me?
It's just that I can't believe it.
Anyway, just wait and see. I'll prove to you that I can get married too.
By the way, Mother, do I have a habit of glaring at people?
I don't, right?
In your mind, you're always glaring.
126 days until Yoriko's birthday