Arima-sensei, why do you want to perform at the Culture Festival?
I've got this horrible friend.
And since she's feeling so sorry for herself...
I want to punch her, just once.
That's when I got the feeling.
That something might change.
Let's go.
Okay.
Nagi!
Wow!
She's a cute kid.
Arima!
Huh? No way!
That boy!
It's Kousei Arima!
With Aiza's little sister?
Isn't he her big brother's rival?
But didn't he retire?
Elohim, Essaim... Elohim, Essaim... I implore you...
What's that?
Hey, who knows?
Okay, good. Couldn't have gotten off to a better start!
Nagi...
You've got to be kidding me. In the short time that I hadn't seen her...
She's gotten incredibly good!
Nagi... good luck!
I was all stiff from nerves,
but my fingers are moving.
I can hear both my own playing, and Arima-sensei's playing, too.
All that practice didn't lie.
I can't concentrate.
I can still hear the sound of the piano.
It's in my way.
You're in my way, so...
Get out of here!
Just now... the sound...
The sound... changed?
Kousei...
What are you doing? What are you thinking?
You're supposed to be supporting me...
So why are you dumping all this pressure on me?
Liar! Fraud! Moron! This is totally different from the way we practiced!
Both the rhythm, and this aching sense of atmosphere...
Every last thing!
This is Kousei Arima, pianist!
The tempo's starting to take off.
He's playing the bass, but he's starting to consume the melody.
What are you going to do, Nagi?
Are you going to let Kousei have his way with you?
Come on, settle it!
Bring it!
Nagi!
She's not giving in!
Amazing!
Aiza's kid sister is competing with him!
No matter how he goads her, or how he drags her along in his wake, she's keeping up.
Was she always this good?
Connected
That's right, Nagi. You're the star of this stage.
Don't even give him an inch!
That's right... in a waltz...
The melody shifts to the bottom part!
You're not getting away!
Listen closely!
Respond simultaneously!
Be enveloped by Kousei Arima!
Two months ago, I would've been left behind.
All that time... didn't go to waste.
The time I devoted to playing the piano... is paying off now!
He's got a heart of steel.
He's like a robot, isn't he?
Like a Chogokin robot, huh?
You're wrong about that.
Kousei Arima is no Chogokin robot.
He doesn't have a heart of steel.
After all...
When I touched it, his hand was warm.
The moment I touched it... that moment... was so nostalgic.
As the bass line player, he's magnificent.
He knows her personality, he's grasped her habits, he's goading her,
leading her on, and backing her up.
He's putting his partner in the zone.
He's accelerating her growth!
Those roasted sweet potatoes we shared sure were good!
Those pork buns we had on our way home... they sure were good!
This is, without a doubt... their waltz.
I only started playing the piano because I wanted my beloved big brother's attention.
An ulterior motive.
Brother,
for the last few weeks, I've been peering into the abyss, just a little bit.
I cried, I vomited,
I went without food or sleep to immerse myself in music.
And it was so painful... so painful to look my powerless self in the eye,
that I wanted to run away.
You felt the same way, didn't you, brother?
It's important to play for someone else.
But you know what... that's not what I want to see!
Don't lose your way! Don't struggle! Step on it! Actions, not words! Don't stop!
It's not in you to lose your way.
Run up those stairs like you're skipping lightly.
Just like you did that day... once again, make yourself chase after that back of his!
My hero!
That's right... Just like Nagi saw herself in you,
you've been seeing yourself in Nagi, haven't you...
...Kousei?
Unlike everybody else, I don't yearn to become a pro,
and I'm not prepared to give all of myself to music,
but there are people who will listen.
There are people I want to play for.
There are people that I love.
So... I want to be here. Is that wrong?
Isn't that a good enough reason to want to play, for now?
What am I doing here?
What am I doing, looking up at the stage from the audience?
I'm supposed to be up there, aren't I?
Emi and Nagi... why does your playing move people...
...Arima?
It's about to end. Ah... it feels so weird.
I'm exhausted, but I want to go on playing till I collapse.
Did I play it right? Was I able to confront it with sincerity?
Hey, Arima-sensei.
Why are the sounds you make so colorful, and so beautiful?
It's so beautiful that...
I think I'm gonna cry.
Go on, acknowledge them!
Oh, right.
All the months of agony, screaming,
suffering and struggling...
Amazing!
Bravo!
Marry me!
Aiza!
Nagi!
There's a moment when you're rewarded for all that.
Music just might transcend words.
Arima-sensei? Do you think it reached him?
Yes. It reached him. I'm sure...
What about you, Arima-sensei?
Were you able to give her that punch?
Yes. I think so...
A performance that won't be forgotten.
Huh!?
No fair!
I'm Christine. The girl who yearns to go onstage at the opera house.
What are you going to do, Takeshi?
Even as she lost her way and suffered,
big-bro complex and all, Nagi climbed up that stairway.
How long are you planning to sit around twiddling your thumbs?
Are you okay with that?
I...
Didn't you get anything from that? From Nagi's performance?
Are you planning to just sit tight here?
It's over!
That was a great duet you played!
Nagi!
That was amazing!
It didn't move me one bit, okay?
Satsuki... Komugi...
I'm not the one who's amazing.
Whoa!
You really are an ultra-sadist.
Hiroko.
Isn't music fun?
Huh? What are you talking about?
Isn't it too thrilling for words, watching somebody grow?
Nagi!
I get it.
So that's why you placed that kid under my wing.
Seto-sensei!
How was it?
You know what, since you guys started coming over,
I've been enjoying myself like there's no tomorrow!
Hey Arima!
Huh?
You're Bushi... Aiza...
It's Takeshi! Takeshi!
Ouch! Ouch!
Damn you, don't grab hold of my kid sister!
Kid sister?
Let me introduce him. This is my big brother.
Huh? But Aizato, your last name's...
Oh, please! I introduced myself properly, remember?
"I'm Nagi Aiza!"
I said it right, didn't I?
You did.
She did.
I see. So I misheard you.
I'm glad you're so dense.
Never mind that! Why the hell were you playing a duet with Nagi!?
Well, I... I asked Nagi, as a favor...
None of that "Nagi" business!
You mean "Takeshi's little sister!" Don't you dare look at her as a woman!
Hey, You're killing me...
Hey, cut that out, brother!
What's this? You defending Arima?
I mean, how'd you get to know Arima, anyway?
He's looking after me here. He's teaching me all kinds of things!
All kinds of...!?
He's giving me all these precious experiences!
Experiences!?
Dammit!
Brother!?
December.
The Eastern Japan Piano Competition will begin.
And that's where I'm gonna give you a beatdown, got that!?
Arima!
Brother...
Bring it on! I'm gonna do it!
Flaunting something like that before my eyes... How can I just let that go unanswered!?
Oh, man. December's gonna be a pain in the butt.
One-tenth... even one one-hundredth... Did my feelings get through to him?
Did my music reach him?
You did a good job.
Thank you... very... much.
Kurumi School Festival
Hey, Aiza!
Huh?
Miike?
What the heck? He's never even said a word to me before...
What the heck is going on here...
A-Aiza... Wh-Why were you playing a duet with Kousei... Arima?
Do you know Kousei Arima!?
"Kousei Arima"!?
Hey, you! Don't you dare drop the honorifics for Arima-sensei!
I'm gonna pull your hair out, you damned midget!
Damned midget! Damned midget!
Arima-sensei!? What kind of relationship is that!? Tell me!
So do you have his contact info!? His email address, too!?
Of course I do! Yesterday, we had taiyaki together!
It was so yummy, that taiyaki!
Arima
You know his email address... The taiyaki was yummy...
No fair!
You knowing Arima... that's so unfair!
What was that?
Twinkle, twinkle, little star...
How I wonder what you are...
Totsuhara University Hospital
I messed up again!
Twinkle, twinkle, little star...
How I wonder what you are...
Up above the world so high...
Like a diamond in the sky...
Twinkle, twinkle, li–
Hey.
Is that guy your boyfriend?
Boyfriend?
No, no, not at all.
That guy's what you call a jackass!
He's a jackass!
Jackass!
What do you mean a jackass!?
Well, you are!
Making a violinist who can't play the violin listen to this.
It's your fault that I miss it now.
I can't commit double suicide with you.
You're so heartless.
Well, look, when we went shopping, I was the one who carried your bags.
You always take the initiative. You only tell me things after the fact.
You walk in front of me,
and I'm always behind you.
What I always remember...
...is seeing you from behind.
At this rate, it wouldn't be double suicide, I'd be following you.
So please, give me one more chance.
Please give me another chance to stand by your side.
Please perform with me one more time.
But... I...
You're not a princess.
You're the daughter of a cake shop owner who loves canelés,
and you're not the heroine of a novel.
No way am I ever gonna play Ravel.
So please, perform with me one more time.
Besides, you're the one who said it.
“Do you think you'll be able to forget?”
You really are cruel.
I thought you knew that. I'm a jackass.
The air is chilly, and as dry as can be.
The laundered sheets lend a gentleness to my surroundings.
Such a cruel boy.
Telling me to dream one more time.
I thought I was satisfied because my dream had come true...
And I'd told myself it was enough...
Yet here you are, watering this withered heart again.
Hey!
You're making her cry!
What a vile jackass!
Enemy of women!
No, no, that's not what this is.
How dare you, jackass!?
Boys aren't supposed to bully girls, you know!
I'm greedy, so...
I'm just gonna dream again...
Of waltzing with you someday...
Hearts Come Together
I just might.
Episode 19 Goodbye Hero
Watch Again Next Week