Today we're having a barbecue on the riverside
to welcome the new club members and hunt down rocks!
We're also having a star-viewing party!
There's so much to do!
Hard at work, I see.
Suzu-san.
Huh? What's going on?
I ordered delivery from Suzuya Bakery.
Suzuya Bakery is that popular bakery, right?
Yes! Suzu-chan's family runs it!
And their mascot, Moe-Moe, is Suzuya Moe-chan!
Please don't call me that.
Suzu is her last name?
I don't like Moe-Moe, so I asked Mira to give me a new nickname.
You called me Ino-senpai too, didn't you?
Yes! It's cute and easier to say!
Vice President, should we start calling her Ino-chan, too?
At this point?
Affectionately, you know?
Ino.
Yes!
Isn't it kind of stiff to call each other President and Vice President, too?
Mira, why don't you give them nicknames?
Um, what are your full names?
Sakurai Mikage.
Morino Mari.
Then... Sakura-senpai and Monroe-senpai.
Huh? Why?
Your name, your mole, and your breasts!
I get it.
This bread is delicious!
It's my first time eating Suzuya's bread.
It always sells out in the morning!
We're all sold out of our on-location stock, too!
I'm heading home, then.
Huh? You're going already?
Suzu-san, the bread was very good!
I'll stop by your store sometime!
Sakura-senpai, this is good!
Thanks.
Weren't you going back home?
Ino-senpai's so cute.
02. The Riverside Milky Way
There really are so many kinds of stones.
Sakura-senpai!
What kind of stone is this?
That's chert.
It's a mineral formed from the deposits of shells shed by radiolarians and such.
Wow!
And this one?
That's probably andesite.
It's made by volcanoes.
And this?
Mudstone.
It's a sedimentary rock made of very fine grains.
And this?
That's dog poop!
Sakura-senpai, you saved my life.
You're welcome.
Oh, hey, that's a banded stone.
A banded stone?
See the white band wrapping around it?
That part is a different mineral.
They're known colloquially as banded stones.
Some people use them as charms or talismans.
Are you even listening?!
Huh?
Mira, did you find something?
Oh, look, look at this!
She said it's a banded stone.
It's cute.
I found one that looks like Jupiter.
It does!
It even has the big red spot!
Good grief.
You wanted to teach her even more, didn't you, Sakura-senpai?
They're both in the astronomy section, so teaching a little's just fine.
Besides, it wouldn't sink in if I started with the hard stuff, anyway.
Your body's honest, even if your words aren't.
Senpai, what should we do with these stones?
First we'll take them back and clean them off.
Then we'll categorize them as specimens...
What are you doing?
I had confidence in my legs, but...
You shouldn't go picking up anything and everything.
But we went through the trouble gathering them.
Goodbye, Banded Two.
Mudstone Three, Chert Four.
Rock collecting is full of once-in-a-lifetime encounters, huh?
Yes.
The colors and shapes are all different,
and there are as many as there are stars.
As many as there are stars...
Ao! This is incredible!
This river is like the Milky Way!
Huh? Oh, yeah.
Well, the sun's going down, so it's time we cleaned up...
Ta-da!
Let's move on to part two!
It's a telescope!
Uh, do you know how to use a telescope?
S-Sorry.
And you, Ao-san?
A little.
Wow!
Could I ask you to focus it on Mars?
Huh? Oh. Uh...
Why don't I do it today?
There's a bit of a trick to focusing it.
Focusing?
Bringing the star into view on the telescope.
First you peer through the finderscope,
and adjust the telescope until the star you want to view is dead center.
Okay, you can see Mars now.
Ao, look!
Sure.
It's pretty.
Can I look?
Go ahead, go ahead.
I can't see anything.
Must be because of your bad behavior.
Did you say something?
No, nothing.
It'll move out of view over time due to the Earth's rotation.
It will?
Ao-san, want to try it?
Yes!
Here you go.
Thanks.
I see it!
You did it, Ao!
Yeah!
Mars really is red, isn't it?
But it's such a pain having to constantly adjust this.
There is equipment that will automatically focus and follow them for you.
Why don't you buy it?
Monthly Star Navigator
You'd let us?
You can't?
It's 200,000 to 400,000 yen just for the telescope?
Never mind! You can't!
More stars are becoming visible by the moment.
The one with two brighter stars is Gemini!
Over there, where you see the orangish star, is Boötes.
How can you tell?
Huh?
Practice, I guess?
How can you tell different rocks apart?
Practice, I guess?
That one that looks like an upside-down question mark is Leo.
Endou-sensei, you're a Leo, right?
The second star past the Big Dipper is Spica, from Virgo.
I'm a Virgo!
This is my first time seeing my own constellation!
Mira and Manaka-san are both Gemini, and Monroe-senpai is an Aquarius.
Huh?
Suzu-chan's a Libra!
I never told you.
I'm a Cancer!
Cancer should be around that region,
but many of its stars are darker.
Huh? Really?
I don't think I've ever seen it properly, either.
Aw...
Sakura-senpai.
Come on! We should be able to see Jupiter soon!
I'm sure it's not much different than seeing Mars.
You can see stripes and dots!
The dots around it are the Galilean Moons.
You can see them pretty well, even with a smaller telescope.
Sakura-senpai, I want to see, too!
I'm glad they're enjoying it so much.
Yeah, I'm happy, too.
Because you're happy.
I had to move far away after that day,
but I always wanted to see you again.
If we were to be reunited one day...
I wanted to see so many more things together with you.
Yeah, let's see lots of things!
Tonight the Lyrid meteor shower is at its peak.
Really?! Will we be able to see shooting stars?
In addition, Vesta is close to Gemini.
A vest?
No, Vesta.
Vesta is an asteroid discovered around two hundred years ago.
Gauss named it.
Das ist richtig.
They've been discovering asteroids since that long ago?!
Yeah.
At present, there are roughly 500,000 known asteroids.
F-Five hundred thousand?!
Since the world started using advanced telescopes to observe the skies,
most of the larger ones have been discovered already.
I wonder if we'll be able to discover one.
Ao's smart, so I'm sure her worry is more specific than mine.
Ao! I'll do my best!
I'll study a lot so I can catch up to you!
So let's do our best together!
How could she try to catch up to me?
She's always the one in the lead, pulling me along.
Yeah.
All right!
First I'm going to hone my vision so I can find even small stars!
In that case,
you can test your vision with Mizar and Alcor in the Big Dipper.
Oh, wow!
What are those two doing?
A spoon?
They're so close!
What was that for?!
Sorry for the flash.
I wanted to have photos for the report, so I've been taking some here and there.
Hey! You've been taking them in secret this whole time!
These are...
I'll buy them!
Huh?!
D-Did you see that?!
Yes!
It's the Lyrid meteor shower.
Only a few meteors appear every year, so you're kind of lucky to see one.
Really?
When will the next one stream by?
What now? You saw a meteor?
Call me for that!
Where were you, Sensei?
In the car, because it's cold.
But tonight I'll tough it out!
Huh?
There weren't any other meteors after that.
Sparkle About the First Issue A4 Half-fold
So, our first printing will be half-fold, four pages.
Each of us will have one column to write.
Has everyone decided on their topic?
I'm planning to write about the rocks we collected at the riverside.
I'll introduce Jupiter.
I'll use the photos I took to report what our club's done.
Photos? You mean...
I knew it!
What are you writing, Sakura-senpai?
I thought of a few different things,
but I figured this would be the most appealing to others.
Birthstones How to Enjoy Natural Rocks
Birthstones!
If you introduce them each in order, you'll be able to write twelve articles.
You're naïve, Monroe.
There's a birthstone for every single day, so...
I can write 366 consecutive articles!
That's incredible, Senpai!
I see you fully intend to be held back a year.
You're all incredible, having your topics figured out already.
Sparkle
Topic
You're not writing about asteroids?
I thought about that...
but what if someone takes an interest in asteroids because of my article
and discovers one before we do?!
That would hurt! I'd regret it!
I don't think that'll be a problem.
They'd have to be pretty hardcore.
I've decided on my topic for now, but...
Mira, you're doing homework?
No, I'm writing an article for my club.
Does it sound okay?
Well?
Onee-chan!
Sorry, it's just too explanatory.
Jeez!
It's supposed to explain what they are, so of course it is!
That's not what I mean.
I'm saying the article is too generic,
and I don't feel any aspect of you in it.
Even our student council's report tweaks the text and the style a bit.
You're saying so many things I don't understand!
Mira!
You were at fault there.
You asked her for advice,
and then you ran away halfway through.
But I worked so hard, and it felt like I was being dismissed.
Well, I'm not saying I don't sympathize.
When Misa-nee was the student council president, she acted sharp and stern,
but she was a surprisingly bad communicator.
Though...
I accidentally made Mira upset... How can I get her to forgive me?
Oh, my... How terrible. What did Mira say?
Thanks to that, I've made progress chatting with Misa-nee,
which has been a godsend for me.
Suzu-chan, you're speaking out loud.
Oh?
I thought this would be easier to write.
Well, it's like that for everyone the first time around.
They wouldn't use the first bread I baked, either.
Huh? It wasn't any good?
No.
They said it lacked dignity.
They're panties.
Oh, it's from Ao.
"I'm looking for some illustrations to insert in the article."
My.
Well, then, why don't you draw some for a change of pace?
You always liked drawing, didn't you?
"I want an image that's Greek myth-ish
to introduce Jupiter and its moons," she said.
I see.
Greek myth-ish?
Yeah, there are a lot of connections between Greek myths and the stars.
Sounds fun. Maybe I'll try reading up on them.
Done!
That was fast!
And sent!
If only I could write the article that quickly, too.
That's it!
Wow, Mira drew this for me!
It's cute!
"Thank you so much. Your illustration's very cute."
"No, thank you!"
"Thanks to you..."
"I found my answer!"
"Love, love!"
Huh?
Earth Sciences Club
You made yours into a manga, Mira-chan?
Let's Enjoy Spring's Constellations
Nice to meet you. I'm the astrofox, Condorde.
I'm your space guide, Kururu! Nice to meet you.
I see you're fine without a space suit. Are you an alien?
Oh, no, not so much... Wait!
There might be less information than text would provide,
I don't want to hear that from a talking fox!
Setting that aside, let's introduce the spring constellations this time!
First, there's the spring triangle! When you follow the handle of the Big Dipper, you can find Arcturus in Boötes, and Spica in Virgo!
If you follow west from there, you find Leo. You'll recognize it by the head that looks like an upside-down question mark. The light blue first magnitude star at its heart, Regulus, is very pretty!
Nights are gentler this time of year, too, so it's easier to go look at the stars. You should all give it a try, too!
See you again~!
but it's interesting, so it's okay!
Hooray!
It's cute.
Huh?
Ahem.
W-Well, I think having something like this is fine, too.
Now all that's left is the layout.
Did we get that computer with our club budget?
No, we're borrowing Endou-sensei's personal computer.
Incredible! It came together like a real report!
I think this turned out well, don't you?
Yes!
It's our very first issue of Sparkle.
Do you think people will read it?
I'm nervous.
Well, let's just be patient.
Um, do you have the earth sciences club newsletter here?
Oh, yes, here it is!
I want one!
Me, too!
Give me one!
Me, too!
Huh?!
Here you go!
Hey, what's going on here?!
Yes, here you go!
The earth sciences club has printed their first issue
of their newsletter, Sparkle, today.
If you're interested, please read it.
They're being distributed in front of the faculty room.
O-Onee-chan!
Huh?!
You're the council president's little sister?!
To celebrate the first printing of Sparkle,
we're having a little party at a day spa.
This is my first time seeing you with your hair down, Ao.
Make sure you put it all up beforehand.
Oh, yes.
You're surprisingly clumsy.
What are you looking at?
Oh, I was looking at the rocks and the paving stones.
We always get distracted when we see them.
It's like an occupational side effect, but from a school club.
You have your own in the astronomy group, too.
Huh?
The moon!
Mira, everyone can see your butt.
I forgot it was a full moon tonight.
There's an elegance to viewing the moon from a bath!
Monroe-senpai.
You have no elegance.
Huh?
This bath water feels kind of slimy.
I saw the composition chart, and it said this was a chloride bath.
Uh, meaning?
There's salt dissolved in the bathwater.
The salt prevents sweat from evaporating,
so it's great for preserving heat.
It's great for stiff shoulders and those who get cold easily.
You know a lot about hot springs, Ino-chan.
I studied them a bit.
There are a lot more types of hot springs, too.
For example, sulfur springs and acidic springs.
Acid?!
Wouldn't that hurt to bathe in?
I've heard that some stronger acidic springs can make eyes or wounds sting.
The strongest one in Japan is pH 1.2.
pH 1.2 is more acidic than lemons.
I never knew there were hot springs like this in the city.
You often think of hot springs as being in the mountains or by the ocean.
The number of hot springs around cities and plains has been growing lately.
Apparently, it counts as a hot spring if you dig up water that's over 25 degrees.
Temperatures go up three degrees every hundred meters deep you go,
so if you dig down a few hundred meters, you can get a hot spring here, too.
I wonder how this water built up underground.
Either rainwater seeped through the ground or it's fossil water.
Fossils?
It doesn't mean there are fossils in the water.
It refers to ancient water trapped in deep strata.
Either way, it means it took a long time to get the water that's in our bath now.
What are you doing?
Expressing my gratitude.
That was a great bath!
The best!
Yes!
My, we have a lot of youngsters here today.
Good evening.
We're the Hoshizaki High School Earth Sciences Club.
Good evening.
Hoshizaki? Does that mean you're Yuki-chan's students?
Yuki-chan?
Do you mean Endou-sensei?
You know our teacher?
She's been a regular customer here for many years.
Hey, are there any nice men for Yuki-chan at your school?
Hey, Take-san.
You've been worried about her too, though, Matsu-san.
Well, sure.
Yuki-chan's always been such a diligent, talented girl.
Diligent?
Talented?
When she first started teaching,
she had so many worries that she let herself go a lot.
She used to say our hot springs and her club were a great breather for her.
Oh, my, we'll make Yuki-chan mad at us
if we keep sharing so much with her students.
You're saying that after spilling it all.
Being a teacher must be hard.
We'll have to be nicer to her from now on.
Sensei!
Hey.
Thank you for the ticket book!
We already went and used them!
They were pretty great baths, weren't they?
Here, a souvenir!
Huh?
Oh, thank you.
Sensei, please keep at it!
Huh?
Our activities in the earth sciences club have just begun,
and our dream of discovering an asteroid is a long, long way off,
but I'm sure a sparkling world awaits us!
03. Memories Are Treasures
Next time, "Memories Are Treasures."