Mitsuko-chan, I'm leaving.
Wait, wait for me!
It's about time we leave too.
How is it? Is it okay?
Can it be repaired?
In the spring, the "Green Kojiro" is very noisy.
Last summer, the "Green Kojiro"...
Okay.
It's done. Try to get up on it.
Okay.
Last summer,
when I fell off this wisteria vine hammock that my grandfather made,
I thought of the "Green Kojiro" while I was in the river.
It's something I made up, so I'm the only one who can see it.
Shinko.
H'm?
What do you think?
Eh?
You know, a river's course
shouldn't make an abrupt right-angled turn like that.
I wonder why it's like that.
But, it's been like that for a long time, right?
How long do you think it's been that way?
Grandfather used to be a school teacher.
Shinko.
You know, it's been like that for a thousand years.
A thousand years?
This land,
which seems to be nothing but a wheat field...
was a thousand years ago...
It's rather awful when Grandfather has an asthma attack.
However, Grandfather's the one who always tells me interesting things.
Mai Mai Shinko to
Sennen no Mahou
Mitajiri... Mitajiri...
Onee-chan, you idiot!
Ah, what's wrong, Mitsuko-chan?
She ripped Kewpie-san's arm off!
Oh, why does she do things like that?
A thousand years ago, the capital of the province
sprawled across all of these wheat fields.
So, the river has probably followed this angled course since way back then.
Also, Suou Province.
This area used to be called the Suou Province.
And the river turning at a right angle is...
Oh, isn't that a new model?
The angle in the river comes from a ditch that paralleled the grid-like streets.
Hey, did that break down?
Oh, that sure is nice.
You know, instead of huffing and puffing on that bicycle, you should really...
And the road where Yoshimura-san and Eijima-san always get into silly arguments,
has been there for a long time, apparently.
I learned all these interesting things from my grandfather.
Thank you, Grandfather.
Have you seen Shinko?
I haven't.
Really? And the steamed bread for our snack is missing too.
Shinko!
Where are you?!
You're around here somewhere, aren't you?!
If you're going to run away from home, at least be serious about it.
Shinko! Shinko!
Ah, I can't hear it.
I'll give you one shou of rice.
The capital of a thousand-year-old province...
Shinko!
I wonder what it was like?
So it was like that.
How about this side?
Shinko!
Come out now!
This place is peaceful.
The ship from the capital will be arriving soon.
We have to hurry and welcome them.
That's it! A princess from the capital must be coming.
To starboard!
Ah, that's it.
That's the land where I, Kiyohara no Motosuke, have been named governor for the first time,
at 67 years of age.
Say, Nagiko, come out here.
Let's view this landscape together.
Hey! Don't play around in the field!
It's you again! Hey!
How many times do I... Hey, are you listening to me?!
Ah, the Princess would've come out in just a little while.
MITAJIRI STATION
This is it, Kiiko.
H'm...
Oh, are you Shimazu-sensei?
Greetings, I am Fujiwara of the General Affairs Section.
Ah, greetings.
You came all the way from Tokyo. It must've been tiring, right?
Oh, this is my name card.
Is that your daughter?
Yes.
As you can see, this is the main street.
This is a rather small town, compared to Tokyo.
If you go a little way out, there's nothing there at all...
Even now, this place has horses and cows
and wheat fields all around.
It's very different from Tokyo, isn't it?
Idiot, idiot, idi-ot.
You mustn't say that!
Even though she deserves every bit of it.
Everyone says it's been ten years since the war,
but it feels like a gust of wind...
because it's just one part of a thousand year history.
That's right, Grandfather.
Here, your medicine.
Father didn't come home again yesterday, huh...
He said he's busy at work.
Come on, Shinko, eat your breakfast quickly.
Ah, I'm late. I'm late.
It's all because of this "mai mai."
You're fast.
Like I'd lose!
It stinks.
Damn it, it stinks! Damn it!
What's this smell?
It stinks!
Stinks?
What's this?!
Well, if I had to choose between good and bad, I'd say it's a good smell.
It's coming from the transfer student who arrived yesterday.
Why did she put on something like that?
I don't know.
Isn't that lipstick? There's someone here that wears lipstick.
She's influenced by foreign culture, huh.
This doesn't feel right.
Listen, class 3-3, Hanada-sensei's wife had a baby last night.
The baby's been born?
Yes, so the first class will be self-study.
A girl?
Yoshioka-san, you're good at colouring, right?
Not really.
Hey!
What do you think the baby's name will be?
Since its Sensei's, it'll probably be something like Hibari or Chiemi, right?
Did you listen to the radio yesterday?
At six o'clock?
Yes, I did.
Whoa, incredible!
Those colouring pencils!
Hey, what are those colouring pencils you just used?
Hey, how many colours are there?
I've never seen this before.
What's going on?
Just ignore it.
Two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen...
Wow, there are 26 colours!
And there are colours I've never seen before!
Hey, are these imported?
There are so many shades of red and green outside of town, huh.
Is everybody studying, class 3-3?
Isn't that Tatsuyoshi from class 5?
He skipped class again.
Just ignore it.
Would you lend me this colour?
I want to try painting the Seto Inland Sea with this colour.
Well, it's a beautiful colour,
but you're...
Ah, I knew he'd break it!
No more, please.
Eh?
Give it back! Give it back!
Ah, that's dangerous, dangerous!
Hey, it's dangerous!
This dress is pretty, isn't it?
Oh, are you all right?
Hey! What are you doing to the transfer student?
Ah, Hanada-sensei!
Hanada-otousan~
Otousan~
Now, don't tease me like that...
Hey, watch out.
Um, Shimazu Kiiko-san...
Why? Only Shigeru was punished.
I wonder why too.
You wonder why? You know...
I'm sorry.
Ah, listen.
Listen!
You're weird.
There are a lot of company-owned homes.
I didn't know there was a place like this...
on the reclaimed land.
Picture show!
Show! Picture show!
Come on!
Picture show!
Let's go!
Um...
You can go on ahead.
Ah, good boy, good boy!
Oh, good boy, good boy!
I know! Do you want to be scratched somewhere?
There you go.
Good boy, good boy!
I see.
You're scared of the dog, right?
Ah, a deutzia...
There's a hole inside the branch, and because it's empty, the tree is called a deutzia.
If it's empty,
then it's a deutzia?
Well, I don't really know.
It's all right. Nobody's home.
What about your mother?
She's not here.
So it's all right.
Wow, stairs.
You know, neither my house nor the others in my neighbourhood have anything like this.
Sit down.
H'm? Okay.
Heidi
A Little Princess
Ah! Kuma-chan...
Kuma's awake!
Do you want to play?
Oh, so it's Kuma-chan.
Kiiko, 1 Month
Let's have some milk.
Ah! A gas refrigerator!
I heard it's cooled by burning gas,
but where's the fire?
It's in the back.
I see. The one at my house requires the ice seller to put ice inside every day.
Hey, I've only heard rumours about it,
but have you seen a TV?
Yes. In Tokyo, perhaps twice.
I see. Then, how was it?
So that's where the coloured pencils are supposed to be.
Yes.
Hey, your father's an important person, isn't he?
No, just a doctor...
at a factory.
I shouldn't...
have worn this perfume.
That's not true.
I won't use it again. Not at school, anyway.
Why? Why won't you come here?
Please... hurry.
Come here! Hurry! Hurry!
Look! That's my house.
It's kind of like... you know...
A ship, don't you think? See...
It's sailing through waves of green wheat.
Ah, now that you mention it...
And then, that's my grandfather.
He doesn't scare me,
but others are a little scared of him.
Scared?
But, the other day, he made a thief who broke into my house sit down and eat.
And then, that's my grandmother.
And then, look!
Come here! Come here!
Look, look. A secret treasure museum.
All the toys that came with Glico sweets.
Actually, I'd love to brighten this place with a lamp.
When I go out secretly at night,
I look at the lit-up windows.
That's pretty, right?
Uh, yes.
This is Mitsuko, my sister.
Hello.
Here.
Ah, what is it?
Hey, come in.
Hey, what is it?
What is that gift?
It's so colourful!
It was on my father's table.
Is it all right?
It's a gift, so-
Wow, it sparkles.
The inside is chocolate!
What's this?
Something came out.
There's alcohol inside.
Alcohol?
Yes, alcohol.
It feels like my body is burning up!
H'm, it's like mint.
No, maybe it's castor oil.
Is castor oil tasty?
Not at all!
If you're constipated, then you have to take castor oil.
Then, you'll be able to go.
It's not tasty at all!
This one is delicious.
It's a sweet alcohol.
You know, my mother once received some prize money for a magazine photo contest.
She was married and had kids, but she said she was single anyway and sent in a photo.
What about Kiiko-tan's mother?
My mother passed away.
She died of pleural effusion.
That's it?
Father!
Mother!
Mitsuko! Mitsuko!
Ah, even she ate some.
What should we do?
Father, this is whiskey.
Is that the last one?
No, there's one more left.
No, two left.
And who are you?
Shimazu Kiiko~
I'm from the company-owned housing over there.
I'm thirsty.
H'm...
Hey, this place isn't completely lacking.
Yes,
because Shinko-chan is here.
That's not what I meant.
Here, as a water substitute.
If I close my eyes like this,
my "mai mai" starts buzzing.
What's a "mai mai"?
Ah, this thing here.
I have a "mai mai" here as well as at the back of my head.
Oh, you mean a whorl?
I don't have one.
I don't have anything like that.
I don't know why, but I'm the only person I know who has one.
At this point here, it becomes like this.
Ah, it's strange!
It's better not to have something like this.
But sometimes, you know,
my "mai mai" just starts buzzing.
Even though this place seems to be nothing but wheat fields,
it actually holds the secrets of a thousand years.
The secrets of a thousand years?
Yes, a thousand years.
Are you awake now? If you are, then I'll show you.
This way.
Ah, wait a minute.
Here! Here!
Here?
You know,
this road has been here for a thousand years.
Really?
There's more over here!
Ah, wait!
Do you know what it was like a thousand years ago?
Cows were used to pull carts.
Eh?
Ah, look, one's coming right now.
Eh?
We're going to collide. Watch out, watch out!
It's dangerous.
Hey, Kiiko, you too.
Avoid it! Avoid it!
Come. Please come.
Won't you come here?
Hurry.
There was a river here, so be careful.
A river?
A thousand years ago, the blacksmith went~
Clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank.
Is something wrong?
Please move forward.
Look! Here!
It means that a thousand years ago, this place was the capital of the province.
Really?
Grandfather said so.
Look, here too.
See, even now it's called the "Kokuga" bus stop!
You're right!
Come on!
Look, a river!
It's been here for a thousand years, right?
I won't lose.
It turns at a right angle here as well.
Something stood here once.
Stood here?
Something big. Maybe a palace?
Excuse me!
What are you doing?!
Oh, we're excavating the remains of a building.
What kind of building?
Oh, you know,
this may have been the palace of the Governor of Suou, the most important person around here.
Just like you said.
Hey, did you find any dolls?
Eh? Doll?
What does a doll from a thousand years ago look like?
Do they look like Kewpie dolls?
That's impossible to know.
Something that soft wouldn't last in this soil.
That's disappointing.
H'm, oh, that's right.
Yes, back then, a girl might have lived here
who was more or less the same age as you girls.
Really?
Oh, it's very stout indeed!
The Komatsubiki on the day of the rat in this land is truly something.
Pine trees are said to possess the life energy of a thousand years.
I'm already at an age where I wonder,
how long can I continue to look after her?
That scholar said there used to be a sea beyond Katsuma Shrine, right?
A thousand years ago on this reclaimed land...
I can see your company-owned house from here.
Ah!
My house is above the sea!
Splash... Splash...
Hey, what was she like?
H'm?
The girl from a thousand years ago.
H'm...
Let's see. Wait a moment.
Ah!
Wait! I want to try to do it first.
Wait. Wait a minute, okay?
I'm waiting.
You know, I hope she had one too.
A friend like you, Shinko.
Princess, do you always spend your days alone?
But, you see, I was told that if I came to Suou,
I'd meet a girl around the same age as me.
But, I've waited for days, and she hasn't come to visit.
I brought many Hina dolls and other toys from the capital, just to play with her.
I'll cut her hair, and even make her an ornament.
Princess, it's true that we had a daughter about the same age as you.
But human life is too fragile.
She was the youngest daughter of her family, and my sons adored her.
You may think that this place has nothing, but for us that isn't true.
Our ancestors came from far across the sea.
We produce iron for a living,
and the best iron comes from stars that fall out of the night sky.
Our ancestors followed a falling star to this island and built a village here.
We've been making iron here for hundreds of years.
If we dug up the grounds now,
we'd find remains of the foot bellows that our blacksmith ancestors used.
Spanning hundreds of years?
Yes, spanning hundreds of years.
All right.
I compose this poem at Katsuma no Umaya in the land of Suou,
having been blessed with this the day of the rat.
May we recall,
for a thousand springs
on this day,
the Katsuma Port...
Dear Pine Tree. As you thrive over the next thousand years,
please remember this memorable day forever.
In the past, someone was here,
and a thousand years from now, someone will be here.
No, I can't. It's hopeless.
I can't imagine what kind of girl she was.
I wonder if it's impossible without a "mai mai."
Ah! I can't imagine what kind of person my mother was either.
My mother before I was born.
I really want a "mai mai" too.
See?
Kiiko, it suits you.
It's going to go boom!
Coming!
Kiiko! Your ears!
Eh?
You didn't know about the boom, Kiiko?
No.
Rock, paper, scissors!
Gl-i-co~
Oh, isn't that Shigeru? And Hitoshi from class 5 is with him.
What are they doing in that mulberry field?
Hey! What are you doing there?!
It's all right, Shigeru. It's just Shinko.
What are you doing?
Oh, it's a dam, a dam.
Oh, a dam.
I'm opening it!
Go!
Here I go again!
There it goes!
All right! Now, me!
Hey, Kiiko. Come join us!
Now I'll start!
It's a loach!
Hey, what are you doing?
A dam.
A big one!
All right, let's find some wooden planks.
Who is he?
Mitsuru, from class 6.
He loves this sort of thing.
Say, Tatsuyoshi!
Tatsuyoshi! Listen...
We're going to take this, so can you get off?
Can you help us too?
Shinko-chan, what are you making?
An island.
Oh?
Tatsuyoshi...
Here.
And there.
Done.
It's become such a large pond.
I hope the water rises quickly.
Um...
I'm sorry about the other day.
All this water...
It would feel good to release it all in one go.
It would.
But, it's kind of a waste, right?
Because we all built this together.
Even so, let's do it with a bang!
Yes, with a bang!
Let's do it! Let's do it!
There's something red.
What is it?
A goldfish?
The small stream at the mulberry field?
A thousand years ago, that was a real river,
and ships stopped at the mooring pine trees.
However, I don't know anything about a girl from a thousand years ago.
She was called Nagiko-chan?
Yes.
That's probably her name, according to this book.
Her father was someone who wrote waka,
but after he became the Governor of Suou, he came here from Kyoto.
I'm sure he brought his daughter along with him.
Of the girls who were here in Kokuga a thousand years ago,
she's the only one whose name I know.
Hizuru-sensei smelled really good, didn't she?
Yes, she smelled good.
Hizuru-sensei was writing a letter, right?
Was she?
I wonder if it was to a boyfriend.
Yes, it's still here.
Oh?
It's Shinko and Kiiko.
We thought we'd give it some bread.
We saved some of our lunch too.
Tatsuyoshi...
Oh, everyone is here.
I thought of a name for the fish.
Us too!
Listen, how about "Hizuru"?
Oh, I see, I see. Everyone thought of the same name.
All right. 10 yen per person.
Once you pay your 10 yen, go in silently.
Once it's over, get out before the lights go on.
It'd be bad if my father, who's running the film, found out.
I'm in my adolescence.
Is that what it's like to become an adult and fall in love?
Somehow I feel that I want Hizuru-sensei to be happy.
Kiss me, dear!
When I look at Hizuru-sensei,
No way!
I always wonder whether my mother was like that.
Kiiko, here.
Yes.
Oh, the tail of this rocket...
Heh, you're right!
Just like Hizuru-chan.
Yes.
What's Hizuru-chan?
Mitsuko, you don't need to know.
Hey! What is it? What's Hizuru-chan?
Ah, look at that!
Nee-chan, come on.
Hey!
Hey! Tatsuyoshi's father!
Nee-chan, come on.
Is he?
Look, Taemi-chan. Its name is Hizuru-chan.
It's so cute.
There.
Now I have many friends.
Yes.
All right.
Thanks to you, Shinko-chan.
Thank you.
No, but thanks to the thousand-year magic...
...the goldfish made a friend as well.
There's still one more person I want to make into a friend.
Yes, that's right.
Nagiko-chan.
Come on, a small number, small number.
Come forth!
Go!
Come now, high number, high number!
And with this, how will you move?
H'm, looks like I skip a turn...
Here I go again!
Ah, wait a minute!
I won't wait. Here!
If it's like this...
A good number, good number.
Come forth!
Now, with this...
Wow!
Cuckoos! And deutzias!
Over there, and there too!
Look, that part is still empty, isn't it?
This is our first time picking flowers.
It's very beautiful!
Let's play.
Okay!
Do or Die Squad... We're moving in!
Yes!
Hey, Tatsuyoshi.
We're counting on your wooden sword here, so please...
Hey.
Are there really bandits inside that air-raid shelter?
The bandits may hear you.
The bandits may have guns, you know.
But it's all right, because we're the Do or Die Squad,
and that wooden sword belongs to Tatsuyoshi's father.
Tatsuyoshi's father is a 4-dan in kendo.
W-Wait. Hold on.
Calm down.
It was just a cat.
That was scary!
That was scary! I felt a chill down my spine!
Whose eyes were those?
A cat's.
Only a cat?
So that's what it was!
Shinko!
If you see Mitsuko, tell her it's time for her nap.
Okay!
Huh, where's Mitsuko?
Eh? Eh? Eh?! She's gone!
Mitsuko!
Mitsuko-chan!
Mitsuko, are you there?
Not here.
Huh? Then, where is she?
Let's search the lower part!
Kokuga is far too vast...
Mitsuko.
Mitsuko!
What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?
Hizuru-sensei!
Aoki-san.
Sensei, did you see a little girl?
She's-
She's around five years old and about this tall.
No, I didn't.
What's wrong?
If you didn't see her, then it's all right.
Goodbye!
So?
Did you find her?
Look!
In front of Shinko's house...
The police.
Thank you very much.
Don't worry about it. She was found on the golf course above Triangular Lake. She was trying to take a ball.
Anyhow, thank you very much.
It's nothing.
Well then, I should...
Thank goodness.
Hey, stop it, puss!
I don't mind if you take it out,
but don't forget to put it back.
That, you see, is a righteous police officer.
Once he risked his life to dislodge a robber barricaded in a house.
He's a real member of the Do or Die Squad, isn't he?
Right?
Yes.
Mitsuko! Mitsuko!
Thank goodness.
Oh, you found your little sister.
Hizuru-sensei?
I see. You also looked for her.
Yes.
Sensei, I feel uneasy.
In this vast Kokuga, I feel that something actually exists.
Uneasy, but a little happy.
I wonder if it's because I'm an adolescent?
I don't think that's the reason.
I wonder if I owe that to the adults.
My grandfather, Tatsuyoshi's father, and also Hizuru-
Huh?
Oh, a ring! It's beautiful.
Oh, I guess I can't hide it.
The truth is, next Saturday, I'll be resigning from the school.
I'm getting married.
This autumn.
But since there are many things to prepare, I'm only going to teach until next week.
Keep it a secret until the morning assembly on Monday, all right?
Um, who are you marrying?
An acquaintance I met in university.
Since he lives in Tokyo, I'm going to Tokyo.
He's a rugby player, you know.
He's very big too.
Then...
Someday, I also want to go to Tokyo.
Do come.
When you've grown up, visit us.
Goodbye.
A bride! A bride!
Kiiko! Kiiko!
A secret, just for you.
Hizuru-chan, congratulations.
What's the occasion?
Shinko-chan!
Come on, you too!
Let's play.
Yes.
Come on, Shinko-chan. Hurry up!
Is it really true that in the capital, they bury seeds in soil that's on top of a wall?
Yes, that's true.
It's a popular practise in the capital, and the commoners say it will be elegant.
The flowers are in bloom! There are so many in the pond!
That's wonderful, Kiiko.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
Beautiful!
I'll... put my marbles in there.
Ah, me too.
Hizuru is here.
It seems that she likes it.
And with this leaf as a futon,
go to sleep, Hizuru-chan.
She doesn't need a futon, you know.
It's all right.
Amazing.
What is it?
It's all right.
Ah! You'll be scolded, you know.
I also want to decorate the pond.
These people tell me...
that I shouldn't play.
But I...
I don't understand that.
Why is it like that?
Huh? Why am I crying?
What happened?
Oh, Shinko.
It's terrible.
Kiiko's mother's perfume.
I thought it would be nice.
But, this morning, the cap was open.
Onee-chan...
Is Hizuru dead?
Yes. It was redder than the setting sun.
Hizuru...
It's useless!
I've tried everything possible already.
Let's all do a funeral, all right?
Let's have a funeral at the landmark.
Namu Amida
Pray sincerely.
Namu Amida
This is the way I prayed when my brother died,
so that he could go to heaven.
If you do this, Hizuru will come back to us on the 15th of August.
No, she won't.
She won't come back, and I know that very well.
My mother didn't.
I'll try... I'll try not to remember my mother.
Hey, hey!
What day is the 15th of August?
It's just the Obon festival.
You did a funeral there, huh.
Is it because I said that this place has been central to the land for a thousand years?
Will she come back to life...
because of the land's thousand-year magic?
She's buried in the magic land,
so she'll be a magic goldfish.
And this time, Hizuru will continue to live for a thousand years, right?
If she lives for a thousand years, she'll be as big as this house, right?
Right?
Otherwise, Kiiko's wish...
Yes.
Shinko!
Wait!
Hey!
You know, in the stream...
What?
Listen!
I saw a goldfish swimming. It looked exactly like Hizuru.
Really?
Yes, in my neighbourhood, near the stone wall.
I saw something red flashing.
When I checked, it looked just like Hizuru, you know.
Although she was supposed to be dead already...
That's strange.
Ah, Kiiko!
Hey, Kiiko!
Hey!
Hey, it seems that Hizuru-sensei is leaving the school.
Huh? Really?
She fell in love with someone.
Really?
But he got married, and now he has a wife.
Eh?
Because the situation was hopeless, Hizuru-sensei became desperate,
so she decided to marry another man in Tokyo.
It's kind of disappointing.
I feel like the goldfish's name, Hizuru, has been tarnished.
Mitsuru, prepare yourself!
Hey!
I can hardly believe it.
Yes.
Really.
Shinko, you...
Eh?
Are you sure you should drag Kiiko around like this?
If we can't find the goldfish, what will you do?
No, I'm not really confident.
But I really do want Hizuru to be here.
Let's search for her.
Tomorrow too.
Eh?
Shigeru, it started with something you said, so you must come.
Tatsuyoshi...
If Tatsuyoshi says so.
What about Mitsuru and Hitoshi?
We...
It'll take more than that to make you move, huh?
I promise we'll definitely find it!
Look!
The thousand-needle promise says we'll definitely find the goldfish tomorrow.
That's what the Do or Die Squad's wooden sword told me.
Well, since you say so...
I guess we have no other choice.
And so, Kiiko, you will laugh tomorrow.
It's a promise for tomorrow.
Tomorrow, let's all laugh together!
Tatsuyoshi is really mature.
I'm coming.
To be continued tomorrow, huh...
Shinko.
Suzuki-kun is here.
Suzuki?
Yes.
Suzuki... Suzuki...
Ah, you mean Suzuki Tatsuyoshi?
What is it?
I'm sorry, Shinko.
Everyone will understand tomorrow.
I also feel very disappointed.
Damn it!
I don't understand...
what you're talking about...
at all.
There's been some big news.
H'm, what's wrong?
Just now, you know, Yoshimura-san came to the village.
The police officer who found Mitsuko the other day...
hung himself at the police station.
It seems that the Yakuza in Minatomachi had him trapped.
There's a gambling den on the second floor of Bar California.
I heard that the women there seduced him.
An asthma attack again?
And so, because of that, he was hundreds of thousands of yen in debt.
He said that he would take full responsibility,
in the will he left.
Our group had nearly split up, but we were all able to promise we'd be together tomorrow.
Thanks to the wooden sword that belonged to Tatsuyoshi's father.
What will happen tomorrow?
It's a false charge. Definitely.
Help me, Grandfather.
Enough, you two!
Don't you know that Officer Suzuki's son is Shinko's friend?
Ah...
That...
Shinko will hear about it, you know.
Oh, he was that kind of person.
With a child the same age as mine...
Hey, do you know if you feel pain as you're dying?
Well...
That again? You're talking like an elementary school student.
But, I mean...
But seriously, did he accept it?
Well, there were probably many temptations.
But he probably got addicted to gambling first, rather than women.
It's a common story.
Please say that it's just a false charge.
But tomorrow...
was looking so bright...
The thousand-year magic...
isn't useful for anything any more.
I forgot something.
I promised to give Kiiko the Glico electric fan.
Can I go out now?
Why don't you give it to her tomorrow?
But...
I promised.
I'm going.
Shinko.
At least take a torch.
I did!
Mother, I'm hungry.
Suzuki
Excuse me! Excuse me!
Suzuki
Tatsuyoshi,
are you there?
Tatsuyoshi,
are you there?
Shinko?
Yes.
Tomorrow...
Everyone's going to be told not to play with me any more.
The promise we made for tomorrow is over.
That's why I was thinking of trying to find Hizuru tonight.
Just the two of us?
I left home.
But I can play anything with you.
That bar was at fault. What was it called?
California.
There's a woman there, right? That kind of woman is called a witch.
Where's your mother?
She went to her family to discuss something.
She's not coming back today.
But in the end, Hizuru's gone.
The thousand-year magic my grandfather told me about...
has also disappeared.
Is it all right to say that?
Tatsuyoshi, let's go!
Where?
To get revenge for tomorrow's promise!
I have one shou of rice, so we can go anywhere.
Well then, young lady, be sure to keep the door locked until the master comes home.
Thank you very much.
A letter?
Dear Kiiko,
I'm sorry.
Shinko-chan?!
I'm going to a faraway place.
I may be adopted by a rich family,
or perhaps kidnapped by a gang.
But...
I don't understand at all,
Shinko-chan.
Had I become so distant that I couldn't understand her any more?
I'm not going to believe in something like the thousand-year magic any more.
I'll also stop dragging you around based on a story I imagined.
That's why, I'm sorry for everything I've done until now.
I wonder why?
Is it because I decided not to think about my mother any more?
So Shinko-chan did the same.
But, you know, Shinko-chan...
If you do that, I'll feel pity for the girl from a thousand years ago whom only you know about.
Even the books that my mother used to read as a child;
I only know about because my father told me.
If Shinko-chan's not around,
if I'm alone, I definitely won't be able to reach that place.
The police patrols are increasing.
It's because of that incident.
The police officer incident?
I've seen my father enter that back alley over there with a blond woman.
And inside there is that bar, California?
Are you scared, Shinko?
Wh-What do you mean?
I don't know how things turned out like this, but...
Me neither.
I don't know who else I'm supposed to take this out on!
Let's go!
Hey, this here is my drink!
If you want another, get it yourself!
What did you say?!
Enough, you two! Stop it!
Stupid drunkards!
Oh, it's all right. Why don't you let them fight?
Oh, do you children want to have some beer?
Don't meet their eyes!
Okay.
Clank, clank...
The blacksmith from a thousand years ago...
There's a river nearby that I almost fell into.
The right-angled river, a palace surrounded by a long wall,
and a girl who lives there playing with dolls.
That's right.
Just once, I want to see that girl's face.
A bride... Flowers...
White flowers.
They're all in bloom like that.
And many people are laughing.
Even so, that girl didn't laugh.
She's the only one I wish would laugh.
Shinko-chan...
Tomorrow's promise is...
to laugh with everyone.
Huh?
She's not around today.
Huh?
How did I end up here?
Since when can I see it?
Huh?
Huh? Huh?
Huh?
There's a "mai mai."
Princess. Princess.
Princess.
Little Princess.
Come on. Let's go.
You can't go that way.
This way.
Beautiful!
Amazing!
So many flowers.
Huh? Mount Tatara!
The shape is the same!
Clank, clank, clank...
Clank, clank...
It's amazing, amazing, Shinko-chan!
The world of a thousand years ago.
You can't give up on it, Shinko-chan!
Next time, don't forget the money!
Try to bear it. We're close.
We'll reach there soon.
Soon. Soon.
I can meet her soon. Soon... That girl...
Soon. Soon. Soon!
It's there.
California
Oh?
What's the matter?
Children.
Y-You, are you the woman from Bar California?!
Oh, what's going on?
What's with these kids?
Are you from Bar Califor-
Yes, I am.
I am the woman from Bar California.
Are you the Yakuza who lives in the second floor gambling den?!
Shinko.
Do you think it's a good idea to shout out loud?
If you're not educated enough to know what's bad...
Little rascals.
Oh!
If your parent's education doesn't get through, then...
should we act as gentle foster parents for awhile?
You, blond woman!
Tatsuyoshi has come for revenge!
Tatsuyoshi's father, who was an honest police officer,
committed suicide because he fell in love with a blond woman,
so we've both came here for revenge!
Return our promise for tomorrow!
I truly apologise for not being able to come to work today, My Lady.
Because we ate something bad, all the people in this household are sick.
You too?
Does your stomach hurt?
But I have to take care of my mother and siblings.
Oh no, I forgot to feed the birds at My Lady's residence.
You always look like that.
It's sometimes better to smile.
Here.
Does this kid always have this grim expression?
Tatsuyoshi never smiles without a reason!
Go, Tatsuyoshi!
Okay, let's leave it at that.
If you hit her with your wooden sword, you'll be like a Yakuza.
Huh? What's wrong? Come on, laugh!
Here, drink.
Listen, boy...
Do you want me to teach you how to carve a top that'll always win?
It's as though you don't have any courtesy.
Why?
Why would you do something like that for me?
Well, it's because Mister Suzuki taught me how to drink.
His eyes...
You know, they used to shine.
Yes, it was like he was having fun.
Why would you say that to him?
The boy is Suzuki-san's son. He already knows how to carve a top.
No, I never asked him to teach me.
Father...
He did ask, "Do you want me to teach you?"
but I refused and said "No."
When he was drunk, he'd often hit me.
When father was like that,
so drunk, and stinking of alcohol...
Damn it!
M-My...
My father would often run past this bar when he was young.
If it were possible, I would love to run with him...
Father!
Please go, boy.
Let's go, Tatsuyoshi!
This is a demon, the cause of sickness.
I'll make everybody sick!
But, it's all right.
This is... a "Housoushi."
He has four eyes and a pike, so he's even stronger.
Now, time to finish the demon.
Exorcism, exorcism!
Ah, the demon ran away.
I need assistance.
Stab. Stab.
Ouch. Ouch, ouch, ouch! It hurts.
Shinko, starting tomorrow, I won't be around.
I'm going to Osaka by train, to live with my mother and her family.
But, I promise you...
that I'll become an honest person.
How to play with a top, how to take the legs off an octopus, and other things...
I'll definitely teach them to my children.
Okay.
Shinko.
Here, take this.
Okay.
Then, see you!
However, Tatsuyoshi!
Before that, try your best and your hardest to play.
Remember more games, and pass them onto your children.
That's why we should put our best into playing.
My Do or Die comrade!
Let's play tomorrow too.
Okay.
Finally, he smiled from the bottom of his heart.
Okay, then it's time for me...
Good evening, good evening, good evening.
Coming now.
Ah, excuse me.
Who are you?
My name is Aoki Shinko.
I promised to give Kiiko a Glico electric fan.
Kiiko, it's your friend, Ao-
Shinko-chan...
I... I found it!
Put your shoes on!
Come on, let's go!
Go? Where to?
Come on.
Okay.
Father, I'm going out for awhile.
Going out? Hey, Kiiko!
The goldfish, Hizuru, is still alive!
I want to see! I want to see!
You want to see?
Yes, I want to see! I want to see! I want to see!
All right!
Shinko-chan, you're too slow!
Where is it?
There, around there.
It was around there, but...
Huh?
That's strange.
It should be around here.
It's true.
See?
The battery seems to be getting low.
Aren't you afraid?
No, I'm fine, because you're here.
In this darkness,
under the stars...
it feels like...
there are many things around us here.
Yes, there are.
Tatsuyoshi's father, your mother.
As long as we remember them, they'll always be here.
Ah, that's right. I found it today. Look.
It was inside a book.
My mother when she was a child.
Kiiko, you look just like her.
Eh?
Just now, I couldn't beat you in a race.
I'm actually the slowest in our class.
Yet you seem very agile.
But I can beat the "Green Kojiro," you know.
Who is that?
Something I imagined.
A man with a sword running above the water.
And that kind of thing is also around.
There are still many things, huh,
in your head.
Ouch!
What are you doing?! Shimazu Kiiko!
Why you!
Oh, but this goldfish really exists.
Yes.
Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that,
it will still be somewhere around here, right?
Yes.
Shinko.
Oh, Shinko.
Ah! Father!
Are you real, Father?
What? You think I'm a fake father?
I thought that the ghost of a grand saint had turned up, taking the form of my father who almost never comes home~
Rascal!
Your grandfather and the others are worried, you know.
Yes, I love Grandfather!
My, oh my.
With your imagination, a good half of your genes
come from your grandfather, without a doubt.
Oh, and who are you?
My name is Shimazu Kiiko.
I'm in the same class as Shinko-chan.
I see. My goodness.
My name is Aoki Tousuke.
I do research about green algae at Yamaguchi University.
She lives in a company-owned house.
Well then, I'll take you home.
But you girls are strange.
Well, I am your daughter.
Idiot.
Even if we are father and daughter, our genes are a little different.
You're not identical to me.
Your father is a nice person.
Sing, sing a song.
Yes, he is.
My whole family is nice.
Kiiko, let's play tomorrow.
Sing out loud, sing out strong.
Sure.
Sing of good things not bad.
Hizuru-sensei!
Sing of happy not sad.
Sing, sing a song.
Make it simple to last your whole life long.
Don't worry that it's not good enough for anyone else to hear.
Just sing, sing a song.
At the end of winter, Shinko's grandfather passed away.
And now, Shinko-chan is moving.
To the city where Shinko-chan's father works at a university.
Everyone!
Here, a gift for you.
And here, this too.
What is it?
Taiyaki made by a new taiyaki shop in Tenjinmachi.
Since I wanted to go there once.
Just sing, sing a song.
Thank you.
Don't give in if Hiroko from Kanayama Canteen bullies you again.
Yes, of course I won't.
Shinko-chan.
Shinko.
Shinko!
Goodbye.
See you later.
Shinko.
Goodbye.
気まぐれ 神さま
kimagure kami-sama
Whimsical God.
遠い昔 あの場所に
tooi mukashi ano basho ni
A long, long time ago, at that place,
流れ星 ひとつ 落とした
nagareboshi hitotsu oto shita
one shooting star fell.
あれから随分 時は経ち
arekara zuibun toki ha tachi
Since then, a long time has passed.
見渡す限りの
miwatasu kagiri no
As far as the eye can see,
青い麦の海
aoi mugi no umi
a sea of green wheat.
君だけに 教えてあげる
kimi dake ni oshiete ageru
I will tell only you
たからものの 隠し場所
takaramono no kakushi basho
the place where a treasure is hidden.
蜩（ひぐらし）
higurashi
Cicada...
雀（すずめ）に
suzume ni
Sparrow...
女郎花（をみなえし）
ominaeshi
Patrinia...
淡色（うすいろ）
usuiro
Light colour...
花闇（はなやみ）
hanayami
Flower gloom...
紅絹（もみ）のあか
momi no aka
Shade of scarlet silk...
双六（すごろく）
sugoroku
Sugoroku...
草笛（くさぶえ）
kusabue
Reed pipe...
瑠璃（るり）の玉
ruri no tama
Beryl stone...
わたしの小さなたからもの
watashi no chiisa na takaramono
My meagre treasures.
明日また 笑って遊ぼう
ashita mata waratte asobou
Let's play and laugh again tomorrow.
待っているよ 海の底
matte iru yo umi no soko
I'll be waiting at the bottom of the ocean.
誰も知らない ふたりだけの
daremo shiranai futari dake no
Nobody else knows, only the two of us.
ひみつの約束 こどものせかい
himitsu no yakusoku kodomo no sekai
It's a secret promise, a child's world.
神さま 突然
kami-sama totsuzen
The God, suddenly,
あの子 連れてった
ano ko tsuretetta
took that child away.
会えるのは 夏の一日
aeru no ha natsu no ichinichi
We can only meet for one summer day.
それだけじゃ ちょっと寂しい
sore dake ja chotto sabishii
It's somewhat lonely with just that.
牽牛星（ひこぼし）
hikoboshi
Altair...
太白星（ゆふづつ）
yufudutsu
Venus...
神楽歌（かぐらうた）
kagura uta
Kagura's song...
松尾（まつのを）
matsunowo
Matsuno...
八幡（やはた）に
yahata ni
Yahata...
大原野（おおはらの）
ooharano
Ooharano.
あの道歩けば すれ違う
ano michi arukeba surechigau
If you walk down that road, you'll pass one another:
何時かの国の お姫さま
itsuka no kuni no ohime-sama
the princess of a province in another time.
明日をずっと 覚えていよう
ashita o zutto oboete iyou
Let's always remember tomorrow,
甘い甘い風が吹けば
amai amai kaze ga fukeba
if a sweet soft wind blows.
いつか見た 船が浮かぶよ
itsuka mita fune ga ukabu yo
One day, I saw a boat floating,
麦の波を きって進もう
mugi no nami o kitte susumou
cutting through a wave of wheat.
思い出せれば 何時でも
omoidasereba itsudemo
When you remember, no matter when,
ここに来て 手を繋いで
koko ni kite te o tsunaide
come here, and let's hold hands.
明日また 笑って遊ぼう
ashita mata waratte asobou
Let's play and laugh again tomorrow.
Translation Translation Checker Timer Editor & Typesetter Encoder Quality Assurance
Jupiter_RingsID & Reeds Hyperwyrm & kokujin-kun namaiki & nollarg alchemist11 Anonymous Collectr & Samika
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