Jiro-kun?
Shiori? What happened? Why are you all wet?
Jiro-kun!
I feel so alone.
Please, won't you stay with me?
Shiori.
Jiro-kun.
Yakuin? Yakuin?
Yakuin!
Damn it. It turned out to be a dream again.
Come on, hurry up! I know you're awake, Yakuin!
I can't go through this every single...
Just for tonight... stay with me.
Huh?
What percentage does "like" have to hit before you can call it "love"?
It's criminal to be so shy
Intelligence and wild fancies, tick tock, just pick a mood
A drizzle from a patch of blue sky
No less than supreme
A maiden's heart zigzags, cute and invincible
The wild ringing of bells
What percentage does "like" have to hit before you can call it "love"?
Hold me so tightly that I fall asleep
A daydream that seems like fiction
Give me a kiss that breaks the expectant silence of the play
Give that indecision a tight embrace, too
My heart hurts and hurts,
racing unpredictably with joy and excitement
It's TRUE LOVE! Hold me tight!
Be brave, my darling
It won't all be happy and fun
It's all up to us
ONCE MORE SMILE, TWICE MORE CHIME
Please look my way, darling
Please notice my pure love for you
Steve? Where are you?
Come on.
Steve?
Are you in there?
Are you all right?
Is there really any reason to watch horror movies so late at night?
It's so we can reach A-rank.
Huh?
Natsumi told me that
if you watch horror movies together, you can get a lot of points!
Huh? Why'd you turn it off?
I just... don't think the horror plan is gonna work.
Stop it!
"Stop it"?
We're gonna overcome the fear together and earn some points!
And then we're gonna achieve A-rank and swap partners!
You want to be paired with Sakurazaka-san, don't you?
Well, yeah, if it's possible.
Then to make the plan more effective...
Wear this!
I bought these at a sale!
Twinsies pajamas!
No way! I can't!
What? Why?
You have to ask?!
It's something married couples would do, right?
Apparently, we can earn points just by wearing them.
And look! If you put them side-by-side, it makes a heart!
I'm amazed you were able to buy a design like that.
Going overboard in every way is exactly what we need to do.
Come on. Hurry up and put it on.
Really?
She used her own money for something like this?
I don't get it.
She's been all fired up since the day she went to karaoke with Tenjin.
Something must have happened between them that night.
I mean, not that it matters!
Why am I acting like it bothers me?
Wh-What is it?
Face the other way. I'm going to change.
What?
Here?!
I'm changing now.
Damn it. That's a gyaru for you.
No need to hesitate since she has so much experience, I guess?
Well, if she's gonna be that way, then fine. I'll put it on.
She probably doesn't even count me as a man, anyway.
A blackout?
I can't see anything.
Hey, Watanabe! Are you...
okay?
What?!
Is this even possible?
Hang on. What is this... softness... pressing up... against my chest...
Huh? What... part of her... is that?
Wait, this is bad!
If I don't move my hips back, my zombie will...
Don't beep at me right now, damn it!
Watanabe?
She's so scared, and I'm just...
Sorry. I'll get my cell phone light and—
Wait!
Not now!
Jerk! Don't look at me when I'm crying, you perv!
Yeah, I'm scared! Got a problem with that?!
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
C-Calm down! I didn't see it!
I barely saw your face at all!
It's not working.
We can't get into our rooms until the power comes back on.
Hey...
If you can't fix it, then hurry up and get back over here.
Yeah, fine.
She's so scared, and yet she's still bossing me around.
She really doesn't think much of me at all.
Though...
Seeing Watanabe like this is super rare, so I guess it's fine.
Also...
Why is she pressed up against me?!
Hey, say something fun.
Here come the unreasonable demands of a party girl!
Come on, don't you have anything?
If you can't tell a fun story or two, girls will never like you.
This little...
Come on. What's wrong, Killjoy-kun?
Long, long ago, in a far-off land...
Seriously? A fairy tale?
There was an old well that even the elderly couple living nearby
would never, ever go near.
Hang on...
There was a legend about that old well.
On stormy nights, when thunder and lightning crash...
There, beside the well, where no one should be,
stands the ghost of a woman with long hair...
Huh? Watanabe-san? Um...
Why'd you go all quiet?
Are you going to suddenly jump at me and scream to freak me out?
Wait, you didn't think that was actually scary, did you?
Vermin. Virgin. Go die and let the worms in.
Her insults rhyme like she's rapping!
Sorry.
Seeing you scared was just so unexpected, I couldn't help it.
Minami-kun wouldn't have done that. He'd have been nice to me.
I really am sorry.
But you know...
There's no one else here right now but you.
Would it kill you to let me depend on you a little? Meanie.
She's so cu—
That was close!
What was that?! What is she after?
Is she just messing with a virgin?!
My face is on fire!
It's gotta be bright red right now!
I'm so glad it's dark.
Oh! I found it!
It's a flameless aromatherapy candle.
Huh?
Natsumi gave it to me today.
For our two-year anniversary of hanging out together!
It came in a set of three, so it was a bargain!
Oh, wow! It smells super nice!
Ugh, it's so sweet.
I guess guys don't understand stuff like this.
Watanabe.
Yeah?
You're cute.
What did I just say?
I've lost my mind!
Did she hear me? She heard me, didn't she?
She's asleep! I'm safe!
Seriously, though, she looks so cute when she's asleep.
She tried to watch a horror movie, even though she doesn't like them.
Pushing herself so hard must've worn her out.
Would it kill you to let me depend on you a little?
What does it mean to let someone depend on you?
What's it mean to be a married couple?
Goodnight, Watanabe.
Stupid. What was all that supposed to mean?
Huh?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
11th
Ogoori Yutaka Kamachi Izumi
12th
\h\hYakuin Jiro Watanabe Akari
13th
Okubo Osamu Shuto Kyoko
You've done pretty well there, my friend.
To think that innocent little boy, Jiro-chan,
and a gyaru of the highest rank are living as a B-ranked married couple.
Your mama is so happy she's gonna cry.
And what about you?
Kasugahara Kyo Sangamori Hatsune
Kamo Sadaharu Kaneyama Satsuki
Shingu Aoba
I'm C-ranked this time, but it's not a problem.
I'm aiming for A-rank next time!
When you switch partners,
the points for the two of you can be combined. It's a major bargain!
Whoa...
Watanabe...
No way.
E-rank?
Huh?
71st
Shirono Honami
Tenjin Minami Sakurazaka Shiori
Kaizuka Yoshitake Nakahara Miyako
After that...
I couldn't stop worrying about Shiori.
But it wasn't like I could ask her anything directly.
All I could do was vaguely wonder.
It made me a little happy that things weren't working out with Tenjin,
but no matter how well we acted like the perfect married couple,
or how many points we earned...
If Shiori and Tenjin weren't A-ranked, none of it mattered.
Music Room
You're really amazing, Mei-chan.
You're good at sports, and you can play piano, too.
I just played it some a long time ago, that's all.
More importantly, are you feeling a little better?
I thought you might have noticed.
Which reason is it?
That he's out with a cold?
Or is it about your married life?
Well...
Both, huh?
When it comes to my married life, I already know...
that it's my own fault because I'm not good with people I don't know.
Ugh, this is such a drag.
Watanabe Akari
Forgot my key. Let me in when I ring the intercom.
Don't keep me waiting
All right, all right.
I'm sick here, you know...
I'm gonna hang out with my friends today.
Watanabe Akari
Forgot my key. Let me in when I ring the intercom.
Don't keep me waiting
You got it
Shouldn't we be using a day like this to rack up points?
If it were Shiori, would she be kind and look after me?
Say "ah."
What am I, a middle-schooler?!
It's not for real, but we are married.
You could come home early for me, couldn't you, Watanabe?
Huh? For real?
No. No, no way.
Why does this make me feel a little bit happy?
Y-You're back early, Watanabe...
Oh, good! You're awake!
How's your cold?
Shio—
Sakurazaka?
Thank you for waiting.
The pancakes are here!
They look tasty!
I guess we should dig in.
What's wrong, Akari?
You're the one who said you wanted these.
Huh? Oh... Yeah!
They look delicious.
I bet you were thinking about Minami-kun, right?
Huh?
That's pretty much the only thing Akari thinks about so seriously.
Forget about that! Let's just eat, okay?
Let's eat!
Hey, did you know? Apparently, these pancakes are called "a prince's kiss."
What? That's hilarious.
The texture of the edge is supposed to be as soft as someone's lips.
No, no, no! It's not like that at all!
Akari? Why are you so dead-set on denying it?
Wait, don't tell me that after that night at karaoke...
You and Minami-kun went and did it?
O-Of course not.
Ugh... Why am I even thinking about him?
I was surprised, is all. I never expected you to come over.
Thanks for buying all this stuff for me.
No, it was Watanabe-san, actually.
She said, "I have stuff to do, so would you look after Jiro-kun?"
And I was worried, too, so here I am.
Watanabe said that?
Yeah. Should we replace your forehead compress?
Thank you, Watanabe!
Shiori really came to my room!
Do you remember back when we were in elementary school?
When I stayed home with a cold,
you brought me our class handouts.
You changed the cold compress on my forehead.
It made me so happy!
I-Is that what happened?
All right, I'll put it on.
Give me your forehead.
Uh, s-sure.
Don't move, now.
Sh-Sh-She's so cute!
There. All done.
Th-Thanks.
No problem.
I'm glad to see you're doing better than I thought.
I'm going to borrow your kitchen, okay?
Sure.
If she does stuff like this for me...
I'm gonna get the wrong idea again.
Just like I did back then.
In the summer of our second year of middle school,
when Shiori had to change schools because her dad got transferred at work,
I had intended to confess my feelings to her.
Oh, so you're transferring to a private school.
Yeah.
Shiori, I—
Say, Jiro-kun...
Even if we're apart...
Will you always stay my friend?
Yeah. I will.
Nothing's gonna change.
I suddenly got scared, so I chickened out on confessing to her,
but I think it was for the best in the end.
Jiro-kun?
Huh? Oh, sorry! I zoned out...
I made some rice porridge. Do you think you can eat?
For real?
Yeah.
Yes! I'll eat it! I'll eat it with tremendous gratitude!
Oh, man! Shiori's cooking!
This is the best thing I've ever tasted in my whole life!
I'm so glad. It looks like you're able to eat on your own.
Huh? Uh...
Say "ah"!
Oh, crap! If I hadn't dug right in, I'd have had the chance for her to feed me.
Are you all right?
I-It's nothing.
It's so delicious, it's making me cry.
Oh, I'm so glad!
Thanks for the porridge.
I'm glad you liked it.
Must be nice to be Tenjin.
He gets to eat your cooking every day.
We take turns doing the cooking.
We rotate every day.
R-Really? Wow, Tenjin can cook, too?
No wonder Watanabe's always squeeing over him.
My cooking is truly catastrophic,
so I just leave it all to Watanabe.
Despite how she looks, she's really good at it.
Unexpected, right?
I mean, I do the other housework to make up for it, though.
That's right.
Everything's going well between you and her, huh?
Hey, um, Sakurazaka...
I saw your ranking...
and if there's anything I can do, just say it.
I'll help you.
Sorry, Shiori.
I'm pretending to be a nice guy, when really, this is all for my own sake.
Because I want to live with you.
Thank you, Jiro-kun.
I don't feel comfortable around boys...
I am trying,
but when I think about being "married," I can't help getting anxious,
and I put distance between us.
I see.
I also think it might have been better if you were my husband.
Just kidding!
Watanabe-san will be coming home soon, won't she?
I'll go wash the dishes.
It's okay!
I-I know you can do it!
You can do it, Shiori!
I've been your friend since we were little, so I can vouch for all your good points!
So have confidence in yourself!
Th-Thank—
Sorry!
Crap! She was totally weirded out by that!
Shiori was really, really weirded out by that!
Don't get all excited and lunge at her, you virgin!
Oh, I just want to die now.
And anyway...
Shiori only came here because Watanabe asked her to.
And once she gets used to Tenjin, things'll work out between them.
Once Shiori stops being against the idea, I'm sure...
Jiro-kun.
Are you asleep?
You finally called me by my first name like I asked.
I was so happy my mind went blank.
Say, Jiro-kun...
I...
So did you hear the rumor that Sakurazaka-san is avoiding Minami-kun?
I hear she's popular 'cause she's the pure, sweet type.
And it seems like she's not comfortable talking to guys.
But Akarin and Killjoy-kun seem to be getting along pretty well, right?
Maybe they've already done it.
No way. Virgin-kun could never go that far.
I'm more worried about Minami-kun.
She won't go near him now, but it'll be dangerous once she's used to him.
Sakurazaka-san's cute, after all.
If she makes a move with that face...
Oh...
What're you gonna do, Akari?
Your husband's gonna get taken away.
Yeah.
Maybe.
I shouldn't... right?
We aren't married, so how could I?
Will you always stay my friend?
Yeah. I will.
Nothing's gonna change.
Oh, I'm so relieved!
The place we're moving to isn't that far away,
and I want to come back here sometimes.
You know how the Christmas lights around the train station are really pretty?
So I was thinking I'd like to see them again this year.
And, um... if you wouldn't mind, Jiro-kun...
Shiori...
Sorry. I just remembered something I have to do, so I'm gonna go.
Sure.
I'll see you later.
Back then, I thought "later" would never come.
But...
If I tried my hardest again,
would he hear me out to the end this time?
I'm back.
What're you gonna do, Akari?
Your husband's gonna get taken away.
Okay!
Watanabe?
Where'd you come from?!
You scared me!
S-Sorry. Um, I just wanted to talk for a minute.
What do you mean? Are you feeling better already?
Uh, yeah. Thanks to you.
Shiori—um, Sakurazaka came over because you asked her to, right?
I just thought that Virgin-kun would need someone to play mama for him.
I'm...
gonna do my best to be your husband, Watanabe.
Huh?
I'll do even more to help you out so that things work out between you and Tenjin.
For now, even though it was super brief, I got to live a nice dream.
Thanks.
I'll be going to school tomorrow, so I'm going to bed now.
Goodnight.
Well, that's great, right?
So...
why do I feel so annoyed about it?
In this moment when I've deceived you on a cosmic scale
I want to give love a try
In this night when everything begins to overflow
I match my stride to yours
The clock hands stop, charmed by a fleeting curse
The answers always slip away
All I want is to do it over again
If I did, would this unsettling gloom inside me disappear?
I want to know where my heart is hiding
One day this will end
I know that
And I know the signs of discord
Turn them inside out
Don't let them pile up
I don't want things to stay unfinished like this
In this moment when I've deceived you on a cosmic scale
I want to give love a try
Everything begins to overflow
On this day when we don't know how much time is left to us
I want your thoughts to drift toward me fondly, again and again
Sakurazaka Shiori is a pain in the neck.
All she does is fret over Yakuin.
Why would she ask me anything? I don't care.
But when our conversation was done, her reenergized expression
was really cute.
So I guess it's all good.
Next Time
Broken Up, and Not Rekindled.
Next time,
"Broken Up, and Not Rekindled."