Love Unseen Beneath the Clear Night Sky (透明な夜に駆ける君と、目に見えない恋をした。)

I'm home.

This is just an old habit.

Turning the lights on doesn't help me see.

But when I know that the room lights are on, it makes me feel like I'm home.

That was so fun!

Welcome back, Koharu!

You still haven't eaten, right?

Right.

LOVE UNSEEN BENEATH THE CLEAR NIGHT SKY

What are we having for dinner?

I decided to make tempura.

Great!

Are you ready to eat now?

Mm-hmm. Thanks.

I get as hungry as anyone does, but eating in front of other people

is not my favorite thing.

Thank you for the food.

It's hot, so be careful.

The tempura plate is right in front. Everything else is in the usual place.

Mm-hmm.

Mmm, this is so good!

I get nervous when I start to worry I might have something stuck to my face.

Even when I was eating with Kakeru-kun, I actually felt very anxious.

By the looks of things, it seems the date went well.

How did you know it was a date?

Well, you put more effort into your makeup than usual

and you tried on a bunch of different outfits.

It's true that I put in a little extra effort today.

I woke up on my own, earlier than usual,

then took a shower, picked my clothes, and took time doing my makeup.

I got all dressed up.

But none of it felt like a hassle. I wanted to look nice for Kakeru-kun,

and I was so, so excited for him to see me.

I had so much fun just getting ready

that I wasn't sure how I'd react when I met him.

Yeah. I had fun.

You're even grinning now.

No, I am not!

Thank you for the meal.

It was a short date that lasted less than half a day,

but the fact that Kakeru-kun took the time to see me

and stayed with me so long

made me very happy.

Even though I can't see, there are plenty of things that I want to do,

but people think that they are too difficult for me.

The hardest part is when that makes people not want to include me.

But Kakeru-kun is different.

He tries to understand me.

Hey.

If you don't want to talk about it, that's totally fine with me...

Sometimes Kakeru-kun speaks to me in a very gentle tone

and it sounds like he is being very, very careful not to hurt my feelings.

but what does it look like when you're blind? Is it pitch black or something?

Well...

You really don't have to answer.

People tend to think it's pitch black, but for me, it's the opposite.

Opposite?

It's like I'm in this whitish, transparent blur.

Huh.

Kakeru-kun responds with "huh" a lot.

I guess it's a habit of his. I think it's cute.

How do I put this? It feels like a very thoughtful "huh" to me.

It's one thing that I like about him.

"Life must be hard when you're blind."

There are a lot of people who say things like that.

I guess it just goes to show how uncommon blindness is.

When people say that, I want to tell them, "I'm totally normal."

Wow, it really is rocking.

There's a waist-high railing in front of you, so hang on to that.

Okay.

It certainly was a shock when I learned that I was going to lose my sight.

However, I got used to it over time and now I can eat and take baths just fine.

I can use a cell phone and even 'read' audiobooks.

I can do my own makeup and dress myself up.

It can be hard to walk on tactile blocks, so I don't wear shoes with narrow heels.

Boots and sandals are fine, though.

I'm actually living a pretty normal life.

Thank you for joining us today.

We will be departing shortly.

Hang on tight, okay?

You know I will!

Actually hang on, though!

There are still many things I can't do by myself, but I manage to get by.

I've learned to ask for help when I need it.

I've even made some good friends that way.

So I don't think people need to worry about me.

The wind's pretty strong. Are you okay?

I'm all right.

It's very refreshing.

On both sides of the ship, there are rows of buildings lining the Sumida River.

Okay.

Every once in a while, you can see a park on the riverbank.

The trees are all green.

Mm-hmm!

The sun is high in the sky, and the light is reflecting off the water.

It's really bright.

I love the way that being thoughtful comes as second nature to him.

I love how warm Kakeru-kun's hands are.

I love his voice.

I love the way he makes me laugh.

I love how kind he is.

Whoa!

What's the matter?

Th-The bridge in front of us, it says Eitai Bridge,

yeah I guess it's called Eitai Bridge, but it's a lot lower than the others.

We might hit our heads, so get down!

Okay!

Sorry.

It wasn't as low as I thought. We were totally clear.

Are you kidding me?

At times like this, I think, "I wish I could see his face right now."

I am absolutely, positively sure that I'd still like him if I saw his face.

I do like Kakeru-kun, but I'm too afraid to let him know.

Maybe he doesn't want to be with a handicapped person.

No, I know Kakeru-kun isn't like that.

But I still can't help but feel very uncertain and scared.

I think we're in Tokyo Bay now.

I can smell the ocean. I guess we'll be arriving soon.

I can't see the university from here, but we should arrive at Etchujima—

Oh... sorry to grab you like that.

No, it's all right.

I'm having so much fun!

If I could still see then, would I have been able to tell him I like him?

No, I think I would have been too scared.

Wow. I guess confessing your true feelings can be scary.

Ah, I'm so happy.

I'm so happy to know what that feels like.

I'm so happy that I know what love feels like.

I wonder what Kakeru-kun thinks of me.

Should I go ahead and tell him how I feel?

But what would I do if he rejects me?

Even after exchanging Lime info, he's never contacted me on his own.

I'm having so, so much fun that it almost hurts,

like my chest is about to burst open.

I feel incredibly happy but also so anxious.

Kakeru-kun.

Heave-ho!

Stroke!

Heave-ho!

Stroke!

Heave-ho!

Stroke!

Heave-ho!

Stroke!

Cutter training.

They say it's a dorm tradition. They say it's 100 years old.

They say it started when the Black Ships arrived.

It's all a fish story that grew not only legs but even fins,

but dorm residents are required to participate.

Dorm residents wake up at the crack of dawn and meet at Harumi Pier,

get on this small vessel called a cutter,

and do nothing but row the boat in time with the calls until the sun comes up.

Heave-ho!

Stroke!

Heave-ho!

Stroke!

Heave-ho!

Sea King Festival

It's all in preparation for the school festival at the beginning of June,

Cutter Boat

Trial Rides

when the dorm residents take guests on trial cutter boat rides.

Once the passengers board the boat,

we go from the triangular area formed by Etchujima, Tsukishima, and Toyosu,

then pass under the Harumi Bridge and row all the way around.

It's always one of the most popular events during the festival.

Stroke!

Heave-ho!

Keep it up, Kakeru-kun!

Stroke!

Heave-ho!

Hang in there!