Absolute Boy (絶対少年)

Kokoro no mori no naka kimi ni deau koto

I was always dreaming of meeting you

Zettai Shonen

Itsumo yume mitetan da

within my heart’s forest.

Hikari no silhouette sono saki wo mezashite

The silhouette of light guides the way.

Itsuka ai ni furete mitai

One day, I’d like to try and experience love.

Kimochi to kotoba niji to mizutamari

My feelings and words can be like rainbows and puddles.

Omoiau yasashisa ga michibiku ashita he to

The kindness we share will guide us into tomorrow.

Kimi ga iru dake de tsuyoku nareru kara

With only you here, I can become stronger.

Sora takaku negai wo kanadeyou

My wish will be granted in the heights of the sky.

Nanika taisetsu ka wo miushinawanu you ni

You won’t lose sight of something precious to you,

Kitto motto kagayaku kara

because I’m sure it’ll shine even brighter.

Kimi ga iru dake de tsuyoku nareru no sa

With only you here, I can become stronger.

Ima dekiru koto kara hajimeyou

Let’s start with what we can do right now.

Mawarimichi demo ii jibun wo shinjite

I don’t mind if we take a detour, as long as you believe in yourself.

Kitto motto sono saki he to

By doing that, I’m sure we can go even further.

The Beginning of a Depressing and Strange Summer

Why do you do that?

Because I have nothing else to do, I guess.

Because you have nothing else to do, you do medical checkups on stray cats?

Yep.

In my spare time, I sterilize stray cats.

But this time, it was just a medical examination.

Those surgical procedures must be pretty tough...

...and if you don’t get paid, you can’t break even, right?

You don’t understand. That’s not why I do it.

So what’ll you do, Ayumu? Going to come with me?

I see. It did just arrive, after all.

Umm...

Can I head back on this?

You want to go back to Yokohama?

That’s not exactly what I meant, but...

It’s up to you.

This year sure is strange...

Kishiro Animal Hospital

Even though it’s already the end of July, the summer camellias are still in full bloom.

Ayumu, I respect the choices you make.

Do what you feel is right.

I’ll support whatever decisions you make.

Kishiro Animal Hospital

“This year sure is strange,” huh?

Are you all right out there?

What do you mean?

Are you doing okay with that man?

Yeah... I guess so.

You don’t have to force yourself. You can come back whenever you like.

Ayumu? Are you listening to me?

Yeah...

This year sure is a strange one.

For some reason, there seems to have been a lot of funerals...

...and there’s been a huge outbreak of spiders in the garden.

With things the way the are, I might be regretting that decision.

Hey, I know we decided on a week...

...but if you start to get sick of it, just come right on home.

Okay.

But if I’m not here until the mountain bike arrives, at least...

I’ll call again.

Ah, it’s Ayumu.

Miku!

Hey!

Don’t run in the store.

Sorry about that.

Oh, we have a customer.

You should’ve called out if you were waiting.

Mikoshiba-san’s off today, so...

Aizawa-kun, Dr. Kishiro hasn’t come in here much since you arrived.

Are you guys all right with food?

I can cook, so...

I see.

I guess I’ve lost one of my best customers, then.

What’s his problem?

Aizawa Ayumu...

...unfortunat–

Miku.

How do you like Tana so far? Not too bored?

Well, it was as boring as it could get...

But since this came...

But...

Miyama!

Sakakura.

I thought I saw you when I looked back.

And it really was you.

Who’s that?

Aizawa-kun.

You know, the son of Dr. Kishiro.

Huh? But aren’t their last names different?

This is why you’re useless.

These things called “family issues” exist, you know.

Sorry, but I’ll pass on any complicated stories.

Anyway, Miyama...

Have you heard about Old Lady Okaka?

Didn’t she die?

Apparently she’s been reborn!

Huh? Seriously?

She could be a ghost!

Rather... wouldn’t it mean that she never actually died?

Aizawa Ayumu.

Do you know who Old Lady Okaka is? She’s a cat.

The rival of Sakakura, from ten years ago.

A cat?

Yeah.

Don’t make fun of me!

No, it’s just... I don’t really understand...

She’s not just some normal tortoiseshell cat.

And there’s no way she’s a stray.

Sometimes I doubt whether she’s really even a cat!

There he goes, starting up on that again...

She got her ear torn off fighting a kappa!

A tortoiseshell cat with one ear torn off? I saw it.

“I”?

All right, Mr. “I,” where did you see her?

In the garden at my Dad’s place.

The vet, huh?

Sometimes I wonder about him...

That thing about it fighting with a kappa...

Sakakura says he saw it when he was in elementary school...

Old Lady Okaka and a kappa battling...

I have no reaction for that.

Kappas do exist. They’re further up the river.

Now that I think about it,

Mikoshiba-san did say the fireflies were increasing up the Nakizawagawa River.

And that there was something else there, too...

Yeah. There’s also the ghost stories of Emerald Land.

This year might be a little stranger than last.

Kishiro Animal Hospital

Damn. She got away, huh?

Secondary River Channel

Hello.

Do you have business at my Tsukiyomi Observatory?

N-No...

This is the Tsukiyomi Observatory, in which you learn about the night.

The time of the supernatural will come when the boundary opens.

This world’s membrane grows thinner by the day.

If you’re heading into the mountains, be careful.

That must’ve been Heigorou-san.

Of the so-called “Tsukiyomi Observatory.”

I hate to say this, but this isn’t all that good...

Would you have preferred my home-made boxed meal?

No... that’s not the problem here...

I’ll cook, so...

Sorry for not contacting you, but you don’t have to buy these things anymore.

What kind of person is he?

Heigorou-san.

I’m not too sure myself.

There are lots of rumors about him, though.

It’s like... all the people around here are kind of weird, huh?

You think so?

It feels like everyone’s being pushed away from something...

From what?

Common sense.

Isn’t that rather healthy?

Really? Why?

Well... I can’t really explain it...

You’re forcing yourself to say that.

Am not. I’m just being flexible.

Acting this way doesn’t suit you.

You think so?

Well then, how come you can’t explain it?

Well...

In the first place, “common sense” is...

...nothing more than taking the lowest common denominator from where you are at the time.

Thanks for the food.

I mean, it’s fine for people who don’t have to ingratiate themselves to others