Sounds of Winter (冬のなんかさ、春のなんかね)

TOYAMA STATION

- Hey. - Hey.

What is it?

I didn't choose this. Mom did.

Pink.

Shut up.

- I'll take it. - Thanks.

TSUCHIDA

I'm home.

- Where's Mom? - Hawaii.

Hawaii?

What is she, a celebrity?

Linking celebrities and Hawaii is so outdated.

She apparently won something at the neighborhood raffle.

Neighborhood raffle? Now that's outdated.

I came all the way back home and you're the only one here?

- Nana is here too. - Oh yeah, Dog.

- Don't call her Dog. - Dog. I'm back home, Dog.

Nana.

- Have you been well? - Aren't you happy she's back, Nana?

You've been doing well? Nana.

Tokyo Banana.

Come here.

Good girl, good girl.

Thank you.

I'm going out for drinks tonight.

With friends from high school? Or middle school?

High school.

Oh…

Does that mean Shibasaki will be there?

Don't know. Probably.

Woo-hoo.

You're an idiot.

Woo-hoo.

What?

So hot.

So annoying.

Thanks for waiting.

Here's the rolled eggs.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Here you go.

By the way, is he coming?

- Shibasaki? - Yeah.

He said he's going to be a little late.

I see.

You haven't seen him since you graduated?

I think so.

Then it's been about ten years.

You were 18 back then, and now you're 28.

You're right.

I don't think I really know what happened.

Why did you and Shibasaki break up?

Idiot! Stop asking questions like that.

Oh right. It's better to wait until both of them are here together, huh?

That's even worse.

It's all right, I don't mind.

Oh. You don't mind talking about it?

Why is it a taboo subject?

It's a fact that we were dating,

and there was nothing wrong with breaking up, right?

- I guess so. - Yeah.

See? You're the one who's being too self-conscious.

And Shibasaki has been dating Saki for three years now.

Oh, you didn't know?

Maybe that was taboo.

- See? - No, I knew.

I get all the news from Takuya.

He tells me even when I don't ask.

Takuya? It's been so long. How's he doing?

- He's doing well. - Really?

- Sorry I'm late. - Hey.

- Glad you made it. - Thanks.

You made it.

Sit down.

- You were late. - So late.

What do you want to drink?

- I'll have beer. - Beer.

Excuse me.

- Yes? - Can we have one beer…

- Two. - Two beers.

I want a highball please.

Three beers and one highball please.

Three beers and one highball.

- Okay. - Thank you.

- You're late. - Sorry.

All right.

Now that Shibasaki is here, let's officially raise our glasses.

- Cheers. - Cheers.

It seems like you're as busy as usual.

Yeah, thankfully.

Do you know what Shibasaki is doing right now?

- Yeah, an architect, right? - Yeah.

You knew already, huh?

How did you know? Oh, it must be Takuya.

He tells me things even when I don't ask.

I see.

We still play soccer together sometimes.

- So I hear. - Yeah.

Then Shibasaki, do you know…

Know what?

What Ayana does for work?

You're a novelist, right?

I saw your novel at a bookstore by the station. It's amazing.

Not at all.

I still work part-time at a second-hand clothing store.

- Is that right? - Yeah.

Oh that reminds me.

I was planning to ask later,

but I'll probably forget if I get drunk, so…

What?

Can you sign these please?

This is so embarrassing.

- You really bought my novels? - Of course!

- Thank you. - Can you sign mine too?

Mine too please.

Really?

Hold on, am I the only one

without her novels?

- I'm sorry. - Don't worry about it.

You didn't buy it?

You should've told me beforehand.

This goes without saying.

Of course this goes without saying.

- Wow. - Nice.

So cool.

AYANA TSUCHIDA

Nice!

My first ever autograph.

Yes, that's right.

Um… well… please hold on one second.

The kid's room is available.

No, let's go somewhere else.

Thank you, but we'll look somewhere else.

Thanks for waiting. It's so cold.

- Yeah, it's so cold. - It's freezing.

What about that place above the bowling alley?

We're going karaoke. Want to come?

- Yeah, I'll go. - Okay.

What about you, Shibasaki?

- I guess I'll go too. - Nice.

Everyone's coming.

- Okay. - Are there rooms available?

- It's open? - Really?

Yes.

For five people, please.

Yes.

Yes, thank you.

Yes.

Yes, we'll be heading there now.

Thank you.

All right.

- Very nice. - Good job.

Let's sing one together.

- What about this one? - Yeah.

- So? - How about this?

Why did you two break up?

You're going to ask that now?

Who cares why they broke up?

You guys want to know?

Yes, I do.

Can I tell them?

I don't mind.

Then Masao, you tell them.

What? Me?

You know the whole story.

Yeah, I do, but…

I don't think I'm the right person to talk about it

when you two are here.

Fine, just correct me if I get it wrong.

This might be just my perspective.

Okay.

Well, the reason why

they broke up is quite simple.

When Ayana went to university, she moved to Tokyo

and it became a long-distance relationship.

And then?

That's it.

What? Why? What do you mean?

Apparently, Shibasaki freaked out.

About what?

Tokyo, and also just simply the distance.

Hey, explain it yourself!

He's right. I freaked out. Over the long distance.

That's all.

- Isn't it hilarious? - No it's not.

Do you have anything to add?

Anything to add?

Let's see.

Well, personally,

I had intended to continue our relationship,

even if I went to university and we had to live far from each other.

But then Shibasaki said

that he might not be able to have a long-distance relationship.

I wondered why,

and so we talked about it…

We discussed it a lot, huh?

Yes, we did.

And we decided to break up.

I think that's it.