Journal with Witch (違国日記)

The wolf fiercely chases away intruders.

Huh?

Asa!

Did you go into... my...

Never mind. That couldn't be.

Sorry, forget it.

I swear it was right here...

You know, my sister kept a journal too.

A journal?

It felt wrong, but I took a peek inside to see if I should keep it.

Turns out it was for Asa.

Three-Year Journal

She wrote she was planning to give it to Asa when she turns twenty.

In the end, my sister could've chosen not to give it to Asa

had she lived another five years.

Asa is longing for her mother now.

In a sense, her mom's still alive in that journal.

Asa might want to read it now.

Maybe it should be up to her when she reads it.

Then it's a question of timing. That's tough.

Seriously?

You're the one who got yourself killed.

And now this journal?

Mom and Makio-chan both hid it from me.

Screw you.

Screw you.

Screw you.

Asa's Personal Belongings

Screw you!

Asa...

Your name was chosen with a great deal of care.

It embodies the beauty of all new things that come with each day.

I wish with all my heart that you'll be loved by everyone around you.

And I'll do everything I can to make that come true.

Right now, I have no idea who you'll become or what decisions you'll make.

And I may not yet know for many years to come.

But as long as you can love yourself,

I believe that's enough.

It was like gazing into a giant, dark pit.

Lying at the bottom was a monstrous fear.

The thought that perhaps...

my mom never really loved me.

Asa, as your mother, I...

love you so much.

You don't know that!

It could be a lie.

Who knows?

She could've written anything...

How would I know?

How would I know?!

It's crunch time, so I'll be cooped up in my room. Go ahead and eat without me. Sorry. There's some food in the fridge.

M

I'm home.

Journal with Witch

Episode 8 Wander

Do you like it?

Wow!

Happy birthday, Asa.

Thanks!

I hope you'll use it.

Yeah!

You heading out?

Asa, you didn't say you were leaving.

Have a good day.

I'm off.

What was that?

Oh yeah! I was gonna tell you—

Nara-san.

Can you spare a minute?

Coming.

She's absent, but I can't get a hold of her.

Wait, you mean it's not a cold?

What?!

Hi, Makio-san.

Asa's been absent since yesterday.

She told me she had a cold, but no one called the school about it.

Hi, Makio-san.

Asa's been absent since yesterday. She told me she had a cold, but no one called the school about it.

Her teacher is wondering if something's wrong.

Can she talk to you on the phone?

Her teacher is wondering if something's wrong.

Can she talk to you on the phone?

Asa...

Conference Room

Hello? Emiri-san?

Thank you for contacting me.

I'm her homeroom teacher, Ogaki.

Oh, I'm Asa's aunt, Koudai.

I'm sorry I missed your calls.

No worries. Is Asa-san okay?

Well, that's the thing...

She left like she always does both yesterday and today,

so I assumed she was in school.

I see. That makes sense.

Did she come home like always too?

Yes, she did yesterday.

In the evening, at the same time as usual.

What should I do...?

It's all right.

We'll figure it out.

Um... Both Asa and I are chicken,

so we've never skipped school or anything like that.

So I think there must be a reason.

I doubt she's doing anything reckless.

Though I'm kinda bummed she lied to me too...

You're right. Thank you.

Hey, Emiri-san?

Yeah?

Can you tell me some places Asa might go?

I'll go find her.

Koudai-san, if she's coming home as usual, you can talk to her then.

No, I'm worried about her.

I can't just sit around and wait.

Oh, class must be starting.

I'm sorry. Can you message me later?

Sensei, I apologize for the trouble.

Not at all.

We have our meeting soon, so let's talk then.

Yes, of course. Please excuse me.

Call ended

I hope Makio-san will be okay...

Nara-san, you and Takumi-san are childhood friends, right?

Oh, yeah.

Would you happen to know what her late parents were like?

Well, uh...

Her mom was super organized.

And her dad barely ever spoke.

But I'm not too sure.

Lately, I've realized that I don't know what people are truly like.

That's very mature of you.

R-Really?

Sorry to ask you over for this.

Well, it's a big deal.

Besides, it was easier than you thought, wasn't it?

Asking for help.

All you need to do is reach out and say so.

It was really hard, actually.

Koudai-san!

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Tono-sensei! Thank you for coming.

Do you have anywhere in mind?

I asked her friend for ideas, so I was thinking of checking those places first.

I apologize for making such a fuss about this.

Well... I'd argue it's better to make a big deal out of it.

Asa-san is facing the reality that she's lost her biggest supporters.

It's not rare for children to test the adults around them.

So I think it'll be good to show her that this many adults are concerned for her.

Even if we're not her parents.

Yes, you're right...

I'm gonna scold her good.

You can be scary when you're mad.

Go easy on her.

Everyone's got their own thing besides me.

How's that fair?

Emiri grew five centimeters just this year.

Chiyo-chan's pretty and smart.

And Asuka-chan's family is super rich.

I'm the only one with nothing.

It's not fair.

Screw them.

It's not fair.

Screw them.

It's not fair.

It's all Mom's fault.

All of this...

It's 'cause you went and died.

Maybe she's preparing to accept it.

Asa, I mean. That her parents are gone.

Yeah, maybe.

She sleeps a lot.

Maybe it's her way of tending her wounds.

To process what happened internally.

Maybe she still doesn't know how to get through it yet.

I'm cold by nature.

I didn't grieve at all when my father died.

To this day, I feel no grief.

But it's not like I hated him.

Perhaps it is a bit sad, but that's all.

So I can't find the right words to say to Asa.

You? Cold?

Give me a break.

I'd say you're full of passion.

Like how you get a bit grumpy.

That's not—