When I throw a jab or a straight, it always lands
But when I'm aiming for your heart, I miss every time
Parallel, zigzagging, awkward, incoherent
When you look my way and move closer to me
I know it doesn't mean the same thing for you
But I wish we could stay like this forever
My changing feelings are driving me crazy
The moment you turn to face me, take that! Telepathy
If only we could feel the same thing
I want to kick this pesky subtlety away
I want to know everything, I want to know everything
I can't fool you forever
I can't keep this hidden
I want to shout out my secret, AHHH
Take that! Telepathy
Te-te-te-telepathy
Telepathy
The Reason for
Her Smile
"The Reason for Her Smile."
Morning, Misuzu-chan! Nice morning, isn't it?
Good morning.
Yes! She didn't ignore me today!
And you...
are who, again?
I'm your classmate, Tanabe!
I really wanna see her smile.
Misuzu-chan never smiles at all, you know?
Nothing wrong with being expressionless, but what would make her smile?
What are you talking about? She smiles all the time.
Huh?! No way!
In fact, she's almost always smiling when she talks to me.
She's so damn mean-spirited.
For real?!
Man, I'm so jealous!
Childhood friends have a totally different experience!
Tanabe's Image
Reality
Hey, Gundo smiles a lot, right?
Does she? I haven't seen her smile that much.
What's going on?
Why are you asking me?
Could it be because Misuzu likes Jun?
Tanabe-kun, mechanical pencils...
are pretty sharp, you know.
A wise decision.
Oh, yeah! So, Misuzu-chan,
I heard this funny story...
What the heck happened to you?
Misuzu-chan did it.
You said something weird to her again, didn't you?
You never learn.
I didn't say anything.
Huh? Then why...
I tried to kiss her on the cheek.
Mwah!
You're lucky all she did was put tape on you.
Misuzu-chan, what's it gonna take to make you smile?
Oh, you were trying to make me smile?
Tanabe-kun, do you like me?
Yeah! A lot!
Then stop fooling around and approach me seriously.
If you do that...
I'll shoot you down with a smile.
Man, she's so great!
So Jun said you smile around him all the time.
Does that mean... you actually...
It does not.
Then again...
Depending on one's point of view, it could be said that I like him.
Wha?!
Junichiro always has serious thoughts on his mind.
Even when he's laughing and goofing off around you,
I bet he's constantly thinking about something completely different.
He's such a delightful guy.
Oh... There's a smile.
I Want to Be Playful Like a Girl
"I Want to Be Playful Like a Girl."
Morning!
C'mon, cut that out!
Sorry!
I wanna try glomping a girl like that, too.
Tomo, have you finally...
Huh?! "Finally" what?!
I just mean hugging and holding hands and stuff with friends.
Y'know, girly stuff. I wanna try interacting with a friend like that.
Oh?
You always act strangely familiar with girls,
so I thought you'd be a natural at that.
I have tried it before.
Like, when I got to be good friends with someone,
I'd put my arm around her shoulder.
But every girl I do that with suddenly starts acting all distant again.
Why is that?
I feel sorry for all of them, too.
Come to think of it, we've been friends for over ten years, haven't we?
Yes, because our mothers were childhood friends.
We've been close since we were born.
I don't remember that, though.
I think we've been friends long enough to try doing stuff like that.
Long enough?
Just once! Let's try it just once!
I won't hurt you!
I was fine with it, but when you put it that way, I don't want to.
Huh?!
Tomo-chan!
What?
You want to hug, right?
Huh?
Misuzu told her...
You're sure?
Sure!
O-Okay, then...
Wh-What is this?!
She's so thin...
and soft...
And she smells nice.
So this is... a girl.
Maybe I'm really not a girl after all.
Relax.
That one's made special.
If Carol is special, then what are other girls like?
Hmm... You're pretty girly, too, Mifune.
Wh-Where the hell did that come from?!
What about you, Ogawa?
L-Like, what about me?!
Tomo-chan!
Tomo-chan, let's play together.
Morning, Tomo-chan!
H-Hey, morning.
Hey, Misuzu! Morning!
Good morning.
She seems pretty grumpy today.
I guess she's still mad.
She seems the same as always to me.
Nah. If you wanna be Misuzu's friend, you should learn this.
First of all, when she's angry, her facial expression changes a tiny bit.
Uh-huh.
And the way she acts is slightly different, too.
Angry
Not Angry
Huh...
She just gives off a different aura.
Oh!
That's how she is.
I don't get it.
What is Misuzu-chan angry about?
She started acting like that after I said I wanted more girly interaction yesterday...
But she's not the type to get mad over something like that.
Oh.
Huh?
It might be my fault.
I'm sorry!
I always mess up when I'm happy.
You think I was bothering Tomo-chan, too?
So you are aware of it, at least.
But you don't need to apologize for anything.
The one to blame is...
a certain someone who keeps pestering her
to get her attention.
Whoever it is, they sound like a child.
True.
I'm sorry I made you feel bad.
There was something going on that I personally didn't like,
and I took it out on you.
Okay...
You're being unusually open right now.
Well, I'm not a child.
Did something happen?
The physical contact you were talking about yesterday...
I wouldn't mind doing a little bit of that.
Really?!
Jeez, come on! If you were interested, you should've said so from the start!
We're best friends, aren't we?
This annoys me more than I expected.
Want me to just strangle you now?
Come to think of it...
Why don't you ever try to hug Junichiro?
Huh?!
I mean, if that was something I could do, I'd like to, but...
It's not that simple.
What are you talking about?
He doesn't even hesitate to get touchy and clingy with you for no reason.
Why would it cause problems if you were to hug him?
Oh!
Don't tell me...
You never realized that before now?
You're kidding me.
There's Jun!
All right!
Here I go!
Heya, Jun!
Let's walk home together!
H-Hey! Jun!
You're in high school now, y'know. You can't do stuff like that.
Huh?!
What?!
But you do that to me all the time!
I do that?
You sure as hell do!
Okay, maybe I do, then.
It's fine when I do it, but you? Not okay.
Got it?
No, I don't!
Damn it! Damn it! Damn you!
I like Tomo-chan a lot, too, but Jun-kun is really unfair.
What are you saying?
I'm saying...
I want to be your number one.
Huh?
Oh, I mean your number one friend.
I know that.
Heroes Fall a Lot
"Heroes Fall a Lot."
Hey, Tomo! Wake up!
Keep it down.
Finally awake?
Still not a morning person, are ya?
What the hell are you doing in my room?!
Your dad told me to come wake you up!
Whatever! Just get out!
C'mon, Tomo, why are you so angry?
Shut up, idiot!
Hey, you two.
What's all the ruckus so early in the morning?
You even woke me up.
Sorry, Mom.
Morning, Mrs. Aizawa!
I think you mean "Akemi-san"!
Sorry... I thought by now I should...
What's that supposed to mean?
Did you make this?
Yeah! Looks tasty, huh?
Well, it looks... original, for sure.
You think so?!
These fish are kinda tough.
They're dried sardines!
They make your bones stronger, so I put in a bunch of them!
Might be good for strengthening your jaw, too.
Right?!
By the way, Tomo's dad isn't gonna eat with us?
Oh, yeah, you know him.
He does everything in the dojo, including eating and sleeping.
He almost never comes into the house.
We've basically been living separately for ages now.
He stayed with me when we first got together...
How is he still too shy to even look me in the face?!
What, is he just a little girl in that big bear body?!
Here we go again.
Aizawa Dojo
How dare you show up late for practice?!
You two had better be ready to make up for that!
Sorry, Goro.
It's my fault. I held them up.
Ake—
Okay?
...mi!
It's been so long, he passed right out!
Dad's always been like that in front of Mom.
Talk about lame.
Seriously...
You really think so?
Huh?
You think a guy acting lovesick for a girl is lame?
Well, yeah... I mean, isn't it?
You're right. I think so, too.
But when push comes to shove, he always protects her.
Ever since they were in school, whenever Mom was in trouble,
he'd be the first one running to her side.
I see.
Sorry, Tomo-chan.
I want to ask Misuzu-chan for some love advice,
so I'm going to eat lunch with just her today.
That's what's going on, so you can eat with Junichiro.
Huh?! But why?!
I could eat with—
Huh?
'Kay?
That's what we mean.
What's what you mean?
They're eating alone today!
I thought they might be, but...
So they really are?
It's so much easier to relax when it's just us two!
What's that thing on your head?
Who could relax right now?!
So, what did you want advice about?
Wait just a sec. He'll be here soon.
Sorry I'm late, Carol.
You asked him to come?
I did.
Huh?
Uh... who are you?
Gundo Misuzu. Nice to meet you.
N-Nice to meet you, too.
Carol-san and I are...
Well, long story short, I'm her friend.
Thank you! Take good care of Carol!
You're a pretty big deal to him, huh?
I guess so.
Time to eat.
Really? Right now?
Sorry. She just lives life at her own pace.
She's a little odd, but she's a really nice girl,
so treat her well, okay?
Uh-huh...
Carol is very important to me.
We've been around each other since we were little.
I guess you could say she's like...
a precious little sister to me.
That's the kind of stuff he says.
I see. This could be challenging.
Oh, you've gotta be more careful.
Look at all these crumbs.
I have to go now.
Don't cause any trouble for Gundo-san, okay?
'Kay. Got it.
See you later, Gundo-san.
Take care of Carol for me.
Sure...
That's how he is.
It's not quite the same as it is with Tomo,
but he basically doesn't see you as a girl, either.
I know, right?
Here, to thank you.
Open wide.
Huh? Yeah, that's not happening.
Boo.
You're no fun.
Anyway, what do you think I should do?
Well, for starters...
Take life more seriously.
Okay!
Where the hell were you guys?!
Do you know how much I just embarrassed myse—
It's back home.
Have you had enough?
Yes.
A-Aizawa!
You got a minute?
Some guy's hitting on Ogawa?
Yeah, apparently.
Well, you are cute. Isn't that a good thing?
I-It's, like, so not!
It's a guy she met at a mixer.
A mixer?! You guys go to mixers?!
W-Wow...
That's, like, not the point right now!
I only went so it'd be, like, an even number!
I think we picked the wrong person to ask for advice.
So, is there a problem?
Well, it turns out he's a third-year at our school,
and he's sort of the leader of this scary group of guys.
He's especially well-known for being a philanderer.
He hits on all kinds of girls,
even though he has no intentions of dating any of them.
Apparently, any girl who turns him down gets bullied to hell and back.
He's a real scumbag, huh?
Leave this to me.
Leave, like, what to you?!
I just want you to, like, stand behind me when I turn him down!
This really was a mistake.
What?
Ogawa says she's not interested.
Would you leave her alone now, please?
Huh? Who the hell are you?
Wait, you a girl?
So what if I am?
Damn, you're a giant!
Yeah, no way. I ain't into you, so stay outta this.
How many should I break?
How many of, like, what?
P-Please, just resolve this peacefully!
Ogawa-chan, this friend you brought to me seems pretty tough.
Don't you think this is all a bit much?
I think you might have the wrong idea here.
I just thought I'd play with you a little 'cause you seemed easy.
I-I'm, like, sorry...
Well, anyway, just don't forget that you humiliated me.
Hey, look over here, you scumbag.
Oh, you're still here? What?
I just didn't think it'd be right to hit you from behind.
I'll go easy on you.
Huh? What are y—
Sorry, Ogawa. I couldn't control myself.
Isn't he gonna try to get you back for that?!
Probably.
How are you, like, so calm?!
You should, like, apologize right now!
It's okay.
If he comes after any of us, it'll probably be me.
And if he does try anything with you two, I'll protect you.
Don't worry.
Seriously, what the hell is with that?!
She's so, like, manly!
Five guys against one girl? Are you serious?
You really are a total sleaze, man.
I kinda like that, though.
Shut up! Don't think of her as a girl!
She's as strong as a gorilla!
You're being dramatic, man.
I ain't gonna forget that damned red-haired giant!
I think her name was... Aizawa.
All right, let's go, boys!
We're gonna teach that gorilla chick a les—
Y-You okay, man?!
What the hell is your problem?!
And who are you, anyway?!
A first-year?
Kubota Junichiro, Class 1-A.
You don't need to remember that.
So you came.
Wanna fight me?
We're sorry!
Huh?
Huh?!
What the heck was their deal?
I don't think I went that far.
They were all beat up, too.
And what about you? How'd you get hurt?
I fell.
Oh, okay.
You know, you fall down a lot, huh? You have ever since middle school.
Leave me alone.
I'll make you some more dried sardine rice balls so you won't break any bones!
Sure.
(This suspicious behavior is...)
Hey, you know, I'm all mixed up
It's too complicated, I'm freaking out
I want to look cute to you
(crazy, crazy, drive me crazy, and that's…)
So I'm plotting, bargaining, sly, and stubborn
Dizzying love
Just tell him to look at you
And watch him stiffen up even more, because you're both so awkward
What? Even if we're alike in that way
It doesn't make me happy, 'cause it means our love is going nowhere
Cloudy heart, swirling emotions— I sense rain coming
So I partly open my umbrella, then sneakily scoot closer to you
Please notice the curl of my eyelashes as I keep blinking
And don't say I'm acting weird
All this plotting and bargaining is my sly plan to look cute to you
Try to solve the riddle of this soft, dizzying love
(Buzzing, fidgeting)
Listen, I might be a bit tangled in my own web now
But once you unravel the mystery, you'll see pure lo-love