You did great.
Your maintenance is all finished.
I'm sorry.
I've tried so much, but it's still to no avail...
Is there nothing
left to try?
It's possible that a full reset could fix the issue.
But if I do that, then all of your memories will be wiped clean.
Tin plates creak
Playing a song
Heading towards the season where flower petals flutter
Reincarnate
A kaleidoscope
Always turned
Sparkling bright
Those were the memories
Of those wonderful days
Shining blindingly
Everything disappears
Then buds anew in the earth left behind
Keep hope alive
Help it to grow
Tin plates creak
Burning through life
Heading towards the season where flower petals flutter
Episode 3: Starry Sky Requiem
So it's one, two, three...
One, two, three...
It didn't get nice and rounded properly.
Again.
I'm at my limit...!
You're all done with your maintenance?
All done, so I'll help
with the kitchen.
In that case, could I ask you to handle her?
I can't see anything!
How are you feeling?
I'm sorry... I'm doing fine now.
Then please
lend me a hand.
I want to be helpful!
Please, have a seat.
You know, you really are amazing, Houkiboshi!
You're great at cooking, and you can use mechanica really well too...
I'm so jealous!
How did you get so good...?
I'm really curious about how you practiced.
Please, I want to know more about you, Houkiboshi!
Transmit firing target!
Azimuth measurement 2920, distance 3733, sea level 127!
Fire!
Impact, far!
Adjusting firing angle!
Fire!
Impact, right!
Adjusting firing angle!
Impact, close right!
Can you still not hit it?
Adjusting firing angle!
Just keep
practicing.
I'll get it this time for sure...!
How long do you intend to keep at that?
I did it! I finally got it right!
Here you go.
Thank you.
Drink that and rest up.
It seems you finally have a grasp on how to make omelets.
Just keep
practicing.
It's thanks to Houkiboshi.
Um, Karasuba...
why can't Houkiboshi talk?
Well...
That didn't used to be the case...
How do you know that?
Because she told me about her past.
Ah, so you linked with Houkiboshi?
Yeah. It was like, I could hear her inside my head.
It was a really strange feeling.
Dolls of the same generation can share memories when linked.
Right, Houkiboshi used to be able to talk...
That certainly should be the case.
But a lot happened to her, and she seems to be broken.
She can't be fixed?
There is just one method.
However, there's a serious issue with it...
Houkiboshi!
Are you really going to be reset?!
You can't do that...!
I mean, you'd lose all those precious memories...!
P-please, reconsider!
I know I can't do anything at all to help, but still...
Ah, I know, I'll sing!
To help cheer you up!
Search for the reason you were born into this one and only world we have
Echo, my voice, beyond the horizon, to those days...
Oh really?
And then you started this shop along with everyone, right?
Thank goodness...
Of course I'm not
being reset.
I thought you were for sure...
I do still want to
be fixed, though.
Um, were you broken in the war after all?
What's this...?
Just when was it exactly that my songs became so talked about?
That if you heard one before departing for battle, you wouldn't fear even death.
Nothing but a simple superstition.
Still, even they knew it was all a sham, they wanted to cling to that hope.
It was something ever so faint to depend upon while in the depths of despair.
Return Era 595, July 24th.
It has been ten-odd years now since I first headed to the field of battle.
I have been fine up until now because I was tasked with logistical support from the rear.
But that good fortune won't last much longer...
Pardon me.
It's me, Yamae.
Oh, a diary?
You certainly are a ready writer, aren't you?
It's a habit.
Putting things down in words help me feel more at ease.
I can understand that.
I wrote out a letter just yesterday myself.
To my parents and younger sister.
Hopefully it arrives safely...
So, I came here to act as your guide, Lady Houkiboshi.
You're guiding me...? At this time of day...?
Today is the summer festival.
Just like paper lanterns, right?
And look, we've got stalls too.
Did you all make this together?
Our superiors weren't happy about it,
but we've got a crucial battle ahead of us tomorrow.
The goddess of the 525th Regiment, Lady Houkiboshi, has arrived.
She shall now grant us all encouragement.
U-um, what exactly should I do...?
We want you to sing for us.
Sing...?
Tomorrow shall be a fierce battle.
In all likelihood, we won't return alive.
Please, grant us courage, so that we won't fear even death.
We want you to send us off.
Guiding star
Now, a perfect smile takes flight
Fleeting, yet it...
I'm sorry...
I can't sing...
I...
I sung, hoping I could grant them at least a little more courage.
But they were prepared for their inescapable fates.
Was my role simply to give them the courage needed to die?
When that thought crossed my mind, I couldn't utter a sound.
I was unable to watch and see just what fate the 525th Regiment met.
Were they entirely wiped out, or were there any survivors...?
A long time passed, until eventually I was repaired by Nagi.
But I could no longer speak at all, much less sing...
U-um...
Houkiboshi, I don't think that you're actually broken!
I'm sure you lost your voice because what happened was just too sad.
And I also believe that someone must still be alive from your regiment.
They would definitely want to hear your song!
And so...
Just keep
practicing.
Let's practice!
Extra, extra!
The return ship from the continent carrying the Fourth Corps will soon arrive!
525th Regiment
Also on Register
Echo, my voice, beyond the horizon, to those days we spent together
With that first cherry blossom pink I color...
Just what are those two up to...?
Supposedly it's practice to bring Houkiboshi's voice back.
Goodness, even though we have work left for the morning...
Now, now, it's amusing, isn't it?
Master, you're too soft on Haizakura.
Ah, welcome back, Gekka!
I've returned from my shopping trip.
Good work.
Sorry for always making you handle it.
No, I'm suited to the job.
What is it?
Could it be...
There really were people still alive from the 525th Regiment!
I'm sure they're all looking forward to meeting you, Houkiboshi!
They may have
forgotten me.
There's no way they would have!
It's time for opening.
Head out onto the floor, Haizakura.
Ah, right...!
We're definitely going to go welcome them back, okay, Houkiboshi?!
Hurry up, it's already here!
Hold on!
Whoa, it's already packed.
What a crowd.
It wasn't like this when the ship for the First Corps came into port.
Everyone must have gotten worn down waiting.
The 525th Regiment shall now return triumphant to the empire!
Yay! Hooray!
Deceased
But why...?
It looks like they all passed away...
Houkiboshi...!
Houkiboshi...?
Houkiboshi...
It's better to just forget.
Huh?
That's what everyone does.
But that's just so sad...
Houkiboshi, don't worry about today.
I'll take your place, so get some rest.
U-um, Houkiboshi, what about our practice...?
So, were the members of the 525th Regiment really...?
Ultimately, only their remains and the regiment's flag returned.
It seems that was what they meant when they said the regiment had returned.
So they all passed away?
I couldn't say.
It should be possible to find out by visiting the Ministry for the Repose of the Departed, though.
Then I'm off!
What, right now?
Ah, hold on, Haizakura!
Memorial Service for
Fourth Corps Members
who Fell in Battle
Hey, you...
I-I wanted to ask about the members of the 525th Regiment...!
And I wanted to talk with you...
or should I say the two of you.
Haizakura...!
I'b sowwy...!
We were worried.
You left, and then you never came back...
Where did you even stay?!
Now, now, she called us like she was supposed to, didn't she?
You're too soft on her, Master...
At any rate, why don't we hear what Haizakura has to say?
So you see, I met a girl at the Ministry for the Repose of the Departed,
and I stayed at her house.
How careless.
You have it all wrong!
Her big brother was a commissioned officer with the 525th Regiment!
What was his name?
Captain Yamae.
His little sister Hana gave me this.
It was part of the items her big brother left behind...
She said she wanted to deliver it to you, Houkiboshi.
Are you well, Lady Houkiboshi?
I'd like to meet you again, but I'd imagine my devil's luck is at an end.
However, I trust that you shall safely make it back home.
I wrote this letter because I wished to express my gratitude.
On the night of the summer festival,
you thought of our fates and held back tears as you sang.
We were saved by those tears.
It made us happier than anything, seeing your kindness as you shared that pain we felt.
You were like a guide for us, sparkling away in the night sky.
Even now I feel refreshed, not fearing the fate that awaits me in the least.
If my remains happened to make it back home,
then I would appreciate the small comfort of having you say I did well.
Houkiboshi!
Captain Yamae and everyone, they didn't blame you...!
The fact that you were thinking of them all from the bottom of your heart,
that brought them their greatest comfort!
Houkiboshi, you...
Your voice...
Reserved for the Day
Thank you for coming, Hana.
I had wanted to have a gathering at least once with the other bereaved family members,
so this worked out perfectly.
Though a trendy cafe like this might not be the best fit for my big brother.
Are you ready, Houkiboshi?
Just leave the kitchen to me and Inaba!
That's what I'm most worried about.
It's time. Are you good to go?
I-I...
You can do it, Houkiboshi...!
I... I am... Houkiboshi... an automata.
Houkiboshi's logic systems have been fixed without a reset...?
How unexpected.
I acted together with the 525th Regiment for a long time.
And so, today...
I wanted to speak of my kind, brave, beloved comrades.
Back then, I felt so terribly sad that I couldn't stop myself from crying as I sang.
And that fact... it was something I held in my heart for a long time.
But today, I'd like to sing once more,
for all of you, and for those departed souls as well.
Hoshishirube Guiding star
Ima yuushuu no egao ga habatakimasu Now, a perfect smile takes flight
Hakanaku tsuyoku kagayaita Fleeting, yet it shines bright
Sadame o koeru you ni As if it can overcome even fate
Omoi yo yasuraka ni Thoughts, be at peace
Oshiminaku sasageyou Don't hold back your support
Hibike, towa no uta Reverberate, eternal song
Houkiboshi!
Hai...
I brought you some refreshments!
Thank you.
This is all thanks to you, Hai.
Ah, no, I didn't do anything.
Letters and diaries sure are amazing.
Hana o chirashi wataru kaze wa The passing wind that scatters flowers
They let you preserve your thoughts and feelings forever.
Tsugi no kisetsu tane o hakobu Carries seeds onward to the next season
Do you want to write one too?
Inochi chirashi yuku seiza wa Dying constellations, their life scattering
Mirai ni kirameku... Light the future
I have a spare blank diary, so you can have it.
And a fountain pen too.
You don't mind?
Please accept it, as a sign of my gratitude.
Thank you so much!
I'll go right ahead and write something for today...!
How should I start writing it...?
Higeki ni mukuiru Tragedy is rewarded
You can start by just writing out your feelings.
Kotonoha tsumugu shirabe Words spin alongside a melody
The things that made you happy, and sad...
Kanashimi shizumemashou Let's hold back our sadness
Sotto yorisou you ni Gently cuddling together
Anata o zutto wasurenai I will never forget you
Koe no kagiri utaou Let's sing till our voices give out
Hoshishirube Guiding star
Tada ikusen no hikari ga tomoru you ni As if illuminated by thousands of lights
Mugen he Endlessly
Tattoki hito o Leading a wonderful person
Itsukushimi kanata he michibiku made Far off into the distance with love
Omoi yo yasuraka ni Thoughts, be at peace
Oshiminaku sasageyou Don't hold back your support
Hibike, towa no uta Reverberate, eternal song
Sotto tsutsumimashou Let's gently bundle together
Soshite inorimashou And then, let us pray
Kuinaki yo ni I wanted so badly
Sakasetakatta To make that smile bloom
Hohoemi yo In a world without regret
Dou ka ano hi no mama ni Please, like on that day