Bokura wa Itsumo [Chapter 38]

Summarized by: Sarah

Chapter 38: 12 Seconds of Eternity
The chapter starts with a flashback of the summer eight years ago with Nori going over to bring Haruna a bentou. She asks him if he's eaten lunch yet, and, after a pause, he says he has. Nori looks a little disappointed and wonders if he wants another bentou. Nori then tells him that she came because she thought she'd get him to eat it, but... Haruna quickly tells her that he'll eat it, and Nori perks up. She lowers the bentou over the fence on a string, telling him not to eat so much to the point his stomach will hurt (Haruna wonders why she needs to climb over the wall to visit). Nori teasingly boasts that he'll mistake it for the bentous his mother makes, causing Haruna to look at it sadly. Nori immediately apologizes when she sees his expression change, but he shakes it off and forces a smile. Then the narration talks about how Nori didn't know then about Haruna's mother. Aside from what she coaxed out of him at the festival, Haruna never opened up about anything. And at that time, Nori felt like she should stop pushing him to tell a story he didn't want to tell; even if she didn't know, Haruna was still Haruna after all. Back in the present, the chapter picks up where the last one left off, with Nori saying that she came to put an end to this “Girlfriend Test.” Nori lowers her head and says, “So, along those lines...” and looks up to find that Haruna has turned away, closed his eyes, and covered his ears. Nori tells him that it isn't something to get scared about, and he tells her that he doesn't want to hear what she's going to say... Nori assures him that it isn't scary, then starts to think about it and realizes that she's feeling a little sick. Maybe it is scary, in a way... which makes Haruna yell, “I knew it, don't say it!!” Nori retreats for a moment to gather her courage, then comes back down the hall, declaring, “Haruna, I'm going to give you a Painless Nori Kiss!” Haruna lowers his hands from his ears, repeating, “Nori... kiss...?” He then recalls the “Painful Nori Kiss” (from Chapter 22) and backs away, asking her why she's suddenly bringing that up... then apologizes, but points out that her face looks really scary right now.

With the tension reduced, Nori then moves on to what she was trying to tell him before. Even though she was his girlfriend, she was questioning if she still wasn't over Kyou-chan, and that was what had her feeling confused and depressed. She thought that she couldn't go out with Haruna if she kept having those feelings, which is why she said it was some sort of “Girlfriend Test.” Haruna was waiting for her... But, now she's worked it out, and that [not being over Kyou-chan] wasn't the reason she was depressed. She doesn't know what will happen with Saeka and Kyou-chan, but, from the bottom of her heart, she wants the best for them. Haruna looks a little more relaxed, but just responds, “...Yeah.” Nori continues telling him that as an apology for making him wait for her while she sorted some things out, she's going to give him a Painless Nori Kiss. She lunges forward, and Haruna withdraws again, putting up his hands and reminding her that this isn't supposed to hurt – if she doesn't slow down a bit, it's going to be painful. Nori responds that she knows and tells him to hold still. She moves in to kiss him, but gets nervous about him looking at her so closely, and demands that he close his eyes. He does, which she finds a bit too stimulating, and she demands that he open his eyes. He asks why, and she lectures him that he's still in middle school; he shouldn't be making faces like that at a high school girl! Confused, Haruna asks, "What sort of faces?..." Nori excuses herself to drink some water, and Haruna suggests they go ahead and eat dinner even though it's a little early. They sit down at the table, and Nori thinks that that was awful... and wonders what she is doing. She planned to bring a glorious end to this “Girlfriend Test” thing by kissing him, and it turns out like this. Haruna snaps her out of those thoughts by telling her that her burnt stew is delicious. Nori is surprised that he's actually eating that while he tells her that it really isn't burned. He goes back for seconds, and Nori tells him that if he likes it so much, she can make it for him again. Haruna looks back at her with a hopeful expression, saying, “Really?” Nori finds his expression too cute, and looks back at her plate, stammering that the food Haruna made looks much tastier. She takes a bite, and is surprised to find it... disappointingly bland. Haruna also tries it, and isn't surprised – he thought it would be like that. He smiles and explains that recently, he's been eating whatever he could get that was easy, quick, and cheap. His performance while preparing it oversold the result. Listening to that, Nori looks a little concerned. Before, Haruna told her that, up until now, he'd been cooking a lot for himself. The Haruna she knows, the Haruna she doesn't know... certainly, there's more about him that she doesn't know. Haruna asks her if she's all right on time, and Nori answers that she is; she told Yuu that she'd be going out. He asks her if she wants to go outside for a while after dinner. The chapter cuts briefly to an image of Saeka approaching the batting center.

After dinner, Nori and Haruna are out walking around the neighborhood. Haruna asks Nori about the bread factory. He recalls the day she took him there and wonders where that place was because he was never able to find it. Nori laughs, and rambles that he had to walk various paths to get there. Haruna asks her if that means she doesn't know what to tell him, and Nori responds that it's fun to find it. Even in this little town, you can find places like that if you search. Well, an amateur like him probably wouldn't understand... (I think the joke here is that she mispronounces “amateur.”) Or rather, Haruna responds, Nori is the only “pro” here who can do it and thinks amateur, huh? At that, he begins to point out the features of the town. Around that corner are the twin ponds, that hilly road leads to the kindergarten, there's always a fat cat in that ditch after it rains... and asks if he's right. Haruna smiles, and tells Nori that she taught him all of that. Nori is moved that he's actually been learning these things she talks about, and Haruna goes on. Up these stairs is the river... He leads Nori up and looks out over the water, telling her that he's always been afraid of the river. He was told that his mother attempted to commit a double suicide with him here, and so he feared and detested the river. But now, this city - even the river - he loves them, because it's the city where Nori was raised. As Haruna stares blankly out at the water, Nori leans in and kisses him on the cheek. He turns around, surprised, and she kisses him again on the lips, thinking that she understands. He puts his arms around her and they kiss again, with Nori thinking that love isn't something you think about, but something you slip into. After they kiss, Haruna pulls Nori into a tight hug and thanks her. After they pull apart, he points out how red her cheeks are, and she tells him it's because of the light from the sunset. He laughs and agrees to her explanation and then asks what they're going to do now and wonders where they should go. While looking at him, Nori thinks that, surely, the sky, the river, and the city love Haruna back. And her, too. She also... Nori starts to try to tell Haruna (presumably) that she loves him, but as she starts to say it, the bus drives between them and Haruna ends up on the other side of the street. An old woman on his side of the street jokes to Haruna that if he goes any faster, he'll leave her behind. He agrees, and she laughs. Nori thinks that she wants to know more about Haruna; but, it seems that the more she knows, the more uneasy it makes her feel. She wonders why that is. The chapter ends with a determined-looking Saeka entering the batting center, and Kuni-san looking nervously at her.

Translator's Comment: This chapter gave me the strange impression of being important, but still feeling like nothing really happened. I guess because the characters are telling each other things that the readers already know. Still no preview for the next chapter, but it should be Saeka's POV (which it looks like it will be, based on how this chapter ended).

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