Bokura wa Itsumo - [Chapter 46]

Translator: Sarah

Chapter 46: Drifting Boys

The chapter opens where Chapter 45 ended, with Yanaidu pulling away after kissing Saeka. He sees that she's crying, and asks if she's all right. Saeka wipes her eyes, saying, “Ah... what's this? I'm sorry, Sensei, I...” He responds, “Saeka, emotions are deceptive, but those aren't tears of happiness, are they?” Yanaidu leans back against the wall, and tells Saeka that she was a good student. She was always enthusiastic and hard-working, and she got attached to him. But... Saeka isn't his student anymore.

The chapter switches to Kyou arriving at school, noting that yesterday's snow didn't last long. It has no willpower. On the other hand, Kyou has guts. As Kyou opens his shoe locker, some of the girls nearby greet him, “Ah, Murakami-kun.” He responds, “The knell of the bells at the Gion temple... Echoes the impermanence of all things...” to their confusion. (He's reciting the first line of The Tale of the Heike, a Japanese war epic poem.) Kyou turns around and spots Nori peeking at him from around the corner. Once and for all, he's given up on Saeka, and yet he hasn't shouted it out. He's very proud. Kyou goes back to reciting the poem, “The color of the flowers on its double-trunked tree... Anyway, Nori, what are you doing? You've been sneaking around all morning. I've been reciting the Heike...” Sweating, Nori tells him it's nothing, and he replies that her expression says it is something. He tells her she doesn't need to worry; he's already OK. Then he asks, “What about Saeka? Has she still not come to school?” Reluctantly, Nori tells him that Saeka is staying over at Yanaidu's, and Kyou forces an awkward smile. Is that right? My, that guy sure works fast, huh? Raising his hand, Kyou excuses himself to “go to his locker,” and Nori looks worried as he walks away. Kyou ducks around a corner and crouches down. This slightly hollow feeling in his chest... Is this what people call “unrequited love?” Love helps people grow... That's a lie, right? This is a fruitless, empty feeling of loss, and there's nothing left when it ends. “He who is proud is not so for long... Like a passing dream on a night in spring,” Kyou mutters, still reciting the Heike.

Kyou takes out his phone, and the chapter flashes back to what happened after the end of Chapter 45. Kaori asks him why he's pushing that bike; he doesn't have a flat tire, does he? Kaori pauses, and asks, “It didn't go well with Saeka, did it?” Kyou thinks that he recalls being happy during the time he was going out with Kaori. It was an irresponsible fling, and it was easy. Kaori tells him, “If you want to talk, you can call me anytime, OK?” Back in the present, Kyou looks through his address book, and finds that he didn't erase her number. He types a message, saying he'd like her to meet him for a bit. He looks at it a moment, then smiles wryly and thinks, “As if I would...” Someone rounds the corner where's he crouching and bumps into him, causing him to juggle his phone. Realizing the problem he's just caused himself, Kyou looks a little sick as he sees that he accidentally sent Kaori that message.

The chapter switches to the middle school, with Haruna leaning on the window sill as usual. Some of the girls from his class approach, saying he has to tell them today: Where will he be going to high school? They throw out the names of some local high schools, and Haruna just says, “Well...” Kubo arrives to chase them off, yelling, “Shut up!! Scatter, eyesores! Haru-chan is still deciding, so don't bother him, human garbage!” They run off, yelling, “Idiot!” and “Trash!” back at him. Haruna tells him he'll end up being seen as an enemy to all the girls, if he keeps talking to them that way. Once they're alone, Kubo changes his demeanor, and blushingly says, “Haru-chan, umm...” (Haruna: “What's with the sudden change?”) Kubo tells him that he thinks that Haruna and that mountain monkey girl really go well together, but still... he couldn't believe that Haruna was able to turn down that really adorable girl who confessed to him! Haruna asks Kubo what he's talking about, and Kubo reminds him that yesterday, in the snow, he got a confession from a girl, right? He turned her down, didn't he!? Haruna responds, “That's my sister.” Kubo laughs sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Ah, his sister. He should have said so... Huh!? It sinks in, then Kubo looks at Haruna, wide-eyed. Blushing, he says, “Sister...? Of course! No wonder, that explains it. I thought you looked alike!” Haruna replies that no, they don't. Kubo goes on, telling Haruna that she was the cutest girl he's ever seen... He puts his hand up, embarrassed, and Haruna tells him to forget it. Kubo looks confused, and Haruna repeats that he should give up on her. He'd just be thrown into chaos. Kubo looks even more confused, but is called in for advisement before he can ask any more. Kubo excuses himself, and leaves Haruna alone. Standing in the empty classroom, Haruna says, “I'm sorry, Kubo...”

Meanwhile, at the high school, Nori is reading a book titled Breasts. A girl in her class comes up and asks, “A breast manual... What are you reading that for, Nori?” Nori replies that it's rather in-depth (or that breasts in general are very profound; I can't tell which she means), and the girl asks her about Kyou. Is he all right? He isn't in class. Nori scrunches up her face and says no, thinking that Kyou doesn't seem to be doing well, at the moment... The other girl says, speaking of Murakami-kun, he was in the basketball club in middle school, right? She heard that the older student he got into a fight with at that time is coming back for winter break.

Elsewhere, Kaori comes to meet Kyou in an empty classroom. He apologizes and explains that he didn't intend to contact her like that, but she tells him it's fine. She told him he could call her if he thought she could help, right? Even if she is his ex-girlfriend. Kyou thinks that, like he expected, this was unwise. Kaori tells him that his face looks thin, and Kyou awkwardly asks, “Does it...?” They sit down, and Kaori repeats that it does. Kyou apologizes for asking her to come to a cold room, and looks over at Kaori. She's as beautiful as ever, and she always smells good. No, what is he thinking... Kaori moves in closer, saying, “Should I warm you up?” Kyou gives her a sort of blank look, and Kaori tells him that she doesn't want to see Kyousuke-kun like he was when he was trudging along with that bike. So, if it would make him feel better, he can use her to cheer himself up... She leans forward, and Kyou puts his hand on her shoulder, pushing her away. He tells her not to demean herself like that, and she looks genuinely surprised. Then, her expression switches to a sort of angry embarrassment, and she puts Kyou into a headlock, yelling, “You don't get to act cool after sending me that misleading email!!” Kyou replies, “Ouch! I'm sorry!” Kaori tells him he's really pissing her off. Is this what he wanted her to see? Him still wrapped up in his separation with that dumb girl? Kyou seems a little stunned by seeing Kaori angry (and especially her referring to Saeka as “dumb”), and just watches from his position on the floor as she says, “Later,” and stomps out of the room. On the other side of the door, Kaori takes a deep breath and let's out a sigh, looking a little sad. She really did let [her chances with Kyou] go to waste.

The scene switches from Kyou sitting in the old classroom, hugging his knees to his chest, to Haruna arriving at Mio's hotel. The narration between the scenes says that they go on living in a hazy state of confusion. The things happening now aren't a dream. Unlike a dream, the present won't be erased. Takatsuki answers the door for Haruna, and tells him to come in. Mio looks back, and Takatsuki heaves a sigh. Like Mio thought, he came. Still looking annoyed, Takatsuki says she knows, she's in the way, so she'll be leaving. Haruna stops her, saying it's all right. He'd like her to stay. Assuming he came to sleep with Mio, she puts her hand up to refuse, with an amused but uncomfortable smile. She tells him that she isn't interested in that sort of thing, thinking, “What the hell is this kid suggesting?” Haruna bows to her, and thanks Takatsuki for taking care of Mio's problems. But, she's done enough. Looking blankly at Mio, he tells her that he's stayed in this place far too long. He's going back with Mio. Shocked, Mio just responds, “Onii-chan...” The final page shows Haruna holding a small bag as he stands in front of Mio on one half of the page, with the shots of Nori, Kyou, and Saeka on the other. That narration on the final page declares that a stormy winter break is just around the corner.

Notes: (I could come up with no translation of the title that didn't sound dumb.) Poor Nori. Trying to be a good girlfriend, learning about boobs. Also, poor Kaori – there wasn't much other way to take Kyou's invitation, and that was pretty humiliating. (Her feelings for Kyou seemed to be genuine, too, though it's a little hard to remember what she said during their break-up after 30 chapters.) I enjoy depressed Kyou, and am looking forward to hearing about his issues on the middle school basketball team as much as anything else in this series. Next month's preview (from the Margaret web site): Despite his promise to Nori to stay in town, Haruna resolves to leave. This is unknown to Nori... Also, Saeka's true feelings become clear!?

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