Key:
() = hand-written text (not printed)
** = action/description
[] = clarification
{} = editorial comments

pg. 2-3

Picture: Hina in pajamas, surrounded by teddy bears.

pg. 4

[Narration.]

To "like." To "like" something. To "like" someone.

What does it mean to "like"?

pg. 5

Nighttime. Snow is falling. A sliding door to the balcony of a large, modern house opens.

Hina: Wowww. It really is snowing.

A girl with short, dark, tousled hair steps out onto the balcony. She is cute in the way a small child is cute, and is holding a dark-colored teddy bear.

Hina: I thought it'd be cold!

pg. 6

She looks downward.

Hina: The snow's already piling up next door!

Her puffs of breath cloud the winter air.

Hina: It's really nice, isn't it, the house next door. Nobody's lived there for a long time.

She smiles wistfully down at the house, which appears to be in traditional Japanese style.

Hina: It is nice. I wanna live in a house like that.

Startled, she notices that the porch light is on next door.

pg. 7

Hina: (Huh?) The lights are on!?

Beneath the overhanging porch roof, a person's feet and coat become visible.

Hina: Somebody's there!?

She straps the teddy bear to her back.

Hina: Let's go see!

pg. 8

A tree stands near the balcony; Hina climbs into it and begins to descend, then slips on a snowy branch.

Hina: AAAAA!?

She falls...

...and closes her eyes to brace for a crash that never comes.

pg. 9

She has landed on a tall, dark-haired man in a dark coat. He stares at her in astonishment from behind small, thin-rimmed, oblong-shaped glasses. Hina stares back, equally surprised.

Hina: Huh?

pg. 10

Hina: (Is this next door??)

Man: Anyway, could you get off me?

Hina: (Ah, it is, it is.)

She moves away and bows.

Hina: I'm very sorry! Thank you!

The man looks at her, a bit darkly.

Hina: Are you here looking at the house?

pg. 11

Man: ...Sort of.

Hina: At midnight?

Man: ...Well, doing this and that.

Hina: *arms crossed* (What kind of this and that?)

Man: More to the point, what are you doing at this hour?

Hina points skyward.

Hina: Watching it snow!

Man: With a bear on your back?

Hina: Yep! Since the lights were on next door, I wondered what was going on. *cheerfully* (I was in the tree, and then as I was climbing down, I fell.)

Man: (So I was your landing pad? *sweatdrop*)

pg. 12

Hina: Are you going to live here?

The man stands and brushes himself off.

Man: For the time being.

Hina: *joyful* Then you'll be my neighbor! Lucky! You should live here!

Man: Your house is much bigger, isn't it?

Hina: Yeah. But I've wanted to live in a house like this one.

pg. 13

Still sitting on the ground, she begins to write something in the snow with her fingers.

Man: ............

Hina: I'm Asahi Hinata! (It's written like this.) (And the bear's name is Waka.)

The man looks at her, his breath clouding the air.

pg. 14

He holds out a hand to her. She looks at it, and then at him.

Man: Or would you rather sit?

Hina: (Well, it's okay, but it is kind of cold.)

Man: Then get up.

Hina: ... Can I take your hand?

Man: Would you rather get up by yourself?

pg. 15

Hina: *blushing* No.

Their fingers touch. He helps her up.

Hina: I'm glad!

Man: What?

pg. 16

Her fingers are still curled around his.

Hina: It's warm.

He pulls back.

Man: Your temperature's higher, isn't it? (You're a child, after all.)

He turns and walks away.

Hina: *startled* (Ah!)

With his back to her, he pauses in the doorway of the house.

Man: You and your bear hurry up and take your bath and go to bed.

The door closes loudly.

pg. 17

Hina gazes after him for a moment, looking small. Then she takes Waka off her back and begins to smile.

Hina: A neighbor, huh.

She touches her hand.

Hina: So warm...

She hugs the bear tightly.

Hina: I like holding hands!

pg. 18

Morning of the next day. Hina bounces down the street in coat, scarf, and gloves.

Hina: Woohoo--! The snow's all piled up!!

She passes by the Japanese-style house.

Hina: I wonder if he's gone already. (My neighbor.)

She holds up her hand for a moment and smiles.

Hina: Off to schoooool--!

pg. 19

Reaching the building, she goes to class 1-D.

Hina: GOOD MORNING--!

A girl with long, pale hair smiles and waves. Hina heads for the desk next to hers.

Touko: Hi, Hina.

Hina: Morning, Touko-chan!

pg. 20

Touko: Something exciting happen?

Hina: Yep!

She sits down at her desk and practically vibrates with eagerness.

Hina: Do you wanna hear?

Touko: *winking* I suppose I'll listen.

Hina: Someone moved in! To the house next door!

Touko: The vacant one?

Hina: And he held my hand!

Touko: ...I'm confused.

The sound of loud footsteps approaching interrupts them.

Voice: HEY! DID YOU HEAR!?

pg. 21

Another girl with hair in a wavy, chin-length bob appears and takes Hina's hands.

Emi: Morning, Hina! Touko!

Hina: (Ah, it's Emi-chan!)

Touko: You're hyper because it's morning, aren't you?

Emi: Touko, you're way too straight-arrow. (Just 'cuz you're older.)

Hina: What is it?

Emi: It looks like we're getting a new homeroom teacher!

Touko: Right away?

Emi: The one from before, Maeda-sensei, is pregnant. It'd be hard for her to do a job where she has to stand all the time.

Hina imagines a flying stork with an infant in tow.

Hina: She'll be having the baby soon, won't she? (Lucky... I wanna hold one...)

pg. 22

Touko: So, a maternity leave teacher.

Hina: (Maternity leave?)

Emi: (Right.) It looks like it'll be a guy this time! *grinning* I hope he's easy on the eyes!

Touko: *dubiously* Easy on the eyes, huh.

Emi: Well, come on! This is a girls' high school, isn't it!?

She strikes a tragic pose.

Emi: No matter where you turn, left and right, it's nothing but women! The occasional men we do see are all old geezers! If only we had a frisky male teacher to satisfy our souls...!!

pg. 23

Hina: A male teacher? What's wrong with a female teacher?

Emi: Come on. A man would be better.

Hina: Why? (I thought Maeda-sensei was really nice... she satisfied my soul.)

Emi: (Hah!) Because you're still a kid. Where on earth is the man who can make Hina's heart flutter!?

Hina: *seriously* There is one.

pg. 24

Emi: *shocked* WHO!?

Touko: *growling* (WHAT?)

Hina: I don't know his name.

Emi: I suppose you're going to say you don't know what he looks like, either? (Is he imaginary or something?)

Hina: I know what he looks like. Oh, and where he lives, too.

Emi and Touko both stare.

Emi: (Hmm...) What kind of guy is he?

Hina: Well...

The door to the classroom opens...

pg. 25

...And the person who walks in is Hina's new neighbor.

Hina stares blankly.

Hina: ......... That kind.

pg. 26

He speaks from the podium at the front of the room.

Man: I'm Asou Shirou. During the time that Maeda-sensei is on leave, I'll be taking charge of first-year class D in her place. The main course I'll be teaching is chemistry.

Hina [thinking]: So my neighbor is a teacher. Not only that, my homeroom teacher.

She stares dreamily.

Hina [thinking]: What a coincidence.

Asou turns to leave the room.

Emi: *standing up and waving* HANG ON A SEC!! Give us a little more than that, please, Sensei!

Nearby Student: Yeah, really!

pg. 27

Asou: *pausing* Eh?

Emi: First of all, you have to write your name on the board! How is it written?

He turns and does so, in miniscule kanji.

Emi: (*sweatdrop* That's really small.) And how old are you!?

Asou: Thirty-two.

Emi: Are you married?

Asou: No.

Class: (WAAA--! ) (Woohoo!) (Woohoo!) (Lucky--!)

Asou: *sweatdrop* (Why are they going "waaa" about it?)

He turns to leave again.

Emi: Where did you teach before you came here?

pg. 28

Asou: That's private.

Emi: (Ehhh? Was there some kind of a problem?)

Students: (Kyaa! Kyaa!)

Asou: *leaving the room* That's all for today.

Student: (But Sensei! We still have questions--!)

Student: (Yeah, say, do you have problems with girls?)

The door closes. Hina jumps up from her desk.

Touko: Hina?

Hina dashes out to the hallway and runs after Asou.

Hina: Sensei! Question!

pg. 29

She jumps and lands in front of him with a flourish. He observes this with no particular expression.

Hina: Do you remember my name!?

Asou: ...Asahi Hinata.

Hina: THAT'S RIGHT!

He turns and walks away.

Hina: (Huh?)

pg. 30

Later, outside the school. Hina, Touko, and Emi are hanging out by a tree, with Hina perched on a low branch.

Emi: So Asou-sensei is your neighbor?

Hina: Yep!

Emi: Well, it's a small world, ain't it? (A developing drama plot, huh?)

Hina: (Is it?)

Emi: Anyway, you'd better not tell everybody that Asou-sensei is living next door to you, okay?

Hina: How come?

Emi: Well, they might think he's doing you favors because he's your neighbor. (On tests or something.)

Hina: (Favors?)

Emi: But heck, even without favors you get a hundred percent, anyway--

Hina: (???)

pg. 31

Emi hugs her cheerfully.

Emi: It's okay, it's okay! Except for about schoolwork, you're still a kid, after all!

She turns to one side and frowns.

Emi: *muttering* ...Crap. How is it that someone who's so unbelievably smart can be so clueless? Does studying stunt emotional development? (Not to mention common sense...)

Hina: (???)

Emi: (It's just her natural purity and innocence.) Right, Touko?

Touko looks troubled.

Emi: (Something wrong?)

Hina: Touko-chan, what is it?

Touko: *frowning* You know, Hina...

Hina: (?)

Touko: That teacher...

pg. 32

Hina: *clueless* Sensei? (Huh?)

Touko looks at her, then shakes her head quickly.

Touko: Ah... never mind.

Hina flips upside-down on the tree branch and waves her arms in frustration.

Hina: What, what is it!? Did I do something weird again!?

Touko: *patting her head* No.

Emi: *grinning* But he's not bad, is he? Asou-sensei. (Although the lab coat and the glasses are kind of iffy.)

pg. 33

Hina: (Iffy?)

Emi: *grinning* Since we don't have a lot of young guy teachers, I bet he'll be popular!

Touko: (What are you smiling about?)

Emi: (I like 'em either way younger or way older.) How about you, Hina?

Hina: Me?

She smiles dreamily.

Hina: When I look at Sensei, somehow my heart feels like it's turning over.

Emi: (Must be heartburn. AHAHAHA--)

Touko looks dismayed.

pg. 44

Evening has come; it is snowing again. Hina is on her way home.

Hina: *singing* (Snoo-ww, snoo-ww, when it snows I remember--) (Watching the snow, I wanna eat daifuku--) (Let's eat! Let's eat!) (The snowflakes melt when I eat them--)

She stops, startled by something ahead of her in the road: a small black cat.

The cat looks at Hina. Hina looks at the cat. She pounces. It flees.

pg. 45

Hina: *watching the cat scuttle away* Awww, not again--

The cat is suddenly scooped up into the arms of a tall figure ahead: Asou-sensei. He and the cat turn and look at Hina.

Hina: AMAZING!

She runs toward them.

Hina: That cat has never ever let me catch him! You're amazing, Neighbor-san!

Asou: ...Sensei.

Hina: Huh?

Asou: Asou-sensei.

pg. 36

Hina: *blushing slightly* (Oh, that's right, that's right.) You're amazing, Sensei!

She leans toward the cat.

Hina: This one is the boss of the neighborhood! Whenever I decide I'm definitely gonna catch him, he always gets away!

Asou: It's not that it's impossible, Asahi...

Hina: Hinata! Or, I like to be called Hina!

Asou: Hina... huh.

Hina: *waving her arms* (Lucky, lucky, you got to hold him--!)

pg. 37

The cat is suddenly tossed into her arms.

Hina: Huh?

Asou: You wanted to, didn't you? (To hold the cat.)

Hina: *blushing* Yeah!

Asou turns and walks away. The cat snuggles into Hina's arms as she watches him go.

Asou: ...What are you doing?

pg. 38

Hina: *clueless* ("What"? I'm standing...)

Asou: We're going home the same way, aren't we?

Hina: *wide-eyed* Is it okay for me to come with you?

Asou: Hurry up.

Hina: Waaaa!

She runs to catch up, carrying the cat happily. Asou's umbrella shields both of them from the snow.

They reach their destination.

Asou: This is it, isn't it? Your house.

Hina: ...Yeah.

pg. 39

They look at each other.

Asou: So hurry up and go in.

Hina: Okay...

He turns to leave.

Hina: HEY, NEIGHBOR-SAN!

pg. 40

Asou: *growling* ...Sensei.

Hina: Sensei! I'll see you again, right!?

Asou: As long as you don't skip school.

Hina: Okay! I'll be there!

pg. 41

She goes inside. In the entry corridor, two stuffed bears await her.

Hina: I'm ho-ome! Waka! Tono!

Still wearing her coat, she dashes to the kitchen and opens the fridge.

pg. 42

The cat laps up the milk she has poured into a bowl. Hina sits on the floor, smiling down at him.

Hina: You want more?

She gazes out the window at the drifting snow.

pg. 43

Hina: Asou-sensei, huh.

Hina [narration]: The person who has moved into the house I love next door. He held my hand, let me hold the black cat, shared his umbrella with me, walked home with me. All of those things are things that I like.

pg. 44

Hina: Somehow, something in my heart turns over. Somehow, it feels warm... this kind of thing...

She blushes.

Hina: I think I like him.

Next to her, the cat has curled up and fallen asleep.

[To be continued.]

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