Miyamae Musashi (Teruyoshi Uchimura) is on his early morning shift, and as he is driving through town, he is talking to a fellow driver over the bus radio paging system about how he may be 33 yrs old and still unmarried, but he is a staunch believer of "renai kekkon" (romantic marriage) and his future wife will be someone he truly loves.

Meanwhile, Natsuo's in her own car, driving to work. As she's stuck behind a traffic jam, her mind wanders back to the termination of her project and her sudden transfer from the business development division to the data management division. It's her first day in her new job and even though the move is definitely a demotion, she doesn't want to be late and decides to take the bus lane to bypass the stalled traffic. She's speeding along illegally in the bus lane until Musashi's bus blocks her passage as he's letting passengers off, and she impatiently (and dangerously) cuts him off as she swerves around him. But soon, Natsuo's car develops engine trouble and she's forced to abandon it. As there're no taxis around, she's forced to contemplate taking the bus, but even that option's not open, as Musashi's bus passes by her before she makes it to the bus stop! In the end, she arrives at work in a taxi, but she's very late.

Natsuo is introduced to her new colleagues, and she's given a brief intro about her 6 years' experience in the business development division, but her boss seems biased against her. He makes a comment to her afterwards about how he'd heard that her restaurant project was terminated after losing the company a lot of money, and then tells her that he has no work for her yet and to go read the newspaper!

At the Touzai Bus depot, Musashi comes in and joins his colleagues. His shacho (boss), Hiraoka-san, is on the phone with management, and Musashi's co-worker tells him that management is giving them pressure to up their profits. His cousin, Kazuma, who is also a bus-driver, asks him about his plans for an "omiai", but Musashi's definitely against the idea. Hiraoka finishes his call and comes over, telling Musashi that omiai's not a bad arrangement, and Musashi retorts that it's only because Hiraoka himself has an "omiai marriage" - but Hiraoka surprises them all by saying that he actually had a "renai marriage". This makes Musashi even more determined, and he says that if Hiraoka can succeed in finding "renai kekkon", there's no way that he would fail! He tells them his views about marriage, likening it to a bus, saying that each of us has a fated bus stop, and while there may be many people on the bus, there will be a special someone waiting for each person at some defined stop. And this could happen on any given day, even today.... This catches the attention of a female colleague, who says that it would be very romantic if it was today, because today was "Tanabata" (Star Festival, celebrated on July 7. It is based on a Chinese fable about two starcrossed lovers - a Cowherder and a Weaver - who is separated by the Milky Way and is only allowed to meet once a year on this day). The others continue to poke fun at Musashi but he's too absorbed in his own romantic vision to notice...

At lunch, Natsuo's bitching to her friend and co-worker, Shimura Chiken (Amihama Naoko) about her new job - how she's being treated so dismissively and how insignificant the work is. She seems to be out of luck as even her sandwich is past the due date! Chiken makes a comment about how no matter how good her career is, a woman has to marry sometime, and then asks Natsuo about "Kojiro-san". Natsuo pouts and says they've lost touch since he moved to New York, and insists that there's nothing going on between them anymore. Chiken seems sceptical and pointedly looks at Natsuo's diamond ring. Natsuo grabs her expired sandwich and says that she's going to exchange it. As she leaves, Chiken says "don't worry...just a little past due..." - and Natsuo turns back and asks if Chiken is talking about the sandwich or herself!

Hiraoka asks Musashi to take on an extra late-night shift from their parent company (Sasajima Corp.) to the rail station, but Musashi doesn't want to, saying it's not interesting as it's just a direct route with no stops in-between and that today's Tanabata day ... but in the end, he reluctantly agrees.

Natsuo passes her old department and reflects on the glory days of her past reign in the business development division... there's a call for the "department head" and she unwittingly responds, but her replacement takes the call and she hears the new head tell the caller how Kotani Natsuo is no longer in this department but how things are just fine without her... she turns away sadly but her ex-teammate, Abe Kyuugo, comes out after her and asks her out for dinner. She declines and as they talk, she realises Kyuugo is still in touch with Kojiro and warns him not to tell Kojiro about her transfer.

Later that evening, Natsuo's still in the office, and her thoughts drift back to the past, and how Kojiro had proposed to her and asked her to go with him to New York. When she refused, he asks if it's because of her concerns about her family situation, but she says it's not, and that it's just because she's enjoying her work too much to want to give it up. Suddenly Natsuo realises how late it is and rushes out to catch the bus.

Musashi's on the phone with his sister, Matsuri (Uchiyama Rina) who is arriving in Tokyo from their hometown tomorrow and they arrange to meet in the city. He turns and sees Natsuo trying to get on the bus, and he falls in love with her at first sight.

On the bus, Natsuo's still thinking about Kojiro and how she's "thrown away her happiness" while Musashi's happily thinking how "he's suddenly found his happiness"! He chatters away to her about her busy executive life, unaware of how irritated she is getting, until she tells him to shut up. She then asks him if the bus stops at "Kita-machi" (northern district) but he says they're going non-stop to the rail station. He tells her about how this private car cut into the bus lane and has been towed away... and she realises that he is talking about her car! (This is obviously not improving her mood!!)

Musashi changes the subject and starts to talk about his sister, Matsuri, who is coming out to town tomorrow. She asks him "how old?", and he answers "I'm 33", and she says "I mean your sister..." and he tells her that she's 19. She then mentions that she has a younger brother - and he asks her the same question and she answers that he is 23, but Musashi's actually asking about her age. She prevaricates and asks him to guess - so he says "23" - and she tells him not to be ridiculous. Musashi then asks for her height, and she tells him that she's 166 cm. - and then asks if she is married. From her disgusted exclamation, he assumes she's not and then he asks her what she thinks about omiai. This is a really weird conversation (very personal and kind of insulting - if you look at it from a female perspective!), so it's no wonder that she gets pissed off, and asks him if he's trying to deliberately pick a fight with her! He tries to explain that he's only asking because he's been told to try omiai as it's time he should contemplate marriage... It's a sore point with her, and she lets rip with her own frustration - mocking the idea of there being a deadline for marriage and saying that it's not something you can hurry. She starts to talk about her own situation, and how she was told to give up her job if she loved "him" and how she couldn't tell him her true feelings, and in the end, he abandoned her and went to the States. Musashi is relieved to hear this and says "oh good"... and she looks at him, saying "what?", and he backtracks and says "oh nothing..."

The following night, Musashi has picked up his sister and they're having dinner with their aunt and uncle at the house. Kazuma asks Matsuri why she chose to transfer to Tokyo, and she tells him that Tokyo has "more opportunities"... They all seem very comfortable and familiar with each other, and Musashi even tells Matsuri that she should make herself at home here as they both contribute to the household and have paid for their board, unlike Kazuma who's freeloading!

Later on, in their room upstairs, Musashi tells Matsuri about his encounter with Natsuri, calling her his "weaver" (orihime-sama). He describers Natsui to Matsuri, telling her how beautiful she is and also a career woman, working at his parent company, and that as she's 166 cm and he's 168 cm, with her high heels on, she is taller than him and so he has to look up to talk to her. Matsuri says that it sounds quite difficult to her, and that if he has to keep looking up to Natsuri, she may be beyond his reach...

Natsuo's at home, rubbing her tired feet and wondering when she'll be able to step out of her heels. Her brother Fumiya walks over to her and she grumbles about how he's still depending on her, and tells him he should try to become independent sooner, so as to lighten her burden. Fumiya doesn't seem impressed by her words and leaves.

Matsuri passes by a pub called Tavern on the Blue and sees that it is hiring a part-time waitress. When she sees Fumiya pass by, she falls in love with him on sight, and after he goes into the pub, she decides to apply for the job there.

Natsuo is accosted by a drunken layabout outside Sasajima Corporation, who drunkenly blames her for him being laid off (he was a former Sasajima employee) and starts to attack her when Musashi comes running up and fights him off. When the guards start to come over, he lets the man go, and so the guards mistakenly grab him instead, asking him what he's doing. Natsuo tries to explain that they've got the wrong man, but in the ensuing confusion, they don't hear her and continue to shake Musashi and ask him what he thinks he's doing... Musashi looks over at Natsuo and blurts out "I've fallen in love with her!"...

Afterwards, Musashi and Natsuo are on his bus, and she's laughing over the incident, taking it as a big joke (although Musashi actually wasn't joking). But she's grateful to him for saving her, and asks him where he's from (she could tell from his accent back there that it wasn't Tokyo-ben). He tells her that he's from Kumamoto (a prefecture of Kyuushu) and then she asks him if he knew judo (from his fighting). He says that it was a "sumo move" and he used to be in the high-school sumo wrestling team. But Natsui's unimpressed, and thinks it's nerdy ("dasai").

Musashi then asks her if she's having problems at work, saying that she doesn't look happy. She mentions how the drunkard had just lost his job and that she wishes she could too.. He tells her not to be so ungrateful, saying that with the economic situation the one it is, there are many people being laid off now and she should be happy she has a job. Natsui asks him if he's never felt like quitting before, and he tells her no, never. His answer surprises her, and she asks him if he doesn't find it boring and repetitive being a bus-driver, and he says that it's not boring, because he gets to interact with different people every day and carry these different people with their different lives to their destinations. Natsui repeats what he said ("jinsei o noseru") in a wondering way... and he says, "yes, like right now, aren't I carrying you to your life's destination."

Natsuo seems to be heartened by Musashi's words because she makes up her mind to approach her boss, and demand that he give her more substantial work than just photocopying and the like. She gives him this report she's worked on about data management but then he is disparaging of her efforts and tells her that it's no use to try and re-establish herself in the company, and that she's not young anymore. He then chucks her papers back at her and leaves. (What a jerk!)

Fumiya goes to the hospital to visit a blind girl in a wheelchair called Haruka. He seems very gentle with her, and brings her lavender, which she identifies by the smell. She tells him that she likes flowers because she can distinguish between them by their unique fragrance.

Chiken and Kyuugo are at the Tavern on the Blue drinking. Kyuugo is talking about Natsuo and what happened to her at work. Fumiya calls Natsuo (who's still in the office) and asks her if she's okay and why she didn't tell him about the transfer. As he's talking, he thinks back on a time in the past when Kojiro's mom visited Natsuo at their house and gives her a 10-million yen cheque to leave her son. All of a sudden, Natsui gets an email message from Kojiro and she hangs up the phone. In his email, Kojiro writes: "It's been a year. Are you still as busy at work, and do you still feel that work's more important than marrying me... yes, I think you would definitely think so. Even though I'm in New York, I still support you and as your former boss and friend, I wish for your success." Reading his email, Natsui says softly, "I've been transferred..." In her mind, she remembers what Kojiro's mom had said to her before about her not being a good match for her son.

Natsui leaves the building and just misses the bus... she starts to run after it but trips and breaks one of her heels. She's sitting there feeling disheartened, when Musashi's bus comes rolling up. She mounts the bus and he asks her if she's ok. She lashes out at him, saying how can she be okay? She's been hurt by her fall - and holding out her broken shoe - she says that the shoe's very expensive and she worked hard to buy it! She's crying in frustration and Musashi promises her that he'll fix it for her. He takes her shoe and gives her a pair of his slippers to wear.

When she arrives at her stop, he tells her that she'll be fine... but she just replies that he doesn't know her at all and walks away into the rain. He comes off the bus after her and says that even though he may not know anything about her, and that he doesn't even know her name.... She cuts him off, telling him to leave her alone, and he replies that he can't leave her alone - how could he not become involved when the first time he saw her, she got mad at him; then the second time, she laughed with him; and now she's crying in front of him... He tells her that he'll carry her to her life's destination...

Natsui thinks back about what happened between her and Kojiro, and then says to Musashi "sorry, but I've decided to go on my own..." and leaves.

Ending: "Futari no kyori wa mada mada toi...." (The two of them are still very far apart...")

- End of Episode One -