Friday, January 21, Winter: "The coldest of winter should have passed..." says Amemiya Mayuko (Tomosaka Rie) is inputting weather data into her computer, "...and the warmth of spring should be here soon."

Mayuko is walking around outside, looking at the scenery. As she passes a lake, she guesses the termperature of the water and then checks it against the barometer. She seems to like nature and anything associated with the weather. On February 4, she notes Spring's arrival, but says that while her heart can feel spring approaching, she seems to sense that it may snow soon. March 5, she is again outside and notes that ants and other creatures emerging because they like Spring, but she herself doesn't like the season, because it makes her "uncomfortable".

March 20 is Spring Day. She records that it started raining at 3:30 pm. She's naturally prepared with an umbrella, but runs into Sayama Shinichi who doesn't have one and standing under a shop awning for shelter. Mayuko is captivated by a keychain that he has hanging from his knapsack, and stares at it intently. Shinichi is made uncomfortable by her unwavering gaze, and makes an off-hand comment about how it's nice she remembered her umbrella. She replies that of course she had as anyone could see the sky's "message" heralding rain. He's taken back by her remark but before he says anything further, a bike rounds the corner and heads straight for Mayuko. She doesn't seem to notice (she's still staring at the keychain) and he grabs her to avoid a collision. As they fall to the ground, his keychain falls off, so when she gets up, she picks it off the ground and then leaves. (Her whole manner throughout this exchange is rather detached.)

At home, Mayuko's brother Jun (Tatsuya Fujiwara) is talking to their mother Akiko (Shingyoji Kimie) who's telling him that he should eat even if he's busy with his studies. Jun replies that he has no time and she teases him about how doctors-to-be (Jun's studying to get into med school) must work so hard to make it in the profession. Mayuko comes home and Jun greets her warmly, but she is off-hand in her reply to him, and goes upstairs to her room.

Downstairs, Jun has taken his lunch into the living room and the TV is turned on to the weather report, which is saying that while the weather has been really nice of late, it will probably not last for much longer, and that it would become cloudy from tomorrow.

Akiko comes in and says that Mayuko should go to the hospital for a check-out as she doesn't seem to be doing so well since the arrival of Spring. She says she delayed the check-up because Mayuko had seemed ok for a while and hated going to the hospital so much. If she hadn't been so strange lately, then they don't need to go. Jun comments that Mayuko doesn't want to go anyway.

Jun then asks Akiko if she's worried about their father. Akiko seems to hesitate and suddenly the TV weather presenters start to mention "Mayuko's homepage" and how it is very well-informed about the weather. Her predictions about the weather each week are always correct.

Akiko wonders if the "Mayuko" they're talking about is her daughter. Jun is estastic, and tells his mom that he'd helped Mayuko set up the site, because her situation was already not a very happy one, and he wanted to help her promote her talents on the Net.

Jun's in Mayuko's room, working on her website, which he has also posted up her profile. He comments that life needs to be full of adventure, but Mayuko comments that she doesn't like adventures. Jun says that it was an analogy and that what he meant was that he wanted society to recognise the achievements of people like Mayuko. Mayuko looks over into Jun's computer with a sticker that says "CU!" and asks its meaning. He tells her not to look at other people's things and to concentrate on her own stuff. He's still very excited about how her talents are finally being recognised by others. He says that her decision to take a break from the learning institute she was attending was a good one, and that one should spend their time doing the things they want to do. If you don't do what you enjoy, then "spring's happiness" will not come to you. Mayuko reflects on that, and says: "so spring is meant to be a time for new beginnings; that is why I dislike it so much."

Shinichi is teaching in a classroom. Jun is one of his students and after class is over, he goes to see Shinichi. Jun asks if he used to be a psychiatrist at the Tokyo Hospital, and then asks him about social phobias and those who suffer from it but are mentally sound. Shinichi confirms that there is one group of autistic people that can be totally independent and function fairly well in society. He tells Jun that this last, "high-functioning," group is characterised by impaired social interaction with average to above average intelligence and that there is no known cure for it. He says that autism stems from a disorder in the brain and people with autism cannot communicate or relate their emotions in a normal way. While "high-functioning" auties may be able to cope better, he has never seen a case where they are entirely cured. Jun then asks if the chances of these people getting a job and Shinichi asks why he is so interested. Jun replies that his sister has such a disability, although she doesn't know it herself (her family hid the fact from her because they pitied her). Jun asks if Shinich will meet with her. Shinichi is surprised by the request.

Jun notes that recently, his sister's behavior has become quite unstable; even though she continues to exist in her own world, he believes that she wants to break through into the outside world, and become more socially active. Jun tells Shinichi that his sister is also very interested in weather-related matters, and is very observant in remembering even the tiniest details. Jun tells Shinichi about Mayuko's homepage and how it was mentioned in the weather report. But then Jun says he doesn't even know if Mayuko was happy about it, as she showed no reaction. He says that he thinks she deserves more, and Shinichi tells him to go to Mayuko to tell her that. Shinichi then gets up and says that actually, autism is not his speciality, and that now he is no longer a doctor, but a teacher.

Takuma Shin (Mizushima Kengo) is in a hotel room with Yaguchi Rina (Mukunoki Miwa). (They're obviously having an affair.) She says that it would be easier if he wasn't a political figure and he replies that if he wasn't one, she wouldn't be interested in him. She comments that he is a young and able congressman.

At the Amemiya home, Akiko's on the phone with the TV weather programme people. She turned down their offer to invite Mayuko onto the programme, saying that her daughter does not have any intention of participating. Mayuko and Jun look on, Jun looks particularly disappointed. She gets another call from the Morning News programme, and she refuses their offer of interviewing Mayuko. Jun feels discouraged from helping his sister do any more promotion.

Mayuko's father, Yohei (Kato Cha) comes home and Akiko starts to tell him about the strange calls she's been receiving from the media but then stop. She wants to take Mayuko for a check-up again at the hospital but Yohei says her disability cannot be cured. Akiko says that nonetheless, they must think for Mayuko's future and Yohei argues that if she was to get better, there wouldn't have been the problems at her school. He tells her to give up. As she leaves, she replies that Mayuko isn't going to school now, and there isn't anything else for her to do, which is why she has become rather unstable lately. Yohei cuts her off, saying he doesn't want to talk about Mayuko anymore. Yohei asks Akiko if she has told Jun about the "incident" (unspecified) yet, and she sighs, so Yohei calls Jun to come down (he's upstairs, presumably in his room).

Shinichi is in a bar, drinking with his friend Sakuma Minoru (Saito Yohei). Sakuma is concerned about Shinichi and asks him about how his teaching job is going. Having just seen him with Jun, he comments that Shinichi is still the same, and that no matter where he goes, he's still listening to other people's problems. Sakuma really wants Shinichi to return to the medical profession, and he tries to convince him to return to the hospital so they can work together as a team again. He refers to an incident concerning a girl (girlfriend?) in Shinichi's past and Shinichi starts get really anxious, saying he doesn't want to discuss it, and when Sakuma persists, Shinich leaves the bar.

Shinichi is walking along in the streets, still visibly upset. He sees a vision of a girl saying "It's a promise, I'll wait for you...Doctor, please save me, I really don't know what to do..."

Next day, Jun bumps into his classmate, Nishizaki Chihiro (Hatsune Eriko) as he leaves the school. They kid around for a bit and then he rushes off, saying he has to study.

Chihiro goes to the school office to pick up something she'd left behind, and Shinichi, seeing her, asks where Jun is. She tells him he'd left already, but that she knew where he'd be heading to. Shinichi goes off on his bike to the park (presumably that's where she told him he'd be at that hour) and finds Mayuko playing happily on the swings.

Jun arrives at this point and Shinichi gives him some papers on autism. Jun calls Mayuko over, introducing her as his sister. Shinichi says they've met before, and mentions the keyholder that she'd liked so much and had taken. Mayuko looks a bit guilty at the reminder and he says that it doesn't matter. The words seem to make her uneasy and she starts to fish out her sunglasses, but in her nervousness, drops them on the ground. Shinichi picks it up for her, but she seems really unsettled now, and snatches them back and leaves. Jun apologizes for his sister's behavior and hurries off after her.

Takuma (the congressman) is in his office looking at a videotape of the weather show mentioning Mayuko's website. He looks thoughtful, like he's planning something. Takuma asks his aide to contact the Amemiya Construction, and to look for Amemiya, the chief there.

At Mayuko's home, Akiko is standing outside her house, turning away reporters who want to interview Mayuko. Mayuko arrives at this point, and the reporters hurry over to her. She's unnerved by their aggressiveness, and starts to freak out. Jun comes back, and seeing the situation, shields Mayuko back in the house, telling reporters that his sister is unwell. As Akiko goes back inside, there are sounds of Mayuko breaking down while Jun tries to calm her.

Shinichi is returning home and notices that his front door is unlocked. Inside he finds Rina, who used her deceased sister's key to let herself in. She picks up a framed picture of her sister, seeing he doesn't seem to have found himself a new girlfriend yet, which annoys him and he takes the photo from her. As she turns off the computer on the desk, she sees "Amemiya Mayuko" on the screen. Shinichi comments that Rina is probably up to no good, a comment that seems to upset her a little.

Rina then picks up his eyedrops, saying that it's tragic how he is still unable to cry...or perhaps he has already used up his life's supply of tears. She refers to the "incident", saying that it changed a lot of things - and it's not just his eyes that are affected, but maybe even more his heart.

She passes him an invitation card for April 29 to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of the death of Yaguchi Muki (Rina's sister) called , and there's a girl's voice saying "seeing your pain..." Rina finishes the sentence "...those by your side will suffer just as much. I hope that you understand this." She then leaves.

Jun's in Mayuko's room, tidying up while she sleeps (no doubt exhausted by her tantrum).

Shinichi goes to see Sakuma, apologizing for the last time, but telling him that he can't come back to the hospital. Sakuma wants to discuss a case with him, but Shinichi cuts him off, saying that he doesn't want to analyse anyone again. A nurse comes him to tell him that a patient is ready, and Sakuma asks Shinichi to go to an adjoining room to wait for him. After Shinichi leaves, Sakuma notes that he is suffering from a medical condition called PTSD - which is post-traumatic stress disorder, and that the manifestation in Shinichi's case is that he can no longer shed any tears because he saw with his own eyes what happened to his girlfriend.

Shinichi decides to leave, and in the hall, sees Mayuko. He asks her if she is the patient waiting for Sakuma, and she replies that it is because she is "abnormal". Her mother comes over to her at this point and they leave together.

Outside, Mayuko wants to go to the park, and Akiko lets her, telling her not to be too late. Mayuko sees Shinichi sitting on the swings, putting eyedrops in his eyes. She is curious and comes up to him, asking if he is "practising to cry". She asks if tears are warm or cold, and when he replies that he doesn't know, she says that he must have forgotten.

Mayuko then asks Shinichi what sorrow is like, and when he pauses, she thinks that he's forgotten that as well. She wonders if a person feels sorrow in the heart or in the soul, saying that a soul that is unable to cry would then howl in anguish. She looks over at Shinichi, asking if his soul is like that.

As she is looking at the sky through her binoculars, Shinichi comments that she must like the sky a lot... because the sky never lies. He says that he's been waiting for someone with a heart like yours that he can chat with. She replies that she is different from other people, and he says that it's ok, because he has a heart that is different from others as well.

Mayuko finds a stray cat in the bushes. As she is petting it, Shinichi says that she seems to like cats a lot, when she suddenly drops the cat onto a bench and moves off. Shinichi is surprised by her sudden action but as he picks up the cat, she doubles back and furtively watches him. Shinichi asks if she wants to keep it, but from the look on her face, says that she probably couldn't take it home, so he decides to take it back to his place. He asks her to name the cat, saying that he will bring it the next time they meet. They set a date for tomorrow, (Thursday, April 13^th) at 3:25 pm.

Takuma and Amemiya Yohei (Mayuko's father) is eating at a Japanese restaurant. Takuma asks Yohei about Mayuko, and about how her homepage has attracted a lot of attention. Takuma requests that Yohei bring his daughter to a function tomorrow. He says that he wants to help her if he can.

The next day, Shinichi is feeding the cat, saying that today they'll give him a name. (He's obviously thinking about his date with Mayuko.)

As Mayuko is leaving her house, her mother reminds her of Takuma's event, which she is going with her parents at 5:30 pm. Akiko asks that she comes home before 4 pm to prepare for it.

As Shinichi leaves the school (to meet Mayuko), he is intercepted by a colleague who asks him to do some last minute paper-work. He looks at his watch, and it's 3 pm.

Mayuko is now in the park, and Shinichi is late. As she's singing, she's thinking about how they'd made a date to meet at 3:25 pm. Shinichi is rushing there on his bike but she's gone by the time he gets there. She left him a note saying: Those who don't keep their promises ("yakusoku") are liars. I won't meet you anymore. Mayuko." Shinichi calls the school looking for Jun.

At Takuma's gala event, Takuma is giving a speech on welfare. He uses Mayuko as an example, calling her onto the stage unexpectedly. (Rina is also there, and she recognises the name - from Shinichi's computer, i guess.) As Mayuko is going up (looking quite scared), Shinichi rushes to the event. (Guess he found out from Jun.) Takuma is telling everyone how although, Mayuko's accurate predictions on her weather homepage has captured the media's attention, but she is still weighed down by her "troubles". He asks Mayuko to tell everyone about these "troubles", but she doesn't know what he's talking about. (Mayuko is not aware of her autism as her family had never told her.) He thinks she is nervous, and tells the audience about autism, and how someone who suffers from it doesn't even know what true love is. Mayuko tries to prove him wrong by defining "true love", saying it is "the intertwining of two souls". (Mayuko uses the term "yubikiri" - linking your little finger to confirm a promise" - which is what she had done with Shinichi to set their date.)

Mayuko's parents look very worried (Takuma hadn't told them about his intentions) as Takuma tells everyone that Mayuko has autism. Mayuko is shocked, and as the cameras flash in her face, she starts to have a panic attack. Shinichi runs to her side and calms her down, telling her that she is "here" (in a safe place) and as she begins to recover, she starts to cry

Shinichi and Mayuko are alone, outside the hotel. Shinichi tells Mayuko about her autism, and how she falls under the "high-functioning" group, meaning that her cognitive processes are fine, and does not impact on her disorder. She asks if it means she is not an "idiot", and when he nods, she says that he treats her like one. He denies it, and she tells him that he should not laugh then.

Mayuko tells Shinichi how she had always felt "different" from her family, and that she never had no friends and was always victimized, so she felt she was a useless person. Shinichi tells her that that's not the case at all, and that she is not alone. Shinichi makes a promise with Mayuko that she will not be alone and Shinichi holds out his little finger....

- End of Episode One -