Previous Page

By then, the old man, Mr Nishi, had returned home with two of his friends. Seeing his grandson playing and Shizuku singing, they decided to join in to produce a better piece of Country Road.

After she stopped singing (and a little encore), Shizuku introduced herself. Mr Nishi nodded, saying that he had been wanting to meet up with her again too. He introduced the other two as his friends. One of them stretched out a hand to shake, now that he knew the girl who saw the clock the same day it was finished. The other man commented on what a cute friend Amasawa had, refering to the boy. Now, remember that Amasawa was the person Shizuku had been thinking about, so the comment came as a huge shock to her, since she thought that his name was Nishi. He denied it; his name was Amasawa Seiji, his grandfather was Nishi. Shizuku went all dramatic, and comments from both kids led to an argument with the adults laughing at the sight.

Later that night, Seiji was walking Shizuku home. She commented on how good a violin player Seiji was but he simply dismissed it, saying there were lots of others like him. He told her that he was aspiring to be a violin maker, not a player, and was planning on going to Cremona in Italy where other famous violin makers live. Naturally, his parents objected strongly, prefering him to continue his studies in High School. His grandfather was the only one supporting him on this. Shizuku congratulated him on at least knowing what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Unlike him, Shizuku has no ambitions whatsoever, living day by day as it is.

At the junction, they bid goodbye. Shizuku had rejected his offer to walk her home even further, saying that it was very nearby. Seiji called out to her to say that she was really good with lyrics, and that he liked her Concrete Road. Shizuku retaliated, saying that he had told her to drop it. Seiji had forgotten about it but Shizuku didn't really mind. She thanked him once again and headed for home.

That night, Shizuku lay in bed thinking when her sister came in, reminding her to shut off the lamp before going to sleep since she had left it on the previous night, before climbing into bed. Shizuku then asked her when she decided on her career. Shio mistook it that Shizuku wanted to work in the same place as her. That's what you go to college for, she said, and bid Shizuku good night.

It was raining again the next day and having overslept, Shizuku raced all the way to school. She bumped into Sugimura along the way, although it was Sugimura who had to greet her. He urged her to run faster but being a hard-head as she was, she simply told him to run ahead if he could then. He did, and Shizuku stared at disbelief that he would actually do it, after what had happened between them a few days before.

At school, Shizuku got a bigger shock when she heard that news of her and a boy walking home together spread like wildfire. They looked like a couple, said Yuuko, who asked her if it was true. Of course not, denied Shizuku.

Sugimura walked up to the girls. Shizuku thought he was about to talk to her when he walked right pass her and towards Yuuko instead. He apologized to Yuuko for being insensitive and told her that he should have refused his friend's request. Yuuko then said that it was she who should be sorry. All was now well between the two.

During lunchtime that same day, Seiji came to Shizuku's class to look for her. With the rumours circulating around, the whole class except Sugimura cheered for Shizuku, who got really mad and stomped out. Seiji then told her that he had decided to go to Italy after all. Noticing that the whole class was eavesdropping, she beckoned Seiji to the roof where no one would disturb them.

It was still raining outside so they stood at the doorway. Shizuku scolded Seiji for calling her in front of the whole class. He apologized and simply said that he wanted her to be the first to know. Shizuku was taken aback for a while, then said that she did not really care what the others thought.

It turned out that Seiji's parents had finally allowed him to go to Italy. His grandfather has a friend there and he was to work as his apprentice for two months to see if he has the necessary talent. If he fails, he will have to come right home and continue his education, If he succeds, however, he will go back to Cremona and stay there for another 10 years or so.

Seiji didn't like the deal. It was almost as if his parents expected him to fail. But he didn't mind, he would try his best no matter what. Shizuku asked him about his departure date and he replied that he had to get his passport first.

The rain had stopped and they walked up to the parapet to look out for rainbows. Shizuku was wondering what kind of town Cremona was. Seiji explained that it was a very old town, where lots of violin makers lived. Shizuku had been thinking what a wonderful thing it would be if they could go to high school together, so Seiji fulfilling his dreams so early made her feel useless.

A moment of silence followed, then Seiji confessed that he had first noticed her from the library cards. Shizuku had obviously never noticed how often she had passed by him in the library. In fact, he once even sat right beside her. Blushing, Seiji says that when he arrives in Italy, he will try very hard to succeed and sing her song as well. Shizuku promised to do the same as well.

Behind them, Shizuku's class were peeping from behind the door. The pushing finally caused half of them to fall forward, giving the game away. Shizuku shouted and ran to the door, sending the whole class scattering except two of her frineds who remained behind the door, only to see Shizuku sobbing.

The day continued as usual, although Shizuku was not really paying attention. That night, she left to meet Yuuko as agreed. Yuuko was silent went entering the house. She told her that she had an argument with her father and so was not talking to him.

In Yuuko's room, they discussed about their respective relationship, but more on Shizuku's than on Yuuko's. Seiji had told her that after the two months of trials, if he succeeds, he would be going straight back for another 10 years. Yuuko said that it was almost like being apart forever. But it was still great, the way they were now. And by the way she kept downsizing herself, Yuuko commented that Shizuku probably couldn't find a boyfriend until she knew what to do with her life. In the end, Shizuku decided to work as well, and to begin with, she was going to write a story. Yuuko was concerned since the mid-term was drawing near but Shizuku told her not to worry.

Walking home, Shizuku's spirit were very high. Out of the blue, Moon jumped out and into the bushes. A kid came out and shouted at it but called it "Muta". So the cat does have an owner after all, and its name was Muta. When Shizuku got home later that day, she immediately started on her story.

Mr Nishi was surprised when Shizuku asked to use the Baron as her story's main character when she visited him the next day. He agreed on one condition; the privilage of being the first to read the story. Shizuku hesitated. She was not even sure if it would turn out great or terrible. Mr Nishi, however, was less pessimistic. He believed that every artisan started out that way, even Seiji. Its just practise that makes the work great.

He got up and took out a rock from his cupboard and showed it to Shizuku. He told her to look inside the crack, then shone a torch behind it to reveal a beautiful piece of raw emerald buried inside. He compared the emerald to the talent that artisans have, buried deep inside waiting to be discovered and polished.

However, Mr Nishi also believed that if the emerald was finally cut and polished, it would not look very good. This was because there may be more gems hidden inside, maybe much more valuable, meaning to say that there may be a much better talent or gift hidden deeper inside someone's soul.

Laughing, Mr Nishi apologized for ranting. Shizuku agreed to allow him to be the first to read and left. Along the way, she thought about the jewel and thought that maybe a vein of Lapis Lazuli would be the main topic of her story, and her mind went off to fantasy land.

The Baron bowed to her and asked her to join him in the search of the vein of Lapis Lazuli. The surroundings were very odd. The coulds seemed nearer to her than the buildings and mountains. The Baron explained that this happened every new moon, where everything far seemed near and everything that was near would seem far.

They waited for an updraft, then jumped. The wind brought them flying over everything. When the Baron told her that they should be passing the tower ahead of them soon, Shizuku asked him if they were really that high. Hardly, chuckled the Baron. The sky and the city below of Shizuku's fantasy land somehow merged with the real world as she ran down the staircase towards the library.

At the library, Mr Tsukishima caught sight of his daughter in the non-fiction section. He thought it odd that Shizuku was actually looking for something other than storybooks and left her in peace.

One of the books she borrowed was a book about minerals. After browsing through that, she put it down to think, then chose a book and opened it to a random page. The page had a picture of a violin maker in a prison cell. She got back to work after a while.

Her work was interrupted when she suddenly realized that someone was sitting opposite her. It was Seiji, he hasn't left for Italy yet. After what he heard from his grandfather, Seiji figured that she would be in the library. He would be leaving for Cremona the next day, he said, and was glad to see before he leaves. He just told Shizuku to continue working while he kept her company until she finishes. Shizuku smiled and started on her work again.

When Shizuku finally finished, Seiji apologized that he could not walk her home but Shizuku was just happy that he had come to see her one last time before leaving. They held hands for a while before Seiji cycled away.

The Baron explained that he came from a magical town where some of the people there have magical powers. The person who created him and his fiance was one such person, an apprentice working in a shop. They were very happy together until one day, when a cat flying on a bug came by.

At that point, Shizuku jolted back to reality as Yuuko called her again from behind. Her teacher, who had called her out before she had snapped back into reality, called out her name one more time, only more sharply. Shizuku stood up and apologized, saying that she hadn't been paying attention. Her teacher scolded her, saying that what he had been teaching was important. He then asked Yuuko to read what Shizuku was supposed to.

At lunchtime, Yuuko was surprised to know that Shizuku had been staying up until four in the morning again. Shizuku assured her that she was not feeling sleepy at all. She did lose her appetite though.

When she got home, she went straight to her room and refused dinner, preferring to continue her story. Dinner was a pack of snack bars.

Back in the story, Shizuku ran through the forest, urged on by the Baron, who told her that only one of the jewels was real. She ran from one glowing gem to another when they faded. Suddenly, a bright glow shone from the forest floor. Shizuku bent down to pick up the jewel, or rather, she thought it was a jewel. When it faded, Shizuku realized to her horror that it was a dead chick she was holding in her hands and shrieked.

One day, Mrs Tsukishima came to the teacher's lounge room after Shizuku's teacher called. He led her to the counselling room to show her something.

When she reached home, she collapsed on the chair in the kitchen. Shio made her a cup of coffee as she talked about her day. Shio later told her that she planned to move out. Mrs Tsukishima was of course concerned, since renting a place would be expensive but Shio assured her that she has some savings from her part-time jobs.

Mrs Tsukishima asked Shio if she noticed anything unusual about Shizuku recently. Shio asked if she too had noticed how weird Shizuku had been acting, cooping up in her room all day long like that. They wondered what it was that she was putting so much work on.

That night, Shio had a big argument with Shizuku. Shizuku's test results had been extremely terrible and Shio was telling her to buck if she wanted to go to high school. Shizuku retorted that she might not even want to go to high school and that all Shio wanted was for her to be like Shio. Their father had returned by then and stopped the argument. He told Shio to wait at the dining table and Shizuku too, after she had changed.

At the table, Mr Tsukishima had finished looking at her test result slip and understood what all the commotion was about. He asked Shio to wait outside. Now that Shizuku was alone with her parents, they asked her her hide of the story. Mr Tsukishima had noticed that Shizuku had been putting a lot of effort into something in the library. Shizuku merely said that she was trying to test herself in the past few weeks and the few weeks to come. She did not reveal what it was though, only that she would tell them when it was time.

Her parents discussed on their actions. Mrs Tsukishima decided to allow Shizuku to do as she pleases. There was more than one way to live her life, she said. She too had times like this.

In the end, her father too agreed to let her be. However, he said, she should not neglect her studies too much. She was also to try to be present during dinner. It was family time, after all.

At Mr Nishi's shop, Mr Nishi dreamt of his door opening. His fiance Louise stood there, having finally coming for him. As he reached out, the log in the fireplace broke and dropped heavily, waking Mr Nishi up. He opened his eyes, sighed, and went back to sleep.

As if deja vu, his door opened and Mr Nishi turned around to see if his fiance was the one standing at the door. It turned out to be Shizuku. She had finished her story and had brought the manuscript for him to read, as promised. The story, entitled "The Story the Baron gave me", was rather long, considering its thickness.

Shizuku begged him to read it immediately but also said that if he didn't like it, he could stop right there and then. She was scared and Mr Nishi comforted her, agreeing to read it immediately. He closed the shop and invited her to the fireplace. Shizuku asked if she could wait downstairs instead.

Walking down the stairs, memories of her and Seiji came flooding back. She walked out of the back door and stared at the night view from the balcony solemnly. Inside, Mr Nishi sat at a table, reading Shizuku's story.

When he had finished, Mr Nishi came looking for Shizuku. He found her sleeping in a crouched position at the balcony with Moon beside her. He woke her up and told her that he had finished, and that it was rather good. At that, Shizuku jumped up and begged him to tell the truth. She asked him if the middle section was bad, as she herself had realized. The points were all disorganized, she said, and that was why she thought the story was terrible.

Mr Nishi comforted Shizuku, who was now in tears. He agreed that it was rather rough like Shizuku said, rather much like Seiji's violins and that with practise, she would get better. Shizuku had realived that she needed to study more to succeed. Simply wanting is not enough, she had discovered, and she was still depressed that Seiji was going much faster than her. Mr Nishi brought her in and cooked some noodles for dinner.

After dinner, Mr Nishi explained to Shizuku the history of the Baron. It was a reminder of his past, he said. While overseas with his fiance, he came across the Baron in a shop. He begged the shopkeeper to sell it to him but was told that the Baron has a fiance who was sent for repairs, and that he can't just separate two lovers just like that. In the end, Mr Nishi's fiance decided to wait for the Baroness to return while he returned home. The day the two figurines meet would be the day they would meet. Unfortunately, war broke out just after that and he could not find his fiance nor the Baroness when he returned to the town.

Mr Nishi drove Shizuku home where her mother was waiting. Shizuku told her that she had finished her task and would return to being a normal girl, at least for the time being, before going to her room. For the time being, repeated her mother, and shaking her head, continued with her work.

In her room, Shizuku lay her head on her table, knocking over several books. Even more books and papers dropped when she slid to the floor. She appeared forlorn as she opened the book with the picture of the violin maker in the prison cell.

When Mr Tsukishima visited her room later, he found Shizuku already asleep 'like a soldier'. He took a blanket from Shio's bed, who had already moved out, and put it on top of Shizuku.

The next morning, Shizuku got up very early, before sunrise in fact. She opened the window and looked out and saw, to her disbelief, Seiji on his bike. He waved to her and motioned to the seat behind him. A very shocked Shizuku quickly ran down to greet him. Apparantly, Seiji's flight was a day early. He had passed by her house to see Shizuku once again when she popped her head out. He told her how long he had been he had been thinking of her, as Shizuku said the same.

Seiji brought her to a spot overlooking the town. It was his own secret place and he had brought her there to see the sun rise. He was feeling guilty at not being able to help Shizuku with her story but then she wrote it because of him, said Shizuku.

Out of the blue, Seiji asked her if she would marry him. Not then, of course, but some time in the future. He promised to work really hard, he said. Shizuku was surprised at the unexpected proposal, but only for a while. She nodded.

Seiji could not believe it. Shizuku then said that it was what she herself had wanted. She invited Seiji under the jacket, saying it must be cold. Seiji promptly hugged her tightly and shouted out his love for her. All was well in the end, and Seiji cycled Shizuku home that day and life continued as usual.

In fact, at the end of the credits, we even see Yuuko and Sugimura together at last, a happy ending for the other pair of lovebirds.