First

1998 April....Jinguji Sho, psychology professor at the Keisei University, meticulous & rather taciturn man, living a life following a schedule with precision....Kazuma Misaki model, rather ditzy, breezing thru life without a thought......

At the train station, as Jinguji walks down the stairs towards the platform, Misaki comes rushing down & tripping down the stairs, grabs a hold of Jinguji's coat. Saved! As she slips letting go of his coat, he reaches out & grabs her under her left breast......

In the train station she apologizes again, saying that she's someone that depends on her figure for work & thanks him for saving her. She ends up sitting next to him. Nodding off, the book she's reading drops to the floor. The book is titled "The Psychology of Adversity - Until the tears dry" Picking it up she says "It's a popular book but really boring, written with such difficult words...." He says in irritation "It's mine..." "What are you saying? It's my book." "I wrote it."

2 months later...at a pool a man is doing laps, it's Jinguji. Misaki comes by for a photo shoot & getting him out of the pool, recognizes him. He's irritated that he's got to leave but as he does, Misaki says "But I'm a reader of your book" She's about to fall into the pool when Jinguji grabs her under her left breast. Thanking him & then going after him as he leaves. She tells him by the next time they meet, she'll finish his book, making a promise to meet on X'mas Eve, same time, same place, when she'll tell him what she thinks. After he's gone, Misaki smiles & feels something. Putting her hand into her swimsuit & touching her left breast, she sees blood on her finger......

Going for a checkup Misaki discovers that she's got cancer. She's told that her life will be the same, only without her left breast. Shocked & in tears that her life as a model is over, she sees the book by Jinguji. Taking it out, she starts reading it "If you've got the courage, there's no tunnel that you can't get thru..."......"No matter what sort of life it is, there will be adversity..."

On her calendar 24th X'mas Eve are the words..."surgery"......"date"......as Misaki goes for her surgery, her close friend Shintaro, also a teacher at the Keisei University is there for her. At the pool, Jinguji goes for his swim & waits for Misaki......

1999 April.....Lecture starts & Misaki shows up in Jinguji's lecture as a student......

Misaki visits her younger brother in jail & tells him about Jinguji. When he says that since he's a professor, not to bother telling him that she's got a brother serving a sentence. It's cool with him that she can abandon him anytime. Misaki gets mad & says that family's really important. "If I can't fall in love, there's a reason...men won't fall in love with women who don't have a breast..." This time her younger brother gets mad "Now you're the one talking nonsense!" Cooling down he says "You like him..." "No, it's just that that book saved me..."

Ranran visits Jinguji at his apartment & gives him a letter saying "I'll wait for you..."

When Misaki shows up for Jinguji's lecture again, this time the other students have found out that she's a model & some girls start bullying her, saying nasty things about her. Jinguji comes in & sends her out of his class...

When Jinguji comes out of the lecture, Misaki tells him "Why send me out of class? I came here because I wanted to see you" Taking his book out of her bag "I wanted to meet the Jinguji Sho that wrote this book, wanted to listen to his lectures that's why I came to this university...this book changed my life!" Jinguji tells her with disdain "...you must be joking,...for the sake of income I sometimes write this stuff...merely reading this sort of stupid book & your life changed...giving up being a model & all the beautiful things in life & coming here...in other words, you don't belong here...you should develop your talent, seize the time now & be a model...this is my judgment......why?.....because when I met you at the pool, I thought you were beautiful......"

Later in her apartment, Misaki stands in front of the mirror says "I'm no longer that person you met...I'm no longer the beautiful person you say...no longer me......"

Second

Junguji visits a bridal saloon to see Ranran & returns the envelope that Ranran gave him…

Misaki cleans out her apartment with the help of Shintaro saying that "I'm throwing away old things ...& picking up new ones..." When Shintaro asks if she's still bothered by what Jinguji said to her, that she was beautiful, Misaki replies that "Can't be helped, he doesn't know that I've lost a breast..."

At the university, Shinguji's colleage Tsutsuki Mako says to him "That girl's definitely in love with you...don't you feel anything?" "None whatsoever..." replies Jinguji......

Later on Shintaro visits Jinguji, trying to explain to him that she's really serious about studying & that she's gone thru a lot..." Jinguji says sarcastically that he admires Shintaro that he has that much free time to bother about such mindless things. Shintaro tells him to give her a chance......

Joji is released from jail & Misaki's there to meet him. First thing he does is to ask Misaki for money & disappears with his friends......

Misaki's check up goes well. The doctor asks whether she's reconsidered going for reconstructive surgery but she replies "....not for the time being...I want to meet the future the way I am now, & to think about my life..."

Misaki works on a report & goes to the pool looking for Jinguji. When he sees he says "What are you doing here...another modeling shoot?" "I won't ever go into the water again...I've quit modeling, right now I'm only a college student..." She tells him that she learnt from the University that he was off on Thursdays & thought she'd come by the pool to look for him. Jinguji replies "I'm here every Thursday..." Misaki recalls last X'mas eve, also a Thursday... She tries to explain indirectly about not showing up but Jinguji looks bored. Finally she takes out her report & asks him to read it, to prove that she's really serious about studying. Fed up, Jinguji says "Do as you please..."When Jinguji tells her he's too busy to read her report & to take it back, Ranran arrives. A little taken aback, Misaki makes excuses & leaves. As she walks away, she looks back at the both of them & doesn't notice the swim boards at the edge of the pool. Stepping on one, she slips & falls into the pool, her report goes flying & landing up in the water. Stunned she puts her arms around herself & doesn't move. Jinguji says "What's the matter, can't come up by yourself?" & is about to enter the pool when Misaki yells "Don't come here! Don't come near me!" She turns around & still in the water walks away in tears...

Back in the apartment, she tells herself "Everything's fine 'cause I won't lose..."

After a run in with the head of the university, Mako tells Jinguji "You haven't changed a bit...17 years ago, seems like a long time..."

Masaki tells Shintaro that Jinguji's allowed her to attend classes again. They banter for a bit & then Misaki tells Shinaro "I met her, Jinguji's girlfriend...she's very cute...he's really something..." Shinaro looks at her as she goes in for Jinguji's lecture...

After the lecture, Misaki goes to see Jinguji. "The report the other day...it fell into the pool so I've rewritten it, please read it..." Right then Ranran comes in bringing Jinguji an "obento" (packed meal). Jinguji tries to make her leave but Ranran gives him the box & envelope saying "there's love in here, why won't you accept it..." Misaki tells Jinguji "I'll leave, your girlfriend is more important, so please accept the obento..." Ranran says "I'm not his girlfriend, I'm his sister...that's why I'm here to give this to my brother..." Jinguji hits the bento with his hand & it falls to the floor "Leave!" Ranran picks up the food but as she tries to leave the envelope behind, Jinguji says "Take that with you too..." Ranran takes it but say "I want you to understand...because we're family..." & leaves in tears......

Jinguji tells Misaki "It's not of your business, leave..." "But she's your sister..." "Shut up!" "What's that, you're running away? You've got unspeakable secrets? That's impossible, that sort of person has no right to be a teacher!" "What do you know! Love is as worthless as trash!" "That's wrong! "With love, people become strong...if there's love, people can go on living!" "My life is different..." "So! You're saying that love's got nothing to do with living, just studying hard is fine, just being smart is fine! But...that's the loneliest kind of life there is!"

In class, Ando introduces himself to Masaki & tells her that Jinguji's past is miserable one. Apparently his father left him & his mother for another woman. Jinguji's mother abused Jinguji as she couldn't take it. Misaki hearing this runs out of class….

Misaki finds Jinguji at the bus-stop & says "I apologize for just now...but why? Why reject love? Why appear so cold? It's all lies isn't it? But that book, it's filled with so much love..." "That's just a book, it's not possible to really know the private person..." As she turns to leave he says "You've written everything in here..." Misaki sees Jinguji hold out her report. "...but helping you isn't that book...you changed your own life with your own strength, you have that strength that's why my book is of no use to you..." Misaki leans against Jinguji "...believe me, in the year since I met you at the pool, I haven't stopped trying...all because you..." "But, you didn't come that X'mas Eve...last year's Eve was a Thursday..." "You remembered? That X'mas Eve promise..." The bus comes along & Jinguji gets on it without a word...

Misaki returns home to find Shintaro waiting for her. "Shintaro..." she says falling into his arms. "Shintaro, can you tell?" "Hm?" "That I don't have a breast...if I do this, you know..." Shintaro hugs her "Can't tell...can't tell at all..." In tears Misaki says "Shinaro, I...altho I know, I'm afraid, altho I know.....but I...I've fallen in love with him..." Shintaro grimaces hearing this....

In his apartment, as Jinguji recalls what Misaki said to him, he remembers as a young boy, his father leaving. Crying he yells "Wait dad! Don't go!" but his father just pushes him onto the ground, walking away. Alone later he takes a book that belonged to his father "Modern Psychology" Back in the present, Jinguji reads Misaki's report "The abundance of love in this book has given me the strength to go on living...thank you..."

Third

 

to be cont'd.......