Friday 23 December 2011

Ep 08: 1 litre of tears

After the basketball game, Ako wheels Aya back out to meet their mother with Mari and Saki. They see the parents from the PTA meeting leaving and feel a bit concerned of how it went. Shioka arrives and pretends everything is alright. At home, Rika is practicing her performance for her graduation show before dinner.
At the Aso household, Mrs. Aso and her husband are discussing the events at the PTA meeting as Haruto interrupts them discussing Aya's future at the school. Dr. Aso tells Haruto he wouldn't understand because he is still a kid.
Meanwhile, Shioka and Mizuo too discuss Aya's future at the school. Haruto watches on as Aya, to everyone's dismay, is having difficulties keeping up in English class again. In between classes, Mari and Saki wheel Aya through the hallway as they observe the new ichinen-sei (high school freshmen) arrive for an induction at Higashikou.
Aya is studying in the bio lab as Haruto looks on. He shows her some school pictures of class events and gives some encouraging words, surprising Aya. She questions her future at the school as Shioka interrupts them to ease the tension. At home, Shioka breaks the news to the family that she plans to quit her job to help Aya at school. Aya is against it as everyone is worried about the family's income.
Later, Mizuo discusses Shioka's decision to quit her job. In her room, Aya is writing in her diary as Ako starts to ask her something but decided against it and stops in mid-sentence. Meanwhile, Dr. Mizuno is visited by Dr. Aso as they talk about Aya and how she has affected everybody in terms of courage.
At school, Aya is helped by Mari again as two distant classmates help her with her wheelchair. Tomita and her friend look on irritably. Tomita runs after Haruto to question him about Aya. Haruto is serious about Tomita's remark; he shoves her against the wall and warns her.
Meanwhile, Mizuo is testing out a more advanced wheelchair for Aya but is worried about the expense. Later, Aya overhears her parents talk about Mizuo taking up another job to support the income. Aya is feeling guilty. The next day, Aya is helped up the stairs again by Mari but slips and falls backward onto Mari, worrying everyone. Aya is sitting in the nurse's office when Mari comes in to reassure her, but Aya notices Mari's injured hand and knows she won't be able to participate in this week's basketball game.
At home, Aya is thinking about school and her mother when Ako enters. Ako decided to ask the question she failed to earlier. The next day, Mari and Saki seem to lose their spirit in helping Aya. The class is silent when Aya enters. Aya leaves early as Mari and Saki return to class just in time for Tomita to stage a class discussion over Aya.
Aya overhears most of it from outside when Haruto challenges everybody's intentions - to the class's astonishment - and stands up for Aya, seemingly the only one to be loyal to her at this point when he notices her listening in from outside. Aya retrieves the book she had come back for and leaves as Haruto runs after her while the class is left speechless.
Haruto offers to carry Aya down stairs, and wheels her out onto the bridge when Aya bursts into tears. Haruto, who usually finds words of comfort, has none to give and sheds his own tears instead. Aya decides to say goodbye at that point.
Later, Aya and the family go to watch Rika perform at her graduation. When they come out Aya talks strangely, worrying the family, as she voices her decision on enrolling at the disability school. At school the next day, Aya gives a farewell speech to her class while Shioka waits outside the classroom. Everyone is too teary-eyed and weepy to continue studies. Haruto runs out after Aya and her family, followed by Mari, Saki and then the whole class.
Haruto calls out to Aya as the class assemble, and they slowly start to sing the 3/9 song to her that they had practiced for the vocal contest.

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