Frontispiece

If you listen closely . . . to the sound of the wind and the rain, to the whispers of the stars, to the words we speak . . . .

Page 7

I first noticed his name one day in August.

sign	Tsukishima	Yasunari [father]
		Tomoko [mother]
		Shio
		Shizuku

sfx	kusu-kusu [to laugh to oneself]
sfx	pon [closing book cover]
title	Yamanami Junior Series: A Battle of Conflagrations
Shizuku	Ah, that was an interesting book.

Page 8

It was raining for the third day straight. I'd read all the books I had borrowed from the library.

titles

A Battle of Conflagrations Rabbit's Adventure Ruu of Lizard Forest (vol. 5)

What . . . when did I drop this?

Page 9

cards	Prefecture public library checkout book slip
name	Amasawa Seiji

I think I recognized the name.

sfx	basa-basa [flipping pages]

Yes, that's right.

He checked out all these books before I did!

Page 10

sfx

pichaa

All of a sudden--

sfx	tokun tokun tokun

--a note chimed inside my heart.

I wondered what kind of person he was.

Page 11

Mom	Shizuku!
	Goodness gracious, how long are you going to sleep in? The weather outside is perfect for once!
Shizuku	Ow, ouch! Stop it!
	You're being mean. That hurt!
Mom	If you don't like it so much then maybe you'll get up sooner. Weren't you going to meet Yuuko?
Shizuku	What about Shio [elder sister]?
Mom	She's already left. She had something to do at school.

Page 12

Shizuku

Boy, it's hot.

It was August, summer vacation.

sfx	shuwa shuwa tatta tatta tatta [the sound of cicada]

Page 13

sign	Midorichou Mukaihara Junior High
Girl	Hey Shizuku!
Shizuku	Gambatte ne!
	Is Kousaka Sensei in?
sign	Health Classroom

Page 14

Kousaka	Shizuku, what are you doing here?
Shizuku	Please, please, pretty please, Sensei.
Kousaka	Isn't this getting to be a bit silly?
	You simply couldn't can't wait until the next library lending day?
Shizuku	But I've already read all the books I checked out.
Kousaka	You do love books, Shizuku. Now, which one is it? Don't make me wait here all day.
Shizuku	Where was it?
	Great, it's in!
title	Fairytales
Shizuku	This one, Sensei.
Kousaka	Well, hurry up and hand me the checkout card.

Page 15

Shizuku	Thank you, thank you, thank you.
	Wait, what's this?

At first I thought it was the same person as before, except that one character in his first name was different.

Kousaka	Now what?
sfx	Pah [pluck]
Kousaka	Good grief, would you look at this? Only one person has checked this book out before. It must not be very popular. Too bad, seeing it's such a valuable book. Not even the prefecture library has it.
	Let's see, the 19th of August. Yes, it would have been Kouji Amasawa who last read it. Must be a great book, then.
Shizuku	So, what kind of person is this Kouji Amasawa, anyway?

Page 16

Kousaka	I guess your grades wouldn't have overlapped. He's already graduated. But, in a word, well, he was kind of odd.
Shizuku	Odd . . . .
Yuuko	Shizuku! What are you doing here? We were going to meet outside at eleven o'clock! I've been waiting out there in the sun for a whole fifteen minutes, my freckles multiplying the whole time!
Kousaka	Yuuko, Yuuko, pipe down, please. You pay entirely too much attention to your freckles.
Yuuko	Sensei! How can you say that? My freckles are a serious concern to me!
Kousaka	Yes, I know, I know. Now, why don't you two go discuss it somewhere else?

Page 17

Shizuku	A love letter!
sign	Grade 1 - Room 4
Yuuko	Shhh, not so loud, Shizuku!
sfx	bata-bata [arms flapping like a bird's] fuga-fugo
Shizuku	But, Yuuko, that's great! When did you get it? Who's it from?
Yuuko	It--it was during opening day ceremonies, from a third-year student.
Shizuku	Wow, a third-year student! Is he cute?
Yuuko	I don't know. It was so sudden, I didn't get a chance to see his face.
	What am I supposed to do?
Shizuku	What are you supposed to do? Sheez, I don't know, what do you want to do about it?
Yuuko	I haven't got the slightest idea.
Shizuku	So how should I?
Yuuko	Shizuku . . . .

Page 18

Yuuko	How about you? Is there a guy you like?
Shizuku	Well . . . um . . . .
name	Amasawa Seiji
Yuuko	Anybody?
Shizuku	I guess, sort of.
	Well, I can't exactly say that I like him.
	But there is somebody I've noticed.

Page 19

sfx	gonyo gonyo gonyo [whispering]
Yuuko	Still, you know . . . .
	Shizuku, that's a bit chancy, you think? Okay, maybe he's a real cool guy, but--
	--I mean, he's probably some super-geekoid. Or a little kid or some old guy.
Shizuku	Yeah, I suppose. Probably.
	You know, Yuuko, I think you're in love with somebody, too.
Yuuko	Well, I . . . I . . . .
Shizuku	No fair keeping secrets! Tell me, tell me!
Yuuko	Well, I . . . um . . . .
Sugimura	Hey, Shizuku!
Shizuku	Sugimura!
sfx	gata!

Page 20

Shizuku	Yuuko?
Sugimura	Shizuku! Get my duffle bag for me!
	It's the blue sports bag over there.
Shizuku	Sheesh! You don't have to be so obnoxious about it. I'm not the bat boy.
Sugimura	Yeah, I know, it stinks. Next year I'll make the (varsity) team for sure!
Shizuku	Yuuko?
sfx	bata bata bata bata gara!
	What was that all about?

Page 21

Shizuku	So it's Sugimura you're in love with! You ought to clue him in, you know. The sooner the better.
Yuuko	I'd thought maybe he'd already figured it out, and he doesn't . . . .
Shizuku	Oh, don't go jumping to that conclusion! He's just a bit slow on the uptake.
	But, Yuuko, what are you going to do about that love letter?
Yuuko	I don't know. I'm going to think it over by myself a bit more.
Shizuku	Oh, no, my book! I left it back in the classroom!
	See you, Yuuko. Sorry I wasn't much help.
Yuuko	Yeah, later.

Page 22

(top panel: Shizuku walking down the empty hallway)

I could hear it, again--

--the gentle sounds of the summer buzzing in my ears.

It got so quiet sometimes it was almost deafening.

Page 23

sfx

katan

There was somebody in the room.

I didn't know who he was

He wasn't in my (homeroom) class.

Page 24

He's reading my book!

sfx

gara

Page 25

sfx	bikuu [startled, from bikkuri suru]

What was he up to?

Shizuku	Um . . . .
Boy	Yeah?

This is getting kind of scary.

Page 26

Shizuku	The book . . . .
Boy	Oh, this is yours? You forgot it?
	Here you go, Shizuku Tsukishima.
Shizuku	Hey, how do you know my name?
Boy	Yeah, how do I?

Page 27

Shizuku	The checkout card!
Boy	Well, obviously.
	And for what it's worth, you know, there aren't such things as fairies.
sfx	batan! [sliding door slamming]

What was THAT all about? Why didn't he just MIND his OWN BUSINESS?

Page 28

I mean, what was that guy's problem?

Boy	For what it's worth, you know, there aren't any such things as fairies.

Okay, he was kind of cute, BUT--

WHAT A JERK!

I hate him, hate him, hate him!

Page 29

(top panel: Tsukishima residence)

Shizuku	Hey, sis!
sfx	kon kon [knock knock]
	Your door was open.
sfx	ki--
	Shio . . . .
Shio	Oh, Shizuku, you got a postcard from your boyfriend, Sugiyama!
Shizuku	Cut it out! He is so not my boyfriend.
	Sheesh, this is just like him, though.
card	I hope you're holding up well during this stifling summer heat. [signed] Sugiyama
	Well, besides this, there was something I wanted to ask you.
Shio	What subject? I'm fine with it as long you as stick to junior high school assignments.

Page 30

Shizuku	Well, it's not that . . . .
	Hey--
card	I pray that you are doing well during this stifling summer heat. [signed] Kouji Amasawa
Shizuku	Shio, where'd you get this card from?
Shio	It's pretty, isn't it? An old junior high classmate of mine sent it. He was really into photography. He was good at it, too. An all-around great guy.

This doesn't make any sense . . . .

I get a totally different impression from what Kousaka Sensei said about him.

He likes photography, reads books about fairies, is kind of weird . . . .

Page 31

(top panel: elevated train)

sfx	katatan katatan katatan

Seiji Amasawa . . . . Kouji Amasawa . . . .

There's got to be some kind of relationship between them. Are they relatives? Father and son? Hey, maybe on one of the checkout cards in the books I've already read . . . .

Shizuku	Hey Mr. Librarian!
Librarian	Shizuku.
Shizuku	You forgot your lunch, Dad.

Page 32

Father	Oops, so I did. Just a minute, I'm coming down.
	Sorry about that.
Shizuku	It's okay. I had to return some books, anyway.
Father	You've finished reading them already?
	And you're going to check out some more today as well, I bet.
Shizuku	That's right.
	The next volume in the Rabbit series and Jim and the Puppet Theater.
Father	I expected as much.
	Oh, and I assume you've finished your summer vacation homework assignments?
Shizuku	Don't remind me! It's too big of a pain to even think about now.
Father	If you just get it done a little at a time . . . .
Shizuku	Yeah, Dad.

Page 33

titles	Poe in Hamburg Let's Go Drebin Rabbit's Desperate Situation The Emerald Thief One More Mountain to Climb Rabbit Heads South
sfx	doki doki doki [from doki-doki suru, to feel nervous, the heart pounding]
sfx	pa-ra

But of course . . . .

Prefecture public library checkout card
Poe in Hamburg
checkout	Name	return
4/04	Yoshida Kouji	4.11
4/12	Miura Miki	4.19
4/20	Amasawa Seiji	4.27
4/29	Taue Kyouko	5.06
5/03	Nagai Akimi	5.14
5/22	Tsukishima Shizuku	5.29

Still, I could hardly believe it . . . .
His name was in almost every book I'd read!

name	Amasawa Seiji

So what kind of person was he? I so wanted to meet him and find out for myself.

Page 34

sfx

sawa sawa

The wind whispers through the windowpanes--

--that fall is coming soon.

sfx	goh-ton goh-ton
sfx	katatan katatan

Page 35

(top panel: train car interior)

sfx	katatan katatan katatan
sfx	hyoko [suddenly]

A cat!?

sfx	kyoro kyoro [to glance around]

Who brought a cat on the train?

sfx	katatan katatan
sfx	totto-totto-totto
sfx	tatsu [to stand]

What in the world!

Page 36

What's with this cat!?

Shizuku

Sir Cat, you riding by yourself?

What a dumb question to ask.

Cat	Yep, 'tis.
Shizuku	I know he just didn't say that--
sfx	katatan katatan katatan
Shizuku	How far are you going? Something interesting outside? Are you going home? What's the matter, cat got your tongue?

Page 37

(top panel: Kazemachi Station sign)

sign	Kazemachi
Conductor	Next stop, Kazemachi, Kazemachi.
sfx	pushuu
sfx	gah--tsu
Shizuku	Huh?
sfx	ta ta ta
sfx	ta ta ta
Shizuku	All right, let's go, then!

This cat was giving me something of a workout.

Page 38

Shizuku

Hey, Sir Cat!

It wasn't that far away, but I had never gotten off at this station before.

sfx	to ta ta ta ta ta ta
Shizuku	Aha!

There he is!

sfx	sa sa [sneakily]
Cat	Close enough!
sfx	kyoro kyoro [to glance around]
sfx	toh-teh toh-teh toh-teh
sfx	ta-tta tta-tta

Page 39

Where's he headed?

Riding the train all by himself.

Oh, is this your street?
I'd never been here, either.

Hey, exactly where are we going?

Page 40

sign	The Earth Shop

"Baseball Field"? No, it must be "The Earth Shop."

I wonder what an "earth shop" is?

The cat must have gone inside.

Page 41

Wow!

What a wonderful place!

sign	Please browse at your leisure -- The Earth Shop

Page 42

It's hard to believe there's a place like this around here!

Almost as if that cat must have brought me here by magic!

Oh, that's right, Sir Cat! Where'd you go?

Page 43

(top panel: the cat statue)

Sir Cat? I don't believe it!

sfx	doki doki doki [heart pounding]

No way! It can't be!

Page 44

Once again, out of the blue--

--pressing on my heart.

What was this sensation I was feeling--?

It was like running into the person you've wanted to meet your whole life.

That's what it was like--

Cat

Welcome!

Page 45

Shizuku	Yikes!
Old man	Welcome to the store.
Shizuku	Oh--
Old man	Was there something you were looking for?
Shizuku	Well--no--but--I suppose there's something--
	Um, these, here--I'll take one of these, please.

Page 46

(top panel: Shizuku hurries away from the shop)

sfx	da da da da da da da da da da
Shizuku	That old man scared me half to death!
sfx	haa haa
	But it sure was a neat store.
sfx	goso

My heart was still pounding.

Shizuku

Heh heh.

Still, it was like traveling to a totally different world!

Page 47

All my feelings could just float away into the air!

What a great day it had turned out to be!

Boy	Hey!
	Are you the girl who made a purchase at The Earth Shop?
Shizuku	Y-yes.
Boy	Great. I was afraid I wouldn't catch up with you.
sfx	karan koron

That cat again--

--hitching a ride on top of his head!
Who was this guy?

Page 48

And to top it off, he was wearing geta.

Boy	Here you go.
	You forgot your change.
sfx	niko niko [smiling]
Shizuku	T-thanks. Sorry about that.

This was all getting to be very . . . weird.

Boy	Oh, by the way, it's no big deal--
	It's only a postcard, but here you go.
Shizuku	The cat in the shop!
	Thank you sooo much!
Boy	Just a photograph I took.
Shizuku	It's a wonderful picture.
sfx	zu-ru [handbag slipping]

Page 49

sfx	basa
Boy	So, you like stories like this?
Shizuku	Sorry, my bad.
Boy	Hey, you're reading the Rabbit series. These books take me back.
Shizuku	You like the Rabbit books?
Boy	Actually, this one's the real Rabbit fan.
Cat	Unya.
Shizuku	O-okay.
Boy	Just kidding.

Page 50

(top panel: a blimp flies overhead)

sfx	goh oh oh oh oh

Neat!
An airship!

It was incredible, it was so close (you could almost reach out and touch it).

This day had turned out to be the absolute best!

Boy

Luna!

Page 51

Shizuku	His name is Luna?
Boy	Yes, but he's a she.
Cat	Nyah.
Boy	By the way, my name's Amasawa.
sfx	goh oh oh oh oh
Shizuku	Amasawa? Really?