Zetsuai -1989- volume 1 by Ozaki Minami Margaret Comics/ Shuueisha 1990 ISBN 4-08-849611-6 Translation by Emily Horner 2001 I've mostly kept the "oniichan"s in the translation because saying "big brother" every time sounds awkward; it means "older brother" literally, but can be used in a lot of contexts when talking to a man who's somewhat older than you. --We're done! --It's really pouring. Want to borrow an umbrella? Izumi : No, I'm going jogging, and then back home. [Zetsuai means something close to 'desperate, absolute love,' but not quite]. <> Kouji : {I remember...beat-up sneakers. Piercing sunlight. Sun-bronzed skin.} <> Kouji : {Sparkling eyes that reflected the red-hot sun. A girl like a wild animal with a stake driven through its heart.} <> Kouji : {A fierce memory that pierced through my heartbeat.} <> Kouji : {My head hurts...where am I? My body feels heavy...} <> Kouji : {Ack! What's going on? I don't usually sleep with men!} <> Izumi : Get off of there! You idiot! Izumi : You need to have some common sense! If you drink that much, and then fall asleep out there in the cold rain, you'll die! Kouji : {Who is this guy?} Hey... {I can't talk!} Izumi : You nearly caught pneumonia! You had a 40-degree fever, and you've been asleep for 30 hours! Kouji : Uh... Izumi : You can't talk? Kouji : {This is the worst!} Izumi : Go on, eat up. The doctor said you were malnourished and drank too much, and that's why you collapsed back there. What, is there something on my face? Kouji : {I still can't tell what's a dream and what's real. It's a very foggy sensation...what is this I'm feeling? I feel like I'm drawn to him somehow...} Izumi : I picked this guy up with you. He was in a dumpster. Who's there? Serika : It's me! <> Izumi : Serika! Serika : Happy birthday, Takuto! Izumi : You shouldn't surprise me suddenly like that! Serika : Don't act so shocked, did you forget your own birthday? Izumi : I didn't forget it, but... Serika : I know it's kind of early, but your little sister's here to pick you up! Izumi : Sorry, I've got practice. Serika : No way! Izumi : There's nothing I can do, the prefectural tournament's coming up soon. Serika : Then, do you mind if I wait here until you're done? I brought over Nanjou Kouji's new album. You want to listen to it? Should I make you a tape? Izumi : Nanjou Kouji? Never heard of him. Serika : You're kidding! Even if you don't have a TV, how can you not know who Nanjou Kouji is? Kouji : Cough cough. Serika : Is somebody there? Izumi : Yeah, kind of. I'll be there tonight, so you wait at home, OK? Serika : Fine. <> Serika : But you'd better come! Our foster parents and Yuugo will be waiting for you! Izumi : My birthday... I'm going to practice. If you need anything, the field's right outside the window, so just call me. Hey, what are you doing? <> Kouji : {Let's see...I stole a bike at Aoyama, passed through Shounan, abandoned the bike at Chigasaki, got drunk at Hiratsuka... and then what?} Kouji : {"You nearly caught pneumonia! You had a 40-degree fever, and you've been asleep for 30 hours!" "Nanjou Kouji? Never heard of him."} Puppy : Whine whine whine... <> Kouji : Stop whining at me! {Hey, I managed to talk. And...for the first time in a long while, I had that dream. It was always such a vague, intangible dream, but last night it was clear for the first time. Hmm, soccer?} <> --Nice shot, Takuto! --No kidding. It's really hot, but you're still working hard. The prefectural tournament's coming up. --But Takuto-kun's the only really good person we've got. --Think we can win? <> --That pass was too slow! Speed it up! --Take a ten-minute break! Izumi : I told you to stay home and sleep! And you look like a wacko! Kouji : That's not my fault! What did you do with my clothes? Izumi : They got all messed up 'cause you were sleeping in the mud, so I asked my teacher to wash them. Kouji : Your teacher? Like in home ec? You're weird. <> Izumi : Go to bed! Kouji : With that goaltender, you'll lose in the first round of the tournament! I'm much better than he is! What if you can't get this ball past me? Izumi : You play soccer? Kouji : Sure, when I was a kid. --Who's that? --Doesn't he look like somebody? Kouji : Come on! <> Izumi : Don't come crying to me later! --Hey, you can't do that to an amateur! <> --No way! Kouji : That was too easy. <> Izumi : I'm gonna try again! --Whoa, is he really an amateur? --I guess we can't stop him... --Go easy on him or he'll get hurt, Izumi! <> Kouji : {"Izumi"? Those eyes...those were...} <> Kouji : {But that's impossible! The summer I was in 5th grade, this person came flying into my field of vision...} <> Kouji : {I could see in just a glimpse how different her technique, her movement, her very spirit were from everyone else's. I had always been full of confidence, but for the first time in my life, I accepted defeat.} --Pass, Izumi! You're hogging the ball! --Shoot! --Izumi! --Izumi-chan's awesome. You really wouldn't think that she was a 3rd-grade girl. Kouji : A 3rd-grade girl? You're kidding! --It's true. She looks like a boy, but she's a girl. <> Kouji : {Two years younger than me, and a girl? My pride was shattered, and yet I was drawn to her. But when I came to the field the next day, Izumi wasn't there any more.} This is a bad joke. Did you say something? Izumi : I'm going out for a while. I'll be home before lights out. Kouji : Hey, you...did you go to South Kanda Elementary? {Why didn't I realize it earlier?} Izumi : Yeah, but I transferred in 5th grade. <> Kouji : {That jerk was lying when he said Izumi was a girl!} Izumi : So what? Kouji : Nothing, really. {Then I've always been...No! I'll die rather than surrender!} Serika/Yuugo : Oniichan! <> Izumi : I'm sorry I haven't called in so long. You didn't have to go to all this trouble just for my birthday. --Please don't treat us like strangers. We do think of ourselves as your parents, too. Izumi : Right. Serika : Come to my room, I made you a cake! Are you going to spend the night here? I dried off a futon for you... Izumi : I'm afraid I can't. There's a sick person at my house. Serika : Oh, that person who was there around noon? Izumi : Yeah. <> Izumi : What's all this? Serika : What's wrong? <> Izumi : Who's that? Serika : It's Nanjou-san, oniichan! Izumi : The singer? Serika : Right now, Nanjou Kouji is #1 in both popularity and real talent. He's cool and roguish and really good-looking and a good singer. I'm in his fan club! Oh, "Top One" is on now! I bet he's #1 this week too! --Number 1 is Nanjou Kouji's "Secret Doll," with 9987 votes! <> --Unfortunately, Nanjou-kun is at home with a cold now. --Oh dear. The summer colds are awful this year. Serika : What? --Get well soon and come on next week! --Now we're going to put on the #1 video, "Secret Doll" by Nanjou Kouji! Shibuya : That idiot! After all the work I've done for him, he just disappears! Shibuya : Some friend he is! <> --You really don't know where he is, Katsumi? Shibuya : I've got no idea! He's always doing selfish things like this! --You'd better find him before the weeklies find out! --All the phone lines are busy with calls from fans and magazines! This is the third day he's been gone, and a conspicuous guy like that can't stay hidden for long! Kouji : I'm hungry. <> Kouji : When did you get back? Izumi : Are you Nanjou Kouji? <> Kouji : {"Nanjou Kouji"? He figured it out?} I'm hungry. My head hurts. Make me something to eat. Izumi : Answer my question! Kouji : {I'm depressed!} I don't know him! <> Kouji : No, I've never met him, but people often say we look alike. I hate that kind of guy. Izumi : OK...I didn't think you could be that guy who was on TV... <> Izumi : Good! What would he be doing here anyway? Kouji : Why is it a good thing that I'm not Nanjou Kouji? Izumi : Well, it's just...are you in school? Kouji : I don't go to school. Izumi : How old are you? Kouji : 16. Izumi : That's not right! I just turned 17 today, but anyway... <> Izumi : You should come to Takahamadai and play sodder! You've definitely got what it takes! Kouji : You can enjoy your youth by yourself. I'm tired. Even if you're serious, it won't be any use, right? Izumi : Yeah, I guess...you can't win if you're not serious. <> Kouji : Huh? Izumi : No, I didn't mean... Kouji : I'm hungry. {His expression just now, and his 'angry' expression at first, were both 'worried' expressions...it's insipid.} Izumi : Sorry about today. Kouji : Huh? <> Izumi : I got serious because you were the first guy who's ever stopped one of my shots on his first try. Are you sure you've never played soccer before? Kouji : I've practiced a lot of martial arts. Kendo, judo, karate, aikido... Izumi : Oh, so that's why you were so quick! Kouji : This is too sweet. Izumi : Sweet? Something's wrong with your tongue. Kouji : It needs salt. {It might have been just because the porridge was really hot...} Kouji : I don't like sleeping with guys, you know. Izumi : Me neither! Whose futon do you think that is, anyway? <> Izumi : It's just that last night, in your sleep, you kept saying "I'm cold, I'm cold!" even though it was really hot. That's the only reason I slept beside you. Kouji : {I was chilled, but my heart felt warm...} <> Kouji : {And Izumi smelled like the sun.} <> --Hey, did you see "Top One" last night? --Yeah, Kouji's got a cold...I was so worried I cried! --I heard he suddenly came down with laryngitis! --One of his groupies said she hasn't seen him in 4 days. --You think he's in the hospital? What if he's really sick? --I would just die! <> Izumi : Wake up, Kouji. Hey, Kouji! Kouji : Give me 5 more minutes, manager... <> Kouji : 37.9 degrees. Izumi : I thought I was feeling kind of sick. Kouji : Kind of? Most people can barely walk with a 38 degree fever. Kouji : You'd better rest for 2 or 3 days. Izumi : You're kidding! The tournament starts tomorrow! I'll bring this fever down really fast. I haven't caught a cold since I was in elementary school! Ever since I picked you up, rotten things have been happening to me. Kouji : {This "Izumi" I've thought about for six years has a bad way of talking, a bad attitude, a bad look in his eyes... and on top of that...} <> Kouji : {He's a guy! I mean, I didn't expect her to be some kind of graceful, beautiful lady, but...} Izumi : The money you had with you is in the desk drawer. There's a lot of it, though I don't know how much. Kouji : {Izumi school? Isn't that the orphanage near here?} Izumi : What are you looking at? <> Kouji : Sorry! Izumi : No, I'm...sorry, I was just startled. Kouji : Is that girl in the picture your little sister who was here yesterday? Izumi : Yeah, and there's my little brother. Kouji : {Little sister?} Kouji : Is your sister 2 years younger than you, and did she play soccer at South Kanda? Izumi : Yeah, she played with me, but she quit after we transferred. Kouji : Did she look like a boy? Izumi : Serika was a tomboy back then, and the clubs had boys and girls in them, so you couldn't tell which she was. But how did you know that? Kouji : The next time I meet that little brat, I'll kill him! <> Izumi : More importantly, what are you going to do? Don't you have to go home? Kouji : I'm depressed. Izumi : Don't try to avoid the question! Even if I don't have a TV, I know you're Nanjou Kouji. You answered to that name just now. So, did you run away? Because the work was too hard, or there were people you didn't like? You've got your reasons, right? Kouji : {Reasons?} No, I don't have any reasons. Izumi : You left without saying anything, right? The office must be in a panic right now...and the mass media, too... Kouji : I'm used to gossip. After all, I am something of a womanizer. Izumi : I hate people with no restraint. <> Kouji : Whose fault do you think that is? <> Izumi : Oh man, I'm late! We'll talk later. For now, take some medicine and give Kouji some dog food. Kouji : Give Kouji some...dog food? Puppy : Yip yip! Kouji : No way... {Whose fault do you think that is? What was I trying to say?} Izumi : Achoo! <> --Takuto-kun! --Do you have a cold? Izumi : What do you want? --That weird goaltender from yesterday... --We were thinking he looked like Kouji... --Yeah, Nanjou Kouji. --He hasn't been on TV lately because he caught a cold... Izumi : You've got the wrong person. --But Kouji's from around here! It wouldn't be that weird if you were friends! --You went to Sagami Daiichi Elementary and South Kanda Middle School, right? <> Izumi : {Daiichi Elementary? That's right beside where I went...} --I know somebody who was in his class, but they weren't friends. He wouldn't really get close to anyone. --That sounds just like Kouji! --And his family's legendary! Izumi : His family? --Don't you know? --The "blazing Nanjou Family" is really famous, the head of the family was a really strong general. <> --Can you at least get us a signature? Izumi : He goes to the bathroom and doesn't come out again for half an hour, he has athlete's foot, he snores really loudly, and his name is Yamada Gonta. So you've definitely got the wrong person. <> --Eek! It's my idol, Kouji-sama! Kouji : Taxi! --Which way? Kouji : Ookami, the Izumi school. <> --Give that back, Kiyohito-kun! --No! --I won't let you have a snack! Kouji : Excuse me, but did Izu...Takuto, that is, leave some clothes with you? <> --Are you his friend from elementary school? Kouji : Yeah. Thanks. --He asked me about nursing, and making porridge, and what to do if he couldn't bring down your fever down. He looked like he was about to cry! Kouji : He's told me a lot about this place, and what happened to his parents. --Oh, I see. I suppose he's always going to remember something like that, even if he was only 5 years old at the time. To think that his mother killed his father! <> --Kojima-sensei, not in front of the children! --Oh, I'm sorry... Izumi : Hello! Sensei, the clothes I left here-- --Sing me a song, oniichan. --No, Mina-chan, you can't ask the guest that. --Sing, sing. <> --It's Takuto-niichan! Izumi : What? Kouji : {His mother...killed his father?} Well, I'll be going now. --But you just got here! Izumi : Kou... --Takuto-kun, don't you think he looks like Nanjou Kouji? Kouji : {What am I doing? Why did I ask something like that? I don't even know what I'm thinking. Those eyes, that saw everyone else as an enemy...were they because of that?} Izumi : It looks like you're feeling better. Kouji : Why did she kill him? <> Izumi : What? <> Izumi : How would you know that!? Kouji : {"You've got your reasons, right?"} <> Kouji : Because I was interested in you. <> Izumi : I don't know what you think you're doing, but I won't let you off so easily next time! <> Kouji : {Those eyes! For just a moment, for the first time in my life, those eyes glaring at me made my blood boil.} Izumi! <> Kouji : Hey, are you all right? Izumi : Don't touch me! Kouji : {He's got a fever!} This isn't the time for that! You've got a really high fever! Izumi : I can't believe this! Kouji : Be quiet and go to sleep. <> Izumi : I've got a soccer match...a part-time job... Kouji : What part-time job? Izumi : I work at Club D in front of the train station, and the gas station by the seaside in Chigasaki. Kouji : Why do you go all the way to Chigasaki? You should work somewhere closer. Izumi : I go jogging there. I haven't gone in 4 days...I'm gonna get fired. Kouji : Go to sleep, I'll call a doctor. Listen to me if you want to go to your soccer match. <> Izumi : Who are you? Why did you show up in front of me? <> "Because I was interested in you." Kouji : {Because I wanted to see "Izumi" one more time...} --Hey, that person who was just here--doesn't he look like Nanjou Kouji? --He's Takuto's replacement? --Wow, I didn't know he had friends. Kouji : What's that supposed to mean? --Well, it's just--he's really serious about work, but not that friendly. --He never says anything, he doesn't smile, and whenever we ask him out to have some fun, he never comes along. He's pretty boring! <> --Izumi caught a cold in this hot weather? --I thought it was strange that a serious guy like him would take so many days off. It's strange to see a kid these days work so hard. He's quiet, and he doesn't skip work. Kouji : {I can understand that he'd be serious about work...but quiet? Mature? Doesn't smile? Are they talking about him?} <> Kouji : {Working in the club from 7 to 11 at night...at the gas station from 12 to 3 a.m....And he goes to school and is in a club too? Why? This is the first time in my life I've been so concerned about somebody other than myself--no, the second. The first was six years ago, when I met him for the first time.} <> Kouji : {Get a grip! Why does a guy like this have such a hold on Nanjou Kouji? His fever hasn't come down...} Damn, I'm as tired as if I'd done three straight days of martial arts practice. <> Kouji : Look, it's 39.1 degrees! Izumi : Shut up! I said I'm going, and I'm going! Kouji : Are you an idiot? Izumi : My body temperature is normally pretty high! Kouji : You'll collapse if you go to the tournament! Izumi : The national tournament is on the line, I can't let a fever stop me! Kouji : Don't say I didn't warn you. <> Izumi : It's none of your business anyway! Kouji : {No one's ever told me that before.} Who's the one who's been taking care of you? Izumi : Whose fault is it that I caught this cold? Kouji : That's why I went and worked at your part-time jobs! Izumi : Part-time jobs? Don't be stupid. Kouji : Wait! <> Kouji : {I didn't see that coming!} Izumi : If you seriously want to stop me, you'd better be prepared for that. Kouji : {What part of him is quiet and mature!?} <> Kouji : {Don't make me laugh!} Izumi : Stop following me around! Kouji : I just came to laugh at you when you collapse! --Hey, it's Takahamadai's Izumi. Doesn't that guy with him remind you of somebody? --Takahamadai doesn't have a chance. It's practically Izumi's one-man team. Kouji : Is he trying to pick a fight? <> Serika : Oniichan! Kouji : {Izumi Serika!} Serika : I came to cheer you on, so you'd better win! Kouji : {It's because of her that I thought Izumi was a girl six years ago.} Serika-chan? You're cute. It's nice to meet you. {But that doesn't matter any more.} <> Serika : Onii, onii, onii...it's Nanjou Kou-- Izumi : A dead ringer for Nanjou Kouji, isn't he? Kouji : {Whether he's a man or a woman...} --Everybody gather around! This year, unlike most, the preliminaries are being held in the summer. As usual, it will be a basic elimination tournament. --All right! --Izumi, your face is red... Izumi : It's nothing. I can do it. <> --Don't pass the ball to Izumi! --Keep your eye on the ball! Kouji : {He's moving like that with a 39-degree fever!} Is it always like this? Serika : Yeah. --End of the first half! --Man, they've got two points on us. I really wanted to win this year. <> Izumi : Do you guys really want to win? If you do, let me have the ball! If you don't want to win, just go home right now! --What's wrong with you? --Of course we want to win! --Don't get so stuck up just because you're a little better than us. Are we nothing but placeholders? <> Serika : {He really does look like him!} Um...how do you know my brother? Kouji : I'm a friend of his from six years ago. Serika : Really? He never said anything! Good! <> Kouji : Why is that good? Serika : Well, my brother's always really nice to me, but to other people he can be kind of scary. Sometimes he surprises even me. And he's always by himself... Kouji : {Always by himself...} <> --Huh? --What? --What just happened? --No way! <> Kouji : {Always playing soccer by himself!} <> --End of the match! <3-2, for Takahamadai> --Wow, he turned the whole match around by himself! <> Serika : Oniichan, that was amazing! Kouji : Let me through, let me through. <> Serika : Onii... --Hey, isn't that... --Nanjou Kouji! --What's he doing here? --Kouji! <> Kouji : Shut up! Don't just stand there talking, you idiots! Serika : Oniichan! <> --Is Nanjou Kouji really somebody like that? --He's developed pneumonia. He'll probably be fine if he makes it through the night. Call his guardians. He'll have complete nursing care, so there's no need for you to spend the night here. Serika : Oniichan... --Who will call his guardians? <> Serika : Oh...I'll go call them. <> Kouji : I told you so. {He's shivering...} Are you cold? Izumi : Did...did I win? <> Kouji : Don't worry. You won. Izumi : Dad... <> <> <> Kouji : {What the hell was I doing?} <> Kouji : {What's wrong with me?} <> Kouji : {Calm down! This isn't like you! Calm down, Nanjou Kouji! Be still, my heart!} <> Kouji : It hurts... <> Kouji : {Could be just frustration...unfulfilled desires...but does that usually make guys do something like that?} Serika : Um, my mom said she'd be right there...what happened? You're bleeding! Kouji : It's nothing. Serika : Here you go. You can use it if you like. <> Kouji : {That's right. Calm down. I'm just confused by everything that's happening at once. And he started crying... I just lost control for a second.} Serika : It looks like he's having a nightmare. Do you think he's in pain? <> Kouji : I love you. {If only the "Izumi" I found six years ago had been this girl...} <> Kouji : I love you. {I could hold her and kiss her, and whisper to her, by the book, and satisfy six years of hunger...} Kouji : {I could fall in love with her right now.} Izumi : Kouji... Kouji : Huh? <> Izumi : Give some food to Kouji... Kouji : He's talking in his sleep...he's worried about his dog at a time like this? Serika : Waaah! Kouji : {If the other person's a man, that just makes me a pervert.} <> --Nanjou Kouji showed up at a soccer field? --Which soccer field? Hurry up and catch him! --All these calls from magazines are coming in! No comment! --Hurry up and bring him back! Shibuya : Let me go, uncle. --Katsumi! Shibuya : I've got some responsibility for him too, and you won't be able to bring him back with force. <> Shibuya : Leave it to me. I haven't known him for three years for nothing. --No matter what we do, this'll be in the papers tomorrow. <> Kouji : What are you doing outside? You're all muddy! Shibuya : Why're you wandering out here? It's already 4 am. Hello there, "prodigal son." <> Shibuya : Put yourself in my shoes. My uncle's really been on my case. You've cost us a lot over these past five days. Kouji : So? Shibuya : Don't say "so?" 9 tapings, 4 live shows, interviews, etc! And you've got the concert tour for your new album on hold. <> Kouji : I'm not coming back for a while. You can tell your boss that. Shibuya : Is the person who owns this room the reason? But, you know, it doesn't actually look like a girl's room... Kouji : Go home! Shibuya : I'm going to have to expose your disappearance to the press! Stars don't have any privacy! <> Kouji : I told you to go home! Shibuya : That's the first time I've ever seen you get mad... I'm not going to leave it at this! <> Shibuya : I need to look into this more. Serika : You're awake, oniichan! --He'll be all right. His fever's come down. He'll be fully recovered in two days. Serika : Thank you so much! Izumi : What happened to me? Serika : Don't you remember? You fainted after the match, and Nanjou-san carried you here! You had pneumonia, so you were really in danger! <> Izumi : Kouji did that? {I do remember feeling big hands around me. I dreamed that it was my father.} Who's that? Shibuya : Shibuya Katsumi, Kouji's friend. Don't look at me like that! He doesn't want to go back to being a star, so I wanted to ask you why. Izumi : How should I know? Shibuya : I didn't think you'd want to say, but there's this article... <> Izumi : What is this? Just his disappearance would have made news--you didn't have to be so blatant about it! "The boy who collapsed was from a family that had been in the news twelve years earlier, and he is friends with the popular singer Nanjou Kouji." <> Shibuya : It's quite a scandal. Kouji : What? Give that to me! Shibuya : You should've expected at least this much. Or didn't you think that far? <> Shibuya : You can't stay here. Izumi : Get out! Get out! What did you come here for? Why did you have to stir this up again? I don't want to see your face! <> Kouji : Did you hit your head or something? Izumi : How dare you talk to me like that? Kouji : I don't know why you're still so concerned with what happened long ago. You're not the one who killed him! You can't let yourself be pulled down by people who are already dead! <> Izumi : You don't know anything! <> Izumi : Get out! Shibuya : That surprised me. I've known you for three years, but I didn't know you could say something like that. Kouji, in just five days, you've turned into someone I don't even know. <> Shibuya : Anyway, since you're coming back today, we can get your schedule back on track. Can you do the Music Carnival tonight? Then there's the magazine shoot and "Gravia" filming in Roppongi...video promotion in Aoyama, and then the studio in Ginza...are you listening, Kouji? Kouji : {I don't know anything.} Shibuya : And then you've got a live show, so do the best you can! <> --Sorry for our week-long absence! Tonight we present to you a very special guest, Nanjou Kouji, who just released a new album. I saw the newspaper this morning. It said you had run away for five days? Kouji : I was sick in bed until the day before yesterday. --Then why did you help that boy at the soccer field? Kouji : How long have you been reporting on stars, Moriya-san? I'm a fundamentally nice guy. I'd rather have helped out a girl, of course. I don't know him at all. {A wounded face...} <> Kouji : {I've got to see him. But if I see him, what then? I just need to see him once. I have to apologize. "I don't want to see your face!" After that, I won't have to see him again. "Get out!" Just once.} Serika : I'm sorry, but he absolutely doesn't want to see you. He hasn't said a thing since yesterday. <> Kouji : {Maybe I should have expected that.} I see. How is he? Serika : He's fine. He's coming home tomorrow. Kouji : Can you tell him I'm sorry? {I won't see him again.} <> Shibuya : Are you stupid? Kouji : Shut up. Shibuya : There's no excuse for what you've done! Kouji : {I've only made things worse.} Shibuya : What happened to Takuto is pretty tragic. I looked into it a little. His mother tried to kill him back then. <> Shibuya : He had a deep wound on his left hip. Because his parents weren't married, the kids' names weren't on the family registers. They spent six years at the Izumi school, and then the two younger kids were adopted by a rich family. Izumi's been trying as hard as possible not to be conspicuous, rejecting offers like playing on a national team despite his rare soccer talent. Kouji : {So that's where his mistrust of other people comes from... He's been through some terrible things.} <> Kouji : {He's carried their burden for 12 years.} Shibuya : Hey, Kouji, where are you going? It's too late now! Kouji! Kouji : {I re-opened the wound on his left hip.}