[Rakka]
Phew...
This one's no good, either.
Ah! Huh...
This is hopeless.
The North Wing is entirely uninhabitable.
Reki's room is here, and Hikari and Nemu are in the east wing, I think.
Ah.
Huh? Kuu!
[Kuu]
Huh?
Good morning!
Hey! What are you doing over there?
[Rakka]
I was going to ask the same of you since it's so early.
Oh...
[Kuu]
I'm so glad.
It's a perfect size for you, Rakka.
[Rakka]
Are you sure?
You don't wanna keep it?
[Kuu]
Mm. It's way too big for me, and winter will be coming soon.
[Rakka]
Winter? But it's been so warm until just a few days ago.
[Kuu]
Winter seems to come here very suddenly.
That's why everybody gets a cold in their first year.
So you should be careful, Rakka.
[Rakka]
Sure, thanks for the help.
[Kuu]
You can tell when it's coming.
Just take a deep breath, [and] if you feel a sting in your nose, that's the beginning of winter.
[Rakka]
Oh, you are so full of knowledge, Kuu.
[Kuu]
So what's this?
[Rakka]
Huh?
I thought it might be about time for me to find a new room.
[Kuu]
What?
[Rakka]
This is a room for everybody, it's so comfortable in here, that I might grow lazy if I stay any longer.
[Kuu]
How grown-up!
You're now a full-fledged Haibane.
[Rakka]
Thanks to the help of a good senior.
[Kuu]
Found a good room yet?
[Rakka]
Ahh, No.
They are all pretty much just full of dust, so every room that I see, I can't tell if they're good or not.
[Kuu]
I gotta go now!
[Rakka]
Huh? But it's almost time for breakfast.
[Kuu]
Yeah, but I've got a lot of things to do today.
[Rakka]
Aah... Kuu?
[Reki]
She did?
What's with her?
I specially made hotcakes just because Kuu said she wanted some.
[Rakka]
Well, she said she had something to do.
[Reki]
Hmm, maybe I should wait to make them for her?
[Hikari]
Let's just make them now.
I'm sure she'll be back when she smells them.
[Reki]
Yeah, I guess you're right.
[Hikari][Rakka][Reki]
Huh?
[Reki]
Huh?
[Nemu]
Huh?
[Kana]
Hey you guys! I did it!
[Hikari]
That's great!
[Rakka]
She really did fix it.
[Reki]
I guess now someone here can wake up on time.
[Nemu]
Hmm...
[Rakka]
We have to celebrate!
[Hikari]
Good idea!
[Kana]
Yahoo!
[Reki]
Hey! Come on over here!
Everybody wants to congratulate you on your achievement!
[Kana]
Hey! The triumphant hero returns!
Huh?
[Nemu][Rakka][Reki][Hikari]
Uh...
[Kana]
Now what's with all the long faces?
Aren't you excited and thrilled?
[Rakka]
Um, well, it's... We're just wondering how long it's going to keep ringing.
[Kana]
Huh? Oh, well, the ringing will stop if I kill the breaker, but then the clock will die as well.
[Hikari]
What? Then it's useless.
[Reki]
You idiot! Go kill it now!
[Kana]
What?
You just told me to come and now you're telling me to go?
It'll do a great job waking you up with bells ringing so loud and long.
[Reki]
We'll never sleep.
[Kana]
Oh, yeah, yeah.
Man, it was just a test, just a test.
I was still gonna work some more on it.
[Reki]
She just had to do this on Sunday.
[Nemu]
I'm tired.
[Rakka]
Um, why don't I go help her?
Ah.
[Kana]
Wait a sec.
[Rakka]
It stopped.
[Kana]
Oh, well, that's it.
[Rakka]
Sorry about this.
[Kana]
For what?
It would've been a failure if the bell hadn't rung, but it rang too much, so I call it a great success.
[Rakka]
Ahhhhh...
[Kana]
Anyway, thanks for coming up, Rakka.
But there's nothing I really need help with.
And I wouldn't want you to get your clothes dirty.
That's Kuu's, isn't it?
[Rakka]
Oh, Mm-hm.
[Kana]
If she gave it to you, then she finally gave up, I guess.
[Rakka]
What do you mean?
[Kana]
Well, that's the first thing she got after arriving here.
She always hated being treated like a kid.
And wanted to have clothes that were the same size as ours, but she could never fit into them.
[Rakka]
Is it okay? Should I keep it?
[Kana]
She no longer has to pretend to be what she isn't anymore.
[Rakka]
Huh?
[Kana]
Kuu used to wanna copy everything [that] we did.
[Rakka]
Really?
[Kana]
She tried to ride Reki's scooter and ended up crashing into the utility pole.
She got dizzy wearing Hikari's glasses and fell down the stairs.
Kuu's just a little kid getting into trouble all the time.
But maybe she's grown up in her own way.
[Rakka]
I guess I have to grow up to.
One, two! Hmm...
Ah!
This is where I am.
And it's over here.
Well, I think this is it.
Ah! Wow!
For some reason, this room feels familiar.
[Kuu]
That's because... this is the room where you were born.
[Rakka]
I was born... in here?
[Kuu]
The cocoon room.
We found your gigantic cocoon, exactly where you're standing right now.
[Rakka]
Yes, I seem to remember a little.
I remember... something.
[Kuu]
I remembered mine a bit too.
It felt right.
So I made it into my own room.
How about this one?
Do you like it?
[Rakka]
Mm-hm.
Oh yeah, where have you been all this time?
Reki was very mad because you asked her to make hotcakes and then you didn't show up.
[Kuu]
Hehehe.
I asked her to pack up a breakfast for me.
And for you, too.
Here.
[Rakka]
Uh, thank you.
That's right, I almost forgot I missed breakfast too.
[Kuu]
You know, Reki was very mad.
[Rakka][Kuu]
Hahahaha.
[Kuu]
Inside my mind, there's a beautiful cup.
A very beautiful clear cup.
And tiny drops kept falling into it.
Drip... drip... drip.
Slowly but steadily, every day.
And today, I felt that the cup have finally become completely full.
[Rakka]
Kuu...
[Kuu]
And that's because... you gave me some of those drops.
Rakka, thank you.
[Rakka]
Ah...
[Reki]
It's getting stormy.
[Rakka]
Uh...
[Reki]
Hm, seems like we're gonna have some rain, too bad it's on Sunday.
[Rakka]
Yes.
[Reki]
So, you're moving into a new room?
Kuu told me.
[Rakka]
Reki... Did she say anything else?
[Reki]
Mmm, not really.
Oh yeah, was it you who cleaned up the kitchen for me today?
[Rakka]
No.
[Reki]
No? Who was it, then?
[Rakka]
Kuu.
[Reki]
Kuu?
Hmm, but I didn't find any broken plates in there.
Huh, I'll go make some tea.
[Rakka]
Ah, Reki!
[Reki]
What's wrong?
[Rakka]
Uhm, it's nothing.
[Reki]
Everybody feels depressed when the weather's like this.
Or they become obsessed with the idea that something bad is going to happen.
[Rakka]
I'm not sure...
[Reki]
You can keep this room for a while longer if you're not ready to move out yet.
[Rakka]
No, it's not that.
Listen, why is this town surrounded by walls?
[Reki]
Why is it?
I don't know for sure, it's probably because this is a protected place.
[Rakka]
Protected? Protected from what?
[Reki]
From everything that's not good.
Or maybe it protects us from everything we're not supposed to know.
[Rakka]
That's not...
Ah!
A power failure?
[Reki]
It struck somewhere nearby.
Stay put.
There's a flashlight somewhere in here.
[Rakka]
Uh.
Huh?
[Reki]
Rakka, where are you going?
[Rakka]
Ah...
[Reki]
Rakka.
[Rakka]
In the western woods...
The birds.
[Reki]
Mmm, they must've been surprised as well.
[Rakka]
It seems like they were trying to tell me something.
[Reki]
Why don't you go back and dry yourself?
You'll catch a cold.
I'll go check on the kids.
Stay in your room.
Oh boy, some were crying, the others were excited, it was a big mess.
Hm?
[Rakka]
Reki.
[Reki]
Hey, where's Kana and Kuu?
[Hikari]
Kana went to check the generator in the basement.
Kuu is...
[Nemu]
Not here.
And she is usually the first one to come down when things get like this
[Hikari]
I thought she might have gone into town, but...
[Reki]
I hope she found some shelter from the rain.
She must be miserable if she's on the road.
[Rakka]
I'll go look for her.
[Reki]
Look for her where?
[Nemu]
What's up with Rakka?
[Reki]
No idea.
She's been as gloomy as today's weather since morning.
[Hikari]
I kind of know just how Rakka feels.
If you look at today's sky, it makes you feel restless.
[Nemu]
Yeah, it's nasty weather, all right.
But it's always like this when summer turns into winter.
It's only natural to feel a little worried when the seasons start to change.
[Hikari]
That's right.
That must be it.
[Reki]
I'll go out look for Rakka.
Tell Kana to stay here when she gets back.
Things could get way out of hand if everyone goes off on their own.
[Nemu]
All right.
[Reki]
Oh, damn, and I just got dry.
[Hikari]
That's it!
We should get the bath ready.
In case Kuu comes home soaking wet.
[Reki]
Rakka!
Phew
This umbrella is no use.
We better get a raincoat.
Glad I caught you.
If you'd gone out into this rain, we would've had two sick people.
Don't worry, I'm sure she must have found shelter somewhere.
[Rakka]
Maybe Kuu didn't go into town.
[Reki]
Hm?
[Rakka]
This morning, she asked you to pack her lunch, right?
[Reki]
Oh, yeah.
[Rakka]
And she had a water bottle.
To me, it looked like she was getting ready to go.
[Reki]
To go?
To go where?
[Rakka]
Probably... The western woods.
[Reki]
It can't be.
She wouldn't have done that.
The walls are most powerful in the western woods.
Kuu knows how dangerous it is to go.
There's no way...
[Kana]
Kuu's gone to the western woods?
I really wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but the generator's fuse blew so I was trying to use the one in the clock tower.
And I heard you say...
[Reki]
Well, we were just saying she might have.
Because she's late to come back here.
[Kana]
But if she really did go there, that means that...
[Reki]
Kana!
We don't know anything for sure.
[Rakka]
What's that?
What do you mean?
[Kana]
Rakka, I know you've never been to the western woods.
So, what makes you think she went there?
[Rakka]
When the rain got started, the birds went crazy in the western woods.
As if trying to tell me something.
[Reki]
That was because of the rain.
[Rakka]
But then I saw a light there for a moment.
[Kana]
Like lightning?
[Rakka]
Uh-uh.
It was coming out of the woods and heading towards the sky.
[Reki]
You saw it?!
Are you sure?!
You really saw it?!
[Rakka]
I think.
But it was quickly hidden by the clouds.
[Kana]
You're lying!!
[Rakka]
Uh... Kana.
[Kana]
I refuse to believe that happened!
It just can't!
[Reki]
I didn't want to believe it either, but it seems that Kuu might have really left all of us.
[Rakka]
What?
[Reki]
The time when a Haibane goes outside the walls, on the Day of Flight.
[Hikari]
Reki told us to wait here.
What's wrong, Kana?
[Kana]
Kuu's in the western woods.
We still might be able to catch up with her.
[Nemu]
What do you mean?
[Kana]
Her Day of Flight has come.
I'm going!
[Reki]
You can't.
It's too dangerous after sunset.
[Kana]
All the more reason why we can't leave Kuu by herself!
[Reki]
A guiding hand is given to a Haibane on the Day of Flight.
[Kana]
You might know things that we don't.
But I ain't see it, it's nothing but a myth.
[Reki]
Kana, even if you go, there's nothing you can do.
[Kana]
I know that!
I... I just wanna see her one more time.
Just see her face.
Don't you even care that you're never gonna get to say good-bye to her?
[Nemu]
Reki, is it true about Kuu?
[Hikari]
If there's still time, I want to see her, too.
[Reki]
We all want to see her.
But I think if you go into those woods without knowing where you are, you'll never come out again.
[Rakka]
We need to have a point of reference.
[Reki]
What's that?
[Rakka]
Kana, the bell on the clock tower.
[Kana]
What?
[Rakka]
Start the bell!
The tower's generator works, right?
Then you can keep the bell ringing, can't you?
[Kana]
That's right!
[Reki]
Rakka.
[Rakka]
Please, Reki.
I know that I'll regret it forever if I don't do anything right now.
[Nemu]
So, bring three more raincoats, or four more?
[Reki]
All right then.
We all go together.
But promise me you will not go near the walls, no matter what.
The legend goes that there are an ancient ruins in the heart of the woods, and that a Charcoal Feather is lead there on his or her Day of Flight.
The Day of Flight is the time when the Haibane leaves the nest to go beyond the wall.
There was no way of telling when that day will come or to whom.
He or she just disappears one day without warning.
No one knows why such things happen.
A Charcoal Feather who is about to leave the nest, never speaks of it to others.
Besides, we haven't had any days of flight for the past few years, mainly because for a long time there weren't any new cocoons appearing.
So nobody has left the nest for quite a while.
Perhaps we were all forgetting, or hoping that we could forget, that there may come a day when we have to say good-bye to one of us, like today.
[Kana]
Kuu!
[Rakka]
Ah...
[Kuu]
And that's because... you gave me some of those drops.
Rakka, thank you.
[Rakka]
Kuu!!
[Reki]
Everybody, in the end, everybody leaves me.