Translation: all chapters
Part 1
(A full concert hall, before a concert. Backstage, a woman sighs.)
Woman
Haaah. Liechtenstein, Neuschwanstein, Kloch...
(She’s a castle maniac.)
Aaaah, no matter how many times I do this, I’m still nervous before a performance.
Reciting the names of castles always calms me down.
What about you, Shou?
Is that what keeps you calm?
(Shou holds a bookmark of pressed flower petals and smiles)
Shou
...Yes.
—This is my charm.
(A German street. Reichelt climbs into the back seat of a cab.)
Reichelt
Step on it! I’ll give you a fat tip—I’m going to the hotel up ahead.
Cab driver
The concert? We’re not gonna make it in time, buddy.
Reichelt
That’s all right, just go. —Someone I know is performing.
(The audience claps. Reichelt enters the building as people exit the concert hall.)
Reichelt
—Is it already over?
Woman 1
Don’t you think today’s performance was wonderful?
Woman 2
It really was! I loved the pianist.
Woman 1
Oh, he’s Japanese, isn’t he? Shou...Amori?
This is the first time I’ve heard of him.
Woman 2
I want to hear him play again!
(Reichelt runs backstage.)
Reichelt
Hey, Julia.
Julia
Oh, Reichelt. If you’re looking for Shou, try the stage. Don’t you get disqualified as a manager if you come after the performance is over?
Reichelt
Ah, but Julia, I know even if I’m not here to listen—my Shou’s playing is always beyond compare, right?
(He winks at her.)
Danke, bis bald! (Thanks, see you!)
Julia
Oh my. I give up. He always makes me jealous. ‘MY Shou’, huh...
Woman
No help for it.
—It’s part of a manager’s job, right? You can’t do it if you’re not either in love with the person or in love with his talent.
(Shou is still standing on the stage, looking out at the empty seats.)
Reichelt
Shou.
Shou
—...Reichelt.
Reichelt
I was looking for you.
I’m so sorry I didn’t get here in time to hear you play.
Shou
—It’s all right, really.
Reichelt
But I knew just from looking at the faces of the audience as they were walking out.
Shou
Reichelt...
Reichelt
You must have given them a wonderful concert. I can almost see it:
The audience clapping and calling out ‘bravo’—...
But I want more people to be able to hear you play.
I don’t want you to be just a guest performer with the orchestra, but a world-class soloist—...
To have people around the world hear your playing: that’s my wish now, my dream—...
Shou
Reichelt...
I...that’s not really...
I mean, I’m quite happy with the way things are.
And if only that accident hadn’t happened, the violin would’ve been your—...!
If you weren’t my manager, you would certainly be more—...
(Reichelt stops him with a finger on his lips.)
Reichelt
Shou,
But you know, I have another dream too.
—...you know that, don’t you?
(Reichelt tilts Shou’s chin and kisses him.)
Shou
...!
—...
(Shou closes his eyes tight.)
...Ah...nnn...
Reichelt
Shou...
Your tie seems a bit tight...
(He pulls on Shou’s tie.)
Shou
...!
Rei—
Reichelt?!
How can you do that in a place like this...?!
If someone walked by—...
Reichelt!
(Reichelt hugs Shou tighter, and Shou turns his face away.)
Reich...!
—...!
Reichelt
—And so
The kind Shou Amori would let me go on like this and take however much I wanted?
Shou
...!
Reichelt
Shou...
I love you, but what I want from you isn’t sympathy—
It’s trust.
It hurts me to have only compassion from you in return.
Shou...
Your kindness is one of your virtues, but you don’t know how kindness can hurt another person, do you...?
—Oh, Shou
You should live more on your own terms.
But
There are so many things that could be yours if you only reached out for them.
I am so impatient for that.
I will wait—yes.
—but—...
If one day—you should love me for no reason other than that you love me—
...I think I would be very happy.
—But I don’t think I can just leave you alone either...
—Shou...
Shou
Reichelt...
I’m sorry, I—...
Reichelt
I told you not to worry about it, right?
And besides, I’m craftier than you think. Because I don’t mind stealing what I want.
(He steals another kiss.)
Shou
Reichelt!
Reichelt
Hahahah, I’m going back to the hotel.
(Reichelt turns back, grinning.)
Shou! I like being a manager.
It’s fun adjusting and strategizing for the job.
And more than anything, it’s the best thing in the world to be able to stay with the person I love.
Shou
Reichelt...
—...
(Shou sinks down to the floor.)
—Crafty—?
But I—...
—But I...
Depend so much on Reichelt’s kindness—...
I knew that Reichelt liked me.
I depended on his good will to pick up all the little things for me—...
And that’s how we ended up here.
...Reichelt is smart.
He knows what I need.
Maybe even better than I do myself.
He’s bright, and he’s quick on the uptake, and he’s sociable—...
I enjoy being with him, so I don’t want to lose him—...
I’m the one who’s crafty, Reichelt...
(A distant image of Takashi surfaces in his mind.)
—He was the polar opposite.
There was so much tension between us whenever we were with each other.
And yet...
—Now that we’re apart
Why do I miss him so much—...
—...Come to think of it, he once said something similar to me, too.
Takashi, flashback
How do you think I felt...?!
I never wanted to hurt anyone.
Shou
And yet, in the end, someone was hurt.
...Sheesh. It’s been six years already.
...I wonder why?
Nothing—
—Has changed, has it—...
I—...
Suzuna
Huff—
This garden is as humongous as ever.
I’m lost.
Huh...?!
This melody...!
It can’t be...!
It can’t be...!
Shou-san?!
(Suzuna bursts into the music room where she had first met Shou playing the piano. But the one who turns to her is Takashi.)
Takashi
—Suzuna-chan...?
Suzuna
Oh...!
That-
That’s right. —I...
Aaah, I’m such an idiot...
(She laughs a little as she pants.)
Takashi
...Did you mistake me for Shou?
(Takashi smiles. Suzuna blushes.)
Suzuna
Huh?
Ah! I’m sorry!
Takashi
It’s all right. It’s been a long time since I played.
You thought—...maybe...right?
Suzuna
But you’re so good—you should play more.
Takashi
...I stopped playing in senior high.
I have to take up the family business, so...
The college Economics Club was a better choice for me.
Unlike him, I was never a prodigy—....
It’s been six years since he went to Germany, and we haven’t heard anything from him.
What a heartless guy he is, huh?
Suzuna
Takashi-san...
When I first met Takashi-san, I thought he was scary...
But now, though he says things like that,
I know that he’s worried about Shou-san...
I guess he’s a bit more awkward than I thought,
Takashi-san...
Takashi
So why are you here today?
(Suzuna claps her hands together as she remembers.)
Suzuna
Oh!
Right, right!
Grandmother asked to borrow the Karatsu teacup.
(A traditional Japanese tea-house.)
Grandmother
Well, Suzuna-chan, welcome!
You’ve become such a lady!
I have heard that you will be graduating from college this year?
Ah, speaking of which, in our family, our Suzuki-san will also be graduating this year, and he and his friends are planning a graduation party, so recently...
Suzuna, aside
This family even has a tea house...
Takashi, aside
Grandmother wanted it, so it was built separate from the house.
Sounds like this is going to take a while.
Suzuna, aside
Yes...
It does sort of feels like that...
Grandmother
And Suzuna-chan, I hear that you are doing some things for your family...?
Suzuna
Oh...yes.
It’s embarrassing, but I’m working as a maid around the house.
I wanted to find a job outside, but my father refused...
Grandmother
Well, but that is fine.
A girl trains to be a bride.
There is no need for you to do other work. Such practice is good for you.
Suzuna
Oh, but—I—...
Takashi
—Such thinking is an insult to women.
Grandmother, you’re unexpectedly old-fashioned.
Suzuna
Takashi-san!
Grandmother
Well, I never!
What did you just say?!
Takashi
Hot tea is wonderful, but there are other things we must do as well.
Excuse us.
(Takashi takes Suzuna’s hand and runs off with her.)
Grandmother
Wait just a minute, Takashi!!
Takashi!
Well, I never! Goodness gracious!
Takashi
HAH—HAHAH!!
I’ve always wanted to say that, just once, just like that!
Hahah...
Did you see her expression? Ah, that look on her face!
Suzuna
Is-is-is that really okay?
Takashi
Don’t worry about it.
It would’ve gone on and on if we’d stayed.
It’s just that she’d take any excuse to have us meet.
Suzuna
Huh...?
Takashi
What, you haven’t noticed?
It about marriage—mar-ri-age.
Suzuna
Huh?! Wh-who to whom?!
Takashi
You don’t have to be so surprised about it.
Grandmother wants me attached right after I finish grad school.
What she’s saying is that it’s fine for you not to do anything but train to be the bride of the Amori family.
(Suzuna blushes, looking troubled.)
Suzuna
Oh but that’s...!
I-I—...
(Takashi’s eyes soften.)
Takashi
—I know.
You like Shou, don’t you...?
Suzuna
Takashi-san...
—...
But he doesn’t feel the same way, so
It’s just my own silly feelings.
Besides, Shou-san has probably already fallen in love with someone during these six years.
—If that’s true, then I won’t say anything—...
Somehow—
...I just feel sad.
—I’m sad when I think about it...
I know it’s only my selfish feelings, but somehow they make me feel so lonely—...
And I wonder why Shou-san isn’t here—...
(Takashi’s eyes widen, and he stares at her. Suzuna swings around and smiles.)
Aaaah, it would’ve been better if I’d been rejected straight out,
because I’d be over it now.
(Takashi looks away, blushing.)
Takashi
...That’s probably true.
Suzuna
Huh?
Takashi
Ah, no, it’s nothing.
Suzuna
?
Um...can I ask something of you?
Takashi
Huh? What?
(Suzuna smiles.)
Suzuna
Will you let me hear that song you were playing again?
Chopin’s Prelude...
—It’s the song that Shou-san was playing when I first met him—...
(Augsburg, the Schneider residence. Shou is playing. Reichelt bursts into the room.)
Reichelt
Shou!
Shou
What’s up, Reichelt?
You’re all out of breath.
Reichelt
Good news!
It looks like we’ve found a sponsor!
Shou
Sponsor?
Reichelt
That’s right. I think you know it too, but no matter what anyone says, you need connections, reputation, and money in the music business.
Especially if you want to have a concert where you can make an impression—that requires quite a bit of money. So of course you’d need a backup sponsor.
If you win a big competition, productions will swarm all over you even if you want to be left alone, but you’ve only just graduated. I was thinking that there are several people who might’ve taken notice of you from your performances in school competitions, but—...
Honestly, I thought it’d be years down the road before a major enterprise like this would come along.
It’s probably because you performed in the Tchaikovsky and Chopin and other competitions.
Shou
So he’s saying that I need to win those competitions...?
That’s easier said than done, Reichelt!
Hey, earth to Reichelt!
Reichelt
—Let’s go to Japan, Shou.
The sponsor is actually a Japanese company.
Shou
...Huh?
Wai...!
Reichelt
And what great timing, too—now I’m glad we’re taking it easy after playing with the orchestra the other day, so our schedules are open.
Shou
Reich—
Don’t you think that’s a bit sudden? Um...
Reichelt
—It’s been six years, right? It’s your birthplace!
Shou
Huh?
WHA?!
Reichelt
This would be a great opportunity for you to visit your parents, right?
Shou
WHA—?!!
Reichelt
—Let’s go to Japan together!
(Shou and Reichelt arrive in Japan.)
Shou
—And so
I’ve ended on Japanese soil once more—...
Reichelt
Huuuuh—
Japan is totally different from what I expected.
Wow. Everything’s all jumbled up and you can’t see much green and there are so many cars!
Shou
How did you think it would be?
Please don’t say anything about topknots or geisha.
Reichelt
Anyway, Shou, is it really okay for you to be staying with me at the hotel?
Shouldn’t you at least contact your family and go back home for a visit...?
Shou
Mmm...not really.
I’ve been a stranger to that family since my mom died.
I haven’t even heard from them in six years, so it’d be difficult for me to just show up on the doorstep.
Though I guess they are related to me by blood.
Reichelt
So there’s...no one you want to see?
Shou
...
Someone I want to see...huh?
Oh!
Actually, there’s a sea of girls I want to see again—!
I was really popular, you know—!
And I want to see Suzuna-chan again, too—!
Reichelt
What?!
Are you serious, Shou?
Well, should we get a taxi for now?
Shou
—...
Sorry, Reichelt.
Could you go on ahead and take our luggage to the hotel?
There’s a place I’d like to visit.
Reichelt
Shou...
It’s not a woman...is it?
Waaah—!
I was just joking earlier!
Shou
Well, yes, she is a woman, but
she’s more than twenty years older than me, so?
Reichelt
Waaah, Shou...
I didn’t know you liked older women?
Shou
—Ah, but
...in truth, there is
someone whom I would be more uncomfortable in meeting—...
(A cemetery.)
Shou
—A woman twenty years older than me,
related to me by blood,
and who now lies beneath cold stone—
...Heh, or something like that, right?
Long time no see,
...Mom.
...Guess I’m an unfilial son, huh?
I haven’t come to visit your grave even once in six years.
(He smiles, arms full of lilies.)
I‘ve brought six years’ worth of flowers
So will you forgive me?
—Mom...
Today is the anniversary of your death, but
I guess those heartless Amori bastards aren’t even coming to visit your grave, huh?
Not that you’d want to see any of them either, so I guess it doesn’t matter.
—Anyway,
Aaaah, it looks like you have some withered flowers stuck there.
(He kneels in front of the grave.)
I’ll clean it up for you, Mo—...
...!
—Wait a minute.
Actually, if no one has come here on a grave visit at all,
Then there wouldn’t be dried flowers.
And now that I think about it, there aren’t weeds around the grave either.
Is there someone taking care of this grave?
(A step. Someone approaches from behind.)
Someone is coming to visit Mom’s grave...
Grandmother wouldn’t. ...Father?
...!
—Or could it be—...?!
No, that couldn’t happen.
There’s no way he would...would he—?
...!
Takashi
—Shou...?
(Shou turns. They stare at each other.)
Shou
Takashi...!
Part 2
It’s as if we had parted only yesterday.
As if in the flicker of an instant
—as if in that moment we had snapped back in time.
Takashi
Shou...
Shou
Takashi—...
(There’s a pail of water in Takashi’s hand.)
Shou
That’s...
Takashi
Ah...
Shou
—Have you been looking after Mom’s grave, by any chance?
(Takashi turns away abruptly.)
Takashi
And who else is going to do it?
(He kneels in front of the grave.)
You’ve ignored it for six years.
(Shou’s face reddens.)
Shou
—Words that flay me, as usual.
—But
Listening to those words—
It’s strange, but I can somehow understand his true feelings—...
—He’s saying, “You’ve come back”...
(Shou smiles.)
Takashi
So what are you doing now?
Shou
I’d wondered if, coming back to Japan
—Nothing much.
I would see Takashi again.
I’ve graduated from the Academy of Music, and sometimes play with the Orchestra. I’m entering competitions regularly, and placing if I’m lucky—
No, I knew that I would probably see Takashi again.
The so-called ‘popular novice soloist’, I guess.
And if I did, how would I look at him? What would I say?
But
This visit is for work, too—...
Time is a mysterious thing.
It has drained away all the ill feelings and left only the gentle memories...
You know...
—I guess this is kinda weird to say, but
When I was in Japan, I hid it from everyone, I hid it from you:
I went that far to keep playing the piano, but
I didn’t even know why I wanted to continue playing.
—So perhaps
I can tell him these things now.
That’s why while I was studying abroad I thought about it more to see if I could come up with an answer. —So...
—If that’s the case, what do you think I was doing in Germany?
...I was just playing the piano. Only that: playing to make up for all the times that I couldn’t in Japan.
I played and played mindlessly.
Countless hours in a day.
Yes,
Surely
And then I remembered.
—“It was because I love playing the piano, wasn’t it?”
It was such a simple reason, but
I
In Germany, I—
remembered how much joy I found just in playing—...
—never wanted to admit to it...
(Takashi huffs a breath, smiling softly.)
Takashi
—So then
You clean forget about the rest of us and break off all contact?
You’ve even ignored your mother’s grave—...
(Shou blushes, looking troubled.)
Shou
Ah...
I’m sorry...
I—...
(Takashi smiles.)
Takashi
—Sorry.
Just a jilted guy’s resentful whining.
Don’t mind me.
(He pats Shou’s shoulder.)
That look on your face...is so much better than anything I’ve seen before.
—Yes
I’ve wished for you to grow into this
I’ve wished for it more than anyone, so—...
But do give Suzuna-chan a call.
She’s been waiting for you all this time.
Being able to see you like this
I can let go of that time—...
(Takashi walks off, and Shou stares after him.)
Shou
—Takashi...
(He starts, suddenly realizing—)
Wait a minute!
“Jilted guy”—...
Whaaa?!
(Night at the Amori mansion. Takashi is lying in bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.)
Takashi
Shou...
Suddenly meeting him in a place like that was just...
He still looks exactly the same as he did six years ago.
(He recalls Shou looking at him, arm full of flowers.)
Exactly the same?
No, he’s somehow—...
Somehow—how do I put this—...?
(Takashi blushes.)
He’s the kind of person who somehow becomes almost ageless as he grows older.
And why did that bouquet of lilies suit him so well, even though he’s a guy?!
But then again, it was probably just because lilies suited the setting. ...Yeah...
—And I’d decided that I’d get over him, too...
Guess I’m bad at resigning myself to anything.
But
I can at least make a pretense of having forgotten, if the past still causes him pain—...
(A hotel. Reichelt steps out of a hot shower.)
Reichelt
Ah—...
The hot water felt great.
Shou, you want to go in?
(He leans in close to Shou.)
Hmm?
Shou, you smell really good.
Shou
That’d be you, wouldn’t it?
You smell like soap...
Reichelt
Nope. You smell like flowers—
Lilies, right?
(Shou blushes.)
Shou
Ah...
Reichelt
Who did you go see today?
Shou
“Who”, well—
I went to visit my mom’s grave.
Reichelt
Oh?
Shou
Takashi...
He must think that it was on purpose that I didn’t go to the airport six years ago.
It’s too late now to try and clear up that misunderstanding—...
I wonder what he would have said to me if I had gone?
I—...
(Shou looks troubled, and Reichelt notices.)
Reichelt
...
...Anyway, isn’t this suite great?
(It’s a huge room with two beds and a spacious sitting area.)
Shou
Er...well...it seems a bit too great...
Are we going to be able to foot the bills?
Since we don’t have much money?
Reichelt
Our sponsor is picking up the tab, so it’s all good.
(Shou is juuuuust a bit uneasy.)
Shou
Our sponsor...
What kind of a daddy long-legs is he?
I mean, it’s kinda weird that he’d call on a reputationless novice like me...
His story isn’t very convincing, is it?
Reichelt
That’s true, but—
...
Hey, Shou. This is just my personal opinion but
Shou
!
Reichelt
Maybe you got picked this time—...
Was frankly!—because of your looks! That’s what I think!
(Shou hits the floor. Reichelt grins.)
This is the visual era for the Classical world too!
It’s the world of show business, right?
You’re walking the road of Yadatsu or Konoka!
“The Beautiful Young Pianist”—how does that sound?
Tchaikovsky was a looker too, right?
I think you’d do great as Madam Popularity! 1
Shou
Yeeeah, thanks for that.
You’re such a dreamer.
Reichelt
Hey, Shou.
I have a dream of something like—who was it?—Cinderellas story.
You win the competitions and become the star that lights up the entire night.
But like you said, we’re still novices.
This is a time for making steady moves.
No matter what happens, we can’t let this chance get away.
—Right?
Shou
Reichelt...
—But I just want to play the piano...
But just loving the piano...I guess that alone isn’t enough...
Reichelt
Shou...
Of course! You don’t have to worry about these things. That’s my job—...
So just leave it to me...
Shou
I love the piano...
Words that I could never have said to Takashi before—...
It was as if we had parted just yesterday. But though it feels like that
Before I knew it
So much time had passed—...
I—
Has anything else even changed within me?
Has anything changed—...?
(The next day.)
Reichelt
Huffft.
That’s the S Corporation visit, so we’re done with our schedule for the day.
Shou
Reichelt, would you like to go sightseeing anywhere?
Reichelt
Hmmm...
Well, if you’d like to go somewhere, I’ll come with you.
Shou
Somewhere to go see...mmm.
—Well, it’s not a sight-seeing spot, but—...
I’d like to visit my old teacher. Is that okay with you?
(Shou’s teacher looks really happy to see him.)
Sensei
Shou-kun!
Well, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? When did you get back to Japan?
Shou
Sensei.
I’m sorry for showing up here so suddenly after being out of touch for so long—...
Sensei
That’s not a problem at all. Here, let me take a look at you.
Shou
Sensei...
Sensei
You’ve become even more handsome. Your dad’s happy for you!
Shou
Right, he always was like this, wasn’t he?
Who the heck’s my dad? Yeesh!
Sensei
Hmm?
This is...
Shou
Oh! This is Reichelt Schneider.
Maestro Schneider’s nephew. He’s currently acting as my manager.
Reichelt
Ich freue mich, Sie kennenzulernen (Nice to meet you!)
Sensei
Aaah, the nephew of Maestro Schneider, the pianist from Vienna...
Reichelt
Nice to meet you.
Sensei
Are the two of you free tonight?
Shou
Yes, er...
Sensei
Perfect.
I’d like to invite you both to dinner. How about it?
(A classy restaurant.)
—A friend of mine plays the piano here.
I come here for dinner once in a while and listen to him.
But it’s always great to be able to enjoy something with other people, right?
Reichelt
Aaaah, what a wonderful place.
Sensei
Though if I were 20 years younger I’d want to come here on a date with a cute girl...
But as it is, I brought a handsome young man...
Shou
You’re quite young enough, Sensei.
In body and mind.
But thank you so much for inviting us—...
(He looks down the room, and sees a familiar figure in a dinner suit. It’s Takashi and Suzuna.)
That’s—...!
(Reichelt notices Shou’s sudden stillness.)
Reichelt
Shou?
(He sees Takashi.)
!
Sensei
The performance is going to begin soon.
Shou
Suzuna-chan and Takashi—...
Meeting them in a place like this...
I...
What in the world is this feeling...?!
(A few tables away, Takashi smiles at a laughing Suzuna.)
Part 3
~Suzuna
What a wonderful place.
Takashi
There's a live piano performance here three times a week.
Suzuna
Oh, piano...?
—Oh no.
Now I'm thinking of Shou-san again...
(A sort of sadness enters Takashi's eyes as well.)
Takashi
...
(Back at Shou's table...)
Sensei
—And all the wine here is wonderful as well.
(He notices Shou's distraction.)
Hmm?
Shou-kun?
Shou
...Ah...
It's nothing.
Sensei
Really?
Reichelt
Shou...
Shou
Suzuna-chan and Takashi—...
That's...true, isn't it.
They were affianced to each other, so why would it be so strange for them to go on a date?
What am I so agitated about?
Suzuna-chan
—The girl that I liked back then...
We were all still young then, and it wasn't realistic, but
Now that I think about it, Grandmother was pleased with Suzuna-chan.
Their parents decided to engage them to each other.
Of course they will be married at some future date—...
Sensei
—That's strange.
(Shou starts out of his thoughts.)
Shou
Huh?
Sensei
He's missing everything today.
His performances are usually not like this.
Shou
What have I been...
(The pianist, an older gentleman called Sugimoto, rises suddenly from the piano, looking ill.)
Sugimoto
Excuse me.
Sensei
!
I'm going to go take a look.
(Backstage, Shou's teacher catches Sugimoto as he begins to collapse.)
Hey, Sugimoto, what in the world—
Sugimoto?!
Restaurant personnel 1
Appendicitis?!
Restaurant personnel 2
That's what we think, but they said that it's usually more spread out...
Restaurant personnel 1
Holy mackerel!
Restaurant personnel 2
No help for it, I guess we'll have to let the guests know that the performance will have to be suspended—...
(Reichelt is listening to the discussion. He notices a violin case.)
Reichelt
Hmm, they left a violin here, too...
—...
—Wait a moment.
You don't have to suspend the performance.
—I have a great idea...
Woman guest 1
—My.
I guess they've switched people.
But they look pretty good.
Heh.
(Shou is sitting at the piano and Reichelt is standing in front of him with the violin.)
Suzuna
So I was wondering where I should go this summer. What about you?—
This music...?!
It can't...be.
(Suzuna is stunned when she sees Shou sitting at the piano.)
—Shou-san?!
Why?
Shouldn't he be in Germany?—
(Takashi's eyes slowly slide shut.)
Takashi
—Aah.
—Shou's music.—
—How I've missed it.
The music I heard in Augsburg.
How many times since then have I heard it in my dreams?
So is this also a dream?
A dream I will soon awake from...
Woman guest 2
The man playing the piano is great, but that violinist is playing in perfect accompaniment.
(Takashi stares at her.)
Woman guest 3
—What a wonderful performance.
Shou
Reichelt.
Isn't it rather too audacious of us to just suddenly take over?
Reichelt
It's fine.
They looked like they were in a bind, and besides—...
Shou
And besides...?
(Reichelt's eyes narrow.)
Reichelt
Nothing...
(Reichelt glances at Takashi and Suzuna's table.)
Takashi
...!
That's...Reich...elt?
So he came too—...? Then the two of them came to Japan together?
Why—
(The audience claps delightedly.)
Shou
Eh...?
(Reichelt leans in close and gives Shou a kiss.)
Reichelt
Wunderber.
Takashi
—He—...!!
(Reichelt glances back at Takashi while Shou blushes, looking uncomfortable.)
He did that on purpose...!
Was it...to show me...?
Restaurant personnel 1
Aaaah, thank you so much.
You've really helped us out.
Shou
Ah, no, it was nothing...
Waiter
Excuse me, there's a phone call for you—
Shou
For me?
Reichelt
Maybe it's from your teacher?
(Shou goes out. Reichelt sighs. The door opens behind him.)
Sho...
(Takashi and Suzuna are at the door.)
—Takashi...
Takashi
—Hello.
It's been—about six years, hasn't it, Reichelt.
Reichelt
—...
That is...
Suzuna
Oh!
I'm Suzuna.
Takashi
She's my fiancée.
Reichelt
!
Fiancée? This girl? Is this why Shou looked like that?
Shou...could it be that Takashi is still your—...
But what a thick-skinned guy he is,
Bringing his fiancée here to see Shou—...
Suzuna
Um...
You're Shou-san's—...
Reichelt
Aah.
—What a cute girl...
I'm sorry for not introducing myself, but I'm Shou's manager. I'm here in Japan on business.
What is he going to say to Shou when they see each other,
When he has such an adorable fiancée?
(Suzuna looks startled.)
Suzuna
Your Japanese is really good...
(Reichelt smiles.)
Reichelt
Shou taught me.
After all these years—
I can say a few words after six years. —That's right.
People can learn and change with enough time...!
I won't let you hurt Shou again...!
(Takashi stares at Reichelt.)
Takashi
?!
(Reichelt chuckles.)
Reichelt
—You're a bit slow, aren't you, Takashi.
Do you not understand what I'm saying to you?
Shou and I have been together for six years. Did you think that there would be nothing between us?
Takashi
—What are you talking about...!
(Suzuna gasps.)
Suzuna
...!
Takashi
You can't mean... But he's—
Reichelt
"But he's...?" Do go on.
If he had that kind of a relationship with you,
Then why would it be so out of the question for him to have it with me?
Suzuna
Wh...!
How can you say that...!
But Shou-san and Takashi-san are brothers—...
(Reichelt smirks.)
Reichelt
But that didn't stop you, did it...?
(In another room, Shou is speaking on the phone with his teacher.)
Shou
Yes.
I see, so the operation was completed without any complications?
Ah, no, when you left with him I didn't quite know what to do, but somehow everything turned out—...
(Shou hears a thump.)
?
Yes, ah, I'm sorry.
What was that?
Then I will call you tomorrow.
...Yes.
—Did something happen?
(Shou rushes back to see Reichelt down against the wall with a hand to his mouth, Takashi standing over him. He rushes over to Reichelt.)
Shou
!
Reichelt!
How could you...
Why—...
Why did you hit Reichelt! Takashi!
Takashi
—He
Shou
?
Reichelt
Takashi
...said some terrible—...
Shou
I don't know what he said to you, but you didn't have to hit him!
How could you overreact like that?!
Takashi
I—...
Shou
...It made me happy to know that you were visiting Mom's grave.
I'd thought that you were different than before, that you had become kind—
But—...
...I guess you haven't changed at all.
You're still an arrogant, self-righteous person
—who carelessly hurts other people...!
Takashi
—...
We're going, Suzuna-chan.
(Takashi takes Suzuna's hand and pulls her away.)
Suzuna
Takashi-san!
That's not true, Shou-san! It was because—...
Takashi-san, wa—...!
(For a moment Shou stares at their linked hands. Suzuna runs after Takashi, beginning to cry.)
Suzuna
Takashi-sa...
Takashi-san! Please wait!
It's so horrible...
It wasn't your fault, so why—...
Why did Shou-san take his side? Is he so important to Shou-san?
More important than us—...?
Shou-san said that we haven't changed, but—...
Takashi
...Suzuna-chan.
Suzuna
He believed that person without even listening to your reasons —...
Is changing such a good thing...?
—Has Shou-san really changed so much...?
Reichelt
...ow...
Shou
—Are you all right, Reichelt?
Reichelt
...Yeah, I'm fine. The inside of my mouth just got cut a bit.
Shou
But why...what happened?
Reichelt
—...
I...said a bit too much.
But I couldn't forgive him—...
Takashi always—....
That's right, Takashi always upsets Shou.
He hurts Shou, so I—
...No, that's not true. I...
Shou.
I'm—
—afraid.
(He hugs Shou tightly.)
Shou
...!
Reichelt
That Shou would be stolen by Takashi—...
...You know, Shou.
I'm afraid, so I attacked him.
Do you
I've become weak—
...love me...?
Shou
...? Of course I do.
Reichelt
Knowing you.
I'm afraid of losing you.
—I love you too...
And I slowly turn into more and more of a coward—...
Part 4
The sound of the piano from that night still echoes in my ears.
Though I don't want to have this waking dream at all—...
(Takashi is sitting at the piano. He finishes a song.)
Takashi
...sigh.
Grandmother
Well, that's a rare sight.
It's been a long time since you played, hasn't it?
Takashi
Grandmother.
Grandmother
You played the piano until senior high school and chose some other subject at the university, right?
You had the gift for it—it was such a waste for you to stop.
Takashi
—That's not true.
It hurt me so much to hear those words time and again.
The dark thoughts rising from words of negation swallowed countless times before I could say them, coiled within my heart—
I could only vent them at Shou, then.
And now, I can do nothing but swallow my own medicine—...
Grandmother
—Anyway, Takashi, listen.
Takashi
Eh?
Grandmother
Well, I was wondering if you would play at the engagement party.
Takashi
Engagement party?
Grandmother
For you and Suzuna-chan.
Takashi
Wh...
Why haven't I heard anything about this?!
Grandmother
What are you talking about?
You should certainly also know that we are discussing a merger with their company right now!
We have to take this opportunity to deepen the ties between our two families!
—Or is there already someone else that you like?
(For a moment Takashi stares at her speechlessly.)
Grandmother
—...
You can't have...!
Takashi
...No, there isn't.
—Of course there isn't.
Grandmother
Of—of course.
Aah, I'm very glad of that.
Takashi
And even if there were, I would never be able to tell her about—...
Grandmother
I don't know what I'd do if you were to repeat your father's failures...!
Takashi
—My father's?
Grandmother
That's right.
That child...!
It's been almost 30 years ago now...one day out of the blue, he suddenly said that he wanted to be together with our maid, Toshiko-san.
Of course I thought that he should pick a girl from a nice family.
It's not my place to say anything about those who are no longer with us, but...
Though I thought I could finally breathe easy when he married your mother,
He still went and married Toshiko-san later—...
That's why, you see
Before you got caught up with some strange woman, I wanted you to marry a girl from a proper family—...
(Takashi stares at his grandmother, his eyes wide.)
Takashi
—What...did she just say—...?
Grandmother
Takashi?
Takashi, wait! I'm not done....
(Takashi runs off.)
Takashi
Father and Toshiko-san were originally...?
—Then that means
It was my mother and I who stole Father from Shou's mother?
—Why
If that was true, then why did he marry my mother at all?
How could he so coolly remarry the woman he had once abandoned?
Why did Father—...
(He ruffles through his father's study, and papers fly all over the room. He picks up a photograph of a smiling Toshiko and a young, laughing Shou from the floor.)
—If he never loved anyone but Toshiko-san
Then he should have said so.
But then why—...
(He begins to cry.)
...
...—Were you trying to atone?
You were the one who introduced Shou's sponsor
—Father.
(His father enters the room.)
When I heard that from Shou, everything clicked into place. That it was probably you.
You borrowed the names of our affiliate companies and clients—...
It doesn't make up for anything.
You should know that too, shouldn't you?
(His father sighs, smiling a little sadly.)
Father
Yes. If Shou knew that I was helping him, he would probably refuse.
When you were tractable children
I didn't give you enough of my attention.
...No, I should be completely frank.
You'll probably laugh at me for it now, but—...
I wanted to do one fatherly thing.
...If just once, something to show that I am his father—...
Takashi
—...
—I
Don't know what happened 30 years ago.
But there is one thing I do know.
It was because of you that everyone was unhappy.
—...Isn't that true, Father?
—I...
I'm not the same as you...!
I don't want to repeat the same mistakes you made...!
I—...
I will never betray the one I love...!
Father
Takashi!
(Takashi runs out of the room. His father looks down at the photograph of Toshiko and Shou.)
Father
—...Takashi...
Takashi...
I can't help what you say about me now.
—But I didn't know.
I was so young, then.
I didn't recognize the fact that Toshiko was pulling away from me.
(Takashi is driving.)
Takashi
Shou...
Shou's probably going to return to Germany soon.
With him...
Is that person so important to him?
Reichelt, flashback
Shou and I have been together for six years. Did you think that there would be nothing between us?
Takashi
It's probably already too late
But—...
Shou, flashback
You haven't changed at all!
(Takashi's hands tighten on the steering wheel.)
Takashi
—...That's probably true.
Because even after six years these feelings haven't changed at all—...
(At the hotel, Shou takes off the band-aid from Reichelt's cheek.)
Reichelt
Ow...!
Shou
—That's a lot better, don't you think, Reichelt?
Reichelt
I'm so happy! If I'd gone back looking like that, I would've made all the girls in Germany cry!
A salesman's face is his life!
Shou
Hey, hey, that again....
...I'm sorry.
He's not a bad guy, but sometimes words aren't enough—...
Reichelt
...You always cover up for him, don't you?
Shou
Huh?
Reichelt
...I'm just a little
—It's nothing. I was in the wrong, too.
jealous.
Shou
But still, it surprised me! How well you played!
Reichelt
Well, I've worked hard at rehabilitation!
It's been a while, so I was pretty flustered, but playing for a short time for fun is not a problem.
—But I'll never be a pro. You know after performing with me, don't you?
Shou
...Reichelt.
Reichelt
—...
You know, Shou.
Come here.
(He holds out his arms. Shou leans down.)
Shou
?
Reichelt
No, not there.
—here.
(Reichelt points at his lap, and Shou reddens.)
Shou
...!
Wh—...
Reichelt
—Please?
Shou
—...
Reichelt.
...!
(Reichelt pulls him down so that he's sitting on Reichelt lap, facing him.)
Reichelt
Ahahah!
Heh...
Shou
Reichelt?
Reichelt
Sorry, sorry.
I was thinking that you're really nice to me when I talk about my arm...
It's like you care about it more than I do.
Though truly
I don't want
to bind you with that...
I told you before, didn't I?
That I hate being pitied.
But for a little while, just for now—...
But when I want to touch you, it means that you'll meekly allow my selfishness.
(Reichelt takes off Shou's glasses.)
So from time to time I—
Lose to it.
You can pity me—...
Shou
...!
Rei
Reichelt...
(Reichelt puts his arms around Shou.)
I don't like sitting like this.
Let me down.
Reichelt
Nope!
Shou
You bully...
Give me back my glasses too!
Reichelt
I'll let you go after you've listened to what I have to say.
—When we get back to Germany
—Will you live with me?
—Of course, we live together now, but
I want to leave the house and rent an apartment with you somewhere.
—This is me proposing.
'Let's live together, just the two of us."
—What do you think?
Shou
Reichelt...
Reichelt
Shou should understand what I mean, too.
—But
I want to hear him say it.
Shou
...I can't answer that just now.
Reichelt
—Then when we go back to Germany.
I want to hear him say that he chooses me.
Shou.
...I had confidence
until we came to Japan.
...You're not going to say that you're going to stay in Japan, right?
I had thought that you had already become a German.
Shou
Wh-what are you talking about, Reichelt!
Of course I wouldn't do that!
Reichelt
—But
Though you say that you don't have any good memories of it,
you really do love this country.
—But—
And then
There's Takashi—you still—...
(Shou's eyes widen. Out in the hall, Takashi stops in front of a door marked 3042.)
Takashi
Here...?
Shou...
If I don't tell him now, when would I next be able to speak to him?
—No.
If I don't tell him, then I'll never have another chance.
So if I don't say it now—...
(Takashi holds up his hand to knock but stops when he hears Shou's voice.)
Shou
That's not true.
Takashi
If I don't say it now...
Shou
...You're wrong about Takashi.
I don't think of him as anything but my brother.
I couldn't think of him as anything but my brother.
(Takashi freezes—and then his hand falls. He turns on his heels and walks back down the hall.)
Takashi
I no longer—...
Have the courage
—...to say anything...
(Back at the hotel, someone rings the doorbell.)
Shou
Coming!
Concierge
This is a letter for Amori-sama.
Shou
A letter?
Reichelt
What is it?
Shou
Mm—he said that it's a letter. Why would I get this?
Reichelt
What's the letter about?
(Shou holds up the card inside, stunned.)
Shou
—...It's an invitation.
—To an engagement ceremony.
Part 5
(At the Amori house, formally-dressed guests converse with each other around tables laden with hor d'oeuvres and drinks. Shou and Reichelt, both wearing suits, arrive. Shou's expression is strained.)
Shou
This place, which I thought that I would never see again—
Reichelt
Wooow.
I didn't know your family was rich, Shou.
Shou
I never thought that I would come back to this house.
That's not true. It's just that the man my mother married was rich—...
(He sees Suzuna looking over at him.)
Suzuna-chan...!
(Suzuna hides behind Shou's back when she sees Reichelt.)
Reichelt
Erg.
Yes, yes, I know I'm not welcome.
But I'm really a feminist, you know.
I'll just transport myself over there.
(He walks away.)
Suzuna
—Shou-san, will you go outside with me?
(In the garden.)
Shou
I'm sorry. I got the invitation so suddenly that I didn't even have time to prepare a gift—...
When I get back to Germany—
Suzuna
I don't care about that!
I thought that you had gone to Germany because you loved the piano.
Shou
Of course. I went because I wanted to play the piano—...
Suzuna
—That's not true.
You were running away.
—From Takashi-san.
Shou
—Running away?
Why would I
Suzuna
I never understood why you were always so contrary to each other.
Even though both of you could show such kindness to other people—...
Shou
have to run away from anything?
What
Suzuna
But I understood after listening to Reichelt-san.
Shou
would I have been running away from?
Suzuna
The two of you are so alike.
Shou
What is Suzuna-chan talking about?
Suzuna
Neither of you can be kind to the one person you love.
Both of you are such fools.
Shou
She's leaping to the wrong conclusion.
—Suzuna-cha...
Because—
Because I—...
Suzuna
—Because you're afraid of that love, aren't you?
—You're afraid...of having your kindness rejected, so you're not honest with each other.
That's how much you're afraid to lose, isn't it?
—...Takashi-san is—
(She turns and runs off.)
Shou
Suzuna-cha...!
I'm...afraid?
(He slips the bookmark out of his jacket pocket.)
But I—
Why do I always carry this with me...?
These are just dead flower petals.
Just memories.
Just something that loses its color with time.
Taking such care to carry something like this with me—
But when I have it with me, it's almost as if I'm asking Takashi to not forget about me.
That's why...
(Shou turns. Through the open glass doors, Takashi is at the piano, playing in the midst of a crowd of people.)
!
That's not it.
I...
Could it be that the one who didn't want to forget was me...?
(Someone from the crowd notices Shou.)
Guest 1
Oh?
Guest 2
Hey!
It's our leading man Takashi's brother.
Guest 1
We want to hear your playing too!
Shou
...!
I...
Suzuna
I want to hear it, too.
Shou
Suzuna-chan.
Suzuna
—I would like to hear Shou-san and Takashi-san playing a four hands duet...!
Guest 1
That'd be great!
We've rarely heard these two brothers playing together, right?
Shou
Suzuna-chan...
Guest 2
You're not going to refuse the request of our princess, are you?
Guest 1
Right?! Takashi-san.
Takashi
...
When my brother goes back to Germany, I don't know when he'll come again.
—This will be our last memory together.
Guest 1
Geez, stop talking like you'll never see each other again!
Shou
—Our...last...
Is this what Takashi wants—...?
(They sit down at the piano together, a large crowd around them.)
Then
—Liszt's Prelude—...
(They begin to play.)
Shou
When Takashi's letters stopped coming
I didn't have the courage to write to him myself.
Like those flower petals,
As time passed,
Everything faded.
Wasn't that what happened?
Surely that's why when that time we spent together changed into memory,
He was able to choose someone else as if nothing had ever happened.
But isn't that the way it should be?
Because he's my brother.
Because I should not think of him as anything but my brother.
I shouldn't feel anything but a wish for his happiness.
—I shouldn't feel anything anymore, should I?
—But
(Shou misses a note, and Takashi turns his head, startled. His eyes widen.)
Takashi
!
—Shou...
Shou
—But if that's true,
—Then why are these tears flowing down my face—...?
(In the kitchen, the chef and her two helpers are preparing some food.)
Helper 1
Listen! Shou-sama and Takashi-sama are playing a four hands duet!
Helper 2
What? I want to go see!
Helper 1
It's right next to the kitchen, so we can just go take a peek!
Helper 2
Right?
Chef
Hey, hey!
Helper 1
Just for a bit!
Helper 2
Eeek!
Chef
You two!
We're still in the middle of cooking!
(They run off.)
—Sheesh! Guess there's no help for it.
...
Then I guess I'll
Just take a quick peek, too.
(She wipes off her hands and leaves the kitchen. Behind her, a towel placed too close to the stove begins to catch on fire.)
A guest
Wonderful!
A guest
They played in perfect synchronization even without a score!
A guest
They seem to get along really well with each other, don't they?
Shou
!
Takashi
—Shou.
(A guest behind Takashi notices something.)
A guest
Hmm?
Takashi
There's something I want to say to—...
A guest
Hey,
Do you smell something burning?
A guest
Now that you mention it—...
A guest
Kya...
Kyaaaah!
A guest
FIRE!
A guest
Kyaaah!
A guest
Don't shove!
A guest
Let's evacuate! Hurry!
Shou
How could...
How could something like this happen...
Reichelt
Shou! Let's hurry up and get out of here too!
Shou
!
It's not here.
The bookmark.
The cherry blossom petals
The only thing I have of Takashi—...
Reichelt
What's wrong? Shou!
Shou
—Sorry, Reichelt.
Go on ahead!
Reichelt
Shou?!
Shou
The fire hasn't spread yet, so I'll be fine!
I'll come right after you!
Reichelt
Shou...!
—...
(Outside, the guests are milling around.)
A guest
—Is everyone safely out of the house?
A guest
Everyone, please double-check those who came with you!
Reichelt
I'm telling you that the person who came with me hasn't come out yet!
Takashi
!
Hey! What happened to Shou?!
He's not still—...!
Reichelt
Takashi...!
It's...
It's all your fault...!
Takashi
?
What are you talking about—...?
Reichelt
—You sent him that letter, didn't you...?
Those cherry blossom petals
Shou went back in to get them...!
Takashi
!
Cherry blossom...?
But Shou never came to the airport.
So I thought that it meant that he had totally forgotten about me—...
I—...
Reichelt
—Why...!
Why?!
He's always treasured it!
If he can't get it back...!
Takashi
Treasured...that—?
(Takashi runs off.)
Reichelt
Takashi...!
—No way...
He flew into the house without any hesitation at all—...
That's—...
(Shou is down on the floor against a wall, flames roaring around him. He coughs.)
Shou
This is...bad.
There's no place left to run.
I'm such a fool.
(He holds up the bookmark, smudged with ash.)
Using the excuse that I had dropped this to come back.
I wonder if I'll die here like this.
I wouldn't mind dying.
Because I truly...
Because with you—...
With...you...
(Takashi crashes into the room with a chair in his hands.)
Takashi
Sh...
(Takashi flies across the room and clutches at Shou.)
SHOU...!
You...idiot...!
How could you worry me like this...!
Shou
—But now—...
Takashi
—I love you.
I don't care anymore if I'm nothing to you...!
I wanted to tell you at the airport in Germany, but it doesn't matter anymore...
—Shou
I have
—always
loved you...!
(For a moment Shou leans into Takashi's arms.)
Shou
Now—oh, now...
—I guess you beat me to it.
—I think I can say it.
Takashi
What?
Shou
—...I also—
You see, there's something I also want to say to you.
If we can get out of this...can I say it?
Takashi
What are you talking about, you idiot!
Of course we'll get out!
—I'll take you to the exit...!
(Takashi holds out his hand.)
Shou
Of course.
It was the same back then.
You were the one to push me.
(Takashi and Shou run down the hall side by side, Takashi's jacket held over their heads.)
So that these legs that had already given up movement could step forward.
I abandoned the piano for my mom's sake, but
That wasn't the only reason I stopped, was it?
Because back then, whenever I played, you had such a look of hurt on your face—
I didn't want to be hated by you...
How did I lose them? That time, those memories?
It didn't matter if we played well or poorly.
Yes.
Like that first time that we touched the piano keys—
I only wanted to be free to be happy with you—...
(In Shou's memories, a tiny Takashi leans against the piano and grins at Shou as he plays.)
What was...
My true wish—...
(At the airport.)
Reichelt
—This is fine.
Shou
Sorry, Reichelt.
You're going back alone after all...
Reichelt
It can't be helped.
—Because I wasn't the one to save you...
He dashed into the flames without a moment's hesitation.
I had already lost, then—
Shou.
You know, I...
I thought that he only made you unhappy.
I no longer have the right to take you back with me...
—But I was wrong.
It hurts you because you love him.
But even if it hurts you, you want to be with him—...
That's...what he is to you, right...?
(For a moment Shou looks stunned—then his eyes soften.)
Shou
—Within me
—Yeah...
—Frozen time begins to flow once more...
Like a melody.
Reichelt
...Will you come back to Germany sometime?
I want to work with you—...
Shou
...I will.
(Takashi waits nearby.)
—There is so much music I want to play.
In Japan. At Takashi's side.
What will we play when we go back?
Yes, for now
Let us start with the prelude—...
END