ACT 3.0 "His Circumstances"(彼氏の事情)


Tsukino and Kano:
A synopsis of what's happened!

Tsukino:
This is our older sister, Yukino Miyazawa. Freshman!
To most, she seems to be gifted with both intelligence and beauty.
Though she was raised in a middle-class family, she seems to be intelligent, cultured, and graceful.

Kano:
But actually, her only real purpose in life is to put on a show for everyone.
She's really a masked woman who just acts the perfect model student in public!

Tsukino:
But just the other day, Sis made a huge mistake and her other personality was revealed!

Kano:
This man is the real super model student, Souichirou Arima!
Excellent grades, good at sports, with a good personality that everyone likes.
In addition, his family is a long line of doctors since the Edo Era.
A real thoroughbred.

Tsukino:
However, he's also a terrible scoundrel!
Having grasped her weakness, he made her help him with his work.
How despicable!
What a schemer!

Kano:
In addition, she falls in love for the first time and gets into a really messy crisis!
Our big sister finally loses it after thinking in circles by herself!

Tsukino:
But, at the end of all this mess, they finally make peace.

Kano:
Both of them share their secret as reputable model students.
And on the surface, it really looked things were going well.

Tsukino and Kano:
Just you wait!



Woman:
What's wrong?
Does it hurt somewhere?

Arima:
Why did I suddenly remember that?
I'd forgotten about it for so long.

Yukino:
I think Arima is acting strange lately.
Oh? You're still here. Work?

Arima:
Oh, yeah. You, too?

Yukino:
Yup, but I just finished it.
I can help you out with yours.
Today's a half-day anyway.

Arima:
That's okay.
I'm mostly done anyway.
I have to go to club soon.
Later, Miyazawa.

Yukino:
Oh, okay.
Well, that was pretty strange.
He's acting distant somehow.
What could it be?
We'd been so friendly until just last week.

Arima:
Hey, Miyazawa.
You wanna get together sometime and study?
Our school has a lot of exams, you know?
So I thought it would be efficient if we cooperated.

Yukino:
Oh, I see.
You're so wonderful.
The cooperation part is beautiful.

Arima:
Oh, I see what you're up to.
You're thinking about getting good grades without having to work for it.

Yukino:
Ahhh!!! A palace!
It's like a house from the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

Arima:
Come on.
You're exaggerating.

Yukino:
Oh, it's so spacious, so rich!

Arima:
Mom and Dad, this is Miss Miyazawa from my class at school.

Mr. Arima:
Welcome, Miss Miyazawa.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
I didn't realize Souichirou had such a cute classmate.

Yukino:
Oh, you flatter me, Mr. Arima.

Mr. Arima:
I really hope that the two of you will always be good friends.

Mrs. Arima:
We'll have some cake later, if you like.
Girls are such a joy to entertain.

Mr. Arima:
Souichirou, why don't you come down for tea around three o'clock?
Oh, with Miss Miyazawa, of course.

Arima:
Sounds good to me, Dad.
Your ability to feign modesty is really quite amazing.
Sometimes, it really freaks me out.

Yukino:
I've been working at this for years.
But your parents are so wonderful.
You're very lucky.
My house is cramped, so don't compare, okay?

Arima:
I told you already.
Don't worry about your house.

Yukino:
I'm home.

Mother:
Oh, Yuki. Is this a frie...

Arima:
Good afternoon.

Mother:
It's a man! It's a man! It's a man! It's a man!

Father:
It's a man?!
Unforgivable!
A maggot bastard trying to get close to our princesses!
We have to stop him.
I'll kick him out!

Arima:
It's very nice to meet you.
I'm Souichirou Arima.

The Miyazawas:
Please take care of our daughter/sister.

Yukino:
What are you trying to pull?!

Mother:
Yuki sure has good taste when it comes to looks.

Tsukino:
Or maybe it's just that she doesn't acknowledge anyone who's not as good as her.
She never had any interest in boys to begin with.
I bet she sees most boys as just paper dolls to be play with.

Kano:
Yup, that woman can be cold as a demon when it comes to things like that.
I'm surprised you allowed it, Father.

Father:
Well, you know...
A perfect guy like that might never appear in Yukino's life again.
So, I think I should encourage her.

Tsukino:
I see.
Basically, "keep" him?

Kano:
Parents are just so calculating.

Tsukino:
But, you know, I heard Arima's family runs a big hospital.

Kano:
No way!

Mother:
Then if we said our daughter is a friend of the owner's, you think they'd give us a discount?

Father:
All right!
Let's all go together and try sometime!

Tsukino:
But we're all healthy!

Arima:
Miyazawa, it doesn't bother me.
Just forget about it.

Yukino:
I can't stand it.
Why is this family so stupid?!
That was pretty embarrassing, you know?
But it was fun in its own way.
Until then, we'd laughed often and hang out together a lot.
At the start of this week, he suddenly became cold and he won't talk to me much.
I don't know.
Did I do something wrong?

Student:
For real?

Yukino:
Hey, Arima.

Arima:
Yeah?
What is it?

Yukino:
Someone told me to give this to you.

Arima:
Thank you.

Yukino:
He's different from before.
This is... rejection.
Why?!
Just last week, the two of us were good friends!
Why did it become like this all of a sudden?
I'm such a coward.
I don't understand why it's like this now.
Then, suddenly I realized for the first time that I was ignorant.
All I ever did was polish the surface and pretend to be a model student.
I had never dealt with people sincerely.
So I didn't know what to do at a time like this.
I'd never spoken from the heart.
I'd never been in an argument.
Because I'd never taken off my mask.
I had deceived people with my mask and never exposed myself.
To think that I would realize now that I had nothing because of it.

Kano:
Mmm, so you're depressed now, Sis?

Tsukino:
You did something you normally don't do, like hate yourself.

Father and Mother:
Mmm-hmm.

Kano:
You're not immunized against your own weaknesses or against the existence of a boyfriend.

Father and Mother:
Mmm-hmm.

Tsukino:
After all, you've never bothered with it until now, right?

Father and Mother:
Mmm-hmm.

Kano:
It's a good thing that you're finding out about these things with Arima.

Father and Mother:
Mmm-hmm!

Yukino:
That's true.
I have learned more about myself.
What about Arima?

Kano:
We're glad to help, just talk to us whenever you have a problem, Sis.

Tsukino:
About anything, but money.

Father and Mother:
Mmm-hmm.

Yukino:
That's right.
What does Arima do when he's got problems?
Well, unlike my family, he's got such respectable parents.
Guess I don't need to worry.

Arima:
Please excuse me.

Mr. Arima:
Souichirou, wait.

Arima:
Yes?

Mr. Arima:
The young lady you brought home the other day...
I believe her name was Miss Miyazawa, right?

Mrs. Arima:
Yes, that's right.
She was a very composed, nice young lady.

Mr. Arima:
Yes.
That was the first tea party we've had fun at in a long time.

Mrs. Arima:
Yes, very fun.

Mr. Arima:
So, Souichirou, you don't have to mind us at all.
Feel free to bring her over again.

Arima:
Yes, sir.

Yukino:
That's true.
What about Arima?
Arima's got parts where he's like a normal high school student, too.
Why doesn't he ever show them to anyone else?
Except maybe to me.
It just doesn't make any sense.
If he's not doing it to keep up an image, how can he be so perfect like that?
Isn't it exhausting?
Are you happy?
Did I do something to make him mad, after all?
He probably regrets confessing to me so thoughtlessly now that he knows the real me.
That's enough to drive anyone away.
It couldn't be....
Maybe he's realized that I'm secretly in love with him?
Oh my god.
That must be what it is.
He probably thinks I'm a bother now and doesn't want to deal with me.
Well, then he should just say so.
Arima. You have something to say to me, don't you?
So, say it!

Arima:
About what?

Yukino:
Don't play dumb!
You've been ignoring me for days.
I hate things like this!
Won't you just tell me?!

Arima:
It's nothing.

Yukino:
Why are you running away?!
I won't let you go until you tell me.

Arima:
Just shut up!
Leave me alone!
That's the only memory I have of my parents.
Just that.

Man:
Would you like to come with me now?

Yukino:
Liar.
You said we were friends.
You said you liked me... that I was fine the way I was.



Yukino:
Oh, it's no good!
No good, no good, no good, no good.
I don't get it, no matter how much I try to think about it.

Kano:
That's amazing.
I guess in high school, there are some homework problems even Sis can't solve.

Yukino:
No matter how I think of it, I can't understand what that stupid Arima is doing!
It just doesn't make any sense.
I can't figure it out.
But the end result is clear.
Well, like the Code of Hammurabi says, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, an ignore for an ignore!"
That's it.
That's the only path to take.

Kano:
This isn't a little kid's fight, you know.

Tsukino:
And she's so good with schoolwork, too.

Yukino:
Outta my way!
You're in the way.
Move it!

Student:
Hey, Miss Miyazawa.
Could you tell me the translation for the sentence here?

Yukino:
Oh, my!
I'm not the person to ask.
Why don't you ask Arima about these things from now on?
It seems that unlike me he's very good at schoolwork.
Hmph.

Student:
Miss Miyazawa's acting sort of weird today.

Student:
Yeah, you're right.
Hey, did you do something, Arima?

Student:
I guess even she has bad days now and then.

Student:
Looks like Miss Perfect is human after all.

Arima:
Steel and concrete.
And a rainy scene makes me remember the memories that were buried deep within me.

Woman:
What's wrong?
Does it hurt somewhere?
Oh, you wet you pants, didn't you?

Arima:
If I answered, "Yes," what would she do to me?

Woman:
You were afraid all by yourself, weren't you?

Arima:
The hand that should have slapped me, gently patted my head instead.
My new mother changed my pajamas.
She didn't say another word about it.
My new father held me when we went to bed until I fell asleep.
A strange feeling...
Why do my tears well up like this?
Why does my heart feel so sad?
Steel and concrete.
And a rainy scene makes me remember the memories buried deep within me.
It makes me feel fearful and [at/a] peace, happiness and worry, all at the same time.
Together with the memory of those parents, and Miyazawa, too.
How was I acting when I was around her?
Miyazawa?

Yukino:
Humph!
No way.
I'm gonna ignore you now!

Arima:
Hey, Miyazawa!

Yukino:
Humph!
That was so uncool.
Why can't I do anything right?
I'm so stupid and clueless!
I can't stand it!

Arima:
Here.
I could never win against you.
You're just so reckless.

Yukino:
Well, excuse me!
Leave me alone!

Arima:
I'm sorry.

Yukino:
He's back.
It's the normal Arima.

Arima:
I have memories.
And a past that I don't want to be touched.
You touched it without even knowing it.
Because of that, you were a very inconvenient person for me.
I realized that, so I tried to get away.
And it wasn't even your fault.
I realized everything when I went to your house to study.
Your family was so different from mine.
I thought, "Oh, so this is what a normal family is like."
That's because I'm adopted.
My current father is the eldest brother of my real father.
He's really my uncle.
I really love my current parents, but I don't feel like I can say whatever I want in front of them.
And I don't rely on them like you rely on yours.
You made me realize that.
You see, my real parents were not the nicest of people.
Stealing and blackmailing were a matter of course.
In the end, they left behind their debt and mysteriously disappeared.
They left me behind, too.
They must have been the shame of the family.
When I was taken in by my current parents, all my relatives showed up.
They must have thought I wouldn't understand.
Right in front of me, they said, "A child born of such parents won't amount to anything."
So then, I had to become a flawless person to prove them wrong, no matter what.
Even at the cost of my pride, and for my parents who raised me.
I was satisfied with the me I'd made that way.
Until I met you.
Why was it you?
At first, I thought I liked you because you were like me.
But, the more I knew you, the more of me followed your lead.
I really didn't know the me like this.
In time, one thought floated to the top.
Could it be that what I'd always believed to be me was only a mask that I'd created?
All I am was a fake?
Maybe within me, there's another me.
The real me.
That's what I thought.
And I thought that that was bad.
I wasn't supposed to realize that.
You peeled away my masks, one after another.
You were light to me.
You were a light that shone on my darkness.
Just by existing, light makes it clear where the darkness is.
There is a darkness within my soul.
To be honest, I hated you.
I pushed you away.

Yukino:
Why?!
You were able to find your real self, right?
Then why aren't you honest with yourself?!
Why do you try to hide it?!

Arima:
What if he's the worst person possible?!
If he took after those parents through his blood.
I'm afraid of my bloodline!
I cannot become a worthless person.
For my father and for my mother!

Yukino:
Tell me something.
You love your current parents, don't you, Arima?
But if you keep putting all this pressure on yourself, you'll probably never be able to become a real family.
Real family and friends love you, even when they know your flaws.
That's what it means to be a family.
Oh, I love this person.
This person who hurts himself in order to protect those he loves.
I love him.

Arima:
Miyazawa...
What?
What the hell did you do that for?!

Yukino:
Now, this is the real Arima.
Don't worry, you're not worthless at all.
I like this Arima much better.
What'd you think I'd do?
I'd try to give you a smooch?
As if I'd do something like that.
The real Arima probably wanted to be let out anyway.
He wanted to take that mask off and put his face out front.
And then he found me.
A kindred spirit.
The thing hidden within you must have noticed what I was hiding within me.
It's an amazing thing, really.
Have more confidence in yourself!
You're a good guy, Arima!
Well, I've decided!
I'm going to throw away my mask.
From now on, I'm going to live just for me so I can like myself.
And what about you?

Arima:
You know, I'm really glad I met you.

Yukino:
So am I.
What did the two of us do after that?
Well, of course, we're completely true friends.
Our slogan right now is, "Live true to yourself."
In the end, there's a thing called public image, and we have to keep some of ourselves hidden.
At times like that, we just laugh together.
I've become oddly self-conscious of my love for him.
My heart wavers.
Oh, I should have caught him when he first confessed to me!
Well, I guess we'll be friends for a long time.
But, abruptly, one day while we were talking, Arima said...

Arima:
That's right. There's one thing I really like about my current self. Miss Miyazawa, as you became a weirder person, my feelings for you didn't change. I loved you... all along.



<Preview>
A synopsis of what's to come!
Lucky Sis! She's been confessed to once again.
But she's so nervous, she lets her second chance escape!
Oh Sis, can you confess your feelings to him?!
Next time "Her Difficult Problem"!