mokuren no shiroi hane ni
木蓮の白い羽根に
The pure white feathers of the Magnolia Tree.
michite yuku monogatari yo
満ちてゆく物語よ
They're filled with stories.
kimi wa doko de ashita wo yonderu no
君はどこで 明日を読んでるの
Where are you reading tomorrow?
kuchi ni shita kotonoha wa setsunai kaori
口にした言の葉は 切ない香り
The words from your mouth are spreading a painful fragrance.
kimi dake wo kokoro ni egai te
君だけを心に描いて
I can only trace your silhouette in my heart.
sono saki wo yomitoi te mitai
その先を読み解いてみたい
It's as if I'm reading our futures.
donna katachi demo ii itsuka
どんなカタチでもいい いつか
No matter what shape it eventually turns out to be,
kono negai minori masu youni
この願い実りますように
I'm hoping it comes true.
irozuita kokoro ni tsudureba
色づいた心に綴れば
If I could spell out that colourful heart...
madoromu hohoemi no niwa
微睡む微笑みの庭
This is the garden of smiles,
yokan no merodi yume wo kakeru
予感のメロディ夢を駆ける
where the anticipating melody accompanies the dream.
Bungaku Shoujo Memoire
~ Prelude of a Dreaming Girl ~
Touko.
Pass the schedule to him personally, okay, I got it.
I told you before.
You can't eat books in front of others.
But... I was hungry.
From now on,
you should only eat books in front of a person important to you.
This is extremely important.
Make sure you bear this in mind.
Important person?
Yes.
Someone whom you can show your true self to.
Someone whom you love from the heart.
Your exclusive writer.
My writer?
Yes, he will appear someday.
Remember this, okay?
Yeah.
Hey, Touko-chan.
Excuse me, but can you lend us your notebook?
We fell asleep during the lesson.
The "Manyoshu" earlier on.
"Manyoshu" is Japan's oldest poem collection in existence.
Ootomo no Yakamochi compiled them into the latest edition.
A grand total of 20 volumes.
It consists of approximately 4,500 amazing poems.
It's different from the Kokin Wakashu in that more than half of the Manyoshu poems are by anonymous writers.
Look, don't you feel like it's driving through your heart?
Graceful yet passionate, isn't it?
Y-Yeah...
Aoyagi no hararo kawamonni nanji omatsuto.
shimizu hakumazu tachito koro tairasumo.
Hey, just imagine!
A girl standing by the river under the willow,
pretending to be fetching water,
even though she's actually waiting for her beloved boyfriend to arrive.
But he did not turn up after a long time.
So the girl waited anxiously,
unknowingly stepping and evening out the soil.
Oh, isn't that so cute?
It feels like rapeseed flowers scattering at the tip of the tongue.
Rapeseed flower?
Smells like freshly picked royal ferns.
Royal ferns?
Just like tasting a full course picnic cuisine during spring.
Deep-fried aralia elata.
It's also like butterbur and boiled spinach.
All the poems are so adorable and delicious.
Delicious?
Erm...
if Manyoshi is expressed using taste, it should give such a feeling.
That's the Literature Girl for you.
Anyway, may I borrow your notebook?
In return, I'll treat you to dessert.
Of course!
I love sweet stuff.
Let's eat!
Here I go.
Delicious.
Awesome.
It tastes good, doesn't it?
Absolutely.
This smooth and sweet chocolate is just like an ocean of sugar rising upwards.
It's delicious.
Oh?
It tastes bitter to me.
It feels like those super black bitter ones.
Right?
Y-Yeah, right.
It has got a mature taste, like "The Lady of the Camellias" by Dumas.
This cookie is nice too.
What's this?
It's spicy.
Oh, it's a ginger cookie.
Y-Yeah...
Speaking of which, it really does decorate the tongue.
It's just like John Aiken's novel.
Even though it's not bad, it feels like it's lacking something.
Right?
Right.
Ryuto?
Your boyfriend?
You're amazing, Touko-chan.
Not really... he's something like my brother.
Sorry, I suddenly remembered something.
See you.
Touko-chan is such a mystery.
She's rather approachable, but I find her a bit hard to understand.
It feels like she's always living in her own dreamland...
Without any worries either...
Geez... You can only eat books, yet you're forcing yourself to a parfait.
I only wanted to chat with them.
By going along with them intentionally?
If I were you, I'd give up bothersome things like that.
That's rather mean.
I may not be able to tell them the truth...
But, a raspberry tart filled with custard is just like Montgomery's "Anne of Green Cables".
That baked cheesecake is surely the taste of Thomas Mann's "Tonio Kröger."
I feel really excited just thinking about it.
What a bother!
Oh?
I'm only thinking about it, so how is that a bother?
This is the destiny of the Literature Girl,
who relies on stories for food.
I got it.
Thanks for worrying about me.
That's a given.
You're my world's most beloved.
What do you mean by that?
You're my world's most beloved-
Ouch!
Where's dinner?
Just eat outside.
I'm home, Auntie!
Both of her parents died in an accident?
What a poor thing.
Mum!
Dad!
Good night, Auntie.
When I was a student, I used to have braids.
Braids are a symbol of a literature girl.
Kaorikaze Publisher
Novice Award
Rejected
"Just like the Sky" Inoue Miu (Inoue Konoha)
Sorry, it's just too busy.
Touko-chan?
This story shouldn't be rejected.
Please!
Could you read this again?
O-Okay...
"Just like the Sky."
Hatori and Itsuki.
I'm inevitably immersed into their love story.
I want to be like a tree.
Hatori is just like a bird.
I love you.
I really really love you.
It's the first time I've felt this way.
It's totally different from stories I have encountered before.
Where am I?
All right!
Inoue Miu.
Who is this person?
I don't know either.
But...
That person will write more new stories, more incredible stories.
I'm sure of it.
I'm home, Auntie!
Did something happen, Touko-nee?
What should I do?
I feel so excited that I can't keep calm.
It's bitter yet sweet, delightful yet sad.
Not even Itou Sachio's "The Wild Daisy,"
which I have been anticipating since yesterday, can calm me down.
A feeling like this, it's my first time...
I see.
Touko-nee is finally in love.
So, what kind of person is he?
What?
It's a writer, but I don't know who exactly.
I'm not even sure if it's a boy or a girl.
Yes, I totally understand.
Despite not knowing, yet you're still so passionate... that's love.
Wait, you don't know?
Not even if it's a boy or a girl?
I'm only telling you, actually...
I can't!
I can't reveal it just yet.
That piece of work will surely be published.
But what happens if something goes wrong...
No, what should I do?
Make sure you eat properly.
Today's lunch is Kunikida Doppo's "Musashi Plain."
I'm eating.
It has got a nostalgic taste.
Just like a mother's handmade rice balls.
It's delicious.
I'll taste this one too, but it's just for a snack.
Hey, Touko-chan,
I'm sure you've heard about it a few days ago, but I still can't tell you.
I have the duty of keeping it a secret.
What?
"Just like the Sky" has made it to the final round of selection.
That's great!
Hooray!
But, it's still not decided whether it will win or not.
Touko-chan?
Are you listening?
I'm leaving!
[Novice Award; Winning Entry; "Just like the Sky" by Inoue Miu; Kaorikaze Publisher]
You'll understand after you read it.
Gentle and warm.
It has a really nostalgic and blissful feeling.
That's just like you, falling in love with a story.
Inoue Miu, eh?
It's definitely a girl.
And she's got to be a beauty.
You still don't know that for sure.
The original name is Inoue Konoha.
To assume that it's a girl is so like you.
You could ask Sasaki-san to let both of you meet.
Don't say things like that.
For his first work to be such a sensation,
he must be under a lot of pressure now.
It's an important time right now, so I mustn't disturb him.
Everything else is hidden except the pen name and age.
There's nothing you can do.
But this will lead to all sorts of possibilities.
Just what kind of person is he?
If only this person is your writer.
Yeah...
If that's the case, it'd be fantastic.
Hey, have you read "Just like the Sky"?
I really like it.
I heard it's going to be adapted into a film.
Serious?
Recruiting Literature Club members!!
At a time like this,
it must be Miyazawa Kenji's "Marivuron and the Girl."
It has that sweet and sour taste of wild grapes.
It's unbearable.
One, two... safe!
I really hope that the person writes his next book quickly...
Is this Sasaki-san?
Yes, I'm doing fine.
Literature club?
I'm the only member,
so I can use the club room however I like.
Isn't that awesome?
That's great.
Erm, may I ask...
Regarding Inoue Miu-san, is there any news about his next work?
Actually, about that...
I'm back.
Touko-nee?
Touko-nee.
I'm fine.
I was feeling a little cold, so I just laid here.
Huh?
What were you thinking?
The leaves are really warm.
What happened?
He's not writing anymore.
Sasaki-san said Inoue Miu gave up being a writer.
Why?
He can write such beautiful stories.
So why?
Here, take this.
Your lucky charm.
Talk about books.
Recruiting
literature lovers
Literature Club
Person on duty in alphabetical order.
Inoue Konoha.
Here.
On Duty Inoue Konoha
Bad news, Ryuto!
That kid!
That kid entered the same school as me.
That kid?
Who?
Inoue Konoha!
Inoue?
The writer of "Just like the Sky," Inoue Miu!
He feels like a boy who has always been lonely.
So, it's a boy.
What a blissful coincidence.
The surprise and shock is making my heart stop.
It stopped?
But he doesn't write anymore, right?
He must have his reasons.
I'm sure he has a delicate heart.
He has such an exquisite imagination,
but yet he chooses to lock it within his own world.
That won't do!
I won't allow it!
I'll make sure Inoue Miu writes a new story.
If it's him, I'm sure he'll be able to write.
Just like the feeling of a child embraced by the mother.
A new story which allows the reader to experience this happiness.
I will turn him into a writer.
What?
How?
By becoming a senpai whom he can open his heart to and rely on.
Huh?
For the sake of... for his sake...
That's right!
Now's the time for someone, who loves literature to the extent of wanting to consume the entire world's stories...
Now's the time for me, the Literature Girl, to show my full potential.
So they met.
From now on,
you should only eat books in front of a person important to you.
Important person?
Yes.
Someone whom you can show your true self to.
Someone whom you love from the heart.
Touko's...
deai wa totsuzen
出逢いは突然
A sudden encounter...
kami wo sukuu kaze ga anata wo hakonde kitano
髪をすくう風が あなたを運んできたの
The gentle wind caresses your hair, bringing you to me.
sora ni ukabeteita itoshii hito wo omou kimochi ni dakareteitai
空に浮かべていた 愛しい人を想う 気持ちに抱かれていたい
I'm soaring in the sky, yet I only want to think of embracing you.
mune ni hirogaru shiawase na kimochi ni tsutsuma reteyuku
胸に広がる 幸せな気持ちに包まれてゆく
My heart is filled with feelings of happiness.
machikogareteita taisetsuna hito wa kitto anata...
待ち焦がれていた 大切な人は きっと あなた…
The person I'm anxiously waiting for must be you.