Episode 5: The Things Reflected in Yasuna's Eyes

THE THINGS REFLECTED IN YASUNA'S EYES

EPISODE 5 OF THE ANIME

( Manga Cross-reference---? )

Previously
P

Episode Overview
C

This Episode's Story
Although her Father is downstairs eating breakfast, Yasuna is in reality very much alone. She sits in her bedroom in her PJ's, drawing a pencil picture of Hazumu. She pauses to recall a recent rainy afternoon. After school that afternoon, Tomari soundly berates Yasuna for turning down male Hazumu's Love Confession. She acknowledges to herself that she, indeed, really did hurt Hazumu deeply. At the same time in the Osaragi household, Hazumu is in her bedroom. So are the Alien Being and Jan Puu. A 'Space Helmet', with wires connected to it, is on her head, and the Alien Being is taking her vital signs. All is more or less normal. The Space Alien removes the device, and then drops a bombshell question on Hazumu---

" Yasuna has clearly expressed her love for you, Hazumu. What are you going to do ? "

Hazumu is 'thrown for a loop', as Jan Puu insists that she loves Hazumu, too ! Hazumu reacts with a puzzled look on her face ! She next turns to the Space Alien and counters by saying that it is just intimate friendship, nothing more. A second bombshell follows from the Space Alien---

" Is there a rule on this planet against having same-sex relationships and shipping with them ??? "

Hazumu is silent, and falls into indecision, as the Space Alien merely looks at her with mild curiosity.

Next morning on her way to school, Hazumu finds herself with Asuta, and they begin walking together. She tries to clear her mind, and soon she intends to speak to Asuta. Suddenly, Hazumu turns to Asuta with a bombshell of her own---

" Asuta, is there anyone you like right now ? "

Asuta is silent, but his mind goes into feverish overdrive ! His first reaction is to say nothing, but he knows that this may be the one and only chance to ship with female Hazumu  ! Asuta tries to think up the best plan of action, but Hazumu 'beats him to the draw', as she states that obviously he is not interested in love, and walks away on her own. Asuta then 'wises up' and begins banging his head on a lamppost !

That morning at school, on the running track, Tomari is trailing two other girls in a footrace. But when she thinks of the recent incident when Yasuna tried to kiss Hazumu in the roof garden, she fires up and sprints forward to win the race ! Later that morning, Tomari comes upon Yasuna, but the two girls only stare at one another, silently. This until Hazumu and Asuta show up, and Yasuna leads Hazumu away arm-in-arm. Inside, Tomari and Yasuna confront one another again, with both asking Hazumu to be with them during the outdoor drawing class.

A new teacher is introduced during the science class, none other than the Space Alien, now dressed like a research scientist and going by the name of Mr. Sora. He shows off a genetically modified sunflower that dances and laughs. The students are amazed ! But in class when Yasuna tries to return a dropped notebook to a male student, she can not distinguish between the many male students. Sora takes note of the fact that Yasuna can not see males clearly, but sees them as only fuzzy, gray outlines.

Suddenly, Sora is ushered away for lunchtime by Mz. Namiko. As they leave, she tells Hazumu to go to the art supply room and get the sketch pads from last year. But Sora decides to accompany Hazumu to the art supply room, much to the consternation of Namiko, who is suddenly encircled by a sunflower and pulled inside a classroom. In the art room, Sora finds the stack of last year's pictures, and locates the drawing that Yasuna submitted. Sure enough, the females in the picture were drawn accurately, but the males were drawn as stick figures.

" Now I know ! ", utters Sora.

That evening at the Osaragi home, Hazumu is soaking in the bathtub, thinking about what Mr. Sora said---

" You don't know anything about Yasuna Kamizumii ! "

Hazumu steps out of the tub, and still wet and naked, looks out of the bathroom window. It is raining !

On the day of the outdoor drawing class, high atop Mt. Kashima, the class has assembled for their annual outdoor art and sketching lesson. The teacher, Mz. Namiko, announces the start of the class, only to fall backwards down an embankment. Yasuna finds Hazumu and reminds her that they agreed to sketch together. However, Tomari wedges herself into the twosome, thereby receiving a puzzled look from Yasuna, with Tomari returning her look with figurative daggers. All three girls sit down on the ground near the butterbur plants, as Hazumu suggests that they sketch the scenery. But the other two want to sketch Hazumu in all her glory, resulting in another dagger look from Tomari. . . . . . . . . When finished, Yasuna merely smiles at Hazumu. This time, Yasuna has drawn the whole Hazumu, including her rapturously pretty face, whereas Tomari crudely draws Hazumu as a little boy ! Tomari then becomes hot headed, pointing out once again that Yasuna turned down Hazumu's Love Confession, and needs to back off. Hazumu, having had enough of this friendly but troublesome spite, figuratively separates the two boxers, and sends them to their corners.

After the drawing class is over, and everyone is back at school, Yasuna becomes dejected, and only mopes around, a shadow of her former self. She goes and looks at the two butterbur flowers that she and Hazumu had planted together. Hazumu comes by and wants to walk home together, but Yasuna declines, stating that Tomari is right in thinking that she should back away from Hazumu. However, Hazumu refutes that thinking by saying that she wants to know more about Yasuna, and why she can not draw males clearly. The two girls retire to an unused classroom, to be by themselves.

Yasuna explains that early on, she could see males. But one day, when I was wrongly scolded by my Father for supposedly breaking a vase of flowers, it was then that his face began to become gray and fuzzy. Later, all males gradually took on a gray and fuzzy appearance. As such, many people misunderstood, thinking that I was being unkind and uncaring. It was then that I chose to began living a life of loneliness. If I did not become close to anyone, I would not be able to hurt anyone. But then I saw you, Hazumu. It was the day that I was practicing the flute in the music room, and you were on the rooftop garden, watering the flowers. You were a male, wearing the male school uniform, but I could see you !!! From that moment on, my life was turned upside down. But I also feared that someday that I would come to not be able to see you, too ! That is why I declined your Love Confession. I'm so sorry ! It was so painful to do that, and I immediately regretted that, but there was supposedly nothing that I could do. I blamed myself for all that had happened, and became so scared. I But then, ''you came back to me as a girl ! A girl who would never disappear from my sight ! I have always loved you, first as a boy, and now as a girl''. ( Yasuna begins to softly cry. ) I want to be by your side. I know that is selfish, but you are the only one in my heart ! And with that, Yasuna runs outside of the classroom, and slams the door shut, leaving Hazumu alone with her thoughts.

Left alone in the classroom, Hazumu muses to herself what has taken place with regard to her and Yasuna, and what little she knows about Yasuna and her situation in life. Yasuna runs down the hallway, trips, and falls to the floor, where she continues to cry her heart out sprawled on the floor. Slowly she gets up and looks out the window at the rooftop garden, and the tree on the front lawn. After a brief while, like being struck by lightening and becoming electrified, Yasuna uplifts her tear stained face, and her mood once again morphs from sorrow to defiance and determination ! Fired by passion and desire, and with clenched fists, she briskly walks back to the door of the unused classroom. She pauses at the door threshold. Hazumu looks up as Yasuna walks into the room and towards the desk she is sitting at. " Yasuna-chan, . . . . . .uh . . . . . . you know . . . . . . ", is all that Hazumu can stammer. Yasuna gives her a neutral expression, changing to slightly uneasiness. Coming in close to Hazumu with wet but dreamy eyes, Yasuna leans over the desk. As she leans in, she erotically whispers, " I don't want to have any more regrets . . . . ."

Going in for the kiss, Yasuna is tenderly silent, as Hazumu thinks to herself, " I can't refuse her. She has suffered so much . . . . . . . "

The kiss is very long, very moist, and very passionate ! The wind gently flows over the two girls from the open window, cooling the supernova fires that are now engulfing the both of them.

The sound of books and papers falling to the floor breaks the seething silence. Tomari, at the door's threshold, is frozen with permafrost, as her blank, unbelieving gaze is locked on the romantic couple as they slowly and lovingly separate. Tomari can not now turn away. Both look at Tomari, Hazumu with a puzzled look on her face, and Yasuna dripping with sweet innocence. Tomari now knows that she can never unsee what she has just witnessed.

Episode Lookback and Commentary
L