Episode 30 :
友だち いらない？
("Wanna Be Friends?")
Tsukushi and the gang have
returned to Japan from Canada. The first day back at school is an uncomfortable
one for Tsukushi and Doumyouji as Nishikado and Akira keep trying to force
Doumyouji and Tsukushi together. When they do meet, they both blush profusely.
All they can say to each other is good morning before they look away. They of
course soon begin to argue.
At a stairwell in the school, Tsukushi meets up with Asai,
Ayuhara, and Yamano. The three girls seem not have learned anything from their
trip to Vancouver because they immediately start sneering at Tsukushi and being
nasty. As Tsukushi climbs the staircase to go around them, they trip her, and
she falls down the stairs. Tsukushi gets up and is about to climb then again
when a guy comes down the stairs and suddenly drops all his books-- right on top
of Asai and her friends! The girls screech and wih a sneering look at the clumsy
boy, they leave. The guy apoligizes, and he and Tsukushi pick up all the books.
The boy has brown/reddish hair, and wears these huge glasses that cover his
face. He knows Tsukushi's name, and calls her the Joan d'Arc of Eitoku Gakuen,
and says she is his goddess of war! Tsukushi is rather surprised. He then leaves
before she can learn who he is or how he knows her name.
Tsukushi actually sits and eats lunch with Makiko-chan! (It
has been a long time since Tsukushi spent any time at all with Makiko-chan other
than exchanging the voice memo) Tsukushi notes the poor quality of her lunch,
and Makiko shares some of hers. Their frienship is made stronger here.
Tsukushi is walking on campus when a paper airplane soars
through the air and hits her. She is standing under a bridge. Suddenly the boy
she met earlier is there, hanging his head down from the bridge. He then jumps
to the ground in front of Tsukushi, and hurts his ankle a little. He introduces
himself as Junpei. Before they can talk, Tsukushi sees the F4 coming, and grabs
Junpei and runs. The F4 sit down under a tree and start to talk. Doumyouji looks
spiky, and the others wonder what he is thinking of. They think it is probably
Tsukushi and what happened in Canada. Doumyouji gets embarrassed and denies
this, throwing out a bunch of insults about Tsukushi. Crouched in a bush
listening in on the F4's conversation, Tsukushi gets madder and madder with
every insult Doumyouji says. In the bushes with her, Junpei watches Tsukushi get
mad, and then yells out to the F4 "You're idiots! You morons!'
The F4 wonder who said that, but Tsukushi has already dragged Junpei away.
Tsukushi and Junpei sit and talk to each other for a bit. He makes the comment
that Tsukushi only has to put up with Eitoku Gakuen for 2 more years. This makes
Tsukushi pause because he uses the exact same wording that Tsukushi had used
back in episode 1 when she was cleaning up the school grounds and thinking about
only having 2 more years.
Junpei makes another paper airplane and places 2 ants on it,
indicating one is Tsukushi, the other is himself, then he throws it, and they
watch it soar off into the sky, getting away from it all.
Later on, Tsukushi goes to her new job. Yuki is there talking
to her. Tsukushi talks about the money Doumyouji loaned to her, and she still
wants to pay it back. Her father still has not found a new job (?), etc. Yuki
talks about the F4, and thinks that they are pretty cool. Tsukushi disagrees.
After work, Tsukushi is walking down the street when she bumps into someone and
falls, spilling her stuff. Someone picks up the green toy Doumyouji gave her in
Canada. It is Junpei! He smiles, and spells something out on the toy. 'To-mo-da-chi'.
Friend. He asks if Tsukushi wants a friend. She asks who? and he points to
himself. He talks about how they could be friends, and on their airplane in the
sky she could be the navigator. He also says that if they agree to be friends,
he can tell her his secret. This intrigues Tsukushi.
Tsukushi s now in some room waiting for Junpei, who has been
gone for a while. Just as she gets up to go look for him, people come out to
find her and tell her to follow them. Then this guy pushes Tsukushi into a room,
where we hear the sounds of Tsukushi yelling 'stop! let me go!'. A few minutes
later, Tsukushi emerges from the room with a makeover! (eek, another forced
makeover!) She looks very cute in an ultra-trendy outfit and her hair done with
all these wisps sticking out. The people usher her into another room where she
is blinded by cameras flashing. She sees that this is some sort of photography
studio. Someone is having pictures taken. Tsukushi gasps as she an incredibly
gorgeous guy. It is Junpei! He has removed his glasses. He is *so* cute!
Junpei sees Tsukushi and calls her cute too! He grabs her and
hugs her. Then while he changes into a new set of clothes and has his hair
restyled, they talk. Tsukushi is confused by his new look. Junpei is a famous
male model who has to wear those glasses to disguise himself. Junpei stands up
for more pictures, and the photographers want Tsukushi in the shots too.
Tsukushi doesn't want to, but they drag her. She and Junpei stand close, all the
while Tsukushi looking like a deer caught in headlights.
For one last shot, Junpei grabs Tsukushi, lifts her up, and
holds her against him. The cameras flash.
Toys used in the episode: Junpei spells out the word 'Friend'
on Tsukushi's green toy from Doumyouji.
