F.U.S.S.A.

p1
>Oh.

>What a cute flower...
>I can't bring myself to take it home with me...

>so I'll settle with a photo.

>Fufu...

><Hey>.

p2
>Uwah!

>What!? An American!?
>Blue eyes! White skin!
>~~~~~~<flower>.
>She's saying something!

>F-Furawaa?
>I wonder if this girl likes flowers?

p3
>Here... It's a pressed flower I made.

>~~~~~

>Eh? What was that?

>One the other side of this net is America.

>This town has Americans, but Japanese people can't get in so easily.
>This is an American military base town.

p4
>Fussa.

p6
>Kamidaira Risa-san! You got poor grades on your English test again!
>I'm sorry... I just can't find the motivation.
>What are you saying? You're already a third year, aren't you?

>It'd be nice if you had a goal.

>You sure got chewed out.
>Shut up! Your grades are just as bad!

>A goal, huh...
>But I don't need English.

>After all, we've become good friends without being able to communicate with words!

>And that's where I'm bad on the test!
>Gweh!
><Ahahahahaha!>

p7
>English sure is hard... But you guys use it every day, right?

>...

><Watashi wa motto nakayoku naritai> (I want to become even closer with you.)

>...!
><Benkyou shimashita nihongo totemo muzukashii demo...> (Studying Japanese is hard, but...)
><Risa to nakayoku narita kara> (I want to become close with you, Risa.)

>You're going this far... for me...?

>I see... I got it!

p8
>I'm gonna do my best at English too!
>Ai... erm... Sutadii!! Ingurisshu!!

>!

><Really!?>
>Yeah! I've decided!

>I want to become closer with you too, Delphi! That's my goal!

><Well then...>
>Romeo and Juliet?

p9
>From that day onward, we started teaching each other our respective languages.
>The method was simple. Delphi would read aloud the Japanese version of Romeo and Juliet, and I would read the English version.
>That's all it was, but...

>A lesson taking place across national borders
>feels kinda romantic.

>You've been getting better at English lately, Risa. How'd you do it?

>Hm? I just studied.
>Seriously!? You, Risa!?

>Hah... Well, it's a good thing that you're studying.

p10
>We're taking high school exams soon after all.

><Hi Delphi>
>Konnichiwa, Risa.

>(Mind if I study with you again today?) [TN: Dialogue presented in brackets is English translated into Japanese.]
>(Of course).

><Risa, Eigo umakunatta.> (You've gotten good at English, Risa.)

p11
>It's all thanks to you, Delphi!
>My grades have shot right up!

><Risa, koukou wa?> (What will you do for high school, Risa?)
>Hm? I'm fine with somewhere local. I wouldn't be able to meet up with you otherwise.
>The teacher said I could probably aim for a better high school if I keep at it, though.

>Putting that aside, I read that you can't leave that base by yourself until you're 16 right?

>When we become high schoolers, we can play together in Japan!
>Right?

><I wish if so>

>?
>More importantly,

p12
>Something for you, Delphi.
><Bara?> A rose?

>Romeo and Juliet did it too, right? I made it with a rose to mark our anniversary! Now we match!

><Arigatou, Risa.> (Thank you, Risa).

><Mou kono hon monokori sukoshi.> (There's just a little bit left in this book.)
><Kyou mo ressun shimashou.> (Let's have another lesson today.)


p13
>(The end).

><Dou omotta?> (What did you think?)
>Ehj?
>Let's see....
>I liked it.
><Sou...> (I see...)

>(I hate this story.)
>Eh?

>(There's the scene where Romeo and Juliet, who can never be joined together, tell each other their feelings.)
>(It's a lot like how we're able to talk with each other across this net.)
>(But I hate this story because it ends with the death of Romeo and Juliet.)
>(I hate how sad it is.)

>Eh? What did you say, Delphi?

p14
><Watashi kono kishi yo deteikuwa.> (I have to leave this base.)
>Eh...?

>What...?

>(My dad is a soldier.)
>(Soldiers are transferred to a base in another district every two years.)
>(He'll be going to America,)
>(which of course means his family has to come with him.)
>(We won't be able to see each other anymore.)

p15
>Eh... I can't understand when you put it in English! Why do you have to leave!?

>Wait!

>Don't go! We're finally...
>We're finally becoming able to communicate through words a little at a time!

>Delphi! Please!
>Tell me in a way I can understand!

>...!

p16
><Gomen ne, Risa.> (I'm sorry, Risa.)

><I'll be back.>

>Ah!

p17
>This net is a border.

>Even though I'm this close,
>she's so far away.

p18
>It was thanks to Delphi that I could understand English.
>But...

>...This is all it gets me?

>Why is it that I studied so hard to learn English?
>So I could become closer with that girl?
>But that wish didn't come true.
>That girl's no longer here.

>No matter what language I learn, there's an absolute border in the way.

>I couldn't even hold her hand.

>Learning English was meaningless!

p19
>What am I supposed to do? And for what purpose?

p20
>What happened, Kamidaira-san? In this pop quiz...
>you handed in a blank sheet.
>And you had gotten so good at it...

>What happened, Risa? You've been acting strange lately.

>What happened to the English studies?

>And here I thought I could get you to teach me English.

p21
>...Why do you want to learn English?

>Eh?
>What exactly is your goal?

>Of course...
>it's so I can marry a cool American guy like someone out of Hollywood!

>...That sounds stupid.
>Who are you calling stupid!?

p21
>National borders aren't as easygoing as you think.
>If you get married, will you go to live in America?

>America's pretty far away.
>You'll be far apart from your friends and family.

>Even so, do you want to become close with an American?

p22
>Something's definitely strange with you, Risa...

>Do you hate English now?

>There's... no point in learning English.

>No way...

><Wahaa!!>

p23
><Wahaa!>
><Wahaa!>
>Is that foreign girl lost...?

>Oh right! You know English, Risa! Go and help her!

>...It's fine. Why don't you do it?
>Huh!? No way! I don't know any English!

>But that girl's in trouble, right?

p24
>Um...

><I've lost my mom...>
><Mom! Where is my mom! Do you know?>

>Ugh...

>What do I do...?

p25
>You want some sweets?
>>Marshmallows

>Well, whaddaya know!
>I could make do even without knowing any English!
>Right, Risa?

>Risa...?

p26
>Hah

>It's just like when I first met Delphi...

>(Do you like flowers?)
>(You can have this.)
>(So pretty!)

>(Which way did you come from?)
>(This way...)
>(Then I'll search with you.)

>(Thank you, nice lady!)

>...A-

p27
>Amazing, Risa! You're that good at speaking English!?

>It's not amazing at all.

>You're changing your first school of choice!? You're finally getting motivated, Kamidaira-san!
>You can aim even higher!
>But why now all of a sudden?

p28
>>Exam ticket
>>Examinee No.

>>~~~~th Class
>>Graduation ceremony
>>Fussa Municipal Fussa Middle School

>>Tachiwaka High School
>Hey, Risa, wanna hang out today?
>Sorry. Part-time job.
>Aren't part-time jobs banned here? What job is it?
>A job from the school. If I was forced to say...

p29
>Oh.

>Another cute flower this year...
>I still can't bring myself to bring it home with me...

>so I'll settle for a photo.

>This kinda reminds me of back then.

p30
>This net is a border.
>But I can still feel her breath, her gaze, and her heartbeat.

>That's a pretty flower.

>(Ah! Are you the exchange student?)
>(I'm your interpreter and your guide to...)

p31
>Tadaima, Risa.

>This is Fussa.
>A town where Japan meets with America.