Original subtitles

PREVIOUSLY

Let's go.

- You brought him? - Take his blood for testing.

I wasn't supposed to get sick,

but now I'm in a place like this because of you.

You're a doctor, right?

It's your job to save people.

Don't ever go near those two or their room ever again.

Mrs. Iwami!

Are you coming back to the infirmary?

I came to say a greeting since I will be returning in April.

ORIGINAL STORY BY MAYU HINASE

- Hello. - April?

Yuki and Mika will be graduating soon.

Then we won't see you again.

I'll go to the graduation.

I want to give everyone a grand send-off.

The bell rang.

Okay.

- Later, Mrs. Iwami. - Yeah.

- Later. - Later.

See you at the graduation.

- Bye. - Bye.

- We'll be off. - Bye.

Please sit.

I'm happy to see that you're using the things I left behind.

Um…

I have a favor to ask.

Yes?

I have an exchange diary

with Mai Tonosaki, who will be in second grade next year.

So, I'd like you to take over.

It's to treat her selective mutism.

She can only speak with her family and select students so far.

But we want to increase the number of places and people

she can feel comfortable with.

We need to start

by having conversations using the diary, right?

Yes.

- I understand. - And a student named Naoaki Saejima

has a congenital heart disease.

Okay, Saejima.

Nine-thirty!

He had his surgery a while ago,

and now he's well enough to come to school,

but if anything happens, please take him to the hospital.

- I understand. - And…

The students must've been reassured

to have a doctor like you at school.

I'm not a school nurse.

I can do medical procedures,

but I'm not suited for the school infirmary.

But those two students that were just here

didn't come in here because they were sick or hurt, right?

They know that they'll feel safe here.

I can tell that this place has become their safe haven.

KANTO MEDICAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

- Let go! - Calm down.

- Stop it. Calm down. - I'm going home.

He's been coming to all the routine checkups,

and he seems to be taking his medicine too.

So, everything is going well?

But apparently,

there are moments when he clutches his chest as if he's in pain.

- Apparently? - Makoto denies it,

but his dad says that he has seen him do that several times.

Lots of kids hide their pain.

We ran other tests just in case,

but no abnormalities.

We didn't find anything that could be causing

his chest pains.

Makoto Kashii hates the hospital.

Maybe he doesn't want to come despite his pain

because he doesn't want to admit that he's sick.

When Makoto was hospitalized, he said…

Am I

never going back home?

Come to think of it, Dr. Takasaki noted something about that.

He became very quiet like that

after my wife passed away.

Makoto's mom

was hospitalized to undergo surgery for a respiratory disease,

but she passed away.

You were here?

IDEAS FOR THE SCHOOL'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL

The school's 150th anniversary festival

is an event to thank

the locals who are always supporting us.

Let's keep that in mind

and think of a project for Class 6-2.

Haunted house!

Escape room!

Mystery solving game!

How about a chronological timeline of the last 150 years?

You're so serious.

What about we invite celebrities who are from Higashitama?

Like an idol.

I want Pastel Color to come.

- Good idea. - I agree!

YOU PASSED THE 50 MARK! IT'S THE RESULT OF YOUR HARD WORK

Ms. Shinoya.

Before we graduate, we want to thank Dr. Makino.

What do you think will make him happy?

Let's see…

What does he like?

We realized that we don't know anything about him.

So, we went to go ask him, but he wouldn't tell us.

I think Dr. Makino will be happy

if everyone is healthy.

But I'm sure you want to express your feelings.

I'm sure

Dr. Makino will be happy if you tell him how you feel

by putting your feelings into words.

Hello.

KASHII

Come in.

Go take a bath.

What did you want to talk about?

If it's about Makoto,

Dr. Takasaki and Dr. Sakuma are taking good care of him.

They said his recent test showed

that he has no abnormalities.

Can I pay my respects to your late wife?

We don't have a family altar here.

There's nothing here that would remind us of her.

I put it all away.

It's so that

Makoto can move on.

It's okay.

Pain, pain,

go away.

Pain, pain,

go away.

I heard that he's having chest pains.

But he's denying it.

Nothing showed up on the tests either.

I think I'm just overthinking things.

Overthinking is not good.

Overthinking

can become the cause of an illness.

What?

There's an illness called somatic symptom disorder.

SOMATIC SYMPTOM DISORDER

It's an illness where one suffers from physical pain and other symptoms

although there are no visible injuries

or abnormal test results that match the subjective symptoms.

Makoto Kashii

might have somatic symptom disorder.

He thinks that if he gets sick,

he won't be able to return home, just like his mom.

That's why he won't admit that he's not feeling well

and hates the hospital.

He doesn't want to get sick,

but perhaps that feeling

has gotten so intense that he is feeling pain that doesn't exist.

That is a possibility.

If that's the case,

it's a doctor's duty to relieve him of that pain.

In order to treat somatic symptom disorder,

the most important factor

is trust between the doctor and the patient.

Is this something you can do?

I don't know.

But

will you let me try?

Somatic symptom disorder

is a psychological disorder?

Yes.

I went and talked with the staff where your wife was hospitalized.

When Makoto was five years old,

she was hospitalized to undergo surgery, right?

She was making good progress after the surgery

and should've been able to go home.

But she caught COVID-19.

I couldn't visit her,

and I couldn't be there when she passed away.

I didn't even get to see

my wife's cold, lifeless body.

They handed over the bones

and told me that it was my wife.

It was hard for me to believe.

I thought I was being tricked.

I'm still in disbelief sometimes.

Well,

it's probably because I don't want to accept the reality.

I also talked

to Mr. Takenaka and Ms. Jinnai at Daisan Elementary School.

What?

We heard about his mom,

so all the teachers

kept an eye on him ever since school started.

It was a difficult time

because the kids had to maintain a distance

in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

But he was really focused during class.

I know that it will be painful to remind him about his mother.

But on the other hand,

Makoto's pain might be caused by the fact

that he never got to face and find closure over his mother's death.

The hospital

is not a place you go to die,

but it's a place you go in order to live. I want him to understand that.

Can you drink alcohol?

What?

There was a time when Makoto didn't have much of an appetite.

We tried a lot of different things,

but one time, my wife bought a takoyaki maker.

I think he had fun seeing the round takoyaki taking shape

because he started showing interest in food again.

- But… - Was it hot?

He couldn't eat it at first because it was so hot.

Is it good?

I'm so glad.

Oh, and you know how mothers sew the bags and towels for school kids?

The store-bought ones are fine too,

but she said that she wanted to make it herself.

- Oh no. - Sometimes

people say things like, "Wow, it looks like it was store-bought!"

But hers was a far cry from that.

But she did her best.

She wrote his name on all of his belongings.

I'm sure

she's wishing she had the chance

to do a lot more for him.

I'm sure she's frustrated.

I'm going to stay at the hospital

for a while, but I'll get better and come back right away.

Stay well until then, Makoto.

Okay.

That's a promise.

Okay. It's a promise.

I told Makoto…

Where's Mom?

Welcome home.

Where's Mom?

Makoto,

we can't see Mom anymore,

but Mom will always be watching over you, okay?

So,

let's stay healthy.

I thought that promise would give him hope for the future.

But…

Makoto took that promise too seriously, and he's trying to live up to it.

He's suffering because of that.

But that promise was the last conversation

between the two of them.

I can't tell him

to forget that promise.

MAKOTO TWO YEARS OLD

MAKOTO THREE YEARS OLD

MAKOTO FOUR YEARS OLD

MAKOTO FIVE YEARS OLD

HIGASHITAMA DAIHACHI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

A promise, huh?

Yes.

That's the exact opposite of what you said when you first

came here.

Stay away from the infirmary as much as possible.

It's the opposite

of the opposite,

so is it the same?

What?

What you meant to say was that you didn't want the kids

to get hurt or sick, right?

Of course.

When a mother says, "Be well,"

it doesn't mean that you're not allowed to be sick.

It means that if you ever get sick,

she wants you to go to the hospital

and get treated right away.

Yeah.

She doesn't want you to endure the pain.

She wants you to be smiling.

It's the mother's wish.

That was the mother's wish,

but how can I get that across to Makoto?

Can't you just tell that to Makoto?

If some random person tells you

that you misunderstood your mother's words,

will you believe it?

Dr. Makino,

you're the type of person who speaks the truth without sugarcoating it.

But I think doing the opposite can save people sometimes.

You're saying that I should come up with a lie?

Not a lie, but more of…

a story?

HIGASHITAMA DAIHACHI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

- Excuse me. - Excuse me.

Dr. Makino, do you like to draw?

It doesn't seem like it.

What are you drawing?

Isn't it obvious?

It's bad, huh?

Is this

- for the 150th anniversary festival? - No.

Oh, it's not?

But that's an idea.

MAKINO SPECIAL

Okay.

Dr. Makino, is this all right?

That's good.

It looks like a bear.

- Yeah, you're good. - It's good.

KASHII

Yes, I understand.

Makoto,

let's go on an outing next Sunday.

SCHOOL'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL

Isn't that him?

Let's talk to him.

- Hello. - Hello.

Are you Makoto Kashii?

- Yes. - Come here.

- Come with us. - Let's go.

Please come with us.

Where do you want to start?

But you don't know what's available, huh?

Be careful.

Get in line.

Everyone will get one, don't worry.

You can do it!

I can do it!

Oh man.

- You can try again. - Really?

That was so close.

Is it difficult?

First-graders can stand at this line right here.

This school started out small, with only one classroom.

But with the support of the locals…

- Be careful, Takuma. - Watch out.

Naoaki, you're here.

Want to play games?

‪Yeah.

Want to join us?

Makoto, go and have fun.

Let's go.

- Let's go! - Come on, everyone.

Oh, can you get it?

Wow.

Look, Mom!

Good for you, Nao.

I was so close.

You can do it.

How about this one?

INFIRMARY

Mother will be far away for a little while,

but I want you to stay healthy.

The baby bear treasured and kept the promise

he made with his mother.

What's wrong? You don't look too well.

I'm good. I'm always doing well.

After hearing that, Squirrel felt that she should not worry about him anymore.

The baby bear did his best on his own

because he didn't want to show any weakness.

He tried really hard in order to stay healthy.

But everyone has days

when they want to cry.

As the baby bear was hiding his sadness from everyone else,

he heard the voice

of his mother, who had gone somewhere far away.

I'm sorry I can't go back home.

I know that you're doing your best

to keep that promise you made with me.

But don't push yourself too hard.

If you ever get hurt,

you can say that it hurts.

It's okay to ask for help.

Accept lots of help,

and at times, you can be the one to help others.

Help me.

Hearing the baby bear's cry for help,

friends in the forest gathered around him.

- What's wrong? - We're here to help.

- What can we do for you? - Let us know.

We're here for you.

From now on,

can you make this the promise between us?

Promise.

With his friends by his side, the baby bear

decided to keep on living while helping each other out.

The other day, you shared some stories about your wife with me,

but maybe you should share it with Makoto too.

Nothing can be done with the sadness of missing her,

but talking about his mom

will help him

to accept it and move forward.

That's what I believe.

The only people who can do that

are you and Makoto.

Okay.

Wow,

you grew a lot.

These markings

are proof that your mom was looking forward to seeing you grow up.

I'm sure Mom is happy to see that you've grown up

this much.

MAKOTO TWO YEARS OLD

MAKOTO THREE YEARS OLD

MAKOTO FOUR YEARS OLD

MAKOTO FIVE YEARS OLD

I'm sorry for leaving it blank

for this long.

MAKOTO TEN YEARS OLD

It hurt.

I was lonely.

Yeah.

It must've hurt.

You must've been lonely.

Mom…

is really gone, huh?

Let's talk about Mom a lot from now on.

You can cry

and laugh as much as you want.

That was a lot of fun.

I can't believe Dr. Makino came up with an idea like that.

I would've never expected this from him

when we first met him.

Back then, I was so worried

because he was so harsh, and he never smiled.

That hasn't changed.

You're right.

Remember his Health Bulletin?

He had no intention of getting close to the kids.

HEALTH BULLETIN

But he still made the Health Bulletin.

You're right.

He noticed things that we failed to see as teachers.

It's sad to see him leave.

Then,

shall we ask him to stay longer?

Principal.

The hospital is busy, so that was just a joke.

But you turned this place into a great infirmary.

I'm sorry

to make an unorganized person like you take on extra tasks.

Unorganized? Well, you're right about the extra tasks.

You're so bad at drawing

that the kids and I ended up

having to do most of the work.

Thank you.

Yeah.

I got to see a different side of those kids,

- so it was a lot of fun. - I see.

- Then, let's call it even. - What?

- Weren't you going to treat me to-- - I never said that.

But thank you very much.

You're frozen.

This is so unfair.

That was a "thank you" that you only say

once in a while,

so I couldn't help but burst with happiness right now.

That's what makes you so sincere.

And it's probably why the kids trust you.

I don't think it's something I can do.

I'm a doctor, and you're a teacher.

Of course, we're different.

If I was like you,

I wouldn't have gotten kicked out of the hospital to begin with.

Why are you silent?

I'm grateful.

Very grateful.

GRADUATION CEREMONY HIGASHITAMA DAIHACHI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

I'm getting nervous.

- Mrs. Iwami! - Mrs. Iwami!

Mrs. Iwami!

Long time no see!

How have you been?

HAPPY GRADUATION, DR. MAKINO

THANK YOU, DR. MAKINO

THANK YOU FOR BEING THE FIRST ONE TO DIAGNOSE MY ILLNESS - YUKI NOZAKI

THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME I WILL MISS YOU - MIZUMOTO

THANKS TO YOU I WAS ABLE TO MAKE UP WITH REIKA

THANK YOU! UNTIL NEXT TIME - AURORA

They've all grown up.

CLASS 6-2

Okay, class leader, let's do our greetings.

Before we do that,

can we have a moment?

This is from us at Class 6-2,

to Ms. Shinoya.

MS. SHINOYA 100 POINTS

LET'S LOOK BACK ON THE YEAR AND PUT OUR FEELINGS INTO WORDS

Q: WHAT KIND OF TEACHER IS MS. SHINOYA?

A: A BRIGHT AND CHEERFUL TEACHER

Q: HOW NICE AND FRIENDLY IS MS. SHINOYA? A: NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD!

Q: WHAT DID MS. SHINOYA DO FOR US?

A: SHE MADE THE LESSONS EASIER TO UNDERSTAND

Q: WHAT DO YOU WANT MS. SHINOYA TO FIX? A: SHE WORKS TOO HARD! REST A LITTLE!

Q: WHAT KIND OF TEACHER WAS MS. SHINOYA? A: SHE LOVED HER STUDENTS

Q: NICE + FUNNY x SERIOUS = A: MS. SHINOYA

Q: MEMORABLE WORDS FROM MS. SHINOYA? A: YOU'RE GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT

THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS WATCHING OVER US

Thank you for always watching over us.

Stand.

Forward.

Goodbye, Ms. Shinoya.

Goodbye.

Goodbye.

Congratulations

on your graduation.

GRADUATION CEREMONY HIGASHITAMA DAIHACHI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

MRS. IWAMI I WILL LEAVE THESE FOR YOU - MAKINO

CLASS 5-1, CLASS 5-2

CLASS 6-1, CLASS 6-2

IF UNNECESSARY, PLEASE DISCARD THE FILES OF THE STUDENTS WHO GRADUATED

YUKI NOZAKI NARCOLEPSY

YUKI NOZAKI NARCOLEPSY

I also…

People who are sick can be driven into a corner

by those around them who are ignorant of the symptoms.

You're all driving her into a corner right now.

He’s a little weird,

but he’s the first person who actually found the real me.

TAKUMA SASAMOTO CHIGGER

It was so frustrating because no one would believe me.

RIKO HASUMOTO IGA VASCULITIS

What is this?

I want Doctor to check this out.

YUGO NISHIHARA TENSION PNEUMOTHORAX

Being cool won't even be an option once you lose your life.

I'm so glad.

HANA MIZUMOTO

I'm afraid

of myself.

I want to be of help.

I want to help you.

RIN SASAKURA

There were so many happy moments.

But one sad thing

erased all the happy feelings.

Yeah.

Auntie, can’t you wait here for Satoru?

CLASS 1-2

MAI TONOSAKI

NAOAKI SAEJIMA

Somebody…

please come…

Somebody…

KEI SAEJIMA

GRADUATION CEREMONY HIGASHITAMA DAIHACHI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Taking good care of one's body and mind should be the basics,

but it's surprisingly difficult.

Don't be too hard on yourself,

and don't hesitate to ask for help.

I want you to stay healthy.

KANTO MEDICAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

TODAY'S DOCTOR DR. MAKINO

Open your mouth.

Open your mouth.

- Your mouth. - Dr. Makino.

Smile.

It's okay. Don't be scared.

Makoto Kashii no longer has chest pains.

I see.

I'm glad.

When you were a kid,

where did you go during recess?

I was in the classroom.

For me,

I didn't go to the schoolyard,

but I didn't want to be in the classroom either.

So, I was all alone in the hallway.

The person who found me was the school nurse.

The school nurse

gave me a little push so that I could find the strength

to go and return to be with everyone else.

I think

doctors have the responsibility to take on such roles.

You may be right.

But…

even if a child can't return to being with everyone else,

as long as that child can decide where to go on its own,

I think that child will be all right.

Anyone can help that child to take the first step.

Unless the adults cooperate,

we can't protect the kids.

I want kids

to look toward the future.

We're going karaoke today.

Really?

What are you doing?

Are you thinking again that you don't want to go home?

I was just

wondering which club to join.

Thank you

for what you did back then.

What?

The outdoor education during sixth grade.

Oh, that was a long time ago.

But what you said to me that day

will always be with me.

When things get boring, you just have to go where it's fun.

Did I say that?

- Let's go. - What?

We all made a promise to meet up today, remember?

Don't run in the hallway.

INFIRMARY

See you later, Mai.

You look well.

Let's go back to class.

Little by little, Mai has been expressing herself

a lot more in the exchange diary.

I see.

Naoaki Saejima is doing very well too.

I'm glad.

There you are, Dr. Makino!

I made this.

What do you think of this?

Isn't it cute?

Please don't tell me

that you stayed up all night to do this.

No… Well…

- I wouldn't say… - You idiot.

You're using your energy on useless things.

Stop calling me an idiot!

Dr. Makino, who used to consider everything a big hassle,

said that he wanted to hold a local health consultation meeting,

so that made me really happy, and I wanted to do my best to help--

That's unnecessary.

This isn't necessary.

- This is all we need. - Dr. Makino!

- Ms. Shinoya. - Dr. Makino.

Hey!

Dr. Makino, look at our uniform!

Did you like our message?

Why did you leave early on graduation day?

Why are you guys always so loud and noisy?

Who cares?

Congratulations

on your new school year.

THIS DRAMA IS A FICTION

Subtitle translation by: Lili Morita