“High School Boys and Childhood’’ is the 16th chapter of the manga.
Cover Page
A still in which Motoharu is seen walking with his sister .
Detailed Summary
Motoharu is walking home with his sister near a riverbank, who asks him what he wants for dinner. He says soba, and she is happy that he chose something easy to make. She then talks about her friend who always fights with her brother, concluding that it was a rare cordiality that existed between her and Motoharu. He seems to agree, and tells her about Yoshitake, who doesn’t get along with his compulsive liar of a sister, and Tadakuni, who only talks to his sister about once a month. However, he points out that their own parents were rarely at home and they needed to help each other, which made their relationship not-so-rare. His sister does not agree with this, pointing out a spot on the riverbank where they used to ‘play his favourite game’ when they were kids. This ‘game’ consisted of her picking him up by the arms and whirling him around repeatedly.
Finding this idea embarrassing, he denies it stoutly, but she persists that it’s true, and says that he wanted to play it often. He concedes that they got along well even as kids, and seeks to move on, but she says they should try playing the game again to jog his memory. Motoharu points out their significant height difference and suggests it would be impossible for her now.
Next, the quiet riverbank is suddenly disturbed by loud yelling as Motoharu’s sister successfully whirls him around. A spinning Motoharu now remembers this game and is shown to be tearful when he realises that it was his sister’s idea of bullying him when they were kids.
Characters
In order of appearance:
- Motoharu
- Motoharu's older sister
- Yoshitake
- Yoshitake's older sister
- Tadakuni
- Tadakuni's younger sister