Act 4: Dream is the fourth and final act on Rin's route.
Synopsis[]
Hisao returns to school. The day before the exhibit, Hisao encounters Rin on the way to his room and realizes his frustration has not left. He demands that Rin explain what he means to her, but she is unable to do so. He yells at her about how selfish and unhealthy she's being by devoting herself to her art, treating him only as a source of inspiration and not as a person with feelings. Upset, Rin leaves and Hisao becomes even more frustrated for hurting her.
The next night Hisao goes to the exhibition to apologize to Rin. Rin is not there, but Emi is, to support her friend. Nomiya fianlly appears with Rin, who pointedly ignores Hisao. The many guests begin asking questions of Rin, about her disability and how it affects her painting, her inspiration and technique. Rin is so overwhelmed that she sinks to her knees. Hisao escorts her outside to calm down. Rin realises she isn't ready to cope with so many questions.
Rin admits she wasn't ready for the gallery and walks back to school. Nomiya is outraged when he learns what Rin has done. Emi suggests she and Hisao find her and "kick her ass", but Hisao persuades her against that. The two return to the dorms to prepare for exams.
Nomiya interrupts Mutou's final exam to talk to Hisao. He has been unable to find Rin since she left. When prodded on why he pushed Rin into it, Nomiya explains that he saw it as his duty to ensure her talents didn't go to waste. Hisao leaves Nomiya and finds Rin in the unused classroom where they first met. Rin continues to hold herself at a distance. Hisao explains that Sae and Nomiya believe Rin is throwing away everything she has been working towards. He convinces her that she needs to apologize to Nomiya.
Hisao waits outside as the art teacher scolds Rin, lecturing her throwing away a promising career. She states, in her detached way, that the exhibition was a mistake. Nomiya frustratedly tells her she might not be an artist after all and storms out. When Hisao goes in to comfort her she pushes him away. Hisao tells her that Nomiya was trying to make her into someone she wasn't ready to be, and that in a way he was doing the same thing by trying to make them "more than friends". She cries in his arms, and Hisao holds her until she's done, realizing he fell in love with her a long time ago, even if he isn't able to connect with her well.
Rin explains it's easier to express herself with art than with words. She's trying to get people to understand her so she doesn't feel so alone. Hisao realizes she's been reaching out to him like he's been reaching out to her. She accepts that it's okay to never be completely understood, but dares to trust in Hisao a little more.
On the first day of summer vacation, a heavy rain pours outside. Hisao hears a thud at his door. Rin stands in the hallway, soaking wet. She's gone for a walk in the rain and, since Emi has gone home for the summer, she needs help changing into dry clothes. Hisao nervously agrees to help. As he dries and undresses her, one thing leads to another. Making love is a transformative act for both of them: Rin discovers what it feels like to not be alone and Hisao learns to stop worrying about the future.
Afterwards, Rin takes him back to the hill of dandelion flowers which are now in full bloom. She asks Hisao if he loves her. He isn't sure. Rin tells Hisao "I love you" anyway, describing the phrase as "a weird taste". She admits that she's a little bit afraid of Hisao, because he makes her feel like she should be someone else. She starts to cry.
But the things about her that frustrate him are also what he admires most about her. Rin decides it's okay not to change. Hisao asks Rin if she still plans to become an artist, but Rin asks him to watch the sky with her instead. She asks him "What's the right word for when it feels inside your heart that everything in the world is alright?"
Hisao tells Rin that she should be happy so many people are interested in her art and convinces her to go back inside. Nomiya brushes off Rin's collapse as a spell of dizziness and Hisao loses her to the crowd of art enthusiasts.
After finishing his final exam, Hisao has an abundance of free time. But all he wants to do is see Rin. At the art gallery, he runs into Nomiya and Sae who are still enraptured by the success of the showing. Rin enters the gallery but stops upon seeing Hisao and leaves again. He chases after her for an explanation. She tells him that talking to him hurts her. The two of them wander the streets in silence, until eventually Hisao asks Rin about how she felt the exhibition went. Rin says all she wanted was for someone to look at her art and say "I understand how you feel". Hisao tells her nobody will ever understand her because human beings experience life uniquely. This hurts Rin deeply, who asks "Why do you say that when you made me feel otherwise?"
She announces that Nomiya has helped her with a scholarship to an art university in Tokyo, leaving before the final trimester at Yamaku. Hisao is shocked how ready she is to leave him, but Rin states that she must go her own path, even if it changes her. She tells him to forget about her, then walks out of his life.Characters[]
- Hisao Nakai
- Rin Tezuka
- Shinichi Nomiya
- Sae Saionji
- Emi Ibarazaki
- Akio Mutou
- Shiina "Misha" Mikado
- Man
- Woman
Scenes[]
- Illusions for People
- Demused
- The Scene[1]
- Desperate Glory
- Problems of Self-Referential Logic
- Measuring Shadows
- Raison d'Etre
- Without Breathing, Without a Sound[2]
- Proof of Existence[3]
- Wavelength
- Blue Period
- The World Only You Can See[4]