A Town Where You Live (君のいる町) is a shonen romance by Seo Koji. The manga ran from 2008 until 2014 and has been compiled into 27 tankoubon. It also received a 12 episode anime adaption in 2013 that covered the first two arcs of the story, with the first arc being largely glossed over. The series and its characters are indirectly related to Seo's prior work, Suzuka, and the ending leads directly into the continuation of that series with the manga Fuuka.
Click here to read the first part, the Hiroshima arc if you have not already.
With that Haruto heads off to Tokyo. He will be staying with his older sister, who lives in the same all girls dormitory that was featured in Suzuka. He has doubts about moving to Tokyo, purely to find Eba. Its caused a lot of trouble at home and he may be jumping to conclusions. he has literally uprooted himself and everyone around him for the off chance that she really doesn't want to remove him from her life. He meets another weird girl his first day there after she attacking him, fearing he was a burglar. The girl, Mishima Asuka, lives next door and is in the same class as Haruto in his new school. That same night he meets another classmate, a boy named Kazama Kyousuke. Both of them try to befriend Haruto in their own ways
Haruto doesn't have any time to bother with getting chummy though. AFter the first day of school ends he heads directly to Eba's home only to run into her sister Rin and be rejected from meeting Eba. Each day he repeats the process, desperate to run into her, becoming a stalker in the process. he is bound and determine not to take her note on face value and wont be satisfied until she tells him to his face. He suspects there is something wrong and he wants to be there to help him. His obsession is hurting his social standing with his class. On a day off from school Kazama wakes him up early, with Mishima in tow. He takes them both to a race track outside of Tokyo where he pracites racing on his crotchrocket. He tells Haruto about his dream to be a pro level racer when hes older. Mishima tells him when they are alone the reality of the situation. Kazama is battling some unspecified illness and theres a good chance it will prevent him from acheiving his dream. This gives Haruto a new perspective about his brand new friends and causes him to slow down a little bit and interact more with those around him for the time.
When one of his classmates invites Kazama with her to an event put on at the all girl high school Kyouou, Haruto jumps at the opportunity. This is where Eba goes and he thinks this will be his best chance of running into her. Desperate, he begs his classmate to take him with her instead. Reluctant at first, she makes him help her put away a large collection of books donated to the schools library in exchange. He becomes embarrassed when he sees her panties while helping her. She misinterprets it as him being shy around her due to liking her. After cooling of over the idea of being more popular than she though she agrees to let him go with her, as a trial for dating. Unsure what her plans are he agrees even though it could be a problem is Eba see's him with another girl. Kazama confronts him about his desperation to go to the all girls school, astutely figuring out its related to a girl. left with no choice, Haruto tells him the basics of why he transferred to Tokyo.
The classmate is in full proctor mode and considers this a date, with a grading system planned out. Haruto is distracted however and neglects the needy girl. As her frustration builds, she forces him to go through one classes haunted house, even though both of them are not into scary things. The tour ends horribly and she runs off, considering him little more than a sex crazed pervert. Unfortunately for him, Eba did see him with her, as she was part of the haunted house. As hes makes his way out of the school grounds she confronts him and tells him what he had been waiting to here since he decided to chase after her. In no uncertain terms she tells him that she truly did decide to break up with him and has a new boyfriend. Now with his reason for coming to Tokyo evaporating, Haruto has to figure out what to do with him self.
The following day in school Kazama quickly figures out what transpired. He determined that Haruto was able to meet the girl he was chasing after truly did reject him. In order to try and cheer him up he takes Haruto out on a ride on the back of his bike. After driving for a while they stop to chat and reflect. Before they can head back Kazama collapses onto his bike. Fearing the worst, knowing hes dealing with some serious health issues, he calls an ambulance. In the hospital Kazama chides him for over reacting, telling him it was just a bad case of anemia. Mishima comes rushing to the hospital and confesses that she told Haruto about his health issues. To distract them he reminds Haruto that he is going to help him fight for the girl that dumped him, just as he does Eba walks through the door, leaving Haruto speechless. Kazama eagerly greets her and introduces them to his girlfriend. Haruto and Eba pretend that this is the first time meet each other. What is Haruto to do? His new best friend is dating the girl he is chashing after. The girl he himself said Haruto should take back from her boyfriend.
Wanting to wrap things up he waits for Eba the following day at her home. This time he is able to talk with her and she tells him whats been going on. When Kazama learned she moved back to Tokyo he came to her, telling her that he had a terminal illness and wasn't expect to last a year. Out of desperation he asks her to go out with him, hoping that being with hr can improve his attitude and work towards healing. Caught between the long distance relationship with Haruto and giving the boy who has been chasing after her for 4 years a glimmer of hope, she decided to go out with him and leave Haruto to his own devices, not anticipating him chasing her back to Tokyo. Haruto isn't ready to throw in the towel yet and after spelling it out to Mishima in a few words, he decides hes not going to hide anything from the man he considers his friend. The next opportunity he has, he rushes to the hospital and lays down the challenge to Kazama. He knows he doesn't have long to live but isn't going to let that stop him from taking Eba back from him. Now with the secrets out of the way for everyone, Haruto feel's he can look his friend in the eye and not lie to him as he lives out the last of his days.
Kazama decides to go ahead with the surgery, hoping that if its successful it will give him the opportunity to truly steal Eba way from Haruto. He's convinced that she is only dating him out of pity and he wants to prove that their relationship is real. Before the surgery Haruto cooks a meal and they gather for a celebration. Kiyomi breaks down and assaults Eba, finally confessing to Kazama about her feelings for him. As everyone is leaving, he pulls Haruto aside and tells him to try and go after his childhood friend, sicne he will have Eba for a long time. As to be expected...he dies shortly after the surgery. The day after the funeral, Eba drops off Kazama's motorcycle helmet to Haruto. Kazama was serious when he said he wanted Haruto's restaurant to be the front and center sponsor for his pro racing team. As she leaves, she tells him that they need to stop seeing each other. Leaving him by himself, with the memories of a good friend and better rival in the helmet.
Following the passing of Kazama, Haruto and Mishima become closer friends. Just before winter she tells him that she likes him, but follows it up with more, obscuring her true intentions. As winter break approaches they meet with Kiyomi for coffee. Kiyomi notices tht something is off when Mishima excuses herself to take a phone call. She tells haruto that she likes him and that he needs to figure it out before it ruins their friendship. He tells her that the final confrontation with Eba has put him off from relationships for the time being. Out of an off handed comment he ends up inviting Mishima with him back to his home over the break, due to her fascination with snow. To make things less awkward he forces Kiyomi to join them. Everything is going well on their first day back in Hiroshima...until Akari arrives and everyone goes to a hot spring. Mishima knows that Haruto and Akari had kissed at one point and she sees her as a rival for his affection, even though she hasn't been honest with him about her feelings.
Someone he didn't anticipate seeing was his first love Nanami. After a day of everyone playing in the snow she sat down to have a deep conversation. Akari had filled her in regarding the drama Haruto was involved with in Tokyo. She also notices something with Mishima and tells him that he needs to make a decision sooner than later, given he has feelings for her even though he can't admit it. That idea seeps into his brain and he begins to ponder the truth of it. Mishima and Kiyomi decide to return to Tokyo after only a few days and the eve before they leave Mishima asks Haruto to talk in private. She tells him that he should move back home after graduation instead of going to college with her in Tokyo. He counters saying he wants to be with her and asks her to go out with him. They don't do to well in keeping their relationship hidden as his friends force him to join the girls on the way back to Tokyo, so he can spend time with Mishima.
Now that they are a couple how much will things change for them? They bicker over everything but seems to be doing well enough, each finding comfort with the other as they move beyond the lose they have endured. What will the future hold for them, we will have to wait for the next arc of the story as they enter college.
Part three, the college arc.
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