Every day after school, Kanae would deliberately wait for Takaki at the bicycle parking area.
She even bought drinks from the convenience store in the flavor he liked—just to get used to his preferences.
Some might say she was acting like a simp, but… not all acts of kindness are simping.
The difference lies in this: a simp accepts everything without boundaries, but Kanae—as you'll come to realize later—isn't like that.
They'd talk about which universities they hoped to attend.
One day after school, they saw rockets and satellites being transported across the road.
Since launch sites are usually located in remote places, it wasn't hard for Jing Yu to adapt the script accordingly.
In the rain, the two of them cycled home.
Takaki stared off into the distance, his eyes hollow. Kanae, riding just behind him, had eyes full of resolve.
That single scene—cycling through the rain—left the entire fanbase in silence.
A wave of inexplicable sorrow washed over them.
"Takaki said he's lost about the future… so he's just like me." —Kanae.
"It was a journey so lonely it's hard to imagine. Advancing alone in complete darkness, unable to touch even a hydrogen atom."
Takaki lifted his head.
"How long will we keep going like this? Where are we even headed?"
In his mind, a vision appeared: Akari from their high school days, played by Yu Youqing.
She was beautiful, with a gentle smile… yet utterly unreachable.
At this point, even the most oblivious viewers could sense something was wrong.
"What's going on?"
"Why is Takaki so empty? His eyes don't even shine anymore."
"Come on, he wasn't like this before! Now in high school, he's all withdrawn and quiet."
"Yeah, he treats Kanae politely, but you can tell he's keeping her at arm's length emotionally. It's like he's shut himself off."
"I'm really starting to think something went wrong between him and Akari."
"Same here."
"But didn't they keep texting each other?"
"Yeah, if there's a problem, why still text?"
But the following scene explained everything.
As usual, Takaki fiddled with his phone alone.
"Typing messages like this, with no recipient…"
This internal monologue revealed the truth: he was writing drafts—never sending them to anyone.
He had a phone now, but wasn't contacting Akari.
Lost touch?
No… impossible.
He just… no longer had the will to reach out.
Tong Yin exhaled softly. In that moment, she got it.
This explained the emptiness in Takaki's eyes.
Some viewers in the fan group caught on just as fast.
"So… they drifted apart after all?"
"Why? It's only been five years!"
"Only five years? I graduated from college two years ago and haven't spoken to my dorm mates for six months."
"Don't even start. In the first year after graduation, we messaged monthly. Second year, I only chatted with each person once. Now it's year five—one of my old roommates called to say he's getting married. We talked for half an hour, and for a moment it felt like our college days again. My feelings hadn't changed… but I knew, once the wedding's over, we'll probably lose touch again."
"But in 'Cherry Blossom', didn't they part with well wishes?"
"That's what goodbyes are. It's not that you can't contact them—it's that you don't know why you should. What are they now—lovers? Friends? Classmates? What kind of relationship justifies calling or texting someone day after day, year after year? The moment that uncertainty sets in… the desire to reach out disappears."
"But still…"
"Sigh…"
On a sunny afternoon, nearing the end of their final year in high school—
Kanae finally made up her mind to confess.
She had been preparing for this moment for five years.
Every day, walking home with him, adapting to his habits, chatting to deepen their bond—it had all built up to now.
As usual, she waited for him by the bike racks after school.
And as the sun began to set, Takaki showed up, looking calm, ready to head home.
He invited her to walk together, like always.
At the convenience store, they each picked up a drink—but this time, Kanae chose the same flavor as Takaki.
Outside the shop, she gently tugged on his sleeve.
Tong Yin subconsciously held her breath.
Takaki turned, eyes clear, looking at her.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly.
"Sorry… It's nothing."
She said nothing.
"What the hell? She's not gonna say it?"
"Takaki's eyes… still lack any light."
"This is painful to watch. I feel so bad for Kanae."
"I've got a bad feeling—this confession's not going anywhere."
"Not necessarily."
"Takaki's clearly never moved on from Akari. Confessing now? Doomed."
The movie conveyed everything it needed in that moment.
By now, everyone had slipped fully into Kanae's perspective. And because they'd seen 'Cherry Blossom', they could feel where Takaki's loneliness came from.
He was lost.
Even though he loved someone so deeply… this is where it had led him.
Can you say he lacked courage?
Maybe. But sometimes, love really is powerless. Even for adults—let alone teenagers.
Kanae's bike chain snapped.
Takaki suggested leaving the bike at the convenience store and walking home with her instead.
The sky was clear. The setting sun stained the clouds in golden hues.
Cicadas chirped.
Takaki walked ahead, eyes fixed on the vast, empty sky.
Kanae followed behind, watching his back—her expression grew more and more pained, until tears welled up and began to fall.
"Takaki… please…"
"What's wrong?" he asked, sensing something was off.
"N-nothing…" she said, unable to hold back her sobs.
"Please… stop being so gentle with me."
That one internal line from Kanae left Tong Yin speechless.
Her finger trembled slightly. The plot felt like it made no sense at first—but the more she thought, the clearer it became.
Kanae had known all along.
She knew Takaki didn't love her.
She knew her confession would fail.
But still… she prepared for it for five years.
Takaki's gentleness wasn't special—it was just part of who he was. He was this way to everyone. And that kindness, while beautiful, also brought her so much pain.
A rocket launched into the sky.
Its white exhaust split the dawn. Light and dark blurred across the horizon.
Takaki and Kanae looked up in awe as it soared.
"I finally understood what made Takaki so different. At the same time, I realized… There was no place for me in his heart. That's why I never said anything.
He's gentle. So gentle.
But he's always looking past me—at something… or someone else."
"All my hopes for him were destined to fail.
But whether it's the past, the present, or the future…
I'll always be hopelessly in love with him."
'Cosmonaut' — End.
Tong Yin let out a long breath.
Her eyes were red, though she hadn't cried. Just… her chest felt unbearably heavy.
This episode—she felt it even deeper than before.
But even so, thinking of the friends who had drifted away… she still didn't feel ready to reach out to them.
In the fan chat:
"I didn't totally get it… But I feel awful inside."
"Same here."
"What's going to happen to Kanae and Takaki now?"
"What do you think? Takaki only has Akari in his heart. But now he's not even in touch with her. So… he won't pay attention to any other girl."
"I feel like '5 Centimeters per Second' is different from most movies. Is there even a main character?"
"Yeah! Is Takaki the main character? Akari? Kanae? Feels like none of them are."
"The moment Kanae begged Takaki to stop being so gentle, I lost it. That kind of love… knowing the one you love doesn't love you, but still treats you kindly—it hurts too much."
"The more unconditionally kind someone is to you, the farther away they actually are. If they really liked you, it'd be a completely different kind of attention."
"Kanae's story is just too tragic."
"But she knows it. And still, she can't help but fall deeper. Sigh."
"This chapter needs to be watched multiple times to fully understand."
"Going for a second watch. Catch you later."
Among the three parts of '5 Centimeters per Second', 'Cosmonaut' might be the most emotionally confusing.
Those who loved it couldn't always explain why. Those who didn't often blamed Takaki for being dense, or Kanae for being melodramatic.
But after this chapter, online discussions skyrocketed—even more than after the previous one.
Yet even Jing Yu's fans were feeling lost. What was he really trying to say with this movie?
A romance film that spends 30 minutes showing the second female lead's POV… only to end with her parting ways with the male lead?
Was this even a love story?
The plot felt strange.
But the emotional weight—that was undeniable.
If you think about it… what if 'Cosmonaut' didn't exist? What if the movie jumped straight to the third chapter, showing Takaki and Akari passing each other by in a train scene?
Would anyone even care?
"Oh, they met in middle school, lost touch, then passed each other in college. How typical."
But because 'Cosmonaut' exists, viewers now know just how deeply Akari lived in Takaki's heart.
And when that train scene hits in the third chapter—it'll break them.
But for now, having only watched Part Two…
Most viewers could only sit in silence, weighed down by feelings they didn't know how to express.