Kotomi finally leaves the house to find that Tomoya worked in the garden all night long and had fallen asleep. When she returns to school, Tomoya, Kyou, Ryou and Nagisa are all waiting for her. The mysterious stranger whom she was so frightened of, believing he wanted to steal her parents' thesis, is there as well. Kotomi and her friends find out that he is her legal guardian, and that there never were any written notes for the thesis after all. The envelope Kotomi set fire to, and felt so guilty about, was nothing important. The stranger also has a birthday gift for her: her parents' suitcase, which survived the plane crash and was passed from hand to hand for years until he found it. Inside is a teddy bear, Kotomi's gift request to them before they left, and an affectionate letter. Kotomi, holding the bear, is so happy that sparkles literally fill the room, and makes peace with her parents' deaths at last.
Tomoya Okazaki is a third year high school student resentful of his life. His mother passed away from a car accident when he was younger, causing his father to resort to alcohol and cigarettes. This results in fights between the two until Tomoya's shoulder is injured in a fight. Since then, Tomoya has had distant relationships with his father, causing him to become a delinquent over time. While on a walk to school, he meets a strange girl named Nagisa Furukawa who is a year older, but is repeating due to illness. Due to this, she is often alone as most of her friends have moved on. The two begin hanging out and slowly, as time goes by, Tomoya finds his life shifting in a new direction.
