Now and Then, Here and There

Shuuzou "Shuu" Matsutani leads a quiet, ordinary life with friends, a crush, and a love for kendo. After a disappointing loss to his rival, he climbs a smokestack to watch the sunset and meets Lala-Ru, a reserved girl with blue hair and a peculiar pendant. Though she seems indifferent to his attempts at friendship, Shuu persists-until their encounter is interrupted by a woman and two snake-like machines appearing out of nowhere to seize Lala-Ru. Stubbornly, Shuu tries to rescue her, only to be dragged into a strange desert world. Despite the unfamiliar and hostile surroundings, his only concern is protecting Lala-Ru, even after being brutalized by soldiers. He soon learns she can control water through her pendant, a rare and precious ability in this barren land. But when the pendant goes missing, Shuu is blamed. "Now and Then, Here and There" follows Shuu's harrowing journey through a dystopian world, where he faces torture, starvation, and the brutality of war-all to save the lonely girl he met atop a smokestack.