his word to make it up for the damage he'd caused. He says they should compete to get better. Gen and the orphans see a sign saying "Lecture on Japan's Defense by Prefectural Assemblyman Denjiro Samejima, a Fighter for Love and Peace"—the same man who had called Gen's father a traitor, calling for peace, as their neighborhood chairman. Gen can't stand it, but a rainbow soothes them. Gen wanted to build rainbow bridges from country to country in a world without borders, free of war. Volume 10: Never Give Up It is March 1953, and Gen is graduating from middle school, although he doesn't go to school much now, learning to paint and working at the sign shop. Mr. Ohta has just started his own private academy with 10 students. Ryuta summarises news from 1952: on April 28, a treaty with America launched Japanese independence. On Bloody May Day, unpermitted demonstrators clashed with police outside the Imperial Palace, and on August 6, freed from American bans during occupation, a special issue of a magazine shocked Japan with photos of the devastation from the bomb which had never been seen before. The Prime Minister dissolves the Lower House after calling a questioner by a derogatory name. Then he invites everyone to cheer up by buying the dresses Katsuko and Natsue have been making. This displeases the owner of the dress shop he's outside of, but they come to an agreement that the store will buy the dresses from now on. One of the orphans, Musubi, has been keeping their savings in a pass book so they can set up their own dress shop when they have enough. There's a ceremony for the graduating class of the middle school Gen goes to, but rather than graduating peaceably—he will not be going on to high school—he protests the singing of the national anthem praising the Emperor who started the war, and details his war crimes. Some of the kids invite the principal and some of the teachers to a private thank-you ceremony, saying they want to present them with a gift, but actually, they beat up the teachers in revenge for all the beatings they were given. Gen puts a stop to it. A beautiful girl accidentally runs into Gen while trying to catch a street car, and he falls head over heels in love without knowing who she might be. Mr. Amano