Ef: A Tale Of Memories & Melodies

Kyosuke Tsutsumi spots a beautiful girl and tries to photograph her. Hiro Hirono meets the beautiful Miyako Miyamura when she steals his bike in pursuit of a purse thief. Renji Aso encounters the mysterious Chihiro Shindo at an abandoned train station.

Kyosuke questions his ability as a photographer. Hirono spends the day with Miyako. Chihiro reveals to Renji that she has a memory defect that only allows her to remember the last thirteen hours.

Renji rethinks his arrangement with Chihiro. Miyako walks out on Hiro. Kyosuke makes some major changes.

Renji sees Chihiro for the first time after she gets over her cold and apologizes for not coming last time. Renji asks her if she would like to write a novel with him, as she had said earlier that it was her dream to write one, but Chihiro gets very defensive and angry at his request. After talking with her more on the issue, Chihiro finally gives in to his persistence. Kyosuke sees Kei again in town and finally realizes she was the one he filmed on Christmas. Hiro meets with Miyako in town and she goes back to his place while he works on his manga. Miyako reads some of Hiro's manga, and as an act to show her gratitude, she cooks food for him. Kei walks in on them together, and runs off.

Renji is concerned with Chihiro's manuscript, Miyako refuses to leave Hiro alone, and Kyosuke gets Kei's attention.

Kyosuke's interest in Kei wasn't straightforward, Kei ruins Mikyako and Hirono's date, Renji and Chihiro sneak into the library.

A flashback is shown with Yu, Yuko, and Kuze in their younger days as high school students. At this time, Yu and Yuko have not seen each other for ten years. In the present day, Mizuki is staying over at Renji's for the time being until she enters high school, and does not have much to do while Renji studies for exams. Renji's mother introduces Kuze to Mizuki, who discovers some of the things Renji was trying to warn her about him might be true. Mizuki and Kuze spend the rest of the day together, and the two become more familiar with each other.

Yu and Yuko originally met at an orphanage twenty years prior. Yu had lost his younger sister in a fire, and continued to be troubled by it for years. Once in high school, Yuko confesses that Yu was her first love, and she still loves him. In the present, Mizuki comes over to Kuze's and he helps her with some laundry. Kuze later collapses in Mizuki's presence, and she makes sure that he is comfortable while he sleeps it off. That night, Mizuki comes over again because she cannot sleep and tells him how touched she was after listening to the CD of Kuze's violin music he gave her. Before she leaves, she tells him that she has fallen in love with him.

In the past, Yuko is going through some "medium-level" bullying as she calls it, but while she does not think anything of it, Yu is very concerned about it. He even asks Kuze to keep on eye on Yuko when she is in class. In the present, Mizuki goes to Kuze's house, but he does not answer, causing her to think he is somewhere else and avoiding her. Mizuki goes to the old train station and talks with Chihiro and learns that Kuze will die soon due to a rare form of neurosis. That night, Chihiro tells her that Kuze is at the beach playing the violin, and she runs to the shore to meet him. Kuze attempts to light his violin and its case on fire, but Mizuki manage to put it out in time, though not before burning her right palm.

In the past, Yu and Yuko go out together to buy new boots for Yuko, and while Yu does not consider this a date, Yuko and her elder brother do; after Nagi catches wind of this, she confronts Yu about it. In the present, Nagi helps Hiro draw his manga in order to beat the deadline, and Miyako makes dinner for him. Mizuki gets a cold and Kuze comes to pay her a visit. After she gets better, the two go out to the surrounding countryside and spend the rest of the day together with Kuze resting his head on Mizuki's lap. Kuze tells her that before he dies he wants to end all relationships, and even though he too has come to love Mizuki, he tells her to never appear before him again.

In the past, Yuko continues to go through being bullied, and this time she fights back, but gets injured in the process. Yu starts worrying about her more, and is angered that her older brother does nothing to help Yuko. In the present, Kei has a talk with Kyosuke about Chihiro, and he suggests that she go and visit it her. When they meet again for the first time in five years, they make amends with the past, and reflect on their futures with those they love. Mizuki wants to be stronger like Chihiro and Kei, but does not know how. When Mizuki expresses this doubt to Nagi, Nagi reveals that she is in fact going out with Kuze.

In the past, Yu finally comes to terms with his love for Yuko, but must turn down Nagi first. After Kuze plays his violin for Yu and Yuko, Yuko starts crying because the music is so beautiful and runs out of the room; Yu chases after her to the school roof. There, Yu professes full devotion to Yuko, and she finally reveals to him what she has been hiding this whole time. Her older adoptive brother has been physically abusing Yuko for years, and she infers that this could have all been avoided had Yu merely said he wanted a younger sister back when they were at the orphanage together.