Random Curiosity

Summary:

After getting called and quickly hung up by Tsukushi, Rui rushes over to her apartment and arrives just in time to see her getting into the car with Nishida. It seems that Nishida wanted to explain some things to Tsukushi, including what happened in New York. Back then, Tsukasa had casually told a group at a party that he never liked the way their company president did things. The media made a big deal of this, and it led to the company stock dropping significantly in value. The Doumyouji Group ended up in a crisis and had to undergo a large-scale restructuring. Tsukasa had been close to a man named Ken Uchida, but the restructuring and loss of jobs led to the collapse of Ken’s family. Ken ended up committing suicide in Tsukasa’s presence by jumping off a building, and Tsukasa subsequently changed because he became conscious of the responsibilities he carried. With things as they are now, Nishida warns Tsukushi not to relax her guard even though Kaede won’t be in Japan and notes that Tsukasa acts like a real person only when he’s with her. Tsukushi’s mind is weighed down so heavily by all of this that she doesn’t even notice Rui on the way back into her apartment until he calls out to her. Rui had recognized Nishida and asks if something happened, but she just shakes her head and apologizes because she’s feeling a bit confused right now. When Rui hugs her from behind and then tries to kiss her again, Tsukushi shrinks backs to avoid him.

The next day, after Tsukushi tells Yuuki what happened, Yuuki asks what Tsukushi is going to do for Valentine’s Day. Yuuki feels that this might be a good chance for Tsukushi to face her feelings, though Yuuki herself wonders if she herself will get to do anything. This reminds Tsukushi to tell Yuuki about the conversation she had with Soujirou and his bike. Okami-san joins the conversation at this point to suggest that the bike’s back seat is reserved for a special woman - his first love. That night, Tsukushi’s parents leave again after behaving strangely when Tsukushi raised the topic of sending some money at the end of the month. Tsukasa then comes by and gets invited in by Susumu because of their new bond. Susumu even gets his sister to make nikujaga, and while she’s doing so, Tsukasa hugs her from behind. He tries to tell her that he was serious about what he said yesterday, but she stops him and points out that he’s touching her chest. Because of this screw-up, Tsukushi throws Tsukasa over her shoulder. However, in doing so, she breaks a huge hole in the apartment floor, so both she and Tsukasa fall into the main room of the elderly couple living downstairs.

At the F4 Lounge the next day, Soujirou asks Rui if he’s really serious about Tsukushi. Akira thinks that if things stay the way they are, the friendship between Rui and Tsukasa would be ruined, but Rui doesn’t mind and feels that it’s up to Tsukushi to decide. When Soujirou then asks about Shizuka, Rui reveals that he had ended things with her. The three of them then hear the gossip spreading across the school about what happened last night at Tsukushi’s apartment and how the place is going to be demolished now. Meanwhile, Shigeru is getting some professional help with making Valentine’s Day cookies when Tsukasa sends her a mail asking to talk with her. Right after he finishes sending that message, Tsukasa sees his sister returning with a large crate. He’s surprised to find Tsukushi inside the crate, and Tsubaki then reveals that Tsukasa called her to ask about how to break off the engagement because he wanted to get another chance with Tsukushi. Since Tsukasa admits that what he said wasn’t a lie, Tsubaki drags Tsukushi off somewhere in the house. After they leave, Tsukasa gets a reply from Shigeru saying that she wants to meet at the same cafe as last time. When Shigeru pulls her cookies out of the oven though, most of them turn out to be crumbling or no longer in a heart shape.

Tsubaki leads Tsukushi to a storeroom that has a bed available so that Tsukushi can stay there. As she explains that she doesn’t want to increase the number of people with feelings of sadness, Tsubaki reveals that she went out with the son of a normal salaryman when she was in high school. However, she suddenly got a marriage proposal from the son of a hotel magnate. Although she resisted, Tsubaki was forced to get married because of business relations, and she really hated her mother for that. Although she now actually feels glad that she got married, she still wonders what would have happened if she married the one she loved. It was possible for her to have left home like Shizuka, but Tsubaki feels that in the end she didn’t have the courage to throw away this way of life. She’s doing all this because she doesn’t want Tsukasa to feel like she did and because the other party is Tsukushi. In any case, Tsubaki wants Tsukushi to live here and thinks that this will give Tsukushi a chance to make a decision about Tsukasa. While they’ve been having this conversation, Tsukasa has meanwhile gone to meet Shigeru. She never gives him a chance to speak because she fills their conversation with talk about a wedding catalog. And then when Tsukasa really looks like he has something to say, she tells him that she’ll die if they break up.

Tsukushi later calls up Yuuki and explains everything that happened and how Susumu went to live with their parents. Because Sara overhears part of the phone conversation, Yuuki ends up telling her about Tsukushi and Valentine’s Day. Sara, however, reveals that she has no good memories of Valentine’s Day. It just so happens that at the same time they’re having this conversation, Akira is telling a group of girls elsewhere that “Valentine” is a taboo word not to be spoken in front of Soujirou. Back at the Doumyouji home, Tsubaki informs her brother that Tsukushi will be staying there. Tsukasa gets really excited from this, but his sister reminds him that he still has to Shigeru to deal with. Since there’s so much riding on it in terms of sacrifices to the company and himself, Tsubaki warns Tsukasa to think sincerely and carefully about what to do from now on. As the night goes on, Tsukushi examines all the model cars in her new room, including the one that looks like Rui’s real car. At that moment, Rui is in town near a street vendor selling Valentine’s chocolates, and he thinks he sees Tsukushi buying some, but it turns out to be someone who just looks like her. Speaking of Valentine’s gifts, Shigeru was never able to give her ruined cookies to Tsukasa, so she sits alone by the waterfront, crying and stuffing them into her mouth.

Before the night is over, Tsukasa goes over to Tsukushi’s room and almost opens the door, but he doesn’t and instead walks away. Tsukushi is actually still awake, and because she’s unable to sleep, she stares at the Saturn necklace Tsukasa gave her a long time ago. The next day, when Soujirou and Akira question her about where she’s staying, she mumbles about living with an acquaintance before quickly changing the subject to Yuuki taking tea ceremony classes. Their conversation gets interrupted when Tsukasa shows up, but he’s completely surprised to see Tsukushi there too. Though his blabbering reveals that he has a secret, Tsukasa also reminds Tsukushi that her exam results come out today. While Tsukushi goes off to find out how she did, Tsukasa reveals to the other two guys that she’s staying at his house. When Rui then arrives at the lounge, Tsukasa has something to say to him, so Soujirou and Akira leave. Tsukushi meanwhile has discovered that she passed her exam, and in the middle of her celebratory screaming, she gets a phone call from Rui. She tells him about the good news concerning law school, but then hurriedly hangs up after she realizes that Tsukasa is with him.

Tsukasa begins his talk with Rui by revealing that Tsukushi stayed over last night, but he gets a little confrontational when Rui doesn’t seem surprised or jealous, even though Rui claims that he is. Tsukasa then goes on to explain that with everything that happened in New York, he’s unable to give up Tsukushi - she invokes the strongest feelings inside of him. Even if the merger with Shigeru’s family fails, he thinks that there will be a way for his family to recover. For that reason, he’s not going to let anyone hold back his feelings. Rui, however, isn’t ready to give up on Tsukushi so easily and suggests that they let Tsukushi decide by who she gives her Valentine’s chocolates to. A very insecure Shigeru has meanwhile called Tsukushi outside the school. She recalls that Tsukushi was the one who congratulated her and said that she was glad when Shigeru revealed that Tsukasa asked to go out with her that one night. Tsukushi had also said that there was nothing between her and Tsukasa, but Shigeru now repeatedly questions if it’s ok for her to believe that.

That night, Tsukushi gets a call from Yuuki who tells her about Sara making chocolates. She asks if Tsukushi has made a decision, but Tsukushi hasn’t decided yet and never answers the question. After Yuuki hangs up the phone, she finds that Soujirou and Akira have come to visit. Sara is very surprised to see them and stays out of sight when the guys introduce themselves to the other girls. Soujirou recognizes Sara’s tea bowl, and upon learning that Hinata Sara is here, he immediately gets up and leaves. Yuuki is able to put two and two together and figures out that Sara could have been Soujirou’s first love. Regardless of this, Yuuki shows up on Valentine’s Day at Soujirou’s home and stands amongst a screaming crowd of girls who all have their Valentine’s chocolates ready. Soujirou eventually pulls up on his bike and seems to smile directly at her. As for Tsukushi, she has plans to meet with Tsukasa, but not with Rui. And so, while Rui spends Valentine’s Day playing his violin until a string breaks, Tsukushi meets with Tsukasa on a bridge over a river.

Tsukasa can hardly contain his excitement because he thinks that she’s chosen him and will give him her Valentine’s Day chocolate. Thus, he is shocked when she returns the Saturn necklace to him instead. This is the decision she came to after thinking for a long time, though she feels that it may be coming too late since everyone’s already hurt. In anger, Tsukasa throws the necklace into the river and starts yelling. He tells her that if she doesn’t need the necklace, then it has no value to him either. Tsukasa finally exclaims that it’s impossible for him to be with anyone other than her before he hurries away. As she stares at the necklace case in the water, Tsukushi remembers everything that was said between them at the airport over a year ago when he left for New York. It’s with these memories in mind that Tsukushi goes down into the water and retrieves the necklace and its case. As she’s holds it close to her heart, an old woman watches on from the road and smiles. Returning home that night, Tsukasa finds a present in his room from Shigeru. He never ends up going to bed and sits on his couch all night staring at the unopened present.

The next morning, Tsukasa is greeted by the newest maid: Makino Tsukushi. When he questions what she’s doing dressed like that, she asks him to allow her to work so that she has a reason to live here with him. This is also her real answer to him. Tsukasa is reluctant to make her a servant, but an elderly voice seems to welcome her. That voice belongs to the same woman who was watching Tsukushi get the necklace out of the water the previous day - someone Tsukasa recognizes as Tama. She has come back to take care of Tsukasa on the request of his mother. Tama then drags Tsukushi out and through the hallway until she gets insulted when Tsukushi calls her obaasan. Because of her experience at serving the Doumyouji family, she insists that Tsukushi call her senpai instead. What she says here is absolute, and she makes it clear that Tsukushi should never forget that.

Preview:

Although it’s quite entertaining to watch, I can’t help but wonder how much longer they’re going to keep up this back-and-forth in Tsukushi’s relationship with Tsukasa. Tsukasa has definitely decided on his feelings for her, but now she’s the one who doesn’t think they can be together. It’s not too hard to guess that all this maid work and being close to Tsukasa will make Tsukushi realize how much she wants to be with him, and after a lot more angst, they’ll finally end up together. At least that’s how I expect it to happen unless they pull some big surprises.
Since the main couple is getting less interesting, I’m finding myself drawn more and more to the other characters. I’ve always liked Tsubaki (helped out greatly by the fact that she’s acted by the beautiful Matsushima Nanako), and this episode gave us some development on her past and why she helps Tsukushi and Tsukasa all the time. I also feel really bad again for Shigeru. She really doesn’t have any chance at Tsukasa, and it’s almost painful to watch her start to break, particularly in the scene where she was crying alone and stuffing her face at the same time with the heart-shaped cookies that she baked.
They dropped plenty of clues this episode that there would be a bit of a love triangle between Hinata, Soujirou, and Yuuki. From the preview, that seems to be what a big part of next week will be focused on: Yuuki is going to faint and Soujirou is going to cry!