| Chapter 17. A Moment to Remember | |
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| Titles | |
| Information | |
| Release Date | November 13, 2009 |
| Chapter | 17 |
| Volume | 3 |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-4-06-340775-4 |
| Previous ← Chapter 16. Romeo & Juliet? |
Next Chapter 18. Deep Blue Sea → |
| Volumes and Chapters | |
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Inari manages to get Shuu to set up a meeting with his father. Just outside Koibuchi mansion, Kuranosuke and Tsukimi run into them. Kuranosuke confronts Inari about lying, but the photo convinces Tsukimi and she runs off, leaving behind her sketchbook.
Summary[]
Inari starts making a girlish fuss about getting to meet former Prime Minister Koibuchi in person. Shuu is not at all happy, but Hanamori ignores him and listens to Inari instead.
In Tsukimi's room, Kuranosuke is going over the different types of jellyfish that exist. He's taken off his makeup and changed out of his skimpy clothes into a set of Tsukimi's sweats, making her very uncomfortable. Kuranosuke tells Tsukimi that the clothes are so ugly even he can't look good in them.
Kuranosuke draws a sketch to try to show Tsukimi what he means by a jellyfish skirt. Tsukimi takes one look at the uninformed designed and tears it up. She starts a long rant about the scyphozoan that he'd just butchered drawing and finds an old sketchbook. She shows him her high school drawing of a hydrozoan, also called a "flower hat jellyfish." Kuranosuke stares at it, immediately envisioning it as a dress with beads and bounce.
"I'll take one!" he declares.[1]
Tsukimi gets confused and tries to explain that flower hat jellyfish are too delicate to keep as pets. Banba walks into the room to let Tsukimi know the bath free, and Tsukimi scrambles to hide Kuranosuke's face.
"Huh? Who's that?" Banba asks. "Fake boob girl?"
"That's right! She's just about to go home!"[1]
Tsukimi and Kuranosuke walk together toward Koibuchi mansion. Tsukimi's got her sketchbook and Kuranosuke wants to have a strategy session in his room. Tsukimi gets uncomfortable about the idea of running into Shuu, but Kuranosuke tells her not to worry about it as his brother won't be around.
Shuu and Inari, driven by Hanamori, arrive at the gate of Koibuchi mansion. Shuu tells Inari to wait there, and in plain terms that clarifies that he's obliging her with an introduction to his father but afterward he wants her to stay away from him. Inari pretends to cry. Shuu is taken aback but goes in when she tells him to. Hanamori offers her a handkerchief and asks that she not get snot on the seat.
Kuranosuke is surprised to the see Benz parked outside the gate and is angrily taken aback to find Inari in the back seat. Inari is struck by how attractive Kuranosuke is, but is confused that he seems to know her when she doesn't recognize him. She does remember Tsukimi from Amamizukan, however. Kuranosuke demands an explanation from Hanamori, and threatens to scratch the Benz with a coin. Hanamori reveals that he just picked up her and Shuu and brought them back to the mansion.
Keiichiro shows up with Shuu, who calls out his brother's name in surprise. He doesn't even see Tsukimi. Kuranosuke asks his to explain what he's doing with the land shark woman while Inari is surprised to learn that the two are brothers.
Keiichiro addresses Inari directly, cutting short the discussion between his sons. Inari presents her card, but Keiichiro clarifies that he already knows who she is and how. He apologizes for meeting her at the gate in his dressing down and cuts straight to the chase. "Have you and my son Shuu made it to home base?"[2]
Inari, Kuranosuke, Shuu, and Tsukimi all go wide-eyed at the blunt question.
Inari is the first to recover, smoothly assuring Keiichiro that she and Shuu united in both body and soul. Shuu turns and makes a run for it, Kuranosuke scoffing after him. He turns just in time to see Tsukimi grow weak and loose her balance. He catches her and commands her not to believe a word of it. There's no way Shuu would have done something like that. After all, he's a virgin.
Inari reels with shock at the revelation, stuttering and trying to accept the notion. Kuranosuke yells at her to stop and smirks superiorly; he knew she was lying. Inari protests, declaring herself as someone who always takes men's virginities. Finally, she opens her phone and shoves it in Kuranosuke's and Tsukimi's faces. Tsukimi turns and runs away, unable to bear it.
As she runs, to cries to her mother in her mind, wanting to know what to do when you learn something you didn't want to know, see something you didn't want to see. How can she erase the memories? Not just of the photo... but also the time Shuu smiled at her from the car, held her hand, saw her partially addressed, and hugged her at the aquarium.
On the sidewalk, Kuranosuke picks up the sketchbook Tsukimi left behind and murmurs her name.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Quotes[]
(Shuu, to Inari) ❝You approached me because you wanted a connection to my father. So I'll introduce you to him tonight, but . . . please stay far away from me from now on.❞[3]