Episode 23: “Many Future Paths!! The Circumstances Everyone Bears”
Summary: Koizumi still can’t believe about the break up. Nobu hits her with a broom and tells her off again for going out with another guy while Otani was working hard on his prep classes. Koizumi starts crying to Nobu asking what she should do. Nobu says she doesn’t care and points out to Koizumi that, “You reap what you sow.” Chiharu tries to comfort Koizumi saying that maybe if she kept apologizing, Otani will forgive her. Koizumi says she didn’t mean to cheat on him but what she did was definitely the wrong thing to do, thinking to herself that there should be a limit to her stupidity.
At school, Koizumi approaches Otani and apologizes over again saying that she won’t do anything that stupid ever again. Otani tells her that it’s fine and that she can go out as much as she wants and that it has nothing to do with him. Koizumi tries to stop him from walking away, repeating her apology and pleading for him not to break up with her. Otani refuses, saying “A man never goes back on his word.” Otani says there are things that can be fixed with an apology and things that can’t, he adds that she can do whatever she wants and that she’s a stranger to him from now on. This leaves Koizumi in much distress. After class, Nobu and Nakao talk to Otani. They ask him if he’s really decided to breakup with Koizumi. Nakao asks him until when does he plan to breakup. Otani answers “ “forever.” Otani reveals that part of the reason he wants to breakup is that he worries about Koizumi so much that he can’t concentrate on his studies. Nobu asks if Otani won’t worry about her anymore if they broke up. Otani confirms this, but Nobu and Nakao still don’t believe him. Later that night, Nobu calls Koizumi. Koizumi says she won’t bother Otani anymore since he needs to focus on his studies and that everything that happened was her fault anyway.folever”
She then takes something from under her bed, which was a present she meant to give to Otani but forgot to. She goes over to Otani’s house but didn’t bother to ring the doorbell and just decided to leave the present on the doorstep. Just after she left, Otani’s mom arrived home and saw the present. She takes it and gives it to Otani. Otani sees the note from Koizumi inside and reads it. It basically tells him that she is supporting him in his exams and stuffy effort. The present was some sort of robe with a n encouraging note stitched at the back saying “Do your best! Otani, fight!” with an accompanying headband that Otani realizes is a recycled one she made from his basketball match before. Otani’s mom notes that Koizumi is such a nice girl, wondering why she didn’t stop by. Otani remains silent.
At the restaurant, Kohori tells Koizumi that their boss was asking for her availability in December. Koizumi remembers all the memories she had with Otani during the past Christmases. Kohori cuts in on her flashbacks and tells her that they’re going to get together and have a party after they close the restaurant. Kohori walks out with Kohori as he took out the trash. At about the same time, Otani is on his way home from prep school and Kohori sees an absentminded passing by. Kohori tells Otani that if he’s looking for Koizumi, she just left. Otani says he wasn’t looking for her and was just on the way home from prep school. Kohori remembers that they did break up after all, so it’s no wonder if Otani isn’t looking for Koizumi. This annoys Otani. He notes that Kohori is short and asks his height. Otani can’t believe it since it turns out that Kohori is 2 cm taller than he is. He tricks Kohori to look downwards while Otani takes that moment to take a quick punch at Kohori. Kohori is taken aback and asks why Otani did that. Otani angrily tells him that everything is Kohori’s fault, attempting to kiss Koizumi while she was asleep. Kohori blushingly tells him that it was only because she looked so beautiful while she was sleeping. Otani is surprised to hear this and exclaims that he shouldn’t be saying embarrassing things like that out loud. Kohori replies that it’s not embarassing, it’s just true. Otani then grabs Kohori by his shirt and asks what he wants with Koizumi anyway. Kohori tells him that he likes Koizumi and that he’s not going to hold back anymore.
It’s Christmas. Koizumi goes to the restaurant’s party and is now at the karaoke room with them, singing an Umibozu song. While singing, she remembers the moments she spent with Otani singing Umibozu songs at the karaoke. Meanwhile at Otani’s house, Otani is wearing the coat and headband Koizumi sent him while studying. His mom tells him that he should take a break from studying once in a while and tells him that it’s Christmas after all, suggesting that he should spend it with Koizumi. She says she saw Koizumi near the station not long ago and that she was with a boy around Otani’s height. This gets Otani’s attention and remembers that Kohori told him he’s not holding back anymore. He rushes out of the house. At about the same time, Koizumi rushes out of the karaoke room thinking that she thought she could live normally without Otani but it seems she was wrong and that he’s just no good without him. While running outside, she trips over an uneven floor and lands on her face. She starts to cry. Just then, someone wearing house slippers and socks comes into view. As she looks up, she notices that it’s Otani and asks him why he’s there. Otani helps her up and notes that she falls over a lot for someone who has a big body. Koizumi notices that he’s wearing the coat she gave. Otani says he’s not too sure about the recycled aspect of it but thanks her anyway. This makes Koizumi smile. She then tells him that once he finishes with the exams, she’s going to ask him out again since she’s persistent like that. This surprises Otani. Koizumi adds that even if he dumps her or says he’s breaking up with her, she won’t give up. She tells him to focus on his exam for now. At that moment, Otani hugs her. Otani apologizes to her and tell sher to just forget that he said he was breaking up with her since he takes it back, saying that “I seem to like you more than I realized.” (Ah, he finally realized it and said it out loud for Koizumi to hear!) Koizumi is extremely surprised and touched to hear this from him, thinking to herself that if Otani is going to say something that nice to her, she doesn’t mind breaking up a hundred times. She then tells Otani that everyone is staring at them, noting that Otani’s face might be hidden but everyone can see hers. Otani says even so, he has the “do your best!” sign written on his coat’s backside, adding that they should make a run for it. So at the count of 3, they run off together, holding hands. Otani realizes that he didn’t get a present for Koizumi. Koizumi says it’s fine since he just gave her something more wonderful than any present and that it was the best gift ever.
Onto the second half of the episode, it’s the new year. Otani and the others started seriously studying for the pre-exam once again. Koizumi is shopping with Nobu. Nobu asks her if she’s thought about what she’s going to take up at technical school, suggesting fashion design since Koizumi has a good sense of style. On their way home, they run into Chiharu and Suzuki who seem to have a gloomy atmosphere about them both. It turns out that Suzuki failed the test so the 2 of them won’t be able to go to the same school as they originally planned. Suzuki says he got sick on the day of the exam, took too much cold medicine and couldn’t remember anything about halfway through. He apologizes to Chiharu for not being able to fulfill his promise and go to the same school as her. Koizumi and Nobu learn from Chiharu that the promise Suzuki made was that she would protect her from the university guys (since Chiharu is afraid of boys) and go the same school as her, which stemmed from an incident at the university festival they attended where Chiharu got too overwhelmed by the attention university guys were giving her.
The next day at school, Chiharu tells Suzuki that she decided she would go to whichever Suzuki will get into and encourages him to do his best. Suzuki realizes that Chiharu would be giving up her first choice of school since she wants to be with him. Suzuki then tells her that he’s not confident that he can get into any university, adding that he couldn’t fulfill his promise and that he’s sure there are other guys who could protect her at her chosen university in his place. This makes Chiharu really angry to the point of being able to raise a school desk overhead, slamming it down towards Suzuki’s. She tells Suzuki that she doesn’t want to go to the same school as him just so he can protect her but because she wants to be with him. Chirharu then runs off crying. Otani and the gang wonder why Suzuki said those things. They learn that Suzuki did it for Chiharu and his own good. It turns out that the literature professor Chiharu highly respects is teaching in the university she chose, so Suzuki thinks that to give up that choice for his sake is not fair for her since she might regret it in the end. Otani and Koizumi tell Suzuki that he didn’t have to act cool the way he did in order to show he cares for Chiharu and that it would be better if he just told her the truth in the first place. Suzuki runs after Chiharu and tells her this. Chiharu is touched that he cares for her that much. Suzuki then adds that he will keep studying and will get into the same school as her next year, and asks her to wait for him there. On the way home, Koizumi tells Otani that she should also be thinking about what she wants to do so she won’t have any regrets and encourages Otani to keep doing his best for the exam.
Fast forward. Otani’s entrance exams are already tomorrow. Otani goes home from prep school but is immediately kicked out of the house by his mom. It turns out that his mom, dad and sister have gotten the flu, so his mom says the house is under quarantine. Otani asks what he should do since his exam is already tomorrow. Mom throws him a packed overnight bag and tells him to go to stay over at a healthy friend’s house for the night. As he is standing outside Koizumi’s house, Otani is wondering why this is happening to him at such an important time.
~ end of episode
My Impression: That part where Otani mistakenly says “folever” instead of “forever” really cracked me up. Otani tricked Kohori in order to get a punch ~Lol. Kohori has some guts standing up to Otani… but uh, yeah he’s 2 cm taller anyway. Haha. And when he said he won’t hold back and will go for Koizumi, I couldn’t really read Otani’s reaction much other than surprise. It was really sweet when he ran out of the house and bumped into Koizumi and hugged her. When he told her out loud he didn’t realize how much he liked her…. Kawaii! Plus all I could think of was “finally, you dense idiot!” ~Lol. I’m glad that got resolved.
The 2nd half was an insight into Chiharu and Suzuki’s relationship. It was nice. It reminded me of the 1st episode when they met and unintentionally got together. I didn’t know Chiharu had that much temper and strength in her, being able to raise that desk and slam it. Haha. Ah, adrenalin can do wonders. Otani’s mom is funny, kicking Otani out of the house since they all seem to have gotten the flu.
Next episode will be the last one. Looking forward to how they’d end this. =)
Next episode: It’s Otani’s exam day. Will he make it in time? Graduation is also coming near… Will Koizumi finally make up her mind on what she wants to do after high school? Episode 24 will be the last one in this series.
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