Chapter 112

Kotaro finds himself at odds with the chairwoman, who wants him to replace a worn sweater he's quite attached to.

Synopsis
Ryuuichi wakes up one morning and finds that, once again, Kotaro climbed onto his face and fell asleep. At Ryuu's instruction, Kotaro prepares to get dressed. He chooses the tiger sweater he wore for the past two days. Having hoped to get Kotaro to wear something else, Ryuu tries to convince him to go with the bear sweater instead. Kotaro does not understand why he shouldn't dress in clothing that he likes day after day, and becomes sad. Ryuu is unable to say no to his brothers fallen face, and puts the tiger sweater on him. Repeated use has left the sweater dirty and ragged.

After breakfast, Ryuu helps Saikawa with the dishes while Kotaro waits with Youko. He points to an article with a picture of a baby Panda, which exposes a hole in the sweater's sleeve. Youko notices right away, and chastises him, Ryuu, and Saikawa for not replacing the sweater with new clothing sooner. As they didn't have any plans that day, she instructs Ryuu and Saikawa to go out and buy some new clothes for Kotaro (and Ryuu), while she discards the tiger sweater. She dismisses Ryuu's pleas that the clothing held a lot of sentimental value to Kotaro, and tells everybody to get on with it. Kotaro scurries off to hide, having been against the idea the instant it was brought up.

Ryuu calls out to Kotaro and tells him to behave before he steps out. Kotaro is hiding under a bed, clinging tightly to his tiger sweater. The chairwoman finds him easily enough and tells him to turn over the article of clothing. Kotaro starts sobbing, and begs not to part with his treasured tiger-chan. Youko realizes that she went too far in trying to force Kotaro into doing something he couldn't bear. She relents and tells hims that repairing the damage might be within the realm of possibility. Meanwhile, Ryuu worries about Kotaro making things difficult for the chairwoman. Saikawa, picking up on these concerns, assures him that the chairwoman loves Kotaro and would do whatever it took to make him happy.

Youko is ready with her sewing kit, but is held up when her presbyopia keeps her from threading a needle. Kotaro, noticing her struggle, volunteers to help. However, he doesn't fair much better, being a youngster with no finesse in his motor skills. He eventually threads the needle, only to undo it in his excitement. Youko is forced to find the threader, which simplifies things for the both of them. Kotaro watches excitedly as Youko gets to work. Back at the department store, Saikawa is on a shopping spree, trying to find the perfect outfits for both Kashimas. By the time they return with their purchases, Kotaro is sporting the patched up tiger sweater. Youko is glad that the damage wasn't too difficult for her to fix.

The clothes shopping may have been in vain. To Youko's chagrin, her help in mending the tiger sweater made Kotaro love it even more than before.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Kashima Ryuuichi
 * Kashima Kotaro
 * Saikawa Keigo
 * Morinomiya Youko