Chapter 81

Synopsis
Kotaro wants to be just like his big brother and use chopsticks to eat his food. However, learning to use chopsticks proves to be very difficult, and Kotaro succeeds in making a mess out of his food more than anything. Kotaro slowly learns to pick food up with his chopsticks, but he still has a long way to go before he can successfully eat meals with them.

Long Summary
During dinner, Kotaro stares at his brother while he is eating natto. Ryuu asks Kotaro if there is a problem, but Kotaro keeps staring at his brother and his spoon. Ryuu informs him that if he does not speak, he cannot understand what he needs. Saikawa comes up behind them and presents a pair of chopsticks, asking if this is what Kotaro wishes for, and Kotaro's eyes light up. The chairwoman slams her fist on the table, scolding Saikawa for taking it easy on Kotaro and not encouraging him to let Kotaro speak his mind first. Kotaro picks up the chopsticks and attempts to grab food with them. However, all he succeeds at doing is pushing his natto off his rice and onto the table. Ryuu takes the chopsticks from him, saying that it is too difficult and dangerous for Kotaro to be using adult chopsticks. Kotaro becomes saddened, for he wishes to match with his brother. The chairwoman says that this is a good learning opportunity and instructs Saikawa to buy training chopsticks tomorrow. Saikawa puts on his jacket immediately, but the chairwoman stops him, telling him to buy chopsticks for Kotaro tomorrow.

Kotaro shows his Panda-chan training chopsticks to the other children at the daycare room. Ryuu also eats with Panda-chan-themed chopsticks, as Saikawa had bought a pair for him as well. Taka looks at his own fork and Kotaro's chopsticks. He runs over to Hayato, saying he also wants chopsticks. Hayato trades his chopsticks for Taka's fork, since refusing him would be too troublesome. Taka attempts to pick up cherry tomatoes by stabbing his chopsticks through them. He repeatedly tries to stab through the chopsticks, but they end up bouncing onto Kotaro's face and rolling off onto the floor. As Taka starts crying and complaining about the chopsticks, Takuma starts to eat food that ended up on the ground. Hayato hits his brother's head, telling him not to dangerously fling his chopsticks and to apologize to Kotaro for hitting him with his food. Hayato puts Taka on his lap and shows him how to properly use chopsticks to bring food to his mouth, although he has neglected to wash the chopsticks. Ryuu also shows Kotaro how to bring food to his mouth by demonstrating with a sausage shaped like a crab. Kotaro tries to repeat this process with his training chopsticks, but he instead pushes out his food onto the floor. Takuma tries to eat the food off the floor again, but Usaida stops him, saying they should wash it first. After failing multiple times, Kotaro is quite sad, but Ryuu holds out a fork, suggesting he use a fork for today. However, Kotaro is determined to learn to use his chopsticks. Meanwhile, Takuma has caught a piece of sausage that rolled off and is eating it. Usaida also eats some of Kotaro's food that he washed, saying that the food is very good.

At dinner, Kotaro refuses to let go of his chopsticks. After ten minutes, Kotaro has not managed to bring food to his mouth. Ryuu suggests that he can practice a little bit everyday, but should use a spoon for now; however, Kotaro refuses. Ryuu thinks that it is good that Kotaro is trying his best, but he will only succeed in spilling Saikawa's food all over. Saikawa informs them that he has covered the table and floor with mats, and there is more food in the kitchen, so Kotaro is welcome to continue his efforts. The chairwoman notes that there is no way Kotaro could get the hang of chopsticks on his first try and should keep trying until he is satisfied. Ryuu tells Kotaro should take his time learning to use chopsticks, as he also struggled when he was little. He promises to show him proof of his struggles and feeds Kotaro some rice.

Ryuu takes out a box full of albums and photos. He did not feel like opening them until now, but he thinks it is good to remember memories rather than forget about them. He looks at a photo album with pictures of him from ages two to three. One of the photos shows Ryuu feeding his mom a spoonful of food, and Kotaro excitedly looks at pictures of his parents and brother. Other photos show Ryuu messily eating onigiri and attempting to use training chopsticks. Ryuu says that he also struggled with chopsticks and would end up simply grabbing the food with his hands. Kotaro smiles and says that he is very cute in this photo. He even goes over to the chairwoman to show her the photo.

Ryuu wanted to show the photo to Kotaro to show him that neither of them could use chopsticks at that young age, but Kotaro is interested in the photo for a different reason. The children at the daycare center are also surprised to see a baby picture of Ryuu. Taka brings a photo of when Hayato was little. In the photo, Hayato is wearing a baseball cap and holding a baseball close to himself. Kirin shows a picture of Yayoi, who looks like a Japanese doll. Takuma and Kazuma have photos of their parents; Umi is smiling and happy while Kousuke is crying. Hayato says that the pictures are too similar to Takuma and Kazuma. Usaida also brings a picture of him as a child.

As for Kotaro's chopstick abilities, Kotaro still has a long way to go. He learns to pick up food, but still struggles with bringing it to his mouth.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Kotaro Kashima
 * Ryuuichi Kashima
 * Saikawa Keigo
 * Morinomiya Youko
 * Taka Kamitani
 * Kirin Kumatsuka
 * Takuma Mamizuka
 * Kazuma Mamizuka
 * Usaida Yoshihito
 * Hayato Kamitani
 * Sawatari Midori