Chapter 86

Synopsis
Kotaro receives a bunny-shaped balloon named Usapyon. Ryuuichi pretends to be the voice behind this supposed talking balloon, believing that Kotaro is really attached to such a magical balloon.

Long Summary
Kotaro tries to hold a grocery bag with a carton of milk, and Ryuu offers to carry it since it is too heavy for him. Kotaro refuses and is determined to carry the bag, even though he is dragging it along the pavement. A woman passing by commends Kotaro for helping his brother and informs him that there are free balloons near the drugstore that they can go get. Ryuu suggests to Kotaro that they get a balloon, and he thanks the woman for telling them. At the drugstore, a person in a bunny costume holds balloons and tries to give one to a girl, but the girl cries and holds onto her mother. Kotaro stands in place, mesmerized by the balloons, which have bunny ears and faces. Ryuu keeps Kotaro from falling back as he politely asks the person in the bunny costume to give one to his brother. The bunny applauds Kotaro for going on an errand and hands him a balloon. Ryuu thanks the bunny as Kotaro stares at the bunny face. Just then, he hears a falsetto voice introducing itself as "Usapyon," and Kotaro realizes that the balloon appears to be talking. The bunny gives Ryuu a thumbs-up, and Ryuu realizes that the person in the suit must have been the source of the balloon's voice. As they walk home, Ryuu tells Kotaro to stop looking up at his balloon or else he will fall back. Ryuu figures that since Kotaro received a balloon for helping Ryuu, there is no way that Kotaro would be willing to allow Ryuu to carry the milk for him. Ryuu squats down and scolds Kotaro for not paying attention and instructs him to look forward when he is walking. Kotaro nods and asks the balloon if it understands. Ryuu sees that Kotaro is staring that the balloon and realizes that he is waiting for the balloon's answer. Usokawa and Saginuma see Ryuu crouching with his little brother. Meanwhile, Ryuu plugs his nose and responds as Usapyon in a falsetto voice. Ryuu is downcast when he sees that he might have to talk as Usapyon whenever Kotaro talks to his balloon, but decides to play along, as a talking rabbit balloon must be quite interesting. Suddenly, Usokawa appears behind him and Kotaro and yells, scaring the two. Usokawa winks as he asks if he surprised them, but Kotaro flinches and lets go of his balloon. Usokawa and Saginuma watch in horror as Kotaro's balloon floats away, but Ryuu quickly jumps up to catch the balloon, but ends up falling onto the grass. Usokawa panics, asking if he is alright and helps him up. Saginuma apologizes to Kotaro, but Kotaro remains frozen in place. Ryuu shows the balloon to Kotaro, who tears up and buries his face in Ryuu's lap. Saginuma hits Usokawa, who tearily apologizes. Ryuu plugs his nose once more and pretends to be the balloon. Kotaro looks up and smiles when he hears Usapyon's voice. Saginuma smirks as Usokawa also teasingly pretends to speak like Usapyon. Ryuu covers his face with the balloon in embarrassment. The two tease him as they wave goodbye. Ryuu ties the balloon's string around Kotaro's wrist. Kotaro continues to talk to the balloon, and Ryuu feels embarrassed to continue to pretend to be Usapyon. He is especially flustered when he uses the falsetto voice in front of Saikawa. Saikawa politely greets Usapyon, and Ryuu is forced to greet him back. Saikawa plays along by serving Usapyon a canister of helium gas on a plate, and Kotaro is happy to see that Usapyon is not hungry anymore. Even the chairwoman plays along by telling Usapyon that it will explode if it eats too much. In the evening, Kotaro brings Usapyon with him for a bath, but Ryuu, again in a falsetto voice, says that Usapyon is not good with baths. As the children take a nap at the daycare center the next day, Ryuu explains the situation to Usaida. Hayato says that Ryuu should have gotten rid of the balloon and told him that it flew away. He recalls that after he had bought Taka a balloon, he popped it on the spot. He bitterly remembers plugging his ears out of annoyance towards Taka's tantrum. Ryuu says that Kotaro really believes that balloons can talk, so he will have to continue the farce until it deflates. Usaida and Hayato stare at him in silence and shock. Usaida begins to talk, and Hayato finishes his sentence, saying that no one would believe that a balloon can talk before calling Ryuu stupid. Usaida does not know whether Kotaro believes that balloons can talk or not, but he definitely knows that Kotaro figured out that Ryuu had been voicing Usapyon. Hayato adds that he sucks at the falsetto voice. Ryuu, confused, says that he is happy when he talks to the balloon, and admits that he even staged a two-way conversation with Usapyon yesterday. Usaida insists that Kotaro has already noticed it, and he reasons that Kotaro must have been very happy with the attention that Ryuu had given him. He poke's Kotaro's cheeks as he says that the fact that he took a liking to a balloon is very Kotaro-like. He comments that Ryuu is most likely to believe that Kotaro actually thought balloons could talk. Hayato says that this is quite embarrassing, and Ryuu turns red, as he has realized that Saikawa and the chairwoman had realized this as well.

Later, Ryuu feels embarrassed about the situation, as Kotaro holds Usapyon, saying that it is Ryuu. Ryuu suggests that today, Kotaro can be Usapyon, and thinks to himself that as long as Kotaro is smiling, that is all that matters.

Characters In Order of Appearance

 * Kotaro Kashima
 * Ryuuichi Kashima
 * Usokawa
 * Saginuma
 * Saikawa Keigo
 * Morinomiya Youko
 * Usaida Yoshihito
 * Hayato Kamitani
 * Taka Kamitani (flashback)
 * The Goldfish