Chapter 106

Synopsis
Usaida designs a string phone for Taka to use after he becomes frustrated with Hayato for always hanging up when he wants to talk to Kotaro. When Hayato falls ill, Taka makes use of his new phone.

Long Summary
Ryuuichi ends his conversation with Hayato over the phone when he hears Taka yelling on the other side. Kotaro gazes at Ryuu, excited to talk to Taka, but before Ryuu can hand him the phone, Hayato brushes it off as annoying and abruptly hangs up. Taka immediately starts bawling. Kotaro is also dismayed when he sees that Hayato has hung up and slumps onto his brother, who helps him change to get ready for school.

At the daycare center, Usaida coos over how cute Taka is as he pouts and holds onto Hayato's leg. Taka complains that he wants to talk to Kotaro over the phone, to which Hayato retorts that Kotaro is physically in front of him. He also scolds Ryuu for giving into Taka and Kotaro's every demand. Usaida resolves to fix the problem and fashions a phone system using paper cups, toothpicks, and string. He hands each cup to Taka and Kotaro, but Taka immediately throws it on the ground, exclaiming that it is not a real phone while Kotaro is mesmerized by the panda drawing on his cup. Usaida holds a cup to Taka's ear and demonstrates how to use it. Taka is amazed that he can hear Usaida and holds onto the cup, while Hayato is dumbfounded by the scene.

Ryuu instructs Kotaro on how to properly hold the cup, and Taka yells into his end of the phone, asking if Kotaro can hear him. Kotaro is astonished by the phone and shows Ryuu, who encourages him to continue using the string phone. Kotaro thinks about what to say into the phone when Kirin enters and notices the string phone. Satoru notes that string phones are very nostalgic but immediately becomes angered when Kirin says that she and Yayoi communicated using a string phone once. Takuma and Kazuma run into the daycare center, excited to use the string phone as well. Yukari, who holds Midori, giggles as she sees how energetic the children are, and Umi holds her mobile phone out of reach from the twins.

Kirin holds one of the cups to her ear as Takuma picks up the other cup and says that he likes Kirin. Kirin replies that she also likes Takuma. A frustrated Satoru picks up a pair of scissors cuts the phone line out of order, but he turns around to see an appalled Taka and Kotaro staring at him. Kirin tears up, causing Satoru to panic. Midori grimaces while Kazuma shivers as everyone watches the chaos unfold. Thinking quickly, Satoru pats Kazuma on the head and claims that he did it because he felt bad for having the other children miss out on the phone system, so he adds another pair of cups and string so that four cups were connected together. He designates this one as a phone for the boys and creates a separate pair for the girls. Everyone enjoys using the string phones.

Usokawa, who sniffles from his mild sickness, wishes that a girl would confess to him using a string phone, but Hayato calls him a moron. Saginuma points out that his face is too red, and Usokawa slumps over onto Hayato from exhaustion.

Hayato falls ill with the flu that he caught from Usokawa. Shizuka checks his temperature and feels concerned that he has such a high fever. She puts on a mask and in a menacing tone calls Hayato a walking contagion before instructing him to be quiet and sleep. She jokingly mocks him for not being able to walk, much to Hayato's annoyance. Shizuka places a cool towel on his forehead and tells him to call her if he feels too uncomfortable.

Taka approaches Hayato's bed, despite Hayato telling him not to come in, and places a cup next to his face, informing him that he will lend him his string phone. Shizuka explains that Taka is really worried about him as she watches Taka use his action figure as a weight to hold down the cup in front of Hayato's face. Taka moves into the hallway and speaks to Hayato through the phone that if he ever needs him, Hayato can just call. Hayato calls Taka a dummy through the phone, causing him to immediately protest. Taka whispers for Hayato to get better soon before peeking into his bedroom to see that Hayato has fallen asleep.

Ryuu talks to Hayato through his front door using the string phone to explain what the homework is, much to Hayato's embarrassment. Even after the events of the string phone, Hayato still has his habit of abruptly hanging up on calls when Taka wants to speak on the phone.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Kotaro Kashima
 * Ryuuichi Kashima
 * Taka Kamitani
 * Hayato Kamitani
 * Shizuka Kamitani
 * Usaida Yoshihito
 * Kirin Kumatsuka
 * Satoru Kumatsuka
 * Yayoi Kumatsuka (mentioned)
 * Takuma Mamizuka
 * Kazuma Mamizuka
 * Umi Mamizuka
 * Midori Sawatari
 * Yukari Sawatari
 * Usokawa
 * Saginuma