Episode 11

Synopsis
Usaida catches a cold, so Saikawa becomes a babysitter in his place for a day. Inomata helps Ushimaru spend more time with the children and get to know them better.

Act One
On a winter day, Ryuuichi receives a phone call from Usaida, who must take the day off. Usaida, who is lying down on his futon at home, apologizes for not being able to come, as he has the cold. Ryuu says that his phone has been acting up since he had dropped it in some water while Taka jumps up and down, asking to talk to him. Usaida expresses regret for sleeping naked after taking a shower, stunning Ryuu, who exclaims that it is winter. Shizuka covers a loud Taka's mouth and asks Ryuu about Usaida. Usaida explains that he is unable to look after the children today, and Ryuu wonders if he should miss class.

Usaida then informs him that he has already asked for outside help. Suddenly, Saikawa announces himself as his humble assistant, surprising Ryuu. Ryuu asks about Saikawa's job, to which he replies that the chairwoman believes that watching over the children is more important and that Ryuu should prioritize his studies. Saikawa promises to fulfill his duties to the best of his abilities, although he does admit that he is not as capable as Ryuu or Usaida. He even hkoolds up a book about taking care of infants, explaining that he has studied the necessary material.

Kotaro grabs onto Saikawa's pant leg and firmly nods, telepathically telling Saikawa that he is with him. Saikawa responds with honor. Usaida tells Ryuu that if Saikawa ever has trouble, he can ask the teachers for help and instructs him to go to class. Ryuu kneels down and tells Kotaro to be a good while he is with Saikawa. Shizuka tells Taka the same thing. Kirin, Takuma, and Kazuma enter the daycare center, and they excitedly greet Saikawa, calling him a butler. Ryuu tells everyone that Saikawa will be with them today bemicause Usaida has a cold while Saikawa plays with a drum to entertain Midori. The children say that they will be fine without Usaida, and when Taka adds that he does not like Usaida anyway, Usaida sneezes. Everyone waves Ryuu goodbye as he walks to class. Ryuu wonders if it was rude of him to feel worried about the children when Saikawa is capable of several things. At the daycare center, Saikawa sits with Midori on his back and Kotaro by his side, but the other children are standing far away from him. Saikawa realizes that they have grown nervous because Ryuu is not around, so he wonders what he should do to make them feel more comfortable. Kotaro places his hands on his lap and firmly nods again, much to Saikawa's relief. Saikawa seemingly understands Kotaro and sees that he could hardly be up to par with Usaida and Ryuu all alone. He places his hands on the floor and bows to the children, which initially stuns Kazuma. Saikawa addresses them all and asks for help with his task, admitting that he cannot handle it all alone. The children are eager to hear that they are in charge for the day. They pull on Saikawa, telling him that they can show him different games to play. However, Midori makes a grimace, which catches Saikawa's attention.

Usaida lies down with his phone in his hand, surprised that Saikawa had agreed to work at the daycare center for a day. He wonders if the children miss him and pictures each of the children crying for him. He quickly figures that there is no chance that they would cry over his absence and goes back to sleep. He picks up the phone when he sees that Saikawa is calling him, immediately telling Saikawa that he has bad connection so he will not be able to hear him well. Saikawa's sentences break up, but Usaida hears that there has been an emergency with Midori, and when the line suddenly disconnects, Usaida sits up and tries to call him back. However, he cannot get a connection, which stuns him. Ten minutes earlier, Midori had sprung a leak. At that time, Saikawa holds a crying Midori, commenting that it appears that she can still spring a leak even though she is wearing a diaper. Taka points to Saikawa, saying that she peed on his back, and Saikawa sees that he will have to take off his jacket, but he can do that after he changes Midori's diaper. Kirin eagerly goes to get the diapers while Taka runs to get the wipes. Saikawa thanks them, but he urges them not to run. Kirin, who is carrying the diapers, bumps into Taka, who is carrying a bucket of water. The two fall over, and the water soaks the diapers. They begin to tear up, but Saikawa assures them that all he has to do is ask Usaida where the spare diapers are. He calls Usaida, saying that there is an emergency with Midori's backside and begins to ask where the spare diapers are, but Midori slaps his phone out of his hand. The phone drops into the water, and Kirin and Taka begin to bawl. They hurl insults at each other, and Takuma and Kazuma begin to cry as well. Soon enough, everyone, except for Saikawa and Kotaro, is crying. Kotaro looks around with worry, and Saikawa seemingly interprets him again. He lays Midori down, takes off his jacket, and holds a cloth up, stating that although he is not as capable as Usaida and Ryuu, he has promised to devote his all to taking care of the children. The children stop crying as they watch Saikawa hold up the cloth.

Back in the present, Ryuu and his classmates are jogging during their gym period. Ryuu wonders how Usaida is doing and plans to check on him during his break. Suddenly, a man collapses on the ground in front of him, shocking Ryuu. He kneels down to help when he realizes that he is Usaida. Ryuu asks Usaida why he is outside like this, and he asks Hayato to help him bring him to the nurse's office, but Usaida explains that there is an emergency with Midori but he is unable to call Saikawa back. At the daycare center, Ryuu, Usaida, and Hayato find Midori perfectly fine and wearing a cloth diaper. Saikawa explains that the diapers had gotten soaked, so he had to improvise a cloth diaper since the wet diapers are drying. Usaida, who is being supported by Hayato and Ryuu asks if he can sleep now. The children tell Usaida that they are fine without him. Taka and Kirin smile at him as they tell him that it is alright if he has to take some time to rest. Usaida begins to tear up, and Hayato points it out, embarrassing Usaida, who blushes through his mask. Saikawa informs him that even though they seem unbothered, they greatly helped him when he was gone. He wishes Usaida a swift recovery.

He adds that Midori was most concerned about his absence, and Midori crawls up to Usaida's pant leg and tugs on it. She then yells out something that sounds similar to the name "Usaida." Usaida blushes while Hayato tells him not to be so flustered. The next day, Yukari pouts as she holds Midori and looks at Usaida, evidently upset that her first word was not something like "mama" or "papa." She knows that it cannot be helped, but she continues to pout. Usaida figures that it could have been a fluke, and Midori smiles.

Act Two
Ushimaru shakes as she reaches for a tennis ball in the bush just outside the daycare center, trying to convince herself that she is only here to get the ball and not to peek on Ryuu. She also tells herself that she is not trying to go behind Inomata's back.

Meanwhile, in the daycare center, the children play hide-and-seek with Ryuu. Takuma and Kazuma hold on to Ryuu's back while Kirin, Taka, and Kotaro try to hide. However, Ryuu can see them pretty plainly. Ushimaru peeks through the window, commenting that Ryuu is really amazing since he can carry Takuma and Kazuma so easily. Takuma looks over and points to her, saying that he has found her. Ushimaru panics and ducks down while Ryuu looks towards where Takuma is pointing. Ushimaru quickly hides behind the corner as Ryuu looks outside the window. Ushimaru breathes a sigh of relief when Ryuu returns back to the room. Suddenly, Inomata asks Ushimaru what she is doing behind the bushes. She grabs her shoulders and denies skipping out on club to spy on Ryuu. She holds up her hand, saying that she was fetching the ball, but her hand is empty, much to her surprise. Behind her, the cat plays with the tennis ball.

Inomata tells her that she does not need to make excuses, assuring her that she understands how she feels. She blushes and admits that she also thinks that the children are cute. She stutters as she offers to go with her to play with them. Inomata turns around, saying that if she does not want to go with her, she should forget what she just said. Ushimaru calls after her, but Inomata tells her not to apologize before apologizing for being so straightforward. Ushimaru runs up to her and grabs her arm. She shyly admits that watching them from a distance would be best for her since she does not have the courage to go in. As she exclaims that she has a hard time with small children, Ryuu slides open the daycare center window, and Takuma immediately points out that he has found her, much to Ushimaru's dismay. Ryuu apologizes for disturbing them, explaining that he opened the window because he had heard voices. Ushimaru declares her romance as dead as the wind blows a leaf off a bare tree. Inomata sees that Ushimaru is dumbfounded, so she turns to Ryuu and informs him that they would like to join him and the children. Inomata grabs a reluctant Ushimaru's wrist as the children watch. Takuma tries to climb onto the window, but Ryuu quickly stops him. Inomata suddenly turns around and glares at Ushimaru, demanding if she hates the children, which Ushimaru immediately denies. She then continues to pull Ushimaru towards the daycare center, urging her to get used to them for the sake of her future. In the room, Ushimaru looks at the children, who stare back at her. She looks around, asking what she should do. Kirin asks for her name, and Ushimaru introduces herself. The children then start introducing themselves all at the same time, overwhelming her. Ryuu tells her that she said that she has a hard time with children, but they already seem quite comfortable with her. Ushimaru turns away and blushes wildly, flustered that Ryuu gave her a compliment. Kirin jumps onto Ushimaru and touches her chest, saying that it feels just like her mother's, causing Ushimaru to blush once again. The other children ask to touch it too, much to Ushimaru's surprise. Ryuu and Inomata quickly restrain the children while Ushimaru shakes with fear. Usaida comments that she is afraid of the sexual harassment-type things, but Ryuu tells him to help them rather than analyze the situation. Usaida suggests that they take a walk together, and the children eagerly run towards the door. Inomata looks down and places her hands on her own chest, ashamed that the children have never shown that kind of interest in her. Ryuu panics and tries to console her by saying that they have not shown that kind of interest in him either. Usaida whispers to him that he is not helping. Outside, the children hold onto Ryuu, Inomata, Usaida, and Ushimaru's hands. Taka complains that he does not want Usaida, but he ignores him. Kirin holds Inomata's hand while Ryuu holds his hands out to Takuma and Kazuma. Ryuu politely asks Ushimaru to hold hands with Kotaro, but he assures her that Kotaro is the calmest of the children.

Ushimaru and Kotaro hold hands as they walk, and Ushimaru feels really touched, thinking to herself that he is really cute. She recalls her experiences with other young children. They tried to lift her skirt or spit on her, but she feels relieved to be around children like Kotaro. She smiles, but then she realizes that Kotaro might feel rejected because he is with her and not Ryuu. Suddenly, something drips from Kotaro's face, and Ushimaru panics, thinking that he is crying. She takes out a handkerchief and wipes his face, assuring him not to cry. However, she soon sees that Kotaro has a runny nose and is not crying at all. Ushimaru pulls back in disgust from the snot. Taka tells her not to be worried about the snot and grabs her skirt to wipe Kotaro's nose. Ryuu tells Taka that he has tissues and takes out his pack of tissues. Inomata asks what is going on, and when she sees Ushimaru cowering on the floor, she demands to know if Ryuu has done something to her, and he immediately denies it.

Ryuu denies seeing anything, but Takuma and Kazuma announce that they saw panties. Kirin runs up to Ushimaru and tells her to hold out her hands, explaining that she will give her something she has found. Ushimaru holds out her hands, and Kirin places a bunch of wiggly insects on them. Ushimaru then collapses from shock and disgust. Ushimaru envisions a night sky full of fireworks in the shape of Ryuu and Inomata spending time with the children, telling herself that there is no way that she can get along with the children like Inomata and Ryuu do.

When she opens her eyes, she finds herself at the nurse's office. She hears Ryuu ask her if she is awake and promptly blushes as she sits up. She asks if he carried her here, and Ryuu explains that Usaida was the one who carried her. He recalls Usaida saying that she is surprisingly heavy. Ushimaru shakes in embarrassment as she pulls the blanket over her. Ryuu asks if she is alright, and Ushimaru looks down, saying that Ryuu must be disappointed in her since she is so bad with children. She covers her face with her hands, asking if she will ever get married. Ryuu tells her that he does not like snot or gross stuff either; even as a boy, he is disgusted by bugs. He says that the children do not hold back when the play, get their hands sticky with snot and drool, and crawl in his uniform. He understands how Ushimaru feels and denies not liking little children. Ryuu explains that the "little kids" have become "Kotaro, Taka, Kirin, Takuma, Kazuma, and Midori." He then pictures happily spending time with them, telling Ushimaru that this is why he loves them. He smiles, assuring her that one day, she will be able to wipe away snot. Just then, Usaida slides open the window right outside Ushimaru's room, saying that the children would like to apologize. The children look at Ushimaru with flowers in their hand, and Kirin asks if flowers are scary. Ushimaru remembers that Ryuu had said that each of the "little kids" becomes an individual. Ushimaru holds out her hand and gratefully accepts the flowers. She looks at the flowers in her hands and thinks to herself that watching from afar seems boring now. She blushes as she thanks them for the flowers. She then asks if she can come to play again another time, and the children all smile.

Ushimaru asks Ryuu where Inomata is, and he explains that she had said that she would go on ahead. Inomata had wanted him to apologize for forcing Ushimaru onto this. She thanks Usaida and Ryuu before taking off, exclaiming that she needs to catch up with Inomata. Inomata slowly walks towards the school gates, ashamed that she keeps messing up everything. Suddenly, Ushimaru jumps onto Inomata and hugs her from behind with the flowers still in her hand, apologizing and thanking her. She tells her that she loves her, causing Inomata to blush. Ushimaru thinks to herself that the one who gave her the chance to change is the friend whom she loves.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Ryuuichi Kashima
 * Midori Sawatari
 * Usaida Yoshihito
 * Kotaro Kashima
 * Taka Kamitani
 * Shizuka Kamitani
 * Saikawa Keigo
 * Kirin Kumatsuka
 * Takuma Mamizuka
 * Kazuma Mamizuka
 * Hayato Kamitani
 * Saginuma
 * Usokawa
 * Yukari Sawatari
 * Ushimaru Yuki
 * Inomata Maria