Chapter 10

"'''When I Face the Mirror, I Feel Like a Twin...?" 'is the 10th chapter of Gakuen Babysitters.''

Synopsis
The once-inseparable Mamizuka twins become distant when Takuma starts emulating Hayato. Kazuma seems too nervous to approach Hayato, leaving Ryuuichi concerned about the brotherly bond between the twins.

Long Summary
Hayato seems to be inadvertently keeping the Mamizuka twins apart. Kazuma appears to be afraid of him and hides behind Ryuuichi. Takuma, on the other hand, stands very close to Hayato and imitates his every action. This bothers Taka, who shoves Takuma and demands he stops. This ruckus gets Ryuu's full attention, to Kotaro's disappointment. Ryuu noticed that ever since Hayato rescued the chick, all the children see him as a hero. But Takuma has been taking it a step further by imitating him, leaving Kazuma behind in the process. Kazuma tries to get his brother to come over and read a picture book with him, but Takuma chooses to keep playing near Hayato. Seeing the shock on Kazuma's face, Ryuu tries to remedy the situation by getting everybody to play near Hayato. Kotaro decides to help Ryuu by bringing Kazuma and the others together. Hayato picks up Kotaro and Kazuma and holds them under his arms while he does some squats. This impromptu game has the unfortunate effect of making Kazuma even more afraid of him, while Takuma imitates him using some stuffed animals. Usaida compares this situation to the plot of a daytime soap opera. Ryuu isn't amused, but he does suspect that Kazuma believes his brother is being stolen from him, hence the fear of Hayato. As Hayato leaves for baseball practice later that day, Ryuu tries to convince him to spend more time at the daycare so Kazuma can get used to him. Hayato refuses to change his schedule for the sake of a timid child, and tells Ryuu not to get so worked up about it.

When Ryuu returns to the daycare, the children excitedly show off the plush toys Usaida made for each of them. The twins are especially excited that they received matching horses. Ryuu is glad to see that Usaida acted out of concern for Kazuma's discomfort around the others. Usaida suggested they improve things further by going out on a walk together. As they're putting their shoes on, Ryuu notices that Kazuma brought his new toy with him. Takuma and the others all decide they want to do the same, so Ryuu returns to the daycare to retrieve them, with Kotaro tagging along. When they arrive, they run encounter Kousuke sniffling in the empty room. The filming he's partaking in was currently on break, so he used the brief window of time to come to the school. He saw the empty daycare and feared something terrible had happened. Kousuke explained that he wished to speak to Hayato in the hopes of learning why Kazuma admired him so much. Confused, Ryuu asks if he doesn't mean Takuma. Kousuke insists that it was Kazuma who was so awed by Hayato's rescue of the chick that he interrupted Takuma just to tell the story. Ryuu tells Kousuke that Takuma was the one who's been getting close to Hayato and imitating him at the daycare. Kousuke is a bit jealous of Hayato, but also realizes that Takuma is just trying to get Kazuma to admire him in the same way. After all, Takuma is the older brother of the twins. Kousuke's time runs short, so he leaves to return to work.

Ryuu and Kotaro catch up with the group, who are all kneeling on the ground. Usaida explains that Kazuma tripped and fell, losing his toy in the process. Usaida said that if they don't find it, Kazuma will get a new toy. This doesn't sit well with Kazuma though, who likes having a toy that matches Takuma's (he didn't understand that the replacement would be identical). Takuma suddenly notices something and runs off, away from a distraught Kazuma and towards where Hayato is practicing with the team. Everyone then realizes that the cat from before has Kazuma's horse in its mouth. Takuma chases it through the crowd of baseball players, prompting Hayato to attempt a rescue. Ryuu holds him back, asking that he let Takuma take care of it. After Takuma chases the cat into a bush, Ryuu worries if he might have made a bad judgement call in trying to bring the twins closer together. However, Takuma emerges all scratched up, but triumphantly holding Kazuma's toy horse. Ryuu nonetheless is apologetic towards Umi, who is shocked to see Takuma injured. However, the twins are excited about how Takuma beat the cat, so their mother holds nothing against anyone. Ryuu still feels bad about the cat, who Usaida feels should steer clear from now on.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Kazuma Mamizuka
 * Takuma Mamizuka
 * Ryuuichi Kashima
 * Midori Sawatari
 * Kotaro Kashima
 * Kirin Kumatsuka
 * Hayato Kamitani
 * Taka Kamitani
 * Usaida Yoshihito
 * Kousuke Mamizuka
 * Umi Mamizuka
 * The Cat