Chapter 34

Synopsis
Ushimaru reveals to Inomata that she has a fear of small children keeping her distant from the daycare. Inomata decides to bring her straight there in order to help her overcome her fear, which is easier said than done.

Long Summary
Ushimaru crawls into the bushes to retrieve ball, telling herself that she is here only to get the ball, not to peek at Ryuuichi. The ball had landed right under the window of the daycare room, where Ryuu and the children are playing hide-and-seek. Ushimaru looks through the window but Takuma spots her. Takuma points to her, but when Ryuu looks out the window, Ushimaru quickly hides below, panting and hoping that he does not spot her. Inomata walks up to her, asking what she was doing just now. Ushimaru, stunned, panics and says that she was not there to peek but to retrieve a ball. She holds up her hand, but the ball is not there. She panics once more, but Inomata calmly tells her that she understands how she feels too. Inomata blushes and says that she also feels that the children are cute and decides to go with her to the daycare center, figuring that she must be feeling shy. Ushimaru pauses, causing Inomata to turn around, thinking that Ushimaru hates the thought of going with her. Ushimaru runs after her, admitting that she cannot handle kids while Ryuu opens the window and Takuma points at Ushimaru. Ushimaru feels that her love life has lost hope, but Inomata resolves for the two of them to visit the children together. Ryuu invites them in as he keeps Takuma from crawling out the window.

Inside the room, Ushimaru and the children look at each other. Kirin asks her for her name, and after Ushimaru replies, the children all blurt out their respective names as well. Ryuu remarks that Ushimaru is getting along with them quite well, considering that they usually take longer to warm up to strangers. Ushimaru is flustered when she hears Ryuu praise her while Usaida suggests that Ryuu restrain the kids since Ushimaru had said that she is not good with children. Kirin then grabs onto Ushimaru's chest, comparing her chest to her mother's. The others also want to touch her chest, making Ushimaru incredibly embarrassed. Ryuu holds onto the kids to keep them from touching her while Ushimaru curls up in shock.

Usaida proposes that they go for a walk, so everyone goes outside. Each kid holds hands with someone else. Ryuu says that Ushimaru can hold hands with Kotaro since he is calmer than the other children. When Ushimaru holds her hand out to Kotaro, Kotaro nods and gently grabs on. Ushimaru recounts the times where little kids have treated her badly and bullied her and feels touched by Kotaro's gentleness. Kotaro sniffs as liquid falls from his face. Ushimaru quickly wipes him with her handkerchief, thinking that Kotaro is crying, but in truth, Kotaro has a runny nose. His snot sticks onto the cloth, so Taka uses Ushimaru's skirt to wipe his nose. Ryuu tells him to stop as he takes out a pack of tissues. Kirin excitedly tells Ushimaru to hold out her hands, to which Ushimaru complies, figuring that she will give her flowers or something. However, Kirin dumps a pile of insects onto her palms. Ushimaru passes out from shock.

Ushimaru thinks to herself that she cannot get along with kids like Ryuu. She wakes up in the nurse's office and sees Ryuu. She feels flustered, thinking that Ryuu had carried her over. Ryuu explains that it was actually Usaida who carried her to the bed. Ushimaru tells Ryuu that he must be shocked by how she cannot get along with the children, but Ryuu explains that he has gone through a lot of pesky troubles as well. He informs Ushimaru that he understands why Ushimaru seems to be bad at handling kids and assures her that there will be a day where she can properly clean runny noses and fare well with children. Usaida knocks on the window outside Ushimaru's bed, telling her that the children would like to apologize. Each child holds out flowers as they apologize and ask if flowers are scary. Ushimaru accepts the flowers and asks Ryuu where Inomata went. Inomata had gone off, upset that she had forced Ushimaru into doing something that she did not wish to do. Ushimaru thanks the kids for the flowers as she asks if she can come to play with them again, to which the children eagerly agree.

Ushimaru runs after Inomata, whom she regards as a special best friend, and hugs her behind her back, saying that she is thankful for her.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Ushimaru Yuki
 * Ryuuichi Kashima
 * Takuma Mamizuka
 * Kazuma Mamizuka
 * Inomata Maria
 * The Cat
 * Taka Kamitani
 * Kirin Kumatsuka
 * Kotaro Kashima
 * Usaida Yoshihito
 * Midori Sawatari