Chapter 16

Synopsis
Ryuuichi is reluctant to accept an invitation from his friends to watch a horror movie while Kotaro stays at home. Saikawa assures him that he'll spend the day keeping Kotaro company and playing with him.

Long Summary
Ryuuichi asks Saikawa if it is okay for him to leave for the movies and leave Kotaro in Saikawa's care, offering to cancel his movie invitation. This will be his first time going out with his friends without Kotaro ever since he moved in at the Academy. Saikawa insists that he should spend more time with his friends and have fun. Ryuu asks Kotaro to be a good boy while he is gone and politely asks Saikawa to take good care of him. Saikawa sternly responds that he will protect Kotaro with his life, which stuns Ryuu. As he leaves, Ryuu apologizes to Kotaro for leaving him alone and to Saikawa for leaving Kotaro in his care on his day off. In the estate, Saikawa offers to make Kotaro a snack, but he shakes his head. Saikawa is a capable secretary and butler, but he does not know much about taking care of young children. He plucks a cattail and swishes it around near the floor, which is a common way of playing with a cat. Kotaro is immediately intrigued and catches the moving cattail with a sparkle in his eye.

Ryuu meets up with his friends, apologizing for being late. He thinks he is the last one, but Hayato walks up next to him, apologizing for his delay as well. He appears to have a bite mark on his right cheek, which Usokawa assumes to be a bite mark that he received from a girl. Hayato explains that Taka bit him after begging his brother to bring him along, so he hit him and left. Hayato asks Ryuu if Kotaro cried when he left. Ryuu replies that he did not and that he was late because he was worrying over him. Hayato states he cannot understand such brotherly love, and Usokawa plans to tell all the girls in their class about Ryuu's brotherly complex in hopes of diminishing his popularity. Ryuu does not believe he has a brotherly complex, but is simply worried about his little brother.

During the movie, his classmates, except for Hayato, who is eating popcorn, are visually scared, while he is distracted over Kotaro's well-being. At the estate, Saikawa draws a picture of Ryuu on a ball with a marker and throws it, telling Kotaro to fetch. Kotaro eagerly chases after the ball, but when he attempts to pick it up, he unintentionally pushes it forward. Saikawa thinks about how cute he looks and tells Kotaro not to wander too far inside one of the rooms. Kotaro stumbles upon a small library that has the curtains open. The library has two chairs and a table with an open book on it. As he picks up the ball and hands it to Kotaro, Saikawa explains that this library was used by the chairwoman's late son, whom he addresses as "master," and daughter-in-law. He recalls a time when the chairwoman's son read him a joke book so that he could see Saikawa laughing before he dies. Saikawa regrets that he could not grant him that sight and admits that the joke collection was not funny. He also notes that the chairwoman occasionally airs out and cleans the room, despite claiming that there was no purpose in cleaning a room that will not be used. Kotaro brings a book to Saikawa, who reads it to him for the sake of the two that will grow up in the estate.

When the chairwoman pulls up in her car and sees the two in the window, she sees her late son and daughter-in-law, but then realizes it is Saikawa reading a collection of love poems to Kotaro, who is still clinging to the ball with Ryuu's face. Ryuu parts with his friends and hurries home. The second he opens the door, Kotaro jumps onto him. Saikawa clarifies that they were at the door because Kotaro was anxious for his arrival. Ryuu takes out a keychain with a zombie on it from his pocket and presents it to Saikawa as a gift. He is nervous that Saikawa will reject it, but Saikawa accepts the gift with gratitude and a smile on his face. Ryuu remembers that it has been nearly a year since he and his brother have moved in as the chairwoman orders Saikawa and Ryuu to prepare dinner. Ryuu says "I'm home" to the chairwoman, who replies with "Welcome back." He thinsk to himself that the place he would like to call home is this estate.

Ryuu asks Saikawa what he and Kotaro played today and is surprised to see a cattail, ball, and love poem collection. Kotaro is shown with cat ears and a fluffy tail.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Ryuuichi Kashima
 * Usokawa
 * Ebizawa
 * Saginuma
 * Kotaro Kashima
 * Saikawa Keigo
 * Hayato Kamitani
 * Taka Kamitani (mentioned)
 * Morinomiya Youichi (flashback)
 * Unnamed Morinomiya daughter-in-law (flashback)
 * Morinomiya Youko