Synopsis[]
Ryuuichi meets Inui Hiroyuki, who is in love with Yukari Sawatari, Midori's mother. Kirin tries to become a witch, and Ryuu attempts to play along, trying not to ruin her childhood dreams.
Long Summary[]
Act One[]
Yukari drops off Midori at the daycare center with Ryuu. Ryuu holds Midori as he suggests to Kotaro that they read a picture book together as they wait for the others. Ryuu changes Midori's diaper but sees that he has run out of wipes. As he opens the cabinet to refill the wipes, Midori crawls over to the door. Ryuu calls out to her as she sees someone open the door. A red-haired student opens up the door and is disgusted by the smell. He falls to the ground as Midori pulls on his pant leg. Ryuu and Kotaro watch in shock, causing the student to scold them for not doing anything.
Ryuu holds Midori as he figures that the student is not here to join the Babysitting Club. The student plugs his nose as he continuously complains about the awful smell. He demands that Ryuu do something about the smell. Ryuu walks closer to him and kneels down, sternly asking him what he came here to do. Kotaro holds a Cinderella picture book as the student complains about Ryuu's tone. He calls Midori a "poop factory" and Kotaro a "space cadet." Ryuu defends Kotaro as the boy asks him if he is looking after a girl named Midori Sawatari.
Inui blushes as he confesses that Midori will be his future daughter.
Ryuu asks what he wants with Midori, and the student turns around as he explains that he wishes to see the face of his future daughter. Ryuu is confused, as he sees that he is wearing a student uniform. The student introduces himself as Inui, a second-year student. Ryuu points out that Yukari is already married, but Inui simply smiles and says that age does not matter with love. Ryuu panics, but Inui scoffs as he claims that it is only natural for Ryuu to not understand, as he clearly has no romantic experience. Inui gets up and exits, believing that neither Midori or Yukari is in the room.
Usaida and the children arrive to find Ryuu in a daze.
Later, Usaida tries to get Ryuu's attention, but Ryuu is in a daze. Kirin tells Ryuu that he was sleeping with his eyes open, and Usaida explains that he and Kotaro were staring into space when he arrived. He apologizes to Kotaro for not reading the book to him and offers to read it to him after class, as he is out of time. Usaida asks what Ryuu is thinking about, and Ryuu asks him about Midori's father. Usaida explains that he is at a dig overseas, confirming that Yukari is not widowed or divorced. Ryuu is horrified at the thought that Yukari is cheating on him with Inui. Usaida sarcastically asks Ryuu if he is into older women, but Ryuu sternly denies this.
Ushimaru blushes when she realizes that Ryuu is staring at her.
Ryuu asks Hayato about it, and Hayato bluntly responds that it is their choice. Ryuu argues that the person who is cheating has a child, but Hayato reasons that the romance is between them, so he keeps his nose out of those messes. Ryuu admits that Hayato's argument is reasonable, but he also reminds himself that the child still matters. During class, Ryuu starts thinking about how he has never been in love. He remembers that people say Ushimaru is cute, and he stares at her. However, he does not feel particularly attracted. Ushimaru blushes when she notices that Ryuu is staring at her.
Inomata glares at Ryuu when he asks her about her stance on adultery.
In the hallway, Ryuu thinks that it is does not seem right to ask Yukari about the problem personally. He bumps into Inomata, who scolds him for not watching where he is walking. Ryuu asks Inomata about her perspective towards adultery, and, as he expects, Inomata replies that cheaters deserve the death sentence. He then asks her if she has ever had a crush on anyone, causing Inomata to ball her fist and describe herself as a dull person who has not experienced love yet.
Ryuu returns to the daycare center to see the children sticking snot all over a desperate Inui. Usaida lolls around as he welcomes Ryuu while Kotaro holds out the Cinderella book. Ryuu calls the children over and takes out a tissue to help them blow their noses. Inui gets up and calls Ryuu out, saying that he found out that the "poop factory" is indeed Midori. He claims that Ryuu lied to him, but Ryuu argues that he never said that she was not here. Ryuu then argues that it is not right for him to steal someone who has a husband and a child. Inui agrees, saying that he will always respect married women. He then goes on to claim that her husband is in heaven.
Inui blushes as he grasps Yukari's hands and is about to confess to her.
Yukari suddenly enters the daycare center, greeting Inui, whom she addresses as "Mr. 'I Forgot Something.'" Inui blushes as Ryuu notes that she is finished with her work early. Inui, who is totally red in the face, walks up to Yukari and takes her hands. He stutters and begins to say something, but Midori begins to cry in Usaida's arms. Yukari takes Midori and pats her. She then assures her daughter that her father is coming home soon, which stuns Inui. Usaida stands up as he asks if his dig is over, and Yukari explains that he is returning soon to do university work.
Inui asks about her "far away" husband, and Yukari smiles as she explains that he is returning from a dig in Turkey. Yukari then asks what Inui was going to say, and Inui blushes as he dismisses the importance. He offers to watch over Midori if she and her husband ever want to go on a date and spend time together. Yukari thanks him for being so kind.
Inui stops sulking and laughs.
Inui sulks in the corner as the children attack him with toy swords. Inui angrily confronts Usaida for knowing about her husband's situation. Usaida explains that he found it too funny and decided to play along. Inui covers his face in embarrassment, claiming that he looked like an idiot. Ryuu denies this, saying that he looked really cool and mature in front of her. Inui shrugs it off, saying that what he did is something that people will make fun of him for. He then looks at Ryuu and the children, telling Ryuu that it is amazing that he takes care of kids. He smiles, joking that he must have gotten the order wrong: kids come after falling in love and getting married. Inui laughs as Ryuu looks over at Kotaro, who is still holding the Cinderella book.
Ryuu reads Cinderella to the children as he thinks about his own future romantic experiences.
Ryuu apologizes to Kotaro and reads the picture book to the children. Ryuu reflects for a moment, imagining the feeling of losing love and wonders if he will ever find his own love someday.
Act Two[]
The children play Ranger 5 with Ryuu.
Ryuu pretends to be a Dragon King who has put everyone to an eternal sleep. He pronounces Midori as the Devil Queen who rules over the planet. The other children then introduce themselves as the Ranger 5 who are here to stop her. Taka is Ranger Red; Takuma and Kazuma are Ranger Yellow; Kotaro is Ranger Blue; and Kirin is supposed to be Ranger Pink. However, Kirin is not paying attention, as she is coloring with crayons. Everyone stares at her, and Taka impatiently tells her that it is Ranger Pink's turn. Taka assigns the role of the monster to Hayato, who refuses to join in. Ryuu sighs as he tells Hayato that he should not just watch.
The children are shocked to see Kirin drawing instead of playing with them.
Kirin stands up, saying that she will not play childish games anymore. She folds her paper and tells everyone that they must study instead. Ryuu notes that Kirin is talking like Inomata and tries to tell her that studying is important, but playing is also good. However, before he finishes his sentence. Kirin shows everyone her drawing of witches, announcing that if they study, they can become great witches. Ryuu is relieved to see that she still has dreams. Takuma and Kazuma say that they want to be witches, but Hayato bluntly says that boys cannot be witches.
Taka and Kirin argue over superheroes and witches.
Taka argues that witches are not real but heroes are. Kirin replies that her mother said that heroes are just actors but witches are indeed real. Hayato informs them that neither is real, but Ryuu covers his mouth before he can finish his sentence. Ryuu tries to prevent the two children from fighting by claiming that both are real, but Taka and Kirin continue to bicker. Kotaro attempts to stop them, but they push him aside. Kotaro rolls over all the way to Usaida. Usaida wakes up to see Taka and Kirin insulting each other.
Kirin tries to fly on a broom in order to prove that witches exist.
The next day, Taka brings a picture of a hero carrying him. He happily tells the others that all the Rangers were there. Usaida jeers at Taka's weird facial expression in the photo. Taka then points to Kirin and accuses her of having no evidence that witches exist. Usaida corrects his pronunciation of the word "evidence," but Taka ignores him, telling Kirin that her picture books do not count as evidence. Kirin holds her book behind her back and yells at Taka that she does have evidence (a word she also mispronounces). She declares that she will fly to show that witches exist.
Outside, Kirin concentrates as she tries to fly on a broom, but Usaida says that she will not succeed, saying that this is not something she can will into being. Taka tells Kirin that witches are not real and tells the others that they should go inside to play heroes. Kirin decides to stay outside and practice until she can fly. Usaida tells a concerned Ryuu that he should go back to class, reasoning that Kirin will give up eventually.
Hayato and Ryuu exit the bathroom, and Hayato tells Ryuu to simply tell Kirin that witches do not exist. Ryuu argues that it is not right to shatter a child's dream. He asks Hayato if he ever believed things when he was a kid. Hayato ponders for a second and admits that he did dream of throwing a disappearing curveball. Ryuu points out that Hayato also believed things as a child, but Hayato reasons that he will make it happen in the future, so his case is different.
Inomata decides to help Ryuu and Hayato.
Suddenly, the boys hear Inomata's voice. They turn to see Inomata scold them for talking in front of the bathroom and being a nuisance. Ryuu apologizes and steps out of the way, allowing her to enter the restroom. Inomata pauses before admitting that she overheard them speaking about shattering children's dreams; she asks if anything happened with the children. Hayato turns to her and asks if she just wanted to join the conversation. Inomata turns red before walking away in anger. Ryuu calls after her, saying that the two could really use a girl's opinion on the matter.
The three move to the staircase, and Ryuu explains the situation. He expresses his hesitation towards shattering Kirin's dreams, and Inomata says that she understands. She decides to help them by bringing documents and materials. Ryuu is rather confused by her offer to bring documents. During lunch, Inomata brings books about witch trials and witch hunting to Ryuu's desk. The other students wonder why Inomata, the top student in their grade, is in their classroom. Inomata smiles as she explains to Ryuu that such a thing happened in history. Hayato looks over Ryuu's shoulder as Ryuu takes a look at the evidence and admits that he cannot show such terrifying history to the young children. Inomata becomes flustered and yells that she cannot understand children's feelings before leaving the classroom and slamming the door. Ryuu begins to ask Hayato about Inomata but dismisses the concern. Ushimaru blushes as she wonders what the relationship between the two is really like.
Ryuu is reminded of the chairwoman when he thinks of witches.
During class, Ryuu thinks about Inomata's personality, citing that she is a rather weird but sincere and kind person. His thoughts then lead him to picture the chairwoman, whom he thinks reminds him of witches. He imagines asking her to pretend to be a witch, only for her to angrily scold him to study. Ryuu looks out the window as he decides to buy books about magic from the library.
Meanwhile, Usaida asks Kirin to come back inside, but Kirin resolves to practice. Usaida figures that it is alright for her to stay as long as she is not jumping off anything. Kotaro holds up Kirin's book about witches to Usaida, who decides to read it to him. Takuma and Kazuma also decide to listen to Usaida read the book, leaving Taka upset.
Kirin prepares to jump off a high ledge.
Kirin looks up and sees a ledge from where she can jump off. Ryuu walks towards the daycare center, holding magic trick books. He sees Kirin about to jump off the ledge and drops them. Ryuu sprints towards Kirin and cushions her fall just in time. He asks if she is alright, but Kirin begins to sob. Ryuu holds and comforts her as he wonders if she is crying because witches are not real or because she fell from a great height. Usaida looks outside and sighs as Ryuu figures that it was probably both reasons. He admits that Hayato was right: he should have told her from the beginning that witches are not real and that it is impossible to fly with a broom.
Kirin cries to the chairwoman, upset that she cannot fly on a broom.
The chairwoman walks up to Ryuu and Kirin, asking why she is crying. Kirin sniffs as she explains that she cannot fly on a broomstick. The chairwoman says that she obviously cannot fly, as it is one hundred years too early for her to learn. Kirin's eyes widen as she asks the chairwoman if she is able to fly on a broom. She tells Kirin that she will leave that up to her imagination before urging the two to go inside since it is about to rain.
The chairwoman consoles a crying Kirin.
Inside, Taka tells Kirin that they can play witches, but they also have to play heroes together too. Kirin and the children smile as Ryuu admits that for a second, he had believed that the chairwoman was really a witch.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Yukari Sawatari
- Midori Sawatari
- Ryuuichi Kashima
- Kotaro Kashima
- Inui Hiroyuki
- Usaida Yoshihito
- Kazuma Mamizuka
- Takuma Mamizuka
- Taka Kamitani
- Kirin Kumatsuka
- Hayato Kamitani
- Ushimaru Yuki
- Inomata Maria
- Yutaka Sawatari (mentioned)
- Morinomiya Youko
- Saikawa Keigo
Changes From the Manga[]
Act One[]
- In the manga, Ryuu pictures his parents being involved in an affair after talking to Hayato, who assumes Ryuu is asking because he watched a drama. Ryuu imagines holding an infant Kotaro while his parents fight on the other side of the door.
Act Two[]
- In the manga, instead of simply watching Kirin color, Hayato holds the box of crayons while she draws.
- In the anime, Taka and Kirin push Kotaro, who bumps into a sleeping Usaida, while in the manga, Usaida sleeps between where Kirin and Taka stand, so he gets caught in their crossfire.
- Yayoi comforts Kirin while Hayato hits Taka on the head after their fight. This scene is not shown in the anime.
- Inomata tries to fly on a broom during cleaning duty in the manga, but this scene is also not animated.