Are you alright, Marumo?
Sorry. I might have gave you my cold.
I'm alright. You guys go to school.
Yeah, but...
I'll watch him so don't worry.
Okay, we'll leave him to Mook then.
-What? To the dog? -See you later.
-We're going. -Hey, you guys, hey.
What you nodding for.
-Morning. -Morning.
Marumo
-caught a cold and can't get up. -What?
So please take care of Marumo for us.
Okay, got it. Go carefully, now.
-See you later. -See you later.
I'm coming in.
Hey, I heard you weren't feeling well. Shall I make you some porridge?
Thanks, but I have to go to work.
Are you alright?
Aren't your cheeks swollen?
What? Huh?
-It's just your imagination. -No, I tell you, they're swollen,
It wouldn't be mumps, would it?
-What? -I guess it wouldn't be.
Normally, you would've had it when you were a kid, right?
Right. Don't scare me like that.
Don't overexert yourself.
Okay, I'm leaving then.
Call me if you need anything.
Thanks.
I have to go for counseling today too.
-Hello, this is Takagi. -Hey, Mom? It's Mamoru.
What happened? How have you been?
I've already had mumps, haven't I?
Once you've had it, you can't get it anymore, right?
Gosh, I think you've had it.
Or was that chicken pox? Maybe it was measles.
Don't mothers usually remember stuff like that?
It's been so long, I forgot.
It's not a wah hah hah matter. Try to remember.
If a stranger starts talking to you,
don't trust him and go with him.
If you feel you're in danger, scream and run away.
You got that?
You all have the personal alarm I passed out, right?
I have mine on my ransel.
-Me too. -Me too.
I'm hanging mine from my neck. Look.
-What are you doing? -I'm sorry.
As you heard, it makes a loud noise,
so remember to be careful.
Yes.
Doctor, recently
he even says things like "I like this dog food better."
-The dog? -The dog.
We all have conversations with the dog, and
sometimes I find myself talking to him.
Is this really the voice of my subconscious self?
-I've never heard of a case like this. -What? Doctor, what?
Oh, nothing. Let's see how it goes for a while.
Just take it easy.
By the way, Takagi-san, could that swelling
possibly be epidemic parotitis?
-In other words, mumps. -Mumps?
-That mumps?
-That mumps. -Is he a kid?
I'm guessing he won't be back to work for at least a week.
My son had it too, but it's very painful.
High fever lasts for several days and this area around here swells up a lot.
That's awful.
Takagi-kun lives alone, doesn't he?
Huh? Yes, he does.
Why don't someone go see how he's doing?
I-I-I'll go. Please let me go.
Why are you so eager?
I'm not...
-Itadakimasu. -Itadakimasu.
Tomoki-kun, do you dislike carrots?
-Yeah. -You're not supposed to leave any food.
You have to eat carrots too.
-That's right, that's right. -Wh-wh-
what's going on? You have to eat everything, you know.
The school says you don't have to eat everything because
of complaints from the parents, but I don't agree.
If you have likes and dislikes, you won't be strong and healthy.
Okay.
Tomoki.
Onee-chan.
I guess I have no choice.
Thanks. Why aren't we alike even though we're twins?
It's strange, huh?
Be careful. Straight ahead. Keep it straight.
-Like this? -But just think.
He really did have mumps.
He must not have had it when he was a child.
Seriously, what an oddball he is, that guy.
Takagi-san, you sleep in this room for a while, okay?
It won't be good if you give it to the kids.
Yes, thanks.
We're home.
-Hi. -What happened?
You guys stay in this room
-for a few days, okay? -Why?
Takagi-san's sleeping in the other room. He has mumps.
His cheeks are swollen and he has a high fever.
You won't want to catch it, so make sure you don't go in that room.
-Okay. -Don't come in here.
Are you alright, Marumo?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Marumo.
We'll come up frequently to see how things are going,
so don't worry. Okay?
Okay.
I wonder if Marumo's alright.
-I'm gonna take a peak. -No, you can't.
If you open the door, Marumo's going to turn into a crane.
Crane?! Okay, I won't.
-Let's finish our homework. -Okay.
Who could it be?
Shall we go see?
Mamoru? Are you there, Mamoru?
Who is this?
Who are you?
-Who are you? -Who are you guys?
You too, Oba-chan, who are you? -But, isn't this
-Takagi Mamoru's house? -It is.
-What do you mean it is? -Mom?
-Sasakura-kun's children? -Yeah.
But why you?
It's not that they don't have relatives, right?
Oh, I remember he had a brother.
He did, but the kids were about to be
separated if they went with their relatives.
Still, don't you think you're being irresponsible taking them in?
It's hard enough to raise your own children,
let alone other people's children.
And two of them at that.
It's just not possible.
You don't know that until I try it.
And if something happened,
how are you going to apologize to Sasakura-kun?
That's... Seriously...
I heard you weren't feeling well, so I came to Tokyo,
but look at this.
I won't approve of this.
Take those children back immediately.
In the first place, while you're lying here sick,
who's taking care of those children?
Mom, why don't take it easy and stay here for 2 or 3 days?
What?
Why do I have to be doing this.
Are you hungry?
Oh, it's that time already. We'll have to make dinner, won't we?
There's nothing decent in here.
What do you want to do about dinner?
-She's Marumo's mommy. -Nice to meet you.
I'm the daughter of the landlord downstairs. My name's Hatanaka Aya.
Thank you for putting up with Mamoru all the time.
She's going to make dinner for us.
Oh really, how nice. You're okay then, huh?
I'm sorry. They must impose on you a lot.
No, not at all. Good bye then.
-How were the kids doing? -Looks like they're fine.
Takagi-san's mother was there.
Mother?
Has he told her the whole story
-about the kids? -I'm not sure.
-She'd be surprised if she found out suddenly, huh? -That's for sure.
Most mothers wouldn't approve.
Hello, welcome.
Good evening.
Oh, you're from Takagi-san's office.
You remembered? I'm Mashima.
I'm so pleased you remember me.
I'm here to visit Takagi-san.
This is a nice restaurant. Are you always here...
If you came to see Takagi Mamoru, his room's on the 2nd floor.
Ah, yes.
So her name's Aya-san. She's pretty, isn't she?
I wonder if she has a boyfriend.
She wouldn't happen to be after you, would she?
No she wouldn't.
Or rather, why are you here?
To see how you're doing, of course.
But it's good that your mother's here.
I guess, although her nagging's killing me.
A little while ago too, she was nagging about the kids.
She told me to return them to their relatives.
Well, I can see how they would be tough to manage by yourself.
It would be easier if you had a wife or girlfriend, but
you have nothing of that sort, do you?
Sorry for not having any.
And your face is all swollen.
You'd better not tell Makimura-san about this.
I wouldn't know what to do if she came anyway. I can't show her my face,
and what would happen if she found out about the kids.
I won't tell her, but I seriously doubt
-if Makimura-san would visit you. -Fantasy like that's necessary too
at times like this in my weakened condition.
Here you go, eat up.
-Itadakima~su. -Itadakimasu.
This is awesome. The fridge was almost empty, but you made all this.
-Delicious. -Really? I'm glad.
-We usually have the goma shio boss. -Goma shio boss?
This one.
-Thank you, Boss. -Thanks.
But how terrible. Is he only feeding you this kind of thing?
-It's good. -Even if it's good...
Tomoki-kun, don't you like carrots?
-No. -He got scolded at school during lunch too.
I don't have to eat it when I'm home, do I?
It's okay with me.
What a relief.
By the way, where's your chopsticks and rice bowls?
-This is all we have. -Really? Seriously...
He's just not very thoughtful about these things.
It's hard to eat, isn't it?
Okay, let's go shopping tomorrow.
Okay. Yay!
Mamoru, I'm going shopping with the kids.
-Okay. -Will Marumo be alright?
Will he be alright?
I brought him some porridge a little while ago, so he should be fine.
While you're there, buy Mook's food too.
Really. He doesn't make much money and he's even taking care of a dog.
Marumo gets mad when we eat his ice cream.
That's so immature of him.
Did he always like ice cream?
Yes. Like when he caught a cold,
he'd always say "I want ice cream" and made a big fuss.
Shall we buy some today?
Yes, let's do that.
Yay!
Tomoki, you said that because you want ice cream.
You got me.
Ice cream.
We want ice cream.
-Premium. -What?
Ice cream.
Yay! They're so cute.
I'm going to have seconds with this.
Thank you, Marumo Mommy. Thank you.
-Alright. -What are you making for dinner?
Hamburger. Go play until dinner.
Yay. Hamburger.
Onee-chan, let's go to the park.
Okay.
-Are you two going to be okay by yourselves? -It's close by.
-Are you sure? -Marumo, we're going out to play.
Oh, take the personal alarm with you.
Okay.
If a suspicious person starts talking to you, pull on it.
-Okay. -Okay.
What a terrible world this has become. To have to teach them to be suspicious of people.
That's the way things are nowadays.
-We're going then. -See you later.
Beware of strangers.
-Okay. -Okay.
Let's go to that park we went the other day.
Okay.
Excuse me.
-Who is he? -I don't know.
What's that?
It's going off. Mamoru, it's going off.
I heard, I heard... Why are you holding that?
What's going on?
How do you stop this?
Hello, everyone.
Chief.
I'm sorry.
I thought you had something going on, but
I never would have guessed you were taking care of your late friend's children.
I was surprised too.
I don't even have grandchildren yet.
Mom, go to the other room please.
Okay, okay. Please make yourself at home.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner.
And so?
What are your plans for the future?
I'd like to go on living with those kids.
I'm sorry. That's why I'm not sure what I should do.
I don't want to be a burden to my colleagues.
Is it possible to get a transfer to a department
where I won't have to work overtime?
You're serious about living with those children, then?
Yes.
Is it okay if I sit comfortably?
Oh, sorry. Please do.
-I have sciatica. -Oh, I forgot that you did. Sorry.
Then just stay with our department.
-Pardon me? -Customer Service Department
stops taking calls at 5 PM. After that, you just have to wrap things up.
If you can get everyone to cooperate,
I think you can manage to make it.
Chief.
Thank you.
But you sure choose to live the hard way, don't you?
You could have chosen an easier path.
-Hello. -Hello.
Is Takagi-san here?
He's out sick with the mumps.
-Mumps? -It's unusual, isn't it,
to get it at that age. Did you need something?
Well, yes...
I wanted him to take a look at the report of the last business trip.
I think he'll be off for about a week.
-I see. -Oh, Makimura-san.
There's absolutely no need for you to go visit him.
Takagi-san's face is all swollen like this.
Is it that bad?
It's bad, real bad. He looks like something out of a horror movie.
-Horror? -That's scary.
So it would be best you stayed away from him for a while.
It's good.
It's good. Marumo Mommy, you're awesome.
I'm so glad.
Poor Marumo. He can't eat.
But I made a lot so
he can eat it when he gets better.
I guess so.
What kind of a kid was Marumo?
Tell us, tell us.
Well, let's see. He always liked baseball.
He'd be out in the field playing until dusk.
With Daddy?
Yes. He was really close to Sasakura-kun.
They were always together, like brothers, doing foolish things.
Like breaking a neighbor's window while playing baseball, and
oh, that's right, they dug a huge pitfall in the schoolyard,
but then a teacher fell in it.
They were bad boys.
They were, weren't they.
They definitely weren't good boys.
I never saw either one of them working on
their homework.
But he always tells us to do our homework.
Marumo's not fair.
-Not fair. -Not fair
Are they badmouthing me?
You ate all your hamburger.
Yes. It was good.
Tomoki-kun, it looks like you can eat carrots, huh?
-What? -There were carrots
in the hamburger. I chopped them real small and put them in there.
No, really?
I couldn't tell.
Mamoru didn't like carrots either when he was little.
But when I chopped it real fine and mixed it in, he couldn't tell and ate it.
So I can eat carrots.
Aren't you glad?
Sasakura-kun used to come to our house all the time
and ate this hamburger too.
Daddy used to like this hamburger too.
I want to see Daddy.
What?
I want to talk with Daddy.
Yes, but that's impossible because he's in heaven.
Heaven's far away, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
Mamoru, are you up?
Yeah.
You know. What?
-It's about those children. What?
You should have their relatives take care of them after all.
You can't take Sasakura-kun's place.
-But Mom... -I'm not
talking about you.
I'm saying this for the children's sake.
As things are, all you can do is make them feel lonely.
-Mom. -You can't raise children all by yourself.
Of course, it's a different story if you had someone who'd marry you.
But you don't have anyone like that, do you?
Anyway, talk it over with Sasakura-kun's brother again.
If you won't, I'll go talk to him.
Alright?
-Is Daddy sleeping here? -Yes.
Then is this heaven?
No, this isn't heaven.
But when you feel like talking to your daddy, you can come here and talk to him.
You voice will definitely reach your daddy in heaven.
Okay.
Okay, let's go.
This is it here.
Shall we clean up the grave so that your daddy
and rest peacefully in heaven?
Yes.
Excuse me.
How do you feel?
Here. Dad told me to check up on you.
Thanks. The fever's gone down.
That's good.
You must be relieved that
your mother's here.
She's taking good care of the kids.
Yes.
Is something wrong?
My mom's telling me to take the kids back to their relatives.
-What? -She said
I won't be able to raise the kids by myself.
But Takagi-san, you're trying so hard to do everything you can.
But I couldn't say anything back to her.
When she said "Do you think a man can raise kids by himself?"
She told me "all you can do is make them feel lonely."
But if you didn't take care of them,
the kids would be separated.
Of course I want to
go on living with those kids too.
But I'm probably too flaky in my mom's eyes.
Thank you.
Okay, put your hands together like this.
Sasakura-kun.
Daddy.
Daddy, I've been meaning to tell you.
Marumo's letting us live with him.
A dog called Mook's with us too.
I was almost separated from Tomoki, but
Marumo told us we could be together.
And the ransel you promised us,
Marumo bought them for us.
Marumo even put a heart on mine.
And he plays catch with us too.
He's really bad at it, but he sewed name tags on our gym clothes.
He's a shorty, but he gave me a piggyback ride.
And he taught me magical spell to make the flower sprout.
Like this. Woo~ Mambo.
Then the flower really sprouted.
And he came to watch us at the entrance ceremony too.
Look at Marumo's funny face.
This is Mook.
Daddy.
Daddy's not here, but we have Marumo.
So don't worry about us, Daddy.
We love Daddy, but we love Marumo too.
Yeah, we love Marumo.
Hey, Mook. What should I do?
You have any good ideas?
You won't talk when I ask you to, huh?
Hey.
Hello, this is Takagi.
This is Makimura. Thank you for helping me out the other day.
Makimura-san. I'm sorry for
-taking off like that. -No, please don't worry about it.
I was thinking of coming there to visit you now.
What? Really?
Um...um... but No. Please don't mind me.
But you helped me out on that business trip too, so
I'll just stop by real quick and leave right away.
I'm already almost there.
What, you are?
What? But, but... No, you can't come.
No, no, no. You really can't.
But I heard you weren't doing well so
-I got worried. -What? Worried? She said she's worried.
Yes, you're right. I feel awful.
So you shouldn't come, Makimura-san. You might catch it too.
I already had mumps when I was little, so I'll be fine.
Is there anything you want to eat or want me to do for you?
I'm happy.
Very very happy. I'm happy, but...
Tell me anything.
What should I do. What can I do. Um...
Actually, I have a favor to ask.
[My mom's telling me to take the kids back to their relatives.]
Hey Aya. Take this upstairs for them.
I got a nice fish, so we'll share it with them.
Okay.
What's wrong?
I guess Takagi-san's mother is opposed to his taking care of the kids.
She is, huh? Well,
it's tough for a man to raise kids by himself.
-Yeah. -Things might work out if
he can find himself a nice girl,
-but that might be difficult too. -Do you think so?
He didn't have a girlfriend up to now either, did he?
And now he's suddenly got two kids. Right?
Yeah.
I can understand why his mother would be worried too.
[Marumo's family, isn't he?]
[Even if we don't have Daddy or Mommy, Marumo's family, isn't he?]
[How many times are you two going to practice?]
[As many times as we can. We're going to answer loudly
so that Marumo can hear us.]
[Tomoki, hang on.]
[I have a sick child. Please open the door.]
[Please, please.] [She told me
all I can do is make the kids feel lonely.]
[I want to go on living with those kids.]
Hello.
Oh, Aya-san.
If you don't mind, please eat it.
Thank you very much.
How's Takagi-san doing?
I think he's doing much better, thank you.
That's good.
Um...
Um..Mother.
Yes.
To tell you the truth, Takagi-san...
I mean, Mamoru-san and I are dating.
What?
What did you just say?
Um..What I mean is, Mamoru-san and I are dating, so
the two of us will take care of the children.
So please put your mind at ease.
Yes.
Mother.
Nice to meet you. I'm Mamoru-san's fiancee, Makimura Kana.
-Yes...What? -Fiancee?
-What! -No way!
What's going on? I can't hear.
Marumo's popular with the ladies?
He's a disgusting two-timer.
-Disgusting? -Disgusting.
Um...Your name is Makimura-san, did you say?
Yes. And you're
Mamoru's fiancee?
Yes. I work at Akebono Office Supplies
and I've been dating Mamoru-san.
I see.
What? Oh..I'm..Uh...
Oh, I must have misunderstood.
If Takagi-san's happy, that's all that matters.
I'm sorry.
Well, then..uh..
I have to go help out at the restaurant so I'll get going.
What? What happened?
I swear!
After I went through the trouble to put on an act for him.
-Hey, what's wrong? -Nothing!
So you're here today to...?
I came see how Mamoru-san was doing,
and I also heard that you were visiting so
I thought I'd stop by to say hello.
Well, thank you very much.
I see.
So Mamoru had someone like you.
I'm really sorry.
For asking you to do something like this.
That's alright. But was it okay?
Pretending to be your fiancee so that you'd have an excuse to decline the arranged marriage.
You saved me, really. My mom's
been on my case to go for an arranged marriage.
I'm glad then.
Oh, by the way, who are those children?
What? Huh? Were there children out there?
-Yes. -Hmm...who are they?
Oh, are they child spirits?
Huh? What? No, that's not it.
Oh, my mom's kid...is me.
Her kid is me, so that's not it.
Um...they're relatives. Yes, they're our relative's kids
who are visiting my mom right now.
Oh, that's who they are.
But anyway, I'm glad
I was able to help you out.
Thank you so much.
Don't mention it.
I wonder if girls like Marumo.
Isn't it strange? He's not good looking.
And he's short.
Yes.
Mom. About those kids...
-Like I said before, I want to... -I'm going home tomorrow.
-What? -Make sure you take good care
of those children.
Are you really okay with that?
Thanks, Mom.
Makimura-san's a charming person, isn't she?
Yes she is.
But if I were to pick one, I think I like Aya-san better.
Aya-san? Why's Aya-chan's name coming up now?
Ah~ I'll finally be free.
You were a big help.
Good evening. -Wel...Oh, hello.
Do you have a minute? Thank you for the fish.
Oh, it wasn't much.
Let me get you a cup of tea. Have a seat.
Thank you.
Where's Aya-san?
She just left to go shopping.
Oh, I see.
I wanted to thank you for everything you did for Mamoru.
We really haven't done anything.
Mamoru's doing admirably.
But he's a headache for me, doing whatever he wants to do.
Yes. They do whatever they want, don't they, the kids.
Really.
They won't listen to their parents at all.
But I've been thinking lately.
That maybe the only thing parents can do is to watch over them.
You may be right.
Maybe all we can do is trust our children and watch over them.
Yes.
Have some tea.
Looks good.
Itadakimasu.
-Watch your step. -Thanks.
You two take care, okay?
Come and visit Marumo Mommy sometime too.
Okay. Thank you.
Oh, are you leaving now?
Thank you for everything.
Please continue to watch over
these children.
Certainly.
Aya, why don't you go with her to the train station?
Thank you. Mom, you take care of yourself.
Speak for yourself.
-Come see us again. -It's a promise.
Yes, promise.
Take care.
-Here, I'll take that. -Thank you.
-Bye bye. -Bye bye.
-Bye bye! -Bye bye!
Thank you, Aya-san.
For pretending that you were dating Mamoru
so that I wouldn't worry.
Oh, you knew?
There's no way Mamoru could be going out
with someone as lovely as you.
That's not true. Besides, he has a fiancee.
Oh, that's a lie too.
I was opposed to him raising those kids by himself so
he probably patched things up for the moment.
Then you're leaving, knowing everything?
Yes.
Mamoru is a hopeless child,
but I realized that
those children need Mamoru.
Besides, including you and your father,
there are so many people who care about Mamoru.
So I decided to watch over him too.
I see.
Takagi-san is really trying hard.
They're not even his own kids, and to do that much...
I'm not sure I'd be able to do the same if I was in his position.
He's really amazing.
Aya-san, please help out Mamoru
and the children in the future too.
Yes.
Yum.
Marumo, do you have a girlfriend?
Nope. That thing about a fiancee, that's a lie too.
-That's what I thought. -That's what I thought.
-Don't be saying that.
Seriously...
Mom's hamburger sure is yummy though.
Thanks to this hamburger,
Tomoki can eat carrots now.
Good for you.
Carrots have lots of vitamins. You shouldn't be picky.
You couldn't eat carrots either.
Huh? How did you know that?
Must be Mom. Why'd she have say such useless things.
Okay, I'm gonna write down the okite for the day.
Okay.
Don't be picky. Don't leave food on your plate.
All together now. Don't be
picky. Don't leave food on your plate.
By eating everything on your plate,
you're showing your appreciation to the person who made it, okay?
-Got it. -Got it.
Okay. But that mumps was sure a pain.
-You're all well now, aren't you? -Yeah, once you get it,
you won't get it anymore. Measles too.
Did you ever have measles, Marumo?
Of course, I...
Did I have it? Measles?
-What! -Oh no!
Measles too?
Did I have measles?
What does measles feel like?
Is this feeling measles? Is this measles?
Measles now? I can't tell.
Call Marumo Mommy. Call her, call her.
I'll ask her.
Hurry up and answer the phone. Hurry, hurry.
Mom~!