It's hot, isn't it, Hana Bear?
It sure is, Tama Bear.
I feel like having ice-cold salmon on something slippery!
Like cold white noodles.
Salmon flowing down the bamboo pipe would be nice, too!
Isn't that the same thing as the fish swimming in the river as usual?
Swimming or flowing down a pipe.
There's a major difference!
That's deep!
Of course it's deep because it's a river!
Hana Bear!
Tama Bear!
U-Um...
Y-Yes?
H-Hiroe?
Hana...
Wh-Wh-What's wrong?
What's with your clothes?
Ei...
Eiko!
I-I'm sorry, Hana...
for surprising you.
Not at all.
THE SHARK'S COUSIN
Do you feel a little calmer now?
Y-Yeah.
Um, what happened between you and Eiko?
It was about my clothes.
Clothes?
Yeah.
Right now, I'm standing at a crossroads in my life!
EIKO TOKURA
I-If I do this...
EIKO TOKURA CALLING
Yes, Hiroe?
E-Eiko!
I don't know if I should keep it in or out!
Excuse me?
I'm talking about the shirt and skirt you chose for me the other day!
Oh, is that all? Either way is fine.
Either in or out.
That's no help! You decide, Eiko!
Tucked in or leave it out?
Anyway, the best way is the way you like it, Hiroe.
- But... - Bye-bye!
W-Wait, Eiko!
Inside or outside?
Eiko!
I told myself I can't fail with this outfit, and got too worked up about it.
I was rude to Eiko.
R-Really?
Um, are you going somewhere, Hiroe?
Actually,
I thought I'd sign up for a summer course at a prep school.
I was going to pick up the documents today.
That's great! I'm proud of you, Hiroe!
Hana...
After all, you went from convenience stores to more and more places,
and now you're finally going to a prep school!
You may be in the National High School Baseball Tournament next year!
What do you think I'm aiming for?
It's thanks to you that I'm able to go outside at all, Hana.
Thanks so much, Hana.
O-O-Oh, I didn't do anything!
In fact...
even though you're moving forward,
I feel like I'm walking in place.
Hana...
I know I have to tell them.
It's not good to keep it hidden.
You mean the shirttail?
No!
Hana!
What should I do about the bottom of my shirt? You decide!
Should I tuck it in? Or leave it out?
I-I'm not good at making decisions like that.
You're the only one I can count on, Hana!
You decide! In or out?
Hana, I ironed your uniform.
Help me, Shion!
Oh, what's wrong?
In or out?
In? Or out?
What's wrong with you two?
Good question.
I guess it's cuter tucked in.
You're right.
Thank you, Shion!
But this shirt...
The design of the bottom is cute,
so maybe it's better untucked after all.
You're right!
Sh-Shion, so which is it?
Let's see.
First, loosen the shirt up a bit.
Make your hair like this.
Maybe a hat would look good.
Now hold this.
It's perfect!
How's this look?
Shion?
Eiko!
Sorry for suddenly showing up.
- Eiko! - Eiko!
Eiko!
Yep, it's me, Eiko.
I-I'm so sorry for harassing you over the phone.
Not at all. I was out shopping with my little sister at the time.
Eiko! I don't know if I should keep it in or out!
Excuse me?
In or out? That's a tough question.
Either way is fine.
Either in or out.
That's no help!
You decide, Eiko!
Tucked in or leave it out?
If it's out, it'll flap around. Tucked in is better.
Anyway, the best way is the way you like it, Hiroe.
Bye-bye!
W-Wait, Eiko! Inside or outside?
Eiko, thank you so much for coming!
Don't worry about it. I was in the area anyway.
There you go.
With this outfit, tucked in gives you a more balanced look.
Eiko, you're fashionable, so your opinion counts.
No, I wouldn't say that.
You look nice, Hiroe!
Th-Thank you.
I pray you can pick up that paperwork safely.
S-Sorry for making you pray over trivial things for me.
Eiko, Ms. Hannen...
Why not stay over for dinner?
You don't mind?
I'd love to! But...
my sister's making curry tonight, so...
I can't blame you for going with curry!
Sure, it's curry.
Anyone would go with curry.
For me, the main point is that my little sister's making it, not the curry itself.
A little sister's curry... I bet it's delicious!
I wish I could have some!
Me, too!
You guys are just fixated on curry.
Well, I'm off.
See you!
Be careful going home.
Again, thank you for this, Eiko!
No, it's not a big deal.
Hana, can I talk to you a second?
What's up?
Actually, this is the real reason I came over.
I'd like you to have this.
F-For me?
Yeah.
It's beautiful!
Eiko, did you...
That's right, I made it.
It's my thanks for listening to me that time.
Oh, you didn't need to thank me.
Well, please, just accept it.
I was going to give it to you when the two of us were alone,
but didn't have the chance.
That's because Eiko is popular.
I made that with you in mind, Hana.
M-M-Me?
The motif is a four-leaf clover.
Like, "May good things happen to Hana."
Eiko...
Thank you, Eiko! I love it!
I'm glad to hear it.
I'll wear it every day!
On my uniform... The teacher might get mad, so I'll put it on my bag!
But then it might break easily.
Um, what should I do?
Hana, you tend to overthink things.
Don't think of a gift breaking from the moment you receive it.
Y-You're right.
The person who made it is always next to you,
so even if it broke, just ask me to fix it.
Okay! Thank you!
It's cute!
Eiko is amazing!
HOSHIO PRIVATE GIRLS ACADEMY
Whoa!
S-Sorry!
Oh, it's you, Ichinose.
Watch where you're walking.
S-Sorry.
I was daydreaming...
Come to think of it,
I wonder what she thinks about it.
The fact that I've kept my gap year secret all this time...
Hey, Ichinose...
Y-Yes?
I was just gonna buy some ice cream. You wanna come?
I'll treat you to one, but only one.
Just don't tell anybody else. They'd never let me hear the end of it.
That's showing favoritism!
- Favoritism, favoritism! - Favoritism, favoritism!
Gimme ice cream!
Th-Thank you.
Yeah, go ahead, eat.
Teacher, is ice cream your breakfast?
Yeah, I never have much of an appetite over the summer.
What?
N-Nothing.
Teacher...
Do you, um...
Do you think I should tell Eiko and the others about my gap year?
Do you wanna tell them?
I don't know if I want to tell them,
but I feel like it's wrong not to tell them.
If it's wrong, then I would've told them on the first day.
G-Good point.
Then I don't have to tell them?
Of course not.
Do you have to confess your secrets to them,
just because they're your friends?
You do think that.
You're so serious.
Um, just a little.
Hiding something makes me feel uneasy.
At first, I thought I'd get made fun of or teased for having a gap year,
and that scared me.
But now...
I'm scared of having my relationships change.
Looking at it from the outside,
seems to me that whether you tell them or not, it won't change anything.
Well, don't overthink it.
Eiko told me the same thing.
Even if we said the same thing verbatim,
my words have more wisdom than hers.
R-Right.
The depth is different.
Hana-hoo, good morning!
Hoo, morning.
G-Good morning!
Morning! Another hot one, huh?
The hottest day of summer.
- The hottest? - The hottest.
All of a sudden, this is some summer!
It's like, so hot it gives me the chills!
That makes it sound cold, Tama.
Huh?
By the way, Hana...
Shion told me
about the gap year thing.
Why?
A gap year?
Where you wore only Gap clothes for a year?
Not that kind of gap year.
I... I...
Huh? Did I get it wrong?
Shion said she couldn't find a full-time job last year, so this is like her gap year.
Shion is having a gap year?
Yeah, without working.
Huh?
Was I supposed to keep that to myself?
You get information that not even the person's relatives know about?
Your communication gauge's reached its max value?
That's an exaggeration.
We were texting each other normally and it just came up.
Texting normally... Texting?
You really are on the ball, Eiko!
When did you and Shion exchange contact info?
When we were at the pool, and it just happened normally.
You and your "normally"! That's not normal at all!
Big Brother Kamuri!
She's getting a little big for her britches!
Why don't we put her in a pickle?
VINEGAR
Okay, with vinegar.
KELP
And kelp!
You're going to season and eat me?
I've been so focused on myself that it never crossed my mind.
Shion is in the middle of an "unemployed gap year."
That's right.
An unemployed gap year.
I didn't tell you?
Y-You never said...
Oh, it slipped my mind. I just forgot to tell you.
Probably because when you first came here,
I was so focused on learning how to be a landlady.
Remembering the collection days for burnable trash, recyclable trash,
large-sized garbage...
Y-You sure put a lot of emphasis on sorting the garbage.
When you have a command of garbage, you have command of being a landlady.
I-I see.
Looking back,
maybe I was trying to forget my sorrow by devoting myself as a landlady.
Shion...
But it doesn't bother me at all now.
So don't worry!
I'm not sure if that's a healthy attitude.
But it's hard for me to believe you couldn't get a job, Shion.
Actually, I was offered a job at one company, but Grandpa...
Are the chair cushions at your company soft?
What kind of fabric softener do you use for the towels in the office kitchenette?
Naturally you have your air conditioning ducts cleaned annually, don't you?
I'm worried about my granddaughter's health!
Grandpa!
You and I are his only grandchildren,
so he's especially protective of us.
So then...
Good luck!
Thank you for the food!
I felt like making curry for some reason.
It's gotta be curry!
The good stuff!
The tofu salad is delicious, too!
Good.
I wonder what Shion's going to do from now on?
Will she stay on as my landlady?
Um, Shion...
Yes?
Um, tonight...
Can I sleep over?
Of course!
Th-Thanks.
Then why don't we take a bath together after dinner?
You're sleeping over, right?
N-Never mind the bath, though! I'm too embarrassed!
You know what, Hana?
Actually, when I heard you were moving here last year,
I bought pajamas and a futon for you.
Really?
I bought this for you, too.
Jeez! Do you still think of me as a three-year-old, Shion?
Sh-Shion...
It's just as I imagined!
You look adorable!
A-Adorable?
This is adorable?
Shion...
Sorry.
No, it's fine.
Maybe you can't sleep because it's not your own bed?
No.
Actually, um...
I wanted to ask you something.
Ask me something?
Yeah.
Are you going to continue as the landlady here?
Or are you going to give job-hunting another try?
To be honest, I'm still mulling it over.
At first, all my friends from college got jobs,
and I was the only one helping out at home, as it were.
I was stressed, because it felt like I'd been left behind.
But then,
as a landlady, I tried making it so everyone felt comfortable living here,
and cleaned up the common areas,
and took care of the garden.
I'd always enjoyed doing things like that,
and at some point, I realized that this suited me.
Shion...
Of course, if I got a full-time job,
there would be various discoveries and I'd meet all kinds of people.
But...
I like who I am now, too, as the landlady here.
Right.
I'm sorry about asking for your help, Shion.
But please take care of Hana.
Of course, she's very welcome here!
And I hope you also visit sometimes, Aunt Hazuki.
Thank you.
I'm sure we'll have a good time together, Hana.
Thank you.
I heard you like cold tofu,
so I made all different kinds. What do you think?
Th-This is too much tofu.
Maybe a little more on the left?
Yeah.
Um, thank you, Shion!
Oh.
Hana, you look cute!
Short looks really good on you, too!
O-Okay. Thank you.
Did I fall asleep?
"Do your best, Hana."
Shion...
I feel...
really lucky that you're my landlady!
Hana...
Maybe I will continue to be the landlady after all.
I'll be thrilled if you stay as my landlady, Shion,
but I don't want to pressure you into it!
If you decide to look for a job, you have my full support!
When you think about it, I'm having an "unemployed gap year,"
Ms. Hannen is having a gap year, and you had a gap year.
It's like this apartment building is "Gap Year Heights."
My gap year is behind me!
Well, why don't we get some sleep?
Goodnight, Sharkie.
Here's your lunch.
U-Um, Shion, is this...
It tastes even better the next day.
So it is curry.
Good! Thank you!
Not at all.
Huh?
Cute! That's a pretty brooch!
Thank you!
It really suits you, Hana.
- Well, I'll see you later! - Yep!
See you later, Hana!