We're having dried mackerel for dinner tonight!
I stewed some veggies, and we have chopped burdock root, too!
I'm proud of this meal!
MOMOCHI
Oh, I'm looking forward to it.
I'm not at your level yet though, Grandma Fumio!
Even now, you're a good cook, Tama.
Right, Taka?
Yes.
How can I put it? There's a youthfulness to her cooking.
Yes, exactly. A youthfulness.
Fumi and I both always look forward to your meals, Tama.
Thank you, Grandma Takako!
Actually, my friend from school complimented me on it, too!
The friend you're going to see today?
That's right!
Watch out for cars!
I will!
See you later!
- See you later! - See you later!
U-Um...
Nice to meet you! I'm Tamate Momochi!
SLIMINESS OF AN EEL
Hana is always helping me out!
The way I hear it, you're always helping Hana out.
I'm Shion Kyouzuka.
Please feel free to call me Tama!
Oh, then please just call me Shion.
Shion!
Yes, Tama?
Shiotama is like a salty ramen-flavored egg topping!
Really? It sounds delicious!
Are you a salty ramen kind of person, Shion?
I like everything, but I have to have my bamboo shoot condiment.
I bet delicious bamboo shoots are made from high-grade splittable chopsticks!
I bet they use cedar or cypress.
Splittable chopsticks?
Tama, please continue to take good care of Hana.
Sure! I'm not much good at anything, but I promise I'll make her happy!
T-T-T-Tama?
You said you'd cook dinner for us tonight, right, Tama?
If you need anything, take it from here.
Thank you!
I can shred the cabbage with this peeler!
I've got this, too.
You can easily make potato chips at home with that!
And this!
Wow, you can make ground meat at home?
SAWAIZAMA STATION
Tama, you're amazing.
Why?
I mean, you hit it off so easily with people you've only just met.
That's not because I'm amazing, but because the other person is nice!
I-I see.
And there's someone else who forcibly leads everyone around by the nose.
Sorry to keep you waiting!
G-Good morning, Eiko and Kamuri!
Morning.
Thanks for the invite.
Thanks.
Thanks!
Th-Thank you for coming!
Oh, boy, it's a beautiful day for a sleepover!
I brought video games, too!
Tama, why are we staying over again?
To work at night and then play.
Wrong.
To stuff ourselves on Tama's cooking.
I really am looking forward to that, but it's not the reason for this.
It's a study session, right?
You're the type who always sticks to the original premise, Eiko!
Your cousin is out today, huh?
Yeah, a reunion.
So I'm thrilled you guys are staying over, but I'm also a little relieved.
Being all alone would make any of us kind of nervous.
That's true.
I've been afraid before when I had to stay home alone.
I kept thinking someone was behind me.
That's like when I've taken a shower before
and had the feeling somebody was watching me.
Well, in most of those cases, you were right! It was me!
Oh, that was you!
Now that you mention it, the other day...
I was studying in my apartment
when I heard something fall to the floor behind me!
I nervously turned around and saw...
a...
sma...
Smoke?
Small...
screw!
I kept thinking about where that screw came from
and was so scared I couldn't sleep!
Because of a screw?
Something smells good.
It's probably that eel restaurant.
SPECIALTY EEL RESTAURANT
That aroma is heavenly!
It sure is!
But when it comes to good smells, nothing beats Eiko!
I'm not competing with eels, so your consideration isn't necessary.
Tama, do you know how to prepare eel?
I've never had the experience.
But I've worked at an eel restaurant before!
You know how you get work experience on a field trip in middle school?
I did that, too.
That was a tough experience!
Amid the fragrant aroma of eel,
I worked my butt off, and the meal awaiting for me...
...was the lunch box I brought from home.
So lunch wasn't provided.
You must've been in agony!
I was in total agony!
It's like, if I were an eel, I would've been undercooked!
Don't eat eel that's been undercooked.
Now if I'd been a popular woman like Eiko,
I bet they would've thrown in one or two slimies!
Is a slimy a unit for counting eels?
Just talking about this is giving me a craving for eel.
But I'm in a bit of an economic pinch this month.
A pinch?
In my house, I'm given a monthly budget for food,
and I get to keep whatever's left as pocket money.
That's so responsible of you, Tama!
Yeah, but therein lies the problem.
I learn new dishes, find delicious-looking ingredients,
and feel like cooking for my grandmothers.
So I don't think I have enough left to go to dinner with my family this month.
I see. That's responsible of you, too, Tama!
Really? You're praising me?
Then keep going, shower me with praise!
Make a fuss over me!
Okay, I will! I'll make a fuss over you!
Tama, you really are incredible! I admire you!
Tama is incredibly admirable.
Th-That's really blunt!
Y-You can make a fuss over Eiko, too!
What about her?
Look, she's right here.
Good girl.
Y-You're embarrassing me.
This is rare for Tama.
She's undercooked.
This is agonizing!
Hana!
Hiroe!
You're all here!
Long time no see.
You're back to wearing sweats, huh?
She's back to the sweats.
You're right! I'm wearing sweats!
That's right! When did that happen?
What am I doing?
I started with taking out the garbage, then I went to the convenience store!
Then my discipline slipped by the day!
I'm sorry, Eiko!
Hit me until you get tired!
Um, I'll pass.
Why, Eiko, why?
There you go.
You look cute, Big Sis Hannen!
You look lovely, Hiroe!
Th-Thank you.
Sticking to it is important.
Yes, you're right!
This is like retempering a dull sword of femininity.
I have to work to maintain this form!
By the way, what's the occasion?
Is this one of those girls-only gatherings I hear rumors about?
If only that were the case...
Unfortunately, we're just having a study session.
We've got semester finals coming up,
so I thought we'd have a sleepover study session.
That makes sense. So that's what it is.
Then how about I help you guys study?
Really?
It'll be my way of giving back for helping me increase my femininity.
No need to be shy!
Thank you!
Yep!
You're smart, Hiroe!
What is this? I'm shocked!
What did they think of me...
before this?
I'm tired.
I'm hungry.
Yeah.
But thanks to Hiroe, we got a lot accomplished.
I'm just glad I was helpful.
The bath is ready.
- Thanks! - Thank you!
Then I'd better get going...
That's right! I brought over bath salts.
Is it okay if I put that in?
S-Sure.
Hiroe, you can take the first bath.
Uh, I'm...
Go on, take the first bath!
We owe you that much, Big Sis Hannen!
But, um...
Then take this.
Please.
Okay.
Why am I taking a bath...
in Hana's apartment?
Oh, that's right, the bath salts...
Th-This is...
It looks yummy.
But you can't eat it.
Cut it out.
That's like when I've taken a shower before
and had the feeling somebody was watching me.
That's all the private bathtime you get!
T-T-Tama!
It's thick.
I feel slippery.
To go along with the gooey bath we had,
for dinner tonight, we're having Tama's special chop suey!
And also rice with a chop suey-like mix on top!
It's just like that!
The bath was viscous just like that!
We all got boiled in there, huh?
Thank you for the food!
I think I know what it feels like to be chop suey!
Chop suey's life isn't half bad.
It's delicious.
Are you sure it's okay for me to eat with you guys?
Of course!
We made a lot of progress because of you, Big Sis Hannen!
That's right.
I didn't know you were so good with academics.
I may not look like it,
but I was the Student Council president and at the head of my class in high school.
I underestimated you!
More!
This is patting myself on the back,
but I was a popular Student Council president.
The culture festival for the years I was in office
CULTURE EXHIBITION
was called the "Culture Exhibition,"
using the kanji in my name!
I don't know if that means they loved you...
...or were messing with you...
More.
Let's play a game!
A game we can all play?
Like a driving game?
A dating sim!
Dating sim...
VIDEO 1
POCKET LOVE
Why me?
After all, it's a game where you try to get girls into bed!
That doesn't answer my question.
Do I push this?
That's right!
SUZUMI: You play the innocent from morning on, huh?
RIRIA: Good morning.
I-It makes me nervous just watching it!
Y-Yeah.
It's like hiding in the bushes and spying on someone's love life.
MOMOE: The rooftop would be nice.
RURUKO: Hey, wanna play with me?
I recommend this girl!
What about this girl?
She's no good. She had a boyfriend when she was introduced in the game.
Then you can't go out with her?
Oh, no, you can go out with her,
but you know, she has an ex-boyfriend.
You should go with a girl
who always has and always will love you and only you.
Who always has
and always will...
Tama, you're scaring me.
Favorability Rating
Now that's scary!
She just started playing, and all the girls are in love with her already!
Thanks for putting out the futons.
Not at all.
You feel warm.
Kamu, are you ready to sleep?
I've used my head to study too much, so I'm sleepy, too!
Yeah. Why don't we all go to sleep?
It's only 10:30.
I don't think I've gone to bed this early since elementary school.
Well, I'm going to turn off the light.
Okay!
I wonder what that sound was.
Are you in the mood?
Sleepover means ghost stories, right?
G-G-G-Ghost stories?
Are we really gonna do this?
I'm sleepy.
Let's start with Eiko.
Okay.
Um, I saw this online the other day...
Gulp.
Huh? Was it a nurse?
Oh, well, whichever...
So there's this building
and a woman inside who looks at you through the window...
Huh? Or was it a kid?
Well, various things happen, and everyone dies by the end.
Lazy.
That recollection is too faint to tell a story.
E-Everyone dies—
- That doesn't even qualify as a story, Hana! - Everyone dies...
Hey, do you have any stories, Kamu?
Mannequin legs decorate a stocking store.
It's scary because it looks like the legs are coming out of the shelves.
When you think about it, that is scary!
There's no ghost, but it's scary!
Scary.
I'll tell the next story.
T-Tama?
It's the story about a girl who was hired as a live-in servant in an old house.
This sounds like a real story!
The rich girl of the house and the servant girl were close in age
and lived together in harmony like sisters.
One day, when she was cleaning the courtyard in her maid uniform...
Okay! And right here, we have a still shot of the maid uniform event!
When she sensed something and turned around...
There was an event still shot!
An event still shot! A lavish feast of event still shots!
Event still shots scare me. Event still shots scare me.
Event still shots...
Hana, what are you scared of?
I can't sleep.
Hana...
Shush.
Tama...
Sorry, I woke you up.
Not at all.
You can't sleep?
No.
Um, then I found it again.
This...
The screw.
What should I do? What if it's an important screw to something?
What if the ceiling falls in while everyone's sleeping
or the pillar falls over or the whole a-a-a-apartment collapses?
I don't think such important structures use little screws like this, Hana.
G-Good point.
You're right.
Sorry, Tama.
It's strange for me to be afraid, isn't it?
I see nothing wrong with it.
What you like, what scares you... It's different for every person.
Tama...
It's the same thing with dating sims.
The old friend, the tsundere, the cold type, the older sister...
There was one who had an ex-boyfriend, right?
Recently, there are "tomgirls" who are boys that...
Well, it's complicated, so we'll set it aside.
The girls in a dating sim have different presents needed
to raise favorability rating, different date places, different everything.
But that's a good thing!
If everyone liked the same thing, and everyone was afraid of the same thing,
the game wouldn't be worth winning!
But I still say don't go with one who has an ex-boyfriend!
Oh, I didn't mean to get fired up.
To be honest, when you first mentioned it,
I thought, "How can a screw keep you up at night?"
I know, right?
But it is scary.
You feel uneasy if you find something like that in the middle of the night,
and don't have someone to talk to about it, like,
"I wonder where this screw is from. Isn't this scary?"
You said I was admirable, Hana,
but look at you, doing your best to live on your own.
You're the one who's admirable, Hana.
Tama...
Hana, I admire you.
Good girl, good girl, good girl!
Is this kind of thing an event still shot?
Now you're getting it, Hana!
Good morning, Hana.
Good morning.
Good morning!
Huh?
Kamu, your cheek's red.
Oh, yeah. What is that?
Th-The curse of the screw?
Indentation from Eiko's nipple.
I do have tough nipples.
The curse of the screw made her nipples like a screw!
Why would the curse pinpoint my nipples?
I've got it.
It's the button from my top.
O-Oh... Then it wasn't a curse.
A screw that curses nipples...
What kind of grudge would it have?
Speaking of screws... This!
A switch cover?
So this is where the screw came from.
Good morning!
You're all early risers.
Tama, your yukata isn't messed up at all!
Yeah, right?
They say I sleep like the dead. More than even Tutankhamun!
Who's "they"?
MOMOCHI
I'm home!
- Let's go out to eat! - Let's go out to eat!
It's our treat.
How about eel?
Eel? Sounds good!
B-But are you sure it's okay?
After all, you've been doing your best with the cooking and budgeting.
That's right. We're proud of our granddaughter.
Y-You're embarrassing me.
So this is your reward.
Okay?
I bet you're hungry, huh?
Order a double-decker box!
A double-decker box?
Order an omelette-wrapped eel, too!
An omelette-wrapped eel!
Thank you, Grandmas!