Good morning
I overslept
An omelette!
Thanks, Shiro
It’s my day off, yet you made breakfast. Sorry.
No difference making breakfast for one or for two
Would you mind
refilling the instant coffee jar?
I’ve bought some
Ok
Wow
Looks like it’s going to be a very hot day
Recently, the weather seems to be getting warmer earlier.
Put the food in the fridge if you’re not eating it now,
- or it’ll spoil - Ok
Wow
According to your horoscope today,
Your romantic prospects are at their best (Pisces: very attractive to the opposite sex)
Look, you’re going to be very popular
Why are you still reading horoscopes,
a forty-something fogey like you
I’m off
What has age got to do with it?
Take care
Ok
Shiro, you forgot your phone
(Good morning. See you at 7 this evening at the usual place.)
Eh?
(At Nakamuraya)
Eh?
I almost forgot my phone
Here. You left it over there.
Huh?
Bye
As I said before,
I’m not looking for meaning in this job
Yes, you’ve mentioned it
As long as it’s easy,
I’ll take any case no matter how boring or trivial it is
Do give me more of such cases
As long as I get to leave at 6 every day,
I’d have no cause for discontent
In that case, here are some odds and ends
that I’d like you to handle
Ok
And so,
to help him, I agreed to be my friend’s guarantor
But the creditors have been hounding me every day
It’s been awful
Although the debt hasn’t been paid,
illegitimate debt collection methods are unacceptable.
I will request that they put a stop to it
Thank you so much
Because I look the way I do,
everywhere I go, people think
I’m intimidating
and no one sympathises with me
Your physical appearance shouldn’t affect your rights
Why did you give him my number without my permission?
Even if he’s your friend…
All right
I’ll talk to him. He can come to the office.
And he says he’s not looking for meaning in this job
Kakei-sensei is
very kind and helpful, isn’t he?
That must make him very popular
(Pisces: very attractive to the opposite sex)
What did you eat yesterday? Episode 2
(Good morning. See you at 7 this evening at the usual place.)
(At Nakamuraya)
The convenience store
I’m just going to the convenience store
(Tominaga Kayoko) (Good morning. See you at 7 this evening at the usual place.)
Shiro…
Yu-chan!
Ah…
Kenji
Sorry, Shiro
This…
What’s with this get-up?
Er… um…
Argh!
Are you ok?
I’m fine
Well, not really…
You idiot
But…
Kayoko-san is a housewife who lives nearby
We’re shopping pals
Like when large amounts of fruit or other things are on special offer,
we’d share our purchases.
We’d arranged to meet today to collect these
They’re from her relatives’ summer strawberry crop
They gave her a lot of their unsold fruit
But you’d never wanted to get to know the neighbours
So why…?
Hm？
Oh… because…
(Two weeks ago)
(Limited-time offer: watermelon 880 yen)
That’s really cheap (Limited-time offer: watermelon 880 yen)
Such a big watermelon for only 880 yen
I heard that this year’s exceptionally warm weather
has resulted in a good watermelon harvest
And I love watermelon
But…
For just the two of us
the entire watermelon is too much
and I can’t put it in the fridge
She’s probably thinking the same thing
Her children have probably left home
and it’s just her and her husband at the moment
“That’s really cheap”
“But we won’t be able to finish it…”
No, no, what am I thinking…
I came for eggs
Medium-sized eggs at 108 yen a carton
An unmissable bargain
- Do you want half a watermelon? - That’d be great!
Sorry, I let you carry everything home for me
We don’t have a lift
Anything we buy has to be carried up two or three floors. It’s so tiring.
Have a cold drink. I’m going to slice the watermelon.
- Ok thanks - Ok
Hm？
It’s a Sunday afternoon
What am I doing in a stranger’s home?
Here you are
Eh？
I bought this the day before yesterday
Eat it while it’s still cold
If we don’t finish it,
I won’t be able to fit today’s watermelon in the fridge.
Ah
I love watermelon
so I keep buying it
This was 590 yen for half a watermelon
I thought it was a bargain
And then today there are these big ones for just 880 yen each
I feel like I’ve been duped
Usually I’d remove the seeds one by one
and eat the flesh with a spoon
But
if I eat it in such a fussy way,
I might seem unmanly
Perhaps the way I eat
would reveal that I’m gay
She lives nearby
I will probably run into her quite often
And she looks like the sort
who’d talk unreservedly about anything
I’d be in trouble if she finds out [I’m gay]
Very big trouble
I’ll just cut it in half, shall I?
Or maybe quarters?
Oh no, he seems dreadfully macho
What’s a guy like this doing in my home?
His appearance,
whichever way you look at it,
is suspicious. He’s weird, this guy.
Has he come here
with ill intent?
He’s checking this place out
perhaps looking for valuables
No
He’s checking if there’s anyone else here
I’m alone right now
Which means… don’t tell me…
The fact is, I’ve got big breasts
So, when I was young,
I took care not to draw attention to them
Even at the risk of appearing presumptuous,
I must be very careful
I’m an idiot
Why did I so thoughtlessly agree
to share a watermelon
with some guy I know nothing about?
Er… tissues…
Eh？
Er…
Dad!
Dad, save me!
What? Wait a minute, what’s going on?
No! No!
I’m going to be raped
What’s wrong with her?
Oh no, this isn’t good.
But looking at this objectively:
if the police show up now,
I’d be arrested for unlawful entry
and sexual assault.
Listen to me
- Let me explain - Stay away from me!
Don’t come any closer!
First I must get her to stop screaming
Someone might hear her and call the police
My law licence would be revoked
What should I do?
What can I say to shut her up?
I’m gay!
No!
Horrible…!
I’m a lawyer. My name is Kakei Shiro.
You’re a lawyer?
So this is what I had to do…
Mum,
are you there?
Yes
It’s Michiru
Nakamuraya had watermelons at 880 yen each, so I bought one.
I thought I’d share it with you
Eh?
Sorry for the intrusion
What?
Where’s Dad?
Er, I am…
Don’t worry
He’s gay
Eh?
I’m home
Michiru, you’re here.
You’re back
Welcome home
You are…?
Dad, it’s ok
He’s gay
Eh?
I’m really sorry
about the misunderstanding earlier
Really, why would such a great guy
make advances towards my mother?
You were dreaming. How embarrassing.
It’s because the situation then was really bizarre
So it’s true
All gay men are handsome.
No, I don’t think there’s any such correlation
Is that so?
Gay, huh?
Well…
you guys must have suffered a great deal
Stop it, Dad
If you keep talking like that, he’ll fall in love with you.
Really?
No way! You want Dad?
Just kidding!
I’m sure Kakei-san already has a partner
Right?
Is he a really cool guy?
No, he’s pretty average.
Ah, just as we’d thought.
Ok, let’s eat
It’s just a simple meal
but we hope you enjoy it
Thank you
I’m going to tuck in
Let’s eat
So you and your partner are living together?
Eh？
Er, yes.
But if there are two of you,
finishing a watermelon shouldn’t be a problem
No, our fridge isn’t big enough.
In that case,
the next time we find something at a special price,
how about we share it?
Sure
This is delicious
Thank you
Look at this: if you add a lot of garnishes,
a soumen [thin, wheat flour noodle] dish can be very nutritious.
and it’s light enough to eat in summer.
Can I have the recipe?
Of course
Ok
It’s ready
Here you are
So this is
Kayoko-san’s dish？
Yes
To enhance the flavour, I added
myouga [type of ginger], shiso [type of mint], ginger,
chopped spring onion and ground sesame;
and then a thin mentsuyu (noodle sauce)
with chopped tomato on top.
The main ingredients are cucumber and tuna
Tuna in mayonnaise is fine too
Looks delicious
Let’s eat
Delicious
The rich flavour
goes well with the tomatoes’ tartness
Tuna in mayonnaise was a good choice
But
if a man like you
turned up suddenly in someone’s home,
of course a woman would make a fuss
I didn’t think it through either
I should have paid more attention to my situation
Ah
This egg
That’s your leftover omelette, chopped up.
Sorry
I haven’t been able to eat much all day
Don’t you trust me?
And anyway, isn’t “Kayoko” obviously a woman’s name?
That in itself should indicate there was nothing to worry about
But, in the past,
you dated women.
Only one woman
and it was more than twenty years ago
So you say
You should know
many gay men
have gone out with women
Yes, and in order to hide their true nature from society,
some of them proceed to marry those women.
I was young then
Don’t worry
I’m no longer bisexual
Even so,
you didn’t have to buy stuff
at your ex-girlfriend’s shop
Eh？
Bread
The plain bread
The bread we were eating this morning
Why did you have to buy it at that shop？
You can get bread at the supermarket for the special price of 100 yen for 500g
That loaf
costs 260 yen, right?
For a person like you,
who worries about 10 or 20 yen,
isn’t that strange?
Stop it
Talking about “pan” [bread]
is like opening Pandora’s box
What’s that? A bad pun?
No
When it comes to bread, especially plain bread,
once you’ve eaten good bread, nothing else will do.
Besides, that bakery uses
only domestic wheat
so 260 yen is reasonable
But…
Your ex’s bakery being
a mere ten-minute’s walk from here
makes me feel vaguely uneasy
If you’re so worried about it, go and take a look.
She got married ages ago
Her child is in middle school
I’ve been there
Eh?
I went some time ago
I’ve been there
Eh？
I went some time ago
It’s 400 yen in total
It’s very good
Really? Glad to hear it.
You’ve been there?
She’s very beautiful
She’s in her forties
but looks much younger
Thank you very much
Welcome
She didn’t look like she was wearing any makeup
and she has excellent interpersonal skills
In short, she is an amazing woman.
My feelings at that moment -
you wouldn’t understand them at all
Hey, you
are like a wife going to
her husband’s lover’s workplace
to check her out
This is not funny!
Ok ok
Oh, is there any bread left?
I should make jam tonight
I’ve finished dinner
It’s nice to have a light dinner like this sometimes
You’re changing the subject again
There’s nothing else to be said on this subject, is there?
Wash and hull the strawberries
Sprinkle on top about half the equivalent amount of sugar
Let it sit for 3 hours
Cook in an enamel pot
Due to osmotic pressure from the sugar,
the fruit will release sufficient liquid
There’s no need to add water
Cook at medium heat and keep stirring with a wooden spoon
Foam will rise steadily from the strawberries
Skim it off carefully
The fruit’s colour will gradually lighten
and become whitish
But with continued cooking,
the essence released
will return to the flesh of the fruit
At that moment, it looks really pretty.
When it becomes thick and sticky, turn the heat off.
While it’s still hot, put the jam in the jar,
and screw the lid close
Good morning. Shiro, you’re early.
Yes
I’ve got to attend a hearing at court
so I must leave earlier
Is that so
I’ll toast the bread
Is this the jam you made last night?
Yes
Let’s eat
Delicious
The combination of the jam’s sweet but tart flavour with
the mild saltiness of the butter is the best thing ever.
Well
Hm？
What we were talking about last night…
Ah
Hm
When I was dating Hitomi,
she was tall and sturdy,
had short hair,
and wasn’t very feminine.
I thought I could try dating a girl like that
So her name is Hitomi
Your ex
Yes
But her physical appearance notwithstanding,
a girl is a girl.
Two or three months may be fine,
but pretending to be heterosexual
all your life is unbearable
I couldn’t even make it to 6 months
I didn’t take it seriously
I’m sure she wasn’t happy either
So when she suggested we break up,
I was relieved, to be honest
I see
What？
Nothing
If I’d continued dating Hitomi then,
I might have married her
and maybe even had children
But I can’t deny my homosexuality
I’d have betrayed my wife and children by having a boyfriend
But, unable to leave my family,
I’d have hurt my boyfriend as well
I think that’s what would have happened
It’s terrifying
I’ve reflected on the wrong I did to Hitomi
As a result, I have decided
I will never date women
ever again
I’ve got to go. Can you wash up?
Ok
Can I have another slice of bread?
Yes but don’t finish the jam
I’m making pancakes this weekend
Pancakes?
I can’t wait! You go ahead, I’ll wash up.
Thanks
To get to court by 9,
I should take the bus at quarter past
Ah
Looks like I’m going to be lucky in love today
A love-struck woman may approach me
But since it’s someone of the opposite sex,
it’s futile
That’s why horoscopes are a waste of time
By the way,
I’m collecting some edamame [soybeans] from Kayoko-san today
Don’t get jealous
Ok ok
Your collar has flipped up
Take care
I’m off
Hey
Wait a minute
Does this mean Shiro
has told Kayoko-san
that he’s gay…?
Kakei-san, you’re 45?
How awful
Eh？
I thought you were younger
You’re 45?!
That’s just awful
Why?
Nothing. But you are…
Right…
Let’s buy this
So what exactly is the problem?
Well, looking like this at 45,
and being single too…
Right？
Let’s buy this
What’s the problem with looking like this?
Please tell me
(Preview)
I was already prepared to accept that you are gay
Imagine a bishonen [beautiful boy] like Gilbert [character from the manga ‘Kaze to Ki no Uta’]
I think Kayoko-san’s detachment
is just right
I’m not related to you, Kakei-san