June
Please let me introduce myself again
I'm Kenji. Pleased to meet you.
We meet at last
Kohinata-san is so manly
Shiro often talks about you both
Eh? What does he say?
He hasn't been making fun of us, has he?
Wataru...
No, it's just ordinary chat.
What I've heard about Gilbert-Wataru really is true
What's up?
Nothing
A gift for our new friends: bath salts.
Fantastic! I love this stuff!
- Really? - Thank you - Don't mention it
This one is Glamorous Blackberry...
This one is Forest Green Shower
- Decisions, decisions... - You like berry, right?
Why are you deciding for me?
Sometimes I want to try the plant-based ones too
Sorry, sorry. You should use both, then.
Not again
These days, you always give in to me, don't you?
Are you getting tired of us?
- No I'm not - Yes you are
- No, it isn't that... - You're like this a lot, recently
Er... shall we order?
I hope you like this restaurant. I took the liberty of choosing it.
Thanks for your help. I'm not familiar with such places.
Kakei-san is looking good today too
Isn't he just.
You haven't eaten, have you? You want anything?
Are you hungry, Wataru?
- I'm starving - I'm starving
So you're in the entertainment industry, Kohinata-san.
- Yes - He is? I had no idea.
It must be hard work
It's much better now
When I was a manager,
I was so busy that I couldn't tell day from night.
Like when you had to take that female idol to her boyfriend's place at 2am and wait for her in the car till morning
So that kind of thing really does happen
After all, protecting celebrities is my job.
That explains it
His ability to tolerate unreasonable behaviour was honed at work
Kohinata-san, these names on your card are...
The celebrities that I represent
- Mitsuya Mami? - Yes
- I was Mami's manager for 10 years. - Seriously?
- Yes - I'm a big fan of hers!
When she debuted, her effect on me was indescribable.
The wisps of hair escaping her ponytail - there should be a law against it!
Her historical series was good too
I don't watch much television,
but that was really good. She has become a good actress.
Kakei-san, are you bisexual?
Do you like women too?
No, not at all.
A lot of gay men are fans of girl groups, aren't they?
This is a case in point
But most of the female idols that Shiro likes
belong to the type that appeals to straight men.
It's true that Mitsuya Mami isn't the kind of idol with a gay following
But I'm not bisexual. Haven't I already told you?
I feel that there's nothing remotely gay about the way you look, talk and think.
You're not the classic gay man at all
At any rate, I'm not in the gay mainstream.
I belong to a minority within a minority
But that's convenient, isn't it?
Cheese
In order to hide their true nature,
gay men must tell a variety of lies.
At school, you talk to your friends about the types of girls you like,
your favourite performers and fashion trends,
that kind of thing.
Most gays have to lie through their teeth.
If they don't, they'd reveal they're gay,
and that would be incredibly painful.
But in your case, Kakei-san, you've never had to
lie about anything except your sexuality, right?
Well, that's true.
He's not interested in gay fashion, and speaks like a straight man.
And he likes Mitsuya Mami
Now that I think about it, you're quite sly, Shiro.
I've always been crazy about male idols
I love pink. My behaviour and speech are a dead giveaway.
You've never hidden it
That's not true
Until high school, I'd kept it a secret. It was horrible.
Kakei-san, you're still in the closet, right?
Well yes, at work.
Oh, and because you're the type that usually seems so ordinary,
it'd be far more difficult for you to come out of the closet.
Perhaps nobody has ever thought that he’s in the least bit gay.
That might be troublesome too, right, Kakei-san?
I suppose so
You're in a good mood
- Because I'm happy - About what?
That was my first double date with another gay couple
And in a public place too
- Really? - Yes
It was so much fun
But that Gilbert-Wataru fellow is hard to stomach
Beneath the inane laughter, he's a sadist.
I guess so. But I don't hate that kind of person.
What? Thunder?
It's going to pour. Let's get home quickly.
Wait for me!
What did you eat yesterday? Episode 7
- Thank you very much - Thanks
- Please come again - Ok
- Ken-chan - Yes?
There are no more appointments, so you're done for today.
Really? Thanks a lot!
What's up? You've been smiling to yourself all day.
Actually, Shiro is in bed with a cold today.
He must have caught a chill in the rain yesterday
- A cold? - Yes
How's that a good thing?
Your boyfriend must be feeling awful
But, you see, I'm the devoted type.
With Shiro being an ultra-competent control freak,
I seldom get to do anything for him.
So today I'm going to take care of him to my heart's content!
- Ignore him - I'm so happy! - Just ignore him
- Talking to him is a waste of time - Yes
First, to the shops.
I should go to the chemist's before the supermarket
Wait for me, Shiro!
My temperature has gone up again
I'm home. I left work early.
Are you ok?
I've bought the fever cooling pads
No, no, you stay still.
Sit up properly
This has to go on your forehead...
... there... it's done.
Nice and cool, isn't it? Feel any better?
Now, lie down and stay in bed.
- What's this? - You shouldn't catch a chill again.
Feeling awful?
Have you taken your medicine?
You might not have much of an appetite
I'll make dinner
Before that, I should get you a water pillow.
It will make you feel better
Kenji
You are absolutely enjoying yourself.
I want to say that to him,
but I'm feeling too ill to speak.
Shiro, you shouldn’t feel bad about this.
Just wait a while. I'm going to make dinner.
I forgot this. What an idiot.
Anyway, I should sleep.
Right. Here I go. Wait for me.
Microwave a quarter of a silken tofu block for 1 minute
Put something heavy on top to drain it
Under running water, remove the soil from the roots of the spinach.
Kenji, that's too much water.
And now I shall embark on the challenge of making the rolled omelette I saw on TV
First, the awase dashi [mixed/blended stock].
80cc of water
A little wafu dashi [type of powdered stock]
A small spoonful of soy sauce, two pinches of salt
A large spoonful and a half of sugar. Stir to mix.
Here comes the important part
Crack 3 eggs. Hold two chopsticks at exactly this distance from one another.
Insert into the egg whites in the bowl to beat the eggs.
Swish back and forth 10 times.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Rotate the bowl 90 degrees. Go back and forth another 10 times.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Next, add the awase dashi.
Beat back and forth, and side to side, 10 more times respectively.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Mustn't overdo it
That's the trick to it
What's he doing, talking to himself?
Ok, here comes the real challenge.
First, dip kitchen towel in oil for later use.
Put the frying pan on high heat for 1 minute
Let's see... after that, turn the heat down.
Use the kitchen towel to oil the pan
The pan has become very hot
Put a ladleful of the beaten eggs into the pan
What happened? Is he ok?
The egg is frying up too fiercely
Burst the bigger bubbles. The egg mixture will look more viscous.
Fold it inwards towards you into three layers
Oh no, it's too soft. The chopsticks can't hold it at all.
Where is it?
Why can't I find it? Oh here it is.
Looks like I've made a mess of it
But anyway I'll roll it inwards towards me
The heat mustn't be lowered. That's the secret of a tender omelette.
I won't be defeated
Next, fold it inwards one more time.
Apply oil again to the pan's unoccupied surface
This time, pour two ladlefuls of egg into the pan.
It's frying up so quickly
Add the rest of the egg
It looks very haphazard
Never mind
It seems to have gone all quiet
Somehow or other, I've made it!
It's not over yet
1 spoonful of white sesame paste, 1 spoonful of white sesame seeds,
a little soy sauce, 1 spoonful of sugar,
and half a spoonful of salt. Mix well.
Add the drained tofu
and knead it
Chop the boiled spinach, ohitashi [veg side dish] style.
Drain it
Add to the drained tofu and mix well
Mix.... mix....
Ok. The simple spinach and tofu salad, made in a bowl, is ready.
Microwave 2 servings of rice from the fridge
Rinse in water
Add plenty of water
and just the right amount of shiro dashi [type of stock].
The zousui [type of rice gruel] is ready to cook
When the water boils and the rice starts to soften,
add chicken thigh meat that has been cut into bite-sized pieces.
No. I'll use the entire piece of chicken.
Hey, you don't have to use an entire chicken thigh for an invalid's rice gruel.
Chicken thighs are expensive
After it has cooked, sample it.
Finally, add some egg.
I should chop up some mitsuba [Japanese parsley]
Wait. Don't.
Raw chicken was cut on that chopping board
I cut the chicken on this chopping board
That was close. I must wash it first.
His skills leave much to be desired
In fact, I'm so worried that I can't sleep.
It's ready!
Shiro, dinner is ready!
It's hot...!
Oh Kenji
Rolled omelette, zousui with egg...
There's too much egg
And there's too much chicken in the zousui.
Well? Do you feel like eating?
- Yes. I'm tucking in. - Please do.
This rolled omelette is reasonably tasty
The omelette
looks a mess but it doesn't taste too bad, does it?
Not that different from store-bought ones, right?
I saw it on TV and took notes
How is the food, Shiro?
Although the omelette is clearly the work of an unskilled cook,
it has a fluffy consistency, and tastes quite good.
Really?
As for the zousui,
you put an entire expensive chicken thigh in it, didn't you?
Sorry
But as a way of increasing one's protein intake, it's convenient,
& may even be especially effective for invalids with poor appetites.
The spinach and tofu salad isn't watery. It's very good.
Thanks, Kenji.
That's great!
I'm tucking in
Having said that,
thanks to my cold, I can't really taste anything.
Take your medicine after dinner
And go back to bed
You sweated buckets, right?
Got to change the sweat-stained items
And while I'm at it, I'll air the rooms.
Why does Kenji burn with the desire to take care of me?
- Is this it? - Yes it is
Something that you two had to discuss face to face
I was wondering what it was. And it was this...
Welcome
Why the sudden meeting?
Nothing really. When I spoke to Kakei-san on the phone,
I found out that he couldn't shake his cold.
He had some powdered ginger tea that he wanted to give me
Then why is Wataru here?
Because I didn't want Dai-chan and Kakei-san to meet on their own
Wataru, you're over-anxious.
It's ok. Don't you know that I'm devoted to you and you alone?
No I don't. Prove it.
Don't say such horrible things
Isn't that why I always ask you to come along?
- Er... - Actually, it plays out like this every time.
- Right? - Yeah
Kakei-san, what type of men did you date in the past?
What?
Middle-aged guys like you two shouldn't be embarrassed by such things
You're pretty experienced, right?
Well...
To sum it up roughly, which type do most of your boyfriends belong to?
How should I describe it. They’re mostly the taciturn type, I guess.
You don't really know what they're thinking
Rather than nice guys, they're in fact a bit cold.
Isn't that the complete opposite of Ken-chan?
Ken-chan is totally not Kakei-san's type!
No, that's not...
Wataru, that kind of talk is bound to raise...
... raise people's hackles.
But then again,
if he has chosen Ken-chan, who's totally not his type,
that would mean, conversely, that Kakei-san loves Ken-chan very much.
So that's the case...
...right, when you're with someone who isn't your type.
No way! I'm so happy.
- Good boy - Calm down
Gilbert-Wataru is either a natural born devil
or really spiteful at heart. I don't know which.
What about you, Ken-chan? What's your type?
Me?
I like Saeba Ryo from "City Hunter" [manga]
"City Hunter"
He is a two-dimensional character, not a real person.
He exists
This is my three-dimensional Saeba Ryo
When I first met Shiro, I just knew
he's my very own Ryo-chan.
I know what they're thinking
That I don't resemble Saeba Ryo at all
What's that? Smells good.
Are you baking a cake, by any chance?
- Yes - No way!
You're finally making sweet things
and entering the world of young women.
No I'm not
The cake mix I bought at a discount
is about to pass its best-before date,
and the bananas are beginning to turn black.
Also, it'd be bad if Kohinata-san's gift isn't reciprocated.
I've looked up the ginger tea he gave us
It's from a long-established shop and very expensive
That's Kohinata-san for you
With all the packaging, cakes from cake shops are expensive.
You say that, but you've bought these cake tins.
And two of them too
I can use them for meatloaf as well
I want to broaden my repertoire of minced meat dishes
That's not the whole truth
But whatever it is, it smells heavenly.
It's the fragrance of butter
You only get to enjoy it if the cake is baked at home
True
It's packed with banana and butter. Delicious.
He'll love this
Well, he won’t feel burdened by this kind of gift.
- Like your bath salts - True
This is just right
I've always thought that you could really
teach me a thing or two in this area.
You are tactful.
Or perhaps you care enough to be able to see what troubles other people.
Recently, you seem
to be coming a little closer to our side.
I'm glad
Your side?
You meet Kohinata-san frequently
You're even preparing gifts for him
Only on occasion
As for Wataru,
don't you think he might just turn out to be a good kid?
Are you sure?
After all, he said that you actually love me very much, didn't he?
No, but that...
That's something that you'd never be able to say
I'm glad I got to hear it from him
I don't like such words to be said so carelessly
It's sweet. This is bliss.
But never mind. Thanks to him,
I now know the reason why Kenji chose me
When I first met Shiro, I just knew
he's my very own Ryo-chan.
That didn't happen. That would have been love at first sight.
Why are you smiling in that sinister manner?
What's the matter?
You're starting to worry me
I can eat another slice?
It's late at night. This is ok?
What's this? It's from Kohinata-san?
Wait a...
Can I take a look?
(Mitsuya Mami)
So this is why you've been meeting Kohinata-san so often?
And what... you're giving him the cake in return for this?
No. Sometimes there just happen to be surplus tickets.
Wait a minute
So you still like women
Not women. Only Mitsuya Mami.
What is this?
So you'd date her if she says she likes you?
- You were thinking about it - No!
- If it's her, you'd consider it. - No I wouldn't
Don't do that!
Kiss me
Wait! Are you still carrying on with that woman from the bakery?
Hello! Over here.
Recently, I've bought all my seasonings from Ohga.
I was told at the start
why they wanted to make my acquaintance.