Kyo: Hatori sleeps?

Shigure: Kyo-kun, everybody sleeps…

But nobody can sleep with Aaya around.  And he comes around.

Kyo: If you came here for no good reason, seriously – get lost!

Ayame: How rude! I always have a good reason.

Tohru manages to extract them from the situation, but Yuki and Kyo are still pretty irritable because, ya know, Ayame’s still waiting for them when they return.  So they start taking out their frustrations on each other, as usual.

Yuki: I hate people who rely on others for everything…

Kyo: Which one of us is overly reliant, dumbass? You’re the one who’s basically tied to Shigure’s apron strings.

Yuki: My relationship with Shigure is none of your business! Don’t talk like you know everything!

Kyo seems to have struck a nerve. It’s clear that Yuki really does hate being so reliant on Shigure, but for whatever reason he simply had no one else to run to.  Kyo, on the other hand, is just staying with Shigure by Akito’s decree.  And speaking of Akito…

Ayame: Aside from Tori-san, there are only two people who can drink my tea.

Shigure: Assuming one of them is Akito-san…who’s the other? Yuki-kun?

Ayame: Non, non! Yuki won’t drink anything I make for him. Which makes me sad.

You know how I said Aaya has strange ways of showing respect?  Like allowing people to drink his wonderful tea.  We already have a good idea of his respect for Hatori, but it’s kind of strange how Shigure takes it for granted that he would have the same kind of respect/affection for Akito (and Aaya doesn’t deny it), even though he knows full well that both Yuki and Hatori went through hell at Akito’s hands.  It’s never spelled out who the third one is, but let’s just say there’s a good chance we’ll meet that person in the future.

And now we get to the real point of this outing: Kana’s wedding. Ayame comes bearing wedding pictures which he obtained from one Mayu-kun.

Ayame:  That’s right. I saw Mayu-kun, the one who called you a “ripple” and broke up with you after a month.

Hatori: Oh, Mayuko, Kana’s friend from college.  The one who broke up with Shigure after a month.

I cannot lie: It makes me happy to see Shigure squirm for once.

Hatori: Kana’s memories aren’t buried very deep. Seeing me again could have brought them to the surface…which would have been problematic. […] It’s over between Kana and me. We’re not getting back together. Being in the same room would only make me lonely. It’s too late. I don’t want to think that our love has been erased, but I don’t want to be with her, either. I have no desire to see her. All that’s left to do now is pray.

Ayame: You’re too kind, Tori-san. Yes, it’s one of your good points, but it’s to a fault. That’s why you endure so much needless hardship.

Aaya does kind of have a point (even if he is one of the people that make Hatori’s life harder).  Hatori’s like Tohru in that way, but more perceptive of others’ feelings and more guilt-ridden.

Hatori: When I think about it, I should be satisfied that I had Kana, even for a short time. I don’t think I could ask for anything more. Now my job is to watch over them. To ensure they don’t make the same mistake I did. To make sure they don’t lose their smiles.

He thinks only of his responsibilities, and to be fair, his circumstances at this point really would make it extremely irresponsible (if not impossible) to have a relationship, but I think I disagree with his general pessimism and resigning himself to a lifetime of solitude.

Hatori: Ayame just doesn’t get it.

Shigure: No, he sure doesn’t. (internally) But neither do you, Haa-san. Your life may just be getting started. You may meet somebody yet.

If you were wondering where you’d heard the name “Mayuko” before, yes, it is the same Mayuko-sensei.

Until next time…