Once again, Tohru makes a bold move for the sake of a friend.

Arisa quit all her old jobs, officially giving up on running into Kureno again.

Arisa: I’ve just had enough. Every time a customer came in, a part of me got excited, thinking maybe it would be him again – it’s like I was holding my breath. But then, when it wasn’t, I’d get depressed real quick. You know that’s not like me…I guess I just got worn out torturing myself like that.

She’s trying to be realistic and move on, but when she mentions that his name is Kureno and Tohru wonders aloud if it might be Kureno Sohma, Arisa jumps at the possibility.

Tohru: He had very pretty brown eyes and hair, and he had, like, a cool, calm demeanor.

Arisa: That’s definitely a different guy. The Kureno-san I know is so absentminded. […]

Tohru: But don’t you think there’s a possibility it’s him!? Wouldn’t it be worth it to find out for sure!?

Arisa: Don’t bother. Believe me, there’s no way it’s him. I’m positive. And anyway, I’ve already given up on him. Sorry I kept whining about it. But thanks.

It’s rather amusing how Uo-chan thinks she knows everything about a guy she only met twice (especially since “absentminded” and “cool and calm” are kind of interchangeable in different contexts).  But of course the real reason she denies the possibility is that she doesn’t want to get her hopes up again only to have them dashed.

Tohru asks Kyo about Kureno, and learns that Kureno seems to be very isolated – he’s Akito’s personal assistant, but rarely even speaks to the other members of the Zodiac.

Kyo: Why are you asking about Kureno anyway? […] Don’t go borrowing trouble.

Tohru: (internally) But Kyo-kun, one of my best friends is worried about something. I could never think of helping her as “trouble.”

And so she decides to just go to the Sohma compound alone and seek out Kureno.  But then she (quite understandably) loses her nerve when faced with the doorbell at the gate.

Tohru: I can’t just suddenly barge in like this. That would be reckless. […] Ah, but still, if there’s even a small chance the man she wants to see is behind this wall…

Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a violin playing, and then she literally runs into Momo, Momiji’s baby sister.

Why yes, this is going to be another heartrending Momiji story!

Anyhow, Momo shows Tohru a secret entrance (a hole in the wall).

Tohru: Momo-san, are you acquainted with…I mean, do you know Momiji-kun?

Momo: I know him. I met him once at Papa’s building. I thought he looked just like Mama. So I was real surprised when Mama said, “We look nothing alike”, and Papa said, “Don’t see him again.” But when I was playing here in secret, I found it. Momiji’s house. Know what? He was playing violin that day too. I sometimes come to secretly watch him play.

So now Momo and Momiji are both secretly watching each other from a distance, but forbidden by their father from actually having a relationship.

Momo: But hey! You’re his friend, right, Onee-chan? And Momo led you to him, right? So please do Momo a favor. Give Momiji a message. Ask Momiji, “Will you be Momo’s big brother?”

She started learning the violin so they could play together and I can’t.  Why does this always happen to Momiji? Why?

Momiji: I’ve been slacking off since I started high school and quit taking lessons with my old teacher. […] Momo wanted to learn the violin, and my teacher is famous, so…so that’s why Papa wanted me to quit. But really, Papa was just scared of me being near Momo and Mama. He’s scared that the happiness he’s worked so hard to rebuild will be destroyed. He doesn’t want to get hurt anymore. He’s afraid that just by meeting them, I would hurt them.

Tohru’s reminded of Uo-chan, who’s trying to rebuild her happiness in her own way by trying to make herself forget Kureno.

Tohru: But…Momo-san wants to meet you. Momo-san…actually, Momo-san led me here. It’s true. Momo-san…Momo-san has known about you all this time. All this time…she’s been watching you all this time, Momiji-kun! Just as you’ve been always, always watching over her, Momo-san has been listening to you play the violin! She said she wants to play together with you. She wanted me to ask you if you would be her big brother…(internally) Even though they want to meet each other, even though the person they want to see is just on the other side of the wall…

Momiji: What should I do…? What should I do? I’m so happy…Tohru. My dream? Is to play the violin professionally. If I could become a professional violinist, I would hold a small concert, and then Papa, Mama, and Momo would come hear me play.

Each of the members of the Zodiac has some simple dream made impossible by the curse, and for Momiji it’s just to be in the same room with his family.

Why? Why can’t they be together? Why can’t these feelings be allowed to grow? I want that dream to come true. I want it to come true, from the bottom of my heart, even if it’s irresponsible to want that.

These perfectly normal feelings are somehow made irresponsible because acting on them might cause irreparable damage.

Next time, Tohru does what she actually came to do: Meeting Kureno-san.