VOLUME 4

Ch. 13 "Sankyuu" (Thank You)

Still in Norway.  Things seem to be going well for the gang, who have gone for an afternoon outing in downtown Oslo.  Arisawa, however, has noticed that Masayoshi is in an oddly melancholy mood.  Masami notices as well, and Masami finally confess that seeing the closeness between Masami and Tooru is what's bothering him.  In a painful moment, he confesses that he wishes he weren't Masami's brother, for obvious reasons---as he only just manages to keep himself from giving Masami an un-brotherly kiss.

Later, the gang heads to the cemetery where the Shibata boys' mother Leaf is buried, to pay their respects.  In a tender moment, Masami "introduces" Tooru to his mother, and Yoshiyuki and Masayoshi do a little father-son bonding.  Afterward, Yoshiyuki surprises everyone by inviting Tooru to spend the night with them, even though Masami is over the sickness he suffered in the previous chapter.

Masami confronts Masayoshi about what he almost did that afternoon.  To Masayoshi's surprise, he says he's known for years about Masayoshi's feelings, and apologizes for being unable to give Masayoshi what he wants. Masayoshi asks for, and receives, a loverly kiss, just once.  The moment marks a change for the brothers, as the incestuous feelings between them are acknowledged and finally dealt with.  Thereafter, Masayoshi stops using his nickname for Masami, the more casual/familiar "Ma-chan," and begins referring to him by the more formal/proper/common "Nii-san."

The next day, the gang returns to Japan; Yukiko is less than pleased with
the ugly souvenirs she's been given.  Arisawa notices Masayoshi's use of "Niisan" to refer to Masami and, knowing Masayoshi's feelings for his
brother, he demands an explanation.  Masayoshi plays it off by kissing him.


Ch. 14 "Oniichan no Koibito" (Big Brother's Lover)

Some time after the Norway story arc, Inagaki's gleeful about getting to
walk Arisawa home; he calls it a "date."  Before the date can get far,
however, Inagaki's mother waylays them and embarrasses Inagaki into doing the grocery shopping with her, allowing Arisawa to escape.  On his way home alone, Arisawa encounters that dreaded menace of the Tokyo subway---a chikan (scuzzbucket who usually gets off on copping a feel on pretty young girls on the train, where it's often too crowded for the girls to get away, and the girls are often too polite to raise a ruckus).  Arisawa is so shocked/embarrassed that it's happening---and that the chikan is feeling up a boy rather than a girl---that he freezes.  He is rescued by another young man, who scares the chikan away, and who gets off the train before Arisawa can ask his name.  Arisawa is troubled by the odd familiarity of the young man.

The young man continues on his way, and by chance runs into, or is splashed by, Masami.  Masami is also startled by something familiar about the young man's appearance, but various circumstances intervene each time the young man begins to give his name.  To make up for having ruined the young man's pants, Masami invites him home, where he gives the boy a pair of Masayoshi's pants as his own are being washed.  He's quite horrified to realize that he's attracted to the boy.

Arisawa and Masayoshi come in, and Masayoshi solves the mystery--- the boy is Hagiwara Kyouhei, younger brother of Hagiwara Tooru, in town to pay a surprise visit to his big bro.  Masami is even more horrified by his reaction to the boy now, and is nervous when Tooru calls (coincidentally just after Masami has thought to himself, "Tooru, help me").  Tooru finds out that Kyouhei is there and panics; he's never told Kyouhei that he's in love with a man.  He rushes over.


Ch. 15  "Pajama de ojama" (Good Night Pajamas)

A comedy of misunderstandings continuing from the previous chapter---first Tooru thinks Kyouhei is putting the moves on Masami (nearly spilling the beans about their relationship himself), then Masami thinks Tooru is ashamed of being with him, then Kyouhei thinks Tooru and Masayoshi might be involved.  There is a brief interlude when it gets late; Kyouhei goes to a hotel (to everyone's relief), and Masami invites Arisawa and Tooru to spend the night.  It seems to be the perfect opportunity for both couples, as Masayoshi suddenly realizes (the epiphany comes as he's symbolically passing the oil to Tooru over the dinner table).  Masami's realized it too, and he nearly floors Tooru when he suggests, none too subtly, that Tooru visit him alone in his room later that night.  It's time for a good old-fashioned Japanese night visit!  To distract Masayoshi, he gives Arisawa the same idea, and the two of them resolve to get intimate with their respective sweeties that night.

Ch. 16  "Otoko to otoko no ABC"  (The ABCs of Man and Man)

Arisawa inveigles his way into Masayoshi's room, saying he can't
sleep---but within a few moments is boldly propositioning Masayoshi.
Masayoshi firmly maintains appropriate teacher-student distance---until
Arisawa strikes a nerve, when he asks Masayoshi about sex and Masami.

Meanwhile, Tooru goes to Masami's room, where Masami is very nervously awaiting him; Tooru finds out that Masami's teddy bear is named "Tooru." Masami finally stammers that he can't do it; he's too nervous.  Tooru gently reminds him that he's waited this long, he can wait as long as it takes.  Things don't remain chaste for long, however.

Arisawa and Masayoshi talk, intensely, about Masayoshi's feelings for
Masami.  In the subsequent attempt to comfort and seduce Masayoshi,
however, Arisawa lets slip that Masami's probably gettin' it on with Tooru
by now---and Masayoshi goes ballistic.  Especially when they listen at
Masami's door and hear the unmistakable sounds of foreplay from inside. But Masami hears them and confronts them.  Tooru, embarrassed at having been caught in Masami's room, decides to try and exit gracefully---angering Masami, who says that if Tooru truly wanted to be with him, he'd bear the embarrassment and stay.  Masayoshi and Arisawa slink away, Tooru slinks to the bathroom, and Masami makes friends with his hand.

The next day at school, Yukiko gleefully talks with Arisawa and Inagaki
about the supposed joys of gay male sex.  In the process, she explains to them in brutally clear terms just what gay male intercourse involves.  The boys don't take it well.  Neither does Masayoshi, when Arisawa begs him to be the one to "stuff it in" him (i.e., he wants Masayoshi to be his first lover).  Meanwhile, all of the gang's careful efforts to conceal the truth from Tooru's brother are crushed when Kyouhei is shown having coffee with Takami Kenya---yes, the same Takami Kenya who nearly seduced Tooru in Norway.


Special chapter--- "Koi ja nakunaru ?" (Something about love not being lost)

A rather sweet story focusing this time on Kyouhei, as he meets and
befriends (or rather, is aggressively befriended by) Takami Kenya; the two attend the same college.  Kyouhei's attracted to Kenya in spite of himself, and Kenya's as flirtatious as he is friendly, although he only teases Kyouhei rather than propositioning him outright.  Over the course of the following year, Kenya and Kyouhei become good friends, Kenya's natural exuberance usually overcoming Kyouhei's tendency toward stoicism.

Kenya is playing a rather dangerous game with some local toughs, the leader of whom seems torn between attraction to Kenya and anger at Kenya's coldness toward him.  Partly out of jealousy (of the amount of time Kenya is spending with Kyouhei) and partly to get back at Kenya for snubbing him, he threatens Kyouhei in order to force Kenya to go with him, and exposes something Kenya's kept hidden from Kyouhei---the fact that he's gay, and has a reputation for promiscuity.  The toughs taunt Kyouhei:  Kenya is known around campus as an "expert in men," and they dare him to say that he and Kenya are a romantic item.  Kenya, humiliated, agrees to go with them, in order to save Kyouhei's reputation and pride.  Kyouhei is at first too stunned to protest, and then he suddenly realizes that he's left Kenya alone with four guys who have Bad Intentions.  He charges after them.  When he finds them, he shouts that Kenya is his, and he fights them in order to rescue his friend.

Afterward, Kenya invites Kyouhei to his apartment for the first time, where Kyouhei sees the portraits that Karl made of him.  Kenya explains to Kyouhei that the artist was his lover, but they broke up because--- Kenya says---they got tired of each other and one lover wasn't enough for him. Kyouhei realizes immediately that Kenya's been lonely all along and that this is a lie; he tells Kenya to stop running away from his problems. Which causes Kenya to face the fact that he's been doing exactly that. Kenya decides to go and visit Karl during Golden Week---but at the airport, before he leaves, he kisses Kyouhei.  Kyouhei watches the plane leave and contemplates unrequited love.  All seems the same when Kenya gets back---from an apparently pleasant week--- but there's a brief moment when the two friends edge close to admitting more-than-friendly feelings for one another.  Neither is willing to cross that line, however, and they lapse back into friendly banter.

As a result of all this, however, Kyouhei gives his big brother a call and
lets him know that he approves of Tooru's relationship with Masami.  He
understands what it's like to find that one person who is special, no
matter who (or what) that person is, and he wishes Tooru luck.  Much to
Tooru's embarrassment.

Return to Chapter 3

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