Jyunishi Comedy #124

Changing little by little
Slowly moving forward--...

At the hospital, Akito stands outside Kureno's room as one of the staff goes by with a cart. She reaches out to push the door...

At school, Yuki and Haru talk about Tohru. Apparently, until that day, other than family members, no other visitors were permitted. However, now that most of her tests were complete, anyone was now permitted to visit. Haru realises that that was probably the reason why Momiji had vanished in the afternoon therefore. Yuki can only laugh as it'll probably bother Honda-san that Momiji had skipped classes to visit her. Even so, Yuki predicts that there'll be quite a number of people who'll be visiting her for the next while.

Haru: Yeah...
But

*GOGOGOGOGOGOGOGOGO*
Angry aura from Uotani and Hanajima burns as Kyo faces them

Haru: It seems like it'll be pretty difficult for Kyo doesn't it...

Kyo asks Saki and Arisa if they would mind letting him pass as he wanted to go visit Tohru in the hospital. Saki and Arisa can only "marvel" at his kindness and Arisa comments mildly that it almost makes her want to fall for him. Kyo, tells them to just say what it is they're wanting to say.

Arisa, loses her temper demanding to know by what right he thinks to visit Tohru in the hospital and considers how to finish Kyo off...

Uotani: Hanajima; spears!!
Bring some spears!!!

Kyo: Spears...

Classmates: *whisper whisper*

Saki: My...
That's no good Arisa...

Saki: You'll leave physical evidence...

[They're serious......]

Uotani: ...Sheesh
Turning her (Tohru) into such a tattered rag!

Thankfully, it ended up not bing too serious but

That's not the issue here is it!

Kyo: .........Yeah

I know...

Uotani: "I know"

Would someone who understands say something like "that's such a disillusion" to her!?

Kyo: !?

Wha... Eh...!?
Why do you know...

*realises*

*turns to look at Yuki aghast*

Yuki: Ahh...
Come to think of it, I might've

...mentioned it?

Yuki: I'm sorry...
I had absolutely no idea it would get you into this much trouble...

Sorry. Really...

Arisa then forbids Kyo from visiting Tohru, to which Kyo starts to protest. Saki, however, cuts him off in mid-protest and demands what he's going to do if he does visit. His going unthinkingly simply to give meaningless apologies would be little more than a bother for Tohru

Saki: Afterall,

Tohru-kun's not blaming you

I wonder

If that's the sort of thing, Tohru-kun's wanting...?

If you really
Feel bad about things,

I wonder if there isn't something else

You should be doing...?

Uotani: ...Such as

Composing your death poem

Saki: My, that sounds good too...

Kyo slowly agrees that they're right and that he needs to pull himself together more about a number of things. As Arisa and Saki leave, Haru realises that Kyo's taking all the blame over Tohru's accident. But Kyo tells him that it didn't matter, since it didn't change that he still did wrong. And that, on the contrary, having them get angry with him like that made things a little easier.

At the hospital, as he's about to leave, Momiji sees Akito sitting on a bench outside. After hesitating a moment, he asks Akito if she were there to pay a visit and if she'd came alone. Momiji asks Akito if she were there to see Kureno or to see Tohru and Akito remembers her conversation with Kureno...

...After that (what had happened)

They said a number of things

Also happened.

...Are you

All right now...?

Frustrated, Akito says that they (Tohru and Kureno) should blame her more over things, get angry or even sue. That if they simply forgave anything that people said or did to them, that that was going beyond being soft-hearted and that they were hopeless fools.

Momiji: Lucky for you then, isn't it.

Thanks to the two of them being "fools"

You get away scot free
So

It's lucky for you isn't it.

Being able to take advantage of two "fools".

Momiji: Why do you cry?

A solemn Momiji watches as Akito quietly starts to cry. Akito remembers her visit with Kureno, and how he smiled at her. She remembers all the other times he'd been so kind and sweet.

[If perchance

I'd said "Not yet"

I'd wondered what Kureno would do.

I wondered if he'd

Continue to stay by my side.]

[I felt like

He'd still stay by me.

Because I thought

Kureno's that sort of person.

He can't help being
So sweet
So kind

Simply being so gentle.

I've,

For a long time,
Been]

[Smothering him all this time.]

Akito: ...

I'm so mad...

I'm so mad...

...I'm so mad

At myself

Akito remembers how Kureno simply listened to and accepted her meaningless apologies despite her having done something so unforgiveable. And she wonders why she can only cause such a person pain.

Momiji: Then...

Momiji: From here on, you should

Cherish them.

Even if to others, it's something stupid
If it's not stupid to you

You, yourself

Should treasure..... and cherish them.

......
That's all there is to it.

Momiji offers Akito a handkerchief and smiles.

Momiji: It's "The Foolish Traveller"... isn't it.

Akito takes Momiji's handkerchief and looks at Momiji not understanding. Momiji sits beside Akito on the bench and explains smiling:

Momiji: It's a story.

Do you want to hear it?

If you do
...No doubt

Momiji: You'll want to go see To-ru

At the Sohma mainhouse, Shigure stares surprised at Akito's empty room and comments how Akito really did go to the hospital on her own. Hatori, behind him asks him whether something had happened between Akito and Tohru. Shigure confirms that it seemed something had in fact happened and remembers his conversation with Akito after Tohru had fallen from the cliff and Akito waited, sitting curled up on the back porch. Akito had told him that she'd sat down and spoke to her; not from afar or above, but nearby, beside her. Saying "So there you are..."

Back at the hospital, Akito opens the door to Tohru's room and sees her sitting up in her bed. She remembers her image of Tohru sitting with her at the last banquet.

Hatori asks Shigure if things had in fact happened as he'd hoped. Shigure comments that he was in fact regretting a number of things a little. When Hatori asks about the "a little", Shigure tells him that he was making quite the concession with that and that he too had made some progress.

At the hospital, Akito hesitates about continuing further into Tohru's room when she extends her hand. A little teary eyed, but smiling, Akito enters reaching to take Tohru's hand.

Banner: Akito and Shigure, and Kyo too all make a little progress...

To be continued in Issue 9, April 5th release.