Koi Kaze - 7.5: Dew Frost

Koushiro is meeting with a female client and explaining things. He narrates about his job and how & why he took it. He thinks back to when he was ~12-years of age and his mom was expecting Nanoka. She wants young Koushiro to help more around the house. "Ko-chan," as he's known in the neighborhood, isn't thrilled about this new baby's arrival. At the hospital, Koushiro has mixed feelings about the baby. As time passes, his little sister seems afraid of him, though she clearly wants to be closer to him. He's not enthused about it and is mean to her (much as he was in present times). Their mom isn't happy with Koushiro, knowing Nanoka seems afraid of him. Koushiro has difficulty dealing with her, which causes their father to be concerned.

One day while patiently dealing with a mess Nanoka made, their mom asks him to come with her to another room. She and their father tell him that they are seperating. Despite the seperation, they tell him that they'll still be family. Koushiro seems unfased by it all, and his mother leaves with Nanoka. She tells him that he can visit them anytime he likes.

Back in the present time, Koushiro is clocking out. His boss notes that he's been leaving early lately. Odagiri wonders if he's eager to see Nanoka and is envious. As he rides the train, he thinks of the other night when Nanoka said she loved him. Instead of going home, he goes to his mother's house instead, something he apparently hadn't done before. She prepares curry for their meal. Even though they haven't seen each other in years, she tells him she wouldn't forget his face. She wonders why the unexpected visit, but he has no answer.

After dinner, Koushiro looks in Nanoka's old room. He sees a child's drawing on the wall near the floor of a teddy bear. His mom comes in and remarks on how Nanoka loves teddy bears. Koushiro asks why she sent Nanoka over to their house. Her honest answer is that it is closer to her school, so it made sense to send her to live with Koushiro and their father. She wonders if he came all the way over just to sulk and drags him to her salon to cut his hair. She asks if Nanoka's constant use of "oniichan" annoys him. She remembers that Nanoka used to ask about Koushiro when she was growing up. They continue to talk and once she's done with him in the shop, he takes off to return home. She wants him to stay longer, but he can't.

On the train ride home, he remembers an incident at the park where young Nanoka was playing and he was watching. She gave him a cup of mud/sand and he made her happy by not getting rid of it but keeping it. The memory is a happy one for him as he arrives home. Nanoka is there to greet him when he gets home, but he really doesn't know what to say and says nothing. Later that night as he pours himself some milk, Nanoka comes down and he pours her a glass as well. They sit at the table and talk. She wants to know where he went, but he won't tell her. He decides that he'll be try to be an "oniichan" to her since that's the role he was given and thinks that he doesn't want her to tell him she loves him.

AstroNerdBoy: 08 December 2006

OK, I know Koushiro was a brooding teen, but smeg -- not seeing your mother since she left your father some 10 or 11-years ago? That's kinda jacked up. It seems like she made no effort to see her son either, though I could be wrong. It was interesting seeing a bit more about the family's past, though why the parents seperated was not revealed.