Chapter 11. Driving Mr. Hanamori

Chapter 11. Driving Mr. Hanamori
Titles
Information
Release Date	July 13, 2009
Chapter	11
Volume	2
ISBN	ISBN 978-4-06-340762-4
Chapter Guide
Previous ← Chapter 10. Fatal Attraction	Next Chapter 12. In the Closet →
Volumes and Chapters

Teaser

Shuu recovers and, believing he's been sexually harassed by Inari, he makes a run for it. Later, Kuranosuke learns from one of the family employees, Hanamori, that Shuu's phobia of women originated when he caught his father cheating on his mother with another woman: Kuranosuke's mother. Later, Shuu briefly visits Tsukimi to shake her hand.

Summary

When Shuu doesn't respond to her kiss, Inari pulls away and asks him, all lovey-dovey, if he drank too much. She ignores his repeated requests to have his clothes returned to him. He finally goes into her closet and grabs what he can find before attempting to leave. Inari follows him, letting him know that he was forgetting something. Instead of giving him his pants, however, she leans in close and whispers that she thinks they had great chemistry.

Shuu shoves her away from him and runs out of her apartment. On the floor, her head having knocked against the wall, Inari wonders at being treated in such a way.

Exhausted from having had a good time, the Amars return to Amamizukan, eager to unwind and get out of their clothes. Kuranosuke is appalled that Banba had taken off her shoes and shoved them into the expensive leather bag he'd loaned her. He gets distracted, however, by the sight of Tsukimi talking to Clara about their evening. Unnerved by how cute he's continued to find her all evening, he rushes home.

Saburouta is there, to Kuranosuke's surprise. His father, however, reminds him to be out of his sight when he's dressed like that. Kuranosuke agrees and and Mrs. Koibuchi tells him she's already started his bath while Saburouta pouts at not being allowed the opportunity to share a drink with Kura-pyon.

In the bath, Kuranosuke relaxes and lets his thoughts go back to Tsukimi. He gives a great start when Saburouta bursts in with wine. He asks his honorary uncle point blank if he's a homosexual, and Saburouta poo-poos the notion and explains they couldn't talk privately out in the living room.

Saburouta asks him if someone told him about Shuu's problem. Kuranosuke is taken by surprise and asks, "What problem?"

Saburouta is the surprised one this time. He'd figured that's what Kuranosuke had called him to ask about Shuu and women. When Kuranosuke explains that he just thought his uncle would know about his love life, Saburouta realizes he's made a mistake and, with a sense of humor, comes up with a ridiculous excuse to leave. Kuranosuke stands right up and tells him to hold it, but Saburouta shrieks in mock indignation at his naked state and leaves.

Kuranosuke starts to chase after him in a towel, but stops at the sight of Shuu walking in through the door. He's disheveled and dazed. He asks his brother what's wrong, pointing out that he's acting like a soap opera heroine who just got attacked.

"Attacked?" Shuu responds and moves past his brother toward the stairs. "So I was attacked. That's what it was. I see. Ha ha... I see. I get it now." 

Kuranosuke wonders what that's all about, and then resumes his chase, but Saburouta is long gone. He rushes out to the garage to insist on being driven, but the driver, Hanamori, tells him he can't, because he's in the middle of waxing the Mercedes.

Kuranosuke calls his uncle, who's listed as "Baldy" in his contacts, to demand an explanation. He insists that he's too curious to sleep on it. When his uncle pushes back, Kuranosuke insists that he'd just asked Hanamori to drive after him because he needs to know. He's surprised when Saburouta tells him to just ask Hanamori instead.

Hanamori makes a show of not being willing to tattle. When Kuranosuke threatens to put hand marks on the wax job, he caves immediately. When Shuu was a child, his father had brought him to a musical. That's when he saw his father and Kuranosuke's mother "doing the deed."

Shuu had tried to find his father after getting separated. He was worried that they wouldn't get home in time for his mom, who was making his father's favorite meal. He wandered into Lina's walk-in closet looking for his father, and saw the two of them in an embrace.

Currently, Shuu is in the shower, not really moving. When he does get out and get dressed, he asks Hanamori to drive him somewhere.

At Amamizukan is sent out by the other Amars to go by more shampoo. As she leaves the building, Shuu and Hanamori pull up. Shuu gets out of the car, somewhat staggering. He goes right up to Tsukimi and apologizes for visiting so late and looking the way he does. He holds out his hand and asks if he can shake hers. Tsukimi petrifies at the first touch, but then becomes loose enough to feel him squeeze her hand. Shuu squeezes her hand, holding for a moment to just breathe out. Then he looks up, lets go of her hand and thanks her, asking her to excuse him.

Tsukimi can only only call "Huh?" after him as he gets in the car and leaves.

Hanamori tells Shuu that he let Kuranosuke know about his trauma and apologizes. Shuu comments that Hanamori has had that weakness since they were kids. Kuranosuke tries to handle the weight of the new info on his family he just learned.

On the phone, Inari assures someone that she didn't have sex with Shuu, but he's certain they did. She also got pictures and intends to drop by his house tomorrow to return his glasses.

Characters in Order of Appearance

Characters in Order of Appearance
Shoko Inari Shuu Koibuchi Yoko Banba Chieko Tsukimi Kurashita Jiji Mayaya Kuranosuke Koibuchi Clara Saburouta Negishi nameless political aides Keiichiro Koibuchi Mrs. Koibuchi Yoshio Hanamori Lina (by mention and flashback)

Quotes

• (Kuranosuke, thinking about Tsukimi) ❝For some reason even the inherently creepy act of talking to a jellyfish seems cute right now. Does this mean—?!❞
• (Keiichiro Koibuchi to a cross-dressed Kuranosuke) ❝Kuranosuke. How many times do I have to say this? Don't show your face to me while you're dressed like that.❞
• (Saburouta to Kuranosuke, running away while teasing him for being naked) ❝Kura-pyon, you naughty boy! Oh no! No one will ever marry me now!❞
• (Shuu to Tsukimi) ❝I'm sorry to visit so late...and looking like this... May I shake your hand?❞

Trivia

• This chapter contains misnumbered pages in the released Kodansha 2-in-1 volume.
• The chapter title is a spin on the 1989 movie "Driving Miss Daisy."