From Five to Nine [Chapter 54]

[Free Talk: This series will have a live action drama series starting on October. Starring Satomi Ishihara and Tomohisa Yamashita]

Episode 54 – Love Actually (is all around).  Junko is aghast as she faces frowning Takane and smiling Makoto. She remembers that she went to Kyoto because of work. Junko becomes embarrassed over being like that with Takane when she is in front of her boss so she starts to back away from Takane. Noticing this, Takane puts his arm around surprised Junko and says that it is already late since they had already met at the car before but let him re-introduce himself, he is Hoshikawa Takane, her fiancé. Makoto smiles and says that he’s truly too polite. Pushing Takane away, Junko tells him that Makoto is the director of their school’s company and today, they have lunch arrangements with a foreigner whom they are going to entertain. “It’s a day trip. We’ll go back to Tokyo at night--” Junko stops talking for she thinks that if she said ‘go back’ to the destination, it would be exposed that she is living together with the director. With a Hannya mask [a mask used in Noh theater, representing a jealous female demon or serpent. Source: wiki], Junko mentally threatens Makoto not to say unnecessary things. Makoto feels uneasy since Takane is also staring at him. He smiles and asks them if they can CONTINUE IT AGAIN AFTER GOING BACK? He says that their job to receive the guest will start after 30 minutes. “Can you immediately let go of your trapped-in-a-cage fiancée and give her to me, Hoshikawa-san?”

This surprises Junko for even if Makoto isn’t too fond of others but this is too sudden. “Why would he provoke..” Takane says that even if he used a cage as analogy but this is their business. “Actually, it is voluntary captivity. And it has nothing to do with outsiders. Even if I wanted to always stay *glances at the side* ..but with things like this, I obviously couldn’t.” Junko follows Takane’s side glance and notices the displeased monks. Junko worriedly asks Takane that things don’t seem to be very reassuring for they look very angry. “Could it that your training..” Takane asks if it is her first time to come to Kyoto. Junko says that she already came here once during a school field trip but right now, it isn’t that kind of thing.. Takane tells her that next time, they go here together. “Come here during our honeymoon trip and I’ll tour you around. I hate that you’ll be visiting Kyoto with this man. It’s our promise, okay.” He held her hand and let go. As Takane left with the monks, Junko stops herself from going after him. She thinks that she has already decided about work. She turns to Makoto and apologizes to him that they wasted time due to her personal matters. Perked up, she says that they immediately leave and receive the guest!! Makoto tells her that in case they made the guest wait, he’ll make her start a serious review meeting [/reflection meeting] and their image would have been tarnished by 10%.

Junko thinks that it is the normal Makoto. She thinks that basically for Makoto to see them, it isn’t strange for Makoto to feel disappointed but for him to annoy Takane like that. Makoto think that those words just now, it made Junko shiny like a flower absorbing enough water. Back at the temple, Takane is being preached by the monks since he went out of the reflection room without permission and unexpectedly has a private meeting with a woman. “You really make us speechless. Unexpectedly, you have this kind of disrespectful attitude in treating this mountain training. Ah..could it be that you have no intention of treat this temple probation seriously. Unexpectedly doing such a violent thing in front of the worshippers, yet you still weren’t able to restrain yourself. If you have no interest of properly undergo training, then can you please go back?” Slightly bowing, Takane tells them that he’ll repent, mend his mistake and start from zero so please, no matter what, give him another chance. To his surprise, the monk says that even if he finishes the training here, he’s afraid that Takane would still be unable to inherit the temple. He explains that from the looks of it now, that is possible if bad rumors start to spread around. “Even if you cannot inherit the temple, will you also continue the training?” While Junko and Makoto are receiving their guests, Takane thinks for a while and says yes, this time around, he’ll definitely restrain himself.

At the reflection room, Makoto thinks that it is truly quite baffling for ever since he was young, it is his dream to become a kind and remarkable abbot then afterwards, inherit the temple family business. As the abbot guarding the temple, he would obtain everyone’s love and respect. “Ever since I became captivated with her, I had lost control of everything. But, how should I say it, there’s this perfectly content feeling. Next, it is better if it happens earlier on. I wish that she can immediately draw the line with that guy just now.” Riding the train back to Tokyo, Junko says that it’s great that the guests look like they really like that hotel. Makoto says yes, and they had smoothly made the one in charge of the sightseeing to continue [in entertaining the guests]. He comments that it is great that they were able to send their greeting. Junko muses out loud that the people going to Japan, do so to chase after Japanese culture or otaku culture and it won’t go beyond those two. She says that the guest today is chasing after the former one and in the end, she must properly research and study on famous type of temples. Makoto says temples, aside from Ninna-ji or perhaps, Kodai-ji, then it would be the famous Arashiyama’s.. Then, he notices that Junko is sound asleep. He thinks that she’s already exhausted. He is about to touch her but stops upon recalling her conversation with Takane. “Unfortunately, she is a woman who got entangled with that kind of troublesome person. *keeps his hands to himself* I don’t want my life to be disturbed by some troublesome romance-type of thing. I won’t. I won’t.”

At the Sakuraba residence, on the phone, Izumi is telling Hibari to calm down a bit. She asks how come it became their Junko’s fault for that to happen to Takane while he is at training. She scolds the other party for being too involved with the young people’s relationship when they are already adults so they [adults] should make them [the couple] go deal with it themselves. She tells Hibari that they end it here, and mentioning about changing the abbot then basically she has no choice [/she cannot do anything about it]. [I don’t seem to have seen these two guys before but I guess one of them is Hajime, maybe the hairband guy ->] A hairband guy asks Nene if she heard about this dispute over Junko’s marriage yet she totally didn’t contact them. Nene didn’t reply. Black-haired guy comments that it is amazing that the hairband guy’s older sister is still continuing on and this is Shinto priest or a clergyman. Hajime shouts that it is a monk and that’s enough, quickly eat otherwise, he couldn’t tidy up the table. Black haired[?] guy says that if Junko is married off, then hairband guy will inherit the family property. He advises him not to continue on doing odd jobs and properly find some work. Hairband guy shouts why he is getting angry at him. At the train station, blushing Nene prays by apologizing to God that even if she wanted her sister to attain happiness but like this, her [Nene’s] important person won’t have any opportunity. “So..please do not let everything go very smoothly.. I beg of you.. please forgive my selfishness.”

She is startled when some girls tell her to cheer up for the girls at Shibuya are all very listless since they couldn’t imagine the Shibuya Prince registering for marriage. All of the girls who went to the party had received a fatal blow that it appears they were quite shattered. “How depressing~~” Nene is relieved for she thought that they’ve seen through her. They hold on to Nene and say they have a mission for Nene. They ask her to try to help them by asking Yuki about the truth about that issue. “And for you, this is also a once in a blue moon opportunity. *points at the side where Yuki is looking at his cellphone* It’s Cross dresser-chan. Luckily he is all alone today so quickly go Nene!!” Nene is happy to see Yuki but she immediately declines for Yuki won’t tell her. They insist that she go and they’ll wait for her report because aside from her, there is no one else whom they can ask. While the other girls are watching, Nene timidly goes to Yuki and thinks that even if she thinks that it won’t work but it isn’t easy to find an excuse to talk with Yuki but then, won’t it cause bother him to talk with her since he is still wearing earphones. Yuki glances at the side and is startled to see Nene. He tells her to make a sound while coming over to him for she startled him. She apologizes to him. Yuki laughs and says that they meet and she’s already apologizing. He comments that she is really always apologizing.

Blushing Nene thinks that he smiled and he’s so cute. With her imaginary tail wagging, Nene apologizes and says that her friends want to confirm about the rumor regarding Renji’s wedding registry so she came to him but she wasn’t able to call out to him because he’s wearing earphones. Yuki says that even if there is that intention but they still haven’t officially registered. Nene thinks that it seems that Yuki is okay and if she tells him about the possibility that things would fizzle out between her sister and the monk, would Yuki become more okay[/lively].. Yuki says that it is no wonder, it is Renji that this time around, he appears to be serious [about getting married]. Then, he asks if Nene is also one of those who were listless because of it. Surprised Nene exclaims no, it has nothing to do with her and she only puts Yuki’s happiness as the first priority. She couldn’t look straight at him but even if it is like that [Yuki = first place], how come she couldn’t say it, why doesn’t she want to say it out? [<- confession?] Yuki thanks Nene for saying that [his happiness is the first priority]. They were interrupted by Kunitachi who apologizes for interrupting when she is talking with her friend. As Yuki glances at her, startled Nene thinks that it is the guy who gave her the letter before.

Comment: Aside from Amane initiating things, it doesn’t need any other push for Takane to be in a deeper trouble than he currently was. I think those monks had chased after Takane up to the station. So, from Junko about to throw her dream away for him, it is now Takane who might throw his dream away for her. The mangaka seems to into some ‘tit for tat’ game with these two. ^^; And for now, Makoto is restraining himself from having anything to do with Junko. Time will tell if he’ll continue to do so or his feelings will somehow overpower his brain like what happened to Takane. ^^; Yes, Nene is still apologizing over every single thing and is quite timid. Hehe, really reminds me of Honey Hunt’s heroine and that isn’t exactly a good thing. ^^;; So, like the older sister, she is now caught between two guys in a station in a love triangle-like situation. Scans from 朝九晚五汉化组

Quote of the day:

A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn. ~ Author Unknown