H2
	 Volume 28
	  Chapter 9 (277)
	   Oh, Very Sincere

 - Page 149 -

(Ch. 9) Oh, Very Sincere

 - Page 150 -

Hikari: Geez,
	fooled by the weather report again.
	They said it wouldn't rain until this evening!

 - Page 151 -

Hikari: Ma'am?!

Sign: Kunimi

Hikari: It's raining,
	you should bring in your laundry before it gets too wet.
	Hello?

 - Page 152 -

Rain: (fshh)

 - Page 153 -

Noda: Ten times up and down the stairs!
	Begin!

Players: One!  Two!
	One!  Two!

Noda: Don't slack off, new kids!

Yanagi: At least we've got plenty of new members.

Noda: Indeed.

Haruka: So who's interesting?

Book: Register

Noda: Let's see.
	Murakoshi,
	Yano,
	Mukai.
	Those three were central players on their respective middle school teams.

Phone: (rrring)

 - Page 154 -

Hiro: One of them had a good arm.

Yanagi: Yeah,
	with the square face.

Noda: Who's that?

Hiro: He had a weird name.

Yanagi: Yes, I remember that.

Book: Register

Woman: Kunimi-kun,
	phone for you.

Hiro: OK.

Noda: Urushiya Genichiro.
	Hiruma Yohei.

Yanagi: Not quite.

Hiro: Huh?

 - Page 155 -

Hiro: My mom?!
	For appendicitis?!

Noda: Chabatake Naoki.
	Yamamoto Jiro.

Yanagi: Yeah,
	that's the one.

Noda: What's so weird about it?
	That's a totally normal name!

Yanagi: Yama is his family name, Motojiro is his given name.

Noda: That IS weird.

Hiro: OK.
	Got it.

 - Page 156 -

Hideo: Good evening.

Mrs. Amamiya: Oh,
	Hide-chan.

Hideo: Is she here?

Mrs. Amamiya: Hikari's over at Hiro-chan's house now.

Hideo: Hiro's house?

 - Page 157 -

Mrs. Amamiya: Oh, yes.
	You didn't hear?

Hikari: All right,
	dinner is served.

Hiro: Thank god.
	I thought I'd starve before it was ready.

 - Page 158 -

Dad: You ingrate!

Hiro: Ow!

Dad: What do you think would have happened if Hikari-chan wasn't here?!

Hiro: We'd have called for delivery.

Dad: I'm talking about your mother!
	She called an ambulance and stayed with her,
	then called everyone she could,
	and even came back here to get a change of clothes for her!
	Now she's making dinner,
	and all you can do is complain!

Hiro: I already thanked her plenty.

Hikari: Plenty meaning once?

 - Page 159 -

Hiro: Thank you very much.
	I will remember this forever.

Hikari: Forever meaning three days?

Hiro: What am I, a goldfish?
	Besides, it's not like I...

Dad: Treat your mother's savior with some goddamn respect!

Hiro: May I eat now?

Hikari: Go ahead.

Dad: Thank you so much, Hikari-chan.

Hikari: She had just finished buying ingredients for dinner,
	but I figured if I just put them in the refrigerator, you two would never cook them up.

 - Page 160 -

Hiro: Yummy!

Hikari: Oh, very sincere.
	Uh,
	really?

Hiro: Shut up!

Dad: Don't tell your mother's savior to shut up!

Hiro: Look out!
	I almost spilled my miso soup!
	Seconds, Hikari.

Hikari: Here you go.

 - Page 161 -

Rain: (drip)(drip)

Haruka: Tachibana-kun?

 - Page 162 -

Haruka: What are you doing here?

Hideo: Oh, well...
	I heard his mom was in the hospital, so I came by to check on them...
	You?

Haruka: Yeah,
	I figured they might need someone to cook dinner,
	so I brought some food from the store.
	Oh.

 - Page 163 -

Haruka: I see.
	Too bad, the meals from this store are really good.

Hideo: You know,
	I haven't eaten yet.

Haruka: Oh,
	here then.

Hideo: My mom's not in the hospital though.
	You don't mind?

Haruka: Not at all!

Hideo: Well then,
	let's go inside and make a nuisance of ourselves.

Haruka: Yeah.

 - Page 164 -

Hiro: Huh?

Hideo: Hey.

Haruka: Good evening.

Hikari: Oh.

Hideo: We just met,
	right outside.

Haruka: Yeah.

 - Page 165 -

Dad: Oh, Haruka-chan,
	welcome!
	Your father is well, I trust?

Haruka: Don't you see him at work?

Dad: Well,
	a lowly peon such as myself does not often get the chance to meet with the almighty company president himself.

Hiro: Try to maintain some semblence of dignity around your offspring.

Hideo: Can you make some tea?

Hikari: Sure.

 - Page 166 -

Noda: I'll go home.

[Spring rain...]
[The afflicted mother does not return home...]

Mom: Come on,
	don't act like I'm dead yet!

 - Chapter 9 End -