S2 Episode 8 –
[details=spoiler]It’s been a week and Komaba still hasn’t returned to school. Hachiken is getting worried and not even Komaba’s roommate has heard anything. Nakajima is still out sick too. Tokiwa wonders if there’s a bad cold going around. But somehow I doubt Nakajima is sick. I bet he’s still fretting over his cheese! LOL
Nakajima finally makes an appearance at the club and announces that they are going to make cheese. I guess the poor man was grieving over his lost cheese for an entire week! He asks Hachiken, Mikage, and Kino what they had for breakfast. Based on their answers, he chooses Hachiken and Mikage, and tells Kino that he isn’t needed. When Kino questions that, Nakajima smacks Kino’s hand with his crop, saying that he will become a “demon for cheese”.
When Tokiwa and Yoshino come to investigate the cheese room, Nakajima orders them to help as well, since they had the same breakfast as the other two. I wonder why that is so important. The cheese thy will be making is called “raclette”. It’s hysterical that Nakajima is making the cheese himself and keeps telling the kids to “please wash the tools in the meantime”. Tokiwa and Hachiken feel that they are just there to be dishwashers. But Nakajima rewards them with cheese curds, which cheers them up considerably.
The continuing process is interesting and Hachiken likens it to chemistry. They take a quick lunch break and the food is finally explained. Apparently, you can’t eat natto for an entire day before you make cheese. Nakajima says that the bacteria in natto is “very robust”. It must ruin cheese somehow. At the end of the day, Hachiken mentions how this day was spent doing only the prep work. A lot of time and effort goes in to making cheese.
Because of the natto, Tokiwa was banned from the cheese making, and later asks Hachiken if the cheese is finished. Well, it will be – in about three months. I suppose Tokiwa didn’t know that cheese needs to age. But he wanted to give Komaba something to cheer him up after losing the baseball game. Everyone hopes that Komaba will come back soon.
Hachiken is still taking care of the piglets and gets upset when people call them by the wrong name. Then again, Hachiken is the only one that can tell them apart. He really loves his little darlings. In the last episode, Hachiken helped with the cows giving birth and is now asked if he’d like to name one of the calves. Now, Hachiken considers himself a godfather! It was funny that Hachiken thought of how the Holstein Club might treat his cow, and now realizes how Mikage’s father feels about guys coming after his daughter. What a comparison! It even brings Hachiken to tears. LOL His poor “daughter”.
Hachiken is finally getting why agriculture is so enjoyable; he realizes that it plays to one’s strengths. Ayame is back and she tells the gang that he might be transferring to the school, now that a spot has opened up in Dairy Science. What? What spot? Could it be that Komaba has left? Anyway, no one is pleased with Ayame’s announcement of transferring schools. Mikage asks how Ayame found out about the opening. She tells them that the local co-op received notice about the Komaba Ranch and everyone gasps. Hachiken has no idea what that means and demands to know. Ayame tells him that the Komaba Ranch is deeply in debt and will close. The family is bankrupt and Komaba will not be returning to school.
Hachiken is devastated and wonders why Komaba never told them anything. Then he realizes that Mikage already knew about Komaba’s situation. That’s why she’d been crying that time! Hachiken really wants to do something about it too, but it’s too late. All of Komaba’s dreams have turned to dust. He will need to get a job immediately and pay off his family’s debts. Mikage later explains Komaba’s situation to Hachiken. He’s still upset and wants to do something to help, but there’s really nothing to be done. Even after Mikage leaves, Hachiken wonders how he can help.
The class discusses their own family debt and Hachiken notes that they are more worried about themselves than Komaba. Tokiwa assures Hachiken that they are worried about Komaba, but this is reality. Others ask if Komaba is really dropping out; his things are still in his room, so they wonder if he will come back. All of this is just making Hachiken sick, so he takes the rest of the day off. He goes to Komaba’s room, knowing that he will find Komaba there. And sure enough there he is, packing up his things.
As they talk, Hachiken reminds Komaba that his mother wanted him to finish school. Komaba feels that he can’t because he’s already a burden to Mikage’s family. Hachiken questions that and finds out that Mikage’s family co-signed the loan Komaba’s father needed to expand. Then he passed away. So Komaba’s bankruptcy affects Mikage’s family business as well. There are many reasons Komaba needs to work immediately. Not only does he want to pay the loan back quickly, but he’d also like to send his little sisters to college. Hachiken yells at him for giving up his dreams, and Komaba says that he’s already lost them.
Hachiken walks Komaba out to the car, and the teacher finds out that Hachiken was only pretending to be sick, but Sakuragi already knew he was. Komaba’s mom tells Hachiken to stay in school. Komaba says his goodbyes and Hachiken still looks very forlorn. Komaba tells him to stops worrying about other people’s problems. Komaba says that he’s already come to terms with his life and that Hachiken should too. After the car pulls away, Hachiken still has some things to say, and berates everyone for their accepting attitude of “nothing to be done”. Komaba hears him, but there’s no reaction.
Hachiken joins Mikage and tells her that Komaba has cleaned out his room and is gone. He tells her that he knows her family co-signed the loan. Mikage is happy that Hachiken knows it all now, but tells him not to dwell on it. She just wants to forget about it, but you know Hachiken isn’t that kind of guy. He wants to say something, but then remembers how both Komaba and Mikage had told him that it had nothing to do with him when he found Mikage crying that time. Hachiken realizes that he’s just an outsider in this situation. Even though these two friends have accepted their circumstances, Hachiken knows that they aren’t happy about it. Then again, this isn’t going to stop Hachiken! He grabs Mikage’s wrist and tells her to drag him into it. He wants her to share her pain and let her feelings out. But she just stands there, staring at him as Hachiken yells at her. I wonder if Hachiken really will try to help Komaba after all.[/details]